Birthday Beauty Haul

Tom Ford, Laura Mercier and Blink...

Luxe doesn't get much better than these beauties

These are the brands that I splurged on fora bit of birthday beautifying... I'd been planning to treat myself to a Tom Ford lippy with my birthday money anyway but the rest was unplanned and I certainly never expected to pick up anything else TF as it's so expensive! But after a little makeover at their counter in Selfridges at the Trafford Centre I was sold.

Tom Ford Lip Colour - 01 Spanish Pink £36

I had NO idea which colour I wanted to buy before the assistant tried a few on me but I was almost certain that it wouldn't be a nude... I've already got so many fave neutral lipsticks so I kind of thought i'd try the signature bright red lip or black orchid lippy that you see in the TF ads. I tried the new release for A/W13 - Bruised Plum and as much as I loved it and thought it would be perfect for winter I really have got the exact same shade almost in my Chanel A/W12 lippy: L'impatiente. The only difference is the texture and finish, the TF is super creamy and has a shine to it whereas Chanel's is matte and quite drying and staining. If I was to get another lippy I'd go for the True Coral one next. In fact, I really want it for my holiday next month. Addictive!

Spanish Pink in high lighting (above) and low lighting (below)

I think the true colour of Spanish Pink is a mixture of both my swatches - the top pic is slightly more pink, almost bubble gummy whilst the lower is a little too dark. Both look very different and I'd say it does look shiny though like the top swatch for a long while before dulling to more of a pink stain. The Staying power of this lipstick and undoubtedly all of TF's range is unrivalled.... Seriously impressive! Must be to do with the brazillian murmur butter and chamomilla flower oil that aids staying power and colour payoff. Seriously smooth application too.

Tom Ford Blush - 04 Savage £45

I had to buy this blusher after the lady applied some to my cheeks... I think the fact that this particular shade more than any of the others can double as a highlight and contour product sold it to me. Perfect for daytime and easily buildable and shimmery for evenings. Gives serious definition if applied properly to the cheekbones... I worried with it being quite so dark that it would look too bold/brash but I love it. There were a few other shades that seem a bit samey to the ones I already have so this was the only option for me. I cannot wait to use with a bit of a tan again!

Savage blush swatches in high and low lighting respectively

This blush really packs quite a bit of shimmer, more than most i'd say but it's still ok for daytime as it's not overkill I don't think. Unless you have trouble with shine on your cheeks/T-zone that this might emphasize but i'd suggest just using a powder blotting tissue and wear this beauty anyway! Again, massive differences in the swatches but this is quite true to reality. Depending on how the light catches the blush makes a huge difference to how it appears. it can look very bronzed and matte but then you turn and the golden shimmer plays on your cheekbones. Although the assistant said even the palest of faces can get away with this shade, I personally don't think I could pull it off at my palest come January... I mean I might but I just can't see it looking too flattering on myself.

Tom Ford Brow Sculpt - 02 Taupe £34 

This was the main impulse buy and I dithered slightly... I've been using Benefit's Brow Zings for what feels like forever and i've always raved about how much I love it but after she filled in my brows with this tool... well, there was no going back! The colour, the application and brush on the end is just perfect. The Taupe shade is a little lighter and gives me a less intense colour than the Brow Zings which I'm enjoying now that I've gone lighter with my hair. It's not too light for my natural brows and it's again very buildable. Just brush it through in strokes then wisp the wand through afterwards to soften and smudge the wax into the brow to keep it in place.  Slightly more expensive than I'd have ideally liked to have paid for a brow pencil and it's more than a little fiddly and technical to sharpen the damn thing when it gets a bit blunt but it was my birthday and I went a little mad :)

From top left: spanish pink lip colour, taupe brow sculpt and savage blush

So for three cosmetics from the Tom Ford beauty collection, I used just over £100 of my birthday pennies... I love luxe beauty and these scream premium so I don't mind forking out the extra for a few key items but I know a lot of people won't buy these purely because of the price and I don't blame them. I've found alternatives with the lippy for e.g, chanel which is still super premium but over £10 cheaper and i'm sure there's high street brands that can provide dupes. It's all about personal preference.

Laura Mercier Secret Camauflage Concealer in 03 - £26 and Eye Basics in Wheat £20

Secret Camauflage Concealer...Kiss goodbye to dark circles!

Eye Basics in Wheat

I've only swatched the Eye Basics here because the concealer is exactly how you see it in the picture. I've been using MAC's select cover up moisturising concealer for so long and although it works to an extent, it doesn't hide half the sins this concealer does! Dark circles are hidden and no caginess even though it really is much more intense than the gloopy MAC. I've also been using Urban Decay's primer potion since I was a kid it feels so I'm switching to LM's eye basics in wheat for a change. Doesn't feel as sticky for eyeshadows to catch to but seems to do the exact same job whilst having the advantage of evening out skin colour and providing a perfect base for your eyes. To be honest, I love this product so much because I feel I can wear no eyemakup other than maybe a lashing of mascara and feel fresh and wide-awake. 

I also got the Blink goodies with some vouchers I had which i will review in a separate blog post as I really have rambled enough for one night! Keep your peepers peeled fellow beauty junkies... As always, I'd love to hear from you if you've tried any of the above products or are wanting to know anything else about them gals! xoxo

Chanel L'ete Papillon De Chanel Summer 2013 Collection - Azure Le Vernis, Jade Shore Stylo & True Blue Eyeliner Review

"The dazzling colours of butterflies inspire a joyful look for face and fingertips with the enchanting Summer collection" - Chanel.com

Lilis, Azure & Bel-Argus Le Vernis

I'm a total Chanel beauty junkie and I get very giddy at the announcement of their new seasonal collections! The Chanel L'ete Papillon De Chanel gave me plenty to get excited about, I mean, just look at those nail jewel-like nail polish colours! The  Le Vernis nail colours were the main products that really caught my eye about this collection and in my head I was already picturing myself wearing the metallic blue 'Bel-Argus'... I've been searching for the perfect deep blue nail polish for what feels like forever!

Precious Parcel...

So I ended up making a few key purchases from the Chanel counter in Debenhams, Meadowhall, which had 10% off and £5 bonus points (for £40 spend) promotions on at the time so it was just too good to pass up! Read on to find out what I bought...

To my surprise, I didn't end up purchasing the 'Bel-Argus' Le Vernis! The Chanel assistant swatched the polish on her nails for me and it just didn't have that sparkle or intensity of colour like the 'Azure' Le Vernis I opted for instead. It just didn't end up looking as bright as it did in the bottle and it disappointed me a little. The 'Azure' however looked exactly the same on the nails as it did sat in its bottle - no difference whatsoever! So in all I made 3 purchases but I'm tempted to buy another 2... I also got some free samples on the day - Hydra Beauty Gel Yeux which isn't released until the 14th June and is a creamy eye gel to help with puffyness and dark shadows. The second sample was the Sublimage Essential Comfort Cleanser which smells heavenly! 

1. Azure Le Vernis - metallic blue-green £18.00

2. Jade Shore Stylo Eyeshadow - light shimmery sea green £23.00

3.True Blue Stylo Yeux Waterproof - turquoise blue £19.00

Azure Le Vernis

As you can see from the very first picture in my post of the three polishes together, the lighting plays an important role on how the polishes look. The Azure shade I went for is very bright and definitely makes me think of a beautiful butterfly's wings. In my pics when taken at home (the next two) it looks a little duller but I couldn't get the lighting right. You can still see the metallic blue-green shades playing against each other; it looks so magical. Unfortunately I haven't been able to use this yet as I started my new job today and opted for Chanel's 'Frenzy' shade instead... This will be on my nails in a week's time though when I shall be jetting off to Florida! Perfect for summer and will look fab agains a tan, like all of the range, to be honest.

True Blue Stylo Yeux

This is a close up of the waterproof eyeliner; 'True Blue'. It's mega intense and when it says waterproof... it means waterproof! I tried getting this eyeliner off with my usual face wipes and it barely budged! It calls for some pretty heavy duty makeup remover or an oil based cleanser. It was on the same day that I purchased this that I was tweeting my fellow beauty addicts for suggestions for waterproof eyeliners perfect for the beach. I had totally forgotten the launch was that day! So I went shopping intending to get the Clarins Turquoise eyeliner but i'm so glad I managed to get  this instead. 

Jade Shore Stylo Eyeshadow

The stylo eyeshadow pens are seriously amazing to apply! They actually seem to have a cooling effect on the lid, not sure if this is intentional or not but it feels lovely on. I only got the 'Jade Shore' as this was my favourite from the range and I was going for sea greens for my beach look but i'm now wishing I had picked up the 'Pink Lagoon' stylo too. I swatched it below under 'Moon River' whilst in the store with the rest of the products I purchased; it's a very warm fresh pink with lots of sparkle.

From top: Moon River, Pink Lagoon, Jade Shore Stylo Eyeshadows & True Blue Stylo Yeux

I didn't end up going with the 'Moon River' shadow as I've got plenty of similar shades. All are super shimmery but this doesn't mean they compromise on the colour payoff... All are very bright and eyecatching. 'True Blue' is at the very bottom and I wish I'd not rushed and done more of a swatch of that in their lighting as it's seriously lush.

Have you purchased anything from the range yet? Only a matter of time until the nail polishes sell out as usual but I'm really hoping to maybe purchase the 'Pink Lagoon' eyeshadow and the 'Blue Note' electric blue mascara. I was worried I wouldn't get my money's worth of use from the mascara as I can only imagine wearing it on holiday or very rarely on a sunny day in the UK but it looks great on from what i've seen in other blogs.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this collection lovelies! xoxo

The affordable alternative to Chanel's 'Particuliere' polish ❤

'MINK' BY NAILS INC PRESENTS THE AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO CHANEL'S 'PARTICULIERE' POLISH ❤

If you are like me, you'll have seen Chanel's 'particuliere' polish in magazines, talked about on the t.v and blogged about on the internet - (it is THE shade of the summer!) and you'll have been doing some research into a more affordbale version of this darker than usual creamy nude polish. Well in March, I saw a tweet announcing that Instyle Magazine had got together with Nails Inc and were giving away 3 different shades of polish. These polishes are £10.50 in the store but I got them with the magazine for £3.60! Bargain or what?!

There was Mink; a classy dark nude that wouldn't look out of place from Nails Inc's Griege collection. Then there's Beach; a bright vibrant coral red, and Candy - as the name suggests a candy pink. I didn't even need to think twice about which shade i was going to get... Mink was the kind of shade that had been on my list of lusthaves for sometime but I am trying to save up for a holiday so i've been biding my time. And thank God I did :) I was tempted to buy Candy too, but i've already got the bubblegum pink shade in O.P.I's Pandamonium Pink from the Hong Kong collection.

Mink is a beautifully sophisticated nude and is on trend with the likes of the most famous polish for the summer; Chanel's 'particuliere'. I nearly bought 'particuliere' a few times, as i just couldn't find a shade that looked similar and was affordable but still high quality. Both shades are darker than what most people think of as nudes and are not the typical pale beige. I have a an olive-y skin tone and i find that 'Mink' suits me perfectly. To be honest, i think it's a good all-rounder, and should suit nearly all skintones.

It gives off a very grown up and classy style, I feel like i want to don a pencil skirt, ruffled blouse and chic glasses before heading off to my swanky office! Who knows, maybe it highers your IQ too?! Hmm. Either way, i'll definately be wearing it to work and would feel confortable wearing it to an interview as it's not in your face but still screams grown up glamour. It really is very beautiful in a subtle way, and makes your hands look perfectly preened.

The only downfall i found was the brush is a bit hit and miss. I don't know whether mine is just a little out of shape but it didn't apply as smoothly as i'd have liked (or expected) from Nails inc. I found it hard get the right amount spread evenly on the nail, and the polish itself felt a little gloopy/thick. I ended up rushing to try and even out the gloop before it dried and this made it a little unenjoyable to apply but the end result is worth it. the shade is just what i wanted to so i'm willing to overlook these little niggles. I suppose the advantage of the thick feeling of the polish is that you'll definately not need more than two coats, if you are used to applying polish you may even get away with one if you master the brush!

The pictures i have taken do not have a topcoat on them, yet they still look ultra glossy huh? BUT! I emplore you not to miss this step as it will make them even more glossy (I know, right?!) and protect your polish from wear and tear, allowing you to enjoy this lush shade for even longer. So, wat are you waiting for? Hit up eBay and see if you can add this perfect polish to your collection too!

Much Love to all my beautiful bloggers

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