Budget Buy: Collection Shimmer Shades

Collection Shimmer Shades Boots £4.19

The Collection Shimmer Shade in Blushalicious is a multipurpose highlighter and blush compact that adds a subtle rosy glow to my cheeks. It's one of those slap-on-and-go products that I adore, instantly making me look radiant, it's easy to blend into the skin with a beautiful frosty finish.

The palette consists of four shades, of which I like to either apply the two pink shades as a blush or the two peach shades as a highlighter, or just swirl my brush in the pan and apply, getting a mix of all four. It's surprisingly well pigmented for a drugstore item but I find it to be the perfect amount. Personally I don't actually enjoy extremely pigmented blush compacts as I normally apply them in a rush and can end up looking like a clown.

Have you tried the Collection Shimmer Shades?

Currently Loving: Smashbox Soft Lights

Smashbox Baked Fusion Soft Lights in Starburst £23 Boots

There's always that quest for me to achieve some glow. The perfect amount, without looking like a disco ball/grease ball/shimmer brick or all the above. There have been times I've left the house thinking I look fresh and glowing only to return home to highlighted pores and a shimmery face. One of my more recent purchases, Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights ensures a subtle glow, without looking oily, greasy or overly made up.

The shade I own is Baked Starburst, which is the perfect shade when I have a tan and am looking a little more bronze than usual. It's a mix of bronzer, blusher and highlighter all in one with such fine particles of shimmer that are so subtle on the skin.

Dust it over the top of my cheeks for a heavier application with my Hakuhodo Brush or if I want a little more subtly my Real Techniques Blush Brush. It reminds me of a more bronzy Burberry Sheer Summer Glow (post here) but with more pigment. Something I can just slap on the cheeks alone and looks great!

Wearing Smashbox Baked Fusion Soft Lights in Starburst

Have you ever tried anything from Smashbox?

Top 5: Summer Blushers

From going from not wearing or owning any blush at all to now being blush obsessed I think it's safe to say it's a staple for me now! I usually apply my blush with a Real Techniques Blush Blush or a Louise Young LY06, both of which I highly recommend. The Real Techniques one is a little large for those with smaller cheeks so Louise Young may be a better way to go. Both are ridiculously soft and don't shed. Score. For cream blush I lean towards synthetic haired brushes, as they are generally better to use with cream products, the Real Techniques Contour Brush for example, which is a little small but does the job. 

There's a wide price range in my top 5 favourite summer blushers which I'm very happy with! From £3.99 for Collection to £29 for Burberry. All you're really going to see here is pink and peach shades as that's all I really go for with blush!

I'll start from the highest price, here are my top 5 blushers for summer!

Burberry Light Glow Blossom Blush No.05 (post here) £29

Burberry are really winning for me at the moment and I love this so much, I may even have to pick up another shade! The texture is incredible, so finely milled and has is the perfect mix of peachy pink.

Chantecaille Cheek Shade in Laughter £23

I have been putting this to one side until I'm a little bit more tanned as it's definitely a summer shade. It has the most gorgeous golden shimmer going through it and is very very pigmented so a little goes a long way! Unfortunately there isn't as much product as some of the other blushers but none the less it's a gorgeous shade

Mac Blush in Peaches £17.50

Being a matt shade it's really natural yet being a gorgeous peachy colour adds a glow without any highlighter or shimmer. It's one of those slap on my face products as it practically goes with any makeup look and is very subtle

Topshop Blush in Flush £6.00 

Like I mentioned above, being a cream formula, I do feel the need to apply this with a synthetic brush. The formula is wonderful - not creamy or sticky and dries to a powder finish. It's really pigmented and again, a matt shade so looks very natural. It looks very bright in the pan but on the cheeks adds a really beautiful colour. It also looks great patted onto the lips too!

Collection Shimmer Shades Blushalicious Blusher £3.99

This is normally used after a late night, or if my skin is look particularly dull, it does a great job of helping me look 'lit from within' as it's quite a frosty finish so does add some glow. It's more of a sheer wash of colour than an intense shade but can be built up and there are four shades so you can have a little play choosing either the lighter or darker ones.

From left to right - Burberry Light Glow Blossom Blush in No.05, Chantecaille Cheek Shade in *, Mac Blush in Peaches, Topshop Blush in Flush, Collection Shimmer Shades Blushalicious Blusher

Which shade is your favourite? Any other shades I need to add to my collection?

New In: Mac Heavenly Creatures Collection

Mac Heavenly Creature Collection 

Mac have too many collections to keep up with these days, but their recent collection, Heavenly Creatures totally took my breath away! The most beautiful blushes and skinfinishes I've laid my eyes on in a while. The collection contains a range of products from Blushes, to Lipsticks to Eyeshadows and launched last week and I managed to get my hands on three items - they are going to sell out pretty quickly!

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Centre Of The Universe 

First up the Mineralize Skinfinish in Centre Of The Universe, a little beauty in a black pot! I'm familiar with the Mac Mineralise Skin Finishes, especially the shimmer finish - see post here - they give a lovely colour to the face, aren't the finest milled powder around so I do be careful not to overdo it. The coral and golden shimmer marbled effect gives an overall peachy glow that's very illuminating and slightly frosty. I'm really looking forward to wearing this in summer - especially as a blush or highlight.

I haven't induged in a Mac lipstick in what feels like years, but Cut A Caper is a shade I couldn't resist. Personally I don't find the formulas of Mac lipsticks to be particularly amazing, they feel quite drying and do highlight cracks in dry lips. That being said I've recently found Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm (see post here) to be a fantastic base for applying them - problem solved!

Mac Cut A Caper Lipstick is a lovely coraly peach shade with a lustre finish. The shade can be built up from a slight hint of colour to a full blown peachy lip, both of which I love. I know I'll be reaching for this a lot this summer!

Mac Mineralize Blush in Supernova

The blush that made me drool - Supernova. Mainly, being the shallow person I am, due to the pink and gold design. It's heavily pigmented so needs a really light hand to avoid applying too much and resembling a clown - definitely not one of those slap on when your not looking products. It gives a gorgeous pink flush with a hint of golden highlighter that looks very fresh on the skin. 

What do you think of the recent Mac collections? Will you be picking anything up from Heavenly Creatures?

An Amazing Beauty Find!

I've raved about Nars Blusher before, my favourite being Orgasm and there's also another Nars staple that I haven't mentioned purely because it comes out in the summer months when I'm look a bit more tanned -  Laguna bronzer. I'm constantly looking for the smallest compacts to fit in my clutch or handbag when I'm on the go and I've chased the duo Nars Laguna Orgasm limited edition sets before and somehow missed them all apart from one! When I was recently browsing through the new John lewis beauty hall on Oxford Street (definitely worth a trip by the way!) I came across this old set, Nars Orgasm Laguna and a highlighter too, Albatross which John Lewis has brought out exclusively.

I've written a more in-depth post about Nars Orgasm Blush as well as included a drugstore alternative here, but it's a lovely pink peach blush with a slight golden shimmer running through it that would definitely suit all skin tones. Nars Laguna Bronzer that's more on the brown that orange side of the colour scale, not so brown that it can make you look dirty like I feel Benefit Hoola Bronzer can do. Albatross is a white highlighter with a slight golden shimmer that gives a lovely glow and doesn't look ashy on the skin.

If you're aware of Nars powders you'll know that they are infamous for breaking, especially Laguna (3 of mine have broken!). What I loved about this is the metal case packaging is so sturdy hopefully it won't break!

Nars Blush Bronzer Trio set is exclusive to John lewis Oxford Street and is £39

Have you ever tried Nars powders?

New In: Guerlain & Emilio Pucci Collection - Terra Azzurra

Guerlain and Emilio Pucci Terra Azzurra Collection

Probably one of the most anticipated collections this year is the Guerlain and Emilio Pucci Terra Azzurra Collection. Seeing as their previous one from 2007 was such a success I was SO excited to get my hands on these goodies. The collection features a Bronzing Powder & Blush, the famous Guerlain Meteorites, an Eyeshadow Palette, Mascara, 3 Lip Glosses (one blue!) and two Nail Polishes. Everything is perfected down to detail...even the inside of the packaging is Pucci design! 

I managed to pick up three items from the collection, the Terracotta Gloss in Porto Azzuro which is an indigo blue, the Terra Azzurra Bronzing Powder & Blush and the Meteorites Perles D'Azur. 

Guerlain Pucci Terra Azzura Bronzing Powder & Blush

Guerlain Pucci Terra Azzura Bronzing Powder & Blush Swatch

Guerlain bronzers are hands down my favourite, especially their matt ones, amazingly smooth texture, so lightweight and comes in so many shades matched down to hair and skin colour. The star of the show, the Terra Azzura Bronzing Powder & Blush covers both Guerlains amazing bronzer and the Pucci prints bringing us one of those 'do it all' products that you can just slap on and leave the house! I absolutely love the universal shades in this palette - great for all skin colours!

Guerlain Pucci Terracotta Gloss in Porto Azzuro

Guerlain Pucci Terracotta Gloss in Porto Azzuro Swatch

Next up, the Terracotta Gloss in Porto Azzuro (yes I did purchase a blue lipgloss!) Whenever I'm on a lipstick hunt I search for ones with blue, cool undertones as they help enhance teeth looking more white. This gloss is pretty transparent when applied but leaves a blue tint to the lips. I found it worked best over a lipstick, the formula is very light and isn't sticky too - always a plus! Above is pictured alone and over a pink lipstick, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy. 

Guerlain Pucci Meteorites Perles D'Azur 

Guerlain Pucci Meteorites Perles D'Azur Swatch 

Finally Guerlain Meteorites Perles D'Azur, described as a 'must-have' powder by many, made for complexion enhancing. The small balls of powder include 6 shades, some shimmer and some semi-matt. Each pearl is designed to enhance for example pink to counteract any yellowness in the skin. Swirled together the colours give a lovely light tint that I loved dusting this all over my face, especially under my eyes for some extra brightening. Another way that works a treat is with a big fluffy brush over the chest and collar bones or down the centre of legs for some enhancing ;)

Wearing the Guerlain Terra Azzura Bronzing Power & Blush and the Guerlain Terracotta Gloss in Porto Azzura 

The whole range is heavily scented and smells like summer which is amazing but could be something to watch out for if you're got sensitive skin that doesn't agree with scented products. Overall I absolutely love this collaboration & am super excited to get my hands on it - especially as it's limited edition! I don't think I'll be able to throw away the packaging for a while too! I'm very impressed with the whole Guerlain Pucci range - its beautifully packaged, elegant and contains some gorgeous colours - I love it! Would you pick up anything from this range?

New In: Summertime De Chanel - Summer Collection 2012

Chanel Summertime De Chanel Collection

This summer Chanel have released a new collection named Summertime De Chanel that features two bronzers, three nail polishes, one eyeshadow duo, two pencils, two rouge coco shines and two lip glosses. I always look forward to a good Chanel collection and this one was no failure! I managed to pick up a few bits including the Soleil Tan De Chanel Harmonie Poudre De Soleil in 917 Sable Rose, Ombres Contraste Duo Eyeshadow Duo in 37 Sable Emouvant, Rouge Coco Shine in 437 Empreinte and Le Vernis Nail Colour in 607 Delight and 617 Holiday.

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel 917 Sable Rose

First up in the bronzer, Soleil Tan De Chanel in 917 Sable Rose, that includes seven (yes seven) shades, with a hint of shimmer. The shades are all really warm and compliment my complexion well even though I'm fair skinned and this is the darker palette of the two. I used them below blended together and swept across the cheeks for some radiance and sculpting. This will definitely be my summer staple as the shades are perfect for a day or an evening look and are so easy to use!

Left - Chanel Holiday 617 Nailpolish. Right - Chanel Delight 607 Nailpolish

I think everyone anticipates the Chanel nail colour shades, Holiday 617 is a bright coral and will definitely be gracing my nails this summer as well as Delight 607 which is a gorgeous shimmery bronze. I've been wearing Holiday on my nails with Delight on my ring fingers - lovely!

Chanel Eyeshadow Duo 37 Sable Emouvant 

The Chanel Eyeshadow Duo is very pigmented, very creamy and blends lovely! The shade 37 Sable - Emouvant is right up my street and will definitely be using this on a daily basis! Soft beige/cream all over the lid with some slight definition using the brown shade in the crease and under the eye and all sorted!

Rouge Coco Shine in 437 Empreinte

Last up, the Rouge Coco Shine - Hydration Sheer Lipshine in 437 Empreinte. I absolutely love the formulations of the Rouge Coco Shines, they are very hydrating while adding a sheer wash of colour and are very subtle. I love this shade, it's a soft beige with a slight shimmer to it that gives a 'my lips but nuder' effect.

Wearing Eyeshadow Duo 37 Sable - Emouvant on my eyes, Soleil Tan De Chanel 917 Sable Rose on my cheeks & Rouge Coco Shine in 437 Empreinte on my lips! 

So those are all the items that caught my eye from the limited edition Chanel Summertime De Chanel Collection (and I sense the collection will be a sellout!) Do you have you eye on anything?

New In: Lily Cole Makeup For The Body Shop

Lily Cole for The Body Shop Makeup 

Model Lily Cole has recently been named the face of The Body Shop and they have brought out a really cute girly limited edition collection. The range includes 10 products but what caught my eye were these gorgeous Lip and Cheek domes, and the Puff On Radiance.

First up the Lip & Cheek domes, swatched below, these are really really sheer and light which is perfect for summer. The creamy gel formula gives a really soft and subtle wash of colour and are really fun to use! Definitely should be used on a 'no make-up' day as they didn't apply well over foundation.

Lily Cole for The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Dome in 20 Pinch Me Pink and 21 Crazy For Coral

Next onto the Puff On Radiance, that remind me of Guerlain Meteorites, really fine shimmer that gives a silvery glow, definitely a great colour for lighter skin girls. Perfect to dust onto some collar bones in the evening or down the centre of the legs to give a more slender appearance.

Lily Cole for The Body Shop Puff On Radiance 

Have you tried anything from the Lily Cole for The Body Shop Range?