Brightening Cranberry.

Bobbi Brown –

Brightening Brick in Cranberry

“Your go-to product for a lit-from-within glow, Bobbi’s Brightening Brick in Cranberry combines the warmth of a bronzer and the soft flush of a blush to give you skin gorgeous, subtle luminosity.”

Bobbi Brown Brightening Bricks combine the effect of bronzer, blusher and highlighter in one compact, to brighten the complexion with a skin-flattering glow. I’d describe the finish as mid way between their Shimmer Bricks and Brightening Powder, veering closest to the latter.  I have four of the six shades to show you and think these will be a big hit for Spring skin or as a little boost in the dreary in between months.  The powders feel smooth and finely milled, with subtle payoff… designed to be worn as a soft blush (my preference) or all over the face as a luminous veil. They do have a touch more shimmer than the likes of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders - and of course an added flush of colour - so I like to place them carefully on my skin rather than use all over, focusing mostly on cheeks and temples. Infused with Mulberry and Grape, they illuminate while absorbing excess oil, without drying or settling into lines.

I chose Cranberry because out of them all it gave the most colour, and as I wanted to wear it as a blusher, I wanted something that was brightening but that also gave me a nice flushed and healthy look. This is beautiful and I’ve used it every day since I bought it. The 6 shades swatch the same as they look in the pan, however not as strong (obviously), and the squares are big enough that you can use the shades separately which I have done many a time! Its like your perfect blush, bronze and highlighter in one little easy to use compact!

Hourglass.

Hourglass Cosmetics -

Christmas 2015 Palette

Wow, SpaceNK posted a preview of Hourglass palette for Christmas 2015 on Instagram which contains the original Ambient Lighting powders, which started the hype,  and also blushers and bronzers.

Look how gorgeous does it looks? I have definitely added this to my Christmas wish list!

Speaking of Hourglass, they brought out more shades of another cult product, their Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil  that is now available in nine shades!

If you’re not familiar with The Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil first of all, just look at the elegant, chic and sophisticated design. When you pay £26 you want your product to look appropriate to the price, and it does! Besides being a beauty, it is a very functional product, too. You get a pencil in a nice triangular shape that is very convenient to use, on one end, and a spoolie on the other. The texture of the product is lovely, it is not too dry or too soft/”greasy”.  It looks natural when applied and “blends in” with your brows, so no one will be able to tell that you have a product in. The finished look, you get fuller, more defined eyebrows and the effect lasts all day.

By the way, I would recommend checking out SpaceNK Instagram account in general, they posted a preview of byTerry, Lipstick Queen and more Christmas releases.

Chocolate, Bunnies and Something Extra Special.

TOO FACED –

Bronzers

Too Faced, as a brand, sits in the same category as Benefit for me. Slightly confusing as their price tag doesn’t really match they’re young and fun packaging, but despite that the products always impress. If you can see past the not my cup of tea packaging, you’ve got yourself a really lovely brand with great products.

Something they are well know for is their huge range of bronzers, there are eight in total and there’s literally one for everyone. Lots of people have been asking which one would suit their skin type or would suit summer/winter, therefore due to Too Faced getting bigger in the UK, I thought it would be a good idea to create a little guide to each bronzer and who its aimed at.

Ambient Lighting.

Hourglass –

Ambient Bronzer

Ambient Bronzer is a new illuminating bronzer with Photoluminescent Technology, featuring bronze pigments that deliver a natural looking, sun kissed glow while flaunting depth and dimension.

Hourglass explain: “Ambient Bronzer’s sheer, airy formula sweeps softly onto skin for a healthy-looking, radiant finish. It’s formulated with Photoluminescent Technology, featuring optically transparent particles that transform the look of skin by manipulating and refracting light to emphasize your best features. The optically transparent particles allow for seamless blending and color transitions. The powders, blended by hand using an advanced miscelare technique, offer the perfect balance of pigments in a gorgeous pattern. Use this bronzer alone, or paired with Ambient Lighting Powder for maximum control to create depth and dimension—or even use it for a subtle contouring effect.”

The newest addition to the Ambient Lighting range is bronzer–just in time for summer–and is available in two shades. The formula is marketed as combining the “illuminating effects” of their signature Ambient Lighting powders with “bronze pigments” to give a “natural, sun-kissed glow.” It’s supposed to have “buildable color and a radiant finish” with a “sheer, airy” feel. This bronzer looks phenomenal! It comes in two shades, radiant bronze which is described as a “warm bronze shade fused with Radiant Light.” It’s a medium-dark brown with warm, yellow undertones and a soft, golden shimmer-sheen finish and luminous bronze which s described as a “medium tan shade fused with Luminous Light.” It’s a muted, medium tan brown with warm, yellow undertones and a fine golden shimmer-sheen. This shade is supposed to be for ‘fair/light complexions’, as it gives a softer, candlelit warmth.

I really cant wait to swatch these in person, I can totally tell I’m going to fall in love with one of them, and I think they will be perfect for summer!

Sculpting Must-Have.

Real Techniques –

Sculpting Brush 

‘Featuring a wide, angled head, specifically designed to help create defined contours, the sculpting brush is a must-have in your makeup bag to enhance your natural features, or to modify the shape and look of your face. Use with cream or powdered bronzers to define and contour the hollows of the cheeks. Apply a light sweep of blush for a soft rosy finish’ 

– Real Techniques

Natural-Looking Dimension.

NARS –

Contour Blush

“A duo of contouring blush shades to create natural-looking dimension for the face with a lightweight luminous finish. A deeper shade enhances definition while a lighter shade illuminates the high points of the face.” 

– NARS

Filmstar.

Charlotte Tilbury –

Filmstar Bronze & Glow

“This is a secret that silver screen sirens have kept to themselves for years – and once I share it with you – so will you! With Filmstar Bronze & Glow you can slim, sculpt, shorten, trim and highlight your features. It’s amazing what clever shading and highlighting tricks can do to your facial framework - it’s an illusion that I use all the time, particularly for red carpet scrutiny, and my clients can’t get enough of it. Take what you were born with and maximise your assets with Filmstar Bronze & Glow!”

Mosaic Bronzer.

No7 - 

Perfectly Bronzed Mosaic Bronzer

Ok, I’m not going to lie, this was actually my mums but there was something about it that I really enjoyed using, and as she found it wasn’t enough for her very dark skin tone, she donated it…to me.

The compact is very sleek and with the mirror inside it's perfect for my handbag. I love the multi-tonal colours in this as I like the bronzed look but also favour the pinky reds as well. It's a great mix of colours and gives a highly pigmented colour without looking to over the top.

This product gives off a lovely shimmer, you only need the smallest swatch on your brush and it looks amazing! It is perfect for winter and summer as it gives you a little bit of colour but doesn't tango on pale skin. I really like using this for a quick every day look, as with just one product I can do the whole blush, bronzer and contorting that doesn’t look over the top or muddy. 

It really is a gorgeous bronzer/brusher duo, which looks great on both pale and tanned skin!

October Wish List.

Not long ago I did two wish lists, one on high-end/luxury products I really wanted, and one on drug store products. Not long after I posted that, the list began to grow. I decided as different products are released every month, I thought I was a good idea to start doing a monthly wish list.

Therefore this is the "OCTOBER WISH LIST!”

I know sometimes when people do wish lists, they can just end up being a long list of products. Therefore I thought I would narrow it down to 5 products each month, and have a mixture of luxury and drug store products. Alongside this give a little description of what they’re meant to be like from their website descriptions.

So lets begin…

butterLondon Nail Polish in Petrol Overcoat.

This is a new release from butterLondon, as part of their Illusionist Collection. The website describes it as a sheer, tornate overcoat, which can be brush on top of any butterLondon lacquer to transform the shade, or alternatively can be use alone. Overall creating the opalescent sheen of oil reflected in rain. Now this is something I have tried before from another brand. However as much as I loved it, the formula of that brand wasn’t amazing, and trying to apply it was rather difficult, therefore I chose not to repurchase it. Therefore I’m really happy and excited butterLondon, whose polishes are of incredible quality are releasing a nail polish of this type. I have really high hopes for this polish, just hope it doesn’t let me down!

Mario Badescu Aloe Vera Toner.

I haven’t tried too many Mario Badescu products, actually only one other product and that’s the silver powder, which I actually will be repurchasing but that’s for another post (coming soon). My skin is sensitive however also combination due to having a rather oily t-zone, and my main concerns are large pores and blemishes, and obviously the sensitivity. Therefore finding skin care products I like and that work can be rather difficult. However this toner sounds amazing. It is designed for sensitive skin; therefore its alcohol-free, which is something I think, is really important. The main ingredient is obviously Aloe Vera, which helps to sooth and calms the skin, whilst other properties in the toner help lift and remove pore-clogging debris from the skin. I was struggling at deciding between this and the cucumber alternative, however I thought I would give this a go first due to the soothing properties and if it doesn’t give the results I’m hoping for, then I will try the cucumber one.

Too Faced Primed and Poreless PURE Primer.

Now, not too long ago you no doubt remember me raving about the Too Faced Primed and Poreless ORIGINAL Primer, which helps to provide a smooth and pore-free canvas for foundation. I really liked the primer because it did exactly as it said it would, providing the perfect canvas. However, whilst looking online I came across this PURE version, which is aimed at sensitive skin…yey. According to the website this version is a colourless oil-free formula, whereas the original has a slight pink tint to it, sometimes causing a slight chalkiness on the skin if you applied too much. The main reason I want to try this version is because it states it not only erases the appearance of pores and other imperfections, but it also helps sooth and minimize redness. This is something I often get due to how irritated my skin can be, and in fact helps brighten the skin. The soothing properties alone are what made this primer stand out in comparison to the original and other similar pore erasing primers. Hopefully this primer will live up to its amazing product description and glowing reviews.

Too Faced Snow Bunny Luminous Bronzer OR Too Faced Pink Leopard Blushing Bronzer.

Recently I have found myself looking at some of the Too Faced products. The main problem with Too Faced in the UK is that its not as well known as it is in the US, therefore it can be rather hard to find and try the products before buying them. However I think this Snow Bunny Luminous Bronzer would be just perfect not only for winter, but also for my paler skin as my summer glow begins to fade. The problem I have with bronzers when I’m a little paler is that they can tend to look muddy. Therefore due to the 4 very different shades in this bronzer, I thought it could help combat the muddiness I get from most other bronzers, as well as giving me a really pretty winter glow.

Alongside this I was also looking at the Too Faced Pink Leopard blushing bronzer. This also has 3 different shades aims to help combat muddiness and give a beautiful glow to the skin. I like it for the similar reasons to the Snow Bunny version, I think it would give the perfect pinky-peach flush which I think looks amazing in winter as its not too much. They both contain shimmer, so if you don’t like shimmer then you might want to stay clear. However I think especially in winter, a bit of shimmer helps to give a healthy glow to the skin, when actually thanks to the freezing temperatures and central heating it’s anything but.

I really cant decided which one I prefer between the two, therefore I think I’m going to have to find somewhere that stocks them…and try them both out to see which I prefer.

TIGI Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey Intense Nourishment Mask.

Ok, do I need a new hair mask…not particularly. Is this really necessary…maybe not. However is this the first mask TIGI’s Catwalk collection have ever released…yes it is. Therefore I think that’s a good enough reason for me to give it a go. This is meant to be a really intense mask aimed at moisturising and conditioning dry, damaged hair leaving it smooth, soft and silky. This mask I think could become a serious god send when it comes to winter, as my hair is already seeming so much dryer due to the cold weather then it normally does. Now the one thing that really stood out for me when reading about this mask is that even though its an intense mask, it doesn’t weigh down or coat the hair, which is something I have found with other really intense mask, leaving my fine hair really flat and weighed down. Alongside this the ingredients look really good too, everything that’s in this mask is there to help nourish hair, not for a place holder or to help it smell nice. Also to add it has added heat protection elements, therefore this means it will also continue to help protect hair even after you’ve used this mask.

Overall this month it's a real mix of products that are on my wish list, which isn't always the case. I think due to it coming up to winter, I'm really looking for products which can really get me through winter and help transition from autumn to winter.

Whats on your October Wish List?