Tropical Spring Tutorial

Skincare Routine 2015

Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick Review & Swatches

I'm so fancaaaaay, you already know!!!

Haha so welcome to my review of the Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Fallen From The Lipstick Tree Lippies.

Product Description

Enriched with a breakthrough, secret ingredient, the Lipstick Tree, an anti-oxidant that naturally protects lips from UV damage and external pollution leaving them cashmere soft and irresistible. Blended with special waxes and clever light-diffusing pigments for pert, full-bodied, ultra-brilliant lips that ensure you leave a lasting impression!

• K.I.S.S.I.N.G is my signature range of 11 lipsticks curated with modern and classic icons in mind. It is a capsule colour wardrobe of backstage nudes to red carpet reds made to suit any skin tone. Perfect, full, kissable lips really do grow on trees…

• The Lip Stick Tree loves your lips, protecting them from UV damage and fighting oxidative stress so that lips are left soft, pert, soothed and hydrated. A tropical plant originating from America, the plump yet prickly red fruits appear like pouting lips that blow kisses at you as you walk by. The colour from its seeds was originally used by Indigenous American people to paint and protect their lips.

• Also contains light-diffusing pigments that give lips a brilliant, luminous, multi-dimensional finish - they capture the light across the lips and reflect it back out for a full-bodied effect.

• A special blend of waxes means this lipstick is a dream to use and glides over the contours of your lips. The result is colour rich and buildable, the formula does not bleed outside the lip line.

I'm a total sucker for packaging and these lipsticks certainly hit the sweet spot.

They have an almost rose gold metallic case, that just looks so vintage and luxurious.

I love just busting this out in public and applying it, as it just makes me feel fabulous!

They do have a bit of a weight to them, but they're not quiet as heavy as the YSL Rouge Volupte lippies.

I love how these lipsticks always photograph with little halo's on the bottom.

I purchased these from the Charlotte Tilbury site for £23 each and they contain 3.5g of product.

Bonus, they are Paraben free, yay!

I have 4 shades from the line and they are So Marylin, Velvet Underground, Coachella Coral & Bitch Perfect.

The consistency/texture of these lipsticks are unlike any other lipstick I've ever tried before. The apply like an absolute dream and they feel so so lush. I can't compare it to anything else, they feel so unique.

Absolutely lovely and creamy, without settling into the fine lines on your lips.
Pay off is no issue, they are opaque from the very first swipe.

Furthermore, they are quiet hydrating.

Scent wise, they are similar to the MAC lipsticks vanilla fragrance. Maybe just a tad sweeter, but nothing too sickly.

So Marylin is just an easy go to red. It is neither too blue or orange toned. I wore this shade on Christmas day and believe it or not, it actually survived the meal. I was thoroughly impressed to say the least.

Velvet Underground is a lovely hot pink that's not too in your face, so anyone can get away with this shade. It's a lovely pop of colour that just brightens up your look. 

Coachella Coral, I was actually unsure of. In the bullet, I wasn't too excited about the shade. That is until I wore it, then I fell in love. This peachy coral is perfect for Spring/Summer.

Bitch Perfect...come on! If the name isn't enough to make you buy it, then the shade is. This is a lovely peachy pink nude. Now, I usually hate nudes. But, this shade I can pull off. It has enough colour in it so it does not give you that dead look. 

They are without a doubt a luxury product at £23 a pop, but the performance makes them worth every single penny.

There are 10 shades in the line overall.

I previously owned Penelope Pink, however that was too nude for me. I also had Stoned Rose, but that was too close to my natural lip colour and so did not show up well on me.

I'm planning on picking up Love Bite & Night Crimson next.

I highly recommend these lipsticks and rate them a

9/10
1 mark taken off simply because I wish there were more than 10 shades to choose from.

^.^

Nars Soft Velvet Loose Powder Review

I'm always on the market for powder's. Being an oily/combo skin gal, I like trying out all kinds of powder's.

However, I am picky with them.

My current favourite is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Smooth Operator Finishing Powder.

But, I've been searching for one the provides a lightweight coverage, while also providing blurring properties. Plus, one that also helps to control excess oil without making my face look like a barren desert.

So I decided to give the Nars Soft Velvet Loose Powder a go. Why? Because they have different shade selection's, which means it must provide some sort of lightweight coverage...right?

Product Description

A must have for every makeup artist's arsenal, the luxurious texture and non-drying, skin-cushioning ingredients smooth skin and enhance foundation application without setting into pores and fine lines. Powerful skincare ingredients provide antioxidant protection while photochromic technology diffuses light away from skin that has larger pores or uneven texture to even out complexion.

Sounds promising!

I have the shade Eden, which is for yellow medium skintones. There are 8 shades in the line overall.

Eden is a fairly good match for me.

I ordered this from John Lewis for £26.50 and collected in store.

Loose setting powders aren't the easiest thing's to swatch and take a picture of. So this is the best I could get. I tried to swatch as heavily as I could, hence it looking patchy. Not the most forgiving photo. But as you can see, it matches me well.

I use this to set my foundation and it does help to control excess sebum, without the barren desert look. On top of that. I also use this when all I've done is spot conceal. It provides a decent lightweight coverage, that just helps to even everything out, without making me look cakey.

It does also provide light diffusing properties mentioned in the product description...but it's no magical product that reverses ageing.

The texture of the powder is very light and velvety. Not quiet as smooth and silky feeling as the Tarte Smooth Operator, but lovely nonetheless.

I don't know how they did it. But, Nars nailed the packaging for this product.
It has a sifter like all other loose powders, but somehow this sifter releases just the right amount. You're not greeted with a cloud of product every time you open it. So, it is certainly more travel friendly than most loose powders.

Overall, the product description is pretty spot on and I have enjoyed using it. Plus, it has not made me break out at all...which is always a thumbs up from me.
You may be thinking "Kimmy why didn't you just get the Rimmel Stay Matte, it's only a few quid".
Don't even go there. That stuff takes you straight to that barren desert look, no matter how little I apply.
So yeah, for £26.50 it is a bit much for a powder. But, it does the job well, so that is all that matters. Furthermore, it has anti-oxidant properties. I'm a sucker for cosmetics that also contain some sort of skincare benefit and Nars is good at that.

I could quiet happily wear this alone, as it feels very comfortable on the skin.
The Nars Soft Velvet Loose Powder is on par with Tarte Smooth Operator in my eyes.
I can use the Tarte on good skin days, when I don't really need any coverage and the Nars for when I need something a little more substantial coverage wise. 
I rate this product an
8/10
^.^

NARSissist Dual Intensity Palette Review & Swatches

So...I hadn't actually planned to purchase this palette whatsoever, as the shades didn't really call out to me that much. However, my fancy bitch friend Martha is a notorious enabler and somehow managed to persuade me to get this.

And to be honest, I'm glad I did.

I purchased this palette from SpaceNK for £45. It comes with 8 shades, each weighing 1g.

First off, already this palette is a bargain. Why?

Because the single dual intensity shades are £21 each. Granted they are larger, but still you get 8 of them in this palette.

Ooooh pretty!

Top row L to R

Europa - Satin baby pink.

Himalia - Metallic taupe, with subtly pink undertones.

Ursa Major - Satin medium brown.

Subra - Satin (almost matte) deep eggplant.

Bottom row L to R

Andromeda - Satin pastel beige pink.

Lysithea - Metallic grey/silver.

Giove - Deep satin navy blue.

Sycorax - Deep satin charcoal.

Out of all the shades, I have to say my favourites are Europa, Andromeda, Himalia and Ursa Major.

I would have loved Subra, but it applies darker than it looks in the palette. Maybe if I use it on top of a pale sticky base it will be more true to colour.

These shadows are very pigmented, but can be applied sheer. They also blend like a dream, without looking muddy.

They also apply very well without a primer, so that's a plus.

I have already created two looks using this palette and have made a tutorial with one.

 

I rate this palette a

8/10

^.^

Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer Review & Swatch

Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX07.

You have no idea how long I have been lusting over this bad boy.

Ever since I first saw Jen Frmheadtotoe mention it in a video years ago.

I purchased this from SpaceNK for £38.

This tiny pot contains 18g of product. Though there might not be a lot, do not worry.

This product is densely pigmented, you only need the teeny tiniest amount.

I have the shade SX07, which is only slightly lighter than my skin tone. I'd say the shade is comparable to the Nars shade Fiji. I'm the shade Punjab in Nars foundations and I can get away with Fiji.

The texture is very thick and creamy. As you can see from the swatch, it provides a total full coverage.

The Sensual Skin Enhancer is a must try for anyone suffering from skin discolorations such as hyperpigmentation, rosacea and melasma.

However, do not expect this to hide texture, nothing hides texture.

It will conceal pigmentation from acne scarring, but texture and dry skin do not fair so well.

So ensure you are well exfoliated and moisturized beforehand.

I have oily combo skin and it lasted all day and did not budge. So, lasting power is definitely not an issue.

Is it good for under eye concealing?

I would say no. As this product is thick and clings to texture and dryness. This is not the best product for under the eyes. It is far too heavy and would settle into fine lines and wrinkles. Which exacerbates any problems you were trying to hide in that area in the first place.

This product can also be used as a tinted moisturizer when mixed with your moisturizer. However, I have not tried this myself so I cannot comment too much about it.

Furthermore, you can also mix this with any foundation you would like to add extra coverage too.

Personally, I just like to use it just as a concealer. This is because I prefer to just conceal blemishes, rather than making the entire face full coverage, as I feel it looks too much like a mask. I like to see some of my skin showing through, as it looks more natural.

At £38 it is definitely not affordable. However, I have never found anything before that provides as much coverage as this does. Not even the MUFE Full Cover Concealer.

Though just a warning for anyone with sensitive skin and/or a vegan, this product does contain Mineral Oil, Beeswax, Fragrance and Methylparaben.

The ingredients list as a whole isn't very outstanding.

I have to admit, by the end of the day my face was feeling itchy. My guess is that was caused by the fragrance and paraben. 

So at the moment I am torn as to whether to keep it or ditch it.

I love the coverage, but not the ingredients or the itching =/

Overall, I would rate this product

7.5/10

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Mood Light Review & Swatch

Hello lovely people, today I have yet another Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder to show you and it is Mood Light.

However, if you haven't seen my previous post on the Ambient Lighting Palette & the Diffused Light Powder...just click this link.

http://misspandaland.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/hourglass-ambient-lighting-powders.html

Mood Light is described as a "soft, sheer lavender pink powder".

I don't see lavender in it myself, it's more a pale dusty pink.

It has a beautiful satin finish and is silky to the touch like the rest of the ambient lighting powders.

It contains 10g of product. I purchased this from SpaceNK for £38.

Mood Light

The first time I used this product, I fell in love immediately.

Hourglass weren't kidding when they said that pink light is the most flattering kind of light.

This powder add's a beautiful delicate glow to the face. It gives your look an instant youthful, but romantic effect...if that makes any sense.

For fair ladies, you may be able to get away with using it as a blush. 

Mood Light is without a doubt my favourite out of all the ambient lighting powder's I've tried so far. I would definitely repurchase it...it may even be a HG product for me. 

But, I'll confirm that once I've tried the rest of the powders.

I rate this product

10/10

<3