Smashbox Contour Stick Trio
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
These sticks are lovely - the shades are excellent and they are easy to blend (especially if you put a decent foundation or primer to even out your skin). They are good for day contouring but I would use liquid foundation for evening contouring look just for a better and more flawless finish. They are quite expensive for a brand like Smashbox - I wouldn't say the quality matches the price plus they get used up pretty quickly which is annoying. For a similar price, you can buy Clinique's twist up contour sticks and quality-wise these are far superior to Smashbox. Also you don't need to buy Clinique's sticks in a set - they are available for purchase individually. So, overall, good product but:
1. I wish they sold the sticks separately
2. Not worth the price
3. Good finish for daytime look
Ombre Hair: Prada
The Perfect Pout: Dolce & Gabbana
Charlotte Tilbury: EYES TO MESMERISE (Bette) Long-Lasting Easy Cream Eyeshadow
Rating: 4 out of 5
I have recently bought this eyeshadow. The colour it shows up depends on your skin tone and I wouldn't really recommend it for people with very light skin tones as it doesn't really show up. My skin tone in tanned/medium brown and I have to put a few coats of it to show up as bronzy gold. The texture is lovely and the application is quite easy (I use it as eyeshadow or eyeliner but I think it works really well as an eyeliner).
It is a beautiful colour. it works really well with a bronze look. It works especially well if you use a highlighter under the brow with gold eyeshadow. The consistency is a mousse/crème. It lasts for up to 8-10 hours.
NYX Wonder Stick
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
So I have been using these for the past month and have seen all the negative reviews re its use - too oily, doesn't spread well, colour too pale and mostly I agree but there is a really neat way to use this stick to speed up your morning routine.
1. Use a base foundation (ideally a compact) first to even out your face texture
2. Apply the stick as per instructions (I used light/medium) but you can go for a darker tone if you have lighter skin (yes - that shows the contouring contrast better on top of your foundation)
3. Now to remove the "oily" feel of the stick dab your face with transparent matte face powder (I recommend Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder Transparent 1 or even a light shade of Mac's Studio Fix). The matte powder will remove the "oily" feel without affecting your contouring
That's it! Its a really good quick fix for morning routines but I would still using liquid foundation for contouring in general as that gives the best "air brush" finish!
Smashbox Double Exposure Palette + Smashbox lipsticks
Rating 4.5 out of 5
Double Exposure Palette
I just got this wonderful 'Double Exposure' new palette by Smashbox, which includes 14 shades of lovely colours. The palette contains shimmer, satin & matte shades that you can use as they are or get them slightly wet for deeper pigmentation (I mixed them with eye gel and they looked amazing). The palette comes with a lovely double-ended brush that you can easily use to apply the shades – the quality of the brush is really good.
I was worried about sing colours on my face as I usually go from smoky or neutral palettes but the colours come out quite understated so I wouldn’t recommend it if you are going for a strong or bold colour look.
The palette is quite versatile so you can mix and match various colours to for day/night makeup. In addition to all the colours, the palette contains highlight colour as well as crease and depth enhancing shades.
Here's what some of these look like dry vs. wet...
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| You can see the difference in colour depth(wet colours on left hand side) |
Texture is smooth when wet but if you use them dry they tend to be quite dusty unless you use a primer underneath.
I love this palette and it is really worth buying. Just to add, my gorgeous salesgirl at the Boots Kingston counter was super helpful in helping me select this and showing me how to use the palette!
Price £37
Available at http://www.smashbox.co.uk and http://www.boots.com/ among other stores.
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| Smashbox counter, Boots Kingston |
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| Lovely makeup salesgirl, Natasha, at the Boots Counter - superhelpful |
Smashbox lipsticks
So in addition to the palette, I bought the Smashbox Primrose lipstick and they have an offer at Boots where you got two lipsticks free with two Smashbox products! All the lipstick shades are gorgeous and give you a natural warm colour to your lips.
ALL IN ALL SMASHBOX IS A WINNER FOR ME!
Beauty finds: Estée Lauder
Private collection perfume
Rating: 4 out of 5
A truly beautiful and unique perfume. Smells of jasmine and musk so not too floraly. You can wear it day or night - a true classic by Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder pure Colour Envy lipstick
Rating 4 out of 5
The lipstick that glides smoothly across lips due to its cream-gel texture. It's nice and moisturising in the lips and provides a pretty satin sheen though I felt the colour could be deeper in every shade. They have lovely shades but colour on lips don't reflect the lipstick colour well.
The lipstick lasts for around 2-3 hours and comes in more than 20 colors.
Pure Color Envy does have a very faint vanilla scent when you first apply it, but it dissipates within the first couple of minutes it's on.
Dior Airflash Foundation
Rating 5 out of 5
Finally! Airbrush foundation of great quality in the UK. I could only ever order airbrush make up from the US but am sooo glad Dior came up with this.
I first saw it in Selfridges and the makeup artist at the Dior counter (who is brilliant) showed me that you have spray it at a distance from your face with a really light touch. It's a mist effect so you have to press very lightly on the foundation while holding your arm under the area you are spraying to prevent spreading. It feels like you are wearing air on your skin.
It gives you a perfect airbrushed look. You have to set it ever so slightly with a brush but really if you spray it correctly you shouldn't need it. I did go to a few Dior counters in Bantalls in Kingston, John Lewis and Selfridges and unfortunately the makeup artists in the UK don't seem to be as airbrush make up savvy as the artists in the US so they will all try and advise you to spray it on a brush then apply it or spray it on your face and then correct with a brush. IGNORE THEM!
USE A LIGHT TOUCH WHEN SPRAYING AND ENSURE YOUR HAIR IS HELD BACK BY A BAND YOU CAN REMOVE
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