Chanel Diwali

Chanel is a brand that has never really been on my radar, both for fashion and beauty.  I've never really been excited by what they have to offer when it comes to beauty and for fashion, I have never really fallen in love with their handbags.  It's probably because I see it as being quite a classic brand and I prefer my handbags to have a bit of 'life' to them..hence my love of Balenciaga.

Anyway, the other day, I saw a tweet which mentioned Chanel Diwali.  Now, with me being Indian, Diwali is a big thing in my life.  Basically, it's an evening where we let off shitloads of fireworks and eat and drink really nice things.  The reason that Sikhs celebrate it is explained here.

I thought at first this might be a new collection of clothes from Chanel and immediately my mind ran away with itself, imagining suits adorned with gems and Chanel branded mojeh.  Then I googled it and was a nail polish.  I wouldn't have minded some Chanel mojeh you know..

At first, I was bit let down by the colour.  If I was to make a Diwali polish, it would be a black (maybe matte) shot through with multicoloured glitters and those hexagonal pieces.  You know, so it looks like a firework in the sky.

What Diwali by Chanel actually is, is a shiny gold with some 'grit' in it.  To me, it looks more like the colour of a groom's sherwani at an Indian wedding.

I saw some swatches on Temptalia (which is where most of the images for this post are from) and when Diwali catches the light, it manages to sparkle in a way that I think catches the colour of Diwali, so good going Chanel!

 The more I look at it, the more I realise what it reminds me of..you know sparklers?  The second you light one of those and you get that instant whizzy explosion thing.

I showed the polish to my mum who now wants me to pick one up for her..fingers crossed I find one!  It's not on the Chanel website yet but I am going 'up West' soon so will ask on the counters and update this post.

The cheat's way to get rid of tired looking eyes in the morning..

Many a morning I wake up, look at myself in the mirror and wonder why I didn't go to bed earlier the night before.  Then I get distracted by what to wear and what the weather looks like outside and of course, the typical English dilemma of whether I should or shouldn't take a coat with me.

When I'm truly tired, I get puffy eyes that don't really look too sexy.  Until recently, I didn't really know how to get rid of them and to make myself look half awake.  I'd pile my makeup on and just get to work but you could see the underlying tiredness from a mile off.

I recently lost a lipstick and whilst searching for that, I came across a product that I haven't used since I got it as a freebie in Glamour magazine. And if you think it's a Benefit product, you'd be right.  Now I have never been Benefit's biggest fan and even now, I'm still not a fangirl.  I like some of their stuff but wouldn't go as far to call them must haves.  This might the closest I ever get to calling a Benefit product a must have.  Click here to see what else of Benefit's I have reviewed.

Anyway, the product I found was Benefit's eyebright.  I have used this a few times in the past as an inner corner highlighter but the colour was just far too stark against my skintone.  If you're white or Chinese, you can easily get away with using this as an inner corner highlighter but for us Indian, black and olive skinned gals, it's a no go.

I decided to try it on my waterline to see what it did and to my surprise, it managed to look quite natural.  I think Benefit are missing a trick not marketing it that way, I've read on their website and they say that you should apply it to the inner and outer corner of your eyes and blend.  Well, I say do that if you're not of a darker skin colour.  If you are of a darker skin colour then whack it on your waterline.

I team this product up with my trusty eyelash curlers (reviewed here and going strong on their second pad replacement), any mascara that is close to hand (I've been using the Prestige one as my other bottle finished and this is the last one I have left..and seeing as Boots have discontinued it, I won't be able to buy more, despite it being a fantastic thing and one of the first products I ever reviewed on this blog).  I also use this Natralift Firming Eye Roll On from The Body Shop which I feel makes a difference..and the ball is very cooling on the skin.

If you've got more time then you could always put a decent inner corner highlighter on too, but as I am yet to find this, I have a bare inner corner.  The other thing that I tend to do once at work is line my upper lashline with some black eyeliner.  No flick though, I'm at work, not out knocking back the finest cocktails known to man.

And here's how it looks in its most basic way..

I'm not apologising for my eyebrows, I'm growing them out after someone f**ked them right up...

Now you might remember me hyping up Stila's Kajal pencil which is still all well and good but in the Summer months, it tends to be a bit too soft.  Fantastic for Winter though!

Talking of cocktails, I must warn you that if you like a decent citrus-y mojito, don't go to the Smollensky's in Canary Wharf as the people working there can never ever get this right.  Every time I go and ask for more citurs than mint, I end up drinking liquid toothpaste.  It's horrible and I have now given up asking for mojitos and I just stick to a bog standard glass of Chardonnay.

A KIKO Haul

Can it be a haul if all you buy is four things?

How many constitute a haul?

Whilst I think about that, you guys have a look at what I got from KIKO two weeks ago.

It was another trip to Westfield, somewhere that I feel I am spending far too much time these days.. But then, thinking logically about it, I don't have time to shop for makeup during my lunchbreaks so I get my fix on the weekends..and I've had to make these many trips for returns and the like.

Anyway! Here is what I picked up..

Everything here was on sale, the lipsticks were £2.50 each and I believe the mascaras were about £3.90 each.  I spent about £12.00 in total which is not bad for four products..

The lipstick is in a shade that a certain person I know refers to as "shit lips".  She said the same about Revlon's Mink which is my current HG lipstick for those days when you want to look polished but not done up.  It works fantastically on darker skintones but will make you pale ladies look like you've been salad tossing with a less than desirable bloke.

I can only apologise for this out of focus shot.  I took about five and somehow deleted all bar the one that was out of focus.

This differs from Revlon's Mink in that it is totally matte and does give me a slight corpse lip look.  However, that is easily rectified with some clear (non sticky!) gloss.  I like the Rimmel Stay Vinyl ones.

The mascaras, one is a cheap and cheerful version of Clinique's Bottom Lash mascara.  It was marketed as being for false lashes, but me being unable to apply those yet (must really get onto it..) has not been able to try it for that.  I can't see it not working well for lower lashes as the brush is practically the same as the Clinique one.  The other mascara is for massive lashes and I'm yet to crack it open.

I had a look at the other items on offer but nothing really grabbed my attention as the shop was quite busy and I wasn't in the mood the stick around and wait my turn...we all have those days!

Since being in store, I have looked at Naz's blog and seen this pencil, which looks gorgeous..but I don't really seeing it in-store?   I did see some cream blushes but I think I'm kinda over them now so I left them alone too.

I will be doing a full review on all the items when I've used them enough.

In the mean time, what are your opinions in KIKO? Is it cheap and cheerful? Or cheap for a reason?

The Models Own Bottle Shop: What I thought..

Not since being so fascinated with the floor of the Prada concession  in Selfridges as a child has a shop ever excited me as much as this Models Own Bottle Shop does..

The idea for this shop is inspired but then I wouldn't have expected a bog standard shop from a brand who are constantly bringing out new shades and collections that are bang on trend.

I went to Westfield on Friday to do a deal with the lady in Dorothy Perkins (I bought trousers, the button fell off, I wanted to keep them so she gave me a discount) and I was adamant I would check the Models Own Bottle Shop out.

I went to Boots first, trying to pick up their new polishes as they were on 3 for 2.  However, the Hed Kandi one I wanted was sold out.  So, I headed off in search of the new store and found it with great ease.

The easiest way to find it is to find either the Apple shop, Zara, the taco place or Topshop and you will see the bottle shop.  Or, if you look for the massive Vue sign, you'll also find it.  If you're by MAC/All Saints/AX then right above AX is where the shop is.  If you know where the Nandos is (below the Vue) then you'll definitely see the bottle shop.

Anyway, I got the bottle shop, had a mooch around and was then approached by one of the ladies who worked there, she found me a sealed bottle of the Hed Kandi polish I wanted and then let me browse as I wished.  I picked up the bright blue from the Hed Kandi range and then another lady who worked there suggested I buy Fuzzy Peach as it would go wonderfully with my skintone.

I asked the lady if the shop was just a pop up shop and she told me that it was now a permanent fixture which is fantastic as I've always wanted to see all the MO polishes before buying and I find that Boots don't stock the entire range.

The shop was quite busy when I was there but I found all the staff to be really helpful.  My only issue (and this is a minor issue) was that the blue bottle of Hed Kandi polish was not sealed and had some polish around the rim..but hopefully I'll be able to return it for one that is sealed.

Also, I noticed that Models Own were saying that the store would have some exclusives which they may well do, I was too enamoured with the Hed Kandi polishes that I totally forgot to ask about these but will be doing so when I get back.

Apart from that, I'd definitely suggest getting down there and having a good old look.  They've also got the full range of brushes and makeup there which I thought was an added bonus..

You will notice that all the ladies who work there are equipped with iPads.  When you buy your polish of choice, they tap into the iPad what you have bought (exactly like when you're online) and then you pay via your chosen method.  The only reason why I think they do that is market research?  See which shades are most popular etc..

They run the same deals in-store that they do online, I bought these three for £12...

The presentation box is a nice touch and gives you the peace of mind that they're secure whilst you're shopping until you drop..

It would have been nice if they had Models Own bags..I was handed this blue bag which reminds me of the meat shop.  Yes, to Indian children, there's no butchers.  It's the meat shop.  Since the dawn of time (or since Indian meat shops existed in England), meat has been given to customers in these blue bags.  Now, the blue bags for meat are a bit darker than these but still..same colour family!

So, is it worth a visit? 
It doesn't take me long to get to Westfield but I would say 'yes'.  I know a lot of bloggers come down to Westfield to visit Inglot and now Kiko but I think the new Models Own shop is definitely worth a visit.  Nail polish is something that is really difficult to buy blind and as the store has everything Models Own sell, you'll be able to see if the colour you thought you wanted is actually the same in the flesh as it was on the screen.

The Swatch Files: LA Colors eyeliner pencils in Black, Violet and Sky Blue

I can't help myself when it comes to buying eyeliner.  I have about six million that I need to use up and still I buy more and more.

I bought these in the Autumn and I've been getting some good use out of them.  I especially like the blue as it is one of the few bright blues that shows up well on my skin.

All three are pigmented and smudge out a treat.  I find that the Black and Volet pencil glide on smoother than the Sky Blue one.  Having said that, the Sky Blue one isn't a total pain!

The Illamasqua Christmas Sale: What I bought

Whenever I go to Oxford Street (be it to go swatch mad on makeup or to pick up some bits for the flat/house), I meander on down to Liberty and now on down to the Illamasqua flagship store on Beak Street.

As I tend to hit this shop after I'm practically shopped out at Selfridges, John Lewis, Debenhams, HoF and Liberty, I get a bit of fatigue on only test out things that really jump out at me.  The only thing that annoys me is that they store all the products upside down which makes it hard to swatch them in a rush.

The Illamasqua sale is a proper sale.  You can pick up a lot of things for £5 (cream shadows, false lashes, nail polish etc..) 

This is what I got from the Illamasqu sale..8 things for a very decent £45.

I got three cream eyeshadows (Malevolvent, Debauch and Peak) which I will either use as such or to add a bit of colour to my lower (or upper) lashline.  I was going to buy an apricot shade to use as a blusher but after seeing the consistency of these, I'm glad I didn't as I don't think they have enough slip to be used in that way..but then I might be wrong.

I also got a set of three liquid metals for the bargain price of £10, each usually retail for £17.50.  They also smell nice and sweet..kind of like those Rusk biscuits and a bit like cocoa butter.

The final two things are eyeliner pencils.  One is a thin pencil (Eerie..which is black) and a fat pencil (Fickle).  Eerie looks furry and I don't think that's right.

Anyone else found any bargains?  I wanted to buy so much but have been behaving myself so this is it for me so far.  I might get a perfume from L'artisan Parfumeur but that is about it.  Well..and a Matalan order but I think that really is it!

You can check the sale out here.

NEW: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

On the same day that Kourtney Kardashian announced that she was expecting a baby, I heard that Urban Decay were also expecting a sibling for their famous Naked palette.  Kourtney's baby will be welcomed in the new year whereas Urban Decay's child is expected much quicker.  In fact, if you sign up to their mailing list, you'll be emailed details about it tomorrow.

As I don't live in America, I assume the UK will have to wait a few months longer than our American counterparts..

When Urban Decay came out with their Naked palette last year, us makeup addicts went mad.  I missed out on it three times and have only recently picked it up.  I tend to tell people that I'm over it and that I don't use it that much but I realised over the last week that I am nearly always reaching for it in some way or another..

I'm also glad I bought it because it's a great all in one palette.  I can get a smokey eye, three or four neutral eyes, an eye suitable for Indian functions and then some from one palette.  It's the only palette I will be taking to America with me.

These are the shots I've found of the new palette..

Shades from L-R:

Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper (I have this as a single and I LOVE it), Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout.

Some rudimentary swatches:

The photographs in this post are from the Urban Decay Facebook and Twitter pages so it's official!


Will this palette be a big a hit as the original Naked?  Will Kourtney's baby be cuter than Mason?  Will anyone be buying this when it comes out?

NARS Albatross: A review, a swatch, a quote from Coleridge and a ramble.

Poetry from a post about cosmetics, what more could you want?

I don't even know where to begin with this post.  If you've come here looking for rhyme and reason, you will be disappointed.  But then people who have read this blog before know that I don't adhere to structures very well.

Anyway, N-N-N-NARS Albatross.  A darling of the makeup world.  Everyone loves it.  Just like everyone loves YSL's Touche Eclat..which I found to be a bit crap.  But then I only used shade 3 as when I had it, they only had three shades.  I might venture back actually..  But then whenever I go to the YSL counter, I fall in love with their cream blushers..which are a very expensive lover. 

EOTD: I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse

This look was the result me having too long to get ready.  I was dressed before I knew it and then I faffed around with eye makeup, using three shadows to create this very standard look.  But you know what happens to me, I practice in my own time but when it comes to wearing it out, I fall back onto looks I know I can pull off, just in case something goes wrong.

The liner here is not an angled wing as I feel that looks harsh on me sometimes..and I have finally managed it to look even on both eyes..

I like the way this manages to make my eyes look brighter..not not too stark, and how the eyeliner vamps it up a bit.

You'll probably have to really stare to see the three colours I've used but they are there, one for the inner corner, one for the lid and one over the crease coming inwards.

These are the products I used..

As per usual, I used my "go to" brushes which are from Models Own and ELF.

I used my second base as I call it (the No7 shadow) all over the lid, the Wet n Wild shadow was from Tesco for about £2 and it formed the lid cover and the Urban Decay shadow is Sin which I find is similar to the glitterbomb that is Midnight Cowboy but applies easier.

I concentrated the glitter on the middle and inner part of the eye because I wanted a bit of the crease to be defined.

The final shadow touch was adding my second base to darker the crease, i.e. take away some of the glitter.

Collection 2000 pencil in the waterline and the Active liquid liner on the upper lid.  I am going to find that Active liner again as it was one of the best ones I've ever used.  It's trumped any that I've used since it finished.  The mascara is Maybelline's Falsies which I didn't like at first as it clumped like hell.  I finished the tube the other day and it only started applying without clumps when it was near the end.  Not a repurchase!

The title of this post is in homage to these Godfather socks that Simon got..

I honestly thought that "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" meant that you'd be an idiot to turn the offer down as it was too good.  The analogy I always use is ten pairs of shoes for £100 which would be a bloody bargain.  I didn't realise it meant "accept the offer or I will kill you".  They say the Mafia are all about subtlety but that isn't subtle..it's confusing if anything.   And plus, you could just whisper that you're going to kill them if they don't agree, that's subtle.  Simon loves telling people that I misunderstood this, as if he's never gotten anything wrong in his life.

Also, I've only noticed this now but if you look at my eye from the left hand side lower lashline counter clockwise around to the left hand side of the upper lashline, my eye looks positively fishy in shape.  Is that a desired eye shape?  Fishy?  I wonder if that'd ever take off..they've got feline, why not diversify into fish?

EOTD: It's not that easy being green..

Saturday nights in my house used to be X Factor nights.  However, the ridiculous amount of ads they cram in, the fake groups they keep making and the the fake arguments between the judges have made me turn off.  I know that it's more about entertainment than the talent but they waste so much time.  It doesn't take ten minutes to introduce the acts.  As if that isn't bad enough, they go to an ad practically straight after.  And the voiceover guy is getting realllly annoying.

The main point of this post is that I had an engagement party to attend on Satuday evening for a girl I went to school with.  I wore a gorgeous sea green outfit and an eye to match.  I know they always say you shouldn't match your makeup to your outfit but when it comes to Indian outfits, I strongly feel that you should.  As the colour of the thread/sequins/stones used on the kadai (embellishment) is alway multicoloured, you're nearly always wearing a colour that is on your outfit.

I went for a feline look as it always makes me eye shape look different in photographs.  This is just a shimmery black shadow blended into the lid with a dark green shimmery shadow over the top.  You'll see soon enough which brands I've used.

As this was too dark, I decided to add a lighter green to the middle portion of the eye..that reluctantly blended out to the whole shadow area I ended up with this..

I LOVE this.  It matched my outfit perfectly and a lot of people asked me the name of the eyeshadow I used to create this look.  I didn't let my dirty little secret out to anyone...

I use this palette for a lot of my Indian outfit looks, even though the fallout is really bad.  I just put a tissue under my eye and blend away..once I'me done, I sweep the colour off with a fluffy blusher brush.

How I got this look..

• Prime your eyelids with a primer, I swear by Urban Decay's Primer Potion.  As the shadows I'm using are shimmery, you can just use the standard primer.
• Use a flat shader brush to lay down the black eyeshadow "1".  I used the MAC 239 (you can also use ELF's Mineral Bamboo All Over Eyeshadow brush).  You just want to blend it over the eyelid as it will be the base for the green.
• Your eyelid should actually look black, not black with your skin colour poking through.  Keep blending more black eyeshadow in until you have this.
• Do not panic if you haven't got the feline angle down, concentrate on putting the colour down.
• Use a blending brush to add the Smashbox green "2".  I don't know the name of this shadow but it is from the Eclectic quad.
• As you're adding it to black, the colour will be darker than in the pan.  Blend it in but not so much that it disappears. It should look like the first photo..
• Now add the green which is labelled as "3" above.  Blend this in as before, you still want it to show over the other green "2".
• Get a cotton wool pad, bend it in half, add some cream cleanser and swipe upwards (with the the straight edge on your skin) from the outer corner of your eye to your brow.  This gives you the feline look. 
• Use the edge of your brush to soften the edge out a bit because you don't want it looking too false..
• Get a lashline brush (I use the No7 one but I am going to buy the MAC 214 as that will get the job done quicker) and apply shadow "3" to your lower lashline.
• Add mascara and you're done!  You may notice that I'm not wearing mascara..I tend to touch my eyes once I've finished my makeup so I have started applying my mascara once we get to the party!

Ta da!

By the way, do the "how to" parts of these posts help? And should Sophie have gone this week? 

The easiest way to turn eyeshadow into eyeliner: A tutorial!

I have an Indian function to attend soon and I want to wear a pop of blue on my lids.  There's no point kidding myself that I'd have enough time to blend any shadows on my lids so I've decided to go for something easier.

Someone mentioned that mixing butter and peanuts does really give you peanut butter.  For some reason, my mind equated mixing peanuts and butter to get peanut butter with mixing eyeshadow and liquid to get eyeliner.  This is where the idea was born..

What you will need:

• An eyeshadow colour that you want to wear as a liner
• A facial mist/setting spray (you could just use water in a spray bottle)
• A angled/non angled eyeliner brush (the cheaper the better because you don't want to be buying a NARS one that falls apart because you've gotten liquid into the ferrule and the glue has weakened).  All the brushes I have used will not break the bank and I can say that as I paid for two of them, one (the Revlon one) was a PR sample.
• A small bowl (if you're Indian, a standard koli will do)

I used the following:

Regarding the differences between an angled and non angled eyeliner brush, this is what I mean..

The Ruby and Millie and Models Own ones are angled brushes and the Revlon one isn't.  It's also naturally two toned, it's a bamboo shade.  The only reason it's a bit black is because I've been using it to apply colour to my waterline.  I've reviewed the Revlon one here and the Models Own one here if you want to take a look.

How to turn eyeshadow into eyeliner:

Practice this a few times before you wear it out just to ascertain how much colour you need.  You don't need to coat the whole brush in colour, it's enough to just coat the tip and a tiny bit of the sides.  I find it easy to do a thinner line first and then build it up but that's just me. 

The result:

I'm so pleased this worked out as well as I saw it in my mind.  You know how sometimes you have an idea in your head and then it doesn't work out in reality? I had a worry that this might be the case here but it worked out well.

I can't say I'd do this before work because I'm always rushing but I'm definitely going to be wearing these as liners when I'm on my own time.

If you want to go one step further and have two/three angled eyeliner brushes then you can be a bit more creative.

I could have worked it in a bit more on my inner eye area but it was dark, this was a practice run, the dog ate it, it was like

For this, I decided to utitlise my other eyeliner brushes.  You could do this look with just one brush but because I go back over and build colour up, I found it easier to use two. 

If you only have one angled brush then doing this kind of look might take you some extra time but it's easy to remove the colour from the brush.  I spray the brush with the ELF spray and wipe it on a tissue.  The faff is worth it because it does get people asking questions as to how you did it.

By the time I've finished, my eyeshadows are wet so I just dab at them with a tissue to take some of the moisture away.  I leave the palette open for about 10 minutes in a vain attempt to air dry it a bit.

This just goes to show that you don't need to fork out for coloured liquid liners (as these are easier to apply if you're new to liner) and that you don't need to spend a fortune buying products that specifically turn eyeshadows into liners.  For my eventual look, I've decided to mix the pink with the purple and that's given me a pretty good shade.

The colours in the Sleek palette when used dry are notorious for producing a lot of fallout but when you use them in this way, you don't get any fallout.  The ELF spray (which has been featured here before) is £3.50.  I did say that it smelt of cheese farts when you applied it to your face but in this context, you smell nothing. The Ruby and Millie i-Define brush (also featured here before) cost me about £1 with the Boots vouchers.  It might have even been free actually, I can't remember..  You can use any angled brush for this but if you really want the Ruby and Millie one, I'd suggest you get to Boots sharpish because Ruby and Millie is soon to be pulled from their shelves and the brush is currently on for £1.66.

Review: Daniel Sandler Waterbrush

Last week, I was at work getting annoyed at a trainee so I decided to browse my Twitter timeline.  I came across a tweet that said something along the lines of "DANIEL SANDLER'S WATERBRUSH ON SALE FOR £5". 

Now if this was a Hollywood (or indeed, Bollywood film), I'd have made an impassioned speech to my boss which ended in tears (his, not mine because he was so moved by the passion with which I spoke) and then a montage of me running home with my smooth locks blowing in the wind.  You'd know it was a film because 1)I don't run and 2)my hair is seldom smooth.

However, as this is London and I am a professional, I worked away until it was 5 p.m. and I was able to rush home and order the brush.

The website said that the brushes were out of stock but that more were expected to arrive on the following Monday.  My brush turned up on Tuesday, complete with the complimentary nail file that comes with every order from Escentual.com

This is no normal blusher brush.  Daniel Sandler is famous for his Waterblushes so I'm glad he has had the foresight to make a brush that one can use in conjunction with that product.  The added benefits are that you can use it with other liquid blushers..such as Benefit's Benetint.

Anyway, remember I blogged about the ELF Stipple Brush?  Well, the Daniel Sandler Waterbrush is a mixture between the standard blusher brushes and a stipple brush.  It looks like a standard blusher brush but if you look closely (or even touch it) you see that the hairs are not all the same length.  I think this is key in ensuring that application of liquid blusher doesn't look fake.  The hairs are not naturally pink, they're brown and white but I've already used this baby many a time.

The hairs are synthetic (Taklon..I researched) which I think is the key again for smooth application as I find that natural hair blusher brushes (like this one) do tend to soak up a lot of the product instead of holding it until you're ready to put it on your face.

I've been using Benefit's Benetint (read my review here) in conjunction with this brush as I find it easier than using the brush that Benetint actually comes with.  I draw a stripe down the top of the Waterbrush, stroke it in strips over the cheek area and then swirl the brush so it looks more natural.  You might be asking why there is that blob of colour on the right hand side..well, I sneezed whilst using it and it dabbed on from the Benetint brush.

If you want to pick one up for yourself, head on over to Escentual.com now.  You can also follow Daniel on Twitter, he doles out fantastic makeup tips on a daily basis that actually work..I've tried them!  Escentual.com are also selling Daniel Sandler's POP Waterblush which is a limited edition colour and £5 from each sold will go directly to Macmillan Cancer Support.  I bought that too but I'm not cracking it open until I've made a sizeable dent in some of my other products!

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint: Beach 03

Liz Earle's Skin Tint is a product that many a woman had been waiting for.  It's been three and a bit years in the making which is impressive as it's clear they take their time when introducing a new product.

The strategic colour choice of the packaging is not lost on me.  Skincare tends to come in lighter coloured packaging whereas makeup items come in darker tones.  I've very rarely seen foundation in a white tube.

The product is available in three different shades:

• Bare: This is the lightest shade out there and the site says it is best for alabaster complexions
• Beige: This is the medium shade and the site suggests that this works best on the majority of Caucasian skintones
• Beach: This is the darkest shade and the one that I have. 

I have to give major credit to Liz Earle for making a skin tint that is actually usable by Indian women.  I've been trying to find a decent tinted moisturiser for my skin for ages and this is the closest in colour to my skin that I found.  It doesn't help that the lighter skinned Indian women at work are always going on about brilliant tints they've found..tints that are far too light for me.

As my photo of the "neat" swatch shows, there is a fair amount of pigment in this so you don't need much to tint your skin.

Unfortunately, the Sheer Skin Tint makes my skin look orange.  I've tried applying it with a stipple brush, a foundation brush, my fingers, Simon's fingers and with a sponge and it still gives me the same result.  Also, my skin is combination and this has a bit too much slip for my skin type and it makes me look really oily. 

I gave it to my mum and it matched in a lot better with her skin.  It's odd because I would have thought that shade 02 would be better for her but shade 03 works very well and doesn't make her look orange at all..Also, my mum's skin type is normal and this makes her look really dewy.  She's been photographed a few times wearing it and it makes her look younger than she is and it's the only new product she's been using so I can't see it being anything else.

She's been using it every single day for the past three weeks and she reports that there is still a lot of it left.  She uses two tiny blobs per day and that gives her a decent amount of coverage.

It swatches orange on my hand but this photo doesn't really make it clear, I tried and failed to get a photo showing how it actually looked on my hand.  If you look at the top right hand side of my er, hand, you can see the difference in my skintone and the colour of this skin tint.

I swatched it again with the flash on and here you can see the difference.  I suppose I could make it work as a highlighter/blusher but ain't hindsight a bitch? The product is now firmly ensconsed in my mother's clutches.

It retails for £21.00 and you can get it directly from the Liz Earle site.  If you don't want to buy blind, you can buy a sample pack of all three shades  I tried to look for it in the Oxford Street John Lewis but they didn't have it there..I'm sure I checked after it was released and I still didn't see it.