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!

FOTD: Bright lip city gonna set my soul on fire!

I've been going through a bright lip phase at the moment which is something that I never thought I'd be doing.  These colours aren't fantastically bright but they're bright enough to allow me to strike the balance between bright and work appropriate.

My lips are pigmented and the top lip is darker than the bottom.  All three of these products mask that problem and apply uniformly to both lips.  The Korres tub is standard lipbalm size, the ELF tub really is that big. 

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. 

The Swatch Files/A Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion squeezy tubes in Sin, Greed, Eden and Original

Heavenly choirs where heard when I held these in my hands for the first time, mainly because I was so excited that I'd never have to faff with the old style Urban Decay Primer Potion bottle again.  Everyone who has ever used UDPP knows what I'm on about..when the dreaded depotting time arrives and you risk going to bed with less digits than you woke up with.

Each shade has a different picture next to it and that did impress me but you know what they say, simple things please simple minds.  Original has a mushroom, maybe because it came with the Alice in Wonderland palette..remember that one?  Greed has a diamond because (I assume) everyone wants diamonds; Sin has an apple..all that Adam and Eve stuff I suppose and Eden has a deer.  I thought that was because of the Garden of Eden but that's more Adam and Eve so I'm not sure why..

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. 

The Swatch Files: Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl

This is a PR sample that I have had for a while..it only came to my attention properly the other day when I was sorting through my makeup stash.  The actual clearance took me about four hours (I only have one drawer of makeup) because I was watching my favourite series of Blackadder and swatching as I went.

I ended up throwing away only three items.  The rest are waiting to be doled out to cousins/people at work.

Anyway, you want swatches of Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl and I have them!

I like the fact that it has a lid guard on it so if  you accidentally turn it, the product is captured so you can use it later.  It swatches well on Indian skin which is something that a lot of Benefit products struggle to do.

This retails for £24.50 and can be bought from the Benefit site.

ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour Pencil: Praline

ELF is a brand that seldom disappoints me.  The products are truly budget products (yes, I'm looking at you High Street brands who think that a £4 million mascara constitutes an ordinary budget purchase) and they not only have a wide colour range but they're also constantly bringing out new products..and products that people actually want.

The ELF Studio Matte Lip Colour Pencils come in four different shades and I have Praline.  They also come in Coral, Natural and Tea Rose.  I find it a bit funny that Praline is the colour that looks more like my natural lip colour whereas Natural is more pinky..but it'd be the natural colour for a lot of lighter skinned people.

I will get the one negative out of the way first.  The smell.  It smells like those plastic chairs that little children have.  However, I can forgive this as the smell vanishes and everything else about them is fantastic.  And the smell fades after the first few uses.

Also, you see the smudge? The brand new pencil is not like this.  Mine has been in my bag and my hands for a long time, hence the smudge.  You see those white dots a bit further down? That's where it said "Praline" but yet again, that's worn off.

It calls itself a pencil but to me, it's more like a matte lipstick with a bit of slip to it.  I do have a pencil (from another brand) which is a pencil in the traditional sense and I cannot get away with wearing that with nothing over the top whereas I can just whack the ELF one on and go about my business.

My favourite things about this product are that firstly, it's a twist up product (no sharpening needed) and secondly, the more you use it, the rounder the head gets so application improves.

Actually, I lied.  I have another favourite thing.  It gives me the lip colour that I feel I should have been born with.  I've got the annoying "one lip darker than the other" thing going on and this imparts the same colour onto both lips.

See how natural that looks?

And it takes gloss very well.  I'm not too sure where my teeth are in this photo but I do have a full set somewhere in there.

A lot of matte lip products have a tendency to dry your lips out but I really don't feel that the ELF pencil does that.  I've used it non stop and my lips haven't dried out at all.  I've also not been using as much Carmex so what does that tell you?  If anything actually, my lips feel softer after using this than they do after I've used moisturising lipsticks.

For the princely sum of £3.50, you can't get much better.  My only criticism is that ELF should make more colours, if there were more colours that I could wear, I'd totally buy those.  Click here to buy one!  My timing is obviously not my strong suit (I am Punjabi after all..our clocks run three hours behind everyone elses) as a few days ago, these were selling for £1 on the ELF website..and I bought three backups.

Benefit's Benetint: Finally a product by Benefit that Indian women can use!

Once in a while, I'm pleasantly surprised by a product that I'd always thought would have been sub-par.  I'm even more blown away as this product is by a brand that is notorious for not being accommodating towards those of us of a darker hue.

I'm talking about Benefit's Benetint, but I'm sure that's already clicked.  As most of my cream blushers left me wanting something that spread easier, I decided to dig this out of my blusher box.  I say box, it's more of a compartment in a plastic tray.

I am a total convert to this product.  I haven't raved about something for ages and that's because I've not found anything to rave about.  I've used it non-stop for weeks which is rare as I'm always chopping and changing my cheek enhancers.  So great is my love for this product that I've given away a fair amount of my powder blushers.

The packaging causes me no ill as I can't really think how else you could package a tint.  It lasts ages on your skin so you don't need to tote it around with you.  The brush is really helpful as it dabs the colour on and then you can just dab and smooth it out with your fingers.

On my cheeks, I apply it with the brush and then blend it with my fingers.  It does stain my fingers but that's easily washed off.  It lasts all day on my cheeks and I'm the kind of person who is always touching her face.  The best thing about this is that it's hard to be heavy handed and therefore application is a dream.  It gives me a natural looking stain on my face and it doesn't even look like I'm wearing blusher which is exactly what I want. 

Slightly phallic swatch on the bottom right there..

I've also started using it on my lips and it gives me a natural looking rosy lip which is something I struggled to achieve before.  The colour does develop so I put on a little bit and then wait about 15 minutes to see how deep it is.  I apply it with the brush and rub my lips together.  It stays on all day despite my eating and it's still there when I brush my teeth in the evening.

As it's a tint, it's a concentrated product so you don't need to use a lot, the photo up there is after weeks of usage and it still looks brand new.

Benefit's Benetint will set you back £24.50 and can be bought from the Benefit site, Boots and Debenhams.  I'm also lusting after their new Cha Cha shade as I've realised that orangey colours work well on me. 

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Range: first impressions, swatches, Einstein quotes and bee related facts.

Amongst the many brands releasing "Summer" makeup, the range from The Body Shop is the one that has peaked my interest the most as it goes beyond your usual bronzer/blusher staples.

Get comfy because this post is looooooooong..

Vital statistics.
The range..

From L-R:

• Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil £16.00: This gives you a dry finish which is something I think is needed because you don't want to appear sweaty..or sweaty and shimmery.  It contains Community Fair Trade honey and beeswax which is what a product like this needs as it aims to make you glisten and keep your skin soft.  You need to wash your hands after using it though as it will stain!
  
• Honey Bronze Brilliance Powder £16.00: An illuminating powder that you can whack on your cheeks and your collarbone to give you a glow.  It comes with an inbuilt brush and it contains Community Fair Trade honey and beeswax.  It comes in two shades, I know that one is Bronze Shimmer but I don't know the name of the other, sorry!
• Honey Bronze Bronzing Gel for Face £11.00: This suits all skintones and gives an even and natural-looking honey-bronzed glow.  It contains Community Fair Trade honey, beeswax and organic aloe vera.  You need to wash your hands after using this for the staining issue.
  
• Honey Bronze Lip Nectar (Honey Bunch/Honeycomb) £9.50: These have the typical payoff you get from glosses and you can wear them in the same manner.  They contain Community Fair Trade Honey, beeswax and marula oil so they'll moisturise your lips right up.
  
• Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder £13.00: A matte bronzer (woo!) that contains Community Fair Trade honey, beeswax and marula oil.  It's available in four shades which is good because I've never found a one shade fits all bronzer. 

 

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Baked, Binge and Mildew

There are some products that need no introduction; the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils fall into this illustrious group..but as this sentence illustrates, they're still getting one.  

The inspiration behind  the naming process for Baked and Mildew is obvious but I just don't get Binge.  If I was naming it, I'd call it Galaxy because it reminds me of the night sky they used to have on The Jetsons.  Or velvet because it reminds me of blue velvet.

The fact that the casing corresponds with the colour of the pencil is a godsend for me because I'm perpetually in a rush so I know exactly what I'm grabbing for when I pick up one of these babies.

The pencils are soft enough to glide along the waterline and lashline without tugging but strong enough to leave a decent amount of pigment behind.  You don't have to go giving your waterline the violin action to get a fair bit of colour.  The colour flows easily on the upper lashline and doesn't budge until I need to take it off.

I have oily lids and these all last well on both the waterline and lashline. Normal wear for me is 7 a.m. until about 10 p.m.  However, if you want to push it and wear them longer, they do smudge..but more in a "she's rubbed the pencil through her lower lashes" way than a "she's been crying and hasn't tidied her makeup up" way.  And if someone ever said the latter to me, they'd get a swift kick..as if sorting your makeup out would be the first thing on your mind.

I got a good few months usage out of them before the first one needed sharpening which is a long time as I usually end up sharpening after a few weeks.  When I sharpened Galaxy Velvet Binge and it didn't crumble so you're all good on that front. 

Each colour really makes my brown eyes sparkle in a way that no other eye pencil has done. My favourite is Binge, simply because the blue manages to not only make the whites of my eyes look whiter but it also makes the brown sparkle. 

If anyone reading this never knows how to dress their eyes up for an Indian function, buy Baked and you won't be sorry.  I either line my waterline with it or line my upper lashline and stroke it through my lashes, whack some mascara on and I'm done!

Notice the tired eyes in the last photo? I'm not usually that dopey looking.

I'm not sure why Baked looks patchy but trust me, it is very pigmented and gives you a gorgeous pop of colour.  I'm not sure why you can't see it on my waterline because you can in reality.  Mildew and Binge are perfect worksafe colours for me.  Most of my other green/blue pencils are either too bright for work or they're just not worth wearing as they look black.

Each pencil costs £13.00 from Debenhams and the usual outlets.  I'm planning on buying Zero as I know it will let my line my upper lashline in a hurry and run off to work.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils in Club Mix and Baroque

The NARS Velvet Gloss Lip pencils are my ideal product.  Pigmented, glossy and long lasting.  I have two of these pencils, one being Club Mix and other other being Baroque.  Club Mix reminds me of an 80's George Michael sitting by a pool chowing down on Bombay Mix.

Club Mix is described as a sheer grape colour and Baroque is described as bold raspberry sorbet.  Grape coloured lip products works quite well for me but raspberry is something out of my comfort zone.

I know some NARS lipsticks have a funny smell to them but these pencils do not smell of anything.  You know I'm on scents like a bloodhound but I failed to smell anything untoward emanating from these.

I line my lower lip, smack it with the top one and then just fill them in.  You never end up using too much as once you've filled your lips in, you're done..and you know your lips are done.  I feel that it's foolproof in that respect as you never end up putting too much on which is a trap I always fell into with gloss. 

If you have dry lips, these will not emphasise the dryness.  The colour fades to a stain after you've eaten which is good if you haven't got the pencil with you to touch it up.  The longest it has ever lasted on me was from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. (without eating) so that's pretty good going (the lasting power of the lipstick, NOT how long I managed to survive without food!)

On the lip business..

It's obvious that both swatches were taken in different light.  I have however, edited the last photo so that you see the true colour..ain't I nice?  Club Mix has found its way into my everyday makeup bag but I feel that Baroque makes my mouth look small.  I pointed this out to someone who replied with "if only it could minimise the sound".  Charming!

These are not twist up pencils.  You can sharpen them with a standard fat sharpener.  I'm not sure how they sharpen as the need hasn't come about yet.

Drawing comparison between these and the Clinique Chubby Sticks (which I've swatched instore), I can say this: the NARS pencils pack a lot more pigment than the Chubby Sticks.  The Chubby Sticks do have their own inbuilt sharpener but the colour is very feint.  If you have pigmented lips, I'd give the Chubby Sticks a miss as it'd be hard to see the colour on your lips.  Having said that, the Chubby Sticks aren't sold as being a gloss, it clearly states that they are balms, but even still, I'd have expected a bit more pigment.

Each NARS pencil retails at £17.50 and can be bought from the NARS website.  One note of caution, look for on the skin/lip swatches before you buy these as the swatches on the NARS site aren't brilliant.  I thought Hopi would be a good my lips but better shade for me but swatches by other bloggers showed this wasn't the case!

Urban Decay Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint in Fetish

Remember when I had my love in with cream blushers?  It all came to a head when this baby came into my life.

If I recall correctly, it was so pretty that I daren't use it for fear of spoiling a perfect looking product.  It's alright though, I satiated my cream blusher lust (try saying that quickly) with a NYX cream blusher until I was brave enough to pull this out of storage.

This is the perfect cream blusher for you if you're scared of using too much and looking like a fool.  That is something I have an issue with so I was glad that this came to my aid.

The colour is very subtle but I feel that's what you'd want from something that is a cheek tint.  There's also a glow about this when you apply it, your cheeks look like you've put a highlighter on over the tint.  The visible chunks of glitter in the pan aren't noticeable at all one you've buffed the colour in.  The colour lasts all day and gives the perfect flush of colour.

It also features a very useful mirror in the lid which I forgot to photograph..

Anyway, the swatches!

I've blended it in a bit too well here but that's how I tend to wear it on my cheeks and it perks them right up.  You can obviously blend it in less.

They cost £18 and are available from House of Fraser.

The story of Slick Rick and her oil blotting sheets

Remember last week when for a fleeting few days we had sun and warmth? I do.  Mainly because I got to bust out my oil blotting sheets.  These are a godsend if you grease up worse than Victoria Beckham back in the day.

I found them totally by chance in the clearance section in Boots when I blinded myself..

They are brilliant.

They have no "coloured" powder in them and are impregnated with Tea Tree Oil (their words, not mine!) and they really take the oil away.  They remove the oil without telling the world that I've been blotting  They leave my makeup in check and are cheap to boot!  I have tried a fair few blotting sheets in the past and they either didn't pick up all the oil or left behind traces of powder.  The traces of powder is fine if you're not Indian/black but it's a right pain if you are because it looks live you've dipped your face in talcum powder.

I like the fact that they contain Tea Tree as they not only take the grease away but they also lend an antiseptic hand in helping you get rid of spots.

I tend to use them after going to the gym..of course I shower but I don't have enough time to be messing with all my face creams so I just wash my face and use these to pick up the excess oil on the way back to the office (before I get a chance to leg it to the loos to moisturise my face).  I have also reviewed the moisturiser from this range and I loved that too.

They cost me £1.50 but full price they will set you back £3.56 (but they're currently on 2 for £4). 

Benefit's Prrrowl..

Whenever someone mentions the word prowl, it reminds me of  a scene from Phoenix Nights (scroll to 7.28).  The way Brian Potter says prow-ul just cracks me right up.

Benefit's Prrrowl, although not as hilarious..is quite a useful addition to my forever growing makeup arsenal.

The mascara topcoat adds a nice subtle touch to you eye makeup that leaves people trying to guess what you've done.  It works better than traditional glitter mascaras that I've used as I find that the glitter is more densely packed here and the consistency is pretty smooth.

I find that the gloss works better over naked lips.  There's no photo of how it looks on the lips because I couldn't capture it in a way that showed it in its true light.  It is pigmented and spreads very well.  The shimmer is also consistently applied as it doesn't clump in places.

The lipgloss side smells like a proper new car does..my car lost that smell come the second week of January (boo!) but with a slight hint of peach.  It has blue shimmer in it..BLUE. SHIMMER.  That was more than enough to entertain my simple mind.  I like the way Benefit have used blue as that compliments the peach and seems to give the product something extra, something you can't find in every lipgloss out there.  The mascara side is nice too, I like the purple/turquoise glitter thing, using two colours really gives it something extra that most glitter mascaras don't have.

The swatches..

The gloss

Three coats on bare lashes.  This product is very hard to photograph up close but the effect is far more stunning when looked at from a distance.

If you're of the Asian persuasion and go to a lot of desi parties, shindigs, birthdays, weddings, pre-wedding parties, post wedding parties or just general desi get togethers then this will come in quite useful.  I've had to go to quite a few after work and this has been constantly in my handbag as it's easy to just whip it out and glamourise yourself with ease.  With this, I can keep my face on, spread some of the mascara topcoat over my liner and over my mascara.  Brilliant time saver!

I have been out and about trying to find a dupe for the gloss and I couldn't find one so if you can get away with wearing glittery gloss on a daily basis and you like this shade, pick it up because dupes are non existant.

I wouldn't have picked it out myself but now that I do have it, I'd recommend it if you can get away with wearing shimmery makeup. or if you need something quick to transform your makeup from day to night.  The mascara topcoat is fluid enough so you don't have some lashes coated in glitter whilst others remain bare and the lipgloss is pigmented enough to work on darker lips and the shimmer spreads well.

Prrrowl will set you back £19.50 if bought from their site (no link as it's currently not on there) or from their stores/concessions.  You can also pick it up from Boots, HoF and Debenhams (click the links to be take to the product).

The Swatch Files: GOSH Extreme Art Waterproof Liner shade 01

I came across this when I was looking for the infamous Holographic polish but as this store had none, I decided to buy a liquid liner instead.  I have this "thing" where if I go out looking for something specific and don't find it, I have to buy something else.  This time it was a GOSH liquid eyeliner.  There was a time when a liquid liner would be the last thing I'd buy but as I'm improving, I'm learning to use colours other than black. 

I find it odd how 01 is not black as something in my mind assumes that black would be 01 and then the less conservative colours would be 02, 03 etc..seems like they're being revolutionaries..much like Walkers and their blue Cheese and Onion packets.

I thought this would work as a nice brown-y, copper-y colour but as the swatches show..it's a lot more purple-y which is OK with me..purple brings out brown eyes.  It's a really unique colour, a mishmash of purple and brown..and them some copper.

Longevity wise, these last an age.  They're called semi-permanent and they really are!  My eyes watered, I touched my lids and they stayed in place.  I have a sneaky feeling that Superdrug might be discontinuing these so I'm going to try and track down a black, dark green and a blue just in case!

If you like the look of these, run to Superdrug as they're all currently on half price..

The Swatch Files: ELF Cream Eyeliners in Midnight and Gunmetal

For a while now, whenever someone asks me how many gel liners I have, I've only said one.  To those people, I apologise for being a filthy liar as last night I counted how many I had and it is verging on double numbers.  I have two Bobbi Brown liners (it used to be three until I sold one), three Stila ones and two ELF liners.

I don't know why I kept saying I have only one..maybe it's because that's the one I use the most..

Anyway, these are my ELF cream eyeliners..which I find a bit funny because they're not half as creamy as my Bobbi Brown ones (they're still decent though!)

I like the fact that they have a mixture of both matte and more non matte (?! I can't think of the word and glittery doesn't seem right..shimmery?) eyeliners.

Midnight is a matte blue and Gunmetal is a shimmery grey..

The photograph on top is the accurate depiction of the shade, the bottom one is just to show the difference between the matte and shimmery liners.

Midnight looks like a nightmare but it's really creamy..the Midnight I got was rattling around in its container and it even fell out but it's come back to life and is indeed, very creamy.  They work well as liners but they do dry once on the eye.

The Swatch Files: Revlon Silver Fox Quad

It's not very often that I find a quad which not only has the desired amount of pigmentation but also has a decent enough variety of colour so that you're able to switch your look up from day to night by just adding another colour.

This palette is one of the good ones...

The grey and minty green shade are matte, the white and purple have a slight (very slight) shimmer to them..

I'm pretty impressed that the mint actually came out mint on my skin as usually they come out white.  They're all very soft and easy to blend..not so soft that they crumble..

The white looks a bit chalky but it's easy to blend out with a brush.  As for the sparkle..

It looks a bit gritty but that is due to my camera playing up, in reality, it catches the light really well without making you look like a glitterball.