Brown Tones

Hey Dolls,

I have fallen in love with brown toned lipsticks - this is not a statement I ever thought I would make. I generally stayed away from any form of nude or natural lipsticks, instead much preferring bright toned pinks and purples.  However, I have since realised that these are not practical for everyday wear, when I'm stumbling around in the dark at half six in the morning.  

I have picked my favourite three lipsticks that have definite brown tones, all of which are in different price ranges - Chanel Rouge Allure 81 Insouciante, NARS Sheer Lipstick in Dolce Vita and L'oreal Colour Riche 254 Kiss & Blush.

Chanel Rouge Allure, 81 Insouciante

Out of the three, this is the most brown, though there is a hint of a muted pink that makes Insouciante so wearable.  The Chanel Rouge Allure lipsticks are amongst the most amazing I have ever tried, they blend seamlessly and opaquely onto my lips and leave a beautiful sheen.  The colour is long lasting and doesn't settle into the lines of my lips.  It is the most expensive of the three at £24 but for the quality of the product, I believe it's worth it!

NARS Sheer Lipstick, Dolce Vita 

I have only had DolceVita for a week and already cannot believe I've never owned it before - it's beautiful! It's much rosier than Insouciante but there is definitely a beigey/brown hint that makes this lipstick so natural.  I've never tried a lipstick that is as moisturising - it literally glides onto the lips.  I really want  to try the matte pencil version as I read they used it on Christina Hendricks on Mad Men - her lip colour was always beautiful! If you're not too sure about brown toned lipsticks, I think Dolce Vita is an excellent place to start!  NARS Sheer lipsticks are £17.50.

L'oreal Colour Riche, 254 Kiss & Blush.

Kiss and Blush is the least pigmented of the three but leaves a pretty brown toned sheen to the lips.  The Colour riche lipsticks are supposedly tailored according to hair colour, however 254 is made for blonde's and I think it looks OK on me!  Again, this is a good alternative if you want to dabble in beige/brown lipsticks as it isn't very expensive - around £8.  

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

Revlon Just Bitten

Hey Dolls

A latest beauty addiction of mine is lip stains.  Having fallen in love with Stila's stains, I decided to try one of Revlon's Just Bitten stains - I chose a beautiful red shade called gothic.  The stain is quite unique as it is double ended - one end has a felt tip stain and the other has a lip balm.

I use the stain first so as to get the true red of the stain and leave this to settle for a couple of seconds before applying the balm which adds a slight sheen to the lips.  The balm is OK, it definitely leaves my lips feeling moisturised (but a little 'slippy' if that makes sense?) however, each time I use it I'm a little scared that it's going to fall off! If there was any way it could be put on a slider I think this would be much easier!

Even with the balm, it is a lot more drying than the Stila stains I love - I think this is largely to do with it being a felt tip applicator, this means it's  a much drier formula, however it is a lot less messy and you have more control.  It lasts a good amount of time (on par with Stila) though it will fade throughout the day.

I really love the colour of gothic, I think it's a really wearable red that can be worn sheerer than I have here.  However, I just wish the formula wasn't as drying and I think if used without a lipbalm you would definitely experience some feathering. 

What are your lip stain recommendations? Or do you prefer lipsticks? I think my favourite time to use a stain is when I'm going out for dins, otherwise I manage to get lipstick everwhere - no bueno!

Love Nicola

YSL Creme de Blush - Fuchsia Temptation

Hey Dolls,

I am slowly working my way through all of the posts that have been requested over the last couple of weeks (months).  In July, I posted my favourite three YSL products.  One of those included was their cream blush in Fuchsia Temptation.  At the time of writing, I had a horrible cold so wasn't able to show what it looked like on.  The lovely Alex asked if I could come back and show how it looked - I'm so sorry it's taken me so long!

As you can see, on the cheek fuchsia temptation isn't nearly as scary as it looks in the pot.  It gives a lovely, natural colour to the cheek due to its cream to powder formula.  As I mentioned in my favourite three post, I've never felt a powder blush that is so silky to the touch and that blends so easily.  It doesn't drag when blended, meaning I can apply it on top of powder using a MAC 187.  It smells beautiful - of watermelon and which actually lasts quite well.  The lasting power of the blush is amazing, and I normally don't have to retouch during the day until late afternoon.

I also popped on the lip combination I spoke about in that post that I haven't had a chance to show yet - Rouge Pur Couture 11 and Golden Gloss 42 - so pretty!

Love Nicola

xx

Shu Uemura Love!

Hey Dolls,

This week. my friend Kirsty asked where the best place was to buy amazing false lashes.  In my mind when it comes to lashes, there is only one counter that delivers both amazing products and service - Shu Uemura.  If you haven't ever bought a pair of shu lashes before, I can't recommend them enough - they last up to ten applications, the first time you buy your lashes they are trimmed to fit your eye and each time you want to wear your lashes, you can ring up the counter and they will apply them for you free of charge (everytime I've done this, they also do my eye make up for me too!).  My favourite pair are the smoky layers. On this visit to the Shu Uemura counter, I finally gave in and bought one of their most famous products - their eyelash curler.

I was always a little dubious about how different these curlers could be compared to others I had tried - I was wrong! The hinge of the curler is patented and feels quite stiff when used, gripping all of my lashes and applying a lot of pressure without 'crimping' my lashes.  Shu uemura describe the curve of the curler as 'mushroom' shaped...

This again helps to grip all of my lashes - even the baby lashes in the corner! What I love most about the lash curlers is, my mascara doesn't have to work as hard...I've only had to apply one coat of mascara each morning and with the help of Shu's curlers, this looks like the equivalent of 2 or 3 coats - it's another of my lazy girl must haves! I've included before and after shots below...

.

As you can see, in the bottom photograph, my lashes appear longer with a natural curl - there is no perceptible line where the curler has been applied and my lashes are curled rather than pointing at an angle- all problems I've found using other curlers.  The secret to this is,once you've positioned the curler, hold it in place for a couple of second in an outwards and upwards direction and repeating this several times.

These have now beome a part of my daily beauty routine, I think I'd be a bit lost without them! If you're curious, go and have a chat with one of the staff at a counter, they'll be more than happy to demonstrate them on you! The only drawback for me is when I wear my glasses my lashes bounce against them - I'm definitely not complaining!

Lots of Love

Nicola

xx

More frugal finds...

I recently posted that I have been trying to find some purse friendly alternatives to products I love. When I was in Paris earlier this year, the most exciting thing I bought (apart from minnie mouse ears of course), was a bottle of bioderma's crealine cleansing water. I think I've mentioned before that I really dislike oil based removers and was relieved to find something that removed my make up just as well, without leaving behind an oily residue. However, on attempting to order a new bottle of crealine, I couldn't justify the price of postage.

Enter La Roche-Posay's Physiological Micellar Solution...



Similarly to bioderma, this is a micellar cleansing water, which I've found to be the most thorough but gentle methods of removing my make up. The product contains no parabans, soap or alchohol. However, la roche-posay's micellar solution does contain fragrance which I know can be irritating to some people's skin, thankfully I've had no bad reaction.

For my face make up, I only need to sweep over one cotton pad and it even breaks down waterproof mascarra - though I do need to hold the pad over my eye for a couple of seconds. It leaves behind no residue, doesn't leave my skin tightened or dry and ready for cleaning (I am still in love with Origins Checks and Balances). If you're interested in micellar cleansing waters, I think la roche-posay's is a good place to start - I got mine from Boots for around £10.

Lots of Love
Nic
xx

Home is wherever I'm with you

Hey Dolls

Waaah at this moment, I am hideously hungover...Prosecco is not my friend!! Today is the first day of my holiday from work and to celebrate, my friend Andrew and I went out for a couple of drinks after work.

I wore a new dress from Warehouse which you can see here. For me, this is my perfect dress: black, long sleeves, a peter pan collar and embellishment. I never got a full length photo of me wearing it, instead here is a terrible iphone picture where you can see half of the sleeve and none of the embellishment...


Nick and I have lots planned for our week off...tomorrow we're going to visit the Rosslyn Chapel, and then later in the week, we're going down to my mum and dads for a nardini's (I'm getting ice cream AND a cannoli) and most exciting of all...WE'RE GOING ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS!!! Well, as close as we'll ever get - The Jacobite. I literally cannot wait!!!!

Lately, I've realised that I've truely become a bit of a home bird. Since moving into our new house, I've spent so much time making it a home - I promise to those who have asked, I'll post soon and show you around! However, over the last couple of weeks, the homely things I have been enjoying are...

...making window boxes and rolls!

I'll leave you with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros...the only thing that can save me from this headache!

Lots of Love

Nic
xx

My new angel

Hey Dolls

M.A.C's Angel is definitely my most used lipstick. It might be a little bit boring, but that's exactly the reason I love it - following on from my previous post, Angel is a lipstick I can slap on without worrying how it looks. However recently, I have had to become a little purse conscious (mainly because everytime I open mine, little moths fly out like in a warner bros cartoon) and so, I set myself the task of finding a more purse friendly angel...



I settled on Bourjois' Sweet Kiss Naturel lipstick in 11 Rose Innocence. While it is not identical to Angel, it is an absolutely beautiful lipstick. The formula is extremely moisturising as it contains magnolia oil and shea butter and it settles onto the lips without being overly buttery or soft. It is a semi matte finish, which is quite different to the finishes I tend to favour. The one downfall of Rose Innocence is the lasting power - at best I probably get about 2 hours wear. However, because it's quite a natural shade I can re-apply it quickly.

As you can see, Rose Innocence isn't as pink as Angel - on the lips it appears more of a pink toned nude but for me it's perfect at half the price! There are only 8 shades of Bourjois sweet kiss naturel lipsticks but they are all beautiful! I am definitely going to try more!

Lots of Love
Nic
xx