Estée Lauder Pure Colour Nail Lacquer - Tempting Melon

I love the colour of this summery polish - tempting and indeed melony.

The application wasn't that great - had to load polish on the brush and couldn't get it to apply v evenly. However it was worth persevering as it has lasted me about three days so far without chipping - pretty good in my book.

Pictured below with Nails Inc top coat.

I don't think I've seen a prettier peach than this this summer - definitely a warm weather staple (we can but dream!)

Estée Lauder Nail Lacquers are £14 for 9ml.

Face of the Day - Attempt at recreating Estee Lauder ad

I was struck by an Estee Lauder advert in a recent magazine, and decided to have a go at creating the look myself.

Although the make up looks a little mature, or perhaps even a little 90s (that lip screams MAC Spice to me!) something about it really appealed to me - perhaps more to do with the perfect features of the model.

Sorry about the crinkled page..!

Anyway here's my effort - excuse the black maribou but was going to make this a new picture for my blog and twitter and wanted something glamourous!

I'm sure I'm setting myself up for some derision by attempting to emulate a supermodel but I promise you it's about trying to emulate the make up and not trying to make myself look like Hillary Rhoda. That would take a time-travel capsule and an excellent plastic surgeon.

Products used (ironically none by Estee Lauder, as I don't own any!):

Diorskin Nude Foundation 023
Benefit Georgia powder (all over face)
Lancome Star Bronzer (contouring - clearly a lot more bronzer / fake tan needed as well!)
Dior eyebrow pencil (I didn't attempt to replicate the brow shape - not too keen on that!)
Clinique touch tint in (all over lid and browbone)
MAC Shroom eyeshadow (all over lid and browbone)
Lancome eyeshadow in Vent de Sable (outer corners of eye)
Paula Dorf Eye Colour Glimmer in Sea Cruz (to line upper lids)
Lancome Blush Subtil in Highlighting Beige (inner corner of eye)
Illamasqua Vow eye pencil (inner rims)
Model Co mascara in Brown (outer lashes)
Shiseido accentuating colour stick in Glistening Flush (bridge of nose and cupids bow)
Nivea lip balm
Dior lip pencil in Linen
Korres Guava lip butter (centre of lips)

This is a lot more make up than I would normally wear (and I almost NEVER wear lipliner!) but I liked the quite polished result. Can't help but feel it was a little ageing though.

Do you ever try and copy the make up from beauty ads? What are some of your favourite beauty campaigns at the moment? Personally I've loved everything YSL have done for the past few seasons, may do a separate post on that. Also loving the Ralph Lauren ads at the moment, which feature incredibly groomed, fresh and natural looking models.

Amina x

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Nail Lacquer in Red Hot - an oldie but a goodie

Just a v quick review of this beautiful bright red I found languishing at the bottom of my nail polish bag. I was first introduced to this colour many years ago when it was part of one of those giant make up sets you can buy for a discounted price when you purchase  a couple of other products - indeed, I think it was that particular box that sparked my beauty obsession! This was at least 15 years ago so this is obviously a long stayer in their collection.


















I did this in a bit of a hurry and I'm afraid my application was a bit rubbish - only managed one coat, but it had good coverage with one coat and it's completely opaque with two. In fact, it is an excellent consistency and a dream to apply - even with this bottle which is at least two years old.

 I think the pics show how vibrant and punchy this shade is. It's a gorgeous, true red (I don't think it veers too warm or too cold, nor does it have any pinky or orange undertones).

Once again, apologies for the dreadful application (and messy cuticles!)

Estee Lauder polishes retail for about £12 but you can pick this shade up on eBay or on various discount beauty websites for cheaper. I'm interested in trying out other Lauder polishes, though the range seems pretty limited - anyone have any favourites?

The eyes have it

I've been using eye cream since my late 20s, and much more regularly since hitting my 30s when fine lines and dark circles seemed to appear overnight! Now I always apply eye cream morning and night - and although I the fine lines don't seem to be disappearing, my skin in that area does feel comfortable, moisturised and doesn't look too terrible - no crows feet as yet. As I've been through a few different eye treatments in the past couple of years, from drugstore to super expensive (yes Sisley I'm talking about you!) I thought it might be useful to do a review of each to help anyone who's looking for a new treatment. Would love to hear what creams have worked for any other 30-something ladies out there too.

1. The cult one
Garnier Caffeine Eye Roll-On

Although I don't have problems with puffiness my eyes do tend to look quite tired - I rarely wear dark liner for this reason (well not first thing in the morning!) as I feel it accentuates this. I really like this roll-on treatment for how awake and refreshed it makes my eyes feel, and I think there's a visible difference too in that the area seems to look tighter and more toned. I also think (not sure here) that it makes my fine lines slightly less obvious. The only reason I don't use it more is that it is not a great base for under eye concealer which I wear most days - it is basically quite wet in consistency and does sit on the skin; you can pat it in quite easily however it leaves a slightly sticky residue which doesn't work well with the undereye highlighting pens I use.

Overall though I think this is a great product and I'm interested in trying the new one which contains a concealer (and may just solve the above problem!). I'd definitely repurchase this for when I need a quick fix (and don't plan on wearing much make up!)

Rating: 4/5
£9.99 for 15ml at Boots but can be picked up cheaper online, also frequently on special offer


2. The natural one
Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair SPF 10

I really like this cream and it's the only eye treatment I've ever repurchased. It goes on smoothly, brightens the eye area and is a good base for concealer, plus has the added bonus of an SPF 10. This was the first eye cream I tried and after this I found I was unable to go without something on the eye area. This represents fantastic value for money too. I'm not a massive fan of all Liz's products (I don't think I like the Smoothing Line Serum that this is often sold with)  but I do love this.

Rating: 4.5/5
£12.75 for 10ml at lizearle.com


3. The night-time one
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Recovery Complex

I received a sample pot of this when I purchased the Night Repair for the face. I do use it at night but I'm a bit 'meh' about it. I don't really like the consistency - it's kind of a mix between a serum and a cream - and feel it sits on my skin a bit. Don't hate it, don't love it - wouldn't repurchase but if I received another free pot I'd use it!

The Boots website states that this cream is intended to reduce fine lines, dryness, puffiness and dark circles around the eye area.

Rating: 3/5
£33.50 for 15ml at Boots


4. The super expensive one!
Sisleya Eye and Lip Contour Cream

I absolutely loved using this cream, it was a dream to apply, so thick and luxurious but still feeling light on the skin and very easily absorbed, however I felt that this cream is perhaps not quite right for my 30-something skin. Although it moisturised the eye and lip area, I felt that this is perhaps more suited to those with older, dryer skin - I didn't feel like it made much difference to my fine lines or shadows which are my main problems. Is a great base for undereye concealer though and did add a fairly youthful sheen to that area.

NB The Sisley website www.sisley-cosmetics.com claims that this cream produces a 23% reduction in lines and wrinkles in six weeks...!

I paid £80 for a 15ml tub of this about a year ago in House of Fraser but I'm shocked to see it's retailing at £110 on Strawberry.net. Not sure how much this now costs at a Sisley counter.

Rating 3.5 / 5 (But I would definitely return to this cream in about 5-10 years time, for the sheer luxury factor if nothing else!)


5. The wild card
Kiehl's Abyssine Eye Cream

This is my current eye cream - my boyfriend bought me some for my birthday last summer and I've barely dented the surface - a little really does go a long way. So far, I do like this cream - it's light and refreshing and applies easily, and it's also a good concealer base - I'm just not sure whether it's actually doing anything for my skin!

The Kiehl's website describes Abysinne as a 'survival molecule' which thrives in ocean thermal vents (?!) and says this cream helps soothe skin, reduce appearance of lines and wrinkles (I don't really feel it has done this) and protect against free radical damage. Perhaps this one is a skin investment cream rather than an instant results treatment such as the Garnier. Overall I'd say that this is a good all rounder and I like the idea that it could be protecting against damage. I might just give this another whirl if and when I ever run out!

Rating: 3.5/5
£29.50 for 15ml at kiehls.co.uk

All in all I've liked all of the cream's I've tried. It's actually very difficult to review eye creams (and skincare in general) as the effects are often so subtle - not like trying a new lipstick for example - and it's almost impossible to ascertain scientifically whether they've had any beneficial effect. However I do think a good eye cream should be an essential part of everyone's beauty routine. I'd say the Liz Earle is my current favourite and a great price. I think I'm going to try Origins Ginzing next though as I keep hearing great things about this, so if anyone's tried it let me know!

Hope this is useful and I'll be doing a similar post on face creams soon.

PS I really do believe though that getting enough sleep and drinking lots of water is much more beneficial for the eye area than any cream - unfortunately I never seem to get enough of either!

Airport adventures - Smashbox, Estee Lauder and Bobbi Brown

I had a couple of hours to kill in duty free in Dublin airport yesterday after a lovely weekend spent visiting a friend in the city. I was very excited at the opportunity to spend some uninterruped time make up browsing time, especially when I saw they had as well as MAC, Shiseido, Bobbi Brown and Giorgio Armani which I'd normally have to schlep to W1 to get my hands on in London. And I also got to sample Smashbox - a brand I've heard a lot about but never actually seen 'in the flesh' so to speak - more on that later.


Unsurprisingly, after almost two hours swatching and sampling, I had quite a few items on my ever expanding 'must buy' list (and had attracted quite a few odd looks at my multicoloured hands and different coloured cheeks). I didn't actually buy anything as, duty free or no, Dublin has become astoundingly expensive and the pound is worth little more than the euro at the mo.. so I'll be tracking a few things down in London, online and hopefully on eBay.


Some things that caught my eye:



Estee Lauder

I don't usually bother much with EA make-up as it never really 'calls out' to me, but there were a couple of their Pure Colour lipsticks I tried which definitely warrant further investigation. The first, Beige, was actually a lovely pinky MLBB nude with a hint of sparkle. However I have something not disimilar in my Guerlain Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine Lipstick in Beige Shine.

However, Vanilla Truffle, a true, creamy beige nude, I'm definitely going to pick up. I don't have anything like it in my collection and it just looks divine in the tube, and on the lips, really a great nude. Here's a pic which actually makes it look more pink than it is - I'll update if and when it's in my hands!!



Bobbi Brown

Again not a brand I normally pay lots of attention to, I think as I've had a couple of duff recommendations from make up artists which put me off a bit. However there were quite a few things on display that got the old heartrate going, namely the gorgeous black/green metallic eyeshadow in Forest and the sheer gloss in Sailor, a juicy pinky red that makes the lips look quite delicious. However the stand out for me was the shimmer blush Bahama Brown which is a really unique colour on the pan - sort of a light sparkly beige - and which looks gorgeously glowy and natural on, I think there was a hint of pink but it was hard to see in the airport lighting. I'm definitely going to purchase these next time I'm at a counter in the UK.



Smashbox

This was quite a revelation. I'd heard of Smashbox but never had the chance to try any of their products, indeed I didn't know they were available in the UK - I do however have their Face and Body Brush which I purchased off eBay based on the glowing reports on MUA and which I'm pretty impressed with. It was the face and eye products as opposed to the lip stuff that got me excited - the Soft Lights in Tint looked really unique and I can imagine it would give the face a nice glow, and I also loved some of the colour combinations in the eyeshadow trios. The tinted moisturiser which I tried on the back of my hand also seemed to have a really nice consistency - I'm either going to plump for that or the Nars Sheer Glow foundation as I'm not getting on so well with my Chanel Teint Innocence compact. Anyway I've already picked up a couple of Smashbox things on eBay where they seem to be quite cheap and have found a site - justbeautydirect.co.uk that stocks a whole load of their stuff, so I shall certainly be carrying out some further investigations into this brand, will let you know how I get on!


As I didn't know much about Smashbox including how much it normally costs, I wondered whether I should have a little splurge in the airport, and boy am I glad I didn't! The eyeshadow trios were retailing at 23.95 euros (so about £20) - when I looked them up in the UK, most come in at under £10. Although it's hard sometimes when it comes to make up, sometimes it really does pay not to rush in!!


Anyone got any favourite Smashbox products?