Continue reading “Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light | Review and Swatches”
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige | Review and Swatches
Cue all the heart eye emojis. Bobbi Brown is a brand that I don’t own too much from, but so many of their products have reached cult status in the blogging world. I had been drooling over this highlighter for the longest time so I decided to put it on my christmas list, and my mum was nice enough to get it for me! Keep on reading to find out my thoughts…
The Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Beige (£32.50) contains five strips of shimmery colour ranging from a soft white to a deep bronze. When swirled together, it is a beautiful golden beige, a perfect highlighter for when I’m slightly more tanned. What is great about the shimmer bricks is that they’re really customisable – you can focus your brush on either end of the product depending if you want a lighter or darker payoff.
Surprisingly, even though it looks intensely shimmery in the pan, it doesn’t come off too glittery on the skin. It isn’t the most natural looking highlighter, but it definitely isn’t garish or reminiscent of a disco ball. Currently I love using the Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush for highlight as it gives really precise application. I put it on the tops of my cheekbones, tip and bridge of the nose, in between the brows, cupids bow and chin (everywhere, really). If you love glowy skin, you will love this.
I also think this highlight captures the light beautifully in photography. This is definitely a splurge item, but if you feel like treating yourself or putting it on your wishlist, then I would highly recommend it. Would you pay this much for a highlighter?
–RachelElizabeth
Tom Ford Leonardo | Review and Swatches – Blogmas Day #9
Tom Ford created a bit of a frenzy recently with the release of his Lips and Boys collection. 50 lipsticks only available for a few days… How could I resist? Since I am trying to save money right now (and I am constantly reminding myself that I am a student) I limited myself to just one shade. After way longer than I wish to admit, I had analysed every shade in the collection and finally picked myself up the gorgeous deep red that is Leonardo…
Leonardo is a very me shade, and that’s probably why I ended up picking it. It’s a dark red that’s a little bit of the blue-toned side, but less so that your typical deep red. I only have two other lipsticks from the brand, but I just can’t get over the formula of these. They come with a hefty price tag, but I don’t think it’s until you actually apply them that you really understand why. Obviously the packaging is truly drool-worthy, but these are probably the most creamy and luxurious lip products out there. The pigmentation is great and the lasting power is decent considering the formula (not that I mind whipping it out and reapplying).
The only thing to bear in mind about this collection – I believe it’s coming out again on the 26th December fyi – that the lipsticks are a bit smaller than the originals. They are 0.07 oz as opposed to 0.10 oz, which does actually make them better gram for gram, but it’s important to remember that you aren’t getting as much. The Lips and Boys lipsticks are £26, whereas the original lip colours are £37, so it is a considerable saving.
I for one will definitely be stalking the Selfridges website on Boxing day for these lipsticks. There were so many shades that I wanted and I am considering giving myself a nice post-christmas treat! Did you manage to snag any of these? What were your favourite shades?
–RachelElizabeth
Top 5 Luxury Products | Blogmas Day #6
It’s that time of year when you can subtly ask your loved ones for those products that you really can’t justify spending your hard-earned cash on. Or maybe you do want to part with your cash but you So today, I wanted to bring to you my favourite luxury products, and ones I think that are really worth it…
We’ll begin with one that I have continually praised – the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (full review here). This stuff is magic. If you have oily skin or you have trouble with your foundation’s longevity in general, then you will love this. This was such a game-changer in my makeup routine that this is my third bottle, and as you can see from the picture, it is on its last legs. When I feel a bit guilty about how much it costs and how quickly I go through it, it is also the perfect product for special occasions. The other base product that had to be mentioned was the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (I have also reviewed this in full here). This is the closest to perfect foundation that I have found. It has a natural finish – somewhere in the middle of matte and dewy. It lasts incredibly on me (especially when paired with the aforementioned primer), and best of all, looks stunning in photographs. This is another product I save for special occasions, but if I could afford to, I would wear this on an everyday basis.
Moving on to colour products, the first I will mention is the Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna which I dedicated a whole post to recently here. Nars products aren’t quite as expensive as the other brands I’ve mentioned, but it is definitely still luxury. For my complexion, this is the perfect shade to warm up the skin, and the texture and longevity are both incredible. For eyes, the Charlotte Tilbury Colour-Coded Eye Shadow Palette in Dolce Vita is the ultimate in luxury. I definitely plan on writing a whole post on this soon, as it is so stunningly pigmented and perfect for this time of year. She has several different quads if these warm tones aren’t your thing, and they are all beautiful. The final product I will mention are the Tom Ford Lipsticks. I have a few, but the one photographed is Wild Ginger (full post here) which is an extremely vibrant orangey-red. The formulation of these are so pigmented and creamy, and are just a pleasure to apply and wear.
These may not be something that you can easily go out and purchase on a whim, but if you’re in the market to splurge or want to treat someone with something very special, then these would be what I recommend. What are your favourite luxury products?
–RachelElizabeth