GOSH SS16 beauty launches

gosh_ss16_makeup - 10Every season gosh does not fail to impress. They always bring something out that stays with me until their next launch – and beyond.
For SS16, there are loads of fabulous makeup that, as usual, won’t break the bank.
I’ll start with my favourite: the Copenhagen eyeshadow palette.
gosh_ss16_makeup - 3Decidedly neutral, and very matte, this baby is all you need to keep your eyes in check. And its size means it’s handbag-friendly and the day-to-night transition is easy-peasy!
With great pigmentation and very blendable, these brand new nine great colours cost £10.99. Cannot go wrong.
gosh_ss16_makeup - 1My second favourite is the Lumi Drops. A lovely highlighter with a tint, this light liquid formula will apply well and stay.
It catches the light beautifully and is great to layer with other lighter-coloured highlighting products for a super illuminated look. It comes in three colours and cost £7.99 each.
gosh_ss16_makeup - 9One that is already available (all the others launch in March), the Primer+ Illuminating Skin Perfector is really great.
Reminds me of MAC’s Fortified Skin Enhancer, I’ve been using for years (in fact, I think they discontinued it, and this is a great substitute) and although great alone (ok for makeup distribution, fab for evening out tone, good for durability), I love wearing as a second primer, to help the cover up job and illuminate. It costs £14.49.
gosh_ss16_makeup - 7Their big launch are the lip oils. Rather similar to the Clarins ones, these are the first “drugstore” version of the product. I am not big on lip gloss, but these are not too sticky and offer good moisturisation to lips!
They contain moringa, argan, macadamia oil and vitaskin E. The clear one contains Nordic super food sea buckthorn.
It costs £7.47 and comes in 4 colours but to be honest, I don’t really think the pigmentation is enough to distinguish between them when on my lips.
gosh_ss16_makeup - 6Of course, I couldn’t leave the lipsticks behind. I have a mini arsenal of GOSH lipsticks at home, which come in to play pretty much every week.
These are additions to their Velvet Matte collection. Each lippie costs only £6.99.

The Rebel Eyes mascara has a crush that seems to be “on trend”. Curved, with the concave part with no bristles for formula deposit. Provides good curve and lengthening.

gosh_ss16_makeup - 2Finally, the eyeshadow pencils. Oh, how I love those. I do not joke when I say my beloved Charlotte Tilbury Don’t have that much on them. I have the metallic ones, from a few season ago and this time they brought them out in matte.
A great selection of four pretty neutrals mattes (again, SS16 is rather neutral) which is super blendable and have industrial durability – seriously, no crease, no fading, no smudging. It comes in xx colours and cost £7.49 each.
Phew, there’s so much! How’s that for fab launches?
Keep your eyes peeled, with exception of the  primer, which is already available, all items are dropping at Superdrug in March.
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This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

A lipstick shade a day: the Sleek Lip VIP

sleek_lip_vip_lipstick_review - 3Not too long ago I mentioned Sleek was the very first red lipstick I ever owned, and that started a love affair that spanned years.

Guess how happy I was to get a LOAD of amazing Sleek MakeUp lip colours, but this time it came in the shape of their fabulous new Lip VIP lipsticks, which are somewhat different: they have a semi-matte finish.

sleek_lip_vip_lipstick_review - 1Apart from the more luxurious packaging with the colour at the bottom, this £5.49 gem packs a punch. It’s super pigmented and hydrating, with Vitamin E, Shea Butter and Coconut Oil, at the same time, while offering a very decent durability!

This Very Important Pout collection has six new shades to take you straight into spring/summer and more.

sleek_lip_vip_lipstick_review - 4My favourite, Flaunt It, is a vibrant orange; Night Spot is a rich pinkier red (and I love a red lipstick!); Guest List is a bright coral; Backstage, a warm coral pink; Reserved, a candy pink and Private Booth a great nude with some pink in it, and not grey and dull as most, so suitable for my skin tone!

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L-R: Night Spot, Flaunt it, Guest List, Backstage, Reserved and Private Booth

This fabulous collection will update your wardrobe for the coming season. In fact, I’ve already started injecting it in my life now!

 And at £5.49 each, you can certainly afford a few, if not all!

The gorgeous Sleek MakeUP Lip VIP collection is now available from Superdrug, Boots and at sleekmakeup.com.

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This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

 

So Many Lovely Things beauty retrospective 2015: makeup

beauty_retrospective_somanylovelythings2015. What a fabulous year for the blog. I never expected all the amazing things that happened, brands, products and, above all, people I met.

Just amazing; I feel grateful and privileged.

Among so many great products I tried this year, it is very hard to pick my favourites, but here it comes. Without further ado, the best makeup of the year goes to:

Overall highlights:

Black lipstick

If you asked me, I’d have never in my life said I’d wear black lippy outside fancy dress. During the day? Oh no. But I did, and I freaking loved it.

It did something to my face, almost softening all of my other features. Did I mention I love it?

MDMFlow Di La La is THE black lippy to have.

charlotte_tilbury_makeup_john_lewis - 2Charlotte Tilbury

After resisting that all important first purchase as I did find the makeup was on the pricey side, I succumbed after trying a few fabulous items John Lewis sent to me.  Since then, I’ve added seven extra items to my CT collection.

Massive big up to the Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil and even more to the Fat Lashes mascara, which is indeed a miracle worker (review coming very soon).

Foundation, lipsticks, eye pencil, lip pencil, brow pencil, eyeshadows… everything is fabulous.

Lipstick

rouge_louboutin_velvet_matte_lipstick - 2Louboutin Rouge Velvet Matte Lipstick: beautiful inside out. I don’t think  have to talk much about this one. Too pretty to miss.

charlotte_tilbury_makeup_john_lewis - 1 (1)Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Love bite lipstick: usually a finish I don’t go for, a kind of lustre, but oh, boy, this is pretty. An orange red, with a fab sheen, but not too much, and great durability.

Foundation

hourglass immaculate foundation reviewHourglass Immaculate: replaced my long standing foundation and proved its price tag. One downside is the lack of SPF in this product. so close to perfection…

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation: not replacing the one above but worth of mention. Nothing I try for Tilbury is less than great. Together with my faithful MAC Studio Fix, makes for a cheaper everyday alternative to the pricey Hourglass.

Highlighter

hourglass_ambient_lighting_edit_palette_review - 4Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette: all the highlighting you will need, plus blushers and a bronzer. Just perfect.

thebalm_maryloumanizer_highlighter_review - 4The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer: the shade on this highlighter is just great. Not too gold, not too yellow, and its a fab multitasking – looks great on eyes.

inika highlighterInika Light Reflect Highlighting Creme: a fabulous product which delivers a great glow. Plus it’s vegan, organic and halal.

makeup revolution vivid baked highlighterAnd a special mention to my favourite budget highlighter: Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Peach Lights. A bit 2014 but still going strong.

Primer

hourglass veil mineral primer reviewHourglass Veil Primer: reigned absolute this year. No contenders to this product; it fill all the expectations from a primer – it smooths, aids product distribution and duration, as well as making makeup sweat proof.

Eyeliner

nyx_twotimer - 3NYX Two Timer: a great, precise, easy-to-use product with fabulous pigmentation and durability. Plus a friendly price tag.

gosh xtreme gel liquid eyelinerGOSH Xtreme Liquid Gel eyeliner: the finish on this product is superb, think vinyl, with incomparable shine. And it’s immovable.

Urban Decay Ink for Eyes: a tiny tiny pen with extra fine nib for precision lining. Very neat.

Eyeshadow

charlotte_tilbury_colour_chameleon_review - 1Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil: easy to use, great durability, fab colours. Enough said.

Urban Decay Naked 2: yes, you read it right. 2. Even with the Smoky buzz this year, which I succumbed to, that old palette remains my favourite and is used daily.

Mascara

Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes Mascara: Definition and separation: check. Non-clumpy formula: check. Longer lashes: check. Natural volume: check. Perfect.

nyx doll eye mascara reviewNYX Doll Eye Long Lash Mascara: definition, fan-effect and a pocket-friendly price tag.

Benefit They’re Real Eyelash Primer: what a surprise I got with this product. Separation, fanning, conditioning and a flattering brown tint that makes it wearable on its own.

Tinted products

La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur: what a great surprise this was. Its mousse consistency delivers a surprisingly good durable coverage and caters for blemish prone skin. Win. Launches early 2016.

caudalie2Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Tinted Moisturiser: good, radiant coverage, full of grape goodness and a handy SPF 20.

I am sure I missed some loved ones, but these are for sure, my beauty highlights.

What product was your favourite in 2015?

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This post mentions some press samples.

 

 

Unleashing my inner Rebel with John Lewis and Charlotte Tilbury

charlotte_tilbury_makeup_john_lewis - 1My nature has always been a little bit rebellious. I am not mutiny prone, but do enjoy shaking a few feathers now and then.

My style is, albeit “normal”, quite rebellious in the sense I don’t really care what people think. I dress for the occasion, myself and the way I feel on that moment. And the same goes for my makeup.

So no wonder when John Lewis got in touch with me to pick a Charlotte Tilbury look to re-create, I was drawn to The Rebel.

charlotte_tilbury_makeup_john_lewis - 1 (1)After deliberating between looks I love and wear, The Vintage Vamp and the Bombshell, I settled for the one that is quite close to my soul, but ultimately that I find harder to wear.

Let me explain. I always struggled with the red/green combination. I love green eye shadow, but also love red lipstick, but always thought of it as a bit Christmassy. The fact this looks pulls it off is quite exciting.

Also, I do struggle with making a smokey lower lash line look good on me, so I am hoping to pick up Ms Tilbury’s tips and tricks and make it work.

On top of that, I do the other two favourite looks quite often, so it is great to try something bolder and different.

charlotte_tilbury_rebel_look_john_lewis - 2Armed with my Charlotte Tilbury The Rebel Look kit, which contains Luxury Palette Rebel Eyeshadow quad, Rock n’ Kohl Bedroom Black eyeliner, Cheek to Chic First Love blusher, Lip Cheat Kiss n’ Tell lip liner, K.I.S.S.I.N.G Love Bite lipstick and Lip Lustre Hall of Fame lip gloss, I set off to create my own rebel.

And I picked a night in the town rebel.

charlotte_tilbury_makeup_john_lewis - 2After creating a face base (Hourglass Primer and foundation mainly), I started with the eyes by adding the primer colour in The Rebel Eyeshadow Luxury Palette, a creamy metallic beige which is also great for highlighting, to the whole lid.

I used the pencil shadow brush to add this lighter colour to the inner corner of my eyes, to open and highlight them.

Still with that brush, I added the enhance shade, a lighter emerald green, contouring my crease and creating a shape, then a blending brush to colour in from the outer to the inner corner.

With a smoking brush I added the smoke colour, a rich pine green, above the crease created with the enhance shade and first smoked up upwards. Then I smoked downwards. With the pencil shadow brush I added to the lash line and smoked upwards.

With the same brush and colour I lined my lower lash line, making it go over my comfort zone on purpose, to create a more smoked look.

Finally, I applied the gorgeous pop shade, a rich seaweed green with gold flecks, with my finger, as suggested by Ms Tilbury herself.

The eyeshadows are soft, very pigmented, blend beautifully and have no drop whatsoever.

Using the Rock n’ Kohl Bedroom Black eyeliner I lined my upper lash line and pulled a small flick. I also lined my bottom lashes water line. I then used the pencil brush to rub the kohl in both lash lines, giving it a more fluid edge.

I coated my eye lashes with mascara and applied Eylure Fleur Loves lashes.

Then I used my usual contouring shade (a dull brown from Inglot) to the cheeks, and applied Inika and Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked highlighter high on my cheekbones and middle of the face, above my lips cupid bow and centre of the nose.

charlotte_tilbury_makeup_john_lewis - 3Using the Cheek to Chic First Love blusher swish shade above and below my contouring, near the hair and jaw line, as well as neck and chest, I moved on to apply the pop shade onto my cheekbones.

I finished the look with the stunning K.I.S.S.I.N.G Love Bite lipstick, which is a lustrous vivid orange-red, perfect for my skin, after lining my lips with the butter soft Lip Cheat Kiss n’ Tell lip liner. To add extra oomph, I dabbed Lip Lustre Hall of Fame lip gloss to the centre of the lips.

Then I added a little star just to make it cute.

The Rebel is a bold, beautiful and brave, celebrating uniqueness, which I think, for me if just perfect.

And I am over my red/green fear. Watch this space, it will appear more often. Plus, I have at least 5 Charlotte Tilbury products on my list now, as I love what I tried. *sigh*

John Lewis is a new stockist for Charlotte Tilbury makeup and there you can find all the extensive  CT makeup range and all 10 amazing look sets, including The Rebel, which cost £165 each and have all the items you need to create a day and night version of the makeup look.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for the Charlotte Tilbury Book of Make Up magic advent calendar, which will be available in John Lewis. It is to die for, I promise!

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Maybe you are thinking: But Dani, did you really need that many pictures of you? Well, no. I did, however, love them and had a lot of fun doing the look and taking the pics (thank you Andy!), there were 80 in total and I think I did well. At least they are in galleries… no?

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Red soles for your lips: the Louboutin Rouge Velvet Matte lipstick

rouge_louboutin_velvet_matte_lipstick - 4

“An object that embellishes the lips – the beacon of sensuality and organ of communication – has to be fairly amazing”. Well, isn’t it just?

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Makeup in Minutes with Clarins

A little while ago, I was late for a cocktails and Clarins decided to give me a helping hand, picking me up from work.

And they offered me their fabulous makeup to get me ready; from work day pumpkin to party night princess. The catch? I had to do it in 15 minutes at the back of a taxi. And no tools. Eeeeek.

Well. Here’s what happened:

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A GOSH a day: matte lipsticks for the whole week

gosh_aw15_velvet_touch_lipstick - 2 GOSH always delivers when it comes to lips. Every season. And for AW15, it is no different.

They are bringing out the love Velvet Touch Matt, which has eight fabulous matte shades, from nudes to rich plums, to update our lips in the new season.

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Pretty lips and cheeks with Sleek

sleek makeup - lipstick and blusherI believe the very first red lipstick I bought in the UK was from Sleek. It was way before my beauty blogging days and I bought it for a fancy dress party.

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Friday Fixation: Christmas in July

XmasYes. You heard it. I did say Christmas. In July. Honestly, with all companies having the Christmas press events over July, there is no way I cannot obsess about it.

There are so many lovely things (see what I did there?!) coming up from amazing brands, I just cannot wait.

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B.Sweet Candy Shop lipstick in Sherbert Dip review

b sweet sherbert dip lipstickA bold lip is something I sport more often than not and while it is usually red, I am also a big fan of popping pinks, so the B. Sweet Sherbert Dip lipstick is just up my street.

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