Chanel’s Avant Premiere de Chanel really feels more like a Fall / Autumn Collection, when in reality it came out during the northern hemisphere’s Spring! This collection is inspired by the French film industry, so the names are very appropriate. With the collection came a number of lipsticks, and here today I wanted to go over the nail polishes.

They all lean on the darker more reddish end of the spectrum, really perfect for Australia as we’re experiencing quite cold weather at the moment. No major issues regarding formula, I generally find Chanel is quite good with their darker more vampy shades in terms of application. Very pigmented and goes on smooth. All swatches are 2 coats with no top coat.

Cinema

A vibrant orange red (chilli red?) crème, it a real stand out colour of the collection.

Paparazzi

A muted reddish rusty colour with very fine micro shimmers, probably the least favourite of the collection as I find it would be a more difficult colour to wear.

Provocation

A deep plum purple crème, very vampy and reminds me of OPI’s Lincoln Park After Dark released quite a number of years ago.

Starlet

The lightest of the collection, a semi-shimmer coral shade and probably my favourite.

I believe these polishes are still available at Chanel counters for $39AU.

If you ever wonder who or what fuels my desire for more beauty products, then you can go right ahead and blame all the other Bloggers and Youtubers. This product as the result of that!

Chanel recently introduced a new range called Les Beige. And their intention behind Les Beiges was to create a product that would give a natural healthy glow to the skin, whilst being lightweight with a “barely there” feel. To mark this movement, Chanel changed the cases for this particular range to be beige rather than their iconic black case with gold details.

I’m happy to vouch that this product did indeed meet all those goals in my books. The powder is incredibly finely milled and glided on seamless. I didn’t use the half moon brush provided, though I did note that the bristles were amazingly soft, even more so than some of the face brushes I own.

If your main objective with face powder is to even out, set your foundation and give your skin a natural soft glow then this is the perfect powder for you. I love that a light dusting is all you need to achieve the look. The powder in the pan does have a fresh perfume scent which disappears once you apply it to your skin.

The finish for me was mostly matte with just the slightest sheen, it does look very natural on your skin. I would be careful however not to over powder else it will make your skin appear less natural. Added bonus? It contains SPF 15+, still no excuse not to use sunscreen, but it’s a nice added bonus.

If you are interested, you can purchase it from Harrods for £38.

Who doesn’t love Korean cosmetics? I know I do! Not so recently a co-worker of mine brought back a pretty impressive haul of Holika Holika products from Singapore for me! His mother runs a Asian cosmetics store in Singapore and when she heard I was a beauty blogger she very generously wanted to send me some products from her favourite brand to try out. Least to say I was very grateful and blown away!

First product I wanted to start with was the mascara. This mascara is based off fibre wig technology, which seems pretty common among a lot of Asian cosmetic brands, basically it coats each lash with this rubbery formula creating tubes. It doesn’t smudge throughout the day at all which is amazing! I’ve found that more fibre wig mascaras don’t give very good volume, however this particular one was probably the best volumising fibre wig mascara I’ve tried out thus far.

The wand is very flexible and based of rubber with a little spiked ball at the end, due to the shape of my eye I could only really use the little ball at the end, my eyes weren’t big enough to sweep this mascara through traditionally. The up side is that it allows me to grab every little lash in the inner and outer corner of my eyes much easier than with a traditional wand.

When I first tried out this mascara I had no idea it was fibre wig, so I went along with my usual method of cleansing that evening, put on my cleansing oil and noticed it wasn’t breaking down my mascara as it usually does. I thought maybe it was a strange waterproof formula. However once the water hit my face the mascara fibre tubes just fell off instantly, which is when I realised it was working with fibre wig.

The thing about fibre wig that is they don’t smudge off like traditional mascaras, instead the little tubes around each lash simply fall off when exposed to warm water. Which makes removing them at the end of the day very simple, and prevents you from getting panda eyes

All in all, I really love this mascara. I wouldn’t say it’s as volumising as mascaras such as Lancôme Hypnose, but it’s perfect for everyday when you are going for a more natural look.

Unfortunately my co worker’s mother does not have an online store (They are working on one atm) I’m sure you’ll be able to search for this online, but if you happen to live in Singapore then you can pick this up for $20SGD from Isetan Department Store, B1, Wisma Atria, Orchard Rd, Singapore.

If you’re been around the foundation block a few times then you’ll know Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Foundation has a reputation for being a foundation with incredible coverage. Perfect for someone who really needs full coverage foundation!

Fortunately I’m not someone who needs full coverage foundation as during my good days (I do have some pretty horrible skin days though), my skin is usually okay with just a very light tint.

None the less I wanted to try this foundation out, not just for photo shoots / videos, but it’s just been such a cult favourite in the beauty community that I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

And I’m glad I have because the reviews are all true. This is a beautiful foundation that applied like a dream and leaves your skin with a lovely soft matte finish. It is quite full coverage as it covered all my freckles and scarring perfectly. As you can see in the comparison photo, there is a very distinct difference between the side with foundation and the side without.

I have read that some people find this foundation a bit too thick, and I can see where they are coming from but honestly I prefer it the way it is. I couldn’t see myself using this everyday, but I view it as being more of a special occasions sort of foundation. The coverage is very good, but it can feel a little bit like wearing a mask if you don’t try and sheer it out as much as possible.

One major gripe I have with this bottle is the lack of pump. In today’s day and age I’m not sure why foundations are still made without some sort of ability to dispense them rather than just pouring them out. Sanitary issues ahead, it’s just a big waste as I never need all the product that is poured out. At least with a pump I can control the amount of product I use.

Aside from packaging, this really is a great foundation that I can see myself using up. Here I’ve purchased the shade 1W2 in Sand, my skin tone typically sits between NC15 and NC20, and I found this particular shade to be a little too dark and yellow for me upon initial application. Once blended in it isn’t too bad, which makes me inclined to just keep the bottle I have and use it then potentially repurchase to a lighter shade next time. Unless I experience some strange sort of oxidation later on, I think I might give either 1W1 Bone or 1N1 Ivory Nude a try next time.

All in all, if you are a lover of foundation I have no doubts you will really want to give this one a shot. It’s not a cult favourite without a reason. Yes the lack of pump is an issue, and one alternative to that is the Double Wear Light foundation which I will be reviewing soon, but it works similar to Double Wear and comes in a tube. However I really did enjoy this foundation for what it was

If you’re interested, you can purchase this online for $36US.

Show me a palette with a gorgeous design, and I’m there! Aerin’s Floral Illuminating Powder is no exception. I first caught sight of this palette whilst browsing Harrods and knew I had to have it the moment I laid eyes on it.

For those who don’t know, Aerin is kind of like a sub-brand from Estee Lauder. The founder Aerin Lauder was the grand daughter of Estee Lauder herself and has since branched out (whilst still remaining on the Estee lauder team) to create a brand more focused on natural beauty. Generally you’ll noticed most of her makeup is filled with soft browns, pinks, neutrals and wearable shades.

Let’s focus back on this palette. First thing you’ll notice is of course the design. A beautiful floral design filled with different shades of pink. It also contains green and golden overspray, which rub off after the first application as you can see further below.

The palette primarily contains four shades of pink, a dusty rose, a mauve pink, a light bubblegum pink and a pink champagne shade. All shades are matte and when swirled together give a nice rosy pink blush. Despite the swatches, this is a surprisingly pigmented blush and a couple of swipes will leave you with a healthy flush to your cheeks that is still natural.

Overall I love this palette! It does have a very subtle floral scent, but nothing you’ll notice during normal use. This is a limited edition palette so hop on it if you still can! I highly recommend this blush, it’s absolutely gorgeous~

If you’re interested, you can pick this up from Harrods for £45.

Face of Australia recently released a collection of glittery nail polishes they’ve called “Glitterati”. This collection comes with three polishes with a crème polish base with glitter, and the rest are clear polishes with a ton of glitter which make them perfect for painting over existing colours on your nails. Or can be worn on their own as well.

These polishes are really aimed at a specific niche, and that is those who love glitter polishes. I tend to wear more wearable colours on my fingers, but I love rocking glitter on my toes!

One thing to keep in mind with these polishes is method of application, which is really important. If you just slap on the polish then you will likely get an uneven distribution of glitters, so as you are applying make sure you move the glitters around for even coverage.

This collection is limited edition and out now, they go for just $4.95AU each, so if you’re keen, best to hop on these now before they sell out!

Boogie Wonderland

Semi opaque lilac with navy blue, purple and red glitters, silver chunky glitter and turquoise and navy blue string glitters.

Dancing Queen

Clear polish with round black and gold yellow glitters.

Disco Inferno

A mixture of light blues, reds and magenta glitters of all different shapes and sizes.

Funky Town

A periwinkle crème polish with silver, blue and black glitter pieces.

Heart of Glass

A crème pink polish with red and magenta chunky glitters and small purple, magenta glitters with long silver ones. Apologises for the poor photo, I only realised how blurry it was as I was putting the post together, but hopefully you get the idea.

Lookin’ For Some Hot Stuff

Love the name for this polish! It’s a beautiful mixture of red glitters of different sizes and black chunky glitters.

Saturday Night Fever

This is probably my favourite from this collection because of the range of different glitters, it’s like a rainbow! And it does remind me of the Saturday Night Fever movie

Studio 54

Probably the most “tame” of the entire collection, a rusty copper glitter polish.

I’ve actually had this palette for a while now, but only just recently got around to testing it out for you guys This is Bobbi Brown’s latest palette from their Lilac Rose collection, which is a great mixture of bright pinks and lilac colours of glosses, shimmers and polishes.

This mirrored compact contains a mixture of shimmer and matte shades, colours ranging from neutrals to dusty pinks that suit anyone looking to create every day looks to night.

If you’re familiar with the texture and quality of Bobbi Brown eyeshadows, then this does not deviate. The shadows are adequately pigmented, but not so over the top that you can expect to use this for theatrical looks. It’s a great palette for every day use, and contains a Black Chocolate shade that can be used to either deepen your look or as a softer liner than straight black.

Thus far I’ve used this palette for about a week to do my everyday work makeup, and found myself mostly sticking to the neutral matte shades as opposed to the pink ones. However you can see I added the pink shade to my crease in the look below and it adds a more “fun” feel to the eyes.

If you’re interested, you can purchase this palette online for $60US overseas or online in Australia for $130AU.

To me, Jill Stuart’s most obvious and strongest trait is its packaging. What girly girl doesn’t love their packaging? It’s just perfect for making any girls feel like a princess!

However in my experience, not all their product range is fantastic. Their eye shadows whilst pigmented, can create quite a bit of fall out and this blush whilst beautiful is not as pigmented as I had hoped.

Baby Pink is not surprisingly a beautiful soft pink colour perfect for extra light skin tones. On my NC20 skin tone I could only get this blush to appear after a few applications, but I imagine on anyone with NC15 or lighter this would work a treat.

In terms of application and quality, this product is right up there, it just fell short when it came to pigmentation.

That aside, the design is amazing, the four colours swirled together is such an elegant touch and the brush that comes with this is perfect for a range of different cheek sizes! It essentially means you’ll always have a dedicated blush brush for this palette, so if you’re not as strict about washing your brushes (guilty) you won’t run the risk of having a mixture of different blush powders on your blush brush.

Overall I do think Jill Stuart blushes are amazing, BUT I think you need to be picked about the colour selection. The deeper your skin tone, the deep the blush should be.

Sorry I can’t give you an exact price, but you can visit sites such as Cosme-de or Ichibakao to get an idea

If you’ve been living under a rock in the beauty community then you may not have heard of these. Its been a long time coming, but after hearing Shizuka and Val rave on about these for months I caved and got one to try myself.

This is YSL’s Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains, which is pretty much that! A Glossy Stain. They go on quite watery with a nice healthy gloss over the lips. They are not drying, though I wouldn’t go as far as to classify them as moisturising either. They leave your lips feeling as is, but if you need added moisture you can always throw on a lip balm.

What I love about this product is even when the gloss disappears, the tint (which is where most of the pigmentation lies) remains and fades very very gradually throughout the day. Which means if I apply at 7am in the morning, no re-application during the day, by the time I reach 8pm at night, you can still tell I have a stain on my lips. Not the most vibrant of pigments at that stage, but after all we’re talking one application over 13 hours.

If you’re someone who loves tints and isn’t keen on sticky glosses or lipsticks then this may be the product for you!

If you are interested, you can purchase these for $34US from Nordstrom. You can also purchase them from the YSL counters at Myer and David Jones, however I’m not sure what the price is

During the holiday season in 2012 Jill Stuart released a limited edition collection called Stealing Heart. After seeing photos of this collection online I just couldn’t resist! It incredibly adorable, especially the face powder which really caught my attention.

The collection came packed in a beautiful lace clutch, within it were four key products. Eyeshadow Palette in Captured Sardonyx, Face Powder, Eyeliner Pencil in Lush Black and a Mini Lip Gloss.

Obviously the first thing that drew me to this collection (as is the case for any products by Jill Stuart) was the adorable packaging and design. Typically the eyeshadow and blush palettes from Jill Stuart are in plain silver, however here you can see there are pink hearts scattered across the top.

Face Powder

How adorable is the face powder? The design is beautiful, and the four different shades reminded me a little of my all time favourite highlighter by NYX. And this highlighter did not disappoint, it gave a beautiful perfect sheen, it isn’t too shimmery but it isn’t completely matte either. The powder is so finely milled, this glides on the cheeks like a dream.

If this wasn’t such an exclusive and expensive highlighter, I would include it as part of my everyday makeup.

Eyeshadow Palette

All four shadows have a shimmery to satin finish as you can see in the swatches below.

Now I’m not usually a fan of pink eyeshadows because I always find pink / red shades tend to make my eyes look more swollen then… well pretty? But I love how the four shade combined feel very much like “sunset”.

Lip Gloss & Eyeliner

Starting with the lipgloss, it is tiny and perfect for travel / on the go! So not surprisingly it currently lives in the makeup bag I carry with me everywhere cause you never know when you want to jazz up your lips a bit

If you already have naturally pigmented lips then besides the shine you won’t notice much of a difference, but for me there is just a hint of colour.

The eyeliner is not as creamy as the Urban Decay liners, but for a traditional “pencil” liner, this is pretty good. The pigmentation is very strong (one of the major pluses of all liners by Jill Stuart, intense pigmentation!!) and glides smoothly on the eyelids. And did anyone notice the adorable little crown on the tip of the eyeliner lid? So cute!

Not sure if this collection is available anymore as it was limited edition, but for the most part, Jill Stuart products are very similar to each other so I would recommend checking out the brand if you have access and can afford it