Chanel Vs Chanel

The motivation for this post is that when I was trying to make this decision myself a couple of weeks ago I would have liked a comparison of both products. There are a few other reviews online however not many that deal with the lighter end of the colour spectrum. For reference i'm B10 in the Perfection Lumiere Velvet (PLV) and B20 in the Vitalumiere Aqua (VA) as there are slightly more shades available in the latter.

A disclaimer: both of these are light coverage foundations and while they can be built up, they will never provide medium/full coverage. Is this is what you are looking for there are other Chanel foundations that will better suit such as the original Perfection Lumiere.

Both foundations are also scented so again these may not be for everyone, particularly anyone with acne prone skin. I *personally* don't find that they irritate my sensitive skin but all sensitivities are different!

I also had a sample of each to go away and try and I highly recommend doing this. If the counter won't provide you with a sample, walk away. They should do willingly, so find another Chanel concession with more helpful sales assistants.

Coverage & Finish? The PLV is a slightly heavier coverage but it is not noticeable. The finish is as the name suggests, like velvet. It is not a dewy finish but it retains the luminosity that so many people love about the Chanel foundations. The VA is a dewy finish and will most likely need a light powder through the t-zone even on drier skin types in order to keep it all in place.

Longevity? I find the PLV has great staying power, particularly when paired with a primer such as the Benefit Stay Flawless 24 Hour Primer (reviewed here) and will last all day, even in the hot sweaty weather we've has of late. The VA is a little less long wearing in my opinion however it seems to breakdown flawlessly without going patchy and can be easily touched up on the go due to the lightweight bottle.

Overall? At the moment I am finding myself reaching for the PLV more often but that is heavily influenced by the hot weather and not needing a dewy finish as that is coming along quite naturally at the moment IYKWIM. I know that I will definitely use the VA towards the end of the summer and autumn when my dry skin returns to it's normal state and look forward to perhaps doing an Autumn update.

The Review: Benefit Stay Flawless 24 Hour Primer

In light of the recent hot weather I have rediscovered an old fave. I purchased the Benefit Stay Flawless 24 Hour Primer on New Years Eve in my annual mad dash around boots for fake lashes and I was honestly impressed at the staying power this gave my makeup. Even at 2am in a very blurry state my makeup looked a hell of a lot better than I did!

This product applies a lot like a Pritt Stick...yes I know I'm not selling it too you but trust me on this one. I tend to swipe it across my cheeks, chin, nose and forehead before blending it in with my fingers, It doesn't not have any colour too it so your usual makeup will sit normally on top it it. It keeps foundation in place, stops concealer creasing and evens out the skin tone and any pores that can cause headaches and stress. 

The product itself lasts a long time as you use so little on each application and I started using mine daily for work for lazy girl makeup needing no touchups, particularly when I was doing very long days. Even after daily use this did not break my skin out into spots (a concern I had pre usage) nor did it irritate my sensitive skin. A winner. Not the cheapest of the primer posse, coming in at £24.50 (available online and on Benefit counters) but I find it a lot more long wearing than other primers I have tried including the Revlon PhotoReady Primer and the Benefit Porefessional.

Are you a convert to Pritt Stick for makeup? Its worth a try and you may well find you soon are!

Summer Bronze All in One Palettes

I love an all in one palette, great for travelling and take up much less space in my makeup collection than individually packaged products. Both of todays products fall within the 'higher end' spectrum with regards to price etc so I would love to know if you have tried a budget alternative such as the Sleek Palette.

The Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette was first brought out last summer and relaunched this summer with additional colour ways. This one is the "Naked" variant. It has a large orange toned bronzer, a pink toned shimmer highlight and a pink coral toned blush all in one palette for £22 (available from Debenhams) which is a bit of a steal in my opinion. The bronzer isn't my favourite colour, I normally prefer something with a cooler tone but lightly applied over the forehead and tops of the cheeks will give a natural sun kissed look. It does have a slight shimmer running through so this is not one to use for contour.

The highlight and blush however are both absolutely lovely and great either applied separately or swirled together with a large fluffy brush and applied to the back of the cheeks. 

The Chanel Tan de Soleil in Bronze Rose was a limted edition palette a few years ago and after utterly falling in love with it I quickly repurchased before they sold out. They have however brought out a newer edition tied in with the Les Bieges range called Healthy Glow Multi-Colour which is of a similar vain.

This one has two bronze shades, a highlight and a pink toned blush and is the least fussy product I own. I can apply it using the brush that comes with the palette either taking a sweep across all the colours for a low maintenance holiday look or take a little more time to use the thin brush to contour, blush and highlight across my cheeks. This product retailed around the £50 mark however the newer compacts (which are smaller) are only £39 and available online or on Chanel counters.

A no fuss solution to packing multiple products? Oh yes, now just to stop myself buying more palettes and defeating the object. Sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing!

The "If I Could Only Choose One" Makeup Brush Edit

So if you haven't guessed by the picture above...I lied. I couldn't only choose one, instead I chose five. Still a small enough selection to take on holiday without needing to sacrifice valuable luggage space. The majority of the below are Real Techniques brushes, available from Boots and are great for travelling as they wash and dry quickly for optical multitasking purposes. (Yes that is the theme of the week!)

I use this Real Techniques big Duo Fibre Face Brush mainly for bronzer. I find that the long bristles get in and around the cheek bones with ease and due to the duo fibre they blend seamlessly with minimal effort. This one is a winner. 

This Cosmopolitan Smokey Eyes Angled Brush I have had for years and find it great for eyebrows or adding an eyeshadow as a liner across the upper lash line. Its nothing fancy but it does the job.

The Real Techniques Contour Brush is great for both creme and powder products. I like to use this for creme blushers and highlights on holiday but it is not adverse to being used for a little translucent powder under the eyes either. Another great brush that blends everything easily for a very natural look.

And then, probably my most favourite Real Techniques brush, the Buffing Brush. I liked it so much I have two. I use this brush for applying and blending foundation, applying a little of the product directly to the end of the brush...no messy fingers here. It keeps the skin looking natural and helps work the product into the face so that it lasts a little longer. I find this brush great for both dewey finishes (e.g. Chanel Vitalumier Aqua) and more matt/satin looking finishes (Chanel Perfection Lumier Velvet). A great all rounder.

And then finally, the Multitask Brush by Real Techniques.  I could possibly miss this one out however I think it is a useful brush and at the moment I use it to powder lightly around my T Section. This could also be done using the duo fibre face brush or even the contour brush so I would perhaps instead switch this one out for a MAC 217 or other tapered blending brush for eye shadow.  Personally however I don't wear a lot of powder products on holidays so don't find myself missing a blending brush oh so much. 

Multitask Makeup Must Haves

We're staying on the theme of packing light this week and in terms of multitask products, these two are by far the ones I reach for the most and would ALWAYS make it into my travel makeup bag.

The All Occasions Palette - This great neutral offering from Soap and Glory is honestly my go to option if I know space is at a premium. The shadows are all heavily pigmented and have great colour payoff. I use the palest shade (top left) all over the lid, under my brow bone and lightly as a very light highlight if I am looking for a more dramatic evening look. 

The dusky pink shade (top right) is great as an every day neutral or can be layered under the shimmer shade (bottom right) for the evening. The taupe colour (bottom left) I use for my eyebrows, in the crease of the lid and even lightly as a contour in the hollows of my cheekbones as it has no red undertone. 

A great palette that offers a huge range of options for relatively little space. It is also more affordable that the equivalent MAC quad pricing in at only £11 from Boots.

The Summer Shimmer - MAC's Bare Study paint pot is another great multi task product. On its own for a subtle shimmer on the eye or layered under other products to prevent creasing and keep everything in it's place, this one is a keeper for sure. I also love using this champagne shimmer as a creme highlight on the tops of the cheekbones, under the brow bone, down the nose, in the sup id's bow and on the centre of the eye lid for a great bronzed look which with a tan is an unbeatable combination.

Of course other products with an honourable mention would include the Revlon Baby Stick (used in my 5 product face here) and maybe also something like Benefit's Hoola Bronzer (review here) which can also be used on the eye to create depth. 

What is your go to all in one product?

On the Go Luxury: Chanel Les Beiges Retractable Kabuki Brush Review

So this isn't the snappiest titles blog post I've ever written but it is an honest description of my latest coup. This brush has been toying with me for a while. A luxury travel brush that exudes chic when touching up a little afternoon shine. Sounds perfect. It is Chanel however, so while that does mean gorgeous it does NOT mean budget friendly. A necessity? Absolutely not.

The Chanel Les Beiges powders have been out for just over a year now and they are fantastic. Sheer enough that you never look cakey but will instantly see to any lingering shine. Fantastic stuff. This brush first caught my attention last autumn when I bought the powder compact (I got B20) but I ummmed and arghhed too long and this limited edition beauty was all gone. Until now. A re-release for Summer 2014, it's back and this time I couldn't pass it up.

The retractable brush is great for handbags as it means there is no danger turning the inside of your handbag 50 shades of beige. I will also be swapping this out for my usual powder brush on holiday as a space saver. The brush itself is ultra soft as you would expect from Chanel, it almost feels like velvet. It is fairly densely packed so it picks up a moderate amount of product. Great for pressed powder in sheer/translucent shades but this is NOT the one to use for bronzer or you risk looking very Katie Price.

Personally, I am very pleased with this purchase and I hope that I will continue to look tres chic reaching for it in my handbag for years to come. Now if only i could so easily incorporate eau de chic into every other aspect of my life?!

Available from Department Stores (John Lewis/HoF) & Chanel Concessions UK Wide

PS: Shoutout to the amazing Chris from Chanel in John Lewis Solihull for being an absolute babe of a sales assistant!

Long Lasting Lips

Super long lasting lip colours seem to be the flavour of the month with great releases from both the high end concessions and the highstreet alike.

The most recent release is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet which is a long lasting liquid lipstick that dries to a matt finish. The formula is good and surprisingly not drying on the lip. I find that if I blot between coats to layer the colour then I get a long lasting result that wears evenly. No lines around the outside of your mouth here!

The colour as you can see below is a vibrant red, this shade is 01 and is a true pillar box red. The camera is showing is as slightly more orange than is true. A great bold lip and perfect as a handbag emergency colour for when you need to quickly vamp up a look. At £8.99 these won't break the bank either although it may be hard not to go out and buy every shade in the collection. (Available from Boots)

The second offering is more of a muted every day colour and I bought this one with the intention of wearing it to work. L'Oreal L'Extrodinare Liquid Lipsticks are available in 9 shades and boast to have the colour intensity of a lipstick, shine of a gloss and softness of a balm. This rosy pink is shade 101.

Personally while this one makes a nice lipgloss I don't think it has great staying power. Things seem to wear after the first drink and go downhill from there. As the formulation wears off it also seems to drastically dry out my lips. 

As you can see the colour is pretty enough but doesn't look drastically different to a good gloss. Again for £8.99 (available from Boots) this one won't break the bank but Tanya Burr's new Lip Glosses are £6.99 (available from Superdrug) and have a more even formula.

And finally, the most talked about lip product of the last few years? The YSL Glossy Stain. This one is in the shade 103. Bought on a whim to cheer me up one rainy day over the winter, this is possibly my most underwhelming YSL purchase ever. 

The colour in the packaging is lovely, a pale fuchsia colour with a blue undertone. On the lips however as you can see below it translates with a lot more red. I also struggle not to find this product streaky. Two or three coats are needed to build up the colour and unless you have recently exfoliated your lips, it will drag and catch on any dry skin.

I also haven't been too impressed with the staying power of this lip product nor how it wears. I seem to end up with the dreaded ring around my lips after less than an hour. I will balance this however by saying that hundreds of people rave about the glossy stains and it could easily be down to user error on my part. That said I *personally* don't feel it is worth its £25 price tag (available from John Lewis).

What is your go to steadfast lip choice? I would love to know in the comments below.

The Best Thing to Come Out of the World Cup? Benefit Beauty Score

Everyone loves a travel mini right? Well this new 'world cup' edition beauty kit from Benefit will makeup for the fact you may not get your other half back for another FIVE weeks!

The Beauty Score makeup set (available here) retails for £29.50 and given the size of some of the samples relative to the full size products actually represents pretty good value for money (on average £2.90 per item, actually calculated value will be posted below). The set contains 10 luxury samples which are the perfect size for on the go makeup bags or an ultra light holiday makeup bag.

I have never actually tried any of the skincare offerings from Benefit before so I am excited to try this eye cream. It promises to 'fade dark circles' as they all do, so I will perhaps report back in the future. This will be handy for travelling home however as you get a 3g sample which will last at least a couple of weeks given how little eye cream you generally need. The full size product is 14g and retails for £25.50 so this works out as being worth £5.46. A great way to try a quite expensive product without committing to the full size version. 

The next sample is of the best selling bronzer Hoola. This is the bronzer I use daily so I was quite excited that I would have a smaller more manageable travel size version to chuck in my makeup bag when jetting off on holls. The bronzer is completely matt and great as a contour as well as a general face warmer-upper. 

The full size version is just over twice the size at 8g but retails for £23.50 therefore this sample is actually worth £8.81.

As a long time fan of Benefit's Coralista I have never tried Bella Bamba as I always thought they were too similar to justify spending another £23.50 on, particularly as in recent years the boxes have gotten a lot smaller as I noticed when comparing my newer Hoola to my old box of Coralista.

This blush is more pink/blue toned than the peachy Coralista and I am sure will look fantastic with a tan. A subtle shimmer runs throughout and means you could easily go without highlighter. Travelling light? Yes please.

Again the full size of this £23.50 for 8g so this sample is also worth £8.81

I have already written about my love for the That Gal Primer in my empties post (here) so I will leave that for you to peruse. This sample is 7.5ml and I was honestly SHOCKED to find out the the full size version only holds 11g!! The packaging of the full version is MUCH bigger and would have you believe it holds far more. Anyhow, the full version retails for £22.50 therefore this sample is worth £15.34.

The Porefessional Primer is a new to be cult classic in the making. I like the formula of the product but I haven't much more that swatched it. This is again a 7.5ml sample of the full 22ml version (available here, RRP £24.50) so is noticeably better value for money than the that gal primer. This sample works out as being worth £8.35.

Another Benefit best seller, the They're Real mascara is raved about across the internet by beauty bloggers. I have previously had a sample of this but on discovering it had a plastic brush I passed it on to a friend. I am now determined to give it ago however given my mascara trials of late.

This sample is 3g compared to the full size product which is 8.5g and retails for £19.50, therefore this sample is worth £6.88 and is a good way of seeing if the product lives up to it's name before shelling out for the full size product rather than sticking with hughstreet alternatives.

Both of these products are ones I've owned over the years but are not currently in my makeup stash. High beam is a liquid highlight which is great applied on the top of the cheekbones and blends nicely with other cream based blushers and bases. A word for the wise, it doesn't like being put on top of powders so this one is a dewy skin day only kinda gal.

This sample and all the other small tubes are 2.5ml and come with a small doe foot applicator. Personally I think these are a great way of taking away your fave products without looking like you've packed half of Boots! The full size of the High Beam is £19.50 (13ml), so the sample works out at being worth £3.75 so not the best value of the bunch but mighty handy all the same.

The Benetint is the original version of Benefit's cheek and lip stains and is still going strong. A pink hued red looks good on most skin tones and is great as a jack of all trades product. I do find that this needs blending quickly to avoid 'dot' marks, so do one cheek at a time!

The full size 12.5ml Benetint retails for £24.50 so this smaller sample is worth £4.90.

I have never tried this next sample so I am looking forward to giving it a go. Ooh La Lift is an under eye brightening boost that promises to perk up tired eyes like an instant facelift. Bold claims so I will report back in the future as to it's success. It can be applied on bare skin or over makeup.

The full size product is 7g for £17.50 which means that the 2.5g sample is effectively worth £6.25

And then last but no means least, the Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer for concealers and eye shadows. I have never considered using a primer for concealer but those with greasier eye areas may find that this keeps everything in place all day. I would liken the formulation to Urban Decay's primer potion. A smudge over each lid is all that is needed to keep eye shadows from creasing. The full size version is 10ml at £20.50, therefore the sample is worth £5.12.

Overall, I think this set offers a great range of products and is an affordable way to test out new products before committing to buying the full size version. The total value of the set is just shy of £77 and comparing the size of the samples to that of the full size products was definitely illuminating!! I would encourage you to do the same.

A great summery set ready to be packed in a suitcase headed for somewhere hot and sunny. I guess the only dilemma left is where to go, and if I left during the World Cup would Jake notice??

My Summer Five Product Face

With the nicer weather that we have been having of late it has started to make me believe that summer might actually be coming! Lets not get ahead of ourselves now, it's still not bikini weather however it is getting warm enough that low fuss quick makeup is becoming the FOTD of choice.

Our bedroom gets the sun first thing in the morning, so before work the goal is get ready before you get cooked by the streaming sunlight. Sounds easy? My ninja like makeup skills are definitely getting better but are helped massively by choosing no-fuss products to speed things up. 

There is no time for faffing with contouring or Kim K style highlighting here, this is get you out the house looking half awake basics.

The No7 Essentially Natural Foundation (1) was my summer fave last year, and as its warming up again this year I can't see it getting replaced any time soon. As light as a tinted moisturiser, a light/fair coverage, reasonable all day staying power and an SPF15...what more can you ask for. 

Yes the packaging is *basic* but it is nice and light for travelling/chucking in a beach bag. No heavy glass bottles here.

After applying the foundation the Real Techniques Buffing Brush to speedily even out my base, I used the (2) Revlon Baby Stick in Pink Passion as a creme blush to perk up my cheeks. This I blended just using my fingers (you'll notice a very hands on approach to this one).

I then reached for my MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study (3) to smudge all over the lids to perk up my eyes and add a slight shimmer. This product is easily built up to increase the coverage and shimmer for a day/night look.

I used (4) L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim to line my top lashes. This product is like an ultra thin felt pen which even eyeliner noobs like myself can deal with pre-7am.

Grabbing product no 5, I applied a couple of coats of the new L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara on my top lashes to awaken the eyes slightly, or at least give the impression.

So what about lips I hear you ask? I used the Revlon Baby Stick on my lips as well, got to love a dual product!

So five products, one speedy makeup look. What would your five essential products be?

Beauty Week: Review - Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara

So this isn't a new releases from Maybelline but I think it is a reissue. First launched in 2013 it seems to be slightly repackaged and re-promoted so when perusing the isles of Boots this week I thought I would try it out.

I was a big fan of the original The Falsies mascara back in the day but it has been a long time since I have picked one up, instead staying loyal to the brilliant L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara.

The appeal of this one is largely that it seems to be a 2in1 mascara, all the greatness of the Falsies mascara combined with an ode to Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara. Too good to be true right??

The large brush is bristle based with a twisted design to allow length and volume building.

The small brush is much smaller (this picture is possibly deceptive) and is also bristle based. Much longer than the Clinique offering but the premise is definitely there.

This is without mascara. I have naturally quite long lashes but they are very fair and don't show up much without some help. Due to this is tend to prefer a volumising mascara as I don't struggle with length. 

This is with two coats of the mascara on the top lashes and a small amount applied to the bottom lashes.

So the verdict? The brushes are good, the idea is good, but the product? It seems very cheap.

I would not describe the actual mascara as particularly good quality, it smelt cheap and applied messily. It does cling to the lashes and i had no problems with length however building volume was a different matter.

It seemed to go from fine and wispy lashes to thick and clumpy very quickly without warning.

So will I persevere? Yes. The idea is a good one and for travel seems perfect. I'm just willing the product itself to be as good as the premise of the packaging.

Will I repurchase? Not likely unless it improves dramatically as the product dries out.

Available from Boots currently on 3 for 2.