Burberry wet & dry silk in Nude and Shell, It's like 'the Litte Mermaid' ta(i)le

I have been feeling like a topsy-turvy 'My little Mermaid' since playing with my new Burberry Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadows. 

So yeh, this is not going to be a full-on review, you probably seen a couple of those, but something about playing with water & eyeshadows. 

In the first place,  what's in a name? Well, an eyeshadow that's not afraid to get wet. The makeup aficionados already know that most eyeshadows can perform well with a bit of moisture, preferably a suitable liquid like Mac Mixing Media, or it's dupes.

But just like the Little mermaid who went dry, there will be consequences? Or not?

The aesthetics:

Ok, so I've been applying a moist brush directly on the pan on this colour: Nude.

Again:

DO.NOT.DO if you like your pan pretty and with the Bur-checks for a while.

Hence, I left Shell untarnished for a while:

 Sibling comparing:



Because I decided I added the water after I got the powder out of the pan (onto the brush).

Tut Tut, after this aesthetics talk, what is the result between the dry vs the wet application:

 In general, both change colour. Nude gets more intense and slightly more golden green, even a hint of red in specific light. Shell actually waters down a bit, pun intended.

This pic has a better focus on Nude:

What a surprise! I actually prefer Nude in the wet/foiled version, so I do not regret denting it. As for my 'unwatered' pan of Shell, I actually prefer that one dry.
Perhaps because Shell functions as a highlighter and for daytime I steer away from an overly metallic glow on the browbone: that's so disco 70s!

 Overall, I really like both colours a lot! They stay on full-spectrum for a good 6 hours without primer [I haven't worn with primer yet]. I really like the versatility of applying them either wet or dry. Also the fact they change by water.

That means this is the Disney version of 'The little Mermaid' with the happy forever after...

Best of 2014: Makeup

Last year has been an adventure in makeup, and in beauty-stuff in general. I thought I finally had it figured out looking quite pretty...Then winter came and I gotten into the "why I look like this? I'm so healthy, use such great products, etc" phase. Either way,  makeup has helped me in getting my extra-pretty on in the good phase, and taking of the edges on the 'blah'-moments.

Blush:

Surratt, especially La Vie en Rose & Grisaille

I started out with a little number called "la Vie en Rose" and ended up with 4 more! I would say that Surratt makes the most unobtrusive blush around...I can either shade it in gently, or give it a bit of 80s exaggeration. Basically: LOVE.

Bronzer:

Ellis Faas Glow Up in S503.

Originally, I was send the wrong colour and tried it before I noticed (mind, Dutch shops are less forgiving on returning policies). I ended up loving this little number for being a supergorgeous bronzer, though the season for bronzing has not really arrived yet.

Foundation:

Edward Bess  Ultra Dewy Complexion Perfector

 Actually, a tinted moisturizer with the right kind of build-up level. My healthy lifestyle gave me the liberty to go lighter on foundation (until winter came...sight).

So for winter I went for Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer Fluid Foundation. It reminds me of Armani Designer Lift Foundation in terms of being powdery/velvety, only better. I don't have a full review yet but Monsieur Alex has a good review going on and foundation-pro The Beauty Professor too.

Powder:
Koh Gen Do Natural Lighting Powder
Light, airy and a beautiful finish without loosing radiance.

Concealer:
Dolce & Gabanna in Creamy has been both brilliant in concealing pesky spots as eliminating undereye circles.

I liked Charlotte Tilbury retoucher for blurring out undereye circles. But I'm still smitten with Givenchy Mr. Light.

Highlighter:

Charlotte Tilbury wins it on the liquid front.

Surratt is the perfect powder highlighter.

Primer: 

No real winners either. I'd be curious for By Terry Densiliss if only it was not claimed to be so fraganced.

Mascara:

Makeup Forever smoky Extravagant Mascara.....

I received a mini-size in the Sephora Happy Birthday set. I just love everything: from the way the brush is shaped to it's glossy but still 'grip-py' formula. I pair in over my lash-primer Kanebo Kate Maximizer in black (review here) which will keep my lashes long, strong and weatherproof until I take it off.

Eyeliner: 

Kanebo Kate Supersharp Liner

I rediscovered it again for being thin & foolproof for dummies like I am. Also, it stays on until you take it off.

Eyepencils:

Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayons

I still really like Pixi Endless but the Marc Jacobs wins by convenience: the twist-up formula!

Eyeshadow:

 Chanel Poésie

Chanel is not my ultimate eyeshadow formula around but I reached most for this palette for having the perfect balance of neutral colours.

Eyebrows:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde. The right colour for my light brows and the cream is a breeze to apply with the right brush.
 
Special Occasion:
Velours 'Are those Real' Fake Eyelashes

There are times a girl needs some extra flutter and these held up quite well with a bit of clear eyelash glue.

Lipstick:

Tom Ford Lips & Boys

The boys won from NARS female stars (Audacious): The formula is more my cup of tea, the packaging, and what about the brilliant selling point?

Lipgloss:

2014 was such a lipstick year but Marc Jacobs Lust for Life Lip Vinyl won me over for feeling so minty fresh and having that superb multisparkle that only a lipgloss can really pull off.

Nails:

Burberry nails in Nude Pink has been my favourite for being so effortlessly neutral, having good coverage and a longer wear than most nailpolishes.
 
 In general, I have had some changes since my Best of Makeup 2013, but I still love plenty from that year. I rotate my Koh Gen Do Maifanshi foundation and the RBR Time Defying foundation with my newer loves. NARS concealer is still one of my favourites.
 I somewhat lost my love for organic makeup, which I made up in skincare. I did try out some newer formulas and I still rely on Kjaer Weis & RMS Uncover when my skin is acting up. I hope to find some newer organic makeup loves in 2015 so I can have a cleaner choice when I want/need to.

Shades of Shader: Surrat Blush artistique in Grisaille 10

Let's talk working horses today...

I've gotten myself a new shader after shading happily for 2 years with Burberry Earthy. It happened in the field of "It's not you, it's me" and "I want to try out new things".

I had been tempted for a while by Surratt's makeup-line. I've seen several reviews of the gorgeously neutral Grisaille online. Perhaps neutral shader's are not the most exiting part of makeup but for me they are one of the more essential parts:

•  I consider myself quite vain
• my nose is not so small
• However, I don't like the idea of plastic surgery involving hacking into bones

 -> good ol' makeuptrick: the shader!

 

I only had 2 types yet (older review here): Burberry Earthy & Illamasqua Disobey. I liked both but only went for Burberry Earthy later as it is glowier. The only thing about Burberry blush is the strong rose fragance. There are de-scenting methods by using charcoal (see DrivelbyFrivol about it) but I haven't been bothered. I'd rather try something new, especially after the superenabling GWP that Liberty had on.

I'm still going to compare the three of them.

Gathering of the pans:

At first sight I can seee Burberry being the warmest one leaning towards brown. Illamastqua looks ashier and slightly deeper. Surrat looks the most neutral and even slightly cool.

Swatches: (3 swipes of blush over Lunasol Cream foundation OC20)

Oh, what a difference! In the first place I notice Illamasqua having a weird grey cast I have not noticed before. It seems it oxidises quickly: perhaps it"s expired.

Burberry & Surrat both have a gorgeous soft glow that mimics healthy skin. I consider the microglow particles to be similar (for closeup, click photos).

Burberry is a tad warmer than Surratt. I think it still qualifies as a blush and it looks stunning on redheads (see here). In that case I think someone should be really cool-toned to make Surrat Grisaille look like a blush. Surratt Grisaille is a real shader colour in terms of neutral undertone. Is it a real taupe? I think so. One coat is light enough for the lightest skintones: it builds up to a good deeper tone that will shade up to N 35 skin.

Best of all: Surratt is scentless! The texture reminds of of the luxurious Japanese brands like Three and (from memory swatching) Suqqu blush:

 

I mean, look at the picture above. It's so smooth and the shimmer is so delicate and neutral (a platinum colour? not sure).

It stays on for 8 hours & more on prepped (primer/foundation) skin and does not oxidise. It fades evenly after 10 hours.

Conclusion: one of the better purchases of the last months and a classic in the making.

Colour Coordinating Corals

Summertime! Coral-time!

There is something about corals looking better in summer: they have this uncomplicated air that goes as light as your summerdress.

Still there's something about summer that gets me into a complicated mode: the ingenious structure of coordinating layering will fall away (like the layers); thus, I colour-coralinate!

 

So let's do the clique-ing...Summer also means more cliques in groups of friends, etc. I've been grouping up my corals based on compatibility...It's almost like the tables of a summerwedding:

Group 1: the Flushed Corals

The conversation starter is my precious Jadilla J My Ball Cubical Face blusher in Shinny Peach 2 -> and no, these spelling errors don't come from  Rosé-inspired blogwriting but they are adorable Koreanglish. So why do I have to giggle with 'my ball'? This Cheeky fellow is NOBB [NARS Orgasm but Better]. There is the perfect mixture of peach & pink, but the glitterfest has been left out. (original review here). 

I hope I've nailed the setting by adding Essie Plaza Sweet to this group. It's slightly a deeper pink than Jadilla but they have the glowy gold sparkle into them.

An eye for detail, MeowCosmetics is a mineral makeup company who're easy to sample: Paddle Pink absolutely matches. I hope it won't be too boring with so much compatibility!

Group 2: the Everything's Peachy's

 I want to keep it dusky by starting with MeowCosmetics Clawset Case: it's the mysterious one...Essie Anniversary Gala is the equivalent of the bubbly girl: She is perfect on her own but will add a sparkle to another. My latest rediscovery has been Lunasol Creamy cheeks in ex 4 Tender Pink Glow. It's like a cheekbone filler & glow-i-fying peel in a bottle, with the right hint of tender pink (review here).

Group 3: Dusky Corals

I like to think of this group as the mature ones: but not the mature in the Ikea-kind-of-way...These ones have travelled the world and had a couple of drinks too many. They are a sultry bunch and prefer to spend their money on another holiday than botox...They have stories to tell.

 

I love the way they look, but I like to have a special mention towards Julie Hewett's Thandi lipstick.  It's named after Thandi Newton and has a similar subdued beauty & intelligence over it: the right amount of coral without getting too ditzy & a good amount of burning terracotta without venturing on the middle age territory. The Radiance blush is a highlighter, but I love this one when lips and nails get more sultry

4. The Young-n-Beautiful Sheers

I have Lana Del Rey in mind...the young & beautiful crowd. Untarnished, hopeful and sheer.

Group 5: The Happy Oranges

There's something comic about orange. Perhaps not for the ones who watch 'Orange is the new Black' or my fellow comrades from Holland who saw the championship Soccer gone right through their fingers...awwww. Burberry Lipglow in Coral 22 is a colour I got last year (see here) and it returned for summer again. The Bourjois is older...no idea how old. But it makes a perfect match for Burberry. As for Tongue in Cheek, how to resist such a name and such a rusty glow to fake flaunt a bit of sunburn on a summer night?

And to conclude, these two resisted the cliques and made their own little togetherness:

Coral pants gets the girls on the fence

Cuteee!

Kanebo Kate Colouricious Diamond in BR-3

I seem to have a penchant for mauve-toned palettes:  When Kanebo Kate reworked something 'Beyonce'-liciously named  palette and added some Diamonds (hi Rihanna) I caved again...

The palette is in Kate's neutral and more grown-up theme and has some excellent glow-factor:

The palette exist of some flat pans (1 & 2) and some heaved pans (2, 3, 4) that remind me of baked eyeshadows. I actually think that they are baked eyeshadows, at least peachy shade no 3 gives that flecksy "baked eyeshadow" quality.

I thought the colour-scheme was most similar to my Chanel Seduction palette  and Burberry Plum Pink 06.

My intuition has been right, however, the glow/lustrous/flecks/glimmer factor is a different story.

cool winter light ouside, no sun

The difference in glowiness if most visible under flash-light:

This is what makes Japanese eyeshadows so desirable in my opinion: they bring an amount of glow to the eyeshadow that brings eyes and forward.

Visuals:

• Kate CL Diamond shade 1, the whitest. It has a fleck-sy texture which shimmers silvery cool. It absolutely doesn't compare with either Burberry nor Chanel. Chanel lightest colour is sandy brown and opaque with a hint of a glow. Burberry is a peachy sand with some opacity and a low amount of shimmer.
• Kate CL Diamond shade 3 is a fleck-sy peach with a cooler undertone. I think this one layers well in the middle of the moving eyelid for an extra hint of light. Again, Chanel & Burberry do not compare at all. Both Chanel & Burberry are opaque. Chanel's 'peach' lingers towards terracotta sand and Burberry's directs towards a brownish mauve.
• Kate CL Diamond shade 4 is a gorgeous shimmery mauve with a silvery undertone. I think it is opaque but nowhere near the matte-ness of Chanel & Burberry.  I like how shade 3 lingers between Chanel & Burberry's 2 & 3 colours.  Burberry's 3 shade hints towards a burgundy mauve and has a gorgeous glow, but not as shimmery as Kate. Chanel 3 is a couple of tones deeper and has a hint of pinkish glow over it.
• Kate CL Diamond Shade 5 is the strongest colour qualitywise with a high opacity and still a good amount of interesting, multidimensional glow. It looks like a cool brown in the pan but on the skin it is almost a greyish black. Perhaps the multiflecks have something to do with it. Chanel's 4 shade comes close to it but only a more matte & a one-dimensional glow. Burberry is definitely more brown.

Texture/quality:

Kate Colouricious Diamond applies almost creamy but as you can see from the swatches (with crappy brushes -> my good brushes were getting a wash) they do need a bit of work and an extra layer. There is a difference in opacity which makes some colours more prone to fade than others (colour 1 & 2). The darkest colour is a dream in both texture, blending and the multiflecked quality that is still office appropriate.

Overal:

The theme of a mauve-based palette is similar to the likes of Chanel & Burberry but the colour payoff and the glow is quite different. I really like this palette because the sublime shimmer brings my eyes more alive and it blends a bit easier. I mix Kate up with either Burberry or Chanel for a mauve-ish eye.

Conclusion:

Fame isn't always better and the shyer sisters of the cosmetic branches have some good values out there1

Availability:

I got mine from adambeauty.com for $17 
 

1Ofcourse, when living in Japan Kate might be just as big as Chanel or Burberry but hey...for the Western posse

Burberry-ed: orangy lips

In my preview I showed some labels that I bought. I was quite curious about the Givenchy matte foundation and I loved the natural-look when testing it.

But I am not up to showing boring useful foundation-swatches today, so I will get red and orangy instead.

I really had a craving to buy something new from the Burberry Spring range. Perhaps because I really need this winter to be over and hoping I can coach spring into the weather when I wear it, or delude my mind into happiness when wearing brighter colours.

Actually, I wanted to go for the Hydrangea Pink blush first, but I need to see it swatched first. Holland is having the Spring '13 colours online (here), but the brick-n-mortar shops haven't been stocked yet.

Lipgloss-wise, I picked a colour I wouldn't normally go for:

Burberry calls this one a Coral, although I wouldn't call it a real coral colour. I think it's a bit goldfish with a slight dusting of gold shell, making it still rather tropical:

I especially went for this one as it looked really unique and plumping in the various swatches I've seen online (example 1, 2). I figured that the warmer glow and golden particles can be a excellent way to warm up and give dimension to my cooler, purplish lipsticks.

The Collistar lipstick actually was a GWP but I really like it a lot. 

Italian creativity with the lipstick? I'm going to wear it frequently now ;)

The colour that comes closest to it, is my Edward Bess Midnight Bloom. Collistar Scarlatto is a micro-shade lighter, making it looks a hint pinker than EB Midnight Bloom.

I consider it equal to EB Midnight Bloom in pigmentation, perhaps a bit more matte. 

swatches & goosebumps: "spring, where are you?"

As you can see: the Burberry 22 Coral is pigmented, but doesn't alter the original hue of the lipstick too much. It only gives it a more pink/rosy and glowier appearance.

Top line (instead of bottom line) is that the lipgloss totally lives up to my expectation. I actually like the fraganced luxurity of it, the balmy feel, and the idea that it is pigmented on it's own but extra-dimensional on another lipstick. Also, that is a fab GWP,  the Collistar Scarletto lipstick...yum.

☼ Now some sunny orangy rays and a warmer temperature to match the lipgloss ☼

Label-mentioning

I'm gonna show off the labels I got recently: Givenchééé, Burberry & Collistar:

Actually, the lesser known sister of this haul is actually one of the prettiest in design, and that says something with Burberry beauty in mind:

intricate shape of the Collistar lipstick

I will post the details of my haul soon... (✿◠‿◠)

Poor Burberry

Beauty resolution 1: Keep your posh compact powders as posh as you can: 

 

Or, I'm delighted to have hit pan with my Burberry compact foundation, however, my poor portable has gotten it's mirror cracked. 

Chrismas Presents 'research' (read: new lovelies)

After this semi-preachy talk about appreciating the well-functioning products in your beauty-robe, I bought  some new products.

My excuse besides being a beauty-a-holic was "research for Christmas Shopping for my friends and family" ;P. (write that one down)

1. Burberry Eyeshadow Palette in 06 Plum Pink

I was already itching to buy the single eyeshadow in Dark Sable that was released this fall, untill I saw the incredibly accurate swatches over here, here and here. I was convinced that I needed a full-on palette this time.

Totally buttery silky, like you can expect from Burberry Beauty. I have been playing with them this weekend and totally love them.

I will not review them as it has been done so perfectly at the earlier mentioned blogs, just to say I love the harmony of the colours combined and it's one of those better pink/purples/mauve blends that actually does not look like I've been crying or having a night-of-partying.

2. Cire Trudon candle in Mademoiselle de la Valliere

Yay, I was so happy to found a Dutch adress that basically sells all of the candles that I bought the one I was most attracted to at the time being. It smells really happy and actually quite like spring with all it's flowers (more precise ingredients here)

Mlle de La Valliere burning beautifully

For this one I will do a review soon. I probably combine a post with more candles so to get a clearer idea of having a beautiful fragance in your home or as a present for your loved ones.

3. Sampling Argentum Apothecary La Lotion Infinie cream

I've read about them in some Glossy magazines, one of them the latest ElleUK December edition. Their website gives you the opportunity for a free sample, and the ones not living in the UK only have to pay for shipping (about $3).

I liked the sample, but I have to say that I disagree with the claim that it's really suitable for sensitive skins: It has a high fragance level, being quite masculine or like those 1990s unisex Calvin Klein One's. However, I loved it's effect: I only tried the sample but it has a fluffy and matte consistency which really makes the skin looks better after a couple of days.

I will sample another sachet during spring to how my skin likes it when it's not too sensitive, because the full jar will set you back a whopping £147.00 and that's quite the cash.

Sample them here.

4. Inner Me Beautify Me

Inner beauty...or the supplements are often the things that make my skin go calmer when flaring up.

 

Ingredients such as MSM, Silica, Marine Collagens and Vitamin C are perfect to calm and perk up skins. I was especially thrilled about their MSM as I used it before and it helped calming my pre-winter sensitive skin. Their box is so cute and they have this days-of-the-week system that can help you reminding to take them regularly. 

Only downside is that they're not so cheap for a supply of 28 pills for only 2 weeks for 18 euro. I think I will buy separate MSM supplements with a higher degree of MSM for the next time, but with the Omega 3 and the Collagen Supplement I feel it has been helping my skin.

Find them here on the original site.