Beauty Blog Link Love Saturday18th June 2011

At Musing on Beauty, Mariella tries the Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman brushes and tells you everything about them.


Ever wonder how to airbrush your own makeup photos? Well, now you can - check out theNotice's basic Photoshop tutorial for your exclusive look behind the scenes of a beauty blog!


Now that summer's in the air, Musicalhouses shows you a Summer Eye Look and a Summer Lip Look for cheap!


Need melt proof makeup? Check out the new Summer collections from Tarte. Gouldylox has the swatches and details.


Madame B Fatale shows you how to use a conical wand!


Tired of eyeshadow and blush pots taking up too much space? Try de-potting them using Kajal Couture's de-potting tutorial and place them in palettes.


Phyrra's Independent Spotlight for June is with Belén from Lost in Makeupland!


Addicted to Beauty gets serious tween envy when she spies the Happy Faces hair salon. Who wouldn't want to get their hair done whilst sitting in a pink chevrolet?


Amy Antoinette shares her top tips for dealing with Keratosis Pilaris.


Lovelaughlauren tells us her favourite products from the last few months.


Prime Beauty discovered Burberry's newest lipstick formula, Lip Mists and has some insider info for you!


At Eyelining Obsessions Claire finds her perfect pink bluch while trying some ELF Barginous Blushes.


Rachel McAdams sends Lydia from Perfectly Imperfect running to the NARS counter. Find out why!


The coveted Asylum by Sugarpill is back in stock and in the Christina the Glitterholic's hands!


Looking for an affordable gel eye liner? Be sure to check out this fabulous Gel Eye Liner by Essence at Makeup, Beauty & More.



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Handmade Reviews is hosting a Sigma Summer Giveaway with over $300 in prizes and winners every month.


Beauty Crazed is giving away 5 Lancome Desert Rose Blushes - they still think they are too pretty to use but maybe you aren't that squeamish so enter to win one!

Nars Make Up Your Mind Express Yourself Inspired Look

I absolutely love the new book from Francois Nars. I have spent hours looking through the book at all the different looks and finally decided to give one of them a go. This isn't identical to the image in the book but more my interpretation of the look. I am not sure on the rules regarding posting photos from books on blogs so I won't post one but the image I took inspiration from was from the play section and was done on Jihae. I didn't own all of the Nars products so I improvised using what I had.

Products Used:

Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base

Nars Copacabana Multiple applied on lid

Shimmery silver from 88 shimmer palette on lid and crease (Nightlife used in book)

Nars Strada in the crease and blended up. Also under lower lashes.

Matte dark purple from 88 matte palette on outer corners and upper and lower lash lines (Lulu used in book)

Shimmery white from 88 shimmer palette on inner corners and under brow (Bombshell used in book)

Mac Blacktrack Fluidline on upper lash line and waterlines (Black Moon and Nuits Blanches used in book)

Nars Larger Than Life Mascara

It is not at all the same as the photo in the book but as I said it's more my interpretation of it.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Rose Platine Review and Swatches

I have owned this liner for about two weeks and already it has become one of my favourites. I am tempted to get myself a back up as I have been using this most days and its limited edition.
This is the first Chanel liner I have bought, the price has always put me off in the past but I felt this colour was unique enough to splurge on.

I picked this up in Debenhams and it was around £17. I did try and talk myself out of getting it but I knew I would regret it if I didn't.

Its a gorgeous taupe with shimmer, it looks different depending on the light, it's sort of a mix of taupe, brown and gold with a tiny bit of pink thrown in. I have mostly been wearing it on the lower lash line or over black liner on the upper lash line. The best thing is that it seriously does not budge all day, I have quite watery eyes and anything I put on the lower lashes seem to disappear at the corners after a few hours but this lasts until I go to take my make up off.

Urban Decay Naked Palette Look 2

Another quick look using the Urban Decay Naked Palette, this time I went for a lighter, more neutral eye. I really am loving this palette, its just so easy to use and all the colours are nicely pigmented and blend easily.

Products Used:
Face:
Bobbi Brown Corrector Light Bisque
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Shu Uemura Colourless Setting Powder
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Illamasqua Hussy Blush
Eyes:
UDPP
UD Sin on inner third
UD Toasted on rest of lid and under lower lashes
UD Naked in crease
UD Buck in outer v
UD Dark Horse on upper lashline
Covergirl Lashblast Mascara
Lips:
Poppy King for No7 Lipstick in Allure

Nails Of The Week Milani Hi-Res and OPI Funky Dunky

As soon as the sun comes out I find myself reaching for the holo nail polishes! Milani's Hi-Res is one that I picked up when I was in America last year, it a gorgeous light purple holo.

It looked lovely on it's own but I really wanted to try and copy a design I had seen on Chloe's Nails blog using tape. I used 3 very thin strips of tape on each nail and then painted OPI's Funky Dunky on top.

It's not perfect but not bad for a first attempt!

Face Of The Day Featuring Urban Decay Naked Palette

After a bit of a nightmare day at work I finally caved and got the Urban Decay Naked Pallet. I have gone to buy this palette so many times but walked away as I felt I owned to many of the colours already. Well that's what a bad day does to me, all my resolve goes out the window! I have to say I am really glad I did cave and pick it up. I only have 3 of the colours already and the palette is so convenient. I have used it a fair few times already and can see it becoming a staple item in my go to make up bag.

Products Used

Face:

Bobbi Brown Corrector Light Bisque

Mac Studio Sculpt Foundation

Topshop Neon Rose Cream Blush

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Shu Uemura Colourless Setting Powder

Eyes:

UDPP

UD Sin on inner corners

UD Toasted on rest of lid

UD Hustle on outer third of lid

UD Dark Horse in crease

Mac Blanc Type as Highlight

Mac Blitz & Glitz Fluidline with Chanel Rose Platine on top on upper lashline

Chanel Rose Platine liner under lower lashes

Lips:

Mac Candy Yum Yum Lipstick

Do you have this palette? If you have done any looks using it please leave me a link so I can check them out!

Beauty UK Baked Eyeshadow Trio Earth Review, Swatches and Comparisons

I used this Beauty UK Trio in my face of the day yesterday but I felt that it deserved a post of its own. I picked this up in Superdrug for £3.99 and I am really impressed with the quality of it. There are 6 trios available, I picked the Earth trio which is the most neutral as I felt I would get the most use out of it, I am definitely going back to pick up a couple more now though.

In the trio you get a light champagne, taupe and a lighter brown/gold. These are baked shadows so can be used wet or dry depending on the intensity you are going for. That being said I have found these to be really well pigmented and haven't felt the need to use them wet. These are shimmery though so if you prefer matte shades then you might want to give this a miss, personally I like a bit of shimmer!

Swatched in the same order as in the pans, these are literally one swipe with my finger without any base, they are nicely pigmented and adhere to the skin really well.

I couldn't help but compare this to a few higher end shadows that I own which are priced a lot higher.

Above are the Beauty UK Earth Trio, Stila Champagne Glow Trio and Nars Exotic Dance Duo

These are not dupes of each other as the colours are slightly different but the texture and pigmentation is pretty much the same. The Stila trio is currently on sale for $28 on sephora.com

This was a bit more of a shock, it's not a 100% dupe but it's not far off! The gold is slightly browner and the white is not quite as bright in the Beauty UK trio but applied on the eyes I struggled to see a difference. Actually the white in the Beauty UK duo applies more evenly then the Nars as it seems to adhere to the skin better. The Nars Duo retails for £23.50.

I can be a bit of a make up snob at times but this just goes to prove that a higher price tag doesn't always mean better quality!

Face Of The Day Using Some Bargain Buys

I noticed that a lot of my FOTD's recently have featured mostly high end brands so I wanted to create a look using some of the bargain buys I have picked up lately. The Beauty UK Eyeshadow trio I used is absolutely gorgeous and in my opinion performs just as well as some of the more expensive products I own. I did sneak some of my usual products in but the key items in this look are all drugstore price range items.

Products Used

Face:

Bobbi Brown Corrector Light Bisque

Topshop Skin Tint

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

Shu Uemura Colourless Setting Powder

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Eyes:

UDPP

Beauty UK Baked Eyeshadow Trio in Earth

Lightest shade on inner corners

Light Golden Brown on lid and under lower lashes

Dark Brown in Crease and outer corners

Topshop Kohl Liner In Saddle on upper lashline and waterline

Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:

Topshop Lipstick In Show Off

Face Of The Day Featuring Chanel

I really did try to resist getting anything from the new Chanel collection, I failed miserably! I picked up the Lilium Eyeshadow Quad and Rose Platine Liner. These are my first Chanel eyeshadows and I really like them, they are softer shades but can be built up easily and can also be used wet. The liner is just gorgeous, am tempted to get a back up as its limited edition! I wore this when I went out on friday night, I got lots of compliments on my eyes.

Products Used:

Face:

Bobbi Brown Corrector Light Bisque

Revlon Colourstay Foundation

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow as contour

Illamasqua Hussy Blush

Nars Copacabana Multiple as highlight

Shu Uemura Colourless Setting Powder

Eyes:

UDPP

Chanel Lillium Palette

Light Green on inner corners

Taupe applied wet on lids

Dark Green on outer corners and crease

Mac Blitz & Glitz Fluidline on upper lashline

Chanel Rose Platine under lower lashes

Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:

Topshop Lipstick in Show Off

Nars Orgasm Lipgloss

Topshop Make Up Haul

I finally let curiosity get the better of me and went and checked out Topshop's make up range. I ended up coming away with quite a few things! Here are some quick swatches, I will do full reviews once I have had the chance to test the products out properly.

Eyeshadow Duo in Thunder - These are very sheer when used dry but used wet they are gorgeous.

Cream Blushes in Flush and Neon Rose, these are lovely, they dry to a powder finish and are nicely pigmented. You can get a nice subtle colour if applied lightly or build the colour up.

Lipstick in Show Off, there were a few colours I like but this one seemed to be the most unique to me. I love it already.

Skintint, Saddle Eye Kohl and Pen Liner, I'm really not sure about the skin tint, it's got a very strong perfumed scent and I'm not sure how my skin will deal with that. On first impressions I really like the liners but I will need to give them a good test before I give my final verdict!

Have you tried anything from the Topshop range, anything I should pick up?

Blog Sale OPI, China Glaze, Mac, Urban Decay, Sleek, Nars, Shu Uemura

Ok first the rules

- All items are sold as seen, no returns
- Payment by paypal only, please leave a comment stating the item/items you would like and your paypal email address and I will send you an invoice, please let me know if you are overseas.
- Shipping will be £1.50 for UK and £3 for overseas, if you buy more than one item I will work out the postage, it may stay the same depending on what the items are.
- You will have 24 hours to pay the invoice otherwise the item will go to the next person or go back up for sale!

So onto the goodies, these are all items that have been lightly used, they are just very unloved in my rapidly growing collection!

OPI Nail Laquers, used once or twice, just colours I don't reach for - You Don't Know Jaques! Suede £5*SOLD*, Sea? I Told You £5, Catch Me In Your Net (Limited Edition) £5*SOLD*, OPI For Sephora Metro Chic *SOLD*

China Glaze Nail Laquers, used twice max - Sexy In The City £3, Up All Night *Sold*

Naked Pigment Stack in Ebony - only ever swatched £10

Urban Decay Eyeshadows, these are depots from the various Book Of Shadows, these are all colours that had doubles off. All come with a magnet and label. Colours are Peversion*Pending*, Midnight Cowboy Rides Again *Pending*, Smog x 2, Last Call, Sidecar, Half Baked, Sphynx £1.50 each.

OCC Pigments, only ever swatched Ironic £2, Lafayette £2

Benefit Lust Duster set, only ever swatched. Colours are Moon Doggie, Punk Royalty and Snow Bunny £6 for the three

Mac Eye Shadow Suite Duos, only ever swatched. Ocean 2 £5, Sweet Liason £5

Beauty Blog Link Love Saturday 4th June

Madame B Fatale tests a fun gimmicky product with some not so amazing results.

Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone, and slip into summer? Then be sure to check out this melon and teal makeup look over at theNotice - you won't be disappointed!  

Phyrra gives you her take on the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Sticks.

AOYV shares her tryst with Inglot eyeshadows and shares with fellow Canadians how to access this fabulous brand. 

Pammy Blogs Beauty finds a new "Holy Grail" product with MAC's Prep & Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed is already thinking about fall - but she can't help it, it's Chanel! Come check out the Illusions d'Ombres De Chanel fall collection and you'll understand why she's so weak!

Vesna from Beauty addict blog has a thing for Inglot products lately! Her favorite Inglot item at the moment is definitely 420P eyeshadow so check out what she loves about it so much!

Here's my link: Beautywoome just reviewed the best airbrush tan EVER.

Not having a good day (like Tracy, at Beauty Reflections)? See how the Sephora Flashy Liner helped her to face the day!

Want a fancy perfume but hate the price? Jeweled Thumb finds something similar to a popular and expensive Juicy Couture one. Best part? It's $10!

Beauty's Bad Habit shares her five favourite make-up finds for under £5 because everyone loves a bargain!

Need a sheer foundation for summer? Check out My Lips But Better's comparison chart for Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua vs. Clinique Moisture Surge. Which will be the winner?

Hair prone to frizz? With the weather in the UK always indecisive it's good to find something that can control that frizz. Has LaaLaa over at Dolce Vanity found that with Sedu Anti Frizz Polishing Treatment?

MAC's Big Bounce Shadows got a bad rap, but Kajal Couture shows you how to make them work. 

Looking for a new curling iron? Sophie tries and tests the Remington Pearl Conical Wand!

Don't have the budget for the Mac Big Bounce shadows? Jo checks out Rimmels 8 hour colour mousse and is very impressed!

Nicoletta's Beauty Space tries out some of her favourite Sleek True Color lipsticks.

Face Of The Day - Smokey Taupe

On Tuesday night me and my family went to the Royal Albert Hall for a concert, we all decided to dress up a bit, my dress was black and orange so I decided to go for a taupe smokey eye with red lips. We had a lovely night and I loved having the chance to get glammed up!

Products Used:
Face:

Bobbi Brown Corrector Light Bisque

Revlon Colourstay Foundation

Shu Uemura Colourless Setting Powder

Mac Taupe Contour Powder

Illamasqua Hussy Blush

Mac Redhead MSF as highlight

Eyes:

UDPP

Benefit Creasless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans on lid and crease

Urban Decay Sin on inner corners

Mac Satin Taupe on outer corner, crease and under lower lash line

Mac Blanc Type as highlight

Mac Blacktrack Fluidline On upper lashline and waterline

Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:

Mac Cherry Lip Liner

Revlon Cherries In The Snow Lipstick

I had never tried the creasless cream shadow as a base before but it worked really well. I love the colour anyway but I can see myself using it a lot more now!