2011 Everyday Staples & Favourites

Here's all the (mostly) makeup products that I used daily (and could not live without) in 2011.  It was a disaster if I forgot to pack any of these items in my overnight bag.

Chanel Métiers d’Art Paris-Bombay Makeup

image: vogue.fr

I'm a bit of a geek and like to look through backstage photos and videos to see what Peter Philips has in line for the next Chanel collection.  Here's some images I've found from various websites.  Additional information can be found on style.com and lachanelphile.com

New products for June 2012:

• Eyes - Illusion d’Ombre in Nirvana
• Highlight - Route des Indes
• Cheeks - Joues Contraste Blush in Brume d’Or
• Lips - Rouge Coco Shine in Empreinte
• Nails - Le Vernis in Diwali

image: vogue.fr

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

To be honest I have never really understood Benefit's appeal, but my interest was piqued by their new mascara.  They're Real! was launched around August/September in the UK and I finally decided to try it out recently.  Blog reviews were mainly positive but reviews on makeupalley were mixed -  some women rated it very highly while others simply hated it.

Stila Lip Glaze Set

I remember coveting Stila lip glazes circa year 2000.  The colours were enticing and no other brand had the Touche Eclat-like packaging at the time.  I was still living in Sydney at the time and they were stunningly overpriced in Australia.  When I saw this Lip Glaze Set online for a great price, I had to pick them up as gifts for nostalgic reasons.

Glossybox vs Joliebox Boudoir Privé

I gave in this month and ordered both Glossybox and Joliebox/Boudoir Privé again.  Glossybox because it's a red Christmas box with a Deborah Lippmann polish, and Boudoir Privé because it's their first box since being acquired by Joliebox.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Blush Wand in Vermeer

Rouge Bunny Rouge is one of those brands that I've wanted to try for a long time but in one way or another have delayed purchasing.  Not being able to actually see, touch and try the products at a counter is one of the.  Cost, on top of the former reason, is another.

So I had to rely on blogs for swatches of the products.  Being a BIG cheek product fan, I decided to try the Rouge Bunny Rouge Blush Wand Cheeks in Bloom in Vermeer.  (Yes, RBR products have wonderful and whimsical names that are a bit long and hard to remember.)

Chanel Joues Contraste in In Love #55

My latest acquisition is Chanel Joues Contraste in In Love #55.  In Love is part of the permanent line-up of Joues Contraste in the UK. 

Nails of the day #8 - Dior Vernis in Merveille #651

Dior Holiday 2011 Collection brings us four nail polishes, but I think Merveille #651 steals the show.

Please excuse my manicure!

Chanel Ombre Essentielle in Beige Lamé #417

I am still not sure whether Beige Lamé was a good buy for me.  It's a beautiful neutral colour, quite fineky milled, with multicoloured sparkles through it.  The problem is not in the sparkles, which actually look quite beautiful.  It's the base colour - when I wear it, I don't really much of anything as it's nearly the same as my skin colour.  I was hoping for it to be a bit darker - instead I just use it on days when I just want a sheer wash for the eyes.

For this reason there's no swatch for this eyeshadow - I'll leave you with a close-up instead.

Lipstick of the day #16 - Chanel Rouge Allure Lacque in Empire #707

When I approached the Chanel counter to look at the Holiday Collection, I had my heart on getting the Enivrée Rouge Allure lipstick.  But I was sadly disappointed when I saw the actual colour with the shimmer & glitter.  Then I turned my eye onto the Rouge Allure Lacque in Empire #707.

Stila Spring 2012 Collection Preview

Stila's Spring Collection consists of:

• Two eyeshadow palettes - In the Moment & In the Garden (green palete above)
• Smudge Crayon Waterproof Primer + Shadow + Liner
• Sparkle Luxe Gloss
• Jewel Eye Shadow
• Love at First Blush

Lumière Sculptée de Chanel Highlighting Powder

Lumière Sculptée de Chanel Highlighting Powder is the star product of Chanel's 2011 hoiday collection.  Although I already have more highlighters than I could ever finish, I knew I had to get this once I saw promotional photos of it - the embossing on the powder is exquisite.

L'Occitane Délice des Fleurs

L'Occitane invited me to have a look at their Christmas collections - Délice des Fleurs and Délice des Fruits.  Both collections are inspired by a traditional sweets factory in Provence.

A Little Update

 

Here's all the things I've still to review.  I need some natural daylight to photograph them...Give me some sun please London!

Nails of the day #7 - Chanel Le Vernis in Rouge Carat

Chanel's holiday nail offering, Rouge Carat #587, blows Pirate out of the water, in terms of the finish and the formula.

Rouge Carat is an intense blue red with a sophisticated shimmer (as seen on the edge of the bottle in below photo).  Two coats will give a very even and opaque finish.  This is how Chanel nail polish should be.

Laura Mercier Rose Rendezvous Face Illuminator

Ever since I saw this highlighter in a Laura Mercier preview video, I'd wanted to get my hands on it.  The embossing is just gorgeous.

Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in Les Fumés #06

I had a hard time choosing between the Les Fumés and Les Perles Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs.  I finally decided on Les Fumés since it has more neutral shades - I find I reach for these a lot more.

Gareth Pugh x MAC & Issey Miyake

Gareth Pugh x MAC (style.com) and Issey Miyake (http://store.elttobtep.com)

"Inspired" perhaps?

Nails of the day #6 - Chanel Le Vernis in Rose Caché

In addition to Pirate, I bought Rose Caché #521 Le Vernis from the Rouge Allure Velvet collection.  Rose Caché may look a bit boring in the bottle but I love it.

Nails Inc. Glitter Gradient

Nails Inc. asked everyone who attended their recent event to create a nail design with Nails Inc polishes.  I'm not the best with nail art (not ambidextrous enough) so I wanted to create an easy simple glitter look that wasn't too OTT.  I don't usually wear glitter polishes but I was drawn to these three Nails Inc. colours.

Hourglass Film Noir Lash Lacquer

I have ummm-ed and ahhh-ed over Hourglass products for a while but couldn't decide whether it was worth the investment.  I finally decided to try their Film Noir Lash Lacquer since I am a mascara fiend.  I love Bambi lashes without using false lashes, so volumising mascaras are my best friend.

Nails of the day #5 - Chanel Le Vernis in Pirate

The Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet launch collection includes 4 nail polishes - Le Vernis in Rose Cache (mute powder pink), Rose Exubérant (bright fuchsia pink), Pirate (red) and Top Coat Velvet (matte finish top coat).

Lipstick of the day #15 - Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Fascinante #38

La Fascinante #38 is a beautiful classic red and it is the featured colour in the Chanel Allure Velvet launch.

Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish

I was invited to a Nails Inc. bloggers evening for the launch of the new Magnetic Polishes.  I was very curious to try it as I have heard about them but have never actually tried them.

The premise is that you hold a magnet over your just applied, still wet nail polish.  The magnet attracts the metallic particles in the nail polish, and therefore creates a wavy pattern on the surface.

Lipstick of the day #14 - Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Ravissante #32

Rouge Allure Velvet is the latest range of lipsticks from Chanel.  Described as luminous matte lip colour enriched mother of pearl particles, they impart a matte finish but the colour does not appear flat.

PS1

via ondenoir, source fuckyeahvintagediary

One of each please.

My other love is bags.  I have a PS1 in boring black but would love another in a bright colour.  One day.

Daul Kim

I found this video whilst tidying my files on my MacBook.

Daul was one of my favourite models. Loved her style, quirky personality and bone structure.  She wasn't conventionally beautiful but her face just drew you in.

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Haul

I bought these last Friday but haven't been able to photograph them properly yet.

I have worn La Ravissante a few times now and I find the colour really lovely - a very wearable peach for me.  I've also experimented with Rose Caché together with the Top Coat Velvet tonight - I love the finish.  Reviews to follow soon (once I get wifi sorted out at my new place).

(edit: when I posted via email, the text didn't show up)