Empties of 2011 Vol 8 & 9

I'm powering through my collection at the moment, and pleasingly have used up quite a lot of things.  L'Oreal hairspray, bottle 1 of 2: Balenciaga perfume (so beautiful), hair bits, Maybelline One by One mascara, Mac brow pencil in Fling, Miss Sporty Pump Up The Lash mascara (reviewed here) and Moon Dog Pumpkin Butter from Haus of Gloi.  PLUS....

Benefit The Porefessional primer (reviewed here), Simple face wash, Regis Shampoo (reviewed here), Botanics Oil Free moisturiser, MORE Botanics Soothing Eye Make Up Remover, The Doctor Brand moisturiser (LOVE, review to follow) and Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer (reviewed here and already repurchased).

What have you used up lately?  I love using things up; make me feel proud.  And a bit sad.

Shiro Cosmetics Pigments

A few weeks ago I placed an order on Shiro Cosmetics for a stack of 1oz samples (they cost $1 each).  And this is my swag. 

I've never been a huge fan of pigments, as I find them too messy to bother with, but after reading this post on the fabulous Dempeaux, I went ahead and ordered them, PLUS some Etsy palettes, PLUS a pressing kit (that woman is getting my credit card bills soon).  So I've swatched all the pigments for you and when I'd done that I pressed them all so they fit neatly into my palettes.  Pleasing.

Above -Temple of Time, Epona and S.S.Anne.

Below - Impossible, Outright Fabrication and There Will Be Cake.

Below - For Science (my favourite), Sudowoodo and Steelix.

Below (clockwise from top left) - Deadly Neurotoxin, Party Escort, Master Sword and Triforce.

All the pigments have amazing colour payoff and I like pretty much all the colours I chose.  They are extremely metallic and a few are quite glittery (Party Escort and Outright Fabrication in particular) but they are all very pretty and pressing them has had no effect on their performance.

I am a messy presser.  This I have learnt.  But it's quite easy and therapeutic to waste an hour fannying around with the little pans and the gluey pressing medium.  I enjoyed myself like a child doing potato prints.

Orly Rage

The infamous Orly Rage is mine.  And I love it.  Rose gold, highly metallic, highly flattering, goes with everything.  Obsessed. Get it here.

Little Pots of Loveliness

I don't know about you but there are certain types of products that are guaranteed to get my attention.  Little pots are my thing.  Doesn't matter too much what's inside, I just love the promise of a gel or cream or mousse packed inside a sweet little pot; essentially, anything dinky will suck me in.  I dug out my collection of such dinky pots the other day, and this is what I've got.

Clockwise from top left: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream that I decanted from the tube.  UDPP in Sin and the original one.  The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ (so old now and barely a dent made.  Love this stuff).  Bourjois Night Lip Balm (sadly discontinued, but if you can find it it's totally brilliant).  Maybelline Dream Soft Blush in Peach.  L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Primer.  Topshop Eyeshadow Mousse in Glint. Sleek Gel liner in black.

The Maybelline blush, the Topshop eye mousse, the L'Oreal primer and the Sara Happ scrub swatched.

What's your favourite type of product or packaging?  I can't be alone in my adoration of tiny pots of joy!

Cat.

NYX single eyeshadows

A few weeks ago I spied that Cherry Culture were offering 20% off, AND free delivery, AND had a load of stuff already in their sale, so I, not one to be rude and pass up an opportunity, took advantage and ordered a few bits and pieces, including 5 single eyeshadows from NYX.  This was in no way a thought-out purchase, I just went by the swatches on the site, which is always a bad idea.

Top row: Dark Brown (matte) and Deep Bronze (metallic)
Bottom row: Smokie Mountain (shimmer), Eggplant (metallic), Pacific (frosty)

I paid $3.75 for each of these shadows, which at the time worked out at about £2.30 a piece.  I've read a lot about the high quality of these shadows, and I sort of agree, sort of don't.  The pigmentation is pretty good but I find all of them to be quite powdery when you pick product up.  Also, I don't think I selected my colours well AT ALL, but that is completely my idiocy and failing as a human bean, not the fault of NYX as a whole conglomerate (it's a words day).

I don't love any of them really.  Smokie Mountain is hugely disappointing; the beautiful olive-ness is shows off in the pan doesn't translate at all on the skin, and Deep Brown is basically the colour of the excrement of a child who has recently been introduced to the concept of solid food, NOT ideally what I want in the crease of my eye, or anywhere for that matter.

Eggplant I so wanted to be a gorgeous deep aubergine shade, but it pulls very red on my skin and just sort of looks like I've gone 5 rounds with a camp David Haye.  Sad.

Overall, not a winning purchase of mine.  They're all just ok.  I will use them, I shall not love them.  What NYX shadows have you got that I might actually enjoy?

Oral B Pro Expert toothpaste

Beauty encompasses many things these days.  Plucking, waxing, painting, glossing, lengthening, tanning, straightening, you get the idea.  All of those are immensely fun (apart from the waxing) but none of them are necessary - I mean actually, genuinely, for survival, necessary.  Cleaning and hygiene though IS necessary.  For one, if we didn't stay clean and healthy, we'd smell and be ill, and that's boring and isn't going to lead to any of us meeting and marrying our Brad Pitt/Jon Hamm/insert name of chosen crush in comments please.  So, as fun as all the pretty, shiny parts of beauty are, none of them mean squat if the basics aren't in good and proper nick, and this is where my shiny new toothpaste steps in.

Oral B have just released this, the Oral B Pro Expert toothpaste which, to my understanding, basically BOSSES all the other toothpastes and makes them feel small and insignificant.  Essentially, Oral B rang up his mates Stannous Flouride and Polyphosphate System (I know, cracking names) and told them to join the party in this here tube, and together, they make a pretty awesome combo.  They're basically the dental crime fighters we've been waiting for.  They kick teeth ass.  This one toothpaste is all you ever need in terms of combatting decay, plaque, poorly gums, less that white teeth, bad breath, blah blah blah.  And it tastes like Big Red chewing gum with a hint of mint.  LOVE.

So you might think of toothpaste as being a boring addition to your bathroom shelf, but it really does set the scene for all those Dior glosses and Chanel lipsticks.  After all, who gives a fig about the shine if all it's covering up is sad little teeth?  Go make friends with Oral B immediately.  Tell Stannous and Polyphosphate I sent you.  We're tight these days.

Mac Semi Precious purchases

Quite a few things took my fancy from Mac's latest collection, Semi Precious, as I like mineral products a lot, but I was sensible and only ordered the two things that least resembled anything else I already have.  I went for one of the MSF's in Semi Precious Pearl and a mineralized blush in Warmth of Coral.

Semi Precious Pearl has an outer circle of a pearlised champagne highlighter with a contrasting centre which is a golden bronze, although there are elements of plum in there too.  Together they combine to give a beautiful bronzed glow to cheeks.  Warmth of Coral is a very subtle but pretty peach blush which glows on application.  I've found myself reaching for this every day since I got it.

Swatches of Semi Precious Pearl:

Swatches of Warmth of Coral blush:

Considering both of these items were reasonably random purchases, I've used them constantly for the last 10 days or so, and am thrilled to have them in my clutches.  Have you bought anything from the Semi Precious collection?

Scenes From A Fortnight

Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain in Flame and turquoise beads from a holiday many years ago....

Teddington for a meeting.  I wish I worked by the river...

 

A pigeon sporting a Coffee Cup Ruff....

A lovely dinner to launch a rather brilliant new toothpaste by Oral B....

A book to remind yourself how to be, and how brilliant it is to be, a woman...

Current favourites, Rimmel Stay Matte powder and Yu-Be lipbalm...

And wishing Daisy the cat was my very own....

A lorra lorra lipsticks....

I was having a GSD* day today and whilst sorting through one of my handbags, came across these seven lipsticks.  God only knows why I was carrying round seven lipsticks on top of all the other rubbish and make up I had in there, but they have now been retrieved and returned to their right and proper place with all their other lipstick chums.  As I had them out, I thought I'd quickly swatch them for you.  I know, I'm too kind.

L-R: No7 in Nude Rebellion (LE), Natural Collection in Misty Rose (discontinued), Natural Collection in Berry Bliss, NYX Tinted Lip Spa in Jewel, No7 in Allure, No7 in Forever Cherry, No7 in Bewitching.

The End.

*Get Shit Done

FOTN

I took my green silk kaftan out on the town last night, and despite it making me look like a grown-up Poddington Pea, I love it.  I wore it with the following:

Face:
Laura Mercier Oil-Free Primer
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (52 & 54 mixed)
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 Light
Mac Blushbaby blusher
Rimmel Stay Matte powder
Gosh felt tip brown pen thing (LOVE this)

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Max Factor Burnt Bark all over the lid
MUA shadow (the Mac Club dupe) in the crease and along lower lash line
Daniel Sandler Babyjet mascara (review soon but let me tell you, it's peerless in its brilliance)

Lips:
17 Mirror Shine lipstick in Nudist Peach

Coral shoes with the green Poddington Pea top.  Lovely.