Review of Burberry Beauty

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog - lots going on in my life, and little 'free' time. I've decided to write about my experience with the new Burberry Beauty line, which I purchased online from nordstrom.com.

I purchased 3 eyeshadows, in Pale Rose, Tea Rose, and Trench, and the Light Glow blush in Rose. Overall, the shadows are very soft (which also means a lot of fallout), and require quite a bit of building to get the desired color payoff. They do, however blend beautifully.

Tea Rose is a very basic rose tone - very neutral, nothing special.
Trench is a dead-on dupe for MAC Brule, but at $29, I'll be keeping Brule.
Pale Rose is a nice pale pink with irridescence, and maybe my fave of the three. Despite the brand name, and high expectations, they just don't live up to my makeup standards. The colors are essentially dupable, and are do not stand out enough for me to shell out $29 apiece for them.

The blush is nice - very soft and sheer, easily buildable, and the color is a good, everyday color for my NW25 skintone. But for $40, I think I'd rather use one of my MAC or LORAC blushes.......it just really isn't that special.

In the photo below, L-R: Tea Rose, Trench, Pale Rose. Bottom: Rose Light Glow blush. All are over UDPP, patted on. And yes, the camera captured the color depth well.

Sadly, these are going back.

In the photos below, for the eyes I've used the 3 shadows, plus MAC Charcoal Brown in the crease, and Chanel Cassis to line. Cheeks are Burberry Rose blush. Lips are Chanel Legende Rouge Coco topped off with MAC Easy Lounger lipglass.

New hauls, photos yet to come......

I have some pics to show, for the new MUFE Aqua Creams and some of my favorite brushes....but alas Google is experiencing issues with photo upload....so we'll just have to wait.

On the haul front, I finally have my MAC To the Beach collection (can I just say WOW) and am enjoying it a lot! I might even post an FOTD if I'm feeling particularly bold :).

I also recently came across some Chanel glossimers that (gasp) had been hiding from me in the black hole of my closet - I was astonished to discover some oldies but goodies, all new and pristine. It was like finding a treasure given my renewed Chanel obsession. I also recently received my Chanel Dreams quad, which I am anxious to try today - very pretty colors, and my first 'non-US' version of a Chanel quad!

In other news, I'm really liking the sample of Chanel Hydramax+Active Nutritive moisturizer. Maybe this will be part of a permanent skin care regime.....I also picked up the Ultra Correction Lift lip contour cream, and I'm really liking it. Hopefully I'll see some long-term benefit!

Yet to try:
Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base - I had heard that this is a really interesting product, and since I'm not the biggest fan of bronzers, I thought I might have better luck using something that was more of a base to my makeup, rather than applied as an almost-last step.
Shu Uemura Pink Gloss collection in #333 - I saw these on Nordstrom's website and thought I would give one a try - the color is beautiful in the tube - very fine particles of shimmer in a perfect pink base - Shu's glosses generally have an almost weightless feel to them - I have a few others that I use from time to time (I'm on a Chanel glossimer kick at the moment, fickle me ;) ), so we'll see how this one does. I think it will be a great addition to my summer lip collection.
Nars Albatross highlighter - again, given the rave reviews, I have to see if it lives up to the considerable hype. This weekend will be a good time for me to try some of these new goodies!
Chanel Nude lip pencil - this was a must-have for me, given the various very positive reviews I've seen around the net. I'll be using it today to see what all the fuss is about! Hmmm.....maybe with the Shu gloss over it?
Smashbox Second Skin Longwear Concealer in Light (Waterproof) - I just received this product from QVC, and am excited to try it out. I'm a huge fan of MUFE's Lift Concealer, so that will be a tough act to follow, but I'll give Smashbox a whirl!

New additions to my collection, tried, using and loving:
Chanel Inimitable mascara - this is a favorite among some of my Spektra sisters so I had to give it a try - I liked it so much I bought it during the 'buy 2 get one 1' mascara offer at Nordstrom this past Saturday. Very black, not clumpy, it elongates my lashes nicely. A keeper!
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing powder in Antigua and Maui - these came highly recommended by a dear friend from Spektra.net. These are beautiful powders! I love the colors especially - Antigua is a pinky-nude color and Maui is a golden rose. Both have subtle shimmer, and I love using them on my cheekbones and lightly at my temples....haven't quite gone the true 'bronzer' route with the application yet, but I'm very happy with my application results!

That's it for this post - I'll patiently (?) wait for Google to fix their photo upload issues, and hopefully give you something to look at soon!!

Make it a great day! I'm too blessed to be stressed!

Quick review of some recent hauls

Before diving head-long into my color cosmetic faves, I thought I would take a detour and describe/review some of my recent makeup purchases. I tend to like to keep things 'new' which only results in them not getting used as I forget about them when the next new thing comes along. I've decided that's probably not a good long-term strategy, so I'm now trying things out as I buy them to decide if I'm going to keep them and whether they'll be 'instant favorites'.

MUFE Aqua Cream Waterproof Cream Color: OK, I jumped on the hype bandwagon for these and immediately ordered 3 from Sephora as a VIB. I got #6 (a medium-toned pink with gold-ish shimmer), #13 (a true champagne shimmer) and #16 (a warm pink shimmer). The first time I used these as a shadow base, I was less than thrilled. They were patchy. I had problems blending them. But my shadow stayed put. I just wasn't happy with the result. So I took them out again today, determined to like them. Tried them with a different brush than that which I used on my eyes. Still streaky, still patchy. Bummer. Guess I'll have to return them. Then, an epiphany ~ perhaps I should try to use them with my finger? I don't really like sticking my finger in my cream 'stuff', but sometimes you just have to say, what the heck, right? I swatched # 16 on my hand, et voila!! Beautiful color payoff, smooth as a baby's bum. And vibrant. Woo hoo!!!! I'm a happy girl (as I also have 3 more on order from Sephora). Now if I can just get past that finger thing.....maybe I'll experiment with different brushes and see what happens, but for now, the finger is the way to go ;).

Benefit Coralista: Where have I been? This is a GORGEOUS coral blush! It goes on smoothly and is just the perfect color to go with this season's 'it' color! I have MAC's blush ombre in Ripe Peach, but I have to say I am favoring Coralista at the moment......yummy!

NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette The Runway Collection #07 Versus: I bought this palette originally because I was traveling quite a bit, and it was just too bothersome to bring my MAC shadows (not to mention too hard to decide which ones to bring). I'm quite anal retentive when it comes to travel planning (my wardrobe, my cosmetics) and I needed to cut down on the stress and number of things I was packing. This particular palette is beautiful! It has multiple shades of browns and purples, and the texture is really good. I've done a few days' worth of looks with this collection, and I always get compliments. If I'm in a hurry and don't want to think about what should go with what, I reach for this and know I'll have a great look in a pinch.

Chanel Joues Contraste Blush in Rose Petale: What can I say? This is an ideal blush color, complete with the Chanel-renowned texture and pigment. It is the perfect shade of rose, not too dark, not too light, with just a hint of shimmer. Perfection in a compact.

Chanel Aqualumiere Lipstick in Papeete: This has been a staple in my purse since I bought it. It is the most beautiful pomegranite color on my lips, with the typical AL sparkle. I love this color!!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Woodstock: This is one of the new collection of 6 shadows this season from UD. It is a vivid fuchsia color, a couple of tones brighter than MAC's Cranberry (which is one of my ALL-time favorites!!). I used it yesterday as part of a fun, bright, ready-for-summer eye, and I have to say I'm really glad I got it. It is very pigmented, and is a color that I have been more or less looking for, having been disappointed in a number of 'similar' shadows I have - none of them has this color payoff and intensity. I cannot wait to wear it with colors like Moth Brown and Satin Taupe, or as part of a purple look. Very worthwhile purchase!

LORAC Baked Matte Satin Blush in Flaunt: I immediately stashed this blush in my Sephora basket when I went past the LORAC gondola. I have a couple of other colors in this formulation, and I'm a fan. This color is a bright candy pink color, reminiscent of a Lancome color I had in high school (and still have in my stash of fame) called 'Tropink'. Flaunt is vivid in the pan, and is quite pigmented, so lighter-handed is much better. I'm not sure why Carol calls these 'matte' because they are not. They have a nice shimmer to them without being frosty. I love this color. I definitely have too many blushes to choose from.....gah!!!!! But this is a keeper!!

That's it from my end for today. I hope you are maybe inspired to step out and try something new and different!