Guest Review: Diorskin Nude Foundation

Natalie Portman for Dior

(Guest Post - from the pen (well, computer) of the lovely @MontyC)

Foundation has come a long way from pan stick; there was probably less science involved in getting the first rocket into space than has gone into the latest foundations on counter today!  I'd been eyeing up one of these all-singing, all-dancing, super-skin foundations for ages and let's face it, with Natalie Portman purring out at me from the pages of Vogue, telling me via telepathy that this was the foundation for me and my face, then it would seem rude to ignore her advice and not to buy Diorskin Nude... right?

Essence - Twilight Breaking Dawn Part II Shimmer Powder in Bella's Secret (Highlighter)

Essence Breaking Dawn Part II
Shimmer Powder - Bella's Secret

Irrespective of whether you fall into the "love" or "loath" camp for the Twilight franchise, this makeup is lovely lovely lovely stuff.

Cosmetics à la Carte Launch at Vedas Beauty Dublin

Some of the Cosmetics à la Carte products.  Honestly, this image does not do the range justice!

Last Thursday, the 22nd November, I had the fortune to be invited along to the Cosmetics à la Carte launch in the brand spanking new and very shiny Vedas Beauty out in Dun Laoghaire.  It was a lovely night, filled with two different champagnes, red and white vino, more canapés than you could shake a stick at (why you'd want to do this, I don't know) and overflowing glasses of sparkly (water, which I was on, as I was driving ;-)).

So why, after the launch, do I now find myself a Cosmetics à la Carte convert?

Chanel Spring Summer 2013

Chanel Spring Summer 2013 Campaign Image

*sighs* Chanel have done it again.

Just when I've finished with my Chanel Holiday/Christmas purchases (mental note: must write some review posts), they send me on the images for the SS13 LE collection, Printemps Précieux de Chanel.  And they're just gorgeous.

Shu Uemura False Eyelash Applicator

Shu Uemura False Eyelash Applicator

These look like a great idea, but they're not for me.  They're not bad, they're just not for me.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

A continuation of the "Shu week" (overflowing into the second week!) and we're looking at the Shu Uemura lash curlers;  a truly iconic piece of kit.  And there's a reason why they're so lauded (and so good)...

Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF30

Shu Uemura Under base mousse:
(L) beige  (R) pink

I don't get it... I don't get it... I just don't get it...

This SPF-containing mousse-based primer is definitely one of the more "iconic" of Shu Uemura products.

But I don't get it.

Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin Youthful Radiance Generator Essence

Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin
Youthful Radiance Generator Essence

Shu Uemura have just released a new serum called Tsuya Skin Youthful Radiance Generator Essence* ("Tsuya" means "shine" in Japanese).

I'm not a huge fan of Shu's Depsea Hydrability serum (although together with the toner and the moisturiser the three together are nice).

Another serum, this one is aimed at anti-aging concerns and features Japanese Enju flowers and Rhamnose - a derived plant sugar which is supposed to activate the skin's "power switch" (per Shu Uemura) to promote youthfulness and anti-aging.

* what is it with brands coming up with extra-ordinary long-winded names for serums?

 

Shu Uemura Face Architect Illuminating Moisture Fluid Foundation

Yum... but... hang on, or is it...

Shu Uemura Week - the turn of a foundation!  This foundation gets a lot of love from makeup artists and YouTube gurus.  According to Shu Uemura, this is a "liquid foundation, designed to achieve an illuminating glow finish [...] and conceal skin imperfections".

Per the (badly translated!) note that comes with the foundation, the "Glow oil complex enhances the glowing effect to illuminate your skin" and the "Foggy Cover Powder and Adhering Flake Powder gives soft-focus effect".  I like the sound of glowy oils and foggy powders.  The adhering flakes I can do without though... onwards!

I... think I like it.  I'll explain more after the jump.

Shu Uemura Oil Cleanser - Take 2

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils

Post Two of my Shu Uemura themed week, in which I review some of Shu's iconic products.  The second post is a very different opinion to that which was posted yesterday (by my pal @MontyC) of the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil.  Please see here for her impressions, and read on to see what I think!

Shu Uemura Oil Cleanser - Take 1

Shu Uemura Oil Cleanser

Post One of my Shu Uemura* themed week - I'm reviewing all Shu's iconic products.  Some of which I love, and some of which I think are Beyond Meh.  But those are just my opinions!  The first of my posts is actually from a guest contributor, the lovely @montyc :-) a dear friend of mine, who has a very differing impression of the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil than I.  Today, her review.  Tomorrow, mine!

* PS I've been asked this more than once!  Pronounce it "shoe-you-em-moore-ah".

Take Four: Multi-task makeup brushes I'm loving

My four favourite multi-tasking makeup brushes:
MAC 286, Japonesque 234, Royal & Langnickel BE10,
Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush

If I have no other brushes with me, I'll have these.  If I have no room in my overnight case, I'll use these.  I'll usually have these with me in work.  I love these brushes.  One is LE-turned-permanent, one is only available in a set, one is cheap-as-chips, one is usable for absolutely everything...

Inglot Christmas Collection 2012

Inglot Christmas 2012

On Tuesday night last at 7pm I headed to the first ever bloggers event held by Inglot in Ireland, designed to promote their Christmas collection.  Invitation was simply via a Facebook request so no exclusivity nonsense here.  It was well attended by likely well over thirty makeup-and-beauty bloggers, not bad for something organised at short notice and reasonably quietly.

Back In The Day when I started out in makeup, I was well impressed with Inglot, a store that had only recently opened in Ireland at the time, out in Liffey Valley in Dublin.  At the time, they were offering a generous 20% discount to makeup students, which as far as I know they continue to offer to makeup students and working makeup artists in perpetuity (unlike many of the other discount schemes which are membership/subscription based and must be renewed annually).

They have since expanded to other locations (Blanchardstown, Dundrum, Jervis Street, Limerick and Belfast I believe) , and contracted in Liffey Valley (from a standalone store to a, well, standalone stand I guess you could call it).

REN Hydra-calm Cleansing Gel

REN Hydra-Calm
Cleansing Gel

I received some samples of the REN Hydracalm Cleansing Gel from a pharmacy lately (the SA was somewhat distracted by a very young child hanging out of an already precariously balanced display of nail varnishes and likely gave me more than she intended (four of them at 5ml each) - which I only realised when I got home).

Anyhow, plenty of them to give it a good use.

Illamasqua Precision Inks

Illamasqua Precision Ink Liner (Havoc)

Illamasqua have a bunch of liquid liners called Precision liners which are be-yond fabulous.  These have a very fine tip and are extremely opaque and pigmented; the matte and gloss shades are very matte and glossy; the metallics are similarly opaque (a lot of cheaper metallic liners fall back on glitter pigments or are not terribly opaque or are quite watery - these are neither).

Illamasqua Gleam Cream Aurora & Comparisons

Illamasqua Gleam Cream in Aurora

I love illuminators!  When Illamasqua brought Gleam Cream in Aurora out with the latest collection, Generation Q, I decided I had to add it to my highlighter/illuminator wardrobe ;-)  It seemed at least a bit different to all my other illuminators/highlighters (one day I'll do a photo of them all together, it's a bit embarrassing actually how many I have).


And I was right.  It is different to the rest of my (cream-based) highlighters :-)

Make Up For Dolls Blog is One Year Old!

Make Up For Dolls Blog is One Year Old!!!

I made it!

When I started this out, a year ago, I decided that I'd blog "whenever I could".  I thought I'd give it a year, and see how it went.  I had some rough targets in mind, I figured (nominally) I'd try to aim for:

• 100+ Facebook likes
• 250+ Twitter followers
• 2-3 posts a week
• An average of 1,000 blog pageviews per month (ie 120,000 pageviews for the year)

So how did I do?

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils (Black Bean, French Fries, Iced Mocha, Milk)

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in #604/Milk, #617/Iced Mocha, #609/French Fries, #601/Black Bean

I've heard so much about these pencils!  The Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk (in particular) is a very opaque white and I've seen it used a lot on YouTube as an eyeshadow primer.  In general I like NYX products, although they can be difficult to find in Ireland (I get NYX from Flair in Dublin, although they annoyingly don't stock the Jumbo Eye Pencils - these I bought online).

The colours, the pigmentation, the payoff?  Amazing.  The rest?  Read on!

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

This Week In Foundation ;-) I'm reviewing the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation...

The Make Up For Ever HD Range & their "Untouched" Campaign

The point behind the Make Up For Ever HD range is that it should be "invisible on HD cameras and to the naked eye".  I agree that it is invisible on camera - Make Up For Ever had an "Untouched" campaign that both highlighted their unfavoured stance on Photoshop post-production and equally showcased their HD products.  I recommend you take a look (here) as it is genuinely interesting to see what untouched photographs can look like with good makeup products, applied well.  I'm not terribly convinced that it's invisible "in the flesh", but more on that in a bit.