2013: The Year in Review

I started out this post thinking I'd do a recap of the products that I discovered this year and loved, then realised, nope, Make Up For Dolls has come a long way in the last year, and I wanted to do a recap, not in a boasty way, but just as a reminder of some of the highlights - things I got up to, things I posted about, stuff that was fun and different and interesting!

Of course the absolute crowning moment for me this year was the creation of my very own red lipstick, following on from a lot of researching and back-and-forth on the subject with the fabulous folks at Cosmetics a la Carte in London.  Read all about it here.  Go on.  I'm not remotely excited about this one, still, a year on :-)

As for the rest?  Well... read on!
 

Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Eye Treatment - review

Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Eye Treatment cream

Today's guest post courtesy of MontyC, who has been using the Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Eye Treatment cream now for six months or so.  Take it away, C...

Trish McEvoy Treatment Foundation SPF15 - review

Trish McEvoy Treatment Foundation

I was really excited about trying this one out - after all, it's not everyday you spend €73 or thereabouts on a bottle of "face tint".  Then again, I didn't spend that either - I bought it in the recent Harvey Nichols event a couple of weeks back at (I think) 20% off.

Still, even with discount, it was not a cheap foundation.  And a few weeks of usage later, I'm still waiting for the magic to happen :-(

The Christmas Edition 2013

I was speaking with a couple of friends about Christmas - and it did occur to me that I am not feeling it this year.  The run-up to the festive season couldn't have been more different for us here this year, and by "different" I mean "monumentally uninteresting".  Our usual trip to London didn't happen.  For personal reasons, we had to cancel a lot of our usual pre-Christmas visitors and visits.  I'm not complaining, I'm simply musing on the whys and wheretofores of what happened and why it is not Christmassy yet in my head!

Anyhow, I have decided that each and every day between here and Christmas is going to be Christmassy.  I'll do that by scheduling some meetings with friends for Christmas drinks.  By attending some Christmas parties.  By gatecrashing one or two others that I was kinda-half-invited to (if only for a drink and then leave!)  By wearing Christmas makeup - either from Christmas collection purchases, or typical OTT sparkly gold-y-ish makeup.  And lashes.  By deciding I'm not going to do my roots, and treating myself to a salon visit for a balyage refresh instead.  By digging out my skyscraper heels and treating myself to a blister pack of, well, blister packs ;-) in the local chemist in their honour!  By taking out some sparkledy earrings and fancy frocks and pairing one with the other.  By putting all of my wrapped Christmas gifts underneath the tree, ready for gifting on the day itself.  And last, but not least, but inventing cocktails and calling them something "Christmas-related" ;-)

 And I'm starting all of this by re-capping on the Christmas posts I've produced this year - by far the most I've ever done.

Molton Brown Vita B3 Eye Concentrate

Out and about this evening and don't have time to edit down my two half-prepared posts, and then it occurred to me - but I've been using this stuff for the last two weeks, why not post about that!

I was surprised, pleasantly surprised, to find it really, really good...

La Roche-Posay Lipikar range for Eczema - review

La Roche-Posay Lipikar range of products 

Did you know that over 50 million people in Europe alone suffer from eczema?  As a child I had bad eczema on my arms - I have memories of my elbows being bandaged on a daily basis.  Although it has been a long time since I suffered from the dreadful itch and attendant dry skin associated with eczema, I know of others who suffer badly.  My brother's hands used to get so bad they'd literally crack, and look like they'd been cut to shreds.  Thankfully, although he still gets the odd (usually stress-related) attack, he's no longer afflicted as badly as he used to be.  My other half also gets eczema, usually a low-grade, persistent tiny rash on the backs of both of his calfs, which is barely perceptible, but still drives him mad scratching it.  So he seemed like a good candidate to try out the Lipikar range from La Roche-Posay.

Yves Saint Laurent Youth Liberator Serum Foundation - review

YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation

Foundation has come a long way baby.

Back when I reached the age where I discovered makeup, my options (which were few to begin with) were limited and foundation was just foundation - all it did was cover your face (panstick, anyone?), and let's not even talk about colour matching - that was the luck of the draw!  These days, the notion that foundation is just foundation is almost alien.  Nowadays, just like you have winter and summer clothes, you can have winter and summer foundations.  Depending on what you want, you can now buy foundations that mimic, sooth, hide, blur, highlight, you name it.  The options (and price points) are endless.  The latest stage in the Evolution of Foundation is the foundation with skincare benefits.  I believe that this is the future of foundation, especially for us ladies with more mature skin.

(Today's guest post is provided by the ever-lovely MontyC, thanks as always C!)

Elemis Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm - review

Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm

Flash balms are one of those weird products.  Not quite a moisturiser, not quite a primer, not quite a luminiser, not quite a serum.  Designed to be used either to replace moisturiser under makeup, or as a primer (on top of moisturiser and underneath makeup), these are supposed to give your skin a bit of a boost glow.

I got a half-sized GWP of the Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm with recent Elemis purchases.  I am a fan of the Pro-Radiance range so I was looking forward to trying it out.

Chanel Sublimage Essential Comfort Cleanser - review

Chanel Sublimage Essential Comfort Cleanser

OK so... when I say I'm about to review an €80 cleanser (a cleanser, what the eff?!) some people will feel that I've lost the run of myself.  But read on, because expensive and all as it is, it's a beaut...

Today's post very kindly provided by my occasional guest writer, the lovely Ms MontyC, who has the same regard for Chanel's skincare as I have traditionally had for Crème de la Mer (but she's slowly converting me!)  Thanks so much C!

Roger & Gallet l’Homme - don't forget the men-folk this Christmas!

yummieeeeeeeeee :-)

Roger & Gallet's Christmas gift line up (info here) is for boys n gals alike, but this one is just for the men-folk.

Chanel Christmas 2013 Eye Makeup Palette & Mascara

Chanel's Christmas display in Brown Thomas Dublin

Chanel’s Christmas makeup collection for 2013, Nuit Infinie de Chanel is a beautifully simple and understated Chanel-glamorous collection, and features, unusually enough, entirely LE products.  I’ve already posted about the two LE Illusion d’Ombre shades (look here) - this post is about the mascara and the eye palette.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Serum - preview

Fancy a new serum for all skin types from a trusted French skincare company at a very decent price?

Bumble & Bumble Spray Chalk - review

Bumble & Bumble SprayChalk - cobalt, mint, lavender, blush

This was released in late September I believe - I got all four to try out, as I just love messing around with hair colours.  This is actually great stuff - it's a spray-in-wash-out hair colour, it's dead easy to use, you literally just spray it and go, simples!

Inglot Sparkle Collection for Christmas '13

Inglot's new Christmas sparkle bar... ooooooooooooh!  Sparkles!  Wheeeeeeee!

Inglot's stunning Sparkle Collection for Christmas features new face, nail and body products, all glittery and sparkly, just in time for the festive season.  Who doesn't love love the glam of glitter at Christmas-time!  I don't care how young or old you are, we all love to sparkle a little or a lot.

My winter red lippie: Rouge Dior #813 - 5th avenue

Rouge Dior in 813 - 5th Avenue

More red, more red, more red!!!  I really am red lipstick obsessed :-)  This time, it's the turn of a darker red for Winter time.

Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Hydrating Creme Cleanser - review

I have previously reviewed some of the Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv range (moisturiser and serum) and was remarkably non-plussed with these, especially considering the price point for these products (they're at the Chanel Sublimage and CDLM price range).  I've had the cleanser from the range to try out for a while... so here goes...

Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Initiation & Fatal

L -> R: Initiation, Fatal

Chanel's Christmas/holiday 2013 makeup collection (Nuit Infinie de Chanel) has part-launched since 15th of November.  I say part launched, because the gorgeous eyeshadow palette hasn't hit the stores just yet (apparently it was delayed and will be out on the 21st, if anyone's interested).

Anyhow, I'd probably split the post out in either way, as I'd like to talk about the Illusion d'Ombre shades on their own... there are two released with this collection, both are LE and both are gorgeous.

MAC Divine Night Purchases - Private Party & Raven

MAC Divine Night campaign visual

I had migraine the evening of the MAC Divine Night launch, grrrr, however rest assured I got there a couple of days later :-)  MAC's Holiday 2013 makeup collection is every bit as nutsily extensive (and irritatingly LE) as ever... after a quick gander, I came away with the only two things I'd figured I might want... how's that for discipline!

My first ever tag post :-)

My very first tag post... For anyone who doesn't know what this is, it is a post with predefined questions that you have to answer, sent to you by another blogger who has also answered the self-same questions on his/her blog.  The idea being to increase awareness of each others' blogs, to network a little, to have some fun, to let people know about you a bit more with questions you don't pose yourself.  I like the idea of this, so here goes (this is a nice short one, just four, makeup-related, questions :-))

Shu Uemura IR115 - Pinky gold for Christmas time :-)

Shu Uemura IR115 Pink

On a recent trip to BT, this little beaut caught my eye...

Winter-time Skincare Regime

My current skincare regime

I personally love these posts - I love to know what everyone is using on their face.  So, here is my current winter-time skincare regime...

Christmas 2013 Gifts from La Roche-Posay

La Roche-Posay Christmas gifts 2013 - Cicaplast hamper

Sensitive skin experts La Roche-Posay have brought out their Christmas offers - featuring their Cicaplast and Hydraphase ranges of skincare products especially formulated for even the most sensitive skin.

Christmas 2013 Gifts from Vichy

Vichy Idealia Christmas '13 Hamper - €38

French skincare stalwart Vichy have nicely launched not just one but three different gift hampers for Christmas 2013, tailored to your age, lifestyle and specific skin requirements.   These hampers start at €25 and each purchase entitles you to a free GWP of Vichy sample sizes (great for overnighting and travelling!)

Catrice Arts Collection - preview

Catrice LE Arts Collection - campaign visual

Catrice's new LE Arts Collection takes its impression from the opulence of the three eras of art nouveau, baroque and art deco:  the spirit of each period is reflected in the corresponding make-up palette.

Balance Me Rose Otto Hand Cream

balance Me body Rose Otto cream & hand cream

On a recent trip to a lovely Pro store in Belfast, I chanced upon this stuff.  I'd heard about the balance Me range of products before but hadn't ever used it or found it anywhere to try it out in store.

So there was a tempting sample tube of this stuff out and I tried it.... ooooooooh it's so beyond yummy.

Christmas 2013 from Roger & Gallet - preview

Roger & Gallet have released their Christmas gift collections.

As a quick background - renowned expert Perfumer - Apothocary since 1862, Roger & Gallet believe in the promotion of well-being through fragrance, through the study of Aromachology, a science that studies the influence of scents on our behaviours and moods.

Personally, I've always had a thing for their soaps :-)  The collections are priced between €19.50 and €39.75, so there's a price for everyone.

Chanel's Christmas '13 Collection: Nuit Infinie de Chanel - preview

Chanel's Christmas '13 - Collection Nuit Infinie de Chanel - Campaign Visual

Wheeeeeeeee it's that time of the year again - I've already posted a couple of Christmas campaigns and here's another one (the one I usually am phoning ahead about on the day to make sure it's in-store!) Campaign visual aside (I think the eyes are just creepy) I love the simplicity of this Christmas collection which features soft muted browns offset by strong lips and nails (in either crimson or burgundy reds), and a hint of a sparkle on the face and the eyes (via sparkledy loose powder and liner/mascara topcoats).

Ireland's Only Pro Makeup Store

Situated on Royal Avenue in Belfast, this is Ireland's only real Pro makeup store, stocking a huge range of products.  Me = overly excited kid in happy little candy store for the half hour I allowed myself to browse.

This place stocks a huge range of products... huuuuuuuge.  The more I looked, the more bits and pieces I saw buried beside, underneath, behind things... skincare... cult products... face lace... amazingly stunning eyelashes... straight makeup... theatrical makeup... special effects makeup... great brushes...

YSL Touche Éclat is 21 years old - but how should we use it?

First off, apologies to all, it has been a bit of a berserk couple of weeks, and I didn't manage to stockpile some posts or even get any prep work done.  I will be catching up over the next couple of days.

Onwards.  This post is about that cult favourite, YSL's Touche Éclat, which for years has been somewhat of a bugbear of mine - but now I know how to use it properly, I'm an absolute convert.

Going Nude: MAC Paint Pots v Pro Longwear Paint Pots

MAC Paint Pots & Pro Longwear Paint Pots - the nudes / neutrals

Oh how I love MAC Paint Pots.  I think my favourite of all was a (sadly now discontinued) plummy-auberginey-purpley one called Artifact (I never managed to get my mitts on it).  My next love is Constructivist, one of the best (shimmery/almost duochrome) warm shades with great depth, fantastic at creating a beautiful smokey eye all on its own.  But I do love nude/neutral shades of Paint Pots for a really super-crazy-fast eye makeup; great on their own with a slick of eyeliner or as a base under powder eyeshadow to give it a bit more pop.

Chanel's Christmas No5 Bath & Body Range - preview

Marilyn & Chanel N^o5 in 1952

It really doesn't hurt to have your product endorsed, off-the-cuff, by non other than Marilyn Monroe herself.  Ms. Monroe, who will posthumously front the latest Chanel ad campaign (due to air in early December),  famously announced in an interview that she wore nothing else to bed but Chanel N^o5 perfume.  A classy, genuinely elegant fragrance, although not one I can personally get away with, it's got a timeless appeal - Chanel N^o5 first launched on May the 5th - the fifth day of the fifth month in 1921, and it's most certainly a warming Winter scent.

For the holiday season this year, one of Chanel's Christmas ranges features a slew of new N^o5 products to match the existing perfume line.  Ladies and germs, take note - if you want to add a bit of charm and sparkle to a Christmas present, you could do worse than gift someone you know who loves N^o5 with one of these matching products below...

300th post - a little about me & a HUGE giveaway!

300 posts - whohoo!

Today is my 300th post...  Pause for dramatic effect.

I'm actually quite excited and chuffed about this.  So I'm going to break with my strict "sure what does anyone want to know about me" rule and give a little insight into the Person behind the Posts.

MAC Retro Matte Flat Out Fabulous - review

MAC Retro Matte Campaign Visual

Another pink, this time in a matte, and part of the Retro Matte collection released back in September.

 

I love matte lipsticks - well, if I'm honest I love very slightly creamy just-off-matte lipsticks for their more-wearability-than absolute mattes.  While I absolutely totally and utterly adore the finish of the latter, I've yet to find one (a lippie or a brand) that's not murder on your lips.  This one is the latter - a completely flat matte.

GlamGlow BrightMud Eye Treatment - review

Glamglow (errrr) BrightMud (tee emm) Eye Treatment box - full of holographic goodness and a pain in the backside to photograph

Promising a "Tap on, wait three minutes, wipe-off" regime, I can't see how I couldn't find the time to try this one out, but for all that, it has been near the bottom of my "to be trialled" pile for a few weeks now...

philosophy turbo booster c powder - review

Mehhhhhhhhhhh.

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser - review

Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser for Normal/Combination skin
Slightly artsier shot than I usually do.  I'm trying something!

So I had tried the cult favourite Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish before (see here) and really, was totally non-plussed.  In fact, it just didn't work for me.  I have been meaning to try out the Skin Repair Moisturiser for some time now too, as I've heard equally good things about it.

Hmmmm.

Inglot Waterproof Makeup Remover - review

This post is a shout-out to a product I really, genuinely, wasn't expecting much from... not even sure why...

My Favourite Base Eyeshadow - and it's only £1!

Of course this is a subjective post.  I have a lot of base shades that I use on myself, in class, on brides and others.  In general, I don't favour a dead white base, unless my client is extremely pale.  I have found that really pale warmer tones are nicer (by warmer I mean those with a little bit of gold, or amber, or peach) as a base.

Oh no no no no no... Clarins Beauty Gifts for (shhhhhhh, cough, mumble) Christmas

The C word, that dreaded C word, which I traditionally hate hearing about until at least after Halloween, just refuses to go away.  Blogs have been awash with all the various makeup- and beauty- related "Advent" calendars and now, fresh in from the Clarins PR, comes this little piece of info about Christmas gift sets... so I might as well give in and start releasing my "C-word" posts from here on in :-)

In this particular case, I hesitated to post anything until after Halloween.  But this one is not just about the C word.  There's a new and entirely delicious (LE) Clarins palette in here too that needs mentioning...

Skin Food Rice Mask Wash Off - review

Skin Food Rice Mask Wash Off Food Therapy

This is the most softest, most comfortablest, most loveliest face mask I think I've ever used.  And after yet another weekend of travelling and over-indulgence, it was lovely to use late last night to relax my skin.

Chanel Spring/Summer 2014 Ready-to-Wear show Makeup

Makeup for Chanel S/S 2014 Ready to Wear show

A Friday treat - a quick sneak peek into the backstage beauty images used in the 2014 Spring-Summer Chanel Ready-to-Wear show (entitled "Art") which took place on October 01st in the Grand Palais in Paris...

Inglot's New Brow Shaping Pencil

Inglot's newest product: Three Brow Shaping Pencils

Sadly, I missed Inglot's grand opening of their new dedicated Pro store on South Anne Street, just off Grafton Street, Dublin.  For personal reasons I just couldn't make it on the night.  I am still looking forward to popping in to have a nose around, hopefully this week or next.  In the meantime, I wanted to just post about their newest product for all you brow-obsessed fans.

Chanel's newest foundation: Vitalumière Compact Douceur - preview

Chanel Vitalumière Compact Douceur - campaign visual

Joining their other Vitalumière foundation product lines (look here for more information on Chanel foundations and here for more information on Vitalumière Aqua Compact (cream) foundation - my absolute favourite foundation ever), Chanel's latest foundation is a lightweight compact powder foundation, offering an "effortless application with no sensation of heaviness or tightness during the day".  The latter will be interesting to see, as powder foundations can certainly contribute to a dry, tightened feeling over the skin as the day progresses.  When I use a powder-based foundation, I generally spritz it with a finishing spray on top to help alleviate this dry feeling - so I'll be curious to see how Chanel's one pans out, and if it does the trick without needing to spray afterwards, especially around the drier areas of my skin...

Wayne Goss Brushes 03 05 06 - review

Wayne Goss Brushes T -> B: 03, 05, 06

When I heard that MUA and beauty blogger Wayne Goss was working on his own set of brushes, I was definitely "watching this space".  He shares my absolute obsession for brushes and I've agreed with most of his brush recommendations to-date.  So when they launch-date arrived, saddo that I am, I had an alarm set on my phone to remind me to purchase as soon as they were released!  These are not LE brushes, but they are handmade, and only a small number of them was available in the launch, as Mr Goss was completely funding their production and sale out of his own pocket (yep, that's right - this is really his "own" brush set, funded by himself, researched by himself - it's not his name to another brand).

I think it paid off for him;  the first round (product launch sales) was a complete sell-out.  Sold through the ever fantastic love-makeup.co.uk, I decided to purchase three of the brushes to try out.

My Autumn Red Lippie

My Autum red...

My perfect Autumn red lippie is actually an old MAC one that I'd always intended to buy and kept forgetting to get around to it...

MAC PRO Masterclass: Makeup for Music & Creative Videos

Now this was a fun one...

This won't be of interest to everyone, but if you'd like to know a little bit about creative makeup (rather than "wearable makeup") looks, and the particular MAC (of course!) products used to create the looks, and some interesting stories from this highly sought-after industry insider, this one might be for you.

This post is about the latest MAC Pro Masterclass in Dublin, which featured an extraordinarily talented MUA and her story about the looks behind a particular Rihanna music video.  It's long, and it's image-heavy.  You have been warned :-)

Chanel Collection Rouge Allure Moiré

Chanel Collection Rouge Allure Moiré - campaign visual

Chanel have had far too many yummy collections this year.  In the lipstick stakes alone, there were three planned.  First-off, there was Avant-Première de Chanel (April), which featured new Rouge Coco Shine and new Rouge Coco shades.  And then in June we saw the gorgeous Collection Révélation de Chanel, which introduced some delicious new sparkly and glossy Lèvres Scintellantes.  To complete their planned trio, Chanel have now delivered their third and final lippie collection for 2013: Collection Rouge Allure Moiré, which according to Chanel, is "inspired by the beauty and refinement of overflowing fabrics and ribbons" and features new and LE Rouge Allure, Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss and Crayon Lèvres lipsticks, along with two LE Le Vernis shades.

WTF? TLAs MUAs & Bloggers (ab)use :-)

TLAs - WTF?!

I remember (it seems like a long time ago now) when I started reading blogs, way back when, a long time ago in a planet far far away, and definitely before I'd even considered writing one myself.

The TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) that bloggers used drove me MENTAL.  I had no idea what they all meant.  And they've started sneaking their way into my blogs too, - it's a slippery slope!  So, here's a quick-n-dirty guide to some you might see in a few blogs out there.

Wow Brown Ready to Glo Dark Tanning Liquid - review

Ready to Glo Liquid - DARK

Inspired by their famous professional salon formula, Ready to Glo (DARK) spritz-it-on-at-home self-tan from Wow Brown is a liquid-based product, condensed down to give the highest DHA concentration (ie the ingredient in self-tan products that turns you brown).  So in theory, it should give me a salon-strength spray tan at home...

Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow #57 Black Stream - review

Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow #57 Black Stream

I'd purchased these in Moon River and Pink Lagoon before I loved them.  So (even though I need another black cream product like I need a hole in my head) I decided I'd try to get the black one, Black Stream, while it was available.

As a reminder, these are Limited Edition, and from Chanel's summer makeup collection, l'Ete Papillon de Chanel.  Likely that there are few of these around, but a handful of concessions I tried last week still had a couple of these in different shades...

Natura Bissé Oxygen line (Gel & Cream) - review

Natura Bissé Oxygen Range

The Oxygen line by Natura Bissé is aimed at slightly maturing skin which needs a bit of TLC; some revitalization, some purification, some of its glow restored.  It contains ingredients designed to help decongest the skin and restore vitality.  I've been using Natura Bissé products for some years now, and decided it was time to annotate my experience with some of the different ranges.