Get Cheeky with Miners

When I received the 3 new lipstick formulas from miners I also received these new cream stick cheek products. In general I don't get along with cream colour products so I didn't think I was going to like these but they are not what I expected them to be and I'm actually really enjoying them. 

None are so pigmented they look garish which is often the issue for me but it was the formula that won me over. They aren't at all greasy. They're almost dry, blendable but smudge proof.. really just totally different from anything else I've tried. I'm not sure how they'll fare over time, I get the impression they might dry out to an unusable state earlier than I'd like but I will have to get back to you on that one.

The only one real negative is that these are the only shades available so if this bronze/blush or highlight doesn't suit you there are no other options. I don't know if they plan to expand at a later date but I would imagine it will depend how popular they are. I expected to be comparing these to the old Eyeko Fat Balms but I found those sticky and unusable as cheek products where these are too dry to be multi-purpose for the lips as well.. swings and roundabouts I guess. 

The Cheek Of It is available from Miners online for £3.99 here

Soap & Glory - Hocus Focus

When you're pregnant everyone expects you to have this natural "glow"...if only it were that easy. I have never searched for so many highlighting products in all my life as these past 9 months. I've tried creams, powders, bronzers and blushers.. nothing seemed to quite scratch that itch. I love the dewy, golden finish some manage to achieve but I could never quite seem to capture it myself... until I discovered this. Soap & Glory's Hocus Focus. Some of you regular readers will already be aware of my love of the new BB craze, anything that claims to blur imperfections without piling on layers of makeup is worth a try, right? 

This stuff is fab. You can use it alone, mixed in with your foundation (or tinted moisturiser) or just to highlight. You can see from the photos below it goes on intense but can be blended out to give that healthy glow you've always dreamed of. A little goes a long way and I think it would flatter most skin tones so next time you're in the market for a highlight, why not give this is a go?

You can buy Hocus Focus from Boots for £13 here

UrbanGlow - The Review

In a return to my "usual scheduled programming" here's a beauty review for you.

I showed some pictures of these when I first got them but I feel I've had them long enough now to give a fair review and they are now available in the UK and US.

They are the new Urban Decay Cream Highlights. Part of the spring launch that saw an end to powder cheek products for UD altogether. they say...

"Emphasize your assets. Urbanglow guides their eyes to the right places, crafts contours where there were none, and creates a dewy, youthful glow."

There are 4 shades available - Brown Sugar, Sin, Wicked and Moonshine. 

You can see those I have to the left, Brown sugar is either for darker skintones or would give you a bronzey highlight and sin is, as you would imagine, a cream version of the ever-popular shadow and primer shade. 

I've heard people compare these to MACs cream colour base but I don't see that at all. The formula to this product does vary shade to shade but as a general rule it sits on the skin to leave a shine/glow, it is more greasy than creamy. You definitely wouldn't put this on as a base to anything you wanted to stay on your face! This would be your final makeup step, I tend to put a little on my cheek and brow bones and it stays put but if you tried it on your eyes it would crease for sure.

Of the two shades I have I prefer the colour of Wicked but favour moonbeam as it's without the glitter and more of a sheen. It has almost an iridescent blue/pink to it in the light.. really beautiful. Wicked is more of a party highlight for me but nice all the same. They're not a must have but a nice to have and they go a long way so are nice for the collector as they'll last a long time. On the whole I really like these and will definitely be picking up the other two shades very soon. 

Have any of you tried these already? What are your thoughts?

UrbanGlow - Moonshine

So I told you all in December about the new UrbanGlow that would be launched in 2011, I swatched "wicked" which was sheer and glittery and now I have another to show you! "moonshine"

It's a really beautiful pale shade with an irridescent pink sheen ... Here's it swatched...

And modelled by Jenny and I

It gives such a beautiful sheen, this shade really lives up to the name "urban GLOW" ... Just gorgeous!

I've seen it likened to MACs ccb's but I dont think theyre anything alike.. You would only wear these to highlight ON TOP of your makeup and they stand out so much more! Still a very valuable addition to your makeup collection in my opinion!

So, who's excited? Who's tried them? What do you think?

xoxo

Miss BB

Fire Eyes

Here are some preview pictures from my latest video. I used my cheap 88 colour palette from ebay for my eyes and the mascara is collection 2000 extreme.

On my face I have maybelline dream satin foundation in sand, maybelline 24hr concealer in 02, mememe blush in coral, mac blush in bite of an apple and urban decays new cream highlight in wicked.

I'm wearing mac's vegas volt on my lips.. 

a little different but it's nice to be creative and get wild once in a while. 

I'll go back to more wearable looks and stick with the 88 palette for a couple more tutorials, any requests? let me know! otherwise, thanks for reading/watching.

I'll add the video as and when it's live

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edit

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and here it is...

xoxo

miss bb

MAC Cham -Pale

Something terrible happened today. 

MAC unexpectedly launched their new collection in stores and I spent money I shouldn't have on frivolous items...oohps. In my defence this collection is my favourite so far! I loved V/V but the colours weren't so wearable.. this is much more my style and each piece adds to whatever you already have in your makeup bag. You don't necassarilly need everything from cham-pale and you probably  wouldn't do a full face of shimmer and sheen (well... not every day) but you can mix and match with other stuff and give your existing looks a chic new edge! So as usually I took a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure and to look a little crazy..

Lipstick swatches Top-Bottom: Quiet Please, Tanarama, Flustered, Gel

And here are the things I picked up..

Special Reserve Highlight Powder in Rose Ole

Lipstick in Gel (permanent)

Paintpot in Chilled On Ice

This was difficult to swatch so I got a kind of blurry fingertip picture and an on-cheek shot.

Nail Laquer in Soiree

I'm totally in love with Cham-Pale .. I want it all but what I have has satisfied me.

I've heard really mixed opinions prior to its launch so I'm really interested to know what you guys think.

What are you planning to buy or have you already picked up?

This collection is not for everyone but as a neutral/metallics lover I can't think of a better collection to ring in the New Year.

xoxo

miss bb

UrbanGlow!

When I received my very generous Urban Decay christmas gift the one thing I couldn't wait to try was the new "urbanglow" cream highlighter!!




I got it in Wicked but it will also be available in Moonshine, Brown Sugar and... wait for it... SIN! I will of course want them all!




Here's a swatch
Note: as always with highlight products, it is difficult to see the true colour as its purpose it to reflect the light. This was the best I could do so you'll have to just trust me.. It's awesome!




The consistency was not what I expected.. Its very thin and goes on sheer but it's also really buildable. It's not at all sticky, not balmy, i can't think of anything to liken it to.

Have you tried UrbanGlow already? If you have let me know what you think..
If not look out for it coming to a counter near you very soon!

Definitely a must-have for 2011

xoxo

Miss BB

Fabulous New Benefits...

Knowing how I feel about Benefit Cosmetics..

How excited was I to discover these two new MUST HAVE products launched in the same month???

VERY!

I'll admit I haven't thought much of some of the stuff they've brought out recently but I LOVE these...

I'll post the little promo blurbs beneath each picture and the link to where you can buy them

(DEBENHAMS OF COURSE --- gotta get those points girls)

I am more excited about the pore minimising primer but a little highlight never hurt anyone right ;)

Quickly minimize the appearance of pores! Apply this silky, lightweight balm for translucent pore coverage and smoother-than-smooth skin. Pores now you see 'em, now you don't! Complements all skin tones.

BUY HERE

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_123901977699_-1?breadcrumb=Home%7EBeauty

Luxurious liquid pearl the perfect accessory! This soft golden-pink liquid pearl glides on for a breathtakingly luminous complexion. Customize your pearlessence with the easy-to-use twist -up package a few clicks for a subtle sheen, more clicks for a "whoa!" glow. Pat the luminous liquid on over makeup or wear alone for dewy lit-from-within radiance. It's pure pearly pleasure!

BUY HERE

http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10001_10001_123901926699_-1?breadcrumb=Home%7EBeauty

xoxo

miss bb

Friends with Benefit

You guys KNOW how much I love Benefit cosmetics..
It's come up in many tags and my earlier videos were pretty much Benefit only.
Well I'm finally getting around to posting my fabourite Benefit products, I of course made a video but there are so many it would have waaay over-run so I kind of blasted through it and here I will go in to more detail...
So here goes, please hold questions till the end x

So these are my favourite products by Benefit...

In order,

Dr Feelgood

I lovethis product, It's been gifted to every woman I know, I'd recommend it to anyone starting with makeup and not wanting to wear anything too heavy like a full foundation as it's a kind of mattifying balm but it also smooths lines and is a fantastic primer. It contains healing ingredients too so it's great for spot prone skin like mine!

Moonbeam

I know highbeam is a big bestseller for Benefit but I'm more of a golden girl and I love this, it's a kind of peachy sheen rather than a pink/white highlight and for me it's just perfect.. it lasts all day and you can wear it alone, under powder or mix it with your foundation for a gorgeous dewy glow!

Bo-ing (shade 2)

This has always been my favourite concealer.. it really is "industrial strength" it covers all manner of sins and is ideal for a really bad breakout and dark circles... both of which I often suffer from.

Badgal Lash

The biggest selling point of this product is the brush! this mascara wand is a magical one creating both volume and length.. my only regret is I'm yet to try the plum version (they also do brown)

Lipscription

This is a 2 piece set with a tube of lip buffing beads and a tube of lip caring balm ... together they really do create the softest lips your significant other will ever have kissed! the perfect partner for trendy bold shades!

Lipstick (ladys choice)

The creamiest lipstick ever, non drying and it's really nice wearing. This colour particularly for me is a lovely daytime shade, very polished and proper.

Lipgloss (life on the A-List)

The act I bought this in New York and the scent reminds me of that night is probably a big factor in my love ogf this gloss but its a really nice sheen over a niude lip and its sticky enough to stay put but liquid enough to wear off without going bitty or drying your lips.

Eyeshadow (Soft Shoulder)

This was a find for me when I was on the hunt for a nice warm brick kind of brown that I failed to find at mac. It's so versatile, it can be worn sheer or layered as a bolder colour and it really blends so beautifully.

It Stick

Ideal for pin pointing spots/ problem areas, I like this to carry in my bag as it's difficult to damage in transit being a solid pencil and all...I also like to use this as an eyeshadow primer.

Eyebright

The original eye brightener.. a great uk equivalent to NYXs milk pencil, good as an eyeshadow base, for lining your waterline to widen eyes and to adding to the inner corners of your eyes to perk you up a bit on those mornings you need it :)

here are the swatches...

I hope you enjoyed my review and love these products as much as I do..

Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

love always

Miss BB

xoxo