blush

Continuing my habit of picking up little beauty buys at Tesco, here we have a Barbara Daly for Tesco souffle blush in Rose.

I'll be honest; I've never really understood the whole mousse/souffle makeup texture thing. I didn't buy into the revolutionary Maybelline Dream Mousse foundation thing, partially because they never quite went pale enough for my skin. But I digress. The reason I chose to try this souffle textured blush is mostly because I'm starting to feel like I repeatedly buy the same stuff over and over again, and I wanted to try something different.

I'm quite glad I did, in this case. The souffle texture translates into a little pot of what is essentially a very light and airy cream blush which is incredibly blendable. A couple of dabs applied to the cheeks and patted in gives a very natural and subtle flush, and once it's blended in, you can't feel it sitting on the skin. This is fabulous in my book; I hate cream blushers that leave a greasy residue. This stuff is also easily layerable, and with no sparkle or shimmer in the finish, it's ideal for a natural look, or for when you are wearing a lot of glitter on your eyes.

The only downside, I think, is the size of the pot. On the right, we have the little tiny souffle blush pot sat next to a Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner pot. And it's seriously tiny for a cheek product. Given that the product costs £5, on the surface you're not getting a great deal here, for a high street brand. However, as you need so little of the stuff to get a pretty flush, it should last a long time.

If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can get it at Tesco for around £5 (and they're doing 3 for 2 across a wide range of cosmetics at the moment, so even better).

The shu uemura 2010 Christmas Collection is a collaboration with Japanese artist Aya Takano and she has done a great job of giving the collection the funky, urban feel that I love about shu!  Luckily she picked cute animals for the girls to kiss in the artwork, otherwise I might find it all a bit disturbing...
Reindeer Kiss xxxx Eye and Cheek Palette - $85 - inspired by the colours of a frosty winter land covered in crystalline snow that sparkles in the light.
Bowwow! Magic Queen Eye and Cheek Palette - $85 - a warm-toned palette for a peaceful holiday season.
Blush Tint - Miracle Cherry - $30 - a lightweight gel blush to instantly add a natural glow to your cheeks.
Lip Duo Tint & Gloss - Love Apricot - coral beige tint and apricot gloss with gold and silver glitter or Harmony Pink - girly pink tint and vibrant fuchsia gloss - $45 - enjoy the matte finish of the tint alone, or add gloss to amp up a shine!

Paint Crayon - Sparkly Purple  - dark purple with sparkly gold glitters - $30 - waterproof, long-lasting and creamy mechanical pencil allows you to draw a defined line that can be blended easily right after application.

High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula - $37 - shu uemura's signature cleansing oil.  A gentle formula for moisturized, balanced, petal-soft skin.  Cleanses gently and maintains the skin's moisture balance with Advanced HPO system, Asian botanical oils such as Camellia Oil and Ginger Root Oil.  Leaves skin feeling comfortably balanced and petal soft with a fresh and sensuous aroma.

Peace & Harmony Mini Brush Set - $85 - they're cute and pink, what more can I say?!
Magical Windfalls - $36 - easy-to-wear partial lashes in black with some pieces pre-decorated with glittery and shiny magical hear and star symbols for cute accent.
Premium False Eyelashes - $75 - a dreamy pair of cutomizable eyelashes!  With a variety of abracadabra symbol stickers enclosed, create your very own pair of lases for the festive season.

Along with the colour story releasing today is my favourite part of every one of their holiday collections - the kits!  Loving the tartan although I'm a little confused as to why they didn't include the Beauty Crazed pink & black...


6 Dashing Lassie Eye Shadows - $43.50
Once Upon a Time - metallic vanilla (veluxe pearl)
Bronze - copper penny (frost)
Buckwheat - frosty medium brown (frost)
A Dashing Lassie - metallic milk (frost)
Magical Mist - metallic taupe (lustre)
Showstopper - dark brown (matte)

6 Beauties Play it Cool Eye Shadows - $43.50
Heather Belles - dark charcoal/carbon (satin)
To the Ball - dusty lavender (satin)
Hold My Gaze - medium grey (frost)
Magic Moor - purple grape (veluxe pearl)
Altered State - blackened plum (veluxe pearl)
Silverwear - metallic lavender (frost)

6 Twists of Tartan Eye Shadows - $43.50
Vainglorious - metallic maroon (frost)
Rolled Gold - gold (lustre)
Lady's Prance - clay (matte)
High Spirits - shimmer avocado (frost)
Bows & Curtseys - metallic hunter green (satin)
Set To Dance - dark royal blue (matte)

6 Reelers & Rockers Eye Shadows - $43.50
Carbon - dark carbon (matte)
White Rabbit - shimmer white (frost)
Melt My Heart - metallic silver (veluxe pearl)
Gaelic Gold - metallic gold (veluxe pearl)
Crown & Sceptre - metallic copper (veluxe pearl)
Family Treasures - metallic bronze (veluxe pearl)


Happily Ever After Lip Kit - $27
Cheers All Around - bright candy pink (frost)
To Joy - medium pink (frost)
Endless Fun - sheer frost pink (gloss)


A Fabulous Fantasy Lip Kit - $27
Storybook Ending - raisin (lustre)
Imagine This - binky beige (amplified)
Heroic Tale - sparkle flesh tone (gloss)
A Triumphant Blush Face Kit - $45.50
Melba - soft coral peach (powder blush)
Peachtwist - golden peach (sheertone shimmer)
Smooth Harmony - neutral mid tan (beauty powder)
Hark the Heraldry Face Kit - $45.50
Dame - sophisticated blue/pink (powder blush)
Plum Foolery - faint dusty plum (sheertone shimmer)
Oh So Fair - pale pink (beauty powder)
Vain and Glorious Lip Bag - $43.50
Lustre Lipstick in Mellow Mood - sheer pink
Dazzleglass in Baby Sparks - sparkle baby pink
Lip Pencil in In Synch - light pink

Dazzle the Lads Lip Bag - $43.50
Cremesheen Lipstick in Timeless - medium rose
Dazzleglass in Moth to Flame - sheer neutral beige
Lip Pencil in Lingerie - dusty rose

Noble Knights Lash & Line Kit - $43.50
Fluidline in Blitz & Glitz - black
Pigment in Teal - bright metallic teal
Zoomblack
209 Brush


Violet My Love Lash & Line Kit - $43.50
Fluidline in Macroviolet - dark grape
Pigment in Violet - bright metallic purple
Zoomblack
209 Brush
Sweep Me Off My Feet Sweep & Define Brush Collection - $58
129SE, 190SE, 212SE, 227SE, 275SE


A Lady & Her Tricks Buff & Line Brush Collection - $58
168SE, 187SE, 209SE, 219SE, 252SE

She's Got It All Apply, Define & Line Brush Collection - $58
194SE, 204SE, 224SE, 266SE, 275SE

The holiday collection season really starts for me when MAC puts theirs out and I am loving everything this year!  I will definitely be running to my MAC counter tomorrow at lunch to check it all out in person - until then, admire the pretty pictures!

Lipstick - $16.50
Cut a Caper - mid-tone peachy pink (lustre)
The Faerie Glen - pale neutral pink (lustre)
Deepest Wish - deep creamy reddish brown (amplified)
Full Fuchsia - bright blue fuchsia (amplified)
Courting Lilac - sheer lilac mauve with soft gold pearl (glaze)

Dazzleglass Creme - $21.50
Radiant Jewels - dark sparkly magenta
Soft Dazzle - mid-tone peach pink with gold pearl
Passing Fancy - bright orange coral with soft pearl
Lightly Prancing - light peach with gold pearl
Gone Romancin' - mid-tone lavender with multi-dimensional pearl











Eye Shadow - $23.50
Golden Crown - light gold with bronze tartan striping
A Wish Come True - dirty mauve with bubblegum pink tartan striping
Follow Your Fantasy - mid-tone peach with chocolate tartan striping
Enviably Fun - grass green with dark green tartan striping
Semi-Precious - aubergine with chocolate tartan striping
Glamora Castle - dark grey with teal tartan striping

Pigment - $23.50
Later - black with transforming purple pearl (frost)
Moonlight Night - blackened teal with teal pearl (frost)
A Family Crest - blackened bronze with bronze pearl (frost)

Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner - $17.50
Petrol Blue - deep navy with pearl
Black Line - black with gold pearl
Undercurrent - teal with pearl
Black Swan - black with pearl
Lord It Up - bronze with pearl

Zoom Fast Black Lash - $16.50 - deepest black

Powder Blush - $22
Her Blooming Cheek - very bright iridescent blue pink (satin)
My Highland Honey - bright coral with soft gold pearl (satin)

Nail Lacquer - $15.50
Sly as a Fox - creamy mid-tone russet/burnt red (cream)
Style Clan - dark taupe with red pearl (frost)

The most awesome beauty toy has finally made it's way into Canadian Sephora locations.  If you've been anywhere near a Sephora lately you can't have missed the huge displays everywhere for the TEMPTU AIRbrush Makeup System and if you're anything like me, you have been wondering how complicated it is to use and whether a total spazcase (such as myself) could master such a complicated looking device.  You see, I still remember the airbrush machine that they introduced at Holt Renfrew a few years back.  I can't remember what the name of it was but I knew a makeup artist that had it and she was forever having problems with it - if an expert has issues, what hope is there for someone like me?  The answer is lots, because TEMPTU is totally different from the airbrushers of years gone by!


TEMPTU AIRbrush makeup System - $265 - what is different about this system then previous ones I have seen is that the foundation comes in a little pod - no longer do you have the hassle of having to fill a reservoir with foundation and then clean it out when you want to change colours - these pods just snap in and out, no cleaning required!  Not only that, you can switch between foundation, blush and highlighter with absolutely no hassle!  It's very easy to use, just snap in the colour pod, adjust the air pressure for desired coverage (dial up for more coverage, down for less) and off you go!  The AIRbrush is light so it's easy to maneuver and it kind of feels like cool air blowing on your face, be careful if you're ticklish!  You control how narrow or wide the area you cover is by how far you hold the AIRbrush from your face which makes it easy to cover specific areas or hide blemishes. What I really like about airbrushing is how buildable the coverage really is because of all the different ways there are to control the about of foundation that goes on your face.  This is totally different from the way regular foundation is buildable since obviously when you are applying a second layer with a brush or sponge you can't help but wipe a bit of the first layer off when you apply the second - with airbrushing you never actually touch your skin so layer 1 stays put!  I found that there was almost no learning curve, within 3 uses I had the application down pat and you don't need to worry about learning how to do it, the system comes with a user guide and a how-to DVD, they are also very happy to demonstrate the system for you in person at Sephora if you buy it in-store.


The AIR pods themselves come separately:

AIR pod Foundation - $65 for 2 pods - available in 12 colours:  001 porcelain, 002 ivory, 003 warm ivory, 004 sand, 005 beige, 006 warm beige, 007 natural, 008 honey, 009 golden, 010 almond, 011 chestnut and 012 espresso

I quite like the feel of the foundation itself.  It's light and hydrating and with a primer, it has great lasting power on me and a soft looking finish.  I am still on my first pod, to be fair, I don't use it everyday - not that it couldn't be for everyday use but it does take longer to do then slapping some foundation on my face with a brush and my mornings usually are pretty rushed so I have been using it more for weekends and nights out.  I understand that a pod should last about 2 months with regular use - but I expect that would also depend on what coverage setting you use it at too.

AIR pod Blush - $36 for 1 pod - available in 4 colours: 401 pale pink, 402 soft peach, 403 washed rose and 404 sheer berry

I totally love the way airbrushed blush looks!  Having fallen in love with cream blush this summer I am really appreciating this look and again you can really dictate how light or strong the colour is!  If you are a pale face like me, check out the sheer berry, it looks gorgeous on light skin!

AIR pod Highlighter - $42 for 1 pod - available in 4 colours - 301 champagne, 302 gold, 303 bronze and 304 copper

I tried the lightest one, champagne and it was a nice highlighter, I will need to try one of the darker colours and see how it works as a bronzer, I expect it would be a nice effect!  This would also be good for contouring if that's your thing!

If you are still deciding or can't shell out the bucks for the airbrusher, TEMPTU also has a RETOUCH line with airbush quality formulas and high-definition results.  They have a water-enriched silicone formula which allows for a flawless application while moisturizing and conditioning the skin.  The system contains Ceramide 3 and an olive oil vehicle, which nourishes and protects the skin, while Vitamins C & E provide anti-oxidant protection.

RETOUCH Foundation - $56 - with a built in brush applicator it perfects, corrects and minimizes imperfections creating a flawless and radiant complexion.  Available in 12 colours: 001 porcelain, 002 ivory, 003 warm ivory, 004 sand, 005 beige, 006 warm beige, 007 natural, 008 honey, 009 golden, 010 almond, 011 chestnut and 012 espresso

RETOUCH Blush - $42 - with a built in brush applicator it provides a dose of ultra-natural and dewy colour to cheeks with a smooth and lightweight liquid formula.  Available in 4 colours: 401 pale pink, 402 soft peach, 403 washed rose and 404 sheer berry

RETOUCH Highlighter - $48 - with a built in brush applicator it adds an instant and luxurious glow to both face and body.  Available in 4 colours:  301 champagne, 302 gold, 303 bronze and 304 copper

RETOUCH Powder - $51 - with a built in brush applicator it's a lightweight, mineral-based formula that rids you of shine and provides natural looking, satin soft skin.  Available in 6 colours:  200 translucent, 201 soft beige, 202 warm natural, 203 golden honey, 204 deep tan and 205 rich brown

and if that's not enough you can even tattoo yourself with ADORN - $30 - each kit contains: 9 tattoo design sheets, 20 ADORN Tattoo Application Pads, 1 ADORN Tattoo Setting Powder, 1 ADORN Reusable Clear Bag and 1 ADORN Application Instructions & Care Card.

I haven't tried any of the products from the RETOUCH line, I would love to hear opinions about it if anyone has!  And if anyone else has thoughts about the airbrush system, I'd love to hear them too!

TEMPTU also recently launched a website - check out www.lookbookbeauty.com - a behind the scenes look at Fashion Week - where you can see how flawless runway styles are created and how you can do it yourself!  They also have Lookbook Beauty events at Sephora where you can choose your look from TEMPTU's previous fashion shows, have your VIP picture taken and have it automatically posted to Sephora's windows and lookbookbeauty.com.  You can check out their Facebook page to find upcoming Lookbook Beauty events near you.

If you can't make it to an event you can still submit your own "freestyle" look at home to participate which you can share with friends and have a chance to win a VIP ticket to attend Fashion Week Fall 2011!

Finally a cosmetic line to warm Christelle's cold, black heart!  Celebrate your own dark side with a little something from Venomous Villains - just remember that your villain pick says a lot about you...
Cruella de Vil
Eye Shadow - $18.50
Sweet Joy - frosted creamy pale gold (frost)
De-Vil - rich copper (veluxe pearl)

Lipstick - $18.50
Innocence. Beware! - light yellow pink (cremesheen)
Heartless - cherry red (amplified)

Lipglass - $18.50
Wicked Ways - deep fuchsia with pink pearl
Devilishly Stylish - light nude with gold pearl

Powder Blush - $23.50
Darkly My Dear - dirty brown plum (matte)


Beauty Powder - $30
Her Own Devices - cool nude

Penultimate Eye Liner - $20
Rapidblack - true black

Evil Queen (don't you think it's weird that she doesn't have a name?!)
Eye Shadow - $18.50
Her Alter Image - light violet (veluxe pearl)
Vainglorious - bronze burgundy (frost)
Vile Violet - deep dirty blue purple (matte)

Lipstick - $18.50
Toxic Tale - bright coral (satin)

Sinister - soft brown plum (lustre)

Lipglass - $18.50
Strange Potion - soft coral pink
Hot House - deep raspberry with pink pearl

Powder Blush - $23.50
Bite of an Apple - soft coral pink (matte)

Beauty Powder - $30
Oh So Fair - clean pink with gold pearl

Penultimate Brow Marker - $20

Maleficent
Mineralize Eye Shadow (duo) - $25
My Dark Magic - deep pink with pink pearl/deep plum with purple pearl
She Who Dares - deep navy with blue pearl/deep forest green with lime green pearl

Lipstick - $18.50
Violetta - bright clean violet purple (amplified)
Dark Deed - burgundy plum (amplified)

Lipglass - $18.50
Revenge Is Sweet - light yellow purple
Wrong Spell - deep plum with pink purple

Beauty Powder - $30
Briar Rose - soft violet pink with pearl

Nail Lacquer - $15.50
Bad Fairy - red with red multi-changing pearl
Formidable! - teal green with pink multi-changing pearl
Mean & Green - purple with teal multi-changing pearl

Dr. Facilier ( I don't know how a guy got on here instead of Ursulla!)
MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder - $35.50
Truth & Light - sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink
Cajun - sheer bronze shimmer that reflects gold

Lipgelee - $18.50
Resort Life - off white with pink pearl

Greasepaint Stick - $21
Slick Black - true carbon black
French Quarter - dirty black green with multi-colour pearl

Pigment - $23.50
Melon - soft bright golden peach (frost)
Brash & Bold - bright magenta (frost)
Push the Edge - deep bright purple with pearl (frost)

Zoom Fast Black Lash - $16.50 - deepest black

MAC I'm So Vain Mirror - $14.50

Hitting your MAC counter next week on Thursday, September 30th - what is your inner villain compelling you to buy?

The fall collection from GOSH is not what you would usually expect - no fall colours, just a lot of pastels and pinks which of course makes me happy!  You'll be happy to pull out this collection in the dead of winter when you forget what colours look like!
Quattro Eye Shadow - $19 - Limited Edition - Vanity Pastels and Modest Liberty - the compact has a built-in mirror and light so it's great for clubs and the other dark places that Christelle like to hang out in.

Effect Powder - $13 - No 19 - Doll or No 20 - Lime - loose and highly metallic it can be used alone, with another shadow as a highlighter or used wet as an eyeliner for a very bright and intense colour effect. FYI Twilight fans, their white effect powder is amazing used all over the face if you want the sparkly vampire look...for Halloween of course!

Soft'n Shine Lip Balm with SPF 15 - $15 - No 30 - Barbie or No 33 - Scarlet - a hint of colour, a hint of vanilla flavour and a lot moisture and shine.

Cinderella Body Shimmer - $20 - Pink - metallic and shimmery powder which can be applied on arms, neck, eyes, cheek bones and cleavage for shine and sparkle.  It's pink for heaven's sake, what's not to like?!

Natural Blush - $16 - No 39 - Electric Pink - contains mica and ultra-fine bonds of powder particles for a smooth, flawless and silky application and a beautiful, natural finish.

Nail Lacquer - $6 - Limited Edition - No 589 - Sweet Rose, No 591 Silky Mint and No 590 - Yellow Doll  - stay tuned, I'm going to swatch the mint and yellow next week.

You can get your GOSH fall fix at Shoppers Drug Mart!

The limited edition Givenchy Le Prisme Blush Blooming Fuchsias arrived at Sephora just as I thought I was all covered when it comes to blush colors for the new season. But the pretty shade, nice packaging and overall loveliness won me over, so here it is. Givenchy makeup suffers from the Sephora syndrome. It's a great line with high quality products and gorgeous colors; yet many potential customers pass on it since it's a Sephora exclusive. Those of us who avoid the store because of its broken, missing or cootieful testers, horrible loud music and general atmosphere of a high school on the Jersey Shore can always order online, but in many cases (like with this Le Prisme Blush) the photos aren't accurate. I guess that's what beauty bloggers are for.

Blooming Fuchsias blush comes in the quilted Le Prisme format in a special compact that includes a mini brush in the bottom compartment. The brush is much better than those that usually come with blushes- it's wide enough to cover the skin without streaks, so it's usable if you're stuck without a real blush brush. The texture is sliky soft and has no shimmer. The pattern is this abstract splashes of colors, more peony pink than fuchsia, but I'm not complaining. It combines two shades of pink and two shades of beige/tan, so the final result  is a natural warm pink, quite sheer but buildable to the level you want- one side is darker than the other, so you can customize and balance the amount of pigment you pick.

I swatched with the brush that came in the compact, and only swiped it once before taking the picture, so you can see that the lightest application is still visible on my pale to medium olive skin. I think the color would look flattering on most because it is a very natural shade (seriously, ignore the photo on Sephora's website. It made me question both my eyesight and my sanity), but it's probably too sheer for very dark skin.

Givenchy Limited Edition Le Prisme Blush in Blooming Fuchsias for Fall 2010 ($48.50) is a Sephora exclusive. Thankfully it's available online.

Bottom Line: Lovely.

All photos are mine