Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Swatches

I wish someone had told me it was Chanel week on BBB; I would have dressed up!

Lets turn our attention to Chanel Illusion D'Ombre. Described as long-wearing luminous colours, I was dubious at first after being very unimpressed with my first swatching session on Friday. I went back on Sunday however & was completely blown away by both of these shades Mirifique & Epatant. (I have since been back & purchased Emerveille, don't tell anyone...)

I suppose they could be compared to the Armani Eyes To Kill Intense shadows, but they do feel a bit different. The Armani shadows still have an element of powderyness to them; although the Chanel pots look crumbly, they are almost gel like in texture. This is, apparently, thanks to the unique silicone base - helping them glide on beautifully & of course last for hours & hours & hours (and hours).

These finger-tip amounts are all you need to completely cover an entire lid. The pigmentation is high & true. The glitter stays put & I experienced no drop-out when I wore Mirifique in this FOTD...

And finally! No crappy little sponge applicators in sight. Chanel have included (for your £22.50!) a compact little spatula shaped brush, which is perfect for covering the entire lid & creating a gorgeous cat eye, or for creating a lovely sharp line.

LOVE!

FOTD Feat. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Mirifique

I was going to post full review pics up of these first, but I loved today's makeup so much, I thought I'd get an FOTD up asap! I tweeted this morning about my 'disco goth' look, which was completely inappropriate for the office, but it was my first day back after my wee trip to hospital, so thought I'd glam it up!

I had checked these out on Friday & my gut reaction was that the black was too sparkly, the white too cheap, the plums too meh but after going back in on Sunday, a bit more relaxed & swatching properly, I have completely changed my mind. Mirifique is gorgeous. These swatches were taken at about 6pm, a good 8 or 9hrs after applying my makeup. Apart from a little creasing just around my crease, this stuff did not budge. Glossy, wet-look lids anyone?

I topped my moody rocking look off with some skull studs from Talullah Tu.

The Chanel Illusion D'Ombre pots are available from £22.50 each. Thoughts? Have you already snapped up your favourite shades?

Christian Louboutin Book

This will be my payday purchase even though technicallly, technically it wont count until October as it is on pre-order only at the mo...

"This stunning volume, with a fanciful and intricate pop-up, an elaborate foldout cover, and dramatic still-life photography, evokes the artistry and theatricality of Louboutin's shoe designs...

...The book is divided into six chapters. The first chapter covers Louboutin's biography, his start as a designer from his work for Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent to his first boutique in 1992, and his early creations and influences illustrated with many never-seen-before photos from his personal archives; chapter two features the Louboutin boutiques around the world showcasing the varied and extravagant interior designs and displays; chapter three is "20 years of design" and highlights his shoe designs from over the years with all-new still-life photography, as well as editorial art; chapter four features the spectacular interiors of Louboutin's homes in Paris and Luxor, Egypt, and behind-the-scenes shots from his studios and workshops; chapter five focuses on his creative collaborations with David Lynch, of a series called "Fetish," of limited-edition shoes by Louboutin and limited-edition photos by Lynch; chapter six is a complete catalogue raisonne of his work, with photos of all 120 shoe designs." (Amazon 2011)

You can currently pre-order on a variety of sites - Amazon so far being the best value with approx £40 off the RRP. The only problem is, I want the cover pictured above, with the pink shoes & the photo on Amazon has a grey shoe. Hmmmm quandry indeed.

In celebration of this fabulous, fabulous book that will be gracing my yet-to-be-discovered-perfect-coffee-table, here are some of my top Louby picks...

(I tried these on this store in Vegas. They are NOT comfy, but sooo pretty!)

Chanel Peridot

I haven't really splurged for ages... in fact, I think it was probably June the last time I bought something more exciting than basics & today I got rather carried away in Chanel. I popped in for a re-purchase of Rouge Noir (Jane from BB recently said if she was cut open, her dna would be little double 'c's - my blood runs Rouge Noir through & through..) and left with more than I'd intended. *ahem*. Please don't tell my husband.

I will be covering the eyeshadows and 'Quartz' over the next couple of weeks; today is all about Peridot. This picture below just screams 'christmas' at me!!

Like you (probably!) I have seen 100's of blog swatches of Peridot over the last few weeks and had been left completely cold by what I'd seen and so, until today, I hadn't even bothered checking out for myself. I had it marked down as a yucky green (the same way I felt about Paradoxal), metallicy bogey colour that had no place in my strict nail wardrobe of creme black, red & nude. Look how wrong I was!!! Just look at the amazing, gorgeous complexity of this shade! It's stunning!

It's very green/gold on me. I know on some the pay-off can be very yellow (Louise from Get Lippie did not want!). These swatches are all over a clean nail, no base coat, 2 coats of polish with the Chanel top coat as a final layer.

Brush marks are evident very slightly in some lights but generally the application & finish was very smooth & even.

I'm in love. Are you? Have you snapped it up or giving it a miss? Incidently, I also swatched Graphite today and I did not like it. Disappointing, but all the more for you die-hard metallic fans!

Clinique 'The New Black' Fall Collection

I am a leetle late to the party with Clinique's autumn offering as it's been available since August 1st but nonetheless, this collection is GLORIOUS!

The 'New Black' collection has been inspired by the iconic lipstick shade 'Black Honey', with the gorgeous deep berry colours being translated into products for the eyes & cheeks, as well as featuring the original 'almost lipstick'.

This dual-ended lip product features the 'almost lipstick' in Black Honey on one end, with a gorgeous high-shine gloss (also in Black Honey) on the other. The lipstick is not quite a full-on lipstick, its consistency is more balmy with a tint of colour. It appears jet black in the bullet, but its payoff is a gorgeous glossy sheer berry, giving that 'just kissed' effect.

In a similar way, the gloss appears deep dark blood red in the bottle, but is very sheer and worn over the top of the lipstick, provides the perfect effortless red lip. This double ended lip is limited edition (the regular Black Honey lipstick is permanent), so if you want to get your hands on the gloss, get down to your local counter tout de suite.

Thankfully, the product developers at Clinique didn't just chuck a load of dark browns together for this eye quad; it actually features some very beautiful, flattering & easy to wear shades. And with all Clinique products, you can be assured of their quality - the eyeshadows are always guaranteed to be soft & easily blendable, whilst retaining an excellent pay-off. (ps, this is also LE!)

My 2 favourite shades are this gorgeous satin mushroomy peach, 2nd from the left and...

... the stunning rustic, golden brown on the end. I've had a bit of a play with the colours already & these 2 together will look incredible on blue & brown eyes.

My last top pick from this collection is the Brush-On Cream Liner in 'Black Honey'. I have owned & loved the liner in Black for a couple of years & think this shade is going to slot right into my makeup bag. It is much more day-time wearable than black, for those who prefer a much softer line on their eyes. It also has gorgeous gold flecks the whole way through, adding a touch of light. This shade is a permanent addition to the line.

This collection launched on the 1st August and can be found online. Have you already purchased? What's your favourite?

Bring MAC to Aberdeen!!

Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know that I often make trips to London & Glasgow especially for makeup shopping & I've decided enough is enough! To put into context it's actually quicker (and usually not much more expensive!) to fly to London from Aberdeen than it is to take the train to Glasgow!

In Aberdeen we can't buy MAC, Laura Mercier, NARS, Urban Decay, Shu Uemura, Illamasqua etc etc. I've decided it's time to use people power for good & lets start with getting MAC to Aberdeen!!

If you want to help the campaign, you can go to this Facebook page & 'like' it. It doesn't take much for brands to sit up & listen so even if you don't live in Aberdeen go show some sisterly solidarity & help us north-east makeup lovers out!

WOOTD!

2 of our lovely friends got married yesterday & I know how much you bunch enjoy an occasional OOTD post, so here is a bit of a haphazard 'WOOTD'!

My dress first of all was from Phase Eight, currently available in the sale! The draping around the shoulders & tummy areas gave it a really flattering shape (one for the curvier ladies!). I had intended on wearing a watch & had picked out either my gold Michael Kors or white ceramic Fossil. In the end, I completely forgot to pop one on & spent most of the day in a timeless bubble!

My necklace was from Butler & Wilson last year which I actually wore to my own wedding. I love how I can wear it again & again. The shoes were Dorothy Perkins from about 3 years ago - I bought them for my engagement party in 2008!

I wanted to do something a bit different with my hair; I normally wear it down, big & curly for a 'do'. I watched a few tutorials by Lilith Moon, grabbed a few kirbies & got going!

I started by curling all of my hair using straighteners. I sectioned off the crown & 2 sections at the front & pinned them out the way. I popped the rest of it into a low ponytail and started just randomly pinning curled sections up working around in a circle, basically forming a bun shape. I placed the hairband on in-front of the crown section, but behind the 2 sections at the front. I then backcombed the crown and pinned those curls into the rest of the bun. Next, I twisted small sections on each side of the 2 front sections and pinned the twisted sections around the back, using them to hide the hairband. Et Voila! Took about 20 -30 minutes.

And because I'm so good to you, here's a sneaky snap of the happy couple!