Chanel Illusion d'ombre - Ebloui

Or, my antidote to Spring!  Have been discussing on twitter how I feel the Spring collections are best left to those in the first flush of youth, rather than those whose flushes are an indication of imminent decrepitude.  Pastel anything leaves me cold to be honest.  Some of  you may also have seen my tweets re Chanel Illusiore d'ombre in Ebloui, I fell and I fell hard!  I googled every blog that had ever blogged a photo of it, google imaged it til my eyes bled and still wanted it.  In the end I convinced Steve that buying it for me would unleash a wanton (one ton?) sex goddess and frankly if after 23 years of marriage he's still stupid enough to buy that line who am I to feel sorry for him?

Of course when it arrived my CId'o *rolls eyes at stupid length of name of gorgeous product* was showing signs of being a bit dried and shrunken. 

Instant gratification girl that I am it took me six hours to think sod it and stick my fingers into it anyway!  In all honesty I think there have only ever been a couple of things in my life that I wanted to touch, and yet was afraid to touch in case it spoilt them, as much as this and neither of them make for suitable subjects on a beauty blog.

Its a sort of pouffy mushroom of loveliness in its pristine condition, see I bet the people at Chanel would have loved that "mais qui, c'est en pouffy champignon d'amour".  Bear with me my porridge is wearing off. And then when you touch it it sort of turns into a  gel/cream type texture.  I have long shunned cream eye shadow as I rather like the ceremony involved when applying shadow with a brush; sweep, tap, apply, repeat - lovely.  The whole dob your finger in the pot, smear the colour on your lids thing is a bit lacking in elegance, to my mind.  But this was Chanel, so I was prepared to make an exception - dobbing and smearing anything from a pot with those interlinked "C's" could never be other than elegant.  

This describes itself as "long wear, luminous eye shadow" I took the pics below after 5 hours of wear and I think the evident creasing belies the claim of "long wear".  I deliberately didn't apply a primer, well I've lost my udpp so I don't actually have a primer at the moment, to see how this would fair on my dry, crepe'y eye lids and it's a little disappointing on the wear front.  Everything else about it is to die for though. Oh my god the colour, I love it!  It pulls a little more bronze on me than I had hoped, I was really wanting it to look more red and initially was disappointed but in daylight the colour is beautiful enough that the fact is more brown than reddy isn't a major issue, am thinking that a careful purchase of something to put in the crease to pull the red/berry tone out of it will help.  I am also considering purchasing an eye liner pencil in a berry shade.  Possibly a Chanel one...... thanks to this particular blog post - thanks Klara! I am having a bit of a love affair with eye liner pencils having applied my UD 24/7 in Whisky recently and been impressed by how much more "made up" it makes me look, something new to add to the lust list! 

So how does it look on?

Gorgeous!  Even in the sub-par environment that is "the context of my face".  I did just apply Ebloui all over my lid and well into my crease, Whisky on lash line and water line, top and bottom and mascara.  Still loving my MAC Tenderling blush which I think works really well with this and Bobbi Brown lip pencil in Cocoa which sort of browned down my Benefit lipstick which is pink but I can't remember name of!

You can see the creasing quite clearly - this was applied at 6.15am and I was taking the pics at about 11.15am.

Whilst I hate the pic it does show this off nicely!  I am really glad I opted for Ebloui and I think I might go down the route of a Chanel pencil rather than buying Illusoire, although then again, I might not - will need to see it in the flesh to make a final decision.  If anyone can recommend an eye shadow I could apply in the crease to pull out the red tones in this please let me know.

Chanel Paradoxal

I have never been a lucky sort of person so I was totally amazed when I won not once but twice on the Lipglossiping Advent New Year give away!



I was so excited when Charlotte confirmed I had won Paradoxal as I had really fancied it back when it came out but would never be tempted to part with the sort of wedge Chanel demand for their nail polishes, I mean how much better than any other polish can brush, application and formula be?


I know all about aspirational products and the adoration those interlocking C's generate but hey its only nail varnish.

Just goes to show what I know!  It's a bit like the nail varnish angels have left heaven, decended to your kitchen and have applied this for you, given your cuticles a quick nudge and massage and done the washing up too.  Of course being a mousey greyed purple its a bitch to photo and all you get is the shimmery purple, which is lovely but frankly I have a million shimmery purple polishes.  What I really love is what you actually see when you aren't pointing a camera at this, that mousey greyed out colour.  Its not in this next photo,

But by the miracle of me being a photographic genius, or perhaps because I can make stuff happen in LightRoom! it is in this one:


I was in swatching mode not mani mode on Sunday when I took these photos so slapped 3 coats on my left hand, no base and no top coat, today its Wednesday and whilst its no longer looking perfect it only has a couple of little chips and some tip wear, neither of which were bugging me til I typed this and now it has to go! I consider myself incredibly lucky to have won this, but I think I may live to regret it as has potential to cost me a fortune, the brush, application and formula of this are all exemplary and the hideous price for a bit of nail paint is fully justified.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

I was not a happy bunny when I looked in the mirror before doing my FOTD pics this morning.  After treating myself to the foundation I had been wanting since I got the first sachet out of Glamour mag I had imagined that I would look radiant, glowing and non-doughy the first time I used it from the tube. Instead my skin looked dry, felt tight and had no glow at all.  Admittedly I am also using a new Botanics serum, more on that in a later post, and had perhaps scrimped on my moisturiser. 

Because we live in the basement I never get to do my face in natural light, which is both a blessing and a curse, so at 11am I dragged everything up stairs, cleaned off the make up I put on at 7am in the basement, was a bit more liberal with the moisturiser and re-did my face in full daylight.  

Couple of things I need to explain.  My cheeks, chin and nose are blessed with rosacea, which varies in intensity depending on loads of factors, main trigger is hormonal though.  Foundation that offers enough coverage to deal with the rosacea has a tendency to sit in my pores and look powdery and horrid.  Yesterday was a nightmare, I was wearing Lancome Teint Miracle and for some reason it sank into the pores on my chin and came off of the surrounding area so in effect I had powdery dots with redness all around - looked bloody terrible.  When I re-applied the Chanel this morning it was lovely on my chin, looked smooth and fresh with no powderyness, but sadly on my cheeks the redness still showed through and adding more foundation started to make things a bit dry and tight feeling.

This has been a lot of words, have a couple of pics to keep you going!



Fab light today so all posts this week will have tonnes of pics!

I was having a grump and was having a look at Twitter to cheer myself up when I noticed Helen at Sparklz & Shine had rt a link to a post by Kenneth Soh, which was the answer to my issues! I am so glad she did!  Having read Kenneths really interesting post about mixing and blending to customise the products you are using I have decided to do just that - I am going to see what happens when I wear the Lancome which I love for its coverage, combined with the Chanel which I love because its Chanel it's fresh and non powdery!

POST EDIT: Kenneth Soh is a god!  When I commented on his post yest about foundation layering he replied with some fantastic advice.  So as he suggested this morning I dotted a little of the Lancome on cheeks and chin where I needed additional cover, added a thin layer of the Chanel all over and a second thin layer on chin and cheeks and then buffed.  I have never buffed my foundation in before - you know what? It makes you look like you have good skin, not like you are wearing good make up.  Am now going to google foundation buffing brushes, but if anyone has any tips let me know - should it be a kabuki style brush?  If so have found a use for one more of those No 7 £5 vouchers!!

Just in case anyone is still here reading here are a couple of fotd pics.


Call yourself a photographer woman, bloody hell??  The delicious orange glow in the photo above is as a direct result of me forgetting to adjust the white balance on the photo when I was processing it.  This is how it should have looked:






I think what I love best about this pic is that it is quite apparent that the Chanel shade 20 Beige Tendre is much too dark for me (less obvious with post processing sorted out!!). £31 well spent or what -hopefully mixing with the Lancome will deal with that too.  Had another go with the Revlon matt blue eye shadow this morning, I am really liking this bit of colour now!

One last thing before I go, the Illamasqua SA yesterday convinced me that for me nude lips can only look "freshly dug up".  Instead she sold me a very lovely liquid lipstick, which I am wearing in these pics, its getting a post of its own soon!

Huddersfield - batten down the hatches, I'm coming in.

Have had a really lousy couple of weeks, sometimes life's like that. Move on.

Tomorrow I am going into Huddersfield and it seems to have become a bit of a Revlon mish.  Have been googling the matte collection and am feeling the love.

Am rather fancying matte eye shadow in Riviera blue and maybe in the dark green if I can get it  - it's not on Boots www.

Will be checking out the lipsticks too - sort of fancying Cocoa Craving depending on how it looks in the flesh.  The new ColourBurst lipstick in Soft Nude, looks fantastic, although again no sign of it on Boots site, Rosy Nude and Blush are also worth a peek.  Tragically am loving the whole quilty case and "Revlon" stamped in the front of the lippy, so high-end wannabe you have to love them.  This is a boundary pusher for me, am so in love with the whole nude concept am prepared to overlook the fact that it might not suit me so watch this space for some "fresh from the grave" fotd's soon!  Also need a complete Avene stock up and want to get the serum as well to try. 

oh and I might also perhaps maybe just possibly buy a teeny tiny bottle of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. maybe. But dont tell anyone, ok?

Saturday shopping list

Off to Leeds with Em today, we are on a make up only mission.  Although will be purchasing Armani or CK tighty whities for her bf for Valentines day, ladies she is one lucky girl he is seriously fit.  Is it wrong to perv on your daughters bf?  Yea, thought so.  Moving on.

Leeds - have been vacillating between the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich all week.  One day one works really well, then the next it is suddenly dry on my nose, or makes my face feel tight.  Overall think the Chanel gives better coverage and is certainly more buildable, the BB is thinner and I find it harder to build up.  Problem with the Chanel on nose and chin, my 2 major problem areas, is that the Chanel seemed to manage to combine sinking into my pores with sliding around, how is that even possible?  This morning have put some Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting touch under it and so far it is looking much better, so have a feeling am going to come home with that!

Also after another BB creamy lip stick, having looked on the website Twilight might be the one depending on how it is in the flesh.

Have a £5 Boots voucher to use before tomorrow so that is probably going towards a Ruby and Millie eye shadow brush.

Mentioned earlier in week huge painful lump on my nose, have spent the last 2 days worried it was a boil, have never felt anything like it, rubbing in moisturiser without having taken a pain killer first nearly reduced me to tears, I kid you not.  Last night it was agony and now this morning it seems to be less so, so perhaps the worst is over and its going to sod off.  Please, please sod off.

Have a fab Saturday everyone.

Quick FOTD

Eye - Whisky liner, Virgin all over, Buff in Crease, Face - Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Beige Tendre, Dusting Diorskin translucent powder nose and chin, MAC cream blush in Lilicent, Lips - was Bobbi Brown Cocoa pencil and Cream lipstick in Heather Buff

No prizes for guessing what I used!  Whisky liner top and bottom, Virgin all over and for a change (!) Buff in crease, its quick, effective - I think, and I don't have to think about it, with UDPP under of course.  Having used the palette a couple of times now I would have liked a matte light shadow - virgin is a tad shimmery for me to be completely happy with it on lid, fine for brow highlight and perhaps if Hustle and/or Toasted could have been matte too, not used them yet and tbh am a little put off by the shimmery'ness.  Tomorrow might try my UNE matte cream shadow all over and maybe try Toasted or Hustle in the crease. 

Good old Emily!

Bless her, she went to Selfridges in her lunch break and bought 3 more copies of Glamour, sold 2 to her colleagues at work and is giving the other to her friend - but first she swiped the sachets of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua out of them for her mother, isn't she a total honey?!  Of course she told the ladies who purchased the mags what she had done, in case you think she is a heathen!

Having a few dryness issues with it today, have just had to rub some moisturiser into nose and chin to haul it out from pores in chin and to de-flake nose.  That said nose is still suffering from this hideously painful lump under the surface of the skin so that wont be helping.  Think will decant all 3 sachets into a little pot as have a feeling first squirt was the watery element and today got the powder side, perhaps if better mixed it will be balanced all the time.

Em and I planning girly shopping trip to Leeds on Saturday so thinking will try and get samples of Guerlain Lingerie de Peau (as raved about by Cheeky Beauty) Chanel Vitalumiere the normal version and MAC Studio Sculpt too as it's what Em uses and although I think it can look a bit mask like maybe with a lighter application it would good.  No plan to make rash purchase this time - am almost being grown up about this!  If anyone can think of any others they would suggest please let me know, ta.

Foundation - another contender

Disappointed with a capital "d" with the Bobbi Brown sample I got.  On initial application it is incredibly moisturising, almost too much so and is very shiny.  And then, even without any powder after an hour or so it is dry, tight, itchy and looks powdery as hell.

Got a sample of Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in a magazine (Edit: it was the January Feb issue of Glamour just in case you fancy trying it) at the weekend and with nothing to lose slapped some on.  First impressions good, it is quite strongly perfumed, but I like that.  It is slippy, very liquid and light in texture and I immediately assumed coverage would be pants.  It applies really nicely, blends easily - so far not taken a brush to it only used my fingers and no issues at all.  As you may have read in earlier posts my nose is having some serious issues right now.  When I applied a reasonable amount of this foundation it looked dry and flaky and not great at all, Em was at home and she insisted that I wasn't using enough, I needed to build up the coverage - with other foundations that would be a terrible idea but this stuff is amazing. I added a good bit more, till I was happy with the coverage and it looked fine, not great but not bad at all.  When I looked in the mirror 20 minutes later it is no exaggeration to say that it looked terrific, total coverage with no tell tale redness or dryness.  The foundation seemed to have melded into my skin.  I have a glow!  Not the sheen of a shimmer filled foundation either, and not shiny "lard face" shine, just a glow as if lit from within, I ate a candle style!  So this stuff is either fab or I am about to discover that Steve and I are increasing the size of our family!!  

So photos, as I have them thought it would be useful to add the photos from last week to this too.

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Beige Tendre - 20

Bobbi Brown - the 3 coats photo

Max Factor Experience Weightless foundation

Now clearly for £9.99 the Max Factor is more than holding its own, but when you compare the £27 Bobbi Brown with the £31 (shee'it!) Chanel the difference, on my skin at least, is marked.

Couple that really show off the "glowy" effect of the Chanel.

I really like how my skin looks in this - glow not shine.

Ok some fair old shine here but that was full light from the window, where its not beaming it does look much nicer than usual!

Having done a bit off googling it seems that Vitalumiere Aqua went on sale in the UK on 14th January - although its not availalble on the Boots website at the mo I think it is on Debenhams and Selfridges.  Frankly if you are in your 40's with dry, lack lustre skin that can never get enough moisture, with pores that seem to suck your foundation into them to make a real feature of them, with a propensity to just generally look a bit shite, then this is the foundation for you.  All £31 of it.  Did I mention the price?  Luckily I have a little cash stash for just such purchasing emergencies - shhh!  Oh and better than all that it comes in a lovely tube, all the better for hacking up to get out the last very vital drops.

Life in freefall and a duty free haul

Selling a business and buying a house is exhausting and a complete and utter sodding nightmare, I am totally strung out and don't have the energy for photos of my purchases but have found a couple of great products that I want to share and I need to update on the Clinque eyebrow pencil I bought recently.

First up, best new foundation ever Max Factor Experience weightless foundation, it is billed as weightless flawless foundation and is frankly both and brilliantly. I honestly think it is the best foundation I have ever bought. Had loved Second Skin and was running out when I read this review on the Beauty Bite for this product and whilst on her lovely skin it looked like it might be a bit sheer I wasn't sure that it could be and still claim that all important "flawless" tag. Spent an age slapping it on in Superdrug (its not in Boots yet) and am seriously pleased that I did. I used Creamy Ivory in Second Skin and find that Beige Linen in this is actually a better shade for me. It has quite a dense, creamy texture which is great for my dry skin and gives great coverage, and builds well if needed. It is much less sheer than Second Skin so if you are feeling with the winter coming that you want a bit more between your pores and the rest of the world I would recommend this. I love it with my MAC Uncommon creme blush on top, will try and get some pics when I look less haggard.

Whilst in Superdrug I bought two MUA eyeshadows for £1 each, got shades 12 and 14 and am seriously impressed, Leanne has done a fab review so I recommend having a read of that.

After a week in Ireland stood in a field in the cold and rain, all in the name of earning a living (say it with me Fran "I must get a proper job"!) I decided that I NEEDED a duty free splurge. I got Clarins gentle peeling exfoliant, Clarins Eau Dynamisant shower gel, Chanel Aqualumiere gloss (a real treat!) and a clinique extra fine liner for brows. I also bought Em a MAC lip gloss in Bountiful, because she's my honey.

Having used the new Clinque brow pencil for weeks and struggled to draw my crappy brows into something that looked half decent I decided to go back to the super fine liner. I think the new thicker brow pencil would be great if you have fab brows that you just want to define, if you have crap brows that you have to create freehand then I for my money you'd be better off with the super fine liner. Lesson learned!