Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer 02 Medium

Clinique’s new Superbalanced Bronzer is different to any other I’ve tried… it’s really rather clever - you could almost call it ‘more than bronzer!’  The name refers to its ability to balance moisture levels in our skin: hydrating where needed while controlling oil levels.  I know bronzer usually improves skin’s appearance, but this seems to give actual coverage, refining the skin’s appearance and leaving a subtle sheen (not shimmer or shine!), so while it’s fairly matt, it’s not flat.

 

The powder, which contains 80% minerals, is freshly ground each time you use it. So it’s both compact and loose & doesn’t make a mess (told you it was clever!).  You just twist the white plastic ring around the edge to dispense as much as required… I find it only takes a couple of mm to get enough for a full face - and of course with bronzer, less is always more - it’s much easier to build it up than reduce it.  Oh and yes, it is buildable too.

Just a little twist makes it look like this ^^ mmm chocolatey…  I dip the brush straight into this and swirl it around the pan or lift a little with the bristles and tap off any excess on the back of my hand.

 

I’ve been using my a-design small kabuki brush to apply this… it’s dense, yet loose enough to give a gentle sweep of colour and is supersoft.  You can pick these up soon at Cocktail Cosmetics for £14.95, though the powder brushes currently in stock (£10.95-14.95) look great too.

The pic above right is how it looks when first dipped in the bronzing powder… I was a bit nervous at how deep the colour looked, but it’s actually quite workable.

Swatches

I’ve included quite a few swatches as with so many bronzers around it’s difficult to choose which one is right for you - I hope this is helpful. As you can see my skin was very pale and freckly before starting. I’d normally go for a lighter bronzer, but I think the pics show just how versatile this one is & it will be fine when I’ve a bit more colour.

Can you see the subtle sheen I referred to in the sunlit pic?

 

The above shot blended over my whole arm illustrates the coverage I referred to. Note how the freckles are almost blended out compared to the earlier pic… the skintone looks really smooth and even - and a whole lot better in my opinion!  When applied fully like this, the colour is a proper holiday tan shade.

The coverage means I might brave this on its own or over BB cream in the height of summer (glances up at grey clouds) though it works perfectly over foundation with no need for additional powder.  It’s a touch dark for me at the moment but I’m sure the Light shade would be gorgeous on pale skins.

Last but not least, the compact comes in this gorgeous little Pucci-esque drawstring bag (for a limited time only)!

Mineral and antioxidant-rich, lightweight, oil-free, fragrance-free & 100% allergy tested,  Clinique Superbalanced Powder Bronzer comes in shades 01 Light & 02 Medium (mine is 02) and costs £25 at Garden.co.uk & all the usual outlets.

sample

Megan Miller UK Launch ~ Velvet Lounge ~ Monday Mani

Since trying my first Megan Miller nail polish last week I’ve realised that the arrival of this American brand on UK shores has been long awaited.  At the moment it’s available exclusively at cutECOsmetics who kindly sent me this shade to share with you.

While Velvet Lounge isn’t a typical Summer nail polish, I’ve really enjoy wearing it over the weekend and received so many compliments.  I have to admit that while I was bursting to try these polishes, the packaging was a big part of what drew me in…I did not expect to be so blown away the formula.  But hands up, it’s one of the best I’ve tried… definitely right up there with my other big loves: Dior, Nubar & Essie. It applies like liquid silk... can’t think of a better way to describe it.

The bottle is super sweet though, right?

My application is less than perfect around the nail bed (I’ve lost my beloved Ruby & Millie clean up pen) but can you see how flipping glossy this is - with no topcoat?!  Unlike the Pink Lily, this was almost perfect in just one coat, but I added a second to make it completely opaque.  I’d describe the colour as a blackened purple or very dark aubergine. You can see the purple tones best where the light hits the top of the bottle above.

And it does look a bit cute next to Pink Lily.  In fact I think these two would look divine as a reverse French mani - Pink Lily with Velvet Lounge tips. I wonder if my hand is steady enough to do this!

I wasn’t going to do a Monday Mani this week as I seem to have done so many nail posts recently & don’t want to bore you, but these polishes have honestly blown me away a bit.

Velvet Lounge is available alongside the full range at cutECOsmetics.co.uk for £8.95 with free UK p&p. The new Summer pastel ice-cream shades, Lemon Ice & Giada Pink are adorable - if you try one please let me know what you think (& if I need it!) ;-)

Thanks so much for reading & please pop back soon as I have some gorgeous products to tell you about this week! Nic xx

Paint for Life with BeautyUK

As social media savvy brands learn to interact with and listen to their followers and fans, the potential for Twitter, Facebook and blogs to make a genuine impact becomes more evident. Just over a year ago, BeautyUK Cosmetics asked people what ideas they’d come up with to create their own nail polish.  One girl, Samantha said she’d love to have a range of pink polishes designed to raise money for a Breast Cancer Charity.

This was her inspiration… 

BeautyUK Cosmetics was so touched by the idea that they have been working hard for the past year to help Sam's idea materialise. With the help of a beauty blogger, BeautyUK went on to develop and release a 'Paint for Life' trio nail boxset with the aim of raising £50,000 for Cancer Research UK.

The Paint for Life boxset includes three shades of pretty pink nail polish: ‘hope’, ‘strength’ and ‘love’.  From every £5.99 set sold online and in Superdrug shops nationwide, £1 will be donated directly to breast cancer research.

Aid for Cancer Research UK: http://www.beautyukcosmetics.com/paint-for-life

Sweet Dreams….

 

Thanks to everyone who entered my Sleepy Giveaway

The winners are…

Set of Kneipp Bath Oil Minis - Lisa

 

Badger Balm Sleep Balm x 2 - Nikki & Jo

Just send me your addresses girls & peaceful nights will be in the post! :)

strawberryblondebeauty@gmail.com

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

XXX

Megan Miller Nail Polish Collection ~ Pink Lily

Megan Miller environmentally friendly 3 Free nail polish is made from the finest ingredients.  I couldn’t wait to get my paws on one of these cute little bottles which deserves to be kept on display at all times!

The little round bottle is custom designed and moulded, tied with raffia and the textured cork lid (with gives brilliant grip!) is  printed on top with the feather logo.

Application was dreamy - honestly one of the smoothest I’ve tried. The specially designed brush (sorry I should have taken a pic) gives a great precision and a really lovely finish. I’m not a fan of gloopy polishes and while this one took 3 thin coats for opacity, I’ll take that over two gloopy ones any day.

 

It wasn’t easy to capture the tones of this pink, which is pretty much the perfect pale pink I’ve been looking for! I took these pics at the end of a cloudy day when there was little natural light.  Pink Lily is soft and warm with no grey, white or blue tones - delicate but definite and not wishy washy.

I went outside in an attempt to catch the last bit of daylight and managed to nick my little nail en route.  I noticed that this polish is quite soft and does seem to take a while to set, so I’d definitely recommend using a topcoat with it.

Inspired by the display the peacock portrays when its feathers are in full bloom, it’s available in a really unusual range of gorgeous colours and is exclusive to cutECOsmetics in the UK at £8.95 for 15ml.

Will you be adding one of these to your collection?

ps I started this blog one year ago today - a huge, ginormous thank you to everyone who reads and subscribes - I can’t begin to tell you what it means to me. xxx

New Clinique Chubby Sticks ~ Summer 2012

Following this week’s twitter convo re the joys of Clinique Chubby Sticks I’m excited to share that eight vibrant new shades will be added to the collection on 1st June 2012.

These colourful twist-up, non-sharpen lip crayons add a slick of colour, moisture and a sheeny finish that’s perfect for Summer. If you haven’t tried them, don’t be put off by the vivid tones as they really do just add a light glaze of colour to the lips, rather than full on pigment a la lipstick.

As if the prettiness is not enough, these colour balms are deeply moisturising, infused with Shea Butter, Mango Seed Butter and Jojoba Seed Oil - yum!

The names are pretty cute too… shades I haven’t included here are Heaping Hazelnut, Two Ton Tomato, Pudgy Peony, Bountiful Blush and Voluptuous Violet.  All are 100% fragrance free, allergy & dermatologist tested.

The new Clinique Chubby Stick shades will be available at Clinique counters nationwide or online from 1st June - rrp £16 / €19.

Pudgey Peony & Voluptuous Violet sound irresistible to me…. which do you fancy?

Lash Genius by Anastasia Beverley Hills ~ waterproof your mascara

If you’ve ever cried at a movie (or in my case, an advert), wished you could emerge from the ocean movie star style (as opposed to panda style), or had a teary ‘Long Goodbye’ airport moment… this is for you.

This month US brand, Anastasia Beverley Hills, launched Lash Genius - a transparent topcoat that can be applied on top of any mascara to provide an instant waterproof finish.  It offers a perfect solution for anyone jetting off on holiday who doesn’t want to fork out for a separate mascara - or those of us left at home in the rain!

It also acts a bit like a nailpolish topcoat - in that it increases the longevity of your mascara and helps avoid it drying out or flaking.  I also found that it made my mascara look more glossy and feel softer to the touch and can be used on both natural lashes and falsies.

Lash Genius is the first product of this type that I have come across, though I believe there are others.

This one has been dermatologist tested and is hypoallergenic, paraben & fragrance free and costs $21 from Anastasia.net who offer world wide delivery.

I was sent this one for review, but am hoping that our only UK based Anastasia stockist, Cult Beauty will have it soon, though am pleased to see they now have the Beauty Express Brow Kit that I reviewed here {link} for £27.50.

Have you tried any Anastasia products?  The Brow Wiz is next on my list!