Autumn/Winter 2013 Make-up Favourite Looks

"The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion" - Yves Saint-Laurent

Berry/Wine/Plum Lips

Embrace your inner Goth and go for an edgy dark berry lip colour keeping the eyes simple – an instant winter statement. I particular love the matte plum shades, you can simply blot any excess away to tweek the pigmentation to your liking and you are ready to go. The versatility of a matte lipstick means you can finish it off with a hint of gloss for a night out!

Left to Right: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Rouge Volupté Shine lipstick in shade Prune in Fire £24 from Selfridges | 

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in Wine £5.49 from Superdrug 

Classic Smokey Eyes

My all-time favourite look, yes the classic smoky eye is a timeless look that can bring out the depths of your eye colour if worked correctly. For Autumn/Winter I like to experiment by mixing subtle plum colour for my bottom eye line – I then team this up with my trusty black kohl liner and blend to create a subtle impact. For instant drama I like to pin my hair back and letting my eyes do all the taking, this adds instant glamour without overdoing it, remember to keep the lips nude for a balanced look.

Nude Lips

Yes the au natruale nude lips are still dominating this season, an easy way to create and lustre and youthful complexion if done correctly! See my earlier blogpost on finding the perfect nude lip shade for your skin tone here.

See my earlier review about the Perfect Nude Lipstick by clicking on the above link!

Bold Brows

I am proud to embrace my natural thick eyebrows, dare I say it they have become one of my signature beauty traits (and have done so for some time)! The likes of Miss Delevingne have certainly shown that having a fuller brow not only makes you look a lot youthful but can transform the whole shape of your face. I tend to use my HD Brows kit to perfect my brows. Another trick is to use a little bit of Vaseline to add instant definition to your brows. Less of the plucking now ladies!

HD Eye & Brow Palette in Vamp £19.96 from HD Brows 

Brrr-ace yourself for Winter!

...ArA...

L’Oreal Paris Colour Richee Collection Privée Lipstick Review

...Labia lege...

Searching for that perfect daytime/office nude lipstick for everyday wear can easily become a forever searching task, especially when matching it to your own skintone; you do not want to make that mistake of looking washed out or looking as though you have sun cream on your lips! 

L’Oreal Privée have recently launched their limited edition nude lipsticks that are endorsed by their own leading spokespersons (no doubt which we all can recognise these famous women from that glamorous advert launched this September). The collection is  targeted for all different skintones in six different shades.

I adore the pretty matte black and golden detailed packaging; that oozes a classy vibe - they are definitely on the higher end look of drug-store products (no doubt this is the norm with most L’Oreal packaging - the “we-are-worth-it” effect justifying this splurge).  

I managed to pick up Rosewood Beige by Julianne Moore, Peach Sin by Eva Longroia and Greige Glow by Cheryl.  The Rosewood Beige is defiantly the “pinkier” one of the three, although my favourite is the Peach Sin by Eva Longroia as it blends in well with my natural lip colour and is more of a dusty nude peach with a hint of slight shimmer. All three leave a shiny finish as with all of the Colour Richee L'Oreal lipsticks, therefore if you are looking for a matt nude then this collection may not be for you. 

With the cheeky hint of shimmer these nude shades can easily be used with deep smoky eyes for glamour’s evening look as well; giving your lips an understated glossy finish balanced with defined eye makeup. I will definitely be adding these to my autumn/winter makeup! They appear more pigmented to be classed as "nude" in these photos ( see hand swatch below), but on lips they easily blend well to give a slight shimmer and nude colour glow. 

Lipstick Swatches

This is what the description details of each of these three shades that I picked up:

Eva Longoria: Barely Golden. With a hint of gold added, the best to capture the radiance of matte skin and sublimate the complexion, the sunkissed effect is worthy of the influential woman!
Cheryl: Barely Greige. Ultra-chic and rich in iridescence, barely greige offers a discreet contrast to the skin, thereby enhancing the natural beauty of the complexion.
Julianne Moore: Barely Peach. Sensual and delicate to the extreme, enhances the radiance of pale complexions and endows them with elegance and sophistication.

Overall I am impressed with this nude collection, I feel they are very wearable and can suit most skin complexions and are a good reasonable quality! Being nude in colour they do not have a strong wearing power (roughly 2-3 hours) but this is expected.

The full collection is available online and in store (although some stores seem to be low on stock) in Boots and Superdrug retailing at £8.19 each. 

...ArA...

Heavenly Butterness… Korres Lip Butter Review

...Labia Lege...


I have always tried to be more “nicer” to my skin and have avoided the usage of harsh chemicals from my beauty regimes (emphasise added to tried, where I can at least, it can be hard in this modern world) to avoid the exposure to ingredients which I cannot even spell myself or know of the faintest idea of its origin.

Korres is a Greek skin and beauty company that have been around for 15 years and have mastered in my opinion the philosophy of using natural ingredients which form the basis of their products. They still contain some factory ingredients that are used in cosmetics, but they are based on natural extracts. Originally having extensive homoeopathic pharmacy experience they expanded into a skin and beauty line (from fragrance, hair care, cosmetics, organic oils…the list goes on, they know their natural stuff)!

The quirky and contemporary cardboard outer packaging is art work itself (killed me to throw the packaging away, for a moment I thought I was throwing away a piece of Monet). I have the Wild Rose and Jasmine Lip Butters (they are also available in Quince, Guava, Pomegranate and Mango). They come in cute little 6ml pots which smell absolutely DIVINE once opened…I can safely say that the smell is one of the reasons that I frequently reach for these lip butters (reminds me of summers past), especially the Wild Rose which you can strongly smell once applied, my favourite!

They have a strong sheer pigmentation once applied, (we all love a bit of colour, win win) as well as acting as hydrating base for your lips. However in terms of colour the Jasmine is more of a clear/ diluted pink, and makes your lips shiny rather than give any added colour (although this may be just on my lips). What I also love about these Lip Butters is that it has a thick and sticky texture (no, not sticky toffee pudding) and it actually lasts on my lips unlike many other lip butters/balms on the high street, this gives it a luxurious feel and you know it is a quality product if it is still standing strong after a couple of hours of wear.

These Lip Butters are perfect to wear in the spring now; they are not too light or heavy in terms of coverage. They are very travel friendly in these cute little pots which are ideal for keeping one in your handbag when on the go. I apply a thin layer of this onto my lips before bed, in the morning I am left with luscious chap-free lips that are well moisturised for any application of lipgloss/lipstick for the following morning.

I picked up both of these Lip Butters from Waitrose for £7.00 each.

It is time to embrace your inner Greek goddess!  

...ArA...