New Dior Cannage palettes

Admittedly I get very excited about duty free shopping because I love travel palettes. I spotted these new Dior palettes (part of the Cannage collection they seem to keep renewing) which are Duty-free exclusives. These were listed on Singapore Airlines Duty Free, but as I'm hopping over to Germany in the next few weeks I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for them to arrive in Europe. The lip palette looks a bit same-old, but I love the look of the eye palette - seems like a nice range of neutrals and jewel tones. The hunt is on!

Review: Diorskin Forever Powder Foundation

I got talked into getting this powder foundation by my local Dior sales lady. I actually wanted the Diorskin Nude loose foundation (which I ended up getting anyway and actually like better) but this is at least easier to cart around with me while travelling.

This comes in a small compact with the puff on the upper level - so it's much more portable than my previous powder foundaiton, Chanel Mat Lumiere.

As for the formulation, for me this is nothing special. It's medium coverage and very long lasting. Where it falls a little short is in the finish - it's very matte. I'm using it with Dior Ambre Diamond shimmer palette over the top which works well, but I wish this had a more radiant finish. On the whole, it's nice, but not really that different from MAC Studio Fix powder to justify the higher price.

Spring Looks: Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss Compacts

These have been out for a while now, and were launched as part of Bobbi's customisable palette range. I picked up shades Coral Pink and Guava at my local CCO here in the UK.

I'm a little on the fence about these. The packaging is actually pretty good. On their own the compacts are portable, or can be slotted into the larger Bobbi palettes along with eyeshadows and blushes. As well as the black-rimmed outer casing you can see, the gloss pans are also protected by a clear plastic flap, so if you want to create a palette with both powders and glosses, you won't get any powder in your gloss. What a revelation! More cosmetics brands should be listening here!

The gloss itself is very natural. And I mean... almost imperciptible. It's not a mirror-finish type of gloss, more like a soft shine. The two shades I got, Coral Pink (left) and Guava (right), are basically identical once on. Both pretty much go on clear with a hint of pink. Disappointing. Guava has more of a hint of peachy nude, and Coral Pink is a warm pink.

Great packaging, but I think I'm a little disappointed with the colours I chose. I'm pretty sure I'll use them up over summer, but won't buy these again.

Spring Looks: Body Shop Hi-Shine Lip Treatment in Golden Coral

I'm completley addicted to Body Shop body products, and though I normally don't dabble much with their colour cosmetics I'm a longtime fan of their Hi-Shine Lip Treatments. If you haven't tried these before, they're a very moisturising gloss tinted with sheer colour - kind of like a budget version of Clinique Tinted Superbalm gloss.

Anyway so I picked the shade Golden Coral up on an impulse whilst purchasing some Blueberry body butter (also delicious!). It's part of their Spring collection and this particular shade seems to have been a hit since mine was the very last one in store. It's a gorgeous soft peachy coral with golden shimmer. On the lips, it's a very natural shade (just a hint of coral and gold) but it's a very nice change from my usual uncoloured MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner.

This is limited edition so get it while it's going! :)

Review: Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Fresh Powder Makeup SPF10

I haven't really dabbled much with mineral makeup, having tried Everyday Minerals several years ago and pretty much finding that it did not agree with my super oily skin. I read some amazing reviews of this product so thought I'd give it a go - it's actually not a true mineral makeup, but since it's a loose powder foundation it essentially applies in the same way.

First of all, this is a hydrating powder with a high water content. It feels like nothing else I've ever put on my skin. It's hard to explain, but the powder is light, airy, and somehow wet when you apply it. You really don't get any feeling of dryness that powder foundations can sometimes give.

Secondly, I'm in love with the finish of this. This is easily the closest finish to bare skin of any foundation I've tried. It has a subtle radiance without shimmer that's stunning.

Why I am not wearing this every day then? Well, the coverage is light. Some days I think I need just a little extra cover than this gives. Secondly, unfortunately I'm in between shades (30 & 40). I have shade 30, but I can only use it if I haven't been using any fake tan. And lastly, it's not quite as long lasting on my oily skin as Makeup Forever Matte Velvet, or Diorskin Forever, though I'm sure most others wouldn't have this problem.

So although this isn't my HG, for me this is still a wonderful addition to my foundation wardrobe. But if you're in the market for a powder or mineral foundation I'd highly recommend giving it a go.

MAC Colour Forecast: Purple Quad & Fresco Rose = Spring perfection

First of all, hello I'm back!! Life has been very busy these last couple of months and it's been hard to find the time and willpower to motivate myself to post. By the time I get home these days, it's about 7pm and I feel just about ready for bed! :P

Anyway, thought I'd share a pic or two of the quad I picked up from MAC Spring Colour Forecast. I had actually planned to buy the purple quad from the Guerlain spring collection, but since it was sold out, this seemed a good alternative.

As MAC palettes go, I think the colours in this one co-ordinate nicely. The standout shade for me in this quad is Bruised Plum. It's a pinkier, plummier version of Illegal Cargo (from Naughty Nauticals) and the veluxe pearl texture is very smooth.

Mink Pink, a matte nude pink, unfortunately doesn't show up on me at all (NC30). I wish MAC had included a lighter highlight colour instead. The two dark purples are OK, though the darkest shade Jungle Moon could do with a bit more pigmentation.

I got this quad with Fresco Rose paint pot and they are a match made in heaven! I've swatched Fresco Rose (left) with the 3 darker shades in the quad (right). Fresco Rose is a pinkier version of Bruised Plum, so using this as a base really brings out the colours of this quad and helps them stay intense. I wore this combo yesterday on a mammoth shopping trip, and it lasted all day.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this quad, although for me I definitely need to use a separate brow highlighter.