•••• NARS FOREPLAY BLUSH PALETTE ••••

NARS FOREPLAY BLUSH PALETTE LIMITED EDITION

This review is on the Limited Edition NARS Foreplay which can be purchased here: http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk/color/cheeks/~/foreplay-orgasm for £39.50

OK, So I was going to review this along with other blushers but I thought this beautiful palette deserves a review on its own :) so here we go...

 

As you can see, this palette contains 4 colours which one of them is a Highlighter and their popular Orgasm Blush (the biggest size out of the other 3 in the palette).

I was expecting the palette to be a little bit bigger than it actually is as none of them is full size. Two of the small blushers are NARS's same size as their eye-shadows. Highlighter is the smallest size. So, you might have to get a little smaller blush brush to get some product out but the good thing is, it's very pigmented as expected from NARS.

1. Matte Deep Peachy Rose Shade: I like this colour, it's very sweet rossy pink without any shimmer effect that usually NARS blush has. It's matty colour and you can mix it up with the highlighter if you like little bit of a shimmer.

2. Matte Hot pink with blue undertone: This is one of my favourite colour. I mainly bought the pallette for this colour as I didn't have anything similar to this. It's bit purpley and would suit fantastically in summer as it's bright. Again use it with the highlighter to get some shimmer or simply use it on it's own to get matte effect.

3. Shimmer bright yellow gold highlighter: Right, I was expecting a little bit more pigmentation from this product as I have an Ivory skin tone, it doesn't show up very well and therefore not recomended for darker skin tone. I prefer my MAC Shell blush which I use as highlighter on my cheek bone or nothing can beat High Beam by Benefit. Not so excited about this highlighter after using it a few times , not that impressed.

4. NARS Orgasm : Well, apparently people are mad over NARS Orgasm. I LOVE NARS bluhses but never liked Orgasm shade as it never picks up the colour on my cheek.  No complain about the shimmer as that's what I like but the pigmentation isn't great.

Now, let's have a look at an alternative , SLEEK Rose Gold Blush which is extremely similar to ORGASM and less pricey. Available to purchase here for £4.49 ! : http://www.sleekmakeup.com/face/blusher/blush

As you can clearly see from the swatches, Sleek surprisingly has more pigmentation than the NARS Orgasm. I had to rub quite hard on the NARS pan to get some product out and if you're on budget, I recommend you to get the Sleek Blush for only £4.49.

Overall, I am not too impressed with this palette but I don't regret buying it at the same time. I will use all of them on a regular basis so I haven't wasted any money. Can also make a lovely present.

Did you buy one of the NARS Foreplay Palette? 

or, if not, are you planning to buy one?

What is your thought? 

Please leave a comment :)

Love, Fatema x

•••• Recent Purchases ••••

Today's Beauty Goodies Delivered by my Postman 

Look what my Postie has brought me in
I had a fabulous time opening all the parcels this morning :D

OK so here we go:

• Purchased a Sharpener from Estee Lauder and got 2 free samples and Free Delivery with it
• Too Faced Eye brows kit from ASOS using my UNIDAYS 25% Discount (review coming soon)
• Yankee Candles at 50p each from Beauty Box Swapper group
• Nip+Fab Blemish Remover from Debenhams and got 7 freebies with it
• Originis order with from samples and free del
• Graze box
• Guerlain Perfume with free perfume sample and Guerlain’s *NEW Mascara Sample*
• Urban Decay Beauty Balm with FREE Urban Decay’s make up fix (review coming soon)

I think that’s it :D

What do you think of my purchase
Feel Free to leave a comment

Love, Fatema x

•••• REAL TECHNIQUES BRUSHES ••••

Real Techniques Make up brushes by Samatha Chapman

This review is on Core Collection , Expert Face Brush and Blush Brush

(Available to purchase from official site : http://realtechniques.com/) Boots, Superdrug, Feel Unique , HQ Hair and other sites.

Real Techniques Core Collection  £20.99 (UK Price)

This review is on my recent purchase from HQ hair and I have never tried these brushes before (wish I did) and I have heard so much about it and was keeping an eye on them to see if a good offer comes accross. I got 20% off my first purchase from HQ hair.

So, I have received 4 brushes in my Core Collection set as the followings:

• Detailer Brush: Precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas, or use with lipstick for long lasting shape and definition

I used this brush to for my concealer and lip and to be honest I prefer to use the brush for applying lipstick for detailing. As for concealer, it's a little bit too small.

• Pointed Foundation Brush: Use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage

This brush works fine with foundation (ofcourse) however it's again a bit thin towards the end and therefore you have to be very quick with the brush while applying foundation.

• Buffing Brush: Ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation.

This is the fluffiest brush of the collection and I have been using this brush with Mineral Foundation and Setting Powder. It has right amount of hair and feels lovely on the skin and works quick enough.

• Contour Brush: Delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer soft - focus finish

This is another cute brush that came in the Core Collection. I used this brush to apply powder highlighter however I haven't tried with any other types of Highlighter so not sure how it's going to work. It also works nicely if you want to apply bronzer underneath your blush to define a line but you have to be carefully while applying as you don't want to to art a harsh line. Overall, pleased this brush too.

..and the Core Collection comes with Panormic Case which is a dual carrier and stand keeps brushes organised on your counter or on the go. I am going to use this case while travelling or when I go on holiday. There are extra room to put your other brushes in so it will come handy.

REAL TECHNIQUES BLUSH BRUSH & FACE BRUSH

After being pleased with the Core Collection, I went ahead and purchased two more brushes. This is I researched a few sites to find out where to get those brushes little bit cheaper. 

And I discovered an American site call iHerb ( http://www.iherb.com/Real-Techniques-by-Samantha-Chapman )

Use this code to get discount up to $10 off your first purchase : BHR565

This site seems to be offering quite cheap prices and I didn't have to pay any custom charge.

Expert Face Brush 
This is an ultra firm and broad for application and blendings of cream or liquid foudation. I have bought this brush to use it for Liquid Foundation as I have already got the other Face brush that I using for Mineral one and wanted to keep them separately.  
Beauty the brush is really fluffy, makes it hard and easier to blend foundation nicely and thoroughly. I love this brush :) 

Blush Brush

This brush is hand-cut to contour and define cheeks for flawlessly blended, high definition result:

• look pixel perfect even in harsh light
• ultra plush taklon bristles

Now I have been looking for an nice Blush Brush for ages, and have to say that this brush is The Perfect one! It's so soft and yet defines so nicely while applying blush. It has a round texture and therefore helps blending out product nicely. One of my favourite brush by Real Techniques. 

What do you think about Real Techniques Brushes? 

Please feel free to leave a comment 

Love, Fatema x

•••• COMPETITION TIME ••••

Competition time The Natural Beauty Box items

HERE a Rafflecopter giveaway

Competition time!

For your chance to win these Natural Beauty Box (from Canada) goodies

Includes: Natural Mascara, Massage Bar, tonner, lip balm, Facial Cleanser, face cream,  and a facial polish

Competition rules:

Like and share this page: http://t.co/d1e5lXIaH3

Please follow this blog site: http://t.co/IpjSRqtAks (leave me a comment if you can J)

Follow me on Twitter: @bristy574 

Winner picked randomly and will be checked if the rules are followed.

Winner will be picked on the 8^th April 2013

•••• Birch Box March 2013 UK ••••

Hello everyone, just received my Birch Box this afternoon. Sorry about being 1 week late as Birch Box had some problem taking money out of my account which took a while to be sorted. But here we are, with the contents of this month shown : 

Birch Box March is Mother's Day special. In this month's box, I have received 5 products (including perfume sample ofcourse) and 2 lifestyle/Beauty extras. Contents are:

• Laura Geller (Water proof Gel Liner)
• Molton Brown (perfume sample)
• RMK (Cleansing Balm)
• La Sultane De Saba (Body Lotion with Argan Oil)
• Yu-Be (Moisturizing Skin Cream)

Extras:

• Sanctuary 30 day Thermal Transformation Mask
• Lindt Lindor Heart Tin Filled with Chocolate Truffles

La Sultane De Saba (Body Lotion with Argan Oil)Sample size 30ml (full size £26.50)

Inspired by ancient beauty rituals of the Orient and Asia, La Sultane de Saba's body lotion with rich Argan oil sinks into skin with ease leaving a delicate scent.

I found the size of this product is really cute. I tried a little bit of the product on top of my hand and I could see the difference instantly. It gives a lovely smoothness on skin and smells like Body Lotion. I do like this and would like to purchase full size if I see any good offer.

Laura Geller (Water proof Gel Liner)Full Size £24.50

I received this product in shade: Black. There was a purple one in different box (they have more than one variation). I researched about this product and it's $16.50 on Laura Geller's official website so mmm not sure why Birch Box claims it's £24.50. It could be their 'ESHOP' price so I am not too worried about this as the actual product is quite nice. There is a little brush/applicator on top of the product. Open the jar, dip the brush in and pick up just enough product to work with.

Molton Brown (Perfume sample)Sample size 2ml (Full-Size £65)

Known for their gorgeous lotion and shower gel scents, Molton Brown's fine fragrance collection is predictable heavenly  Valbonne combines notes of bergamot, dewy orange flower, rose, vetiver and leather for a sophisticated scent that will take you from day to night.

My opinion on perfume sample 1.5ml / 2ml is quite negative. I just don't think they should be considered as 1 of the 4 to 5 products. However this one's Molton Brown (luxury brand) so I wouldn't complain too much. I personally didn't like the smell as it's not my type of perfume that I would wear, smells more like gent's perfume scent.

Yu-Be (Moisturizing Skin Cream)Sample Size 3g (Full Size £26.50)

Don't let the primrose colour fool you- this multi purpose medicated moisturiser is made of tough stuff. A vestseller in Japan since 1957, the comforting comphor scent magically disappears about a minute after application, but leaves you with super-soft skin.

Hmmm, sounds like a magical product. But I am not too sure if this will live up to the expection , though I haven't tried it yet but will deffinately give it a go. Only problem is, it's too tiny, around 2ml to 3ml 'ish which is not going to convince me to buy full size as not enough application.

RMK (Cleansing Balm)Sample Size 25g (Full Size £29 for 100g)

This rose-scented balm echoes your mum or grandmother's cold cream as it melts into skin and becomes a silky liquid that removes even stubborn make-up with ease. Apply to skin, emulsify with wet hands, and rinse thoroughly with warm water. 

Many people may complain about the scent but I do like it strangely. I am very excited to try this product (not giving it to Mum or Grandmother lol) as I have always wanted to try RMK products. I'll report back here when I used it. Decent size, enough to find out whether it suits your skin or not. 

Last 2 products but certainly not the least, are Lindt Lindor Heart tinned chocolates and Sanctuary sachets x 2. I have already eaten the chocolates and shared a couple with my sister (wish I didn't haha) and loved it.

Overall, I think this Month's Birch Box has some of the very lovely products that I am going to get used out of. Wish I had received the Beauty Blender as what everyone's taking about at the moment. Not too keen on the perfume sample however I am happy with the rest. 

I give Birch Box March 2013 3.5 out of 5

•••• KIKO MAKE UP PRODUCTS REVIEW ••••

So this is a review on KIKO Cosmetics which I was recently been introduced with. I went to Westfield Stratford City and purchased some of the Kiko products from their shop and I have never tried this brand before. 

First of all prices are quite reasonable and quality is competitive. 

Website: http://www.kikocosmetics.com/

KIKO Mixing Solution (http://www.kikocosmetics.co.uk/make-up/eyes/eyeshadows/Mixing-Solution/p-KM0031000200000) £3.90

First up, is the the Mixing Solution for pigment Loose Powder eyeshadow. It's a liquid wated based product that maximises blendability. What you do it, drop one pump of water on eye shadow and use a brush and apply on your eye lid for intense resulted pigmentation. You also also use the eye shadow colour as an eye liner if appropriate brush has been used.
similar product , Illamasqua Sealing Gel £12.50 (http://www.illamasqua.com/shop/sealing-gel)

Round face Brush 106 £12.90 (http://www.kikocosmetics.co.uk/accessories/brushes/face-brushes/Brush-Face-106/p-KM0050100310600)

I have been using this brush to blend my foundation and it doesn't its job nicely. Though I still think  for the price of £12.90, I would rather got for a Real Techniques brush. I don't normally like ordinary foundation brush as I find them quite small and takes forever to blend. So this products has now become one of my everyday essential now :)

Water Eyeshadow Shade 211 (http://www.kikocosmetics.co.uk/make-up/eyes/eyeshadows/Water-Eyeshadow/p-KM00312001) £8.90

I got this product in shade 211 which is a lovely shimmery green. From only one swatch on the picture, you can see how pigmented the eye shadow is. I bought it from sale (only shade 211 was available) and these are normally priced at £8.90. I am surprised to see the quality of the product and looking forward to buy other shades too.  

KIKO Smart Lipticks (http://www.kikocosmetics.co.uk/make-up/lips/lipsticks/Smart-Lipstick/p-KM00201005) £2.50 each

As you can see from the picture and swatches I have picked 3 lovely shades and there were on sale too! I am a Mac and YSL lipstick fan but when I swatched them in Kiko store, I literally fell in love with it. For £2.50, their pigmentation is unbelievable and wasn't expecting this sort of quality at all!

Shades I purchased (in order as picture shown) :

• Shade 42 : Lovely sweet creamy pink, sits on lips quite nicely.
• Shade 78 (nude) : I have been looking for a nice Nude lipstick for a while and you can tell I have found one :) however, this one's quite matte and not as much pigmented as the other shades due to it being a Nude shade.
• Shade 68: Very similar to Mac Bombshell. I now have 2 of the very similar shades :)

Kiko Colour Splash Multi-toned Bronzer £13.90 (http://www.kikocosmetics.co.uk/make-up/face/bronzers/Colour-Splash-Multi-Tone-Bronzer/p-KC01901051)

Another lovely product I picked which I am happy that've I purchased this :)

First of all, the packaging is cute and inside it has 3 different Bronzer shades and a mirror. I pick the colour 'Hillarious Honey 01'. The shade in the middle has a little shimmer effect , you can use this on it's own or mixed them all together and apply with kabuki/fluffy brush on your face. It's gives a nice natural glow and gets a thumbs up from me :)

Overall I think KIKO's some of the products are value for money and quality is very good. Products are purchasable online and I am looking forward to buy more KIKO products when I pop into Westfield again.

•••• GLOSSY BOX MARCH 2013 ••••

Hello everyone, My Glossy Box came in last week and didn't have the time to do blog post staright away due to University Assignment pressure. But any whoooo, here I am , reviewing March box:

This month's GlossyBox is all about City Chic. To help you perfecting your looks, Glossy tried and tested until they found the hardest working, multi-tasking heavy duty products that give you a high-maintenance look with minimum time, money and effort spent. For the ultimate in cospolitan chic, every urban warriors needs essentials in her arsenal (info from GloosyBox Leaftlet)

The Contents:

• Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream skin protectant Fragrance Free
• Juicy Couture perfume
• Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics
• Nails Inc nail polish
• Treseme Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant Fragrance FreeSample Size 7ml worth £3.50 , full size £25 for 50ml

I have been wanting to try this cream for a while as heard so much about it. Tried is twice so far and haven't seen any difference or it didn't 'WOW' me so I'll carry on using it until I come to a decision, whether to buy full size or not. Shame about the size, wish it was a bigger sample, though it's deluxe size so won't complain too much. 

Nails Inc nail polish (Shade: St. James)Sample Size 4ml worth £4.40, Full size £11 for 10ml

I love Nails Inc brand and own quite a few shades by them already. The colour I received was quite nice although I wouldn't pick this up if I was buying one , cute size to try too. I tried it with glitter on top of it as well as top coat that I received in November's GlossyBox, looked really nice and had a few compliments at work :)

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip BlushSample Size 2.5g Full size £12

I love Jelly Pong Pong, I have tried some of their products before, I think their packaging is cute and adorable and this one was no different(though, didn't receive a box with it as it shows on the leaflet). I received bit like rossie red shade. I am not normally a fan of Red lipstick/balm/gloss however this one was actually quite nice, stayed on for a good few hours. It's creamy and doesn't break your lip lol and most importantly, it's well pigmented :) 

Juicy Couture Perfume , Couture La La LaSample size 1.5ml worth £0.95 , Full Size £63 for 100ml

OK, now the moaning part. I absolutely hate receiving perfume samples in my beauty boxes. I don't mind receiving them as an extra but not as 1 of 5 products. Especially when, Other people received a deluxe sized L'Occitane Cream who didn't receive this perfume sample , now how does it balance? That cream is worth around £12 and this perfume sample is worth 95p! Though I love the smell and I already own this perfume in 30ml bottle. This is a let down sample of the box.

I posted my concern on GlossyBox fan page on facebook and here's the PrtSc :

Oh well :-/

Tresemme Salon Finish Extra Hold HairspraySample size 100ml worth £0.93 , Full Size £4.69 for 500ml

I already own one of this product in full size and to be honest I wouldn't have repurchased this. It's quite sticky and has normal holding power. I prefer my all time favorite L'oreal hairspray which you can brush away without having to wash your hair or damage it. Would give this product away to someone.

Last but not the least, Glossy Box included a cute little booklet of Travel info. There are a few stickers inside which I thought was really cute and travel info about different countries would come in handy when travelling. Thank you Glossy Box for this :)

What do I think about March Glossy Box 2013 overall?

I normally like all my Glossy Boxes however, my only complain is the perfume samples they put in as one of the products and their variations are sometime quite unfair. But again, I love Glossy Boxes and would definately continue being a subscriber. I liked 2 and would use 3 out of 5 products from this month's box.

I give Glossy Box 3 out of 5 this month.

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What do you think of your Glossy Box? , would love to hear your opinion

Feel free to leave a comment :)

Love, Fatema x

•••• BEAUTYLISHIOUS MARCH 2013 ••••

My first Beautylishious bag arrived this morning (about an hour ago) and I am very excited to show you what's inside the cute bag. 

This month's bag was 1st Birthday bag, Harriette(who runs the company) had changed the look of the bag and still looks as cute as before :)

The Contents:

 

• Betty Hula Rum & Blackcurrant Body Butter:  ( Received Full size jar RRP £14.99)

What do I think?

I always wanted to try Betty Hula range and I previously had some body butter sample from them and I absolutely loved it. It smells gorgeous! moisturising and stays on your skin for quite a long time and perfect for my super dry skin. This product paid for the whole bag's cost on its own.

• Satsuma Shower gel 60ml (RRP £2)

What do I think?

I have been a Body Shop fan for a long time and Satsuma range is my Favourite! I always used to use this shower gel until I switched to L'Occitane. So I am pleased to received this product again :)

• BM Beauty Dewy Perfection Finishing Powder (Received 1g , full size cost £8 for 4g)

What do I think?

This item was in GlossyBox January  2013 and unfortunately  I did not receive this item in my box and therefore I was literally very happy to receive it now in my Beautylishious Bag as my sister has this and she loves it.

Moving on ....

• Chocolate and Peppermint Lip Butter Balm from a little boutique company (received full size worth £6.33)

What do I think?

Unfortunately I am not a fan of chocolate scented products and I'll eat my lips if it's on my lips to be honest haha but another lovely product received in this bag.

• Two x Sachets from Green People  (Vita Min Fix A 24 hour cream and Make-up remover)

and last but not the least, there's a little Bio Oil sachets and an explanation booklet about the product.

What do I think overall about March Beautylishious Bag?

It is my first bag and I am happily going to continue purchasing from Harriette. I love everything I received and will come handy for travelling too. Betty Hula smells gorgeous and this is the STAR product of this month's bag.

Overall Beautylishious gets 4 out of 5 from me :)