NOTD Orly Rage

*All pictures were taken showing one coat of Rage and one coat of Seche Vite over one coat of Butter London's Nail Foundation (base coat). *

Orly's Rage

One coat of 'Rage' (rose gold) polish with flash

Rose gold in direct light (I think this pic is more accurate of the coloring)

'Rage' captured during the golden hour 

Rose gold with flash - notice the shine?!?

Retails for $4.50 for .18fl oz. Can be found at Target, Planet Beauty and Ulta.

What polish color, if any, are you wearing now?

Makeup Mavens Round Three!!!

Image credited to MarieClaire.com

The Makeup Mavens stop by every week to show you makeup and beauty you might have missed.  This week, they found some holy grail items, discovered secrets to flawless skin and introduced some bright summer colors.  Kick back, enjoy some lemonade (or whatever your beverage of choice) and enjoy some fabulous reads.

Summer is the time for new nail polish and Christina of Lovesong for my Lipgloss shares some of her picks for the season.

Jenn of Hopelessly Devoted to Makeup happened to stumble upon her holy grail base makeup routine.  Check out her products, tools and tips for a flawless complexion.

For those with sensitive, redness prone skin, The Black Panties has the secret to perfect skin, Nia24 skincare!

Searching for the perfect neutral eye wardrobe?  Lipstick Luvvies has found the only eyeshadows she would replace, Edward Bess Private Eyes.

Klara of Mookie on the Bench shares one of her all time favorites for the perfect cheeks, Stila Convertible Colors in Lilium and Gerbera.

Its often good to switch up cleansers for summer and Nat of Raspberry Rouge has the perfect solution for combination and oily skins, Ren Mayblossom Balancing Cleansing Gel.

Have trouble applying your concealer flawlessly?  Product Doctor has found a new staple in Le Metier de Beaute's large concealer brush.

p.s. Don't forget you have until 6/30/11 to become a follower of mine via Google Friend Connect to be entered to win one of Chanel's fall nail polishes (the winner gets to choose the color!).  

Burberry's Kabuki Brush

I've had this kabuki brush in my possession for a little under two weeks now and I must say that I haven't gotten much use out of it. There is nothing wrong with it, it's just that I already own two other kabuki brushes and tend to reach for those more often. I own MAC's #182 Buffer Brush ($47.00) along with Edward Bess Luxury Face Brush ($56.00).

Again high praise from Burberry in terms of presentation and quality. I love the cute, little velvet pouch with the long string attached to carry it around in. I also like that the bristles feel smooth and soft against my skin. The hairs are composed of pony and goat hair and are not at all scratchy. You can tell the hair is of high quality, something you expect with a name that bears 'Burberry'.

My one complaint is I just don't like the way it feels once in my hand. I would prefer something with more weight to it, more substance in the base.

One thing I am puzzled by is why they would not pack enough hairs into the base to leave it from having a gap when you pull the hairs tight. I suppose with the design having a square versus round base is partly to blame. In the end, I think having the gaps leaves it feeling cheaper than it really is, something I find to be unfortunate.

I don't regret this purchase because honestly, between bronzer, loose powder, and setting powder, I'll get mileage out of all three of my kabuki's no problem.

So the search continues for my holy grail kabuki brush.......I think I'll *have* to cave at some point and splurge on Le Metier's $85.00 kabuki brush - in the name of research of course!

The box and velveteen pouch with drawstring

Here you can see the "gap"

How To Achieve A Flawless Face

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #05

I have found my holy grail foundation and the ironic thing is I wasn't even looking for one. I think the same can be said for dating when you least expect it, BAM! you fall in love. Boy, have I fallen hard for this foundation.

Let me just start off by saying that I have nice skin. I don't mean that in a bragging sense of the word, but more like let me lay my cards out here and be honest with you. I don't need a full-coverage foundation (thanks Mom and Dad!). In fact, prior to wearing this foundation, it had been years since I wore liquid foundation (I used one from MAC and cannot even recall the name of it) at all. I was more of a dab of concealer here and there person. For days I craved more coverage I turned to my trusty tinted moisturizers by La Mer and Le Metier (hello Peau Vierge). I was so happy with them that I didn't need or even want more coverage.

Here is how I achieve the perfect complexion:

I use Le Metier De Beaute's Classic Flawless Finish Concealer SPF 18 ($55.00) under my eyes and around my nose, then I use my Le Metier De Beaute Large Concealer Brush ($50.00) to blend in any concealer. Next, I use my Armani Silk Foundation ($59.00) and pump two pumps onto my Angled Foundation Brush by LMDB ($50.00) and blend until I see no more streaks. I finish off with light dusting of Le Metier's Classic Finish Loose Powder ($50.00) using my Burberry kabuki brush ($52.00). Then, I finish up with curling my lashes and applying mascara (at this point my eye shadow is already applied) and work on bronzer if I'm in the mood for it or blush using you could probably already guess it my LMDB Blush Brush (not pictured for $55.00). My finishing step is always, always, a spritz of Evian water to "set" my makeup!

Bonuses:

• oil-free
• feels weightless
• provides light-medium coverage
• great staying-power 
• comes in a wide range of colors

Negatives:

• it's pricey
• you need a separate brush to apply it (this isn't really a negative as much as par for the course with liquid foundation). 

My Burberry kabuki, My LMDB angled foundation brush, concealer brush, concealer and loose powder and Giorgio Armani foundation. 

 Luminous Silk Foundation in Shade #05

The foundation rubbed into my arm - it really is the perfect match!
*Just for reference I'm considered MAC NW20*

While using my handy tools and the above mentioned products I really have been achieving air-brushed finishes and I could not be more pleased!

This is serious holy grail territory here! Please share your holy grails with me!

Burberry 'Light Glow' Natural Blush in No. 02 Cameo Swatch and Review

No. 02 Cameo Blush with the included brush. * It pulls peach on the monitor but looks more purplish on my skin*

Once again Burberry outdid themselves with presentation and before I even got to the inside of the blush I had a smile on my face pleased with the packaging and attention paid to detail. The box arrived from Burberry (courtesy of free shipping) wrapped nicely in their signature plaid pattern with a sticker emblazzed with 'Burberry' on it. The receipt was tucked inside a nice card that featured their knight in shining armor riding on a horse.

It does contain a slight powdery perfume-y smell that, due to my nose being so sensitive, I picked up on. It is not overpowering but it is noticeable and quickly dissipates. Keep that in mind if certain scents aggravate your nose or not.

I chose this color along with the help of one of Burberry's Makeup Artists due to the fact that it didn't bring out the redness in my cheeks (something I'm extra paranoid about). We had to steer clear of all the obvious pinks. The peach tones just didn't look good on me. With Cameo I feel you get the benefit of the pink to brighten up my complexion, but that there is enough purplish brown undertones to cancel out the redness from my slight rosacea. I initially passed on this blush when at the store, instead opting for the khaki and taupe brown eye shadows featured here because I could not see how pretty this blush really was in the poor lighting of Nordstrom's. It wasn't until I came home and took a peak of my makeover that regret began setting in over not purchasing this blush as well. An order to Burberry.com was quickly placed.

 According to Burberry's website: 

• A lightweight blush that gives skin a bright fresh glow
• Burberry Natural Blush contains Silicones for effortless and even application and wild rose extract for moisturizing benefits
• The complexion grows with natural looking radiance
• Apply to the hollow of the cheeks to slim the face or apply to the cheekbone to highlight 

It comes packaged in a checkered velvet pouch and there is a rather large mirror attached and a soft bristled brush included for touchups. Made in Italy. 

I love the check pattern that runs throughout their powdered makeup

I hope you can see the purplish mauve undertones 

The blush box, receipt holder/card and tissue paper

Retails for $42.00 USD and can be found at http://shop.nordstrom.com/ or select Nordstrom's throughout the country (South Coast Plaza, Bellevue, Michigan Avenue, etc.).  International beauties can also have Burberry shipped directly to their door. Currently Burberry ships to over 46 countries!

What is your favorite blush?