Pür Minerals Show Off Collection

Pür Minerals Show Off Collection* is a 6-piece set, part of the Christmas Collection 2013 - It contains 3 eyeshadow sticks and 3 cheeks & lips products. 

It's the perfect present for the make-up addict in your family or, believe me, it's worth investing as a treat for yourself, especially with the party season upon us!

These crayons are the perfect size for your handbag or your office kit and you can go from day to night look in a few minutes.

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Pür Minerals and once again, I'm impressed with the quality and the gorgeous, pigmented shades. The eyeshadows are vitamin enriched and the lip/cheek glosses are very hydrating, thanks to shea butter and jojoba oil.

Eyeshadow Sticks in: Exposed, Unveiled, Staged

top - bottom: exposed, unveiled, staged

The eyeshadows are easy to modulate to the desired degree, for a natural look or a smokey eye.

During the day - I like to use Unveiled as a base colour and then apply Exposed to the waterline and inner corner, to make me look more awake.

For a night look - I simply add Staged to the crease and blend (to add depth) and smudge below the eye.... easy-peasy!

Exposed is a vanilla colour with a hint of pink, Unveiled is the perfect burned gold and Staged - my favourite - is a chocolate with purple sheen.

Lipgloss Sticks in: Pucker, Taunt, Fling

top - bottom: pucker, fling, taunt

These pink pencils are the perfect consistency and colours for both lips & cheeks. 

They are non-sticky and blend seamlessly on the cheeks, giving a healthy, blushing-from-within look; at the same time, they deliver a punch of pigmentation on the lips, without being drying.

I particularly love Fling, which is the perfect shade of berry for autumn! Taunt - the deepest shade - compliments the cool tones of Staged and it's great to channel the wine stained lips of this season. Finally, Pucker is a light pink - beautiful and glossy on the lips and also works to perk up the complexion on the apple of the cheeks.

Pür Minerals is available from Marks & Spencer nationwide - link

Shopping My Stash / #8 + Giveaway Reminder!!!

Another week, another shopping my stash!

For the base I used Stila One Step Correct Brightening Serum and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 42 vanilla - both favourites of mine. The primer is not oily or heavy and the foundation gives a beautiful, flawless finish to the skin. My skin has been oilier than usual lately so I'm really taking care to use a powder to set - Mac Mineralize SkinFinish Natural in medium is a trusty ally that never looks cakey.

I've also been in the mood for bold red lips so I used a combination of Mac Marilyn Monroe Lipstick in scarlet ibis and Maybelline Baby Lips in cherry me to top up the moist, throughout the day.

I chose Mac Sheertone Blush in blushbaby which is the perfect 'neutral' blush but with a red/brick undertone to tie with the lips perfectly.

I like big & bright eyes with a red lip - I used the Nars Trio Eyeshadow in ramatuelle and built up the lashes with Kiko False Lashes Concentrate Building Base Mascara and Pur Minerals Big Blink Mascara. I thickened the top lashline with Bourjois Intuitive liner and added Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Line in nude to further open the eyes.

***Giveaway Reminder - enter here***

FOTD - Coral Love!

FACE: Clinique City Block Sheer SPF25, Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Make Up SPF15 in blush medium, Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in pink, Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer in 07 warm light, Kiko Colour Explosion Multi-Tone Blush in 04 bold coral;
EYES: Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 29 intensive coral, Clinique High Impact mascara;
LIPS: Maybelline ColorSensational Lipcolor in 515 coral crash.

FOTD / another look with the marvelous Pur Minerals palette!

Face: Bobbi Brown spf50 Protective Face Base, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in shade 5, Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in pink, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in medium, Benefit Cha Chat tint, Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel in 65 Sable d'Or;

Eyes: Pur Minerals Beautiful Creatures palette (shades: spellbound, fate, forbidden), Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in 005 nude, Kiko False Lashes Concentrate Building Base Mascara, Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara;

Lips: Mac Sheen Supreme lipstick in Full Speed.

Shopping My Stash / #1

I recently started a new job - I used to work from home for years but now that I need to go to the office, I use make up pretty much everyday.

I enjoy reading the 'shopping my stash' posts from other bloggers so I decided to start this series too... 

This past week, I've been loving wearing... not all at once, mind you! ;) ---->

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow: I wasn't really blown away by this foundation at the beginning... but I've grown to like it. It does last all day on me and the spf25 comes in handy now that is 'summer' (brackets needed for Scotland);

Mac Mineralize SkinFinish Natural in medium: I have just been using this as a setting powder to prolong the longevity of the foundation. It can look a bit cake so realllly soft hand;

As an highlighter I chose Benefit Moon Beam and kept my lip neutral with Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colour spf12 in #18 Soft Nude to complement the colourful eyelook.

For the cheeks, I've been rotating between Clinique Fresh Bloom Blush in Peony, Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Exposed and Nars Blush in Sex Appeal; I forgot how pretty Peony looks! it's half highlighter so looks really radiant and fresh on the cheeks. The Tarte blush (with the Buxom lip cream below) are new acquisitions from a US swap: couldn't wait to try them out but I will share the swap in more details soon. :)

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in Mudslide: as I said this is new but I already want more from this line. I've been using it as a lipgloss to top up the lipstick because it can be too brown for me and mudslide adds the perfect touch of pink!

For the lashes it's been Pur Minerals Big Blink Mascara all the way and to conceal my under-eye area:  Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection in medium and Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in pink.

For the eyes, I've been choosing between these combos: 

1) Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion + Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow Palette in Brandied Bronze + Collection 2000 Idol'Eyes in Bling

2) Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr in Permanent Taupe + no7 Stay Perfect Liquid Eye Liner in Mermaid + Max Factor Liquid Effect Pencil in Black Fire

3) Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Eyeshadow Stick in 003 Bad Girl Bronze + Neve Pastello in Petrolio

Do you use any of these products? 

FOTD - Pur Minerals palette

Need an haircut!!! O.o

Face: Nars Sheer Glow foundation in deauville, Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm, Estee Lauder DoubleWear concealer in 07 warm light, Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in pink, Mac Blush Ombre in azalea blossom, Dior DiorSkin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder i 002;

Eyes: Pur Minerals Beautiful Creatures palette (shades secret and fantasy), Kiko Building Base mascara, Soap & Glory Thick & Fast mascara, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion;

Lips: byTerry Aqualip Jelly Tint in 101 dancefloor flirt.

Review / Pür Minerals Beautiful Creatures Palette

I'm utterly utterly in love with this limited edition Pur Minerals Beatiful Creatures palette*!

I haven't stopped using it since It popped through my letterbox few weeks ago; I'm a fan of Pur Minerals in general, everything I tried so far didn't disappoint so I'm happy to see that also the eyeshadows are of outstanding quality.

The palette has a magnetic fastening and it's pretty slim; it comes with a protective plastic cover, that you can remove, but I decided to leave it on to prevent smudges on the mirror.

You also get a shadow brush encased in the box; I adore the Chisel MakeUp Brush (NOT exaggeration here!) and I can tell that it's made from the the same soft bristles. I experienced some shedding at first, but unnoticeable and stopped after the first wash.

l-r: supernatural, siren, spellbound, forbidden

l-r: fate, fantasy, secret, cursed

The colours are beautiful and everything I go for, these days: you get a couple of fair neutrals, bronze, khaki, browns and purples. They are all buttery soft, blend beautifully and none is powdery; the colour payoff is excellent too and I honestly love every single shade!

To complete the set, you also get a black eyeliner and a lipgloss. Black Magic - the eyeliner - is on the hard side but works well to add thickness to the lashline and it doesn't smudge; Lust/Desire - the lipgloss - is very sheer in colour with an hint of pink but  the ideal complement for a strong eye look... and you can really go to town with these stunning eyeshadow colours!

The bad news? Apparently, it's not available in Uk - you can try on http://www.purminerals.com/ or I found this similar and lovely palette on the Marks & Spencer website.

A pretty great travel set indeed and now It makes me want to see the film Beautiful Creatures, too... hehe - Have you seen it? :)

FOTD / Purple Eyes

Face: Me me me Seventh Heaven primer / Benefit Hello Flawless foundation in honey / Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in medium / Maybelline Bouncy Dream Bouncy blush in 60 coffee cake

Eyes: Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo in 40 permanent taupe / L'Oreal Chrome Intensity eyeshadow in 180 purple obsession / Pur Minerals Big Blink mascara / Bourjois Intuitive Liner

Lip: Lancome L'Absolu Nu lipstick in 101

Review / Pür Minerals Big Blink Mascara

I already raved about Pür Minerals cosmetics here - I totally fell in love with the 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Make Up and I'm going through my wee compact quickly. It's one of those items that I KNOW will be a staple of my beauty bag for a long time.

So I was super excited to try more from this brand and I was kindly sent the Big Blink Mascara* to test.

All Pür Minerals products contain no harsh chemical dyes, petroleum-based oils, fragrances or fillers but only pigments and nourishing ingredients making them suitable for all skin types.

The Big Blink mascara is loaded with vitamin E, antioxidants 3 and 9 fatty acids and Argan oil.

This revolutionary formulation hydrates, protects and repairs lashes.

Also, it's water-resistant but I didn't find it any more difficult to remove at the end of the night; especially pleased with that since I'm always terrified to pull off all my lashes whilst cleansing.

Oooooohhhh WOW! This mascara is amazing! I haven't been impressed by a mascara in ages, the application is easy and lengthening for high impact.
Definitely high impact in volume too and buildable - if you like big doll eyes look, this is the mascara for you!
The wand is one of the plastic spikey ones - which I like - and also got a ball at the top to grab small and bottom lashes.

I think the packaging is really cute too - I really like the clear packaging with the pink encased tube and it's surprisingly light too.

Definitely thumbs up for this mascara, especially for being green and still performing so exceptionally well... and of course, it's cruelty free - for all bunnies loving people like me out there! ;)

Review / Pür Minerals

Exciting new launch to share with you today!

Pür Minerals is a leading american brand of mineral make up that is going strong for over 10 years and  it has now arrived in Uk.

I was kindly sent the Pür Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup* to try out.

I was very intrigued to give it a go since, I must admit, I had never heard about this brand before.

I like the dotted design both on the box and the actual item: sleek and substantial compact with a mirror to pop in your handbag.
I have blush medium which is a great match for me but the range comes in 10 shades, which is a decent number, and you're bound to find a colour that suits you too.

This pressed foundation feels very smooth on the skin and doesn't accentuate lines or dry skin.
But what does 4-in-1 mean? The product is a foundation, powder, concealer and SPF15... how about that for multi tasking!
Personally, I can vouch for it: I have never achieve such a high coverage from any other powder before. 

There is also a specific brush - Chisel Makeup Brush -  to go with the powder and I got to say this is a match made in heaven!
I didn't think much about the brush, when I first saw it, but I was blown away as soon as I tried it out. It just collects the right amount of product and the short and chubby handle blends to a consistent, uniform finish. 

It also let you build to a decent coverage which is great if, like me, you have issues with uneven skintone. Definitely looking into buy a couple more of those.

yep, I need an haircut :S

Pür Minerals includes a full range of make up essentials like primers, eye and lip products, mascara and liquid foundations and it is now exclusively available from Marks & Spencer You Beauty stores.