Topshop Eye Crayons

Picture 1: Marble (top), Rust (bottom)
Picture 2: Rust (top), Marble (bottom)

You know, technology sorely vexes me sometimes.  I just discovered that an excellent photo I took of the Topshop in downtown Chicago was the victim of a botched iPhone upload.  So not only did I learn that, but it took me forever to do it because iPhoto is very bad about telling me where it puts my uploads. Rant over.

So, these are a couple of goodies I picked up on impulse one day.  I had read a few good reviews of these from bloggers in the UK, but you never can tell if the American version is going to be the same, so I wanted to approach them with an open mind.  They retail for $14/crayon, which is definitely in the low mid-range, but maybe a bit more than I expected from Topshop.  Then again, their prices in general versus quality seem a little inflated.  I digress.  So I shimmied on in, wearing my disgusting gym clothes (God forbid I ever be able to swatch or try on anything in the store), and I selected these two shade out of what was, admittedly, a limited range.  The color of the Eye Crayon in Rust reminds me of Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Copper, although the finish and lasting power do not compare to the more expensive BB shadow.  Still, I got a good 4-5 hours of it before I needed a touch-up, and in the pencil form, application is a breeze.  What it lacks in staying power, it makes up for in how easily it blends as opposed to the BB. Definitely a great alternative for on the go.

The Eye Crayon in Marble snagged my eye because I'm always looking for multi-taskers to reduce the sheer number of items I have in my bag every day.  The color is somewhat reminiscent of one of my very favorite shadows, Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadow in Champagne Quartz, but without the pink undertones.  There's also something about it that reminds me of the NARS Multiple in Copacabana, but it does have a bit more of an opinion color-wise, than that product (WHICH HOLY SHIT IS AVAILABLE IN ST. BARTS AGAIN I JUST LOOKED OMG SO EXCITED WEARING IT ALL SUMMER NATCH).  Ahem, anyway.  I've been using Marble just to open my eyes up a bit, for a quick highlight, or to just slap a little something on my eyes when I don't feel like the whole shebang on a given day.

The product is definitely on the soft side, so don't push too hard or you may end up with a sad, wasted, broken-off bit of cream eyeshadow (not that I have personal experience with that, erm.)  Sorry to blather on!  I hope you all enjoyed, for those of you not located near a Topshop, you can order through their website.  I think these are a fun addition to my makeup correction and I can't say I regret this particular impulse buy.

Lilacs are Blooming

 

Well, not quite.  But a girl can dream, can't she? I'm hoping some wishful thinking will bring the fair weather upon us, although considering 7-10" of snow is in the forecast for today, I'm not getting my hopes up too high.  Nevertheless, I've slapped Essie Lilacism on my nails, and I quite like it, as purples go.  Its got a cream finish, but went on quite streaky, so I had to do three coats instead of my usual two.  Turned out quite well, I think, but you know me, I can never quite leave things alone when they're finished.  Cue Deborah Lippmann I Love the Nightlife.  This polish makes me feel confusion, primarily.  On it's own, it's pretty blah, but it doesn't make a great top coat (not to be confused with topcoat) either, and the glittery bits aren't that shiny.  I'll certainly give it a few more tries, but I don't know that it will assert itself strongly enough to find a place among my favorites.

I don't know friends, I feel a bit medium about this whole look.  Maybe it's just that it's too much wishful thought versus the reality of the environment.  I think I may have to make a turn to more pastel greys for a smoother transition from the dark depths of winter to the colorful joy of spring (here's hoping it comes sooner than May).  Tell me, how could I possibly have thought lilac would be an innocuous color when those flowers are clearly wily SoBs just waiting to draw you into their lovely looks?

And I'll leave you all with that insane thought.

Saving Face

With the weather continuing to insist that it is, in fact, winter, I've been relying on a few moisturizing treats to keep my face and my hands from chapping the limitless wind.  First up is the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm, which moisturizes while it cleans.  The nice, fresh smell wakes you up, and a gentle scrub with a muslin cloth removes any extra dead skin. Then I've been slapping on the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream, which is doubling as a moisturizer and foundation for me right now, to great effect.  It doesn't slick me out, even in my T-zone, and the color lasts all day.

To keep my pout looking perfect, I dig that oldie, but goodie, Fresh's Sugar Lip Balm.  It really beats away the windy wiles of the city while I walk to work. I may be blowing through it a little quickly for the price, as far as I'm concerned, but it's doing the job for sure. Finally, I like to apply L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream to make sure my hands don't get all dried out and cracked and such.  No one likes that, no siree.  Honestly, it does an okay job moisturizing, but I don't much care for the scent.  It's reminiscent of baby powder and diapers, although it does dissipate quickly, to its credit.  Still, for the number of times I need to moisturize my hands in a day, I don't feel like smelling it.  C'est la vie.

Happy Monday!

Burberry Lip Velvet Long Wear Lipstick

Oi, this is my lovie.

Burberry's Lip Velvet Long Wear Lipstick in No. 306, Pink Amber. I am not even going to pretend I have any other love for texture in the lipwear department.  What a sinful mouthfeel (I know that's supposed to do with food, but fuck you, too, eh?).

The color is the perfect, like, my lips, but in the perfect shade of pink.  Am I going to show you? No, you loon, I'm camera shy and I have a huge honking stress zit/wound on my chin on account of the sun never coming out here.  Here's a swatch, just because I'm feeling nice.

But I tell you, I have rarely been so enamored of a texture.  It's the perfect combination of a moisturizing lipstick, such as Bite Beauty's offerings, and the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (and the wear time is much better, oooooo, I'm such a bad girl, betraying NARS like that).  Someday soon, I mean to hop my way down to that beautiful new Burberry flagship on Michigan and do some striking damage to my bank account at their makeup counter.  But I'll have to wait until some kind of free food month, natch.

Have you fallen for any Burberry products yourself? Aside from their sinfully wonderful trenchcoats...