Silver & Sparkle Birthday Wishlist

My birthday is in one week and I have been mentally compiling my wish list for a little while...well 364 days to be exact. Here are just some of the things I am wishing for this year.

Laura Mercier Smokey Violets

Laura Mercier is a brand that I haven't really looked at before but recently I have been gravitating towards that stand every time I visit my local Space NK or John Lewis. The products are high end so good quality with high levels of pigmentation coupled with chic packaging which will give the classic look I long for. 

The Christmas collection really caught my eye this year and has also managed to indulge my love of make up palettes...

Lust at first sight with the Laura Mercier Colour-To-Go in Smoky Violets. Anything with a different way of presenting the products and I just can't contain the excitement and this palette features a double decker design.

Open the first layer and you are confronted with a full mirror and the piece de resistance as far as I am concerned the eye colours that give the palette this name.

From left to right you have the trio of eye shadows, soft with great pigmentation and easily buildable and blendable for a basic day look or something a little smokier for the evening. In the far left we have the luster finish in 'Violet Steel' and in the middle a matte 'Plum Smoke', to the right there is another luster finish to be used as a highlighter which is a 'pink champagne' shade. The darkest shade in the palette is a tight liner in exclusive shade Violet Asphalt. Use a damp liner brush to get the right depth of colour otherwise it is all just a bit 'meh'.

Open up the second level and there is a beautifully presented bronzing powder in 'Golden Bronze' a second skin cheek colour in 'Barely Pink' and one of the famous lip glacé products in a nude 'After Hours'. I really really do like the finish that the blusher gives you and is different to other things that I have as it is matte rather than a little shimmery. A little does go a long long way so I will definitely be checking out some of the other colours.

The lip product has a milky finish and a lovely pink nude colour which again is different to anything that I have but I'm afraid that is where the things I like about this end.  It does have a tendency to look a little 'gloopy' and sticks to any dry spots that you have on your lips. It also has the most horrific smell, I think it is supposed to be chocolate / coco butter but there is an underlying chemical plastic scent that makes me want to gag. For now it can just stay in the palette and continue to look pretty which it definitely does.

This is definitely going to be in my make up bag through out Christmas especially when we travel home as it is practically a whole face in one beautiful packaged palette. 

It can be found at Space NK for £31.00 here.

A Navy & Nude Make Over

It wasn't too long ago that I was lusting over the Navy & Nude collection, and I took a hop, skip and a jump to my local John Lewis to get my make up needing hands on it. We had to wait a little longer for it to hit the South West, and I had an appointment at Bobbi Brown on the 4th July for a complimentary make over using the palette.

The make up artist and I had a good old gossip about my favourite products, most of which are Bobbi anyway, so it wasn't exactly a difficult conversation, and I left with a wish list as long as my arm and at the top is the corrector and concealer kit.

I was a little disappointed with the make over though as this palette and the look is all about the eyes, and I was expecting more of a dramatic look. I'm prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt, I never said this to the artist, I let her make a decision about the look she would create, and she went for more of a day look. It wasn't too far off though, because I re-created it the next day for work. 

Now onto the products, which surprisingly made it into my bag and into my make up console!

So onto the palette itself...the first thing you notice is that it is a step away from the usual black and white that she uses. This has a navy blue marbling which just makes it a little different (oh the things I put in my head to justify this) and I'm not sure I can remember a time where she has used a different colour.

Another thing I am totally in love with, is the little drawer that pulls out at the bottom to reveal 4 more extra colours, including the navy that this palette revolves around. It screams luxury at every corner, and is just a little feature that clearly makes me happy anyway.

The palette has 8 shades including the vibrant navy, which can be used to create a smokey eye, or as an eye liner. The make up artist used the navy as an eye liner for my make over, and did so by dampening the brush to get the biggest colour pay off. 

Photo from Bobbi Brown website

I love a Bobbi shimmer and the two in this palette, the Beige Shimmer and the Twilight Pink Metallic certainly don't disappoint. They are certainly not over the top, and the Blazing Star Sparkle shadow can be pressed on the top when a little extra sparkle is needed.


Oh yeah and then this happened!

This is the Pink Brightening Brick, another member of the Navy & Nude collection. Made up of 6 different pink squares; 3 matte and 3 shimmer this can be used all over the face and on top of a blush to provide a sweep of highlight across the cheek bone. This doesn't compete with a MAC highlighter or Benefits' High Beam for a full Kardashian like contour, but certainly adds a welcome glow to my complexion.

If you can't tell I am very happy with these recent additions to my make up collection and I implore you to head down to your nearest Bobbi and at least stare at this beautifulness whilst it's still around. The collection is also available to buy online here.

More than a wish list...

I don't just wish I owned these, I want to own these! So cool, pretty and shimmery who wouldn't? These little beauties are the new releases from Bobbi Brown and make up the best part (in my opinion) of the 'Nude & Navy' collection and they have got my heart all of a flutter.

I had promised myself a little spending ban but I am finding these too hard to resist.  

I'm totally sure that I will look like Katie Holmes once I'm finished as well - not!