Wednesday 29 May 2013

My Perfect Orange-Red Lip: Hourglass Opaque Rouge 'Raven'

Over the bank holiday weekend I spent my time watching one too many episodes of Kourtney & Kim Take Miami and became slightly obsessed with Kourtney K's trademark Orange-Red lip. So the next day I went shopping with one thing in mind: finding the perfect orange-red lip product! Now I know I look NOTHING like a Kardashian (that was never the aim), and I know that orange toned reds are typically more suited to olive skin tones than us pale english roses, but I try not to let makeup 'rules' restrict me too much. If I see a colour I like and it makes me happy to wear, then god dammit I will rock that colour, pale skin or not! 
Mostly I just admired the way Kourtney wore this bold lip colour casually in the daytime and was having a bit of fun with colour. It encouraged me to be a bit more daring with what I wear on my lips in the daytime, and reminded me that a bold red lip doesn't have to be reserved for special occasions.
At the moment I am super pale and I still like the way this colour looks on me, but I think the colour will be most flattering once I've been on holiday and have my minuscule tan with some bronzer and gold highlighter on. I like to pair this colour with a nice thick line of black liner and strong brows, but the great thing about a colour like this is you can really let the lip do the talking and keep the rest of the makeup minimal if you want.

After a couple of minutes scouring the internet I discovered that Kourtney's orange-red lip product of choice is YSL's 'le orange'. I wasn't fussed about getting the exact product that she had, I just wanted to find my own version of this trend. So when I popped into Space NK and found myself hovering round the Hourglass stand, namely the 'opaque rouge' liquid lipsticks which are a formula I've heard raved about, the colour 'Raven' jumped out at me.



The Hourglass Opaque Rouge liquid lipsticks have a doe-foot applicator which makes for a precise application of a thin layer of the product, which is all you need. After a few seconds the formula dries into a comfortable matte finish. The formula is very long lasting on the lips and lasts through eating and drinking and you will have to scrub it off when you want it off. The only thing I will say is that if you are eating and drinking, the product does wear off slightly around the corners of the mouth, but I expect that of most lip products, and the applicator makes it easy to perform touch-ups. 



So what do you think, is a bold red daytime lip for you?
Have you tried any of the Hourglass Opaque Rouge's, and if so what do you think of the formula?

Let me know some of your favourite Orange-Red lip shades because I feel a new phase coming on!

Rachel xx

Wednesday 15 May 2013

May Birchbox UK

My monthly Birchbox just arrived through the door this morning and after ripping it open with a slice of peanut butter on toast in one hand I have decided I am happy with the contents of this months box.
Each month there is generally a theme, and the May theme is 'red carpet ready' (am I the only one who wonders when they think us average Joe's will be hitting the red carpet?!) Along with that, and perhaps more relevantly, Birchbox has teamed up with 'Fashion Targets Breast Cancer' to create awareness and generate funds for the cause.

The contents of my May Birchbox:
 1. OPI nail lacquer mini- the shade name of this one isn't actually on the bottle or the information card but I was happy to see this in there as it's a very 'me' colour. A very pretty purple with gold/bronze shimmer running through it, unlike anything else in my collection.
2. B/Attitude body soufflé- The information card tells me that this product is from a brand who own a London restaurant and Paris Spa and the price tag suggests it to be a luxury brand. It will be interesting to try the soufflé texture and the product has a nice clean baby powder-ish smell.
3. Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Facial Moisturiser Spf8 - This is a brand I've seen in Space NK and is probably the product I was happiest to see in this box. I've recently run out of moisturiser and have been putting off buying a new one so I'll be using this straight away. At 30ml it's a nice size sample for a luxury branded moisturiser. 
4. MakeBelieve 'enhance' cream highlighter - This product is from a brand of tanning experts so is presumably designed to enhance your skin to give it a healthy glow for the summer. I am a fan of cream highlights and only have one that I use regularly so I'll definitely be giving this one a try. My only concern is that the sheen looks to be quite a frosty one so perhaps this is one for the night time. 

Beauty Extra: Doctor Duve Anti-Aging & Firming eye cream sachets
Lifestyle Extra: Kushmi Detox Tea- I always find it quite random when they include food-y samples in the boxes but I do like trying new teas so this will get used up (if it's nice).



 Swatch of the nameless OPI polish:

All in all a decent box this month full of products that I'll be using straight away.
What do you think of this months Birchbox? 
Did you get similar contents in your box? 
If you're not already subscribed would this box persuade you?

Rachel x
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