OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss

These have literally just launched today, and are a more gentle version of the famously pigmented Lip Tars. Without the density of regular Tars they are a lot more wearable.

OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss

This one, in Androgyne, is the most vivid. They all have strong colour, but the difference between these and other lip tars is that there is a level of translucency.

OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss

Here they are freshly squeezed from the tubes! From top to bottom: Meta, Androgyne and New Wave (there are three more but I don’t have them here).

OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss

And now smeared up a little.

OCC Lip Tar Stained Gloss

And the stain they left behind. I think the name refers to the actual gloss rather than any staining – as in gloss with a stain, but they certainly do leave their mark. They’re £12 each HERE.

Vinylux promised a week of chip free polish.

Vinylux in Lobster Roll

Yes, as you can see, there is one chip and a little wear on the free edge of my pinkie. But, I will very much stand up for Vinylux and say I pushed the test too far; the chip on the middle finger happened after gardening with no gloves – that included weeding and planting (and I also broke my thumb nail)! It got no worse during the week and I decided not to retouch so I could see if the chip worsened, which it didn’t. We’ve been redecorating so I’ve been carrying furniture, dusting and generally doing all kinds of heavy-duty things that I wouldn’t normally, and of course, battering away on my laptop. So, with all those things taken into consideration, I am beyond impressed that there is so little damage and that three of the nails remained absolutely perfect.

Fudge Paint Box

I’m doing this at the weekend. I’m going to do one strand I think, and have already been advised to back-comb the strand before I apply it so I don’t get an obvious line of paint/no-paint and the look is more graduated.

I had no clue that this stuff lasts for about four washes – I had always just assumed it would wash out the next time. It’s been around for a while, but the next generation hair colours from Fudge are the Urban Hair Chalks coming to Superdrug and Topshop in July.

Fudge Urban Chalk

They’ll be £5.99 each.

Bobbi Brown Navy & Nude Palette

This is already on sale in the US, but we have a little while longer to wait in the UK. I’ve got so used to seeing high pigment colour splashes in palette, that I forgot for a moment what pared back glamour really looks like. I am a huge fan of a navy shadow (I use a Trish McEvoy one) but had never thought really that navy is nude’s best friend on the eye. I cannot wait for this to come my way to swatch and experiment. There isn’t a shade in the palette I wouldn’t want to wear and to me, that is the very most you can ever want from a make-up palette.

Chanel Le Vernis Group

I’m always really impressed when an imaginative collection hits the spot – not all do, but Chanel’s referencing of butterflies really works both creatively and in practical translation.

Chanel Le Vernis Group

I can’t wait to get these on my nails.. probably all at once since choosing will take forever!

Chanel Le Vernis Swatch

Lilis, Azure and Bel-Argus cost £18 each.

Chanel Le Vernis in Bel Argus

But my money is on Bel-Argus as the most sought after shade.

Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow Blue Bay and Black Stream

The Stylo Eyeshadows are a revelation to me; soft, creamy and easy to blend – everything you’d expect and more.

Chanel Style Eyeshadow Blue Bay and Black Stream

Black Stream is pretty much my perfect shade, the deepest charcoal flecked with iridescent sparkle. There are six shades in the range: Cool Gold, Pink Lagoon, Jade Shore, Blue Bay, Black Stream and Moon River priced at £23 each.

Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara Lime Light and  Blue Note

So, on to *those* mascaras! I’m actually wearing Lime Light on my lower lashes and they’re, um, interesting! I think you either just do the very last millimetre of the tips or you go the whole hog. There’s no in-between with this look. I’m rather glad I don’t have the yellow one to test!

Chanel Inimitable Waterproof Mascara Lime Light and Blue Note

I find the blue one, True Blue, a bit Princess Di. There are four mascara shades; Blue Note (above), Zest (yellow), Lime Light (above), Aqua Blue and Black. They’re £24.

Chanel Gossamer For Lips

You can’t really go wrong with this light whisper of colour for lips. A beautiful peach tinted base with flecks of gold. It’s pretty.

Chanel Gossamer For Lips

There are three shades for lips in L’Ete Papillon De Chanel range; Envolee (shown above), Eden (pink) and Zephyr (nude) at £21 each.

So, when does this launch? 31st of May.

OCC Stained Glass

A very quick last-minute post.. look what’s coming from OCC!! I should have product to swatch by tomorrow but couldn’t resist this colour splash to round the evening off! You’ll find them HERE around mid-day tomorrow.

Nails Inc Autumn Winter 2013 Spills

These are really lush colours.. and on a wintery, horrible day like today where it’s hailing in May, they look just about right for now!

Nails Inc Autumn Winter 2013

Its a while since I used a Nails Inc polish and I’d forgotten how glossy they are.

Nails Inc Autumn Winter 2013

So from left to right: St Martin’s Lane, Old Bond Street, Regent Street and Oxford Street. Oxford Street I think will be the surprise hit – it doesn’t look much in the bottle but once out it’s a gorgeous deep nude suede shade. No further info for now, but I’ll keep you posted!

L’Oreal Nail Care Group

This is, I believe, L’Oreal Paris’ first foray into nail care, with the hero product being 7 in 1 Saviour with Argan that promises results in seven days. According to the info I have here, after 14 days nails feel 100% smoother, which is an odd claim. However, it’s the other products, Grow Beautiful, Diamond Force and 2-in-1 Protect which I am more interested in. The one that’s right for me is Grow Beautiful because it’s specifically for fragile, brittle nails, whereas Diamond Force is more for soft and weak nails. Mine are too hard, and the ends can literally just ping off! Urgh.

L’Oreal Nail Care

However, watch out for the old ‘big-box-small-bottle’ trick with these! They’re £5.99 each HERE.

Cinq Mondes Face Mask

I’m such a fan of Cinq Mondes – it’s lack of availability is very frustrating because it’s really a super brand: if you do want to get hold of it in the UK, it’s the old fashioned way – telephone 02078413578. Talk about making it hard for themselves.

The big sell for me is that it’s 3 minutes to a soft and brighter complexion. It certainly does work – you can feel it tingling – and it feels like it works powerfully. A combo of AHAs and glycolic acid gives an immediate brightening effect. It’s £49 which sounds expensive but believe me, you don’t need much!

Estee Lauder Nutritious Radiant Vitality Two Step Treatment.

This is such a great idea! Part of the new to the UK Nutritious range, this is a double action mask with two elements – detoxifying clay and then a nutrient infusion gel. The power ingredient is pomegranate and my favourite thing in the world, hyaluronic acid.

Estee Lauder Nutritious Radiant Vitality Two Step Treatment

I have put it out to try over the weekend because I could definitely do with some radiance! It’s £46 HERE.