Sunday 26 September 2010

My First Ever Giveaway on www.lipstickluvvies.com

If you haven't already noticed, English Rose Beauty has morphed into http://www.lipstickluvvies.com/. I have just posted my first ever giveaway there, so to be in with a chance of winning Decleor and OPI goodies, take a look.

Sunday 12 September 2010

www.lipstickluvvies.com

The main reason for changing the name of my blog is so that I could secure the domain name, not possible for English Rose Beauty.

So you can now check out the new improved blog at www.lipstickluvvies.com

It should make everything a lot simpler, thats the plan anyway!

Saturday 11 September 2010

English Rose Beauty is moving!

Hi everyone,

This will be my last post here on English Rose Beauty because it is changing to Lipstick Luvvies!

There were too many blogs and websites with similar names and I decided Lipstick Luvvies was a catchier title. It is my term for those obsessed with all things beauty, I thought it sounded much nicer than the more commonly used beauty addicts or makeup junkies!

The style, content, regularity of posts etc will all be the same, only the name is checking.

So come and join the lipstick luvvies at http://www.lipstickluvvies.blogspot.com/

Hope you like it
         X

Friday 10 September 2010

Q&A: Which is your favouriste shade from the Les Khakis de Chanel Collection?

Indulge me, do you have a favourite from the Les Khakis de Chanel collection of nail varnishes or do you hate them all?

Les Khakis de Chanel - Khaki Brun, Khaki Rose & Khaki Vert

For me, Khaki Vert is the standout as I don't have a shade like it and how could I not love a nail varnish that is almost the exact same colour as my eyes? I might change my mind once I see Khaki Rose in the flesh but Khaki Brun is my least favourite.

So, even if you think £19 for a nail varnish is ridicculous, do you have a favourite colour out of the three?

Chanel Khaki Vert Nail Varnish - I gave in to temptation

So I have no will power when it comes to Chanel nail polishes, but the benefit of that is I get to show you some swatches of the new limited edition Les Khakis de Chanel Collection. This post will be all about Khaki Vert, but I have ordered Khaki Rose and it should arrive in the next few days. I am still deliberating whether to go for Khaki Brun, I find it the least appealing of all the shades and am somewhat put off by other beauty bloggers descriptions of it as 'baby poo'.

Chanel nail varnish in Khaki Vert - £19

But as I already said, I have no will power and would like the complete set, if only for comparative reasons.

Now onto the important stuff, the pictures!
(apologies for the shiny looking fingers, I applied cuticle oil and didn't realise how much it would show up in the photos)


Before I saw the colour in person, I was a little concerned that it would be very similar to a couple of OPI shades I already own, mainly You Don't Know Jaques and Over The Taupe. I took pictures of the bottles side by side so you can see my fears were unjustified, the Khaki Vert is most definitely green when compared to the other 2 shades.

OPI Over The Taupe, Chanel Khaki Vert, OPI You Don't Know Jaques
I think many people are under the impression that all three of the khaki shades are very much brown based but Khaki Vert is green. I have shown it side by side with Particuliere and Jade to show the differences.

Chanel Khaki Vert & Chanel Particuliere
Chanel Jade and Chanel Khaki Vert

2 coats of Khaki Vert applied + top coat
As with all Chanel polishes I have tried, it applies like a dream and I could have left it at just one coat it is that pigmented. However, I always apply 2 plus a top coat so that is what is shown in the photos.

2 coats of Khaki Vert applied + top coat
The colour is most definitely a green and although this collection has proved rather like the marmite of the beauty world, you either love or you hate it, I love it (also love marmite). It is unlike any other shade I own and I think it will look great with my camel wool trench coat which I am looking forward to wearing as it gets colder. Camel is meant to be the fashion trend this season and I think all three of the Khakis will compliment this look.

I finally took a few photos using my camel coat as a background so you can see the contrast and a dark brown background.

Khaki Vert on camel background
Khaki Vert on camel background
Khaki Vert on brown background
I think the final photo really shows how green this colour actually is. In reality it is very similar to my own eye colour. It is an opaque, cream shade that is perfect for Autumn. It doesn't scream military to me, I find it more of an olive shade.

The one problem I do have with the product is how Chanel are justifying charging £19 for this when it is no different to my eye from any of their other varnishes that cost £16.50. It does feel like they are taking liberties, knowing that limited edition colours will be sought after whatever the price.

Having had to pay over the odds for Khaki Vert to get hold of it at all, I guess their assumption is right.

What do you think of the colour? Is £19 too much? Has anyone tried the other shades?

I will post about Khaki Rose as soon as the postman (I'm seeing a lot of him lately) bring it, but if you can't wait that long, www.londonmakeupgirl.com has posted about it already.

Thursday 9 September 2010

Q&A: Do you prefer to buy makeup palettes or individual products?

Having just posted about the latest Urban Decay palette, I wondered whether more people prefer to buy palettes for their makeup bag because of the great value they offer or if individual products still win as they offer better choice.

Nars Emotional Rescue Artist Palette - £53

When at university and on a tighter budget (and less room for my makeup collection), I invested in a lot of palettes, especially from Nars and Stila. I could never have afforded the products individually and I discovered a few products I loved this way that I later bought individually.

Now at home in my own space, my makeup has room to spread itself everywhere and I find that I reach for the palettes far less often. I discovered yesterday a whole box of them which I've barely touched. So this begs the question, are they really better value for money when you generally reach for one or two shades and waste the rest?

I am hoping that my new Naked palette with prove the exception. I am determined to use it all, I want to see the bottom of the pan for once!

So do you buy into palettes or do you prefer to choose your own shades?

It's official, naked is the best way to be!

So after many days waiting for the postman, it has finally arrived, Urban Decay's Naked Palette.


Urban Decay Naked Palette - £27
Much sought after, the palette is great value for money, containing 12 neutral shades, all that you could ever need! Four of the shades are exclusive to the palette and the different textures include matte, shimmer, satin and sparkle.

Shades: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal
The aim of the palette is cover all the basics you could ever need, but make them versatile and interesting. You should be able to go from office looks to an evening smokey eye with just these shades. As well as the eyeshadows, the palette contains a 3.7ml size the bestselling Primer Potion and double ended 24/7 eye pencil in Zero and Whiskey (black and brown).

The case itself is quite sleek, has a decent size mirror inside and the outside is flocked. Although this is a nice idea, I doubt that it will wear well. As the idea is that this palette can be all you need when out and about, a leather or metallic casing might have been more suitable.

I haven't tried the eyesahdows on yet, just swatched them, but they do feel lovely and creamy. I haven't used any Urban Decay products since I was 17 and used a couple of their face palettes for school, so the quality of the shadows was a pleasant surprise.

The swatches were taken without the primer potion applied underneath. On the darker shades, the photo makes them appear a lot more glittery than they are in real life.



Shades: Virgin, Sin, Naked & Sidecar


Shades: Buck, Half Baked, Smog & Darkhorse


Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal



 
Overall, I think this is a great palette for anyone and everyone. Even though I have quite a few Bobbi Brown neutral eyeshadow palettes, this Naked Palette offers something that little bit special. I would only hesitate to recommend it to those who already have a number of Urban Decay shadows as I don't know if I would pay £27 for the sake of just 4 new shades. Happily for me, I have none so all are new and exciting. I can't wait to have a play around with them. Plus, I have never used the primer potion so I'll be interested to see how it affects all of my shadows, not just these.

The palette is what it says, a great basic. It allows me to have a wardrobe of nudes at a good price, which I can add to with the more expensive brands like Edward Bess, Rouge Bunny Rouge and Burberry, as I would never be able to afford 12 of their neutrals in one go.

Although this should satisfy my requirements for nudes for the foreseeable future, I still feel incomplete without Chanel's Taupe Gris. It will be mine when my bank balance is out of the red!

Urban Decay's Naked Palette is available for £27 from Boots, Debenhams and House of Fraser.

Get it while you can!