The Power of Matte - NUXE 'Reve de Miel' Baume Levres Ultra-Nourrissant Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm Review

I know what you're thinking, freakishly long name for a lip balm huh?…Yup I agree. I spotted this on Lisa Eldridge's channel as she pointed out that this was a matte lip balm. Intrigued, I ordered it off feelunique.com for £9.50 (including delivery) and I must say it's quite a unique product. I've mentioned before that I'm really on a matte kick lately and I think bright matte lips look really amazing and are a little easier to wear compared to glossy bright colours but as everyone knows they can be drying. Nuxe's lip balm is virtually undetectable on the lips and would be a perfect under or over a matte lipstick or just by itself for a simple look. I just love how you can't tell there's anything on my lips but they are still soft and supple. 

At first, upon applying it I felt it was slightly gritty but then it just melts down a smooth consistency and instantly moisturises and heals chapped lips without feeling heavy. I felt upon my lips it lasted quite a while - around 2 hours but it does a good job at penetrating the lips so I don't really need to reapply that often. Price wise, I think it's ok, bear in mind a Vaseline lip balm container provides 20g of product compared to Nuxe's 15g but then again I don't feel as though Vaseline does anything for me. You could also use this on your cuticles and it's not overly glossy and sticky which is a plus. So far so good - nothing to complain about, I can see this becoming a staple in my everyday routine and its great for 'no makeup looks'. As for scent, it doesn't have a very strong one - just a slight hint on grapefruit which is one of the ingredients along with honey, plant oils and shea butter.

Nonetheless, I am loyal to my beloved Carmex and Clarins Instant Lip Perfecter but then again those are quite glossy! I had been eyeing ByTerry's Baume de Rose for the longest time but knew my mother would probably slap me for buying a £30 lip balm so I think this is a great and really different alternative.

What are your favourite lip balms?

xxx

Blogger Interview

Hi everyone, a while ago I had taken part in a blogger interview over at http://missbeautylicious101.blogspot.co.uk  and thought it might be nice to paste it here in case you missed it - just to get to know me a bit better! Anyway let me know what you think and tell me something about yourself or feel answer the questions yourself!

Tell me a little about yourself and your life?

My name is Kunoor from www.roundcheeks.blogspot.com, I'm originally from India but have studied in numerous countries such as Switzerland, Cyprus and Russia. Now I'm finishing my undergraduate degree in London and hoping to further my studies in either Photography or PR. 

When did you start blogging?

I've loved blogs for several years but only wound up the courage to start last month! So far it's been amazing.

Who and what inspired you to blog?

Many youtubers and bloggers alike inspired me to start, nonetheless, I needed somewhere to vent about my obsessions and its seemed as though a blog would be the perfect place. Plus I was really getting into photography!

What does your blog mostly focus on?

At the moment, beauty - because that's what been on my mind. However, I hope to start blogging about more topics I'm interested in like fashion, cooking and travelling. 

What are your top 3 favourite blogs?

I really love Muhsine from Bubblegarm for her amazing photographs and reviews - she's the same skin tone as I am so I can relate to many products that she uses! Estee from EssieButton as she's hilarious and always has a new take on things! and Tali from The Gloss Goss as I feel we have very similar taste. Oh and all three of them are stunning!

What are your favourite types of posts?

I tend to read many 'Favourites' posts as well as 'Products I regret buying'. Other than that I love foundation reviews.

What are your daily essentials? (makeup wise)

I have dry skin so moisturiser is a must! I love Origins Vitazing as it evens out the skintone at the same time. I also use concealer (MAC Studio Sculpt/Illamasqua Concealer) on under eye circles and to cover up redness on my cheeks. Next I'm never without eyeliner - Avon Supershock and my mascara of choice is Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill or Clinique High Impact. For lips I keep it simple and use Carmex Moisture Plus in pink or Clarins Instant light lip perfecter in the nudey colour!

What is your favourite makeup brand?

For eyeshadow/blush I love NARS for their outstanding pigmentation. For foundation and textures I'm drawn towards Giorgio Armani.

What would you hope for your blog in the future?

I would love to meet new friends through blogging and for people to value my opinion.  

What advice would you give to other bloggers?

If you're interested in blogging, start immediately! Blog about things you are interested in as your personality will also shine through to your readers. Furthermore, in a more aesthetic sense, try your best to take well lit and clutter free photographs (natural sunlight!) and make it easy for readers to navigate around your blog.

xxx

Nars Yachiyo Kabuki Brush Review

I've been looking for a blush brush for a while, I previously had been using a random squirrel hair brush that came in a set that I bought when I first started getting into makeup or the MAC 109 which I felt deposited colour to heavily. Many brushes seemed inviting, the MAC 116, the 129, this Nars one and the infamous Suqqu blush brush. The Suqqu brush is just priced way too ridiculously for me to even think about it. The Nars Yachiyo (£37.50) brush had always intrigued me and the style of this brush has been commended by numerous makeup artists; Rae Morris brought out a whole host of brushes in a similar style so it seemed like a pretty good bet. 

The brush itself, apart from being incredibly soft has a tapered tip enabling you to contour and highlight if you so wish, the wide base and the fact it's not so dense helps blush application. It is made out of  goat hair and spun with black wisteria, my advice wash it before you first start using it and it shouldn't shed - mine hasn't as yet! My sister in law, who's a makeup artist was telling me how important it is to build colour & blend between building and told me that brands like Nars and Inglot aren't buildable. At first I didn't really understand but now I agree - since Nars' colours are so pigmented sometimes it can be difficult to achieve a sheer application, this particularly applies to blush - Desire, Exhibit A, Taj Mahal are only a few of the blushes that could make you look clown like if not careful. Sometimes, it annoys me that I always have to pay attention to how much colour I place on my brush. This is where the Yachiyo's forte lies - I find you can definitely be more liberal (still be careful with Exhibit A!) and build up colour to your taste. The brush feels amazing on your skin and I'm not worried about looking clownish anymore! The brush at £37.50 is expensive, and I did need to bite my lip whilst buying it but I'm coming to realise that now that I have most of the basics in makeup my intention is to spend on items that are outstanding, it's an investment but worth it. You could try ASOS as a lot of the time they have codes for money off. I've learned that with any product, highly pigmented or not one needs the correct tools and Francois (yes, we're on a first name basis considering my cosmetic addiction!) has made a brush that goes hand in hand with his top of the line blushers, powders and bronzers. 

2 sweeps of Taj Mahal on the brush, blended out on the skin, it's seemless.

Truly an item that does the work for you!

xxx

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains Review & Swatches

These have been circling the beauty world with great reviews so I decided on a couple of colours. I'm currently in India for my brother's wedding and I thought these would be great as they are marketed to be incredibly long lasting. The texture is something I haven't come across before - it feels like a really lightweight creamy/watery gloss at first but then after a few minutes it gets a little thicker. Surprisingly as it gets thicker it doesn't get sticky and I can't really deal with sticky glosses. However, I will say that your lips have to be well conditioned before applying as it can settle into lines and feel drying as it wears.  As for the longevity - INSANE. The glossy effect lasts, on me, for around 4 hours even through eating and the stain is still strong after 6 hours plus - I don't think you can ask for more than that!

The way to get the most out of this product lies in the application. In my opinion, build up 2 or 3 thin layers (what's on the applicator is plenty for one layer) if you want maximum effect - wait around about 30 seconds between each layer and you'll achieve full and pouty glossy saturated pigmentation that is not going away for quite a while!

I have #7 Coral Aquatique and #8 Orange de Chine - #7 translates amazingly onto pigmented lips and isn't overly bright so it's very versatile. #8 is a bright orange with one or two layers and can be built up to an orangey red. I love both. The stains have extremely fine glitter throughout but it's not something you can see or feel when applied - it just enhances the glossyness. Also YSL's typcial watermelon stain is still present but quite as strong.

Left: #8 Orange de Chine, Right: #7 Coral Aquatique

Stain left behind from 30 seconds of swatching!

1 layer of Coral Aquatique

3 layers of Coral Aquatique

I think YSL deserves a big congratulations for their Glossy Stains. They're unlike anything on the market and a great product for the modern woman. The price is around £22.50 depending on where you buy and is available at all YSL counters. 

So, what do you all think? Yay or Nay? Haven't tried the 'nude' colours.. any thoughts?

xxx

Also a little update - my blog posts are going to slow down from now on (I'll do one here and there) as I have to pay attention to studies etc - hope you all understand but no faith lost - I'll be back in full swing soon!

Burberry Lip Cover #29 Golden Peach Review & Swatches

I've been wanting to check out Burberry makeup for a while now since I've been seeing so many rave reviews for pretty much all their products. I figured I have enough eyeshadows at the moment even though theirs are amazing so I picked up the Lip Cover in #29 Golden Peach. 

As you can see, the packaging is stupendous with its magnetic closure similar to the Giorgio Armani lipsticks and the detail on the the lipstick itself is really quite unique. The packaging does attract fingerprints though but that doesn't bother me as I cant help it!

Texture wise, it's very smooth, very creamy and this particular shade has a pretty glossy finish. On me it shows up as a juicy peachy nude which I can pair with a multitude of looks. Moreover it was £23 (£22.50 in Harvey Nichols, if you ask me that's not bad for a luxury brand, in fact their whole line is very well priced - I think I might prefer it to Tom Ford as Burberry's textures are really something to talk about. I'll definitely being going back for some eyeshadows! So far I think you can only buy Burberry at Harvey Nichols & Harrods in the UK. I really hope they expand soon! The lipstick itself lasted around 3 hours on my lips and was very felt very balmy which I love!

If you're feeling like treating yourself I would really recommend Burberry!

xxx

Giveaway Winners!!

Hey all, I just want to thank all of you who entered my giveaway and I appreciate it more than you know!

This might be a little cheesy but it's an amazing feeling that you all read my blog and comment etc. I'm going to try to the best of my ability to try and post as regularly as possible and I'll hopefully be getting a proper camera soon so the overall quality of things should pick up!

I wish I could give something to all of you but don't be disheartened if you didn't win - I'm planning on bigger and better giveaways in the future!

Anyway, without further ado…. CONGRATULATIONS…

Natalie from Persian Beauty & Shen from Shenmoo

An email should be coming your way now so please send me your address ( kunoors1@gmail.com ) so I can get the lipsticks out to you ASAP!

Thanks again, and if you have any requests for any type of posts I'd love it if you'd comment below on what you'd like to see!

xxx