Review: Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universal Make-up Base

 

As I am currently away on holiday, I was faced with the almighty task that is duty free shopping, I felt slightly panicked, what to buy? With a limited budget and an element of self restraint I whittled it down to 3 items, one of them being the cult product, Chanel Bronze Universal! So with plenty of time by the pool I thought I'd take some time to tell you all about it.

First, the packaging is gorgeous! In line with all Chanel products, it comes in a black and gold box and the bronzer itself is in a frosted pot. You get 30g of product for £30 (or £24 in duty free) which I think is actually pretty good, compared to say a Mac cremeblend blush that is 5.6g for £17.50. 

The product smells fruity which I really like, however if you have more sensitive skin it may be worth trying it out before purchasing. The colour is a soft, light, matte brown which is ideal for sun kissed skin. I have found it is best applied to the areas where the sun would hit your face rather than as a contour but it also works well for that! It blends beautifully but I advise starting with a small amount of product and building up to a colour level you would like, I do this with a Real Techniques stippling brush as it works best when buffed. It leaves a soft satin finish on the skin which, other than the colour, in undetectable. It's perfect for Summer make-up, I'm loving it with my Vitalumiere Aqua foundation and my Something Special Mac cream blusher.

All in all, this is a beautiful matte bronzer, that blends well and is best suited to Summer skin. Let me know what you think of this product in the comments below.

Swatch: Un-blended and blended

MAC eyeshadow giveaway

Review: Shu Uemura Sheer Face Powder

As a big fan of the Laura Mercier translucent powder, I was dubious about trying anything different; surely nothing could match up to its dewy finish with oil controlling properties that make it look like you're not wearing powder? So when I got the Shu Uemura Sheer Face Powder I half expected not to like it.

It is a finely milled, translucent face powder, that aims to 'leave skin radiant and glowing with vitality'. A claim that it certainly achieves! I have normal to dry skin so I don't always feel the need to powder, however I do lightly brush this over my T-zone to control any oil and set my make-up. I tend to use a small powder brush to do so as the puff or a large brush applies too much and I find that drying on my skin, the powder can also appear cake-y if over applied. It lasts on my skin for about 6 hours after which I tend to touch up a little, I think this is because of the 'sheer' formulation, for those with oily skin it may be best to try the matte version. At £26.50 it's a fair bit cheaper than the Laura Mercier and as you can see, I've got a lot of product left, despite having used it most days since Christmas. However, if you're a Laura Mercier convert, this may just not cut the mustard, it's a lovely powder, don't get me wrong, but the LM just does everything right, it leaves a perfect, radiant veil on your skin and it's invisible! 

Any questions about this product? Have you found a HG powder? Let me know in the comments below!

Don't forget to enter the MAC eyeshadow giveaway, open til Monday 2nd July! Good luck!

NOTD: Ciate Purple Sherbet

Just a quick post for some lazy Saturday afternoon reading. I recently picked up the Ciate nail polish, free with Marie Claire, in the colour Purple Sherbet. I think this is limited edition with the issue however looking at their website, the colour Sugar Plum looks very similar. Ciate polish is a consistent high performer, they have fantastic brushes, dry quickly and only need 2 coats. I also find they last on my nails for 4-5 days without chipping if you use a base and top coat which is very good in my books! This is a perfect colour for summer and I urge you all to try it! I apologise for not being able to show the colour on my nails as I have just them done for my holidays, but I can assure you it's the same colour as seen in the pot, a great alternative for those of you who find Lilacism from Essie too pale!

Have you got any colour suggestions for summer? Let me know in the comments!

Don't forget to enter my MAC eyeshadow giveaway, it's open til Monday 2nd July.

GIVEAWAY: Mac Eyeshadow

****CLOSED****

I will start with a massive THANK YOU to all you lovely people who have followed my blog, it means so much to me and I love reading your comments and checking out your pages too! I've reached 50 followers over night (51 now!) and so I'd like to do something to show how grateful I am for the support.

I am giving away a Mac eyeshadow in a colour of your choice, so I'll purchase the shadow once the competition closes, this also means you can choose whether you want a pot or palette version, as I know some people will have palettes that they are building up. I appreciate this is a daunting task as the selection is huge so I have picked out a number of popular shades and listed them below as suggestions.

Mac eyeshadows are probably my favourite, they are pigmented, very blend-able and come in the most incredible selection of colours and finishes. They are a little pricey but worth it! So I hope the winner enjoys them too!

The giveaway is open worldwide so everyone can enter, all you have to do is...

• Be subscribed to my blog with google friend connect (see sidebar for GFC if you're not)
• Tweet " I have entered @HollyS1992 's MAC eyeshadow giveaway at http://hollysbeautyreview.blogspot.co.uk/ " (if you have twitter)
• Comment below with your email address, the colour of eyeshadow you would like and whether you would like the pot or pan version.
• If you're under 18, please ask permission from your parent or guardian first.

Best of luck to everyone, the giveaway closes on MONDAY 2nd JULY, and I will choose the winner using a random number generator. I will then contact the winner for their details in order to post the eye shadow.

Colour suggestions (if you can't decide, here are a few of my favourites):

Nylon

All That Glitters

Shroom

Naked Lunch

Satin Taupe

Woodwinked

Patina

Espresso

Carbon