Burberry Light Glow Blush in Blossom

It has been a while since I last reviewed a product and today’s review is not one of those in a new collection that is screaming ‘COLLECT ME’. It happen to be a blush that I have been thinking for a while but never got down to purchasing it. It is none other than Burberry Light Glow Blush in Blossom.

I’m sure many beauty fanatics out there are very familiar with the buttery smooth texture of Burberry Beauty blushes and Blossom is no exception. Do you know that if you were to purchase Blossom blush now, it actually look more pinkish than the original one? Yes, this is true…….. The SA was telling me that the original Blossom blush looks more orangey while the new batch of Blossom look more pinkish. By looking at the tester Blossom blush at the counter vs the new Blossom blush, it certainly is the case. It would be nice if I am able to do the swatch compare side by side.

Looking at the swatch of Blossom blush, it is a beautiful coral pink shade which is quite pigmented. A gentle tap of my MAC 129 brush on the pan and I already manage to pick up a fair bit of product. I didn’t even have to re-apply the blush on my cheeks to make it stand out stronger!

For reference, I have included the swatches of my other Burberry Light Glow blushes in the swatch below. Missing in action is Earthly, which for some reason I forgot to include it in, haha. Blossom certainly looks like a lighter version of Coral Pink, in my opinion.

At $61 per pan, Burberry Beauty blush are worthy investment in my opinion, both in terms of texture and quality/ Most beauty fanatics I know have at least a few of them. You can never stop at 1!

Burberry Lip Glow Balm in Orange Poppy

It has been a long while since Burberry Beauty came up with something new and interesting. Finally Burberry Beauty launch the Summer Collection that has 3 sets of coordinating lip, cheek and nail products. The sets come in shade of orange, pink and plum and needless to say, I have to get the orangey Lip Glow Balm and Fresh Glow Blush in Orange Poppy. Let's be patient and shall we just review Lip Glow Balm first?

Housed in the signature gunmetal magnetic lipstick case, the only difference between the Lip Glow Balm and their lipstick is the shade of the product. It looks more flat and less angular as compared to normal lipstick. However, you definitely cannot miss out the Burberry signature checkered design.

Orange Poppy, as the name indicate is a bright orange shade but swatches so sheer due to it's balmy texture. You don't feel like you are wearing a lipstick at all. It gives a 'almost your lips but better lips' with the glossy sheen but pigmentation is definitely on the downside considering it is a balm than lipstick. I can't help but compare Burberry Lip Glow Balm to Chanel Rouge Coco Shine and YSL Rouge Volupte Shine.

Top: Bare lips, Bottom: With Burberry Lip Glow Balm in Orange Poppy

Ranking in terms of pigmentation:-
1 - YSL Rouge Volupte Shine
2 - Chanel Rouge Coco Shine
3 - Burberry Lip Glow Balm

Ranking in terms of glossy sheen:-
All 3 are comparables

Ranking in terms of moisturising effect:-
1 - Burberry Lip Glow Balm
2 - YSL Rouge Volupte Shine and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine are comparable

I would say Burberry Lip Glow Balm is more suitable for that 'barely make up day' so if you are someone who prefers stronger lip colour, it will be good news for your wallet.

I purchased the Burberry Lip Glow balm over Nordstrom at USD28. You will be glad to know they are available over our Singapore counters, so do check out in person and decide for yourself if you should grab them. :)

What's your Christmas look?

Hello everyone!! How's your preparation for Christmas which is going to be here in less than 24 hours. Many would be partying out and some will be hosting a simple Christmas dinner at home. In or out of house, don't you just feel like dressing up a bit for this joyous occasion? Other than that black dress (which every lady should have), perfume is definitely something I would like to put on too.

BOSS Nuit Pour Femme is the sophisticated new fragrance for women from BOSS Fragrances. The alluring and feminine scent is inspired by the most iconic symbol of feminine style – the little black dress and the confident reassurance it gives to women. Featuring a modern composition of feminine florals blended with sparkling top notes, BOSS Nuit Pour Femme is the perfect complement to the little black dress, serving as the uplifting finishing touch to the BOSS woman’s evening preparation, ensuring she feels ‘perfectly put together’.

Do you know Gwyneth Paltrow is the newly signed ambassador for BOSS Nuit Pour Femme? A successful woman both in her career and a wonderful wife and mother to her family, she is the epitome of today’s hard-working, multi-faceted modern woman. Confident, self-assured and supremely successful, her flawless style, charisma and sophisticated femininity make her the natural embodiment of BOSS Nuit Pour Femme.

Notes of BOSS Nuit Pour Femme

Top Notes

The top notes express the BOSS woman’s sense of excitement and anticipation as she prepares for her special occasion. The juiciness of the white peach combined with the thrilling radiance of the wet aldehydic accord provides a fresh and sparkling effect.

Heart Accord

Beneath the modern top, the heart accord represents her feminine sophistication, featuring a feminine jasmine and white flowers bouquet, while violet adds a sensual softness.

Base Notes

The base of the fragrance is laced with a seductive edge that grows ever richer as the evening unfolds, mirroring the BOSS woman’s sensuality. In the dry down, vibrant crystal moss echoes the dazzling character of the top while warm woods and creamy sandalwood bring a soft and gentle quality.

Just like that simple black dress that every lady has to own one, BOSS Nuit Pour Femme is housed in an elegant black glass bottle with luxurious glass details.

In case you are wondering what is Gwyneth Paltrow's choice of Christmas outfit, I am not surprised to know that she will opt for something simple like a black outfit with red lips (even though she confessed that she is not very good with red lips and will end up choosing a natural look).

Well, when it comes to the Christmas outfit for me, it will definitely be something simple and comfortable (especially if you are hosting) and some simple makeup to bring that glow to your face. Below are my choices of makeup items that I will use.

Do share what will your Christmas outfit be this year and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my beautiful readers out there a Merry Christmas. :)

YSL Blush Radiance No. 6

YSL Blush Radiance in No. 6 is part of Project Swap which I had with hot mama, Jacq sometime back and I finally managed to blog about it, lazy lazy me. 

YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 is a matte bright pink shade that look pretty intense in the pan. Honestly, if you showed this blush to Ruby a few years back, I would not have thought I would touch it, especially so because it is matte as well. I have always have a preference for slight shimmery blush and it still holds true now.

Housed in a gold shiny case, it is a terrible fingerprint magnet. But considering that I don't bring it out for touch up, I can certainly love with it.

Pigmentation is impressive as you can see from the swatch below so you do want to go easy with the application initially and slowly build it up. It stayed on pretty well on my cheeks for about 6 hours in the horrible humid weather in Singapore.

I dug out some of the pink toned blush stash that I have and tried to do a comparison to be if YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 is dupeable. Here are the blushes I used.

And here are the swatches in the same order as above (under sunlight in the top shot and indoor in the bottom shoot).......

Burberry Peony and Illamasqua Unrequited looks more powdery candy pink and Paul n Joe Cheek Colour in No. 07 has a stronger coral tone. Tom Ford Wicked looks closest in comparison with the exception that it has shimmer whils YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 is matte.

Overall, I am very satisfied with YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 that I caved in and purchased it IMMEDIATELY when I saw that it was on sale on one of Sophia's blogsale! Yeah to good deal!

Burberry Lip Cover 09 Blush

I have been wanting to venture into lipstick shades that are out of my comfort zone but unfortunately, I just got no balls for it. Thanks to Burberry Beauty for giving me samples shades of their ever popular lip covers, I managed to try a shade which I absolutely love, out of my comfort zone and still not too bright till I am scare to carry it. This lovely shade is 09 Blush which looks like a muted red with tinge of brown in it.

* Please pardon the disgusting pimple at the side of my face :(

I like that this shade is redder and brighter than my naturally dark lips and doesn't look too over the top. It also certainly help to brighten up my look considering I have stopped using eye makeup to work since I am too lazy to wake up earlier to do eye makeup, haha.

I would definitely be purchasing the full sized lip cover in 09 Blush soon!

Burberry Velvet Foundation Trench 205

Time flies and it's the month of November already....... gosh, how did time flies so fast? Further to the Burberry Autumn Luxe workshop which I attended last month with Jacq, today I am finally posting my review of Burberry Velvet Foundation.

Just as the word 'velvet' that is part of the name of this foundation, Burberry Velvet Foundation is an oil-free foundation that provides long-lasting coverage. Unlike Burberry Sheer Foundation which is housed in a clear glass bottle, Velvet Foundation is housed in a frosted glass bottle with the iconic checks.

I am matched to Trench No. 205, which is a pink-based shade and it looks pretty natural on my face.



The texture is easily blendable by finger or brush but somehow it seems easier to blend using a paddle brush than a dense brush like Shiseido Perfect Foundation brush. In the workshop, we were told that we can massage the foundation with their best seller, Sheer Glow before applying it on our face. With this method, not only is it fuss-free but it gives me a 'my skin but better' look. I think this is perfect when you want to look totally natural and glowy.

Burberry Velvet foundation has very light rose scent which comes from the wild rose extract that is present in the foundation to provide hydration to your skin and at the same time long lasting coverage. I have no issue with this scent as it is lighter than Sheer Foundation whereby the scent is sooo much stronger and totally puts me off.

When applied on my face, Burberry Velvet foundation feels light and non sticky which is absolutely wonderful. Certain foundations which claim to last long on our skin tend to make my skin surface feels tight and uncomfortable due to the oil controlling properties. But I do not have this problem with this foundation. Even then, the foundation still last me pretty well whereby I only need to blot with a tissue paper after 6 hours.

With all the above plus points of this foundation, there only seems to have 1 problem. It does breaks me out a bit. I have combination skin which is prone to break outs, especially when I am using a product that is not suitable for me. In my first week of daily usage, I experience quite a fair bit of breakouts. I thought it could be attributed by my long hours at work or insufficient rest but interestingly the breakout subsided in the second week when I stopped using it coupled with intensive acne treatment. After which, I started using this foundation again after 2 weeks later SPARINGLY (once every 2-3 days) and I don't experience that same level of breakout anymore, just a bit of whiteheads here and there.

For ladies with sensitive skin, you might want to consider getting a sample first before committing to a bottle, just to play safe. Nonetheless, I still think Burberry Velvet foundation is a good foundation with decent lasting power, just that I don't think it will fall into my category of HG.

Burberry Autumn Luxe Workshop

When I received the email from Burberry Beauty on a workshop showcasing the Autumn collection, I knew I had to quickly buzz hot mama, Jacqueline from My Beauty Hoard as she is a vivid Burberry beauty lover. She quickly said YES and here we are at the workshop!

Silly, blurry me left home without my phone and camera and Jacq kindly offered to share the pics with me. So all pictures posted in this post are all courtesy of Jacq. Thank you, Jacq!

We were pleasantly surprised to know that it is not just a workshop showcasing the new Autumn collection but also a chance for us to learn tips on how to contour and highlight. There is also hands on experience to play with the Autumn collection as well as the new Velvet Foundation (more suited for combination and oily skin).

Mindy gave us a very detailed step on step demonstration on how to contour and highlight our features using different shades of foundation. We also got personalised advices from the BAs who were in the workshop to tell us how to enhance our personal features.

We had a good time testing out the new Velvet Foundation because honestly, I wasn't impressed with Sheer Foundation. For my NC30 skin, I was matched to No. 205 which is a pink-toned medium shade foundation. Jacq, on the other hand was matched to No. 204, which is a warm-toned medium shade. (and Jacq is tanner than me!). This is a classic case whereby you HAVE to match the shade personally over the counter and the sequence of the labelling does not necessarily means anything. Jacq and myself did not managed to get all the swatches of the velvet foundation and only managed to swatch the following shades.

From left to right: 201, 203, 205, 208

So here comes the joke of the day...... While having lunch with Jacq before the workshop, she asked me if I would get anything. So I was telling her since the workshop is at Escentials, I would like to try the Becca cream blush and probably just a lipstick (from Burberry or Chanel). Jacq was very determined to purchase the Velvet Foundation so that was on her to buy list. But after the workshop, I ended up with the following......

Total failure........ Lol. But I have to say, the first impression of the Velvet Foundation coupled with Fresh Glow was amazing and I was instantly sold to take the plunge and just purchase the full size there and then. I am currently trying out the foundation to gat a better feel and a review will come soon.

For details of lip and eyeshadow swatches of Burberry Autumn Collection, do refer to Jacq's postings for more pics and details.

Giorgio Armani ETK 25 Rusted Gold

My love for Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill has only increased and not decreased especially after I find it so so so fuss free and easy to use if I want a quick way to put on some colours and head out for a date.

In the recent Aqua Collection Summer 2012, 2 ETKs caught my eyes and they are 25 Rusted Gold and 28 Red Platine. I troubled Juju to order through Nordstrom for me not knowing if this collection will reach our shore and I'm glad that they did.

Just like how the name is, it looks like a pot of rusty gold with mixture of black and gold in a pot. However, it looks more complex than just black and gold as it looks khaki as well when swatched. This was what make me took and plunge and bought it as I am a fan of khaki shade.

For the look below, I did a simple 5 mins ETK eye look by applying 25 Rusted Gold onto my crease and tap in 8 champagne lightly in the inner corner of my eyes. All done with my ring finger and pinkie and nothing wise which explains why I only need about 5 mins. Given the fine powdery texture of ETK, blending is not a problem even using your fingers as long as you don't tug and sweep the colour too hard. I do not experience any fallouts during application and even without putting on any eyeshadow primer, it last very well on me for more than 6 hours in the hot and humid weather here.

For the movie date yesterday, below are the gears I used:-

I have to say, I love Burberry Light Glow Blush in Tangerine...... !!!

Nordstrom haul!! Chanel, Burberry and more!

This is a haul that I have been waiting to receive for the longest time because I placed my order online in end July and vPost only delivered to me yesterday. Honestly, this is a huge test of my patience as I really want to get my hands on them FAST!

So here it is!!!

1) Burberry Light Glow Blush in Tangerine

2) Chanel Ombres Contraste Duo in Sable Emouvant (Yeah!!!)

3) Le Metier De Beaute Creme Tint in poppy

4) Burberry Sheer eye shadow in Midnight Brown

5) Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss in Troublant

6) Nars foundation pump applicator

What made me haul is really just Chanel Ombres Contraste Duo in Sable Emouvant since it is no longer available in Singapore but you know just how scary online shopping is..... click click click and you have a cart full of items, lol.

Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Midnight Brown needs no introduction as there have been raves and raves about this shade and I'm glad I got it. Burberry Light Glow Blush in Tangerine is the only shade that caught my eyes when I look through their blush collection and I love the neutral peachy shade.

The highlight of the whole haul.... Chanel Ombres Contraste Duo in Sable Emouvant. I am a happy girl just looking at it. I love neutrals!

Le Metier De Beaute creme tint in poppy was quite a wild card in this haul. I did not meant to purchase this but the few days before I made my purchase online, there have been a few beauty blogs posting about this and so I conveniently added to my cart since I am keen to try out a cream blush. Lovely pink shade even though it looks peach in the picture. I just can't seem to get the picture to turn out well! :(

I fell in love with Troublant when I first set eyes on the swatches online and I knew I am getting it. I am a fan of muted rose or plum shade and this was what attracted me to Troublant. It has light gold shimmers in it as well which looks lovely.

Lastly, Nars foundation pump applicator...... I have no idea why companies will want to make the design of their containers user unfriendly and Nars is one of them. A foundation bottle with just an opening is just plain stupid. But thinking of it now, Nars is not so stupid after all, isn't it? Because they just manage to make me cough out a small amount for this pump!

My shopping experience with Nordstrom so far has been quite pleasant from friendly and efficient customer service officers who can assist you via Live Chat to prompt delivery. This is certainly not going to be pocket friendly for me! Haha

It is finally going to be another long weekend so do enjoy yourself and Selamat Hari Raya to all!

Burberry Rosewood, Chanel Safari & Wet n Wild Silent Treatment

The latest addition to my Burberry stash is yet another eyeshadow and it will be Rosewood. It actually didn't cross my mind to purchase this but it looks like a pretty taupe from online swatches and I totally gave in to it. Really really can't resist taupe shades. :)

From the pan, it looks like a normal pinkish brown shade and the texture is smooth and buttery (as usual). I notice that Burberry shadows can really grow on you. I was initially unimpressed with their colour shades when they first came to Singapore but after more reviews and trials over the counter, I start to appreciate the simplicity of the line.

I thought it would be useful to see if there are any dupes to Rosewood in my stash and I picked out Chanel eyeshadow in Safari and Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Silent Treatment.

As you can see from the swatches above, Wet n Wild Silent Treatment seems to the closest dupe with slightly more shimmers. Chanel Safari, on the other hand has more brown tone with gold specks.

Although in terms of colour shade, Wet n Wild Silent Treatment looks almost the same at only a fraction of the price of Burberry Rosewood, the texture is incomparable. This is what we meant by 'paying for quality'.

Hope u guys have an enjoyable weekend ahead, I'm already looking forward to my play date with 3 lovely ladies tomorrow!!!

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow 17 Pearl Grey

One thing about Burberry Beauty which I love other than the quality of their products is the fact that they keep to a simple, fuss-free permanent line of excellent products that makes consumers like me appreciate their marketing strategy. Instead of launching multiple collections one after and another like the speed of lightning that usually never fails to confuse me, they have a GOOD collection every few months that wow u, in addition to their permanent products.

Anyway, my point here is, not everyone has the luxury of money to splurge in one limited edition collection after another and I am no exception. I tend to think, consider and research a bit before taking the plunge and usually with that, most of the limited edition stuffs are usually sold out (YES, Chanel Sable-Emouvant, I'm talking about you!!!!) so I truly truly appreciate that Burberry has yet to break my heart so far except with the fact that Lavender Blue eyeshadow is still OOS :(

So after my first purchase of Burberry Sheer eyeshadow in Pale Barley here, there is seriously no turning back for me. Their quality is just wonderful, extremely smooth and buttery. Coupled with a eyeshadow primer and you are good to rock the world the whole day, I just love them. However, with a hefty price tag of $46 per shadow, it is quite hard to swallow so I am slowly collecting them bit by bit from the swatches online and recommendations from friends. The latest that came home with me which I posted here was none other than 17 Pearl Grey.

Pearl Grey is a gorgeous cool medium-toned grey with silver shimmers. Words can't describe what was going through my mind when I switched it over the counter then. Mindy, the friendly SA need not tell me anything except 'This is a very beautiful colour.'. I was sold on the spot and I knew this is coming back with me. I believe this would make a beautiful smokey look (which I have yet to master) or double up as a liner for my mono lids but I can't wait to play with it already!!

Have you brought home any Burberry eyeshadows yet? I would love to see your stash!

Burberry Eyeshadow Taupe Brown & Pearl Grey

I was walking past Tangs the other day and decided to check out the Burberry counter to see if they have stocks for Lavender Blue since I did not receive any calls from a reservation of this shade after making a reservation 1.5 months ago. Sad to say, this shade is still out of stock!!!

Nonetheless, my eyes started to wonder and I started swatching their eyeshadows and here it is: Taupe brown (a matte brown with slight taupish shade) and pearl grey (a cool grey with silver shimmers). Make a guess which came back with me??? :P

Burberry Compact Foundation Trench No.7

After the pan out of my HG compact foundation of Chanel Mat Lumiere Extreme previously posted here, I'm on a lookout to try other compact foundation. I was seriously tempted to just stick with Chanel but am itching to try out new ones as well.

I love Burberry eyeshadows and thus wanted to try out their compact foundation to see if it works as well. I was matched to Trench No.7.

Similar to the eyeshadows, the compact foundation is housed in a metal case with magnetic close. The magnet is pretty strong so you need not worry that the case will open up on its own. The case as well as the compact foundation has Burberry's signature checks and everything about it just look so chic. The makeup sponge is in a separate compartment below the compact foundation but given the strong magnet, I find it quite difficult to open the clasp and reach the sponge. I ended up inverting the whole case to find any small gap that will give me a chance to open the catch.

Coverage of the compact foundation is build able from sheer to medium. Any further coverage will look cakey (similar to other compact foundations). Lasting power is moderate of around 6 hours or so and comparison to Chanel Mat Lumiere Extreme, it fair poorer. The oil control properties of Burberry Compact Foundation is not as great as Chanel, but it certainly works better for me as recently my skin seems to be going through some changes and my combination skin seems to hunger for moisture. I would recommend this foundation to busy ladies with normal to combination skin who wants speed in the application of foundation. However, I would not yet call this my HG foundation yet because I have not felt that it is irreplaceable in the vast selection of compact foundation.

FOTD with Burberry Sheer Eyeshadows in Chestnut and Pale Barley

After my purchases of Burberry Sheer Eyeshadows in Pale Barley and Chestnut, I am finally putting them to good use over the weekend when me and BC head out for lunch cum movie date.

First and forthmost, please pardon the messy brows, I badly need threading. Secondly, please also pardon my lousy application skills as I still think the shadows look weird after looking at the pic for a few times.

After prepping the lids with Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I applied Pale Barley about 2/3 of the lid starting from the inner corner. Using MAC 217 fluffy brush, I tried to create an outer V using Chestnut, blending in. With tonnes of blending, this is the end product.

I am extremely pleased with the lasting power of the Burberry eyeshadows as coupled with a primer, they lasted a good 10 hours on my oily lids while we were out. Not only were the texture smooth and buttery, they are also pigmented and extremely blendable. I have only 1 word for them.... "LOVE"!!

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 5 Chestnut

Few weeks ago when I was Tangs, I walked towards Burberry Beauty counter randomly and decided to ask the SA what shades would be good to pair with Pale Barley which I purchased here. The SA recommended 2 shades: Chestnut and Lavender / Lavender Blue (?, can't remember, lol). Needless to say, I went with Chestnut which is another neutral, which was also highly recommended and raved by the SA. :)

Honestly, at $46 per pan for 2.5g of product, I personally find it a bit on the expensive side. But Burberry Beauty compensate with it's metal, magnetic case which totally shouts 'CLASS' and it's wonderful smooth and buttery texture of the eyeshadow.

I tried comparing the swatch of Chestnut to other eyeshadows that I have in the stash (which look similar in the pan), However, upon swatching, the shades just come out different.

Top row: Inglot Eyeshadow Pearl 402, MAC Pro Wear Eyeshadow One to Watch, Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow No. 5 Chestnut

Bottom Row: Urban Decay Naked Palette in Buck

From the pan, Buck looks the closest to Chestnut, followed by Inglot Pearl 402. One to Watch looks more peachy than brown though.

From the swatch above, you can see that indeed Buck looks closer to Chestnut than the other 2 shades. However, the texture of Buck is more powdery and matte and not as smooth and buttery as Chestnut. One to Watch is just different as it is a peach shade. Pearl 402 on the other hand has more 'pearl factor' in it thus explaining why it looks more 'shiny' as compared to the rest.

Overall, I am extremely happy with  Burberry's eyeshadows and there is no doubt I will get more of it. The next has got to be Lavender / Lavender Blue....... I have to look for the correct name again...... :)

Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Pale Barley

I hauled again and this time round, it's Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Pale Barley which is part of their 2012 Spring Collection.

It's interesting that despite me reading raves and raves about Burberry eyeshadows, I did not actually cave in and purchase one previously. This is because, whenever I try out the colours or the textures over the counter, it appears to me to look flat most of the time. However, Pale Barley really changed my opinion about their shadows.

In the box, it looks just like any normal taupe like shadows but when swatch, the colour is really much more complex. I can't pinpoint where it is a gold, champagne or taupe. But guess what, it's a combination of all and coupled with the shimmer that is not over the top, it makes a wonderful everyday neutral that is super work-safe (a plus point for me). Sorry that my swatch pic above sucks but it's really hard to capture the swatch correctly. Do check out The Beauty Look Book for better pic of the swatch. Sabrina really has wonderful swatches all the time!

Burberry eyeshadow really managed to win me over with it's smoothy, buttery texture. The hefty price tag of $46 is definitely well-deserved! I am so tempted to pick up more of their shadows but I think that has definitely got to wait. :)