Accessorize Make-up

This was unbeknown to me, but I discovered last week that Accessorize now have their own make-up range. I don't know if this available to buy in the Accessorize shop too, but I found it in Superdrug. It had replaced the Elite range of make-up that I rarely purchased anything from and I wandered over to look at this new range, not realising at first it was by Accessorize, it was the pretty packaging that caught my eye first.I felt a little dubious at the fact it was Accessorize, not because I don't like the brand (you know I do!) but because usually I have been disappointed by own-brand makeup by shops that specialise in something completely non-makeup related, I'm thinking Topshop makeup here...

Accessorize makeup pleasantly surprised me though. It looks absolutely beautiful and even if I swatched it and there wasn't much colour pay-off, I probably would have still bought something based on looks alone, shallow as I am. The stand out products for me are the minerals, though I couldn't tell you what else is in the range since these were the only products I really looked at. The solo mineralised eyeshadows were just stunning, very reminiscent of MAC mineralised shadows, with two or three colours running through one another, giving off one shade when you swatch it all together. I thought I'd get a bit more value for my money and purchased a duo mineral shadow though. Again there were a lot of colours that appealed to me, I didn't catch the name but there's a gorgeous jade green light and dark duo. I went for a safe neutral that I can wear every day to start me off with this range and this shade is called High Maintenance (number 3). This is a perfect duo, the colours compliment one another very nicely, there's a lighter shade, which I'd describe as somewhere between MAC's Jest and Nylon, it's a great eye-awakening colour which I'm really in need of this time of year. The darker colour looks lovely worn alongside in the crease, it's a mix of Satin Taupe and Woodwinked, it's nice that even though these are neutral colours, I don't own any dupes for either of them, they are quite unique in their own right. I felt like I need to show you what these products look like swatched, even though this is the worst lighting, I find blogging is difficult in the winter months, I'm never home in the daylight to take decent photographs.

If nothing else, the photographs show you the effect they give your skin even if not an accurate portrayal of the colour. They are comparable to MAC mineralised products, they give the same shimmery, irridescent effect, although I'd say not quite as shimmery or pigmented which I think is a good thing in some people's eyes. I personally love the shimmer, but it's nice to own something a little more toned down. The left shows the High Maintenance duo. The right is the blusher in Pretty Pink. This is undoubtedly one of my favourite blushers I have purchased. The colour appears light and a slightly darker peachy pink with lilac veining. The overall colour on your skin is the lighter peachy pink colour. For some skin tones this might make a better highlighter than a blush, but I love that on my skin it just gives a dewy lift without making me look that done up. I usually go for colours like MAC's Springsheen which when I'm wearing it, is pretty obviously a blusher. It's not as obvious with Pretty Pink unless I layer it. I have been wearing both of these mineralised products together for the whole of this week and I feel like this is a natural looking, "glowy" makeup combination. I'm happy with everything about the product, from quality to price (I can't remember exactly but both products together were under £10) and I will be back for more, perhaps some of the bolder colours. The mineralised bronzers looked equally beautiful but I wouldn't be fooling anyone when it's nearly December, so I'll hold out until late Spring for those.

Have you bought anything from this makeup range?

What are your thoughts?

Sweet Kiss by Bourjois

I'm not usually one for buying a lot of lipsticks, and I try not to be one for getting suckered in to fancy packaging. However, I couldn't resist this new lipstick range from Bourjois when I saw it. Attracted partly by the introductory price and partly by the package, I decided to try this because up to now I haven't been disappointed by Bourjois, they offer affordable, good quality, long lasting make-up products.

The case is a vibrant, shiny purple, with a silver switch on the side. You move the switch down to release the lipstick which is then in a metal silver twist up case. I chose the shade Rouge sur mesure which is a classic red colour. It looks like a brilliant red colour, and if you apply a swatch on your hand and then smudge the colour, you see the pink undertones in the lipstick, so it's not such a dark red colour to wear.

So as someone who doesn't buy a lot of lipstick, this is a very bold colour. I usually focus on eye make-up, and creating ways to make them stand out, but to complete this look I would keep eye make-up very minimal and classic, just some black eyeliner across the top lid and mascara. I think this creates a look that can be adapted for day or night time, it can brighten up an otherwise dull outfit in the day, or bring alive a simple black dress at night.

The colour pay off of this lipstick is fantastic. When using it, I started off with a clear lipliner and used a lip brush to apply the colour rather than applying it directly to my lips. Despite how bright and richly pigmented it is, it's surprisingly easy to use. The lipstick is so moisturising, that it just glides on, feeling very natural. It isn't moisturising in a lipgloss, sticky or wet kind of way, but just feels like you're not wearing anything on your lips at all. For me this is a definite advantage of the lipstick and is why I rate it quite highly. I have found it difficult to find a lipstick that offers pure colour with almost a matte finish without it being too drying on my lips and usually I find moisturising lipsticks too gloss like, not always a look I want to go for. Sweet Kiss however only gives a subtle shine, plus the clever design of the package is something I want to keep reaching this product for!