Review: Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick 104 Passion

Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in 104 Passion

Every now and then I treat myself to a high end red lipstick.
I wear red lipstick literally everyday so it’s important that I have a good one.
Chanel is currently my go-to high end brand for red lipstick, and has been for a while.
The service is always impeccable, and not so surprisingly they really do know their stuff.
I always go back to Chanel for quality lipsticks that will stand the test of time!
So I decided to add Chanel’s Rouge Allure 104 Passion to my collection.
Pros:
+ Highly pigmented
+ Long lasting wear
+ Good coverage
+ Moisturising

Cons:
– Slight smudging

Notes:
I loved the pop of colour this lipstick gave. The red is very true to what you see in the tube and you don’t really need much at all to get good coverage. The lipstick itself has a slight shine to it as it’s moisturising but as my lips tend to dry out when I wear lipstick this is what I wanted. It’s not glossy though, so don’t worry! Without a lip coat this did transfer, however it didn’t come off entirely. I would suggest using something like Lipcote so that it stays and won’t transfer to your coffee cup or partner’s lips. Overall a great lipstick, and as always, I was impressed.
You can purchase Chanel Rouge Allure #104 at Chanel counters.
Or you can purchase it online at Debenhams.

Beauty: Marc Jacobs does Make-up

It’s highly likely by now that you’ve already heard this news.
Well guess what? I’m gonna tell you all over again because I want to!
I am a big big big Marc Jacobs fan…if you hadn’t already guessed by now.
The man can do no wrong in my eyes. Ok I lied, sometimes I’ll think ‘Really Marc?’ 
That doesn’t happen often though so I like to think of myself as a Marc Jacobs fangirl.

Marc Jacobs Beauty will be a line of around 120 products!
There will be foundations, powders, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lip stick, blush, nail polish and more.
Not only that but it will be featuring some products it calls unisex, such as lip balm, brow gel and concealer.
They’ve pretty much managed to pop a bit of everything into the collection. 
Well played Marc, well played.

The preview snaps of the collection look amazing so far.
This is the first beauty line I’ve been really excited about for a while.
Prices are said to be around $24 (£15) for a lip balm and $59 (£38) for a palette.
Unfortunately they seem to be going with designer prices rather than Sephora prices.
I’m not too upset though as I expected something along those lines, it is Marc Jacobs afterall.
That said, I’d gladly invest in a few pieces if the price reflects the quality, and I think it will.
The beauty line is going to be released on 9th August in Sephora in the US, with a preview on July 19.
No word right now if it will come to the UK but I’m hoping that, and it probably will, come here.

Source; 1, 2

Trend: Shine Bright

S/S 2013 Trend – Shine
 
It’s a trend post – long time no see!
As London Fashion Week started yesterday it only seemed natural.
I feel like doing more trend posts lately, so I thought I’d start with one of my faves.
The catwalk saw models shine as they went down the runway this season.
Thankfully that’s going to translate to the high street too, so we can all stand out!
That means we’re going to see lots of iridescent & holographic fabrics, as well as foils, glitter & precious-metals.
This trend hasn’t made as big a splash on the high street as I had hoped, but it’s there!
It can be worked into most styles and whether you go all out, or add accents, you’ll shine.
My favourite example on the high street has to be H&M’s Iridescent High Tops, which I had been lusting after for a good month or more. They hit stores and went into the New Year Sale – lucky for those who knew that they would be perfect for one of this season’s big trends. I managed to grab mine for only £5 – I’ll be rocking them soon!
Designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Lanvin, Alexander Wang and Versace paved the way.
If you want to recreate the trend on the high street stores such as ASOS, Urban Outfitters, H&M are representing.

 

Review & Nail Art: Mavala

Mavala Spring Trend Nail Polish*
You guys know how obsessed I am with nail polish by now.
So I was very happy to receive these lovely spring shades by Mavala, a Swiss brand.
I’ve not tried the brand before but have heard good things and I completely agree with those views.
The bottles, although small, hold quite a bit of polish.
I prefer to do a couple of coats myself but really only one is needed with these.
I was actually very surprised at how opaque it was, as I thought the shades would make it difficult.
The colour of the polishes themselves are very pastel & spring like, but I still felt they were quite vibrant.
I was inspired by Mavala’s nail art for Holly Fulton’s S/S 13 Collection and tried out my own nail art.
I used:
1. Manicure Stickers
2. Mavala Polish in Lemon Cream
3. Mavala Polish in Lagoon
4. Mavala Polish in Aquamarine
5. Mavala Polish in White
I used the White as a base for my nails, and then once it had dried, placed manicure stickers over top. I did this is several different ways so that no nail was the same. Then I took my polishes and painted over top of the white, making sure to only paint over part of the nail and stay within the border of the manicure stickers. I think the final result wasn’t too bad.
I’ve never been much of a fan of white nail polish but I didn’t mind this one paired with other colours.
I still don’t think I would wear it alone but I would definitely layer it with a glitter polish or other shades.
The polish applied easily, and very well and was opaque with just one coat.
The Mavala Spring Trend Shades will be released later this month.
You can purchase them from various UK stores, find your nearest here.

OOTD: Velvet Galore



(Hat: Topshop, Tshirt: Oasap*, Skirt: Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Primark, Accessories: Marc by Marc Jacobs)

I’ve been after a velvet skater skirt for months! 
My bestie even went searching for me for Christmas.
However I’ve not had much luck… that is, until now!
I spotted this one in the Urban Outfitters post-Christmas sale for only £10.
It comes in 3 different colours but I went for red wine, although I wish I’d bought one in every colour!
The rest of the items you probably remember as they’ve been featured before in previous OOTD posts.
Even so they’re items that I love but haven’t worn in awhile, therefore I decided to pop these all together.
I don’t feel so bad buying items in the sales this year as my washing machine broke this weekend.
I’m thinking of asking my landlord if he can just continue to buy me new items rather than a new washing machine. 
Oh well, a girl can always dream!
Don’t forget to visit Oasap and use discount code: ‘bloomzy’ for 35% off!

Christmas Presents from Germany & Japan

Christmas gifts from Rae, in Germany

Christmas gifts from Miyuki, in Japan

Christmas came a little early for me last week.
I was lucky enough to receive not one, but two packages through the post.
One was from the lovely Rae of Love from Berlin who is an amazing person that I met through blogging.
The other package was from one of my best friends in Japan who I studied with a couple of years ago.
Both gifts were amazing, and so very cool in their own ways.
I loved how both seemed to represent a little bit of the culture too.
Rae sent me some German chocolate (we all know it’s the best), magazines and make-up.
I can’t wait to try out the eyeshadow palette, it’s so very seasonal and the colours are gorgeous!
She also knows me very well by including some gorgeous glittery nail polish, which I will have already applied by the time this post goes live. I can’t help it, I’m an addict! 
Miyuki often asks me what I would like and I said I would like to try some new Japanese beauty products.
She also knows that I’ve just moved into my first apartment so sent me a few home items to decorate and relax with.
The nail polish, once again was a delight to receive, especially the Majolica Majorca glass polish – review soon!!
I also loved the Dior products and make-up bag. They’ve already been stashed away in my handbag.
I feel so lucky to know such wonderful people and I am very thankful ♥

A Christmas Wish List

Christmas Wishlist

 

 

Long sleeve velvet dress, $62 / Velvet skirt / Topshop , $48 / Studded ballet flat, $35 / MICHAEL Michael Kors leather tote bag, $270 / 
Christmas is coming, and you know what that means.
Yep, it’s time for another ‘Christmas Wishlist’ post, sorry guys.
I wasn’t actually thinking of doing one this year but then a friend and the fiancé specifically asked for one, so…I guess you could say that I’m leaning more towards accessories and clothing right now.
There’s the odd bit of homeware thrown in but what surprised me most was the lack of beauty products.
Honestly I couldn’t think of anything beauty related that I REALLY wanted, so I just didn’t bother with it.
Right now I’m just after lots of velvet clothing (and shoes!) and some amazing accents to go with.

The usual offenders are there: Topshop, Marc Jacobs, Regal Rose and Tatty Devine.
I know the MK bag is a bit of a long shot, but hey this is a wish list, and a girl’s allowed to dream.