Festive Beauty 2022: Day 12

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I'm blogging limited edition, Holiday releases every day until Christmas. Yesterday I shared the MAC lipstick set from 2019's Starring You collection and today I have a brand I don't usually buy from. Read to the bottom of the post for a special online treat and head over to The Shoe Girl Diaries to see some Christmas Irregular Choice shoes.

Flashback Beauty Friday 82: Stila Striking In South Beach

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Unfortunately I don't have the post I spoke about last week (the one with lots of photos) as I still haven't had time to edit them, but I do have a cute wee palette for you today. Last week, I shared a couple of eyeshadows from the MAC Alexander McQueen collaboration, if you missed those.

Flashback Beauty Friday 77: Liberty Of London & MAC Blush

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I feel it's been a while since I shared a MAC limited edition, so an old, special packaged piece incoming.  First though, I shared the Sonic Sparkle Dust loose powder from Hard Candy last week, if you missed that.  

Flashback Beauty Friday 69: No7 Petal 2009

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I hope you're all well this week? Today I have a selection of items from 2009. I had already photographed the blushes for this post, then later discovered I owned the eyeshadow quad from the same range. I decided to retake all the photos so you could see all the items together. Last week, I shared the Summer 2007 YSL palettes if you missed that.

Swatches: ASOS Beauty Box (November)

In September ASOS launched their very first beauty box to coincide with their new, own-brand makeup line and revamp of the current beauty department (now known as "Face + Body"). I've been tempted each time as there's 5 items inside, priced at £12 and there's no subscription, you just buy it outright if you like it that month. It's taken until this month for me to go for it.  This time it contained (all full-size) items from their own-brand range rather than other brands. I'm always keen to trial new stuff, so this seemed like the perfect ooportunity. The box is incredible value for money with the palette alone retailing for £12. Yep, the liquid lipstick, mascara, blusher and eyeliner are all free. The whole makeup line is affordable anyway, but it's still a £29 saving.  Read on for swatches and a closer look at what's inside the ASOS Beauty Box (November edition).

Haul & Swatches: Lancome GWP

This post has been neglected for so long! I ordered the stuff back in May and each week it's been 'carried over' into another week because I've not had time.  My health woes this year have been well documented, but this past week I've been struggling with motivation and fighting extreme tiredness on top of hospital appointments and having my nephews here 3 days a week.  Blogging has just been a no-go unfortunately.  I'm still completely shattered today, but have given myself a wee pep talk and the first thing to tackle was this post. There's so much editing and writing required, that's why I'm unable to post them as regularly as I used to.  Anyway enough blethering, on with the Debenhams/Lancome haul. My main only reason for buying was because they had a rather spiffy GWP, but I dithered for so long on what to get (actually I was holding out waiting for the summer collection that never happened), that the couple of things I'd wanted went out of stock. So it was back to the drawing board, as I can't leave a pretty GWP hanging!

Haul & Swatches: Lancome Sale

I was really chuffed to snag some discount Lancome goodies in Debenhams the other week, because you know me, I'm usually the first one at the counter to buy all this stuff when it launches, so it was a pleasant change. Even more so, because they were items I'd wanted when they first came out but talked myself out of splurging. I wonder if I can find the original post about the 'In Love' collection...here it is. My non-makeup wearing Mum bought the Baume In Love lipbalm while I resisted the whole collection to pick up another ArtLiner and qualify for a GWP at the time. Good things must come to those who wait because this collection launched in February, proving I do have some patience! Of course you never know what's going to sell out or if anything will be reduced, so it's a risk.
There were two shades of Blush In Love and only one left in this colour and a few of the other. Showing I not only have patience, but willpower, I only purchased the one colour. Even with 50% off, which I would normally justify by buying twice the amount! Can I get a whoop, whoop? Thank you! The shade is 10 Peche Joue-Joue and even although my only grasp of the French language is from selling brands like Lancome and Clarins in my teens and learning some completely random words (which will be of no use to anyone) for ballet classes when I was younger, I can work out that this is the peachy shade (the other being pink).
Unusually Lancome have opted for a sturdy card container for the blush rather than plastic. For what it is and given that powder doesn't 'go off' the way cream or liquid does, it feels substantial enough. I think with Emma Watson in the campaign images, they were aiming for a younger demographic with funkier packaging (just excluded myself from that group by saying 'funky'). Inside the lid is a mirror which pulls out (with a little ribbon), which is quite a nifty feature ('nifty' gah another retro word).
The blush itself is made up of several colours with a branded (and raised) ivory square in the centre. Surrounding that is the peach colour with roses carved into the surface and coloured in shimmering lilac which I suspect is just overspray. The pink version was much brighter (almost neon when swatched) and although I like my blushes colourful, something drew me to the peach one that day.
I have some swatches for you, later in the post. First though is the Khol In Love eye pencil. This was completely jammy, as it was the only one left and I remember this being my favourite colour last time I swatched them. 20 Jade Crush is a vivid, bright turquoise and again the packaging is really pretty and fun. Usually pencils are pretty boring right? It has a matte, almost powdery looking soft finish.
It's an absolute joy to use this pencil. The colour is extremely pigmented and bright. It feels soft and velvety and does not in any way drag upon application. Yet it is so long-lasting and budge-proof. I'd obviously forgotten just how budge-proof, as I applied the tester to my hand before this purchase and then could not remove it with a tissue or my Soap & Glory Hand Maid! I've worn this twice already here and here and you can see how vivid it is. There's absolutely no transfer to the upper lids when wearing this, once it's applied, it's there to stay without fading or bleeding. I would imagine it would be difficult to remove if you made a mistake when applying, but I get around this by applying my eye makeup before my base, although the pencil makes it so easy to draw a precise, straight line, that I've never needed to. I think it looks amazing as a bright pop of colour along the top lashline.
My swatches are both without the flash, but in different light.
Outwith the In Love collection, were some other bits and bobs including these Ombre Absolue Mono eyeshadows in shade...wait for it...Erika F. (133 G40)!! Before I began blogging, I passed my time on MakeupAlley, a global community for makeup enthusiasts and this eyeshadow was like gold dust there. It was a European shade and much sought after. US peeps were desperate to get their hands on it and it quickly became this cult item with soaring prices on eBay and desperate 'please bring it back from your Europe holiday/trip' requests! Even within Europe, it was constantly out of stock, not surprising given it's universally flattering shade.
It's a beautiful shimmering, complex pewter leaning towards green and one of those colours that I just can't get enough of. I finally got my hands on one, years ago, although I've mainly used the (same) colour in a GWP palette before taking the plunge to use the full-size one. I'm not sure if it was half price because they are updating the packaging or discontinuing it altogether (jeez it's like a Baume Eclat cleanser freak-out all over again), whatever the reason may be, I wanted the security of knowing I had another one "just in case". I don't think they fetch the same (ridiculous) prices on eBay as they once did, so I didn't buy the entire lot as my sole pension plan!
The flash (above) best shows the beautiful sparkles.  Not hard to see it's cult status and why it launched a thousand similar shades by high-end and high-street brands.
I'd hope Lancome were savvy enough to know that this is the kind of go-to shade one requires for the rest of their life and therefore not something to be discontinued. I was comforted by the notion that it would 'always be there' should my current run out, so it's a little disconcerting to think these two palettes are it for me now. It's still online (full price) which is a good sign though. Here is the Blush In Love swatch I promised earlier, alongside Erika F, again both without the flash but in different lights.
For some reason the 'In Love' collection isn't discounted online and certainly last week when I was instore the whole lot had gone, so you'll have to check your local counter and see if you strike it lucky. The whole point of my trip was to spend £15 I had saved on my beauty card, but the Urban Decay concealer I'd wanted, they didn't have. I wasn't sure if I could use my loyalty points on this, but it was no problem. So £67 worth of items were mine for £33.50 (less than the price of the blush) and I actually only paid £18.50. I also got some fragrance samples thrown in, so it was a good day!

Beauty Haul, GWP & Swatches (Lancome, Clarins, ArtDeco)

Ok, this is quite the haul! I have GWP's, swatches and even comparison swatches, so there's a lot to get through and I'll get stuck in right away. Last month I got a mailer to let me know Lancome were having a gift with purchase offer at Debenhams (the offer has just ended). I can't resist a good ol' GWP, but even better when I actually need a couple of things anyway. Plus I waited until they had 10% off too, b,b,b,bonus!  I say 'waited', I mean I didn't actually have any money until that moment, so struck lucky! 
(I think) I'm on my last tube of Baume Eclat cleanser and was starting to reach panic-stations at that, plus I was desperately trying to squeeze the last drops out of my Teint Miracle foundation which I've been using non-stop in recent weeks and didn't fancy the thought of living without that either. So Mum and I popped through to Debenhams because I'd noticed the cleanser wasn't available online...this had me a little worried. I've looked online in a few places including the official Lancome site and couldn't find it. So off we trot and my Debenhams has had a makeover recently, so I have no clue where anything is, all the makeup counters have new stands and have switched places with each other just to confuzzle me. Anyway I was glad to see the tester out for Baume Eclat, phew! I didn't see my shade in the foundation though, so I have a good chat with the Lancome lady while she looks for it and end up leaving with nothing but a distraught feeling. We reckon Baume Eclat is indeed being discontinued.  A moment of silence please.  I've asked Lancome directly, but haven't heard anything back. It was promising that there was a space for it on the new stand, but they haven't had actual stock of it for ages and the fact it's gone online (not just sold out but disappeared completely) it looks likely it's going. There's no 'official' word it's been discontinued nor is there a 'replacement' coming out anytime soon, so I guess we just have to wait and see, but I don't think there's much hope. Yep, I'm sobbing.  
I'm devastated. I could not rave enough about that cleanser. I loved that it removed everything, heavy eye makeup included without the need for a separate eye product, plus it felt and smelt divine. Had I known it was going to disappear, I'd have bought bucket loads to keep me going a while. Gutted! Anyway the girl was going to ring me when they got the foundation in, but I said not to bother as I'd seen it online. It meant I could still get the 10% off but would have to find another item to qualify for the free gift. Firstly the GWP is pictured above and includes a full-size version of Bi-Facil which is excellent.  I was slightly disappointed there wasn't an eye cream included (purely because I was getting low on eye cream samples) and I do say this every time, but I wish Lancome would switch up their GWP's, so we could get different shades/items instead of the same olds!  Anyway, here's the foundation, this is the very lightest shade (005 Beige Ivoire) and I've spoken about it before on the blog, it's one of my favourite foundations. I haven't swatched it because I've done so many times before.  I find this version slightly lighter than 005 in Teint Idole and much lighter than 005 in the new Teint Visionnaire.  
So what for my second product?  Well, I mentioned I've been getting into highlighting and contouring the face. So I started browsing possible products for that and came across the Blush Subtil Palette which already includes the three basics you need for HaCing. You get a bronzer/sculpt powder, blush colour and light shimmering highlighter. There are two colour versions available and I purchased the pink(er) one 01 Rose Flush.
If the other two products weren't to my liking, then at least I was pretty much guaranteed to like the blusher as I already own the very pretty Rose Sable in the classic Blush Subtil line. I haven't compared the two, but they are very similar, I think this palette version is more pink though. Anyway, I do like all the pieces separately. The highlighter is just the prettiest darn thing and not your standard white or pink.  This means it's not the most noticeable for HaCing, so I wouldn't use it as a highlighter alone for HaCing, but it's pretty as a standard highlighter on the cheekbones and under the brow.
The blush is super shimmery and actually could be used without any additional highlighter because it already creates rosy, sheeny cheeks. I wouldn't say it's as pigmented as Rose Sable (which I have to use a very light hand with), so you have more control and can build the colour somewhat gradually.
The sculpting shade is great for lighter skins as it's not scary-dark like most bronzers. I've been using it as my contour colour quite a bit since buying it. It doesn't look muddy or lean orange which is good, I'm just not sure if it's dark enough. To be honest though I'm still finding my feet with HaCing and trying new products all the time and I'd say the most difficult part is between finding something that looks natural but that also makes the statement you're trying to make.
You can see a faint shimmer in the pan of the contour shade but I don't notice any when applied. The highlighter barely showed up in my swatches (aside from the last image). I held my hand in and out of direct sunlight so you could really see the sparkle.
Ok, now that's not all. I'd been uhhming and ahhing over placing an order on Debenhams previously because they had these fabulous goody bags filled with fragrance and some makeup samples. I love trying new things, but on the day the 10% offer started, the goody bags disappeared. However if you purchased two beauty items on this one day, you got a complimentary fragrance goody bag. My Lancome purchases didn't seem to qualify, probably because they already came with their own GWP, so I wanted another couple of things anyway and managed to score the good bag. This is what I got....
Worth it for the YSL Manifesto alone, which I've become obsessed with! My Daddy was pretty chuffed at getting a sample too (see it wasn't all me, me, me)! To qualify for this, I ordered another Clarins Instant light Natural Lip Perfector, which has come out in three new shades!!! This could almost (but not quite) make up for losing Baume Eclat. I freaking love this stuff and already have three tubes, but bought one of the new shades, 04 Petal Shimmer, which is a soft coral.
It's brighter than I expected, I was imagining pale pink, but still oh so pretty. Again I held my hand in and out of the light because you can really see the shimmer in the light, which isn't usually noticeable on the lips, despite each colour being called 'x shimmer'.
I had another shade of that, in and out of my basket and eventually decided I'd be 'good' and buy an ArtDeco eyeshadow instead which came in at £3.46. You can't really go wrong at that price can you? I was swithering between two grey shades but one was cheaper than the other (by £1.46!), so my decision was made. 04 Mystical Grey is a medium silver grey and if you hold it in the light, it has the most beautiful multi-coloured, micro shimmer. It looks pretty boring out of the light if I'm honest, but it's the type of colour I wear all the time.
I already own 02 Anthracite which I absolutely adore. Both are a pearl finish and I've included the shade names and numbers because on the actual packaging it's only the number. However rather unhelpfully, Debenhams only have the shade names!  So it's difficult to know which ones you already own unless you know both! 02 is darker and leans taupe, whereas 04 is a blue-grey. I don't love the latter as much as the former, but have already been wearing it non-stop for the past couple of weeks, so I still really like it. I've compared and swatched the two for you to see.
They're great items to stock up on if you need something inexpensive to qualify for an offer, so it's handy to remember that. I told you I'd gone makeup-crazy recently! I have since placed a YSL order because there was an offer too good to miss (that post will come next), along with some bits and bobs I've been eyeing for ages and some unexpected bargain extras. Plus this week, I placed another Debenhams order (hopefully arriving today) for a couple of Dior pieces as they have 10% off again and 500 bonus points along with a super cute mini lipstick free! Then I made a gigantic order at Escentual, who are my newest BFF's! I am ridiculously excited for it to arrive (it literally arrived just a minute ago) because it contains some super, duper items and I already have my eye on more. Well I do need to find an alternative cleanser now don't I?