Lisa Eldridge Lipsticks- The New Velvet Collection

Earlier this month, Lisa Eldridge launched six new shades in her velvet lipstick range. She also brought back the much loved trio of shades from last year as well as some of the Summer Collection. On the launch day I had my alarm set, ready to go with four shades in mind to buy, The Blue Velvet Set which includes Velvet Beauty, Velvet Myth and Velvet Midnight and also Velvet Muse. However about ten minutes before the launch Lisa posted a video in which she applied all of the lipsticks and I was sold on Fawn after seeing it in the video. The only one I wasn't sure would suit me was Velvet Decade as it's a chocolate brown shade so I didn't include it. I placed my order and I was so happy that I was going to have more of her beautiful lipsticks in my collection. However I couldn't stop thinking about Velvet Decade and after seeing some more photos of it I decided to add that to my order a few days later. 

It's obviously a lot of money to spend in one go on six lipsticks but I have no problem doing it as I absolutely love the lipsticks of hers that I have and I wear them all the time. I also think you're getting such beautiful shades and quality for your money. I received my order earlier this week and I managed to hold out trying them until Friday when I had some time (and most importantly daylight) to take some photos. It's been so dull all week that it was hard to take any photos but I finally got some and I'm so excited to share them in today's post. I'm splitting it into two posts, one with the Blue Velvet Collection and this one, the New Velvet Set featuring Velvet Decade, Velvet Muse and Velvet Fawn. There are a lot of photos as I want to be thorough just in case anyone hasn't placed an order yet and is looking for more photos and swatches before they decide, also they're so gorgeous I kind of got carried away taking photos of them!

So let's get into the three shades from the New Velvet Collection- Velvet Decade, Velvet Muse and Velvet Fawn. On her website, Decade is described as a chic deep cocoa brown with both warm and cool undertones inspired by hand tinted sepia fashion portraits. Muse is described as a sensual, smoky rosewood shade with pinky brown and dirty rose undertones and Fawn is described as a pretty and delicate fawn shade inspired by the 90s shades in Lisa's vintage makeup collection. The lipsticks are a matte formula but creamy and hydrating matte with a slight sheen so they're not flat looking on the lips. They don't feel dry at all but light and comfortable. I used a muslin cloth and some cleansing balm to exfoliate my lips first and then applied some Glossier Bubblewrap which sinks in quickly so that my lips were hydrated but not too shiny so I could apply the lipstick straight away rather than waiting for a balm to sink in.

So what do I think? I was probably the least certain of how Decade and Fawn would suit me but I needn't have worried. In her video about the collection, Lisa describes the undertones of each shade and how they make them more wearable for every skin tone. I know not every shade will appeal to everyone but I genuinely think there's something for everyone. Like all lipsticks and makeup in general, products will look different on everyone depending on their natural skin tone and lip colour. But I think the shades have been expertly developed to suit so many different skin tones. Who would have thought I'd love a chocolate brown shade so much on me. Muse is such a great "my lips but better" shade on me and I can see it being one of those shades that goes with so many looks. Fawn is such a pretty Bardot-esque shade that I can see myself wearing with more intense eye looks and sixties style looks too. 

I've included a photo with swatches of all three lipsticks beside three Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks just for colour reference. I thought they would be much more similar to the CT shades I chose but as you can see they're actually so different. I swiped each one twice so they're all the same amount of intensity. Hopefully if you have yet to order a lipstick it will give you an idea of what the shades looks like.

Velvet Decade, Velvet Muse and Velvet Fawn

Velvet Decade

Velvet Muse

Velvet Fawn

L-R Velvet Fawn Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect, Velvet Muse, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, Velvet Decade, Charlotte Tilbury Birkin Brown

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
*Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (101 Linen)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer (010 Beige Porcelaine)
Fenty Beauty Match Stick Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Duo (02 Golden Peach)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (Medium Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
Revlon So Fierce! Vinyl Eyeliner (Force of Steel)
*Glossier Pro Tip
*Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Dusk and Haze)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
Glossier Haloscope (Moonstone)
*L'Oréal Paris Infallible Magic Loose Powder
Ardell Individuals Duralash Naturals Knot-Free Flares Short and Medium
Duo Eyelash Glue (Black)


I'm so in love with these lipsticks, they have completely surpassed my expectations and I'm so excited to keep wearing them in different ways. Muse is currently sold out in the single form but is still available in the Ultimate Velvet Mix Collection alongside Decade and Ribbon. See my posts on Velvet Ribbon and the Summer Pinks Collection. You can see me wearing Velvet Jazz here and Velvet Morning here.

Did you get your hands on any of the lipsticks? Which one is your favourite? Keep an eye out for my post on the Blue Velvet Collection coming very soon!

Emma x


*Press Sample
**Haze is a press sample, I bought Dusk myself
***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

I Got You Babe- Sixties Look Inspired By Cher

A couple of weeks ago Cher was playing in Dublin, sadly I didn't go to see her, but I did start looking at photos of her style evolution throughout the years. I came across some photos of her from the sixties in the early days of her career with the most incredible graphic liner. That night I was playing around and tried it out and I loved how it looked so the following day I tried it again so I could take some photos in the daylight. 

I don't think I've ever tried such a retro liner look but I was totally in love with how it turned out. I make a point to wear all of the looks I do out for the day and at first I was a little self conscious about this one as it's quite out there even for me but then the girl serving us in a cafe said she loved it and it made me realise how silly I was being feeling self conscious when it's only makeup. For the rest of the day I actually felt so confident wearing it (although my niece wasn't a fan, she said I looked better wearing no makeup!)

As usual I didn't want it to look too on the nose and like I was dressing up for Halloween so I used my most glowy and light base products, Glossier Futuredew and Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation. I used a little cream bronzer and contour and then some neutral blush to tone in with the lipstick. I used a gel liner on my upper and lower lash line and then used a thin brush and a grey eyeshadow to shape out the line on my lid. Obviously you can adapt the liner and the eyeshadow to suit your eye shape. I went with less of a rounded Twiggy style shape and kept it slightly more winged out. I think this would look incredible with coloured liner and eyeshadow too. 

That evening before removing my makeup I decided to see how it would look with added glitter in the negative space on my eyelid. I used Glossier Play Glass Bonsai Glitter Gelée and I'm obsessed with how it looked. I felt so glamorous and I was raging that I wasn't going anywhere but instead was at home in my pyjamas about to get ready for bed. I definitely want to recreate this look for my next night out as it's such a fun and retro inspired look but hopefully still looks modern with the fresh skin. This look definitely won't be for everyone but I loved creating it and researching sixties makeup for inspiration.  

Glossier Futuredew Oil Serum Hybrid
*Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen SPF 30
*Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (101 Linen)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (Medium Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Duo
*Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette (Limited Edition, I only used the shades Blonde and Serious, any matte all over shade or charcoal grey will do)
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
*Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
YSL Beauty Touche Éclat (1 Rose Lumière)
Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Dusk)
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector liquid Highlighter (Moonstone)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
*L'Oréal Paris Infallible Magic Loose Powder
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick (Bitch Perfect)
Glossier Play Glitter Gelée (Glass Bonsai)

What do you think of this look? Would you wear it?

Emma x

*Press Sample
**Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

Let's Stick Together

When I first saw the Urban Decay Naked Honey palette I knew I wanted to try a look like this one with it. My inspiration is the makeup worn by Jerry Hall in the seventies, particularly in the video for Bryan Ferry's Let's Stick Together. There's also a bit of Debbie Harry and Kate Bush in there. It's a mixture between the bronzed and glowing natural skin and eyebrows of the seventies with some glamorous, disco elements.

I started by using the new Glossier Futuredew Oil Serum on the high points of my face for some extra glow. I'm loving this so far. I don't wear it every day but it's great for this time of year where my skin is starting to become a bit more dry from all the air conditioning and heating. For my base I used the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover which is a full coverage foundation with SPF 50. It's definitely more coverage than I would usually go for but the finish is quite natural rather than matte so it actually worked really well for this look. I've used it a few times since receiving it as a press sample a few weeks ago and I'm surprised by how much I like it considering I don't usually wear full coverage and I've never tried a Maybelline Foundation before. This is definitely worth checking out if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a foundation and you want full coverage and a high SPF. It lasts well on my skin throughout the day, I only really needed to blot my t-zone and it didn't sit in my pores the way some full coverage foundations have in the past.

I kept my eyebrows fairly natural using Soapbrows and Glossier Brow Flick, then went in with the Naked Honey palette. I started by taking Hive and Drip under my eye about two thirds of the way across starting at the outer corner and bringing the shadow out from the corner into a winged out shape. Then I built up the deepness using Sting in the outer corner of my eyelid keeping the inner corner and half the lid light and open using Golden, Honey and Flyby. It gives a wide-eyed and winged out effect at the same time. I added a little bit of YSL Touche Éclat under my eyes and down alone the sides of my nose a bit just to bring some more radiance to that area.

I applied more bronzer than I usually would as most seventies looks I found had bronzed and glowing skin. I then mixed a few Glossier Cloud Paints together to get the right shade to use as a sculpting blush, one of the most famous attributes of seventies makeup. The blush is worn more on the cheekbone and blended up rather than on the apples of the cheeks. I actually love how this turned out and I'd definitely try wearing my blush like this more often. I sometimes use Dusk Cloud Paint in this way as it's more of a neutral shade.

I finished the skin with my usual double highlighter combination of Hollywood Flawless Filter and Niteshine. Then set my t-zone and under my eyes with a touch of powder and the All Nighter Setting Spray. My favourite part of this look is probably the lips. There's something about glossy red lips that makes me feel so glamorous and confident. I wanted a more orange red shade so in keeping with the seventies theme I used Glossier Play Vinylic Lip in Casino with the clear Glossier Lip Gloss on top.

I absolutely love how this turned out, I felt so glamorous! I think this could be a gorgeous look for a night out or you could tone down the blush and wear it with a more neutral lipstick instead. You could also amp it up with liner or glitter.

Glossier Futuredew Oil Serum Hybrid
*Maybelline Dream Urban Cover (103 Pure Ivory)
*Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer (010 Beige Porcelaine)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Duo
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
Soapbrows Kit
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging
*Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette (Flyby, Golden, Honey, Hive, Drip and Sting)
*Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
YSL Beauty Touche Éclat Illuminating Pen (1 Rose Lumière)
**Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Dusk, Dawn and Haze)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
*L'Oréal Paris Infallible Magic Loose Powder
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
*Glossier Play Vinylic Lip (Casino)
Glossier Lip Gloss (Clear)

*Press Samples
**Haze and Dawn are Press Samples, I bought Dusk myself

What do you think of seventies makeup? Would you wear this look?

Emma x

Soft Halo- Bodyography Glitter Pigments and Clarins Soft Berry Joli Rouge Lip Lacquer

A few weeks ago I attended a press event wearing the look below. I wanted something that made me feel made up but with minimal effort so I decided to wear my beloved Bodyography Glitter Pigments. I couldn't decide what shade to wear so I went with three of them all at once. First I applied Eclipse (a warm pink) all over my lid, then Bubbly (a yellow gold) in the inner corner blended towards the centre of my eyelid. Finally I pressed Halo (a silver diamond) just on the centre of my lid focused close to the lash line and diffused upwards to give an almost spotlight effect. I finished my eyes with some liquid liner concentrated on the outer corner and the new L'Oreal Bambi Eyes False Lash Mascara.

I wanted a light foundation and luminous skin so I used a combination of Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and Skin Illusion Foundation. I've loved Beauty Flash Balm for years, it's probably one of the first high end products I used (my mam used to "let" me use hers when I was a teenager). I love using it on days when I want a quick skin fix as it instantly makes your skin look bright and healthy and makeup applies so well over it. It's a cult beauty product for a reason, it genuinely does what it claims it will do. It's ideal for wearing to an event as it gives your skin an instant boost of radiance.

I've mentioned the Skin Illusion Foundation on my blog before and I'm coming to the end of my bottle. I will definitely be repurchasing it as it's the one foundation that every time I look back on my makeup looks on Instagram and love my skin and go to check the details it's always the Skin Illusion that I'm wearing. It just makes my skin look so healthy and glowing and gives just the amount of light coverage I like in a base product. I have the shade Linen 101 but I'd probably go for the lighter shade next time as it's a touch too dark for me in the Autumn and Winter. If you like a light to medium coverage foundation, I highly recommend getting a sample of this to try out. It's also quite a reasonable price point for a high end foundation at €35.

After foundation I blended in some of the Clarins cream bronzer to give my face some warmth. I never used to bother much with bronzer but what I love about this one is how quick and easy it is to use. I use the Fenty Beauty Match Stix cream contour stick in the shade Amber just under my cheek bones and then use the bronzer stick anywhere that the sun would hit your face first like the nose, cheeks and forehead. I blend it out using the same brush I blended my foundation with as that helps it to look seemless. I don't always do this step in my routine but I think it makes a world of difference to the dimension of my face when I take the time to do it, it also makes me look a bit less pale coming into the colder weather. I then applied Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk and Haze to match the warm and pink tones on my eyelids and then three different highlighters just for the hell of it.

I finished the look with what has become one of my favourite lip combinations recently. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat and the Clarins Joli Rouge Lip Lacquer in Soft Berry. This is one of the most perfect nude lipstick shades for fair skin that I've ever tried. I honestly can't get enough of this lipstick formula. I was sent four of the shades a few months ago and have been wearing them lots since. This is the palest of the shades I have and it's such a flattering warm, rosy neutral that would go with almost any makeup look. I've also been wearing the shade Spicy Chili a lot in work and have had lots of people asking what lipstick I'm wearing because it's such a gorgeous orange/red shade.  They're so comfortable to wear and feel hydrating because of the plant oils in the formula. They have great pigmentation, feel buttery smooth and soft and fade really evenly almost down to a stain throughout the day. They also smell incredible, if you're near a Clarins counter I urge you to just go and smell them! At €24, they are quite reasonable for the quality. I definitely have my eye on the Nude Brick shade. My friend Andreea has written a blog post about them and she has great photos of her wearing them as well as swatches. I'll use the other shades in a blog post soon as I think they're so worth the money and I was honestly more excited about trying them than most of the other high end lipstick launches this year.

(in indirect sunlight for reference)

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
*Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (101 Linen)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Duo (02 Golden Peach)
Bodyography Glitter Pigments (Eclipse, Bubbly and Halo) (Also available on Sally Beauty)
Tarte Tarteist Double Take Eyeliner
*L'Oréal Bambi Eye False Lash Mascara
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Haze and Dusk)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (01 Fair)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
Glossier Haloscope (Moonstone)
*L'Oréal Infallible Magic Loose Powder
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat (Pillow Talk)
*Clarins Joli Rouge Lip Lacquer (Soft Berry)

*Press Sample
**I bought Dusk myself, Haze is a press sample

Have you tried any of these products? What products are you loving at the moment?


Emma x