Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Prestigious Bordeaux Palette

Unless a lottery win is on the horizon I doubt I'll be purchasing any Lagerfeld designs anytime soon, so when the Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura collection was released I had to have it! 

This little beauty caught my eye immediately, however being a mother with Christmas presents to buy I couldn't justify the purchase and had fingers crossed it would still be available afterwards. 

Well imagine my elation when browsing through the Selfridges online sale and coming across the object of my affections for.....wait for it.....HALF PRICE!!  Well I shimmyed my onesie clad booty round the living room doing a rendition of the Birdy Song then promptly made my purchase before it was sold out which I now believe it has as I can't find it on the website.

The packaging is beautiful and totally unique, exactly what you would expect from two such prestigious names. Lagerfeld and Shu Uemura were close friends. Lagerfeld has used Shu Uemura shadows for 20yrs to sketch his designs claiming them 'better than pastels' a statement I totally agree with. I don't feel i'm articulate enough to describe just how amazing the texture and pigment of these shadows are. I swatched them with my fingertips and I would liken the sensation to the feel of pure silk. I barely touched the palette yet the colour on my tips was so intense, they're packed with pigment. 

(Top with flash,  Bottom no flash)

As you can see the shadows swatch true to colour. This particular palette caught my eyes as all the shadows are fantastic for enhancing green eyes .

I have created a look using this palette (below) however I left it too late and could not find good enough lighting to show it up properly. I will therefore add another post using this palette when I have taken photos in daylight.

I used the gold shade over the lid with the bronze on the outer corner, I then used the deep purple shade through the crease and intensified this with MAC Nocturnelle. I used the purple shade on my bottom lash line and Avon Supershock gel liner on tightline and waterline. I applied gold glitter over the lid mixed with Illamasqua sealing gel to keep it in place and prevent fall out. Finally I lined the top lashline with Clinique brush on cream liner in black and finished with 2 coats of Maybellines The Falsies.

Overall Rating: 5/5 (I adore this palette)

Have you used Shu Uemura products?  What shall I try next?

Happy New Year Everybody,  I wish you love, luck and happiness for 2013 xxx

Elemis Majestic Beauty Set

So I decided last week I wanted to change up my skincare routine as I was looking pretty dull and had some stubborn patches of dry skin that wouldn't budge regardless of how much I exfoliated.

Whilst having a browse on asos the Elemis Magestic Beauty Set caught my eye. Being an Elemis virgin I thought this would be a great opportunity to try a range of their products.

The set contains:
Melting Cleansing Gel 125ml (Full Size)
Papaya Enzyme Peel 15ml
Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules x 14
Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 30ml
Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream 100ml (Full Size)
It is presented beautifully in a purple, velvety zip bag.

Clearly this is not a review of the set as I haven't been using the products for long enough to provide an accurate analysis; however I really wanted to share my first impressions of two products from the set.
I will give a full review when I feel I know all the products well enough to judge.

Papaya Enzyme Peel:

Like I said earlier my skin has been looking pretty dull with stubborn dry skin patches. I also have psoriasis and fairly sensitive skin. I had been wanting to try an enzyme peel for a while but thought it best to speak to my dermatologist first. She gave me the go ahead and I had this particular product in mind. 
This is the product that sold me the set and although I have only used this twice I am not disappointed. I can already see a significant difference.
My skin looks a lot brighter, fresher and the dry skin patches are no more. 
My skin feels so smooth and soft to the touch however admittedly this could also be down to any of the contents of the set.
The product itself is a cream consistency. It spreads evenly and a 50p sized amount is ample to cover the whole face.
I was expecting it to feel uncomfortable whilst it was working but actually its very gentle and all I felt was a few tingles/tickles. Containing both Papaya and Pineapple enzymes the scent is uplifting, fresh and not at all overpowering. 
After 15mins on the face it is easy to remove with a damp washcloth and I saw instant results.
Overall I am really enjoying this product and if I had to pick a fault the only thing I can say is that I would have liked a slightly larger size tube. I'd have preferred to have a slightly smaller cleanser and hand cream and more of this.


ProRadiance Hand and Nail Cream:

Firstly lets address the name, I personally don't know anybody with 'radiant hands', have you ever complimented somebody with "wow! Your hands are glowing" I'm thinking no!
Apart from nit picking about the name the product itself is really rather lovely. The scent is delicate and pleasant and the consistency of the cream is perfect, not too thin were it drips whilst applying or too thick that it takes a decade to absorb. It absorbs into the skin quickly and leaves skin looking plumper and feeling softer and moisturised.
Being a mum of a toddler I have my hands in water a lot (no time for marigolds with a toddler) because of this they're often dry and can be irritating therefore a hand cream is a necessity for me. This little beauty has replaced my longtime favourite Soap & Glory - Hand food already.

Overall I'm really enjoying all the products in this set and will give a full review when I feel I can.

Have you tried any or all of these products? If so how were they for you? 

Lots of Love

Julie xxx

Photo Source Google Images, note: I'm having problems uploading my photos the hubby is fixing the issue and I will edit the post once I have them.

Letter to the Big Man

Dear Father Christmas,

I have been a very good girl this year. As a reward I would love to find some of the following items in my stocking pretty please with sugar on top.

1. Valentina Eau de Parfum 50ml

2. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, Topaz

My skin is so dry at the moment I really need some luminosity. 

3. Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel

Ive never tried an enzyme peel as I have psoriasis and very sensitive skin, I asked my dermatologist if this would cause me problems but she gave me the ok to try it.

4. Smoked Palette, Urban Decay

The last thing I need is another eyeshadow pallette but that doesnt stop me from wanting one.

5. Vintage Classic Chanel Bag

Well! A girl can dream!

Lots of love,


Julie-Ann, Aged 26 and 1/2 X



What's on your Christmas list this year?


Images: Google Images