Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Face Palette On Textured Medium-Tan Skin

Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Face Palette On Textured Medium-Tan Skin

Summer Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, June 09, 2019

The Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Face Palettes come in two variants - Lightgasm, for light to medium skins, and Lovegasm, for medium to dark skins. This post has the review and swatches of the Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm palette in Lovegasm, and a tutorial of the palette used on textured, tan skin.
The Glowgasm palettes cost £60 each, and contain four shades - a "bronzer", a highlighter, a "multi-glow", and a "pop blush". The packaging is gorgeous, the whole thing feels and looks luxurious and heavy, and the pattern is very pretty.
Therein end the raves, for me at least. There are some real issues with this one. No, really - don't believe me? I have a proper demo of this thing right ahead.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Face Palette on textured medium-tan skin.

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Benefit Cheekleaders Face Palette Review, Swatches, Demo

Benefit Cheekleaders Face Palette Review, Swatches, Demo

Reviews Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, May 14, 2019

The Benefit Blush Bar was among my Christmas goodies for 2018 - I love the comprehensive face palette; there's everything my cheeks need in one handy, travel-friendly box.
So, when the Benefit Cheekleaders palettes were launched for Spring 2019, I felt I didn't need them - two palettes were launched; the Pink Squad, and the Bronze Squad.
But. But. But. Benefit also launched two deeper versions of their iconic Hoola Bronzer - Hoola Caramel, and Hoola Toasted. Plus, there were two highlighters - Tickle, and Cookie. The last two were exclusive to the Cheekleaders palettes, and I was intrigued.
I found that both Cheekleaders palettes - and their mini versions, with three products each - contained FIVE FULL-SIZED box of powders, including ONE of the new highlighters. The Bronze version also had the new Hoola Caramel. So I treated myself to the Cheekleaders Bronze Squad palette, and to a single box of Hoola Toasted.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Benefit Cheekleaders Bronze Squad Face Palette, and for a comparison with the Benefit Blush Bar.

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Beautylish Lucky Bag 2017 Review, Unboxing, Contents

Beautylish Lucky Bag 2017 Review, Unboxing, Contents

Wayne Goss Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, January 14, 2017

Meet the world's best beauty box. It comes out only once a year, on Boxing Day. I bought last year's Beautylish Lucky Bag, which you can see here, and fell in love with the concept.
Lucky Bags are popular in Japan around the New Year time - businesses distribute them, believing they will bring good luck to the recipients.
There is no actual bag - the contents of the Beautylish Lucky Bag come in a regular box with special wrapping paper. The owl, which Beautylish incorporates in the wrapping paper each year, is said to bring luck. Nils, who co-founded Beautylish, tells his staff to make each bag better than the previous years'.
The Lucky Bag costs $75, and international customers need to pay shipping as well. You cannot combine orders with the Lucky Bag. But the contents are worth a lot more - my own bag contains products worth a whopping $194, as you can see below. 
Spoiler: There are NO eyeshadows in my Lucky Bag!

Scroll down for the contents of the Beautylish Lucky Bag 2017.

LookFantastic Beauty Box November 2016: LF Sparkle Edition

LookFantastic Beauty Box November 2016: LF Sparkle Edition

Unboxing Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, November 12, 2016

The November 2016 LookFantastic Beauty Box has been themed #LFSparkle - to make you "shine bright for the party season". The products within will give you glowing skin and glossy hair. And, best of all, this month's box contains seven products, rather than the usual six.
The box comes with this month's Elle UK magazine, with Amy Adams on the cover. TMI: I used to have a girl-crush on Amy Adams and Jennifer Aniston.
I love the packaging this month - it is beautifully winter-themed and the sparkly snowflakes make it a keeper.

Scroll down for the contents of the LookFantastic Beauty Box for November 2016, themed LF Sparkle.

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Holiday 2016: Paul & Joe Makeup Collection Advent Calendar Contents

Holiday 2016: Paul & Joe Makeup Collection Advent Calendar Contents

Reviews Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, October 12, 2016

You're probably sick of all the Advent Calendars. We aren't even halfway through the lot - and the best is yet to come!
Makeup lovers, rejoice. The Paul & Joe Makeup Collection Advent Calendar for Holiday 2016 contains 12 different makeup products. No skincare, hair care or any of those.
Paul & Joe is known for very cutesy packaging, and you actually get a couple of their famous cases in here. There are 24 "windows" in this Advent Calendar, but only half of them contain products - the rest only reveal a pretty picture.
The calendar costs £56, which is inclusive of international shipping. Not bad at all, given that you get 12 full-sized cutesy makeup products.

Scroll down for the contents/spoilers of the Paul & Joe Makeup Collection Advent Calendar for Holiday 2016.

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Autumn Makeup Look With Bourjois Cosmetics

Autumn Makeup Look With Bourjois Cosmetics

Makeup Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, September 12, 2016

Bourjois has always been my favourite drugstore makeup brand. The quality of their foundations, eyeliners, blushes, bronzers, lipsticks and mascaras is as good as department store brands. The only thing I don't love about Bourjois is their eyeshadows - the pigmentation isn't awesome, and they don't have the kind of large palettes I prefer anyway.
Feelunique has 3-for-2 on Bourjois right now, and they ship worldwide, so I've just been Bourjois-hauling!
With all the Bourjois love going on, I decided to do a Fall makeup look with six Bourjois makeup products - and other brands as well. Warning: This isn't my usual look; I'm wearing dark lipstick!

Scroll down for an Autumn makeup look with six products from Bourjois Cosmetics.

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Smashbox Art. Love. Colour. Holiday 2015 Master Class III Palette Review, Swatches, EOTDs

Smashbox Art. Love. Colour. Holiday 2015 Master Class III Palette Review, Swatches, EOTDs

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, November 27, 2015

The Smashbox Art. Love. Colour. Master Class III Palette for Holiday 2015 palette was an impulse buy for me. It contains a mix of 32 neutrals, khakis, purples and brights, as well as six blushes and highlighters. I had not tried previous Master Class palettes. The only other Smashbox palette I have used before is Double Exposure, which I love.
The Holiday 2015 Smashbox Master Class III palette has been designed by drop-dead gorgeous Spanish painter Yago Hortal Hernandez. To be honest, and this is purely subjective, the design of the palette does not scream "Christmas" to me, and looks summery and bright. But let us concern ourselves with the inside of the palette.

Scroll down for the review, eye makeup looks and swatches of the Smashbox Art. Love. Colour. Master Class III Palette for Holiday 2015.

Too Faced A Few Of My Favourite Things makeup palette review, swatches, photos

Too Faced A Few Of My Favourite Things makeup palette review, swatches, photos

Too Faced Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, February 09, 2014

My first ever eyeshadow palette was the Liquif-Eye Shadow Collection from Too Faced Cosmetics, so I have a bit of a weakness for their palettes. I especially wanted A Few Of My Favourite Things for two reasons. One, it features favourites of Too Faced's founder, Jerrod Blandino. For another, the name reminds me of a much-loved song from my favourite musical and one of my favourite books (The Von Trapp Family Story).
When I saw the palette in Sephora in December, the size of it made my jaw drop - the external box is as large as my netbook - and twice the thickness. It features a pink and gold chevron pattern exclusively designed by celebrity designer Mary McDonald.

Read on for the full review and swatches of the Too Faced Cosmetics A Few Of My Favourite Things makeup palette.

My basic makeup products for daytime wear

My basic makeup products for daytime wear

Primer Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, February 04, 2014

I'm leaving out the skin care; this is makeup alone - else we'll be here all day.
The photograph includes tools and multiple palettes and eyeliners for options, but I only use seven or eight makeup products in my everyday routine:

• Face primer
• Powder foundation
• Sutble eyeshadow
• Eye primer-cum-concealer
• Eyeliner
• Mascara 
• Lipstick

I may tack on a blush and brow gel if I can spare the time. I do go in for a more detailed routine, including highlighter, lip liner and so on, for special occasions.

Here are the makeup products I use in my daytime routine.

Lancome Blush In Love review, swatches, photos of both shades

Lancome Blush In Love review, swatches, photos of both shades

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, January 21, 2014

I am not a blush person and I have only ever bought two blushes in my life, despite owning eight, including Elizabeth Arden and Lancome Blush Subtil (gifts and/or beauty boxes). I always feel blush brings out the pores on my face and bronzer looks better - or just can't be bothered in the mornings. Anyway, the two blushes I spent on hooked me with their packaging and subtlety.
I fell in love with both the Lancome Blush In Love blushes - Peche Joue Joue and Pommettes d'Amour - the moment I saw them. It was a little difficult to get my hands on Peche Joue Joue as it was always out of stock, but I finally managed to get one in December. And they've made me take blush seriously.

Here's the review and swatches of both shades of Lancome Blush In Love blushes.

Makeup and skin care haul from Sephora Middle East: Part I

Makeup and skin care haul from Sephora Middle East: Part I

Urban Decay Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, January 05, 2014

You're thinking, "That is all she bought, after all her claims?" This is the first of the makeup and skin care hauls made over the Holiday season from Sephora Middle East. I've got separate haul posts for lipsticks, nail polishes, Soap & Glory, Benefit and Boots No7. Detailed reviews and swatches will be posted later. And yes, I did buy 25 nail polishes and quite a few lipsticks, but this post will become longer than The Iliad unless I split up my haul!
There are eight countries in the Persian Gulf with Sephora stores, with eight Sephora outlets in the UAE alone. You can sign up for the Sephora White Card, which is the Middle East's equivalent of the Beauty Insider loyalty card programme and earn points and get gifts. And once you have 2,000 points like I do now, you can trade it in for a black card. I'm now going to show you the palettes, eye creams, blush and brushes I hauled across brands from Sephora.

Clarins Travel Bright White face palette review, swatches, photos

Clarins Travel Bright White face palette review, swatches, photos

Travel Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Usually, I am not really fond of travel/all-makeup palettes, preferring eyeshadow palettes, and individual products such as mascara, concealer and face powder. But I do own two travel palettes - one from Clarins and the other from Lancome. I thought I would dig them out now, as I am leaving for Doha in two weeks' time and am about to pack for the trip.
This is the Clarins Travel Bright White Face Palette. I love the packaging. Inside the red external box is this cute, chic white rectangular "clutch".

October 2013 Lip Factory review, unboxing, photos: International beauty box

October 2013 Lip Factory review, unboxing, photos: International beauty box

Subscription box Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Do I love the Lip Factory customer care or what! I told them I hate lip gloss and they've magnificently replaced the glosses for this month with two awesome products. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Most subscription boxes arrive by the end of the month, or into the next month - even the local ones. I love how the Lip Factory Box arrives by mid-month, around the same time the US customers get theirs. Of course, I look for spoilers anyway! And, from September 2013, a percentage of the revenue from every box will be donated by Lip Factory to the Compassionate Hands and Hearts Breast Cancer Outreach. To subscribe, hit their website (make-up centric beauty box with no foil sachets or samples but around six full-size products). Do mention my reference number 384919 and we'll both get 50 points apiece (used to redeem for products or boxes).

Mini haul: Lancome Blush in Love and Rouge in Love 340B

Mini haul: Lancome Blush in Love and Rouge in Love 340B

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, September 30, 2013

I bought two Rouge in Love Matin lipsticks just a few weeks ago see post here) and have been loving them to bits ever since. My Mum was travelling over the weekend and asked me if I wanted anything, so... Usually I don't ask someone to pick a lipstick for me but I googled swatches and zeroed in on a couple and asked her to pick the one she thought would suit me best, but at the same time would be outside my comfort zone - she picked 340B Rose Boudoir.

Detailers: Coming up from the original Beautyblender... a potential HG?

Detailers: Coming up from the original Beautyblender... a potential HG?

Preview Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, September 26, 2013

I am beyond thrilled to hear that the Beautyblender's crafter, Rea Ann Silva, is launching a set of makeup brushes known as "Detailers". In my review of the Original Beautyblender Pro (here), I said it had replaced every single face makeup brush/sponge/applicator I've tried/owned and concluded by wishing they would come out with eye brushes, too. Did they read that post and oblige with the Detailers brushes, or am I flattering myself?
Needless to say, I'm waiting to get a set as soon as the Beauty Blender brushes are launched as they promise professional results. I especially adore the cute mini-blender charm on the Plush Brush and want to try Soft Touch and Chisel.

International Beauty Box: Glam Guru Holiday Box #5 review

International Beauty Box: Glam Guru Holiday Box #5 review

Sunscreen Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, September 20, 2013

Yesterday and today brought me beauty boxes in the mail. Yesterday's box was the September Lip Factory Box (see here) while today it was the Glam Guru Box. Bag, rather. This box is a Jewish New Year special edition and the theme is "Glamour Holiday".

How to order a Glam Guru box: 

You can pay by PayPal and customer service is with you all the way through the process. Email here, and they'll tell you where you can send your Paypal money - and please do mention that Renu of My Beauty Junction sent you and we'll both have some fun!

My Glam Guru Holiday Box arrived 12 days after it was posted from Israel, via registered post, and I was able to track it online. The external box took a battering in the post, like last time, but the contents were thankfully intact.

Meet the rockstar of makeup: Review of theBalm's Balm Jovi, my favourite palette

Meet the rockstar of makeup: Review of theBalm's Balm Jovi, my favourite palette

TheBalm Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, September 07, 2013

After 160-odd posts, I realise I haven't talked about my favourite palette of all time.
I adore Bon Jovi; they're one of my top two rock bands ever. Keep reading till the end of the post to identify the other one. Having rock-fan parents, I grew up on Keep The Faith, You Give Love A Bad Name and Wanted Dead Or Alive. The moment I heard theBalm had a palette called "Balm Jovi" I knew it would rock. In fact, it's a palette even my Dad took a look at.

Look. At. That. Packaging. And the tagline is "Living On A Stare." Whoever names these things must have been a copy-writer or a sub somewhere. And, did you read the "review" by the Rolling Tone Magazine? I share those sentiments.
For those who don't give a toss for the packaging, theBalm's Balm Jovi palette offers a lovely set of 12 super-pigmented eyeshadows, a highlighter, a blush and two lip colours.