Currently Loving : February 2015

I was hellbent on doing a favourites 2014 post and had even gone as far as writing and photographing them .  But 2015 seems to be on a strong thrust forward and we are suddenly in March. So I decided to present you will my February favourites . These products I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser - I have been dancing around the Tata Harper range since my visit to New York last year July. The Boosted Contouring  serum is on my wishlist, but I'm undecided. I would not use Tata Harper products for an undying need to use 100% natural products on my face. However, I like the idea that TH is not outsourced to labs that make up a number of other brands formula's, but are manufactured on her farm in Vermont. I actually love the strong floral scents of her products. This is a pure botanical range that is meant to deliver results. I decided to purchase the Purifying cleanser when Net-a-porter had free shipping!. If I could order this in vats I would! It has a gel type formula with a slight oily texture, which does not foam. I massage it onto dry skin and sometimes throw in a little facial massage. It has an invigorating and refreshing sensation. I rinse with water and my skin is left soft an clean. It does suggest to apply on damp skin ,but I find I use too much and it does not feel as clean.

Koh Gen Do - Cleansing Spa Water - This is a really effective but 'gentle on the eyes' cleansing water. This is meant to have more skincare benefits than Bioderma. I love them both and they work equally well in removing makeup. So use whichever is stocked in your area. Unfortunately I bought 4 of these minis when traveling, so I am trying to use them up slowly - I'm on bottle # 3.

Perricone MD Formula 15 -a long time love of mine! -I recently started using this again in an effort to use up my open products. I had not used it for some time as I do try lots of new products. But, am once again seriously impressed with the results I get when I use this amazing serum . I have reviewed this previously here. Perricone does have two new concentrated serums being launched on QVC and hopefully everywhere else soon. I have my eye on these as my skin just seems to love Alpha Lipoic Acid and DMAE.

Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser - My skin has finally settled after the upheaval my illness caused. Nars tinted moisturiser (in Groenland) just looks amazing on my skin. My skin is hydrated and looks fresh. I cannot wait for my order of the new Luminous weightless All-Day foundation arrives!

By Terry Terrybly Densiless Concealer - I got this in the beginning of the year sight unseen. I had a tiny sample of shade 4 which matched my skin perfectly. But, I wanted it to be slightly brightening so I chose shade 1. When it arrived I thought I would have to wait to buy shade 4 and mix it as it looked ghostly pale. With a sigh of relief it actually works perfectly. It brightens the under eye without looking like and owl. This is a creamy formula that never creases on me. I also has enough coverage to hide my lack of sleep. It's also packed with skincare ingredients. I reach for this concealer most days. I can highly recommend this to all those 35+ as the skincare benefits can only add to whatever eye cream you are using.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Lash Stretching Mascara- I got this Armani formula by default as my makeup mule in Hong Kong said the mascara I asked for was out of stock (obsidian -love) and my second choice ETK Extreme was also out of stock. Said mule also said Sales Associate looked so bored and was yawning. I screamed down the phone " take whatever mascara she has in stock and in black." I can safely say I have never met an Armani mascara I did not enjoy. Even thought this is meant to be lengthening I find it a good all rounder!

Lipstick Queen - this was my second LQ acquisition. Lipstick Queen hit out shores the end of last year and I am working on building my collection. Medieval is the red meant to suit everyone. While I cannot attest to that selling point I can say it's a wearable everyday natural juicy red. My lips are hydrated and feel comfortable wearing this. I will do a post soon on the LQ shades and formula's I have. Definitely worth a look for lipstick lovers.

Nars Pro Prime - everyones favourite primers. Great to keep my shadow fresh on my oily lids. Only gripe is that I never know when it going to finish!

That ends my list of products that I have been in heavy rotation . What have your's been, we must compare notes!

Till next time.

MR

xx

By Terry Riviera Collection Summer 2014 - Tea to Tan and Cheek to Cheek

By Terry gets my vote for constantly thinking out of the box. I picked up the Cheek to Cheek in Cherry Cruise when it first came out and just added the Tea to Tan in Bronze Bay. These are must haves for all beauty lovers. I bought mine both from SpaceNK.

What I love about the Tea to Tan is that this is the most natural bronzer effect you will ever get. The awkward drop applicator aside, I simply put a drop or two in my palm and dab a synthetic, densely packed brush into it and sweep along my cheeks, forehead, down the centre of my nose. Buff it in and I'm looking healthy and sun kissed. No Jersey Shore here. As the name says, just the Riviera baby! You can go back in with more product and build, but it is a subtle and soft effect that just oozes chic. This can also be added to any foundation to add warmth. Also do not forget to shake to disperse the pearlescent goodness that collects at the base, yet does not translate into a glitter ball at all on the face.

The Cheek to Cheek is a strawberry stain that gives a youthful flush to my cheeks. Again you cannot overdo this product. You can layer over the Tea to Tan. The stain effect is so nice for hot days as it looks light and fresh on my skin. Both products have a translucent quality and allows for your natural skin tone to shine through. They both have a distinct By Terry rose scent. I think it's pretty. By Terry also likes to add skincare benefits and these two are no different. Packed with ingredients that have antioxidants and also help to detoxify and revitalise are an added plus for me! High end brand can no longer do makeup without adding skincare benefits- its a trend thats here to stay.

Dropped straight from the pipette

Tea to Tan, Cheek to Cheek freshly swatched

Tea to Tan, Cheek to Cheek buffed and dried down

These do not have any real staining qualities and come off with ease at the end of the day. I have been using mine in our winter months, so if you are in the throes of summer these would be even more perfect for you. These are limited edition (drat!) as far as I know, so do not wait to long before buying them.

By Terry Cellularose Blush Glace in Rose Melba - Spring 2014

By Terry brought out three pretty cheek confections for Spring 2014. Rose Melba, Flower Sorbet and Frozen Petal are a must have for all By Terry Fans. This itsy, bitsy tub of delicately whipped Glace gives a subtle flush to the cheeks. The size of the jar is probably the same of their famous lip Baume de Rose. My only fear is when I dab my finger into this gel like product, is that my giant-like fingers (in comparison to the jar) might just gouge out a large amount out of clumsiness. Packaging aside, let's look further at this product.

I tend to veer towards bright, clown cheek colours, so I chose Rose Melba, the lightest of the three shades. Rose Melba is described as as a 'retro pink' which is a perfect description. I wanted a more pared back effect. It is quite a frightful shade in the jar, but sheers out to a believable flush. It is lightweight and gives a fresh faced look to my cheeks. The finish is satin with no sparkle. Warning: It does not have hours of lasting power and if you are so inclined will require touch ups through the day. Let me be clear this did not last on me at all. It is also meant to have a skincare benefit as well, as it is infused with White Rose Native Cells which is the core to their new Cellularose range. I do not use it often enough to say yes or no to this. Application wise, fingers in a patting motion to warm the product into the cheeks worked best for me. I did experience some patchiness as I erred on not blending it in enough as in pat, pat, pat, pat, pat and then pat some more! - did I say pat. I also noticed some product catching on some dry patches. This shade would suit fair ladies up to about a NC 25 - It is very light on me

Okay, so cute product, but a bit to much high maintenance for me. Maybe in this instance the brighter Flower Sorbet or Frozen Petal might have worked better on my skin tone. I love my By Terry products, and I have quite a few beauties still to review. The jury is still out on this one.

By Terry Touch-Expert Advanced in Nude/ 2 Review and Swatches - Concealer Series II

By Terry-Touch Expert Advanced comes in 6 shades. I bought this concealer in shade 2/Nude.This concealer as many active ingredients that work to decongest and hydrate the undereye area.It come in a slim metallic purple pen style applicator. The product is pushed through brush by clicking the back of the applicator. So, you can use this straight onto the under eye area. I still prefer to apply it onto the back of my hand and then use my fingers or concealer brush to apply. I like the packaging.

The product is ultra fine and lightweight. It is amazing how this conceals my dark circles, as it has a weightless feel when on the skin. It is similar to Armani Maestro (reviewed here) but it gives more coverage and lasts longer. It has a fresh look, but dries to a matte finish due to micro powders. Can be used as spot coverage on blemishes or discolouration on your face as well. This is a twin to the Burberry concealer, of which I am also shade 2.

By Terry in Nude/2

L-R By Terry, Armani Meastro

I cannot fault this formula. A lightweight texture that hides undereye problems. It does not accentuate any fine lines either. This is in my first tier of concealers.
I can only give this concealer a resounding A+

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By Terry Summer 2013 - Hyaluronic Blush in Blushberry

By Terry, just continues to bring out products that are of the highest quality. Their innovative formula's produce such amazing textures and are good for your skin . For Summer 2013 they have released, as part of the Hyaluronic range, a "hydra-veil print blush". This intrigued me as soon as I saw it available for pre-order on the Space NK site. I chose the shade Blushberry, which is the darker of the two shades. Peach Posh, is a apricot shade, which looks lovely too. It comes in a smaller tube than the foundation.

Blushberry is a pink berry with a fine shimmer, that just reads as a glow on the skin. This shimmer does not settle into any fine lines. This mousse-like formula, comes out the tube highly pigmented, but once applied sheers out. The shade can be built up without any cakiness, that you could experience with powder blush. With this particular colour, if you are prone to redness make sure that it is covered as this shade will accentuate the redness. I am wearing this over my Armani Luminous Silk today, and it is seamless with my skin. This takes "natural' to a whole new level. I buffed it in with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush Brush ,and it looks fresh and pretty. It does say apply with fingertips, which works well too. This would be comparable to Daniel Sandler's Watercolour blush in finish , but the By Terry might even surpass this popular liquid blush, in my opinion.

The high-tech formula of course contains Hyaluronic acid, which helps plumps the skin. I have not used this long enough to confirm this claim, but hyaluronic acid can only benefit your skin. If you remember from last summer By Terry brought out the Aqua Lip Jelly Tint (reviewed here). Both these products works on the same 'aqua-print pigments'. This is good for the summer months as the products holds up well to the heat. This product is so nice I will use it all year round. The finish is matte and non-sticky. and my oily skin loves it (but of course with the Hyaloronic acid component dry skins will love it too).

Hopefully if these two shades sell well, By Terry will bring out more shades in this gorgeous formula.

The new Hyaluronic Summer, is also now available, a bronzer of sorts in this foam texture. Mmmmmm, need this too?!


What is your favourite blush- powder, liquid or cream?

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By Terry Hyaluronic Sheer Rouge in Baby Bloom

By Terry launched their  Hyaluronic Sheer Rouge for Spring 2013. There are 10 scintillating shades. I honestly could not choose, but decided to go with Baby Bloom, sight unseen. It turns out that this is a similar shade to Burberry Lip Cover Tulip Pink. A baby rosebud colour that is more peachy that pink.
Baby Bloom appears slighter brighter than Tulip Pink. This shade is quite opaque for a sheer formula.
Baby Bloom as a milky quality to it giving it a 60's sex kitten look. My only criticism it the strong Rose scent a signature of By Terry Products. I like it, just not in my lipsticks. But having said that I don't dislike enough not to buy more.

Terry de Gunzburg wanted a 'aqua glossy melt away balm'. Me' thinks she managed just that- almost! By Terry is slowly releasing some gems that all form part of the Hyaluronic range. I do have 2 other products : Hyaluronic Face Glow and the Hyaluronic Primer which are both outstanding (and will be reviewed soon) This product is meant to plump and fill. I had noticed that when wearing this my lips (full already) did seem more voluptuous. It does give a nice shine to the lips, more of a sheen in contrast to the new high gloss Tom Ford Lip Color Shine (reviewed here). This has a bit more 'weight' to it that the Chantecaille Lip Chic which have more slip. I did however found my lips felt a bit 'tight' and it was not as balmy as I'd Like.

L-R By Terry Baby Bloom, Burberry Tulip Pink

Look out for By Terry's NEW Hyaluronic Hydra Blush that is on pre-order on a few sites - on my wish list already!

Do you have a favourite lipstick formula - Sheer, creamy or matte?

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By Terry Aqualip Jelly Tint

By Terry is a wonderful product developed by Terry Gunzburg. I have quite a few products from her line and really enjoy using all of them. They are on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for - quality in products that really deliver. I bought the aqualip as I was on a mission for true "stain" for the lips. It was part of their Aquachic collection and it came in only one colour- Dancefloor Flirt.
It is described as a "temporary tatoo" delivered in a water-gel formula. It is infused with botanical glycerin which boosts hydration.

The product in the tube looks frightfully orange, but once applied with the doe-foot applicator the colour is a definite hot pink. The texture is waterlike and immediatly adheres to the lips. This is a perfect stain. The product dries down to a strong yet wearable pink. This product is perfect for hot weather as it does not budge. I must advise that lips should be prepped beforehand. Use a good lip exfoliater (I recommend Sara Happ Lip Scrub reviewed here.) About 20min prior to application use a regular lipbalm like Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy. This will hopefully ensure smooth application with no patchy area's. The Jelly Tint can be applied once for a sheer look or multiple time for a bright pop of pink. My only request is that By Terry keeps this limited product in their regular lineup and introduces new colours.
This product is still available at some stores.

One swipe of Aqualip Lip Jelly

Dried down and rubbed to show longevity

My lips were still supple and I felt no dryness. I also wore it topped with Burberry Lip Mist in Field Rose which was a perfect combination. This innovative productive gives a modern fresh look. I have lots of other By Terry products that I will review soon.