Tom Ford Summer 2013 - Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust

Tom Fords look for summer 2013, is to make you look all posed, basking in the sun with a wind machine and sunkissed skin bathed in a warm honeyed light! Fire Lust in the bottle is all that. A golden peach toned illuminator brings this image to life. Fire Lust is multi dimensional, with micro shimmer shot through it. It is a soft illuminator bringing a very light veil of colour to the skin. It is hard to over apply and is not very buildable so best suited for illuminating the high points of the face. Unlike Armani sheer fluid in 6 which I reviewed here, Fire Lust is not a cheek colour. I have added it to my foundation, and it imparts a subtle effect. I am not sure if this shade is for everyone, with that being said since it is sheer to the extreme, I don't think you can go to wrong (cool toned girls ??). I do like it , but would love it if it had a bit more colour to it. It is good for both day and night.

This is another top quality product from Tom Ford. If you do not have an illuminator like it this is very nice to have as it is a warm toned illuminator- no ice princess here! It work well with the other products in the Tom Ford collection.

Which summer collection is your favourite?

Tom Ford Cream Color for Eye in Pink Haze and Escapade -

Tom Ford only seems to release these exquisite cream shadows to tease his adoring fans. They are limited and should be on your summer beauty hitlist. These two shades were my first two cream colours from Tom Ford. I would wear them every day if I did not have so many other wonderful eye product to test and enjoy.

Pink Haze is a shimmering salmon pink. this product is so creamy and blendable.  It can be worn as a soft wash of colour or built up without it looking heavy. This has been compared to Chanel's Illusion D' Ombre in Abstraction but surpasses it in texture and wear and colour. Chanel's Emerveille is a lot more pastel.

Escapade is a butterscotch cream shade. It's mousse-like texture glides on beautifully. This shade has less shimmer than pink haze, but still has a lovely gleam to it. Both can be used as a wash or layered as a base with powder shadows to give more depth and interest.

Both of these shades wear the whole day without losing any impact. I have oily lids and they work well with or without primer for me. I apply with my Real Techniques base shadow brush. The tacklon bristle's are a perfect pairing for these cream shadows. A sweeping motion is needed as opposed to Armani's Eyes To Kill pots which require more of a patting motion. I think most people could wear these shades as long as you think out of the box. Both are unusual neutrals, because lets be honest how many taupe shadows can a girl rock!

I have a few more items from the Tom Ford summer 2013 collection, but these would be my must haves.

What has been your favourite summer collection this season?

Deborah Lippmann in Bad Romance

I love Deborah Lippmann nail polishes. Her shades are unique and I just love them. Bad romance is dark and yes I'm going to say it- mysterious. It need a few coats to reach this intensity. Hard to fine, but find it you must!

What is your favourite DL shade?

Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer crystal shine lipgloss in 608 and 522 - Review and Swatches

Armani Flash Laquer's are what a girl needs! Pouty lips saturated with radiant pigment. I had to choose only shades. Thanks to Kai at Kaisobsessions and her swatches, I chose one with no glitter (522) and one with micro-shimmer (608). The colour spectrum the Flash Lacquers offer is like a wardrobe for your lips.

608 is a dusty rose shot through with micro shimmer. I can feel a slight grittiness when I press my lips together. It has a creamy texture as does 522. Both are scent free. They are barely tacky and feel comfortable and hydrating on the lips. Wear time is usual for a gloss.
522 is a punchy pink which could be described as guava. Perfect for fresh spring/summer looks.

These are like candy- one is not enough!

Giorgio Armani Bronze All Over Palette for Summer 2013

Giorgio Armani has released a well edited collection for Summer 2013. The Bronze All Over Palette is a gorgeous 2-tiered compact, housing a bronzer above and complimentary shadows below. As I said before my initial photo's absconded off my apple, so please note the picture shown below is without the gold overlay and my applicators are sullied. What a thing of beauty. Great for travel and well, just darn great! The bronze reads quite 'orange' on the swatch, but is more golden on the cheeks. This for me is not a contour, bit definitely a bronzer shade (which it was intended for). There is a sheen to it with no chunky glitters. Very sophisticated. The three shadows are a good mix for your usual 'outer v formation' - Darkest shade into your outer corner, blended into the crease towards the inner corner  The medium shade for  eyelid area and the lightest for highlighting the tear duct and eyebrow area. Yet, a simmering sexy look ala the promo pic and this turns you into one hot mama, with smouldering bronze lids and sun baked cheeks. Just build the Deep Bronze shade over your whole lid. Take the peachy brown medium shade and blend from the crease upwards. Use the lightest cool cream to highlight as before. I've worn it this way and love it! The shadows are silky and have a lovely velvet texture. These seem more pigmented than my first Armani eyes to kill palette Maestro 01 (reviewed here), which had a more sheer quality to them.

L-R Bronzer, Cream, Peach, Bronze

This Palette is a one stop shop for a summer look! Have you made a list from Armani's summer collection?

Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Pink Sugar

Tom Ford offers two formula's in a gloss - the Ultra Shine Lipgloss and Lip Laquer (which is clear unless in a limited collection). I purchased the high shine lipgloss in Sugar Pink, which is full of pigment but still a bit sheer?? Yes, a bit of a dichotomy.
Housed in a clear, solid 'tube', with a brown lid and gold trim. Very posh and keeping with the whole Tom Ford simplistic elegant look.

It is creamy but still quite sticky, but this is to be expected for such a glossy finish. Wear time is like most tacky glosses, a little longer than most, longer if you do not consider talking, eating or drinking essential! My lips are moisturised and do not feel dry after it wears off. It comes with a very firm brush applicator, which it makes it easy to apply.

Sugar Pink is a delicate sweet girly pink. This offsets many of Tom Ford's bold eyecolour quads very well. These would pair well with his Lip Colours in the lighter range like Pink Adobe or Spanish Pink.

I would definitely buy more of these glosses and there is an extensive range from soft pastels to violent purple! Do you like, love or hate Tom Ford Glosses?

Hi Friends. I would appreciate it if you could refrain fron including self- promoting links in your comments, as I then have to mark them as spam. I love to hear from you, but can only publish comments that adhere to the above. I am really forward to hearing from you all!

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+

Hi Friends. I would appreciate it if you could refrain fron including self- promoting links in your comments, as I then have to mark them as spam. I love to hear from you, but can only publish comments that adhere to the above. I am really forward to hearing from you all!

Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in # 6 - Out of this world

Giorgio Armani fluid sheers snuck up on me. I only knew of their existance with the launch of their new colours for Summer 2013. Why a banner is not blinking over them at every Armani counter surprises me, as they are my number one find for summer. First off please excuse the condition of my products for all my Summer Armani items. My initial photo's of pristine and shiny packaging and swatches were the work of Gremlins on my computer and just vanished! Moving on....The packaging has also been revamped and now the colour is visible. A pump dispenses this 'liquid gold'. The portion is generous and this fluid sheer should last me into the next millenium or so.......

I bought this blind and basically of swatches from Best Things in Beauty who has swatches of all the new shades. I could not choose but eventually bought # 6. Both number # 4 (yellow) and #9 (raspberry pink) are on my 'list'. But, back to heavenly # 6, a bright juicy coral. As you can see from the swatches below, it is highly pigmented and a little is all you need. In the swatch, I have sheered it out, and you can tell it has a pretty shimmer. What I love, is that once applied to the cheek, there is no disco-ball effect at all. Just a healthy glow to my cheeks. The fluid sheer stays on all day on my oily cheeks and looks fresh and pretty. This shade does not accentuate any redness in my skin. The fluid sheers are meant to be complexion correctors, illuminators and cheek colours. This is of course a  blush. My experimenting still continues and I am trying it mixed with various foundations. The fun will come in when I can accumulate more than one of these fluid sheers to create new and unique shades.

Fluid Sheer 6 over Armani Luminous Silk 5,5

I cannot rave about this new love of mine any more. Have you made any exciting discoveries this year?

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

Hourglass Mineral Primer is one of Hourglass's hero products. Every time I went into a Space.NK and asked what I should buy from Hourglass (when I was investigating the brand), all the SA's declared ' Mineral Primer'
This wonderful primer has a minimal SPF of 15 and works well under Hourglass's Veil Fluid Makeup ( reviewed here) as well as under all my other foundations. What is quite remarkable about this primer is that it renders foundation water resistant , so makes the longevity of the foundation increase and is perfect for warmer climates.

The product is white when you pump it out (one pump is all I need) but is absolutely clear once smoothed onto your face. It does have a silky silicone feel to it, but this also disappears a few minutes after application.
It is described as suitable for all skin types. It works well on my oily skin (it's oil free), and I cannot believe it will be harsh on dryer skin types . The products slides on and minimizes the appearance of my pores and had a slightly 'blurring' effect, as my skin had the look of porcelein. I do not have major redness, but it is meant to dampen that too. This is free from all nasties like parabens, phlalates, sulphate a, fragrance and is vegan friendly, which I'm guessing means no animal derivates??
Tip: I was advised in order to lighten my Hourglass Veil Fluid makeup for winter months when my skin tends to go lighter, I should add my Veil Mineral Primer 2:1 (1 being the primer) as their lighter shade I think leans too pink. I have tried this and it works a charm!
Hourglass does not have a large inventory of products, but I can say that when they do it they do it well!
It is my go to primer at the moment, but I am slowly changing over to their No. 28 Primer Serum, as we are going into Autumn and my skin is prickly with dehydration. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer - Gotta have it!

Do you love a good face primer or forgo it all together?