gift set – Tasha's Face

Olympia Beauty 2015: Soigne Botanique

13/10/2015 tashasface

Just when I thought I had enough nail polish to last me through autumn and winter, I stumbled across Soigne. It caught my eye because the stand was so pretty. It had a wall of white roses, a bit like the one Kanye West gave Kim Kardashian West. It also said it was “botanical”. I was intrigued.

All of the nail polishes come in beautifully elegant bottles and each bottle comes in a box. If you caught my Periscope broadcast you would have seen that the Soigne nail colour bottles really do travel in style!

The build-your-own collection gift box from Soigne

The internal layer of pakaging — The internal layer of packaging

The name Soigne rang a bell but I hadn’t personally seen the products before. Soigne means “to take care of” and my nails really need some care right now.

As you can see, I had no choice but to try the products, there were more pros than cons!

I was tempted by the gift boxes which contain five shades exclusive to the box but I tried to be good and picked one colour, Bleuet. I then decided that to get the full benefit I needed the corresponding Oxygen Base and Gel Effect Top and to confirm my decision, there was an offer if you get three products. Even better, the three came in a nice little gift box- I gifted my custom collection to myself.

I then gave into temptation and bought the Liqueur de Chocolat gift box. I just couldn’t resist the lure of the deep green Absinthe shade. I was unsure about the Whisky shade but I’ll find a way to make it work. Also in the box are Champage which looks like liquid gold, Parfait D’Amour a pretty purple and Vin Rouge, a deep red.

Wrapping inside the Liqueur de Chocolate gift box

Liqueur de Chocolat: Champagne, Whisky, Parfait D'Amour, Absinthe and Vin Rouge — Liqueur de Chocolat: Champagne, Whisky, Parfait D’Amour, Absinthe and Vin Rouge

I went home with the plan of putting the other gift boxes on my wish list but when I looked on the website, Choux a la Crème had sold out. The shades in the five gift boxes are exclusive to those boxes so I’ve completely missed out! The two other collections available are more suited to spring so I didn’t go for them.

Soigne limited edition gift sets Macaron Collection and Fruit Marbles Collection

I’m hoping that as the nail lacquers are 85% botanical, they will be good for my poor, beaten nails. I need my products to multitask – nail health and good colour are the order of the day. If I don’t get around to wearing them I hope to stick the colours on a nail wheel to show you.

Have you tried Soigne? What did you think?

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipsticks Christmas Gift Set

19/12/2014 tashasface

I bought this Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipsticks Christmas Gift Set for several reasons:

The colours looked like they could work with my skin tone and my dark lips – usually this is not the case for lipstick gift sets;
The price of the set meant the lipsticks were £10 each instead of £20 each;
I actually bought them for cheaper than £10 each because of Black Friday, and
I couldn’t resist the gold packaging!

I already have Red Door Red 02 and decided it would be nice to add to the collection. The best thing with gift sets from any brand is that they offer good value for money, provided you can use the products. I say that as the gift sets are put together to appeal to the majority and in the UK, black skin is not in the majority! Having said that, I think I can easily wear 3 out of 4 of shades so I commend Elizabeth Arden for putting together this collection.

The lipsticks are of a creamy texture which gives a little shine. It also means that they don’t last as long as matte lipsticks so to extend the life of the lipstick on the lips, it’s probably best to use lip liner. I usually use lip liner however after getting such a good deal on the lipsticks, I couldn’t bring myself to spend 4 x £17 on lip liners. In the photos I have applied the lipstick straight from the bullet without lip liner.

Clockwise from top left: Wildberry 33, Sweet Pink 25, Mocha Shimmer 21 & Red Door Red 02

Clockwise from the top left I am wearing:

Wildberry actually comes up quite bright on me so I think it is a night-time shade for me. It is very pink so I’m not sure where the berry aspect comes in!

I would like better coverage with Sweet Pink, a light pink which looks quite pale on my dark lips but not so pale in the tube. I’m sure I can achieve the opaque look I want with lip liner.

With Mocha Shimmer, again I would probably prefer it with a matching lip liner but because it is the most neutral shade in the collection for me, I can do without the lip liner for a natural look. As well as being creamy, it has the tiniest hint of gold running through it to give it a metallic shine.

Finally, I always wear lip liner with red lipstick otherwise it ends up all over my face and Red Door Red is no exception! It’s lovely and bold and I think I can wear it day and night.

As with many premium brands, we pay for nice packaging. The gold and silver cases feel luxurious and have a nice weight to them. Plus Red Door Red has the signature red door carved into the bullet which I think is a nice touch.

Overall I am pleased with my purchase. I wonder what will be in the Boxing Day sales!

Top to bottom: WIldberry, Mocha Shimmer, Sweet Pink. Right: Red Door Red — Top to bottom: WIldberry, Mocha Shimmer, Sweet Pink.
Right: Red Door Red

I now have two Red Door Reds and I really don’t wear enough red lipstick to justify keeping both. I’m thinking about a mini giveaway – what do you think?

Christmas, Creative, Eyes, Gold, Gray, Reviews, Silver, Smokey, Smoky, Tools

Review: No7 The Eye Collection

05/12/201303/12/2013 tashasface

No7 The Eye Collection eyeshadow and brush set – I need to start by saying the eyeshadows are very shimmery! They are also quite sheer.

All of the shades come up very bright on me – you can’t see the gold (which I almost expected as my eyelids are golden), the silver is very silver and the darker grey is just about visible as a darker shade! It was difficult to do a traditional smoky eye with this set alone. I would need to tone down the shimmer with some matte eyeshadows.

As for the brushes, for me, the Smokey Eyeliner brush is a little too soft. I prefer a firmer eyeliner brush. I will use this brush for blending eyeliner to give a softer look. The Eyeshadow Blend and Contour brush is also very soft and fluffy, and quite wide in my view so better for blending than the application of eyeshadow. I have to say, as a blending brush, I really like it.

So, I have acquired two blending brushes and a lot of shimmer!

Quick Shimmery Smoky Eye (tashasface.wordpress.com)

Creative, Dramatic, Eyes, Glamourous, Smokey, Smoky

Quick Shimmery Smoky Eye

26/11/201320/11/2013 tashasface

I did this look trying out my No7 Christmas gift set and I needed to do it quickly as I needed to get to the shops. I didn’t realise the colours were so shimmery until I put them on my face! I was determined to stick to the colours and tools in the set to give it a proper trial.

For my face, I applied Bobbi Brown Illuminating Finish Powder Compact Foundation SPF15 in Honey 5.5 all over my face using my EcoTools powder brush. I applied the same foundation under my eyes and on my eyelids using the sponge.

I applied the gold eyeshadow all over my lids and up to my brow bone using the No7 Eyeshadow Blend and Contour brush. Using the same brush, I applied some of the lighter grey in the crease and outer edge of my eyelids. I then used the No7 Smoky Eyeliner Brush brush to apply the darkest colour along my upper and lower lashlines and in the creases. I blended the colours together using the Eyeshadow Blend and Contour brush.

I defined my brows using Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in Mahogany 10 and my short and stiff-bristled angled eye brush, and finished with two coats of Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in black.

Using my No7 blusher brush I swept a little orange blusher onto my cheeks from the Sleek Pumpkin 363 Blusher Palette and then dusted a little foundation over it using my EcoTools powder brush as it was a little too bright.

I finished the look with Benefit Coralista lipgloss.

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