The Summer launches have dropped and I kept avoiding them in attempts to not spend money, however there were a few items I just had to pick up before they went away. My "picks" from the Chanel Summer 2014 collection are definitely the new shades of the Illusion D'Ombre in New Moon, Utopia and Mirage.


There are quite the mix of opinions on these cream eyeshadows, some love the shades but not the formula, some hate them, I however think that they are awesome. They are one of a kind in the cream eyeshadow world as they not so much resemble a cream but more of a mousse consistency. It is smooth and has a slightly powdery finish so it will set and last all day. They are my favourite one-sweep wonders and one of my most beloved eye items in my collection. To see more on why I love them you can read another post, here. I have found that all of their formulas are on point, from the permanent line to the limited edition line.




This Summers collection has brought quite a varied range without a hint of blue or coral, which is quite refreshing. The shades are Utopia: a wearable lilac/hint of pink with a slight shimmer, Mirage: a creamy antique bronze and New Moon: a warm brown with multi-coloured glitter.

Mirage, Utopia and New Moon
A breakdown on the shades and the formulas.

Mirage - this is an extremely wearable shade from the Chanel line as it has minimum shimmer and no glitter. As a shade reference, it is the non-glittery sister to the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Initiation. One of the complaints about these shadows are that the shades are quite glittery however this has no shimmer or glitter to be seen, only a sheeny finish. As it doesn't have any shimmer, it is incredibly smooth and blends like a dream. If you love bronze, easy to apply eyeshadows then this is definitely one to check out!

Utopia - is a very interesting, girly summer shade that is surprisingly wearable. Just like Mirage, it contains barely any shimmer and is super smooth to apply. It can be applied quite sheer or built up and with mascara, it creates a very girly and flirty look and is unlike any shade I have in my collection (cream or powder).

New Moon - one of the many reasons why I love the Chanel cream eyeshadows are because of the shade range and the complexities of some of their colours. This shade is no exception. It is a very interesting shade that has a very warm brown base (similar to Ebloui) however is not a cranberry colour. It has complex glitter (which is almost impossible to photograph) which adds so much extra dimension. There are flex of blue, cool and warm glitter which  will subtly catch the light and transform on different skin tones/eye colours. It can be a little grittier due to the glitter, but the sparkly effect this gives to the lid is worth the little extra work. And the best part? Because it is a cream, the glitter won't fall out.

I am completely besotted by these shades for summer as there truly is something for every taste, skin tone and doesn't fall into the "typical" blues, golds and corals summer category. They are limited edition however most are still in stock online and in stores but don't hesitate to get them as the Autumn collections are soon trickling in. I love everything about them and they were the stand-outs in the Chanel Summer 2014 Collection.


What are your thoughts on the new Illusion D'Ombres?
A good brow product on a budget is hard to come by, well, if you're picky like me and I am very picky and even harder to please. Here is my roundup of the top budget brow products on the market right now, with a little something to please everybody!


Beauty UK Brow Powder Quad

This little quad has appeared numerous times on the blog, I love it that much. It has four pretty awesome brow shades which you can mix together or use alone to match your brow shade. It is the perfect balance between warm and ashy so that it will suit everyone from blondes, to redheads to the darkest of brows! It is extremely soft to apply and blend so you will never end up with harsh lines.

See the originial review here

and if you still aren't convinced in buying a brow quad with three different shades, click here for some more uses of brow powder! 


Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara

When this product hit the highstreets last year, I was pretty excited because it was the first real budget brow mascara. This is a tinted mascara that doesn't provide too much colour so it won't make your brows look overloaded with product. It isn't a crispy formula yet neither is it a non existent, doesn't make a difference product either. I find that this not only sets any powder or penciling into place but brushes brows up and into place, which immediately gives a youthful and awake look to the face. Personally, I like to take some of the excess off of the tip of the brush as my brows don't need that much product through them, but experiment and find what works best for you. If you are interested in this product, read more here.



Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint & Precision Pencil

A new product on Coquet Noelle comes from Soap and Glory and is something I have always wanted to try, yet never seemed to actually pick up and place in my basket. On my hunt for a good quality, yet affordable, brow product, I finally picked this up! And boy am I glad I did. Before I get started on why I love this product so much, let me tell you why I hate drugstore brow products, they are all creamy. Why is creamy bad you ask? Well I have a lot of work to do in regards to my brows, I have a gap in my left brow where I went a little tweezer crazy in my rebellious teen days (WHY?!) and it is a pain to cover. Most creamy pencil formulas blend out, don't create soft hair-like strokes and will not last all day. Have I mentioned that I don't like creamy brow pencils?

The Soap and Glory Archery is not a creamy formula (insert applause emoji here). It is a nice, thick, quite dry formula which allows for more precision, is more realistic plus lasts incredibly well. The shade is awesome, a super cool toned brown that again, looks incredibly natural. On the other side is a brush tip liner that deposits a warmer brown shade that is quite watery, and not overly pigmented. The lower pigment and brush allows for soft, feather-like strokes so you can draw in actual hairs. This is the best budget brow pencil I have ever found, ever.





What's your favourite budget brow product?
So, I am guessing you have heard of the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder and the Candlelight Powder? They are cult, must-have contouring and highlighting products that are owned and loved by many a beauty lover, so it was surely only a matter of time before it was brought out in cream formula, but has it lived up to our extremely high expectations?


Let us start with the packaging, it is teeny! A lovely teeny though and appropriate for the price point (£23). There is more highlighter than contour as we use contour on more areas of the face and it is less pigmented than the contour shade. At a first glance, very promising.

The texture is beautiful and very reminiscent of the Hourglass Illume Creme to Powder Bronze Duo. A creamy formula that is easy to blend, nothing as oily as the RMS Living Luminizer (which contains coconut oil) but not a cream to powder finish like traditional cream blush. Applied onto the skin, it blends very smoothly and the highlighter applies particularly well on top of powder so there is no worry that it will disturb the makeup beneath the cream. The contour shade does not migrate but if you have oily skin, I would recommend setting it with a little loose powder to ensure that it stays in place all day. As it is a cream product, it won't last as long as a powder, however, it looks a little less harsh on the skin than a powder would. The contour isn't heavily pigmented so blends seamlessly with little difficulty or skill so would be great for beginners. Plus, the cream highlight texture creates and even dewier effect on the skin.

The colour of the product however is great, although you should be warned that they are not exactly the same as their powder versions.

Pictured below are:
Candlelight Powder, Candlelight Cream, Sculpting Cream, Sculpting Powder.


As you can see, the Candlelight family is very similiar in tone and colour. I would say that the cream version is more subtle than the powder and is one of the best day-time appropriate highlighters as it will never look to obvious or garish. Plus, it would be amazing on mature skins as it wouldn't enhance any dryness or wrinkles. 

The Sculpting Cream is quite a bit warmer than the notorious Sculpting Powder which is a very cool, grey-toned brown. At first, I was disappointed that this wasn't the exact shade as the powder, however, the more I use the cream, the more I understand why it can't be such a cool tone. Let me explain, being a cream product, it can blend very easily, perhaps too easily. What does this mean? Well, it means that we don't get the same precision as we do as a powder. Therefore, if it was a very cool grey, it would look quite unnatural when blended out as it would be blended on a larger circumference. As the grey aims to mimic the small shadow under our cheekbones, which with a tapered brush and some powder, can be created/enhanced but a cream, not so easy to apply precisely. The cream shade isn't too dark or too pigmented so won't look harsh on the skin, plus it can be blended up and around the temples to add a little warmth, whilst defining the face.

Who would this be best for? Mature skins, dry skins, or those who love to rock a cream product. It doesn't take much, if any, skill to apply, it is portable, won't break the bank and looks lovely on the skin. Don't forget to add powder if you want it to last all day!

 Also, if you have the Hourglass Creme to Powder Bronzer Duo yet didn't like the shade of the bronzer, perhaps this is one to check out as the formulas are quite similar but the shades are much more wearable!


What are your thoughts on the Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Duo?
BB, CC, We've seen them all. I never fell for the "trap" and just saw all these acronyms as basic bases/foundations, some sheer, some full coverage, some wonderful and some just straight up nasty. For the past two summers, I have been in love with two very special BB creams that are completely different yet both amazing in their own rights. These are the Diorskin Nude BB Creme and the Guerlain Lingerie De Peau BB Beauty Booster.


The Natural BB
If you are a lover of a natural base then the Diorskin BB Creme is the one for you, it creates a perfected base and works to unify your skin tone without really covering the skin. It has a very natural finish, nothing too velvety yet nothing too dewy. It is one of the most skin-like products I have found on the market and one that would please everybody as it has enough coverage to create a beautiful base, yet is light enough in texture and coverage to appeal to those who hate wearing anything on their skin. I love this for natural, i woke up like this days where I apply a small amount into the center of my face or an easy slap-dash days where a pump and a half is enough to make me look good without any hassle.


The Flawless BB
If you are one for a super flawless base, look no further than the Guerlain Lingerie De Peau BB Beauty Booster. This is a super pigmented product that will give you medium-full coverage, without looking cakey or thick on the skin. It isn't a miracle foundation, you can definitely tell you are wearing something on the skin, however it doesn't look heavy. With its flawless coverage, the finish is quite natural, slightly dewy so it looks fresh but the best part? It lasts all day, which is perfect in this heat! It can be sheered out or built up depending on your preference, it is a little pricey however I think that this is an excellent foundation that provides a great SPF, a beautiful finish and leaves the complexion looking perfect. Can I rave about this anymore?


What's your BB Love?
 A few months ago Urban Decay released their electrics palette, a palette of vibrant pressed pigments. I have many a neutral palette so knew that this one palette would fill any colorful gaps in my collection. Even though they are incredibly bright and vibrant shades, they can be used to create interesting yet subtle looks.







At first glimpse, you can see the variety that this palette provides and the intense colours they have created. There are a mix of blues, greens, pinks and purples and even an oranfe and a silver shade. As they are pigments, the quality is incredible and has unbelievable colour pay-off.


As you can see, I wasn't lying about the colour pay-off. They are opaque and true to pan so you know exactly what you are getting when looking at the palette. One thing to note is just how intensely opaque these are... they will stain your skin. In order to make such a long-lasting vibrant colour the pigments will actually stain on your skin. In order to avoid this please wear a primer. If they do stain, don't worry and don't tug at your eyes, just wash your face with an oil/balm and gentle massage the eyes. Hopefully by the time you wash your face in the morning and apply your makeup the next day you won't see it.


So let's get into the wearable looks I have created which start from subtle to something a little smokier and intense. I have used a mix of shades from the Urban Decay Electric Palette but I have also used some shades from the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette in all of these looks.


Look One
This look is the most subtle of the three. I applied a shimmery-beige shade onto the lids and inner corners of my eyes to brighten and open my eyes. I then went in with a taupe-grey shade and blended that through the crease, making sure to evenly diffuse the colour. I then went in with the orange shade Slowburn on a fluffy brush and blended this into the crease and lightly onto the outer v of the eye. In order to make this shade wearable, blending is key, be persistent. Once everything is blended out, it will look like the sun is setting in your eyes. To finish it off, apply a creamy beige shade into the waterline and mascara on the lashes!


Look Two
Here we get a little bit more daring however it can be tweaked to be more subtle or intense depending on personal preference. It is an incredibly simple look and can actually be done with any shade in the palette. I simply took an angled liner brush and worked it into the shade Chaos and lined the upper lash line, to give a little more dimension, I applied the lighter blue shade Gonzo on the inner corner lash line giving a subtle gradation of colour. I then took a blue eyeliner onto the water line and tight line, blending liner into the bottom lashline to smoke and balance things out. Don't forget to apply lashings of mascara to make things a little more wearable.


Look Three
The final look is perhaps my favourite and one I can't wait to rock on a night out as it is rock-star glamour at its best. I started off by applying a cream black eyeshadow all over the lid and messily blended it out, this will act as a base and will also intensify the shade. Whilst the eyeshadow is still tacky, I applied the beautiful purple shade Jilted all over the lid, pressing it into the cream eyeshadow and applied some onto the lower lash line. To darken things up a little, I took the darker purple shade Urban and appled this on the outer edge of the eye. To finish this off and make it a little smokier and seductive, I took a matte black shade into the outer v, making sure to apply only a little and blend it out. Finish with a purple liner on the water line and mascara and you have a vibrant smoky eye that will definitely turn a few heads!



Have you tried the Urban Decay Electrics Palette?


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There are two beautiful brown toned blushes from Nars, Madly and Luster. When I first was choosing which to buy, I thought they were incredibly similar and wondered which one I should buy? Of course I ended up getting both of these blushes and after having used them many a times, I decided to put it all in a post to compare the two shades as they actually are quite different...


At a first glance, you can see that even though they both share the brown tones, the undertones of these blushes differ. On first sight, Madly is a rosy brown, Luster is a a lot more orange based.

Nars Madly (left)       Nars Luster (right)
Swatched side by side you can clearly see the differences in the tones.

Madly is a warm brown with subtle rose undertones. The rose undertones stops this from appearing too much like a bronzer. It has a very subtle shimmer running through it which doesn't translate much when applied onto the cheeks. It is the type of blush that is perfect to add warmth whilst defining. I love to pair this with winged liner and red lips as it doesn't interfere with heavy eyes/lips.

Luster is an orange based brown that leans almost terracota (but not as red). The orange tones adds a lot of warmth. The colour alone may be difficult to wear however the gold shimmer running through it adds some glow into the blush. It isn't a chunky glitter but a subtle sheen on the cheeks. It is great for all of those who love orange shades or who like a bronzed look as this adds warmth and a glow. 

Nars Madly (left)       Nars Luster (right)

Nars Blush available at John Lewis for £21.60-£25*

*Affiliate link used (if you buy through this link I will receive a small commission from the product, without any cost or change to you the buyer, which helps support this blog).

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