We're Moving To .Com!!!!!!!!!

Hi Everyone!

This is just a little note for you & the lovely people at Bloglovin' to let you know that I'll now be blogging at whentaniatalks.com!

I'll be implementing a new blog schedule too:

Monday: None

Tuesday: YouTube Video

Wednesday: Blog Post

Thursday: None

Friday: None

Saturday: YouTube Video

Sunday: Blog Post

I'll be keeping to this schedule as much as possible, but my health & medication reductions may mean I sometimes have to deviate from this slightly.

Thank you in advance for your understanding & for coming with me on this journey!

TaniaXx

Charlotte Tilbury X Norman Parkinson Collection: Dreamy Glow Highlighter Review

Hi Everyone!

“Capture the youthful, soft-focus light of Parkinson’s lens, encased in the dreamy glamour of vintage Hollywood.”

Charlotte Tilbury has teamed up with Norman Parkinson grandson to create an exciting collection based on & featuring some of the portrait and fashion photographer’s most iconic images. I’ve posted an overview of the collection, which you can read here, but wanted to show you the product I picked up, the Dreamy Glow Highlighter, in more detail.

I pre-ordered my item so it arrived in a special presentation box with a booklet inside showing the two looks, Miss 1975 & Miss Kensington, & the products used to achieve them. Some of the products are in the collection & others are permanent. The highlighter box is cream as opposed to the standard burgundy colour of the presentation box and has the signatures of both Charlotte Tilbury and Norman Parkinson. I liked this tough, it felt like the perfect way to marry the work of photographer and makeup artist.

The Dreamy Glow Highlighter is described by Charlotte Tilbury as “a soft, mood-lit Youth Highlighter that creates ‘peaches and cream’, dreamy skin… With golden, mother-of-pearl tones, this highlighting youth powder uses light flex technology to capture light and radiate it out across the skin, for a dreamy soft-focus effect.” The highlighter was created as part of the Miss Kensington Look, giving a fresh faced glow.

The vintage-style compact features an image of model Carmen dell’Orefice, as featured on the cover of the ‘New Holiday Looks In The Bahamas’ edition of Vogue, 1959. I love this image; it’s beautifully shot, beautifully modelled & the playsuit is gorgeous!

When I picked my highlighter up from Selfridges, the makeup artist suggested using it not only in the usual highlighting areas (cheekbone, down the bridge of the nose, on the tip of the nose & on the brow bone), but also with a duo fibre brush as an a finishing powder. I’ve done this in the pictures below. It is worth noting that the packaging states to avoid the eye area, so I personally won’t be using it on the inner corners of my eyes.

“Carmen has been my best friend for over thirty years – she’s electrically charged.” Norman Parkinson

Tania Xx

Ingredients:

TALC, MICA, ISONONYL ISONONANOATE, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) STARCH, DIMETHICONE, ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH, ZINC STEARATE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, DIMETHICONOL, HEXYLENE GLYCOL, POLYMETHYLSILSESQUIOXANE, SILICA, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, [MAY CONTAIN (+/-): TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), MICA, IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), TIN OXIDE (CI 77861)]

Nars Brow Perfector Review

Hi Everyone!

I have bought a lot of eyebrow products over the years, many of which have been too warm toned on me. I know I’m not the only one who experiences this, so I thought I’d start up (another!) little series of posts dedicated to brows! I’m going to kick things off with one of my favs - the Nars Brow Perfector in Kalamata (£16.50).

There are lots of things I like about this product. It’s retractable & doesn’t require sharpening. This not only makes it more cost effective than a pencil, it also makes it easier to travel with as you don’t need to remember to take a pencil sharpener with you!

I like the application, the pencil has a waxy consistency, moves through the brows easily & has never broken off. Product applies smoothly & evenly. The colour, though not perfect, is very close. It’s the closest I have come to my ideal brow shade. I would consider the choice of 4 shades to be good. The tones of each shade are universal, so the majority of people will be able to find something suitable.

I’ve heard a lot about the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pen (£26) so when I went to Liberty’s I swatched the two side by side. As you can see in the photo, there is no difference between the two (other than the price)!

What is your favourite brow product?

Do you prefer pencil, powder or gel?

Tania Xx

Ingredients:
HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL, OZOKERITE, CERA CARNAUBA [COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA ) WAX], RICINUS COMMUNIS [RICINUS COMUNIS (CASTOR) SEED OIL], SORBITAN TRISTERATE, TOCOPHEROL, ASCORBYL PALMITTATE, LECITHIN, GLYCERYL STERATE, GLYCERYL OLEATE, CITRIC ACID, [+/- (MAY CONTAIN): MICA, CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES)].

To Overspray Or Not To Overspray

Hi Everyone!

There’s a beauty subject that I’ve been musing for a while now so thought I’d write a post on it to share my thoughts with you.

Why do brands use over-spray on their products?

The ‘highlighter’ from the new MAC Wash & Dry collection is a prime example of this. When I watched it in store, there was no overspray on the product. I couldn’t see it as a highlighter but new it would make a beautiful blusher with the three shades being different from anything I own. Imagine my surprise when a product with beautiful golden shimmer running over the top. Suddenly this became a different product! 

So how do you use a product with an over-spray?

There are two options. The first is to scrape off the over-spray. This allows you to use the product underneath without having to work with something that may be too glittery/the wrong shade for your skin/not what you want. I’ve heard a number of YouTubers saying that they scrape the over-spray off before using a product. In my mind this is wasteful. I’ve paid for a product & I want to get every pennies worth of my money!

The other option is to use the product in two different ways. In the case of this ‘highlighter’, I will be using it first as a highlighter & then, once the gold shimmer is gone, as a blusher. This isn’t practical with all products though, as the overspray may not be to your taste but the main product (which is probably what you watched in store & had applied to your face) is just right for you. This could work the other way too, with you ending up disappointed because the product you bough isn’t what it was made out to be.

So what then?

Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer to this. I have one or two products that are sat not being used because they have an overspray that I just can’t figure out how to work with! I really need to pull these out & try to get some proper use out of them, at least then I’ll make a dent in that overspray & get down to the ‘real’ product.

So which side do you fall. To over-spray or not to over-spray?

Tania Xx

Have you seen my June Favourites video?

Tania Talks Health & When Tania Talks

Hi Everyone!

I have decided that, in the lead up to my move to Wordpress, I will be amalgamating my blogs 'When Tania Talks' & 'Tania Talks Health'. The way I am setting up my new Navbar will make finding information about conditions much simpler & will negate the need for specific blog posts. I currently feel that my 'main' blog ignores the fact that I have a chronic illness and that, as a result, my life is not the same as a lot of peoples. I feel that I could raise awareness of the conditions I have and chronic illness as a whole if I combine the two.

Tania Xx

Laura Mercier Highlighter in Indiscretion Review

Hi Everyone!

Ok, I have a limited edition product for you today - Laura Mercier’s Highlighter in Indiscretion. I think I should first just mention the beautiful shape the powder has been moulded into, in a word - stunning. It was so pretty that I spent about a month just looking at it, which is why this post hasn’t come sooner!

This is a beautiful highlighter with a golden pink iridescence, perfect for the summer time. It’s not just a beautiful highlighter but can also be used effectively as an eyeshadow. In the photos below I used it in the inner corner of my eye as well as the tops of my cheekbones, above my brows, the tip of my nose & my cupid’s bow.

Makeup Worn:

Nars Tinted Moisturiser in Finland

Estee Lauder Dissapear Smooth Cream Concealer in 02

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder in 1

Benefit Stay Don't Stray in Light/Medium

Sigma Brow Powder Duo in Medium

MUA Clear Mascara

Maybeline 'The Nudes' Eyeshadow Palette

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara

Kimmel Sun Shimmer Bronzing Powder in Light Matte

Rimmel Cream Blusher - Pink

Rimmel Exagerate Lip Liner in East End Snob

Topshop Lipstick in Innocent

The compact is nice too. You can feel the luxury when you hold it, the catch is secure but not difficult to open & it has a good mirror inside. The only thing I would say is that the packaging is bulky. I don’t know whether this adds to the feeling of luxury, tricking the mind into thinking there is more in the compact. What I would say though is that the packaging is bigger than it needs to be. The powder is raised, but there is additional space that just takes up room in your makeup bag without providing a use. For this reason, it’s not something I would travel with but I would still highly recommend checking this highlighter out!

This highlighter is £31 & can be purchased from SpaceNK.com.

Tania Xx

Charlotte Tilbury Norman Parkinson Collection

Hi Everyone!

I had the pleasure of being one of 10 bloggers to preview Charlotte Tilbury’s new collection, a collaboration with Norman Parkinson, at Selfridges Birmingham. The packaging contains iconic images from the celebrated portrait & fashion photographer & the products in the collection have been inspired by these photographs. The outer packaging, as is typical for Charlotte Tilbury’s products, is gorgeous! I only recently purchased my 1st Charlotte Tilbury product as the price has always held me back. I’ve fallen head over heels with my Film & Glow Bronze & Highlight palette, so was super excited about the products in this collection! I find limited edition products feel even more premium than their permanent counterparts!

I got to try the Filmstar Bronze & Glow in Sun Tan & Sun Light (£55), a cream product which contains an image of Jerry Hall that was used as a Vogue cover in 1975 on the packaging. I found the bronzer shade to be darker & much warmer & the highlighter shade to be more golden. You can see just how different they are when they’re next to one another. This is one that’s probably more suited to those with a darker skin colour to my own.

The Dreamy Glow Highlighter (£45), with an image of Carmen dell’Orefice from a 1979 Vogue cover, is a beautiful peachy cream shade - absolutely stunning! I have pre-ordered this so keep your eyes peeled for a full review.

The Colour of Youth Lip & Cheek Glow (£40), with a never-before-produced image of Parkinson’s wife Wendy. The Cheek Glow is beautiful! It is like no cream product I have seen before in that the consistency is much softer, almost with a slight liquid look. As a result the product is sheer & takes quite a lot to build up the colour, but the glow produced by this texture is beautiful.

There are two Matte Revolution lipsticks (£23) being released with the collection that I believe to be being added to the permanent line. Rose, the Personal Beauty Shopper was wearing the lipstick in 1975 & it looked gorgeous! The other bloggers noticed that the Miss Kensington lipstick was similar in shade to Tom Ford’s Spanish Pink but with a different finish. If you have that you might want to swatch the two next to one another to decide whether there is enough of a difference for you to want both.

There are also two makeup/wash bags in the collection. The smaller of the two being £32 & the larger £55. You can also purchase the ’1975’ & ‘Miss Kensington’ sets, with all the products to create these looks. 

The collection launches on Saturday 4th July in Selfridges & at charlottetilbury.com.

Which are the products you’re most excited about?

Tania Xx

Have you seen my Bridal Makeup Tutorial?