NARS

This entry is probably completely unnecessary and is nothing more than a show-and-tell. Anyway I'm going to go ahead and announce that I finally have my first NARS blush! In fact my first NARS anything. I am not a huge make up junkie and most certainly do not buy a lot of expensive make up. But a NARS blush has always been on my list of lemmings and Karen has kindly bought it for me all the way from Hong Kong.I was deciding between Orgasm and Taj Mahal at first. Orgasm is probably the most popular blush in the entire world. It is a gorgeous shimmery peachy pink that is designed to complement any skin tone. I have to say when I tried it on it did live up to its reputation. It gave my skin a healthy and natural glow and made it look smoother too. On the other hand Taj Mahal is a golden shimmery orange that you don't see very often. The colour of the blush looks extremely vibrant and is probably a bit intimidating at first. But after I tried it on I just fell in love with it! This shade looks gorgeous on olive / tan skin. The golden shimmer gives the skin extra glow and instantly lifts up the cheek bones. No wonder they named it after Taj Mahal. This orangey gold does remind one of the shining but soft sunset at the magnificent Taj Mahal. I also like how different Taj Mahal is from most of the pink / coral / rosy shades that you normally find in blushes. So that is how I settled on Taj Mahal, which is no doubt my favourite blush at the moment :)
And what made me even happier with my new purchase is that I have rediscovered one of my older blushes, the Evening Out from Everyday Minerals. It is deep peachy pink colour with intense golden shimmer. Sounds familiar doesn't it? In fact I found it to be really similar to Orgasm, probably just half a shade darker which is great for darker skin tone. Since it is mineral make up it is extremely pigmented so you only need to use a very small amount each time and it is very easy to build up to the intensity that you want. And it is great for what it claims to do - perfect for a night out!Gift from Japan from Karen - 六花亭 strawberries coated with white chocolate!
I'm usually not a big fan of white chocolate - I always think they lack the richness and and depth of "real chocolates". But these strawberries/chocolates are just divine! The chocolate coating is thick and creamy and infused with the flavour from the strawberry. The strawberry in the centre is frozen, much like the ones you get in Haagen-Dazs ice-creams and its freshness and crunchiness goes really well with the smooth chocolate. Plus they come in the cutest paper tub that you can keep after finishing the chocolate (which should not take long!) Thank you so much for the present Karen!