Stargazer Cosmetics | A Coral Obsession

Above: Wearing lipstick in shade '124' and Blusher in '8'

Well. First let me just apologise for that ridiculously posey photo there (oo - we've got a duckface up in here!).  Moving on swiftly... Stargazer is a brand that I've been familiar with in the past - they were around a good couple of years before I started getting into makeup and I always remember them as being one of the first cosmetic brands I ever delved into as a young'un.  When I was contacted to see if I wanted to give a few of their products a try, I was really intrigued to see what they were all about and whether or not my 23 year old self would enjoy experimenting with them just as much as I did in my school days.  What I will say about Stargazer, is that they're quite 'out there' - if you're looking for striking brights or an unusual colour of an kind at a fraction of the high end price, then they're the brand for you.  That being said, they offer a little something for everyone - even a run of the mill neutral obsessive like myself. When discussing the products, I explained to them how much of an obsession I had for anything coral - I thought it was really nice that they sent me over a little selection tailored for my own personal preferences. Let's kick off the reviewing sesh...

Stargazer Powder Blusher | Shade 8 | £3.50*

Firstly, let me just say this blusher is amazing for £3.50.  The pigmentation is the selling point for me - it's incredible.  You only need a quick tap of a brush to get an intense pop of colour which is easily blendable.  The colour is a beautiful orange shade - not for the faint hearted but one that looks beautiful with a bit of a tan.  I'm determined to make it work once my skin tone turns a little paler, but we shall see! Consistency wise, it's quite soft and I don't find it to be chalky at all.  This one is a little winner for me - even the shade selection is impressive (link). 

Stargazer Lipsticks | Shades '124' and '206' | £3.50*

I actually like these more than I thought I would.  I will get the negatives out of the way first and just say I'm not a massive fan of the packaging - if you're not careful when you're replacing the lid you're in tremendous danger of chopping the top off, and it's also quite plastic-y.  Not a massive problem for me as I don't expect gold encrusted tubing for £3.50, but it's worth mentioning for those who are specific about their packaging preferences! The lipstick also has that 'cometic' smell - doesn't put me off but again, preference.  It's easy to overlook these things once you've applied them, and for the simple fact that they aren't your 'everyday' kind of shades.  They're extremely well pigmented and the shape of the lipstick itself makes it really easy to get an even line around the edge of the lips.  They provide a satin/matte sort of finish once on, but don't feel overly drying.  As for longevity, they stay put very well - wearing off to a stain.  The colours are simply stunning and I'm a big fan of the lighter shade (worn in the photographs above) - it reminds me of a slightly more orange version of Mac's 'Costa Chic'.  Again, I'm really tempted to grab a couple of these in more winter-y shades... they're great for a purse friendly lipstick treat if you're a fan of intense colour.

Stargazer Nail Polish | Shade '205' | £2.00*

Stargazer Nail Polishes actually happen to be an old favourite of mine.  I have a little stash of them in my nail polish box and have always adored them. £2 is pretty damn cheap for a nail polish these days, and the quality is really good - I've always found them to resist chipping rather well.  The shade '205' is a gorgeous pearlescent coral/pink - I adore it! I've worn it countless times since I received it and it's become a firm favourite.  Again, it does look stunning with a tan but now I'm a little paler it still looks really pretty.  Usually, with pearlescent finishes, it takes a good number of coats to get the desired effect - as you can see on the nail wheel above, it only took me 2 coats to pretty much get the colour shown in the bottle - a 3rd coat finishes it off nicely but I wouldn't say it's needed.  This has to be my favourite of the bunch - simply because of how much I've loved them in the past.  I think some of the colours they offer are really unique and they're worth every penny.

And there we have it.  Although these products are undoubtedly tailored towards more of a summery makeup 'wardrobe', there's no reason why I won't be wearing these colours throughout the year - the blush especially (i wear coral blushes all year round despite the less than colourful weather...)  I know summer is a little bit of a distant memory for the majority of us now, but my coral/obsession doesn't go away with the sunshine let me tell you! I wasn't expecting to like the lipsticks, but I did - in fact, I loved everything I tried and I'm so glad I've been re-introduced to Stargazer.  For the price, they're very good and if you're a fan of brights, bold colours and statement shades then they're worth having a look at.  They even have some crazy colours for the more daring and 'out there' amongst you (blue lipstick anyone? - I don't think I could quite pull that one off but if you're ever in the market for a blue lippie to embrace your inner smurf - you know where to go...) You can have a look at the Stargazer website here - I have my eye on a few of the deep red lipsticks and neutral blushers...

Have you ever tried Stargazer? Which product tickles your fancy?