Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Gel Eyeshadow

So I picked these up in the Boots 3 for 2 offer the other day...

FOTD: Christmas Eve

Hello All!

Hope you all had a lovely, lovely Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate).  I thought I'd show you the make up I wore on Christmas Eve.  I usually go for the bog standard variation on browns for lids but you know..since it's Christmas and all..I thought I'd go for...drumroll....pinky brown!  That's right peeps.  I'm just CRAZY like that!  Please note the sarcasm here!  Anyway, now for an awkwardly posed photo...

And a close up of the eyes...

Okay okay so not the most original look in the world but I really enjoyed wearing it and felt all girly and 'less is more'

Products used:

FACE

• Revlon Colourstay foundation in Sand Beige for oily skin
• Benefit Erase Paste in 02
• Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in 003 Peach Glow
• Bourjois Delice de Soleil bronzing powder for olive/tanned skin
• Bourjois blush in Lilas D'or

EYES

• MAC shadows in Shhh Don't Tell, Rose Potion, Violet Vow (from the mystic cool eye shadow palette about 2 years ago!)
• Sleek The Original palette (bottom row, third from the left-they don't name them!) in inner corner
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner in black
• Clinique High Lengths mascara in 01 Black

LIPS

• Too Faced lipstick in Free Love

:-) xx 

December Glossybox Goodies: A Couple of Reviews

Since my Glossybox arrived a few days ago, I've had a bit of a chance to play with the products.  So here are my thoughts...

The first thing I did on receiving my box was to slap on (I literally mean 'slap on' as you will see) the Deborah Lippmann 'Razzle Dazzle' nail varnish...

Please excuse the extreme lack of skill exhibited here!

First let me say that the colour of this is absolutely beautiful.  It's perfect for Christmas as it is just festive enough but still sophisticated (not that I'm adverse to pillar box sparkly red at this time of year).  In some lights it looks red, red and in others (like above) it is a beautiful plummy colour.

All great so far right?  My problem?  This stuff retails at £16....SIXTEEN WHOLE POUNDS!  For that i would have expected the formula to be top notch: quick drying, easy to apply, no chips etc...sod it, for that price, I'd expect the brush to literally jump out of the pot and apply itself to my nails whilst I sleep.  Alas, no.  I found that it took ages to dry and after an hour it was still a bit tacky.  If this was say a Barry M product it would be fine but from such a high end brand I would expect so much more.

All in all I do like the product and will enjoy wearing it over Christmas although if I had spent my own money on a full size, I'd have been a bit disappointed.

Anyhoo, on to a product I honestly only have good things to say about...

I was lucky enough to get the Blink + Go eyeshadow and blush palette in 02.  Sorry it looks a bit dusty, I have been playing with it a lot since I got it.  This really is such good quality and the colours are all very wearable.

Also, I managed to get my camera to photograph swatches semi-decently:

Without flash

With flash

As you can see these are all shimmery and super pigmented.  My faves are the first four and I've worn them on my eyes every day since getting them.

And the blushes?

Without flash

With flash

These are bright, bright, bright!  The best advice is to use sparingly and apply lightly with a fluffy brush to avoid looking a bit 'aunt sally' (if you weren't born in the UK before the 90s you may not get the reference).

In summary, I love the Blink + Go palette and am a bit meh about the Deborah Lippmann polish.  That's why I love Glossybox, I now know what I would and (would not) buy if I had a spare £16 knocking about :-)

xxx

It's On The Way...The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod!

I didn't get the Naked palette first time around.  It featured a couple of 'bluey' colours that really didn't match my skin tone so instead I opted for the Too Faced Natural Eyes Kit (which I absolutely love).  This time around, the darker blues seemed to have been switched out for more purple tones, which will suit me so much more.  The only problem?  Not yet released in the UK.  COME ON URBAN DECAY!  I would move to the U.S. for this reason alone (and Sephora, obviously!)

Oh well.  At least I have time to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable waiting list/scramble for my life in House of Fraser.

Bring it on.

xxx

Review: Collection 2000 Smokey Eyes Eye Palette

So a few weeks ago I was mooching around Boots, looking for birthday present ideas for my housemate when I came across this little lovely.  Now to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Collection 2000.  I feel that there are other affordable brands that just seem to do it better (Sleek anyone?).  Unfortunately I live in the middle of nowhere and you have to pretty much make do with what you can get on the high street in my town!  The girl I was buying for doesn't tend to wear a lot of make up (she's one of those annoying people that doesn't really need it).  So I was looking for an affordable palette for beginners that contained colours that were wearable and not intimidating.  This seemed to tick all those boxes, plus it comes with a handy set of instructions for application.  All that and it retails for £4.19, meaning I could buy her lots of other pretty things to go with it.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  I had high hopes...

The palette comes with 3 medium shades, 3 dark, 2 light shades and a cream highlighter.  Cue swatches...

Top Row

Middle Row

Bottom Row

I couldn't get a swatch of the highlighter to show on camera, maybe it's my camera, maybe it was the lighting. It was probably both!

The colours themselves are very wearable and (unlike many shadow sets) there is no 'dodgy color' that will never get worn.  The shimmery shades tend to be stronger and feel better quality.  The main drawback is that the texture is a little chalky leading to quite a bit of fallout.  I'm also a bit confused by the cream highlighter...the instructions suggest putting it in the inner corners however it's texture is...well...a bit greasy(!?) I'm just not sure I'd want that anywhere near my eyes.  From looking at it, it seems to be intended as a dupe for Benefit's Eye Bright and I didn't like that either so maybe it's just me.

All in all, the quality is not the best.  It's not going to be rivaling anything by MAC anytime soon, but at £4.19 with such a wearable colour range and nifty instructions on the back, it's perfect for anyone just starting with make-up or that wants to experiment with smokey eyes.

xxx