Wednesday 27 February 2013

Sleek Makeup Molten Metal Eyeshadow Duo.


Hello! I hope you're doing well today.Here,I have some pictures and swatches of Sleek Makeup's answer to the  'wonder base' phase - Molten Metal Metallic Eyeshadow Duo! 

I bought the shades "Steel & Ash" to try out,as I'm more attracted to the silver family than the gold.But Sleek has made two versions of this product,the other sporting two gold-based colours "Pewter & Gold Leaf"

Personally,I adore the names of the shades,they're elegant sounding and accurately describe the individual products.



The packaging is sweet-a mere 5cm-squared plastic,black box.It's size makes it great for travel and very economical! Collectors of makeup will find it a good space-saving product.
The cursive 'Sleek' font is gorgeous and reflective,and the white product description on the front and back of the clip-shut,hinged box is easy on eyes.It comes with a tiny mirror inside the lid.


It comes with a grand total of 5.4g of product,which will last you an age.




The colours themselves are beautiful to apply.They glide like a dream and are fabulously opaque.My favourite of the two is Steel,a true smelted silver.Ash is slightly more on the grey side - a darker,smokey kind of shade.


So all good things aside,the company claim that these cream shadows are 'creaseless'.Unfortunately,this is really not the case.I wore these for around 4 hours and by 1 1/2 hours (Quite a short time,even for my oily lids),the colours had creased no-end.It was a shame as they looked ever so pretty upon first application! 

My thoughts would be to use this as a liner on the lid and possibly just underneath it.

I am disappointed that they creased so easily,but there are other ways of using this product.For £7.00,I expected the claim to follow through,however.

Will it be worth your well-earned pounds? 

x ~ x



Sunday 24 February 2013

Maxfactor Smokey Eye Effect Eyeshadow.

Hey,koalas! :) 

I recently purchased this dual shadow from Superdrug and (of course) was majorly excited to test it out! I'm a sucker for lime green,dark green,neon green..all types of green! I'm not very familiar with Maxfactor's lines,but I hope to experience more from them in the future.I have my eye on a foundation from them! Stand by..:)

The dual-ended 'pen' is fashioned with two clear plastic clip-shut lids,making the colour selection a lot easier if you've bought this product in different shades! The packaging is sleek and a big plus point for me.



The shade I picked up is called "Citrus Thunder" - A nice creative name!



 I like the idea of one end being intended as a lid colour and one as a crease shade.The tangy lime shade is shaped as a dome top,to make it an easier gliding product.The opposing end,a beautiful,bright copper-bronze is shaped with a tapered end.


As you can see from the shade swatches,these give great colour payoff!


The pigments are rich and again,glide on exceptionally smooth.I love the sparkles in the copper eyeshadow.The two colours are a tad exotic - which can be eclectic in taste,but they compliment each other beautifully.

As for the lasting power,I was pleasantly surprised! For a creamy texture like this,it held up for a reasonable amount of time on my oily lids - around 4-5 hours.The creasing began just after 2 1/2 hours for me,which is normal considering my combination skin.

I paid £7.99 for this product.The only very minor drawback is the fact that Superdrug decided to put it's barcode over the top of the product name,meaning I had to peel it back.Annoying Superdrug! 

x ~ x

Friday 22 February 2013

NOTD - Pillar Box Sparkle.

Hello everyone! :) 

Today's NOTD is inspired by our typical British pillar post boxes - but with glitter! I'm loving this manicure style,since I'm a complete sucker for any kind of red shade in the makeup world.The glitter polish is subtle and after all,who doesn't need a little glitter in their lives? 



This design would also be a great festive look!


How I created these nails.

This manicure was a piece of cake to create! After applying base coat,simply lay down a few coats of a true-red varnish (Around 2-3 should do) - I used Rimmel London's I <3 Lasting Finish polish in 030 'Double Decker Red'.This is probably my personal favourite red nail lacquer! 

After allowing the coats to dry (Top Tip : Use a hairdryer at 40cm +  away to speed up the process!) and cleaning up any rough edges with a Q-Tip,apply 2 coats of a fine glitter polish,taking the time to distribute the flecks evenly.For this,I used a polish from George - 18 'Jackpot'.

Finish off with a top coat to seal the glitter in,and it's done! 

How difficult? 

This manicure was extremely easy! Getting the smooth edges is an important part of the finished result,so I give this a 2/5 rating on the difficulty scale!

Give this one a go,I'm sure you won't be disappointed by the results.You can send me any other designs you've created via Twitter too! Follow me @IYoue3I :D

Take care! 

x ~ x

Thursday 21 February 2013

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter.

Hey all! I hope you're doing well today. :) 

I recently purchased the MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter.So I'm doing a quick review of the product for your viewing! 



So here it is..the product itself.Personally,I absolutely love the packaging of this Highlighter.Unlike the packaging on the Undress Me Too Palette from the same line,this seems to appeal to me a bit more(Even though it's still white!).It features a snap-shut clasp and a deep set pan of the powder.

When opening the lid,care must be taken.For me,I had to be careful not to scratch into the beautifully embossed surface of the highlighter with my nails.Another point - I love the raised effect they've created here! Isn't it gorgeous and swirly?




The embossed design reminds me a lot of the MAC Extra Dimension line! 


As you can see,this powder comes with a brilliant amount of product - 7.5g! What a steal,for only £2.00 on the MUA website.The brand claims that it's a "Lightweight powder that transforms your complexion with luminescent shimmer."

Application is smooth and gives lovely payoff.You may need to swipe your brush over twice or so to get full shimmer,but a light hand is required for a lot of highlighters,making this one much easier to work with - Especially for paler complexions! I love this on my cheekbones.

If you're not one for shimmer,this is certainly not for you.But I think it adds a touch of sparkle to the face,brightening it up a bit.


On a whole,I really love this highlighter.It's cheap,cheerful and packed with pigment! 

x ~ x



Wednesday 20 February 2013

Insight : Two Faced?

Hey everybody.

I was sat thinking after I'd filmed a video and was uploading.I noted how expressionless I seemed in the video,in comparison to my very busy mind and the way I'd like to speak aloud and felt like I needed to address it.

I often wonder if I come across as very numb on camera,or whether I don't shine to my full potential.My voice seems to be more easily projected through words on a screen.I can get my emotions out a lot clearer,without a fuss about tone of voice,context etc.It got me wondering even more - are we a generation of socially awkward people? I know I,and a couple of my closer friends, certainly have trouble dealing with certain public social situations.I can take things the wrong way in real life,yet I understand subtexts through writing.

Struggling with my own internal anxiety isn't great fun anyway,then to have the daily life problems of a teenager piled on top of us (as a group) is bloody hard stuff.We can convey ourselves in a more reasonable way online,in a way that's safe and most of the time,without risk.

Of course,there were always going to be idiots who take it too far - we get those in every social situation.It's how we get stereotypes.

So I also pondered on the possibility of it going too far.Where we are completely detached from our 'other self',like we're a ghost image of the person we'd like to be;who we'd pretend to be on the internet and on other platforms.

When does it go too far? When does it become Two Faced? 

x ~ x


Tuesday 19 February 2013

MUA Undress Me Too Palette - Swatches & Overview.


Hey everybody! Today I'm going to show you a picture overview of the MUA Undress Me Too Palette,latest in the MUA palette line.For my full review of this palette,info and where to find it,follow the link to my video - 







From left to right,the names are as followed :

Top - Naked,Devotion,Shy,Fiery,Lavish,Dreamy,
Bottom - Tranquil,Exposed,Reveal,Wink,Obsessed,Corrupt.




 You get a total of 9.6g of product in the entire lot,including a double-ended sponge tip applicator.Lots of bargain for your buck! 

 As shown in the photos,this palette plays host to some very pigmented colours.This is said to be the perfect dupe of the NAKED 2 palette from Urban Decay.



The palette sports 4 total matte shades - Naked,Lavish,Obsessed & Corrupt.

For only £4.00 GB,you're getting a lot for your money.

Have you picked up this palette yet? 

Thursday 14 February 2013

Urban Decay's Oz:The Great & Powerful Palettes - Theodora

Hello everyone,and happy Valentines Day to you! :)

I'm not one for Valentines day in all honesty,but I thought I'd get into the swing of things by making a themed video.You can see my top beauty products for the occasion here - <3 Valentines Day Themed Beauty Products <3

Other than that,my day is free! So I'll get on with the overview/review and stop rambling. :3

Today I'll be showing you the Theodora palette.A look at the inside,the packaging and how well it swatches!

Urban Decay released two themed palettes for the next up and coming Disney movie,Oz The Great & Powerful,centred on a time before the original Wizard of Oz francise.Both palettes are based upon the different shades and colours designed to imply the two Witches in Oz,Theodora (The Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (The Good Witch of the South) 

Theodora's palette is much more smokey and rich than it's counterpart.The packaging that it comes in,a hard-wearing clip shut tin is very intricately decorated.I adore the dark wisps of shadow and green tinges.The outside cardboard box that it comes in,mimics the tin itself.The tin has rounded off edges.




On the back of the cardboard packaging,all of the colours and details of the product are listed with pictures.This generally applies to all Urban Decay palettes and I'm pleased that they do! It makes judging colours a lot easier and rounds off the first impression well.


Upon opening the tin,I was greeted with a sight that made my heart flutter a little.Yes,I squealed with happiness.These colours are perfection.

The palette features eyeshadow pans which pop out and are interchangeable with UD's new empty palette system,enabling the user to switch up the colours to preference and add new ones from their permanent lines! The palette sports a ma-hoos-ive mirror at the top too!

In the palette,you receive 6 full pans,with 8 different colours,as two of the pans are dual shades. "Spell" and "Jealous" are combi-shadows.You also get a travel sized 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in the shade "Zero"!

Names,in order from left to right are as followed - Top line : "Broken","Beware","Bewitch"
                                                                            Bottom line : "West","Spell","Jealous"

When opening the box,take care not to throw away the packaging until you've retrieved the included Super Saturated High-Gloss Lip Colour in "Theodora",which is a beautiful,clean red colour.True to it's name,it's amazingly glossy and smooth!


Now on to the swatches of shadows - 

                             

My camera didn't quite pick up the majesty of them,but they are so ultra pigmented!! I can't even tell you how dreamy these were to try out.The shadows were creamy,opaque when they needed to be and smooth as a newborn's skin.The 24/7 liner was awesome too - smudge-proof and easy to glide,as was the pretty Theodora Super Saturated lip pencil! 

The dual colours make the palette more than worth their money..and along with the liner and lip pencil,you've got a bargain. This palette retails for £35.00 from Debenhams and other vendors of UD products vary.I'm in love with this palette,it's everything I want from a product! 

Have you ordered your Oz The Great & Powerful palette yet? 

x ~ x

Wednesday 13 February 2013

Nails Of The Day.(NOTD) : Galaxies.

Since I've started growing my nails again (after years of obsessive biting) I figured I should start a 'Nails of the Day" thinga-ma-bobby,where I upload some photos for creative and inspirational purposes! A bit of fun,what ho? :)

Today's nails feature galaxies! :D

I'm so excited to share with you these cosmic designs.I know they aren't exactly original,but I'm so pleased with how they turned out.


I'm more than happy to have long nails,finally.They feel a little weird if I'm honest,but I'm sure I'll get used to them with time.

How I created these nails.

The design was done using a base of "Deliciously Dark" 60 Second Nail Polish by Rimmel,sponging on some 'White' by Barry M,"Cascade Cool" from Essie and No.71 "Boom" from George in rippling,random curves and swirls.

To make the stars,I dotted some more of the white polish over the design and finished off with No.500 "Disco Ball" I <3 Lasting Finish from Rimmel! You could also add some flat sparkling gems.

I cleaned around the edges of the nails with a cotton bud (Q-Tip),ended with a Top Coat from O.P.I and the look was done! It took me all of 30 minutes to do one hand.

How difficult? 

I give this design a 4/5 difficulty rating.Definitely one to try out!


I hope you enjoyed today's NOTD.Check back every few days for more creative nail designs.

x ~ x

Thursday 7 February 2013

Revlon To Release New 2013 Lip Butters!

This just in! 

Revlon are now raring to release a couple of new colours in their famous Lip Butter line! I'm almost glad that Revlon have decided to milk the whole Lip Butter thing.

The colours will be released around March time,in a trio of different shades;


  • Brown Sugar,  
  • Red Velvet,
  • Sugar Plum. 
The shades above are all already available in the US,as far as I know,but it's good times for the UK.
The next set will be out in the stores and online by summer.The names sound pretty juicy to me!

  • Pink Lemonade,
  • Juicy Papaya,
  • Watermelon,
  • Sorbet.
I'm super excited for the new additions to the already epic collection of colours.They will be sold for their usual price of £7.99,sold in most highstreet beauty stores - Superdrug & Boots.I absolutely love the Lip Butters that I own,so I shall be trying to get my paws on them A.S.A.P!

Squee! 

x ~ x


Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliners.

Hello everyone!

Today I'm bringing you a review on some lovely pencil eyeliners from Rimmel - the brand of the hour!

Yes,it's true that Rimmel seem to be taking the world by storm at the moment,releasing many fabulous products.With all the buzz,it's hard not to get confused! But here's my overview of the products.

Rimmel claims that these eyeliners are "Waterproof, smudge-proof, sweat-proof, heat-proof, humidity-proof and scandal- proof!"
Honestly,I have to say that a lot of these claims are true to product! This makes me a very happy Amy.

I picked up four of these eyeliners,the shades are as followed - 


  • Black 001
  • Purple 013
  • Silver 010
  • Nude 005
Not exactly the most creative of names,but I prefer this to nonsense names like "midnight sky vixen frilly essence of peacock"! You get my point.I think.



There's nothing especially extravagant about the packaging,simple and elegant is my favourite.I love the clear tops,enabling the customer/user to see which colour they're getting.Even if this wasn't there,the pencils are clearly in colour co-ordination.The style of 'nib' is the same as the Urban Decay 24/7 liners we all know and love!


As for the stuff inside of the pencil,another story entirely.Where do I begin? They're absolutely FABULOUS.Soft,creamy and extremely opaque where they need to be.Payoff from the Silver,Nude and Black are astounding.The purple is slightly less opaque but makes up for this with the smokey,rich colour.




I love the blendability.All of them are easy to smudge on the water/lash line.But they stay put.They will only come off when you tell them to!

The price is equally mesmerizing for the quality of product.A ear-easing £3.99.It's quite a stretch from the Urban Decay pencils,making them a cheaper dupe! 
Overall I'm really pleased with these liners.Rimmel have consistently given their customers epic products for a few months now..these will not fail to disappoint.

x ~ x 


Tuesday 5 February 2013

Urban Decay NAKED Basics Palette.

Hey all.Today was not a good day,and hence I won't be able to film.I don't look so great as a result of tiredness.Anyway,I decided I would substitute the video with an extensive blog post on a palette I received in the post today.Urban Decay came out with their latest eyeshadow palette edition to the NAKED line - The NAKED Basics!



The palette comes with six eyeshadows ,with the same amount of product in each as the original NAKED palette and the NAKED 2.The box comes complete with the shade range,as with every single Urban Decay palette.The product features five matte and one satin shade.





It's rather a dinky little thing.Fitting neatly into the palm of my hand,I believe it's the smallest palette UD have released.A sweet 10cm of velvet-textured plastic.
Inside,the palette features a wide,well sized mirror and the shadows set out,chronologically in depth of shade.The only very annoying part about this palette,is that it's a tricky one to open! I had to prise for a couple of minutes before I could open it.





The Colours
From left to right,the colours are as followed - 
'Venus','Foxy','W.O.S'(Walk of Shame),'Naked 2','Faint' and 'Crave'.

VENUS - Venus is the exception in this 'all matte' palette.It is the only satin shade in the box,and a lovely one at that.This colour is surprisingly opaque and creamy,with a buttermilk undertone.This would be a great highlight and inner corner colour.

FOXY - This shade is a lovely yellow-cream shade,reminiscent of cheddar (food references left,right and centre..I must be hungry!) A gorgeous base colour for light-skinned ladies and gentlemen.

W.O.S - W.O.S looks slight lighter than Foxy in the pan,but it comes off as a deeper,more peachy colour.It's warm and a great basic neutral.

NAKED 2 - Naked 2 is the cult colour of this palette.After featuring in the NAKED 2 palette,I guess UD couldn't resist putting it in this one! It's a beige-tan colour,with delicate taupe and grey undertones.

FAINT - Faint is the deepest 'brown' shade in the palette.Rather chocolatey and rich - a lovely crease colour atop Naked 2,W.O.S or Foxy.

CRAVE - The blackest of all the blacks.It's a state of perfection for matte enthusiasts.Crave is a true coal black.It can be used for both sharp and smokey looks.

See my swatches below for a look at the colours!


So overall,when asking the question "Do I need this palette in my life?",consider a couple of things. 

1 - Do you already have the NAKED 2 palette? 

2 - Do you already own a lot of UD's individual neutral shadows?

Personally,I think it's an epic palette,since reformulating their shadows,Urban Decay have stepped up.Worth the £20.00 price tag? Absolutely.In fact,the price is what made it more attractive.It's an investment for some,but with such great payoff from light swatches,this palette will last you for a very long time!

What did you think of the Urban Decay NAKED Basics palette? Will you be picking yours up soon? Let me know in the comments! 



x ~ x

Sunday 3 February 2013

Nivea Express Hydration Primer - Normal - Combo Skin.

So after the annoyance of yesterday's online shopping,I woke up this morning with a new attitude.A positive one.Until I opened the curtains and saw the MISERY AND HORROR OUTSIDE.Goodness I hate Cornish weather!

Anyway,off I went to Salon Cornwall only to find it wasn't much of an event.On the upside,I got some cool samples.(Of after-wax oil.Yay me.)

The highlight of the day was in fact,purchasing a new product - The hyped up Nivea Express Hydration Primer for Normal to Combination skin from their Daily Essentials line.Thought I'd share some pictures and things,so far I'm liking the smell,texture and packaging (Though it's slightly deceiving because of the massive honking box!)




















Rather enjoy the packaging of it - A dainty little glass jar with a screw-
top baby blue lid.The jar also came with a tinfoil seal,which appealed to my hygiene side,ensuring no-one in the shops have gotten their grubby paws on it! You get a full 50ml of product in the jar.The consistency is light and malleable.



 
As you can see from the photo,the gel formula goes on clear and only needs a little to go a long way.It felt very hydrating,as the name suggested - another good attribute for the dry season we're having at the moment.The product claims to be "instantly absorbing" which I find a strange choice of words.I'm sure it's pretty quick to sink in though! 

Nivea's new face primer has already hit the shops in Boots and Superdrug priced at £4.99.Will you be picking up this product? 

Check out my latest video for more little updates! - www.youtube.com/user/youe3 <3

x ~ x

Saturday 2 February 2013

Shopping Spree **IMPORTANT UPDATE**

I ordered the one of the newest of two palette's from Urban Decay last night and I'm buzzing for it's arrival - that's right,the famed Theodora palette.I'm so excited for the rich shades.Expect a full in-depth review of that upon receiving it! Along with the NAKED Basics palette and an Urban Decay Primer Potion,the whole thing came to just under £65.00,which I think is pretty good.I used the promo code "YC72" and got 10% off to boot,with free shipping on Debenhams! Hope this helps anyone wanting to grab some new goodies! :D

I'm still up in arms on whether to bite the proverbial bullet and get the Glinda palette too.Stand by for a decision on that one. xsparkage's review on the Theodora palette is what sold me.

I'll make sure to keep an update on those things and I'm looking forward to making a new video on Sunday.My last video can be seen here. - www.youtube.com/user/youe3 :)

Have an epic day!


x ~ x

**IMPORTANT UPDATE - DEBENHAMS WEBSITE FAILURE** 6.32pm

Hey everyone,it's rare for me to update on the day I got this post up,without having even advertised it's existence on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Youe3Amy) but I felt it was vital.Today I had a slight problem with my order,one of the items being "unfulilled" with Debenhams,so I called up the customer service line and got it sorted.Everything was tickety-boo with the guy.He was nice as could be.After finishing the call I went on a little nosey to the Debenhams Facebook page and found,to my horror,tens of people complaining about the bad service they were getting from Debenhams in the past couple of days/weeks.

Customers were complaining and getting no real answers to their questions.One massive,deceitful failure was the misadvertisement of a skin product by Elemis on their website. - A duo of products claiming to contain 30ml each,when in actuality,they contained 15ml each,adding up together to a total amount of product: 30ml.Customers had bought this product,thinking they were getting a good amount,when they were being essentially conned.

Now,I'm not sure whether this was an admin error - a typo,or some kind of mistake.I wouldn't care if it was,as long as Debenhams took responsibility,said sorry to those customers,refunded or swapped products back and then proceeded to remove the falsely advertised product.

But no.They did not do ANY of those things,bar one.Some people are in the process of being refunded,other than that..nothing.Debenhams are neither taking responsibility for their problem or even facing it for that matter.Posts have been removed by the company on their Facebook page.I am rather disappointed with it all.It just isn't fair.

Another point,was a certain customer able to receive a 'goodwill' compensatory £10.00,where other customers with EXACTLY the same problems,did not 'qualify'.

So a note to anyone thinking about shopping at Debenhams online,be prepared for them to possibly mess it up.I've heard some people's orders have been cancelled without good reason,showing that they are selling items which they do not actually have.

Debenham stores have always been okay,so try to make it to one of these if possible - for a better experience all round.

x ~ x


**FURTHER UPDATE** 10.42pm

Debenhams have cancelled the very item in my order which I thought had been resolved when I called this morning.Very very unimpressed by their service at this point.

x ~ x