Tuesday 30 April 2013

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 2.0 : Top Shelf.

Hey everyone! I was watching a video from Emily Noel on Youtube (BeautyBroadcast) and was listening to her talk about some eyeshadows from Bare Essentuals that she'd been recommended.Well of course,me being the magpie I am,I had to go and do some research.The swatches looked gorgeous and I was sold on the reviews.

So here's one of the duo palettes I bought! These are basically pressed shadows,with the pigmentation of loose mineral powder.

A break-down of the colours in "Top Shelf" :

Cognac - An intense,rich and shockingly vibrant warm gold.


Mixologist - A champagne white with a golden-beam undertone.






 
 


These tiny little palettes fit neatly into the palm of your hand.I love the matte black packaging although I've already found it a bit hard to keep clean,these remind me of the NARS packaging,with a slightly velvet feel.The palette comes with a small sponge-tipped applicator and clasps shut.Both eyeshadow pans are inset.
 
 
 
Left to Right - Mixologist & Cognac.

 
 
How beautiful are these swatches? I absolutely adore Cognac and I've heard it's a good dupe for Woodwinked from MAC.The pigmentation is mind-blowing,it looks like pure liquid gold.Mixologist is a really lovely colour too,I like it's slightly gold undertone and how bright it appears.Both shades are easy to blend and hyper-velvet (New word!) smooth.
 
A little of each colour goes a LONG way,as I found when swatching.You literally need to tap to get the right amount of shadow.They're so heavy in opacity that they simply refuse to crease even without a primer.I got around 6 hours of wear without a primer on my very oily lids.
 
 

The only downside to these beautiful shadows is the price..at £19.00 each,they're definitely an investment.But with the usage you'll get from these,I believe it to be worth it's pricetag.You can get your hands on these little devils at www.bareminerals.co.uk or at bareMinerals counters in department stores like Debenhams.

Tried any other colours? Let me know what you think!

x ~ x






Friday 26 April 2013

{Strictly Swatches} Sleek Blush-By-3 Palette : Pink Sprint.

I've owned this palette for a long while,figured it was Strictly Swatches time.I don't really do too many full blush reviews anyway!

On with the swatches :





                            

Left to Right:
Pink Parfait,Pink
Ice,Pinktini.
                             



                                                        




Left to Right : Pink Parfait,Pink Ice,Pinktini.

x ~ x

Wednesday 24 April 2013

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils. : Milk,Gold,Cucumber,Oyster.


Hey people! Today I'm giving you a review of some of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils that we all (In the beautysphere) know and hear hype about.Here's my two cents! 


I've had two of the famous eye pencils,Gold & Milk, in my collection for a long time.Since first starting my Youtube channel/Blogging run,a lot of people raved about these shadow sticks.Especially Milk,the claim only reinforced by YT Beauty Guru xsparkage,or Leesha.

A breakdown of the colours :

Milk - A pure,creamy matte white.

Gold - A copper-toned gold,strong warmth to it.

Oyster - A delicate violet with a Mother-of-Pearl sheen.

Cucumber - An entirely matte,true lime green. (A rarity to say the least.)


Left to Right : Cucumber,Oyster,Gold & Milk.

Left to Right : Cucumber,Oyster,Gold & Milk.

I want to say this right off the bat..In no way am I suggesting that these must/should be used on their own.Personally,I prefer them a lot more when topped with a coinciding shade of powder shadow.I'm a big fan of the look myself.

I really enjoy the texture of these pencils,they glide without too much tug and if the point tip is a concern to you,simply use a brush to distribute the product.I love the vibrancy,the overall blendability and the fact that these are just plainly amazing bases.

These will most likely crease on oily lids like mine,I couldn't say for other skin types,but I just use a primer (UDPP) with them and they stick quite nicely.Milk is epic at bringing out the best in bright eyeshadows. Oyster and Gold are more traditional,more wearable,and Cucumber just appeals to my inner exoticism.

My only annoyance with these are,the sharpening.I haven't even attempted it yet,for fear of forever damaging the stick.I'm slightly peeved at the fact that sooner or later,I'll have to destroy the cute plastic-cardboardy appearance.Other than that,I can't see too many faults.They're a nice staple product!

They're pretty reasonably priced at £4.50 each,from NYX Cosmetics UK and available in a lot more online stores.

Tried them? Let me know what you think!



x ~ x



Thursday 18 April 2013

{Strictly Swatches} MAC Lipstick : Lady Danger.


Hello people! It's time for Strictly Swatches,featuring MAC's Lady Danger lipstick - A warm-toned,bright tomato red.The finish is matte but non-drying.





                                                                               Lady Danger.


x ~ x



Wednesday 17 April 2013

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick : Impulsive Fuschia & Lovely Rose. (UK)

Hello ladies and gentlemen.

I heard about these newer lipsticks from L'Oreal on the Youtube beauty circuit and really wanted to see what all the hype was about.I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised with them.

In order to gauge an idea,I bought a lighter and darker shade in the collection :

 03 - Lovely Rose : A soft fleshy pink with subtle peach undertones.


202 - Impulsive Fuschia : A deep berry pink.







As usual,starting off with packaging - It's gorgeous.And it has a weighty luxury feel to it - some may complain of it being rather 'bulky' for a lipstick but I love the overall feel.The lipstick tube is expensive looking with name and colour stickers at the ends.The stickers are colour-accurate.






 



How beautiful is the Rose-Gold logo?!



These lipsticks swatch beautifully.They're quite pigmented,but I'd warn anyone with a lot of natural pigment in their lips to steer clear of Lovely Rose,as it may appear as a regular,colourless balm.Impulsive Fuschia is very spring/summer and can be very bright if built up.This shade also stains too,leaving a striking amount of colour even after the excess has been removed.

These are not drying at all,in fact I was pleased with just how moisturising they are.Without a balm or lip primer beneath them,they held up well and kept their shine.Lasting power was more than enough to get me through the day,with only one top up.

I love the shades that I bought and hopefully I'll be able to purchase more in the line! Available in most highstreet drugstores (Superdrug,Boots.)

Have you tried the L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipsticks? What did you think?



x ~ x


Sunday 14 April 2013

{Strictly Swatches} Sleek Aqua Collection Blush : Mirrored Pink.

The Limited Edition single blush featured in Sleek's latest collection - The Aqua Collection! This blush is packed full of pink shimmer,one for the sparkle-addicts.

 




Mirrored Pink.

x ~ x





Saturday 13 April 2013

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish : Lightscapade. (MAC x Hayley Williams Collection.)

Hi all!

Today I'm bringing you my review of this online re-promoted Mineralize Skinfinish from MAC.I'm so excited to use this,since it's my first MS! This is featured in the current MAC x Hayley Williams Collection. (Yes,that's right,singer Hayley Williams from Paramore!) So far,everything except the MS and the nail polish is sold out on the UK website,unfortunately.So if you're in the market for Lightscapade,grab it while you still can! Hayley herself specifically requested that this product be brought back for her collaboration.

Anyway,on with the review.




The typical matte black packaging of MAC,with it's thin logo and printed name are sported on this product.I love MAC's packaging anyway so I wasn't fussed on having anything fancy for this collection.Besides,you can't keep the cardboard can you? 
The compact is a clip-shut design with a clear top and sturdy plastic to encompass the dome shaped product.




The powder itself is fabulous visually.With blue,orange and hints of purple veining throughout,it's appealing to the eye.It reminded me very much of a planet.

The MS does not transfer heavily - this is a rather subtle colour which I would use first and foremost as a highlight on the cheekbones and other light-points on the face.It blends out smoothly and evenly to create a beautiful,soft shimmer effect.After all,I wouldn't want tons of glitter on my face unless I was going for the Cullen look.



I think this is a really lovely product,not too sparkly and not too light for my skin tone (Pale with Olive undertones).I enjoy the texture and really look forward to incorporating this into my makeup routines.

x ~ x




Monday 8 April 2013

{Strictly Swatches} : Maybelline Colour Tattoos - Eternal Silver,Light in Purple,Timeless Black,24K Gold.

Hi guys,

I've made another segment called "{Strictly Swatches}".Like many Beauty Enthusiasts,some times I just want to get a sniff of new colours without all the extra reading.So without further ado,the newest Maybelline Colour Tattoos to my collection :



Top : Eternal Silver,Timeless Black
Bottom : Light in Purple & 24K Gold.

 


24K Gold                Light in Purple
  

Eternal Silver            Timeless Black 


Left to Right : 24K Gold,Light in Purple,Timeless Black,Eternal Silver.


x ~ x


Friday 5 April 2013

Korres Lip Butter : Mango

Hi all!

I was mooching about the ASOS website a couple of days ago,searching for a good black,faux leather skirt.I found the skirt,but whilst looking around I came across some of the Korres lip butters.I'd heard a lot about them on Youtube so I wanted to try one before buying out the entire Korres line.

I'm really into fruity scents in general so I ordered the Mango flavour.I figured it would be great for Spring and Summer.


The packaging is super cute and an epic travel sized product.Even in the box,it fits neatly into the palm of your hand.I really appreciate the lack of bulky plastic.Plus it's simple,which means it's easy.


Another thing that I like so far about Korres is their un-inflated claims.Again,everything is easy to understand and doesn't baffle with sciencey words.Once the actual lip butter pot has been taken out of it's packaging,the thin cardboard can be folded out to reveal a ton of information about the company and the product.I've heard some people complaining about the nature of the pot and having to dip into it to retrieve the lip butter but I personally don't feel like this is a problem.


So the actual product exceeded my expectations in pigmentation department - It's bright orange! It also looks really pretty on the lips,as a light flush of colour.The lip butter doesn't really taste of much,but you can still smell it when it's on,which in itself is enough to make you salivate.Seriously,the smell is INCREDIBLE.The product is non-sticky and glides on smoothly.


Korres have made this product ultra-moisturising,true to claim and extremely pretty for Spring & Summer.I love it so much that I featured it in my latest video! - 


I'm really excited to use this during the warmer months and will probably be trying more of these.

x ~ x