Urban Decay Vice Palette

Most makeup lovers will have at least one Urban Decay palette in their collection, they are so popular - especially their Naked palette. Now, if you are someone who likes their neutrals but also playing with brights, you need to get this one. It is fantastic. Really.

Almost every single colour in this palette is gorgeous, well pigmented, easy to apply, blendable and long lasting. It does however have a couple that aren't as great, one being pretty nasty for fallout and pigmentation - Jagged - shame because it is a lovely colour in the pan. I still don't feel let down though. Every single colour in this palette is brand new and exclusive to it which is great because a lot of UD palettes have crossovers. It is fantastic value at £42 for 20 shades and a double ended eyeshadow brush and all housed in a lovely palette complete with a full size mirror. £42! Bargain!

Read on for more and swatches.

Accessorize Lovely Day Palette

Accessorize have recently released two new palettes into their make-up line, each filled with 32 colours ranging from neutrals to brights with metallic, shimmer and matte finishes. This is the Lovely Day palette which is overall more neutral in tone compared to the other palette which has brighter shades such as red and bright greens. 

Most of the colours in this palette are a metallic finish and apply so smoothly and beautifully and blend with little effort. They have such fantastic pigmentation and most of the shimmers follow suit. A few of the shimmers are a bit less pigmented and require a little more effort and the mattes aren't the smoothest. They are all good colours though and I've really enjoyed using the palette. I like having a lot of choice in one palette opposed to a palette full of neutrals which is what I normally pull out. This palette has enabled me to play with colour a little bit more in the morning because I don't have to hunt around for different shades as they are all close to hand in this. I love how slim and lightweight it is. The packaging feels sturdy and the pans are a good size. 

Some of the colours do cause a bit of fallout when applying them so care should be taken so that you don't end up with bright blue across your cheeks. The colours last well on my lids although I have found that the greens can look a bit muddy which is a shame. 

The palette is priced at £8.95 from Superdrug which I think is a bargain. It was actually on offer when I went to my local superdrug a couple of days ago at £5.95 (which I got the other palette for and one of these for my sister) so if you are interested in it, I'd go check your local store soon.

Swatches after the break...

BeautyUK Eye Shadow Palette - 04 Earth Child

I like bargains, who doesn't and this is a pretty good one. The BeautyUK palettes retail at £3.99 (under 40p per eye shadow) and are available in Superdrug. For that price I decided to give this one a go as it contained colours which I use most days.

The pigmentation is pretty good in most of the colours. I don't expect perfection for only £3.99 so I think it is really good for that price. The shadows are soft and easily blendable, the only colours I had a little problem with were the light grey (second left on bottom row) and the beige (second from right on bottom row) as they were on the sheer side. The best ones were the coppery brown and gold shades from the top row, they were both highly pigmented and very smooth - both are metallic so that probably helps.

So if you are looking for an inexpensive palette with some pretty neutral and earth tones in it then this might fit the bill. It also comes with a thin mirror under the sponge applicator which is just big enough to see your eyes in so might be useful for touch ups if needed.

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor! Eye Shadows Review & Swatches

I was pretty excited about MAC's Summer collection, which I have liked for the past couple of years too. This one is nautical themed and I love that. There are some beautiful pieces in this collection and there should be something suitable for all skin tones - there are neutrals, brights and bronzers plus a couple of navy blues which could be used for smokey makeup. There are different textures from mattes, frosts and shimmers and also some true Summer products such as the Sun Tints, Body Oil and Zoom Waterfast mascara if you're by the pool on holiday. There are also some longwear products which may help makeup last in the hot and humid Summer months.

L-R: Feeling Fresh, Jaunty, Barefoot

I picked up three eye shadows, Jaunty (light yellow beige, frost finish), Barefoot (tarnished gold, veluxe pearl finish) and Feeling Fresh (bright green, frost finish). All are such great colours with excellent payoff and I recommend them all. Jaunty and Barefoot have a smoother texture, in fact Jaunty feels like it is also a veluxe pearl as it is so smooth. Feeling Fresh is a little grittier as it has some sparkle in it - the sparkle is not chunky though so don't worry, it wont be dropping all over your face and it applies very evenly and smoothly.

Special Outer packaging

Special Outer packaging

Feeling Fresh

Jaunty

Barefoot

L-R: Barefoot, Jaunty, Feeling Fresh

I love these and can see myself using them a lot, especially Barefoot and Jaunty as they are such wearable every day shades. Jaunty is the perfect wash of colour whilst still being neutral and soft.

Jennifer xx

MAC Glitter & Ice Mineralize Eye Shadow Review

MAC's Holiday collection offered six mineralize eye shadows. I initially bought two of them and then later went back for two others after seeing lots of swatches. The last two ended up being my favourites of the four.

L-R: Fresh Ice, Shimmermint

Fresh Ice
This is a frosty white with a very slight pink tinge. It has some lavender pink veining in the pan to go with the white. I bought this to use as a highlight shade, particularly in the inner corners of my eyes. When used dry it is slightly sheer which makes it perfect for me to use as a highlight as it is not full on frosty opaque white. It has lovely sparkle to it but it isn't so chunky that I experience lots of fallout. To make it more opaque, using it over a primer gives more payoff and holds the sparkle more. It is even better wet, which is the general expectation for mineralize eye shadow - they work in a similar manner to pigments, when foiled the payoff is really good and has a metallic finish. It is really sparkly used like this but can still drop some sparkle once it dries.

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

Shimmermint
This is a glittery minty, silvery shade. I love shades like this and they seem very few and far between. They are often quite sheer too, I guess due to the lightness of the colour. This is also like that when used dry and... it is a complete glitter bomb. I first used this dry and it went everywhere, I mean everywhere. I was finding glitter all over my clothes as well as my chin and forehead. There was glitter flying off of the brush as I used it. This colour must be used wet, and carefully for it to stay put. Primer helps a little although not much, wet is much better but it can still drop. A sticky base is a MUST. Once finding out how to use it, it looks really nice on. On me it shows more green but I have seen it appear more blue on other people.

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

Snow Season
This is a peachy pink with pink and gold shimmer. It is a very smooth mineralize eye shadow and has good pigmentation even when dry. It makes a good wash of colour for quick application and could also be used as a highlight. It is the sort of colour which will flatter most skin tones. When used over primer it appears more pink and when foiled it is far more metallic and the payoff is much brighter. I really really like this shade and it will be getting a lot of use. I do not experience fall out with this shade.

L-R: Snow Season, Winterized

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

Winterized
This is a smokey blue purple with a purple sheen. The base is a satin type of finish and then it has teeny purple sparkles. When used dry it appears more brown from the burgundy areas of the pan and applies smoothly with decent pigmentation. Like this it would work really nicely with khaki, olive and brown colours. When used over a primer it has more pigmentation but still retains the smokey quality. When foiled it becomes this amazing purple and much brighter. It has a gorgeous purple sheen when the light hits it with a slight pink tone. It works particularly nicely with Snow Season. I do not experience fall out with this shade. I love this one the most and it is definitely my favourite mineralize eye shadow out of all of the ones that I own.

L-R: Dry, Over primer (UDPP), Wet, Over Pixie Epoxy

I find the best way to use mineralize eye shadows is over a product called Pixie Epoxy, from a company called Fyrinnae. I will do a post on this product soon but it is basically like a 'glue' for pigments and works well for these types of eye shadows too. It holds the glitter or shimmer in really well and keeps the colour intense all day. I rarely get fall out if I use this product and I would advise using this to help.

Jennifer x

MAC Fall Colour Eyeshadows and Chromagraphic Pencil

Here are a couple of Eyeshadows and a Chromagraphic Pencil I picked up from MAC's Fall Colour collection. All are part of the 'Wild Colour' section which consists of some amazingly bright colours. I chose Three Ring Yellow and Royale eyeshadows and Hi Def Cyan Chromagraphic Pencil.

Three Ring Yellow



Royale

Three Ring Yellow is a bright yellow with a green undertone. It is a Veluxe Pearl finish so is very soft and pigmented. It is easy to blend and work with. I like that it has the green undertone so it isn't a straight yellow, some people may find it easier to wear due to the green in the shade. It is quite similar to Sweet & Punchy eyeshadow which came out last year with the To The Beach collection. If you have this colour you may not want to get Three Ring Yellow. Sweet & Punchy is more of a yellowed green apposed to a yellow with a green undertone, in other words, Sweet & Punchy is more green. Sweet & Punchy is also a Veluxe Pearl and a little more pigmented.

Royale is a deep blue with a purple undertone (I found this a very difficult colour to capture so these pictures are not accurate). It is a matte finish so can swatch a little chalky but when used it works really nicely. It is a little sheer but still pigmented enough although may require a bit of building if strong colour is required. If so, a shader brush such as the 239 would be best for that. I used it in my crease with a 217 to crease diffused blending but built it up where I wanted.



L-R: Three Ring Yellow, Royale

L-R: Three Ring Yellow, Sweet & Punchy

Top: Sweet & Punchy
Bottom: Three Ring Yellow

Chromagraphic pencils are a new product to me but I read really good reviews about Hi Def Cyan so decided to try it out. It is a lovely cyan shade, I really like to use bright blues and teals along my lower lashes so I knew I'd get use out of this colour. I am really impressed with it, it is so creamy and pigmented in just one swipe. It dries down and doesn't move at all until you take it off and even then it doesn't want to come off! Chromagraphic pencils are PRO products so are available all year round at PRO stores or via phoning mail order if you do not have a store near you. It is nice to be able to get a few of the colours at regular stores in the meantime though. Some shades are not eye safe, this particular colour is not suitable for the inner rims (waterlines) of the eyes but can be used along lash lines or on the lids.

I highly recommend the Chromographic pencils and I would like to get the green and one of the nude shades when I go to the PRO store as they perform so well.

Jennifer

September 2011 Favourites

Here are my favourites for September, there was quite a variety of brands in there.

First up, a new perfume. One of my favourite bloggers, Vivianna from viviannadoesmakeup.com is a big perfume fan. I have noticed that we have quite similar taste in perfumes and when she said that this was her favourite perfume I decided to give it a go. It is Lady Million by Paco Robane. I would never have picked this up, the packaging isn't something that would have drawn me in, probably due to being a mega shiny golden diamond shape which doesn't really look very classy, although I do like it now for being a bit different. The perfume inside is gorgeous though, a typical 'me' type fragrance, floral and fruity with a bit of sweetness thrown in there for good measure. It isn't a headdy sweet or floral fragrance, I think it has a good balance. Top notes of Neroli, Lemon and Raspberry. Middle notes of Jasmine, Orange Flower and Gardenia. Bottom notes of Patchouli and White Honey. Yum!

Next there is VO5's Miracle Concentrate. I've seen this doing a little bit of the blog rounds with people saying that it helps with frizzy hair and keeping it looking glossy and healthy. I needed this. I use this after towel drying my hair then apply a few drops from the pipette into my hand and rub them together before running it down my hair. I focus it in the ends to stop them from flying away and then do the lengths and finally the top to smooth it all down. Then I blow dry my hair. It makes my hair dry quicker and always gives it a sleek finish.

I also ran out of my foundation, Chanel Vitalumire so needed to get a replacement but wasn't anywhere near a Chanel counter. I'd wanted to try Bourjous Healthy Mix after hearing a lot of good reviews so this was a good opportunity. Off I went to Superdrug and picked this up for £9.99, over £20 cheaper than my Chanel foundation! I found a really good match in Healthy Mix, better than the Chanel shade. It is a teeny bit lighter in colour and not as yellow. I really like this one, the coverage is a bit more than the Chanel one and it sets more so doesn't appear as dewy but still gives me a fresh complexion. I've been applying it with a MAC 187 and I get a really nice finish. I would definitely buy this again, I much prefer it.

The two eyeshadows are from MAC's MAC Me Over collection, I reviewed them here. The colours are Carbonized (the brown) and Mythical (the coppery colour). I've been using these a lot during September, they are so flattering and fit so well with Autumn. They go with a lot of my clothes too and are great for work. I've put them together in a few different ways and they always come out looking nice.

Underneath is MAC's Superslick Liquid Liner in On The Hunt. This is black and was in my favourites last month too. I've been using this pretty much every day. It is such a good glossy black and lasts really well.

Lastly, Blistex Intensive Moisturiser Lip Cream. My lips get ridiculously dry and chapped. I needed something intensive that was going to work. I saw this on Rachel's blog allthingsrachy.blogspot.com ages ago when she said that she gets very chapped lips when she has a cold and this is what she uses. I'd been meaning to give it a go and saw it in Boots one day and remembered her blog post so bought it. She was so right, it is amazing stuff! Seriously, if you get chapped lips and nothing else seems to be giving you the desired effect, go get this. It was relatively cheap at £2.59. It has a plastic slanted applicator so you can apply it straight from the tube. I tend to put a little on my finger and apply it like that so I don't put too much on, you don't need a lot.

Jennifer xx

My Inglot Palette

This is my first Inglot palette which I got about a month or so ago. I love these eye shadows, they are amazingly soft and pigmented. I really enjoyed being in the Inglot store in Westfields at Shepherds Bush, London. The staff were lovely and there were so many great products to test out. I like how the freedom system works, there are a few different sized palettes to choose from with different shaped pan slots.

First you pick which size you want and if you want circle or square pans. The square pans are a bit more expensive because they hold more product. I opted for the 10 pan square palette which I *think* was £56 although I can't remember exactly. The circle palette was around £46. The reason I chose the square version was because I just liked how it looked better and it made it different from my MAC palettes.

Once you have decided what palette you want, you get a magnetic sheet where you pick out the pans of shadow/lipstick/blush etc and place them on the sheet. You can move them around the sheet until you are happy with the order the colours are arranged in you give the sheet to one of the sales assistants and they will go and build your palette for you. The only downside I found to this was that there are only one of each colour in circles and squares so if someone else picks up a colour that you want in your palette too, you have to wait until they have finished with it before it is returned so you can pick it up.

I chose a lot of green shades because it is my favourite colour, along with some neutrals and golds as I wear those a lot too and they mix well with greens. I'd love to go back and get another palette with a more variety of colours in it, some purples, blues and pinks would be nice.

I do wish that Inglot had a proper naming system rather than numbers though, it is difficult to remember numbers so actual names would be easier to know what you have when you go back to the store. It is also very hard to get the pans out of the palette without damaging the colours (which is why mine have some dents in them when I tried to check what numbers each colour was) so you have to be very careful if in future you decide to move them around. I found that it is best to use something thin and sturdy like a sewing needle or a metal nail file and insert it at the corner (if the pans are square) which makes it easier to get under the pan and lift out. Don't use fingernails, you will dent them!

More pictures and swatches under the break!

MAC Semi Precious Mineralize Eyeshadow Reviews

I'm so late for putting this up but I have had a good chance to test run them since I've had them. Every year MAC put out a mineralize collection and this year's offering was Semi Precious. I originally didn't plan on getting any of the eyeshadows because I'm not normally a fan of the mineralize formula. However, once I started seeing swatches coming out I loved the look of them, they seemed so multi-dimensional and beautifully sparkly. Not only that but they were gorgeous in their pots, I loved the marbled effect which resembled little planets. I ended up getting quite a few of them, 9 in fact out of the 12 available!

As with all mineralized products which have marbling, each one is unique even when they are the same product, the marbling can differ greatly from one to another. It is best to choose them in person from a store and you will be able to choose one which suits your tastes best. I didn't get a chance to go to a store so ordered mine online. I was quite lucky with the ones I received, they are all beautifully marbled and have good amounts of each colour within them, allowing me to pick out individual colours if I wish.

Using Sleek's Monaco Palette - Mermaid Teals

My next look with Sleek's Monaco palette was inspired by mermaids, the blues and greens of the sea and shimmer. Green and teal are also my favourite colours to wear on my eyes, I think they bring out the green tones in them. I decided to put purply pink lips with it to finish off the bright look.

On my eyes I used Kiwi Zest (shimmery lime green) as the base colour, I added Aquamarine (matte turquoise) into the crease and blended upwards and slightly onto the outer part of the lid. I used Humming Bird (shimmery teal) through the crease to add definition and sparkle. Then I used Bamboo to blend all of the colours together nicely under the brow bone and to neutralise the pink in my brow bone. I applied Sunset (shimmery copper) along the lower lashes.

On my lips I wore MAC Rebel lipstick, gently patted on and smooshed together with my lips and then topped it with MAC's Fab Fun lipglass (this was limited edition with one of the lipglass sets from Tartan Tales last Holiday season - it is a sheer pink with iridescent sparkles, really pretty)

More Pics!

Using Sleek's Monaco Palette - Barbie Pink

Number 3 of the looks I have created using the Sleek Monaco palette. This time I wanted to create a look with the bright pink, it ended up looking very girly and a little Barbie-ish so I thought I'd go with it and add some false eyelashes (terrible application I will add, I am really new to attempting these and I've not got the hang on it yet) and a bit of pink lipstick.

I used Lotus Flower (shimmery lilac) over the whole of my lids and then applied Magenta Madness (bright matte magenta) through the crease and blended upwards gently as it is quite a strong colour. I added some Moors Treasure deep in the lower part of the crease and then lined my upper lash line with it. I softened the line so it wasn't as harsh and lined my lower lashes along the outer third with the same shade. I then lined the rest of my lower lashes with Lotus Flower. I put a teeny bit of black liner on the outer part of my upper lashes to add a little flick. The false lashes I used were from Eyelure and were the natural volume ones (not sure if they have a number or proper name), they are subtle and suitable for everyday wear if you wish (and can apply them properly, unlike me lol).

Also used:

Chanel Vitalumier foundation

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer

Sleek Luminous Pressed Powder

NARS Laguna bronzer

NARS Orgasm blush

MAC Brow Pencil in Spiked

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink

Chanel Inimitable Intense mascara in Noir

MAC Creme Cup lipstick

I wanted to see what it would look like with a brighter pink lipstick so I switched to MAC Chatterbox, one of my favourite lipsticks. I don't think the tone of the pink works as well as Creme Cup. I should have gone for something more magenta based, or even neon like MAC Candy Yum Yum.



Do you prefer the lighter or brighter pink lips?

I have 2-3 more looks coming up for this palette and then I'm going to move on to the Caribbean palette.

Jennifer xx

Using Sleek's Monaco Palette - Cranberry and Lime

Yesterday I put together another look using Sleek's Monaco Palette. This one took a bit of time to get looking right, it didn't start out very well but I stuckwith it and it worked in the end. I have liked using a contrasting colour along my lower lash line so did that here too. It also worked quite nicely with my hair colour at the moment which is much redder than it appears in the photos, going towards the cranberry shade on my eyes.

Heres what I did. I applied Washed Ashore (matte peach) over my whole lid then applied Sunset (shimmery coppery cranberry) through the crease with a 222 brush to get very soft difused shading as it faded out. I used Moors Treasure (matte plum) with a pencil brush right in the crease to add definition. Then I went back with the 222 to soften and blend into the cranberry. I added some Moors Treasure onto the outer part of my lids too and blended into the peach. I used Bamboo under my brows to sharpen the edges and blend into the other shades. Bamboo doesn't show up much on me but it works very well at neutralising redness and discolouration or blending together colours. Finally I used Kiwi Zest along my lower lash line. I didn't want a highlight colour as I felt I had quite a bit going on with the shimmery cranberry and lime.

Other products used:
UDPP
Philosophy Poreless Flawless Primer
Chanel Vitalumier
Bobbi Brown Corrector and Creamy Concealer
Sleek Luminous Pressed Powder
MAC Semi Precious Goldstone MSF
MAC Spiked Brow Pencil
Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink
Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara
MAC Gem of Roses Lipstick

Jennifer x

Using Sleek's Monaco Palette - Pink and Teal

I am really loving this palette, I have reached for it so much since I won Rachel's from All Things Rachy giveaway. I'm going to be posting some looks that I have created using it starting with this one which I did yesterday.

I used Lotus Flower (shimmery lilac) on my lid and then blended Magenta Madness (matte magenta) into the crease and upwards. I then applied some Moors Treasure (matte plum) into the outer corner and blended through the crease to darken and deepen. Lastly I applied a line of Humming Bird (shimmery teal) along my lower lash line.

Other products used:

Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Denim Ink

Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara

Bobbi Brown Corrector and Creamy Concealer

Chanel Vitalumier Foundation

Sleek Luminous Pressed Powder

MAC Semi Precious Goldstone MSF

MAC Spiked Brow Pencil

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Romance

Like? I will be posting a few more as and when I use the palette so keep a look out for them!

Jennifer x

Oooops! A few extra MAC Surf Baby bits...

I said I wasn't going to buy them in the first place, they just didn't appeal to me... but then came the swatches... Oh dear, well I completely changed my mind.

Whilst I was in Tumbridge Wells with my boyfriend a couple of weeks ago, I saw that they had My Paradise in stock. I'd seen numerous bloggers and Youtubers swatching this and it just looked really pretty, not how I'd imagined it. I told myself to stick to not buying it because it has an overspray but then I found out that it was quite thick and when it runs out that Gold Deposit MSF would do as a substitute to put over the blush colour - more about that later. I swatched it on my hand in store and bought it.

My Paradise

My Paradise

My Paradise

It is a very pretty colour, when mixed with the gold overspray it turns into a gorgeous shimmery golden peach. The blush colour itself is very coral and matte/satin - I'm not sure but there doesn't appear to be shimmer in there. It would be a great colour for Summer skin (well duh, it is a Summer collection lol) and is surprisingly wearable. I've seen it work nicely on fair skin too but it would be worth checking in person. It is sold out online but you might come across it in store. Temptalia has some dupes listed on her site, NARS Luster appears very close to the mixed blush.

My Paradise: L-R Base blush colour, overspray colour, mixed, mixed blended

Then I noticed that Debenhams had 10% off beauty. I'd seen swatches of Short Shorts (frost) and Saffron (Satin) and thought they were nice. Whilst at the MAC counter I noticed that the MAs were wearing Sun Blonde with Saffron and I loved it but they didn't have it on display. When I saw the Debenhams sale I ordered them both along with my concealer and correcter which I was running out of.

L-R: Short Shorts, Saffron

L-R: Short Shorts, Saffron

I'm really glad I did because they are beautiful. I can't get over how pigmented the eye shadows in this collection are, they are amazing. I really hope that MAC continue to make them like this from now on. I didn't have a terracotta shade before and I was a bit scared of how it would look on my eyes but it is actually very flattering and versatile. I've used it with Sun Blonde so far which makes a lovely yellow-orange-terracotta gradient. I'd also use it with neutrals, pinks and browns and I think it would be fun to try with blues and greens.

Short Shorts

Saffron

L-R: Short Shorts, Saffron

So like I said, I read that you could dupe the gold overspray of My Paradise with Gold Deposit MSF, well I'm not sure. My Gold Deposit hasn't got much veining in it, it is mainly a deep gold copper colour with very little gold in it. I did swatch the gold area against the overspray of My Paradise and they are very very close. If this is what you want to do, I would suggest going to MAC and picking out your own Gold Deposit with the most gold veining and then swatching it against My Paradise to check how it looks. I'm not going to buy another one to use over this blush but the one I have would still look good over it although a little different. You might even be able to find an eye shadow in the same colour to use over the blush instead. Or you could just accept, like me, that once the overspray has gone, it is gone. I might go to buy NARS Luster at a later stage to replace the mixed My Paradise colour and then use My Paradise as just the base colour.

So there you go... a little bit of naughty extra shopping :P hehe!

- Jennifer