Too Faced - Sweet Indulgences Palette

Ello lovelies!

I was in two minds whether to post this little review or not. I'd already photographed and written the post when i noticed that it was no longer available online, but i've since been informed it is available in some larger Boots stores in the UK, so if it takes your fancy, Boots is your best shot!

Plus its just too pretty not to blog about...

This little gem is quite possibly my favourite Christmas present ever, which is a bit cheeky since technically, i chose it, but oh well! I've never had the pleasure of trying any Too Faced products before, I've always had my eye on some of their little kits but found the cardboard packaging a bit of a turn off. Although this isn't exactly the most practical of packing, it sure is pretty.

The Too Faced Sweet Indulgence Palette includes 16 eyeshadows, a full sized Shadow Insurance (which retails for around £16 on its own), two bronzers; their famous Sun Bunny Light and an exclusive shade, two blushes, their also very famous Candlelight Glow Highlight and a pretty useless double ended brush. Phew, that was a mouthful! Basically, its got a whole host of goodies inside!

 

My last FOTD was using pretty much entirely this palette and I've got to say I'm really enjoying it! The eyeshadows are decently pigmented and blend like a dream. I would of preferred a few more mattes in there, Teddy Bear and In The Buff are the only full mattes included, but considering the rest of the palette is mostly shimmer having a nice matte transition colour and highlight is pretty damn handy! Black Sugar also appears to be mostly matte with quite a bit of glitter but that generally blends away, which i kinda like. I really love the variety of colours in here you can create nearly an endless amount of looks with this, from daytime to night time smokey eyes to more colourful looks using the pink or GORGEOUS greens.


I'm not too fond of shimmer bronzers so i haven't really given these a bash yet, but i will try too soon. The blushes have really decent pigmentation and including both a pink and a peach makes the palette even more handy! It is really easy to create nearly an entire look with it. I haven't quite made my mind up on Candlelight Glow yet, its pretty glitter heavy, which with pores the size of potholes doesn't really work too well. But I'll keep experimenting as I'm a sucker for a good highlight!

And for the famous Shadow Insurance, well... I've not gotten on with it too well so far. I've used this palette with my trusty MUA primer and had no creasing issues but using the Too Faced primer it creased horrifically within a few hours, which shocked me. But, that could be due to over application, so considering how hyped it is, I'm willing to give it another try. The brush on the other hand, ugh. Its a sponge applicator on one end (WHY OH WHY?) and an unimpressive brush on the other end. But considering its the only thing I've had to moan about, overall this palette is doing pretty damn well....

Swatches!

L - R: In The Buff, Peach Fuzz, Marshmallow, Lovey Dovey, Copper Peony, Teddy Bear, Gum Drop, Malted Milk Ball.

L - R: Satin Sheets, Nice Stems!, Nice Ash, Cherry Cola, Honeymoon, Pastille, Cop a Teal, Black Sugar.

L - R: Sunny Bunny Light, Exclusive Bronzer, La Vie En Rose, Papa Don't Peach, Candlelight Glow.

Overall, i really bloody love this palette. Priced at £42 it is a smidge on the pricey side but if you consider what you are getting, including a full size Shadow Insurance, its a steal. I believe i used my ASOS student discount when my boyfriend purchased this, taking around 20% off. The packaging is so bloody cute, not very practical, but adorable nonetheless. 

So if you're a Too Faced fan or intrigued by the brand, have a little nosey at their stand when your next in Boots (don't forget your points card!). They might just still have this bad boy in stock!

Have you tried any Too Faced products?

Let me know your favourites!

xox

Nars Sheer Glow Review & FOTD

Ello lovelies!

Its taken me a LONG time to do, but finally i've gotten round to doing this review. The main reason being my love / hate relationship with this product, which I'll get into later!

I picked this up maybe two months ago at a Space NK, i was REALLY looking forward to being able to see this in person as we don't have one locally. The assistant was nice enough to try it on for me, after battling to get my doublewear off and her applying a smidge too much bronzer i decided i LOVED the finish. So off i skipped with my pretty (expensive) new foundation. We were having a heatwave at the time so we waddled down to the beach for an hour which was lovely! I did have an allmighty shock when i got home and discovered that it really wasn't just a smidge too much bronzer, but i looked pretty tangoed, cringe!

Here's what Nars have to say about it...

"A glowing, satin-finish foundation with sheer and buildable coverage. Replete with skincare benefits and the NARS Complexion Brightening Formula, skin is hydrated, more luminous, softer and smoother. Used daily, Sheer Glow Foundation improves skin brightness, radiance and texture. For normal to dry skin types."

So i've been using this on and off since i purchased it and yes, it is ever so slightly too dark for my skin tone, but blended out its really not that noticeable. The first shade was SO yellow on me it was unbelievable. So this is where my love / hate relationship started... Some days i absolutely LOVED the finish... some days, well not so much. Applied with a damp sponge it gives what the name would suggest, a sheer, glowy finish which i really love.

I had a few fails when trying to apply it in other ways, using a buffing brush it just looked too obvious and even slightly cakey on my skin. Using fingers it applies with much more coverage, not sheer or glowy at all and can be built up to more of a medium coverage without going cakey and more is a bit hit or miss on me. Using fingers is definitely the option of choice if you want / need more coverage. Until the past few weeks i'd be using different primers and i've found that Benefits Porefessional works best for my skin, it makes it SO much easier to apply and actually makes the foundation last quite a lot longer throughout the day.

So that really explains my slightly undecided view on this product. If I'm looking for something quick and easy to slap on, this isn't it for fear of cocking it up. But if i've got a little more time to work with this has been my foundation of choice, using my fingers to work it into the skin. With that method I'd agree with Nars on that it's satin finish, not completely matte, but certainly not sheer or glowy in the slightest as the name suggests. But with its downsides i am enjoying using it and managed to get a few snaps of me wearing it shopping the other day below!

Face:
Nars - Sheer Glow - Monte Blanc
Nars - Laguna Bronzing Powder
Benefit - Erase Paste
Milani - Coralina BlushElf - HD Powder

It’s such a hyped foundation and an expensive one at that, would i buy it again? Erm.... probably not? I say probably because if i manage to have a eureka moment and learn how to apply it properly every time i probably would, although i really dislike spending £30 on a foundation. But if not, it’s a bit too much hassle for me, I'd much rather repurchase my Double Wear or get a new sneaky BB cream, or two.

Have you tried it?
Did you love / hate it or are you still undecided like me?

Nars Sheer Glow is available online at the Nars UK and online and in Space NK stores across the country.

xox

Products I Regret Buying

Hey guys!

Lately I've been doing a bit of shopping the stash, I've been trying my hardest to buy a bit less on the run up to Christmas (but it's not been going terribly well!). So I've rediscovered a lot of stuff that's been previously unloved in my collection and remembered why i really disliked a lot of products. So here's most of the items i regret buying!

The Smashbox quad came in a set, and if i could find it most other items they'd be included in this post too! I bought it on a whim mainly for the train case that came with it (which turned out to be rubbish quality!). I never use this, i don't like the colours or how they wear and really wish I'd spent the £50 the set cost me more wisely! 

 

Some Kind Of Gorgeous.... all i can say is yuck. I purchased this before i really got into makeup and i absolutely hate it. Even though it's oil free i find it incredibly greasy, the staying power isn't great and i had to use a stupid amount or product to cover anything, and my skin isn't too bad! I'm really not fond of any of Benefits foundations.

Mac Paint Pot in Blackground. Okay, i don't hate this product i just never find myself using it. I much prefer other bases or primers and i think I'm just not brave enough to pull this off. This isn't a bad product i just think for me personally it was a waste of money!

These two i absolutely detest!

All the hype Backcomb In A Bottle got baffles me. I love big hair and backcomb mine frequently but no matter how i use this it just makes my hair sticky and horrid! Such a waste of money!

And the Nyx Glitterati palette... Well the magpie in me really took over on this purchase. Common sense completely left me and what went through my brain was 'OMG IT'S GLITTERY AND SPARKLY I WANT IT'... Sigh. Although it has a lovely range of colours i find it greasy and extremely hard to work with. The glitter wont stay were it's put and is extremely sheer and patchy. I'll just stick to applying glitter on top of Duo in future and hopefully have some more common sense. 

Last but not least Nyx Jumbo Pencils. In my opinion there is only one worth having, Milk. Although these colours are lovely they crease like a nightmare. There are practically unusable, but i do look forward to getting my hands on Urban Decays offering of pencils because they look great!

So enough rambling for me! I do lots of positive reviews so thought it was about time i share which products i really dislike!

Are there any products you regret buying? Let me know!

xox

Sugarpill Swatches - Part 1

This is quite possibly my most exciting purchase of the year. I've debated which items i wanted for some time and in the end i came to the slightly obsessive decision... I WANT THEM ALL!

So after a little bit of scheming i managed to get the entire range from my family for my birthday. Best birthday present ever. I stalked the post man every day for nearly two weeks while i eagerly (and very impatiently) awaited my pink package of prettyness! Ha, try saying that three times! Eventually everything arrived from the US and a UK website and i was ecstatic! I'm a little disappointed i didn't photograph the actual package from Sugarpill as it was adorable! A blue cat printed on the box and filled with pretty pink paper! But sadly i ripped open the package quicker than you could say "addict" and it was a little on the destroyed side by the time i realised.

Most people reading this will already of heard of (and quite possibly already be in love with) Sugarpill. But if you have been living under a dull, makeupless rock "Sugarpill Cosmetics is a custom line of vibrant, richly pigmented, velvety pressed eye shadows and sparkling loose powders." Another big selling point is that absolutely none of their products are tested on animals, most are vegan and are clearly labelled so there's no confusion. Part one I'll be swatching the pressed shadows, Chromolusts will come when i can get some sunlight to show them off. So enough rambling, onto the good stuff!

How fecking cute is the packaging? I'm always a sucker for pretty products and these are up there with my favourites. There has been so much thought and detail put into each bit of packaging it's amazing!

There are a total of 9 pressed eye shadow shades and all can be purchased individually or in palette form apart from the black shade Bulletproof which is only available as a single. Priced at $12 each or $34 for the palettes it worked out cheaper to buy the quads. The packaging other than being super cute is made out of sturdy cardboard and has a reasonably sized mirror inside which is perfect for anyone on the go. The pan size is generous at 4g a shadow which is much bigger than your average Mac pan. These are also extremely easy to depot if you like to hold all your shadows together.

Each palette has two matte and two slightly shimmery shades. But if your a fan of sparkle don't worry! They have 18 gorgeously glittery Chromolust loose eye shadows which I'll be swatching soon! The pigmentation of these is phenomenal and they apply like a dream. The only small downsides is that some of these do stain a little but using a good primer will minimise that, and if I'm being finicky the white shade Tako is a little powdery. But i do honestly consider those tiny downsides for the vibrancy and gorgeous quality of these eye shadows.

Bulletproof Single Pressed Eyeshadow

Dollipop - Afterparty - Midori - Tako

Flamepoint - Buttercupcake - Love+ - Poison Plum - Bulletproof.

These were swatched with no base, just simply on my bare arm.

If you're a fan of brights i really couldn't recommend these more. Fantastic value for money, packaging and quality just to re-mention a few points. Spending over $75 will get you free worldwide shipping so no extortionate postage costs is an added bonus. I also received a gorgeous pink glittery Sugarpill sticker and free sample of Junebug which I'll be giving to a friend to try and convert her!

You can buy all of these products from the Sugarpill website here.

Or if you're in the UK you can buy the singles from Genie Cosmetics here.

What are your favourite shades?

Thanks for reading!

 

xox

My first Illamasqua mini haul.

Illamasqua's a brand I've been meaning to try for quite some time now. I'm always seeing their breathtaking collections online but I've never "needed" anything enough to warrant placing an order. When i shop for makeup especially higher end i generally like to go have a look and a play around with them in store. Sadly we don't have a counter here in Southampton (along with Nars and Mac, boo!) so I've never had a real chance to give the brand a proper look.

I love BB creams. They are a staple in my makeup routine and i honestly do not know what i did before them. I was quite impressed that Illamasqua was one of the first, non Asian makeup brands to bring out their own BB cream and after a lot of contemplating (and Debenhams 10% off sale) i decided to take the plunge! I've seen a lot of buzz on the Skin Base foundation and a few posts recently on their blushes. I feel my collection is lacking in the blush department and thought it was only fair i remedy that. :P

Panic                                  Thrust

 

Panic                                         Thrust

As you've probably already noticed Panic is the most pigmented blush I've ever seen. You need the smallest amount on a brush and even then need some serious blending. Both these blushes are matte shades, i tried to step out of my shimmery pink comfort zone to try something new and exciting. Thrust is still very pigmented but not to the level of Panic. Being so pigmented i found them (Panic in particular) a little difficult to work with. It's extremely easy to over do it, but saying that I'm actually in love with the colours. Panic is your perfect Snow White flush and really does compliment my super pale skin. These super pigmented beauties will set you back £16.50 each which is on the pricey side but considering how much you don't need to use i don't think it's an overly unreasonable price.

Skin Base Foundation - SB02

Hallelujah! Illamasqua has to be one of the only higher end brands to cater for us pink toned Caspers! I've tried countless foundations from brands such as Mac, Chanel and Dior and have never been able to find a colour match. I've been using Estee Lauder Double Wear in Shell for quite some time now and have been looking for a lighter coverage foundation. SB02 may even be slightly too light for me and i never thought I'd be able to say that! It's got more coverage than your traditional BB cream which is a plus and has more of a matte finish, the only downside is i personally find it a little on the dry side. I was also a little shocked at the bottle, cute as it is it's tiny and at £25 a pop it's not cheap. You do get 30ml of product but for some reason the bottle just looks on the small size to me, but it's a handy size for popping in your handbag. I'm lucky enough to not suffer too much with my skin and this gives me the perfect amount of coverage and easily conceals my redness. I think this will have a firm place in my foundation routine for the foreseeable future. 

Overall I'm pretty impressed on a whole with Illamasqua's products and certainly won't be hesitating on trying more. I'm now on the look out for a real red blush that isn't quite so pigmented and possibly has a little shimmer!


Whats your favourite Illamasqua product?

You can buy these products online here or at your local counter.

Thanks for reading.

xox

My First BFTE Sets - Lights

 Ello lovelies! I'm delighted I've had the chance to do this post today as yesterday was my birthday AND my first day of uni (SCARY!). I thought i wouldn't get much time to blog this week and I'm pleased as punch that i actually do! This is the second part of my BFTE haul. 

Around a month ago i caved to my craving and ordered two sets from BFTE. I've got to admit that the lights is my least favourite of the two but it does have some stunning, more wearable and every day colours. So if brights aren't for you maybe these are!

  

The same as the Brights this sets comes with eight .5 gram sample sized jars. Which gives you enough to have a good play around and wear these a few times before taking the plunge and buying a full sized jar. These also make adorable gifts!

 Aqua - Riddle - Mint - Cornflower - Princess - Peony - Beautiful - Bliss

 Aqua - Riddle - Mint - Cornflower - Princess - Peony - Beautiful - Bliss

Taken in direct sunshine to show off the stunning shimmer!

Overall again i think this is a fantastic little set. I've written all about Beauty From The Earth in my last post so if you want to know any more about the brand or see their gorgeous Brights collection click here.

You can also visit the Beauty From The Earth website here.

A short and sweet post from me today. But I've got some exciting birthday pressies to blog about over the next couple of days (when they eventually arrive!).

Let me know what your favourite BFTE shade is!

Thanks for reading!

xox

Losing my Fyrinnae virginity!

Since becoming obsessed with beauty products I've been learning more and more about indie brands. Fyrinnae is one that earns a lot of praise in the blogging community and i had to see if they lived up to the hype!

I had a little trouble actually trying to order these as the website goes down frequently but luckily my patience paid off and i managed to order a few goodies! I ordered five of their $2 samples and it was a real struggle to try and pick out which ones as so many are beautiful! I also picked up Pixie Epoxy their infamous eyeshadow base which as you'll be able to see i had a little trouble with initially. Onto the swatches!

Aztec Gold - Pumpkin Fire - Bite Me - Sake Sashimi - Boytoy - Fire Opal

This picture was taken without a base in natural light as i was trying to pick the gorgeous sparkle most of these have. Boytoy is probably my favorite at the bunch being Fyrinnae's sparkliest green it really makes the Magpie in me go crazy! And you can see even without a base you still get excellent and even colour pay off.

Aztec Gold - Pumpkin Fire - Bite Me - Sake Sashimi - Boytoy - Fire Opal

  

These were taken over Pixie Epoxy and I'll start by apologising for the sloppy swatches. Me and Pixie Epoxy need some work, i was finding it a bit difficult to work with but in time realised that all you really need is a small amount. This really brings out the colour in things making them more vibrant and really pop! I've been trying it with a lot of other shadows as well and it works wonders! It's a little harder to blend with in my opinion so keep that in mind.

For $2 you get quite a lot of product and they even included a freebie which I'm actually really enjoying! I will definitely be purchasing Boytoy in full size when I've finished the sample, i think I've discovered my all time favourite green.
 

Shipping is around $6 to the UK (I'd check but the website is down!) so it's nothing overly expensive and i received my package in around two weeks which isn't bad at all! In total i paid around $20 for the little lot i ordered which is excellent.

I would highly recommend Fyrinnae to anyone and everyone as i feel they have such a diverse colour range that there really is something for everyone. I'm also delighted to say they do live up to the hype online. 

These can only be purchased online from the Fyrinnae website here.
The sites currently unavailable but keep trying as they are well worth the wait!

If you have any Fyrinnae posts or favourite colours feel free to comment below or link me them as I'd love to discover some new beauties.

Thanks for reading!

Urban Decay 24/7 Water Proof Liquid Liners

Ello!

Sorry this post is a little late! Having a week off work somehow gave me much less time to blog than normal but I'm back and have some new goodies to review!

I have a real soft spot for Urban Decay and these new additions to their range are were no exception. Priced at £14 each normally i wouldn't dream of spending that much for a liquid liner but i just couldn't resist these colours! Having £10 on my Debenhams beauty card also helped. These come in 12 absolutely gorgeous shades so deciding which two to buy was extremely hard.

Woodstock - "Hot pink with iridescent sparkle"

Smog - "Deep brown with golden shimmer and iridescent sparkle"

The beauty of these is that they are waterproof, smudge proof, sweat proof and are extremely long lasting! Which means they are perfect for hot nights out or days by the pool (not that we ever get that sort of weather here in the UK!). The one downside for me personally is the applicator, I'm used to quite hard nib liner applicators and these are taking some getting used to. The applicator is soft and fine and a little flimsy, but I'm sure with some practice I'll be able to master it!

I'm in love with the colours and I'm looking forward to using these for some FOTD posts soon so you can see these in action! Urban Decay in Debenhams currently have an offer if you purchase two items you get a free mini gift which was a nice surprise! There are around six choices and i opted for the All Nighter Setting Spray. I've been desperate to try this for some time but not willing to take the £20 plunge and buy it! But so far it's looking that I'll definitely be getting the full size one when this is finished!

You can buy these in store and on the Debenhams website here.

They also currently have 10% and free delivery on their entire beauty range which makes these a little more affordable.

Whats your favourite shade out of the 12?

Thanks for reading!

xox

Blackheads begone!

I thought I'd do a little bit of a different post here as you may be a little tired of eyeshadow swatches, sorry I'm an addict!

Blackheads have been an annoying problem for me for quite some time and although I've never managed to completely rid my face of them I've had a good try! There are a ton of products on the market claiming to remove blackheads and refine pores but I've not found many that work. Here are a couple of products that i find work for me, I'm not claiming they are gunna miraculously clear up the problem, but they definitely help!



These are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I LOVE squeezing spots... odd i know but it runs in the family. Me, my Mother and Sister will all fight at the sight of a ripe blackhead. You might think that's a bit rank but we can't help it. There is something extremely satisfy about getting a decent blackhead or spot out and I'm not ashamed to say it! Even other peoples if they are willing! But there are some limits, i obviously wouldn't ask a random person to squeeze their face but if good friends have them i will (or I'll definitely be thinking about it!). 

Getting to the point. I've tried a ton of pore strips in the past and not really had much luck with them and I've found these bad boys work the best! And having a good old look at what they get out for me makes them even more amazing. At £1.80 for six they are extremely affordable and work like a dream.

Soap and Glory - The Fab Pore Facial Peel
 
"Soap & Glory The Fab Pore™ 15 Minute Facial Peel 50ml has an intensive pore refining action with our exclusive PORESHRINK-R COMPLEX. Ideal for greasy, spot prone or problem skin, or for a strategic attack on a misbehaving T-Zone."

I generally use this after a strip and find it really helps to minimise pore size. It's obviously not going to completely close them but it does a good job trying.
It's priced at £7.15 for 50ml as has lasted me quite a long time already. Keep an eye out in Boots stores or online for them as they have 3 for 2 offers frequently

Do you have any products you swear by when it comes to blackheads? Let me know!

xx