Urban Decay Book of Shadows III

If you're thinking this is an odd post you might be happy to know there is actually method in my madness! Urban Decay released there Book of Shadows III last year i believe, but to my delight Debenhams have recently started selling them again. I found it on a random check for the 15th anniversary palette and it was definitely a great surprise! I missed this palette the first time round and I'm ecstatic that i managed to get my hands on this now. If you're considering getting this I'd definitely advise you to get this sooner rather than later because no one knows how long this will actually be on sale for.

Firstly the packaging... it's pretty impractical but i love it! It's gotta be some of the cutest packaging I've ever seen.The top part of the palette has an open up lid that has a super cute pop up scene of New York with adorable lighting behind it. It is pretty bulky so not something you can throw in you're handbag but if you're like me and are sucker for packaging you'll love this.

Value for money wise i think this is actually fantastic, not only do you get 16 eye shadows but two mini 24/7 eyeliners and a mini primer potion. The eyeliners were the biggest selling point for me as I've been meaning to pick up Zero for quite some time now, it's simply the best black eyeliner I've ever used. Loaded and Kush shades where the second selling point for me, I'm slightly obsessed with green eye shadows and having those two gorgeous shades to clash with my hair was just the cherry on top of the cake.

Now for the swatches!

(I'm not used to having nails so accidentally took a chunk out of Uzi, *sobs*)

How gorgeous is Kush?! If i wasn't excited enough about this palette when i got it swatching just multiplied my excitement, i can't wait to try these out.

As i mentioned above the palette comes with two mini 24/7 eyeliners in Zero and Ransom. I'm not a big purple person but I'm certainly going to be having a play around with Ransom and Psychedelic sister as this was the most eye catching shades to me. I've not been let down with any of these shades so far, the colours are stunning and the pigmentation and texture is awesome but i really wouldn't expect any less from Urban Decay.

I originally wasn't going to blog about this as it's been done to death in the past but i thought it was a great chance to let some UK'ers know that they could still get their hands on this! Overall i think this is a wonderful palette and would make a great gift or just be an extremely pretty piece of your collection.


These are currently available online only at Debenhams website for £32.

 And as far as I'm aware was the only palette that didn't see a slight increase in price this week, as the Naked Palette went from £32 to £35 which i thought was odd.

Anyways, thanks for reading lovelies.

xx

Sigma Synthetic Face Kit Review

Hello m'lovelies! I've been meaning to do this post all week and now i have some time off work (yay!) I've been able to get round to it. These are probably one of my favourite beauty purchases ever, so i thought I'd do a review and let you all know why!

I've had my eye on some Sigma goodies for quite some time but I've been a little cautious due to not wanting to wait a long time for them to arrive and not wanting to pay customs fee's. I eventually couldn't resist any longer and decided on buying the Synthetic Face Kit as it was at the top of my wishlist! Using the cheapest shipping to my surprise they arrived in just a week with no evil customs charges. I was ecstatic! And to top if off they come in a remarkably cute blue pouch with instructions and details of the brushes. In total these came to about £30, that's including the fast, low cost shipping!

Here's what Sigma say about these:

"F80 - Flat Top Kabuki

The F80 Flat Top Kabuki brush is perfect for applying and blending liquid, cream, and powder products onto the skin. The flat surface allows perfect buffing with flawless results. Features synthetic Sigmax HD fibers.

F82 - Round Top Kabuki

The F82 Round Top Kabuki brush simplifies precise makeup application under the eyes and around the nose. This brush is also perfect for achieving flawless coverage using liquid and powder products. Features synthetic Sigmax HD fibers.

F84 - Angled Top Kabuki

The F84 Angled Top Kabuki brush is the perfect brush for precise, yet blended application of products on the cheeks. It seamlessly applies cream, powder and liquid products. Features synthetic Sigmax HD fibers."

The F80 has been a new favourite in my daily routine, using it to apply liquid foundation mainly my Skin79 BB cream and it's made me love that product even more! It leaves all my uneven skin tone covered beautifully without feeling like I've got a layer of foundation on, giving a flawless finish. I've been using it for a good few weeks now and I've had literally no shedding even after washing them a few times, the bristles have stayed in shape and are super soft. I'm absolutely in love with this brush.

The F82 and F84 haven't gotten as much use as i would like so far as my routine has been a little boring as I've done little else but go to work the last few weeks. So I'm determined to have a good play with these soon. Again they have both stayed soft and in shape but I've had a little shedding with the F84, but i mean under 10 hairs which i really can't complain about.

Everyone loves a free gift and this one was definitely not to be sniffed at. Every purchase on the Sigma website over $30 receives a free E25 blending brush, and like the F80 this has managed to work its way into my daily routine and given me an excuse to place another order to get a few more! Although it did shed quite a bit initially and has splayed out ever so slightly this is a fantastic blending brush in my opinion. Although I'm only used to the E.l.f ones so I'm not sure how much my opinion is worth on the subject! :P

All in all i think this set is fabulous and well worth looking at if you're looking to invest in some good quality brushes. Always look out for promotion codes when purchasing anything off the Sigma website as there are generally a few 10% off codes flying around at any given time.

This set can be purchased off the Sigma website for $42 + Shipping here.

Let me know through comments if you guys have any reviews on Sigma brushes as I'd love to read them!

xx

July Favourites

Welcome to my first ever favourites post! This month I've been loving SO many products it was hard to take it down to just a few. So here's what I've been adoring for the month of July!

Sleek Curacao Palette - This is something i purchased on a whim, luckily i love it! I've been playing around with different bright colours in the last week or two mainly using this to do it. My last post was actually a review on this if you want to know more about it.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Okay... I know everyone's probably sick of hearing about this palette by now. I've never really been a neutral girl until i started using this. Every shade is absolutely stunning and wearable and i don't know how i lived without it (a bit dramatic but you get my point). Half Baked is probably my all time favourite colour from this. I'll shh now because unless you've been living under a rock you've heard all this a million times.

E.l.f High Definition Powder - I've never really been into translucent powders before getting this. I have a little bit of an E.l.f obsession, although i ony really like probably half of their products i have the urge to make an order every time they have a good sale on. I just can't help myself. This really does make my face look and feel silky smooth, I'd definitely recommend checking it out!

Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study - On my lazy days with makeup i will just pop this all over the lid with some liquid liner and I'm good to go. It's a gorgeous pearly nude shade that makes my eyeliner stick ALL day.

Skin79 Super Plus BB Cream - This is probably my HG item. Apart from when i go for a night out i wear this every day. I even mix my Double Wear with this when i do go out to give my skin more moisture. Theres not even words for how much i love this. I've been using my Sigma F80 to apply this lately and it just gives such a flawless finish and removes any darkness or redness from my face. Although if you do suffer with your skin this may not be enough coverage for you.

Benefit's Bella Bamba - I'll do a full review on this soon so I'll keep this short. Love love love love. It's a beautiful watermelon pink and is super pigmented. Probably my favourite blush of all time.

Clinique Happy In Bloom - I love any variation of Happy. I've constantly had a bottle of this since i was about 14 years old and i still love it just as much. It's a lovely light summery fragrance, and i just can't get enough of it!

Sigma F80 & F82 - I'm not gunna say much about these since my next post will hopefully be my review on them. These have completely changed how i apply and wear foundation for the better.

Mac Lipstick in Lustering - I'm not a big lipstick wearer and I've been trying to rectify this lately. Lustering is a gorgeous bright pink shade and has been a good start to converting me to Lipstick!

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream - I'm just starting my second mini pot of this i got free with Grazia Magazine a little while ago. Although I've really been liking this I'm not sure I'll repurchase it. It feels lovely and cooling on the eye but I've not really noticed a difference. These little tubs were a lovely introduction to eye cream for me and I'll definitely be trying some other brands out to compare.

Claire's Accessories Pocket Watch Necklace - Well I'm not sure if I'm cheating a little bit putting this in because i only got it the other day but i just had to. I've been eyeing up pocket watch type necklaces on ebay now for some time and literally squeeled with excitement when i saw this. I love everything about it down to the little bow. I'll be including this in a mini Jewelry haul soon :)

Benefit's High Beam - Again most of you have heard a lot about this product. It's one of the minis i collected from Glamour Magazine and this is definitely my favourite out of the three. It's basically a gorgeous liquid highlighter and there are a gazillion reviews on it so I'll stop there.


Well this ended up a lot longer than i expected! Which products are your favourites for July? Let me know in comments or link your blog.


Thanks for reading guys.

xx

Sleek Caribbean Collection - Curacao Palette

I'd like to start off this post by saying a massive thank you to everyone who has followed my blog. As I'm writing this I'm on 50 followers which i think is amazing! So again a big thank you to all of you :)

I am a big fan of Sleek products, i own a few of their older palettes and they probably don't get as much use as they deserve. In my opinion most of their shadows rival high end brands but at a fraction of the cost. I'm not a massive collector of their palettes but in all honesty i think i should own more! They have an amazing range of shades and are all superbly pigmented. So whilst in town last week as per usual i made an excuse up to go have a browse in Superdrug, I'd spotted the newest collections online but nothing had really taken my fancy but after a few quick swatches in the shop i soon changed my mind.

 

I was pleasantly surprised when swatching these as the colours i was least interested in turned out to be the prettiest out of the pan. Tequila Sunrise actually made me "ooooooooooooh" when swatching as it is absolutely stunning and I'm determined to do a wearable look with this soon.

Tequila Sunrise - Martini - Blue Hawaiian - Bloody Mary - Screwdriver - Green Iguana

Apres Midori - Blue Lagoon - Purple Haze - Green Martini - Singapore Sling - Espresso Martini

I'm extremely impressed with this palette and have hooked out my older ones so i remember to use them often. I shall be keeping my eye out on Sleeks future collections as i can see myself collecting a lot more of them.

These are priced at £6.49 and can be purchased from Superdrug stores or online on the Sleek website here.

xx

FOTD - Fun Bright Youtube Inspired Look

Just like most beauty bloggers i absolutely adore watching Youtube Gurus and today was no exception. After watching a tutorial by BeautifulYouTV i had some serious Inglot envy. Inglot as far as I'm aware do not have an online store that ships to the UK. And where I've not had the time to travel to London to visit their store i do get a little strop on from time, I'm dying to try out their eye shadows! But while swatching my latest sleek purchase i found the Curacao Pallete had some shades that were extremely similar so i ran off to attempt this look! 

 

My camera is making the green a little brighter than it is in real life, sorry! The swatches will be a truer likeness.

Eye shadows and me have only been friends the last couple of months in the past I'd stick to one shadow if any and I've been desperate to try out some new looks! I absolutely love the colours in this.

Products used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Maybelline Falsies Mascara
Sleek Curacao Palette - Green Iguana - Martini - 
Singapore Sling - Expresso Martini

This turned into an Eye of the day due to my skin being terrible and the photos i took reminded me i desperately need to use a pore strip, yuck! As you can see I'm no expert and I'll probably never be posting tutorials on here, but I'm learning! I'll also be uploading the swatches and reviews on the Sleek Curacao and Oh So Special palettes this week!

You can visit BeautifulYouTV's Youtube channel and watch the video i used to do this look here.


Thanks for reading!

Oops i did it again...

The picture says it all! If you didn't already know E.l.f are having a massive 50% off sale this week which ends tomorrow at 1pm. I would of posted this a few days ago but I've been a bit poorly. I do not need any more E.l.f products since i have a love/hate relationship with most of them but i cannot resist a sale. So i decided to pick up a few repurchases of the products i love and some random bits and bobs. I've done a few posts on E.l.f in the past so i wont bang on.

So if you haven't had a chance to try this brand out now is the perfect time to do it :)

You can go straight to the website here.

xx

Mac Haul

So this is a little late, but better late than never! I managed to take a detour on my way to a wedding last weekend to stop at Newcastle's Metro Center specifically to go to their Mac counter. Needless to say i was like a kid in a candy shop and had very little willpower over how much i actually spent. But it's not every day (or even year!) i get to go to one so i decided to well and truly treat myself. I've had some time to try out all the stuff i got and I'm pretty happy with it all (apart from one but I'll explain that later). So here's what i got and my opinion on them so far. I'll try to keep this short and sweet :)

 Powder Blush - Dollymix - £17
I love pink lips and cheeks possibly a little too much and I've been eyeing this blush up for ages! It's a sheertone finish and is like the name implies a little on the sheer side. Built up it gives a gorgeous pink flush to the cheek, although I think i still much prefer my favourite Benefit's Bella Bamba.

Heavily swatched and sheered out.

 Pro Palette Refill - All That Glitters - Beauty Marked - £9.50

This was the most exciting part of my haul for me. I've been wanting a Pro Palette for quite some time now but just couldn't justify the money. Like a dozey Magpie i was drawn to beauty marked, in the store it looked like a gorgeous black with red/purple shimmer. Unfortunately logic didn't kick in until after i purchased it even when i swatched it on my hand in the store all that went through my head was 'ITS PRETTY AND GLITTERY YAY' .... dumb ass. It's a velvet finish and is still pretty wearable but next time I'm at a Mac counter I'll definitely remember not to get over excited and loose my common sense. On the other hand All That Glitters (Veluxe Pearl) is absolutely stunning, I've been wearing it nearly every day without fail, it definitely lives up to all the hype.

                                   All That Glitters                    Beauty Marked

Lovelorn & Lustering Lipsticks - Lustre - £13.50
Oh look more pink things... It's becoming a bit of a trend lately. Lustre finishes are on the safe side being quite sheer and since I'm not confident with opaque lips yet they work just fine for me. Please excuse the bad pictures i had to try and photograph them in the hotel so i could get a chance to try everything out! They are a little on the drying side though so a good lip butter and exfoliate is a must with these.

Lovelorn - Lustering

Paint Pot - Blackground - £13.50
I've not been brave enough to wear this out yet so top of my things to do list is to try to achieve a wearable smokey eye with this. I say "try" because i generally suck a smokey eyes but I'm dying to wear them more often. It's not completely opaque which i love and shimmer softens it. I really just need to get my bum in gear and get using this!

Dazzleglass - Love Alert - £16
Yet again i was distracted by glittery things, but this time it was a good distraction. Love Alert is described as a Raspberry Red with Red Pearl and i love it. It's a little stickier than Lustreglasses but the colour and shimmer are stunning. I'm glad my Magpie senses went off with this one!

Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Light - £18.50
Apologies for the poor qualify picture underneath, Light was a pretty good match for me and my camera decided it really did not want to focus. Another item I've been eyeing up for some time now. Although i already own more powders than I'd like to admit i had to have this! I love having a flawless face but lately I've been trying to go a little more natural. This is perfect for setting my foundation or touching up during the day. So another thumbs up from me!

Should i really have splurged this much? Not really. But i really couldn't help myself. I think this is probably all the Mac I'll buy till around Christmas unless they release an irresistible collection (although judging by this years, they probably won't!). I'll stop blabbering now!


Ta for reading guys :)

xx