Naked Palette vs. Naked 2 Palette

Naked 1 - £37 and Naked 2 - £37

The Naked Palettes are the popular neutrals palettes of the beauty world, but the question for those not brave enough for the Naked 3 still stands- Naked 1 or Naked 2? It's incredible just how amazing the quality of Urban Decay shadows are and they are worth every penny!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Duo in 'Sin/Mushroom'

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Duo in 'Sin/Mushroom' - bought in a gift set

There's not denying that Urban Decay take the top spot when it comes to eyeshadows, with their insane pigmentation and creamy, easy-to-blend formula. No surprise to say that I was delighted when I received this eyeshadow duo in the Sephora Superstars set. 

January Favourites

The first month of 2014 is already over and boy am I glad to see it go! It's been a slow and stressful month which has been filled with exams and rain- not a good combo- but these have been the products that I've been using all month!

Late night study sessions = dark under eye circles = Origins GinZing Refreshing eye cream to the rescue! Slightly tinted to counteract the darkness and then some, as well as feeling really refreshing and making my eyes look a lot more vibrant.
For that added coverage, I've been relying on the Make Up Forever Full Cover concealer which has really been the best thing to help me look presentable when I go out. I apply it with my fingers then blend it in with the EcoTools Airbrush Concealer brush, which makes it really look flawless.

I've been wearing the Urban Decay Eyeshadow in 'Sin' (the lighter pink shade) to add some brightness to my eyelids and give a bit of shimmer. It has a great formula and is just a dream to blend!
The Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in 'Black' has been great for adding a bit of a dramatic line when I've gone out this month, staying on the hole time without a smudge in sight.
To add some colour to my cheeks, I've loved applying the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in 'Thankful'. It's a beautiful shade which adds a flush to my face, with an instant healthy glow.

To keep my hands looking presentable, I've loved the Nails inc. nail polish in 'Old Bond Street' which is a lovely, deep violet colour. Battling against the cold has taken a toll on my hands, so this Nivea Smooth Nourishing hand cream has been a welcome visitor! It's so moisturising and rich but not greasy, making it easy to continue going about my everyday activities. 

Sephora Haul

I'm coming at you now with Part 2 of my Paris haul, this time it's the Sephora Edition. I was only in Paris for 4 days, yet I can't even count the number of times I walked up and down the aisles of Sephora (note to any of you Paris goers: while the Champs-Élysées branch is massive, the one on Rue de Rivoli is still quite large, yet much less busy and easier to shop in!). I had planned what I wanted to buy before I went, making it less likely for me to go crazy and buy everything in sight (although just one thing was a little impulse purchase). 

 Starting with the most exciting purchase, I caved and bought a NARS palette, the At First Sight palette. Even though I already have a mini of the Laguna, that didn't stop me from buying this, complete with a Deep Throat blusher, Laguna bronzer and four eyeshadows which, surprisingly, work well together. I can't want to experiment with this little bad boy!

 Make Up For Ever is a brand whose makeup I've never tried before, yet this Full Cover concealer has been on my list for months! So when the cashier handed me a 20% off voucher when she found out I was a foreign customer, I knew that this was next to be purchased. This is definitely a high coverage product, concealing those pesky little spots and scars that have been driving me crazy. It's a well-loved addition to my life!

I've never tried the BeautyBlender makeup sponge before, but this Sephora 3D Precision Sponge was an impulse purchase while waiting to pay. I've tried it a couple of times and I'm quite impressed, but the fact that it is white makes my inner obsessive writhe every time I use it to blend foundation- I can see that it will be tough to clean.

 

I have a rollerball of this perfume, Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb and it smells beautiful, literally it could be one of my favourite perfumes ever. And that means a lot coming from me, the owner of 30+ perfumes. It smells amazing and the bottle is something I'm proud to put on my shelf- you'll definitely be hearing more about this!

I'm not sure if this counts as a purchase, but as a new member of the Sephora rewards card, I was able to choose a free nail polish from their own line. I chose this salmon-pink colour in 'Have U Ever' and as I type, I am sporting it on my nails. It may not be the most winter-appropriate colour but I am determined to test out its 5 Day Shine claims. 

I know this wasn't the largest haul ever but I'm very satisfied with my purchases, makeup from Sephora and skincare from City Pharma, I am a very happy girl!  

On another note, I have quite a few exams coming up so I'm sorry if I'm a bit AWOL over the next couple of weeks, studies call!

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoos

One of the most famous products from the high street, the Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoos are cream eyeshadows, often likened as being dupes to MAC Paint Pots. 

I only have 2 of the Colour Tattoos but they have certainly left an impression on me! As you can tell from the swatches, they are really pigmented. They last all day without a sign of smudging or creasing.

The shade On and On Bronze is a beautiful bronze colour, looking lovely alone or used to prolong and intensify the wear of an eyeshadow. 

Pink Gold is an unusual choice for me, an impulse purchase in the dangerous aisles of Boots! It is the single pink eyeshadow product I own, as it's a colour that doesn't usually suit me. This, however, looks really beautiful as a nice wash of colour on the lid and surprised me as a colour I'd never really used.

The 24 Hour Colour Tattoos retail at about £4.99 each, which is amazing value, but you can catch them when Boots are having their 3 for 2 offer!

Sephora Favourites Super Stars 2013

 Every year around Christmas Sephora come out with a range of value gift sets, and they always have their 'Super Stars' set containing best sellers from the year. This year's set retails for $75 but is valued at around $280! It contains 12 items, some full sized and others very generously sized. They have products from the likes of Smashbox, NARS, Urban Decay, Origins and more, but unfortunately, it's now sold out online, but you might be able to find it in-store.

 First is the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in the shade 'Light'. I'm lucky that this shade works with my winter skin, but to be honest this was a bad idea. So many people have darker skin, they could have at least put Light/Medium or Medium, or perhaps even had a choice of 3 Superstars sets with Light, Medium and Dark. Anyway, getting onto the actual product, this claims to:

• PRIME: Wear alone, or under your favorite foundation to create a smooth canvas
• PERFECT: Tinted formula in 5 shades evens out skin for a flawless finish
• HYDRATE: Improves skin moisture in 4 weeks.
• PROTECT: SPF 35 guards against UVA/UVB rays
• CONTROL OIL: Minimizes shine with no chalky finish.

Quite ambitious claims but I'll see how true they are! This is a full-sized product, normally retailing at £27. When you think about it, this kit was $75, which is about £45, so it's really great value for money.

 Next is the mini NARS Duo 'Orgasm/Laguna'. This is an amazing product, small enough to fit in my handbag. The pigmentation is really great, and the colours are beautiful- review to come soon!

 There was a duo of the Urban Decay eyeshadows in 'Sin' and 'Mushroom'. The little container is full sized but each shadow is half, but that's more than enough for me! It's a great little duo, compact and the colours work really lovely together- it's a whole eye look in a small container.

Then there is the full sized Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in 'Black'. This is such a good eyeliner, making it easy to just slightly define the upper lash line or to go full out cat-eye. The longevity is great and, after just shaking it, it's ready to go!

 I've never really been a lipstick kind of gal, being too scared to pick the brighter shades but the nude shades would just wash me out, so I was really glad that this was a pre-picked shade, 'Dolce Vita' NARS lipstick. It's full-sized and is so creamy, the formulation is really nice.

 I don't really do anything with my brows, I leave that to the lady at the salon who waxes them! I have quite thick brows, not really needing to be filled in, but they are pretty wild. This is a deluxe size of the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel, and it's such a nifty little product that I comb through by brows to keep in check- no crispiness, no messiness, simple!

 This is a really interesting product, the Too Faced Better Than False Lashes mascara. It's a two-part product, which literally makes you look like you're wearing false lashes. It works by putting that white stuff, nylon fibres, onto your lashes, then the black mascara over it, really lengthening them. 

 I've never tried this Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume so I, being an avid perfume collector, was excited to try this out. It comes in a handy little roller-ball form and smells incredible- I literally roll this all over my body just so everything smells like it!

 I've wanted to try the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray for a while but couldn't really justify spending so much on it, so I was really pleased to find a mini size of it in the box for me to try. 

 I've wanted to try this Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil for I don't know how long! It's only a mini size, but I use it for everything, nourishing the ends of my hair and even as a serum before my moisturiser.

 I'm a fan of Origins products and really wanted to try their Ginzing range, so to find a full-size of this Ginzing eye cream was great. It's really brightening and moisturising, making it perfect for my dark under-eye circles.

 I always hear about Deborah Lippman nail polishes but have never really had any inclination to try them out, due to their steep prices, but this nail polish in the shade 'Cleopatra in New York' is really beautiful both alone and on top of other colours. In the picture above, you can see I used it as an accent nail over the Barry M Matte Nail Paint in 'Mocha'.

Top-Bottom: Smashbox Photo Ready BB Cream 'Light', Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eye Liner 'Black', Urban Decay Eyeshadow 'Sin' and 'Mushroom', NARS lipstick 'Dolce Vita'

This post was a long one so well done to those of you who got through to the end! These were just mini reviews of the products but I will be doing full reviews on some of the ones which particularly caught my eye.

August Favourites

 This month I've battled the 40+ degree weather of Italy and had some really incredible experiences, so you could say it's been a pretty great month! I have a few products that I have been using through all of this month. 

Birthday!

My birthday was on the 30th April so I was lucky enough to receive presents from my friends and family, so I'd love to share it with you (however many of you there are!), since I really love reading/watching this kind of thing!

Favourites

Since I've started to use make up more, I've come to love (and hate) lots of products, but I'll get to the "hate" ones in good time! This will show you all of the products that I love to use.