Beauty and Bentley

Okay, this is probably going to be a very unpopular opinion but.........I'm not a fan of the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I should start by saying that I don't think this is a bad palette but for some reason, I never reach for it! Today I'm going to weigh up the pros and cons and see if I can figure out why I never use this palette whilst hopefully providing you with a useful review.

This palette is pretty expensive, it costs £39.50 and comes with 12 eyeshadows and a dual-ended brush. The palette comes with lots of pink shades in mostly shimmer or satin formulas with three mattes. The packaging is a rose gold metal tin that pops open to reveal a nice big mirror, it's not the sleekest or most lightweight but it does look good and is very durable.

One of the biggest reasons I don't think I like this palette is because I don't think pink eyeshadows suit me (I wish I had figured that out before picking up this palette) but when I swatch the shades I always think 'wow these look so pretty I should them more'. 

All of the eyeshadows are pigmented and blend well but I don't they are anything more special than a lot of other less expensive eyeshadows that I own, they don't blow me away, don't get me wrong I love Urban Decay as a brand but I don't think the collection of Naked palettes are for me. A few of the shimmery shades have fallout and leave little particles of glitter on my face which I really don't like. The matte shades are actually my favourite, they apply smoothly, blend easily and can be built up. I also find that some of the shades swatch beautifully but don't apply quite as well with a brush so I would suggest applying the shimmer shades over the lid with your fingertips to get the best results. 

Shades

Strange - An off-white shade that applies smoothly and is ideal for setting the lid and highlighting the brow bone.

Dust - The name is appropriate for this shade as it is very dusty and chunky, it's a pale pink shimmer shade with lots of fallout that leaves glitter on the face.

Burnout  - This is a light pink shade with a satin finish, it feels smooth and applies evenly. I don't really have any strong feelings about this shade.

Limit - A cool toned matte eyeshadow in a pinky-grey shade. This works well as a transition shade and it's one of my favourites from the palette.

Buzz - This is a mid-tone shimmery pink, this is one of the more chunky shades, it is nice shade but I don't think it suits me.

Trick - This is a rose gold shimmer that looks really pretty but it does fall down and leave glitter particles on the face.

Nooner - This is another one of the matte shades and another favourite of mines, it's like a deeper version of Limit that's perfect for darkening up the crease.

Liar  - This is yet another pink shimmer shade, it's deeper than the others that I've mentioned and is pretty but not anything special.

Factory - This is one of the few shades that aren't pink, this a cool-toned brown with flecks of gold, it has a satin finish that can be used all over the lid for deeper smokey looks.

Mugshot - This is a similar shade to Factory but lighter and more shimmery, it's very pigmented and pretty.

Darkside - This is a dark grey satin eyeshadow that can be used to deepen up the outer corner of the eye, it does work but I don't think it's as pigmented as some of the other shades in the palette.

Blackheart - This is a beautiful black shade with little flecks of gold and pink, it's a nice alternative to a standard black and it has good pigmentation.


Overall I think the reason I don't reach for this palette is that the shades just don't call out to me, the quality is good but nothing exceptional and for the high price I would expect a little more. I might enjoy some of the other palettes from the Naked collection more but I don't think I'll pick any of them up, in future, I'll try out other products from the Urban Decay line. I will give it one more shot with this palette but if I don't learn to love it then I think I will give it away to someone who will enjoy it and appreciate it more than I do.


What are your thoughts on the Naked palettes? 

It's another week and another Primark review, everything from the beauty range is just so affordable that I can't help but try new things all the time and today I'm reviewing the PS Primer Water.

I think this is intended to be a dupe for the Smashbox Primer Water which I personally haven't tried out so I won't be comparing the two but the packaging has a very similar vibe.

I'm not actually a huge primer fan, I wrote a post a few weeks back testing out the primers I own to see if they really worked and I found that quite a few didn't do much, I'll link the post here so you read my thoughts more in-depth. When I spotted this primer water I thought it looked really interesting and a bit different and as it only cost £2 I couldn't resist picking it up to try out. 

Okay so in a bottle you get 150ml of product and it claims to hydrate and refresh without any silicones, alcohol or oil.

Ingredients - Are they good or bad?

Propylene Glycol - a humectant which hydrates and helps other ingredients penetrate the skin, also helps to keep products stable and prevent melting/freezing in extreme temperatures

Sodium Sulfate - a foaming agent, I'm not sure what purpose this serves as this isn't a cleansing product, some say its causes irritation 

Polysorbate 20 - used to mix oil and water in various skin care products, there is some cause for concern as it is linked to skin allergies 

Caffeine - this can apparently help to reduce swelling and provide antioxidant properties 

Fragrance - has no benefits for the skin so it would be better if skincare didn't contain any fragrance, it could cause some irritation for very sensitive skin

I've read over and researched some of the ingredients and overall I don't think there is any cause for concern, the ingredients aren't going to be high quality considering the cost of this Primer Water is so low but there are not a 100 ingredients on the list so there's going to be less chemicals.

Review

The first thing I need to say is I love the mister on this spray bottle, it's so fine and doesn't leave any of those annoying droplets on the skin. It's light, refreshing and sinks into the skin easily, I don't notice any major difference to the application of my make-up. Once my make-up is done and set in place I must say I don't know if I personally see a big difference throughout the day but I did apply this to one half of my face and when I asked my boyfriend which side looked better he very confidently picked the side I had used the primer water on. I really like to use this water not only as a primer but to refresh the skin throughout the day and to apply eyeshadows, I think it works well as a multi-use product and I'll definitely continue to use it. It's also great for giving your skin a more dewy look and taking away any 'cakeyness' when you've gone in too heavy with setting powder. I think my overall opinion is that this isn't an essential or holy grail item but I think it works well as a refreshing mist for the skin for a bargain price!


What are your favourite face mists/primers?

Did you know I have an Etsy store selling digital downloads, including art prints, planners and clipart - check it out here!

I recently reviewed some products from the launch of a new brand, Brow FX and in short, I really liked the products (if you want to read the full review click here) after publishing this post Brow FX very kindly sent over their Brow Powder and Wax Duos in all four shades. I've tried out all of the shades and I thought I would share my thoughts, as I mentioned in my last post, all opinions are my own and although I was gifted these products this post is not sponsored in any way.

I did already mention but this product comes in four different shade combinations - blonde, medium brown, dark brown and charcoal. These duos are very compact, have sleek packaging, come with a mirror and dual-ended applicator and they cost £9.95! 

They claim to be easy to apply, long lasting and water resistant........we'll see about that!

Okay, so I'll start by saying that I already have pretty full brows that are a light cool toned brown shade so I can make a variety of shades work depending on how bold I'm willing to go. The shades that probably work best for me are Blonde and Medium Brown, the difference isn't too dramatic but there is a difference in the undertone, Blonde is a more cool-toned shade and Medium Brown is warmer.

The powders are very pigmented, they do have quite a bit of fallout which isn't an issue for me but you should be aware that you will need to tap the excess off your brush so you don't get any falling down onto the eyes/face. Usually, when I use brow powder products I prefer to wet the brush so I can create sharp lines but I could get really good results using these dry, my favourite way to apply these is using a super fine angled brush like the Zoeva 317 Wing Liner Brush to fill in and shape the brows then I set everything in place with the wax. Brow FX suggest using the sponge tip on the dual-ended applicator to apply the wax but I like using the brush on the other side to apply a fine layer of the wax through the brow. I was worried the wax might deepen the shade of the powder or make things look chunky but it applied like a dream and perfectly complemented the powder

These brow duos have great staying power and will keep your brows looking full and defined all day, they are easy to apply and really good quality and I'll definitely be continuing to use them in the future.

What are your favourite brow products?

Finally! The rain is gone, the sun is shining and summer seems to be on its way......well, we've had a few good days at least although it doesn't look set to last but it has got me thinking about what products I'll be using this summer. I often prefer light, simple make-up that looks bronzed and glowy in the warmer months so I'm going to talk about all the products I'll be using to achieve this.

Simple Kind to Skin Protecting Moisture Cream SPF30

I think we all know we should protect our skin all year round but it's especially important in the summer months when sun exposure is much more prominent. This year I'll be using Simple Protecting Moisture Cream in SPF 30, I like this cream as it doesn't feel too oily and it absorbs easily into the skin. You don't need to use this particular sunscreen but I highly recommend finding one that works for you, some sunscreens can cause you to break out but I haven't found this with the one from Simple. My other suggestion would be Ultrasun Anti-ageing Sun Protection which is more expensive but has added skincare benefits.

MAC Strobe Cream 

Okay, we all love highlighter...right? But in summer I prefer having glowy skin achieved with creams and liquids as opposed to strong, more harsh looking powder highlights. MAC Strobe Cream is just one of the products I'm loving at the moment, you can apply this under foundation, mixed in with foundation or on top as a traditional highlighter, I love to wear this under my foundation especially with more matte formulas to add a bit more life into my skin, I find as you get older it's more flattering to opt for a more satin/dewy finish especially in summer. MAC Strobe Cream adds a beautiful sheen without any glitter or shimmer, it's very soft and natural, additionally, it works as a nice base for foundation and feels hydrating.

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Make Up Base

This is a pretty expensive product but it will last you a lifetime, you only need to use a tiny amount for each application. This is another multi-use product that can be worn alone, under or on top of make-up, my favourite way to use this at the moment is blended on the cheeks, temple and jawline give my face a bronzy glow. The cream is pigmented but blends easily to give you a seamless finish, it's one of my favourite products for summer and I have a full review here if you want to learn more.

Superdrug Vitamin E Refreshing Toning Mist 

Technically I'm loving any refreshing face mist for summer but the Superdrug one is what I've been using currently. These are great for applying after you've finished your make-up especially if you've used too much powder, they add some hydration to the skin and give you more of that glow that we all want. This mist is a total bargain and a really good alternative to the MAC Fix Plus, you can also use it to intensify eyeshadows and refresh the skin on warm days. It contains glycerin and vitamin E so it's great for keeping the skin moisturised, I've almost finished the bottle I have and I'll definitely be buying more to see me through the summer months.

Essence Colour Boost Vinylicious Liquid Lipstick

I recently spoke about this lipgloss in a post talking about Essence products which I will link here, this lipgloss in the shade Woody Rosy is the perfect natural nude shade. I usually love matte lipsticks but recently I've been enjoying wearing lipgloss again and I think it looks more lightweight and flattering for summer rather than those super pigmented, dry liquid lipsticks we've all been loving for so long.

So, there you have it.....some of my favourite products for summer!
All of these products work great together and help you to achieve that natural, tanned glowy look so if you're looking to achieve that this summer then you should check some of these out! Let me know any of your favourites and what I should try!

Okay so today's post isn't on a new a new launch or the latest trend, I'm going to be talking about something that was released quite some time ago but that has remained popular over the years, Maybelline Color Tattoo 24Hr Single Eyeshadows. I decided I wanted to talk about these cream eyeshadows after I rediscovered them in my make-up collection, I had almost forgotten I owned these so when I stumbled across them again I was excited to try them out and see if they were as good as I remembered.

These eyeshadows have a gel-cream formula, come in individual glass jars and cost £5.99. I really like the cute packaging and although I don't think you get a lot of product you only need to uses a tiny amount so these will still last you a lifetime.

I own three different shades which I will list below with a brief description:

On and On Bronze - This is a deep shimmering bronze shade, it can be sheered out to provide a really pretty sheen on the eye. It is actually my favourite shade and probably the most wearable. 

Pink Gold - This is another shimmer shadow in a pale pink colour, it is very pretty but probably the one I wear the least as I don't think I suit pink eyeshadow but I think if I sheer this out I could make the pink tone subtle enough to work for me.

Permanent Taupe - This is the only matte shade that I own and its quite a deep grey toned colour, I like to wear a tiny bit of this smudged over the eye to add a little definition on natural make-up days or it can be used as a base when creating a dark smoky eye.

These gel-cream eyeshadows are highly pigmented and apply easily to the eye with just enough time to blend out the edges and keep things looking soft and diffused. I think you get the best application if you apply these with your fingertips then use a fluffy brush to blend, you also use a flat brush to apply the colour but for quickness and easiness, I prefer my fingertips. These do set in place after a few minutes and have great staying power if your lids are quite oily or particularly hooded you may get a little creasing but it is minimal and overall the colour stays in place all day long. I love to use these as a simple wash of colour over the eye, particularly the shade On and On Bronze which looks great with glowy skin and a tan, it gives a slightly glossy look to the eye which is so simple and pretty. I do prefer powder eyeshadows in general but if I was going to choose a cream eyeshadow I think these are probably my favourite and now that I've started using them again I might invest in a few more shades. These eyeshadows cost £5.99 and considering the quality of the shadows I think that's a very fair and reasonable price. The pink shade isn't my favourite purely because I don't think I suit pink eyeshadows so I may give it away as I'll probably never work my way through the jar but the shades On and On Bronze and Permanent Taupe will be staying in my dressing table drawer and will be a favourite during the summer months.

What are your favourite cream eyeshadows?

Did you catch my last post? If not I'll leave the link here, it's all about what I'm using on my brows at the moment!

I was recently sent some products from the new brand Brow FX ahead of their launch to test out and review. The Brow FX range is an extension of other brands including Lash FX and Lash Perfect and it is now available on www.madeyoulook.london. I was very kindly gifted these items but this post is not sponsored and all opinions are 100% my own.

Brow Powder Pen 

I received three of the brow powder pens (Light Brown, Warm Brown and Highlighter) which retail for £11.95 each. These are unusual little products they come with a sponge tip applicator that collects product from the lid when you screw on the cap, be careful when you open them up as they do spring open. These are surprisingly smooth and pigmented, the highlight shade is a pretty champagne shimmer that's perfect for sweeping along the brow bone and placing on the inner corner of the eye, the light brown pen has a nice cool tone and is still dark enough to really frame the face and finally the warm brown pen is slightly deeper than light brown with a much more warm undertone. 

These products are very easy to use, you simply sweep the colour over the brow focusing on any areas that are particularly sparse. These would be best suited to those who already have a fuller brow and just need some filling in, I can be pretty lazy when it comes to my brows because they don't need a huge amount of work so these pens make everything super quick and easy. These would also work well for 'brow beginners', if you don't feel confident using other brow products then these could be the answer. The only issue you may have is getting a super precise application, with a little bit of work you can get a fine line for the tail of your brow but if you prefer a very bold, angled brow then the Brow Powder Selection (which I will be talking about next) might work better for you.

Brow Powder Selection - Medium to Dark 

This is a brow palette containing four shades and a dual-ended brush and it costs £19.96. I received the medium-dark shades which come with two brown tone powders, a black and a slightly shimmery white shade for highlighting. The set does come with a brush although I doubt I'll use it, I prefer a super fine angled brush so I can create a very sharp brow look. I wet the make-up brush and mix it with the powder to create a liquid colour, I find this is the best way to get lots of pigmentation that applies easily and precisely. I can use either of the brown shades to fill in my eyebrows on their own or together to get an ombre effect, the black shade would be too dark for me to use in my brows but I have used this as an eyeliner (I add a small amount of water to the powder to create a liquid liner) and it does a good job. The white highlight shade looks very pretty, it not overly shimmery but it has just enough to catch the light and make the brow bone stand out.

I created a full eye look using the Brow FX products, I used the two brown shades from the brow palette in the crease and outer corner of my eye, the black powder as eyeliner and the white powder to highlight the brow bone. I filled in my brows using the darker shade from the brow palette and finished the look off by applying the highlighter powder pen to the inner corner of the eye.

Before

After

Okay, so overall I really liked all of the products I tried, day to day I will use the Brow Powder Pens for quickness and convenience and when I want my make-up to look extra good I'll use the Brow Powder Selection and make everything look super sharp and precise. I think the products are a really good start for the brand and perhaps in the future, they will expand the range. Big thanks to Brow FX for kindly gifting me these products!

I stopped by Wilko recently and I decided to try out some more Essence make-up, a few weeks back I tried the Volume Stylist 18hr Lash Extension Mascara and I liked it so much I decided I wanted to test out more. Each item I bought cost less than £3 so everything from Essence is very affordable but in this post, I'll be letting you know if these products are high-quality bargains or best to avoid!


Stay All Day16H Long Lasting Concealer (Soft Beige)
This concealer costs £2.50 contains 7ml of product and has cute simple packaging. The first thing I did notice when picking up this concealer was there only appeared to be one shade and even when looking online this seemed to be the case which is quite disappointing, the shade does match me fine but I have quite pale skin so I think anybody with medium-deep skintones will really struggle to find a different shade. This concealer has a creamy texture that blends nicely into the skin giving the under eye area a smooth brightened appearance, it has medium coverage that can be built up and does a pretty impressive job at covering my dark circles given its budget-friendly price. This is a brand new product for me but so far each time I've used it I noticed minimal creasing, the only other thing I will mention is the doe foot applicator isn't the best if you want to apply a generous amount of product I find I need to dip back into the concealer a few times to get the amount I like. Overall, this is a nice concealer, so far it's not my absolute favourite but I do like it and I think it does a good job all around for a really reasonable price.


Draw The Line Instant Colour Lipliner
This is an automatic lipliner that comes with an integrated sharpener and costs just £1.50, I picked up the shade Undress My Lips which is a really pretty nude colour. I love this lip pencil, it's really pigmented and the colour applies so smoothly, the shade looks great on and it lasts well during the day. I really like this paired with the next product I'm going to be talking about and I definitely want to pick more of these up in the future. The only complaint I have is one of the first times I tried this out the end snapped off so that's something to be aware of, I think that the soft texture of this pencil will make it prone to breaking more easily.


Colour Boost Vinyl Liquid Lipstick
The name of this product is slightly misleading, 'liquid lipstick' in my mind is a highly pigmented liquid colour that dries down on the lips to an almost completely matte finish but in reality, this product is just shiny gloss. That being said I still really like this product I just think the name suggests something different than it is, I'm not usually a lipgloss girl, I prefer lipsticks and more matte formulas but I think lipgloss is making a bit of a comeback and I really love this one. It costs £2.80 and comes with an interesting applicator with an hourglass shape that applies the colour really nicely. This has really good colour pay off and shine, its comfortable to wear without any annoying stickiness. I have the shade Woody Rosy which is a similar nude shade to the lip pencil.

Well, I'm really happy to report back that so far I have really enjoyed every product that I've tried from the Essence range obviously, there's tons that I've yet to try out but I'll definitely be picking up more in the future. My favourite product right now has to be the gloss (Colour Boost Vinyl Liquid Lipstick) and I'm really looking forward to wearing this more in the summer.


What products do you recommend from Essence?