Accessorize Palette

I love palettes. They are easy to travel with and also to create a variety of looks. I received this palette as a Christmas present. 

Product

This palette contains nine eyeshadows, three lip glosses,  a double sided eyeshadow applicator and a double sided lipgloss applicator. There is a variety of different colours in this palette. The first row consists of browns and coppers. The second row has a variety of silver, black/grey and purple. The final row is composed of greens. I like this palette as it allows me to create many different looks with one palette. 

These are very pigmented and also very easy to blend together. As you can see, as I've used most of it, I love the silver colour as it is very good for brightening the eyes and also can be used with nearly all colours.  

There is a small amount of fallout from these eyeshadows. It is not a lot however considering it's an accessorize palette. This is the only complain that I have with this. 

There are three lipglosses in this palette. A pale pink, a blushed shade of pink and a ruby red colour. 

Longevity
The swatches shown below are without primer. These will usually last me for a whole day. I will apply them in the morning and then then are usually perfect in the night time when I remove them.
I've had this for several months and haven't used these glosses that much. I used them once or twice when I got the palette initially. I have applied it over lipstick and it did last for about two hours and then would have needed to reapply. However, I wouldn't always carry this with me as it a makeup palette. I have also applied it without lipstick and the results was somewhat lighter.

Packaging

This palette comes in a hard card type palette which is actually very study. I have travelled with this several times and all the eyeshadows have remained undamaged. These is also a clear plastic covering over the area containing the sponge applicators and lip gloss applicators.  

Price

As this was a present I dont actually know that price. I do know however that it was purchased in Boots. It was also available at Accessorize at the time. 

Would I but this again? Yes, I hope that they release something like this next Christmas as I will definitely but it again.  Although I didn't use the lipglosses a lot, I usually don't in palettes and always focus on the eyeshadows.  

Blue Casual

Blue Casual by Definitely Beauty featuring feather earrings

Barry M Black Shatter Nail Polish

I have been using this Barry M Shatter Nail Polish for about six months now and wanted to share my thoughts on it. 

Product

Barry M Shatter Nail Polish is a nail polish that is very different from other polishes. Shatter nail polish is applied over other nail polishes to give a shattered, cracked appearance to nails. When I first used this I was very unsure as to what to expect because it applies like other polishes. I applies this over a pink polish and then it began to shrink to give the cracked appearance. I had no problem applying this, however I have friends that used it and they struggled with getting a thin layer of polish that doesn't overlap. If this shatter polish overlaps it will not shrink properly to give a nice cracked appearance. 

Longevity

The longevity of this depends greatly on the type and longevity of the polish that it is applied over. I do find however that I will get approximately 3 days from this polish. It also doesn't chip like normal polishes but will start to fade away from the top of the nail.  

Price

I purchased this about two months ago so therefore can't remember the exact price but I think it was approximately €6. I got it in Boots. It is also available in pink, I will review that one soon. 

Would I buy this again? Yea. I actually bought my first bottle of this six months ago and then repurchased it again approximately two months ago.   

Weekly Quote

 “Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference.”

—	Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) Greek philosopher.

Shopping!

I did a little shopping recently so I decided to share with you. I will have a few more posts like this as I've bought a few more pieces too. 

These first boots are not my usual style but I liked something about them. I know that's it is the summer but it rains a lot more than there is sun and they will be very useful for the winter.  I have so far worn these with shoes and leggings for a more girly look. 

These are more the usual type of boots that I buy. They have a small heel so they are stylish and very comfortable. As you can see from the boxes I got both of these form Shoe Rack.  There are also a number of stores nationwide.  

Blog Update!

For those for you who read the blog regularly, you will notice that there has been a few changes to the overall appearance to the blog recently. As I have only recently started the blog I am still working with different themes and appearances to establish which one works the best for me, as I intend to continue blogging for a long time.

If you have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them. So comment below!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation

I loved this foundation for many reasons however it was not meant to be.  

Product

Revlon Colorstay foundation comes in two different formulas,  one for Noral/Dry Skin and one for Combination/Oily skin.  I have tried both of these as my skin has changed over the past year and a half.  This foundation is very liquid and when I first opened the bottle and poured it out I had low expectations. This did take me a few tries to get used to the liquid consistency and also how to apply it. Once I had mastered that it always applied excellently. The coverage from this foundation was excellent and could also be used for concealing purposes when needed. 

The main problem with this foundation, with both formulas,  was that it caused my skin to break out. I really wanted to love this foundation and I did until this happened. When I purchased this initially it took me a while to figure out what was giving me bad skin.  I used the Normal/dry first. Then about a year later I decided to try the Combination/Oily foundation as my skin type had changed and I though that it might just be the Normal/Dry formula that caused me to break out.  However, after about a week it caused my skin to break out again and this time I realised instantly what caused the problem.   

Longevity

I applied this foundation in the mornings and it would always last me in entire day. This would include all weather types and also if I had a very busy day. The only time I would re-touch it would be when I was going out that night and  I wanted it to look very freshly applied.

Price

I paid €18.99 for this foundation. I purchased it in Boots but it is available in many pharmacies nationwide.  

Would I but this again? If this had  not caused me skin problems then I would, however it'll have to be a no because of the bad reaction I had from it.  

What I'm waiting for!

I'm currently waiting for a few things to arrive that I purchased on Amazon. I ordered four things. I'd been waiting to make this order for a while but was waiting for Barry M White foundation to come back into stock, that was taking too long so I placed the order without it. I had really wanted to get this to lighten some of my foundation's because they are all too dark for my skin.

Onto what I actually ordered.  I got two Max Factor foundations. The first was Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in 100 Fair. I have used this before and I loved it. It is the only one that is even close to my skin colour although still not perfect. It has a really nice finish and also photographs very well.

The second was Max Factor Second Skin Foundation in Ivory. I have never used this but I have tried a tester and I really liked the finish and shade match. I'm looking forward to seeing what the coverage will be like for this foundation.

The next two items I hadn't planned on buying but when I read reviews about them I decided to get them. I got the Barry M Intense Eyeliner Pen in black. I read that it's very black and also  that it doesn't smudge. I'm hoping this is a smudge free eyeliner because when I wear contacts it tends to get smudged.

The final thing was something I'd never considered, a mascara from NYX. I hadn't heard anything about this mascara. I read a few reviews and decided to try it. It comes in three different mascara types and I decided to get it in Black Long Lash.

I'll probably be reviewing the Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation first as I have used it several times before. I'll review the rest of the products towards the end of July when I have had a chance to try all the products for a while.  

Sites of the Week: 1 July 2011

The new must have classical pieces: http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Fashion-Spotlight/Future-Perfect/(imageIndex)/0/(play)/false. 


I love Helena Bonham Carter's fashion so I think this is a great post by Vogue: http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/110610-helena-bonham-carter-for-marc-jacob.aspx. I believe this is the photo that is mentioned in the post: http://fashionista.com/2011/06/helena-bonham-carter-stars-in-marc-jacobs-fall-ad-campaign/. 


Ah the first date can be a nerve racking experience so these fashion tips will be helpful: http://www.thebudgetbabe.com/archives/2654-Ask-BB-What-to-Wear-on-a-First-Date.html. 


A little off topic but still interesting: http://www.globalone.tv/profiles/blogs/100-very-cool-facts-about-the.


This a great but different spin on Disney princesses: http://www.visualnews.com/2011/05/31/real-life-disney-princesses/. 


Simple ways to make beauty products: http://www.good.is/post/how-to-make-your-own-beauty-products-from-scratch/. 


These are really great and interesting photographs: http://www.xmarkjenkinsx.com/outside.html. 
A helping hand at being healthy: http://www.divinecaroline.com/22177/52070-twenty-healthiest-foods-1/print 

17 Glitter Eyeshadow

I've been meaning to review these for a while as I have some many of the 17 single eyeshadows. There's another review to come soon on 17 Solo eyeshadows.  

Product
These eyeshadows are from the 17 Glitter range. I ordered these online and received six eyeshadows. These are definitely 'glitter' eyeshadows. The moment that I opened the top of them the glitter was very obvious. These have a very smooth texture. I did find that they had fallout and because it was glittery I also found that it  spread over my face. This would be my only concern with using these as I usually have to use a small amount of makeup remover and a cotton pad to clean up the fall out under my eyes. It helps to apply the foundation afterwards, which I usually do so this wasn't a huge problem. The Glitter eyeshadows are also very pigmented which is great considering the price. 

Spirit                                              Superstar                                      Style Queen

Chalice                                             Heart Breaker                                  Night Sky

Longevity

I haven't used a primer in the swatches below that shows how pigmented they are. I usually use primer when I wear these eyeshadows. I applied these recently and they lasted about 6 hours before I noticed slight creasing on the lids. This was easily fixed by simply blendly out the creased area and the pigmentation remained the same.  

Chalice                                            Superstar                                        NightSky

Style Queen                               Heart Breaker                                              Spirit

Packaging

Glitter Eye Shadow comes in a small black container with a removable lid. I like that these have a clear cover as I can see exactly which colour I am looking for.    

Price

I purchased these online at Camelliashop Cosmetics Wholesale UK. However on the Boots website they are £3.89. I think they are approximately €4 to €5 in stores. 

Would I buy this again? Yes.