Naked 2 Basics

Hello my lovelies, two blog posts in two days what a treat for you all. Today we have a blog post that I have been dead excited to write for ages now. For Christmas I was lucky enough to receive two Urban Decay products - this one and the Naked 3 pallet which I will be writing a blog post on next month. Urban Decay is a brand that I have had my eye on for a while now. They do gorgeous products which I could quite happily stare at all day - mainly their eyeshadows. I have always been a lover of neutral shades I just think they suit all eye colours and look very flattering so their Naked collection is right up my street. I spend ages flicking through pictures of the Naked eyeshadows on Instagram just in a trance so I have been so excited to try these. For a while I didn't use them just because they look so pretty I didn't want to ruin them, does anyone else do that or is it just me? 

The main Naked pallets contain 12 eyeshadows where as the Basics versions contain 6 shades similar or from the Naked pallet to give the same effect. The Naked 2 Basics shadows are 6 new shades similar but different to those in the Naked 2 pallet. It contains one shimmer shade and five matte shades. It also has a good size mirror which makes it the perfect item to pop in your handbag for on the go touch ups. The original Naked pallet contains warm tones, Naked 2 is cool tone and Naked 3 has more pinky, brown rose gold shades. If you were after a Basics pallet but you prefer warm tone shades then I would recommend that you go for the original Naked Basics pallet but if you're a lover of cool taupe colours then this is for you. I also love the fact that all of the shades have names as it makes them identifiable and I just think that it's really cute. I have been really impressed with the formulation of the Naked eyeshadows as they are really creamy which makes them really easy to blend together for contouring. They are also highly pigmented and they aren't dusky shadows which means they will last a long time and they transfer easily from your brush. From the pictures with the swatches you can see that the darker shades are more pigmented but the lighter shades can gradually be built up so you can get the pigmentation that you want. 

Skimp - This is the lightest shade and the only one with a hint of shimmer. This shade is perfect for highlighting the inner corner of your eye on your brow bone as it just adds that something extra to brighten your eyes. This is the warmest shade as the others are more of a cool tone. This is a must have shade for me. 

Stark - This is a slightly darker cream shade which has pink undertones. This shade is really useful to use as a base to cover up your veins on your eyelid before you start contouring. Again this shade is also useful for brightening the inner corner of your eye. 

Frisk - This is a classic light taupe shade with grey undertones and it would be perfect to use if you wanted to do a smokey eye. 

Cover - This is another one of my favourites, it is a cool tone brown shade with pink undertones. I love wearing dusky pink eyeshadows as I find they compliment my green eyes so I think thats why this is a firm favourite of mine. 

Primal - This is your classic matte brown eyeshadow shade. If you are a fan of neutral shades like me then you will love this shade as it looks really pretty on it it's own or blended with other shades. 

Undone - This is a matte dark brown verging on the black category. It is the darkest shade in the collection. This would look really good with Frisk for a smokey effect. I wouldn't wear black eyeshadow on it's own but I think it looks really nice in the outer crease or you could blend it out as an eyeliner on your upper lid or under your waterline. 

As soon as I opened the packaging I fell in love with this. If any of you are considering purchasing an Urban Decay product then I would highly recommend that you do as they are of an amazing quality. I know that previously I have been put off by the price as this will cost you £22. What I will say however is that they are a really good quality and I do think that they are worth that extra bit of money for as they will be handbag essentials and last you a long time as they are so pigmented. The packaging is adorable I can't rave about this product enough. This would make a really nice gift but if you can't afford to budget for this then a good alternative would be Lid Stuff by Soap and Glory in the shade What's Nude which has four cool tone shades, three matte and one with shimmer which are very similar to the shades in the Naked 2 Basics pallet although the Soap and Glory one is priced at £10 so a little more affordable. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post my lovelies and let me know in the comments if you have tried this and what you thought of it. Enjoy your afternoons. 

A Spontaneous Superdrug Splurge

Hello my lovelies, I have a beauty haul post for you all today. I haven't had a make-up haul for many months now and I think that I was well due one. I wasn't planning a make-up splurge but after a stressful morning trying to sort my mobile out I needed a little retail therapy to help calm my nerves. I went to Superdrug where I had a very successful session finding some new products to test - some of which I may write separate blog posts on.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse In Nude
This is my staple foundation. If you have followed my blog for a while then you will know that I am so, so fussy when it comes to foundation. I have naturally oily skin and I haven't found a liquid foundation that doesn't leave me looking like a sweating oompa-lumpa within seconds. Even the liquid matte foundations don't sit nicely on my skin without layers and layers of powder which just leaves me looking and feeling cakey. I have no bad things to say about this foundation and if you are interested then you can read a full blog post on it by clicking here. I always like to keep this well stocked up in my make-up collection and I just started a new pot so I thought I would pick another one up to stock up. I normally pick up two as theres usually an offer like by one get one half price or two for £10 but there was only one left in my shade. This foundation is currently priced at £7.69

Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil In Deep Brown
Eye brows aren't something I have bothered thinking about before. I shape mine but I never fill mine in as I naturally have dark hair and I don't want them to look overpowering and it's also difficult finding a shade dark enough. Although recently I've felt they are looking a bit gappy if that makes sense and I thought I would try filling them in. I've had my eye on the new Maybelline Brow Satin which is basically a gel pen and powder duo. I liked it as I haven't seen anything like it and I thought that it would be quick and easy to use but when ever I go to pick one up they are always sold out in dark brown. Instead I thought I would try the Master Shape product which has a kohl pencil and a brush. I was just so chuffed to find an eyebrow product that was dark enough for me to use that actually matches my eyebrow colour. I have since been pleasantly surprised by it. I brush my eyebrows first to brush any powder out and it also helps to shape them. I then fill in any gaps using the pencil. I just find that it helps define and shape them without making them too in your face. The kohl pencil is really easy to use and you can also build it up depending on the coverage you want. This was priced at £2.99 so a lot cheaper then the satin brow which was £5.99.

Bourjois Color Edition 24 Hour Cream To Powder Eyeshadow In Petal De Glace
A few months ago I finally overcame my fear of cream eyeshadows and ever since I have been obsessed with them. For Christmas I was lucky enough to receive the Urban Decay Naked 3 pallet which I'm planning to do a blog post on. The Naked 3 pallet has a lot of brown/pink shades which I think are just gorgeous and will compliment my green eyes. I am a little bit too obsessed with Rose Gold at the moment and I thought that I would pick up enough cream eyeshadow to use as a base to go with the Naked 3 pallet which I think will look really nice for the Spring/Summer. I love the Maybelline 24 hour colour tattoo eyeshadows but I have wanted to try the Bourjois version for a while now to see how they compare so I thought why not. I picked up this gorgeous rose gold colour which is a dupe for Rose Gold by Maybelline. This one is called Petal De Glace which I think translates to Petal Of Ice or Ice Petal which is such a cute name. The Bourjois version also claims to last 24 hours so I'm excited to test it and I think I will right a blog post comparing the Maybelline and Bourjois versions. Either way I think this will look really nice with the Naked 3 pallet or just on it it's own. Buying this just makes me want Spring to be here now. This was priced at £6.99.

Barry M Kohl Pencil In Brown
Previously I have never understood why you would wear any colour eyeliner which isn't black. Although saying that I have a pallet from Bourjois which has a cream brown eyeliner in which I loved using in the Autumn. Like I said previously the Naked 3 pallet has a lot of brown and pink shades so i thought I would pick up a brown eyeliner to compliment them. Don't get me wrong I love my black eyeliner but sometimes I think it can look a bit heavy or intense for a casual day time look so I only tend to wear it for an evening look. Brown eyeliners look softer and they still emphasise your eyes naturally without being too in your face. When it comes to eyeliner I'm really not fussy and the only other eyeliner that I own is another Barry M one in Black which I love and I find it does the job so I thought I would pick another one up in Brown. There may be better kohl pencils out there I don't know but Barry M is cheap and cheerful and it does the job. Saying that I have read good blog posts about the Barry M eyeliners before. This was priced at £2.99 so I was chuffed with that one.

Barry M Eyeshadow Pencils in Brown Black and Bronze
Whilst at the Barry M stand I noticed their eyeshadow pencils. I have wanted to try eyeshadow pencils for a while now but I just haven't got round to it before. I think they're really good for using in creases or just all over your eye. I swatched some Barry M ones and I picked up two in Brown Black and Bronze. I'm really into my neutral shades at the moment and I already know that I am going to love using these. Another thing I love about them is that they have a creamy formula similar to that of the cream eyeshadow basis and pots and as you know I'm a bit obsessed with them at the moment. These also claim to be waterproof which makes me think that they will also last a long time. The Bronze shade is a really pretty golden bronze colour and Brown Black is a dark plum brown shade which I think you could use with a smoky or purple eye. Both will also look really nice with brown eyeliner as well. These were priced at £4.59 each which I think is good value as they're a little cheaper then the cream eyeshadow pots. I swatched these earlier and they are slightly metallic and both gorgeous I don't want to wash the swatches off.

I hope you enjoyed this haul post my lovelies. Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these products and what you thought of them.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot

Top L - R: Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Watt's Up!
Bottom L - R: Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur

Top L - R: Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Watt's Up!
Bottom L - R: Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur

Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb 

Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur

Afternoon my lovelies, I have a review post for you all today. One that I have been so excited to write for you all today. Thanks to my gorgeous Mother I was lucky enough to receive this lovely gift at Christmas. Benefit is a very special brand to me I love it so much but it isn't a brand that I would go to regularly as you all know that I am a hughstreet girl at heart and I can't afford to buy all my make-up from Benefit. But trust me - if I could afford it then I would. I love their brand they do gorgeous products with gorgeous packaging that are just a treat to use. Every year it's a small Christmas tradition for me to receive one of the products from heir limited edition Christmas range and this year I was in for a treat. I loved the Christmas range for 2014 with the sweet spot range, I brought the Goodies A Go Go eye pallet for my best friend but it was so, so tempting to pick one up for myself but I was unfortunately very well behaved and I restrained myself. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the packaging. Who doesn't love a tin pallet? It's make-up within a sweet shop I mean hello who couldn't get excited by this? And inside are five gorgeous blushers each perfect for a different season, the classic Hoola bronzer, a highlighter and a cute dinky brush. You also receive a Tips and Tricks leaflet which gives you ideas of how to use each product which gave me a new insight to blushers as some should be applied with a swirl on the apples of your cheeks and others should be swiped over your apples and towards your cheekbones. The mind boggles who new different blushers should be applied differently - well not me anyway, so you see kids you learn something new everyday. Another amazing thing about this little gem is that the size of the bronzer and blushers is large and almost full size. Normally with the Benefit pallets you get lot's of mini products which don't get me wrong, I love a Benefit mini. It's a great way to test new products before splurging out on a larger, full size product which will be more expensive. So it was a nice treat to find a good amount of products to be used.

Dandelion
This is a gorgeous baby doll, barbie pink colour and I think that this will look really pretty in the Spring. Dandelion is one that has been on my Benefit wish list for a long time now so I was chuffed to see it in the pallet. If you're new to blushers or a bit nervous to wear blushers then this is the perfect colour for you as it isn't too dark it will blend nicely into the apples of your cheeks to give you a natural healthy glow. I think that it is the most wearable on an everyday basis out of all the blushers so if you were only looking to buy one then I recon you will get the most wear out of this one. Just apply as much as you want to the apples of your cheeks and you are good to go.

Bella Bamba
This is a beautiful watermelon pink blusher with a hint of shimmer. All of the blushers have shimmer in them which I think makes them easier to blend to your cheeks although I would say that this one has the most shimmer. I think that this one would look stunning for an evening look. It is a warmer shade so perfect for the winter months and I recon that this one would suit those of you with a darker skin tone more then Dandelion. The tip guide recommends that you sweep Bella Bamba over your cheeks and also blend it at your hairline. I know that I was instantly drawn to this shade as I think that it might compliment my darker hair.

Sugarbomb
This blusher contains four different colours: satsuma orange, watermelon pink, hot pink and a dusky purple shade. For this one I would recommend that you get a good swirl on with your brush and apply it to the apples of your cheeks. You're probably thinking that this sounds like a really weird colour to apply to your cheeks but once all of the colours are mixed it will leave you with a very natural soft pink colour with shimmer. I would describe it as a cross between Coralista and Dandelion but either way it will look beautiful on the cheeks. I was intrigued by this one but pleasantly surprised.

Hoola
Now for those of you who are Benefit or just general make-up fans you will all know that the Hoola bronzer is a cult classic and a massive favourite amongst the beauty bloggers. I have wanted to try this bronzer for so, so long. It is just that classic matte bronzer shade that will suit every skin tone all year round. You can use it for contouring or to add some colour to your face. It is very pigmented but it isn't too dark so you can layer it to achieve the desired look.

Coralista
As you can probably guess by the name, Coralista is a beautiful orange coral with a hint of pink that will look gorgeous in the Spring/Summer. Just writing this makes me excited for the Summer. Along with Bella Bamba I would say that this is one of the more shimmery shades. I was never sure about coral/orange blushers but I purchased the Sleek Lace pallet last year and I can now understand the hype for them. I also have my eye on the Benefit Majorette blusher but I really don't need any more blushers at the moment, but can you ever have to many?

Rockateur
This is a gorgeous rose gold colour which is perfect for Autumn/Winter. I have had my eye on this blusher for ages now as I love dusky rose gold colours. The type of make-up I tend to wear most of the year is a berry lip which I think will go really nicely with this blusher. It reminds me of Pomegrante by Sleek which has been a favourite of mine recently although this one has less shimmer. This one blends really nicely to your cheeks to give them a natural warm glow. I think that this one may become my staple blusher and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up buying the full size pot of this one after finishing this pallet as I think that this one compliments my appearance the best.

Watt's Up!
This is a cream Champagne gold highlighter. This complements all of the blushers and you can use it alongside the Hoola bronzer to contour. Benefit do some gorgeous highlighters but this was one that I hadn't tried before so I was dead excited to try it. To apply Watt's Up, just apply a small amount to your ring finger and blend it onto your brow bone, cheek bones, forehead and down the bridge of your nose. I love this highlighter and I really like the formula which I wasn't expecting.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post my lovelies! I'm sorry that this is limited edition but if you can find a way to get your hands on this then I would highly recommend it. It is the sort of product you can use all year round and you get a lot of product with this one so it will take you a while to work your way through the box. Let me know in the comments what your Benefit favourites are. Thank you for reading!

December Glossybox 2014

Hello my lovelies, I've had a little break from blogging for a couple of weeks but don't threat as I have lot's of future posts planned. For Christmas and my Birthday I was lucky enough to be treated to a years subscription to Glossybox from my Gran and Granddad. For those of you who don't know what Glossybox is, it is a company that every month will send you a box of beauty goodies ranging from hundreds of different brands which could feature some new and exciting products. You will have the chance to create a beauty profile which will include features such as your appearance, what looks you go for and which type of beauty products that you're interested in. Glossybox will use this information to create a box of products for you based on this information. You then have the opportunity to review these products on their website. Each month I thought I would share with you what's in each box and some information on the products for you. This has been something that I have wanted to try for ages so I hope you will enjoy finding out what is inside each box each month.

My first observation was 'How cute is this box', I love the festive packaging that they used. Inside when I first opened it, all the products were wrapped up neatly under the tissue paper and ribbon. Each month you will receive five beauty products and inside each box it gives you some information about each products including how to use the products and where you can re-purchase them. Some of the companies have provided a unique discount code to allow you to get some money off if you chose to re-purchase any of the products.

The first product that I was drawn to was a 2 in 1 cheek and lip stain in the shade Coral by Bellapierre cosmetics which isn't a brand that I have heard of before. I was really chuffed that this product was included as I have wanted to try cream blushers for a long time but as I don't wear a liquid foundation I have been nervous to how these might sit on my skin. I have been worried that instead of adding to my make-up it might just cause my foundation to rub off. Although saying that I really like this blusher. It is a beautiful coral shade although it appears more pink in reality then the picture. I recon that this will look really pretty in the Spring/Summer to give your cheeks a subtle glow and colour. I can't use this as a lip stain as my lips are naturally too dark so it doesn't show up but that just leaves me more product for blusher. Although if you can wear this colour on your lips I think that it will look really pretty. This is priced at £12.99 if you are interested and looking on their website they do some gorgeous eyeshadow colours that I would love to try. I think that this is more of an expensive then a Highstreet brand looking at some of the prices for their products.

The next product made me laugh a little when I saw it, 'Zap Zap Zap get's that Chap'. It is basically a spot treatment product by Anatomicals. It has two different formalas - one for the day and one for the night. I'm always slightly nervous to try spot treatment products as before I have found them to make my spots worse and to cause them to spread. Sometimes I think that the best treatment is just to leave them to disappear naturally. Although saying that, this product has had great reviews on Glossybox and it has been given 5 star ratings. Previously I have been lucky and I hadn't suffered with spots for a while but I think tiredness from the build up to Christmas and over indulgence in rich foods has left my skin more prone to spots. I seem to get a few and then as soon as they disappear more will arrive so I'm interested to try this to see if it works. I think that it is priced at a good value as you get a lot of product in the tube so it should last you a long time yet it is only £3.79. If you are interested in trying this you can purchase it from Asos and I will leave an update in the comments how I'm getting on with this in the long term.

There was one hair care product which is the Tresemme 60 second renewal hair and scalp treatment. When I opened the Glossybox there was an amazing fresh and fruity fragrance which came form this product. This product is designed to be used once a week after using your shampoo and conditioner. You apply this from your scalp to your ends and you leave it in for 60 seconds before rinsing. This is designed to leave your hair stronger and leave it shinier - basically just to improve the health of your hair. I recon that these are really good value as this will last you a month and it will only cost you £5.50 for a pack of four. Tresemme is one of my favourite hair care brands as I always find that their products work and do what they say they are going to do so I'm looking forward to trying these.

Another product that I am excited to try is by SkinPep and it is a Hydra Boost Acid Serum. You apply this to your face and décolletage onto bare skin and massage it in for 1 - 2 minutes and it should boost the moisture in your skin. It recommends that you use this once in the day and once in the night. This is priced at £24.99, I have wanted to try more expensive skin products to see if they are actually worth their money as skin care is important to me and I want to try and keep mine as healthy as possible. I'm really excited to try this product as I have a feeling that it will boost your skin leaving it glowing.

The last product in my December Glossybox is a Concealer Quad by So Susan which is another brand that I was unfamiliar with. That's another thing that I love about Glossybox, the fact you can discover new brands although my bank account probably wouldn't agree with that. First of all, how cute is the packaging? Looking on the So Susan website, I love all of the packaging for this brand it's right up my street. I now have a list going of products that I want to try such as the Flutter Mascara and the Lip Domes. Reading about the brand it sounds as if they are combining make-up with anti-aging formulas which seems like a win win to me. The quad contains four shades which are of a creamy consistency. I think that the bottom right shade will be too dark for me although you could mix it with the white shade to make it lighter. I think that the white shade will be good for the inner corners of your eyes to counteract darkness and to brighten your eyes. For me I think that the top right shade will be good for dark circles and the bottom left will be good for spots and blemishes although you could blend them together to get a true match for your skin tone. The consistency reminds me of the Benefit Bo-ing concealers which I think are perfect for covering up spots. I recon that these could also be used for contouring with as cream bronzers. This is priced at £20 so a higher price range but I will leave an update in the comments as to whether I think that it is worth the price as there are many good affordable concealers out there such as the Collection Lasting Perfection one which is my current all time favourite concealer.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post my lovelies and let me know in the comments if you are subscribed to Glossybox or whether you have tried any of these products and what you thought of them. Thank you for reading my lovelies.

December Favourites 2014

Hello my lovelies and a Happy New Year to you all! I can't believe how quickly 2014 went. I thought what better way to celebrate the new year with a favourites blog post for you all from last December.

Snow Fairy Shower Gel From Lush 
When it comes to bath products I have used a lot recently. Obviously I wash all year but when the weather is disgusting outside all windy, rainy and cold one of my favourite things to do in the winter is to have a nice warm bath with a bath bomb. I have loved using all of the Christmas range from Lush last month although I'm not even half way through my collection yet. So instead of listing all of the amazing bath bombs that I used I thought I would mention a product that I have used multiple times from their Christmas range which is the Snow Fairy shower gel. Snow Fairy is a Lush Christmas classic - it comes out every year and everyone goes nuts for it. It is a very sweet scent so if you don't like sweet scents then this one really isn't for you but I personally love it. It doesn't remind me of a Christmas scent to me, I only think of this one as a Christmas product as it only comes out at Christmas. If there are any of these left in store or online I would highly recommend that you pick one up before it's gone until next Christmas, and it will be in the sale - bargain! It's a really pretty hot pink with blue glitter in it but it won't leave you covered in glitter like some of their bath bombs do. If you wanted to read my blog post on the Lush Christmas range from last year you can click here. 

Blood Orange Barry M Nail Varnish 
If you have read my blog posts from blogmas then you will all know how much I have loved wearing red nail varnish this past month. In particular my favourite has been a Barry M one in the shade Blood Orange. This is just a classic bright pillar box red shade that I recon everybody should own and it is perfect for the festive season. The gelly paints are really glossy and very pigmented. They are my favourite formula from the Barry M range. This polish looks really nice on it's own but I also love wearing this one with gold, silver or red glitter. Barry M do an amazing range of colours and different formulas yet they are very affordable so you should definitely check them out if you haven't yet.

Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow In Metallic Pomegranate 
This year I have been converted to colour eyeshadows and in winter I like to wear darker shades. In particular I have been using this one a lot which I featured in My Everyday Winter Make-up Rountine post in Blogmas. It is a beautiful dark berry shade with gold glitter and brown undertones. I love this colour because I have green eyes so purple/pink/berry colours look nice if you have green eyes as they contrast with the green which makes your eyes stand out more. The brown and gold in it makes it easier to wear. I dab this over my eyelids and blend it out with a brush. I then apply a darker brown shade in the outer corner of my eye and a lighter shade in the inner corner to contour with. Although the good thing about these is you can apply them as a base or you could just apply them on their own and you're good to go. I was pleasantly surprised by the formula of cream eyeshadows as they are less creamy then I was expecting so I thought that they might slide down your eye after wearing make-up all day especially as I have oily skin but instead they are more of a cream to powder formula so they will stay in place and not look greasy.

Carmex Lip Balm
This is a product that I use all year round although I have found myself using it more regularly this past month. I think it's because of the colder weather and the fact I had a cold last month that my lips have been dry. This is just a really good lip balm that feels soothing and moisturising. I love this lip balm as it doesn't make your lips worse as some lip balms have a chemical in them which make your lips chap more so you use the lip balm more often but this one doesn't. I also love the cherry flavour to this one it smells amazing if that's something that you look for in a lip balm. I have lost count of how many of these I have got through over the years, it must be in double figures.

Red Sunrise Lipstick by Bourjois
The last product in my favourites post is lip crayon from Bourjois. I've had this about a year now and I love wearing this in the winter months and over Christmas as it's a really nice festive red. In fact I wore it on Christmas Day. I also think that it's a wearable red as it has berry pink undertones in it so it's not 100% red if you're nervous of red lipstick or you struggle to wear it. This crayon claims to last 10 hours and wether it does or not I don't know as I didn't time it but what I do know is that it lasted all day which included me eating and drinking throughout the day and I didn't apply any touch ups. These lip crayons are balmy and moisturising yet they are very pigmented and their formula reminds me of a lipstick rather then a balm or crayon. I also own a really pretty peach shade that I will be wearing throughout the Spring. These lipsticks are of a really good quality and I think that there are six shades to choose from. These lipsticks are really moisturising and they contain SPF 15 so they are full of goodness for your lips. I might need to pick up a few more of these as a New Years treat.

Thank you for reading my lovelies and I hope that you have an amazing day today and you enjoyed the celebrations last night. Let me know in the comments what your favourites were from December.