Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow 85 Light in Purple / Liquid Light Review and Swatches

Maybelline has released a few new shades of their very popular Color Tattoo eyeshadows and I picked up 85 Light in Purple (or according to the display in my local Boots, Liquid Light). It's a really interesting colour, a greyish purpley blue with a pink duochrome to it.

The formula is the same fantastic long lasting, non-creasing, easy to work with gel-cream formula that we know and love. I used it over my trusty Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer and it stayed put for over 12 hours. It would also make a nice base, but I haven't done that as with a colour this lovely, I prefer to use it alone.

The colour is very similar to Mac Industrial pearlglide, in fact that's the eyeliner I have used with it for a quick, but rather striking look. The pictures don't show the pink duochrome very well, but it's there and depending on which angle you're looking it's pretty strong, making the shadow look more purple than blue.

I really like this product and absolutely adore the shade. At £4.99 for 4 g (with a 3 for 2 offer in Boots currently) it's well worth buying.

See more pictures including swatches and a look I did with this eyeshadow after the jump!

Maybelline Superstay 14 Hour Lipstick Review and Swatches

So I was in Boots the other day looking at make up and found a new shade of Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows (review coming soon) that I really liked the look of. But since there was a 3 for 2 offer on Maybelline make up, I thought I might as well take advantage of it and ended up buying two of the new Superstay 14 Hours lipsticks. I got 430 Stay With Me Coral and 160 Infinitely Fuchsia, the two brightest shades.

First of all I'd like to point out, that I'm not a muppet and wasn't expecting these lipsticks to last for 14 hours. The blogger in me was very curious and of course had to get them. So, do they last for 14 hours? Of course not. Now that's out the way, let's see what the lipsticks are actually like.

I'm pleased to say that they are actually pretty nice. They are creamy, vibrant, they smell gorgeous (this I was worried about as most drugstore/cheap lipsticks smell hideous with a few exceptions) and feel lovely on. Infinitely Fuchsia feels smoother on, Stay With Me Coral seems heavier and doesn't look as smooth either. They both apply very opaque in just a couple of swipes and last for about 4-5 hours depending on whether I eat or not. I tested them both for wear, they were both okay for 3-4 hours with little eating/drinking, and then practically disappeared when I had a proper meal. The sheen starts to disappear after about 3 hours and I've found that the lipstick starts fading from the inner part of my lips first. They last well for a regular lipstick, butu definitely nowhere near the advertised 14 hours!

On the plus side they feel really nice on, they're not at all sticky and don't feel drying at all unlike a lot of long lasting lip products. I didn't need to apply any gloss or balml on top, or even afterwards, my lips were fine. Won't say they're actively moisturising, but definitely not drying.

According to Boots they come in 20 shades, but I can only see 11 on their website and my local store only had about 8 shades on the display. There are lighter, more muted shades as well, but I like mine bright.

These lipsticks cost £6.99 each (I don't know what size they are as it doesn't say anywhere) and there's a 3 for 2 offer on all Maybelline make up at Boots at the moment.

See lots more pictures including arm and lip swatches after the jump!

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Gel-Cream Eyeshadow in 65 Pink Gold

I've been meaning to review this eyeshadow for ages, but only just got around to taking pictures, swatching it and wearing it. I hate not having time for my hobby.

Anyway, the good news is, the review is a positive one. I really like this eyeshadow, it performs very well. I wore it today for a run, had shower and washed my hair and it was still there on my eyelids, not creasing at all, although the edges did fade a tiny bit (which is fair enough). I tried it out with and without primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance) and it performed very well both ways. In fact it's still looking good 12 hours later.

I find the name Pink Gold a bit misleading, because it's not gold in the slightest, it's more of a muted rosy pink. Actually I wasn't sure if I needed this colour because I thought I'd already owned cream eyeshadows that were very similar. I was kind of right, it is pretty close to Mac Fresco Rose paint pot (discontinued), although Pink Gold has more of a sheen/shine. It is definitely more metallic and possibly a bit lighter. I also compared it to Rimmel Colour Mousse in 06 Get Fresh which is a lot more metallic and a bit lighter. I may have other cream shadows Pink Gold close to, but these were the ones that came to mind. Incidentally it's nothing like Mac Feminine Edge fluidline which is so frosty and sparkly, it cannot possibly compare to this.

So while I didn't exactly need this eyeshadow, it's a nice one to have. I like cream eyeshadows, I use them on days when I have little time to do my make up as a quick sweep on the lids is enough. Pink Gold actually needed a bit of building up, but it didn't take long and it didn't cake, was still very smooth to blend. It did dry down very quickly and when I swatched it on my arm, I needed make up remover to get it off, simply rubbing it didn't make it budge. (Or having a shower for that matter.)

Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows cost £4.99 and you get 4 g (although it doesn't actually say on the packaging, but I have one of the US colours and that one says 4 g, so I'm assuming this is the same). There's currently a buy 1 get 1 half price offer on make up in Boots. It's a great price (considering that Mac paint pots for example cost £14.50 and you only get 1 g more), and finally there are 8 shades available in the UK (still not enough though if you ask me).

Have you tried these eyeshadows yet? Let me know what you think in the comments!

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Shimmering Mint + My New Chanel Amour Glossimer

I blogged about the Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow in Edgy Emerald a few days ago and now it's time to show you the look I did with it which actually got a few compliments. Amazingly too neither of the mineralize eyeshadows had any fallout, the Maybelline shadow held onto them perfectly and there was no creasing at all whatsoever.

I used the following products to create this look:

Eyes:

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in Edgy Emerald all over lid
Mac mineralize eyeshadow in Shimmermint all over the lid
Mac mineralize eyeshadow in Smutty Green in the outer corner and crease
Mac mineralize eyeshadow in Snow Season on browbone to highlight
Gosh Velvet Touch Waterproof Eyeliner in Cool Mint on lower lashline
Mac Haute & Naughty mascara in Black (I think)
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:

Guerlain Parure Aqua foundation in 02 Beige Clair
Mac Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder
Mac Northern Light mineralize skinfinish on cheeks

Lips:

Chanel Glossimer in 166 Amour

See more pictures after the jump!

Mac Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara

This is my first ever mascara from Mac, I got this as a gift with purchase a while ago and after finishing my Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara, I decided to give it a try and see for myself how good it is (or not). I have already worn it in one of the FOTD posts I've done lately, so click here to see what it looks like on my lashes.

The mascara is a weird double one, it has a two-in-one wand. I don't really know how it works exactly, but if you only screw off the pink end, then you get a thinner wand with less coated bristles, but if you screw off both the pink and purple together, then you get a thicker wand with thoroughly coated bristles. It's one wand, but I think the width of the hole you pull it through determines how much mascara coats the brush. Check out the pictures below to see what I mean.

Neither of the options work very well for me, it either takes several goes to coat my lashes properly or it makes my lashes stick together and the mascara clump. If I use the thinner end, it does a good job of separating my lashes at least. I prefer the spikey brushes instead of these bristley ones for separating my lashes to be honest. It gives quite good volume and length, but it's not my favourite mascara for either. I find it too hard work and I've not been reaching for it when I'm in a rush, simply because it takes a while to apply.

The formula wasn't the best for me either. It smudged on me, especially under my lower lashline, which is practically unheard of, none of the other mascaras I've tried smudged on me. It's very black which is nice, but equally it takes some work to wash it off. It's not waterproof at all, but you need a good make up remover to take it off properly.

This mascara costs £18.00 and you get 9 g which is pretty generous. The other good thing about it is that when you're finished you can take the empty tube to Mac and you get a free lipstick for 6 empties. I think it's too expensive for what it is and I know that Rimmel does a very similar mascara for half the price (although I haven't tried it myself), so that might be a better option. I'm personally happy I didn't pay for this.

See more pictures after the jump!

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow 50 Edgy Emerald Review and Swatches

When Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadows arrived in the UK there was a lot of excitement around them and also some disappointment. It seems the UK was only allowed 7 shades for some reason and we didn't get this gorgeous green. So I once again did a search on eBay and a week later I received this loveliness.

I didn't actually pick up any of the shades available in the UK mostly because they were either boring or colours that I'd already owned from other brands (Rimmel, MUFE, etc.), so Edgy Emerald is my first and only one so far. It is basically a cream eyeshadow that works either on its own or as a base. I have not worn it on its own yet, but used it as a base under Mac Shimmermint and Smutty Green mineralize eyeshadows and it was really great: made the colours on top pop and also helped the eyeshadows adhere on better. It stayed creaseless for a good 15 hours (until I washed it off) and the eyeshadows on top hardly faded. Brilliant.

You get 4 gramms which is similar to the Rimmel mousse eyeshadows and in the UK these eyeshadows cost £4.99. Edgy Emerald is a lovely slightly bluey green shade. It applies a bit lighter than it looks in the pan, but it can be built up. The eyeshadow blends really easily and sets pretty quickly. Once it's set, it will stay on unless you rub it very hard (which you should do anyway). I really like this one and I really wish we had some more interesting shades in the UK. I think these eyeshadows are very comparable to the MUFE Aqua Cream eyeshadows for the fraction of the price, so it would be great to have the same colours available from Maybelline too.

Anyway, long story short, I love this. Will post the FOTD with Mac Shimmermint and Smutty Green soon. In the meantime, see more pictures, including swatches after the jump!

FOTD: Mac In Extra Dimension

I know, Mac In Extra Dimension came out last month, but better late than never, eh? I'm also trialling a mascara (Mac Haute & Naughty) which I wanted to include in the look (will review it later).

I used the following products to create this look:

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Mac Modern Pewter Extra Dimension eye shadow all over the lid
Mac Sweet Heat Extra Dimension eye shadow in the outer corner and crease
Mac Whisper Of Gilt Extra Dimension Skinfinish in the inner corner of lid and on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Mildew on lower lashline
Mac Haute & Naughty mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation in 020 Cameo
Guerlain Meteorites Travel Touch loose powder in Mythic
Mac Modern Mandarin Powder Blush on cheeks
Mac Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt to highlight

Lips:

Guerlain Rouge Automatique in 143 Nahema

See more pictures after the jump!

This Month I...

Rather than just doing a post about products I've finished this month, I've decided to do more of a summary of the last month and all beauty related happenings. So here we go.

Last month I...

• finished 3 products. It's been a slow month, what can I say? At least it's more than nothing, eh? One of the products finished was Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara which I really enjoyed using and would definitely consider repurchasing if I didn't already own 20+ mascaras. It also lasted for ages, I don't even remember when I first started using it, it didn't go bad or dry out, just simply ran out eventually. 
• have overspent by about £250 again. I think I should just up my budget, because it's clearly too low. Or maybe buy less make up and spend less money. (Crazy talk, I know.)
• have bought another lorry load of nail polishes. I know I'm crazy, I have been buying nail polish all the time, but there are so many pretty colours! I have also discovered a couple of brands (namely Glitter Gal and A-England) I'd not heard about before and they both happened to be holographic nail polishes which is my weakness. 

Here are some pictures of the pretty polishes I bought in April (some reviews will follow eventually, let me know in the comments which ones you're interested in the most). First up, A-England holo polishes:

Princess Tears, Lady Of The Lake, Ascalon, Tristram, Princess Sabra

See lots more pictures after the jump!

What's In My Holiday Make Up Bag?

You might not have noticed (thank God (Blogger) for scheduled posts), but I went on a short holiday last week, and I thought I'd show you what make up I took with me. Now bearing in mind I was only away for 5 days and on day 1 I'd already done my make up, I'm thinking I might have taken a bit too much with me. Well, see for yourselves...

It doesn't look too much in the bag, but that's just the basics, I also took 5 Sleek palettes and my Mac highlighting palette with me. So yeah, too much, especially bearing in mind we spent 3 of the 5 days at the swimming pool, so those days I pretty much only wore waterproof mascara and lip balm.

Do you also take loads of make up with you when you go away or are you a minimalist? Let me know in the comments!

For details of what I took with me, keep reading after the jump!

FOTD: Laura Geller Eye Elements Baked Eye Shadow and Highlighter in Meadow Skies

Here's the look I did with my new Laura Geller Meadow Skies eyeshadow and highlighter compact. I like this look, I think the colours work well together and on me too. What do you think?

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Barbara Daly eyeshadow primer
Laura Geller Eye Elements in Meadow Skies khaki shade on middle of lid and above crease
Laura Geller Eye Elements in Meadow Skies forest green shade in crease
Laura Geller Eye Elements in Meadow Skies rose gold shade in inner corner
Laura Geller Eye Elements in Meadow Skies white gold highlighter on browbone
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Mildew on waterline
Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Parure Aqua foundation in 02 Beige Clair
Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Medium
Mac Brunette Mineralize Skinfinish to contour
Laura Geller Blush n Brighten in Tropic Hues
Laura Geller Eye Elements in Meadow Skies white gold highlighter

Lips:
Mac Rue d'Rouge Dazzleglass

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Gold And Purple Look With Stila's In The Moment Palette

I'm still playing catching up, so here's another quick post, this time a look I did with my new Stila In The Moment palette. I really liked this look, purple is one of my favourite colours and I think it works well with gold. I also tried out the new Mac Viva Glam Nicki lipstick for the first time and man, it is so bright! Fun colour though, just need sunglasses with it. Anyway, here's the look I did, let me know how you like it.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Make UP For Ever Aqua Cream #11 (gold)
Stila In The Moment palette Spontaneous eyeshadow all over the lid
Stila In The Moment palette Glance eyeshadow in the crease
Stila In The Moment palette Instinct eyeshadow on browbone to highlight
Mac Superslick Liquid Eyeliner in Pure Show on upper lashline
L'Oreal HIP Color Chrome Eyeliner in Violet Volt on lower lashline
Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation in 020 Cameo
Guerlain Meteorites Travel Touch loose powder in 01 Mythic
Laura Geller Blush n Brighten in Sateen Subtle Orchid
Mac Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish to highlight

Lips:
Mac Viva Glam Nicki lipstick

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Mac Crushed Metallic Pigments

Firstly, sorry to disappoint, but this look isn't featuring any of the Vera collection Crushed Metallic Pigments. I actually did this look a few days before the collection came out because I was really excited about the pigments and wanted to use the ones I already owned. The pigments used in this look are from the 2011 Dazzlespheres holiday collection. I will try to do a look with the Vera pigments soon too.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Mac Crushed Metallic Pigment in Rose Light on middle of lid
Mac Crushed Metallic Pigment in Seasonal Cool in crease
Mac Crushed Metallic Pigment in Pearl in inner corner, above crease to blend out and on browbone
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Underground on waterline
Guerlain Noir G mascara
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation in 020 Cameo
Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic
Too Faced Candy Leopard blush

Lips:
Mac If It's Pink Dazzleglass Creme

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Chanel Eclosion Eyeshadow Quad

I've been meaning to post this look that I did using my new Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad. I really liked this look, it's nice and neutral but with a bit of a kick. I personally love the glittery highlighter shade and also the mauvy plum shade.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Barbara Daly Even Smoother Eye Base
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad peachy pink shade on middle of lid
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad mauvy plum shade in crease
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad beige shade above crease to blend out
Chanel Eclosion eyeshadow quad shimmery highlighter shade in inner corner and on browbone
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Crash on waterline
Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara in black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream
Guerlain Radiant Butterfly Meteorites Voyage Powder
Mac Subtle Breeze mineralize blush

Lips:
Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipgloss in 871 Frosted Rose

See more pictures after the jump!

Finished! The December Edition

Another month over, another post about products I've finished. There are a few included that I have reviewed a few times on here, so I will just link them to some earlier reviews instead of repeating myself.

First up - a confession. I'm probably the only person in the blogesphere that doesn't know what the big fuss is about Clarisonic. I got a Clarisonic Mia a couple of months ago and I've been using it religiously, but in all fairness, I just can't see what it does to my skin. My skin isn't clearer, my pores are still clogged up, nothing has really changed to be honest. I don't hate it, but I do wonder what on earth I spent all the money on. Okay, there, I said it. Let the stone thowing commence. Right, onto the products. I got this cleanser with my Clarisonic and I didn't like it. Luckily it was only a small sample, so I used it up, but it smelled funny and it did nothing to my skin. Won't repurchase (I don't even know if you can).

 See what other products I finished after the jump!

2011's Favorite Products: Part 2 - Face

To continue from yesterday's favourites post I have the face products I loved the most this year to show you. Like I said in yesterday's post, it's hard to compose these lists because current favourites can easily make it in there even if you were using something  else for 11 months. Despite me not wanting to include products that have only recently made it into my most used and well loved products, I have gone against it and included a couple of products that are very new to me but have become firm favourites. Read on to find out what they are.

First up is my favourite face primer, Guerlain Meteorites Perles Light-Diffusing Perfecting Primer. It smells amazing and gives a smooth base, it's not slimy and slippery like some silicone based one, love it. I have reviewed it, so click on the link above.

Keep reading to find out which other face products I loved this year!

FOTD: Chartreuse, Gold and Brown

This look is a bit different from what I would normally wear, firstly I don't often wear greens and certainly not chartreuse, but I was playing with my Frontcover loose powder eyeshadows and decided to do this look. My inspiration partly was the Models Own Golden Green Beetlejuice nail polish, I actually wore this look at the same time.

It wasn't this bright and in-your-face in real life, maybe it's the flash, I don't know, but it does look a bit scary, especially the full face pictures. Oh well, nobody stopped me to wipe it off my face, so I guess it was alright. Feel free to let me know what you think (but please be kind)!

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Frontcover Pigment Powder in Lime Lime inner part and middle of lid, and under lower lashline
Mac Vintage Gold pigment in outer part of lid and above crease, and under lower lashline
Frontcover Pigment Powder in Saddle Brown in crease
Frontcover Shimmer Powder in Desert Dust on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero on waterline
Clinique Lash Power Mascara in Black Onyx
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation in 030 Sand
Mac Truth & Light Magically Cool Liquid Powder
Mac On A Mission Beauty Powder Blush

Lips:
Avon Ultra Colour Rich Moisture Seduction lipstick in Mocha Plum

See more pictures after the jump!

My Ever Growing Nail Polish Collection Part 3 - GOSH, Models Own, Dior, Chanel

As promised, here's the third and final part of my nail polish collection overview. If you missed part one and part two, you can check them out here and here.

So let's just get on with it shall we? Any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments!

My GOSH nail polishes

See more pictures of my collection after the jump!

FOTD: FrontCover Eye Popping Eyeshadow Palette Cover Look

As promised, here's my attempt of recreating the cover look of the FrontCover Eye Popping Eyeshadow Palette that I reviewed yesterday. This is something I don't do very often, partly due to lack of time and partly due to lack of interest, I prefer doing my own thing. But I do like the cover look on the palette and wasn't too sure what to do with the bright green shade in the palette, so I thought right, I will try to do the look.

So here it is, what do you think? I was quite pleased with it, although I need to add that it's not a look I would wear on an average weekday as it was brighter and darker than in the photos. It's good fun though and I did this last Sunday, so I didn't get many funny looks (other than from my family, but they are used to me wearing bright make up by now).

Keep reading to see more photos and find out what I used to create this look!

The Great 30 Day Lipstick Challenge - Week 3

Now that I'm into the second half of my 30 day lipstick challenge, I am having more of a difficulty picking out the lipsticks I want to wear. Even though there are approx. 60 lipsticks in the box with a variety of different shades and finishes, I feel that I find it hard choosing. Also I want to make sure I choose from different brands, so it's not too boring for you either. This week I actually used lipsticks from 6 brands and managed to choose a variety of shades too, so not too bad. We'll see how the last 9 days go, although this has been good fun, my Guerlain and Chanel lipsticks are calling my name. It's funny though as I suspect many of you out there don't even have 60 lipsticks, but obviously I get bored quickly and need to have a lot of them to keep me happy.

Anyway these are the lipsticks I wore this week:
1. Lancome L'Absolu Rouge in shade 350
2. No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in 50 Cameo
3. L'Occitane Pivoine Flora lipstick in 02 Rose Pique
4. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in 440 Cherries In The Snow
5. Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in 148 Summer Pink
6. Mac Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Full Speed
7. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in 415 Pink In The Afternoon

Find out what I thought about these lipsticks and see swatches (including lip swatches) after the jump!

The Great 30 Day Lipstick Challenge - Week 1

Once again thank you to everyone who voted for which box of lipsticks I should be using for the next 30 days (you can see the "winner" box here). It's now been over a week and I have 7 lipsticks to show you. I have to say, it was a very good idea of mine to start this challenge as I often reach for the same lipsticks despite owning over 300 of them, so being restricted to choose from "just" 58 lipsticks is actually quite liberating. I also consciously trying to choose lipsticks I don't normally go for, there are quite a few unused lipsticks sitting in each box, so it's a great opportunity to try them out as well as rediscover forgotten favourites. Ah, the curse of having too much make up.

So here they are, the first 7 lipsticks. As you can see I managed to choose from a variety of brands and if you scroll down, you will see that I also managed to use a variety of shades. So shall we see which lipsticks I used this week? Find out after the jump!