Mac Metal-X Cream Eyeshadows Review and Swatches

Despite hearing bad reviews about these and saying I won't buy them, once I swatched these eyeshadows at the Mac counter I decided to pick up a few anyway. I can't explain why, just that the colours looked pretty and that was enough to suck me in.

Palladium, Fusion Gold, Cyber

I got Palladium, Fusion Gold and Cyber, and I have to say, that despite the bad reviews I'm actually quite happy with these. They seem quite dry for cream shadows, they are certainly not as creamy as I thought they'd be. As a result actually, they are very hard to apply with a brush, so I just use my fingers to apply and blend them. I used them over two different bases (Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin and Too Faced Eye Shadows Insurance Policy) and I have to admit, they still creased. But I didn't think they were that bad, I mean yes, it's not great that they crease, but there was really only a faint line, not a massive big area on my lid. And since my eyes are quite hooded and I don't walk around with my eyes closed, I think the creasing is not at all noticable. I suspect it would be worse with the darker colours, but these light ones are fine.

My favourite ones of the bunch are Fusion Gold and Cyber, I love the pinky gold shade of Fusion Gold and the silver glitter in Cyber. Thankfully there wasn't any glitter fallout from it, and it is so pretty. Palladium is a nice highlighting shade. I have not tried these with powder shadows layered over them, not sure if that would help with the creasing, but I didn't buy them as bases, so it doesn't greatly matter.

Mac Metal-X Cream Eyeshadows cost £15.50 each and they are 2.4 g, so the larger pan size. They seem to have sold surprisingly well considering their bad reputation because Debenhams only has a few shades available, although on the Mac webiste only Vintage Coin is showing as sold out. Debenhams did have a long running 10% off beauty sale, so maybe that's why they've sold more of them. Anyway, while I don't think these are that great, I don't hate them and I don't see why some bloggers say they're so awful.

Have you tried these eyeshadows yet? What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

See more pictures after the jump!

17 Blemish Balm All In One Magic Make Up Review - This One Is Good!

After the disappointment that was the Garnier B.B. cream I swore I wasn't gonna buy another one, but somehow I ended up getting the new 17 B.B. cream. I actually like this one though, so it wasn't a waste of money.

The formula is much thicker than the Garnier one and as a result provides a much better coverage. They claim it's full coverage, but I wouldn't go that far, however you certainly get a decent medium coverage. It feels more like a foundation than a tinted moisturiser to me actually. I got the light shade and it's a very good match for me, but I suspect it will be too dark for those who have a lighter skintone (I'm a Mac light medium (NC/W20-ish) in winter). I think this only comes in light and medium, so there won't be a match for everyone for sure. It lasted very well on me, and I only had to touch up my oily bits once, but that's the same with other foundations too (if I'm lucky). This certainly doesn't make my face look oily or dewey like the Garnier one did, so that's a major plus too. It also hasn't made me break out which that did, so another plus goes to 17's B.B. cream.

I still don't like the use of the word magic in the title because quite frankly it's not. It's a decent tinted moisturiser/foundation, but I see nothing magic about it. It's great that it has SPF25 as I'm lazy about my suncream in winter, so that gives enough protection for me. I can't really say if it's moisturising, but it's certainly non drying, and I would also disagree with the weightless formula because it actually feels a bit heavy on my skin, but like I said, at least this way it gives a good coverage.

You get 30 ml for £6.99 which makes it more expensive than the Garnier B.B. cream, but it's on par with 17 foundations, so it's fine (plus I'd much rather pay more for a better product anyway). So all in all I would recommend this, but I really need to add that this is in no way a miracle product, so as long as you're not expecting one, you'll be fine.

See more pictures after the jump!

Festive Nails: Mac Rain Of Flowers With 17 Nail Xtras Glitter Top Coat

I have another festive nail idea for you. I actually wore this to the school mums' Christmas drinks as I had a blue dress on. While it's not strictly Christmassy (as in not red, green or gold), I think it's a nice glittery look.

It was actually more purple than in the pictures, but my camera has trouble picking up pinks and purples, but you get the idea. I was very pleasantry surprised by the 17 topcoat as I was afraid it might not have much glitter in it, but two thin coats produced a good amount of multicoloured glitter, so I was pleased.

Do you like this combo? Let me know in the comments.

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD With Barbara Daly Satin Swirl Eyes Eyeshadows

This is the look I did with my new Barbara Daly eyeshadows, Navy Reflection and Cinder Shine. I used Cinder Shine all over the lid and Navy Reflection in the crease.

Here's a list of all the products I used to create this look:

Eyes:
Barbara Daly Even Smoother Eye Base
Barbara Daly Satin Swirl Eyes Eyeshadow Cinder Shine all over the lid
Barbara Daly Satin Swirl Eyes Eyeshadow Navy Reflection in the crease
Chantacaille La Baleine Bleue Eyeshadow Palette light grey shade on the inner corner of lid and above crease
Chantacaille La Baleine Bleue Eyeshadow Palette highlighter shade on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero on waterline
Gosh Velvet Touch Waterproof Eyeliner in Cool Mint on lower lashline
No 7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
17 Blemish Balm (will review this soon)
Guerlain Radiant Butterfly Meteorites Voyage Powder
Chantecaille Blush in Laughter
Chantecaille La Baleine Blanche Face Palette

Lips:
Chanel Rouge Allure in Belgravia

See more pictures after the jump!

Barbara Daly Satin Swirl Eyes Eyeshadows Review and Swatches

On a recent trip to Tesco I discovered these new eyeshadows by Barbara Daly and decided to give them a go. I was sucked in by the pretty swirly wavy design (as usual), but it turns out these eyeshadows are more than just a pretty face.

I bought Navy Reflection, Taupe Ripple and Cinder Shine, but I think there's another 3 shades in the range (I did see a highlighter colour, and I think there's a purple and green one as well which were out of stock). They cost £8 each, but there was a 3 for 2 offer, so got 3 for £16 which I thought was okay. £8 each is a bit expensive in my opinion for a supermarket brand, but having said that, these eyeshadows are really good quality. I will definitely keep an eye out for the other shades.

As you can see in the pictures, the eyeshadows have a wavy pattern which is actually raised, so it looks pretty cool. It reminded me of the upcoming Estee Lauder gel eyeshadows (to look at), but these are definitely powder, not gel/hybrid. I was very pleasantly surprised when I swatched them, they are very pigmented and smooth. I have worn Navy Reflection and Cinder Shine (will be posting the FOTD soon) and they lasted really well, they applied beautifully and were easy to blend. They honestly feel like high end eyeshadows to me, they have a very nice texture and the colours are lovely too. My favourite of the three is Taupe Ripple, it's such a gorgeous taupe with a hint of sheen (not shimmer). You get 2.5 g per pot which is a good amount. I can happily recommend these eyeshadows and will be looking out for more shades myself.

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

See more pictures after the jump!

Festive Nails: Color Club Sugarplum Fairy

I have another holiday nail polish to show you, this is Color Club Sugarplum Fairy from the Beyond The Mistletoe collection. It's really full on, lots of holographic glitter in a light purple base. Very pretty and very sparkly.

Formula is a bit thick, although that means it's opaque in two coats, actually it's pretty much opaque in one, but I applied a second one to even it out. Unfortunately it chips very quickly and in fact one nail completely peeled off witin 24 hours. I stuck it back on with a base coat and it was alright for another day, but by the end of day 2 it didn't look good. Removal was easy in that I managed to just peel it all off, which is probably not the best for my nails, but hohum.

I bought this as part of a set from TK Maxx for just £7.99, but sadly it's not available there anymore. However, you can find it on eBay for not much more (i've seen it for just £2 per polish on eBay). You get 15 ml in a bottle.

Do you like glitter nail polishes like this one? Let me know in the comments!

See more photos after the jump!

Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Waterproof Mascara in Acid Blue

I've been meaning to review this mascara for ages, but never got around to doing it. To be honest, I don't even know if it's available anymore or whether it was part of Givenchy's fall collection (feel free to let me know if you know). But in any case, this is a gorgeous mascara, so I need to tell you about it.

Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascaras are one of my most favourite mascaras, they work really well for me and I now have them 4 colours (black, purple, turquoise and blue). They make my lashes longer and fuller, don't flake or smudge, and the tube doesn't seem to dry out even after several months' of use (yes, I had one open for over a year and it was still fine, just started to run out by then, but still as good as new). I have reviewed them a few times on the blog, so feel free to do a search and read more about them.

This one is called Acid Blue and as you can see in the picture above, it is properly neon blue. Which makes it show up really well on my dark brown eyelashes, something not every coloured mascara is capable of. This is also waterproof, so will be perfect for the summer for a splash of colour by the pool. I know some people think coloured mascaras are so 80's, but I love them and use them regularly. I loved the 80's anyway, it was certainly the best decade for rock music for me. Anyway, Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascaras are available from counters and online for £20 (ouch, I know) and you get 7 g for your money.

See more pictures after the jump!