Getting Out Of The Rut Day 1

So today is the first day of me using some make up that's been sitting in my drawers unused. In this look I used (among my staples like foundation, powder, mascara and brow set gel which I have no need to mix up) Sephora Moonshadow Trio in Dusk Till Dawn, Urban Decay 24/7 eyepencil in Rockstar, Accessorize Merged Baked Blusher in Wowzer and Mac Dazzleglass Creme in If It's Pink.

Feel free to let me know what you think, but please go easy on me, I haven't done this in a long time.

So that's day one ticked. Onto day two, the adventure continues!

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Blue Ribbon - Review and Swatches

I have another shade of Stila Smudge Stick to show you called Blue Ribbon. The name is a bit misleading because, well, it's not really blue. I'd say it's probably more of a steel blue, but definitely what I was expecting. Regardless, it's a nice colour.

Otherwise it's basically the same product as the other Smudge Sticks I have reviewed before (click here for my review). It is one of the more shimmery shades, but it's not glittery as such.

It has the same lovely, soft, easy to apply formula and it's long lasting, although I've never tested whether it's actually waterproof. It comes in the same twist up pen as the other Smudge Sticks and you still only get 0.28 g for £13.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Mac Tropical Taboo Mineralize Collection for Summer 2013 Promo Pictures!

Finally we have promo pictures of the upcoming Mac Tropical Taboo collection. I was loving it before I saw the pictures, but I'm loving it even more so!

Due to be released in July in the US (and I'm guessing August in the UK), here are the collection details:

Mineralize Lipsticks

• Lady at Play – Mid-tone cool tangerine
• Divine Choice – Mid-tone cool pink cream
• Midnight Mambo – Intense violet
• Luxe Naturale – Light beige cream
• Glamour Era – Mid-tone warm brown frost

Cremesheen Glass

• Calypso Beat –Pale neutral pink
• Fever Isle – Bright red coral
• Japanese Spring – Pale mid-tone pink
• Narcissus – Mid-tone eggplant

Lip Pencil

• Hip ‘n’ Happy – Mid-tone blue pink
• Have to Have It – Soft warm beige
• Heroine – Bright purple
• Ablaze – Bright apricot

Mineralize Skinfinish

• Adored – Coral with light beige pearlized pigments
• Rio – Bronze with bright pink pearlized pigments
• Lust – Pale pink with cranberry pearlized pigments
• Soft ‘n Gentle (permanent) – Gilded peach bronze
• Gold Deposit (permanent) – Soft reflective golden bronze

Mineralize Blush

• Sweet Samba –Dark pink with tan pearlized pigments
• Exotic Ember – Orange with bronze pearlized pigments
• Simmer – Burnt rose with peach/gold pearlized pigments

Mineralize Eyeshadow

• Dare to Bare – Light cream with gold pearlized pigments
• Carribean – Rose with pink and red pearlized pigments
• Cha-Cha-Cha – Deep blue green with green pearlized pigments
• Time to Tango – Lavendar with silver pearlized pigments
• Bossa Blue – Royal blue with brown pearlized pigments
• Tropica – Silver blue with purple pearlize pigments

Kohl Power Eye Pencil

• Feline – Rich Black
• Orpheus – Intense black with gold pearlized pigments

Brush

• 187 Brush – Duo fibre face brush
• 159 Brush – Duo fibre face brush
• 287 Brush – Duo fibre eyeshadow brush

In Extreme Dimension Lash

• Black

See lots more promo and individual product pictures after the jump!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault Now Available!

Just a heads up, the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault is now available exclusive on the Debenhams website. Apparently there are only 40 of them available in the UK, so if you want it, grab it now!

It costs £240 and you can order it from here.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Periwinkle - Review and Swatches

I feel really bad now reviewing this eyeliner because I've just looked on the Stila website and it's sold out now, and I believe this was a limited edition. But I've taken the pictures, so I might as well write up the review, right?

This shade was part of the Stila spring collection, but it's basically the same product as the other Smudge Sticks I have reviewed before (click here for my review). The shade is called Periwinkle and that's exactly what it is, a periwinkle blue shade (it is more purple in real life, but my camera refuses to pick up purples properly). This one isn't shimmery/glittery like some of the other shades, so that may be a plus for those who don't like glittery eyeliners. I don't mind either way and it's a gorgeous colour, so I'm happy.

It has the same lovely, soft, easy to apply formula and it's long lasting, although I've never tested whether it's actually waterproof. It comes in the same twist up pen as the other Smudge Sticks and you still only get 0.28 g for £13.

As I said, this is a limited edition shade, but I have just checked an it's still in stock on the BeautyBay website and you may be able to find it from other retailers too. It's a lovely, springlike colour, so well worth picking up.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Kiko Super Colour Eyeliner in 105 Jade Green

On a recent trip to Westfield I popped into the Kiko store and noticed their colourful liquid eyeliners. I picked up 105 jade Green, a colour I hadn't owned yet despite having loads of liquid eyeliners (mainly MUFE and Stila, but also other brands).

This is what Kiko say about the eyeliner: "Coloured Liquid Eyeliner in a water-resistant formula. Its water and polymer based formula creates a film of extra-brilliant no-transfer colour with great coverage. The light and gliding texture dries quickly adhering perfectly to eyelids, without fading or flaking. The innovative, cone-shaped applicator in soft felt makes application very comfortable, simple and perfectly measured, for a line that can go from thin to thick. Its special long-handled design ensures maximum control of application for lines that are always flawless. Exceptional by itself or on top of eyeshadow, eye pencil or classic eyeliner, Super Colour Eyeliner is available in 14 vibrant shades."

I'd say I agree with most of it, except that there is nothing innovative about the applicator as it's exactly the same as the above mentioned brands' applicators. Now that's not a bad thing, just nothing new. The formula is a little bit runny, watery for my liking and it takes a few goes to build up the colour and as a result it does take a little longer to dry, but once it's dry, it's going nowhere. However it comes off easily with oil based remover and unlike some other liquid eyeliners it dissolves rather than flakes off. Shade 105 Jade green is an almost duochromey light green shade with some yellow and blue shimmer to it depending on how the light hits it. Very pretty colour.

You get 1.7 ml for currently £3.90 (normally £6.90) which is a hell of a lot cheaper than MUFE and Stila, although I do feel that the formula isn't quite comparable, so I guess that's about alright.You can order it from Kiko's website (which I don't recommend due to a previous bad experience) or buy from a Kiko store in Westfield Stratford or Shepherd Bush.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Want It! Mac Tropical Taboo Mineralize Collection for Summer 2013

I was so excited to find out about Mac's upcoming mineralize collection, I had to share the news with you straight away! I love mineralize products and this collection has a lot of new goodies for me to look forward to.I'm mostly interested in the mineralize skinfinishes, blushes and eyeshadows, but there are also some mineralize lipsticks, cremesheen glasses, lip pencils and other goodies included in this collection.

Not actual promo picture

Due to be released in July in the US (and I'm guessing August in the UK), here are the collection details:

Mineralize Lipsticks

• Lady at Play – Mid-tone cool tangerine
• Divine Choice – Mid-tone cool pink cream
• Midnight Mambo –Intense violet
• Luxe Naturale – Light beige cream
• Glamour Era – Mid-tone warm brown frost

Cremesheen Glass

• Calypso Beat –Pale neutral pink
• Fever Isle – Bright red coral
• Japanese Spring - Pale mid-tone pink
• Narcissus – Mid-tone eggplant

Lip Pencil

• Hip ‘n’ Happy – Mid-tone blue pink
• Have to Have It – Soft warm beige
• Heroine – Bright purple
• Ablaze – Bright apricot

Mineralize Skinfinish

• Adored – Coral with light beige pearlized pigments
• Rio – Bronze with bright pink pearlized pigments
• Lust – Pale pink with cranberry pearlized pigments
• Soft ‘n Gentle (permanent) – Gilded peach bronze
• Gold Deposit (permanent) – Soft reflective golden bronze

Mineralize Blush

• Sweet Samba –Dark pink with tan pearlized pigments
• Exotic Ember – Orange with bronze pearlized pigments
• Simmer- Burnt rose with peach/gold pearlized pigments

Mineralize Eyeshadow

• Dare to Bare – Light cream with gold pearlized pigments
• Carribean –Rose with pink and red pearlized pigments
• Cha-Cha-Cha – Deep blue green with green pearlized pigments
• Time to Tango- Lavendar with silver pearlized pigments
• Bossa Blue – Royal blue with brown pearlized pigments
• Tropica - Silver blue with purple pearlize pigments

Kohl Power Eye Pencil

• Feline – Rich Black
• Orpheus – Intense black with gold pearlized pigments

Brush

• 187 Brush – Duo fibre face brush
• 159 Brush - Duo fibre face brush
• 287 Brush - Duo fibre eyeshadow brush

In Extreme Dimension Lash

• Black

Credit goes to Maneater Makeup

How To Wear Coloured Eyeliner?

When the news about the Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil Vault emerged, I read a few comments from people saying they don't normally wear coloured eyeliner because they don't know how to. So I thoght I'd put together a little post to show you a few ideas on how to wear coloured eyeliner. All pictures are clickable and will take you to the post they were originally posted in, so you can also see full face pictures.

I'd say there are 3 ways of using coloured eyeliner. One is to make an otherwise simple look pop. In the picture above I used black and beige eyeshadows, so I added a purple eyeliner on my bottom lashline to make it pop. In the picture below I used a gold eyeshadow and added purple eyeliner on both the top lashline (liquid) and the bottom lashline (pencil).

See more pictures and ideas on how to wear coloured eyeliner after the jump!

Want It! Laura Mercier Folklore Collection for Summer 2013

I like the look of the upcoming Laura Mercier summer collection, especially the Illuminating Eye Colours. I have 4 of the previous ones (as in all 4), if you want to read about them, click here. The new colours seem quite similar, but may well be different enough to buy. The texture of these eyeshadows is really lovely, similar to the Mac Extra Dimension shades, but even better.

I also like the look of the lip crayons and the baked blush bronze.

Here are the collection details:

Illuminating Eye Colour

Eye colour with a multi-dimensional, luminous pearl finish with a soft, bouncy texture for excellent colour pay-off and a smooth, even application.

• Fire Glow – copper shimmer
• Sun Glow – gold with shimmer
• Earth Glow – deep brown

Lip Crayon

A smooth lip colour that provides pure, long-wearing colour to lips in three on-trend shades for summer. With a convenient purse-friendly package, Lip Crayon never needs sharpening, making it perfect for travel and touch-ups on the go.

• Folklore – fuchsia
• Maya Sun – orange pink
• Burnt Clay – deep brown

Baked Blush Bronze

Laura Mercier Baked Blush Bronze is a baked powder with five complimentary shades that together provide the perfect, natural colour for cheeks and face. Each tile is hand-mixed with a unique design.

Creme Eye Liner 

An ultra-smooth, water-proof creamy eye liner that applies with the ease and smooth silky finish of a gel and the precision of a liquid liner. Smudge and transfer-resistant, this long-wearing formula goes on “foolproof” with the Laura Mercier Angled Eye Liner Brush.

• Canard – teal
• Cobalt – vivid midtone blue

Faux Lash Mascara

• Sierra Brown – chocolate brown
• Black – black

Long Lash Mascara

• Bleu – true cobalt

Angled Eye Liner Brush

Specifically designed by Laura Mericer to work with the Crème Eye Liner, the Angled Eye Liner Brush uses high quality synthetic fibers in a narrow, exact point with a thin profile that creates the most precise looks.

Body Bronzing Makeup

Available for a limited time, Laura Mercier Body Bronzing Makeup instantly reveals healthy, radiant, bronzed skin without long-term commitment.

See more pictures after the jump!

Want It! Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil Vault *UPDATED WITH SHADE NAMES!*

Okay, so I don't even know if this is coming out in the UK, but I really really hope so! It contains 40 full size 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils, including permanent, previously released and new shades, and will retail for $295 (guessing £200 - £220). It will launch in the US on Tuesday, 26th March.

Here's the list of shades available in the Vault:

• Perversion Blackest black matte (Existing Shade)
• Zero Zealous black cream (Existing Shade)
• Smoke Deepest grey matte (New)
• Uzi Dark gunmetal shimmer with silver micro-sparkle (Previously Exclusive, Revamped)
• Oil Slick Black shimmer with silver micro-sparkle (Existing Shade)
• Underground Metallic taupe shimmer (Existing Shade)
• Mushroom Metallic taupe-pewter shimmer (Previously Exclusive)
• Smog Copper shimmer (Previously Exclusive)
• Roach Deep copper brown shimmer (New)
• Bourbon Brown shimmer with gold micro-sparkle (Existing Shade)
• Hustle Metallic brown shimmer (Previously Exclusive)
• Whiskey Rich brown matte (Previously Exclusive)
• Corrupt Dark metallic reddish brown shimmer with silver micro-sparkle (Previously Exclusive)
• Demolition Deep brown matte (Existing Shade)
• Desperation Deep taupe/gray matte (New)
• Scorch Bronze shimmer with silver micro-sparkle (New)
• Goldmine Gold shimmer with gold micro-sparkle (New)
• Loaded Dark green shimmer (New)
• Freak Bright green shimmer (New)
• Invasion Deepest dark green matte (New)
• Mildew Deep metallic green shimmer (Existing Shade)
• Stash Dark metallic green/gold shimmer (Existing Shade)
• Junkie Metallic teal shimmer with gold micro-sparkle (Previously Exclusive)
• Mainline Deep green/blue matte (Previously Exclusive)
• Deep End Bright metallic peacock shimmer (Previously Exclusive)
• Electric Bright metallic aquamarine shimmer with silver micro-sparkle (Existing Shade)
• LSD Navy shimmer with bright turquoise micro-sparkle (Previously Exclusive)
• Sabbath Deep navy matte (Previously Exclusive)
• Abyss Bright metallic blue shimmer with blue micro-sparkle (New)
• Chaos Vibrant cobalt blue matte with slight floating pearl (New)
• Ether Pale smoky gray shimmer with violet and fuchsia micro-sparkle (New)
• Delinquent Dark purple shimmer with light purple micro-sparkle (Previously Exclusive)
• Vice Pearly red eggplant shimmer (New)
• Psychedelic Sister Bright purple cream (Previously Exclusive)
• Rockstar Darkest eggplant shimmer (Existing Shade)
• Empire Dark eggplant matte (Previously Exclusive)
• Asphyxia Vibrant pink/purple duotone with tonal and blue micro-sparkle (Previously Exclusive)
• Woodstock Sparkly hot pink shimmer with silver sparkle (Existing Shade)
• Yeyo Metallic white shimmer (Existing Shade)
• Cuff Metallic silver shimmer with silver micro-sparkle (New)

Also, according to Temptalia, these 40 shades will be the permanent line up of 24/7 eye pencils going forward which means that any shade not on the list from the existing permanent line up will be discontinued. So if you love any of those shades, better back them up now!

Barry M Bold Purple Waterproof Eyeliner Review and Swatches

A little while ago I told you about two shades of the Barry M Waterproof Eyeliners, Bold Gunmetal and Blue (click the link for my review), and now it's time to tell you about the purple one. I think this one is my favourite of the 3. It's a gorgeous purple with fine micro glitter, absolutely stunning.

In fact I've found that it's a nearly exact dupe of Mac Designer Purple Pearlglide eyeliner, which is one of my favourite purple eyeliners. The staying power of this one was slightly better than the other two as well. I didn't test whether it's waterproof, but it did stay on my lower lashline all day without smudging or fading, so that's good enough for me. Luckily the micro glitter doesn't irritate my eyes, in fact the pearlglides sometimes do, so in that respect I like this eyeliner better than Designer Purple.

These eyeliners cost £3.99 each and are similar size to the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners, although it doesn't say anywhere on the product or the Barry M website. I'd estimate it to be between 1 and 1.2 g.

A lovely, soft, creamy, long lasting eyeliner at the fraction of the cost of other brand's very similar product. What's not to like?

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Barry M Bold Gun Metal and Bold Blue Waterproof Eyeliner Review and Swatches

I bought these Barry M eye pencils a little while ago when they had a 3 for 2 offer in Boots and there was a very pretty nail polish I wanted to get. So you know, started looking at other things to make use of the promotion (as you might have noticed, I do that very often!) and came across these eyeliners. I thought for £3.99 each (well, one was actually free) they were worth a try. Luckily I was right.

They are very similar to Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencils, soft and smooth, very easy to apply, but dry down quickly and don't budge for hours. The shades I got are Bold Gun Metal which is a shimmery silver/grey colour and Bold Blue which is a shimmery medium blue colour. Bold Blue has slightly more micro glitter to it, but it's by no means glittery. I also bought Bold Purple subsequently which I'll be reviewing separately.

Both eyeliners stayed on my waterline fairly well, probably for about 4 hours, and on my lower lashline all day. These are supposed to be waterproof and I have tested Bold Gun Metal in the swimming pool and it did smudge, not terribly badly, but it did. I'm not that fussed, but if you are looking for a truly waterproof eyeliner, these might not be the ones for you.

Bold Gun Metal isn't too similar in colour to any of the Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencils I own (it's quite a bit darker than Gunmetal and less shimmery), but Bold Blue is a dupe for Deviant, I swatched them side by side and you can't tell the difference. If you like blue eyeliners, this may be good news for you, as these are similar size to the Urban Decay ones (doesn't actually say anywhere, but I estimate between 1 and 1.2 g) and only cost £3.99 each, plus there's bound to be an offer on them at some point.

All in all these are nice, creamy, long lasting eyeliners, but not as waterproof as they claim to be.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

Urban Decay Oz The Great and Powerful Glinda Palette Review and Swatches

There is a new big film out and of course Urban Decay has come up with a couple of palettes to go with it. I haven't seen the film yet (it's only out in March), but I remember well loving the story of The Wizard Of Oz as a child. I decided to pick up the Glinda palette more because I liked the products in it, rather than the film, and similarly I didn't pick up the Theodora palette because I wasn't very interested in the colours.

Anyway, the Glinda palette is really lovely, I'm very glad I've picked it up. It contains 6 full size (1.5 g) eyeshadows, a travel size (0.8 g) 24/7 Glide-on eyepencil and a full size (2.8 g) Super-Saturated pencil. The palette itself is the new style design your own palette, so you can pop up the eyeshadows and put different ones in if you wish. You also get a "Get the look" card to show you how you can achieve the look Michelle Williams is sporting on the box (and int he film).

The colour scheme is neutrals, pinks and purples, all very soft and feminine. You get Tornade, a very well pigmented, smooth reddish purple with a sheen, Aura, a split pan duo-chrome pink and blue frosty colour, Magic, a rosy pink with subtle gold shimmer, Illusion, a light frosty peach, Oz, a split pan frosty and glittery gold and silver and South, a frosty taupey brown. All the eyeshadows are very smooth and well pigmented, and apart from Oz, not glittery. You also get Rockstar 24/7 Glide-on eyepencil which is one of my favourite eyeliners ever (you can see swatches of Rockstar by clicking here) and Glinda Super-Saturated pencil, a glossy pinky nude colour which is very flattering.

I did two looks with the palette, one using the eyeshadows in the top row (pictures at the bottom of the post) and one using the eyeshadows in the bottom row (except the silver one). I especially liked the first look as it was so pretty and feminine. The only eyeshadow I had an problems with is Oz, the split pan gold and silver one, because it has a bit more gritty texture than the others and the chunky glitter is more fallout prone.

The eyeshadows last on me without creasing and fading for 10 hours or more. Glinda Super-Saturated pencil lasts on me for about 2-3 hours depending on whether I eat or not. It's a lovely glossy lipcolour and doesn't feel at all drying on the lips.

There are a few things I dislike about the palette itself. I don't like the make your own palette style, the eyeshadows feel quite wobbly in it and also it is extremely bulky for what it is. I also don't like that you can't see anywhere the names of the eyeshadows (other then the bottom of the actual pans and the outer box. I'm thinking about pulling th plastic insert out, depotting the eyeshadows and using the palette with magnets instead. I reckon you could fit at least 9 eyeshadows in the that way, if not more.

Value-wise I can't fault it, the set costs £35 and it includes over £107 worth of products not counting the palette itself. I can happily say that other than Oz that feels a bit too glitzy for every day wear and feels a little bit out of place for me, the palette is really lovely and I have really enjoyed using it.

See lots more pictures including swatches and a look I did using the palette after the jump!

Win It! Vivo Smoky Moods Ultimate Eye Kit

You have a chance to win this great eyeshadow trio and liquid eyeliner by Vivo. To enter, please use the Rafflecopter widget, no other entries will be considered. The giveaway is open worldwide and terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of the widget. The winner will have 2 days to reply and claim their prize. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Urban Decay 24/7 Double Ended Pencil Duo Set Review and Swatches

Urban Decay 24/7 eyepencils are one of my favourite eyeliners and I can safely say I have pretty much every shade available now. So when I saw that this set was available on the Urban Decay website I knew I really wanted it because it contains a shade, Sabbath, I didn't own. Luckily it became available in the UK as well, so I could finally get my hands on it.

The set contains two double ended eyepencils and a Grind House Double Barrel Sharpener. The shades included are Zero (black), Corrupt (dark metallic brown), Stash (antique gold) and Sabbath (matte navy-blue). This set contains the essential shades, Zero is great black eyeliner, Corrupt is my favourite brown eyeliner, Stash is lovely with golds and greens, and Sabbath is a gorgeous smooth dark navy colour. Corrupt and Sabbath aren't available individually, although Corrupt has been included in a couple of sets before. Together with the sharpener, this would make an excellent starter set for someone who doesn't have many eyeliners.

All of them are really pigmented, smooth, they go on easily and stay put for hours. I use Urban Decay 24/7 eyepencils almost every day and would wholeheartedly recommend them to everyone. 

The eyeliners are 0.5 g each (well, 1 g per double ended pencil), so you get 2 g and the sharpener for £19. This is nowhere near as good value as the other eyeliner sets as you get just over £30 worth of products, but it's not bad. The sharpener retails for £7 alone, although I can live without it quite happily, and there's still £23 worth of eyeliner in there.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

2012 Favourties - Part 2: Eyes

I buy and wear a lot of eyeshadows, eyeliners and mascaras, that is one thing I don't think I'll ever be able to stop. I have very undefined eyes, so I cannot be without eyeliner and mascara, eyeshadows are more of the fun part, I really enjoy playing with colours and have got pretty good at doing quite fancy looks.

I'll start with eyeshadows. One of the brands I mostly raved on about on here in 2012 is L'Oreal, I love their Infallible eyeshadows. Nowadays I tend to gravitate towards high end eyeshadows, but every so often cheaper brands that come out with something amazing and I'm not that much of a snob not to check them out. I did a series of reviews as I bought 20 shades of them, here's the recap post that is linked to all the reviews.

My other favourite eyeshadows that I often compare the L'Oreal Infallibles to were Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill and Chanel Illusion D'Ombre eyeshadows. You can find several reviews of these on the blog as well, just do a search. I loved the Infallible eyeshadows most for their affordableness and big colour selection (although we don't get quite as many in the UK, but thank God for eBay and US sellers).

Carry on reading after the jump to discover which other products I loved in 2012!

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Bronzed Green Eyes Review and Swatches

I was really interested in trying out this brand before I went to America last year and I did buy a few of their face powders and blushes, but never got any eyeshadows. I bought this palette in TK Maxx a couple of weeks ago together with a blush that I will review shortly. Although this palette is for green eyes, I decided to get it because it has a nice mix of colour and also because I don't believe in only wearing certain colours depending on your eye colour.

You get 9 eyeshadows (or rather 6 eyeshadows and 3 liner according to Physicians Formula) and they range from very subtle neutrals to darker, smokier colours. The colour theme is definitely neutral, but there are some nice pops of colour including a copper and a khaki shade. The eyeshadows are grouped into 3 groups of 3, the 3 on the right giving you the most subtle look and the 3 on the left the most dramatic look. You can also use them wet for an even more intense look.

The eyeshadows are nicely pigmented and smooth, all of them metallic, but there's no glitter. I didn't have any problems with fallout or creasing when wearing them over a primer. I used the 4 shades on the right to create the look you can see at the bottom of this post (not just 3 because I'm a rebel). I didn't use the liner shade as a liner, but as crease colour instead. Of course it's up to you what combinations you do with these, but the main thing is that you have a good choice with 9 shades.

The palette contains 7.5 g product and I paid £4.99 for it in TK Maxx. On the Physicians Formula website these retail for $10.95 and come in 4 variations. In the UK your best bet is TK Maxx or eBay.

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

Stila Luxe Palette Review, Swatches and a FOTD

Before I show you this lovely palette, I just want to say that I'm really struggling with writing new posts at the moment. Firstly, I am currently very busy with school and children related activities. Secondly, due to the gloomy weather we've been having in the UK, I've found it incredibly difficult to take proper photos of products, which means if I can't take pictures of my new acquisitions, I then can't start using them, and obviously can't review them in detail. So for the time being I think you might be seeing a few more nail polish posts, I have a big backlog of NOTD pictures that were taken back in the autumn when we still knew what the sun looked like. Hopefully I'll be back with some proper product reviews soon.

For now, here's a lovely palette from Stila to drool over. This one is called Luxe palette and it contains 3 matte and 6 sparkly eyeshadows, plus a smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in Ladyfish (an exclusive shade). You also get a small booklet with ideas on looks to create with the palette. I bought it with my £5 off discount code StilaKiss which is valid for another 3 days on the Stila UK website (minimum spend £25).

I have to say, I'm a bit on the fence about this palette, I'm just not sure about the matte shades. I would've preferred either 3 more sparkly eyeshadows instead of the matte ones, or at least shades that go better with the rest of the palette. Quality-wise I can't really fault the palette, because the matte shades are really nice, the sparkle shades are gorgeous and the eyeliner is lovely too.

I have only worn the eyeshadows over a primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance), but I didn't experience any creasing and there was only minimal fallout (usually during application). The smudge stick is really long lasting, even on the waterline.

The matte shades are a bit brown for my liking. Actually Bubble Bath is a pinky highlighter colour, it's pretty, but I prefer highlighting with more sparkly, satiny colours. I couldn't combine the two different finishes in the palette. I did do a look with the mattes, it was a nice, but rather boring look for my liking.

I also used the shadows in the middle row which resulted in a lovely pink/purple look. But my most favourite shade in the palette has to be ♥ Of The Ocean. At first it looks really dark and a bit dull in the palette, but on the skin it turns into an amazing teal/peacock green colour with loads of pearl. Absolutely gorgeous! I've included pictures of the look I did with it (actually not including any other eyeshadow from the palette, I used it with Sassy Marshmallow and Time Resist White L'Oreal Infallible as well as Stila Peacock smudge stick on the lower lashline). It was really lovely, probably even better in real life.

The palette costs £30, but you can get £5 off with StilaKiss on stila.co.uk. I'm too tired to work out how much value you get, but altogether there's 13.5 g eyeshadows and 0.28 g eyeliner, so you can be sure you're getting great value for your money. I also like it that you get a mirror in this one, definitely something that was missing form the other Stila palettes before.

See lots more pictures including swatches and a look I did after the jump!

Want It: Guerlain Spring 2013 Collection

I'm really excited about seeing the promo pictures and details of the Guerlain Spring 2013 collection, so I thought I'd quickly share them with you. Firstly, another gorgeous promo picture featuring the lovely Natalia Vodianova. Can't help but wonder how photoshopped those eyelashes are though...

So there is a new mascara coming out, it's a volume creating, curl sculpting mascara.

Cils d’Enfer – Maxi Lash (£22)

• 01 Noir
• 02 Violet

The secret of this brush is all in the three polymers. “The first one wraps the lashes in extremely adherent oils, coating and thickening the lashes. The second one, made with supple waxes, acts like a conditioner, softening the lashes so you can sculpt them into just the right shape and style. The last one forms a thin film, coating the lashes to trap the wax and set the amazing curve.”

This mascara also has an innovative brush which is described the following way:” full, round brush caresses each lash to thicken and lengthen at will. The volumising effect is accentuated by the new generation hollow fibres, capable of dispensing just the right amount of mascara with each stroke. Cleverly placed in a criss-cross pattern, they carefully separate the lashes and spread the rich formula without clumping.”

The other products in the collection are as follows:

Ecrin 4 Couleurs Long-Lasting Eyeshadows (£38)

• 501 Attrape-Coeur - mauve, violet, white illuminate, prima donna purple
• 502 Coup de Foudre - green, silvery patina, bronze-khaki, vibrant coral

Eyeliner (£24.50)
 
Ebony black liner with an ultra-thin tip (I think this is permanent actually).

Météorites Perles du Paradis (£43)

New Limited Edition of Meteorites come in XXL size with a pink powder puff with a black bow on top. These Meteorites come in a box adorned with an illustration of a boudoir. The pearles come in six shades.

Rouge Automatique Lipstick (£24.50)

• 601 Romance
• 600 Ballade

Shine Automatique Lipstick (£24.50)

• 762 Rendez-vous
• 761 Flirt

Kiss Kiss Gloss (£24.50)

• 870 Cherry Pink (repromote, see swatches here)
• 849 Fizzy Mango (repromote, see swatches here)

This collection will be out in January.

Pictures and information source

See lots more pictures after the jump!

Dior Holiday 2012 - Grand Bal Palette

Dior really know how to make you drool over their products, don't they? When they make it this pretty, how can you possibly say no? This is their newest holiday palette, Grand Bal.

It contains 2 eyeshadows (gold and silver), 2 lipglosses and an eyeliner pencil, housed in a gold clutch type compact with a full size mirror in the lid. The pencil holds the clutch closed as it's threaded through the two circular barrels in the front.

The eyeshadows are so incredibly beautiful, not just the colours but the pattern. I carefully swatched them, but I'm really not sure i want to use them much as it would ruin the gorgeous design. However, they seem so lovely, it would be silly not to use them. They are very pigmented, smooth, and the colours are lovely. The gold is a light coppery gold and the silver is a white silver. The eyeliner is a straightforward black, quite creamy and well pigmented.

I didn't swatch the lipglosses (a shimmery sheer golden colour and a medium reddish coral colour), because I really didn't want to mess them up, but they would be good to apply on top of a lipstick or wear alone. For those who don't like their powder and cream products in one palette, you'll be pleased to know that the glosses are hiding behind a little flap.

Not only the clutch itself is gorgeous, but it also comes wrapped in white tissue paper with gold CD printed all over it. The whole thing just screams luxury. Unfortunately the pricetag is rather luxurious too at £60. You get 5.3 g product (doesn't say individually) which isn't much, but like with many other luxury products you also pay for the name, the design and it doesn't get much more luxurious than Christian Dior.

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!