FOTD: L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows

I did this look a little while ago using some of my lovely L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows and I really liked the look, so I thought I'd share it with you.

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer all over lid
L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Forever Pink all over the lid
L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Metallic Lilac in the outer corner and crease
L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Time Resist White in the inner corner and on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Radium on lower lashline
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara in Acid Blue
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:

Guerlain Parure Aqua foundation in 02 Beige Clair
Guerlain Perles D'Azur Meteorites
Lancome Blush Subtil Rose #10 Rose Rose on cheeks

Lips:

Mac Girl About Town lipglass

See more pictures after the jump!

2011's Favourite Products: Part 1 - Eyes

As 2011 is drawing to a close, I decided to do a series of posts about my favourite beauty products of the year. To be honest though, I do find it quite difficult to do posts like this, because a year is a pretty long period and I often find if I think of my favourites of a certain period, the latest favourites will most likely be included rather than the ones I was crazy about 6 months ago. But I will try to be as objective as possible. I'm not doing detailed reviews on everything since I have actually reviewed a lot of these products, so I will just link them back to the posts if they've already been reviewed.

First up are base products. My favourites are in no particular order: Barbara Daly (for Tesco) Even Smoother Eye Base, Mac Paint Pots and Rimmel Colour Mousse 8hr eyeshadows. Click on the links for the reviews. The only one of these three that I haven't reviewed yet are the Mac Paint Pots. I don't know why, I've just never got around to doing it. I actually own a lot of them, having bought 10 with the last 2 Mac collections and also the permanent ones, or older limited edition ones that I'd already owned. They can be used as primers as they don't crease at all or just on their own for a subtle (or in some cases not so subtle) colour. My only problem with them is that my older ones are beginning to dry out, even though I keep them upside down and sealed properly. They are the most expensive of the bunch at £13.50 for 5 g.

Keep reading to find out what other eye products made it into my favourites this year!

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!

Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Paillettes Glitter Topcoat in Plum Sparkles

I wore this mascara top coat in my previous post, so I thought I'd show you in a bit more details. It's part of Givenchy's holiday offerings and comes in 3 shades: Plum Sparkles, Gold Sparkles and Black Sparkles.

Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Mascaras are one of my favourite ones, so I was hoping this topcoat would have the same qualities, but sadly, no. I tried wearing it on its own, but the formula is too runny/thin for that and it hardly made any differenc to my lashes. On top of another mascara it adds some very hardly noticeable sparkles, but no volume or length. The sparkles were just not obvious enough to justify paying £20 for a topcoat, so I'm quite disappointed with this product. I haven't tried the gold shade, maybe that's a bit more blingy, but this plum shade is certainly very subtle.

Otherwise, it has the same brilliant brush as the regular Phenomen'eyes mascaras and you get 7 g which is a good size for £20. I think I will just stick to my regular Phenomen'eyes mascaras, they have never disappointed me.

See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Stila Naturaleyes Eyeshadow Palette Neutral Look

Following on from my review of Stila Naturaleyes Eyeshadow Palette here's the look I did with some of the shadows. I used Kitten, Bare and Sunset to create a neutral look which was very well complimented by Damsel Smudge Stick. Let me know what you think!

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Stila Naturaleyes Eyeshadow Palette:

• Kitten all over lid 
• Bare in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
• Sunset in outer corner and crease

Stila Smudge Stick in Damsel on lower lashline
L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara in Black
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Mascara / Top Coat in Plum Sparkles
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation in 02 Lys Rose
Mac Truth & Light Magically Cool Liquid Powder
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Peony as blush

Lips:
Guerlain Rouge Automatique in 170 Nuit D'Amour

See more pictures after the jump!

Finished! The September edition

Not too many things this month I'm afraid as I finished an awful lot of products last month and there are quite a few products that I've been using every day and they refuse to die. Hopefully there'll be a lot more next month.

First up is actually a product that I was planning on including in last month's Finished! post, but it simply refused to run out. I used it pretty much every day and it still lasted another month. Actually it still had some life left in it, but since I'd actually had it for about 2 years already, I decided it had to go. It's Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara, one of my HG mascaras, I love it, it really works for me. I have reviewed it already, so read this post if you want to know more about it.

See which other products I've finished this month!

FOTD: Neutral Look With Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol. 4

Here's the second look I did with the new Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol. 4. I used eyeshadows from the bottom 2 rows which are basically just neutrals and as you can see, ended up with a pretty neutral look. To be fair though, you can achieve this look if you have the Naked Palette or the 15 Year Anniversary Palette, none of the shades used are that unique. Having said that, I love Sin, it's one of my favourite Urban Decay eyeshadows, but it is permanent, so you can just get it on its own. Zephyr is a nice highlighter shade too, frostier than Skimp, but no over the top. Let me know what you think!

To create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Urban Decay Sin eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) on inner half of lid
Urban Decay Missionary eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) on outer half of lid
Urban Decay Bust eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) in crease
Urban Decay Zephyr eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Rockstar on lower lashline and waterline

Givenchy Phenomen'eyes Mascara in Black (I ♥ this mascara!)
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Mac Bite of an Apple blush on cheeks

Lips:
Boots No 7 lipstick in Rubellite


See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Blue and Purple Look With Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol. 4

As promised, here's the first look I did with the new Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol. 4 palette. I managed to test out the liquid eyeliner and the mascara as well as some eyeshadows. As you can see, the mascara really doesn't do much for me, it doesn't add any volume whatsoever and hardly any lenght. And like I said, I don't need a curling mascara, so this is of no use to me. Love the eyeliner though, it's very easy to use and stays put all day. The look was actually a bit more purple than blue, but as usual my camera refused to pick up the purple shades. Shame really because both Gravity and Blue Bus have lovely purple sheen to them. One day I will buy a new camera...

Anyway, to create this look I used the following products:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Urban Decay Crystal eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) on inner half of lid
Urban Decay Blue Bus eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) on outer half of lid
Urban Decay Gravity eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) in crease
Urban Decay Skimp eyeshadow (Book Of Shadows Vol. 4) on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Binge on lower lashline and waterline
Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid eyeliner in Perversion on upper lashline
Urban Decay Supercurl Curling mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Parure Gold foundation in 02 Beige Clair
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Estee Lauder Gilded Rose Marbleized Shimmer Powder on cheeks

Lips:
Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in #112 Ambre Rose
Mac Lipgelee in Budding Beauty


See more pictures after the jump!

FOTD: Blue and Purple Look With Urban Decay

I'm having quite an Urban Decay week aren't I? This is the look I did with Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Sweetheart Tulips that I reviewed a few days ago, so I thought I'd do the breakdown for it as I really liked how the eyes turned out. I think Mary Jane is a beautiful shade and also a really great eyeshadow, one of the best ones from Urban Decay. I also love Fishnet, it's a Deluxe eyeshadow and it is beautiful. Let me know what you think in the comments.

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Urban Decay Mary Jane eyeshadow all over lid and on lower lashline
Urban Decay Psychedellic Sister eyeshadow (UD♥NYC palette) in crease
Urban Decay Fishnet eyeshadow (Deluxe palette) above crease and above inner corner
Urban Decay Hot Pants eyeshadow above crease
Urban Decay Virgin eyeshadow (Naked palette) on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Binge on lower lashline
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Urban Decay Quickie blush

Lips:
Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Sweetheart Tulips

See more pictures after the jump!

Pink Sparkly Look Featuring Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

One more look I created using my new Urban Decay palette. I really wanted to do something with Junkshow, the gorgeous hot pink shade and voila! I also decided to try out my new Mac glitter that I picked up from the Pro Store a few weeks ago (note: Mac glitters are NOT eyesafe, so it is not recommended that you follow my example, if you do so, it's completely at your risk). I also added Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in #14 Diamond Multicolour Black because it has some pink glitter in it. I really like this look, it's bright and cheerful, but not too in your face. What do you think?

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Urban Decay Tainted eyeshadow (15 palette) all over lid and above crease
Urban Decay Junkshow eyeshadow (15 palette) in crease
Mac Pink Opal pigment in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
Mac Reflects Transparent Pink glitter all over lid
Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in #14 Diamond Multicolour Black
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Zero on lower lashline and waterline
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Urban Decay Quickie blush
Mac Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

Lips:
17 Ultimate Volume lipgloss in Butterfly Cake

See more pictures after the jump!

Blue-Teal Look Featuring Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection

Here's another look I created using my new Urban Decay palette, this time it's a bright one. I love blues and teals, so I thought I'd use those. I also added Kiddie Pool eyeshadow (mine is in the Sustainable palette, but it is a permanent single eyeshadow) and Vanilla to highlight. Let me know how you like it!

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion (original)
Urban Decay Kiddie Pool eyeshadow (Sustainable palette) inner half of lid
Urban Decay Deep End eyeshadow (15 palette) in outer half of lid, above crease and on lower lashline
Urban Decay Evidence eyeshadow (15 palette) in crease
Urban Decay Vanilla eyeshadow (15 palette) in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Flipside on lower lashline and waterline
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Mac Goldstone Mineralize Skinfinish

Lips:
Guerlain Automatique lipstick in 140 Mitsuko

See more pictures after the jump!

Quick and Easy Natural Look Using Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Palette

I decided to do a quick and easy natural look with my new Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Collection and this is what I ended up with. The shadows were all really lovely to use, I only one complaint: Midnight Rodeo has awful glitter fallout, so I ended up with glitter all down my face (there was none on my eyelids weirdly). It's a pretty shade though, but I wish Urban Decay stopped making these glitterbomb shadows (Midnight Cowboy and MCRA, I'm looking at you too!). I loved Vanilla as a highlighter and Flow as a lid colour, they are both very pretty shades.

To create this look I used the following:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed (gold)
Urban Decay Flow eyeshadow (15 palette) all over lid
Urban Decay Midnight Rodeo eyeshadow (15 palette) in crease
Urban Decay Midnight 15 eyeshadow (15 palette) above crease
Urban Decay Vanilla eyeshadow (15 palette) in inner corner and on browbone to highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Bourbon on lower lashline and waterline
Givenchy Phenomen'eyes mascara in Black
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Magically Cool Liquid Powder in Truth & Light
Urban Decay Score blush

Lips:
Bourjois Sweet Kiss lipstick in #47 Rose Pare

Let me know what you think! I will also show you a blue and teal look and a pink sparkly look I've created with this palette, so check back soon!

See more photos after the jump!

Finished! The July edition

Here are the products I finished in the month of July. Not to shabby, although sadly only 3 make up items.Still, my collection of cleansers/scrubs need using up as well. Let's have a look at what I managed to finish last month, shall we?

First up is Maybelline Dream Satin liquid foundation in 020 Cameo. I have reviewed it already, you can read my review here. I don't love it, it doesn't really work for me, it's greasy and leaves my face quite shiny too, so won't be repurchasing this. I still have another half a bottle though, so you can expect that to appear in another Finished! post soon. Available from Boots, Superdrug, etc. £8.19 at Boots with a 3 for 2 offer currently on.

Keep reading to find out what other products I have finished this month!

Finished! The May edition

This month's damage: 5 products. Well, 4 and a half. I'll tell you why in a minute. But first up here's something I have repurchased many times in the past and will do again. One of my favourite perfumes ever: Yves Saint Laurent Paris. I have loved this since I was about 18 and in fact this was my very first "proper" perfume. I love the bottle, I love the scent, I love everything about it. Even though I own 40+ different perfumes, I know I will repurchase this one as not many other scents have come close to it in my heart.

See what other products I've finished after the jump!

Finished! The April edition

Despite thinking I might not have many empties this month, I still managed to finish 7 products, so that's pretty good. My first one is Avon Clarifying Toner Pads which are basically pads soaked through with toner that's supposed to help keep your skin blemish free. They were okay, but I always forgot to use them, it took me probably more than a year to use up 45 pads, and I don't think I'll bother with buying them again. I don't normally use toner and these pads didn't seem to make much difference to my skin.

See what other products I used up in April after the jump!

Swatching My Stash Part 3: Foundations

As you know I am trying to shop my stash more since I realised how much make up I really own, although to be honest, I have just bought a ton while on holiday, so much for that. But in any case I thought I'd show you my foundation stash which is actually rather small compared to my whole stash of make up. I have 7 foundations, plus one I own in a darker shade which I'm hoping will suit me more in the summer as it's too dark at the moment.


First up is a foundation that isn't actually a foundation, although it is called foundation. I would actually call it "what was I thinking?" because in all honesty, I have no idea why I bought it in the first place. It is Max Factor Sheer Radiane Sheer Shimmer Foundation in 110 Shimmering Natural. It is basically a very shimmery highlighter that noone in their right mind should use on their whole face. Annoyingly though the pump dispenses way too much in one go, so you either put it all on your face (don't!) or wash it off your hands which is basically very wasteful. To my surprise the bottle is nearly half empty, although I have no idea when I actually used up half of this as it really is hideous. It's an okay highlighter, but there are much better ones. Mark out of 10: 1. Would I repurchase it? Not on your nelly!

See what other foundations I own and which one's my favourite after the jump!

Finished! The March edition

I had quite a successful month as I managed to finish 7 products. First up is Avon Shimmer Swirls Face Illuminator. I actually finished 2 of these as I had one upstairs and one downstairs with not much left in either. This has long been discontinued, but I wouldn't repurchase anyway because it's not that good. There was a time when I thought it was great and bought tons of it, but back then I didn't even wear foundation just used this, however, this isn't even a good base, let alone good illuminator. Doesn't blend very well and ends up quite patchy, plus it's quite drying on my skin. I have since managed to flog my remaining stock on eBay, I was surprised how many people still wanted them and they soldat quite a good price. Originally I think they cost £10, I sold mine for £5-6 which isn't too bad. 

This is what they looked like when full(ish):

Find out what else I managed to finish after the jump!

Sorting through my mascaras part 3 - My favourites

I have shown you a few mascaras from my stash, both goods and bads (click for part 1 and part 2), and now it's time for me to show you my favourites. First up is Guerlain Le 2 Mascara (I have already reviewed a limited edition colour here) in Noir 2 Noir (Black). It is a double ended mascara with a thicker wand with small spikes for the upper lashes and a small thin wand with small bristles for the lower lashes. I find this mascara really good for my short, thin, sparse lashes, they come out looking long (well it's all relative, but you know) and nicely curled. The mascara is pricey (£25), but I can honestly say it is the best mascara I have ever tried. Love it. I also own it in blue, violet, black waterproof, and several limited edition shades. I also think the mascara itself looks so classy and doubles up very nicely as a magic wand should your children need one. ;)

Guerlain Le 2 Mascara

The bigger brush for upper lashes: 

The smaller brush for lower lashes:

Find out which other mascaras I love after the jump!

Sorting through my mascaras part 2

Remember this post? Today I'm back with more mascaras from my stash.

First up is Givenchy Eye Fly in Black. I like this one a lot. With brush being quite fluffy, not spikey, you get a very natural look. It's very hard to overdo it and end up with spidery lashes. The only downside is, when you have short, thin lashes like mine, a natural look isn't always what you'd opt for. You can see me wearing it in this post. Also, it doesn't curl my eyelashes as much as some of my favourite mascaras (more on them later). So I probably won't repurchase this one, but will use it up because it is pretty good.

Givenchy Eye Fly Mascara

Continue reading to see more pictures and find out which other mascaras I've been testing.

Mac Peacocky Looks Part 2

Sorry it's taken me a while, but finally I've managed to write up this second post with 2 more looks I've done with my Peacocky eyeshadows and Kissable lipcolours.

First up is a look featuring Dalliance, Odalisque and Peek-at-you and also So Vain lipcolour:

For this look I used: 

Eyes:

Barbara Daly for Tesco eyeshadow primer

Mac Chilled On Ice Paint Pot (Cham Pale collection)

Mac Botanical Blue eyeshadow (from Graphic Garden palette) all over lid and above crease

Mac Odalisque eyeshadow in outer corner and in crease 

Mac Dalliance eyeshadow in inner corner and above crease

Mac Peek-at-You eyeshadow below browbone

Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in Flipside on lower lashline

Guerlain Le 2 Mascara in Black

Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:

Guerlain Meteorites Pearls face primer

Givenchy Photo'perfection Foundation in #04 Perfect Vanilla

Chantecaille White Tiger face powder

Mac Global Glow MSF

Lips:

Mac So Vain Kissable Lipcolour

See more pictures and find out which products I used for the second look!