Urban decay - Alice "Through the looking glass" palette

Urban decay UK

Now Urban decay are known for there impressive collaboration's through the year's, taking beloved tales and transforming them into what our makeup collections crave. A hint of magical wonder, now what better place to start then Wonderland ? 

About : Our story opens nearly 20 years ago, when pink, red and beige enslaved the prestige beauty market. Urban Decay released in 1996 with 10 lipsticks and 12 nail enamels, with groundbreaking names like Roach, Smog, Rust, Oil Slick and Acid Rain. 

When Disney asked us to jump down the rabbit hole again,of course we said yes. Inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass,this limited-edition, pop-up palette is a tribute to our favorite characters from the film. A perfect mix of 20 ALL-NEW shades. From softer shades inspired by Alice to bold, bright shades like the Mad Hatter. Each Eyeshadow features our Pigment Infusion System™, the proprietary blend of ingredients that gives every shade its velvety texture, rich color, serious staying power and blendability. 

- Through the looking glass Palette 

This colourful, kaleidoscopic artwork woven out of flowers, butterflies and several quotes from the film. When inside, a three-dimensional butterfly springs up. Even included is a double-ended brush for the perfect application. 

Pull open the drawer to reveal the shadows,which are arranged by character. 

Alice,Mad Hatter,Mirana,Iracebeth,Time*

     \           \           /        /        /*

What you get:

-Alice:

Looking Glass (pale pink demi-matte)

Reflection (soft peach matte)

Dormouse (warm brown matte/gold MS) 

Metamorphosis (vibrant periwinkle blue).

-Mad Hatter: 

Hatter (vibrant green)

Gone Mad (aubergine/pink pearl)

Paradox (vibrant orange w/gold pearl) Cake (saturated blue-pink w/silver MS).

-Mirana: 

Lily (opal pink pearl)

Duchess (peach/pink shift MS)

Kingdom (copper-bronze pearl) Chessboard (medium brown matte)

-Iracebeth: 

Heads Will Roll (vibrant turquoise)

Bandersnatch (deep teal matte)

Salazen Grum (metallic crimson)

Royal Flush (pale beige shimmer). 

-Time: 

Time (black-navy satin)

Dream On (metallic purple-silver)

Chronosphere (metallic deep bronze)

Mirror (gray-taupe satin)

- Look book

A girly day in somehow managed to turn into an amazing day of makeup look's, with my sister-in-law Kristi. She did this amazing cut crease. 

My look using : 

A transition shade of chessboard blended within the crease along with Paradox. My inner corner highlight Lily blend's into Cake and defined the outer V using Salazen Grum, which I had also define the bottom of the crease. My under brow highlight is lily. My bottom lash is Cake bended into my smudged purple kohl.

- Kristi's make-up look

Kristi's look contain's :

On the lid we have Lily going into duchess going into paradox. The cut crease features Heads will roll, banded snatch and time. I used cake and Salazan grum blended on the lower lash line with Royal flush underneath the brow.

- Overall opinion

I love Urban decay and I'd say im a true collector. This reminds me of the old release palettes, the magical feeling you would get when using it. (Yes - I do use my LE item's, I just take care of them)

This was a must as while I must admit some review's had me a little nit picked, on quality of some colour's. Ultimately I knew I'd regret not getting this as a collection piece. I do believe that some shade's do take a little more work, however if your willing to just add a step then its totally worth the spend. I will say with those shade's that needed packing on, use a tacky base and white base for maximum opacity. Not a huge thing ... Plus there are more fantastic shade's in here that are unique and give amazing payoff on use. Paradox has to be a firm favourite, alomg with Salazen Grum and Lily. 

W7 - New makeup

W7 is a well known affordable UK brand. Ive used many of its products over the years, plus been very impressed with the quality. Ive bought and was kindly sent some to trial (Lashtastic mascara, a hint of tahiti, Viva la berry lipstick and eye dream liquid shadow) by W7 for review. I created a look using these product's. 

About : 

Colour cosmetics for all - who will you be today. W7 is an incredible budget make up brand with a huge variety of products.

Lashtastic Mascara

Lashtastic creates a look of false lashes with a short plastic brush applicator.

- Im a very fussy mascara consumer. I have quite a hard time finding one i really love. I was honestly not expecting much from this product. I do think the packaging could be improved upon and thats a personal opinion. The mascara itself is applied by a rounded plastic wand, with small but well spaced "application hair's". It looks very liquidy yet on closer inspection it is a very pigmented liquid/gel hybrid. Upon application the mascara made my lashes look long and the pigment was so black that i was stunned by the fact this was only coat 1. The second coat made them look darker and I would just need to curl them if i wished. This is an impressive mascara for when you need something affordable. 

- Eye dreams

Create a stunning long wearing, crease proof eye look. Precise eye framing with the precision applicator tip, creating a soft and natural look.

This eye base is a swipe of liquid gold. I did think how best would this be used. I then decided to save this for a gold and green look, I have planned with some amazing lashes. Based on consistancy and time taken to dry, I will use a light base of this shadow then do a darkened green/gold cut crease. Then using a forest green on the outer V for intense definition. I will keep you posted on this look.

- Viva la berry

Viva Glam Lipsticks are perfect Autumnal colours, weather you want a dark berry or a more pink berry shade, there is going to be a perfect shade for you. The lipstick glides on for easy application and has a moisturising effect on the lips with excellent staying power.

Very creamy and is pigmented, I placed the lipstick in the centre's to define the outline's. Then i simply rolled my lips and the colour filled the small space I hadnt applied product too. It gave a natural and even colour to my lip's.

- In the glow & A hint of Tahiti 

In the glow 

Illuminating liquid formula that highlights facial features.

A hint of Tahiti 

Violet gel based lip and cheek stain. Also available in Bali, Cuba and Rio

In the glow 

Is a really subtle highlight that is just on the champagne side. When lightly tapped out, gives a lovely addition to the cheek. This needs just a small amount to give that hint to the cheek and it is buildable. Also i would give advise to tap these liquid's in with your ring finger, rather then a sponge to get the most from them. Lovely liquid illumination. 

A hint of Tahiti 

You look at this shade and automatically think wow thats going to be intense. Whilst it can be if you added 2 layers, with just 1 layer it gives a beautiful rosy glow. If you want a more noticable blush then just build the layer and for lasting power a small dab of translucent powder dabbed on top seals them to get a little more wear time. Again apply with the ring finger and dab whilst moving the blush to the area you like. 

- W7 Hollywood Bronze & Glow &  making waves eyeshadow palette

- W7 Hollywood Bronze & Glow

Bronzer & Highlighter In One Handy Box. Use The Bronzer To Creat A Tanned Complexion. Use Highlighter To Creat A Defined & Sculptured Look. Create Super Touch Cheekbones. For Sun Kissed Look & Finishing touch.

- Wowzer's now whilst this is a subtle highlight and amazing bronzer. I am aware this highlight may only enhance,  pale up to the lower spectrum of medium skintone's. Its really the cheaper sister to the other well known higher end product, as you can expect this is not as buttery but as far as pigment etc ..... Save your money and pay for this until you want to splurge. This is the alternative you can use and be proud of. 

- W7 making waves eyeshadow palette

A luscious pigmented eyeshadow palette that is sure to make your eyes look fabulous! The palette comes complete with 5 complementary colours. 

- Again another dupe for the high end version and i must say after seeing the alternative version and its not so hot review's. I was hoping that W7 would give this a run for its oh so expensive price tag, sure enough it did. W7's version is light and buttery feeling shadows, give a beautiful light natural look. The swatches shown are of each colour panel, it gives buttery colour payoff and also using a smaller brush helps. Im highly impressed by this palette. 

- Lookbook - Using all the W7 product's mentioned

We all love having a splurge and treated but doesnt it make it more fantastic feeling every now and again ? 

However for those daily makeup needs and with everyone nowadays looking for quality, but affordable alternative's for makeup. W7 always comes to mind for affordable makeup and on looking recently at current product's they have available, I just had to purchase the certain items above. My lookbook show's the eyeshadow has given a lovely light look suitable for daily use. Even using the darkest shade to do my eyebrow's. The liquid blush and highlight give a beautiful naturally flushed look. They can be set with a translucent powder or using the hollywood highlight & bronzer palette. I used the bronzer to give a light contour and it blended seamlessly with everything. The lipstick finished the look and gave my lips the hydrating finish which eliminated the need for gloss. So overall W7 do have some amazing product's that stand out because they give flawless daily look's, with the most ease. 

Il keep buying W7 when im needing product's on a budget and proudly use them. 

Josie Maran : Watercolour in Polynesian purple

Sephora Website

A USA brand which is getting more popular within the UK now, as Sephora has become available to order from internationally. So i was kindly given a watercolour eyeshadow from one of my closest friend's. A beautiful purple shadow which has the consistency of a liquid yet sets on the eyelid like a paint. 

What Josie say's : 

These days, lots of companies are claiming to be earth-friendly, organic, "natural," and socially responsible. As a consumer, it can be hard to figure out what those claims actually mean. I know what they mean to me. I started Josie Maran Cosmetics to make cosmetics that are top-quality and healthy for people and for the planet. I want my customers to know what effect they're having on their own health, and the world's, when they buy my products.

- The key ingredient in my cosmetics line is 100% Pure, 100% Organic Argan Oil.

- We work with our suppliers to use ingredients and packaging that minimise our impact on the earth.

- Our glass, cardboard, and PET plastic containers are recyclable.

- Most of our cartons are made from post-consumer-waste paper and printed with soy-based ink.

- Whenever possible, we source materials that support the people that produce them. 

Josie Maran Watercolour eyeshadow

50% Coconut Water, 100% Hydration. Like a refreshing sip of coconut water for your eyes, this pigment-packed liquid shadow instantly makes eyes look and feel more hydrated. It has two layers: one layer of fresh Coconut Water, and one layer of Argan-infused pigments that instantly give eyes a more youthful appearance. 

Why Josie love's it: Living on the beach in Oahu, I became a devotée of coconut water—and noticed that drinking lots of it seemed to make my skin glow. I created Coconut Watercolor eye shadow to bring that hydrating color to the eyes. Have a sip of coconut water for your face with this shadow that's cool to the touch.

What’s in it: Infused with Coconut Water and Argan Oil to provide hydration.

How I use it: Unscrew cap and insert the doe-foot applicator for a fresh first use. Shake it up! Dab a little bit of shadow directly onto lids with applicator, and finger paint to blend.

You do need to shake this shadow really well, because being a liquid and containing oil it will naturally separate. So shake it well and you can judge by checking the bottom of the glass pot, if the shadow has been completely dispersed then it's ready to use. Now you take the doe foot applicator which is provided within the package. Dip the brush in and then apply to your eye, don't overload the brush as this is still a very thin looking liquid with high pigmentation. So just dab a little off on the side of the container (you can always go back and add more) then apply to the eyelid. 

When i first received this product i was more then happy to swatch, check the consistency to see the best method of application. In my opinion and on feeling the product, i would do my base shadows and then use this shade last as my bold pop of colour or the lid shade to a cut crease. I would say the cut crease would look amazing, as you can apply just this shadow on the whole lid then lightly blend in the crease.

The swatches above are beautiful and the pigment on the shadow is stunning. The shadow dries very quickly and feels lovely on the skin. I cannot wait to use this shadow to do a look, as i want to use this in summer when the evening's are lovely sunset's and you watch the star's roll in. Ive seen the green and rose gold shade's which i would love to also purchase as they are beautiful. 

Smooch cosmetics (Duo Blush, Bronzer and Eyeshadow duo)

I love Smooch cosmetics. There packaging is sleek and compact which is constantly compared to a high end brand, however they are more affordable. Offering a high quality of cosmetics with good levels of pigment and easy to work with being blend able. They offer a really nice wide selection of products. Currently the website is down, so i have found that they are being sold on Amazon. 

They say : 

Smooch Cosmetics known for their saucy, lacy packaging and highly desirable range of colours. The concept came, quite simply, from a drawer of lingerie. The idea was to create a lust worthy cosmetics brand that was saucy and sexy without being salacious. It's all about confidence. We love our packaging but know that if we were to peel back the lace, you still have a product that helps you to look good and feel great.

So the packaging is as it says in the above statement, lacy and chic with a hint of naughty to it. I find its very classy packaging with the inner case feeling like suede. Im in love with them so far so lets see how the products stand up to testing.

Smooch bronzer in shade "Smooched"

The bronzer in "Smooched" is a duo tone. With the main colour being around the "S" initial, you can use a small brush to just use this if you wish. Mixing the colours gives a light shimmer. So you have a choice within one compact. I found the colour to be very good for paler skin tones. The pigment is also very good and easily blend able. I love that this compact has a big mirror within it, so its the perfect handbag compact. The brush within the compact could be improved, to offer a little more control in the placement of colour and blend ability. Other then that its a beautiful compact bronzer. 

Smooch duo Blush in shade "Peachy" 

Now the blush in "Peachy" is again a duo shade product. One half is the more pink for a bolder look, the other half is peachy for a more subtle look. Mixed turns into a lovely peach with pink hints within it. Offers lovely pigment without being overbearing and also blends really well into your contour. This blush is a perfect daily use colour. It also has a compact mirror inside for travelling. 

Smooch Eyeshadow Duo in shade "Seattle"

I love the Smooch eyeshadows. "Seattle" is a beautiful taupe with shimmer and paired with a golden cream shade. They blend beautifully and this duo alone could be used, if you didnt want to take a huge palette or many shades. A lovely taupe smokey eye that can be intensified, by using a eye pencil smudged with the shadow on top to intensify. This is the ideal duo for all neutral shade lovers. Being so affordable and also the packaging is luxurious feeling. 

I loved using the Smooch products used to create the look below. Using the products for this look, I contoured with the darkest part of the bronzer. Then using both shades in the compact to bronze my face with. The blush was then beautiful to use with the bronzer and blended in so easily, i used both the shades within the blush. I have yet to use the eyeshadow duo on its own. However i will post more pictures on my instagram bar of looks featuring it. This will be doing a natural look for valentines day, then how to turn it into a beautiful evening look for those women on the run. 

Sainsburies - Boutique makeup line

Boutique by Sainsburies

Now when I found out sainsburies was releasing a makeup line. I honestly didn't hold too much hope for the quality of the makeup. Until I saw whom had created and read further, then was kindly sent samples to consider. So here's my rundown to the new Boutique line. 

They say : Boutique is set to transform the way women shop for their make-up bag essentials. From nail polishes, lipsticks, lip gloss, eyeshadows to accessories, Boutique has been created by a collective of professional make-up artists. In early 2011, we approached Jo Saville and Sophia Price, established make-up artists, who with a wealth of beauty product experience helped create the perfect collection of colours which marries high pigmentation, easy application and brilliant staying power. Boutique shades feature fun, tongue-in-cheek names such as Grass Is Always Greener,Tickled Pink and Cat Got The Cream, designed to put a smile on the face of female shoppers often overwhelmed by beauty fixtures.

Sophia Price, Boutique Make-Up Ambassador: "We’re experts in understanding the diverse make-up needs of women and this insight coupled with Sainsbury’s understanding of their customers formed the basis of the Boutique range. which means we’re confident that every colour and product is what Sainsbury’s customers will want."

Jo Saville, Boutique Make-Up Ambassador: "Boutique was created for the everyday woman, but as a result of testing the products  we found industry insiders were choosing to include the products in their make-up kit because of their fantastic quality."

Range of Lipstick colours 

Colour pallets, pigment strength, formulation, finish and longevity are all set to go head-to-head with the leading cosmetics brands. Blind product testing was carried out by 58 industry professionals, and the outcome resulted in over 90% of the beauty panel recommending Boutique.

Selection of the New range from Boutique 

So as we can see I was kindly sent 2 eyeshadows, a lipstick and lipgloss. The packaging is basic black with the boutique logo. It is nicer for the lipstick and gloss, as the quality is not cheaply done. The eyeshadows packaging I'm not sure of, as I have so many single that I depot for space. This would have been unique to see them, either slot or click on top of each other. So you have a stack of shadows rather then singles all over, maybe it will be evolved or changed in time. Otherwise I'm quite impressed initially for a newly released brand. 

Eyeshadows Review : Blaze of Glory and Turn a Blind eye 

Now this was where my mind was slightly blown, as I am a eyeshadow fiend. I collect palettes also tried many brands, so I really do want quality in not only pigment. So texture was soft and I expected a gritty texture for the shimmer. They were smooth and my goodness I was bowled over with the swatches. The pigment is intense, there is no dimished colour when blended also. So these 2 shades really are quality shadows. 

Blaze of glory looks like a simple gold but it's mixture of taupe and gold. Really beautiful shimmer to it and blends out lovely. It gives different colour flecks in the light and the shimmer is not chunky. It's comfortable to wear, pack on and blend. 

Turn a blind eye is also looks to be a pinky shade, however it's darker purplely shade. Again with tones of taupe and bronze. I was amazed with this shade and how intense the pigment was. I would have loved to see, if the matte shades are the same quality. However the shades with some shimmer are not chunky or uncomfortable. 

Review of the Lipstick and Lipgloss

So the lipstick "Don't rest on your coral" is beyond stunning. It's a deeper shade of coral which is so pigmented. The lipstick feels lovely on lips being very moisturising. It's glossy so I had to do a base, blot then apply a second layer. The shine of the lipstick does go when eating or drinking. However the pigment does stay on the lips, it's a perfect handbag lippy for on the run. Really lovely formula of lipstick. 

The Gloss I couldn't see the name as the packaging and see through sticker made it really difficult. I don't usually use lipgloss as I use Creamy lipsticks. Gloss on top just makes my lips feel heavy, plus I don't tend to like the sticky feeling. This gloss I found was a lovely colour and I would use this alone. However I found on swatching the gloss, it looks like it's separating from the colour almost. This then makes you want to blot the excess off. So it's not a great formula for me or my experience of gloss. It is probably why I don't wear gloss more. 

Overall I will admit I wasn't expecting much from the line being its new. However it's been made with experience and you can see with quality. The quality of the Eyeshadows and lipstick are amazing. I would Definatly try more of these shades and I'm intrigued to see the matte shadow quality. The Gloss is not something I would use and it's just not my go to product. I'm planning to see if my Sister in law would like to try this as she wears gloss, to see her opinion. I'm really impressed with the range. 

Below are the Nail polish range and above is all the Lipstick shades. 

The range of Polishes by Boutique

Wow, never seen these before !

So I have recieved a parcel from a dear friend whom knows I love my makeup and also USA brands. So when I recieved  a box of Christmas presents, I was just amazed at how many USA items there were.  I was so lucky to be blessed with a dear friend, who treated me beyond words can describe. So I wanted to show you them all, as I've never seen these items before and was really amazed. 

Okay so firstly I know the brand Revlon and colourstay products, however I've never seen these lip colour collection kits.  It comes with 6 shades and they are so smooth and glided on when I was doing swatches. They are highly pigmented and some shades I have never seen, like "Ice" is amazing. 

"Ice" and "Mauve" are two shades I will be using for spring, as they are so stunning.  As you can see in the swatches (left side T-B, Burgendy, brick and red - Right side T-B, Mauve , Ice and Sienna ) the colour payoff is amazing. They are so creamy that I just love them and the stylish black with gold indent tube they come in. They are slimlined lipsticks. 

So the next items I recieved were Urban decay : Gem rocks. Now I've seen these and was going to purchase them to do some more spring ethereal looks etc. So these may not be unknown to me but they were just so appriciated. I can't wait to use them. 

Now Hard candy is a brand I've been dying to try and also get my hands on Tiki. I love there packaging and I didn't realise till a short while ago that I had a baked eyeshadow of there's. So then when I saw these in the package, I was over joyed. I love green eyeshadow and purples too which is no shock, but these cream stick bases are amazing. I am just dying to use these in a over the top look and I'm having the brain tic-tock overload with ideas. I mean the pigment for starters is a fantastic base to make my greens and purples pop.

Do you have any products that are from the USA or un-usual gifts ? Il be using these items in coming months and hope to show you.