Wednesday, 15 May 2013

*REVIEW* Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi ! :)

The Urban Decay Primer Potion has achieved cult status, but do the variations of the original formula live up to the hype? I bought the Primer Potion in Sin a while back and decided to do a review on it!
 
 
This was around £11 when I bought mine but I'm not completely sure of the price of a full sized one at the moment but I imagine it would be around the same.
You can be get Urban Decay in Debenhams and other department stores and also online. :)
This was sold in the typical "potion" bottle from Urban Decay but now they don't sell the full sizes in this packaging anymore, however the travel sizes are still sold like this.
This claims to do the same as the original primer potion but also provide a base colour which you can wear alone or pair up with another colour.
This has a slanted doe foot applicator which helps to get all of the product from the tube (a common problem that many people used to complain about with Urban Decay!).
The colour Sin is an amazing shimmering champagne colour.
 
The swatches from top: Heavily applied swatch, blended out swatch, heavier swatch blended.

I hope the swatches illustrate the fact that you can really change the intensity of the colour depending on how sheer you want it! I really love the colour of this and you can build it up to be really pigmented or just have it as a wash of colour.

But does it work as a primer too?
Yes! I feel that this does the same as the original primer - it stops my shadows from creasing and keeps them lasting all day. This also intensifies other shadows that you layer on top of it and this makes a  really great base for other neutral colours.

I love that you can wear this alone or pair it with other colours - although obviously this works best with similar bronze/brown/gold/champagne colours.

This does last really well and seems to take a bit of effort to remove it from your lids! but this isn't much of a problem for me because it's so neutral, it's not as if it stains your lids a horrible colour!
Overall I really love this product and have used it so much!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my review :)
Libby x


Sunday, 12 May 2013

NOTD: Aztec (12/05/2013)

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi! :) I have another Nail Of The Day for you...and I honestly can't believe I waited this long t show you this polish as it is one of my ABSOLUTE favourites in my collection :)

As usual I started with my base coat by The Colour Workshop....
I then applied just one coat of the Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry nail polish in "Go Retro!".
I then applied this Accessorize nail polish in the colour "Aztec". This is the most beautiful shade ever and the hardest to photograph...
 
 
 
This polish shines so many different colours. Sometimes its got blue tints, sometimes purple, sometimes bronze, sometimes green, sometimes pink...its just heaven in a bottle.
You can get Accessorize nail polishes in the Accessorize stores and also in certain superdrugs. I think next time I'm in Superdrug I'm going to have to pick up a second bottle of this for a backup because it is just too beautiful for words.
 
 
I find that it looks best when layered over another polish as it is a tad sheer on it's own...a purple coloured base colour is generally the best. However once it is on it s simply stunning and definitely one of my favourite nail polishes ever!
I really wish I could take pictures for you that would do it justice but there is NO sunlight today...:(
 
But anyway...I'd definitely recommend picking this bottle up if you see it...it looks even better in person :)
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my NOTD :)
What are your favourite nail polishes?
Libby x
 

Saturday, 11 May 2013

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl Vs High Beam

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi :)
I think personally that every makeup brand is famous for a few types of products and I feel like one of the types of products Benefit is famous for are their highlighters...
I have two to show you today which are Girl Meets Peal and also the famous High Beam.

 
 
I don't have either of these in full sizes as I got them in the Benefit "Finding Mr Bright" kit :)
A full sized Girl Meets Pearl costs £24.50 for 12ml and the High Beam in full size costs £19.50 for 15ml.

Girl Meets Pearl:
"This soft, golden-pink liquid pearl luminizer features light-reflecting pigments to give your complexion an exquisite, dewy glow. It includes raspberry & chamomile, known for their soothing properties…and sweet almond seed extract  known to help improve skin firmness & smoothness. Pat it on over blush to highlight cheekbones with a pop of pearly pleasure!"


High Beam:
"Our satiny pink liquid highlighter accents cheek & brow bones for a dewy, radiant glow. Use as a spot highlighter over makeup or wear under complexion products for subtle luminescence. It's the "supermodel in a bottle!""

Here are some swatches:

 
 
 
As you can see they are different colours...High Beam is more of a very pale, pearly pink/champagne colour with shimmer...it's pretty pigmented and shows up well on the skin.
Girl Meets Pearl however is definitely more of a golden colour...I think it's more of a very sheer base with some golden shimmer. It's not as noticeable on the skin and isn't anywhere near as light as High Beam.
For both of these I just dot it along the top of my cheekbones and blend it in with my fingers.
 
Girl Meets Pearl:
 
Pros:
1) Would be a lot better for darker skin tones as it has golden shimmer
2) Is more subtle so you could blend this more over your face to give a really luminous glow.
3) Has a nice smell to it...(this may be a disadvantage to some people who don't like scented cosmetics...I don't generally but the smell isn't strong and I quite like it. Also highlighter isn't something I need lots of so it's not like I can still smell it once it's on  my face)
 
Cons:
1) It's more expensive than High Beam.
2) There is less in the bottle than High Beam
3) It isn't as noticeable as a highlight
4) For lighter skin tones it doesn't show up as well.
 
High Beam:
 
Pros:
1) Less expensive than Girl Meets Pearl
2) You get more in the bottle
3) There is a brush in the bottle top so it's slightly easier to apply.
4) Is a lot more noticeable as a highlight
5) Better for fair skin (like me)
 
Cons:
1) If you have dark skin it might look a little bit frosty...
2) Even though it is cheaper than Girl Meets Peal it is still expensive for a highlighter.
 
Overall I generally prefer High Beam...it stands out better on my skin and is more noticeable, but that's not to say that I don't use Girl Meets Peal too!
They are both pretty good highlighters so it would have to depend on how dark your skin is and if you are willing to spend the extra money to get slightly less product.
I've used High Beam for some time now and I now have 3 mini versions from various Benefit kits :)
 
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my post :)
Libby x


 

Friday, 10 May 2013

NOTD: Eggplant (10/05/2013)

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi! :)
I have a NOTD today that is simple, however I really like the finished product!
Today I'm using a nail polish from The Colour Workshop in the Nail Parade set.
This polish doesn't have a name on it  but I do like all of the polishes I got in this set and this is one of the few I can remember the name of as the names were on the packaging.
This shade is called Eggplant which I feel really suits it!

 
 
 
 
 
I've tried my best to tilt the bottle and move it into the light so you can see the amazing duo-chrome in this...the colour Eggplant is an amazing dark purple colour with the most beautiful blue that comes through when it his the light just right...It's really pretty!
This needed two coats and I really love the colour...although I kind of wish the blue came through a little more.
 
I hope you enjoyed my quick NOTD...it's not a mega complicated nail look but I just had to show you the amazing duo chrome on this polish!
 
Thank you for reading!
Libby x

E.L.F Cosmetics Haul!

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I'm going to be busy with exams*

Hi! :)
The other day I happened to notice that not only were E.L.F having a sale...but they also had the non-sale products on buy 1 get 1 free! :)
Needless to say I took advantage of this offer and ordered a few things... :)
Just a heads up...this post will likely be quite picture heavy ;)

Is it just me or is it extraordinarily exciting to get a package like this in the post???
 
One of the things I really wanted to try out was their custom line...where basically you get a palette and then choose 4 eye shadows, lip colours or face products to fill it. I chose all eye shadows! I like the look of the palette too as it looks really sturdy.
"Aubergine"
 
"Pink Ice"
 
"Moondust"
 
"Golden Glow"
 
The palette cost £1.50 and each of the shadows were meant to be £1 but since there was a sale I got them all for 45p!
I stupidly didn't realise at the time but I accidentally selected 2 of the "Golden Glow" shadow...but never mind :) It's a pretty colour and they were on sale so maybe I'll keep it as a backup or give it to my mum or someone!
All Over Colour Stick in Spotlight
I already one of these in Lilac Petal (which you can read the review of HERE) and I decided to try out another one but in a highlight shade :) This was from the Essential line and so it was £1.50.
Studio Pigment Eye Shadow in "Golden Goddess"
 
Studio Pigment Eye Shadow in "Baked Brown"
 
I'm a BIG fan of pigments and these two colours looked really pretty so I decided to get these...they were from the Studio line so they were £3.75 each.
 
 
 
I don't often wear blusher or bronzer but I've really decided to get into it recently so I ordered the Studio Contouring Blush & Bronzer Duo in St Lucia which was the lightest shades they had so I decided it would be best for my fair skin :) This was £3.75.
After loving the HD Under Eye Setting Powder I decided I had to try the High Definition Powder for the face too as I've heard good things about it...looking forward to trying it out!
This was £6 and was in the shade Translucent.
 
Finally I decided to get another mascara as I've gotten bored of the current ones I have and some of them are running out....This was only £2.50 and is the Volumizing Mascara.
 
So that's it! I hope you enjoyed my haul...I will be doing reviews on every one of these things and when I do I'll link them here :)
 
EDIT:
Here are the reviews I've done so far! :)
 
Thanks for reading! What are your favourite products from E.L.F?
Libby x

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

*REVIEW* Accessorize Eyeliner in Petrol Blue

*This is a scheduled post as over the next few weeks I will be very busy with exams*

Hi! :)

It was a while ago now that I became a little bit obsessed with the colour teal, and I bought this liner from accessorize not quite knowing how much I was going to like it!
 
 
 
 
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY:
This was £5 and Accessorize counters are in most larger Superdrugs and also of course in the shop Accessorize :)
 
PACKAGAING:
The packaging for al of the Accessorize line is all so pretty with butterflies all over everything. This pencil liner also has a useful sponge smudger on the end which I don't tend to use but it would still be useful it I needed it. I prefer this type of pencil liner to the one where they twist up because i feel that the twisty ones get broken a lot easier.
 
 
 
PIGMENTATION:

 
 

 


As you can see this is really well pigmented! The top swatch is it applied normally and the bottom swatch is it blended out with the smudger; I find that this doesn't blend it very evenly and makes it look a bit patchy but it would still be useful for travel.
The shade is called Petrol Blue and is a really beautiful blue/teal colour with shimmer.
It reminds me a lot of the Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Peacock (Which I've done a review of - If you want to look at it to compare you can see it HERE).
 
TEXTURE AND WEARIBILITY:
This isn't the creamiest liner I have but it certainly isn't the driest! It glides onto the skin pretty well but isn't so creamy that it just slips off again. This does wear for quite a while but it won't last a full day unless you top if with a shadow to set it.
 
Overall:
I really love this liner as it's such a pretty colour and a really good texture. I really like wearing this on it's own as winged liner in the summer as it's so bright and fun :)
 
Would I buy again? Definitely. I might have a look at other shades next time I go into superdrug if I remember.
 
I hope you enjoyed my review! Thank you for reading!
Libby x

Friday, 3 May 2013

NOTD: Blue & Gold Glitter (03/05/2013)

*This is a scheduled post as for the next few weeks I will be busy with exams*

Hi :)
I have another NOTD for you and this time I decided to embrace my inner love for all things glittery. :)

 As the basis for this nail look I used a Colour Workshop Nail Polish that was from the Nail Parade set, and I think this shade was called Gunmetal originally but it doesn't say anywhere on it! Any charcoal grey/black with shimmer would work well :)

 

 
 
On top of that I added this amazing nail polish from Accessorize...this is a 3D Glitter Polish in the colour Dream.
 
I absolutely love this colour as its got bright blue and occasionally purple sparkles in it...they are suspended in a clear polish so whilst you can wear it on it's own I feel that it works best over another colour :)
 
On my accent nail I decided to go for a bright golden glitter colour...this is the Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry Nail Polish in 52 Shimmy Shake.
I ADORE Collection 2000 nail polishes...
 
 

This polish is pretty amazing and you don't even have to layer it over anything else!
 
And here is the finished result!
 
 
 
I actually added a top coat onto this after I took the pictures as I felt that the Accessorize polish dried a little dull and whilst it was still very pretty I wanted a little more shine :)
 I love the way the black peeps through underneath the blue and I absolutely love the colour combination of blue and gold together...
 
I hope you enjoyed my Nail Of The Day! Thank you very much for reading :)
Libby x