Wishlist Purchases #4 ft. Kat Von D

When Debenhams announced they were going to be stocking Kat Von D, I for one was very excited! Having lusted over both the Shade + Light contour and eye palettes for years but unwilling to pay shipping/customs from America, I allowed myself a splurge when they were finally released online in September! I’ve been using both for the last few weeks now and to cut a long story short, I’m obsessed!

Swatches l-r: Lucid, Lyric, Levitation, Sombre, Shadowplay, Subconcious

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette (£36)

First up, the cult favourite Shade + Light contour palette! I have a love/hate relationship with contour and over the summer have been missing the step in favour of bronzing. With the introduction of this palette into my collection I have been enjoying introducing it back into my routine! Sombre (bottom left) is the most gorgeous cool toned contour shade and I have been using it every day since I got the palette. All the powders do kick up quite a bit of dust when I dip my brush in but are so easily blended they never look harsh on the skin. I've been using the top middle banana shade (Lyric) quite a bit too and it’s great for setting under the eyes. I’ve also been using Lucid (top left) to set down the centre of my face after using my usual mattifying powder and it’s nicely brightening too.

I have been using those three shades the most so definitely need to look at ways to use the other contour powders – Shadowplay (bottom centre) is a little warm for me and Subconcious (bottom right) is a little too dark for me at the minute! Levitation (top right) is a lovely peach powder but again I haven’t used it much. Overall, all six shades have the most beautiful smooth formulation and like I mentioned, though they do kick up some powder, they blend so easily and are really high quality!

Swatches l-r: Laetus (top), Samael, Solas, Lucius, Lazarus (top), Saleos, Shax, Liberatus, Ludwin (top), Succubus, Sytry, Latinus

Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette (£36)

Next up, the Shade + Light Eye Contour palette! This is a twelve pan palette made up of three quads with neutral, cool and warm toned shades. Neutral matte eyeshadow lover that I am, I knew I had to get my hands on this and like the contour palette, it has not disappointed me! As a fan of cool toned neutrals in particular, it’s been the middle section that I have been drawn to most but I’ve now used all the shadows included and they are among some of the best matte formulation that I’ve tried! There isn’t a dud shade in there and although they are split into quads, they are obviously easily mixed and matched. My favourite combination at the minute is Lucius in my inner corner, Lazarus over most of my lid with Saleos in my crease and Shax as a liner!

Like the contour palette, the eyeshadows are quite powdery but again they blend so easily and the pigmentation is amazing! I use an eyeshadow primer and I've only noticed very minimal fading on my oily lids from a full days wear but they look basically the same in the evening as when I've just applied them in the morning!

So there we have it, a rave review after lasts weeks’ mixed bag of products! I’m so impressed with the quality of both these palettes and I definitely want to try more from Kat Von D’s line now! I was really happy with the pricing of the products too, I had expected the palette to be more £38 or above in line with Urban Decay so £36 was surprisingly under that. The cardboard packaging feels sturdy and I’d definitely recommend getting these if you don’t already have them and are a fan of contouring or neutral matte eyeshadows, these are most certainly worth the hype!

Have you tried either of these palettes? What did you think? Let me know your Kat Von D recommendations in the comments!

See my last wishlist purchases posts here:

Wishlist Purchases #1

Wishlist Purchases #2

Wishlist Purchase #3

See my wishlists here:

Wishlist #1

Wishlist #2

Wishlist #3

Wishlist #4

Danielle xx

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Long Lasting Summer Makeup with SEVENTEEN

Morning everyone! Today I thought I’d talk through a few SEVENTEEN products I think are perfect for creating a long lasting summer makeup look! Long lasting makeup is something I look for all year round but especially in the summer when it’s hot and my makeup has a tendency to melt or transfer!

SEVENTEEN Stay Time Foundation with SPF 25 in Soft Ivory*

First up is foundation and after hearing so much hype about this recently I just had to try it – a foundation that promises full cover and up to 25 hours wear has my name written all over it! I’m happy to say that this doesn’t disappoint! It’s quite a thick formulation so I like to use a damp Beauty Blender to make sure it spreads evenly over my face and the coverage is so good I don’t even feel the need to use a separate concealer for spots! Almost unheard of with me! I've been wearing this to work on really hot days and can’t get over how well it lasts on my oily skin, I do set it but find with other foundations they can separate round my nose very quickly, something that this doesn’t do, hurrah! From what I can tell, the shade range in this is very pale so if you are darker skinned you may struggle to find a match. I have the shade Soft Ivory which is perfect for me when I don’t have any fake tan on but I will be hoping my nearest Boots sorts out their testers soon so I can find a darker shade for when I tan!

SEVENTEEN Stay Time Pressed Powder in Fair

I’ve had this for a while now and am happy with how well it works to mattify my skin. The powder itself feels super smooth and has lasted me ages! I do wish it came in a translucent shade though, I have the shade Fair and it can look a little patchy if not careful, it could be my overzealous application of powder though!

SEVENTEEN Skin Wow! Concealer in Fair*

I’m so impressed with this and have become a little obsessed over the last few weeks! I used it every night on holiday as I didn’t sleep well so this faked a bright eyed look for me! When I first swatched it I didn’t think it would be brightening enough for under my eyes but how wrong I was! I usually do a triangle under my eyes and sometimes down my nose and on my cupids bow then go in with my Beauty Blender and love the effect it has! I usually just use concealers under my eyes but see much more of a difference with this! I love the packaging too, it’s so eye-catching but I suppose it will be hard to tell when it runs out!

SEVENTEEN Stay Time Foundation in Soft Ivory and Skin Wow Concealer in Fair swatch

SEVENTEEN Define and Conquer Contour Kit in Medium*

I love the packaging of this, it’s so NARS-esque! The product inside is brilliant too, the powders are so soft and easy to blend! The highlight shade is matte – perfect for setting under eyes and although the contour shade always looks very warm in my swatches, once it’s on my face it’s a really natural shade that I like to apply under my cheekbones and up towards my temples to give my skin a little extra colour!

SEVENTEEN Blush Powder in China Pink

This is probably the one product I don’t love the packaging of! It’s very ColourPop in that it’s a screw top but as it’s a powder formulation I don’t see why it can’t be a click and close, it would save more time! However, I am so impressed with the pigmentation it offers and how long lasting it is! It still looks as fresh at the end of the day as it did at the start! There is also a great shade range and best of all – it’s only £2.99!

SEVENTEEN Define and Conquer contour kit in Medium and Powder Blush in China Pink swatch

SEVENTEEN Powder and Blush Brush

This was a free gift with the powder and blush mentioned earlier which you might have seen in this haul (SEVENTEEN do great offers!) and it’s such an underrated product! It doesn’t necessarily make my makeup last any longer but its super soft and the perfect size for applying either blush or contour!

SEVENTEEN Brow’s That! Brow Kit

This was the first brow kit I think I got from the drugstore, and it’s still one of the best in my opinion! It contains a wax, brow powder and highlighter as well as a pencil and mini brush to define your brows. The brow shade is the perfect cool toned brown that works perfectly with my colouring and the highlight shade does have a shimmer to it but it’s really subtle! The wax is slightly tinted and helps to set the brows making them last all day!

SEVENTEEN Falsifeye HD! Mascara in Blackest Black*

To make my makeup extra-long lasting I would have picked a waterproof mascara because that’s what I usually go for but I love how lengthening and separating this is! It also doesn’t flake or wear off (unless I rub at my eyes but then whose doesn’t after that!). This wouldn’t be one for anyone who likes lots of drama from their mascara but if you are going for a natural look and want to look wide awake with lots of length, this is gorgeous and not clumpy at all!

SEVENTEEN Eye Shadow Mono in Brown

I am the first to admit that I am a bit of a snob when it comes to eye shadows and I usually go for higher end formulations but at £3.89 I had to check out SEVENTEEN’S range! I went for the shade Brown which is a gorgeous metallic - you guessed it - brown shade! It’s lovely and pigmented, applies easily and lasts all day (though I do use the NARS Smudgeproof primer)! Definitely worth a try!

SEVENTEEN Lip Crayon in Bold*

This is such a gorgeous bright coral perfect for summer! I find that it gives a nice shine but it’s not overly glossy so it’s more long-lasting than other lip crayons I’ve tried!

SEVENTEEN Mono Eyeshadow in Brown and Lip Crayon in Bold swatch

See my last posts featuring SEVENTEEN here and here! 

What’s your favourite SEVENTEEN product? Is there anything here you’d like to try?

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Danielle xx

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Face Off

Anyone else have a thing for do it all face palettes? Here are two new ones to my collection and a rundown of my thoughts on them!

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette (£49)

I finally caved and bought my first Charlotte Tilbury products about a month ago after seeing this palette online. I had held off buying any CT products up until now because the prices are extortionate but I love palettes like this as they give you the chance to try a few products from the brand in one go so I bit the bullet and ordered it! First things first this, the palette is small, smaller than it looks! It is split into different steps so steps 1, 2 and 3 are for brightening, enhancing and smoking out the eye, step 4 is for bronzing, steps 5 and 6 are for a swish and pop of blush and step 7 is highlight.

 I have to say that I am disappointed by the eyeshadows – they barely show up on my fair skin and the first two aren’t different enough in colour for me. They are super finely milled though, blend well and don’t crease – you just can’t see much of a contrast between the shades!

As well as this, the blushes are not as pigmented as I would like them to be and the size of the pans is disappointing – they are the same size as the eyeshadow pans and I would have preferred smaller eyeshadow pans if there was a way to make the blush pans bigger. Again the formula feels lovely and they do always say it’s easier to add than take away which is definitely something to stick to when it comes to blush!

Onto the positives - I LOVE the bronzer and highlighter. Way more than I thought I would! These are meant to be the same shades as the infamous Bronze and Glow which I don’t have to compare but I do know that I absolutely love this combo! I’ve been using the bronzer under my cheekbone to contour as well as over the high points on my face for a bit of an all over colour and it’s so subtle but noticeable if that makes sense? It looks very warm toned in the swatch but on my face it looks so natural, I love it!

I’ve then been using my Morphe fan brush to very lightly highlight my cheekbones and I love the effect, super subtle as I use a light hand but I’m sure you could go heavy handed and still look amazing!

This is more than I would usually spend on a palette this size considering pan size but the quality of the products is lovely. I do wish there was more variation in the eyeshadow shades though and this palette might not be an option for those with darker skin as you do have to build up quite a lot of product to see a result but it does hit the natural beauty term it’s aiming for on the head.

I ummed and ahhed for weeks before splurging and it is limited edition so not available at the minute but who knows, it could make a reappearance in the future – and hopefully with some new darker shades!

Stila Perfect Me, Perfect Hue in Light/Medium (£28)

Unlike the CT palette, this is one that does come with different shade variations! The one I have is Light/Medium and you might have seen it featured in my last wishlist post. I wasn’t actually planning on buying it, however, Cult Beauty had a GWP (I’m a sucker for offers and the last 2 have been amazing!) so even though basically everything I needed wanted was out of stock I still found my basket full and this was in it!

Now I’m not a massive fan of the Stila products I have tried in the past – the lip glazes and In the Light palette being massive disappointments for me - but when I saw these Perfect Me/Perfect Hue palettes I got heart eye emoji’s.

l-r: Artistic (base), Dazzling (highlight), Ambitious (lid), Spontaneous (crease), Mischievous (liner)

Five eyeshadows and 2 blushers for £28 seemed like a decent price point and once I had a swatch I could feel the quality! The shadows are silky soft with good pigmentation although again I wish there was more of a mid-tone shade option instead of two very light shades. The shimmer colour (Ambitious) is not as warm toned/orange in real life as the swatch and I don’t normally wear shimmer during the day but this is nice and subtle and quite golden.

l-r: Charming, Angelic

Again, this palette is smaller than I was expecting and the packaging was plastic so it feels a bit cheap, I was expecting it to be metal for some reason, I think because of the colour of the casing, but I can’t fault the formulation! The blushers are lovely and pigmented too and I love that they are both matte shades.

Overall, I really like both palettes for different reasons but I find that with the Charlotte Tilbury palette, I am reaching for mainly the bronzer and highlighter and passing on the eyeshadows in particular. The Stila palette is much more affordable and I love the fact they have thought through a range that caters to more than one skin tone.

So those are the two newest face palettes to my collection, have you tried either? What did you think?

Danielle xx

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What’s in my other Z palette? ft. Makeup Geek, Morphe and Benefit

Here we are, a little later than usual due to major laptop issues but I thought I would round up what’s in my large Z palette after my small Z palette post went down so well!

I actually bought this large palette to depot my Tarte Holiday blockbuster set then realised it didn’t fit. I was going to send it back then ended up buying a contour pan that didn’t have a home so kept it and got the extra large palette to depot the Tarte set!

First up, I have two Makeup Geek contour powders in the shades Infidelity (cool fair) and Break Up (cool porcelain). I was so excited when these came to BeautyBay.com and they do not disappoint! Both are cool toned, finely milled and lovely and pigmented. They do kick up a bit of powder when I dip my brush in but are so easily blended I’ll forgive them!  

Moving down to the bottom of the palette I have a Benefit mixed blush in Dandelion and Gimme Fever which I depotted from a Christmas set I got a few years ago called the Groovy Kind-a-Love set. I haven’t actually used this, how bad it that! It’s a little too shimmery for my liking but I’ll give it a go now it’s in a palette I reach for daily!

Over to the right hand side I have my Makeup Geek blush in Spellbound. I wasn’t overly fussed on the other shades but I love this one! It’s a matte pink colour and actually really subtle even though it has the same Makeup Geek pigmentation!

l-r: contour pans in Infidelity and Break Up, Benefit Blush in Dandlion and Gimme Fever and Makeup Geek Blush in SpellBound

Back up to the top row then I have six eyeshadows, five from Makeup Geek and one Morphe single eyeshadow! The top row is Makeup Geek Bedrock and Concrete Jungle then Morphe Granite and the bottom row is the Makeup Geek foiled finish in Starry Eyed and Mesmerized and finally another matte brown shade (my fave) Americano. I will probably switch my small Z palette around a bit now I have some more shades and I love Americano so that definitely needs to go in it! I wore Mesmerized out on Saturday night and it was gorgeous on! So shimmery and zero fallout! I also need to get my hands on more of the Morphe single eyeshadows, they are really pigmented and so affordable!  My continual stalking of BeautyBay shows no signs of letting up!

l-r: Bedrock, Concrete Jungle, Granite

l-r: Starry Eyed, Mesmerized, Americano

 

Sorry the formatting of this post looks weird, Chrome wont open for me, think I will have to get a new laptop :(

What do you think of my extras? As always I’m open to recommendations :)

Danielle xx

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Five things I’m Loving | March 2016

I don’t do monthly favourite posts but I enjoyed writing up my last “Five things I’m Loving” in January and thought it was about time I do another! Again there is a mixture of products, some of which are new to me and some that are repurchases!

Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm

I bought this in a set of three a while back but was busy using up other cleansers before opening one of these! I am so glad to have it back in my routine and it’s definitely my favourite balm cleanser and totally worth the price tag in my opinion as I mentioned here! I generally use it at night as a second cleanse and it’s so gentle yet feels so luxurious to massage into my skin. It doesn’t sting my eyes and along with the included cloth it removes makeup effortlessly leaving my skin feeling super soft, hydrated and cleansed. It has a zesty orange smell and the pot lasts ages too!

Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil

This is another repurchase of mine though one I don’t think I've blogged about before! I love love love rosehip oil and this is my second bottle of Trilogy’s offering though I've also had the Pai version before and loved it too! Rosehip oil has done wonders for my skin, helping mainly with my acne scarring and hydration although it’s also designed to help with wrinkles. I use other oils too such as Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery which does nothing for me but with Rosehip oil I see visible results the morning after! Couldn’t be without this now! I really want to try more from Trilogy too so if you have any recommendations let me know in the comments!

Kevyn Aucoin The Contour Book Volume 1

I had wanted to try the infamous sculpting powder for the longest time so when I saw this kit my eyes lit up…until I saw the price. I definitely didn’t want to pay £47 for it but when I saw it on sale at Space NK after Christmas for £24 I snapped it up (sorry it's out of stock now!) It contains the celestial powder in Starlight, three eyeshadows to accentuate and highlight, shade and define (and some can also be used to fill in brows), the celestial powder in Candlelight and the sculpting powder in medium.  When the palette came I was shocked at how small it was, the eyeshadows are big but the round powders are so small! The sculpting powder is very pigmented and a lovely contour colour though so you don’t need much on your brush to get some payoff. I've been getting a lot of use out of the eyeshades too, using the pinky shade on my inner corner, dark brown on my eyelid and the warmer toned brown on my outer corner. The only shade I haven’t been getting much use out of is the brightening Starlight shade as it’s just a bit too stark for me! Overall a lovely palette but one I would definitely hold off getting until it’s in the sale again!

Finally onto my last two products and these are both Urban Decay lipsticks (and my only UD lipsticks). I won a giveaway on the lovely Pam’s blog at the start of February and I think I’ve had the Sheer Revolution lipstick in Liar on me every day since then! It’s so easy to wear, hydrating and gives the perfect pinky nude colour to my lips! The limited edition UDxGwen lipstick collection was released around the same time and I told myself I didn’t need it until I started seeing swatches and convinced myself I did! Unfortunately for me the shade I wanted “Ex-Girlfriend” was out of stock so I signed up to Feel Unique’s mailing list and hit buy as soon as the back in stock email came through! Again it’s an easy to wear, hydrating pinky nude and again I won’t win any awards for being daring in my lipstick choices but to me you can’t go wrong with these shades and I know I will use both up completely! In fact I toyed with the idea of buying a backup of Ex-Girlfriend!

l-r Ex-Girlfriend, Liar

So that’s what I’ve been loving lately! Let me know if you’ve tried any of the products I’ve mentioned or if you have any recommendations for me!

Danielle xx

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Five things I’m Loving | January 2016

Some of these are new to me, some I have been using for years but I've been getting a lot of use out of them this month so though I would do a quick roundup!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer

I actually bought this way back last year and it featured in my first ever post (lol) here! At the time I still had a few other primers to finish up but I can’t resist a Boots offer so in my basket it went. I used to love the Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation but haven’t used it in about six months as I’ve gone off it so wasn’t expecting much from this primer. How wrong I was! This does such a great job at helping my makeup last all day and reduce shine and is a bargain at £6.99! It’s quite a thick white cream but it spreads easily over my face and feels nicely hydrating too! This and the Nivea Shave Balm are my two favourite primers available for under £10!

  

L’Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist

Towards the end of summer last year I took my first foray into the world of setting sprays and was left disappointed by the much raved about Urban Decay De-Slick! It did nothing for my oily skin and left me having to top up my powder at lunchtime as usual so when I spotted this L’Oreal Fixing Mist for £7.99 on Boots.com I thought I’d see if it would fare any better and in short, yes it does! Although it comes out as more of a thick spray than a fine mist it dries in quickly and does wonders for my oily skin all while making my makeup last longer! So impressed with this!

Cult 51 Night Cream*

This is a more recent discovery for me and one I’ve been so happy to add into my nightly routine! Since turning 25 a few months ago, fine lines and wrinkles are something I’m starting to worry about and I figured prevention is better than cure with the introduction of this into my skincare stash! It’s a thick cream that sinks in quickly to the skin and actually feels like it would be a good day cream/makeup base too. There is a whole scientific explanation for why this stuff works which you can read about here in an interview with the founder Richard Mears as science is not my strong point! In a nutshell, the ingredients in the cream raise ATP levels and increase oxygen exchange in the skin while working with the skins metabolism to make it look great! I’ve noticed my skin looks plumper, fresher and brighter in the morning after I've used this and just better all round. The one downside to this is perhaps the fact it’s billed as “the world’s most expensive anti-aging cream” therefore costs £125 for the full size 50ml pot. So, unless I win the lottery or get a better paying job it won’t be one I’m able to run out to repurchase just yet! Available at Cult 51, Cult Beauty and Look Fantastic! 

Smashbox #SHAPEMATTERS 3 in 1 Contouring Palette

I ended up buying this when Boots had it as their first star gift in the run up to Christmas back in October and I have been using it solidly ever since! I actually did take photos back when I first got it but never got round to posting, then it was sold out so I didn’t bother! Anyway I thought it was about time I gave it some love on the blog and while I love the eyeshadows and brow powders, it’s the contour powder I want to talk about because it’s perfect! It’s just the right amount of pigmentation, so finely milled and the perfect shade of cool toned brown! I choose this probably 9 times out of 10 when I go to contour and was so happy to get it for half price!  

  

Eucerin Dry Skin Intensive Lotion

Another old favourite of mine that I don’t think I’ve mentioned before but that I absolutely swear by! About two years ago I started getting random eczema patches on my legs and arms for the first time that would leave me scratching all night. I tried every cream under the sun including doctor prescribed moisturisers and steroids to no avail. I think it was my mum who had a sample of this and it worked so well I've never looked back! It’s quite a runny white cream that doesn’t have the nicest smell in the world but once it dries in there is no scent! It sorted my skin out completely and I hardly ever have to use it anymore apart from the odd time like over Christmas when a few patches cropped up on my legs but a few nights with this and they were away again! As I said, I don’t have severe eczema so I’m not sure how it would work on that but if you get patches regularly and haven’t found anything that’s helped then try this, it’s amazing! And it’s usually on offer as it’s included in the French pharmacy promotions most online stores do! I've linked a few here, here and here!

Have you tried any of the products I’ve mentioned? What did you think of them?

*denotes a PR sample that was sent to me. All opinions are my own.

Danielle xx

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My Favourite Makeup Brushes

 

I thought today I would share my favourite makeup brushes! These are the ones I use every day and some of them I have doubles for because I love them so much!

Zoeva 106 Powder Brush

Some powder brushes I've used in the past are massive and while I like my powder, I sometimes feel a little like they make my makeup look a little cakey! This one is a great size and works perfectly to spread my powder evenly over my face! I got it in the Zoeva Rose Golden set which is expensive to fork out for but the quality of the brushes is amazing so it’s definitely worth it!

Real Techniques Setting Brush

I never used to use this one until maybe the start of the year when I realised my powder brush wasn't great at reaching under my eyes and my concealer was creasing a little. This brush solves that problem for me! I sometimes use a different powder to the one I use all over my face such as a banana coloured powder to help brighten this area and it works so well, I couldn’t be without this one now!

No7 Blusher Brush

No7 brushes are seriously underrated! This is actually the third incarnation of this brush I have gone through. It was in the first brush set I ever got years ago in a No7 Christmas set and I used it for blusher until replacing it when it got a little too worn looking and starting to use it for contour. I then rebought it a few months ago as they updated the brush line and mine had started shedding a little! This is my favourite brush for contouring as it's quite small but not completely flat so there are no harsh lines and it fits nicely under my cheek bone! It’s really soft so blends easily and it’s probably my favourite brush ever! I've got about 2 to 3 years daily use out of each of the previous versions I've had and while it’s quite pricey for a drugstore brush, if you get them with a £3 off No7 voucher they work out much better!

Zoeva 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush

I switch quite frequently with this brush and a Zoeva 128 Cream Cheek brush depending on what blusher I am wearing but at the time of taking these photos I had just got the Hourglass blush palette (found it in stock online at John Lewis!) and this is the most perfect brush for applying those blushers! I have preferred to use an angled blush brush for the last few years as I feel I can apply my blush much more evenly and this and the Zoeva 128 are the perfect size.

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush

I actually have two of these brushes, one from the starter set (of which this is the only brush I rate) and one from the Nic’s Picks set. This is by far my favourite brush to apply eyeshadow with. It’s soft, flexible but not too flexible and applies just the right amount of eyeshadow. I wish they would make this available as a single brush because I would definitely pick up a couple more, mine are starting to look a little battered but they still work really well!

Zoeva 231 Luxe Petit Crease

At first I thought this brush would be too stiff to apply a darker colour in my crease but it works perfectly to add a bit more depth to my eyes!

Real Techniques Angled Shadow Brush

This is my favourite blending brush to use, I love that it’s angled! I find it fits my crease better and allows me to blend more effectively! This is another brush I wish Real Techniques would sell separately as I love it so much!

Zoeva 317 Wing Liner Brush

This is another brush I have two of and originally talked about in this post! I use this bamboo handled one for my eyebrows when I’m using powder for my brows or my Anastasia Dipbrow pomade and I also use the one from the rose gold collection to apply eyeliner (usually just a black eyeshadow). It’s not too firm so I get a really natural look when using this!

I generally use my fingers or a Real Techniques sponge/Beauty Blender to apply my foundation so don’t really use brushes for that! Let me know what your must have brushes are!

Danielle xx

Two Limited Edition palettes/possible gift ideas!

Hi everyone, I have two recent additions to my makeup collection to share with you today that came about as a result of me treating myself after landing a new job and a birthday present from my mum!

The first one I got was the NARS One Shocking Moment palette and not having a huge amount of their face products apart from an older palette I bought in a blog sale, I thought I would treat myself to this one which is exclusive to Space NK in the UK!

l-r Paloma, Laguna, Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster, Dolce Vita

I was expecting this to be dearer but at £45 I decided to take the plunge and try it out and I’m so glad I did. I haven’t used Laguna much as I don’t bronze my face for the daytime but I love the Paloma contour duo (and the fact it has a matte highlight!) and it actually reminds me a little of the SEVENTEEN contour kit with the SEVENTEEN coming off a tad warmer when I swatched them, anyone else? The blushers are gorgeous, from left to right we have Robotic, Blasphemy, Luster and Dolce Vita which are all good sized pans and have lovely pigmentation. As I don’t have any single pan NARS blushers I can’t tell if there are any differences in pigmentation but I know sometimes people mention that the quality isn’t the same.

Next up we have the Balm’s In the Balm of Your Hand palette featuring some of their most loved cheek eye and lip products! I’m a huge fan of the Balm, especially their blushers Frat Boy and Down Boy so when I started to see pictures of this palette floating about I knew it would be top of my wish list!

l-r Hot Mama, Instain in Argyle, Cabana Boy, Bahama Mama

The only duplicate I have in the palette is the Bahama Mama bronzer which I really like and also use for contouring! I’m loving Hot Mama and the Instain blush especially but need to find a softer brush to use with Cabana Boy as it’s so pigmented I put a little too much on and had to spend a little extra time blending it out! 

l-r Mia Moore, Caramel

I was more impressed than I expected to be with the lip products, I thought they would be sticky and hard to apply smoothly and it was only when I put How About them Apples in Caramel on my lips with my finger that I was won over by the gorgeous colour, easy application, no stickiness and comfortable feel! I haven’t tried it on my cheeks yet and probably won’t bother as I’m not a huge fan of cream blushers!

l-r Insane Jane, Mischevious Marissa, Sexy, Lead Zeppelin, Mary Lou Manizer

I’m enjoying using the much hyped Mary Lou Manizer (I don’t highlight often so a full size would be wasted on me) and with a light hand it’s easy to add a subtle sheen to my face.  The eyeshadows Sexy and Lead Zeppelin are unlike anything I have in my collection at the minute and although not normally shades I would go for on a day to day basis, the pigmentation is amazing and I can’t wait to wear them over Christmas! Mischievous Marissa is a lovely warm toned shimmer shade and Insane Jane is another shade that is more in my comfort zone.

I got my palette from Cloud10 beauty a few weeks ago (then gave it to my mum to wrap up for my birthday!). It was my first time ordering from the site but they had a 15% off offer on, great samples and the delivery was super quick! I've also seen it on asos.com for a lot cheaper but it’s out of stock at the minute and Debenhams have it too!

Overall, I’m super happy with both palettes and will get loads of wear out of them! They are definitely great for beauty lovers or for people wanting to try a few different things from a brand! Have you tried either of these palettes or anything from NARS or The Balm?

P.S. Sorry about the horrific state of my tan in these photos! I took these pictures just before I scrubbed it off!

Danielle xx