review; essence single eyeshadow in out of the blue;

I've been a big fan of Essence nail polishes with a long time now but I recently picked up my first ever Essence eyeshadow, and I was so impressed that I thought I'd share my thoughts with you all.  I picked this up in my local Penneys/Primark.

Out Of The Blue is a beautiful, deep navy-blue.  It has a soft frosted finish which reflects a brighter blue, and it has some, but not too many, silver glitter pieces.  It has a very soft, almost creamy texture and it isn't chalky at all, which is pleasantly surprising considering how inexpensive it was!  This eyeshadow is very highly pigmented and swatched easily without a primer.  It's also very opaque which is a huge plus because not only  it saves time and product when applying, but that's quite unusual for a frost eyeshadow.  When I applied it, there was no pesky fallout and it blended really easily.  As for it's lasting power, I wore this for eight+ plus hours (primer-less!) and apart from some minimal fading, it still looked fresh!  Thumbs-up all round!

The only issue I had with this eyeshadow was the packaging.  I like the clear casing and the labelling, and it's easy to see the colour without opening the lid, but it's not nearly as sturdy as I would like.  After just a few days, the plastic clasp that keeps the lid closed snapped off.  Now, the lid flaps around like crazy which would/will spell disaster if I needed to throw it into my makeup bag for travelling.

(swatched in natural light vs. with flash)

Overall:  I have fallen in love with this eyeshadow and I've been reaching for it a lot since I bought it.  I never expected to get such a high-quality product for such a small price tag. I'm definitely going to pick up some more Essence eyeshadows in future.
Rating:  8/10

(circle lenses are Geo Princess Mimi Sesame Grey)

Have you tried Essence eyeshadows before?  What are your favourite shades?  Thanks for reading!

fotd: barbie girl;

Another "Face of the Day", another colour I never thought I'd use.  As with my last fotd, I made it my mission to use some colours from my make-up collection that I wouldn't usually reach for.  Today's choice: pink, inspired by the pot of Birthday Girl (a gorgeous barbie-pink with fuchsia glitters) by Sugarpill I spied in my eyeshadow drawer.  So glad I finally plucked up the courage to use it!

To achieve this eye look, I used:

- Mayebelline Eye Studio Colour Tattoo 24hr in Pink Gold as a base.

- Pink Opal by MAC in the inner corner and as a brow highlight.

- Birthday Girl by Sugarpill all over the lid and blended up.

- Laced by Urban Decay to blend the lid colour and highlight together.

- Muse by Urban Decay in the crease and along the lower lashline.

On my lips, I used S&G's Sexy Mother Pucker in Pink Apricot, one of my favourite glosses.

I hope you like this look as much as I do!  Thanks for reading!

review: mua undressed palette;

 (Sorry for the awful/dirty picture, I just couldn't hold myself back from using it!)

The Undressed palette is MUA's answer to Urban Decay's Naked palette and, I assure you, it doesn't disappoint.  At just £4 (less than €5, holy moly!!) this palette is a steal!  Available here.

 It includes 12 neutral shades, from a pale shimmer, through golden tones, to an intense black.  (C'mon girls, we all know how difficult it is to find a highly pigmented black shadow!)  It has two matte shadows, and the rest are packed with a gorgeous satin shimmer that sticks really well to the lids (without sliding halfway down you face, leaving you looking like a disco ball).  The pigmentation and colour payoff of each shade is impressive, needing just a quick swipe to give intense coverage.  As for the texture of the shadows, they're very creamy and smooth, not chalky at all.

(Top row shadows. Swatched on a base of UD's Primer Potion)

(Bottom row shadows. Swatched on a base of UD's Primer Potion)

Downsides?  There's little to nothing I dislike about this palette.  The packaging isn't exactly pretty; it's quite plastic-y and flimsy, and I don't think anyone like those sponge applicators.  But those are just minor details, and for that cheap-as-chips price tag, I can easily overlook them.

Overall:  I would recommend this palette right down to the ground!  It's a perfect addition to any make-up kit, and has quickly become a favourite of mine.  This quality for that price? You can't go wrong.
Rating: 9/10

Have you tried this palette? What are your thoughts?  Thanks for reading!

haul: mua makeup academy cosmetics;

MUA (Makeup Academy) is a cosmetics company that I've heard very much about during my years of creeping through the beauty blogging community, but because it's sold exclusively in-store in Superdrug (which we don't have here, boo) I never had the chance to try any of their products.  Until now!  Last week, I put my debit card to good use and shopped to my heart's content at their online store (click here).  I have to say, I'm very impressed.  There's a great selection of products and colours, the price is a steal (all of this, including shipping, cost less than €40!!), the quality is surprisingly great, and it arrived in just three days!  Delighted.

(1) Undressed eyeshadow palette:  One of the best neutral palettes I've ever used, and it cost just £4!  Unreal!  Full review coming on this soon, so I won't say too much.

(2) Trio Eyeshadow in Eden:  This trio contains a jade green shade with gold shimmer, a mint green with gold shimmer, and a cream/gold duochrome with gold shimmer.  You need to work a bit harder with these to get a good colour payoff, but still very pretty.

(3) Trio Eyeshadow in Innocence:  This trio has a brown/teal duochrome which is mindblowingly beautiful,  a mid-tone shimmery golden brown, with a more peach/white highlight colour than the Eden trio.  So excited to use this one!

(4) Glitter Eyeliner in shades 6 & 8:  Shade 6 has small hot pink glitters with larger iridescent blue glitters.  I have no idea when I'm going to use this, but it's just so pretty and girly!  Shade 8 has gorgeous spring green glitters.  This liner is slightly thicker than the pink one.

(1) Lip BOOM lipstick and Gloss in Cheeky! and It's A Situation:  The idea of this product is that you can wear it several ways: either the lipstick or gloss alone, or layered together to make your lipsCheeky! is a matte, barbie pink colour (quite similar to St. Germain by MAC).  It comes with a pink gloss that is chocked full of sparkly silver glitter.  It's A Situation is red berry colour, with a rose coloured gloss with the same glitter.  Both are very pretty, and the lipsticks are quite nice considering that they're matte, and especially considering the price.  The glosses have a sickly sweet scent, which I'm not a huge fan off, but the colours and the glitter are FAB.

(1) Love Hearts nail polish in  U R FAB and I <3 U:  U R FAB is like a pastel red colour, if that makes sense?  It's more of a reddish colour than a pink.  Perfect.  I <3 U is just a nude/cream colour.  Very pretty for everyday.

(2)  Nail polish in shade 13:  I don't own many green nail varnishes (this is only my second), so this metallic green is a great addition to my collection.

(3)  Nail Constellation in Leo:  Microbeads!  I'm loving textured nails at the mo, and I've never tried a microbead product before.  So excited for this!

(4)  Fur-Effect Nails in Fluff & Cuddles and Fluffy Bobbin:  Fluff & Cuddles is a pink-maroon colour, and Fluffy Bobbin is indigo.  Strange.  Very strange indeed.  These feel almost like suede when applied.  I think I love them, but it's very difficult getting used to having furry nails!

Have you tried any of these products?  Or have you any other MUA products that you'd recommend?  Thanks for reading!

fotd: green eyes and amethyst;

In keeping with my resolution to introduce more colour into my life, here's my first ever "Face of the Day" post, featuring green eyes and purple eye make-up!  This eye look was created using the Urban Decay Vice palette; - Anonymous (cream/almond, matte finish) on the inner corner and brow bone. - Laced (taupe, matte finish) all over the lid and blended up to the brow bone. - Vice (deep purple, frost/duochrome finish) all over the lid, into the crease. - Muse (deep, earthy brown, shimmer finish) in the crease, and along the lower lashline. - Provocateur (mauve, metallic finish with heavy glitter) applied using a damp brush to the centre of the lid. My circle lenses are the GEO Angel Green lenses (14mm and super comfy!), which I bought from Sweet Soul Shop. On my lips, I'm wearing Up The Amp from MAC, with a dot of Soap & Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker in Candy Gloss in the middle. This look is completely different from what I'd usually wear, but I think/hope I still managed to keep it wearable.  I've never been drawn to purple as a colour, but I'm quite pleased with how this turned out.  I hope you like it too! Thanks for reading!

haul: december;

This month, with working extra hours, turning 21, and Christmas, I felt like (albeit briefly) the richest person in the world.  This is a collective haul (another blog first!) of bits and pieces that I've picked up throughout December.  Praise the Lord for Christmas sales!

MAKE-UP & BEAUTY

(L - R back row) BIG solid conditioner // Snow Fairy x2 // Sweet Soap of Mine soap duo

(L - R front row) King of Skin body butter // Godiva 2in1 shampoo bar

(1) BIG solid conditioner:  I'm a big fan of Lush's BIG shampoo, but unfortunately they were sold out, so I thought I'd give the conditioner a try.  I'd never tried a solid conditioner before this, and admittedly I found it more difficult to use than solid shampoos 'cause without a lather, I couldn't tell how much I was using.  Nonetheless, it's super creamy, smells (and tastes) delicious, and left my hair really clean, soft and shiny.  A++.

(2) Snow Fairy:  They only had small bottles left, but they were half price so I bought two!  I've mentioned Snow Fairy before, it's fab.  Definitely worth stocking up over Christmas.  Pity it's limited edition.

(3) Sweet Soap of Mine:  Another first for me, as I've never tried Lush soap before.  This pack contains 100g of Rockstar soap and 100g of The Godmother soap (which smells like Snow Fairy).  Seeing as my skin is quite sensitive, I was a bit wary of trying out the soaps, but I've used Rockstar and I'm impressed.  It felt like it was good for my skin, y'know?

(4) King of Skin:  I lovelovelove Lush's body butters, so I picked up King of Skin to add to my collection.  Haven't used it yet, but I've no fear that I'll love this one too.

(5) Godiva:  *Angels voices from Heaven* This shampoo bar, which is a 2in1, is my all-time holy grail hair product.  I use it just as a shampoo, but the added conditioner gives my hair that extra bit of moisture it needs to stay healthy.  The scent isn't for everyone (personally, I love it) but it lasts for ages on your hair, even after blowdrying and straightening/curling. Mmm. 

MAC Up The Amp //  Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte in 107 // Revlon Colourstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Ultimate Orchid

(6) Up The Amp:  This lipstick inspired my growing love of lilac lip colours, and I've been admiring it with months.  Now, I finally own it!  It's an Amplified Creme which, considering I'm usually a matte finish girl, is really smooth and moisturising, and the colour is prettier than I could have hoped for. Delira!

(7) 107:  I've heard so many good things about Rimmel's new matte lipsticks so I picked one up for myself.  107 is the prettiest berry colour I've ever seen, and I haven't found it to be drying at all.  A big plus for a matte lipstick.

(8) Ultimate Orchid:  I fell in love with this colour the second I saw it.  A pinky-lilac with a slight shimmer. Delish!  It has a matte finish, and it dried my lips out a bit, but it's nothing a lick of carmex can't solve!

Eyeshadow in Antiqued // Paint Pot in Rubanesque // Pigment in Pink Opal // Eyeshadow in Paradisco

(9) Antiqued:  Antiqued is a gorgeous copper-brown with just the right amount of shimmer.  And it's a Veluxe Pearl. Yes.

(10) Rubanesque:  My first paint pot!  I feel like I'm moving up in the world.  If you haven't heard, Rubanesque is a peach gold colour with gold shimmer.  I am so excited to use this!

(11) Pink Opal:  Like Up The Amp, Pink Opal is a colour that I've been admiring from a distance but never had the courage to buy.  It's a white/pink duochrome, and I'm scared to even breathe near it incase I blow half of it away!

(12) Paradisco:  My first Frost finish from MAC.  It's a coral/pink colour which is admittedly quite similar to Expensive Pink, one of my favourite MAC shades.  Still, it's pretty and I can't wait to use it.

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs in Light Glow // Girls Aloud Part Lashes in Sarah // Lady Gaga Fame perfume

(13) Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs:  Read here.  Love it!

(14) Girls Aloud Lashes:  These lashes were a total disappointment!  In the box, they look gorgeous.  They're long, thick, and covered in glitter.  Fab.  But in reality, with the length and thickness of my natural lashes, they just looked odd, and the glitter on the falsies made it look as though they were covered in eyeshadow fallout.  Plus, the glue in box was completely dried out and unusable.  I won't be buying these again.

(15) Lady Gaga Fame perfume:  I reveived a sample of this in a GlossyBox months ago and I loved it, so I spoiled myself and bought a full sized bottle.  I am awful at describing scents, so I won't even try, but it is everything I love in a perfume.  And the bottle looks stunning, too!

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

Contrast Sleeve Jacket - Red Herring @ Debenhams // Peplum Dress - River Island

Embellished Collar Blouse - Penneys // Oversized Wolf Print Jumper - Penneys

Black Skater Skirt - Penneys // Grey Hi-Lo Skater Skirt w/ Gold Chain - Topshop

Black and Gold overknee Stockings - River Island // Gold Cherub Necklace - Topshop

** I should probably mention that I'm not posting this to 'brag'.  I bought a lot of these things at sale prices with money I worked hard to earn, or that was gifted to me by my wonderful family.  I am so grateful for their generosity, and the effort that they put into make this milestone month special for me. **

Have you picked up many bargains in the sales?  Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!