Soap and Glory Lid Stuff Eyeshadow Palette

Soap and Glory

Lid Stuff Eyeshadow Palette

What's Nude

£10.00 Boots

Another neutral eyeshadow palette...what a surprise!

I am so terrible when it comes to neutral eyeshadows

No matter how many palettes I already own whenever I see a neutral one I just have to have it

One day I'll stop...or not

Maybe I should start selling them on lol!

Soap and Glory have always been on my beauty radar, mainly due to their cute packaging but also becuase of the hype other beauty bloggers give them

I very fairly dabble in their make up however but after seeing Louise at Sprinkle of Glitter rave about this palette quite a while ago now I knew I had to pick it up

So when Boots had a 3 for 2 on S&G makeup I thought why the heck not!

The colours included are the perfect four neutrals and work really well together for a subtle daytime work eye look

Or even for school when you can't wear strong eye makeup

Three of the shades are matte with one shimmer and all have a fairly decent pigmentation

I like to use the three matte shades together for a work friendly look but then add some of the shimmer to take it through to evening

The second shade from the left on the swatches is the perfect shade on my skintone to completely balance out any redness on my lids 

If you're looking for a fairly cheap little eyeshadow palette with work/school appropriate shades then I definitely recommend picking this little baby up 

Love

Belle

xoxo 



MAC Paint Pots in 'Indianwood' & 'Let Me Pop'

 Paint Pots in Indianwood and Let Me Pop

£14.50 each

MAC

I bought these from Macy's in New York, couldn't go to America and not buy any MAC

I didn't purchase as much as I thought I would, mainly because the stand in Macy's didn't sell the eyeshadow pans only the ones in the pots and having a palette I didn't want to waste the extra money on the packaging

I bought Rubenesque a couple of years ago and use it on a regular basis, at least once a week, and just love the formula of the shadow

They last so long on my lids and are so easy to just pop on with some eyeliner and that's pretty much it

I was initially drawn to Indianwood, a gorgeous rich brown tone described by MAC as a metallic antique bronze

This looks gorgeous built up with some brown liquid liner and has become my go to look for work on a day to day basis

Let Me Pop is a light peachy toned gold which to me is slightly lighter than my favourite Rubenesque and when the mua said it was limited edition I knew I wanted it, but it seems to be available on the UK website...sucker right here!

The website describes the colour as a frosted light copper

This one doesn't last quite as long on my lids without a primer compared to Indianwood but it is more subtle for the days I need something but don't want it too in your face

These were only a few pounds cheaper bought in the states but still every little helps (tescos ftw) and I'm glad they're in my collection

Love

Belle

xoxo

MUA Undress Me Too Palette



MUA Eyeshadow Palette
£4.00
Superdrug

As you've probably guessed from previous posts I'm a neutral eyeshadow fiend!
I wear eyeshadow everyday and like to have options, either that or I'm a shopaholic
The MUA Undress Me Too palette is their answer to the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette only much more affordable
I have the Urban Decay palette and can say that all the shades in the MUA one are exact dupes for each UD shadow
For a £4 palette the quality of the shadows are amazing
Soft, buttery and blendable
Minimal fall out but there is some, like the UD shadows
The matte shades are the weakest in the palette but I think that's a formulation issue as MUA seem to have shimmer shadows down to an art, they just need to work on the matte ones a little more
I find these palettes perfect to chuck in my traveling make up bag as I don't feel too worried if they get broken as it's so cheap to replace whereas with the UD palettes I'd be pretty annoyed at having to shell out another £30+
The stand out shades for me are Wink, Tranquil and Exposed...there's something about them I really like and find them flattering on my skin tone
I would definitely recommend picking this up if you see it in your local superdrug

Love
Belle
xoxo

Diego Dalla Palma 'Snow White' Palette

Diego Dalla Palma

Snow White & The Huntsman Eyeshadow Palette

£9.99

Fragrance Direct

I LOVE anything to do with fairytales, it's always been an interest of mine and I even based my university final project around them

Al though I do draw the line with wearing princess themed clothes, I'm 22 a little old for that now lol! However I do like disney couture jewellery 

When I saw this gracing many beauty blogs a long time I go I was drawn in by the fact it was based around the new Snow White film (which was awesome) but not that it was £25 for a palette only housing 6 eyeshadows, I thought it was a bit much for what it was.

But on a recent browse over on Fragrance Direct I noticed that it was reduced to only £10, I couldn't resist!

As the palette comes under the Urban Decay heading on the website I'm guessing Diego Dalla Palma might be a sister company to UD? Maybe anyway... 

But that would explain the quality of the shadows, their smooth and extremely pigmented with little fallout.

There are three matte shades and three shimmer shades

And for a change I quite like the matte shades!

Probably because they're neutrals... 

As you can see from the above swatches all the colours are decently pigmented but as usual with eyeshadows the shimmers are the most pigmented and striking

Even the matte shades are pretty decent, I really like the brown Battleground

I love the way the shades are all named after something to do with the film

In the palette there is also a red lipstick and black eyeliner so you can achieve the perfect look 

I'm quite tempted to depot these shadows though as the packaging is so bulky and I'm trying to minimise my makeup as much as possible. 

I can't quite bring myself to rip apart my UD Alice in Wonderland palette though..

Love

Belle

xoxo

No7 Eyeshadow Palette

No7 Eyeshadow palette

Boots

I received this for Christmas from my fiance's parents and was pleasantly surprised

I'm quite difficult to buy make up for, I either have my wish list which my family stick to or I buy it myself

This wasn't on any of my wish lists but I really like it

I can't find it on the website anymore but I'd reckon it was around the £15/£18 mark

The eyeshadows are housed in a super cute patent black quilted clutch style housing

If I could find a clutch bag like this I'd be one happy bunny!

So chic and simple..I seem to be really liking simple, investment pieces at the moment

Annoyingly the eyeshadows have no names

I hate it when companies don't name their products (MUA I'm looking at you!) 

I like it when brands layout their palettes in this way

With the colours which go well together lined up together

Makes it easy to put together a nice look without too much effort in the mornings, or should I say too much thinking!

The first three in the swatches are quite subtle and pale, perfect for an everyday neutral but glowing look. I can see these looking great with a tan in the summer, dreaming of the sun already

Out of the middle three swatches the second shade in is quite possibly my favourite

I love brown eyeshadows, they complement my blue eyes, and this one has a hint of sparkle...I like sparkles I do. I think I'll name this one chocolate glimmer (!) Think I'll stick to the day job.

The final three shades are the perfect smokey eye look

The next time I have a night out I'll be trying these out properly

With a decent primer these have a good wear time and don't crease which is good considering they were only around £3 for each shadow

I quite like the No7 range, I know it's aimed at the slightly older woman it has some gems in the collection.

Are there any No7 products you really like?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Too Faced 'Shadow Bon Bons' Eyeshadow Palette

Too Faced 'Shadow Bon Bons' Eyeshadow Palette

£33.00

Boots

Once again I've been suckered into purchasing another eyeshadow palette

They should have addict groups for makeup obsessives!

But this little pretty was too gorgeous to resist.

It's my first time trying out Too Faced Eyeshadows, I've heard such great things about them I wanted to see for myself

I found this little beauty in my local Boots just before Christmas and knew I had to have it

To be honest £33 for 12 Eyeshadows, Eye Primer and a Mascara is pretty good value in my books

My Mum must have got the hint from my incessant twittering about it and it was waiting under the Christmas tree for me

The eyeshadows are lovely and soft, not quite as smooth as the Urban Decay shadows but they're lovely to work with and have minimal fall out.

The way the palette is laid out is meant to indicate what four colours work well together 

I've been wearing the neutral colours for work but dabbling in the purples for a bit of fun

I'm determined to be more adventurous in my makeup this year

I love the name of all the colours too, very romantic and reminded me of weddings

One thing I don't particularly like is the packaging

It's a pale lilac, velvet box which will attract so much dirt but I'm keeping it in a drawer away from too much crap.. 

Only time will tell if the velvet starts to fall off and the packaging looks tatty, if it does then I'll de-pot and have a streamlined palette

Love

Belle

xoxo

Sleek i-Divine Palette in 'Sparkle 2'

i-divine Eyeshadow Palette

Sparkle 2

£7.99

Sleek

Sleek are always bringing out new eyeshadow palettes with gorgeous colours in

The formulation is spot on and the colours on trend

The price is pretty good too considering you get twelve eyeshadows 

Al though they used to be a little cheaper, it nearly feels like each new release is marked up a little higher

I doubt I'd pay over a tenner only as I remember when the palettes only cost £6

This newest addition has an array of sparkly, shimmery shadows

I picked it up just before Christmas so it was the perfect festive offering when a glitter overdose is encouraged

Being that all the shadows are glitter and shimmers there is a definite lack of matte shades but for me that's absolutely fine as I don't really use matte eyeshadows much

The glitter is quite prominent in the pan but once blended slightly into the lid it's much more subtle and wearable

Of course if you pack it on the glitter packs a punch

I like the fact that there are still some neutral colours included (being favourites)

But they have a lovely shimmer, almost duo chrome effect in some cases, and are great everyday shades.

Chocolate Penny is a lovely warm gold and looks lovely paired with Truffle

I've also been loving Illusion and Mulled Wine as something a bit different to my normal look and have been incorporating them into my work eye look

The shadows in the bottom row are a bit cooler in tone 

Especially Tinsel being a cold silver, this looks great as a liner

Starry Night is great for a smokey eye with a hint of glitter

A matte black is included in every Sleek palette and this one with a hint of sparkle gorgeous

As with all Sleek palettes the shadows are all pigmented well and are super smooth

For some reason I like that the eyeshadows don't have the usual criss cross imprint on them, I like the way they're smooth.

Would you wear a glittery eye for everyday?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Benefit Away We Glow Holiday Set

Away We Glow Set

Benefit (Exclusive to Boots)

£29.50, but now in the sale if you can track one down

I think I'm a bit late in posting this as it went into the Christmas sales and is pretty much sold out everywhere but if you can still find it in your local boots or on ebay I definitely recommend picking it up

Especially if it's at the cheaper sale price!

As you can see from my blog I have a bit of a thing for Benefit make up

It was the first premium make up brand I dabbled in for my leavers ball at school and I still stay quite loyal to using their products

Of course I dabble else where too!

My Mum bought me this for Christmas, I think in the hope I only take this with me when we go on holiday rather than a huge make up bag as usual...that won't happen.

Surprisingly the packaging isn't too bulky for what it has in it

Normally for sets like this the packaging is really too much for the products it holds and it seems such a waste

So if I did take it on holiday with me I wouldn't feel I had to de-box it to save space in my suitcase

And the packaging is too cute as always

The eyeshadows are perfect for the normal everyday eye look

The best mix of neutrals for fresh make up

Their more warm toned than other neutrals in my collection 

Considering I seem to buy a lot of neutral eyeshadows its quite refreshing not having something similar in my collection 

I think I prefer these to my Naked Palettes as the colours are much more wearable for me

Al though I don't think there is anything really to create an evening look only day time looks

As with most of the Benefit kits Coralista is the blusher included

It's one of their best selling items and I can see why

Having already got it in full size and nearly hit pan on it you can tell I quite like it

It's a stunning coral colour with a slight hint of shimmer 

I also got another Benefit kit for Christmas with Coralista in it 

The lipgloss in the set has been likened to Nars Turkish Delight gloss and I love the colour

Quite a pale, girly pink but very wearable and perfect for daytime

The best thing about these little kits is being able to try out the mini versions of more expensive products, like the Sunbeam and Highbeam, these are around £22ish in full size so it's good to be able to try them before splashing out

The mini size is a generous trial product, which you'd expect when paying for it in a kit rather than as a freebie from a magazine.

Overall I love this kit and definitely think it's worth picking up if you see it

Love

Belle

xoxo

Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe Quartet in Metallica

Jemma Kidd Eye Wardrobe Quartet

Metallica

£2.99

Fragrance Direct

As your probably aware Jemma Kidd's make up empire has recently gone into administration, in my eyes it's a huge shame as her make up line has some gems to be found.

But it does mean that discount beauty websites such as Fragrance Direct or Cheap Smells are selling her line for extremely low prices.

This Eyeshadow Palette was originally £24.00 and I snapped it up for only £2.99!

On the Fragrance Direct site there are still plenty of bargains going for this range .

The packaging is basic but chic. 

Black and matte is always good in my book.

The compact is also very sturdy so won't just open on it's own in your make up bag.

In all honesty when I ordered this off the website I thought the shades were powder based and when I received it I was a little disappointed at the cream formula but I needn't have been.

They apply smoothly and are well pigmented. 

With a good primer they last well too, I'm not sure about on oily lids though as being a cream based product they may slip a bit.

I also love the name of the palette...may make me slightly biased but who can resist a bit of old school rock

In the palette you get a complete look with a highlight, lid and crease shade

All in one place...perfect

The colours are perfect for an everyday look

The above swatches are just one swipe over the shadows and you can see how pigmented they are.

Overall I am very impressed and would definitely recommend picking this up whilst you can and maybe try a few other bits from the Jemma Kidd line too.

Happy New Year everyone!

Hope you all had a great one

Love

Belle

xoxo

Pixi Early Bird Kit

Early Bird Kit

£16.00

Pixi

My first Pixi purchase

Super cute packaging

I love how cosmetic companies are putting so much effort into the packaging of their products

The colours and bird print on this palette is gorgeous

I'm a sucker for anything with a bird or floral print

The gorgeous packaging houses a palette of equally gorgeous products

Three Blushers

Two Bronzers

One Highlighter

4 Eyeshadow Bases

16 Eyeshadows

All of this for only £16, quite the bargain

I'd seen this kit in the Boots Christmas book and was interested in tracking it down

My local Boots doesn't stock the good stuff and it was never stocked online

Yesterday I went up to London to shop and visit Winter Wonderland so I decided to go to the Pixi store on Carnaby Street 

I also picked up two of the Pop Nail Polishes which I'd been looking at for a while 

The above swatches are of the blushers, bronzers and highlighter

The three blushers are lovely colours, not hughely pigmented but easily buildable

Sometimes its nice to not have a super pigmented blusher as it's easy to over do it

The same with the bronzers, I'm guilty of over doing it with bronzers easily and have been caught looking like an oompa loompa before...

There's a great range of eyeshadow colours and they all have a decent colour pay off too

The top row are lighter highlight colours and the bottom row are lovely colours

There really is everything you need in one palette and would be perfect for travelling with

Have you tried anything from Pixi before?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Christmas List

Christmas is my favourite time of year

I'm just like my Mum, we are the most festive people in our family

Last year we didn't celebrate as usual because my Grandad was in hospital

This year we're going to do him proud and have a great Christmas for him

I love spending time with my family and the festive period is all about family for us

Every weekend is full of various get togethers

I like to plan Christmas shopping very early and most people just laughed in my face when I asked what they wanted, back in September.

But now I have a super organised list for everyone and am about 80% done

I can't wait to sit down with a cheesy Christmas film, candles lit and a glass of wine to wrap them all up 

As a lover of lists I've made a 'visual guide' as my boyfriend always says he won't buy me anything off of a list... 

1. Philosophy Sugar Plum Fairy Gift Set ~ Boots

I actually bought this for a friend for Christmas and have fallen for the cute little set myself. The smell of the shower gel is amazing and it comes with a lovely little lipgloss, both a stunning deep purple colour. When I go to NYC I want to purchase a few Philosophy bits so I see this as a sampler to the goods ;)

2. Converse Sequin Trainers ~ Schuh

I saw these in a magazine a little while ago and thought they were gorgeous!

I've always been a converse girl at heart, at one point I had around 8 pairs...back in my emo/skater days...

I really like how these have a bit of glam factor about them

On the site I even read a review of a bride planning to wear these laced with ribbon on her wedding day...such a cute idea for a heel-phobe (I'm not phobic of course just can't walk in them to save my life!)

3. Stila Into The Light Eyeshadow Palette ~ Boots

This has appeared on countless blogs recently

Of course I've been lemming it, a neutral eyeshadow palette, it has my name all over it

Considering it's had such great reviews I'd love to add it to my little collection

It seems a bit smaller than the Urban Decay palette but mainly in length so it should fit in my smaller make up bag for on the go/travelling, perfect

4. Ted Baker Twinkee Glitter Bow Large Washbag ~ Ted Baker

Girly. Nude. Sparkly. Bow

Every girl needs a pretty washbag, self explanatory

5. Marc by Marc Jacobs Amy Gold Watch ~ Goldsmiths Jewellers

I've been drooling over gold, chunky watches for a while now but haven't quite found the one. It was close between this one and a Michael Kors watch, seeing as I got one for my 21st I figured I'd branch out into a different brand.

I kind of know for a fact that I won't be getting this simply because we aren't doing big presents this year but a girl can dream.

6. Too Faced Sweet Indulgence Make Up Set ~ Boots

I've never tried any Too Faced make up before but again seen plenty about it on blogs.

This limited edition kit looks like the perfect introduction to the brand. 

A good mixture of eyeshadows, blushers, primer etc. 

What's on your Christmas list this year?

Any traditions your family have?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in 'Pink Gold'

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 hour Eyeshadow

Pink Gold 

£4.99

I've already reviewed of the other shades available in the Maybelline colour tattoo eyeshadows but this has to be my favourite by far

A gorgeous creamy pink colour which seems to show up differently on different skin tones

I've seen swatches on some people where it leans more rose gold whereas on others it can be quite cool and frosty

On myself it's more cooler but not too frosty that it looks barbie pink

As you can see from the above photo it has a lovely shimmer going through it

I don't personally like matte eyeshadows as I feel they lack pigmentation but also look very flat and uninspiring

A little bit of shimmer is alright for day time as long as you don't look like a disco ball

In my opinion there is just enough shimmer to make this a stunning finish but not too much that it can't be used as an everyday shadow

Which is exactly what I use it for

On the mornings where I'm on an early at work I just slick a bit of this on, a little mascara and off I go

The formula means it stays in place all day and I can still see the shimmer, with minimal creasing, when I finish a 9 hour shift at work

By this point my foundation is long gone but at least my eyes still look good

A bit of a turn around this colour seems to be exclusive to us in the UK and I can't see it on any of the American websites, considering they have twice as many colours available than us this is different...

Have you tried the Colour Tattoos?

Love 

Belle

xoxo

MUA Undressed Palette

Undress Palette MUA
£4.00 from Superdrug
MUA is a fantastic British drugstore brand with all the products amazingly cheap but still great products
Being an eyeshadow fiend, especially nude colours, I was drawn to this palette instantly when seeing it all over beauty blogs but everytime I was in a Superdrug they always had no stock available. 
All the colours in the palette are dupes for the shadows in the Urban Decay Naked palette

Top Row swatches
The shimmer finish shadows are really well pigmented whereas the matte colours are a bit on the subtle side, luckily only two out of the twelve shadows are matte
The pigmentation is great considering the palette only costs £4

Bottom Row Swatches
I kind of wish I'd waited for the inevitable dupe palettes to come out before buying the Urban Decay Naked palettes but then again it's nice to indulge in a bit of premium beauty sometimes...
I can definitely see this little wonder coming with me to New York next year, perfect shades for both daytime wear and evening 

Oh and if you have any recommendations for must sees in New York let me know!

Love
Belle
xoxo

Sleek 'Respect' Palette

Sleek's newest mini collection sees them collaborating with massive fashion house PPQ

The outcome is the Shangri-La collection

There are two eyeshadow palettes; Respect and Supreme, accompanied by two matte lipglosses in  jazz and soul

I picked up the Respect Palette in Superdrug for £7.99

The colours included in the collection are inspired by 'classic motown sound, with a retro vibe channelling glamorous 60's style'

As with all Sleek Palettes the pigmentation is brilliant

Especially with the shimmer textured shadows

The real standout colours on the top row for me are 'James Brown' a gorgeous brown shimmer which will be perfect for autumn, browns are my go to eye colours

Also 'Aretha Orange' is a lovely bright, striking colour

I don't normally go for bright on my lids but with nude lips and toned blusher I may have to give it a go

'Vandellas' is a stunning berry tone and again would be perfect for autumn

I've not got a matte black shadow in my collection so the inclusion of 'Roberta Black' is good and I can have a play with some serious smokey eyes

The other standout for me is 'O'Jays' an amazing rose gold colour, this could make a good blusher colour too

Love

Belle

xoxo