Smashbox Heatwave Palette

Heatwave Palette

Smashbox

£36 (Boots)

I bought this beautiful palette back in August with some birthday money and it has definitely become my go to palette

I've just checked the Boots website and this is still available but I'm not sure for how long as it isn't available on the Smashbox website

For the past 3 months I've reached for this nearly everyday

All the colours are so easy to work with and last amazingly well

There are ten shades included as well as an impressive double ended brush and I aslo got a deluxe sample of the photoready primer

It only works out at £3.60 for each eyeshadow...what a bargain!

They aren't small pans either, each one is easily the same size as a £2 coin

There are two matte shades with the other eight being lovely shimmers

In my opinion there are no dud shades in this palette

They are all super wearable and compliment each other beautifully

I use this both on days I do a quick look with just the peachy gold blended over MAC's paint pot in Rubenesque and also the days I can take a bit more time and use the champagney highlight in the inner corners and then choose a couple of other colours to build a gorgeous eye look

Again this can be used for both day and night and I've been reaching for this on both occasions

Perfect for a holiday where you'll find yourself with different makeup needs on a regular basis

My one little niggle would have to be the lack of shade names..I like palettes to have some kind of names for each individual colour but I can live with it in this case

Especially when the packaging is so nice, simple but nice, and the insides even nicer! 

After trying this palette out I would definitely like to try a few other bits from Smashbox 

The primer seems good so far so maybe a full size is in my future!

Have you tried anything from Smashbox?

Love

Belle

xoxo

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 



Sleek Blush by 3 'Sweet Cheeks'

Sleek Blush by 3

Blusher Palette

Sweet Cheeks

£10.00

I'm not 100% sure if this is limited edition or now a permanent fixture to the Sleek line up but I do know I like it...

The Sleek blusher palettes are perfect if you're looking to add some new blusher shades to your collection but don't want to shell out too much hard earned cash

£10 for three full sized blusher pans is bloody good value, coming in it at £3.33 a blusher

They are extremely good quality for the price point and I highly recommend giving them a go 

In this palette you get a cream blusher in Cupcake, a matte blush in Dollymix and a shimmer finish blusher in Candyfloss

This is the first time I've ever tried a Sleek cream blusher and have to say I'm very much impressed, extremely pigmented, easy to blend, lasts well on the skin

everything you would want from a cream blusher in my eyes

The other two blushers are both powder, one a matte finish and one a shimmer

The shimmer shade, Candyfloss, is a bright pink leaning to more coral tones

As these are so pigmented a light hand is definitely needed when applying these blushers so as not to look like a clown! But that does also mean the product will last forever

The matte shade, Dollymix, is much more lilac and something I've never tried

This translates quite subtley to the skin, being matte it doesn't highlight any large pores unlike shimmer shades and is therefore very flattering on

I would imagine this palette would be good for all skin tones as the colours would look amazing on both fair and dark colourings

Have you tried any of the Sleek blusher offerings before?

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

Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palettes in 'Comfort Zone' & 'Downtown Browns'

Downtown Browns

Comfort Zone

These were really high on my list of to purchase products when in the states

I've seen reviews and swatches of these palettes all over the internet

Comfort Zone took many a drug store trip to find and I can see why... the colours are gorgeous and really wearable, and of course super pigmented

The last shade swatched is a perfect dupe for MAC's Club shadow, a stunning duochrome shade which looks so nice blended into the crease

Between the two palettes I definitely think that Comfort Zone is the better one

Downtown Browns shadows aren't quite as creamy and blendable and have a little bit of fallout when swatched

I've been loving the Comfort Zone palette and have been creating lots of different looks with it, it's so versatile

Just a shame I didn't many other palettes like this to pick up

The other two I saw were more pink toned or blue toned

And having blue eyes I can't pull of blue eyeshadow it just doesn't look right

Does anyone know anywhere I can get Wet n Wild reasonably priced in the UK?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Colour Unlimited Eyeshadow Palette

Colour Unlimited

Eyeshadow Palette

Superdrug

My Aunt works for the PR company which works for Superdrug

Who have a new exclusive make up line coming out soon (not sure on exact date or prices yet) and the above eyeshadow palette is one of the products in the line up

There are ten pans of eyeshadow in the palette each with three different colours

The size of the palette is about the same as the MUA palettes but the size of each pan is larger, around the size of a 10p coin

It's quite difficult to seperate each colour out to use individually but not impossible with a thin brush

The colour pay off is pretty impressive in the majority but some are a little wishy washy 

This would be the perfect palette to take travelling as you have colours to suit every mood, outfit, or occasion 

When this comes out I wouldn't expect it to be anymore than £10 but I'd definitely recommend picking it up as it's such a versatile item to add to your collection

Each of the seperate trios are designed to be used together to create the perfect complimenting eye look

There are smokey eye trios, neutrals, neutrals with greens thrown in, brights, pastels....everything 

They are also all a mixture of finishes with some being shimmers and others matte

Definitely a huge variety and if you only want one palette in your kit this would be perfect

Judging by the Superdrug website there will be quite an extensive collection of different products in the Colour Unlimited range

It does seem to be mainly sold in kits though but I'm not too sure as I haven't seen anything else in the flesh yet

Keep an eye out in your local store 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Love

Belle

xoxo

Rimmel Apocalips in 'Stellar' and 'Big Bang'

Rimmel Apocalips

'Stellar' and 'Big Bang'

£.99 Boots

The Rimmel Apocalips are still causing quite the stir in the blogging world with them popping up on various blogs all the time

After reall liking the first two I purchased, Apocalipta and Luna, I bought another two to try out

Both Stellar and Big Bang are completely out of m comfort zone

Every time I venture into bright lip territory either my mum or fiance makes a comment on how bright my lipstick is...normally this is quite mocking and makes me take it off straight away

But I've come to the decision that I will no do this anymore and I'm going to embrace the bright lip and enjoy it!

Stellar is a stunning colour, it's a rosy kind of bright pink and really wearable for such a bright shade  

I think this one is my favourite so far and one I can see myself reaching for over the summer a lot, it's already earnt it's place in my holiday make up bag

I love how glossy these are on the lips but once the gloss has gone they leave behind a gorgeous stain, with Apocalipta I found this to fade really unflatteringly but so far Stellar has been ok.

Sorry about the super blurriness in the swatch but you ge tthe idea on colour

Big Bang is definitely a true, bright red

I wore this on a recent night out and have to say after one too many cocktails I ended up with a clown like red smile as this smeared all around my lips and stianed the skin...not a great look

Al though the Benefit MUA advised I try a barrier of concealer (specifically the new Fake It) which should stop this from happening

Or I could always not have the extra cocktails!

Over all I am really loving these lip products and will definitely be picking up a few more

Celestial and Nova look like lovely everyday shades, pefect for the office!

Have you ried the Apocalips range yet?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Barry M Textured Nail Paints

Ridley Road, Atlantic road

Barry M Textured Nail Paints

£3.99

Boots/Superdrug

The above swatches show three coats as it was still quite sheer after two coats on the fake nails but on real nails I'd reckon it only needs two coats

You need to let it dry in between coats as I think the textured effect is lost otherwise

This year has seen the release of various different nail art and effects from leather effects, feather effects and these concrete textured finishes.

This finish seems to be for one/two day wear as they can get grubby quite quickly as the dirt settles in the dips and grooves

As you can see on the nail tips they need filing down once dry as it's left with quite a rough edge 

At the moment the colour range is limited to four pastel colours, my favourite is the mint green (I have an obsession with this colour at the moment) 

I think this effect would work well with some darker tones too

Have you tried any of the new nail polish finishes on the market at the moment?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Liz Earle Make Up 'Haul'

Liz Earle 

Sheer Skin Tint ~ £21.00

Light Reflecting Concealer ~ £15.50

Healthy Glow Cream Blusher ~ £16.50

Stupidly I signed up to the Liz Earle email... I feel taunted by beautiful make up and skin care on a regular basis

But when the email about the March Make Up Must Haves for £36.00 well I had a weak moment

All of the products above for £36...bargain really

Did I need them? Probably not but hey I'm a beauty blogger buying unnecessary make up is what we do best! My colleagues certainly don't understand my happiness over make up when a little parcel appears on my desk.

After trying out some Liz Earle skincare I'd been desperate to try some of their new make up range 

The Light Reflecting Concealer is perfect for under the eyes

It blends so well and doesn't crease once set with a bit of powder

It reminds me a bit of the YSL Touche Eclat, which I never really got on with

I didn't really get the hype around it and thought it didn't do much for me

But the Liz Earle concealer is everything I'd hoped the YSL would be

I've been using full coverage foundation for months now due to terrible skin

I feel like I'm in a downward spiral, my skin needs to breathe to heal itself but I feel so horrid with my skin not covered

I thought I'd try out a foundation with lighter coverage and this came just in time

I've been loving it, combined with the concealer this gives me just enough coverage to feel comfortable that the majority of my terrible skin is covered

A cream blusher...surprise surprise

But it came with the deal so it's allowed

It's a lovely natural colour and blends beautifully

After my first dabble in Liz Earle make up I think it's safe to say I'll be going back for more!

Poor bank balance...

Have you tried any of the Liz Earle make up range?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Barry M Hi Shine Gel Effect Polishes

Barry M Hi Shine Gel Effect Nail Polishes

£3.99 each

Boots

Lychee, Pink, Blackberry, Greenberry

I'm the biggest fan of nail polishes and have always been quite the fan of Barry M 

They always seem to be straight on the ball with new nail trends and fashions

Affordable and on trend 

One of their newest releases are these Gelly polishes which are the high street's answer to salon gel nails which start from around £20 a set so £4 for a polish is pretty damn good!

There are now thirteen shades available in the collection and all the colours are hits

There aren't really any duds in the collection and I can definitely see myself purchasing a few more to fill my nail polish rack a little more

They last really well on the nails and have a super high shine too so a glossy top coat isn't necessary but does pro long the wear time even more

I've been loving Greenberry with a coat of L'Oreal Confetti over the top

They seem to be the perfect match and look amazing together, I always get compliments.

Lychee is the perfect nude for my skin tone, I've tried other nudes before but they always make my hands look really strange, either lobster or simpson like...neither are that great a look in my opinion!

The pink is a lovely barbie pink, I like to either layer with a super sparkly top coat or the confetti top coat as I find pink nails can be a little boring in all honesty

And Blackberry is a lovely dark purple which we've now chosen as our wedding colour, darker than Cadbury purple and erring on black...more aubergine/blackberry sums it up perfectly!

Any shades from the Hi Shine Gel range you love?

Love

Belle

xoxo

Benefit Lip Glosses Part 2

So this is part two of the previous Benefit Lip Gloss post

Showcasing the other three lip glosses in the new line

As before these three have been released to compliment the corresponding box of powders to their namesakes



Hoola~Shimmering Gold Nude
This is the perfect nude gloss
It has slight shimmer running through it which is really flattering on the lips
I've been enjoying wearing this for a toned down but polished look

Sugarbomb~Shimmering Pinky Nude
This has pride of place on my desk at work and for good reason!
It's a gorgeous pinky nude which seems to flatter most skin colours
I love this as a natural but pretty pink and it works really well for a work makeup look

Bella Bamba~Sheer Bright watermelon
Similar to the Coralista shade Bella Bamba has a jelly like feel to it
A bit more pink toned than Coralista though
A flatering watermelon pink which will be brilliant when the sun decides to come out for Spring! Here's hoping...

Have you tried any of the Benefit glosses?

Love
Belle
xoxo

Benefit Lip Glosses Part 1

Before Christmas I posted about the Benefit High dlyin' Lip Gloss set but without swatches as it was a gift for someone

I also received the set for Christmas so now I'm able to swatch and show you guys

There are six different shades in the collection of glosses each one is based on one of the infamous Benefit box of powders

I'll split the collection into two posts otherwise it could go on a bit!
The full size of these glosses retail for £13.50, in the set they are all mini sizes which is good to try out the different colours available

Coralista~Sheer Coral Lip Gloss
Pretty much a jelly consistency and look
A translucent finish gives a fairly subtle but bright wash of colour
As the name suggests this is the perfect partner to the gorgeous coral box of blush Coralista
One of my favourites in the collection

Dallas~Dusty Rose Lip Gloss
A new lip colour to me, I'm normally a pink or coral kind of girl
So it's nice to try something new and Dallas is incredibly flattering and the perfect day time gloss
Similarly I thought the Dallas bronzer wouldn't be my cup of tea but I really enjoy using it



Dandelion~Soft Pearly Pink
This one is very sheer on the lips only really giving a slight shimmer
Very natural and great when having a subtle make up day when you don't want to look too over done

I've really been liking these new additions to the Benefit range and think there may be a few winners here to look into buying full size...Dallas most definitely!

Love
Belle
xoxo

Stila Lip Glaze Collection

All is Bright Lip Glaze Set 
Stila
£18.50 down to £12.95

At Christmas (I know crazy to still be talking about it in February but I've got lots of beauty bits to be getting through) Stila had a few different gift sets and a lip glaze set was one of them

They're still available on the Stila website at the discounted rate, such a good bargain considering each full size glaze alone is around £16!

Out of the eight colours above only two are permanent al though I can only see Black Cherry on the website at the moment.

From what I can gather from other online swatches the lip glazes are consistently well pigmented and glossy 

I like how in the gift set there was a good range of different colours included ranging from subtle, sheer pinks right up to deep berry.

The darker colours look gorgeous on the lips

I personally can't really pull off a matte, dark, vampy lip but the glossy finish makes it so much more wearable

They do slightly stain the lips once the gloss has worn off but in a flattering way 

Plus the gloss lasts really well, which to me is quite surprising as I tend to find it disappears off my lips within half an hour

I still felt  the gloss at least 2 hours after application

I would definitely recommend looking into these, especially the gift sets they do as they're such good value!

Love

Belle

xoxo

Ted Baker 'The Name on Everyones Lips'

Ted Baker 'The Name on Everyones Lips'

Lip Crayon Set

£15.00

Boots

As these were a Christmas Gift Set they are now in the sale so if you can get your hands on them go for it as they're great value for money 

Even full price they work out at only £3.75 each which is pretty good considering the price of similar products by Clinique and Revlon.

They come packaged in a lovely purple tin with a cute little ribbon round it

They come in the same packaging as the Revlon Lip Balm Stains with the twist up mechanism so you don't need to worry about sharpening

To be honest I wasn't expecting miracles from these as they didn't come from an actual make up brand but Ted Baker have got it so right

They are glossy, pigmented, and moisturising

I was expecting the crayons to be of a waxy consistency more like a crayola crayon than a lip product but I was pleasantly surprised (which is good considering I received two of these as gifts!)

The four colours included are gorgeous and all wearable

Unfortunately they don't have names, I love it when a product has cute names but it doesn't really matter

The first colour in the swatches above is a gorgeous bright coral and is a stunning shade for summer, I can't wait for the summer months to whip this out in all it's glory

The second on is a more subtle pinky mauve which is the perfect everyday my lips but better shade for myself

The third is a little darker and has been lovely to wear in this post Christmas slump time, being back at work and general blehness

And the last colour looks to be quite a subtle red, good as I find a red lip intimidating!

Did you get any unexpectedly good make up goodies for Christmas?

Love 

Belle

xoxo