Battle Of The Duo Eyeshadows!

A few months ago I was going through my single and duo shadows and came across these. Honestly I forgot I even had them so decided to swatch them on snapchat. A lot of you asked me to do a post swatching and comparing them so here goes!

First lets talk about the elephant in the room- the product that I know you all want me to talk about first. The NARS duo in Bellissima. The packaging of this is stunning; its sleek, black and compact which looks great in any makeup collection. The shades in this duo are unlike anything I'd ever really go for: the first being a creamy vanilla shade with tiny micro pieces of silver glitter running throughout it. The second shade is a very cool toned matte grey brown shade. This retails for £25 which is pretty steep for only 2 shadows as you can get a palette for not much more than that, however you are paying for that NARS name. You also get 4g worth of product in this duo.

The other 2 duo shadows are from the brand Smooch which could potentially be owned by W7 but I'm not 100% on that! Both of these come in very similar packaging to the NARS duo. The only difference is that the compact is a little bigger and bulkier. As for the shades in these duos all 4 pans are shimmery shades so that is something to bare in mind. Both of the lighter shades are more of an icy pale gold shade however the duo with the coppery shade (Gold Rush) the lighter colour in this has more of a goldness about it. As for the darker shade in the pans (Dare To Bare) one is more of a taupe shade whereas the other (Gold Rush) is more of a copper shade. These retail for roughly £4.90 on eBay however only contain 2.5g of product. 

Dare To Bare

Bellissima 

Gold Rush

In terms of pigmentation the Smooch duos beat NARS out of the park. These are incredibly smooth and buttery and just glide onto the skin. The NARS one is a lot less pigmented however is very finely milled. 

Overall I would definitely pick the Smooch shades up without a doubt, don't bother wasting your money on the NARS duo.

Paige, x

Collection #FaceTheDay Palette | Review

On the go a lot? Want something handbag & travel friendly? Or simply just want to try something new without breaking the bank? This is the Collection #FaceTheDay Pro Palette which I think your all going to love and need!

For me Collection is a brand that I've never really delved into, yes I've tried the Lasting Perfection Concealer but thats all. When I had a few Boots points to spend I wanted to try something that was A, new. B, different and C, from a brand that I wanted to get to know more. 

I spotted this palette that retails at £6.99 (although it was on an introductory offer!) and thought why not give it a go! For £7 getting a highlighter, blusher, bronzer and 4 shadows is amazing I think! 

The packaging of this is absolutely fine and I wouldn't of expected any better or worse! Its sleek, black and you can see the products- what more could you want? I love that you can see in because it makes it easier to spot amongst other palettes, plus I feel like if I see the products I'm instantly inspired by what look I'm going to create. 

The packaging is also super light and slim making it really easy to take with you travelling or just to shot in your handbag if your wanting to touch up throughout the day or perhaps go from a day to night look. 

Whenever I stay at my boyfriends this is usually what comes along with me in my makeup bag. If I'm not sure what were going to be doing the next day this is perfect as I can create a really natural and toned down look or go for something abit more glamourous. Its also handy meaning I don't have to take individual face products as well as a big eyeshadow palette.

On to the actual products. 

Highlighter: This is so so stunning. Its a really natural champagne shade with a little bit of gold running throughout. This dusted lightly makes the perfect natural looking glowy base or you can wet your brush and go in for that 'wow' effect!

Bronzer: For me this is such a perfect bronzer colour; this isn't too warm nor too muddy its just like the perfect every day bronzer shade. If your dark haired and have a bit of a medium skin tone then this will work perfectly for you however if your really fair and pale I'm not too sure if this would come across a bit too umpa lumpa. 

Blusher: Again another stunning product. This is a very bright and girly pink however used with a light hand it can also be toned down. This reminds me a little bit of NARS Orgasm just less in your face. 

Top Row: The first shimmery neutral shade is more of a yellow based iridescent gold which is so pretty either all over the lid or for highlighting the brow bone. I've also used this as a highlighter too! The next shade being this shimmery mushroom brown shade is also just as lovely. This one isn't too pigmented as you can see from the swatch but I actually like that. I usually use this one all over the lid if I'm just having a 1 shade simple eye look kinda' day. 

Bottom Row: The lighter shade in this row is again a golden shimmery colour which is a bit less pigmented but in turn is also more glittery. This one I go in with a wet brush and use it in the centre of the lid if I'm creating a halo eye. It really stands out and looks so pretty! The darker shade is the darkest shade in the palette. This is a very true chocolatey brown which looks incredible in the outer v. 

All of the eyeshadows are shimmery however it makes for a very simple and pretty look. You could always use the matte bronzer as a crease or transitional shade too! 

Overall I'm super impressed by this palette and I definitely want to check out more of the Pro Palette range! 

Paige, x

Products worth the hype

I buy so much make up and a lot of the time its products that have been heavily advertised and talked about in the beauty community, both on blog posts and YouTube. However there's nothing worse than when you pay a lot for something that's quite frankly rubbish.

Here are some of my favourite products that I genuinely do believe are worth the purchase.

Urban Decay Naked 2

I really love Urban Decay shadows and think they really are such a nice product to work with. The reason I think this palette is worth the hype is not only because of the amazing quality and pigmentation of the shaddows but also because you're really getting a lot for your money. These eyeshadows never seem to hit pan either, apart from that sneaky Booty call so your going to have this for quite some time. You can also create so many different looks and there is something for everyone with this. 

MAC Fix +

You can read my post I did about this here. This has so many purposes and can be used for any of your make up needs!

MAC Lipsticks

These are so worth the money; the colour selection is incredible and again has something for everyone. 

MAC Soft and Gentle Highlighter

Commonly in my monthly favourites this will always be a repurchase. The glitter is just enough and isn't chunky and can be used on the brow bone, inner eye corner or even as an eyeshadow! This is also a product that will last you forever.

Roller Lash Mascara

There's a reason as to why everyone uses this, it is amazing! You wouldn't be disappointed if you purchased this because it gives length and lift like no other mascara. Plus the packaging is just too cute!

Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter

This is more of a champagne colour compared to the MAC one which is gold. I'm not saying you need both but this is just as stunning. You really only need the tiniest bit and this too can be used as eyeshaddow!

Dip Brow Pomade

An eyebrow game changer. This gives such a prominent sleek look and really makes your eyebrows on point! (Laughs) With this less is more hence why I've included a picture to show how much I've used over the many months I've been using this. 

MAC in comparison to Mary-Lou

Do you agree? Which products do you think are worth it?

Paige, x

Cheap Treat Tuesday!

While on the hunt for some new make up to try I came across a bunch of Urban Decay Cream shadows, they don't actually sell these any more but never the less I desperately wanted to try them!

There were a few colours that looked gorgeous but I only wanted to get one for now- in case I didn't like the formula or what not. I picked the shade 'Rehab' but 'Mushroom' looked pretty similar to it. 

It arrived within 2 days which I was incredibly pleased with and came in all its original packaging. It has a doffer applicator which dispenses just the right amount of product as the consistency is a little thick with it being a cream. The colour itself is a cool tone brown which has sort of a silver sheen to it in the light. If you pair this with one of the Urban Decay Primer Potions its like a match made in heaven. I've been wearing this combo with just a bit of mascara and it makes my eyes pop. It's such a versatile shade that can be worn day or night. The shadow also sets very quickly and doesn't crease at all, even without primer. 

I spread this on my lids with the applicator and then blend it out with my fingers as it gives much more of a natural, not harsh look. I picked this up off eBay for £3.

Paige, x 

Cheap Treat Tuesday

I absolutely love eye shadow and especially single pan ones however when looking on the MAC website and seeing how extortionate the prices are for the palettes I decided to turn elsewhere to see if I could find anything cheaper. I came across this empty palette on eBay for only £1.78!

As you can see the MAC shadows fit in fine, they slide about a little but nothing major. The quality of the palette is basic but it does the job and saved me a lot of money. The 15 space palette if you bought it from MAC would be £15 and then you even need to buy the inserts to keep the shadows in. 

I think this is great, it does the job and keeps all my eye shadow pans in a neat and organised space! You could even write on the underneath of the palette what all the shades are, just a handy tip!

And don't worry if you want to know what shadows I have there will be a post all about that in the up and coming weeks. 

Paige, x

A treat from MAC

Last month I completed my first year at University (or so I hope!!) so I convinced myself this would be a good reason for me to treat myself to some new make up goodies.

I've been lusting after the Face and Body foundation for so long and after Sarah -blog here- told me about the Findation website where you can find your shade without actually having to go into a shop, I decided to purchase it. After browsing on Pinterest I made a spur of the moment decision to get the ever famous Paint Pot in Painterly. I love cream eye shadows but as most of mine are a foil finish I wanted something that dried matte. I also wanted a sort of skin colour shade but slightly more white/ cream if that makes any sense. 

As I've mentioned before my skin is so dry and nothing ever seems to make it any better. Matte foundations aren't for me and after constantly hearing good things about this Face and Body foundation I finally decided to treat myself and pick it up. I got this in the shade C3 and its perfect, its a bit on the tan side which is great as it provides some warmth to my complexion but its not too dark that it doesn't match my body. 

This foundation is so dewy and glowy and it makes my skin look better than any foundation ever has done. Its extremely runny which is why its always best to shake before use. It blends so well into the skin and as you can see from the swatch its very light coverage, I personally prefer two layers however I mainly apply the second layer to areas were I feel I need more coverage such as my cheeks and forehead. All that's left to say is that I absolutely love this foundation and can see myself repurchasing it again and again.

As this product was a spur of the moment purchase I was very excited for this to arrive, after looking at swatches I was mentally creating eye looks in my head that I could soon recreate. When it came it looked absolutely gorgeous however when I swatched it it appeared quite orange/ brown and I was so disappointed. Although saying this it wasn't the actual product that I didn't like, just the colour. It was so creamy and blendable and when it dried matte it was a soft finish and wasn't dry and didn't crack.

I thought I would try to make this work somehow and to my surprise when I applied it on my eyes it came out completely different to when I swatched it. It was the exact colour I was hoping for and I felt so relieved. I used a Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and placed it all over my lid and blended. The first thing I noticed was how easily it applied, as its cream it just glided over my skin and hardly took any time to blend. I used MAC's Mulch in my crease and my eye make up was complete. I felt like this was such a gorgeous, put together look and it seemed like I had took so much time and thought into doing it when it only took me 2 minutes! 

Paige, x

Cheap Treat Tuesday - W7 Chubby Contour stick

When I was given a gift card for Boots for my birthday I instantly knew what I wanted - the Clinique Chubby Contour stick. After nearly a month of waiting for it to come back in stock I found this W7 version on eBay. As it was only £2.95 my original thought was that I could buy them both and compare them however I absolutely love this so I thought I may as well keep the gift card and find something else to buy! 

I've never tried anything from the W7 line before but I'd heard a lot about their primers and eye shadows and when I seen this I thought there couldn't possibly be any downfalls about this product. 

Its's pretty much exactly the same as the Clinique version although this ones more matte and not as creamy but I have no complaints about that. Contour is really in at the moment and I think its here to stay so I like to try my hand at a few different ways of doing it. This way however is the easiest and most effective, I literally just draw on my face and then buff in with my Expert face brush. 

I thought this might give a bit of a muddy look especially as its matte but it doesn't! It makes my skin look so glowy and my structure look so defined! I really recommend this product and cant wait to try more from their range! 

Paige, x