Natasha Denona Bronze Palette Review (Swatches + Video)

I have never tried Natasha Denona palettes but I'd heard so many good things about her palette. I was super excited when the Bronze Palette was launched and even more excited when I found out that it was affordable. I deliberated as usual but I ended up caving in and I have no regrets because I have used this palette a whole lot especially in the past month. Right let's get into the nitty gritty...

Packaging
I love the packaging of the Natasha Denona Bronze Palette because you can tell they put in a good amount of thoughts in designing it. The outer packaging is just a regular paper one but it has a great amount of information about each of the eyeshadows. It goes into great detail which I find really refreshing. The palette itself is made of durable plastic and the top cover has a nice glossy finish. It is easy to clean and does not retain stains on it. Inside the palette, all the eyeshadows have the names inscribed clearly. The different thing about this palette is that the back of the palette has little holes which allows you remove the eyeshadows (if you wanted to) and rearrange it or just take your favourite eyeshadow (maybe if travelling). I personally would travel with the palette because the size is not bad at all but I know some people prefer to travel with smaller palettes. I love that it has a god sized mirror and the overall quality of the packaging is fantastic.  

Beautonomy Eyeshadow Palette Review (Customized Eyeshadows)

If you are regular reader of my blog, you'd know that I am a certified eyeshadow lover. I love eyeshadows but only eyeshadows with great pigmentation and textures. I was very kindly contacted by the Beautonomy PR team who asked me to try out their customized eyeshadow palette. Before then, I had not heard about the brand but once I got on their website I was intrigued. I read a few reviews and watched some IG videos and YouTube videos and I was sold. I got on the website, customised my palette and it arrived a few days later. I have used these eyeshadows for a few weeks and I finally want to share my thoughts on these eyeshadows. 

Matte Foundations for Oily and Combination-Oily Skin (WOC friendly)

My skin type is combination/oily and I tend to reach for matte foundations all the time. I use a primer underneath my foundation and a powder to set it to ensure my foundation looks great all day. I honestly can't remember using a foundation with a dewy finish because my skin ends up looking so greasy despite using a primer and powder. I have tried quite a few matte foundations and I wanted to share some of my tried, tested and trusted matte and long wearing foundations. I have also tried some of these foundations while I was in Nigeria where the weather is quite warm and they have held up well so that's a good test for them.

The great thing is I filmed a video talking about these foundations and I included other foundations which are not in this post. If you want to find out more about all the other matte foundations or semi-matte foundations I have enjoyed using, you can watche the video which is linked above or you can watch it here. It would absolutely make my day if you subscribed to my channel here. Right, let's dive in...

Urban Decay Naked Reloaded Palette Review + Swatches

I never cared for the packaging of the first Naked Palette when it was initially launched and I was not sure if I would love the eyeshadows inside. That's why I never purchased the Original Naked 1 and Naked 2 but once they launched Naked 3, I purchased it immediately and Urban Decay have got my coins at almost every Naked Launch since then (except for the Naked Minis and the Naked Smoky). I believe the original Naked Palette has been discontinued and Urban Decay launched Naked Reloaded around the same time but not necessarily to replace it. I eventually bit the bullet and here we are with the Naked Reloaded Palette.

Pat McGrath Eye Ecstasy Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

I recently wrote about the Pat McGrath Mini Lip Fetish Lip Balm Trio (review here) and I mentioned I also purchased the Eye Ecstasy Palettes during the sale. I actually purchased the Sublime palette in a previous sale and then got the Subversive palette in this recent sale. I also filmed a YouTube video so you can see the eyeshadow palettes clearer. You can watch the video above or here. It would also mean a lot if you subscribed to my channel here.  Right, let's just jump into the review.

Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Palette Review + Swatches

I am such a big fan of Urban Decay Naked Palettes (well, almost all of them) and I remember longing for and eventually purchasing the Naked 3 Palette. Since then, I have purchased Naked Heat (my absolute favourite palette), Naked Cherry and Naked Honey. When I saw that they had launched the Naked Ultraviolet Palette I was excited because I love purple so much but I was apprehensive about some shades in the palette which I thought won't suit my complexion. I watched quite a few reviews , checked out swatches and I knew I wanted it. I was emailed a 15% discount code from Cult Beauty  and the rest is history. I also filmed a First Impression + Swatch video on YouTube which you can watch here. I will be filming a tutorial using this eyeshadow palette soon. It will mean a lot to me if you subscribed to my channel here. 

Pat McGrath Mini Lip Fetish Lip Balm Trio Review

I usually prefer moisturising lipsticks and sometimes good quality matte lipsticks compared to lip glosses or lip balms. With lip balms, I look for lip balms that are pigmented enough to show on my lips and non-greasy formulas. When I saw that the Pat McGrath Mini Lip Fetish Lip Balm Trio (super long name) was on sale, I popped onto the website to purchase this set. They are still on sale at the time of publishing this post.  I am so glad I did because I was on there to purchase the Ecstasy Eyeshadow Palette (which I also got) but the lip balms drew me in as well.

June 2020 Beauty Favourites

Do people even still do monthly favourites? I absolutely love reading monthly favourites and tend to click on them on YouTube. This is my first favourites for this year and to be fair, I think these products can stand for a half- year favourites.

Biore Agave and Baking Soda Anti-Blemish Cleansing Foam // Link //£5.99: This is a favourite that I would say grew on me. I was out  shopping in Sainsbury's just before lock down and I remembered I had run out of my usual Neutrogena Cleansers. I spotted this cleanser and I am not sure what made me pick it up but I did. I usually steer clear from foaming cleansers because they don't agree with my combination-oily skin and tend to leave my sin feeling a bit dry. This Biore Cleanser claims to cleanse the skin and get rid of blemishes without leaving the skin to dry. Its star ingredients are Salicylic Acid and Sodium Bicarbonate. I love that it has a pump which makes it easy and hygienic to use when I am in a hurry. I have to say it does do a great job in leaving my skin blemish free. The few times I have broken out and used it, I have noticed that it really helped my skin get better. My skin still feels dry after using it but not as dry as I have experienced with other foaming cleansers so I guess it is a small price to pay since it does what it promises.

CULT 51 Day Cream//£100 (Link) and Night Cream //£125 (Link): This is a slightly expensive brand but it is such a great one and well worth the price tag in my opinion. I was initially sent products from the brand to trial out and I have gone on to repurchase which is a true testament to how much I enjoy using them. The Day Cream has the right texture for every season of the year and helps my skin adapt to any changes. The Night Cream feels slightly richer but it works so well with my skin. They both keep my skin hydrated and moisturised and I never really have to use other skincare products when I use them (although I still do) because I love skin care. I would say if you are in your 30's and want a great skincare brand that works well for all skin types, I will recommend checking the CULT 51 range out.

The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA // Link //£7.00: This serum has been a firm favourite for years and I tend to use it a lot all through the year. I have gone through several bottles and have stopped counting because it will always be a product I reach for. I use it mainly to help with my hyper pigmentation and I have to say I have seen sustained improvements. I know it may not work for everyone and if it has not worked for you, I suggest trying out other The Ordinary Serums or Creams including Niacinamide, Azeliac Acid, Mandelic Acid, etc as they also help with hyper pigmentation. I use this straight after my exfoliating toner (usually a Glyoclic Acid based one) and let it sink in before I go in with my moisturiser. It gets absorbed easily and I use it day and night. It does not feel drying because it also has Hyaluronic Acid in it so it balances out.

LA Pro Girl Matte HD Long Wear Foundation // Link // £9.95: If ever there's an award for the makeup product I have repurchased the most, it will go straight to this foundation. It is one foundation that has not let me down except that it is not easily accessible. I have always purchased it online from JustmyLook and I remember the first time I was purchasing it, I was scared because I had read quite a few not-so-great reviews of the website. Thankfully, I have not experienced any bad service and I hope it remains that way. If you have combination oily skin like me and prefer matte foundations that will last through the working day, I will highly suggest checking this foundation out. It is easy to apply, blends in well and sits matte all through the day. I use a primer before using it and set it with a powder and it gets me through the day. Unless it is a ridiculously hot day and I have been very active, I usually don't need to touch up with a blotting paper or powder. It is affordable at under £10 and the shade range is not the best but they are making an effort.

L'Oreal Infallible 24hr Matte Cover Foundation// Link //£9.99: I had run out of my LA Girl Pro Matte Foundation and was going away so had to pick this up from Boots and I am glad I did. I was drawn to this foundation because it reminded me of on old favourite L'Oreal Foundation (Pro Matte) as well which was amazing but not sold in the UK (my husband usually purchased them for me whenever he went to the US). This foundation is probably very similar to the US version but I don't think the shade range is as great or maybe Boots chose to stock only the shades they wanted. I purchased the shade 330 Hazelnut/Noisette  and it is a good match for my complexion (could be better but it works well). It is a good matte formula and lasts all day. I particularly like the slim packaging and tiny tip which prevents wastage. I now alternate between the LA Girl Pro Mate Foundation and this one and they both have worked well. I use a primer underneath this foundation and a powder to set it. I have to say it may be slightly more matte than the LA Girl one however the LA Girl is a better match to my complexion.


L'Oreal Skinny Definer Brow Artist // Link // £7.99: I had finally ran out of my entire stash of the Soap and Glory Brow Filling Pencil in Dark Chocolate and I had no idea they had changed the formulation. I don't even know exactly what they have done but it is not longer the same and it still remains difficult to find in the drug store. I decided it was time to try something new and I was in such a fix so I checked out the L'Oreal stand and picked up the Skinny Definer Brow Artist. I got the shade Ebony 109 and it has been perfect for my brows. True to its name, it is really skinny so it gets into the little corners of my brows and it allows me customize my brows. I tend to use it to outline my brows and fill in with a powder product but it can be used to outline and fill in if you prefer.  It has a really good spoolie at the end and I am so glad that it does not break easily. I have enjoyed using it and I am hoping it is here to stay.


Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Refill (Round Pans Discontinued): I purchased these Makeup Geek Powder Eyeshadows a little while ago and I tend to use them every now and again. Recently I popped them into an empty MAC Quad Palette and they have been so handy. I think I have used the eyeshadows in this quad for such a long time and I now need to repurchase more MUG eyeshadows. I believe they may have changed these eyeshadow refills to square pans and have discontinued the round pans (I am heartbroken but I may try out the square pans soon). It's a shame Beauty Bay no longer carry this brand as I am finding it difficult repurchasing it. Anyway, the eyeshadows in my quad include Vanilla Bean, Cocoa Bear, Morocco and Glamourous. I have other shades but I will talk about them later. I love how pigmented they are and they last all day (I use an eyeshadow primer though but I feel they would work well without a primer). I use them almost everyday even when I use other eyeshadow palettes, I still find myself reaching out for at least one or two eyeshadows from my MUG stash. If anyone knows where I can still buy the round pans in the UK at a sensible price, please leave a link or comment below.

I have to say June was a very minimalist month but I absolutely enjoyed using the above products and to be fair, these products have been favourites for quite a few months. I hope everyone is keeping well in the current pandemic that we are facing. Have you used any of the products in this post?
*Gifted PR Sample, read my full disclaimer here.

KIKO Sweetheart Collection Review

Generally people are either into Valentine's day, not into it or are indifferent to it however I don't know of anyone who won't still appreciate a gesture of love on that day. Whatever the case is, it is always great to celebrate love at every opportunity because life is too short. KIKO Milano recently launched their Sweetheart Collection and I was very kindly sent a generous selection of products from the range. I wanted to share my thoughts on them with you. Let's get started.....

Brief Overview

The Sweetheart collection was launched to celebrate Valentine's Day and designed to make you feel on top of the world as only love can. The collection consists of a baked highlighter, baked blush, an eyeshadow palette, lip liners, lip gloss and lipsticks. The products are enriched with the scent of forest fruits and it is so lovely. I personally think the shades chosen in this collection will suit a good range of complexions which is a plus for me. 

Packaging

I really like the cute packaging complete with heart inscriptions all over it. There are two shades to the packaging; the pink with hearts and red with hearts. The eyeshadow palette has a hard paper/cardboard packaging which I am not usually a fan of but this one seems to be good quality. I love the lipstick bullet and the packaging of the baked highlighter and blush. All in all, I think KIKO Milano did a great job with their packaging as they always do. I have quite a few KIKO products and their packaging have lasted for a good while so I am expecting the same quality for this collection. 

KIKO Sweetheart Baked Blush in Just like Coral*// Link //£16.90

I generally love baked products so I had high hopes for this blush. There is only one shade which is called Just like Coral and I totally adore the shade. I feel it will suit many complexions because coral is one shade that just looks great on a variety of skin tones. It is very pigmented and I use a very light hand with and my Real Techniques Fan Brush works best for me. I use it both as a highlighter and a blush because it has a really nice natural glow. I adore the heart shape and the entire packaging because it's very cute and fits nicely in my makeup bag. For a night out, I feel it will fit well into any clutch. If you like a subtle touch of colour on the cheeks, this will be perfect and if you want to go all out, this blush will also work well because it is buildable.








KIKO Sweetheart Baked Highlighter in Gold* // Link //£16.90
KIKO does really great highlighters so I knew that this will be an amazing product and I am happy to report that it did not let me down. It comes in a similar packaging as the Baked Blush and has the same smooth, velvety texture which I really like. It does not have a film across it that prevents you from getting the product and I find some highlighters doing this after a few uses. I have used this quite a few times and I can tell the texture will remain true till I hit pan. It is equally pigmented and I love this shade of gold because it is wearable. It is not too yellow or pale but just sits right in the middle which makes me believe many people will enjoy using it. Just like the blush, it can be built up so if you are out to slay all the way, you can just pack it on. I prefer a subtle glow so I just use a light sweep of my same Real Techniques Fan Brush which really packs and distributes the right amount of product where I need it. I can't fault this highlighter at all and I have been wearing it every chance I get.





KIKO Sweetheart Eyeshadow Palette*// Link //£14.90
I have a large collection of KIKO Eyeshadows which I have customised into palettes and quads because they make amazing and affordable eyeshadows. I don't think I have any pre-made eyeshadow palette so I was excited to try one and see if the quality was the same as others I own. The Sweetheart Eyeshadow Palette contains 6 eyeshadows which are heart shaped in the cutest palette packaging. It is made from hard cardboard/paper with a magnetic lid and a mirror. It is really slim and travel friendly. I actually traveled with it to London and there was no mess or damage which is great. I do tend to prefer eyeshadow palettes made from plastic because they are easier to clean and more durable but so far this has been fine.






The six eyeshadows are: Cheri, My Sweetness, Thinking of You, Love Blast, XOXO and Je T'Aime which are all lovey-dovey names. The palette has a mixture of matte and shimmer shades which I like because it means I can create a complete eyeshadow look with it. Cheri and My Sweetness don't have the best pigmentation on my complexion so I do have to build it up however the other four shades are just marvelous. I use Love Blast and XOXO on my crease while Thinking of You and Je T'Aime are for my lids. I use Cheri as a brow bone highlight and it works well. I am so pleased there are warm shades in this palette.







KIKO Sweetheart Lipstick (Kiss from a Rose)* //Link // £6.90
Isn't this the cutest lipstick ever? I definitely let out a squeal when I first unboxed this lipstick. KIKO describe it as a two-toned creamy and shiny lipstick and I can't think of a more apt description. There are 6 shades and I have the shade 01 Kiss from a Rose which suits my complexion so perfectly. The lipstick bullet looks so classy with a heart inscription while the lipstick bullet has a heart within the design. There are two tones as you can already tell from the picture (ignore my silly swatch) and together, they create a seamless lovely shade on the lip. I love the texture as it is moisturising, long lasting and perfect for this weather which has my lips feeling dry. It feels lightweight and non-greasy so I don't get my hair sticking to my lips when the wind gets out of hand over here in Scotland. It's such a lovely lipstick and a perfect addition to my collection as I don't have anything like it at all.







KIKO Sweetheart Lip Pencil (Kiss from a Rose)* // Link //£4.90
I don't use a lot of lip pencils these days but I was very curious about the KIKO Sweetheart Lip Pencil. It also comes in 6 shades similar to the lipstick and I got the shade Kiss from a Rose which is the matching shade to the lipstick. It is described as an automatic lip pencil in the sense that it rolls up and down. It does not need to be sharpened (hurray!!) and it's the perfect size for a lip pencil. It fits the contours of my lips and I actually use it as an all over lip product. I have also used it as a lip pencil to go with the lipstick but I do prefer to use it all over my lips. It is also well pigmented and moisturising on my lips. It does not break easily which is great because I have used lip pencils which break easily. Absolutely love using it!!






KIKO Sweetheart Lip Gloss*// Link // £6.90
I rarely use lip gloss because I prefer either matte lipsticks or cream/shiny lipsticks. Every now and again, I try a few lip glosses but I always go back to my other favourite lip formulas. The KIKO Sweetheart Lip Gloss is described as a 3D-effect lip gloss which is lightweight. It has some light glitter which adds that extra oomph on its own or on top of another lip product. It does make my lips soft. I do find it slightly sticky on my lips but it's a gloss so I am not mad about that. For the cold weather, it is great to wear on top of my matte lipsticks which is always a plus for me. One thing I really love is the packaging and the applicator. It just looks so aesthetically pleasing; almost ethereal and it's possibly due to the design and the white colour. If you love lip gloss, I will definitely recommend giving this a try and it is very affordable as well.





KIKO Sweetheart Collection can be purchased online (but the Baked Highlighter and Blush are sold out so only available in-store now). They can also be purchased from KIKO stores too which is always nice because you get to find other treasures in there. The best part is that they are offering a 25% discount off the Sweetheart Collection when you purchase 2 products from the Sweetheart Collection. It is only available online and will end on 14th February 2019. I really enjoyed trying out these products. My favourite products from the collection are the Baked Highlighter, Baked Blush and the Two-Toned Lipstick. I will highly recommend checking them out. That's it from me. Have you tried the KIKO Sweetheart Collection?
*Gifted PR Sample, read my full disclaimer here.