L'Oreal La Palette Nude Rose (First Impressions)

I actually only heard about this palette like on the 31st October and apparently there was a waiting list for it (lol). Anyway, I decided to add my name (not that waiting lists mean anything; just a sneaky way brands play on makeup lovers emotions) and I saw that the waiting list was closed and it could be purchased directly so into my Boots online basket it went. I was not quite sure what to expect...

Packaging

I have to say the packaging looks and feels more expensive than it really is and you can tell a lot of thought was put into its production. It is very small and sleek with a shiny surface and I did not realise how small it was until I picked it up. I have done a little comparison to show the actual size compared to other palettes and my phone. With such a compact size, it is very suitable for travelling. When I received it, the eyeshadow was all over the place within the palette but it was fine after I wiped it off. The inscriptions on it have already started fading and it has been less than a week since I purchased it but that’s all by the way. The only version available for now is the Rose version.

Contents

Inside, you get 10 eye shadows starting from lighter shades all down to darker shades and a surprising purple one at the end which is incidentally my favourite one. Of the 10 eye shadow shades, four are matte and six are shimmery shades. You also get a double ended brush which I never understand why brands insist on including it but I am not particularly a fan of this at all. I tested it and it felt a little harsh but then my eyes have been spoiled with many other fluffy eyeshadow brushes. However, I like the selection of colours within the palette because it is ideal for an everyday look.

Texture/Pigmentation/Application

I mentioned earlier that the eyeshadows seemed to have fallen all over the packaging when I first received it so the alarm bells went immediately. I thought to myself- does this mean it would have a lot of fall outs? Well, it’s a yes and a no. Some of the eyeshadows, particularly the matte ones, have fall outs when you pick some up with a brush for application but the others are fine so it’s not too much to worry about. The texture is really nice and it feels buttery and smooth to apply. The pigmentation (or the way it appears on my skin tone and/or the lack of it) is the major downfall for me. The darker colours like purple shade at the end and the light brown/brick red one (fourth from the left) applies are my favourite and most used shades and they have very good pigmentation. The lighter colours do not show up as on my eyelids even with a primer but they are just ok. Surprisingly, the first shade (shimmery pale white) looks really lovely as a brow bone highlight. I know it is meant to be a nude eyeshadow palette but I was a bit disappointed with some of the shades in this palette. However, the lasting power (for the colours that show up) are lovely. As you can see from the pictures of my attempt at swatching, it was a real battle trying to get a decent picture but I have to point out that it applies better on my eye lids than it does on my hand/arm.

Cost

It retails for £14.99 and I purchased this online from Boots as mentioned earlier and I believe it is still available. You can also pick this up in some Boots stores but I know it may be sold out in many places. I am not sure but I think this may be exclusive to Boots alone but I will update this if and when it is available elsewhere. For the amount of eyeshadows you get, I don’t think it is a bad price at all as you can create a variety of looks, especially everyday looks, with this palette and Boots is currently having a 3 for 2 offer on their makeup/cosmetics so it is a good time to stock up if you are looking to purchase this

Overall Thoughts

I have very mixed feelings about this palette and I can only hope that L’oreal is looking to expand their range with other versions of this palette as this one is called Rose so I think they may be releasing some other ones soon. I secretly thought the eyeshadows would have the pigmentation and texture of the L’Oreal Color Riche eyeshadows but sadly, that is not the case. I am not totally writing off this palette because I have been using it almost every day since I got it so I have a fair view of it but I think it may be one of those eyeshadow palettes that will grow on me with time. One thing I have not done is pair this with the L'Oreal Color Tattoos as it may help the shades appear more vibrant. Nevertheless, it is a good palette and if you have lighter/paler skin, you would definitely enjoy it especially for everyday looks. Hope you enjoyed this first impressions and I may do a follow up post after a month or so. See you in my next post...x

MAC Eyeshadow Palette (Quad) feat Cork, Amber Lights, Antiqued and Cranberry

Hi my Lovelies,

I hope your week has been exciting. I have enjoyed mine so far especially because Christmas is near and i have so many things to be thankful for this year. I have been looking forward to this post because i have finally completed my first MAC eyeshadow palette quad (read my review of the empty quad here).  Do you remember one of my posts where i did a show and tell of the MAC Quad itself? I said i looked forward to filling it up and it took me a while to do so with the help of the discounts from Debenhams.







In building my palette, I wanted colours that complemented my skin tone, which could  also serve as an everyday eye shadow palette. I asked a few questions here on the blog, got some good recommendations and I noted them all down with a few swatches in MAC counters before i narrowed down my options to the following: Cork, Amber Lights, Antiqued and Cranberry. This was actually the order i bought them in. Wait..did you think i bought them all in one go? Ain't nobody gat time (and money) for that!! It took me a few months (since October) to buy them all because £10 for one eye shadow is not exactly an amount i want to part with in a jiffy but i have to say the quality is amazing. Enough said, let's get a more detailed look at these beautiful shades shall we?

Cork

I have lusted after the perfect crease color for ages and Cork just packs the punch. It is a warm medium-dark brown shade with a satin finish which is perfect for the crease and can be used to add more dimension to other eye shadow shades. To be honest, i have not really used this anywhere else except my crease. It is just the right shade of brown that complements my skin tone. Just like all other MAC eye shadows, it is very pigmented so you need just a light sweep with a crease brush(I use either my Nanshy brush or my Elf Angled eyeshadow brush) depending on what look i am after. It is very important to blend it out to avoid any harsh lines.

Amber Lights

This is the ultimate MAC eyeshadow which cuts across all skin tones to achieve the most flattering eye shadow looks of all times. It is a rich warm bronze/gold shade with a frost finish which looks so beautiful every single time. It is extra pigmented so you only need a light hand when applying it; of course, this can built up depending on what time of the day it is. For night looks, i build it up a notch just so it contrasts well in the dark. Seriously, if you have £10 to spar

Antiqued

I was torn between buying Antiqued or Twinks but i settled in Antiqued because i think it just suited what i wanted. Antiqued is a coppery brown shade with a pearly finish which is just gorgeous especially when it hits the light. I just love it and i have often worn it on its own or as an extra dimensional colour on my eyelids, crease and outer v of my eyelid. Either way, it's a beautiful colour/shade and it is another shade that flatters many skin tones.

Cranberry

This was the last eye shadow i purchased to complete this quad and let me tell you, I searched high and low for it and it was nowhere to be seen. It was sold out online and unavailable in the Debenhams near me and they had no hopes of replenishing their depleted Cranberry stock. All this stress was simply because i was determined to use my 10% discount from Debenhams but it wasn't meant to be. In the end, I grudgingly went over to Selfridges in Oxford Street London and purchased it. It is b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l., perfect and i love it. It is a rich berry shade with hints of purple and pink with a frost finish. On my lids, it just looks incredible and i think it would look the same on any skin tone even if you are really dark as this is the shade of pink/purple that is flattering without being shiny or too out there.

That's it folks, my first ever custom built MAC eye shadow palette..ahem, can you detect the "subtle" pride in my tone? I hope you have enjoyed this post and if you are thinking of buying any MAC eye shadows, i hope i have helped you narrow your choices a little. The insatiable little girl in me is saying i need to build/invest in another MAC pallette quad or 15-eye shadow palette pan so i can start this whole charade again..i have decided not to listen or maybe i will just listen a little bit..MAC eye shadows are very addictive...what do you think? See you in my next post...x

Drug Store Makeup for Beginners- Eye Brow Pencil, Eye Shadows, Eyeliners and Mascaras

Hi My Lovelies,
I am glad it's past mid week already which means Friday and the weekend are just around the corner.  So, I put up a post on Drug Store Makeup- Face including foundation, concealers and Powders and I received quite a number of response from everyone saying they liked the series so I decided I might as well get the rest of the series rolling out..I'd just dive into it...


                                           
                                                     Drug Store Eye Makeup
Eye Brow Pencil
For me, my eye brows are the most important part of my eye makeup mainly because they are a bit sparse, so grooming and filling them is a step I never miss in my makeup routine. Having the right kind and shape of eyebrows would definitely frame your face and give you a more defined and structured look. Finding the right eye pencil to get the right shape to match my skin tone in drug stores here in the UK is a bit of a hassle so I get most of my eyebrow pencils from Nigeria or African Beauty Stores or PAK Cosmetics. However, a few brands in beauty and drug stores have been very good. 

Sleek Eye Brow Pencil in 191 Brown is my eye brow pencil of choice because it matches perfectly and it is very pigmented so I don't have to bother with reapplication. Another brand which has been very good surprisingly is the MUA Eye Liner Pencil in Rich Brown which is meant to be an eye liner but I find that it is the correct shade for my eye brows. If you have light skin tone or pale complexion, there are so many eye brow pencils which you can find in Boots and Super Drug namely MUA eye brow pencils which have an amazing sharpener and brow brush attached and Rimmel Eye Brow Pencils are really good as well. 






If you don't want to bother with eye brow pencils, then you can try brow kits and the only one from a drug store I have tried is the Sleek Brow Kit which I think is really amazing as it comes with a powder and gel compartment to fill and seal your brows complete with brow tweezers and a tiny brush




Eye Liner
Again, Eye liners are my holy grail makeup which i never miss applying on my eyes because I feel they awaken my eyes and really define and flatter the shape of my eyes and my overall look. I always buy my eye liners from Drug Stores and my favourite brand is the L'Oreal eye liners. L'Oreal has upped the eye liner game with many of their eye liners ranging from eye liner pens to felt tip pens to eye liner gels. I have a full post on Eye Liners here. My Favourite of the L'Oreal brand is the L'Oreal Super Liner Black Lacquer which is amazing and lasts all day. I have a dedicated post here on my favourite eyeliners which give more details.

I am also partial to the L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim Pen when I need a thin and defined eye liner application. Other drug store brands which I also think are amazing include the Collection 2000  (now called just Collection) brand known as the Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner which I think is perfect for beginners because it gives you easier control when applying the eye liner. Maybelline's Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner is my favourite drug store gel eye liner because it is really intense and pigmented; it even comes with its own cute applicator brush.




Mascaras
Mascaras and I have always had a love-hate relationship because they try to get into my contacts lens' way and I would rather see properly than suffer for the sake of beauty which is why I sometimes skip mascaras. The major reason for skipping mascaras is because some mascaras cause clumping on my eye lashes which I totally can't stand. 



The good news is you can avoid clumping by going for lengthening mascaras although some volumising mascaras have minimal clumping; one of  my favourite non-clumping mascara is the Maybelline Colossal Volume Cat Eyes Mascara which is really good. Another drug store mascara which is worth checking out is the MUA Extreme Curl Mascara which lengthens your lashes with minimal clumping and it has a curved wand which means your lashes may get a cheeky little curl if your are lucky. The L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara is very good as well although I have not used it but it has received many good reviews. 




Eye Shadows
Again, I am not one to use eye shadows every day because I am just lazy and I think my eye liners are enough to spruce up eyes. But, I have recently fallen in love with a drug store eye shadow from the Rimmel London range and it is a duo set in  Rimmel Duo 322 Sweet Heart which has the most basic eye shadow colour for any one to work with including my lazy self. 




Rimmel London has excellent duos and quad eye shadows which can slip nicely into your makeup bag and they also have small applicators so you can use them on the go. Another brand which I totally love their eye shadow palette is the Sleek Eye Shadow Palettes which have the prettiest eye shadow shades which complement and flatter anyone no matter what skin tone and complexion you have, you would always find something to suit you. 




I have two of these Sleek Palettes in Sunset and Mediterranean collection (Monaco) and I reach for them always when I am going out for an event or I am wearing full face makeup because the colours are pretty and very pigmented. I love it!! Another mini eye shadow trio which is worth checking out is the Collection 2000 Eye shadow Trio in (My favourite is Cookie Dough, although it may have been discontinued but I am not sure) which I think they now make in duos and Quads. 




Looking at these post makes me realise that I probably spend so much time on my eye makeup because I think that's one of my good assets (oh yeah!!) and I think eye makeup makes a huge difference to your overall look. I hope you have enjoyed this post. The next category will be the Lips so stay tuned for that..in the mean time, have a lovely week ahead....toodles...xxxx