Zoeva Rose Golden Complete Eye Set

These are, without a doubt, the most beautiful brushes I have ever seen- I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to buy them (even though I’ve been in pretty desperate need for proper eye brushes since I bought my first eyeshadow palette, which was maybe five years ago?). They’re wonderful- super soft, wash well, the bristles have been remained perfectly intact and they’ve made eyeshadow application an absolute dream. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Real Techniques (mainly for the face brushes- revolutionary), but I feel like most of the eye brushes are sort of awkward. There’s not really a blending brush or even an applicator brush that I love for eyes, and I’ve found that they tend to be the wrong size, so I’m pretty thrilled with this Zoeva set. I’ve been deliberating over MAC brushes for a while too, but now I don’t think I’m going to bother- I’m pretty sure there are dupes in this set for at least a few of them (217, 219 and  239, from what I can tell?), and honestly I feel like I’m sort of set for eye brushes for now. I know, I know, it won’t last.

230 Luxe Pencil / 228 Luxe Crease / 234 Luxe Smoky Shader / 231 Luxe Petit Crease / 224 Luxe Defined Crease / 227 Luxe Soft Definer

 237 Detail Shader / 226 Smudger / 142 Concealer Buffer / 322 Brow Line / 317 Wing Liner / 315 Fine Liner

My favourites so far are the 234, 231, 227 and 317, but I’ve actually used every single one of these. Zoeva really have put together a nice selection of brushes here, and the case is just so. damn. gorgeous. Now all I need to do is convince myself I need the Luxury Set, too…

Zoeva Rose Golden Complete Eye Set is £55 from Zoeva and £56.95 from LoveMakeup.

Makeup Revolution Lipsticks | Review and Swatches

I’m a terrible, useless blogger and I took these photos back in May, but I’m pretty sure they’re still relevant, even with Makeup Revolution releasing new products every other day. Have I missed anything good? Do I need to do another excessive haul?

The One, Bliss, Divine

Mystify, Luscious, Crime

Fusion, Rebel, 100% Vamp

I’m going to let the swatches do most of the talking here, because I’m pretty damn impressed with that colour payoff. The formula of the Makeup Revolution Lipsticks seems to be, mostly, pretty great. They’re very creamy and have a satin finish on the lips, and without lip liner or primer I get about one hour of wear out of them. That’s normal for me though, and isn’t really a reflection on the quality of these lipsticks, and the darker shades do wear away very nicely- like lip stains, not lip liner. Some are better than others, though. Fusion, for some reason, doesn’t have a very good payoff at all, and the formula seems much more plastic-y, but for a £1 lipstick I think I can live with that.

My favourite is The One, by a mile; I’m a big fan of nude lipstick at the moment, and this one is surprisingly lovely. I was worried it would look like concealer actually, but it does seem to change on the lips to a (wait for it) my-lips-but-better shade.

Have you tried any of these? Let me know if there are any other shades I should try! Makeup Revolution lipsticks are available on their website and at Superdrug for £1 each.

Soap&Glory Sexy Mother Blusher | Review and Swatches

I’m utterly useless when it comes to resisting new Soap&Glory products. These little beauties were released over two months ago now ( I think?) but then they got wrapped up for Christmas and I almost forgot about them. They’re now back in my life and my makeup bag, though, so it seemed like a good time to get back into the swing of actually reviewing things on my blog, rather than just throwing together apprehensive wishlist posts (which you can read here, if that sold it for you).

Soap&Glory Sexy Mother Blusher Sticks in Onamatopeacha, Berry Jamm and Pinker Belle

Pinker Belle, Berry Jamm and Onomatopeacha

These blush sticks might be the cutest things currently in my collection. I think that’s down to the names to be honest (apart from Onomatopeacha, which shall henceforth be referred to as Peach, because bloody hell I’m not typing that again). They’re a creamy enough formula to blend easily, but not so soft that they get all melty in the tube- I’ve been applying them with a Real Techniques Contour Brush which works perfectly, because you can really build up the colour intensity or just leave it quite soft and natural. They’re a cream to powder formula and they wear kind of like a stain, so on bare skin they’re going to stick around for a while, but otherwise they’ll just last for as long as your foundation does. For me, without powdering or using a primer, thats about eight hours, but I reckon if you have drier skin you could easily push that a bit.

I think my favourite shade would have to be Pinker Belle- it looks so pretty and quite natural when it’s applied very lightly which I’m all about, blush-wise. The Peach shade is quite warm, but still wearable even on my (very pale, quite cool toned) skin and Berry Jamm is perfect with very natural eye and lip looks. Pretty excellent all round, I’d say. The Soap&Glory Sexy Mother Blushers are available at Boots for £9 each, and are currently buy one get one half price.

*Sorry about the photo quality- technical difficulties! The colours are true to the actual products, though I promise you they’re not blurry in real life.*

The 2015 Beauty Wishlist

Zoeva Rose Golden Brush Set

Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade in Medium Brown

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark

Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Palette in The Uptown Girl

Tarte 12 Hour Blush in Dollface, Tipsy, Flush and Natural Beauty

MAC Lipstick in Peach Blossom, Honeylove, Creme Cup and Jubilee

The 2014 Beauty Favourites

I haven’t written anything on this blog for a very long time, and I have absolutely no excuses. I’ve got so many half finished drafts saved, but the longer I left posting them, the more intimidating finishing them seemed- but I couldn’t let 2014 end without writing up a little something about my favourite products of the year. (Actually, the writing part of this post is almost over now. I’m still quite nervous)

Rimmel Match Perfection- pretty much the only foundation I’ve been wearing this year. 010 Porcelain is actually light enough for me, which makes a lovely change, and the coverage is kind of light/ medium, but buildable. I plan to branch out a bit, foundation wise, in 2015 but I actually have a spare bottle of this hiding in the back of my makeup drawer.

The Body Shop Honey Bronzer- another pale skin saviour! This bronzer is completely matte (so great for contouring), and you can go pretty heavy handed with this stuff without looking too bronzed. I use it with the Real Techniques Blush Brush [not pictured].

The Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette- obviously. I honestly cannot gush about this palette enough, so I’m just going to sneakily link you to my review and swatches post.

Sleek Blush Trio in ‘Lace’- I’m not really an big blusher fan (I’m working on it!) but this palette has been one of my most reached for makeup items this year. I’ve been using the red shade on pretty much every makeup wearing day, but they’re so pigmented that I’ve not even dented the pan. Review and swatches here.

L’oread Miss Manga Mascara in Purple- a new addition, but a very welcome one. I don’t really love mascara, and I’m actually completely clueless when it comes to what makes a mascara good (I know I like Benefit They’re Real and Soap&Glory Thick and Fast…help?) but the slightly purple tint to this one is what I love. It’s just something a little bit different, and helps towards making my, honestly, swamp coloured eyes look just a little bit more like hazel.

MAC Lipsticks in ‘Patisserie’ and ‘Plumful’- I’m honestly not sure I need any other lipsticks. These are just beautiful, and I’m not going to say much more because one of the many previously mentioned drafts may well turn into a MAC lipstick swatch-a-thon.

Soap&Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks- I tend to think of these as MAC Lipsticks in gloss form. The smell like vanilla, have medium, but pretty colour payoff and they last really nicely. I actually have a series of posts about lip crayons, these included, which is right here.

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Skin Protectant- the best lip balm ever, and a little goes a long way.  It’s also great for really dry skin and as a cuticle conditioner.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers- I’m not sure where I’d be without these. I have very straight eyelashes, and at my healthiest and most awake I look a bit dead (I’m coming across really well in this post) but these go a long way towards fixing that!

Carmex Lip Balms- another new discovery! The formula of these lip balms is actually quite similar to the Skin Protectant, but these smell a little nicer and are much more convenient for throwing in your handbag (or pockets. Or both. Out of interest, how many lip balms normally leave the house with you?).

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream- this might be the only hand cream I’ve ever used that is super nourishing, but not sticky. I’ve been using this hand cream nightly for almost a year now, and I’ve only gone through two of the full sized bottles, so it’s a really worthwhile buy. The packaging could be better- the lid isn’t the most convenient if you’re on the go, it’s definitely a bedside table thing- but it’s really the product that counts.

Manuka Doctor Skincare- that’s the Blemish Cream in the picture above, but I’ve been testing out a few products in the anti-blemish range recently (about two months) and I’ve been loving them. Skincare is definitely one of my new years resolutions (I actually hate new years resolutions and refuse to make any, but I promise I will get better at skin care!) and this range is at the top of my list of things to write a post about.

Thanks for reading! I’m going to try and get back to blogging a little bit more regularly in 2015- as I’ve been typing I’ve had a few ideas for posts that I’m actually looking forward to writing which I’m very happy about. I feel like I’ve missed loads, I didn’t even ramble about Naked Basics 2 (got it, love it, not as thrilled with the colour selection and eyeshadow quality as I was with Naked Basics, though)!

I hope you had a great year, feel free to tell me all about your favourite beauty products from 2014 in the comments! MAC Lipstick recs are also welcome, I’m obsessed again. Also blushers! What are your favourites?

Currently Loving

Currently Loving #2

Currently Loving #3

The Makeup Removing Trio

 

Boots Simply Sensitive Cleansing Lotion– Incredible gentle, and does a pretty awesome job of removing makeup. This one’s particularly great for removing your base makeup and eyeshadow, and all you have to do is massage it into your skin with your fingertips. And because it’s a lotion, it hydrates and moisturises the skin while removing makeup yet doesn’t leave it feeling greasy- perfect for all skin types.

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water– This micellar water has pretty much replaced my love for Bioderma and the L’Oreal Micellar Water. It’s strong enough to remove any eye makeup (including waterproof eyeliner on the tight line- very impressive!) but gentle enough that it doesn’t sting or burn your eyelids. I also love that it comes in a 400ml bottle because I go through makeup remover like I go through oxygen.

The Body Shop Chamomile Silky Cleansing Oil– This is a pretty new discovery of mine, and after just a few uses I can already honestly say it’s awesome. This is the first actual oil that I’ve used on my skin- I’ve always avoided them before because of my combination/ oily skin- and though using it is a little scary, it really is incredible for removing makeup. I tend to use this on days when I’m wearing a blush that stains or a higher coverage foundation. *I’ve used this to remove eye makeup a couple of times now, and though it removes, it also leaves my eyesight a little blurry. So, note to self, getting makeup removing oils in your eyes doesn’t hurt, but it is rather uncomfortable being visually impaired.*

Honorary Mention- The Body Shop Chamomile Cleansing Butter– This cleansing butter is basically a solid version of the Cleansing Oil- it does pretty much the same job, but works best when used more like a face wash. As with all of these makeup removers, though it’s is best to still use another face wash afterwards, though, just to get rid of any traces of, well, makeup remover.

L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Les Blancs Nail Polish

Admittedly, I’m a little late on my Spring nail polish releases.

I’ve had my eye on L’Oreal’s Les Blancs nail polishes for quite a while now, and I finally own them so here- look how pretty they are!

In my defence, I would happily wear pastel nail polish all year round- I generally prefer them to bright, Summer nail polishes (which I personally reserve for those rare days in England when we have bright, Summer weather) and these ones are just so perfect. They’re pretty much opaque in two coats, but you can get away with three without it affecting the drying time, which, by the way, is very quick. I love the brush for these nail polishes too, it coats the whole nail in one swipe- which makes it incredibly difficult to end up with streaky, messy nails- and once this nail polish is on and you’ve added a top coat, it won’t chip for at least three days.

 Peach Neglige, Lemon Meringue, Pistachio Drage, Nouvelle Vague

 

Have you tried these? I think my favourite at the moment is Nouvelle Vague, but Lemon Meringue is completely different to any other nail polish I own, or have even seen. Let me know what you think!

Makeup Revolution Romantic Smoked Palette | Review & Swatches

Makeup Revolution’s Romantic Smoked Palette contains 6 shimmer shadows and 6 mattes, all of which fit into a kind of purple-brown-khaki theme. This is the palette from Makeup Revolutions line that I was the most excited about- the shades are completely different from any other eyeshadow palette I own (more on that later), and I think the quality and pigmentation of these shadows is even better than in the other Makeup Revolution Palette’s I’ve tried- Iconic 3 and Essential Mattes.

 The shimmer shades

 The matte shades

Isn’t the colour scheme pretty? I love Shade 6 (shimmery, khaki green) and both of the purples, and I’m really happy that this palette actually contains a couple of matte blending shades. As far as pigmentation goes, these shadows are definitely better than those in the Matte palette, and they’re possibly a little better than in Iconic 3, too. The shimmer shades are really lovely- a few are slightly gritty, but nothing too difficult to work with, and the matte shades are, though slightly chalky, very easy to apply and blend.

This eyeshadow palette is £4 from Superdrug and from the Makeup Revolution website, and seriously, I love it a lot- I’ve never come across anything like it (though I think I did mention a while ago that I’d love a Naked palette with green, gold and purple tones, kind similar to this) and I’m having a pretty hard time coming up with any dupes. It reminds me a teeny bit of the Laura Mercier palette from this year:

See? There are no completely matching shades, but they have the same neutral-cool toned shades with lots of purple and brown. Still, I think that if you missed the Laura Mercier palette (which is incredible, by the way), Makeup Revolutions Romantic Smoked Palette is definitely worth taking a look at.

What do you think? Have you tried this one, or any of the others?

The Body Shop Haul

Pink Grapefruit Body Mist, Vitamin E Moisture Cream, Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash

 

Blueberry Shower Gel, Early Harvest Raspberry Shower Gel, Vineyard Peach Shower Gel

Blueberry Body Butter

 It’s been an surprisingly long time since my last Body Shop haul, and when I was looking at the website (looking= putting absolutely everything I’m remotely interested in owning into my basket, looking at the total, sighing, and closing the tab) I came across the new scents- Blueberry, Raspberry and Peach, which I think is a good enough reason to buy things. I went a little overboard with the Blueberry range because I already own the lip butter, so I know I like the scent, but I think I did quite well in just picking up the shower gels in Raspberry and Peach.

My first impressions are that the Blueberry range smells like Shloer, and that I will love the Body Butter and I cannot wait to use the Body Scrub, which looks exactly like jam. The Peach range smells slightly more apricot-esque to me, it’s still really sweet and fresh and I’m also tempted to say it’s my favourite of the three..? The Raspberry range smells more like Blackcurrant- very warm and comforting, more like an Autumn/ Winter scent, but still absolutely lovely.

The skincare is stuff that I’ve wanted to try for a while- I’ve heard great things about the Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil (and I seem to run out of makeup remover every other day, so cleansing oils are always worth having) and I’ve been meaning to try out more of The Body Shop’s Tea Tree range ever since I fell in love with the moisturiser, and I was also in need of a new face wash- hence buying the Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash.

I also picked up another Pink Grapefruit Body Mist (because seriously, at this point it doesn’t even seem to count as a Body Shop oder if I don’t buy something Pink Grapefruit scented), which I already know that I love, along with the Hemp Hand Protector which is one of my all time favourite hand creams. The Vitamin E Moisture Cream was then added to my basket as a free gift, which is awesome because I already use the Vitamin E Night Cream, so hopefully I like this one too!

Have you tried the new Body Shop scents?

Makeup Revolution Essential Mattes Palette | Review, Swatches & Comparison

What? An all matte palette? For £4? Yeah, this is totally what Naked Basics should have looked like, don’t you think? This palette is another gem from Makeup Revolution (a brand which I am now ever so slightly obsessed with, by the way) which I’ve been testing out for a couple of days now so I thought it was about time I wrote a little review! *Or tried to. I apologise in advance for this post, it’s kind of a mess*

I’m so happy with the colour selection! I think it would have been pretty easy for Makeup Revolution to have filled up this palette with various shades of brown, but there are actual, wearable colours here. Including purples. I have such a thing for purple eye shadows. 

The only thing I don’t love about the shades are that the first four are actually very, very similar (see swatches below), and I feel like one or two of them are only there so this can be a Naked Basics dupe- see what I mean?!

‘Foxy’ and Shade 2 are very similar in the pan, and so are ‘Naked 2’ and Shade 5- but anyway, swatches!

The first four shades are incredibly similar when they’re swatched, because, to be honest, the pigmentation isn’t great. My super pale skin definitely doesn’t help, but those four are quite built up in the picture and they’re still barely visible. The rest of the shades, however, are pretty awesome. The pigmentation is much better, and you can really see the colour intensity when they’re swatched. They are all quite chalky, but applied over a good primer they’re all really easy to apply and blend- and they last pretty well too, some of the lighter shades are only about four hours but for the more intense colours I can get at least six hours of wear out of them.

Overall, I think for a £4 palette, this is pretty incredible. I’m so happy that there’s finally a good drugstore, all-matte eyeshadow palette, and one that has a really pretty shade selection. What do you think of the swatches? Have you tried any of the Makeup Revolution palettes?

Available at Superdrug and Makeup Revolution.