Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette

I am a big fan of Urban Decays eyeshadow's, i have both the Naked 2 and 3 palette and love them both. I've never been massively fussed about the previous Vice palettes, however as soon as i saw pictures of this Vice 3 i knew i had to have it, i think it was the gorgeous berry shades that drew me in, it was released online on my payday and i bought it instantly, it was like it was meant to be! Yes the Urban Decay palettes aren't the cheapest on the market, the Vice 3 was £42 which did pain me slightly but if you think it will coat you £38 for a Charlotte Tilbury quad it doesn't seem quite so bad. For your money you are getting twenty delicious new and never seen before shades, inside some of the most amazing and well thought out packaging.
The palette comes in the box inside its very own bag which i thought was a great touch, its a great size to use as a makeup bag or as suggested on the box to keep your makeup brushes in. On to the palette itself, for the Vice 3 Urban Decay have streamlined the palette for a much sleeker size, however it still has a very handy massive mirror inside and a double ended brush which is great. I love the bright fun colours and the lime green jewel like Vice in the lid i think it just sets it aside from any other palette on the market.
On to the shadows which are set in rows of five, neutrals on the left, jewel tones in the center and smokey shades on the right. You get a nice mixture of matte, shimmer and metallic shadows in some of the most beautiful shades, some of my favorites are the metallic which i think are the best quality and pigmentation particularly Lucky a warm bronze and Sonic the most amazing cranberry shade, the metallic shadows are smooth and buttery and last all day, very impressed. One thing i will say about the palette is there is a variation in quality in the shadows as much as i was impressed with the metallic shades i have found some of the other shadows to be slightly powdery and not as strong in pigmentation which is a bit disappointing. I think there are so many possible looks with this palette, there are some quite bright daunting shades Dragon for example a bold green but i think combined with the mixture of more neutral shades there a lot more wearable and there is a little something for everyone.
Overall i am really impressed with the Vice 3 palette, i think Urban Decay have done a great job and i wont be putting it down anytime soon, this will defiantly be my chosen palette for the party season!

What do you think of the Vice 3 palette?

Maybelline Brow Drama

I picked up the Maybelline Brow Drama sculpting brow mascara recently, in the hopes of finding a cheaper drugstore alternative to my favorite brow product Benefits Gimmie Brow.
At £17.50 for a very small amount Gimmie Brow is expensive and although i really do like it, with the drugstore brands bringing out their own versions i thought it would be worth testing a few out. I picked up Maybelline's Brow Drama in Dark Blonde, it is a good colour perhaps slightly darker than the Gimmie Brow in Light/Medium but i don't mind as I'm starting to prefer them to look a bit darker now a days. The first thing i noticed about Brow Drama is how odd the brush is, as you can see from the pictures above its long and thin and then has a strange ball shaped bit at the end. I don't really no what they had in mind when designing the brush at all, i find it quite hard to use and just a bit pointless to be honest, what exactly is the need for the long thin bit of the brush? Also i find the actual ball at the end a bit large for my eyebrows which means i often smudge it in places leaving a far than perfect application, not impressed! So when we get past the odd applicator and dodgy application does it get any better? In my opinion no not really! I find the consistency of the product very thin and watery, and as you can see from the swatch above for a product that claims to not be clumpy, that is in-fact exactly how the product comes out, thin and watery in places with thick clumpy patches.
On the plus side i don't think it looks bad on the eyebrows, when applied correctly and thoroughly brushed through to avoid clumpy patches, it defines my eyebrows well and gives them extra shape and definition, when dry it does feel a bit crispy but it does last all day and will keep your eyebrows firmly in place.
So overall not a rave review, i have been using it but only because i have nothing else to use at the minute, would i buy it again? Definitely not, i have actually just ordered the Anastasia Dip Brow Promade in the hopes my brows will forgive me...

Have you tried the Maybelline Brow Drama? What did you think?

Sleek Vintage Romance Palette

Left- Pretty in Paris, Meet in Madrid, Court in Cannes, Lust in LA, Romance in Rome, Propose in Prague- Right

Left- A Vow in Venice, Marry in Monte Carlo, Honeymoon in Hollywood, Bliss in Barcelona, Forever in Florence, Love in London.

If you are on the hunt for the perfect eyeshadow for Autumn/Winter then look no further i have found it, and the best bit its only £7.99!
Sleek's Vintage Romance Palette was actually released last Autumn and went straight on my beauty wish list, but for some bizarre reason i seemed to forget to actually buy it, that is until last month and since then i have been using it non stop.
As with the other Sleek eyeshadow palettes you get twelve eyeshadows, cased inside their standard black packaging. Matte eyeshadow lovers will be disappointed as there is only one, the rest are metallic and glittery finishes.
I just couldn't pick a better selection of Autumn shades if i tried, what a great selection of neutrals and gorgeous deep purple and cranberry shades. The silver and gold are also brilliant really pigmented and i've enjoyed mixing them up with the other shades to create some interesting eye looks.
The metallic shadows are by far my favourite, they have a soft buttery texture blend beautifully and look amazing, i must say i do find Court in Cannes and Lust in LA very similar colours which is a bit disappointing, i think a more copper neutral would have fitted in perfectly. The three glittery shadows are matte with multi coloured shimmer and are also really pretty.
I have surprised myself by being so impressed with the most boring looking colour in the palette, Propose in Prague the only matte shadow is just the most perfect crease shade, its a warm toned medium brown and i've been using it to start off all my eye looks.
Pigmentation wise its a bit hit and miss, the darker colours are very pigmented some of the lighter metallic ones not so much, but to be honest it doesn't really bother me I'm so in love with the colours and i think for the price you cant really complain.
I have loved using this palette so far and i look forward to seeing what other looks i can create.

What do you think of the Sleek Vintage Romance Palette?

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Lip Stain

Today i am reviewing Revlon's latest new lip offering to the market, the Colorstay Moisture Lip Stains described as giving "Hours of moisturizing colour and glass-like shine that glides on with cushiony comfort for a look that is perfectly pulled together" being a massive lip product fan i was eager to try these incredibly sleek looking new stains that really just stand out in the beauty isle with their massive selection of gorgeous shades. Way before these had been released in the UK i heard Fluer De Force rave about one she had picked up in the US, she wore it in a few of her videos and i was instantly enticed by the brilliant high shine and luscious colour. As Boots were doing a 3for2 when i purchased them i obviously decided to pick three to try, which believe me with such a great colour selection took me a fair while. In the end i decided to go for Parisian Passion a vampy plum shade and the darkest in the range perfect for the Autumn/Winter season, New York Scene which is the darkest of red shades and also a great colour for this time of year and La Exclusive a cool toned baby pink shade which i thought looked pretty. 

The first thing that struck me abut the lipstains is the application, they are really not the quickest and easiest lip product to apply. I find to get a good even finish you need a few coats and you really have to work it into the lips to get an even coverage, also with the darker shades i find i have be careful the colour doesn't bleed out over your lip-line. Application aside once on the lips the Colorstay Moisture stains look amazing, they really are a stand out look for the lips. I was impressed with all the shades particularly Parisian Parisian which i think is my favorite, they are so glossy looking and the colours have great pigmentation. As to how they feel on the lips for such a high shine finish product they are not at all sticky, they feel light and very moisturizing i expect this is the result of the Vitamin E and Aloe that they contain. 

One thing that has disappointed me about them is the so called "stain" i don't really no why they are called this when they barely stain the lips at all particularly the lightest shade La Exclusive, once worn off the lips your just left with a sort of rim like some sort of dodgy lip-liner! They also don't last particularly long before their worn off either i would say about 2-hours (as-long as your not eating or drinking a lot) which i don't find very impressive, definitely not an last all day product. 

Despite the slightly difficult application and unimpressive lasting stain i do like the Revlon Colorstay lip stains they look so gorgeous on and as-long as you don't mind frequent re-application throughout the day it is a nice lip product that will definitely get you a few compliments! 

Have you tired the Revlon Colorstay Moisture lip Stains? What did you think?

Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment Mask

The Glam Glow Supermud Clearing Treatment had been top of my beauty wish list for such a long time, ever since i saw Shaaanxo rave about it on her You Tube channel and watched in fascination as the mask seemed to literally suck out all the oil and grime from her skin i was just desperate to try it for myself. The only thing putting me off trying it was the rather steep price tag depending on where you buy it from it can range from £35-£45 which i think is very expensive for a face mask. Luckily i spotted a special Glam Glow gift set in Marks and Spencer containing a full size Supermud mask and smaller sized Youthmud mask, and the best bit the set is usually valued at £49.50 but it was on offer for £30!! As you can imagine i snapped it up right away. 

The Glam Glow Supermud clearing treatment is a clearing treatment mask to target, prevent and heal problem skin including large pores, blackheads and breakouts, having oily skin i do suffer with large pores and blackheads and the occasional breakout mainly around my chin. The mask can be used as an all over mask for the skin or you can apply it directly to any breakouts as a spot treatment. 

I couldn't wait to finally try it out and applied a thin layer to my clean skin, its advised to leave it on from 5-20 mins i decided to leave it on for the full 20 minutes to get a really deep clean. I have taken pictures of the stages of the mask in action for anyone interested in actually seeing it get to work on my skin, sorry for anyone who finds it a bit gross! 

The mask is a very dark charcoal grey that has quite a strong scent to me it smells like a mixture of aniseed and mint but it is quite refreshing. It starts to dry super quickly on the skin and its not long before you can barely move your face (hence my miserable expression in the pictures)

It starts to go a light grey when its dry your just left with slightly darker patches where the mask starts to bring out the dirt and grime from the pores, i find it so impressive to actually be able to see a product working on your skin and by the end of the 20 minutes the mask had completely dried and i could see where it had really got to work on my problem areas,mainly my t-zone. 

Once i had washed the mask off i was astounded by the immediate difference in my skin, it looked and felt dramatically different. My skin looked clearer more refined and my pores looked clean and a lot less noticeable, my skin was also super soft and smooth. To me this is the sort of result you want from a face mask, you want your skin to have a noticeable difference and improvement and the Supermud defiantly achieved that for me, i am so impressed it is hands down the best face mask i have ever used and i am looking forward to how it will improve my skin further with each use. 

Have you tried a Glam Glow mask? What did you think?

Bourjois Volume 1 Second Mascara

I rarely find myself getting excited about mascara's and thats not because I'm not too fused about wearing them believe me i feel pretty naked without it, i've just never been so massively wowed by one that it became my holy grail cant live with out it mascara. I do have a few that i have liked and enjoyed using in the past Benefits There Real being one and Estee Lauder's Sumptuous Extreme is also another lovely one, however neither of those are the cheapest mascara's on the market and having pretty much used them up even though i really liked them i was still in no massive hurry to repurchase. 

Having been really impressed with all of Bourjois latest new products i decided i would give their new Volume 1 Second Mascara a try, and i am really glad i did as i fell in love with it instantly. For me Volume 1 second Mascara ticks all the boxes, what sometimes annoys me with mascara's is they rarely do everything you want it to do i mean why pick between volumising and lengthening can i not have both? Well yes it seems finally i can, i find it lengthens, volumises and doesn't clump my lashes together another massive bonus as i like to end up with more than three when i've applied a few coats!

The brush is plastic which is usually a down side for me i find they can be quite spiky and uncomfortable to use (huh hum there real..) and i prefer natural mascara's brushes so i was a bit surprised to find i don't mind this one at all, its quite large but i find this means it easily coats my lashes really evenly and i can get right to the root of my lashes and get a good bit of volume. 

Like said previously i can get a good amount of length and volume from this mascara it also curls my lashes well, its also easily built up with extra layers for a more dramatic look, great for amping up your lashes for a day/night look. 

Finally i've found a mascara i love and i couldn't be happier thats it a highstreet one, at just £9.99 Bourjois Volume 1 second mascara is comparable to high end mascara's double the price and even comes up trumps for me, i will definitely be repurchasing. 

Have you tried the Bourjois Volume 1 second Mascara? What did you think?

L'oreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner

When it comes to eyeliner believe me i am still novice at best, after years of using the liquid and felt tip liners i have pretty much got the jist of a basic line but still struggle with wings and cat-flicks. However in spite of this i had been wanting to give gel liner a go, yes it looks more difficult but i was interested to see how different it was to use.
I picked up the L'oreal Gel Intenza in black, inside the box you get the little pot of gel liner and a brush to apply it with. The brush is not really the sort of brush i would personally apply liner with in my opinion its a bit thick and completely the wrong shape, but i thought i would have a go with it anyway. Like i expected the brush is pretty useless if your after a nice slick line, i would not use the brush provided i found it very messy to use and in the end after my first attempt i just took a fluffy eyeshadow brush and blended the liner to create a smokey liner look as it was the only way to salvage the situation.  The next time i attempted to use it i use my own angled flat eyeliner brush to apply it, this worked a lot better and even though i found it slightly more tricky to apply than liquid liner i was still pretty impressed with the result, the colour is a very black black and it looked smooth and clean. You do have o be careful you don't smudge it as it does smudge very easily but once dried i was so impresses with how long it lasted, i tested it out on a day  had a thirteen hour shift and the liner was pretty much the only thing that lasted until i took my makeup off that night.
I do still need a bit of practice applying Gel liner but i do like how it looks, and I'm actually loving that you can smudge it out for a smokey look and i have been wearing it a lot like that lately, it just gives a bit of soft definition to the eyes grunges up the look.

I would recommend the L'oreal Gel Intenza liner, its a good colour, applies well and last forever, and although its £9.99 for a relatively small pot i've used it a fair bit and barely even dented the surface so as long as it doesn't dry out i can see this lasting me a while.

Have you tried the L'oreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner? What did you think?

L'oreal Glam Matte Gloss

As soon as a makeup brand brings out a new type of product, you can be pretty sure the rest shall soon follow with their own versions. Limecrime originally brought out the massively popular Velvetines, a bold liquid lipstick that dries to a matt finish, with the highstreet brands soon bringing out there own versions. Having tried a few types myself and being particularly impressed with Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, when i spotted L'oreal's Glam Matte range in some fabulous bold and Summery shades i was eager to give them a try.
There are four shades in the Glam Matte collection (in the UK anyway) i picked up 508 Coral Denimista a bright coral shade that stood out to me the most. I like the packaging it's pretty simple but still sleek, the applicator has the same heart shaped tip as the other L'oreal glosses which i personally really like, its quite large but i think the shape makes precise application a lot easier and with a bold shade like this its not a shade you want to make a mess with!
The formula feel really nice on the lips its got that velvety soft feel thats very light and unnoticeable, and for a product designed to be matte it feels incredibly moisterising. The Glam Matte glosses are designed to be worn in two ways dabbed onto the lips for a more sheer wash of colour, or applied straight to the lips for a bold full look. When blended onto the lips for the more sheer option the finish is pretty matte i wouldn't say 100% but its good enough and still gives a decent pop of colour to the lips without drying them out like some of the other matt lip products do, however when applied with the applicator the finish has left me slightly disappointed, its really not matte at all, the first time i used this i remember thinking how long is it going to take for this to dry, and well it didn't. I have heard the finish described as semi matte, but really what does that even mean? surely with a lip product with Matte in the name thats what you expect it to be?! I find i have to rub some off my lips to get that dry matt finish meaning you loose some of the colour, not good really. I do like the L'oreal Glam Matt glosses they have some great shades they really do feel amazing on the lips but i cant help but compare them too the Bourjois ones, which in my opinion are what you would call a matte gloss, and compared to them their just a bit so so really!

Have you tried the L'oreal Glam Matte Glosses? What did you think?

Alchemy Oils Grapefruit Hair Remedy

I was really excited to be sent a bottle of Alchemy Oils Grapefruit Hair Remedy to try recently as i love using hair oils and credit them to my hair actually getting past that annoying inbetween length.
Grapefruit Hair Remedy is an all natural oil consisting of five super oils that can be used on all hair types as a hair treatment or to style and nourish the ends of the hair.
The five oils it contains are,
Grapefruit oil,
Coconut oil,
Avocado oil,
Almond oil,
and last but not least Castor oil.
All the oils have different properties and help to improve the condition of your hair, Grapefruit oil is a good source of vitamin C, its great at giving the hair a natural shine and helps fight dandruff. Coconut oil is well known as being a wonder product for the hair and skin as its rich in nutrients and helps promote hair growth. Avocado oil contains essential fatty acids to strengthen and revive dried out and damaged hair. Almond oil has a high content of vitamin E and Omega 6,3 and 9 which aids hair growth and thickens and Castor oil helps to protect your hair and promote a healthy scalp, wow that is a whole lot of Vitamins and goodness packed into one little bottle!
The oil comes in a small glass bottle with a cork lid, i wasn't too sure how i was going to like using it as in the past when using an oil without a pump i've found it gets very messy! However luckily the opening to the bottle is a sort of funnel shape which seems to help a great deal and i've actually not found it messy to use even thought its quite a runny oil, which is great as there is noting worse than pouring out way too much oil than you need.
The oil is quite thin and very fruity smelling, i actually find it a bit sweet for my liking as i tend to prefer more coconut smelling oils. I started to use the oil just through the ends of my hair as it can get quite dry just to style it, you don't really need a lot of oil to do the trick and it does a great job and smoothing down the ends of the hair and giving great shine. I also tested it out as a hair treatment over night, so before bed i applied it to my roots massaging it into my scalp, i also worked it through the rest of my hair wrapped it up in a bun and then slept in it. When i washed it out in the morning my hair felt amazingly soft and light, it was also so shiny and healthy looking and not at all greasy which surprised me as when i've tried this before with other oils my hair tends to look a bit greasy even after washing it out.
I've enjoyed using the Grapefruit Hair Remedy over the last few weeks particularly as a treatment, it really did make my hair feel so light and soft the next day and so much more shiny than usual, I'm going to keep applying it through the ends of my hair and do a weekly treatment, I'm interested to see if it does help my hair grow a thicken at all with continued use.

Alchemy Oils Grapefruit Hair Remedy* 100-ml is a available from www.alchemyoils.co.uk and costs £17.99

L'oreal Skin Perfection Magic Touch Instant Blur

Lately i've found i have a bit of a love hate relationship with Benefits porefessional primer, i do love how it covers and blurs my (massive) pores, however i sometimes find it doesnt work with certain foundations and doesn't sink into the skin properly. So i decided to look for a similar sort of base that was aimed at covering the pores to give an even base before foundation, as there is nothing i hate more than when a foundation just sinks into them,  most definitely not the flawless finish i am after! 

I decided to try L'oreals Skin Perfection Magic Touch Instant Blur, having previously tried the serum from the range and really enjoyed using it, it seemed worth a try. 

Magic Touch Instant Blur is a tinted cream base which aims to blur irregularities, smooth the skins texture and refine the pores to give the skin a soft focus look. You can use it alone or after moisturiseing before you apply your foundation which is how i use it. I apply it to the areas i need it mainly my t-zone, where i suffer with large pores and shine. The cream has a very thick texture which at first i wasn't sure i was going to like, as i don't like creams and foundation to feel too heavy on my skin. Luckily once worked into the skin it feels completely undetectable, so light like there's nothing even on the skin at all. As i do have oily skin large pores is just something i have to deal with there's no way to get rid of them i just have to cover them the best i can, i was impressed with how the cream does really blur the skin, it does make my pores less visible but doesn't hide them completely. This is a great base for makeup it leaves the skin smooth and refined, it does have a slight tint but i don't notice it on the skin it seems clear to me. The thing that has impressed me the most is how it helps with shine, i didn't buy it expecting miracles in that area i thought it was mainly targeted at covering pores but i've noticed when using this my makeup lasts longer which is a massive plus for me and is something i think it does much better than Porefessional. 

Overall I'm pretty impressed with Magic Touch Instant Blur for £12.99 i think it does a great job at creating the perfect base for makeup and at keeping it in place too, and since i started using it my Porefessional hasn't even got a look in!

Have you tried any products from the L'oreal Skin Perfection Range? What did you think?