Stila In The Light Palette

Now then, you're probably thinking 'where the heck have you been it's been ages' etc etc. In response to that little voice in your head, I've been on a bit of a blogging break and I took some unplanned time off to rest and recuperate. It feels great to be back though. During the short period of time I've been away it was my birthday and for my birthday I was very kindly treated to the Stila In The Light Eyeshadow Palette *drools*. It is quite possibly the most beautiful palette I've ever seen and after a whole year of lusting after it, I finally got it. I know I know, I'm insanely late onto the bandwagon, so late in fact I think the bandwagon may have left and is now potentially on the moon.

As with most Stila products, the packaging is very minimalistic. It's constructed of (very) sturdy cardboard and is held closed by a strong magnet which is great as I find that some eyeshadow palettes have very weak magnets holding them shut which then results in eyeshadow getting everywhere, Barry M I'm pointing the finger at you. Inside there is a large mirror and a little quote by Sarah Lucero which I think is a lovely touch. It's not everyday your eyeshadow palette has a cute little quote inside. It also comes with a little book filled with eye looks you can create with the shadows in this palette.

I did a bad thing and used this palette before photographing it, ooops.

The Stila In The Light Palette features 10, 0.49oz (in non number terms, that is quite big) eyeshadows that you can use wet or dry. Very unlike the Urban Decay Palettes that focus on either warm or cool toned eyeshadows, this palette provides the best of both worlds. If you didn't start singing the Hannah Montana song there you're lying. Another upside to this palette is that there are 3 different finishes, frost, glitter and matte. What more could you want? Or need?

L-R; Bare, Kitten, Bliss, Sunset, Sandstone.

L-R; Bubbly, Gilded Gold, Luster, Night Sky, Ebony.

As I'm sure you can see from the above swatches, all the eyeshadows in this palette are insanely pigmented. I cannot fault a single shade. If you wish, you can intensify the colour pay-off even more by using the shadows wet. The eyeshadows are buttery, soft, and they blend like an absolute dream. I did find there to be a minuscule amount of product fallout when I applied the glitter shadows to my eyes but it was nothing major and nothing that a cotton bud or two can't fix. On my rather oily eyelids, without a primer these eyeshadows last a good 5-6 hours before they begin to crease but with a primer I can get a good 8 hours wear out of them. 

The palette also comes with a full sized Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Damsel, a deep, matte brown shade. The eyeliner is retractable so there is no need to have to scrabble about in your makeup drawers for a sharpener every time you need to use it, which I think is great. It smudges out very easily and once it sets, it sets and it's there to stay until you wash it off. I can get a good 8 hours wear out of this on my top lashline and around 5 hours on my waterline. I have insanely watery eyes so this is very very impressive for me. I'm usually lucky to get an hours wear out of eyeliners, any other watery eyed girls out there find this too? 

This is hands down one of the nicest palettes I have ever come across and now that I have this, I don't feel the need to buy any of the Urban Decay Naked palettes at all. Yes I really just said that. It's perfect for every occasion; work/school, parties, meals, basically just everything. The pigmentation gets a good old 5 stars from me and I genuinely could not recommend this palette any more if I tried. This palette is only £25 and considering the eyeliner is worth £19 on it's own, this is a palette that you can't say no too. It's available from Feel Unique, Stila (obviously) and Asos. 

I will be back to my usual posting times as of today so I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you all on Wednesday.

What's in my Travel Makeup bag?

As some of you may know, on Saturday I'm going away to Italy for a week. Of course this means that I must let you all know what makeup items I'm taking with me, it's only right.

Makeup bag- Primark

Face

For my face I've only packed the bare minimum. For powder I've packed the Maybelline Matte Maker Pressed Powder, for concealer I've packed the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and to add a bit of a glow to my cheekbones (who doesn't want that) I've packed the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder.

Eyes/brows

I've tried to pack the bare minimum for my eyes and brows but it's very difficult to choose, any eye makeup obsessive will understand me. To line my eyes I've packed my holy grail (yes I said it, it is my holy grail) Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner. I had some difficulty choosing between all of my mascaras (I have far too many) so I ended up deciding on two, the Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara and the MUA Mega Volume Mascara. To add a bit of colour to my eyes I've chosen to take my Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' as it's really versatile and easy to use. For my brows I'm taking the MUA Intense Colour Eyeliner in 'Rich Brown' and even though it's an eyeliner, I have incredibly dark brows and this is the only pencil that matches, or comes anywhere close for that matter (oh the joys of having dark hair). To set my brows I've taken my MUA Clear Mascara, that isn't so clear anymore. I should probably buy a new one, it looks pretty gross. Finally to curl my little lashes I'm taking my cheap and cheerful Primark Eyelash Curlers as they do the job perfectly.

Lips

This was by far the hardest decision to make. It took me almost half an hour to choose 2 lip products. Knowing me though, by the time this post is up I'll have probably changed my mind again, sigh. The two lip products I've chosen are my MUA Power Pout in 'Runway' and Collection Cream Puff in 'Cotton Candy' (review here).

Brushes

For brushes I've cut it right down, I'm just taking the basics and the ones I will definitely need. For my eyes I'm taking the Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush as it's my favourite brush for blending out cream shadows.  For my face I'm taking my Real Techniques Contour Brush for applying highlighter, my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for blending in concealer and my Real Techniques Powder Brush for, you guessed it, putting on powder.

As you can see I have tried to cut the amount of makeup I take with me down, but being a beauty junkie it's pretty hard. 

I'll be back again, as usual, on Sunday with 'What's In My Travel Skincare Bag' which will be scheduled (ooh er, how fancy) but I will have WiFi in Italy so I will be able to reply to comments in the evenings. I'll probably be a bit quiet on the social media side of things though.

Boots & Superdrug Haul

Soooo, I accidentally found my way to Boots and Superdrug last weekend and I bought a few bits and bobs that I thought I'd share with you all.

I'm going to start off with the Superdrug side of things. All the things that I bought from Superdrug are skincare related with one nail care item thrown in.

The first thing I picked up was Superdrug's Detoxifying Dead Sea Mud Mask. I picked this up because I read a review of it here on Lauryn's blog and she made it sound fabulous.

I have used this twice already and wow, I'm impressed. It really cleans out your pores and leaves your face feeling soft and refreshed. 

I leave this mask on my t-zone for 15 minutes, until the point where I can't move my face, and in the time that I have this mask on, you can see where all the impurities are being drawn out as the mask goes dark green in them areas.

The mask is the typical mud mask colour, a sort of greeny-brown. It smells really refreshing and the smell does linger on your skin for a little while after, but it's not overpowering or anything.

The next product I picked up whilst in the skincare aisle was the Deep Action Nose Strips.  I have purchased these about 4 times now and they never fail me. They are about a third of the price of Biore pore strips and they work just as well, if not better.

They apply the same as Biore strips. You just dampen your nose with water and leave it on until it's stiff. These really clean out your pores and you see all the grime from your nose on them when you've pulled them off (yuck, I know). 

Whilst there, I also grabbed another Witch Blemish Stick as my current one was running low.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know how much I love this so I'm not even going to write about it here as I did a post a while back all about it. I'm just going to say one thing, buy it.
Once all 3 skincare items were securely in my basket, I headed over to the nail care stand as I was looking for a nail strengthener. Being a nail biter, I was on a mission to find something that would grow my nails back, and make them stronger. And I found just that with the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth nail varnish. Of course, in the shop I had no idea how good it would be, but Sally Hansen are a brand my granny has sworn by for years, so I thought I may as well give it a try.

The nail varnish looks has a pink tint to it but when applied to the nails you can't see it at all. I've had this on since the night after I bought it, I reapply it every second night, and after just one week my nails had grown longer and stronger than they've ever been. I'm delighted with how well this has worked so far and I will continue to use it religiously.

Next I paid a visit to Boots, and it was 3 for 2 on all cosmetics.. uh oh.
I was like a vulture swooping down on its prey and I had a good idea of what I wanted.
The first thing that quickly made its way into my basket was the Maybelline Baby Lips in 'Cherry Me'. I have been wanting this for ages, and I'm glad I finally picked it up.

From how it looks in the tube, you'd expect this to be super pigmented but it's not. That isn't a bad thing at all though because it's perfect for the days where you can't be bothered with bright lipsticks or just the days where your lips need hydration but you still want to have colour on them.

I really love this colour and I've already worn it a lot. I may have to accidentally on purpose purchase a few more from the Baby Lips range.

Then, another lip product somehow made its way into my basket alongside my Baby Lips. 
As it's Winter and bold, berry lips are very much the trend, I thought I would hop on the bandwagon and get my first berry/plum coloured lipstick. The lipstick I chose (after genuinely swatching about 30) was one from Collection's Gothic Glam collection in the shade 'Seduction'.

As soon as I swatched this, I knew it would become a firm favourite of mine. It is so so so pigmented, and it lasts ALL DAY. I wore it from 7am-8pm one day, with 3 meals and numerous snacks throughout the day, and at 8pm, this looked the exact same as it had when I first applied it. Impressed? YES.
When first applied this lipstick is really glossy but I find that it dries to a sort of matte finish and it really doesn't budge.

This is my new favourite lipstick and I'm so glad I picked this little gem up.

The final thing that ended up in my basket was a blush. I've never owned a blush, so this was a first for me. I decided to go for a cheaper option as I didn't want to get an expensive one and then end up not liking it.
The one I got was Natural Collection's Blushed Cheeks in  'Peach Melba'.

I read about this blush absolutely yonks ago on someone's blog and I've had my eye on it ever since seeing it.

This blush is a really nice, natural peachy pink colour which when applied gives a really natural look. I haven't worn this much yet but I'm sure I'll get more use out of it in the New Year.

And that is all for my Boots & Superdrug haul. Please let me know if you would like to see  full reviews of any of the products mentioned. Or if you've tried any, let me know also:)

Autumn/Winter Makeup Essentials

So it's now well into Autumn and Winter is fast approaching. During the colder months, my makeup changes so I thought I would share my 6 main makeup essentials for Autumn/Winter. Enjoyy!

The first item that is a must during Autumn/Winter, isn't necessarily makeup but I just had to put it in. I also mentioned this in My Daily Makeup and it's my Burts Bee's Lip Balm.

This is one of my all time favourite lip balms. I have tried everything, from Blistex to Vaseline, but none work on my very dehydrated, chapped lips. This is the only lip balm that actually does something. I apply a generous amount of this before applying lipstick/lip gloss and before I go to bed. When I take my lipstick/lip gloss off at the end of the day and when I wake up, my lips are as soft as a baby's bum (liking my metaphor there). I just don't know how it does it!! And just as you thought I couldn't praise this lip balm any more, the smell. Oh sweet lord it smells like peppermint which, if you know me well, is my favourite smell EVER. I could ramble on about this for hours but I'm going to stop and suggest that you go to your nearest Boots as soon as possible and pick one of these up, you will not regret it!

The second and third items I think are a must have are lip colours. I have chosen 2 that I have been wearing the most this season and that I think would suit everyone.

The first lip product I have chosen is my Kiko Smart Lipstick in the shade '904 Strawberry Pink'. Some people may say this is a 'summery' colour but I think it's perfect for this time of year.

Personally I love the Kiko smart lipsticks. They're creamy, pigmented and have incredible staying power. There is also a HUGE shade range and they really are not expensive at all. I picked this shade up, along with shade '905' (mentioned in My Daily Makeup), when I was in France and I will be picking up A LOT more shades when I'm in Milan next Easter.

I love this colour. It does look a bit darker on the lips than in the swatch above, but it doesn't look too 'over the top' and is perfect for school. It smells AMAZING, like white chocolate magnums is how I describe it to everyone. I would suggest that you all go and check Kiko out because they are one of my favourite brands, their products are amazing and great value for money!

The second lip product I have chosen is also from Kiko. It's the Kiko Extra Volume Lipgloss in '27 Opal Rose'. 

I purchased this at the same time as the lipstick and boy I'm glad I did. It is so so pigmented and can be worn alone, or over a lipstick (it goes really well with the lipstick I just mentioned). I don't find it to be sticky in the slightest and it also has the 'white chocolate magnum' smell which is an added bonus! The lasting power of this is also remarkable. Because it's so glossy you wouldn't expect it to last for long, but I have worn this for around 6 hours once, including eating and drinking, and even then it was only just starting to wear away. The glossiness had gone after around 2 hours and left more of a stain, but I'm not complaining. Unfortunately this shade was limited edition and is no longer available but I believe a similar shade is '19 Pearly Cranberry'.

The fourth and fifth makeup item's I have chosen are eyeshadow's. The first eyeshadow I have chosen is my Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'. 

Now I talked about this is my last post, so I'm not going to ramble on for too long, but this is my perfect colour for this time of year as I like to stick with golds/bronzes/coppers etc. This is hands down my favourite autumn/winter eyeshadow and I have a feeling that it won't be off my eyes much. It also creates the perfect base for other eyeshadows which makes it even better. For a more 'in depth' mini review, read my October Favourites post.

The second eyeshadow isn't actually just one eyeshadow, it's actually a whole palette. It's my MUA Undress Me Too Palette. This is the only eyeshadow palette I actually own but I love it.

I don't use all of the shades at this time of year but the shades I do use are;

Devotion,

Fiery,

Dreamy,

Tranquil,

Wink,

And Obsessed.

I love all of these colours but my absolute favourite has to be Wink. It's a lovely rose gold sort of colour and just looks so so nice on the eyes. Just a quick side note, the colour I have hit pan on is the one I use for my brows so that is why I haven't mentioned it. 

Below are swatches of all the eyeshadow's mentioned. 

I love this palette and even though there are some dud colours (the black one in particular) I would recommend to anyone just starting out with makeup as you can do some really nice eye looks with the good colours.

The final product that I feel is essential for Autumn/Winter is a foundation. Now up until recently, I hadn't touched foundation for about 3 months, but now it's been getting colder, I've been reaching for my Max Factor Colour Adapt foundation.

This foundation gives a medium coverage but it is buildable. I think for autumn and winter, medium to full coverage foundations are great as I find my skin goes a bit crazy and I like to cover up imperfections and blemishes etc. I'd say that this is a cream to powder formulation as it goes quite powdery, but not cakey, when it sets. I love this as it dries matte and actually helps keep me matte all day. This does tend to cling to dry patches so I do have to be careful. 

I have this in the lightest shade '40 Creamy Ivory' as I'm like a ghost in Winter and it matches perfectly. Max Factor are one of the only brands that do foundations pale enough for my skin, so I always try and use foundations from them.

This is my new favourite foundation and I would recommend to anyone with oily, combination or normal skin.

Anddd, that is it for today's post. I really hope it was helpful and you enjoyed reading it. Please comment down below if you've tried any of the products I mentioned or if you would like to try any, or even if you have any product recommendations for me as I love trying new things:)