A Review: The New limited edition Marc Jacobs the free spirit eyeshadow No.20 palette

For my birthday I was lucky enough to get some money which I instantly put toward this eye shadow palette that I have been swooning over for ages! It was a bit of a pain to get as here it the UK Marc Jacobs isn't easy to get hold of. I picked this up from Sephora online because I also wanted to redeem my free Nars lip pencils that I got in my birthday month.

This palette comes with 20 shades: 9 matte shades, 7 shimmers and 4 glittery shades. In this new limited edition palette there are 18 new shades.

I already own the Lolita palette and adore the Marc Jacobs eye shadows. The packaging is so sleek and high end, I think it is actually my favourite packaging out of my entire makeup collection.

This new palette does not disappoint. It is slightly deeper than the smaller palettes (Around 2cm) but it is still very slim with a small silver clasp on the edge. The best thing about the packaging is the size of the mirror, it takes up the entire lid on the inside! (The size of my hand) This would be perfect for travelling as you would not need to take another one with you.

Onto the shadows themselves. The shimmer/ glitter shades definitely have the best pigmentation and colour pay off. One swipe and they are buttery in texture with a lovely shimmer running through them. I like the mattes as well as they are not too chalky and don't fall down. The palette is divided into 4 rows inside:

Row 1

Eye Shadow in No. 1 (matte baby pink), No. 2 (matte warm nude), No. 3 (matte bisque), No. 4 (matte meringue), No. 5 (matte tawny apricot)

Row 2

No. 6 (icy lavender shimmer), No. 7 (pale gold shimmer), No. 8 (moss green shimmer), No. 9 (oyster gray shimmer), No. 10 (burnished gold shimmer)

Row 3

No. 11 (matte violet-gray), No. 12 (violet truffle shimmer), No. 13 (copper rose shimmer), No. 14 (matte slate-blue), No. 15 (ultraviolet glitter)

 Row 4

No. 16 (matte maroon-violet), No. 17 (black with iridescent glitter), No. 18 (cabernet glitter), No. 19 (midnight navy iridescent glitter), No. 20 (matte mahogany) 

I absolutely love this palette. There isn't one shadow that I would not wear in this palette. My absolute favourites have to be No.6 which is a beautiful lavender shimmer shade, No.8 which is a khaki/moss green and No.13 a copper rose gold shade.

It's a little pricey if you want to ship it to the UK but I'm so glad I bought this, happy birthday to me!

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

A Review: The New Naked Smoky Palette

Here it is, the fourth Naked palette, the Naked Smoky from Urban Decay. There are 12 shades to choose from in this palette and they are all wearable. Firstly on the left there are 6 shimmery shades (High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor, Slanter & Dagger. Next to these are two in between shades that have a hint of shimmer running through (Black Market and Smoulder) and then the 4 matte shades on 

the right (Password, Whiskey, Combust and Thirteen). As always, the shadows are very blendable with great colour pigmentation and staying power. There can be a little fall out but nothing to complain about. So far my favourite shades are Dirty Sweet and Combust.

I already have the other palettes so I did question whether I needed this palette, but being a beauty lover I knew I had to add it to my collection. This is a very versatile palette which covers a real range of looks from your everyday neutral matte right through to brown, grey, purple smokey eyes. I absolutely LOVE the packaging of this palette. I have found that each time a palette comes out it improves in quality and appearance. I was lucky enough to get mine with a £10 off code for feel unique which made it a bargain at just £28! 

The six shimmery shades: High, Dirtysweet, Radar, Armor, Slanter & Dagger

Black Market, Smoulder, Password, Whiskey, Combust and Thirteen

In my next post I am going to be testing this palette out to create four smoky eye looks- please see Thursday's post for more!

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

The Verdict: Buffing Brush V Miracle Complexion Sponge with photos

I have been using a buffing brush for quite sometime now to apply my foundation and much prefer it to a flat brush. Recently I picked up the miracle complexion sponge in boots on a 3 for 2 and decided to put it to the test. Could this beat my buffing brush? Let's see:

As you can see from the photos and close ups, I definitely prefer the finish with the miracle complexion sponge. It was much more gentle on my skin and allowed me to press more product on without it looking cakey. I think this is brilliant and I have to say that it has really impressed me. As I have dry skin it was far less irritating as you can press on the product rather than buffing it in. The different sides of the sponge allow you to do 3 things in 1. It has:

• Rounded sides blend large areas of the face with a repeated dabbing or “stippling” motion.

• Precision tip covers blemishes and imperfections.

• Flat edge for the contours around the eyes and nose.

This photo is taken with the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow primer and Light Wonder foundation in no.3 fair.You can buy the sponge here for £5.99

Thanks for reading

Katherine

xxx

What concealer shall I use? A review of Mac studio finish, Clarins instant and Urban decay naked concealers

From left to right:
MAC studio finish in NW20, Clarins instant concealer in light and Urban decay naked skin weightless complete coverage concealer in light warm)

A review of each concealer

MAC studio finish (£15.50)

What MAC says: 

'it is a lightweight, creamy, discreetly opaque concealer. Provides a smooth, long-wearing invisible coverage for all skin blemishes. Water-resistant, fragrance-free and non-blemishgenic. This emollient-based, lightweight concealer is so concentrated that a tiny amount can provide opaque coverage of the skin's imperfections and discolourations. It effectively covers dark circles, blemishes, moles, tattoos and birthmarks. Enriched with antioxidants (derivatives of Vitamin A and Vitamin E), it also contains Silica to help adsorb the skin's oils. 

What I say:

I think this is definitely not a lightweight concealer. I mainly use this concealer to cover blemishes/ red patches as it is pretty thick and opaque. It can be blended well and lasts all day. I think this is my favourite for 'concealing' those problem areas rather than using it to brighten areas or for using under the eyes.

Clarins instant concealer (£21)

What Clarins says:

'Instant Concealer provides customised correction for all types of dark circles. It is tinted to mask the colour of dark circles while restoring the  skin's natural tone. Its fluid texture blends flawlessly into the skin and smoothes the eye contour area'.

What I say:

As quite a new addition to the clarins collection, this is a great all round product. It has good coverage over blemishes and I actually use this on minimal make up days as a foundation for places that need some coverage/ evening out. It lasts well and comes in a lovely little tube- perfect to use with the Zoeva 142 concealer buffer brush or the Real techniques deluxe crease brush. If I had to have just one concealer I think this would be it!

Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer (£17.50)

What Urban decay say:

'Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer gives you buildable, even coverage with a luminous, demi-matte finish. Ultra lightweight, this high-tech formula melds like a second skin effect and gives you full coverage in an instant. 

For complete coverage, just keep building; no matter how much you apply, Naked Skin Concealer always blends beautifully and won’t settle into fine lines. 

Naked Skin Concealer helps improve skin’s youthful appearance and elasticity. Japanese green tea revitalizes and helps reduce the appearance by reducing the appearance of fine lines and giving a brighter, more radiant complexion. The formula is enriched with Matrixyl 3000, green tea, Litchiderm™ (derived from lychee fruit) and sodium hyaluronate'.

What I say:

I really like the packaging of this concealer. It has a doe foot applicator that holds a lot of product (maybe a little too much if you are not careful!). It is quite light weight and reminds me of the NARS creamy concealer in its texture. A great one to try if you like the NARS one. I like this as a highlighter on the nose, chin and a small amount under the eyes. Another great addition to the collection.

My overall verdict:

Best concealer for blemishes: MAC studio finish

Best concealer for dark circles/ red areas: Clarins

Best concealer for highlighting/brightening: Urban decay

Favourite overall concealer: Clarins instant concealer

I hope you found this interesting and useful

thanks

Katherine

xxx

Sephora haul!

This week I have been to Valencia on holiday and have been looking forward to going to Sephora as we do not have one in the UK. Here are a few of the things I got whilst I was there. (There are also a few things from Kiko too)

Sephora Items purchased:

Too faced chocolate palette

Make up forever HD foundation (Colour N117)

Sephora Triple action cleansing water

Sephora cream lip stain in 05

Sephora lip pencil in 03 queen quartz

Sephora Rouge infusion lip stain in 15 rosebud

From Kiko:

Kiko natural concealer in 02 natural

Kiko vibrant eye pencil in 602

Kiko long lasting no- transfer eye shadow stick in 04 golden chocolate

There are a few things that I have wanted to try for a while that I have been waiting to get my hands on! I have had a little try of the products but before giving my honest opinion I would like to try them for a bit longer. So far the cream lip stain stands out to me. It has a matt finish with a hint of sparkle that looks very pretty on the lips. It lasts very well (around 5 hours) and did not smudge/ go on my teeth.

The cleansing water is also lovely. Unlike the Bioderma/ Garniere micellar water your face feels refreshed and very clean afterwards. It does give a slight tightening so it may be drying but I will try it out and let you know my thoughts. 

Watch this space for a more in-depth review of the products

thanks

x

My coffee machine

I would like to share a review of my dolce gusto coffee machine today which has to be one of my favourite things that I own.

KRUPS Dolce Gusto Piccolo KP100640
(Currently £69.99 curry.co.uk but I picked my up for £44.99 in the sale)
I absolutely love this coffee machine and I enjoy having a coffee every morning before I go to work. There are over 30 varieties of pod to choose from, including espresso macchiato, cappuchino, lungo, mocha, chai tea, hot chocolate and more. Even if you are not a coffee fan there are plenty of other drinks to choose from. You can also use the lever to control the water temperature for pods that require cold water such as the Nesta peach and lemon iced tea. It is very easy to use and the water tank has a capacity large enough to make 2 drinks at a time. The pods are available at all supermarkets and are available at 3 boxes £10 in Asda (this works out at 21p a drink/ 42p drink for the milky drinks/hot chocolate capsules). All of the coffee/espressos work out very reasonable and the lattes/cappuchinos/hot chocolates work out a little more expensive as you need the coffee pod and the milk pod.

I also bought this bubble pod holder (£17.99, dolcegusto.co.uk) which holds 32 capsules and looks rather snazzy too!

I hope this review was helpful if you are thinking about getting a coffee machine

thanks
x