Review: Accessorize Baked Eye Shadow Trio

Hi

In the holiday season, all the shops start making gift sets, which I am have a love/hate relatipnship with. Love because they make you look at and try out products that you wouldn't necessarily try otherwise and hate becuase they can charge you alot of money for extra packaging and other bits that you don't need. But the other day while walking though Superdrug I saw this Accessorize baked eyeshadow trio gift set and it caught my eye.  Accessorize are a jewellery and handbag brand by trade but have recently starting branching out into make-up on a larger scale and up until this point I haven’t tried or wanted to try any of it. This is simply because I tend to find companies where make-up is not their main focus don’t tend to put that much thought and effort into making it good. However M&S have recently been very successful with their make-up ranges so I thought I would give Accessorize a chance.

Their baked eyeshadows individually are £3.95, so the trio pack at £5.99 basically meant you were getting one free. The packaging seemed nice and the colours fairly unusual but not unusable, so I made my purchase.

The outer packaging was very pretty as you would expect from accessorise although not very Christmassy which butterflies decorating the front and back of the box. I do like the combination of the purple and gold colours though, giving a very classy feel to the product.

Inside the eyeshadows are individually packaged in clear plastic compacts with the brand name and logo painted in gold on the top. Other than the logo the packaging is very clean and simple and allows you to see the colour you are looking for instantly which, with a make-up bag the size of mine can be very helpful.

Top: wet, Bottom: dry

Molten copper is the first of the 3 eye shadows and is a deep copper/bronze colour, very close to that of a British penny, and it has bright yellow gold flecks baked in. When swatching the gold almost disappears leaving only gold glitter visible. This however adds such dimension to the copper and prevents it from being just a shimmer shadow. The shadow is very pigmented and blends easily but without a primer or cream product underneath looks as though it may rub off quite easily. The back of the box of for these shadows suggests that because they are baked you can use them wet as well as dry so I wanted to say that when wet this shadow had a lot more staying power, brighter pigmentation and higher shimmer.

Top: wet, Bottom: dry

Golden Caramel makes me think of a cappuccino after it has been stirred, the white froth on the top blending with the coffee and chocolate underneath. There 3 definite shades in this shadow: a creamy pearl white, a warm but light caramel and a deep cranberry red hidden in the cracks of the first two. When used dry this shadow becomes quite sheer although the shimmer and glitter still catch the eye. When wet though this colour comes alive as a gorgeous shimmery pearl which catches the light at every angle and demands attention.

Top: wet, Bottom: dry

Cosmic rays is quite different to the first two shadows in that it contains a very deep dark forest green. It also has a large amount of antique gold which is blended together to make such a beautiful looking shadow I almost don’t want to use it for fear of destroying its beauty. When used dry the green is quite dull with the gold glitter sparkling on top creating all the excitement. But when used wet the drama intensifies as the dark green creates a beautiful backdrop to the antique gold which shimmers and gleams in the light.

For all of the 3 shadows I would say that dry they are good for day time when you want just a little bit of shimmer and sparkle, but if you want a dramatic impact with lots of “look at me” then use these shadows wet. For the price I think I have got some really good eyeshadows that are going to look great for day or night.

Have you tired any of Accessorize's make up yet? Let me know in the comments below, I love hearing what you think.

Love

Jude xxxx

Review: Sleek - Base Duo Kit

Hi,

My local Superdrug store has recently had a bit of a renovation and in the process their make-up section has been greatly improved. To my delight this has meant that their Sleek Make-up UK stand has got bigger and I have been taking full advantage. The biggest addition to the Sleek stand is the foundation section, there are so many different products and shades ranges within those. So I thought I would check them out and see how they compare to other foundations out there.

Although both liquid, and power compacts where available I decided I was going to go for the duo compact, even though it was slightly more expensive at £13.00, my skin is dry to combination so sometimes just I need full coverage foundation and sometimes I can get away with just a powder. So to have both in the same compact seemed very handy.

The matte black packaging with the glossy logo on the top gives a very classy feel to the compact but I do worry it will get quite dirty in my hand bag, and the fact that it is nearly an inch deep makes it quite bulky considering its a compact, and the sharp cut corners don’t make it very comfortable to hold.

Inside the compact is a 2 inch mirror and the powder foundation. The powder section is hinged and underneath that is the cream foundation along with another mirror. Now while I see that having the second mirror is very useful if you are just using the cream section of the compact, I think that this has added to the weight of the compact as a whole which again makes it feel quite bulky. 

The other thing that surprised me with the packaging of this compact was that no sponge or powder puff is included. Now whether this is because it would have meant making the compact even bigger or that they couldn't find a sponge that would work for both powder and cream I don’t know but if you don’t have any brushes or sponges handy your fingers will work just fine.

The cream foundation feels very soft on my fingers and melts into a liquid as you touch it. The coverage is pretty high which I wasn’t expecting and blends into the skin quite well. It did leave my face feeling slightly cakey but maybe if used with a brush you could blend it slightly more to get reduce this.

The powder is soft and velvety; with no sheen or shimmer it is completely matte and leaves a very smooth finish by itself or over the top of the cream base.

Overall I think the product inside this compact is really nice, and you get a good amount of it for the money. However I think the outer packaging needs a bit of work as it is a bit too square and bulky. Still glad I bought it though and will make a good base for a night out I think?

A selection of Sleek products is available on Superdrug’s website with the full collection on Sleek’s own website. If you haven’t heard of this brand before I urge you go try out their eyeshadow compacts they are amazing!

Have you tried any of the Sleek products? let me know in the comments below, I love to hear from you.

Love 

Jude xxxx

Review: Fearne - Glossy Lips

Hi everyone,

One of the parts I love most about Christmas is all the beautiful gift sets that come out in the drugstores, one of which is by TV & radio presenter and UK fashionista Fearne Cotton. I am quite happy to admit that I am a big fan of Fearne, as she carries the torch for all the non-conventional girls, who have tattoos and listen to rock and metal music, whilst still remaining feminine and girlie throughout. Last year Fearne brought out a line of cosmetic gift sets with the UK drugstore Boots, and this year she has surpassed herself with another collection of beautiful products. I knew I was going to love these sets as I loved last years so much, so I put 3 sets on my letter to father Christmas and was delighted when I got 4!

The first set I would like to show you is the “Glossy Lips” set which contains 4 stunning and colourful lip glosses.

The first thing that struck me about this collection of gift sets is the beautiful packaging that it comes in. I know that Fearne is a very talented artist so it didn’t suprise me that she has clearly taken the time to think about what she wants her collection to look like. The boxes stand out with their monochrome colouring and their vintage rock and roll design, with elements of lace mixed with bold colour shapes like hearts and stars and photographic roses bringing the tattoo theme into play as well.

The glosses themselves come in beautiful packaging with the monochrome and lace effect running through the lids and the bottles. Each gloss contains 8ml which is a good amount and with a shelf life of 12 months there is plenty to see you though till next year. The colours themselves don’t have individual names so I am just calling them names which I think suit.   The 4 colours make a good selection of what is popular right now but also still classical, in that you have a colour which I think will suit everyone.

First is the baby pink gloss:

When I first saw this colour it instantly made me think of the 60’s and Twiggy with the bright but pale lip that was so fashionable then. When I looked closer I noticed that while being very bright solid colour it also contains a very subtle silver shimmer, which I think makes this gloss look more modern. In texture the gloss is not too sticky, and although it definitely applies slightly sheerer than if this were a lipstick, it holds its colour really well.

Next is the coral gloss:

Now coral isn’t a colour that a lot of people always think of when choosing a lipgloss or stick, but I think it is greatly underrated. It can be an alternative bright lip when you don’t want pink or red, and looks great with a tan or on darker skin tones. Much like the pink this colour feels very retro, but by adding the slight touch of shimmer it doesn’t look dated. It adds a lot of colour without being over bearing and creates a great impact on the lips.

Third is the rose gloss:

This gloss is definitely the shimmer out of the set, containing lots of pearl and tiny, tiny micro glitter particles to really catch your eye. The high shine in this gloss really catches the light when applied and the colour is incredibly sheer so it would go with any look you decide to pair it with. This is a great staple for a night out but maybe a bit too shimmery for a day look.

Finally the red gloss:

A classic red lip is very vintage and very rock and roll so it didn’t surprise me at all to find this colour in Fearne’s collection. It is a very deep red but not too blue and like the pink and coral contains the pearl shimmer as a subtle extra. I think this gloss has the highest pigment of all of them, which shows up as a great glossy red ont he lips. If you are a bit scared to try a red lipstick this is a great alternative as you can build up the colour to suit your style, whether it be just a hint of colour or full on high impact. This is going straight into my going out bag, as this is going to look great after work to vamp up my work make-up.

L-R: Pink, Coral, Rose & Red

Overall I’d say this is a great lip gloss set for someone who likes to experiment with colour or for someone more timid who is daunted by all the different colours on the make-up counters and wants a set they can rely on. These sets come out for the Christmas season and are now on sale at half price on the boots website.

Have you tried this set out yet or anything else from Fearne’s collection? Let me know if the comments below, as I’d love to hear what you think.

Love

Jude xxx

Christmas/New Year update

Hello everyone,

Sorry for being away for so long, as I'm sure you are all aware Christmas is a very busy time, and I have been enjoying spending time with my family and friends, so my blog has taken a bit of  back seat. However with the new year just over the horizon I felt it was time i got back on it, since there are so many beautiful new products out there to try out and review.

Christmas time is always a great time to be a beauty blogger especially if your friends and family know, as you get loads of things that you maybe wouldn't buy for yourself or maybe stuff you would but couldn't really afford. Well this year I have been a very lucky girl as I got so many beautiful gifts I could barely fit them into one photograph.

As you can see I got quite a selection of different things, and I can't wait to start reviewing these all for you. Did you get anything that you are really please with this year? Let me know in the comments below I'd love to hear from you.

In the new year I am also looking to start making videos to go along side my blog, and I'd love to hear from you would like to see in them? Do you want to see product reviews, make-up tutorials, nail art designs, hauls, outfit of the day or maybe something else entirely? 

As this is likely to be my last blog of 2012 I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has checked out my little blog, and for my 5 followers a special thank you for taking the time to keep coming back for more. I know 5 doesn't seem like a big number to most people but to me it means so much that you have chosen my blog out of all of the hundreds of thousands out there. If you would like to join this special group of people and follow my blog, I would welcome you with open arms.

So in brief I am really grateful for all of you who have checked out my blog so far and I hope you will return for more in the new year.

I hope you all have an amazing new year's eve whatever you are doing, and I'll see you all in 2013!

Love

Jude xxxx

Review: Topshop Dark side of the Nude collection Eye Palette in Prism

Hiya,

Topshop are becoming very well known for their gorgeous make-up collections, and this year’s winter/Christmas collection is no different. It’s called “Dark side of the Nude” and on the website they describe it as:

“Gothic goes glamorous with our decadent capsule make-up collection, Dark Side of Nude. Vampy-claret lips are teamed with metallic mushroom eyes and an icy pale base for a high shine and high impact look.”

Collections like this are one of the reasons I love winter, as it brings out all the deep, dark sultry colours of the spectrum and with all the Christmas and New Year parties just around the corner it’s a great excuse to get all glammed up. So when I saw this palette in my local Topshop I couldn't resist trying it out.

The outer packaging is the usual matte cardboard we have come to love from Topshop, with the diamond/cracked ice style design and the essential information all in glossy black printed over the top. This gives a very sophisticated feel to the product and this continues inside the box.

The smooth matt and glossy accents again add elegance, although I would worry that every bit of eyeshadow is going to stick to it but I’m sure that’s nothing a baby wipe won’t fix.

Inside is a 3 inch mirror and 3 eyeshadows that are embossed with the same diamond/cut glass pattern from the outside, which makes them catch the light and glisten.

There is a matte black, a rose gold/copper and a pewter/silver colour. The look so pretty next to each other in the palette I hope they look just as good on my skin.

The matt black is pretty highly pigmented and goes on smoothly.

The rose gold/copper is filled with micro glitter which makes it really
 sparkle under bright light and shimmer in daylight. It is very
 pigmented and is going to look gorgeous layered on top
 of the matt black or on its own.

The silver/pewter colour is also packed full with micro-glitter
 and shimmer particles and is so beautifully pigmented.

Swatched dry with no primer or base

 

Over all I’m really pleased with this compact, really bright shimmer metallic colours can often be very sheer and difficult to get real impact from. However these are very highly pigmented and especially when used with a damp brush are so opaque and sparkly they are sure to create an impact this party season.

This compact along with the rest of the Dark Side of the Nude collection is available online at Topshop.com or in your local Topshop store. I’d highly recommend you go and check it out.

Have to tried this compact out? or anything else from Topshop's winter collection? I'd love to hear what you think about it, so please leave your comments or questions below.

Love Jude xxx