EOTD: the Mercury Retrograde palette

Whenever I use this palette I always give in to temptation and reach for at least one pop of colour, so I wanted to do a look that stuck to the more neutral side of things, to show that you can indeed make some lovely toned-down and more conservative looks.


So if you have, or want, the Mercury Retrograde eyeshadow palette and are not sure if it can be a 'everyday' type of palette that can be used as you get ready to go to a office-based job [or similar atmosphere], you can see that it does work and you can hopefully get a bit of inspiration too...

Getting lippie: reviewing Le Monster Matte Lip Crayon in Fire Me, by Haus Laboratories.

"This full-coverage, creamy formula strikes in one swipe with unexpected comfort and lightweight matte payoff, wrapping lips in smoother, fuller-looking color you can sink your teeth into" - Haus Lab  

MATTE COMES ALIVE 

Each MONSTER goes on smooth, then dries down morphing from creamy application to a budge-proof matte finish. 

COLOR, CRUSHED 

The lip-boosting complex and crushed pigments combine to attack lips in one swipe with fuller, smoother-looking payoff that keeps its grip. 

COVERAGE THAT KILLS 

Get matte and stay even with water-resistant, streak-free, budge-proof coverage.

EOTD: the Jackie Aina eyeshadow palette, by Anastasia Beverly Hills.

When I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Jackie Aina eyeshadow palette again recently, after avoiding it for half a year since I found the mattes hard to work with, I had more luck using it and thought the resulting look was actually decent. 

So; do the eyeshadows perform better with a bit of age? Was it a fluke? Benefit of taking a break to cool down, before trying again?

Out of this world? [reviewing R.E.M. edp, by Ariana grande]

 "In my dreams... I'm always the version of myself I was in Break Free tbh. I always wanted to spend more time as this character/in this world... so maybe that's just what I'll do. So much to look forward to" - Ariana Grande 

"R.E.M. is a scent designed to extend the boundaries of your universe"

R.E.M. is limitless, aiming to give you the power and courage to dream more. Inspired by Ariana’s love for space and the universe, the new online will make us feel as if we could conquer the entire galaxy. 

Break Free is one of my favourite Ariana songs, so the visuals for the marketing,  packaging & bottle of R.E.M. hooked me immediately and I stalked uk retailers online, but ended up finding a few 50ml bottles in my local Boots store early, without any testers.

Having learnt my lesson from past impulsive Ariana Grande fragrances, I  decided to wait until the official release I was all over that s$#t and purchased a bottle (I returned to the store the very next day and the bottles had been removed again), because I haven't learned.

Have I made another mistake, or has the Ariana Grande line of fragrances gotten fully out of the pom-pom era groove?

How fussy does it go? [reviewing Rebel & Diva edp, by Avon].

Dare to seize your moment & unleash your confidence - Avon 

I'm a big fan of the Faraway Rebel edp, so you knew I'd be all over this new flanker of a flanker. Can it stand next to Rebel in terms of quality, or should Avon be giving the Faraway line a break?

EOTD: the Stupid Love eyeshadow palette, by Haus Laboratories.

I'm in the mood for colour for the end of summer, but also in going grungy for autumn (as far as I'm concerned, it is autumn), so I wanted to play with a cool greeny blue and a grey-tinged neutral to mesh the two themes together.