Santa approved: The Venus XL eyeshadow palette by Lime Crime.

For Lime Crime's bigger-sized palette in their best-selling Venus range, they've gone for the "ultimate grunge palette" and have chosen a "renaissance remix" theme, using romantic and feminine colours used in period artwork 0their shade selection.

I'm being a bit different in this review, by saying straight away that I love it the most out of every new-to-me cosmetic product I've tried this year, so think that it would make a stunning gift. I got it as soon as it launched on the Lime Crime website way back in March (or was it in late February?), so have been using it enough for a valid viewpoint. So if you are looking for a good gift idea for a makeup lover, then read on...

EOTD: the Jaclyn Hill palette, by Morphe...

When I watched the Jaclyn Hill palette reveal video that she made for this palette last year, she mentioned that she'd made one of the shades [Diva] as a perfect Christmas shadow, which is something which has stuck with me.

I was ill between last september and this January [including a week in the ICU], so never got to go anywhere or experiment with makeup for months, and so didn't get around to trying the 'perfect Christmas shade' during the festive lead-up last year.

But one year later,  I've remembered that I wanted to make a point of finally trying it out over the festive period...

Is this the one that we want? [reviewing The Emily Edit: The Wants eyeshadow palette, by Revolution]

 “I wanted this palette to inspire but could also allow you to stay in your comfort zone. I wanted the perfect balance of light, medium and really rich dark shades. I want the colours to be buildable, so you can reach that level of intensity that you want. You can create countless looks and endless creativity.” - Emily Noel

Here's the second half of popular YouTuber EmilyNoel83's collaboration with cosmetic brand Revolution. Like with The Needs eye & face palette I reviewed last month, I bought The Wants on release day & started using it as soon as it arrived, but wanted to wait before reviewing it because I wanted to make sure the 'wow' factor of using a product with the name of someone I've been watching for 11 years had worn off, and then I thought I'd keep on waiting til December to see if it was good enough to recommend putting onto peoples gift-lists.

The verdict is in...

EOTD: Soph x, by Revolution Beauty...

When I reached for my Soph x palette to use the Festive Flame shade in my previous post, I saw another two Christmassy shades, so thought I'd use them in today's post...

I wanted to showcase this palette again as I think Soph x is a nice palette for people who want to experiment with colour and want to expand their palette collection without breaking the bank - I think it'd make a nice stocking stuffer for those people and for YouTube fans, so as it's December I wanted to share.

EOTD: Soph x, by Revolution Beauty.

Like with the palette in my last EOTD post, since I'd not used this one in a while I thought that planning a post around it would motivate me to use it again. Plus as we're now in December, I wanted to use something that is affordable and easily accessible, for people looking for gift ideas.

As an added bonus, I recalled that this palette has a season-appropriately named shade in, so this look practically did itself...

EOTD: The Shade + Light Glimmer eyeshadow palette, by Kat Von D Beauty...

Who fancies some Kat Von D makeup at 40% off?!  

If you don't own the The Shade + Light Glimmer palette yet, then here is your perfect (and last) chance to get your hands on it; I'm sure that I read somewhere when it was released that it would be limited edition, so it looks like it's being cleared from the shelves with a £14.80 discount.

I've not worn any of my Shade + Light Glimmer shadows for a little while now, so I used the price-slash as the perfect excuse for a post and demo showing off my favourite and most-used shades...

Is it going on the naughty list? The Naughty eyeshadow palette, by Kylie Cosmetics...

Last November I ordered the complete 'Holiday 2017 Bundle' on the Kylie Cosmetics site [and some highlight  books too, as they weren't included in the 'complete Holiday  bundle - grrrr], so that I could divide it into separate gifts for family and friends. Long story short; my order didn't arrive until January this year, so after giving the other items in the bundle to everyone with a ton of apologies, I tossed this leftover palette into a drawer in annoyance and forgot about it. 

Then a few months ago I was doing one of my palette look-over's [checking if any have gone bad and looking for any shattered pans in them] and came across the neglected Naughty palette, so I put it on top of my dresser so that I'd remember to use it.

Is it a hidden gem that's worth you picking up as a xmas gift, or for you to get party-ready? Should I dump it back in it's drawer and forget about it again?

EOTD: The Peanut Butter Cup palette (part of the Chocolate Heart gift set) by I 💗Revolution...

Today's post is a quick n easy everyday look with the Peanut Butter Cup palette, that is new for Christmas 2018 from I 💗 Revolution. No fancy intro or special explanation for today's look - I just want to show you what you can achieve with the palette, if you are unsure if to get it or not.

[the Peanut Butter Cup palette is part of a 4-piece makeup set, that is part of the brand's Christmas 2018 gift range - it can't currently be bought separately]

Blinging like a Boss with The Vault and Morphe...

This palette is the one in The Vault collection that I was the most keen on owning, but once I got it I was almost scared of trying it in case I didn't like it, after the backlash against the collection began.

However I've now had a couple of months to try every shade a couple of times, so now my verdict is in. Will I now be joining in the online frenzy against the palettes? So far in my series, I really enjoy one palette in The Vault and dislike the other, so it could go either way... 

Getting lippie: Sweet Tooth by L'Oreal...

I'm back with my third nude liquid lipstick from L'Oreal's Les Chocolats liquid lipsticks line and wasted no time in putting it to the test with all-day wear tests. Will it be third-time lucky, or have I pushed my luck too far?

EOTD: The Red Velvet palette (part of the Chocolate Heart gift set) by I 💗Revolution...

Today's spotlight look is rather simple and on the quieter side for a regular go-to considering my current "if I'm going to wear makeup, then I'm going all out" all or nothing tastes, but as my one and only past demo using this palette is on the louder side using around half a dozen shades, I thought I'd show you a quicker and more subtle direction which you can take with Red Velvet* for more everyday type looks...


[the Red Velvet palette is part of a 4-piece makeup set, that is part of the brand's Christmas 2018 gift range]

And now it's time for another Revolution collaboration review, with The Emily Edit; The Needs face & eye palette...

I'm back with another product from Revolution's ever-growing collaboration line and I've gone with another multi-purpose face palette since I really enjoy the other ones I have. For the first time in the line I actually am very familiar with the 'influencer' that the brand has chosen to work with; it's EmilyNoel83, who I've been watching on YouTube for almost 11 years. 

Revolution had been teasing this collaboration over social media a little while before it launched and I knew from the first close-up face shot they showed that it was Emily (slightly stalkerish of me), so I was ready to buy her palettes on launch day. I've wanted to wait a little while for this review to make sure that the 'wow' factor of having the name of someone that I recognize and respect on the palette had worn off, and that I'm reviewing the product purely on how well it performs.  With that being said, lets now jump into the good stuff...

Fetish blush and highlight palette, by Kat Von D Beauty...

As I said in the last post, the Kat Von D limited edition Christmas range is out in Debenhams, and if the last couple of years worth of quick-to-sell-out UK releases are a indication [and they almost-certainly are], then you haven't got long to decide if you want to get anything from it.

Allow me to talk you through the contents and provide photos of me wearing everything in the second [and final] thing I bought from it - the Fetish blush and highlight palette. I hope that this helps you make up your mind about indulging in this Fetish product, or if you'd rather sit this one out...

Doesn't the name scream "wholesome Christmas fun"?! Fetish eyeshadow palette, by Kat Von D Beauty...

On your, mark, get set, GO BUY... the Kat Von D Christmas palette is out in Debenhams, and if the last couple of years worth of quick-to-sell-out UK releases are a indication [and they almost-certainly are], then you haven't got long to decide if you want it.

Allow me to talk you through the contents and provide photos, to help you make up your mind about indulging in Fetish, or if you'd rather sit this one out...

Ring The Alarm... The Vault has been opened again.

The Ring The Alarm palette is one of four palettes in the Morphe/Jaclyn Hill 'The Vault' collection, which is comprised of the eyeshadow shades that didn't make it into the original Jaclyn Hill palette.The Ring The Alarm palette contains the 10 warmest shades in the collection - I've watched a fair few of Jaclyn's videos now and saw that she does gravitate towards these kinds of shades, so this particular palette does feel very authentic. 

But never mind about that; we're here to find out if the quality inconsistency problems are real, and if so, are they ongoing...

Christmas is coming... The Heart Heaven highlighter gift set (by I ❤ Revolution).

Last time on Christmas is coming...

... I was all giddy when I saw that Superdrug's Christmas gift range has gone live on their site, so I just had to go ahead and buy a little something. I picked out one of Revolution's sets because I have come to really enjoy their products recently and the brand falls under the 30% off perk, if you have a Staff Family & Friends discount card. I'd wanted to buy the highlight set but it wasn't in stock at the time, so I picked out and reviewed the Chocolate Heart eye/face set instead.

 When I went back onto the Superdrug site recently to look for gifts for other people, I noticed that the highlighter set was back in stock, so I jumped on it. Was the wait worth it???

The shades of autumn, with the Kisu eyeshadow palette [by Revolution Beauty].

The Revolution collaboration line has boomed this year and today I'm going to be taking a closer look at one of the palettes that they created with an international 'influencer' - and this time around it's German YouTuber Kisu who is entering the spotlight, with her self-named eyeshadow and highlight palette.

I'd never heard of Kisu before, but one look at the beautiful autumnal tones in her palette and I was placing my order; autumn is my favourite season and I love autumnal shades when picking new clothes and makeup.

Is the Revolution Haunted Lights highlighter a trick or a treat?

I've outlined the tough things that have gone on in my life over the past year before [here and here]; one of the things that these stresses have caused is me relapsing with nail biting, so no China Glaze or indie Halloween reviews this year - it's a real shame that I'm struggling to break the habit, as there are loads of cool collections this year.

However Revolution have come up trumps with some cool Halloween cosmetic items, including the item that I wanted to get last year, but it sold out before I could get it... Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Haunted Lights highlighter.

EOTD; the Kat Von D 10th Anniversary eyeshadow palette...

The Kat Von D 10th Anniversary eyeshadow palette sold out very quickly after it's original launch in May [within a month], but I recently noticed that the Debenhams site have replenished their stock of it - whenever the brand has called something limited edition in the past they've meant it, so I don't know if they've just found an extra case of them in their warehouse, or something.

Anyway; I just wanted to share a recent look I did wearing shadows from this palette and just let people who missed out on the palette the first time know that they've got another chance to pick it up...

Christmas is coming... The Chocolate Heart eye and face gift set (by I ❤ Revolution).

A closer look at... CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!! 

I was all giddy when I saw that Superdrug's Christmas gift range has gone live on their site, so I just had to go ahead and buy a little something. I picked out one of Revolution's sets because I have come to really enjoy their products recently and the brand falls under the 30% off perk, if you have a Staff Family & Friends discount card. 

I really enjoy most of the Revolution highlighters that  I've tried, but the set of five heart-shaped ones was out of stock when I had some spare money to spend, so I turned to the brand's other outstanding product - their eyeshadow palettes.

Lets get Armed and Gorgeous from The Vault [by Morphe].

Curiosity has gotten the better off me again... I ordered the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill complete collection of The Vault eyeshadow palettes on their (rescheduled) day of release to see what all the drama was about.

The Armed & Gorgeous palette seemed to be the main one in The Vault collection that people were having the most problems with and caused everything to be pulled the first time, so that was the fist palette I started using. I've now worn every shade in the reformulated palette at least twice before giving my opinion, and now my verdict is in...

A closer look at... The Imogenation eyeshadow palette [by Revolution].

A friend works for Superdrug and gave me a Family & Friends Beauty Club card and Revolution is one of the brand's that falls under the 30% off perk, which is just the excuse I needed to continue my exploration into the brand's series of collaboration products - maybe I'm just kidding myself, but the collaboration ranges seem to be of a higher quality compared to their regular lines,  and I feel that since I happen to have so many anyway, I may as well collect them all, bit by bit. I mean, don't we all have a inner collecter,who influences our buying decisions?

Today I want to focus on Revolution's second palette with British YouTuber Imogenation, since I've just dedicated a post to her first Revolution palette - she is behind the Highlight To The Moon face palette that was released at the same time as this one. I really enjoy Highlight To The Moon (I've just  hit pan on one of the powders!), so I have high hopes for her eyeshadow palette too...

[here's my standard disclaimer; I'd never heard of Imogenation before buying this palette, so having a certain name attached to it means nothing to me].

A closer look at... the Highlight To The Moon face palette [by Revolution]...

After finding Revolution's Beauty Legacy palette and deciding that I really like an multi-use palette to simplify my everyday routine, I went back to their site to look at their other face palettes to look at their other options...


Revolution's highlighters are one of the products that I think that the brand does best, so it's no surprise that Highlight To The Moon is the palette that I zeroed in one.

 Is it just as handy as Beauty Legacy, or is it a impulse-buy too far?

We were Born To Run (with Urban Decay)...

Hello Urban Decay, it's been a while since I've been excited to see you. You see, your move from fun and out-the-box to Naked and safe with the same style of Christmas palettes much of the time, has been boringly uninspiring to the point that I stopped paying attention to you.

However, we do have a long history together, so I'm back again, to see if the spark is still there...

Two palettes, one look: Fenty Beauty [Mimosa Sunrise/Sangria Sunset Killawatt Foil duo] and Morphe [the Jaclyn Hill palette].

I've worn the stunning magenta and tangerine shades from the Fenty Mimosa Sunrise/Sangria Sunset Killawatt Foil duo on my eyes a fair few times now, but I tend to just wear the two shades alone rather then overshadowing the shades by pulling in other shadows from elsewhere. 

However the weather over here [the North West of England] has been more overcast and chilly first thing in the morning for a few weeks now, so I now want to take a few of my favourite shades from the Morphe Jaclyn Hill palette, to try to carry the two summery shades from the Killawatt duo into the beginning of the autumn season.

A closer look at... the Beauty Legacy eye & face palette [by Revolution Beauty].

I had been eyeing this particular palette because of its similarly to Tarte's collaboration palette with Grav3yardgirl [the Swamp Queen eye/face palette] at the time I ordered the Kiss Of Fire palette a few months ago, but it was out-of-stock at that time so I couldn't get it. I only ordered the Beauty Legacy eye/face palette now because I was £10 away from a free £25 value goodie bag (the things make nice stocking stuffers for family/friends) and it was back in stock, so I thought it'd be an interesting item to buy & test, then make a detailed blog post on, since there isn't a lot of online info on it in English. 

Like with my other Revolution collaboration palettes, I'd never heard of the influencer that they've worked with, so having a certain name on the palette means nothing to me [Maxineczka is from Poland, I believe].

Getting Lippie: Dose Of Cocoa by L'Oreal...

After instantly falling for the first shade of L'Oreal's Les Chocolats liquid lipstick I got, I had to get my hands on another one right away. Can we get another fantastic formula, or was the first time a one-off?  

Dancing in the... Moonlight [edp by Ariana Grande]...

"This new fragrance captures the artist’s luminescent personality and the special relationship Ariana has with her fans. It was created to inspire confidence to be yourself and carries the strong message of being a positive light to those around you"

I used to be interested in Ariana's perfumes out of a general curiosity, but now as someone who lives in Greater Manchester and was injured in the  Manchester Arena explosion last year, I've developed a new respect for her after she visited bereaved relatives and the seriously injured, plus had a big part in organizing and headlined the #OneLoveManchester concert to benefit the families of the deceased and help the injured in their treatment, recovery and  adjust to their new lives.

So yeah; I've become a fan of her music [we were only at the concert in my brother's memory, as he had been a fan] and I really want to be able to be able to say that I fully enjoy at least one of her perfumes too, so I picked up Moonlight as soon as it was released in the UK, in order to really be able to give it a chance to impress me.

Two palettes, one look: The Magic palette and The Masquerade palette [Juvia's Place]...

Today's look is one I wore to a concert in June - I was saving it for after I wrote reviews for the palettes, but I just haven't yet used them enough for an in-depth review. Waste of time just sitting on the photos for who knows how long, so here we go...

I didn't start this look thinking "today I'm feeling the 80s", it was more of a "which colour should I go for? Sod it - all of them!" type of thing... 

What happens when you don't have any ideas in mind???

Going somewhere over The Rainbow [eyeshadow palette], with Violet Voss...

The Rainbow palette by Violet Voss was something that I'd picked up when Beauty Bay had been having some kind of flash sale, since I'd been interested in trying the brand and as this palette only has 10 shades in it, I didn't feel as though this would be as big of a mistake if it turns out that this palette doesn't work out for me.

Has this palette been a wise investment?

Getting lippy: Candy Man by L'Oreal...

A nice go-with-anything nude lip shade AND a cocoa fragrance?! Do I really need to say any more to explain why I was excited about getting my hands on this?

Thought not - now let's see if the quality lives up to my excitement when it got it's UK release...

EOTD: The Jaclyn Hill Palette by Morphe...

I'm not happy with my poor visuals for my review of this palette [crap camera quality & unlabeled demos], so this is the first EOTD post I've made using it - I plan on featuring it in loads of future EOTD blog posts too, to make up for the not-so-great review [I'll explain after the jump]. Side note; isn't my palette filthy? All it does is sit in a drawer with my other eyeshadows when I'm not using it, so I'm not sure how it has gotten into such a state [I got my palette when Morphe first released it in the UK, so no wipe-clean packaging & shade names on the palette for me].

Back to the post's subject; I went to a garden party and before even starting to get ready I'd pulled out my Jaclyn Hill palette to use, as I haven't worn any shadows from it for several months and wanted a refresher on what I thought about it. I'd not been to a party in ages and knew that I wouldn't know most of the people there, so my mind was racing and jumbled as my social awkwardness kicked in; my thought process went something like this; garden party = BBQ = fire = burn = heat = spicy, so when in a panic and deviding my time between sraring at the clock, staring in my wardrobe and staring at the palette the following shades fitted the jumble in my head...

Rated XXX: Soph x Extra Spice eyeshadow palette, by Revolution...

I have the original Soph x eyeshadow palette by Revolution and am pretty "meh" about it and just can't grasp the raves for it - I'm not even sure when I last bothered to use it. Therefore when I got an email about the launch of this new palette, my sensible side was saying "just ignore it, because you already own similar shades in better formulas"... but my inner palette whore screamed "pink! Purple! Yellow! Orange! Buy it now!! you've not got these exact shades yet!!!" Guess which part of me won? 

I started using Extra Spice as soon as it arrived, after ordering it on it's launch date and I've now had plenty of time to give every shade a good trial run, so it's final verdict time = does my inner palette whore need taking out back and shooting, or has she uncovered a gem-in-the-rough? The packaging certainly looks better, but what about the formula?

A closer look at... The Amber Passion eyeshadow palette [P.S... Beauty at Primark].

I went to Primark for trainer socks... so naturally poked around in the beauty section. I rolled my eyes at the TooFaced-inspired chocolate-scented eyeshadows and the KKW-style contour sticks with sex-toy shaped applicator, but then came across the Amber Passion eyeshadow palette; it looks like the Huda Beauty Obsession palettes are going to be the new trend.

At only £3, I couldn't resist picking it up and since the beauty section at Primark changes a few times per month, I didn't want to waste time putting the word out on a bargain, showing swatches and sharing my first impressions...