As the sun prepares to set on 2020... [reviewing the Sunset eyeshadow palette, by Natasha Denona]

 Natasha Denona's warmest creation yet! 

Inspired by the colours of the sunset, this palette features 15 new gorgeous eyeshadow shades in a combination of warm brown tones, burnt oranges, reds, golds, bronzes and yellows.

Natasha Denona Sunset Palette includes all four classic ND formulas in her signature Chroma Crystal, Creamy Matte, Metallic and Duo Chrome.

This was my first Natasha Denona palette; I'd always been interested in this brand and what about the formulas made  them worthy of their price range, but the scary prices were a huge deterrent. However I bit the bullet and bought this at the start of the year, after finding it at TK Maxx. I couldn't not buy it - Sunset was the palette from the brand that has interested me the most and there it was, sat on a shelf calling to me, with a good chunk of change knocked off the RRP...

Going for gold [reviewing Bombshell Gold edp, by Victoria's Secret]

 

The gift of magic: Introducing Bombshell Gold, our limited-edition sister to America’s No.1 Fragrance, Bombshell.

Festive and intoxicating. Bombshell Gold is inspired by the holiday spirit. We captured this feeling with a luxe, luminous take on the Bombshell Collection’s signature floral: Gilded Peony. To create this fantasy note, we dipped a creamy White Peony in the warmth of golden vanilla for a glowing, golden floral effect. Frozen Lychee and glittering Sugared Woods sparkle like Champagne in the snow. Unmistakably holiday.

The past few years have produced some wonderful limited  edition Bombshell fragrances from Victoria's Secret, so my fingers are crossed for the 2020 Christmas limited edition release. Lets find out how well they have done it...

Holla back brat [reviewing the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Wattabrat, by Fenty Beauty]

Light up where you want, when you want. Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter was born to reflect your every mood...

Unlike your everyday highlighter, Killawatt keeps skin lit beyond sundown with its weightless longwear formula — a cream-powder hybrid that instantly melts into skin and blends with almost zero effort. Another win: It’s loaded with superfine shimmer for an ultra-smooth, creamy texture.

Seeing that last year's limited edition Diamond Bomb highlighter is the only Fenty Beauty item that I fully enjoy, I thought it'd be a great idea to find a similar shade in the brand's permanent highlighter line...

Sweet like chocolate? [reviewing Soft Musk Delice edt, by Avon].

"Embrace long-lasting pleasure. Give in to a scent that's as addictive as chocolate and delight your senses"

 Italian brand Aquolina used to have a edt named Chocolovers which I discovered during a trip to New York and quickly fell in love with, always receiving complements on whenever I wore it. However it was discontinued over a decade ago and when any bottles show up online, they usually sell for three figures. 

Could this quick-fix edt from Avon fill the void left by my past favourite fragrance?

EOTD: the New Nudes eyeshadow palette, by Huda Beauty.

A quick and easy look today, with my favourite-colour-of-the-moment - pink.

Huda Beauty's New Nudes palette is a lovely palette for people who want to be pretty n' polished fitly for work and other occasions like weddings and christenings, which is what  the demos in my review focused on. Today I want to show a taste of the more fun looks that this palette is also capable of serving up...

Two palettes, one look: the Jackie Aina & Carli Bybel palettes, by Anastasia Beverly Hills.

I've been making sure to make use out of all of the eyeshadows I have in my trimmed down collection and that sometimes means using more than one palette at a time. 

Today's post will hopefully inspire someone to make their palettes go that little bit further too.

Perfect for autumn? [reviewing the Desert Dusk eyeshadow palette, by Huda Beauty].

"Our palette is filled with vibrant, highly-pigmented shades that reflect the exotic landscape of the Arabian desert around us. We’ve introduced three new formulas to reflect all its dazzling mystery and charm, in particular the iridescent duo-chrome formulas just completely capture the mysterious desert mirages. I spent so much time to ensure that every shade was absolutely perfect, and every colour is so special to me” – Huda Kattan

Adventure on an exotic Arabian journey with the latest eyeshadow palette by Huda Beauty. This richly toned palette features 18 versatile shades that can be layered in infinite ways to create a vast array of looks with just one palette. Layer different textures to create unique combinations or add intrigue to smooth matte shades with a duo-chrome topper. From subtle, natural looks to dramatic statements and bold glittering looks, this palette will become your new essential for all your makeup routines - Huda Beauty 

Today I have a review for something I've had for a while, and had assumed that I had already reviewed; Huda Beauty's Desert Dusk eyeshadow palette.

The colour story is made for autumn, but does the formula for the brand's oldest [that is still available] palette compare to the brand's newer releases?

Yay or nay? [reviewing Musk | 12 edp, by Kayali [Huda Beauty]].

Emanating power and confidence, MUSK | 12 begins with magnificent notes of Lotus Flower. Laced with exquisite Musk, the scent shines a light on one of the world’s most mysterious ingredients. A voluptuous blend of Vanilla and creamy Sandalwood gives this distinguished fragrance an enchanting and tempered soul - Huda's site

Today I'll be taking a closer look at the edition in Kayali's layering collection that I'd been the least interested in trying.

Has it won me over, or should I have left it alone?

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. 

EOTD - Revolution x Emily Noel: The Wants.

For my final stop on The Wants farewell tour, I'm aiming for an all-seasons staple look, that I think will suit all occasions.

[I wanted to do at least two more posts with this palette, but my camera has finally passed away, so the blog is shortly going to be quiet, with only a handful of as-yet-unused photos left for posts]

I hope you have sweet dreams... [reviewing the Strawberry Dream eyeshadow palette, by Lunar Beauty]

The Strawberry Dream Palette is inspired by the strawberry skies and even has a subtle strawberry scent. With 15 unique colour combinations, this dreamy palette effortlessly takes you from soft to sultry with delicious pigment payoff - Lunar Beauty.

I've mentioned loads of times about pinks and berries being some of my favourite shades of eyeshadow to wear, and I'm especially loving them as we edge towards the autumnal transition. So what better to highlight my current mood, than a review of a product that revolves around that colour story?

EOTD - Revolution x Emily Noel: The Wants.

My next stop on The Wants farewell tour is going to be me turning to the dusty, cooler tones on offer and trying out the reverse smoky style again.

As my previous EOTD with the palette was of a warmer more trditionally summer look, I'm aiming for a more summer-to-autumn transitional look today...

EOTD - Revolution x Emily Noel: The Wants.

I've stopped keeping up with what Revolution Beauty is up to, so have just noticed that Emily's name is no longer on their Collaborations page after flicking though their site the other day, so I'm wondering if they are phasing out some of their collaboration products as a few influencers have vanished from the page? 

I therefore want to get in a couple of EOTD posts which use my favourite/only Revolution palette that I still own, to bid it farewell, with some sunset shades to represent the endof the palette's journey...

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

I've finally mustered up the patience to try the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Jackie Aina eyeshadow palette again; if you've read my review, then you know that I'm not a fan of the matte shades in it and I had to take a break from using it, as the problematic mattes frustrated me. However I removed the palette from my last declutter pile at the last minute [the shimmers are stunning], so I'm about to try really hard to make this palette work for me...

I'm feeling in an autumn mood today, as it has been dull & a bit chilly in the mornings... Oh heck, I don't need an excuse - I love autumnal looks and wear them in all seasons. 

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

For today's EOTD post, I want to share one of my attempts at mixing two matte shades together to make a new shade. 

This is a great example of how to get the most out of the blue shades on offer in this palette, when you just  don't feel like wearing blue eyeshadow - mix it with the pink, to make a tone in the purple family xx

Getting Cheeky; reviewing the Blush Duo Compact in 01 [Tou Tou/Strawberry Cheeks], by Natasha Denona.

Finely milled, non-oily and intensely pigmented, these blushes are perfect for all skin types.

The soft and silky texture of this blush gives a natural and bright look to the skin’s complexion. Natasha Denona Blush Duo Palette provides a dominant colour (right side) and a subtler color (left side) for blending and softening edges. They come in two different textures, matte and iridescent.

I'm not into layering blush; I'm a simple 'swipe on one shade & go' girl. So how well do the two shades wear on their own?

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

Today I want to showcase the shades in the Stupid Love palette that I haven't yet featured on the blog. 

The Stupid Love eyeshadow palette sold out quickly on the Haus Laboratories website, so I rushed the testing for my testing period after it launched on Amazon UK, in order to write my review and get it posted before the palette sold out - and I didn't get any decent photos when I wore these shades (whining about my camera is in the previous post), so I'm attempting to do a decent recreation today...

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

I had a bit of a productive morning - I've sellotaped my camera up along the loose base and it's now working again. Sorta working - the view finder is black, so I just have to point  the camera in the right direction & take loads of photos,  and hope that a few of them are in focus & balanced lighting.

Back to the subject of today's post; I'm making the most out of my camera's last leg, by posting some promised photos of a non-blue look with the new Stupid Love palette.

A not-so-stupid love? [reviewing the Stupid Love eyeshadow palette, by Haus Laboratories].

We want you to color your own world. Escape into STUPID LOVE and embrace your color story with 18 shades of full-intensity pigment, inspired by Lady Gaga’s sixth album Chromatica. 

Colors in cool and warm tones clash and come together in new ways each time you create, taking your look from subtle pop to bold celebration. In this HAUS of color, you make the rules, with multiple finishes and silky smooth textures that unite to put the power of love in your hands - Haus Labs.

 For the brand's first limited edition palette, they've focused on blue and teal tones and have added coordinating neutrals in a mix of warm & cool light, medium & dark tones, to make the colour story more wearable. 

This was the first cosmetic item in four months that interested & excited me, so the brand is already scoring points for the interesting colour story and presentation,  plus I've enjoyed all of the other products I have from the brand. Being the  first cosmetic product to  make me go "ohh" in four months doesn't sound like something impressive to most people, but I'm someone with severe depression, anxiety, PTSD and a couple of long-term physical health issues, who spent years buying something new every other week to give myself to look forward to, so to lose interest in my usual vices for a while and not miss them, means that this really stood out to grab & hold my interest. 

Has the reality lived up to my expectations?

Goldie looking chain... [reviewing the Glam Attack Metallic Creme liquid eyeshadow in Chains, by Haus Laboratories].

Multifaceted liquid eyeshadow with longwearing, opaque coverage for a true foil finish - Haus Labs site.

Hmm; so how does the Metallic Creme liquid eyeshadow formula differ from the brand's Liquid Shimmer liquid eyeshadow formula, and why does the price between the two formulas vary by £2 [the Metallic Creme range is the slightly more expensive one]?

This was the question on my mind when I first saw the four-piece Metallic Creme range, which was introduced last winter. I decided that the best way to settle my curiosity about the formulas, was to try the new-to-me one for myself.

So lets go and find out...

Hocus Pocus [reviewing Elixir | 11 edp, by Kayali [Huda Beauty]].

"An ultra-addictive scent, ELIXIR | 11 opens with sweet notes of Red Apple and Rose Petal Essence, before revealing a floral heart of Rose Centifolia and uplifting touches of Jasmine Sambac from India. Adding depth to the romantic fragrance, warm woody notes of Indonesian Patchouli and velvety Amber are enveloped by accents of Vanilla, leaving behind a long-lasting trail" - Huda's Blog

Patchouli is another one of those love-it-or-hate-it-with-no-inbetween scent notes for me, as I've had had migraines since childhood and they get more frequent the older I get. 

I do like patchouli even though I struggle to wear it, so want to find a fragrance featuring it that I'm able to enjoy. Since I enjoy Kayali's other fragrances, it made sense to check out the brand's patchouli-laced offering...

Two palettes, one look: Sunrise and Love eyeshadow palettes, by Natasha Denona.

I had an exciting day; I went to a Costa Coffee drive-through !!

I haven't been anywhere for around 10 weeks, and as diabetes is no longer showing on the vulnerable list  [at least it wasn't showing when I checked it, but now there is another debate over the dangers of coronavirus in diabetics going on], I decided to make the occasion special and put on some of my most expensive makeup.

The Love palette is limited edition and I want to get in at least one more EOTD post featuring it whilst the palette is still available for you to buy, so I used a few shades from it alongside my favourite matte shades from the Sunrise palette for a sunny look...

I tried looking to see which planet is currently in retrograde, but couldn't grasp what I was reading 🤷‍♀️ [reviewing the Mercury Retrograde eyeshadow palette, by Huda Beauty]

"I really wanted the colors and the textures of this palette to feel as out of this world and as ethereal as the inspiration for the palette. Crystal AB actually stands for Aurora Borealis, which is another name for the insane Northern Lights display and the reason the crystals were given their name, as the prismatic colors of Crystal AB look just like the famous colorful night sky display. Everything from the glistening pinks and purples and unique teal colors that Crystal AB and the Aurora Borealis are synonymous with are reflected in our multi-dimensional palette" - Huda.

The Mercury Retrograde eyeshadow palette was released in the run-up to Christmas 2019, so I've had plenty of time to familiarize myself - with every shade, in situations ranging from big nights out, everyday work looks, casual free time to clapping for carers...

I enjoy all of her other large palettes, so couldn't wait to see if this one would join them in my most-used-palettes drawer in my dresser, my nice-but-not-used-regularly-enough-to-be-kept-close-at-hand shelf, or my meh-probably-going-to-pass-it-along-to-someone-else plastic tub...

Ready to find out?

EOTD: the Jaclyn Hill Volume II eyeshadow palette, by Morphe.

I wanted to give everyone a better look at [what I thought of as] the only problematic shade  in the Jaclyn Hill: Volume II eyeshadow palette, as none of the photos I'd taken over the past few months really showed what I had tried to describe in my palette review.

Also; let's get another look at the awesome yellow 😉💞💞

EOTD: the Jaclyn Hill eyeshadow palette, by Morphe.

Another no-big-story-but post for today; it's just that I've been playing around with the Jaclyn Hill: Volume II eyeshadow palette for the past few months, and wanted to have a quick refresher on how easy/meh/difficult the purples and pinks in the original palette are to work with in comparison.

Since I was actually bothering to put on makeup, I thought I'd take some photos & share some observations on the shadows. So here's a 'going into the back garden' look & ramble... 

Jaclyn Hill strikes back [reviewing the Jaclyn Hill Volume II eyeshadow palette, by Morphe]

"This palette is embracing the past, owning the present and dominating the future" - Jaclyn Hill

"When Jaclyn Hill goes big, she goes all the way. Our OG Morphe Babe never half-sasses somethin’. It’s extra to the extreme. Just like her brand-new, dramatic-AF palette. She’s created 35 vivid shades to help you live your best life, 24/7. These bossy brights won’t back down (and that’s just the way we like it). So, are you ready for the ultimate glow-up?" - Morphe

Congrats to Jaclyn Hill and Morphe, as the creative vision has sucked me in; the colour story for the new volume in the JH palette line really speaks to me, to the point that I overlooked the facts that I've become a bit bored by the original Jaclyn Hill palette & that I didn't want to buy any more larger palettes, and they had me placing my order on the day that Morphe launched it on their site...

  They've already won with me with the sunset colour story, but can the shadow & pressed pigment formulas deliver the goods?

The glow goes on... [reviewing the Face Glow Cream Shimmer Stick, by Natasha Denona]

"Discover Natasha Denona Face Glow Cream Shimmer, an illuminating cream stick perfectly fuses to skin for a glow that seems to come from within. Delicate colour and pearl effects shape the complexion with pure radiance.

Easy direct application allows you to glow and go with style. Enriched with Lychee extract that offers antioxidant, hydrating properties"

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, I've become more interested in more natural-appearing highlighters - yet I'm also fond of highlighters which have I'M HERREEE levels of shine. Is there such a thing as a  highlighter that can somehow combine those two features?

... Everything I see is you... [reviewing Déjà vu White Flower | 57, by Kayali [Huda Beauty]]

Déjà vu White Flower | 57 is a seductive, yet warm and comforting scent that is steeped in nostalgia and reminiscent of that memory of falling in love yet also laying the foundations for new exciting memories to come; memories that you can revisit with every spritz.

Evoking the dreamy spirit of nostalgia, the warm and sultry scent is a fresh, bouquet of white florals. Déjà vu White Flower | 57 combines aromatic sandalwood and fruity notes of white nectarine and orange flower, creating a sensual scent that truly seduces the senses. The notes of jasmine, tuberose, patchouli and gardenia come together in a seductive and unique blend.

The number 57 indicates the 57 rounds of formulations it took to achieve the perfect balance of Seductive and Warm - Huda's blog

I don't usually like fragrances with gardenia in them, as gardenia turns sour on me more often than not, but Huda has been knocking (almost) everything I've tried from her brand out of the park, so I was looking forward to testing Kayali's latest perfume - the first one not envisioned as a layering fragrance - as soon as.it became available in the UK.

So after a month's worth of wear-testing, have we got another winner, or has the mega-brand had a rare miss-step?

Fresh blooms... [reviewing the XL 2 eyeshadow palette, by Lime Crime].

Blossom and bloom with Venus XL 2, the earthly rebirth of the ultimate grunge eyeshadow palette! Boldly unearth 18 all-new shades in four rich, buttery-smooth formulas: matte, metallic, foil, and sheer iridescent.

• Our iconic Venus gets a modern revamp! She has all the edge of grunge with a soft acoustic side.
• Venus XL 2 reigns supreme with all-new foil and sheer iridescent finishes that transform mattes and metallics to expand your garden of looks.
• Foil shades are high def and ultra reflective
• Lightly layer or boldly blend out, our new sheer iridescents cast an otherworldly wash of opalescent pigment all over lids.
• Discover browns that deepen, poetic pinks that pop, mythic mid-tone neutrals, and lush sage greens.
• Venus XL 2 captures all the edge of grunge with a soft acoustic side that redefines the classics and reinvents nudes.

Today I  thought that I'd celebrate the beginning of spring and review something themed for the season; this  eyeshadow palette was launched last spring,  so yeah,  I've had plenty of testing time and have also been able to see if this is only good for the one season,  or if it can be carried through to other seasons...