Two Warm-Toned Looks from One Palette

I am an absolute fiend for warm-toned shadows as I have mentioned in many previous posts but I often find myself opting for the same variation of shadows when using even my most favourite palettes. The Morphe 3502 has quickly become one of my most used palettes this year so far and I am confident that I would wear every single one of the shadows that the palette contains. This has meant that I have actually fully explored the whole palette for once and not just the same few colours. Hence why today I am doing a post focusing on two looks created from just this one palette. 

Look One

This look is incredibly typical me as it incorporates a warm copper-gold foiled shadow called Rustic in the inner third of the eye, Blaze, which is a warm toned orange, blended through the complete socket of my eye and Rich, a chocolate brown in the outer crease. Paired with mascara and a black gel liner in my waterline, this look is perfect for me both day to night and is definitely one that I feel most comfortable in. 

Look Two

This look is something a little bit different purely for me as I rarely (and I mean rarely) opt for an all matte eye. Hence why I had to sneak a little pit of shimmer in the inner corner for an extra pop. For this, I payed extra attention to blowing out the outer third of my eye using the lighter orange-brown named Spice through the crease and blended towards my brow bone. I used the deepest brown in the palette, Muddy, to add extra dimension to my outer crease and created the gradience by applying the matte cream named Universal onto my inner thirds. I finished this look with lashings of mascara and eyeliner plus a touch of Zippy in my inner corner and ensured that I added a little extra glow to my face so it didn't appear extra flat.

If you would like a full review of this palette including swatches, leave me a comment below!

Do you prefer warm-tones or something a little cooler?

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics

Okay, I am very aware that I am incredibly late on the bandwagon in regards to this palette from Urban Decay. I was at first hesitant to purchase it as I was very content with my Naked Basics 2 and the original Naked Basics had never really interested me and I did not, at the time, feel it was necessary to have even more matte eyeshadows. Oh, how I was wrong. If I am completely honest it was the shade Extra Bitter that really caught my attention and trapped me in a state of lust which led me to promptly adding this to my Debenhams bag and purchasing it without a second thought. 

First up, I feel the shade range needs to be discussed. As I have previously mentioned, I am fully obsessed with the warm-toned orange shade, Extra Bitten, as I feel this colour is vital in a matte formula for any warm-toned shadow lover like myself. Orange will also be a prevalent shade this Spring/ Summer which also explains why many other brands are opting to include orange tones in their palettes. I also love the top three left shades as I feel it offers a real spectrum of opportunity in terms of a matte brow bone highlight which is always completely necessary. I feel the only shades I would not get a full use out of are the two on the bottom right, Magnet and Blackjack, as I am not one for grey tones as I usually tend to go for purples and reds when it comes to a smokey-eye. I also found that these two deeper tones do lack in pigment so would not really work to their full potential if used to smoke out an eye look

Essentially, this palette would be ideal for those who tend to use predominantly mattes as the shade range does cater for a variety of looks and most typically, warm-toned looks as there is a lack of cooler hues. Equally, this palette is great for those, who like myself, may already have a wide range of palettes that offer an abundance of iridescent finishes but need a matte to complement them in which case, this palette would be a perfect addition to use in companionships with the majority of warm-toned palettes

The pigmentations of the shades do vary as you can see in the swatches above. Whereas some shades such as Extra Bitter and Pre-Game really pack a punch and apply seamlessly with little fall-out (a rarity for UD eyeshadows) others fall short at the hurdle such as the greys and unfortunately the purple-toned Lethal which disappointed me. However, these powdered shadows can still be built up if you are willing to put the work in so don't let yourself be put off by this fact too much. 

All in all, I am very pleased that I finally purchased this palette and I now wonder whether I would have still purchased the Naked Basics 2 if I had known this was in the pipeline as that has pretty much become redundant thanks to its successor.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have you tried any of the Naked Basics palettes?

January Favourites 2017

Here are a few mugshots taken from my most recent video, My January Favourites! The video included products such as the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, my new favourite contour brush, the Jeffree Star Skinfrost in Peach Goddess, the Laura Geller Baked Illuminator in Gilded Honey and the Sleek Highlighting Kit in Diamond in the Rough that I recently viewed here. If you wanna hear my thoughts regarding any of these products and find out my holy grail eyebrow product which I sure matches yours, then click the link above and I shall see you here again on Monday for The Good, The Better and the Not So Pretty of High-End Makeup.

Also, please leave what products you loved throughout the month of January so I can check them out!

Thanks for stopping by!

High-End Makeup Tutorial

Product List:
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Aquacealer Concealer
MAC Prep + Prime in Light Boost
MAC Pro Longwear Blush in Baby Don’t Go
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Dark Brown
Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Brunette
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder
Hourglass Cosmetic Ambient Lighting Palette
MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Camel Coat
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette
MAC Eyeshadow in Nylon
Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
Estée Lauder Sumptous Extreme Mascara
Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in First Love
Jeffree Star Cosmetics Skin Frost in Peach Goddess
EOS Lip Balm
Lime Crime Velvetines in Cashmere

Blogging Hiatus & My Current Favourite Palette

Well...long time, no blog! It has been months since I have ventured onto this site to spill my makeup bag containing all my current favourite makeup products et cetera, as life just got in the way. I am currently making my way through my final year at University and honestly the idea of blogging began to seem like a form of procrastination which meant I was avoiding doing important readings, assignments and...you get the idea. Yet, I could not face the idea of missing out on blogging over the Christmas period as I always feel like year after year, beauty brands bring out amazing, elaborate collections for the festive period which I have loved blogging about previously. Despite this confession, this post is not actually about a Christmas collection but instead my current favourite palette that I feel would make an excellent gift for your sister, mother, girlfriend or pretty much any female/makeup lover in your life. 

The Tarte Tartelette In Bloom Clay Palette is pretty much everything I could ever want in a palette. As I have green eyes, I tend to lean more towards palettes that have deeper, purple shades as I find these really accentuate the green pigmentations in my eyes which in turn, makes them appear far more vibrant. Tarte is probably one of my most favourite brands for eyeshadows as the quality never disappoints. I feel like if you were to google the term 'buttery eyeshadows', Tarte's should be the top suggestion as my god, I have never experienced better. The blend-ability of the eyeshadows surpasses other competitive brands like Urban Decay, MAC and so forth and I love how the palette features multiple finishes such as rich, matte eyeshadows, iridescent gold and brassy shades as well as a lovely matte cream colour, perfect for the brow bone. I would use every shade within this palette as it is completely my aesthetic and I feel like a multitude of looks can be achieved wether you apply shades row by row or mix and match.

I tend to apply my MAC 'Painterly' Paint Pot all over my lid followed by a wash of  funny girl  to create a pretty, shimmery base which I apply with just with a soft, flat brush so I can really pack the colour on. I then apply smarty pants into the outer corner of my eye with a luxe soft crease brush and blend it up into the crease of my eye to create a neutral transition shade which I follow afterwards with leader to accentuate the purple hues which I usually apply with a petit crease brush, so the application is more defined and controlled. I then take the colour activist onto a pencil brush and apply it into the outer corners of my eyes and underneath to finish which adds to the smokiness and again, deepens the overall purple undertones. I then tend to finish the look off with either a black or dark purple liner into my waterline to tie the whole look together.

If you are after a new palette for Christmas for either yourself or a love one, I really suggest giving this a try. You can pick it up from Tarte's online store for £33 and trust me, it is worth every single penny.

What do you tend to look for in a palette?

Marc Jacobs 'The Lolita' Palette

There is really nothing I love more than a good neutrals palette with a nice selection of colours in conjunction with multiple finishes. I picked up this palette whilst holidaying in Canada as I was way too excited to see the Marc Jacobs products in person as they have only recently became available in England. First of all, I absolutely love the simplistic, sleek packaging, with a shiny black finish meaning there is no haunting finger prints in sight, (I'm looking at you Nars). I also am a huge fan of the name, 'The Lolita' due to it's association with classic literature. I love how it incorporates some staple matte shades such as the pale white, warm brown and a deeper, cooler brown hue, perfect for any smokey eye. I only wish the deepest shade mimicked the warm undertones present in the neighbouring shadows as I find it looks slightly out of place when blended into the crease. Nevertheless, it acts as an excellent liner if blended into the lash line to create the impression of fuller looking lashes. The pigmentation is impeccable (as you can see in the swatches above) with zero fall out. The variety of colours and finishes remind me a lot of the Charlotte Tilbury quads, especially with the packed, glitter pigment that adds an extra sparkle to the eye. They blend beautifully as the quality of the shadows are practicality the definition of 'buttery'.  I find this palette is a must-have if on the hunt for a gift for a special occasion; perfect for the quickly descending graduations and proms. It may be pricey, (£45) but I like to think that I am paying the price for good quality and I cannot wait to try more products from Marc Jacobs and will be sure to keep you posted.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

What is your current favourite neutrals palette?

Stila Eyes Are The Window Soul Palette

Stila is a brand I love when it comes to their eye products. Their shadows, liners and pigments are always outstanding in quality and I believe are to be completely worth the price. I have been hunting  the Stila Eyes Are The Windows in Soul palette down for a while now and eventually found it hidden away in the online catalogue from Look Fantastic. My initial need for this palette was based on the array of neutral shades in various finishes with incredible pigmentation. Yet, once it became clear how many different looks could be achieved at the touch of brush with the variation of colours, I was in love. I love the spiritual connotations contained within the palette both with the product name and each shade. My favourite shades are without a doubt: Light, Thought, Character and Peace, which in combination with one another, create a beautiful neutral smokey-eye with purple undertones. It also contains Stila's most recognised shade Kitten, a definite must due to the gorgeous pale gold hue that is perfect for both the eyes or as a natural highlight. This is the perfect 'day to night' palette that will be a suitable on-the-go partner due to the amount of shades cased in a compact, tarnished gold packaging with a solid seal and a seriously large mirror. Wether you are a matte lover or a iridescent fanatic, there is enough of each to make it worth your money. Priced at £30, it is expensive but considering it contains 12 shades, none of which are considered to be a 'dud', it is most definitely worth the price. 

Let me know what you think.

What neutral eyeshadow palettes are you loving? 

MAC Cinderella Collection with Swatches

So as you can probably tell judging by the overload of photos, I am seriously in love with this collection. After staying up all night waiting for the online launch last Friday, (Damn you MAC for not telling us the release times), you can only imagine how frantic I was when it finally hit the site just before 10am. I was kinda expecting a Midnight release time as that would have only be fitting with the theme but oh well! I am pretty sure I managed to get everything into my basket, check out and pay, in under a minute. It's very serious business this MAC malarky. I already knew exactly what I want and surprisingly I was more drawn to the pigments and powders rather than the lipsticks and glosses. That isn't to say that I didn't pick up both lipsticks because of course I did. I seriously cannot resist those bullets especially in limited edition pearlescent blue packaging. So here is a quick rundown and first impressions of the products I picked up.

The Beauty Powder in Mystery Princess (£23) is a really gorgeous milky-champagne, highlighting shade that reminds me a lot of The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer with less shimmer. This is such a lovely shade that catches the light beautifully and really adds a flawless filter-like finish to the skin. Then comes the sister product, the Beauty Powder in Coupe D'Chic (£23) which, although I wasn't too fussed about before, has quickly become one of my favourite products from the collection. This is an ultra-shimmer, subtle-pink powder that although hasn't necessarily been advertised as a blush, is honestly quickly become one of my favourites that I know I'll be reaching for a lot in S/S. I was apprehensive about the glitter in the product as although I'm all for looking like a Disney princess, I'm not into looking like a Barbie princess but the shimmer instead added an absolutely amazing highlight that looks incredible when photographed and has already bagged a load of compliments. 

Next up is the Stroke of Midnight Palette (£38.50) which I think is my up-most favourite product from the collection. Every single shade in this palette is wearable and I strongly urge anyone with green or blue eyes to check the shades out as they will really accentuate the eye colour. Luckily, for anyone that couldn't get their hands on this palette, 5/6 of the shades contained are actually available in the permanent collection (Vapour, Phloof, Omega, Quarry, Satin Taupe) and it is just the iridescent, deep purple shade (Stroke of Midnight), that is limited edition. I have used this palette every single day since I got it and although there is only 6 shades, the possibilities of looks is really endless. I am so happy that Omega is in this palette as I didn't own this previously and find it a great multi-purpose product that I am especially loving as a contour shade for my pale skin. 

I also picked up the Pigment in Pretty It Up (£18.50) which as you can see by the swatch above, is a really beautiful olive-gold loose pigment that I seriously cannot wait to use. I am fairly new to Pigments but the ones I do own, I love and find them perfect to add impact to any look. I also picked up the Glitter in Reflects Pearl (£18.50) which I have already used a few times to add a little bit of something to the inner-third of my lid, on top of the more neutral shades from the palette and already I am in love! As well as this, I also bit the bullet and bought the Fluidline in Macroviolet (£17). This is also available in the permanent collection but I couldn't resist the Limited Edition packaging - it is a curse! I am still yet to try this but I have found myself really leaning to purple hued products due to having green eyes. 

Finally here comes probably the most popular products from the whole collection which are the lipsticks. I picked up both shades - Royal Ball and Free as a Butterfly (£17). Each of these shades have a Lustre finish which although isn't usually my favourite, still looks beautiful all the same. Free as a Butterfly is a serious nude that really only caters for people with really pale skin as it will wash out any skin tones that are darker. Royal Ball is also a neutral but with a more pinky-twist that is a really great lipsticks for easy, on-the-go application. I also bought the Lipglass in Happily Ever After (£16), which I purchased partly because of the name and partly because I was intrigued about the blue glitter laced throughout the pink. This is really beautiful and still fairly subtle despite the bluey-tones and looks great when applied on top of Royal Ball.

If you would like to see some of these products in action, check out my MOTD post here. I apologise for the volume of text, I am still seriously excited about this collection and honestly love each and every product, even more than I thought I would initially. If you can get hold of anything from this collection, I strongly urge you to!

Let me know what you think.

What's your favourite thing from this collection?