Thursday 27 December 2012

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette Review

Urban Decay - Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette, £20 - Debenhams
 
 The Naked Basic's palette is the newest release from Urban Decay. This is their very first matte palette and when I heard this, I knew I had to buy it and instantly put it on my wishlist. So, imagine my delight when I spotted a pile of the Naked Basic's palettes at my local Urban Decay counter - I probably let out a little squeal as I speedily ran walked over.
This palette features six shades, four of which are brand new to Urban Decay. From left to right we have..
 
Venus - New. A demi matte, pearly white.
Foxy - This featured in the Naked2 palette, it's a matte cream.
Walk of Shame - A pale, pink toned nude, matte.
Naked 2 - New. A matte taupe.
Faint - New. A warm, rich dark brown, matte.
Crave - New. A matte black.
 
All of the shadows are well pigmented, creamy and blend like a dream - perfect shades for a neutral look or evening eyes all in a compact, sleek palette with a large mirror. This palette is ideal for travelling, it's well made, secure and half the size of the other Naked palettes!
Do I think it's an essential purchase? No. Is it a nice luxury item? Yes, of course.
If you have a little extra Christmas money and feel like treating yourself, this will set you back £20 but it's a great purchase. All of the neutral shades you'll need together in a well packaged palette with a nice demi matte to use as a highlight.
 
Did you pick yourself up the new Urban Decay palette?

Wednesday 26 December 2012

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain's

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain's in 'Romantic' and 'Crush' - £7.99
 
Described as a 'pampering balm fused with a lightweight lip stain in an adorable, retractable chubby lip crayon'.

After seeing the Revlon Kissable Lip Balm Stain's splashed across almost every blog I read and hearing that they were a dupe for the Clinique chubby sticks I knew I had to pick a few up. I wasn't particularly interested in the pink or nude shades as I knew they wouldn't make a huge difference to the colour of my lips so I opted for the two red shades on display. 

'Romantic' is a classic Vixen, old Hollywood red.
'Crush' is a gorgeous, deep cherry plum.
 
The packaging of these are simplistic but sweet, it did take me a few minutes to figure out but they twist up so you never have to bother sharpening them - a huge plus for me. These balms are quite firm and waxy so I don't foresee them breaking off and you end up using very little product, also helped by the fact that the pigmentation is amazing! If you're a little colour shy then a light handed application will give you a hint of colour or you can apply more generously for the full effect.
I always exfoliate my lips prior to applying any lip products to eradicate any dry patches so I had no problems with uneven application, etc. These apply like a dream, gliding on to the lips and feel smooth and creamy once on. I find these to be pretty moisturising but by the end of the day the glossy finish has faded and the colour has worn off slightly in areas due to drinking or eating although you'll still have a base colour where your lips are stained - a quick top up is all that's needed!
 
The only downside, for me is the minty scent - I don't understand why anyone needs minty lips?! but I can overlook this minor negative.
 
Revlon is currently on 3 for 2 in Boots so if you fancy trying out a few of the Lip Balm Stain's get yourself down there ASAP!

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Dior, Clinique and Perfumes Club


Recently I was very generously offered the opportunity to trial a few products from the Perfumes Club website and feedback my thoughts on the website, delivery and cosmetics themselves. After having a thorough browse of the site, I decided upon the Clinique Anti Blemish Foundation - acclaimed to be brilliant if you have oily skin, and the Dior Matte Bronzer. In order for me to trial the website as a normal customer I was given a code which discounted the products at the end of checkout, but still allowed me to go through the process of finding each item, adding it to my basket, checking out and experiencing delivery as any other customer may. The layout of the website is incredibly easy to navigate and if all else fails and you come up trumps in your search you can find the item you're looking for with the search bar. The Perfumes Club offers a wide range of discounted beauty products, including high end brands which means you might find your favourite products at a lower price! The website also offers the option of PayPal payments, money transfers and Card payments whilst checking out which is an added bonus.
 Postage and Packaging is my only quibble, with it being £6.90 - I know this will immediately throw up a red flag for some but my parcel arrived within three days of purchase, well packaged and I had continual updates on it's whereabouts (it comes all the way from Spain!). The real stand out product so far for me has to be the Dior Matte Bronzer, which is just a dream to use. Although it may be Winter, I'm still an Essex girl and I love a tan so this adds a really healthy pop of colour without looking as though you've been tangoed. Not to mention the packaging is just gorgeous! I'll be reviewing both products in full details within the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled!

Fancy a browse of the Perfumes Club website? http://www.perfumesclub.co.uk/