Sleek Ultra Matte Palette - V2 Darks

I love matte shadows and I love i-Divine palettes so when I saw that Sleek were releasing two all matte palettes I knew I had to have at least one, although I am still very tempted by the brights too.

The palette consists of 12 matte shadows in a variety of (darker) colours.

I am a big fan of Sleek shadows and in particular their palettes.  The colours in this one are great and I love the fact that all the shadows are matte, sometimes I find shimmery and glittery shadows a bit too bling for daily work wear. 

Unfortunately I am finding the formula a little difficult to work with so far.  The shadows seem to go a bit muddy if you blend them too much and being darker colours they do need blending.

I've only used the palette a couple of times so far so i am hoping it's more to do with my cack handed, rushed attempts than the quality of the product as I really like the colours and think I could get a lot of use out of the palette.

UD 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil

The new 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil from Urban Decay is essentially an eyeshadow version of their 24/7 liners (which I love). Such is my love for the liners I decided that I had to try out these new pencils too. I chose Rehab and delinquent, a neutral taupe and a gorgeous purple with a slight shimmer.

I haven't had much of a chance to play with these yet and have only used each once for a speedy look for work. So far I love them though, they apply really easily and truly do glide on, then they stay put for the whole day.



My one issue with them is that they dry VERY fast so if you want to blend them you need to do it right away, it's possible though and what they lack in blend-ability after the first few minutes they really make up for in staying power and colour payoff.

i can definitely see me ending up with more of these in the future.

MUA (make up academy) @ Superdrug

The new £1 range of make up at Superdrug, MUA (make up academy) looks, on first inspection, like it could have some potential. The packaging is basic but alright looking, it feels sturdy enough and the products are a good size. None of it looks really cheap, which it is, so a good start.

What immediately drew my attention were the eye shadows, they’re bright, bold colours available in 20 shades, 16 pearl and 4 matt. Over two trips I have managed to collect almost the whole set and I was super impressed with them they are phenomenal! All lovely colours and they go on so well, they are bright, last all day and they blend amazingly well. Also, several of the colours are exactly the same as other, more expensive shades from the bigger brands. So far there is an exact dupe of MAC’s blue brown (shade 12) and Kitschmas (the light lilac pearl )pigment and one which is very similar to a Barry M dazzle dust too (dark bluey purple shot through with pink).



I’m really taken aback by the quality of the eye shadows, they feel fantastic to use and look as good, if not better, than a lot of far more expensive products I own. I’m forever picking up cheapy make up bargains and regretting it later when they just don’t give value for money but the MUA range is definitely not like that at all. The matt colours aren’t quite so bright and vivid as the pearl shades but they still look good and apply well.



I also bought one of the blushes, very highly pigmented, goes on nicely and last really well, so another recommendation there.

However, I tried both the lip gloss products too, the squeezy tube and the wand applicator one and they are both rubbish, they taste weird and are thin and greasy and seem to slip off your lips into your mouth and they make me gag they taste so foul, I threw them both in the bin the day I bought them. So no rave review for them unfortunately.



Overall, I’m amazed at the quality of the eyeshadow, especially given the price and look forward to seeing if Superdrug decide to extend the range of colours, judging by the empty display when I went back in to have another look they won’t have any problem with excess stock in the near future. Go try some!

Jumbo Eye Pencil Update

I finally received my package form America, containing 10 of these beauties and was desperate to try them out. My first reaction was massive excitement as the colours are fantastic and they feel super creamy and lovely to apply.

Colour swatches:


Now that I have had a chance to try them out in a couple of different ways I have a few reservations. They do go on fantastically well, really smoothly, they are easy to apply, easy to blend and very blend-able. The one small drawback I am finding at the moment is that if I use them too generously in the crease they do tend to crease quite badly after a while, even when applied over a base (UDPP), saying that, it's not really bad creasing and can be re-blended throughout the day with a finger if necessary, it's just that I would rather that wasn't necessary. I also need to try out applying them using a brush as I think that might help.



However, they are fantastic for making the colour of eye shadows or pigments really pop, the colour pay off applying product on top of these is great, almost too great, I have yet to managed anything too subtle yet, they really do make every colour bright.

What I do love them for is as a liner under my eye on the lower lash line, they give a really soft, blended look down there with minimal fuss and look great. I also found them great for a quick splash of colour, apply your chosen colour all over the lid, blend upwards with your finger and then seal in with a similar colour of eyeshadow, I did this look at the weekend, it took 5 minutes and looked really nice, so definitely handy for days when there isn't time to do a proper blended look with shadows.



All in all I am really pleased with them and will continue to use them and see what application technique works best for me, so far it definitely seems that less is more and they have to be well blended to stop immediate creasing.

Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Urban Decay's Primer Potion is probably my all time favourite beauty find. It's, as the name suggests, a primer for your eyes. In the past I have had issues with eye shadow creasing a bit by the end of the day. I am not a big fan of having to so touch up throughout the day so ideally I want my makeup to stay put.

Applying the PP under my shadow means that not only do I have a nice smooth base to work on but also that the colours shows up amazingly and stay put all day. Plenty of people online recommended this stuff but it wasn't until I saw the results for myself that I was hooked, it really does work!

My only issue with it is the stupidly shaped tube it comes in, guaranteed when you think you have run out and none is coming from the tube on the applicator you will still have more than half left, the shape of the packaging means the majority of it gets trapped in the curves of the bottle. Simple solution though, saw it open and store the remains in a little pot! That way you use all the product and save yourself from buying a new one way too soon. There are tutorials all over the web on how to do the sawing so I won't go into it.

On the whole, one of my wonder products that I would never be without.

Sunset

A couple of snaps of the iDivine Sunset palette from Sleek, which obviously I couldn't resist when I saw it.







Another collection of really wearable shades for a bargain price!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils

My new obsession! Obviously, I chose something awkward to obsess about, it wouldn't be so much fun otherwise.

NYX is a very well regarded drug store brand in the states, known for being good quality, great colours and very reasonably priced. Although NYX products are available on a couple of UK sites, they are much more expensive and generally less easy to get hold of here than they are in their native land.

The JEPs come in a fantastic choice of colours, so obviously I was powerless to resist to urge to track them down and try them out for myself:



Anyway, a little more information; the jumbo pencils, are, as the name suggests, big chunky pencils for your eyes. They can be worn either as liner or shadow but what I want them for is to use as a base. They're well talked about online as a perfect, and cheaper, alternative to MAC Shadesticks. For those who don't already know, Shadesticks, as well as being great to wear alone, are a perfect base to show off your eye shadow colour and make it really pop. They are also an ideal base for glitter or shimmer powders and pigments which need something to stick to.

So, I tracked down a seller on eBay who will send 10 JEPs over here for $20 plus $6 shipping, queue much excitement! UK sites are charging £6 each. Now it's just fingers crossed to see if they turn up, and how soon. In the meantime, have a look at the colours I am waiting for!


Next NYX update should be when I get them!!

More looks

Teal:









Fireworks inspired eyes for Nov 5th; terrible pictures as the light was bad:










Navy:






Yellow & Orange:



Special squinty eye shot:

Some more recent looks

These are more so I have a personal record of what colours work well and what looks I might want to try again, rather than to show them off to other people, I'm not sure how interesting it is for other people to look at multiple pictures of my painted eyes:

Gold & Teal








Green & Gold
The pictures of this are terrible, but it was nice in person




Purple & Gold






Brown and bronze
(awful lighting)