Purple Haze E.O.T.D.

I do love wearing a purple eye, so here's a look I've sported a few times recently.

To get this look I used the following products

• I primed with UDPP in Eden.
• I applied NYX Jumbo Pencil in Purple all over the lid.
• (All shadows are MAC) I packed Satellite Dreams all over the lid.
• Placed Blackberry on the outer lid and used Fig.1 in the crease and lower lash line.
• I also ran a little bit of Universal Appeal MES through the crease.
• Trax was packed on inner part of the lid.
• Vanilla was used on both the inner tear duct and brow area.
• Then Shroom was applied in the arch of the brow and Phloof! in the tear duct area.
• Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Zero was used to tightline and on the lower lash line.
• Essence liquid eyeliner was applied to the upper lash line.
• Finally I applied both Maybelline's Illegal Lengths mascara and Benefit's They're Real.

Do you like to wear purple eyeshadow?

Golden Green E.O.T.D.

This is a quick and easy green/gold slightly smoky look that can be easily worn during the day.

To get this look I:

• Applied UDPP in Eden all over the lid.
• Used Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze over 3/4 of the lid.
• Used Catrice eyeshadow pen in Precious Nectar on the inner quarter of the lid.
• Packed No7 Golden Leaf eyeshadow on 3/4 of the lid and up into the crease.
• Placed L'oreal Infallible shadow in Iced Latte on the inner quarter of the lid.
• MAC Mineralized Eyeshadow in Universal Appeal was ran through the crease.
• MAC eyeshadow in Brulé was applied under the brow bone.
• NYX eyeliner in Jewel was used on the lower lash liner and waterline.
• Essence Liquid eyeliner in Black was used to line the upper lash line.
• Finally Benefit's They're Real mascara was applied.

I was really pleased with this eye look, especially as I was trying to use products that have been a bit neglected such as the No7 eyeshadow.

Unearthing My Make-Up: Shopping The Stash Vol.3

So what have I unearthed from the stash for this week? 

First up is the Too Faced Romantic Eye palette. I had high hopes for this when I got it and while I found it okay at the time, it wasn't that amazing that I reached for it over and over. I plan to get good use out of it this week!

Also for the eyes is a Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in R.S.V.P. This was actually one of my first foray into higher end make-up. 

For the cheeks I have a Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick in Pink Quartz, which is a beautiful shimmery blush/highlighter/bronzer product. Again this was one of my very first make-up products and I used it so much when I first seriously ventured into make-up. I chose MAC Immortal Flower blush as well, even though I use it quite regularly already as I thought it might go nice with Pink Quartz.

I also want to use more of Benefit's Moon Beam this week, it's definitely been neglected of late.

For lips I intend to try and use MAC's Half n' Half lipstick, Revlon Gold Dust lipgloss and MAC's Strange Potion lipgloss.

See The (High)Light

L-R Bourjois Highlighting Powder, NARS Albatross, Benefit Moon Beam, Benefit High Beam.

I love highlighters. I think they give a great glowing and fresh effect and are a simple and quick addition to finish off your look. They really add definition to your cheekbones, even if you don't contour.

I have four 'proper' highlighters (I'll be showing some blush/highlighter hybrids in a later post) 2 powder and 2 liquid. I don't really have a preference for either formula but if I'm in a rush I'm more inclined to reach for a powder as I feel it's quicker to just it sweep on.

The swatches didn't work out too well in the photo, I probably should have drawn lines between them!

L-R Benefit High Beam, Benefit Moon Beam, NARS Albatross and Bourjois Highlighting Powder.

Bourjois Highlighting Powder: This is the yellowest of all my highlighters. It has a beautiful golden sheen and I feel it works best when I have a tan, so I'm more inclined to use this in the summer or on a night out. Sometimes it is just slightly too powdery.

NARS Albatross: This is definitely my preferred highlighter of the 2 powers. It is a white highlighter, so it is great to use when my skin is at it's palest. It has a high shimmer tendency so you need to be careful not to apply it too energetically or it will look ridiculously obvious.

Benefit Moon Beam: This is another golden toned highlighter. It's very glowy and pretty. I find the liquid highlighters good for using under the brow arch, in the inner corner of eyes and on the cupid's bow. I find they work better there than the powder highlighters.

Benefit High Beam: This is a pink toned highlighter, definitely more cool toned than the other highlighters. It does have an intense sheen, so this is another one that you may need to go easy on.

Do you wear highlighters? Which is your favourite?

Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Palette

The Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes palette is the first palette that I'm going to use in my re-using old palettes mini-series. See this post for more details if you wish.

I remember buying this palette on the plane on my way to a holiday in Italy when I was about 18. I was really excited because up until then I wasn't a huge make-up buyer and certainly didn't buy expensive products. I was thrilled with the savings I made by buying this on the plane!

The Big Beautiful Eyes palette is an easy to follow neutral eye kit. I remember carefully reading the instructions that came with this kit lol! I needed to follow the steps haha!

I have to say this is a great wee kit for giving a very natural eye look, yet not skimping on  definition. I used this kit religiously for quite a few months, although there is still a serious amount of product left. It helped me branch out from just lower black rimmed lashes with no eyeshadow at all (ick) It also helped me to realise that you could use more than one eyeshadow at a time and that there was so many ways you could dress up your eyes.

When I went to use this again this morning I had forgotten how lovely and smooth the eyeshadows glided on.  One thing that hadn't changed however was the dreadful fallout you get from the shadows, in particular the dark brown one. So make sure to always tap off any excess!

When I used this kit originally, I used the brushes that came with the kit as I didn't have any others. They worked fine, although I used my own brushes for the look shown today.

Overall, I think this is a great kit to have, especially for  beginners. But really anybody, at any level of make-up skills could do worse than having this at hand as it is also great for travel.

Look What I Found!

Urban Decay The Black Palette, Mac Cool Eyes Trip Palette,
Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes and Rimmel Quad

Top-Bottom Rimmel, Mac, Benefit and Urban Decay

As I was going through some drawers where I keep my make-up, I unearthed this small drawer of old make-up palettes. Some of them are the ones I used before I was properly into make-up and others are ones that just fell by the wayside. I kept them all together and now that they are resurrected. You can expect some posts featuring these palettes over the coming weeks! 

Benefit Coralista

Ah, Coralista how I love you. This stunning coral, is the epitome of summer.

Jam-packed with a golden shimmer, every time I wear this I feel like it gives you such a glow- no additional highlighter needed!

It is very pigmented, probably the most pigmented of all the Benefit blushes I have. 

As usual the top swatch is the heavier one and the bottom is just a light wash.

Anybody else longing for summer?

Benefit Dandelion

Dandelion is a beautiful soft, peachy pink shade with a hint of golden shimmer. 

It is a very warming blush, and my favourite of all my Benefit blushes

Top swatch is the heavier one and the bottom one is just a light wash. 

I think the Benefit blushes are all really wearable and I think they are my favourite of all the different blushes I have.

Benefit Throbb

Another Benefit boxed blush today, it's Thrrrobs turn.

I rushed out and got this when I heard it was going to be discontinued. I've  already missed out on Georgia Peach and I didn't want the same thing to happen with Thrrrob!

Thrrrob is a very light, cool-toned pink. It's ideal when you just want the lightest swish of colour on your cheeks, very subtle.

You can see how faint it is here in the swatches (Heavier swatch on top, lighter one below). 

It is a very wearable colour for me but I suspect that it might look kind of ashy on darker skintones (if it even shows up!) 

Even though most blushes are buildable, I'm glad to have a paler blush that will stay relatively light, no chance of messing it up!

Benefit Bella Bamba

Bella Bamba was actually my first boxed blush from Benefit.

It's a warm pink, often described as a watermelon coloured blush. Although it looks quite bright in the pan, it does go on a lot lighter. It is also a shimmery blush but I feel that it is still wearable as it is not laden with shimmer.

Top swatch is a heavy swatch and bottom one is just a light wash of colour. 

As you can see, you can really deepen the blush if you want. Yet, because it initially goes on quite light and is buildable, I feel it makes it a very versatile blush. 

Do you use any of the Benefit boxed blushes? Which is your favourite?

Collective Haul: January 2012

We're finally at the end of January. I have to say this felt like the longest month ever. It's not that I hate January like some people but it just really feels much longer than a month since Christmas and New Years!

This month turned out to be pricer than usual due to the splurge on a Clarisonic. I've been using it for just over 2 weeks, and whilst that is definitely no proper timespan for a review, I do feel that it is making a difference:) 

Check out this post and to see more pictures of the skincare items and this one for the hair products.

Face Stuff

Vichy Aera Teint Foundation, Chanel Perfection Lumiere Foundation.

Mac eyeshadows in Black Tied and Contrast, Bare Minerals Well Dressed, Benefit Hoola.

Mac 109 Brush

Lip Stuff

Mac Lipstick in Creme Cup and Impassioned.

Revlon Colourburst Lipgloss in Gold Dust and Hot Pink.

Nail Varnish

No 7 Milani, Totally Teal, Tangy, Highland Mist (All bought with No7 Vouchers!:)) Chanel June, China Glaze Atlantis, For Audrey and OPI Glove You So Much.

I have a feeling that next month is going to be a bad one as well due to new MAC collections and new OPI and China Glaze collections:/ March will have to be a quiet month I think!!

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

I tend to go through phases of using bronzer. I am a naturally pale person, so bronzer can be a dodgy area. I always use it when I am going out at night. My chosen night ones are Nars Laguna or a Chanel one. However, during the day if I want to contour my face, neither of these are really appropriate due to the slight shimmer in them.

Step up Hoola by Benefit. While doing research I discovered the Hoola seems to be favoured by a lot of people due to its' matte finish. 

The one I got is one of the newer editions with the flip up lid and mirror. In all honesty I prefer the old box ones. I know well I'll never use the mirror.

Hoola was true to form and is indeed a matte bronzer.

Another thing that I adore about this bronzer is that it is quite a soft, light coloured bronzer. Ideal for my pasty daytime tones.

Anybody else use Hoola? Which Benefit style box do you prefer - flip-up lid or old-style?

Beauty Presents: Christmas 2011

I meant to have this post up nearer post-christmas but better late than never! I didn't want to do a 'haul' of what I got for Christmas so I just included any beauty related gifts that I received.

Somebody had fun opening her present!

On to the beauty stuff:)

I got a MAC lipstick in Half n Half, and eyeshadow in Honesty and the 209 brush. 

Korres lip butter in Wild Rose, Burts Bee lip balm trio and Maybelline Cat Eyes mascara

Flower by Kenzo perfume and body lotion set and Hypnotic Poison by Dior.

Moringa body scrub from The Body Shop

Gorgeous to Go by Aisling McDermott of Beaut.ie fame:D

A Stila Lip Glaze set containing 8 lipglosses

OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees  and Essei Braziliant. (I also got Dulce de Leche from OPI but it's on backorder so still waiting for that to come, my mum informed me:))

Nars highlighter in Albatross, Benefit blush in Dandelion, Korres lip butter in Jasmine and Essie's Fair Game (meant to put those last 2 in other pictures!)

So that's the beauty gifts I got this year:)