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.

Essence Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 Make-up Collection

As I'm going to see the final Twilight film tonight I thought it would be appropriate to show you the make-up I picked up from the Essence Twilight collection!

Although I enjoyed both the Twilight book series and films, I can't say I'm a 'Twihard'. Nonetheless I was looking forward to the release of the Breaking Dawn Part 2 limited edition make-up collection that Essence launched to coincide with the release of the last film in the franchise.

Being me, it was no surprise that what I was most looking forward to was the nail varnishes. 

Jacob's Protection, Alice Had A Vision - Again and Edward's Love

There were four released with the collection and I got 3 of them. Jacob's Protection is a dark blue shimmer, Alice Had A Vision - Again is a dark purple shimmer and Edward's Love is a black shimmer.  The fourth one in the collection was a gold foil style one.

I've never tried any Essence make-up before but I got four items from this collection - a blush, a highlighter, a lipgloss and a glitter eyeliner.

Bella's Secret and Renesmee Red

Bella's Secret is a beautiful golden-beige highlight powder. The blush Renesmee Red, while pigmented is not quite the shocking red it looks to be. A gentle flush is what the swatches bring.

Renesmee Red and Alice Had A Vision -  Again.

Lastly is the lipgloss and eyeliner. Renesmee Red (They like re-using the names on products!) is a red lipgloss with teeny pieces of gold sparkle. It's not opaque but it does leave a nice, heavily tinted sheen on the lips. I was skeptical of how the formula would be but it surprised me. It's quite a soft and smooth formula and thankfully the gold shimmer pieces were not gritty feeling. It was slightly sticky but not sticky enough for it to be an annoyance. The scent of it is divine.

The purple glitter eyeliner is patchy like nearly all glitter eyeliners. For the price though, it's perfectly fine. I sometimes like to add that hint of sparkle to black eyeliner and this will be perfect for layering over it.

Swatches L-R: Renesmee Red (lipgloss), Alice Had A Vision - Again, Bella's Secret and Renesmee Red (blush).

Did you get anything from this Essence collection?

Essence Evil Queen

I layered Essences Evil Queen from the Snow White collection over yesterday's polish of Deborah Lippmann's Purple Rain. It is a chunky, purple, hexagonal glitter.

 

I like the effect but the polish is difficult enough to work with. It is a very, thick and gloopy polish. Not ideal for layering unfortunately. 

Essence My Sparkling Acrobat Duo

I picked this duo up sometime last year.  The standout end for me has to be the black. It is the blackest, darkest, most opaque black I own! The photos are only 1 coat! A truly great black to have.

The gold glitter is a chunky glitter in clear suspension. I like the combo of the two of them. I’ve also used it layered over brown polish and it looks fantastic with them as well!

Essence Gagalectric

Gagalectric was part of the @Holographics collection from 2011, I believe. It’s a lilac with lots of blue tones. Duochrome and as I wrote in my swatch notes, gorge x 100! Haha.

It is surprisingly opaque so I think it would be buildable by itself in 3-4 coats but these photos are 2 coats of it layered over 2 coats of OPI Alpine Snow.

A unique looking polish, it’s one I definitely always get questioned about.

And this is 2 coats of OPI's Alpine Snow solo.

Essie Capri and Essence Prince Charming - An Enchanting Combination

Essie Capri is a whitened baby blue that is unbelievably fresh and clean looking. I was surprised at how much I adore this one. And it was opaque in 2 coats.

Essence Prince Charming is stunning over a base of Capri. It contains both small and large glitter pieces. This was one coat and I think the sparseness of the glitter is perfection.

French Polka Dot Mani

I love this twist of a French Manicure! I can't lay claim to it unfortunately, I came across it randomly a few weeks back and decided to give it a go.

Basically instead of doing a white stripe at the tip of your nail, you do white polka dots instead! So easy and quick to do.

I'm not a big matte fan but I really think it helped to finish this look. I mattifed it before I took the photos so I don't have any before photos to show you but it really looks so different and so much better when it's matte!

What I used: 

Essie Topless and Barefoot, OPI Alpine Snow and Essence Matte Top Coat.

Nicely Nude

Some people hate them. I love them. I think nude nails look so elegant, classic and polished. 

I probably (read definitely) have way more nudes than I need, but really, you can never have enough. And they do look different - I swear!

Essie Topless & Barefoot

Kiss No Name 

Catrice Mona Lisa Is Staring Back

Rimmel Nude Silhouette 

Rimmel Oyster Pink

Essence Shining Star

Nails Inc Basil Street 

Do you wear nudes? What's your favourites?

Ravishing Reds

Today it's time for some swatches of red nail varnish. I really need to wear reds more often!

Ciaté Mistress

One of my favourite bright tomato reds.

Essence Cherry Kiss

A red with slight shimmer throughout.

Wen n Wild Red Red

A flat, cool-toned red.

Rimmel Hot Gossip

A strong bright red.

No 7 Rose Truffle

A very pink tinged red.

Catrice Caught on the Red Carpet

An eerie blood red.

Out of this lot I think my favourite is Mistress by Ciaté