Review | Clinique All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette in Neutral Territory 2

I'm a bit of an eyeshadow floozie. I can take or leave them, often going through phases with various palettes or singular shades, but 2014 was the year I upped my eyeshadow game. When Clinique launched their Neutral Territory 2 Palette last January, I was all over it. The eight pan beauty had a mixture of matte, satin and glittery numbers, sure to see you easily from day to night, but most importantly it had the shade Black Honey, a colour I'd been coveting for months but never got around to buying.

Since purchasing, this has been undoubtedly my go-to palette (the original Naked Palette following at a close second). It's extremely versatile - if I just want to perk up my everyday look, I swipe the fifth shade across my lid and add mascara before I'm ready to go. If I'm looking for something smokier, I use the three last shades, including Black Honey, which is a red toned bronze shade that really makes the blue in my eyes pop. The shadows themselves are highly pigmented and buttery soft in texture, blending easily and seamlessly onto the lid and into one another - not one is chalky or patchy once applied. When used in conjunction with my favourite NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, nothing budges for a good eight-ten hours. The packaging is also great, it's slim and compact making it perfect for travel as it really takes up no space at all in a make up bag.

At £32, this isn't the most expensive palette when you consider the quality and has been a worthwhile investment given how much I have used it in the past year. Do you have a favourite eyeshadow palette? 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in #005 Crush

Winter has well and truly arrived in England and so that only means one thing for a beauty crazed girl like myself.  Bold berry lips. I've talked about the Rimmel London Kate Collection offering to the trend but today I want to talk about a new favourite of mine, which I picked up on a whim in Boots.  It's the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in #005 Crush.  

Now, I'm a bit late when it comes to this product, as they've been on the counters for a few months, but I was initially put off by the smell, which is a mixture of peppermint and herbs.  Smell aside, this product is pretty good.  The packaging is much the same as Clinique's Chubby Stick but the products differ in that Revlon's is a stain as well as a moisturising balm.  

The colour is more blackcurrant, making it a purple shade.  It's a sheer product, but it's definitely buildable depending on how bold you want to go.  When you first apply, the product leaves a lovely gloss from the moisturising balm.  Once the balm has worn off, it leaves a subtle stain of colour.  It's also extremely easy to use, I usually use the tip to line my lips and then the side of the crayon to colour them in and build on pigmentation.  I find myself reaching for it more than a lipstick because it is so easy to use and is great for on the go top ups.  I definitely want to pick up 'Lovesick' next which is a bright fuchsia colour.  

Have you tried the Revlon balm stains? 

April 2012 Favourites

Another month gone, where is 2012 going? April was an extremely busy month with the magazine unit due (see the finished product here) and then work experience starting, I haven't really stopped.  When it came to my make up for this month it was quick and simple which is reflected in my favourites.  

For my base I've kept it light and dewy as I haven't really had the time to buff out a heavy duty foundation, plus my skin hasn't really needed that extra coverage. I've switched between my Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in shade 'I'm pure 4 sure' and my Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B10.  These both give a dewy finish which leaves your skin looking really natural.  My brush of choice is the Sigma F80 flat top kabuki which makes life so much easier! It applies the foundation extremely quickly, leaving a flawless finish. 

To add warmth to my cheeks I've been using the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universel with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush from the Core Collection.  As I am so fair at the moment, I use the tiniest amount otherwise I might look like an oompa loompa (sorry Roald Dahl, it was never a good look).  I'm looking forward to taking this on holiday and using it when I have a tan! I've also been picking up my Sleek Face Contour Kit and using the highlighter to brighten the inner corners of my eyes as there was a lot of early mornings and late nights through April.  

Keeping with the simple look, I haven't really done anything other than kohl liner on my tight line and mascara.  My mascara of choice is MUFE Smoky Lash in black which I will definitely be stocking up on when I go to Sephora in Spain next month.  For lips I've kept things pretty nude or sheer in colour.  My favourites have been the Clinique Chubby Stick in wooping watermelon and 17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick in Beehive.  

What have been your favourite products of April? 

Beauty Round Up: 2011

Over the past year I discovered YouTube and several beauty guru's who I follow religiously, including FleurDeForce, ThePersianBabe and Pixi2woo (to name a few).  Thanks to them, 2011 was definitely a year when I went beauty crazy and began trying more and more products, as well as becoming interested in writing more beauty based posts.  I have gone through my collection of hair, make up and skin care products and compiled what I guess will be my 2011 favourites.  

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

1. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish; £12.75 -  No surprises here, I've banged on about this product for months.  I've just passed my first anniversary with using this product and I don't think I'll ever not buy it now.  It had dramatically cleared my skin up and I can't rave enough about it.  

2.  Moroccanoil Light; £12.85 - £30.45 - After hearing so many reviews I decided to give this a go.  I bought the 25ml light version as my hair is extremely blonde at the minute.  It is honestly an extremely good product. You need only a small amount through your mid-lengths and ends which will decrease drying time as well as give it a healthy shine.  I will be re-purchasing this in full size (100ml) when I run out.

3.  MAC Prep and Prime; £18.00 - I've used this primer for years, it's always the one I come back to when trying others, as for me, it's the best.  It smoothes out any fine lines and pores I have before applying foundation and it has never caused any issues for my skin.  

4.  John Frieda Colour Renew Shampoo; £5.49 - After taking the plunge and dying my hair a serious shade of blonde, I invested in a bottle of this shampoo to counteract the brassy tones.  It has worked wonders and leaves my hair feeling soft.  

5. Chanel Nail Lacquer in Particuliere; £17.50 - I got this last Christmas and it has been one of my go to shades ever since.  I wear it a lot more during Autumn/Winter seasons and find it looks very sophisticated.  

6.  Clinique High Impact Mascara; £15.00 - Another product I have used for years.  Originally I'd only ever use the sample sizes of it when my mum, sister or auntie bought from Clinique.  This year I picked myself up a full size and I have never looked back.  I get so many compliments when I wear it, people even ask if they can have my eyelashes! I'm currently trying out Benefit's 'They're Real!' so we'll see if this still stays number 1!

7.  Barry M Nail Colour in Vivid Purple; £2.99 - A cheaper alternative to my Chanel.  This is another shade I wear all the time.  I've re-purchased a gazillion times.  I think it looks lovely on the nails, and even better with a tan! A good colour to wear on a night out.

8. Urban Decay Naked Palette; £35 - This is pretty much the only palette I ever reach for when I want to create a smokey eye or an everyday look.  For everyday I used Naked all over the lid, Buck to deepen my crease and then a liquid liner to create a winged look.  It is definitely a good investment palette and I'm already eyeing up the Naked Palette 2 out this month (anyone know what date?)  

9.  MAC Penultimate Liner; £13.50 - Speaking of liner, I have been using this pen over a year now and it is the best liquid liner I've used.  The felt tip pen application makes it incredibly easy to do even winged liner.  A great product overall!

10. Benefit PowdaWowzer; £19.50 £9.00 - Hoola Bronzer in particular.  This trio was a limited edition set that I picked up as I'd always wanted to try Benefit's boxed blushes/bronzers.  I now used Hoola everyday to contour and bronze my face.  I also use Coralista a lot too.  It is currently £9.00 in the ASOS sale (click link no. 10 above), but be quick as they will be gone!

So that is it for my 2011 favourites! What have been your favourite beauty products of 2011? If you've already done a beauty round up post, leave it below - I'd love to read about new products! 

Christmas Presents!

Stocking essentials

Main goodies

I thought I'd show you the gorgeous things I received this Christmas as I've thoroughly enjoyed reading other bloggers posts on what they got.  I was lucky and got a lot of things I asked for as well as some other bits.  My stocking was extremely good this year, I had some Lush goodies and a iTunes gift card as well as the usual essentials.  I also received a Kindle, with giftcard, from my Mum and Dad, as well as another bottle of my favourite perfume, Chloe.  I got a couple of boxsets to add to my ever growing collection (it's huge, i'm a sucker for American TV), including True Blood 1-3 and The Vampire Diaries season 2.  Beauty wise, my favourite presents were my Clinique Chubby Stick and Benefit They're Real mascara.  

All in all I was very lucky this year! What was your favourite Christmas present?

Oops I Did it Again: Collective Haul

So over the past month life has gone back to normal.  I started University up again and am now juggling Push PR and my hectic student schedule.  The beginning of a new University year means one thing, student loan.  You may have read my student loan lust list here, and will already know the kinds of things I wanted to get my hands on.  So, without further adieu, here's what I bought!

FASHION

Topshop; £75.00

O.M.G. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE these heeled chelsea boots.  I had spied them instore a while back during the summer but never had the money to get them, so I made a bid that once my student loan came in, they'd be mine. You can wear them with everything and the outfit just looks 10x better.  I now want some flat chelsea boots so that i'm fully prepared for the winter months.  

18 AND EAST; £38.00

You all know it by now, I'm addicted to 18 AND EAST.  I recently bought this shirt in berry which is gorgeous and so I had to get the bird/floral print one too.  The delivery is super-duper quick as well which is always a bonus.  I'm now after some of their galaxy print bits!

That's it for fashion, I did buy a new pleather black jacket and a new bag but I haven't got round to photographing them as yet.  I'll put them in an outfit of the day soon! 

BEAUTY

Clinique High Impact Mascara and Clinique Airbrush Concealer

I got sucked into House of Fraser last week when they were offering 10% off all beauty so I thought I'd buy my favourite mascara.  The Clinique lady then talked me into getting the concealer, but i'm now glad I did as it's the best liquid concealer I've ever used!

Benefit Powder Wowza

I've always wanted to try the Benefit powders but could never justify the £23.00 price tag.  Walking around I happened to notice this limited edition powder palette for £19.50 - bargain!  It has Coralista, Bella Bamba 3D and Hoola.  

Confessions of a Concealaholic

This boxset has been around for a couple of years now but I like the fact you get a lot of product for the price. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

I took the plunge and bought this foundation and I'm so happy I did.  It's medium coverage which is buildable so if you want to try it and you prefer a full coverage foundation, get a tester first.  The only thing I dislike it that their isn't a huge colour range yet and they all have a hint of yellow in.  

MAC Prep and Prime

This is probably my holy grail primer as I've repurchased it 3 or 4 times now.  It just does its job well!

(L-R)

Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer,

Topshop Lipstick in Innocent,

Revlon Photo Ready Foundation,

Revlon Nail Varnish in Facets of Fuschia and

L'Oreal True Match Powder

A little high street beauty haul.  I love the rimmel concealer, it may well be the first one I ever bought when I first started out with make up.  The Topshop lipstick is a nice bright baby pink colour which looks nice with my bleach blonde locks.  I wanted to buy a cheaper foundation to rotate between my Chanel as it was so expensive I don't want to use it all up at once. The nail varnish was a bit of a whim as I saw it on an advert and loved it - it's an absolute bitch to take off though. I needed a new powder that didn't turn me orange.  

Moroccan Oil for Fine and Light-Coloured Hair

I can't get enough of this product, it makes my hair feel so soft and lovely and it smells great too.  I got the small size to try but it's perfect to put in your make up bag to top up during the day.  

MISCELLANEOUS

I Don't Know How She Does It

A Discovery of Witches

I wanted to a couple of new books to read after finishing One Day (it ruined me).  I wanted Water for Elephants but once I saw the buy one get one for £1 offer, I couldn't resist.  I've heard good things about both books - have you read any of them?

That's it for my haul.  If you'd like to see any in-depth reviews or some outfits of the days, leave your suggestions in the comment box below! 

 

Testing: Neutrogena Multi-Defence Daily Moisturiser - Week Three

Last weeks notes: 

- Skin looks healthy and dewy opposed to oily.

- Skin feels refreshed and replenished on each application.

- Flakes off if make up applied to soon after application.

- Product doesn't cause breakout.

It's that time again, the penultimate week of my trial.  I haven't really got any more notes to add other than my skin seems to have really benefitted from using this product.  This week I decided to change my routine up and started using my MAC Prep + Prime Skin Visage make up primer over the top as well as adding in the Clinique 'All About Eyes' cream (I managed to get hold of the Glamour magazine with it on).  I found using these products over the top didn't cause the flaking I endured during the first week, like I had anticipated.  Instead it seemed that my skin stayed moisturised a lot longer.  I also feel like this week in particular my skin looks a lot less red.  

Week three notes:

- Skin looks healthy and dewy opposed to oily.

- Skin feels refreshed and replenished on each application.

- Flakes off if make up applied to soon after application.

- Product doesn't cause breakout.

- Skin has become a lot less red.

- Compatible with with other skin products.

Check back next Wednesday for the full review including my thoughts on packaging, cost and the product over all.  

What's in the Chiltern?

I've seen a few of these blogs around and decided to add to it - I think it speaks a lot for your personality what you covet in your handbag.  

Meet Chiltern - I adore her, she's a classy bird.  The charm on the bag is additional, my best friend bought it for me. 

It has three sections which each has a zipped pocket.  I don't really use the zipped pockets, except for a mirror (which i've forgotten to photograph - ooops)

So in my bag you'll find:

- Clutch purse from Accessorize

- Cath Kidston train pass holder

- iPod Classic 80GB (headphones were in my Macbook)

- Revlon handbag sized hairbrush

- Soap and glory 'Hand Food'

- Vaseline tub in Cocoa 

- Moleskine notepad and pen

- Benefit Boi-Ing in no.1

- MAC satin lipstick in Myth (depends on make up i'm wearing)

- Clinique High Impact mascara

- Limited Edition Ray Ban Wayfarers 

Case closed.  

---------------------------------------------

So other than this I just wanted to share the new Chanel 'Mademoiselle' Handbag campaign with Gossip Girls notorious bad girl Blake Lively.  I  cooed over these pictures for a good five minutes, she looks incredible, as do the bags.  Well done Lagerfeld.  Enjoy my pretties!

*Thanks to We Can Pretend for the pictures.

100 Followers left me with a spring in my step.

First of all, to all my amazing followers, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I got to the 100 followers mark last night and I squealed with delight.  Fashion is my passion (I'm a poet and didn't know it) and I'm so glad you all enjoy my posts and comment on them daily.  I've decided to hold a giveaway to celebrate this, but i'm afraid it wont be for a couple of weeks as I have no money at the moment! I'll keep you posted, but what prize would you like to see in my giveaway? Please remember that I'm a student and therefore I wont be able to buy you a Chanel bag, as much as i'd like to! 

Glamour are celebrating 10 years in publishing by giving readers free Clinique products.

I managed to get my hands on Glamour magazine today, if you haven't seen the blogs about this, basically they are giving away a free Clinique product with every magazine.  There are 10 to collect and I got, Take The Day Off, make up remover.  My mum is planning on getting me a couple more issues as they are giving away my holy grail mascara (high imapact) and the all about eyes cream which I've been dying to try! 

The best mascara in the world.

Top 5: Make Up Essentials

I've been playing around with my make up all day today and decided to blog about my top five make up essentials are and why I think you should invest in these products or similar to. 

1.  Mac Prep and Prime Skin Base Visage; £16.50 

I LOVE this product, it is a white cream which has a glittery pigment in it which helps brighten your skin before applying foundation.  It also takes away the appearance of red skin and therefore gives you a better coverage of foundation using less of it.  

2.  Mac Satin Lipstick in Myth £13.50

Every girl should have a decent nude lipstick.  I recently purchased this as I needed a nice colour to compliment my going out smokey eyes look.  This is also a great everyday colour too.  If you are more fair skinned then Myth is a great colour, an alternative is Illamasqua in Sonnet for a slightly more expensive £15.00.

3. Clinique High Impact Mascara, £15.00

I really like this mascara, it gives you great volume without clumps and also creates good lash length.  It's more expensive than a 'high-street' brand such as Rimmel but I think it's worth it.  

4.  Bobbi Brown Blusher in 15 - Desert Rose, £17.00

With winter and spring I find that blusher is more of a natural look, opposed to bronzed cheeks, which I like to reserve for summer.  This blusher it highly pigmented, you don't need much at all when applying. If you are going to go for a Bobbi Brown blusher, try the different colours out. I thought i'd need a much  brighter pink but when I tried it, I looked clown like.  

5. Benefit Boi-ing, £16.50

Expensive for a concealer but worth every penny.  This is the worlds best-selling concealer claiming to have 'industrial strength', which it does.  It's appears to be creamy but has a thicker texture to create good coverage.  This is also a handbag must have.