Review | Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24-Hour Eyeshadow in Pink Gold

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24-Hour Eyeshadow in Pink Gold

If I'm honest, I never thought much of the Colour Tattoo's when they first launched. I picked up On and On Bronze when they first launched, which is a beautiful bronze shade that looks gorgeous on the lid but I found no matter how I primed and prepped my eyes, it creased like a bitch within a hour or so. I'm happy to report that I'm now eating my words as I am aboslutely obsessed with one of the newer shades 'Pink Gold' - so much so, I'm wondering if I got a dodgy batch with On and On Bronze and am reconsidering a repurchase.

As the name would suggest, it's a champagne pink colour. The cream formula helps colour to swipe on with ease - I use my ring finger on initial application before going back in with a Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush to buff out. On it's own it looks pretty and with a slick of mascara you had a ready-to-go, low maintenance everyday look. If I want to amp it up a touch, I use a purpley-taupe colour in the crease to smoke it out with ease. 

The formula is a good consistency, it's creamy enough to blend easily, but it also has enough stick that when it sets in place it's not budging for a long time. It claims to last 24 hours, but who really wears their makeup for that long? I always prime with my trusty NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and I can usually get a good five or so hours before I might need to go back in with a brush and buff out any creasing. 

Overall I'm pretty happy with the product - it still creases on me but for some reason this shade less so. At £4.99 it's a great price point if your just starting with cream products and the shade range is fantastic too. Have you tried the Colour Tattoos?

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? 

April Favourites

So let's begin the post with a cliche.  I can't believe it's May already, it feels like it was Christmas only yesterday, but alas summer is slowly creeping up on us and it's time for a monthly favourites post.  As you may know, I've been a busy bee with university work this month, but that could never stop a girl from indulging in a little beauty every now and again.  Needless to say, my make up has been very minimal this month, needing the extra minutes in bed over a perfect eyeliner flick.  

Lets start with my only skincare item to make the cut.  The Emma Hardie Amazing Face became a saviour this month after I began running low on my beloved Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish.  I had thrown this to the back of my stash but after pulling it out, it has reigned supreme as my go to cleanser this month. The product is a balm that requires a little water to make it slightly less thick, before massaging into the skin.  It melts away every trace of make up whilst thoroughly cleansing the skin and leaving it feeling fresh and hydrated.  

Moving onto make up and onto the blushers, you know I've been loving the Stila Convertible Color in Gerbera, which I talked about earlier this week.  It's the perfect spring/summer shade and is so easy to apply.  When I'm not feeling the dewy look as much, I've been turning to NARS Douceur blush.  Douceur is perfect for fair skinned girls, it's a gorgeous peachy brown shade which gives off a subtle flush of colour and can even be used as a soft contour. I'm definitely finding myself falling more and more in love with the NARS blushers every time I use them. They are soft and pigmented and apply seamlessly onto the skin, without leaving you looking like you've been running around in the cold.  

For the eyes, again I've been keeping it simple.  If I chose to wear eyeshadow, I just dusted the darker, purple-taupe shade from the NARS Tokyo duo across my lids for a soft wash of colour.  Other days I've gone straight in with the mascara.  A recent discovery is the Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara which I got free in Superdrug when it was on offer.  Admittedly, I hadn't had high hopes for this mascara but yet again Rimmel pulled it out of the bag.  The formula gives volume without leaving clumped up spider legs behind and the wand is tappered, allowing you to really get hold of every single lash. Another Rimmel product that's got the seal of approval is the Kate for Salon Pro nail colour in Soul Session. I spoke more in depth yesterday about the range and mentioned that this particular shade has taken the top spot in my nail colour preference (sorry Models Own Pink Beige, you're still number 2).  

I've been into my MAC lipsticks again this month, in particular Myth and Hue.  Both nude shades, I usually wear them together as I find Myth gives too much of a concealer lip look.  Together they create the perfect nude but sometimes I will just pop Hue on.  Myth is a matte formula, whilst Hue is a glaze. 

These are my monthly favourites, but what are yours?  

NARS "The Happening" Palette

Your eyes do not deceive you, I have written a new blog post.  I've been a busy bee the past couple of weeks organising and going to photo shoots for my Final Major Project, which left me both uninspired and with no time to blog.  While I can't promise that my usual blogging routine will be back up and running as I have a lot of work still left to do, I will try and pop the odd post here and there. Apologies over, today I want to talk to you about one of my new favourite palettes, 'The Happening' by NARS. 

I first spied this back at the beginning of February and put it to the top of my lust list.  I then got an email from ASOS who kindly gave me free next day delivery and 25% (I believe) discount for my birthday.   Obviously, I took the opportunity and bought this without a second though, as NARS' limited edition palettes often sell out quite quickly (still kicking myself that I never purchased the Danmari palette).  The Happening contains two of NARS most infamous products, Orgasm and Laguna, as well as four eyeshadows. 

Night Star is a gorgeous creamy beige with chunks of golden shimmer, which makes for a great base to an everyday eye or as a highlight for a more dramatic, smokey eye.  

Gstaad is the next shade, a slightly darker taupe with golden shimmer to it.  Great on its own as an all over lid colour or in the crease for a bit more definition to the eye.  Gstaad is exclusive to the palette.

Kuala Lumpur is described as a shimmery berry shade and was the colour that drew me to the palette in the first place.  Again this shadow has shimmer to it so would be best as a lid colour.  

Coconut Grove is the only matte eyeshadow, great for crease work for an intense smokey eye or as a softer alternative to liquid eyeliner.  

I was dubious to try Laguna, although hearing so many good reviews about it, I thought it looked too dark for my pale complexion.  I am so happy to be proven wrong, it's the perfect shade to give a natural glow and it buildable depending on how strong you want your contour.  It's already on my 'to-buy' list when I hit pan on it.  I haven't used the Orgasm blush in this palette as I received a full size of the blush for my birthday, but I do love the colour.  It's a peachy pink blush with golden shimmer and seems to be pretty versatile, looking good on any complexion.  It's a blush I plan on using a lot over the summer, but I seem to gravitate towards it whenever I want to brighten up my look.  

At £45.00, some might argue this is slightly overpriced but if you think about it, it's actually a bargain.  NARS blushers are £21.50, Laguna is £26 and NARS eyeshadow duos are £25.00.  It's a good way to try some of NARS' most popular products, as well as some new and limited edition colours.  It's also perfect for travel too.  

Do you own any of the NARS palettes?

Revlon ColourStay 16 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Siren

Whilst browsing the make up aisles of Boots, I came across the new Revlon ColourStay quads and was instantly drawn to Siren.  I far prefer cooler tones on my eyes and I had been looking for the perfect, inexpensive set of eyeshadows for a while.  The quad features three shimmery colours including a blue toned silver highlight shade, a taupe colour for all over the lid, a darker purple toned taupe for the crease as well as a matte charcoal grey for eyeliner.  My two favourites are the two taupe shades, I use them either alone or together.  

The pigmentation is good on the shimmery shades but I feel the matte charcoal shade could be more intense if it's supposed to last 16 hours (although, who really wants their make up to last that long?)  To make the most out of my eyeshadow, I always use my trusty NARS Smudge Proof Base (reviewed here).  Using the two products together, I have found that my eyeshadow stays put for around 6-8 hours before it starts to crease or fade.  They are smooth in formula, making application easier and they sit comfortably on my eyes.  

At £7.99 and 14 different quads, there is definitely going to be something for everyone.  Revlon have even included a little diagram on the back of where and how to apply the colours, great for any beginners who don't know what the terms 'crease', 'inner corner' or 'outer V' mean and just want to know where each colour goes.  

Have you tried any Revlon eyeshadows?