My Go-To Drugstore Eye Palette

I have been using this palette for a while now, and it's definitely one of my makeup products that I've been wanting to review for a long time. Every time I use it I imagine what I'm going to say in my post. Blogger life, am I right?

It's common knowledge in the beauty blog/vlog world that the Iconic palettes by Makeup Revolution are dupes for the Naked palettes by Urban Decay. This one, Iconic 3, is said to be a dupe for Naked 3. As a blonde gal with semi-pale skin, pink and nude eye shades suit me well so instead of shelling out nearly £40 for Naked 3, I decided to go for the much less costly Iconic 3 as the colours are oh-so similar.

This palette features 12 pink/nude/bronze colours in a clear and black plastic case, with rose-gold lettering and a double-sided sponge 'brush'... That nobody really ever uses.

As you can see in the swatches above, the colours are pigmented for their low price - very impressive! However, I wouldn't say they're as pigmented (once blended out) as some higher-end shadows I've tried. The matte colours are particularly pigmented and I only really reach for the shimmer shades in this palette if I'm looking for a little glow in the inner corner of my eye, for example. The colours are blendable, however if I've packed a lot of product on my eyelid I do get some fallout beneath my eye. There are enough colours to allow you to create a whole eye look with only this palette, which is another reason I love it.

You can pretty much tell by the photos which colours have been loved the most but I'll give you a brief run-down of how I use this palette anyway: firstly, I apply the far left shade all over the lid (over eye-primer) up to the brow, then the 4th shade in from the left all over the lid. I then blend the 7th shade in from the right in the crease to deepen the look, then bring it down to the lower lashline. To finish the shadow look, I mix the 2nd with the 5th in from left and pack it on the inner corner of the eye for some brightening shimmer.

I adore the shades in this eyeshadow palette and for such a small price (£4 from Superdrug), you can't go wrong at all. I'd definitely recommend this palette if you want to experiment with some looks before bumping up to the Naked 3 if you can afford it, but unfortunately I can't compare the 2 as I'm yet to try out Naked 3.

What Makeup Revolution products would you recommend?

Libby

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My Favourite Summer Scents Under £30

Summer is absolutely my favourite time of year; closely followed by Spring. Everything changes for the Summer-time - the clothes we wear, the activities we take part in, our mood, and for many of us, our beauty products. In this post I'm going to be talking about this, specifically: scents - my favourite Summer scents... That are also not too expensive.

I have chosen a mixture of sweet, fruity, musky and floral fragrances from 4 different brands. I don't think I have a favourite as they are all so different in many ways, from the type of smell to their intensity to lasting power.

Victoria's Secret Coconut Passion Body Mist 250ml (prices vary, but around £9.)

This is a fragrance mist so it's light, unlike an EDT. Its main scent is coconut but I can definitely smell notes of vanilla which is my favourite to wear therefore I would say I do wear this mist the most out of all the fragrances featured in this post. I love wearing this mist on holiday as it goes with the whole sun-cream, coconut body lotion smell and it's light (as previously mentioned) and summery.

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Eau De Cologne 100ml (£20)

I do wear this EDC a lot, but I've currently got the bottle practically up my nose wondering why I don't wear it every. Single. Day. It's nothing like any scent I've ever come across... obviously it's from the Most Unique Scents Award Winner --> The Body Shop. This fragrance is so potent but I really struggle to describe what it actually smells like. It's not very feminine but it's sophisticated, clean, floral, lemony... It's just great. Although the most costly of the 5 products mentioned, it's the most long-lasting therefore definitely worth it.

The Body Shop Fijian Water Lotus Eau De Toilette 100ml (£15)

I won't go into detail about this one because I wrote about it in my first ever blog post 'The Body Shop Products You Need To Try'. Again, it's a very unique, natural and refreshing fragrance.

Next Paradise Island Body Mist

I'm going to apologise right now because after planning this blog post and taking all the photographs, I've realised that this body mist has been discontinued *cries*. I still love it though so I'm going to talk about it anyway. It's a very exotic scent; on the back of the bottle it says it has notes of mango, pineapple, sandalwood, musk, coconut water and guava. I love the nozzle on this bottle because it gives out a big refreshing spray so I love spraying it on my chest and shoulders on a really hot day. Useful huh.

Zara Woman Fruity EDT 100ml (bought from Zara as a 2-pack with Zara Woman Oriental for around £25.)

The style of this bottle is very aesthetically pleasing; it's simplistic and modern and looks fabulous on my dressing table and the liquid inside is a beautiful pink colour. Somebody told me that this scent is a dupe for Prada Candy - it smells sweet and, as you can probably tell from the name of the product, fruity. It also has notes of rose and a little muskiness. It's a beautifully feminine scent and lasts a long time and I would definitely recommend it.

I would love to hear what your go-to Summer scents are! Chat with me in the comments.

Libby

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Tanya Burr Cosmetics: 'Birthday Suit' Eye Palette

Tanya Burr is another one of my favourite bloggers. I watch her YouTube videos and read her blog posts and they are the ultimate inspo for my life. Recently she uploaded a vlog which included a snippet of her doing her makeup, partly using one of her eye palettes. This reminded me of the fact that I haven't yet checked out any products from her beauty line Tanya Burr Cosmetics. A few days later I went into my local Superdrug and had a nose through the TBC products they still had in stock, and this eyeshadow palette was the one that caught my eye as it's so up my street - the beautiful peachy-pink packaging and enchanting selection of matte and shimmer colours just screamed my name and I knew I had to try it out.

 With nothing less expected from a beauty range by Tanya, the packaging is absolutely delightful. The silver border fits well with the peach cover and the heart-shaped mirror inside is a decent side and adds to the overall feminine look of the palette. I like the way the colours have been named after ingredients/food items, perhaps due to their similarity to baked goods and chocolate. The soft-pink ribbon on the side is also useful for opening the palette (very well thought out). This packaging almost reminds me of a little palette I would've used as a young girl.

This palette definitely fits well into the Soft Luxe Collection as its shades are natural (hence the name 'Birthday Suit') but also so pigmented that they might as well be from MAC, and the appearance of the palette is that of class and high price. I would describe these shades as useful for Spring/Summer because of the peach and champagne hues but Soft Truffle can take it into Winter and Autumn.  These 4 shades go so well together, and I can tell they were carefully selected because if you have this palette, you don't need assistance from any other colours to complete a full eyeshadow look. There's even a very helpful mini-tutorial by Tanya on the bottom of the case, which guides you on where/how to apply the shades if you're not sure where to start. Like I said before, these colours are so pigmented (especially the mattes), buildable (apply a little to your brush then keep adding more colours for a more dramatic look) and very easy to blend. I can't believe this palette is only £5.99!

As you can see in these pictures, I opted for a natural look but you can build up Soft Truffle and Cocoa Sugar if you want to use the palette for a more dramatic look.

How to get this eyeshadow look:

1) Sweep Toast across your lid (this is your base shade).

2) Darken the look by blending Soft Truffle into your crease.

3) Bring Soft Truffle down to your lower lashline.

4) Add shimmer by blending Marzipan from where Toast ends, up to your browbone.

I finished this look off with Soap & Glory Supercat Liquid Eyeliner (and obvs mascara) but you can finish it off however you like: Soft Truffle on your upper lashline, brown pencil liner, or just apply mascara after Step 4 for a super natural eye.

Have you tried any of Tanya's beauty range? What are your faves? I think I'm going to try the nail polishes next.

Libby

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MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot

I am super excited to write this post not only because I love this product so much but also because I just purchased a new camera so my pictures look 1000000x cooler, in my opinion.

I haven't explored MAC in depth - I've only ever bought 3 products from them, but each of these I deeply love so I feel intrigued about the rest of their makeup range.

I purchased this eye primer about 2 years ago and used it on-and-off, but for the past year or so I've applied it almost every day as an eyeshadow primer. This is the only eye primer I've ever used but I'm so scared to try a new one just because it is SO GOOD and so I'll be a tough critic towards future eye primers that come my way.

I apply it with my finger (I've tried using a brush and it just makes the bristles stick together and doesn't blend well) all over my lid and set it with a nude/pastel yellow shadow, then apply my chosen shadow look for the day on top. The shade that I bought is Painterly which is such a pleasant shade for an eyeshadow base as I've tried it with so many different shadow colours (brown, orange, pink, nude) and it just goes so well with all of them. I sometimes even wear it on its own for a subtle colour to my eye if I want to go for a 'natural, no makeup, makeup' look. 

I'm all for anything that increases the staying-power of my makeup and this producct definitely does this. It keeps my eye makeup in place for at least 8 hours, and even after 10 hours it's still clinging on. I did trial this against using no primer at all (just a nude base shadow) and using concealer as primer, and neither of these methods worked as well. I also noticed that shadows applied on top of the Paint Pot were more pigmented than applied over just a nude powdered shadow, or concealer.

Not even the price of this MAC product makes me go bleurgh, as for £16 from MAC's official website, it will last you a hefty amount of time.

Can you recommend any amazing eyeshadow primers that might measure up to this one?

P.S. If any of you reading this has a Canon DSLR and is willing to give advice and tips on the buttons/settings, I would greatly appreciate it if you contacted me (info on 'Contact' page). Thanks!

Libby

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Zoella Beauty: Sweet Inspirations

If you're reading this, chances are you already know who Zoella is. If you don't, she's a beauty YouTuber and blogger who now has her own beauty and lifestyle product range. I've been watching Zoë's videos and reading her blog for about 4 years now and I love her taste in makeup/beauty and her attitude towards life.

I'm going to be honest with you; when I first saw the release of her Classic Collection I thought it was more suitable for her younger audience as I think it is based around fruity and young scents and therefore I wasn't sure whether to buy it myself or not. Then the update to the Classic Collection came along which I started to warm to a bit more, and now we have the Sweet Inspirations Collection which I think is the most Zoë out of all the collections, which made me want to buy it because I consider Zoë and myself quite similar in terms of makeup, skincare and general beauty product choice. I love Zoë and I'm so proud of her for releasing this amazing range of products.

I only bought 2 out of the 8 products from this collection as I wanted to try them out first before going all out but I love them so much I will definitely be going back to get the rest... And to re-purchase these ones once they run out. Hehe.

Firstly, let's talk about the packaging. Words that have been circulating in blogger reviews and Zoë's videos herself are 'French pâtisserie', '1920s' and 'sweetshop decor' and these are words I would definitely use to describe the beautiful packaging. The 'Bath Latte' is designed like a milk bottle, with a metallic gold lid and divine pastel blue and metallic gold wrapping and the product inside even looks like milk. It all fits together so perfectly and I can already tell this collection was so well thought out. 'Le Fizz' is a fizz-bar that is clearly inspired by a chocolate bar. The packaging is also metallic gold with some pastel pink and the actual bar comes in little cubes like a bar of chocolate.

I would describe the main scent of these products as sweet, milky and even slightly musky. The fizz-bar is described as 'macaron scented' and it is definitely sweeter than the Bath Latte which is 'enriched with nourishing sweet almond, cacao and honey'. You can wear this scent all year-round because even though it fits perfectly into Summer thanks to its sweetness and its similarity to a moisturiser you would use on holiday, it's also slightly musky - perfect for Winter. You definitely have to go to your nearest Superdrug to have a sniff of this because my adjectives don't do the scent justice. 

To see if the actual use of these products was as beautiful as their appearance, I ran a bath and tried them out. When the bath had finished running, I turned off the tap and put 3 fizz cubes in (the recommendation is 4 but it comes in rows of 3 and I didn't want to be left with an odd amount at the end). They fizzed a lot for their size, and left the water smelling splendid. These would be perfect for a calming pamper night when you don't want any huge bubbles, just a nice-smelling, relaxing bath. However, I did want some bubbles and was desperate to try out the Bath Latte so I went ahead and turned the tap back on and poured some under the running water and the result was divine: big, fluffly, nourishing bubbles that left my skin feeling super soft. When I got out of the bath, dried myself off and got my smoooooth body into some PJs, the scent lingered for a while which is great as it shows you're definitely getting your money's worth.

These products are so up my street and I honestly can't recommend them enough. They're perfect for a pamper night or a gift for your best friend, and they're not pricey at all (Bath Latte, £6; Le Fizz, £5.50). I can tell Zoë had a lot of input into their creation as they're so her - elegant, girly, sweet and beautiful and I'm so excited to return to Superdrug soon to spend my pennies on more Zoella Beauty products and also see what else they release in the future!

What's your favourite Zoella Beauty product? 

Libby

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The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation

I think everybody has a few beauty items that they never want to stop using because they know it does a good job and they're scared to try something new. Mine was foundation. I've been using Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum for 3 or 4 years now and my last bottle recently ran out so i needed to buy a new one, but I thought I'd stray from my comfort zone and try out a new foundation. The Body Shop's Fresh Nude Foundation was recommended to me when I was thinking of buying Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, because they're apparently very similar and Fresh Nude is less than half the price.

The lovely girl that works at The Body Shop colour matched this foundation to my skin, although I didn't have my concealer with me to check that it was lighter than the shade I was about to purchase, but I bought it anyway and was relieved when I got home to discover my concealer is, in fact, lighter. I bought the shade Bora Bora Tiare 012.

First of all let's talk about the shade range. This product comes in '16 nature-inspired shades' which are all so different. Some have yellow undertones, some pink, and their names are so unique. I've said before on this blog how much I love the words that The Body Shop uses, I mean, "Hawaii Macadamia", "Fiji Sand" and "Seychelles Cinnamon". These names definitely portray a sense of allurement.

My skin-type is combination. I begin the day with some normal and some dry patches on my face, and after several hours my t-zone begins to appear slightly oily, and my old foundation was able to keep this all under control and slightly even it out. 

Left: applied 

Right: slightly blended

Bora Bora Tiare 012 has yellow undertones which is what most suits me when it comes to foundation shades. It is light and slightly watery, although not completely runny. As you can see on the right swatch, when blended, this foundation gives more of a medium coverage as opposed to a light coverage (the product claims to give a light coverage) and it is definitely buildable without looking cakey.

This foundation claims to leave "skin feeling beautifully fresh and comfortable all day" with a "semi-matte finish". It does leave a fresh and flawless finish that can either give you a beautiful, healthy glow if left, but a velvety, smooth surface if set with powder. It doesn't feel harsh on your skin, perhaps due to the calming and hydrating Aloe Vera and English Rose Water (which also gives it a lovely smell!). This foundation is also parabens free and suitable for sensitive skin, and it has an SPF of 15, so we're looking great and not harming our faces in the meantime!

The only negative thing I have to say about this product is that it does begin to fade away after 6 hours or so, but I'm sure this time will be extended if you apply more than 1 layer to your skin!

Fresh Nude is a beautifully impressive foundation for only £15. Plus, sign up to their Love Your Body Card and E-mail service and you'll have offers coming out of your ears... I'm not joking, hehe.

The internet is lacking in reviews for this foundation so I'd love to hear how you got on with it with your skin type. Let me know in the comments below!

Libby

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Effaclar Duo+ - Does It Work?

Around two years ago, I went through the process of trying to be prescribed Roaccutane and I finally succeeded. During this time, La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo+ was recommended to me, and although I doubt it could've solved my intense skin problems that I had back then, it definitely does a good job of maintaining the healthy skin I have now.

La Roche-Posay is popular among dermatologists and I can definitely see why. For such a small price (£15.50, Boots), I can imagine it is rare to find a skincare product that does as good of a job as this does. On the La Roche-Posay website, Effaclar Duo claims to correct the appearance of blemishes, help pores look less clogged, make skin texture feel smoother, help reduce the appearance of red and brown marks and provide 24-hour hydration... And MY GOD does it do this. I apply it to my face and the top of my neck before bed, after cleansing and moisturising, and I wake up the next morning with smooth, even-toned skin. Even after washing it off with water and then moisturising, I have a perfect base to apply primer and foundation. If I go a few days without using this cream, I definitely notice a negative change in my skin - it looks dull, red marks reappear, and I start breaking out; so I know this product definitely aids in preventing breakouts. Also, if I do get a few spots as a result of stress or my period, I can apply a tiny amount of this to the area and the next day it is visibly clearer. This tube also lasts a really long time as I use less than a pea-sized amount for my whole face each time I apply.

This product definitely does do what it says it does, and I would recommend it to anybody - whether you've got spot-prone skin, a bit of redness, over-oily or over-dry skin. It is such a good buy and definitely makes beautiful and clarified skin seem easily achieved.

Have you tried Effaclar Duo or any other La Roche-Posay products? What do you think of them? Let me know below!

Libby

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The Body Shop Products You Need To Try

The Body Shop has been a favourite of mine for many years when it comes to must-haves such as cleansers and body scents. These products are just 5 of my rather large collection of TBS favourites, some of which are old buys and others new tries.

Aloe Calming Foaming Wash - I can't be the only person out there who is instantly drawn to the words 'fragrance-free, colourant-free, preservative-free, alcohol-free'. This means the product is perfect for sensitive skin, which is my skin type. I cleanse my skin with this foaming wash once a day and it is definitely appropriate for daily use, as aloe, its main active ingredient, is soothing and moisturising. To me, 'foaming' makes the formula sound light (which it sure is!) and therefore perfect for everyday use. I have been re-purchasing this for around 2 years now because it's one of the only skin-care products I've had nothing but good experiences with and wouldn't trust another product to do as good of a job.

Honeymania Bubble Bath Melt - I love baths, and I love products that make the experience even more enjoyable - whether it be bubbles, a potent smell, or skin benefits. This bath melt does all 3. The strong sweet but soothing honey scent lingers on my skin (which is now unbelievably smooth) for hours after my bath and it creates just the perfect amount of bubbles (not a pathetic amount but not an overflowing snow bath). This bath melt is a must-have for the bathroom cabinet, however it seems to be discontinued on the website. Try this product for a similar experience (tried and tested by me!).

Chinese Ginseng & Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask - OK, I have so much to write about this one but I'll try my best to keep it short! Every single product in the Expert Facial Masks range looks incredible! The consultant in the store and I were chatting for a good 20 minutes about the range and I finally decided to go with this mask. This product has many ingredients that are known to benefit skin in different ways.

Ginseng root extract - anti-ageing, toner, treats dark circles (evens skin tone)

Shea butter - moisturiser, reduces inflammation (evens skin tone)

Sesame seed oil - anti-ageing, repairs damaged skin cells.

How do I use it? I use this mask twice a week and I apply a medium-thickness (it is a clay-like formula so it's very thick to begin with). To make the product last a long time I wouldn't recommend using a huge amount each time (it's a fairly small pot). I'm sure it will be beneficial if it is just applied onto the t-zone, but I have acne scarring on my cheeks and I'm hoping that this mask might reduce the appearance of this over time, therefore I apply it to my whole face. I leave the mask on for around 10 minutes, then I gently exfoliate for a few seconds before washing it off and cleansing my face afterwards with the Aloe Foaming Wash, followed by moisturising.

My opinion? This mask definitely improved the overall appearance of my skin after use and this lasted into the next day. It left my skin feeling matte (kind of 'waterproofed') and soft, which is probably due to the exfoliator. If you're looking for a new facial mask that does a great job yet won't break the bank (RRP £16), I'd definitely recommend this one!

Black Musk EDT & Fijian Water Lotus EDT - The Body Shop definitely wins the game when it comes to affordable, unique scents. I mean, the names 'Fijian Water Lotus' and 'Black Musk' are definitely not names of perfumes I've heard before. Black musk isn't too feminine, which I think is one of the things I love about it. I'm not very good at describing scents but somebody said in the reviews for this EDT that it smells 'dark and spicy' and I thought 'YES THAT'S IT!'. So yeah. Dark and spicy. I'm also a fan of the White Musk EDT from TBS. Fijian Water Lotus is more light and summery, and it reminds me of a potent-smelling flower or leaf. It definitely also reminds me of scented water. The names for these perfumes are just tooooooo accurate!

I hope this post has inspired you into a little Body Shop haul. I don't think I'll ever stop purchasing these products.

I would love to know what you think of these must-haves or anything from The Body Shop (I'm always trying out new things from them).

Libby

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