Urban Decay Smoked Palette Look 1 - Iconic

One of the best things about the new Urban Decay Smoked palette is the look book that comes with it. As I said in my initial review I am going to try and work my way through the book and post the looks as I do them. I am not sure on the rules regarding posting photos of the actual book so I have listed what I used and where, obviously in the book itself the instructions are much more detailed and are very easy to follow. This is the Iconic look which Urban Decay describe as "The gold standard UD smoky look: Dramatic, Gorgeous, Statement Making."

 With Flash

Without flash

Products Used:

Face:

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

Benefit Erase Paste

Shu Uemura Colourless Setting Powder

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Nars Orgasm Blush

No7 Highlighter

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Mushroom on lid, crease and under lower lashes

Backdoor blended on outer third, crease and outer corner of lower lashes

Freestyle used to blend the crease

Blackout blended on half of upper and lower lash lines

Kinky as brow highlight

Perversion 24/7 Liner smudged on upper and lower lash lines and waterlines

Maybelline Colossal Mascara

Lips:
Mac Hue Lipstick

Mac Bubble Tea Plush Glass

Urban Decay Smoked Palette Review and Swatches

My Mum got this palette for me last week and I have to say I love it! It makes such a change to the Naked palette and I love smokey colours. I was slightly put off getting it at first as a I already have 4 of the colours from other palettes but I am glad I did as I did some comparison swatches and they are different.
Anyway on to the pictures

The palette comes in a zip case which is different from previous ones but I actually really like it, it's safe and secure. There is a decent sized mirror in the lid. You also get a mini primer potion, a full size 24/7 glide on pencil in Perversion and an amazing look book, the instructions are so detailed. I am going to try and work through the book and post the looks as I do them. All of the swatches below are dry without primer.

 From left to right Kinky, Freestyle and Mushroom

 Mushroom, Backdoor and Blackout

 Barlust, Rockstar and Evidence

Evidence, Loaded and Asphalt

Kinky: A gorgeous highlight shade, this is a matte colour but isn't chalky at all.

Freestyle: A subtle matte brown, great for blending

Mushroom: An absolutely stunning taupe, incredibly pigmented and blends like a dream

Backdoor: A matte dark brown, it's slightly more powdery than the other mattes but still nicely pigmented and blendable.

Blackout: One of the most intense matte blacks I have tried.

Barlust: A gorgeous medium bronzey brown, very pigmented and absolutely gorgeous.

Rockstar: A slightly red toned purple, again very pigmented.

Evidence: A navy blue shimmer shade, this is the least pigmented of all the colours but is still decent.

Loaded: A blackened green, this is stunning and blends beautifully.

Asphalt: A gunmetal shade with gorgeous multicoloured shimmer.

I already had Mushroom, Rockstar, Evidence and Loaded from previous palettes so did some comparison swatches, Smoked palette on the left and older ones on the right

There is a huge difference between these two, the swatch on the right is from one of the BOS and as you can see it is much lighter and browner. The new version of this shadow is more intense and a lot more pigmented.

 Not much difference between these two although the newer version was a tad more pigmented.

 Again no real difference here, it felt as though the new version applied a bit easier but the end result is pretty much the same.

This was the only shade that is not as good as a previous release. The swatch on the right is from the 15th Anniversary palette and it is much more pigmented.

Overall I am very happy with this palette, it's such a nice mix of colours and will be perfect for travelling. Have you been tempted by this palette?

Olympic Themed Nails

I don't know about you but I have been totally caught up with Olympic Fever! I live very near to the Olympic Park and to be honest I was dreading it as I thought it would be chaos but actually it hasn't been too bad and I have loved every minute of watching the games, unfortunately just on the TV but I have tickets to 4 Paralympic events so at least I have that to look forward to.
After all the Gold medals Team GB managed to get over the weekend I was inspired to do some Olympic themed nails. Now these were free handed so are not perfect but I am really happy with the way they turned out.

I really struggled doing my left hand but it turned out okay. I used Illamasqua Propaganda as a base on my thumbs and little fingers and Illamasqua Caress on the other fingers. I then used the 17 Cosmetics Best Of British nail art set to do the Union Jacks and the ribbons for the medals and the Hot Metals nail art set for the gold, silver and bronze medals. These are great kits as the bottles of polish have a really fine striper brush which is perfect for nail art and the best thing is these sets are only £5! They are limited edition so if you see them I definitely recommend picking them up.

If you have done an Olympic themed manicure please leave me your links below as I would love to see them!

Face Of The Day - Sparkly Smokey Bronze

This look was inspired by Tanya Burr's birthday make up video which I'm sure you have already seen, but if not you can find it here. I didn't use exactly the same products as I don't own them all but I found suitable replacements in my stash!
In the area I live we are having lots of Olympic celebrations and I got tickets to a concert so decided to try out this look. I really like how it came out.

Products Used:

Face:

Misha M BB Cream

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Peach

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil

Illamasqua Hussy Blush

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow as Contour

Mac Redhead MSF as Highlight

Eyes:

UDPP

Smashbox Waterproof Shadow Liner in Starstruck all over lid and blended in to crease

Mac Bronze eyeshadow on middle of lid

Nars Galapagos eyeshadow on outer third and under lower lashes

Mac Redhead MSF lightest shade on inner corners

Mac Shroom as highlight

Collection Black Gel Liner on upper lashline

Stila Stingray liner on waterline

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Lips:

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

Laura Mercier Pink Diamond Gloss

Face Of The Day - Summery Illamasqua Eyes

The sun was finally shining and I felt like playing with colour. This was for daytime though so I didn't go overboard. For some reason summer always makes me more experimental with makeup.

Products Used:
Face:
Misha M BB Cream
Benefit Erase Paste
Shu Uemura Colourless Setting Powder
Illamasqua Rude Cream Blush
Mac Taupe as Contour
Eyes:
UDPP
Illamasqua Pigment Furore on inner third
Illamasqua Pigment Chasm on rest of lid, crease and under lower lashes
Illamasqua Pigment Android blended lightly in outer v
Mac Pearlglide liner in Undercurrent on upper lash line
Maybelline Colossal Mascara
Lips:
Illamasqua Drench Lipstick

June Favourites

I really wanted to start doing a monthly favourites post again so here we go, these are the products I have been loving this month.

1. Misha M Perfect Cover BB Cream
I got this on ebay for about £3 and I really do love it. It has a high SPF which I need at this time of year and the coverage and finish is really nice. If you like BB creams I highly recommend checking this one out. As you can see I have almost finished the tube.
2. Nars Laguna Bronzer
This is much loved as you can see from the amount of pan showing! I treat this with care now as I know they are prone to shattering once they get to this stage. Just my perfect everyday bronzer.
3. Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub
This is one of those products I honestly don't know how I managed without. Won't go into too much detail as I think this one deserves a review of it's own but just a really nice and reasonably priced lip scrub.
4. Figs & Rouge Balm
I think this came in either Joliebox or Glossybox, I use it as a lip balm and it does a really good job of moisturising my lips.
5. Mac Avenue Fluidline
Ever since I first tried this fluidline it has become my favourites, it's a gorgeous dark brown/almost black with shimmer. I saw this at the CCO in Portsmouth last week so will probably be getting another one soon.
6. Mac Extra Dimension shadow in Modern Pewter
This shade is absolutely beautiful and it is one that looks great on it's own so I have been reaching for this when I don't have much time to spend on my eye make up.
7. Maybelline Colossal Mascara
I ran out of my covergirl lashblast (sob) so I have gone back to using this and I do really like it. Nice volumising mascara.
8. Mac Posey Blushcreme
I much prefer using cream blushes in summer and this just gives a nice pink glow and lasts really well on my skin.
9. Mac Angel Lipstick
I resisted picking up this lipstick for years as I thought it would look awful on me but I had a back to Mac and thought why not give it a go. I actually love it and am kicking myself for not picking it up sooner, it's just a gorgeous neutral pink that pairs really well with a more dramatic eye.

So there you go, they were my June favourites. If you have done a post like this please leave me the link in the comments as I love reading them!

Face Of The Day Featuring Estee Lauder Bronze Sands Palette

I recently picked up the Estee Lauder Bronze Sands eyeshadow palette, this is full of gorgeous colours for the summer. I never used to feel comfortable wearing colours like this as I felt the orange tones clashed with my hair but recently I have found that I can get them to work. I really liked the Mac Extra Dimension shadows I got and these shadows are the same formula. They are very metallic and very pigmented.

I used all the colours in the palette, the lighteset gold in the tear duct, darker gold on inner third, orange/bronze on rest of lid and dark brown blended through crease and on upper lashline. I then put the blue under the lower lashes. These colours blend so beautifully, I really do love this eyeshadow formula.

Products Used:
Face:
Misha M Perfect Cover BB Cream
Maybelline Mineral Concealer
Make Up Forever HD Powder
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Mac Rose Quartz MSF as blush
Eyes:
UDPP
Estee Lauder Bronze Sands Palette
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara
Lips:
Mac Angel Lipstick

Face Of The Day - Golden Bronze

It was my Nan's 82nd birthday on Monday so we went out for a family dinner, it was a bit of a hard day as it was also the first anniversary of my Uncles death so obviously Nan was upset, we tried our best to cheer her up and we spoke about happy times. In the end I think she managed to enjoy the day as much as she could.
I went for a gold/bronze eye and pink lip.

Products Used

Face:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach

Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow as contour

Illamasqua Excite Blush

Mac Rose Quartz MSF as highlight

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil as setting powder

Eyes:

UDPP

Mac All That Glitters on lid

Mac Mulch in crease and under lower lashline

Mac Shroom as highlight

Mac Avenue Fluidline on upper lasline

Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero on Waterline

Avon Spectra Lash Mascara

Lips:

Mac Dervish Lip Liner

Topshop Show Off Lipstick

And I couldn't put up this post without including some pictures of my Nan, I think she looks incredible for 82 and I am very proud of her, we are a very close family so she has always been a huge part of my life. Love her to bits!

Nails Of The Week - Water Marble and Tutorial

Since I posted my water marble nails I have had a few requests to put up a tutorial on how I do it so here it is. This time I decided to go for more pastel colours rather than brights. All the nails look different but I like that effect. Whenever I have the water marble on I always get stopped and asked what my nail polish is and where I went to get it done! The colours I used this time where a base coat of Illamasqua Caress, then alternating dots of Illamasqua Caress, Illamasqua Blow, Illamasqua Smash, Illamasqua Force and Avon Loving Lavender.

On to the tutorial:

Step 1:- Get a bowl that you are not worried about ruining and fill it with water, tap water won't work. I use cooled boiled water but bottled water will work as well if you leave it to get to room temperature.

Step 2:-  Paint a light shade as a base on all nails, this doesn't have to be perfect as you won't be able to see it at the end. Tape of the nail you are going to dip. I use two pieces of sellotape, one across at the base of the nail and then a longer piece which goes along one side over the tip of my finger and down the other side. This helps to stop it being too messy and wasting loads of nail polish remover!

Step 3:- Start alternating drops of polish. This can be trial and error as some polishes just don't work and they sink rather than spreading. If that happens just clear off the surface with a cotton pad and start again.

Step 4:- Keep alternating dots until the polishes seem truer to colour on the surface (when you first start dotting the colours will spread a lot so they would come out really faint.)

Step 5:- Draw your pattern in the polish, you can use many different things to do this, I actually use a screw and it works for me. I have tried using cocktail sticks but it always seems to go wrong for me with them. I don't touch the very outer rings of polish as these tend to dry quickly and can mess it up. I pull from the outside in until I have a pattern I am happy with.

Step 6:- Put your finger nail straight into the polish over the pattern you want. Don't push all the way through just submerge your nail and hold it there.

Step 7:- With your nail still in the water use a cotton bud or cocktail stick and pull away all the excess polish as otherwise this will ruin your design when you pull your nail out of the water. Then remove nail from water.

Step 8:- This is the reason for the tape! As you can see the pattern has transferred on to the nail and also on the sellotape.

Step 9:- Remove the sellotape and you are left with just a little bit of clean up around the edges to do.

Step 10:- Remove any leftover polish from the surface of the water with a cotton pad and then repeat for all ten nails!

Obviously this is just the way I do it, there are many different ways and this s just the way I have found that works for me. If you are feeling brave you can dip 2 fingers at a time but just make sure to grab all excess polish between the fingers as it's easy to ruin the design when you pull them out of the water.

So there you go, that's how I do water marbling. I am going to grab my boyfriend next time and get him to film me doing it. I really hope this has been helpful. If you attempt this please let me know and link your photos or blog posts in the comments.

Face Of The Day Featuring Mac Dynamic Duo 3

I had two Debenhams gift cards burning a hole in my purse from my birthday back in March, they had a 10% off event online so I used them to buy some Mac! Can I just say how ridiculous Debenhams checkout is, I had 2 cards totalling £45 but you can only use one method of payment so if you are using a gift card you have to have enough on the card to cover the whole purchase. So in the end I had to place 2 separate orders (it was free delivery) which ultimately would cost Debenhams more! Anyway on to what I got, I picked out the Dynamic Duo 3 which is absolutely gorgeous, its a purple/taupe (veluxe pearl) and teal (matte). Both colours are nicely pigmented and although I wouldn't have thought of pairing them together they work really well.

Products Used:

Face:

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

Maybelline Mineral Concealer

Make Up Forever HD Powder

Nars Orgasm Blush

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Mac Dynamic Duo 3

Purple/Taupe on lid and crease

Teal on outer corners and under lower lashline

Mac Blitz & Glitz Fluidline on upper lashline

Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

Lips:

Mac Ravishing Lipstick

I have had a bit of a play with the layout of my blog and changed the header, would love to hear you feedback. I am stuck at home at the moment as I managed to step on a plug and cut my foot really badly so need to keep it bandaged, dry and elevated for 5 days, so am incredibly bored of the same four walls!