Of Love and Lipstick

When I first started seeing the Barry M Fall in Love Palette all over Instagram, the first thing I noticed was that it has similar red and orange shades to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture Palette. To be honest, I didn't get subculture because of the issues with the palette's formula and because I wasn't really interested in half of the shades. It was only the warm yellows and oranges that stood out to me. I picked this out not because I though it would be a 'dupe' for some of the  Subculture Palette's shadows, but just because I wanted to experience such bright shades without breaking the bank.  

Autumn is fast approaching, I believe September 22nd is the official seasonal change. I've decided to be proactive with my Autumnal makeup update. I went to my one stop makeup shop, aka the makeup heaven that is Tk Maxx, and they had just received a huge Illamasqua shipment. My reach into Illamsasqau has been quite limited, mainly their amazing nail varnishes, and I could not wait to get my hands on some new products.

I wasn't really going to purchase this, at the time, but when I went shopping after Christmas they only had the five left in my local Debenhams. I was pushed into buying this instead of the original Naked palette with phrases such as 'limited edition' and 'you can get the Naked palette anytime!"  The palette itself feels very sturdy, like I could take it travelling and not have to worry about any of the shadows smashing. The golden edging detail with the black polka dots make the palette look quite edgy and modern. The inside reveals a nice oversized mirror with a cute little quote in the corner. There are fifteen eyeshadows in total; the majority are a warm neutral tone but there are a few pops of colour. The first five shadows are: Blonde, Bathwater, Skimp, Steady and Punk. Blonde is a very pale beige shade with a pinkish iridescent shimmer to it. With it being so pale I really had to dig my brush into it to achieve any type of pigmentation...

Today all focus is on the Makeup Revolution Iconic 2 Palette. I picked this up quite a while ago, during the special Black Friday offer, and it has become a firm favourite. Posts that I had read prior to purchase described this as being the ultimate dupe for the second Lorac Pro Palette. I picked this up as I have always wanted to try the Lorac Pro Palette, but it has never been very high on my must have makeup list.

Now, I love Makeup Revolution. When I first stared blogging, Makeup Revolution was just starting up, and everyone was realising this could just be the next biggest drugstore brand. Everything that I've purchased has been gold; no regrets what so ever. But, still, I ave my doubts when I picked up the All About Cream Blush Palette. I've had cream palettes where the product was so stiff and unworkable, which is how I thought this palette would have went. I'm so GLAD to say this is not the case!!

I really love the quality to Barry M Nail Paints; I think they are one of the best quality to be found in the drugstore. I thought I'd branch out into their other products and see if they are just as good. I picked up the Barry M Get Up & Glow Palette back in December as a free gift with purchase. It is a bronzer, blusher and highlighter palette which I think is very on trend right now. Lots of different brands have, or are coming out with, palettes such as this.

Ever have one of those days where your mind is totally uninspired, and can't make a decision of which palette to use? Where you don't want to do anything too fancy? I have those days all the time; it sometimes feels like there are too many different options to pick one. When this happens I always pick up my Stila 'In the Light' Palette. This was the first big brand name palette that started off my whole collection, and I will always once back to it in times of need.

I thought I'd take a step back from throwing Christmas spirit everywhere, and do a bit of a makeup review. That's why I first started blogging as well as my favourite part. I bought the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette back in September when I was in Florida because, frankly, I'd seen it everywhere prior to my trip. Every makeup collection video, monthly favourites, hauls; it was EVERYWHERE! Naturally, I had to pick it up.

One of the shining jewels in my makeup collection is this amazing palette, the Urban Decay Vice 3. It is one of the most colourful and versatile palettes that I own, which warrants it it's own blog post!

I have just found out that the distributors of the e.l.f makeup range in the United Kingdom are moving on and no longer buying e.l.f. This means that they are currently selling off their stock at up to 70% off. This puts a sad light on what is to be  my first review of a disappointing product. The packaging is thick and very sturdy, but a normal matte black. There is a medium sized mirror in the lid that is very handy for if you want to take this palette on the go. There is no brush, however, which is rather odd. Most palettes these days come with some type of brush, even if it's just one of the dual ended sponge tips. 

I am totally in love with this and could not wait to try it out. I saw it sitting oh-so innocently in Tk Maxx; upon which I had to dive on it before anyone else saw it BareMinerals, and anything similar to that standard, is hard to come by in my local store, so this was amazing. I was worried that it was going to contain totally weird and obscure shades but no!

Most of this haul comes from Tk Maxx and I make no apologies for that. It is no secret that it is my absolute favourite shop to find little amazing beauty bargains. I also like that fact that I could chance upon some exclusive brands from America, which are not stocked here.

Good Afternoon So one of the gifts I received at Christmas was the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. It cost me £37, which is a substantial amount of money but I feel that it's a good investment for the future. As I am still very much considered a makeup 'newbie' I was not quite sure of the difference between the three palettes. An incredibly helpful Urban Decay representative took me aside an explained them throughly before suggesting that my pale skintone suited the Naked 2 more.

I feel like I have to write a wish list because there is just so much that I want to buy. Seriously though, amazon and eBay are the devils. These are the top 5 products on my October wishlist: Sleek I-Divine Palette in Snapshots I had a large makeup clear out earlier this year where I got rid of all my bad, old makeup, and because of this my only palettes are very basic neutral shades. I like Snapshots because of the  bright Spring/Sum mer

So, this evening I'm heading out to my university society's freshers initiations; a time when all of the group 'oldies' get the 'newbies' totally intoxicated and playing silly games. Now, I am not a big drinky-poo person and so will only be having a couple. This leads to me playing the person who takes the photos and makes sure no one collapses from alcohol poisoning. As my 'official' title is that of 'glamorous assistant'...