Do I Need It? Urban Decay Moondust Palette

I think by now you all know how much I love Urban Decay, I love it because the packaging is snazzy, the products are unique and quality is fantastic. I already own a single Moondust shadow in 'Solstace' and it is likely my favourite shadow in the whole world, it is just incredible.

When this palette was first announced I hoped it would be a collection of the Moondust shadows that already existed, I hoped this because I am in love with the majority of them but at almost £15 each I just can not justify buying them all separately. I won't lie, I was a little let down when I found out that this wasn't that case. 

So here my predicament... I still want it but now I just don't know if I need it. I feel like the singles collection were so much more wearable, less intensity in the colour but with unique glitters and duo tones. These shadows are incredibly beautiful, brightly coloured and the glitter is just ridiculously intense. I really want it! I want to strut down the street with bright green glittery eye lids but realistically, will I? 

I do like to experiment with my makeup and I certainly do like to push the boundaries but I own so many bright eyeshadows that hardly ever get used so would it just be a waste of money to buy eight more? 

This palette costs £35.00, its not going to bankrupt me but it also isn't cheap. Would that money be better spend on something more practical like petrol or rent, let be honest, probably just on makeup thats a little more wearable but you get the gist.

It is beautiful though. 

Help? 

Purchase Here

Amazon Brushes

Using a brand new makeup brush is heaven. It is one of the most refreshing, exciting things in the world to a beauty lover but they are so damn expensive that it is an experience that doesn't happen too often. I was reading DarlingJordan a few weeks back and she was talking about Ebay Brush Bargains. They looked just like the Real Techniques bold metal brushes but for a whole lot cheaper! With her recommendation, I had to buy them! 

I decided to get mine from Amazon because Ebay terrifies me but I'm pretty certain they are the same brushes, I will link both below. 

They look copper colours in my photos but they are actually a beautiful true rose gold colour with baby pink bristles. They really are gorgeous to look at! From far they look like the real thing, expensive and classy but up close not so much. They are so shiny that they show all kinds of marks, finger prints, dog hairs and scratches. The handles look and feel cheap which let me down but I wasn't too bothered because for the price I expected it but the bristles on the other hand feel great! They are all soft but with different textures for the different uses, the sculpting brush is stiff for contouring and the powder brush is fluffy and soft. Each brush is perfectly made to apply different products and most definitely work the same as a high end brush. 

While writing this post I am rubbing them on my face just to feel the softness. 

I did however wait almost two weeks for them to be delivered which drove me mad! Every day I ran to the front door hoping for a delivery and everyday, nothing! If you are an impatient person like me, it will annoy the hell out of you! 

Overall, these are good brushes. They apply well and will look fabulous on your vanity, they aren't perfect but for the price I say go buy some! I've also ordered the eye set which will hopefully come any day now!

Check out Darling Jordan.... Here

Buy on Ebay.... Here

Buy on Amazon.... Here 

My Top Six Eyeshadows

These six shadows are my all time favourite, three of them I use almost everyday and can be used in so many ways with other shadows and the other three are ones I go for on a bold day, a night out or just if I'm feeling sassy that day. 

Working through the swatches from left to right...

Urban Decay  - Moondust - Solstace

This is my absolute favourite shadow of all time. It is so incredibly unique and bold yet somehow wearable for day and night (for me anyway), it is a really difficult shadow to describe because it is a duo chrome meaning that it encompasses various shades in different lights. The base colour is a dusky pink and the duo tones are silver and blue fine glitters. 

It is a strange formula because it sort of adapts to your skin tone, on my lids it gives a slight orange/bronze look but on others it is very pink or even purple. I like to use a grey toned pink shadow smoked through my crease then apply Solstice with my finger over the whole lid.

Something I also love about this shadow is that it is really easy to apply, it applies best with a finger and it doesn't require much precision. 

Essence - All About Vintage - Shade One

I bought this palette because it was cheap and I had a makeup itch! Didn't think it would live up to much but it is incredible! It is essentially a collection of different highlighter colours and I am addicted to shade one. It is a frosty white with a slight nude tone, this swatch doesn't do the shimmer justice. It is such an intense inner corner highlight that works perfectly with my skin tone. It is a great palette because I guarantee there is a highlight for every skin tone! 

Urban Decay - Naked Basics - Naked 2

This is an odd shadow which looks super boring in the pan and a little bit too dark to be helpful but actually applied it is a very grey toned yet still kind of warm brown and it is extremely helpful. This shade is so adaptable, it looks great as an all over lid shade, smoked out and a little grungy looking or it also works super well as a crease shade. I like it as a crease shade used alongside bright colours to take the edge off of the brightness. Everyone needs this shadow!

Soap & Glory - The Perfect Ten - Toasty

Toasty is the ultimate crease shade. I genuinely feel like it works with every eye look or on its own to define. I actually use this pretty much every single day and I'm sure I will do for the rest of my life. It is as the shade name suggest, Toasty, a toasted dusky pink. The pigment is not the best but I love that fact because it is so goof proof, you can't mess up, you just keep building the colour and it just effortlessly smokes out. 

MUA - Copper

I'll start by saying this cost just one bloody pound. Literally the cheapest eyeshadow on the market and one of the best. As you can see my the swatch, it is a ridiculously pigmented foiled copper shadow. One swipe of the finger and you have a solid block of metallic gorgeousness. 

I always get so many compliments when I wear this, it is so eye catching and bold, when I tell people how much it cost they are so shocked! 

MUA - Electric Purple

Another shade from the MUA single shadow range. Not quite so wearable but so damn pretty I couldn't not include it. For me, it is also a duo tone (although not advertised as one) it is an intense purple with fine electric blue shimmers. 

I'd just like to talk about MUA singles for a minute. From what I can gather they come in three textures, matte, shimmer and foil. There may be more but these are the only ones I have come across and since none of the shadows are labelled to tell you, I have no idea. It really bothers me how all the shades just have shade names but no other information. I have bought enough singles now to be comfortably tell you to go and buy all the shimmer and foil shades you can get your mits on and DO NOT buy any of the mattes. I am so shocked at the quality difference between the mattes and the more shimmery/glittery shadows. 

If I had to give up all my shadows but six these would be the six I would keep. Have you tried any of the shadows? What did you think?

What shadows can't you live without?

Benefit Gimme Brow Review

Something I love about Benefit as a brand is that they always bring out samples sizes of new products in magazines which makes it possible for everyone to try something new without having to shell out for the full size before knowing if they like it. 

Benefits newest offering is a range of new and old eyebrow products all repackaged and looking so much nicer! Gimme Brow is a old favourite for many so this little revamp is highly appealing. The sleek silver with the classic Benefit vintage style looks great, its classy and whimsical while still being efficient, not too fussy. 

It has a simple screw on top and a short wand, now this is a sample size but I think the full size is just a slightly bigger version with everything else still the same. Don't hold me to this but I think so! The applicator is a small spoolie which makes application really easy and precise, I like it much better than your standard larger spoolie because it makes this product more idiot proof. You literally could apply it with your eyes closed. 

My shade is 5, it is the darkest shade and it is a good match for my brows. There are three shades to choose from which is not enough in my opinion, three shades can't possible suit everyone. My eyebrows are certainly not the darkest I've seen!

As for the product itself, I don't love it. Above is my brows after a thick coating of the Gimme Brow. I have very thick brows anyway but this product hasn't stuck down my inner brow hairs very well and I feel like all over looks a little sparse and I much prefer a thicker more filled in look.

I don't think it is a bad product, its just not for me. If you like a light brow, all you need is a little something then maybe you will love this but if like me you prefer a more perfected brow, i'd look elsewhere. 

You can buy the full size here ...

... but i'd recommend grabbing yourself a copy of Glamour magazine and giving it a try before committing to the full size. 

I am still intrigued by the range though so I think I might give either the Brow Zing or the Ka-Brow a whirl instead! 

Collection Speedy Highlighter Review

I've always been a powder girl, powder blush, powder bronze, power eyeshadow and powder highlight. I've been slowly slipping over to the cream side, starting with blush sticks and now I'm starting on the highlight sticks. Since I am new to the cream scene, I went for this little beauty from Collection.

Collection is an affordable yet quality brand so I hoped this product would be great and I was right. 

The packaging is your typical stick with a twist up bottom, plastic casing with a plastic lid. Nothing  fancy but still attractive and very efficient. The colour of the packaging also reflects the colour of the product which I really appreciate for ease of picking a product from my collection. 

(Unblended)

When you first swipe the product over your skin you get an intense block of colour, very shimmery but also very white looking which isn't too attractive. It is however, creamy and easy to apply, easy to handle and feels a whole lot more expensive than its £3.99 price tag. 

(Blended) 

When blended it becomes almost powder like, smooth and blendable. It can be a subtle highlight as shown here or you can layer for a more intense glazed doughnut look. Or even use it as a light base to help stick a powder highlight. 

Speedy Highlight does what it says on the tin. It is a quick, effortless, intense highlight. I really love it, I've been using it almost everyday since I bought it and think that I will continue to do so through out the summer months. 

My only complaint is that there is only one shade choice, although this shade is perfect for me right now, I can't imagine it working on a darker skin tone or myself once I get a nice tan over the summer. It has a very white undertone that just wouldn't work on more tanned skin in my opinion. 

But considering the popularity of this bad boy, I wouldn't be surprised if a few new shades pop up sometime soon! 

Are flowers worth it?

Today I have found myself looking at these flowers sitting in a beautiful glass vase thinking to myself, are they worth it? 

I've never been a flower lover, never bought them for myself or for others and never asked my partner to get them for me either. But a few months ago my boyfriend bought me some daffodils, I felt happier about this fact than I thought I would and found myself obsessing over them, worrying that the stems seemed to be bending and moving them around the house to be sure they had the best light. 

Soon after, they died. 

And I found myself buying another bunch.

And another bunch and another until now months later I have constantly had flowers in that beautiful glass vase. 

Something about having a big vase of colourful flowers makes the room they are in feel more alive, more pulled together and more feminine. I really like having them around but are they worth it?

I still feel like they are a pointless gift because you cant keep them long, I still worry that they will attract bugs and I still think the scummy water in the bottom of the vase is gross so why do I keep buying them? Why does everyone keep buying them?

Truth is, its nice to have a little bit of life in your living room even if it doesn't last long and they sure do take a lovely photo. 

My Current Love For Country

I've always loved country music, mostly modern stuff and in the summer time just cant get enough of it! 

These are the 12 songs I've been blaring none stop in my car with the windows down, purposely taking the longer more scenic route home. Look them up and take along drive! If you know of a country song that needs to be on this playlist, tell me in the comments!

1. Jamie Lynn Spears - Sleepover

                          

2. Jamie Lynn Spears - Run

3. Clare Bowen - Black Roses

4. Carrie Underwood - Play On

5. Carrie Underwood - Temporary Home

6. Carrie Underwood - All American Girl

7. Cam - Burning House

8. Edens Edge - Swinging Door

9. Edens Edge - Feels So Real

10. Taylor Swift - Our Song

11. Shania Twain - You're Still The One

12. Shania Twain - Forever And For Always