Eye shadow pencils

Eye shadows are probably one of my favourite make up products, the world of make up has expanded so much recently that there is so many different forms of each product out there including eye shadows eg. cream, pigments, pencil/crayon, liquid and of course your bog standard powder eye shadow which have extremely upped their game too!

But im talking to you about Eye shadow crayons, which i do love but some times i forget i have. They work great as a base ready for other eye shadows on top or alot of the time i just use one on its own if i just want quite a simple look as its super quick and easy and doesn't take alot of blending.

It is all about finding one that is going to last on your lid and not to make you look like you have wrinkly eye lids. I have tried the Revlon colour stay pencils in the past but i found they weren't very pigmented and i found they were quite harsh on my eyes as they weren't very creamy, saying that i think they might have been discontinued.

These ones i have here have all worked very well for me and ticked all the right boxes:
  They last a very long time on your eye with out creasing, extremely easy to apply and blend down to the smooth texture so its not going to drag on your skin plus they don't loose any of their pigmentation once blended or throughout the day.

Kiko Long Lasting Eye shadow Stick: Probably one of my favourites. They kind of remind me of the By Terry Ombre black-stars because they have a very similar formula and are both retractable however Kiko's version is a fraction of the price.

Nyx jumbo eye pencil: I love the range of colours that Nyx have i don't think they last quite as long as the other both on your eye and they actual pencil itself as i don't think you can roll it up or sharpener it which is the only down fall really else they would be a very good shout!

Rimmel Scandaleyes shadow stick: They don't have as many colours but the ones they do have are lovely paired with another colour to create your look. They aren't as buttery as the others but its not a massive issue as they are still quite smooth saying that they still hold a lot of colour and they won't budge.

Thanks for reading
 Meg x

Battle of the Palettes

I suddenly realised the other day that i have consumed quite a lot of eye shadow palettes over the years, there was quite alot more there than i had thought, i think that is when i was certain that eye shadows are definitely my favourite to collect.

 Although i have a variety or high end and high street palettes, i also have my most used which are clearly my favourites.

I think from these pictures my eye shadow preference is pretty clear as most of them, if not all of them contain: neutrals, browns, bronze, copper, gold, dusty pinks and burgundy shades, mainly because these tones contrast best with my blue eyes (probably why im attracted to them so much) colour wheels don't lie.

My thoughts on these palettes and which is my most used 'go to' palette.. let the battle commence!

  My first palette that i bought was the Urban Decay Naked palette, the first out of the bunch and a very well known palette at that, it may of been my first but some how i sometimes  seem to forget i have it or when creating a look i have other similar shades i prefer to use, hence why it isn't as used as much as it probably should be; saying that i do still use it alot. Containing 12 compatible shades it is very easy to create a simple or more glam look using just a couple of these creamy matte and shimmer shades.

One of the most recent ones i have got bought for Christmas from my mumma, I knew as soon as i saw it i wanted it, being as its a Christmas limited edition im glad i have it, here's why: Ten beautiful shades in which some i don't own anything like, My main reason for falling for this Soap and Glory 'The perfect Ten' palette is down to the third shade Twinkle Belles, a gorgeous champagne shade full of shimmer, perfect to sweep over the lid or to use in a cut crease. This is most likely my second most used palette as of yet.

Another palette which i treasure, because i find it to be such a glamorous palette is the Smash Box Full Exposure palette with 7 Matte and 7 glittery shades. I adore all of the glitter shades; as you probably would too if you've seen them. It has a mixture of bronze tones and smoky shades in both shimmer and matte form to create natural or more extravagant looks. Although the pros are very high, i do find these shadows don't apply as well as some others but the brush it contains does work very well alongside them.

Lastly, I'll admit my favourite palette, the Revolution Ultra Flawless palette, containing 32 unique shades, of which a majority are shimmer shades, great for a more captivating look. Despite being a high street palette it is definitely up there with some of the best ones i have tried, it is a well loved palette... by me anyway, for many reasons; the variety of shades being one (alot of them being the colours i tend to go for) but maybe not a best friend to those who love bright/neon colours or a cooler smoky look, each shade contains great pigmentation without having to coat it over your lids multiple times and the texture is lovely as they are still very buttery and smooth in spite of the fact they do crease a little bit they are still great to use. You can't really go wrong for £8, i highly recommend checking it out, they also have a matte version if that is more your thing! both including a huge mirror.

  What is your winning palette?

Meg x

Products Youtube made me buy / Beauty

I don't normally give in to all the beauty hypes that everyone seems to obsess over unless i instantly get hooked as soon as i see it.
There is a few products that i wasn't too fussed about getting hold of but eventually gave in and here are my thoughts.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish: A very raved about product but they were not wrong in doing so, also a product i have wanted for a very long time but never got round to buying it. Its a lovely lightweight cream cleanser, it definitely does its job and worth the buy but i do have a few other cleansers i may reach for first however i don't regret buying it as it does leave my skin feeling super soft.

One product that i think everyone has tried at least once as it had such a good turn out for a smaller high street brand. Collection Lasting perfection Concealer, for me since they released that concealer their make up game got that little bit stronger and started bringing out some other really good products. Personally i think its a really good coverage but it doesn't look cakey or crease loads paired with the right powder, the best thing is they even have a pale enough shade for my skin which is normally quite hard to find in a concealer.

On to another concealer that I'm not all to impressed with is Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer, firstly they have very limited shades so unless you're a shade nude or light (meaning the tiniest bit lighter than nude, not light) then you might want to try a different concealer. I have shade light which is a little bit darker than my foundation.. so not really light enough for us ivory chicks. It also has a medium coverage but i don't find it does an awful lot for me.

Urban Decay all nighter setting spray was one hyped up product.. although i kind of went along with this one because i hadn't really heard any bad reviews plus the primer potions work fab, so i thought this might work just as well. Being quite excited when i bought it, it disappointed me as i didn't see a massive different, maybe i used it wrong or something but this product didn't quite do the trick for me. Hence why it isn't in this photo as i gave it away.

Lastly a highlight brighter than the moon, one everyone, their friends and their friends dogs were talking about, even now after its been out for a while. I do to agree with all those people that it is a lovely highlight, maybe a little too powdery for me but it lasts ages and the iridescent glow it gives also lasts all day, it is definitely one of my favourite highlighter, it is quite handy to take with you too as it has quite a big mirror and is very slim.

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We are already in 2017, how incredibly fast did that go? Although we are now in a new year im slightly sad yet relieved that its over.
We all had some good bits and bad bits, I finished my college course, I spent most of the year pretty busy, i found out i was going to have a niece/nephew and I moved into my own flat. I also learnt a lot from some of the not so nice things that happened, plus I turned 20.. Ugh to getting old.

I have started this year of.. Well for one, ill and that's why this post is a lot later than I would of liked, but two also quite anxious of what is yet to come. I think 2017 is the year for great things, despite everyone saying that every year that this is going to be their year, I honestly have a gut feeling about this one.

Going into 2017 with all my new bits from Christmas I decided to have a bit of a clear out (mainly of old makeup I no longer want) and I'm starting a clean-ish slate, ready to look forward to all the new adventures.

What was your favourite parts of 2016?
Meg x