My Favourite MAC Shadows

I don't normally do this but I've been scheduling my YouTube videos as kind of a test for my vacation time next week and I just don't trust the system to work so I will be posting a couple over here on my blog in the next few days as a back up. The first is today's, my favourite MAC shadows. I will do a separate post with swatches etc if you'd like but if you just want up close photos and names you can see all of that here. These are the shadows I put together to take away with me plus I ended up getting in to my others while I was at it so if you're interested in that kind of thing and not averse to watching a video rather than looking at pretty pictures... here it is...

Sorry if this was a frustrating post, I personally hate to see videos on a blog with no real textual content but for those that may have missed it and wanted to see.. I hope you liked it!

Miss BB

Naked Again

 

My Mum usually buys me practical gifts for my birthday but this year Lee was in her ear and advised that this might just be the only thing I'd want. He was right. I have been remarkably restrained  to not have rushed out and bought it before now as I absolutely could not wait for it to launch but I have been trying to save my pennies to spend in Vegas and with my birthday approaching I thought it best to 'wait and see'.. it paid off.. yay!

Ok so...

The palette is comprised of 12 neutral (duh) shades from the pale base shade of Foxy to the incredibly pigmented Blackout. Having worked for the company some time ago I was tipped off there was to be a sequel to the naked. I was understandably giddy and now I have it I'm pleased to see some of my old favourites are in there...Chopper, YDK and Half Baked (the only repeat from the first Naked).. all fabulous golden tones. I also like that they've kept two matte shades, I'm wearing tease today in my crease over my foxy base and loving the simplicity. The whole palette is encased in a tin and the lid opens to reveal a huge mirror and a double ended shadow/crease brush. You also get a bonus mini lip Junkie gloss in Naked - how appropriate.

Now on to the swatches.. I always love this part...

And now of course I would be remiss if I wasn't to compare the new Naked with the original. I read/watched a LOT of reviews and comparisons and the general consensus is that the new Naked is generally cooler toned which I would agree with but I can see more to it than that. 

On the whole the palette offers a variety of paler shades and unfortunately in my opinion those that aren't repromotes are not the quality I'm used to from Urban Decay. They lack the payoff and longevity I would expect. They're still very nice don't get me wrong but the brand has set the bar high and I was disappointed with the new shades in this set. The packaging.. well, what can I say? I loved the original chocolate box velour but yes its looks beaten up after a year and a half so I guess the tin is an improvement and I do love the full sized in-lid mirror. When the Naked was first released in 2010 it was produced with a double ended 24/7 liner, it was said liner that made it the must have item that nobody could get hold of. The manufacture of the pencils was difficult and slow and so eventually they replaced the liner with a shadow brush. Many loved the amendment.. I'm glad I got the pencil. In the new palette they've created a new double ended brush (I appreciate the symmetry) and I think it's a lot more appropriate. I'm a huge fan of blending and with just this 'one' brush you can lay down a base, define your crease and under your eyes and blend blend blend. Love it!Lastly this is one of the only UD palettes I've known come without  primer and I for one miss it. It comes instead with a mini Lip Junkie lipgloss - Naked of course! I am already a fan of these, love the cooling, tingly sensation and they smell deliciously like After Eights so I've made my peace with the missing primer. It doesn't give a lot of colour but it will make a nice handbag gloss to jazz up what ever lipstick I'm wearing.

When you compare the two side by side I have to say I think I still prefer the original palette, there's more depth and I've loved it for so long it's hard to replace it with something new. I do like the new one and I'm sure it will also get a lot of use but I would have liked to see some deeper shades. 

Do I Need Both?

 So many bloggers have remained on the fence about this but I'm going to put myself out there and say YES! If you are a neutrals girl (or boy..hey.. it's 2012) I think so... They are very very different so yes it is nice to have both and what I do like about my new addition is that between them I now have a neutral range that spans the palest nude to the darkest black.

Available online and in store at Debenhams now

£36.00 (link)

There's something very beautiful about an untouched eyeshadow.. you almost don't want to use it!

I said ALMOST!

Miss BB

Valentines Giveaway

I feel like it's been forever since I ran a giveaway so now the busy-ness of the wedding is over with and Valentines is almost here it seemed like good timing. The rules are simple. You must follow this blog (via Google Friend Connect) or subscribe to my YouTube channel to be in with a chance of winning this Urban Decay Black Palette. I will choose a winner at random from either YouTube or GFC and announce it on February 14th. The contest is international, anyone can enter but bare in mind that if you win you must be able to provide a delivery address and check back here on Valentines day to see if you've won! To make it easier to contact you if you leave an email address or twitter in the comments below that would be useful but otherwise...

GOOD LUCK!

Miss BB

Something Special from Sleek

This is my FIRST sleek palette... can you believe it? Despite the hype surrounding them and the glowing reviews EVERYWHERE I was always put off by the cheap looking packaging. Ok, I know they are cheap but they don't have to look it, right? When it's closed it looks okay but once you open it up I think it looks like something I'd buy for my 6 year old. Maybe I'm alone here but that's definitely why it's taken me so long to make a purchase. I popped in to Superdrug at the weekend with some lovely beauty card points burning a hole in my wallet and decided to give Sleek a go. There are so many palettes it was near impossible to pick, I was going for the Storm because it seems so popular but then this one caught my eye. I'd never heard of the "oh so special" palette and more importantly there was only ONE left so I HAD to have it! 

I love the colour range, it's got a real day to night feel. The quality of the shadows are similar to MUA in that the metallic shades are great and the mattes.. not so much. I have to give them kudos for including mattes at all though because a lot of drugstore brands don't even attempt them because they're so hard to get right and these are not TERRIBLE.. they're just not as good as the others. With a primer underneath they are a lot better. The one thing I was bowled over by was the matte black. Even high end brands struggle with a matte black but sleek have it dead on, it's SO pigmented, I did get a lot of fallout as a result but you can't have it all, can you? I'd seriously recommend Sleek now if only for that one shadow. So many palettes miss the black and I think it's an essential addition. Overall it's a really great palette and I will absolutely be purchasing more from Sleek. 

TOP ROW
Bow, Organza, Ribbon, Gift Basket, Glitz, Celebrate
BOTTOM ROW
Pamper, Gateau, The Mail, Boxed, Wrapped Up, Noir

Miss BB

Something Naked This Way Comes

At the start of 2011 I was working for Urban Decay and we were told there was going to be a Naked 2 in the fall. They said it would be in a tin and that was all we were allowed to know so when the 15th anniversary palette was released I thought perhaps they were talking about that. I assumed they were expecting to be as popular as the Naked. I was mightily disappointed that we weren't going to get an actual new Naked.. until this morning. I've never had a more exciting reading list appear in front of me! 

Now I didn't want to go pinching pictures from those lucky few that have the palette in their possession so I will point you in the direction of Charlotte at Lipglossiping who has some fab up-close shots and promises swatches later today (can't wait) here's the link to her review post. I love that it's in the same format as the first Naked but it's in a wipe-clan tin. Much as I thought the chocolate box velvety finish looked great on the first it's not worn well over time. There's also a useful double ended eyeshadow brush included at launch as opposed to the double ended pencil that was so hard to manufacture and made the first palette so tricky to get hold of until they replaced it with a shadow brush. Lastly the mirror is the size of the whole lid so more usable and rather than the mini primer potion that is usually included with UD's sets they've put in a mini Lip Junkie Lipgloss.. I can tell you these smell and taste delicious.. nothing like the disgusting pocket rockets (eugh) So that's a nice to have.

I have no idea the price point or the uk launch date but rest assured as soon as I do, you will!

This is one item I will be rushing to the shops for, how about you?

MissBB

MAC - Most Wanted

Last week I was desperate to get my hands on some of the new Glitter and Ice collection from MAC but since I had to put off my shopping trip I've decided my money may be better spent elsewhere... 

There are a few things I've wanted for a while... these are they...

Brow Set in Show Off £11.50

Studio Sculpt Foundation £23.00

Quarry Eyeshadow £11.50

Humid Eyeshadow £11.50

Pro Eyeshadow Palette x4 £6.50

Viva Glam V Lipglass £12.50

Studio Sculpt Concealer £13.50

Paint Pot in Groundwork £13.50 

Now OBVIOUSLY I'm not about to run out and get all this in one trip but this is my fantasy shopping list I'll keep handy when I next visit my local counter. I have wanted to try Studio Sculpt Foundation/Concealer since I bought the Studio Fix Fluid and it broke me out. I loved the coverage and the finish but I couldn't live with what it did to my skin. Apparently the Studio Sculpt is a lighter alternative as it's gel-based and hydrating so shouldn't have the same, ugly effect but does offer buildable-full coverage and a nice finish. 

The eye shadows are just more must haves I'm told I "need" by bloggers far and wide and the brow set I will need to try before I buy. My brows are light and sparse, I'd love to find a quick way to groom them in the mornings but as yet nothing looks as natural as a powder which takes some time and requires a palette and brushes.. I would be over the moon if MACs brow set did the job in one swipe but I'm not holding out much hope. I want a pro palette quad because it's handier than the 15 palettes I have and I feel like I am more likely to rotate the shades and get more use out of what I have. Because I'm a palette fiend I'd likely buy quarry and humid in refill form. Lastly, Groundwork - I haven't found a paint pot I really love for daily use yet but this seems a light enough neutral taupe brown to be worn every day and the lip glass is the gloss version of my go to MAC lipstick so I must have it, right?

Have you got anything on my list? 

Do you have any major MAC recommendations?

What are you currently lusting after?

Iced Island Breeze

I know the title "Island Breeze" totally betrays the season but I've had this palette for the longest time and only just got around to filming a tutorial with it. The colours are lovely pastel shades which unfortunately don't seem to translate well in photos but I think the video picked them up well and I'm really pleased with the overall look. I'm looking forward to winter but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on the glow just yet.

What I Used

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

Nars Sheer Glow (Mont Blanc/Light 2)

YSL Touch Eclat (light)

Maybelline SuperStay 24 Concealer (light 2)

Benefit Boxed Powder in Sugar Bomb

Avon Palette in Island Breeze

2True Easyglide Khol Liner

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara (to give volume)

Urban Decay Skyscraper Mascara (to lengthen)

Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Peroxide

*video will be here once uploaded*

Too Faced Fun in the Dark

I was pretty darn excited when BuyaPowa told me this was the next cosmetic co-buy and even more so when I received one in the post on Tuesday. Over the last few days I've tested it (you can expect some tutorials very soon) and I think I'm in a position to review. First up...

The Packaging

Wow! Reminiscent of the Urban Decay BOS III (NY) palette  but not just eyeshadows. The lights are more like the model mirror so many bloggers have raved about and in this handy compact palette the light up mirror is actually useable rather than just a cute gimmick. It's substantial enough that it feels secure in your bag and yet small enough that it will fit in even your evening clutch for a night out.

Eyes

There are four to choose from in this palette, hopefully they show up well enough for you to make them out from the swatches below. Pin Up and Peep Show are more highlight shades, they would make very sheer lid colours. It's a shame because I really love Peep Show, I'm hoping it will be a bolder colour with a primer underneath. Full Frontal and Lucky Charms are really impressive for pigmentation. Full Frontal is a warm almost aubergine/brown and Lucky Charms is a vibrant green like nothing else I have.. always nice to add something new! Overall I think they're great quality shadows I just wish the paler ones had a touch more pay-off.

Face

First I have to mention Sun Bunny. This is uber-popular as a single product so I was really pleased to get to try it. One side (right) is matte and the other (left) has a sheeny finish. It gives a really beautiful natural golden glow. The Blush, Papa Don't Peach (love the name) is a lovely compliment to Sun Bunny. Again it has a kind of sheen to it, it's not quite shimmer just a dewy effect on the skin.

I really liked both of these and that they go so well together.

Lips

In this set you get a lipstick and a lipgloss. Free Love is a barely there pinky nude shade, it's always difficult to get a good swatch from a lip palette. It seemed quite sheer when I applied it but I'm not sure if it would be quite so sheer from a tube. None the less it was a nice shade once on the lips. The gloss didn't give much colour at all. What looked like a garish bright pink in the palette turned out to be just a bit of sparkle. The two were nice worn together but lip palettes are notoriously difficult to get right. It's a nice addition to the overall package.

Prior to this set I'd only tried the Naked Eye palette before which had really impressed me, I'd been looking forward to trying something new from them and this didn't let me down.

To get 40% off this palette visit BuyaPowa who have this on offer today!!!

*sponsored post*

Pretty "First Date" Drugstore Makeup

I've had several requests for a full face of drugstore makeup and a couple for "first date" looks so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. I'm uploading my tutorial to YouTube now but it's a bit blurry (I've had it with trying to film using my SLR) so here are some photos of the look and a run down of the products I used. Hope it's helpful.

I used mostly MUA, their new pro range has some fab stuff. I threw in my new 2true liner as an alternate as I don't have a basic black from MUA and I must say I was impressed. I'll be using that again! I love the overall look but the standout discovery for me has to the mosaic blush. When I first bought it I didn't think much of it, it didn't seem to have an colour pay off when I swatched it and I don't think it ever even made it on to my face. Well... I'm very glad I used it in this tutorial 'cause it's awesome! It gives a really sheer wash of colour and a beautiful sheen, not sparkly at all just glowy, I wish they did a neutral highlight powder in this formula because for £2.50 that would be my number one drugstore product. I have a mosaic bronzer too so I'll be trying that out tomorrow. Just goes to show you should give things another go.. I am often too quick to judge and once something is put away in my collection it could be lost forever.. I would have been seriously missing out.

I also want to point out I used a tiny bit of lipstick with the gloss to create a more tinted lip.. this lipstick is a really bold pink when used normally.

Mosaic Blush in English Rose £2.50

Dusk Til Dawn Palette £4

2True Khol Liner £1.99

Extreme Curl Mascara £2

Lipstick Shade 3 £1

Lipgloss Shade 4 £1

Here's the tutorial video...

What are your favourites from MUA?

Naked Shimmer from Fashionista

I was excited to try out the Fashionista palette I put together so when I went out for my friends birthday last night I used it and this is what I came up with.. pretty samey for me but I thought I'd share my first "look" from the range. I used Nude Glimmer on the inner corner blended out to Berry Brown in the outer corner and crease and Black Out to define my lash line. First impressions on applying them.. the pigments pretty standard for drugstore shadows. They are very similar to the MUA Heaven and Earth palette so if you have that already I'd recommend you branch out into colour from the Fashionista line. I don't feel like I've added anything new to my collection here but they are nice to work with and these pictures were taken at 1am (after we got home) so I can definitely vouch for their staying power!

*Please don't scrutinize my eyebrows too much... I'm putting off tinting/plucking until I have time to film a how-to video*

For my original swatch post from this palette check this link

Have you tried any of these shadows yet? I am going to have to go back to get a colour quad so any recommendations are very welcome

Fashionista Shadow Swatches

 You may have seen my original post about this range but if not you can find it here

I was waiting to see it in one of my local stores rather than order online. There aren't that many posts online about this brand yet so I had no swatches to go by.. I needed to see for myself. First of all I want to mention the awesome deal that is a quad palette. When I first looked into it I saw that each shadow was £4 and the palette was £5 but what I didn't see was if you bought a full quad you paid only £12!!! Bargain!!!

I was always going to buy 4 and the palette but this was I saved £9! It's practically 5 for 3.

I don't know if this will be the permanent offer but just in case I intend to go back for more over the coming weeks. My first impressions are that much like W7 and MUA the shadows are hit and miss. The metallic/shimmery shades are best as you'd expect, there are some with glitter fall out that aren't so great but I can tell you the few matte shadows there are are pretty good. I didn't immediately need any of the blushers so I stuck to shadows this time but I swatched some and they seemed ok. You never really know til you try them out of course but I wouldn't rule them out in future. As usual I plumped for a neutral selection first. I would love to buy a few palettes and fill them with a range of colours but given that I've just left work I'm not in the ideal financial position to do that right now even at £12 a go.

 Clockwise - Nude Glimmer, Bella, Black Out, Berry Brown

L-R Nude Glimmer, Berry Brown, Black Out, Bella

Nude Glimmer and Bella come across as similar I know but Bella is really sheer and packed with fine glitter where are Nude Glimmer is a really dense, highly pigmented formula. Berry Brown is much the same and Black Out is a matte black. As with most brands the matte black is the most difficult shade of the bunch but I thought I'd give it a go, It's not the worst I've tried but it's nothing special. I will do a look with this palette soon.. I'm looking forward to layering Bella over some of my other shadows to give some extra sparkle.

Here's my Fashionista review video...

Have you tried anything from the Fashionista Brand yet?

Everything seemed good value for money size-wise so I will be trying more of it for sure

Fashionista Arrives at Superdrug

You may already have heard about the new Fashionista range that hit Superdrug this week. I'm not sure if it's available in stores yet or just online (nowhere near me has it yet that's for sure). If their site is anything to go by the range will be a comprehensive one but right now all that's launched are the custom palettes. Lucky for me that's what I was most interested in!

The palette itself retails at £5 and there are 49 eyeshadows and 12 blushers which fit in the palette each at just £4. You could create a seasonal blush palette, an eyeshadow quad or mix and match for travel. I LOVE customisable ANYTHING as you know so this is what really has me excited about the Fashionista brand. You may remember I posted about The Saturday's magnetic nail polish? Well that's part of this range too! I'm interested to see everything else they introduce and will be getting my hands on a palette as soon as they arrive in my local store.

For now you can buy it from Superdrug online here

Have you tried anything from this range yet?

*EDIT*

I've since bought a palette..

you can find my swatches and review here