Wow, and actual FOTD. They've been lacking recently. I've been doing a bit of product testing for my last batch of reviews so my FOTDs have been boring.
I used:
*-Bee Luscious Retexturising Primer
*-Bee Luscious Liquid Mineral Foundation "Linen"
*-ELF Studio HD Powder
*-The Body Shop Blush Trio "Warm Sunset"
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Detrivore Shadow Primer
-Shu Uemura Shadow "ME Beige 800" - over lids
-Kryolan Satin Powder "096M" - in crease
-Sleek MakeUp Dip-It Eyeliner "Forest Green" - top liner
-Gosh Let's Twist Liner "Blue Grass"
-Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara
*-Coastal Scents Hot Pot "M09" - highlight
-Urban Decay Lipgunk "Naked"
Final day of testing the Detrivore primer. Disappointing. It makes the colours incredibly vivid, but it creases like mad on me. Someone with a drier lid (mine are getting a little oily) might get on better.
Products marked with a star(*) were received free for review/tutorial purposes.
Well, this has been a neglected series. Just a note on the swatches, I won't be showing the shadows on bare skin. I don't wear my shadows on bare skin, I always use some kind of primer or base.
Gorgeous Gold is a Veluxe Pearl shadow. It's very soft, smooth and almost creamy, quite similar to Urban Decay Deluxe shadows and Shu Uemura Metallic finish shadows. Not all Veluxe Pearl shadows are of this soft texture though. Sumptuous Olive, for example, is harder in texture. The Veluxe Pearls have an amazing sheen which seems to give them a glow from within.
The MAC website describes Gorgeous Gold as low-light yellow gold. It is yellow gold, but they miss off one of the most interesting things about the shadow - its green flash! This shadow is definitely a duo-chrome.
I've swatched this over primer and a black cream shadow (Benefit Creaseless Cream Towne Car). The swatch over primer shows the lovely yellow gold and glow of the shadow, but not really much of the green flash. It gets way more interesting over a black base. The green shimmer really stands out.
Gorgeous Gold isn't as pigmented as some other Veluxe Pearl shadows that I have. I expect this is due to it being pretty much yellow. For some reason, yellows tend to be more sheer than other colours. It shows up just fine over a good primer though!
MAC Shadows are available from MAC (website/stores/counters):
-Pro pans are £9.00
-Pots are £11.00
I've had these kicking around my eye liner pot for a while, since last year I think. I had to check to see if The Body Shop still sold these before I started on the review.
The Body Shop Metallic Eye Definers are available in 5 shades for £7.50 each. Sold at Body Shop stores and available on the website.
There's a good selection of colours here. All too often a release of a metallic product means only available at Christmas, or available in gold and silver. There isn't a gold in this selection and not really a silver as it's a steel (darker and greyer than silver).
These liners are quite soft, but not too soft that they deform as you use them if you press too hard. They're just soft enough that they apply very smoothly. No tugging required to apply these!
They are quite pigmented, with each swatch having a couple of layers. Not pigmented enough for top liner (I rarely use a pencil liner on my top lash line anyway) but are great for the lower lash line. The purple was not as pigmented as the other shades and, disappointingly, pulled quite grey when applied. I'm not sure I'd call all the shades metallic though. The purple especially don't seem metallic, just shimmery. The Burnished Amber definitely is metallic, it has that glowing effect that a true metallic finish offers.
However, these don't really last that well on me. I'm not one with oily lids or watery eyes but these faded on me during the day. If I only wore them for a few hours then it was fine and setting them with a powder eye shadow meant that they lasted all day. On their own, not so much. They don't set by themselves and the swatches I've got on the back of my hand (to reference colour as I photograph in advance) are smearing an hour after I've put them there.
They might work as an eye shadow base, but I'd be worried about creasing as they do feel quite creamy.
Removal was easy enough. Came straight off with my cleansing oil and my Johnson's 3in1 eye make up remover. Actually, even though it says water resistant on the website, these came off my hand with water and a wipe with my finger.
These were provided free for review/tutorial purposes. This has no effect on the review I give.
So, here it is! This year's Book of Shadows - Volume 3 (or the NYC palette). It's currently available on the Debenhams website for £30, which is where I bought this from. I recommend Googling a free shipping code, there's usually one floating around. I believe it becomes available in the US on 6th Sept.
This is quite a bit thicker and bulkier than the other two Book of Shadows palettes, but this one does have batteries and stuff for the LEDs. Yes, it lights up!
There is quite a stunning amount of detail in the pop-up section. I don't think it's as pretty as the first Book of Shadows and, quite honestly, once I've finished reviewing it I don't think I'll end up opening the pop-up just to look at it.
The LEDs are actually on a timer so the batteries don't wear out if you leave it open by accident.
As usual, you get 16 lovely eye shadows! This came again with the mini bottle of Primer Potion and mini 24/7 liners in Zero and Ransom. I don't think I'm ever going to need to buy a Zero, I haven't bought one yet and I think I'm up to 4 (or is it 5?).
Out of the 16 shadows, 7 are brand new shades exclusive to the palette and a further 2 are new to the UK. Haight and Psychedelic Sister are Sephora exclusive shades so this is the first time we're seeing them in the UK. Both are gorgeous so I'm glad they're in here.
Perversion is in here again. It seems to be a Book of Shadows staple. However, this time it's different! I think the formula has changed since last year as it's definitely a very flat, deep matte black as opposed the the slight satin finish it's had in previous years. The pigmentation has also improved.
-Perversion - matte black
-Uzi - silvery white with silver glitter
-Loaded - forest green shimmer
-Kush - bright green shimmer with a little silver sparkle
-Midnight Cowboy Rides Again - champagne shimmer with gold and silver glitter - obnoxiously glittery (why, Urban Decay, why?)
-Last Call - shimmery metallic wine/plum
Rockstar - deep purple shimmer with burgundy tones
Money - silvery light blue/green
Haight - glowing blue/teal shimmer
Maui Wowie - cool toned gold shimmer with silver glitter
Smog - Shimmery brown with bronze tones
Bordello - mauvey pink with tiny copper sparkles
Radium - bright, fresh blue shimmer (reminds me of MAC Freshwater but more pigmented)
Snatch - peachy pink shimmer with a little golden sparkle
Suspect - cool, silvery brown
Psychedelic Sister - medium purple shimmer
Zero - deep black with no shimmer
Ransom - bright, blue toned purple shimmer
I think the colours available in the palette are the best yet. I'm not too thrilled with the bulky packaging, even though there is a huge amount of detail in the pop-up. I suspect this is going to sell like mad and end up going for a fortune on eBay. Money and Bordello need to be released in full sized pots, they're easily the two stand out shades this year.
The Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume 2 was released in 2009. I wasn't expecting another volume, but when I began to see it on blogs I knew I had to get one! I managed to find one in London at Debenhams down Oxford Street not long after they were released over here.
It still comes with a lift up lid and a drawer for the eye shadows. However, I don't think the packaging of this is quite as pretty as for Volume 1. The mirror is larger and usable though. With this one you get a little compartment hiding a "look book" in the top. There are some fun looks that you can recreate with the palette, but no instructions given. The photos are clear and focused on the make up. I do like the peacock feather theme going on with this palette.
Again, there are 16 shadows in a pull out try. It once again came with a mini Primer Potion. This time though, it came with two mini 24/7 liners. Far better than the two brushes that came with Volume 1. The Alice Book of Shadows and Volume 3 have also come with the mini 24/7 liners. Several shades were once again exclusive to the palette but some have appeared in other palettes since (Mushroom especially springs to mind).
-Perversion - nearly matte black, satin finish
-Gunmetal - deep silvery grey shimmer with some silver sparkles
-Ecstasy - shimmery purple with a pink/purple iridescence
-AC/DC - smokey grey/purple with a plum undertone (love it!)
-Nylon - metallic frosty light brown with a bronze hint and golden sparkles
-Sellout - very smooth & pigmented beige champagne
-Mushroom - dark grey/brown shimmer, not quite taupe
-Sphynx - shimmery light pink with iridescent glitter (only a little, it's not obnoxious)
-Half Baked - bright metallic gold with a slight bronze hint
-Twice Baked - deep chocolate brown shimmer
-Midnight Cowboy Rides Again - shimmery champagne loaded with gold and silver glitter (loads of glitter)
-YDK - a darker version of Nylon has the same frosty bronze brown
-Jinx - bright, glowing, shimmery blue with a green hint
-Flipside - another glowing, bright blue, this time with a green/teal hint
-Homegrown - bright grass green, not as glowy or bright as last year's Absinthe
-Misdemeanor - slate green with green shimmer, a little sheer
The 24/7 liners are soft and very pigmented. I've never actually bought a Zero but I have a load after getting them in sets and palettes!
-Zero - deep black with no shimmer
-Bourbon - midtoned brown with a little shimmer and some golden sparkle
Overall, I prefer the colours in the Volume 2 to the Volume 1, but prefer the packaging of Volume 1! The newest - Volume 3 arrived in the post yesterday so I shall be swatching that for you this weekend. I didn't get the Alice version of the palette as there were no new shades and I already had a lot of them.
If you're lucky you might find this occasionally on eBay, but it's probably going to cost a lot more than the £30 ish that it originally did. Buy this year's instead. You get the same colour themes as the previous two.
Last year I received some samples from Sassy Minerals to try out. I fell in love with the mineral eye shadows and have begun to order full sized jars and more samples. Also included were some foundation samples. I don't think I've mentioned much of the foundation since I got the samples.
I initially received a few of the paler, cool toned shades and discovered that Cool Light was a very good match to my skin. My Lily Lolo foundation ran out a while back so I decided to order the full size of the Sassy Minerals foundation instead.
Foundations are split into 5 groups of undertones (cool, neutral, warm, olive & golden), plus a pure white. There are also 5 colour depths available for each undertone. I wasn't even the palest shade which surprised me.
Samples are available for every foundation and the come in a jar rather than a bag.
Samples - $0.75
Full sized - $14.00
The full sized jar is very wide compared to other full sized foundations that I have had from other brands. This would make it very easy if you like to swirl and tap in your jar, rather than tipping some into a bowl. Ingredients are listed on the back of the full sized jars and the website.
I was very impressed with this foundation, right from the first use! You don't need to use that much, my initial sample jar lasted me quite a few applications (at least 10!). I expect the full sized jar is going to last me a very long time. I apply with a synthetic kabuki, doing the whole swirl & tap in a little bowl (I tip out a little bit of foundation at a time) and the foundation just seems to melt into my skin. It looks very natural - to the point where it doesn't look like you have any foundation on, just awesome looking skin.
I'd say coverage was towards medium. It covers well but your skin isn't hidden. It definitely covers better than some other mineral foundations I have in my stash. You can build coverage a little but, as with all powders, too much will look unnatural. I find that usually, just the initial application is enough. Where I need more coverage (the occasional redness, or the under eyes) I use a small fluffy brush, such as the MAC #224 which will apply the foundation as a powder concealer.
This lasts pretty well on me throughout the day. I do get some oiliness on my chin that will get through most primers! So I do lose some foundation on my chin & nose (around where my glasses sit). I have tried this foundation with the Boots No7 Mattifying Base which does stop the oiliness, but I noticed that the foundation turned a deeper shade after a few hours. I do keep planning on trying the Urban Decay De-Slick primer but just haven't got round to scraping up my spare change for it yet.
I'm pretty pleased with this foundation and I do plan on repeated purchases! Here are some FOTD posts where I am wearing the foundation:
-30/08/10
-11/08/10
-31/07/10
-11/07/10
While the initial sample was provided for review purposes, I have since purchased a full sized product.
This isn't what I wanted to show you today. What I wanted to show you was my brand new super awesome Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Volume 3, or the shiny palette I bought on eBay from Hong Kong. I got home from work to see a big parcel waiting for me.......
Jars.
Necessary, but not exciting. Maybe tomorrow.
Yes, this is volume 1! I thought I'd finally get round to swatching and reviewing the Book of Shadows palettes I had in anticipation of the third one being released! I've just had the shipping notification on my order, I'm excited! I didn't buy the Alice Book of Shadows as none of those were new shades, so I've only got the previous two palettes.
Volume 1 was released in 2008 and quite quickly sold out all over the place. I think I got mine in Lincoln at Debenhams. Actually, I'm sure of it as House of Fraser had them locked away in a drawer and a grumpy SA who didn't want to find the keys.
I think this has been the prettiest Book Of Shadows so far, even compared to Volume 3. The lid hides pop-up butterflies and makeup. Although, to be honest, I only looked at it once when I bought it and again to take photos. It's pretty, but useless. The mirror is a good size but the lid won't stay open unless you're holding it.
There are 16 shadows in a pull out tray. This palette came with a mini Primer Potion (which has long since been used up) and two completely useless brushes. They come with mini 24/7 liners now which is much, much better.
Some of the shades were exclusive to the palette, but I can't remember which as some have since appeared in other palettes. The pans are a really good size. You're getting plenty of product here!
-Perversion - nearly matte black, I'm sure it's more satin than totally matte
-Last Call - shimmery metallic wine/plum
-Grifter - shimmery lilac with silver micro glitter
-Mayhem - shimmery bright blue toned purple
-Baked - metallic gold with a copper hint
-Smog - metallic dirty bronze
-Sidecar - silvery brown shimmer with silver micro glitter
-Gridlock - metallic brown with a silver hint. Same colour family as Sidecar but deeper in tone
-Shakedown - metallic grey with green tones
-Roach - shimmery plum/brown
-Scandal - golden pinky peach
-Midnight Cowboy - shimmery beige with chunky silver glitter
-Goddess - deep blackened blue with a slight blue shimmer and blue sparkle (not glitter)
-Shattered - shimmery light green/blue
-Absinthe - glowing yellow green with a golden highlight
-Protest - shimmery deep olive green
Midnight Cowboy is just a mess of glitter. Shame really as the beige is really pretty. You might be able to see remaining glitter in the last set of swatches. I have no idea why Urban Decay keep including that (and Midnight Cowboy Rides Again) in virtually every palette they do. Most of the shadows are richly pigmented, only Goddess was on the sheer side. The metallic shadows all feel very smooth and creamy.
Worth picking up if you can find it. But I suspect that's only going to be with eBay's inflated prices.
