NOTD: 30/05/09 Collection 2000 Shameless

Collection 2000 is one of those really, really cheap brands that tends to get ignored once you start buying more expensive brands. However, they do have some really stand out products. The nail polishes especially are really fantastic! I'll do a review and overview of my C2000 nail collection at some point, but here's last night's nails.



I'm still not the best at polish application, and I still can't quite get the angle right to photograph my nails.

This is "Shameless" from the fast dry range. I used two coats and Seche Vite top coat. It really does dry quickly! My thumb was dry by the time I reached my little finger. Fast dry polishes tend to dry quite flat looking so a coat of Seche Vite brought back the shine.

It's a very deep, sea green. There's a hint of blue to the colour which stops it being just deep green. I thought it had a hint of duo chrome in the bottle but it didn't really come out on the nail. Maybe that's where the blue hint is coming from.

Best part: it was £1.49 for the bottle!

New Coastal Scents!

After a very long and busy day at work, I was immediately cheered up when I got home to discover a parcel packed full of some of Coastal Scents new products! I adore the way Coastal Scents pack their parcels. This came as a bundle of cheery yellow tissue paper wrapped around a purple bag.



And here is everything out of the bag:



-Eye Poxy Primer
-Bare Cosmetic Minerals Blush "Sun Kissed Flush"
-Fairy Dust Glitter 0.004 & 0.008 particle size
-Sterling Silver Glitter 0.004 & 0.008 particle size
-Camel Mica
-Red Comet Sparks Mica
-Emerald Isle Mica
-Chrome Carmine Mica
-Golden Satin Interplay Mica
-Blue Silver Star Mica
-Brush - Kabuki on a Stick
-Brush - Synthetic Buffer Brush Large

Have a look at a close up of the Fairy Dust, it's gorgeous!! Pretty rainbow sparks!! The 0.008 particle size is not eye safe so I'm not sure what I'll be using it for. I'll probably cover myself with them on my next night out. The 0.004 particle size is listed on Coastal Scents as eye safe so I'll probably make myself some glitter liners with those. Wonder how they'd stand up to being put in nail polish?



I'm most excited to be trying the brushes though! I've been after a flat topped brush for a while and this one feels divine on the skin. Just one thing to point out, the Kabuki on a Stick felt quite stiff and scratchy at first but a good cleaning took off whatever was coating it and it now feels lovely and soft. These two are new to the site so there aren't many reviews for them yet. Also, there's a close up of the brush heads.



I'll be letting you know what I think of the Eye Poxy once I've had time to give it a really good test. I've had a few requests to review it in the past so I suspect that will end up as a video and blog review.

Excuse me, I'm going to play with some glitter :)

Review: ELF Mineral Eye Shadow Set

I was thrilled to be asked to try out this set for the new ELF Youtube Channel. You can find the tutorials I recorded here:

-Everyday Brown look
-Evening Smokey Brown look



This is availble from the ELF website for £12.00. You get 3 mineral pigments (Elegant, Confident & Wild), 2 brushes (flat eye shadow and crease), and 1 eye liner. Included in the packaging are instructions for application.

The pictures on the site and box are nothing like the actual pigments. In reality they are much cooler toned.

The mineral pigments are really quite fantastic! They are finely milled and richly pigmented. I wasn't expecting a lot in terms of pigmentation, so I was pleasantly suprised! Two of the shades are more shimmery and metallic.

-Elegant - Light golden champagne shimmer
-Confident - Beautiful metallic taupe
-Wild - Deep brown base with silver fine sparkles



Here they are, swatched in that order. "Confident" has become a favourite every day shade for me. It works as a lid colour for a simple look, or as a crease colour if there is something lighter on my lid. These mineral pigments last all day on me with a base. No creasing, even after a day shopping in London!

The brushes are pretty nice, great if you are building your brush collection. The flat eye shadow brush does a decent job of applying pigments to your lids. The crease brush is a little too soft to give a really deep and defined crease application but blends out the crease really well.

Give the liner a miss. It's very hard and not easy to use.

So, overall this would make a fantastic gift to someone just starting out with their make up. Or even just treat yourself! Elf's Mineral line is really a stand out section of their product line up. I've got more of their mineral line to show you.

Barry M Event and London Roundup!!

After a very hectic couple of days, I've now got some time to sit and blog. I'll be doing a vlog tomorrow probably as today my skin is having its usual "post travel" freak out. I'm a bit red and blotchy right now, not exactly good for a video. But, I've stuck on the new Tori Amos album that arrived today and I'm going to tell you all about the last few days.

So, as you probably know, I went down to London to attend the Barry M event they held to announce the launch of the M Club and to show their very first TV advert.

As I live in rural Lincolnshire, getting down to London is never easy. A round trip involves 2 busses and 4 trains. My first train was delayed due to a lightning strike. Not too bad, but on getting to the station to change to the London train I discovered it had actually been cancelled. Great. Twenty minutes later I'd managed to get onto a new train due in about 5 minutes. A quick look at the departure board had me frantically phoning Sophie, asking if she was due to stop at Peterborough in a few minutes and what carriage she was on. I went the rest of the way to London chatting away with Sophie. We'd been due to meet at King's Cross anyway.

So we then met up with Rebecca (Panda) and Kelly (Happy1234) at King's Cross before heading down to the delight that is the London Underground network. We'd arranged to meet up at the Boots at Picadilly before heading to the event.


It was held at Madame Jojo's, an absolutely amazing venue. I would love a night out there! There were so, so many people there. I barely got to talk to anyone I wanted to. We were greeted with drinks at the bar, cupcakes and sweets at the tables.


I got to meet the man himself! Mr Barry M!!

During the event they announced the launch of the M Club which will be a huge networking site for all make up addicts. It won't be in any way only for Barry M. It goes live very soon so I will be letting you in on details as soon as it launches! We also saw the new TV advert which I will add to the bottom of this entry. Very different to the usual adverts, I think you'll agree.

Then there was the colour challenge! Five people sat as models then 5 of us applied make up to them. We were told "bright and colourful!". Each seat had a table covered in Barry M make up which was so much fun to use. I applied a bright pink and lilac look to Sophie. She instructed me to add as much glitter as possible. The amazingly talented Sam (one half of Pixiwoo) won the challenge.

It was great to meet up again with a lot of the ladies who had attended the Body Shop event, plus I met Sam from Pixiwoo, and very briefly Richie Nickel, Pinksealight and magpiesparkles. As I said, it was way too busy to talk to many people.

Barry M were generous with the goodie bags! I'll save that for another post. I'm afraid the bag got given away quite quickly. It was too bulky to cart around London along with my backpack. Before we all left, Oxfordjasmine and I got grabbed for a quick interview on camera. Not sure what that was all about or where it will end up. Neither of us really knew what to say so it all got a bit giggly.

Someone took a photo of everyone outside. If this is your photo then let me know so I can credit you!

We then all pretty much scattered. A huge group of us walked over to Covent Garden before completely filling the MAC store down Neal Street. We really packed out the place. I did have to get a photo under the giant sparkly Priscilla shoe.


You can see the goodie bag. We then all filtered out. Jasmine, Sophie, Natalya and I went to Charles Fox before going to the Maple Leaf bar for a quick drink and bite to eat.

Then Jasmine and I ended up down Oxford Street after waving goodbye to Sophie and Natalya. We had a wonderful wonder in and out of various department stores and Superdrug just enjoying make up shopping with another addict. A great deal of time was spent in Selfriges but by that point we were getting to the "my feet hurt, feed me!" stage.

We went back over to Covent Gardens and after some debate, ended up back at the same Chinese place in China Town that we ate at last time. Jasmine's reasoning was that we were knackered and we already knew it was good.


And it was.

Then we had to get the coach back to Oxford, but not before stocking up on Sleek at Victoria. An hour and a half later (and gone midnight), I told Jasmine to just throw some leaves over me as I fell out of the bus and come back for me in the morning. She wouldn't let me get away with that :P.



I almost forgot! If you attended the event and have blogged/vlogged about it then please, please either post the link in the comments or email it to me. I'd love to read about how your day went.

Review: Coastal Scents Gel Liner "True Black"

Since so many of you had requested I review the gel liners from Coastal Scents, I made sure I got one for you! I chose "True Black" as black is a fairly standard eye liner colour that I'm going to always wear.


These are $6.95 each and there are currently 14 shades available. There are currently 238 reviews on Coastal Scents so this is clearly quite a popular product!

This is a very soft and creamy gel liner, so soft that I have to be careful about sticking my brush in the jar. This actually makes my MAC Fluidlines seem like solid little rocks in comparison. Although my "Blacktrack" is now a solid little rock. Anyway, this is an intensely black liner. Very black. This means that you will only need a very small amount for both eyes. The softness helps to sweep the liner over my lid with no tugging. I currently use a fine, pointed brush to apply my gel liner.

On me, this gel liner will last all day without any issue. It's still as deeply black as it was when I applied it by the end of the day. No smearing or fading on me, but I'm well trained not to put my hands anywhere near my eyes! However, on those with oily lids, you may wish to set this with a black eye shadow. I'm not sure if there would be a problem with smearing but from reading around, it's a very common issue for those with oily lids who use gel liner.


Normally I would photograph a product before using it, but I was very eager to get stuck in since I knew this would be the review you would all be wanting!! Naturally, I anticipated what I thought would be the most commonly asked question! So here it is compared to "Blacktrack". One layer of each.

Just one other comment I would like to make. I've mentioned previously that my "Blacktrack" is drying up and needs replacing. I've decided not to. I'll be using the gel liner from Coastal Scents instead.

Review: Sleek Glisten Me "Empress"

I've been using this for a week or so now, so I think I can tell you honestly just how gorgeous this product is!



It comes in a glass bottle and weighs is at a hefty 30ml for a grand total of £6.84. Sleek are one of the most affordable brands in my collection.

This comes in 2 shades. I believe this one, "Empress", is the lighter shade and "Goddess" is a deeper shade. It's a beautiful pearlescent gold cream. The bottle comes with a spatula rather than a brush so I dot some on the back of my hand and use either my fingers or a small detail face brush to apply some to my cheekbones.



I've use this several times over the last week and it has been giving me the most amazing glow to my skin without being obvious shimmer or sparkle. It sheers out for daytime but if you want a more dramatic look for the evening it layers so easily. Also, this hasn't made me look oily at all, a problem I've had with Benefit's liquid highlighters.

I've tried this over both liquid and mineral powder foundations and it lasts all day over both. Overall, a fabulous product for the summer!

ETA: Product became rancid & thrown away October 2010.

Mascara: Go Cosmetics Maximum Mascara

Someone left me a comment on one of my videos asking for an overview of my mascaras. Since my mascara stash is constantly changing I thought instead that I'd do each one in a separate entry. For some reason, I end up with mascara in pretty much every package of samples so I've always got a few on the go.

I thought I'd kick off with Go Cosmetics Maximum Mascara. Go Cosmetics, as always, from Iona Cosmetics. It doesn't seem to be on the website right now, but I will update if it gets added.


The mascara is in black, as I prefer for my mascara. It has one of the rubbery, flexible wands that most brands have in at least one mascara. I love those wands, I find they coat my lashes much more evenly.

I love the tube, it's sleek and expensive looking.

But how does it perform? I took pictures so you can see. Do you know how hard it is to get a decent photo of your lashes?


I'll be using the same reference picture for my naked lashes, unless something about my eye drastically changes!

I curled my lashes in both pictures.

I used a couple of coats of the Maximum Mascara, I tried to apply as if I'd just put my make up on for the day. On me, it seems to be a "my lashes but better" mascara. I didn't notice any great thickening but the length was nicely increased. This mascara is fantastic for my more neutral and natural days (yes, I do have them!) but does't offer me quite enough "oomph" for my more dramatic looks.

Absolutely no clumping at all when I apply! I don't have to comb through my lashes after application. I might have to if I apply a lot, but I only use this for a couple of coats at the most.

It also feels very natural when it's on. My lashes don't feel stiff, or like they've got any mascara on them at all. But they just look better than my own without mascara. I don't tend to have an issue with smearing mascara during the day, and this is the same. It sits on my lashes until I take it off.

Haul: Bee Royal

This is my final haul post of the day! I will probably do another after I have been to London.

I recieved this box of goodies from Bee Royal earlier in the week but I've only had a quick dip into everything so far. I'm planning on doing a tutorial later today with the eye shadow palette once my batteries are charged up. Shipping is always super speedy from Bee Royal and this time I got 3 different green eye liners. This make up addict is very happy right now!



-Bee Luscious Powderliner "Prune"
-Bee Luscious Powderliner "Forest"
-Bee Luscious Liquiliner "De Menthe"
-Bee Luscious Luxe Creme Liner "Metallic Jade"
-Bee Luscious Eye Shadow set "Amethyst Gems"
-Bee Luscious Paint Dust "Peppermint Patty"
-Bee Luscious Paint Dust "Snowflake"
-Bee Luscious Liquid Lustre "Pink Kisses"
-Bee Luscious Blush Bouquet "Pink Carnation"
-Bee Luscious Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation "Linen"
-Bee Luscious Retexturizing Face Primer
-Bee Luscious Pore Perfecting Face Primer

I've tried out the Retexturizing primer and the foundation a few times so far. At some point I'll be doing an in-depth comparison and review of the two primers. I'm pretty impressed with the foundation. At first I thought it would be too yellow toned for my skin but it actually looks pretty good. It's a very thick liquid so it takes a little more work to get it buffed in than my YSL or L'Oreal foundations but the finished look is worth it.

Haul: Lincoln 16/05/09

We took the bus through to Lincoln yesterday. I really tried to be good as I'm going to London on Wednesday and I need to save some money.

-Stargazer Nail Polish #128
-Stargazer Nail Polish #102
-Barry M Nail Paint #304
-Urban Decay Liquid Liner "Gash"
-Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner "Daring Green"
-Maybelline Lash Stiletto "Black"
-Christian Dior Diorskin Nude Foundation "010"

The Stargazer polishes were a bit of a bargain! £2.50 each from New Look, you can't go wrong! #102 isn't the yellow it looks on the picture, it's more of an "omg! How bright?" neon. Getting a camera to pick up neons is not the easiest. I actually picked up the last two of the Barry M nail paints in #304 (mint green) as I wanted one for my competition prize. I wasn't going to buy anything from Urban Decay, instead waiting for London, but Debenhams had 10% off make up so it made no sense to wait.

The Dior Nude foundation has been on my wishlist for ages, I finally got colour matched and loved the way it felt on my skin. I had some extra points coupons from Boots so out of the three Dior counters in Lincoln, obviously I had to go to Boots. Lash Stiletto is a review item I've had a few requests for.

I also bought the most fantastic purple faux snake skin handbag, but this is a beauty blog :) I'll be debuting it in London!

Comparison: MAC Cleanse Off oil & Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

A while back, I posted that I would be comparing the MAC and Shu Uemura cleansing oils (click). Well, the results are in and there is a clear winner.


Let's just have a quick look at the two before I get onto my comparison.

MAC
-150ml
-£14.68
-Comes in 1 type

Shu Uemura
-150ml
-£24.00
-Comes in several types for different skin types

In order to make this fair, and the keep my inner scientist happy, I took a planned approach to this. I would use each oil to remove my make up ten times. I would only use one type of oil at a time. Originally I had planned 2 weeks for each oil but quickly realised that this would mean I had not used them the same amount.

Just to note, the Shu Uemura oil suggests to use 5 or 6 pumps to cleanse that face. I never used more than 2, and that was for heavy make up application. You really don't need to use that much at all!!

Also, you must apply cleansing oil to *dry* skin. It just won't work if your skin is wet. Smooth the oil over your skin, massaging it into your makeup then emulsify with warm water and rinse off.

So, the results are in!!

MAC
-Thinner consistancy than the Shu oil, slight citrus scent
-Pump with lock closed so no worries about spillage
-Occassionally some residue under lower lashline, especially if I've applied heavy mascara
-Sometimes leaves a film over my eyes if I've had to work at waterproof mascara, blinks away in a few minutes
-Never needed more than 2 pumps for very heavy make up, one pump usually was enough

Shu Uemura
-Slightly thicker than the MAC oil, no noticeable scent
-Pump will lock closed
-Occassionally some residue under lower lashes
-Removes heavy waterproof mascara
-Dry skin after washing
-Stings eyes slightly, tried out several mascaras, made no difference

The winner?

MAC MAC MAC!!!

There wasn't a huge difference in how well they removed my make up but the price of the MAC is much better, plus I didn't have the dry feeling to my skin and it didn't sting my eyes.

Haul: Body Shop skincare

I'm playing catch-up today. I've got something like 3 or 4 hauls to go through, along with some reviews!! This last week has been mental and everything that has arrived has just been left in its envelope and put on my "to deal with later" pile. The camera batteries are currently being charged up so I can get some videos done later today.

Onto the first of today's new goodies!!

During the Body Shop event, I got my skin type matched to a range from the Body Shop. A few days ago, they sent along a few products for me to try. My skin type is normal/combination so they matched me to the Seaweed range and I quite liked the few products I tried out on the day.



-Seaweed Pore Perfector
-Vitman C Skin Boost
-Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash
-Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion SPF 15
-Vitamin C Micro Refiner

I can't wait to start trying these out! I already had the Micro Refiner so my Mum claimed the extra since that was on her wish list. Check out a great review of the Vitamin C Skin Boost here by the lovely Pandadoesmakeup! Actually, check her blog out as well, she's awsome.

Video: Very simple golden pink look

A week or so ago, a couple of Benefit Creaseless Cream eye shadows dropped through my letter box from Beautycounterdirect. I already owned 2 so I already knew what a fantastic product they are!


I received:
-My Date's My Brother - light shimmering pink (£3.99)
-Towne Car - black cream (£6.50)

How gorgeous are these two? I can't wait to try "Towne Car" under some pigments to bring out the colour and shimmer, also "My Date's My Brother" will make a fantastic base for pinks, purples and some neutrals.

The texture of these is quite different to MAC's Paint Pots. They are much creamier and remain a little bit sticky on the lid. That's not to say they feel sticky on the lid, but I find pigments will stick much easier to the Benefit ones than the MAC Paint Pots.

Swatches and the look I did. Please see below for the video and breakdown of what was used.


I needed to go over the pink a couple of times, but I've found that shimmering creams tend to be a little more sheer than the matte colours.

I used:

-L'Oreal True Match foundation

-Benefit Creaseless Cream shadow "My Date's My Brother" over lid as base

-Benefit Show Off Shimmer Powder "PowderPuff" over pink base

-Benefit Creaseless Cream shadow "Towne Car" as liner

-Mascara

-Milani blusher "Pink Craze"

-Lipgloss

Special Announcement

This is a very quick post before I get onto tonight's entry.

I will be holding a huge competition once I hit 10000 subscribers on my Youtube Channel:

Here, so click the yellow button!

I've just decided this tonight. The sooner I get to 10000 subscribers, the sooner the competiton! There will be one grand prize, plus one runner up. The prizes will, of course, be makeup! Unlike several other guru competitions right now, I don't have any prizes from any companies. At the moment I'll be supplying everything myself.

You're going to have to do a video for me! Details to follow.

Just how long does it take to use up an eye shadow?

Meet "Jete", an eye shadow that has been sat in my collection for a few years now.



I can't remember which collection it came from, but the batch code on the back tells me it was released around December. I think I've used it once, maybe twice since I bought it. It's a pretty, shimmering champagne colour. Not a great deal of pigmentation considering it's a Veluxe Pearl finish. It's great as a highlighter, less obvious than my usual "Nylon".

So this eye shadow shall be my experiment. As many days as possible, I shall wear this eye shadow. Whether it's a highlight or just a quick wash over my lid. I just want to see how long it takes to use it up.

Probably a couple of years. I'll get back to you.

Elf Cosmetics UK Youtube Channel

I was very excited to be asked to help launch the ELF Cosmetics UK Youtube Channel!! You know I love to show you affordable brands and ELF Cosmetics certainly are affordable! I'm personally loving their mineral goodies. I've got photos lined up and ready, I just need to sit down and get the posts typed up.

I recorded a quick video making the announcement:

Also, there is a giveaway for subscribers to the ELF Cosmetics UK channel! Here's the lovely Oxford Jasmine explaining what you need to do!

Review: Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Blemish Stick

From the Body Shop website:

Help soothe skin and control blemishes with this go-anywhere stick. Dot on under make-up or wear alone. A handy portable product that helps to soothe, cleanse and combat blemishes. It does not clog or dry the pores.

It costs £3.90 for a 2.5ml tube. Details of the Community Trade Tea Tree are available on the product page. This is a clear gel with a doe foot applicator. It does have the usual Tea Tree Oil scent.

I'm quite lucky with my skin. I don't get the awful breakouts like I used to (teenage acne, shudder), only the odd one or two on my chin. Usually, I just reach for my Tea Tree oil roll on, put on a dab for a couple of nights before bed and the spot is gone.

When I noticed this in my Body Shop bag, I was looking forward to trying it out next time I had a spot coming up. I wasn't too sure about the packaging though, it didn't really seem hygienic. You're supposed to dap the gel on with the doe foot applicator. Which then goes from touching your spot, back into the tube. With my Tea Tree roll on, I dab some on the back of my hand then use a clean finger to apply it to my skin. I used the same technique for this because I didn't want to stick the doe foot back into the tube after applying it to my skin.

When I next had a spot coming up, I used this instead of my neat Tea Tree oil. Well, it didn't seem to do anything. After a week of applying the spot was still there. I even began applying a few times a day, instead of just the once that I normally do. After the week, I went back to my usual Tea Tree and within 2 days the spot had pretty much gone.

I'll just stick to the Tea Tree oil in future.

Coastal Scents!!

I mentioned in the 120 palette post that I'd just got something very exciting from the Post Office, well here it is!!


That's a box of Coastal Scents! I took note of what review requests people had asked for and here everything is. I've got some Hot Pots, Gel Liner, Brush Guards and one of the palettes. I'll be recording a review of the gel liner and brush guards tomorrow.




I haven't had time to wear a great deal of make up this week but I've made sure I've had some of the liner on every day so I can get it reviewed for you. I must say, I'm hugely impressed so far. It's very, very black and lasts through a long day of work.

The Hot Pots are awsome! Definitely a couple of MAC dupes in there. I know Enkore did a couple of videos (here and here) but my MAC collection is much smaller than his. I'll show you the dupes I find in a dedicated blog post. The magnetic palette fits the Hot Pots perfectly.

The Duo Stack 42 Shimmer palette is very heavy! I know there has been some question about the weight given but it is a very heavy palette! Plus Coastal Scents wrap it up very well. I haven't had time to use anything from the palette yet.

Tag: This is me

I saw this tag on Panda's blog so I thought I'd have a go.

What made you choose your blog/twitter/youtube username?
A huge while back I was in the process of searching for an online name. I'm a huge fan of Tolkien so I began looking through his works to see if anything took my fancy. "Sirvinya" was a possible name for a river in Lord of the Rings. I thought it was a feminine sounding name so that's what I went for.

What's your actual name?
Rebecca

Do you have any nicknames?
Becky

Apart from the obvious make up / beauty hobby, what other hobbies do you have?
I love cross stitching and music. I used to have a cross stitching blog but I found keeping it up took away some of the relaxation of the cross stitch. I'm a very slow stitcher, I rarely finish anything. I also love seeing live music. I'm lucky to have an excellent venue just 20 minutes walk from my house.

What do you do?
I'm a scientist through and through. Currently a food microbiologist. I have favourite microbes. I'm such a geek. I even have some of the Giant Microbes.

What would you like to do?
Ideally, I'd love to the beauty blogging/youtube thing full time, getting paid enough to buy all the beauty goodies I want and pay the bills. Failing that, World Domination would be fine.

Tell us something embarrassing, but that you love doing?
Hmm, I sing along to my ipod in my car. Even with the windows open.

Tell us a little something that we don't already know about you.
I am scared of wasps. I don't mind bees, but wasps terrify me.

What achievement are you most proud of?
Passing my driving test. Eventually.

What do you most like about yourself?
I seem to be very patient.

What would you change about yourself if you could?
I procrastinate far, far too much.

If you could have anything in the world (that doesn't cost any money), what would you want?
To get rid of the spot that just will not die!

Body Shop Hot Brights Collection

I'd been eyeing up this collection from the press images I've seen recently. So, as you can imagine, I was thrilled when it dropped through my letterbox one day!! I will be doing a very special FOTD with this very soon. As in, probably tomorrow or Thursday once I'm home from work. Reasons will be explained later!


I just love the packaging on the duos! Here they are open:


There aren't any colour names for some reason, just numbers. Oh well. Body Shop always put them on the bit of packing that goes into the bin anyway.

Swatches!!


The flash has washed this one out a bit, the turquoise blue is lovely and bright. I've decided to try a new swatching method, which you'll see in the liner picture.

-Purple Eye Shadow Duo #01 - (top left) Shimmery lilac and purple.
-Blue Eye Shadow Duo #2 - (top right) Shimmery soft white and turquoise.
-Bronze Cheek Duo #02 - (bottom left 3 swatches) Shimmering golden light and deep bronzer. The very right of the three is the blended shade.
-Pink Cheek Duo #01 - (bottom right 2 swatches, blended very bottom) Very pretty shimmering pinks.

The texture of the eye shadows and blushers are lovely! Very soft but not crumbly. The blusher and bronzer blend very well together but the pan is large enough so that I can use the colours individually if I wanted. The eye shadows are pretty pigmented, I've been using the white of the blue duo as a highlighter this week.



I think this method of swatching works much better!

Left - right
-Duo eye liner blues #02 - Shimmering turquoise to match the eye shadow and a lighter turquoise with sparkles.
-Duo eye liner purples #01 - Shimmering purple to match the eye shadow and lilac with sparkles.
-Lip & Cheeks Duo #01 - Sheer pink sparkle lipgloss (so pretty), red cheek stain.
-Lip & Ckeeks Duo #02 - Sheer golden peach lipgloss, deep bronze brown cheek stain.

The stains are pretty sheer as long as you don't gloop them on and they blend out to a natural blush.
The packaging on the duos is just gorgeous! I love the floral design on the front and they've got pretty decently sized mirrors.

Video: Kim Kardashian Smokey eye

I've had so, so many requests for this look, along with Tarja's look from the "Nemo" video. When I began looking at the two looks I realised that adding two separate tutorials for them would be pretty pointless. While they weren't identical, they were very similar. So, for this look I used parts of both and created something a little more wearable.





I used:
-YSL Radiant Touch Foundation "1"
-Too Faced Shadow Insurance
-About Face black primer
-MAC eye shadow "Satin Taupe"
-Shu Uemura eye shadow "ME Black 990"
-Urban Decay eye shadow "Perversion"
-Too Faced eye shadow "Full Frontal"
-Coastal Scents hot pot "M22"
-MAC eye shadow "Nylon"
-Bee Luscious liner "Onyx"
-Gosh liner "Black Ink"
-MAC fluidline "Blacktrack"
-Mascara
-MAC blusher "True Romantic"
-MAC Mineralize skinfinish "Glissade"
-Body Shop lipstick "Nude"
-Body Shop liquid lip colour "Golden Coral"

Comparison: Shu Uemura ME Silver 945 & ME Brown 850

The metallic eye shadow finish from Shu Uemura is one of my favourite types of eye shadow. They are just so smooth and richly pigmented. They used to be even better, a couple of years ago Shu Uemura discontinued all the colours in the line and rereleased them. The packaging was improved (the plastic case is thicker) but the eye shadows just didn't seem quite as rich and smooth. They're still wonderful, just not as good as they were. Think Urban Decay Deluxe finish, MAC's Veluxe Pearl and you've got the type of texture they had.

One of the absolute stand out shades in the old line of colours was "ME Silver 945". It's a metallic silvery taupe with plummy undertones that gets huge raves pretty much everywhere it's mentioned. When this was discontinued, Shu Uemura released a replacement shade which is "ME Brown 850". Yes, I own both! A very common question is whether the two are the same or not.



While they look pretty much identical in the pan, they are not identical shades.

But the difference to a non-addict is not enough to warrant owning both shades. The ME Silver is far richer and more of a complex colour that the ME Brown. The ME Brown has more silver tones and looks flatter then the ME Silver. It still has the metallic finish but lacks the "WOW" factor that I consider the ME Silver to have.



Swatched on the back of my hand, I can see the subtle colour differences. While both are very much silvery taupes with plummy undertones, the ME Silver has some gold warmth, while the ME Brown is definitely much more silver. The colour to ME Brown is close, but there's something lacking to the richness and complexity of the colour.

The texture to ME Brown is still very soft and it's still very pigmented, but the older formula is just so much smoother. Both have very good pigmentation.

So, there are differences. But while the colours are not identical, I don't think you really have to have both. I don't think anyone would notice that you had two shades on your lid if you wore them both together. If you somehow get the oppertunity to own the ME Silver over the ME Brown then go for it, but the ME Brown is a pretty close match.

RIP 120 palette

My plan to create 120 videos for my 120 Palette playlist was ended today. My 120 palette had a bit of an accident as I applied today's make up. It's pretty much destroyed. Most of the shadows have cracked, even if it doesn't show in the picture. And, to be honest, it isn't an amazing enough palette to spend the time repairing.



In other news, I picked a parcel up from the Post Office that I have been waiting for! I had to pay a customs fee to get it, but the contents (for me at least) are very exciting. More to come!