Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette | Review

Since I already own the Naked 2 palette, I was pretty sure I didn't need the Naked Basics palette but after days of drooling over pictures of it on Instagram and seeing it featured in peoples YouTube videos, I went ahead and bought it. Six, gorgeous, shades all housed in a dinky palette. What more could you want? 

UD Naked Basics Palette £20

Venus: Shimmery off-white

Foxy: Light yellowish beige

W.O.S (Walk Of Shame): Creamy seashell pink

Naked 2: Pale taupe

Faint: Warm brown

Crave: Plain black

The palette includes six shades; five of which are matte that are neatly packed into a dinky little palette. The packaging is very sleek and - as you can see in the picture above - there is a large mirror which makes this palette perfect for travelling or carrying around in your makeup bag.
  Usually, I like to use; W.O.S/Foxy all over my lids; Naked 2 in my outer corner; Venus on my brow bone and on the inner corner of my eye and Crave as an eyeliner. I do occasionally use Faint after Naked 2 just to darken the crease slightly and it's also a great shade for filling in eyebrows. Overall, I think this is a fantastic little palette that contains everything I need for a simple eye look. I don't think darker skin tones would probably like this as much but for paler skin tones - e.g: me - it's definitely worth the money.
  Now onto how much it costs. Well, this palette costs £20 and -unlike the other naked palettes- you don't get a free brush or lipgloss/primer. Personally, I think £20 is a good price to pay considering MAC single eyeshadows are £12.50 each!
  If you've always wanted to try one of the naked palettes but always found them quite pricey, then this palette is for you. It offers a selection of seductive nudes that are must-haves for everyday makeup.

Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mists | Review

Whilst out shopping last weekend, I made my way into Victoria's Secret and bought some of their body mists and because they smell soo delicious I thought I'd do a little review on them.

Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mists £11 

I literally spent about half an hour wandering around the store sniffing every single perfume and body spray there was in sight. I went for "Pure Seduction", "Mango Temptation", "Hello Darling", "Love Spell" and "Pure Daydream". My mum actually loved "Pure Seduction" so much she went back and bought another one!

Pure Seduction- Red Plum & Freesia

Pure Daydream- Pearl Orchid & Pink Currant

Hello Darling- White Nectarine & Peony

Love Spell- Cherry Blossom & Peach

Mango Temptation- Mango Nectar & Hibiscus

 On the bottle it says "Refreshing formula is infused with conditioning Aloe Vera calming Chamomile. Spray on for a sexy touch of scent". I spray one on before I leave the house and it lasts so long, which I wasn't expecting from a body mist. They're all very light and fresh scents to wear and I would really recommend getting yourself down to Victoria's Secret as soon as you can to check these babies out. The packaging is very simple and it looks so pretty lined up with the rest of my body mists, and I completely understand why these are so talked about. They retail at £11 each but they do have offers on, and if you can't make it to the store, you can buy them on eBay.

Thanks for reading and if you have any blog post requests then please do ask me in the comments! :)

The Makeup | Currently Coveting #2

I'm revealing my hot new must-haves for the up-coming months, and showing what's been on my beauty radar recently...

UD Revolution Lipsticks £15
Urban Decay have re-vamped their lipsticks and ,from what I've heard, the quality too. These new lipsticks come in a range of shades so there's bound to be one to suit everybody. Urban Decay claim them to "deliver insane colour payoff with creamy shine" so they sound right up my street! I particularly like the look of 'Native'.

Revlon Lip Butter Autumn/Winter Shades £7.99
Revlon are releasing two new Lip Butter shades for their Autumn makeup collection: Invite Only and Provocative. They're very natural shades - considering their for an Autumn collection - but I'd quite like to get them to add to my collection - haha!

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara £9.99
Yes, another Revlon product, but I definitely think it's the packaging that gets me with this mascara. It just looks so magical and lovely - strange I know. I've read a couple of reviews and they've all said good things so once I've got some of other mascaras used up I might give this a go.

MAC Lipstick in 'Angel' £15
This wouldn't be a makeup wishlist without something from MAC on here, and I'm always wanting a new lipstick too. Angel is a soft pink shade and it's a great daytime colour to wear on your lips. Plus Kim Kardashian wears it.

L'Oreal Paris Brow Artiste Eyebrow Pencil £5.49
Usually I prefer to use an eyeshadow to fill my eyebrows in, but it's the double-ended pencil that does it for me. One end has the coloured eyebrow pencil and the other end has a clear wax to set them in place, so it's super quick and easy.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint £4.99
After seeing Lily (from Lily Pebbles) use these I've been eyeing these up in Boots but I think it's about time I got around a bought one. My favourite shade is 'Rich Russet', a shimmery bronze/brown shade, which would be good to use as a base or just on its own.

The Body Shop Camomile Cleansers £?
These aren't actually on The Body Shop's website at the moment but I have seen them in-store already. Their new camomile range consists of; makeup removers, cleansing butter and a silky cleansing oil, all of which sound heavenly and I'd love to try. I'm not sure of the prices but I think they're around £9-£12 :)


What's on your beauty wishlist right now?

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft & Gentle' | Review

'Soft & Gentle' has been on my wishlist for ages, and whilst browsing the MAC counter at the weekend I went ahead and bought it, and I am so glad I did. On MAC's website it's described as; "a glided peach bronze" which is just my kind of shade for a bronzer/highlighter. It retails for £22 which I do think is over-priced but it's such a gorgeous product.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in 'Soft & Gentle' £22

A stunning shimmery highlighter with chunks of glitter to add some sheen and colour to your face. I like to apply this - lightly - like blusher and blend it out over my cheeks, but people with a darker skintone could use this more heavily. 

 You can use this product in a few different ways, as an eyeshadow, a subtle highlight or you can create a very bronzed look by using it a bit more heavy handed. Another thing I adore about 'Soft & Gentle' is how well it catches the light and makes your skin look so glowy and healthy.

 This product is huge, weighing in at 10g (the amount of product) and I'm sure it's going to last me a long time. The packaging is very simple - which I love - and it looks so pretty on my dressing table or stored in my makeup collection.
 The powder feels very smooth but as I said it does contain some chunks of glitter, which would usually put me off but it looks lovely on and I just love using this!

What do you think of the MAC MSF's?

The Makeup: Bourjois Bronzing Primer | Review

When I first heard about the new Boujois bronzing range, I was so excited to try their new products out and the main product I was drawn to was their bronzing primer. I've always wanted to try the Clarins Instant Self Tanning Primer but I thought I'd give this a go first!

Bourjois Bronzing Primer - £9.99

It mattifies your skin leaving it feeling very smooth and helps to even out your skintone. It's soft velvety texture makes this primer so easy to apply to your face but bare in mind, you really don't need much of this (especially if you have pale skin like me) otherwise your face will look a little orangey, so I can see it lasting me a long time.
The only thing that I'm not too keen on with this product is the "chocolate" scent, but you can't smell it once it's on your face.
It has been compared to Chanel Bronze Universal but this is more of a mousse texture rather than a cream product and I find it's much easier to use as a base. As far as adding colour goes, I'd say it does pretty well at giving my skin that bronzed and healthy glow, but it all depends on what products you put over the top.
It says on the Bourjois website that it contains Cocoa beans and Orange Blossom elixir to help hydrate your skin and add radiance too.
Overall I'm very pleased with this bronzing primer, it comes in at £9.99 which isn't cheap but it's not the most expensive I've seen.


Will you be trying out this primer? What do you think of it?

Mac All That Glitters | Review

This is my first ever Mac eyeshadow, so when it arrived in the post you could say I was a little excited (okay I ripped the package open).
 I basically wanted a neutral everyday shade, and one that every beauty blogger seemed to own - and love - was All That Glitters. It has got the thumbs up from many of my favourite beauty bloggers, so I was expecting good things and I wasn't disappointed.

All That Glitters is a gorgeous pinky-gold champagne colour which is described as a beige colour with gold pearl on Mac's website, and in my opinion it's a perfect all-over-the-lid shade. It blends very easily and contains just the right amount of shimmer (not too much, but not too little) and it feels very smooth too.

  I have worn this eyeshadow during the day and I used it when I went out the other night for a meal, and I think it's very versatile because you can apply it on it's own or use some slightly darker shades in your crease to create a night-time look.

As this Mac eyeshadow was a hit, I'm already noting down some more shades to add to my - small - collection. What do you think of All That Glitters? 

My Everyday Makeup #2

I wanted to do a short post to show you what products I enjoy using on a daily basis, at the moment I'm loving quite natural makeup but one I get bored I'll switch things up a bit. I do change my lipstick colour a lot but I just chose one that's my all-time favourite for this post.

FACE

Dr Jart Water Fuse BB Cream

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer in "Eclat Clair"

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in "Peach Glow"

Bourjois Bronzer in "51"

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter

Bourjois Cream Blush in "Nude Velvet"

EYES

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in "Tease" (to fill my eyebrows in)

Benefit "They're Real" Mascara

Mac Eyeshadow in "All That Glitters"

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in "Busted" (to slightly line my eyes)

LIPS

Nivea Lip Butter in "Caramel Cream"

Mac Lipstick in "Creme Cup"

So there's the products that have been on my face recently, I always enjoy having a good nosy through peoples makeup bags and see which products they love to use.

Did you enjoy this post? Tweet me a pic of some products your using at the moment! (My Twitter username- @Amybfashion35)

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara | Review

When it comes to mascaras you can always rely on Maybelline to release the latest. I had passed over many of their previous mascaras and as soon as I spotted this on the shelves, I thought 'another one?'. But something stopped me in my tracks, with new gel-mousse formula plastered all over the stand I had to check it out. So into the basket it went, and at a very reasonable £5.99 too.

                                                           Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara £5.99

So. What's the verdict? Well I'm a lover of long luscious lashes, and this mascara claims to give you 'Massive & Soft Volume' that's 'Non-brittle' and 'Non-flaky'. I was slightly put off with it having a bendy wand, as I like to have a firm applicator to apply any kind of eye makeup as it's hard enough not to get it all over, but surprisingly this doesn't bother me.
  Now onto the brush, well it certainly is one of the larger brushes I've used before which makes it quite hard not to end up with mascara on your brow bone. In my opinion, a bigger the brush, does not always mean bigger lashes. It usually just equals total mascara mess for me, however I've managed to master this brush reasonably well and I'm happy to say, I don't always end up with it all over (but it helps to have an eye makeup remover handy).
  This mascara says it will give you 'massive and soft volume' but it didn't give me massive volume, it's a very natural looking mascara so it's probably better for people who are just beginning to wear makeup. The new gel-mousse formula is one I haven't previously tried but I don't believe it made a huge difference to my lashes, but they don't feel as brittle as they would with another mascara. Overall, this mascara hasn't impressed me too much and I probably wont be re-purchasing it, however I am glad I got to try it out.

What do you think of this mascara? Have you tried any other Maybelline mascaras?

The Makeup: Beauty On A Budget

If you're like me, you end up spending a small fortune on makeup and skincare bits in Boots, (even though you only popped in for one thing) it's crucial to know the best and worst items in the drugstore. So here's a heads up of the products that should be entering your basket next time you pop in for ''lunch'', all under a tenner.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail polishes £3.99
Priced at £3.99 these beauties are too good to miss out on. Barry M are releasing shade after shade, after shade and they're all glossy and easy to work with. Blue Grape (pictured) is one of their newest shades, a stunning royal blue.


V05 Give Me Texture spray £3.49
Freshly washed hair can be hard to work with, so sometimes you need a bit of texture and grip in your hair in order to style it. For me, this V05 texture spray works well and is super cheap too.


Bourjois Rouge Edition lipstick £7.99
These have been talked about a lot in the ''beauty community'' and I think just about everybody loves them. Available in a variety of shades, from nudes to bolder colours, smooth and incredibly pigmented.


Dove Firming Nourishing lotion £4.99
I'm currently on the countdown to shorts weather, so any product that helps firm the skin is a godsend. This particular one contains white tea extract for an invigorating effect, so apply this daily to keep your limbs firm and ready for the Summer.


L'Oreal CC cream £9.99
These CC creams contain clever little pigment capsules to help reduce red, dull or yellow looking skin. It aims to provide you with lightweight coverage for a fresh and natural makeup look. A much cheaper alternative to the new Clinique CC creams.

Benefit All-Star Kits | New In

Benefit really know how to get us excited, they've recently released three new kits that claim to brighten, bronze and keep your makeup tip-top throughout the day. Each little kit contains six sample sized products and they're priced at £26.50 each.

So I hear you ask, what are these kits about? Let's find out...

The Bronze Of All Champions

This nifty little kit aims to give you a bronzed and glowy complexion, without looking orange. It contains the 'Hoola' bronzer and lipgloss duo, 'Watt's Up' cream highlighter, 'They're Real' mascara, 'Thanks a latte' powder eyeshadow and 'Bikini-Tini' crease-less cream eyeshadow. There you have it, everything you need for a sunkissed glow.

Primping With The Stars

This kit is all about keeping it easy and making sure your makeup will last all day long. The contents are; 'Some Kind'a Gorgeous' foundation, 'Girl Meets Pearl' highlighter, Benetint stain, 'Stay Don't Stray' eyeshadow primer, 'They're Real' mascara and the 'Porefessional' face primer. This contains everything you need to look gorgeous on the go. The famous Benetint stain will add a rosy glow to your cheeks and your lips.

Do The Bright Thing

A collection of brightening products, ideal for a fresh Spring makeup look. The kit contains; 'That Gal' brightening face primer, 'High Beam' highlighter, 'Dandelion' face powder, 'Bad Gal' waterproof liner and the 'They're Real' mascara. My favourite picks would have to be the 'Dandelion' face powder, to instantly uplift your complexion and the 'They're Real' mascara, to give your lashes mega volume.

These handy kits are great as a little treat to yourself or as a pretty gift for a friend! Which one's your favourite?

The Makeup: Peach Madness

Spring time always has me sporting a fresh peachy/coral makeup look, so I though I'd show you a selection of products that have me head over heels. I don't know what it is about peach... I just can't resist it.

Essie Nail Polish in Tart Deco £7.99
Essie have a huge variety of shades to choose from, so picking a suitable shade can be difficult but this is one of their original members. A good quality polish for a reasonable price and don't get me started on that brush of theirs!

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Peche Cosy £7.99
No doubt you've all heard/seen these lipsticks before but I had to share this particular shade with you. A light creamy peach shade, that will brighten up any makeup look.

Nars Blush in Gina £21.50
Pricey, but well worth it. Claims to give you a healthy, natural glow to any skin tone and is build-able  depending on how intense you want the colour to be. Gina is a very popular shade and you'll probably find most beauty lovers will have this lurking in their makeup bag somewhere...

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Papaya £3.99
I'm pretty sure everyone and their dog owns at least one of these nail paints. Gel-like nails with a high amount of shine are what everyone's talking about right now. This shade is bright, bold and a stunning shade for the Spring months.

Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya £7.99
Revlon Lip Butters are very popular in the 'beauty world' so when I heard about some new shades, I was very excited! If you'd like to hear all my ramblings about this product then click here. But in a nutshell... this lipstick adds a lovely sheer wash of peachy colour to your lips.


So there's a quick round-up of some coral products that have caught my eye, will you be picking any of these up?

The Makeup: New Purchases

I like to change my makeup routine up quite a lot but once Spring is here I like to whip out my coral lipsticks and peachy blushers ready for a glowy and healthy makeup look. Hidden away are my deep reds and raspberry shades, and out come some more Spring-appropriate choices.

First up is 'Pink Punch' from the Models Own Ice Neon Collection. This super bright pink is getting me really in the mood for Summer and I can guarantee you this will be on my nails for the foreseeable future. Beautifully opaque in two coats, but it's not incredibly matte. It does say matte effect on the bottle but sadly it's not as matte as I would of liked.

Revlon have recently released some new shades of lip butters and with me being a huge fan of them already, I had to pick up at least one of their new shades. It has the same qualities of the original lip butters, a soft, creamy butter-like texture, hydrating and pigmented on your lips. How could I not resist? Juicy Papaya is a warm-toned peachy coral shade and instead of having shimmer in it (like the rest of the lip butters do), it's just one block of colour. Overall the pigmentation isn't fantastic, it's just a nice sheer lipstick to add a subtle wash of colour to your lips. Other shades that have been released are: Wild Watermelon, Pink Lemonade and Sorbet. All ideal shades for this time of year and I'll look forward to picking up some more soon.

Something else that's been on my wishlist for a while is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush in 'Santa Rose' and it wasn't until the other week that I managed to get my mitts on it. Santa Rose is a stunning muted pink/peach shade, and for £3.99 you can't really go wrong. It adds a subtle, healthy glow to your cheeks. This is a blusher I reach for on a daily basis, as it's great for everyday wear. The packaging isn't anything to rave about but as long as the product itself is good, then it doesn't really matter (although a beautifully designed casing always ticks all the right boxes for me).
A few days ago I purchased my first Mac lipstick (I'm hooked already by the way) and I wanted to pick a shade that would be easy for me to wear, so I went for Patisserie. A brown/pinky nude shade and I know a lot of people hate this phrase but, it is a 'my lips but better' shade. Sheer on the lips, so it's perfect for everyday wear and would probably please people who don't even like lipsticks, as you can't feel it on your lips. For my first Mac lipstick purchase, I am very happy and I look forward to my next buy!

The Makeup: Currently Coveting #1

My makeup wishlist is getting bigger every day and I thought I'd share a few items with you that have been on my mind recently.

MAC Extra Dimension Skin-finish in 'Definitely Defined' £21.50
As described on the MAC website, this is a silvery soft rose shade with shimmer. These can be used wet or dry and they have two different shades in them, so you either mix them together or use them separately. I love pronounced cheekbones so I think this would be an ideal product for me!

L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat £4.99
Basically... heaven in a bottle. This reminds me a lot of mini eggs and a slick of this over a cute pastel shade, you're ready to go. Bang on trend for Spring and adds a little somethin' to a plain polish.

Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss £14.50
Benefit have recently released these new lip glosses, eekk, I am so excited! Anything that claims to plump your lips has my heart beating a little faster than it should do. A small selection of shades but one to please everyone, from crystal clear to bright fuchsia.

Benefit World Famous Neutrals Eyeshadow Kit £23.50
This has been on my radar since it arrived in Boots stores, the 'most glamorous' nudes palette stands out to me most, as it has a perfect selection of shades whether you're going for a neutral every-day look, to a more severe night-out look. Quite pricey, but it contains 4 powder shadows and 2 of their famous crease-less cream eyeshadows so you can't really complain.

Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil £30
This claims to leave your hair with "a smooth feather-soft feel with a trace of shine". I've never spent this much on a hair product before and sadly, I don't think I'll be dishing out a few tenners any time soon but you never know...

The Makeup: Dr Jart+ Water Fuse BB Cream | Review

Even though BB Creams have been out a good while now, I'm really late jumping on the bandwagon with this baby, but as I was browsing through Boots the other day, I simply could not resist having a sneaky look at the skincare. I noticed this was actually on offer for a bargain-licious £11.99. My eyes opened wider than wide and I quickly shoved this in my (already full) basket. Yes, you could say I was excited.

I'm more of a foundation gal, but I wanted to give it a go, and core-blimey I'm glad I did.
With its light coverage this is perfect for Spring/Summer, as there's nothing I hate more than wearing a really heavy, mask-like, foundation in the (hopefully) warmer months. I apply this like I would any base, by applying a small amount to my face and blending it out using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. The thing I love about this is that it's oil-free, which is great news for me as I suffer from oily skin and I sometimes feel like foundation is gradually slipping off my face (yay). However when I use this my skin doesn't feel like an oil-slick at all and it stays put even without the use of a primer.

It's not to thick but not watery either and leaves my skin looking glowy, healthy and natural. There are other BB Creams from Dr Jart+ but this one particularly caught my eye, oil-free with SPF, Aloe leaf juice to prevent moisture loss and anti-redness ingredients, what more could you want eh?
The fact this only comes in one shade, I'll admit did kinda scare me at first, what with my pale skin but I was pleasantly surprised and I didn't leave the house looking like I'd had a fake tan disaster after all. This with a bit of bronzer, blusher, mascara and a neutral lip is purrfect.

The coverage as I mentioned before is light, so I did still have to use a little bit of concealer under my eyes but you can definitely go without a powder with this BB Cream. As far a moisture goes, I still prefer to use a tiny blob of my usual moisturiser beforehand but you probably would be able to get away without using any.
I do love to use this on its own but it's great to use under any foundation, as it helps stop oily skin, so you could just use it like a moisturiser and then go ahead and do your thing on top of it.
This would usually be a rather pricey £18 from boots but I wouldn't hesitate buying another one, as I think this is going to be my Spring/Summer staple. But as it's on offer, get yourself down to boots and pick one up, you won't regret it.

Everyday Makeup #1

Face: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Light Vanilla, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light 2, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Peach Glow, Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder, Benefit Hervana Blush, 17 Dazzle The Night Highlighter.

Eyes: Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold, Max Factor Eye-Brightening Mascara, Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (Shades used: Foxy, Tease and YDK), Collection Extreme Felt Tip Eyeliner.

What are you using at the moment?