Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar

Morning all!

I have a lovely quiet weekend planned, as a single girl Valentine's Day isn't high on my priorities so I will be spending my weekend catching up with everything I need to. I have so much to do and am really looking forward to doing everything I want to, and probably continuing pancake day well into the weekend too!

Without further ado, let's get onto the main reason for the post: Urban Decay Revolution Sheer Lipstick in Liar.

I tried this lipstick after receiving a tester sachet when repurchasing my favourite liquid liner from UD. I think these testers are awesome, they give you such a great opportunity to try new colours and see if you like them or not.
On this occasion I have only tried the one so far but it's having a 100% success rate - I've bought it!

The Revolution Lipsticks are defined by UD as 'Creamy, Badass Luxury' and I would have to agree. The packaging is badass and the range of colours are too, the lipstick is super luxurious and leaves your lips covered with pigment and hydrated.
Their Pigment Infusion System helps to deliver the super colours they have available, and in this range there are 20 - I want (NEED) them all!

The composition of the lipsticks includes jojoba oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter and shea butter and it shows, they barely touch your lips and the colour is there without any effort. This also stops your lips from drying out and the colour lasts so much longer.

So what colour is Liar? It's a pinky-brown nude, its very warm in colour and has a creamy and luminous finish.

It's really wearable and is perfect for work, weekends and anything in between. I've been wearing it a lot and it seems to work for every occasion. You can see it on me in the images below:

I really like the finish, it's polished and has a good sheen but it looks natural. I feel like it warms my face up too and is so easy to slick on it and lasts so well that I find myself using it often.

So what do you think? Have you seen Liar, have you tried it?

What do you think of Urban Decay;s Revolution lipsticks?

I've been really impressed with the colour range, the pigmentation and the lasting power. You can pick up one of these lipsticks for £15.50, which is a pretty good deal I think!

L xxx

Urban Decay: Gwen Stefani Palette

Hello all!

We're sure you've heard the hype around this fabulous pallete, and really what isn't to get excited about?!

Urban Decay never fail to produce top quality products, the pigmentation cannot be equalled and their limited edition palettes are always even better. Knowing that this release was with Gwen Stefani was even better! I've loved her style for so long, even with her sometimes quirky outfits she always has flawless make up.

After buying a house and keeping every spare penny for furniture and paint, this was the best news and finally a big enough reason to break into the piggy bank - this release made me EXCITED.

As soon as I saw the packaging I knew I had to have it, the contents at this point hadn't even crossed my mind. I love monochrome and gold metallics so the colours were perfect for me. Even though Gwen Stefani is known for being part of the Punk music scene she's always stayed pretty classic at the same time. I love it.

The colour range of the eyeshadows is also spot on. There are so many beautiful neutral shades to create so many looks with finishes from matte, frost and shimmer. 

As for the colours, here's the rundown:

Blonde is described as a “pale beige with pink iridescent shift.
Bathwater is described as a “pale beige with gold pearl.
Skimp is described as a “pale nude satin
Steady is described as a “medium rose with metallic gold shift
Punk is described as a “reddish brown matte
Baby is described as a “cool metallic rose
Anaheim is described as a “light taupe-brown matte
Stark is described as a “nude-pink matte
Zone is described as a “medium brown matte
Serious is described as a “smoky gray with iridescent floating pearl
Pop is described as a “pale coral with iridescent sparkle
Harajuku is described as a “metallic blue-pink with iridescent micro-shimmer
Danger is described as a “deep metallic royal blue with blue micro-sparkle
1987 is described as a “bright metallic yellow-gold
Blackout is described as a “blackest black matte

I'm finding it hard to say which colour is my favourite as I genuinely think all of the top 2 rows are perfection in a palette. Blonde, Anaheim, Punk and Serious have special mentions though! Love these eeeeeeeeeeeeeevery day!

The surprise in the palette is the gold (called 1987), I was super impressed as it is beautiful and so pigmented. I have so far only used this dry as a liner but I would really love to use a wet brush and try it then as I imagine the pigmentation would be so much more vibrant. 

I'm not sure what I think about Harajuku but I'm willing to give it a try, and Blackout is a staple in anyone's life - it's just a must and the blackest of black eye shadows. I was very excited by Pop and Danger, but sadly these both had quite a lot of fallout. Pop barely made it onto my eyelid so I think some serious primer is going to be necessary. Danger is a wonderful colour but half of it ended up on my cheeks, and I only noticed when it smudged across my face in work and I looked ridiculous!

All of that being said, it's a beautiful and perfect palette that everyone needs. It comes in at £40 but is limited edition and worth every penny. My only downsides are the fallout from Pop and Danger, and I'm a little disappointed there isn't a brush or an eyeliner included like many other palettes.

In fact, although I'm excited for the lip products maybe they should consider an eyeliner collection too, how much does everyone want the perfect liner that Gwen always seems to get right??

Think about UD, it would fly off the shelves even faster than the palette!

What do you think of the palette? Are the colours perfect for you?


L xxx

Hey All

As L and I went to John Lewis Urban Decay counter to see this palette I was sure I wouldn't buy it. I didn't need another palette and after recently moving in with C I couldn't really afford it. As we arrived Kate did my eye make up for me using it and I was instantly sold. In my slightly hungover state I had absolutely no willpower I think knowing it was Limited edition made me want it more.

As L has said the packaging is amazing!! It has a huge mirror with a cute quote in the corner of the mirror which you can see below. The packaging is apparently inspired by some art Gwen has in her house!

The colours in the palette are what made it hardest for me to resist. It's full of mostly wearable colours and the prettiest nudes! Anaheim is one I was instantly drawn to, it's a perfect crease colour and would probably make a great brow colour too. It has a really great mixture of shimmer and matte shades and all of them have the quality you'd expect from UD, there is some fallout with some shades especially Danger but if I'm going all out with make up I tend to do my eye's pre foundation anyway as it makes clean up easier!

Danger is another shadow that made me buy this palette! What an amazing shade of blue. I did a smokey eye using it for last weekend and it just looked amazing (even if I do say so myself ha!). I keep reaching for this at the moment and it's making me feel inspired to play with make up again. If I'm honest Harajuku probably won't get used but I need to play around more and see if I can find a way to use it. Lastly worthy of an honourable mention is Baby. When I swatched it in store it was love, such a pretty everyday shimmer with a hint of worth. It looks great as a lid shade especially with Anaheim through the crease.

As a bonus with the palette you get a preview and sample of the lipsticks that will be released next year. How beautiful is that packaging going to be!!! I love all the four sample colours and will definitely be testing these out. I like that you get a to test out the different formulations of the lipsticks too. I'm intrigued by 714 as it's a mega matte! And let's face it, I have high expectations for the Red lipstick if it's been done in collaboration with Gwen Stefani.

It retails for £40 but the eyeshadow pans are a decent size and almost the same size as a Mac eyeshadow pan! This is one you won't regret.

Have you picked it up yet?

Love M

xxx

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish - Lychee

Morning!

Today's review is a well known nail polish from Barry M. The Gelly range has been hyped about a lot due to its Hi Shine finish and the impressive range of colours.

Lychee has been raved about by almost every single person - and I'm about to join the list!

Lychee is pale taupe kind of nude, it's absolutely perfect for so many occasions. It's the perfect every day colour but also still looks pretty chic when out with friends on the weekend.

A lot of the other colours in the range are pastels and this is the nude version. It comes in at a perfectly acceptable £3.99 and I have always said that Barry M prices are awesome for the quality of the products.

The colour is perfect and although I do have a few issues with the small brush inside the bottle (I'm sure my other polishes don't have a brush this thin?!) which makes application a little difficult.

I applied 2 coats and it was mostly opaque but there were a few streaks, probably made more apparent by the brush.

I also found that the colour slightly discoloured after a week or so of wear, with a top coat it did last really well and normally I wouldn't leave it as long as this but it did weirdly get lighter as it began the chip off.

Having said all that I still love it and would recommend it!

Do you love Barry M too? What new polishes have you been buying from them? Which other Gelly polishes would you recommend?

L xxx

NOTD Avon Nailwear Pro+ Barely There

Hey Guys

Lately I've been trying to grow my nails again. I've always been a nail biter but had managed to stop for a while. Stress got the better of me and I started again but in May I decided it was time to stop again. I've been loving painting my nails again and getting to use my massive nail varnish collection without putting on false nails. 

Natural Light

Luckily my nails have grown pretty strong and long now. I put this down to a high protein diet, hair, skin and nails tablets and OPI Nail Envy (review here). Since being on holiday and not using these three they have weakened a bit!

with flash

I can never resist a good nude polish and when I was home and saw Avon had released a new nudes collection I couldn't resist grabbing one. Nudes always look classy on nails and are great for any occasion. Also if you're quick they are currently a bargain £3 instead of the normal £6 which is reasonable for nail varnish.

They dry pretty quick to a glossy finish and surprisingly for a pale colour are perfectly opaque and not streaky in 2 coats. I could have gotten away with one on some nails if I was better at painting my nails.

Barely there is a slightly purple toned nude. Slightly darker than skintone. I found it really complimentary on my slightly tanned skin and think it would still look great in winter when I'm pale. 

The nudes collection also has a gorgeous peachy nude and grey!

Love M

xxx

NOTD Barielle Delicate Dancer

I originally posted about the box set this polish came from here

This beauty has been featuring on my nails recently when I can't decide which colour to go for, a nude is always the best option then!

It's called Delicate Dancer and true to the name is a very delicate colour.

I normally like a solid block of whatever colour I'm painting and whilst this polish is very thin, the effect is still really nice and natural.

I've never heard of Barielle before so had no idea if it was any good but I think for a collection of Bridal colours they hit the nail on the head.

This colour is most definitely similar to what I would choose to wear on my wedding day!

The colour did require a few coats but as each was thin it dried quickly and the coats were not streaky.

I will definitely be using this one up over the next few weeks when the weather can't decide what it is doing!

And it will look just as good on toes as it will on fingers.

What do you think of this Barielle nude colour? Are you a fan of peachy nudes or pinky nudes?

L xxx

Don't forget about our giveaway for a Selfridge's Beauty Box!

NOTD: Essie Sand Tropez

Day 7!

Today's NOTD is my very first and only Essie nail polish so far to grace my collection.

After using this for a few weeks I can guarantee it won't be the last and many more will be joining it!

I bought this as I'd heard rave reviews on it from the blogosphere.

It's the one and only Sand Tropez.

Initially when I got to the shop (called Ulta, another American store very similar to Sephora) and found the polish I couldn't really believe that it was anything special and doubted my choice...

But I used the tester to try it on one of my own nails which happened to be in another pinky nude at the time.

It was a perfect comparison, this was an amazing colour that actually suited my skin as I never thought that it would.

Normally pinky nudes are all that will suit my skin tone but this was one of those perfect beige creamy nudes that seem to complement almost every tone.

I also love the name of this, I would love to live in St Tropez, both the place and the product so this was destined to be mine really!

You can see the colour on my nails above.

This was after two coats and it seems to last quite a bit longer than others (like 4 days?) before chipping which seeing as I work in a lab and am constantly bashing things with them is pretty good for me.

The only downside to this polish is that on some nails it did need 3 coats where it was a little streaky.

The nail polish doesn't seem to be a streaky product but occasionally there will be a gap on a nail that will need an extra coat which is a little annoying as they are a more expensive nail product that you wouldn't have thought would have a streaky formula!

However this has most definitely not put me off it and I still wear it all the time, I'm a big fan of nudes and greiges and fully intend on stocking up my collection with them asap!

What do you think of Sand Tropez? What's your favourite Essie colour?

I might have to add it to my list!

Hope you check back tomorrow, we've got a super exciting nail art inspired by the Olympics which we're hoping is different but just as good as everyone else's ideas as there already some gorgeous ones online!

L xxx

NOTD: Barielle Shades Bridal Collection

Hello and good morning! 

Currently writing this in my dorm room in America when I should be sleeping but instead I've stunk my room out with nail polish so I'm wide awake!

On one of my recent shopping trips to different malls around North Carolina and Georgia I've picked up quite a few beauties (all for the blog obviously...) the first that you are seeing is this amazing set of 'Bridal' nail polishes from Barielle.

Firstly I'd like to point out that no, I am in no way anywhere near getting married but the colours were so pretty I couldn't resist, who doesn't love a box of nude nail colours!

As you can see from the box there are 5 different colours, a solid white, shimmer white, coral nude, pink nude and general flesh coloured nude.

I did buy these from TJ Maxx (who on earth knew they had the same store but with one letter difference? Anyone know why this is? I'm intrigued!) but anyhow for half the price at $9.99 i couldn't resist picking them up.

They were a little dirty in the box and i had to clean them when I opened them up but aside from the the bottles were all sealed and in tact.

The colours look beautiful lined up, I'm tempted to set them out somewhere in my room as they look so good!

As I couldn't resist testing them out I quickly painted each nail with a base coat, and 2 coats of each colour, you should be able to tell which is which as they are in the same order as shown above:

(Please excuse the state of my nails...they're doing pretty good all things considering but 6 weeks of digging in the mud results in all manner of nail/hand problems and I can't apply moisturiser fast enough!)

I love the three nude colours as they go perfectly with my skin tone which is rare as my skin is so pale! The shimmer white I know won't use as much but it is still a pretty colour and the solid white will be perfect for nail art/french manicures.

In fact I actually love all of them which is pretty cool considering I bought them on a whim with the 'nobody else can have this bargain' kind of attitude!

I have painted my nails with the coral coloured nude (middle finger) to see how they fare over time as I'm not sure they're very thick so could chip easily.

We shall see!

Have you heard of Barielle before? Do you love going into TJ/TK Maxx and picking up some bargains??

I absolutely love it and bought quite a few things....I have bought lots from departments stores and Sephora too. 

Would you like to see a post on what I've bought during my 7 weeks in America??

Let me know!

L xxx

Lipstick Mondays 17 Beehive

Another pretty nude shade to show you today. 17 Mirror Shine On Lipstick in Beehive. Firstly I love this lipstick. It's so moisturising it's more like a balm texture. I also love the bright blue packaging it really stands out in my bag.

For some reason it's gone funny in the tube, has any one else found this with this make? The lipstick is still very usable and doesn't effect it. I think it's probably as it's such a moisturising formula.

It's a sheer nude glossy shade on lip. Due to the how light this is on the lip the lasting power isn't great. The colour it comes out on the lip and how nice it feels means I don't mind reapplying it lots.

Although it's glossy on the lips it's not at all sticky. I will definitely repurchase this soon as I'm running low and can't wait to try more shades from this range. I think this is an impressive nude shade, I find it hard to find nice high street nude shades but this colour definitely rivals MAC for colour.

They are a reasonable £4.59. Looking online their are only 3 shades available now but I know there are lots more in store. Does anyone know if they are possibly discontinuing this range? If so I need to stock up. Do you have any from this range?

Love M

xxx