Review: Smashbox Smoke Box Eyeshadow Palette

Who doesn't love a smokey eye??
I think they're a staple look for any girl wanting to have a more dramatic look.
You can do a nude smokey eye for those times when subtlety is needed, go dark and mysterious with greys and blacks, pop with a flash of colour and sparkle the night away with metallics and glitters.

It's probably the most versatile look in the make up book!

Smashbox have brought out the absolutely wonderful Smoke Box which when I saw in CCO in Swindon's McArthur Glen I just had to snap it up.

Firstly the outer packaging looks really simple and I love that they show an image of the contents, it's always good to get a peek of what you're paying for.

I also love the 'colour wheel' type strip along the side showing the colours inside the palette and these are pretty true to form, aside from the metallic ones which don't have their metallic bits on!

The palette itself is as sleek and simple as you've probably come to expect from Smashbox. Similar to Mac they tend to leave their products do the talking and most people would agree that they 're both pretty awesome, so simplicity is key!

It may seem gimmicky to some, but I think keeping up to date with technology and putting a QR code on the back for a Get The Look video is pretty good. YouTube is booming with make up tutorials and its another way for publicity and getting products across to new people.

So inside the palette.

Above you can see there's a mirror that fills the entire size of the case, this I love!

Can always use a mirror like this when you're on the go which is perfect with this palette for day to night looks after work etc.

It also comes with a mini brush which I always ignore. I ignore them mostly out of habit as they're never big enough for holding product to get the look that you know you can achieve with bigger and better brushes but I keep it there for emergencies.

You can see the names of each colour above, I love Alabaster for a base as it's just slightly lighter than my skin colour so blends in perfectly and creates an even base.

Roast, Thunder and Seafoam are the metallic offerings in this palette with Roast being more glittery than the others. Blackout is a perfect matte black for blending and lining the eyes and blackcurrant is absolutely gorgeous.

The colour are swatched below on my arm.

L-R: Alabaster (almost disappears on my skin!), Thunder, Blackout, Roast, Blackcurrant, Seafoam.

Some colours are sheer like Seafoam and for some reason Blackout doesn't show up at all on my arm but when applied it does show up really dark but not as pigmented as Mac Carbon.

Here are some looks I created with the palette:

Using Alabaster as the base, I then applied Thunder over the main lid and Blackout to the crease, before applying Seafoam to the centre of the lid for shimmer.

This is a great easy smokey eye sticking to greys and silvers. The colours are really easy to blend and applied smoothly.

Below shows a second look:

Excuse my unruly brows here! 

This look uses Alabaster as a base again, Thunder on the inside lid, Blackcurrant on the outer corner and Roast applied to the centre for some shimmer.

This look can be worn for day time too and I love wearing it as its not a common colour but does look really nice and I get lots of compliments on it.

I do sometimes get some fall out from the product but luckily it doesn't stick to my face and brushes off easily but this can be annoying.

I feel like these pictures don't do the colours any justice though, Blackcurrant is a beautiful colour, as is Roast, Seafoam and Thunder.

Blackout could be more pigmented but when applied to the eye properly it does come out quite black.

Alabaster is a beautiful colour particularly on paler skin as it is a perfect base and blends in perfectly!

Have you tried any other Smashbox eye palettes?

Which is your favourite?

L xxx

Antipodes: Divine Face Oil

This post has been a looooooooooooooong time coming.

I have been a huge fan of this face oil ever since receiving it in the Selfridge's Beauty Box last year.
I have raved about this to anyone who would listen to me but for some reason felt that writing my post on it would just be lost in a load of others all saying the same things so I didn't type up anything.

But I'm still in love with it and want to add my voice to the mix!

Antipodes are a really cool brand, all the way from New Zealand using natural and organic ingredients to make super sonic products with a multitude of benefits.
Now sold in 9 countries around the world the company only started in 2006 which is amazing to have got this far and just shows what reliable brand it is.

Divine Face Oil contains organic avocado oil and rosehip which scientifically stimulates synthesis of collagen production in human skin cells by up to 51%.
It's packed with antioxidants and essential nutrient rich oils which smell of jasmine and sweet orange.

It has so many benefits to skin it's almost unbelievable. You can read them on the back of the box in the picture above but essentially it's anti aging, hydrating, rejuvenating and absorbs UV light from the sun to protect skin.
Sounds like a miracle oil!

I apply a few drops of this to cleansed skin morning and evening when my skin is feeling a little dry and dehydrated (which is most of the time lately!)
You rub in the oil in upward motions and pay special attention to spots, scars and any other blemishes including lines.
This to me was really weird, at the time I hadn't ever used oils on my face and was so worried about my skin breaking out etc but I really had nothing to worry about!

The dropper is my favourite part of the product because it reminds me of old medicines and being a scientist I automatically am drawn to glassware and it can't get much better than when it contains organic skincare too!
It's so easy to use and control the drops and the oil sinks into your skin so quickly.

One of the best things about this oil?? It's only £19.50! This is a bargain considering the effects and it's lasted me almost a year and I'm still not close to finishing it.

The oil is suitable for most skin conditions but particularly useful for dry and combination skin.

I've found it brilliant at hydrating my dry patches, and I feel it's cleared up so many of my blemishes and scars as the red spots on my face are fading pretty well.
The biggest factor about this oil is that it hasn't made my oily t-zone any oilier than it normally would be which has been perfect and something I was really worried about.

I'd fully recommend this to anyone and cannot wait to get my hands on some other Antipodes products.
I've heard absolutely loads about their Aura face mask containing Manuka Honey (one of my favourite New Zealand products from my family living there!) and the Juliet Skin Brightening Gel Cleanser.

Hopefully this combination of products will get my skin to behave itself.
Dealing with an oily t-zone and then dehydrated skin on the rest of my face with scars is really getting to be hard work!

What have you tried from Antipodes? Do you love organic and natural skincare?

L xxx

OOTD Red Lace Dress

Another OOTD today. I'm really loving doing these at the moment! Hopefully I'll persuade my other half to take some photos for me soon. (He's decided he wants to write a post on here, we will see if he does, he thinks living with a girl is so hard, apparently not being allowed his stuff in our bedroom isn't nice ;-)!! I need clothes space!)

Finding a red dress that's nice is always a bit of a challenge! First off it's colour, finding the perfect red shade that isn't tacky but classy, that goes for fabric too! When I factored in lace I didn't expect to find a suitable one. Near where my parents live is Clarks Village full of factory discount shops including Yumi! I picked this up from there a while back and it's now back on there website here. It retails for £28 and comes with a plain brown belt.

I used my usual Butterfly for Matthew Williamson Bag (Currently on offer here) It's the perfect size for just what I need. The leopard print heels are from Dorothy Perkins. I can find them online now. I like these as they are a softer shade of leopard print and a slightly lower heel makes them comfortable to wear all day.

The bracelet is from New Look It's £4.99 here. It's something I can reach for quickly. I picked this up in this spending ban update which I also got the necklace featured below!

The necklace is from River Island. I love this necklace, I used to own it about 4 years ago so I'm glad to have it back. You can pick one up here for £6. I love how it brightens up an outfit. The fake leather jacket is from primark! I love it bit I can't see it lasting long as I've already broken the lining.

I was all about the statement jewellery it would seem! The ring is from Boots range of jewellery. They have some great pieces in there and they are regularly on offer.

The belt is off another dress. I paired it with opaque tights so I could wear this too work. For me the length is perfect. It sits comfortable on me without being too short. The lace is a good quality and hangs really well. I also like that it has sleeves

.

It has a small keyhole at the back of the dress with a button at the top, I like all the little details this dress has and I've worn it loads. Even better it doesn't need ironing which is always a bonus as loads of my work dresses do!

I really like Yumi Dresses. They tend to be a bit different! I'm definitely coming around to red dresses too.

Love M

xxx

Review: Avon Glimmerstick Cosmic Eye Liner Twilight

After L had her make up done in Mac for her birthday I've been loving coloured eye liners. The Cosmic Glimmersticks from Avon. This range has a variety of colours and each of the colours hold multi colour glitter giving a gorgeous shimmer effect on the eye. Currently Half price at £3 here (I personally didn't like silver eclipse it lacked the glitter effect in my opinion)

The Glimmerstick range of eye liners from Avon don't require sharpening and have a twist action. The packaging has a secure lid (no worrying about this coming off in your handbag) and a colour coordinated bottom so it makes it easy to spot in your make up bag.

The pencil itself is soft but not too soft, meaning it's not going to drag along the eye but rather glide nicely.

This picture shows some of the different shades of glitter. It's really hard to pick up on camera. It looks flattering on the eye and not primary school disco as some glittery products can look.

I love this for easy make up days, a quick wash of neutral base and a line around the eyes and I'm done. It's such a pretty colour. Purple looks great on most eye colours as well.

I really love everything about this eye liner, the shade is perfect, not too bright and not too dull you can barely tell it's purple as I find happens with some eye liners. ( I was lucky enough to get the smashbox set for Christmas but I find the colours aren't bright enough to look great on the eyes) It lasts all day and can easily be blended out to make a great purple base for a night out. Applied all over and smudged with a bit of black in the outer V would look great.

What's your thoughts on coloured liners? I love them!

Love M

xxx