MAC Palette and Depotting

I'm sure most of you will agree, owning a full MAC palette is 100% a life goal for a beauty obsessive.

I mean you only have to watch a few Tanya Burr videos or google it to know that they are seriously hot property!

Over the years I've picked up a few individual eyeshadows from MAC that I sometimes forget about, so I thought it was about time I got myself a palette so I can see all of my shades and use them a lot more.

I was also hoping having depotted them I could use them as a 'Back to MAC', as the rules are unclear as to whether you need the silver pan inside or not and it seems to depend on the MAC artist!

When I made my order I picked up the new double sided palette and also one insert so I could put my eyeshadows in and leave the other side for future purchases.

The palette is pretty standard in terms of shape and size but I like simplicity and MAC does this perfectly.

You just push the insert into the palette and it clicks into place firmly and there's no way it will be sliding around.

There is also a clear plastic divider which is helpful in stopping products from transferring over to the other side and falling all over the place. This would be a great help if you didn't have the insert as well as you can in theory get away with putting more products in without the insert.

You can see the other side without the insert in the picture above and it sure does look like a place that needs filling!

So after watching Fleur de Force's YouTube channel I found out how to depot the pans of eyeshadow from the original containers. As you can see I've built up quite a random collection, some nudes, some blues and purples, and some shimmery blacks. A few were bought for me as presents, so I can't wait to buy some more to make it a more seamless collection!

Basically as a quick run down you'll need a knife, straighteners, greaseproof paper and some magnets, like you find on the back of fridge magnets.

Use the knife to slide into the front of the pot where you can pop up the part of it holding the pan, like the 2 on the left in the picture below:



Place the greaseproof paper onto the hot straighteners and place the part of the eyeshadow pot on top, hold it down for 30/40 seconds and you should be able to pop out the pan from underneath using the knife when the plastic is soft enough.

As the glue will be soft be careful as it might burn, but carefully apply a small piece of magnet using the glue.

You can then remove the label from the case using the heat and stick it on top of the magnet using a bit of the same glue (it's quite stringy!) and then you'll be able to keep the correct name with the correct pan.

You can then put all of your pans wherever you like and they will stick using the magnets and you can rearrange as necessary.

I've arranged mine as follows:

I'm hoping to pick up a few more over the next few years so I can have a 'nude/daywear' side, and then a funkier bright and glittery side so I can maximise my looks.

If money was no object it would also me amazing to get another and fill it with blushes, bronzers, MSF's and powders for the ultimate in travel make up!

I'm so pleased I finally picked one of these up and it has definitely made me use some different colours for a change.

The palette itself is the new double sided large palette and costs £18, and the insert for the eyeshadows costs £6.50. The eyeshadow pans themselves cost £10 instead of £12 so you can save money by buying only the pans if you have a palette.

Do you have any suggestions for eye shadows i should get? Have you got a similar palette? Have you depotted your individual products into it like I have?

My quest for the ultimate palette begins!

L xxx

Review: Avon Colour Trend Lasting Smile Lip Paint in Melondrama

As I'm sure you'll be able to tell I'm loving Avon make up lately, I placed quite a big order before I started my project 10 pan so I've had lots of new things to keep me going. I'm a huge lipstick addict. I have 50 + now and my make up doesn't feel complete without bright lips. 

The Colour Trend range of make up is aimed more at teenagers which is reflected in it's packaging and price.  The Lip paints retail for £3.75 but are on offer for a bargain £2.25 here. Another good thing, judging by how close melondrama is I'd say the swatches on site are pretty accurate.

It has a simple white packaging with purple writing. The white has stayed surprisingly clean while in my handbag. It has a clear lid which makes it easy to see the colour of the product. The lid stays on securely.

I choose the shade melondrama as I usually would have picked the other 3 I thought I'd pick something I usually wouldn't. It's an orangey natural lip colour on me. I'd say it has a slight hint of a rose colour to it. It's very watermelon like.

It glides onto the lips smoothly and easily and the tube makes it easy to apply.

This is the lipstick in natural light. It's a great everyday shade that makes lips look done without being over the top if you aren't as comfortable with bright colours.

It does have a subtle sheen to it which I normally am not to keen on but with this colour it really suits it. It also really lasts well.

It's a great all round lipstick and perfect for the price. Once my project 10 pan has ended I'll be ordering lolita! Have you tried these? or colour trend products?

Love M

xxx

 

Review: La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo

A good few weeks ago I picked up some La Roche Posay (LRP) products as I'd heard a lot of great things about 1, and couldn't resist picking up another!

My main reason for going in was to pick up the Effaclar Duo, the much raved about product to help with blemishes, acne and any other complexion woes.

Many bloggers have tried and tested it including Tanya Burr who gave it her seal of approval after it helped her get rid of her blemishes that nothing else would on.
It contains 4 active ingredients to combat imperfections and sebum blocked pores, and the thermal spring water helps to soothe any irritation.

The product is a white cream you can apply to the entire face or to specific areas for targeted results. When applied the cream does not feel greasy at all, it's actually very matte but also hydrating and therefore creates a perfect base to start your day.

This seems to dry out the spot slowly and I was really impressed and how it felt on the skin as I expected it to feel drier due to the matte feeling.

The nozzle makes it so easy to apply the exact amount to wherever your spots are. I have applied this to my face and had no bad reactions other than my skin being a little dry after a few days application.
This is mostly down to my skin being drier than it was previously, so for me applying it to my whole face would be too much, but on specific spots it works a treat.

I have also applied it to a really random spot that inconveniently appeared on my chest and it helped it go down quicker than it would have otherwise. It's not a miracle cream by any means, but i was pleased with the results and would recommend that if you were having trouble controlling your blemishes it is definitely worth a go.

If there's one thing I know, skin is so subjective!

The images above show how the cream disappeared into my skin leaving a matte finish and easily allows make up to be applied over it.

This was a worthy purchase for me but not a miracle worker. It helped to reduce the size and number of my blemishes but it didn't work overnight so don't expect it to! Give it time though and it will work a treat!

Have you tried Effaclar Duo? What did you think? What's your favourite LRP product?

L xxx

OPI - 007 Bond Girls Liquid Sands

I've mentioned a few times how obsessed I am with James Bond. And how obsessed i am with nail collections.

Obviously when the Bond Girls Liquid Sands collection came out I had to snap it up.

I only picked up the mini collection though (slightly redeeming myself...) which contains 4 out of the 6 polishes. This leaves me wondering why on earth they didn't just do a mini set of all 6, or split it into 3?

I'd have still bought it and most others would too. I love some of them so much I've requested my Americna friend to send some over for me, assuming they get through the post GODDAMN INTERNAITONAL MAIL RULES.

This mini collection contains Jinx (Halle Berry), Vesper (Eva Green), Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and Solitaire (Jane Seymour) and all are Liquid Sands, the latest in nail decoration to hit the masses.

First up is Jinx.

This is my absolute favourite and request number one from my friend.

Just LOOK at it.

It's corally, with a gold shimmer and a beautiful texture.

It looks like fire, and part of me wishes that Hunger Games could get a few of these liquid sand polishes out for the next film as seriously, wouldn't Catching Fire make a great liquid sand polish??

Wondering aside, this beautiful polish was the first Liquid Sand polish that i have tried and subsequently have fallen in love with them all. Sometimes a fad just hits the part where you were wondering why on earth so many variations of nail art existed and you totally understand.

It actually mesmerises me and I've put my order in for a full size so I can continue to coo over my own nails like a weirdo!

Below shows the first image of Solitaire.

Solitaire is a shimmery white liquid sand polish that is described as being a 'diamond white'

Please excuse my appalling application in these pictures as I was far too excited to concentrate.

Diamond White is definitely the correct description for this polish as the silver glitter in it perfectly sets it off.

I'm not one to wear a shimmery white polish as it reminds me too much of my nan who thinks she's very cool for wearing it, but i will take all of that back for this beauty. If only i had a tan to set it off with! It would look even better then!

Pussy Galore is as you would expect, a cute baby pink shimmer.

This was super easy to apply and was completely foolproof. The others were easy to apply too and mostly I only needed 2 coats for each, but this polish applied like a dream and instantly looked great.

I'm also not much of a baby pink girl, I prefer hot pinks and reds but this is a very welcome addition to my collection and will certainly get a lot of use over the summer.

I've even worn these to work and haven't had any comments, which is good as my neon colours have caused quite a stir! The Bond colours are clearly more acceptable ha.

Below is the final in the collection, Vesper.

In the films, Vesper is one of my favourites. She's so British and I think Eva Green is beautiful, she's also in the first film with Daniel Craig as Bond, which means I love Casino Royale more ;)

This purple perfectly matches the dress she wears in the film.

This one was a little harder to apply and I think 3 coats would have been preferable for the perfect finish.

Having said that it is a beautiful aubergine purple and will be perfect for autumn and winter when berry colours take over (possibly my favourite time of year!)

You can see in the picture above where the polish looks thinner. It's not so apparent in reality but you can just see it, which means in my opinion that a third coat is needed.

This one is also not glittery which is probably why it shows up flaws more as the light is being diffracted all over place distracting your eyes!

Overall as my first mini OPI collection I was very impressed. I also bought the OPI Oz mini collection too which will be in an upcoming post.

Jinx was my ultimate favourite and as I've mentioned I will be getting it in the full size. Pussy Galore and Solitaire are the shock likes in this collection as I didn't think they'd be anything more than pretty nude colours, but I was proved wrong. Vesper will have to be brought back out at winter time as its such a deep purple, but then it will definitely be used and I'm looking forward to it.

Also in the collection is a gold called Honey Ryder (also on my list to come from America!) and Tiffany Case, a really pretty baby blue. I won't be trying Tiffany Case as I'd have to buy the full size to try it, but you never know, I'm a sucker for owning a full collection!

I hadn't thought to try nail art with these yet, but Polish You Pretty did the most amazing ombre effect with Vesper and Honey Ryder that I had to show you....AMAZING!!

What do you think of the Bond Girl collection? Do you like the Liquid Sand effect?

L xxx