Collection Little Mix All About The Eyes Palette review

I love me a good neutral eyeshadow palette. I have more than what's deemed normal and acceptable, but I can't get enough of them. I've had the Collection Little Mix All About The Eyes Palette for a good month or so now. I'd seen it doing the rounds on blogs but it wasn't until I walked into Superdrug and saw it for a mere £2.50 that I knew I needed it in my collection. 

The palette comes with six shades including Feather, Sunkissed, Golden Sand, Dazzling Brown, Cocoa Dream and Blackbird. It has everything you'd possibly need to create a beautiful smoky eye. The pigmentation is decent, and the quality is more than acceptable. For less than £3, you just can't complain. (P.S It's also available in Boots).

What do you think of the eyeshadow palette?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram

Get a FREE personal training session here

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2

Today - a Sunday, I know. How strange! - the Naked Basics 2 palette arrived on my doorstep. I actually don't think this palette has been released in the UK yet (at least I can't find a link to it anywhere). I bought this palette from Cohorted. If you haven't heard of Cohorted it's basically a website that offers incredible discounts on wonderful products. The more people that buy the beauty product, the cheaper it becomes.

Cohorted were offering 30% off the RRP (£22) of the palette making it £15.40. I had a few loyalty points to spend so I ended up buying this palette for a mere £10.71. Safe to say, I'm a happy Jemma. The palette itself has been created to complement the Naked 2 palette, much like the Naked and Naked Basics palettes. I haven't had a chance to play with it properly yet but as with all Urban Decay shadows, they're beautiful quality. Especially for mattes.

The palette comes with six cool-toned shades. Five mattes and one satin to highlight:

Skimp - pale nude satin

Stark - nude-pink matte

Frisk - warm grey matte

Cover - muted warm-red matte

Primal - muted brown matte

Undone - deep, smoky brown matte

At first glance, the Basics palettes look incredibly dull and boring compared to their cousins, but to create a gorgeous eye look, they're a necessity. They're perfect for highlighting, contouring, adding depth and definition, eyelining and even for brows. My originally Naked Basics palette is very well loved and I can't wait to delve further into this one. I'll keep you updated and let you know how I get on with it - I'm guessing it'll end up in a favourites post soon.

Have you seen the Naked Basics 2 palette anywhere online in the UK yet? Did you manage to get your hands on one thanks to Cohorted?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram

Get a FREE personal training session here

MAKE UP | Benefit's They're Real range

Despite having these products for a good few weeks, it's taken me a while to gather my thoughts and opinions and write a blog post. I'm guessing by now you all know about Benefit's They're Real range? It started out with the mascara, which has been hugely successful in its own right. And because of this, Benefit decided to expand the range and launched a revolutionary eyeliner and an eye make up remover.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara* - £19.50

First up, the cult favourite. I never invested in this mascara because my eyelashes are pretty good on their own. It's lucky for me because it means that I never have to spend a fortune on my lashes as drugstore mascaras work just fine. Lots of people rave about this gem and it's easy to see why. The pigment is outstanding and the jet black mascara truly lengthens, curls, volumises, lifts and separates the lashes. It makes my lashes look out of this world, but for me, £19.50 is a lot of money to spend on a mascara. Will I splash out once mine runs out? I'm not sure. I'll see how much I need it when it happens.

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner* - £18.50

Ooh this didn't half take me a while to get used to. It's the first gel liner in a pen to hit the market and has an innovative soft tip which is supposed to truly hug the lashline. In the photo above, I'm wearing this eyeliner and as you can see, it's barely visible. That's how close it allows you to get to the lashline meaning that thicker lashes and a natural eye look is now possible. Once set, this liner doesn't budge on the lashes but I will warn you that you have to work quickly as it dries almost instantly after application and can sometimes flake. I've definitely become a huge fan of this liner, it's easy to use and creates an array of different looks.

Benefit They're Real! Remover* - £14.50

This was the product that I didn't think I'd care about. £14.50 on an eye make up remover? No thank you! And before I used it, I wasn't convinced. You see, my Lush Ultrabland removes my They're Real liner and mascara perfectly well, so I didn't see a use for this. Until I used it the other day. It's incredible and makes removing eye make up gentle, a pleasure and simple. With Ultrabland, I'd have to rub for a few minutes however with this, eye make up is removed in an instant. It simply melts away. It's a light milky formula that immediately lifts any make up from around the eyes without leaving behind residue. Pricey, but I'm addicted.

Have you tried any products from the They're Real range before?
*PR Sample
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram
Get a FREE personal training session here

MAKE UP | Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara

I will admit it... I'm a mascara whore. I do love the Green People Volumising Mascara a lot but it isn't readily available in stores. My replacement? The Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara.* I've been wearing this mascara every single day and I've fallen head over heels in love with it. First of all, the brush. It's been specially developed by Bourjois and it takes its inspiration from professional round hairbrushes. It uses small wraparound spheres and straight bristles to coat the lashes, define each individual lash and create instant volume. 

The mascara itself uses three active lashmorphing ingredients to give an immediate thickening effect and the carnauba, bee's waxes and jojoba ester ensures volume is delivered right through the ends of each lash. The mascara claims to last 16 hours on the lashes (and there's also a waterproof mascara claiming to last 24 hours). I can't say whether or not this claim is true as I don't wear make up for that long, but I've had no problem with the mascara disappearing midday, and it holds a curl nicely throughout the day. The proof is in the images above; it's a bloody good mascara and one that I will without a doubt be repurchasing again.

You can buy this mascara here where it retails for £9.99 (and at the moment, Bourjois have a 2 for £14 offer on a lot of their products).

What's your favourite mascara?
*PR Sample
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram
Get a FREE personal training session here

Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here

EYES | Simple golden summer smoky eyes

A classic smoky eye. There's no better look for your peepers. And my favourite for summer has to be a golden sparkly one. To create this look, I used my trusty and well loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. As far as neutral palettes go, it's one of my all time favourites and has completely changed the way I view and use eyeshadows. For this look, I used Half Baked all over the lid and underneath the lash line and Buck in the crease to create a little bit of depth and definition. Half Baked is definitely my all time favourite eyeshadow as it's stunning, versatile and warms up any eye look. I then used my favourite eyeliner - NYX The Curve* - to lightly line the eyes. Nothing fancy here, a quick sweep of eyeliner and I was pretty much good to go. Finally, I used the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara* on my lashes. This mascara is fabulous and I'll be writing a full review of it soon. It adds lots of volume and length without clumping the lashes together, perfection! And in case you were wondering, the foundation I used in the image above is Revlon's Colorstay... flawless, right?

This competition is open to all bloggers, for T&Cs go to http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/page/competition

*PR Sample

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram
Get a FREE personal training session here

Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here

MAKE UP | glo minerals Pretty in Pink

I am quite the fan of glo minerals as a brand, their lipsticks in particular. I have a few in my collection and they're the ones I tend to reach for. Sadly, I don't tend to read much about them on blogs, which is a shame because in terms of quality, their make up is second to none. The name says it all; they're a mineral make up brand meaning that their products are pretty much good for your skin. Their make up has been created by dermatologists too so you know you're getting added benefits. And when you've suffered with bad skin your entire life, this is a miracle. 

The brand set me a challenge to create a "pretty in pink" make up look using the products shown above. If you like my look, then please feel free to vote for it on their Facebook page. If not, it's worth going to check out the other blogger's fabulous looks anyway. Oh and a little incentive, if I win, I'll be given three glo mineral goody bags worth £100 to give away to you guys - not bad. (Just letting you know that the Facebook competition isn't live yet. When it is, I will be tweeting about it).

Anyway, onto how I created the look. When I first saw the Eyeshadow Trio in Ballerina* - £22, I was a bit nervous. You see, it's quite colourful and with my array of nude palettes you can tell that I'm not a "colour-on-eyes" person at all. But alas, I proceeded and I'm extremely happy with how the look turned out. I used the darker pink shade all over the eyes, the green in the crease and the lighter pink under my brow bone and my inner tear duct. It created the most beautiful smoky eye I think I've ever seen and the trio itself was a wonderful way for me to dabble into colour, without going too OTT.

Next up I used the Shimmer Brick in Gleam* - £27.50 which I instantly fell in love with. I'm a big blush fan and considering I use a lot of mattifying products on my base, I need blush and highlight to inject life and a glow back into my skin. This Shimmer Brick does exactly that. It comes with four colours - a champagne highlight, a beautiful Barbie pink blush, a deep rose-toned blush and a gold highlight. Oh it's perfection in every way. Easy to blend, last all day and nicely pigmented and glowing, you can create a multitude of looks with this one palette. It's one I'm most definitely taking on holiday with me. For this look I used the Barbie pink blush and the deep rose-toned blush on my cheeks and the champagne highlight on the tops of my cheekbones.

Finally, I finished the look off with the brand's Lipstick in Blush* - £15.00. As I said earlier, I really do love glo mineral's lipsticks. Despite being nicely pigmented and long lasting, they're instantly nourishing and hydrating and this beautiful nude finished the look off perfectly. It brought the make up together and complemented the smoky eyes nicely. Also for reference... my foundation is MaxFactor's FaceFinity, my powder is Rimmel's Stay Matte, my eyeliner is NYX The Curve*, my mascara is Green People's Volumising Mascara* and for my eyebrows I used Urban Decay's eyeshadow in Naked 2.

UPDATE: You can vote for me here.

What's your favourite way to experiment with colour? Have you tried anything from glo minerals before?
*PR Sample

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram
Get a FREE personal training session here

Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here
Enter my giveaway to be in with a chance of winning some wonderful Lee Stafford goodies

MAKE UP | KIKO Colour Fever Eyeshadow Palette in Unexpected Rosy Taupe

There's nothing I love more than a good old eyeshadow palette. It's hard to believe that four years ago, I didn't wear eyeshadow at all, isn't it?! Now it's my favourite thing to apply and the part of my make up routine that I most look forward to. You guys will know that as far as I'm concerned, KIKO doesn't disappoint. I've tried a lot of their products and I haven't found a dud yet. And the Colour Fever Eyeshadow Palette in Unexpected Rosy Taupe* certainly lives up to my expectations.

New to their limited edition Bad Girl collection - which has been inspired by icons of the contemporary rap music scene - the palette comes in four different colour combinations; Grey Night Blue (blue and dark brown eyes), Jungle Green Variations (light and dark brown eyes), Coral Burgundy (brown and green eyes) and Unexpected Rosy Taupe (for all eyes). These have been specially designed to enhance the natural eye colour. 

Each eyeshadow has been baked which ensures longevity and comes with stunning pigment. Easy to blend and silky to the touch, these eyeshadows are the perfect "going-out-out" colour and formula. Formula and packaging (which is high end, beautiful and practical) aside, these eyeshadows have become my "go-to" night out colours. They create a divine smoky eye and when used wet, the colour is even more intense. I use the top left colour all over my lid, the bottom right colour in my crease, the top right colour underneath my lash line and the bottom left colour to highlight - trust me when I say it's a perfect combination.

This palette is available here where it retails for £13.90 which makes each shadow come in at less than £3.50. I have a few more products from the collection and those reviews should be coming soon.

Have you tried anything from the new KIKO collection?
*PR Sample

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram

Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here

MAKE UP | Benefit World Famous Neutrals Most Glamorous Nudes Ever

Today I was featured on the UNiDAYS blog talking about the Benefit World Famous Neutrals Kit. It's something that I've been wearing every day on my eyes since buying it last week. I won't go into too much detail about it here, but if you want to find out my thoughts on this kit then you go visit the post here.

What's your favourite Benefit product?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram

Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here

#NYXinNEXT Bloggers Challenge & Giveaway

NYX Love in Paris palette in Madeleines and Macaroons

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz

NYX Propel My Eyes Mascara

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

NYX The Curve Eyeliner

L-R NYX The Curve Eyeliner, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz

NYX Love in Paris eye palette in Madeleines and Macaroons

When I first started blogging, NYX was the brand. However based in the US, it was an extremely hard brand to get a hold of in the UK. For a while now, NYX has been available to buy online in the UK but if you're anything like me then you'll be someone who likes to walk into a shop and swatch to your hearts desire. Finally, NYX is launching into NEXT stores nationwide this month so for the first time in the UK, customers will be able to experience the brand first hand instore (and online).

Day time eye

Night time eye

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz

NYX have challenged me to create an eye look that is suitable for day time and can be vamped up for the evening. Above, you can see my eye make up looks using products from NYX themselves. I used the Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk* to prime my eyes. The Eye Pencil is very creamy and easy to blend and creates a nice, even base for make up. As the pencil is white, I also used it on my waterline to brighten the eye area up. I used the Love in Paris Palette* for eyeshadow as the palette features a mixture of nine matte and shimmer shades. The palette isn't the most pigmented I've ever tried but the variety of colours means that it can easily take you from daytime to night time. For daytime, I used shade 3 all over the lid and shade 6 in the crease. For night time I used shade 6 all over the lid and shade 4 in the crease to smoke it out. I then used shade 6 underneath the lash line. The Curve Eyeliner* is a product that I've raved about before. It makes applying eyeliner completely foolproof as it's so easy to use. Before discovering this eyeliner, I could never add a flick to my eyes but the design of this eyeliner makes it exceptionally simple.  I didn't wing my eyeliner out for the daytime but I did for the night time look. Mascara wise, I used the Propel My Eyes Mascara* which lifts lashes and coats them with a conditioning formula. The four-way pinwheel brush design means that each lash is evenly coated, separated, lengthened and volumised. I completed the look using the Xtreme Lip Cream* which is a hybrid of lipstick and lipgloss. It's extremely pigmented and leaves the lips moisturised and glossy.

NYX have also sent me every product mentioned above to giveaway to you guys. To be in with a chance of winning all of the goodies, all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below. After the giveaway has finished, I will be announcing the winner on Twitter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I absolutely adored creating these too looks for you and I've been extremely excited to publish this post for a while. It's great that NYX are finally coming over to the UK and I can't wait to pop into my local store and have a little swatch. For me, the stand out product of the brand is without a doubt The Curve eyeliner. It's innovative and it's changed the way I apply my liner. You can view the entire collection instore or online.

Have you tried anything from NYX before? Will you be doing so now the brand is more accessible?

*PR Sample (giveaway items sent to me from NYX to giveaway)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram

Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here

MAKE UP | Rimmel London Scandaleyes Lycra Flex mascara

Left to right, top to bottom: no mascara, one coat, two coats, three coats

When it comes to mascara, I'm not one to splash out as I don't see the point in doing so. There are many drugstore mascaras out there that are just as good as ones double or triple their price. And the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Lycra Flex mascara* is an example of this. After applying this mascara just once, I fell in love and it quickly became my all time favourite mascara. Retailing for just £6.99 it's an absolute bargain and as you can see from the images, it does the job perfectly. 

This mascara has been enriched with a weightless Lycra technology which ensures that lashes never feel stiff or brittle and continue to flutter throughout the day. Rimmel promises that this mascara doesn't clumb and I agree to a certain extent - after three coats, my lashes started to get a tiny bit clumpy however, after two coats I didn't believe I needed any more mascara anyway - win win situation! This mascara does everything in one go: it lengthens, defines, adds volume, curls and stays put throughout the day. The brush uses bristles which catch every lash to give an even coat of mascara. The brush is quite big but not so big that it's hard to use and it ends up going everywhere.

For the past month or so, it's the only mascara that I've been using and I've received compliment after compliment about my lashes. It feels weightless on the lashes, doesn't smudge and the bright green tube means that it's one I'll never lose. Did I also mention that it retails for just £6.99?! When you consider the rising prices of drugstore mascaras (some almost the same price as higher end ones) this is wonderful. You can buy this mascara here and it's one that I highly, highly recommend having a look at.

Have you tried this mascara before? What's your all time favourite mascara?

*PR Sample

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter|Facebook|BlogLovin|Instagram

Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here
Enter my giveaway to be in with a chance of winning a bottle of Beetox

Enter my giveaway to be in with a chance of winning a Dermaflage Dermal Filler Starter Kit