MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline | Review

I picked up this eyeliner by accident actually, I was getting a couple of lipsticks in MAC and then I thought why not try their pencil eyeliner. I seem to have bad luck with finding one that wouldn't fade or smudge. Until now I was using Rimmel Scandal Eyes eyeliners but they needed re-touching like every 20 minutes so  though MAC could be a good shout and I got a very black one in Feline for my top and bottom inner waterlines. Staying power of this product is amazing, the colour lasts for about 3-4 hours before I need to re-apply, which is a nice change from the constant re-applying with other pencil eyeliners. It goes on smoothly and one swipe is enough to get an opaque look. I absolutely love this product and will definitely be getting more shades - white and nude, and maybe brown at IMATS, which is less than a month away now. Can't wait for it. Anywho, if you are looking for a good eyeliner Feline is definitely it and you wouldn't regret giving this product a go. I will definitely re-purchase.

What's your favourite pencil eyeliner? Have you tried any MAC ones?

MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline: £14

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Urban Decay Naked Palette | Review

I finally managed to get round to getting the famous Naked palette by Urban Decay, I must have been like the only person who didn't have it. I have to say I am now head over heels with it, I wish I didn't wait for so long and it's definitely by far the best palette I've ever used. It contains 12 eyeshadows and an Urban Decay shadow brush, plus a sample-sized Eyeshadow Primer Potion and comes in a chocolate-brown case. I've not had a chance to use the brush yet as I'm using Real Techniques brushes at the moment and they are pretty amazing. Naked contains beige, brown and grey shades which are my go-to eyeshadow colours but kinda better and it's easy to go from a day to night look. The pigmentation and staying power is to die for, they go on smoothly and you don't need to use much product at all (even with the matte shadows). They don't crease or fade even without a primer after the whole day of wearing them, I'm so impressed. My favourites are Toasted, Sin and Sidecar but I also love Virgin since it can be used as a highlighter as well as an eyeshadow. All I would say, is that you should get it if you don't have it yet and are wondering whether to get it or not (like I did for ages and ages), it's so worth it. Naked palette might be on the pricey side but then again, you get 12 brilliant eyeshadows, a brush and a primer. I'm now thinking about Naked 2, but I've been hearing so many people saying it's not as good so I might stick to this one for a while.

Love it, love it, love it!

Have you tried the Naked palette? Which shade out of the 12 is your favourite?

Urban Decay Naked: £36

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Lumiere Cosmetics | Review

A few weeks ago I was kindly sent a few Lumiere Cosmetics products to try out and review. I actually haven't heard much about the company but was very interested as they specialize in mineral makeup, which I've never tried before. I was sent a couple of sample sized blushes, three eye pigments and a mini lipgloss. I  really like the tiny pots I got the products in, I like tiny things in general actually (weird, I know). I was most excited to try out the eye pigments - I got Cream Soda (which I use as a highlighter as well), Creme Brulee and Soft Brown from Lumiere's Brown & Natural collection.They are great as an everyday look and they kind of complete and compliment each other. Pigmentation is amazing so you don't have to use loads of product, I wasn't expecting this I have to say and I wish I had tried mineral eyeshadows before. The staying power is great as well when used with a primer and you don't have to touch up during the day. Plus Lumiere has got an impressive range of colours. While the eyeshadows could have been picked, the blushes I got were selected randomly by Lumiere - I received Autuumn which is a nice shimmery pink and Magnolia, a violet shade. They have quite a nice pigmentation too but unfortunately don't last long on me at all and fade quickly. Also, I need to get quite a bit of the product and it needs building up bit by bit. Last but not least, I got a sample of one of their lipglosses from the Lumi Lips collection in Siesta. I'm not a fan of lipglosses to begin with but this one is actually alright, it's got a smooth formula and feels more like a lip balm once applied on the lips - I absolutely can't stand sticky lipglosses and that's what put me off of them so I'm quite impressed with this one. It doesn't last long but I don't mind re-applying.

I fell in love with eye pigments thanks to Lumiere and I'm thinking of getting a few of their full sized products. Also the lipgloss was really good, I already ran out of so might get a couple different colours. I don't think I will be using the blushes. I'm so happy I had a chance to try out mineral cosmetics for the first time and will definitely be getting out of my comfort zone when it come to makeup. You can go and check out Lumiere Cosmetics and their prices here: Lumiere Cosmetics - Mineral Makeup.

Have you tried mineral makeup or Lumiere Cosmetics?

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L'Oreal Color Infaillible Eyeshadows | Review

I know I am so behind with these but I finally got them and they might just be my new favourites. I have read and seen so many people rave about L'Oreal's Color Infaillible (or Infallible as it says on the packaging in other countries) that I convinced myself I needed a few just to try them out and see what the fuss is all about. I got four shades: Time Resist White, Sahara Treasure, Flashback Silver and Eternal Black, and they are all absolutely gorgeous. I was looking to get a couple more but neither Boots nor Superdrug had a good selection, which is disappointing but what can you do. Anywho, the eyeshadows come in nice, see-through pots with a powder protector to keep the product in place. They are kinda like pressed pigments, they feel creamy and powdery at the same time. They apply smoothly with fingers as well as with a brush, I personally prefer fingers first and then a brush as it gets more product on the eyelids and then blends easily. The eyeshadows last about 7-8 hours before they start to fade a little, so it's still fine - the colour payoff is amazing. I normally put them on before going to work and when I get home they still look fine. They are very pigmented and don't crease like so many other eyeshadows do. I tried them on with and without a primer and it lasts, and looks better with primer on, while for example Maybelline's Color Tattoos look gorgeous without a primer for hours and hours (but I always tend to put primer on anyways so I don't mind). Overall, I love these and will be looking for more shades, hopefully I will find some more that I like.

Have you tried L'Oreal Color Infaillible? Do you prefer them or Maybelline Color Tattoos?

L'Oreal Color Infaillible Eyeshadows: £6.99 (each)

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Nail Art #2

Since I had crazy shifts at work when I came back from my little Scottish holidays I didn't really have time to write a review. So I thought I could post some of my nail art I did in the past year or so, plus my first nail art post got quite a bit of hype. I am planning to get back into nail art once I move flats next month, I will live a few steps away from my work place which means I will have plenty of time to do more blogging too. Can't wait. Anyway, hope you like them. All of the nail polishes I used are from a drugstore, mostly Rimmel, Maybelline and Miss Sporty.
Do you like nail art? Would you rather have natural or fake nails?

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MAC Lipstick in Crosswires | Review

After picking up Vegas Volt I decided to get another summery lipstick, well actually I was going to MAC with Ruby Woo in mind but decided to get something less 'red' as I'm just not brave enough for this one. I found Crosswires and fell in love with it, the colour caught my eye straight away, I was surprised I haven't noticed it before. The lipstick is a nice pinky-coral shade, it's quite bright but not neon-ish or in your face. It's good for going out as well as completing an everyday makeup look, it's a perfect statement lipstick. It also has a nice golden sheen to it, which you can see in the last photo. The lipstick is buildable, two swipes are enough to get an opaque look but you can apply less or more depending on how strong you want the colour to be. It's well-pigmented, smooth and long-lasting, usually 3-4 hours, however it leaves a pretty stain on my lips so I tend to re-apply only once or twice. The product doesn't dry out my lips or settle into liplines, which I've noticed some people complained about, it works just brilliant for me. I absolutely love the creaminess of this lipstick and how comfortable it feels on my lips. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a statement lipstick but are afraid of a full-on red lips look. This one is a winner for me.

Have you tried Crosswires? What's your favourite MAC lipstick?

MAC Crosswires: £14

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Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara | Review

I've seen this mascara in a couple of magazines, but it's not getting as big of a hype as Maybelline's previous mascara - The Rocket. I also have read a few reviews, and not everyone was impressed by it. Now it's finally available in Boots and Superdrug so I decided to give it a go myself as I loved (and still love) The Rocket so much. And now that I've been using it for about a week I have to say I'm quite impressed, it's not the best mascara I've ever tried, but it's definitely not the worst either. It's a good mascara, it just lacks that wow factor that for example Falsies has. The wand is quite big and flexible, however I didn't get any mascara on my lids as I tend to do when wands are as big as this one. It doesn't leave any clumps on my lashes, might be a little hard to get it right on the bottom lashes but nothing a cotton bud can't fix. I'm mostly impressed with how long it lasts, I had it on for about 18 hours (I was travelling from London to Glasgow) and it didn't leave any nasty marks under my bottom lashes or my eyelids up until the moment I got to bed. I don't think I would re-purchase this mascara since there is so many better ones out there, but it is a good product and if you are looking for a long-lasting mascara, that might be it.

Have you tried Mega Plush mascara yet? What's your all-time-favourite mascara?

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara: £7.99

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Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots Nail Polish Collection

I have found these by a complete accident, I went to Boots to check out Maybelline's new mascara and ended up getting a few more things too, and these varnishes were my best find I think. As soon as I saw them I just grabbed all of them, it's only four colours in the collection (at least the Boots I went to had only four) but for £2.99 each it would be a shame not to try them out especially for me aka nail polish addict. I have a soft spot for nail varnishes, I used to do nail art on daily basis so whenever I see something new, I want it (I know, it's bad).  Anyway, Maybelline came out with a new collection of their Color Show nail polishes, which is called Polka Dots and it's basically varnishes containing lots and lots of little black and white dots of different sizes. As you put layers on the dots create a cool 3D-like effect. The shades I got are Chalk Dust, Shooting Stars, Rain Forest Canopy and Speckled Pink (I love the names of these products, they are just so cool). I liked the layering so much I put like 5 or 6 layers on the first time I tried them. The only downside is that they are an absolute pain to take off but you can't have everything, right. Personally, I will only use them on spacial occasions, but I reckon they would look brilliant put on one of the nails while the rest of them is just a plain colour similar to the Color Show shade.

Have you tried Maybelline's Color Show Polka Dots yet? Do you have any similar varnishes?

Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots Nail Polishes: £2.99 (each)

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Stila Convertible Color Dual Lip and Cheek Stain in Lillium | Review

I've actually planned to get Stila Convertible Color in Gladiola, which I mentioned in my April wishlist but got this one instead. I fell in love with it straight away after swatching it on my hand, it's called Lillium and it's a really nice, natural-looking pink shade. It doesn't have any shimmer to it, it's more of a matt colour which is great because I've noticed most of my blushes are shimmery. The product can be used on lips and cheeks, however I don't ever use it on my lips, it just doesn't look too great. It looks amazing on the cheeks though, it's my new favourite blush in fact. It's best to be applied with a brush, as it's really well pigmented and I always tend to accidentally put too much when I use my fingers. Lillium gives my cheeks a healthy look and if you are as pale as me, this shade is just perfect. It lasts up to 6 hours, which is fairly good and can be layered over with a powder blush to help it stay on longer. I absolutely love the creamy texture of this product, it's so easy to blend and it's buildable, you can use as much as you want to get the desired amount of flush. It didn't leave any patches on my skin or made it greasy, so yeah. That's Stila Convertible Color in Lillium, my first Stila product actually and definitely not last. In fact I still want to try Gladiola but again, there is a shade I want to try a little more - Gerbera. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try out cream blushes or is just simply looking for a new blush.

Do you prefer cream or powder blushes? What's the best cream blush you tried?

Stila Convertible Color in Lillium: £16

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