Eden

Urban Decay 'Eden' Eyeshadow Primer Potion, £15 for 11ml.

Back when I used to work next to an Urban Decay counter the girls let me take a little sample of 'Eden' home with me, and I gotta say, it surpassed all expectations. I went out and bought the full size tube and it is now something I use on myself regularly (when I can be bothered to wear eyeshadow that is) and is a constant in my makeup kit.

It's creamy on first squirt, but as it is worked into the eyelid it dries down to a stiff, matte finish. While it clearly has amazing grip for eyeshadows, the super matte finish means you have to work quite fast when applying eye makeup, blending quickly as you go to ensure that eyeshadow doesn't get stuck where you didn't want it to be, because boy it is hard to budge if you don't blend in time.

It's very yellow, and while I'm sure this is purposeful in order to counteract any redness, so commonly found on eyelids, it is so visible on a pale, pink person such as me that I do have to wear colours that balance it out i.e. I cannot wear it simply as a colour correcter or tiny-vein-hider. When I use it, I can only use it if eyeshadow is actually going on top. The same goes for when I use it on a dark skinned model, I have to be so careful to only apply it where I know eyeshadow will be, or it is visible against them. You can be the one to judge whether you think this would be an issue for yourself or not.

It grips and holds onto every particle of eyeshadow that you put on top of it. There's no creasing after 8 hours and it definitely helps bright and deep colours alike 'pop' to their full potential, true to pan colour. The tiniest bit is needed to cover both eyes, but sometimes the squeezy tube can dispense more than is needed, a problem I find commong amongst all of the eyeshadow primers I have used. It's not a deal breaker, because I think it is fantastic value for money and something that I know will last me a long time, and something that I will definitely be buying again. Thumbs up from me!

Thanks for reading,

E.

Hype

A face of the day post for ya'll today. I recently caved to the Illamasqua summer sale and bought 'Hype' an acid yellow eyeshadow with a matte finish. I'm aiming to increase the colour range in my kit, but couldn't resist trying it out on myself first!

I used Benefit's 'Stay Don't Stray' eye primer, two brown shades from the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, and Illamasqua 'Hype.' I smudged MAC Kohl in 'Smoulder' underneath my bottom lashes, and added some falsies, finishing off with a slick of black gel liner. Totally over the top, but it was fun, and I am surprised by how much I liked yellow!

Blogging is going to be a wee bit absent for the next week, as I don't have a day off now until next Sunday on which I am sure I will be gently rocking myself back and forth in a corner, in blankets, with my phone turned off, catching up on BINTM or some shizz. Then I am off to London for a few days but hope to get a couple of posts sorted for then. All the best til then.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Midweek Post: My favourite eye makeup brushes.

There are a few brushes that I cannot imagine being without now, so I thought I had better share them with you so that you don't miss out too!

Real Techniques eyeshadow brush; This is a great eyeshadow brush for packing on the product. It's not too big which I find so many others to be, it is just the perfect size for my eyelids! This is made of synthetic hair so can be used with creams or powders, but I especially love it with powders because I think it picks up product so well.

MAC 217; This is often sold out on the website so you may have already gathered that it is a popular brush. This is a great brush for blending and adding product into the crease of the eye.It's tapered head means that it accesses the crease well without spreading the product over the lid. It also blends powders really well.

Illamasqua Blending Brush 1; This is great for blending eye makeup seamlessly. I always keep it clean and do not use it to apply product with, just swirl it over a smokey eye to blend the colours and fade. Like all the brushes at Illamasqua, it is synthetic hairs which I generally prefer to use.

Laura Mercier Smudge Brush; This is an absolute must have for smudging any under eye colour to create a more smokey or blended finish. It's a great size- it is small enough to be precise but wide enough to remain firm which is an important quality in any smudger brush. Works great with powder and pencil/gel eyeliners.

MAC 210; I have already spoken about this a couple of times before, for me it is a must have for applying gel eyeliner, whether it be for a winged flick or onto the water line. The only downside is that it has frayed slightly and I haven't had it a year yet.

Illamasqua Angled Brush; This is the best angled brush I have ever used for several reasons. Firslty, the brush is made of synthetic hair which makes it both cruelty free and multipurpose in terms of being able to use it with liquids, creams and powders. The length is perfect- it's as if Illamasqua have taken a standard angled brush and cut it in half, making it short and wide, therefore a lot firmer (perfect for creating straight lines or sculpted brows with ease) and alllowing more control as it isn't as flimsy. My brows have improved ten fold since I have been using this brush, the size is just perfect. Worth every penny.

New In! Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette.

Urban Decay 'Naked Basics' Palette, £20 for 6 x 1.3g (7.8g) 

I knew I had to have this as soon as I saw it advertised (I think in a magazine?) so I placed an order for it the day it was made available. How keen is that? 
The palette is an online exclusive at Debenhams and luckily for me it was during megaweek so there was 10% off too aswell as free delivery.
I don't own the Naked or Naked2 palette, while they always tempted me I always thought that shimmery shadows from Urban Decay always created a bit too much fallout for my liking, but I was confident this wouldn't be the case with a palette of 6 matte shadows.

The packaging:
It's smaller and more compact than I thought it would be, which makes it perfect for travel. I don't think the presentation is particularly good- the pans never look very secure and you might be able to see on shade 'Faint' that it looks a bit faulty as if it could pop out any minute. I like the mirror inside which covers the entire lid and I like that it doesn't come with any brushes, as they are wasted on me (but would perhaps be helpful for others.) It is made of hard plastic which is fairly protective with a click-shut mechanism.

The shades:
Four of the shades in this are exclusive to the palette, which is nice, eh? Urban Decay describe them as 'must own' and I am inclined to agree. Neutral shade eyeshadows are a must have in any girls basic makeup collection. I'm also a firm believer that eveyone needs a good, matte black and this one contains it.

Left to right:

Venus: This one is more of a satin finish rather than matte, it's slightly frosted and is a good highlighter or used on the inner corners of the eyes to widen and brighten.

Foxy: A wearable, buttermilk shade which is good at neutralising discolouration on tired eyes. A good base for any day-to-day look.

Walk Of Shame: I am in love with this colour, a creamy pale pink, but when I say pink, I mean the faintest most delicate shade of pink. This will look great if any of you like a vintage look, as there's something quite fabulous and retro about it.

Naked2: A light brown that is very buildable, great used all over the eye for a grungry gothic look or used in the crease to define and shade.

Faint: A stunning taupey brown, can be used in a similar way to Naked2 but for a deeper, more dramatic effect.

Crave: A matte black, that is pretty black. Nothing more disappointing than a watery black, which are so common in palettes. Great to line with, define, or deepen the browns. This one is very buildable too, I've been able to get it quite intense.

Formula:
All of the shades are so silky to touch and really pigmented. They're not a bit chalky which is something some companies struggle with when creating matte eyeshadows. Worn with eye primer, the eyeshadows lasted a whole day and I experienced no creasing and minimum fade. This palette gets a thumbs up from me, I haven't put it down since it arrived.

Do you own any Urban Decay Palettes? Would a palette solely dedicated to matte shadows appeal to you?

Midweek post: Teddy Bear.

Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow quad in 'Teddy Bear', £25 for 4.8g

When we move into the summer months, our makeup preferences inevitably change and I often think what makeup I choose to use is weather dependant.

Personally, unless I'm going out in the evening, I prefer to wear minimal eye makeup in the warmer months, and I prefer the colour I use on my eyelids, if I choose to, to be a matte or satin finish. Highlighted, dewy skin and bright lips are perfect this time of year and I believe that added sparkle and shimmer from eyeshadows can make the overall look a little bit too much. In comes Teddy Bear from Clinique, an eyeshadow quad of wearable neutrals and browns, all with a matte finish.

I have begun to reach for this a lot of the time, there's something about it's simplicity that seems so fuss free and straightforward. The colours can be used inidividually to achieve a simple day look or combined together to create a more dramatic eye if desired.

The consistency of the eye shadows are quite powdery, but very fine and blendable. I found with the lighter shades that it was hard to really build them up without using a lot of product, however they're perfect for that 'wash of colour' look.

Clinique aptly describe the shades as 'classic ivory', 'golden tan beige','taupey milk chocolate' and a 'deep brown.' I'd say they're very wearable shades for most people, especially perfect for low-key day looks.

Overall, I like this palette and would recommend it to those who perhaps want a simple palette of neutrals as I believe the colours would suit almost everyone who has Fair- Medium skin (any deeper and the shades may not show up well.)
It's also great for beginners as it comes with a plastic slip that shows where you could use each of the colours for an eye look and the deep brown colour could potentially be used to fill in eyebrows (who doesn't love a multi-use product?!)

I do think the pricetag for this is a little steep, but I do like that all four colours are very blendable; a characteristic not too common amongst matte eyeshadows.

What neutral palettes do you reach for? What other matte shadows can you recommend to me?

Midweek post: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers, £20.

 1) Natural 2) After using Shu Uemura eyelash curlers 3) two thin coats of mascara

Oh my days, as soon as I lifted these curlers away from my lashes for the first time, it was love! I've got fairly long lashes naturally but I was getting more and more frustrated at how they looked, they never curled in the way I wanted them too and I knew they could look better than they did. There's only so much mascara can do and my droopy lashes were doing my head in...time to take action and bin my cheap curlers!

My research showed that these had won several awards and were a makeup artist's necessity. Passing by the Shu Uemura store in Covent Garden I couldn't resist, and I could have easily bought so many more things from there if only money could grow on trees!

The grip you hold on your lashes is easily controllable with these to determine the outcome that you'd like. Since using these for a couple of weeks now I've experienced no pulling or discomfort when using them, nor have they affected my eyelashes negatively. 

These really are a great product.

MUA Lovehearts Lip Balm & Single Eyeshadow Review & EOTD.

MUA Lip Balm in 'Sweet Kiss' £2 for 10g

MUA Single Eyeshadow in Shade 30 £1 for 2g

(Available in Superdrug)

I'm not usually attracted to gimicky or girly packaging as I always want to concentrate on the product inside, but something about these lipbalms with Lovehearts designs on the lids made me really want one! I think they're really cute and fun, and will stand out at the bottom of a makeup bag/box, and with it being Valentines week a review of one of them seemed fitting! I bought the shade 'Sweet Kiss' because I'm like a magpie to pretty coral pinks, particularly when in such a sheer form such as lip balm. This lip balm has impressed me with it's quality for the price, the formula is really smooth and glides onto the lips well, it isn't sticky at all but is slippery on the lips with a faint vanilla scent that doesn't linger for long. It adds minimal colour, just a wash of pretty pink over the lips and I really like the outcome.

So far the only downside I can find is also with the packaging, it is what I call a 'dippy pot', I've always found them totally off putting. I absolutely despise Vaseline with a passion and as long as I can remember I've always cringed at the sight of people prodding their fingers around vaseline pots and smearing the stuff around their lips. It literally turns my stomach. We'll see if I can get to grips with this dippy pot and enjoy using this lip balm, or if it will be a short affair.

I love anything copper, metallic or gold, particularly when it comes to eye makeup, so I picked this up. Similarly to my first MUA eyeshadow (EOTD Here) this is a pearl finish thats strong pigmentation is a joy to use and work with. It has quite fine glitter particles in it which makes it a bit more sparkly and jazzy than some of the other pearl finishes. It blends very well and I experienced no fall out, which really surprised me actually. To me, the pay off and the finish on the eye looks more high end than high street, so again MUA have impressed me here and I'll continue to buy their eyeshadows. The packaging seems sturdy enough, and 2g of product is generous considering it's £1!

Below is a FOTD using these two new products so that you can see how I've worn them, let me know what you think.

Eyes;

Benefit Stay Don't Stray Eyelid Primer

MUA Eyeshadow Shade 30 (all over lid and brought underneath)

M.A.C. Eyeshadow in 'Showstopper' (in crease and underneath)

Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 001 Dark Brown on the waterline

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara 

Lips;

MUA Lip Balm in 'Sweet Kiss'

If you want to know any of the other products used on my FOTD then pop a comment below or tweet me @emilydimplesxo and I'll reply back to you straight away!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

A Valentines Day Look #FOTD

Valentines Day Inspired FOTD

I wanted to try creating my own Valentines day-esque makeup look using colours we tend to associate with love and romance; pinks and purples! I missed out red because I didn't want to go too overboard!! 

I also wanted to try out Illamasqua's pure pigment in 'Static'- it's a loose glitter powder, similar in consistency and grain size to Barry M glitter pots. It's pure white glitter that sparkles lilac, blue and pink when the light hits it. It glimmers like freshly fallen snow, which I suppose is appropriate considering the current weather conditions accross the country!

I was feeling creative, so let me know what you think.

Eyes;

Overall look;

17 Photo Flawless primer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Coverage Foundation in 'Very Light'

Bare Minerals Matte Foundation powder in 'Fair'

M.A.C. Bronzer in 'Matte Bronze'

Benefit Hervana blusher

Benefit Stay Don't Stray eyelid primer

Illamasqua blusher in 'Lover'

Vivo eyeshadow in 'Purple Passion'

Illamasqua blusher in 'Thrust'

Laura Mercier eyeshadow in 'Fig'

Illamasqua pure pigment in 'Static'

Benefit 'High Brow'

Benefit 'High Beam'

Rimmel London liquid eyeliner

Yves Saint Laurent Dessin Du Regard Waterproof Black Eye Pencil

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara

Eyelure false lashes no.151

Illamasqua lipstick in 'Plunge'

Yves Saint Laurent Golden Gloss in no.45

Will you be creating your own Valentines inspired look?

A Laura Mercier Look....#EOTD

Laura Mercier Limited Edition (Holiday Collection 2011) Luxe Eye Portfolio.

Now, I'm not normally one for palettes of any kind. They remind me of the makeup sets you'd get when you're a young teen, full of colours you'll never wear and bad quality pearl finish lipsticks. However I saw this Laura Mercier Luxe Eye Palette in the christmas collection on the website I couldn't resist popping it on the old list. Luckily, my boyfriend bought it for me christmas and I still can't stop opening it up and going 'ooohhh' 'aaahhh'.

This palette reminds me more of an organiser, the snakeskin cover and the flap to secure it don't look like your average palette..

and wait till you look inside.. 

Containing a ponytail brush, a crease brush and a smudge brush these aren't the standard 'throw away as soon as you open' sh*t brushes, these are good quality, sturdy brushes that I'm chuffed to own.

12 gorgeous, wearable eyeshadow shades that include matte, sequin and sateen finishes.

Some are more pigmented than others, sparkling night, black coffee and fig are my favourites, they do not disappoint. Mica is a good dupe for M.A.C.'s Forgery, but I find there's more fall out. All in all, an excellent palette..I may be changing my ways!

EOTD; Simple day look.

Benefit Stay Don't Stray eyelid primer

Laura Mercier Morning Dew

Laura Mercier Royal Gold

Laura Mercier Fig

Laura Mercier Black Coffee (used as subtle eye liner on upper lid and beneath water line)

Yves Saint Laurent Dessin Du Regard Waterproof Black Eye Pencil

Benefit They're Real Mascara