Daniel Sandler: Tornado.

Daniel Sandler eyeshadow in 'Tornado', £9.21 from Hairtrade.com

Not to be put off by my slightly odd first experience dabbling in Daniel Sandler cosmetics I hopped straight back on that horse and have a powder eyeshadow review for you today.

Firstly I'll applaud that the online stock photo is a lot clearer and true to life than the longlasting waterproof eyeliner photos are. This eyeshadow is the colour and consistency as described- a mid brown with taupey grey/cool undertones, matte finish and powder texture. 2g of product is generous for it's £9.21 pricetag (in comparison to 1.5g for a MAC shadow at £12.50) however there's a slight discrepency where the website states it is 2.3g and the packaging I have here states 2g.

With eye primer (I've been using Urban Decay 'Eden' Primer Potion) this stayed put all day and into the night. There was minimal fall out when I was applying it, and it blended well too. There isn't one aspect of this product that is not satisfactory or that doesn't deliver- it's a very good eyeshadow and has reaffirmed my belief that Daniel Sandler cosmetics are of good quality. This colour in a palette with other high quality neutrals would definitely be something that I would purchase for both myself and as a gift. For now, this'll join my other single eyeshadows ready to be depotted into a Z Palette when I eventually get round to it! I can see that it'll be used a lot in the future as it is such an important, natural shade and the quality would encourage me to use it often.

Thanks for reading,

E.

This product was sent for me to review. Hairtrade.com is one of the UK's leading online retailers of hair extensions, hair care and beauty products. You can order this product by clicking here.

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: A product I do not regret buying!

Although I love reading monthly favourites and reviews, I'm always so interested to know what makeup products some people continually choose to use and go back to. For example, until about 9 months ago I'd only used L'Oreal Telescopic mascara for about 5 years. The term 'why fix it if it ain't broke?' comes to mind. However since then I've tried YSL Shocking, Benefit 'They're Real', numerous other L'oreal mascaras as well as a few testers of Clinique and Estee Lauder's offerings (post coming up about those!) and I still go back to Telescopic as my favourite.

While looking through my makeup collection (and yes I view it as a collection!) I noticed that there's one product I specifically return to time after time, and believe it or not it was an impulse buy when I was Christmas shopping in MAC a couple of years ago.

Behold the 'Dashing Lassie' palette from the 'A Tartan Tale' collection, 2010!

Please excuse it's now tatty state but one things for sure- it's well loved!

At the time it was a lot to pay (I was a skint post-grad) but something about the palette spoke to me and I got it without a second thought. For me it was the perfect palette of browns, and it certainly hasn't disappointed! Below are swatches of each colour so you can see, but rather than an actual product review this is just more of a chat, as I'm curious to know which products you go back to time and time again, Limited Edition or not I think it's nice to see such a used palette, especially from a makeup blogger who loves nothing more than a fresh pan of colour!

Dashing Lassie: Thinking this may be the most used, the colour pigmentation is the most disappointing. It applies a sheer wash of 'frost', there's no other way to really describe it! It barely shows in the photo above and unfortunately barely shows on eyelids either.

Once Upon A Time: A much loved colour! A neutral colour with shimmer, lovely worn on it's own or as a base, as you can see I don't get to wear this anymore, it ran out long ago and I struggled to get enough product to swatch.

Magical Mist: Looks silver in the pan but applies a dirty, metallic taupe colour.Really stunning and understated, looks lovely against green eyes!

Bronze: A beautiful metallic copper bronze shade, great for adding warmth as a contrast to the other shades in the palette. It's super pigmented and can be used to create a really striking bronze eye- one of my favourite looks.

Buckwheat: A deep brown with red and golden undertones. Buttery soft and gorgeously metallic, everyone needs a colour like this.

Showstopper: This will have featured in several of my recent FOTD's as it's a colour I favour to fill in my eyebrows at the moment. A deep matte brown with fabulous pay off. Also great for adding depth to neutral eye looks or adding natural definition under the eye.

It's sad to know that all of these shades were Limited Edition, because I think they'd be popular permanent lines. However, I know I'll use each section until it looks as worn as 'Once Upon A Time'!

Did you buy this palette when it was released? What is your most used makeup purchase?

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?