Swatched: 17 Solo Eyeshadows

So, I had these eyeshadows lying around, which are actually really good quality for the £3.89 you pay (it's the same price for normal and glitter shadows, the only difference being that they say '17 Glitter' on the lids rather than '17 Eyes')

Clockwise starting in the top left, the shades are Walnut Pearl, Night Sky, Regal, and Green Glimmer. The Night Sky is glitter and the others are standard shadows, though as you can see even in the non-flash photo (the top one of each pair) the Green Glimmer is fairly light-relective, and in the flash photo all four shades are shimmering.

The Walnut Pearl is one layer of colour; the other three are two. It's easily the most pigmented of the four, but it also sheds - when using this eyeshadow it's definitely a good idea to do it before the foundation.

FOTD: inspired by Chloé A/W 2011

I was browsing the blogosphere, and found a really interesting article:

http://pretty-easy.tumblr.com/post/12323011680/get-the-look-chloe-a-w-2011
Normally when I see posts like those, they need a particular shade of eyeshadow, for example, that I don't have. But to my joy I actually have everything needed to do this look - or at least a slightly toned down version of it.

I started with my trusty Natural Collection ShineAway Foundation. You know what, it may not be the best foundation in the world (I'm really looking forward to trying Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse when I've finished this foundation) but it's still darned good for what I need.

Then I used a black Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil to line my eyes, as the original post suggested, to allow it to smudge... which it did, all over my face.

Then I used my much-neglected Collection 2000 'Color Intense Trio' in Cookie Dough. I don't tend to use this much, mainly because the shades are next to each other and shed quite a lot, and also because it just doesn't go on as well as the 17 eyeshadows. Plus they're not particularly pigmented. They were, however, just right for this look. I used the palest shade as a base and then blended the darkest shade with it, but not all the way out as the picture showed - I wanted it to be wearable, after all.

The next step was to use a little of the same shade as a blush/bronzer under cheekbones for definition. I wasn't sure which brush to use for this, and initially tried my blusher brush, but that loaded on way too much of the powder. So I decided to use the 'Way to Glo' shade of the Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades, as it's slightly less pigmented. That worked better.

The original blog post suggested black mascara, only mine's a bit dried out, so I used my Natural Collection Brown/Black one.

For a natural and neutral lip, I used tinted lipsalve, and then the No7 High Shine gloss in Whisper.

And a spritz of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette to finish.

Reorganization of dressing table

For the past week, living out of a suitcase while on holiday with my family, I've had all my makeup (that I took with me, which obviously wasn't all of it) in one box - the pink one on the top right of this picture - and it irritated me so much having to dig for so long to find everything that I felt I needed to organize my dressing table. The main issue with my dressing table is that it's really just a mirror on top of a chest of drawers, too low to stand in front of, and too high and with no leg space to sit in front of. Also the light in that part of my room was not at all good. So I've cleared the clutter off the top of one of my bookcases, and spread my make-up out there. Until I get myself a tabletop mirror, I'll still have to take what I want into the bathroom to put it on, but it beats the previous situation.

Upon sorting, I found that I really had far fewer eyeshadows than I'd thought - I guess because I have been building up a collection for such a short amount of time, the rapid buying hasn't yet translated into huge bulk, thank goodness. I ummed and ah'ed for ages about the best way to sort, and the best way to distribute different items between different boxes. I still think that maybe, since the mug with the eyeliners in is quite big, I could put the mascaras in there with them and then put the lip stuff in the tall mug. The only issue is that lipsticks are quite squat, so I'd only ever be able to see the glosses.

The other dilemma I had was where to sort my 'All About Nude' palette - I suppose that since half of the palette is eyeshadow, it should go with the shadows, but that just doesn't seem right... I'll have a similar dilemma when my ELF order arrives, as I ordered a custom palette with two shadows and a blush. I might end up, since the box with the face stuff in is so big, making it 'face and palette'...

I can also see the shoebox with all the cleansing and base stuff getting very cluttered very quickly, so I need a solution to that... I could just put the foundation, concealer, powder etc in with the face stuff, and have the wipes and moisturiser out on the countertop... the OCD in me doesn't like that idea at all though.

NOTD: Barry M Nail Paint shade 290, Spring Green.

Right, I'll admit it, front and centre.

I used to be a Barry M Nail Paint devotee. Loved it.

But, since trying others (most notably Rimmel's 60 second one) I've realised that, actually, it's not that good.

I put on Barry M polish for the first time in a while today, in what for ages was my favourite nail colour. But, I'd forgotten how much better the little stubby brush in the Rimmel polishes is. The Barry M brush, long and thin, is very difficult to control, and get a good finish across the nail without getting polish all over your fingers - my nails now are even more untidy than normal.

Then there's the drying time. I know I'm used to special quick-dry formulas, but this still took quite a while, probably as a consequence of my bad brush usage meaning that I put too much polish on.

I've also put a topcoat on (for once) - 2true's clear polish, which says it lasts for 5 days. It has made the nail look overall much more 'finished'

It's a shame, really, to have to say bad things about a product I used to love.

One thing I can't fault, though, is the bottle size. For £2.99 (often £2.50 when there are 2 bottles for £5 deals) you get 10ml, working out at just under 30p per ml. In contrast, for the Rimmel 60 second polish you pay £3.69 for 8 ml, just over 46p/ml.

I think, to conclude, that the Barry M is still a very good nail polish for what you pay, but that there are better ones available at a similar price point.

http://www.superdrug.com/barry-m/barry-m-nail-paint-290-spring-green/invt/396362/

Afterthought: I'm writing this bit two hours after putting on the polish. 6 of my 10 nails are smudged horribly. I remember this being a problem with this polish, that it appears to have dried, but over an hour after putting it on it still doesn't seem to stick to the nail.

I'll have to take it off, it's annoying me that it looks so rubbish and I'm going out tonight.

FOTD: with Boots All About Nude palette

So today I decided to see just how nice a look I could get using every element of the All About Nude palette - as mentioned in my year review post, I never use the Funfair eyeshadow shade, so I thought it would be good to use it for once.

As usual, I started with my Neutrogena moisturiser and Natural Collection foundation. So far, so good.
Then I put the Funfair (a pinkish shade) across my whole eyelid and the Walnut Pearl on the outer half. I think I got a bit overexcited at this point as I didn't apply it particularly well, and I think I started it too far into the eye, so it covered way more than just the outer half of the eyelid, if that makes sense, and you can see that I didn't do the eyes particularly evenly (each eye the same) either.
Putting the lipstick on was odd. I don't own a lip brush so I did it with my finger... But it was still shiny and nice, yet not sticky. This lipstick is one that I don't use enough, I'm always surprised by how good it is.
The blusher was odd, it's less creamy in consistency than my Natural Collection one, which is to be expected I suppose because it's in solid form. One thing I've never liked about this particular blush is that for ages it is unnoticeable and then you put a minuscule hint more on and it's suddenly too much. But it's still easier to use - and less messy - than a powder blush.

To finish off I used my usual eyeliner - Boots 17 Photo Flawless eye pencil - and mascara - Natural Collection

This photo was taken a couple of hours after application - and after eating and drinking - yet you can see how long lasting the products have been.

2011 in review, and looking forward to 2012

In this post I'm going to review what my favourite products have been - my top three mainstays that have seen the most use - in 2011, and look at what I'm most excited about for 2012.

Well, of course, since I didn't really get into make-up until August, the review only really covers the last part of the year.

I think that my overall favourite product this year would be the Boots 17 All About Nude palette, which was their free gift when you bought two products for a while in the summer - I liked it so much that when it appeared on boots.com for 1.50 in the autumn I bought three more!
It has eyeshadow in shades Funfair and Walnut Pearl, a cream blush, and Mirror Shine lipstick in shade Belle. Since getting this palette, I've bought individual ones of the Walnut Pearl eyeshadow, which forms part of my everyday eye, and the lipstick, which is great just to add a little colour and shine if I've emphasised the eye. This palette also meant I searched the entire Boots store at Westfield for a cream blush, since I found it so so much easier to use than powder blush - though I think that's partly down to poor brush technique. I never was good at art.

Another of my favourites would have to be the Boots 17 Photo Flawless Eye Pencil which I reviewed a couple of days ago. I won't repeat myself here - suffice to say that it's great.

The last product to make my top three for 2011 is another eye pencil - the Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil. I have it in every colour except brown, and I think the standouts would be grey, which looks lovely as a base for a daytime smoky eye, and green, which I have worn by itself and been complimented on my eye makeup before. (That sentence doesn't quite make sense, but my brain can't figure out how to make it do so - forgive me, it's Sunday). Overall this pencil is lovely and soft, smudges like a dream when putting it on, but is then nice and long-lasting.

One other product I'm going to briefly mention (oh, split infinitive, my Latin teacher would be disappointed) is my moisturiser the Neutrogena Multi-Defence Daily Moisturiser. I started using this in the summer and I love it. That it has built in SPF 25 is a huge bonus.

In 2012 I'm looking forward to using the Naked2 palette by Urban Decay. I've seen swatches and reviews and it looks amazing, even if it is more than a week's pay...

I'm also making myself a resolution to actually use the Funfair shade of eyeshadow in my All About Nude palette. While not such a big thing as the Naked2 palette, it's all about being adventurous and using colours etc that I'm not used to.

The third key thing to do with makeup that I want to do in 2012 is to find a great foundation. The Natural Collection one I've been using is okay, but I'm sure there are better ones out there.

Now for the photos - I took one with the palette closed and one with it open - mine's a bit scabby and dirty due to months of continuous use, but apart from that it's held up well - I'm always surprised that I've not hit pan on Walnut Pearl.
Clockwise from top left it's eyeshadow in Funfair, eyeshadow in Walnut Pearl, the lipstick in Belle, and the blush.

The eye pencil by itself is the Photo Flawless one, and then the group is the Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal ones.