Smackdown! Makeup Geek VS bareMinerals

I love eyeshadow and I love love love when eyeshadows come out looking like how they do in the pan. My thinking is that if I didn't want it to be that bold a colour I would have bought a more subdued colour (duh). However a lot of the time I find myself being disappointed at the colour payoff of pressed eyeshadows.

Two products that don't tend to disappoint me however are my bareMinerals eyeshadows (I have 10 minis I received in a Christmas set last year) and my Makeup Geek pigments that I ordered from their website. Neither product is pressed and so are effectively loose shadows. I love them both but today I decided to put them to the test and tell you which one is my ultimate favourite (I know it'll be tough but I'll take the struggle for you guys).

Lets go in chronological order and start with my Makeup Geek pigments which I ordered about a year ago now. First off I want to put in a note for UK residents here; Makeup Geek gets expensive quickly. Because they're a fairly new but growing company they don't have particularly low international shipping rates yet plus they don't pay duties for you meaning that you have to add money on top of that (I think I had to pay an extra £8). Don't get me wrong they are still cheaper it's just something you need to bear in mind when buying from them.

L-R: Insomnia, Nightlife, Vegas Lights, Utopia

That being said: totally. worth. it! I love these pigments so much, especially if I'm going out and want some extra drama in my makeup; these just take you to a whole new level. The colour pay off is amazingly amazing with these and you just get so much of each colour I feel like they could last you a lifetime.

L-R: Utopia, Vegas Lights, Insomnia, Nightlife

The only downside I have with these pigments is that they don't last on the eyes. They're great for a night out but if you want to wear them all day you'd need to touch up or something, especially with Insomnia (a dupe for MAC's blue brown pigment and my favourite of the bunch) which has this amazing dual tone which unfortunately fades to a brown as you wear it throughout the day. If you want these to last longer you need to prep with a primer before hand and you might want to think about wearing them wet too (which looks stunning) but they still aren't gunna last you all day.

Tow Row (L-R): Snowflake, Drama, Queen Phyllis, Waterlily, Celestine
Bottom Row (L-R): Nude Beach, Bare Skin, Sex Kitten, The Gold, Vanilla Sugar

Now in comparison the bareMinerals eyeshadows just don't wow me in terms of colour as much. Possibly because the collection of colours in the set all erred on the neutral side, or perhaps because they don't necessarily have the same sparkle (and I am a girl who loves a bit of sparkle) I just don't get the same joy in my heart when just looking at these shadows. However when you apply them it is a whole new ball game!

L-R: Waterlily, Queen Phyllis, Drama, Snowflake, Celestine

These shadows have such a beautiful texture, they are so finely milled that they don't even feel like anything when you apply them (or if you accidentally stick your thumb in their pot as I discovered while trying to photograph these). They also glide on like a dream and require so little for them to look smooth and not at all patchy, while I would say the Makeup Geek ones need a teeny bit more work.

L-R: The Gold, Sex Kitten, Bare Skin, Nude Beach, Vanilla Sugar

Again, like the Makeup Geek pigments you will have trouble getting these to last all day, though I have noticed with a primer they do stay fairly well while I'm at work in that I leave and it still looks like I'm wearing shadow which is better than some of my pressed eyeshadows. The only complaint I have about these is that they are unfortunately not consistent. Nude Beach (which is easily my favourite and most used one of the bunch) has a gorgeous shinny almost liquid finish when you apply it and lasts a long time on the eyes while Vanilla Sugar has more of a matte texture and tends to settle in creases and bunch up a little bit more.

If I had to pick between these two I would have to choose my Makeup Geek shadows just because of the thrill my heart gets (yes I know how sad that sounds, I do admit I have a problem) when I see their colour pay off. The bareMinerals ones are still beautiful (I would fully recommend either brand) but I do get a bit more frustrated with how inconsistent they can be. 

Have you tried these or any other products from these brands? Let me know in the comments!

My Daily Makeup

So...hi. It's been a while hasn't it? It feels like a lot has happened since I last posted here, I'm closer to the end than the beginning of my second year at uni, I've got a job and life has been really hectic. But I miss my blog and I miss talking to you guys and so I'm back with my tail between my legs hoping you'll still want to come back and read what I have to say.

Since so much has changed I figured that my first post here should be on my current daily makeup since it has completely changed since I last posted here! Don't worry just because I haven't been writing about makeup doesn't mean I'm not buying any.

As a foundation I'm currently using my Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in the shade 100 ivory (basically the lightest shade they have for old pale faced me). This one can be a little bit more full coverage than the Touche Eclat foundation I was using previously, but on days when I don't want as much coverage I just use less and it works fine for me. I like that it still gives a nice, natural, slightly more on the dewy than matte side, finish and when I buff it in with my Real Techniques buffing brush it makes my skin look really flawless which is great! It also has SPF 18 which will be awesome when the sun eventually makes an appearance.

I picked up this cream eyeshadow from Elizabeth Arden for an absolute steal in the House of Fraser sale a couple weeks ago (you can still get it on the Boots website for a similarly reduced price). I got the shade Anchors Away 03 which is a gorgeous purple/browny/taupey metallic shade which I think really suits my green eyes. I love cream eyeshadows because they are so super easy to use and blend and, considering I am always late, they are a really quick fix when you're rushing around in the morning. The texture of this one was at first really bizarre as it was kind of gel like and had a more whipped consistency than other cream products I've used before but after a couple uses I've managed to press it into the pot a little bit more and it feels quite nice now. Plus I just found out by looking at it on the Boots website to make sure you guys could still pick it up that it has Aloe and Vitamin E in it so it's doing something nice for your eyes as well!

Because it's cold season here and literally everyone I know (including myself) seems to be coming down with something I keep topping myself up with my Burt's Bees lip balm with mango butter. When I get a cold my lips get ridiculously dry and tight feeling which isn't at all pleasant and this lip balm just really does the job at helping me feel like a normally lipped human being (plus it smells like Heaven).

Mascara is a really personal thing and (let's be honest) I only really bought this one because of the packaging but I actually really like the Revlon Lash Potion mascara. I read a couple of reviews before I bought it and everyone seemed to be saying get the waterproof one and so I did just that. I won't lie I don't think I'm a waterproof mascara type of girl, since it seems to take forever to take off, and I just can't be bothered with that. However I do like that it gives me the right amount of volume and length without weighing my lashes down (am I the only person who worries about this??) and it looks really natural rather than like I've caked myself in layers of mascara which I also like.

Last but certainly not least is my Clinique cream blush in 03 berry pop. I love the bubblegum pink colour of this blush especially when things are starting to get a little bit more summery but my skin is really pale because it gives my skin an amazing flush. Although it is cream it feels quite dry in the pot which I actually like because it doesn't make me worry I'm pasting my cheeks with colour! All I do is swirl a finger over the cute little daisy print stamped into the blush (so adorable) and then pop a couple dots of blush on each cheek and then blend them out. So nice and easy and not at all intimidating like some of the other cream blushes you see.

So there we are; my current daily makeup staples! If you've got any staples you think I should try of it you've tried any of these let me know what you think in the comments!

NYX In Next!

So this is my last post in my mini beauty haul series (is it really a series I'm not sure...we'll just go with it). Personally this is the post I'm the most excited about, you may not be and that's ok we're all different people in this world but still...I think it's pretty exciting!

So if you are like me and are in the UK you may have seen other beauty bloggers, youtubers etc talking about the US based makeup brand NYX with the little green goblin of envy in your eyes as they talked about how amazing the blushes are and casually discussed the many colours they own of the very affordable Jumbo Eye Pencils. You may have then gone home and cried into your pillow about how unfair life is and consolidated yourself with the fact that they do have an online shop (although the 'very affordable' prices seem somewhat less affordable when you have to pay £5 delivery). Well no more!

I was walking around the Metrocentre at home (it's in Gateshead near Newcastle) and I was looking for a few odds and ends after having just been to Boots and Superdrug and bought my Real Techniques Duo Fibre Brushes and my MUA Pretty Edgy Palette and decided to pop into Next to have a look at their jeans (which I love by the way) and their shoes. I was walking around at the back of the shop near the shoe section when all of a sudden I noticed a randomly placed new display with the big letters NYX on the top! It wasn't there last time I was home (as far as I know) and I haven't seen one in any other Next shop so I don't know if it's being rolled out across all stores but it was there!

I won't lie to you all the display wasn't huge and there wasn't as much of a range of colours as there are online but they sold the blushes, the Jumbo Eye Pencils, their matte lipsticks, lip glosses (I think they were megashine but I could be wrong) and a bunch of other stuff I can't quite remember.

I did get (possibly a little bit too) excited and there was one point where I had about 6 different products in my hands but then I decided to be a little more restrained and I ended up picking up a Jumbo Eye Pencil in the colour 620 Bronze and one of their matte lipsticks (which as far as I can tell are called matte lipsticks) in the colour Bloody Mary. Very restrained (pats self on back).

The matte lipstick is really nice and I really like it! Firstly (as always) the packaging is really cool (my boyfriend says it looks like a nuclear power cell and I'm inclined to agree), it is very sleek and kinda space-age looking and strangely expensive looking for a drugstore priced lipstick. It applies quite smoothly which is nice and is very creamy for a matte lip. I love the colour which is a rich red with pinky undertones and I like the way it looks on the lips.

Although the formula is supposed to be matte I've found it to have a slight sheen in the light, I mean to say it definitely isn't glossy but it isn't quite fully matte either its more of a happy medium. It does transfer quite easily though and (not exactly being the most graceful/elegant/poised of people) I get it all over my hands, drinks, clothes, everywhere! However despite this it does manage to stay on your lips for quite some time (no I don't understand it either) though you would probably want to top it up for good measure anyway.

The Jumbo Eye Pencils...what can I say? I'm sold! I love love love it! For those of you who may not have used this or pencil eyeshadows shadows before this works in that you apply the shadow to your eyelids much like you would draw with a pencil and then once applied the shadow is slightly more creamy than a regular pressed powder eyeshadow, slightly less creamy than a cream eyeshadow (another happy medium). 

I bought this colour because I really wanted to try a coppery toned/bronzey colour and this fit the bill. It is very pigmented and quite orangey toned (probably more than I would have preferred) but you can put it on then blend it out with your fingers or a brush to mute the colour somewhat but my favourite way is to apply Downtown from the Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette over the top because that shadow is a rose gold/coppery shade anyway and when applied over the top of this it really brings out the bronzy/copper undertones.

Now I'll be honest I always apply this with a primer underneath because I've heard it creases like hell and (I'm a terrible beauty reviewer I know) I haven't had a day yet since buying this where I am prepared to test out the theory with the possibility of becoming crease-zilla. But with a primer this works amazingly and stays all day which is awesome and doesn't crease leaving me looking fabulous all day.

Have you tried any NYX products?? I loved these so I really want to try some more so if you could leave me some recommendations I'll love you forever! 

Tell Me About It Stud - MUA Pretty Edgy Palette

I realised today that I forgot to tell you in my last post (ironically) that I'm back at uni! It's nice to be back and seeing everyone again plus the weather here is soooo much nicer than it was when I was back home! It does, however, make this MUA Pretty Edgy Palette that I bought on a windy, rainy day back home seem a little bit unseasonal but I'll soldier on all in the name of beauty blogging (cry me a river right?).

Top Row L-R: Antique, Bow, Toile, Ruffle, Flounce, Lace
Bottom Row L-R: Sinful, Gothic, Wrath, Envy

Lots of people talk about MUA products but I've never really been that drawn to them...I had a red lipstick of theirs years and years ago that I loved (but I used to get it all over my face) and I have another eyeshadow palette that I bought instead of their Heaven and Earth Palettes (which are supposedly Naked palette dupes) because I already had the real Urban Decay Naked palette so instead I bought this other MUA palette with a ton of blue shades which (obviously) I never use.

However all that being said I was browsing the super drug website ages ago one evening (yes some people have crack, I have online makeup shops) and saw they were advertising the release of their new MUA Pretty Edgy Palette and (I'm not gunna lie to you) the packaging drew me in in much the same way it did with my Kat Von D Palette. The packaging is much swankier than previous MUA palettes; it comes in a black case with a huge mirror on the inside of the lid, the shadows are square not round (try to contain your shock please) and, the bit that got me the most excited, the lid is covered with studs!

The studded lid in all it's glory!

When I first went to get the palette it was sold out because it had just been released and then after a while I just forgot about it and moved on. Then when I was home at Easter I saw it and I was immediately like 'I have to have it!'. The colours in this are really pretty too and since I've tended to err on the neutral side of eyeshadows I figured I could justify (in my head at least) buying this largely purple toned palette (plus it was really affordable so I figured what the hell!).

The shadows themselves are on the dryer side which makes them a little more difficult to work with and there is some fall out too, so you would probably want to use a primer and do your foundation, concealer etc after you've finished your eyes. However the colour selection is really nice and the combination of shimmers (top row) and mattes (bottom row) is very complimentary.

L-R: Antique, Bow, Toile, Ruffle, Flounce, Lace

The colour pay off of the shadows is really nice too, although I would say they don't look exactly like how they do in the pan when you apply them, which is a little bit of a shame as I was really excited about some of them, particularly lace which I have all over my lid in the picture above. They are really long wearing with a primer (I haven't tried them without yet) and I was impressed that even the matte black shadow, Envy (which I used as like a smoky eyeliner and comes out slightly more browney than it looks) had really nice pigmentation as I've tried a few matte shadows from the drugstore which were pretty much invisible once applied.

T-B: Sinful, Gothic, Wrath, Envy

Overall I would say I'm not hugely blown away by this palette in that I will obsessively use it every day but I think it is a nice addition to my collection and will be used. For the price point I think it's worth the money and taking a punt on as the shadows are nice but I can't lie and say I'm not disappointed that they don't swatch as the same beautiful colours they look in the pan.

Have you tried out this palette yet?? Let me know what you think in the comments! Oh and by the way I joined Pinterest recently so if you want to follow me there you can here. Keep an eye out for my next post about what I bought in my mini haul!

When I'm Old(er) I Shall Wear Purple

When I was in first school there was a big thing about reading poems to us in assemblies. As a result there are loads of very random poems I seem to be able to quote due to the fact that there was a very limited store of poetry and about every moth each poem was re-read to us on rotation. The three I can remember most vividly were a nonsensical poem about the oojamaflip, a (frankly disturbing) poem which used the lifecycle of the blackberry plant as some weird metaphor for death (that one was particularly popular around harvest time) and 'When I'm Old I Shall Wear Purple' by Jenny Joseph. The last was probably my favourite. It's about a woman who decides that when she's old she can get away with anything and she goes around in bright purple clothes doing all the things we secretly want to and living life to the full (i.e a premonition of my own behaviour when I reach that age).

I guess the reason why I've thought of this poem when writing this post is because of:
1. The colour connection
2. That 'why not?' attitude.

Rimmel Scandeleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal
eyeliner in purple

Over the Christmas holidays I went on a mad make-up binge (which I mentioned in my previous post) and one of the things I bought was a Rimmel Scandleyes  purple eyeliner. I had just read somewhere that purple on the eyes really brings out the colour of green eyes and (although I have strange eyes which in various lights appear to be various different colours to different people) I am considered by at least half the people I meet to have green eyes. So I thought I'd mix it up and give purple liner a try. The only thing is I used it twice, got distracted by other stuff I'd bought and forgot about it...that is until this morning.

Slightly scary eyes but the eyeliner looks nice!

Don't ask me why but this morning I just felt like doing something a bit different. A bit (as one of my flatmates would say) 'snazzy'. So I was rummaging through my makeup drawers and found the purple eyeliner and decided to go for it.

Very subtly purple

The other times when I'd used this eyeliner I felt a bit strange, I don't really wear much colour on my eyes, and I felt like someone in a syfy movie where they think its a good idea to stick random bright colours just on their face to make them look 'futuristic'. If I'm honest I can't exactly remember how I used it over Christmas (I think at one point I tried it with green eyeshadow...not wise) but today I decided to do a really neutral eyeshadow look and then use the pop of purple as the main thing and I think it really worked.

My face

I paired it with my Sleek Matte True Colour Lipstick in Mystic, which is another product I bought ages ago on a whim and then quickly forgot about and I like the purple with blue/pink effect. I just got quite excited about this this morning and thought I'd share it with you...after all why not right???