Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette ♡

I've been a fan of Too Faced make-up for quite a while now, so when I saw this cute little palette in Boots I just had to get it. The shades were gorgeous and being a sucker for cute packaging I was completely won over. This is the first palette of theirs that I've owned that hasn't been made out of the usual cardboard that they package their shadows in. This makes it perfect for travelling as you won't have to worry about all of your lovely eye-shadows getting smashed up or squished - I know this was a common worry with the older designs!

(Please refer to the picture below "With Flash" for the true colours. I just couldn't picture the names properly with flash on - the text was too reflective!)

All of the highlight shades are positioned to the left of the palette, the contour shades are to the right and the lid colours are in the middle.

 Colours (left to right):

Top Row: In The Buff, Fuzzy Handcuffs, Voulez-Vous

Middle Row: Satin Sheets, Sugar Walls, Garter Belt

Bottom Row: Birthday Suit, Lap Dance, French Tickler

I swatched the shades a couple of times in the above photograph and you can tell how simple, yet beautiful they are. The colour pay off is amazing and the shades are natural and feminine (provided you don't use the darker shadows over your entire lid!).

As with all Too Faced palettes, this also comes with a mini look-book with step by step applications for three different looks. I didn't include a picture of the guide as it is very basic. If you are a make-up beginner thinking of purchasing this palette, then the little guide would be really helpful to you and would show you basic step by step application of the different shades. Bare in mind however, that this palette does not come equipped with any brushes, so if you do not already own any then you will need to purchase them. There is also a little mirror inside the lid of the palette which is really handy if you're out and about and in need of a touch up.

Overall I'm in love with this palette. I can guarantee you it'll be in my monthly favourites as I just can't get enough of it! I love the combination of matte and shimmery shades and the fact that the matte shades aren't chalky. The shadows glide on like a dream and are so soft that you can instantly tell that they're great quality.

I hope to post a few looks using this palette soon just so that you guys can see how well they wear! I'd definitely recommend this cute little tin to anyone who loves girly, flirty eye looks!


SaraBoopxo

Recent MAC Purchases ♡

  Hello Girlies! ♡

I've been on a few sprees to the MAC stand at Debenhams and thought I'd share my recent purchases with you all. Since I've also had a chance to use all of them properly I thought I would also do mini reviews on the products and let you guys know what my thoughts on them are. Hope you enjoy x

What I've bought:

Left to right: Fleur Power, Well Dressed, Mineralize Skinfinish Soft & Gentle, Creme Cup, 109 Small Contour Brush + Subculture Lip Liner.

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Powder Blush - Fleur Power

I've never owned a MAC blush of any kind before so this was my first purchase. I've definitely not been disappointed. This is a gorgeous sophisticated mauvey-pink colour that goes great with heavily contoured cheeks. I tend to wear this more when I go out in the evenings since it is quite a dark colour - however, a light hand would definitely make it day-time appropriate.

Powder Blush - Well Dressed

This blush is a cool-toned pink that looks amazing with heavy eye make-up or a bold lip as it doesn't draw too much attention to itself. I tend to wear this to work as it isn't very noticeable and gives me a lovely pink flush. This blush is great for light skin-tones as it's not so 'out there'.

Mineralize Skin Finish - Soft & Gentle

I've literally had my eye on this for YONKSSS. If you don't know - I'm a complete sucker for anything shimmery/glittery. This product is so gorgeous in it's packaging as well as upon application. I just sweep a little onto the tops of my cheekbones and it gives me such a radiant glow - was definitely worth the wait! I'm hoping to feature this in a highlight/contour routine post sometime soon!

Lip Liner - Subculture

This was actually a product one of the sales assistants kept trying to force on me (I can't stand it when they do that). Anyway, she managed to grab a hold of my sister and applied it to her lips before applying a nude lip colour. I must say I was impressed. I've never been one to use lip liners with nude lips because I never knew what a great difference it could make. Of course I ended up  grabbing it up in the end. It's a flesh-toned liner that is slightly darker than my natural skin-tone and it shapes my lips perfectly and looks so natural at the same time.  I'm not so sure if this would work with more medium-dark complexions but MAC has such a variety of different tones so I'm sure you'll be spoilt for choice!

Lipstick - Creme Cup

This is my favourite ever lipstick from MAC. It's the absolute perfect pinky nude for light to medium skin-tones. If you're looking for 'The One', look no further. This is a cremesheen lipstick so it's ever so creamy and well-pigmented. I love it.

FYI: This lipstick + the Subculture lip liner = A match made in heaven.

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And that's the end of it! I really love everything I've bought and as always the products are such great quality. I've got my eye on a few of their gorgeous eye-shadows but can't seem to decide what colours I want. Any recommendations would be hugely appreciated!

See you guys soon! ♡

♡ L'Oréal Paris Préférence Wild Ombrés || REVIEW / APPLICATION | FEAT. Sissykins ♡

Hi dolls! ♡

My sister has been wanting to ombre her hair for a while now so she went out and picked up this do-it-yourself kit by Loreal for £6.99. You can find it here.

Since she wanted me to apply it to her hair (as she wasn't too confident about doing it herself) I thought I would also photograph and review the process for you guys too. Her hair is naturally rather black so it did turn a brassy shade. She's currently toning it with purple shampoo so we'll see how that goes :-)

This kit includes:

• Expert Brush
• Lightening Powder
• Developer Creme + Applicator Cap
• Lightening Creme
• Conditioning Shampoo
• Colourist Gloves

She also purchased a tinting brush from Superdrug for a more intense application to the ends of her hair. You can buy it here if you're interested.

Meet the guinea pig

Just a note if you're a hair-dye newbie - your clothes WILL get stained if any of the product touches it (in this case bleached!). So you'll be wanting to put on a tatty old t-shirt or other random clothes you don't really care for. I didn't take a picture of it but we also cut out holes for her arms and neck in a big black in-bag for extra protection. This was mostly to protect her skin from the peroxide - you don't really need to do this if you're using regular dye.

Our Set-Up

All set to get bleaching!

We cut out some plastic bin liners and laid them out to protect the floor from any spills. We cut up some foil to cover her hair after applying the bleach so that the process wasn't too messy - this is an optional step - it doesn't really add to the development of the peroxide. Okay, let's get started!

Preparing the lightener

STEP ONE:

Remove the lid and pour the lightening powder into the developer creme.

STEP TWO:

Add the lightening creme.

STEP THREE:

Replace the lid and shake it all up (not too violently!).

STEP FOUR:

Remove the nib straight away to avoid bursting. Now I took mine off immediately and it overflowed.. so I'd recommend shaking it up the old way by removing the nib and covering it with your finger. Whilst doing this just have small breaks in-between. This will allow any excess air to escape.

Application

Bye bye old hair!

Section your hair

The instructions that came with the box said to divide your hair into two separate sections. This is helpful if you're doing your own hair but we went in by sectioning the hair the usual way to make sure that all of the ends were covered.

Squirt the mixture onto the little brush the kit comes with and start to comb this through the lengths of your hair. We started beneath ear-level but you can go higher or lower depending on your personal preference. Long hair should start beneath chin-level for best results.

I couldn't picture the process as my hands were covered in the mixture - I basically just combed the mixture through the lengths of her hair focusing more on the end and used the tinting brush to really concentrate the bleach on the ends of her hair. I then wrapped each section roughly in foil to contain the mixture. When I had finished covering all of her hair I removed the foil after a few minutes and went over the ends again with the remaining mixture. I then left it to process for 35 minutes out of the maximum 45 minutes.

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Shampoo it all off!

We then washed it all off using the doddy little shampoo bottle supplied in the box. We used the entire bottle and it made a lovely lather :-)

Since her hair is naturally very dark it had a lot of orangey tones to it as it had never been bleached before. So we applied some purple shampoo (pictured above) to her hair and worked that into her ends. This helps tone the colour and get rid of the brassy-ness.

I'd recommend using a deeply moisturising conditioner to follow to avoid frazzled hair. Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Conditioner is a great choice. Apply it and then wrap your hair up in a towel - the warmth of your scalp helps the conditioner penetrate deeper into your hair.

Before & After shots

 The after photo was literally straight after we'd washed and dried her hair. The colour's improved over the past couple of days (refer to pics below).

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Overall this product is great value as it is certainly far cheaper than a trip to the salon. I would definitely recommend going down the ombre route if you want your hair to be coloured without requiring a lot of maintenance work. Obviously with Sissy having very dark hair we didn't expect a super blonde result. However, I didn't quite expect it to be so orange either considering the box she bought had been specifically formulated for dark hair. She loves it herself but I don't think I would've been so pleased if it was my own hair! She is planning to go over it again in a month or so though - when her hair has had a little time to recover!

What do you guys think about how its turned out? Got any advice on achieving the perfect ombre for dark hair?

June Favourites + I'm on Bloglovin! ♡

Hellooo Ladies! ♡

I didn't have tons of favourites last month as I'd been far too busy to care about my appearance having had dealt with the stress of my exams and such. There are a few things I've been loving though so I thought I would do a post no matter how small! Apologies that this is a little overdue! I hope you enjoy it all the same!

♡ Palmer's Cocoa Butter ♡

I love Palmer's Cocoa Butter range. This one has a bit of a funky smell to it I must admit.. I don't know if any of you have had henna patterns drawn on your hands but it smells a little bit like henna. It does work amazingly though and it leaves my skin soft and supple. Only negative comments I have are that the bottle is a little hard to work with as it's so hard to squeeze the butter out (so feeble!). I don't know if you can notice that big line running through the middle of the bottle.. yerp.. thats how much I've squeezed at it. The smell is also a little icky which is a bit disappointing as I love the original cocoa butter smell that makes Palmer's so popular. It definitely does what it says though and I am pleased with it.

I apply this to my entire body after I shower and use it on my face daily. It hasn't broken me out as I only use a very small amount. Overloading the product on your face will make it greasy- which could lead to super attractive spots protruding from all directions!

♡ Batiste Dry Shampoo- Cherry ♡

This is the first dry shampoo I've ever owned. I must say it has been very handy in sorting out my hair when I've been short of time for getting ready. It works wonderfully and deals with flat, greasy hair. I would recommend it to anyone! It doesn't really smell like cherries though. More like a bad deodorant... but hey it works so I don't really mind it!

♡ Essie Nail Polish- Cute as a Button ♡

This is the second Essie Polish I have ever owned. I bought Russian Roulette a few months ago and fell in love with the quality of it so when I saw this beautiful corally pink I knew I just had to get it. It is gorgeoussss and I've been wearing it loads recently. I love the glow it gives my hands and it'd be perfect with a lovely summer tan!

♡ Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Scrub ♡

I owned this about a year ago and absolutely loved it. I purchased it again recently and I'm not too sure if they've changed the formula or not because it's not as great as I remember. I've still been using it though as it has helped prevent me from breaking out! It just isn't very exfoliating but I suppose that's ok for everyday use. ('Scuse the broken lid by the way.. My mum managed to drop it when she was rummaging through the toiletry cupboard).

♡ Dead Sea Spa Magik Mild Exfoliant ♡

I tend to use this once or twice a week when my face needs a good old scrub to get rid of dead skin cells. It's very gritty in texture and does an amazing job. As with any other exfoliating scrub the level of exfoliation depends on how much pressure is used when scrubbing your skin with it. I don't scrub too hard but apply enough pressure to make my skin silky smooth. Currently my favourite face scrub!

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♡ Rimmel Pink Blush ♡

This is the perfect nude pink. I tend to wear a lipgloss on top of it as I love light pink glossy lips. I recommend pairing it with Rimmel's Vinyl Gloss in Be Famous. Those two pinks are a match made in heaven haha! This is my every-day lipstick at the moment. It applies enough colour without me looking over-done. Perfect for work and day-time wear.

♡ Rimmel- Kate Moss 110 ♡

I featured this lipstick in my "Summer Red" FOTD a little while ago. You can check it out here. I love how wearable this is for the summer months as it is a lovely bright red that doesn't look too vampy. It smells a bit like watermelon to me! Not actual watermelon.. but those artificial watermelon scents (at least I think it's watermelon haha). It's lovely, pigmented and matte. I haven't owned such a vibrant red in a while so I'm a little hooked on it at the moment!

♡ Maybelline Color Sensational Shine Gloss- Red ♡

Now, I'm sure that this lipgloss has a better name than just simple old "red" but I can't find it anywhere on the packaging. I've tried using good old Google but the results are a bit iffy so let's just call it the "red one" for now!

I was super surprised at how pigmented this lipgloss is. I initially bought it to make my Rimmel 110 lipstick (above) super glossy and to compliment it nicely. I ended up just wearing it on it's own as the colour is so rich, vibrant and glossy! It's not sticky either which is a great bonus. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good red gloss. I apply it lightly to get a subtle red tint on my lips. It's great for looks without much eye makeup as it adds that little pop of colour to your lips that pulls your whole look together.

 

♡ Johnson's Facial Wipes ♡

I love how gentle these wipes are on my skin. I was using Simple's so-called "sensitive" facial wipes for a while and they would just burn my face whenever I used them. I can't deny that it's not nice to use wipes that soothe my skin for once! These wipes are fragrant free so they're great for those of you with sensitive or acne-prone skin. This specific packet is for all skin types but they have a variety that you can select from if you want something aimed specifically at your skin type. I haven't experienced any breakouts or discomfort using these.. So two thumps up for Johnson's!

♡ Carmex Lip Balm ♡

I have an obsession with intensive lip moisturisers. This does a great job and sinks deep into my lips leaving them soft and supple. I love the minty tingly feeling it leaves behind too. It's pretty similar to most Blistex products if I'm honest! I absolutely love it.

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That's all ladies! Have you got any monthly fave posts I could have a good read of? If so, please post their links below. I'd love to check them out! ♡

Ooh and I also joined bloglovin' a good few days ago now (I think it might actually have been a week or so ago). I would recommend it to any blog-lover. It's a great, convenient way for you to follow all of the blogs you love easily and keep track of new posts and things of the sort. You can follow me if you like by either clicking on the little button on the right hand side of my page or using the link below:

http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/8473357

Lots of Love ♡

Review | Sleek Ultra Mattes V1 Brights Palette ♥

Hello Ladies! ♥

I bought this palette a while back on pure impulse whilst in Superdrug, and thought I would review it as it is fan-taba-lastic. I also created a super bright eye look whilst testing it a couple of months back so I thought I would add a picture of it in at the end of this post for you guys.

I have heard great things about Sleek's eyeshadow palettes in the past but have never owned one before. I must say.. for the price of the palette you really do get a bargain for your money. I chose the Brights Palette as it just looked so appealing to me. I'm glad I chose it too as it is just amazing.

The palette is rather "sleek" in style and I love the simple yet classy packaging. It came with a little advertising sheet thingie that I just threw into the picture.. because the lady was pretty lol! It is a little tough to open I will admit! So just be careful you don't break a nail or send the palette flying across the room!

List of Colours (Left to right):

First Row:

Chill

Pout

Sugarlite

Dragonfly

Pucker

Bammi

Second Row:

Cricket

Bolt

Strike

Floss

Crete

Pow!

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The colours are so bold.. I just fell in love with them! Which is unusual for me as I swear by neutral palettes and usually play it safe when it comes to make-up. This is just great for party looks and also to spice up your look in the summer.

The palette comes with two transition colours and an off-white highlight. I haven't used the transition colours as I just don't think they suit the other colours very well. Light matte browns are great for transitions. Grey and light pink? Not too sure.

 I do think the grey could still be used as a transition and to blend the other colours together. "Floss" just seems so out of place and I feel like another more vibrant colour should be there instead. I'll try and find uses for it though! Come on Sleek.. We want BRIGHTS! ^_^

Now, these palettes are very good quality considering their price. However they are not the softest shadows I have used. Don't get me wrong they're not rough! You can just tell the difference in texture compared to an eyeshadow from Urban Decay or something of the likes. I suppose some of them are a little chalky in texture? It'd explain why they feel a bit different!

Also, the key is to blend! Some of the shadows (especially the darker blue) can look quite chalky when applied so blending helps to prevent a chalky look by smudging the colour out a little. So blend blend blend as it's quite important!

Ooh.. and it does come with an applicator but it's just one of those standard double ended sponge applicators. I have used it but I just personally prefer to use brushes! It's completely up to you how you choose to apply it. Everybody's different!

A few swatches for you guys! (without any primer):

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As you can probably tell, the colours are definitely bright lol. This isn't the most pigmented palette I have owned in the sense that one swatch of the colour won't give you the most vibrant shade. Some colours do pick up better than others but as a whole you do need to apply a couple of layers to achieve a bold shade.

Also, as with many matte eyeshadows there can be a lot of fall out if you're not careful with placing the product and tapping off your brush after picking up product. This isn't an issue for me though as the fall out is easily sorted by using a good old sticky primer.

I find that a great way to make the colours stand out even more is by replacing your primer with a white eye-liner. White primer would work too (the more opaque the better!). The white just allows the colour to "pop" that little bit more. It's better to use this technique if you want a fun and vibrant look.

A look I created a couple of months ago whilst playing around- Inspired by Rihanna Who's That Chick?

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Overall I am extremely pleased with this palette. I think it's great for those who want something a little more fun in their makeup collection. I know some parts of this review may have come off a little negative but that's just so you guys know the cons as well as the pros! It is a gorgeous, affordable little palette, and I would recommend it to anyone. You should definitely give it a swatch if you ever stumble across it whilst shopping!

Expect an FOTD soon with this gorgeousness!

Oh and please feel free to leave any requests below! I'm happy to do a post on anything you guys may be interested in. It doesn't have to just be beauty related either!

Lots of Love,

Urban Decay Smoked Palette Review! ♥

Hey dolls! ♥ I bought this palette about a month ago when I was browsing through Debenhams with my sister and I can honestly say it's amazing! I thought it would be a good idea to do a review on it as I have had plenty of time to play around with it and try out tons of different looks.

Before I get started please excuse the plastic covering on my mirror in these pictures! I don't have a dirty mirror I'm just OCD about keeping things pretty haha!

Buying this palette was a bit adventurous of me as I'm not one who likes full on dark smokey eyes on myself as they tend to make me look a little dull and a tad homeless if I'm completely honest! I don't use dark colours on my entire lid as I just don't like the look but instead use them on the outer third of my eye and through my crease. I've always been a fan of this method and this palette has some rather fun colours to spice up my regular smokey look and make it a little more fun!

 There are 10 colours in this palette with only two of them being light. I use the two lighter colours for my highlight and transition colour. They are matte in contrast to the other colours so they don't draw any attention away from your smouldering lids!

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The palette also comes with an eye pencil that is seriously the most blackest of blacks as well as a miniature travel-sized primer potion which is quite cute! 

The eyeliner really does stay on all day and I find it a little hard to blend if I leave it on my lid too long so it's something you have to work quite quickly with if you want to blend it out!

I've never owned an eye primer before so I don't have much experience in them. I do like this primer though as I find it keeps my eyeshadow on longer, prevents creasing and really intensifies my eyeshadow. I have also heard some great reviews on this primer by tons of youtube gurus so I can't be the only who likes it!

I swatched all but one colour-Oops! (including the eye pencil) without building them up so that you could see how pigmented they are with just one swipe. Add primer underneath and a few more layers and the colours are just so bold and bright on your lids! (Not neon bright but you get my drift!)

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The palette also came along with a rather cool look-book. I've taken photos of just a few of the looks so you can get an idea on what to expect from the palette. You can always tweak the instructions to your own liking so that they suit the shape of your eyes better and flatter your features.

 If I had anything negative to say about this palette it would be that the material covering it isn't the most stain resistant. I've not had it very long and already I can see foundation and concealer stains on it. It's a bit of a pain wiping your hands down with a wet wipe before using it but other than that I can't fault this palette at all! It makes a great change from my usual neutral smokey eye and is especially great for evening looks!

That's all dolls! I hope you enjoyed this post! I'm glad I've been blogging a little more recently =) If you have any questions about this palette or any of the items mentioned please feel free to leave them in the comments section!

Lots of Love,

SaraBoopxo

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