Wednesday 29 February 2012

Sugarpill Lashes




Although I don't wear them day to day, I love false lashes to finish off a look for a night out. So, when Sugarpill added a huge array of lashes to their shop, I had to try some. At $5 -$8 a pair, they are an absolute bargain & there's a great selection to choose from.

I chose four pairs; Angel Baby, Precious, Toxic & Dreamy. So far, I've only worn Precious out, but I loved them, they were easy to apply & compared with other lashes I've tried, they felt incredibly lightweight once on.

Precious
Precious lashes are probably the most subtle-looking of the four pairs, but I love the shape. They're similar to the lashes that came with the Kat von D Tattoo Chronicles Volume 1 palette, which I absolutely loved & wore to death. As I said above, these were very light on the eyes, more so than the KVD lashes.

Tuesday 28 February 2012

MAC - Strawberry Patch Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack



Another of the Metallic Pigment Stacks from MAC, Strawberry Patch focuses on metallic pink shades. 


Star Crystal
The lightest shade in the stack, Star Crystal is a bright peach-tinged white pigment. This one is quite finely milled, not too much of an issue with fall-out.


Rose Light

Rose Light looks distinctly salmon-toned inside its pot but, once applied, it becomes more of light yellow-toned pink with subtle silvery shimmer flecks that bears little resemblance to its appearance inside the container. Rose Light is another of the more finely-milled pigments in this stack & it has a nice frosty, metallic sheen to it.

MAC - Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment Stack



The Butterfly Party Crushed Metallic Pigment stack from MAC Cosmetics is comprised of four shades of loose powder.
Butterfly Party

Butterfly Party is a red-toned purple shade with a violet shimmer to it. This particular pigment isn't overly chunky.
Desert Cloud
Despite looking very blue in the picture, Desert Cloud is really a blue-toned darker purple shade. This has a silver/violet shimmer to it that stops it looking quite as blue when applied. Desert Cloud also has a chunky texture to it.

Monday 13 February 2012

MUA - Glamour Nights Palette



MUA's range at Superdrug keeps getting bigger! This time, I picked up the Glamour Nights palette. For just £4, you're getting twelve shades of shadow in one palette, which is a bit of a bargain.

Whereas the other MUA palettes have been mostly shimmer, Glamour Nights has several shades that are a satin-type finish; they look matte but there's a tiny hint of shimmer to them so they aren't flat.





Glamour Nights is quite varied shade-wise; you could easily achieve a toned-down daytime look or something  a little bolder.

Top row

The first shade on the top row is a white that looks distinctly matte. Upon swatching, it reveals a slight sheen that stops it looking so flat.
A very dark purple comes next. It's a blackened purple shadow that is quite shimmery but not an out-and-out metallic/frost finish.
The third shade is quite deceptive; it looks very much like a shimmery midnight blue in the pan but it transforms to a blackened teal that has a very strong green tone once on the skin.
The fourth shadow along is a bright, extremely frosty silver that has an incredibly soft texture.
Next to the silver is what appears to be a matte mid-grey. As with the white, swatching it will reveal a slight sheen & there's somewhat of a purple tinge to it on the skin.
The last shadow in the top row is a frosty warm brown that has gold shimmer with a hint of green.

Row 1

For the first set of swatches, I applied the shadows dry straight on to bare skin. I found the white & the grey shades to be a little difficult to build up. The purple also proved to be a little tricky, but less so than the satin-type shadows.


Bottom row

The second row of shadows holds the brighter colours in the palette. The first looks very much like a matte black, but it's a charcoal with a shimmer to it.
A yellow-toned gold shadow that has a frosty, metallic texture similar to the silver shade in the first row comes next. As with the silver, this is a very soft shadow.
Another frost shadow pops up in the form of a pretty emerald green shade. Again, this had a soft texture to it.
The purple shadow next to the green is very bright & vivid, it's also the closest to a matte texture as there's very little in the way of a discernible shimmer.
As with the dark teal on the top row, the fifth shadow on the bottom is a deceptive one; in the pan it appears to be a pink-toned red shimmer. Upon swatching, it becomes a very vivid hot pink with a distinct purple iridescence.
Shadow number six comes in the form of a slightly shimmery super-pale pink.


Bottom Row

These swatches were done using the supplied sponge-tip applicator slightly dampened. The shadows are still applied straight on to bare skin, but the dampness of the applicator made the colours apply more vividly.
Even so, the purple was still tricky to work with & took several swipes to build it up to a solid swatch.


Whilst the colours in this palette are gorgeous, I found that some of them require a lot more work than shades in previous MUA palettes, mostly the satin-types. A primer & a damp brush will definitely help in this regard.
Having said that, the palette is only £4. As long as you bear in mind that not all of the shades are really easy to work with, there isn't too much to complain about for the price.


Monday 6 February 2012

OPI - Nicki Minaj Collection



Although there's five polishes & a Crackle with this collection, I opted for just three shades; one creme & two glittery polishes.

Metallic 4 Life

Metallic 4 Life is a black base packed with silver glitter in varying sizes. I found the base to be quite sheer, it took three coats to get an opaque finish. Quite a thick polish. Because of the sheer base & glitter, Metallic 4 Life works best over a black creme polish & it makes removal a bit easier.

Metallic 4 Life - 3 coats

Metallic 4 Life over China Glaze Liquid Leather

Friday 3 February 2012

Kat von D - Mi Vida Loca Palette



The latest palette from Kat von D's line at Sephora; Mi Vida Loca. Whereas a lot of her previous palettes have concentrated on a smoky eye theme, Mi Vida Loca is all about bright colours, you won't find any darks inside this one.


Of all of the KVD palettes done in this style, Mi Vida Loca has what I consider to be the best packaging. Its artwork on the lid is really colourful & it's so pretty.