Makeup Revolution - Ultra Contour Palette

I don't know about you but I always seem to get really excited when I see a new contour palette on the market, especially when I see it on the high street because you know the high street brands are giving you another option that you don't have to pay the high end price.

I recently went into the Superdrug near where I live and noticed they were now stocking Makeup Revolution, I went in to the store for ages trying to find the allusive Ultra Contour Palette. One day I went in there and to my surprise it was there and I have loved it ever since.  

The palette comes nicely packaged and it doesn't have high street brand vibe to it, if you know what I mean. When you open the palette you are greeted with 8 powders, 3 of the powders are contouring, 3 more for highlighting and 2 others that seem to be baked. The powders are very smooth and are very easy to blend. 

My favourite shades are the banana powder, the yellow toned shade helps to brighten and set your under eye highlight. My next favourite shade in is powder next the banana shade on the right, a lovely gorgeous champagne highlight, that isn't too in your face. Of course my last favourite shade is the contouring powder underneath the banana shade, the perfect grey toned contour shade the perfect matte shade to let anyone have amazing cheek bones.  

Tweet me your thoughts on this palette, hope you enjoyed this post.

An unexpected find

Whilst on Instagram a couple of weeks ago, I found an eyeshadow palette that I just had to get my hands on, it was stunning to look at and it was even better when I found out it came from Ebay !!!

The unexpected palette consists of 15 warm toned eyeshadows, that are all matte for the price you pay I believe that you do get an all right pigment. When you first look at the palette you get three peachy skin toned shades perfect for transition colours in the crease.

 You also get your standard black and white, then you also get different tones of brown ranging from dark to light to grey toned. an unexpected shade you do get in the palettes is a very warm toned orange, that look red in the palette but when swatched on your hand is the perfect warm orange, perfect to spice up any eye look. Paired with the perfect eye primer the eyeshadows do have great staying power.

I believe that this is a great palette for the price you pay, as you get 15 great warm toned eyeshadows. The palette is also great for travelling as you get a range of shadows to work with and a nice slim palette. For £2.99 it's a bargain, to get your hands on this palette follow the link down below.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15-COLOURS-EYESHADOW-PALETTE-Smokey-Eye-Neutral-Nude-White-Brown-Black-Chocolate-/400997282994?hash=item5d5d4cf4b2:g:wPwAAOSwuTxV~B4c

Most talked about eyeshadow palette

I am very late to the band wagon when it came to the Urban Decay Naked Palette, it just didn't really appeal to me until now. I have already got the Naked 2 and 3, and I started to consider the original and it seemed to be a palette that was every where when I didn't have it. I decided to ask for it for christmas but I didn't think I would get it. But now I have it I can understand the hype. 

The packaging is very different to the Naked palettes we see now-a-days, with a velvet and loose magnetic closure. But inside you are greeted with 12 stunning shades, upon gazing at it you can see how the palette goes from day to night looks. My favourite shades in the palette have to be Naked and Buck, the perfect matte light and dark brown shades, perfect multitasking shades either for brow colours, crease colours or all over shadows. My next favourite shade is Toasted, the perfect rosy gold shade, that reminds me that it should be in the Naked 3 palette but maybe Urban Decay were hinting at what was to come. My last favourite shade is Smog, a beautiful mixture of gold and brown tones. 

 All of the eyeshadows as you would expect from Urban Decay and have great staying power, with or without a primer. As I have had the palette now for 2 months, I can understand why there was SUCH a hyper over it when it first came out, and also how it has started a surge of other companies wanting to create their own Naked palette. 

Get to know me: The Beauty Blogger Tag

I'm back !!! I haven't posted a blog post in a while, so I thought I would get back in to the swing of things by a good old tag. I'd seen this one floating around the beauty blogger community and thought I would give it a so, so here we go !!!

Is your hair naturally curly or straight ?

My hair floats inbertween as it can be a bit wavy, but my hair is extremely thick.

Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon ?

Neither for me as I have actually never died my hair, I like the look of dip dyeing     but have never been brave enough to do it, and I actually really like my hair colour as it is

Do you wear the same style everyday or do you change it ?

I usually either wear my hair straight or I add a few waves to it, as I love the wavy, messy beach look hair.

Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon ?

I give myself my own mani and pedi, but I love the look of going to a salon to get my nails polished by a professional, but because I can't wear nail polish to work I can't.

How often do you change your nail polish ?

I will change my nail polish colour probably every two or three day, either because it is chipped or because I have changed my mind on the colour choice.

Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer ?

I do paint my toes in the winter but only when they are really chipped, I will also paint my toes a bright colour in the winter and summer, as they just brighten up your feet.

How long does it take for you to put your makeup on ?

For me it depends on the occasion if I am going to college maybe 10-15 minutes, but if I am going out for dinner or out with friends maybe 25 minutes.

What do you do first ? Face or Eyes ?

If I have a simple eye then face first, but if I am going for something a bit more dramatic then eyes first due to fall out eyeshadow.

Do you collect makeup or just buy when you need it ?

I think every beauty blogger laughs at this question, I collect makeup as I love it but if I use something daily and it runs out I will go out and buy it.

How often do you wear false eyelashes ?

Not very often, if I have a long time to get ready for a night out I will maybe give them a go, but most of the time I don't.

Do you wear a full face of makeup every day ?

Quite a lot of the time yes, but some days I will go for lighter makeup.

Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family ?

When I am home alone I won't wear any makeup as I don't feel the need to. Sometimes I will wear makeup with family and sometimes I don't just depends on what I am feeling.

Will you leave the house without makeup ?

Of course I personally don't feel the need to wear makeup every where I go, I like to because I like to experiment and I also have fun with makeup as it is not permanent. 

How many high end products do you have ?

I have far too many high end products but at the same time I love high street products as you can make comparisons.

Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed ?

A bit of both to be honest I'll have a rough idea the night before but will most likely change my mind when I am getting ready.

How often do you change your handbag ?

Not very often which seems strange, when I am not at college I still love my topshop bag that I mentioned in a haul, but for my college bag I will change it every couple of months ?

What time do you wake up and go to sleep ?

It depends if I have got work the next day or college but when I don't have either I will probably got to sleep at about 10:30 since I am not a night owl, but will wake up at about 8:30.

How often or when do you work out ?

I try to complete the Blogilates monthly calendars when I can but I will try to complete a couple of Blogilates workouts every day.

Right or Left handed ?

Righty 

How tall are you ?

5'2"

Do you speak any foreign languages ?

No I didn't really like languages at school and don't remember any of it .

How many pets do you have ?

I don't have any pets.

Do you read comments posted on blogs ?

I usually don't read comments posted on other people's blogs but if it is on my own then yes, as I do want to try and communicate with fellow beauty lovers who are reading my blog.

How often are you on blogger ?
I'm usually on blogger nearly everyday to read other blogs.

 Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts ?
Sometime but most the times I will keep a mental note then when I am looking online or in a shop I will be like oh I seen something that I would like to get.

How did you come up with your blog name?
I actually found it really hard to come up with a name, but my Mum helped me come up with Beauty@LVJ, LVJ being my first name and my middle names.

What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?
Sometimes I will use my iPhone 6 but mostly my Canon EOS 600D.

 How often do you clean your house?
We clean our house probably twice a week.

What's your favourite colour ?
Black or any colour.

Do you swear ?
Never

What are you doing with the rest of your day ?
Finishing off some homework and going to college.

Wow what a long tag, I hope that you enjoyed getting to know me a bit more.

An eye for sweet things

There is no doubt about it I am head over heels in love with the Too Faced Chocolate Palette, it is simply stunning. Even though Too Faced have already released the Semi Sweet palette which is lovely but I am not racing to get it yet, like I was with the Naked 3 palette but look where I ended up with that.

 

 

The palette comes with 16 amazing shades ranging from Matte to shimmer and being named after different types of chocolate to suit the colours. Wearing shades from this palette to a party last week I was very impressed with the staying power as I was just wearing Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil underneath.

 

 

All of the shades I absolutely love but there are a few that I really do love even more and they are Salted Caramel, a matte warm toned orange a perfect transition shade. Hazelnut the perfect brown with golden shimmer running throughout it. Marzipan a shimmery pink that doesn't have big chunks of glitter in it, that reminds me a lot of Mac Naked Lunch and All that Glitters.

 

Crème Brulee a beautiful gold shade, that every palette need to have in it. Milk Chocolate a matte standard brown that everyone should own as it you can create any look with it. Cherry Cordial a burgundy shade with a hint of shimmer that doesn't over power it, again it reminds me a lot of Sketch by Mac. Last but not least is Champagne Truffle, a shade that I have too many of as I get drawn in to them every time, it is a standard shimmery champagne shade perfect for any look.

 

 

Overall I think this palette is stunning and I think everyone can find some shades they love in this palette. Did I also mention this palette also smells of chocolate and is made with real chocolate !!! I think that it is a real shame that it can't be eaten.

Paris Haul

In my mind a trip Paris would not be complete without a trip to Sephora and a Pharmacy. So when I went for two nights away both were at the top of my list. I first went to Sephora in the Champs Elysees, their flagship store, there is no other way to put it but that store was packed so be prepared, because you have got to fight for what you want. It is best to know what you want, when going to Sephora as I found the sales assistants to be not that helpful.

 

 

 On to what I got, there were a few brands that I would have like to have got some products from but unfortunately were not there. The first thing I picked up was a palette that I have wanted for ages and it is the Too Faced Chocolate Bar, a palette that for me is quite simply stunning as it offers 16 beautiful shade ranging from matte to shimmer, all of the shadows are highly pigmented, easy to blend and have a good staying power. This palette is also great for chocolate lovers as well as makeup lovers as it looks and smells of chocolate.

I also picked up the Smashbox photo finish primer water, I actually intended to get one of the Urban Decay setting sprays but got this one instead as this one has been talked about more recently. Having get oily throughout the day spraying a water on to my face made me think this might make me more glowly, but having tried this a few times I find that it helps to keep my makeup on longer rather than add a glow.

 

As I needed to get a new mascara I decided to get the highly talked about Better than Sex mascara by Too Faced, a mascara that I have not tried yet, let alone even opened yet but will publish a post soon about it.

One of the products I had to get my hands on was the Makeup Forever Step One Mattifying Primer, a primer that I need to try out more as I was a bit excited about the Smashbox Water Primer.

Next product I got was the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On eye pencil in the shade Roach, a pencil that I can safely say I am in love with as it stays on for ages, as the name suggests, the colour Roach is a beautiful deep brown shade with a slight shimmer to it. The pencil in general is great as it can be used on the waterline, as a primer, or as you would use a gel or liquid eyeliner.

The last two products I got from Sephora were in the dreaded queue whilst waiting to pay for your products. The first is the Sephora smoothing and brightening powder a translucent powder that when used on top of your highlight makes a real difference as it just makes it pop a little more. Last is the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Hand Treatment.   

 

 

The next part of my Paris haul are the products I got in the Pharmacies, again it is best to do your research before you enter as it can be quite overwhelming with all of these products staring back at you and you not having a clue. Of course I picked up the Bioderma Micellaire Solution which I believe that once you have tried it once you will never look back. As it removes all traces of makeup in a flash, I got 3 as tow are for me and one is for my Mum as she has not tried it yet.

I then picked up of course the Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentre, a nourishing cream that is perfect for any dry patches or dry skin.

The next purchase was a recommendation from Amelia Liana saying that this has helped clear up her skin, it is the La Roche Posay Serozine, as spray toner that is specially for oily problem skin after just two uses I find that it is very quick to sink in to the skin and that it leaves your skin less oily.

 

Next I picked up the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +, a cream that I have tried before but decided that I should try it again, as I got drawn in to the excellent reviews again.

My second to last product I got was the Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm, a product that I quite simply amazing as it is so rich but not sticky at the same time, it also lasts for such as long time and a little goes along way. 

My last product was the Avene Cleanance Solaire SPF 50, a sun cream that is specially designed for oily acne prone skin, I knew this was one of the products I had to get my hands on as the skin type is suited for me and also because it is best to start using sun creams as soon as possible as it can help reduce wrinkles.

 

My last and most exciting product is the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel, I didn't get it in Sephora but wanted to go to some place special so I decided to get it from Galeries Lafayette. With a sheer stroke of luck I got the last one and I couldn't be more happier with it. As it is the perfect shade of bronze to wear underneath your makeup or over the top. 

 

Best Lippies at the moment

I have never really been a fan of wearing lipstick, lip liner or lip gloss , but recently I have been wearing products on my lips non stop. In this blog post I'm going to show you what I have been loving recently.

My two favourite lip liners have been both from Rimmel who probably have the best lip liners from the high-street, they are both from the exaggerate collection and are in the shade Eastend snob and Addiction. I decided to get Eastend Snob as I found everyone was talking about it to friends at college, to my favourite Youtuber's and I can see why as it is the perfect pink but not too in your face, in a way it reminds me of a Kylie Jenner lip colour. 

The next colour is Addiction as it was a dark-ish brown which is what I was looking in a lip colour, I find both of these lip liners great as they offer a great range of colours, and the colours do stay on for ages due to the waxy ingredients.

 

My next two favourite lippie products are lipsticks from Essence and Mac. the first from Essence is the Long Lasting Lipstick from the Nude collection in the shade Come Naturally. A beautiful mauve shade with a hint of purple, a interesting shade that I find is stunning I find the lipsticks from Essence are amazing quality, a great range of shades, they are very moisturising and don't dry out the lips.  

 

My last favourite lippie product has been quite a talked about lipstick on the internet recently and that has been Velvet Teddy by Mac. It is the perfect beige toned lipstick with its Matte finish that sounds off putting, don't let it put you off as it is the perfect nude that can go with any look and it last for such a long time that it is unreal.

 

Dedicated to Helen !!!