Beauty | Urban Decay Pressed Pigment Palette Review

Unless you have been living under a stone the last few weeks then you will know that the football world cup will be tarting in Brazil in a months time. There is no doubt that Brazil = Colour, and so this season will be inspired by all sorts of bright and colourful looks. Where to start with smack-in-the-face colours for your eyes? Look no further than the Urban Decay Pressed Pigment Palette.

The first thing to strike you is the fun packaging, giving a hint as to the palette that is inside. The container is solid and good quality with a funky colourful design on the lid.

Open the container up and you are struck with a dazzling array of colours, a large mirror and an eye shadow brush. The brush is of a good quality, which is starting to become the norm with these palettes whereas historically they would tend to be poor quality, and is double ended for different uses. I like the fact that each shadow is named clearly and there is a generous amount of each colour.

The powder itself is highly pigmented, giving good coverage with just a small amount of product. The colours can be easily built up or blended out depending on what you want and the powder has good staying power on your eyelids. You could use along with more neutral tones if you wanted something a little less out there for just a dash of colour, but where is the fun in that??

As you can see from the swatches below, there is a great choice and variety of colours but with many that can be blended together or used to as a bright contrast to each other. I have found that this palette is a lot more useable than I thought it would be when I first saw the colours and I think I will have a lot of fun trying out different colours!

I tried out a couple of looks, not the best eye shadow skills as I was in a rush, but it gives you an idea of different looks you could try...

What do you think? Will you be getting in to the Rio spirit and trying out some colour this Summer?

Luxe Beauty | Kevyn Aucoin Makeover

Last week I popped in to my local Space NK as they had a makeup artist in from Kevyn Aucoin giving free makeovers. I was interested in the Kevyn Aucoin makeover in particular as I only own one product from the Kevyn Aucoin range, The Expert Lip Colour in Bloodroses (I absolutely love it!!), and I wanted to learn more about the range. I have been looking at the different products within the range for a while now, and what I have found is that they are very classic tones, albeit with an on-trend feel, but they will last through the future trends also. For that reason, the products are a great investment, but it is also that reason as to why I don't own more as I do seem to go with what is hot at the time. When I went in I wanted to try some burnt red eyes so the makeup artist, Emilie, used the Eye Shadow Single Matte in  Burgundy (109) and Faded Heather (108) to blend out. I also spotted these lovely metallic loose powders as well so the Loose Shimmer Shadows in Rose Quartz was used as well to round off my eyes, but Emilie said that you can also mix some in with your foundation to give it a glow (I will be trying that in the summer!). The Precision Liquid Liner and Eye Pencil Primatif were used in Basic Black, which both gave a great result but unfortunately my eyes reacted to this product which is not unusual as my eyes are a little sensitive. The Essential Mascara added a subtle amount of volume and curl without looking too over the top. The end result was really lovely and I am hoping I can recreate it at home!

Other products used in the makeover; Liquid Airbrush Foundation, which gave a brilliant coverage with only a small amount of product. The blusher was the Pure Powder Glow in Shadore. The look was finished off with a light touch of Matte Lip Colour in Tenacious and a dash of The Lip Gloss in Vesuvian.

So this was my finished face...

There is only so much makeup can do but I think Emilie did a great job, what do you think?

Luxe Beauty | My Current Top 10 Beauty Products

I have tons of beauty products but there are ones that you always go back to or some that just stand out, here are my top 10 beauty products that I am loving at the moment...

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
These amazing ready to use pads exfoliate, tone and brighten all at the same time using a blend of ingredients that include glycolic acid, cucumber and lemon peel in the perfect amount to be just right for daily use!

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

I sound like a broken record...but I really can't get enough of this cleansing balm! The refreshing scent, luxurious texture and gorgeous result. If you haven't tried this cleansing balm then you need to!

Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes
I know using cleansing wipes is a little bit taboo but these are just too lovely. They smell like orange sherbet and they have a whole host of ingredients to keep your skin clean and glowing. I like to use them before the cleansing balm to get rid of the majority of my makeup. The resealable packet means they are great for chucking in your gym bag and travelling.

Benefit Gimme Brow
I have reviewed this fantastic product before (here), the easiest and fastest way to perfect brows...I am just a little bit addicted!

YSL Touche Eclat Wild Edition
I simply do not believe there is anyone who hasn't heard all about the Touche Eclat amazingness. Well, it just got a whole lot more amazing with the addition of leopard print (swoon), not only does it look even more gorgeous, it is also much easier to get enough grip to take the lid off (especially when you have makeup and moisturising cream all over your hands!).

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner
Another product I have already reviewed quickly (here), this makes winged eye liner looks so easy it could be an every day look!

Colour Club Gala's Gems Nail Polish in Heirloom Pearls
I got this nail polish in this months BirchBox and it is perfect for Spring 2014! It hits the white nails trend with a hint of cream to make them look very classy indeed.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush
This brush was part of the Real Techniques core collection, it is to be used with powder but I also use it to buff out liquid foundation after using the foundation brush too to get a real natural finish.

Dior Addict Lip Glow Colour Awakening Lipbalm
This is such a gloriously luscious luxurious lip balm that I just can't get enough of! It looks so very pretty in my bag and it leaves my lips looking at their very best.

Payot Pate Grise
This is my miracle product for beating those below-the-surface blemishes from rearing their ugly head. Just a dab of this over night when you feel a red sore bump and you will see nothing more of it by the morning. It only works when the spot is below the surface though so stay vigilant!

Beauty | Skincare Basics - Why Are you Doing What You Are Doing?

The secret to a perfect look is having perfect skin as a base. We all know about what we should be doing to keep our skin clear, even, moisturised, etc. but do we know why? This post is going back to the basics of skin care and summarising why each step is important.

Why cleanse?

During the day the skin collects all sorts on it; makeup, impurities, oils and dead skin. All of these can equate to blemishes and clogged pores. Surprisingly, cleansing before bed also helps towards keeping your skin from aging as during the night is when skin goes through a recover and renew phase, if is unable to do this efficiently if it has a days worth of grime in its way. 

I always have a tub of Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm where ever I go, it is absolutely divine with it’s gorgeous scent and luxurious texture.

Why exfoliate?

Exfoliating is not something I would do daily, but certainly I aim to exfoliate 2/3 times a week. The main benefit being it removes all the dead skin from the surface and this will help to prevent pores from being clogged up. Also, in areas where hair is removed, exfoliating helps prevent in grown hairs.

My go to exfoliator is Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It as it works really well on blackheads and has a herbal/menthol frangrance.

Why tone?

As with all cosmetic products, there are so many different types out there doing slightly different things. The many benefits include removal of excess makeup and oils, balancing the ph levels on the surface of your skin (although some argue your skin is more than capable of doing this by itself) and closing up pores on your face after cleansing. Also, the moisture on your face from the toner enables the products you use afterwards to be absorbed easily (technically water can do this job for you too).

My favourite product is the L'Occitane Immortelle Essental Water as it feels so refreshing in the morning.

Why use serum?

Serum is formulated so it has very small molecules that can penetrate through to the deeper layers of your skin. These layers are skin that will be surface skin in a few weeks time...so we want to keep that layer as healthy as we can for when it makes an appearance!  Only a small amount of product is needed per application as they have very high concentrations of ingredients, so the small tubes/tubs will last a long time. Again, there are many types of serum, there are some to target specific skin problems and are meant to be used for just a few weeks at a time, or there are others which can be used daily.

One of my favourite serums is Super Facialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Overnight Repair Radiance Capsules as the capsules have the perfect amount of product in for an application and my face feels lovely when I wake up the morning after. The texture is a little different than other serums, which tend to be more gel like, as this product has more of a silicon feel.

Why use moisturiser?

Just as we want to look after the layers of skin that will be on the surface in the future, we don’t want to leave the skin that is on show right now behind! Moisturising creams specifically target the surface layer of skin and act as a barrier to keep hydration on the surface. It is best to apply after your serum has dried (about 3 mins) and it is always useful to find a product that will focus on your skin type.

I sometimes wonder if I could live without Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, I feel genuine love for this product.

Why use a different moisturiser at night?

You may have seen some moisturising creams state that they are a day cream or a night cream and the difference between the two is quite important. During the day your skin is being subjected to lots of external environmental changes such as UV levels and temperature changes. So during the day you need a cream which will help protect your skin against these changes. Whereas at night, as I mentioned earlier, your skin is working to recover from the stress it has had to endure during the day, so a night cream will contain enabling ingredients for this such as Vitamin C and retinol, but will not have an SPF as it is not required.

I like the No7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream, it works really well with my skin skin type which is Normal/Combination.

I hope you have found this post useful, what is your day to day skincare routine? Any steps you would add?

Luxe Beauty | Discover Beauty Now!

Recently I took a wander in to an M&S store which was not my local store...Wow! I have been missing out big time, I was so surprised to see the range of beauty products on offer there. Even better, Marks & Spencer are running a Beauty Discovery Event until 16th April which includes FREE GIFT with purchase promotions on a whole load of brands. Some brands that will be tempting me include: Leighton Denny, REN, Jurlique, Bliss, Philip Kingsley and Murad, just to name a few!

You can shop the Marks and Spencer Beauty Discovery Event here