Building My Urban Decay Palette

Hello my lovelies, today wanted to share an eye shadow palette with you that's currently a work in progress. Being a huge fan of Urban Decay eye shadows, last year I decided to pick up one of the "build your own" palettes from the House of Fraser's sale so that I could store my single shadows together. I'm not personally someone who will take away singular eye shadows when I go travelling as I much prefer to have everything I need in one little palette.

Urban Decay have a small range of build your own palettes available, each in different designs, sizes and some even come with a free eye shadow. I'm not entirely sure what my version is called as it's no longer available, but it has a gorgeous bright paint splatter effect on the front and has space for 6 individual shadows. It came with a free travel sized flat shader brush and there is also a large mirror that sits inside the lid of the palette which makes this a travel friendly piece to have in my collection.

One of the first single eye shadows I owned from Urban Decay was a shade called Midnight Cowgirl. Being one of the first Urban Decay shadows I'd tried, I wanted to keep it a simple and neutral shade yet at the same time something I could wear day or night. Midnight Cowgirl is a warm sand colour with shimmer, so it's neutral enough to wear daily but also has that beautiful glitter in it for an evening look. This is a really beautiful shade that doesn't get much of a mention on blogs, but this is definitely a shade I'd recommend people trying if they like a bit of shimmer!

With the build your own palette I also got the eye shadow shade Walk Of Shame for free which I was really pleased about. At this point I was using my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette religiously and Walk Of Shame had quickly become one of my favourite base shadow shades. As this shade is a light matte nude, it's the perfect colour to create a clean, natural lid that will help blend together any other shadows you apply. After using this shade all the time, I have now really hit pan on Walk Of Shame in my Basics palette so I'm glad I picked up this palette when I did! Now have I have a back up of one of my favourite eye shadows plus I remember only paying around £9 for both the palette and shadow so it was a complete bargain!

My final eye shadow in my palette is one I have used for years, my beloved Sin! This beautiful shimmery champagne is a very popular shade amongst bloggers and features in the original Naked palette. Like Walk Of Shame, I have completely hit pan on this shadow so I was super excited to have received a brand new one for Christmas to pop in my palette! Sin may look exactly the same as Midnight Cowgirl, but I find Sin is much more pink compared to Midnight Cowgirl's golden tone and both look different when on the lid. This is a beautiful shade and if you're going to try out your first ever Urban Decay eye shadow, then I would say give this one a try as it looks really flattering in any eye look!

As you can see from the swatches (or can't see as these shades are all very light and natural - sorry!) all 3 shadows are buttery smooth and are well pigmented. I adore all of the shades in my palette and cannot wait to pick out the next 3 to complete it. What's great about these build your own palettes is that you can swap and change the shadows you put in it depending on what looks you want to create - so there's no reason for me not to buy more shadows! I would love to hear in the comments what other Urban Decay eye shadow shades you think I should add to my little palette as I would love to complete it soon.

Once I have completed this palette I'll update you all with what eye shadows I have decided to put in it! Let me know your thoughts on the 3 shadows I have already chosen and whether you own them as well. Thank you for reading today's post and I will speak to you again next week!

What are your favourite Urban Decay eye shadow shades?

Do you own one of the "build your own" eye shadow palettes?

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Review | Urban Decay Naked On The Run

Urban Decay Naked On the Run | £37.00 | LINK

Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands for eye shadows and over the past few years I have collected several palette that I use on a daily basis. Before Christmas I spotted a new release from the brand in the shape of the perfect travel makeup palette. As I had only tried Urban Decay's eye shadows and the odd eye primer, I was so excited to test out a palette that had a range of products to play with! This palette is designed to have everything you need for a complete makeup look (excluding base makeup such as foundation/ powder) making it perfect to pop in your bag when you're travelling or just on the go!

The Naked On The Run palette comes in the most gorgeous rose gold packaging with a tortoise shell like design on the front. The palette is made from a very sturdy plastic material and helps keeps the products inside well protected when travelling. With a magnetic lid, the palette itself is very easy to open yet strong enough to stay firmly shut whilst it's in your bag. Inside the palette there is a huge mirror that sits in the lid and is the perfect size for applying your makeup on the go! The mirror is such a good size that sometimes I use it just to do my makeup at home, despite having 2 other mirrors on my dressing table! Even though it has a large mirror, the palette itself is a very good size and isn't too bulky to travel with. It fits snuggly in my large Ted Baker makeup bag along with the rest of my makeup, so for me it's very easy to use on the go. It is a gorgeous looking palette (which I wouldn't expect anything less from Urban Decay) but of course, it's what's on the inside that counts!

When you open the palette, your eyes are instantly drawn to the 3 products at the top which are: a travel size Perversion mascara in Blackest Black, a travel size 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Stag and a full size Naked Lip Gloss in Sesso. Below that are 6 brand new eye shadow shades which are (left to right): Dive (metallic rose gold), Fix (matte taupe), Resist (metallic taupe), Dare (matte medium brown), Stun (metallic bronze) and 50/50 (satin champagne). I didn't actually realise 50/50 was classed as an eye shadow as I thought it was a highlighter due to it being much larger and on the same row as the bronzer/ blusher. However I have been using this as a brow bone, inner corner highlight and a cheek bone highlighter and I must say it works amazingly well for all 3! Finally you also get a matte mid brown toned bronzer and a shimmery bright pink blusher.

The formula of the eye shadows is lovely and completely on point with all their other palettes. Typically with most eye shadows, the shimmery shades of Dive, Resist and Stun are much more buttery and soft compared to the matte shades of Fix and Dare. However all of the shadows are beautiful to apply and blend out to create some gorgeous eye looks. I personally adore applying Dive all of the lid with a bit of Resist or Stun in the crease for a smoky rose gold look. If I'm going for a more subtle look, using Fix on the lid and Dare in the crease creates a very simple defined look. Of course, you can easily mix and match all of these shadows to create your own desired look! The shadows last all day on my eyes (with or without primer) and I never find that they crease or fade.

I really like that this palette contains both a bronzer and blusher as I've always wanted to try the Naked Flushed palettes, and I can imagine these are very similar to them! Both the bronzer and blusher are very soft, pigmented and easy to blend out and together create a lovely glowing look to the cheek. In the photo below I have applied each quite light as I do find bright pink blushers can make my cheeks look overly flushed due to having a pinker undertone to my skin. The 2 products blend together beautifully and can definitely be built up to create a more intense look on darker skins or for a night time look. To complete the look the 50/50 eye shadow/ highlighter adds a beautiful sheen to the cheek bones and eye area without being sparkly.

I was very surprised at how much I loved the Naked Lip Gloss in Sesso. Usually lip glosses are the products I leave alone in palettes like this as they can be sticky and uncomfortable - but the Naked gloss is the complete opposite to what I thought! Sesso is a natural slightly shimmery nude toned pink that adds a gorgeous shine to the lips. It feels really smooth on the lips and isn't at all sticky! Even though the applicator is quite large on this lip gloss, it's very easy to apply and is a perfect gloss to pop in your hand bag.

I've always wanted to try the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils and I was so excited to see that there was one in a beautiful brown shade with a subtle hint of sparkle (which is hardly noticeable if you don't like sparkly eye liners) called Stag! As the name suggests, this liner applies beautifully and literally glides across the upper lash line and leaves behind an intense lined effect. I find on my eyes the liner lasts all day without the need to top it up which is great for when I'm busy at work. As I use eye liner every time I do my makeup, this is a product I might have to invest into as it really is amazing.

The final product in this palette is the Perversion mascara which has comfortably replaced my beloved Thick & Fast mascara from Soap & Glory. I love how this mascara makes my lashes look fuller, longer and helps keep a natural looking curl to them all day long. This mascara can clump a little bit when you apply it, but it's nothing an eye lash comb can't solve. I haven't heard much about this mascara before, but I think it's one I'm definitely going to consider getting the full size version of!

Here's me wearing the majority of the products from this palette (excluding Fix and Dare eye shadows) so you can see how natural yet lovely the look on the face! Overall I think this is a gorgeous kit that any Urban Decay fan needs in their makeup collection. I think for the price you are getting some amazing quality products that will last you a long time and I highly recommend you checking it out next time you're out shopping!

Have you tried the new Urban Decay Naked On The Run palette?

What is your favourite makeup to bring travelling?

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My "No Makeup" Makeup Routine

I am wearing THIS dress, I promise haha!

Hello everyone, long time no talk! Well, I haven't posted in a few days but it feels like forever! I wanted to start quickly with something completely off topic of today's post. In a few weeks time I will be going on holiday for a week, so I thought it would be a great time to let some of you guest post on my blog. I'm looking for a few beauty or fashion bloggers to write any post they like (as long as it is beauty/ fashion related) so that my blog doesn't look so bare whilst I'm away - plus it's a great way for people to find new blogs to read! If you have some free time on your hands and would like to be a guest poster, please feel free to email me (belle-amiebeauty@hotmail.com) to discuss all the details! Anyway, on to today's post..

So as we come into the Summer months, I like to change up my makeup routine a little bit. On hot days or when my skin is behaving a little better, I like to do a minimal makeup look so that my skin can breathe and I'm not uncomfortable wearing a full face of makeup. I like to call this is my "no makeup" makeup routine as the end result is very natural and glowy looking; as if I wasn't wearing makeup!

Benefit The Porefessional | LINK

Whether I'm doing a full face of makeup or my minimal look, I always prime my face first. I've recently been reaching for my Benefit The Porefessional and I'm absolutely loving it! When I first tried this I didn't really see what the big deal was, but after trying it a couple weeks ago I noticed how smooth my skin looked after applying my makeup. I apply this with my fingers and concentrate it on my forehead, nose and chin as this is where I need it most and then blend it out on the rest of my face. It leaves my skin feeling soft and ready for the next step!

Dr Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm | LINK

Before trying this BB cream, I was completely against the whole idea of them! I hated the one by Garnier and really didn't get along with the Maybelline one, I found that they were far too orange for my skin. However, the Dr Jart Water Fuse Beauty Balm has completely changed my opinion on BB creams as this is the nicest one I've tried! It looks like a normal foundation shade and it matches my skin colour so well. Plus, the satin finish is lovely, definitely a lot nicer then the greasy, oily finish I get from other BB creams. I apply this with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush and I find a little goes a very long way! It feels light on the skin but gives a lovely coverage and with SPF 25, this is a Summer staple!

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair | LINK

I'm pretty sure everyone has heard about this concealer and I for one love it! I feel like I never need to find a new concealer again as this has every thing I need covered (excuse the pun). I have the Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade 1 Fair and find this perfect for applying under my eyes to cover any darkness and discolouration. I also apply it around my nose and chin to even out any redness. As I do this makeup routine when my skin is pretty much clear, I don't need apply this to any blemishes, so this helps keep my makeup lighter and more natural looking. I simply apply this with my fingers and then blend out with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

Bourjois Cream Blush in 02 Healthy Glow | LINK

Cream blushers are perfect for the warmer months as they're much lighter on the skin and look very natural. I've been loving my Bourjois Cream Blush in Healthy Glow as it does pretty much what it says, gives my cheeks a healthy glow! I'm really in to my orange blushers at the moment and I find the formula and pigmentation of this blusher is perfect. I apply this to the apples of my cheeks with my Real Techniques Stippling brush and then blend it out towards my temples. This way it gives a really natural and glowy finish.

Stila Angel Light Powder Foundation in Shade B

During the hotter months, I know that some people hate to wear powder on their face as it can get patchy and uncomfortable in the heat. However, I find it essential to wear at least a small amount of powder to help decrease the shine on my face. The Stila Angel Light Powder Foundation offers light coverage and a SPF of 26 so is perfect for the Summer months when you really need to protect your skin! I apply this with my Body Shop Face & Body brush and I concentrate it on my nose and chin.

Urban Decay Naked Basics* [Review] | LINK

I featured this little palette in my last monthly favourites post and I talked about how much I've been loving doing a simple eye look with a bolder lip. The Urban Decay Naked Basics palette is perfect at creating a simple, natural eye look that doesn't look or feel heavy in the warmer months. I apply Walk Of Shame all over my lid with my Urban Decay Flat Shader brush. I then work a bit of Naked 2 and Faint into my crease and outer corner with my Prestige Shadow brush. For the inner corner and brow highlight I use Venus with my Real Techniques Detailer brush which is perfect for applying small amounts of eye shadow. Finally I use a tiny bit of Crave on the tip of my flat shader brush to create a shadow liner, just to make my lashes look fuller.

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara in Superjet Black [Review] | LINK

Next up I use my favourite mascara which is Soap & Glory's Thick & Fast Mascara. I find that with just one coat, your lashes look much longer and have a nice amount of volume to them. I like this finish with this makeup look as it doesn't make your eye makeup look heavy and your lashes still look natural. I find this mascara doesn't smudge or wear off on warmer days and I think this is a perfect makeup product for all year round!

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie [Review] | LINK

Finally, I find Revlon's Lip Butters are the perfect lip products for minimal makeup looks as they're so moisturising and give your lips a hint colour. The shade I reach the most for is Berry Smoothie which is a natural berry pink that would suit any skin tone. For me, it's a "your lips but better" shade which is why it works so well in this makeup routine!

So these are the products I like to use to achieve a "no makeup" look that is perfect for Summer or days when I don't feel like wearing a load of makeup. I hope you enjoyed this post and please do remember that if you'd like to be guest poster, simply send me a email!

 What products do you use for a minimal makeup look?
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May Favourite's

Hello lovelies, I hope you all had a great weekend! I know everyone says this in every monthly favourite's post, but I really can't believe it's June already - in fact, I can't believe we're half way through the year! 2013 is going so fast and I bet before we know it, it'll be Christmas again haha!
This month I've tried a lot of new products and there have been quite a few I've enjoyed, but I like to whittle it down to about 5 absolute favourites for this type of post.

Topshop Cream Blusher in "Head Over Heels" | LINK
I have been trying out quite a few new blushers this month, but this cream formula one by Topshop has definitely stood out to me. "Head Over Heels" is a gorgeous coral colour that gives a healthy flush to the cheeks. The formula is very creamy, pigmented and easy to blend out so is a dream to apply! This is the perfect little blush to add to your Summer makeup collection and I've been loving wearing it this month!

Topshop Lips Lipstick in "Ditsy" | LINK
Again another piece of makeup from Topshop - I'm just loving their products recently! Their lipsticks are so creamy, easy to apply and last really well on the lips. "Ditsy" is a hot coral shade looks amazing on and has completely taken over my love affair with "Infrared". It's a lot easier to wear than "Infrared" and if you're scared of wearing bright orange shades, this is definitely the shade you need to go for!

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment* [Review] | LINK
I've been using this hair oil for a few weeks now and I cannot believe how healthy and shiny it has left my hair! As my hair is ombre it's prone to going dry and brittle, so a hair oil in my hair care routine is essential. The Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment has left my hair so soft and manageable, even on days when I haven't used it! I highly recommend the Macadamia range and if you're thinking of trying some of their products out, go for it - they won't let you down!

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette* [Review] | LINK
I've always been a fan of this little palette, but this month I have been reaching for it a lot more frequently than before! I've really been into doing a soft, simple eye look with a bright lip this month and the shades in the Naked Basics palette are perfect for this! I use "Walk Of Shame" all over the lid to even the skin tone out, then I apply "Naked 2" into the crease and then "Faint" into the outer corner. Finally I put a bit of "Venus" into the inner corners of my eyes and to my brow bone. This gives me a very natural yet defined eye look that is perfect for everyday!

Real Techniques Stippling Brush | LINK

My final favourite this month is one of my new brushes by Real Techniques which is the Stippling Brush. As I've been trying quite a few cream blushers recently, I was on the hunt for the perfect brush to apply them with. I've had amazing experiences with Real Techniques before and I knew I wanted to try a brush from their range! The Stippling Brush applies my cream blusher so evenly and it gives my cheeks an air brushed appearance. The bristles are soft, dense and the brush overall is amazing quality! I was thinking about doing a brush collection post soon which will feature all my Real Techniques brushes, so if you're interested in reading that then please let me know in the comments!

So these were my monthly favourites for May, I hope you enjoyed this post and hopefully found some new products you'd like to try!

What are your May favourite's?

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Makeup Of The Day | Primark Haul Video

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well and had a lovely week! Today I filmed my second YouTube video which was a Primark haul (watch the video HERE) and I thought I would make a post about the makeup I was wearing! If you didn't already know that I've started to make videos on YouTube, you can check out my channel HERE!

♥

 Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm* [Review] LINK

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory LINK

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair LINK

Stila Angel Light Whitening Powder in Shade B

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in Paper Roses [Review] LINK

Makeup Academy Undress Your Skin Highlighter [Review] LINK

Lumiere Cosmetics Eye Shadow Pigment in Halo* & Special Dark* LINK

Makeup Academy Intense Colour Pencil Eye Liner in Rich Brown [Review] LINK

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara in Superjet Black [Review] LINK

Magnifibres Brush-On False Lashes* [Review] LINK

Topshop Lips Lipstick in Confession [Review]

I rarely wear this Topshop lipstick, purely because it's such a bright shade of pink and I can only wear it in the Summer. Now that it's getting a bit sunnier and warmer, I thought I would make the most of it and wear this little beauty! As the lipstick is quite bold, I took the opportunity to try out my new eye shadow pigments in Halo and Special Dark by Lumiere Cosmetics. I can already say I absolutely love these eye shadows and you can expect to see a full review in the next week or so!

Click HERE to watch my latest video, please let me know if you watched it in the comments!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

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March Favourite's

I cannot believe how quickly April has come around! We're a quarter of the way through 2013 already, it seems to be whizzing by so fast! I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend and ate far too much chocolate than they were supposed to! I had a great weekend and spent it with my family and boyfriend eating roast turkey and lots of cakes (definitely going to have to start a diet this April haha!). Last month there were a few products that I had been reaching for a lot, plus a couple that I have just really enjoyed using. So in this post I am going to talk about these lovely little products!

♥ Dr Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm LINK
This was a prize I had won from Chelsea's (Through Chelsea's Eyes) giveaway. I had never heard of or tried this brand before so I was very excited to try it out! I'm so glad I did because this is one of the nicest BB creams I have ever tried! The consistency of this BB cream is almost like a light weight foundation and blends out really well to give a light, natural coverage. Despite being a light coverage product, this BB cream does cover up and blend out imperfections very well. I've enjoyed using this on lazy days round the house with a little bit of powder to give a natural finish to my skin.

♥ Revlon Colourburst Lip Butters (Review) LINK
These are probably some of the most hyped up lip products on the beauty scene and I for one absolutely love them! The two colours I've been loving this month are Strawberry Shortcake and Berry Smoothie, both of which are pink shades. I've found these perfect for throwing on for college as they give a lovely flush of colour to the lips. I also love how moisturising and soft they feel on the lips! I can't wait to pick up some of the new shades that have just been released, especially Pink Lemonade and Juicy Papaya (they sound so yummy)!

♥ Urban Decay Eyeshadow Sparkle in Midnight Cowgirl LINK
This is one of those eye shadows that should be a staple in every girl's makeup collection! Midnight Cowgirl is a gorgeous shimmery nude champagne which is perfect to place all over the lid for a daytime look. I love using this when I'm going for a simple eye look and bolder lips as it gives your eyes that pretty hint of shimmer! Urban Decay is my favourite brand for eye shadows as the formula and colour selection are amazing!

♥ Barry M Basecoat, Topcoat & Nail Hardener in Clear LINK
This is my final favourite product from March and, despite looking quite boring, is probably my most favourite! This Barry M nail paint is a 3 in 1 base/ top coat polish that can help strenghen up your nails. As you may know my nails are very weak and constantly peel and snap off, so I thougth for just £2.99 I'll give it a go! This is probably one of the best, cheap clear polishes I have tried! Other ones I have tried just peel off and hardly protect my polish from chipping. This one however prevents my polish from chipping and has definitely made my nails a lot stronger! If I'm not wearing any nail polish I'll just apply 1 layer of this and I've found my nails hardly peel or split! Definitely a polish worth picking up if you have weak nails like me.

And they're my favourite products for March! I hope you enjoyed this post, as usual if there are any products you want a more in depth review on please just let me know in the comments!

What are your March favourite's?

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Everyday Makeup | Foundation & Base

Hello lovelies and welcome to the first part of a 3 post "mini-series" where I show you what makeup I use on a daily basis! The 3 posts will be about: Base makeup, Eye makeup and Lip makeup. In this post I'm going to talk about what products I use as a base, this includes things like primer, foundation and blusher. The products in these posts aren't what I use every single day I wear makeup, but the ones I reach for the most out of my collection! For example, I like to switch up my foundation or blusher depending on the look I am going for, but I've picked out the ones I really enjoy using! Now after that little introduction, on to the post!

| Primer |

My favourite product to use as a primer, despite not technically being one, is the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm*. As a BB cream, I actually don't like this product very much, but when used under your foundation it's absolutely amazing! It allows my foundation to apply smoothly and evenly across my face and makes it last all day! This product also has a lot of benefits to the skin including hydration and protecting it with SPF 20. An SPF is vital in a face product as it will help defend your skin from the sun's UV rays, which in turn, will help your skin age better! To see a full review of the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm, click HERE.

| Foundation |

My everyday foundation is the Rimmel Wake Me Up in shade 100 Ivory. I'm pretty sure every beauty blogger has tried or at least heard of this amazing foundation! This foundation offers a light to medium coverage but it definitely buildable, so is great for most people. When applied over the Urban Decay Beauty Balm with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, I get a lovely and flawless finish. It's really nice to apply and for me, doesn't go patchy or wear off quickly! This has to be one of my favourite foundations I've tried!

| Concealer |

Again, this is another beauty cult favourite, the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer. I repurchased mine in the shade Fair 1 as I found Light 2 to be a little bit dark for my skin at this time of year. The coverage of this concealer is amazing and will cover up almost any blemish or flaw! I also like how this shade is a tiny but lighter than my skin so is perfect at covering and brightening my under eye dark circles.

| Blusher |

The Benefit Fine One One is probably one of the prettiest makeup items I have in my collection! As it is a cream formula, I would apply it before my powder to avoid it going cakey on my skin. This blush comes in a stick form which 3 different shades: Pink Champagne, Sheer Watermelon and Soft Coral, all of which are beautiful blusher colours. You simply swipe it across the cheek, blend and then your done! All your blusher and highlighting done in 2 simple steps. If you would like to see a full review of this product, please let me know in the comments!

| Powder |

Finally, the last face product I apply is my Stila Angel Light Whitening Powder in Shade B. This is just a refill as I actually found this product in Poundland last year. I loved this powder so much that I bought about 6 of them, which considering I'm still on my first one, shows they were an absolute bargain! Even though this is a pressed powder, I've never had any issues with cakeiness, it just leaves my skin matte and flawless looking! This powder does come with a little sponge, but I prefer to use The Body Shop Face & Body brush for an amazing finish!

So that's all the products I use on my face to create the base of my makeup. My next post will go into what products I use on my eyes and brows! Please let me know if you liked this post and whether you'd like to see the next one in the series!

What products do you use for your base makeup?

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Review | Urban Decay Mariposa Palette

Urban Decay Mariposa Palette | £28

Today I'm going to review this beautiful little palette from Urban Decay; the Mariposa palette. This palette contains 10 shimmery eye shadows which range from golden neutrals to bright pinks and blues! I originally found this palette on the Fragrance Direct website for just £11 and instantly put it on my Christmas wish list. My parents kindly got this palette for me and I was so excited to try it out! Being a huge fan of shimmery eyeshadow I thought this would be a lovely palette to add to my collection!

As you can see this palette offers a range of colours and shades to choose from to make an endless amount of eye looks! It comes in a slim, silver tin which makes it very sturdy and strong. The Mariposa palette also comes with a travel sized flat shader brush which is really good quality and makes this palette perfect for travelling with! The main decoration of this palette is butterflies and I love the design on the front and on the inside! 

In this palette you get 10 different shades, 4 of which are exclusive to the palette:

Rockstar - a dark metallic eggplant purple with shimmer.

Gunmetal - a dark grey with silver micro-glitter.

Skimp -  a peachy nude with shimmer.

 Infamous (exclusive) - a fuchsia shimmer with a slight duo-chrome.

Wreckage (exclusive) - a medium taupe with gold shimmer.

Haight - an aqua blue/ green with shimmer.

Money - a green/ silver with shimmer. 

Mushroom - a medium grey shimmer with brown undertones.

Spotlight (exclusive) - a light golden champagne with shimmer.

Limelight (exclusive) - a light bronze with golden shimmer.

As always most of these shadows are soft, extremely pigmented and really easy to blend. The only exceptions I find is that Infamous isn't as vibrant as it could be, but being the shade I've used the least means it doesn't really bother me! I also find Limelight less pigmented and not as easy to work with like the rest of the shades. Apart from those 2, the eye shadows are amazing! For me, Rockstar is a perfect shade to put in the crease as the purple tones really suit my brown eyes and brings out my eye colour! I'm also in love with the shades Mushroom and Spotlight as they are such versatile shades to create everyday looks. With an eyeshadow primer these shadows will last you all day with minimal creasing. 

Overall I love this little palette and offers a great selection of neutral colours which I really enjoy using. I don't find myself reaching for the brighter shades like Haight and Infamous as I'm not confident to wear them just yet. I think these will be perfect to use in the Summer time as a pop of colour on the lash line, especially Haight!

Have you tried the Urban Decay Mariposa Palette? What are your thoughts on it?

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February Favourite's

February has been a really nice month for me in terms of beauty products. I've tried quite a few new products, but also rekindled my love for some older ones that have been hidden away in my makeup drawers! Now that it's (sort of) making its way to Spring time, I have been using some of the brighter and more colourful products in my collection. This post will show you want products I have been loving and using this month!

♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory LINK

This is the foundation I have been reaching for the most this month. In the Winter, I feel that my skin looks dull and pale so I use the Wake Me Up foundation to add a glow to my skin. This foundation has tiny bits of shimmer in to give you a dewy effect to your skin, so is perfect for perking up my dull complexion at this time of year. I also love the medium coverage it gives and how easy it is to blend with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush (these two products were made for each other!).

♥ Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm* LINK
You may have read the review I recently did of this product and seen how much I enjoy this beauty balm! I've used this nearly everyday for the best part of February as a primer underneath my Wake Me Up foundation. I love these two products together as the Urban Decay balm allows my foundation to apply really well and last all day. You can read my full review of this product HERE.

♥ Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Blueberry LINK
When I first tried this nail polish, I was quite disappointed with the formula and how thin it was. However, now that I have learnt to apply it thicker and build up the colour, I absolutely love it and has been the nail polish I've reached for the most this month! Like I've said in many posts, I'm loving blue nails at the moment and this is one of the prettiest shades I own. The main look I've done with this polish is painting all my nails with Blueberry and then using Barry M's Amethyst Glitter on my ring finger. Definitely try that out if you have the polishes!

♥ Makeup Academy Lipstick in Shade 8 LINK
I've been loving wearing lipstick this month! I've featured this lipstick in a favourites post before and I must say, this is one of my favourite lipsticks I own. I love the deep red shade and that it has lots of gold glitter in! This was my staple Christmas time lipstick, but I still enjoy wearing it now. It has great pigmentation and is very comfortable on the lips. I highly recommend MUA lipsticks and you can read my review of them HERE.

♥ Lipstick Queen Butterfly Ball Lipstick in Fly* LINK
Yet another lipstick, but this time, it's pink! I received this lipstick last year but didn't seem to use it that much. However, for February, this has become my every day lipstick! The colour is a sheer bright pink and looks beautiful on the lips. It's such an easy shade to wear with an amazing formula and think it will suit most skin tones. You can read my review and lip look with this lipstick HERE.

What are your February Favourite's?

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Review | Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm

Straight from tube | Fully blended out 

Used as a primer under my foundation

 Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm* | £23

Before trying the Urban Decay beauty balm, BB creams to me were just an orange, oily substance that didn't appeal to me. I never saw the hype and hated the ones by Garnier and Rimmel. However, when I heard that Urban Decay had launched the new beauty balm, Naked Skin, I was very interested to see how this worked for me. This lovely product has changed my outlook on BB creams and now I can say I'm a proud user of one!

Urban Decay claim that this is a multi-purpose beauty balm that has 5 different uses: that it hydrates, primes, protects, perfects and treats your skin. They also say that this is a "miracle worker" which makes your skin instantly look better and delivers serious results in just 8 weeks! In this time, your skin is meant to look more youthful by reducing lines and improving elasticity. It is also a demi-matte finish balm that has SPF 20 in, which means it gives you protection from the sun's rays all year round. The coverage of the product is very sheer, despite being rather orange in the tube, and is suitable for almost any skin tone. As it contains optical blurring technology, this balm isn't designed to cover up blemish, but "blur" them. I'm not 100% sure on this as I can still see the imperfections on my face, but if you have normal and clear skin, this would be a brilliant product just to even out your skin!

Now, I don't have mature skin so I can't really comment whether this would actually reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. However, I have been loving what this beauty balm has done for my skin. Within a week of using it everyday, my skin feels much softer, especially after applying it. As Naked Skin is light weight and oil free, I am using it as a face primer under my foundation and on lazy days, just on it's own. I apply a small amount with my fingers and I've found it allows my makeup to apply evenly and last all day. I've also found that when I use this as  primer, I only need one layer of foundation over the top and I'm good to go! With other primers, I still felt like I needed that second coat to achieve the flawless finish, but with Naked Skin, I could do this with just one! I think for the Summer, this would be a lovely product to wear alone with some mascara and lip gloss for a natural look! Another thing I personally like about this product, which others may not, is the smell. It's very fresh and has slight scent of mint to it. I feel like the smell refreshes my face and I just really like it!

As for the packaging, I think Urban Decay has done very well. The tube comes in a shiny bronze box that has a purple floral print on the inside. The tube itself is very sleek and the same shiny bronze colour with a silver/ purple lid. The tube has a nozzle at the end, so you have to squeeze the amount of product out which you need, which is only a pea sized amount for your whole face.

Overall I really love this product. I think it would be perfect if it has a little more coverage, but you don't really expect it with a beauty balm. I'm really enjoying Naked Skin and has now become my first step in my makeup routine!

You can buy the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm for £23 from lookfantastic.com with free delivery!

Have you tried the Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm? What is your favourite BB cream?

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