Urban Decay Smoky Palette

So, I finally got my hands on the long awaited Urban Decay Smoky Palette. 

Excitement!

So what do I think of the highly anticipated sequel? 

I would give it a 3/5.

 I have tried a few looks by now and even though I do like it, I wouldn't leave the house with just this and no other, unlike naked 1 or 3... I feel like I would need to bring some more mattes with me, even though it has some beautiful colours combined  in the one palette. It is definitely a palette you would keep for occasion wear or nights out. Or if you're brave and like wearing dramatic makeup 24/7 :P It has by far my favourite metallic eyeshadows, but I prefer the one or three for the mattes :) 

The colours, although they claim to be brand new, are very similar to some recent colours in other Urban Decay palettes. 

Smoky Palette's high and dirty sweet very similar to...

Naked 1's sin and half baked.

However I do lie it and highly recommend for creating that beautiful smoky eye!

Here's one I did earlier :) 

A 'how to' will follow up soon :) 

Thanks for reading guys!! 

Sandy.S

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Recent Favourites

Hey everyone! So I am back with some recent beauty favourites of mine that I just felt I had to share with everyone! 

So first off we have possibly one of the best cleansers I have ever used and I am sure you have heard of it; the Garner Micellar Cleansing Water.

This is without a doubt the best I've ever used and I know I am probably very far behind in only saying this now, but I'm glad I caved it and bought it. At only 4€ for almost half a litre where would you be going wrong?

Nyx Wicked dreams eyeshadow palette

So this palette has 24 shadows, both matte and metallic ranging from beige colours to black and metallic browns, blues, greens and pinks. It only cost me 13€ on sale in a local pharmacy and I had to pick it up! The colours are so pigmented and perfect for daytime or nighttime looks. 

 

Catrice eye liner in Black on track

I love this guy and have kept going back to it time and time again. It was only 3-4€ and lasts so long! Without a doubt it is one of the best I have ever used. Iit comes with a thin brush applicator which I find is more flexible than a felt tip and easier to do that perfect winged line. 

Catrice Made to Stay Highlighter pen in EYE NEED!

I picked this up randomly and am so glad that I did! It is a beautiful white gold pen that you place on the inner corner of your eye to brighten up the area, it can also be used as a base for a white or similar white gold or gold colour on your eyes. One little dab of this and your eyes brighten immediately! 

Rimmel Hide The Blush concealer

I bought this impulsively as I wanted to try it out when doing my contouring and I was very happy with it, I bought it in 001 Ivory and it is yellow based, perfect for my rosy red cheeks. Because it is a stick it is easily applicable and stays throughout the day. 

Nyx Concealer wand in Cw01 Porceleine

I am crazy about this concealer! It is more liquid based than anything else and comes with a wand applicator but is so creamy and light and covers any blemishes instantly! Again I would highly recommend this for contouring as it is easily blendable and brightens the skin. 

Nyx Round Lipstick in Chic Red

I love Nyx lipsticks because they are some of the most long lasting and moistening lipsticks ever used. I use this with a nyx lip liner in Plum and it creates a great base to keep it there, through eating, drinking, kissing ;) whatever it may be. Chic red is a beautiful fuchsia red colour and perfect for those of you not wanting to go too dramatic with a vibrant red, this is more of a fuchsia colour. 

Nyx Jumbo lip pencil in 727 Vanilla Ice

This colour is not one I would usually go for and when buying it I actually thought it was a jumbo eye pencil! But it is a beautiful metallic coffee colour and really moisturises and brightens up the lips. 

Urban Decay Eye Eyeshadow Priming Potion in Sin

This is without a doubt my favourite base for doing a dramatic eye Makeup. It is the exact same as the Urban Decay eye shadow Sin, so if you like that eyeshadow I would advise puttig this on before it and it really brightens the eyes! 

Ok so guys, that is everything on my recent favourites :) I also recently bought the Ultimate Blends Shampoo in Honey Treasures for dry brittle hair and I cannot wait to try them! I love anything honey based :P !!

I will be back soon with some more tips and tricks :) !! 

Thank you as ever for reading!! 

Sandy.S

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Smokey eyes :) How to:

Hi Everyone :) I'm really sorry about my delay in writing posts but I am back now and promise to be better with writing these :) 

So I have been trying out some looks with the eyeshadow palettes I have and I have decided to show you all how I create my smokey eye look as I have gotten so many compliments on them recently :)

It is quite tricky, but one little genius tip I will share with you is this...

Yes, sellotape! 

If I ever found it tricky to do a smokey eye before I would just use sellotape! Fortunately over time I have gotten used to doing them and can do without it now, but this is what I used at the beginning :) All you have to do is this, apply some sort of base over your eye, be it a paint pot, coloured primer or concealer to hid the veins and redness (if you have it), then get a piece of sellotape about 4 or 5 cm long, and place it just under where you either want your eyeshadow to stop, or eyeliner to go. If you are using it for eyeliner place it under the eye and join it up so that it is as if you were continuing on from your water line. You can even use it on your cheeks for contour! But I find it the best for doing smokey eyes, even just until you get used to doing them yourself. I also advise doing it before you apply your foundation as any fall off can be easily wiped off and foundation applied. 

So after I apply my sellotape I apply my eyeshadows. You can choose any colour/colours you like, depending on what you would like to go for. Usually I will use 3 or 4, sometimes 2 if it's only a simple look :) Normally I go for browns, golds and pinks, even black if very dramatic :) 

I start by applying the brightest colour to the inner corner of my eye and tear duct, usually a white or cream as it will reflect the light and make my eyes appear brighter :) I will use this colour again for under my brows. 

Next I will usually get a metallic or shiny based colour to apply on the middle of the eye or 2/3 part :) The reason for this is, the middle part of the eye is the part where the eyeball moves the most and catches the light,  therefore placing a glitter based shadow on that part of the eye will catch the light and give your eyes a more appealing look. I will pat this colour down, rather than brushing it as patting it down will leave more product on that part. 

On the third part of the eye and the crease I will place a darker colour, usually a dark matte colour, void of any glitter, a brown, black or even a dark purple or pink. I will then blend the three colours together using a thicker blending brush. You may notice the outer corner has lightened a bit, if so go back in with the dark colour and blend into the crease with either a small blending brush, or crease brush. 

I will then get the colour I used for the inner tear duct and place that under my brows and blend it into the eyeshadow over the crease so there are no thick lines of shadow, everything looks more natural and professional. 

 After this I go in with my liquid liner(you can use a pen or gel, whichever you prefer) and line the top of the eyes, the lashes to get rid of any shadow on them, and then the waterline just over the sticky tape. You can have it any length or any thickness you prefer (that's what she said :P ).

I will then line the water line with some black liner, if you have small eyes then avoid this or perhaps use white instead to make your eyes appear bigger. I then apply the darker shadow used under the lower lashes and either join that to the liner or just leave it under the lashes, depending on the look. Sometimes I like to use a sort of ombre effect under the eyes, of the shadows I have used previously. Again, that is completely up to you, it just helps to dramatize the look. 

If you wish to apply the lashes, first use an eyelash curler, one coat of mascara and then stick them on. I use my eylure adhesive glue, place it on them and leave it to dry for a couple of seconds, then apply the lashes (You have to do this as it will make the lash glue tacky, and therefore stickier and easier to apply) Once you have applied them how you want them, line over them once more with liner and apply some extra coats of mascara to make them blend into your lashes. 

After this apply your foundation, etc and get ready for your day out/work/coffee date/night out :)

I will include some pictures of looks I like to do and I hope this helped :) 

                                         

  

 

For any products I use, I usually leave a list of products under my Makeup Looks on my facebook page :) 

Thanks for reading and happy blending!! :D

Sandy.S

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Five essential items in my makeup kit :)

Hey everyone, decided to go back to my makeup with this blog and give you the low down on five items I literally won't leave my house without :) 

Number 1 :) 

 I think a lot of women will agree with me on this one, but I actually feel naked without my Urban Decay Naked palette, excuse the pun ;) It has twelve eye shadows in the colours Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep and Gunmetal, ranging from light beige highlight colours to dark smokey blues, blacks and browns with some golden shades in between. I wear it every day and night without fail!

Number 2 :)

Nivea Creme,  a really simple affordable cold cream that works wonders for my dry skin! After I cleanse and tone my skin I apply some Nivea creme to my face, especially around my cheeks and T zone area as they tend to be the driest! This leaves my face feeling cool and moisturized and ready for my foundation. 

Number 3 :) 

Whenever I go out, be it at night for a few drinks, or even just with my boyfriend or friends to the cinema or something, I like to dress up, and that means my makeup has to look good as well! I wear tan a lot (usually Sally Hansen, but lately Cocoa Brown) and when you wear tan, you have to have a suitable bronzer, otherwise you will have an orange body and white face! :) The bronzer I find that works best for me was an unbelievably good price from the brand Essence, it is a matte bronzing powder in a huge round circular container called Essence Sun Club and it's in the shade 02 Sunny, suitable for Brunettes :) I literally love this and it even smells nice, like coconuts :) 

Number 4 :)

Bourjois healthy mix serum foundation, this is possibly one of my favourite foundations, I love the brand Bourjois and I have to say they never fail to satisfy with their products :) This is a gel foundation that lasts up to 16 hours with an even revived complexion, does exactly what it says on the tin! :) I have it the shade Vanille or Vanilla :) it gives a good covered base for makeup, covers under eye bags and dark circles making your skin look revived and smells amazing, it reminds me of petits filous yogurts :P Definitely keeping this as a necessity!

Number 5 :) 

Especially on a night out or if I feel like having a 40's/50's inspired makeup look, I love wearing red lipstick! It gives such an edge to a makeup look day or night! My favorite brand at the moment is the Rimmel Kate Moss collection in 01 Rossetto, it is a dark almost blood red color and I always have it in my bag in case I need a touch up during the day or night! I lost one of these on a night out last year in a Club and was heartbroken :( I can't wait to try out more of Kate's collection! 

My Sister & I, me wearing the lipstick ;)

Ok guys, that's it until next time ;)

Hope y'all enjoyed :)

Thanks for Reading,

Sandy. S
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Makeup Questions :)

Hey again Everybody, I found another tag but this one is makeup related :D yay!!I absaloutely love these question tags :D !!

Read and I hope you enjoy, feel free to try it out yourself if you like it  :) 

SKINCARE

-How many times do you wash your face daily?

At least once, if im staying away from home I love the nivea face wipes :)

-What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)

I am a combination of dry and sensetive :)

 -What is your current facial wash?

Clean and clear daily exfoliating wash :)

 -Do you exfoliate?

Yes, every week :) I have to do it before a nightout if I'm wearing tan because I have such dry skin :)

-What brand do you use?

Don't actually know the brand, lol, it was given as part of a set and I can't actually remember the name but its got green tea in it anyway :P 

-What moisturizer do you use?

Vaseline aloe fresh moisturising lotion :) or nivea cream! both are really moisturising!

-Do you have freckles?

Yes...an abundance of them :(

-Do you use eye cream?

Nope :)

-Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

Never, I get a few spots now and then but rarely :)

-Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?

Never :)

MAKE-UP

-What foundation do you use?

Catrice or Rimmel :) sometimes Elizabeth Arden

-How about concealer?

Maybelline :)

 -Do you know your undertone color?

Nope :P

-What do you think of fake eyelashes?

Can't go out without them :) 

-Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?

Yes :) 

-What brand of mascara do you use?

Maybelline or Rimmel, sometimes Max Factor :)

-Sephora or MAC?

Sephora, reminds me of Paris :(

-Do you have a MAC Pro-card?

Nope :)

-What makeup tools do you use in make up application?

My foundation brush, blending brushes, angled eyeliner brush, sometimes a sponge to stiple on foundation :) Its good for dry skin :)

-Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?

My urban decay primer potion :)

-For the face?

MUD face primer :)

-What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?

Urban Decay Naked palette, sin,half baked or naked :) 

-Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?

Both, liquid for my eyelid and pencil for my lower waterline :)

-How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?

never mine, but always other peoples eyes :P

-What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

Love them!

-Do you use mineral makeup?

Rarely :)

-What is your favorite lipstick?

Revlon lip butter in Sorbet :)

-How about lipgloss?

Catrice are you red y :)

-What is your favorite blush to use?

Natural Collection :) 

-Do you buy your makeup on ebay?

Never :)

-Do you like drugstore makeup?

Yeah :)

-Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)

Nope :/

-Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?

Have done :)

-Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

Sometimes with eyeliner :)

-Name a makeup crime that you hate?

baby pink lips and orange face, hate hate hate it!

-Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?

It depends on what mood I'm in really :D

-Which celebrity always has great make up?

Kim Kardashian :)

-If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?

My mascara :) 

-Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?

I have dont but feel weird :D

-Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?

I'm no oil painting, but I'll do :D

-In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?

L'oreal, Max factor or Benefit :)

-What do you think of Makeup??

Makeup gives me confidence and enhances my features :) I love it!

Ok guys :) thats another question tag done and dusted :D 

until next time!! :D 

Sandy S

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