Eye Makeup: Brown-Gold Smokey Eye

Sunday 22nd June Eye Makeup Look

A brown smokey eye isn't something I usually wear- I know it seems really neutral, simple, and within most people's comfort zone, but for me it's still not. So again it's really nice to be branching out and trying things I don't usually wear.

And I really like how it turned out!

I wore it last sunday to a house party, it was so simple and easy to use!

I used the Naked 2 Palette, but I'll have a full list of products further down with pictures of what I used.

The pigmentation of these shadows is obviously amazing, and they feel so so creamy and blendable. I do find with such creamy shades it's sometimes hard to pick up enough of the product on a brush though. I also sprayed the brush with a bit of Fix + from Mac just to intensify the colours even more.

Here's a list of the products I used.

As a base I used the Benefit Stay Don't Stray primer, and then I began applying the eyeshadows from the Naked 2 Palette. I used foxy as a browbone highlight, tease in the upper crease as a transition colour and bootycall in the inner corner to brighten things up a bit. On the inner third of the lid I put chopper, then in the middle third I placed YDK, and on the outer third busted with a tiny bit of blackout in the crease just to tie everything together. I repeated the same colours on the lower lash line as I always do. For eyeliner I used the L'oreal Superliner as always, and for mascara the ELF Mineral infused mascara.

I hope you enjoyed this look, let me know in the comments below if you did, and also what your favourite eye looks to wear are!

Throwing Out: Beauty Treats Glitter Palette

I'm Gonna Have to Get Rid... Glitter Palette from Beauty Treats

New series I'm doing where basically I do a blog post on items I have decided to throw out due to either lack of use or deciding they're off and not something I can use anymore. Either that or they're just awful products with no better home elsewhere. This is different to empties as those are products I've completely finished up. These are not.

This is meant to be a glitter eyeshadow (but they're in cream form) palette. It's definitely aimed towards younger experimentation, and not the sort of makeup I practice now.

I recently had a big room-tidy (so nice to do every once in a while) and regrettably decided to throw this out. I've been keeping it mostly as a aesthetic thing (because it looks so pretty), but I just don't use it and it's an awful product so I put it in the bin.

How the cream glitters come out swatched

Sorry, I'm not sure exactly what this product is called. I couldn't find it anywhere online and I got it so so long ago.

It was a present from my mum many years ago. At the time I was like 'wow! this is the best thing ever!' as you are in a childhood way. But now it just never gets used at all.

It's a shame I have to throw this out but it feels good to de-clutter.

A thick, creamy texture with visibly glitter

Swatched. The texture probably has deteriorated somewhat due to the amount of time I've had it. 

The colour in the pan after one swatch

The problem with this is that the glitter is only there on the surface, so no matter how nice it looks, you only really get 1-2 uses out of it in the glitter form. What's left is a pale creamy-textured shadow and no glitter.

Another example: before swatch

Another example: after swatch

As pretty as this was to look at, it just wasn't something I was getting any use out of. The quality wasn't quite there.

What's the last product you've had to throw out? Let me know in the comments below.

Top 3 Neutrals Palettes

My Favourite 3 Palette Picks

On a day-to-day basis if I wear eyeshadows at all they are almost always neutral shades, so these palettes as well as my neutrals mac palette (see the blog post) are my most used. 

I usually wear light shades over my lid for a wash of colour, and sometimes but rarely attempt dark eyes (it washes my light skin out).

Into my top 3 most used neutrals palettes, in no particular order.

1. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

A Naked Palette being in here probably isn't surprise to anyone, however this is probably my least used palette of the three.

In hindsight I think the Naked 3 with rose-hues would have been the best for my pale skin. However the colours in this are amazing, there's no doubting, and I can create so many looks with this.

The transition colour Tease is amazing, as is Foxy for an all over wash of colour or browbone highlight. I also use the matte black Blackout quite a lot.

The price is around £40 which actually for 12 full sized amazingly creamy quality eyeshadows is not something I see as too expensive. 

The pigmentation is amazing with every single shade, even the matte ones.

I highly recommend this palette! Check out the naked palettes and see which of the three will best complement your skin tone. If you wear eyeshadow, buy one of these! Nothing beats Urban Decay for eyeshadow- they're definitely even better than Mac.

2. Sleek Makeup Storm Palette

This is a neutrals palette with a twist- the possibilities are endless. You can do a classic brown smokey eye, a blue one, a pink one or a green one. But I still count this as a neutrals palette.

The price is around £8 from Superdrug, and the quality is amazingly creamy. It has a lot of similar colours to my next palette, and the Naked 1 as well.

I actually like using the sponge-tip applicator on occasion as it applies a dense amount of highly pigmented creamy colour- using a normal brush with these can be problematic.

I use the two matte shades for my eyebrows- they're perfect for that and it lasts all day.

12 shades, £8, you do the maths. That's a great deal. Also Sleek Makeup have many fab palettes to choose from- you will find the one for you. I find this to be the one I'd use most.

The colours I use most in this are the second one along- a lot like Stila's Kitten and amazing in texture, and the two matte browns for transition colours and my eyebrows.

Sleek is worth checking out- I swear by their stuff and it's not gonna make you bankrupt.

3. Stila In the Light Palette

I love this palette, and with the others in this list this is well loved by beauty bloggers. I loved the look of this and had to get it.

These palettes are creamy in texture, but not chalky. None of them are duds- they all are amazing. The palette is priced at around £25, which for 10 shadows really isn't that much at all. Worth it? Definitely.

The colours resemble those in the Naked 1, and also some of them are very similar to the ones in the Sleek palette.

If you like the colours and think you'll get a lot of use out of them, definitely pick this up! You can buy it online from loads of stores, and even find it in some of the bigger Boots.

The pigmentation is like nothing else and texture is less chalky than the Sleek palette- you can definitely feel the difference, and why this one deserves to be priced so much more.

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I always suggest buying palettes, especially if you're just starting out with makeup. Don't bother buying individual shades just get a couple of palettes to start with!

I hope this post was somewhat helpful or interesting to you!

Will you be picking any of these products up? What is your favourite palette? Let me know in the comments below.

My Mac Palette

What's in my Mac palette??

Today's blog post is showing you the 15 eye shadows in my mac palette: which ones I've chosen and up close pictures giving individual pictures and reviews.

I think it's interesting to see what's in someone else's mac palette, especially if you're thinking of constructing your own or you want to buy some individual mac eyeshadows. I know I definitely decided which eyeshadows I would buy not only based on colours I always wear but also on what Youtubers and bloggers rave about.

The packaging is sturdy and secure, doesn't open when you don't want it to and is sleek meaning it's good for travel.

I picked all neutrals because that's what I usually wear. I'm thinking about getting a colourful quad sometime in the future, but for now this is all good.

Individual pictures are left to right, top row then second row, then bottom row.

I'd like to apologise for the state of my nails in the close-ups haha! Enjoy.

The first colour is vanilla.

Vanilla is a white-pink base with lots of very fine glitter- not chunky at all so it won't feel like you're wearing glitter and you won't be able to see it that much.

All the colours in this palette are very smooth in texture, amazing.

If you're looking for a matte highlight colour, the next one has a lot more pigmentation, so is probably the one for you.

This is Blanc Type, and I think my most used colour in this palette.

It's not white, but not too pinky either. It's an amazing browbone highlight, even for someone as pale as me, and therefore especially for deeper tones.

It's also not too harsh to use as it isn't a shocking white.

I LOVE THIS.

This is orb and is a satin-y almost matte very slightly yellow based shadow but is quite a light neutral shade. I use this all over the lid quite frequently.

Shroom is a more neutral and less yellow-based shadow which I find means it works even better on my skin tone.

This is another amazing shadow.

It's more of a satin than the one above.

Nylon is a yellow based satin, this is AMAZING for inner corner highlight as it really opens up the eyes. The pigmentation is really really great on this one.

I do still recommend wearing these eyeshadows with a primer though as it really enhances them.

Ricepaper is another yellow-based colour, but not as much as Nylon above, with not too much glitter and mucho sheen. It's really pretty for light skin tones as well as darker ones.

All That Glitters is another cult favourite, it's an extremely light bronzy shade which is amazing all over the lid alone or as part of a full look.

Naked Lunch is another one of my favourites, it's pinky based but very light and very subtle. I love these shades (clearly), that aren't too out there or offensive to the eye.

Light shimmery champagne colours, that's what I love. And Naked Lunch is another one of these.

Wood-winked is a bronze satin-finish. It reminds me of one of the colours in the Naked 2 palette.

The pigmentation of this is insane. It's so creamy and smooth. I don't wear this as much as I'd like to, but it is really good.

Mythology is sort of odd one out for this palette. I didn't realise how pinky it was at the time, and it's good for if I'm ever trying a more warm toned eye.

It has a slight glitter and its pigmentation is great.

I love wearing this over the top of my Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold as it's pretty much a perfect match, just slightly lighter.

Cork is a light matte brown with warm undertones. It is really quite pigmented for the fact that it's matte, which I love.

I use this as a transition colour for my crease (it's perfect for that) and I also used it as a brow powder when I was blonde, so if you're blonde and looking for a natural brow colour then pick this up. It fills in the brows perfectly- not reddy or orange and not too dark.

It resembles the lighter of the two matte browns in the Sleek storm palette though, so if this colour is something you're interested in then perhaps think about buying that palette, as the whole palette is cheaper than this one eyeshadow- crazy, I know.

Espresso is the colour I use for my brows now I'm brunette. This means I get a lot of use out of it. It resembles the darker of the two matte browns in the Sleek storm palette though, so if you have that then it's not necessary to pick this up.

Espresso is a dark matte brown with cool undertones.

Satin Taupe is one you've probably heard of. Its a metallic-grey, and is really beautiful all over the lid. It has a satin texture and is extremely smooth in texture.

The colour is shimmery and so so pretty.

Smut is a deep reddy brown that's amazing used in the crease with Satin Taupe (above) all over the lid. They work amazingly together.

Carbon! The last colour in my palette.

I want to say this is a matte but in the pan it appears to have some micro silver shimmers.

When applied to the lid, (I also use this as a liner, you can wet the brush and apply this in a more liquidy form for ease of application and a better colour), the shimmer completely goes though. Shimmer is not noticeable when you wear this black.

There's nothing that special about this colour- it's just a standard black. There is a similar one in most good palettes, especially my favourite neutrals palettes of the Sleek Storm palette and the Urban Decay Naked 2.

A random selection of colours

Overall I do love my mac palette but I have to admit I don't use it as much as I should. 

Plus for all the eyeshadows and actual palette it comes out to over £150, which is a lot, I know this. I recommend instead of buying a whole palette look at the colours individually and choose a few of the ones you know you'll use most and the colours you love.

They're worth it, but only if they're colours you know you'll be getting a lot of use out of.

I hope this was useful for you, even just to have a sneaky peek at my mac eyeshadow collection!

Do you have any of these eyeshadows? Do you recommend any mac products for me to try? Let me know in the comments below.