Rediscovered - Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

Whenever I clean up my room I always find products that have slipped under my radar. I store my makeup on custom built shelves in my room but I'm still in the process of organising everything so alot of stuff still remains in boxes. One of the products I've rediscovered recently is my Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette. I fell in love with this when it was first released so I was surprised I hadn't used it in so long. The presentation of this palette is beautiful. A selection of limited edition eyeshadows come presented in a pretty purple tray which rests in a gorgeous velvet box. I like the idea that once you finish with the shadows you can use the packaging to store other bit and pieces, I may use mine for jewellery. The shade selection is good I like how there is a equal amount of brights and neutrals. I'm a big fan of the latter but it's still handy to have some alternatives in case you need them for a particular look. All the shadows were limited edition when the palette was released last year but since Urban Decay repackaged all their eyeshadows I think some of them are now available on counter. The brand brings out new palettes quite regularly, I think the Naked 2 palette must of took centre stage when I bought it so this one was left forgotten. That's certainly not the case now as I've found myself reaching for this more over the last week or so. All Urban Decay eyeshadows are super pigmented, like everyone I do get annoyed with the fall out but I haven't found that to be the case with this palette at all. They are so easy to work with and blend beautifully.

Here is a quick look I created using the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette. I'll list the shadows and the other products I used below.

Face - Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in the Shade 2.0
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent
 Soleil Tan De Chanel
MAC Pink Tea Blush

Eyes - MAC Nubile Paint Pot
   UD Midnight Rodeo (Lid)
UD Deeper & M.I.A  (Crease)
UD Vanilla (Inner Corner & Brow Highlight)
Loreal Super Liner Luminizer for Blue Eyes
Bourjois Volumizer Mascara

Lips - MAC Dervish Lip Liner (All over lips)
Yves Rocher Vanilla Nourishing Lip Balm

I really enjoyed doing this look for you guys as you can see it's quite simple and great for everyday. If you'd like to see more posts like this in the future let me know in the comments below.

Do you own any Urban Decay palettes? What's your favourites?

Laura<3

No7's Summer Of Dreams Collection

I was strolling through Boots picking up some gifts when I spotted the latest No7 Collection. Summer of Dreams contains a bronzer, two glitter polishes, four eyeshadow crayons and two lip shines. I feel like this collection was made with me in mind as I absolutely love everthing. The eyeshadow crayons were nowhere to be seen at my counter. Apparently there was a problem with their delivery and they never arrived hopefully I'll get to catch a glimpse of them soon. I was planning on doing a bit of window shopping as I don't get paid for ages. That was until the lovely sales assistant told me that the No7 vouchers were back. Possibly the worst thing she could of done as I went into spending mode. I was good though and bought two products that appealed to me the most.

The No7 Summer of Dreams bronzer has the most gorgeous packaging I've ever seen it caught my eye right away. The fancy glitter on the product is overspray and will come off after a couple of uses. It costs €17.50 but along with the voucher it ended up being €10. For that price I think it's such a bargain. The packaging looks so luxurious, I can see this being the stand out of the collection. I'll be certainly carrying this around in my makeup bag this Summer. The other product I picked up was their Nourishing Lip Shine which is a replica of the Clarins Lip Perfector. There's two shades to choose from, I went for the peachy offering as it's something I could see myself using everyday. This was €14.50 without the voucher, it would of been €7 if I had one. Being more than half the price of the Clarins Lip Perfectors, I can see these being snatched up as they are a cheaper alternative. 

I've yet to test these out so I can't comment on them much. I'll have reviews up shortly were you can see my thoughts on both products.

Have you picked up any products from the Summer of Dreams Collection?

Laura<3

Little bits from MAC's Hey Sailor & Reel Sexy Collections

Yesterday I popped into BT2 to have a look at the new MAC collections, Hey Sailor and Reel Sexy on counter. When I was viewing Hey Sailor online, so many products caught my eye, but instore only two appealed to me in person. I can be put off by some limited edition packaging but I like this one alot. The navy and white nautical stripes definitely works for the sailor themed collection. I decided on two lip products which may not surprise people as that's what my makeup bag mostly consists of.

Red Racer is my first red lipstick ever. It's always been a colour that I didn't think I'd be able to pull off. I wore it on my lips all day yesterday and I absolutely love it. It will definitely glam up any look over the Summer that's for sure. The Suntint in Au Rose also caught my eye. I know I'll use this alot and it will be handy to have in my makeup bag. Like MAC's lip conditioner, the suntints are very moisturising. I may go back and treat myself to Abalone as you can't ever have too much lip balms over the Summer.

 I didn't know that the Reel Sexy collection was being released on the same day so I hadn't seen any of the products prior. The mineralize skinfinish, Lightscapade is a relaunch which I'm in two minds about getting, have any of you tried it?

I picked up yet another lip product from this range. Pink Popcorn is more toned down than Red Racer. It is described as a lavender shade on MAC's website but it swatches pink as you can see.  I can see it being one of those lipsticks that some will call purple and some pink. I wore this on my lips today and I loved it, gorgeous everyday shade.

Here's a picture of Red Racer in action, if your contemplating getting it yourself. It's definitely one of the more wearable reds I've tried. I know some in the past have not suited me too well at all.

What do you think of the new MAC collections?? Did anything catch your eye??

Laura<3

Some Lush Gems...

At this stage you must be fed up of me talking about Lush, I love this brand too much. I  started using their products way before I started blogging so needless to say I've bought alot. I wanted to do this post to show everyone a couple of Lush products I currently love. This is in no order whatsoever, I think each product is equally as good as each other.

Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie

Anyone who reads my blog will have heard me mention this product on a number of occasions. I love it! Basically a shower cream, a little bit goes a long way so this tub will last for ages. Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie has a really nice vanilla scent which is ironic considering the name of the product. After using this in the shower, my skin is always left feeling so soft. I've repurchased this so many times already. My Mom got me the one I'm using at the moment in the Lush Sale at Christmas, so I'm unsure what the price was. I heard a while ago that Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie was being discontinued. It's not on the website, so maybe it has been. I'll check the next time I'm in Lush. If you can get your hands on this I'd definitely recommend it.

Ocean Salt

I haven't had this too long but it has already made it into my favourites. After using this my face is always left feeling really nice and soft. I don't know how this would work on people with sensitive skin as it is a very coarse scrub. I love the smell of this, it reminds me of the seaside, which makes sense as it has sea salt in it. Don't get this in your mouth when your using it, you can probably imagine how horrible tastes. Ocean Salt is available in two sizes, I purchased the smaller of the two as I wanted to see did I like it first. It's safe to say that I'll be certainly repurchasing it.

It's Raining Men Shower Gel

Having only a shower in my house I do tend to buy alot of Lush shower gels, this is the first of my favourites. It's Raining Men started off as a limited edition Valentines product, now it's available all year round. It has a very sweet, floral scent, basically Honey I Shrunk the Kids soap but as a shower gel. The bottle in the picture above is the smallest bottle you can get, I think this one is great for staying in a friend's house.

Snow Fairy Shower Gel

I love Snow Fairy, it's a limited edition Christmas product. I like the idea that it's only available at Christmas time, as I will always know there'll be something I'll enjoy in the range. The shower gel itself has bits of blue glitter running through it which looks very pretty. It's not noticeable after showering which is a good thing as I doubt anyone wants to look like a glitter ball. Snow Fairy have a really nice sweet scent, it's so yummy!! Again the size I have here is the smallest size you can get (100g). I did stock up on Snow Fairy over Christmas so I don't think I'll run out anytime soon.

Sexy Peel Soap

Wow this soap smells amazing. If you tried Snow Globe over Christmas this has a similar scent. It contains a blend of orange, lime and lemon. So as you can imagine it's very citrusy. The soap itself contains fruit rinds which makes it stand out from the other soaps. Sexy Peel is great in the morning as it always leaves me wide awake with it's refreshing scent. It's my favourite Lush soap by far, I love it. My family has also caught on to how nice this soap is. Everytime my Mom's in town she picks it up too. For example during Lush's Christmas Sale my Mom picked up loads of Snow Globe soap, because she knew how much it smelt like Sexy Peel. We still have alot of this soap floating around the house and were coming into March now. Sorry there's no picture but I don't have any at the moment, I'm going to have to get some the next time I'm in Lush. I know Lush Soaps can be quite expensive, but they can cut you off a chunk from the block, Sexy Peel is usually available in gift sets with other products.

What's your favourite products from Lush?? What should I try next??

Laura<3

My Recent Topshop Makeup Purchases

If you read my birthday post last week, you would of seen a picture of some purchases I made from Topshop's Makeup range. I've read so many blog posts featuring this range especially the nail polishes. There was no better time to treat myself to some new makeup than on my birthday. When I went into Topshop I noticed that there new seasonal collection was launched.  Sisters of the New Moon is the new Spring/Summer makeup collection for 2012. It consists of a magic liner (eyeliner), mascara, two lip products, four nail polishes and last but not least, nail tatoos.

I made a few purchases from this range as I seen so many nice bits and bobs.

Zodiac & Mesmerise

 After seeing lots of pictures online, I'm going to go out on a whim and say Zodiac looks alot like Chanel's Graphite (possible dupe?). I could be wrong as I don't own Graphite, I would love to know your thoughts. Back to the polish, the finish seen above was achieved after just two coats. I can see myself wearing this polish alot I really like it.

Charmed & Crystal

Both lip products from this collection caught my eye. I've been using the lip tint, Crystal alot. I've bought lip tints like this before, that supposedly react to your skin to create the perfect pink shade. To be honest I've never been a fan, the pink that comes out on my lips always makes me look ridiculous. Crystal is different, I adore the finished shade as it's not too bright and looks quite natural. On the other hand I haven't gotten on as well with Charmed. It's a bright tangerine shade which isn't to my liking. I'm not one to wear vibrant lipstick so I feel like this doesn't suit me one little bit. I can't for the life of me remember why I bought it. I'm going try to find some different ways to wear it on the lips.

Innocent

This purchade was from Topshop's permanent makeup range. I saw Innocent on alot of blogs and of course feel in love. When I spotted it in Topshop while browsing, I decided I had to have it. Innocent is a really nice everyday pink shade (can't get enough of them lately). The white packaging does end up looking grubby in my bag, but this is something I can look over as it's such a beautiful lipstick.

Have you tried anything from Topshop's makeup range? What should I get next?

Laura<3

Lush PS I Love You Gift Box

One of the presents I got for my birthday was the P.S. I Love You Gift Box from Lush. I love when their products come in usable boxes, as when I get the cardboard box ones that are gift wrapped I tend to just bin them. With this version it's different, as it's way too pretty to throw out. I'm going to use it  to store some Lush products. Even though this is a limited edition gift for Valentines Day, three out of the four products are in Lush's permanent range So if you see anything you like, don't fret you'll still be able to get it in stores.

Silky Underwear Dusting Powder

I've only used another Lush Dusting Powder once which was the Lustre Body Powder. To be honest I wasn't a big fan of it, it had a really strong jasmine scent so I ended up giving it to a friend. When I seen that Silky Underwear Dusting Powder contained Jasmine, I wasn't looking forward to using it. I was really surprised when I tried this, as it doesn't have the same off putting scent as Lustre. Although I can see myself using this product, perhaps it's not something I'd repurchase as I don't use dusting powders regularly. On the leaflet that came with the gift box it says you can also use Silky Underwear as a dry shampoo. I will definitely put it to the test on my hair and let you know my thoughts.

It's Raining Men Shower Gel

This shower gel is a favourite for alot of bloggers. It's Raining Men came out as a Limited Edition product but has since been added to Lush's permanent range. This has such a beautiful sweet floral scent which is identical to Honey I Washed The Kids soap. My favourite Lush Shower Gel is a tie between It's Raining Men and Snow Fairy, I just can't choose. If you haven't tried this shower gel already I'd definitely recommend it.

Sweet Heart Soap

This is the only limited edition product in the gift box that was launched especially for Valentines Day. I'm not too keen on the smell of this soap, it has a  very strong scent. It's described as being a "Jasmine, Mandarin and Vanilla Soap", I can't smell vanilla off this product at all. I find the jasmine a bit over powering. I don't think your missing out on much if you can't get your hands on this soap.

Soft Coeur Massage Bar

Wow I can't believe I haven't tried this before, I'm in love with this product. Soft Coeur has a gorgeous scent of chocolate and honey. I will definitely repurchase this as it smells amazing!

Did you try anything from Lush's Valentines Day range? What do you think of the PS I Love You Gift Box?

Laura<3

Korres Pomegranate Skincare Discovery Kit

At the start of 2012, Korres brought out three Limited Edition Skincare Kits that cater for different skin types (Normal/Combination, Normal/Dry and Combination/Oily). Every set is based on a classic Korres ingredient and contains luxury miniatures. I was lucky enough to be sent the Pomegranate Skincare Discovery Kit which is aimed at people with Combination/Oily skin like myself.

All the products come in this nice pink tin case, which will come in handy for storing products in. I'm thinking my Korres lip butters.

Inside the tin, there's a leaflet with a bit of history on Korres. I love reading these as I'm interested in how brands first started up. Inside the leaflet it tells how Pomegranate helps the skin. There is also information on the products available in this range.

There are four miniatures included in the set:

Pomegranate Cleansing Mask

Pomegranate Cleansing Scrub

White Tea Fluid Cleanser

Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel

The product sizes are very generous and will last a long time. I think this set would be great for travelling or as a gift for someone. If you haven't tried Korres Skincare range before it's a great way to experience the products. They all have a light fragrance, so people who don't like strong scents are sure to like these.

Korres Pomegranate Skincare Discovery Kit retails for £19.50/€23.50 and is available to buy in Harvey Nichols or online.

What products have you tried from Korres?? 

Laura<3

Essence Circus Circus Collection

In late December I bought a cream eyeshadow from Essence's Limited Edition Circus Circus Collection. I was really impressed with the one I purchased 01 It's Magic, a gorgeous shimmery gold shade. I have been using this all over my lid with a dark brown in the crease (beautiful!). I found with this eyeshadow that it's best to wear a primer underneath I've been using my Urban Decay Primer Potion. Recently I went back to have a peek at the other products available in this collection. In the bigger stores alot of the stock was gone, so this must of been very popular. My local pharmacy had a a quite a bit left after browsing for a while, I left with these Circus Circus products.

Circus Circus Highlighter Powder in 01 It's Magic

This is one of the products from the collection I didn't see in bigger stores. How cute is it? No wonder it sold out fast. I love how everything in this collection is circus related, like look at the big top. You may be able to see that the powder in my compact is slightly lopsided. That's because all the highlighting powders in my pharmacy were broken. I was surprised the powder wasn't completely shattered. The lovely sales assistant glued the metal pan back into the compact for me (What good customer service!). I don't have too many highlighter powders in my makeup collection. At €3.49 for this I couldn't really go wrong.

Circus Circus Cream Eyeshadow in 02 Raise The Curtain For... & 03 My Sparkling Acrobat

Having loved It's Magic, I had high hopes for both of these cream eyeshadows. Raise The Curtain For... is a lovely shimmery taupe shade which I like. I haven't been using it much as it's more of a going out shade in my opinion. This cream eyeshadow is up there with my prior Circus Circus cream shadow purchase. I wish I could be as happy about My Sparkling Acrobat but being quite frank I don't like it. It just doesn't seem to sit on my lid as well as the other two cream eyeshadows in this collection. The colour in the pot is also different to that on the skin. Maybe My Sparkling Acrobat will grow on me but at the moment not l'm not loving it.

Essence Circus Circus Eau De Toilette
Before I smelt the tester in store I wasn't expecting anything special from this fragrance. After smelling it though I instantly fell in love. I was so disappointed when I seen there was none left on the stand. When I was at the till, a sales assistant kindly informed me that one was put on hold and the person never came back. She asked me "Did I want it?" Of course I didn't say no.  This fragrance has a light sweet scent that I like alot. Saying that it wouldn't be a fragrance I'd use everyday and the scent may not appeal to most people. I'd recommend going into a shop to have a sniff  before you buy it. The packaging stays with the circus theme and looks so pretty. The bottle is a generous 50ml size and comes with a spritzer which will look so cute on my dresser. Not a perfume I'd carry around in my bag on a regular basis, knowing my luck the bottle would more than likely break on me. Now for the price, this Eau De Toilette cost me €7.49. Yes you have to love Essence!

I can't tell you how much I love this brand. Everything is such a bargain and sometimes I find their products better than some high end brands out there. I'd highly recommend checking out their full range of products. The Circus Circus Collection was Limited Edition and was launched in December. I've still seen some of the products still in stores so catch them while you can.

Have you tried any products from the Circus Circus Collection?

Laura<3

Barry M and Impulse Body Fragrance Team Up To Bring Out Limited Edition Packs

Cosmetic Brand, Barry M and Impulse Body Spray have launched Limited Edition Collection .There are 3 packs in total each contains a lip gloss exclusive to the body spray.








The body sprays included are as follows:

Into Glamour- This body spray smells sweet and fruity and I find that with all Impulse Body Fragrances a little goes a long way. This particular spray comes with a "clear sparkle" lip gloss and is the only pack I did not personally purchase I already have a full Into Glamour.

Tease- This fragrance has to be my favourite out of all Impulses Body Sprays. I love it and I can't say that enough. The tropical scent is ultra feminine, it contains a blend of pineapple and exotic wood scent.

A "nearly nude" lip gloss accompanies Tease in this pack. I really like this lip gloss as it's not as sheer as the lip gloss I got with "Very Pink".

Very Pink- This is one of the latest Impulse Fragrances, Very Pink is a fruity blend of vanilla and pink grapefruit. I haven't used this spray enough to tell if I like it yet so I'll keep you updated on this one.

The lip gloss called "Pale Pink" is a very sheer pink that doesn't really show up well on my lips but I think the lip gloss itself is very good quality.

The packs are a very reasonable €4.29 which I find amazing as a body spray itself is €3.19 which means your only paying a extra €1.10 for the lip gloss!


These products are available in Boots, Superdrug and Tesco for a limited time only.


For more details on the products visit http://www.facebook.com/impulsediaries


Laura<3