Urban Decay Naked 2 // Review

Hello lovelies!

I've been meaning to do this post for a crazy long time but just never got round to it! I was originally going to do a first impressions, but after using this palette constantly for the past six months I thought I'd switch it up and do a full review!

I've always had so much love for Urban Decay and was desperate to get my hands on one of their palette's. I opted for the 'Naked 2' which is available HERE for £39.50. It comes with 12 shades that includes both matte and shimmer finishes. It also has a doubled ended brush called 'Good Karma shadow/crease' and is exclusive to this palette. I absolutely love this brush and actually use it all the time!

Swatches 1.

Swatches 2.

From the swatches its already quite clear to see that they are really pigmented and from the photo above I only swiped the shade once. On top of this they blend beautifully. I find I use a fluffy brush to blend out and only have to use a small amount of colour. I've already been using this palette for about half a year and haven't touched pan on any of the shades yet! Amazing.

 The only colour I find a bit pointless in this palette is the first shade called 'Foxy'. It's a banana type shade which I love but it just doesn't show up much on my skin tone. However, saying this I do find this one to be really good for a matte base colour or if you want a more natural look on your eyes.

My absolute favourite colour in the palette has got to be 'Chopper'. It's a beautiful sparkly copper colour and I always find myself going back to this shade and doing an orangey/copper look.

This palette is so versatile. With such a range of different colours I can do smokey eyes, copper eyes and even some purple. I definitely recommend this if you're new to makeup as a kind of beginning high end palette because it's so easy to apply and doesn't leave a lot of fall under the eyes.

I can't wait to get my hands on some more Urban Decay make-up. Let me know in the comments your favourite palette at the moment!

Love B x

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Purple Lips // Too Faced Melted Metal

Hello lovelies,

I've never had the chance to try any of 'Too Faced' make up ranges but was lucky enough to find these two melted metal lipsticks in my local TK-Maxx in the shades Jelly and Violet. Both shades are purple toned and are 100% statement lips. I definitely recommend popping into TK-Maxx to see if they have any high end products in stock because I picked up these for under £10 and they normally retail at £19 and can be found here.

The lipsticks are a liquid version of a metallic lipstick and come with a sponge applicator on the end of the tube for an easy application. They leave lips looked glazed which is something not everyone loves but I think looks so 90's and love it! Also, because of this they don't dry out the lips at all and feel totally comfortable. 

Top: Metallic Violet

Bottom: Metallic Jelly

Both of these shades are really pigmented however I find with the shade 'Violet' I do have to reapply a few times throughout the day because it is a lot lighter looking on the lips than in this swatch. The bottom shade lasts so much longer because it leaves a more subtle stain if applied just once. 

I am in love with purple lips at the moment! Has anyone else tried any Too Faced cosmetics before? I'd love to check out more of their stuff <3

Love B x 

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Gettin' my glow on // Honey bronze

Hello lovelies,

Like any twenty-year-old girl I absolutely love having a tan but as much as I'd love to hop abroad a catch a real one that just isn't possible. This is where the trusty bottle of fake tan comes out but to be honest I've just never found one that leaves me with a glowing tan. That was until I saw the Honey Bronze range from The Body Shop...

 With the sun finally making an appearance and The Body Shop having a 3 for 2 offer I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get my glow on and try out some of their products. I picked up the Shimmering Dry Oil, the Honey Bronze Drops Of Sun and the Highlighting Dome.

1. Shimmering Dry Oil - £18

Now this product isn't to be confused with your bog standard fake tan because it doesn't give you that kind of intensity. Instead the oil leaves you with a more of a sun kissed shimmery tan which is a lot more subtle but much more realistic looking. I much prefer this instead of my normal tan because it leaves my skin feeling hydrated but doesn't leave a greasy feel like most oil based products do. Even though it is quite pricey I've found a little goes a long way so I reckon this product will last me quite a while and will be perfect to apply over a real tan in the summer!

2. Drops Of Sun - £12

This product can be mixed into anything... but preferably in moisturiser or foundation to give you a golden glow. I find this is perfect to use on my face after I've applied my shimmering dry oil so that my face actually matches the rest of my body! One of the things I love the most about this product is that it is shimmer free. I find a lot of bronzed face products contain shimmer which I find on me makes me look totally OTT but this one leaves me looking glowy as hell! Again this product will last me forever because one drop is more than enough.

3. Highlighting Dome - £9

I just couldn't resist yet another highlighter! I'm obsessed. The shade of this highlighter is 01 and reminds me of Mac Soft and Gentle but in a cream version (heaven I know). The shape of this product is perfect because I can just swipe the tops of my cheek bones so easily and it leaves a shimmery highlight. I also find this product to be easy to blend and for only £9 I've definitely been getting my moneys worth.

I can't wait to try more of The Body Shop's products as I've only just got into shopping there but I'm sure I'll be writing up another review on their stuff soon! I hope you enjoyed this post and I'd love to see some of your comments below<3

Love B x

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L'Oreal Pure Clay Masks // Review

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Hello lovlies,

Face masks are something I've had a constant hit and miss kind of relationship with. With ridiculously sensitive skin I have to be super careful about what kind of masks I use. The days of sleepovers and boots own face masks were never good!!! So, because of the bad experiences I've had, I've never been the type of person to do weekly face masks. Until now.

The L'Oréal pure clay mask range are made up of three different kind of masks. A glow mask, a detox mask and a purity mask. I picked up the ones that suited my skin. When reading about the purity mask I felt it wouldn't benefit my skin so I went for the detox and glow masks. I've been altering the two on a weekly basis for the past month and have actually noticed some changes!

The detox mask is more liquid based than the glow one and doesn't contain any micro beads. The packaging is really informative so I 100% recommend you read it before purchasing! This mask deep cleanses your skin and I did find it made my skin feel very clean and fresh after using it. 

The glow mask was a lot thicker and contained micro beads to exfoliate. I found this mask made a lot more of a visible different to my skin. My skin looked and felt softer and brighter. It didn't feel too tight on my face and I didn't feel like I had to moisturise too much afterwards.

I would 100% recommend these masks to anyone who is looking at trying to incorporate face masks into their skins routine. They are normally £7.99 each but you can often find them on offer in either Boots or Superdrug!

Has anyone else tried these masks or any others recently? I'd love to read your thoughts!

Love B x 

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Duty Free Got Me // Revlon Moisture Stay 5

One of the best things about going abroad is shopping in the duty free section. Every time I go I can't help but pick myself up something and this time I went all out. 

I've never been a dedicated user of Revlon products but these lipsticks really stood out for me. I loved the idea of having a full set and found the quality of the product looked high. The set came with five of the moisture stay lipsticks as well as a free super lustrous lipstick in the shade 'Blushed'.  Altogether the set was around £30 however, the set isn't available in the UK as I brought this in Lanzarote.

Top - bottom: Crimson, Buff, Toffee, 

Violet, Dusk and Blushed

The five moisture stay lipsticks definitely do exactly that. Moisturise. They are very glossy on the lips and don't dry the out at all. As they leave a shine on the lips it does mean the colour can be quite sheer on the nude colours. However, the shade is easily build-able. All of the shades are easily wearable for both day and night time looks. My favourite shade is 'Dusk' as it's the type of nude that looks like your own lips just better.

Has anyone else brought anything in duty free recently? I'd love to hear below!

Love Briar X

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Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo // Review

Now I'm very late onto this band wagon but I thought I'd give the Colour Tattoo eyeshadows a try! I've heard a lot of other bloggers raving about how well these last so I thought I'd put them both to the test. 

Now I'm trying to push the boat out here a bit and start wearing more eyeshadow. I'm fairly lazy and I love the idea of finding a colour that I can quickly swoop onto my eyelid, blend a little and then wa-la. Done. Well look no further, I have found two little pots of gold (literally) that work so well for my early and rushed mornings.

I picked up two in the shades And On Bronze and Eternal Gold. And On Bronze is 100% my fav out of the two as it's more of a day to day wearable shade. Both colours are really pigmented, so it only takes a tiny amount on either a brush or your finger. (I find finger works best for me!) You can build up the colours really easily and like it says on the tin they last a super long time. I wouldn't go as far as 24 hours, because who even wears makeup for that long? But they do stay put. 

Has anyone else tried any of these? Let me know below!

Love B x

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KIKO // One for the eyes

Since KIKO opened their store in MK shopping centre I haven't stopped splurging on their amazing products. *Sorry bank account* From many other posts you can tell I am a big KIKO fan and I have tried quite a few of their products. When I last visited they had a huge sale on eyeshadows and I have been wanting to try experimenting with using eyeshadow more so what a perfect opportunity! You can find the eyeshadows on their website here and here!

This beautiful pearly white is so good for using in the inner corner of the eyes to make your eye colour really pop. I also love using this for mixing with darker colours to stop my eyeshadow looked too dark. It has a shimmery finish which looks beautiful under the light.

The second colour I picked up is this khaki colour. In the photograph I does look more brown but when you apply it you can see the green tones more. I love this colour as I don't tend to go for greens but feel that the brown undertones make it a lot more wearable. The shade is very matte and blends beautifully. 

Everyone needs a charcoal black eyeshadow. I use this across my lash line for when I do a smokey eye. It's very pigmented and the colour pay off lasts really well. I find this shade works so well if you don't want to use a liquid liner but want a more softer liner on the eye.

Next up I brought a silver/grey colour. I fell in love with this colour. I find silver works so well for me as I have blue eyes and feel it really brightens my eyes and brings the blue out. I tend to use this for a lighter smokey eye which is more wearable in the day time but you can also build the colour up for a night time look.

The last colour I picked up is this gorgeous champagne colour. I use this colour the most out of all of the eyeshadows as I feel it looks beautiful for an everyday eye look. I also used this as an eyebrow highlighter as it is so shimmery and picks up a beautiful highlight in the light. The colour isn't as pigmented as the others but is easily build-able. However, it blends beautiful and works with almost every colour!

Has anyone else tried any KIKO products? Comment below 

Love B x

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Maybelline Master Contour V // Review

Contouring can be scary. I'm always worried I'll end up having two browny/orange lines down the sides of my face and a super shiny forehead. I've always stuck to using powder contour kits and ones that are quite light but this one is a complete game changer!

Let's chat about the actual look of the product first. I love how chubby the stick itself is. It's not too big so pops into a makeup with ease. I also love the idea of having the contour colour one side and the highlighter the other side. The colours are both really pigmented! I picked up the shade fair! It's £6.99 which is so cheap considering its a duo stick. You can pick it up here from Boots.

It is so creamy and glides on the skin perfectly. It leaves a matte finish which I love because sometimes I find contouring can leave you looking a bit shiny and over the top. As it's so creamy you can blend it in really well because when you first apply I will warn you it can look a bit scary! You can either draw it on where you want then blend with your fingers or do what I do which is use a beauty blender. Either works fine!

Has anyone else tried this product or any other new contour products recently?

Love B x

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Topshop Treats!

If you haven't tried any of Topshops make up range where have you been and what are you thinking?! The range overall is pretty amazing. With beautiful packaging and a huge range of different products it's definitely worth checking out! (After you've read this post...)

Top Mink

Bottom Devotion

I have already tried a few other Topshop lipsticks and love them! They are such good value for money. For only £8 each you can't really go wrong. The colours I picked up are called Mink and Devotion. Mink is more of a brown/red colour and Devotion is a dirty pink/purple colour. They are both gorgeously pigmented and so wearable for everyday occasions. 

The thing I love the most about these colours is how even though they aren't dark shades they have a nude tone to them and anyone who knows me knows I love a good nude. (No pun intended...) I have worn both of these lipsticks to death since buying them! They leave a very moisturising feel on the lips and don't dry out which is something I really love. Can't be dealing with flakey lips!

So for the first time ever on my blog I have actually posted some photos of me wearing the lipsticks!

Wearing 'Mink'

Wearing 'Devotion'

Have any of you lovelies tried any other Topshop lip products? I'd love to hear!

B x

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KIKO MILANO // Radiant Touch Creamy Stick Highlighter

Since KIKO opening in Milton Keynes I can't stop myself from popping in and picking up more and more products. Lately my entire makeup bag is pure KIKO and I am loving it! Highlight is something that can either make or break your makeup look. Too much and you can end up looking a little bit like a shiny egg. (My first experience with a power highlight ended up a bit like that) I love a good highlight on my cheek bones. With an unfortunate chubby cheek thing going on, a little contour and highlighter never goes a miss with me!

This highlighter is so creamy and easy to apply. I do still apply this to a brush just because I feel it can leave a bit of an obvious line on my face if I don't blend it in enough. Luckily for me it is definitely quite a subtle shimmer on the tops of the cheek bones which I prefer. I feel this would be a great highlighter for you to start off with if you are a beginner. The lasting power of this highlighter is also something I am really impressed with. I feel like when I apply it in the morning I don't need to retouch throughout the day. (100% a good highlight for a night out!) 

KIKO do two shades. I picked up the colour GOLD. I felt like the ROSE colour was too pink for my complexion and looked more like a cream blush. You can pick it up here. I think for £8.50 it is a real steal. 

Anyone else tried any KIKO products?

B x

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Keepin' Those Cheeks Flushed

Urban Decay are renown for their palettes and this one does not disappoint. I picked up this one quite a while back when I went to Paris and have used it so much ever since. I find it so handy to have a tri of three all in one place. It contains a blush, highlighter and bronzer for your face and cheeks. With four different pallets there is a shade for everyone to enjoy. You can pick them up for £23.50 from the Urban Decay website or some selected stores.

I picked up the Naked Flushed in Strip. Compared to the others I would say this one has a much darker mauve pink blush with no glitter or metallic look too it which is what I prefer in a blush like this. The pigment of this blush is insane. You hardly have to sweep your brush to get enough to cover both cheeks which is really good as you can build up the colour more and more. 

The highlighter is a dream. It makes you cheekbones all glowy and beautiful. It has undertones of gold in this highlighter which reflects beautifully in the light. I love nothing more than a highlighted cheek.

The bronzer I would say is a tad too dark for my complexion but by being careful I can defo make it work. *Inserts wide eye emoji* I would say this would be a lot more suited to a more tanned skin tone and as I sometimes fake tan this one does work for me on nights out!

Anyone else tried any of the other Flushed pallets? 

B x

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Super Sleek // Blush Review

Blushes are one of those things I have way too many off, yet still I can't stop myself from buying more. Sleek are such a high quality yet affordable brand that I have quickly become obsessed with. *Insert heart eyed emoji* The only place I have seen Sleek to been sold as a brand is Superdrug. Let me know in the comments if you know anywhere else in the UK that you can get hold of Sleek! 

Lets just start off with how the packaging of these products really truly represents the brands name. They are so sleek. I love how simple and practical they are. Plus, a mini mirror is always handy!!! The pigment of these blushes are insane. You only need a tiny swipe on your brush which means they last for so long. 100% worth the money considering they are only £4.49! 

Shade- Flushed

This was the first shade I picked up from Sleek. I was looking for a new pink blush that wasn't too much for my pale complexion. As the name suggests it does make you cheeks look naturally flushed and rosey. It has a deep pink in comparison to most light pinks I normally wear. It has a matte finish on my face which I love as it means I can use highlighter without feeling super sparkly!

Shade- Pomegranate

The pigment of this shade is insane. It leaves a metallic pink/purple finish which I love. I love that this colour leans more towards being a purple shade as I'm a sucker for anything purple. The metallic finish isn't for everyone and it can be quite shocking when you first apply so you do need to make sure you only use a small amount and build it up so the pigment doesn't clog in one place! (My 1st proper tip YAY)

Shade- Rose Gold

This shade is by far my favourite out of the three. Rose gold as a colour is beautiful and this blush recreates it amazingly! This shade has been said to be a dupe for NARS Orgasm blush and as much as I'd love to say it does I would like to point out it is Orgasm is more pink and less golden than this shade. I love the golden tinge this leaves on my face. You definitely don't need too use any highlighter with this product!

Has anyone used any other products from Sleek? Let me know below!

B x

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KIKO // Unlimited Stylo

KIKO is one of those brands I have wanted to try out for ages but never got round too actually taking the plunge and ordering something. However, some real good news happened this week, the new KIKO store in Milton Keynes finally opened its doors and it had the best offer ever! Buy three products, get three more for free. *Insert heart eyed emoji*

Of course if you've had a quick scroll down you can see this post is just about one of the products I picked up. That's because I haven't yet got round to trying out all my other ones, so as the weeks go on you will be seeing a lot more KIKO posts on my blog! Sorry in advance!

This lipstick is from the Unlimited Stylo range and I picked up the shade 13- Cocoa. This is a dark nude with purple/brown undertones. I find the purple/brown undertones really make this lipstick a bit more than just a nude for me. It's very easy to wear in terms of the colour. It's holding power is incredible. It claims to have 8 hours wear, which I totally agree with! It's a semi matte finish meaning it can be a little drying on the lips, but nothing a bit of vaseline won't fix. The packaging of this lipstick is real nice. It's shiny and classy and I love that! 

I am in love with this lipstick and have been wearing it all week. I 100% recommend it and will defo be going back to purchase some more! Anyone else tried any KIKO products? Let me know below!

B x

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L'Oréal Paris // Infallible

L'Oréal Paris have quickly became my favourite drugstore make up brand. The infallible range was such a big hype and since then they have released another infallible sculpting range. (Watch this space for more on that in the future.) I instantly fell in love with everything in the range and managed to buy all (I think) of the products and have been testing them out for the past month.

1. Infallible Fixing Mist 100ml - £7.99

Anyone who loves the Urban Decay setting spray will love this product! It does exactly what it says on the tin and without making your face feel cakey or sticky and for under £10. Result. I mainly use this on nights out which to be honest is a real tester for a product! I find my makeup lasts hours longer and doesn't flake or rub off at all. It doesn't use a lot of product either, I tend to use two sprays across my forehead and then the middle of my face. 100% recommend this.

2. Infallible 24H foundation - £9.99

For anyone who noticed in the really bad quality photo I have uploaded (I promise I will invest in a good camera soon, sit tight!) you can see I have two of the foundations. This is purely for the fact that I couldn't find a colour that suited my skin tone so I mix two colours together. These are Vanilla and Natural Rose. This foundation is very high coverage and I use it mainly when I am going out or know I won't have any time in the day to top up my makeup purely because it lasts for so long! The foundation blends so well into my skin and leaves a velvet/matte type of look on my skin. This definitely isn't a dewy look kinda foundation but it does leave a very flawless look!

3. Infallible Primer Matte Base - £7.99 

I've always been dubious about primers and whether they actually work or not but lately my skin has been quite bad and oily so I decided to invest in a matte version to stop my skin from glowing! I have noticed a massive difference since using this product. It 100% preps my skin for my foundation and mattifies my skin to stop my foundation looking cakey. The only thing I wish was different is the size of the tube. It is quite small for something I use everyday :(

4. Infallible Matte Foundation - £7.99

A matte foundation is a must. The coverage from this product is amazing. It covers my blemishes and redness so well and doesn't dry out areas such as around my nose at all. It reduces any shine on my face and applies so easily. If I don't want to use it all over my face I do sometimes just use it as a concealer to stop any oily shine from going on! 

Anyone else tried anything from the range?

B x

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Budget makeup // Primark Matte Lip Crayon

Being a student means expensive high end makeup is something only the future holds. One day, maybe when I don't have to live off of pot noodles and tins I can spend my money on the things that really matter in my life. Beauty. However, during the poor season I have found some of the greatest dupes ever and my latest discovery is one for the books.

Primark. A.k.a a crazy jumble sale (if you are from Northampton... maybe some of you have amazing ones like the Oxford street one!) I was always dubious about trying their makeup just because I thought how could a £2 lip crayon be good? But it is. It's really good.

I picked up three shades. One is a wine/deep red colour, another is a purple toned nude and the last one is a bright orangey/red. One of the first things that struck me when I spotted these was the fact they are matte. I instantly thought 'Oh god they're gonna be so dry and make my lips hate me' but they totally surprised me and didn't do this at all! I mean, yes, course they are a bit drying on the lips but what matte lipstick isn't? I find applying a bottom layer of lip balm really helps stop these lip crayons from flaking off during the day. 

In terms of colour pigment and hold they are beautifully pigmented and are so true to the shades shown on the lids! They hold for a few hours but do need a quick top up every so often. The shape of the crayon is really handy as well, it means you don't have to apply a lip liner first because you can just use the thin end.

Over all I am super impressed with these three lip crayons. They aren't cheap or tacky at all and for the price they are really quite incredible! Below I have swatched the colours. As they don't have names I'm sure you can see which one is which!

Any of you lovelies tried anything from the Primark beauty range?

B x

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Chapstick // Smoothie Mixstix

The cold weather always leaves my lips feeling super dry and horrible so I've been on the search for something that would rehydrate them. I've tried tons of different chapsticks but none has lasted long and most medical ones taste or smell horrible! 

The other day I popped into my local boots to find this super cute double ended chapstick. I've never seen this type of chapstick before so I was instantly interested. The novelty of this product is one of the things I love the most. One end is banana flavoured and the other is strawberry. You can mix both flavour together like it suggests or just use one end at a time. The smell and flavour is very sweet and intense which I personally love. Even when you look past the super cute packaging and all the jazz of a two in one product the overall product does do what it says on the tin. And it does it very well. Since using this chapstick my lips feel smooth and moisturised. 

Strawberry end

Banana end

Any great novelty products you've come across recently?

B x

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