AN ODE TO COLOUR TATTOS

If there is one thing that rules my makeup collection, it's my vast collection of cream shadows, from MAC to Smashbox, but more commonly, the Maybelline Colour Tattoos - a drugstore alternative and some of the best I've found to date.

On and On Bronze stands as my favourite for the 'one sweep wonder' eye look I tend to go for on pretty much every day with school or work, to maximise the amount of time I get in my bed. It's a shimmery, mid brown/bronze that just looks incredible however you wear it - I like to put it down to magic. Permanent Taupe still stands as my brow product of choice since I pretty much praised it a long while back as my new budget breakthrough as a gel brow product, and I still love it just as much. It is ashy and long wearing, and literally looks amazing even when my brows need a tweeze.

Pink gold is perhaps a less used one, maybe because I'm a little scared that my green eyes won't go with the pretty pink shimmer hue and instead will leave me looking like I've got an infection, but if I'm feeling brave I will reach for it here and there. Another less used one is the Leather Effect Chocolate Suede, a deep smoky brown which I only use for serious occasions because quite frankly in natural light I can't quite rock a smokey eye. Then there is Timeless Black, an offering I tend to go for as a gel liner substitute, as the colour is so jet black and it is pretty malleable on the lid to get a good wing, although saying that if you were more daring than I am you could go for a major smokey eye with this as your intense base.

What colour tattoos have you tried, and do they live up to the hype that many (including myself) have created?

MAC MALT EYESHADOW

Back when I started blogging, I was all about the shimmer eyeshadows, and my Naked 2 palette was the one thing I swore by for looks (I still love it to this day), but I've started to delve more into the matte side of things, yet still being able to get some killer looks going on.

MAC Malt was a shadow my mum chose for me for Christmas, and wasn't one I had asked for nor considered before at the stands, but she chose well. The picture doesn't show it too well, but it's quite a pink fleshy nude, that when built up has a taupe/mauve sort of look to it. I really like the colour despite it being really simple, and it's become a stand out in my collection.

I like to use this in the crease for some slight crease definition or as a transition shade, but it also works really well all over the lid with a slick of black liner for a really simple eye, kind of reminding me of something Kylie Jenner would go for.

This shadow may be what is getting me so into mattes now, and I've got an itching to buy more...

NANSHY MAKEUP BRUSHES

As you know, I am a huge fan of the Real Techniques makeup brushes, but sometimes, I am on the hunt to find new brands that are just as high quality. When some Nanshy Brushes* dropped through my letter box, I realised a new love could be kindled.

Face: The star of the show for me is most certainly the Round Buffer Brush*, which seems to me like it could be a very close match for the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I'll make it short. I love this. Like, love. It blends and buffs liquid foundation like a dream, pats in concealer beautifully, and even does a pretty darn good job with blush. Dare I say, this might become my new favourite brush.

Eyes: To begin with, the have the Blending Eyeshadow Brush*, which I find is a touch too stiff to fully blend out any crease colour, but does a brilliant job at applying it to the lid neatly, and feathering out the edges. The Eye Crease Brush* is a good'un for (as the name suggests), putting colour in the crease. Now, this does a tiny bit of the blending for you as you sweep it through the crease, but more so focuses on putting the product in place - and must I say, it does it well. Finally, is the Tapered Crease Brush*, which is a little smaller than I anticipated, but even so, works really well for taking the eyeshadow along the lower lashline, and slightly feathering the edges too.  Although it isn't originally what I thought it to be, I have found a well-fitted use to it.

Nanshy, I am impressed.

 

Rimmel GlamEyes HD Quad in Heart of Gold

Hi guys!

I love neutrals, and I always tend to play it safe with my eye makeup. You won't really ever see me sporting a smokey eye, or anything blue, green or purple. Or anything coloured as a matter of fact. I'm all a bit 'ooh, UD Bootycall over the lid' 'ooh, dark taupe crease', and that's the way it goes a lot of the time. I should definitely experiment a lot more.

When I found this quad in a pound shop I jumped for joy. I had seen the one that look exactly like a Union Jack with the pink and blue, and had always hoped there would be a neutral one out there somewhere.

So in this quad, you are greeted with a dark pinkish nude shimmer, an extremely yellow-gold shimmer, a coppery golden shimmer, and a dark, almost red toned brown shimmer. They are all really lovely colours, and I think that this palette/quad could become a staple in my collection very easily.

I love Rimmel eyeshadows. They are buttery soft, and have a great colour pay-off. I feel as if they are very long lasting as well, because there's something about the texture that just seems to make them stick - even without primer sometimes.

These swatches are literally just me wiping the tip of my finger on the pan once, so this can be built up a LOT more for intense pigmentation.  

I have my eye on another one of these now, called Green Park. It consists of some really lovely muted greeny neutral colours, so I am hoping that that one may pop up in the pound shops too! To be honest, no matter what the colours were, if it was a pound, I would be happy to buy it! You never know what colours you might need if you want to do a tutorial or something! :)

Thanks for reading guys, don't forget to follow via Bloglovin' as you all know GFC is out on Monday and I would hope that you guys all still want to catch up with my blog!

My large advertiser this month is www.thebestmakeupproducts.com if you are interested in advertising on my blog, please visit the Advertisers and Sponsor pages on this blog.

Maybelline The Falsies Review (Before+After) and EOTD

Hi everyone!

This mascara was purchased a while ago and I never reviewed it, so I thought now I would do it as I liked my eye makeup so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity! To see the EOTD, scroll down!

I like waterproof mascaras, so that is what this one is. It has a spoon wand with actual bristles, which normally I don't like, but I find this one curls and grips the lashes perfectly.

Mascara Product Shot. £8.99 Boots and Superdrug

Before the mascara:



Eye with no mascara.

After the mascara:

After the mascara. The top lashes actually look more lengthened in real life.
 

 

So the EOTD:

EOTD - products listed below. BROWS - Urban Decay Naked 2 (Tease)

So I started by using Bootycall from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette as a highlight colour. I then used the light colour from the NYC Duo in Eastside Brownstone, which I love, and sweeped that all over the lid. I took the darker colour on the outer third of the lid.

Over that I then applied some of the Rimmel GlamEyes Shadow in Backstage. Then In put a small amount of Tease from the Naked 2 into the crease, and then over that to deepen it slightly I went in with ELF Pebble, and then finally some of Blackout from the Naked 2 (just the smallest amount) and that just made the look a little more smokey.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this first EOTD of mine. Let me know your holy grail eyeshadow products!

Don't forget to comment and follow. Thanks for reading!

Lauren x