Smashbox Cherry Smoke Eyeshadow Palette

Smashbox Cherry Smoke Eyeshadow Palette - £32.00

I'm in love... with an eyeshadow palette. 

When I took a fancy for MAC's Cranberry eyeshadow to be told it was sold out in my local store the obvious thing would have been to go home and just order it online. But me being me I didn't want to do that, or wait, I wanted something that very day that would fulfil my red toned cravings, so when I spied the Smashbox Cherry Smoke Eyeshadow Palette in Boots I jumped on it.

In the first look I've created I wanted to really emphasise the red tones, so I've layered the matte red-brown with the sparkly one lightly over the top - though it can be layered and packed on for really impressive sparkly impact. I took it slightly under the eye too and you can see the difference in the shades - the matte one is on the outer part of my under eye and the sparkly one is on the inner half of my under eye. To combat putting the red so near my eyes I used my Rimmel nude eyeliner.

Despite the name of it the Cherry Smoke Palette will create way more than the red toned looks the name suggests, which is what I've tried to show in look 2. I used the silvery shade in the top right of the palette all over the lid and under the eye, then used the bottom left shade on the outer edges of the eye.

The palette is incredibly versatile - the lighter shades could create the ultimate day look, maybe with some of the matte red-brown or the mid-grey in the crease, there's your main cherry smoke look which you could create as I've done in look 1 or make more dramatic wight he black shade blended in, or the right hand side of the palette could create a gorgeous traditional dark smokey eye. 

The shades are all highly pigmented and they all blend beautifully. I'd dabbled with Smashbox primers before (who hasn't?!) but this is my first dalliance with their eyeshadows - safe to say more would be welcome in my collection!

Brooke Shields x MAC

MAC X Brooke Shields Eyeshadow Palette - £70.00

MAC X Brooke Shields Cream Colour Base -  £18.00 

On Saturday I made a fairly expensive impulse purchase - naughty naughty! Though aren't they always the best?

I've never identified myself as a particular Brooke Shields fan (I think my experience of her is pretty much a reference made to her in The Princess Diaries and when she turned up as Chuck Bass's Ed Westwick's mother in Chalet Girl) and although I like MAC I don't actively follow their collection released (mainly because there are so many every five minutes now) so I didn't even know about this collection when I wandered in to waste some time waiting on the train the train on Saturday. Needless to say I left with a few pieces.

The first, which I'm most excited about is this 15 shade eye shadow palette (shades are Pretty, Soft Brown, Expensive Pink, Clove, Satin Taupe, Canter, Luscious, Antiqued, Psyche, Carbon, Shroom, Persuade, Plummed, Lofty and Pepper).

Individually these shadows retail at £10.00 for the palette filling versions or £13 for the individual pots, so to fill a palette of 15 alone would usually cost £150 plus the £14 for the palette and £2.50 for the insert - bringing you to a cost of £166.50. This palette retails at £70. Of course it means the colours are pre picked for you, but still - a massive saving and as long as you like the colours then I don't personally have any issue with them begin pre picked at all.

It's sold out online but I picked it up in store on Saturday so I imagine there will be available palettes dotted around most stores. All MAC shadows are brilliant quality, I've never had a dud yet so I'm not foreseeing any problems with this palette and if you're looking to expand your eyeshadow collection this palette is full of wearable shades that can still make an impact and give you freedom to get creative without being OTT.

The second bit I picked up was the cream colour base which retails at £18.00. I was more attracted to the darker colour in the palette, I find red based colours can often give the most naturally blushed look, especially in winter, but the pink is also a lovely colour. Both can be applied with fingers but I have a feeling the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is going to be the ideal partner for these.

They're both well pigmented but you can definitely dab them lightly on or build them up for your preferred finish - I used my fingers yesterday to go from light though to a more intense colour coverage and these sit beautifully on top of foundation and don't disappear after a few hours wear, though the colour does fade slightly but not completely as with other cream products. I was able to go back in as well and top the colour up even after having applied powder and the product still blended in really easily with my fingers and no fuss.


Overall unless you're a massive Brooke Shields fan I think these releases are to be considered based on how much use you'd get out of the products, but for me I'll get a tonne of use from them and they've been great choices. I think the fact Brooke Shields is, arguably, less of an icon in the UK than in the US means I've bought these because of the products and not the face of the line, which I really like and which makes me confident that I've bought them for the right reasons - something which, in an over saturated and over marketed world like the beauty world, is something to celebrate!

Rimmel Pre Tan Exfoliator & BB Sunshimmer

Rimmel Pre Tan Exfoliator - £6.99

Rimmel BB Sun Shimmer Instant Tan - £6.99

I'm not a massive fan of fake tan but every so often, usually when I'm getting a few limbs more out on show than they usually are, I will reach for it. The problem is I use it so little that there's absolutely no point in investing in the St Tropez I used to, since it was always out of date before I was even as much as a third of the way through the bottle. 

I came across the original Rimmel Sunshimmer in 'Fair Matte' a few years ago and it seemed to be the answer to my problems - it applied perfectly evenly when used with my tanning mitt and was the ideal colour to just give me some glow without adding masses of colour. Unfortunately the 'Fair' shade seems to have been discontinued and the lightest shade I can now buy is 'Light', which is darker than 'Fair' was. In the regular sun shimmer though 'Light' is a shade I can just about get away with, when used with a light hand... 

When this summer rolled around I decided to try the new Rimmel Sunshimmer Instant Tan + BB Cream and, long story short, I really wish I hadn't bothered. Maybe it's because of the BB Cream providing more coverage but 'Light' in this range is nowhere near light, you can compare it to my non tanned leg for guidance on just how ridiculously dark this product is - and that's one coat.

In terms of application I used my Hei-She tanning mitt as I'd use with any tanning product and it applied evenly - it's definitely a thicker consistency than the usual Sun Shimmer but I expected that with a BB version. It showed its full colour straight away as the other Sun Shimmer instant products have done, but other than the much darker colour I didn't really notice any BB properties to it, though maybe if I had a bruise or something on my leg I might have been in a better position to judge, I've never actually bothered putting it back on after this first go to see!

I had to properly rub at it in the shower to come off so it's not a case of apply water and rinse of - thankfully for those of us who live in the UK and will be pelted with rain as soon as we get out of a taxi on our way out - but it is definitely a wash off, one use and you're done product.

Overall it's not a bad product but the colour is way, way too dark for me, despite it being the lightest offering in the range. If you're looking for something quick on a night out and you're darker skinned than me you'll probably carry this off well and it's a great option for a one stop instant solution for last minute nights out when you've been cuddling under blankets with the central heating cranked up met days this Autumn. If you're at the paler end of the spectrum this is definitely one to give a miss.


As for the prey an exfoliator it's a good product for a reasonably price point, if you're looking for an exfoliator. For some reason I presumed the 'pre tan' but meant it was a new type of exfoliator that maybe wasn't so oil based that you could use in the shower before slapping on the tan, but it's not. Which is my own fault for chucking the bottle into my basket without reading anything. When you assume you make an ass out of u and me and all that. It's a traditional exfoliator with an oily consistency and which is quite gritty and greta at exfoliating the body, but you do still need to use it 24 hours in advance of tanning. For anyone on the hunt for a body exfoliator at a good price point then I definitely recommend it, and I love that it comes in a tube and not a tub (see my empties video here for a rant about tubes vs tubs!) but it's not anything new or any wonderful alternative to any other exfoliators on the market (or already sitting in your cupboards!)

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara Review

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara | $20.00 Sephora | £19.50 QVC

Last Saturday I talked about the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara and this Saturday it's the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara. Who knew I was such a mascara fiend?!

Mascara isn't something that massively excites me all that often - I got this little small size in a set of Tarte products that I bought when I was in Florida at Christmas and I definitely wouldn't have made the effort to pick it up on its own, but once I finish up a few of my mascaras that I'm currently trying to get rid of, I'll definitely be replacing this - though the fact the Sephora price is so much cheaper thanks to the conversion makes me think I'll use it as an excuse to place my first Sephora order to be shipped to the UK (along with some more of the amazing brushes I fell in love with when I was over last time!)

Whilst the L'Oreal mascara gives defined individual lashes with a lot of length this one brings volume to the table as well, without compromising on the length. According to the Sephora website this claims to volumize your lashed by 424%, I don't know if I'd go that far but it definitely adds it by the bucketload. It also claims to condition lashes, but I'm trying to use up a few mascaras at the moment so I'm switching between them and can't comment on the long term effects of that. I'm fairly lucky in that my eyelashes are already fairly curly so I also can't massively comment on the curl power of this bad boy, but if it delivers the way the lengthening and volumizing promises do then you won't be disappointed.

This mascara feels so light on the lashes, no matter how much I build it up it never gets dry or flakey or crumbly, it feels like there's nothing on my lashes, and it never smudges. I'm not a massive fan of the snakeskin purple packaging, but it's what's inside that counts and what's inside delivers, so I'll forgive the tacky snakeskin print.

All round, discounting packaging, this baby is a 10/10!

The Round Up... Clay Masks

Best For... A Truly Deep Cleanse
Origins Clear Improvements - £23.00

When my skin is feeling particularly grotty - disgusting word but it's the only one that really sums up how congested and vile my skin feels sometimes - this is the one I reach for. You only need a tiny amount of this (this tube has lasted me the best part of two years - I have a second tube of this which I got in a set last Christmas that I still have never cracked open as this one is still going strong, so the price is really ridiculously reasonable!) as clay can absorb an incredible amount, I was told just how many times its own weight it can hold but I can't remember the exact figures!

The point is you need a really thin layer of this - no slather it on and waste a tonne of product here. This is the harshest of the three on the skin so I only apply it exactly where I need it, usually round my nose and chin otherwise it could end up drying out skin if it's not really required. Having said that when you put it on skin where it is needed the results are unparalleled, it's like a vacuum for anything that could be clogging up your skin and leaving you with clear pores and no oil build up. Dry skinned girls may want to avoid but for anyone with combination or oily skin this is definitely a must have.          

My only advice would be to make sure you moisturise well - even maybe use a moisture boosting mask or serum - as as well as sucking out all the oil and grime clogging you up, it can also strip even the oiliest skin of moisture, so make sure to replace it!



Best For... A Gentle, Non Drying Cleanse
REN Invisible Pores Detox Mask - £18.00

Of the three this is the one I like the least, it does it's job, but just not any better than the Una Brennan version. It's much more gentle than the Origins one and can be slathered all over - though I find my eyes sting if I take it too high up on my nose or cheeks, which doesn't happen with either of the other two options. Once it's slathered on though it definitely does what it is supposed to and removes the clogging dirt and oil without stripping the skin, so worth having if you're a REN loyalist or there's a 'buy two products and get x free' - which there currently is on Feel Unqiue, where I've linked up to. If you're reading this later and that offer is finished M&S are always running offers on their beauty hall - offers well worth keeping an eye on. Overall there's nothing massively wrong with this product or anything for me to put you off buying it, but I just think the Una Brennan one does a really similar job and is half the price.

With mentioning- you get 50ml of this product for £18, whereas you get 100ml of the Origins Clear Improvements for £23 or 125ml of the Una Brennan for £8.99, so it's half the size of the Origins and less than half the size of the Una Brennan.



Best For... A Gentle, Non Drying Cleanse On A Budget
Una Brennan Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask - £8.99

The packaging and name of this product seems to have changed since I picked it up - to the Salicylic Acid Anti Blemish Clay Mask, but I think it's pretty much the same product.

This does a really similar job to the REN version, it will clean out your skin without drying it - funnily enough I tried the cleanser from the Una Brennan Tea Flower range i.e. the deep cleaning range, and it dried my skin out horribly - I definitely don't have this problem with this mask. When I was commuting to Edinburgh over the summer for the Fringe Festival there was just something about being on a train for the best part of four hours a day (not to mention the 'grab it and go' nature of my diet - I was leaving the house at seven and arriving home at nine, every meal I ate was some form of fast food or, at best, an M&S sandwich) that left my skin feeling pretty congested. I slapped this mask on almost every second night to no adverse reactions and it definitely helped to prevent any of the grime I could feel living on my skin turning in to anything on the surface.

This only needs to be on the skin for five minutes to do it's job so it's also a great one if you're rushed for time and don't want to be sitting around for ages waiting on it drying it etc.




All in all, the Una Brennan is a great high street cleansing mask that I reach for quite a lot and will repurchase, but for a truly deep cleanse Origins is the only one to cut it. As for the REN? I'll use it up, it's not a bad product, but I won't bother replacing it once it's gone.

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara Review

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara

Now, here's the thing. This mascara isn't online. Not on boots.com or on Feel Unique, it does appear on the L'Oreal website but you can't actually shop from their own site?! And for about two years I could never find it in a store, so I'm not sure what's going on there. When I saw this in Boots recently I swooped in and grabbed it, unsure if I was dreaming or if this was actually reality - which it thankfully seems to be.

If you see this mascara in a store, grab it. That's the L'Oreal telescopic in the gold tube, not the silver. Whether it was discontinued and has only just been brought back, whether there's just been a strange shortage of it for a few years or whether it's back for good I'm not taking the risk and I'm prepared to stock up.

In case you can't tell I love this mascara. I grabbed it at the airport way, way back in 2010 and have been repurchasing since then - not many products can claim that in my collection - until the official drought of 2011-mid 2014 happened. It was a harrowing and heart breaking time which saw me only really buying high end mascaras as nothing else really satisfied me. But now it's back!

During the drought I did try the L'Oreal Telescopic False Lash Effect (the silver tube), hoping it would be the same, and boy did it fall short. It was clumpy, did absolutely nothing for the length of my lashes and smudged about under the eyes within a few minutes of application. Just not for me.

Why when they're from a similar range they're so different I don't know, but this one just ticks all the right boxes for me. It adds a good amount of length without being too much for day time, as seen in the above pictures, but you can also layer it up for a more dramatic look on a night out. And no matter how much I layer this mascara up it always seems to manage to not clump. You know that 'I may have really long lashes but I actually only have 3 of them' look? Yeah, you don't get that with this little wonder tube. In terms of lasting power it stays all day with no smudging under the eyes (a serious rarity) but it still comes off reasonably easily, the majority comes off with my cleansing balm and then I'll go in with a tiny bit of eye make up remover on a cotton pad to remove the rest. And it just comes off, no tugging or pulling required.

So, all in all? I'm back in love with this mascara and I have my fingers firmly crossed that it's here to stay this time!

Statement Eye and Statement Lip

Today's what's on my face post is worked around having a strong eye and a strong lip look and not coming out looking like a clown.

To avoid looking like a 5 year old gone ape in her mother's dressing room it's best to keep the eye colours not at the black end of the colour spectrum - here I've created a gold, green and brown look that is strong enough to make a statement without fighting the red lip for the most attention. I used a gold shadow from a Sephora palette I bought a few Christmases ago and placed that on the inner corner, any shimmery gold shade will work as it's just a tiny bit right on the inner corner, then swept the green shadow - Bella Pierre's Discoteque which is a green with gold chimer running through it, all over the lid and under the eye. I'm not a massive fan of mineral make up for the face but I enjoy using the powders on my eyes and they're a great go to for anyone with sensitive eyes like me who still wants colour choice and pigment pay off. I then used the Bella Pierre shadow in the shade Cocoa in the crease and swept it along under the join with the green/gold under the eye, all done using my Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush (set currently reduced on Feel Unique). So that my eyes didn't get lose amongst all the shadow I used my Mac eyeliner in the shade Mystery - a limited edition shade, but any forrest green eye liner would do, Mac's Tarnish looks similar judging by the website. To frame the eyes I used the Rimmel eyebrow pencil in the shade Hazel, and finished off with my Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume mascara.

Lip wise I used the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in the shade Hot Pepper. If I'm honest I'm not totally sold on this one, I love the same product in the shade Peach Club but the formulas of both feel completely different and this one is a lot wetter. Although it's not showing up massively in the photos it's quite a glossy finish on this one and just not what I'd expect from something called 'velvet'. It does last a really long time though and once it's set it doesn't move about the face despite the glossy finish so it's a good one if a glossy look is your preference, I'm just very loyal to the old matte red lip look.

The skin was definitely the background of this look - I used my MAC studio sculpt foundation, it has a dewy finish and is great for anyone with dry skin or for when you've gone on a holiday that's involved a long plane journey, but I'm not sure I'll be repurchasing when it eventually runs out. Concealer wise I went drugstore with the 17 Phwoarr paint, it's really similar to my favourite Mac Studio Finish concealer or the Benefit Boi-ing, so definitely worth a look for those of you on a budget who like some seriously heavy duty coverage.

I used the Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder to try and create a little bit of definition to my round face using my beloved MAC 168 brush and blush wise I opted for Mac's Coppertone, an orangey copper that defines the face but won't fight for attention with the eyes and lips. I dusted the tops of my cheekbones with the Bourjois Java Rice Powder using the Real Techniques setting brush and that was me done!