Nails and Teapots

Well...long time, no blog! It has been months since I have ventured onto this site to spill my makeup bag containing all my current favourite makeup products et cetera, as life just got in the way. I am currently making my way through my final year at University and honestly the idea of blogging began to seem like a form of procrastination which meant I was avoiding doing important readings, assignments and...you get the idea. Yet, I could not face the idea of missing out on blogging over the Christmas period as I always feel like year after year, beauty brands bring out amazing, elaborate collections for the festive period which I have loved blogging about previously. Despite this confession, this post is not actually about a Christmas collection but instead my current favourite palette that I feel would make an excellent gift for your sister, mother, girlfriend or pretty much any female/makeup lover in your life. 

The Tarte Tartelette In Bloom Clay Palette is pretty much everything I could ever want in a palette. As I have green eyes, I tend to lean more towards palettes that have deeper, purple shades as I find these really accentuate the green pigmentations in my eyes which in turn, makes them appear far more vibrant. Tarte is probably one of my most favourite brands for eyeshadows as the quality never disappoints. I feel like if you were to google the term 'buttery eyeshadows', Tarte's should be the top suggestion as my god, I have never experienced better. The blend-ability of the eyeshadows surpasses other competitive brands like Urban Decay, MAC and so forth and I love how the palette features multiple finishes such as rich, matte eyeshadows, iridescent gold and brassy shades as well as a lovely matte cream colour, perfect for the brow bone. I would use every shade within this palette as it is completely my aesthetic and I feel like a multitude of looks can be achieved wether you apply shades row by row or mix and match.

I tend to apply my MAC 'Painterly' Paint Pot all over my lid followed by a wash of  funny girl  to create a pretty, shimmery base which I apply with just with a soft, flat brush so I can really pack the colour on. I then apply smarty pants into the outer corner of my eye with a luxe soft crease brush and blend it up into the crease of my eye to create a neutral transition shade which I follow afterwards with leader to accentuate the purple hues which I usually apply with a petit crease brush, so the application is more defined and controlled. I then take the colour activist onto a pencil brush and apply it into the outer corners of my eyes and underneath to finish which adds to the smokiness and again, deepens the overall purple undertones. I then tend to finish the look off with either a black or dark purple liner into my waterline to tie the whole look together.

If you are after a new palette for Christmas for either yourself or a love one, I really suggest giving this a try. You can pick it up from Tarte's online store for £33 and trust me, it is worth every single penny.

I have been up to my eyes in uni work and after submitting my last assignment and I thought there is no better way to celebrate then writing a new blog post! I thought I would dedicate this one to a cult favourite of mine that pretty much features in every make up look I do as it is so adaptive. This is the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, a matte, nude base colour that glides onto the eyelids so easily and creates a blank slate ready for the eye-shadow of your choice. I love this as you could easily just slap this on, blend a neutral matte brown through the crease and add a winged liner and a few lashings of mascara and already you've have a simple yet sultry eye look. It is so wearable and so long lasting, there really is no reason why you shouldn't have this in your make up bag. I love the pinky undertone as I feel this is the quality that puts it on the pedestal. You need barely any product on the lids meaning this little pot lasts forever, making the £16 far easier to part with at the till. After using these, I find I barely use eyeshadow primers anymore as I love the fact that you gain both a long-wearing base as well as a hint of colour with this little pot of goodness. There is so many colours in MAC's collection that range from yellow-undertones to dramatic and iridescent finishes so do go and check them out.

Let me know what you think!

What is your favourite eyeshadow base? 

There is really nothing I love more than a good neutrals palette with a nice selection of colours in conjunction with multiple finishes. I picked up this palette whilst holidaying in Canada as I was way too excited to see the Marc Jacobs products in person as they have only recently became available in England. First of all, I absolutely love the simplistic, sleek packaging, with a shiny black finish meaning there is no haunting finger prints in sight, (I'm looking at you Nars). I also am a huge fan of the name, 'The Lolita' due to it's association with classic literature. I love how it incorporates some staple matte shades such as the pale white, warm brown and a deeper, cooler brown hue, perfect for any smokey eye. I only wish the deepest shade mimicked the warm undertones present in the neighbouring shadows as I find it looks slightly out of place when blended into the crease. Nevertheless, it acts as an excellent liner if blended into the lash line to create the impression of fuller looking lashes. The pigmentation is impeccable (as you can see in the swatches above) with zero fall out. The variety of colours and finishes remind me a lot of the Charlotte Tilbury quads, especially with the packed, glitter pigment that adds an extra sparkle to the eye. They blend beautifully as the quality of the shadows are practicality the definition of 'buttery'.  I find this palette is a must-have if on the hunt for a gift for a special occasion; perfect for the quickly descending graduations and proms. It may be pricey, (£45) but I like to think that I am paying the price for good quality and I cannot wait to try more products from Marc Jacobs and will be sure to keep you posted.

I understand that my blog is often a little high-end heavy but I am sucker when it comes to beautiful packaging. I have previously blogged about another palette from Charlotte Tilbury and expressed how I had fallen in love with the quality of colours encased in the burgundy and gold packaging and clearly that crave for perfection did not stop there. I picked up this palette initially because I am all about those purple shades to compliment and contrast my green eyes and admittedly the richness of the purple did not show up fully on camera. I love the whole systematic feel  of the Charlotte Tilbury quads as every shade has a purpose: to prime, enhance, smoke and pop! As well as the fact that it caters for all smokey-eye cravers wether you are experienced with working with shadows or not. I also love these quads as all though they are predominantly built for smokey-eye looks, I would pretty much wear any of these shades alone for a low-key eye with a little bit of liner smudged below the lashes and a glossy, nude lip. I feel like the definition of 'buttery' shadows was invented for the purpose of describing Tilbury's shadows and trust me, they are pricey but seriously, they are so worth it! The only slight downside is the glitter included, AKA - the Pop shade, isn't as pigmented as the other shades and definitely benefits from finger application (just a little heads up).  Yet, the fall out from all the shadows is practically obsolete, a massive pro in my opinion and arguably gives Urban Decay a run for their money.