The Dolce Vita Is My Life

Say hello to my new favourite 'holy grail' palette. The Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Color-coded Eyeshadow Palette. (Once again, extremely late to the party).

This the first and sadly the only Charlotte Tilbury product that I own and i'm super impressed. It's everything I want and need when it comes to shadows. Since it was kindly gifted to me for my 21st birthday early in May it has been a struggle not to use it every day. The price tag being one of the main reasons why. 

Before writing this post I wanted to photograph it untouched, which failed miserably. But I just couldn't help myself.

Packaging

There's not much to say about this apart from stating the obvious - bloody gorgeous. A dark chocolatey burgundy brown with rose gold detailing. It screams luxury whilst being petite and light. The perfect palette for travelling, which makes a nice change as most of the eyeshadow palettes in my collection are annoyingly clumpy and heavy. 10/10

Eyeshadows

As with all of the Charlotte Tilbury palettes, you get a Prime, Enhance, Smoke and Pop shade. And i'm obsessed with them all. 

With my skin tone I find it so difficult to find a pretty champagne shade that doesn't look ashy on my eyelids. The top left prime shade, however, is beautiful and looks so pretty and pearlescent on the eyes. 

The top right enhance shade is a personal favourite. Coppery, warm and an overall stunning crease shade that i have no qualms with using every single day.

The smoke shade on the bottom right of the palette is what brings your look from day to night. I use it on the outer corner of my crease or along the bottom and lower lash line. 

POP! This shade is what really sold the palette to me. Although it looks intimidating in the palette, when positioned in the middle of the eyelid it looks phenomenal. There is a tad bit of fall out and is best applied with your finger, but it still undoubtedly sparks joy.

I could have purchased everything on the counter in Selfridges when the lovely make up artist was putting my face on for me. It's pretty dangerous territory when you're surrounded by gorgeous (and expensive) products and a very helpful assistant. And after being extremely impressed and mesmerised by this product, i've already put together a Charlotte Tilbury wish list:

• Light Wonder Foundation
• Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow...(all of them)
• K.i.s.s.i.n.g Lipstick in Coachella Coral

Lastly, I'm so happy to have finally found an eyeshadow palette that I can get full use out of. Not a shadow is wasted, or untouched. And I should bloody well hope so considering the price tag.

Have you tried out any Charlotte Tilbury products?

A 'Brand' New Discovery: Kiko!

Since exams ended, i've been here, there and everywhere. I took the 50 minute train journey to Leeds to visit a good friend and to do some shopping, when I came across a Kiko Milano shop. I've heard and read a lot about Kiko but up until recently, had never visited a store. And let me tell ya, I'm mega impressed. It was a Saturday afternoon when I went in and all the sales assistants were busy so I only picked up one item (annoyingly). I went for the Long Lasting Sticks. Cream shadows are always the safest bets right? Cream shadows in stick form seem to be all the rage at the moment. I've swatched a bundle from brands such as By Terry, Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown. And as beautifully textured and pigmented as they are, they're all so bloody expensive! These Kiko bad boys are only £6.90 each. 

I really like how this brand have stand alone stores and that the product comes in proper packaging. I obviously never have much use for the outside packaging when I buy a product but it's something you would associate with a luxury beauty buy. And as much as I love having a rummage through Boots for those 3 for 2s, it can be hard to find a product that hasn't been touched by other customers. 'Getting a fresh one from the back' as my mum would say can sometimes be so difficult.

Typically, I went for the 'goldey, bronzey shimmery' shade. I'm not massively adventurous. But it is a gorgeous shade nonetheless. They're super easy to blend and affordable.

Hello Lazy Golden Goddess summer make up!

Have you tried Kiko?

The Mini Gerard Cosmetics Haul

After a long wait, I've finally gotten my hands on a couple of lippys from Gerard Cosmetics. (Note to self: Order from Beauty Bay next time.) I went for Jaclyn Hill's 1995 and Sophia Chang from Fashionista804's Kimchi Doll. Surprise, Surprise. I went for the nudes. At first I didn't think that I would be a fan of the gold packaging, but I am. They don't look or feel at all cheap and create a nice contrast amongst my MAC lipsticks on the top of my rather boring desk. That's a good excuse isn't it? Buy more lipsticks, it will make your desk look prettier!

1995 is my favourite of the two. It has a matte finish, but is creamy and comfortable. And quite frankly, one of the best browny nudes i've ever tried. It's what I like to call a nude for everyone. Gorgeous on both pale and darker skin tones. I find it quite difficult to find a nude that suits my tanned skin without it looking like i've lathered on the concealer. I wore 1995 for the first time after my last exam this year where there was quite a lot of drinking throughout the day and it stayed on! The lasting power is definitely there.

Lip Liner: MAC Whirl

Kimchi Doll is a cute, pink and peachy nude and like 1995, is creamy and wonderful. It's a bit on the pale side, so people like me with darker skin tones are better off wearing a lip liner underneath it in a shade darker. Nevertheless, I'm a fan and can't wait to wear it throughout the summer.

Lip Liner: MAC Spice

The price point is spot on at £11.50 each and I love the formulation of them. I find them extremely comparable to MAC in terms of quality and comfort, but not so much shade selection.

Comfortable, affordable and lovely.

Have you tried Gerard Cosmetics yet?

I've Been Sheer Glowed

A couple of posts ago I was ranting and raving about everything that was going wrong in my life with regards to poor foundation choices. But after months of 'umming and ahhing', I finally feel like i've made the right one. 

It was my 21st birthday last Saturday and my Mum and I took a trip into the Selfridges beauty hall. I absolutely adore Selfridges. You never feel at all looked down upon and there's always a fantastic atmosphere in there! DJs and half naked men were there promoting a new MAC collection (my Mum was loving that part), and everyone was enjoying the weekend vibes.

I walked straight over to the NARS counter and asked to be matched to Sheer Glow. There's a lot of hype around this foundation and I thought that it would be just my luck to be not that in love with it. But I was wrong, I really really love is one. For my sometimes flakey cheeks and oily t-zone, I find this product to be sensational. The finish isn't exactly glowy (which i'm sure you've read time and time again), but I sort of like that. It has a soft velvety finish that doesn't drag over your dry patches. An even better selling point is that it feels like you virtually have nothing on. But you can build it to a good medium to full coverage if you wanted to and there are shades for days.

The packaging is cute and petite which is fantastic for travelling. It sort of reminds me of a large-ish nail polish bottle, but not really large at all. 

The Downfall:

It doesn't come with a bloody pump. I knew this when I bought it so I can't complain too much. It's only until you get home and use it for a couple of days that it really winds you up and they're impossible to get a hold of. 

Have you been Sheer Glowed yet?

New In: Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

I always tell myself that i'm not going to splurge on expensive mascaras because I go through them too quickly. And with regards to Benefit, the They're Real! mascara wasn't doing it for me. It wasn't a horrendous product, but my lashes were a little clumpy and lacked length after I used it. When the Roller Lash Mascara came out there was a lot of hype around it, similar to that of the They're Real! and I convinced myself that it was something I could live without and save myself the £19.50. That was the case until I went into Sephora and saw the pretty pink, black and silver packaging on the shelf. Benefit always gets me with the outside packaging detail! 

My Thoughts

I love it! This mascara gives your lashes such a flattering curl. Voluminous and thick without the clumpy texture, and it gives the lashes a great length. This product is buildable, but two coats is more than enough to do the job. The longevity is to a good standard, leaving you with luscious long lashes throughout the day.The packaging is dainty and cute with a bit of a vintage feel to it. The wand curves in the right places and lifts and curls the lashes beautifully. 

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Here are some before and after pictures for you to enjoy, featuring my lovely mug... LOL.

x

In The Nude This Spring/Summer

I never realise how much I have of something until I either have a gander into my make up collection or go to photograph things for a blog post. So when I was choosing which products to include and photograph it was then that I realised how many nude lipsticks or glosses I actually have. I like to think of myself as a bit of a nude hoarder. They're a safe buy and worth the money as nude shades are more often than not my go to lip colour, especially in the day time. There's something about wearing a bold block colour in the day time that makes me feel a little uneasy. I always think, 'is the colour bleeding' or 'has the colour rubbed off'. But don't get me wrong, on a night out I love wearing a statement lip.

The nudes i'm loving:

1. Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Gel in Moody Margot - I've spoken about this two or three posts ago. It's a new addition to my lip collection and i'm really enjoying wearing it. I love the sheer simplicity of it.

2. Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 02 - It's no secret that i'm a huge fan of the formula when it comes to these Cream Lip Stains. They leave you with a matte finish that is extremely long lasting, but not at all drying. The shade 02 is a muted peachy brown nude.

3. Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick in Nude Perfection - Peachy, cheap, cheerful and an overall slap and dash product.

4. MAC Velvet Teddy - It's difficult to find a nude lip colour that suits all skin types. MAC's famous Matte lipstick 'Velvet Teddy' is one for all complexions.

5. MAC Spice Lip Pencil  - This '90's lip pencil looks great paired with Velvet Teddy or all over the lips on its own. Whatever takes your fancy.

My style and go to make up looks are always changing, but my instinctive reach for a nude on a daily basis will always stay the same. Is that boring?

What are your go to lip products this Spring/Summer?

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