Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette; review & swatches

Urban Decay is without a doubt my favourite brand for eyeshadow palettes. I'm not shy to colour, and I love a good creamy, pigmented eyeshadow. I already own the previous Vice palettes - I like the first more than the second - and the third is actually even more beautiful.

The packaging is very cool and eye-catching, though slightly odd as it doesn't quite match the others that say "UD" on the front. The palette comes in a nice little pouch that can definitely be used as a makeup bag, or just something to store the palette in, as I can imagine it could end up quite scratched, like the shiny gold YSL packaging tends to.

The palette doesn't have the funky button to open it like the previous, but it still opens nicely with a magnetic closure and a mirror that stands up - perfect for travelling!

The first thing that stood out to me is that the shades actually seem to be in columns of colours that might work well together, and the palette contains more neutrals than most UD palettes. I think having more neutrals is great, as it means that I can just use this palette, without needing to grab for blending or highlighting shades elsewhere.

Swatched in columns, left to right.

Truth, Undone, Downfall, DTF, Dragon, Freeze, Heroine, Brokedown, Vanity, Lucky, Reign, Bobby Dazzle

Alien, Alchemy, Bondage, Sonic, Last Sin, Angel, Defy, Revolver

As you can see in the swatches, the overall quality is great, as you would expect from UD shadows. I'm glad that there aren't any super chunky, shimmery shades in this, as they tend to leave a lot of fallout. A few of the shades are slightly powdery (mainly the lighter neutrals) but they're still very pigmented, kind of like Lorac Pro eyeshadows. Some of the particularly impressive shades are Dragon, Freeze, Lucky, Reign, and Sonic.

I can honestly say that this has become my current favourite palette, I can't stop using it, and I still haven't used every shade on my eyes, as there are just so many options! I would recommend this to anyone, as there are a great selection of warm, cool, natural and bright shades.

In the UK, I believe the palette will be released on Urban Decay on October 27th, and in stores that stock Urban Decay on November 1st.

Get it while you can!

Cocktail Cosmetics Haul: Lime Crime, OCC, Sigma!

A few days ago I posted about my visit to the new Cocktail Cosmetics store in Birmingham, where I obviously had to purchase a few bits, so here is my haul!

Firstly I headed straight for the Lime Crime display since I've never had a chance to try any of their products before. They had an amazing selection of products, including testers to try out. I would've left the store with a rainbow on my hand had there not been any wipes!

Red Velvet Velvetine, Serpentina Opaque Lipstick, Airborne Unicorn Opaque Lipstick, My Beautiful Rocket Opaque Lipstick, Wicked Velvetine.

Do I even need to comment on the amazing packaging?! The middle lipstick is the regular packaging, the other two are the 6th year anniversary packaging.

You're probably wondering why I picked a metallic green, lilac-purple, and bright orange... So am I! I'm very comfortable wearing bright colours - reds, purples, hot pinks, etc, so I decided that it was time to become a little more adventurous. I've worn all of these colours (inside the house so far!) and I actually really love all of them - even the green, I could definitely see myself wearing it out.

Swatches: My Beautiful Rocket, Serpentina, Airborne Unicorn

I'm very impressed with the formula of the lipsticks, especially Serpentina, which is surprisingly smooth considering the sparkle! I haven't tested how long wearing they are yet, but I don't think there will be an issue, the swatches were difficult to remove.

The next things I grabbed were two velvetines - I knew I wanted Wicked before I even entered the store, and I went back for Red Velvet because I knew I'd regret not buying it.

Wicked, Red Velvet

Swatches: Wicked, Red Velvet

These swatches really don't do the Velvetines justice - they go on so smooth and opaque. They can be a little tricky to apply as they're a liquid lipstick, so it's best to not use these in a rush. Once they dry they become completely matte - with a velvet finish - hence the name.

The most impressive thing about these is that they just don't come off. The swatches are still faintly visible on my arm even after scrubbing, showering, etc. I tested Wicked when going for a meal, and it stayed put perfectly. Definitely my new favourite shade!

Sigma's Tapered Highlighter F35

Considering brushes are my weakness, I did very well to only come away with one. I've purchases a few Sigma brushes in the past, but I have always wanted a brush of this shape for under the eyes/highlighting. The brush itself is very soft, and I really enjoy using it. Unfortunately, Sigma are a lot less affordable than they used to be, their prices are similar to MAC's now.

Lastly, is an OCC (Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics) Lip Tar in Hush. It's a light peachy nude, that may be slightly to pale for me to wear alone, so I think I'll be picking up a deeper colour next time. The great thing about these is that all shades can be mixed to create your own customised lip colour.

Swatch: Hush Lip Tar

In the swatch it doesn't look too light, but on the lips it appears as a very light nude.

Freebie - with the Sigma brush I received a free mini brush cleaning glove which I have always wanted to try, I'll let you know how it is!

I really like everything I purchased and can't wait to go back for more, I would love to collect all of the Lime Crime colours, they're so unique.

Have you tried any of these products?

What do you think I should try next?

Thanks for reading!

Bee xx

My MAC Lipsticks

  I really do love a good MAC lipstick, I suppose you could say they're a guilty pleasure of mine - if you see me at a MAC counter, my hand will no doubt be covered in lipstick swatches. Realistically though, you can find amazing lipsticks for a much lower price elsewhere, but nothing beats the amazing selection of colours that MAC produce.

One thing I must mention though, is the frequent price increase. MAC recently raised the price to £15.50, which is starting to become a little bit steep for me. Just a few years ago I remember purchasing them for £13.50 each!

I currently have 9 shades in my collection, and as you can see I'm a big fan of colour on my lips. I think that nudes and neutral/everyday colours are easier to find in Boots or Superdrug at a lower price, but MAC still do those shades very well.

The Reds

Lady Danger (Matte), So Chaud (Matte), Ruby Woo(Matte), Riri Woo (Retro Matte)

I really love red lipsticks, and I don't believe that anyone can't pull off a red; it just has to be the right shade. My skin tone is quite warm but fair, and my features are dark, so I suit most shades of red (fortunately for me!) Matte is my favourite formula of lipstick, as they're less likely to smudge, and more long-wearing. Something you may notice about these shades is that Lady Danger and So Chaud are very similar, as are Ruby Woo and Riri Woo. You can barely notice a difference between the shades, so I wouldn't recommend buying all of these. I'd recommend Lady Danger and Riri Woo the most.

The Pinks

Creme Cup (Cremesheen), Pink Nouveau (Satin), Candy Yum-Yum (Matte)

I don't purchase many pink shades, because I'm simply not into pink very much at all, but I do love and wear these 3 shades, especially Creme Cup - which I highly recommend anyone to buy, especially if you are fair, as it is so wearable and comfortable on the lips. Pink Nouveau is what I'd describe as a wearable bright pink, it's not neon or too flashy like Candy Yum-Yum, but it's definitely a pop of colour, great for spring or summer. Candy Yum-Yum is a great, unique shade, which can definitely be hard to pull off, so I'd recommend going natural on the eyes with this one. It does have an amazing formula that lasts a long time and even stains the lips - the swatch stained my arm even after removing with an oil!

The Berrys/Purples

Up The Amp (Amplified), Rebel (Satin)

I love purple toned lipsticks, I wish they suited me more than they actually do though. As my skin is quite yellow, they contrast too much sometimes, so I have to make the rest of my makeup work around these colours. I've also found that Up The Amp turns pink on my lips after a few minutes of wearing it, so I have to apply a lighter lipstick as a base first to get the true colour. Rebel is an amazing berry shade that is much lighter than it looks in the tube. I'd definitely recommend it for Autumn/Winter.

From my MAC collection, my favourites and most worn are Creme Cup and Riri Woo. Creme Cup is great for everyday or with heavy eye makeup, and Riri Woo has amazing staying power.

Creme Cup, Pink Nouveau, Candy Yum-Yum, Lady Danger, So Chaud, Ruby Woo, Riri Woo, Up The Amp, Rebel

What are your favourite MAC lipsticks?

Thanks for reading!

Bee x

Illamasqua Sale Haul!

I don't own many Illamasqua products, but I have enough to know that they are usually great quality. I'm often drawn to Illamasqua by their unique colours, which tend to stray far from the regular "nudes and neutrals" that we've been flooded with.

They've put an impressive amount of products on sale for very affordable prices (£5, £7.50 and £10) lately, but the sales are over now unfortunately!

I'll definitely do a full review on my haul soon, but for now I'm just going to show you what I purchased.

I decided that I needed to add to my blush collection - blushes are never really that appealing to me when I'm shopping for new makeup, I get drawn in by foundations, eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks, so my blush collection is quite limited. I purchased these with the intention of using them in my professional kit, but I can definitely see myself getting plenty of use out of them (hygienically of course!)

The blushes were all £7.50 each - an incredible saving, considering they retail for £18 normally.

Cream Blush in "Seduce" - Warm rose pink, dewy finish.

Cream Blush in "Promise" - Warm candy pink, dewy finish.

Cream Blush in "Dixie" - Warm coral pink, dewy finish.

Cream Blush in "Rude" - Warm peach pink, dewy finish.

Left to right - Seduce, Promise, Dixie, Rude.

I love the colours that I chose so far, and I am very impressed by the pigmentation and texture. These are the first cream blushes I have purchased from Illamasqua, so I look forward to playing with them!

Powder Blush in "Hussy" - Bright candy pink, matte finish.

Powder Blush in "Tremble" - Soft lilac pink, matte finish.

Tremble, Hussy.

I have only used tremble so far, but I already love their powder blushes. I own one in "Create" which is a deep warm brown, which is just as pigmented and smooth. As you can see from this picture, the cream blushes slightly stained my arm (on the left) - hopefully this indicates good staying power!

All of these products have a sweet vanilla smell, which I really love. I've noticed that Illamasqua are very good at describing their shades, but if you're still unsure by the online description, there are swatches available on plenty of blogs.

What did you pick up in the Illamasqua sale?

Bee x

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick and Lip Pencil

Ever since I saw Samantha Schuerman mention this particular lipstick, i've been lusting after it! I've always been a massive Urban Decay fan, and I'm loving all of the new products they've been releasing.

First of all, the packaging goes along the same theme as the Naked Skin foundation, in a beautiful gunmetal colour. It's quite sleek and cute, but the only thing that really bothers me is how fingerprints really show up everytime you touch it. It is however, a massive improvement on their old lipstick packagaing, which had a sharp little dagger sticking out from the end.

The colour I purchased is "Bang" - apolgies for the state of this lipstick, I clumsily caught the top of it on the lid while opening it! :( The colour itself is a bright orange red, which I find would suit a lot of skin tones - from fair to very dark.

To go along with this I also purchased the matching lip pencil, which does actually match it perfectly.

Swatched side by side, you can see how pigmented these two truly are, I am so impressed! The lipstick has a slightly thicker formula, but it is not too glossy, as I personally dislike gloss in a pigmented lipstick. On me, this lipstick lasted an extremely long time, even after eating a meal. The colour does fade slightly, but it fades evenly.

I personally love these two formulas together, and I would definitely like to pick up some more shades! Well done, Urban Decay!

Available on the Debenhams website. Lipstick £15, Lip Pencil £13.