EOTD - smokey eye using various palettes

Base & inner eye: Pink shade of 17's 'Peep Show' eyeshadow palette

Crease: mixture of the two purple shades in Topshop's 'Smouldering' eyeshadow palette

Outer corner/wing & under-eye: charcoal brown shade of Elizabeth Arden's 'Sueded Browns' palette

Pressed lightly over the top to give depth: Urban Decay's 'Half Baked' shadow from their 'NAKED' palette.

Eyeliner: Prestige black waterproof kohl liner

Liquid eyeliner: Collection 2000 24 hr stay liquid liner

Mascara: Dior Iconic layered with Lancome Hypnose Drama (both in Black)

Free 17 Peep Show Eyeshadow Palette

...With the purchase of 17's Peep Show mascara (introductory price £5.29, usually £6.29)

This palette is ALOT better than I originally thought/expected - the colours are highly pigmented & you need just the tiniest amount so it'll last a fair while. (Currently skint but if I wasn't I'd definitely purchase the mascara again just for a backup of this palette before they stop the offer!)

Top left is a slightly matte ashy-brown, top right is a matte charcoal black, bottom left is a shimmery pink (great for opening up the eyes) & bottom right is a shimmery paler beige.

I've found myself reaching for this every morning because practically all the colours I'd need for an everyday smokey-eye are in there, so it saves me a lot of time in the morning as I don't need to rummage through my collection for individual shades. 

The mascara is pretty good. It's an intense black (which I like), which you need quite a few coats off to get a volumised look but it does the job - it separates & lengthens, and to be honest I tried this on one eye & Dior's Iconic on the other - & there wasn't much difference. Wearing this mascara I also got a few comments during the day on how long my lashes looked. So for £5.29 for this, AND the palette, it's a complete bargain & thumbs up from me.

17 is sold at Boots stores.

Free Boots 17 "All About Nude" eye palette

Buy any two Boots 17 products and recieve the "All About Nude" eye palette free.

 Swatch:

 

The Lipstick & Cream Blusher on my lips:

To qualify for this freebie, I re-purchased the Shine Control loose powder, which as you can see compared to my old one (left), they've improved the packaging and changed its name from Oil Control to Shine Control. The old one also stated it was 'lightly medicated' whereas the new one doesn't.

I also picked up a black eyeliner pencil which I gave to my sister.

17 Metallic Nudes

17's Limited Edition 'metallic nudes' eyeshadow palette (Boots, £5.49) is packed with smooth & highly pigmented nude metallic shades, perfect for a soft daytime look or for livening up a smokey eye. Grab yours while you can - I notice they quickly sell out. The only downside to this product is the size of some of the shades - one of the dark browns is a shade I'd have liked there to have been more of. This product also becomes messy very quickly, be warned! 

However overall this product is great value for money, you only need to apply the tiniest amount due to the pigment of these shadows meaning it'll last you a fair while.

Recent mini-hauls

It's 3 for 2 across all make-up in Boots at the moment - So I picked up a 17 Eye-Shadow palette, Maxfactor Nailfinity varnish in 'Pearly Pink' and my everyday Maxfactor Under-Eye Concealer pen (not pictured). I also had a voucher from Cosmopolitan for £2 off an O.P.I nail lacquer from Sally's, so I bought 'Chicago Champagne Toast' - which at first glance is a shimmery brown shade, but once dry on the nails is more of a dark pink.

On a recent trip to Bristol I FINALLY bought a Laura Mercier foundation. Doing some research prior, I found that many reviews claimed Laura's was a better mineral foundation than BareMinerals, (more finely milled etc) so I've given it a go. The man who served me was really helpful, bar the obligatory efforts of selling accompanying products ;) (that aren't really necessary - I already have plenty of concealers, and my skin just doesn't react well to primers). Whilst talking to me about Laura's 'Secret Camouflage' concealer, he went on to tell me he's served Sarah Harding & Nicola from Girls Aloud and that they swear by it apparently. 

So anyway I've used this mineral foundation a couple of times, & I'm pleased :-) I'm definitely a mineral foundation convert ;)

  

Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation

 

Pros -

~ It feels extremely light upon the face, unlike liquid foundations

~ It's MUCH better for the skin, especially spot-prone types

~ It gives you a healthy 'glow'

~ It's neater to use than most minerals

~ Finely milled, great quality.

Cons -

~ The price. At £30 a pot, I'm sure as hell hoping it lasts a long time.

~ The packaging. As a high-end product, I think it could be improved a little. I do like it's simpleness in a way, and the brand font, but it's not as appealing as say, NARS or Estee Lauder.

To apply this product, I use a biiig brush (Model Co blush brush), and swirl it into the face from the outsides in. I've been advised it's best to apply concealer AFTER, but I've personally found it best to apply my concealer first, and smooth everything over with foundation to finish. 

I also picked up an Elizabeth Arden 'Deep Cleansing Mask' from TK Maxx, selling at around £8! It's a discontinued product, which is a shame as I've used it once so far & I LOVE it. It makes my skin feel so refreshed and clean. It's to be left on for 10 minutes, and rubbed off with a muslin cloth.