Lancome Christmas Collection 2015 | La Palette 29 Faubourg Saint Honore Review

Hi Everyone!
Hope you all are well :)

It is finally December my favourite month of the year and I'm nothing short of over the moon. I could go on and on about why I love this time of year. My birthday is in December, I adore the lights, and the festivities in general. Also in the months of November and December two of my loves combine in the form of makeup Christmas Collections, which is what I'm talking to you about today.

At the beginning of November Lancome launched their Christmas Collection for 2015 and I was drooling over the range. In the collection there are some nail varnishes, a lipstick, a mascara, and a face powder but what really grabbed my attention was the eye and lip palette.

Prior to this palette I had never tried any makeup from Lancome so I suppose the range intrigued me in itself but I was very curious about the way in which the lip colours in the palette were stored. I'm yet to come across a single eye/lip combo palette that I have enjoyed. I just find they generally don't work. When you pick up a little eyeshadow on your brush 90% of the time you will have excess product in the pan. The problem then is having a cream product next to the eyeshadows, it usually ends with the two textures mixing which can be extremely inconvenient. Not to mention the aspect of cross-contamination!

However, that won't be the case with this palette as there is a swing lid which adds a layer of protection for the lip products. Such a simple concept but extremely effective!

For the price I had expected the palette to have been a little larger, I was slightly surprised when it arrived to be completely honest. 

The palette houses six eyeshadows, a hydrating lip base and two matte lip colours. There is a dual ended eye and lip brush contained in the palette and also a decent sized mirror. Stuck onto the mirror there is a step by step guide showing you how to create a day and night time look using the palette. The shadows and steps are numbered so it is very easy to follow, a great guide for beginners. Being that the palette is small and contains a brush and a mirror it is handy for on the go, especially if you need to top up the lipstick.

As you can see the eyeshadows are contained to the left hand side of the palette while the lip colours are towards the right.

Eyeshadow 1: Matte cream coloured shade

Eyeshadow 2: A shimmery golden coloured eyeshadow

Eyeshadow 3: A bronze shimmery eyeshadow

Eyeshadow 4: Slightly grey toned pink with a shimmer finish

Eyeshadow 5: Medium plum toned shade with a pearlescent finish

Eyeshadow 6: Dark purple eyeshadow with flecks of glitter running throughout

Lip A: Hydrating lip base

Lip B: Cherry red lipstick

Lip C: Burgundy lipstick

I rarely use the brushes that come with eyeshadow palettes because a lot of them generally aren't great. The limited edition Lancome palette comes with a dual ended eye and lip brush and it's pretty good! I love the angled eyeshadow brush it's great quality, nice and dense and packs eyeshadow onto the eye really well. It's also great for blending the edges of the eyeshadow to ensure no harsh lines.

The lip brush is also good, its not revolutionary but it gets the job done.

The only thing I feel that is missing from the palette is a dark matte shade to add depth to the eyes. I found the dark purple with the glitter in it a little too chunky and not ideal for creating depth. I just found the look too shimmery then overall. I would have preferred a matte black or brown eyeshadow in place of the hydrating lip base as I can't see myself using that too much.

Other than that its a really nice palette for creating a glamorous smokey eye. The lip colours in the palette compliment the eyeshadows nicely and when worn together I think they create a nice party ready look for the festive season...or for any season for that matter!

I've filmed a step by step tutorial showing you how to use the palette which includes all products in the palette! If you would like to see how I created the look then just click on the play button below :)

The Lancome Christmas Collection 2015 is available now at select counters in Debenhams and the La Palette 29 Faubourg Saint Honore will set you back €55. The range is limited edition for Christmas so if you see anything you like snap it up quickly!

Until next time :)

Eimear x

Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Todays review is the first of its kind on the blog, I have never reviewed a concealer before and that is mainly due to the fact that I don't wear concealer. Well, I didn't up until recently!

While the old domain name may be gone, I am still a bargain hunter at heart so naturally I picked up one from a budget brand. I am probably the very last person on the planet to jump on the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer bandwagon, this product has been hyped up for as long as I can remember. I can't scroll through feeds on my social networking sites without seeing someone rave about this product, as you can imagine my expectations were quite high.

Sometime around the start of last year I bit the bullet and ventured out to Boots to finally purchase the concealer to see what all the fuss was about.

The Lasting Perfection Concealer is stocked in four shades:

Fair, Cool Medium, Warm Medium and Dark.

There isn't a huge variety in terms of shades however I was pleasantly surprised with how pale the lightest shade '1 Fair' was. It matches my skin tone almost perfectly. When I realised the product only came in 4 shades I had assumed that the lightest shade would be too dark as that is usually always the case for myself, but not this time thankfully!

With regard to the packaging its plain and simple, just the way I like it! 

The concealer comes in a clear tube with a black lid and text printed on the body. As you can see from the pictures above the top tube with the writing on it is a newly purchased concealer while the one beneath is one I picked up a couple of months ago. As the writing is imprinted on the tube and not engraved the text does wear off after a some time. I don't mind this at all because once my makeup is on, its on for the day. I don't carry around a makeup bag to do touch ups so nobody is going to see my worn tube of concealer anyway!

After twisting off the lid you will be greeted by a doe foot applicator. I dislike sponge applicators when it comes to concealer as they easily collect bacteria and also soak up some of the product. I would suggest dotting the product onto a palette or the back of your hand and then applying it to the face as this will limit bacteria build up. 

Initially when I tried this product I detested it, absolutely detested it. When applied to the under eye area I found it aged me by about 80 years, lines I never knew existed suddenly appeared. I was so let down because there was so much hype surrounding the product. When I would see a YouTuber applying mountains of the product to their under eye area I would wince. I personally find the consistency of the concealer far too thick to be worn underneath the eye. After much disappointed the product was tossed aside up until recently. As you may know I do makeup tutorials over on YouTube and I'm also an avid viewer too. Time and time again I kept seeing YouTubers raving about this product and I simply couldn't understand it. In a bid to, I decided to root it out and give it another go. I was determined to make this work and after much use I finally found a way for me!

I loved the coverage of the product, the shade, and the price. Unfortunately it was only the application side of things I was unhappy with. I found the product caked and creased underneath the eye and also around blemishes. Naturally using the concealer for these purposes was a big no no! I decided then to use the concealer to highlight certain areas of my face and it worked like a dream. I use the concealer on the top of my cheek bone and underneath the hollows of my cheeks. From the photo above you can see that the unblended concealer is almost a perfect match to the foundation I am wearing. I apply the concealer, blend it and then I set the area with powder. Once I have set the skin I can then apply my contour powder. When thats in place I sweep a little more powder underneath the hollow of my cheek to make that contour shade really stand out. Using the product in this way allows me to effectively sculpt my cheek bones and I'm quite satisfied with the end result.

The concealer is extremely long lasting, I find it looks the same in the evening as it did when I applied it at the crack of dawn that morning. This product will set you back a mere €5.49 in Boots so it is extremely affordable.

Although I don't use the product for the purpose intended of concealing imperfections/blemishes, I still thoroughly enjoy the concealer and will continue to repurchase.

What do you think of the Lasting Perfection Concealer? Is it your holy grail concealer? Let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

Chat soon!

Eimear x

Cheap and Cheerful with Collection

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Today I have the latest installment of the Cheap and Cheerful series.

After browsing through the stands in Boots I settled with this beautiful palette.

All I can say is I am super impressed with the quality, pigmentation and price of the palette! If you would like to check out my full review of this palette just click here.

I created three different looks using this palette:

Products Used:

Collection Smokey Eyes Palette (review here)

Nyx Eyebrow Kit with Stencil for Brunettes (review here)

Mally Volumizing Mascara 

If you would like to see how I created these makeup looks, just click on the play button below!

Thanks for tuning in!

Eimear x

Collection Smokey Eyes Palette #3 Smokey

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Today I have an eyeshadow palette review for you all.

I have been looking around trying to find some budget buys for my cheap and cheerful series that I am currently doing. 

First stop...Boots!

Currently there are tonnes and tonnes of offers on across different ranges in Boots. As I was browsing through the different stands I wasn't seeing anything that was jumping out at me...until I came to the Collection stand.

I think the only things I have ever tried from Collection was a tinted moisturiser and a green concealer back when I was 14 and they were called Collection 2000. I have been lusting over the much hyped Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, however each time I have popped in it has been out of stock! Well in the ghostly shade that I want anyway :)

On the Collection stand there was an offer running:

Buy one get one half price

Buy 2 get the cheapest one half price

FINALLY, I found the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in the shade 'Fair' in stock in the Boots on Grafton Street. I picked that up along with this beautiful eyeshadow palette that caught my eye.

I love the packaging, it stood out from every other eyeshadow palette on display in there! On the reverse side of the palette it explains to you how to create the smokey eye look. I always like to see this on the palette as the step by steps are great for everyone, especially beginners! 

Inside the palette you will find 9 eyeshadows each labelled either 

'Dark', 'Light' or 'Medium', meaning you have the option of creating 3 entirely different looks..minimum!

To use the palette, Collection suggest the following steps:

1. Blend the Medium shade over the eyelid.

2. Brush the Dark shade from the outer corner and blend to the centre of the lid. For more impact, sweep along the lower lash line.

3. Use the light shade to highlight the brow bone.

4. Brighten the inner corner of the eye with the cream.

Starting with the first row, as you can see from the swatch below the light shade is almost non existent. I only swatched the shadow once on my arm, for the white to appear on the skin you needed 2-3 layers of the shadow.

Here is the look I created using the palette :)

I love the second row of shadows. The three shadows are highly pigmented and give off such a beautiful sheen when blended across the eye lid.

Here is how they look in action :)

This is a swatch of the third row. In this row we have a medium shade, a dark shade, followed by a cream shade. We have two different highlight shades we can choose between and the cream shade is used in all three makeup looks as a highlight around the tear duct of the eye.

Here is the third look :)

I decided to use the medium and dark shade on the third row, followed by the pink iridescent 'light' shade on the second row as my brow bone highlight.

I am extremely impressed with the quality and pigmentation of these shadows.

All of the eyeshadows in the palette except for the white shade are very vibrant with just one swatch of the colours. This was the only palette of the range available in Boots at the time I was in the store. After looking up online I am definitely interested in checking out some more...especially the more colourful ones! 

I picked up the palette and the concealer for around €9!

The palette is around €6 which is only €2 per makeup look I think we can all agree that Bargain Hunter Byrne strikes again >:)

If you would like to see how I created the three makeup looks, just click on the play button below! Hope you enjoy the tutorial :D 

Thanks a million for tuning in guys.

See you in my next video/review!

Eimear x

Avon Amethyst Gold Lipstick Review

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Lipsticks...

A girl simply cannot have enough!

While browsing through my Avon catalogue I came across this beauty.

A very unusual lipstick, like nothing I have in my kit to date.

I love my red lipsticks but this had gorgeous gold flecks throughout it, needless to say I was drooling.

At €2.50, it was a must have!

Or so I thought...

As you may have already guessed from the title above this lipstick is called 'Amethyst Gold' from the 24k gold collection. 

I had been pondering whether to buy this lipstick or not for absolutely ages and when it was reduced down to a measly €2.50, I thought now is the best time to buy!

Wrong.

Do not be fooled ladies and gents by how this looks in the catalogue, or in the flesh for that matter!

It looks absolutely beautiful until swatched.

Unfortunately it was a huge let down.

I had imagined this as my dream lipstick.

A vibrant red with gorgeous gold flecks glittering on the lips.

When swatched the lipstick is very sheer, there is very little colour pay off.

The lipstick is glossy but there are little to no gold flecks when swatched.

This lipstick to me appears more like a lip balm.

You would nearly be better off picking up the Vaseline Rosy Lips Lip Balm.

Here is a quick look at the lipstick actually on the lips.

Still a nice colour but unfortunately nothing like I had expected :(

Really disappointing.

Things seem to be really hit or miss with Avon.

Have you come across any duds?

Eimear x

Smoldering Smokey Eyes: Chocolate Browns

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

Today I am back again with another tutorial. This look is a chocolate brown smokey eye with a little bit of shimmer, its perfect for the festive season! I decided I would do a "wearable" Christmas look first as the rest will be using glitters and cranberry shades, which may not appeal to everyone. You can't go wrong with a brown smokey eye in my opinion so on with the look :)

I picked up this beautiful Nyx palette in Tk Maxx recently, this shop is my favourite for bargain buys!

The vast majority of my Nyx palettes have come from Tk Maxx as they are usually a little cheaper. This is due to the fact that if I were to buy online its in pound sterling and I would also have to pay for postage. Unfortunately I can't buy Nyx in store in Ireland other than in Tk Maxx or River Island (to my knowledge) and the selection isn't great in either. 

I keep my eyes peeled for Nyx in Tk Maxx as I've picked up some great bargain buys over the last few years including this palette which I picked up for €6.99...bargain buy yet again!

This palette is from the Caribbean Collection and is I Dream Of St. Kitt.

Has a gorgeous array of browns to create the perfect smokey eye. The shadows are extremely pigmented I'm extremely happy yet again with my Nyx purchase.

Here is the look I came up with using this palette.

Products Used:

Eyes

Nyx Jumbo Pencil 'Milk'

Nyx Caribbean Collection I Dream Of St. Kitt

Nyx Jumbo Pencil 'Black Bean'

Mally Volumizing Mascara

Face

Revlon Color Stay 180 Sand Beige

Blank Canvas Cosmetics 6 Powder Contour Blush Palette

Catrice Defining Duo Blush '030 Pink Grapefruit Shake'

Lips

Avon 'Amethyst Gold'

I created a tutorial using these eyeshadows so if you would like to see that just click on the play button below :)

 Thanks for tuning in!

Eimear x

Kate Collection for Rimmel

Hey Everyone!

Hope you all are well :)

When it comes to lipsticks I'm not very adventurous, I usually stick to "vampy" shades. The range of colours I have in my collection are reds, berries, deep purples etc. I simply adore dark lip colours.

I was coming home from work recently and I popped into one of the local pharmacies. The Kate Collection for Rimmel was on special at €4.95 per lipstick, amazing value for money! 

I've read a fair few reviews on these lipsticks majority of bloggers were raving about them, so I thought I would take advantage of the introductory offer and try a lipstick out for myself.

The first lipstick that really stood out to me was the shade 110, its a vibrant coral shade. I decided I would step out of my comfort zone and buy a shade which isn't on the dark side haha! 

Even if I did chicken out of wearing it I could still keep it for my kit so it wouldn't go to waste.

 

I like the simplicity of the packaging, its well thought out in my opinion. 

Kate's signature is printed on the lid of the lipstick tube, quite a nice touch if you are a Kate Moss fan.

With regards to the lipstick itself, when applied it dries to a completely matte finish. It glides smoothly across the lips and even though it is a matte lipstick I find that is not drying at all, which can be a common problem with matte lipsticks. Recently with the change in weather my lips have been very dry, this lipstick still glides on my lips however it does seep into every single crack and crevice in my lips. This is a given with any matte lipstick so its not a problem for me. I'll save it for when my lips are in good condition again.

I was pleasantly surprised that it is quite long lasting, I'd say it lasted on the lips for a good 5 hours, that is even after eating and drinking. I only had to top the lipstick up once throughout the day.

The lipstick has a rich colour pay off and the collection has a beautiful range of shades to suit all skin tones.

 

Kate Collection for Rimmel 110

I was so impressed with this lipstick that I went in the next day to pick up another one! I told myself that I would be adventurous again, but I caved and picked up this gorgeous deep purple shade. 

I am so glad I did, it is fantastic and absolutely lived up to expectations.

 

Again, this lipstick has the 'Kate' signature on the lid of the lipstick and instead of red the packaging is black. I prefer the black packaging, I think its more striking than the red but hey! I'm not fussy, its whats on the inside that counts right? :)

 

Kate Collection for Rimmel 04

Like the coral shade, the lasting power and pigmentation of this lipstick is absolutely amazing.This is by far my favourite out of the two I currently own (eyeing up more) I have been wearing it nearly every day since I bought it, its simply fantastic. At €4.95 you really can't go wrong with these lipsticks, really high quality and extremely affordable..even at the full price of €6.95!

I can't wait to pick up some more to add to my collection :)

Overall

Pro's

• Affordable
• Amazing colour pay off
• Long Lasting

Con's

• Seeps into dry patches on the lips

Have you tried any from the range, if so what should I pick up next?

Eimear x