FOTD with Inglot.

Just a quick FOTD I managed to pull together before work the other morning. It's not often I have the time to do my makeup, let alone take photos of it!

I used the Inglot Palette I purchased on holiday, plus a little Urban Decay.

Eyes:
NARS Smudge Proof Primer
Inglot 152 eyeshadow (inner half of lid)
Inglot 153 eyeshadow (outer half of lid)
Urban Decay Tease (crease)
Urban Decay Blackout (as a liner)
Rouge Bunny Rouge Megaplumes Mascara
Anastasia Brow Duo in Brunette

Face:
By Terry Hydra Primer
Erborian BB Creme in Light
Illamasqua Blush in Lover
Illamasqua Loose Translucent Powder

Lips:
Clinique Chubby Stick in Whopping Watermelon


Make sure you click on the pictures to enlarge, I got a new camera on holiday and it's amazing!

Inglot Noble Collection.

Last month, my husband and I went on holiday to Oman in the Middle East. While shopping in one of their malls (sadly, not as good as the ones in Dubai), I spotted an Inglot store and just had to have a look. I ended up walking out with one of their Freedom Palettes filled with three of their new(ish) eyeshadows from the Noble Collection.

All three are beautifully smooth, pigmented and very easy to blend. I'd forgotten how much I love Inglot eyeshadows!

The shade numbers from the left are 151, 152 and 153.

Shade 151 is a metallic bluish silver that is the most pigmented on the bunch. 152 is a metallic taupe, and 153  is a metallic bronze.

When I got them home and applied them, I thought I had just bought three colours exactly the same as my favourite shades from the Urban Decay Naked Palette. Luckily, swatched side by side they're a lot more different than I thought.

From the left: Inglot 151, UD Verve, Inglot 152, UD Pistol, Inglot 153 and UD Suspect.

I've always loved metallic eyeshadows and these make a great addition to my collection. Unfortunately, In Omani Rial these cost about £10 more than they would if I had bought them here. Whoops! Next time I'll look up the currency conversion online first :)

Bobbi Brown Caviar and Oyster Palette.

Any one else love Christmas time just because of all the pretty gift sets that come out? Tell me I'm not the only one! I couldn't help myself when I saw the promotional photo for the new Bobbi Brown Caviar and Oyster Palette. It somehow found it's way into my Selfridges online basket and it has been my new favourite palette ever since it arrived.

This little palette contains 8 eyeshadows which open out to reveal a 'skin enhancer' that can be worn on the cheeks or eyes. All the shades are quite sheer and they're a mixture of mattes, metallics and pure glitter.

On the left quad going clockwise we have a pure white (matte), a very sheer silvery taupe (glittery shimmer), a sheer pearl pink (shimmer) and a mauve/grey (matte).

On the right quad going clockwise again we have a grey plum (metallic), a silver sparkle (glittery shimmer), a rosey mauve (matte) and a rich brown (matte).

The skin enhancer is a light pink chock full of glitter.

Overall the palette is very glittery, but the combination of sheer shades with the mattes make this palette very wearable and a nice alternative to Christmas sparkle without looking too over the top. The eyeshadows are a great texture, very easy to blend and they last all day without fading. One thing I would suggest is doing your eye makeup first and cleaning up before doing foundation as the glitter does tend to drop down onto your cheeks.

I haven't included swatches as my little camera couldn't pick up the subtle colours, I might try to show a FOTD instead when the lighting is a bit better.

The only negative I can think of with this palette is the size. I don't mind small eyeshadows, these are only .03oz/.85g whilst the bottom pan is .18oz/5.1g, I think the price should reflect that. At £59 this palette isn't cheap, however is does make a nice present for someone special.. or yourself!

Catch up: New York & Star Trek!

Hello, my poor neglected blog! Over the past month I have been rather busy visiting New York (!!), a London Star Trek Convention (not as geeky as it sounds), recovering from a cold and dealing with my stressful new job. Fun times! Here are some photos..

So many Sephora stores, so little time! I think on the first day we arrived in New York, I managed to sneak into a Sephora and purchase a few items (a few more were purchased later)! In this photo I'm holding up a mini Hello Kitty perfume. Cute!

On our first trip we had to do all the touristy things, including the Empire State Building and the Staten Island Ferry. Loads of people said going up to Rockefella Building is better, but we bought fast track tickets outside to avoid the huge queues (two hours just to get in the doors) and I think it was worth it.

Here I am with Kate Mulgrew from Star Trek Voyager! Major geeky moment, I was so excited. I also got to meet Scott Bakula, who is lovely, and Conner Trinneer from Enterprise.

I took loads of photos for my blog last week (before my cold) but most turned out blue. Not sure how that happened, hopefully I can retake them on my day off on Tuesday. Hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to Halloween on Wednesday!

Travel Essentials.

This time next week I will be in New York! To say I'm ridiculously excited, is a massive understatement. I've never been and my husband and I have been planning our trip for weeks.

Of course, my planning involves what beauty products to take.. and a subsequent spending spree at Boots..

Got to love the Soap and Glory minis! I usually hate the hotel's shower gels so I thought I'd grab Clean, Girls which has to be the most delicious smelling body wash ever. I prefer the other Soap and Glory scrubs, however Scrub 'em and Leave 'em was the only one my little Boots had. I'm sure it will do just fine. I also grabbed Hand Maid, which is an alcohol hand gel designed to kill germs. Always handy.

I always have a little deodorant in my bag just in case, and my current favourite is the Nivea Invisible for Black and White. It keeps me smelling nice without leaving marks on my clothes, awesome. Another favourite that I've used for years is the L'oreal Elnett hairspray. I usually go for the volume one (not that I think it makes much difference), but I got the plain ol' Supreme Hold this time round. I don't normally use dry shampoo, but I thought a little Batiste can might come in handy at the end of the day to freshen up my hair.

 Rather random to include, but these are must haves! My eyes get so dry on planes, and with a 8 hour flight (I think), the Optrex Rehydrating Drops will be a life saver. I usually hate, hate, hate eye drops, but on a plane I make an exception. Also a must, Boots Cushioned Plasters. These are the best ones I've come across, they stay on so well and they're cushioned which is great for painful blisters (we'll be doing lots of walking I think).

Anything else I should think about picking up? I'm hoping I've got it all covered. If you've got any great tips for what to do in New York (other than the obvious), I'd love to hear them!

August/September Skincare Empties.

Yes, I am alive. Just completely shattered from my new job and trying to manage the reoccurring migraines that come from lack of sleep and stress. Fun times.

I decided I needed this creative outlet to forget about everything, and a good first post back from my break would be some of the stuff I've managed to use up! Despite having a rather large makeup collection, I'm quite strict with myself on how much skincare and body products I'm allowed to accumulate. So, let's see what I've finished over the past few months.

Avene Eau Thermale (Spring Water). I bought this because I ran out of toner and needed something cheap to tide me through to pay day (3 days and counting, yay!), but I've actually come to really like it. More than 'just water in a can', it's brilliant before and after makeup, great on hot days or after workouts and is perfect for sensitive skin. I've already bought another one and I suspect a smaller one will make its way into my carry on luggage next week when I travel. I bought mine from Boots.

Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs. I bought this cleanser as part of a value kit from lookfantastic.com. I like using simple, plain cleansers in the morning in the shower and this one fit the bill nicely. It's a light cream cleanser that leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft, without stripping it dry. The 200ml bottle lasted quite a while and I'd be happy to buy it again. For the moment though, I'm using up another product.

Pai Geranium and Thistle Combination Skin Cream. I've used Pai Skincare moisturisers before, but this one is my absolute favourite of the bunch. I'd even go as far to say it's my favourite moisturiser ever! It's a light cream designed for oily/combination skin and yet it's still lovely and hydrating. My main gripe with other moisturisers designed for oily skin is that my face feels tight and lacking in any moisture whatsoever, no matter how much I apply. My skin actually feels better after applying this and it's not greasy at all (another gripe). It's perfect under makeup and I've already bought bottle number two. My only problem with it is the glass bottle. See that product sitting in the bottom? I can't get it out.

Trilogy Rosehip Oil. This has been a long time favourite of mine, I've been using it for years and years. People with oily skin are usually afraid of putting oils on their face, but it's not greasy at all and sinks in beautifully. I use two drops under my moisturiser in the morning, and three under a night cream in the evening. It evens out my skin tone and helps fade some old acne scars, too. I'm currently using Pai's Rosehip oil (it was free with a purchase!) and I think I'll probably keep on interchanging these two brands. Also from Boots.

Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm with Rosewood. This was an impulse purchase on my part, and even though I liked it, I still think it's too expensive for what it is. This cleansing balm is solid until you warm it on your fingertips, then it transforms into a lovely silky oil. I preferred to apply this after I took of my makeup (I don't think this would take of makeup very well), onto dry skin and massage it in for a few minutes before adding water to rinse. It smells lovely (kinda earthy but nice) which adds to the whole experience. I've since bought another cleansing balm that I much prefer, but I'd go back to this if I was desperate (ha, weirdest recommendation ever). I bought mine from lookfantastic.com

I've also been good and used up a few body products recently, so expect to see those soon!

P.S Any one else hating the new Blogger interface? Ugh.

FOTD with Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette.

Here's a quick FOTD with my new Estee Lauder Violet Underground Palette. It's not a masterpiece, but I thought I'd show you how the eyeshadows apply.

I used the light champagne colour wet all over the lid, the darker brown in the crease dry and the darkened purple wet along both lash lines. On my lashes I have No.7 Exquisite Curl Mascara.

I'm also trying out a generous sample of the Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Foundation in 1N1. I really like it but the colour is not quite light enough for me!  On my cheeks I have Illamasqua's Katie Blusher and their Translucent Powder. On my lips is a Clinique Chubby Stick in Woppin' Watermelon.