Urban Decay Afterglow Blusher Review

Oh hey there sexy. Oh hey.
I friggin love this blusher. It was absolutely an impulse purchase, I got a bit excited at the Urban Decay counter a couple of weeks ago and came away with this and a lip product, which I will be reviewing soon.
So the Afterglow blushes are meant to be longlasting and pigmented, which I totally agree with. That being said, this shade (Fetish) is quite dark for my skin tone, but I can still get a nice application with it without looking like a crazy clown. Always a bonus.
 If it does get a little intense,I take my foundation brush and run it around the edges to blend.

I think this shade is a beautiful winter-y pink, perfect for all skin colours.
And can we talk about the packaging? I love it- its so classy and hefty and b-e-a-yootiful. The only bad thing is that there isn't a mirror in the lid which can be slightly annoying.
I would really recommend having a look at these blushers if you find that most just melt off your cheeks during a long day, which is what I normally get.
These definitely stick around for good, and I'm totally eyeing up a really amazing purpley shade they have. When's pay day...?

Thanks for reading!

Here's some lovely before and after photos for you to laugh at:

Naked during the day | Eyes

When you think Naked Palette, you think amazing smoky evening eyes, or least a nice beach-y bronze look. I've been experimenting with the original Naked palette for a relaxed daytime look with a tiny bit of smoke, and this is my favourite so far.

I used Buck  in the crease, Sin over the main part of the lid and the browbone, and Naked  to blend the edges. The real star of the show is Darkhorse- which I used on the lower lash line and outer v to create a daytime smoky look.
This combo is perfect for during the day on Saturday. I'll tell you why. It's enough to look 'done' if you are going out for the day or just spending time with friends or family. But what makes it great is that it can be a great base for anything extra you might want to add in the evening. Nothing too shimmery or dark which would be hard to blend over, but just enough so that I could go back in 6 hours and really make it night-time appropriate. Or, leave the shadow, wack on some liner, lashes and a bold lip and you're good to go. Fabulous.

I used the Seventeen Va Va Voom mascara, and a tiny smudge of Blackout from the Naked2 palette along my top lash line. Like, a tiny amount.

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading
Lou x

June Faves

My June Favourites are up! Better late than never hey? Check it out on:

https://youtu.be/rAxWwq6nGj4   or search Lou'sBeautySpot on YouT'ube,

Hope you enjoy! :)
Lou x

Naked 1 and 2 Comparison | Swatches and Review

 We all know the drill, the Urban Decay Naked palettes are pigmented, buttery goodness with excellent lasting power. I've owned Naked 2 for almost a year now, and I had a tough time deciding which would be my next purchase. I decided on Naked One, mostly because I know there's a couple of really good, staple, warm brown mattes in there which I am definitely missing in my collection. On top of that, what's a dozen more shimmery browny/ gold shades?
Instead of just swatching Naked One, I thought I'd investigate a few of the similar shades between Naked One and Two, so we can see how many colours truly cross over between the two palettes.

First comparison: Naked One, Virgin and Naked Two, Bootycall.
On the surface of it, these two look very similar- shimmery champagne-y goodness. Up close, Virgin is a lot more pink-toned, whereas Bootycall takes on a more cool goldy- undertone. Very similar, but definitely with something between them.

Naked One, Sidecar and Naked Two, YDK
Probably my favourite shade(s) in the two palettes. Buttery, smooth, shimmery goodness, a brown with a hint of pinky/mauve. They are both very coppery, and I think the most colours similar between the two palettes. If you want something a hint more pink, Toasted in Naked One is just a more flushed version of these two.

Naked One, Hustle and Naked Two, Busted
Some lovely Satin- finish chocolate browns. Very similar, but you can definitely tell that the Naked Two offering is cooler toned and slightly darker.

Naked One, Smog and Naked Two, Snakebite.
In the pan, I was fooled into thinking that these are almost identical. Swatched, Smog is a lot more yellow, even khaki- toned than Snakebite, which is a cooler mid-toned shimmery brown.

Naked One, Buck and Naked Two, Tease
Only similar at a glance in the pan, when swatched these are completely different. Tease is definitely my most- used shade in Naked Two: a really perfect cool mauve matte. Buck is a mid- toned warm brown which is excellent when creating a brown smokey eye.

Naked One, Creep and Naked Two, Blackout
You would think both palettes has a nice, basic matte black. But infact, only Naked Two does. Creep is more of a charcoal grey with chunky glitter, which is pretty but defintely not up to the standard of the silky smooth, deep black of Blackout.

I think, for a make-up junkie, having both the Naked One and Two really provides the full range of browns, bronzes, nudes and coppers, meaning I don't think I'll ever need to ( although I will want to), buy another palette based around those shades. I love them both, and I'm already waiting for a time when I can buy the Naked Three...

Thanks for reading, I hope this was helpful!
Lou x

3 Products Worth the Hype

 Beauty can be expensive, and in the world of YouTube and Blogging, there are so many products which get hundreds, even thousands, of mentions. So, it's very hard to know- especially when you can't afford to throw your money around and not get results- what is worth your money. All three of these products are fairly 'hyped' in the internet beauty world, and I have to admit I bought them all a little bit because of bloggers/ youtubers recommending them, but have found that all three are totally worth the splurge.

1. Naked 2 Basics palette. Urban Decay eyeshadows in general are the best I've ever tried. I also own the regular Naked 2 palette, but I feel that the Basics 2 is such a staple in any make- up lover's collection.
Skimp and Stark are perfect base and highlight colours. Skimp is more shimmery, and Stark is a little darker and more matte. (Skimp is pretty invisible in this swatch picture, because it's the same colour as my skin.) Frisk is the perfect eyebrow colour for me, but also is a lovely cool-shade taupe for the crease, or even all over the lid. Cover is a beautiful neutral/ warm mid brown. Primal is a darker, more chocolate brown, and Undone is a deep, pigmented black.
So, you can do everything with this palette. Aside from Skimp, they are all matte shades, so you can do everything from eyebrows, highlight and eyeliner, from anywhere between natural to smokey. I can't recommend this palette enough, I've never seen anything as compact and matte- heavy on the highstreet, so I definitely think this is worth the £23 pricetag.

2. Clinique Pop Lip in Beige Pop
First of all, the formula is like nothing I've ever tried before. Creamy, comfortable and moisturising, but still pigmented and beautiful on the lips. Secondly, this colour is my perfect nude.

It's peachy, nudey, and beautiful. Perfect for everyday, or to balance out a smokey eye in the evenings. I have tried a couple of the others in a shop and they feel the same as this one, so I'm definitely looking to pick up a couple of different colours, probably Grape or Melon Pop, and at £16 they aren't as painful as a lot of high-end lipsticks.

3. Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado.
This seems to be a lot of people's favourite eye cream. At 21, I'm just starting to notice my eyes getting a little bit worn, obviously I'm not ageing dramatically, but I like to keep my eyes moisturised so they don't age prematurely, and so that my make- up sits a little nicer. This is thick and nourishing, but sinks in after 10 or so minutes, and just feels so lovely on the skin. It does nothing for blueness under the eyes, so if  that's what you're looking for, this isn't for you. BUT if you want nourishing, creamy goodness- even if it is a strange shade of green- then look no further.  This is £18 so it's not too bad as far as eye-creams go, and definitely a good one to start with.

Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Peaches and Cream: Easy Spring Everyday Make-up Look

If you love a peachy eye and a fresh, summer skin, head over to my YouTube channel and watch me putting my make up on and make my face look like this:

I'm not sure what's going on here, but my camera has made my skin look flawless. It's a lie.

All the products I used are mentioned in the video.

http://youtu.be/NyHb7Lre6hA

It's nice and easy and uses pretty much all drugstore products and brushes :)

Check it out, and appreciate my music/editting skills. Been working on dat ting alllll day.

Probably should be doing coursework...

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Face of the Day ~ 15 minute make- up

Everyone has those mornings when you have to get up and out really quickly, but you don't want to scare the world with your naked stressed face (I don't have the best skin, especially at the moment), so you need a make- up routine which is quick and failsafe, and this is mine. Enjoy :)

So that's my face up above- (I'm really not the best at selfies), and here is everything which is AWN MA FACE. It looks complicated, but it's really not. You might wonder why I have three concealers, but all will be explained...

Face

(Top to bottom: Rimmel Foundation, Collection concealer, Maybelline Concealer, Collection cover stick- see below for more details)

So, I think it's really important for bad- skin days or mornings when you don't have much time, to take more time over skin care than make up. I started my morning with an ex-foliating pad from Nip and Fab, then the Effaclar Duo from Roche Posay to try and calm my skin down, and then some moisturiser. I used Olay's Anti Wrinkle 2 in 1 Instant Hydration and Radiant Glow which is lovely and fresh.

Once your skin is looking a bit more perky and nourished, I would normally go ahead and apply primer. I really recommend the Rimmel Lasting Perfection Primer if you need your make up to last the day. I didn't have time this morning (/ I forgot), so I just went right ahead with my foundation, which I applied with my fingers because I didn't have time to buff it in with a brush. I used Rimmel's Lasting Finish Nude in Porcelain, and just applied a thin layer all over. Ma face. This is a really nice foundation in general- very light and fresh looking- and I think it's best to go for a lighter coverage foundation if you don't have much time in the morning. I then went in with my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair over my blemishes and around my nose. I did use a brush for this, and buffed it in to make sure it was nice and even across my skin. I used the Maybelline Fit Me concealer in 15 on my eyelids and under my eyes to prime for eye make up and to conceal my under eye circles. (This is where I needed a third concealer because my under eye circles were serious- I went over with the Collection Cover Stick in 01 and pressed that in).

Boring bit over. 

Now, colour in your cheeks is something you need if you are in a rush, or you need to look more awake. I used my Make Up Revolution Blushing Heart in Peachy Pink Kisses which is so shimmery and illuminating that you don't need to faff around with a highlighter.

Eyes 

I kept the eyes super easy and super neutral.

First, I filled in my eyebrows with my Kiko eyeshadows, in 237 and 239 mixed together to get a good shade. It would definitely be better to use an eyebrow pencil because it is quicker, but I'm currently between eyebrow pencils because I can't find a good blonde one. I then brushed my brows through with the Natural Collection Clear Mascara which is such a cheap version of a brow gel, and it's really good. Brows done and onto eyes.

The star of the show has to be the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Creamy Beige.I applied this allover the lid with my finger tip, just smudging it in to make sure it's even. It literally takes 10 seconds to get a layer of colour. This isn't what I would call beige, it's definitely slightly darker, but it's a great base colour. 

At this point, you have two options. Go darker, and find a dark shade to quickly smudge through the crease. OR (as i did), find a lighter shade to press over the centre of the lid to brighten the eye up. I used a Kiko eyeshadow in 236 which is a shimmery peachy/brown/nude. 

Liquid eyeliner is something you shouldn't attempt if you are in a rush, unless you can do it quickly, in which case, I bow down to your superiority. I just smudged a thin line of dark eyeshadow- I used Undone from the Naked 2 Basics palette, but you can use any dark brown or black colour- along the lash line to make the whole look more defined. 

Mascara is also hard to do quickly. I will normally do at least two coats of mascara because my lashes just don't hold up with just one coat, as you can see here. I used the 17 Va Va Voom Mascara in Black, which is the BEST mascara. You need to try it.

Lips

Having lipstick on immediately makes you look more put-together and a little fresher. Wack on some lipbalm if you really have no time, but if you have 5 seconds, go for a sheer wash of colour which is easy to apply and isn't too bold. I went for  a sheer peach lipstick from the Body Shop- Colour Crush in 315. Really easy and fresh looking, perfect for spring.

Powder is optional at  this point. I'm not a huge powder fan, I find it always makes me look cakey - and believe me I've tried applying it in every single way- but i actually did put a little bit of the Rimmel Stay Matte in Transparent on my under-eye concealer to make it stay- put.

So, I hope you enjoyed this fifteen minute make up for a really natural easy look.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x