March Beauty Favourites 2015

Here's my top 5 beauty picks from March. Click on the picture if you'd rather watch my favourites and see some of the products applied :)

Aloe BB Creme

It's really not like me to ditch the full coverage foundation for a BB creme, but this does a great job. With no heavy feeling on your skin this is great for the up and coming warm weather. Flawless natural looking skin with spf20. Did I mention it' a natural product, so no nasty chemicals included! Love love love :)

Sonya's Volumizing Mascara

Hello long volumized lashes!! Again a natural product, I have been reaching for this every day! I cannot believe the difference this has on your lashes. They're so full and long... Big thumbs up from me!

Benefit's Gimme Brow

For many years I was a huge fan of Benefit's Brow Zing (which is a like a wax/powder eyebrow kit), so when I saw this advertise I wasn't sure I'd bother trying it. However Benefit themselves said that the two can work well together so I decided to buy a Gimme Brow a few months ago. I originally went for the light shade and really liked how it set my brows after I'd used the Brow Zing. After I used up the light Gimme Brow I decided to opt for the medium/dark shade and I haven't looked back! Because I have HD brows done at my local salon I've found I only need to add a bit of colour to them and set them in place, so this product is perfect for me! I no longer reach for my Brow Zing! Very pleased I tried it!

w7 Pressed Powder

I love this product because it does the job and is so so cheap!! I apply it over the top of my BB Creme for a little more colour and to set my makeup and job done! I find it lasts a long time too :)

Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette

I've had this product a while (whenever it was first released) and it's definitely a easy go-to product. It provides everything you need for a nice neutral eye look. Winner.  

UD Basics Palette Review/Look

Hello.

Urban Decay knew what they were doing when they created this Naked Basics palette, let me tell you!

If you saw my Urban Decay Haul, you'll know that I actually picked the palette up as part of a package. It was coupled with the UD Flushed Palette, which to be honest was the one I was most interested in. I thought the Basics Palette would just be a nice bonus...

Wrong. The first time I used it I knew it was going to become a firm favourite of mine. I love how all but one (Venus) are matte shadows and the colours all compliment each other so well.

The ultra cute sizing of this palette makes it even easier to reach for when it comes to travelling. It's ideal for me, being between homes as a Uni student! The next time I go back to my student house I doubt I'll even bother lugging back my Naked1/2 palettes back with me...instead I'll grab this little guy!

I've literally been using the Basics Palette almost everyday since I first cracked into it and I've developed a bit of a system in terms of how I use it.

My favourite eye look at the moment, pictured above, is achieved by using all 6 of the eye shadows. And yes, I know my skin isn't great on the photo but what can I say? I have troubled skin :( So please ignore the spots and what not and look at what I think is a pretty natural eye look :P

I work along the palette in the order they appear from left to right.

1) I apply Venus to the inner corners, blending it across to about mid-way of my eye.
2/3/4) I blend Foxy, W.O.S and Naked 2 across my eyelids, building the colour and adding a bit of depth
5) I work Faint into the crease of my eye to create a subtle definition. I find using a good blending brush (like the Mac 217) ideal for this part.
6) When I'm happy with my eyelids I use a angled-eye brush to line my upper lashes with a bit of Crave to create a slightly thicker lash line without the intensity of a liquid/gel liner.

Done.

It's a very quick simple everyday look...sometimes I skip step 6 depending on the occasion.

I love how blend-able the eye shadows are, as always with Urban Decay, and I would recommend this palette to anyone. If you haven't tried Urban Decay eye shadows before I'd say this is a good one to start with and it's not a bad price at £20 :)

New Urban Decay Palettes Haul!

Hello. So if you saw my recent beauty wishlist you'll know that I firmly had my eye on the Urban Decay Flushed palette. As soon as I heard about it I knew I had to have it, being a big fan of the Naked palettes. However when I wrote the wishlist I never expected that the next day I would end up purchasing it!

Going shopping with my best friend is always dangerous. We both love makeup and we have a habit of encouraging each other to buy more! So, when we went into Debenhams I knew I was in trouble. I saw so many things I'd like to own, but when I saw the two newest Naked palettes wrapped together in a bargain bundle I couldn't resist!

In total the two ended up costing a pretty sweet £30 because I had £5 to spend on my Debenhams' beauty card. Get in! The palettes are just adorable...so tiny!

The Flushed palette is beautiful. I love how it allows you to carry around a bronzer, highlight and blush all in one. It's so compact which would make it ideal for travel purposes. I was also impressed to find that the fastening is magnetic. Not sure why, but this instantly appeals to me...I love magnetic things!

On first impressions the products seem really good. I was a little worried that the bronzer would be too dark and a little harsh on my skin tone but actually I'd say this is the most build-able of the three. It doesn't come on really strong and took a few swatches to get the colour in the photo.

As for the highlight colour, I think it's really pretty and everything you'd require in a highlight. It applies to the skin really well and leaves a nice shimmery soft finish.

The blush is possibly the most pigmented of the three and a little bit appears to go a long way. Keeping to it's title, it gives a nice 'flushed' pink look. Love it!

The Basics palette, for me, is a nice bonus at essentially £10. Don't get me wrong, I liked the look of it when it first came out but I wasn't sure if there was much point in me buying it because I already have the two Naked palettes. However when I saw just how small it was, and super cute, I gave it more than a second glance. I was pleased to see that it only had one of the same shades as the other Naked palettes, 'Foxy', yet on comparing the two back at home they do seem to differ in colour? Odd.

I always love Urban Decay's eye shadows and these are no exception to the rule. I like that this palette offers 5 matte shades, with the only shimmer being 'Venus', because the bigger Naked palettes are a little skimpy on their mattes. The practicality of this palettle is a traveller's dream. Being a uni student I'm always packing a travel makeup bag to head home etc and I think I'd be pretty happy with just taking this little guy as my only eye shadows. I reckon it possesses the potential to create a fair few decent eye looks...including a nice smoky eye among it!

All in all I've really excited about owning these!

I'm sure that full reviews will follow once I've become accustomed to using them! In the meantime, let me know if you have these? What do you think? Or, are they on your wishlist?