Dainty Doll Eyeliner Pencil in 002 I'm So Pretty

The Dainty Doll Eyeliner Pencils claim to be perfect for adding either strong definition or adding a smokey effect. They are supposedly soft kohl liners that allow you to define and line your eyes for that added shine. The RRP for these pencils is £10.50, but you can pick them up for just 99p on Fragrance Direct at the moment. 

 I picked up the shade 002 I'm So Pretty because it looked like a colour that I would wear most often. It's a dark/medium brown colour free of any kind of shimmer or glitter. 

The pencil itself if very stiff and 'creamy' is probably the last word I would use to describe this. It drags on the skin, and takes quite a lot of pressure to get the pay off you see in the swatch above.

 

I like the casing, like most Dainty Doll products. It's simple, elegant and sleek. The gold branding helps make that so.

 The colour, once I got it on my eyes, was long lasting. It did fade a little over the 8 or so hours I wore it but it didn't smudge or end up sliding of my eyes. It's nice to have a long lasting pencil but I'm not sure the effort of putting it on is worth it. 

If you wanted to give this Dainty Doll Eyeliner Pencil in I'm So Pretty then you can pick it up here on Fragrance Direct for just 99p. 

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MUA Power Pout Tint Balms

Power Pouts, by MUA or Makeup Academy, are just one of the chubby pen lip colours that have hit the market recently. I think the trend began with Clinique Chubby Sticks and now a few drugstore brand have very similar products available. These claim to be a lip treatment with colour intensity. They are meant to relive chapped lips with immediate moisturisation while offering a colour intense tint to the lips. You can pick up these pencil style lip colour in 6 shades that range from a nude shade to deep raspberry colours. They are £3 each on the MUA website or in selected Superdrug stores. 



I picked up the shade Rendezvous (a nude colour) and Crazy in Love (a red plum colour) to test these out. After swatching them all in store I thought these would be best for testing them out. 



Rendezvous appears to be a true nude in the tube, but after swatching it on my hand and lips I found that it's a very pink toned nude. It glides on to the lips giving them a sheer wash of colour alongside the moisturizing effects of a lip balm. The lasting time with this one is quite poor, but for a nude colour it's to be expected. Nude and light shades in this kind of product tend to wear for the shortest time, and this is no exception.

Crazy in Love is the darkest shade they have and it's a plum pink colour when swatched. It look like a much more intense plum in the tube but the pink really shows through when you wear it. The intensity of this colour is really nice for what it is. It's nicely pigmented, and the colour lasts. It's nothing like  stain but it wears for about 2 hours without the need to touch up. 



The packaging is very similar to Clinique Chubby Sticks and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. The casing represents the colour, and the twist up section is a silver colour.  The pencil style application makes it quick and easy to apply and it's great that you don't need a sharpener to get more product out! 

Overall, I would recommend these if you want something that will you a sheer wash of colour alongside a product with moisturizing properties. You can pick them up for just £3 in selected Superdrug stores or online here! 

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Dainty Doll Blusher in 001 Hippy Shake

Dainty Doll blushes are smooth long lasting powder blushes that can create a subtle hint of flush on the skin or make your cheeks take centre stage in your makeup look.




The shade that I'm going to review for you today is 001 Hippy Shake, which is a pale lavender/pink colour in the pan. 

 



































This was the one Dainty Doll blush that I wasn't sure on when I got it. I knew that these blushes cater to fairer skin, but this one takes it to the extreme. 

 

It's a very pale lavender colour that appears quite grey on the skin. I can't really wear this as a blush but I can get away with it as an eyeshadow so I'll give that a go. 

 
































The compact is gorgeous, just like I've said in my other Dainty Doll reviews. It's a nice size and comes with a nice mirror for on the go touch ups through out the day. The packaging is sleek and elegant, and I love the gold branding on the front. 



 Just like the other blushes in this range the lasting power is brilliant. It's not quite up there with shades like You Are My Sunshine but for being such a pale colour the pay off and lasting power is great.

You can pick this up online here from Fragrance Direct for just £1.99. That's a massive £11.51 saving on the RRP. 

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P.S: Have you entered my Nars giveaway? It ends April 29th, so head on over to it here for your chance to win!

      

Revlon Color Stay Eyeshadow Quad in Decadent

Revlon Color Stay Eyeshadows Quads claim to be 16 hour wear eyeshadows that are silky, expressive and blendable. They claim that it won't crease, smudge or transfer or irritate. They are £7.99 a quad, and have 4 complementary shades that can be mixed and matched to create a number of eye looks. 



'Decadent' gives you a light sparkly white pink shade, a dusty rose pink, a light gold shimmer shade and a semi-matte dark brown. They aren't that pigmented, except for the dark brown.

 I was expect something more from Revlon because the brand, especially with the Color Stay line, rarely fail to impress. These did, unfortunately.  The gold and pink sparkly shade are prone to fall out, and really need something under then to make stand out. 

 
Despite the lack of colour pay off the rest of the formula is really great. The shadows are blendable, smooth and long lasting. These do live up to the Color Stay name and the don't budge all day. They don't crease on me, and they don't irritate my eyes either. 



The packaging is pretty standard for drugstore products. It's a black palette with a clear window that enables you to see the shadows. It's nothing that impressive, but it works for men and if I want fancy packaging I'll reach for something from Estee Lauder or something like that.  

Overall I would say that you can find better eyeshadows for the price. They are nice, but if you want good colour pay off try the MUA singles which are only £1 a go,  or try something from the Maybelline Eye Studio Quad range.

You can pick these up in Boots and Superdrug or online here for just £7.99 a palette.

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P.S: Have you entered my Nars giveaway? It ends April 29th, so head on over to it here for your chance to win! 

MUA Merged Eyeshadow Trios in Theatrics

The MUA Merged Baked Shadows are a trio of complimentary shades that can be used day or night. The two tone threads of colour create shimmer and sparkle that come in base of highly pigmented shadow. The lightest shade can be used all over the lid or a nice cheek highlight while the darker shades can be used to create a nice crease colour on the eye. 

Theatrics is a collection of three shades that contain a gold cream colour, a lilac purple shade and charcoal black shade. 



The pigmentation of these shades aren't as great as other MUA baked shadows I've used, and I found that the shades in this palette weren't as complimentary as some of the other ranges are.


 
The colours contain a lot more glitter than the previous MUA baked shadows, and because of this the glitter goes everywhere. It's easily dealt with I suppose but I would rather not have to deal with it. The shades are beautiful without the glitter, and I think they would be better without it. The glitter, when the shadows are blended out, looks sparse and like it found it's way to your face by accident. 



These shadows might be nice too look at in the pan, but I urge you to try the regular baked trio because they offer nicely pigmented shadows that can be used wet or dry and you don't have to deal with glitter fall out. 

You can pick these up in selected Superdrug stores or online here for £3 each. There are 2 other new shades to try also. 

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B. Refined Exfoliating Cleanser

I picked this up when the B. skincare range was on offer in Superdrug. If you picked up a day cream you got this for free, so I snapped them up while I had the change. I'm a lover of the brand, and don't think I've tried one thing that has really disappointed me. The makeup is great and from what I've tried of the skincare, that's great too.  

 The B. Refined Exfoliating Cleanser claims to gently polish the skin to help reveal a smoother and brighter complexion. It's a creamy exfoliator that help with dull skin, remove impurities and unblock pores. The micro-beads buff away old skin cells and refine the skin surface. All you need to do is massage it into damp skin and rinse with warm water. It's £5.49 a tube from Superdrug stores or online. 

The texture of this cleanser is something I both love and hate. As a cleanser that could be used everyday, this is great. It's not too coarse so it's not going to scratch your face off, but you can feel the grain in the cream so you know that it's exfoliating. 

I hate it because it's just not coarse enough for me. I love an exfoliator that you can really feel working, and this just doesn't do it for me. It cleans my skin, but it's just not rough enough for me. 



It says this is for normal to oily skin, but I have dry skin and it works for me. It doesn't dry out my skin at all, in fact it's actually nice on my dry skin. It also says that you should use this about twice a week, but I don't think that's necessary either. It's not that abrasive and it works for me everyday. 



The great thing about this is that it's cruelty free, like everything else from the brand. It's also made in the UK and it makes me a little happy that you can find quality products that are made in the UK and not imported from other countries.



The packaging is pretty standard and nothing that special. It's a nice white tube, with grey detailing. It's not the cheapest looking thing, but it's not that luxurious looking either. It doesn't bother me that much because I use this in the shower, and no one sees it but me. 

P.S: Have you entered my Nars giveaway? It ends April 29th, so head on over to it here for your chance to win!

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PS: After re-reading this I feel like it's full on innuendo but lets hope it's just me and my immature mind :p

What Makeup Does Kim Kardashian Wear? | Kim Kardashian Makeup Essentials and Must Haves

I wanted to bring you a little post about the beautiful woman that is Kim Kardashian. No matter what you think about her you have to admit she is beautiful. Her makeup is usually placed on perfectly, and I wanted to share some of her favorites and tips that she (or her makeup artist) uses. 

Kim's lip combo is quite famously Angel from MAC (link) and Nars Turkish Delight Lip Gloss (link). It's a stunning combination, and if you want lips just like KimK (the colour at least) give this combo a go. 

Kim contours the crap out of her face. She placed highlight and contour almost perfectly bringing out and shadowing all the right areas on her face. Concealers are a great way to achieve this look in a more natural way. For the highlight concealer I would suggest something about 2-3 shades lighter than your skin tone and perhaps  something like the Touche Eclat from YSL (link). For contouring colour try something like the MAC contouring creams or a concealer darker than your skin. Obviously this isn't going to transform you into her but the contouring technique is a great one to utilize. 

 GossMakeupArtist over on YouTube has a great few videos on the KimK Contouring looks so check out his channel here! 

Kim's skin always looks flawless. Having amazing skin helps, but a great foundation like the Makeup Forever HD foundation she supposedly uses is a great way to give it a nice boost. I haven't tried the foundation myself but I've heard fabulous things about it and it can help you achieve the HD finish that Kim K always seems to have.

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Best Drugstore Neutral Eyeshadow Palettes | Sleek, B, MUA and more

Sleek i-Divine Palette in Au Natural (link)
 I'm sure everyone has heard of Sleek and their brilliant eyeshadow palettes. They are great quality, with great pigmentation, blendablity and lasting power. The packaging is great. It's sturdy with a nice big mirror for travel and on the go touch ups. They are sneaking up in price but if you are on the look out for a brilliant neutral palette for under £10 this "Au Natural" palette from Sleek is worth the investment.


Beauty UK Eyeshadow Palette in No4 Earth Child (link)
 This is a palette and brand that if often overlooked in my opinion. These little palettes aren't going to beat out MAC or Urban Decay but they are great value for money at only £3.99 for 8 shadows, and come in a nice range of colours. Earth Child is a great selection of neutrals with hints of khaki for those who want something other than brown.

B.Complete Eyeshadow Palette in 132 Glisten (link)
 B. is quite a new brand to Superdurg, and is brilliant. I have quite a few reviews of the brand and I love nearly everything I've tried from them. The eyeshadows are great quality with nice pigmentation, good blendability and long wear. Glisten is a great group of 4 shadows that complement each other well and create a nice neutral look. 

MUA Professional Palette in Undressed (link)
 Everyone and their dog have given this and it's follow up counterpart a go. Undressed, and Undressed Me Too are only £4 each and contain 12 eyeshadows each that are very close dupes for the Urban Decay Naked and Naked 2 Palettes. They are great quality for the price, and are great for almost any occasion.

Maybelline Eye Studio Palette in Bronze Drama (link)

 Maybelline are my favourite brand in the drugstore. They have something great in almost all categories and their eyeshadows are no exception. The eye studio palettes are four complementary shadows and Bronze drama is great every day palette that can create beautiful looks on the eye. 

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Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Flawless Wear Concealer is sold as a long wearing 15 hour concealer that offers flawless coverage with a comfortable feel on the skin. It offers a luminous finish, is transfer proof,  colour true and oil free. It's  available in 8 shades and is £20 a tube. 



 The coverage offered from this product is the first thing I noticed when using it. I expected it to be full coverage, and it is. The best thing about it though is that it offers the full coverage in a formula that is blendable, not drying and long wearing. It doesn't cake or crease on me, and it offers sun protection with it's SPF10. 

I use this under my eyes and on blemishes and it works brilliantly for both. It doesn't dry out the area under my eyes, or settle into any other lines that might appear. It covers the dark circles well, and conceals redness on blemishes amazingly well. 



The finish of this concealer is a favourite of mine. It's not really dewy or anything like that, and it doesn't have any skin of shimmer or sparkle in it. It's not matte either though, so if you have a dewy or natural looking foundation, this blends in really well with it. 



This lasts all day, and I'm not exaggerating. I put this on at half 7 in the morning when getting ready for work, and it was still in place at 5 when I finished. I'm so impressed with this and it's now replacing my Collection 2000  Lasting Perfection and my MAC Pro Long Wear Concealer.   

The packaging is absolutely gorgeous, though I can only comment on the small tube I got as a free gift with my foundation the gold branding and clear tube makes the product look classy and it feels quite expensive. 

You can pick this up at Estee Lauder counters or online here for £20. 

 
P.S: Have you entered my Nars giveaway? It ends April 29th, so head on over to it here for your chance to win!

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Dainty Doll Concealer Pen 001

 

I'm sure the Dainty Doll reviews are all over blogs at the moment, what with them being on £1.99 on  Fragrance Direct, so I thought I would add my two cents into the discussion and share my review on the Dainty Doll Concealer Pen. 







I picked up Shade 001 because I wanted a really light concealer to go under my eyes. I find it hard to find something light enough to have that brightening effect, and I thought this would be great. I was really excited to try it, and considering the RRP I had high hopes. 



I was disappointed. 

This concealer is so strange. It's a nice colour until it's fully blended and then it offers nothing. It has no coverage, it blends to nothing on the skin and it has a really strange texture to it. 




The packaging is pretty standard for concealer pens. It's a pen like tube with a button on the bottom that, when clicked, pushes the product up through the brush tip applicator. The black packaging and simple gold branding looks sleek, elegant and classy but while the packaging might be nice the product sucks. 



I wanted to love this but the weird grainy texture and fact that it offers no coverage leaves me with no other option that to chuck this away. At least I only wasted £1.99 rather than nearly £14 on it. 

If you wanted to try this you can pick it up for £1.99 on Fragrance Direct here at the moment. 

P.S: Have you entered my Nars giveaway? It ends April 29th, so head on over to it here for your chance to win!

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