Urban Decay | 'Freelove' Eyeshadow

Urban Decay | Singular Eyeshadow in 'Freelove' | £14.00 | Link

Hold the phone...Beth has made yet another impulse purchase. Say hello to my newest addition to my eyeshadow wardrobe - Urban Decay's 'Freelove'.  Urban Decay are without a doubt my favourite brand to go to when it comes to all things eyeshadow related - whether it be their selection of palettes, their amazingly pigmented eye liners or their primer potions - I adore them all.  I'm yet to find a collection of eye shadows that are so consistent with their pigmentation, consistency and overall quality.  'Freelove' isn't a shadow I've heard much about on blogs - it isn't one of those famous blogger shades and it isn't your run of the mill standard neutral either.  It's a beautiful shimmery peachy coral shade - described on the website as a 'golden, vibrant peach'. I'm usually quite scared of anything coral going near my eyes - but i love the fact it isn't too 'out there' and it still has a sort of neutral vibe to it - it brings warmth to the eye area and makes a nice change from your typical bronzes and gold tones.  It's a baby step outside my strict browns and golds neutral comfort zone and it's a rather unique little shade that has made a welcome addition to my collection.

Needless to say, 'Freelove' is velvety soft to the touch and blends onto the eyelids with ease.  It's highly pigmented and applies smoothly.  The colour isn't for everyone - although it isn't overly bright it's not your typical neutral shade and I don't own anything else like it in my collection.  Personally, it was love at first sight for me - i loved it when i saw the swatches online and I loved it even more when it arrived on my doorstep and I saw it in the flesh.  It's such a gorgeous shade that's perfect for every day wear and can be used for warmer smokey eye looks to create a pop of colour.  I have dark green eyes and I always find that warm shades such as reddish bronzes and orangey golds suit me quite well - and this one is no exception.  It looks stunning on the lids and really does bring out the greenish hues in my eyes - that being said, I can imagine this would suit most eye colours - especially those who tend to lean towards warmer tones.

Overall, I'm so glad I've added this little beauty to my collection. Admittedly, it's not one I'd adorn when I'm a little worse for wear or haven't quite racked up enough beauty sleep as I can imagine the coral tinge might not do me any favours, but it's a lovely one to use when I fancy a little bit of something different.  I wore it yesterday (seen above) blended into 'Sunset' from the Stila 'In The Light' palette (post here) and it looked really striking with a touch of Mac's Smoulder eye pencil on the lower lash line. I also ran it underneath the lash line with a smudging brush just to add an extra pop of colour. As I've said before, it's probably not everyone's cup of tea - and I must be honest and say this is pushing the boat out a little bit for me as I'm usually very, very picky with what I wear on my eyes.  But you can't beat throwing caution to the wind sometimes and trying something outside of your comfort zone, can you?

Do you own any shades similar to this? What's your favourite way to wear warm tones like this?

Stargazer Cosmetics | A Coral Obsession

Above: Wearing lipstick in shade '124' and Blusher in '8'

Well. First let me just apologise for that ridiculously posey photo there (oo - we've got a duckface up in here!).  Moving on swiftly... Stargazer is a brand that I've been familiar with in the past - they were around a good couple of years before I started getting into makeup and I always remember them as being one of the first cosmetic brands I ever delved into as a young'un.  When I was contacted to see if I wanted to give a few of their products a try, I was really intrigued to see what they were all about and whether or not my 23 year old self would enjoy experimenting with them just as much as I did in my school days.  What I will say about Stargazer, is that they're quite 'out there' - if you're looking for striking brights or an unusual colour of an kind at a fraction of the high end price, then they're the brand for you.  That being said, they offer a little something for everyone - even a run of the mill neutral obsessive like myself. When discussing the products, I explained to them how much of an obsession I had for anything coral - I thought it was really nice that they sent me over a little selection tailored for my own personal preferences. Let's kick off the reviewing sesh...

Stargazer Powder Blusher | Shade 8 | £3.50*

Firstly, let me just say this blusher is amazing for £3.50.  The pigmentation is the selling point for me - it's incredible.  You only need a quick tap of a brush to get an intense pop of colour which is easily blendable.  The colour is a beautiful orange shade - not for the faint hearted but one that looks beautiful with a bit of a tan.  I'm determined to make it work once my skin tone turns a little paler, but we shall see! Consistency wise, it's quite soft and I don't find it to be chalky at all.  This one is a little winner for me - even the shade selection is impressive (link). 

Stargazer Lipsticks | Shades '124' and '206' | £3.50*

I actually like these more than I thought I would.  I will get the negatives out of the way first and just say I'm not a massive fan of the packaging - if you're not careful when you're replacing the lid you're in tremendous danger of chopping the top off, and it's also quite plastic-y.  Not a massive problem for me as I don't expect gold encrusted tubing for £3.50, but it's worth mentioning for those who are specific about their packaging preferences! The lipstick also has that 'cometic' smell - doesn't put me off but again, preference.  It's easy to overlook these things once you've applied them, and for the simple fact that they aren't your 'everyday' kind of shades.  They're extremely well pigmented and the shape of the lipstick itself makes it really easy to get an even line around the edge of the lips.  They provide a satin/matte sort of finish once on, but don't feel overly drying.  As for longevity, they stay put very well - wearing off to a stain.  The colours are simply stunning and I'm a big fan of the lighter shade (worn in the photographs above) - it reminds me of a slightly more orange version of Mac's 'Costa Chic'.  Again, I'm really tempted to grab a couple of these in more winter-y shades... they're great for a purse friendly lipstick treat if you're a fan of intense colour.

Stargazer Nail Polish | Shade '205' | £2.00*

Stargazer Nail Polishes actually happen to be an old favourite of mine.  I have a little stash of them in my nail polish box and have always adored them. £2 is pretty damn cheap for a nail polish these days, and the quality is really good - I've always found them to resist chipping rather well.  The shade '205' is a gorgeous pearlescent coral/pink - I adore it! I've worn it countless times since I received it and it's become a firm favourite.  Again, it does look stunning with a tan but now I'm a little paler it still looks really pretty.  Usually, with pearlescent finishes, it takes a good number of coats to get the desired effect - as you can see on the nail wheel above, it only took me 2 coats to pretty much get the colour shown in the bottle - a 3rd coat finishes it off nicely but I wouldn't say it's needed.  This has to be my favourite of the bunch - simply because of how much I've loved them in the past.  I think some of the colours they offer are really unique and they're worth every penny.

And there we have it.  Although these products are undoubtedly tailored towards more of a summery makeup 'wardrobe', there's no reason why I won't be wearing these colours throughout the year - the blush especially (i wear coral blushes all year round despite the less than colourful weather...)  I know summer is a little bit of a distant memory for the majority of us now, but my coral/obsession doesn't go away with the sunshine let me tell you! I wasn't expecting to like the lipsticks, but I did - in fact, I loved everything I tried and I'm so glad I've been re-introduced to Stargazer.  For the price, they're very good and if you're a fan of brights, bold colours and statement shades then they're worth having a look at.  They even have some crazy colours for the more daring and 'out there' amongst you (blue lipstick anyone? - I don't think I could quite pull that one off but if you're ever in the market for a blue lippie to embrace your inner smurf - you know where to go...) You can have a look at the Stargazer website here - I have my eye on a few of the deep red lipsticks and neutral blushers...

Have you ever tried Stargazer? Which product tickles your fancy?

Benefit 'Go Tropicoral' | Thoughts & Swatches

Benefit | Go Tropicoral | £24.50

A few weeks back now, I left my job of 4 years and decided it was time to move on to pastures new.  My wonderful fellow colleagues decided to suprise me on my last day with some lovely beauty goodies, Benefit's 'Go Tropicoral' being one of them, and needless to say I felt rather spoilt and very, very teary to say the least! As you can imagine, since then, I've been having a great deal of fun trying out the 4 products in the set - none of which i've tried before - a beauty blogger's dream I'm sure you'll all agree! Anyway.. I thought it was about time I took some photographs, and told you all what I think. It would be silly not to!

Go Tropicoral is a wonderfully packaged little set of 4 Benefit products all of which compliment one another, giving you a travel-sized set of all the must-have items for a 'coralista' themed look. The items are all 'miniture' sized, but you still get lots of product to use, and it makes for a perfect gift! Benefit also do the similar sets in different shades and tones - offering up 'Feeling Dandy' (based around their 'Dandelion' blush) and 'Surgarlicous' (including the 'Sugarbomb' blush) - so if coral doesn't float your boat, fear not...

High Beam | 'Luminescent Complexion Enhancer' | This is perfect for highlighting areas of the face, and I use this dotted along my cheek bones and on my brow bone. It brings a certain 'light' to the face that is both subtle, yet very flattering and natural - and it blends effortlessly well into the skin. The pink-y undertones work very well with my wintery complexion, and help to brighten any dull areas. I've also used this mixed in with my daily moisturiser for all over brightening goodness! I used their 'Sun Beam' highlighter throughout summer last year, so this has been a lovely little addition to my collection that is just a really nice all-rounder and one that will compliment most make-up looks and skin tones.

Cha Cha Tint | Mango Tinted Lip & Cheek Stain |  Cha Cha Tint is such a lovely strong peach shade that has a similar texture to that of High Beam. The only thing I'm not keen on with this is the fact that you have to work very quickly with it in order to get an even finish. I think I prefer it as a lip stain - it looks lovely on the cheeks too but I much prefer a cream or powder blush as opposed to a stain on my cheeks. I might change my mind in summer once my skin feels a bit more moisturised and smooth though, and I'm still very pleased to have it in my collection. Definitely will be saving this little beauty for summer..

Coralista Powder Blush | Oh my goodness. I'm so chuffed to bits that I've discovered this blush and it has to be my favourite of the bunch. I adore it. I've been wearing it almost every day and it provides such a lovely flush of colour to the cheeks. The texture and finish reminds me very much of Nars' 'Orgasm' blush - as it is fairly sheer and has a slight shimmer to it.  It's just beautiful.  When swatched, you don't get the full force of it - but it applies amazingly well with a fluffy blush brush - and sweeps on to the cheeks with ease, creating amazing definition and a beautiful coral flush to the cheeks that instantly brightens your skin. When this runs out, I think I'll be buying the full version. It really is a must-have in my collection as I'm a massive fan of coral/peach shades, and I really think this will look amazing on tanned skin in summer (all we need is a big fat dose of sun now please!)

Coralista Ultra Plush Lip Gloss | Lip gloss, I'll admit, is usually a dodgy area with me. It's very rare I find one that I can happily keep on my lips for longer than 5 minutes. This one, I can bare. Obviously, it still feels like you have gloss on your lips but it doesn't feel sticky or uncomfortable at all and it provides a lovely sheer wash of glossy coral colour.  I suspect this will look amazing paired with Cha Cha Tint in Summer once I manage to work up a bit of a tan. That said, it looks lovely worn on it's own even now, and I've taken to wearing it over Mac's Lady Danger for an extra bit of 'oomph'. A really versatile little lip gloss and one that's just my kind of colour! It also smells really fruity and yummy... 


Overall, I'm as happy as larry to have this little box set in my cosmetics collection! It really brightens up these long winter days and adds a little bit of fruity punch to my everyday makeup - what more could a girl ask for?! I love how it comes with a little 'Tips & Tricks' booklet, showing you how to use the products in different ways - it adds a nice little finishing touch to the set - it opens up to reveal a pretty decent sized mirror too. I really cannot wait to get some use out of this in the summer months, and I'll definitely be taking it away on holiday with me, that's for sure!

Have you tried any of these products? What's your favourite Benefit product right now?
♥