B. Smokey Eye Palette - Review & Swatch

Hello all

Recently my beautiful friend Lara treated me to this B. Smokey Eye Palette from Superdrug, available here. I have been on the look out for a really good grey smokey eye palette for a while, reading lots of reviews to see which would be best for me.

Unlike most beauty bloggers, I do not own the Naked or Naked 2 palettes. Shock horror! The reason for this is that I am not really a fan of brown based smokey eyes, or metallic/shimmery eyeshadows, both of which are present in the Naked palettes. I am aware that Naked Basics are all matte shades, however they too are brown based. 

I was toying with the Bourjois smokey eye palette, available here, as it is incredibly similar to the Chanel 'Les 4 Ombres' Smokey Eye palette due to the fact that Chanel & Bourjois are made in the same factory. 

However, I sent Shelley of 'The Shelley Diaries' this smokey eye palette from B. in Superdrug & thought it was really good. Having two matte shades & two shimmery shades, & at a really reasonable price, I thought it ticked all my boxes. Added to this, all B. products are not tested on animals.

 

 

 Swatches under flash

Swatches without flash

I was really pleased with the swatches. The shades are pigmented enough, with build-ability to create a softer or more dramatic look. I am impressed with the matte white as it even shows up on my pale skin! The silver shadow has just about the amount of shimmer I can handle, & is very pigmented. There is only a subtle difference between the darker shades, but it is noticeable. All in all, this palette is the perfect mix of four shades to create a grey toned smokey eye, as I did in the pictures below!

 

 

 All products used: MAC Haute & Naughty Mascara | B. Smokey Eye Palette | Seventeen High Drama Liquid Eyeliner

I created quite a soft smokey eye with this palette and the shades really blended well together. I used the matte white all over the lid, matte grey on the outer two thirds of the eye & dark grey shimmer shadow on the outer corner & slightly through the crease. I really loved this palette & will definitely be using it for more dramatic smokey eyes in the future!

I also hope to try more B. products, especially the Micellar Water. I'd also like to thank Lara for kindly buying this for me :)

June Favourites!

Hello all,

I cannot believe that it is July already! At the beginning of every month, I love reading other bloggers monthly favourites posts or YouTubevideos. For a while I had always wanted to do these, but I had been very frugal previously this year. However, Superdrug and my job means that I have discovered many products in June that I feel are worthy of being favourites.

  Clockwise l-r: Sleep-In Rollers (part of a goody bag curtsey of Fake Bake) | Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in Shade 111 'Kiss of Life | Raspberry & Macadamia Nut Shampoo and Conditioner - Superdrug | Maybelline Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe

First off, these sleep in rollers are my new obsession. After washing and blowdrying my hair, I put these babies in, continue my evening and nights sleep, and wake up to volumised, glamorous curls. Having them in makes me feel really retro when I have them in, like a glamorous fifties house wife! Honestly, I find them easy to sleep in. A friend of mine said that they were incredibly uncomfortable, but everytime I have used them, I have been perfectly rested. I definitely recommend these!

In the month of June we had #RedLippyProject & National Kissing Day, so I was exposed to many lip products. This Rimmel Kate Moss matte lipstick was a definite winner, I love the matte finish and the rich red is perfect. It's super cheap but good quality too.

I've never stuck to only one brand of shampoo & conditioner. I always go for ones with 'colour protect' features, but I often change what brand I use. I've tried high end (and high priced) brands like Percy&Reed and Tigi 'S Factor', and also drugstore brands like Aussie, and honestly they all seem to do the same thing! So when I saw that these Raspberry & Macadamia Nut duo for only £1.50 (that's only 75p each!) I couldn't resist. They smell delicious and it seems to be working fine. It leaves my hair soften enough for extremely dyed hair! It's still on offer, so I think I may repurchase these!

Finally, I had wanted to try these Maybelline 'Color Tattoo' shadows for a while. The shade Permanent Taupe is a perfect base colour that lasts all day and is, as far as I know, the only matte shade in the collection. I have swatched some other colours are they are really shimmer/glittery which isn't really my thing. however 'Pink Gold' and 'Pomegranate' are gorgeous and I am very tempted! The colour I have is extremely pigmented and I've been using it as a base or as a wash of colour all month.

I'm really trying to blog more, especially beauty posts, so I hope you are enjoying them!