My Eyeshadow Palette Collection

I've had the pictures for this post for what seems like ages. I took them back when it was still light at 4pm and warm enough to be outside without hat and gloves. Somehow the idea of sitting down to write about this collection seemed a little daunting, hence my delay. I've included links whenever possible to previous review posts.

I seem to have come full circle with my palette buying. In my 'not quite as obsessed' makeup days, palettes were always the biggest draw. Especially around this time of year. Then as I became more interested in makeup buying I decided that buying single eyeshadows was preferable that way I wouldn't end up with shades I wouldn't use. The MAC palettes are from this era. In the last year or so I have returned to buying and loving palettes. These days I tend to avoid the palettes with mixed products. I know it's very rare for me to use the lip products from a palette plus it can get messy when powder transfers to lipgloss and lipsticks pans. It doesn't stop me fancying the beautiful Edward Bess palettes of course!

1. KANEBO KATE BR-4 PALETTE

2. BECCA ENIGMA PALETTE*

3. MAC SMOKING EYES QUAD

4. GUERLAIN RUE DE PASSY

5. ARTDECO CUSTOM PALETTE

6. BECCA LOST WEEKEND PALETTE*

7. LANCOME BLONDETTE FATAL PALETTE*

8. CHANEL TOPKAPI QUADRA

In the neutrals palettes above, I don't think I have a single dud colour. Most of them contain a mixture of finishes which I think is important for a palette to work as a complete look. Of the two BECCA palettes, I think Enigma is still my favourite. I love how you can create a sultry look form just these three colours. It took me a while to warm to the charms of Rue de Passy. I think I expected more of it because of the high price but I wouldn't be without it now. I think one of the newer quads contains some quite similar colours. Both the Chanel and Lancôme palettes are lovely, Chanel is more bling to Lancôme's more versatile but I reach for both often.

1. INGLOT FREEDOM PALETTE

2. CHANTECAILLE SEA TURTLES PALETTE

3. YSL CHROMATICS #3 PALETTE

4. GUERLAIN RUE DE RIVOLI

5. SUQQU EX-07 LILAC ALLURE PALETTE

Here are my not-so-neutral palettes. I suppose with the exception of the Inglot palette they are still mostly neutral. The Chantecaille Sea Turtles palette contains that dark green shade for a bit of interest. If I'm honest my most favourite colour in the Turtles palette is the blusher and I use this often whilst ignoring the slightly too warm for me neutrals. YSL Chromatics #3 contains two 'safe' colours, the gorgeous dark blue liner and then that icy blue that I studiously ignore. It doesn't make me as nervous as the fuchsia colour in Rue de Rivoli though! I stand by my original comment about Rivoli that I get most use from this palette using the individual shades rather than as combined look. The Suqqu is a lovely palette. The colours don't apply quite as you would expect from the pans but they are delicate and layer very well.

1. LE CIRQUE, 2. SILK ROAD*, 3. PENELOPE*

Talking of layering, here are my Le Métier de Beauté Kaleidoscopes. They've increased in number by one since I took this photo. Le Cirque was my first Kaleidoscope and probably still remains my favourite. Silk Road and Penelope were both PR samples and I'm not sure I would have picked them out myself if I had seen them at a counter. However, as I often find with Le Métier combination, the 'Couches de Couleur' technique creates something that is even more beautiful than the sum of it's parts. I would say these are probably the most daring items in my collection.

I'd struggle to pick a single favourite from my eyeshadow palettes. It's probably clear that I'm a fan of neutrals. There is a noticeable omission for a beauty blogger of course; I don't own the Urban Decay Naked palette nor am I likely to buy Naked 2 when it comes out next year. I can't quite put my finger on why I've taken against Naked: it may the number of warm shades, the fear of glitter fallout or possibly because I already own enough neutrals to paint the whole of my town taupe. Who knows?! What I am looking forward to next year is the release of Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadow palettes. Custom palettes, eyeshadow refills and new shades are all like music to my ears. As a lover of palettes AND Rouge Bunny Rouge that's my birthday present ideas for next year sorted!

Are you a fan of eyeshadow palettes or a lover of singles?


*PR Samples

My Favourites of 2010

Rouge Bunny Rouge Irreverence
I've waxed lyrical about this enough already, so I'm sure it's no surprise this is on my favourites list. The Rouge Bunny Rouge lipsticks have a beautiful moisturising texture and this particular shade is a perfect rosy everyday colour on me.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Raven Glaze Lacquer Liner
 This was a surprisingly great purchase for me this year.  It's got a fine and non-scratchy tip and I find it very easy to draw a fine line with it. It's also great for getting liner right up close to the lashes so that I don't end up with that tell tale gap at the roots.

Hourglass Film Noir mascara
I was sent this for review and it rapidly became a tremendous favourite. I've never really used expensive mascaras before and I was convinced there wouldn't be any difference. I had to eat my words though, as this is pretty much HG territory for me.  It makes my lashes really black and more obvious, it feels soft and it never smudges or flakes. I particularly like the effect of this with the RBR Lacquer liner as it gives the illusion of much thicker lashes.

MAC Hug Me
This is similar to Irreverence for me. It's a pretty, everyday colour that just gives a slightly more polished look to the lips. If I'm ever unsure what colour to wear, I'll reach for this.

Lilac Allure Anniversary set

Guerlain Rue de Passy and Suqqu EX-07 Blend Eyeshadow palettes
I really wanted to include one of these palettes and couldn't decide which one. So I gave up and thought I'd mention both! I'll often pick these out when I need a quick but sophisticated look. The Suqqu in particular has been on the train with me a few times. It may be surprising to see Rue de Passy on here after my initial disappointment. It maybe isn't as versatile as I'd hoped it would be but I really like the colours and that fact that I can create a simple no fuss eye look very quickly.

Edward Bess After Sunset Compact Rouge
The texture of the compact rouge blushers is amazing. Creamy, light and without even a hint of greasiness. This colour maybe isn't instantly appealing in the pan but I love it for the definition it gives my cheeks. It's another one that's really handy for travel. I'm rather keen on the fig scent too.

RMK Concealer
This has been a good under-eye concealer for me. It provides decent coverage and doesn't move around too much. It also has the added benefit of being pigmented enough to conceal blemishes so I like to keep this in my handbag. It's quite yellow based so I'm not sure this would suit everyone but it has peaked my interest in trying more RMK products.

Illamasqua Unrequited and Beg Blushers

Illamasqua Unrequited blusher
This blusher looks candy pink in the pan but isn't the least bit frightening on my cheeks. It just gives me a nice, healthy glow. Illamasqua blushers are lovely to use, they're pigmented, finely milled and long wearing. I've reached for this all year round and I find it goes with a variety of looks. After success with this, my first pink blusher, I went on to get quite a few more but I most often come back to this one.


Which items have been your favourites of 2010? Have you found any holy grail items this year?

It's Suqqu EX-07 Possums

As promised, I have been trying to use different products from my collection each day. I thought I'd share today's look with you. It's rather basic as I didn't get much time to get ready before school. At least I wasn't totally bare-faced though which is something.

Healthy Mix, Rude Blush, EX-07 quad and Possum Nosed Pink

Today I pulled out my Suqqu EX-07 eye blend from the lilac allure anniversary set. I do use this quite often but tend to use the darker colour the most. I also picked out Illamasqua Rude Blush which I haven't used since the Summer and MAC Possum Nosed Pink lipglass. This lipgloss is a rare wear for me, it's a pretty colour but gets often gets ignored as I wear more muted colours. The coral colours are a bit of an odd choice for a cold autumn day but never mind. Rules are made to be broken!

This is how it looks on. On my eyes I just have the golden taupe colour on my mobile lid. I would have prefered to add some liner but I didn't have time. I'm also wearing my usual Shu Uemura brow pencil and Lash Stiletto mascara.

Golden Taupe from EX-07

Possum Nosed Pink

This isn't the best full face shot but it was the best of a bad bunch! Hopefully it gives you an idea of the overall look. I think the gloss and the blusher look nice together but I think the eyeshadow doesn't really fit with the pinky-corals. Those are the perils of pulling things out at random though!

What are you wearing today? Are you good at rotating your choices or do you tend to wear the same things over and over again? I hope you're all having a lovely Friday.

July Favourites

I have been struggling to work out what my favourites have been this month, it's almost like the month has been split in half in terms of my make up use. For the first half of the month, as it was still very warm, most of my looks involved the same favourites I'd posted about in June. As the weather cooled slightly and once I got my hands on some of the Edward Bess collection, some new things found there way into my routine.



My Suqqu quad has been really useful these last couple of weeks. I've used this when I needed to put make up on on the run. The colours are great for producing quick but dramatic looks and the small brush inside is actually very good. This particularly handy as carrying round loads of brushes in your handbag is not practical!

As I mentioned above my Edward Bess lipsticks and creme blush have become fast favourites. They're such flattering colours and the formulas are great. I love lipsticks that don't dry your lips out and these have a very luxurious balm feel to them.

I can't remember if I've mentioned this in a favourites before, but I have been loving my Shu Uemura H9 brow pencil. This pencil is so easy to use for a brow pencil novice like me, you can build the colour up gradually and the lack of red tone make it a perfect shade. I've enjoyed giving my brows a more dramatic look and playing with the shape. It was an absolute essential after my hair dye blunder too.

My final mention has to be for the Mavala products I bought to get my nails in shape. I shall post an update soon but I've been really pleased with the results to far. My nails feel so much stronger and wearing nail varnish hasn't instantly caused them to peel. Result! Which reminds me OPI Dulce de Leche has to have a mention as I have worn this lots this month. It's such a pretty nude nail colour.

So, have you had any particular favourites this month? Have you got over the Summer make up lull yet?

FOTD with Hang Loose

Apologies for yet another face of the day post but I really wanted to share this with you. I wore Hang Loose again today, applied with a MAC 188 and I really liked the result.

Face
My usual concealers (I think the bleaching in the first photo is the SPF from my moisturiser)
MAC Hang Loose mineralized blush
MAC Dame blush

Eyes
MAC Painterly paint pot
Suqqu Blend eyeshadow EX-07 (darkest shade and champagne taupe)
MAC Brule
Bobbi Brown longwear gel eyeliner in Caviar
Suqqu mascara

Lips
MAC Blankety lipstick
MAC Bare Necessity dazzleglass

I was really pleased with how today's make up turned out. I went out shopping for a Christening outfit and I know I'm odd but clothes shopping is often less than fun for me. The pretty cheeks cheered me up each time I tried clothes on and was very effective in distracting me from my large bottom reflected from every angle! Lipstick Rules if your reading, I take it back, you really need to take a look at Hang Loose.

Just for fun here's an extra picture of me with the toddler in his favourite Sonic t-shirt.

Another Suqqu Eye Look

I thought I'd try a smokey eye makeup using the Blend eyeshadow EX-07 from the Lilac Allure set. I used the darkest colour (3) on my mobile lid, blending out the edges at the crease using the champagne (2). I also added some of the champagne over the darker colour to soften. I used MAC brule as a highlight and lined using Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in caviar ink. I also used the volume length mascara from the set. This is a nice mascara but it's quite tricky to use the wand with such a short stick!



Here's the finished look. The photo is clickable and I hope the images are large enough for you to see the colours?



I really like this look and found layering the champagne over the darker colour created a nice effect. The shimmer is subtle and very pretty. As ever whilst taking photos a little person wanted to get in on the act, so here's is my 2 year old's beauty blog debut.



Thanks for looking,
Jane x

Doing the Cancan!

Despite having a catalogue of house disasters I'm in a good mood today. It's Friday and the sun has been shining so I felt like wearing some colourful make up.

Sorry about the wet hair, these picture were taken with my entourage in the room so I was keen to get it over with!





Face
MAC Select Moisturecover in NW20 undereye
MAC Studio Finish in NC20
NARS Loose powder in Eden
Shu Uemura H9 Seal Brown eyebrow pencil
Illamasqua Unrequited

Eyes
Illamasqua Cancan on the mobile lod
Suqqu pink from the Lilac Allure palette applied on top of Cancan
MAC Fig.1 in the crease
MAC Petrol blue pearlglide liner
Rimmel Sexy Curves

Lips
Illamasqua Test
MAC Pink Champagne lipgloss

I also wanted to mention that I'm absolutely thrilled that I have nearly 50 followers. I'm extremely grateful that all of you enjoy reading enough to subscribe and comment. I get a lot of pleasure from writing this blog and it's such a bonus that people enjoy my witterings! So a big thank you to all of you. I hope to hold a giveaway if I reach 50 and I'm already enjoying pondering what to get. Watch this space!

Jane x

Lilac Allure Part II: The Suqqual!

I used the Suqqu eyeshadow palette and lipgloss today and managed to get some OK photos of the make up on. I tried again to get some swatch pictures but the colours are really very subtle and sheer so it's quite awkward. I may need to try a shadow primer to see if that helps.

Anyway here are the photos.










Face
No foundation - I must get some tinted moisturiser
MAC Select Moisturecover in NW20 undereye
MAC Studio Finish in NC20
NARS Loose powder in Eden
Shu Uemura H9 Seal Brown eyebrow pencil
MAC Warm Soul (wrong choice!)

Eyes
Suqqu Lilac Allure eye palette
Champagne colour all over lid up to brow bone
Blackened plum in the crease
Lilac over plum in the crease to soften
White as highlight
MAC Miss Fortune pearlglide to line
Suqqu mini mascara from set

Lips
The mauve gloss

I think you can probably see from the photos that all the colours apart from the crease colour are very subtle. The light shades all have quite a lot of shimmer so I think next time I'll will use the palette in combination with mattes. I feel a bit too old to pull off lots of shimmer. Having said that, I do feel it creates a very pretty, soft look. I may also try to copy the smokey eye look from the promo pics. I tried the eyeshadow brush from the eye palette and rather than the usual afterthought it's excellent quality and so soft. It's done nothing to dampen desire for a full size brush!

I hope this has been helpful in letting you see the colours in action.

Suqqu Lilac Allure Anniversary Set

I was very excited when my doorbell rang yesterday and realised it was my package from Selfridges. I was so excited in fact that I refused to open the package until I was alone to give it the special treatment it deserved! Inside, in lovely packaging, was the Lilac Allure Anniversary set from Suqqu
as well as the Shu Uemura eyebrow pencil I've been after such a long time.





The set contains blend eyeshadow EX-07, a soft case for the quad, Dual gloss colours EX-03, a retractable lip brush, Mini mascara (volume long) and a gorgeous small makeup bag. The gloss pot contains a mauve and a peach gloss. I didn't manage to get any swatches unfortunately as they didn't show up very well on camera.



The make up bag is lovely and was a surprise addition. I don't think it's mentioned in the detais. It's a pinky-lilac, has a hand strap and some really handy little compartments. I think it will make a great travel make up bag.



The eyeshadow colours in the Blend EX-07 were a bit of a surprise too. With the exception of the highlight shade, they weren't what I had expected based on their appearance in the pan. The colour I was expecting to be a matte lilac (1) is a sheer, icy pink with shimmer. The 'taupe' (2) is a sheer, shimmery champagne and the shade that looks like a plummy brown in the pan (3), is much darker swatched and looks like a smokey plum.



I tried to do some swatches but I apologies as the colours aren't brilliant. As they are sheer, even layered they are hard to see. I will try again to see if I can capture them. It will be interesting to see how they work on the eye. I am a little nervy with such shimmery colours but as they are quite sheer I should be ok. I'll post a FOTD using the colours very soon.

The Suqqu Lilac Allure Anniversary set priced £65 and is available Selfridges in London and Birmingham. Details of the Anniversary event can be found here.