Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette - Born Pretty*

Not long after Christmas I received this beautiful eyeshadow palette from Born Pretty and I remember thinking damn I could've used this before Christmas!  Just look at how sparkly those eyeshadows look, they'd be perfect for the Christmas party season.  I decided to try and create some more subtle looks with it though so it can be used all year round.

First of all lets talk about the packaging.  The eyeshadows come in this this super gorgeous copper case with a good sized mirror and it is a nice size for just popping in your handbag.  One of the main problems I have with affordable eyeshadow palettes is the quality of the casing.  I know it's mainly about the quality of the product but there's nothing worse to me than a flimsy plastic case where the lid breaks off after a week.  The lovely copper casing on this palette though feels really sturdy and there is no sign of the lid snapping off any time soon.

Onto the product itself, as you can see they are fairly nicely pigmented (especially the darker colours) and the gold glitter running through them gives them a really pretty shimmer.  The only one I was slightly disappointed with is the white shadow as I would like it to have a little more colour to it rather than just the shimmer.  On the other hand though this does work great over matte eyeshadows if you want to add a bit of sparkle to them.  When it comes to eyeshadow I'm not the bravest and tend to stick to neutrals like golds and browns so I haven't really used the last four shades much but I'm loving the first four brown/golden shades.  What I also like about them is that when you apply them with a brush it really softens the colour and sparkle making them a lot more wearable for the daytime and then if I want a little more intensity and glitter I like to press it on with my finger.

To create the eyeshadow look above (which is the one I most like to create with this palette) I applied a very light matte brown from my Make Up Revolution palette to create a base.  Then I applied the darkest brown to my crease and outer corner and blended it out with my blending brush for a softer colour and edges.  I then applied the pale golden brown (the centre colour in the swatches above) to the centre of my lids and blended that out into the darker shadow to soften it even further, before adding a little more of the darker brown to my outer corners for a little more definition.  I then used the white shadow on my inner corners and brow bone to highlight them slightly.

What do you think of this look?  Do you like to use shimmer eyeshadows?  Unfortunately this palette is no longer available on Born Pretty but you can find lots of great alternatives here and you can also get 10% off your order with the code "SAK31".

Kiss Proof Lipstick, £1.40 - Born Pretty*

My favourite lip products tend to be lip crayons, all the ones I have tried always seem to be so moisturising and so easy to apply.  So when I tried this lip crayon from Born Pretty I had high hopes especially with all of it's claims to be matte, rich, creamy, long lasting, hydrating and "kiss proof".  I selected shade 03, which is a deep berry colour, a colour I have been loving recently.  I feel like the product itself looks a lot more expensive than the £1.40 it costs, however, I don't know if I got a dud one, but the lipstick doesn't seem to be extendable.  I attempted to twist the bottom to see how easily it extends and to see whether it is retractable too only to find that it didn't twist at all.  This is a little disappointing as you can see from the above picture how little product there is at the end but like I say I don't know whether I just happen to have a broken one.

Now onto the lipstick itself, as you can see it is a gorgeous colour and has a lovely matte finish.  One of my main concerns when I saw that it was matte, as somebody who suffers from dry lips, was that it was going to be super drying on my lips.  Just as I was expecting it did feel quite drying once I had applied it to my lips but not so much so that they started to feel cracked and flaky but just not as hydrating as I'd quite have liked.  All the lip crayons I own are the chubby stick type and having a thinner one like this made the lipstick much easier to apply, especially in such a dark colour.  It was much easier to get a neat line around the edge of the lip with a thinner tip.

The main selling point to me for this product though is it's claim to be "kiss proof".  I'm sure I'm not the only girl out there who has a boyfriend who refuses to kiss them when they're wearing lipstick for fear of ending up with lipstick stains on their face.  So, this is where this product really wowed me!  After applying this lipstick it had a slightly tacky feel to it for the first 10 minutes but once it had completely dried this lipstick was not budging.  There is absolutely no fear of it bleeding, which is normally my main concern with such dark colours, and once it is on your lips it's there to stay so feel free to kiss away.  This lipstick does not budge!  It may need it's little touch ups throughout the day after eating and drinking, but this lipstick stays put so well that whenever I had a drink there weren't even any lipstick marks left on my glass.

What's your favourite long lasting lipstick?  Would you give this one a try?  If you'd like to try this or anything else from Born Pretty you can get 10% off with the code "SAK31".

Concealer and Contour Palette, £4.75 - BornPretty*

I have to admit that when it comes to make up I am no professional, my everyday makeup tends to consist of a thin layer of foundation, a bit of concealer, eyeliner, a coat of mascara and a tiny bit of blush.  As I like to keep it so simple I have been trying to find ways that I can make my skin look more flawless but still keep it looking natural.  So I thought I'd give this palette from BornPretty a try, for £4.75 it is an absolute bargain and also comes with a 7 piece brush kit.

The brush kit is pretty simple and not something I'll probably use much but its a great little added bonus.  It contains a brow brush and comb and eyeshadow sponge applicator, both pretty self explanatory.  Next there is a small angled brush, which I have actually found perfect for applying gel eyeliner, and then a small lip brush.  Then there is a small flat brush, which would be perfect for applying concealer to spots and around the nose but the bristles are really stiff making it a little harder to apply, I'm hoping to be able to find some way to soften them.  The next brush is a larger fat brush and the bristles on this one are much softer and I used this brush to mark out my contouring, then the larger fluffier brush to blend my contouring out.

Now, onto the palette itself, it is made up of a highlighter, green, purple and yellow colour correctors and 11 skin tone shades ranging from light to dark making it suitable for practically any skin tone.  They all have a creamy texture, something which is brand new to me as I have only ever used liquids or powders and I have to admit I am a complete cream convert.  I found these really easy to apply and blend, and as a sufferer of dry skin I was intrigued how it would deal with them.  I am pleased to report that there was not a dry patch in sight!

I have never really used colour correcting concealers before and just always saw it as an unnecessary hassle.  Boy, was I wrong!!  The green and yellow colour correctors were certainly put to the test as I have been suffering from a cold for the last week, which shows no signs of budging, and with a nose as red as rudolph and circles as dark as a panda under my eyes they had a lot of work to do.  As the green concealer cancels out red I put this all around my nose and on any blemishes I had.  It does seem a bit weird having green patches on my face but once they were covered, as you'll see from the picture below, there wasn't a hint of red in sight.  Absolute magic!  I then used the yellow concealer to tackle my dark eyes by patting it below my eyes and putting a thin layer on my eyelids.  I then covered my face with a thin layer of foundation and there wasn't a hint of red or dark circle in sight.  I then used the middle darker shade on the right hand side to contour, it did scare me a little how dark it was when I first applied it but if felt super creamy and blended out really beautifully, leaving me with a nice natural contour.  I then did my eye makeup and blusher patting a bit of the highlighter to the tops of my cheeks and brow bone.

All in all I am really impressed with this palette and the green and yellow concealers are my new best friends.  If you'd like to give this palette a try head over to BornPretty and use the code "SAK31" for an extra 10% off.

Hydra Temptation Lipstick (Shade #8) - £2.45*

This lipstick from Bornpretty promises to be both moisturising and long lasting.  Both major selling points for me as I'm always looking for products that won't dry my lips out and I'm not really one for reapplying my lipstick every five minutes.

Most of my lipstick collection is made up of difference shades of red and coral, so I decided to be brave and give one of the brighter pink shades a try.  When I took the lid off and saw the Barbie Pink staring me in the face, I thought I'll never be able to pull this one off!  However once I applied it to my lips it was a lot sheerer than I was expecting and didn't look quite as bright, it has more of a lip gloss feel to it once applied but without the stickiness.  Another bonus to me as I love how moisturising lip glosses are but I rarely tend to use them as I don't like how sticky they feel.  The only downside to this lipstick is that it is very soft, which I am assuming is down to the formula which makes it so moisturising, so you have to be very careful when applying it as it does feel like the lipstick itself is about to snap off.  I would probably say it's best to apply this lipstick with a lip brush just to be on the safe side.  For £2.45 though I'd be amazed if it was absolutely perfect and it's something I'm willing to overlook for it's moisturising abilities.  I was also fairly happy with it's staying power, I would say I had it on a good 6-8 hours before I felt the need to reapply.


I have to say that this lipstick has changed my mind on pink lips and I won't be avoiding the shade completely anymore.  If you'd like to give this a try or any of Born Pretty's other products they are offering my readers 10% off if they use the code "SAK31".

Samsung S3 case - £1.80

Eiffel Tower Watch - £3.01

I was recently sent these lovely items by Born Pretty, an online store that sells a wide variety of beauty products, accessories and phone cases as well as a selection of clothing.  An added bonus is that they offer free worldwide shipping.

The first item I was sent was this phone case.  For £1.80 I think it is an absolute bargain and so pretty and cute.  It comes in three separate parts, the back is a thick plastic that is not at all flimsy and easily protects the back of your phone whilst making it look super cute.  The black surrounding splits into two parts which fit onto the top and the bottom of the phone and clip back together to hold the back in place.  Once it is on it is very sturdy and there is no fear of it falling off or unclipping.  The only downfall is that my phone charger doesn't fit into the charging point at the bottom properly with the case on, so I have to take it off every time I want to charge it which is a little bit of a pain.  All in all though I think this case is lovely and really good quality for the price.  They have a wide range of other Samsung cases as well as iPhone cases at really affordable prices.

After browsing their range of women's watches I spotted this lovely vintage style Eiffel Tower watch.  I love the vintage style face with the picture of the Eiffel Tower and the delicate hands.  I also love the brushed gold surround and rivets which add to the rustic look.  It is a little bit bigger than I expected from the pictures on the website but I don't know if that's just because I have dainty little wrists though and watches always look massive on me.  Lucky for me I love the oversized look, and am more than happy with it.  Again, it is really great quality for the price.  

As if their prices aren't good enough as it is Born Pretty are offering my readers 10% off their orders, all you have to do is enter the code "SAKEC10".