Eyeshadow Palette you need for Christmas!

Makeup palettes are my thing right now. I love them. Whether it is a contour kit, eyebrow kit, a lip palette or an eyeshadow palette - I love it. We all know they come in all different shapes and sizes and this year I have been introduced to so many amazing brands that I have put them all into one post.

Art Deco Most Wanted Palette to Go is a recent addition to my stash but it is a great palette none the less. I opted for the nude version over the trend version, not that I am sure you will be surprised. 

With eight highly pigmented and super finely milled hues, mostly matte shades, it is a palette that I am enjoying getting to know and use and at £18.50 here, I think money well spent.

Blank Canvas Cosmetics is a brand that I came across only recently and this is a palette I have used constantly and reviewed in full here. The Blank Canvas Master Series Palette One contains 12 beautiful neutral, but mostly matte eyeshadows that can be used to create a range of looks to take you from daytime subtle to evening smokey eyes. 

Of these 12 shades, 11 are beautiful velvety matte shadows and what I love about them is that they range in shade from a palest shade (Lily) which you can use as a base right up to what is the very deepest brown (Corruption). The final shade is a shimmery champagne-toned highlight shade called Goddess which is stunning. At under £30 it is incredible value for money.

Jeffree Star love him or loathe him, he is for certain, Jeffree Star is colourful, very colourful. Just a few weeks ago I went along to the Beauty Bay Carnival in central London where I got to meet and greet Jefree himself. 

The Jeffree Star Beauty Killer Palette does not disappoint. With bright pink being at the heart of the entire brand, this palette houses some of the most brightest and loudest shades I have come across in recent years and whilst I am not cool enough or brave enough to wear them, I can admire them. Super pigmented and simply amazing, this is such a cool palette.

Makeup Geek Manny MUA Palette is again one I got from the Beauty Bay Carnival and it is a thing of beauty. With 9 eyeshadows housed on one mirrored palette, the collaboration with Makeup Geek makes it amazing.

On the palette there are peachy nudes, a foiled copper with dusty mocha undertones and a dark coffee with a forest green shimmer to name a few. It is super pigmented, travel friendly and has been designed to suit all skin tones. Beautifully packaged and priced at £56 it is one to look out for and you can find it here.

Makeup Geek Z-Palette is a super sleek magnetic mini palette that stores three of your favourite Makeup Geek shades.

Developed to store three of your best-loved hues, the Mini Palette is an ideal handbag must-have. It comes complete with a sturdy magnetic base to keep your shadows safe from harm. Priced at just £5.50 from BeautyBay right here.

Makeup Obsession is my latest obsession. I am hooked. Makeup Obsession is all about creating your own look and to do that, you create your own palette using shades from a plethora of those currently available to you. You choose your palette, agonise over the shades you want, need and well want and then build your own perfect palette. 

The eyeshadows cost just £2 each and are so pigmented it is a challenge not to grab them all! Whether you like nudes and neutrals or something with a lot more colour, the shades are there for you to find and you can read more about my own customised palette right here.

Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave Palette is one I havent yet featured on the blog, possibly because I was too eager to open it and use it when it arrived. Most of you will know that this one belongs to none other than Jane frm British Beauty Blogger and it is just superb. 

Featuring thirty shades which are a mixture of matte, glimmer and sheen you will find colours which are light, comfortable bt equally dark and daring, a mix of everything that for just £9.99 it is just incredible value for money and you can find it right here.

theBalm Nude 'Tude Eyeshadow Palette. I just love this palette. It is quirky, kooky and a lot of fun. It features shades such as Selfish, Sexy, Sleek, Sultry and snobby to name just a few and makes for an amazing nude palette which is perfect all year round.

Available on the Highstreet from places such as Topshop and Superdrug, it costs £29.99 and is worth every penny.

The Body Shop is a brand that I had never really associated makeup with until recently when the Down To Earth palette came into my life.

I reviewed it in full (here) and just adore the colours on the palette and love more that I can take the palette to bits and reconstruct my own should the need arise. At just £15 it is money well spent.

Urban Decay XX Vice LTD Reloaded Eyeshadow Palette includes twenty eye shadows that celebrate the brand’s 20-year history. From vintage shades that go WAY back (like Gash, Acid Rain and UV-B) to must-haves from the current collection, it’s all here. 

This is a palette which features so many amazing shades and I use so many more than I expected, it has something for everyone from the nudes and neutrals to the blues, greens and even black. At £43 here it is a palette that is worth its money and is one which might even surprise you.

Zoeva Cocoa Blend palette is another one of those products you just need and it is just delightful. I reviewed this some time ago but have since repurchased it because at £18 it is incredible value.

inside the palette there are 10 absolutely stunning eyeshadow shades which have Matte, Satin, Metallic, Duochrome, Pearl and Matte with Glitter finishes and it is just so divine and so pigmented.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Microblading - What is it?

Microblading is a brand new technique that you might have come across being talked about on social media, your friends might have had it done and you might even be considering it for yourself. If you didn't know what it was, this post should help. Microblading is a brand new beauty technique and is actually a form of cosmetic tattooing, specifically the eyebrows and it is set to really take off in 2017.

Karen Betts, Has twenty years experience using the Microblading technique and is THE person to go to for the best looking brows in town.She has developed her very own elite team who are on hand to create the best looking but well suited and natural looking brows as possible.

"My technique involves using a small handheld device, with a very sharp blade at the bottom; which is used to draw on small hair-like strokes to the brows.These are drawn on in different lengths and directions using my KBPRO Pigments that are designed to blend in with the client’s natural hair colouring; giving impeccable and unbeatable results. It is incredibly important to me and my team that the brows we create suit the facial shape, thickness and natural colouring of the person; to make the brows look natural."

Celebrities such as Gail Porter have all had their Microblading done and the results do look just amazing.  This is a technique that anyone can have whether you have dark or light brows, have patches in your eyebrows, if you have very little to show for eyebrows and even if you have no brows due to illness.  Friends of mine who have had the treatment have said that around six weeks later you will need a minor touch-up as pigment tends to fade but after that, the results last one to three years.

*This is not a sponsored post.

All things beauty for winter

Winter can be a harsh time of the year for our hair and skin, but it’s also an exciting time for some of the boldest beauty trends – fashionable medium hairstyles included! Keeping on top of a thorough skin care and hair care regime will help lock in moisture. And then, of course, there’s all the fun makeup looks straight off the Autumn/Winter catwalks that will bring colour to those dreary days. Let me break down everything beauty-related you’ll want to be doing this season.

Image Source - Pexels

Winter hair

You’ll want to pack as much moisture as possible into your hair to counterbalance the drying effect of central heating. Leave-in conditioners, hydrating masks and heat-protecting sprays will help. Serums can be useful in taming frizz, too.

In terms of hairstyles, soft finger waves and masculine side partings are on trend this season. These are easiest to wear with medium hairstyles. Shoulder-length hair is where it’s at, and the versatility of medium hairstyles means you can wear yours up in a simple chignon, decorated with brooches, or loose and ‘real’ – all of which were all over the catwalks!

Winter skincare 

Healthy, fresh skin was a key look at all the fashion weeks, and while iridescent powder played a part, that kind of glow comes from skin that is well looked after. 

A polishing cleanser can help smooth rough cheeks, and facial oils can help rejuvenate skin and deal with the ill effects of wind. Body scrubs are useful for flaky legs, followed by a rich body butter to feed parched skin. Hand creams come into play at this time of year more than any other, and a cuticle cream can come in handy too (no pun intended!).

                                                                                                        

Lip trends

We’re used to seeing dark lipstick colour at this time of year, and the Autumn/Winter 2016 catwalks were no different. If anything, the message was the deeper the better. Particular highlights include those blackcurrant and deep black cherry shades slicked across models’ pouts.

Image Source - Maria Morri

To keep your lips in good condition, use a lip scrub to exfoliate away dry skin. Apply a thick layer of lip balm to keep them soft and to protect them against chapping.

Nail colours 

The ’70s trend has found its way into nail colours with the resurgence of ’70s warm beige. This is the winter update of spring’s nude. If you want something bolder, apple-red is right on trend, while grey is the way for a more subtle approach. 

Image Credit - Stocksnap

During Christmas party season, you can’t go wrong with glitter, and it’s having a real moment right now across the whole make-up spectrum. Try a nail-art topcoat or opt for metallic silver. Added sparkle is this season’s update to classic dark navy polish too.

Your skin and hair can be soft and smooth at this time of year; it just takes that bit of extra effort. And the key lip and nail colours will set off your glowing look perfectly! 

*this post is a collaboration with All Things Hair