Glossybox 2021 Revisited - A Review Of The e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow - Berry Bad, And More Life Lately x*

Well it's safe to say that the few weeks have been pretty horrible. Less than 1 day after I published my last post we received the news that one of my bonus dads, my Uncle George has passed away. Although he had various ailments, it was all very sudden and understandably we were and still are both devastated, my mam's super close to both of her brothers so it's been a huge blow to her both mentally and even physically, so I've been doing my best to support her and take care of her. If that wasn't enough one of my oldest friends Helen, lost her dad just 5 days after my uncle passed. I spent so much time with her and her family when I was younger, going on holiday with them, and having sleepovers, and going over for tea. Her and her family are still very close family friends so it was huge loss, and mentally it really was the straw that broke the camels back for me, so understandably I've had a to take some time out. Whilst there are still tonnes of emotions, thoughts and memories floating around in my head, I've decided that I need a distraction, so I decided to sit down today and get my blog on.

As I mentioned in my last post, after many years I eventually made the decision to cancel my Glossybox subscription, there were a few reasons why I chose to cancel, but one of the main reasons I guess, was that I was starting to feel a bit snowed on by all of the products that I still hadn't touched. I have a huge basket full of bits dating back to 2021, including lots of unopened items, and I just didn't see the point in adding to that pile! In the weeks and months to come I'm going to try and feature as many of these products as I can, either in full review posts like this one, faces of the day posts, or in future empties post, thus giving myself content options without the stresses of proper unboxing's.

So today we're taking a little trip back to November, 2021, to talk about a product from the Beauty Desires edition, and it's something that the eagle eyed readers amongst you might have already seen mentioned in my previous blog post, the e.l.f. Bite Size Eyeshadow Palette in Berry Bad.

Whilst the e.l.f. range is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be, and their £1 products are long gone, it's still one of my go to brands for good quality, affordable make up, with the odd cult or viral favourite thrown in for good measure (Hydrating Core Lip Shine in Ecstatic, I'm talking to you!).

A good test for any brand no matter what the price point though should be the quality of their eyeshadows. In this day and age if a brand can't produce a decent eyeshadow then it's very unlikely that anything else, at least powder wise, will be any good.

Packaged on a fairly basic clear, and white plastic compact, as the name would suggest, this quad contains 4 berry like, autumnal toned powder eyeshadows. The quad contains 2 matte shades, 1in a dark almost, burgundy brown and the other in a light, peachy nude, and 2 almost metallic shimmers, 1 in a warm bronze / copper tone, and the other in a gorgeous deep wine / berry tone.

All of the shadows are lovely and smooth, and the shimmer / metallics in particular have an almost creamy feel. The pigmentation and colour payoff as you can see is superb even on the two matte shades.

They were really easy to apply and to blend out, with only a tiny bit of fallout, which brushed away easily with a fan brush.

This is just a really quick look that I created with 3 of the shades in this quad, and as well as looking not too shabby, the shadows wore well even on my oily lids with only a tiny bit of fading and creasing after around 5-6 hours of wear.

For an eyeshadow palette with an RRP of just £4 this quad really impressed me. The shadows were soft and creamy, the payoff was fantastic and the pigmentation even on the two matte shades was really impressive. I was also really impressed with the wear time, and don't forget all of e.l.f's products are both vegan and cruelty free, and they are also free from phthlates, parabens and several more potentially iffy ingredients - not bad for a 'budget brand"!

If you don't fancy going down the berry route though, there are around 12 quads in the Bite-Size range featuring everything from greens to blues, and purple, to loads of neutral and fashion options. The full  e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow quads including Berry Bad, is available direct from e.l.f. Cosmetics, selected shades are also available from various other retailers including ASOS, Beauty Bay and Superdrug.

Are you a fan of e.l.f. Cosmetics? Let me know your favourite products in the comments x 

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, And Added Affiliate Links

Collaborative / Partnered Post - Coffee, Camping, Or Cat-Opoly ? Budget Friendly Activities To Do With Friends*

Over the last year or so, one of the things that I've really missed is spending time with my friends. Socially distanced coffee dates, and talking through a gap in the door just didn't cut it at all. Thankfully though, fingers crossed, with an increase in vaccinations, hopefully 2022 is the year when we can start spending more time with our families and friends.

I do enjoy a good coffee or ice cream date, or even a shopping trip with my friends but have you ever fancied doing something just that little bit different? Engaging in a specific task or activity with your friends is always a great time to bond and create memories. It is also great the chance to learn things together, to work as a team, and to have some fun along the way

As much as I'd love to go on a city break or to a luxury spa with my bestie, finances often get in the way, and some of activities and things that you'd love to do with you bestie are just too expensive to do on a regular basis. Whilst your saving up though for that luxury break though, you don't have to just stick to a cheap coffee date or an afternoon window shopping there are a few more budget friendly activities that you could try instead

Play Board Games

Sometimes looking back to the things you used to enjoy as a child can be a gateway to having fun as an adult. Once seen as a bit passé board games are trendy again with new versions of older games such as Monopoly ( Cat-Opoly anyone?) and Scrabble as well as newer game such as Catan flying off the shelves

In moments such as now when we're just starting to rejoin the real world again board games such as Chess, and Scrabble aren't just games - they stimulate your brain by encouraging you to solve problems, and to create winning strategies. Puzzle games and quiz games like Trivial Pursuit, will also get your brain working and create some healthy banter between friends, but remember it is just a game and you're supposed to be having fun so try not to take it too seriously ;)

Skating

Now this one isn't probably the cheapest option but it doesn't have to be expensive, and again it's returning to something that you probably enjoyed in your childhood, skating!

Obviously you could take a few lessons, but you don't need to, to have some fun, so grab yourself some skates and start moving! Whether you choose roller skates vs inline skates for exercise reasons, for enjoyment reasons or even practical reasons (I have the worst balance so I'm a retro roller girl!), the most important thing is you're getting out there and having some fun and who knows, if you really enjoy it, you could maybe join a roller derby team, or organise a roller disco, competing, networking and making new friends.

Learn Some Beauty Hacks

Next up, something close to me heart, and something for the less active amongst us, something that you can do alone or with friends is stick on a You Tube video, or open a blog and learn some beauty and fashion hacks.

Even if your circle of friends are not into the latest trends, you can guarantee that there is always something beauty or fashion wise that they've wanted to learn how to do. It could be how to style their hair, how to create a capsule wardrobe, how to apply false eyelashes, or how to contour.

Grab a few drinks and some snacks get creative and learn some beauty and fashion tricks together. There are millions of YouTube videos you can watch together and learn, so grab your make up, and give each other a make up, or even make your own, my best friend does my make up video. It doesn't matter if it goes wrong make up is all about having fun and it shouldn't be taken that seriously!

Go Camping

Now this one is another suggestion that could be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. I must admit the idea of being in a tent, cold and without a proper toilet slightly fills me full of horror, but I've been watching a few glamping and van life videos lately and the freedom of being out in the open definitely appeals!

If your friends love adventure and nature, then camping is the activity for you. It can be a cheap way to go away from home, bond with nature, unwind, and rest. If it's your first time then you can probably borrow the basics, and even with possible, camp site fees, you'll just need to pay extra for food and drinks, and transport, even one night away from the same four walls can make a real difference to your mood, and spending time with a friend with no real distractions sounds ideal and a great way to cement a relationship.

Road Trips

If you're lucky enough to have a car or you have a friend that does, then going on a road trip is another excellent potentially low budget activity that you can engage with your loved ones to have a good time. Obviously, all of you will need to budget for fuel, and for food and drink on the way, and some money for when you get to your destination but depending on where you're headed it doesn't need to be an expensive day out.

Even if you're just going to the seaside to eat ice cream, stick on some tunes, follow the rules of the road, and spend some quality time with friends or family

Spending quality time with friends and family and making memories doesn't have to be expensive, yes you can grab a coffee together but mix it up a bit as you can see here there are loads of new and different hobbies and activities that you can try to keep those relationships fresh.

What do you do when you meet up with your friends? Do you go for a meal, or shopping, or do you go a fitness class? Whatever you do I'd love to hear from you so let me know your favourite things to do with friends in the comments x

*Collaborative / Partnered Post

A Small Primark Haul - Fashion, Accessories And More

Over the last week or so I've experienced a lot of emotions, but I think the one that's made its presence felt more than any other is frustration! I've been a flaky blogger for a long while now, and whilst I seem to apologise for it quite a lot, sometimes other things really are more important. At last though I was starting to feel as though as I could see the light at the end of tunnel. I started post planning, and taking photographs, and I can honestly say that I was starting to enjoy the whole blogging thing again, all be it at my own pace. Then what happens? everything goes belly up! After a pretty nasty rainstorm my land line and my broadband went down - cue a week and a bit of hardly any internet access. Thankfully it was fixed yesterday and I'm back, and hopefully for good this time ;)

So instead of being up to date, I'm playing catch up again with my blog posts, starting with a long awaited Primark haul. Primark trips and to be honest shopping trips in general have been very thin on the ground this year - I just haven't had the energy and as I've said before I'm really trying to buy less and wear more but with a bit of birthday money to spend I decided to take a little trip to Primark. I didn't buy a lot but I bought a few things that will work really well with items that I already own, and I bought a couple of, shall we say experimental things.

I've really gotten out of the habit of wearing dresses, I don't know but over the years I've gone through lots of dress phases, where it's all I've bought is dresses, and then I'll go through phases where I don't wear dresses for month. Style wise I'm not at all sure about this one, it's quite form fitting, but loved the pattern, the midi length, and the slightly stretchy fabric. I'm sure it's going to show off every bulge and bump, but I kind if thought what the hell, it was only £8 and I'm picturing it with sandals, or even with short Converse, I just need to be brave enough to wear it now!

Now something that I've always enjoyed in fashion is layering - from playing with jumpers, tops, and cardigans to wearing shirts as jackets to wearing vests over t-shirts I've always enjoyed experimenting with layers, and teaming different fabrics and textures, and this top just screamed Louise from a more playful, and experimental time. With an almost animal print, tie dye esq design, in a host of neutral tones, on the surface this appears to be quite a 'safe' purchase. Look more closely though and this boxy style t-shirt is actually made of a sheer mesh. If you're being brave, and you're wearing super pretty underwear than this could be a real statement piece, I think though I'm going to take the safer option and wear a vest or a camisole underneath it - whilst you could experiment with colour I think I would personally go for something in nude, coffee or black. Let me know if you have any other suggestions though, I'd love to hear your ideas x This top was £5.

From two slightly brave options, to a quintessential safe Louise option - a striped t-shirt. Although I'm not as brave as I used to be with clothing, I'm a firm believer that any rules about not wearing horizontal stripes when you're curvy should be thrown out with the rubbish - break those rules and enjoy fashion that's what I say!

Apart from the unusual combination of the peach, green, and black and white stripes, I love this t-shirt because it could be something that you've stolen from your boyfriend, it has a great over sized feel, but at the same time it's quite fitted, and as you see from the picture below it's long, and it covers my hips. Primark isn't the worst offender by any means but why are clothes so short at the moment - I know cropped t-shirts are all the rage again but I seem to pick up and put down so many items because they only seem to come 3/4 of the way down my back- what is going on? Is it a general sizing issue or am I just a funny shape? That's why when I find a long vest or t-shirt I buy it in every colour - indulgence or just sensible shopping taking advantage of clothes that actually fit you? Anyway enough ranting - the fabric is also super soft, it was only £5 and I love it!

I did see a few more nice clothing bits but bar a couple of additions I think I have enough clothes to see my through summer in the UK, especially if the rain keeps up. I did buy a couple of accessory bits though, and who'd have thought it, scrunchie is back! When I was at school I had so many scrunchies that I made my own scrunchie holder out of a kitchen roll tube so I could display them all, sad huh? and wearing about 3 at once? what was that all about? Anyways bar some bad fashion moments scrunchies are pretty practical when you think about, they very rarely get caught on your hair and they definitely cause less of an ouch factor than a conventional elastic bobble, and they don't hurt your head. I've always been partial to a scrunchie and even though they've went in and out of fashion I've still worn them for bed, but I think I can still rock a scrunchie in public so I picked up this pack of 3 for just £2. They're made of a nice textured fabric, and the colours work perfectly with so much of my wardrobe, I love coral, who doesn't need a neutral and you should now by now that I love mustard! Could I wear them all together? Maybe, but I think I leave the 90's and 00's behind, for now anyways!

I had a good look through the jewellery but as I said in my last Primark haul (read it here if you haven't already) I'm feeling a little bit overawed by my jewellery collection at the moment so I'm trying to shop my stash a bit but I thought these earrings were just too cute to leave behind. I don't own a lot of jewellery in rose gold or rose gold tone, and I think that it just complimented the design of these earrings perfectly. Small textured, filigree butterflies with a central crystal stone - I don't always do pretty and feminine but for just £1 these earrings are exactly that.

I don't know whether it's because my trips to Primark are a lot more sporadic than they used to be, but every time I go in now I seem to be more and more in awe of their beauty range, so many new items, high end dupes, collaborations and brands - the latest brand to join the Primark stable is 3INA and whilst some of the eye shadows looked amazing I couldn't really justify buying anything make up wise. Even though I had no intention of buying anything else I took my usual look at the reduced section and whilst it can sometimes be a shelf of broken eyeshadows and stained packaging, I think I found myself a little bargain.

Yes, my make up brush collection is verging on the obsessive but I do love a bargain and this big fan brush was only £1. It wasn't particularly expensive at £2.50 in the first place but come on a £1!

As bargaintastic as it was though, it isn't a bargain if it's no good, and you'll be pleased to know that this is a nice brush, for adding a bit of loose powder or a touch of highlighter. It has an easy to grip, rubberised handle, and super soft, synthetic bristles. Did I need it? Not really but it's decent and I'll definitely use it.

So after a week of frustration I've finally got a post up. It wasn't the biggest of hauls but I think I got some nice and interesting things, I just need to get my experimental fashion, or should I say style mojo back x Have you been to Primark recently ? Let me know your top finds x

Mothers Day At Poundland - Stationery, Homeware, And High End Make Up Dupes

When I was younger, like so many of peers I wouldn't have been seen dead in a so called discount stores, whether it was down to naivety, delusions of grandeur, just trying to fit in or just plain stupidity, I look back on the Louise of the 1990's and I cringe, I was such an idiot, discount and bargain stores rock and they probably always did.

It's simple really, why pay more for something when you don't need to, I am a huge fan of the so called discounter supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, I love a good market stall, and of course I love bargain retailers like B&M and Home Bargains. My real love though is Poundland, you do sometimes need to watch their prices, as you can occasionally get things cheaper elsewhere but it's one of the few shops that I can never leave empty handed.

What do I buy in Poundland? well anything and everything, you name it and I've probably bought it in Poundland, nail varnish - check, CD's - check, cleaning products - check, yeah, you get the idea. I'm lucky enough to live quite close to one of their larger stores so I can't resist popping in every week or so, to see their latest arrivals.

Like so many stores now, Poundland is a buy it when you see it shop, if you don't get it when you see it there is no guarantee that it will be there the next time, I think that fear of missing out is probably one of the reasons that I buy so much on every trip.

Now I don't post as many hauls on the blog as I used to instead I tend to upload pictures to Instagram,  and save them to highlights but I thought that today I'd share some of my most recent Poundland buys with you, and they all have a bit of a theme.

If you are still lucky enough to have either your own mum in your life or if you're a mum yourself then you'll already know that it's now less than two weeks till Mothers Day. I think I'm just about sorted now but if you aren't and you either want some little things to add to a main present or you just want some cheaper or token items, or even if you fancy treating yourself on a budget, than Poundland really should be your first port of call.

On my last couple of trips I've noticed more and more items appearing in the their Mothers Day collection. With 90% of the range priced at just £1, this years offerings are perfect if you're are a fan of pinks and marble prints. With items ranging from these fabulous tea light holders, to travel mugs, coupon books, coasters, and trinket boxes, there really is something for every type of mum

Now my mam, is a bit of a puzzle book fan so I've picked up a cute set of pens that are shaped like cooking utensils for her (not pictured), and you know how it goes, I couldn't resist picking up a few stationery bits for me. The pack of  marble print washi tape wasn't in the Mothers Day range but everything else in this picture was. I love anything in gold, pink and marble, and I do love a notebook, so for just a £1 this one was a must, and I love the quotes like "Write Your Own Future" on the pencils.

As well as stationery Poundland's Mothers Day range also contains quite a few beauty items, I'd already picked up one of the marble Blending Sponges when they first appeared with the Valentines / Galentines range, and after a few uses I decided to get a back up. It works just as well as my Beauty Blender and I love the grey and white marble print. As well as the blending sponges, there are perfume dupes, nail polish and nail files sets, bath bombs and some pretty decent make up products.

For Mothers Day 2019, Poundland have released 3 cheek different products inspired by Revolution / Make Up Revolution's, popular Blushing Hearts line which retail at around £4.99 and were themselves inspired by Too Faced's £24 Sweethearts. I don't own any of the Too Faced originals but I'm pretty happy with the Revolution dupes that I do own, and £4.99 is a lot easier to spend then £24. What about a pound though, can make up that cheap really be any good? well I decided to find out and I managed to get my hands on two of Poundland's "heart" make up items.

The first item I picked up was the Bronzing Powder Triple Baked Bronzer. Sticking with the the pink, Mother's Day theme, it comes packaged in pink and white cardboard box. The box itself comes wrapped in a plastic seal so you can't actually see what you're buying, slightly risky but it was only a pound and there is nothing worse than getting a product home and finding someone else's fingerprints in it, so at least you've escaped that!

Open the box and you're greeted with your product adhered to a plastic insert, and boy does it look the part. The domed, chunky, heart shaped bronzer contains 3 shades, a deep warm gold, a deep brown bronze, and a slightly lighter nude bronze.

With the baked texture that you we've come to expect from this type of product, the payoff and pigmentation is superb, all of the shades are strong, and smooth, and I didn't have to do any of that scraping that your sometimes have to do with baked products to get to the colour - just warmth and shimmer in just one light swipe.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to take any pictures of these actually on my face yet, but I have used this bronzer for an all over look, swirling the colours together to warm my cheeks up, and then individually as eye colours. The shades aren't quite as dark as they appear in the pan but I definitely think that this will be more of a summer palette for me, it definitely adds a real glow and a bit of shimmer, which I think will work better on me when I'm not quite as pasty.

Now the other item I got is something that I can definitely wear all year round, it's the Triple Baked Highlighter. Yes, yes I have a ridiculous amount of highlighters but they make me happy, I mean look at it, it's so pretty!

Obviously it comes in the same packaging as the bronzer, only this time you're getting an altogether lighter, cooler toned glow. Again you get three shades in your chunky, domed heart, a true champagne, a more golden champagne tone and a bronze nude. Again I can't fault the colour payoff, or the texture, the pigmentation is there and it's definitely a case of shimmer rather than glitter.

Whilst the bronzer palette worked best for me on the eyes, this is more of a put it everywhere type palette, you can use each shade individually or swirl them together and use them on your cheek bones, brow bones, and again you could even create a full eye look with just this one heart.

I wasn't expecting a lot from these two palettes but I'm so, so impressed for the price. They feel nice, the colour payoff is superb and they were really easy to apply and blend, oh and did I mention that they aren't tested on animals? Yes you get a little bit of fallout, and they create a bit of dust, and I can imagine that the packaging will get a bit grubby after a while but hey I can live with that, they are a £1 each what's not to love! I can't really justify buying any more cheek products at the moment but I'm so tempted to go on a hunt for the as yet elusive, Blushing Hearts Blusher to complete my trio, if that is even half as good as these then for just £1 it will still be well worth picking up. If you've tried it though let me know your thoughts As I say when you see things in Poundland you should buy them, everything that I've seen and read seems to suggest that there were made specifically for Mothers Day so if you fancy a real make up bargain or anything else that I've mentioned then I'd get yourself down to Poundland sooner rather than later x Are you like me and a fan of bargain and discount stores? Share you best finds with me in the comments x

AD - Spreading The Cost Of Winter Fashion And Some New Online Discoveries*

Purely based on my own experience of talking to people, watching You Tube videos, reading magazines and reading blogs, I've discovered that when it comes to fashion, people roughly fall into two categories, there are spring and summer people, there are are autumn and winter people.

I definitely fall into the autumn and winter camp, I love jumpers, cardigans, warm scarves, and chunky and practical winter boots! Don't get me wrong I still love t-shirts and sandals but whether it's down to my body shape, my lifestyle, or even plain old personal preference, I love to cover up and to get warm and cosy.

At the moment I'm in my element, the shops at the moment are full of fabulous colours and fabulous winter styles but lets be honest, who really wants to brave the high street when it's cold and pouring with rain, or brave that out of town shopping centre when it's full of Christmas shoppers? Not me! At least not all of the time anyways/ I'm 100% in favour of supporting local businesses and our high streets, but sometimes especially when your health isn't the best like mine, it makes a lot more sense to do a least of some of your shopping online.

Although online shopping is a relatively new thing, distance shopping isn't a modern invention by any means, people have been shopping from catalogues since the 1800's and whilst I'm not quite that old, I have fond, childhood memories of circling things in my mam's mail order catalogue and trying to rest the huge, heavy book comfortably on my tiny knees!

Now pretty much every store has some sort of online or mail order shopping presence, and although catalogues aren't always the first place that you may think of when it comes to online shopping, in some cases they probably should be your first port of call no matter what you're looking for, but especially when it comes to shopping for winter fashion for the whole family.

Online catalogues are probably one of the best alternatives to actually getting out there and braving the high street. Not only is the whole shopping experience less stressful and less time consuming but you also have the added benefits of choice, convenience, easy price comparisons, the occasional option to spread the cost , and of course lots of special offers, all at your fingertips. If you're interested in picking up some new winter fashion pieces and you would like to spread the cost or at what can be an expensive time of year, or make your life just a little bit easier by shopping online, here are 2 online catalogues that may not have heard of that might be right up your street.

Fashion World

When it comes to clothes shopping, Fashion World really is the creme de la creme when it comes to catalogue shopping. Although like me, you may not have necessarily heard of Fashion World, you'll definitely have heard of some of the brands that they stock and some of their sister stores, websites and catalogues. Part of the JD Williams & Company group, one of the leading purveyors of mail order catalogues in the UK, Fashion World makes shopping quick, and easy. As well as a huge variety of women's clothing in sizes 12-32, Fashion World also stocks a range of men's and children's wear, as well as home items, electricals and Christmas gifts - so you can stock up on some winter fashion pieces and of course some festive gifts for both friends and family at the same time - convenient, guilt free shopping - what more could you want?!

Madeline 

If you're looking for fashions just that bit different, and with a bit more sophistication, and class then Madeline should probably be your first port of call. Established way back in 1977 Madeline are of one of the pioneers in the mail order fashion business and have operations both in the UK and in mainland Europe. They're easy to navigate online catalogue contains a wide variety of high fashion clothing, shoes and accessories that are perfect for this time of year. Focusing entirely on female fashion, the site contains everything for the autumn and winter season, from winter boots, to cosy scarves, smart work wear, sparkly evening wear and comfortable, yet stylish casual clothing. Madeline is considered by many to be the site for people who know what top fashion is all about and I can see why. Whilst often veering towards the classic their clothes seem to have enough of an edge to make them appeal to the most fashion conscious women out there, be it in the cut of a garment, in the shape of a collar or a seem or even in the buttons or on a trim, they really do seem to offer something that's just that little bit different. 

If you're anything like me then I know you'll probably need no excuse to go shopping, so I won't be responsible for any purchases made because of this post ;) I know I've definitely made a wishlist after checking out both of these online catalogues, and it's definitely made me wonder just how many other catalogues and shopping sites there are that I haven't discovered yet x The Internet really is a wonderful thing when it comes to shopping or even window shopping, it's easy, in a roundabout way it can save you money, it's convenient and you do it all from the comfort of your own home.

*AD

Highlighter Heaven With The Revolution Ultra Pro Glow Highlighting Palette

Now it's no secret that I haven't been the best blogger lately but I promise I am going to try and make it up to you in the last few months of the year and going forward into 2019. Although posts have been a bit thin on the ground I've still been photographing and thinking about posts and whilst searching through some of the folders on my MacBook recently I found some pictures of a few products that I'd always intended to review and never got round too, and this was one of them

I originally bought this palette way back in 2017 and like the "good blogger" that I am (deep down inside anyways) I photographed it when it was all new and pristine, shared a quick pic on Instagram and then promptly never mentioned it again on social media - slaps wrists! Anyways despite the lack of online love I pretty much started using this palette straight away and despite the ridiculous number of highlighters that I have in my make up collection, I've used it pretty consistently ever since, so I thought that I'd share it with you and tell you just exactly why I love it so much  

I've been a fan of Make Up Revolution, or Revolution as they're now known since day 1, I know they have their critics due to their sometimes blatant copies of higher end products, but you can't deny that they do what they do well. Although there are now some higher priced items in the range they've remained largely affordable, and purse friendly. In my opinion they do a lot of things well but for me the palette is where they truly excel. I love make up generally but palettes just make things easier, colours tend to go together, and you're adding multiple items to your make up collection with just one purchase, I have lots of their eyeshadow palettes, a blush palette or two and of course I have this one, the Ultra Pro Glow Highlighting Palette.

My highlighter collection is pretty ridiculous, I have way more than I could ever wear but I absolutely love them, and the subtle nuances, and variations in each one that I own. I own budget friendly ones, and high end luxury ones, and whilst I love them all I keep coming back to this palette.  The reason is that this particular palette give you pretty much every warm toned shade of highlighter that you could ever need all in one place.

The packaging is basic but the powders inside are anything but, the shades in the palette range from pale yellows, and champagnes, to peaches, a warm peachy pink, and coppery bronzes. All of the shades in the palette are gluten and cruelty free, and they are vegan friendly to boot.

The powders inside are super smooth and they so finely milled that they almost feel like creams rather than powders. They don't feel dry or chalky, and since they are shimmers rather than glitters, the fallout is virtually non existent. 

As you can see from these swatches the pigmentation is superb, and depending on your skin tone, some of the deeper shades would make fabulous shimmery blushers and bronzers. Obviously you can use these as out and out highlighters to emphasise your cheekbones, your cupids bow, your brow bone, and the the bridge of nose, but what I love about this palette is it's versatility as I say you can use some shades are blushers or bronzers, and of course you can use them as eyeshadows too.

We're entering silly lighting season at the moment, so the lighting hasn't really been conducive to decent, natural face shots but I've taken a few in different lighting condition to give you an idea of just how smooth, blendable and wearable this palette actually is.

This first picture is taken with the flash and it's probably one my favourite ways to use the paler colours in this palette. Here I've used one of the pale champagne colours to highlight my brow bone, I've just used it very simply alongside MAC Smoke And Diamonds eyeshadow and a little bit of black mascara, a very easy shimmery eye that works equally well when worn day or night.

Annoyingly this photo that's taken again with the flash didn't come out as well as I'd hoped, but you can just  about see a hint of the warm, shimmery pink shade worn as a blush. On my pale (ish) skin tone it makes a really pretty and subtle cheek colour.

At last we had sunshine so I managed to take a few pictures in natural light. I'm a huge fan of nude, and neutral eyes, my Naked palette is my best friend and I love a bit of shimmer on my eyes so I've had a play or two and some of the bronze, copper shades are pigmented and strong enough to make excellent eye shadows in their own right. Again I've just teamed them up with a coat or two of mascara for a really easy autumnal eye look.

Again I'm not really that happy about how this one has photographed, because I'm quite pasty in the picture it looks very daring and quite strong but in real life it was definitely a little bit more subtle and wearable. This is lovely almost metallic deep champagne, bronze shade, that just made my face and skin pop. As I say it looked way nicer in real life, but if you have darker or tanned skin then I think this particular shade would be even more beautiful

As I say I've struggled a bit with some of my photographs but hopefully alongside the swatches they give you an idea of both the quality and the pigmentation, and of course the versatility of this palette.

Not only is this palette amazingly versatile but as you would expect from Revolution it's also a bit of a bargain. For just £8 your getting 8 fabulous, versatile and wearable shades, with a total weight of 20g, so that's basically just £1 per shade. Obviously if you're a highlighter obsessive like me then you need this but it you're new to make or to the whole concept of highlighting then this is an excellent product to start with and if your not a fan of cooler toned highlighter then this couple be the only highlighting product that you would ever need. I love and I'm so pleased that I picked it up. If you fancy picking one up for yourself then it's available from Superdrug and from Revolution Beauty. Are you as obsessed as I am with highlighter? Let me know in the comments x

Nails Of The Day - Models Own - NP214 Pear Drops

If you follow me on  Instagram (I'm @LouLou699)  then you'll probably already know that I'm a bit of a Poundland fan. I'm lucky enough to live quite close to a large branch and pretty much every week, you'll find me in there hunting for bargains.

You have to watch them a bit price wise but I can usually always find something that I need, or should I say want! At the moment Poundland have a bit of a beauty event thing going on and they've got quite a few new beauty bits including a new skincare line and a few discontinued drugstore bits. The stock changes regularly and it can depend on the store but in the past month or so, I've managed to pick up a few interesting bits including some Ardell false lashes, a fab Outdoor Girl True Matte Lip Gloss, and a few bits from Models Own including this gorgeous nail polish.

Like so many Models Own polishes this shade has now been discontinued which is a real shame; From the Sweet Shop Scented Polish Collection, this is NP214 Pear Drops.

Pear Drops is a bright, summery coral, red which is shot through with lots of fine glitter and sparkle. If you aren't a glitter fan though, you might still like this, in certain lighting conditions it's quite subtle, but change the light and it comes alive.

Although the lids can be a little awkward to hold I am a huge fan of the brushes on Models Own polishes, they are sturdy and have a nice thickness to them. This polish has a slight jelly like texture which meant that the application was a little bit sheer. It took me 3 coats to achieve full coverage, which was a bit time consuming, but it dried quite quickly and despite containing a lot of glitter it dried down to a fairly smooth, glossy finish.

Now this was one of the Models Own's Sweet Shop Scented Nail Polishes, and the name would suggest all of the polishes in this particular line have sweetie scents. There is a little scratch and sniff section on the lid but you really need to apply these polishes to get the real candy hit. When you apply this particular polish you get that familiar, chemical, nose aching nail polish scent, but it quickly dispersed leaving a subtle, sweet and slightly sour, fruity pear scent. The scent was noticeable but it wasn't that strong and it gradually faded after a day or so.

Unlike a lot of glitter polishes the wear time on this one wasn't that great and it had started to chip after less than two days, but I'm going to hold my hands up though and say that was probably my fault. As per usual I didn't use a top coat (if you're new to my blog I very rarely wear a top coat when I'm testing a nail polish) but in this case I also skipped a base coat! I know slap wrists! I committed the cardinal nail polish sin! I normally use something like OPI's Nail Envy but I was in a rush so I ended up applying this polish directly onto bare nails eek, not something I would recommend in this case. As well as potentially altering the wear time, it also made this colour a little bit trying to remove, glitter no matter how fine is always hard to remove, and this one was no exception, and because I didn't use a base coat I was also left with a little bit of pink staining on my nails. So take my advice and if you do manage to get your hands on this polish, or quite frankly any other nail polish then use a top and definitely a base coat!

Seeing as we're now into Autumn, this isn't probably isn't the most seasonal polish that I've ever worn, with the bright pink, orange and red tone but who cares, it's a beaut no matter what the season. My nails are pretty short and dry at the moment but I still love how this colour looks and if you're lucky enough to have a beach holiday planner or if hope upon hope we have a few more sunny days then this colour would also look fab on toes.

Even if we don't get the Indian summer that we've all been promised, this shade would still cheer up even the most blustery of autumn days, and I'm all for clinging on to summer for as long as possible. If you feel the same way then make sure you keep an eye out for my next post to see a review of something that will keep you in that summery mindset for just a little bit longer. In the meantime don't forget to make sure you're following my blog and my other social media channels, and if you have any questions on this post then please leave me a comment and let me know x