Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts

Friday, 28 September 2012

Budget Make-Up Test Part 1

As promised in my previous blog post I have been putting budget Make-Up to the test the last couple of days, starting with Collection 2000's "Angelic Eyes" which comes in at just over £4 at my local Boots Store.

With all sorts of vibrant colours in this eye shadow set, I decided to test the blue shades and run with the whole Under the Sea theme which is inspiring the fashion world right now. Here's the result: 





Whilst I am by no means an expert when it comes to applying any kind of make-up here's how I did it - in case you'd like to give it a try yourself..



  • I started by generously applying the light silvery colour (1) to my entire eyelid using a fluffy round eye shadow brush, making sure to cover both the outer and inner corner of my eye and brushing up to the browbone and highlighting it at the same time. Then I lightly dusted below my lower lash line using the same colour and removed any excess powder with a cosmetic tissue.
  • After lightly scraping the sky blue shade (2) with the end of my eye shadow brush to reach a colour rich result, I went to sweep the medium shade in a half-circular move on the crease of my eye lid. To add some depth I blended the shade down towards my upper lash line with a round-tipped brush that had no product on it. (I find that it's easier to avoid unwanted smudging by using a clean brush for blending heavy contrast shades)
  • Next I went to softly dab the purply blue (3) coloured eye shadow just up onto the outside corner of the eyelid and using my little finger I went to blend that same shade ever so lightly into the inner corner of my eye lid.
  • I used the navy blue shade (4) to accentuate the eye crease and applied a light grey eyeliner to my upper lash line, the inner corner and the outer corner of my lower lash line as well as a few dots on my brow bone. Then I finished the Under the Sea inspired look by applying some black mascara.

The application of the eye shadow took me a bit less than 10 minutes and its removal was straight forward leaving no ugly dark stains (as some other colour rich eyeshadows are known to do) so all in all I was extremely happy with the result.

As to the colour strength/pigmentation, here a little colour swatch so you can see all colours in this set


The colours lack a bit in intensity despite the fact they look so vibrant but there's nothing a good primer (as a base) and a good strong brush won't fix :) I actually used my Studio Secrets Primer from L'Oreal - have a look at this Review I wrote a little while ago if you want my opinion on some current Primers on the market.

So here we go, a big thumbs up from me to Collection 2000 Angelic Eyes - eyeshadow palette.
Really good value for money.

My piggy bank is happy and so am I. :o)

xoxo
Kate

Friday, 13 July 2012

Amsterdam

Say "Cheese" ;o) OH-EM-GEE , Amsterdam is just uh-mazing!

So, I might not remember everything that happened on my recent henweekend adventure in the city of cheese and bicycles but what I do recall is having an awesome time with friends in a very cool laid back city.

First off, some pictures:


What I liked the most about Amsterdam? Let's see... There was the largest floating Chinese Restaurant in the World and the cheese shops were quite something.. I don't think I have ever seen so much Gouda in my life! The historical monuments and houses, The city had so much charm despite the bicycles every 2 metres. (Seriously: They have too many of them!)


The beautiful canal belt and picturesque layout of Amsterdam was also very impressive. We took a boat tour which took us past all major historical sights and it was definitely worth it. Amsterdam is a truly beautiful city.



Everywhere we went we were met by extremely friendly faces. Whether in restaurants, bars or shops the Dutch folk seems pretty darn nice if you know how to smile back. Even when my bridesmaids forced me to walk around with a giant blow-up Edward Cullen doll (yes, really!) the locals saw the humour and didn't make me feel awkward at all. Some locals decided to pose with me for pictures of "Bella and Edward"...


The owner of the Italian restaurant we dined in that night even gave Edward his own chair.


So, would I recommend Amsterdam as a holiday destination? I would totally recommend it if you are in a group of friends. There are plenty of activities to enjoy and some really cool bars and local pubs.

xoxo
Kate