MAKE UP | URBAN DECAY DE SLICK

URBAN DECAY DE-SLICK MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY, £9 (x)

Going to be totally honest here, I'm an extremely oily girl. I can go maybe about an hour throughout my day before oil starts, and it's not even just around my t-zone... It's everywhere. I even get oily around my eyes which means that eyeliner and mascara isn't at it's best and really, being oily skinned makes me very self concious. 

I was a big lover and fan of the other Urban Decay spray, All Nighter  (x) and when Debenhams had it's sale (I swear Debenhams always has a sale?!) I went to put that in my little online shopping bag, but then had a change of heart and thought I'd give this a go. Now being extremely oily, I thought that this would work as well, if not better, than All Nighter, giving that it is targeted towards it specifically... If you cannot guess already, I was a little disheartened.

It says it'll keep foundation and blush from slipping or fading and states 'Goodbye shine, hello vibrant long lasting make up' which sounds good, right? For me, it was more like just spraying water on my face. With the All Nighter spray, you kind of feel it tighten a little on your skin, not uncomfortably, but once it's dry you know you've sprayed it and it sets. With this one, I sprayed it and it sunk in. Which isn't a bad thing, but it didn't give me that sort of .. 'safety' I felt with the other one. It left my skin dewy, which is nice and I thought that maybe it'd just prevent the oil from coming through when the time come. 

About an hour later, I touched my face and just felt this oily texture to my skin, looked at my hand and to my shock, there was foundation on my fingers!! I looked in the mirror and I looked once again like a shiny mess... Now I don't know if this was because I myself am just that tad too oily for this to work, or maybe it just isn't worth it, considering that that is what this product is specifically for.

I did test this over a long period of time, and every time had the same result. I think if you're extremely oily, maybe just opt for the All Nighter spray as I know for a fact that keeps makeup in place perfectly for hours. This would maybe suit combo skin or just normal that suffers from slipping when in hot weather!

Overally, I'm pretty disappointed and I'm glad I only bought the small travel size bottle to test out, but at least I'll always have my trusty All Nighter to fall back on!

MAKE UP | URBAN DECAY 24/7 WATERPROOF EYE PENCIL

URBAN DECAY 24/7 WATERPROOF EYE PENCIL in PERVERSION, £14 (x)

Having started this blog to talk about all things beauty, I have no idea why I've left it so long to write about this little baby! I first heard about this on youtube and I remember at the time I had been getting so annoyed as I'd apply my eyeliner and then a few hours later it'd be out of my waterline! I had given up on the whole eyeliner game really and had come to terms with the fact that I would forever be touching it up wherever I was, until this came into my life. I bought it on a whim and I'm so glad I did!

The formula itself is very creamy and when you first apply it it really makes you doubt its staying power.. but believe me, once this sets, it's set. The formula also makes it a bit hard to sharpen as it seems to sort of.. Melt if it gets too warm? Don't really think melt is the right word, but basically it's creamy enough that you can blend it out to be smokey if you'd like to. This is in the shade Perversion which is the blackest black they have, and to be honest the blackest eyeliner I've ever used! They have another shade Zero which I think is less intense but I haven't tried it. Now, what makes this eyeliner so special is that it stays in the waterline until you take it off. It doesn't fade, it doesn't budge, it doesn't smudge up in the corners or give you panda eyes, it stays! I've also used it when I didn't have my liquid eyeliner to do a flick, and I fell asleep with my makeup on that night (Bad Kitty!) and when I woke up my waterline and flick were still intact! It literally shocked me so much that it hadn't even smudged or faded the tiniest amount, it was as black and bold as when I first applied it!

This is hands down the best eyeliner I've ever used and I will never go back to any other liner. I really want to try out some other shades and also some of the rest of the 24/7 range, such as the 24/7 Glide-On Eye Shadow Pencils. If this pencil can last on my waterline, imagine what they can do!

MAKE UP | ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLE WEAR

ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLE WEAR, £27.50 (x)

Having extremely oily skin I can't seem to find a nice dewy foundation that doesn't leave me looking shinier than a disco ball 5 seconds after I've applied it. I dabbled in primers, but nothing has seemed to work, and my beloved Illamasqua Rich Liquid, no matter how amazing it is, leaves me greasy if I don't set it well with a powder. Powder isn't something I love, and so I always strive to look for a foundation that I can just put on and leave as it is. That's where Estee Lauder comes in handy!

They've recently added to their shade range which confused me a little at first and I'm worried I may of purchased the wrong shade, but the nice lady at the counter in Boots told me if it was wrong I could bring it back, which is definitely news to me! Back when I was 16 I used to wear this all the time, it was my holy grail, and then I'm not really sure what happened but I think I just ran out and never bought it again. Now 5 years later (5 years, oh Jesus!) I have returned. I used to be shade 1C1 'Shell', and now 1C1 is called 'Cool Bone' I assumed the colour would be the same and the name had just changed but it seems a little more yellow than I remember, but blended well it looks fine on my skin.

The foundation itself is a liquid, and many reviews I've seen seem to compare it to 'wearing a mask'. It's true, it's high coverage stuff, but you only need a small amount of this product and I think that's wear people go wrong. I usually buff this into my face with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, or use my hands. Yes, my hands. It can get a little messy, but the overally effect is very seamless and blended. I'd compare it to how you warm Studio Fix concealer with your fingers - if you use your hands with this it warms into the skin much more and that helps with making it not look mask-like.

Now for the best part - in my opinion. Doublewear is the only foundation I've ever used that I don't have to powder, or touch up during the day. I've also maybe slept in this (Once upon a time! Don't kill me) and woken up to a nearly flawless face... Now if that's not long wearing, I don't know what is.

For me this is the perfect everyday foundation when just used minimally, build it up it is perfect for a night out.

Have you tried Doublewear? Are you a fellow lover, or a hater? 

MAKE UP | URBAN DECAY NAKED BASICS PALETTE

NAKED BASICS PALETTE, £20 (x)

My poor old Sleek palette was getting worn out, and as always Debenhams.com was open on my laptop... I can only blame myself! Having my eye on this little baby for a while, I managed to swipe it and a bottle of De-Slick when they had 10% off, and I'm so glad I did.

Knowing that I didn't really need the extent of shadows that the full Naked and Naked 2 palettes have, I thought this little wonder would be perfect for me and I was right. It comes in a little cardboard box, and the palette itself is sturdy and durable, a real travel size kit that I can see myself taking to my boyfriends or to work for touch ups if needed.

As you can see here the box states it features both matte and satins, when really it's just one. I've seen people saying that foxy is slightly satin-y too, but in my palette it's most definitely matte. This isn't a problem for me as Venus is the perfect champagne highlight for inner corners and brows, I don't need another.

L-R: VENUS, FOXY, WALK OF SHAME, NAKED 2, FAINT, CRAVE

Venus is a light champagne highlight which is perfect for the inner corner, brow and even a bit dusted on the cheekbone. Foxy is a yellowy-nude and W.O.S is a pinky-nude, both which suit my very pale complexion as a lid colour. Naked 2 is a light taupe brown, which looks lighter in the pan than it is on the brush so be careful! Faint is a dark cool tone brown, and Crave is a nearly-black brown.

I've been using Venus to highlight, and then eitther Foxy or W.O.S on the lid, Naked 2 in the crease and then deepening the crease if needed with Faint. Crave has only been used to smudge along the lashes so far but I could definitely see myself taking an eye look from day to night with it. I also use a mix of Naked 2 and Faint as an eyebrow colour occasionally and it works perfect! All shadows are buttery soft and easy to blend.

All in all I think this is a wonderful palette, and if you were thinking of buying it for an easy day-to-night eye, it will do the trick amazingly. If you've got this palette what are your thoughts? 

HAUL | URBAN DECAY

 

DE-SLICK MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY, £9 (x) | NAKED BASICS PALETTE,£20 (x)

They were on my wishlist, and now they're here! You know you have a problem when the postman hands you the packages and says 'more makeup?' Well, Mr Postman, I picked both of these up at Debenhams online whilst they were having a 10% off beauty day! Not gonna argue with that. 

De-slick is a setting spray to mattify my complexion now the heat is creeping into our lovely english weather, and it's partner in crime 'All Nighter' spray was a big hit with me, so I have high hopes. 

The Naked Palette on the other hand is... well.. an indulgence. I've been eyeing it up for a while and it seems to be the perfect everyday eye, even if I do own a lot of shades similiar, having them all in one handy palette appeals to me greatly. I've already swatched everything furiously after ripping over the package, and it's looking good! Full reviews of both of these coming soon once I've tried them out!

Have you tried either of these? What did you think?

BRUSHES | REAL TECHNIQUES

Following a recent indicent with a candle and my Real Techniques brushes (-.-) I toddled down to Boots to repurchase two of my favourite brushes, and threw the old singed ones into the bin. Previously I used the Buffing brush for foundation but it only comes as part of a set, and the rest of mine were in perfectly good condition, so I opted for the next best thing...

EXPERT FACE BRUSH, £9.99 (x)

I did previously own this brush too (don't worry I didn't burn that one to bits, I lost it!) and had forgotten how good it was. If anything I think this brush was the better of the two, it's smaller than the Buffing Brush, and a bit more densly compacted so you can get a flawless coverage with very little work! 

SETTING BRUSH, £8.99 (x)

Now this brush is a funny one for me. Having really oily skin I almost always powder, but I use the Blush brush (x) for a light dusting all over the face rather than this which is meant to fit in all the nooks and crannies. Don't get me wrong, it does an excellent job at that! But my use for this is actually highlighter! It all started when I went to grab my Contour brush which was my usual brush of choice, and grabbed this instead. It has sort of flimsy bristles which is perfect for a light application of highlighter, and then you can build as needed without looking like a full on disco ball straight away!

I love RT brushes, think they're such good value for money and are definitely worth a look at if you're new to the brush game and want something high quality but not with the out of the park price ranges! Now, to hide my candles...