Urban Decay Naked 3 palette dupe! Amazing !!

Today I'm going to show you swatches and review a new eyeshadow palette that I recently purchased, and even be as brave and call it a dupe for Urban Decay Naked 3 palette!

Makeup Revolution London was brought to my attention by Jane on BBB, when she reviewed some of their make up. Instantly I went onto their website and checked out the range they carry.

Prices are certainly enticing as they start at £1! The palette Iconic 3 was £4. And dare I say what a bargain!!

Here is what the palette looks like from the back and in the pans. It is slightly larger than MUA and Sleek palettes, but not by much. The shadow pans are not too narrow so you can still access them easily, even using your fingers. It comes with a sponge applicator, but I don't tend to use these.

Here are the swatches of both palettes. Top row is by Revolution Makeup Iconic 3 and bottom is Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. As you can see the colours are extremely similar if not identical on most of the swatches! This picture has been taken using flash.

This is the natural light picture. As you can see the first eyeshadow Strange is slightly more pigmented than the Revolution one, but the colour is buildable and once on the lid you really can't tell the difference. The other major difference I spotted within the eyeshadows is colour Dust and it's equivalent. In the UD palette the shadow is more glittery and definitely more chalky, the RM one is more shimmery. I certainly prefer the finish of the Iconic 3 shadow!

Last most visible difference is in the shadow Blackheart. In Revolution palette the shade comes off as it has more red sparkle than the Urban Decay one. I suppose what everyone was expecting with the Naked 3 palette is to have more of that red shimmer coming through, and this is what Iconic 3 delivers.

Overall I love the Iconic 3 palette. Most of the shadows are not chalky at all (unlike some UD ones!), they blend well, having worn them for a couple of days (always with my NYX HD primer) I can safely say they don't crease and don't budge. It is certainly a worthy dupe for Naked 3 palette and a bargain as these shadows should be much more expensive for the quality you're getting there. The packaging doesn't look expensive and you can see that, but essentially it's the product that matters here.

I am going to leave you with this last picture. The eye on the left is done using Revolution Makeup Iconic 3 palette and the eye on the right is done using Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I personally prefer the finish on the left, it opens my eye a little bit more and looks more vibrant. I used Dust on the eyelid, Nooner to blend the crease out, Blackheart in the outer v and Strange under my brow bone to tidy up the crease and the equivalent from the RM palette.

Let me know what you think about the palette and if you had a chance to try it out already!

xxx

Being a MOTHER

My head is pounding, I just watched the last episode of the 2nd series of Mr Selfridge, poured my eyes out... Don't want to spoil the end for some who haven't seen it yet! And then to add to my emotional roller coaster The Hoarder Next Door accidentally reminded me how important the role of a MOTHER is! So lets get to the point!

I come from a ''normal'' loving family, my mum has sacrificed A LOT for me and my brother! She is one of the most selfless and most amazing mothers I know! A few years ago she was diagnosed with cancer... Thank goodness her surgery has been successful and she is cancer FREE now. I remember holding her hand, while she was wheeled through the corridors of the hospital to the operating theatre... I never felt so alone and helpless. All I could think of is myself! What is going to happen to me if she doesn't wake up??! I do feel ashamed about it now. Anyway that was a very sad and unsettling time in our lives and I am thanking God she has made a full recovery and everything is settled again.

I only really fully started appreciating everything she has ever done for us and still is doing for us after I myself became a MOTHER. It was the most overwhelming and amazing feeling in the world. Feeling those tiny movements in my belly...right under my heart. This little person has stolen my life forever, even before she was born! The immense rush of love as soon as she was born, I knew my life belonged to her now! And then I also realised how important my mum is in my life, and how much appreciation I have for everything she has done for me.

Being a stay at home mum and being able to spend all my time with my daughter has been amazing but tough as well. I think most mothers would agree that as lovely it is to see your children grow up, it is also daunting. I wouldn't have changed it for the world as it seems to me like the time is passing so quickly at the moment, I want to grab every moment and drink it to the fullest. I do have days where Annabell will be in a funny mood and we will have a tough day, but then I take a breath and look at her and the love I have for her just spreads through my body and completely takes all the problems away!

She is growing up so quickly, I also need to learn how to let go. She goes to pre-school now. It feels very strange leaving her there, where she is a completely separate entity from me, no longer needing me. My perfect little human! But when she is hurt or in danger, or someone tries to mess with her (as it has happened at one of our local play centres) a wild lioness wakes up in me. The strangest feeling...like I've never experienced before. It feels like something wakes up in me, and I will protect her no matter what. I am not scared of anyone, of what they think of me. It is my child I am protecting and I will until I die.

When she gets sick, I often sit there with her, hold my hand on her head and wish all of it could be sucked out of her and passed onto me. I never want to see her suffer, or be ill, or cry not from laughter.

Poor quality picture taken on my phone, but I think it captures what I am trying to say in this post. Unconditional and selfless happiness and love.

When you become a MOTHER you become completely selfless, your priorities are no longer. It is THEM and their needs that take precedence!

Being pregnant again, this time fills me with happiness again but also a worry. I enjoy every single movement from my unborn baby, especially that I know it is the last time I will be experiencing this feeling... But also I worry about...myself!!!! I don't want anything to go wrong, so my daughter is not missing her mum and she can rely on me throughout her life. I want to be her best friend, who always is there to pick her up when she needs help.

I suppose what I am trying to say as well is that it doesn't matter if you loose your patience and shout at them occasionally, or are there to discipline and teach right from wrong. Nothing can ever substitute a mother, and I realise that NOW.

Recently I have been an emotional wreck, and I don't know why...I put it down to my pregnancy hormones:) But I just needed to write this post to offload all the emotions and thoughts of my chest and my mind.

I guess this is it from me now. Don't forget to tell your mum how much you love her and thank her for everything... not just on Mother's day!

xxx

Make up UK & US haul. What is new at the drugstore?!

Goodness knows why I purchased more things again??!! I think it's just too tempting not to when you have 3 for 2 offers everywhere you go and beauty goodies packed so nicely in the juicy colours of spring! I was a naughty girl but as I don't treat myself to any new clothes I thought I am allowed to spend more money on make up;)

So here are my little finds!

So firstly on my list was Superdrug and some budget lipstick buys. Beauty UK and Collection has some gorgeous shades out which I simply had to buy! Especially that there was an offer buy one get one half price! From the top left Beauty UK: 03 Snob (dusty pink nude in matte), 07 In The Buff, 10 Passion & 17 Plumalicious. Bottom row is by Collection Deluxe: 02 Tallulah, 04 Speakeasy, 01 Prohibition. All of the colours are gorgeous and very creamy except Snob that is a matte finish. 

Then browsing for some new spring clothes for Annabell I stumbled across a make up display in H&M! I picked up 3 Lip Tints and one gold liquid eyeliner. From the top Hot Pink, Raspberry Red & Deep Red. They do remind me of Lip Tars by OCC and Sleek Pout Paints , but I haven't had a chance to test them yet so not sure about the staying power! 

And then for my US crazy lipstick haul! Most of the things you see below have been ordered from drugstore.com and delivered to my friend's address who lives in America, as they don't ship internationally! 

 But up first is the package from nyx.com! Just savour those beautiful colours of the packaging!! 

I got some new lip butter lipsticks and lip glosses and to accompany those 3 lip liners! 

So from the top left to right are Butter Lipsticks: Pop, Sweet Tarte, Razzle & Hunk. 

In the middle are Butter Glosses: Strawberry Parfait, Sugar Cookie & Raspberry Tarte. 

And bottom row are 3 lip liners in Soft Pink, Hot Pink & Plum.

I love the colours and formulas, pigmentation is great as well and packaging deserves A+!

Next up are goodies from L'oreal and Maybelline. On top are L'oreal L'Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstics in colours 104 Dancing Rose, 201 Rose Symphony, 106 Fuchsia Orchestra & 403 Purple Prelude. I ordered them as in the US they have much bigger colour selection! I love the formula and pigmentation, they don't stay on your lips for ever but I still love them! 

Bottom row is a little but sad a there are only two Maybelline Color Sensational Elixir lipglosses, but after hearing lots of positive feedback about them I was just curious to try them out! So from left to right we've got 010 Celestial Coral & 030 Raspberry Rhapsody. I fell in love with the packaging as it's shaped like a lipstick in a clear rectangular clear case! 

And last but certainly not least are goodies by Milani. Oh my gosh do I love Milani or what?! I really do wish they carried this brand in the UK as well! So I got two lip products that have recently came out and on top you've got Milani Lip Intense liquid lip sticks kind of things. From th left: Fiery Coral, Pink Rave & Violet Addict. These are gorgeous, not only stay on the lips for a long time, they we so vibrant and easy to apply! Certainly my favs!! 

And then the bottom row are Milani Power Lip stains, from the left: Creamy Cafe, Macaroon, Mango Tango, Pink Lemonade, Raspberry Tarte & Cabaret Blend.

I love the colours and the fact that the product in itself is quite small and not too bulky ideal for a small make up bag on the go! The staying power is fantastic as well and colour selection. Unfortunately the reason why I wouldn't repurchase this product is because of its packaging. It's a twist tube with a brush at the end. You never know how much product to squeeze out and it's more difficult in my opinion to distribute it around the lips. 

I also have got some other bits and bobs which you can check out in my video on you tube! 

xxx

Spring make up tutorial ''Prism eye look'' using Neve cosmetics palette

After those horrible months of winter in the UK we are finally exposing our pale bodies to some sunshine;)) This weekend is supposed to be very warm as well, so inspired by (hopefully) quickly approaching spring, here is my spring inspired make up tutorial!

I know to some it may seem excessive and no, I don't wear bright make up like this every day. I do prefer bold lips to bold eyes, but I just couldn't resist the colours in this palette! They are super juicy, I really love all the colours from the palette, it is a plus they are absolutely humongous in size and for the price you can't really go wrong! They are also vegan and paraben free which is always a plus and extremely pigmented. I got it from cutECOsmetics website and the palette there retails at £21.95. I suppose all I wanted to say is that I couldn't be happier!

I know Urban Decay has released their new Electric palette (does it mean I am bang on the colourful eyeshadow trend? haha) and I was tempted with the vibrant colours they offer, but after seeing some reviews online and full spectrum of colours I will definitely give it a miss but I am happy I purchased Neve one instead!

Please check out my video on how to create this prism look:))

xxx

Sephora shipping internationally, including UK!!!

So I think every beauty obsessed person in the UK was happy to learn that Sephora started shipping internationally including the green gables of England!

I know I certainly was excited as this means I don't have to bother my friend in America any more to buy some things on my behalf!

But before we count our chickens here is a few things to consider and take into account, the stuff that isn't clearly stated on the website!

So not only there is a restriction on items considered ''hazardous'', which I kind of understand for obvious reasons (there have been restrictions applied by Royal Mail as well not too long ago!), but what really shocked me is that not all the brands are available to purchase...
It is a slight disappointment as for example I wanted to try some products from Josie Maran or Tarte and at the end of the checkout it told me that those were not available for me to purchase:/

After just about getting over this little disappointment, I then discovered that the ''flat'' shipping charge was excluding tax charges!

So I think it is slightly deceiving to say the least. I also wonder if you need to pay any custom charges as recently after receiving a package from the US I was asked to pay almost £20 for custom charges and admin fees!!!! I am most certain that the person from FedEx told me that if the package exceeds certain value amount the fees do indeed apply. 

I'm not sure if all that hassle and extra hidden charges are worth the effort and all that money. I am having second thoughts about it. I might as well save my cash and spend it on luxurious items that are available here. 

Let's not forget that even though stock might be very limited some of those products are available online in the UK.

What do you think about it all? 

xxx

Huge collective haul UK Boots, US Makeup Geek & Coastal Scents

I have been doing a little bit of shopping online and in Boots lately so please check out my video to see what I got!

There are a few skincare products and lots of lovely make up from the US! 

xxx

Glossybox February 2014! Surprise!!

Hello, hello!! Is it the bestest Glossybox ever or what?! I don't think I could have imagined a better box after so many poor boxes in the past! But I think we were all won over by this month's surprises!

Let me jump straight in to what I got in the box.

First thing that jumped straight at me as it was the biggest in the box was Toni & Guy stick it up gum. It's supposed to keep your naughty fly away hairs or baby hair in tact! I have used it only once and really sparingly so can't really pass judgement about it. It is very solid and what I imagine coconut oil looks like. It melts under your touch and feels slightly oily. You get a full size product retailing at £7.49!

Second thing that grabbed my attention was Ciate nail polish in Raspberry Collins. And oh my am I happy to get it?! Yes!! Most of the nail polishes I got in Glossyboxes were nice but not very wearable by me! So having a gorgeous pink colour, perfect for spring and summer just made this box even greater! It is a full size nail polish as well retailing at £9!

I also got Maybelline Master Kajal Liner in black. I needed a black liner, but never used kajal liners. Not sure if there is that much difference to be honest! I haven't used it yet so not sure how it performs but watch this space:) This was a full size product as well retailing at £5.99!

So just with these three items the box is worth much more than the £10 that I paid for it...but this is not it!:)) 

Next thing on the list is the Nugat Sparkling body shimmer. It has very lightweight and gel/water like consistency. It doesn't make your skin shine but gives it a subtle glow, which I really like. You get 100ml sample and the 250ml full size product retails at £14. 

And last but not least are the Eldora false eyelashes. These are hand made and the pair I got look really long but very natural and are on a thin clear band, what I love in fake eyelashes! Of course it is a full size product ( imagine just getting one eyelash as a sample;)) and they retail at £3.90. I still need to test them so won't comment on their quality or durability, but I like what I see:))

This month as it was a Valentine's box there was a bonus product. Delicious Lindt chocolate bar. It retails at 0.75p per bar but you can also purchase it in packs of 24 I believe. It was a gorgeous soft caramel filling encased in milk chocolate... what not to like??! 

Overall I am super impressed by this month's glossybox, I love the design of the box, slight let down on the tissue paper front as it was plain white, but I won't be too picky as the products inside it really surpassed my expectations!

Hope you got nice glossyboxes yourselves, please share in the comment box what other variations of products you got in yours:))

Dont forget to check out my video as well!

xxx