A few snaps from my Holiday - Abersoch 2017

 

Today I thought I would do a photography post as it feels like forever since I have done one, these are just a few of the photos I took on my recent camping holiday to Abersoch. I hope you enjoy these and let me know if you would like to see more photography posts.

 

 

Smashbox Matte exposure palette

I am a big fan of the Smashbox shadows so when I saw they were releasing an all matte palette I could resist picking it up. What I love about this palette is that the big shades are actually a useful lid shade rather than highlighting shades like a lot of palettes have. I love the fact that this is split into more warm shades and cool/more purple toned shades. These shades are all really beautiful and blend like a complete dream.

 

So moving onto the shades I am going to be going from left to right along the top with the two larger shades and then I will be going along the bottom row.

 

Spice - Deep terracotta pink shade, this is possibly one of my favourite shades in the palette. Not only because it is warm toned but also because it blends like an absolute dream.

 

Desert - This shade reminds me a lot of Crème brule from makeup geek. It is like spice in terms of it having a slight pink tone it. This makes a really gorgeous transition shade which is perfect for using with any of the shades in the palette.

 

Tonal - This one is a pinky peach shade which makes a really lovely lid shade and pairs beautifully with the two shades I have just mentioned above.

 

Wheat - The first of the larger shades, wheat is another brilliant lid shade or transition shade depending on the wearers skintone. I feel like out of all of the shades this was a really sensible one to make massive as it is one a lot of people are going to reach for a lot.

 

Vanilla - This is another brilliant lid shade, it is still a very slightly pink toned lid shade. It can also be used as a highlight shade on the brow bone.

 

Buff - Out of all of the shades this is possibly the least pigmented this is a lot more pink toned than Vanilla and again makes a really lovely lid shade.

 

Drizzle - This is the first of the more purple shades. This is a grey toned lilac shade which looks gorgeous in the crease of buff.

 

Truffle - This is an almost lilac toned grey shade which looks stunning to add a little depth to any looks.

 

Moving onto the bottom row we have -

 

Blackberry - This one is a very slightly purple toned deep brown. What I love about this shade is that it adds a little coolness to any warm looks balancing them a little better. This one isn't the most pigmented in the palette however I prefer my darker shades to not be so pigmented as I prefer to be able to build them.

 

Sumatra - This one is the perfect deep chocolate brown shade, this is my favourite shade to deepen up any looks.

 

 

Suede - This is the slightly pinker less orange version of Spice. This is a nice one to use to deepen cooler toned looks to add a little more warmth to it.

 

Grounded - This one is a deeper version of buff. This one makes a lovely lid shade for a deeper purple smokey eye.

 

Black Plum - This is the most incredible deep purple shade which pairs beautifully with grounded to create a smokey eye. This is such a vibrant shade, perfect to add a little colour to a more neutral look.

 

Blackout - This is the last shade in the palette, this is an incredibly deep black shade and is one of my favourite blacks in my collection.

 

So that's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this post and would love to know if you have tried this palette. 

NYX Total control drop foundation

Okay so first off can we just appreciate how pale this foundation is. I am pretty sure this is the palest foundation I have ever seen in the drugstore. I was actually really impressed with the shade range of this one as it also goes pretty dark. This has to be one of the strangest foundations I have ever tried it is incredibly liquidy and when trying it for the first time I just expected it to completely disappear into the skin however I was actually really impressed with the coverage it offered. It has been marketed somewhat like the Cover FX drops with NYX suggesting to use one drop for a light, two for a medium and three for a complete full coverage.

 

 

Due to this being water based and me having dry skin I do find I need to use quite a lot of product as my skin almost seems to drink it up. I apply a drop to each cheek, the nose, the chin and the forehead and that for me gives me the light coverage. As I mentioned my skin does drink a lot of this product up meaning I definitely have to really build it up to get any coverage. After one drop on each part of my face I am left with a very light natural looking base however for me it just doesn't cover up redness enough. Due to the lack of oil in this foundation I do find that it doesn't sit the best on my skin and once I begin to build it up it does begin to cake around my nose.

 

I really like the packaging but I do find the pipette to be a bit awkward and as the foundation is so liquid-y it has a habit of dripping on the way from the bottle to the hand or face. That being said I do think it looks really cool and is definitely something that would look nice out on a dressing table.

 

 

The finish of this is fairly matte, I have to say I did expect it to do a little more glowy and natural however I could see it looking really beautiful and natural on a more normal or oily skin type. Lasting wise this does last really well without changing at all really on my skin however I feel like this is due to the fact that the minute I put it on it looks like I have had it on for hours as it skinks in and collects in any dry patches. Overall for my dry skin I am not the biggest fan of this however I feel that if you have a less dry skin type then you will really enjoy this.

 



The Concealer lip nudes

I know some people hate concealer lips however at the moment they are something I am a little obsessed with. Don't get me wrong on most people these shades are going to be nudes which are actually paler on their skintone however on me these are either a very similar shade to my lips or just a slight bit darker.

 

First off we have Jouer buff which is a super beautiful incredibly pale nude this is even a little paler than my skintone but I just completely love it. This one is a pink undertone nude which looks so beautiful paired with a super dark eye look. Despite this being incredibly pale it doesn't fall into any of the lines in the lips but it can get a little butt hole lip like if you aren't careful. Next up we have Jeffree star I'm nude which is a much more brown toned nude. This one is probably the closest to my actual face. I love the formula of this one. It's very thin yet incredibly pigmented, due to it being so thin it isn't dry at all and almost feels like there is nothing on the lips.

 



Jouer Buff, Jeffree star I'm nude, Ofra Nude potion, NYX Bedtime flirt

Another more pink toned nude is Ofra x Nikkie Tutorials Nude potion which is a slightly more pink version of Buff from Jouer. This is much more whipped in texture but again offers a really opaque coverage. This one is so comfortable on the lips and just feels so easy to wear. Finally we have NYX Lip lingerie in Bedtime flirt which is the darkest out of the four. This one is the most beautiful deeper nude. It still has the same base of that concealer shade but is something a little different and a little darker so is possibly a little easier to wear.