Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils

Good evening all :) Hope you're having an awesome week so far. I finished work at 12.30pm today and have spent the entire afternoon watching Bake with Anna Olson (I've never seen someone make such complicated pastry dishes look so simple!) and drinking tea; but it's been raining heavily pretty much all day so that's my excuse

Been meaning to do a post on the Urban Decay 24/7 liners for ages so now seems as good a time as any!

I love using colourful liners cos it's such an easy way to brighten up even the most simple eye look. I'll sometimes apply a fine layer of a nude shadow all over my lid and then finish it off with a really eye catching eye pencil or gel liner; a lovely look that takes no more than 2 minutes

At the minute I have 4 colourful shades and 3 of the black pencils but there are about a dozen colours available including an unbelievably gorgeous gold. It's so gorgeous, in fact, that I've gotten through 2 of them and haven't got round to buying a new one yet :)

One of my favourite things about these pencils is that the packaging doesn't lie - the colour you get matches the packaging exactly and these could genuinely be worn for a full 24 hours with no smudging or fading. Also, the texture is soft and creamy, almost a gel liner consistency, so you can draw the line without pulling or pressing too hard

From left to right : Woodstock, Ransom, Radium, Junkie and Perversion

Once a line has been drawn you get about 30 seconds play time before these set, at this point they'll be stuck fast and wont move till you get at them with some decent eye makeup remover

The only thing that I find slightly annoying about these is that the softer texture makes them more difficult to sharpen, I usually leave them till they're really blunt as I'm happy with a thicker line but if you like a super fine line and had to sharpen these all the time they probably wouldn't last too long!

My favourite Argan Oil hair product

I guess I should start with a brief description of my hair so you can see how this works for me and if it might be suitable for you. My hair is a nightmare. I'm letting it grow and it's currently just below my shoulder blades; It’s fine, flyaway, dry and prone to frizziness. I'm allergic to hair dye, which is probably for the best because I reckon dying it frequently might turn it from hair-that’s-not-in-top-condition into actual straw :)

Because I wash my hair most days I'll usually opt for a nourishing or hydrating shampoo/conditioner and then something that will (hopefully) control the frizz and help protect against split ends. Like a lot of people my first experience of a hair serum was John Fridas Frizz Ease and I still like it but it's a little heavy and doesn't actually improve the condition of my hair over time

With the sudden surge in Argan Oil products a few years ago I've been slightly obsessed with finding ones that really work. My mum, sister and I went to Morrocco last year and I was ridiculously excited about buying actual Argan Oil from actual Morrocco! It turned out to be a complete let down, it would seem that Argan Oil isn't half as good used neat as when used in a mixture of other hair-fixing ingredients.

For Christmas my sister got me the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil shampoo, conditioner and serum and I absolutely loved them from the first use. The shampoo and conditioner get 8 outta 10 and that’s pretty much all I'm gonna say about them in this post as I want it to be solely about the serum which is a definite 10/10. I have to stress how little of this needs to be used for superb results - I have a tendency to think more is more when it comes to certain beauty products but any more than a pea-sized amount of this will leave my hair greasy. It's a 100ml bottle and I've used it at least 4 times a week since Christmas but there is still loads left so it's seriously economical

When it comes to brushing my hair after a shower Organix Argan Oil and a Tangle Teezer are an absolute must because it ensures my hair breaks as little as possible and gets rid of any tangles straight away. The serum ensures that when I blowdry my hair its smooth, silky and easier to manage - So much so that I think the reduced amount of time dragging a brush through it and straightening it into submission has left it healthier than it has been in ages!

I find this works best if I rub a pea-sized amount between my hands, apply it evenly to damp hair starting at the ends and then I work my way up so there's almost nothing left on my hands by the time I get to the roots. This way the ends are well coated and there's no risk of the roots looking greasy and flat when it's dry. The smell is light and inoffensive so there's little chance of it interfering with any perfumes or lotions I'm wearing.

Being a bit of a product junkie I will still be trying out other hair serums and oils cos the grass is always greener n all that but Boots have these in a 3 for 2 offer at the min and they're only £6.99 each. I think I'll have to pick up a few as 18 months worth of hair treatment for £14 is just too good to pass up!

3 of my most used eye palettes

The only product from the Accessorize line that I've ever bought and disliked was a lipstick, every other item has totally surpassed my expectations and best of all are the eyeshadows. Whether I'm using the singles, duos, trios or palettes I'm always impressed by the quality as they're better than a lot of premium shadows that I've paid 5 times as much for!

The 3 palettes below are probably more used than any others in my collection - including the NYX, Urban Decay and Stila ones - because there's such an array of colours I can create pretty much any look without digging through and looking for other shades that'll compliment the ones in the palettes.

Lovely Day - great selection of wearable shades and you can see how each vertical column of colours is like a little mini quad of complimentary shades that would create a full eye look - very nice touch I think!

They've become a bit of an everyday essential because no matter how early I get up I always end up rushing around like a headless chicken, (I have been known to brush my teeth, put my socks on and make tea all at once) leaving less time than I actually need to do my makeup. This morning was a perfect example as I wasn't due to leave the house until 7.30am so got up at 6am and still only had about 10 minutes to throw some cosmetics at my face and hope it turned out ok. Thanks to the blendability of the shadows in the Lovely Day palette I actually looked alright and not at all like I'd applied the shades whilst on a moving train (as would be the finished result with lesser quality shadows!)

 Exposed - a mix of neural shades 1/3 matte and 2/3 satin/shimmer

I reckon this is one of the most underrated brands on the highstreet. The shadows are fantastically pigmented; when you apply the the colours they are pretty much identical to what you see in the pan, even without a primer. They blend easily and are a great consistency - not crumbly enough to disintegrate when you dip your brush into them but not dense and compacted enough to mean you have to dig a hole in them and keep going back for more to build up any colour.

You Are Everything - Full of gorgeously vibrant colours that look as good on as they do in the pan

As a huge fan of highstreet shadow palettes I'm always on the lookout for something new to try but no matter what I get my hands on I always come back to these! 

Other stuff :

Availability : Sold in superdrug stores and online
Price : £8.95 for 32 colours (I know, right?!)

New L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash

   

I'm ridiculously fussy when it comes to lip products; they're always too glossy, greasy, thick, drying or just an overall disappointment but I've always been a huge fan of the Color Riche lipsticks so figured I'd give L'Oreals new gloss/stain a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice this is…

The packaging is super cute and different from all the other glosses available at the min so top marks there. The Applicator is a tear drop shape (same as the Glam Shine ones if you've tried those) and makes for fairly precise application as the point of the applicator can be used to line the lips with the product and the wider part of it is plenty big for filling the lips in quickly.

I really like the smell cos its so sweet and yummy it makes me wanna just lick this off the minute I apply it... Probably not a good thing for anyone who doesn't like scented products though!

As a general rule I'll always go for a natural pretty pink shade if I'm buying a new lip product. I know it's really safe and dull but it means I'm (almost) guaranteed to like the colour even if the actual products turns out to be a bit naff. This was no exception - I opted for Romy which is one of the most subtle and wearable colours of the 8 shades available.

First time I wore this was to work on an 8-4 shift. I applied the gloss at about 7am and it felt fairly nice; a very thin layer gave a subtle colour to the lips and it was surprisingly shiny without looking thick and tacky (my pet peeve when it comes to lip gloss) After about half an hour the texture became slightly sticky, though not uncomfortably so. I had a cup of tea and a few grapes at about 9am and after that my lips started to feel pretty dry. I assumed they would look cracked and "patchy" but when I looked in the mirror they were actually still shiny and moist looking - surprising considering it felt as if the gloss effect had worn off!

I've worn this every day since and I just like it more n more so I'm gonna pick up a few more shades

The stain remains on the lips for hours but it would need to be topped up with another coat or a lip balm as it definitely feels dry and tight after a while. This reminds me a little of the old 2 step long lasting lip glosses where you'd paint the colour on and then use the clear balm throughout the day to keep your lips from feeling like dry, cracked clay (which they always did in the end) But this is far more comfortable and definitely in my list of top long-wearing glosses! ♥