FOTD || EVERYDAY AUTUMNAL EASY GLAM MAKEUP LOOK

Autumn is definitely my favourite season of the year, even though I love Summer because it usually means that I get to travel somewhere nice, but Autumn is the season of cosy clothes and nice smelling candles. What I'm looking forward to the most is being able to wear dark lipstick and dark eyeshadow without getting judged by people - no, I am not a goth.

I don't necessarily think that this is a very dark or gothic look, but for me, this is the perfect Autumnal makeup look for my skin tone and hair colour. It is very flattering and easy to create, and here are the items I had used to create it:

The eyeshadows I had used include: NYX shadow in the shade Immaculate, and MUG shadows in shades Grandstand, Morocco, and Bitten. I wanted to wear a bit of eyeliner to make this look a bit more glam, but I'm out of practice and found this look glam enough to leave it as it is! The magic mascara that I've been obsessing over since the first use is the Lancome Hypnose Mascara. I love this one for elongating and volumising my lashes, it's got amazing coverage to it and I find that only one coat is enough for a full look.

If you've been after a full coverage foundation that isn't extortionate, then you need to try the L'Oreal Total Cover foundation, like, now. It glides on very smoothly and feels like velvet on my skin which is always a plus because who wouldn't want baby-soft skin? I find that the coverage of this product is very high - but I won't get into it too much as I'd like to save it for a full review. Of course, I had to use my current favourite concealer and contour shade, both by L.A. Girl as these work amazingly and the price is very much affordable! To set my foundation in place, I used the Collection Primed & Ready Invisible Setting Powder which works wonders for my combination skin, especially the oily t-zone. My favourite bronzer since 2015 has to be Hoola by Benefit which has actually lasted me nearly 2 years when I've been using it every day, so it's definitely worth the high price tag. To brighten up my face, I use my favourite Milani blusher in shade Tea Rose and Sleek highlighter in Midas Touch - I mix the pink and the white together for a blinding, yet natural highlight. My current go-to lipstick is the Colourpop Ultra Matte Lipstick in shade LAX, which was obviously applied over my favourite lip balm from Carmex.

As you can see, the majority of tools I had used to create this makeup look are by Real Techniques as they truly do amazing brushes, and I cannot wait to complete my collection! I also really want to try the Bold Metals collection, but because they're quite pricey I think I'll wait until Father Christmas pays a visit to my house! I also included a brush from MAC and Colourpop which are some of my all-time favourites.

*This post includes gifted items - all opinions are my own and are in no way influenced at all.

Have you caught up with my monthly favourites post? What's your favourite autumnal makeup look? Would you try this one out?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

ARE COLOURPOP COSMETICS REALLY WORTH THE HYPE?

So, you're either wondering whether to try out some Colourpop products, want to see my collection, or are genuinely interested in what my thoughts are of this brand and their cosmetics. I have quite a big collection of Colourpop cosmetics for one main reason - I absolutely love the products and the brand and think they're very affordable even with customs charges.

If you've previously read my review of their liquid lipsticks, super shock shadows, or lippie stix then you will already know that I love all of their formulas and that they are very long-lasting. My collection has grown over the past year, and I believe I made my first order back in October 2016. You'll notice that some products are brand new and some have been loved very much, but now I have tried all of the products (the images were taken a while back) I can safely say that I have fallen in love with Colourpop even more than I already was from my very first review, and will continue to purchase their items whenever there are any offers!

My favourite products from Colourpop which I can't imagine doing makeup without would probably have to be the liquid lipsticks or lippie stix as they are the only lipsticks I've been using since last year. I'm not trying to exaggerate how good they are, but they're bloody amazing and you need them in your life NOW. I own 9 liquid lipsticks and 6 of the lippie stix, yet I still want more... I only buy Colourpop products when they are on offer to get my money's worth after I add the customs charges on top of my bill. The best offer I came across was the '3 for $10' which meant that I got the individual shadows and lipsticks which usually retail at $6, for $3.33 each - say no more.

Another great deal would be the 'value sets' which include 3 products for the price of $15 or 4 for $18, which is still a bargain especially if you live in the US and don't have to pay customs. There are usually good offers on delivery too, such as free worldwide shipping on orders over $50 - so imagine the 3 for $10 offer, you get 15 products for $50 and free delivery!!

The only eyeshadows I have tried are the super shock ones, and boy, was I shocked at how pigmented they were! All it took was a light swatch and I fell in love straight away. They're also very soft and buttery in touch which makes the application and the blending process a lot easier than most shadows. These also come in pans so you can create your own palette but I'm still yet to try them!

One of the orders I put through included a deal 'free eye makeup brush if you buy two eyeshadows' so (obviously) I got 4 shadows which were on offer for $18 for the set and was given two brushes. I picked the flat shadow brush and liner brush to try out, there was one more to try out but it was sold out :( better luck next time! I really enjoy using the angled liner brush for my brows, it makes filling them in a lot easier as it's very thin plus it works really well for outlining the perfect arch. The other brush, however, is quite hard to use. I don't use it for eyeshadow unless I create a halo eye look and add loose glitter to my lid, but I mainly use this brush for applying an eyeshadow primer to my lids.

So now that you've read what I think of Colourpop cosmetics, what are your opinions? Are you convinced that the products are good? Would you try them out for yourself?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || ARE THE URBAN DECAY NAKED PALETTES WORTH YOUR MONEY?

The Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palettes have been a big hit since the first one came out in 2010, but now with so many amazing and more affordable palettes out there, are they really worth their price tag? I can finally say that I own the first 3 naked palettes and have put them to the test. After lusting over them (especially the first one due to the packaging) for years now, my wishes came true and the makeup fairy gifted me with these three beauties - in this case, my mum turned out to be the fairy.

The packaging:

Like I've mentioned above, I love the packaging of the first palette. It's very unique and you can actually open it all the way around so it's great for travelling. The only thing that annoys me about this one is the size of the mirror  - it's pathetic. I'm the type of girl who uses her palette mirror on-the-go, but using this one I can only touch up my lipstick if I hold it close enough to my mouth! 

On the other hand, the Naked 2 & 3 palettes come in a metal packaging which I really dislike. It reminds me of a very cheap palette that you could buy in like corner shops or something, but they do come with a large mirror and the metal case protects the palette from breaking while you're travelling.

Naked:
I feel like the shades in this palette are great for people of all skin tones and ages. It has a variety of subtle matte shades as well as pigmented shimmers. My favourite shades from this palette are 'Buck' and 'Toasted', which you can use to create a full eye-makeup look using just these two shades. Even though this palette was the first one to come out, it's one of my favourites and was actually my latest addition.

Naked 2:
The Naked 2 palette is a cool-toned shadow lovers' dream. The shade 'Tease' was literally created for me... it's a beautiful transition shade for all skin tones and looks lovely on its own too. I enjoy using this palette but I don't reach for it as much as I'd like to, so I would definitely suggest that you try the colours out in store before deciding on which one to buy.

Naked 3:
Now, I feel like this palette is very girly and versatile. It's great for every-day use, and the shades compliment each other very well. It has a lot of pinks in it, so if you're not a big fan of pink shadows then stay clear from this one as you might not like it. I think the shades 'Blackheart' and 'Trick' are my favourite as they're very pigmented.

If you're interested in more affordable dupes for these then I suggest the W7 palettes or the 'eBay' alternative 1 and 2.

^swatches from the Naked palette.

^swatches from the Naked 2 palette.

^swatches from the Naked 3 palette.


Overall, I found it hard to decide which palette I liked and used the most out the three, but I chose the first original Naked palette. I chose this one because I thought it suited me the most as there are 10 nude shades and 2 silver shades which make smokey eyes a lot easier to create. However, the price tag of £39.50 is way too high for what these palettes have to offer, but I will probably buy the Heat palette as I've heard lots of great reviews of it.

Do you own any of the Urban Decay Naked palettes? If so, what do you think of them?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || URBAN DECAY NAKED ILLUMINATED SHIMMERING POWDER FOR FACE AND BODY

I feel like this product has been so hyped about since it came out that I felt compelled to buy it and try it out for myself. I chose the shade Luminous as I felt it was best suited to my skin tone (I'm naturally very pale). The most popular shade I believe is 'Aura' but I felt that it was slightly too dark for me, but it is very beautiful as my sister has it and I love looking at it!

I feel like it is very impractical for travelling or even carrying around in a handbag as it's very bulky - it's the size of like three of the UD Afterglow highlighters! Don't get me wrong, I think that the packaging is absolutely beautiful (you go UD!), it looks lovely on display especially if I had the whole set (just you wait, it'll probably happen haha).

As you can see in the picture above, the highlight shade is very subtle and compliments my pale skin tone, however, I feel like it's too light for me as I do enjoy an intense highlight. For the price tag of £24, I expected a lot more from this product than what is offered, so I am very disappointed in the colour payoff as it's nowhere near as good as the Aura shade which is annoying, but then again it's my own fault for buying a product without looking into it first or giving it a swatch! If you're seriously thinking about buying this highlighter then I suggest you try it out in-store - ask a staff member to put some on for you or even swatch it at the back of your hand. Learn from my mistake!

*This post contains affiliate links.

Have you tried the Naked Illuminated Highlighters? If so, would you recommend it?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || L.A. GIRL PRO CONCEAL HD CONCEALER & GIVEAWAY

I finally joined the bandwagon and bought the L.A. Girl Pro Concealer, it only took me a couple of years haha... A new beauty shop opened up recently in the city so of course I had to go in and see what they were selling! To my surprise, I found a lot of L.A. Girl products as well as Milani and many others. I believe these retail at £3.50 so I thought I'd go for the lightest shade (obviously) and a slightly darker shade to use as a contour shade.

The shades I went for are 'Toast' and 'Porcelain'. At only £3.50 each, these are very affordable and come in a large variety of shades for all skin tones. The formula is very thick and creamy which is great if you're after a full coverage concealer however, it is quite hard to blend out and I find that there isn't a lot of product in the tubes which is disappointing but what can you expect for a product that costs £3.50?

Here are the concealers swatched on the back of my hand. I'm wearing fake tan in this picture hence why the lighter shade looks so bright, but I must admit that it is still light enough to use to highlight my face when I'm not wearing any fake tan. I find the contour shade a little bit harder to blend unless I use a wet beauty sponge and then set it with a powder contour.

Overall, I think that these are worth giving a go as they blend out nicely and the colour range is big so there's something for everyone. On the other hand, it did annoy me that I had used the product once and half the tube was gone, but it was cheap and should last a fair amount of time.

You're probably wondering about the giveaway - well, I decided to give away an L.A. Girl Pro Concealer to 5 lucky readers! The rules are as follows:

1. You must be 16+ years of age to enter.

2. Giveaway accounts will not be entered into the giveaway.

3. All accounts must be public, otherwise I will not be able to contact you if you're the winner.

Good luck to all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you tried any of the L.A. Girl products? If so, which ones?

Lots of love,

Maya xo