Review | Sleek MakeUP i-Divine Arabian Nights Smoke & Shadows Limited Edition Palette

Sleek MakeUp have just released a new limited edition i-Divine palette that captures the beauty and seduction of Arabic eye makeup looks in twelve strong, smoky shades. I was so excited about this palette that I went ahead and bought it right away.

 

The packaging is the same as for other i-Divine palettes - sleek (no pun intended) black casing that houses twelve beautiful eyeshadows and a good sized mirror together with a double ended sponge applicator. 

 

There is also a protective film with the eyeshadow names on it. Being limited edition, the palette also has the actual name on the front of the case. I like how tightly the palette closes and another point worth mentioning is how travel friendly they are. The carton box that the palette is supplied in really captures the essence of a mysterious Arabian night - with smoke like effects and arabesque patterns all over. Definitely worth keeping :)

 

 

 

The eyeshadows all have very good staying power and I only use a primer base for the sake of it! All eyeshadows in the palette are mineral based and on the whole, they offer excellent pigmentation. Now let's have a closer look at the shades and a brief description of the colours.

 

 

Scheherazade's Tale ~ light beige with a metallic finish. Excellent colour payoff for such a light coloured shade.

 

Gold Souk ~ sparkly yellow gold with warm undertones and a glittery/metallic finish. Fairly good pigmentation.

 

Genie ~ rich bronzy brown with a metallic finish. Very intense colour pay-off.

 

Black Magic ~ blackened navy blue with a satin finish. Average colour pay-off.

 

Aladdin's Lamp ~ medium/dark brown with a frosted finish and good colour pay-off.

 

Sultan's Garden ~ dark smoky green with gold sparkles. Average pigmentation.

 

Stallion ~ dark burgundy with a matte finish and semi-sheer pigmentation.

 

Sorcerer ~ darker version of Black Magic with purple shimmer and a satin finish. Good pigmentation.

 

Hocus Pocus ~  rich dark green with a metallic finish and incredibly intense pigmentation.

Simbad's Seas ~ rich bluish purple with a frosted finish. Offers amazing colour pay-off.

Valley of Diamonds ~ medium wine shade with gold sparkles and a satin finish. Really good pigmentation.

1001 Nights ~ deep black with a pearly sheen with a very rich pigmentation.

That's all about this beautiful palette. My personal favourites are Hocus Pocus, Simbad's Seas, Valley Of Diamonds and Genie. You can find the Sleek MakeUP i-Divine Arabian Nights palette on the Sleek website for €9.99.

Review | Born Pretty Store Arabesque Stamping Plate QA88

Nail stamping is still a very popular way of enhancing your nails when more complicated designs get into play. I have recently added an arabesque stamping plate to my collection from Born Pretty Store.

 

 

Arabesque motifs are among my favourite nail art designs and with this plate I have endless manicure possibilities. The plate is like most other image plates - hexagonal metal plate with an engraved design all over. It comes with a protective plastic film, so be sure to remove that before use. Also, since the edges may be quite sharp, I like to file them a little to avoid cutting myself onto them.

 

The other day, I came across a nail art tutorial on nailsartvidss on Instagram where they used an image plate in a completely different manner than what we are used to. They applied polish and scraped the excess of as usual, then instead of rolling the stamper over the nail, the design is left to dry on the stamper and details are coloured in with nail polish including the base coat at the end.

When the polish dries, it is simply removed from the stamper and stuck to a wet nail like a nail sticker! As it happens, this plate was the perfect fit to try this new technique! Obviously you won't be using the whole design on your nail so I think this is a novel way to use such plates. 

 

The plate engravings are deep enough and the design is retained as a whole, which is not always the case with stamping plates where parts of the design may not transfer. However, I didn't have any such problems with this plate. Here's a manicure I did using this plate:

You can get this plate here for just $2.99 and free shipping + 10% off if you quote the code EBABK31 at checkout. 

 

On a side note, Born Pretty Store now also stock durable display cases for your stamping plates. I have this pink leather one and although it comes a little pricey at $31.89 I still recommend getting it to store your plates safely in one place (it an hold up to 128 plates). I even store nail sticker sheets in it to keep everything organized! You can always save some money if you use BPS points or discount codes when checking out too!

 

 

 

 

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Review | Max Factor Colour Elixir Gloss 60 Polished Fuchsia

Max Factor makeup has always been a favourite of mine. I remember the joys I used to experience whenever we went over to my aunt as she would let me rummage through her makeup collection, most of which was actually Max Factor and she even let me try on the products.

My favourites were the lipsticks and glosses, mostly because of the insane pigmentation; fast-forward 20 years later and some of my favourite lip products are branded Max Factor as well :) Today, I shall be sharing my thoughts on the Colour Elixir Gloss in the shade 60 Polished Fuchsia with you. 

 

The packaging, albeit simple, looks very classy with the matte gold cap and sleek, transparent tube. The applicator, a doe foot type, is the perfect size to go round the contours of the lips flawlessly - a must with such a brightly pigmented product.

 

The gloss has an utterly shiny finish and wear is very comfortable all throughout. I would describe the shade as a red-based fuchsia that will suit most skin tones. The conditioning formula is enriched with smoothing oil to ensure all round moisture.

 

 

As for lasting power, I think this lasts more than your average lipgloss, say three to four hours, thereby being on par with most lipsticks. I enjoy wearing this gloss both alone and paired with a matching lipstick and liner, depending on how intense I want my lips to look.

 

Max Factor Colour Elixir Gloss 60 Polished Fuchsia on bare lips



Max Factor Colour Elixir Gloss 60 Polished Fuchsia over lipstick and liner

 

Max Factor Colour Elixir Gloss is available in a range of shades from leading pharmacies and outlets nationwide and they retail for €9.40 each.

 

Have you ever tried Max Factor Colour Elixir Glosses? Which are your favourite shades?

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Review | Born Pretty Store Mixed Glitter in #3 Ocean Mix

Lately I have been very much into glitter polish and nail decorations as they provide a quick and easy way to jazz up a manicure. My latest glitter nail art venture came courtesy of Born Pretty Store and this summery mix of green and blue glitter, dubbed as Ocean Mix.

 

The container is filled with a generous amount of glitter so you will have enough glitter for plenty of manicures. The glitter is very easy to use and I like the different sizes and colours which give the mix a gradient feel.

 

 

In fact, I have used it over a gradient manicure and all I did was simply shake the glitter from the pot onto my wet nails. I recommend placing a tray under your nails to catch the excess glitter and be able to reuse it.

 

 

A top coat is a must as the glitter feels a little gritty on the nails and be careful to avoid placing any of the large particles on the nail borders as they tend to nag on clothes and stuff.

 

Other than that, my manicure stayed pristine for a full five days and I got a lot of compliments on the glitter itself!

 

You can get this glitter mix from Born Pretty Store here with free shipping and 10% off if you use the code EBABK31 at checkout.

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SS14 Makeup Trend | Blue Eye Makeup

Hello ladies :) So I'm back from a short getaway on our sister island, Gozo with my boyfriend and our friends and while it feels good to be back to your own bed/shower/home, I really didn't want to leave just because we had such a good time!

 

Anyway, back to the subject of this post - Blue Eye Makeup. This is a huge summer trend and I personally really love it. I think that blue eye makeup, when applied correctly, gives a nice, bright look to your eyes. Here are my top picks of blue hued eye products :)

 

Catrice Absolute Eye Colour 210 The Queen Is Amused - this is the brightest blue eyeshadow in my collection but before you go all out searching for it, sadly, I have to say that it is now discontinued. It's got some silver shimmer which doesn't really show up on the eyes but the pigmentation is otherwise awesome. Moreover, I do like the non-powdery, silky smooth texture.

 

Catrice Absolute Eye Colour 550 Saw It On Blue Tube - another discontinued eyeshadow from Catrice. This time, we cross over to the navy blue side of the spectrum and again, colour payoff is exceptional as is the formula.

 

Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshdow 07 Jim-Me Blue - this is one of my favourite cream eyeshadows that is an excellent base for powder products to make the look last all day. Colour pay-off is good but you have to be quick if you want to blend the colour out because it dries quite quickly.

 

Catrice Gel Eyeliner C01 Nautica {Cruise Couture Limited Edition} - now this one is a very dark midnight blue gel eyeliner that almost looks black but I still appreciate the blue tinge in it. It lasts long and gives you enough time to work on a winged eyeliner look.

 

 

Pupa Milano Vamp! Mascara 300 Deep Night - if you are too shy to try blue eyeshadow on your lids, but want to give the blue makeup a go, make sure you buy this mascara! It's my favourite blue mascara and it volumises the lashes like no other!

Wjcon Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick 10 Sapphire - I bought this when I was looking for a nice bright blue eyeliner and I am very fond if it both as a liner and an eyeshadow. It has good pigmentation and lasts for a good number of hours.

Pupa Milano Long Lasting Eyeliner 003 Parrot Blue {Viva Carioca Collection} - I have recently discovered this eyeliner from the Pupa Milano Viva Carioca collection and I seriously love it! Amazing pigmentation and staying power and a mesmerising shade of blue!

Rimmel London Kajal Eyeliner Pencil 021 Denim Blue - the first blue eyeliner I have ever tried and I love the versatility of this colour. It can be worn all year round and lasts for a good number of hours.

Catrice Long Lasting Eyeliner Pen 080 I Like Blue Mondays - another discontinued product that I really like. Sky blue is a nice alternative to the darker shades and looks fresh any time of day.

 

Do you like wearing blue eye makeup? What are your favourite products?