The Balm Shady Lady in Racy Kacy - A Perfect Shadow for Blue Eyes?

Oh I do love a good rhyme and The Balm have certainly delivered in that department with Shady Lady Powder Eye Shadow in Racy Kacy.
Know what I love even more than a good rhyme? A great eyeshadow shade to make my blue peepers that little bit more blue.

I'll admit, I'm more of a slave to skincare than I am a makeup maestro (I like alliteration too) and to be honest I'm not exceptionally good at actually putting makeup on. I don't have the steadiest of hands and I'm fairly artistically challenged which is one reason why I appreciate wearable, richly pigmented eyeshadows that look great just as they are and make an instant impact.

Racy Kacy is a rich coppery shade with a shot of shimmer that does a very good job at bringing forth the blue in my eyes. As with all the Shady Lady shadows, it can be worn as a liner and a shadow and may be applied with a wet brush for a more intense look.

I just used a dry brush on the lids and a sponge tipped applicator on the lower lid to line my eyes a little bit here.

The texture of Shady Lady is quite soft and smooth and the packaging is quite good fun - who wouldn't want an eyeshadow packaged in leopard print? I like that the shadow features a magnetised lid and built in mirror too but one downside I found is that it creased after a couple of hours, though my eyelids would crease titanium, given the chance.

I really like this shadow and it's reminded me that reddish copper tones are a bit more fun than blacks and browns. Shady Lady Powder Eye Shadow in Racy Kacy is available at loads of online retailers but I got mine from Feel Unique.
Have you tried any of the Shady Lady eyeshadows from The Balm?

Smooch Cosmetics Eyeshadow Duo in Naughty Schoolgirl

As a fan of Smooch Cosmetics lipsticks, I was pretty excited to try an eyeshadow from the brand.

Smooch Cosmetics have released a series of eyeshadow duos rather cutely dubbed the Ladies Who Lunch collection.
Inspired by different personalities and characters there are 6 shadow duos to choose from: Posh Tottie, Trophy Wife, Social Butterfly, WAG, Naughty School Girl and Morticia.

I tried the Naughty School Girl duo - a coffee brown and pearly nude palette that can be used alone or blended to create your own look.

The formula came out a little patchy on me, however I didn't use a primer on my lids first so chances are I could have had a better result had I taken that extra step.

The lighter toned colour in the duo came out quite white and shimmery on me, a bit ice princess, a bit whimsical and not usually a shade I'd go for but paired with the dark coffee colour of it's twin shade and a little slick of liquid eyeliner, I managed to create quite a subtle evening look.

I have rather deep set eyes and my eyelids tend to crinkle up a bit, resulting in pigment getting lost in the folds. I did find that this eyeshadow didn't stray into the crinkly bits by the end of the day - always a big tick in my book - even Urban Decay shadows tend to gather in the lines so it was a nice surprise to see this kind of staying power from a slightly more affordable brand!

You can browse the Ladies Who Lunch collection by visiting Smooch Cosmetics - be sure to check out their lipsticks too!

Thanks for reading!

*The Smooch Cosmetics Eyeshadow Duo was given to me for consideration but this review is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Beauty-Steals.co.uk feat. Rimmel & Revlon

A few weeks ago a little twitter bird told me about Beauty-steals.co.uk - a brand new website dedicated to providing well known quality cosmetics for less dosh.
You'll find brands including Benefit, MAC, Urban Decay, Rimmel, Max Factor, Revlon and Fake Bake on their virtual shelves, all for a fraction of the RRP.
Beauty-steals.co.uk also stock a number of discontinued items so chances are you'll be able to track down a favourite lipstick or eyeshadow that you'll no longer find in Superdrug or Boots.

The Beauty Steals babes sent me a couple of examples of the products they sell, so everyone can get in the loop!

Revlon Colorstay 12 Hour Quad Shadow in Sunrise/ Sunset

£3.59

The shades in this quad pallet are born to blend together and claim to stay put for 12 hours. I've not tested the longevity of these yet but shade wise, I'm particularly partial to the metallic chocolate-plum colour at the bottom there.

Rimmel London Vinyl Jelly Gloss Lip Liner Duo in Tasty/ Hot Spark

£2.45

The Vinyl Jelly lip liners are smooth, creamy and glossy and don't leave a harsh tell-tale line. I'll be using these to line and fill my lips.

Rimmel London 60 Second Nail Varnish 730 Silver Bullet

£3.79

Silver Bullet is a silvery fairytale-in-space kind of colour that's pretty easy to apply thanks to the iconic wide brush. I have pretty gross fingernails at the moment so thought it would be best not to plaster them all over the interwebs.

Beauty Steals deliver for free in the UK and there's no minimum order restrictions so your bargain find remains a bargain without the dreaded addition of delivery costs to burst your bubble!

Have a peek at Beauty-steals.co.uk for yourself.

Thanks for reading!