Accessorize Baked Duo Eye Shadow in Thalia (13)

Hello you lovely lot,

I feel like I have been a bit mad with the sales recently. Everywhere I look there seems to be some kind of sale on and after my driving theory test (which I passed by the way, yay!) I nipped into Accessorize after being lured in by their '50% off' signs. Usually, I don't expect much as the small print usually says 'up to *50% off*' and all I tend to find are things with a pound or two knocked off but this was really a sale!

On my first trip I bought a Pashmina (RRP £19, Sale £13) and a Baked Eye Shadow Trio (RRP £6, Sale £1.80). One my next trip though to Kings Lynn, I couldn't resist buying an eye shadow called 'Thalia'. I had not yet tried Accessorize's eye shadows (as I picked up the last one by mistake thinking it was a blusher) but as these were the kind of 'safe' earth tones I like for day-to-day wear, I purchased this for £2. I also love shimmery eyeshadows so this was right up my street.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get very good pictures of the swatches but hopefully you can see what they look like. The accurate representation of colouring is shown in the middle picture.

This eye shadow far exceeded my expectations.The dark brown in particular is highly pigmented and just the shade I wanted. The 'marbled' side of the eye shadow is a little less daring and great for a subtle look. This is less pigmented but still has a lot of shimmer! Neither of these shadows budge during the hoot weather either which is a bonus.

Another great thing about this eye shadow is the packaging! Yes, I know you shouldn't pick a product for the packaging but I cannot help but adore the little butterflies on the lid. This compact seals up tightly so there is a smaller chance of it opening in your handbag.

One of the disadvantages of this is probably its tendency to break. Mine has not broken, but when I had a look around Nottingham's sale make-up section a couple had broken a little inside. This was probably from careless customers dropping them but it is still an indication that unless you care careful, this product can be easily damaged.

Overall, I am very happy with this product. For the price, the pigmentation is fantastic. My only regret is not purchasing some other colours!

Have you tried Accessorize cosmetics? Do you think they're good?

Oldie but a Goldie: Lancome Color Focus Palette in 311 Parure d'Etoiles

Hello lovlies!

I thought I would do a new kind of post because I have loads (maybe an exaggeration) of stuff in my make-up bag that I would love to share with you! Many of my Golden Oldies are higher end brands and this is one of them: my Lancome Color Focus Palette in 311.

I got this a few Christmas' ago when my Grandma was struggling to think of anything for my Christmas present. As she knew I liked higher end brands, she asked me if I wanted a new eye shadow set. Of course I jumped at the chance and settled on Lancome. Although I had always received Dior gifts from my stepmother and loved the products, I had also heard great things about Lancome and assumed it would be just as great (if not better!).

When I was picking this, I was in love with dark eye shadows. I loved the Goth look but was also taken with white eyelids too. This palette satisfied these needs. It was a range of 'blues'. The colours were white, a silvery blue, a shimmery gunmetal blue and a navy. This palette was actually specifically designed for creating something special (like make-up artists would do) but as I am not creative, I just use these as block colours.

This palette came with a handy little mirror inside which is ideal for travel. It also cames with two regular sponge applicators and a thinner one which is handy for when one wants to create an eyeliner effect.

These eye shadows have great staying power and usually last all day. They do have a good pigmentation, even the white which on this swatch looks quite weak. However, these Lancome eye shadows are not as soft as I like my eye shadows to be. Because of the hardness of the powder, it takes a while for my brush to pick up the colour.

Overall, I love my Lancome Color Focus Palette  and the shades it has are wonderful. My only disappointment is that it is a highly dense pressed eye shadow which makes it hard to get a lot on the brush.

Have you tried Lancome eye shadows? Do you like them?