Review: Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Hello everyone, you may remember me yearning for an Urban Decay Naked Palette in my ‘10 Best Beauty Buys Under 10 Pounds’ blog post, well… *drum roll please* … I gave into temptation and bought the Naked 3 Palette! So I thought I’d post a review for you in case you were wondering if it lives up to the hype and is worth the hefty price tag. Enjoy :)

About the product

This is one of the bestselling eye palettes ever and it’s easy to see why – the colours are so wearable, there is a good mix of matte and shimmer shades and the pigmentation is excellent. In case you have been living under a rock for the past decade and have never heard of the Urban Decay Naked palettes, there are three palettes available, each with 12 neutral eye shadow shades. The Naked 3 palette shades are rose-hued neutrals. One of the reasons that the shadows are so excellent is their staying power, these shadows do not budge even after 12 hours of wear. However, if you do have particularly oily eyelids Urban Decay also sell a range of eye primers, this palette actually came with 4 free primer samples (pictured above). The shadows are also very blendable which makes creating an everyday smokey eye extremely easy (I simply apply a matte shade to the eye crease and blend with a Mac 217 brush). This particular palette has also been rated 4.7 stars out of 5 on the House of Fraser website by customers so don’t just take my word for it…this palette is loved  by literally everyone!

Texture

The shadows in this palette are velvety smooth and feel lovely on the lid, one of the things I love is that the shimmery shades do not have big chunky glitter in, the shimmer is very finely milled which makes them just as easy to apply as the matte shades. The texture is so buttery soft that you can easily apply the shadow to your lid and blend with your finger if you don’t have an extensive brush collection. This also makes that palette great for younger girls who are just starting to learn about makeup application, because the shades are so natural and easily blended that you can’t really go wrong!

Affordability

Although I’m sure you could find this product slightly cheaper on sites like ebay, I bought mine from House of Fraser which cost me £38! This is definitely a makeup product to treat yourself to, and not an everyday purchase. However, I really do think it’s worth it, I use this palette most days and the colours are so pigmented that you really don’t need to use much so this will probably last well over a year.

Packaging

 As someone that loves everything rose gold, I think the packaging for this palette is beautiful! Unlike the original Naked palette which has velvet material exterior, this palette is metal which feels much more expensive and high quality (and is also wipe clean unlike the first Naked palette). The palette also has a really big mirror on the inside which is very useful for touch ups when you’re on the go and means that the product great for travelling as you don’t have to pack a separate mirror. Moreover, the palette comes with a double ended brush, one side for packing shadow on the lid, and one side for blending. Most of the brushes that come with eyeshadow palettes are absolutely useless but this one is lovely and soft (the blending side is still not as good as the Mac 217 though).

After buying the Naked 3 palette I’m now addicted and am thinking of buying the first Naked palette too, so leave me a comment to let me know your thoughts on the original Naked palette.

Tam x

Spotlight On: Statement Earrings

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of statement jewellery, especially massive (and often very heavy and painful) earrings. I won’t lie, I can’t say no to a Lily Allen gold chav hoop (no shame), but recently I’m loving the chandelier earring with huge sparkley gems. It’s definitely a case of the bigger and more bling-y the better! My earring collection is rather substantial now so I thought I’d share with you a few of my favourite pairs, and give them comfort, price and bling-tastic statement-ness ratings (Yes, bling-tastic statement-ness is an official thing!) Enjoy! :)

I got these stunning vintage-style earrings for Christmas and I absolutely love them, they’re small enough to wear during the day (in my opinion anyway), but special enough to wear on a night out. Believe it or not this pair are from Amazon and they’re so inexpensive! The quality is fabulous, I wear these all the time and none of the gems have fallen out and they’re not too heavy.

Comfort Rating: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Bling-tastic statement-ness: 3/5

I know these earrings won’t be for everyone, but I can’t say no to a tassel! This may sound strange but these earrings remind me of the oh-so-chic earplugs worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (which is my favourite movie by the way, you must watch this if you haven’t already!) Anything that makes me feel slightly more ‘Holly Golightly’ is fabulous in my book. Unfortunately I bought these in store at Newlook and they’re out of stock online but I’ll do my best to find a similar dupe (similar here).

Comfort Rating: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Bling-tastic statement-ness: 4/5

These stunning earrings are probably one of my best purchases of the year, and an absolute steal. I purchased these in store at Newlook for £4 on sale!!! They’re from Newlook’s luxury exclusive range and you can definitely tell, the detail and quality is amazing. Now I won’t lie, they are very heavy and basically rip your ears off if you wear them for longer than a few hours but beauty is pain! Just look at them…earring-porn at its finest! If you’re after these, they aren’t available online at the moment so I recommend looking at the sale section in your local Newlook, but I have found some similar ones online here.

Comfort Rating: 1/5

Price: 5/5

Bling-tastic statement-ness: 5/5

These are my go-to earring for literally any occasion, because the stones are very neutral colours they go with pretty much any outfit. They’re also surprisingly light considering how big they are, and once again, the quality is amazing, but these were on the pricey side at £12. These beauties are from Oasis but I got them from Asos (10% student discount you know!). They also come with really sturdy earring backs (one of which I did manage to loose, which isn’t surprising considering how often I wear these). I think I wear these so much because they are suitable for any occasion and any season, so they were definitely worth the money. It’s fair to say, if I lost these, I would probably have a small breakdown.

Comfort Rating: 4/5

Price Rating: 2/5

Bling-tastic statement-ness: 4/5

I hope you enjoyed this post, if you couldn’t tell, I am a statement earring addict so if you have any favourites of your own or any go-to brands for big earrings then feel free to share these in the comments.

Tam x

Style Edit: Miss. Monochrome

Hello everyone! I’ve got another Style Edit to share with you today, I hope it gives you some NYE fashion inspiration. Enjoy :)

What I’m Wearing

Playsuit – Asos

Shoes – Newlook

Nail Colour – 203 ‘Lose your lingerie’ by Rimmel

If you’re looking for something to wear to a party that’s more interesting than your plain old LBD then this backless playsuit from Asos is perfect. This piece is great for nights out because the bodice is sequined and catches the light beautifully. It has both a hook and eye and a zip fastening so although you’re quite exposed, it’s very comfortable and nothing feels like it’s going to fall out! For the price, it is made extremely well and feels very expensive, little details like the pockets and the box pleats really make a difference...my love for Asos clothes knows no bounds!!! I think this would look really beautiful with white or nude accessories, add some sky scraper heels and a clutch for a party perfect ensemble. If you’re going for a look that really turns heads then wear your hair in an up-do to expose the back of the playsuit. As usual I've linked all the available products in the 'What I'm Wearing' section. I hope this has been helpful and given you some fashion inspiration!

Tam x

10 Best Beauty Buys Under 10 Pounds

Hello everyone! As I’ve done quite a few high-end product reviews, I thought I’d so something different and share with you my favourite inexpensive beauty products from the high street. Enjoy :)

1.       Ardell ‘Demi Wispies’ Eyelashes - £5.49

Before I found these lashes I always thought that false lashes looked strange on me and obviously fake, I’m not one for the Only Way Is Essex look and really wanted some lashes that looked natural but longer and fuller than my own. These lashes are now an absolute staple in my makeup bag and I never use any other brand. I urge you to try these out, they’re so feathery looking and feminine. I would choose these over MAC eyelashes any day.

2.       Sleek ‘Arabian Nights' Eyeshadow Palette - £7.99

I absolutely love this eyeshadow palette! The colours are so vivid and long lasting and there’s a great range of shades (It's limited edition though so don't hang around if you want to purchase one). Sleek have so many different palettes so if this one isn’t for you try out one of their more neutral palettes.

3.       Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Mascara - £7.99

I have to say that my favourite mascara of all time is the Benefit They’re Real Mascara but I am a student with a student budget so when I can’t afford to fork out £20 for a mascara, this is always the one I reach for. I think the reason this mascara is so amazing is the shape of the brush, it’s has a curved shape ‘spoon’ brush so I find it actually curls your lashes upwards as you apply it.

4.       Sleek Contouring and Blush Palette - £9.99

My favourite part of applying makeup is probably contouring, it makes you look so much healthier and glowing, but you don’t have to pay a fortune to get great results. This is the second sleek product on my list and they are definitely one of my favourite brands for affordable beauty so make sure you check them out if you haven’t already. I have the shade ‘light’, because I’m basically one shade away from being an Albino but they also do a medium and dark shade so it’s perfect for all skin tones.

5.       Natural Collection Clear Mascara - £1.99

In my opinion, there are some products that you shouldn’t skimp on, I always pay more for foundation, for example, because I find it so difficult to find a colour match with high street brands. However, brow gel is not one of those products, there is really no need to buy expensive brow setting gels when this clear mascara by Natural Collection does the same thing – it’s perfect if you want to set your brows without any colour pay off.

6.       W7 ‘In The Nude’ Eyeshadow Palette - £4.51

If, like me, are desperate to own one or all of the Naked palettes by Urban Decay, but can’t afford to spend £30 on eyeshadows then look no further. This is the closest dupe I have found to the Naked palettes, and granted, the colours are obviously not as pigmented and don’t last as long as the Urban Decay shades, but for the price, it’s not bad. 

7.       L’oreal Super Liner - £6.49

I’ve actually spoken about this product already in my ‘Liebster Award’ blog post, so I’ll try not to talk too much about this one. This liner is an essential in my makeup bag, I can do a winged eyeliner in about 2 minutes which has made such a difference to my makeup routine. If you haven't tried it already I would definitely recommend you give it a go!

8.       Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick - £5.49

These lipsticks are by far my favourite available on the highstreet, they have a satin finish and last all day! This one is in the shade 08 which is a brown toned pink, very on trend with the 90s lip made popular by Kylie Jenner. If you like to use lip liner under your lipstick, Rimmel do have an excellent collection, if you’re trying to replicate the Kylie Jenner look try ‘East End Snob’.

9.       Bourjois Healthy Balance 10 hour Matt Finish Powder - £8.99

I’ve honestly repurchased this powder about 10 times, of all the face powders I’ve tried this one lasts the longest without needing a touch up and it’s got excellent coverage. If I’m having a particularly good skin day I can skip foundation and go straight to concealer and powder because the coverage is quite full. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for someone with dry skin but if you have oily skin with imperfections then you should definitely try it out!

10.       Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

If you haven’t heard about this concealer then where have you been, this is a blogging and youtuber favourite and has grown in popularity recently! This concealer is an absolute lifesaver, it’s the only cover up I’ve ever found that is an exact colour match, lasts all day and covers anything and everything from under eye shadows to spots and scars. I have a lot of expensive concealers by brands like MAC and Bobbi Brown but I always reach for this Collection one. Just goes to show that price doesn’t necessarily mean quality!

I hope this post was useful, if you're interested in buying any of the products simply click on the product name. Let me know in the comments what your favourite inexpensive beauty buys are.

Tam x 

Style Edit: All White Party

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you have a fabulous New Year. I’d also like to apologise for the lack of blog posts recently but I’m planning to blog more regularly from now on. Christmas is over but the party season is still in full swing so I thought I’d share with you some New Year’s Party outfit inspiration. Enjoy!

What I’m Wearing

Skirt – River Island

Top- PrettyLittleThing

I built this outfit around the gorgeous white leather skirt from River Island which is an absolute steal at £25. It reminds me of the super-tight bodycon skirts that Kim Kardashian often wears and it looks a lot more expensive that it is (always a bonus!) I think a lot of us are guilty of over-wearing our staple ‘little black dress' and I certainly wear far too much black so I thought an all-white outfit would be nice change. I’m absolutely loving off-the-shoulder or Bardot style tops at the moment too, I think they’re so flattering and feminine as they show off your collarbone and décolletage. This white one is from PrettyLittleThing.com, they’ve got some amazing clothes and shoes on their website that I haven’t seen on the high street and they often have really big sales on so it’s worth saving the website into your bookmarks! I find it's often more interesting and more flattering to wear separates in the same colour rather than wearing a dress in one block colour because showing a small section of midriff draws the eye to the smallest part of your waist. I hope this has given you some style inspiration!

I’d love to know what your plans are for the New Years. Let me know in the comments :)

Tam x

Style Edit: Autumn Dressing

Hello everyone :) I thought I'd share another style edit with you today, this time an everyday autumn look for chilly days. Enjoy :)

What I'm Wearing

Cropped Jumper - H&M (Similar Here)

Skirt - Urban Outfitters (Similar Here)

Tights - M&S

Boots - Schuh

Backpack - River Island (Similar Here)

So the nights are drawing in and the weather is getting colder which means only one thing...I need to update my autumn wardrobe! Just because it's getting colder though doesn't mean you have to look frumpy in huge, bulky jumpers. I'm loving cropped jumpers at the moment paired with A-line or skater skirts and thick, black tights. It's a great way of staying warm and still showing off your figure. I'm also going to pass on a valuable autumn fashion tip to you...M&S tights! I cannot express to you how much I love these! So many times in the past I've reached for  a pair of black tights and they're laddered or have holes in the toes because they're from Primark or New Look and they never last long. I will admit, M&S tights are expensive at £8 for 3 pairs, but they will probably last me the entirety of autumn and winter because they are practically indestructible, so in the long run, it definitely works out cheaper! The cropped jumper and backpack are this season but unfortunately I couldn't find them online so I've done my best to find similar items which I've linked above if you're interested in any of the pieces.

Let me know if you've seen any good cropped jumpers on the high street so I can fuel my obsession! 

Tam x

Day Trip To Bristol Docks

Hi everyone! So a few days ago I decided to go to Bristol Docks for the day; I took a few pictures of the area and what I was wearing which I'll post below to hopefully give you some Autumn outfit inspiration. Enjoy :)

What I'm Wearing

Top - River Island

Jeans - River Island

Leather Jacket - Miss Selfridge (Previous Season)

Watch - River Island

Boots - Schuh

Bag - River Island

Fur Collar - Topshop (Previous Season)

If you hadn't already noticed, most of what I'm wearing is from River Island. I am so impressed with their AW14 collection so you should definitely go and check it out if you haven't already. I really wanted some comfortable high waisted jeans, not tube pants, which can be so difficult to find but I bought their Lana superskinny jeans in dark wash and black because I love them so much. I also find that it's difficult to find cropped tops in thicker material, a lot of them are made for going out and not wearing during the day time so I snapped up the burgundy marl ribbed cropped top as soon as I saw it. I hope this gives you some inspiration for your autumn wardrobe.

What are your go to jeans for autumn? Tam x

Style Edit: Graphic Prints

Hello everyone! I thought I'd share another style edit with you guys, this is my take on the graphic prints trend we're seeing a lot of this AW14. Enjoy :)

What I'm Wearing

Playsuit - River Island

Chelsea Boots - Schuh

Watch - River Island

I am so impressed with River Island's AW14 collection, I think they can be quite hit and miss but this season's collection is my favourite on the high street by far. For a high street store, everything is such great quality and looks far more expensive that it is, I have a feeling that a lot of the pieces in my Autumn wardrobe will be coming from RI so I would definitely recommend you check it out! Graphic prints are everywhere this Autumn, we're starting to say goodbye to dainty summer prints and hello to big, bold prints and loud colours. This playsuit from River Island is one of my favourite graphic print pieces I've seen. I love how eye catching this piece is, it's so easy to wear a lot of black in the Autumn months but I wanted to inject some colour into my Autumn wardrobe. I love wearing playsuits and I know I'll get great wear out of this; it's such a staple piece that I will definitely wear on nights out. I think this would look great paired with a piece of statement head jewellery and an oversized clutch or if you are feeling particularly bold, you could dress it down for the day time with thick black tights and a duster coat. As always, I'll put the links for each of the pieces in the 'What I'm Wearing' section if you're interested in any of the pieces shown.

What do you think of River Island's new collection and what are your favourite pieces?

Tam x

Style Edit: Tropical Trends

Hello Everyone! I've got another Style Edit to share with you today to give you some summer style inspiration. Enjoy :)

What I'm Wearing

Co-Ords - AX Paris

Flower Crown - Primark

Unfortunately the weather here in the UK has been less than tropical but I'm definitely not ready to say goodbye to cheerful summer prints and hello to chunky knits yet. These tropical printed co-ords make me feel as if I'm sipping sangria in the sun even if I'm desperately trying to catch the last rays of sun in my back garden. I'm so obsessed with the co-ords trend and these instantly caught my eye on the AX Paris website; you don't often see such bright prints on the high street and these are even brighter than they appear in the pictures. Definitely not anything to wear if you want to blend into the background! I also think the bright green would look fabulous against darker skin tones too and this would make a great day-to-night outfit for holiday. I love the pom-pom detailing on the hems, it's little details like this that I always look out for when buying from the internet as it always makes items look much more expensive than they are. These are actually sold as a set too which I much prefer as it often works out cheaper than buying the top and bottoms separately. All in all, I would definitely recommend these to anyone who is off on holiday soon or if you simply want to feel as if you're in the Maldives when you're really in the Midlands.

What are your favourites outfits to stand out in a crowd?

Tam x