BARGAIN Stila Beach Palette Review :)

I know, I know, I know - you can buy Stila for the pound shop now. And that is an amazing bargain!! But it sells out fast and is usually shades & stuff no one is buying any more. TK Maxx also do great prices for Stila, I have bought a few pieces there.

However - for a full price, limited edition palette, I think the £10 I paid is awesome. I bought one of the Beach Palettes from Escentual.com in my haul you can see here. I put my swatches there but I'll show you the pics again in case you feel too lazy to look back haha!

It was the Limited Edition Beach Palette in Living it Up in Laguna, which I bought here.

Eyeshadows clockwise from top left: Sand Dollar, Sunset, Bonfire, Cove

Blusher: Seashell

Bronzer: Pacific Coast Highway

First impressions of the palette are still what great value it is. A single Stila eyeshadow sets you back about £13, and in this palette you get four co-ordinating colours plus a blush and a bronzer. Even without the face colours, the eyeshadows would be £2.50 each - serious bargain.

The palette itself is pretty flimsy, it's super cute but made of cardboard so not overly sturdy, and there's no magnetic (or otherwise) clasp to shut it. It includes a mirror and a little guide on how to use the colours. Again, for the price, I'm happy.

Top pic, l-r: Sand Dollar, Sunset, Cove, Bonfire

Bottom pic, l-r: Seashell, Pacific Coast Highway

I chose this palette as I am a total UD Naked addict and felt like a wee change, and I know pinks and purples are good for green eyes. There are other palettes you can choose from for the same price.

The colours work really well together, they are pigmented and go on softly and true to colour (although not true to the colour shown on the back of the palette - don't know what that's about). The guide on how to use the eye colours is not how I would ordinarily use them, as the shade Sunset is a very strong pink, and blending the mauvey Cove on the lash line doesn't seem to work, poor Cove gets lost. But there's lots of opportunities to play about with these colours.

The blush/bronzer are not as great, they are quite pale and almost chalky. The blush, Seashell, is almost purple toned, and I certainly wouldn't be dusting the bronzer all over my face as it's too pinky! But they maybe would suit girls even paler than me haha!

Here's me trying out the look, using the guidelines exactly:

Eyeliner: Collection Gel Liner

Mascara: 17 Peep Show

Eyebrows: Christian Eyebrows in Taupe

Annoyingly, the colours are actually a lot more vivid in real life, they look more neutral here. But the lighting just now is awful, so dark inside! We don't have the lovely London sun. :(

I do think these colours make my eyes appear greener, although it's not as obvious in the photos! 

And here's with a full face of make up...

(Right pic with flash)

Bronzer: Sleek Contour Kit

Blusher: NARS Orgasm

Lips: Dior Addict High Shine in 664 Pink Protege

What do you think? Do you like Stila make up? Do you try colours other than neautrals? Would you 'innvest' in one of these bargain palettes?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

My holidaaaay: Turkery OOTDs :)

I have been SO caught up in Olympics fever I have put blogging on the back burner since it's been on - Team GB are doing SO well and I am addicted to the gymnastics. But here are some snaps from my holiday to Turkey which I thoroughly enjoyed! Hope you enjoy having a wee sneak peak too! :)

Pool pics - chillaxing with cocktails and a kindle! :)

Left hand photos - on a moonlight boat tour, then bottom right - sitting on the beach at night. :) 

 On a jeep safari tour.

Food (nom!) and posage!

Scott and I. <3

Here's an example of the temperature:

Look at the time... and look at the temperature!! Mental.

And here's a comparison of me on the plane there, and me on the plane back:

Think I got a decent tan! Hope everyone else has had good holidays. Has anyone else been to Turkey? Hope you liked some of my outfits! =p

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

Stila, Dior and Philip Kingsley goodies! :)

So I'm back my holiday from Turkey and it was HOT! Hahha. I'll do a post of some of the outfits I wore over the weekend, but right now I'm too excited because I got a little Escentual.com haul!

I bought a voucher for the site off of BuyaPowa about six months ago, and promptly forgot about it. Until August 1st, when I went to check it, and found out it said 'valid until August 1st' but apparently that did not mean INCLUDING that day as the voucher was already invalid. BOO! I was gutted, but tweeted Escentual and they extended the voucher for me, YAY!

I placed my order at 4.30pm yesterday, with free postage, and it arrived before midday today.  AMAZING service. Really chuffed. Here's what I got:

Stila Beach Collectable Palette in Living the Life in Laguna (£10), Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 75ml (£12.20), Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick in 536 Lucky (£22.80) and Stila Smudgepot in Kitten (£13.00).

Exciting stuff!

I will probably be doing reviews to follow, but here's some close ups and some swatches:

The Stila Palette:

 The four eyeshadows are:

Top left: Sand Dollar

Top right: Sunset

Bottom left: Cove

Bottom right: Bonfire

And then it's the blusher: Seashell

And the bronzer underneath: Pacific Coast Highway

Taken in natural light

Top pic, l-r: Sand Dollar, Sunset, Cove, Bonfire

Bottom pic, l-r: Seashell, Pacific Coast Highway

Kitten Smudgepot:

Dior Lipstick:

What do you think? £50 voucher well spent? Even if I did got a bit over haha. I'm especially excited to try the PK Elasticizer, my hair neeeds it! Have you tried any of these products?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥