Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Eye Shadow
Cargo Cosmetics Launch in the UK
4
7 years
Last month, Cargo Cosmetics, a highly sought after brand known for its use on TV and film sets worldwide, launched in the UK at Debenhams. The brand boasts better, easier, smarter products with the latest innovations in beauty, that give a high-definition, flawless finish from all angles.
Cargo’s range features a wide selection of high quality make up items, including lip gloss, eye shadows, water resistant blushes and bronzer, foundation, liners, mascara, brushes and carefully concocted palettes, sets and quads, all of which look simply slick in Cargo’s award winning silvered packaging. I was recently sent a few products from the range to try, these being two Eye Shadow Singles in ‘Flint’ and ‘Windsor’, a Water Resistant Bronzer and a Lip Gloss in ‘Route 66′, and I have been nothing but impressed by their quality. Here are my thoughts on each…
Eye Shadow Singles in ‘Flint’ and ‘Windsor’ – £12.00 each
Cargo’s Single Eye Shadows come in twelve shades, featuring daring brights and more neutral tones, in either matte or shimmer. The two shades I was sent are ‘Flint’, an ashy grey, and a pale peachy cream called ‘Windsor’, both of which have a very slight shimmer. Both shadows have a soft, velvety formula, and they’re not too powdery. Because of this, I find they apply really smoothly, and give very little fall out so it’s easy to create a sharp look, with hardly any mess. The pigmentation is also impressive, and it doesn’t take much of the product to get a bold finish. My favourite thing about the shadows, though, is how long they last. After morning application, the eye shadow stays put without the use of a primer until you’re ready to remove it, and it barely gathers in the creases at all.
Here’s how the eye shadows look worn together. I used ‘Flint’ as a base up to the eye crease, and ‘Windsor’ above the crease and in the corner of each eye. ‘Windsor’ works really well as a highlighter eye shadow, and ‘Flint’ is the perfect shade to create a subtle smokey look.
If you like the look of Cargo’s Eye Shadow Singles, they are available online here at Debenhams, and cost £12.00 each.
Water Resistant Bronzer – £20.00
Cargo claim that their Water Resistant Bronzer is a world first, as it contains a silicone-coated talc that adheres firmly to the skin, making it long-lasting even in water. This makes it perfect for summer, as it gives skin a healthy glow with the appearance of a natural tan, and will survive a dip in the sea or pool, and stay put even through perspiration.
As you’d expect, I decided to put the water resistance of the bronzer to the test, and I’m pleased to report that water just slides right off it – as you can see in the picture above! Even with some rubbing it takes a while for the colour to fade, but it fades evenly and doesn’t go streaky, which is always good news. Luckily though, it removes easily with make up remover, so there’s no need to worry about it being stubborn.
In terms of colour, Cargo’s Water Resistant Bronzer gives a fairly subtle bronze shimmer that looks great even on pale skin like mine, but it can be built up to create a bolder look if you prefer.
This wonderful Water Resistant Bronzer has well and truly converted me to the bronzed look, and is available here at Debenhams, for just £20.00.
Lip Gloss in ‘Route 66′ – £7.50
All of Cargo’s Lip Glosses are clinically proven to last up to six hours, a statement that I can vouch for, and they have a moisturising formula that isn’t sticky and leaves your lips feeling incredibly soft. The gloss tubes are dinky enough to carry with you at all times, and they come with a just as dinky price tag of just £7.50. I really like the applicator that comes with the gloss as its flat, rounded shape and soft padding makes for precise application. However, I’m not a massive fan of how the gloss smells. I really like sweetly scented glosses, but this one is almost scentless, other than a slight plasticky smell that is slightly off putting. Thankfully it doesn’t taste horrible though!
The shade I was sent, Route 66, is a coral pinky red which is packed full of shimmery particles that give the gloss a lovely, long-lasting shine. The colour applies very subtly for a natural touch of pink, but like all of Cargo’s products that I’ve tried it can be layered to create a deeper colouring. Here it is after one coat:
Cargo Cosmetics Lip Glosses come in a wide range of shades (eighteen, in fact), including an unusual but beautiful gold shade, and are available online here.
If you like the look of any of Cargo’s innovative cosmetics, or you want to find out what else they have to offer, the full range is available to browse and buy online at Debenhams. Do you think you’ll be giving any of their products a go?
Naomi x
*These Cargo Cosmetics products were sent to me by Debenhams for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Experimenting with Ombré Lips
5
8 years
Hello all,
As ardent beauty fans will know, Ombré is bang on trend right now. Ombré hair, Ombré nails and Ombré lips are all over the place, so today I thought I’d try the fashion out for myself! But first thing’s first, the name… I’d been seeing Ombré (pronounced om-bray) written as Ombre (pronounced om-ber), which confused me as Ombre is a card game! The accent on the ‘e’ makes all the difference in this case, as Ombré, the correct spelling, means ‘graduated in tone’, which is obviously what this trend is! Anyway, sorry about that, the English and grammar student in me had to come out eventually 
So, this afternoon I had a lot of fun experimenting with different colours and different Ombré styles to create four different looks. Considering this was my first attempt at Ombré, I’m quite proud of the results, and blending the different shades was a lot easier than I expected! For each look I will show you the finished result, and then let you know the products that I used. I used MUA Eye Primer to lighten darker shades and blend the different colours together.
Simple Two Tone
Avon Ultra Colour Rich Colordisiac Lipstick in ‘Ravishing Red’.
MUA Lipstick in ‘Shade 3′.
MUA Eye Primer.
Graduated Across
MUA Lip Boom in ‘It’s A Situation’.
MUA Professional Eye Primer.
Ultimate Eye Shimmer (Lilac).
Avon Glow Lip Gloss in ‘Ultra Violet’.
Graduated Outwards
Avon Ultra Colour Rich Colordisiac Lipstick in ‘Drawn To You’.
MUA Professional Eye Primer.
Colortrend Lip Duo in ‘Bliss’.
Ultimate Eye Shimmer (White).
Now, for the final look I got a little bit bored of using pink, red and purple so I tried something a bit different and used blue eyeshadow instead, which I applied with a small eyeshadow brush over pale gloss.
Graduated Down
Avon Care Sheer Lip Gloss.
Marks & Spencer Eyeshadow Collection.
Ultimate Eye Shimmer (White).
So, what do you think? Love it or hate it? I don’t think the Ombré lip look is one I would wear out all day, every day, but it could work on a night out! The only thing I’d worry about is the colours smudging and merging into a complete mess, but I do think it looks quite fun.
I’ve created a poll so you can vote for your favourite of my Ombré looks, so please cast your vote Thank you!
Naomi x
*NEW* MUA Lip Booms
1
9 years
by Naomi in Lips
This morning I took delivery of a very exciting package, containing TWO of the highly coveted NEW Lip Booms by MUA and Alexandra Burke. The Lip Booms are available exclusively online until May 9th, which is when they’ll hit Superdrug stores, and cost just £3 each. As I receive MUA’s e-newsletter I was lucky enough to get a voucher code to receive £1 off each Boom, so I snapped these beauties up yesterday… I can’t believe they arrived so quickly!
The shades I went for are ‘It’s A Situation’ (Left), which is a lovely deep violet shade and ‘Bring It’ (Right), a bold, bright red.
Lip Booms are special because they are double ended, with a matte lipstick at one end…
and a glittery gloss highlighter at the other…
The product can be worn in four different ways – as a matte lipstick, as a sheer gloss, as a glossy lipstick or, most excitingly, to give the illusion of fuller lips! I won’t go into too much detail right now on how it works, but check back tomorrow as I’ll be reviewing and demonstrating both Lip Booms.
And to top it all off, this week is MUA’s 2nd birthday! To celebrate, they’re giving away a different free present every day this week with every online order. Yesterday’s present was this gorgeous Pretty Pastels Palette of 12 eye shadows, worth £4! Great eh? You’ve gotta love MUA’s amazing offers.
What do you think? Will you be trying the new Lip Booms?
Naomi x
A Simple Guide to Smoky Eyes
3
9 years
I’ve put together a simple step-by-step guide on how to create a classic smoky eyed look. Many women have their reservations about smoky eyes, as such a dramatic look can be quite daunting to apply and wear, especially as any mistakes made with dark make up tend to show up more. This smoky style, however, is more refined and can be worn day or night, and most importantly is so easy to do! Unfortunately, I had finished applying my make up before I decided to blog a tutorial so I don’t have any photographs of each stage, but the application is so easy you won’t really need them!
How to create Classic Smoky Eyes
Using a soft brush, apply a soft grey shadow to the eyelid, up to the eye socket. Apply a little extra to the inside corner. I used two shadows at this stage (a very pale grey and a slightly darker grey) to achieve my desired shade.
Using a dark grey shadow, apply an angular c-shape to the outside corner of the eye, going into the eye socket and along the top lash line. Also apply a thin line of the dark grey colour along your lower lash line.
With a clean brush, blend the two colours together. Repeat the process again for a longer lasting look.
Generously line your water line with the black kajal stick, corner to corner, top and bottom.
Finally, layer your eyelashes with black mascara.
Remove any excess or fallen make up with the clean brush and there you have it! Smoky eyes in a matter of minutes.
This Week’s Beauty Haul
3
This week I’ve treated myself to a few nice new things, all of them bargain buys as well which makes them all that little bit more awesome!
Today, from Superdrug, I bought a copy of Glamour magazine for £2 and MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 1 for £1. I don’t usually buy Glamour magazine, but the April issue comes with a free 100ml tube of a Percy & Reed hair product! There’s four to collect and in total they’re worth £43, making them £10.75 each – well worth the £2 I paid for the magazine! I went for the Moisturising Conditioner.
The Myleene Klass Nail Wraps were a snip at £2 (I bought them from someone on a forum who was selling them for her mum). I’ve been wanting to try nail wraps for a while so I couldn’t pass up the chance to get these!
I also bought three Rimmel Colour Rush Mono Eye Shadows in (from top to bottom) Tempted, Siren and Envy, which I’m really looking forward to trying out.
Yesterday, on eBay, I won a batch of 15 nail varnishes for just £6.10! They’re all new, swatched once or only used a couple of times, and there’s a mix of different brands including Models Own, Ruby & Millie, 17 Magnetic polish, Andrea Fullerton, Orly, Revlon and others. So excited about receiving them!
I’m going to review each of these products over the next few weeks so please check back soon to see what I have to say! What have you been buying lately?
Thanks for reading,
Naomi x
Urban Decay Loose Pigment Eyeshadow in Goddess
5
9 years
by Naomi in Eyes
I purchased this Urban Decay Loose Pigment Eyeshadow a few weeks ago and, so far, it is the only Urban Decay product that I own. I have never used much loose pigment make up before so when I found this for just £1.25 I just had to have it! I am a big fan of purple so I find the initial look of the product quite appealing, with the lilac tones, swirly patterns and sleek tube. These eyeshadows usually retail for about £13.50 for 1.2g, and come in a wide range of shades. I went for ‘Goddess’, which is a very deep blue/black with a beautiful blue glittery undertone.
The pigment applies with a flat brush and the tube holder is cleverly shaped inside so that you don’t get too much on the brush, however, there was still some excess on my skin when I applied this which I had to dust off with a clean brush, but I suppose that’s par for the course with loose pigments.
The powder itself is very fine, and as such barely gathers or clumps in creases, leaving a smooth layer on the eyelid. The pigment is also easily layered to create an even deeper, bolder look. Since this is a very, very dark eyeshadow, I probably wouldn’t wear it every day. For me it is more of an evening product to create glamorous, daring eyes. As of yet I don’t have any photographs of this on the eyes as I feel I need a bit more practise using it first! Instead, I have this swatch which was photographed in natural daylight and features one layer of the pigment.
As you can see, the shadow is very heavily pigmented and the micro glitter running throughout gives a nice depth which looks brilliant on the eyes. In the right light, the glitter shines electric blue which adds that little something extra to an otherwise basic shade. It is the added bit of oomph that makes me like this product, as it stands out from other pigments I have swatched in shops etc, and with a bit of patience I think I could create some attention grabbing looks with this. When I do, I’ll be sure to post them!
Have you ever tried any Urban Decay Loose Pigment Eyeshadows? Which is your favourite shade?
Naomi x
