Urban Decay OZ Glinda Palette

This is the second part of the Urban Decay Oz Limited Edition palettes; yesterday I shared the Theodora palette - you can check the swatches here - and today I'll be talking about the Glinda palette*.

Glinda character, portrayed by Michelle Williams, is the so-called good witch and the colours reflect this ethereal mood with pastels and 'magical' glitter; the pinks and purples are definitely girly but still very wearable.

Tornado is a dark purple with shimmer, very wearable on his own or as a crease colour - Aura is a duo-shade and I'm in love! Extremely difficult to swatch but I added a separate pic below to try and show you the difference between the 2 parts; both are iridescent whites, one with blue/purple duochrome undertone and the other side with pink undertones. They do look pretty ordinary in the pan but they are so beautiful applied. Magic is a pale pink with gold shimmer.

l-r: magic, aura, aura, tornado

Illusion is a peachy champagne with a frost finish, extremely smooth and well pigmented - Oz is the other duo-shade of the set: first half is a gold with silver and gold glitter and second half is silver with silver glitter. There's a ton of glitter here and the consistency also feel different, not for everyday use; finally, South is a stunning taupe - a grey with green undertone and silver shimmer.

l-r: south, oz, oz, illusion

My favourite shades are: Aura (both) and South

This set also comes with a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in rockstar which is a purple and the Super-Saturated High-Gloss Lip Color which is called Glinda; Glinda is a nude colour, leaning on the pink side and with a sheer finish.

I got to admit I love both palettes and I think they are gorgeous in their own reasons but, to my surprise, Glinda is my favourite. The shades in this set feel truly special and they are so pretty that I want to wear them all at once!!! ;)

What do you think?
Which Urban Decay Oz Palette do you prefer?

Urban Decay OZ Theodora Palette

sorry but I just HAD to share this photo... isn't James Franco even hotter, holding the UD palette?! ;)

Now that I caught your attention with this fine piece of man, let's move on to make up, shall we?

Urban Decay just launched 2 stunning limited edition palettes to celebrate the release of Disney' Oz The Great and Powerful; I can't wait to see the movie because of the amazing cast but also because I'm a huge fan of the classic 1939 film... Exciting!

Both palettes come with 4 mono shadows plus 2 new duo-shades,1 eyeliner and 1 high gloss lip pencil; the shadows come in the pop-out format like the recent 'build your own palette' (reviews here and here), so you can further customize these beautiful tins, with your existing UD colours.

Oh by the way, all the shades are brand new as well!

Theodora Palette* is inspired by the wicked witch - Mila Kunis - so you can create a smoky, edgy, more intriguing kinda of look.

This is not only an eyeshadow palette but a fabulous set that will let you create a complete look and at a very decent price - £35 - I could easily imagine any other brand trying to market the lip colour as a separate product and charge another 14quid (just saying..).
Included there's also a 'get the look' card with tips on how to use the shades at their best but of course, you can create many more looks with all these colours.

Broken is a matte cream, perfect as an highlighter/all over the lid primer - Beware is a matte medium brown with a yellow undertone, kind of a ochre/sepia which has been really popular in recent catwalks; Bewitch is a true dark brown which will suit any eye colour, slight shimmer here - West is another stunning shimmery brown with red undertone; such a rich, chocolate shade that has a metallic finish.

l-r: bewitch, beware, broken, west

Spell is half rich antique gold and half black/blueish dark shade with multi-tonal glitter; both colours are very shimmery and - especially the gold - the glitter is a bit chunky but luckly doesn't transfer to the eyelid.

Jealous is again a duo-shade with a dark and light green - both smooth with good pigmentation and a pearl finish.

l-r: spell, spell, jealous, jealous

My favourite shades are Beware, West and Spell (dark side).

Finally, you also get a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in zero (black) and I don't think this eyeliner needs any presentation and Super-Saturated High-Gloss Lip Colour in a vibrant warm red to finish the look. I'm extremely impressed with both pigmentation and glossiness of this lip colour - Gorgeous!
Zero is not the deepest black I have ever seen but you can be assured it won't budge.

I wanted to give enough space and photos to each of these gorgeous palettes and do them proper justice so I decided to review them separately... so pop around tomorrow for swatches from the Glinda palette!!!

FOTD - Grey eyeshadows

top/bottom, left/right: ysl stain, nars blush, pure kajal, nars shadow, chanel shadow

Face: Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation Primer, Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in 117 , Nars Blush in Sin, St Tropez Skin Illuminator in Violet;
Eyes: Chanel Ombres Perlees de Chanel palette (dark grey), Nars Ramatuelle palette (silver grey), Pure Kajal in grey, Bourjois Volume Fast & Perfect mascara;
Lips: Ysl Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain in 17.

Monthly ChitChat

L'Occitane was offering free hand cream when registering on the Facebook page; they seem to run this promotion all the time because I don't think I have ever paid for one of their hand creams - hehe :P They are the best tho, so I would gladly pay for them.

Anyway, you just had to print the voucher and take it in store and you could also choose from few different versions - I chose the Honey Hand Cream which just came out recently.

I love eating honey and the cream smells just like the food - consistency is just like the ordinary product... Enjoying using this a lot!

This is the most beautiful thing that I have EVER smelled!!!!!!

My mother-in-law gave me this bath bomb few weeks ago and OMG I can't stop sniffing it.

I can't bring myself to use it actually... hehe... I have unwrapped it and it's making my bathroom smell amazing.

It's the Goodnight Honey Bath Blaster... Carrying on with the honey theme, apparently ;)

It's from www.bombcosmetics.co.uk but they have few stand-alone stores around the Uk, too; they also do candles, bath & body products which are just as divine - I know they are in Buchanan Gallery so I will pop around soon and pick up few other items to try.

I requested a sample of Skinetica on their website; it's anti blemish solution treatment which seems to be natural, without harsh chemicals, side effect and non-toxic... I don't know, seems pretty vague and too good to be true?!

To be honest, I haven't had the chance to try it yet because my skin has been behaving particularly good lately (fingers crossed) and I will give it a bash since I only read raving reviews about this product. Have you tried it? What do you think?

Ops, nearly forgot to mention that I also won this giveaway from http://gemseren.blogspot.co.uk/ :)

Review / Laidbare DIY! Two in One Cleanser & Toner

I have an important initiative to share with you today.

Laidbare will donate £1 from the sale of its blue products to ovarian cancer charities. 

March is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month with the aim to remind women of the signs and symptoms of the disease; a disease that affects 7000 women in the Uk every year and the fifth most common cancer in females.

But Laidbare support doesn't confine to only 1 month, in fact they will donate a percentage of the sales from now until the end of April 2013.

Laidbare is a brand that I came across quite recently but I can see already been a favourite for many bloggers on the web.

I've started using the Laidbare DIY! Two in One Cleanser & Toner* for only a couple of weeks and, I'm not exaggerating, when I say that it's my absolute favourite!

It contains liquorice and aloe vera, both anti-bacterials, which help in soothing and strengthening my sensitive skin; other natural ingredients include apple secrets extract to protect the skin cells and brazil nuts extract that purifies and nourishes the skin.

For the green people out there - this is also free from parabens, petrochemicals sulfates and all the others nasty chemicals... and it's cruelty-free too.

The gel consistency is perfect to lather on the skin on his own and I find it works very well in conjunction with the Clarisonic, too. It's also a make up remover so I tested it on my eyes and I can report that it got rid of very stubborn mascara and it didn't sting my eyes.

It leaves my skin refreshed and clean but without stripping it; I would say it leaves my skin 'matte'... yeah I think this is the best way to describe the feeling and finish.

Gentle yet effective that I can use it on a daily basis, without stressing my skin, but actually improving it!
Such a fab product, really!!!

The scent is mix of zesty and sweetness and very pleasant, indeed - The price? £5.99... what an amazing bargain and personally, I would happily pay triple that for the quality.

Love the simple, clean design of the brand but my only issue is with the actual tube: the screwtop is not  the most practical for me to use and the cap broke after a few days... still this is not gonna stop me from buying it for life!!!

Have you tried Laidbare before? Believe me, you do NEED this in your routine! ;)

BirchBox / February 2013

Meh! 

That's all I can comment on this month box, in fact I have already cancelled the subscription.

Anyway, here is what I received:

Gerda Spillmann Bio Fond Cream Foundation in 03 Bijou: this is a cream foundation that transform into powder. I'm not a fan of this type of base (I find them too thick and I never go for full coverage) and the colour is too dark for me so I'm just gonna pass it to somebody else.  

The wee compact is cute, tho.

Korres Guava Shower Gel: my favourite product of the box. I'm a big fan of the brand and it smells simple divine. I will save it for travelling - it's the perfect size and I will probably check out other products from the same line.

Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Plump N'Thick Leave-In Thickening Mist: you spray this product on towel-dried hair and it should help to add volume and texture when styling. I'm not a great fan of leave-in products but looking forward to give it a go - my hair are definitely on the flat side... I'm hoping the finish is not to sticky.

Vichy Thermal Spa Water (Limited Edition): yeah, this is definitely useful but not something I can get excited about - even with the cute print! I've used the Eau Thermal Avene Water Spray before and I'm guessing this is pretty similar; I like to use it when I'm in Italy, I always have a bottle in my bag to freshen up during the day so I will just save it for my next trip home.

EBoost Natural Energy Booster: a multi-vitamin to give you energy during the day. I like little non-beauty related extras but let's be honest... this is worth a pound and it's not like you're going to see a difference with 1 sachet! 

BirchBox Eyelash Curler: this is a nice extra touch but personally, I'm pretty loyal to my Shu Uemura so I don't really need it. 

So to summarize, it's not an awful box but I've come to the conclusion that these boxes are just not for me (anymore). Apart from these 2 boxes, I had cancel my subscriptions last year and not missed them.

It just comes down to what you want/expect from a beauty box and personally, I'd like to receive items  from more known, recognizable brands; I'm happy with sample sizes but I don't really care for obscure names that I wouldn't normally purchase or even difficult to find on the high street.

And talking about boxes: have you checked the US GlossyBox The Man Repeller box? Come on, there's no comparison - we are talking tarte, opi, estee lauder, fresh... 

I also recently heard about the PopSugar Must Have Box - it's not only beauty related and $35 but again looks really exciting!

Definitely recommend to goggle them if you're curious... but be prepared for pure envy... and once again, the Uk market has let me down... :(

Valentine's Giveaway!!! CLOSED

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

It looks like the perfect occasion to say thank you, once again, for your support and share the looove with a little present for one lucky reader.

 Prize: 

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm in Rosy Red

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir

Pixi Nail Colour in Fresh Red

River Island Kooky Single Earrings 12-pack

Rules:

- must be a follower GFC (if you don't have GFC, HelloCotton is fine)

- leave a comment below with your email address

Extra Entries:

- follow me on Twitter @fashion_olic (+1)

- tweet about the giveaway (+1)

- follow me on HelloCotton (+1)

- follow me on Bloglovin' (+1)

- blog about the giveaway/link back to this post on your blog (+2)

*** only leave 1 COMMENT with all entries - Thank you ***

Giveaway is open internationally and will close on 14th March 2013 @ noon - Uk time.

Winner will be picked via random.org

Good Luck!!!

Review / Maxitone Sculptress

January must be the most depressing month of the year.

I'm always left with few pounds to drop - after weeks of indulging in delicious meals and treats and to add more, my parents always send me loads of food for the holidays - so not only I need to get back to work and to the every day routine but I also need to face dieting. 

Bleugh... definitely a recipe for feeling blue but this year I had a powerful ally - Maxitone Sculptress*

I have already used Maxitone Definity before - you can read my review here - which is targeted to increase muscle tone.

Maxitone Sculptress is still high in protein to support lean muscles build but it also helps in achieving your ideal weight loss goal. It also contains 21 vitamins and minerals, green extract and L-carnitine.

The line include shakes, tablets and bars but I definitely prefer the practicality of a shake that I can take with me to work or at the gym... plus I get my daily chocolate fix without the guilty feeling.

At only 209 calories per serving, you can have 2 shakes per day and I usually substitute a snack and dinner; the dinner works very well for me, because I often work 'til late and that way I don't need to go to bed on a heavy stomach; Most importantly I never feel hungry either.

As always, this is not a miracle product but an effective helping hand - you still need to eath healthy and exercise (which I do anyway) but I believe the best motivation is when you see results.

Personally, I have lost 5 kgs in 3 weeks which I'm very pleased with since I would, normally, loose 1 kg per week and Maxitone has given me the extra boost.

 I'm also more toned - and everybody knows that muscle weights more than fat - so I think it's not bad at all, considering I can only go to the gym 3 times per week, because of work commitments.

You can now get Maxitone in Boots too - great way to use your points if you want to try it out!

FOTD - Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in 171 Fancy Topaz

Few people asked me about the Rimmel eyeshadow I shared in my haul yesterday... so I thought to do a quick FOTD to show how it looks on the eyes... it's not that scary at all - Hope you like it! :)

Face: Ysl Touche Eclat Foundation in BR40, Stila One Step Primer, Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in pink, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in medium, Mac Mineralize SkinFinish in soft & gentle, Mac Mineralize SkinFinish in medium, Mac Sheertone Blush in blushbaby;

Eyes: Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Eye Shadow in 171 Fancy Topaz , Mac Paint Pot in Painterly, Max Factor Liquid Effect Liner in black fire, Ysl Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils, Neve Cosmetics Occhioni mascara;

Lips: Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Colour spf12 in 18 Soft Nude.

Hello ladies!

Just a wee little tiny haul to share today - Rimmel is currently on 3for2 so I set off to buy the new Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Shadow Sticks but unfortunately, they were already out of stock in my local Boots. :( 

Anyhow, this is what I got instead:

Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in 005 Nude

Everybody is talking about this pencil - apparently, a dupe for the Mac one.
I have a white pencil to line my waterline but I don't use it very often; this nude colour is supposed to work better so I picked one up to add to my make up collection... can always come in handy.
So far I like it: it's definitely subtler than the white and it's very creamy so it applies like a dream.

Rimmel 5 in 1 Nail Treat
I'm a fan of Rimmel nail polishes - I like the colour selection and they last very well on me.
I've been using one of their base/top coat for years (Rimmel Stronger) but I decided to try this one, instead.
Unfortunately, I don't think it's as good as the other: it smells awful - extremely chemical, I'm not usually bothered by varnishes smell but this one is soooo strong! - and as a top coat, it doesn't last as long. Oh well, it's still a decent one and I will use it.
Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Eye Shadow in 171 Fancy Topaz
Finally, I bought this gorgeous gorgeous eyeshadow. I'm really into copper/rust type of browns, lately - probably because the red works well with my green eyes - and I was drawn by the metallic finish on this one. It swatched beautifully and smooth to apply. A new favourite is born! ;)

 What have you bought from Rimmel recently??
xxx