Rimmel The Only 1 Matte Lipstick Collection

November 11, 2016 - Vicki 3 Comments

Exciting news, Rimmel have released a new range of Matte Lipsticks which promise high impact colour, a non drying formula and a comfortable velvety matte finish. I think Rimmel have knocked it out of the park with the Only 1 Matte Lipstick Collection and they delivered on all promises which for anafforable matte lip option is pretty rare.

I have 9 shades and I think the colour selection is pretty good, they seem to have covered most bases. They have a nice range of wearable universal nudes, soft pinks, classic reds and then they have a couple of deeper colours in the form of a plum toned brown and a vibrant purple. They’re missing a peach (in my opinion) but I hope they extend the range a little in the future, for now I think there is most definitely a shade or two for everyone and a colour for every occasion.

The Only 1 Matte Lip Library

110 Leader Of The Pink – A beautiful soft rosie pink

120 – Call The Shots – A bright, bold red toned pink

200 – Salute – Gorgeous everyday pink nude, such a flattering shade

500 Take The Stage – A true festive red shade

610 – High Flyer – A darker, more dusky nude

700 – Trendsetter – This is such a pretty brown nude

750 – Look Who’s Talking – Is a rich brown shade

800 – Run The Show – A vibrant purple, with incredible colour pay off

810 – The Matte Factor – A beautiful rich berry toned red. Reminds me of mulled wine

The texture of these is not what you would expect from a typical matte lipstick, it is more creamy which means its lovely to apply, it glides on the lips with ease. The colours are all very pigmented and the lighter shades flawless but a couple of the darker shades apply quite patchy, in particular the shade Look Who’s Talking needed two coats to work but that is also the beauty with this collection you can build up the colours and their intensity which is fab.

My favourite shades are Salute, High Flyer and Call The Shots, they’re all easy to wear everyday shades. I have had Salute in my handbag since it arrived, it freshens up my makeup and it is such a subtle, pretty shade.

Matte lips are bang on trend at the moment and although these aren’t the most long wearing option out there, I think they are easy to wear, comfortable on the lip and the colour selection is really good. If like me you struggle with the really drying formula of most long wearing matte lipsticks then this new formula from Rimmel will be right up your alley. It is more of a satin matte finish and the formula very much reminds me of my favourite Comfort Matte lipstick from Urban Decay but a fraction of the price.

So if you’re looking for a pigmented, long wearing lipstick for Autumn / Winter but don’t want a formula that is going to be too drying then I think these need to be on the list! My one gripe is the scent is odd, not sure what it is but I am not a fan.

Which do you think is your favourite shade?

Rimmel The Only 1 Matte Lipsticks are available at Boots £4.99 and Superdrug £6.99

*PR Sample

W7 Mid Summer Nights Eyeshadow Palette

November 7, 2016March 2, 2025 - Vicki 3 Comments

W7 The Naughty Nine : Mid-Summer Nights Palette

I have already admitted this to myself, but I’m without a doubt an eyeshadow palette addict, I just love them. I think it’s because the colours look so pretty altogether, and I like that you can easily create an eye look without too much fuss. So when I saw this absolute beauty of a palette from W7 on MissMakeUpMagpie blog a few weeks ago, I had to get it.

On the grapevine, I have heard that this W7 palette is meant to be a dupe for the MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette & I wondered if the pigmentation would be there, but I have to say this palette knocks it out of the park. All 9 shades are gorgeous, very pigmented and have little to no fallout, The shades in this palette are perfect for Autumn / Winter.

The packaging is very MAC inspired, it feels like it’s very good quality, it’s slim, compact and sturdy, I also love that it has a clear lid so you can see the eyeshadows. You get 4.5g of product and 9 shadows in total. I think it’s a fantastic palette for the price. As with most budget brands, they haven’t named the shadows, which annoys me slightly, but that doesn’t take away from the quality, which is very good.

You get 9 shadows in the palette and I like the range of nude-toned neutrals & the fact you get a good selection of coppers, cranberries and a few nude pink tones. I would wear every shade in this palette, it makes a very good everyday option as you can make it look quite minimal and muted with the pretty nudes or vamp it up with more of the deeper, richer shades.

There is a nice mix of mattes, satin finishes and shimmers, all of which are pigmented and blend well. It’s unusual to find good affordable matte shadows, but these are very good quality, in fact regardless of price, this is an outstanding palette and one I highly recommend checking out.

*This post contains an affiliate link

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette

November 3, 2016January 28, 2018 - Vicki 1 Comment

Urban Decay have already released some incredible products during 2016, including their Moondust Palette, All Nighter Foundation and a whopping 100 Vice Lipsticks and they show no signs of slowing down. September saw them release the follow up to their hugely successful Naked Basics & Naked Basics 2 which both had six gorgeous neutral matte eyeshadows. The Naked Ultimate Basics Palette is the latest in the Naked line up and has taken the matte palette to a whole new level. The Naked Ultimate Basics Palette is BEAUTIFUL and it includes 12 all matte must have neutral shadows. This really it the ultimate matte palette and you need it in your life.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette*

From the get-go, this palette gets my seal of approval because of its rose gold, very sturdy and for a 12 pan palette its sleek and slim. There is also a very decent sized mirror in the lid which always comes in handy. This also includes a mini double ended brush which is great quality and is actually a brush that you can use and I have been using it to apply these shadows.

This palette has 12 wearable, pigmented, neutral shadows

Blow (Light Nude Demi-Matte)
Nude (Soft Pink Nude Matte)
Commando (Light Taupe Brown Matte)
Tempted (Pale Brown Matte)
Instinct (Medium Pink Taupe Matte)
Lethal (Reddish Brown Matte)
Pre-Game (Pale Yellow Matte)
Extra Bitter (Burnt Orange Matte)
Faith (Medium Warm Brown Matte)
Lockout (Rich Neutral Brown Matte)
Magnet (Smoky Gray Matte)
Blackjack (Warm Black Matte)

The two lightest shades Pre Game & Blow are quite pale and although not very pigmented they work well applied all over the lid & up to your brow to neutralise redness, add a little brightness and as a base for the darker shades.

The other 10 shades are very pigmented, long wearing & easy to blend. They never apply patchy and have minimal to no fallout. You can achieve so many looks using this palette so if like me you tend to wear a neutral eye most days then you have so much choice in this palette. It’s handy having 12 matte shadows in one place and the colours are so versatile, I like that you can achieve a subtle look or go all out with a smokey eye using those beautiful rich darker shades.

The quality of this palette is fantastic, as you’d expect from Urban Decay, I mean this is a brand that knows how to do fantastic, pigmented and very long-wearing eyeshadow. I am not surprised that It lives up to the hype and I would say its a palette well worth investing in, I’ve been reaching for it almost daily.

What I also like is that the 12 shadows in this palette are all new colours and exclusive to this palette, which is exciting. I’m in love with everything about this latest Urban Decay release and I know it will be a firm favourite for a very long time.

Bottom Row: Pre -Game / Extra Bitter / Faith / Lockout / Magnet / BlackJack

Top row: Blow / Nudie / Commando / Tempted / Instinct / Lethal

What is your favourite Naked Palette and are you tempted to add this new Naked Ultimate Basics Palette to your collection?

Naked Ultimate Basics £38.50 is available at UrbanDecay.com / Debenhams / Selfridges / John Lewis

*PR sample

Amsterdam Birthday Makeup Picks

October 24, 2016August 14, 2025 - Vicki Leave a comment

If you follow me over on Instagram then you will know my lovely husband took me to Amsterdam for my birthday, its our 6th time visiting and we just fall a little more in love with the city each time. I wanted to share with you a few of my favourite products that I took with me in my makeup bag, I knew we would be going out for my birthday so I took some of my favourite products.

Maybelline Dream Flawless Nude Foundation

I like the coverage this gives, its more medium than full but it covers redness and thats exactly what I need atm.. It gives a lovely soft focus finish to the skin and has a velvety smooth look to it. It is a very fluid foundation so it is easy to blend and a little product goes a long way, I do like to build up the coverage on more troublesome areas and you know this is never going to look caky or overdone. Although it has a very fluid texture it can often cling to dry patches so I always wear a primer with this and make sure I use a very hydrating moisturiser.

Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara*

When I want Va Va Voom lashes there is only ever one mascara I reach for and it is the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir. This is seriously black and a couple of coats of this makes your lashes look so full and full of volume. I think this is the mascara that gives my lashes the most dramatic finish, it never goes crispy and your lashes look amazing all night long. Even the packaging is luxurious.

Stila Perfect Me / Perfect Hue Palette

I hate travelling with too much makeup and this palette is perfect because it has a whole look in one palette. You get five eyeshadows and two blushes and I have the fair/light option.

Eye Shades: Alluring (soft pale pink), Breathtaking (soft neutral white), Passionate (champagne pearl), Dynamic (soft taupe), Glamorous (warm chocolate brown)
Blush Shades: Romantic (soft pale pink), Playful (soft rose pink)

It is a lovely palette for creating quite a neutral smoky eye and the cheek colours are gorgeous too. I also like that its quite compact and it has a huge mirror in and I use it to do my makeup with whist travelling.

Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet in Maharajah*

I love the shade Maharajah its a vibrant pink and the perfect colour to amp up any look. I always tend to go quite low key on my eye makeup and opt for more of a bold lip. These Lip Magnets from Armani have the most comfortable formula and the colours are bold, pigmented and have a matte finish so that means it has incredible staying power. Once applied these last all night with out fading, its also such a pretty pink shade and a nice birthday lip option.

Charlotte Tilbury The Feline Flick in Panther

I actually repurchased this in Amsterdam because the eyeliner I took with me just wasn’t cutting the mustard and I knew I could rely on Charlotte Tilbury not to let me down. This liner has a really fine nib allowing you to get a neat, precise line and achieve that classic winged liner look. I love this product it is easy to use, fuss free and it never smudges and the pigmentation is intense. So pleased to have a brand new one in my makeup bag.

Urban Decay Beached Bronzer in Bronze

On a day to day basis I use the Soap and Glory Solar Powder as my bronzer because its quite natural but I wanted a bronzer that was a little more intense for my birthday makeup & this Urban Decay one is gorgeous & if I use it with a light hand its good for contouring. It has a matte finish and it lasts really well on the skin. I also love the cute palm tree packaging.

Giorgio Armani Si Perfume

I recently posted about this perfume over on my Instagram saying how it is my signature scent and I feel more like me when I am wearing it. With that being said I knew I had to take this with me to Amsterdam & there was no way I was decanting it into a Travelo because I love the bottle and they do not hold enough perfume for me, not for a weeks holiday! So Armani Si is a perfume I discovered back in 2013 when it first launched and I have worn it ever since. I love how beautifully sophisticated it is, with a youthful fresh edge.

It has notes of Vanilla, Blackcurrant, Rose de Mai and Patchouli and base notes of blond amber which give it a sophisticated musky scent. When you initially spray this you can smell the Vanilla which gives it a sweet scent but it calms down to reveal a chic musky scent which lingers all day.

It is light enough to be worn through the day but is also sophisticated and sexy to be worn at night. This fragrance has a side that most people will love – the sweetness of the Vanilla and Blackcurrant, the beautiful floral notes of Freesia and Rose de Mai and the more sophisticated base notes of Patchouli and blond wood. It smells amazing. I’m so pleased I had a bottle to take with me to Amsterdam, what would be a birthday without your favourite fragrance.

Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Formentera*

This is a gorgeous cream blush, It is a pretty sun kissed rose shade and I think its a great shade for my quite pale complexion. It blends so well and with it being in a handy stick form its simple and effortless to apply. It worked well for my night out as it stayed put all night and it. I think this is one of my favourite cream blush products & the colour is quite natural but pretty.

L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Mono Eyeshadow

I love this shade, its a gorgeous metallic taupe and once on the lid it looks rose gold, its a great shadow to put on top of other colours just to give a look a little more glamour. The colour is intense and I love the finish of it, especially for a night out as when the light catches the metallic finish it looks really pretty. These Mono Eyeshadow colours from L’Oreal are such good quality and they have a really nice selection of colours. Very handy to travel with as well.

PR Sample

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