Makeup Revolution Acid Brights Palette

Now that it's summer time, I like to wear a little bit more colour in my makeup. Whether it be a bright lip or a flash of colour on the eyes, I think that summer is the perfect time for experimenting with colour. Now, I'm all for wearing neons on my lips and nails, but I wasn't so sure about wearing it on my eyes. To break me out of my comfort zone, the Acid Brights palette from Makeup Revolution was the perfect item.

Their 12 pan eyeshadow palettes come cased in plastic packaging which isn't the most sturdy but it certainly isn't the worst. I've found that these are pretty durable as I've taken them on a weekend away with me and they were all intact when I got to my destination, even after knocking my case over and pulling it through a busy train station in rush hour.

The formula is pretty amazing for the £4 price tag. The majority of shades are soft and buttery, blend really well and last for hours on the lids. As with most palettes, I have found that the metallic and shimmer shades are of stronger pigmentation than the matte ones. The shadows are ever so slightly dusty but there is very little fallout from them which is always a bonus. I find that these are best applied with a stiff shading brush over a primer. Dependant on how bright you want the shadows, I would recommend a white shadow base, such as the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk as this really does make the shadows stand out. 

Overall, I love this eyeshadow palette, although I'm not too sure I will get a lot of wear out of it. However, that being said the times that I have worn it, I have loved the overall look. 

You can purchase this from Makeup Revolution online for £4.

Have you entered my MAC Lipstick giveaway here?

Makeup Revolution Make Believe Palette

Since the launch of Makeup Revolution, I have been a big fan and constantly peruse their website to create my pay day wishlist. A few weeks ago I received a lovely tweet from Shona, who has such a beautiful blog - link, telling me that I had won her Makeup Revolution Giveaway which consisted of seven beautiful palettes, all of which I will be sharing with you over the next few weeks.

The first one that I will be sharing is the Make Believe Awesome Eyeshadow and Brow Palette. Featuring twelve shimmer eyeshadows and two brow powders, it's great for those of us who like to travel light and have everything all in one place. In terms of packaging, it will be great for travelling as it is compact and lightweight making I great for inside your makeup bag. I wouldn't say it was very sturdy but so far I haven't encountered any problems with it so I could be wrong. As it is so compact, the eyeshadows come housed in small pans which might be a slight issue for those who like to use a larger/fluffy brush, however this hasn't been a problem for me when using a simple shading brush. There is a teeny bit of fallout, but nothing too major.

The formula of these shadows is beautiful. They are buttery soft and highly pigmented, all of which blend effortlessly. Some have better colour pay off than others, but that is to be expected in a palette. The range of shades is perfect for all year round, and even better for those who like inject colour into their makeup. Normally, I'm a neutrals girl but I have been loving the olive green shade patted all over the lid, or using the grey to line my upper lashline. The two brow powders are again wonderful, with just the right amount of pigmentation for soft brows, rather than a sharpie disaster. 

Overall, this palette is a lovely addition to my collection and is one that I'm sure I will get plenty of use out of. It certainly is a palette that I will recommend, especially if you are wanting to steer away from neutrals but don't want anything too crazy.

You can buy this palette from Makeup Revolution.

Seventeen Stay Time 18 Hour Concealer

You know how it is when you're going away for the weekend, and you take more time planning what make up you're taking with you, than what outfits you're going to wear. This is normally how it goes with me, and I usually forget an important item. This time was no exception and as I walked through the train station it suddenly hit me that I had forgot to pack any concealer and foundation alone wouldn't cover the monstrous dark circles under my eyes. Obviously a trip to boots had to be made and this was what I picked up...

In terms of packaging, the Seventeen Stay Time 18 Hour concealer, is nothing special. It is very similar to the much loved Collection Lasting Perfection Concealeer with its plastic tube and soft doe-foot applicator. I've found that the doe-foot applicator is pretty good at evenly applying this under my eyes and onto tiny blemishes. Another bonus about the packaging is that the writing hasn't rubbed off in my hands yet! Yay!

The formula is pretty lovely also, with a medium coverage that doesn't feel heavy or cakey under my eyes and doesn't crease throughout the day. I'm using the shade medium which is perfect for my skin tone and is virtually undetectable which is always a plus. I like to apply this on top of my foundation and blend out with my RT Buffing Brush to ensure that it is blended fully. This is a very dewy concealer so powder is a must if dewy isn't your thing. As for the claim of 18 hours wear I have to disagree. I've found that this lasts 6-8 hours at the most and after that regular top ups are needed but I still don't think that this is bad coming from a highstreet product.

I really have been loving this and will probably repurchase this as part of my handbag essential. Have you tried Seventeen products?

City Break OOTD

Packing for a trip away can be extremely stressful. Packing for a trip away with 24 hours notice is even worse! For those of you don't know, last month I went to Amsterdam and was only told on the Wednesday that I was going the following day. Eeeekkk! I have never had to pack so quickly in my life, but thankfully I managed it! I tried to think about comfort as I knew that I would travelling on the coach through the night and then I would be walking around the city so I needed to feel comfortable in what I wore. 

So here is the outfit that I wore on the day that we explored the city...

Jumper : New Look

Cami : Primark

Leggings : Next

Hi-Tops : Adidas

This was so comfortable to wear whilst wandering around the city and taking in the sights. The weather was so nice too meaning that I didn't need to take a heavy jacket around with me. Unfortunately, all of the items mentioned are no longer available which I know is really annoying, but as the pieces are all really simple it shouldn't be too hard to find something similar on the highstreet :)

I hope that you have enjoyed this teeny tiny post. I think that OOTDs will be a bit more regular on my little blog, as I really enjoyed doing this one :)

The Wedding Series #4: Viewing A Venue

I've really been enjoying writing these wedding panning posts and they have had a great response from all of you so a huge thankyou for that! This week, we viewed our first potential venue to hold our wedding so I thought that now that we have been, I would share with you our experience of that and potentially answer any questions or queries that other couples might have.

The venue that we visited was exactly the sort of place that I had pictured my dream wedding. A large country house with beautiful grounds for pictures and plenty of accommodation for our guests. When we got there, I really was taken a back by how stunning it was and I was feeling pretty positive. Both us went to tell the reception staff that we were there for a viewing and along with my mum and dad, we were ushered into the bar and told that the wedding coordinator would be with us shortly. I was thinking of plenty of questions to ask and when she joined us and showed us the packages available, it was time for a tour. Pretty much everything I had wanted in a venue was there, to me it was perfect. Olly however, felt differently and thought that it was a little old fashioned and a lot more money than expected. I think that I had also

got my hopes up a little bit too much and thought that we were going to fall in love with it right away and that would be our chosen venue. Despite the fact that we have decided that because both of didn't like it, it would not be our wedding venue, we still asked plenty of questions so I thought that I would share my top three questions with you...

Check if they do an all-inclusive package. If they do what does it include?

This is one the thing that I think every couple viewing a wedding venue should ask. Most of the time, a venue will give you a price for the venue, the menu, the drinks package, and the evening food all as separate prices. Once you add all of this up, then the price can be extortionate. However, some venues will have an all-inclusive package available which will be one cost for everything that you need and that will be it. Just don't forget that this means that there will not be an open bar and the cost of bedrooms for the quests will still incur a charge.

Do they offer exclusivity?

This usually means that there will be no other functions going on in the venue on the same date as your wedding. This was important to me as some venues that we have seen online have stated that they do not offer exclusivity and therefore there may be another wedding on the same day. This was a no go for me as I want to be the only bride and groom there on our chosen date. For some venues it means that they will only ever have one wedding on any given day but by having an exclusive package, there will be no other people other than your wedding guests and staff. Exclusivity normally means that there will be an extra charge.

Do they have accommodation?

This might not be hugely important to some couples, but to us it is a major part of the day. Ollys side of the family will be travelling from Kent and so will need to stay the night before and the night of the wedding. Then some more of our friends and family will need to stay over too, and those who would like to have a little drink won't be able to drive home. This means that it is important to find somewhere that has enough accommodation for everyone who needs it, and that it is a decent price for everyone.

I hope that this post has helped those of you who are planning a wedding, or those who are interested in the planning process. I'm hoping that now that we have been to seen one venue, the rest will be a little easier and we will know a little bit more about what we are actually looking for.

Have you got any tips for finding the perfect venue?