I’ve used a few Pixi products in the past. I always have a stash of the Glow Tonic in my skincare drawer. I met with their UK PR last year and got to try even more skincare and some of the makeup. Their makeup was fairly new to me. I remember swatching some of in Boots in London a few years back and liking how it performed, but the packaging never really drew me in. Something that always stuck in my head after meeting with them though is my friend Sinéad aka The Beautiful Truth, who has at the meeting too saying, they are such an under rated makeup brand and after trying it for myself I completely agree. I have a post here about their Liquid Fairy Lights too if you want to check it out. Right now, I want to talk about, dare I say it, one of the best highlighters I have ever tried. The Pixi Glow-y Gossamer Duo Subtle Sunrise.
There is two shade ranges in the Pixi Glow-y Gossamer Duo (s). You can see both choices on their website here. Delicate Dew seems to be a little darker toned. I want to specifically talk about Subtle Sunrise.
I went for a dinner with the brand a few weeks ago, I know lucky me! And I got this duo in my goody back. I know, lucky me again. There is of course two colours within the compact. One is more of a champagne glow, and the other is a peachy rose gold.
The formula is just bloody gorgeous. It’s soft and creamy and oh so pigmented but in a glow-y way, hence the name 🙂 Both shades 100% create a glow to the skin without being sparkly or glitter. It’s just full on shine. I am a particular fan or the champagne side. If they created this on it’s own, I don’t think I would ever be without it. Here it is in action on the skin in video form. Make sure it’s in HD to see the full effect 🙂
I know I sound like I am gushing. Usually I come at a review as pragmatically as possible. I write about pros and cons, and then sum everything up. Honestly, I cannot say anything bad about the Pixi Glow-y Gossamer Duo Subtle Sunrise. Other than I wish they came as single pans, both shades serve a purpose and are beautiful though! The glow and the longevity of the glow is awesome!
We get some Pixi stock here in Ireland in Marks and Spencer. Do yourself a favour and go in if you can to swatch. You can buy the Pixi Glow-y Gossamer duo in Subtle Sunrise from Look Fantastic for €23.45 here. Can you tell I’m enamoured? 🙂
Did I need the Esteè Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelèe in my life? Hell to the no. This was a complete lust product. You might remember I did a post here a while back about my beauty shopping lust list. This was on it along with a few gorge other things.
Every Summer, the Esteè Lauder Bronze Goddess collection is released again. Usually reimagined somewhat, but still familiar if you’ve been keeping an eye on it throughout the years.
I’ve always lusted after the Illuminating Powder Gelée. The packaging alone had me hooked visually. I’ve tried to get my hands on it a few times, but it sells out super quickly. So I’ve been actually checking up on it regularly this year. Yes I am a makeup addict through and through ha. The release coincided with my 33rd birthday this year, so I was able to ask John to get it for me as a bday treat. Score!
Off the bat the Esteè Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelèe for 2018, visually is just gorgeous. For €49, it would kind of want to be. It’s not as weighty as I anticipated, it is a plastic compact, but I can live with that.
I feel like this year’s representation is definitely more golden and glittery than other years. The pigment and shine pay off are really lovely though. The sparkle is just something to note. In case you’re curious the shade name is 01 Heat Wave. There is only one to choose from.
You can see there is a lighter shade within the darker more bronzed highlight shade. It nearly looks like a pretty sunburst within the pan.
Esteé Lauder call this an ‘all over bronzer’. I can’t get on board with that at all. I bought it knowing it’s a highlight and it definitely is a highlighter!
Unfortunately probably a highlighter that’s too dark for pale ol’ me. But by god, I will make it work 🙂
I am so glad to have gotten my hands on the Esteè Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelèe for this year. It’s not the most practical purchase, but it will be something that I will hang on to forever as it’s limited edition.
I bought mine from Debenhams here, although it is out of stock as I write this post. Have you picked up any of them over the years? What’s your thoughts?
Yes, I am talking about it again! I said I would 🙂 In the last post here, I gave you swatches and my initial thoughts on it. Now I am back with a full on Urban Decay BackTalk Tutorial! Lipstick included.
Usually I probably would have went a bit more neutral on the eyes showcasing a palette like this. But the lighter shimmery eyeshadows really don’t float my makeup boat. So my Urban Decay BackTalk Tutorial ended up being a bit darker than intended. But that’s ok and I hope it gives you an idea of how some of the better shadows work. I don’t want to write the palette off completely. I want to hopefully give you an indication of the good and the bad. I think most things in this beauty industry is up for interpretation. We all have different needs and wants.
As always you can click here to check out the video directly, or it’s at the top of this post to click on too, for your convenience 🙂
I also used the namesake BackTalk lippie in this video, which I am really a fan of. This whole palette is based around this, their best selling lipstick.
I also used a dark purple liner to add some definition to the top lash line. Lots of mascara, top and bottom and then a flesh coloured liner in the inner rim of my eyes just to make me look more awake. I know pinks and mauves can sometimes make the eyes look a little tired if you don’t break them up a little.
And that’s pretty much it for my Urban Decay BackTalk tutorial, yep I called it a tutorial, sure feck it 🙂 You can buy it from Debenhams here pretty soon if you like what you see. House Of Fraser have it in stock now.
There’s been a lot of talk about the new Urban Decay BackTalk Palette. Yes I was trying to be clever using the name there and what of it? 🙂
I’ve had my eye on it since it’s release. As you probably know I am a huge Urban Decay fan just in general. I always keep informed about their new releases. And Jesus there’s a lot of them to keep up with. I may look at the brand through rose coloured glasses, but I always feel like they put their own spin on new trends. The products are generally really good quality too, so they keep me interested.
I’ve been really liking the Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions Palette of late, so the Urban Decay BackTalk Palette is right up my mauve loving street.
Just in case you didn’t know the BackTalk Palette is completely inspired by Urban Decay’s best selling Vice lipstick BackTalk, which as you can see is a mauve lip lovers delight.
I recently went to a Masterclass in the Urban Decay Flagship store here in Dublin for the palette. They kindly gave me it to bring home and the lipstick too. I am obsessed with the lippie, it’s right up my street. Mauve, matte but not drying, opaque in colour and really comfortable. I can understand why it’s a best seller. We’re here to talk about the new release though 🙂
The Urban Decay BackTalk Palette contains two components separated by a magnetic, removable mirror within the middle of it.
On one side we have blush and highlights, all within the mauve monochromatic theme.
From left to right:
Cheap Shot, Double Take, Low Key, Party Foul.
Then if we flip over to the other side of the mirror, there is eight eyeshadow shades. Ranging from a pinky nude, to a dark coppered brown shade. Containing mattes and shimmers.
If I am being completely honest. Overall, this palette just doesn’t perform for me. There are some shades that I do like. The Party Foul highlighter is nice and I like Backtalk, Shade and WTF particularly. There’s no consistency to the formulas though. The lighter shimmer shadows Bare and Curve take a lot of work. I find the magnetic mirror really good in theory, as you can take it out to do your makeup or whatever. But if you leave it in it’s just a bit cumbersome when you are switching between sides. It moves around! If I hadn’t been kindly gifted this palette, I totally would have gone out myself and bought it. Would I have been disappointed with my purchase? I think I would have been yes 🙁
I’ll definitely do a look over on my YouTube channel with the palette so you can see it in real action on the visage. For now, I’ll just leave you with my messy swatches.
The Urban Decay BackTalk Palette will be available from House Of Fraser and Debenhams in store and online from the 14th of June here in Ireland. The RRP is €43.00.
I have been waiting with baited breath for the Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter to launch here. I was just perusing the shelves in Boots (as you do), and happened across one of them! I haven’t seen any media or press releases about them as of yet, but we can now get our makeup loving mitts on them!
Only catch is there seems to be only one of the shade available of the Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter. And then there’s one shade of the Master Holographic Prismatic one. Now that could have just been the Boots I was in, (Jervis Street). However, they don’t seem to be on the Boots website yet either.
Anyways, I picked up the two shades that were there. Damn 3 for 2 drew me in big time. I got their setting spray to try as well. I don’t have them that long, but I thought I could at least show you what they were like in action, just in case you’ve been chomping at the bit ever since seeing Desi & Katy rocking them!
The Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter is in the shade Molten Gold.
Off the bat, I can say this is the nicest formula of the two. The shade is probably a couple of shades too dark for me. It remind me a lot of Becca’s Champagne Pop. I love Champagne Pop, but I am just too damn pale to pull it off most of the time.
Molten Gold is super soft and really easy to blend. It’s a really great, more affordable highlighter.
It is actually available online from Feel Unique here on sale. I paid €11.99 for it in Boots.
Just like the Chrome’s, there is other shades of the Holographic Prismatic formulas, we just don’t seem to be getting them here.
These have a more gritty formula. This shade 50 Opal is obviously lighter in colour, but it has little holographic glitters running through it.
Here they are side by side for comparison:
For me, Opal performed much better when applied to the skin with a brush. The holographic glitters give a duo chrome sheen, although the glitter is very visible on the skin . That is definitely something to note.
This, like Molten Gold, was €11.99 from Boots but again Feel Unique currently have it on sale if it wets your whistle 🙂
I really hope we get more shades of the Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter on this side of the world. They are a really lovely more affordable highlighter. The Holographic ones definitely won’t be for everyone. What do you think?
I have been in a bit of a creative rut this week. I asked on Instagram stories what kind of content you like. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to message me and fill my head with awesome ideas. I appreciate it so much. A big shout out to my lovely friend Sinéad aka The Beautiful Truth for giving me the Disappointing Makeup Products idea.
I generally talk about products I really disliked on social media. When I review products I try to be as logical as possible. I like to give the pros and the cons. I rarely dedicate a post to things I have and just generally don’t get on with. But it’s fun to change things up 🙂 Now this won’t be scathing. Everything is up for interpretation and just because I dislike something doesn’t mean everyone does. This is just my opinion.
First up of my six disappointing makeup products, is the Kiko Smart Cult Eyeshadow Palette in Matte Revolution. I did a post swatching this when I first got it here.
I bought this in Brussels after seen it plastered all over social media. The colours looked so cool and generally I am a big fan of Kiko.
This just doesn’t do it for me though. On first swatch some of the colours are grand, but trying to blend them on the eyes is way too much of a chore. They blend away to nothing. Yes, I can make it work if I need to, but this palette has just ended up lying in a drawer not being used. It wasn’t expensive, but still, it was definitely a waste of my money.
For me, this foundation is too thick. I don’t like the doe-foot applicator, and I just find it hard to blend.
I don’t mind a thicker foundation, but I would put this in the same category as Esteè Lauder Double Wear. Although I do say in my review it isn’t as thick, but it nearly is 🙂 It’s just too much for me. At least Double Wear stands the test of time on my oily skin, this only does an ok job. I find it grand, but I haven’t reached for it much at all since buying it.
This just doesn’t keep my eyeshadow in check. I have relatively oily lids so I am generally a good judge of eyeshadow primer. This is in the shade Nude. I think it’s more yellow toned, so unless I am covering it completely on the lids, the tone will poke through a bit.
It just doesn’t cut the mustard. I like that it’s in stick form, it’s easy to use and super affordable, but not for me 🙁
The Zoeva Strobe Gel was completely bought on a whim because the jelly like texture intrigued me.
I have the shade Halo.
If you like a more subtle highlight, this might work for you. For me, it just looks like nothing on my skin, especially when applied with a brush. Applying it with your fingers is tricky though, as the formula just doesn’t allow itself to be picked up with your fingertips too well. I tried to incorporate it into my makeup and to make it work, but I just end up reaching for something else. It’s a cool concept, but gets a thumbs down from me.
My next two disappointing makeup products will again, be controversial.
Waterproof mascara is more my jam, most of the time. But I do try lots of non waterproof formulas and do review the ones that meet my extremely high mascara standards 🙂
So many people adore this mascara. I don’t! I deem it grand. It coats the lashes, helps a little with volume and on me, flakes like a bitch. If a mascara flakes after a long ass, productive day, I can live with that. But this does it a couple of hours into wear on me. For that reason, it’s made the list 🙂
Now hear me out because this is definitely a more personal disappointment. I am just not wowed by it. The texture is a bit drying, especially for the price. It’s also super super similar to my lip colour, so it tends to look more brown on me than pink.
I have the lipstick too . (I have a blogpost about it here). You can see both of them swatched in that. I reach for the lipstick way more, although I am not a huge fan of the fragrance, but I can get over that. I have the lip liner literally years, and it’s still very much in tact as you can see. Give me Rimmel’s Eastend Snob liner over it any day!
Do any of my disappointing makeup choices shock you? Are some of your holy grails in here? This is what I love about makeup, one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure 🙂