I finally got myself to the new Kat Von D Makeup counter in Debenhams! It’s been a long time coming. Well actually it’s only been up and running for a couple of weeks, but for me it seems like an age 🙂 A few of you asked on social media when I shared what I bought for a video on the products. So, I thought I would do a first impressions using all of the goodies.
Not gonna lie, I want more or less everything that we have on offer here at the Kat Von D makeup stand, but I had to be logical. My budget won’t stretch to that! I did want to try the Lock It Foundation. I was only delighted that I even colour matched myself to the right colour. But of course that was the one shade that was out of stock. Devastating!
I picked up the Shade & Light Eye Contour Palette.
The Lock It Concealer in the shade L5 Neutral.
And then the Lock It Brightening Powder in Petal.
I already had a mini of her Tattoo Liquid liner in ‘Trooper’.
With also a mini of the Studded Lipstick in ‘Lolita’.
All of these are of course available now in store from Debenhams in Henry Street, Dublin. They also sell Kat Von D makeup online here.
You can see them in action on my mug in the video above. Or you can see it directly on my YouTube channel here.
I am not surprised to say my first impressions of the new Kat Von D makeup I picked up are really good. I am sure I will be talking about them individually here in the very near future.
Have you picked up any products from the range? I need recommendations…pronto 🙂
https://i1.wp.com/beautynook.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Kat-Von-D-Makeup.jpg?fit=1600%2C899&ssl=18991600Gemhttps://beautynook.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Logo.pngGem2017-04-14 14:00:162017-04-14 00:54:30Kat Von D Makeup First Impressions
Urban Decay released the rest of their Gwen Stefani collaboration goodies last week! The lipsticks,lipliners and the brow kit look beautiful…that packaging though? I only caved slightly and bought the blush palette.
I got the eyeshadow palette when it was first released and I am so happy to have it in my Urban Decay collection. Have I ever told you, I kind of sort of collect Urban Decay palettes? 🙂 You can see the eyeshadow palette up close here if you are undecided about picking it up and want to see it in more detail.
I’m talking all things blush in this Urban Decay Gwen Stefani post though. Here she is in all her glory.
I am in love with the packaging, it’s sturdy, stylish and compliments the eyeshadow palette, which makes me very happy not going to lie, I love a good theme ha!
You get six shades of blush in the palette. They each contain 2.8 grams of product.
The colour range and finish is varied and as you would expect from Urban Decay they are pigmented and very smooth.
Here they are swatched on my arm for reference:
This is ‘Cherry’
This is ‘Easy’
This is ‘Angel’
This is ‘Lo-Fi’
This is ‘Hush’
This is ‘OC’
Overall, I personally really like the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette. I think I would be more inclined to call it a face palette though. ‘Angel’ for example is more of a highlight shade than a blush. I would probably mix this in with other shades to change the colour or add shimmer to them. Also, ‘Lo-Fi’ to me is more of a warm bronzer shade. I think the other four colours ‘Cherry’,’Easy’ ‘Hush’ and ‘OC’ are really lovely blush shades and I will get plenty of use out of them day to day.
I don’t think this a definite go out and buy it release, but I think if you do pick it up you’ll be happy to have it in your collection. Also, they’ve made it limited edition which always makes us a bit more obsessed, right? Clever marketers 🙂
The Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Blush Palette will set you back €42 and you can buy it from Debenhams in store or online here and House of Fraser.
The blogsphere has been alight ever since Max Factor brought out their Creme Puff Blushes. Instantly they were being compared to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes…they look really really similar in the pan so there is no surprise there! As the proud owner of 4 Hourglass blushes I thought it was my duty as a blogger and makeup obsessed person to buy a couple of the Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes and compare. All in the name of research I swear 🙂
So today I am comparing Hourglass’s ‘Mood Exposure’ (which I have in palette form)
to Max Factor’s ’10 Nude Mauve’.
They look pretty similar in the pan don’t they? The marbling effect in ‘Mood Exposure’ is more prominent than in Nude Mauve, and ‘Nude Mauve’ looks a tad more shimmery when you look at them both up close.
When they are swatched on the skin, they look like this.
Mood Exposure                                  Nude Mauve
Hourglass’s ‘Mood Exposure’ is a slightly more muted peach shade when swatched whereas Max Factor’s ‘Nude Mauve’ is true to it’s name and a little darker and more nude in colour.
Both blushes blend really well on the skin and can be worn as a light flush of colour or can be built up for a more noticeable application. They both have a very subtle sheen to them, with just a smattering of shimmer nothing too drastic or over powering at all. They both also have a light fragrance to them, different but it really won’t affect you when you are wearing either of them.
Rather than talking about them separately it just felt natural for me to talk about them together because they really are such similar products. Except of course when it comes to the price tag. The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes will set you back close to 40 quid where as the Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes are a much more budget friendly 11.50, there’s a big difference there.
Both of these blushes are the perfect neutral blush colour, for less makeup days or when you are having a day of focus on your eyes or your lips, both of them would tie your look together without trying to steal the show. It’s just down to which one you want to buy. As a makeup ‘collector’ yep that’s what I’m calling myself! I like having both of them at my disposal but in reality the Max Factor offering is cheaper, more readily available and does the exact same thing!
When the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit became available on Cult Beauty I forked out the 45 pound (not euro pound!) no questions asked. There was so much online hype surrounding it and if I’m honest I put myself on the waiting list in hopes of being one of the first in Ireland to get my hands on it.
I waited patiently and when it arrived, I did a little dance, no word of a lie. I opened it and thought…oh ok so this is what it looks like in the flesh…hmm. I wasn’t hugely impressed with the cardboard packaging. But then the Lorac Pro Palette comes in a similar black matte cardboard affair and I love it, so I won’t judge a book by it’s cover.
So the top layer of colours would be the highlight shades. Vanilla is matte and slightly pink in colour. On my skin you can’t see it at all (I am quite pale and have pink toned skin), it could just be a setting powder for me. Banana would be what the name suggests. A matte yellow toned powder, that would be used for highlighting or setting under the eyes. Sand it a pink toned highlighter shade with a sheen running through it.
Then on the bottom we have what would be the contour shades. Java is a coffee coloured brown shade again as the name would suggest. I think this would work best on darker skin tones for contouring and bronzing. Fawn is more of a grey toned brown, in my opinion better on lighter skin tones for contouring. And then finally we have Havana a chocolate brown shade. Would be best used as bronzer I think.
As you can see from the picture above, these powders are refillable so when you are finished a pan you can buy them individually and pop them back into the palette which is cool. Anastasia have actually brought out a huge version of this palette for makeup artists with loads of shades to choose from. It would be great if you could mix n’ match the perfect shades for you.
Here are the shades swatched for you:
Vanilla, Banana, Sand, Java, Fawn, Havana
As you can see Vanilla doesn’t come out on my light skin at all, apologies for you not being able to see it, it’s there I promise 🙂
So….what do I think of the palette? Honestly, I think it’s ok. I don’t know whether I am too light skinned for the colours, but most of them of them don’t suit me. They don’t seem to stay on my oily skin too well throughout the day either. They aren’t the most blendable powders I have ever come across either. They are pigmented though! Every day when I’m getting ready, my Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder makes it into my hands before I grab for this. I am in love with that product and a little of it goes such a long way, thank goodness because the product and packaging is teeny weeny 🙂
I’ll dip in and out of using the Anastasia Contour Kit and get use out of it but it definitely will not be on my list to repurchase. I love my eyebrow products that I have used from this brand (the Dipbrow and the Brow Wiz) and I would highly recommend them so I am not condemning the brand whatsoever. This palette as much as I wanted it doesn’t really float my boat.
It’s so brilliant that brands are bringing out these types of products. Contouring, when done right really is amazing. I think next on the list has to be Inglot’s version 🙂
So there you have it. Let me know if you have any thoughts on it or have used the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit yourself. As usual, these are just opinions, yours might be completely different and that’s perfectly fine!
Thanks for taking the time to read mine though 🙂
