Month: November 2015

Review: Lime Crime’s Venus 2 Palette

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Two weeks ago, Limecrime.com offered the original Venus palette (review here) for only $19. That’s just over £12…

Only two days later, it was clear why. “The bish is back.” If Venus 1 was a Margarita – always good, if ‘safe’ – Venus 2 is a fiery Meat Feast with extra jalapeños.

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The palette offers a twist on the original, it’s packaging a deeper, darker style that acknowledges many current trends – metallic, marble, russet hues and early 90s grunge. On the whole, I’m a fan of its compact size with magnetised lid and large mirror, just be careful to wrap it securely when transporting it (my Venus 1 is now in three separate pieces after an unfortunate collision with my bedroom floor).

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So, here are the shades:

– Pigeon: a deep brown with a prominent blue/green shift. Dupe: MAC’s ‘Club’/ ‘Blue-Brown’ Pigment. 

– Filter: luminous cornflower blue. Dupe: similar colours include ABH’s ‘Unicorn’ (not so luminous and slightly darker). 

– Marsh: mid-tone grey-green.

– Mustard: that guilty-pleasure shade, think 70s corduroy. Dupe: MAC’s ‘Uninterrupted’ (in-between mustard and a warm brown).

– Fly: ivory with iridescent green shift.

– Jam: gorgeous pumpkin, burnt orange. Dupe: Sugarpill’s ‘Flamepoint,’ Illamasqua’s ‘Apex.’ 

– Mud: deep burgundy-brown. Dupe: MAC’s ‘Sketch.’ 

– Boot: matte black with flecks of blue, green and purple glitter.

As with the original Venus palette, the shadows deliver pigmentation, opacity and staying power, even without using a primer. Only ‘Boot’ requires a little bit more work in order to achieve a consistent colour.

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For the equivalent of just £21 (before shipping), Venus 2 is the perfect way to mix up your makeup with punchy accents and duo-chrome shine for just over half the price of a conventional palette. Find it now at limecrime.com.

Molly x

 

 

*This is not a sponsored post – I was not asked to review this palette.

**I completely understand that Limecrime is a divisive company and I respect that many of you no longer support the brand. I want to make clear that my opinion is based on my own personal experience and I know that this won’t be shared by everyone. I hope that I do not invite criticism for continuing to use their products; for me, the brand offers some of the most unique and versatile makeup on the market, which is – in my experience – of high quality and a good price. Though I have received this palette as part of a care package, I have continued, and will continue, to purchase from the company’s website with my own money.

I am in the process of finding dupes for the shades in this palette for those of you who are interested in recreating any looks I post on my Instagram.

Again, thank you for your support and I hope you respect my position on this.

Review: Urban Decay’s 24/7 Eye Pencils Set, ‘Cosmic’

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Whether we like it or not, Christmas is already underway. Though I’ll be sick of hearing soppy Christmas music and queuing EVERYWHERE by mid-December, I won’t be sick of exclusive crimbo gift sets.

I am, unashamedly, a sucker – read: fool – for a ‘deal,’ so when I wandered past this cute set of Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencils, I had to have them. After all, an individual liner is £14, while this set of five ‘travel size’ pencils (just over half the size of the standard liner) was only £25. Bargain!

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The brand has released two of these limited edition sets; I chose ‘Cosmic,’ the neutral collection, featuring coppers and browns, but those who like a pop of colour might prefer the ‘Delirious’ set with a jewel-toned purple, green and blue.

The ‘Cosmic’ collection includes:

– Cosmic: a metallic silver-white (new shade)

– Trick: a metallic copper (new shade)

– Supply: a metallic warm brown (new shade)

– Stag: a deep brown satin (‘fan favourite’)

– Zero: a true matte black (bestseller)

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The colour variation is brilliant for such a small set; there are shades appropriate for day and night in a great selection of finishes. I absolutely love UD’s metallic eyeshadows for their punchy colour and shine, and these pencils are no different. For UD, metallic really means metallic. Whereas some products deliver on sparkle, but compromise on colour, UD’s pencils offer both in abundance.

I perhaps would have preferred another metallic rather than ‘Stag,’ as I feel it’s there to bulk out the set rather than having much of a purpose. It looks a little flat when compared to the others. Maybe a bright gold, or even a ruby, would have worked better?

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Like all of the 24/7 liners, the set boasts a creamy, waterproof formula. I usually have a bit of an issue with brands using ‘waterproof’ because, often enough, this doesn’t extend to the waterline. But I can safely say that these guys stick around… and I really mean it, once they’re applied, they’re not going anywhere. They can therefore be used anywhere on the eye (or face – the world’s your oyster) just by themselves or as a base for shadows and glitter.

Overall, this is a gorgeous, versatile set and an absolute steal at just £25. With its funky presentation box, it’s an ideal present, but makes an even better gift for yourself 😉

Molly x