Too Faced Eyeshadow Duo: Rich Bitch

My most bought and used make up item is eyeshadow, there's absolutely no doubt about it. So, when I happened upon this little beauty by sheer coincidence one snowy afternoon as I was listlessly wandering around TK Maxx, I'll admit I got a little excited. I think it was the gorgeous packaging that caught my eye first; a pink, black and yellow retro affair. It was then that I saw the words 'Too Faced' staring up at me and something twigged in the back of my mind that I'd seen other beauty bloggers mention this brand, so I took a closer look. There were only four or five there and I began perusing the shades before settling on 'Rich Bitch'. 

Rich Bitch is a beautiful shimmery 'gold and teal' combo, although I'm not so sure I'd call these colours gold and teal, maybe more soft lemon and steel blue. I love the initial contrast between the warm and cool shades but once you swatch, you realise just how prominent the gold undertone to the blue is which is lovely. It didn't take a lot for that colour pay off - pigmentation ahoy! - but I'd say you need a good brush to apply it to the lids if you want it to be that intense; they melt together beautifully when blending and once on, they stayed all day without primer. I did find my MUA primer made it crease awfully. They are buttery smooth and I just can't remember the last time I felt an eyeshadow like it. Using a formula like this really does make you realise what you're missing out on/gotten used to with MUA shadows, and I'm a fan!

TK Maxx have the RRP of this product down as £17 and I've seen it selling online recently at around £14, but I swiped it for £3.99! Money saving me was very happy.

Would I repurchase? A thousand times yes. I'm on the look-out for more shades. 

Have you tried any Too Faced products or found yourself some cracking savings in TK Maxx? I'd love to know!

(Apologies for the creased sheets in these photos, that's a little embarrassing).

Thou Shalt Not Steal

... but will buy bargainous cosmetics and skincare for a metaphorical steal instead. 

Beauty Steals is a great new website offering high street cosmetics, skincare and fragrances at discounted prices. They stock well known brands like O.P.I, MAC, Benefit, Urban Decay, Revlon, Maxfactor, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Bourjois, NYC... and the list just goes on. I've never bought MAC, Urban Decay or Benefit simply because I've gotten so used to 'drug-store' brands and prices that paying anything over those is painful. With this website though, I know I'll be back and keeping tabs on the more expensive products. 

Not only can you treat yourself to something a little more expensive for less, but you can also find discontinued items at a great price too. It's inevitable that at some point we will have fallen in love with a particular product, only to be told it's been discontinued causing us to cry all the way home on the bus. Enter Beauty Steals! They are often getting new stock in so it's always worth having a peep at who they get in.

Want a final cherry on the cake? Their P&P is free! You read right, there's no minimum spend to ensure eligibility, meaning your bargains remain bargains. It's crazy how much a £3.95 postage fee can ruin a great find.

A few bits!

Revlon Colorstay Quad Shadow in 'Lavender Meadow' - £3.59*

When I initially saw this palette, I thought 'gosh, I'll never wear those colours'. I think I've gotten so used to neutrals that purples were a big shock. Truth be told, the more I looked at the palette, the more I liked the colours and I could see they would blend perfectly. When it got to the swatches I fell head over heels for the colours, they really come into their own out of the palette and onto the skin. The shades are supposed to look freshly applied for 12 hours but I'd be inclined to wear a primer anyway. These will be perfect for Springtime looks alongside florals and denim! 

Girls Aloud Party Lashes - £5.99*

I've not tried these yet because I have massively shaky hands and I didn't want to ruin them! The application of my Katy Perry Eyelure lashes didn't go well as they got contorted and twisted in ways I didn't know possible. I look forward to giving them a go when I have a reason to wear them, hopefully at a family wedding this summer. With a mixture of short and long lashes I hold hope that they will blend in well with my existing lashes and will look natural compared to the others in the range. These are my favourites of the Party Lashes by far, the rose gold studs are bang on trend.  

Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry in Intense and Minx - £3.49* each

I love the brushes that these polishes come with, they lay flat against the nail and spread well. You need to apply a couple of coats to be sure of great coverage, particularly with 'Intense', but in the end they pay off with a super glossy finish. They dry insanely quick which is great for me as I'm always catching my nails after I've painted them. I love the glittery flecks both shades have, but particularly 'Intense', as the blue flecks amongst the dark lacquer really set it off - this is my new favourite dark shade. 

Laval Celebrity Lash Comb Mascara - £5.26*

I've never heard of the brand 'Laval' but kept an open mind. Unfortunately, it lives up to expectation of a cheap discount store brand which I was so gutted about. Taking the wand for the first time you could feel the product compacted inside the tube, in my clumsiness I actually caught the brush on the end of my nose but nothing transferred - there was nothing on the brush! After a few 'pumps' retrieving the product, the brush turned out to be useless at separating the lashes and the product went on practically dry meaning eyelashes clumped instantly. The product was so dry and hard to apply that it didn't reach the lash line and, when removing, it fell off in black flecks all over my face. It also smelt uncannily like PVA glue. The only thing it did well was lengthen my lashes slightly. I wouldn't pay £5.26 for this.

Olay Gentle Cleansers Conditioning Milk - £4.99*

As you may have seen from an earlier post, I'm a complete skincare novice and I'm slowly building up my knowledge. I couldn't place what a 'conditioning milk' was supposed to do, but I've treated it no different to any other cleanser, massaging into the skin and then rinsing. With cucumber and aloe extracts it smells great - but not too strong - and makes your skin feel super refreshed. I think this will be great for everyday use, conditioning your face and getting rid of muck, but I'm not sure how effective it will be removing heavy eye make up. I've not used it for a long amount of time so only time will tell if it breaks me out or if I have a reaction to it (which I might because my skin is SO awkward). It's designed for normal/dry/combination skin, so here's hoping.

Have you bought anything from Beauty Steals? Or are you heading over there now? I'd love to know your bargains!

Psst. They currently have Urban Decay Loose Pigment Eyeshadows for £4.20