Rosie for Autograph Cream Eyeshadow Stick

Almond Eyes, Sparkle & Magic, Feline Fox

I called these in (rare for me) when I did my piece on eye shadow sticks because I'd heard great thnigs about them was really impressed. I'm not in to celebrity make-up or skincare ranges. Geekily I'm much more impressed by people in the make-up/skincare business and what products they come up with - I'm not sure I'd watch them sing in a music video.

They are actually the first products I've used from the Rosie for Autograph range purely because the stand in my local Marks and Spencer (Hammersmith I'm looking at you) is badly stocked and dirty and generally yeugh. The packaging is beautiful, vintage looking and not dissimilar to Charlotte Tilbury's but I feel like you really pay for the Charlotte Tilbury packaging whereas the Rosie for Autograph products are more affordable (dare I say it reasonable).

Eye Shadow Pencils Spend or Save

I love an eye shadow pencil. They make application so easy, they travel well and are often a great base for eye shadows if you need to give them a bit of oomph or longevity. You can use them as an eyes shadow or straight liner, or as a blended liner or base. They make for a great, quick and easy smokey eye too. But they not only vary wildly in quality but also in price. So I've gathered together all the ones that I've either been using for a while myself or have been recommended and have been testing them out to see how they compare. Do you really get what you pay for? Are they actually all the same?

There are so many things to take into consideration so I've tried to test take the same things into consideration for each pencil. Longevity, price, packaging, whether they are sharpen or twist up. In my opinion there is less to go wrong with a pencil that you sharpen - the product doesn't dry out and you don't get a fault with the mechanism. It is a bit of a ballache to have to sharpen. I feel I should just mention the difference in shimmery and sparkley here. For me 'shimmery' means a not matte but not noticable glittery finish, 'sparkley' means there are noticable bits of glitter of whatever size. I've included some swatches below so hopefully you'll be able to see what I mean. I've used these a lot but when testing and re-testing for this post I've worn for a couple of days on their own to see how they looked and lasted and a couple of days more as a base with a shadow over the top.

Holiday Makeup

This is a bit of a long one but having done a blog post on how to pack your wash bag (link below) I thought it might be useful to see what I took on holiday with me make-up wise. I know this is a lot more than some of you but for me this is travelling light!

I spend most of a pool holiday with no make-up on but when we go out I put a little on. I take a few things that I am trying out and the everything else either has to be running out, easy to replace or a mult-tasker.

As always if you haven't already then please subscribe to my channel.

All products are listed below - I've put an * next to ones mentioned or shown that aren't actually used in this video. If you see a product that you like you can always check out the directory on the blog (link below) to see a full review. If there isn't one and you'd like to see it then send me a message!

Blog product directory
How to Pack your Wash Bag

Em-J Brush roll (personal which I don't think she makes anymore)
The Makeup Armoury Canvas Pouch
Rosie for Autograph Cream Eye Shadow Stick (Sparkle & Magic shown)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (in Iced Mocha and Yoghurt)*
NYX HD Eye Shadow Base*
Accessorize Palette from years ago
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit
L'Oreal Superliner Perfect Slim
MAC Smoulder Eye Kohl*
Lancome Artliner*
Urban Decay Perversion mascara
Dr Jart Premium BB Cream*
Clarins Wrinkle Control SPF50*
Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
Bobbi Brown Corrector in light bisque
Laura Mercier Caviar Eyeliner in Midnight*
Maybelline Better Skin Concealer
Kiko Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush in 02 Golden Peach
Daniel Sandler Waterbrush
NYX Wonder stick
Louise Young Blusher (in Mae and Dolly)
Cover FX Illuminating Setting Powder
Dior Rouge Baume in Lili
Louise Young Lip trio in Enigma*
MUD Lipstick in Lucky*
MAC lip pencil in Whirl
Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Lip Pencil in 714
Ilia Tinted Lip Balm in Nobody's Baby

Brushes:
Real Techniques Blush Brush
Daniel Sandler Waterbrush
Eco Tools Define*
Real Techniques Contour Brush
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
Louise Young LY16
Crown Brush BK38 Round Crease
Eco Microblending
Louise Young LY19
Laura Mercier Smokey Liner *
Eco Tools Angled Crease
Real Techniques Brow
Real Techniques Base shadow
Real Techniques shading brush
Eco Tools Spoolie
Louise Young LY16*
Bobbi Brown Lip Brush
Real Techniques Buffing Brush

May 2017 News

The news is a bit thin this month. Not because there aren't a ton of new releases and things but because I was away in the South of France for two weeks with no wifi which was a strange mix of bliss and frustration. Bliss because it's so nice to not be tied to the phone and frustration because I had not planned sufficiently for two weeks with no wifi and therefore had to keep dashing to wifi cafes.

One other unplanned development was the arrival of two, previously unseen, massive crevice-like lines on my top lip that need attention. Who was I to think that nearly two decades of smoking would leave me unsullied? So I'm on the look at for a good cream to help sort it out - thinking of trying the Merumaya Lipline Restoration Treatment, another recommendation from the lovely Tahira Herold. Anyone tried it, or have any other recommendations? 

New Releases 

• Bobbi Brown Eye Glosses - glossy lids have long been a trick up every make-up artists sleeve but not so easy to recreate at home but now you can with these new eye glosses. Three colours available.
• MAC Fruity Juicy collection - its nearly sold out everywhere I thnk but the Fruit A La La eye shadow palette and pearl matte face powder look particularly appealing.
• NARS Sun Wash Diffusing bronzer - for those of us who don't want a whole face full of shimmer this is a gorgeous technically-matte bronzer with 'soft blurring technology'. It's a flattering bronzer in good shades basically - if like me you struggle with bronzer then try this baby out.
• Sunday Riley CEO Protect & Repair Moisturiser - I find Sunday Riley's products a bit hit or miss but have heard great things about this and as you know I'm a sucker for anything with Vitamin C in it. If you have the budget and want something brightening and soothing that will help protect against UV rays and pollution then this is the one to go for.
• The Ordinary Serum Foundation - this is not a new, new release but fairly recent and every time I've seen it on someone it looks fantastic, the colour range is great and the price, as always very impressive. This brand can do no wrong at the moment and I can't wait to try this out.