Review: Gosh Smokey Eye Palette in Plum

You know there are some brands that you just never get around to trying for some reason or another and then one day, you try one of their products and wonder why it took you so long?!  Well Gosh is one of those brands!

A little while ago, I won a giveaway from the lovely Joanne at Beautylicious Love of my choice of Gosh Smokey Eye Palette.  Gosh have released three palettes: black, brown and plum so there should be a palette to suit everyone.  As I already have a wide assortment of neutrals and greys in my stash, I decided to plump for the plum and I’m very glad I did!

The palette contains four individual generously proportioned shadows, encased in a square palette.  The packing is very clean and minimalistic, nothing fancy but it does the job and with the transparent lid, you can easily see what shades it contains.  The only slight issue I have is that the metallic closure seems a little flimsy but it hasn’t yet burst open in my make up bag and I’ve been toting it around with me for over a week. There is also no applicator included, which to be honest, I am quite glad about as I usually just fling these to one side instantly as they are hopeless for applying shadow and they only take up space in palettes.  Why brands like Chanel persist with them I have no idea as it just cheapens the product, but that rant is for another day!

 

With Flash



Included with the palette is a plastic insert which gives handy hints for where to place all of the shadows.  Perhaps not overly necessary but it’s a nice touch.  The four shades included are:

• A pale, cool toned lilac which doubles as a highlight shade
• A light, murky purple shade with sparkle which has an iridescent look about it.  It reminds me of a lighter Mac Club.
• A darker dirty taupe / purple which is fabulous for smoking out at the outer corners
• An darker purple with sparkle which is great to use for lining.



Natural Light



Out of the four shades, the stand out for me is the second one as it seems to shimmer and sparkle in the light and looks different depending on how you view it.  All shades contain an element of sparkle, with the dark purple liner shade containing the most sparkle and the highlight being the most subtle.  One good thing to note about the element of sparkle is that it doesn’t migrate and once applied, it generally tends to stick.    

 



Natural light L to R: Liner, highlight, second shade, third shade



I’ve been wearing this palette in a number of ways.  On some days, I just apply the second shade all over the lid with a  little smudgy grey kohl and on others, I go the whole hog and apply all of the shades in the way indicated on the insert!  The shadows last around 5 hours on me without primer and about 7 hours with primer which I find to be pretty good going on my oily lids.  The shadows blend well and didn’t seem at all chalky, indeed they were fairly highly pigmented.  One note of caution I would say is that you don’t use the purple liner shade too close to your waterline as the sparkle did tend to irritate my eyes a little but that is always the case with my sensitive eyes. 

 

Direct Sunlight L to R: Liner, highlight, second shade, third shade

Verdict

I really enjoy discovering new brands and it is even better when they are so affordable.  Whilst not really breaking new ground with these shades, this palette is very good quality and the shades are very easy to wear and can be built up in intensity where required.  You will not get a dark sultry super smokey look from this Gosh palette but you will get an eminently wearable, pretty soft focus look.  This is definitely worth a look!

4/5

 

Price - £7.99
Where to Buy - Superdrug

Review - Pixi Glow Disney Tinkerbell Fairy Face Palette

I recently won a giveaway from the lovely Kat at Click and Make-Up and Angel Armogida  - see her Youtube channel here.

The Pixi Glow Disney Tinkerbell Fairy Face Palette is a complete palette comprising of 5 baked eye shadows, 5 lip creams, a highlighter / blush and a double ended eyeshadow brush, lip brush and blusher brush.  In short, it is everything you need for a neutral, shimmering, pretty look.

I have to warn you that this post will be very picture heavy, but I wanted you to see full swatches of each of the products in the palette.

The first thing I have to point out is that it is very difficult to open and I've already broken one nail and made a slight dent in the blusher when trying to open the palette!  I suppose it is good in that it is very secure and will not ping open in your bag, but it can be a little annoying when you are trying to apply your makeup in a  rush first thing in the morning!

Firstly I will show you the blush which is on the bottom layer of the palette. It is made up of three shades; a light shimmering pink; a shimmering mauve; and a smaller section with a shimmering plum.  

From L to R: Swirled together, top shade, bottom shade, middle shade

 Each of the shades could be used individually but I have been swirling them together for a subtle shimmering look which gives a gorgeous glow.  I feel this would show better on fair skins as it is quite subtle and I can imagine it may make large pores  more noticeable.  The brush included works well, especially as I am often sceptical of brushes that come bundled with palettes, but it is very similar to Benefit's boxed blusher brushes.

The five baked eye shadows are again all very shimmery.  They are a light,pale, champagne, perfect for highlighting the inner corner; a light, iridescent peach; a shimmering light pink; a darker bronzed brown; and a shimmering chocolate.  

I found all of the shades to have substantial fallout if used without a primer, however with a  primer, lasting time was much better and they seemed to adhere well to the lid. I had about 5-6 hours wear before any creasing was apparent.  Pigmentation was even and consistent throughout all the shadows and there wasn't one which I thought didn't perform well.  The chocolate l shade had the least shimmer of the five, but if you are shimmer adverse, these are probably not the colours for you!  The brush that accompanies the set is a sponge applicator which I chose not to use, favouring my Mac 239 for packing the colour on and blending with a fluffy brush.

Finally, the lip creams which are, in my opinion the most under-performing products in the palette.  Included is a light cool-toned pink; a rosy pink; a pale nude; a rose / brown; and a darker, reddish brown.

Pigmentation of the five shades varied, with the nude in particular being almost invisible on my pigmented lips.  I was also not overly fond of the feel of the lip creams as they applied unevenly and felt a little dry on my lips, clinging to any dry patches.  I did try applying a lip balm first but they still had an uneven application, and I found it very difficult to achieve an even colour.  

Verdict

For a pretty, subtle shimmering look, the Pixi Disney Tinkerbell Face Palette contains all the necessary components to transform you into a grown-up fairy princess!  The standout items for me were the eye shadows, with the blush / illuminator also being very useful.  I was disappointed with the lip creams as I felt their consistency left a lot to be desired and they applied unevenly and highlighted any dry areas of the lips.  However, if you are after a super cute palette, and love shimmers, this is a great purchase and the shades are all neutrals that are easily incorporated into pretty, daytime-appropriate looks. 

3.5/5 (would have been 4 but the consistency of the lip products brought it down).

Price - £32

Where to Buy - Pixi Beauty

Review: Chanel Smoky Eye Palette (Les 4 Ombres, 83)

One of my first introductions to high-end makeup was to Chanel, over ten years ago when I first travelled to Paris with my mum.  It was the first time I had ever seen a Sephora and I remember being completely overawed by the giant store on the Champs Elysees and its vast array of products from almost every brand I could imagine.  It was a revelation to be able to be able to look at luxury brands such as Chanel and Givenchy, which were all just laid out on shelves rather than the more traditional counters in department stores I had seen previously.

My mum and I enjoyed a happy spree for a couple of hours in the store, oohing and ahhing over all the pretty products, and I recall that one of the purchases I made was a Chanel eye palette in various shades of grey and silver.  This palette has stayed with me throughout the past ten years and I am now on to my third repurchase!  It is by no means the best smoky eye palette ever - I know there are many who detest the European Chanel palette formulas, as they tend to be baked shadows and less pigmented than their North American counterparts - but it has worked for me over the years and has become almost like an old friend!
Lets take a closer look.

The palette contains four shades: A shimmery pale white highlight, a soft, pale grey / silver with shimmer, a darker, deeper shimmering grey and a matte black.

As you can see from the swatches below, they do not look terribly pigmented.  However this is with one swatch with my finger and the most attractive property of these shadows for me is that they are so easy to build up and intensify, so it is easy to go from a  sheer wash of colour to a bolder, full on smoky eye.  The shimmer in these shades is carried out in the elegant way that Chanel is so adept at.  It is a very grown up shimmer, which catches the light perfectly and doesn't make you look like you are ready to go out all night partying when you are just heading to the office!  

The shadows blend easily and last for a full eight hours for me without creasing.  When used with a primer, I would expect an additional couple of hours wear. When they wear off, they do fade slightly but the glitter also fades with them, meaning that you are not left with only glitter and no colour, sparkling on your lids.

I wear this palette in a multitude of ways.  The lightest shade is often used on the browbone as a highlight or occasionally as a base colour for the lid.  The lighter grey is sometimes used as a wash of colour for days when I just fancy something neutral and easy or if I am in a rush, and the darker grey is often used in the crease to add definition or in the outer V, when paired with the lighter grey shade.  The matte black is an excellent liner shade and stays put for hours.

Verdict
I love this palette, although I accept that for some it may have its flaws.  If you prefer super-pigmented products, this is not the palette for you, but if you enjoy easy to use, blendable shadows with a hint of sparkle, or are just a fan of Chanel's eye palettes in general, this is a must have staple buy.  I'm really hoping they don't discontinue this palette as I'd be lost without it! 
4.5/5

Price - £37 , pricey but this is to be expected with Chanel. I actually made my latest repurchase from Buyapowa for almost £10 less!
Where to Buy - Boots, House of Fraser, Debenhams