Reviewbyjen | Stila "In the Light" Palette

So... I've been naughty again.

This has been the toy I've been playing with for the past couple of days, so I thought I'd share some thoughts on how I've been finding it.  I had been wanting to buy this for a while, I've seen it a number of times popping up on some blogs and videos with rave reviews, but I couldn't get my hands on it without ordering it online. So what does my local Boots do? They get a Stila counter, with this lovely palette right at eye level... So of course I had to have it!

The Stila "In the Light" eyeshadow palette consists of ten gorgeous eye shadows, four of them being matte and six shimmery shades. It also includes a full-size smudge stick waterproof eye liner in Damsel and a "how to" styled mini booklet. 

The booklet contains a range of different styles that you can create with this palette and the eye liner alone, ranging from light day time to dramatic evening looks. It looks like the sky's the limit with this baby!

The eye shadows are so opaque I just can't get over it. When I was trying them out I literally just touched one of the pans lightly the colour picks up and transfers so evenly to the skin. I have found them incredibly easy to work with and blend. The drop down isn't too bad, a few bits with the super shimmery ones, but so little it's hardly noticeable. 

This is the perfect neutral palette and it's so easy to create loads of different looks, be it subtle or dramatic. This retails for £25... Which is a lot. But if you think about it (here comes me attempting to justify it..) the eye liner on its own retails for £18 so that technically makes the eye shadows a total of  £7, and that means that each eyeshadow on its own is... well, it's less than £1 each! So... I think that's a pretty good deal if you ask me, and I'll definitely get my use out of all the colours. My current favourites are Kitten and Champagne, they're so great for both a daytime and evening look.  From other reviews I've heard that this palette last ages so this will hopefully be a good investment into the future of eye makeup.

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Be sure to let me know your thoughts on this if you've tried it or your impressions even if you haven't. Hope you like the review and feel free to request anything you'd like to see in the future of Beautebyjen. Thanks for reading!

Much love, Jen Xxxxx

October Favourites

I know, I know... It's been a while... I'm sorry and all that but I just have run out of inspiration as of late. I'm not quite ready for more videos just yet so I figured I'd get back in the zone with a monthly favourite post... A little bit late but better late than never, right? I'll just dive right in...

My first fave this month is Wedge by MAC. I'm just going to describe it by copying what it says about it on the website: a soft muted beige taupe (because I just suck ass at identifying colours properly... Maybe not a good thing considering I'm an art student). It's a really great warm brown, especially compared to Omega which is on the right of Wedge in the left image. 

I only really use this eyeshadow for one purpose and that's to give a little depth and warmth into my crease. I might do an updated everyday makeup routine including this if it would be helpful. My experience of MAC eyeshadows so far is that they are... okay. Perhaps better than your typical drugstore eyeshadow as you can create your own palettes with them. They are quite pigmented but maybe not so much as I had hoped. I'm pretty sure I won't be purchasing any more soon, maybe a quad as I approach my wedding but I'm interested in trying to build my own Inglot palette, seeing as they are about half the price with a hell of a lot more product for it too. 

So as much as this is a favourite this month I will not be indulging and buying any more. But at least I'm using this every day and will get my (eeek) £10's worth out of it. 

The next product I have had for a while and I kind of fell out of love with it over the summer months but now we're into Autumn and approaching Winter fast (in Scotland anyway) I'm definitely back to embracing my nudes again with Rimmel Moisture Renew in Nude Delight. I think it's a bit more brown toned than it appears in the photo and definitely isn't a pinky nude but more of a browny-peachy nude. 

This is great on nights out with a dramatic eye and is also a great everyday lippy as it's super moisturising and is easy to reapply because of both the colour and the finish.  These are currently £6.49 but I'm pretty sure it was cheaper when I bought it. These lipsticks are definitely worth taking a look at and wont break the bank, and this colour in particular I feel is definitely a must have in my makeup collection and will definitely repurchase. 

My next favourite has been Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream. I bought this towards the end of Summer because I had a bit of a tan and needed something that matched my skin, so I bought this is the shade Medium and it's worked a charm. It's a very light coverage and really does make your skin feel quite fresh. The lasting power of it is adequate but isn't amazing, but with setting powder it bodes well. I think this would be suitable for all skin types as it said to be oil free but may not last as long on the skin with oilier skin types. There's not much in the bottle but I've found you don't need much at all and has lasted me well. I would definitely recommend you give this a go especially since its at drugstore prices.

Another fave last month was one of the typical blogger hyped up products and that is, of course, Essie's "Fiji" and I'm definitely as in love with it as everyone else. It's a gorgeous pastel pink, but unlike most is very opaque. I think this is perfect for every season, and makes your hands look beautiful. 

Before, Essie was quite hard to get your hands on but now have many of their colours out in Boots and, more recently, Superdrug. You can get your hands on Fiji for £7.99, which is a bit expensive, but I would repurchase this again and again for the high pigment and the fact that it last quite well on the nails, even in comparison with more expensive brands polishes. Rave rave rave...

Now, for makeup brushes this month I have gone back to one of my old bargains, and that is my £3.75 ELF Powder Brush.  I've been using this for my foundation and I find that it's just as good as my Real Techniques Buffing Brush! So when my trusty buffing brush is dirty and I can't be arsed cleaning it I turn to this bad boy. Now £3.75 is not going to set you back much at all and it's worth every penny.

The only drawbacks with this brush is that because it's not synthetic it can take a bit longer to dry than my Real Techniques ones.  It does have a tendency to collect a lot of your foundation that then ends up down the plug hole, which can be pretty peeving if you've been using a rather expensive foundation. 

All in all I think the pro's weigh out the con's and for the price you can't really expect a life changing brush. But in the way it applies your foundation I think it is very comparable to other brushes I've tried. 

For a daily moisturiser I have been constantly using Sanctuary's Protective 24-Hour Moisture Lotion SPF 15 and have fallen head over heals for it.  My mum gave me a box of samples from Sanctuary (she knows my love for miniatures) and haven't gone a day without this since. When I was trying to find the full size for this it's by a different name and different packaging but I have tried it (the one linked) and it is exactly the same.

The formula is really light and sinks in after a few minutes, but what really made me fall in love with this was the brightening formula. As soon as you put this on your skin you look instantly glowing and awake. It reminds me of a Loreal brightening primer I have (but not quite THAT obvious). I feel like I can get away with little or no makeup if I apply this.

The full size is around £12-13, which yes is a bit pricey, but I cannot recommend this enough! It is SO worth every penny! If you can't quite bring yourself to buy a full size there are miniatures usually right next to the fulls (in Boots, anyway) which are about £2.99. 

Another skincare bitty that I've been loving recently is Origins Drink-up Intensive Overnight Mask and I cannot get over how much I love this! Everything from the smell to the texture to the idea of it! I usually apply this about an hour or so before I go to bed (to avoid sticking to my pillow case) so it can sink in a bit. Mike always tells me that my face smells so good when I use it, it's a really fruity fresh scent but also isn't too overpowering. 

Its a hefty price at £20 but will last you ages and ages because you obviously don't use it every night. I use it about as often as I remember to and when I have especially dry skin. I have heard that this is also suitable for oily skin types as the reason for it is usually your skin being under hydrated and reacting by overproducing oils. I really recommend you have a look at this, or at least smell it! I haven't heard of anyone who hasn't liked this yet.

Now, this is definitely a love or hate product... And I LOVE it! This is NIP & FAB Pistachio Sundae body butter. This is definitely the sweetest thing I have ever smelt, EVER, and that's even compared to Soap & Glory's products. I cannot describe how good this smells so I can only say GO SMELL IT! I first bought the miniature of this just to see if I could really last through it, because I for one can get sick of smells really easily, and I finished that so quickly I had to buy the full size! 

I know there's also a mango and a chocolate, and perhaps a few new ones which I'd quite like to try also. You get a lot of product and the full size is lasting me really well. As well as smelling nice it does also combat and help your dry skin, which I need now that we're in November and my skin is drying. So I can recommend the product for doing what it says on the tin but I would say definitely try out the miniatures before purchasing a full just in case you end up hating it!

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So that's all for my October Favourites, I cannot believe it is November already! I mean it's almost Christmas, and then 2013! (That's if we don't all die in the end of the world at the end of 2012... Touch wood). 

Tell me your thoughts on some of my faves if you've tried any or if you want to try any! These are just my personal opinions so feel free to contradict me ;)

But I will leave you with my favourite song as of right now

Much love, Jen Xxxx

Haul | MAC, ELF and storage

Hello there! :)

This post has been a long time coming... I took these photos ages ago and just never got around to posting them! But at least now I have really used the products and can give (hopefully) a pretty insightful review. I'll try not to waffle and make it too boring for you!

Eau La la

ELF Nail Polish - Mint Cream

ELF Nail Polish - Fair Pink

ELF Nail Polish - White

ELF Nail Polish - Golden Goddess 

I purchased four gorgeous nail polishes from ELF and I can say I'm reasonably happy with them. You really need to build up the colour with them, probably three coats at least for a streak free nail but you can often get worse with more high end makeup brands anyway so as long as you don't mind the waiting, drying and reapplying these are just fine. 

I bought the White shade thinking it would be a good cheap french manicure polish, but it's really not thick enough for it. I think with this I'll mix it with my other colours to create real pastelly shades (although I haven't figured out how to do this yet, I'll keep you posted!).  

Mint Cream and Fair Pink are a lot paler than they appear in the photographs (sorry about that) and I was quite happy with them. Although Fair Pink appeared a lot paler on the website than it ended up, but it's still a very nice Spring colour. 

Golden Goddess is a really great glitter polish. With fine and chunky, rich, gold glitter throughout it is really a great way to glam up your nails. The only thing was this was I found it took a bit longer than average to dry, but I am rather impatient when it comes to painting my nails!

These retail for only £1.50 and are worth your money. They do lack a bit in quality but you can build them up with a little patience. I would also recommend the colours (but not the White) and the two pastel colours are great for this Spring!

ELF - High Definition Powder

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this product. First off, I don't usually powder my skin after applying my makeup as I prefer a dewey look but I found that this lead to my makeup not lasting a full day. So I opted for this as it defines itself as "invisible" so I thought I'd give it a whirl. 

This was £6, which I thought was pricey, but that's only compared to the rest of ELF's prices. So I figured this must be better quality stuff. 

What I loved: I found that this really did give my skin a "soft focus" as it said it would and didn't mattify my skin too much. It went on over my makeup really easily and didn't disturb it at all. I didn't use the puff that it came with but I thought it was a nice little extra.

What I hated: It's so damn MESSY! I mean, I found this stuff going everywhere whenever I needed to get a little more out. There is no whaaay jose I could travel with this as the outcome would be horrific. And this is a big no no since I travel back and forth to both my parents and Mikes parents house and to our flat. 

So if you are willing to put up with the mess I would give this a whirl if you're after an invisable powder without splashing out too much. But I now only tend to use this when I really need it on nights out or on long days at Uni.

ELF Studio Brushes - Complexion, Stipple and Powder Brush

I also thought I would try out some of the brushes in the Studio Collection and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of them.  These were only £3.50 which is a bargian compared to some other brushes on the market. Here's why they are worth your money:

I used the Complexion Brush (and yes, it's spelt wrong in the picture, but arsed changing it haha) for the High Definition Powder. I think the brush made me like the powder more than I probably would have done without it. It's so soft and evenly puts on a thin layer of what you want. Now that I'm not using the powder as much I may try it out with a bronzer or blush! I'll let you know!

I used the Stipple Brush with my bronzer, first of the Chanel Bronze Universal. I found that this was great if you only wanted a small amount of the product on your face which is great with the Bronze Universal if you have pale skin and don't want to look too orange. When I tanned up a bit I used a more dense brush for that so I used the Stipple Brush for powder bronzers. I found this worked amazingly well, especially with glittery products as it made it come off less dense on your face. This brush would also be great for blushers :)

I began using the Powder Brush for liquid foundation as I thought it kind of looked like a flat top buffing brush. This worked well but as it is quite cheap quality product built up in the brush really quickly and I always found myself washing away half of my foundations down the sink. I have since moved on to the Real Techniques Buffing Brush for liquid foundation but I always use this as a back up when I've washed it and I need something in the meantime. 

I think these brushes are great if you just need a few extra brushes for your products and you don't want to splash out £20 on one. These brushes are slightly lacking in quality but are still just as good as other £5-£10 brushes I've used so to me £3.50 is a steal! I think I'll purchase more, but more eye brushes as I don't feel I need amazing quality in them. 

MAC - Face and Body Foundation

I also ordered the MAC Face and Body Foundation as I wanted a lighter coverage foundation which wasn't a tinted moisturiser. This is a water-based foundation and also claims to be water resistant, but I haven't really put that up to the test yet. You have to shake it up before use and it is a very runny consistency. 

It's very easily blendable but I found that it can wear off in around 4-5 hours if you're not careful. This foundation is a light to medium coverage but is buildable. I like to put on a thick amount of Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection concealer on blemishes and imperfections underneath as this will just blend over that and that will leave a flawless look as this doesn't provide full coverage. 

This foundation is £25.50 on the MAC website but I think this is pretty reasonable as you get 120 ML and it is a really good quality foundation. If I ever run out (it's lasting me FOREVER, haha) I'll definitely repurchase :)

Yay for pretty things!

I thought I would include this as I thought this might be of interest. I was in TK Maxx and I went upstairs to look at Mens Wear for Mike and I didn't realise they also had Homewares!! (Well in the Store in Aberdeen anyway) and I found so many beautiful boxes and storage items which I thought would be perfecto for makeup storage! 

So I bought two Paris/floral boxes which fit into each other. The smaller one was £5.99, I think, and is perfect for lipsticks and lipglosses! The larger one was around £7.99 and I'm finding it pretty handy for loose blushes and eyeshadow quads :) And they stack nicely on my desk.

I also bought the grey/brown and white storage box which isn't dissimilar to a chest. It has a little clasp at the front and a handle on top. This was around £12.99 and I keep all of my general everyday makeup in here along with brushes in little plastic holders. I love this as it goes so well with my room and doesn't take up too much space but is also tall enough to keep my brushes in :)

So if you're in the market for some new storage items for either makeup or jewelry take a look in the Home section at TK Maxx :) 

I hope this haul was helpful and informative, let me know if you have any of the products and let me know how you're getting on with them. You may find your opinion different to mine on these products but I have been 100% honest and tried to give as much information as possible.

Don't forget to follow for more posts to come soon!

Much Love, Jen Xxxx

Small Boots Haul / Mini Reviews

Why must boots live so near by?

So, I've been in boots again. It's not my fault they kept giving me No7 vouchers! Anyway, I bought a No7 fake tan, a few lipsticks and an eyeshadow. I have used all of these products now and can give a mini review on each item. These are my opinions and you may find these products different to your taste, but here we go.

This is No7's Sunless Tanning Quick Dry Tinted Lotion and this was the fake tan that I used to go for when I was needing a quick, easy and wearable tan but since then have moved on to the mighty Xen Tan. But with Xen tan always a delivery fee away I decided to go back to this when I had a £5 off No7 voucher. I have been building up a good (but a little bit orangey) tan over the past couple of days with this because I am really quite pale even with a couple of layers. I can say I am very happy with my skin right now, a fake tan always gives me some much needed confidence, especially now the sun has come out (YEAHBABY!). 

Usually with a fake tan I find I have to religiously moisturise every night as my skin tends to really dry out, but with just applying a layer of this every morning seems to keep my skin hydrated as it is in a lotion formula.  The lotion is tinted so is super easy to apply, I really cannot do with untinted fake tans as I just make a mess out of it. I always apply with a tanning mitt, I seriously have no idea how people can do it with their hands? 

This product does have quite a strong smell, the usual biscuity, cakey smell, but I personally don't really mind that too much. It's one of the nicer smelling fake tans I think but if you aren't keen on a strong smell I would say definitely try and mask it by burning candles or just try another product if you really can't stand strong smells.

This product is usually £12 in Boots stores but with the £5 off No7 voucher promotion it was only £7 (which makes it £10 cheaper than my usual Xen Tan. Winning). I'm afraid this promotion only goes on until this Sunday (25th March 2012) but I'm sure they will bring it back shortly as they always do it!

These Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipsticks are fantastic! I love the colours and at only £4.99 I think they are just the bee's knees. 

The first colour I picked up was Pink Blush which is a gorgeous muted candy pink. The second was  Indulgence and this is a more bold pink and I think it will be really pretty for Spring and Summer this year. They're both really pigmented and last really well on the lips. I usually have a problem with lipsticks drying out my smackers but I didn't find this the case at all with these, I feel super moisturised and if thats not enough they're amazing teamed with a lipgloss.

(Swatches of these are in the final image)

 I then found myself at the Natural Collection counter... I'll admit, I was a NC virgin before these purchases as I was a little hesitant because the price is SO cheap I therefore figured the products won't be very great. I have swatched a few lippies in the past but often found they aren't very pigmented and are a bit too sheer. When I buy a lipstick I want it to really add a colour to my lips and if I want something sheer I'll go to a lipgloss. But I then heard reviews of their lipsticks and saw some bloggers and youtubers swatch them and they looked a lot better, and once they said £1.99 I was sold! So I swatched a few and some just really weren't my sort of colours but then I found Rose Petal and my world turned upside down! It's SO pigmented and the colour is gorgeous. It's a very bright rose nude and I love it, love it, love it! A sad tale is that the stick broke when I got it back to the flat so I am yet to revive it by melting it back into place. I am so excited to use it properly soon!

I also picked up an eyeshadow. This was a little spontaneous, but I had been wanting a yellow eyeshadow as I want to create a daisy eye look with whites, yellows and large open eyelashes. This obviously isn't very yellow but I was drawn to Golden Sand as it was quite yellowy toned so I swatched it and fell in love! It's so pigmented and shimmery, but not glittery, which I LOVE. I think this is a very easy colour to wear and mix with others. Definitely a win for me!

Here are the swatches of all the lipsticks purchased in this haul on the left and the eyeshadow I purchased on the right.

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I hope you have found this Haul informative about both the products and the brands. I will reinstate that these are my opinions of these products and you may find them different yourself. Let me know if you also have these and tell me what you think! 

Much love, Jen xo

Topshop & Boots Haul

Boots & Topshop HAUL

This is just a small collection of makeup which has been purchased in aboouut the past two weeks. I have tried and tested each product and will give my honest opinion as to what I think on most aspects on the items.

I've picked up three lipsticks in the past two weeks, two from Topshop and one by MUA.  The price of the Topshop is obviously nothing compared to the bargain of the MUA lipstick range at an amazing £1! Topshop's lipstick range is currently at £8 a piece, which I think is pretty pricey. They don't hold a massive range but the colours that they do are to die for. All About Me is a gorgeous hot pink in a matte finish, which I find a bit drying (but that's probably just my crumby chapped lips at the moment).  This finish makes the colour really last on my lips and I find I only need so many touch ups throughout the day. Ohh La La is a beautiful coraly pink and is in a "velvet" finish, which suits my lips so much better. I did find that the colour did clump in areas if I don't use a lip primer and since it is quite glossy I found it didn't stay on my lips very long at all and I need several touch ups during the day.  MUA's Shade 13 is a voluptuous cherry red which I would say was in a velvet finish. It wasn't at all drying and also lasts well on the lips and for £1 I think it's bloody fantastic!! I'm not so keen on the rest of MUA's colour selection but this bold red is a winner with me.  I think with Topshop's Lipsticks you are paying for the adorable packaging and the quirky names but if you're after a quick fix on your more typical lipstick shades I can recommend MUA's range 100%!!

 I have been meaning to get my hands on Topshops cream to powder blush in Head Over Heels for a while now and I have no idea how I've done without it! At the small price of £6 I think this blush is worth every penny. The creamyness works wonders on my dry skin and it blends so easily for a subtle glowy cheek. The packaging is Topshops usual incredibly cute white plastic with sketchy polkadots. The colour is a beautiful light coraly pink, which really suits my pale skin, and it lasts pretty much all day. All in all the product is another winner and makes me giddy happy!

This is No7's Vital Enlightening Highlighter and let me tell you, after purchasing this bad boy it is definitely a "vital" part of my makeup routine! This highlighter retails at £13 in Boots stores but you may know that Boots have been handing out £5 off No7 product vouchers when you spend £5 or more SO it became £8, which I think is mighty worth it! It has such a beautiful velvety texture and almost feels like a cream, although its not, it's a powder. Although it looks pretty harsh in my swatch above, it blends out so evenly and beautifully for a subtle glow. The packaging is not really my cup of tea. It's a bit boxy and naff. I don't really see the point in the overly colourful design on the front (I don't think it looks like anything to do with No7 as they usually do simple, nice packaging) but at least I'll probably never lose it! I'm not sure if I would pay the whole £13 for it, as I do love the highlighters at topshop which are actually cheaper (shock horror!) but I'm sure if Boots does another promo for No7 I think I'd probably pop £8 on it again.

Accessorize's Baked Bronzer Duo in Bali really floats my boat. I think that the shade on the right (swatched on the left finger) is a similar concept to MAC's soft and gentle, although obviously not as wonderful it gives a slightly bronzed glowy, dewy look. The shade on the left of the palette (swatched on the right finger) is more suited for contouring cheekbones. I definitely wound NOT use this to contour your temples or the rest of your face as it is far too shimmery and orangey for anyone to get away with it. I love the way that this combo looks on my cheeks and really makes my lack of cheekbones stand out. 

Play For Keeps is a difficult one... I can say that I was quite happy to pay £5 for the cute packaging and equally cute name but the colour was not really what I had hoped for. In the bottle Play For Keeps appears (to me, anyway) as a pastelly nudey coral and I went for this colour as I was going for a natural colour that wasn't a browny nude shade. When painted on my nails the colour is SO much brighter, it's almost like a neon coral... If that exists? I mean I love all shades of coral and orange and I have quite a large collection of this kind of shade already which is why I was maybe a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong the colour is gorgeous and I will use it, it just bums me a bit that I'm going to have to try and find another nail varnish that will satisfy my needs before. I'll obviously have to be more careful....

I hope you've found this haul helpful and informative. These are just my opinions and you may think differently of these products. I bought all these products myself and have not been asked to review them but have done so in hope of helping you guys :)

For more hauls, reviews and OOTD's like this please follow.

Much love, Jen xo

My very first post!

(oooh - aaah)

Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Jen: I'm eighteen years old and live in the North East of Scotland (Oh aye). As of six months ago I was tragically separated from my parents and became an art student in Aberdeen (okay, not that far from home I know..).

Myself, sporting a rather dishevelled look

 I live in a flat with my betrothed, Mike, and another hellish - male - flatmate, so I'm outnumbered. You will usually find me with Mike, friends, shopping or (if worse comes to worse) course work - eeww. 

"What a beautiful couple" I hear you say?

Now, I intend to blog about beauty, fashion and maybe things that I find interesting along the way. Hopefully there will be upcoming hauls, reviews and maybe tags! If this goes well I may even spread my wrath to Youtube... But I'll need a new card for my camera then, OH WELL. 

If you wish to hear from me soon, do follow :) Will be greatly appreciated.

Much love, Jen xo