BrunetteBeautyBanter 2011 Product Awards!!

Good afternoon lovelies!!

After my quiet spell over Xmas and New Year I am now BACK and i have been thinking very hard about what products I have loved the most over the last year. I started my blog in April 2011 and at that time i did not own half of the makeup and beauty products i own now and tended to stick to products i knew. I credit my lovely Twitter buddies and fellow bloggers with pointing me in the right direction and some of their recommendations, along with a few little gems i have discovered on my own, have become well loved in my collection. So i decided to put together a little post to tell you about the best of the BEST in my make up bag over the last year. Please note that a YEARS' worth of favourites = PICTURE HEAVY POST!!

And here they are!!

Foundation of the Year Goes Toooooo......

MAC Matchmaster in Shade 4.0!!

I have been through a few foundations in my time, even before i started blogging. I used to lean towards Maybelline foundations, however, i feel like they have changed their formulas/colours a little of late and i switched to Max Factor Xperience, which remains my go-to drugstore foundation. On my birthday i took a little trip to Meadowhall and a lovely lad on the Debenhams MAC counter took it upon himself to match me to a foundation. We tried a couple but Matchmaster really did jump out at me! The demi-matte finish is perfect for my normal/combunation skin and it covers flaws brilliantly! It doesn't leap back at you in photographs either! I really couldn't be without this now and just bought a replacement. For my full review click HERE!

Bronzer of the Year Goes Tooooo.....

VIVO Cosmetics Baked Bronzer!!

This was a relatively late edition to my collection. I picked this up at the TOWIB event in October. This is a range that is sold exclusively in Tesco and, as i live at least an hour away from the nearest Tesco, I was so lucky to receive this. And i have used it almost every day since. It is just a perfect bronzer for every day and is neither matte nor overly-shimmery. I don't contour with it but a spot of this over the cheeks, nose and temples produces the most lovely, natural glow. It also lasts AGES! I took this photo this morning and you can hardly see any wear on it at all! Major value for a budget brand! For some reason i have failed to do a full review on this yet so i will certainly pop one up in the near future. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!

Blusher of The Year Goes Tooooo.....

Well i couldn't pick just one could i!! However, i did identify TWO that were worthy of the joint honours...

1) BeneFit Coralista

This has been my best friend ever since i got it. I just adore the shade and it can be as subtle or vibrant as you like. Its a very pinky coral and it has the most gorgeous sheen to it without being over the top. I have worn this shade EVERYWHERE from work to a night out and it has been admired. I find BeneFit blushers rather pricey but the packaging looks beautiful on any dressing table or vanity. It even SMELLS nice!! I can see this working for most skintones so its definitely worth a swatch at LEAST!

2) MAC Melba

I'd been recommended this by so many people when i was on the hunt for the perfect peach blush. I like that it isn't an orangy peach as i already own one (Sleek Life's a Peach). This leans more pink and gives a gorgeous glow to the cheeks. Again, i'd say that it is very versatile and could be worn for any occasion. MAC blushes as a whole are hard to fault and are more affordable than BeneFit or NARS. I can't wait to pick up more of them in 2012!

Lip Product(s) of The Year Goes Tooooo.....

Lipsticks...

Again, i can't pick just one. It's impossible. My go-to shade of the summer was undoubtedly MAC Vegas Volt (Amplified) The most beautiful bright coral i have ever seen! It's not so much a daytime shade for me, although it could certainly be worn as such with neutral eyes (and it works, i've tried it) but it dazzles on a summers evening. The amplified formula is very creamy and i do not find it drying on my lips. When i think back to last summer i always see this colour. 

MAC Hue (Glaze) is my lipstick saviour. It is always in my bag, nomatter what the occasion. It's just the most beautiful, subtle, nude pink shade out there. When i bought it i worried it would be too pale on my medium skintone but it has proved to be perfect for me in every way. I would not be without it and will be buying a back up very soon as i'd hate to lose it. 

My drugstore lipstick choice is definitely Rimmel Nude Delight (Moisture Renew). This isn't the longest lasting lippy in the world: In my opinion Rimmel's lipsticks rarely are. But I love the colour and it makes my lips feel gorgeous!! I'm not the best at spotting tones in colours but i'd say this was a peach/beige kind of nude. Definitely a warm toned nude anyway (I might be totally wrong). 

Lip Glosses...

I'm not a lipgloss freak. Never have been. I think it makes my lips feel like ive been sucking on a candle. But, when MUA brought out their Out There Plumping Lip Glosses, the pigmentation of them had me suckered in and, at £2 each i bought 4 of them!! The two i have featured here are Buff (a brown toned nude) and Pin Up Pink (a bold pink/red). These are such good value for money and do not feel at all sticky or heavy on the lips. The pigmentation is almost akin to a lipstick and i, personally, love the tingliness of the MaxiLip ingredient. They have changed my view on lipglosses. Read my full review HERE!!

Nail Polish of The Year Goes Toooooo....

1) OPI: Barefoot in Barcelona

I love the warmth of this shade. It's been my favourite for the Autumn and Winter months. I just love the terracotta/brown tones in it. OPI formulas in general i find are very good and i have no complaints whatsoever on this polish. I just love it! 

2) China Glaze: For Audrey

This has been a constant favourite throughout the year. The colour is just so striking and goes with almost anything! I suppose i'd describe it as turquoise/aqua but its been lovely for both summer and winter. Definitely worthy of award status!! The China Glaze formula is possibly my favourite of all the brands ive tried. You could even get away with a single coat of this polish and it lasts a long time before chipping (even for a pot washer like me).

Eye Product of The Year Goes Tooooo.....

Well, of course it was going to go to my Urban Decay Naked Palette!! I haven't loved any other palette anywhere NEAR as much as i have loved this one. There are other contenders of course. Sleek and MUA both produce wonderful palettes which i adore but there was only going to be one winner here. It is just the most PERFECT collection of neutrals which can be so easily worn for day but then vamped up for night. I am willing to accept the little issue of some fallout with a couple of the shades, just because it is so FABULOUS!! I would love to get my paws on the new Naked2 palette which has emerged this year, but i do not feel like i NEED it because i have this one. Maybe when my bank balance has recovered from Xmas i might see about investing. 

Other Honourable Mentions.....

Fragrance of the Year: Diesel Fuel for Life

Body/Tanning Product of the Year: Xen Tan Dark Lotion

Hair Product of the Year: Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment

I really hope you ladies enjoyed reading through my product TRIUMPHS of 2011. Over Xmas and New Year i have discovered even MORE fabulous things which i can't wait to share with you. I am really looking forward to improving my blog in 2012 and i would love to hear any suggestions you may have or posts you'd like to see. I will be getting back to my Sunday Salon series and playing with new looks to share with you. AND i swear i will revive my much-neglected YouTube channel. I look forward to sharing it all with you.

What were YOUR product winners of 2011?? 

Shadow Showdown!! MUA Vs Urban Decay

Evening ladies!! 

So we're getting very used to the hype surrounding the MUA Professional Heaven & Earth palette, and we've heard no END of comparisons between it and, darling of the shadow world, THE Naked Palette from Urban Decay..... But, it's all good playing "Spot the dupe". It needs to be put to the true test. 

So can YOU spot the difference between them?? 

So here's how this is going to work... I've taken Sin, Smog and Hustle from the Naked Palette along with (in my opinion) almost IDENTICAL shades from the MUA palette and applied them to one eye a piece. 

So here are the swatches...

Left - Hustle. Right - MUA

Left - MUA. Right - Smog

Left - Sin. Right - MUA

In my opinion, the MUA shades all seem to lean slightly purple with the exception of the bottom one. The pigmentation and consistency of both palettes can't be grumbled at. Both produce a little fallout at times. The disadvantage of the MUA palette in my opinion is that there are no matte shades. Naked and Buck are my no1 used shades from the Naked palette but there are no dupes for them in the MUA palette, so it IS justifiable to have both (plus H&E is only £4 so why the hell NOT have both??). What i am getting at here is, don't despair that you do not own the Naked palette when you can pop to Superdrug and pick up the MUA palette for peanuts. 

Okay so, here's the test.... Can you tell which eye was done with which palette?? 

Both of these palettes are wonderful, everyday palettes with so many possibilities. The look i did here was as follows...

On ONE eye.....

Sin - All over the Lid

Smog - On the outer part of the lid and blended inwards

Hustle - Applied into the crease and outer corners

All shades were then blended together for a smart, but subtle, wearable look. 

The other eye (I'm not telling you which is which yet) was done with the MUA dupe shades. 

Soooooo can you tell your Steal from your SPLURGE?? Answers on a postcard pls (or just in the comment box). I have a feeling you ladies are pretty on the ball when it comes to spotting the Naked palette. Like me, you all have impeccable taste. Even i struggled to remember which eye was which after a while as they really ARE soooooo similar!! 

Which wins for you?? MUA or UD?? Or, like me, do you love them both for different reasons??

Birthday Shopping FOTD

Hello ladies!!

Man, I'm KNACKERED!! Today was my BIRTHDAY!! I won't tell you my age but all i can say is that i'm older than 28 and younger than 30 (HA). True to form, when asked what i wanted to do for my birthday i replied that i wanted to take my mum SHOPPING to Meadowhall (which is the nearest MAC to me and i haven't been in over a year) and also to visit the lovely Tapas restaurant I ADORE every time i go there. Seriously, if you girls are ever peckish in Meadowhall, head to La Tasca. Their Tapas is AMAZING and their meal deals are such good value!

Anyway i wanted to do a FOTD post to mark the occasion. However, the sun didn't shine for me today. In fact is was almost DARK outside so i had to use flash for the photos, which has kind of brighted out my make up on this one. But I can't let today pass without marking it with a post because i had such a LOVELY day so i will try and make the best of what i've got. 

Mewwwwww..... you can't even see my eye make up!!! But I'll tell you what i used anyhoo.

Face: Max Factor Xperience Fdn - 75 Brown Hessian

Elf Studio Mineral Pressed Powder - Caramel

Bourjois Delice de Poudre (To contour)

MAC Semi Precious MSF - Goldstone (dusted lightly all over the face at the very end)

Cheeks: BeneFit Coralista

Eyes: Naked, Buck and DarkHorse from the UD Naked Palette

Bourjois Kohl pencil (Black)

Rimmel Day2Night Mascara (Black)

Eylure False Lashes (free in last month's Cosmo Mag)

Brows: BeneFit BrowZings - Medium

Lips: MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2

I hate this second photo (I look like i'm off my tits on something) but it shows the colours better i think.... 

I just LOVE Goldstone MSF from MAC. Just a sweep of it all over the face makes you look like you've had a fortnight in the sun!! And you only need the tiniest bit!! It works great as a bronzer or a highlighter too. Value for money right there!! 

In other News....

Well this is kinda the same piece of news but hey-ho. During the aforementioned shopping trip i was VERY excited to pick up a brand, spanking new HD Webcam. I've been itching to get onto YouTube for quite some time now as i've got so many things i wanna share with you girlies that just DON'T work in blog post format. My laptop webcam is next to USELESS for recording and my regular Nikon Coolpix just doesn't seem to want to record for me either so i was VERY excited when i heard about HD Webcams. 

My first video will be today's HAUL and i have all day tomorrow to play around with my new toy so PLEASE subscribe to my channel!! I'm ON MY WAY!!!

Click HERE to View my Channel!!

August Favourites 2011

Another month where i don't know where it's gone! 

This year is swinging by so fast! 

I've  had a few exciting new things in August, despite being on a shopping ban. In all fairness a lot of the stuff i have aquired this month has been the result of a credit card balance transfer which actually left my previous card in CREDIT!! Red rag to a bull or WHAT!! There were other things i received that i had ordered in July (and so they dont count towards an August shopping ban. HA!).

So here are my favourites for this month. It is not necessarily all NEW stuff, but stuff that I have really been reaching for lately.

August was the month that i FINALLY got the chance to own the Urban decay Naked Palette. Like so many I had been lusting after it for such a long time and when the lovely Ms. Red mentioned that she was planning to sell hers, i handed over my paypal details fast as lightning! And it hasn't let me down. I've really enjoyed using it and there are firm favourites emerging. Naked and Buck are perfect for everyday and Half Baked is just BEAUTIFUL as are Smog and Sidecar. Who am i kidding... the whole thing is FABULOUS! 

There are TWO lip products in this month's favourites. Mainly because i just couldn't choose between the two of them. I have been reaching for one of these two products EVERY day without fail. 

Elf Matte Lip Colour in Natural - I got this as part of a little haul i did from Elf and i love it! Its kind of like a lip pencil and lip colour in one and really does allow for a precise application. The shade is just a lovely natural pinky nude and I bet it would suit almost ANYONE! For a matte product it's not TOO drying, unlike some. I do sometimes pop a little Carmex over it but I don't find it to be an issue. I recommend that EVERYONE pick one of these up next time you order from Elf. At £3.50 it really is a little GEM and comes in a range of colours. 

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in (700) Nude Delight - This has been a feature in my make up bag for several months now, but it wasn't until it went MISSING earlier this month that i realised just how much it meant to me! Off i trotted to Boots to buy a replacement. It's just such a perfect Nude and feels GORGEOUS on the lips. I find it very peachy in tone, which is always a winner for me as i looooove my peachy things. I used this lipstick in my previous FOTD post as well as in my Halo post so if you would like to see what it looks like in all lights do check them out. LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara - This was a bit of an impulse purchase on my part back in July. I'd popped into Boots with the sole intention of purchasing cotton buds (woooo exciting) but, as usual i entered through the make-up end and was greeted with a £2 off promotion on this mascara. I'd heard good things so i sneakily snapped it up. Great purchase! I'm particularly impressed with the lengthening wand (the slimmer of the 2) because it doesn't pick up as much product and is perfect for bottom lashes as well as a subtle lengthening effect on the top. The fatter volumising wand is nice as well but does tend to pick up a LOT of product. i suspect this will be a mascara that works better as it dries up a little. I really like it. Winner!

I can't do my favourites for this month without mentioning my new Elf Studio Brushes. I picked up the Stipple brush, the Blush brush and the Contour/Crease brush. These have really made my life easier. I'm especially in love with the Stipple brush and it's been BRILLIANT for applying my foundation. The Taklon bristles are VERY soft and because its got different length bristles is distributes and holds on to the product brilliantly and i find i actually need LESS product when i use this brush. 

Last but not least is the new Garnier BB Cream (Medium). I'm not gonna lie, i heard the hype about this product and after playing with it in Boots and putting it back, the next time i went in i just HAD to get it just to see what all the fuss was about. And i do REALLY like it! It makes my skin feel GORGEOUS all day and does actually cover rather well! I find i do need to powder my nose with it as i gives a dewy finish and certainly isn't mattifying but if. like me, you're within spitting distance of 30 and want a product that will take care of your skin as well as giving you the colour and coverage, I'd definitely encourage you to at least TRY it. It doesn't break the bank at £9.99 either. Full review Here 

So those are my little gems from the last month. Hope everyone had a great August and those who went on holiday had a FAB time (JEALOUS!!)

What were your favourites for August? Link me to your posts/videos cos i love reading them

UD Naked Palette: Black & Gold

Evening girlies!!

Since I coloured my hair back to my usual dark brown/black shade (that blonde thing was never gonna last long with me), I've been looking forward to wearing dark, smokey eye looks again. I just didn't feel it went with my fairer hair and had gone for more subtle shades as a result. 

So when i was having a little play around with my Urban Decay Naked Palette today i decided to try and create a darker, more vampy look with it compared to the everyday looks i usually go for when using it (i usually use the neutrals and gold shades). And here's what i came up with!! 

I stuck with my love of gold... but i wanted to create a dark, smokey eye so i went for Creep, which is the darkest shade in the palette. I just love the little flecks of light that run through it. I kept the base of the look gold and went for (one of my favourites) Half Baked, which i put all over the lid. I then applied Creep over the top. I did it that way because i still wanted the Half Baked to show a little through the dark shade. I took Creep out into a subtle flick and finished it with a sweep of liquid eyeliner and Rimmel Day-to-Night mascara.

I did not line my lower lids. However i did apply the same two shades along the very lashline, meeting in the middle. In the inner corners and on the browbone i used the lightest shade in the palette which is Virgin. 

I think this is about as dark as i dare to go so far.... I might get braver over the winter, you never know. I really like this for a summery evening look. It has the dark drama AS WELL as the gorgeous golden shimmer. 

I'm no pro at applying make up so some of you will probably think i've made a complete hash-up of it. I'm still learning. But i like it and it was relatively easy for me to create so maybe others without all the tricks and know-how of an MUA might be able to as well. 

How daring have you gone with the Naked Palette?? 

I finally got NAKED (with Urban Decay)

Good evening my lovelies!!

I have an apology to make to you all. I have been away from my blog since MONDAY, which is the longest i've been quiet probably since i started this page. My reason is that work (and indeed, Bakewell) has been CHOCKA this week with tourists clamouring to attend Bakewell Show this week. A lot of rushing around has been done and I've, honestly, been just too EXHAUSTED to blog by the end of each day. I've hardly even touched the laptop. I'm also pleased as punch to return to find i have new blog followers! Thank you for following girls and i will do my best not to disappoint!

 So I'm very very very sorry girlies and I'll get on with this post now....

I GOT ME A NAKED PALETTE!! 

I'm aware that Naked Palette posts are ten a penny at the moment but this isn't just ANY Naked palette... It's MY Naked palette and I'm DESPERATE to share it's prettiness (even though you've probably all seen it a MILLION times before). 

Isn't it pwettyyyyyyyy!!!! I've been after one of these for AGES and when the Lovely Ms Red mentioned that she wasn't getting along with hers i jumped at the chance to own it and handed over my paypal details without hesitation. 

The colours in this palette are just so beautiful and I totally believe the hype on this one. They are a perfect mixture of matte and shimmering shades that can be worn every day or glammed up to the MAX!! A couple of clear favourites emerged straight away in Sidecar and Smog along with the GLISTENING Half-Baked. The matte shades are so wearable too for daytime (even in my job) or as a base for the other colours. I haven't played around too much with it yet as i am hoping to document my adventures with this palette in further posts. I hope you will enjoy seeing what i can create with it because the possibilities are ENDLESS!!

This palette comes with a miniture version of the trusty Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (affectionately nicknamed UDPP by my lovely tweeps), which i am also loving, and a great quality brush. No useless sponge applicators with THIS baby! I just can't tell you how pleased i am with this item! 

I'm not going to go into major detail on this palette as yet as i intend this post to be, mainly, an interlude to my further experiments with the colours. Hopefully now it has calmed down a little in Bakewell i will have more time and energy to get back to normal as far as my blog goes. I have really been trying to stick to my pledge to blog every day (when possible) and I've been lagging this week. Well, NO MORE I tell yee!!

Do you own the Naked Palette?? Which are your favourite shades?? What looks have you created using them??