Illamasqua Eyeliner Review

I recently ran out of my usual MAC Gel Eyeliner and I'm glad I did because it finally forced me to try the new Illamasqua one I had been refusing to open for a while. This one's in the shade Infinity and it's the blackest black gel eyeliner I've yet tried! It applies pretty well but I need to get myself a better brush since I lost the last one I had. A good eyeliner brush can make all the difference.

Texture: No surprises here. It's a gel. It's very soft but still has the right amount of firmness to be applied without running. It leans on the dry side which means it dries quickly on the lid and barely smudges compared to all the other gel eyeliners I've tried so far. Gel liners are never as smudge-proof as liquid ones but so much easier to apply so I tend to pick gel over liquid for more elaborate looks.
Removal: It my look dark and smudge-proof but it comes off pretty easily with makeup remover. I've used the neutrogena makeup removing wipes as well as my The Body Shop Camomile makeup remover and they both work well.
Below I've added 2 images. One is in B/W to highlight the eyeliner since I wore a very thin, barely-there line for a natural look. The other is in normal light so that you can see the effect it has.

Illamasqua Gel Liner (Infinity), Brushed through brows, no eyeshadow, no concealer.

I've also begun using the Illamasqua Shadow in Jules for defining my brows but I'll do a detailed review for that in another post.
Cost: £18.50/$28.06/INR1724.50 on the official website. It can possibly be found for less on another website and on sale in different countries. To be honest, I find that quite expensive but with a brand like Illamasqua I wouldn't expect any less. I've wanted to try a product from their collections for so many years now considering they're so well-known and well-love in the makeup-world but their price-tags are what kept me from trying their products for so long.

Final Verdict: If you use eyeliner everyday and it's the one product you would like to invest in, go for it! However, if you would rather spend on something else (like their highlighters which are next on my wish list) then skip it and opt for a drugstore brand instead.

I hope this review helped you pick your next eyeliner or introduced you to the wonderful line of Illamasqua! Let me know what you think in the comments below. Have you tried this product before?


Tanaya <3

*Product gifted by Illamasqua for review. The opinions expressed in this post are honest, unbiased and entirely my own.

BeautyAddicts ShowOff Mascara Review

I'm excited for this post. Why? Because I love mascaras! I love trying new ones and I think they're the perfect final touch to every makeup look. In fact just adding some mascara on a day when you don't feel like putting on any other makeup at all can make all the difference. Recently this pretty little silver tube came along to feed my mascara addiction and I was stunned by the packaging! It took me a few days before I started using this mascara because I wanted to wear it on some day when I wanted to feel very bright and awake in the morning.

The packaging of this mascara is truly amazing! It's the perfect little glamorous tube to keep in your makeup bag and so I've even packed it in my travel makeup bag now. 

The wand is curved with longer bristles on the sides than the top and bottom (I've been studying a lot of biology for a while now so I initially typed "dorsal and ventral". Hahaha ). I found that the curved wand was great for curling the lashes up and fanning them out into a good shape. I use the longer bristles on the sides to get to the base of the lashes for volume and then to separate any lashes that may clump together in a weird way.

I love the volume, length and curl that this mascara adds. It's made it to the top of my list of favorite mascaras along with the Revlon Lash Potion (which I keep mentioning on this blog so if I'm comparing a mascara to that, you know it's good). After that first day when I used it to feel bright and awake I used this mascara on a daily basis but now I only use it on days when I actually need a lot of volume. I think it's a bit too much for just an ordinary day.

Uncurled lashes without any mascara. See how my lashes have length but annoying point straight forward instead of upward? So annoying!

That's with one coat of the ShowOff Mascara. I usually don't like wearing more than one coat of mascara and I think with this one I don't even need to. 

I think it would be an understatement to say that I'm impressed. I hadn't heard of the BeautyAddicts range before this so I didn't really expect to love this product as much as I do. However, I've found out that it's actually a very popular brand that was even featured in a Glossybox. If you're looking for a new mascara or just want to try something different, I would recommend this! 

Where you can find it:

 http://www.beautyaddicts.com/eyes-mascara.php

http://www.amazon.com/beautyADDICTS-SHOWOFF-Mascara-0-39-oz/dp/B0085X4E1A

What do you think about this mascara? Would you be trying it? Let me know in the comments below or simply tweet me a picture of your own tube of ShowOff. 

Tanaya <3

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*This product was sent for consideration for a review. The views expressed in this review are completely honest and unbiased. 

Eye Look : Museum day!

I've wanted to publish this post for so long now because I went to the museum about 2 weeks ago and that's when I clicked the pictures. I used one of my favorite BB creams as a base since I didn't want anything too strong and dramatic. However, I felt like experimenting with my eyeshadow palettes and trying a new look. I was so happy with this look that I knew I had to click pictures of it to share it with you guys. After that day, this look has pretty much become my everyday look and I love how versatile it is. The shades blend so well together that I think this look could work for just a casual day or a daytime event too when a smokey eye is too loud.

I started with my Elizabeth Mott Creamy Shadow Stick(Received in ipsy bag) in the inner corner of the eye and over the inner half of the eyelid. It isn't pigmented enough to be a shade on it's own but it works well as a base since it's shimmery and the sparkles show through the shade you apply over the top. I then used a shimmery burnt orange shade over the top and went further out to cover the whole eyelid. This creates a natural gradient since the part of the eyelid with the shadow stick base appears lighter. You can blend it to achieve a better gradient. I then blended the dark plum eyelid shade from my wet n wild eyeshadow trio, that I reviewed here, into the crease (Yup I used an eyelid color for the crease. pretty badass right? Hahaha).  Finally, I used a really light golden color from an old Chanel palette that I hadn't used for ages and used it to highlight the inner corner of the eye and the middle portion of the eyelid (be careful not to cover up the actual shade you used on the eyelid. Just pat enough highlight to add some glitter and dimension.)  A winged eyeliner with my standard MAC Gel Eyeliner and a coat of Revlon Lash Potion (review) completed the look. Update: I don't think I used any mascara at all actually. I think I just didn't want the look to be too over the top for that day but I use that mascara for other days when I don't mind the little extra flutter. 

I hope you liked this look. Tell me if you would like to see a complete tutorial for it so that I can add it to my list of videos to do when I finally have the courage to start a youtube channel. If you do try it out, tweet or instagram the picture and link it to me so I can see it. It's just fun to see how the same look adapts to everyone's personal style. 

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Tanaya <3

My Christmas Outfit & Makeup.

How long has it been since my last post? Not long I hope. I know it's a little late for christmas outfit posts but I still wanted to share it no matter what time of the year it is. I really love the eye look that I did on Christmas so I did the same one for New Year's Eve too. I think it adds a wonderful glow to the face and looks great with almost every outfit. So it's only appropriate to start with the eye look.

I just used a random eyeshadow palette but I would love to do a tutorial for the look if you would like to see one. I am absolutely obsessed with it. I also used the Revlon Lash Potion mascara and I apologize for the less than good mascara application but I was in a hurry. I also used the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer. Now for the rest of the look.

I used the MAC Frankly Scarlet blush with some Em Cosmetics Lipstick in Violaceous that I reviewed here. I also used the Benefit Hoola bronzer. Oh and how could I forget! I've also used my most recent and favorite purchase- the Pond's BB+ Cream. It makes the skin look just so flawless and it's a shame that I can find it only in India :( I will do a proper review soon. I've also gotten a new haircut since that picture which I'm so excited to share so follow me on Instagram to see it! 

For my outfit I chose my lovely Forever 21 white lace dress. Something about white and red just makes me think of christmas. The dress is so adorable and it has a cutout back.

I hope you like this post. What do you think of my look and outfit? Leave me links to your christmas outfit posts or just send me a picture on twitter! I would love to see them all. Don't forget to follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin' , Polyvore, Instagram, GFC & Twitter.

Tanaya <3

My Best Smokey Eye Yet:StudioGear Smokey Eye Palette Review.

I’ve always been quite scared of doing a black smokey eye look and every time I’ve tried it before, it turns out quite rubbish. (And that’s why I love brown smokey eyes and I do them pretty well I suppose.) However, I was recently sent this Holiday Smokey Eye Palette by Studio Gear and I was excited to try my luck at doing a smokey eye look again! I was quite anxious but I think it turned out pretty great and I was happy with it. I also realized why I was rubbish at it before and that had to do with the texture of the shadows I was using. These Studio Gear shadows may not be perfect for every look but their texture is exactly what you need to do a great black smokey eye. With a color like black, if you use a really soft and creamy shadow you will mess up the smokey eye look. However, these shadows have a sort of ‘grainy’ texture which I thought was odd at first but it gives you a lot more control while blending. These aren’t soft shadows but the texture is absolutely perfect for what they’re meant to do.

The packaging is really pretty and reminds me of the wonderful city lights. It’s really thin and sleek and perfect to carry with you on a vacation (which I actually did!).

Inside, we have a set of instructions, which aren’t the easiest to understand, but if you just follow the little diagram you will be good. I love the ‘coal’ and ‘charcoal’ shades and the only shade I really don’t like is the Frost shade. You can kind of see the grainy texture I was talking about in the swatches below and that strange texture works for every shadow except ‘frost’. In the center is my favorite bit- the blush! It’s the prettiest shade ever and it’s perfect for winter. I just love this shade of blush and I think I’m going to pop it out of this palette and put it in another magnetic palette to carry around with my other blushes.

 

blush, coal, glimmer, charcoal, frost

After that extraordinarily long description and review, here’s the smokey eye look I created. 

I hope you guys like this look and tweet me a picture if you recreate it. Also I would love to do a tutorial and I'm thinking of starting a youtube channel so that I can post tutorials for you guys so let me know, in the comments below, if that's a good idea and if you would watch my videos. In the meanwhile I can do a tutorial for this look right here on the blog if you want me to. 

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin' and gfc. 

Happy Holidays!

Tanaya <3



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All opinions are honest and my own.

Stars On Your Eyes : Starlooks Eye Pencil Review and Favorites!

Eyeliner….The one product that we all try so hard at perfecting but unfortunately, most of us are terrible at it. Eyeliners in any color can make a look perfect but they’re so annoyingly difficult to apply that beauty brands need to come up with new formulations and applicators all the time. When it comes to black eyeliner I love gel eyeliner because I find it much easier to use. However, colored and sparkly eyeliners are a whole different story. I tend to find that pencils are the easiest and unlike black eyeliner you don’t always need a precise and bold line. This post is like a cross between a review and a favorites post because I wanted to review the Starlooks eyeliner pencil but tell you guys about some of my other favorite colors.

I received the Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil in my November ipsy bag. I got the shade Amethyst that is the one I really hoped to get because I love it! It’s wonderfully glittery with a hint of purple. The texture isn’t too hard not too creamy so it’s easy enough to handle and doesn’t smudge all over the place. This is my go-to liner for days when I’m late for anything and my face reveals that I’m sleepy because it just brightens up the eyes.

I believe that sparkly pencil eyeliners are perfect for any look and also for when you’re not doing any look! For those makeup-free days just put some lip balm and a bit of glitter eyeliner and you’re good to go. I have certain staples that I always make sure I have and buy backups for when I’m about to run out of. These are my all-time favorite glitter eye pencil shades:

 Copper, Gold, Greenish-Blue, silver and white.

Now I know white isn’t glittery but it’s the only matte eyeliner pencil in my essentials so I just included it in here. I tend to use the Gold liner more during summer and although the copper seems perfect for fall/autumn, it's just such a lovely shimmery neutral that it looks good all year round. 

I suggest you try out the Starlooks Amethyst eye pencil especially if you have brown eyes because it will make your eyes looks lovely. I have always been a fan of this shade and had a Colorbar eye pencil in the same color but it had the worst texture I've ever seen! Try out some eyepencils in copper and gold too because I bet you will love them. I hope you liked this post. Do you have any staple shades that you always need in your collection? Let me know in the comments below. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Bloglovin' or gfc. 

Tanaya <3 

The Perfect Fall/Autumn Palette (Wet n Wild)

I've been looking for that perfect autumn eyeshadow palette for a while now. Those of you that follow me on twitter may have seen the Illamasqua palette that I tweeted about. But let's face it. Not all of us can go out and splurge on a seasonal Illamasqua palette no matter how beautiful it is. I think I have found the perfect alternative to it- Wet n Wild Coloricon palette in Knock On Wood 383B. With 3 beautiful colors for just $2.99 you can't really go wrong. Some may not like the packaging because it is quite flimsy but I like the look of it. Basically, there's nothing at all that I don't like about this product.

The eyelid color is a pretty plum with hints of brown and red. This was the color that attracted me to the palette in the first place and I didn't care for the other 2 colors at first. It's a wonderful color that compliments brown eyes perfectly. The crease color is a shimmery brown. This is a very common color and I have look-alikes of this color in many of my other palettes. However, it's handy to have it in this one too since it goes well with the eyelid color and now I won't need to carry 2 palettes with me. The browbone color is a pale pink with just the right amount of shimmer. Even though the eyelid color was what attracted me to this palette, this pale pink has become my favorite. It's gorgeous enough to just stare at all day!

From what I've heard, Wet n Wild eyeshadows have impeccable quality, texture and pigmentation. This product is no exception. I was taken aback by how smooth and soft the texture of the eyeshadows was and the pigmentation is stunning. As you can probably guess, I love this palette and cannot stop praising it. Go get one and try it for yourself. You won't regret it.

Hope you found this post useful. I love talking about great products such as this one with you guys so that you can try them out too. Let me know what you think and if you've tried this palette before. Is there any other Wet n Wild product that you recommend I should try?
You can follow me on Twitter , Bloglovin' and Facebook to stay updated with new posts.

Tanaya <3

This or That Beauty Tag: Part 1

I love tags! I love them in blog posts and I love them in videos. So when I saw the This or That tag on ClosetDiamonds you could be sure I was going to hop on that opportunity. However, I wasn’t tagged to do this post so I felt a little weird about doing it. However, you lovely people seemed to like the idea of doing it when I tweeted about it and so here I am. Now this tag had 44 questions which I think is far too many and I don’t want you guys to fall asleep while reading this so I’m going to split it into 2 parts.

Let’s start then.

1)   Blush or Bronzer?

Blush! Although I love my bronzers if I had to pick one I would go for a blush.

2)   Eyeliner or Mascara?

Mascara. I can survive without eyeliner. Here’s a secret – I’m far too lazy to actually spend half my morning trying to line my eyes perfectly every day when a good coat of mascara can do the job of defining your eyes just as well!

3)   Gel, Liquid or Cream Liner?

Gel for sure. Although I love gel eyeliner I still feel the need to learn and perfect how to use the liquid eyeliner. Don’t ask me why. I guess it just seems classy and it’s like one of those instincts that every beauty lover feels.

4)    Waterproof or Non Waterproof mascara?

     Waterproof mascara! I find that it’s just so much more comforting             to have that peace of mind of knowing that even if you somehow get drenched at any moment your mascara’s got your back. The rest of your makeup may betray you but your mascara isn’t going to flow     down your face.

     

      5)    Foundation or Concealer?

      Now this one’s a toughie. I wouldn’t walk around with just concealer on my face with no foundation to help blend it out. I guess that if I have a great foundation I would be able to manage without a concealer (Now this definitely does not include under eye concealer. Name one girl (that loves makeup) that would willingly give up her under eye concealer! )

           6)    Liquid or Powder Foundation?

 Liquid! There’s no way to get that famed “dewy glow” with powder foundation. If you have the right foundation I believe it’s going to be mre comfortable to wear than powder foundation and you wouldn’t need to touch up so often.

7)    Neutral or coloured Eye Shadow?

      I’m a neutral eyeshadow girl most days. Don’t get me wrong, I do love to add the occasional dash of bright color on my eyelids in the form of eyeshadow or eyeliner but for every day, I stick to my beautiful neutrals.

8)    Pressed or loose Eye Shadow? 

Pressed Eyeshadow. It’s less messy. It’s easier to build color and your chances of messing up and greatly reduced. Nobody would let someone like me handle loose eyeshadow! I would drop it as fast as lightening. Hahaha.

9)    Matte or Sparkly Eye Shadow?

     Sparkles :D Life is incomplete without sparkly eyeshadow. It just adds more dimension to the eye.

10)    Brushes or Sponges?

          Brushes. Do you use sponges? If yes, could you please tell me how in the world are they used!? I hate sponges for applying makeup so much that I feel like I must be doing it wrong.

11)      Lip Gloss or Lipstick?

           Can I cheat here? Pleaseee? Pretty please? I’ll just cheat. Haha. I bet you would agree it’s difficult to choose one so I’m going to choose something like the Revlon just bitten kissable balm stains or YSL rouge volupte or Bourjois color boost. I tend to wear gloss over any other lipstick if I feel like it’s too drying.

     12)          Lip Balms or Lip Butters? 

           What’s the difference? I didn’t know there’s much of a difference between the  two L Can you please tell me?

13)          OPI or China Glaze?

            I haven’t used either. Bad beauty blogger! I’m probably like a shame to all the lovely beauty bloggers out there that just read my statement and facepalmed themselves. But let me tell you about Maybelline’s nail paints! Okay I’ll probably do a post about them later.

14)      Long or Short Nails?

  Short. While long nails provide a lot of surface to get creative I feel like mine are long enough for that even when theyre short.

15)       Acrylic or Natural?

     Natural

        

16)        Brights or Darks?

      Brights! :D Definitely brights.

17)         Flower or no Flower?

      Depends on my mood. I’m weird about nails sometimes. I may love flowers and sparkles one day but hate them the next.

18)        Glitter or no Glitter?

      Like I said, it depends on my mood and the day. But glitter, although pretty, is such a task to get off!

Phew! That's a long post. Finally I would like to tag a few of my fellow beauty bloggers.

Anoushka Loves

ZoeGeorgina

Emma Alexandra

However, feel free to do this tag even if I haven't tagged you and leave me a link to your tag post in the comments below!

I hope this post helped you guys get to know me better. Tell me if you like this post and we leave any other post ideas that you would like me to write in the comments. 

Tanaya <3