The Friday Review: The Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette

I've been eyeing this product up for a while but I wasn't sure whether I could commit to the purchase because, to be honest, it didn't look all that unique to me. After spending weeks wandering into Debenhams to just look at it and swatch it, I decided I needed to just bite the bullet and make the purchase, so I figured I'd post a review to help you if you're another one who's been sat on the fence with this one.

So firstly, the packaging is amazing. Apparently, Gwen helped design every part of this product, from the packaging to the box it comes in and the shades included, and the packaging for the palette is beautiful. Gold casing and a dimensional monochrome circle design, the metal plate with "UD Gwen Stefani" is a lovely touch too. The weighting to the product is lovely and there's a nice big mirror inside the lid when you open it with "Magic's in the makeup" written on it in the corner. It's a generally nicely though out casing.

As for the shades, I'm in love. In the couple of weeks I've had this, I've used it a lot and I really believe that for a fairer skin-tone, this palette is such a winner. A lot of reviews around this have said the palette was designed "By Gwen, for Gwen" and I 100%. It's full of light to mid-tone neutrals, and the few pops of colour that are included are very well suited to a fair skin-tone.

For an Urban Decay palette, the number of mattes in this one is amazing, 5 mattes, 3 satin-type finishes and 7 shimmers. As for the individual shades on the top row we have "Blonde" which is a satin finish, very light, cool-toned cream. "Bathwater" is a shimmery light, yellow-y cream, "Skimp" is a satin finish light beige. "Steady" is a mid-tone rose-gold shimmer and "Punk" is a dark reddish-brown matte.

On the second row of the palette we have "Baby", a shimmery pinkish taupe and "Anaheim" a cool, mid-tone brown matte. "Stark" is a mid-tone beige matte and "Zone" is a mid-tone warm brown matte. Finally on the second row we have "Serious" which is a charcoal grey satin.

The third row of the palette brings us out of the neutral zone. On this row we have "Pop" a shimmery peachy-coral and "Harajuku" a medium cool-toned blue shimmer. "Danger" is one of my favourite shades, a lot of people have called this a navy but to me it's more of a deep electric-blue shimmer. "1987" is a yellow-gold shimmer and finally we have "Blackout", a matte black.

And just in case that wasn't enough to reel you in, while a lot of Urban Decay palettes seem to come with some sort of sample of the Urban Decay Primer Potion, this comes with four testers of the soon-to-be-released Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Lipsticks. The back of the packaging for these seems to indicate that there will be eight shades with the release. I'm not sure if all of the palettes came with the same sample shades but mine had "Rock Steady" a cream finish red, "714" a mega matte mid-tone pink, "Ex-Girlfriend" a sheer nude and "Firebird" a cream pinky purple shade.

Empties: Round Four

So it's time for another empties post, and this time it's a big one. I'm not sure if I've left it a little longer this time around or something but there seems to be a lot more here than previous empties posts I've done. But without further a due, lets have a look through my beauty rubbish.

For body I have two scrubs this time around: the Mr Bean Coffee Bean Scrub in the Mandarin scent. While this was a really good scrub for exfoliating, I just can't get behind how much of a mess it leaves behind. The scrub is black and completely dry in the packet and it goes everywhere and leaves black muddy marks all over the place. My favourite scrub of the moment is one that I've also used up recently: the Soap & Glory Pulp Friction this stuff is amazing. It really clings to the skin as you use it and the scrubby particles are perfect, the scent is also really nice. I'm yet to find anything better.

For body cream the only thing I've used up this month is a mammoth container of the Soap & Glory Butter Yourself body cream. I love the texture of the Soap & Glory body creams but the "Butter Yourself" scent really isn't one of my favourites. Will pick up another but in a different scent next time. I also made my way through a Mayan Spa Reviving Body Wash. This just didn't lather up enough for me, much better shower gels available on the market.

I've gone through another Dove Invisible Dry deodorant. This was my deodorant of choice for a long time but after trialing something else, I'm having a break from the Dove. I've been trying out the Mitchum range after having used up a mini of the Mitchum Spray Deodorant on my trip to Amsterdam and I loved it.

I finished up my mini of the Therapie Himalayan Detox Salts. While I do think I'll be going back and picking up some more, I currently have a massive collection of bath things that I want to work through before I buy anymore. These are a great pre-bed-time bath product that really get you ready for a good nights sleep.

The Soap & Glory Mist You Madly Body Spray is something I've been really enjoying as a day-to-day fragrance that I'd wear to work and such. While I love my luxe perfumes they're just too expensive to be throwing on all the time so this has been great.

On my weekend trip to Ireland I knew I'd only need to be washing my hair once so I took one-use sachets of the R+Co Gemstone Colour Shampoo and Conditioner. I really enjoyed these and a full size of the shampoo in particular will be added to my stash soon.

A shampoo that I wasn't so keen on was the Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo. I got a sample size of this in a Birchbox a while back and it's just a bit too clarifying for me. A shampoo I'm definitely going back for is the Bumble And Bumble BB Hairdressers Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo. I love this shampoo as it leaves my hair clean but silky smooth.

Finally for hair I have a Co-Lab Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo in the Monaco scent. Now I really wanted to try some Co-Lab products but I think I made a duff choice as Ive heard a lot of people saying the extreme volume collection was once of their less-successful launches. I'd like to try one of the normal dry shampoos as this one left a white cast and made my hair feel really product-heavy and apparently, the regular ones don't do that - will check back on that one.

I have a few different bits of makeup to talk about this time around, first of all the Urban Decay Perversion Mascara and the Subversion Lash Primer. I loved the Perversion mascara as it was super black and made my lashes look lovely but for higher-end mascaras, I prefer the Clinique High Impact Mascara. The Subversion lash primer wasn't my favourite, but I don't normally get on with lash primers anyway.

Sadly my Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer in "Light 2 Vanilla" has come to an end. I love this concealer but I think I need there to be 1 shade light as Vanilla is a hair too dark for me. I've been using the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer more recently and that's a better shade match and it's very similar in formula. I've also gone through a whole bottle of Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in "N51 Light Vanilla". Again I loved the formula but the shade was a bit dark (come on brands! We pale folk need base products too!). Would repurchase if they brought out a lighter shade.

So now we're looking at my skincare empties and there's a whole lot of those this time too. Firstly we have a sample size of the Goldfaden MD Doctors Scrub. Not my favourite. I found this super harsh on my skin (it feels like it would be too much for my body, never mind my face), won't be using again. A sample size of the Bioderma Sébium H2O Micellar Solution has also found it's way into my empties bin. Again, not my favourite, I'd like to try the regular Bioderma micellar solutions but I preferred the Garnier one to this.

Another Yes To eye cream has been used up, this time it's the Yes To Carrots Moisturising Eye Cream. This is a lot creamier than the Yes To Cucumbers version but I don't think it was enough for me in terms of moisture. The skin under my eyes can get a bit dry at times and I need something a little more rich. I finally made my way through a whole bottle of the Superfacialist By Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. Already had a backup waiting once it started getting low. This is my favourite cleanser for makeup removal.

I've also finished off a whole Sarah Chapman Skinesis Intense Hydrating Booster. I did really enjoy this serum but for £59, it's a bit steep when for me, I like Indeed Lab Hydralyron just as much. The Sarah Chapman is a bit silkier and feels nicer going on as it's more liquid, but the indeed labs is less than half the price and give the same results for me.

And finally, we have two naughty skincare products. These products aren't in here because I used them to the end, they died on me. The Soap & Glory Off Your Face 3-in-1 Daily Purifying Cloths dried up before I could use all of them. I must admit I don't use face wipes very often but I don't expect them to dry up. And sadly, my REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial seems to have gone off. I went t use it the other day and it had gone completely liquid and there was no way of it staying on my face. This was one of my favourite masks but I'm not sure about it if you have to use the whole tube really. I think I've only had it for around 5 months? :(

My 2015 Beauty Fails

So last week we talked about my favourite products from 2015, but today's post isn't going to be so positive.I'm talking about the products that didn't work for me over 2015 today.Now just because they didn't work for me, doesn't mean they won't work for you so I'll give you the ins-and-outs of why I didn't like them, but I think it's just as important to let you know about the stuff that doesn't work as it is to let you know about the stuff that does. So lets get going.

I know that mascara is a super subjective makeup product, we all seem to like different ones for different reasons but I have a few that really missed the mark for me this year. First up we have the Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara, this just nothing for the length of my lashes and I like an all rounder, if you have long and thin lashes and you're just looking for volume, this might be a winner but I really didn't like it.

It's a similar story for the Beautenizer Fiberwig Mascara. This claims to be a "paint-on false lashes" mascara and it really wasn't for me. Again it was really nice for adding volume, but I didn't notice anything for length and I didn't appear to have anymore lashes than normal with this.

The Pür Volume Vixen mascara did absolutely nothing for me. No length, no volume, nothing. It's basically just a black tint for the lashes, so not impressed. And my final mascara fail was the Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes Mascara. The brush on this was bent beyond use and the formula did very little for me, I'll be sticking to my trusty Maxfactor favourite.

Some cream eyeshadows that I didn't get on with too well were the No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define. The colours are lovely and pigmented but they don't stay long enough without being topped with a shadow. It's a shame but if the formula creases in a couple of hours there's no point in having pretty colours. The New Look Pure Colour Eyeshadow Pencils are also really pants. The formula creases, the shades are super sheer, really disappointing.

The Lord & Berry Polish Eye Pencil in "5071 - Mirror Black" wasn't quite a fail but it wasn't my favourite. It applies nice and creamy and the lasting power is fair, but for a higher-priced eyeliner I much prefer the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners. Really, the formulas on the Rimmel Scandleyes Eyeliners and the Maybelline Master Drama Eyeliners are easily just as good if not better than the Lord & Berry ones.

For lip products that I really didn't get on with, the MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in "Atomic" was my least favourite of all the lip products I think I've ever tried. The colour was too overpowering, the formula was very dry and crusty and flaked off my (definitely not dry or cracked) lips. If you have dry lips at all stay away from these, and even if your lips are in good shape there is so much better out there.

The Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip was also a bit of a fail for me. It was a bit uneven on application, it faded in a really non-flattering matter and the shade I have "Cray-Cray" didn't do much for my complexion. Finally for lip products, we have an entry from By Terry.

Now not all of the By Terry Aqua Tint Lip & Cheek are awful, I have a creamy orange one that I really enjoy, but a while back I picked up a duo that contained a red shade and I really don't understand who would like it. It's a lovely shade of red but it's laced with gold glitter and it's just a liquid stain. So no matter where you use it on the face you get a natural red stain but with this unusual overlay of gold glitter that looks completely out of place. For the price of these it's just such a disappointment as I have no idea how to make it work for me.

Finally for makeup we have the Maybelline Dream Sun Bronzing Power With Blush. This is such a chalky powder and there's very little in the way in the way of colour pay off. The bronzer gives off a sheer dusting of a very warm shade and the blush literally gives you nothing. Disappointing as Maybelline has some face powders with a great creamy formula and great payoff and this isn't their normal standard.

I have two skincare fails. Both have been mentioned in posts before so I won't go on about them too much but the KIKO Hydrating Mask wasn't very hydrating on my skin and it irritated my eyes during use. And finally The Skin System Overnight Blemish Serum was just bad. For £2 I didn't waste too much money on this one but it's full of alcohol and so drying on the skin that it would just drink up all of the moisture in my skin completely.

My 2015 Hair, Bath and Body Favourites

So the final instalment of my 2015 beauty favourites is going to be focusing on all things hair, bath and body. If you've been keeping up with the rest of these posts you'll already know that these aren't "hall of fame" type posts, they're very much like the monthly favourites I post. But here we have it:

I've loved two shampoos pretty equally this year and both are from the L'Oreal Sulphate-Free range. The first one I liked was the Ever Pure and I've since moved on to the Ever Strong as it gives more volume but I love this range in general. Leaves your hair really clean but not stripped and is great for not making colour-treated hair fade too quickly.

My other hair favourite this year is the only styling product I've ever been faithful to: the Color Wow One Minute Transformation. I got this in a gift-with-purchase at a Space NK event back in February and I've loved it ever since. I literally use a tiny pee-sized amount in the roots of my hair to give some lift after straightening and it's great.

My favourite bath product of the year was a tough choice because I've used and loved so many this year, but when it came down to it the one I wouldn't want to be without it the Aromatherapy Associates Bath Oils. I've had the mini set for a while now and since some of the oils are getting pretty low I've recently invested in the slightly larger Ultimate Bath Jewels set that they had out this Christmas. They're just so relaxing in your bath.

For body scrubs I've tried some great ones towards the tail end of the year but my consistent favourite has been the Soap & Glory Pulp Friction. The scent on this is lovely and the scrubbie-particles are really exfoliating without being painful or irritating at all. The best thing about this is the formula though, the particles are suspended in a creamy formula that really clings to your skin and so it doesn't go everywhere and leave your bathroom a mess.

Last but not least we have the Soap & Glory Heel Genius Foot Cream. Smells like mint, feels great. You just apply a thin layer to your feet,pop on some socks and there you have it, silky smooth feet in no time. The tube recommends wearing it to bed but I can't sleep in socks so I just wear it under my socks around the house when I haven't got much on and I love it.

So my 2015 favourites series has come to an end, but check back on Monday to see what products I really didn't get on with through 2015.

My 2015 Skincare Favourites

2015 Favourites continues, and just like I did in my makeup favourites, this is more of a random picks that I've loved than a "Hall of Fame" type set up. I think skincare has taken over in the last few years as my favourite element of beauty so I own and test a lot of it but I have some definite favourites this year.

My cleansing favourite through the year has been the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. While in the very last week of the year I've found something that I think may top it (trust me, I'm just as surprised a regular readers) this has been with me all year and while I've been using it sparingly, it always makes my skin look amazing and the experience of using it is blissful. Will continue to use this in my rotation even if it does eventually fall of that top spot.

For makeup removal there is nothing more worth the money than the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil. The packaging is pants but the actual product inside is amazing. Removes makeup quicker than anything else out there. I do like traditional eye-makeup removers but I prefer this of any of them.

I feel a bit of a cheat for including 3 "cleansing" products in this round up, but for a convenient skincare product, the Garnier Micellar Water has been something of a lifesaver for me this year. It's not something I use daily and it's not something I recommend as your "cleanse" step. But in scenarios where you've got home late or your up early and your general tone is "can't be bothered" this is a great cheat. My skin won't look it's best if I use this as my only cleanser for a few days but for occasional use it's fine and I like to keep a bottle on hand for emergencies.

My facial spritz of the year has been the La Roche Posay Serozinc. I'm so happy that this product finally made it's way onto the UK high street and while there are more luxurious spritz's out there, this one is both the most effective and the most affordable. I love the calming spray and it does keep my break-outs a bay when I'm using it. It's one of those products that I keep in backup.

Best serum is an easy one: Indeed Labs Hydraluron. The Sarah Chapman Skinesis Hydrating Booster is pretty similar for effect but feels a bit nicer going on if you're feeling a bit spend-y or you're wanting a bit of a treat. But bang-for buck? Indeed Labs every time. I've repurchased multiple times. It's in the backup drawer. It's used at least 3 times a week. Absolute must-have. I always stock up when it's on offer in Boots.

For my moisturiser step, I flit between them all the time depending on how dry/oily my skin is, whether I'm wearing makeup ect. So rather than pick a favourite I'd just mention a few that have worked great for me over the last year: the MV Organics Rose Plus Booster, the Clarins Lotus Facial Oil, the N-Spa Oil-Free Moisture Gel, Sarah Chapman Overnight Facial, Omoravicza Illuminating Moisturiser and the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser. There's probably some that I've missed out but they've all been great for me in 2015.

Check back on Friday for the "Other Beauty Bumf" edition of the 2015 series. :)

My 2015 Makeup Favourites

So I've spent an awful lot of time trying to plan out how I wanted this post to look. It's my first annual favourites post and I wanted to make it informative and interesting, but also appropriate for where my collection sits right now - I've been doing this whole blogging thing for almost a year now, but I'm still no where near an expert.

I love the annual favourites where things are laid out as the best in a certain category but, realistically, there would be gaps where I don't have a "Holy Grail" type product. I also think that format works better for vloggers and could get a bit lengthy and dull via blog post. So with all that in mind, I figured I'd just run over the products this year that have wowed me. There's no rhyme or reason and there's no "Best of" type set up, this is just the things I've loved most this year. So lets get going.

While I'm not sure I need to mention the Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder, when I thought "what's the one product I would go straight out and repurchase if it was lost/stolen/etc?" that was the only permanent product that came to mind. There will more than likely be a day that I stop harping on about this product, but that day is not today. If you're oily/combination or have any patches on your face where you struggle with oil control (for me it's my T-zone) this powder is great. While it doesn't leave me completely touch-up free all day, it's the longest lasting product I've found so far.

Another base product I've adored this year is the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. I did begin the year with the Nars Creamy Radiance Concealer and that is very similar in texture. I just think the shade range is better on the Urban Decay and I was able to get a better skin-tone match with that one. Also, it's a tad cheaper than the Nars and the formulas are very comparable.

When I was thinking about coloured complexion products for this post, I got a bit stuck. I'm quite promiscuous when it comes to blush, bronzer and contour. I love my Nars One Shocking Moment Palette but I've still been using my L'Oreal True Match Blush and my Soap & Glory Solar Powder in rotation with it so it didn't quite make that top spot. Then I realised that whatever I'm contouring with, I always use the Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush. It's just the perfect shape for chiselling out some cheek bones.

For eyes I have two slightly different products. The Maybelline Master Drama Khol Eyeliner Pencil has made it into this list because, While I do still use my Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in "Perversion". I'm at the point where I'm just using it because I have it and it wasn't cheap. I think the Maybelline is just as good and won't be repurchasing the Urban Decay again once it runs out. (Although the colour selection on the UD is much better and I would still go to them for the out-there shades).

My other pick for eyes is one product where I thought "what's the one eyeshadow product that I'd be really upset to lose?" and it was the Nars Steven Klein Eyeshadow Single in "Stud". This would have been my "go straight out and repurchase" product had it not been a limited shade (please make it permanent Nars! We need more of this!). It's just the most beautiful, subtle but glitzy shade ever. It's a light bronze with a subtle almost greenish tone to it and then a super fine gold glitter running through it. The formula is lovely and creamy. It's stunning and I wear it constantly.

Finally, my least favourite decision of the whole post: the lip product. In this last year I've become somewhat of a lip product junkie so narrowing it down to a single product was quite tricky. In the end I just thought, "what have I reached for most throughout the whole year?" and from the very beginning of the year until the very end I'm sure it's got to have been the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Lipgloss in "Creation". Similarly to the Nars eyeshadow, it;s a neutral shade with something a little special. The formula is nice and comfortable, the colour is sheer but not too sheer and the shimmer to it is super pretty but also really fine and you can't feel it on the lips at all.

So there we have it, my makeup favourites for the year. Next up is skincare, see you on Wednesday!

December Favourites

So first things first: Happy New Year everyone! As you read this, I will be nursing a hangover and begging the boyfriend to make me tea and bacon butties for breakfast (there is nothing like a brew and a bacon sandwich to nurse a hangover).

So with December being over and done with, I figured it was time for my December Favourites. I've still chosen to do a December favourites as well as my 2015 favourites because there's some new stuff I've been loving this month that wouldn't make it into the yearly favourites and I don't want them to get missed out.

In the spirit of Christmas, I spent most of December sporting various shades of red and berry on my lips, and to compliment that I've been going for quite an understated, neutral eye and the Soap & Glory Lid Stuff Palette in "What's Nude" has been perfect for that. It has a matte cream, a matte dusty pink, a matte medium brown and a shimmery pinky-taupe shade. These do kick up quite a bit of fallout but they're easy to blend and the shades are so wearable.

Another product for the eyes that I've been reaching for a lot this month was the Clarins Instant Light Brush-On Perfector in the Shade "00" - the lightest shade. I've loved everything I've tried from the Clarins Instant Light range so far so I really need to go and pick up some more of it. This one is kind of like the YSL Touche Eclat but stepped up in terms of coverage. A great under-eye concealer that covers and brightens effectively.

On the topic of glow-givers an absolute steal of a product that I've loved this month is the Revolution Radiance Palette. This is one of their 3-shade highlighter palettes and they've been coined as being dupes for the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. Now I haven't tried any of the Hourglass powders yet to compare but the Revolution ones are really nice. I don't use the darker shade as I'm really pale but the far left shade works great as a face powder for me and the centre shade is my highlight of choice lately.

I've been cheating on my Dove Invisible Dry Deodorant with the Mitchum 48hr Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant. I tried a Mitchum spray-on in November and really liked it so I thought I'd give this one a go. It's not my favourite in terms of texture but it's more effective than the Dove, I think I'll have to experiment with which formula I prefer but this looks like a winner for me.

And finally, I have a confession to make. December has been a real lazy month for me. My skincare routine went completely out the window for a good week when the Christmas shopping blues hit me. Between working full time and Christmas stuff I wasn't getting an awful lot of sleep so I traded in my skincare routine for extra minutes in bed and just did a quick morning cleanse with the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. I wouldn't recommend using this all the time but for lazy days it's better than nothing.