review

Colourpop x Animal Crossing Collection Review

10th Apr 2021Hollie EdmeadesLeave a comment

I got my Switch last Summer with the sole intention of playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I, like many others my age, grew up playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf on my Nintendo DS. I couldn’t get enough of working for slum lord Tom Nook (although he does have an incredibly generous payment plan, always grateful for that lack of interest). So of course when I saw this collection’s reveal on 16th Jan and immediately set a reminder for the launch date in case I wanted to indulge, spoiler alert: I did. Keep reading to see what I picked up and what I thought of the products.

Quick disclaimer: I meant to write and post this review months ago but since moving my blog has been put on the back burner! At least this way I’ve had more time to use the products and see how they performed 😀

Nook, Inc. Palette

This is the product I was most excited for, I don’t have many green shadows and the shadows I’d previously tried from Colourpop had been fab. I was a little apprehensive though as sometimes these collaborations can be of a lower standard to their main line. But I didn’t need to worry, these perform really nicely and the shades are lovely.

The palette contains 4 different formulas, from top left to bottom right: Yes.. Yes! is a mint green shimmer, Made In The Shade is a matte with micro-glitters, CEO is a pressed glitter, and Water Landing is a dark teal matte.

My favourite shade in the palette is Made In The Shade which really surprised me because mattes with micro-glitters are usually a pet peeve of mine. Despite this the shade blends really nicely (the micro glitter likely helped with this!) and the colour pay off is still nice without being overpowered by glitter, also the shade is gorgeous! If there’s one thing I would change it’s the formula of CEO, I wish it was super foiled rather than a pressed glitter, but if you put the effort in it’s still really pretty.

Flower Tender Blush

I’ve always wanted to try Colourpop’s blush formula and I was willing to spend a little on this collection, so that combination meant I had to pick one up! Flower Tender is a really pretty peachy pink shade with a little bit of shimmer running through it. I wasn’t super pleased when I saw the glitter but it actually just shows up as a subtle glow which is really lovely.

I was also really pleasantly surprised how well this paired with the eyeshadow palette, I was worried it would be too pink and overpowering but I found that they play off each other really well. Pink and green are a surprisingly fab combo!

Fruit Roots Just A Tint Duo

I actually split this set with my sister so I just have the shade Orange Cutie from the duo. This is another formula that I hadn’t tried before and I thought it would be a nice low maintenance product. Also if I was going to try it I thought going for something cute from this collection was a good opportunity. That’s kind of the common theme running through this post tbh!

I got pretty much what I expected from this formula: it’s a nice hydrating wash of colour that has next to no staying power but I don’t mind that too much. Anything with the word ‘Tint’ in the product name isn’t meant to last all day so as long as it gets a tick in the comfort box I’m happy.

Since I split this set with my sister I thought I’d better get her thoughts as well:

“I like it, it’s good for me.” A glowing endorsement.

Balloon Pop Super Shock Shadow

I’ve raved about the Super Shock formula before – not a particularly hot take but nonetheless true! – and Balloon Pop performed just as well as the shades in Colourpop’s main line. Unfortunately this product did come shattered but the good thing about the Super Shock formula is how easily it can be pressed back into shape. It still looks a little funky in the pot but it performs really well!

This shade is described on the website as “icy peachy pink with hot pink and icy silver pinpoints” but I would definitely say it has a bronzy undertone running through it as well. It’s a really unique shade, I wouldn’t think to describe it as icy but I also wouldn’t say it’s a particularly warm shade either. The pink and bronze tones play together really nicely to create a very versatile and unique shade. I often wear it swept on my lid when I want a three second eye look that looks polished. I’ve gotten even more use out of this than I expected to.

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Featuring: Nook, Inc. Palette, Flower Tender Blush and Orange Cutie from the Fruit Roots duo

Overall I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the products in this collection! For the most part I think the quality of them would sit well alongside Colourpop’s main line of products.

Colourpop are notorious for making great quality makeup for a brilliant price tag – only $7 for Balloon Pop feels like a steal! It’s part of the reason I was so determined to pick up some pieces from this collection, I knew there was a good to great chance that these products would not only be fab little collectors items but would make their way into my everyday makeup bag – and they have! Balloon Pop is a staple that could take me from day tonight and the Nook, Inc. Palette is my current go to for when I want some colour.

I also feel like I need to mention how perfect the packaging is, Colourpop always put a lot of effort into the packaging of their collaboration collections and I really appreciate it particularly with a collection that I was so excited for. I mean, the Balloon Pop Super Shock actually came in a box designed like a present, I love that!

This collection is still available online and I would definitely recommend that you pick something up if it’s something you’ve been looking at. There are another three palettes to choose from if you’re not into green and two more Just A Tint duos, a more reddy-pink set and a neutral with a vampy purple pairing, check the website for the full collection!

VIEVE: My New Muse

10th Jan 202116th Jan 2021Hollie Edmeades1 Comment

VIEVE burst into the beauty world at the end of 2020 and I’m just as excited about them now as I was when the brand first launched. VIEVE has fast become one of my favourite makeup brands and one that I am constantly keeping and eye on to see when new products are set to drop. The aesthetic is classic but I think it stands out in the market and the heart at the centre of VIEVE is clear.

They launched with the small but beautiful Essentials Collection containing lipsticks, lip liners highlighters and an eyeshadow palette alongside two makeup bags. I restrained purchasing for a few weeks, watched the reviews roll in and eventually bought my first VIEVE products at the end of November. The price point is mostly on par with other high end brands, similar to Anastasia Beverly Hills and Urban Decay, which I think generally matches the quality of the products and packaging.

The Nova Glow Highlighters

I surprised even myself when a highlighter was the first product I bought from VIEVE. I’ve been going off highlighter recently seeing it as brilliant for a night out but not so much for everyday, and considering I haven’t had many nights out recently I had been passing over my highlighter brush. But after seeing the reviews I thought this highlighter could be the one for me, and I was right.

I bought Holy Chic, the middle shade of the three available, and love the way it looks on my skin. It can be built up to be blinding as anything, but it’s also super easy to get that nice lit-from-within glow which is my favourite way to wear any highlighter. Even if we ignored the perfect shade and balance of glitter and shine, he best thing about this highlighter is the lack of cast – so when you turn your face away from the light you wouldn’t know it was there – and it really helps to give that golden hour glow.

It is worth mentioning that each highlighter costs £27 which is comparable to lots of high end brands. I did slightly choke at the price when I first saw it particularly because you can get very good highlighters for much less but I have absolutely no complaints and don’t regret paying that much for it!

The Essential Palette

A neutral palette was always on the cards from Jamie, but despite that this didn’t set my imagination alight immediately. Eventually I asked for this for Christmas, again after seeing the performance reviews, and I’m really glad I did. The quality was never in doubt for me but only after using this a few times have I seen the versatility in it.

The first thing that hits you when you get this palette in your hands is how enormous the pans are! You get 31g of product in total, that’s 3.1g per pan and for comparison Huda Beauty’s Obsession Palettes give you 0.9g/pan and a Naked Palettes come in at 0.95g/pan. This is great to see, especially considering the price of the the palette is £43, but personally it doesn’t bother me too much because I don’t buy palettes with the intent of using them everyday until it runs out. I like trying out new things and having fun with my makeup rather than buying totally for practicality but if that is how you buy makeup then it’s a big plus for you! Personally, it’s a nice feature rather than a make or break.

The colour scheme of this palette is neutral but in no way boring. The shade Lavarock makes this palette really special for me, it is described as a warm brown but the purple tint makes it look cooler toned to me. I think it adds another dimension to the palette but plays so nicely with the rest of the warm shades. I find all of the shades pigmented and easy to work with, the mattes are creamy and shimmers impactful. The palette is a joy to use.

The Modern Matte Lipsticks

The Modern Matte Lipsticks are the standout VIEVE product for me (which is saying a lot!). I thought my matte lipstick days were behind me, I love the sophisticated look of a matte lip but cannot abide the Sahara Desert feeling that accompanies it. I cannot emphasise how comfortable these are to wear, they don’t last through eating but I would rather apply this multiple times a day than spend 10 minutes wearing a drying matte lipstick.

The two shades I have are Power Suit, which I received for Christmas, and Vieve, which I bought myself on Boxing Day after being totally converted to the formula after one day’s wear. Power Suit is a burnt orange that makes a statement without being high maintenance and Vieve is the perfect pale nude, it can look a little bit concealer-lips if I don’t use a darker liner with this one but I love the effect it gives when I do.

The formula and shades of the Modern Matte lipsticks are perfect, there are 5 shades in total, all nudes, and I’m trying to restrain from buying them all (I don’t need them, I don’t need them…). The lipsticks come in at £19 each and are worth Every. Single. Penny. They also have my favourite packaging of all of the products with the sleek black and gold, magnetic closure and VIEVE embossed onto the bullet. No complaints, never change these ❤

The Modern Lip Definers

At first, I didn’t think I could justify buying a lipliner. They cost £15 each and lipliners are notoriously easy to get for a third of that price, but again I have to say I love these. They are the perfect mix of pigmented and creamy but they don’t feel like they’re going to slide off! I have the shade Velvet Sands and its a perfect my-lips-but-better shade and goes well with all of my nude lipsticks.

I’m still unsure if I can justify the price tag of these, but I am eyeing up the shades Brat and Rumour… so if I fancy treating myself then they may end up in my basket!

The Essential+ Makeup Bag

There’s not a huge amount to say about a makeup bag, but I am really pleased I bought this! It was £25 so not inexpensive but it is quite big and the perfect size for keeping my everyday face in. The PU leather and PVC top gives it a really nice look, super happy with this!

As you can tell I’m a huge fan of VIEVE and think the quality of products is outstanding, I really don’t have any faults to point out. It’s rare that jumping straight in and buying new makeup, particularly from a new brand, is the right decision for me, but VIEVE’s current products have given me confidence in the brand and if the future launches peak my interest I’ll definitely give them a go. Speaking of new launches, what could be next? Personally I would love to see a colourful palette from VIEVE as well as a bronzer and maybe some lashes further down the line! I think Jamie would absolutely smash these and I can’t wait to see them, I’m sure they’re coming!

Colourpop Haul and Review

3rd Dec 20203rd Dec 2020Hollie Edmeades5 Comments

I’ve been wanting to try out Colourpop for years but I never pulled the trigger on my orders because of the threat of customs and extortionate shipping fees. All the way back in March I decided that was the day I would bite the bullet and go for it, but about two days later the world fell apart and my order was indefinitely delayed. Of course there were and still are much bigger issues to deal with, but finally getting this order was the tiny cherry on the total shambles of a cake that was lockdown. Finally, here we are with a nice little order and my thoughts on the products! Keep reading to find out my experience with the ordering process, shipping time and what I think of the products.

Ordering and Shipping

I made my first order after much deliberation on 17th March and eventually cancelled it and got my money back around 10 days later once it seemed inevitable that my package wasn’t arriving anytime soon due to Coronavirus restrictions. I contacted customer support a few times over the 3/4 months that I was ordering, cancelling and reordering and they always replied promptly, I think within about 48 hours each time.

I eventually reordered in July after emailing and finding out that they had resumed shipping from their warehouses. My order came to $81.40 which included shipping and customs at $14.40 and a $5 discount code. I ordered 8 items which came to $72 (-$5 discount) which I think is good value so long as the products are good quality and I wanted to order a good amount to make the shipping worth it!

On shipping: it seems expensive but I don’t think $14 is too bad considering it includes customs too, so there were no nasty surprises when it arrived! I ordered on 9th July and it arrived on the 17th so pretty fast delivery all things considered.

(Full disclosure: yes I have been using these products for a full 5 months and have only just got around to writing about them… I really have no excuse but 2020 is a write off okay, cut me some slack!)

The Products

As I mentioned, I ordered 8 products totalling $72. There is 1 product that I haven’t used: a lipstick I got for my sister as a birthday present – fairly self-explanatory why I haven’t used it! I’ve tried out the rest of the products for a good while now (understatement of the year) so I’ve got a good idea about how I feel about them.

Super Shock Shadows ~ $6 each

I couldn’t have ordered from Colourpop without trying out their Super Shock formula. This was Colourpop’s cult product line when they first launched and I’m so happy that it lived up to the hype. The cream-to-powder formula is totally unique to me and applies beautifully with your finger.

I wore this shade ritz almost every single day for the first few months I got it because it gives this amazing wet look glittery shimmer on the eyes. It’s low maintenance but super impactful and perfect for summer or for that extra special something when you’re wanting to dress up.

I also ordered the shade slave2pink a super bright and shimmery hot pink. This looks great all over the eyes either in a really structured shape or more blown-out and relaxed. I really liked these and am glad I took the plunge and ordered, even for Ritz on its own! I would order some more super shock shadows if I saw a really unique shade that I thought I would get a lot of use out of. Top tip though, make sure you really close the packaging tight on any Super Shock formulas, apparently they can dry out if you don’t!

Super Shock Highlighter in Flexitarian ~ $8

Another Super Shock formula but this time I can put it allll over my face. This shade flexitarian is so incredibly metallic but definitely works for everyday, just don’t pile it on unless you’re going for the robot look. I apply this with my finger as well because of the creamy formula and I think the warmth from my fingers helps to blend it out. I love that this shade doesn’t leave a cast when I turn my face, it melts into the skin and shines in the light. Another one that I’ve been using everyday!

In A Trance Shadow Palette ~ $12

I’d been looking for a pastel eyeshadow palette for a long time so when I saw this as part of Colourpop’s Tye Dye collection I thought it was the perfect palette to try out. Being pastel shades these were always going to take some building up but they’re much more pigmented than I expected and they blend nicely too. The only thing I’m not super happy about is that some of the mattes are flecked with microglitters, for example that bright pink shade in the top right should be a stunning, summery matte but instead has glitter running throughout. It’s not a deal breaker but I don’t understand why they couldn’t leave this shade matte! This is a common theme with Colourpop shadows so just something to watch out for.

Beast Lux Liquid Lip

I’ve gone off matte liquid lipsticks in a big way, they’re generally drying, uncomfortable and just look bad within half an hour of wear. Having said that… Belle is my favourite Disney princess… so I think that explains why Beast ended up in my basket! Seriously though I did love the colour on the website, it’s a nice darker nude but still wearable. More importantly it is pretty comfortable. It never seems to totally dry down but it still has a soft matte finish so it wasn’t drying at all, as a result of that I did find that the colour wore off when I ate or drank anything but I would prefer to reapply than feel uncomfortable! Similar to the Super Shock Shadows, I would buy another shade from this range if it was incredibly unique but it’s not a new go to formula for me.

Aquarius Lippie Stix

Another classic Colourpop product, I was super excited to try the Lippie Stix. A low maintenance lipstick, the glossy, slim product seemed like a perfect ‘throw in your handbag’ product. It is incredibly comfortable, almost like a lip balm or non-sticky gloss, but for me it does emphasise the texture on my lips so you can tell if I haven’t exfoliated. I’ll definitely use this one with other products but I don’t think I’ll buy another shade in this formula.

Forth Ray Beauty Raydiate Vitamin C Serum

I’ve heard good things about Colourpop’s skincare line Forth Ray Beauty so was excited to try out something from the line. I needed a new vitamin C serum and had heard that it was a cheaper alternative but still just as good as high end vitamin C serums. I do like this one but I can’t notice a massive difference in my skin, it doesn’t tingle or sting which is great but I’m not convinced that it does a great deal… it does make my skin look glowy but no different to my Glossier vitamin C serum. Again, I like it, I’ll use it all up and enjoy using it but I’m not seeing massive results. Then again it’s not breaking me out so that’s a plus!

My favourite products are definitely the Super Shock Shadows and the In A Trance palette, and even if some of the products aren’t new favourites I’m not discouraged from trying more from Colourpop, in fact I can’t wait to try more!

Glossier Haul and Review

7th Jul 20206th Jul 2020Hollie EdmeadesLeave a comment

Glossier is one of my favourite brands, I love the aesthetic and the products that I’ve already tried so I really wanted to try some more. I’ve been trying to save in lockdown and it was my birthday recently so that perfect storm (nice pun, kind of… sorry) led to a sizeable order! I’ve been trying these out for the last month or so and (spoiler alert) am loving it all! Keep reading to see my thoughts.

Cloud Paint Duo in Puff and Storm

I’ve already tried one cloud paint in the shade Dusk and I love it! Dusk is a really wearable nudey pink shade so I wanted to try something a little bolder, and bold is definitely the word for the colours I chose! Puff is a super light pink shade and Storm is a much darker dusty rose shade. Although somewhat intimidating, the creamy formula means that these shades blend seamlessly and give a perfect, low-maintenance flush to the cheeks. The best way to apply these is with your fingers to let their natural warmth blend the product in. I love all three shades, particularly storm blended together with dusk, such a dreamy combo!

Niteshine in Pale Pearl

If you had told me before I tried this product that Glossier had a wet-look, metallic highlighter in their collection I would have laughed because of their super natural aesthetic. And yet, that’s exactly what Niteshine is: wet-looking and metallic on the skin for a stay-all-day shine. Part of the Glossier Play line, Niteshine is a fun pop of sheen to add some luminosity to your everyday makeup. Again, this blends seamlessly with the fingers and adds such a pop to the highpoints of the face without being obnoxious.

Wowder Duo

When Wowder launched I didn’t hear much about it, good or bad. It was only after one of my favourite influencers talked about how much she loved it, second only to her Hourglass powder, and since Hourglass is a little out of my price range I decided to try Wowder instead! I really like this as it doesn’t look too powdery on the face and sets me down all day. The brush is also really nice, not an essential by any means but still nice to have!

The Treat and Perfect Duo

The Treat + Perfect Duo has been a great addition to my skincare routine. The Solution has become my everyday toner but I only use it at night and am sure to wear suncream the next day because the acids make your skin very sensitive to the sun. Having said that, I’ve experienced no irritation and my skin has been baby soft ever since I started using it. My texture has definitely reduced if not totally vanished and my skin feels brand new every morning. I’ve (touch wood) not had a big break out yet so the Zit Stick is yet to be put through it’s paces but in all honesty I’m happy to wait a while longer before I need to use it!

I hope that was in some way helpful if you’re looking to make a Glossier order, equally I’m sorry if I’ve made you want to make a Glossier order! Although if you are looking to try some new things and you fancy some everyday makeup bits to enhance your natural gorgeousness, Glossier is a great option. Maybe you’ll thank me later? Thank you for reading x

Review: Essence Lash Princess Mascara

22nd Apr 201922nd Apr 2019Hollie EdmeadesLeave a comment

£3.30 for a fab mascara? Yes please!

This is not a particularly new mascara but I saw it the other day in Wilko and decided to pick it up. I’d already heard great things about it and when I saw the price I couldn’t say no! Keep on reading to see my thoughts.

I’ve not tried much from essence in the past apart from one of their blushes (which I’m a big fan of btw!) but I had heard good things about the brand in general. In short, I’d heard they offer good quality makeup at a very low price and I think this mascara proves that to be true!

I’ve tried this a few times over the past few days and I’m really impressed with how it manages to give me great volume, length and separation. The formula is quite wet but this will dry out within a few weeks which should make it slightly easier to work with, until it gets too dry and it’s time to chuck it away (and most likely run out and buy another one). The look it gives reminds me somewhat of the L’oreal Unlimited Mascara, however that one comes in at £11 whereas Essence’s Lash Princess Mascara costs only £3.30, less than a third of the price! Ngl, I’m not sure what you’re still doing here and why you haven’t run out and bought yourself one!

Just a quick one today but I hope you enjoyed this mini review, don’t forget to like, share and subscribe and follow me on instagram so you know when I post first.

Hollie x

Hollie Edmeades

– Beauty – Fashion – Lifestyle –

Colourpop x Animal Crossing Collection Review

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