Dramatic Halo Eye Make up | NYX Glitter Pigment Review

Glitter is having a little moment in the make up industry right now. From OTT glitter cut creases dominating instagram, to covering dark under eye bags with glitter and products like unicorn snot and space jam popping up all over the place it's difficult not to be drawn in. Unfortunately for me glitter, more specifically glitter pigment, has been something I haven't had a great deal of experience with as a make up artist - which is a shame because I'm a fan. So in the last month or so I have been taking steps and working to change that and decided to pick myself up a couple of purse friendly pigments by my new high street fave, NYX cosmetics.

Unfortunately I still had to purchase these online, as my local Boots stores were either consistently out of stock or simply don't take them in very often. None the less I persevered and sucked up the 3 day delivery and I was granted my glittery wishes.

I decided to pick up 3 pretty subdued, more metallic shades, Vegas BABY! (which is a subtle sandy gold colour with hints of silver) Old Hollywood (a true gold) and Magnetic (a true metallic silver shade) All of them come in pretty small, dinky tubs (0.04oz), I'll be honest I was expecting more for £5.50 per pot but no matter I'm hoping these will last a good while.

I decided to give these a bash with a smokey, halo eye one day when I was having a practice with some new products and I decided to reach specifically for Vegas BABY! to help give me that brightness in the middle of my lid as is expected of a halo eye.

The pot looks a little like a salt shaker so I shook some of the product into the lid, which admittedly was not easy and it took a good few shakes to get out a decent amount of product, I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong but I couldn't get the lid off entirely at all! I then went in with a rounded, synthetic fibre brush with a little of NYX's Glitter Primer on it, picked up and packed the product on to the middle of my lid. It didn't take very much to achieve the effect I was after - the pigments are relatively fine so there wasn't a great deal of fall out and I was very impressed with the colour pay off!

The next time I use these I will instead be reaching for some of my setting spray or MAC Fix+ as I feel it may be a bit easier to pick up the product and pack it on using a slightly fluffier brush - though this is more of a criticism of the glitter primer than anything else. As I mentioned I am still disappointed in the size of the tubs, they will go nicely in my collection and not take up very much space however I still expected a bit more, and of course I don't very much like the salt shaker type lid - I would far rather have the option to take the entire lid off and spoon the product out for something quicker and easier.

If you are looking for a more purse friendly pigment than the likes of MAC, LA Splash or Illamasqua then head over to your local NYX counter and give these a bash - once you get the product out they are great to work with and the colours they offer are amazing!

Be sure to leave any comments or suggestions in the box below, otherwise you can catch me on the usual channels, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook for more make up artistry by me and more of everything else on Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

Too Faced | Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette Review

Am I a bit late to the party? Probably, but then again aren't I always? Today I just wanted to share with you my new fave, my new bae if you will, who I picked up during my recent travels and jaunt to Sephora which I have literally been using to make up my face every day (every day I leave the house) and that is the Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar palette.

Having previously been a hardcore advocate of MAC eyeshadow palettes and investing quite a deal of time and money in them I just have to say, don't waste your damn time! (What a 360 right?) Too Faced, as the rest of the world undoubtedly knows by now, are well known for their melted liquid lipsticks and their eyeshadow palettes who famously smell as they are named, in this case rich chocolatey goodness which just makes playing with make up that much sweeter.

The semi sweet palette is a slightly deeper and richer version of Too Faced's ever popular chocolate bar palette and contains a range of finishes such as glitter, shimmer and matte shades which can help you create a wide range of looks just from a handful of colours, whether you're into natural, barely there make up, or dramatic, bold, draggy styles (like me!). The colours are all named after sweets of some form or description and so far my favourite 'go to' shades for every day have been peanut butter, mousse and puddin' but their shimmer shades caramel and bon bon are GORGEOUS. The colours are all highly pigmented and easy to apply which is a must for me as one of my peeves is eyeshadow you really have to work into the brush! 

I do plan on purchasing more Too Faced shadow palettes in future, namely their newest Sweet Peach range which looks great and light for the summer time (and I also hear smells divine) You can pick up Too Faced products at Sephora, however if you can't afford the plane fare I know you can get your hands on them in select Debenhams stores.

Hopefully you have enjoyed this super quick, super snappy and super sweet review of the Too Faced Semi Sweet palette, I'd love to hear just what you think of their products in the comments below, Tweet over your recommendations for other shadow brands or of course if you'd just like to see how I've been using the palette head over to my Instagram and Facebook page.

Until next time, feelin' sweet!

H.Elizabeth x