Urban Decay Full Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette Review With Swatches

Colourful eye make up is one of my favourite vices in life, and it has been almost from the moment I began wearing make up aged eleven. While most people favour neutral shades like taupe, tan, and chocolate, I prefer and feel most comfortable wearing colourful make up, and love to wear the whole rainbow. Greens, yellows, purples... the more colourful the better!

So, naturally, when I first saw photos of the Urban Decay Full Spectrum palette ahead of its release late last Autumn, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets with excitement. I knew I had to have it, so I stalked the Internet until it became available, and snapped one up the morning it went on sale. There was no way I was risking missing out on it by biding my time, especially as I'd missed out on the Spectrum palette the year before, no siree. I couldn't check out fast enough. I'm glad to say, when it arrived a few days later, the love was instantaneous, and we both lived happily ever after. I've been meaning to blog a review of the palette ever since, but for some reason it's taken until now to put finger to key. Better late than never, though, right?

So, the Urban Decay Full Spectrum palette is Urban Decay's biggest, and most colourful eyeshadow palette yet, and it's the palette my rainbow-coloured dreams are made of. It features twenty-one eyeshadow shades covering the whole spectrum of the rainbow, from bold brights to matte white, bringing you all the colour options you could possibly need in one handy monochrome palette. It's quite simply a colour addict's dream.

The palette includes eighteen new shades, and three exclusives that have appeared in previous palettes, Alchemy from Vice 3, and Hatter and Metamorphosis from the Alice Through The Looking Glass palette, giving Urban Decay fans plenty of new shades to play with, and another chance to own some exclusives you may have missed out on first time around. I was so excited to see Hatter was included in Full Spectrum because I never managed to get my hands on the Looking Glass palette, but had been admiring that gorgeous vibrant green shadow from afar for ages; it's so beautiful and definitely one of my favourites of the twenty-one. Alchemy has become another firm favourite, so I'm happy to have a few recycled shades amongst the eighteen brand new colours. The eyeshadows also come in a variety of finishes, including mattes, shimmers, pearls, and metallics, and with so much variety, you're never going to run out of options with Full Spectrum.

The eyeshadows are conveniently arranged in a rainbow of ombré trios which are designed to be worn together for flawless results, so if you usually have difficulty pairing shadows together, you'll find colour-matching shades a breeze with this palette.

Of course, you aren't limited to wearing the same seven trios; you could wear a single shadow for a bold pop of colour, choose colours from one of the three colour groups, or mix and match to your heart's delight. You could even layer the white shadow under the other shades to make the colours even more vibrant! The possibilities are endless. Really, you're only limited by your imagination and willingness to experiment.

The shades included in the set are:

♥ Alchemy- a deep fuchsia satin.

♥ Gossip- a bright metallic pink with subtle floating pearl.

♥ Paranoia- a soft metallic blue-pink.

♥ Warning- a deep metallic copper.

♥ Seize- a bright metallic coral with subtle floating pearl.

♥ Jones- a metallic orange with subtle floating pearl.

♥ Midnight Blaze- a black matte with yellow-gold pearl.

♥ Calavera- a bright yellow matte with subtle floating pearl.

♥ Goldmine- a metallic yellow-gold.

♥ Hundred- a deep metallic forest-green.

♥ Hatter- a vibrant green with tonal micro-sparkle.

♥ Mean- a bright metallic lime green.

♥ Minx- a deep navy matte with floating tonal pearl.

♥ Blindsided- a bright teal blue matte with floating pearl.

♥ Metamorphosis- a vibrant periwinkle blue with micro-sparkle.

♥ Delirious- a deep plum matte with subtle floating pearl.

♥ Sketch- a metallic medium purple.

♥ Faded- a lavender with gold shimmer.

♥ Platonic- a black matte with iridescent glitter.

♥ Iced- an oyster silver with shimmer.

♥ Bump- a white matte.

I've swatched all twenty-one shades on the underside of my arm in palette order to show you how gorgeous, vibrant, and well pigmented they look on the skin.

Top Row

Middle Row

Bottom Row

It's difficult to choose favourites because they're all so beautiful, but right now I think I'm leaning towards Mean, Hatter, Goldmine, Gossip, and Seize. The shades are all to die for! Evidently, I love a good metallic. There isn't a shade I don't love in the palette, although Bump, the matte white, and Iced, the oyster silver, get a little lost on my super pale skin, and are best layered over other colours, or for highlighting the inner sockets.

Now, you may be looking at this palette feeling a little intimidated by all of that colour, but this palette really isn't as loud and as scary as it may look. Yes, it is a very colourful collection of eyeshadows, but only a handful of them are bold brights- the ones in the middle row- and they can be toned down with a blending brush, or used sparingly if you prefer. The shadows along the top are darker, smokey shades that could be a fun alternative to a black or navy smokey eye, and the eyeshadows in the bottom row are a little softer, and a little more subtle than those in the row above. You can create all kinds of look with this palette, and not just 'scary' rainbow bright ones; it's a surprisingly versatile palette. You can always start by experimenting with the softer and darker shades and work up to those striking brights once you're built up your confidence. For those of you who are already confident with colour, just you try to resist those brights! I promise you, it can't be done! This is the make up equivalent of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory!

Each eyeshadow in the palette is infused with Urban Decay's Pigment Infusion System, which is the propriety blend of ingredients which gives each Urban Decay eyeshadow its amazing velvety texture, rich colour, serious staying power, and blendability. It certainly delivers what it promises; the eyeshadows are highly pigmented with fantastic colour pay-off, so you only need to use a little product to get gorgeous, vibrant results that stand out on the skin and make your eyes pop. Most of the shades aren't quite as bold as those in the Electric palette, but they're still more vivid than most. The shadows have a wonderfully thick formula that really do feel like velvet on the skin, and as usual, the quality is amazing. There's none of that chalkiness you often get with colourful eyeshadows, with the exception of the white shadow 'Bump', which I find a little crumblier. 

I have to say, I'm so impressed with the results I get from these eyeshadows. They're vibrant, they blend so beautifully, and they even last a good eight or nine hours on my skin without sliding off and needing retouching- which is pretty darn impressive because I'm constantly overheated thanks to fibromyalgia, and most make up slides off my face when I overheat.

They also come off easily with both cleansing wipes and micellar water, although a couple of the brights, including Blindsided and Sketch, leave some staining on the skin that can take a day or so to fade. I'd advise wearing a good primer underneath, and perhaps avoiding these shades a couple of days before an important event or if you want to brave the world fresh-faced the next day.

Moving on to the packaging, the eyeshadows are packaged in a large, hard black plastic case with tonal spectrum-like lines running from left to right on the top and sides of the palette, with a statement rainbow faceted UD jewel embellishing the top. While the case is heavy and sturdy, I personally think it looks and feels rather cheap, and doesn't follow the same quality and tastefullness as other Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes. I know some beauty bloggers have been raving about how much they love it, but the packaging for Full Spectrum just doesn't wow me. It also scratches really easily, as you can see by all the tiny white dust-like marks around the branding.

Once I open the lid, however, my feelings warm again. The black of the palette really makes the colours of the eyeshadows pop, and being the colour addict that I am, I always get the urge to dive right in and paint my eyelids with all of those beautiful colours.

The palette's huge square mirror makes creating any look super easy and convenient. It's actually large enough to see your whole face in, which is fantastic, and quite unusual for an eyeshadow palette. Other make up brands take note; most of us want to see our whole faces when we're doing our make up! Put big mirrors like this one in your palettes, please!

Full Spectrum also comes with a full-sized, double-ended, crease and eyeshadow brush, which I expected to be a fantastic tool as Urban Decay's make up brushes are usually incredible, but unfortunately, I'm left disappointed. Neither the crease brush or the eyeshadow brush picks up or packs on much product; so it's pretty much useless for everything but blending. I have to use other brushes in my collection to get the results I'm looking for, which is a shame, but not really an issue for me as I own a good collection of good quality make up brushes already. Please don't let the brush put you off this palette, though; it's still worth it's weight in gold! The brush is the only thing I can really fault with this amazing palette!

All in all, I'm well and truly impressed with the Full Spectrum eyeshadow palette. The shades are all gorgeous and highly pigmented, the formula is wonderful, they've got serious staying power, and they look amazing on my eyelids. What more could a girl ask for? The eyeshadows are honestly some of the best, and most beautiful colourful eyeshadows I've ever used.

It's the ultimate colourful eyeshadow palette for anybody who loves colourful eye make up and for anybody who wants to start experimenting with it. There is so much you can get out of this palette, and those of you with amazing make up skills will be able to create the most wonderful, elaborate, vibrant looks with it. It's a colour junkie's dream! Sure, it's not for everybody, but if you love colourful make up, trust me; you need this palette in your life! Step aside from the Naked palettes and give Full Spectrum a try; I promise you won't regret it- I sure haven't!

Full Spectrum is available now from Urban Decay and all good department stores, priced at £43. Snap one up before it goes!

Are you a fan of colourful make up, or do you prefer to play it safe with neutrals?

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Urban Decay Electric Eyeshadow Palette Review 

Urban Decay Kush Eyeshadow Review

For years, ladies everywhere have been raving about Urban Decay's eyeshadows, and with good reason- they're some of the best in the beauty world. We most commonly hear bloggers and beauty fans alike raving about the range of beautiful Naked palettes, and while they are amazing, my heart lies with their colourful eye make up. I don't think it's given the attention it deserves.

Sure, the vibrant Electric palette, which is full of amazing colourful eyeshadows got some love earlier this year (read my review of it here), but you don't often read about their single eyeshadows.

One in particular has won my heart; an eyeshadow in a stunning shade of green somewhere between emerald and kelly. Its name is "Kush".

I discovered it last December, drawn to the gorgeous shade which looked similar to an old favourite of mine. It looked like the perfect replacement for that retired shadow, and I couldn't leave the shop without it.

It was my first taste of Urban Decay, and it turned out to be even better than I'd anticipated. It quickly earned the title of "my favourite eyeshadow" the first time I wore it, and ten months later, I now wear it more than all the others I own- combined!

I was instantly impressed by the colour-pay off, and that's what won me over; bold colour is exactly what I look for in an eyeshadow. Urban Decay's eyeshadows feature a pigment infusion system, which help the colour hold tightly to pigment, resulting in beautiful, rich, vibrant colours. Colours that make this colour junkie happy. and some of the best colourful eyeshadows I've ever seen!

Rewinding a little to application, I find that Kush glides on easily, and a little goes a long way; I only need to use a little to achieve an even, opaque layer. It's also highly blendable, making it super easy to create a variety of flawless looks. It remains bold all day (or night!), without creasing, even without a primer, and it stays in place for a good ten hours on my lids without fading! It's rare that I need to touch it up throughout the day.

The shadow also has a lovely soft texture and feels like velvet against my skin; I can feel the quality on my eyelids every time I wear it. I've never worn such a high-quality eyeshadow in all the years I've been wearing make up; high end or drug store, In my opinion, Urban Decay eye make up is the best in the beauty world, far greater than others I've owned from brands such as Mac, Clinique, Estée Lauder, and even my other favourite brand, Inglot. They're simply amazing!

I think Kush looks quite striking against my dark eyes and pale skin. It's a cliché, but it really makes my eyes pop.,, but I say that about most green eyeshadows. They're my favourite colours to wear. I think this shade of green would suit almost all eye colours, skin tones, and hair colours, whether you're fair or dark, or somewhere in between. You can wear it on its own with a couple of coats of black mascara for a simple look, or team it with a variety of shadows and liners for something a little more striking.

Photo of me wearing Kush last Christmas, with the Heavy Metal glitter liner in Stagedive. Excuse the blotchy face!

They retail for around £14 for a 1.5g pot, which isn't bad for a high-end eyeshadow. It's quite a large pan, about the size of a £2 coin, so you get a lot for your money, especially as a little of it goes a long way.

You can find it on Urban Decay's website here, but if green isn't your thing, there are 67 other colours to choose from! I have my eye on several other shades, which I'm sure I'll slowly add to my collection over time. In the mean time, I'm more than content with Kush. Ten months after purchase and it's still my favourite. I don't see that changing any time soon.

Urban Decay Electric Eyeshadow Palette Review

If there's one thing I love as much as a pretty, printed dress, it's bold colourful eye make up, and I recently got my hands on the ultimate colourful eyeshadow palette. I'm of course talking about Urban Decay's Electric Pressed Pigment palette, and I'm here to review it for you today. If you're a colour junkie like me, I'm confident you're going to love this palette as much as I do!

I treated myself to it about a month ago, after spotting it in Debenhams from a hundred paces and immediately falling in love with it. My eyes practically popped out of their sockets when I saw the incredible colours, and I may have squealed just a little bit. I told myself I couldn't afford to spend £38 on a make up set, but nobody could've prised the box from my hands, and in the end I just couldn't leave without it. I'm so glad I didn't!

The Urban Decay Electric palette is a set of ten of the boldest, brightest, and most colourful eyeshadows I have ever laid eyes on in in my eighteen years as a make up wearer. This palette is quite simply a colour addict's dream! The shadows are a mixture of highly pigmented matte, satin, and shimmer shades, and every shade features Urban Decay's Pigment Infusion System, which is a special blend of ingredients that gives each shade a velvety texture, rich colour, serious staying power and blendability. Eight of the eyeshadows are exclusive shades that aren't available anywhere else, and Electric also sees a return of two popular shades- Chaos, a matte cobalt blue, and Revolt, a metallic silver.

The shades included are:

♥ Revolt- a bright metallic silver shimmer with silver glitter.
♥ Gonzo- a bright turquoise matte with floating tonal pearl.
♥ Slowburn- a bright red-orange matte with floating pearl. (More orange than red).
♥ Savage- a bright hot pink matte.
♥ Fringe- a bright metallic teal.
♥ Chaos- a bright blue matte with floating tonal pearl. (A gorgeous cobalt blue).
♥ Jilted- a bright metallic fuchsia with a blue shift.
♥ Urban- a bright metallic purple.
♥ Freak- a bright green with a gold shift. (It's stunning!)
♥ Thrash- a bright lime green matte with floating gold pearl. (More yellow than lime green).

Here are the shadows swatched on the under-side of my arm:

The swatched photos haven't been altered at all, and were taking without a flash in good daylight, near a window.

Colour:

As you can see, all of the colours, with the exception of Revolt, are so beautifully bold, vibrant and pigmented. They're all absolutely gorgeous and really stand out on my very fair skin, which is what I like my eyeshadows to do. You certainly won't blend in to the crowd wearing these eyeshadows, so they're not for the faint-hearted or colour-shy, but I guarantee they will add some personality to your look and make your eyes pop. 

I'm a little obsessed with all ten shades, and at the moment my favourites are Slowburn (a fiery orange-red), Freak (a stunning bright green), and Gonzo (a vibrant turquoise). However, as beautiful as they are, I do think three blue shadows is a bit repetitive and it would have been nice to see a different colour in place of one; perhaps a deeper shade of green, a red, or a sunshine orange. That's the only thing I would change about the colour selection, but I still thing all three shades of blue are stunning.

Application:

I've had so much fun testing the shadows out and trying out new looks, using the double-ended eyeshadow / blending brush that comes with the set. It takes just one or two swipes of the brush to achieve an even, opaque layer of eyeshadow; and as they're so highly pigmented, I find a little goes a long way.

Quality:

The make up feels soft and velvety, and there's none of the chalkiness you sometimes find with colourful make up. The formula is wonderfully thick; you can really feel the quality of the eyeshadows on the skin. I've been impressed by the quality of Urban Decay eyeshadows for years, and in my opinion, these are some of the best quality eyeshadows I've ever worn. 

Durability: 

I found them to be long-lasting, although there was some fading after a few hours with some of the colours so a quick touch-up was needed. I haven't tried them with a primer underneath yet, though, which may extend the longevity and help to keep them in place.

Removal: 

I've used both cleansing wipes and make up remover to remove the make up (to compare results), and found that the shadows lifted easily with both. A couple of the colours did leave some staining to the skin, although the stains haven't been too vibrant and faded away within twenty-four hours. I would advise wearing a primer underneath, and perhaps avoiding these eyeshadows a day or two before an important event- especially if you're going fresh-faced.

The Eyeshadow Brush:

The brush that is included in the set is a full-sized, double-ended eyeshadow and blending brush, and the quality of it is fantastic. The handle is made of heavy, sturdy black plastic and tapers down towards each brush, which makes it comfortable to hold and easy to work with to precision. The bristles are silky soft, dense, and well attached; there's no danger of those bristles shedding the way cheap brushes do. They apply and blend the make up perfectly, and give fantastic results. I've never used such a high-quality brush in all my years of wearing make up! I'm so impressed with it, I want to start investing in more Urban Decay brushes! It's true what they say; the right tools do make a difference to the end result! 

The Mirror:

On the inside of the palette is a rare sight; a large mirror! A mirror I can clearly see most of my face in! It's large enough to show both eyes clearly at the same time (helpful for checking your look is symmetrical!), and it's size is so useful for using away from the dressing table and on the go. You'll have no problem doing your eye make up on public transport with this palette! (We've all done it at some point!) Why can't all make up palettes feature a mirror like this one?

Packaging:

The palette itself is sleek and fashionable, made from sturdy black plastic with a neon bright floral design to the front. It's solid and sturdy, and about half an inch thick when closed. It's heavy enough that I don't have to worry about it getting knocked around a bit, but light enough to carry around in my handbag without rupturing another disc. The design is also easy to wipe clean without ruining the palette or make up.

Outer Packaging: 

The outer packaging is made from black cardboard, and features the same eye-catching, neon bright Urban Decay Electric design to the front. The back gives you a preview of the eyeshadows and brush, along with a little information about the set, and of course, the ingredients are included on the side.

Price and Value For Money:

The palette retails for around £38, which I think it's very reasonable for a fantastic set like this. It may sound expensive, but the set includes ten eyeshadows, which work out as £3.80 each- and that's if you don't include the make up brush! Urban Decay eyeshadows are usually £14 each, and a single-ended UD eyeshadow brush is around £14.50, so this set is in fact a bargain! I personally think it's worth every penny! 

I'm extremely impressed with the Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette, and it is without a doubt one of the best eyeshadow palettes I've ever owned. The colours are stunning, the colour-pay off is incredible, it gives fantastic long-lasting results, and the quality of the make up is far superior to most of a similar price tag. It gets 5/5 from me for each factor (and overall)! I can't find a fault with it! I'm a little bit obsessed with this beautiful set and I'm so glad I invested in it. It's the best purchase I've made in ages!

I can't recommend this palette enough, and if you're a fan of colourful make up, I just know you will adore it as much as I do.

The set should be available from all good department stores and pharmacies with high-end beauty departments. It's not available on Urban Decay's UK site, but it can be purchased on the American website here. I purchased mine from Debenhams, and it's available on their website here.

Have you got your hands on the Urban Decay Electric palette yet? Are you planning to purchase it soon?

Last Week's Beauty Haul

Hey guys,

Last Wednesday, I popped in to town with my older sister for a spot of beauty shopping. She wanted to go shopping for make up and beauty products, spurred on by her new found addiction to beauty vlogs, and a (then upcoming) choir appearance that she wanted to look her best for.

I wasn't really intending to do any shopping myself; I just wanted to get out for some fresh air and a change of scenery, but with a shopping trip solely to The Body Shop, Lush, Boots and Debenhams' beauty department, I was never going to come home empty-handed. I forgot I have no restraint!

I'm still totally blaming the sister for the fact I treated myself to a few things! She's a very bad influence!

If you'd like to see what goodies came home with me and why, then read on!

This is everything I treated myself to on the shopping trip, (apart from the tray; that's old). As you can see, I completely succeeded at not shopping... ahem. Way to go, Louise!

Would you like a closer look at everything?

Debenhams

Let's start with what is without a doubt the best purchase of the trip; The Urban Decay Electric eyeshadow palette! It is quite simply the thing dreams are made of, or at least in this colour-loving junkie's head! You probably know by now that I'm just a little obsessed with colour and bold colourful eye make up, so you might be able to imagine how over-excited I got when I laid eyes on the palette for the first time. (Clue: very!) The colours! Oh, the colours! My eyes practically popped out of my head when I spotted the rainbow of neon colours from across the room. I'd been underwhelmed by it through my laptop screen, but in real life, this palette is to die for.

I told myself at £38 I couldn't afford it, but in the end I just couldn't leave without it. Nobody could've pried my fingers off the box I had clutched to my chest. My precious! I felt guilty for splurging but I reasoned that it was okay because I'd sold a few dresses on eBay recently and had to return the sunflower jumpsuit, which more than covered the price. 

Here's a sneak peek of the amazing neon-bright colours! It includes ten eyeshadow and a double-ended brush. I'm not going to say too much about it now as I'm going to review it properly really soon, but it's fantastic and the photos don't do the colours justice. It's well worth the money if you're a fan of colourful eye make up like I am.

The sister got herself the Naked 3 palette, which is also on my wish list, but the Electric palette is definitely more 'me'. I don't know why, but I've always felt more confident in colourful eye make up than in more natural, subdued colours. Yeah, it makes no sense to me either; I think I'm just backwards girl! 

When my sister was getting her eyebrows done at the Benefit bar, I noticed a sign saying there was a free Porefessional in the June issue of Elle magazine. (Out now, keep your eyes peeled, ladies!) I mentioned it to my sister and made a mental note to pick up a copy, but I didn't have to. The lady doing her brows kindly handed us both a sample for free so we wouldn't have to buy the magazine! Day made! I love me a bit of Benefit, and the Porefessional is one of my favourites.

The Body Shop

Our second stop was The Body Shop, which is a real weakness of mine. I love their make up, skin care and bath and body products- and their long-standing policy against animal testing.  

There was a buy one get one half price offer on the bath and body products, so I picked up a couple of their fabulous shower gels. I chose my favourite Satsuma, (I love citrus scents and this one smells like summer) and bought one in Early Harvest Raspberry to try. I've not tried any of the new raspberry range yet, but it smells seriously divine. I also treated myself to my favourite Banana Conditioner because it gives me the softest, shiniest hair and I've not had a bottle of it for so long.

I paid for those three products, and that was all I intended to buy... then I continued browsing while the sister paid for her shopping. I discovered that they do a leave in conditioner spray which I hadn't seen before, the bilberry scented Rainforest Radiance Detangling Spray (for coloured hair). I was curious to how well it would fair up against my old faithful Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance conditioner which I use after every shower, so it came home with me. I couldn't live without a leave in conditioner; in fact, it would probably be my desert island must-have.

I also picked up a small pot of the Satsuma Body Butter. I adore their body butters and have used them for years, but I don't think I've ever used the satsuma one before, even though it's one of my favourite scents. When I treat myself to a Body Shop body butter, I usually go for the coconut one because the scent reminds me of past holidays. I'm looking forward to trying the satsuma one for a change and giving my skin some TLC.

The consultant also gave us both a sample pot of the Blueberry Body Butter to try, which is not a scent I'd usually think to try, but is actually really nice.

Lush

I quickly headed in to Lush especially to get myself a Mask of Magnaminty. It's my favourite face mask but it's literally been three or four years since I last had one. Unacceptable! I used to pop in to Lush monthly but that kind of went out the window when I injured myself. (My nearest Lush is about 20 miles away). It was such a treat to buy a fresh pot, and the awesome lady who served me gave me a sample pot of the new formula! The recipe has been improved, but the small size pot I wanted was only available in the old recipe, so she popped a sample in for free!

The mask is made from peppermint oil and the scent of it is just heavenly; I'd quite happily sit and inhale the minty aroma all day long but that's probably not a very good idea. It's designed to clean, calm, and clear the skin; so it's ideal if you suffer from acne or pimples and it can be used on other areas of the body, too. I'm not prone to break outs, but my skin always feels revitalised after I use it and I couldn't recommend it more.

I also treated myself to a You've Been Mangoed bath melt on impulse. You pop it in to the bath like you would a bath bomb, and it always leaves me with the silkiest soft skin after a soak. The only issue is I can't get in and out of the tub right now (I use our walk-in shower instead), but I thought I'd cut it up and pop little slithers in to my foot spa and give my feet a treat ready for sandal season.

Boots

And as soon as walked in to Boots we were handed a fourth sample! A sachet of Lancome Visionnaire advanced multi-correcting cream! 

Never have I been shopping and handed so many beauty samples for free in one day! We were actually given a free sample in each of the four shops we visited, and it definitely put a smile on our faces. It's the little things in life! The staff in each store were all so friendly, happy and helpful, which I have to say is unusual to see in every shop you visit on the high street, and it made for a pleasant shopping experience.

I enjoyed our little shopping excursion, mostly because it was great to be out of bed doing something normal for a while. I've only made it in to town three times in almost as many years, but I used to pop in every month at least once. I definitely took that for granted. Although I realised there's a reason why I don't make it in very often these days.

From the start I was struggling with the pain, especially from the sciatica which has been worsening recently. It's spread to both legs over the last few weeks, (it had only been in the left before), and the burning, tender pain was sure making itself known. It did make walking and standing painful, but I was grateful for a rest when the sister got her eyebrows done and when we stopped for lunch. We weren't shopping for more than an hour, but I was sore and exhausted by the time we got back to the car. By the time I got home an hour later, after driving home with the windows down singing along to the Mamma Mia soundtrack in the sunshine, (yes we're losers), I could barely put one foot in front of the other and crawled right back in to bed.

I haven't quite recovered yet and I couldn't move for a few days, but it was worth it for an afternoon of normality. I try to push myself to get out and about as often as I can, but there are always consequences. At least on this occasion I have pretty new make up to play with, and in my opinion, it was one hundred percent worth it!

Green Eyed

I was going through my make up drawer the other day, choosing which bits to take with me on my mini trip to Bournemouth, when I reached one of life's extremely challenging and completely life-altering dilemmas: which green eyeshadow(s) do I pack for eighteen hours away from home?

I know, absolutely important, nail-biting stuff, right?! How I made that decision, I will never know.

I hadn't quite realised just how much green eye make up I owned, so I collected every eyeshadow and every eye liner together and laid them out so that I could decide between them. I wasn't quite prepared to learn I had twenty-two different eye colours! 

Twenty-two! That was a surprise, even for me!

I mean, I knew I had quite a collection brooding in the make up shrine, due to a slight addiction to green eye make up that goes back at least a decade, but regardless, it still came as a shock. Twenty-two does sound rather excessive, doesn't it, but in my defence, no two shades are alike. Some I've had for several years, some were bought recently. Two were purchased last week for the festive season. And each one is loved and used.

Hello, my name is Louise and I'm addicted to green make up!

My favourite shadow of all time was a stunning light olive green called Beatrix (in the trinket pot) that was by a company called B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful. They were the sister company to Lush who sold the most beautiful vegan beauty products and cosmetics, but who sadly went in to administration a few years ago. That eyeshadow was the main reason I was heart broken when they closed their doors; I went through several pans in my early-mid twenties and I adored it. I still have a tiny bit left which I'm trying to make last as long as possible. 

I've been searching for a replacement ever since, but so far I've had zero luck finding a near-identical shadow. However, I purchased a similar, but slightly darker shade called Kush by Urban Decay last week (the silver pot), which is the closest match I've found. I've fallen in love with the colour, and it's so perfect in colour and performance that I think I've found a new favourite! I adore it already.

I also really love my Inglot shadows, and the liquid liners by Lush and Jemma Kidd.

I don't know what it is about green eye colours that I love exactly, but I've always liked the way they look with my pale, freckled skin, brown eyes, and dark, or, currently, red hair. I think green compliments those features perfectly, whether it's a bold lime, or a rich emerald. They bring out the brown of my eyes and are a great contrast against both red and brown hair colours, and most importantly, I feel good wearing them. Dare I say, green eye make up even gives me a little confidence boost every time I wear it- which is often! I wear green more than any other colour, and probably more than all the other colours combined.

I think that everybody should give green eye make up a chance, as it's the most beautiful, varied colour palette, and there's a shade out there to suit everybody. 

Have you got a particular make up colour or product that you can't stop collecting? Do you own more green eye make up than me?