Tanya Burr Neutral Ambiance | First Impressions

I knew I wanted to try this collection as soon as I saw it. I mean look at these colours! Totally stunning and nothing like I currently have in my collection. I've tried a few things from Tanya Burr Cosmetics before, I like the Pink Cocoa lipstick, I love her matte lipsticks but I didn't get on with her Hollywood Eyeshadow palette. I didn't think the pigment translated onto the eyes, but as soon as i saw this palette I knew I had to try it. So, I bought the eyeshadow palette in My Paradise and the lipstick in Sunday Walk. The packaging on both matches the rest of the range, which I really like on the lipstick, sturdy. But I wish the eyeshadow packaging was thinner, that would just make it perfect because it closes nicely and the mirror is a nice touch.

For this first impressions I really wanted to give you a thorough review. So, I'm going to split it into two sections, swatches and throughout the day. So let's get into it!

L-R: Champagne Cocktail | Tranquility | Miami Sunrise | Hammock
SWATCHES
Starting with the lipstick. Very soft and creamy. When I applied it onto the back of my hand it felt moisturising but that it was going to stay on my lips for a while, unlike Pink Cocoa which is very creamy but is gone from my lips within the hour. I love the colour, very pink but a soft pink that I think on my lips will pass as a nude. These eyeshadows are stunning. They really do look like a sunset, very rose gold and I can't wait to put them on my eyes. When swatching the shimmery shades (Champagne Cocktail, Tranquility and Miami Sunrise) they were really pigmented with one swipe and give off a gorgeous sheen. What I will say is on my arm, those three shades are very similar. They might look different on the eye but that was just what I noticed when I first swatched them. The one thing I am wondering about is Hammock. It's a ashy matte brown which I think will look lovely in the crease but when I swatched it I was quite disappointed. It wasn't coming up as pigmented as the shimmer shade but I do find that can happen with matte shades. The proof will be in the pudding when I test it on my eyes.

Sunday Walk

TEST

I applied my makeup at about 7.30am in the morning before I set off for work. I wanted to make sure I gave the eyeshadow the best chance at staying on my eyes so I applied Mac Painterly Paint Pot as a base and then went over that with the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder. I first applied Champagne Cocktail on the inner part of my lid, packing it on with a Mac 242 brush. I then used Tranquility on the second half of my lid and took Miami Sunrise in my crease with a Mac 217. Finishing off, I used Hammock, also on a Mac 217, on the outer corner of my eye. The eyeshadows were nice and pigmented and there was literally no fall out. I'm still not sure about Hammock as a shade, it looks really nice with the rest of the eye look but I'll have to give it more of a test I think.

I 'checked in' with my makeup every two hours from finishing my makeup at about 8pm.

*Something to note about this day is that it was very warm, like 26 degrees warm*

10am // Eyes: Look just as good as when I applied it, no change.

Lips: After a bagel and a cup of tea a lot of the lipstick has worn off, there's still a little bit of pigment hanging around but not loads. May have to reapply soon.

12pm// Eyes: Can start to see it wearing away on the inner part of my crease, which is where my eyeshadow usually wears away first. Other than that though it still looks great.

Lips: One more cup of tea later and the lipstick's all gone now, I'll have my lunch then reapply.

Lipstick reapplication: 1.10pm - Reapplied nicely but there was pretty much nothing left on my lips

2pm// Eyes: Just a little bit more wearing on the inner crease but as I said that's usually what happens with my eyeshadow throughout the day. I'm still pretty impressed as it is a VERY warm day today.

Lips: Looking good, it's 50 minutes since I reapplied and it's looking good. I've only been drinking water but still intact. Loving the colour, really natural.

4pm// Eyes: As I said before it's looking a little greasy on my inner crease and the shadow has pretty much disappeared from part of it but on the rest of my lid it's still totally there and when my eyes are open there's no way you would be able to tell that some of it had rubbed off. It wouldn't be too hard to touch up either if I wanted to.

Lips: The shine has gone but I have to say the pigment is still there. I've eaten an apple and drunk some more but it's looking not too bad

6pm// Eyes: It has started to wear off on the rest of my lid now. Still looks fine when I open my eyes but you can tell when they're closed. The outer corners still look great though.

Lips: One Magnum later and it's pretty much gone but there is a tint of pink that's been left behind. Not too bad for a moisturising lipstick.

Reapplication: 6pm - I touched up Champagne Cocktail on my inner lid and although it took quite a bit of blending it looks just like it did this morning. I also put a little bit of Tranquility on the centre of my lid, it hadn't really warn off there but just to blend it in more to Champagne Cocktail. Also, reapplied my lipstick but this time I used the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk as I'm going out for tea and I want to see how long it lasts with something to cling to.

8pm// Eyes: The same. Just as I'd reapplied.
Lips: Eaten a starter and a main and drunk some wine, the lipstick has gone so just the lip line remains. I have to say I'm a little disappointed, thought it was going to stick around a bit longer with the lip liner.

THOUGHTS
I love the eyeshadow. It sticks around just as long as some of my high end eyeshadows do, which for £5.99 is pretty great. The shades are also gorgeous, although I am still a bit unsure about Hammock but as I said it worked really well with the rest of the eye look. I love the colour of the lipstick and that it does look like a more spring 'my lips but better'. The only issue is that if I have a drink or eat anything I can pretty much guarantee it's not going to be there. I'm going to try it with a different lipliner or applying it with a lip brush to see if it could last just a little bit longer. Overall I'm very pleased with them both - definitely want to try the My Escape palette now!

I built my own NYX palette! First impressions

I was so excited when I walked into Boots in Leeds and they had the empty palettes for the NYX single eyeshadows. Every time I've been in they've always been out of stock so I thought I would jump at the chance and make my own quad to test out the eyeshadows! I've heard good things about the NYX eyeshadow palettes before, their Ultimate Shadow Palette's in particular, but I've not heard much about these. Colourwise I wanted to get shades I would use but also maybe ones that I don't really have already. I decided to go for the full proof quad formula, highlight, crease, jazzy colour and outer edge.

At the Boots I was in there was a massive selection of shades but I found it quite hard to find a shade that I would be able to use as a base colour, on my brow bone and in my inner corner. They were either a bit too dark or bright white. I finally settled on Innocent, a shimmery cream that's on the warm side. Swatching this I found it really pigmented and soft but not totally buttery. Using a Mac 217 I applied it all over my lid and up to my brow bone. There was no fall out and it gave a lovely sheen to my lid. It's an eyeshadow I'll be using as a base but also on its own on top of my Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise in Jean.

I wanted to get a crease colour that would work for everyday and that I could build up for something more smokey. I also wanted something matte which I found quite difficult to find when there weren't any testers but I settled on Suede. It's a really nice light matte brown that gives a natural shadow in the crease. It took me quite a while to build up but it wasn't really an issue and when I gave it a good test it lasted all day. It will be such a useful shade to have and I'll use it with a smokey eye, something more natural and in the crease with guilt trip on the outer edge with winged liner.

I knew that I wanted a 'jazzy' colour to make my palette a bit more lively, and that's where Showgirl comes in. In the pan it looks like a shimmery red, it also looks like that when it's swatched, but on the lid it actually comes up more orange. Nevertheless it's a gorgeous colour! Swatched on the hand it is very pigmented, but on the lid it takes a bit of building to get an intense colour. But it looks gorgeous on the eye and the colour didn't fade throughout the day so it's a winner in my book!

Guilt Trip is my final shade and another versatile one. I wanted a dark shade to use on my outer corners and to define my lash line. It's an ashy brown that would work really well in the crease of a darker smokey eye. There's no fall out with this colour and it doesn't smudge throughout the day, which I sometimes find with other 'darker' shades.

Overall I'm pretty impressed. I've always wanted to be able to customise my own palette but was a bit weary to spend a small fortune to start off with. This cost me £14, £4 for the palette and £2.50 for each of the eyeshadows. The palette itself is cardboard so I don't know how long it will last but the eyeshadows are held into place by a magnet and when the lid is closed they feel secure and not like they're going to fly out and smash everywhere. I would totally recommend these eyeshadows, especially if you want your own customised palette but don't want to pay top dollar.

I'd love to try more eyeshadows from NYX so if you have any recommendations please let me know!

L-R: Innocent, Suede, Showgirl, Guilt Trip

New Ins and Repurchases

Following on from last weeks Empties post I thought I'd let you in to see what was so good that I bought again and what I decided to try out instead. Let's start with shampoo and conditioner. I had been using the Lee Stafford Big Fat Healthy Hair range for a number of years but it had gotten to the point where it wasn't really washing my hair properly (which would help seeing as though that's its purpose). As Aussie was on 3 for £10 I thought why not take advantage so I bought the Miracle Moist Shampoo and Conditioner and the 3 Minute Miracle Hair Treatment . So far I've been loving these so much. My hair seems to be in a really nice condition and I can go longer in between washes. The smell is just incredible and they make me look forward to having a good deep clean. Moving onto the Seaweed Toner from The Body Shop which I will repurchase forever and ever until the end of time. It works perfectly on my skin and helps keep the oil at bay! In terms of highlighter I've been using the Maybelline Eyeshadow in Golden Beige after my L'Oreal one came to an end. It works exactly the same. Same colour, pigmentation, shimmery-ness, the lot. I've never used a 'proper highlighter' before so this works just fine for me. I got this mini Frozen Cranberries Body Butter from The Body Shop for my birthday and it smells so good. It's a little less thick than the coconut one but it moisturises just the same which is fine by me. Although it was a Christmas scent, it isn't overly festive so I can use it now and not feel like I'm trying to cling on to December. Finally, I've replaced my Vitamin E Night Cream with a mini Vichy Night Cream. So far I've been really enjoying it. It's thick and sinks well into he skin without making it too greasy. I've not priced up a full size but after the mini runs out I may have to purchase.