This weeks FFF includes one of my favourite colours - purple! I used a green at the bottom for a mix that is sometimes seen in Asian clothing, so I hope you enjoy this look!

Products used:

Eyes:

> UDPP

> NYX JEP in Milk

> Sedona Lace 120 palette (2nd edition) - all eyeshadows

> MAC fluidline in Blacktrack

> UD 24/7 eye pencil in Covet

> UD Heavy Metal glitter liner in Stagedive

> Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet mascara

> Khuraira ACC in Light

> MAC Studio Finish concealer - NC35

Face:

> YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation - BD50

> UD Razorsharp powder

> UD Baked Bronzer in Toasted

Lips:

> MAC lipstick in Quick Sizzle

> UD lipliner in Naked

> UD Stardust lipgloss in Andromeda

After I primed the eye with UDPP  & NYX JEP in Milk, I applied a matte lilac-purple (from the Sedona Lace palette) to the whole eyelid, followed by a more reddish purple (with slight shimmer) in the crease. A matte light pink shade was added to the brow bone and blended down into the reddish-purple in the crease.

I added a bit of a green shadow with a liner brush to the bottom lashline followed by UD Covet eye liner and Stagedive glitter liner on top.

For the topliner I used MAC fluidline in Blacktrack and also on the lower waterline.

Both Khuraira and MAC concealers were applied under the eyes and Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet mascara to the lashes.

Trying to capture the glitter from this angle!

For the rest of the face I used a sample of the new YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat in BD50 and set it with UD Razorsharp powder.

I then used UD Baked Bronzer in Toasted on the cheeks and MAC Quick Sizzle (matte fuschia) first on the lips:

I then used a more nude colour on the lips (UD Naked lipliner) for those afraid of bright colours!: 

And finally added a bit of gloss (UD Stardust lipgloss in Andromeda) for a nude shine:

And there you have it! If you have any requests for makeup looks please feel free to comment below, email, tweet or write on my facebook page!

Which combination do you like best? Would you wear this look?

 

Sedona Lace 120 Palette review

A couple weeks back I received a lovely package from Sedona Lace with a couple goodies to review. I only ever thought Sedona Lace was an American brand til I realised they shipped to the UK.. woop!

I thought I'd try their 120 Pro Palette and chose the second edition as I have a First Edition Manly palette from eBay (click here for blog post) and have bought a second edition Manly palette too.
They also sent their "Stick It To 'Em" eyeshadow primer which I thought I'd compare to my UDPP. 

120 Pro Palette - Second Edition

Packaging: Compared to the Manly palette, the outer packaging of the Sedona Lace palette has a matte texture and feels sturdier than the shiny plastic with Manly. I once ordered a Manly palette and received it with plastic outer case cracked and a couple shadows broken. The Sedona Lace palette does feel somewhat more durable.
The biggest difference for me as a MUA is the fact that the shadows in this palette are not as delicate as the Manly ones; I tested to see if the eyeshadows would fall out by turning the trays upside down and lightly tapping also and none of them fell out. Big thumbs up for me, as I can't describe how frustrating it is to have shadows fall out if a tray gets knocked over on a job!
Colour & Pigmentation: One thing that was a downer for me about the Manly palette was the inconsistent pigmentation of the shadows.. There were some vibrant and pigmented colours, but a lot of the pastel colours were so poorly pigmented I had to rub quite a few times to get any colour out of them! 
Thankfully, Sedona Lace's palette is consistent with pigmentation; they all have fairly good payoff, although the white isn't as pigmented as my La Femme single white shadow. All in all though, thumbs up for the colour selection as well as the colour payoff.
Texture: The shadows in this palette are less chalkier than in the Manly palette with some shadows feeling quite creamy as opposed to sheer and light.
Longevity: So far I've only tried the Sedona Lace palette for FFF makeup looks and the colours have held pretty well for the duration of doing so. Paired with a good primer I'm sure the shadows would last considerably longer.
Price: For $28.95 (approx £19) it's not a bad investment; of course you could start with the Manly palette or other eBay palettes as I did, but once you realise that some colours are unusable in that palette, I think this is the next step!

FrootiFactor: Overall I'd give the palette a 5/5 because it ticks all my boxes so far!

Stick It To 'Em Eyeshadow Primer

Straight out of the tube

Blended - tried to capture the slight sheen

Packaging: I quite like the packaging of this primer, aside from the metallic red colour I like the fact that its a tube design as with the new UDPPs. I find it much more hygienic than having a wand that goes on the eyelids then back in the tube and also find that the product remains how it's supposed to without constant air being pumped into it. You also get more product out of the packaging with this squeezy tube design.
Colour & Pigmentation: This primer is transparent when blended and has a peachy-pink tone when not, as with the original UDPP. 
Texture: The texture of this primer is much more creamier than the UDPP, which feels lovely, but remains somewhat greasy (as shown above). Compared to UDPP and Too Faced Shadow Insurance, this is different as they are also fairly creamy but dry within seconds so that it's no longer shiny/greasy and a great surface for shadows to stick to.
Longevity: Because of the creamy/greasy texture this primer doesn't seem to last as long as the UDPP which has always been my favourite!
Price: The Stick It To 'Em primer is usually $14.95 (approx £9.60) but currently on sale for $9.95 (approx £6.40). If the primer wasn't so creamy I would have said it's worth it because of the packaging and colour, but unfortunately for me I need to work fast and have a primer that can keep up with drying time and longevity!

FrootiFactor: I'd have to give this primer a 2.5 out of 5 as it doesn't dry as fast as I need to and hasn't proved crease-free yet.

Overall, I'm very happy with the 120 Pro Palette but didn't find the primer was for me. I am however looking to try more Sedona Lace products in the future so keep an eye out for that!
You can purchase the products from the Sedona Lace website, with deliveries to the UK too which is great.

Have you tried any Sedona Lace products? If so, what is your experience and which would you recommend?

FFF: Purple-Green-Gold makeup look

I decided to do a makeup look of a very popular Asian dress colour combination - gold, green & purple. So many clients have this colour combination with their dresses and I tend to do the same/similar thing for each of them, changing the colour of the gold, green or purple to match their outfit. 

Products used:

Eyes:

> UDPP

> NYX JEP in Milk

> Sedona Lace 120 palette (2nd edition)

> MAC fluidline in Blacktrack

> UD 24/7 eye pencil in Covet

> Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet mascara

> Khuraira ACC in Light

> MAC Studio Finish concealer - NC35

Face:

> UD Tinted Moisturiser in Bodyguard

> UD Baked Bronzer in Toasted

Lips:

> UD lipliner in Wicked

> MAC lipstick in Spitfire

After priming the eye with UDPP & NYX JEP in Milk I applied a shimmery gold colour from the palette to the inner corners of the eyes and a purple to the end of the eyelid. A matte brown shadow was used in the crease buffing it upwards slightly, followed by a peachy-pink matte colour on the brow bone, blending it down the matte brown.

I used MAC fluidline in Blacktrack for the topliner and UD Covet liner for the bottom liner.

Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet mascara was used on top and bottom lashes followed by matte brown and black eyeshadows from the Sedona Lace palette for the brows; Khuraira & MAC concealers were then used under the eye:

For the rest of the face I used UD tinted moisturiser in Bodyguard and UD bronzer in Toasted along the cheekbones; for the lips I used UD Wicked lipliner and MAC Spitfire lipstick:

I've posted previous examples of this look on clients here and here, it's the most flattering for people who want a pop of colour but don't want to be too OTT!
Hope you like it, I'll be posting a review on the palette used very soon too =)


 

FFF: Cream-Brown makeup look

Apologies for the lack of posts lately, I've been sooo busy shooting and doing party makeups/sorting bridals plus I'm flying out tomorrow on holiday so I had a lot to do before then!
I have got a couple reviews and requested makeup looks coming up after I get back though so stay tuned ;)
This weeks FFF is inspired by another dress request using Sedona Lace's 120 palette (review coming soon!) and my usual favourites. So here's the dress:

 

 

Products used:

Eyes:

> UDPP

> NYX JEP in Milk

> UD Sedona Lace 120 palette palette (2nd Edition)

> UD Ink for Eyes in Demolition

> UD Heavy Metal glitter liner in Midnight Cowboy

> Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet mascara

> Khuraira ACC in Light

> MAC Studio Finish concealer - NC35

Face:

> UD Surreal Skin Cream to Powder foundation - Supernova

> UD Toasted Bronzer

Lips:

> NYX SMLC in San Paulo

After priming the eye with UDPP & NYX JEP in Milk I applied a creamy gold colour to the full eyelid and a matte brown to the crease, blending upwards. Using the same creamy gold colour but lightly, I patted some onto the brow bone and blended it down into the brown.

UD Demolition liner was used to line the whole eye and also as a top liner and on the lower lash line, creating a double winged liner. Midnight Cowboy glitter was used in between the double wing and a little on the inner corner of the eye. I used the same matte brown eye shadow on the eyes to set the liner.

Daniel Sandler mascara was wiggled into the lashes followed by another matte brown from the palette and a bit of matte black; Khuraira & MAC concealers were used under the eye:

Trying to capture the glitter without flash!

For the rest of the face I used UD cream to powder foundation in Supernova and UD Baked bronzer in Toasted on the cheekbones; for the lips I used NYX SMLC in San Paulo:

And there it is, I hope you like this look!

It's a fairly simple look but the glitter and slightly shimmery brow bone dress this look up a bit for going to a wedding.

I'll be on holiday for a week so next weeks FFF will not be running unfortunately, but I'll be sure to get down to reviewing a couple products and doing makeup looks when I get back!