July Colourpop Haul!

One Saturday in July I spent hours browsing the Colourpop website and added a bunch of eye products (and one lipgloss) to my cart. I have been impressed with the quality of products since my first Colourpop haul and knew it would only be a matter of time before I did another order. A few items I’d seen and heard about before but others I bought simply because I liked the look of them!

The items took around two weeks to arrive which is pretty standard for mail from overseas. I wasn’t charged customs when the package arrived in New Zealand but there was damage to one of the Super Shock Shadows. I contacted Colourpop about the damage and was given credit but I am a little bummed because the broken shade is the one I was most looking forward to receiving. The shade has been discontinued so I can’t use the credit to repurchase another one in my next order. The product is still usable but I’ll have to be careful how I store it and I won’t be able to travel with it.

Let’s get on with the haul!

Super Shock Shadows x 3

Colourpop are known for their Super Shock Shadows and after picking one up in my previous haul and enjoying the formula I wanted to try more. I picked up the shades Bouncy (cool toned bronze with gold and violet duo chrome), Nillionaire (bronze with pink and gold ultra-glitter) and So Quiche (soft olive with violet and gold sparkles). Seeing the shades written like that makes me realise how similar they sound and whilst they do look similar in real life there are subtle differences.

Bouncy – This is the shade I was most excited for and the one that arrived damaged. On the eyes the colour comes through as equal parts bronze and pink and the duochrome is prominent.

Nillionaire – I heard Emily Noel mention this shade in her Colourpop Top 5, Bottom 5 video and Googled it instantly. It’s such a pretty everyday shade. Nillionaire has the sheerest colour payoff and is the most golden of the three I purchased.

So Quiche – The olive tones in this shade make it the coolest toned out of the three but also it’s the only shade I picked up that leans slightly towards green-violet on the colour spectrum. This reminds me of a more shimmery version of Smokey Rose by Teeez Cosmetics (both products will make a great pairing).

Left to right: Bouncy, Nillionaire and So Quiche.

Group Hug Supernova Shadow Bundle

Top: OG
Bottom: Bellini

I saw this bundle when Zoella’s collaboration with Colourpop was revealed at the end of February and I was always curious about it. After trying some mini Magnificent Metals from Stila and not loving them I half expected not to love these but, spoiler alert: I do! The formula is more like an eyeshadow once product has dried down and the glitter/shine is a lot more pigmented and long-lasting. The texture is smooth and unlike the Stila product these don’t flake off my eyelids and wear away throughout the day.

Looking at the two shades online, OG and Bellini look similar to each other but they are different. OG is a golden champagne with silver glitter and Bellini is a metallic rose gold. OG is more glittery (still with good pigmentation) and Bellini is comparable to a foiled eyeshadow. This kind of product is great for a quick and easy eye look and the milk carton packaging is the cutest! I knew this product wouldn’t be around forever so I wanted to grab it while I had the chance!

Snow Day Ultra Glossy Lip

I purchased this lip gloss because I thought it would make a beautiful lip topper and it does! Snow Day is described as a prismatic champagne but it’s more like a very light pink with flecks of gold glitter. The gloss does look pretty on it’s own and will be nice for simple makeup days but I wore this over MAC’s Kinda Sexy lipstick and it was super pretty! The formula isn’t overly sticky and goopy and is comfortable to wear. The one thing I don’t like is the applicator, it’s a small brush with individual hairs and isn’t the best at spreading product. The brush works well when using the gloss as a lip topper as you only need a small amount of product but if I want to wear the gloss on it’s own I have to dip the brush back in to the tube a few times to get even coverage.

It’s My Pleasure palette

Purple is a hard eyeshadow colour to get right but people I follow online have been singing this palette’s praises. Purple is a colour that suits my skintone and complexion and that’s what excites me about this palette. I get to play up my love for bold colours with the shimmers but there’s also lighter shades to compliment the shimmers and create more wearable everyday looks. Smaller palettes like this are good as I find it overwhelming when there’s lots of shades to choose from in a palette. I prefer limited combinations that work and mean I don’t have to try hard to come up with looks. It’s My Pleasure contains four mattes and five shimmers and is a nice combination of purples and pinks that lean towards purple.

Swatches:

Left to right: Kittenfish, Do Or Dough, Pretty Cruel, Bare Minimum, Earthshine, Chick Lit, Mr Sandman, Fan Fiction and Sleeper.

Custom 12 Pan Eyeshadow Palette

This palette is what I was most excited for because I curated it and selected the shades myself. I was also nervous because I only had myself to blame if any of the shades ended up being similar and if I didn’t like it. My inspiration for this palette was gold. It’s hard to find nice gold shades so I ended up purchasing four for this palette and they’re all unique. From there I came up with a mix of warm toned mattes and shimmers with a hint of pink and mauve thrown in. When the shadows arrived I organised them in a specific way, the top row is classic base and transition shades, the middle row is pinks and mauves and the bottom row is golden goodness.

Top row: Hear Me Out (matte white peach), Wake Up Call (matte warm sand), Side Tracked (matte terracotta with gold flecks) and Bel Air (matte cool taupe).

Middle row: Liar Liar (metallic pale pink), Ringer (metallic champagne), Chic Happens (matte cool mauve) and Goody Two Shoes (metallic gunmetal).

Bottom row: The Game (antique gold), Baby Lights (metallic green gold), Karat Cake (metallic chartreuse) and Night Show (metallic yellow bronze).

Swatches:

Left to right: Hear Me Out, Wake Up Call, Side Tracked, Bel Air, Liar Liar, Ringer, Chic Happens, Goody Two Shoes, The Game, Baby Lights, Karat Cake and Night Show.

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Have you tried any of these products before? Is there anything from Colourpop currently catching your eye?

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Colourpop Lookbook: Sol & Brunch Date Palettes

Following on from my recent Colourpop haul I promised I would share some looks I have created with the two palettes. I decided to share three looks from each palette and I tried to use a range of shades. Starting with a quick rundown of each palette and a few points of note in case you didn’t see my haul post before showing the looks I created.

Sol Palette

This is one of Colourpop’s nine pan monochromatic palettes with a focus on orange hues. There is a pop of coral-red in this palette and also some great shades for everyday wear. There is an even mix of mattes and shimmers, four mattes and five shimmers. The palette performs well, is pigmented and I’m loving the warm tones – they match nicer with my hair than I thought they would!

Look #1 – Peach Bellini

Shades used: New Digs, Dynamite, Floaties and MAC’s Melon Pigment.

New Digs was applied all over the lid as a base shade before going in with Dynamite through the crease. Using my ring finger I applied Floaties all over the lid as well before topping that off with a light layer of MAC’s Melon pigment.

Look #2 – Sparkle Baby

Shades used: Unwind and Anthem.

Unwind was applied all over the lid and through the crease. Anthem was then applied over the top.

Look #3 – Tropical Sun

Shades used: New Digs, OOO, Motel and B+B.

New Digs was applied all over the lid as a base shade once again. OOO was used as a transition shade in the crease. Motel was used all over the lid below the crease and B+B was applied to the inner third to brighten things up.

Brunch Date Palette

This palette is part of the Zoella x Colourpop collaboration and the item that appealed to me most from the range. It is a twelve pan palette with shades names and packaging based around a cutesy, brunch theme. This palette also has a good mix of mattes (6) and shimmers (5), and also contains one satin shade. The shimmers in this palette are stunning and there is still ability to create different looks with the colours in this palette despite it being mostly neutral.

Look #1 – Pink Ice

Shades used: Mimosa, French Toast and Sundae Funday.

Mimosa was used all over the lid. French Toast was applied to the crease and the outer corner/outer V before using my finger to apply Sundae Funday to the main part of the eyelids.

Look #2 – Bronze Goddess

Shades used: Maple Syrup, Americano and Cinnamon Sugar.

Maple Syrup acted as the base shadow and I blended Americano into the crease. Cinnamon Sugar was applied over the top of Maple Syrup.

Look #3 – Sparkly Taupe

Shades used: Pancakes Please and Champagne Toast.

Pancakes Please was buffed all over the eyelids before using Champagne Toast on the inner half of the lids to create a soft, ombre effect.

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As you can see using three shades tends to be my go to for a simple, put together look; one shade all over the lids, one as a transition shade/to deepen the crease and a shimmer applied over top of the base shade. It’s quite easy but I don’t like complicated eye makeup and having to reach for a half a dozen brushes. The majority of the time I apply shimmers with my finger as it’s more effective than using a brush.

Which eye look is your favourite?

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What I’ve Been Reading – Autumn

I am three quarters of the way through my challenge to read 50 books by the beginning of September 2018. At the end of my previous update I was feeling a little disheartened because I should have been halfway through my target of 50 books and I wasn’t. I have picked things up and have made significant progress the past three months and I may be back on track to meet the target!

NB: Items marked with * are ebooks so I wasn’t able to photograph the cover images myself.

#1. Girl Online – Zoe Sugg

I do subscribe to Zoe on YouTube and was curious to see what her books are like. I commend Zoe for knowing her audience and what would be an appropriate book. The topics in this story are very relatable, even to me at age 23 despite the book being a little thin on plot. The social media aspects are relevant and the book confronts trolling and online hate. I don’t feel the need to read the other two books in the series. I don’t feel I’m missing out by not reading them.

#2. Taken At the Flood – Agatha Christie

This was the least action packed Poirot mystery of the ones I have read so far but the last 40 pages were really exciting and the ending surprised me. The way Agatha Christie writes is simple but she creates twists and turns that the reader doesn’t often expect until you think back over everything and realise it all makes sense. I love reading these mysteries and I’m looking forward to my next one!

#3. A Whole Lot of History – Kimberley Walsh

I haven’t read a musical biography in the longest time and this book reminded me why I love them so much. Not only do you learn about the people behind the songs and their personal stories you are told anecdotes about the songs themselves and given a small insight into the music industry. This book showed how lovely Kimberley is and I learnt more about different aspects of her personality. She was frank and honest but never in a nasty, judgemental way.

#4. The F Word – Lily Pebbles

First of all I want to defend Lily and stick up for her. Some of the reviews on GoodReads state that this book is like a diary and isn’t well written. The cover does say “A personal exploration of modern female friendship” so of course Lily is going to talk about herself and her friendships. I like that she gives examples of things that have gone well and haven’t gone so well in friendships. I did get a sense of Lily reading this book, it feels like you’re having a catch up with her and everything comes across naturally. One of my favourite parts was trying to identify which friend type I am, for example,  the older sister friend, the realist or the work wife, to name a few. The main lesson I took away from this book is to look carefully at myself as a friend and analyse how I can be a better friend.

#5. The Mysterious Affair At Styles* – Agatha Christie

This is the very first novel in which Hercule Poirot is introduced. Out of the Agatha Christie books I’ve read this is one of my favourites. The story is gripping, simple and classic. Death by poisioning, check. Whole host of suspects staying in a fancy manor house, check. Adulterous affairs, check. I finished it in two days. I like how the story is told from Hastings’ viewpoint, it really sets up the relationship between him and Poirot for future novels.

#6. A Talent For Murder – Andrew Wilson

It wasn’t until I picked up this book that I notice I don’t read as many books written by male authors as female. There’s no reason behind that and I really enjoyed this book. The plot centres around the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie in December 1926. The author comes up with a fictional scenario as to what happened (the sentence on the cover gives you a good idea) as the mystery has never been solved. A good read and I am looking forward to the follow up called ‘A Different Kind of Evil.’

#7. Murder On the Orient Express* – Agatha Christie

This is without a doubt one of Agatha’s most famous stories and a few movies and TV specials have been made based on this story. I have seen the 2017 film, the 2010 Poirot episode and now read the book so I know the story well. I found the book the most enjoyable and the least confusing, if you know the ending you might understand why but I won’t spoil it if you don’t.  I’ve got yet more Poirot mysteries lined up to read – I really love them!

#8. Peril At End House* – Agatha Christie

This is one of Agatha Christie’s earlier Poirot novels, #8 in the series. This mystery is also told from Hastings’ point of view. I found this particular Poirot story very clever in the way it played out. I realised what was happening at the end and it really reinforces how talented Agatha Christie is with deception. I have been reading most of the Poirot stories in this seasonal update as ebooks and it’s really convenient, I have the books on my phone and my iPad so I can read wherever I am.

#9. Finding Your Path – A Guide To Life & Happiness After School – Amba Brown

I am thankful this book was only 100 pages. I didn’t find it useful and even though I’m not a recent school leaver I thought I could get something from it. I did like the graphic illustrations and the quotes!

#10. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd* – Agatha Christie

This is one of Agatha Christie’s most popular novels which I think is because of the ending and how Poirot solves the case. In 2013, The British Crime Writers’ Association voted it the best crime novel ever. I have seen the television adaptation of this novel which I recall I found more exciting than the novel. This isn’t one of my favourite Agatha Christie books if I’m being honest. I’m not sure if knowing the ending before reading skewed my perception of the story. I had seen Murder On the Orient Express before reading it and I enjoyed reading that as much as watching it. Despite that, the ending of Roger Ackroyd  is really clever even if you know the story.

#11. And Then There Were None* – Agatha Christie

This is Agatha Christie’s bestselling novel and one of the world’s bestselling mysteries and books of all time. I remember the television adaption of this story and it is written so well and keeps the reader guessing right until the very end. The story is not predictable and there is even an epilogue which explains how all the murders were done. If you like mystery stories and haven’t read this one, I highly recommend it.

#12. Doing It! Let’s Talk About Sex – Hannah Witton

I don’t remember how I stumbled across Hannah on YouTube but I have watched a small number of her videos and have always found her content to be helpful and informative. When I saw Angela (The Life of Angela) talk about this book on her blog I knew I wanted to read it too. I don’t know what I was expecting but I thought there would be more of Hannah’s personal stories. Yes, she probably shares those on YouTube but if you aren’t aware she makes videos you won’t get that information. Not a bad read but not groundbreaking.

#13. Afternoon Tea At the Sunflower Cafe – Milly Johnson

I started reading this book, I got a third of the way through and I put it down and came back to it. I did try to implement my 100 page rule; if I don’t like a book, move on to the next one but the fact I got to page 210 urged me to pick it back up and keep going. When I did pick up the book again I hadn’t forgotten the story and it was refreshing to read something lighthearted after a number of mysteries and a few non-fiction offerings. I’m glad I went back to this book, the story was slow to start but I was satisfied with the ending and I may look into other books from this author.

#14. Letters From Lighthouse Cottage – Ali McNamara

I love the cover of this book so much and the story was just as good! The story takes place over the course of 30 years and is split into parts. Grace (the main character) helped her parents with their antiques business and found a typewriter one day which she keeps. The typewriter adds a whimsical element to the story as it writes her letters and gives her advice throughout stages of her life. Grace goes off to university, travels and gets married but begins to realise that home is where the heart is.

#15. Break-ups & Breakthroughs – Lisa Messenger

This book only took me a day to read and the imagery inside is beautiful, the pages are full of cute designs and inspirational quotes. Lisa shares 50 tips to help people going through a breakup and I found myself identifying with some of the things she was saying and one of the biggest lessons I took from this book is that it’s ok to be sad for a while. You will start to feel better in time and feel like finding love again.

#16. Appointment With Death – Agatha Christie

This mystery started off a little slow but in true Agatha Christie form kept me guessing all the way through. I didn’t have any idea who the murderer was until that person was revealed by Poirot. Not one of my favourite Poirot mysteries but still not a bad read.

Unfinished:

There were no unfinished books this season. Each one I started I finished!

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Books finished in autumn = 16.

Total number of books read = 32.

Other posts in the series:

• New Series: What I’ve Been Reading
• What I’ve Been Reading – Spring
• What I’ve Been Reading – Summer

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Have you read any of the books mentioned in this post?

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