MW's Review: Urban Decay The Vice Palette

Hello my lovelies,

How are you all? 

I was a little cheeky and purchased 'The Vice Palette' by Urban Decay, and I thought I would share photos/swatches with you:

(click on photos to enlarge)

The palette is a gorgeous purple shade, with 'UD' in a faux diamond raised kind of effect. Unlike the Naked Palette One (velvet) and Naked Palette Two (metal), The Vice Palette is made of a soft rubber texture, which is smooth to the touch. It looks very cool, although, I`m sure when it comes to putting the palette away, the raised logo will be an issue. The outer packaging was a simple cardboard box, which tried to imitate the faux diamonds effect for the 'UD' and again in the same shade of purple as the palette, itself.

The palette comes with a full size mirror, which is fantastic, as the palette is fairly large (18cm x 14cm).

In the palette, you also get a double ended brush, blending brush on one side and a crease brush on the other. It is smaller compared to the other Karma brushes that you can purchase or the ones that come with a palette, but the width is exactly the same. 

 You are greeted with 20 colours in this gorgeous palette, all of which cannot be purchased individually (as I was told by the UD sales assistant in Debenhams). The palette consists of a large spectrum of colours, where majority are shimmery, and two neutral mattes. Perfect for Asian weddings, mendhi`s, etc!

(photo without flash)

(photo with flash)

1st row: (l-r) Desperation, Muse, Jagged, Blitz, Penny Lane

2nd row: (l-r) Junkie, Chaos, Occupy, Unhinged, Black Market

These colours are absolutely gorgeous! The eyeshadows, being true to Urban Decay's reputation are highly pigmented. My favourite from the first two rows are Muse, Blitz and Junkie - amazingly pigmented. I mean, look at Muse, that was ONE swipe! Love it! Unhinged was also a highly pigmented shadow, which I cannot wait to experiment with. Chaos looks SO electric and vibrant in the palette, but it seemed a little chalky when I swatched it and needed to swipe it a few times to build up colour, which I was disappointed with. 

3rd row: (l-r) Provocateur, Rapture, Vice, Noise, Armor

4th row: (l-r) Nevermind, Echo Beach, Anonymous, Freebird, Laced

Amazing girly colours. Provocateur, Armor and Vice being my favourite from the 3rd row. Again, highly pigmented shades. Noise was also disappointing like Chaos, where I needed to swipe it a few times to build up the colour for the swatch. 

I was further disappointed with the 4th row, where they had two matte neutral shades Anonymous and Laced, which like Noise and Chaos, were very chalky and not very pigmented. This also meant having to build up the swipes simply for the swatch. Besides that, Nevermind, Echo Beach and Freebird are gorgeous neutral shades, Nevermind being my favourite. 

RRP: £42.00

(but, currently on sale in Debenhams for £37.80!)

(Urban Decay can be purchased from Debenhams and House of Fraser)

Verdict: I think this palette is most definitely worth the money, simply because an individual UD eyeshadow is £14.00, weighing at 1.5g. This palette consists of 0.8g (which is a little over half) making each individual eyeshadow a little over £7. 

If we stick to the price of £7 for each eyeshadow in the palette, then 

£7 x 20 = £140. 

Lets not forget the make up brush, a blending brush is £17.50 and a crease brush is £14.50, making the average between the two, £16.00. As the brush is smaller, we`ll knock off a few pounds - and I`m estimating the retail price for this brush to be £14.00. Even then, that is included into the palette price! Making the full price for the palette to be £154.00, retailing at £42.00!
Amazing, right?

Most definitely a bargain for what you`re getting (and, yes, this is how I justify my purchases haha).

Will you be buying this palette? Do you already have it? What is your favourite colour from the palette?

xo

P.S. I think I need to work on applying swatches...couldn`t do it in a straight line.

MW's Neutrogena Visibly Clear Moisturiser

Whirlers,

Everyone knows my obsession with Neutrogena's Visibly Clear Face Scrub, where I did a review here and here, so when I discovered the matching moisturising cream, I bought it, and shared my excitement with you here. 

Due to the excitement, I purchased this in bulk, thinking it would be just as amazing as the face scrub, however, much to my dismay, it was a disappointment.

But, I`m Asian, and I have to use my money's worth, so I stuck it out, and have been using it ruthlessly! 

(I have one in my handbag - ideal for when I do wudhu outside of home, I have given one to mum - she doesn`t like it either and FINALLY nearly finished this one)

The texture was exceedingly light, much lighter than my usual Olay Daily Moisturising Fluid, but because of this, I had to use a lot per application to cover my entire face (I don`t think my face is that big!), which is bad  because you shouldn`t have to use a lot of product to cover your entire face, BUT, its good - because the product is pretty rubbish and I didn`t want to use it for very long - so the quicker I can finish, the better! 

The packaging states the cream is a 'daily facial moisturiser with a fresh fragrance that hydrates, clears and refreshes for a beautifully clear and healthy looking skin everyday'.

Fresh fragrance - It has the same smell as the facial scrub, which initially smells fantastic first thing in the morning and very refreshing, but after a while, it gets boring and doesn`t smell exciting. It also made my skin sting a little bit - I don`t know what that was about?

Hydrates, clears and refreshes - I`m not entirely sure if it hydrated my skin as it didn`t really make much of a difference - and surely drinking plenty of water is what keeps the skin hydrated?! 

The cream has salicylic acid, which is great for reducing marks, which was the determining factor for me to purchase the cream - I thought it would aid the reduction of marks faster(!). But, it really didn`t! It made no added difference to my skin. And, this is why I`m disappointed with the product.

It was refreshing though, but after a while, you do get used to it. 

Beautifully clear and healthy looking skin everyday - As previously stated above, it didn`t really help clear my skin, but as the product is 'oil-free' it did keep the skin from clogging up further - in that respect the product was good. It was also pretty good as a base for make up as the product absorbed pretty quickly into the skin.

Another thing I didn`t like about this product is that there is no SPF included, which I find annoying. I`m a massive fan of SPF and the benefits it entails, so when my basic face cream is missing this? It is instantly not a great product for me. I try not to wear foundation as I like to keep my pores clog free, so I actively seek SPF in my face creams, to protect my skin from the harsh sun rays. But, as this product misses the SPF, I`ve had to be extra cautious and consciously ensure I wear foundation or sun protection on top of my face cream! So, that`s a MAJOR negative for me, in respect of this face cream.

Would I purchase this product again? No, the face scrub is amazing, but the moisturising cream is a let down in comparison, and my skin didn`t change dramatically, which sucks. Once I have finished this cream, I will go back to purchasing my Olay moisturising lotion, which I feel my skin is better suited to.

How about you? Have you tried this cream? I know, chocoholic-hijabi's sister tried it out and didn`t seem fond of it, either! Check out her funny review here. 

Can you recommend YOUR face cream to me?

xo

MW's Foodings: Mango Tree

Whirlers,

So me and a dear friend (ignore her man-ly hands in some of the photos, they were too big to crop out of the photos :p) went to eat at The Mango Tree in Grosvenor Gardens, London (closet tube was Victoria and a short 3 minute walk from the Station). I thought I`d share my experience with you, Whirlers, obviously with photos :p

(click on photos to enlarge)

I`ve heard of this restaurant and had been wanting to try it out for a while, as I had heard such good reviews from friends, "celebrities" and newspaper reviews, alike. The cuisine is Thai, which I enjoy and the meat is halal, all thumbs up, so far! I randomly came across an offer that had 50% off the a la Carte Menu, which available was through toptable. Do join and check out their other special offers on their site because they are pretty good! It was a simple process of selecting a table for 2, at a set time, with an email confirmation sent to your email address all done within 2 minutes. 

You would have to ensure you are able to make the reservation as there is a £20 charge per head if you miss the reservation, so reserve carefully. Also, there is a 2-hour turnaround for the table, which in effect means, you have two hours to eat your food, wash your hands, pay the bill and leave. I like this policy because if you`re hungry, you know you`ll get your food within good time and won`t have to wait around! 

We were pretty happy when we saw they had a mocktails menu, the two that are circled/squiggled/clouded are the ones we chose. Virgin Mojito was for myself and the Exotic Pago was chosen by Man-ly (lol). 

This is how they were presented to us. Yay. We all love it when mocktails come in pretty shape glasses, with fruit stuck on the edge, right? Only an umbrella was missing!

One thing, I wasn`t very fond of in regards to the mocktails, however, was the price. At £6.85, I personally think this is pretty dear, so what is essentially a mixture of fruit juices, no? The maximum I usually spend on a mocktail would be £5, but even then, I`m quite reluctant...

Oh, also, the Exotic Pago was the nicest out of the two. It was nice and sweet, which we were surprised about as it had such a large combination of flavours! They didn`t put enough brown sugar in the Virgin Mojito, so I was disappointed with that.

Me posing away with my mocktail...any chance to pose, eh?

(Ignore my man-ly hands, too now that I think about it!)

The starters: Chicken Satay and Gai Hor Bai Toey

I adore Chicken Satay! Its my favourite dish so I always order it whenever I go to a Thai restaurant, and I was not disappointed with this one. The peanut sauce was perfect, too! My friend ordered the Gai Hor Bai Toey, this was pretty standard chicken boiled in spicy sauce and wrapped in a leaf. Nothing too exciting. I won the starter round for best choice. Haha.

Main Course: Gai  Pad Med Mamuang and Chicken Chilli Basil

My friend had the Gai Pad Med Mamuang, which also had cashew nuts, but she requested it be taken out. I made her keep the mushrooms though, which I had. Her dish was mild, but really nice. The mushrooms were fresh and nicely cooked. The dish was put in a pastry sheet, so the sauce made it soft, but the top was still crispy, so the combination of textures was really nice. 

I had the bottom dish, the Chicken Chilli Basil, which was really spicy! It was covered in chilli's, which was disappointing, because it was basically a dish filled with chilli's...I didn`t want to eat chilli's for an entire meal? So, I just had the chicken and sauce, which was nice and spicy though - which I love.

2 - 1 to the friend -______________-

How do you feel about having an automatic 12.5% gratuity added to your bill? I personally hate it! I know its not compulsory to pay the gratuity, but it is just so awkward, when they take the bill and money and realise we didn`t pay it. And, 10% is more than enough to give for services, and that is coming from someone who has been a waitress from the age of 13! 

My feedback.

Would I go back? Yes, but only on a special offer basis, maybe next time the chef special offer, as there was more choice of dishes under that offer. But, they also accept the tastecard on weekdays, which is great - as I have one! And, I will most definitely be ordering the Exotic Pago. And, I probably won`t pay the 12.5% next time...10%, most likely.

What do you think of my review? Have you eaten there? How do you feel about 12.5% added automatically to your bill??

xo

MW Goodies: Street Princess Jewellery

Hey Whirlers,

How are you all? I recently purchased some goodies from Street Princess, which I`m very excited about! Especially as I had my eye on  a 'Ellie' bracelet for a while.

Let me give you the lowdown on Street Princess. An online jewellery boutique where the Princess is Naheeda, a wonderful chick that I had the pleasure to meet a few months ago at a bloggers meet up in London. Naheeda takes great pride in her work, and it is reflected in the end product where her bracelets are all handmade and are perfect, masha`Allah. She initially did a whole range of jewellery, but is now focussing on her handmade bracelets for a short period. That explains why her rings and necklaces are in the amazing blog sale over on her blog.

I was given the opportunity to purchase a few goodies from Street Princess with 50% discount, and here are the pictures of my purchase:

I`m a sucker for cute packaging. It shows effort and pride in their work, and most importantly, wanting to put a smile on their customers face. Orgazana pouches and little card boxes that are filled with treasures.

Here is a close-up of the packaging. There are mini crowns on one side of the box, which signifies the princess in the name. Totally cute, creative and a lot of thought has gone into the packaging. My bracelets came in this, where it was further wrapped in pink tissue paper to protect the bracelet inside the box.

A further close-up of the packaging. This is the other side of the box, showing the logo of Street Princess. Again, much thought as gone into the whole image of the product as a whole.

With the products, I was give a post card from Naheeda with a personal message. I told you I`m a sucker for cute packaging and the extra effort into putting a smile on your customers face!

'Bow' ring - £2
This was purchased from the blog sale. How cute is this ring? This ring is perfect for me, with chubby fingers, as the ring is expandable.

Riley in Red/Gold
An example of how perfectly made this bracelet is by Naheeda.

Ellie in Nude
This is my favourite product from the purchase! I love elephants.
This bracelet is JUST TOOOOO CUTE!!! I took more photos of this bracelet as I loved it too much!

Another personal touch by Street Princess is to have SP on the ends of the bracelet to stop the bracelet falling off.
It took me a while to get used to this extra weight, and had to be careful not to let it fall into my food,
but again, reflecting the personal touches to Naheeda's work.

I did actually purchase another item, a tribal necklace in antique gold, but when I was taking photos the necklace was sitting in my new necklace board and I was too lazy to go upstairs and bring it down! But, that necklace is also very pretty!!

I think the amount of time and effort Naheeda puts into her jewellery is amazing and truly reflects it in the end product. She has nailed the personal touches, the handmade bracelets are flawless and she has created truly amazing packaging to go with her jewellery, surely to leave her customers with a smile on their face.

If you liked any of these products, please do check her out on:

Her website
-

Her blog

Her twitter

instagram: @StreetPrincess

where you will find even more of her products...

or, if you have any queries, do email her!

So, what do you guys think? Isn`t the Ellie bracelet just amaze?!

xo

MW's EOTD and L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim Review

Whirlers!

New purchases from Superdrug:

Sleek Oh So Special Palette
Sleek Face Form Blush Contour Kit in Dark
L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim in Intense Black
MUA Bronzer in Shade 2

And this is what I came up with:

I used: Gateau, Celebrate and Noir from the Oh So Special Palette, the L'Oreal Super Liner, the MUA Bronzer in Shade 2 and the Sleek Face Form Blush Contour Kit.

Foundation: Christian Dior ForeverSkin in Medium Beige 030
Concealer: Christian Dior DiorSkin Sculpt in Medium
Mascara: L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes
Eyeshadow Primer: UDPP
Eyebrows: HD Brows
Lipgloss: Lancome Juicy Tube in Blackcurrant

Scarf: F21
Pussybow Blouse: Primark

Also, I have to say, I was in the garden all afternoon and my eyeliner/eyeshadow didn`t melt off, which was really impressive especially with this current heatwave!!

Doodling with the Perfect Slim Pen on my hand.

Photo taken from: just-an-extra.blogspot.com

When it comes to eyeliners, I like the line to be thin and precise, which was definitely something achievable with this pen as you can see how thin the nib was, and at £6.49, I think its a great buy. The wear is fabulous, it didn`t smudge very easily, nor did it melt off in the heat, it wasn`t removable very easily with just water, but came off smoothly with face wash. The only downfall to this pen, in my opinion, was the lid. The lid wasn`t very secure, so I think I would have doubts to carry this pen in my make up bag, just in case the lid came off and leaked/ruined my other make up products and dried out quickly. Which is a shame, as I carry only a few items in my make up bag, and an eyeliner is definitely one. It would have been great if I could have the confidence of a secure lid in my make up bag with this eyeliner. So, I`ll have to apply at home and leave it at home and use a different liner to touch up if I have to. :(

So, L'Oreal, if you`re reading this, PLEASSSEEEE, make the lid more secure, and I will definitely repurchase this eyeliner, as everything else is perfect!!!

What do you guys think of my FOTD? Do you have the same palette? Which colour combo's have you tried? 

And, my beloved eyeliner, have you purchased it? What did you like about it? Did you also have a problem with the lid? Or, was mine just a manufacturing error? 

xo

MW's NARS Day and Night Palette Review

Okay, background behind this NARS palette is that, I initially ordered the 'Danmari All About Cheeks' Palette. However, due to the volume of orders for that palette, they ran out and they didn`t notify me about it until a week later. I was disappointed with this customer servicing and as an apology they sent me this complimentary gift.

Click on image to enlarge.

The colours are gorgeous, I`m not going to lie. I can totally understand why this palette, which was initially released for their 15th year anniversary is still available to purchase. 

(Image 3)

L-R TOP - ABYSSINIA - SUGARLAND - FATHOM

L-R BOTTOM - CLEO - UNDERWORLD - NIGHT BREED

Favourite colour? Sugarland. It blends SO well into the colour of my skin and looks so natural yet bronze-y. Cannot wait to experiment with this colour.

Least favourite? Cleo - not drawing to the pastel blue, if I`m honest, but thats because its quite in your face colour.

If I had to purchase a single colour? Underworld. So heavily pigmented and such a rich deep blue. Beautiful. Or, Sugarland <3

+ Pros +

+ Its in a small compact palette, so great to put into your make up bag and get out when you`re getting ready for the evening after work, which is what NARS, I`m guessing had aimed for.

+5/6 colours are approachable.

+ Packaging is adorable, but NARS always get it perfect for packaging.

- Cons -

- I don`t like Cleo.

- Not really worth £37, for a mere 6 colours, when the UD Naked Palette offers a greater variety of shades, which are amazing quality/pigmentation, etc - retailing for £35! So, for £2 less you get a much nicer palette? Much better for money's worth.

Would I purchase this once finished? Probably not, based on the price. But, if I really, really liked Sugarland or Underworld, possibly buy them as singles?

Once, I start to experiment with the colours, I`ll share with you some FOTD's so you can see what I created.

Does anybody else have this palette? What colour combinations shall I try?

xo

MW's NOTD: Glitter Emo/NYC Nail Polish Review

Whirllers :)
I was extremely bored this morning, purchased my first black nail polish, and decided to have some fun:

Check out my review for the elf nail polish here. 

NYC Nail Polish Review:

The NYC in a New York Colour Minute nail polish in 'Black Pearl' was a very nice colour to use for the first time using black, as it wasn`t a dark black, but a more softer black with grey sparkles. So, it was definitely approachable by a newbie for dark polish. Application was great and the nail polish DOES dry quickly! I was very impressed, considering the nail polish was only £1.79! The colour lasted a very long time, which was great! In fact, it lasted for 7 days, and probably more, if I didn`t remove it after those days!

What do you guys think of the combination?

xo

MW's November GlossyBox Review

My beautiful Whirrlers :)

This is my first ever GlossyBox review, I`ve been getting them for a few months now, and I`ll be honest, they`re not as good as they used to be when I first got them. I am disappointed with this box because there wasn`t any make up in the box and again like last month, all these creams and stuff - so, blah to me.

As you can see there were some NAIL ROCK (Designer Nail Wraps  (£6.65 at full size), which didn`t appeal to me, as well, red lace? Really? Pretty ugly to me. I most likely won`t wear these, nor purchase these at full price. (These were full size wraps)

The ILLAMASQUA 'Freak' (£59.00 at full size) perfume sample - I`m not the biggest fan of perfumes as it is, all the past perfume samples I`ve received from GlossyBox, I`ve never smelt (and read reviews - weren`t nice smells) but this perfume scent lingered when you opened the box. It was quite a light scent, which surprised me as Illamasqua are quite flamboyant. This is their first perfume to be released. I probably wouldn`t purchase this perfume at full price, which at £59.00, seems quite expensive.

The products I DID test out are numbered in the picture:

1. ARBONNE Ultra Hydrating Hand Creme (£19.00 at full size) 

The formula was quite light, and it states it has kiwi extracts, but when I put it on it smelt like I had been peeling clementines, lol. I put it on yesterday as my hands were extremely dry, and it DID make a significant difference. I would probably purchase this again but as a gift to someone who appreciates hand creams. But, this sample size is sitting in my handbag for now.

2. DEAD SEA SPA MAGIK Delicate Boosting Mask (£8.80 at full size)

I`ve never worn a face mask in my life, so I guess I was expecting life altering results, lol. But, when I put it on and washed it off after 10-15 minutes as stated on the tube, I was disappointed. My face looked exactly the same. The description states 'showing immediate and remarkable results' - I did not see this. Maybe I did it wrong? Has anybody else tried it and got the desired results? From my first attempt, I probably would not purchase this again, although, I`ll re-try and see if theres a difference. If so, then possibly.

3. PHILIP KINGSLEY Elasticizer (£52.10 at full price)

The tube states to wear a plastic cap for 15-20 minutes, I do not have one, so I missed this step, but even without the cap, I loved the end result. It made SUCH a huge difference to my hair! It wasn`t as frizzy, it was soft when it was dry and definitely more glossy. If I had the money I would repurchase this, as it seems quite dear, but only use it for special occasions.

--

I have decided that if the December box doesn`t leave me feeling warm and fuzzy inside, I will unsubscribe. These boxes are in total £13.95 including p+p, so they`re not cheap, especially when there are similar boxes out in the market now, for cheaper. I will have to research into those brands and see what they offer, etc.
So, if you are reading this Mr GlossyBox, please make December a good 'un! Don`t disappoint me! Give me more make up!!

Did you guys like your GlossyBoxes? Link me your reviews!!

xo

MW's Goodies: Elf Make Up Purchases/Review

Hi Whirllers!

So, I get an email from elf saying theres a special offer at the moment, if you spend £10+ and include a specific code, you get a £10 worth of 'Luxury Gift Set Mystery Box' plus free postage and packaging! So, I thought, yea, why not? I need new bronzer, anyway and I HATE paying for postage and packaging (lol). So, I went ahead and spent exactly £10 and this is what I got:

Massive box! Postman had to deliver it in his van as opposed to bike/on foot. I crawled back into bed with the box, which is why you can see my bedspread in the photos lol:

Whoever packed it, was having fun, it was STUFFED with bubble wrap. Kept it, might need it in the future to send goodies in the post:

These are the goodies I purchased:

Warm Bronzer - £3.50

Mineral Lipstick in Ripe Rose - £3.50

Nail Polish in Dark Red - £1.50

Nail Polish in Mod Mauve - £1.50

What I got for free in the Luxury Gift Set Mystery Box:

Beauty Book in Smokey Eye Edition - £6.00

Smudge Brush - £1.50

Nail File - £1.50

Nail Polish in Golden Goddess - £1.50

This is what the Beauty Book Smokey Eye Edition looks like! Its got one side filled with a mirror, eyeshadows, eyeliner and an applicator. Whilst on the other side are the steps on how to do a smokey eye. Quite nifty for someone who is new to eyeshadows (i.e. me)!

Here are swatches (is that the correct word to use?) for the nail polishes. The first one I tried out was 'Dark Red' and the ring finger has the polish with only one coat. So, you`ll need to wear two coats to achieve the Dark Red colour. I love elf nail polishes. They`re long lasting for the price. And, they have quite a wide choice of colours to choose from. They also have Vitamin E in them, so helps look after the nails.

This is 'Mod Mauve' on the ring finger and I absolutely LOVE this colour on my nails!! Its like a salmon colour, so its not too much in your face, which I love. You could wear this to work and it would seem like a professional colour, I think, anyway.

Here is the 'Golden Goddess' - on its own not very nice, but over nail polish it looks nice. Probably more ideal if you`re going out in the evening and wearing gold to match it. 

I actually wore this over black nail polish, and it looked great! The glitters don`t fall off easily, unless you put force on them to come off. The polish does dry with a matte effect, so it looks great! I would recommend if you ever wanted to 'dazzle' your nails, quickly and cheaply!

Here is the Mineral Lipstick in Ripe Rose. Cute packaging. Its simple. And, you can see its a nice nudey pink/red colour.

Here it is as a swatch on my hand. Its described on the website as a matte creamy deep pink, and I would say this is an accurate description of the lipstick. It was creamy and not drying on my lips. I did add vaseline over it for a slight sheen. I would probably buy different colours from this range, as I`m starting to experiment with lipsticks.

Also, the Warm Bronzer is a fav item of mine. I`m obsessed with it and its my go-to bronzer after recommendations from Lil Miss Rosh, ages ago!! Everyone should purchase it. And, at £3.50 you literally cannot go wrong with it!

So, thats my recent purchase from elf! Do you buy anything from elf? What would you recommend for my next elf shopping basket? 

xo