Monday, 25 July 2016
Makeup Geek X MannyMua Eyeshadow Palette Review and Swatches
Hey
Hey HeyJ
My love for makeup artist/brand collaboration is epic!(
Little Surprise there eh!!) .When I hear about my favourite artist announcing
their range, I have to give it a try for
sure. Being a top Vlogger, MannyMua is well respected in the makeup industry
and when his announcement about his makeup range came out, the whole world, quite
literally went GAGA over it and it involved server crashes! Now, that is some
serious hype! After much eager waiting, I finally got my hands on the Eye
shadow palette!
The packaging is classy! It comes in a
black and gold limited edition box, embossed with the MakeUpGEEK logo and Manny’s
stylish crescent Logo. Manny’s love for all things Sailor Moon is certainly
translated in his palette as well.
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With a selection of nine eyeshadows,
and a cardboard--mirrored compact, the palette is perfect for travel and the shades suit all skin tones. Out of
this nine, three are from existing permanent shades from MakeupGeek and five
MannyMua custom shades, and the palette has two foiled eyeshadows.
The Shades:
Artemis(custom) is described
as muted champagne yellow. Its iridescent cream shimmer perfect for
highlighting. It has great
pigmentation, easy to blend, easy application and lasted a good 8 hours.
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| artemis,beaches and cream,luna |
Beaches & Cream is a matte
eyeshadow in a peachy nude shade. This one is from the current MakeupGEEK range and Many a times, Manny himself has proclaimed his love for this one. It has
a firm texture and it was challenging to get it on onto the brush.
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| artemis,beaches and cream,luna |
Luna(custom) can be described
as a medium rose gold. It is a cocoa brown shade with a metallic finish. It is
highly pigmented giving eight hrs of wear time. Super sleek and easy to apply.
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| cosmopolitan,sora,frappe |
Cosmopolitan from the MakeupGeek Collection, is a muted
medium coral shade with warm undertones and some gold shimmer. It has a semi opaque pigmentation,
with a slight dry consistency. I got a good 6.5 hours of wear time. When using
this shade it is better to have a good base colour first and then layer it and
it goes really well with all the shades in the palette.
Sora (custom) named after
the protagonist in Kingdom of Hearts. Like Sora’s Hair, this shade is a medium
earthy terracotta with warm undertones.
With matte finish, this one has a good colour payoff. A very good transition shade.
It blends like a dream and gave me a good 7.5 wear time.
Frappe another
brilliant shade from the MakeupGeek Fraternity. With medium brown tone and
cream undertones it gives you a matte finish. This one is a sheer coverage
shade and was buildable. I somehow felt that the consistency of the shade in
this palette is different from their actual one, which I had bought previously.
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| insomnia,mars,aphrodite |
Insomnia (pressed
version of their loose pigments) is described as a medium dark reddish brown
with bluish teal metallic finish. Its highly pigmented and a true testament of
‘A little goes a long way’. Foiled shadows work best when applied using flat
firm brushes. Super easy to apply and It gave me a wear time of 8.5 hrs.
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| insomnia,mars,aphrodite |
Mars(custom) is a dark raspberry red shade with cool
undertones and a matte finish. With a grainy/gritty consistency, Mars is
well pigmented and a gentle stroke of your brush is all you need for good coverage. It is inclined more to the
drier side, making blending a little tricky when you do not have a good base
underneath. I got a wear time of 8 hrs.
Aphrodite(custom) can be
described as a dark taupe brown with warm undertones and a matte finish. This
has a semi opaque colour payoff with a dry texture. Like Mars, this one also needs
good base underneath for an even application.
This lasted on me for 7 hrs.
Overall the palette is good pick and
definitely a value addition to your collection. Its versatile and gives you the
benefit of creating a wide range of looks from Nudes to dark Smokey eyes- the
possibilities are quite endless! You can buy it directly from the MakeupGeek Site,
the palette is priced at $45.00 for 0.58 oz and this is lot cheaper than buying
the shades individually as the foiled shadow is priced at $10 per pan and regular
shade at $6 per pan!
I absolutely loved it and Manny has
won my vote for sure! He has definitely left me wanting for more;) !
Until Next Time
Take care
Thursday, 21 July 2016
Peachy Puffs- A Summer Favorite!!
Grab your aviators and wayfarers, summer has arrived –Baby!
So the temperature today was an astounding sunny 24 deg Celsius. Being
the weather-obsessed nation we are, elevator conversations have been dictated
by running commentary of humidity forecasts and seemingly the whole world is sweating
it over MET updates(lol pun intended)!! Chivalry pervades as notes on ‘How to
avoid hot flushes’ were exchanged and URLS to ‘Finding the last min bargain
deal for the lifesaving-all-important –ceiling fans’ were disclosed.
Not bogged down by sleepless nights, I smothered gigantic proportions of SPF 50,put on my fine summer cottons and I have been dreaming up an epic summer dream!!
Strawberries and cream, Zingy Mango Sorbet, Minty Iced Teas and the ever so refreshing Frappuccino- When it comes to summer, I certainly have a 'Food Bucket List' and Peachy Puffs tops it for sure! With toasted almonds on top and crunchy puff pastry that just snaps as you tuck into it, along with some chilled crème fraiche , It is music to my summer loving (gluttonous) ears.
Here goes, A no-fuss dessert
recipe that’s fabulously easy and It beautifully captures the spirit of summer,
the zingy fruit and rich pastry is just the sort of indulgence to celebrate the
rapidly passing sultry weather!
Serves: 4
Ingredients
320g Ready Rolled Pastry
6 Peaches
½ tsp of Almond Extract
½ tsp Vanilla Extract /Vanilla Pod
120 gms butter (I used unsalted)
100gms Golden Caster Sugar
140 gms Ground Almond
1 Egg
Some flaked Almonds
Plain flour for dusting
Baking Parchment
Preheat your oven at 200 deg cel. Dust your working surface/chopping
board with some plain flour and gently place the rolled pastry on to the
surface.
You can cut a nice circle if you are using a pie dish or alternatively
you make squares out of the puff pastry.
A swish of egg yolk on the puff
would render an amazing golden hue once the puff pastry is baked.
Line your
baking tray with somne parchment and carefully place the pastry sheet into the
dish.You can use the end of the rolling pin for support to prevent the sheet
from tearing. Once the sheet is safely placed, score gently on the
surface of the pastry sheet. Place it in the oven and the temperature can stay
at 200 deg cel, this will allow the dough to rise .Leave it for about 12 mins
until the pastry is golden in colour and has risen.
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| Add caption |
Whilst the pastry is in the oven, you can prepare the peaches and cut
them into long slices.
In a mixing bowl, blend the almond flour, sugar
and melted better. You can also add the vanilla extract and the almond extract
enhances the almond flavour. If you are apprehensive about the dish being ‘too
almondy’ you can give the almond extract a miss.
Once the puff pastry is risen you can carefully take the pastry out from
the oven, be super careful at this point and remember to use gloves.
Gently layer the almond butter on the top and then the prepared peaches!
You can sprinkle the chopped almonds and add some golden sugar to caramelize
the peaches.
Reduce the temperature setting to 180 deg and carefully place the peach
lined puff back into oven and allow it to cook for another 30 mins. You can
serve once cooled.
And Tadah! That’s your Summery Peachy puffs- done! You can whip
some double cream and add some vanilla extract to amp up the flavour!
Peachy puffs are definitely one of my summer favourites! Do you
have a go-to summer dessert?
A meringue or a buttery pie- Which one would win your vote?
Until Next time!
Take care!
Sunday, 17 July 2016
Twirling around Kensington
My love for sugary delights and green gardens are quite astronomical.
Be it a naughty custard filled doughnut or a hearty cheesecake coax, you’ll win my vote for sure if it involves a dusting of cocoa and crème!
Kensington is quite epic! With fine stores to shop till you drop and café’s and brasseries enticing you no matter where you look and not to mention the Instagram perfect looking vintage cars parked outside the beautiful streets –it’s got all the scoop for a perfect Saturday evening!
It would be rather unfair if I didn’t mention the weather situation this weekend! After weeks of what felt like a ‘missed-out’ summer this year, temperatures soared and it finally feels like summer has arrived! It was hot, breezy and humid and Of course,I loved it!!
And yes my love for sugary delights and green gardens took me to Kensington!
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| the Chairs!!! |
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| slurp! |
As you cautiously avert the pokemon-go’ers and you walk past the high street you will get a whiff of freshly baked cakes! Like the Pied Piper – The Primrose Bakery beckoned, with their finest ‘Red velvet cupcakes’ and ‘melting moments’, Staying true to their name, they had a 100% success rate when it came to melting my inner resolve!
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| Vanilla cupcake with Lemon frosting on top |
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| Red Velvety Goodness |
You can tuck into their earl grey mini cupcake delight- in the quaintest of settings! Everything about the bakery is tastefully done! From beautifully picked out flowers to the pastel seats, there is a lot of detailing –a lot of Love! They left an indelible impression in my heart.
The thing is, I have been to the Louvre. I have seen the infamous Mona Lisa smile, only to leave me unscathed, but Primrose, I tell you, is pure poetry! They almost had me browsing on Rightmove and had me thinking of the immense possibilities if they were my local baker!
With a beaming smile and a massive sugar rush ( lol) we headed off to the sprawling gardens. On the loaned Barclay bikes we did some serious pedalling action to burn off the calorie guilt!
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| The Kensington Palace |
The gardens are perfect for a picnic! Throw a Frisbee, play hide-n-seek with the squirrels or witness the clash of titans –it’s official (lol) the war between ducks and swans! You can even resign under the shade of a mighty tree and just sit back and relax and do some people watching or just sip some iced tea and enjoy a nice read!
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| Can you see me? I am trying to Blend in!! |
The midi skirt was a bargain buy this sale season from Zara!
It’s a definite must- have for your summer wardrobe along with a crew tshirt! I am loving this striped one and this solid coloured one with smoke-work detailing has a nice touch to it!
Uniqlo is my new found love when it comes to t-shirts! Be it a good polo or a fine cashmere sweater, they have a wide range when it comes to colours and they are reasonably priced! This dinosaur pocket t from asos is definitely cute and the knot detail T has a lot of character!
It’s all about white trainers off late and I certainly love a good bargain! There are some great trainers and plimsolls that are really cheap but look super classy! I would definitely recommend Pull and Bear! Esp. this and this one with the patch affect screams fun! The one I am wearing in the post, is a NewLook leather look alike one from ASOS and at 13 pounds it is a total winner! Here is another good one from ASOS.
So that’s a weekend wrap folks! We hope you had a smashing weekend as well!
How is the weather situation that side?
Are you a midi skirt person? Any smashing buys this sale season?
We absolutely love it ,when you get in touch with us!
Until Next time!
Take care!
Friday, 8 July 2016
Give Away Results!
And The lucky winner is ….. (DRUM ROLL)
soumyahpillai!
Congratulations Soumya- We truly hope you love the palette as much as we did! Message us your address and we will ship you the box of magic over! We definitely want to see you sporting the JH x Becca Look!
Until Next time!
Take care!
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