Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Collection

Well hello there!

Once again, it's been a while. I've been finishing up my time at Good Housekeeping (they asked me to return to help out for another week after my holiday!) and i've come back to Southampton where lots of exciting things have happened. I got engaged, although technically that happened a few days before I left for GH, and was offered a position as Editorial Assistant at Childrensalon. So i've spent the past few days flat-hunting for myself and Rob in Tunbridge Wells, and yesterday I found a flat, which (subject to referencing!) will be mine in a few weeks. So yeah, it's been busy. But now I have a couple of weeks before I start and i've got loads of goodies to blog about - starting with this lot! 

Urban Decay is a brand we all know, but in my opinion, most people just associate it with their Naked palettes. So when I had the chance to try out their new Pulp Fiction collection*, I was excited to see what they had to offer that wasn't from their Naked range. The collection was inspired by Mrs Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction, and gives beauty lovers the chance to recreate her edgy look. Consisting of an eyeshadow palette, lip-liner, lipstick, nail polish and glittery eyeliner (Which she didn't actually wear - nice plug, UD!), its got a little bit of everything to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary.

The eyeshadow palette (£17.50) contains five super-pigmented colours, a double-ended brush and a step-by-step guide to achieve Mia's look. As an avid Naked lover, I was excited to try this the most as I knew the quality of the shadows would be amazing.

The packaging is amazing - completely different to any other eyeshadow packaging i've seen. On the front it features the Ezekiel passage, with "Be cool honey bunny" stamped on the back. The inside features some lovely black blood splatters - apparently the blood was originally going to be red, but it was thought to be too gruesome! To be honest, because of the intensity of the outer packaging, the colours were not what I was expecting. However, looking at pictures of Uma Thurman in character, the eye colours are quite similar. 

The lip pencil, appropriately named 'Mrs. Mia Wallace', is a deep blood-red version of their 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencils (£13). It's really creamy, highly pigmented and has a gorgeous matte finish once applied all over the lips. I think this is a bit darker than the shade she wore, but it's gorgeous all the same and looks perfect with the matching 'Mrs Mia Wallace' Revolution Lipstick (£15). 

I'm annoyed, as in the light the lipstick looks like a burgundy shade but it's really a gorgeous deep red. It's a lovely creamy formula and is entirely waterproof, making it perfect for a night out. 

Wow, my lipstick skills need some serious work! I have to admit, I wasn't the biggest fan on the shape of the bullet, as it made it quite difficult to get precise lines without having to use a lip brush. I can't seem to find mine, so had to make do with what I had. But as you can see, the finish of the lipstick is gorgeous. It transfers a lot - onto glasses, food, Rob's cheek - but it doesn't smudge or lessen the intensity of it. I can't wait to wear this on a night out, or even during the day if i'm feeling particularly daring! I think the classic colour makes it perfect for every skin tone.

I really enjoyed recreating her eye look, as it isn't too crazy and out of my comfort zone. I completely forgot about taking a picture of the step-by-step guide, but to achieve the signature look you begin with 'Righteous' from the lash line to the brow, then apply 'Tyranny' all over the lid. Then apply 'Vengeance' in the outer corner, and use 'Anger' as a soft eyeliner which can be brought out to a wing. Complete the look by applying 'Furious' on the brow bone as a highlight. In hindsight, if a good primer is applied beforehand 'Righteous' isn't really needed, but its nice to use the whole palette. What i'm most impressed with is the eyeliner - I can't believe how easy it was to apply and how highly pigmented it is! If I don't wear the complete look all the time, i'll definitely be using the black shadow as a liner. 

Overall this is an amazing little collection, and even though I didn't get a chance to try it all, if the eye liner and nail colour are half as good as the shadows and lip colour, i'll be happy :) 

You can get your hands on the entire Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Collection from September 1st. 

Interning with the Good Housekeeping Beauty team!

I've lost count of the amount of jobs and internships i've applied for since leaving University. That's not because there have been hundreds or I don't care about them enough to remember, but once I hit that send button I try my hardest to close the lid on it so I don't spend the next few weeks desperately checking my emails and worrying about my CV being binned. This was exactly my thought when I applied for the beauty internship at Good Housekeeping, as part of their Foot in the Door campaign. I thought it was such a long shot I may as well forget about it and focus on other things, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out i'd been successful! 

For two weeks I worked with the Beauty team at the iconic Hearst building. I wrote content for the website, attended press days and helped work on the big November issue. It gave me an amazing insight into what it takes to create an issue and has made me realise that this is definitely something that I want to pursue as a career. The team were so lovely and made me feel really welcome. They asked me for ideas and I was never stuck for something to do - something that i've found to be a regular occurrence with internships. I just realised this morning that my first piece has been published on the GH website - take a look here. The only downside is that they couldn't set me up with my own Author name so it doesn't technically say that I wrote it, which is such a shame!

It was such a great experience and the only downside is that two weeks went far too quickly. I'm now looking for internships and employment elsewhere but my hope is that I can return there and work with the team again in the near future. The Foot in the Door scheme is a fantastic way to gain an insight into working on a professional publication and I would definitely recommend applying next year if you want to work in magazines. So it's back to reality for me for now, but I now have lots of amazing freebies to blog about and lots of jobs to apply for! 

Benefit's Lollibalm

I've been desperate to review some of Benefit's new products ever since I started working there in October. However, due to the risk of sounding bias I decided i'd stay away until I didn't work there anymore. That time has now come (I'm not going to explain why, but let's just say their techniques weren't for me!), so here is a review of one of their new products I couldn't wait to get my hands on.

I've always been a massive fan of their iconic lip and cheek stains - there isn't a day that goes by that I don't layer one underneath a lipstick or gloss - so I was really excited to see that they brought out the entire lip and cheek stain range in the form of a tinted lip balm. Packed with mango butter and sodium hyaluronate (Yeah, I have no idea what that is either!), it promises to be super moisturising and provide a subtle hint of colour which can be intensified with the matching tint underneath. Lollitint is my go-to tint at the moment as I like having a hint of purple/plum to my lips, so I thought i'd start off trying out Lollibalm.

First off, the packaging is gorgeous. Benefit is known for its unique packaging and this product doesn't disappoint. I love the shape of the bullet as it makes it so much easier to slick on at an angle like a lipstick. What can I say? It does what it says on the tin. It's a lip balm with a little bit of colour in it! The staying power isn't great, although with lip balms they never are. I was originally told (By Benefit employees!) that the balms weren't great as the colour is barely noticeable, which I disagree with. Yes, they would not replace your lipstick or gloss, but there is a slight hint which is ideal for those days when you don't want anything attention grabbing but you don't want to face the day bare-faced. 

Here is the Lollibalm worn alone without a tint underneath:

As you can see there is a hint of colour there, and my lips look really hydrated and moisturised. 

And here it is with Lollintint underneath:

To be quite honest with you, this look could have been achieved with one more very thin coat of tint, followed by a clear lipgloss. I get the feeling these are sort-of fluff/filler products thought up to squeeze a bit more catch out of the lip and cheek stains. They are really hydrating, but essentially you are paying £14.50 for a lip balm which you can purchase for £5 in your local drugstore. 

I am curious to see how the other balms measure up in comparison, however I don't think i'll be breaking the bank anytime soon purchasing the remaining three colours. 

You can purchase Lollibalm, alongside the other tinted lip balms, online or at your local Benefit counter for £14.50.