Thursday 23 January 2014

Clinique 16 Shades of Beige Collection - Limited Edition All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette in Neutral Territory 2

Clinique Limited Edition All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette in Neutral Territory 2* - £32 at clinique.co.uk
As you may not know, I recently left my job at Estee Lauder to become a member of their sister brand, Clinique! I'm really happy with my decision to change job and it was in no way a result of any problems with Lauder as a brand, I simply wanted to progress and wanted full-time hours which weren't available at the time at Estee Lauder. Enough about that, I'm really excited to share with you a new limited edition product from Clinique which will be launching in February as part of the 16 Shades of Beige Collection


Everyone loves a neutral palette, and this new offering from Clinique is gorgeous. I am such a massive fan of their eyeshadows anyway, they have the most soft, buttery texture and are so rich and pigmented.  

The Limited Edition All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette in Neutral Territory 2 is no different and contains a mixture of seven shimmer and one matte shade. The matte shade is the fourth shade in, which is labelled as 'light shade of day into date duo', a colour that is part of one of the permanent eyeshadow duo palettes. The palette, despite being branded as a limited edition product, contains all permanent shades that can be purchased either as a single or in their duo, trio or quad, depending how they come. The palette as a limited edition piece is fab, but if one or a few of the colours really float your boat then you can also re-purchase them afterwards when you've used them up - perfect! The most annoying thing in the world is falling in love with a limited edition product that once you've used up, you can never repurchase, right?


Neutral Territory 2 features colours that are really diverse and there are shades in the palette for everyone from light to deep skintones. The first four shades are lighter shade offerings, perfect for under the brow and for inner corner highlight, as well as all over the lid. The last four shades are perfect for a subtle smoke and are really wearable for every day.

L-R: Sugar Cane, light shade of Diamonds and Pearls Duo,
light shade of Neutral Territory Duo, light shade of Day Into Date Duo.
L-R: Brown shade of Polar Blue Quad, Hazy, Black Honey,
dark brown shade of Morning Java Quad.

I love Clinique's matte eyeshadow formulas as they aren't flat or chalky, they have an ever so subtle sheen to them which makes them so much more wearable in my opinion, shown by the above swatch of 'light shade of day into date duo'.

As well as the 8-pan eyeshadow palette, the collection will also consist of 8 Limited Edition 'A Different Nail Enamel' shades, all in beautiful beige hues. 

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Overall, this is a gorgeous, gorgeous palette and one that I can't wait to wear on counter. I highly recommend all Clinique eyeshadows and if you've never tried them before, then this palette is a great place to start. 

Clinique's Limited Edition All About Shadow 8-Pan Palette in Neutral Territory 2 will retail for £32 and is on counters in Feburary, however it is already available to purchase online at clinique.co.uk along with the nail colours aswell.

What do you think of the Neutral Territory 2 palette?



*I was gifted this palette as an employee and did not purchase it myself.

Thursday 9 January 2014

Hair Products I'm Currently Loving....

(From left to right) Toni&Guy Glamour Firm Hold Hairspray, Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Backcomb in a Bottle,
 Redken Extreme Conditioner, Redken Extreme Shampoo, Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil,
Redken Satinwear 02 Prepping Blow Dry Lotion, Philip Kingsley Elasticizer
 These are the hair products that I've been using and loving lately, they've all been helping my hair in one way or another wether it be with it's condition or with the way it looks. I've really gotten into my hair products lately, and have been branching out into some more professional type haircare brands such as Redken and Philip Kingsley as opposed to things you can pick up in the supermarket or Boots. I've been really pleased with the results from the higher end brands and will definitely continue to invest!


First up is the Toni&Guy Glamour Firm Hold Hairspray (£6.39) which I have heard lots of things about but decided to pick one up after I tried a friends and was seriously impressed! Before this I was using L'Oreal Elnett hairspray and was fairly happy with it's hold and it's ability to brush out into nothing. This Toni&Guy alternative is much more heavy duty but does also brush out quite nicely and doesn't leave my hair crispy. It's more obvious that I have something in my hair when it isn't brushed out, aka when I have my hair back in a pony and spray it to keep the strays down. It's definitely a much firmer hold than the Elnett and I have really been enjoying the results that it gives my hair. 

Second product is the Umberto Giannini Backcomb in a Bottle (£5.61) which I've been loving in the roots of second day hair when I need a bit more lift and texture. It's got a nice texture to it and just feels like you're spraying a hairspray in rather than a powdery spray. It disappears when ruffled up with fingers and works nicely with the hair dryer too.

Next is my shampoo and conditioner duo, the Redken Extreme (Shampoo £12.50, Conditioner £13.75) range for distressed hair. I love both of these products equally and they have given so much strength and shine to my hair. They are both packed with proteins and help to fortify damaged and weak hair. They smell like sweets (bonus!) and the conditioner doesn't weigh my hair down which it is prone to with certain conditioners. I'm really impressed by both of these and I definitely recommend them to anyone with hair in the above category!


I've also been enjoying using the Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil (£31.50) which is for the hair, nails and body. It's been really quenching my hair where it needs it most - the ends, and has overall given it softness and shine. I've been slathering it in and tying my hair up, leaving it in to soak for a good few hours if I'm doing bits at home. I am completely obsessed with the Elemis Body Exotics range at the moment, the oil is fantastic on damp skin after a shower too! 

The Redken Satinwear 02 Prepping Blow Dry Lotion (£15.30) is also something that I have been really, really impressed with. It makes blow drying my hair about 10x easier, and that is saying something as I have very thick, frizzy hair that is plentiful and is a complete chore to style/manage! This prepping lotion makes my hair dry quicker, it makes it softer and straighter (win!!) and is protecting my hair from heat damage at the same time. What's not to love? The lotion is very light and undetectable in the hair which is fab too. Highly, highly recommend!

The last product in my little line-up is the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (£27.00 for 150ml)  which has been my hair masque of choice for the last few months and I'm almost ready to repurchase it! Along with the Redken Extreme shampoo and conditioner, this masque has given my hair a lot of strength and it feels much more resilient against blowdrying and brushing. My hair is quite brittle and breaks fairly easily but I have definitely seen a huge improvement since changing my products. My hair looks and feels so much healthier and I've had a lot of comments on how shiny and healthy it looks -yay! I also like that it is a pre-shampoo treatment which means it's not just coating the hair shaft with silicones and things that make the hair feel in better condition when it actually isnt. A pricey but effective product!

What products have you been loving for your hair?