Dupes for MAC Blue Brown Pigment

Dupes for MAC Blue Brown pigment

I love duochrome shadows, LOVE them!  One of the first ones I had was Urban Decay Lounge which it now turns out it a dupe for the more famous Blue Brown pigment from MAC.  I recently realised I had quite a few similar shades in both pressed and loose form so thought I'd compare them all.  All of them are a fairly warm medium brown with a green/teal shift to them.

Duochrome shadows are a really easy way to take an average, every day look and make it stunning.

Read on for close-ups and swatches plus my verdict on which to buy.

London IMATS 2015 - vlog, haul, tips

On Saturday 11th July I went to the London IMATS, a massive makeup trade show, for the 3rd time.

I definitely get more organised each time which helps to make the day even more enjoyable.

If you are an MUA, makeup student or just and enthusiast, then it really is the event of the year.  For just this weekend all of these brands get together offering great discount alongside demos by famous MUAs.  Many of the brands are difficult to buy online in the UK so it's a really good opportunity to stock up.

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer

L-R Tranquillity, Halcyon, Aflush, Criminal, Funk, Kooky

I was planing on swatching the new OCC Lip Tars this week but, of course, a coldsore got the memo and came to say hello.  I still wanted to do a lip-central post so in true Blue Peter style, here's one I made earlier.

Matte lips are really in at the moment so MUA hit the nail on the head with their Luxe range of Velvet Lip Lacquers.  They come in 9 shades, from nude to deep purple.  I have 6 of them to show you.

High Impact Makeup in a Hurry

Sometimes life gets a bit hectic and I have less time than usual to do my makeup.  That doesn't mean that I want to do the usual 5 or 10 minute face though.  If I'm not in work then I definitely want to do something colourful and fun.  In these instances I tend to turn to either eye liner or eyebrows to make the impact.  I don't have time for lots of shading or getting the perfect outline with a bold lip colour.  This was particularly true of last week when I was away sleeping in a field and didn't have a whole lot of brushes with me.

The following looks don't use many products and are all quick, especially if you're a dab hand at liquid eye liner.

UD Darkside, Deep End and Stage Dive

Colourful Cut Crease with Sugarpill

On Saturdays I like to be a bit more colourful that usual as I'm not in work, yay. This is a recent look, which I've called a cut crease for lack of anything else to call it.

I wish I had taken step-by-step photos for this look but I was not planning on making a post about it.  I didn't know just how well it would turn out!  I based it on a look I saw on Instagram that I really did not think I would be able to recreate successfully (unfortunately cannot find the original but if I do I will edit this).  I love the look and thought it would be pretty awesome to give a thumbs up to Sugarpill as they'll have a booth at this year's London IMATS, YES!

...It is so annoying when I don't realise there was a mascara smudge until I see the photos!