Accessorize You Are Everything Palette

In the UK, Accessorize has a makeup and nailpolish line that is stocked exclusively at Superdrug. Recently, they released two 32-eyeshadow palettes, retailing at £8.95 each. These appear to be selling extremely well as most Superdrugs that I visited were either sold out or had only one or two left.

You Are Everything is the more colorful of the two, offering a veritable rainbow of matte, satin and shimmery shades. Each vertical row forms a gradational color scheme of sorts, which makes it very easy to pick out the shades that complement one another well. There's no chunky glitter in any of the shades.

The texture and quality of the eyeshadows do vary by quite a bit, depending on the individual shade. Several shades have such sheer color payoff that they take several layers to show up, while others apply more smoothly. The purple shades in particular tend to be on the sheer side and applied patchily. A primer is definitely needed to make this palette work.

Comparing with Sleek, I think Sleek's i-Divine palettes have superior pigmentation and smoother texture, but also messier fallout that can be a pain to clean up. Nevertheless, You Are Everything is a nice, fun option if you want to experiment with lots of different shades without breaking the bank or as a gift for someone who's just getting into makeup.




Swatches of some of the shades done on bare skin without any primer (mostly 2-3 swipes each).


Below are three looks that I did using You Are Everything. Used over either NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base or Too Faced Shadow Insurance, the eyeshadows faded slightly over the course of a day but without major creasing, smudging or fallout. I wish some of the shades were more pigmented as they looked so pretty in the pan but were lacklustre when applied.







Below is the list of ingredients.

Weekly Photo Challenge Vacation Edition

This is a super late entry for the travel edition of Yumeko's Weekly Photo Challenge but better late than never so here goes!

1. Somewhere you visited on your last vacation

Spent a weekend in London recently and as usual, we ended up in Covent Garden where there were several telephone booths designed by various brands as part of a campaign. Above is the Accessorize booth and below is the Ted Baker one. The weather was pretty miserable as it rained throughout.


2. Something you bought on your last vacation

Accessorize just released these two 32-eyeshadow palettes in Lovely Day and You Are Everything (£8.95). The shade selection looked amazing with a good mix of shimmery, satin and matte tones. The color payoff isn't the best though, based on my first try of You Are Everything today. I also picked up the new Sleek i-Divine Palette in Glory.

3. Something you ate on your last vacation

One of the things I miss most about Singapore is bubble tea. We had some pretty good ones plus mango pomelo sago at Boba Jam in Chinatown.

Mango yogurt at Snog in Covent Garden - I always have the white chocolate stars and mini Oreos!

4. A ticket/bill/receipt from your last vacation

We caught the Amazing Spiderman at the IMAX theatre in Waterloo. It wasn't bad but not quite worth the £16 ticket (cinema ticket prices are such a ripoff in Europe!). I still prefer the Tobey Maguire version.

5. The number one place that you think people should visit

The majestic view of Parliament alongside the Thames is something that I never get tired of seeing.

If you would like to join in the fun, just leave a comment on Yumeko's post and here with a link to your blog post, and I'll be sure to check it out. Yumeko has also done a more recent challenge on her All Star Skincare items.

Christmas Presents and Beauty Goodies

My husband and mother just arrived in time to spend the Christmas together. Coming respectively from London and Singapore, they brought along a wonderful bounty of beauty lovelies for me, including presents as well as my own purchases.

Many thanks to Mag who kindly helped me to purchase the Lunasol Modelling Cheeks EX03 Coral Pink Red from the Tender Glow holiday collection and the new Guerlain Meteorites.

I've barely made a dent in the other three Meteorites that I own but the deep teal packaging of the Perles de Nuit Meteorites was too lovely to resist.


Mag also surprised me with a gift of MAC Paint Pot in Genuine Treasure, which looks simply divine.

During an earlier ASOS.com sale, I ordered NARS Outremer eyeshadow. It doesn't have the best texture but the bold cobalt is incredibly striking.

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Quad Eye Shadow 021 State of Grace


Paul & Joe Nail Enamel 018 The City Never Sleeps from the Manhattan collection.

My dear husband made an expedition to Boots to help me snag some Soap & Glory makeup. Love the cheerful pink packaging!


Also from Boots, the Liberty x Hello Kitty brush set and umbrella.




An Accessorize charm bracelet/watch from ASOS.com.


From my husband's cousin, I received Clinique Complete Happiness, a set of five Happy fragrances in the original version, plus Happy Heart, Happy In Bloom, A Hint of Citrus and A Wealth of Flowers. It's been many years since I wore Happy but it still works wonders in lifting one's spirits!

The new Jill Stuart mook comes with a vanity case and flat zip pouch. The material is similar to that of the cosmetics case that was included with last year's mook.

I didn't like the "J" charms on the zips as they are a tad too small with edges that poke the skin when one is trying to unzip the case.

It is incredibly roomy and deep, which makes it more suitable for storing skincare bottles. In it, I could fit two 500ml bottles of Bioderma, an Avene Thermal Water spray, two small Lush shower gels, a L'Occitane face mist and a Vichy eye makeup remover.

The Majolica Majorca Voyage mook is the most elaborate and beautifully designed mook I've come across. Filled to the brim with makeup tutorials divided into chapters like "State of Potions", "United Stars" and "Mask-land", it comes with a small plastic gold hand mirror and a shimmery gel that can be used on the face and lips.

As Yumeko has remarked, the mirror is a disappointment as it is very light with a tinny sound when tapped. Nevertheless, the mook itself is very nicely done, although I wish they had included more of the brand's history through a retrospective of the past seasonal collections. As this is not available at Kinokuniya in Singapore, I had to order it from Amazon Japan.





Lee magazine with a Liberty print zip pouch and a lovely Flowers in Pink calendar. Lee had released a similar calendar and Liberty print accessories in its January 2010 issue last December.


And finally, a boxful of Lush goodies!

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas filled with lots of laughter, warmth and love!