Barry M Holographic Eye Topper Review and Photos - Stila Magnificent Metals Dupes?!

Barry M Holographic Topper L - R - Supernova, Asteroid, Luna and Star Dust

When it comes to new launches Barry M have certainly stepped up their game in recent years and these new Barry M Holographic Eyeshadow Toppers are no exception. The eye toppers caught my eye straight away because not only do they look stunning but they also remind me of a certain very popular cream eyeshadow! So here are my thoughts...

Price
These retail for a very affordable £4.99 each. I'm still yet to find out how much is in these but I will update this post as soon as I find out.

There are four shades to choose from including, 1. Supernova, 2. Asteroid, 3. Luna and 4. Star Dust.

Barry M Eye Topper Supernova

Barry M Eye Topper Asteroid

Barry M Eye Topper Luna

Barry M Eye Topper Star Dust

Packaging
The packaging is compact and travel-friendly and I love the transparent containers so you can see each colour clearly as, after all, it's what's inside that counts! Inside you'll find a small, flat doe foot applicator.

Application
Upon application, I started off by using the applicator as it's the perfect size for getting right into the eyelid area. I then used a small brush to blend everything out, however, I did find blending the product did almost wipe the eyeshadow off and so I do recommend using a patting motion and applying thin layers as I think I initially I applied too many coats. I also suggest using a tiny brush if you want a more precise line or you're doing a cut crease as again I found this hard to get a clear-cut line the first time around.

With regards to how these perform, I would say they dry down relatively quickly but they did sting my eyes a little initially. All the colours are buildable and can be worn alone or over the top of eyeshadow and each colour has a beautiful iridescent duochrome finish.

I also recommend you watch my First Impression Video above on these so you can see the product live in action.

Longevity
I wore this for just under 9 hours in total and I didn't have any creasing or fading which was great, however, towards the end of the day I did have a tiny bit of fallout under the eye and a bit of transfer on my brow bone.

I used Supernova in my First Impression

Overall Thoughts
So despite the limited colour selection, these holographic eyeshadow toppers are not only stunning but their insanely affordable too! Application wise they glide on easily but if you are building up the colour I do recommend working in thin layers and patting the product on as opposed to blending it in. Yes, these did sting my eyes a little, to begin with, but overall they felt totally comfortable once the eyeshadow had dried down and I was impressed with how vibrant and long-wearing the toppers stayed even after a long day of wear.

Lastly, I know what you're all wanting to know, how do these compare to the Stila Magnificent Metals?? Well, the Stila versions have a wider more wearable colour selection and I would say these are more pigmented, textured and contain glitter whereas the Barry M versions are more iridescent, smoother and glossier. Application wise these both glide on easily but the Stila shadows are slightly easier to work with, however, overall both formulas work in the same way that if you're building up the colour then it's better to work in thin layers. Again both wear well but the Stila ones last that little bit longer.

So if you're a girl on a budget and you love experimenting with different eye looks and colour then the Barry M Holographic Eye Toppers may be worth a go if you're wanting to try an alternative to a powder eyeshadow.

I award the Barry M Holographic Eyeshadow Toppers a 4.6 out of 5

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Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow and Shimmer & Glow Review and Photos

elf Cosmetics UK Review & Launch

Elf Makeup UK

Yes finally, elf Make-up has launched here in the UK! And if you're not familiar with the brand, then here's a bit of background first...

ELF stands for Eyes, Lips, Face, which in my opinion is very simple yet genius! The company launched in 2004 and strives to inspire people, educate and deliver quality, all at affordable prices. The brand became a massive success within the US and in 2007 Elf was available in the UK online only. Now 2017 brings the release of the brand into Superdrug stores within the UK with a wide variety of makeup products, skincare and brushes to choose from, that are also cruelty-free, so here's my thoughts...

I picked up five products to test out for you guys including a couple of new launches and best sellers. I recommend watching the video also, so you can see a live demo of each.

Price
Ok let's start with price, everything is very affordable starting from £3 for a brow pencil, right up to the most expensive item coming in at £14.50. Either way you'll find most items hovering around the £5 mark, although having looked at the US website, it is still slightly cheaper to buy there overall.

Here's an example of a few best selling make-up items pricing compared to the US.
e.l.f Studio Baked Highlighter
UK £5 - US $4

e.l.f Eyeshadow Palette
UK £12.50 - US $10

e.l.f Studio High Definition Powder
UK £7.50 - US $6

e.l.f Studio Cream Eyeliner
UK £4.50 - US $3

Packaging 
The packaging is very simple and for me the thing that stands out the most is actually the name, however I do love how everything comes individually boxed, as it gives it more of a luxury feel.

Products
Here's a little overview and review on each of the products I picked up...

elf Aqua Beauty Molten Liquid Eyeshadow Rose Gold

elf Molten Liquid Eyeshadow - £5 2.6g
The Molten Liquid eyeshadow's are from the new Aqua Beauty line. They come in 6 stunning shades including, Brushed Copper, Rose Gold, Molten Bronze, Liquid Gold, Cool Steel and Mocha Metal.

Upon application these claim to have a cooling effect which is certainly true, however I did experience a mild stinging sensation which did go away after a few minutes. I picked up rose gold, which was a lovely wearable shade, but for me this did crease when worn alone.

Overall I love the shade selection and the concept, but if you do have sensitive eyes, then these may not be for you. The best way to wear these is as a coloured eyeshadow base. I applied a similar eyeshadow shade on top and this lasted much longer without the worry of creasing.

I award the elf Aqua Beauty Molten Liquid Eyeshadow a 3 out of 5

elf Cream Eyeliner

elf Cream Eyeliner - £4.50 4.7g

The cream eyeliner's come in four shades including, Black, Coffee, Teal Tease and Punk Purple. Each liner also comes with a handy travel-sized brush too. These claim to be both waterproof and smudge-proof.

Upon application I applied the black shade to my waterline first and then I used the brush included to draw a fine line onto my lash line. The colour was lovely and pigmented, but for my waterline I did have to build up the colour as it wasn't gripping as well as I had hoped. Overall I adored the brush as it was super fine and perfect for getting right into the lash line with ease.

This is a great affordable gel liner for the lash line, but compared to other drugstore gel liner's I've used, this isn't the best one I've tested.

I award the elf Cream Eyeliner a 3.9 out of 5

elf HD Lifting Concealer Light

elf HD Lifting Concealer - £4.50 6.5ml

The lifting concealer comes in four shades including, Fair, Light, Medium and Brightening. This concealer reminds me of the Nars Creamy Concealer to look at, however the packaging is a little deceiving as the concealer is a lot smaller compared to the Nars one.

This concealer is designed to minimise fine lines, hide imperfections and even out the skin tone. I picked this up in light, which actually turned out to be quite yellow, so if your after this for lightening under the eyes, then I would go for either the fair or brightening.

Upon application this has more of a thick consistency that blends out well to leave a flawless finish. I actually like the fact that this has a slight yellow undertone, as it covered my redness well. Overall these have pretty good staying power, despite a tiny bit of creasing.

I award the elf HD Lifting Concealer 4.2 out of 5

elf Blush & Bronzing Powder

elf Blush & Bronzing Powder - £5 8.4g

The Blush & Bronzing duo's are another product that's very similar to the cult Nars palettes, except these come in at an insanely affordable £5 each! There is also three shades to choose from in this format including, Fiji (Matte), St Lucia. and Turks & Caicos.

If you only buy one thing from Elf, then I definitely recommend picking up one of these as you get a lovely big mirror as well as two decent sized pans. 

I grabbed this in Fiji which is the only matte palette of the three. Upon application both the bronzer and blush are pigmented, blendable and give you the most beautiful natural glow. Longevity wise both shades wore off towards the end of the night, however I did test them out again with a setting spray and this did the trick at locking them in for the day.

I award the elf Blush & Bronzing Powder a 4.5 out of 5

elf Gotta Glow Lip Tint

elf Gotta Glow Lip Tint Perfect Pink - £7.50 3.4g

As soon as I saw this lip tint, I instantly thought 'Dior Lip Glow Dupe Alert!!' This pretty lip tint reacts with the lips to give you a personalised and unique colour match. I have the shade Perfect Pink, but there is two other colours including Perfect Peach and Perfect Berry. 

The lipstick itself is infused with moisturising properties and is essentially just like a lip balm, but with a unique twist. 

Application wise I can't vouch fairly for what shade of pink this will go on everyone else, but for me this turned a bright shade of fuchsia, which I use say I wasn't keen on to start with, however this did grow on me.

Longevity wise these last for a few hours, before re-application is needed. And by the end of the day all that was left was a subtle stain on my lips.  

Overall I do think these lip tints are slightly more expensive compared to some of the other products in the range, but nonetheless the pink one is a fantastic dupe for the Dior Lip Glow. 

I award the elf Gotta Glow Lip Tint a 4 out of 5

Project Pan - Cream Eyeshadow



Project Pan Cream Eyeshadows



Over the years I have discovered what I do and don't like when it comes to make-up products and following on from my last project pan post, cream eye shadows are next up on the list of make-up, that needs to be used up by the end of the year. Stay up to date with what I've used up from my project pan list, by subscribing to my channel for frequent product empties videos. I will also keep you updated in a future round-up project pan blog post too.

What is one make-up product you've fallen out of love with? Leave me a comment down below or tweet me.

 Cream eye shadows play a big part in my everyday make-up routine as they create the most wonderful base for shadows. I particularly like using a coloured eye shadow base as they really help intensify the shadows true colour. Currently I own both high end and drugstore cream shadows, but ever since Maybelline released their color tattoo range a few years ago, I haven't looked back, as they do the most fantastic range of colours, that have the best staying power and they don't cost the earth.

 

I currently have six cream eye shadows that I no longer feel the love for. Five out of the six are from high end brands, as for me, surprisingly they are just not as good as the more affordable Maybelline versions.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow and Metallic Cream Shadow in Black Pearl, Opal, Pink Oyster and Sandy Gold

I own three metallic cream shadows from Bobbi Brown and although these look beautiful in the pot, they are not so great on the eyes, as they have this chunky glitter formula. Personally I find them hard to apply and the fall out throughout the day, makes you look like you've turned into the glitter fairy! I'm going to work with these as best as I can, to get them finished, but for future reference, they won't be me on my Pinterest Wish List anytime soon.

Sandy Gold is the only non metallic formula I own. This does have great staying power, as well as easy application, but again comparing these to the Maybelline ones, there is really no point on splurging on these, when Maybelline make an equally as good formula, for only £5!

NYX Eyeshadow Base with Pearl

 I reviewed this NYX Eyeshadow Base a few years back and at the time, I did really like this because of it's similarity to the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. Although this is great base for any eye shadow, I do prefer the consistency of the jumbo pencil version, as it is that little big thicker. This is great if your more of a frequent colourful eye shadow wearer, but for me I do prefer more neutral colours on my eyes, along with a complimenting cream eye shadow base to go with it.

MAC Paint in Bare Canvas

Last but not least onto this MAC Paint in Bare Canvas. This I bought on a whim a good few years back when I was a fan of Kim Kardashian. I had seen her do a video on one of her famous looks with her make-up artist and of course I had to go out and buy everything she used, so I could get the look myself! But now I really can't wait to get rid of this paint, as it isn't the best eye shadow base I've used. The formula is more of a concealer consistency, that has a cream to powder finish and for me it doesn't intensify shadows as well as a pot cream eye shadow does. I have nearly used this up and unfortunately it won't be a re-purchase for me in the future.