AIRBASE MAKEUP HIGH DEFINITION HOME USE AIRBRUSH MAKE-UP SYSTEM

Hi sweeties. I am back today with an airbrush make-up review for you. Yes you heard me right airbrush make-up and HD none the less.

All of the above photos have not been edited so are true in colour and tone.

The compact Airbase Makeup High Definition Home Use Airbrush Make-Up System and it's contents.

Currently includes a free Perfecting Primer worth £27.50! Other items in my kit were the Airbrush Thinner & Cleaner, Foundation in Light Medium FO02 & Medium FO03, Blush in BL02 Peach and a Mini Eye Shadow Palette.

Includes a light up mirror unit with compressor, mixing tray for foundations if using a brush, nozzle tool, airbrush nozzle, retractable hose, power plug, airbrush and product cup (shown below).

So now that I have shown you the results and the kit what do I think about the system? I was excited at trying a new way to apply my make-up, but a little nervous that I may end up spraying the floors and or walls of my house with make-up which is why I laid towels on my kitchen/diner floor to try this out. I however had no need to worry as the mist of make-up that is dispersed does not spray everywhere and is only released when you pull back on the green lever, even when the system is turned on. The make-up does not run once sprayed to your skin.

The Perfecting Primer feels lovely on the skin. Very silky and a good base for the product to cling to.

Once I had put all the parts together and emptied some foundation into the cup I could not get any product out. After adding more foundation to the cup and some thinner in case the foundation was too thick for the airbrush which it didn't look to be it still didn't work. I then tried tightening the nozzle (red part) more with the nozzle tool and the product started to come out. So as not to make the same mistake as me tighten the nozzle with your fingers, then give a half turn using the nozzle tool to allow the correct airflow through the airbrush. I applied the lightest shade of foundation all over my face and neck, paying extra attention to blemishes which you can move the airbrush a little closer for, but not too close or you will end up with obvious patches like I did. They were easily sorted though as I pressed a tissue over the area or just used my fingers to blend and went over the area again not so closely.

The darker foundation I used to contour my face. I simply sprayed out most of the previous foundation left in the cup onto a tissue and added the darker foundation to the little bit that was left to hopefully give a more seamless effect to my base and no obvious contrast, just definition. I think the foundation gives a matte slightly powdery finish once it has dried. It looks great in photos, but in real life I thought it looked like I was wearing more of a heavy base than I usually do. My boyfriend didn't think it looked that natural. I think the tones of foundation were okay to create a base and contour for me, but perhaps a little too dark and yellow toned. Not the worst match for my skin tone though.

Again I sprayed most of the remaining foundation out and applied the blush.

The eye palette I applied with my own make-up brushes:

white on my brow bones

gold to the inner corners and inner lids

purple in the crease, outer v and under the eyes

pink in the crease

blue on the outer v

grey in the crease, outer v and under the eyes

The mascara and lip gloss in this look are my own.

There was no need for me to use concealer with this make-up due to the medium/high coverage. Therefore this system I would perhaps recommend for those with rosacea or acne. The effect of this foundation was seamless not patchy as long as I did not get too close while working in circular motions.

Once you have this airbrush set up and working it's kind of fun to apply make-up in this way. I know I have been applying make-up differently for years, but for me I think it would take me too long to apply make-up like this though on a daily basis. 

Although the unit is not obviously noisy I apply make-up for work at about 6am so I know my boyfriend wouldn't appreciate me using this first thing. 

The lid on the product cup was quite tight so that made filling it with product a bit difficult to do trying to get it on and off, especially as there is a little hole in it that is meant to be there. 

The cleaning of the equipment was a bit hard to do because some of the parts are small and/or hard to reach and you don't want to cause damage to the more delicate parts of equipment. As you wouldn't want to leave make-up to dry in it I know I would get fed up of doing that every time I used it. 

Spraying the product on my skin was not an unpleasant experience though at all. It did not irritate my eyes (make sure you close your eyes when spraying close to them) and I did not feel like I was breathing in product through my nose or mouth.

I am very glad to have been able to borrow this system and experience using these products. If you love trying new things and being creative with make-up then maybe this innovative way of applying make-up is for you.

Find the kit here for more information as it is currently on offer for a limited time! Choose 3 make-up products to be included in your personalised kit from 7 shades of foundation, 2 blush shades or a bronzer.

Leave me your thoughts in the comments below.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

FESTIVAL EYES: MAJENTA BEAUTY

Hi there lovelies. How fabulous is the sunshine, yay :) It's such a nice feeling to have another bank holiday weekend with another one to come this month, whoop whoop! I have a photo filled post for you today showing off a great eye palette that was sent to me for free by Majenta Beauty to review for you. So here is a little intro ....

Majenta Beauty is the make-up brand founded by Jane Lyons who has an outstanding background. Jane has owned beauty and hair salons, delivered training seminars, written numerous articles for glossy and professional magazines, been a resident make-up artist on TV and a beauty consultant, phew! Jane has created a product range that has basics along with more fun and pigmented products. Jane's daughter Laura-Jane has since joined Majenta Beauty's marketing team in 2013. With a background also in hair and beauty as well as business and marketing from university I am sure Laura-Jane has been a great addition at Majenta.

EYE DUO ~ LEFT: MOONWALK, RIGHT: LAZY DAYS

This lightweight yet secure packaging comes with a small mirror inside perfect for travel. This shadow palette allows you to pick your own shades and formulations whether they be matte or shimmer. Moonwalk I would describe as a blue grey with gold shimmer. Lazy Days is kind of a pearl skin tone shade that glows subtly without the shimmer particles that Moonwalk has. Each shadow has the name stamped on its magnetic back so that for a refill it's easy to know the product name. The exposed top of the packaging makes the shadows easy to see at a glance which is handy for make-up hoarders like myself. Its great that the eye shadows can be taken in and out of the palette so that you can keep them with you for your chosen look of the day in case touch ups are needed. The shadow applicator that came with this palette does feel of better quality than most applicators of this kind, but I prefer using my make-up brushes to get a better blended look.

So how did I create this look? It was very simple really. I applied the shade lazy days to the lids and inner parts of the eyes. Moonwalk I applied to the outer V, in the crease and under the eyes. I didn't want to use too many products on the eyes so that you could really see the shades. I did not use an eye primer either as I wanted to see how pigmented the products are and how well they last alone. I have been wearing this look for about 5 hours now. There is no creasing or fading in the shadows. I do however think that they may show up a little more pigmented with an eye primer. They are easily buildable, especially the shade Moonwalk. I think this is a perfect palette combo for beginners as well as those wanting an everyday or buildable day to night look. These shadows are a little powdery and there is some glitter fallout from the shade Moonwalk so you may want to create your eye look first before applying the rest of your make-up.

With the names Lazy Days and Moonwalk in mind I couldn't help thinking of summer festivals and parties which inspired me to create this wearable day to night look which I think is sexy without being OTT.

Majenta also have some bolder shades which I would love to check out as I think they would be perfect for summer season.

Take a look at the Majenta Beauty online store HERE!

Majenta Beauty also do so much more. Check out this section on their WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS. Book their MAKEUP ARTIST ROADSHOW TEAM for special events and photo shoots. Plus their are FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES too!

Let me know your wish list products from Majenta Beauty in the comments below.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

Make-Up Eye Palette 2013 Favourites

Hi once again beauties. Today I am eager to share with you the 2nd part to my eye make-up 2013 favourites which are my most used eye palettes of the past year. I have been trying to make a real effort to use them more often as I sometimes find it easier to pick out my singular shades when I know the colours I want to use. This is because I have too many palettes (yes I said it) and sometimes I forget which shades are in them (shock horror)!

Sleek MakeUP I-Divine Palettes

I have many more than these four from the Sleek MakeUP I-Divine collection, but I found that I used these four palettes the most from the Sleek MakeUp line last year. There is such a great array of soft, light and nude shades here as well as much deeper tones for smokey eye looks. I love the Sleek MakeUP I-Divine palettes so much because they have great pigmentation, well thought out palette colour combinations and are great quality at just £7.99 per palette. That's 12 shades for less than a pound per colour. 

The Nude Collection Au Naturel palette (top left) I previously spoke about, including swatches and a brief description of each shade. I think this palette is great for those who prefer simple eye looks that can be smoked up when the mood strikes. A great everyday palette.

The Oh So Special palette (bottom right) I believed was limited edition at the time of my previous post, but it is still available to purchase now. This palette has some gorgeous pink and peach tones on the left with more smokey shades to its right.

The Bad Girl palette (top right) is definitely not for the faint hearted. When I pick up this palette I know I want dark, smokey impact eyes. It's a well named palette for you vixens out there.

The Limited Edition Paraguaya palette (bottom left) is no longer available on the Sleek MakeUP website, but you may be able to find it on Ebay or Amazon. This palette's collection of colours are real peach and rose tones. This is one of Sleek MakeUP's more lighter palettes with only one real dark shade. Applied carefully these shades can look amazing, but be careful if you do pick up this palette as some of these shades if applied to heavily, especially under the eyes can make you look a little hungover.

Each of these palettes has a mixture of matte and shimmer shades. They all have a really good sized mirror and very slimline packaging that stays shut when needed so great for carrying around if necessary. I just wish that there was some indication on the back of the shades included like colour swatches so that when I scramble through my make-up deciding what to use I can see the shade range at a glance.

Sleek MakeUp Molten Metal In Gold Leaf & Pewter

Oh my god let me just say that if you want bold metallic eyes that are easy to apply then this is a duo not to miss. As you can see I have used the shade on the right more, but OMG once again they are both beautiful gleaming cream shades. I love to use my fingers to apply the right shade to my eyelids and then smoke them up on the outer corners. Instant look at me eyes with sexy smoulder. These do not crease on me either, even without a primer and last all day.

Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette

Now this palette was the first in the Urban Decay Naked line. There was so much hype around blogs at the time about it that you kind of felt like you must have it or you weren't part of the IT crowd. Maybe that sounds a bit OTT, but after oohing and ahhing over it for so long I took the plunge handed over my cash and here we are. I must say that I am so glad I did. These shadows are without doubt an investment. They are so smooth and creamy. I feel like I am treating myself still when I pull this out to decorate my eyes. Although this is a very neutral palette there are lots of glitter and shimmer shades in here and just two matte. I do think there are some great shades to just make your eyes pop using only one of the colours looking like you have made more effort than you actually have. Great for last minute invites! This came with the Urban Decay Primer Potion which was great, but I will still purchase my E.L.F. Eyelid Primer that works better and is a lot cheaper. I have the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Zero & Whiskey too that came with the palette. At the time I remember these palettes were selling out so fast that they had to bring out more, but with an eyeshadow brush instead of the pencils. My only negative towards this palette is the casing which is a velvet texture. Mine is very clean compared to what I have seen on a lot of blogs because I still keep it in the original plastic packaging otherwise make-up and dust would have covered it by now. I would therefore say it's not as travel friendly as the Urban Decay Naked 2 and Naked 3 palettes which have a tin design that should keep a lot more clean. There are 12 shades (including 7 best sellers) in this palette which works out to be just over £3.00 per shade. I really don't think that's bad for such a high quality product. I have been tempted by the Urban Decay Naked 2 & 3 palettes, but at the time I just couldn't justify spending the money on them. Obviously we have just had Xmas and I have 3 birthdays to pay for this month so I can't see me buying them any time soon.

So that's all for my most used eye palettes of 2013. Please let me know your favourites in the comments below along with any requests for make up looks from any of these palettes or swatches that are not linked in this post.

Love to you all   

FOTN Using Proto-col Natural Mineral Cosmetics

Hi my beautiful Beauty Addicts. I hope you are all doing fine this Saturday. My head is absolutely banging, but I am plodding on and trying to take my mind off it so I thought I would write this post.

The lovely Kat from Touch Media sent me some mineral make-up products for free to try and review so here they are :)

Left: Proto-col L.E.D. Lip Gloss (Coconut Ice), £11.95 for 9ml

Proto-col lip gloss collection has a gel formulation for a fabulous lightweight effect on the lips. This non-sticky formulation gives a glamorous shine that really lasts. Available in 5 gorgeous shades all enriched with mineral oil to hydrate and moisturise the lips.

 

When I saw this shade I was excited because it has a duo-chrome type effect. It's a very milky pink with gold and I think a deeper pink running through it. There is a mirror on the back that is a great size, but to be honest the lid is a good enough mirror in itself and the L.E.D. light in the lid is great for nights out. It also comes with a brush applicator. This lip gloss did feel a little bit tacky, but only when applying. It didn't dry my lips, but I wouldn't say it was moisturising. It gave my lips a nice glossy shine, but I think this shade would work better over a lipstick as you don't see the tones of colour as you do in the tube.

Right: Proto-col Baked Mineral Eye Shadows (Olive Trio), £19.95 for 2.2g 

Create an array of stunning soft, subtle or dark, smoky eyes with proto-col''s mineral eye shadows.

With a range of beautiful baked minerals to enhance your colour palette the natural ingredients work to provide a sensational appearance.

Usually I am not a fan of eye shadows in the same palette that are joined together and by that I mean they don't have their own individual pot within the palette. My reasoning for this is that I find some powders can transfer into the other shades which means you apply unwanted shades to your eyes. This is so annoying, especially when they are next to a white, light cream or black for example. I used all three shades for this FOTN and they hardly moved into each other in the palette at all which is great. The texture of these shadows felt really nice to apply to the eye area as they felt velvety. I would say the pigmentation of these are pretty good, but not amazing. I'm not sure if perhaps other shades from this range would show up better. There is a mirror inside the compact which you can see your whole eye in at the right distance, but I prefer a slightly larger mirror to apply my eye make-up as I look back and forth between both eyes to try and make them appear more or less the same in appearance and that would be hard to do with this mirror. The lightest shade is a golden peach that I wish showed up a little more. The right shade is an olive green with gold and the brown shade has a touch of sparkle which I think is gold.

 Neither of these products are tested on animals.

I attended an event last night which I will be blogging about very soon. I wore these products to that event so this is how they look.

From the eye palette I applied the golden peach shade to the inner section of my eyes. I then applied the green shade to the outer portion of my lids, on the outer V and to the underneath of my eye between the golden peach and the the brown. I also applied the brown into the crease of my eyes and outer V. I kept blending the colours and reapplying more where needed until I was happy.

Other products used in this FOTN are:

Model Co Face Base Skin Primer*

Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm

Natural Collection CoverUp Cream (Light)

E.L.F. Studio High Definition Powder (Translucent)

17 Clear Definition Mascara

E.L.F. Studio Cool Bronzer

No7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara (Black)

E.L.F. Studio Mist & Set

*Sent to me for free and previously reviewed here.
 

I am intrigued by the nutritional and skincare products on the proto-col website so thank you Kat for introducing me to this brand.

Are you a fan of any proto-col products? Which ones do you recommend or even dislike and why? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

Valentine's Day. Will You Be Ours? GlossyBox February 2013

Hey, hey, hey Beauty Addicts how you doing? I hope the answer is good. My GlossyBox arrived which always puts a smile on my face :) With Valentine's Day approaching this week the GlossyBox team have put together a box of treats to fall in love with whether you are single or attached as everyone wants to look and feel good right? So here is the box and the products.

 The box is pink not purple as it is showing up here

Left: MicaBella Cosmetics Mineral Blush Powder (MB-4 Siera Suede), £34.95 for 9g

Micabella Blush Powder provides excellent coverage and protects skin with an SPF 15. Micabella Mineral Blush offers a beautiful hint of colour and natural glitter that can be applied to the cheeks and temples for a healthy translucent glow. Safe to use on eyes or lips.

Apply with a blush brush in thin layers from the apple of the cheek to the hair line or use a darker shade to contour cheek bones.

There is some sparkle in this product so if that's not your cup of tea this may not be for you. It's not massive chunks of glitter, but it does show up when it catches the light. I like this shade, but I tried to get this out of the pot and it wasn't that easy because of the sample size so I may have to take the plastic insert off to dip a brush into this.

Right: ModelCo Eyeshadow Duo: Eyeshadow Palette in Bronzed Goddess, £18.00 for the 3 shadow palette including these 2 shades ~ 2.35g each

The EYE SHADOW TRIO eye shadow palette range is a classic collection of lustre and matte finishes - shimmering bronzes, khakis & browns collide with champagnes & golds, pops of aqua & rich midnight blue – a definitive array of colour to shade, shadow & define.

 Complete with a stylish slim-line black compact containing all the tools you need to create a defined, sultry eye. The clear window makes for easy selection of shades, and the inbuilt mirror & double-ended applicator is perfect for eye makeup glamour on-the-go!

As you can see the third shade that is usually included in this palette is not there so the price above is for the 3 shades. This is a great little compact for creating a subtle or smokey eye. The left shade is a gorgeous sparkling champagne colour that will definitely highlight the eyes. The right shade is a golden brown that sparkles too. I am so in love with the left shade and can't wait to try this palette out.

Centre: Anatomicals You Need A Blooming Shower! Your Nose Smells Rose Body Cleanser, £5.00 for 300ml

This vitalising body cleanser makes every shower a flower-power experience. You are left feeling as fresh and fragrant as a flower.

Lather entire body, gently scrub and rinse off thoroughly.

I don't hate the rose scent of this, but I don't love it either. It's a little old fashioned for me. I don't know why it's usually always rose scented products that get added to beauty boxes. I have added a link to the Anatomicals website above, but I couldn't find this exact product, sorry.

Left: Helen E Cosmetics Moisturising Lipstick (Sienna), £8.00 for 3.5g 

• Cream and pearlised colours
• A selection of neutral and vibrant colours
• 21 long lasting colours

Use alone or with a Helen E Lip Pencil to define and give you fuller looking lips.

This lipstick does look moisturisng. It has a very creamy consistency. The shade is a warm golden brown red. It will be interesting to see how this looks on the lips. It has a really nice sheen to it to make the lips look fuller. This lipstick shows up as a Long Lasting Lip Colour on the website as shown in the link above. There are some really nice looking shades in this range.

Centre: Docteur Renaud Raspberry Soft Cream, £25.00 for 50ml

This luscious raspberry cream enfolds your skin in absolute softness and hydration. Offering the skin comfort and protection. This formula is enriched in exhilarating Docteur Renaud Phyto-Endorphins, a plant complex that sends an instant message of well-being for visibly relaxed and radiant skin. Your skin is perfectly hydrated, supple, comfortable and protected all day long. Suitable for normal to dry skin.

Directions:  Apply in the morning and / or evening to the face and the neck perfectly cleansed.

This limited edition product smells like raspberry sweets. The cream feels nice too so I look forward to trying this one out.

Right: GlossyBox Heart Lollipop, Free

This is a lovely sweet treat. Last time GlossyBox included a bit of GlossyBox rock in one of their boxes there wasn't one in mine so I'm glad I got mine this time :)

Swatches of the blush, eye shadows & lipstick

I will use everything in this box, but the stand out products for me are the eye palette, the lipstick and of course the lollipop, ha ha ;)

For more info on GlossyBox UK click here and for the US GlossyBox click here.

Which products did you get in your GlossyBox? Are you happy with them? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Love to you all

August 2012 GlossyBox: International Superstars

Hey there loves. Have you had a good week? I do hope so. I have been doing the usual work etc, but I did go out to lunch on Thursday with work colleagues and friends as someone is retiring and wanted to treat us all. We were all very thankful. The meal was scrumptious. I had feta and spinach parcels with mango chutney, pork medallions with potatoes, onions, carrots, runner beans and cauliflower cheese. This was all finished off with toffee and walnut ice cream. The walk back to work was a slow one. Myself and a few others did walk back up 9 flights of stairs in an attempt to work some of it off, ha ha ;)

Now let me get on to today's post. This month's GlossyBox is named International Superstars as this box contains products from around the world.

Left To Right:

Alessandro Pro White, £7.85 for 10ml

My nails are always yellow stained because I always wear nail polish and don't give the nails a chance to breath. I will give this a try to see if this will help. I do wonder if it is okay to wear under nail polish as a base coat because I don't really like not wearing polish because of the yellow staining. If anyone knows please advise :)

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, £18.50 for 200ml

I always like to try out new cleanser/make-up removers so I hope this works well. I can't smell anything with this oil. Please note that this product says to apply to dry skin with dry hands. Do not add water to this product until ready to rinse off.

Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-On Manicure, £7.99 for a colour or £8.99 for a pattern (24 nails)

I must say I was very excited when I saw these in my GlossyBox as I have heard good things about them. I love that they actually come in what looks like a nail polish bottle. These seem very simple to apply. You just choose the right sizes for your nails, cleanse your natural nails with the enclosed prep pad, peel off the backing and press firmly. There are 12 sizes of nails in the pack. These nails are said to last up to a week. To remove gently peel from the sides or apply polish remover around edges, wait 1 minute and peel off. I love the shade I have. It's a glossy purple named Velvet Rope.

Vera Valenti L'ombre a Paupiere Margarita, £3.85 for the palette

When I first saw this palette I thought how sweet a flower design and it has a mirror which is ace, but when I swatched it I was a little disappointed.

I have swatched this as it appears in the palette. The three bottom left shades are okay, but the rest I could leave to be honest. A few of them barely show up and the brown shade on the middle right didn't show up at all. A bit of a shame, but 3 out of 10 shades are not too bad I suppose when the palette is only £3.85. If I had swatched this in store I wouldn't have picked this up though because I like my eye shadows quite pigmented and these are quite powdery too. Especially the paler shades.

Lipcote, £3.99 for 7ml

I have bought this product before in the past so it's nothing new to me. It is basically a sealant that you put over the top of your lip colour to prevent bleeding, keep your colour for longer and make it water resistant. In the past I have found this can work, but my lips get very dry so I think this can dry them out if I use it too often. Don't take my word on this for now though because it's a long time since I have tried it and the formula may not be the same. I will give it a go and let you know.

GlossyBox Lipstick In Glossy Pink, £9.50 for 4g

This lipstick was created with make-up brand Kryolan. This is meant to be an everyday lipstick and I think it really is. In fact I think this could easily take you from day to night. 

This feels very creamy and smooth on swatching. This a very pretty, feminine, just bold enough shade of pink that would suit everyone in my opinion. I am really excited to try this out.

So that's everything in this month's box. I am really pleased with it. The lipstick and the imPRESS nails are the stand out products for me so far. 

For more information on GlossyBox UK check out this Link. For GlossyBox US check out this Link.

Love to you all

A.K.A Cosmetics Launch Event

Hello my little cherubs. I am in a good mood today as I have some exciting products to show you from a new cosmetic brand to the UK, A.K.A Cosmetics. I was invited to attend the launch evening last night in London at the Vanilla bar and restaurant. I had a lot of fun and met some lovely people.

The waterfall effect lighting at Vanilla

The seating was comfortable yet chic

Guests sipping drinks and munching on canapes while having their nails and make-up done. I didn't actually get to have my make-up done, but I will show you the products later in this post that I am going to have a little play around with. There was a really relaxed vibe here.

The lovely Anna who painted my nails on arrival. It calmed me down as I had trouble finding Vanilla. I am someone who hates being late for anything. I left my phone at home so I was a lost little kitten in London, ha ha. I did arrive on time though.

The Nail Polishes come in 12 shades. They are 14ml each. They claim to be long lasting. I like the look of shades Silky Claret, Perfect Sky, Red Peck, Risky, Candy Floss, Bare All, Heavens Cloud, Mocha, Soft Mink, Tarnish and Hidden Secret.

The nail shade I chose is Silky Claret

This is a very rich, deep mauve shade

 Drinks were served to guests. I had the fruity one of these and my first Cosmopolitan a bit later :)

The area I was facing when I was interviewed by the very sweet cameraman Hugh

That's Hugh on the left

The Liquid Eye Liners come in 3 shades of Black, Blue and Brown. They are 10g each. I swatched one of these at the launch. It had just the right sized applicator giving a smooth, even line and was very pigmented. These are fragrance free.

The Mascaras come in 3 shades of Black, Brown and Brown/Black. I think these are staple shades of mascara that every make-up brand should have. I would have liked to have seen a navy blue in there though. These are fragrance free with pro vitamin B5. They are 12g each.

The Lip Pencils come in 3 shades of Red, Nude and Pink. All of these I think would be nice to try. They are 0.4g each.

The Eye Pencils come in 3 shades of Black, Brown and Grey. They are 0.4g each. I have used this twist up design of eye pencil before and I really like it. I swatched one of these at the launch and it felt very smooth gliding onto the skin nicely.

The Blushers come in 6 shades as above. They are 3.1g each. I love the look of Pink Kiss, Natural Glow, Terracotta Hint & Embarressed Glow. These are a satin formula that is fragrance free.

The Eye Shadow Duos come in the 6 palettes as named above. I particularly like the look of Black Russian, Blue Hawaii and Cafe Latte. I swatched the right hand shade of Blue Hawaii. It's deep purple blue that seemed quite buildable. Great for a smokey eye. I also swatched the left hand shade of Cafe Latte which is a very sparkly grey brown shade. These are fragrance free. There is 2.8g in each duo.

The Quad Shadow Sets come in 3 palettes as above. They have 4.8g in each quad. I really like the look of all of these. I think that the colours are well put together in each palette as you can create subtle or more dramatic looks with any or all of the shades. For a weekend away you could take just one with you.

There are 6 Lip Gloss shades. They are 10g each. The Pink Cadillac, Ecstasy and Sumptuous shades appeal to me the most.

There are 12 Lip Sticks in this range all of which I would like to try. They are 3.2g each. Vamp is the only shade I think I would not wear as often as the others because it has a more moody, vampish side to it. It is a deep purple shade.

The A.K.A Catalogues, Business Cards and Goody Bags

The lovely Sacha making a speech about A.K.A Cosmetics. We spoke earlier in the evening and he answered lots of my questions.

The morning after the night before .....

My Goody Bag

My A.K.A Catalogue and a the business card I picked up when I left the launch event. The catalogue includes details about the brand and of course the range itself. I also received a letter in my bag introducing the brand. It says that A.K.A stands for 'Also Known As' and that the brand is a cutting edge, modern collection of make-up products to awaken the 'other you'. The brand was created with the concept of achieving three defining and contrasting looks:

• Demure (pretty and classic)
• Smokey (sexy and sultry)
• Carnival (outrageous and fierce)

A.K.A is a British brand created by a collective of make-up/cosmetic professionals who pooled years of research and experience into the mix and the knowledge of what is desired in a cosmetic brand.

The free products I received in my bag. I couldn't wait to see which ones were inside, but I did wait until today to open them and take photos. I really like the packaging. It's simple yet it has a professional appearance. I do like the fun slogan print across the white background.

Left To Right: Terracotta Hint Blusher, Bloody Mary Lip Gloss, Harlot Lip Stick, Red Peck Nail Polish, Brown Mascara & Milk Chocolate Bar.

Left To Right: Terracotta Hint Blusher, Bloody Mary Lip Gloss, Harlot Lip Stick & Brown Mascara.

Terracotta Hint Blusher

This is a very subtle terracotta shade. I thought I might like this for contouring, but I think I would use it as more of an everyday blush. This one I think is better for fairer skin tones as it probably won't show up on darker skin. The blusher has not fallen out of the palette, but I worry that it will as when I swatched it it moves away from the edges of the packaging as if it might.

Now I know that usually great quality make-up brushes do not come with make-up palettes, but this one I have to give a big thumbs down. The quality is poor as it has a bit of a rough texture and is not a great shape. I could have forgiven this had it not been for the wooden splint I am showing you in the above photo. If I had swept this across my face and scratched myself I would not have been impressed at all. Make note of this A.K.A Cosmetics!

Bloody Mary Lip Gloss

This is an orange red shade with gold shimmer. It's quite sheer. I expected it to be more opaque, but it's still a nice lip gloss. It has a doe foot applicator.

Harlot Lip Stick

I love, love, love this lip stick. It has really great pigmentation. This shade is a creamy hot pink with a gorgeously glossy sheen. It's quite a buttery formula so one to keep in a cool, dry place I think. My only fault with this product is that I can't twist the lip stick back down. I'm not sure if it's just the one I have or if this is just the way the lip sticks work?

Red Peck Nail Polish

This shade is right up my street. This is a true classic red. I will be using this in my NOTD next week.

Brown Mascara

It's always good to try different mascaras so I will give this a go. I usually wear black, but I like stepping away from my comforts once in a while. This has a large classically shaped wand.

Milk Chocolate Bar

This was a fab touch. I munched on this today and it was very nice :) 

I took another photo of my nails today as I thought the colour would show up better in this lighting. This is again the shade Silky Claret.

So let me tell you a little information I found out from Sacha about A.K.A Cosmetics. The website should go live between 18th and 19th May 2012. The products may be available to buy in stores at some point in the future, but this is still in discussion. The prices of the products range between approximately £5 to £9.50 each depending on the product. I can not give you exact prices as the website is not yet live.

Here is a link that will hopefully be updated soon to akacosmetics.com

Even with the negatives about the blusher and the lip stick I am still a fan of A.K.A Cosmetics and will be visiting their website once it launches. I think that the majority of the products in this range have quite high or very buildable pigmentation and quality. The packaging really appeals to me. I like the way the palettes are displayed because you can see the shades through the lid. This is something I think I would like to have seen transfer onto other products such as the Lip Sticks and Liquid Eye Liners. These things are very handy for goddesses with busy lives :) The price range is definitely one I like the sound of. These products are very affordable for the average customer. I will be using the products I received and showing them to you in a FOTD next week.

I would like to say a massive thank you to Touch Media for inviting me to my first Blogging/PR event. I had such a great time. Kat and Katie you are both gorgeous and lovely. Alex you are a true beauty also.

You can find A.K.A Cosmetics on Twitter, @AKACosmetics.

Vanilla bar and restaurant you can find at vanillalondon.co.uk and on Twitter, @vanillalondon.

If I have any names wrong in this post I deeply apologise.

If any of you have written a post yourselves on the brand please let me know by adding a link in the comments. If you attended the launch last night what did you think of the products?

Love to you all