Revisiting the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault

Revisiting the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault

A good many months ago now, I was extremely lucky enough to win this Urban Decay Vault, but I haven’t had much time to photograph and use the products inside it. So on the blog today I am revisiting this incredible Eyeshadow Vault, showing off some new swatches and new images I have made of its contents.

There are twenty wonderful pots inside this vault, and they are all gorgeous eyeshadow shades. I am going to show off some brand new swatch images, and then just a whole lot of random shots that I love. I have experimented for hours with photographing the pots and also added some of my spectrum brushes in some photographs too, to bring a whole lot of awesomeness to my blog today!

The Swatches

10 pots are Original Collection shades and 10 are Moondust Collection shades.

The Original ones are in the Dark Grey Pots. Here are my swatches.

Blackout
Lounge
Mildew
Mushroom

Last Call
Scratch
Busted
Sellout

Rockstar
X

The Moondust Collection are in the Silver Pots. Here are my swatches.

Scorpio
Zodiac
Vortex
Moonspoon

Solstice
Space Cowboy
Dark Force
Interstellar

Shockwave
Cosmic

What I loved most about photographing these eyeshadow pots was the variety in the colours. They are wonderfully designed with such detail.

I really hope that you will enjoy these next four photographs, I spent many hours composing and shooting, and this is what I have come up with.

I hope I have done the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault justice with my work. Leave me a comment if there is a particular photo that you really like so that I know, thank you.

The Vault

A Little Mixture

Stack and See

An Incredible Set


You can purchase Urban Decay Eyeshadow Pots from their website, they range from £14 – £15.50 each. Check the range out by clicking here.

Thank you for reading this blog post today. Let me know if you enjoyed the revisited swatches and my photographs. And don’t forget to check out the original post if you want more general information, it can be found right here.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Cat and Snowflake Necklace featured in the My Purrrfect Gift Box Shop

Last week I won this adorable necklace on Twitter courtesy of My Purrfect Gift Box!

This beautiful 925 Sterling Silver necklace has a Cat as the main feature and then a pretty Snowflake charm added to it. It has a lovely chain shape as well.

The item was originally sent out in their December ‘Winter Wonderland Box’. My Purrrfect Gift Box is a monthly Subscription Box filled with Cat goodies for both the human and the pet… or should that be the owner and the master 😉

I love the intricate details on the cat pendant, it’s a lovely addition to my jewellery collection, and the quality is truly excellent. Both a sturdy chain and pendant.
Don’t you agree that this is a fabulous accessory for anyone who loves cats! Like me!

Thank you for joining me for this short review today, I am now off to enjoy the rest of my Saturday. Pizza is on the way too!

✩ Sabrina ✩



Check Out The Links Below, the Necklace and the Website

Cat and Snowflake Necklace
 

My Purrfect Gift Box Website

Tanya Burr Cosmetics 12 Days of Christmas Beauty Advent Calendar Unboxing Reveal

At the beginning of December I was lucky enough to win a 12 days of Christmas beauty advent calendar from Tanya Burr on Twitter.

The prize arrived on day 4 of the calendar windows, so I made the decision to wait until the weekend came around, and then I filmed my opening of the whole cosmetics calendar in one go.

If you would prefer to watch my video on YouTube rather than read and look at my photography, then you can follow this link here to the unboxing https://youtu.be/8FeK72dnSo8

I was very impressed with the style in which this particular calendar was presented. There was huge attention to details and I liked the little touches that have been added to make it feel more special, such as the glitter and the silhouettes. Even the cardboard was decorated throughout to give a Christmas feel, such as the backs of the windows. With each day you opened you felt as though you would be getting a little present. It was exciting to open, and I also tried to avoid looking at other peoples on social media so my surprises were not ruined because I had to catch up on my windows.

On the back of the box it has the list of contents of what was contained inside, without any important details. So I will be giving you the individual products names and colours and more information, so if you like the look of something you can go and get it yourself and know what it is that you’re after.

Without any more rabbiting on let’s get to the full list of items that were found inside this fabulous 12 days of beauty advent calendar.

Tanya Burr Cosmetics – 12 days of Christmas Beauty Advent Calendar – full list of contents

Day 1 Lipgloss – Candy Cane – Sparkly Pink
Day 2 Nail Files 1 turquoise and 1 pink
Day 3 Compact Mirror in pale turquoise
Day 4 Eyeshadow Shimmer Pot – Champagne Sparkle
Day 5 Lipgloss – Berry Pavlova – Berry Red
Day 6 Nail Polish – Glitters and Gold (Gold)
Day 7 Glitter Eye Liner – Silver – Ice Crystals
Day 8 Eyeshadow Shimmer Pot – Snow Day
Day 9 Matte Lip – Christmas Stocking – Christmas Red
Day 10 Glitter Eye Liner – Gold – Treasured
Day 11 Nail Polish – Sleigh Bells (Red)
Day 12 Nail Polish – Glitter Rain (Silver)

I hope you have enjoyed the reveal of this advent calendar, and if I use and am impressed with any of the products in the future then I shall do a follow up post.

Wishing all of you who celebrate it, a very Merry Christmas.

Thank you for supporting the Severn Wishes blog.

Sabrina

Review of Elizabeth Arden Products from Dave Lackie

elizabetharden01Recently I was especially lucky to win some Elizabeth Arden products all the way from Dave Lackie in Canada. It’s always exciting to get post but more so when there is an airmail sticker on the front!

Inside my package my prizes consisted of a large pink makeup/toiletries bag and two lipsticks. The lipsticks were from the beautiful colour bold liquid lipstick range from Elizabeth Arden New York. I don’t own anything of this brand so I was excited to see the colours and test the items as well.

The bag was of excellent quality and a great size, it is ideal for weekends away where you need a number of toiletries. I like that it’s branded also, I didn’t own anything with Elizabeth Arden on until I won this competition. The bag is bright and is made to a high standard with an inner seem that runs along the base to ensure long lasting uses.

Both lipsticks I won were of a type I hadn’t tried previously, with a flocked tip applicator, which was soft and allowed for an even coverage when the lipstick was applied. Also the texture of this kind of liquid was soft and its colour was of high intensity (more so in the pink). The final look is more of a gloss than a lipstick, and I found that the staying power was greater than a matte kind. Another good thing about the sponge and the click (in order to apply the product), it gave out the perfect amount of liquid in order to coat the lips. I like how the shape of the applicator felt comfortable to use and the way in which the entire lipstick is shaped was complementary to its unique style. This range of Elizabeth Arden lipsticks also contain glycerin and emollients which moisturise the lips adding softness for a more comfortable wear.

lipstick-arden-sw lipstick-arden-2-swI prefer the more nude and brown shade of lipstick, the pinker shade just doesn’t go with my complexion sadly. However the brown compliments both the colour of my skin and lips, and enhances my natural look. See for yourself in my swatch and application on my lips below.

lipstick-swatch-swlipstick-swHere are the two swatches and lipstick shades next to one another, as you can see a complete contrast, one subtle and the other vibrant. They are soft but have great staying power, a lipstick that looks like a gloss.

arden-lipstick-swatches-swI want to thank Dave Lackie for holding such incredible competitions on both Twitter (where I won) and on his blog. If you wish to check them out for yourself the link is below http://davelackie.com/

Thank you for reading this short review today, thanks again Dave, and I wish all of you luck with any competitions that you enter in the future.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Limited Edition Urban Decay Eyeshadow Vault Review

urban-decay-01I was extremely lucky recently when I won another bloggers competition where she was giving away a Limited Edition Urban Decay Eyeshadow Vault. I didn’t own anything like this so I was amazed at the quality and the amount that I received in this prize.

urbandecay-sw The vault was rather heavy when I unpacked it, and it was displayed in such a professional manner, with a sleeve covering the box. I was pleased to find inside 20 individual eyeshadow pots and the vault itself decorated in a unique way. The lid even stays up by itself! I will list the pots and names with colour variants later on in this post, but for now I want to review the box as a whole.

Inside this special vault there were 20 eyeshadow pots, each of these contain 1.5 grams of eyeshadow inside. 10 pots are Original shades and 10 are Moondust collection shades. As a whole this assortment of colours is a staggering ensemble of some of the best Urban Decay has to offer. Many are of a darker base tone but I prefer this look when creating eye makeup anyway.

It seems to me it’s well worth the money if you’re into high end makeup and want a set that will last you a long time. The quality in each of the pots is incredible, each professionally finished with the logo, and they are sturdy too, ideal if you wanted to keep them outside of the vault box.

urban-decay-03I won this incredible looking vault as a prize, which was a collaboration between Urban Decay and the blogger Michelle at her blog Thou Shalt Not Covet (link at the end of this post) but this Limited Edition vault is worth approximately £195!

I know you’re desperate to know what shades the eyeshadows are and what kinds too so I will now show you the 20 full sized pots and their names.

The first 10 pots are from the Urban Decay Original range of Eyeshadows, these are;

urban-decay-pots-1-sw

Blackout – Black matte shade very dark
Lounge – Sea Green with hints of Purple
Mildew – Moss Green with hints of Gold shimmer
Mushroom – Grey matte shade with a hint of Purple shimmer
Rockstar – Purple base shimmer shade almost an Aubergine colour

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Last Call – a deep Pink / Purple shade in shimmer
Scratch – a stunning Rose Gold mix of pink and subtle Grey and Gold shades
Busted – a mixture of Brown and Purple shades and shimmer
Sellout – almost pale Pink, not dusky but not pink pink, and a hint of Gold shimmer
X – a lovely Peach colour with a hint of Gold shimmer

The next 10 pots consist of Glittery Eyeshadow from the Moondust collection, these shades are;

urban-decay-pots-2-sw

Scorpio – Black base with a Gold sparkle
Zodiac – Black base with a Dark Green shade with hint of Blue
Vortex – Black base with hints of Green and Gold
Moonspoon – Dark Grey base with light Silver glitter
Shockwave – Deep Berry shade with Pinks and Purples with a hint of Blue

urban-decay-pots-4-sw

Solstice – Deep Red base with hints of Pink and Green glitters
Space Cowboy – Peach with a light Silver glitter
Dark Force – Brown base and bright Gold glitters
Interstellar – Gold base with hints of subtle Pink glitters
Cosmic – Dusky Pink and White Glittery Shimmer

All of the shades are lovely, some are rather dark and others have a very pink orientated shading. I personally prefer the darker tones because I like to create smokey eyes. So many are grey or black based which is ideal for making this look, and with the variety of sparkles it easy to create stand out looks that last all day.

urbandecayswatchesMy two favourite shades out of this whole collection are Solstice and Rockstar (swatches above). I love how deep and vibrant these two colours are, one red based and one purple based.

swatch-02-swHere is an example of the size of the pots in my hand.

urban-decay-02These pots are great for taking away with you if you plan to wear one shade of eyeshadow for a weekend for example. The convenient sizes and shapes make for easy transportation in makeup bags, then you can store the whole vault together in the mean time. Though I now need to get a bigger makeup drawer after getting mine!

I have done a short video showing the size of the vault and the pots while giving my opinions, check it out on my YouTube channel here https://youtu.be/DOqJNeGN__Q

urbandecay2-swThank you so much for reading this review, I have been impressed by the quality of the Urban Decay Eyeshadows, and I want to thank Urban Decay and blogger Michelle for the opportunity I had to win this great prize. You can find the links to the websites below.

Urban Decay website http://www.urbandecay.co.uk/
Thou Shalt Not Covet blog http://thoushaltnotcovet.net/

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Sabrina

swatch-01-sw

Trollbeads Bracelet Review

Trollbeads04SWHaving always admired companies who work hard to be different, I have followed Trollbeads for quite some time. Earlier in the summer I entered a competition of theirs to win a beautiful 2016 bracelet, and I was extremely lucky to be chosen as a winner.

Once I had received the bracelet I was over the moon with the details and the quality. So impressed in fact that I have decided to review the piece, and photograph it in macro detail so that you can see the quality first hand.

Once I have shown you my photographs I will give you some information about Trollbeads and where you can purchase a bracelet and charms for yourself. And I will give my final review scores of course. I hope you enjoy looking through my set of images.

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Trollbeads09SWAs you can see from the images I have made of the bracelet, the quality and the attention to detail speaks for itself. Beautiful craftsmanship of the bracelet and the charm, as well as the unique looking clasp. The intricate bracelet itself with the chain is stunning against the skin, and with the addition of charms it can be made to be unique for the person purchasing it. I won the clover charm and clasp, which are three dimensional, highly detailed pieces.

Trollbeads14SWTrollbeads sent me this stunning bracelet in its very own bag, which brands the logo and date of the original founding of the company. Trollbeads originated in Copenhagen in 1976 and integrates beads with a variety of jewellery types such as necklaces, bracelets and bangles. They also work with earrings and rings made predominantly of metal. At the time of the first beads being created, it was popular to wear a bead on a piece of leather around your neck. Nowadays the Trollbeads company makes beads in all manner of shapes, colours and unique styles to accompany an array of jewellery. The first glass beads were created in 2001, and since then their collection has grown and grown. With more than 600 beads in collection now, Trollbeads has become popular in over 30 countries and has more than 90 international designers.

Trollbeads10SW

My final review for the products available from Trollbeads are;

Design of Products 5/5
Quality of Items 5/5
Variety Available 5/5

Value for Money 5/5
Appearance when Wearing 5/5

I am giving Trollbeads a full 5/5 due to the quality, variety and appearance of the items.

Trollbeads features so many beautiful pieces, I can recommend you taking a browse at their website which can be seen here http://www.trollbeads.com/en-gb/shop/

If you want to know more about Trollbeads then you can see more of their story with images here http://www.trollbeads.com/en-gb/footer/the-story/

Thank you very much for reading this review today, I hope you have enjoyed this post as much as I loved to photograph this incredible looking piece of jewellery.

Until next time! Thank you 🙂

 Sabrina

Trollbeads13SW Trollbeads12SW

No7 Raffle Prize Mystery Bag Reveal

No7oneNo7 Mystery Prize Gift Bag

I was very lucky recently to receive this No7 gift bag. My father won this as a raffle prize at his local store but it was designed to be won by a woman, I was a very lucky daughter to get given it, and I was told it was filled with all kinds of mystery goodies from Boots.

No7fourWhen I opened the tape on the beautiful purple bag and looked inside, I saw a selection of items inside including samples, No7 items and what looked like some full sized products too. I decided to photograph all of the items together before testing or using any of them, so the next image depicts a flat lay of the things inside the prize. This is the reveal of what was contained in this prize.

No7threeItem 1. Estee Lauder – New Dimension Serum Sample
Item 2. No7 Dramatic Lift Mascara – Handbag Size
Item 3. Lancome – La Vie Est Belle – Perfume Sample
Item 4. Benefit – It’s Potent – Brightening Eye Cream Sample
Item 5. Paco Rabanne – Olympea – Perfume Sample
Item 6. No7 Stay Perfect – Duo Nail Colour in Pink and Gold (2x4ml)
Item 7. Ted BakerBody Lotion (50ml)
Item 8. No7 Single Eye Shadow – Handbag Size
Item 9. Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask (100g)
Item 10. Clarins – Anti Pollution – Cleansing Cream (5ml)
Item 11. Elizabeth Arden – Original Cream – Eight Hour Cream – Sample

No7twoI’m looking forward to trying these products and the samples, if I’m impressed with anything I will probably write a blog post about that specific item. Although most of what was included seem to have one time uses unfortunately.

Review of this Prize
I found it rather interesting how many samples were included in this winners bag. I of course expected there to have been more handbag sized products than full sized, however for a prize, it should be worth the ticket price at least.
A lot of places still give you samples if you ask for them, so you could potentially remove 5 or 6 of the prizes in this bag, which only leaves you with 6 or 5 products, some which are still not full sized anyway. The question is if the prize is worth the prize money, because it felt like a lot was included until you look at it all.
In my eyes if companies are going to provide prizes which have samples inside, they need to put a lot more in the bag than just a few and especially if they are only at 5ml or less.
A lot of what has been won here will be single use items. If I had arranged such a prize, I think it would’ve been more worthwhile to supply 5 full sized items and handbag friendly products, than to put two or three proper sized pieces
in a bag filled with samples to make it seem as though the recipient was getting a lot more. It is needless to say a little disappointing and a bit misleading (considering the size of the bag too!)
Saying this I am not ungrateful in any way, because I still have the opportunity to try some products I wouldn’t have purchased full sized versions of.

I hope you have found this reveal interesting, and I will update with future posts if any products stand out to me enough to have their own review.

✩ Sabrina ✩ 

Cup Cakes Tea Tray Review from Elephant Monkey

Back in April I won a lovely tea tray from Elephant Monkey who had a competition on Twitter. I just wanted to take some pictures of it’s great quality and show you all the lovely detail. Elephant Monkey have some really nice gifts and unusual items for sale which you wouldn’t necessarily find on the high street.

You can find Elephant Monkey on Twitter @Elephant4Monkey or on their website at http://www.elephantmonkey.co.uk/

CupCakesI love the shabby chic and vintage style of this tray. It is very sturdy and the colours are vibrant. The detail in the flowers and the cupcakes really bring the piece to life. I feel very lucky to have won such a nice item, and it will be used in the summer months for sure when we have tea and cake to share.

Elephant Monkey packaged it excellently so it didn’t get damaged in the post, and I received it very quickly after I had won. Thank you again for such a nice item, I have a feeling it will be used for many years to come, and I have already had some compliments about how nice it is.

CupCakes2

VLA Cosmetics and MAC Makeup Review

MacSixSWIMG_1239

I was very lucky in April to win a competition from VLA Cosmetics. I won a beautiful Grape MAC makeup pigment. I couldn’t believe the colour of this makeup, it’s very pigmented.

MacFiveSWMacThreeMacFourMacTwoSWI’m very impressed with the colour because of how bold it is. As you can see on my swatch on my arm it’s a deep shade of purple, not as dark as it appears in bulk in the pot, but still a wonderfully bright shade. Although only a very small pot at 4.5g, I feel as though this makeup will go a long long way. I barely used any of the powder for the swatch and I know that with the correct brushes it can be blended well.

MacOneSWThank you to VLA Cosmetics who got the prize to me very quickly and well packaged as well. I am very happy with the product, and having not tried any MAC makeup before, I am impressed with the pigment.

Funko Reveal

FunkoOne

Funko is a company from the United States who originally began with the bobblehead back in 1998. Funko now holds hundreds of different licences which allow them to create toys and collectibles in all manner of characters. Funko can now be found in stores worldwide and they have a fantastic social media presence as well. This is how I came to know about them, I was always looking to get some Pop! characters.

I was extremely lucky to win one of their Twitter competitions a few weeks ago, and when my Funko box arrived by airmail this week I couldn’t wait to open it! I knew it was going to be a Batman related prize, but I had no idea he was going to be this cute!

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Here is my Batman Dorbz Ridez! My own little Batman in his very own batmobile! Designed for the new Batman VS Superman movie, this vinyl collectible contains a happy looking batman who is fully kitted out with his ride. This particular collectible is released in the United Kingdom from April 10th 2016, so I am even more lucky for receiving mine before anybody else.

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I have decided not to open him up, I want to keep him in pristine condition. Plus he seems lovely and snug in his batmobile already.

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A huge thank you to Funko for sending me this wonderful prize, I am over the moon with it, and he is going to have pride of place on my shelf along with my super hero movies and games.