Recent Purchases

I have been spending far too much money this term. But mostly on pretty nice things, so I'll flash-review them all.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Eye Primer (£17)

I have very, very oily eyelids. I'm not talking just a little bit of shine, we're getting into 'I could harvest this and sell it' territory. Consequently, any eyeshadow I put on my eyelids creases within about half an hour, and for the rest of the day I have deeply attractive murky lines all over my eyelids, not to mention the charming way my eyeliner slides down my face and ends up under my eyes rather than along my upper lashline. Anyway, my point is, I am one of those people who desperately need eyeshadow primer to look even vaguely put together. I picked up the Too Faced primer mostly because it was there, and the packaging was really nice. I am very superficial when it comes to beauty products. Anyway, having purchased it, it seemed to do OK on small amounts of matte eyeshadow and not all that much for shimmery or glittery eyeshadow, until I wondered whether I wasn't waiting long enough for it to dry before I started slapping on the eyeshadow. So, for once, I was patient and waited until the primer seemed well and truly dry before I put the eyeshadow on. Result!

Urban Decay Vice3 Eyeshadow Palette (£42)

UD eyeshadows are raved about up and down the internet, which was pretty much my whole impetus for buying this palette. I don't care about neutral eyeshadows so I ignored the possibility of getting a Naked palette, and I went for the Vice one since it has some very nice jewel shades in it, and also offered the most value for money. Seriously, £42 for 20 shadows? That's good! Having said that... These shadows are nice. But they haven't changed my life in the way that many beauty bloggers assured me they would. They're also massively prone to fallout, so I end up having to make up my eyes before my face to cover up stray eyeshadow powder. Also, you need a fair amount of product to get a good colour. Considering UD's reputation for wild, bright colours, I'm not sure why they made a palette where the shadows come out so dull. My Body Shop eyeshadows are brighter than these. I don't get it. So overall, it's OK and I have a nice range of colours, but I wouldn't buy another one. Maybe I'm using it wrong, I don't know, I wear makeup but I'm not very good at it.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (£8.99)

I really like this book. The worldbuilding is incredibly intriguing and delightful - people commit crimes with a literary basis, Britain is still at war with Russia in the Crimea (I realise this was published way before the Ukraine crisis, but reading it now - ouch); it's a really interesting world which I definitely want to find out more about. Lucky for me, there are several more books in the series!

M&S Black Faux Fur Snood (£13.49)

I love this. I bought it on eBay and thank god for that - if I'd bought it new it would have set me back at least £30. I could probably have got a similar one for cheaper, but I don't care because this is amazing. It's very cold here in Oxford, and this snood is perfect for that. It's so big and furry it feels like wearing a hug, quite honestly, and it sits nicely to warm my neck, parts of my lower face, shoulders, and chest. Initially I thought it was way too bulky, but having got used to it I think it's perfect. Also now I'm another item closer to being able to stealth cosplay Anna Karenina.

Accessorize Plain Capped Gloves (£10)

It was cold and I needed gloves. These are good for wearing when I'm on my bike, since I obviously need more freedom of movement when I'm cycling, but they're not so warm when I'm just walking around. If it gets much colder I'll need to take my Latvian mittens with me in my bag and wear them in the city centre. Other than that, I don't have much to say about these gloves. They do what I want them to. That's about all I can say.

MAC Lipstick in Russian Red (£15.50)

Another excellent buy. This is my first MAC lipstick, bought because I was missing a good red lipstick in my life (despite how many of these products are makeup, believe me when I say I don't actually wear makeup that often...) and has now stolen my heart. It wears so well; the first time I wore it it lasted through two meals and only disappeared after I'd sunk around eight glasses of wine. A lot of people complain that MAC's matte lipsticks like these are too drying, and I sort of agree, but as long as I wear lip balm underneath I'm usually fine. I do get highly unattractive traces of lipstick in the dead skin on my lips, though. Classy, huh?

Pia Molten Drops Silver Earrings (£10)

This is my first piece (or, pieces) of Pia jewellery! I was in their shop in Oxford browsing and these earrings were way too pretty not to buy. They are my new favourite pair of earrings; I love the design, and how bright the silver is, and being able to fiddle with them (I'm a chronic jewellery fiddler; I could sit here fiddling with my nose ring for hours). They're lovely for everyday wear or giving some elegance to an evening outfit.

That's about it, I think, other than a few items like replacements and makeup removers, about which I could say exactly nothing that wasn't, "This is a makeup remover. It removes your makeup."