Van Halen

Last week I decided to channel an 80s hair metaller. I had to go to bed one night with wet hair (as everyone went to bed early and I couldn't use the hairdryer and my hair takes literally all day to dry). As a result I put my hair in small braids, went to sleep, and woke up with voluminous crimped hair that my inner 80s child was immensely happy with. When I was little my mum used to sit for ages and plait my hair like this to create these crimps, until we eventually bought a crimping iron which made it quicker. The good thing about getting this look to your hair is, you can do it heat and hassle free.

"Woah! Livin' on a prayer!"

I also decided to try and replicate a look I'd seen in magazines of late; pastel orange eye shadow brought up to the brow, with a pink lip. This make up is the result of this test. I got many a strange look walking around North Wales like this!

Would you ever rock crimped hair or a pastel orange eye? I quite liked it and my boyfriend kept telling me how nice I looked. I'm sure most of you will hate it!

Review: Look Beauty Eyeshadow

Look is a popular UK-based weekly fashion magazine. It features celebrity news, trend reports and excellently shot "normal" sized models mostly wearing high street clothes; it is written in an accessible manner and yet still manages to steer clear of the trashy style that other magazines of this genre tend to fall in to. As a fan of the magazine I was excited to learn, like many beauty bloggers, that Look were bringing out a make up range available in selected Superdrug's stores. Sadly, my local store doesn't stock the range (along with Sleek, MUA, Fashionista and any other cult bargain beauty brand - boo!) and as a result I had to wait until I ventured back down south to my hometown over Christmas before I could get my hands on anything. I ended up choosing a single eyeshadow in 'Luxe: Shade 18' to review; the stock levels were low and whilst I have colours like it already, the other colours left were just not my cup of tea.

This shade, whilst beautiful, is not in any sense unique - it is similar to 'Half-Baked' by Urban Decay to name but one comparison. I cannot find anywhere online that states the exact price of the individual eyeshadows, as most blogs have just regurgitated the PR circulation which states that 'prices range between £4-£18', which isn't helpful. I couldn't find anything on Look's site itself and the range isn't available to buy on Superdrug's website. However, I can tell you it isn't in line with MUA, Sleek or the other budget beauty brands that Superdrug tends to favour. I don't begrudge paying a little more though; the consistency of the shadow is lovely and smooth, it is highly pigmented, and I believe that Look make a donation to the 'Look Good...Feel Better' cancer charity with each purchase (a worthy cause). I do feel that the packaging of the single shadows is slightly uninspired but unlike many other beauty bloggers, this wouldn't necessarily deter me from purchasing a product. One other thing I did find incredibly irritating is that the amount of product you get is not printed on the label either, so I cannot divulge this information I'm afraid. In summary:

Pigmentation: Great; true to pan.
Consistency: Lovely and soft; no chalkiness in this specific shade and applies with ease.
Packaging: This is merely functional so won't appeal to those who like 'pretty' packaging. I like that it's clear and you can see the shade clearly, however. It's sturdy too.
Price: As I said, I cannot really comment on this as I can't remember and can't find it online.
Availability: Only available in the UK and only in very selected Superdrug stores at that; even when the stand is in the store they are generally incredibly empty which is disappointing (although I have found this with many Superdrugs across Wales for all brands).
Marks: I would give it a respectable 7/10.