3 PALETTES TO GRAB IN CULT BEAUTY -20% PROMO

What to get in the -20% on palettes Cult Beauty promo

I opened my email to the most exciting news this morning. Cult Beauty dropped a bomb that is -20% on palettes and the world’s gone crazy. Before it all sells out, these are my faves I'd buy over and over again! Be fast, as I have a feeling these will sell out soon too! 

BDQ TURNS 3 YRS OLD: WIN A DRAWER FULL OF MAKEUP WORTH OVER £150

Beauty Drama Queen turns 3 years old giveaway

A few days ago Beauty Drama Queen turned 3 years old and it made me a bit tearful. I started as a socially awkward makeup nerd and I don’t feel that changed one bit. It’s been a journey of self-discovery, meeting incredible women along the way helped me grow as a person, as a friend and as a blogger. 3 years is a long time yet it feels as if it was yesterday. I’ve met so many inspiring people, built relationships with many incredible brands and grew to be the person I am now. I was almost 30 when I started this journey, way too old to be dabbling in makeup, yet you all welcomed me to your world, to your hearts and I couldn’t be more proud that something I only dreamed of became a reality. 

EVERYDAY MAKEUP DIARIES

Everyday makeup edit

I decided to start showing you my everyday makeup more regularly. It’s well overdo and I change my morning routine a lot so you’ll get to see it evolve every week/couple of weeks or whenever the mood strikes! We’ll start with some faves from couple of weeks ago because this bad blogger took some pics then forgotten all about it! It’s a great mixture and features some of my holy grail makeup as well as some newish additions! Are you ready to explore the crazy world of my morning makeup routine? 

17 FOR 2017: "CULT PRODUCT OF THE YEAR" WITH CULT BEAUTY

Cult Product Of The Year with Cult Beauty

Hello, my darlings. This is such a special post because, well, I love me a good Cult Beauty haul. Today we’re not hauling. Today’s all about the amazing brands and products Cult Beauty has to offer. It’s mostly skincare, I won’t lie with few incredible makeup bits thrown in for a good measure. 2017 has been such a great year, a year of exciting launches and even more exciting discoveries, so let me take you on a journey of 17 products you should try before the end of the year and in the end, to celebrate crowning the Cult Product Of The Year! Are you excited? I am! 

DREAM KIT & WHY I STOPPED BUYING MAKEUP BRUSHES

Dream brush kit

In a life of every beauty enthusiast, there's time for obsessive spending and time to reflect on your collection. I sat down recently doing my makeup and realized I haven't bought a single makeup brush in a long time. I came to realize that I don't buy any because simply I don't need anymore. We are constantly marketed with new brands launching new fancy kits, but are they truly worth your time? I'd rather buy single brushes, than kits simply because, I want quality and not quantity. Doing makeup, be that as an amateur or professional, you quickly come to a realization that quality matter here more than anywhere else. You can do as good a look given a skill using a £10.00 eyeshadow palette and £50.00 one. Sure the quality eyeshadow will make the process easier and quicker, but the final result is obtainable with both. Not so easy with bad quality brushes. The cut of individual bristles as well as a shape matter so much in getting that quality final look. I also find that with quality brushes, you are less likely to need to replace them often. I have had some of my brushes for years and they haven't lost the shape or too many bristles. Given a right treatment, this is one investment you can count as long term. Over the years I collected a great bunch, which I now call a dream brush kit. These are the only brushes I'd ever need if I was able to wash them every day. If you fancy a look at which ones made a cut, grab yourself a cup of tea and let me tell you all about them.

NEW IN MAKEUP: ZOEVA MATTE PALETTE REVIEW WITH SWATCHES

The moment I laid eyes on new palette launch Zoeva Matte palette , I knew it'll be mine. Sadly Zoeva Matte launch is not available on the usual UK selling outlets and it's exclusive to Zoeva website. The good news are, the delivery is dead cheap and comes at £2.50 whatever your order. Palette is priced at £17.50, so slightly cheaper than our usual pricing here and all came at £20.00. Delivery took 5 days and I missed a day due to being at work first time, they've tried to deliver. That's pretty decent considering it's coming all the way from Germany. You can buy it here.

NEW IN: ZOEVA PLAISIR COLLECTION AND HALO STROBE GEL REVIEW WITH SWATCHES

Live life with pleasure.

I have missed quite a few Zoeva launches since the Cocoa Blend (POST) superb introduction to my world. I wasn't very much into the larger palettes, yes I thought them to be pretty but duplicating shades over and over in my collection isn't something I do lightly anymore. I'm still obsessed with new launches but seem to control it slightly better and only buy ones I know I'd be unhappy to miss. There were so many superb launches in 2016, with ABH Modern Renaissance (POST), Jeffree Star Beauty Killer (POST) or UD Naked Ultimate Basics (POST) to name the few that have totally rocked my makeup world. I had high expectations regarding new Zoeva palettes and they haven't disappointed. I've loved Cocoa Blend so much and it's still one of the palettes I reach for this whole year later, so I knew I have to top up my Plaisir collection as soon as it launches. I haven't bought Plaisir boxed collection as I didn't want to duplicate the Cocoa Blend, so I've just ordered the two new chocolate palettes individually. Palettes weren't the only new and exciting launch as Zoeva has launched their highly anticipated Strobe Gels on the same day. I haven't had much luck with highlight shades from Zoeva as the one included in their Rose Golden Blush Palette (POST) hasn't really suited my skin tone, but seeing the Strobe Gels promo video has convinced me to give it a good college try. So without a further ado as it's plainly the longest intro I have ever written let's see what I think of the new Zoeva launches, shall we lovelies?

Plaisir is French for pleasure and what a pleasure it is to just sit here and stare at this eyeshadow collection. The two new palettes compliment Cocoa Blend in every way and it's a neutral heaven. My order was accompanied with a cute little box of pralines, that are now sitting just next to me. Well two of them left, that is. I thought the design and idea to be super cute but they also taste like heaven!

ZOEVA BLANC FUSION (RPR £17.50 from Zoeva & £18.00 from Beauty Bay)

10 shadows weighted at 1.5g each made without parabens, mineral oils, fragrances & phthalates. Shell life: 36 months. White chocolate with golden geometric design hardened cardboard. Zoeva logo and palette name on front and ingredients and other information on the back.

Blanc Fusion is a daytime palette to the core. I like the design with top row being shimmers and bottom mattes, it given enough shades to always come up with new looks for your day at school or the office. The biggest shocker is the Visions of Gold, being a pure yellow gold, which some may find scary. I found a way to include it in my daytime makeup and even got compliments on it. The morale is, don't ever be afraid of using a shade, as the originality is what makes us apart and even the most improbable combinations can in fact add to our charm. 

Noble - pearlescent white with super light golden shimmer

Single Origin - light yellow gold

Visions of Gold - true yellow gold, almost neon

Late Bloomer - copper shimmer 

Sweetness Lingers - bronze shimmer with purple tones

Travel Inspired - light pinky beige matte

Joy in a Box - medium beige with pink tones transition matte

Conched - medium brown with neutral tones matte

Question of Taste - medium brown with warm camel tones matte

Last Bite - dark brown with cool tones matte

All the shades above are truly greatly pigmented with some taking it to the extreme. The shadows are soft but also not so soft they become dusty in the palette. I didn't experience any real fallout with any of the shades. It's not as warm toned palette as the Cocoa Blend of upcoming Caramel Melange. Instead you have more neutral tones to play with. I think it's a great idea to keep one palette in the series slightly cooler. Yes, warm tones are so in right now and I personally adore them, but it's good to have an option. I think Blanc Fusion will be my firm favourite, as I love the formula of shadows, pigmentation and how well they stay on the lid. Blending is a pleasure just like with other Zoeva shadows and it makes a great addition to my Zoeva Family.

ZOEVA CARAMEL MELANGE (RPR £17.50 from Zoeva & £18.00 from Beauty Bay currently out of stock)

10 shadows weighted at 1.5g each made without parabens, mineral oils, fragrances & phthalates. Shell life: 36 months. Warm chocolate with golden metallic geometric design hardened cardboard. Logo and brand name on top and ingredients on the back.

Caramel Melange is warm, it's neutral with reds, oranges and purples leading the way for it to become THE MUST HAVE palette of the season. With seven mattes and three three shimmers it makes for a perfect daytime to evening palette. Aftertaste and Alchemy are true winners in this palette and Liquid Centre formula is truly something else. I can't get enough of this!

Wax Paper - pure white matte

Universal Delight - light beige with purple tones matte

Aftertaste - muted medium red matte

182C - medium brown copper satin

Liquid Centre -  pure copper bronze shimmer

Alchemy - dirty reddish medium brown matte

Start Soft - warm medium dark camel brown matte

Finish Sensual - neutral to cool medium brown with ashy tones matte

Almost Burnt - vintage gold shimmer

Edible Gem - dark purple matte with gold micro-glitter

Yet again pigmentation is insane in Caramel Melange. All the shade transition well in swatches and to the lid, but also blend easily. Formula of shadows is buttery and just stunning to work with. There's virtually zero to minimal fallout. The mattes are of superb quality, if even slightly better than the original Cocoa Blend palette. Straight await a favourite of mine. I'm glad that some shades are slightly more of neutral tone as these three palette compliment each other oh so well.

ZOEVA COCOA BLEND (RPR £17.50 from Zoeva & £18.00 from Beauty Bay) - POST

Please refer to my earlier post from last year for swatches of Cocoa Blend to see how these three palette really go together as one happy family. I am so glad I picked up the remaining two in Zoeva's Plaisir Collection as all three palettes are simply stunning!

ZOEVA STROBE GEL IN HALO (RPR £10.50 from Zoeva & £11.00 from Beauty Bay)

Clear heavy glass jar with black plastic top and Zoeva logo on it. 15 ml of product made without parabens, mineral oils, fragrances & phthalates. 

Now if you know me a little and I hope you do by now, you know my undying love of highlighters. Anything that promises me to be visible from outer space and I'm already taking my credit card out. This new launch from Zoeva has for sure raised few eyebrows with its innovative formula. We are used to liquid, cream, stick and powder highlighters, sure but I haven't tried gel formulas yet. What's so amazing about it then? There are few bits I need to explain first formula wise. Strobe Gel is a quite unique memory shape gel. It's identical to a Body Shop Drops of Youth Mask I absolutely love. What it means is that the gel is firm, almost jelly like and once you touch it with your finger or a brush it sort of bounces back to its original shape. It's quite cool. 

The main reason I rarely use cream or liquid highlighters is because it's harder to use over powder formulas without the cake effect. The main rule of makeup is to use liquids and creams and then powder formulas. I love Becca Shimmering Light Perfector Liquid but I can only use it on days where I don't really set my makeup, yes it's still visible after powder but it looses on intensity. I was really looking forward to trying the new Zoeva formula to see if it would be possible to apply over powdered down face. Is it? Yes it is! I think if there's one selling point to this product, except it's stunning shade, it's that!

Strobe Gel in Halo has a gorgeous pearlescent silver and pink tone to it. I can't quite explain it. It is definitely meant for fair to light skin tones, but I think you could also use when you're medium by layering it on top of your usual highlighter, just on the very tops of your features. When it comes to the shade, it's not really pink nor silver nor white but it just creates that super light gorgeous shine. I love it for daytime. I use the tiny amount on the finger and just tap it on the high points of my face. I literally touch the gel and use only that teensy tiny bit for my daytime highlight. For more wow effect I just use a little more or layer it on top of it. You can go crazy with this highlight and that's what highlighters are made for. So whatever your style, I think Zoeva Strobe Gels are definitely something you should try.

Please check out other reviews by my talented blogger family:

Leanne's LPage Beauty

"Two New Launches From Zoeva | Caramel Melange and Blanc Fusion Palettes"

Dagmara's Mummy's Beauty Corner

"Zoeva Blanc Fusion and Caramel Melange palettes, review, swatches and comparison with Cocoa Blend and Naturally Yours palettes"

Check out Beauty Bay now for all your beauty needs

ON SUNDAY I AM STARTING THE FIRST OUT OF A FEW GIVEAWAYS I HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR. THERE WILL BE ONE GIVEAWAY ON EACH PLATFORM: HERE, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER. PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH NOT TO MISS OUT !

Thank You For Reading,

Love

NEW IN: ZOEVA ROSE GOLDEN BLUSH PALETTE REVIEW WITH SWATCHES

If there's ever any need for extra radiance to your complexion, it is on Monday morning. Being woken up rudely by an alarm clock is one of the worst feelings in the world, if you ask me. Today I'm bringing you my new favourite, a little palette by mighty Zoeva, proven to brighten up your mornings :)

Zoeva Rose Golden Blush Palette comes in a sleek, cardboard packaging. It's rose gold hue is so on point with the whole world going crazy for copper and rose gold. It's a lovely addition to already large collection of brushes with rose gold detailing. It's light, small and travel friendly. 

Palette includes a contour, blush and highlight shades. This triad works perfectly for both contouring and strobing trends. For a chiseled look work all shades onto your cheeks. Formula is infused with Vitamin E, which nourishes the skin as well as giving your complexion a visible radiance boost thanks to the shades. Very lightweight powders, however not as creamy to touch as we are used to with Zoeva eyeshadows. They are very easy to apply and blend and offer great pigmentation. It's quite unusual selection of shades with contour definitely aimed at paler skin tones and both blush and highlighter incredibly pigmented and working for both pale and darker complexions.

Heavy Crown is a muted chocolate shade, neutral tone and a matte finish. It's not as pigmented as the rest of shades which works great for pale skin tones. It gives a beautiful finish on the skin, slightly bronzing and contouring at the same time. You will not hurt yourself with this powder, it goes on the skin smoothly and doesn't leave any streaks, which are quite common with super pigmented contour shades. I wasn't too sure I'm going to like it at first but it looks beautiful on my skin, giving enough colour, but without being to overpowering. It has a great staying power. 

Glowing Still is the most unusual highlight shade I've ever come across and I've tested a lot of highlighters. It looks white in the pan, swatches white at first too, but once blended it's super pigmented yellow gold highlight. Light hand during application is a must as this is very well pigmented highlight. For me it works better for evening looks as it can be too 'in your face' during daytime on someone as pale as me. I love it nevertheless, it's gorgeous and stays put for 10 hours plus.

Palace Door is another shocker, as again it looks totally different in the pan than on the skin. It's hard to describe really. It's a medium pink peach with warm undertones and rose gold sheen. I'm normally against shimmery blushers but OMG this one works somehow. It creates a beautiful sheen to the cheeks without being to overpowering. It compliments both contour and highlight shade. I love it !! As with highlight, it's super pigmented so light hand is needed when applying. Again, very long lasting, it will stay on your cheeks for up to 10 hours - amazing !!

OVERVIEW:

I was very sceptical at first, due to feeling a bit cheated when it came to shades as they swatch and apply totally different to the wa the look in the palette. For some reason these shades just work. It makes me giggle a little as they're the opposite to what I usually enjoy. I like my contour to be super pigmented - yet Heavy Crown works beautifully on me. I love my matte blushes, yet Palace Door took me by complete surprise and I absolutely love it despite its sheen finish. I love my highlighter to stand out and don't get me wrong this one does but it's such an unusual shade I still can't comprehend why I love it so much. I really can't say anything bad about this palette. It's sleek and travel friendly, I love the rose gold packaging and the shades are incredible. They work, that is all :)

Zoeva Rose Golden Blush Palette retails for £13.00 and it's available now on Beauty Bay. 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway, there's Makeup Revolution up for grabs :) Giveaway is open internationally and will run until 10th April :) Good luck x

Thank you for reading,

Love

Dorota x

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New in: ZOEVA ENTAUPE PALETTE REVIEW WITH SWATCHES - for the lovers of daytime :)

Hello my beauties :) If you follow me on Instagram you know I ordered new Zoeva enTaupe, when it got released on their site last month. After few extra days as DHL had to redirect my package (GRRRR) I finally got it. I gave it a good run for money, as I read so many mixed reviews. When the reviews come mostly negative, you want to ensure you give the product little more testing to make sure your own review will be as comprehensive as possible. So it took me a little longer than normally to fully test it & I'm happy to present it to you today :) I hope you'll enjoy ! Enough about that, let's sink in ... ;)

Price:

 £15.50/ €17.50 available Beauty Bay and Zoeva.de

Packaging:

Classic Zoeva and their love for sleek and light hardened cardboard packaging. I really love the design as well. Beautiful deep taupe with geometrical lines inter winded as if to form a crown with different triangles coloured in different shades of taupe. Minimalistic and chic. Gorgeous add on to an already impressive collection Zoeva produced. As usual no mirror which I find to be a plus for these palettes. They are so travel friendly as they're super light and sleek. Dream for all the travelling MUA's out there.

Formula:

Formula is what every other blogger seems to be complaining about as if certain shades were lacking in pigmentation. I disagree. I find shades to be pigmented, but be that by the name of the palette itself, taupe - the colours are muted, less harsh... This is the palette of taupes of any kind from mattes through satin, shimmer to duo chrome. From lights to darks these shades are understated, quiet, making them perfect to create any daytime look. All shadows are soft and creamy to touch, yet without unnecessary fall out. In fact I didn't experience any. Blendable and easy to work with, this palette can take on daytime as any other Zoeva ever created. It's also a great add on to a collection providing softer options to nighttime glam.

What's inside:

It's the season of taupes announces Zoeva and boy aren't they spot on. With fashion world still fixating on greys and taupes, your makeup can now join the forces. In my opinion this is the palette of winter. Light snowy days aren't meant for harsh makeup, clashing colours of autumn makeup. Whenever I imagine winter, I picture snow. I see soft glowing skin, highlighted to perfection. No contour, just a healthy looking colour to the cheeks in the name of soft cloud of blush. Eyes light and defined. If sparkle is added  it's to match it with the highlight of the skin. Red lips as a statement and so beautifully clear colour to contract light of eyes and skin. So yes, I am thankful to Zoeva for coming up with my own version of perfection for winter eye makeup. 

Shades:

From left: Stitch by Stitch, Handmade, Gallery, Hour by Hour

From left: Spun Pearl, Sheers and Voiles, Outline, Wrapped in Silk

From left: Old Master, Exquisite

Stitch by Stitch - very light matte beige, good pigmentation. Works great to highlight brow bone, inner corners and to set you primer with.

Handmade - very light pink with rose gold finish shimmer, good pigmentation. Beautiful all over the lid and to highlight the inner corners.

Gallery - light grey taupe matte with purple undertones. good pigmentation. Great as a transition shade, in the crease to build up to 3D effect. 

Hour by Hour - light dirty pink taupe matte, good pigmentation. Good as a transition colour and in the crease. Will work as an all over colour.

Old Master - medium grey matte with purple undertones and rose gold and gold micro glitter. I haven't experience any fallout and worked great to slightly darken the outer corners and on the lower lid.

Spun Pearl - pearly white with shimmer finish, good pigmentation. Works beautifully all over the lid and to highlight inner corners.

Sheers and Voiles - duo chrome warm grey with a light-reflecting pink gold, ok pigmentation. Great as an all over lid colour or for lower lid.

Outline - cool brown with light reflecting gold shimmer, good pigmentation. Beautiful all over the lid for golden brown smokey or to darken your outer corners.

Wrapped in Silk - medium taupe with purple undertones with rose gold shimmer, good pigmentation. Beautiful all over the lid shade.

Exquisite - cool toned, medium purple taupe, ok pigmentation. This one is more chalky and powdery than the rest, it can seem as it disappears when blending but I think that's been planed as the palette should be just a wash of colour as it's taupes.

To sum up. I really enjoy using Zoeva enTaupe. Would I change it? Perhaps getting the last purple shade just a tad more pigmented? I understand the concept behind this choice, as this is the palette to create the light & soft meadows of an eye makeup, something dreamy and ethereal so there's really no place to add any harsh colours; I applaud Zoeva for coming out with a brand new concept for a daytime palette. With these shades even the beginner can create amazing and well blended looks for daytime makeup.

I hope you enjoyed today's ramblings of a mad woman ;) If so, don't forget to subscribe to my social media and the blog itself. All the links below :)

Thank you for reading.

Love,

Dorota x

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