Splurge vs Save! Urban Decay Electric Palette vs Sleek Ultra MattPalette

Whether you know me personally or through my blog & Instagram you will probably know that I am obsessed with warm neutral eyeshadows hence why I love the naked palette series so much. So when Urban Decay came out with the Electric Palette I was both intrigued and scared. I was torn between my love for UD eyeshadows and my fright of bright eyeshadows. I really really wanted this palette so I looked up reviews and swatches and I tried to convince myself I needed it to start incorporating colour into my future eye looks... But it was a hefty price tag at €45 for someone to mostly only wears neutral eyeshadow. One day a few weeks later I was browsing through cloud10beauty.com when I came across this Sleek Ultra Matt eyeshadow palette when I thought to myself hey that looks a bit like... Yep you guessed it, the Urban Decay Electric palette. Similar look with a massive price difference at wait for it... €9.99!!!! I mean come on, I know which palette I was going to be purchasing! Sleek can also be bought in Boots for the same price. 

I swatched the UD palette and I found the formulation to be the same as all the Naked series eyeshadows which is amazing as many people know. The pigmentation is brilliant with the normal standard from UD shadows which are smooth and blendable. This palette has 10 vibrant shades with a mix of matte, shimmer and satin finishes. 

Then we have the Sleek ultra matt palette. Sleek eyeshadows have been compared to the UD ones many times and in my opinions this palette isn't any different. Again the formulation is on point, creamy and blends really well. Like the UD palette, this also has 10 vibrant eyeshadows however all shades are completely matte. As you can imagine I was all over that!

So my verdict, if you're a makeup lover who uses colour in your makeup looks a lot and if you're comfortable using lots of colour I think the Urban Decay palette is for you. However, if you are a person starting out with makeup or even just someone who sticks with mostly neutrals but wants to branch out I'd suggest the Sleek palette. Start with one pop of colour on a neutral eye, either on the lower lash line, the inner corner or centre of the lid.

Until next time guys, Alison x 

Keeping Fit Can Be Pricey

We're now officially in December and it won't be long till the New Years resolutions begin! So why not get a jump start? If you're planning on hitting up the gym in the new year, get yourself sorted now. I know gym gear can sometimes be quite expensive and realistically not everyone has the money to spend €30 on a top you're just going to sweat all over so that's where the Penneys gym range comes in! 

I've been into going to the gym and getting fit for about 2 years now but with being a student I don't have ridiculous amounts of money to spend on work out gear that's why I love this Penneys range so much! Recently I decided I needed a few new bits, so off to Penneys I went. If how good the quality is isn't enough then the prices will really seal the deal. Here's what I got. The black yoga pants fit really well, they come up quite high which I find more comfortable for working out in. Both the sports bra and top are racer back which I find more secure for working out.

(Yoga pants €8 size 14)

(Sports bra €6 size 14 & top €6 size 14) 

When buying gym gear I keep it really simple, I don't like crazy prints or bright colours, I stick to black and grey as much as possible. That's not to say they don't have different styles, colours and prints. There is something to suit shape and style for very affordable prices.

This range covers nearly everything you could want or need to help you get in shape and it won't break the bank (I'm all over a good bargain as usual). In Penneys you can get everything from sports bras to jogging leggings & yoga pants to runners and even to yoga mats and sets of weights all for extremely affordable prices and good quality material. 

(Picture via @Primark on Instagram) 

Until next time guys, Alison x

Splurge vs Save!

This is the first of many Splurge vs Save posts. First off I'm starting with the Urban Decay Naked Flushed vs Sleek Face Form Kit. I love face kits like these for travelling or to just have in your handbag. They're handy for so many reasons 1. There are 3 face products all in one compact 2. Both of these products have a decent size mirror and 3. All 3 products can be used as other things like eyeshadow. 

The Urban Decay Naked Flushed which I have in the shade Light retails for €29.00. I like the packaging and I love the fact it has a mirror. One thing annoying me (which is just me being picky) is the way the bronzer, highlighter and blush are broken up, they are all different sizes so it looks a little bit off but that's probably just a little thing for me. I love this bronzer but I'm not crazy about the highlighter and blush. Althought they are nice colours they work a lot better when I am tanned which is a little disappointing considering I bought the shade Light I was expecting it to suit my pale skin.

Sleek Face Form Kit which I have also in the shade light retails for €12.99. As the name suggests the packaging is perfect, it's so sleek and simple. Like the UD palette the Sleek palette has a very decent sized mirror. The pigment of these products are brilliant, they build really well and blend like a dream. Overall I just love this palette, all 3 colours work on my skin and the sleek packaging looks more expensive than it is.

As you can see from the picture below in the pan they are not exact dupes but when swatched they look quite similar. The colour of both products can be built up so I can use these on a normal day to day base but I can also build up to colour to suit my skin when I have tan on. The packaging of both are pretty small however the Sleek palette is slimmer than the Urban Decay. One issue I have with the UD palette is in the highlighter I have found it to be a little chunky when applying. In my opinion, even though I love both and switch between them, I find them so similar purely due to price I would go for the Sleek Face Form Kit. 

Until next time guys, Alison x 

Garnier Game Changer!

The Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water & Express 2in1 eye make-up remover has been on the market for a while now and has really changed the way I remove my makeup! When I was younger I used to be terrible for taking my makeup off with just a baby wipe or a makeup up wipe. Never again! As you get a bit older you realise you really need to take care of your skin and maybe your mam is using all those lotions and potions for a reason. 

This is a Bioderma dupe but cheaper and more available, it comes in a big 400ml bottle which retails in Boots for €6.79 but it's often on sale for €4.50-€5.00 but it can also be bought in Penneys where I've only ever seen it priced at €4.50, shop around for the best price. This product removes makeup as well as any makeup remover, and you get more product for less money. I use cotton pads to gently sweep the product over my face. I like this because the liquid leaves the skin feeling refreshed but not dry. As I have sensitive skin I've become more aware of what I'm using on my skin and I've been using this product for a couple of months now and I don't plan on stopping. 

Although I find the Micellar water doesn't full remove all eye makeup this is where the Express 2in1 eye makeup remover comes in. Due to it's oil base it really breaks down the makeup and removes even waterproof makeup effortlessly. In Boots for a 125ml bottle it generally retails for €4.49 but it is often on sale and goes down to around €3.50 however I've only ever seen it in Penneys for €3.50, so as I said before shop around and you'll definitely find the best price. If you do purchase in Boots don't forget to collect your points!  

If I could change one thing I would make the bottle a little bigger as I find I go through about 2 bottles of the eye makeup remover in the time it takes me to use up one bottle of the Micellar water. I would definitely recommend these products for quick and easy makeup removal as part of your skin are routine and when used together they are a dream! 

Until next time guys, Alison x 

The Everyday Go-To Lip

First off I gotta give props to my girl Kylie Jenner for basically giving me this new obsession that is now my everyday go to lip! With all the 'Kylie lip real or fake' talk it has given a hell of a shout out to certain MAC lip liners including Whirl, Soar & Stripped Down. Yes I bought into the hype and no I'm not even sorry! 

The phrase 'your lips but better' is thrown a lot with these lip liners and honestly it varies from person to person. That's not to say different skin tones can't work it just as well. My ultimate lip combo is Whirl lip liner and Myth lipstick both from MAC. If MAC is a bit out of your price range there is an amazing dupe of Whirl from NYX it's the Mauve Slim Lip Pencil for a fraction of the cost, but sometimes nothing beats the original. It took me a while to come around to this lip liner but when I added the lipstick, that was the game changer.

(Whirl lipliner €20.00 & Myth lipstick €19.50)

So there you have it, the gorgeous Whirl 'your lips but better' mauve toned lipliner and a perfect peachy toned nude for pale skin (although I find it suits me with and without tan).

How I apply my lipliner and lipstick.... I start off my outlining my lips (and slightly overdrawing them but that's another blog post, so keep an eye out) then lightly smudging Whirl inwards. Next I take Myth and apply it to the centre of my lips and pat it in with my finger to smooth it out. By doing this ombré technique you automatically create bigger fuller looking lips by having a darker colour around the outside with a lighter colour on the centre, essentially highlighting your lips. The contrast of the matte effect lipliner and satin finish of Myth is what makes this just work for me.

Obviously can't forget the selfies...

(Me wearing MAC Whirl lipliner & Myth)

I love this lip combo because it is so versatile, it suits so many events and occasions not to mention any eye look or outfit. I could wear this to anywhere from college, to the cinema or date night even on a night out, anywhere I go with this lip combo I can work the killer pout.

Until next time guys, Alison x

Time For Introductions

        So, first things first I suppose I better introduce myself. My name is Alison Martin and I am a 21 year old Event Management student in DIT, Dublin Institute of Technology. Although I didn't take the easy route and go straight from school, I got there in the end. When I finished secondary school in 2011 I decided I needed to feed my craving for makeup and beauty so I went to a beauty college where I studied makeup, nails and holistic & sports massage. But who said you can only have one passion? So in 2013 while I still had a love for makeup & beauty I wanted to change directions and study event management, which I am absolutely loving! All the while I kept up my part-time jobs in a pharmacy in the cosmetics section and as a club promoter in a Dublin city nightclub.
         This blog has been a long time in the making, I finally decided to bite the bullet and just go for it. As the name suggests, addicted to matte, I am addicted to and love all things matte. From matte lips to matte skin to matte eyeshadow, not forgetting the matte nails, I think matte is such a classic look and it will never go out of fashion (I don't think I could have said matte any more times in that last sentence haha). My blog is basically going to be my virtual girl cave, where I'll get to ramble about hair, beauty, makeup (a hella lot of makeup), fashion, give my thoughts and reviews on all kinds of products and share all my sneaky beauty tips & tricks. I'm a really visual person so there will be lots of pictures of products and makeup. Now that I have my blog I might just stop burning the ears off everyone around me about makeup but probably not. Hopefully I'll be sharing with some readers rather than me just talking to myself.

         Until next time guys.