Rouge Bunny Rouge - Evanescence Powder and Cream Eye Shadows

Here at The Amazing Blog, we love to get dolled up, particularly with New Year's Eve just around the corner. But every now and then, a product comes along that's packaged so beautifully, we almost don't want to use it. Almost. This was the case when these products from Rouge Bunny Rouge landed on our desks. Although immaculately decorated, these products aren't just a pretty face, although ours were certainly much prettier after using them.

After admiring the beautiful presentation of the Evanescence Imperceptible Powder and Silk Aether Long-lasting Duo Cream Eye Shadow, we put them through their paces to see if they performed as well as we hoped, and we weren't disappointed. The powder is encased in an elegant black box, and embossed with a delicate floral pattern that we had to convince ourselves to disturb. Every detail has been studied to perfection to give the idea of something precious and special; from the brand logo printed on the sponge, to the sleek 'Powder Room' packaging that we adore. Out of the four shades, we tried Halo, a natural beige with a pink undertone that illuminates the skin. We couldn’t ask for a better result as the finish is so invisible it seems like we’re not wearing any make up. Suffer from dry skin? This powder doesn't cake at all, and is enriched with Vitamin C and E, anti-oxidants and has an anti-wrinkle function, so you look flawless all night long.

With skin sorted, perfect your eyes with the brand's creamy shadows. We loved the low key shades in the Gossamer Wing duo, perfect for a neutral smoky look. With a light, soft beige on  one side, and a darker velvety 'cafe au lait' shade on the other, we think this is a duo that would look wonderful on everyone. Wear them alone or together, and the shades are perfect for taking you from a day at the office to a night on the town. With it's creamy texture, there's no need to worry about shadows dropping down and making a mess, as you would if you were creating the same look with powders, and the setting formula really does last all night. The formula has extracts from coffee and para cress flower that help produce collagen and elastin, caring for your lids whilst making you look amazing.

Learn how to look younger and beautiful in one touch and get the imperceptible powder here for £37 and the duo eyeshadow for £35 here.

Benefit Air Patrol

There is nothing worse than blending your way to the perfect smoky eye, for it to fade throughout the day. Here at the Amazing Blog, we swear by eyelid primers to keep those shadows in place, but there are so many to choose from. Behold, the innovative Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer. In case that was too much to absorb in one go, that’s a creamy eyelid primer with the added benefits from a BB Cream. We could barely contain our excitement to give it a try.

Eyelids are the most delicate areas of our face, and often the last place we protect. Benefit are changing that with the EnviroDefend complex within the Air Patrol primer, it guards against the harmful external forces we come across in day to day life. We were also happy to discover that it contained SPF 20, it’s so important to protect our skin from sun damage, even on our lids! The primer is super creamy and glides easily onto the skin, the soft Cushion Calm tip keeps pressure light on the delicate eye area. Benefit really did think of everything. We loved the chic, grey tube with Benefit-style detailing, their packaging is always bright and beautiful.

We found the Air Patrol very hydrating and it kept our shadow locked on for the whole day, our blending skills finally didn’t go to waste. We would recommend setting the primer with a translucent or neutral powder before going in with your eyeshadow to avoid any tackiness. For those days where we prefer a ‘no make-up’ look, simply use Air Patrol alone over the lids and wait for the colour corrective magic. The peach undertones reduced the appearance of our dark circles, while also combatting redness on the lids. Get your hands on the protective and long lasting Air Patrol primer here for £21.50.       

Urban Decay - Naked Smoky Palette

Here at The Amazing Blog, we often find ourselves drooling over the latest cult make-up releases. Ever a fan of Urban Decay’s Naked offerings, we were overjoyed when their latest creation, the Naked Smoky Palette landed on our desks. Every bit as dreamy as its trio of predecessors, we had trouble tearing ourselves away from dabbling to get a days work done!

With 12 gorgeous shades to choose from, the palette contains everything you need to perfect a smoky eye. With some of us here in the office being a bit of a novice when it comes to shadows, the inclusion of a ‘cheat sheet’ was a welcome addition. Our favourite look was Smoky Cat, which combines some fabulous bronze shadows, perfect for a winter warmer look. We had so much fun experimenting with the fabulous mixture of shimmers and mattes. The double ended brush was a must have for applying, With a fluffy blending brush on one end, and a denser smudger brush, it’s all you need to create your cat eyes for a night on the town. Beautifully blendable and wonderfully long-wearing, it’s safe to say we’ve found our favorite winter palette to take us through to Christmas and bring us into the New Year.

Make your dressing table the envy of your make-up maven friends by adding the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette to your collection.

 Not that you’ll need convincing the palette is available to buy here for £38.

Sunshine Hats

Despite the unpredictable British summer weather, we here at The Amazing Blog know the importance of having good SPF products all year round.

Based in the UK, Sunshine Hats has an extensive range of UPF50+ headwear imported directly from Australia. Not only are their hats stylish, but they all come with a Skin & Cancer Foundation Australia accreditation which ensures that each hat is 100% protected against harmful UV rays. Yes, you read that correctly, an accessory scientifically proven to protect you from the sun.

We also love how they’re crushable, washable and water friendly, making them the ideal suitcase friendly hat for your summer travels. The hats can also be tailored to each individual head with an adjustable drawstring to achieve that perfect fit. These hats are truly a summer hols essential.

We love hats with big brims, and the Hayman Big Brim is perfect to cover up those bad hair days, plus it has wire in the brim so you can make it look exactly how you want. Or the Naples Ivory hat is a more casual alternative, perfect with a sundress or with a bikini and sarong.

To view the whole range and purchase a Sunshine Hat, please go to their website. They have kid’s hats for £10, visors for £16, and the women’s hats range from £20 - £32.  

V&A Exhibition- Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

Christian Louboutin once famously said: “A shoe is not only a design, but it's a part of your body language, the way you walk. The way you're going to move is quite dictated by your shoes.” At The Amazing Blog we could not agree more.  From June this year all the way through to January 2016, the V&A will be home to a very special fashion exhibition exploring the transformative power of extreme footwear, our fascination and obsession with shoes as well as their agonising aspects.

 
In this exciting exhibition, there is an unrivalled collection of more than 200 pairs of historic and contemporary shoes from around the world. Some are as old as 2000 years and have never been seen before.  The collection includes shoes worn by high profile figures including Marilyn Monroe, Queen Victoria, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue and the Hon Daphne Guinness.  There is footwear for men and women by 70 named designers including Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Prada.

Exhibition curator, Helen Persson, said: “Shoes are one of the most telling aspects of dress. Beautiful, sculptural objects, they are also powerful indicators of gender, status, identity, taste and even sexual preference. Our choice in shoes can help project an image of who we want to be.”

In addition, the exhibition reveals the evolution of shoes and how little style, material and shape are so much more symbolic than you realise.  This exhibition is a must for any fashion lover or someone passionate about history.  You can find out more about it here.