Top Notch Top Coat

The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti Chip Top Coat has been the best thing to happen to me this month (yes, that is how exciting my life is!).

I hate painting my nails. I never manage to keep 'in the lines' and I always smudge it before it dries - which reminds me of the first time I ever got a manicure and I managed to smudge the polish as I was opening the door to leave *sad face emoji*.
I've never really been into the idea of using a topcoat, it has always just seemed like an unnecessary step in the already horrendous process. However, this one caught my eye.

I've always been a fan of Sally Hansen products, I really don't think you can go wrong with them. This product promises to dry any nails colour in 30 seconds! 30 seconds!! As soon as I saw this I had to grab it, especially once I saw it was only £5.99.

It is a brilliant product- it does exactly as promised and leaves your nail colour looking uber-shiny and the chip resistance is amazing.

MAC Warm Neutral Palette

So a couple of months ago I treated myself to this little beauty. And boy am I glad I did. I genuinely don't think I'll ever feel the need to buy another palette ever again. This baby's got it all.

That's right, I'm talking about the MAC Warm Neutral Palette.

 From left to right: Hey, Warm Breeze, Gingersnap, Dark Brew, Dance in the Dark, Brule, Vanilla Extract, Honey Lust, Amber Lights, Saddle, Lemon Tart, Butterfudge, Creative Copper, Divine Decadence, Unwind.

As an avid beauty blog reader, I was quite surprised at how little fuss was being made about this new arrival. Very little has been said about it, so I though I would put in my two cents.

Price
Now for me, this is the best part. The thing that has put me off creating a MAC palette of 15 shadows of my own in the past is the sheer price of it. The eyeshadows themselves are £10 (in pan form), so that would be £150 spent to fill up a MAC palette with 15 shadows. The Pro Palette is £14 and the insert is £2.50. Add this all together and you would be spending £167.50. A bit ridiculous, no?
Well wait to you hear the price of this ready-made palette *drum roll* £65!!! That's a saving of £102.50!
I realise £65 is still a lot to pay for an eyeshadow palette, but with MAC you definitely get what you pay for.

Quality
For me, MAC can do no wrong with the quality of their products and their eyeshadows are no exception. They are all very buttery and glide on to the eye without any irritation. As well as this, they all blend incredibly well and with very little effort. I was worried that the relatively cheaper price of this palette would mean that the quality of the eyeshadow wasn't up to the usual standard but I was happily mistaken as the product is just as good as if they were bought in any other manner. My favourite thing about MAC eyeshadows is their longevity. They will quite happily last all day, which is something I have always had a problem with due to my oily eyelids.

Product
Here are some swatches of the eyeshadows
First row:

From bottom up : Hey, Warm Breeze, Gingersnap, Dark Brew, Dance in the Dark.

Second Row

From bottom up : Brule, Vanilla Extract, Honey Lust, Amber Lights, Saddle

Third Row

From bottom up: Lemon Tart, Creative Copper, Butterfudge, Divine Decadence, Unwind.

The shades are a mixture of mattes and shimmers. Some of the shades are part of the permanent collection but some are only available in this palette.

Overall Verdict
I honestly think this is one of the best palettes out there. It gives every shade you could need for an everyday, natural look, and you need to use so little product when applying because it is so pigmented so it will last for so long. I know £65 seems like a lot of money to spend on a palette but it really is worth every penny.


What do you think? Is the an everyday neutral palette to rival this one? Let me know!
F xo