Kat Von D Best of Nudes Set | Review

I used to love experimenting with colours in terms of lips and makeup in generally but lately I've my time spent on doing my make up is not so much as it used to be, so nudes and natural colours and minimal looks are a strong go to recently. I have tried many of Kat Von D's liquid lipsticks before, but never the lipsticks, and this set offered a mixture of lots of different nude shades in a small mini version of it. They come in a set of six and I couldn't wait to try them out and see if they were just as good as the liquid lipsticks which I love. I've been using these for a while and there are some I haven't tried a lot and some I use all of the time. This is the Best of Nudes Set, some of which I have shades in the liquid lipstick also.

These shades are all very dark nudes in my opinion. They're all very brown toned shades. Also a lot of berry shades. The darker shades are the ones I haven't worn much, I prefer them in liquid lipstick form. The lighter shades like Bow n Arrow and Ophelia would be my favourite shades and are very easily worn. This set is all mini versions of the shades which I think is always a nice way to try different shades and not wasting as much if they're not for you. Plus you can't really go wrong with a nude shade set for money and wear value.

I don't love the formula of these lipsticks. I feel that it's the most dry consistency I've tried before. It's not very hydrating and it's more of a chunky consistency so you can really put anything else on top to help it. They do tend to stay on your lips for a longer time than most softer lipsticks because of this so they don't need as much use. They are very matte to wear which I love. I do prefer all of the liquid lipsticks I've tried of the same shades. They tend to come out nicer, last longer, and feel overall nicer to wear. 

These are in order, Crucifix, Sanctuary, Hawkwind, Piaf, Ophelia, and Bow n Arrow.

Has anyone tried anything Kat Von D before? What's your favourite shades?

My Five Least Favourite Musicals

I find it very hard to dislike musicals, I tend to find good qualities in them all. There's a lot of musicals that I don't exactly like but I can still appreciate something within them maybe for trying something or certain songs within. But usually I don't like musicals when I can't get into them or relate to what they're trying to say or just plain connect with them. The musicals on this list are musicals again that I have seen or know a lot about, just to have a fair comment on them. I am always willing to see new productions of shows though to see what they're like.

• Number five is probably surprising to most but it's the Phantom of the Opera. I love the style of this musical and there are a lot of iconic songs. Yet the story doesn't do much for me, I feel like it's missing the emotion that a story like that should have. I don't like opera music as much as other styles so I did veer from listening to this for a while but I have gotten into it over the years. The staging is fantastic and I have seen the show live but it's not a show I get excited for. It's definitely a classic show for a reason but I would love to see a few changes to the story or how it is acted. Although I have never seen Love Never Dies which comes after this musical so maybe I would like that.

• Number four An Officer and a Gentleman - This is a very niche musical that I have seen more than once. This musical is based off pop music from the 70's/80's and it's all meshed into the show to fit the story. I think in this way it doesn't work as well as music written especially for the show. It does all fit and there are some great songs in it but it's not specifically overwhelming. The storyline is very average and I don't remember any character's name. I don't think it is one I would see again. But it is a lot of fun it's a feel good show so I will give it that. 

• Number three is Rent - now I feel like I can't judge this as much as the other's as I have never seen this live but I am basing it off the movie. I do love the storyline and the interweaving of the character's in the show. I also like a lot of the rock vibes within the music but the songs are unmemorable and not interesting to me. I felt bored throughout and didn't feel a connection to any of the characters and didn't care what they did. I would love to see it to see what I think live rather than listening to it but I will always skip it when it comes on.

• Number two Avenue Q - I really thought that I would love this. A comedy musical with puppets sounds so interesting but it really fell flat with me. The humour was really dark and although it was funny it became too much for me really quick. Some of the jokes dragged on and some scenes were so inappropriate that I just wanted to leave and I never wanted to leave a show before. I think it could do with a little rewriting to maybe entice a wider audience, but I can't bring myself to listen to it again and I would not see this again.

• Number one Hairspray - My least favourite musical is very controversial to most. I may have just listened to it too much when I was younger but I don't find any of the music catchy, I just find it annoying. None of the songs hold any value for me and it all feels like nonsense. I love the fashion and style and quirky nature of some character's but I think its a very childish musical and can't feel any emotion toward it. It may be a lot of fun and very colourful but I don't like the musical style and it's not impressive to me in any way.

Other musicals which are not my favourites include Sunset Boulevard, Cats, Chicago, West Side Story. This is just based off what musicals I always skip on playlists or I'm never in the mood to listen to.

Does anyone have a least favourite musical?

My Top Five Musicals

I am a huge musical enthusiast, and I love everything theatre related. There's something about the atmosphere of being in a theatre, and there's something very raw, emotional and powerful about each actors performance in a show. Especially as the actors skills are put to the test, physically, emotionally and vocally. I think it's very impressive to translate a story into music and how every individuals performance varies from another playing the same role, it's magical. I thought I'd suggest and discuss my favourite musicals today, as I don't think I have ever discussed it but I'd love to hear recommendations on ones I may not have given the time to. I also might do my least favourites later on as I have a lot of thoughts and a lot to discuss. Also all of these favourites which I have added to my list have been ones that I have seen so I can judge better.

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• Number five on the list, which was a hard list to compile, is Waitress. I feel like this musical has a very different tone than a lot of others. A lot of the songs are slow and there's not as many characters and intricate routines as a lot of other Broadway/West End shows. I love the simplicity of the routines in this show. The ensemble beautifully joins into the songs and harmonies while not taking away from the main characters. The emotions are very strong in this and there are also a lot of power ballads. Plus this was I believe, the first fully female produced Broadway production, plus three strong female leads is amazing. I would recommend this, like everything on the list, if you like upbeat rhythms but also slow and emotional songs.

• Number four - Hamilton, I feel like I'm growing away from this musical slightly, which might anger people. This seems to be the most popular musical on the planet at the moment and tickets are like gold dust. I was lucky enough to see this and it does live up to the hype, everything about this is beautifully calculated. Lin Manuel Miranda is a musical genius. The story has taught me a lot about American history for sure, and the music is very mainstream and different to that 'typical' musical music style, which is why I think it's so popular. Every song in this musical is so catchy and it's definitely not going to loose its momentum anytime soon.

• Number three - Miss Saigon, I love historically based musicals, they're just so emotional and powerful that not much else can compare. The composers of this are my all time favourite and if you didn't know it's based off a picture from the Vietnam war. The story is so powerful and the details within for all the character's is just crazy. The staging for this is the best I've ever seen. I don't want to give spoiler's for anyone who doesn't know what happens but there is some really crazy and intricate stage piece moving and some cool pieces all together. I would recommend seeing this live.

 

• Number two Heathers - This musical again has gained so much popularity recently due to the recent production starring Carrie Hope Fletcher. This, like Waitress is based off a movie, and it's a very teen based musical. I don't love the story line too much for a musical but the upbeat and quirky nature of the music makes me love it. The staging isn't as great as other musicals I've discussed but I love the style even though admittedly it took me a long time to get into it. It's very comedic compared to a lot of others and it shouldn't be taken as seriously as something like Miss Siagon. 

• Number one Les Miserables - This has always been my top musical. I think maybe most people's favourite musical for so many reasons. The score is just so beautiful, done by the same composers as Miss Siagon, you can see why I like it. There's so many interweaving storylines, variations in characters, a powerful ensemble and so much emotion within every song. There's been so many versions and I've seen so many productions, some better than others but I never get tired of hearing any of the songs, and I will never skip one on a playlist. If you have never seen or heard this you need to ASAP.

Honourable mentions that i have include, Anastasia, Six, Beetlejuice, Sweeney Todd, The War of the Worlds, Into the Woods. These are all musicals I enjoy but I haven't seen all of these live before so maybe my top few will change when I can appreciate these fully, although Six may be the only one on at the moment.

Let me know what your favourite musicals are and why I'd love to hear!

Netflix Recommends

It's definitely a time to catch up on shows you're behind on or to watch all the shows that you've been dying to watch and have been too busy to watch. When it comes to Netflix there are always certain shows that get hyped up and you can see them everywhere. I have been one to be easily influenced into watching things others watch or even what Netflix recommends so these are the things that I have currently been watching, I'm sure a lot of people have watched the majority already. I'm posting this a little later than I meant to.

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine: If you haven't already watched this show this is your sign to do so. This is a comedy, one of the better ones that has come out in a while, based in a police station. The characters all have their unique quirks that are played on in every episode although they never get much work done (it's definitely not a cop show). I haven't heard of anyone that dislikes this show. The newest season, season six has just been released on Netflix so there's a lot to watch or catch up on! 

• Love is Blind: this show has been talked about every where. I'm going to write about it as if no one has watched it. The show is a reality dating show where the participants are put into what is called a pod, a soundproof room in which you can only hear the sounds from the pod in front of you. Meaning that the people literally go on blind dates. They are trying to find someone to marry without having ever seen them. Throughout the show they have to find the struggles of only knowing someone mentally rather than physically. I did find the show really interesting but it is very dramatic at times in the way you can't help but feel a lot of it is set up or just done for the show. There is some very cute couples that have come out of the show though so it is interesting to follow their journey. I'm not usually one for reality T.V. either so I do recommend regardless of what you usually watch.

• 100 Humans: This show is more like a survey show, a kind of scientific show but entertaining to watch. A group of 100 humans, varying in age and gender etc are surveyed and put under various tests to find out why certain people do things, if things can happen and generally testing hypothesis. The results of certain questions were very interesting and it was cool to see the way in which they went about getting the results and tests for the show. It does get a little bit repetitive but the questions are answered within about ten minutes so it is really easy informative watching.

• RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12: I've watched all seasons of RuPaul except for UK so far and it is a show that I have consistently enjoyed. I think that this is one of the strongest seasons yet, and I have been annoyed at some of the decisions made so far within the show. It wasn't the best at the start but the episodes are getting better each week. The only thing I'm not enjoying as much is that it's coming out weekly so you can't just binge the whole thing at once unfortunately. 

• Tiger King: This show is one I didn't really really want to watch originally as I just didn't think I would want to watch a show about tigers. But after seeing people posting theories about different people within the show I decided I needed to join in and weigh in also. The first episode didn't maintain my attention but I kept with it and it does get much more interesting but it wasn't something that I'll think about again and I didn't really find myself paying too much attention to it and left it on in the background but I can see the appeal to it. If you like real life documentaries and true crime cases you'll probably enjoy it.

What has everyone else been watching recently?

Anastasia Aurora | Highlight Palette Review

I found this palette recently at my local TKMaxx, and thought that it was a good price for it, but it turned out that they were selling it at the same retail price as usual so it was a little disappointing. The palette is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Aurora highlighter palette. They call it a glow kit which is probably more apt, as this palette is glowy for sure. 

This palette contains six shades of different highlight shades. I love this because usually with highlighter you only get a light white highlight but this palette has lots of different shades which can give different hues for different looks. There are two beige colours, one blue, one white, one purple and one a mix of blue and beige. Eclipse is the most neutral of the shades and will blend into your skin the most natural if you have pale tones. Luna is a white shade which gives the brightest shimmer on the cheek. Spectra is the darkest shade in the palette but on the skin it isn't as purple as it looks, it leaves a purple hue but in a clear shimmer. These shades are amazing in different lights. Helia is very bright also and comes out a lot whiter than the whiter shade but the shimmer colours change. Orion is a blue shade and it is again light on the skin but enough to leave an icy finish. Lyra is the most orange and gold shade and leaves a gold finish on the skin.

I love this highlighter palette and if you love a good shimmer and a strong highlight I would highly recommend this palette. It has such good pigmentation and you can layer it easy. It picks up on camera really nicely too.

Swatches are in order, Eclipse, Luna, Spectra, Helia, Orion and Lyra.

Has anyone tried this palette before? What are your thoughts?