My Eyeshadow Palette Collection

This is my very modest collection of palettes! I suppose this is a lot for me. I don't wear eyeshadow very often, just at weekends and on my days off.

 This is the Kat Von D Ludwig palette. I ordered this one from eBay several years ago. I love this one a lot, but I haven't used it in ages! I almost forgot I had it. I love all the shades in here, especially the greens! The eyeshadows are also really good quality. My favourite shadow it probably the white one in the middle! It is a perfect highlighting shadow and also amazing used on its own.

 This is the Sleek Sparkle 2 palette. I got this one last Christmas and as you can see, it's barely used. These eyeshadows are all really lovely, however they are not sparkly when you actually apply them. They all look beautiful in the palette. My favourite shades are the gold and the cranberry colour. As with all Sleek shadows, I think they are amazing quality for the price, and there is such a wide variety of shades here to create many looks. I will have to start using this one!

 This is the Sleek Oh So Special palette! Have you ever seen so many pink shades? For a while there, I was kind of obsessed with using pinks for my eyes, so this was my go-to palette for a long time. I loved the beige colour and the sparkly baby pink. This was the first Sleek palette I ever bought and I remember being so impressed with it and with Sleek as a brand. I like the combination of matte and shimmer shades. This is probably my most used palette overall.

 This one is my current favourite. Oh my goodness, what can I say. This is the Clarins Splendours palette and it is fabulous. Each shade is just stunning, super quality and just very elegant. I wore this all summer. The gold shade is just stunning. The shadows are slightly shimmery but it's quite subtle. They last all day and are very easy to apply and blend. I adore this one so much.

This is my 3 pan Inglot palette. I had never tried Inglot before, until the Irish Beauty Bloggers meet up in June when I bought this one. I wanted neutral everyday shades, and of course the fabulous orange shadow caught my eye, I couldn't leave without it! Each eyeshadow pan is such a generous size, and the Inglot Freedom system is so good that you can actually choose and custom build your palettes. They are quite reasonably priced too and the shadows are of a superb quality. I haven't used this palette all that much. I thought I was actually allergic to these shadows but I think it's very likely that the glitter in the orange shadow seriously irritated my eyelids so that they swelled up and were so painful. So this one has been neglected unfortunately. I have used the neutral shades on their own but I am so sad that I cannot wear the orange one, which was my favourite!


I just noticed that I haven't hit pan in any of my palettes!
It was actually fun photographing these palettes and writing about them, it has kind of inspired me to use them more and to create more looks with them and be adventurous! Right now I am experimenting a lot with natural shades, which is something I have never worn because I don't think brown tones suit my eye colour. I would love an Urban Decay Naked Palette!

How many palettes do you have?

Sixties styling!

I absolutely adore the 1960s. I wish I could have experienced it! A lot of my favourite music is from the 1960s and I think the hair styles and make up looks were really fantastic. So, I thought I'd try and recreate a very 1960s look. I hope you enjoy!

 The dress is by Yumi, I got it in the House of Fraser sale for an amazing £14.00. I absolutely love the style and print of this dress. It is very typical of the 1960s so I really couldn't resist! I think it looks nice with these shoes I have from New Look, I got them about 3 years ago. They are black patent and have a lovely small heel! I'm not really sure what bag I would use, I suppose any sort of clutch bag would look great!

The hair and make up was my favourite part about this look! I used my trusty backcomb brush and a few bobby pins for the hair, it really only took about 5 minutes to do. For the eye make up, I didn't want to do the very severe cut crease that was fashionable in the 1960s. I have tried it and it just looks ridiculous on me. So I used my Kat Von D "Ludwig" eyeshadow palette and used the darkest shades from there. I never usually wear my eye make up this dark but I really like this and I am so pleased with how it turned out! My lipstick is an MUA one, I can't believe they only cost £1!!

My style icon from the 1960s is definitely Lulu. I love all the cute dresses she wore, and her hair is pretty fabulous too!

Do you like the 1960s style?

My New Skincare Routine - featuring Clarins

I am a low maintenance kind of girl. Truth be told, I didn't have much of a skincare routine before. So long as my make up was taken off and some kind of moisturiser was applied! But lately, I don't know if it is because I will soon turn the big quarter-century in a couple of weeks, but I have noticed my skin starting to not look in very good shape and I have been feeling completely paranoid about it. I especially hate my under-eye area.

Anyways, a quick trip to the Clarins counter and this is what I came out with....

I wanted the Clarins eye make up remover as I really need something gentle to remove eye make up so as I'm not rubbing the skin around there too much. I got a sample of the Lancome eye make up remover which is more or less the same as this. In fact I'd say the Clarins one is nicer. Just give it a little shake so the oil and water layers mix together, put a small amount on a cotton pad, and literally one swipe and your eye make up is gone. It is brilliant!

I asked the lady at the Clarins counter what would be the best cleanser for me. My skin is neither dry nor oily, but it is just kind of dull and lifeless. She recommended this One Step Cleanser with orange extract. Now I was a little apprehensive as I thought a water type cleanser would be drying on the skin, but she assured me it wouldn't. Similar to the eye make up remover, it has an oil and water layer so you give it a good shake and use it on cotton pads to remove your make up. The idea is that you don't have to do anything else, which is brilliant for me as I really can't be bothered with anything else! I soak a cotton pad with this, and go over my entire face until all my make up is gone. I will then dispense a tiny amount onto a second cotton pad just to go over my face again "just incase".

It does leave a kind of oily residue on your face, which I think is quite nice although I think some people would dislike it. It says on the bottle that there is no need to rinse this cleanser off, though. My skin honestly has never looked or felt better since I started using this cleanser!

So I needed a moisturiser and I already knew I wanted the Daily Energiser Cream! I really liked the sound of it! You can get this in a gel form too, but I thought the cream would be better for me. It's quite a luxurious cream, lovely citrusy scent and a great accompaniment to the One Step Cleanser. I really only use a tiny amount of this and massage it well into the skin.

So I have been using these products every night for two weeks. I have never spent this much money on skincare before! I really cannot get over the quality of them. I think Clarins may be my new favourite brand! So far so good, my skin is looking a little more radiant and regenerated - which is exactly what I wanted! The only thing I need now is the ultimate eye cream to tackle my eye bags!!

I also got a lovely Clarins bag with some samples in them - including the above skincare products so I now have a great range of stuff to try! Maybe I'll become addicted to skincare instead of make up! ha!

What is a Ziegfeld Girl?

I have just realised that this will be my 100th post! Since starting this blog, I really am so happy with how it has turned out, and how many other lovely bloggers I have met along the way. It has been a great hobby for me and it's great to have a little space on the net where I can ramble on about what beauty products I have tried! :)

I have realised that since I have chosen the name "Ziegfeld Girl Beauty" for my blog, it may be of interest to some people to actually write about what a Ziegfeld girl actually is. Ziegfeld girl has been my online alias for many years now so of course I had to bring it to the blog as well.

Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld produced many lavish shows named the Ziegfeld Follies between 1907 and 1931. They were spectacular productions, musical extravaganzas, with many of the top entertainers of the day appearing in them.  But the Ziegfeld Follies were famous for their chorus girls, AKA the Ziegfeld Girls! Florenz Ziegfeld was attributed with "glorifying the American girl". The girls had to be beautiful as well as talented! They were even trained to walk the Ziegfeld Way - tall, straight and seductive!

The Ziegfeld Girls wore lavish, sensational costumes. Ziegfeld girls epitomised glamour and beauty.

Florenz Ziegfeld died in 1931. Metro Goldwyn Mayer produced a film about his life in 1936 - "The Great Ziegfeld" which won the Oscar for Best Picture that year.

MGM also put out two more films related to Ziegfeld - "Ziegfeld Girl" (1941) and "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946). This is about as close as we can get to the original Broadway shows!

Beautiful Hedy Lamarr in the 1941 film Ziegfeld Girl

I suppose what really fascinates me about the Ziegfeld Girls is how risqué they appear especially for this time, and yet how well respected the Ziegfeld Follies were. 

If you didn't know already, I have a huge interest in films and music of the 1930s and 1940s. The MGM films are how I actually discovered who Ziegfeld was. 

So, if you have managed to reach the end here, thank you for reading and I do hope this may have been of interest to you! Have a great day!

My Artdeco Palette.....so far!

I got this Dita Von Teese Quadrat box in Debenhams. I saw it was onsale for about £10.00. It's quite a nice size. Slowly but surely, I will fill this thing up! Here's what I have so far...

Eyeshadows L-R: 185, 520, 450

 Sorry for the bad swatches! The purple is so rich and deep. The taupe-y shade is perfect for everyday and I absolutely love the white, it is so pearlescent and shimmery!

 This is the concealer, which I got during summer when I wore fake tan almost every day. It was the perfect shade for me then! It is a bit too dark for me now when I am tan-less so I will have to invest in a lighter shade too. This concealer is in shade 5. Honestly, this is the best concealer I have ever used, it hides everything! It's a little to heavy to wear under your eyes though.

I love the "Beauty is Art" inscription in the mirror.


Do you know what would be great, I was thinking if I was able to stick in a couple of lip colours, face powder & blush. Then this would be a perfect palette to take in your handbag for touch ups! Sadly only the eyeshadows, blushes and concealers are magnetic.

The little Artdeco eyeshadow pans are so tiny, this is a great place to store them! Hopefully as time goes on this will be full of gorgeous Artdeco shades. They are quickly becoming my favourite brand! Everything Artdeco does is so glamorous and reminds me of the 1930s, which of course I love.

So I will do an updated post in the coming weeks/months when I have added more to my collection!

Outfit of the day - Casual wear!

Firstly, I just want to say that this is my first ever outfit of the day post. I thought I would introduce a little fashion to my blog, to add more of my personality and more content. I just seem to do review after review, but you don't really get to "know" me through that!  I do love clothes, so I'm thinking I shall begin with a few outfit of the day posts and see where we go from there!

Eiffel Tower top - Penny's 

Mint blouse - Forever 21

Jeans - Forever 21

Shoes - Vans

This is what I am wearing on my day off from work, just for kicking around the house and going to the shops! Nothing exciting! It is actually very mild weather today. I am excited for the Autumn but it seems the summer has just flown by! I'm going to miss wearing all my bright colours. This sort of outfit is basically what I have been wearing throughout summer. The Forever 21 blouse is one my favourites, I also have it in coral. Pennys are brilliant for inexpensive casual tops, I think this one was €6! I tend to pick up several of them whenever I can, you always need tops!! 

Forever 21 are my favourite for jeans. I had never shopped in Forever 21 until about this time last year. I now have 6 pairs of their jeans. They are just so comfortable and they fit me really well. I will have to invest in a few darker pairs for winter though! They are also really cheap which is a bonus!

This adorable kitten is not mine by the way, it's my nieces! 

I hope the inclusion of fashion posts will be of interest to my followers! I have a few nice ideas so I need to get working on them. Hope you have enjoyed, & have a great day! 

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Gel - Crystal Pink

I am a bit late in reviewing this. These Crystal Lip Gels were part of the limited edition "Splendours" collection - you may remember that I absolutely sang the praises of the Splendours eye palette! I have been using this lip gel all throughout summer, and has become a staple as part of my everyday make up!

Despite the name "Crystal Pink", this is a beautiful candy apple red gloss. I have been loving this because unlike regular lip glosses, this one isn't thick or sticky. It is so comfortable to wear. The consistency is much thinner than that of a regular gloss; looking at it, it reminds me of jelly!

The lip gel has a blackcurrant scent. It is so lovely and sweet! The gel gives the most lovely, subtle glossy tint to the lips and it really quite natural looking. I have been absolutely loving this! The only downside is that the glossy tint does not really last that long on your lips before you have to re-apply. It is a very generous sized tube though.

You may still be able to get this at your nearest Clarins counter. Clarins are very quickly becoming my favourite brand. From what I have tried of their makeup so far, it is of very good quality and quite luxurious packaging. Yesterday I purchased a few skincare items too and I am very excited to try them out!

I am also quite intrigued to try the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, which are also lip gels from their permanent collection. They are perfect for those of us who want a lovely glossy sheen, without the stickiness of wearing lip glosses!