The Burberry Dupe You May Already Own

When I first ordered Burberry's Wet & Dry Silk Eyeshadow in Pale Barley, it was love at very first use and it took me a week or so to realise what it was that made me love it so much. It's very similar to an eyeshadow combination I regularly wear from my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. However, this comes with the convenience of being all in one shadow. They are nowhere near identical, don't get me wrong, but the overall effect of Suspect and YDK placed on top of one another resembles the unique shade of Pale Barley. The difference shows in the finish and the tone of the eyeshadows. Pale Barley is *stares desperately at the pan to try and explain it* a really soft taupe-y medium brown with a warm gold shimmer going through it and it has an almost pearl finish to it. Whereas my Suspect/YDK concoction is more shimmery and slightly darker, yet the tone is similar. Suspect looks very similar to Pale Barley in the pan, but swatched it appears more gold (which is where the medium brown colour of YDK plays a part).

So, would I still recommend this eyeshadow if you already own the Naked 2 palette? Absolutely. I would have never spent the steep £23 if I wasn't sure that it was a really unique shade that I'd get a lot of use from. The quality is beautiful and nothing beats the feeling of using it. However, if you're wanting to get an idea of what it may look like, or simply cringe at the price, Suspect and YDK are your guys.

My 'Feel My Best' Makeup Routine

There are some days where you just need to pull out all your fancy makeup that you save for best and put your daily makeup back in the drawer. It's surprising just how much having a face of nice makeup can affect your confidence and how you feel. Am I right?

When I want my skin to look really nice, I really make an effort to amp up the dewy-ness. I like using Dior Glow Maximizer to prime my face, then I mix it in with my Diorskin Star foundation for extra glow. I conceal bags and spots with my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I love this, but it's way too expensive to use on a daily basis, so I save this one for nice occasions. The same goes for my MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Light Boost. I'd get through one of these every fortnight if I used it on a daily basis, but used every now and then, it really brightens up my face.

To bring life back to my face, I love Benefit Hoola dusted on the high points of my face, any blush from the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette and a generous helping of The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer. I occasionally bring out my Urban Decay Naked Illuminated highlighter and add a tiny amount to the tops of my cheek bones, but as it's so glittery, I tend to use it just on the eyes.

Although they may not be the priciest or necessarily the best eyeshadows, I can always count on my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette or my MAC quad to make me feel my best. Primed with Urban Decay's Primer Potion, of course. As an extra touch, I like to line my waterline with a nude pencil as I think this ties everything in together. I always use my Benefit Roller Lash when I want a guarantee that my eyelashes will look good. Likewise, I love the Anastasia Brow Wiz to fill in any sparse areas of my brows, as it's my fail-safe product.

For lips, when pulling out all the stops, I have to use my Tom Ford lipstick in Spanish Pink. They're my favourite lipsticks and always make me feel so fancy. I sometimes add a dab of Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector (01) into the centre of my lips to make them look more plump.

What are your favourite products to use when you really want to impress and feel your best?

Brands I Want To Try More From

Topshop: The only products I've tried from Topshop is this liner, and a couple of their base products. I'm continuously reading rave reviews about all their products, so I'm not sure what has held me back from trying more for so long. I love the look of their glow sticks and an eyeshadow palette of theirs, so I may have to try these soon.

Dior: I've raved about Diorskin Star foundation on here before, and Dior Glow Maximiser Primer is one of my all-time favourite makeup products. However, these are the only products from them I have tried. Since I love the Star foundation so much, I'd really like to try the matching concealer and see how they work together. I've also heard great things about their nail varnishes, so they might be on my 'to buy' list really soon.

NYX: I think that if NYX was more readily available in the UK, I'd be all over it. All the products I've tried from them (with the exception of the Jumbo Eye Pencils - no matter what anyone tells you about them, they crease like the devil) I've really liked. In fact, one of my all time favourite blushes is Angel by them. I'd really like to try the Taupe blush, because I've heard that it's a really great contour shade for fair skin, and I've seen a curved liquid eyeliner from them that is supposed to be amazing for creating cat eyes.

Anastasia Beverly Hills: Taupe/Ash Blonde from Anastasia is hands down the best colour I've ever found for my eyebrows. I am in love with the Brow Wiz and swear to use it for as long as it exists, and I really enjoy using the Dipbrow Pomade too. However, I'd really like to try the brow powders they do, and some of their brow gels and brushes.

Kiko: Since I'm so obsessed with the one shade of Kiko's Long-Lasting Stick Eyeshadow I own, I'd really like to try some more. I've had a little look online and they seem to have some really nice, wearable shades. I'd also like to try a few products from their Modern Tribes collection, in particular the bronzer and blusher, so I think I'm going to have to place an order soon.

Soap & Glory: With the exception of their cult favourite Archery eyebrow range and a bit of a dodgy pink highlighter, I've never really tried anything from Soap & Glory's makeup range. I've heard so many good things about a lot of their products, so when I'm next perusing Boots, I'll be sure to take a closer look of what they have to offer.

Too Faced: I own 3 products from Too Faced at the moment and I'm obsessed with all of them. Too Faced to me, are everything I hoped Benefit would be. I love the cute packaging, but Too Faced executes their products much better than Benefit. Their eyeshadows are amazing and by far my favourite formula, I love their Sweethearts blusher (despite the clunky packaging) and their Perfect Lips lip liner comes out of my collection at several times during the week. I'd love to try their bronzers since I know how popular they are, their Better Than Sex mascara constantly gets rave reviews, and I can't resist their Chocolate Bar palette that much longer. Oh, the smell!

Clinique: Clinique is a brand I briefly ventured into as an early teenager, but never touched again once my bottle of way-too-dark Anti Blemish Solutions foundation was empty. However, since the release of their Cheek Pop blushers and Lip Pop lipsticks, I've been obsessed, and it's spurred me on to try more of their offerings. If you have any recommendations, please let me know.

Urban Decay: Other than their eyeshadow palettes and primer, their setting sprays, their Naked Skin concealer (which I love) and their Naked Illuminated highlighter (which I really don't love) I haven't tried much from Urban Decay at all. I've heard great things about their lipsticks and even greater things about their eyeliners, so they'd naturally be the first things I'd like to try. But, since I've been so impressed with their new concealer, I'd like to try more from their face range.