Party Makeup: Glo & Ray

Although there are party occasions year round, during the Christmas season I love nothing more than getting dressed up and donning some party makeup. With everyone wrapped up in coats and jumpers most days, there's something extra special about glamming oneself up during the winter. Last week I met up with some friends for a midweek mulled wine and I used the occasion to put some of Glo & Ray's makeup to the test! They're a new brand on my radar but I've been really impressed with the quality of the products and I'm going to talk you through the three items I've been testing out over the last couple of weeks. 

Glo & Ray Mirage Long Wear Mousse Eyeshadow in Caramel Candy

available online for £11.00*

This shade is looks really beautiful contrasted against my blue eyes. Caramel Candy a deep, slightly warm-toned brown that reminds me a lot of the colour tattoo On and On Bronze, but it's less metallic which I find makes it more wearable. The formula of the Long Wear Mousse Eyeshadows is really unusual, it's incredibly thin and surprisingly not at all mousse-like. When you swipe your finger across it, the formula melts into a sheer liquid texture that's really easy to blend and layer. You can wear it as a sheer wash of colour or build it up into an opaque brown. It does dry and set down, making it pretty budge-proof. However, I found that without a primer it does transfer and crease (but all eyeshadows do this on me). Although this isn't my perfect eyeshadow I do really like it. I'm impressed with the shade and I love the unusual texture - it's easy to work with, especially if you like wearing colour under your eyes à la 'the soft underline'.

Glo & Ray Eternity Eyeliner in London

available online for £9.00*

I can't remember the last time I owned a retractable eyeliner but holy moly I love them - they're so much handier than normal pencil liners. Glo & Ray's Eternity Eyeliner has the feel and look of a gel eyeliner but in a handy retractable tube. When I first received this I did a test on my hand; I drew a line, waited a minute or two and then tried to wipe it away. With most non-gel formulas the line is easy to move, but the Eternity Liner simply wouldn't budge until I used my makeup remover. Since then, I've used it on quite a few occasions (including in my party makeup featured above) and I really love it. It's a wonderful deep black colour that's great to use all around your eyes. I like using it on my top lash line - you can get a really fine line and blend it into your lashes to make them look fuller and thicker. It has the best lasting power of the three makeup products in this post and I'd highly recommend it. I'm really keen to try the colour Redstingy next, which is a really beautiful warm brown shade.

Glo & Ray La Amo Creamy Matte Lip Colour in Fallin

available online for £12.00*

I've saved the best until last! Not only is Fallin a really pretty colour (it's a coral pink that's unlike anything I've owned before - it's not blue based and leans quite orange-red in photos) but the formula is dreamy. It's a creamy lipstick but with a relatively thin consistency, and the colour is completely opaque  in just one swipe. When I apply this to my lips the colour looks positively juicy and then it settles down into more of a stain-like finish. You can't feel it on your lips at all and yet when you look in the mirror you'll still be rocking a completely bright, opaque colour. I love that it doesn't feel drying or uncomfortable, and although it doesn't have a traditionally matte finish it has relatively good staying power. It lasts a couple of hours when I don't eat or drink but I'm happy to compromise on serious longevity for such a comfortable and easy to wear lipstick. I'm really happy with it and it's one of those lipstick formulas that I know I'll reach for over others (including my Mac Lustres and Cremesheens!) so I definitely want to pick up some more "everyday" shades - Muse and Freeze both look incredibly beautiful. If you're a lipstick lover like myself then I'd say that this is definitely a formula worth trying!

All in all my first experience with Glo & Ray makeup has been a complete success and I think they're a brand to contend with. My only concern is that their shipping costs to the UK seem really high, and that's something that would definitely put me off ordering individual products to try out on a whim.