Easy Eye Duo: The Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerise Cream Shadow in Jean & The Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Ganache

As much as I love experimenting with different products, most mornings I just don't have time for anything complicated so end up reaching for the things that can do the job as quickly as possible. My eyes lack any natural definition and despite having dark hair my lashes are blonde, so I'm not lucky enough to be able to run out of the house with no eye make up on without looking halfway dead. What I've been opting for recently is a wash of brightening cream shadow with a chocolatey liner stick blended around the lash line for the illusion of thicker lashes - perfect for everyday definition.

The product I've been loving for this recently is the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Shadow in Jean, a glossy, sheeny champagne gold that highlights the inner corners and brightens the lids. I'm in love with this formula, on first application the mousse has a lovely cooling sensation and is easily blendable before setting in place and lasting all day.  I find this works beautifully alone or with a powder shadow applied on top and I've had no problems with creasing. The Laura Mercier Caviar Stick's are perfect for if you want to add any depth in the crease or for simply defining the lash line, my favourite shade is Ganache - a rich chocolatey brown. I tend to apply products like this with a tiny pencil brush in a naturally winged shape, but if I'm in a serious hurry I'll just line the outer corners and soften the colour with my finger.

The result is a sheeny, golden, softly smoky look that lasts all day without budging or creasing. What are your favourite speedy eye combinations?

Smashbox 'Shape Matters' Palette

While wandering the aisles of Boots (a pretty standard post uni ritual) I came across this gorgeous Shape Matters Palette from Smashbox. A new release for Autumn 2015, this palette is currently on an amazing introductory promotion meaning I picked this up for just £30.00! This is really such a great deal, as it contains all three shades from the Contour Kit (which alone retails for £35.00), along with a second highlight shade, nine powder eye shadows, two brow shades and a wax.

This is a wonderful all round face palette, especially for Make up Artists like myself or anyone that travels frequently. The Contour Kit in particular is something I've been lusting after for a long time and the shades really lived up to my expectations. There is a bronzer, contour shade and two highlight shades: one matte, aptly named Highlight and one sheeny called Glow. The bronzer is very warming which I find to be a nice contrast to the cool undertones of the contour shade making it really easy to sculpt the face without leaving the skin looking dull. Highlight works perfectly to set cream highlighters and under eye concealer, or to just add brightness to the face, while Glow imparts a lovely subtle sheen which after running out of my Kevin Aucoin By Candlelight is something I've been lacking in my collection.

The two brow powders included would be wearable for most people and I've found them to mix together well to create the perfect shade. I would say the palest of blondes may even find Taupe (the lightest shade) a little too dark for them, but thankfully for me this isn't a problem. The one thing I'm yet to try is the brow wax as I find they never usually work on me, but its a good inclusion for people with unruly brows or to use as part of a kit.

The eye shades are very well pigmented and creamy in feel and although the shimmery shades are prone to a teeny bit of fallout, this is no problem for me as I prefer my shadows to have an easily blend able texture. Another thing I really like is selection of colours chosen, ranging from pale lid colours such as Vanilla to contrasting mattes like Sumatra to run through the crease, along with pretty purples Posh & Aubergine to keep things a little interesting. Platinum definitely deserves a special mention - its a stunning browny gold shade (that definitely does not do it justice) that I have found myself gravitating towards every day.

This palette is currently out of stock on the Boots website but there were loads on the shelf in my local store so its definitely worth checking out. I believe it retails at full price for £60.00 which I know is pricey, but if you are a fan of all the products inside or looking for a convenient addition to your make up kit, it still works out far cheaper than buying the products individually.