Beauty review: Wide Eyed collection by Front Cover Cosmetics

It’s always good to shake up your makeup routine from time to time, so that you don’t get stuck in a rut. The new ‘books’ from Front Cover Cosmetics are a fun way to try some of the more fashionable new looks without spending too much.

Here’s what the new Wide Eyed collection looks like. A book-shaped box, with four completely different versions of the smokey-eyed look enclosed. You can try a really quick and easy pencil-only version, a fashion-forward bright look, a very dark and vampy look (very Italian catwalk) and a softer version that’s more suitable for daytime or the workplace.

The Wide Eyed kit contains an awful lot of things for the retail price of £22, and the contents are well above average in quality, definitely better than most things you can buy in a high street chemist’s shop. Here’s what you get:

• 6 sparkly dome eye shadows (no massive chunks of glitter, blend easily)
• 2 pressed eye shadows (my favourites, lovely soft warm colours)
• 2 jumbo creamy shadow eye pencils (gone mad for the ‘cement’ one – pure lazy rock chick)
• 2 kohl pencils (very easy to apply, moderate staying power, great ‘smudgers’ on both)
• Double pencil sharpener (really great quality, easy to empty and clean)
• Black mascara & sealant (not a ‘false lash’ look, but nice enough)
• Shadowline (a brilliant product that turns powder shadows into long lasting liner)
• Applicator brush (OK, but got better results using my own brushes)

You also get a full set of instructions for each look, provided by makeup artist Leanne Shaw. They’re pretty idiot proof and will get you trying new things with ease. It goes without saying that once you’ve tried the four suggested looks you’ll be able to mix and match and customise everything to your heart’s content.

Here are the colour swatches. The pics have come out a bit more sparkly than the shadows look in natural light, but it should give you a reasonable idea:

To sum up: a very glam collection with lots of different fashion-forward looks to try. The only minor drawback is storage – the box is quite big, but on the other hand that would make it an impressive-looking gift. Really good for the price.

If you feel like treating yourself or someone else, it’s available at Boots for £22. If you’d like to get the price down even further it’s currently included as part of their 3-for-2 offers, or you could put some loyalty points towards the cost.