Izzynterview With Katie Barnett

Katie Barnett is one of my friends that I originally met through YouTube. Her adorable Welsh accent and bubbly personality with an hilarious sense of humor really stood out to me. Her channel is mainly beauty related, but she could post a video about her grocery shop and still manage to crack me up!
Please check out her YouTube channel (Katie Barnett) and Instagram page (katiebarnettmua) if you haven't already.

To let you guys know Katie a bit better I asked her 10 questions:

1. There's no denying that you're talented when it comes to makeup. What first made you decide to go ahead and study makeup?

Ooh stop it you, you lil flirt! When leaving school I knew absolutely nothing about makeup. To the point that I went to my school prom with only foundation on that was two shades darker than my tone because I had absolutely no interest in makeup and had no clue how to use it. I had my heart set on becoming a teacher so I started my A Levels to pursue that career. From the start I had such a negative college experience and it was beginning to get me to the point it was changing my personality so I had to do something about it. That's when I discovered YouTube and the beauty community. It really went from 0-100, one minute I couldn't even tell you the difference between a foundation and a concealer and the next minute I was applying to courses all over the UK to allow me to study this art. I would sit in my English lecture dreaming of being on a film set or filming a music video so I thought it was time to put that into reality and I'm so glad I did!

2. Social media allows people from all over the globe to become friends. What piece of advice would you give someone new to social media looking to be a part of an online community?

I strongly believe that I wouldn't have the confidence to do half of the things that I am currently doing without the support of people I have "met" over the internet. I think that when you first put yourself out there on the internet it is very easy to believe that everyone has only the best intentions which is not always the case. Do your research, join a community that you want to, don't just join it for the sake of it because it's what's popular at the time. You do you, there's not point in joining something that your heart isn't in. It's all about confidence. Speak up, the only way you make friends online is if you just go fir it and message them! The worst thing they can do is ignore you. You win some, you lose some. Without joining a community I would never be sat here doing this interview for someone who I consider a real friend even though we haven't met. Sometimes you just have to take the leap.

3. My readers have to know that for years Katie has been the Stacey to my Gavin! But Katie, who is your favourite Gavin and Stacey characters?

We really are the definition of romance. I have you saved in my phone as Gavin and when you text me while I was in the pub once, all my friends started freaking out assuming I had a secret boyfriend. Gavin and Stacey is quite possibly one of my favourite shows and I don't think there's a bad character however I will always have a soft spot for Dorris, especially after the "There's the salad" scene.

4. What has been the most exciting opportunity you've received so far through studying makeup?

Last year I was lucky enough to do the make for some beautiful models for the charity fashion stow promoting L.K. Bennett's clothing. I was extremely grateful to work on something so well known so early on into my experience in industry. I also worked with a team Christmas time to body paint two models to transform them into ice queens. This project was the most testing for me as I had never completed anything to this scale but this is definitely where my love for body paint started.

5. Every decision we make is a lesson learned, but would you say you have any big regrets?

I 100% agree. There is nothing major that has ever happened that I regret. Friends come and go and I believe everyone who comes into your life is there for a reason whether that is good or bad. I always try and push myself to try everything I can. I am only 19 and I don't want to look back when I'm older and think "hey I should really have done that *insert really cool thing here*".

6. If you could sum up your life in a song right now, which one would you pick?

Right now, it's old but it's gold and I think if I had to get lyrics tattooed on me it would be from this song. Drum roll please: S Club 7- Bring It All Back. "Don't stop, never give up, hold your head high and reach the top". After going through a fairly stressful couple of weeks in college this is all I would say to people. It started as a joke but now it is genuinely my vocabulary so send help please.

7. Your accent honestly gives me life, I'm well and truly obsessed. But what is your favourite accent?

Thanks girl, someone's got to like it. I love a good Geordie accent and I actually quite like a Brummie accent!

8. If you could pick just one makeup product to keep in your makeup collection, what would you pick?

This is a little bit like picking a favourite child but we'll go with it! I want to say highlighter but I really don't suit highlighter just by itself. I look like a greasy disco ball, so I'm going to be boring and say my Double Wear foundation. There has been so many amazing foundations released lately but this is one I ALWAYS go back to . I love a flawless base.

9. It's hard to believe how fast 2018 is going by. What's one thing you're hoping to do by the end of the year?

If time could slow down that would be lovely, I'm just hoping I can carry on enjoying myself like I am right now. For the minute I'm really done with setting myself long term goals. I think things will happen when they happen and I don't want to put pressure on that. I want to finish my course and start the uni course. I just want to keep pushing myself. However, it would be nice to be doing more on the internet again, relaunch YouTube and keep going on my blog, posting content that I'm proud of.

10. You're a complete natural on the camera and never fail to make me giggle. Where do you see your YouTube channel in 5 years?

You are far too nice to me! It's fairly obvious that my presence on YouTube isn't as noticeable, I haven't posted anything in over a year! I'm in an awkward place with it now. I started my channel not knowing a lot about makeup and I never wanted to be the person to tell people how to do makeup, just showing them how I do it and what I enjoy. While I'm studying makeup it is very hard to find the balance of giving my opinions and advising people on what's best. It can also be an overkill sometimes. I study makeup 5 days a week and try to run social media pages to build business so I think YouTube right now would be too much. However, I am excited to post more content in the Summer and ease my way back in because I have really missed the community. In 5 years I would like to think my channel is still going and I am posting content that I am proud of.

Thank you Katie for taking part in this post and buttering me up with that Brummie comment! This post is the perfect example of Katie's personality shining through and she never fails to entertain me, even in written form. I really hope you all check out Katie's social media and love her as much as I do!

Izzy K xxx

Morphe Palette 350

A beauty cult favourite is the Morphe 350 palette which retails for £23. There was a huge phase where every beauty guru on the internet raved on about it, so I decided to give it a go for myself to see whether it lived up to the hype. 

My first thought on this palette was that I really liked the colour selection. Within this palette you get 35 warm toned neutrals, with a mix between matte and shimmery eye shadows. Every shade in this palette is wearable on an everyday basis, yet can be built up for a glamorous night look.

The packaging of this palette is the same as most of the Morphe palette range. It is a sleek matte palette which is thin and perfect for travelling. I have chucked this palette into my suitcase many times and no colours have ever shattered. The only thing I will say about the packaging is that it seems a waste to not have a mirror in the packaging, with the lid being so big. Having a mirror would make it even better for travel.

Swatches in order of rows

Now for a £23 palette I was expecting the pigmentation to be out of this world... and it just wasn't. As you can see from the photos, the shimmers and the dark shades were actually pretty decent. However, the light matte shades did near enough nothing. They barely even show up in the swatches and to be honest I only ever use them as a setting powder for my eye lids because the colour doesn't show up anyway. 

On the bright side these eye shadows are really creamy and I find them really easy to blend. So I have no complaints with how good they are to work with, it's just you need to build them up quite a bit because of the pigmentation. 

The lasting power of the shadows are good, yet still not as good as what I'd expect for the price. The colour itself lasts throughout the day, but if you don't wear any primer they tend to crease throughout the day.

So there you are that is my HONEST opinion of the cult fave eye shadow palette. Overall, considering the price I would rate it a 6/10. Like it's good don't get me wrong, but I've tried £4 palettes that really give this one a run for its money. Have you ever tried this palette before? If so let me know what you thought about it in the comments,

Izzy K xxx