FOTD- Up The Amp

Hello!

My posting is totally sporadic at the moment, and I apologise. 

Thought I would do a quick face of the day as these are always pretty simple :)

I've been wearing this look alot recently as it's so quick and easy to do, but the lipstick gives it a nice pop of colour.

Face:

MAC Studio Sculpt NC15 mixed with Illamasqua Skin Base 02

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 01

Rimmel Blush in Dusky Rose

Eyes:

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze

Bourjois Coup de Theatre 2 in 1 mascara

Benefit Brow Zings Light

Lips:

MAC Up The Amp

I was given Up The Amp as a late Christmas present and I absolutely love it! Similar to Heroine, but not quite as intense, so an easy one to wear if you're trying to get into purples, and the formula is beautiful! 

Thanks for reading :)

Wednesday Wants #23

Heya!

So, I'm not going to get into how terrible I have been (once again!) at doing posts, and reading/commenting on other blogs! I've been super busy this week, but fingers crossed I'll have more time to myself next week :)

 First up, this Sirius Sonic Skincare System. Bit of a mouthful! This is basically a Clarisonic dupe, but is a lot more reasonable at £65 from Boots. This uses batteries instead of a charging station, but the basic electric-toothbrush-for-your-face-principle is the same. I've found lots of positive reviews about this online.

For my Birthday (six days away!!), I am redecorating my bedroom, and how amazing is this wallpaper?! I'm thinking of having this on one main wall, and then a contrasting colour on the other three.  The tricky thing will be deciding between this Indigo version, or this pink one.

Decisions, decisions! £14.25 from Debenhams 

Image from Maccosmetics.co.uk

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Lastly, MAC lipstick in Deeply Adored, from the Marilyn Monroe collection. To be honest, nothing from this collection really blows me away, but I do like the looks of this shade, a nice deep brown red, with a matte finish. I do like the packaging of this collection, but I thought I'd like it alot more! This is £15.50, sold out online 

Thanks for reading, hope everyone is well! :) .

F/OOTN- Bird Is The Word

Morning!

I went out last week, and managed to get a few snaps in so I thought I'd share them :)

Excuse the moodyness of this pic, but you can see the shirt well!

 Admittedly, you can't really see my outfit, but I was wearing this Zara shirt, and these River Island tube pants that I posted about in a recent Wednesday Wants.

This shirt has a really cute collar, with gems on, but stupidly I forgot to photograph it!

I don't tend to wear shirts and tight trousers, but I actually really liked the look! I think it would be quite wearable during the day. This outfit looked nice with my ASOS chelsea boots, but as I was going to a club (and can't walk in heels!), I went for some Primark Vectra dupes, which I also forgot to photograph!

Eyes:

Collection 2000 24 Hour Extreme Felt Tip Liner

Fashionista shadow's in Foxy, Sweet kiss and Subtle glamour

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

Benefit Brow Zings

Benefit High Brow Glow

Face:

MAC Studio Sculpt NC15

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC15

Topshop Cream Blush in Flush

NO7 Translucent Powder

Lips:

MAC Heroine (all I wear these days!)

So that was FOTN and OOTN! Admittedly, you can't see the outfit very well, but I did do a video on it which I will post, as long as I can work out how to put music over it! 

Thanks for reading :)

FOTD- Shopping My Stash

Hello! 

Thought I'd do a quick FOTD- this was the makeup I wore the other day to meet a friend in town, browse round some shops and have a catch up :)

 I look totally miserable in the last one, but it was the only one I managed to take that actually showed my eyeshadow! I used a few things that were in my 'Shopping my Stash' post, and I've really been enjoying them, especially the Revlon eyeshadows.

Eyes:

Revlon Colorstay quad in Neutral Khakis

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 hour felt tip liner

Benefit They're Real!  & Bourjois Coup de Theatre

Face:

MAC Studio Sculpt NC15

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer 01 

MAC Melba

Lips:

Ben Nye LSP 2 Fashion Lip Colour Palette - Shy apricot

So that was my face!  A bit more effort than I usually make for the daytime, makeup-wise, but I just had the urge to pile on the makeup that day :) 

Thanks for reading!

P.S I took one of the earrings out after these pictures, and wore a plain stud in the other ear, not sure I can pull off wearing both of them!

P.P.S Please ignore my eyebrows! I am growing them out :)

Shopping My Stash #1- Makeup

Howdy partners! 

I love reading these types of posts on other people's blogs- especially the Sunday Girl's. 

ShadesOfKassie also does a 'Weekly Makeup Basket' video, which is a similar idea, and great to watch. 

As I am on a spending ban, I thought it would be fun to do this type of post, as it means I can focus on particular products I have, and try to use them up. Not only will this encourage me to switch up my skincare and makeup, it will also (hopefully!) mean I'll get through some products, so that I don't have such a ridiculous amount of stuff that I don't use!

Anyway, rant over...

I will be trying to use- MAC Melba blush, which is such a good, easy to wear every day shade that I am slightly ashamed to say I find a bit boring...

Topshop cream Blush in Flush, which is a lovely colour but I don't know how to wear it! Anyone have any tips on application?

Then Revlon quad in Neutral Khakis, which I have forgotten about since I got my MUA Heaven and Earth Palette.

Lastly Ben Nye LSP 2 Fashion Lip Colour Palette which is full of creamy, pigmented, beautiful lip shades that I'd forgotten I owned!

So, I will be trying to use these a bit more :) I've also got some skincare/bath stuff that I'm trying to use more of, but I though I'd split up the posts so that they weren't too long :)

Anyone else do these types of posts? Feel free to link me :) 

Are we all guilty of having far too many products, and forgetting what we own, or is it just me?!

Thanks for reading! 

P.S- I did a video on this,  with some more bath/skincare shiz which you can find here :)

Review- MAC Heroine

Evening!

 

I am in love, and I want everyone to know it. Heroine is the most beautiful lipstick ever, in terms of pigmentation, performance and colour.

This lipstick was a recent purchase, Heroine was released as part of the Reel Sexy collection.

Heroine is a Matte finish, but it's not a typical matte at all. It is creamy, doesn't look shiny or glossy, but also doesn't look dry. It is an incredibly comfortable lipstick to wear, it feels almost moisturising, and doesn't dry out the lips at all.

The wear of this lipstick is amazing, as it stains the lips. I wore this on a night out, and had it on for at least 6 hours without needed to re-apply. When I woke up next morning (I was in too much of a drunken state to take my makeup off!), the lipstick was still  there, and was actually quite tricky to remove.

I find this a really wearable shade, as although it is a more unusual colour, it's not particularly bright or dark, and I think it would look beautiful on all skin tones. 

It is opaque, so you don't need to build it up to get decent pigmentation, and it also doesn't need a lip liner as it doesn't bleed.

Unfortunately, Heroine was a limited edition shade and I am kicking myself that I didn't pick up a back up! I've never tried it, but MAC Violetta is supposed to be similar..

Overall, this is an amazing lipstick, and is currently battling with Ruby Woo as my favourite ever lippy.

Did anyone else buy this? Or know of any dupes that I could get for a back up?!

P.S. I am also thinking of expanding my MAC lippy collection after my spending ban, anyone have any recommendations?

 

FOTD- I can be your hero(ine), baby!

Hey!

Thought I'd do a FOTD post, showing my MAC lippy in Heroine on my face for the first time. I think I am in love with it! I'm also wearing Illamasqua skin base, which I think is actually a really good match for my skin :)

With flash.

 Sorry this is so picture heavy but I am SO rubbish at making decisions! 

Illamasqua Skin Base in 02

MAC Melba

Benefit They're Real!

MAC Heroine 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 01 

Let me know what you think, if you've tried any of these products etc :)

Thanks so much for reading! 

FOTD- Summer Time

Morning! Just a quick face of the day :) 

This is actually yesterdays face, I was working and it was very hot, so I'm quite shiny!

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+

MAC Studio Sculpt in NC15

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer 1

Benefit Browzings

Benefit Coralista

Benefit They're real!

NO7 Translucent powder

17 lippy in Beehive

Hope everyone is well :)

FOTD- Everyday look

Hey everyone!

Hope you're having a nice weekend :)

Thought I'd do a quick FOTD, this is just my normal go to look, nothing fancy!

MAC Studio Sculpt in NC15

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in Fair

Benefit Hervana blush

Benefit They're Real! mascara

Barry M lipliner in Red

MAC Ruby Woo

As always, I did get the Benefit stuff for free as I work for them :)

My hair looks quite red in these photos, but it's actually faded quite alot already :( I think this colour is going to be harder to maintain than the red! I've bought a box dye to try and re-do it myself, so fingers crossed!

Hope everyone is well, thanks for reading! :)

Haulin' #4

Bonjour!

Is everyone enjoying the sunshine?! I am now, but it annoyed me earlier as I had left early, and dressed for the cold/rain, which proved to be unnecessary! Ho hum.

I know I said that I was going to do some different posts, but I'm really excited about these purchases! 

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC15 and lipstick in Heroine.

The foundation (£23.50) is a repurchase, I believe it's the first foundation I've ever repurchased! It's not a total match, but it's near enough, and I love both the coverage and finish.

Excuse scabby nails!

This lipstick ( £13.50) was just too beautiful to pass by! I'd originally gone in to look at the lippys from the Hey, Sailor! collection because the packaging is super cute, but I wasn't actually sold on any of the colours up close. Heroine is from the Reel Sexy collection, which I didn't hear much about! I have quite a few purple lipsticks, but they're all dark red/purples, whereas this is more of a bright violet shade. Couldn't swatch this on my hand as it's covered in stains from trying them out in store! When I manage to get my hand back to it's normal colour, I will put in a picture of it swatched :)

In Superdrug I spotted their new, own brand BB cream, on offer for £6.99, instead of £8.99. Having not jumped on the BB cream bandwagon yet, I thought I'd try it out. There were no testers unfortunately, but I went for light!

I needed some heat defence, so I just bought the Superdrug one for around £3 (Lost the receipt, sorry!).

At the hairdressers the other day I'd read a positive review of the Fudge Urban sea salt spray (£6.99), which I thought I would try as a way of adding texture and wave to my hair when I can't be bothered to heat style it.

Hope everyone is well, and that you're all having fun in the sun! Thanks for reading :)

FOTD- Attempting Eyeliner :)

Evening all!

Thought I'd do a quick Face Of The Day. This morning I fancied doing something different, so I tried a lip product I've never used before (but had for aaages), and had a go with eyeliner! Crazy eh?!

MAC Studio Sculpt NC15

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in fair

Rimmel blush in Misty Rose

Maybelline Volum' Express One by One Waterproof

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

Fashionista eyeshadow in Black Out

Barry M Lip Lacquer Crayon in No.3

Like I said, I had a bash at the eyeliner. They're not perfect, but I smudged them out a bit with black eyeshadow, to try and make it look like it was meant to be a bit messy! I'm hoping that practice will make perfect! :)

The Barry M lip crayon I got as a present ages ago, I can't believe I've never worn it! It is literally just like a crayon, and it's amazing! It's really hard to describe the texture, it's like a really moisturising lipstick, with a really glossy finish, that doesn't feel sticky, and lasts for ages! The colour is also lovely, really summery.

It's a really bright, orangey red with a nice glitter running through. The glitter doesn't translate much on the lips, it looks really nice and shimmery, but not in your face glittery. 

They come in a few other colours, so I think I'll check them out next time I'm shopping!

So there you have it, a bit of a ramble about me face! Hope everyone is well :)

FOTD- Heaven and Earth

Evening all!
Thought I'd do a quick FOTD seeing as I've done something a bit different with my makeup for once!

 MAC Studio Sculpt NC15

Collection 2000 concealer 

Topshop blush in Powdered

17 Mirror Shine in Beehive

Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner

Maybelline One By One Volum' Express 
MUA Heaven and Earth pallette

This is the first time I've worn eyeshadow in the day time in aaages! I gave in to temptation and bought the MUA Heaven and Earth pallette, after spending ages gazing at the one I bought for my giveaway haha!
These pics were taken at the end of the day, after lots of sweating and running about, so I think the eyeshadow has held up pretty well! I'm impressed with how well they've lasted, at £4 for the pallette!

Anyways, It's way past my bedtime, so I'm off!
Hope everyone is well, and enjoying the weather :)

FOTN

This is my first Face Of The Night, or FOTN, as I haven't been out in ages, and my day to day makeup is just so boring!

Last Saturday, I went out, to a gig and then a club, and this is how I did my makeup.

Ignore my eyebrows please, and my roots, i'm growing them all out!

Pretty cringy pic, but It's the only one I took that actually shows my makeup!

Make up: Eyes

• Elizabeth Arden Eye Fix primer
• Fashionista Black out and Night sky shadows
• Eyelure fake eyelashes in 145
• Clarins wonder length (to blend with falsies, and on bottom lashes)

Skin:

• Bobbi Brown foundation stick in Alabaster
• Studio Finish Concealer in NC15
• NO7 Perfect Light Loose Powder in Translucent

Lips:

• MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth
• MAC Lipstick in Cyber (satin)
• Lipcote 

Cheeks:

• Mac Powder Blush in Melba

I seem to be weaing alot of MAC , I think it's because it's all quite new so I'm still  excited to use it!

The dress I wore is the Topshop glitter spot velvet dress, and I adore it!

stupid face, but gorgeous dress!

The flash in this picture has made me even paler than I actually am, but gives a better idea of the dress! They've got it in a burgundy colour as well now, think I might have to buy it as a christmas present for myself!

Hope everyone is well :)

The fairest of them all...

Hey guys,

I thought I would do a post about something that I've found really hard to come across, pale foundations. I am really quite ghostly pale, (I prefer the term 'english rose', sounds alot nicer!), and I like to embrace my natural colour. Having worn makeup for about 6 years now, I've tried a fair few, (no pun intended!), foundations, most of which are too yellow, orange, or just dark for my skin. 

Lipstick Fix

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a lipstick girl. Ever since I started wearing make up, lipstick was the thing I enjoyed most. Around the house, I'm partial to a lip balm, to moisturise, but never, ever lipgloss. I just don't like the feel of them, or the fact they don't give you much colour.  In fact, I'm only just coming round to the idea of lipsticks that aren't entirely matte. So, for me, the most depressing thing about having a cold, like I do at the mo, is not wearing lipstick. Obviously it is possible to wear lipstick while you have a cold, but I find that lipstick's just don't go with a Rudolph nose, especially the red's that I favour. 

Make up as a whole is a bit of a nightmare during a cold, foundation doesn't sit well on a dry, chapped nose, and a few seconds after you apply, you sneeze and all your foundation ends up on your tissue! Not to mention the mascara running down your face. But, anyway, to get the point, I though I'd do a post on my lipstick collection. I'm hoping that seeing, and writing, about my different lipsticks will give me the lipstick fix I am craving at the moment!

I've sorted them into colours; Orange, Pink, Purple and Red.

Orange

Barry M Lip Paint, Ruby and Millie Lipstick in 350 Orange (Cream finish)

• Unfortunately the name and number of the Barry M lip paint has rubbed off the bottom! It's a very nice, bright coral colour. The Ruby and Millie lipstick is not as a bright, and has a bit more of a red tone to it. Barry M is the more matte of the two, and last's for longer than the Ruby and Millie one does, although it isn't as creamy, and therefore it's harder to apply. 

 Pink

Barry M Lip paint's in 100 Baby Pink and 52 Shocking Pink.

•  This pale pink is a great one to go for if you've got statement eye makeup on, and the shocking pink is ALOT brighter than it show's up in this picture!

 Purple

17 New Black, Ruby and Millie 585 Purple (matt) and MAC's Cyber (satin)

 

•  I've really been loving purple lipsticks at the moment, and these three are all lovely. As this picture shows, Cyber is the darkest of the three, and the other two are more red. Cyber is my favourite as I find the colour lasts the longest, and is the most purple!

 Red

Ruby and Millie's Red 476 (Pearl), Red 490 (cream) and Red 420 (Matte), Stargazer 106, Rimmel London Volume Booster in 080 Screamer and MAC's Ruby Woo (Retro Matte).

•  As you can see, I like my Reds! My favourite, colour wise is Ruby and Millie's 420, third in from the left, as it is the truest red I have found so far. My favourite in terms of finish is definately MAC's Ruby Woo in the Retro Matte finish, as it is totally matte! There's no need to use Lipcote to keep this one on, it doesn't budge at all!

So that's my Lipstick collection so far. Next time I buy a lipstick I'm going to try and force myself to try a new colour, maybe a lavender or nude, because, as you can see, I'm stuck in a bit of a colour rut!

A small (but expensive!) haul.

So, as it was my birthday recently, and I had a few extra poundies in my account, I decided to visit a few makeup counters. I went on a little trip to the Bullring in Birmingham, (which is the most amazing place to shop btw!), to have a little look around. After mooching around in Selfridge's for a while, I decided to try a few MAC products. I have only ever tried MAC foundations before, but have always heard really good things about their lipsticks. I browsed the colours for about twenty minutes (they have a lot of colours!), thinking that really I should branch out and try a new colour (like a nude) but plumped for colours I wear quite a lot of already, a red and a purple.

MAC's Ruby Woo (Retro Matt Finish) and Cyber (Satin Finish)

I have to say, I'm really impressed by the quality of MAC lipsticks, and I love the smell! At first, it seemed strange putting something with such a strong smell on your lips, but once you're used to it, you barely notice the scent! They last well, have great pigmentation and the colour range is amazing. The retro matt finish is quite drying, so I wouldn't recommend it for someone with dry lips, but is my dream lipstick! When I wear a normal lipstick, I have to blot and apply Lipcote, as I hate reapplying throughout the day, and the 'have I got lisptick on my chin' fear that comes with freshly applied lip colour. With the Retro Matt, once it's on your lips, it's there to stay! It barely comes off on glasses, food and is practically kiss proof! Amazing. 

Cyber is a gorgeous colour, but as I favour a matt look, a Satin finish isn't really for me. I apply this like my normal lipsticks, blotting and using Lipcote, and find that it lasts well, although the colour can seem to separate after a few hours, but I find that's a problem with every dark lipstick i've used.

I also bought MAC's lip liner in Nightmoth to go with Cyber, and I find filling in the lips with this first gives the best results.

At the till, on an impulse, when the lovely lady serving me asked if there was anything else I wanted, I asked for the blusher in Melba. I LOVE buying new blushers almost as much as lipsticks, and Melba seems to be everyones fave. Like the lipsticks, I was not left disappointed by this product! A gorgeous peachy coral, this adds a really pretty, natural flush, and the colour payoff was superb.

The last thing I bought was another blusher from Topshop. I think by then i was on a shopping high, as I definately did not need another blusher! I thought I  picked up Pop, which was quite similar to Melba, but i actually picked up Powdered. 

Powdered is a bright, yet still baby pink and looks lovely paired with MAC's Cyber, and a really high bun in the hair.

Tophop powder blusher in Powdered, MAC powder blusher in Melba

L-R: Melba, Powdered.  Top to bottom: Cyber, Ruby Woo, Nightmoth

 Prices:

• The Topshop blushers are £6 which seems quite reasonable. The packaging, and colour, are gorgeous, and the pigmentation was really good. Definately worth the money. 

• The MAC lipsticks are £13.50, and I am so impressed with them! I really want to buy loads more!

• The MAC lip liner was £10.50, and is good, but i'm not sure that I saw much difference between it and a cheaper version, although MAC does have more colours available than most cheaper companies.

• The MAC blusher was £17, which is quite steep but I can see it lasting a long time!

I can feel a MAC lipstick obsession coming on!