BEAUTY: 'Diva' by M.A.C

Hello All, 

Another beauty post for you this evening. I recently emptied the 6th and final M.A.C product, meaning I could finally go 'Back2MAC'!

For those of you who do not know, once you use 6 M.A.C items (full size products,check the website for more details as to what is accepted), you can bring them back to a M.A.C store or counter in exchange for a lipstick from their permanent range. They then recycle the empties, & you get a brand new lipstick, therefore everyone wins! I took back:

-Studio Fix Fluid

-Eye Makeup Remover

-Mineralize foundation

-Lip Liner wind up crayon

-Eye Brow wind up crayon

-Tinted Moisturizer Tube

Now, I have quite a long M.A.C wishlist, which includes several lipsticks. However, as it is autumn & I love my red pout, I chose 'Diva' for my first 'Back2MAC' experience. 

 Left: no flash | Right: with flash

On the M.A.C website, 'Diva' is described as an 'intense reddish-burgundy' & I think this does it justice. As most of my other lipsticks, this is a matte finish. It's a perfect burgandy shade, which for me means it leans more toward red, than purple.In the below swatches, it looks much brighter than when put on the lips in my opinion. Please excuse my incredibly boney fingers & odd bent ring finger.

Left: no flash | Right: with flash

 The formula is creamy for a matte finish & doesn't cling to the dry cracks that plague my lips! Despite it's texture the finish is as matte as the other M.A.C matte lipsticks, with no shine at all. I found that it faded to a nice berry shade stain, therefore it still looks nice.

 No editing (apart from red eye removal!)

 A bit of instagram magic!

The main thing I love about this lipstick, is that it matches my current hair shade almost identically! It is such a lovely shade that I can tell will rival 'Russian Red' as my favourite M.A.C lipstick (which I shall be reviewing here soon!)

I was contemplating a nude lipstick, however considering I wear some shade of red lipstick everyday seeing myself without it looks strange now! Maybe it's my signature look?

 

June Favourites!

Hello all,

I cannot believe that it is July already! At the beginning of every month, I love reading other bloggers monthly favourites posts or YouTubevideos. For a while I had always wanted to do these, but I had been very frugal previously this year. However, Superdrug and my job means that I have discovered many products in June that I feel are worthy of being favourites.

  Clockwise l-r: Sleep-In Rollers (part of a goody bag curtsey of Fake Bake) | Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in Shade 111 'Kiss of Life | Raspberry & Macadamia Nut Shampoo and Conditioner - Superdrug | Maybelline Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe

First off, these sleep in rollers are my new obsession. After washing and blowdrying my hair, I put these babies in, continue my evening and nights sleep, and wake up to volumised, glamorous curls. Having them in makes me feel really retro when I have them in, like a glamorous fifties house wife! Honestly, I find them easy to sleep in. A friend of mine said that they were incredibly uncomfortable, but everytime I have used them, I have been perfectly rested. I definitely recommend these!

In the month of June we had #RedLippyProject & National Kissing Day, so I was exposed to many lip products. This Rimmel Kate Moss matte lipstick was a definite winner, I love the matte finish and the rich red is perfect. It's super cheap but good quality too.

I've never stuck to only one brand of shampoo & conditioner. I always go for ones with 'colour protect' features, but I often change what brand I use. I've tried high end (and high priced) brands like Percy&Reed and Tigi 'S Factor', and also drugstore brands like Aussie, and honestly they all seem to do the same thing! So when I saw that these Raspberry & Macadamia Nut duo for only £1.50 (that's only 75p each!) I couldn't resist. They smell delicious and it seems to be working fine. It leaves my hair soften enough for extremely dyed hair! It's still on offer, so I think I may repurchase these!

Finally, I had wanted to try these Maybelline 'Color Tattoo' shadows for a while. The shade Permanent Taupe is a perfect base colour that lasts all day and is, as far as I know, the only matte shade in the collection. I have swatched some other colours are they are really shimmer/glittery which isn't really my thing. however 'Pink Gold' and 'Pomegranate' are gorgeous and I am very tempted! The colour I have is extremely pigmented and I've been using it as a base or as a wash of colour all month.

I'm really trying to blog more, especially beauty posts, so I hope you are enjoying them!

National Kissing Day: My Tips for Kissable Lips!

Hello all!

Mwah Mwah Darlings! Today is 'National Kissing Day', and to celebrate (apart from planting several big kisses on my half-sleep 'no-a-morning-person' boyfriend this morning) I though I would share with you my secret to soft lips.

I suffer with incredibly dry and cracked lips. Previously, any lipstick I would wear, would sink straight into these cracks and result in really uneven coverage. That was until 'Lush Lip Scrub' came into my life and became a perminent feature of my beauty routine. I have the flavour 'Bubblegum', which smells delicious and looks great amongst my beauty products too. I have always loved Lush's ethos and love of using natural, organic and often vegan ingredients in their products. The simple mixture of sugar and essential oils in the lip scrub means that it gently exfoliates and clears the dead skin on your lips, leaving them so soft and smooth. 

So now I have the softest lips possible. As a serial red lipstick wearer, kissing becomes a problem! Lip Stains are really great as they last and modern formula's are anti-drying. Some lip stains have quite a glossy finish, which I really don't like. I am definitely a matte girl, which doesn't really bode well for someone with dry lips, but I am stubborn and I know what I like! I love Benefit's Benetint for a soft pinky-red stain (just remember to screw the lip on well. When they call it a stain, they really mean it! Just ask my previous makeup bag....) If you don't want to spulrge on Benetint, MeMeMe Pussycat Cheek + Lip Stain is a great cheap alternative.

Other lip essential for me are Carmex Cherry Lip Balm and Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast. I love the tingling sensation they both give. It's like you can actually feel it working! The cherry scent of the former is lovely, and the latter is a beauty top given to me by the lovely makeup artist Florrie White, who suggested using original Blistex, but being the princess that I am, I sourced out the Raspberry Lemonade scent and it is lovely! Having a tube of either of these with you is definitely a must!

So there you are! My Tips for Kissable Lips!

You can also read my full beauty feature on National Kissing Day on Your Coffee Break here

#RedLippyProject- Red Lipsticks For All Budgets!

Hello all

From the 9th-15th June, it is Cervical Cancer Awareness Week.To gain this awareness the concept of #redlippyproject was announced- everyone was to rock their red lips using the hashtag to gain attention and remind people how important it is to get checked.

As a fond wearer of red lipstick, this idea and concept was perfect, combining charity effort with cosmetics. I rocked a red lip most days this week (which was surprisingly easy. I didn't realize I had so many!) so I thought I would bring you my 3 favourites, but in my usual way, supplying you with a Save, Spend & Splurge option!

SAVE Rimmel Kate Moss Matte in 'Kiss of Life' - £5.49

SPEND MAC Retro Matte in 'Ruby Woo'- £14

SPULRGE Chanel Rouge Allure in 'Passion' - £25

Kate Moss' lipstick collections for drugstore brand Rimmel are a firm favourite in my lipstick collection. Great pigmentation at such a good price, you just can't go wrong! Although there is a range of colour to choose from, in both the Lasting Finish and Matte collections, I think the reds of both collections champion. 'Kiss of Life' is a punchy, bright red with a matte finish, but not drying.

MAC lipsticks are a go-to for me, they are my most reached for amongst my collection. My favourite formula is definitely matte, however this retro matte is great too. If you are prone to dry lips, definitely use a rich lipbalm underneath as it tends to be quite drying. 'Ruby Woo' is a bright, blue toned red, great for my pink tinged skin. It's a cult classic and will definitely last all day.

Oh, Chanel! I have only recently began to use Chanel makeup, and I am no dissapointed with the quality or colour pay off.  The price is quite a lot for make up, but if you want to treat yourself or a loved one, definitely head to the Chanel counter! Although they do not have a matte collection, the Rouge Allure are extremely moisturising, great for my dry lips! The whole lipstick is luxurious, from the gold packaging to the luscious texture. 'Passion' is my favourite for a bright bold red. I was lucky enough to get my make up done by Florrie White at the Chanel Make up Boutique in Covent Garden this week and she used 'Passion' on me, and I honestly didn't need to reapply once.

I hope you all rocked your red lips this week for #RedLippyProject! I think it's a great idea and I really enjoyed having a reason to wear all my red lipsticks!