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?

 

Great Fashion PR Books: 'If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You' by Kelly Cutrone

Hello all!

I've thought about doing a 'Great Fashion PR Books' guide/review on my blog for a while, ever since reading some really helpful book reviews on Girl With A Banjo and Banjo PR. Breaking into the world of Fashion/Beauty PR can be hard, even more so if you go it alone without university like I have.

There are a number of great books out there to help and guide you on your path to becoming an amazing Fashion PR girl, so as I read quite a few anyway, I thought why not share my views on them to help other people?

First up, I recently read ''If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You' by Kelly Cutrone, which is autobiographical but also full of great, honest advice for PR girls. Famed for her brutally honest and often blunt approach to Fashion PR, this book was inspirational. 

Taking you along with her on the journey of how she came from small town Syracuse to kick-ass New York Fashion PR girl and owner of 'People's Revolution' with clients such as Vivienne Westwood, it is truly amazing to hear about her career and life highs and lows. Speaking with a wealth of experience told through her life story, she gives readers vital pieces of advice throughout not only about how to become a great fashion worker but also how to be happy in yourself and be at one with the Universal Mother. Hearing how deeply spiritual she is is really inspirational, and for me made me want to 'find myself' and the Divine Goddess that is in all of us. This spirituality might put some off, but I think religion and spirituality scares people who aren't willing to accept the idea of something bigger and more meaningful than themselves (or in some cases shoes!)

I was incredibly honoured to be able to interview Kelly Cutrone for my work, and to be honest, although my career is only just started, it will be incredibly hard to top that in terms of achievements! You can read the interview on Your Coffee Break.

This book is great for anyone aspiring to work in the fashion industry, as it gives honest advice that is really helpful. Since reading it, I've tried to follow some of these and so far I've seen great results. 

Do not read this expecting to hear all about 'The Hills' or 'The City', or if you want to hear how glamorous the fashion world is. 

Do read this if you want great advice from one of the most influential women on Fashion PR.

I am about a third of the way through her second book, so look out for the review of that coming soon! I will also be featuring books such as 'Will Work For Shoes' & 'Ready to Launch: The PR Couture Guide to Breaking into Fashion PR' so stay tuned!