MAC LIPSTICK AND LIPGLASS REVIEW

Hello!

I got these 2 products for my birthday in November and have been wanting to review them for a while, but have never got round to it, so today I shall be reviewing both.

The two Mac products I will be reviewing is the 'Nice Buzz' lipglass, and 'Creme D'Nude' Cremesheen lipstick.

The two products look like this:

 Like I said, I got these 2 for my birthday back in November, however I've only just recently started using them this month, and I'm glad I did! Both products are incredibly good quality which is what I expected as they were from Mac, however I don't think the lipstick is as moisturizing as it claims to be. If I don't use a lip-balm before applying the lipstick my lips look very chapped, and creased, which is not the look I want. But, the lipglass is surprisingly not sticky at all! I thought it would be considering it's formulated like an ordinary lipgloss, however this one glides along the lips nicely without feeling like you've just applied glue to your lips.

 

 As you can see, both products are very nude, and subtle. This is not my usual lip colour at all, I prefer bright colours and have been wearing bright colours for a very long time, but as the weather is getting warmer I wanted something a bit more natural-these 2 are perfect for that. Creme D'Nude is a peachy nude that leaves a glossy sheen after applying-this is what differentiates a foundation-lip looking lipstick, to a cool, natural lip. The lipglass is a lighter, softer peach with gold reflexes that give a juicy look to the lipglass on your lips.

 The packaging is very plain like all Mac product packaging is-unless it's limited edition, and this makes the products look a lot more sophisticated and high-end rather than packaging like '17' which doesn't sell things in boxes, or a harder wearing plastic. There are quite a few drugstore brands that try to copy Mac with the simple style packaging, but it doesn't work or look right; Mac does the best with matte black packaging, and managing to pull it off without looking cheap or rubbish.

I love wearing these 2 products together as they create such a lovely nude colour which is perfect for daytime, and nighttime. The Creme D'Nude lipstick almost looks like Kylie Jenner's lip colour here:

However my lipstick has a more glossy finish, but the similarity is very close!

As these were both presents for my birthday I don't know the pricing, but I think they'd be sold at a reasonable price for such brilliant lip products.

UPDATED WHAT'S IN MY MAKEUP BAG

Hello!

It's been a while since I last showed what was in my make-up bag, and since things have changed quite a lot I thought I'd do an updated version with a better layout and products.

I'm going to go through my makeup bag in categories and show what's inside, however as there are quite a lot of products I won't be explaining all of them.

The Inside looks like this:

As you can see it's every cramped and crowded, and that is because I am a makeup hoarder. I worry that if I take out a product then I may need that on an occasion, and will regret taking it out-I don't know why I think like this, but that's why I can't organize my makeup bag hence why there's so many products in there.

1. Stay Matte Powder in 003

2. Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in 010-I don't wear foundation but I always like to have backup in case I need it.

3. Urban Decay Primer Potion-This came in my Urban Decay eyeshadow palette, I've only just started using it and I am very glad I did. I didn't think primers were worth the hassle and money, however they really do help in keeping my eyeliner on all day-especially as I have watery eyes this helps prevent smudging.

4. Boots Tea Tree spot wand 

5. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light-This concealer is a holy grail product, the best and most affordable concealer ever.

6. Natural Collection Green concealer-Green concealers are used to cancel out redness from spots because the green counteracts the red, so I keep this in here for rare nasty blemishes.

1. MUA pencil eyeliner-I don't use pencil eyeliner, however I keep this in my bag because the lid has an in-built sharpener which is useful for eyebrow pencils.

2. Maybelline The Falsies mascara

3. Benefit They're Real mascara-This mascara is very similar to The Falsies mascara, except this one is more pricey, but I enjoy using them simultaneously for a dramatic, full lash look.

4. L'Oreal Paris Super Liner

5. L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Brow Artist-I have 2 of these because I take one out with me wherever I go as I have a fear of my eyebrow rubbing off, and washing off in rain.

6. Collection clear mascara-This is for my eyebrows, not my eyelashes. It keeps my brow hairs in place all day, and makes my eyebrows look more defined and sharp.

7. Maybelline Gel eyeliner-In my most recent review I said about not using this very often, however I do use it over my L'Oreal Paris eyeliner to ensure a waterproof line.

8. Models Own eyelash curler

1. Benefit blusher in Dandelion-This was in my makeup bag in my last post, but as it's Spring again I put this back in because it's a more subtle, and natural colour.

2. Benefit blusher in Rockateur

3. Bourjois Paris Delice de Poudre bronzer-This is what I use for contouring rather than a full-face bronzed look. This bronzer is especially good for contouring, because it is quite matte which means it's easier to give your face shape as it looks like a shadow rather than a glow.

4. Benefit "That Gal" Primer

5. Rimmel London eyeshadow in 001-Eventhough this is an eyeshadow I use it as a highlighter because it's not too iridescent, and doesn't have purple undertones so it's easier to use as a cheekbone highlight because it doesn't look too strong.

6. Mac Vanilla pigment-I use this pigment for highlighting smaller areas like; the bridge of my nose, inner eye, brow bone, and cupids bow.

 1. Homemade Lip Balm

2. Kate Moss lipstick in 01

3. Kate Moss lipstick in 107-I wear this lipstick the most out of all the ones in my makeup bag because it's not as bright as a red, but also isn't pink, it's a gorgeous plum colour that suits all outfits and makeup looks.

 4. Kate Moss lipstick in 20-I haven't worn this yet because it's an extremely bright pink, however as the Spring season is approaching, I will be wearing this more with my Dandelion blusher that I have also bought back into my makeup bag for Spring.

5. Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in 006

 

6. Tesco Lip balm-The reason I have a cheap Tesco lip balm is because I use it just before I apply lipstick. As it's cheap it has no additional features so doesn't leave a shiny residue which is not what I want before applying a lipstick, and that's why I have this.

7. Lipcote-For those who don't know, Lipcote is a fluid in which you apply onto blotted lipstick, and it keeps the product on all day. It also protects the lipstick from transferring onto something else, e.g another persons lips, water bottles. I find this very handy and useful for when I'm going out, and won't have an opportunity for re-applying lipstick.

8. Clinique Balm in Grapefruit

9. Mac lipstick in Creme D'Nude-I love this lipstick for lazy, natural makeup days. It's a subtle nude with a glossy finish that doesn't leave your lips looking like 'foundation lips', and also has a moisturizing feel.

10. Mac Plushglass in Nice Buzz

 1. EcoTools Face brush-This isn't the best powder brush because it's not a large and is very dense, so this brush makes it harder to evenly distribute the powder, and only pick up a small amount of product.

2. Maybelline Gel eyeliner brush

3. Real Techniques Detailer brush-I use this for applying the Mac Pigment because it's very small, and fits into the pot.

4. Boots Eyelash and Brow groomer

5. Real Techniques Contour brush-I use this for contouring the bronzer as it is the right dome shape to fit into the hollows of my cheeks, temples, and jawline.

 6. Real Techniques Pointed Foundation brush-Like I said, I don't wear foundation so I use this for my concealer instead as I like an even finish.

7. EcoTools Angled brush

8. Real Techniques Blusher brush-I really like this blusher brush, with one sweep over my blusher then cheeks I have the right amount of colour on my cheeks, and don't look too fake or over done.

9. Real Techniques Expert Face brush-This is used for applying the eyeshadow highlighter. As the brush is dense it picks up the product well, and is the right size for sweeping up my cheeks.

You may or may not have noticed I don't have any eyeshadow products for my eyes, this is because I don't really have time for eyeshadow, and I also don't have the brushes for perfecting an eyeshadow look. Anyway, my makeup bag is probably too full for most people's liking, however it helps with all my needs!

MAYBELLINE GEL EYELINER REVIEW

Hello!

I recently purchased this gel eyeliner from Boots because I wanted to try one to see what the hype was about, but also because I wanted to see if I could have the patience of applying gel eyeliner as I've heard it's quite fiddly.

Many people have been raving about gel eyeliners for a while, but I've only just got one and opted for Maybelline's Lasting Drama gel eyeliner because I didn't want to spend loads on an eyeliner method that I may not like.

 This little pot of eyeliner cost £7.99 which may seem a lot for such a small thing, however it does come with a handy brush, and also a little bit of product goes a long way. Anyway, the packaging isn't all that special, but I wasn't expecting much considering the eyeliner would have to be stored in an airtight container so it doesn't dry out, but even then there's something really satisfying about holding a tiny china pot with a tiny brush.

As you can see, the eyeliner has a very shiny look to it in the pot, however when it's on the eyes it doesn't look shiny and creates a lovely looking matte line. Also, as the brush is very small and dense it makes applying the liner to your eyes quite uncomfortable because of the way the bristles are tightly packed which means it's harder to get a smooth line, but it is good if you want a very defined and sharp look.

The eyeliner definitely lives up to it's name with claims to last 24 hours, and also be waterproof following up with my recent experiment:

This is before I put water on, and this is after. As you can see nothing has leaked or smudged which proves it's waterproof, and even after scrubbing really hard no product came off of my hand. As you can see in the photos as well, you can create different thickness' of lines depending on the way you angle the brush which is good, but I still don't think it gives me the best look or makes using gel eyeliner any easier.

After trying this out for a few days, I prefer to use my L'Oreal Paris felt tip liner because it's less time consuming, and creates a nicer look-this is probably because I'm not skilled at gel eyeliner and haven't properly worked out a technique for me. However, as I love the formula of gel eyeliner so much, what I do is apply my L'Oreal felt liner as I'm used to that and can create a nice looking cat eye, then I apply the gel eyeliner on top and fill in where I put the previous line, so that I get the potential of a gel liner on my normal eyeliner.

 I'm still unsure as to whether replace using a felt liner for a gel eyeliner because I prefer the gel formula, but find it easier using a felt liner.

30 BEAUTY QUESTIONS TAG

Hello!

I haven't had enough time to prepare a post for today, so I thought I'd do this '30 Beauty Questions Tag' instead. Next week I should have something more interesting put up which has more thought into it, but I didn't want to miss a week.

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?

My first ever makeup item was given to me when I was 5 which was a makeup set, but at the time I didn't know how to apply it so my dad did. My first proper item was a mascara-I was in middle school at the time and we were only allowed a very minimal amount of makeup. I chose mascara because I have bleach blonde eyelashes and eyebrows, so looked quite gormless without any colour on them.

2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one that fits your specifications?

Mascara is such a tricky thing to master, but my all time favorite one is Benefit They're Real. The wand is plastic so doesn't appeal to everyone, but I feel that's what helps give my lashes a full, defined look which is what I am after in a mascara.

3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?

I don't wear foundation, but if I was to wear it then I'd prefer a light coverage as I would feel less cakey, and my skin would look more healthy.

4. Favorite high end brand?

My favorite high end brands are probably Chanel, YSL, and Mac.

5. What cosmetic brands have you always wanted to try but still haven't? 

There's lots of brands I haven't tried out before, but I'd love to try NARS, Bobbi Brown, and Liz Earle.

6. Favorite drugstore brand?

I have quite a lot of Rimmel products so I like those, I also like Maybelline, and Bourjois Paris.

7. Do you wear fake eyelashes? 

Nope.

8. Is there any kind of makeup you can't leave the house without?

I couldn't leave without my eyebrows drawn on, eyeliner not on, or mascara.

9. What is your most cherished beauty product? 
Probably my Naked palette, and Mac vanilla pigment highlighter.

10. How often do you shop for makeup? Do you like to pick up an item here and there or get lots of goodies at once?

I don't go out on trips especially for make-up, but I find it hard to go out and not buy something beauty related.

11. Do you have a "beauty budget" or you spend freely? 

I do not have a budget, but I do go out with intention of only getting the things that I went shopping for so that I don't buy pointless products.

12. Do you utilize coupons, rewards cards and sales when you shop for cosmetics?

Not particularly, I have discount vouchers and receipts, but have never used them.

13. What type of product do you buy the most of?
I buy blushers, bronzers, and lipsticks quite a lot. These products can be changed to suit different Seasons which is why they're bought so frequently.

14. Is there a brand that you absolutely can't stand?

I don’t think there is a brand that I can’t stand, but I do prefer high end brands so much more then drugstore ones, and have more trust in high end products.

15. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics like parabens or sulfates?

I don't usually look at what a product contains, but if I did then I would want to avoid products containing horrible chemicals such as parabens or sulfates.

16. Do you have a favorite place to shop for makeup?

Personally, I love to shop in Debenhams for makeup as it contains all the expensive brands that I love, but some people prefer drugstore places to shop depending on the budget, etc.

17. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you keep a certain routine?

I prefer sticking to a certain routine that I trust as skin is a big part of you and I'd rather not ruin mine, but I do sometimes try new skincare products and they are rather nice.

18. Favorite bath and body brand?

Soap & Glory, Espa, and Lush are the only ones I can think of, I'm not a massive bath&body brand lover.

19. If you could only buy from one brand, which brand would you choose?

 I would choose Mac.

20. What brand do you think has the best packaging?
Benefit definitely stand out when it comes to packaging, they are so cute and nice to look at. I also like Chanel and Mac because they're quite simple and chic.

21. Which celebrity always has great makeup?
Kendall Jenner.

22. Do you belong to any online makeup communities?

Shesaidbeauty

23. 5 Favorite Beauty Gurus

Tanya Burr, Katie Snooks, SWalker Makeup, CutiePieMarzia, Sprinkle Of Glitter, Zoella (6 favourites).

24. Do you like multifunctional products like lip and cheek stains?

Not really, I usually find those multifunctional products pointless, and usually turn out to be pretty bad.

25. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

I'm not clumsy when I put on makeup, I take time putting it on and don't leave the house until it's blended in well, and looks neat.

26. Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes?
Yes, I use Urban Decay's Primer Potion for my eyes. Even-though I don't use eyeshadow, using a primer keeps my eye liner on throughout the day.

27. How many hair products do you use on a typical day?

On days when I wash my hair, I use Macadamia Oil shampoo/conditioner, and L'Oreal Paris Extraordinary oil. When I use heat on my hair I use Schwarzkopf Guardian Angel heat protectant.

28. What do you apply first, Concealer or Foundation?

Concealer as I don't wear foundation, only loose powder and concealer.

29. Do you ever consider taking makeup classes?

I would like to take makeup classes because I like the concept of it, but as I'm still in school it would be quite hard to fit them in.

30. What do you love about makeup?

I love how makeup can transform a face completely and make someone look how they want to, I love how it can cover up someones imperfections and make a person feel confident in themselves. Also, I like how there are endless possibilities on how you can look when using makeup, you can use it to make a natural face, or completely cake it on! (#deep)

 I tag anyone who wants to do these questions to do them!

MAC VANILLA PIGMENT REVIEW

Hello!

For my birthday in November, I got a limited edition mac set containing pigments and glitters. I originally only asked for the vanilla pigment but it worked out better this way, anyway I've been using the pigment for about 2 months now so thought it was time to review it! 

Like I said, as I've been using this for a a few months I have a pretty good knowledge of what it's like, so will be able to write a full review covering all aspects of it (I hope).

 The first thing I will be talking about is the packaging. I know this is a limited edition casing so it's different from the usual pot, but I much prefer this design to the original. The horizontal pin-stripes around the lid make it look really classy and modern, and the added mirrored rims make the product look more expensive and special compared to the original. Also, the logo is in gold which indicates the product is a unique, one off version.

 As you can see, this pot is filled to the brim with product which is what I like to see because these days you don't get many brands that fill products up to the top, but MAC certainly do. Anyway, the pot may look small, but it's not. As there's a pigment inside, you only need a little bit on the brush because a little goes a long way, so this lasts a very long time. I've used this everyday for 2 months and have only gone down the pot 3mm which is not a lot at all. 

For 4.5g of pigment it costs £17 which I think is a reasonable price for how long this lasts, and how good of a product it is. I'm unsure as to whether the limited edition pot was more expensive and contained more product or not, but I assume they're around the same price range.

It's difficult to get a photo of the pigment applied to skin as it doesn't show up well with flash on or off, but you can still faintly see it. Anyway, I am absolutely in love with this pigment, I never thought something as small as this could make such a big difference, but it does. This white iridescent powder contains gold and faint violet reflexes that shimmer in the sun, or any type of light source, highlighting the features you applied the product onto. I apply this onto my; cheekbones, cupids bow, brow-bone, inner corner of my eyes, and the bridge of my nose with a detailing brush from real techniques as it's very small, and applies the product well. Without a primer, the pigment still lasts quite a long time, however I like to apply "Primer Potion" by Urban Decay which makes the pigment last all day-even in bad weather!

MAC do some other beautiful pigments which you can purchase here, but I think this one is definitely the best for highlighting.

BEAUTY THINGS I SUCK AT

Hello!

Today I'm going to be writing about beauty things that I suck at. Obviously I'm not a professional make-up artist so don't think I'm particularly skillful at anything to do with beauty, but there are definitely things I suck at a lot more than others.

1. Eyeshadow

I love the overall look of eyeshadow when it's done well, however I cannot seem to master the art of eyeshadow. I know what colours go well with which, and how to blend etc, but I just can't seem to project my knowledge onto eyelids. The most I can do is one colour, with a darker one in the crease, but even then I still don't like how I've done it. Mastering the look of eyeshadow really comes down to what brushes you use and what eyeshadows you use, I have only ever used in-expensive eyeshadows and brushes because I'd rather spend my money on a lipstick etc, but I think this may be one of the reasons I suck at it-I don't use the right tools and brands.

An example of where I go wrong with eyeshadow:

2. Contouring

Unfortunately I can't use the excuse that I don't have the right brushes for contouring because I do, I have the Real Techniques contour brush, but I am always unsure of how much bronzer to use for contouring. I don't want to go over-board and look too bronzed in one particular place, but I also don't want to look like a failure at contouring-where is that in-between? My current bronzer is Bourjois Paris chocolate bronzer which is very good, but when contouring with it I can never seem to make my cheekbones look defined. I know I don't apply too little because when I look in the mirror you can see a clear difference in skin tone, however no change in face shape is there so I'm completely stuck on what I'm doing wrong.

An example of where I go wrong with contouring:

3. Painting toenails

When it comes to painting fingernails I'm not too bad because I paint them quite often, and thankfully have the talent of being able to paint with both hands. Toenails, on the other hand, is not the same situation. For some reason my line of sight is not the same for my toes as it is for my hands, I always seem to end up with nail-varnish on the sides of my nail, and a very streaky looking nail. Why is this? You'd think that painting toenails would be easy and the toenails would cooperate, but mine don't seem to agree. Also, I don't have short toenails so they aren't hard to miss and ruin, yet I still manage to find a way of mucking them up, even though there is plenty of nail to paint on!

An example of where I go wrong with toenail painting:

 

 4. Lip Liner

I don't usually wear lip liner, but on the rare occasions I have, it has never gone right first time. I also can't use the excuse I have a bad lip liner because I don't, however I can't follow the shape of my lips at all; I either end up going round the outside, missing my lip line, or not going close enough to the edge. I also can't match lip liner with lipstick well, the difference in the lipstick to lip liner is too big, and looks way too fake for my liking. In addition, as my lips are quite shaped and big anyway, lip liner tends to make them appear bigger and look as if I've had collagen, I can't line my lips in a way that my lips won't look any bigger/smaller.

An example of where I go wrong with lip liner:

 There are many more small things I suck at in the beauty world, however these are my main weaknesses and things that bring my make-up ability down. Obviously the photos were slightly exaggerated and I am not that bad, they just show the main faults when doing these beauty related things.

 

MY HALLOWEEN OUTFIT

Hello!

I don't normally make an effort with Halloween because I prefer staying in and giving people the sweets rather then receiving them, but on Friday 1st November, my friend Rosie had a Halloween party and of course it was a dressing up one, so I made an effort and went as...Tinkerbell!

Me and my friend Poppy decided we would both do a blog post on what we wore, and took the photos for each-other which is why most of these aren't too serious.

**Poppy's Post**

The outfit:

(I am not being serious with my flexibility here do not worry.)

 Feet:

These black, leather slip-ons' were the most dainty looking shoes I had in my wardrobe, and they happened to go well so I put those on.

(Newlook £6)

Legs:

 As the weather isn't the warmest at the moment, I put on some sheer white knee-high socks, with black bows on the sides to keep me warm, and they looked cute too.

 (Perfect Parties £5)

Body:

Eventhough Tinkerbell's dress is a boob-tube style dress, I didn't fancy wearing one of those, and couldn't find one either so resorted to this acid green skater dress from Miss Guided. The dress does have 2 hip cut out bits above the skirt part, but these aren't too visible from the front view.

 All fairies have to have a wand, so my mum bought me this one.

(Dress-Miss Guided £12.99. Wand-Perfect Parties £2.50)

Hair:

 This is how I usually have my hair, but it suits the cuteness and fairy-likeness of Tinkerbell. All I did was separate a section of my hair from the top of my crown and tied it up, I then back-combed it for more volume and added a with ribbon tied in a bow. My hair has also got light pink on the ends too.

(Hair bow-Material World 80p, Pink hair dye-Crazy Color £4.49)

Make-up:

 I didn't want to go too heavy and over the top on the eyes, so I did my normal winged eyeliner, but added a grey shimmer to the outer section of my eyelids, and used a paler one in the middle, leaving the inner corners of my eye with a white eyeshadow to open them up (Can you tell I'm not a make-up artist). For the lips I went for a bright red as it went nicely with the green dress, and suited the face make-up.

(Eyes-Naked Pallet £37. Eyeliner- L'Oreal Super liner perfect slim £6.99. Lips-Collection 2000 lipstick in Valentine £2.99)

Nails:

 This Holographic nail-varnish was the closest thing I had to silver (for some reason I don't have a silver nail-varnish), but thankfully it goes with the outfit, and matches the eyes nicely.

(Urban Outfitters £11)

Fail Shots:

1. I was trying to grasp a tree elegantly which resulted in my laughing and looking dodgy.

2. A general mug-shot.

3. I attempted to run gracefully but ended up looking like I was going through a wind tunnel.

4. I then tried a star jump and Poppy completely missed my head, and the second try my skirt flew up and the picture was of my underwear!

5. Another attempt at running gracefully, but I look shocked and scared all mixed into one.

Many thanks to Poppy for taking these photos and providing the ever-so small pumpkin which is in fact a mini Squash.