Little MAC Lipstick - Velvet Teddy

Hey beaut's!

I hadn't made a MAC purchase in a really long time but when I saw their new 'Little MAC' range I knew it would be too adorable for me to resist, theres something about makeup that comes in miniatures isn't there, it just lures me in every time!

The Little Mac Collection contains a selection of MAC's products in their most popular shades all in 'on the go' handbag friendly sizes, theres lipsticks, lip glosses, pigments, mascara and even skin care to choose from all of which are priced from £10.00 to £12.00. What I love about this whole 'Little MAC' range in particular is that it gives you a chance to test out something you might of had your eye on in MAC for a while but didn't want to commit to the full size, plus it's a bit cheaper which is always a bonus and things like the pigments are still going to last for ages whether their mini's or not.

For my first Little MAC purchase I decided to go for their lipstick in Velvet Teddy, this is a super popular shade that most makeup and beauty lovers have in their makeup bags already, but I've never committed to buying it before now because I ALWAYS used to wear pink toned nudes and would never reach for a deep beige nude like Velvet Teddy, until this year where I've been embracing all different shades and loving it! Velvet Teddy is matte but it goes on super creamy and opaque with one swipe and doesn't dry my lips out which is a major bonus, the shade is super wearable for daytime at work or even on a night out and because the lipstick bullet is smaller it's so precise and easy to put on!

You may be wondering the size difference between the regular MAC lippies and the Little MAC lippies, well....The Little MAC lipsticks have 1.8 grams of lipsticks within the bullet and the regular MAC lipsticks have 3 grams so your getting just over half of a full size MAC lipstick in the Little MAC bullet, wow I hope that makes sense as that's a mouthful lol!

Overall I'm all for this concept, anything in miniature will always get a thumbs up from me and being completely honest I would never have bought Velvet Teddy at full size until I could really test the shade out on myself so if there was no Little MAC available I still wouldn't of even tried the shade. The whole concept is great for travel too or for your handbags and clutch bags on nights out, and the skincare options you get 30ml worth of product which I think is pretty decent considering most full size foundations come in 30ml bottles!

You can find the Little MAC Collection HERE.

Makeup Brand of 2016 | MAC

Hey beaut's!

During 2016 I bought and road tested a shed load of makeup, honestly I have enough makeup to last me a lifetime with some to spare he he but the one brand that stands out to me the most throughout last year was Mac!

I'd say I was quite late to the Mac party and only started buying and collecting their makeup over the last couple of years but once I started I couldn't stop. During 2016 I added more pretties to my collection and got totally addicted to MAC lipsticks in particular, I'd say the lipsticks where actually my all round Mac 2016 favourite, Twig, Faux and Brave have literally been worn by me more or less everyday and I'd never be without those shades in my handbag now.

Eye shadows are something else from Mac that I loved in 2016, I purchased their Burgundy Times Nine Palette to wear throughout Autumn and loved it so much, I also have a bit of an obsession with Satin Taupe and All That Glitters Eye shadows too and wore them to death throughout 2016. 

I also branched out to some of Mac's base products last year starting with their Fix+ Spray which is amazing by the way, and then went on to get the travel size Strobe Cream which if your a lover of a dewy, healthy look to the skin you need in your life.

Overall I've absolutely loved Mac makeup during 2016 and I hope to add a lot more of their pretties to my makeup collection this year, I've already got my eye on some more lipsticks and I'd love some of Mariah Carey's collection if it comes back in stock. 

What are your favourite Mac makeup finds? I'd love to know beaut's!

What I Got For My Birthday | Makeup Edition

Hey beaut's!

On the 31st August it was my birthday, as much as I detest turning another year older I absolutely loved my birthday this year, I was woken up by my boyfriend in the morning who had made me pancakes with nutella and strawberries for breakfast and when I went down stairs he had decorated our house with balloons and banners whilst I was asleep bless him, it looked so good and I was actually tearing up. 

I got totally spoilt by my friends and family this year, I have enough flowers in my house to open my very own florist, a huge birthday cake that could feed the five thousand that my parents had made for me as well as lots or presents and money, so today I thought I would share with you all the makeup bits and pieces I got. I just want to add in no way am I bragging, I personally love reading these sort of posts so hopefully you will enjoy it too!

The first few makeup bits and pieces I got where from my boyfriend, he took me shopping in Norwich for the day and let me choose a few gifts and the first thing I had my heart set on was something from Charlotte Tilbury, I cant tell you how long I have lusted after a piece of makeup from Charlotte Tilbury but finally the Dolce Vita Palette is mine and I'm so in love with it. He also bought me the Urban Decay First Hit Travel Kit which I think is just amazing value, it was £15.00 and I love the fact you get four things to try. I had also been after the new Real Techniques sponges and Boots finally had them in so I got the miracle sculpting sponge and the 2 miracle mini eraser sponges, both of which are amazing by the way.

My Mum and Dad kindly got me the Too Faced Born This Way Foundation, Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer and the MAC lipstick in Twig, all of which I've wanted to try for ages and wow Twig is my new favourite lipstick, it's very similar to MAC's Brave but slightly darker, it will be perfect for Autumn and Winter.

Finally my gorgeous girlie's bought me more MAC treats, Kate from Kates Closet bought me the Soar Lip Liner I've been wanting for ages and a Barry M Molten Metal nail polish and my friend Amie got me another one of my beloved MAC Brave lipsticks as mine that I have currently is nearly all gone.

And there you have it beaut's, the makeup I got for my birthday! Do let me know if you have any of these makeup bit and what you think of them! I'd love to know! 

Luxury Face of the Day!

Hey beaut's!

The other day when I was doing my makeup I thought it would be kind of cool to whip out some of my luxury makeup and do my entire face with it all to see if there was much of a difference with wear and lasting power, this was actually super interesting for me as I never ever wear a full face of luxury makeup but I must admit my makeup did stay in place and looked pretty good all day without any patchiness! Anywho onto what I used....

Base

For my base makeup I kicked things off with MAC's Strobe Cream as a primer and MAC's Studio Sculpt Foundation, these two together give such a flawless glowy/dewy look to my skin which I'm all about. The MAC foundation is actually a shade too dark for me (I'm NW15, this foundation is NW20) so I can only really use it in the summer months when I have some colour to my skin, it's a shame I cant use this foundation all year round really because I adore the formula of this foundation. For concealer I used my Estee Lauder Double Wear in Light, this is super heavy duty concealer and covers so well yet it feels so lightweight on the skin, I'd totally recommend this if your looking for a heavy coverage concealer. To warm up my skin I used the Benefit Hoola Bronzer and Benefit Rockateur Blush which are both in my Benefit Real Cheeky Party Tin that I got last crimbo and to highlight of course I used my trusty Mary-Lou Manizer which admittedly I use every single day without fail. 

Eyes

For my eyes I used my very battered and bruised Urban Decay Naked Palette, I've had this palette for years, it was the very first luxury makeup item I ever got and I still love it and use it to this day. I'm really into the shade Sidecar at the moment, I've been wearing it all over the lid with some of Buck and Naked blended through the crease. For liner I went for my MAC Precision Liquid Liner to create my flicks and Benefit's Bad Gal Eyeliner on my waterline, and then I finished things off with a couple of coats of the Lancome Grandiose Mascara, which is an amazing mascara by the way! 

Brows
For my brows I've been keeping things super simple and just filling in any gaps or real sparse area's with my Benefit Goof Proof brow pencil and then setting everything into place with the Benefit Gimme Brow, brow gel. These two work so well together and the Gimme Brow in particular is such a favourite of mine, its literally the best tinted brow gel I've ever tried and because it contains tiny micro fibres that adhere to skin and brow hairs it  creates natural-looking fullness and definition, so you never get that fake, blocky looking brow. 

Lips
Lastly on my lips I went for my MAC Faux Lipstick which I've been obsessed with again recently, it's the perfect muted mauve/pink shade that goes with any makeup look day or night and the satin finish is my favourite.

What are your favourite luxury makeup items to use on a daily basis beaut's? Do you ever do a full face of luxury makeup? I'd love to know! 

MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette Review

Hey beaut's!

I had been eyeing up the MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette for such a long time and then recently I noticed they had dropped the price of the palette from £30.00 to £25.00, so I just couldn't resist any longer and had to treat myself.

As the name would suggest the MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette contains nine mini eye shadows in total, in a colour wave of burgundy hues with varying textures from mattes, to satins to pearls, personally I love the fact theres lots of finishes to play with because it means the looks you can create are endless, whether you want something more neutral or more dramatic and smokey you can create it with this palette. isn't it just absolutely stunning beaut's. 

The shades you get within the Burgundy Times Nine Palette are... going from left to right....
Honey Lust: Bronzey Gold (Lustre)
Poppy seed: Mid tone mauvey nude (Satin)
Quarry: Soft muted plum brown (Matte)
Antiqued: Ash brown with bronze (Veluxe Pearl)
Embark: Intense reddish brown (Matte)
Noir: Deep black brown with gold pearls (Velvet)
Haux: Soft muted rosy brown (Satin)
Star Violet: Pinky brown plum (Veluxe Pearl)
Sketch: Burgundy with red shimmer (Velvet)

I found most of the shades within the palette were lovely, pigmented, blendable and long lasting, but there are two shades that let the palette down ever so slightly, the first shade in the palette Honey Lust had the most fall out and had a tendency to go everywhere in the pan, I find the best way to use this is by spraying my brush with Fix+ first, once it's on the eyes though, it's gorgeous. The other shade that was a slight let down was Noir, it's meant to be a blackened brown shade with gold glitters within it but the pigmentation just isn't there and the gold glitters barely shows up. Apart from those two shades I really cant fault any of the others, the rest are lovely to work with and create such stunning looks, also how beautiful is this palette going to be for Autumn/Winter time he he.

Overall I think these Times Nine Palettes are great and such good value for money, each mini pan holds 0.8g of eyeshadow each, compared to the standard 1.3g, but when you think of it your getting nine MAC eye shadows for £25.00 which all compliment each other perfectly, its such a bargain even if they are smaller pans!

Have you got the any of the Mac Times Nine Palettes beaut's? Which is your favourite? I'd love to know!  

You can find the MAC Burgundy Times Nine Palette HERE.

MAC Prep & Prime Fix + Spray Review

Hi beaut's!

Priming waters and sprays seem to be everywhere at the moment and are proving really popular and effective in the beauty world, I do actaully have a couple of drugstore sprays and really like them but I was still lusting after the ever so popular MAC Prep & Prime Fix +, so I decided to treat myself and buy it to try and I thought I'd finally review it for you all today!

Mac's Prep & Prime Fix + Spray is described as a lightweight mist of water packed with vitamins and minerals, infused with a blend of green tea, chamomile and cucumber to gently soothe and refresh the skin, giving an instant boost of hydration while delivering a soft sheen to refresh and finish makeup...Sounds pretty amazing right! I think a lot of people actually think this is a makeup setting spray becuase of the fix + element in its name, and I must admit I certainly thought that when I first purchased it, but it's actaully a finishing spray which is designed to take off the powdery, cakey look from your makeup leaving your skin looking soft and fresh instead of actually setting your makeup into place. 

I do actually use and love the Fix + in lots of different ways, I always use it just before applying my foundation as a primer as such, it just adds a boost of hydration and I really notice a huge imporvment in how may foundation applies and sits on my skin when I spritz the Fix + on first. I also use the Fix + on my beauty blender, again it just really helps with the overall finish of my makeup and dampening a makeup brush with it can really transform your eyeshadows and highlighter into well pigemented, gleaming gorgousness too! And lastly I love to use it for it's actual purpose, as a finishing spray! It really does take that over powdered look away from my skin and makes things like my highlighter really pop!

Overall I absolutly love MAC's Prep & Prime Fix + Spray and would highly recoomend it if you have trouble with your makeup caking up, and if you like the dewy look as fix + is amazing for that too! It might be £17.00 a bottle but in my opion it's totally worth it, Mac also sell a travel size for £10.00 if you'd rather not buy the full size straight away.

Have your tried the MAC Prep & Prime Fix + Spray?? What did you think beaut's??

MAC Strobe Cream Review

Hey beaut's!

Strobing seems to be huge at the moment and I'm actually really getting into the trend, if your not sure what strobing is its basically all about getting that perfect glow and enhancing your features by using only a highlighter and natural light, so it's the total opposite to contouring! I happen to love being all glowy, dewy and highlighted so this trend was immediately right up my street! I have been testing out some drugstore options over the last couple of months and actually really liked them, but I was still lusting after the ever so popular MAC Strobe Cream, and when I saw they had a 30ml travel size version available on their website for just £10.00 I had to try it!

The MAC Strobe Cream is actually a moisturiser that not only hydrates the skin but it also boosts the look of dull skin and luminizes with iridescent particles. You can wear the strobe cream either under your foundation as a glowy base, mixed together with your foundation to create a dewy foundation look or you can use it sparingly on top of your foundation as a cream highlighter. Personally my favourite way to use this Strobe Cream is by using it all over my face underneath my foundation because I love that glow from within look and that's exactly what you get from this, but during the Summer months I'll definitely be mixing a pea sized amount into my foundation for a lighter, fresher look!

The formula of Mac's Strobe Cream actually comes out as a white cream at first but then melts into the skin transforming into an pinkish pearlescent sheen once it's blended in. The finish is demi-matte so it works amazingly as a base for your makeup to sit on top of and seems to really smooth and hydrate my skin as well as looking super radiant and dewy.

 Overall I must admit Mac's Strobe Cream does trump the high street strobe creams that I've tried, it just feels and looks so much more natural than the others and the hydrating qualities work amazing on my dryer patches of skin. It doesn't highlight pores or blemishes either which is a major bonus and it doesn't look greasy either, just radiant, healthy and glowing! Arhhhh I love this so much!

You can find the Mac Strobe Cream 30ml Travel Size for £10.00 HERE!

Have you tried Mac's Strobe Cream beaut's? What did you think? I'd love to know! 

Lip of the Day!

Hey beaut's!

You may have seen that a few weeks ago I done a post all about my 'Base of the Day', I wanted to do something a little different from a face of the day post so I basically shared the products that I'd used that day to create my perfect base. So following on from my Base of the Day post I thought today I'd share with you all my lip combo of the day!

Today I opted for one of the newer lipsticks in my collection and now one of my favourites and that is Mac's Faux. Faux is a gorgeous muted mauve-pink with a satin finish which I find is the perfect shade for everyday wear and goes well with any makeup look, I love it! I also love the fact that Faux has a satin finish because that's my absolute favourite finish, I find that satins just look so polished and perfect on the lips and are neither glossy or matte but somewhere in between and aren't drying at all. 

To line my lips I used Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob, I bought this ages ago as I heard it was a dupe for Mac's Soar Lip Liner and have been in love with it ever since I bought it, it's absolutley gorgeous! I used this just to perfect' the shape of my lips really and make my lips slightly more pouty looking, I didn't actually fill my entire lip in with this liner because I find Faux lasts on my lips a really long time anyway. If you haven't tried Eastend Snob before I highly recommend you getting it, trust me beaut's you'll love it! 

Whats your favourite lippie to rock at the moment beaut's? I'd love to know!

Mini Mac and theBalm Haul

Hi beaut's!

I recently decided that I wanted to start collecting MAC lipsticks and on payday I thought I'd treat myself however in the end my boyfriend kindly offered to buy me my MAC lipsticks bless him! Whilst I was browsing the Debenhams website at the lipsticks I noticed that they had 10% off selected beauty and fragrances and theBalm products where included in the offer so I just had to take advantage make a cheeky purchase from them too he he.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer £17.50

The ever so popular Mary Lou Manizer by theBalm has been something I've had on my wish list for such a long time and finally I caved and bought it and I'm so happy I did. The Mary-Lou Manizer is a golden hued luminiser that packs an all mighty glowing punch, I honestly think people on space could see the glow from my cheekbones when I'm wearing this baby ha ha. The formula is so pigmented and the buttery-textured powder just blends onto the skin so flawlessly, I honestly now see what all the fuss is about with this highlighter because its absolutely stunning!

MAC Lipstick in Faux  £15.50

Choosing a Mac lipstick is so hard as theres just so many shades and finishes to choose from but I knew I wanted something wearable that I can pop on for everyday wear so firstly I opted for Faux,  a muted mauve-pink with a satin finish which is similar to my all time favourite Brave but it's slightly lighter and I love it! I've been reaching for this little beauty everyday since I got it as it's so easy and comfortable to wear and goes with any of my makeup looks, I also love the fact that Faux has a satin finish because thats my absolute favourite out of all the finishes, because I find that they just look so polished and perfect on the lips and are neither glossy or matte but somewhere in between and aren't drying at all. 

MAC Lipstick in Jubilee £15.50

The second Mac lipstick I went for was Jubilee, a nude beige with an orange/coral undertone and a lustre finish. I opted for this shade because I wanted something nude that was quite sheer and I knew a lustre finish would help me achieve that, opaque nudes really don't suit at all you see. Jubilee is very sheer and if I want full colour pay off I do really have to build it up but like I said before I love to wear this sheer, it just adds a subtle nude, peachy tint to the lips that I  think really suits me and because it has that lustre finish its very glossy and feels super moisturising on the lips which I love.

What Mac lipsticks could you recommend beaut's as I'm trying to get a collection going he he, I'd love to hear your suggestions! 

November Beauty Wishlist ♥

Hey beaut's!

Today I'm back with another beauty wish list of all the things I'm lusting after this November in the beauty world. I'm pretty excited by Collection at the moment, they have launched some amazing new makeup recently and their Blush and Glow Palette and Illuminating Touch Foundation is at the top on my lust list. Next up is some goodies from NYX, yes beaut's we can now get NYX on the Boots and Feel Unique websites and their Cream Blush in Glow and their Highlighting and Contour Wonder Stick have got me particularly excited. Freedom Makeup have also launched properly in Superdrug recently and they have some amazing brow products, think Anastasia Beverly Hills but so much cheaper. Theres also some luxury items I'm lusting after at the moment too, firstly have you seen how beautiful the MAC Magic of the Night Christmas Collection lipsticks are, wow they are stunning and I want them all he he, also Real Techniques have launched a Christmas Bold Metals Essentials Set that looks stunning and I've always wanted to try those brushes. And lastly can we just appreciate how gorgeous that copper Models Own Nail Polish looks, wow I need that in my life!

Real Techniques Bold Metals Essentials Set £30 (Currently Half Price In Boots) / MAC Cosmetics Select Cover-Up Concealer £15.50 / MAC Lipstick Magic of The Night in Dark Side £17.00 / Lush The Magic Of Christmas Bubble Bar £5.95 / Lush The Comforter Shower Gel from £4.95 / NYX Wonder Stick £10.00 / Elegant Touch Christmas Nails in Christmas Jumper £7.95 / NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Glow £6.50 / Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation £5.99 / Freedom Pro Brow Pommade in Soft Brown £5.00 / Collection blushandglow Blush Palette £4.99 / Models Own Colour Chrome Nail Polish in Copper £4.99 / BIODERMA Sensibio H2O Make-up Removing Micelle Solution

What's on your beauty wish list at the moment beaut's?? I'd love to know!!

MAC Cranberry Eyeshadow Review ♥

Hey beaut's!

Today I have a review of a MAC eyeshadow that I've been meaning to review for such a longggg time, the ever so popular Autumn favourite, Cranberry! I absolutely adore my MAC eye shadows, I do only have a few but they are by far the best eye shadows I've ever used and worked with. I bought Cranberry a long time ago but hadn't started to experiment with it until recently, because although I was blown away by how pretty the shade looked in the pan I found it quite a difficult shade to pull off until now.

Cranberry (£13.00) is a very interesting and stunning colour, it's a burnt red-burgundy shade with some ever so slight shimmers running through it and can be worn subtle during the day or more intense for nights out. On me I find Cranberry looks very metallic and the red-plum tones really come through, also if I give it a good blend at the crease it almost turns into this warm toned slight rust colour which looks so pretty and very Autumnal. Like with most MAC frost finish eye shadows the texture of Cranberry is very smooth and buttery and has such stunning pigmentation accompanied with long wear time an nil fall out. 

As I said before I've been experimenting at home with Cranberry a lot recently because I've always found it quite difficult to wear in the past without looking like I've got a sore eye which is definitely not a good look, however after playing around with it I've found that it can be worn in so many ways, more than what I first thought that's for sure. One of my favourite ways to wear Cranberry is to pop it all over my lid and lower lash line then use a matte dark brown shade through my crease to add some depth then I like to use liquid liner across my top lash line and create a winged out look and use a black kohl pencil on my waterline, using the black liners in between Cranberry really defines the look and makes it looks super pretty and separated instead of just sore ha ha. Another more subtle way to use Cranberry is by using the shade Naked from the Urban Decay Naked Palette through the crease then using a very light hand pop some Cranberry over the lid and use a matte black or dark brown eye shadow to define the top lash line instead of a liquid liner, that look is great for during the day and the colour looks so delicate.

Overall I've really been enjoying experimenting with Cranberry, the quality of the eyeshadow itself is just stunning and the shade is perfect for use during the Autumn/Winter months, I literally can't wait to use it more and incorporate it in lots of festive looks.

Will you be using Cranberry over the Autumn/Winter months beaut's?? How do you wear it?? I'd love to know.

November Beauty Wishlist!

Hey beaut's!

I cant quite believe it's November already, where did October go?? Hehe. I'm kicking things off this month with a good ole beauty wishlist and to be honest I'm pretty sure oen or two of these things will end on my Christmas list too ( a huge woooo yeahhhh for Christmas getting ever closer).... Anyway lets get right into it...

Zoella Soak Opera-Bath Soak/Shower Cream £5.00
I'm yet to own any of the Zoella beauty range, don't get me wrong I absolutely love the look of the collection but I wanted to wait and read some reviews first before I treating myself and the Soak Opera sounds right up my street and I love something that has more than  one use so I definitely want to pick this up soon.

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 £22.00
Like most, I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay's Naked makeup range and their new Naked Basics 2 Eyeshadow Palette has to be mine. I use the original Naked Basics palette constantly as the shades are so wearable and the quality is incredible so I'm pretty sure the Naked Basics 2 will be just as amazing and if not better.

Mac Pro Longwear Concealer £17.00
The Mac Pro Longwear Concealer has been on my wishlist for months, I want it soooo bad but it's always out of stock in my shade when I go to my local MAC counter and I don't really want to order it online as I want to swatch it and see it first, hopefully it will be in stock during my next shopping trip. 

Beauty Blender Classic Makeup Sponge £15.20
I have the Real Techniques Multi Complexion Sponge which I love and use constantly but it's starting to look very battered and bruised now, so I think instead of repurchasing it again I'm going to splurge and try the original Beauty Blender, Ive heard such amazing things about it so I definitely need to try it. 

Sleek MakeUP Eye Cheek Palette in See You At Midnight £9.99
Sleek is one of my favourite drug store brands and when I saw that they recently released some new little palettes I knew I would be lusting after one and the See You At Midnight Palette has certainly caught my eye, I mean just look how pretty it is....swoon!!!

Tanya Burr Bambi Eyes False Lashes £5.49
Tanya Burr is an absolute queen isn't she, I just love her! I'm a huge fan of her lips and nails collection and she has recently extended her range and released 5 pairs of gorgeous false lashes, as much as I want them all I want to try the Bambi ones first (obviously because I'm a huge Disney fan and love Bambi the film) he he.

Zoella Fizz Bar £5.00
Something else I would love to try from Zoella's beauty range is her Fizz Bar, I love my baths during the Autumn/Winter months so this Fizz Bar would go down an absolute treat with me.

Barry M Limited Edition Nail Paint in Christmas Tree £3.99
Barry M have recently treated us to the launch of two new limited edition glitter nail paints perfect for the up and coming festivities, I recently picked up Jingle Bells (NOTD HERE) but Christmas Tree wasn't in stock so I definitely want to get it when it comes back in.

Lauren Conrad Beauty Book £11.99
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a major girl crush on Lauren Conrad, isn't she a beauty!!! Her new book 'Beauty' has recently launched this Autumn and I want it, need it , have to have it ha ha.

And there you have it, my November beauty wishlist! I'd love to know if you have or have tried any of the items within my wislist and if you think they are definate must haves hehe, let me know beaut's!