Blogmas Day 21 - Affordable Christmas Red Lip

Hey beaut's!

It's blogmas day twenty one and today I'm talking all things 'the Christmas red lip'! I did my festive Lip of the Day post last week sharing the duo I'll be rocking on Christmas Day (HERE) however that featured a MAC lippie, so I wanted to do a post all about a cheaper alternative and after trying the Collection Velvet Kiss Moisturising Lip Cream in Rosie I feel like I've found just the beauty!

The Collection Velvet Kiss Moisturising Lip Cream in Rosie is a bright red shade with pink undertones, it's a lot brighter than it appears in the packaging but is definitely the perfect show stopping shade for the festive season. The formula of this Velvet Kiss Moisturising Lip Cream is actually a lot nicer than I expected, I feel like Collection have really upped their game with these. Rosie is super pigmented and the texture is gorgeous, it's so lightweight on the lips, it doesn't cake up or crack, its easy to apply and stays comfortably matte without feeling super drying. I find with most liquid lipsticks their quite sticky or tacky until their completely dry but Collections offering isn't like that at all, instead it's super smooth and creamy until it's set which feels so nice on the lips. Wear time is good, the only thing I would say is when I eat it does wear off from the centre of my lips but stays intact around the shape of my lips so when eating a meal this will need topping up but for £2.99 I really cant complain.

Overall if your looking for a bright red lipstick that wont break the bank this festive season then I definitely think Collection's Velvet Kiss Moisturising Lip Cream in Rosie is worth a buy, they also have some other super pretty shades in the collection too that I NEED to buy after loving the formula of this one so much!

Too Faced Christmas Collection 2016

Hey beaut's!

 Now I'm a huge Too Faced fan and when I saw their 'Christmas in New York' themed collection this year I go so excited! The collection contains everything from smaller stocking fillers too larger more 'main present' gifts and theres even three Christmas tree ornaments this year which are so cute and would work as amazing secret Santa gifts for any beauty addict! Prices range from £10.00 to £46.00, and I have to say price wise I'm so impressed, everythings really reasonable this year and I wouldn't say anything is overly priced at all! The most lavish gift is the Too Faced Grand Hotel Cafe which contains three eyeshadow palettes and a mini mascara and comes in at £46.00, yup that's right just £46.00, what a bargain! I have quite a few things from this collection on my Christmas list, I mean who could resist these beauties!

Too Faced Let it Glow Highlight and Blush Kit £22.00 / Too Faced Naughty Kisses & Sweet Cheeks £28.00 / Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Ornament £10.00 / Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick Ornament £10.00 / Too Faced Grande Hotel Café £46.00 / Too Faced Park Avenue Kisses £28.00 / Too Faced 'Merry Macaroons' Christmas Gift Set £28.00 / Too Faced Melted Matte in Candy Cane £16.00 / Merry Kissmas £22.00 / Too Faced 'Love at First Kiss' Make Up Duo Set £16.00 / Melted Kisses Sweet Cheeks £12.00 / Lip Injection Lip Plumper Ornament £10.00

Do you have your eye on anything from Too Faced Christmas Collection beaut's? I'd love to know!

Zoella Lifestyle Collection

Hey beaut's!

If the excitement of the Zoella Christmas Collection wasn't enough for us all a few weeks back, Zoe has gone a done it again and announced the Zoella Lifestyle range and officially opened up the Zoella Apartment, a pop up destination for fans, bloggers and press to drop by and check out the range in full, lucky things hey! The Lifestyle Collection has hints of copper, grey, marble and peachy coral running through it which is very Zoella, and consists of home ware and stationary. Theres everything from candles, reed diffusers and even a snazzy cushion to an organiser, pencils and even cute gift sets, theres certainly something for everyone in this collection and for all ages, which is what I really liked about the Christmas Collection, so I'm super happy the Lifestyle Collection follows suit and isn't so 'young' looking! Prices start from £5.00 to £50.00, I'm particularly interested in the candles which are £10.00 and the reed diffusers which are £12.00, and something exciting to add is when I was making this post all of the items below where stated on the Boots website as being in their popular Christmas 3 for 2 offer, hopefully this doesn't change once the collection is launched but it's definitely looking likely these will be in the offer woohoo!

Zoella Homemade Treats Reed Diffuser £12.00 / Zoella Naps Naps Fix Everything Cushion £12.00 / Zoella My Eden Fragranced Candle £10.00 / Zoella On My Travels Back Pack Gift Set £50.00 / Zoella Fragranced Candle and Socks Gift Set £16.00 / Zoella Warm Hands Warm Heart Travel Mug and Gloves Set £14.00 / Zoella Once Upon A Time Journal £14.00 / Zoella Pottering About Decorative Storage Pots £10.00 / Zoella She Designed A Life She Loved Stationery Essentials £10.00 / Zoella The Key To Inspiration Keyring £6.00 / Zoella Write On Point Pencil Collection £5.00

The Lifestyle Collection will be available online and in store at Boots from the 19th September I believe (don't quote me on that, it's just the date I've seen flying round), some of the collection will also be available in Debenhams and Waterstones and I know Superdrug are going to have an exclusive Gingerbread Candle too!

What do you think of the Zoella Lifestyle Collection beaut's? I'd love to know!

Zoella Beauty Christmas Collection

Hey beaut's!

You may have seen the other day that I done a post all about the gorgeous Tanya Burr's 2016 Christmas Collection and today I'm back with a write up on Zoella's Christmas offering, which I must admit is my hands down favourite out of the two. This year I feel like Zoella's Christmas Collection isn't so 'young' and will appeal to everyone of all ages which I love, the packaging is super cute and I absolutely love the 'brown paper packages tied up with string' vibe. Everything within this collection is...wait for it... gingerbread scented, oh my goodness gingerbread is not only one of my favourite things in life but it's just so festive and christmasy isn't it. The range consists of some smaller gifts such as a yummy hand cream (which I need in my life asap), a cute shower gel-filled bauble and a lip balm duo which would all make perfect stocking fillers, to bigger gifts such as the big pamper hamper and the Let's Go Places tin. Theres also a fizz bar trio, cosmetic bags galore and Zoella has even made her very own set of crackers this year which I think is amazing if your having a Christmas night in with the girls or you could even buy a box of them and place one cracker in each of your friends stockings, it's such a cute idea.

Prices of the gifts start from £6.00 to £50.00 so theres certainly a gift for everyone whether you want something small or big, most of them are currently out of stock on the Superdrug website at the moment however you can sign up to get notified by email when each item your after comes back in stock, I've actually done this for a few bits I'm interested in and I would highly recommend it as I can see this collection being very hard to get hold of as I assume it will sell out instantly!  

Zoella Pamper Hamper £50.00 / Zoella Let's Go Places Gift Set £26.00 / Zoella We 3 Beauties Cosmetic Bag Trio £19.00 / Zoella Secret Scenta Mini Mist Set £16.00 / Zoella Best Chums Cosmetics Bags £13.00 / Zoella Just Crackers £11.00 / Zoella Mist & Body Lotion & Cream £11.00 / Zoella Spa In A Jar £11.00 / Zoella Ginger Fizz Set £9.00 / Zoella Lip Balm Duo £7.00 / Zoella Deck the Baubles £6.00 / Zoella Hungry Hands Hand Cream £6.00 / Zoella Gift Bag £2.00

What do you think of the Zoella Christmas Collection beaut's? I'd love to know!

 

Tanya Burr Christmas Collection

Hey beaut's!

It's that time of year again.... Yup, Christmas is just a mere few months away and I for one am totally excited, I absolutely adore Autumn/Winter and Christmas and seeing all the pretty gifts in the shops gets me so excited, so when I was browsing the Superdrug website the other day and came across some Christmas gifts by the gorgeous Tanya Burr I literally had love hearts in my eyes and had to share them with you all today! The collection consists of 10 gifts so far, I have no idea if more will be added but there are 10 gifts currently on the Superdrug website to choose from. The gifts range from little nail polish + nail file sets which make perfect stocking fillers to all new makeup palettes and theres even more lavish gifts like the beauty box that contains lots of Tanya Burr goodies. Also if you loved the Tanya Burr Advent Calender last year, then you'll be pleased to know that she has brought it back this year with the same '12 days of Christmas' theme. Prices start from £5.00 to £50.00 so theres certainly a gift for everyone whether you want something small of big and most of them are currently in stock on the Superdrug website too, so if you see something you'd like or that you know you want to buy for someone this Christmas I'd suggest getting it quick if last year is anything to go by!  

Tanya Burr 'Tanya Presents' Beauty Box £50.00 / Tanya Burr 12 Day Beauty Calendar £25.00 / Tanya Burr Beauty Holdall Vanity Case £17.00 / Tanya Burr 'Sealed With A Kiss' Cosmetic Bag Set £16.00 / Tanya Burr Its Cold Outside Lip Gloss, Blush Highlight Set £11.00 / Tanya Burr 'Beautifully Defined' Palette £11.00 / Tanya Burr Pretty Unstoppable Palette £9.00 / Tanya Burr 'It's Kissmas' Lip Gloss Duo £6.00 / Tanya Burr Mrs Claus Manicure Red Glitter Nail Polish Set £5.00 / Tanya Burr Mrs Claus Manicure Pink Glitter Nail Polish Set £5.00

What do you think of the Tanya Burr Christmas Collection beaut's? I'd love to know! Also look out for post coming up soon about Zoella's Christmas Collection which I think is pretty amazing this year!

Makeup Revolution I ♥ Makeup I ♥ My Lips Lip Balm Collection

Hey beaut's!

I have some exciting news for you all today, firstly some of my favourite, affordable makeup brands such as Makeup Revolution, I ♥ Makeup and Freedom Makeup have all been merged together on a brand new website named Tam Beauty, this means you can shop all of the brands together on one website and only have to pay the one shipping fee woohoo. Secondly I have a pretty cool new launch to share with you all from I ♥ Makeup, this time around they have launched a collection of  five different lip balms named I ♥ My Lips that are just £2.99 each. 

The I ♥ My Lips Lip Balm's* come packaged in colourful rubberised, bullet shaped casings with the balm itself being an easy to use rounded shape somewhat similar to those EOS Lip Balms. What I will say about  these packaging wise is after a few hours of me receiving these from Makeup Revolution I was playing around with them and testing them out on myself and I just suddenly realised none of mine had a barcode on or an ingredients list so I assumed mine must off been missing some sort of cardboard outta packaging? After checking the website out I was right, they should have come in cardboard packaging so I was a bit miffed that I had got all excited when they arrived and I immediately tried all of mine out after realising they where not securely packaged. I would assume if you bought these they would come securely packaged but I felt I needed to add this information within my review just in case. 

Packaging drama aside, like I said I did try all of the balms out before realising so I can tell you my honest thoughts on these. The I ♥ Makeup I ♥ My Lips Lip Balm Collection consists of five different scented lips balms, theres Cool Vanilla, Wild Strawberry, Blueberry Crush, Mint Sorbet and Raspberry Fizz, they do all smell incredibly nice with Raspberry Fizz and Wild Strawberry being my favourite scents within the collection. Each balm is said to replenish, hydrate, soften and protect your lips and when you very first apply them they really do make my lips feel lovely and soft and moisturised but there definitely isn't a long lasting effect with these, for instance I wouldn't say these would keep your lips feeling nourished for hours but if your looking for a moisture boost there and then these are great for that, they make good lip balms to prep your lips with before you apply a lipstick too. 

Overall and in all honesty I'd say these are OK but nothing ground breaking, I do absolutely adore Makeup Revolution and I ♥ Makeup and theres nothing much from them I can usually grumble over but... the packaging drama was slightly annoying for me as I think they should have arrived securely sealed but the balm itself was OK for an immediate moisture boost and they are handy to have in your handbag or pocket because they are small and compact. I must add I loved all of the scents, they are so fragrant and very realistic and it makes the balms very pleasent to apply thats for sure!

Have you tried the I ♥ Makeup I ♥ My Lips Lip Balm Collection beaut's? What did you think? 

My MAC Lipstick Collection So Far....

Hi beaut's!

You may remember quite some time ago I did a post on 'My MAC Collection So Far', but since then I decided that I wanted to start collecting Mac lipsticks so I thought I would share with you all what shades I have so far. This is in no way going to be a large Mac Lipstick Collection, I read some peoples collections and I'm left lusting after their 30 Mac lipsticks when I'm over here with my 8 ha ha but I'm so keen on adding to my collection and I thought documenting what I have so far would be kind of cool.

From Left to Right - Brave, Faux, Jubilee, Mehr, Syrup, Viva Glam V, Viva Glam I, Whirl 

As you can see I'm pretty much obsessed with pink toned lipsticks, I just find they suit me the best and go with most makeup looks I do. I do have a couple of nudes that I would say are my holy grail nudes because I find theres only a select few shades of nude that suit me. Anywhoooo onto the shade rundown....

Brave - Arhhhh Brave, this is actually my all time favourite lipstick out of all the lipsticks I own, it's a medium pink that has been tinged with brown and its so versatile, I can wear Brave literally anytime of day to any occasion. The finish of Brave is a satin which is my favourite of all the finishes, I just find satins feel like a semi-matte but they aren't drying in the slightest and they last on me for hours.

Faux - Faux is actually very similar to Brave but I find it's a smidge lighter, it's a pretty muted mauve-pink with that gorgeous satin finish that I love. I find that both Brave and Faux are very "Kylie Jenner" esk so if your love that look as much as I do then you defitnly need to pick either one of them up! 

Jubilee - If your looking for sheer nude beige with slight peahcy tones then Jubilee will be for you. I opted for this shade a little while back 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.

Mehr - I have been obsessed with wearing Mehr at the moment, it's described as a dirty pink shade which I think is because it is quite a deep shade of pink with a slight brown-y undertone, again I find this great to wear day or night for any occasion, it goes with everything. The finish is matte and I have to say Mac's matte finishes really impressed me, they go on quite creamy and don't drag on the lips at all and set to a comfortable matte finish without being drying.

Syrup - Mac describe Syrup as a cloudy pink but on me it looks more like a very sheer dusky pink/berry shade, the finish is a lustre which I love because they are so light, smooth, moisturising glossy and non-sticky, they actually feel more like a lip balm to be honest however that does hinder the lasting power but I don't mind regular top ups when the shade feels and looks so nice.

Viva Glam V -  Viva Glam V is such a gorgeous neutral pink shade that actually suits my skin tone really well, it does have some ever so slight gold glitters running through it but nothing over the top and the lustre finish again provides that moisturising, glossy feel without being sticky! I would say Viva Glam V is my all time favourite nude lipstick and as you can see from the bullet pictured above I've nearly used it all up, arrhhh sad face!

Viva Glam I - Viva Glam I is a deep, vampy red shade with brown undertones and has a lovely matte finish. I only really find use for this lipstick on evenings out because it just looks so dramatic on me and is such a statement lip, it is so beautiful though!

Whirl - Lastly I have Whirl which is my most recent mac lipstick purchase, in fact I haven't even had it 2 weeks yet. Whirl is such a 90's throwback shade for me and that's why I was drawn to it so much, its described as a "dirty rose" and is a muted, medium-dark rosy brown with warm undertones and a matte finish. I actually like to wear this quite sheer so once Ive applied it I use a cotton bud just to really blend it into my lips, this way it looks a lot more of a stubtle rosy brown shade than just a dramatic brown!

And there you have it beaut's, all of the Mac lipsticks I currently own. I cant wait to build up more of a collection so I'd love some recommendations. 

What's your favourite Mac lipstick beaut's? 

March Glossybox Review ♥

Hi beaut's!

So its that time again... Glossy box time!!! This month we have the 'Get Glowing' box, a Spring theme that sees Glossy box introduce us to the perfect beauty products that will give our skin that glow back that its been missing during the winter months! I'm actually a bit disappointed with this months box, to me it feels slightly lack luster and theres only two things that really stand out for me which also happen to be the only full size products in this months box which really is pants! I've actually been considering changing beauty boxes for a little while now so if you have any recommendations please do let me know!

Luxie Rose Gold Large Angled Face Brush | Full Size | £10.42

Firstly this month I have the Luxie Rose Gold Large Angled Face Brush, this brush is specially cut to hug the curves and contours of the face making it the most amazing brush for contouring. I've really been enjoying using this brush for my contouring, it's the perfect size to contour my entire face including under my bottom lip and down the sides of my nose and does a great job at blending so all in all I love this little beauty, also look how pretty it is! 

Collection Speedy Highlighter | Full Size | £3.99

My second and final full size product in this months box is the Collection Speedy Highlighter in the shade Pearl Sheen. I've only tried this highlighter once so far and absolutely loved it however, I do currently have a love affair going with my Mary Lou-Manizer so I probably wont get that much use out of this Collection highlighter right now. I do love how easy this highlighter is to use though, it's a chubby style creamy crayon that you literally draw onto your face and blend in with your fingers which takes seconds.

Hey Honey Facial Serum | Sample | £28.81 for Full Size

Then moving onto the samples, firstly I have the Hey Honey Good Morning Honey Silk Facial Serum. I do love a good serum so I'm looking forward to giving this one a whirl, it's actually infused with honey and propolis which replenishes and protects the skin whilst also adding a gorgeous healthy glow, sounds pretty amazing right!

Olay Regenerist Skin Tone perfecting Cream | Sample | £29.99 for Full Size

Then I have the smallest sample of the Olay Regenerist Skin Tone perfecting Cream. This cream actually sounds incredible but I'm quite sad that I only have the tiniest amount to try, it works to fade discolouration and dark spots on the skin whilst also evening out the skin tone. How you might be wondering.... Well it actually hydrates, exfoliates and smooths the skin all at the same time! Like I said I have very high hopes for this but I think I will only get around two applications which is hardly going to give me enough to actually trail the product out properly *sigh*.

-417 Shampoo and Conditioner | Sample | £16.89 for Full Size 

Lastly this month is a 40ml sample of the -417 Catharis Vitamin Mineral Shampoo and Conditioner, this combines dead sea moisture balancing minerals, energising vitamins and essentials oils to ensure our hair is left gleaming, hydrated and lustrous. This actually sounds incredible so I'm looking forward to seeing if it can give my hair a little TLC however, my friend Kate has already tried hers and wasn't impressed so I'll have to report back on this.

What did you think of this month's box beaut's? I'd love to know.

Partylite Spring Collection Reviewed

Hey beaut's!

I have another candle post for you all today, yes I know, I know, I'm such a candle addict but I just love the cosy, warm atmosphere they provide in your house as well as making your home smell absolutely incredible. This time around I've been trying out a selection of the PartyLite Spring Collection that can also double up as a Mother's Day Gift Guide because these candles and accessories would makes amazing Mother's Day gifts!

The PartyLite Spring Collection is so pretty, it's filled fresh, floral and fruity scents in lots of delicate pastel shades and size variations so theres certainly something for everyone. Firstly I've been giving the GloLite Large Jar (£21.50) in the scent Berry Blossom* a go,  this is one huge, double wicked candle that not only looks super pretty with it's lilac wax and shimmering GloLite technology but it smells incredible too. The scent of Berry Blossom is really sweet and juicy, theres sun-ripened berries runing through this scent and a touch of jasmine and sometimes I get a slight sweet pea vibe too, it's honestly gorgeous so the fact that it has a burn time of a whopping 50-60 hours pleases me a lot.

Next up I was really excited to try the PartyLite Decorative Fragrance Sticks* (£12.95 for a pack of 5), these really intrigued me because usually you would have to burn incense sticks but with PartyLite's offering theres no flame or liquid oil required, you just pop the rolled paper fragrance sticks into a holder and the scent lasts up to 30 days, how amazing is that! I've been giving the Peony scent a whirl which is so nice, it smells just like Peony petals mixed with peachy notes. The scent throw is really impressive for something that doesn't burn, I have mine in the SmartScents White Ceramic Flower Holder* (£9.95) on a shelf at the bottom of my stairs and you can literally smell the Peony scent all the way up my stairs and as soon as you walk into my house, it's lovely. All you need to do is use 1-2 sticks for a small area or 3-5 sticks for larger spaces, the sticks also divide so you snap them in half but for a shorter length than the 30 days.

Then theres the super pretty Butterflies Porcelain Tealight Pair* (£28.95), these are so lightweight and delicate sporting lilac and pink butterflies painted on the front and can be used to either pop votives or tea lights in. As well as looking pretty from the outside the inside of the holders have been painted too which really reflects the shimmer of a tea light or votive and looks super pretty. Talking of tea lights I've been popping the Wild Lemongrass Tea lights* (£6.95 for a pack of 12) into my Butterflies Holders, the scent of these is super strong and if you like the smell of lemon sherbets then you'll love this particular scent from Partylite. Each tea light has an impressive 4-6 hours burn time and really kicks off that fresh lemon scent. 

Overall I'm so impressed with the few things I've tried from the PartyLite Spring Collection, everything smelt and looked amazing and I'm certainly going to be getting some bits for my Mum to try for Mother's Day!

Have you tried any of the PartyLite Spring scents beaut;s? Which is your favourite? I'd love to know!

January Beauty Favourites ♥

Hey beaut's!

Its that time again.... Monthly favourites time!!! How has the start of 2016 been for you all? I cant quite believe how quick January is whizzing past, it honestly scares me that the months go by so quickly! Is anyone else not feeling this cold winter weather anymore? Don't get me wrong I loved Autumn and the festive build up but I'm totally over winter now, bring on the Spring, warm sunshine, blue sky's and pretty flowers ha ha. Anywhoo onto what I've been loving this month beauty wise!

Trevor Sorbie Keratin + Argan Magnetic Multi-Wand

I'm kicking things off this month with a hair favourite, the Trevor Sorbie Keratin + Argan Magnetic Multi-Wand! I actually got this curling wand for Christmas from my boyfriends parents and have been obsessed with it ever since, I just love the fact that you get the 3 different attachments to create a multitude of different types of waves and curls and it's so easy to use because you simply just wrap your hair around the wand, I love it!

Collection #BlushAndGlow Palette

I finally got my hands on the Collection #BlushAndGlow Palette a few weeks ago and it hasn't left my makeup bag since, it contains a matte bronzer, matte pink blusher, shimmering pink blusher and a neutral highlighter all of which work amazingly well and blend out beautifully, and it's only £4.99 which is incredible! For some reason in my picture the bronzer looks a lot darker than it actually is but I've been using it everyday to contour and bronze with and the blusher underneath the highlighter has been my go to everyday too.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Foundation

 I recently got my L'Oreal Lumi Magique Foundation back out of my makeup stash because it's great for dryer skin types and my skin has really been feeling the effects of the colder weather recently. The foundation itself is light infusing which means it gives luminosity to the skin and really adds a beautiful subtle glow. The formula is gorgeous, its very light weight, silky soft, blends into the skin well and provides hydration all day and is generally really lovely and peps your skin up on a gloomy day.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Angled Powder Brush

The Real Techniques Bold Metals Angled Powder Brush has been a firm favourite of mine this month, the bristles are just so full and very soft which makes it the ideal brush for setting my base makeup into place, it picks up powders easily and lightly and blends onto the skin without leaving behind a horrible layer of powder. I've also been using this brush with my Collection bronzer (above), I love a huge brush to bronze with and I find the Angled Powder Brush blends out bronzer an absolute dream leaving me with a nice even glow.

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel

To be totally honest I've been completely obsessed with all things Lush for the past few months and have been using their bubble bars/bath bombs in every bath I've had, but one thing I've continued to use over and over during January is the Snow Fairy Shower Gel. The Snow Fairy Shower Gel just smells incredible, it literally fills my bathroom with its sweet, bubblegum, candy floss scent and makes my skin smell just as scrummy ha ha. I'm annoyed that I've nearly used mine up because the thought of waiting until Christmas again to get some more is horrible.

Lancôme Grandiose Mascara 

The Lancôme Grandiose Mascara is rather lovely and I've been obsessed with it the past few weeks, it literally creates full, fanned out, separated lashes and I find the brush itself is such a great shape and size for my smaller eyes so it's quite easy and quick to use for me personally. The staying power is on point without any smudging or running and it doesn't clump up what so ever.

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob

Lastly this month I've been in love with this Rimmel lip liner in East End Snob, it's more or less the exact same shade of my MAC Brave Lipstick which is my all time favourite lipstick and the combination of the two is just dreamy. I've been lining and filling in my lips with East End Snob then going over the top with Mac's Brave and then I'm good to go all day, arhhh I love it.

What have you been loving this month beaut's?? I'd love to know

My MAC Collection So Far....

Hey beaut's!

If your anything like me then you'll love reading makeup collection posts, arhhh I'm just obsessed with them and even watch YouTuber's makeup collection video's too, so today I thought I'd share with you all my Mac Collection. This is in no way going to be a large Mac Collection, I read some peoples collections and I'm left lusting after their 20 Mac lipsticks when I'm over here with my 3 ha ha but I'm so keen on adding to my Mac collection especially lipstick wise and I thought documenting what I have so far would be kind of cool.

Eyes

I'll kick things off with the eyes, my first Mac purchase was actually Mac's Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Bare Study (£16.00), I'd seen this used as an eyeshadow base or as a quick wash of colour over the lid on YouTube video's about 4 years ago and I just had to have it, it's such a pretty soft beige with a gold pearl finish and I have used it to death. I also bought the Painterly Paint Pot (£16.00) last year which is a nude beige and I currently use this every single day as an eyeshadow primer, I love it and would highly recommend it. My Mac Quad was actually a birthday gift a couple of years ago and inside I have All That Glitters, Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch and Omega, after loving those so much and being so impressed by Mac's eyeshadow quality I ended up buying Cranberry and Charcoal Brown singly, I actually want to get one of the large Mac Pro Palettes next and start collecting their eye shadow's as I think their amazing! Next up is my Extended Play Gigablack Lash Mascara (£15.00), I got this because it's so popular for being ussd on your lower lashes because of its very slim wand and I love it, the tiny bristles get to the smallest of lashes and it doesn't run or smudge at all. Lastly for eyes is my Irresistibly Charming Glitters and Pigments in Gold, this was a limited edition gift set from Mac's 2015 Christmas Collection which my boyfriend kindly bought for me, I think these four little pots are going to last me forever as the smallest amount of pigment goes a long way.

Face

Next up is my base makeup items, the first base product I bought from Mac was their Mineralize Skin finish Natural Powder in Medium (£24.00), as you can probably tell I've more or less used this up but I just cant bring myself to get rid of it because there's the smallest amount left round the edges ha ha. Then Skin finish Natural Powder is easily the best setting powder I've ever used, it's actually really pigmented so it just makes your skin look perfect whilst setting everything into place all day! I then got the Studio Sculpt Foundation in NW20 (£25.50) last summer, this is a creamy, luxurious, gel-based foundation that provides medium buildable to high coverage with a natural satin finish. I love using this on my skin when it's really dry because it's super hydrating and quite dewy and you only need to smallest amount to cover your entire face. Lastly I have the Pro Longwear Concealer inNW15 (£17.50) this is my holy grail concealer, it has a creamy, light weight liquid texture and a matte finish with a medium to high coverage that will cover dark circles, blemishes, scars, veins, redness and pretty much anything else that you throw at it, it's also extremely long-wearing and literally wont budge all day once its set, it's amazing!

Lips

Lastly we have my three trusty Mac Lipsticks, the first Mac lipstick I got I actually won on a blog giveaway, I ended up choosing one from the Viva Glam Collection in the shade Viva Glam I (£15.50) this is an intense brownish blue-red with a matte finish, I always tend to use this shade on nights out because it's so intense, vampy and super long lasting. Next I ended up getting Viva Glam V (£15.50) which has a gorgeous lustre finish and is the perfect nude for my skin tone, it has neutral mauve tones to it as well as neutral brown tones and has slight gold shimmer running through it, it's super beautiful and is the only nude I've ever found that I love. Lastly is my favourite lipstick out of the three I own which is called Brave (£15.50), this has a satin finish and is the perfect shade of mauve that goes with any makeup look for any occasion and can be worn anytime of day and honestly I've been wearing it pretty much everyday since last August which is when I got it he he.

And there you have it beaut's, all the Mac makeup I currently own. I did have the Mac Brush Cleanser which is an amazing makeup brush cleaner but I've run out so I'm going to have to re-purchase that again sometime soon.

What's your favourite Mac product that you own beaut's? I'd love to know!

 

Real Techniques Bold Metals Essentials Collection

Hey beaut's!

You may have seen if you read my What I Got For Christmas post that my Mum and Dad generously got me the Limited Edition Real Techniques Bold Metals Essentials Collection for Christmas. I'm a huge fan of the Real Techniques brushes and have quite a collection of them now but I was yet to try any of their gorgeous looking Bold Metals brushes, so I was super excited to get some for Christmas to try. The set is actually on sale now in Boots for just £25.00 which I think is an absolute bargain considering how much these brushes are usually when sold singly so snap a set up whilst you can beaut's!

The Real Techniques Bold Metals Essentials Collection contains three full size brushes, one of which is a set exclusive and theres also a clutch bag which is in an envelope style which can be used to store these three brushes in if you wish or you can just use it on nights out, I personally find the clutch pretty useless but hey ho. The brushes included are....

103 Angled Powder Brush - The Angled Powder Brush is the exclusive brush within this set and has a very large slightly angled head and a gold coloured handle. The bristles of this brush are very full and very soft making it the ideal brush for setting your base makeup into place, it picks up powders easily and lightly and blends onto the skin without leaving behind a horrible layer of powder. I've also been using this brush with my bronzer, I love a huge brush to bronze with and I find the Angled Powder Brush blends out bronzer an absolute dream leaving me with a nice even glow.

300 Tapered Blush - The Tapered Blush Brush is an absolutely stunning brush with its Rose Gold design, super soft bristles and it's ability to blend blusher like a boss! The Tapered Blush Brush has a specially-designed tip which can be used to highlight with or to add blush across the cheeks for a seamless finish and I have to say I enjoy using this brush for both. The tip of the Tapered Blush Brush is great at blending highlighter down my nose and the top of my cheekbones and the side of the brush fits my cheekbones perfectly and literally blends my blush within seconds.  

200 Oval Shadow Brush - The Oval Shadow Brush is quite large for an eyeshadow brush but it's brilliant at either applying eyeshadow across the lid or my favourite way to use it for for crease blending work, it honestly blends eyeshadow out amazingly to the point of which I can say it's the best eyeshadow blending brush I own, it's incredible. I've also used this brush to blend out concealer underneath my eyes and it worked great at that too, I seriously need to buy a couple more of these bad boys.

I've found all of the brushes within this Bold Metals Essentials Collection are utterly lust-worthy and feel so luxurious, each brush has a weighted brass ferrule which makes each brush super comfortable to hold, and all of the handles go down to a thinner diamond shape which stops the brushes rolling off your dressing table or makeup station when your applying your makeup. The brushes are made with ultra high grade synthetic bristles which can be used with cream, liquid and powder products and are so super soft and incredibly dense, providing all the support you need to pick up and apply product with ease. I have given the Oval Shadow Brush and the Tapered Blush Brush a couple of spot cleans with my MAC brush cleanser and I haven't experienced any shedding what so ever which is a major plus. Overall I absolutely love these brushes and am so happy that I've finally be able to try them, I was put off by the higher price points before but I can definitely see and feel that these are so much more luxurious and the overall finish to my makeup is so much better. 

Have you tried any of the Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes? What one is your favourite? I'd love to know beaut's!