Mini MAC Haul

So, if I haven't let slip already, I'm a bit of a MAC fan. And what do me + left over department store Christmas vouchers equal? A little splurge on the MAC counter, naturally. This is what I picked up:

Mineralize Eyeshadow in Ice:

Grabbing my attention immediately, Ice is such a captivating and pigmented colour that I thought would be great for swishing over my eyelids on an everyday basis, especially those mornings when time is of the essence.

Powder Blush in Sunbasque:

Lately I've been gearing more towards the peachy/golden tone of blush, and to be honest Sunbasque had been on my wishlist for way too long! It's a great wearable shade with just a little bit of shimmer, and looks great used with highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones for a glam night out. I wasn't sure it would work with my (incredibly) pale skin tone, but I was wrong. Instead it's simply a nice change from the usual pinks! 

Is there anything you've been craving from MAC?

January Empties (Long Time No See!)

Well, after a longer than intended break from blogging (due to lack of a laptop and blogger being difficult to use on an iPad!) I'm well and truly back with a little January empties post. These are the products I've loved this month and have rapidly worked my way through like nobody's business..

Illamasqua Concealer in CC135: This has fast become my ultimate concealer, the best in the world by far! It's coverage is absolutely amazing which you'd expect from a theatre make-up brand such as Illamasqua. A little goes a long way with this and some days when I'm feeling incredibly lazy I can get away with wearing this on it's own with powder, missing out foundation altogether. The shade range is another mega positive about this concealer, there's a perfect match for everyone. I'm a CC135: 'light with neutral undertones' kinda gal. A definite make-up bag staple from now on.

Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Make Up Remover: This is simply amazing. With one or two swipes this can easily remove the most stubborn of waterproof mascaras and eyeliners. I'm not usually one to use an eye make up remover, opting for the old baby wipe approach instead, but it's safe to say this is much easier, less time consuming and more effective. Hooked!

Tresemme Liquid Gold Restorative Complex: I'm going through a stage of trying all the 'argan oil infused' hair oils and I really loved this one from Tresemme. I normally use it after towel drying my hair, and it instantly transforms the condition of my hair like magic. A lot softer, manageable and shiny. This is now a new stage of my hair care routine as I can't imagine what my hair would be like if I didn't use it! 

Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer: Another Nivea product! But I'm really appreciating them lately. I can't believe the perfect daily moisturiser and primer has been invented. This product was everything I hoped it would be and more! My foundation loves it, my skin loves it.. Not sure I'll ever use another moisturiser again! I especially love the gel formula and how fast it's absorbed by the skin, not to mention how long it makes my make up last.   

What products have you emptied this month?

NOTD: Autumn Cool

A little NOTD post. Today I'm wearing Models Own 'Nude Beige' which I got free with this week's More! magazine. Absolute bargain! This cost £5 on it's own normally, when More! is only £1.50, unreal! And Models Own are my ultimate favourite when it comes to nail polish. Out of the choice of two free nail polishes, I was instantly drawn to this cool autumn shade of nude. 'Nude Beige' is so understated and classy, it'll never look out of place. I think this shade will be great also as a base coat for a glitter polish, I've yet to experiment! Absolutely love!

This Week's Poundland Treasures..

I just thought I'd share with you some great little bargains I picked up in Poundland this week! Here we have two Nivea lip glosses that are also conditioning balms. And the first two words I will use to describe these are.. yummy and beautiful! I love a good lip balm, especially when it's got a touch of colour and a wonderful smell. And for £1 each (RRP £6.42 for two on Amazon, an addition to the £9.99 shipping cost) these are definitely my new favourite toys. As far as I'm aware these are not sold in the UK, and look like they're primarly popular in America? Not quite sure on that one, if any american readers would like to offer up information. 

 

 

On the left we have my favourite of the two 'Gloss Wonder Balm' in Mango Butter. The smell of this is so yummy, I just know I'll be licking it off as soon as I've put it on my lips. (May need to go and stock up, then.) It contains Argan Oil which I know is going to make my lips incredibly soft, which is just what's needed for these freezing, harsh to skin months ahead. It's an all round perfect everyday balm, with a touch of pinky/coral colour. And most importantly neither of them are sticky at all, which will help to avoid the hair-to-face look that we all absolutely adore in these windy winter months...

 

On the right, 'Volume Shine Wonder Full' claims to have a collagen booster to plump lips, and it does just that. On top of being a wonderful smelling, moisturising gloss, this also makes lips appear noticably plumper without the often annoying tingling sensation you find in other plumping glosses. And with a touch of coral colour, this is another everyday beauty which could also be brought out at night.

 

 

What have you dug out in Poundland recently?

 

 

MUA Blush Perfection Cream Blusher in 'Dolly'

The beauty blogging world has been going slightly crazy over this new product from MUA ever since it was released not so long ago. And being a cream blusher virgin (fears over blending, pigmentation, addicted to powder blushers etc etc..) I decided to jump in and snap one up to try for myself, picking up shade 'Dolly' which seemed closest to my usual favourite and most wearable pinky/rosy/coral hue.

 

 

  

 

...And boy am I addicted. I'm completely won over by this cream blusher. Yes, it takes a lot of blending and is perhaps a little more time consuming than a powder, but it is definitely worth it! The end result is a natural flawless touch of colour that can be built up to a stronger pigmented look if you wish.

 

 

There's nothing I don't like about this product. The packaging, the price and the quality make this yet another success from the ever-growing brand MUA, and I'm definitely going to pick up the rest of the shade collection. You can pick them up here on the MUA website for an incredibly reasonable £2, or at Superdrug stores. My next venture is to try both NARS and Illamasqua cream blushers, as I've heard amazing things about both.

 

I think it's safe to say I'm converted... What's your current favourite cream blush?

NOTD: Rimmel Precious Stones

A quickie! Nails of the day featuring Rimmel's new offering Precious Stones in (001 Diamond Dust)! With Rimmel's Lycra Pro (398 Black Pearl) used as a base.

 

I can't stress how much I love Precious Stones! I actually don't think I needed a base colour, as the polish by itself seemed brilliant coverage. This could easily rival the likes of OPI, Nails Inc and other high end polish brands who've brought out similar products.

 

I've found my perfect winter sparkle nail! What's yours?

My Foundation Stash!

 

Now I don't really make a secret of the fact that I am a foundation fanatic! Whenever a new one pops on the shelves I'm always excited to try it. So, I thought I'd do a slightly different post sharing the foundations currently taking up space in my make up bag!

 

 

Max Factor 'Facefinity All Day Flawless 3 in 1' - (Shade - Warm Almond) This is the latest addition to my collection! As far as I know, it's the newest Max Factor foundation, but correct me if I'm wrong! I'm going to do a full review on this, because I've been so so impressed with it. I bought it on a whim in Superdrug where it was on an introductory offer at £8.99 instead of £11.99. It claims to be a primer, concealer and foundation all in one with all day lasting power. I've never used a Max Factor foundation before as I've never been a major buyer of their products, no particular reason! But this is one amazing 'does everything' foundation and I'm currently wearing it every day!

 

Rimmel 'Lasting Finish 25 Hour' - (Shade: Ivory) Now this is my 'sweat proof, transfer proof, night out proof' foundation! I've been using this for years as my staying power essential. You can pick it up in most places for around £5, and for the product you get, that's an amazing price. I can put this on in the morning, work all day, and then carry on through to a night out without having to worry if I'm shiny, cakey or it's rubbing off on my clothes. Highly recommended to those with a busy and hectic lifestyle!

 

Sleek 'Be Beautiful Blemish Balm' - (Shade: Very Light) I've professed my love for this BB cream on a previous post, which can be found here. But in summary, this is a great alternative to foundation, with amazing coverage for those who feel they have something to cover. A great day to day, easy to wear foundation.

 

MAC 'Studio Fix Fluid' - (Shade: NC15) I've also given this miracle worker it's own post over here. This is my high end foundation and one that I can always rely on and will continue to re-purchase! It gives amazing coverage with not a lot of product, and is a perfect daytime foundation with the added SPF. As noted in my post, the only downside is that after around 6 hours I start to look slightly shiny. But, over time it definitely grew on my as a HG product.

 

Bourjois '1 2 3 Perfect' - (Shade: Light Vanilla) When this first came out there were absolutely loads of blog posts about how great it was, another Bourjois foundation that was adored by all. I had a similar experience with it I must say. It's amazing at doing what it says on the bottle - giving a flawless, even complexion. My only complaint with this is that it turned me orange. Before putting the foundation on the skin it was the perfect ivory colour. However, when blended and applied it suddenly turned much much darker?! It's a strange one. I'd be interested to know if anyone else experienced this?

 

Rimmel 'Match Perfection' - (Shade: Ivory) So I might have accidently saved the worst till last.. I was so unimpressed with this foundation. It's meant to 'adapt to the colour and texture of your skin', but it really didn't. It was thick and gloopy, didn't blend, was sticky, went streaky when powder was applied on top.. Just endless problems. Don't think I'll be buying again!

 

What's your favourite foundation?