Mac Collection

I've been thinking of doing a general 'make up collection' post, but the idea seemed to general and messy for my liking, so I decided to break it up into different collections. So far I have posted about my Topshop collection, and now it's time for Mac!

*Paint pot in Rubinesque
*Mineralise finish powder in 'light'
*Studio Sculpt foundation in NC15
*Lipsticks (more on these in a mo)
*Brush in 193
*Sheertone blush in 'Pinch Me'

I also have an eyeshadow in 'Satin Taupe' and brush cleanser (exciting!) that I left in my travel make up case.

*unrelated pause-Tracy Beaker is on in the background and there was just a dramatic moment distracting me, involving shouting, tears and, it appears, a sheep. Cool *

Lipsticks 

Again, for the sake of efficiency, the colours match up to the names at the top. 

Faux=hit
I have to say, I am the biggest lover of faux. It's the most beautiful powder pink colour with a hint of brown. I love it so much that I only wear it on special occasions. How logical!? Duh. Despite my desire to hoard it, it is such a wearable colour, which is part of its appeal. Don't get me wrong, I love vibrant shades, but faux is a shade you can wear with anything, and to anything. It glides on beautifully, and makes me feel sophisticated in an understated way.

Ruby Woo= miss.
I'm sad to say that I can't say the same thing about this shade. I try to make it work, but it just 'ent happening. Take a look.

 

Just not rocking it, right? 

Maybe that's because it has blue undertones, which evidently don't suit me. I don't know. Do you manage to pull off Ruby Woo? I imagine that it would look better on people with darker/olive skin tones. 

 Texture/Finish

 I also hate the texture of this. I got it aggggggges ago, when Mac lipsticks were still £11.00, so maybe it's just gone funny with age. I still remember it being really difficult and dry when I first got it though. I think it has a matte finish, but even for mattes this was pushing it. Far too dry. It felt like I was pulling sandpaper over my lips (ok, I exaggerate a but, but that's the closest comparison!) This is my only Mac let down. 

Brush

Actually, not the only one *oops* I'm also not the biggest fan of the 193 angled foundation brush, the only Mac brush I have. Maybe it's just because it's angled, but I don't find that it's the easiest to use and more often than not I resort to using my fingertips to apply my foundation. Have you got this brush? If yes, and if you like it too, please let me know how to use it properly!  

Blush and Paint Pot 

 Blush

This is my first Mac blush. I found it so difficult to choose which one to get when I was in the Mac shop, and  it was too busy to ask the MUA. So after several swatches I resorted to Pinch Me which is a deep pink. It is rather pigmented, so paleys like me need to be careful when applying it, as it can give you the permanently embarrassed look, quickly. I'm still a big fan of it though, and, lightly applied, it gives a beautiful pinky finish. I feel that this would suit a lot of skin tones too. 

Paint Pot

I'd wanted a paint pot for ages and contemplated getting Painterley or Bare Study, but I went for Rubinesque because I wanted a colour that I could wear by itself as well as with other things. I'll admit, it's ok. Ok, not amazing. It goes on nicely, stays put for 6/8 hours on me (dry skin) but might not last as long on someone with oily lids. It looks very similar to the Maybelline 24 hour tattos (esp. the shade Eternal Gold, though this is a bit more bronzey too) but the latter costs a fraction of the price. I'll use this, but I won't be repurchasing this shade. I may get a bare colour next time as I'll wear it more often. Would any of you recommend a Mac paint pot, or are they not really worth it?

So there's the Mac collection section of my make up collection (oh how I rhyme).

xx

Gym wear

Recently I've been trying to push myself to exercise more. Once I'm there, I love it, but during the working week I leave for work at 6.50am and often do not get home until 7.30pm (inc. 1 hour commute each way). Usually I just cook, watch a bit of tv then go to bed (exciting I know!) Going to the gym straight after work could work for me, but then when would I eat dinner? At 9pm? On the train on the way home from school? You see my dilemma.

I could get home from work a bit earlier and then go to the gym, which I may start doing, especially as I have a 10k coming up in July!

Anyway, one thing that motivates me is pretty gym wear, shallow girl that I am.

Here's a selection of my things:

Bottoms 

*My faithful Asics trainers
*Adidas bottoms
*Jack Wills short shorts (trust me people, they are SHORT!)
*Nike shorts

Tops

 What I call my 'work out tops' -ie they are only for/specifically designed for working out. Most of them are dri-fit, and really light so hopefully you'll sweat less when you do your thang.

Eeek, these all look really creased! My 'other' work out tees.

And me modelling some of the 'gym looks' haha. 

Illimasqua Cream Pigment

I've been experimenting with blusher recently, previously a product that I'd entirely leave out of my daily makeup routine. However, I'm liking the rosy cheeked look, especially as summer is (supposedly) arriving.

My latest purchase is Illamasqua's Cream Pigment in 'Androgen'.

It arrived in a littlle nest of a package. A lot of packaging for one little product, but cute nonetheless! Felt like a little egg about to hatch...Generally I love the Illamasqua packaging, but this was far smaller than I imagined it to be. Even in the photos below it looks bigger than it is! Don't be fooled...haha. You get 8g of product in this thing, which I guess is not toooo bad.

Cream pigments can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks. I have mainly been using it on my cheeks, but I tried it on my lips a few times too. On the cheeks, I love the effect it has; a really subtle, peachy coral colour. On the lips, the colour is gorgeous, but it is slightly drying and shows up any bits of...skin or whatever uneveness is on the lips! So make sure you have exfoliated your lips with a lip scrub (I use Lush's Bubblegum lipscrub...but forgot to do it today, oops) to avoid it looking ikky.

I don't know if it has really shown up on here...on my eyes I am wearing Nars cream formula in Petula. This is a light swatch, but I am excited about building it up. I usually stick to gold/grey/lilac colours on my eyes, but I actually really like this look.

You can see the cream pigment on my cheeks a bit more clearly here. 

And a somewhat blurry pic of the cream pigment on the lips.

Have you tried this Illamasqua's cream pigments before? What do you think of them?

Topshop order

Oops, so the other night I made a cheeky Topshop order. It was raining outside, and the dresses were so pretty and made me long for summer, so this is what happened:

1. Blue floral dress by Anne Greenabelle -£48.00

I just adore this dress, and anything by Anne Greenabelle. I bought a dress similar to this in the January sale (but it's strapless and pink) also by Anne G (too long to type!) and I loved it. The material is organic cotton, and really soft. Will definitely be wearing this lots during the summer. Price is a bit steep, but...y'know.

2. Mint cut out dress by love- £38.00

Beautiful colour. Beautiful design. Let's hope it's as beautiful in the flesh!

3. Oriental print dress by Rare- on sale- Was £45.00 now £20.00

4. Grey brogues (apparently, but they look more nude to me!) My 'summer' shoes.

Looking forward to these arriving :) xx

Topshop makeup collection

It seems that over the recent months I have amassed rather a fair bit of Topshop makeup. From my first product (a lipstick in 'Mink') I have been a convert. I love the simple, but cute, packaging, the variety of colours and finish of the lipstick and nail polish range and the pricing is pretty good for the quality too. Good-o.

So I thought I'd give a rundown of my collection.

 So pretty and colourful :)

Lips

The colours match up to the labels above, just to make life easier :) .

All Topshop Lipsticks: very moisturising, last for about 2/3 hours (on me, someone who drinks a lot- sometimes just water!-and has a tendency to pick her lips. Might last longer on those that do not have this habit!) and are reasonably pigmented. 

Ok, let's go colour by colour (and please excuse my shocked/ghost pose in the following photos!)

Oh La La

This is a beautiful orangey colour, perfect for spring/summer. It reminds me a bit of Mac's 'Vegas Volt' though a toned down version, although it is buildable and could provide a 'shock' of pinky orange if desired.
I don't wear this colour often enough, but I will do once the sun starts coming out. I can imagine wearing this with a little floral playsuit, cocktail in hand...(come on summer!)

Innocent 

 My lip looks weird here, ha. Now I've drawn attention to it, great!

Innocent is a lovely, inoffensive pinky shade that I think would suit most skin tones and go with most outfits. It is a colour that could easily be worn to work/school everyday and is just lovely really.

Mink 

 As I said before, Mink was the first lipstick I purchased from Topshop. I don't think it's available in store now *checks website*- well I couldn't find it there...so, hmm. Probably not available anymore, sorry! This one I loved for a bit, then went off of it, and now I kinda like it again. I like 'rediscovering' things like this!

It is a plummy pink colour, with a hint of brown. This colour goes really well with greys, and lighter neutrals, methinks. Will definitely be wearing this more often now I have fallen in like with it again.

Nevada 

 Now this nude shade is a colour that I have mixed feelings about. I'm not really sure that nudes suit me; they blend in with my skin tone, which leaves me looking like I have no lips and a little corpse like if I'm honest! some nudes have a hint of pink, which makes them less like this, but I'm not sure this one does. What do you think? Does this nude shade suit me? I think it looks better from a distance. I don't know I guess I'll give it a try a few more times and then decide. Oh, and a lot of people say that this is a dupe for Creme de Nude by Mac, but under half the price, so yes, if you like your nudes, then this may be the one for you!

I've waffled on about the lipsticks, so I'll try to keep the rest of this short:

Eyes 

Crayon and Kohl Liner

 Crayon in Whisper- I have raved about this crayon before, and will rave about it again! It's such a beautiful shimmery gold colour, as you can see from the swatch (though this really doesn't do it justice). I use it as an eyeshadow, and it lasts all day, in fact, it gives Maybelline Colour Tattoos a run for their money in terms of how long  it lasts.

Kohl in Petrol- (swatched above) - this is a green/blue colour, one that I don't wear enough (but will now!) The TS kohl pencils are really pigmented and nice to use. On me, the colour lasts all day and doesn't smudge. Can't ask for more than that really!

Nail Polishes

 Pretty colours!

L-R- Marine Biologist, Glimmer, Bee's Knees, Peaches and Cream, Without a Clue

I really love the consistency and finish of all of the Topshop colours I have bought, and they last for 4/5 days without chipping on me. I use 2 coats to get an opaque finish (1 with Marine Bio) but some say that with lighter colours you may need 3 coats to achieve an even and opaque coverage.

At the moment I'm having a bit of a love affair with the chromey bronze colour glimmer, even though it is the least Springy colour there. The weather outside may just have something to do with it!

Ok, I'm going to leave it there now. I also have a blush, liner and a few other lip products that I haven't mentioned here, but I'll leave that for another day.

What is your favourite Topshop makeup item? Recommend any lipsticks? Would you like to see more 'collection' posts? xx

OOTD and and today's make up

Ew, what disgusting weather we have been having. Weather really affects my mood, and I'm not liking it, so sort it out England! I want to go on a walk! I know we're lucky to have fairly mild weather (no monsoons or major floods etc) but you know...I'm British, I moan about the weather. It's what we do.

*my beloved cat print dress from H&M
*Mustard Topshop Cardi

Simple.

I've put on quite a bit of makeup too, featuring some new products and some old favourites.

L-R:

Face
*Mac blusher in 'Pinch Me'
*Mac mineralise skin finish powder
*Murad Skin Perfecting Primer
*Gosh eyebrow gel
*Natural Collections concealer in 'fair'
*Illuminating concealor (er, need to learn how to use this)

Eyes
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' (a new favourite, stored upside down to keep in the moisture!)
*Avon Supershock gel eyeliner in 'Blackberry'
*Nars eyeshadow duo in 'Isolde'

Lips
*Carmex (to soothe my dry lips)
*Rimmel lipstick in 'Vintage Pink'

This is a lot more than I usually wear, on a day that I will probably not even be leaving the house, haha. Typical!

Th real star of the show at the moment though is my Avon Supershock Gel liner. 

 

*

It is one of my staples, and even though I have lots of liner, it is the one I reach for everyday. So here's a little mini-review of my favourite eyeliner. 

Packaging

I know Avon has a bit of a bad press, being associated with older people, as an outdated make up brand etc, but they really do have some gems. This is definitely one of them. In my opinion the packaging is pretty simple and sleek, being black with silver writing with a useful tip which reveals the colour of the product. The eyeliner pencil itself is quite soft and I haven't tried sharpening it yet, but I imagine it would be a bit awkward. Or at least not as simple to sharpen as your average eyeliner penicl, which is the only hypothetical downside for me. 

Colour

It is a beautiful deep brown colour. I find that dark brown liner flatters my pale complexion and blue eyes- black can look a little too heavy/goth sometimes. I do, however, like eyeliner to be visible and 'heavy' and it definitely still gives this look as it is very pigmented. Here it is on my lower lash line:

*random aside* apparently you can tell how a person is feeling from their eyes...how I do not know. I read this information in a very scientific magazine going by the name of Cosmopolitan. Ahem. Can you tell that I am feeling frustrated from my eye?! Well I am! (damn weather and hormones. Maybe I should just exercise or something. Excuse my crazy, people).

Wear

It lasts really well. Most days I put it on before work at 6ish and it is still visible when I get home at 7ish. Granted it is not as dark as when first applied, but it still gives a good look and hangs on it there. My make up wipe testifies to this fact! 

So all in all I love this product. I have it in a lighter shade, but on a day to day basis I  prefer a darker colour on the waterline. It was really cheap too. I think I'd give this product a 9/10 (only down is the sharpening issue). 

Have you tried Avon products before? What do you think of them? 

Have a good weekend people. I think I am going to exercise off some of this undirected frustration at the gym now! (with a sneaky stop off at Superdrug on the way). xx

OOTD- Clashy clashy? Pink and Red

 So, the Topshop speckled jumper makes an appearance again. As I've probably said before, this is one of my most favourite style of jumpers- so cosy and baggy and thin- and I have one in speckled grey too. Definitely worth the £26. The red skirt is from Zara. I got it in the sale for about £12. I hardly ever wear it though, oops. Need to make more of an effort to wear more of my wardrobe, difficult when I have speckled jumpers hanging around!

I thought up this outfit when I was drifting into sleep last night, haha. That always happens. The colours may clash a bit but I quite like it.

The photos in this post are now large instead of medium, because a few people have said that they would like my photos to be bigger, so here you go! I don't usually like to post big photos simply because it makes my flaws more obvious, but I am going to do something very daring now and show you a big old picture of my face. Wearing my new favourite blusher, 'Pinch Me' by Mac. 

 So here is the blush. I had to use this VERY lightly, as it is very pigmented and looks quite obvious on my pale skin. What do you think of the effect? Too dark? I've got a bit of a thing for blushers at the moment.

Only 1 more day until the weekend! Happy Friday people.