Mini MAC Haul- 'All About Orange' Collection.

I'll be honest and say I had gone off MAC a bit. After working for a short while for Illamasqua and getting to work with such strongly pigmented products, anything I swatched at MAC just seemed watery in comparison. Alas, when I saw they were releasing a collection dedicated to orange I knew I would cave. I love orange and coral. They are without a doubt my go-to colours in the summer, give me an orange lipstick over a pink one anyday.

Afer a bit of deliberation I knew I could sort of justify a MAC splurge if it was for my kit. I've got enough MAC lippies to last me a life time.

I originally thought I wanted 'Sushi Flower' lipstick as it such a 'me' shade but I opted for a slightly more wearable 'Razzledazzler' as it would have more of a universal appeal, would suit more people and would be perfect for bridal. It's a milky coral. By no means is it bright or neon-esque, the lustre finish means it has an underlying 'sheer' quality about it and a glisten-y finish. It very much reminds me of the permanent lip glass Pink Lemonade with it's mid-tone yet brightening qualities. This will suit pale and tanned girls alike though I probably wouldn't advise it for asian skin tone or deeper. It's pretty long lasting considering the slip of the finish, 2-3 hours wear and leaves a pretty coral 'just bitten' stain behind. Easy enough to top up on the go though.

After thinking one of my MAC blushes was faulty due to it's absolute lack of pigment ('Pink Swoon' FYI) I was dubious to spend money on another. Unlike 'Pink Swoon' which is a sheertone blush (which may explain it's lack of colour when swatched) 'Immortal Flower' is a satin finish which means it's not totally matte, but there's no detectable glitter or shimmer present either. It's very peach in the pan which doesn't come across in my photos unfortunately. On me, a light dusting gives a soft peachy glow, but it can be built up a little more intense. Again, this will look simply gorgeous on a bride because it hasn't got that disco ball shimmer in it and it makes you 'glow' rather than look too blusher-y. It photographs beautifully.

Both 'Razzledazzler' and 'Immortal Flower' compliment one another when worn together. I do wish I had a bit more money to spend as I would have caved into 'Sushi Flower' any way and would have probably picked up 'Neon Orange' for the hell of it too. Unlike the other MAC collections released this year, this one has impressed me.

Thankyou for reading,

E.

So fresh and so clean.

Untouched lipsticks make me happy. These two have been sitting in my drawer since December but have remained untouched until this week. Partly because the packaging fills me with a content, warm feeling every time I open my storage and see it shining back at me, but partly because I felt the shades weren't right for the season until now. 

I picked up Tom Ford 'Wild Ginger' on a staff order last year, back when I was able to receive a rather generous discount on TF products. I had been eyeing up this shade for an awful long time, I am a sucker for an orange red. This is my second TF lipstick and as usual I have been very impressed by the quality- heavy, click shut packaging paired with a smooth formula that is high in pigmentation and comfortable to wear. This colour is most striking worn with fresh, flawless foundation base and barely there eye makeup or a small and tasteful eyeliner flick.

Ben bought YSL Rouge Pur Couture in no.52 as a christmas present for me. He knows how much I love YSL but I would rarely treat myself to a lipstick from there. This is a bright coral pink, a little reminiscent of a couple of limited edition MAC lipsticks I have,  which were favourites of mine last summer. Similarly to my weakness for orange reds, I do love me a coral. And you all know I love me a bright lip, so this was always going to be love.

A little bit of luxury does everybody good, I am not sure I could ever justify a Tom Ford lipstick full price and I am kicking myself for not picking up more when I had the chance. The traceless foundation stick in Alabaster is also calling to me. Are you girls loving these shades as much as I am, or are they a bit daring for you?

Thanks for reading,

E.

Midweek Post: A Pop Of Colour

I must have been feeling a bit fruity last week when I decided that orange and blue in the same makeup look was going to be a good idea. In the end, I really liked the outcome and wearing a pop of colour during these dark winter (I am not a big fan of post- Christmas winter) days is a quick and an easy way to brighten up my mood. Orange and blue are complimentary colours and a couple of people made nice comments about my makeup that day, which is always nice isn't it?

I used the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette on my eyelids to create a natural brown look and then put Illamasqua's medium pencil in 'Debonair' under my waterline. I blended it with one of my Laura Mercier brushes and added a bit of brown from the UD palette in the outer corners to tie in the overall look. Granted, the medium pencil needed to be touched up throughout the day which was a bit of annoyance. On my lips I used a true vivid orange lipstick also from Illamasqua called 'Flare'. The formula is a little stiff but it is ultra matte and so was the perfect choice on a windy day! Nothing worse than hair getting stuck in lipgloss! 

I enjoyed wearing something a bit different and have been trying out different looks recently, I'll try and document a few of them for this ere blog :-)

P,S, Can you tell I still can't use my camera properly? ;-D

Midweek post: What A Blast!

MAC Pro Longwear Lip Liner in 'What A Blast!', £14 for 1.2g.

It's no secret that I love bright lip colours. Whether it be coral, pink or red I feel most comfortable with a pop of colour on my lips, nudes just aren't for me.

I bought this Pro Longwear lip liner in 'What A Blast!' hoping that I could use it as an all over lip colour due to it's unashamedly vivid neon colour.

The Pro Longwear pencil promises to be longwearing, with smooth application and high pigment. The pencil does tick two of these three boxes; the pencil is so creamy and buttery soft in comparison to the regular MAC lip liners, there's no dragging or discomfort. Secondly, the pigmentation is so fantastic that it'll make you wince. This shade is one of the most vivid, bright neon colours I have ever seen or experienced in lip colour and for that reason I don't want to write a totally negative review...

The one issue I have is that it isn't longwearing on me. The texture is so creamy yet when it sets on the lips it does that typical thing that so many 'longwearing' products end up doing, and that is it becomes dry and crumbly. As soon as I take a sip of a drink, let alone eat, the colour is gone and I'm left with a delightful ring around my lips along with flakes and crumbs of orange residue...now how attractive does that sound? I find this issue really frustrating as I absolutely hate being paranoid when I'm wearing a makeup product, it takes all the fun out of it when you're constantly checking if it's still in place- and in this case, it never is!
As a lipliner on it's own it is ok, and I find I can pair it with my 17 listick in 'Hot Chilli' fairly well, so unfortunately for me it'll have to remain solely as a lip liner.

Sadly my opinion on What A Blast! is a split one. I adore how vivid the shade is with it's high end edge, yet the dry consistency and it's embarassingly poor lasting power put me off picking it up as often as I'd like. Sad face.

Orange 'Tangy' Nails!

No.7 Nail Varnish in 'Tangy', £7 for 10ml.

Whenever the £5 No.7 vouchers make their way into my life, I buy one item and one item only! Nail varnish! At a usual price of £7, being able to pay just £2 for a fairly good quality varnish is just a bargain not to be missed.

Today's offerings is the perfect summer orange, 'Tangy';

Positives;

-The elongated, fairly slim handle makes the practicalities of nail-painting pretty fuss free!

-The wide brush distributes the polish evenly and makes it a joy to use. 

-The formula of all the shades I own always seems to be opaque in two thin coats

-The polish dries quickly

-Vivid and vast range of colours

Negatives;

-It does seem to chip after a days wear, even with topcoat.

Very similar to Illamasqua's 'Whack' if any of you happen to own that, it's the nail varnish version of 17's lipstick in 'Hot Chilli'. It's an orange infused red, putting a spin on the classic and giving it a fun summer twist. We all know orange is really hot right now, and nail varnish is such an easy way to embrace a colour trend both subtley and on a budget. Like I mention above, it's such a shame that no.7 polishes seem to chip very easily on me, as other than that I can't fault them.

What do you spend your money off no.7 vouchers on?

Wonder Product: YSL Glossy Stain.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres in '08 Orange de Chine', £22.50.

These are one of the newest additions to the YSL product range, a sucker for Yves Saint Laurent beauty and for lip products it wasn't long before I gave these ago. After trying on number 12 'Corail Fauve' and Makeda trying on number 11 we were bowled over by so many factors that these glossy stains kept coming up in conversation throughout the day as we were wowed by the unbelievable staying power as we shopped, drank and chatted. Big shout out to the blonde lady on YSL counter in John Lewis Westfield Stratford- we loved her! She even passed us after she had finished work, stopped us and commented that our lips were still intact, 6 hours later!

As much as I loved number 12, I felt I already sort-a had this colour. When I returned a couple of weeks later I opted for number 8, which is an orange shade with a coral element to it though not miles away from the original 12. I am IN LOVE.

Reasons to buy;

• The shine finish is so intense, enough to rival any lip gloss, no shimmer or sparkle chunks, just pure high shine.
• The colour pigmentation is impressive yet controllable; one layer applies a stunning wash of colour whereas two layers reaches full opacity.
• The product is totally unique, it's got the best elements of a lipstick (in terms of colour pigmentation), gloss (in terms of high shine) and lip stain (this product will be on your lips for the day, and on your hands if you happen to swatch any!)
• The product can be described as 'smooth' in so many ways- application is smooth, the packaging is smooth, and the barrier-like finish feels SO smooth on the lips.
• Kissproof!- You can kiss your boyf with this on, and nothing will transfer from your lips to his or affect the shiny finish.
• The colour range is excellently established; there is a colour for everyone.
• I found there to be absolutely no side effects to the lips after a days wear of this, heck even after three days wear my lips are in a condition no worse than they started off. This really impressed me, especially after nursing my poor lips back to health after lip abuse the last couple of months!

Have you tried these? What colours do you own?