My Top 5 Current Lipsticks

Before I started blogging, I never wore lipstick and never owned any. However, I've slowly fell in love with them and eventually built up a little collection big enough to have a top five. I own lipsticks from a lot of brands and they range in price from £1 to over £20. Here's the lipsticks I find myself reaching for the most at the moment.

l-r // Topshop Pillow Talk, MUA Shade 15, MAC Hue, Revlon Lip Butter Cotton Candy, YSL Rouge Volupte Shade 1

 

 

Topshop Pillow Talk £8.00 - link

 

I purchased this when it was still part of their limited edition range, but luckily they've added it to their range. It provides a lovely pink matte finish and feels lovely and soft. Perfect for summer!

 

 

MUA Shade 15 Juicy - £1.00 - link

 

I am obsessed with this colour. I purchased this one because I wanted to break away from the traditional pink and went for a slight coral, but not too bright! This nude/coral colour lasts all day too. Definitely worth trying MUA lipsticks.

 

MAC Hue £14.00 - link

 

I found this in the Cosmetics Company Outlet store in Gunwharf Quays (I blogged about it here) and only paid £9.50 for it. It's a perfect every day nude lipstick and I do admire Mac for selling moisturised lipsticks.

 

 

Revlon Lip Butter Cotton Candy £7.99 - link

 

Okay so it's not exactly a lipstick but I have been wearing it almost every day for the last two weeks. They are incredibly moisturising and creamy, yet they are pigmented and give a long lasting coverage. I have two lip butters but definitely want to get more.

 

 

YSL Rouge Volupte Shade 1 - £24.50 - link

 

Sometimes I just can't justify a price on something, but with this I can. It feels so soft on my lips and has the creamiest texture. The colour is one of my favourites, and I am in love with the packaging.

 

x

 



Review | MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

MAC Mineralize Skinfish Natural has been a product on my wishlist ever since I started blogging. I'd constantly seen good reviews and wanted to try it out myself. I finally got round to purchasing it with this haul, and I have to say I wasn't let down.

The MUA at MAC explained to me that it adds a bit more coverage, and he recommends using it when you have a lot of foundation on and want a more natural look. This is my problem. My skin goes through really bad patches and I tend to layer on the concealer and foundation and powder in order to cover it up. However, I don't want it to look like I have layers of make up on, so after applying make up, I apply this with a powder brush.

I noticed a difference immediately. My skin looked more natural and less fake. It looked like I had a little bit of make up on and like I had good skin. I don't even need to apply much, so it will last a long time.

I will definitely repurchase this, it is now a permanent part of my every day make up routine. It costs £21.00 online - I have Medium Plus. :)

twitter | facebook | hellocotton | bloglovin | other blog | pinterest

x

Review | MAC Select Moisturecover

If you saw my MAC haul then you'll know I had a few reviews coming up of the products that I purchased. The first review is going to be the Select Moisturecover.

I was recommended shade NW20 and at first I was unsure as I am normally a NW15 in foundation and you're normally meant to get a little lighter than your skin tone. However, I trusted his judgement and it looked okay. However, when I got home and tried it out myself, I realised it was way too dark for me. I can't wear it alone, and have to put foundation over the top, so to be honest I can't really give it a full review as the idea was to purchase this to brighten under my eyes and allow me to not wear foundation.

Other than that, I really do like it. It is quite a thick consistency, but doesn't clog my pores. It feels like on the skin, and provides a good coverage. I apply under my eyes and on any problem areas and then blend in using my fingers or using a concealer brush. The concealer tends to last very well too.

Would I repurchase? I'm not too sure. I think I would have to try NW15 in order to get a full idea of how it feels, but it does a very similar job to my Collection concealer (review coming soon), which is a fraction of the price - so maybe it isn't worth it.

Select Moisturecover retails online at £14.50. What's your experience of MAC Select Moisturecover like?

twitter | facebook | hellocotton | bloglovin | other blog | pinterest

MAC Haul

When it comes to MAC, I often have a wishlist as long as my arm. However, when my amazing, amazing boyfriend gave me a £50 voucher to spend there, I had no clue what to get.

I visited the store in Carnaby Street and I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed with the staff. They all just stood around chatting and ignoring the customers, and when I asked for help choosing products to buy, he said something along the lines of "just buy what you want".

I purchased Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Plus, Select Moisturecover in NW20, Passionate Eye shadow, and Cremesheen Creme Cup lipstick.

Eventually, I chose a few things, and I'm really happy with my purchases. This came to a total of £59.50. I'm thinking of doing individual reviews of these, any you particularly want to see?

twitter | facebook | hellocotton | bloglovin | other blog | pinterest

Discounted MAC anyone?

Now I'm sure this title caught your attention, and no I'm not making it up. We all know MAC don't do sales, and everytime you see a cheap MAC product you immediately think 'FAKE'. Well, I know a little shop that has real MAC for a discounted price.

The shop I'm talking about is called Cosmetics Company Outlet, and after a little research I found out that there is more than one store and for more information, see Charlotte from Lipglossiping's blog post on it. The one I'm talking about is in Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. The area itself is lovely and full of outlet stores which I could spend all of my money in. There's also lots of restaurants and lovely views of the harbour; very worth a day visit (You can use that sentence when persuading your boyfriend to go with you.)

Cosmetics Company Outlet sells all Estee Lauder products (there may be more than you think!). These include MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique and Estee Lauder itself. The shop is quite small, so of course they don't store everything but they have a wide range. A few things I noticed in the shop include:

MAC make up brushes (not all)
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation
Clinique Cleansers
A lot of perfumes
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow palettes
MAC eyeshadows and lipsticks
+ many many more.

Now, I'm sure you're all thinking 'Ssh Jess and just tell us how much things cost in there'. It's roughly 30% off. I purchased MAC Hue lipstick last week for £9.50 (RRP £13.00)

Does this shop sound like heaven to you? It is for me!

January Favourites

I haven't done a monthly favourites post in a while, simply because I kept on using the same products. However, this month I've discovered some new products that I love, and also found some old favourites! It's mostly make up this month too, so a little different to previous. :)

The Murad Cleanser is something I received in GlossyBox a while ago, and then I put it in my Unwanted Beauty Box. Since using it, I have actually fallen in love. It has left my skin looking extremely clear, and I feel like it has made such a big difference.

The Barry M lipgloss came with the Impulse (I think it's still available in Superdrug?) I only really purchased it because I believed it was a good deal, but it is such a gorgeous colour, and it is my most favourite scented lipgloss ever.

MAC Snob* is my first ever MAC lipstick which I got for Christmas. It doesn't photograph very well, so the actual colour is different to how it looks here. However, I love it as it's very pink but still suitable for daytime (if I'm feeling a little adventurous).

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder is the latest addition to my MAC collection. I was thinking of doing a full review on this, would that be interesting? I think it is honestly going to be my holy grail product. I asked the assistant at MAC to help me, and her recommendation was perfect.

Barbara Daly High Impact Mascara* has made it onto the list. Supermarkets have never been the 'go-to' place for make up but I think my opinion on this may change. Barbara Daly has a range for Tesco, and I got sent this after completing a survery. I love volumising mascaras and this is perfect. And it is so easy to apply, not like some mascaras which have huge brush wands etc.

What are your January Favourites? And which of these products do you want to see individual reviews of?

x

*MAC Snob: Christmas present

*Barbara Daly Mascara: Completed survey and received for free

A New Addition To My MAC Palette

Just a quick post really to show you one of my Christmas presents that I didn't mention in my Christmas post. My mum bought me two MAC items of my choice just before Christmas, and I had to suffer seeing them under the tree and knowing what it was! Anyway, the first one was MAC Snob which for some reason is coming up really dark - not sure whether to blog about it or not seeing as it doesn't look right, but let me know if you want me to! The second thing I got was an eyeshadow called Expensive Pink. I originally wanted a really bright pink but they didn't have any so the MUA suggested this colour for my skin tone.

Although it has 'pink' in the name, it's more of a gold/coral with a hint of pink. It's a lovely colour though, and like all other MAC eyeshadows, very pigmented and easy to blend.

It looks lovely in my palette - and I know I've only got 3 but I'm getting there! The true colour of the Expensive Pink eyeshadow is more representative in the second photo. :)

Which MAC eyeshadow should I get next? :)

x

2011 Favourites

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Mine was amazing, I managed to see lots of people in two days as I was working Boxing Day and I got spoilt rotten! I'm going to do a post of some Christmas presents and a sales shopping haul (I didn't get much but I love what I did get). I've haven't done the posts yet as I haven't had any time to take photo's so for today I'll blog about my 2011 favourites (photos were taken a while back! #prepared). I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone, and what a year it's been!

Batiste Dry Shampoo.

I'm not sure if I first tried them this year or last, but they have certainly become a best friend of mine. As it takes me 2-3 hours to wash and blowdry my hair, I tend to avoid it until necessary (I'm smelly, I know). Batiste is amazing as it just helps me to look less like a tramp in the between wash days. I own a variety, including a mini version for my bag. Click the links to read reviews: Wild, XXL, and Floral & Flirty Blush.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

MAC had never been a part of my life before blogging, and I am super pleased with how good this foundation is. It applies easily and lasts all day, even through a 9 hour work shift or a workout at the gym.

Topshop Lipstick in Pillow Talk

I reviewed this here, and if you read the post you'll know it is the perfect shade for me. It's currently my favourite but I've got a MAC lipstick wishlist (and I KNOW Mac Snob is under my Christmas tree right now) so you never know if it will move down in the ranks soon.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Ah, my trustworthy eyeshadow palette. It contains every colour I need, and I've had so much fun just playing around with it and trying new things. I've also heard there's a Naked Palette 2 coming soon? Exciting stuff, although I don't think I need it if I already have this.

Tresemme Smooth Memory Straightening Spray

I purchased this simply to boost up my Boots bill to £40 so I could get a discount and I'm so glad I did. This works so well on my hair and keeps it super straight for longer. I love it, and I prefer it to the John Frieda 3 Day Straight which is also great, but to me it's not as good. See my review here.

What are your 2011 Favourites?

x

Pillow Talk FOTD

I thought I'd do a follow-up post on my Pillow Talk lipstick review with a FOTD of me wearing it. It's become my favourite lipstick by far and I love wearing it.

Note: It looks like I've photoshopped this photo but I haven't. All I did was lower the contrast and sharpen. :)

Products used:
MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW15
Benefit Coralista
Max Factor Smoky Eye Effect eyeshadow in Bronze Haze
No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black
Maybelline Colossal Mascara in Black
Topshop Lipstick (Pillow Talk)

x

MAC Collection

This is only a short post, more to ask for your help. Those of you know who read my 101 Things page will know that number 84 is to own 15 MAC eye shadows. I already owned Knight Divine from a while ago, but last week I purchased the 15 eye shadow palette and Carbon.

I seriously adore these two colours but I now have 13 spaces to fill. My aim is to have; colourful eye shadows on the top row; neutrals on the middle row; and blacks, greys etc on the bottom row.

I'm asking you, my lovely followers, to advise me on which eye shadows to get? Also, if you are selling any, do let me know!

x

Naked Palette FOTD

I'm never normally one to post FOTD's but new start and all that. Since getting my Urban Decay Naked Palette, I've had a ridiculous amount of fun playing with it and trying out different things. I just put on whatever I feel and sometimes it looks great, other times not so great. This was Wednesday's FOTD. I didn't really do much, apart from play around with make up (hence the FOTD) and visit my dad who I haven't seen in a while.

I'd also like to do a quick mention about my hair. Firstly, you can see it is slightly longer than beforehand, and it's also a lot darker than before. I've honestly had enough of styling my hair, I never know what to do and always end up having it down or in a messy bun. I need simple, quick styles please! Anyway, enough of my rambling, here's what I used:

Face:

Mac Studio Fix Fluid NW15

MUA Pressed Powder Shade 2

Accessorize Bronzer (don't know what shade as the writing has worn away!)

Lips:

Natural Collection Sheer Natural Lip Colour - Lotus

Eyeko Lipgloss - Primrose Hill

Eyes:

Urban Decay Naked Palette:

Sin on lids

Virgin in corner of my eyes

Half baked in crease

Darkhorse on edges

The Body Shop Kajal Eyeliner

Maybelline Falsies Mascara