MAC | Viva Glam Nicki Lipstick

Hey Everyone! Hope you're all well! I've recently found myself becoming slightly addicted to MAC lipsticks which is slightly worrying both on my bank balance and storage space. I wanted to take the time to gush over this lipstick and tell you all exactly what I think, even though it's a product which has been out for some time already. I'd been lusting over 'Viva Glam Nicki' for quite some time before I took the plunge and finally bought it a few weeks back. Now I'm not exactly a fan of Nicki Minaj's, but that's not to say I didn't completely fall in love with the colour and the formula. What made it an even more satisfying purchase was the fact that 100% profit made goes to women and men living with HIV and AIDs. It's so nice to see cosmetic companies giving something back, and it was definitely £14.00 well spent. 

I picked this up for the normal price of £14.00 from my local MAC store, pretty chuffed as it was the last one. What I love is the packaging - it still dons the sleek packaging like all MAC lipsticks, but with a reflective red hologram of Nicki Minaj's signature sprawled across the front which I think is a lovely touch. Rather than a silver band and logo on the casing it is also red to match the packaging. I personally really like it, and it's something really nice to add to my ever growing lipstick collection. 
 

 

When I swatched this in store, I noticed it wasn't a Cremesheen formula, but was a 'Satin' finish. I'd never tried one of these before because I'm so in love with my cremesheens, but I honestly can't believe I hadn't done earlier! Whereas Cremesheens have a tendency to be a little opaque with low to medium pigmentation, these require only one or two swipes for full colour pay off which is amazing. I'm so impressed with the finish this gives I'm going to pick up a shade or two from the Satin range and give them a bash. As you'll know if you own this beaut, it is ridiculousy pigmented. What's great about it is you can apply it with a light hand for a pop of colour for everyday, or you need only one or two swipes for full coverage.

I feel like I'm cheating on my Cremesheens! I secretly think I prefer the formula of a Satin lipstick. Not only is the pigmentation immense, but it also feels like my lips benefit from using it too. It's such a rich and creamy formula, very similar to Revlon's lip butters, and it carries the signature vanilla scent of MAC lipsticks. I also find that this doesn't budge throughout the entire day, so for a night out it is ideal. I know this type of colour is great for Summer. I've started stocking up on corals and neons to use when the weather warms up, but I have a feeling this may be the first I'll hit pan with. Other than Creme Cup, this is definitely amongst my favourite lipsticks.

Have you used Viva Glam Nicki by MAC before? What did you think?

Review | MAC Sunny Seoul Lipstick

MAC Sunny Seoul - £14.00 (Link)

Happy Monday Girls! Sigh. It's that horrible time of the week again where you start counting down the days until the weekend and contemplate why the weekend went by so quickly. Something which is definitely getting me past my own case case of the Monday blues is my most recent purchase from MAC, yet another product which I featured on my mini Westfield haul (read it here). Although I had what can only be described as an unpleasant experience while I was in there, I still can't rate the lipsticks highly enough. After all, who doesn't love a good old MAC lipstick? 

I originally saw this featured on Rebecca's blog over at AutumnLeaves and fell into a love affair where I couldn't wait to get my hands on my own. As with all lipsticks from their collection, it dons the famous bullet style applicator with a sheer silver band and MAC logo across the front. This carried the standard £14.00 price tag, and for a lipstick which will take me through to the Summer months I find this to be semi reasonable. I am yet to try other types of MAC lipstick as I adore the Cremesheen formulas but will take the plunge sometime soon as I spotted a gorgeous pink shade from the Matte selection. As with all of the Cremesheen lipsticks, it is a beautiful creamy formula with a hint of gloss running through it, meaning it moisturises the lips as well as looking good too; not to mention it also carries that gorgeous vanilla scent which makes it a dream to apply. They aren't particularly pigmented, and I find I need two or three swipes to get the desired colour pay off but I still adore the formula.

Sunny Seoul is described as a 'frosted light warm pink' which I think is bang on. I don't notice that there's too much 'frosting' but instead, just a light dusting of sparkle which is ideal. As with MAC's 'Shygirl', it is a perfect shade for an everyday lip. I'm sold on any nude or pink shade for a day to day basis, but don't get me wrong I can't wait to crack out the bright lipsticks for Summer! At first application of Sunny Seoul, it's quite opaque and I do feel that I need more swipes to get a similar colour to other Cremesheen's. None the less it's still a gorgeous shade and is soon becoming to be a favourite. Like I said, it's a dream to apply and I feel it brings my everyday make-up 'together'.

Have you tried MAC's Sunny Seoul lipstick? Which is your favourite shade?

Wishlist Series | February

Hi Girls! I'm feeling down knowing that tomorrow I go back to normality after having two weeks off. But to cheer myself up I've been looking at some bits I'm currently lusting after and hoping to buy once payday comes around! Firstly, I know I have enough bronzers to last me a lifetime but I swatched this leopard print one from Too Faced on the back of my hand and I immediately fell in love! It is such a nice shade and has a perfect amount of shimmer to it, so will be perfect for Summer. I am also close to hitting the pans of my Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes palette and as I use it on an everyday basis I need to get it replaced! I must admit I'm not too keen on the concealer it comes with, but the shadows are perfect and an easy go-to for everyday make up. I also know that MAC are launching their 'Archies Girl' collection sometime this month, so I'm super excited to see what goodies they have on offer!

While I was in Debenhams over the weekend I also spotted this stunning pink nail laquer by Chanel but unfortunately they had sold out in the shade!  I'l definitely be going back because I'm a Chanel nail polish virgin and have heard nothing but great things about them. I also want to pick up these Enrapture heated rollers because having to wait overnight for my extensions to set in normal velcro rollers is a chore and a half. Using these will shorten the process I usually dred by a hell of a lot! I also want to pick up this pretty pastel pink shade from YSL. As you can see I'm starting to stock up on Summer bits early because I am so over Winter and this cold weather. I'm counting down the days until I can get the corals and bright pinks out!

What is on your wishlist this month?

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Bronzer

Hello girls! Hope you're all well and have had a great week. If you read my previous post then you'll know I've been away on work experience at a magazine. I also mentioned that there was a nice few shops near the offices I was working at ... This shouldn't have been allowed for a girl like me as my lunch breaks were spent buying things I didn't really need but still bought anyway. I was in the MAC department of one of the bigger shops and was picking up a few new lipsticks when I spotted this little beauty. My 'holy grail' bronzer has always been Bourjois Delice de Poudre but I see that quickly changing as I'm absolutely obsessed with this little beaut. 

The packaging is pretty standard for MAC, just a compact black plastic case with its logo on the front which fits nice and snug inside my acrylic drawers. Some people couldn't justify £21 for a bronzer but I've read rave reviews about it, and a lot of people have commented on its ability to last long not only on your face but as a product itself. I fit an NC30 foundation in MAC and the woman was really lovely in helping me find a shade that suited my skin tone.  I went for 'Give Me Sun' and its not too orange and not too golden. It sits perfectly in the middle colour wise which I'm super impressed with.  I've not tried the mineralize skin finish powders before as I don't personally like a dewy finish on my face and would rather use a highlighter on my brow bone and down the centre of my nose. This isn't so shimmery you end up looking like a disco ball as its slightly matte but slightly dewy. A really weird skin finish to explain. 

I use my Real Techniques blush brush  to apply this bronzer and its got a lovely pigmentation to it. I don't find myself having to consistently scrape my brush against the product to get a bit of colour pay off which is great. I guess that's why it lasts such a long time?! It doesn't patch across my cheeks, jaw bone or sides of my forehead which is a huge added bonus as there's nothing worse than spotting that in a shop mirror with that lighting. 

All in all, I can see this quickly becoming a good replacement for my Bourjois bronzer even though its triple the price. I'd give it a huge thumbs up and once it runs out which it will have to do one day, I'd definitely repurchase it. I've had my eye on the MAC studio fix concealer so once I pick it up and give it a bash I'll let you girls know what I think of it. 

Have you used MAC's mineralize skin finish bronzer? What did you think?

January Wishlist

Hello :) Hope you're all great and you're well into your New Years resolutions (read my post here on all of my resolutions). One of mine was to loose a total of two stone within the year and I already have an update for you which I can hardly believe myself. Within one week of my diet and exercise regime I have lost seven pounds, the equivalent to half a stone. I really cannot believe it and I weighed myself three times just to be sure! I was thinking of doing a full post on my diet and fitness as at this time of year it's very fitting, so if you're interested then let me know by commenting below. In the meantime, darker evenings mean no time to take decent blog photos with decent lighting, so I've put together a list of things I'm currently lusting over!

1. Muji Acrylic Storage Drawers

I'm probably one of the last bloggers to have purchased these! Well, it certainly feels like it. I am beyond excited for mine to arrive so I can organise all of my make-up bits and I've also ordered the matching acrylic pen pot to store all of my make-up brushes next to the drawers. 

2. Lush Cupcake Face Mask

Another popular item among the blogging community! I've used this in the past and I absolutely loved it, of course the smell was amazing. I really love a bit of pamper time and this would be perfect to apply when I sit back in a bath of bubbles to relax.

3. Soap & Glory Hocus Pocus 

I won't ramble on about how much I'm loving S&G products at the moment, but to complete my skincare collection I need this lotion! It's sold out in the smaller Boots near my house so I'm off to the larger one tomorrow to pick one up. I've used this in the past and loved it!

4. Leopard Print Tangle Teezer

I've committed the ultimate crime and lost my beloved pink tangle teezer! Majorly gutted. But on the bright side, it gives me an excuse to go and buy a brand new one but instead of pink I've been eyeing up this cute leopard print one.

5. Real Techniques Powder Brush

Another Real Techniques brush I need to add to my collection! I use powder everyday to set my foundation so it makes sense to invest in a good brush a lot of bloggers swear by. I'm in love with my stippling brush so hope this is just as good.

6. MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Powder

I may shock a few of you here, but I've never tried a skin finish product from MAC! I rely on my trusty Rimmel 'Stay Matte' powder but am always open to try new things, hence I'm off to pick this beauty up on the weekend!

What is on your wishlist for this month?

Tag: Why Do You Wear Make Up?

Hi Ladies, hope you're all well and good. I was reading through a few blogs and saw this tag which I thought I would join in with. I'm a massive make-up lover! So I tag all my followers to join in aswell.

Image; weheartit

 

♥ When did you begin loving make-up? I've loved make-up for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I used to go up and visit my family in Stoke-on-Trent every so often and my older cousin would give me bags and bags full of things she no longer wanted. I remeber one morning like a kid on Christmas Eve opening some bags of goodies when I found a big blue box with all of those dodgy coloured eyeshadows and lipsticks and being so excited. From when I was just eight or nine years old, my daily attire consisted of electric blue eyeshadow and shocking red lipstick. Cringe. Once I got to high school I wore a bit of lipbalm and some Miss Sporty foundation, I don't know which is worse! When I was 16 and begun studying Beauty Therapy that's when things changed and my make-up became a little more acceptable. And now I have a stupid amount of products and am lucky enough to be able to mix up my make-up looks quite often.

♥ How do you feel without make-up? I'll be completely honest and say that I used to be the kind of girl who would never leave the house without a full face of make-up. Oh how times have changed. In the past few years I've learnt to feel completely comfortable without slap on, and even went to Westfield last week without any on and my hair in a messy bun! Now I know I'm not kidding anyone, and like any girl, I don't exactly feel myself and as confident without make-up but thats okay right?

♥ What do you like about make-up? I love the way you can create something whch is entirely your own. You can make such a difference to your look and the way that you feel just by switching up the colour of your lipstick. I also love the way you need to experiment by using loads of different products to find what suits you best. It hides all of your flaws and highlights features which you're proud of.

 

♥ Three 'Holy Grail' items - Only three? It's really hard to choose just three but if there had to be three then they are...

♥ MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC30
♥ 140 Eylure 'Naturalites' False Eyelashes
♥ Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
 

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MAC 'Shy Girl' Lipstick Dupe - NYX 'Pumpkin Pie'

Hi Everyone! I haven't got round to blogging for over a week! I've been so busy getting ready for my holiday which is now only just around the corner. I took myself to Westfield in Stratford throughout the weekend and popped into MAC just to buy myself some foundation. What ended up happening was ridiculous, as I ended up coming out of the store with a bag full of goodies including the cremesheen lipstick in the shade Shy Girl. I met Amy Childs last Wednesday at her perfume launch on Oxford Street and I loved the lipstick she had on. I asked her what it was and turns out it was from none other than trusty MAC! 

Alot of people are somewhat dubious as to why you would spend £14.00 on a lipstick, but my MAC collection has never failed me. I love the cremesheen range as they add the perfect amount of gloss without becoming sticky and have a fantastic formula which means there is extra staying power and it never budges out of place. The only thing I probably dislike is the smell. It has that awful smell of chemicals which is really off putting, especially first thing in the morning. I was also looking through my make-up box a few days back (yes a box. I don't do make-up bags) when I came across a lipstick I'd forgotten I owned and hadn't even opened. To my horror, the shades were practically identical. I purchased 'Pumpkin Pie' a few months back for no more than £3.00 and although the formula doesn't quite match up to MAC's Shy Girl, it's still a lipstick I could use on the go.

I'm an absolute sucker for nudes and pale pinks, so for colour this definitely gets a 10 out of 10 from me! Pumpkin Pie is a very subtle colour, and isn't nearly as pigmented as Shy Girl as I found myself applying up to three coats to achieve a similar colour. It didn't glide on as easily as Shy Girl, but for only £3.00 it's hard to justify why I can't use my NYX more often. It contains a small amount of gloss, again not too much that it's sticky and sits awkwardly on my lips. I did find that after a few hours that the cracks in my lips were beginning to show but it was easily fixed by a quick top up. For packaging, I obviously completely prefer that of MAC's Shy Girl. All the lipsticks from MAC are so sleek looking, and I can't help but think Pumpkin Pie is a little tacky looking. It will be absolutely perfect to replace my Shy Girl lipstick when I go on holiday as I'm so clumsy and will probably end up dropping my MAC into the sea! I've bought a load of drugstore lipsticks recently for this purpose and may post a small haul showing you all what goodies I've managed to find.

Do you own any MAC Cremesheen lipsticks? Which is your favourite shade?

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July Favourites

So, it's that time of month where all beauty bloggers reveal their favourite finds from throughout the month. I admit that July has been a great month for me in terms of finding lovely products which I've been in turn obsessing over, and I'd love to share them all with you. This is my first monthly favourites post and it's a little picture heavy so I apologise in advance.

Sleep Rollers - You must have been hiding under a rock if you haven't heard of these little beauties. I bought them a few months back and ever since then I've worn them at every given opportunity as I love them so much. I'm planning to do a full review of these, as I know rollers and especially Sleep Rollers are a hair product that people are very apprehensive about. But they're great for me, and I've been using them all month to achieve big bouncy hair. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo for Dark Brown Hair - Sometimes you just can't be bothered to wash your locks, and have to sit through blow drying your hair with the annoying prospect of being unable to style your hair on the day it has been washed. I've been loving the dry shampoo from Batiste which adds a tone of dark brown to your hair, which is great if your roots begin to come through. (I'm slightly guilty of this now, my natural hair is blonde so it looks disgustingly grey against my dark brown hair. Eek!)

St Tropez Gradual Tan Moisturiser - In recently raved about the infamous Dove Summer Glow Body Moisturiser, but I've found an even better replacement. Sure, it may be a little on the pricey side, but for a gradual tanning product which delivers nicer, longer lasting results I can just about justify it. I am loving this stuff, and plan to write a full review on it soon.

ReBorn at New Look Cross and Pearl Necklace - If you read my blog you'll know that I recently bought this necklace for a bargain of only £6.00 at New Look in Westfield, London. Since then, I've been wearing it with pretty much everything. I love that it's so versatile and doesn't catch in my long hair either which is a huge added bonus. Read my full review on it here. 

Benefit Get Bent Mascara - I love Benefit make up, and I've never been disappointed when purchasing something. I love the packaging of this mascara and it looks lovely in my make-up bag when I could never usually find my mascara buried under everything. It gives my lashes great volume and the brush is angled which makes for great application.

Nails Inc in Love Potion - I'm a complete sucker for pale barbie pink nail polishes as I find that they really bring out a tan. Nails Inc have a great selection of colours, and this ticks all the right boxes. It's chip resistant, long lasting and very pigmented. I only need to apply one coat and I'm good to go.

MAC Lusture Lipstick in Jubilee - As I've mentioned in previous posts, I absolutely adore pale pink and nude lipsticks. Having accumulated quite the collection on lipsticks, I've been using MAC's Lusture lipstick which gives a lovely glossy finish and long lasting colour. 

Rescue Oil - It's almost time to put on my bikini and get tanning when I jet off on holiday in a few weeks time. EEEK! I've been doing some body prep and begun using Rescue Oil which contains the same ingredients as Bio Oil but is a fraction of the price. I'm planning to do a full review of this sometime soon so I can tell you just how amazing this stuff is!

Soap and Glory Flake Away - I adore Soap and Glory! The packaging, the smell, the price and of course the product. Flake Away is great as an exfoliator to prepare your skin for tanning, and it makes it unbelievably soft. It makes e that little less frightened to get my legs out when the sun shines.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub - I am so addicted to this stuff, and find myself reaching for it at every given moment before I put my make-up on. I recently done a review on it here so take a read and see why I love it so much.

What were your favourite products from this month?


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