current loves #1 | the beauty edition

It occurred to me that I don't buy enough products each month to justify doing a monthly favourite but I do love sharing what I have been enjoying using lately. This is the beauty edition and I will be soon sharing my non-beauty favourites which is always an exciting time. 

I have been trying to grow my hair out lately and I suddenly decided that I don't like to straighten my hair anymore so I bought this Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray to give my hair some movement. I didn't get on too well with the Bumble and Bumble sea salt spray but I have been loving using this Toni & Guy one and it smells pretty good too! I won't talk about it too much as I will have a review post dedicated to this soon.

Digging through my blush collection, I re-discovered the Benefit Dallas Boxed Powder which was one of the first makeup products I had ever bought. This is the perfect glowy, radiant and the 'I have just been out in the fields picking daisies' look. I'm slowly moving back into powder blushes after my very long stint with cream blushes and this is just perfect for that.

I used to use the MAC Lustre Drops all the time last year then for some reason I stopped. But lately I've been picking it up and dotting it along the top of my cheekbones before blending to give me a beautiful glow. The shade I have is Pink Rebel and is perfect for an effortless radiant look.

If you told me a month ago that I'd start wearing nude eyeliner, I would probably laugh in your face. It was a pretty foreign concept to me and something I didn't understand. I impulsively bought the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in nude as they had a buy one get one half price offer and I have really loved using it on my lower waterline. Having Asian eyes is a bit of nuisance but the nude eyeliner really opens up my eyes and makes them bigger *thumbs up*. 

What have you been loving lately?

Vanessa

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review: MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Vintage Selection

I was so gutted when I missed out on Vintage Selection when it was limited edition in the Cham-pale collection. Fast forward a year or so later and an announcement that MAC were releasing more paint pot shades and re-releasing a few for the permanent collection. Cue my obsession with owning Vintage Selection! 

I finally got my hands on it with one of Debenhams 10% discounts and I must say it's love. It's described as a 'frosted dirty peach' but I think it leans more on the pink side of peach. I am a huge fan of the paint pots formulation, really creamy and easy to use. A word of caution, I do find they dry out with long periods of un-use so it's best to keep regular use of it, or your eye on it! This shade in particular has a little too much glitter/shimmer in it for my liking but I've been using it everyday since I got it nonetheless. With a little UD Smog in the outer corner, you're good to go!

Vintage Selection is £14.50 which is obviously a bit more expensive that your standard high street cream eyeshadows but it is such a unique colour and very versatile!

Were you excited when MAC re-released some old favourites that you were pining after?

Vanessa

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review: mac - speak louder cremesheen lipstick

My first MAC lipstick. What can I say? It's love. I don't live near a MAC so I spent a lot of time researching which lipstick I should invest in and then purchased it online as a treat for completing my 'no jeans month'. The one I chose is 'Speak Louder' which is a cremesheen and is described as a 'clean poppy blue pink'.

I want to be more brave and start sporting a bright-ish pink lip so this looked like something I wouldn't mind leaving the house in. I'm such a MAC noob that I wouldn't really be able to tell you about the different finishes and formulas of the lipsticks and I'm sure other bloggers can explain it ten trillion times better than me. 

I have such difficulty describing shades but I'll try my best. This is a muted poppy pink colour that doesn't look as scary in stick form as it does on my lips. It goes with my skin tone really well and it is such an amazing investment. It can be used as a subtle shade that just enhances the beautifullness of your natural lip colour or you can build it up and sport a lovely bright pink lip. I prep my lips by using a Lush lip scrub first to get rid of any annoying dry flaky bitties on my lips and then this glides on like a dream. Such a great investment!

'Speak Louder' is £14.00 and can be purchased from a MAC counter or online. 

Are there any lipsticks (whether it be MAC or not!) that is your favourite?

Vanessa

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fotd: shine bright like a diamond

Awkward smile o_O

Ahhh, don't you just love annual leave days? Being cooped up in one room and stuck to one chair for 10 hours at a time really makes your appreciate days off more. Today, I went off to the cinema! I'm enjoying this Cineworld Unlimited card malarky already!

I made a bit more effort with my makeup today and broke out my UD Naked palette. I'm working on a little photography project with my brother later tonight so I wanted to look slightly more human than usual.

Surprisingly, I've really loved using Rimmel's Match Perfection foundation. I'm absolutely terrible at colour matching my skin to drugstore foundation but I've finally made the right choice! Success! (Review on this will be on soon!)

Do you like to jam pack your days off or do you prefer to chill out at home?

Vanessa

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Weekly Wishlist #3: Autumn Edition

MAC Face and Body Foundation: £26.50

H&M Trenchcoat: £29.99

Coast Tassel Wrap: £35

ALDO Mandina Boots: £80.00

NARS Penny Lane Cream Blush: £21.00

It definitely doesn't feel like it recently with the glorious sunshine we've been having but when it reaches September, I always look forward to the colder months because it means wrapping up in layers and being all cuddly and warm. I haven't done a weekly wishlist in a while (oops!) but these new Autumn trends are so inviting that an Autumn Wishlist was begging to be made!

Some of the items I've picked have been featured at some point or another on the blog and yes, they're still on my mind! The coast tassel wrap was featured in my House of Fraser Blogger Challenge and I've been loving the 'burgundy' colour trend this season. It's so muted and wearable! I've been hunting down a pair of black western style boots and when I saw these ALDO ones in London, I was a bit disappointed I couldn't get the suede ones in black. Defeated, I continued on my search but now looking back...I really like the tan coloured ones. That's what I get for being so closed-minded sometimes eh?

I've had my current blue trenchcoat from H&M for at least a year and a half now and it's been through quite a lot! I'm on the lookout for a new one and I've been loving the plaid/tweed trend. Will be so nice to wear for the 'ooh, I don't know if it's cold enough to wear a full on thick jacket' weather. We all experience that at least once!

I've heard such great things about MAC's Face and Body foundation. I'm all about going after the natural look so I think this will be great for me when I'm cooped up at the office! It seems like a good investment as the bottle size is quite large but only a small amount is needed (always thinking thrifty!) The worse thing is that I don't live near a MAC counter so I'm a bit wary about ordering online without knowing which shade is best for me. Next time I'm in Glasgow, I'll know where I'm going first! Lastly, I've been after a cream blush for a while and NARS always do a great colour range. Penny Lane looks like such a great Autumn/Winter shade. I'm slowly veering away from bright glittery blushes and gravitating towards more muted and 'Winter Rose' shades. That's what I get for growing up!

I've had such a great time surfing the net and picking out these items but treading on dangerous ground now that there is so many great things coming out now!

What are your 'must have' Autumn pieces?

Vanessa

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What's in my make-up bag?: Travel Edition

This week, I will be leaving the land of Scots and travelling down to London for the weekend to visit my friend. I thought it would be a good idea to show you the contents of my make-up bag that I'm taking with me!

The make-up bag is from John Lewis that I got ages ago. I think this was my first ever make-up bag and every single piece of make-up actually fit in here! How things change...! Grab a hot beverage of your choice, relax and let's get going!

Super + BB Cream

So I don't have to take a foundation brush with me, I'm sticking with BB Cream that can be applied with my fingers.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural

Powder. Standard.

MAC Eyeshadow Quad

Contents include: Nylon, Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch and Quarry.

Vivo Baked Blush in 'Peaches & Cream'

Was debating between two but I think this one will come with me!

HD Brows Kit

For lovely eyebrow goodness.

Revlon Lip Butter in 'Sweet Tart'

I really like this shade and great for day and night!

MAC Painterly Paint Pot

Eye base/primer

Benefit Porefessional

I've tried this and I'm not a big fan. Makes my face feel slick *shudders*. I'm willing to give this another try before disposing of it!

MAC Lustre Drops in 'Pink Rebel'

Favourite liquid highlighter! Love mixing a little of this in with my BB Cream.

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil 

Seems pointless to bring this as well as the HD Brows Kit but this actually matches my eyebrow colour better.

17 Peep Show Mascara

Love this mascara! So inexpensive as well!

Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain in 'Honey'

I have been loving the balm stains! So wearable and easy to apply as well, no need for a mirror really!

Majolica Majorca Cream Eye Pencil

It's so mini you can barely see it in the photo! MummyOrchid is going to HK in November so she's going to pick me up a full sized one!

Garnier Tinted Eye Roll On

For the mornings after the night before where I might have consumed a bit too much wine!

That's it! A bit excessive? I think so but I'm trying to use up as much make-up as I can before buying any more so it's well justified! 

What are your key essential make-up items when you go travelling?

Vanessa

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Drawing a Line: An Eyeliner Review

Eyeliner was definitely one of the first make-up items I bought when I was dabbling in make-up. I find that eyeliner just completes your eye look and manages to create amazing illusions like making your eyes look smaller or bigger. I thought I would go over my some of my eyeliner finds and some recommendations for you lovely readers if you're on the market for a new one or is just starting out with make-up!

Left to Right: MUA Eyeliner, MAC Kohl 'Smoulder', Topshop 'Saddle', Topshop 'Juniper', Majolica Majorca, Stila Smudge Stick 'Moray', UD 'Zero', UD 'Whisky'.

MUA Eyeliner in Jet Black: This a recent addition and at only £1, I'm really impressed with the quality. It's really creamy but I found that it smudges really easily so I'm not quite sure how long it would last on my eyes without setting it with a black eyeshadow. I'm also really impressed that the lid comes with a sharpener so it's pretty handy!

MAC Eye Kohl in Smoulder: I usually don't have a bad word to say about MAC as I research their products a lot before buying them and I'm never disappointed with them thereafter, but I'm finding it really difficult to still be friends with this eyeliner! It is a proper black eyeliner (as shown above) and it was once a favourite of mine but now whenever I try and use it, it just drags over my lids and even when swatching it on my hand it just dragged and pulled on my hand. *sigh* I really want to love this again but I guess you win some and lose some.

Topshop Kohl in Saddle: I love this eyeliner. It is a soft deep bronzy/brown shade and it's pretty much perfect for those days where you don't want to go too heavy with a black eyeliner. Lovely!

Topshop Kohl in Juniper: Another Topshop eyeliner in a deep Aubergine colour. It's something a little different to what I would usually go for but I did find myself reaching for this often when I bought it! Again, really creamy and it didn't drag across the lids. Topshop...you can do no wrong!

Majolica Majorca Cream Pencil Liner: This is a little diddle one I got for free when I bought a mascara in Hong Kong and it's pretty amazing! It's the perfect shade of black, creamy, applies well but the only gripe I have is that it is a bugger to remove from my eyes! (Anyone have any good eye makeup remover recommendations?) I'm also sad that it is a small sample size so hopefully when I got back to Hong Kong this year I can get the full size!

Stila Smudge Stick in Moray: I got this from my Glossybox absolutely yonks ago! It's a really nice product and the colour is amazing with a small hint of shimmer in it! I love using this to create a winged eyeliner look and was really pretty in the Wintertime! Can't wait to use it again in the colder months!

Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero: I do have a problem with using UD eyeliners. I don't doubt their quality at all but I just can't quite put my finger on it! It is a really nice jet black shade but not as black as the Majolica Majorca one.

Urban Decay 24/7 in Whisky: I believe this shade is limited edition that came with the Original Naked Palette before they started including a brush in the set. But it's UD so 'see above'. Sorry UD, love your eyeshadows but I'm not sold on your eyeliners yet!

What do you think? What is your favourite eyeliner?

Vanessa

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MAC Lustre Drops 'Pink Rebel'

It's obviously clear that I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to spending money. BUT Debenhams had 10% off all beauty items a wee while ago and I couldn't not take up the offer! And they were offering 500 Beauty Points for purchases over £40 so a few items made its way into my basket.

One of my purchases were MAC's Lustre Drops. I had heard about how this was limited edition but now made their way onto their permanent line (I'm not quite sure if this is entirely true but they are still available at time of writing) so I was excited to try it out. I picked up the shade 'Pink Rebel'. I was looking for a highlighting powder (obviously swaying towards MAC's Soft and Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish) but this appealed to me more because of its versatility.

It is what I can describe it as a liquid highlighter. It can be used on your cheekbones, browbone, cupids bow etc...the possibilities are endless! But my favourite way of using it is to mix a little bit of it into my foundation and it just gives the most perfect dewy fresh look! It reminded me of Benefit's High Beam which I find to be more on the pink side and the formulation is a lot thicker. The consistency of the Lustre Drops is liquidy but it still has some hold (if you know what I mean!) making it easy to be used for various purposes.

MAC Lustre Drops also come in the shade 'Sun Rush' and retail for £17.50.

What do you think of liquid highlighters? Or do you prefer powder highlighters?

Vanessa

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MAC Pro Colour Compact

Do you ever get that oh so satisfying feeling when you see that matte black MAC packaging? I certainly do...I think it's more to do with the fact that I don't live anywhere near a MAC so when I do make a cheeky wee order online, it's quite a big deal for me (and my bank account!).


I have three eyeshadows that I had been meaning to depot for a while so with so much time on my hands I decided to bite the bullet and get on with it!

I didn't own a MAC palette before this one, but have they changed the MAC palettes? They seem a little different to me for some reason!

So here are the eyeshadows finally depotted, magnetted and presented! I used FleurDeForce's video as a reference point as to how to do it. Surprisingly, it was very easy!

Top left: Quarry
Top Right: Naked Lunch
Bottom Left: Satin Taupe

You might notice that one of beloved eyeshadows broke! (Wahhhhh!) Really was my own silly fault as I had dropped it (I'm so clumsy that I make Bella Swan look elegant!).


As you may also notice, I still have one space for another eyeshadow. I'm thinking about getting a lighter shade like Nylon or Vanilla so if I need to travel anywhere, I can just take this small palette with all the colours that I really need.


What do you think? Which colour should I get to complete my quad?

Vanessa

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MAC Paint Pot vs. Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo

I'm a firm believer that every girl should have at least one cream eyeshadow in their makeup bag. They are so easy to apply and come in an array of wearable colours. Mac paint pots have been a front runner for quite a while now but drugstore brands are quickly catching on with the likes of Maybelline recently releasing their cream eyeshadows in the UK not long ago. But how do these products compare? One being on the higher price end of the scale and the other quite affordable.

MAC

MAC house their paint pots in their infamous glass jars with a black screw top lid. I really like this type of packaging, and I always sleep better at night knowing that my paint pot won't dry out any time soon.

I have 3 shades: Soft Ochre, Bare Study and Painterly. I rarely ever use primer any more and prefer to use Painterly as a substitute as I find it less greasy and my eyeshadows last longer without the feeling of the colour slipping off my eyes!

Maybelline

The new kid on the market! They kind of crept on the scene here in the UK after being hyped up in the US. I didn't have that 'purgatory' wait for them like with the Revlon Lip Butters which made the experience of buying them that little bit better. I'm certainly disappointed that they renamed the colours here in the UK. I have an understanding that in the US they call these colours 'Bad to the Bronze' and 'Tough as Taupe'. I don't know why they didn't keep the same names....baffling! Another disappointment was the colour range, the US have 10(?) shades and we here in the UK have 5. Maybelline, get it sorted!

Again, they are housed in glass jars like an homage to the MAC paint pots. I think that's what makes them a good alternative as you feel like you're getting a really good product.

Swatches

MAC

Left to right: Soft Ochre, Bare Study and Painterly

The MAC paint pots are very pigmented. They apply really creamy and can be worn under eyeshadow for a more buildable colour or even on their own. They blend really evenly and are a really good alternative to using eyeshadow primer. Bare Study is by far my favourite shade! If I don't feel like wearing anything too heavy on my eyes, this is my go to product! Painterly comes a very close second with my preferable use as a primer.

Maybelline

Left to right: On and On Bronze and Permanent Taupe

It's been said before and I'll say it again, by gosh they are really pigmented! The colour pay-off is really really good for a drugstore product. Again, they have a creamy texture and they claim to last for 24 hours...? If you are ever up for 24 hours and wearing make up at that time, please let me know how you get on! I have found them, especially On and On Bronze, to crease on me slightly which isn't a really good look! Permanent Taupe is more of a grey shade than a taupe shade, I'm finding this colour difficult to wear though. But other than that, they are VERY comparable to MAC paint pots!

In my opinion, I do prefer the MAC paint pots to the Maybelline Colour Tattoos. Not because I am a makeup snob but I always reach for the paint pots more so than the Colour Tattoos. Although the colour pay off of the Colour Tattoos are immense my love for the paint pots shall not cease!

MAC paint pots retail for £14.50 and can be found here

Maybelline Colour Tattoos retail for £4.99 and can be found here

What do you think? Have you used either of these products before? Which one is your favourite?

Vanessa

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