M.A.C Paint Pots

A very long while ago (this review was meant to be written so last year), my late gran had generously given me a whopping £100 for me to spend (yes, I'm so spoiled blah blah blah do your granparents who love you so much not do anything just to spoil you? I would spoil my grand kids if I was ever to be a gran -unlikely). How wise of me to splosh it on M.A.C products!
In Edinburgh, the only place you could find a M.A.C counter is in Harvey Nichols, and it is a thing that Harvey Nics keeps "Customer file" on their system. What it is, is that they will have a history of all the things you've have bought from the store. One time, a friend told me he was extremely clueless at the M.A.C counter there because HE was trying to purchase a christmas gift for his sister (how sweet!). So anyway, he asked the assistant to check under my file and asked them to pick out the items I had bought before from them. Clearly my file has helped some! haha
Ok..so moving from my little story that's totally not related to this review.....so I bought some stuff from M.A.C and part of the purchase were the Paint Pots:

[Left] Blackground [Right] Indiawood

Swatches

I picked these two colours because they go with most of the colours I wear regularly ie. from the Urban Decay Naked palette. Blackground is obviously a black but this one comes with some shimmer to it. Indiawood is brown with a hint of gold and shimmer.
Paint pots are really good to use as a base for your lids as well as applying it on it's own. Using it as a base colour then applying eyeshawdow to complete a look means the eyeshadow will stay on longer and it won't crease. So you don't really need to apply eye primer if you don't want to.
Another use for this is, as I have discovered is that you could use it like you would use a gel-liner. Very often I would do my eyeline with my black paint pot because I know it will last so much longer, it doesn't smudge/melt in fact! without eye make-up remover I find this product just won't budge! However, it may fade over the hours, so I always bring it out with me along with a mini liner brush just incase. Certainly a good product if you have oily eyelids like moi! (I have very oily eyelids in fact!) These are also very pigmented.
This product is currently retailed at £13.50 which I think is a good price for a product that could be so versitile in my opinion. If I think about it, it costs the same for the Graphik Technakohl  retractable eye-liner pen (one I normally use but currently ran out of), paint pots will last you for what seem like forever and the eye-liner pen will probably run out within two months for me. I must say though, a pen is more convinient than a jar! However, for a skint student like me, if you could save a little and use that money to buy something else different -then why not? Right?

H&M Haul

Other than the MAC blush and eyeshadows I went to H&M in a hunt to buy a few pieces for me to wear in this gradual warming weather. I'll just load the pictures and price to make it short and simple =] Before so, I would like to Congratualate Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton. I watched the wedding live on BBC and the most beautiful thing I opened my eyes to today was the stunning McQueen dress. The simplicity level of the dress surprises me, and I also love how it not only eccentuates Kate's body but her general style. Watching the Royal Wedding makes me proud to be British. =]

Shirt £7.99 Dress £12.99

Better view of the summer dress

Shirt same as above. Tube top £2.99 Harem jersey trousers £7.99

Looks better with the shirt knotted up to be honest =]

More hauls to come later!

Quite Cute

As a birthday gift this year from two of my friends, I recieved £20voucher to spend at Harvey Nichols! It honestly took me a while to think wisely what I should spend on. I thought of the following:

• Another Laura Mercier silk creme foundation but in a brighter(?) shade
• Laura Mercier face primer
• Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
• NARS blushes

I must have considered some other stuff but I'm having a blank moment just now. Anyway, here's what I resulted in purchasing:

M.A.C's Quite Cute collection

Aren't they cute? As soon as I saw the the colours, I had to check it out. I'm not too hyped about with the pencils or nail laquers but everything else just makes me want to grab them all!!! Unfortunely, although I had a £20 voucher, I'm still a poor student with me own car to finance! So I had to make another wise decision on what to get from this collection!

Mineralize Blush in Sakura

swatch

Tell me, how pretty is this?!!! It's a pastel purple with a pink undertone and a small amount of shimmer and  the heart at the middle is just a darker and vibrant shade of the pastel purple, when mixed together it breates this plummy colour on your cheeks. I tried it on, and thought it was a real good colour for a girly innocent look. My suggestion is to definitely apply this on gradually and gently because you don't want to look like you're....drunk?
The only thing I'm not too keen on is the fact that because it's a baked powder, the powder don't tend to stick on as well as say, compare to my MAC blush in Style. However it is still pretty pigmented.
This was priced £18.

MAC's Quite Cute 4x eyeshadow palette in Cute

From Left: Boycrazy, Moshi Moshi, Goody Goody Gum Drop and Azuki Bean

I've been thinking I should move away a little from my Urban Decay Naked palette for the spring/summer
season and add some colour. What better way to do this than to grab some pastel colours? =D The colours on this palette are all wearable to me - I do get annoyed when I purchase a palette and there are colours I don't wear.
I cant' say these are very pigmented though, but I should really try them out on my eyes first beofer I say anything bad about it (although Moshi Moshi is rather chalky! eeekkk)

Moshi Moshi - a lime-yellow colour with white shimmers
Good Good Gum Drop - a pastel pink with only a tiny bit of shimmer
Boycrazy - a pastel purple with again, white shimmers
Azuki Bean - a dark purple with brown undertone and white shimmers

This was priced at £33.
So in total it would have been £51! Got £20 knocked off, and paid £31! (There you go, a little bit of primary maths for you lol!)
When I do a look with these products, I will probably post photos here (I'm still unable to do any videos because I don't have a good camera.......perhaps I should use my phone -just a though..)

I have bought other things seeing as I was out in town, posts about other hauls will be posted on soon!

Bargain: Asda Clear Skin facial wipes

So one time shopping in Asda with my boyfriend for food, I always lurk to the skin essentials aisle. I normally just pick up some cutton buds or cotton pads, but decided to purchase a pack of facial wipes for lazy nights when I just can't be bothered to do the usual routine and but still want to get rid of any make-up before I doze off (at least my skin could breath then).

At the time I think it was retailed at 80p per pack, but I think it is now £1? However it is still extremely affordable. I absolutely love these wipes because they contain tea tree and witch hazel to help prevent spots. It leaves this tingling feeling that makes my face feel refreshed. It also clears up a lot if not all of my make up off. Compare to the usual drugstore wipes that retails from £4+ this does the job for me for a smaller price.
Of course I don't rely on it everyday, but it's really handy for me if I'm away from home, staying over at Newcastle for example.
The only thing about this is that I would never use this to clear up any eye make-up because the ingrediants would be too harsh for the eyes, and generally I would never use facial wipes to remove eye-make-up. I prefer using my Botanics eye make up remover as it keeps my eyes soft and supple.
In saying so, the wipes it self may not be as soft or as good quality as pricier ones, but as long as you don't rub too hard against your but gently rub in circles, it should be fine. =]

11 most reached products

This is a tag that's been going around amongst a few beauty gurus that I follow on YT. Because I have still not purchased a better camera, and I actually don't feel like making a new video still, I decided to put it on here instead. I thought this would make a good topic idea for me to blab about. =P
So below are 11 products (be it make-up or skincare) that I most reached for (use a lot of)....
[I'm aware that a few products I have spoke about before.]

Garnier Roll-on concealer

I use this almost everytime I apply make-up to conceal my eyes. I adore this product because it really brightens up my eyes when I haven't had enough sleep previously (or in some cases, no sleep at all). It coveres panda eyes really well and it also contains caffiene to help de-puff eyes -which usually is a big problem for me when I'm so tired-looking. Definitely recommend this!

Soap&Glory's 'Bright Here Bright Now'

I can't really say this is a moisturiser, because I don't use it as my moisturiser although it does have moisturising properties. I really like this product because it does what it is marketed to be! Yes it does brighten up my skin when I'm tired and it does "look-like" I have more energy in me. All in all it jsut brings more radiance in me. I've using this like a face primer a lot lately, but in saying so not all foundations that I have blends very well with it, Rimmel's Long Lasting 25hr foundation doesn't for example (becomes flakey?)

Show Time lashes by Sasatinnie (SASA) in DAYLIGHT

These are definitly my everyday go-to lashes (although I do not wear lashes everyday but I reach for these most). These are suitable for daytime looks because they aren't the extremely exaggerated kinds. I wouldn't say they give me that natural look, but to be honest if I was to go for the natural look, my own lashes would do fine (mines are long enough, just need a touch of volume). Anyway, what I like about these lashes is that they eccentuate my eyes. I can't say I love them more then the eylure lashes though because to be honest, these are not as good quality, not as easy as the eylure lashes to put on. However, I use them for casual daytime looks.
They came in a pack of 10, and I bought these in Hong Kong at Sasa for a reasonable price (that I can't remember). Glue is not included (but I prefer to use the Eylure glues that I have anyway).

Maybelline's Volum' Express turbo boost wasterproof mascara in black

I LOVE this mascara, I don't think I will EVER fall in love with another mascara! I've tried a few mascaras, I could never find the perfect formula until I found this one, and since then, I've just stuck this mascara for years and years. I don't think it's necessary to very much on mascara after you've found the perfect one. However I have a vibe that this one is discontinued? I haven't checked because I haven't purchased mascara quite a while now! This does become clumpy as the product ages but I'm not too bothered about it because it gives the volume I need for my lashes -in saying so I must purchase a new one soon!

Botanics First signs of ageing Eye and Lip serum

I've been using this for almost a year now and I'm on my second tube (so probably lasts me one tube per half year) and I use this every day and night! For a 15ml product, that's good enough.
It claims to reduce wrinkles on eyes n lips within 4 weeks. However being 22 of age, I don't really have wrinkles yet but because it says it moisturises and firms I decided to purchase it.
Little did I know that this wonderful product for such a decent price (around £8?) real potential lies in the fact that it allows my eyelashes to grow what feels like 10 times faster than normal! Before I used this product I had lashes that were a bit sparse because of harsh curling and tugging, so it was very uneven. I noticed after about two months of using this, that my lashes started to grow back out faster and suddenly! my lashes are much more even now (not perfect just even). This is probably due to the horse chestnut and poagoda tree ingrediants that's packed inside.

Botanics Soothing Eye Make-Up Remover

I know this product has been talked about before, for example by Stylesuzi and Cherrychan108 on YT. Both who I know have given a relatively good review about it.
I discovered this products years ago, even before I read or saw any reviews about it. I must say, I don't use anyother eye make-up remover but this one. It's affordable (£3.99 I think it retails at? Something like that), it keeps my eyes soft and it contains nothing that will make my eyes become sensitive.
In the bottle, the liquid comes in two layers; the bottom layer is green and I'm guessing it's where the iceland moss ingrediant lies in and this helps to soothe and hydrate your eyes, and the top layer is a clear oily liquid, the kind you get in baby oils and this helps to soften and removes any make-up and dirt on your eyes.

Laura Mercier's Silk Creme Foundation

Shade: Beige Ivory

I have spoke about this foundation in my last post, so I don't want to go on about it too much. But I reach for this product almost all the time now. Compare to the Rimmel one I also reviewed about last time, this one has higher coverage, so much better, that it covers a lot of my scars and blemishes so that I don't have to use too much concealer. As I've mentioned before I am still not too keen on the shade that was matched with my skin but it still blends very well, even I prefer it a shade lighter. Perhaps this is a good one for the summer coming.

Shu Uemura's red:juvenus lotion

Before I put my make-up on, one of the steps I do in my daytime skincare routine is to slap some of this on. This helps to hydrate my skin and it refreshes my skin. Once you've put this one, you would feel like your skin is being masked with what feels like enriched water. I realised my skin became better in terms of radiance and even blemishes, though they exist, they are smaller compare to the big fat lumpy ones I used to get. This is probably because it has given my skin more hydration; it's like giving some air for someone to breath to feel better. I bought this for £28, the price may vary now since the VAT has shot up to 20% (I bought this in December when it was still a standard 17.5%).

Urban Decay Naked Palette

This is the palette in which a huge amount of gurus had reviewed about. So far I have heard nothing bad about it. I go to this palette so often I don't think I touch my other eyeshadows or palettes anymore (well, not as often as this one). I love it for the same reasons as other people; it's colours are all wearable to me, be it for a casual daytime look or a nightime going out look; they are very well pigmented....just everything about it, makes it the perfect palette to go to. I take this with me whenever I travel down to Newcastle, it's convienent as I don't have to think much about what eyeshadows to bring, when all the shades I would often use are packed into one palette here!
This also came with a double-ended eyeliner (the 24/7 eyeliners in whiskey - brown - and zero -black-) and a small primer potion. When I bought it was around £25 (or a tiny bit more), it was surely money well spent as it's a great investment!
However, this product has been so greatly praised about, a lot of places became out of stock, when I bought mines at my local Boots, they had loads left, but recently I discovered that my local Boots don't sell this brand anymore. I haven't been the Boots in town yet to check if they still sell Urban Decay. If not, I remember Debenhams selling them. =]

M.A.C blush in Style

This was actually recommended by a friend of mines and as soon as she mentioned it, I popped out within that week to grab hold of it! I remember raving about this on Facebook after buying it. This shade is a orange with a slight peachy pink undertone and gold shimmers. Although it has shimmers, it's not so much that it will make your cheeks look oily. This shade is perfect for the summer and against pale-ish skin like I have, adding a pop of colour. Compare to all my other blushes, I use this probably too often! However if I was to do a soft natural look, I would usee my Revlon blush in 030 Blushed because it is more a soft pink rather than using orange like this one.

Rimmel Lipsticks [left] Moisture Renew in600 soft coral [right] Lasting Finish in 206 Pink nude

[left] Soft Coral [right] Pink Nude

Lastly for this post, due to my love for liptsicks, I have to mention the two lippies that are most reached to in my on-going collection. Rimmel lipsticks are by far the best quality drugstore lipsticks I have ever come across. The colours are amazing, the smell is nice, and they are pigmented. What more do I need to say?!!
Well, let me introduce you to these two; Soft Coral is a coral orange with a slight pink undertone, it's not too bright on me that it makes me look awfully weird, if anything it gives me that natural healthy kick to my lips. Pink Nude is currently my favourite, I love it so much I bought another for my friend's birthday and she told me she liked it too even though she doesn't wear lipsticks at all. She also told me she partly liked it because it was a nude-based shade, so it was wearable to her. For me, I love it as well for it's nude-based shade, and for it's touch of pink mixed into it. This one is perfect if you wanted a nude look, but don't want to go too nude for your lips that it makes you look ill. I find this one wearable not only during nights out, but daytime looks too and I even wear this to work! How convienent!

So that's it folks for this post! (Finally!!!)

Feeling Better

Before this blog, I was always ranting on Facebook about this asshole and that asshole, this bad day and that bad day. I was always wanting to get away, move away. But as you grow older you would eventually find ways to stabilise yourself and your mind. To be honest, I never really used to give that much attention to make up or skincare, so in the space of almost a year my make-up and skincare range has tripled (and more?). Hey put it this way, my eyebrows have been shaped so many ways, I've just found the right shape for me. =] haha


I feel better when I put some make-up on, its crazy what it does to my mood. I feel better when it's something to grab my attention, to keep interested, to keep me from "thinking too much".



But recently, perhaps it's because of the sun that had been with us for the weekend just past and the 2day bbq parties, it just brightened my entire self up! It's a different kind of distraction if I must call it that. I like the mood, the scenery and yes! it was fun!!! Heaps of fun! I also ate too much too ><
In a way, I sort of regret thinking of leaving or getting out of thi "sh*thole", for once it's kind of nice. Once in a bluemoon everyone is together and having fun whilst being sobre. For once, I saw why home, is home.

Bless. =]

Jumping with the girls! woohooo

It's ok to cry, just remember how to laugh. =]

High-end & High Street

I don't normally buy I great deal of foundations. Although recently I've been looking for one to replace my Revlon Photoready foundation as it was running out. I thought I would use this chance to get myself something more high-end? I had asked a friend of mines and she had suggested that Laura Mercier's Silk Creme foundation was something she was aiming to purchase at the time. I thought why not?

Laura Mercier silk creme foundation in beige ivory

£30 for a foundation. I have never spent so much money on a tube of liquid to cover my face! lol I was suggested the colour beige ivory. At the time, it felt like it blended with my skin colour, but perhaps the lighting in Harvey Nics were a bit yellow? It looked like it was blended. And I walked away with my purchase all excited until I tested it at home were natural lighting is usally stronger, and oh my days..........the colour perhaps was a bit orangey for me? However I kept it (perhaps I'll get a lighter shade later on with my £20 Harvey Nics voucher I got as a birthday present) as I thought it would be good to use during nights out when I'm taking photos when I don't want to look ghostly compare to my friends. Despite the colour, everything else was great! It gives great coverage, it made my skin look smoother (one friend compared it to baby skin !). I noticed that I was applying less concealer as I used this foundation, this is a big plus because I was feel like my face is full of products when I am having to put so much concealer just to cover up all my spots and scars! ><
After applying the foundation though, I would set it with some loose powder to set it because it does tend to leave that oily-look on you-and I prefer the matt look to be honest.

Recently I came across another foundation in Boots that was on offer (£2 off -£6.99 down to £4.99) I obviously took advantage of this and bought it just to try it out.

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25hr foundation in no.100 Ivory

For a drugstore foundation, I am extremely satisfied with the quality of it. It claims to give 25hours of coverage (obviously you shouldn't keep foundation on this long but there are times I have to) and 25hours of coverage it gives! It also claims to be hydrating, transfer proof and lightweight. I have been wearing this recently on occassions where I don't go home until 6am and the foundation is still sitting there on my face like it was before. Yes I may need to conceal them harsh spots here and there that tend to push the foundation off but other than that, I rarely need to fix my face.
The shade I got is probably a little bit lighter than my own skin, but I prefer it this way to be honest.
The only down side I would say about this foundation is that I find it hard to blend at times. This might not be product itself, it probably is to do with my skin problems due to stress and lack of sleep (and too much alcohol =________=") Howver once it is actually on my face, it gives a decent coverage (medium coverage?).
My advice for this though is that you should wear some SPF before applying the foundation on because nowhere on the package does it says it has UV filters so I would apply some on to be on the safe side. =] Typically you should choose a daytime moisturiser with SPF anyway -this is my opinion.
This product has not broke me out although recently spots have occured but I highly doubt it's the foundation when my lifestyle and diet are both poor at the moment.

Which would you prefer to spend your money on?
Would you purchase both like me?