Video & Review: My MAC Palette

So after almost a year, I finally completed my MAC palette. Yay! In my true sharing fashion, I thought I'd share with you today the colours I chose to complete my 15 shadow palette. I decided to do a video explaining the colours, and a post with all the swatches so I hope you enjoy!

Video:

Swatches:

Malt//Naked Lunch//All That Glitters

Era//Patina//Mulch

Wedge//Woodwinked // Sable

Quarry// Handwritten // Satin Taupe

Mystery // Club // Carbon

My top five that I would recommend would have to be:

Patina

All That Glitters

Satin Taupe

Era

Mulch

I'll do a dupe post that I mention in my video soon.

What are your favourite MAC shadows?

Laura xoxo

Throwback Thursday: Rimmel Lipstick in Asia

This is one of the first lipsticks I bought, I wanted a nude/brown colour and this just kind of screamed at me. I like the look of Rimmel lipsticks as they are good quality, and good for the money too.

As you can see it is a very nude brown/pink colour, which looks darker in the bullet, and brighter as a swatch.

On the lips it is very much a slightly darker, your own lips but better colour.

The formula is very soft, and it applys easily. With a bit of plain lip balm underneath, even people with dry lips should get on with this formula.

Have you got this? Do like Rimmel lipsticks?

Laura xoxo

Barry M Touch of Magic Lip Paint

So when I was out shopping with the lovely Rachel, we were kinda drawn to this product, I mean really, who would wear green lipstick? Thinking it was kind of a joke we swatched it on our arms, and oh my goodness, we were amazed!

It turns out that this lipstick is magic. Although it has a lovely Wicked green colour in the bullet, it is actually a pink colour! Cue amazed gasps from the both of us and me bouncing up to the till with it.

So what do you think? Do you think it's the best thing since sliced bread?

Also I've never owned a Barry M Lip paint before, but are they all really long wearing? This lasted for around 5 hours, with eating and drinking. Amazed!

Laura xoxo

***BREAKING NEWS***

Sorry if you thought you'd gotten rid of me for today, you haven't. If you have been reading my blog for a while, or in general, you will know I moan talk quite a lot about finding the perfect foundation, and thought I had with the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, but was left dissapointed. Well, I took all of your advice on board, and tried experimenting with it, and well. I think I've found a way to wear it that I LOVE.

I just mix it equal parts with the Loreal Lumi Macique Base primer type thing, and it adds a nice dewy soft finish to the foundation.

Gone is the tackniess, the collecting in random places, hello perfect foundation. I think I may even re-purchase both!

So I thought I just had to share it with you, and thought you may get annoyed with another long post today, but I couldn't contain my excitement!

Anyway, you can click off the page now, maybe leave a comment first though, 'cause I love those :)

MUA - Heaven and Earth Palette

This little palette created quite a buzz when it was first released, many likening it to the Urban Decay Naked palette, so I ended up going out and getting it. After that though, I never really used it. So to show myself how wearable it is, I've created four different looks, and am sharing them with you today, aren't you lucky!

Look Number One:

Look Number Two:

Look Number Three:

Look Number Four:

So these are just four simple looks I created to show you and myself how versatile this palette is. Each of them can be either dressed up or down with eyeliner etc.

Do you own this palette? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

Spring Trilogy - Cheeks

In case the title didn't give it away, this post is a simple cheek look for summer. Think bronzed and flushed!

I used Collection 2000 Mosaic Glow as a contour, and a bit of colour on my cheeks.

I then placed a tiny swirl of Collection 2000's Shimmer shades on the outer part of my cheeks.

Then applied Benefit's Hervana Blusher as normal.

To give a bit of highlight, I dusted over No.7's Vital Highlights.

And there's the finished look. I also really like this look for spring time too, but got it after I had completed this post!

What will you be putting on your cheeks this Spring time?

Laura xoxo

Could this be the one?

As you all know I'm on the hunt for the perfect foundation, aren't we all? So after watching a Tanya Burr video were she used a Laura Mercier mineral foundation, I knew I wanted one. The same day Collection (formerly Collection 2000) tweeted they were bringing back their mineral foundation and I took it as a sign. When just mooching round my local Asda, I couldn't find the Collection powder, but did find Loreal's version, so in my basket and onto the till it went. Beep, £15!!! Let me tell you, my mouth dropped, there was a sign near it saying £8 special offer, turns out, not for this product, so let me tell you, I was expecting miracles.

Loreal claim that this powder/foundation combo 'evens skin tone like a foundation/ light as a powder/ long lasting.' It contains 'no perfume, no preservatives, oil free, non-comedogenic, (what the heck is that?)SPF 15.'

As you can see, this comes with its own brush, which I'm not a massive fan off, not soft enough/too tickley for me, I prefer to use my No.7 Kabuki Brush, or a Real Techniques Blush Brush works well too. 

All you have to do is unscrew the top part with the brush attached and swirl it into the powder section. I do find it slightly messy getting the powder to come through the holes, but I can live with it. 

So how did it do?

Just moisturiser and primer on my nose//Just the foundation

As you can see, it really evens out my skin tone, and does a pretty good job of covering blemishes. My bags are still on show, but they're massive anyway, cement wouldn't cover those bad boys.

I really love how light weight this feels on the skin too, it's like you are wearing nothing at all.

As Tanya said in her video, you can apply cream based products easily over the top of this, so concealer and cream blush is fine.

With concealer and other make-up//The end of the day (hence the lower quality!)

It has faded by the end of the day, but what I love about this foundation is touching it up is so easy. Just pop it in your handbag and pop it on throughout the day.

I really like this foundation and think it will be perfect for summer, I wore it on a bike ride and, sorry for the grossness, it didn't melt from any sweat, so perfect for the hot (yeah right England,) summer weather, plus the SPF 15 is no downside.

I also feel like I should mention that the colour match is really great too, whether that is due to the true match quality or what, but that makes me happy.

So not the perfect foundation, but it is really good and I would definitely recommend it for light/natural make-up days. Or hot summer months!

Have you tried mineral foundations? What do you think?

Laura xoxo

P.S I'm still hopping ;) - here!

Spring Trilogy - Make Up - Lips

I thought I'd jump on the spring wagon, although we seem to have gone back into winter at the moment, and do a little trilogy, in both my make-up posts and my Fashion Friday posts.

To start with the make-up I thought I'd show you my summery lip colour. This appeared in my Rimmel Collection post, and it is the gorgeous corally colour Firecracker.

I really like this shade and think it's a gorgeous colour for Spring and Summer.

What's your favourite shade for Spring/Summer ?

Laura xoxo

MAC Mineralize Blush - Love Joy

Another BuyaPowa purchase, if you haven't checked them out before, you definitely should. I've wanted a MAC product, since about November time, but never felt I could fork out the money for one, plus I'd have to get on a train and the people behind the counter scare me! But lo and behold, this little gem came on BuyaPowa for a mere £10 p&p inc! So I jumped at the chance, and boy am I glad I did.

Now in the picture I saw on BuyaPowa, which is the same as on the MAC website, it looked a lot pinker than this, which lets face it is an orangey peach colour, and I was slightly disappointed, but not for long!

I soon realised, I don't need another pink-esque blusher, I have 'em. I did buy a peach blush not to long ago, but this isn't any ordinary peach blush, oh no, this is something special. This is a blush, contour and highlight all in one little (gorgeously packaged!) pot. 

I just dab my big blush brush (random one from Boots) just so the middle of the brush has colour on in, and then swirl it where I would contour, and bring it onto my cheeks like blush, and the effect? I love it. It's dark enough to give me a slight contour, light enough to give colour to my cheeks AND (as if it doesn't do enough) it also highlights.

This my lovely chums, is an all in one item! And I've got to say I think it might be love! If find myself applying it throughout the day if my other make-up has worn off, because I just love it! I don't care how sad that sounds!

(Heavy swatch/Blended swatch.)

(Trying to catch the highlight/glimmer effect.)

And, not only does it look great on the cheeks (if I do say so myself,) I also placed it in the crease of my eye, along with my On and On Bronze Maybelline color tattoo, and I must say, I think they work beautifully together.

And here is how it looked all together.

I've gotta say, I really like it, and think it will be great for the up coming summer months. Just throw it on, quick, simple and may I say, effective.

My one gripe is that it doesn't last very long, around 2-3 hours so touch ups will be needed, but I love it that much, it doesn't bother me.

Do you own any mineralize blushes? What do you recommend I get next/look out for from MAC?

Laura xoxo

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - Light

Ok, so I've had this foundation about a month now, and felt that I should let you know how I'm getting on with it.

I was matched to the shade one in the Double Wear Light, because no shades matched in the actual Double Wear. At first I was a bit bummed, I really wanted Double Wear, but I've gotta say I'm kinda glad now, I think it would've felt too heavy for me. 

For some reason I was extremely tired when I took these pictures, so that is why my eyes are weird!

So apologies for the no make-up but I wanted to show you what it looked like, and the coverage it gave. 

As you can see, it does give a very medium coverage, doesn't completely cover my redness, but does even out my skin tone. (The second picture is literally just the foundation.)

So the first picture shows how it looks with a powder, concealer etc, and it does give a good finish, however I have a problem with it. It takes a while to dry, and feels tacky until it does. Also, I find that it collects on random places of my face during my day, specifically, the middle of my forehead, nose and above my lip which is very strange, but I think that may actually be my skin at the moment, quite a few foundations are doing that, so I don't know. 

The second picture is how it looked just when I was about to take it off, about 8 hours later, and as you can see, the foundation really has lasted.

I find that it takes a while to really blend out, and I've tried brushes, fingers and a damp sponge, but still haven't found the best way to blend it onto the skin. But maybe it's just me? 

The one thing that I love about this foundation is the colour match. It is perfect. But that is probably the only thing I love about it. I do like the coverage and now find I save it for days when my skin is really awful, as I don't want to put it on my skin when it's behaving. Does that make sense?

I don't hate this product, but it's just not the one for me (sigh!) So, the hunt for my perfect foundation continues (when this has run out!)

Any recommendations? Do any of you use this? Any tips?

***Revised Opinion - I am now rather loving this Foundation - see why here ***

Laura xoxo

Disclaimer - I will not accept liability for any nightmares that may occur from seeing my foundation-less face!