TWO NEW MAC LIPSTICKS

Possibly one of the smallest 'hauls' ever, but as it's MAC lipsticks I thought that it would be ok!  I just thought I'd do a quick post on my first impressions, as I've literally only had them a couple of days so far.

They are both Cremesheen lipsticks, in the shades Shanghai Spice and Flocking Fabulous, and they have a more sheer, moisturising finish than the matte shades.  Both are really beautiful and wearable colours; Shanghai Spice is a warm nude which will be perfect for day to day looks, and Flocking Fabulous is a pink coral shade which is going to be perfect for seeing me through both spring and summer.  They apply really well and the pigment is really good considering they are sheerer than the usual shades.  I've had really dry lips all over the winter which is why I opted for these kind of shades rather than the mattes ones I'd normally go for, but I'm really impressed with the colours and how they look when on - the colour pay off (can't believe I just said that) is excellent and as always, MAC hasn't let me down!  

I can see already that I'm going to be wearing these shades to death over the next few months, I'm so glad that I added them to my growing collection.  Have you got either of these shades?  What do you think of them?xx

MAC LIPSTICK COLLECTION part 2 | REDS & PINKS

Clockwise from top: Full Fuchsia, Dangerous, Impassioned, All Fired Up

I've gone through the nudes and now it's the turn of the bright colours in my MAC lipstick collection to take the spotlight.  I definitely don't feel like I own enough red shades, especially in comparison to many other bloggers!  But I have to say that these four that I do own are amazing and cover many aspects of the pink/red spectrum.  

The first one is Full Fuchsia, which I've spent all summer wearing and much of autumn so far too.  The clue is in the name, this shade is a bright and vibrant fuchsia pink which has a super moisturising and creamy finish - it is super flattering and I love it.

Next is Dangerous, which is a matte red orange shade that is the newest addition to the collection.  I mention all the time that orange toned reds are my favourite, and this one is no different; it's bright, bold and it doesn't wash my complexion out so it's a great all rounder that completes any look perfectly.  

Impassioned is one of the first MAC lipsticks I ever bought, and it is the ideal shade if you want that juicy Barbie pink look!  I love this one because it is a pink with red tones rather than blue, which I find suits me better.

Lastly there is All Fired Up, which is a deep and matte red wine shade.  I didn't expect to love this as much as I do, but I have been wearing it a lot lately day to day; the matte finish makes it ideal for daytime as it is bold yet also slightly understated.  

Please give me your recommendations for any red or pink shades to add to my collection!  Do you have any of of these lipsticks? xx

CURRENT BEAUTY FAVOURITES | 10

The time has come for another favourites post - since I've been fairly naughty and bought one too many pretty things this past month or two.  As summer is very much here at last, I've been loving bright colours and glowy skin, as you can see from the bits that I've picked here!

Benefit Sunbeam is a great alternative to regular highlighter in summer, as it has a golden glow rather than a more iridescent one which goes well with bronzer and gives a lovely sun kissed look to the skin.  I apply this is the same places I would highlighter, for example my cheekbones, and it's subtle, light and reflective without being shimmery.  As with all of the Benefit liquid pots like this one, a little goes a very long way which therefore means this will last absolutely ages.

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Photo Edition Foundation (oil free) has replaced the traditional Silk Creme, and as far as I can tell has divided opinion in the blogger world!  I however really love it, and my skin seems to prefer this oil free version.  I've had no break outs from it, and the look is still as perfect as the original was - medium to full coverage with a natural looking dewy matte (if that makes sense) finish.

I have already sung this palette's praises, but Maybelline The Nudes deserves some more!  This selection of neutral shades both matte and shimmery are perfect for putting together all  kinds of looks from day to night, and I've been using it everyday to compliment my bronzer and create a summery yet smokey eye.  

Essie Fiesta has been on my toes for weeks already!  This is the perfect Barbie pink shade, and it brings out my tan (fake or real) very nicely.  The formula of Essie polishes is pretty much second to none, and although I usually opt for Barry M, I couldn't resist this shade and when applying it it's easy to see why it's at the higher end of the scale.  

Last but most definitely not least is MAC Full Fuchsia, which is one of their amplified lipsticks which has a more matte finish.  I was really slow to the MAC party, but I can officially say that I'm well and truly sold on it now!  The variety of colours they have is unreal, and this pink in particular is bright, bold and unapologetically girly - win win.  

Let me know what you have been loving this month, have you tried any of these products? xx

MAC VELVET TEDDY & ITS DUPES

We all know that MAC Velvet Teddy is the lipstick of the moment, thanks to Kylie Jenner and her perfect pout.  But nude lipsticks in general are all over the beauty counters lately, and I've found a few that come pretty close to the MAC favourite!

At £15.50 each, MAC lipsticks are definitely more at the higher end of the price scale, and I recently picked my Velvet Teddy up at duty free so got a nice couple of ££ off.  I'd like to say that I was somewhere hot and exotic at the time, but I was at Edinburgh airport (we actually had an amazing time, but the weather was lousy and it was hotter back home!).  

So anyway, the first dupe I've found is Maybelline Color Sensational in Velvet Beige, which as you can see from the swatch is a tiny bit lighter and it is also less matte.  

My favourite of the bunch, as you can see by how much I've already used, is Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in Nude Perfection, which is very similar to the NARS lip pencils, but this colour is a gorgeous nude shade that looks almost identical to Velvet Teddy when on.  

NYX Mauve is a lip pencil that works primarily as a liner, but I find it works really well as a lipstick and the colour has been compared to MAC Whirl - which in turn is the perfect match with Velvet Teddy!  I think NYX Mauve works particularly well when worn underneath Topshop Saint -  which sounds odd but the two shades really compliment each other and the matte of the lip pencil is balanced out with the more sheer finish of Saint, and the result of the combination looks amazing.

I know that there are a lot more dupes for Velvet Teddy out there, so make sure you let me know what your favourites are!  Do you have any of these?  Or is the original your favourite? xx

A MAC LIP COMBO TO TRY

We all know that the MAC lipstick combo to be wearing right now is Velvet Teddy and Whirl (which I obviously will be investing in at some point!), but after experimenting and making a few cheeky purchases, I have found another combination that will see me nicely through spring.  Step forward lip pencil in Dervish and cream sheen lipstick in Creme Cup!  Both are nude pink colours, and Dervish especially is a great shade that is almost an exact match for my lips and therefore makes it easy to line them and blend in.  

My bottom lip is pretty full, but my top lip is not so much, so I line it to try and create a fuller look without going too over the top.  I've been using this combination for a week or so, and though I still need some more practise with keeping my hand steady and blending the liner in properly, I really like the look and can see myself wearing it non stop!  

I see this as a lighter, more subtle version of the Kylie Jenner lip look, and ideal if you want to try the lined lip trend that is a bit more natural looking.  

What do you think of this look?  Have you tried any of these shades? xx 

SUMMER LIPS / SORTED

l-r: Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Sorbet; Topshop Lipstick in Macaroon; L'Oreal L'Extraudinaire Liquid Lipstick in Nude Ballet; Barry M Gelly Lips in Capella; MAC Impassioned; Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Unapologetic; Topshop Lipstick in Ooh La La.

Hey!  Happy Friday!  I know everyone says this at the beginning of each new month, but I really cannot believe how quickly this year is going.  It's kind of scary; in some ways I want it to hurry up because of things that I'm looking forward to, but I definitely don't want time to just fly by!  

Today I thought I would post about my top picks for summer lips.  I have featured a number of the pictured lip products before, so I won't get into a full blown review of them all.  My favourite shades are all orange and pink hues, since getting into blogging I have experimented so much more with colour and the colours I wear now are a far cry from the old days where I thought it was red or nothing!  Blue toned reds don't suit me at all, so I stay clear of them now and opt for more pink colours.  

I threw in a nude, the L'Oreal L'Extraudinare in Nude Ballet, because sometimes a natural shade is just as feminine and summery as a bright one.  I will do a full review of this recent buy, but so far so good!  It's different to the others out there at the moment, and the staying power is pretty impressive too.  

What shades will you be reaching for this summer? xx

FOTD Friday #5

Hello!  Happy Valentine’s Day!  I thought I would stay clear of a slushy/gift idea themed post as there are quite a few of those floating about already, so I’m ploughing on with a standard FOTD like any other friday.  My boyfriend and I had planned to go to the zoo today, to be a little different and all that, but if you live in the UK then you only need to look out of your window to see why we never went!  When is this awful weather going to end?!  I feel lucky because I know that a lot of places around the country are suffering far more than where I live, it really needs to stop now and be sunny etc. again.  I usually would cringe at myself for discussing the weather but it’s not like I'm making awkward small talk or anything, it really is a big deal right now!

Anyway, on today’s face is nothing spectacularly different to last week in terms of make up, apart from my lipstick.  I was having a sort out of my make up this week in the midst of redecorating, and came across a MAC lipstick that I hadn’t even used before!  It is from the Marilyn Monroe collection that came out last year and it’s the shade ‘Angel’, I really love it and cannot believe that I haven’t tried it until now.  It’s a bright, vibrant pink with blue undertones and satin finish which is lovely and moisturising.  I usually stay clear of shades of red and pink with blue undertones, but for this I clearly made an exception and I am mighty glad that I did! 

I also curled my hair for a change, maybe it was all the romance of today and the cherub iconography that’s everywhere – who knows.  I used my Babyliss curling tong and created some soft curls, then put my fingers through them to get this finish.  I like the look for a change but I wouldn’t go for it every day! 

How are you spending your Valentine’s Day?  Do you have this shade by MAC? xx

FOTD Friday #2

Hey!  So this is me in the grip of my first cold of 2014.  I’ve put some make up on, mainly just because I’m a bit sad and actually really enjoy the process but I feel awful and my expression is my get-me-back-to-bed face.  I also wanted to show what MAC ‘Creme Cup’ looks like on, I should really start doing swatches etc. on the actual reviews of products but I feel so vain when ever I start taking photos of myself!  I have also used my now sacred HD Brows palette, but I’m not entirely happy with my brow shape right now so a little more tweaking is need there I think.  I have also started using Laura Mercier Radiance Primer recently, and I have to say that I noticed a difference straight away in how my foundation went on and looked.  I will do a full review of it soon when I have used it a few more times. 

The fluffy red jumper I am wearing is from Primark, and I love it because it is so so so snug and warm, but the downside is it is a bit of an odd length, it sits just above my hips which makes my top half look square and boxy!  The necklace was picked up in the Topshop sale, their jewellery is pretty over priced sometimes so it is often well worth waiting for them to go discount! 

Sarah x

MAC | Creme Cup

I think what I’m about to say may make me a bad blogger but…I don’t own many MAC lipsticks!  I think that in general paying £10 + for a lip product is a bit silly, as they all come off at some point and sometimes you just pay for the nice packaging etc.  However, having a little Christmas money left over can do funny things to a person, and at the weekend I found myself shopping in Westfield and passing by the MAC shop.  I was tempted to try their Face and Body foundation, but decided on lip stick that I could wear every day at work etc.  Creme Cup is a nude, dusky pink shade that gives the effect of my-lips-but-better.  The pigment I have to admit is fantastic, although I still stand by my belief that Topshop lipsticks are identical to MAC in their pigmentation and finish, just as good in my opinion!  The formula is nicely moisturising and the finish is sheer and velvety.  I definitely don’t have anything bad to say about it, apart from the price which makes me think that MAC lippies will remain an occasional treat for myself!  I do think that there are some make up products worth spending the extra money on; for me these things are skin care and foundation, so while I really do like this shade I don’t think I will be ditching drugstore lipsticks just yet. 

Do you love MAC lip products?  Have you tried this shade? xx

Sarah x

Dosed by You: Valentine's post

Happy Valentine's everyone!  I hope you are all having a great day no matter what you are doing.  The boyf & I will be celebrating a late valentine's at the weekend.  This is my first collage type of post so it's not the best or anything, I just thought I would try it out!  The first thing on there are the cute little bath mushrooms from Lush.  I have been using them for a while now, they smell gorgeous, they turn your bath pink and you can use them more than once!  The little candles are from Paperchase, and they are just there because they look adorable and they're sparkly!  All of other things are on my wishlist of things I wan't but can't buy because payday isn't here yet!  The skirt is from Topshop and is a fishtail style that I keep seeing a lot of lately.  I really lover the colour and style, but not sure if it would suit me because I'm 5ft and longer skirts generally swamp me :(.  The tights are from Forever21, and are a great colour for spring when you want to look more summery but it's too cold to go bare-legged!  The lipstick is from MAC, I rarely buy their make up because it's pretty expensive, but this colour is lovely and vibrant and definitely something I am likely to buy sooner or later knowing how easily I give in.  The necklace is from River Island and stood out because it reminded me of the blue one that is in Titanic ( I feel emotional just thinking of that film, sob......but cannot wait for it to be re-released in 3D soon). The top is also River Island, the horse print looks cute and girly, not something I would normally go for but as it's Valentine's day and everything is 100x more adorable to me today, I thought I would add it in to the collage.  The heart-shaped glasses are from gogglesandglasses.com and they reminded me of the Marilyn Manson song of the same name that I love, and they kinda tie in well with the candy trends and the romantic theme!  The shoes are from New Look and are uh-mazing.  I doubt I would be able to walk more than a few steps in them but when they look this good I don't care!  The belt is from ASOS and being super skinny and bright pink it would be wearable with a lot of different outfits and would add some colour.  So now I've kinda gone into pink overkill I shall go, but it's only for one day of the year! xx