Mini MAC Haul

Hi everyone!

Long time no speak! It's quite difficult to blog and take photos when you work full time and it's dark by the time you get home, so I end up doing all my blogging on the weekend. However, seeing as I don't live with my parents anymore and I do have a social life (barely!), sometimes my weekends are taken up with other things meaning that blogging unfortunately takes a back seat. But i'm here now, so here we go! :) 

Rob surprised me with an amazing gift for my birthday - a make-up lesson with a MAC artist at House of Fraser, Bluewater. I was so excited, but only managed to book it in for last week as we've just been so busy. So I thought i'd share what I bought!

Cool Neutrals Palette (£65)

This beautiful palette consists of 15 heavily pigmented mate, satin, lustre, frost, velvet and pearl shades. It's the counterpart to the warm neutrals palette which I really want, but i'm afraid it may just be too dark for my skin tone. I bought this because for £65 you receive eyeshadows which, if bought separately, would cost £195. It only has one colour that she used on me during the lesson, Blackberry, but for the cost I was happy to compromise on the shades. I've been wanting to expand my MAC eyeshadow collection for a while now and this palette provides endless combinations suitable for day and night. Here's a breakdown of the shades: 

Top row (L-R): Flounce ("Chalky white pink" w/ matte finish), Sweet Allure ("Soft light pink" w/ satin finish), Sun Tweaked ("Soft frosty coral" w/ frost finish), After Dusk ("Mid-tone rosy pink with pearl" w/ a pearl finish), Blackberry ("Muted burgundy-plum brown" w/ matte finish) 

Middle row: Pick Me Up ("Pale ivory" w/ matte finish), Cozy Grey ("Cool grey" w/ matte finish), Crushed Clove ("Dirty gold olive" w/ frost finish),  Deception ("Chocolate gold" w/ frost finish), Brun ("Muted blackish-brown" w/ satin finish)

Bottom row: Silver Fog ("White with silver pearl" w/ frosh finish), French Clay ("Dirty grey charcoal w/ frost finish), Cumulus ("Cream grey with silver pearl" w/ frost finish), Pearled Earth ("Deep blue-grey" w/ pearl finish), Black Pearl ("Black with silver sparkle" w/ velvet finish)

Viva Glam Miley Cyrus Lipstick (£15.50)

This is such a gorgeous hot pink. As soon as the MAC artist swatched it, I was instantly in love. It can be applied straight from the bullet for maximum intensity, or dabbed on with a lip brush or your finger for a more subtle look. As you can probably see I started trying to apply it really precisely but ended up using the wrong brush which resulted in lots of smudging, but you get the gist of the shade! I love the red detailing on the tube, alongside Miley's signature which makes it a great collectable - the money made from this product (-VAT) goes towards helping people affected by HIV/Aids, which is a definite bonus!

Matchmaster Concealer (£17)

When I asked for help with my contouring, I was recommended a cream stick as it's a lot more natural and blends into the skin effortlessly instead of simply sitting on top like a powder can do. This isn't designed to act as a bronzer, although if you choose a concealer or even a foundation two shades darker than your regular colour, it works just as well! I'm actually really impressed with this. I'm wearing the matching foundation in the above and below pictures and I find it gives a really natural finish with the ability to be really buildable.

Other products used:- YSL Touche Eclat Foundation, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, Benefit Roller Lash, YSL Touche Eclat, Benefit Coralista Blush, MAC Shy Girl Lipstick

Here I am wearing the concealer stick and the eyeshadows. I have to say the concealer stick looks disappointing on camera as it really adds a lot of definition, however I was a little nervous about using it for the first time by myself so only used a tiny bit. I'm absolutely in love with the eye combination! I used Sun Tweaked all over the lid, After Dusk in the crease, Blackberry on the outer V and under the eyes and Flounce along the brow bone and the inner corner. It's really warming and great if you want a subtle smokey eye that can be worn during the day. Altogether i'm sooo happy with these products - they're really easy to wear, apply and I believe to be amazing value for the results. When you look at the acutal problems it doesn't look like much, but for anyone who's aware of the average price of a MAC item I think you'll agree this is a bit of a splurge! I should never be let loose on a make-up counter. Ever. Thanks so much Rob and to the staff at Bluewater MAC who helped me out loads and I can't wait to start experimenting.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone! :) 

New Skincare Staples

For those who enjoy wearing make-up on a daily basis, a thorough skin routine is simply a must-have. As much as I love beauty products, it's no surprise that piling all these different products onto your skin can cause it a lot of distress if it's not taken care of properly. Adopting a great skin routine is great for tackling spots, redness, dullness and creates an amazing blank canvas that makes applying make-up an absolute dream. It's taken me a while to find a combination of products that work well for me as my skin doesn't react very well to change and it jumps between normal, combination and sensitive, but I think I may have finally found it! So here are my new skincare staples that I just can't stop raving about: 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I've been using this for so long now and I am absolutely in love with it. It's a one-step make-up remover and cleanser that's amazing for removing almost every trace of product on your skin, including waterproof mascara. It's not irritating, heavily perfumed or dry in any way and makes removing your make-up an absolute breeze. It comes in such a big bottle (400ml, which is crazy!) but remember that you really only need a small drop to start breaking down the make-up. The only issue I have with this is that the bottle is just so big that I wish it came in a mini size for when I travel1 Other than that, I have absolutely no issue with this product and I know for certain I won't be looking for anything else. 

Origins A Perfect World Deep Cleanser

I've been using this foaming cleanser since the beginning of the year and i've been absolutely loving it. I was sceptical at first as it was described to me as a cleanser for all skin types, which I immediately interpret that it wouldn't actually focus on any specifics, but I was definitely proved wrong. Containing detoxifying White Tea, it's an amazing antioxidant that leaves the skin feeling squeaky clean and expertly cleansed. I use it morning and night before applying my moisturiser so it takes off any last trace of make-up and preps my skin for the rest of my skincare routine. 

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

This is my latest addition and is definitely the most luxurious. I decided to take the plunge and give it a try after hearing about it on various Zoella blogs. Containing cooling avocado, this moisturising eye cream is super thick and extremely hydrating. Sometimes I do struggle with the amount I need to put on as a little does go a long way, but i've only been using it for about a month and I already see a huge improvement. It's designed to reduce darkness underneath the eyes as well as reduce any puffiness, which it most certainly does. My eyes feel brighter and look more awake than they ever have done! I usually put on a slighter thicker layer at night and give it the whole night to sink in and then continue with my moisturiser. 

Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser

I've gone through so many moisturisers i've lost count. I get really impatient that I don't see or feel the results straight away so I move onto the next one, but with this Origin's moisturiser I really feel like this could be the product. Enriched with energising GinZing and Coffee Bean, this light, oil-free moisturiser glides onto the skin and instantly brightens and refreshes. I notice especially in the morning after my evening application that my skin looks considerably more vibrant and effortlessly soft. It makes my skin look amazing underneath my make-up as it gives off just enough glow to shine through and make it look like i've had 12 hours sleep! It is quite expensive (Prices start from £23), but if your skin feels really dull, dark and in need of a boost, I would definitely recommend investing in this skin saviour. I've used it morning and night for around 6 weeks and i'm hooked! 

My Eyebrow Routine

Defined eyebrows are my beauty staple. I tend to wear quite natural make-up, but when it comes to my brows the stronger the better. I haven't quite perfected the perfect gradient so I sometimes end up with a bit of what you may consider a 'scouse brow', but I love it anyways. Until now, i've been using Benefit's Brow Zings in Medium, which I absolutely adore, but i've recently switched it up and have been really enjoying this new combination that I thought I would show you how I fill in my brows in just a couple of steps!

Here are the products I use: 

Before

So here's how I look with a full face of make-up without my eyebrows filled in. This looks very weird to me! I never quite realised how light my brows naturally are in comparison to my hair!  They are basically non existent. Eughhh. 

Tail Definition

I start by brushing through my brows with the spoolie end of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in 'Medium Brown', to make sure I don't have any stray hairs and that they're nice and flattened for when I apply product. If I feel like my brows do need a trim, I brush them upwards with the spoolie and trim them from the top with a pair of nail scissors, but I try not to touch them in-between waxes so I don't mess with the shape!

I then begin to shape them with the Brow Wiz, starting from the middle of my brows all along to the end of the tail. I use a pencil as I find it a lot softer and easier to control. I then lightly fill in the tail to give it a bit of definition, as it's significantly thinner than the rest of the brow. I love how natural the pencil is and could easily be used to completely define my brows, but I feel like because they're quite thick I would use up a lot of product quite quickly.

Finished Shape

To further define, I then use the  MAC 266 Small Angle Brush dipped into the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in 'Chocolate'. This brush is quite new to me, and so far i'm loving it! It's the perfect width for my brows and doesn't pick up too much product. I'd read about Dipbrow online and instantly fell in love with it. Every person that used it in a tutorial had ah-mazing brows that I could not wait to replicate. The best way to use this product is to replicate individual hairs by applying with tiny brush strokes. You only need a tiny bit of product and I like to increase the pressure as I move towards the tail to create a gradient. I then take the spoolie and brush through the inner part of my brows (I have no idea what they're called!) just to ensure there's a decent amount of gradient.  

To define the shape even further - because why the hell not?! - I then clean up the edges with the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in 'Porcelain' (The concealer pictured is the Creamy Concealer Kit containing the same shade, which also features a pressed powder to set concealer), using a random EcoTools brush that is so old I don't think they sell it any more. I like it because it's really easy to manipulate so you can outline the brows precisely using the brush. I then finish with a little bit of Benefit's High Brow Glow underneath the brows to lift and highlight them. And that's it! 

For those days where I don't get the time or seriously cannot be bothered with a defined brow, I use the Benefit Gimme Brow Gel in Light/Medium. When I worked there, I used to describe it to customers as "the definition of a pencil without the pencil lines". It provides natural, light coverage that achieves that 'your brows but better' effect. So there you go, my eyebrow routine! Hope you enjoyed it :)

Have a good week guys! x