The Beauty Scenario Tag!

Hi everyone!

Today I fancied doing something a little different from usual for me, a tag post. I often watch a lot of these on Youtube and they seem like a lot of fun so when I saw The Beauty Scenario Tag going around I knew I definitely wanted to have a go at answering the questions myself so without further ado, lets get started.

1. You have to get rid of all your foundations and you can only keep one high end and one drugstore, which do you keep?

Bases are definitely my make up addiction so this is so difficult for me! I'd have to go for my current favourites which actually both BB creams. For high end, my pick would be the Benefit Big Easy. It's long lasting, not too heavy and does a really good job of covering any redness. The only negative is that the shades lean very yellow but as long as I bronze up my neck a little it doesn't cause too many issues. For drugstore, my current pick would be the Maybelline BB Cream as it provides a light, dewy finish for summer without needing to be powdered too often.

2. You go for an interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?

I'd like to think I would mention it in a light-hearted manner but once I was put in this situation I would most likely be too worried about offending her! It's one of those things that I wouldn't 100% be sure of until it was happening.

3. You’re not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which lipstick do you put on to make yourself feel beautiful?

Lately I've sort of strayed away from lipsticks and been obsessed with using more on my eyes for dramatic looks but my go to lipstick when I want to wear anything is always MAC Patisserie. It's a gorgeous pinky slightly beige toned nude and I just find it's always flattering either on it's own or under a gloss. For a brighter shade, I love MAC Ruby Woo, an absolute classic red that always perks me up if I'm feeling like I look a bit worse for wear!

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years, how would you do your hair and makeup differently?

This is a funny one for me as I didn't actually wear any make up at all until I was 18. I started wearing it after discovering beauty channels on YouTube and certainly improved once I started wearing mascara and doing my brows slightly! So the only thing I may have done differently is discover lighter make up sooner and start straightening my hair sooner too, so many frizzy hair pictures! 

5. You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott hair cut, but they hear wrong and give you a pixi cut. Do you a) Smile, say thank you, leave and call your mum hysterical b) Cry in the chair and things get awkward or c) Complain to the manager and demand a refund.

After an absolutely horrific short hair cut when I was 12 years old, I would definitely cry if my hair was ever short again. It was honestly the worst I've ever looked! As much as I wish I was someone who could pull it off, I definitely can't. That being said, I would have to say something but I wouldn't complain in an overly rude manner no matter what had happened.

6. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day city break and you have 1 hour to pack. Which ‘do it all’ palette do you pack in your makeup bag?

For a longer trip, I would 100% say my MAC eyeshadow palette but since it's only 4 days I think I'd grab my trusty Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. It covers all over the lid colours, crease colours, a brow shade and an eyeliner shade too so this is often my palette of choice when I'm travelling.

7. Your house has been robbed, don’t worry everyone is safe, but your beauty stash has been raided. What’s the product you really hope is safe?

This one is easy for me, my most expensive item, my MAC palette. I would be pretty sad if that much money on 19 shadows all went to waste but everything else would be a lot easier to replace (bit by bit of course).

8. Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven’t noticed b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs

I definitely wouldn't do option c) as that seems really petty. I think with this it would totally depend on how much I'd paid for the product. If it was something cheap, I would probably pretend I didn't notice and buy it again another time and just remember not to lend them my things again. But if it was something more expensive then I would have to say something and hopefully they would offer to repurchase it!

I'd love to know if you guys would have answered differently to me in any way, or if any of you have done this tag yourself! Let me know in the comments below your thoughts. Also, I still have a blogsale going on which now has lowered prices so be sure to check that out if you're interested :)

HUGE BLOG SALE! Nars Guy Bourdin Palette, MAC, Illamasqua, DIOR, Jo Malone etc!

Hi everyone. I wanted to do a quick blog sale as I have SO much stuff I never use, particularly after coming to the realisation that actually - blush looks terrible on me! Just a few rules:

- I'm only going to be shipping within the UK for the safety of the items / pricing.

- Postage will be £3.99 so I can ensure they are wrapped properly but if you get more than one item, this will stay the same.

- It will work on a first come, first served basis on comments on the post!

- Payment through PayPal to katherine.parkes@hotmail.co.uk.

- No refunds, all sales are final.

With that all out of the way, here are the items!

Diorskin Nude BB Creme in 001 (RRP £30) - Used three times - £14
Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer in Alabaster (RRP £58) - Used twice - £35
EX1 Cosmetics Liquid Foundation in F100 (RRP £10.50) Tested once - £3

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in Creamy Natural (RRP varies) Tested once (wrong shade) - £4

Becca Luminous Skin Colour Ultra Sheer Foundation in Porcelain (RRP £32) - Used three times - £13

Diorskin Nude Shimmer Instant Illuminating Powder (RRP £32) - 95% left - £15

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Amused - Tested once - £12
Illamasqua Naked Rose Blush (RRP £21.50) - Used Twice - £10
Illamasqua Tremble Blush (RRP £21.50) - 85% left - £6

Thanks for looking! :)

Everyday Makeup Products

Hi everyone! Today I thought I'd share the makeup products that are in my everyday routine. These are the items that are present no matter what makeup look I'm going for and my absolute staples. Starting with base products, the first item is my MAC Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone Treatment, a primer that is amazing at creating a matte, longer-lasting base. I smooth this over any oily areas and really notice a difference in my levels of oil production and shine. The next product is more of a skincare item, but the Clinique All About Eyes Serum is something that really helps create a great base for my concealer. It really cools the undereye area with it's roll-on applicator and gives a nice level of moisturisation that sinks in quickly. The next step then is always to apply my Bobbi Brown Corrector which really is the best product for disguising and neutralising dark circles. On top of this goes my favourite concealer, the Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer which is amazing at brightening as well as applying a little more coverage.

To give my skin a bit of warmth, I adore The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in 01, a really natural shade for fair skin. It's also completely matte which is a bonus for me, as the more natural the finish the better. For contouring, the Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder is a firm favourite for me. This is a great contour shade as it's a medium toned brown with a hint of grey which really gives a natural shadow effect to slim the cheekbones, something that anyone with chubbier cheeks like me desires! Finally for the skin, a long term love of mine is the MAC Studio Fix Powder which I use purely to set my foundation on my nose where I'm most oily. I wouldn't use it all over as it can be a little heavy, but for some coverage and oil control it does a good job.

Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph one of my favourite brow products which is MAC Charcoal Brown Eyeshadow. This is a really lovely shade for anyone with medium to dark brown hair as it's very cool toned and I find it's the easiest method to really shape and fill my brows to how I like them to be. On top of this, I'll always use my Benefit Brow Zings in Dark Brown just to set them in place as well as provide a bit more 'filling in'. If you have naturally good shaped brows this is fine on it's own too!

Finally for eyes I have five staple products. Although I like a few different mascara's, the Magnetic Lash Mascara is definitely one of my favourite. It claims to give you 'falsh lash effect' lashes with it's two step system, one a normal lengthening style mascara and one fibre one for volume. I actually just use step one day-to-day as the second step can be a bit messy as the fibre's tend to give quite a bit of fallout and I love the effect of the first step alone for long lashes. To help curl them, I love the Shiseido Eyelash Curlers. They're a really good shape with a slight curve to fit the eye and really do a great job, far better than the Shu Uemura in my opinion! For my bottom lashes I love the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara which gives longer bottom lashes without looking unnatural or smudging.

The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is something I've now repurchased three times and it's definitely worth the hype. It's super black, lasts a long time and is the easiest method of application I've found with a slim nib and a pen style applicator. Finally, for priming my eyelids for eyeshadow the NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base is the best I've found for crease-free, long-lasting results.

So these are the products I use on an everyday basis! The only things I mix up really are foundations, eyeshadows and lipsticks which I love to change up daily. I'd love to know what products you use everyday, I find it's the best way to find out what products someone really loves!

A Very Late 13 Best of 2013!

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. You may or may not have noticed I haven't posted for a while which is down to a combination of things. Namely having a bad time at my job and having to quit, being a busy third year university student and some exciting goings on which have meant I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like. I'm hoping now this will change as I've really missed posting and thought i'd start my return by doing my belated 13 favourites of 2013. As everyone says, it's so hard to narrow it down to just 13 products so I really tried to pick the ones that absolutely stood out over everything else and managed to eventually whittle it down to these!

1) Benefit Porefessional & MAC Refined Zone Primer (not pictured) - This may be cheating a bit but this combination of primers is my absolute favourite. I find the Porefessional is great at hiding any pesky visible pores around my nose whilst the MAC is amazing at reducing shine and mattifying any oily patches of skin for longer lasting make-up.

2) Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation - Sticking along the theme of long lasting make up, I adore this foundation! Not only does it stick around for hours but it contains SPF which is great for daytime, is a perfect colour match and gives great coverage without looking too unnatural. The only downside for me is that it's unavaliable in the UK but if I ever visit the US I'll definitely be stocking up!

3) Loreal Nude Magique BB Powder - I really like this powder for looking really natural whilst helping with any oil control on my face. It photographs nicely and sits well on the skin whilst not being too expensive or clogging my pores. The only negative is that the shade range is limited to around two. They are fairly adaptable but if you have a medium-dark skintone, I'm not 100% sure this could work for you.

4) Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (White) - This is one of my favourite discoveries of the whole year. The perfect powder for under eyes as it not only sets the area beautifully to allow a crease-free finish but also further brightens any undereye dark circles left after concealer. I will definitely continue to repurchase this throughout 2014!

5) Illamasqua Blush in Tremble - I have to admit, I'm not someone who always wears blush but when I do, this is the one I reach for 90% of the time. It's such a pretty, wearable peachy pink that I can't imagine looking bad on anyone. When my face needs perking up it's the one i'll always choose. I love it because it's the most long lasting brand of blush I own and it's matte so doesn't leave too much shimmer on my face. Highly recommend this!

6) MAC Patisserie Lipstick - This is definitely my all-time favourite everyday shade. It's basically a much easier way of wearing nude as it's a pinky brown shade which doesn't wash me out or look too unnatural. It provides a bit of a sheen and a wash of colour and for someone who finds nudes just don't work for them I find this perfect.

7) MAC Sable Eyeshadow - The perfect plummy toned shimmery brown. It's a hard to describe shade but it's great all over the lid or in the crease and I find it works well with practically any colour I wear. Seriously beautiful and I use it quite a lot!

8) MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow - My favourite all over the lid, everyday colour. This is a colour I will always repurchase and that gets the most love from me! It's a really lovely pinky gold colour that is super flattering.

9) Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner - This year brought about a new love of liquid eyeliner that I'd never had before and it's all because of this baby! It's a really opaque, slightly glossy black and I find the thin nib of the felt tip applicator makes application so much easier. The only negative is it does take a minute or two to dry so I do tend to wait before curling my lashes.

10) Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil & Liner - Another one of my favourite discoveries of the year. I never really heard this talked about but I absolutely love it. I also own the Hourglass Brow Sculpter but find this so much better. You get a felt tip applicator on one end which is great for sparser areas of brow where I need to mimic hairs and then a really pigmented pencil which leaves an amazing finish on the brows. So, so good!

11) YSL Babydoll Mascara - Although expensive, this was definitely my favourite mascara of the year. I'm still not sure if this is 'the one' but it's one of the best ones I've used for creating a slight curl, adding length and volume. It leaves a really nice finish and has left me wanting to try every YSL mascara there is now too.

12) Bumble & Bumble Dryspun Finish Spray - I've gotten through around 3 cans of that this year as I just can't leave without big hair. This stuff is really good at just adding some texture and volume to the roots and ends and creating good bed hair. I'm not 100% sure I prefer this to the Oribe offering but at £17 cheaper it's definitely worth it!

13) Models Own Hedonist, Topshop Celestial & Barry M LE Holographic Silver Glitter - As you may be able to tell, I've massively cheated here. But who realistically can be just one nail polish for the whole year?! It was hard enough to get it to three.. But anyway! These were the three that stood out to me. Hedonist is an incredible neon red shade that I could barely take off all summer. Topshop Celestial is probably my joint favourite shade ever with it as an amazing cornflower blue shade that works any season. Finally, I picked up this Barry M LE Shade (with no name) towards the end of the year and it is THE most amazing glitter - it's like a silver toned rainbow on the nails! I must have stocked up on around five so if you can find it i'd definitely recommend it.

So that's my (sort of) 13 favourites of 2013. I'd love to know what you think of any of these products or what you're favourite products were and i'll hopefully be back soon with another post! Thanks for reading :)

Mini Life Update & Current Favourites!

Hi everyone! Thought I would do a quick post on an update of what's being going on and why I haven't been posting as regularly as of late. In a nutshell, it's been a very hectic few weeks consisting mainly of working a lot. As some of you may know my actual job is at Space NK part time but I also work at a festival in Surrey called Redfest over the summer doing interviewing which took up a lot of time to prepare for and then work a lot whilst I was there. It was a really exciting weekend consisting mainly of making some new friends, partying in the pit watching Bastille and meeting some of my favourite artists and was such an amazing time which gave me serious post festival blues! In other exciting news I also found out the other day that I'll be doing an internship at Harpers Bazaar's beauty department next Summer which I am so, so excited for as it's pretty much my dream to work at a magazine as a beauty writer one day. So just thought I should offer a slight explanation of why i've been so terrible with updating my blog lately and hope you all understand! I'm now back to blogging as much as I can whilst finishing my last year at uni and glad to finally be back :)

I thought since it had been such a break, I would talk about some of my current favourites.

 Illamasqua Blush in Tremble (£18) - I got this a while ago when Illamasqua did a flash sale of all the products for 50% off totally on a whim and it's quickly become one of my all time favourite blushes. It's the perfect matte corally pink shade that I find so flattering in any season providing the perfect flush to the cheeks. The quality is amazing too, it's extremely pigmented so I barely need any, lasts a really long time on the cheeks and weirdly smells incredible! 

MAC Blush in Harmony (£18) - I love this as a great multi purpose product as I use it as a contour and a blush. It's a really nice shade, not too warm or cool and a nice mid tone brown so works nicely to provide a matte shadow in the contours or used lightly as a blush if I have a heavy eye look or bold lip on.

Topshop Eyeshadow Trio in Orion (£14) - Other than my MAC palette which I obviously put together myself it's safe to say that this is my all time favourite eye palette. I cannot fault these shadows at all, they are perfect shimmery shades and amazing quality too. There's a deep purple/aubergiene colour, a cross between a golden silvery shade and a light champagne which allow for so many different but beautiful looks. They are so pigmented and wearable and I can see me reaching for this even more in Autumn/Winter. 

Hydraluron (£24.99) - I have to admit that I totally gave into the hype with this one! I put off buying it for the longest time due to the slightly high end price tag but decided to cave when Boots recently had it for a third off and I'm so glad I did. This stuff is definitely my new addiction, it leaves my skin feeling so soft and hydrated the next day and has really helped balance out my skin's condition also. Love!

YSL Babydoll Mascara (£24.50) - Another blogger influenced purchase! I've been lusting over YSL mascara's for as long as I can remember as I've not really tried many high end mascara's and theirs have always looked amazing on other people so I decided to bite the bullet and try it out. This is definitely one of my favourites, it adds so much length and volume whilst holding a curl pretty well in my abnormally straight lashes.

Loreal Super Liner Perfect Slim (£6.99) - I'd spent so many years avoiding ever wearing liquid liner due to my terrible technique but when a lovely rep from By Terry came into store and taught me exactly how to do it I was determined to practice and master it, even if it took me years! I've been wearing it everyday and finding that this one being a pen has really helped me to get it quite even. I'm by no means perfect but i've really enjoyed the challenge and this liner a lot.

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil in Brownie Points (£10) - I'm always on the hunt for products that give me the perfect natural yet thick brow look and I've been so impressed with this. It has a felt tip pen on one end and a waxy pencil on the other which may sound a bit scary but it does such an amazing job. I especially love the pen end as it doesn't come out a really dark, unflattering colour but more of a lightish buildable cool toned brown that helps imitate hairs where needed and draw a precise outline of the shape I need my brows to be. I then take the other end or my Hourglass Brow Sculptor and just feel in any sparse areas and I feel like my brows are better than they've ever been, it's amazing!

Please let me know what your favourites have been, I feel I'm so behind on beauty products lately and would love to hear what you've all been loving!

Current Favourites!

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the total lack of posts this last week. As some of you might know I'd been doing work experience at Red Magazine the last two weeks so hadn't had a lot of time to post but from Thursday onwards I will have no uni so will be able to fully commit to posting more! :)

I thought today I'd share some of my current favourites. I have to say, I'm not one for doing monthly favourites myself yet just because I don't feel my favourites change often enough every month so I thought I would do a roundup every now and again when I've had products really stand out to me. 

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray - This was a slighly impulsive purchase I made a few weeks ago. I actually had a Space NK voucher from my birthday to use and really wanted to try this out after seeing so many amazing reviews of it giving voluminous hair. Although pricey this stuff is incredible, I absolutely love it. I've never found a product that gives my hair so much volume and this alongside my Bumble & Bumble Texturizing Cream (which is also a favourite but forgot to take a photo of it!) gives me the perfect beachy, volumised hair.

Laura Mercier Radiance Primer - I got this in the gift with purchase offer Harvey Nicholls were running and oh my gosh, this is my new holy grail primer! I was initially so worried about how it would fare on my skin but with Benefit Porefessional on my oilier nose and this all over the rest of my face, my skin has never ever looked so bright and healthy. My makeup lasts far longer than any other primer I've tried including the Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer so I'd urge anyone to give this a go.. it's incredible!

Maybelline Babylips in Peppermint - I love this stuff for days where I don't feel like wearing anything too heavy as it gives a sheer wash of colour that slightly lightens my lips whilst making them baby soft. It's also great to pop on before a lipstick to help my lips stay a lot more moisturized and I honestly adore these so much for really hydrating my lips as well as the minty scent and cannot wait for them to arrive in the UK. I've done a full review of them here.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & YSL Touche Eclat Foundation - I won't talk about these too too much as they were both in my last post but I've loved these whilst I've been having a lot of early mornings for brightening up my skin and have worn them together everyday for the last three or so weeks.

MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl - You may have seen in my last post that I really wanted a non-glittery more sheeny highlighter and this one is incredible. It is exactly what I was looking for, it's pretty subtle but that's exactly what I like for everyday use if I'm honest and I really, really love it. Next on my list is Luna as like Pearl it's a sheen finish but more intense which I think will be ideal for evening wear. Thank you to Megan for suggesting I try these out!

Stella Summer Rose Perfume - I mentioned this in my perfume collection I did months ago but I have really loved using this perfume lately, it's definitely going to be my summer scent! As the name suggests it's pretty floral which isn't usually my taste but it's a lovely and such a beautiful bottle.

MAC Malt Eyeshadow - I've had this for a couple of months now and it's quickly become one of my top three favourite MAC eyeshadows. It's perfect for in the crease, a light cool toned brown with a bit of pinkness to it and great all over the lid for a neutral matte eye. I haven't found a single colour or makeup look it doesn't work with as of yet.

Topshop AWOL - I am totally obsessed with anything cobalt blue at the moment and this polish is no different. The shade is similar to Essie Butler Please that was in a haul of mine a little while ago which I mainly got as I couldn't find this shade online and presumed it had been discontinued. I then managed to find it in store a while ago and had to get it. The reason this beats the Essie is totally due to formula, it lasted around four/five days on my nails whilst the Essie only lasted a day without chipping. A lovely shade all year round I'd say.

Models Own Polish in Hedonist - Finally, another bright nail polish and this is Hedonist from the Headkandi collection. Again, Models Own aren't my favourite formula but this one actually lasts better on me than other ones I've tried and the shade is totally worth it. It's a neon red and it's so, so bright on the nails that it's definitely one of my all time favourite colours of my collection.

What have been your favourites lately? Also please let me know if you'd like to see a full review on any of these products or if there's any others posts you'd like to see from me!

Wake Up Make Up

Hi everyone! Apologies again that it's been a week since my last post, I will probably only be able to get a couple of posts up per week until the 8th when I finish uni  as my work experience is really, really hectic at the moment! Today I thought I'd do a post that seems very appropriate for my life at the moment and that's make up that makes me look more awake.

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation £29, MAC Soft & Gentle £21.50, Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer £5.99, Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara £7.99

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation in BR20 - As you can probably tell from the picture, I absolutely love this foundation! I'll be honest and say, it isn't the best in terms of lasting power on my combination skin but honestly, the finish is so beautiful and illuminating that it's the only foundation I don't always need concealer with on an everyday basis. It really brightens the skin without making me look shiny and I love how vast the colour range is as this is the best foundation match I've tried.

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle - A cult product for highlighting but I actually love this most as an eyeshadow to really brighten up my whole face. I do like this as a highlighter but recently I've found that when I catch my reflection I really hate seeing glitter on my face so I'm definitely on the look out for a more sheeny highlight if anyone has any recommendations! I will definitely continue using this as it's so so nice as the perfect champagne eyeshadow and I love how awake it can make me look.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer - I don't think I need to rave about this again as I already did a full review here but this is the best concealer high end or high street that I have ever ever used. It's so, so brightening and offers a bit of coverage too without drying my undereye area, creasing or looking cakey. I would never be without this now, it's the perfect concealer.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara - This mascara is really good at giving me full, long and slightly curled lashes. I have naturally very straight lashes and I have to say this stuff is one of the best mascara's I've used that actually holds a curl in them! It really opens up my eyes and makes my lashes look so nice, the only slight gripe is that it sometimes smudges though a lot of people who don't have such sensitive eyes haven't had that problem and bare in mind every mascara smudges on me!

Rimmel Eyeliner in Nude - This isn't pictured as it just ran out but this is great for putting along the waterline to make your eyes appear a lot whiter and brighter. It's super cheap and works beautifully as well as lasting all day.

I'd love to know what make up products you use to give you that awake look and again, if anyone has any sheen type highlighters to recommend me I'd be so greatful! x

Boots & MAC Haul

I'm back again with more shopping I really didn't need but got anyway! I've tried to justify it by telling myself it was okay because I got my student loan on Monday but actually, it probably isn't justifable, especially seeing how many lipsticks and nail varnishes I already own. I basically couldn't resist picking up a couple of things I'd wanted for a while now that I had a bit of a money and to get some work appropriate lipsticks because starting next week, I have a two week internship at Red Magazine which I'm so, so excited (and nervous) for. Not only do I not really own nude/neutral lipsticks but it also meant I had to get some more fashionable clothing pieces as in all honesty, I'm a comfy casual kind of girl! Anyway, onto what I picked up!

First up was nail varnish. I have to say, I was so excited when I saw that my local Boots had started selling a ton of nail polish brands: Sally Hansen, Sinful Colors, Butter London and more so I really had to narrow my picks down to a couple, even though I ended up buying another two polishes later that day! The Sally Hansen shade I got was in Hidden Treasure, a beautiful lilac greenish duochrome which I cannot wait to use. Then I got the shade Gorgeous from Sinful Colors as I'd originally planned on getting Topshop Eclipse but when I saw this one with a similar effect for £1.99 I had to try it out. Then I went to John Lewis and saw the OPI polish in Which Is Witch and couldn't put it down! I had originally intended on getting this but it's an amazing glitter polish full of holographic pieces of glitter. Finally I got MAC Soiree, a rose goldish polish I'd wanted to ages as I'm obsessed with anything rose gold. 

Next I headed to get lipsticks. From MAC, I got Hue and Patrisserie and let me just say, I cannot believe I'm only just trying these for the first time when I own so many MAC lipsticks! They are both really lovely shades and very wearable nudes, coming from somewhere who really struggles to get nudes to suit them. I've always found they just haven't looked right on me and have shown all the imperfections in my usually dry lips but now they are in better condition thanks to my Maybelline Babylips, they actually look really pretty and will be great for when I'm working. I then couldn't resist picking up three more of the Bourjois Rouge Edition lipsticks because they are my favourites alongside MAC and are just incredible. I now own six and love them all, I got Rose Tweed which is a browny nude, Rose Neon which is a bright but still everyday shade of pink and Rouge Jet Set which is a true red colour. I also got some Tweezerman tweezers as I needed some new ones and thought I'd take the plunge and try them out and a MAC Brow Crayon in Spiked as my current brow eyeshadow has started to look too warm toned for my brows!

Have you tried any of these products? I always love to know people's thoughts on them! :) 

MAC Mineralize Lipstick in Elegant Accent

Hi everyone! I'd firstly like to apologize for the lack of posts this week. Been doing work experience for my course which meant doing work for a festival interviewing bands etc which was really fun, plus I got to meet Bastille who I love! Music stuff aside, I wanted to review a MAC Mineralize Lipstick because I haven't actually seen any reviews of this since they came out but they are really, really nice! I actually have two shades - Elegant Accent, a pretty pink and Lush Life which is a bit like Rebel but in a glossier form.

As I said before, I got the shade Elegant Accent which MAC describe as a 'mid-tonal warm rose cream'. I think I would agree with them, though on me it is slightly more of a baby pink than a rose shade. Formula wise, these have to be one of my favourite formula's (if not my favourite) from MAC followed by amplified, matte and lustre! These are by far the most comfortable finish for me, they are extremely lightweight to the point where it feels like a lip balm. Don't let this fool you though as these provide a very decent dose of pigmentation and moisturization to the lips and can be built up a lot if you do have a lighter shade. The finish has a shine to them but nothing glittery or overpowering in my opinion.

Then onto the packaging. I absolutely love it, not only does it look sleek but it has a magnetic closure which I think really adds something to the design. The only slight downside to these lipsticks is that they are £20, £6 more expensive than the normal MAC lipsticks. However, it is worth noting that these contain an extra gram of product so with the other you are paying over almost £5 per gram of product whilst these would work out as £5 so it's not too disimilar. 

Overall, I'd highly, highly recommend these lipsticks. Don't let the lack of reviews put you off, they are the most beautiful formula and finish and I will definitely be picking up more when I eventually use some more of my lipsticks I'm not so keen on up! I'd love to know your thoughts if any of you have tried these?! Also, please let me know any requests of posts you'd like to see! :)

100 Follower Giveaway!

So I woke up this morning to see I'd hit 100 GFC followers, so exciting! :) As a thank you to all your support, I wanted to run a giveaway so decided I would give away not one, but two MAC lipsticks so you have two chances to win! All you have to do is fill our Rafflecopter below to enter and in 20 days time, I will pick a winner. Good luck!

1) Please leave the name of your chosen MAC lipstick in the comments
2) It must be from the usual MAC permanent line
3) The giveaway will have TWO winners so one MAC lipstick for two different people!
4) If you don't have Twitter, please leave an email I can contact you on otherwise it's fine to leave your Twitter name! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations girls! I have emailed you both so if you could just reply with an email listing your chosen lipstick and your address then I will have it sent out to you asap.
I cannot find the Layla in question so I will email you, but if you haven't posted the blogpost comment which was the winning entry, (I'm guessing it may be under a different name!) I will have to choose a new winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered and keep your eyes peeled for a new giveaway sometime in future!

Review: MAC Stereo Rose

Today I thought I'd so a review of the recently re-released cult MAC product, Stereo Rose. I've heard so much about this product that I definitely sucumbed to the hype when I heard it was being released again in the Apres Chic collection and thus far, I am enjoying it but it hasn't made it's way into my favourites just yet!

MAC Stereo Rose £21.50

The beautiful look to the product is something that definitely translates once on the skin to create a coral shade with golden shimmer running through it. The colour definitely leans to more of a yellow toned pink rather which I find works far more flattering on a number of skintones. Like the majority of the MSF's, Stereo Rose is good in terms of pigmentation but I find does need reapplying every couple of hours or so to maintain it's full coral shade.

As you can see, it definitely has a lot of shimmer so if you're not a fan of this I would definitely stay clear! For me, I do see why people would love this product especially for the warmer months but I wouldn't say it's wowed me as far as longevity and amazing colour pay off goes for the price it is.

In terms of avaliability you may still find this in some stores around the UK but if not, I think this blush by Vivo (stocked in Tesco's!) is an amazing dupe :)

What do you think of Stereo Rose?

2012 Favourites: Lips

Revlon Colourburst Lipgloss (One shown in 'Pink Ice') - This is cheating a bit but this lipgloss is a representation of all this range, this one being my favourite. I was never a lipgloss girl until I tried Revlon's as they apply beautifully and don't feel sticky or uncomfortable on the lips. They are also so pigmented, far more than any high end lipgloss I've tried and I love the packaging. Definitely one worth trying before you write off lipgloss entirely!

Korres Lip Butter in Wild Rose - This again is my favourite shade of the range but all these lip butters are incredible. They are what I wear if I'm going for a simple look or my lips are extremely dry and I find these work better at moisturizing my lips than any other I've tried, including Blistex and Vaseline. This one in particular comes out a natural deepish pinky red and I honestly wouldn't be without these.

MAC Lipstick in Plumful - First off, I apologize for all the MAC in this 'top 5'! I'd be lying if I said they weren't my favourite lipsticks. This one is particular I got about 9 months ago as I much prefer deeper shades on me. It actually comes out lighter than it looks in the bullet, more of a berry shade which I love. I also really enjoy the lustre formula, it's one of my favourites along with the finishes of the next two

MAC Girl About Town - This is my go to lipstick for a night out (as you can probably tell by how much it's melted, oops!) that I find works so well at making a statement without looking ridiculously overdone. It comes out a fuchsia pink with blueish undertones and I am yet to see this on someone and it not suit them.

MAC Charmed I'm Sure (LE) -  Sorry to include something LE but I couldn't not speak about this lipstick. It has fast become one of my all time favourite MAC shades and my favourite red shade ever. I think because it leans slightly pink it's just so flattering, I have problems wearing really blue toned reds as they just look too much on me for some reason but this is a perfect neutral red that I'd recommend anyone snatching up if you have a chance! The only colour that's meant to be slightly similar is Ruby Woo, which I may try if I ever use this up!

What's your favourite MAC lipstick or lip product of the year?

A Vampy Lip

From the recent MAC Marilyn Monroe collection, I bring you the perfect 'vampy' lip! Deeply Adored is a beautiful dark red shade with slight blue undertones. Although in swatches it may appear a bit plum toned don't be fooled, this is most definitely a deep scarlet red that would look beautiful on a variety of skintones. 

As you would expect from a Matte lipstick, the colour payoff is really great. Some find the Matte formulas to be a little drying but on my lips they really aren't as drying for some reason! I actually seem to be the only person who finds the cremesheens a lot more drying.. Anyway, due to the pigmentation, this shade is opaque in one sweep across the lips and with a bit of lip liner to prevent bleeding (I used Rimmel's one in 'Black Tulip') you are good to go!

In terms of how to wear this, I think it looks best with really simple make up - I tend to wear nothing but mascara on the eyes and sometimes a bit of Nars blush in Sin on my cheeks, though most often I will just wear this with no blush or eyeshadow so all the focus is on the lips. The colour lasts a good few hours on the lips for me without the need of a touch up, which is really nice - especially on a night out.

Unfortunately, this collection sold out so quickly but if you ever see it in a blog sale or have a chance to get I would highly recommend snatching it up! 

What's your favourite dark lip shade?

MAC Favourites!

I thought a cool first post idea would be my MAC favourites. MAC are one of my favourite brands overall, in particular their lipsticks! 

My first favourite item is the eyeshadow 'Espresso' which I use every single day to fill in my brows. I find it works best with the Eco Tools eyeliner brush to create a really natural look and is the perfect matte brown for my hair colour. 

Next up are the MAC paint pots. The two colours I have are Rubenesque (left) and Paintery (right). They both make really great bases for eyeshadow, but work equally well alone. Rubenesque is a beautiful peachy gold shade that can just add a really nice colour to your lid, whilst I often use Painterly to perfect my eye area covering up any discolouration.

MAC Summer Haze mineralize eyeshadow came out with the limited edition 'Naturally' collection this year and I've been obsessed ever since. This eyeshadow is the most perfect rose gold colour!

This palette contains my four favourite shadows from MAC but in particular, my all time favourite 'All That Glitters' (top right) which is a lovely pinky gold shade. Also in the palette are 'Ricepaper' (top left), 'Sable' (bottom left) and 'Satin Taupe' (bottom right), which is a great crease colour.

I don't hear much about MAC's Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel but it is one of my favourite highlighters and definitely deserves more recognition! 

Perhaps one of the most well known items from MAC is their Mineralise Skinfinish in 'Soft and Gentle' which is truly an amazing powder for highlighting. It leaves a noticeable sheen on your cheekbones whilst adding a glow to the face.

My all time favourite blush from MAC is another not so spoken about item. This is 'Coygirl', a beautiful plummy pink. It really adds that natural flush to your cheeks and helps to sculpt the face also.

Another cult product from MAC is their Mineralise Skinfinish setting powders. It is perfect for setting your make up whilst leaving your skin looking natural.

Finally are my favourite MAC products, their lipsticks. These six are my top picks of my collection, as you can see I wear a lot more dark/bright colours than I do nudes! From L-R they are Craving, Girl About Town, Chili, Diva, Cut A Caper (LE) and Charmed, I'm Sure (LE).

Thanks for reading!

Katherine xo