24 Nov 2015

My Top 5 MAC Lipsticks

Ciao  It's said that diamonds are a girl's best friend. For a lot of women that's very much the case. For me that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm the type of woman who treasures and finds happiness in the simplest of things. One of those things being lipsticks.

MAC is my favourite brand when it comes to lipsticks as they have a wide variety of shades in many different formulas. Currently, I have twenty-nine of these in my collection. Eek! Do I plan on stopping there? Hell to the no. Some of you will probably think that's a tad obsessive but everyone has something, or a few things in my case, that they cannot help but buy. For instance, guys usually have quite a collection of video games, trainers and comic books. I have a thing for lipsticks, lingerie, jewellery, evening-wear dresses and high-heels. What can I say, I just can't help myself.

In today's post I'll be sharing swatches and a brief description of five of my favourite, go-to MAC lipsticks. These are all part of MAC's core collection so are all readily available to purchase. Let's begin.


Lady Danger
Colour: Vivid bright coral-red
Finish: Matte
Description: Although red isn't a shade I gravitate towards very often, it's a classic colour that every woman needs to have in her collection. The red MAC lipsticks I have are Lady Danger, Diva, Ruby Woo and Russian Red. Lady Danger is by far my favourite as it's bold, vibrant and head-turning. The only downside to this lipstick is that it tends to dry out my lips an hour to two after application.

Mehr
Colour: Dirty blue pink
Finish: Matte
Description: Despite having this shade for the longest time, I never get bored of it so carry it around with me in my bag for those just in case I need to spruce myself up moments. I love it! It stays put on my lips for a good few hours and doesn't require for me to use a lip liner prior to applying it. I've actually written an in-depth review on this product so click here if you'd like to read it.

Faux
Colour: Muted mauve-pink
Finish: Satin
Description: Hands down, this is the perfect nude lipstick as it creates that your lips but better look without drying them out. It's super creamy, glides on effortlessly and lasts for a good few hours. I feel that this will also compliment all skin tones.

Velvet Teddy
Colour: Deep-tone beige
Finish: Matte
Description: Word on the street was that this was the reason behind Kylie Jenner's all of a sudden big lips. Psh! Who was she trying to fool? Ha! In actual fact she fooled a lot of you as this then went on to completely sell out both in store and online for months. I waited a long time before playing up to the hype as I was a little worried that this shade was going to completely wash me out. Thankfully, it doesn't. It's a gorgeous light brown shade that stays put for absolutely ages.

Whirl
Colour: Dirty rose
Finish: Matte
Description: This is a gorgeous medium-dark brown shade and is the most recent addition to my growing collection. Initially, this shade was only available in a lip pencil and was also part of the craze surrounding Kylie Jenner's lip transformation; Kylie mentioned this is one of her go-to lip products. Since then is has recently been introduced to MAC's core lipstick collection.

Do you own any of these shades? If so, what are you thoughts and if not, what's your favourite shade(s)? I'd love to know as I'm always looking to add to my collection. FYI, I'm currently lusting after Stone and Retro :)

Ciao ♥ Xx 


18 Nov 2015

Wish List | November


Suede Heel Ankle Boots - £79.99 from Zara (click here to view)
Charlotte Tilbury The Complete Brush Set - £240 from John Lewis (click here to view)
Limited Edition Green Sequin Dress -  £399 from Karen Millen (click here to view)
Monochrome Checked Skinny Scarf - £45 from Ted Baker (click here to view)
Elie Saab Le Parfum 90ml - £78 from Selfridges (click here to view)
Wooden Bar Multi-Row Necklace - £25 from Topshop (click here to view)
Pure Wool Lace Fedora Hat - £35 from M&S (click here to view)
Green Draycott Satchel - £99 from Hobbs (click here to view)
Stripe Texture Pencil - £45 from Oasis (click here to view)

Ciao ♥ Xx 


16 Nov 2015

Farfetch Competition

Ciao ♥ How are you? I was recently invited to take part in a fashion challenge by the international fashion website Farfetch. The aim of the competition is to create an outfit that is stylish and suitable for the upcoming festive holiday season. This was lots of fun to create as I usually put together outfits featuring high-street brands opposed to luxury ones. Featured below is my entry for this competition. I opted for quite an elegant outfit that has a subtle hint of mysteriousness and grunge. I tried not to choose anything that was too cliché (i.e. a red dress or gold jewellery) as I didn't want my outfit to be a predictable choice for the festive season. I wanted it to stand out from the crowd opposed to blending in. After all, these are the outfits that people tend to remember the most.

Please note that all items featured below are currently available to view or purchase on the Farfetch website. What do you guys think? Is this something you'd wear? :)

Long Kimono Pleated Dress by Iris Van Herpen (click here to view)
Geometric Sandals by Charlotte Olypmia (click here to view)
Tassel Detail Belt by Lanvin (click here to view)
Poppy Cage Knuckle Box Clutch by Alexander McQueen (click here to view)
Tear Drop Earrings by Givenchy (click here to view)

Are you guys following me on Instagram and Twitter? Get following if you’d like to be updated with my day-to-day thoughts and adventures.

Ciao ♥ Xx 


4 Nov 2015

Product Review | Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

Ciao ♥ How are you? I hope you all had a lovely weekend doing whatever it was you were doing. Hmm! Is it still acceptable to ask about your weekend now that it's Wednesday? (*scratches head hesitantly*) Oh well! I'm sure a lot of you had fun spooking it up on Saturday evening with it being Halloween and all. For those interested (not many I'm sure), I did the very opposite and spent my evening at home in my pjs. Oh, the fun.

Now that the greeting is out of the way, let's get down to some serious skincare business. I'm back today with a review on one of my go-to skincare products, Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream.

 

Elizabeth Arden is a brand I've practically grown up with as my mum used to have quite a few of their fragrances; my favourite being Sunflowers which smells lovely. However, it was only a year or two ago that I became a lot more familiar with their extensive line of skincare products. Thank fudge as my lips are prone to drying out and cracking especially come autumn and winter. I've tried to prevent this from happening by using an array of products, from several different brands, including Blistex, Carmex, Chapstick, Nivea and Vaseline. You name it, I've tried it. Unfortunately, none of these led to any long-lasting effects meaning I was always on the lookout for something new, and something better. That was until I discovered this little gem.

This product comes in a 50ml tube, available in a fragrance-free version and can be used to do the following: "shape brows, revitalize shine, soothe dry hands and smooth cuticles and nails. Also for symptoms of chapping, peeling or flaking due to minor burns, sunburn, windburn, scrapes, abrasions or cracked lips". It also has an expiration date of 36 months which is almost unheard of in the life of a cosmetic or skincare product.

It's available from several different retailers both in-store and online. The price of it does vary depending on where you purchase it from. For instance, it usually retails for £26, as seen on the Elizabeth Arden, Boots, John Lewis and Debenhams website, but I've found it for less than half of that price (£11.65 to be exact) on allbeauty.com. This just happens to be one of my favourite websites ever as their prices are literally unbeatable. Kerching! Y'all can thank me later :)

For those who are still not keen on the price, keep in mind that I've had mine for six months now and there's still plenty of product left despite me applying a liberal amount, a few times a day. Overall, I feel it does a great job at ensuring my lips are kept moisturised and hydrated. Not surprising as this product was first created in 1930 and has been a success ever since. Need I say more?

What do you guys think? Does this sound like a product you'd be interested in? Let me know what your thoughts are in the comment box below.

Ciao ♥ Xx