Review: MAC Blush in Style

I've been lusting after this blush from MAC for over a month, but for some reason I've felt too guilty to buy it. So when I went into MAC the other day I bought their Prep + Prime setting powder and this at the same time, but I thought I'd do separate blogs on them. 

As you can see, Style is a Frost blush. It has a really plain peachy colour just sat in the pan, but when it's swatched on the skin, it's beautifully pigmented and leaves the skin with a golden-kissed shimmer. 

This blush is so pigmented, too much can be applied quite easily, so being light handed is key. It reminds me of Sleek blush 'Rose Gold', but this one suits my fake tan better - being peachy instead of pink-based. 

This will definitely be my go-to blush for the autumn and winter months - hell, probably for the foreseeable future - and I'm looking forward to using it in different makeup looks. Love it or hate it? Let me know x

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder

I've been wanting to add this setting powder to my makeup collection for a good long while now, and now I have it... *Cue evil laughter*

So I wanted to do a first impression/review on this product.

This box is actually pretty cute, which is saying something because I'm not all that hot on packaging. 

The powder is white, but according to MAC, this powder will suit all skin colours once it's applied/blended in. 

Apparently this powder is good for oily skin, and has very positive reviews on the MAC website and also on Makeup Alley and across the web. I have combination oily skin so I had to try this out...

I applied my eye makeup and brows, then applied Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation and contoured with bronzer and let it set... 

Then I applied the setting powder in small amounts in small circular motions, concentrating on my nose and inner cheeks nearest my nose, where I'm definitely the oiliest. 

After I had applied it, my skin felt super smooth and my huge pores on my inner cheeks looked much smaller, and the pores on my nose looked smaller too. There was also no white powder showing on my skin either, so good news there.

The finish wasn't too matte either, so it looked more natural. Plus there is no build up of colour over my foundation, so my face stays cake-free - thumbs up. For a proper review, I didn't use any oil controlling primer under my foundation as I wanted to see how well the powder would control my oily skin.

I also thought I'd do a photography flash test too, to see if there was flashback. Let's check for "ghost face", using my iPhone's flash. 

I think I'm pretty safe from that, I reckon... But what about oil control? I applied the powder at around 3pm, then checked my face six hours later... 

Sorry for super creepy closeup! My nose and inner cheeks could definitely do with a little blot and maybe a little extra powder, but it didn't do too badly on my face. 

With an oil controlling primer, I don't doubt that this powder will keep the oil at bay for at least ten hours. 

Thoughts?: It's relatively expensive at £20.50 but a little goes a long way. Loose powder is not exactly travel friendly, so the pressed version is probably more desirable for those purposes. It makes my skin feel amazing after application, doesn't create "ghost face" or "cake face" and doesn't do a terrible job at keeping my oil at bay, so it's a good all-rounder. 

I got some bling bling!

I can just see your jaws dropping down in amazement... Did my hubster suddenly win the lottery???

Say whaaaaat?!? 3 carats of untamed, pure, asscher cut beauty, perched proudly on my chubby, unrefined finger...

And here, paired with my wedding band...

So did we win the lottery? Hell no. We don't even play... This is from eBay (all the way from America) - the diamond is completely fake, along with the teeny diamonds set in the band (which puts the total carat weight at 3.25). But by golly it's pretty! And it only cost $29.99 (around £18.81 for us in the UK). It took a week for it to get to the UK, which is brilliant. Want a ring like this for yourself? Check out the seller's shop - "shopdluxe" on eBay...

Xx

Review: MeNow Generation 2 long lasting lipgloss Shade "28"

So I don't know how many people have heard of these lip glosses, but I saw one on aliexpress.com and I decided to give it a try. It is in shade 28, as they don't have names, but this one is red...

It kind of reminds me of a test tube... 

It's really quite a long tube with plenty of product inside. It has a long, slender handle with a doe foot applicator. 

It applies like a smooth gloss, but sets into a completely matte, hard wearing colour. 

I applied this at 11am, ate a beef curry, drank two cups of tea and ate some chocolate and some mini cheddars and plenty of chatting with my hubby and little sister. It lasted a full 8 hours, with hardly any colour rubbing off... 

This lipgloss is really longwearing. The above picture was taken at 7pm. As you can see, hardly anything has rubbed away and I'm sure that it would have gone through another meal and a good 3, possibly 4 hours before it would have rubbed off much more - but I grew tired of wearing it and took it off. 

This stuff does not come away easily using normal facial wipes (not that I use them) or micellar water and the such - using an oil based makeup remover is kind of a must. 

For around $1.50 (around 99p for us in the UK) and free shipping, you really can't go wrong, and I've heard that these are a dupe for the Lime Crime Velvetine lip glosses but for a fraction of the price. 

The negatives? They come from China, so they're almost certainly not animal cruelty free :( 

Are they worth it? You decide! x

Good News!

So I've been cray cray busy recently. My shifts went from week nights to weekend days, and I spent the first week trying to readjust my sleeping pattern, so I was grouchy and miserable. But then I realised I had 4 days off a week... So I decided to bite the bullet and apply for a Beauty Therapy course in a local college and a different college around 6 miles away, even though the courses started around 2nd Sep. 

The first college invited me in with open arms, but said their fees for the year would be £1,672 - I had to refuse as I don't have that kind of moolah! 

I was turned down by the second college; their course was now full, but they'd keep me on hold if a space became available. Their course covered exactly the same things as the first college, but their fees were substantially lower, at around £816, which, in my job, part of the country and economy, this seemingly meagre sum of money was still far from my reach. I talked to my mother about it, and she said if I really wanted a future in beauty (definitely!) then she'd loan me the money. But because I'd been denied, I said no, it'd give me time to save up to pay for some of the course that started in January 2015. 

BUT! Just two days after being denied, I received a phone call from the second college, asking me to attend an interview; they'd decided to expand their classes and many more people - myself included - were asked to interview. 

I was ecstatic, overjoyed, nervous, and then frightened to death - I couldn't afford the course, just after saying no to my mum for her help! So I told her about the interview, and she gave me £750 to pay for my course when I attended and was accepted! 

So this is the makeup & nails I wore for my interview and for my first day at college (I was accepted & started the same day). Unfortunately it was "Facial day", so all my hard work was cleansed right off my face within minutes of being in class. I was also told to ditch my fake nails (I've been wearing fake nails solidly for around 4 years) until the course finishes next June. 

So... Yeah, now my nails look like this: 

Soooo not happy about this, but if this is the sacrifice I have to make, then so be it!  

On the two days I have off a week, I'll be studying and trying to catch up on the work that I've missed out on, and I'll also try really hard to blog as often as possible. So sorry if my blog lags a little bit - I'll try my best to keep you peeps up to date with my beauty bites! 

Catch you lovelies soon, this is part-time college girl, over and out!