MAC HOLIDAY COLLECTION 2018 - REVIEW, HAUL & TUTORIAL

Hey lovelies! So excited for today's post because we're going to be talking about the MAC Shiny Pretty Things Christmas Collection. Now, for me, MAC always blow me away with their Christmas collections. I'm always drawn to their festive packaging and amazing formulas and shades in, well - pretty much everything! So when the collection launched last week - I HAD TO GET SOME THINGS. If you want to see a tutorial using these products, scroll to the bottom of this post as I've linked my YouTube tutorial there!

I picked up the Shiny Pretty Things Face Compact in Medium/Deep. I've seen this circulating on the internet for WEEKS and I've been dying to get my hands on it. They also offer this product for fair skin too!

It's quite funny how this collection is named Shiny Pretty Things because everything was, shiny & pretty and I was also drawn to everything that was...shiny & pretty. Which leads me onto the eyeshadows I picked up OH MY LIFE these are beautiful! I'm really favouring pressed foiled shadows over loose pigments these days so when I saw these I added all the ones which caught my eye to my basket!

The dazzleliners looked beautiful this year! I picked up the shade 'Holiday Time' which is a beautiful peachy gold and I love it. If you look at this and think but how would I even use that as an eyeliner? check out my tutorial because I've got an amazing use for this!

I couldn't not pick up a pigment/glitter set! I bought a set a few years ago and I loved the products so I was super excited to pick up another set this year! I bought the Gold Set.

Last but not least I picked up the Lipglass in the shade 'Scarcely Seen' It's a beautiful peachy gloss with gold flecks in it - aka if I was a lipgloss, this would be me!

WANT TO KNOW MY THOUGHTS?

Did you pick up anything from the collection this year? Let me know in the comments!xx

Rebecca x

NEW! MAC POWDER KISS LIPSTICKS

Annnnnd here we are again! Hey lovelies! Welcome back! More products to discuss & talk about today! I'm super excited because today we're talking about the new MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Lipsticks. Who doesn't love a good old MAC Lipsticks. To tell you the truth, I use them in every single makeup appointment! I don't favour matte liquid lipsticks but I do love the MAC matte lipstick formula, it's matte - yet so hydrating! So when I saw the new powder kiss lipsticks coming out - I had to order!

The Powder Kiss Lipsticks are available in 16 beautiful shades! I purchased the shades My Tweedy & Impulsive. I also wanted the shade Devoted To Chilli which is absolutely beautiful but it was out of stock (sad times). The lipsticks retail for £17.50 each and claim to be a "Moisturematte weightless lipstick that delivers a romantic blur of effortless soft focus colour." - maccosmetics.co.uk 

So today we're going to be trying and testing these two beautiful shades! I'm going to test each one out for a whole day and I'll collect all my thoughts & feels and let you know at the end of the day! 

(Above: Impulsive, Below: My Tweedy)

My Tweedy is described as a 'Blushy Nude' and I agree! I also think it has a bit of a peachy undertone to it too which I love!

Impulsive is described as a 'Warm Brown' which basically means that, it's a bit of me! Brown nudes are my absolute go-to's and I think a warm brown nude is so flattering for any kind of eye look! So obviously you know I had to put this one in my basket!

Okay so I don’t know what sort of wizardry MAC are up to, but I love it. The lipsticks, physically, look matte but feel like a cream lipstick, not even the slightest bit drying at all! This would be perfect if you hate the feel of matte lips but love the look (like me) I can’t stand anything drying, i’m a gloss gal! But I can’t stop wearing these! Impulsive is just my favourite shade, the perfect brown nude with or without gloss! They’re super long lasting and they feel incredible on!

So that's my thoughts and feels on the new Powder Kiss Lipsticks! Have any of the shades caught your eye? Or have you tried them already? Let me know in the comments!

Rebecca x

SIX LUSCIOUS LIPBALMS TO STAY HYDRATED THIS WINTER

Hey hunnies! Wow, how is it nearly the end of October already?! We’re rolling full speed ahead into the winter months and whilst I thrive in the colder months, my skin & lips do not! We all need a little extra hydration when the weather gets a little cooler, the thing that I'm hearing most from my clients is "my lips are so dry, I think it's the weather!" and lovelies, I'm with ya!

So I've popped together a little collection of my favourite lipbalms/treatments that you'll be loving over the next few months. Some are affordable, some are mid range and some are slightly higher priced for a lipbalm! All of these are my absolute favourites (old & new) so I know you'll love them too!

Papaya Gold PAW PAW Moisturising Balm.

This beauty is £5.99 from Boots and you get 25g of product so this is absolutely huge for a lipbalm this will last you forever! Now this is SUPER moisturising, it's a thick balm that that sort of melts as you apply it! It's very long lasting on the lips and also looks a little glossy too. I actually always wear a lipbalm that looks a little glossy during the day whilst I'm working. This isn't one of those waxy sticky balms either. Feels totally comfortable on the lips, and you can also use this balm on any dry skin patches etc you're going to absolutely love this!

Decleor Intense Nutrition Lip Balm

This has been my favourite for years now and I've actually featured it on my blog several times in the past! I like to think of this as more of a lip mask rather than a lip balm. It's an incredible overnight treatment. You wake up with the most beautifully soft nourished lips! Take a small amount from the pot and work it between your fingertips to warm it up so it becomes a softer consistency then apply! It's quite a thick formula so working it before you apply it is key! This one retails for £12 for 7g of product, but I do find that a little goes a long way!

Sol De Janiero Brazilian Kiss Cupuacu Lip Butter

This smell like heaven. Anything from Sol De Janeiro - I love! This is super buttery and leaves a silky film over the lips. It contains coconut oil and acai and is such a beautiful combination. Also, this lasts FOREVER. I use mine all the time and I've had it since January! This is actually my favourite lip balm to carry in my bag with me everywhere I go. Because it's in a stick formula I can just apply it whenever, wherever and I'm good to go. I leave it in my bag and I don't take it out so I always know I have a balm at hand. This retails for £15.00 for 6.2g

Dr Paw Paw Original Balm 

This is very similar to the Papaya Gold PAW PAW Moisturising Balm. It's a super thick balm that melts down when applied. It leaves a beautiful glossy finish and I actually love putting this over lipsticks so that my lips stay hydrated all day but it looks like you're wearing a gloss! Again, this isn't a sticky, gloopy formula. It's fantastic! I have the travel size which is 10ml however the original size is 25ml for £6.95.

NUXE Baume Levres Reve De Miel - Honey Lip Balm

Oh this! Is pure luxury huns. This works similarly to the Decleor balm in that it's best to warm it between your fingertips before you apply it. It's amazing as an overnight mask because it's so rich and thick. It also smells like chocolate orange - uhhh hello! We love that! I also feel like it's a little bit exfoliating as well as it has little grains in it - which I actually love! I only wear this overnight as a power treatment when my lips are dry! They've actually reformulated this balm so I'll definitely be picking up the new formula! This product is £10 for 15ml

Lanolips 101 Ointment

Oh now this is special (have I said this about every product?) everyone uses this and now I know why. It's super moistursing, an intense treatment that melts down into a beautiful glossy/oily balm URGH it's insane! The tiniest bit goes a long long way! This is also one of those multipurpose balms that you can use for everything. The 101 ointment has, you guessed it - 101 uses! If anyone can find me a list for the 101 uses, I'd really appreciate it! This is 100% natural and you get 15g for £10.99

So huns that wraps up my top products to keep your lips super hydrated this winter! Which one are you fancying? Have you tried any of these before? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below! See you in the next post!

Rebecca x

EASY SFX MAKEUP: BULLET HOLE WOUND

Hey lovelies! A tutorial is up on my YouTube channel on how to create super easy special effects bullet hole wounds using just only 3 products! Check it out huns - if you struggle with Halloween looks I’ve broken this right down for you!

Enjoy huns and if you watched thank you so much x

MORPHE X JACLYN HILL - THE VAULT COLLECTION SWATCHES & FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hey lovelies! Here we are again with more products that I’ve bought for us to review! I say us because I feel like I buy products for us all to try out I feel like we’re best friends and we’re all shopping together and buying things and testing it out and talking about how we feel - i dunno!haha 

So I’m so late on the Morphe X Jaclyn Hill Vault Collection - I’ve just got so many eyeshadows & palettes in my kit and it makes me think WOW do I really need more? But my inner shopping addict took over my body and made me finally buy the collection.

I have the first Morphe X Jaclyn Hill Palette and it’s one of my favourite palettes in my collection so I was very hopeful that I’d love the Vault Collection just the same!

So what I want to do is swatch each palette in this blog post and give my first impressions and from that I want to film 4 YouTube tutorials showing you looks you can use with each individual palette (because some people might not want to buy the whole collection) so keep your eyes peeled on my YouTube channel for those tuts coming out soon!

So let’s talk about the facts. I purchased the Vault Collection on the Morphe UK website for £49 with standard free shipping. I ordered on the Sunday and it arrived on the Wednesday. In the Vault Collection you receive 4 palettes; Ring The Alarm, Armed & Gorgeous, Dark Magic & Bling Boss. Each palette has 10 shades in making the whole collection add up to 40 shades.
THAT WORKS OUT AT £1.23 PER EYESHADOW!!!!!!!!!!!

My first impressions were..the packaging is great! For 4 palettes it's so compact perfect for travelling, I'm going to Amsterdam for a few days in November and don't want to take many palettes so will definitely be taking one of these. When I started to open each palette I was just blown away at the colours. Some of the shades may seem unwearable to some people, however, being a makeup artist there are some shades in these palettes that I've been needing for a long time. I also love that there's a mirror in each one! There's no longer an excuse for brands not to put mirrors in palettes. Fact. 

So let's take a closer look...

RING THE ALARM

RING THE ALARM. This palette is a bit of me. It's filled with warm toned cranberries and browns with a few golds and pinks and I'm here for it! I've used this palette a few times for my day to day makeup and for some of my Instagram Halloween Looks - I'm absolutely loving them - I have no problems with the formulation, pigment or blending I think they're fantastic - my current favourite shades are: Bomb Ass, Mugshot, Secret and On Camera. If you love warm tones - get this!



DARK MAGIC



DARK MAGIC. I feel like because I'm someone who's quite creative with makeup I instantly look at this palette and I know what look to do with it. However, I know not everyone works that way! So I can understand why some people might freak out when they look at this but I love all these deep teals and forest greens it's so nice to see something refreshing and different than the same old shadows! I'll be uploading a YouTube tutorial soon on how to use this! I think the shades in here are absolutely flawless, the shades Power Cut, Potion & Trickery are my favourites!

BLING BOSS



BLING BOSS. If you've got green eyes like me then you need this because purple/maroon eyeshadows make our eye colour POP! This palette is full of purples, maroons and rose golds! I've also used this palette to create some looks and honestly I love it. My favourite shades are Gem, Sparks, Pizzaz & Berry Treasure.



ARMED & GORGEOUS



ARMED & GORGEOUS. Ohhh huns, this palette. if I was an eyeshadow palette this would be me. Golds, warm browns and a forest green! I cannot stop wearing this palette, I'm honestly obsessed. I can't wait to film a look using this palette, I might have to do 5 videos because I've got too many ideas! My favourite shades are Access, Coin, Gilt Trip, Secure, Classified, Top Secret & Smooth Criminal (basically the whole palette).



Huns, if you don't have this get it. The quality is absolutely exceptional and if you don't want the full collection you can buy the palettes separately! I am honestly blown away by these shadows and I can't wait to start creating some looks! I've been using them daily and for a few Halloween looks but I just can't wait to sit down and have a proper play with each palette! Keep your eyes peeled on my YouTube Channel for alllllll the looks to come using these gorg shades!

Have you bought the Vault Collection? What are your thoughts? Which palette are you most drawn to? Let me know in the comments! See you in the next post!

Rebecca x

NYX CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP - WORTH THE BUY?

Hey lovelies! Guess what we have today - another affordable foundation review! Aren't I just treating you this week huns! So today's review is of the brand new NYX Can't Stop, Won't Stop Full Coverage Foundation. This foundation has taken the internet in it's stride and created so much hype since the launch..and rightly so!

The product comes in an impressive 45 shades, we love that. I think this foundation was created in collaboration with Alissa Ashley and she did an incredible job helping with the shade ranges, as always I'm pretty good at picking up my shade online so it was super easy to see which shade I wanted!

This foundation claims: 

"Lightweight, waterproof and pigmented AF, our new Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Full Coverage Foundation hustles as hard as you do. This comfy liquid formula comes in 45 flattering tones that don’t transfer. Every creamy shade glides on smooth, delivering matte coverage and colour that stays true for up to 24 hours. Our little over achiever also works to control shine and mattify your complexion all-day long. But it doesn’t stop there: this foundation is non-comedogenic and suitable for normal, oily, combination, and sensitive skin types." - NYXCosmetics.co.uk

So let's get on with the good stuff!

So I purchased the foundation from the NYX UK website as I have a pro account that gets me 20% off their products, which made this foundation £12 for me, however the original retail price is £15. Now in comparison to my last post where we reviewed The Ordinary Coverage Foundation for £6, there is a £9 difference. However, if we compare the NYX foundation to my favourite foundation ever MAC Studio Fix (£26), the difference is £11. So I think the price point for the NYX foundation is pretty reasonable considering we get a pump as well.

You get 30mls of product and there are 45 shades to choose from! I chose the shade 'Classic Tan' which is a beautiful shade, I could go a little darker for night time so I might purchase 'Golden' also! but Classic Tan is perfect for daytime for me! For reference I'm an NC40 in MAC Studio Fix. So now all that's out the way - LET'S REVIEW!

So as always, when I review a foundation, I use all my normal skincare, face products, brushes etc just to make sure there's nothing that could affect the performance of the foundation. I'm just going to put this out there and say it, this foundation is fantastic. I feel like I just need to say that I'm going to ramble on for the next few paragraphs about how fantastic this foundation really is.

It is definitely a full coverage foundation, it covered all my freckles and imperfections and also built up really well. The finish is definitely matte, I'm actually surprised at how matte it actually kept throughout the day because I do have an oily skin type, so if you are a dry skin type I would suggest really prepping your skin and making sure it's well hydrated before applying this as I feel like it could cling to any dry areas.

As always I only set my T-Zone with powder and left the rest of my face, this isn't a problem for this foundation because it dries down and feels so comfortable on the skin - it barely feels like you're wearing foundation and it definitely doesn't feel heavy on the skin.

I finished my makeup off and that was it! I wore the foundation from 11am - 8pm and when I looked in the mirror to take my makeup off, I'm not lying it barely looked any different to when I applied it that morning. My skin still looked flawless I just had a little bit of patchiness underneath my chin from where I'd been resting my hand. 

This foundation reminds me so much of MAC Studio Fix I juts feel like this one has more of a matte finish. It is honestly a beautiful, beautiful foundation and I've been wearing it for 6 days in a row now. I'm obsessed, I'm honestly obsessed. 

Every day that I've been wearing this foundation I've just had that confidence that throughout the day I know my foundation isn't going to budge. That's what I look for in a foundation and that's why I love Studio Fix so much and the fact that this one is so much cheaper and matches up to that level of quality for me - is a winner.

Would I wear it again? Yes.

Would I wear it in the daytime? Yes.

Would I wear it on a night out? Yes.

Worth the price? Yes.

Would I repurchase? Yes.
Is this full coverage? Yes.

I hope you enjoyed this review on the NYX Can't Stop, Won't Stop Full Coverage Foundation. If you're a full coverage lover - I urge you to try this, you will not be disappointed! Have you tried this foundation? what did you think? Let me know in the comments below! See you in my next post!

Rebecca x

THE MOST PINTEREST WORTHY BRUSHES

Hey lovelies! I’m back and this week we’ve got 3 blog posts and a Youtube video! And to kick off your Monday - we’re delving into the most beautiful brushes ever created - Cosmic Brushes. 

(Blood Moon Set)

Don’t these brushes just SCREAM Pinterest! But that’s not even the best part! Cosmic Brushes are cruelty free, handmade and are all synthetic brushes! But what makes them stand out from the rest is that they’re not private labelled and they’re the best synthetic brushes I’ve ever used for as long as I’ve been doing makeup. 

I was introduced to the brand when I was hired to be their makeup artist on a campaign shoot for their new collection. Cosmic Brushes were kind enough to gift me with some of their beautiful brushes for me to play with before the shoot*! I’ve been using these brushes (including their new collection) since September. I’m super excited to share with you some of my favourite brushes from the brand that I now, couldn’t live without. Talking about the products with the Cosmic Brushes team made me realise how much effort & work goes into these brushes - there is honestly nothing else like this on the market that even compares!

My new favourite eye brushes are from the Gold Star Eye Set. The set includes 5 beautiful synthetic brushes. 3 of which I cannot possibly live without. I’ll be using these in my upcoming Youtube videos so you can see how I use them but application with these is absolutely flawless.

This particular brush is from the new Royal Sapphire Set (£55). The Pre-Sale for these brushes is on the 10th October (12pm UK time) and after that the General Release is on the 20th October. I’ve been using this brush for bronzer & blusher and honestly I’m obsessed. I can’t understand how this is synthetic because it feels so much like natural hair - which is good for applying powder products. The size of this brush is perfect for the cheek area! I'm obsessed with this brush and I can't stop using it!

Ahhh this little beauty! This is my favourite brush from the new Royal Rose Gold Set! I love it for foundation, blending concealer under the eye, applying moisturiser to clients - it’s a good all-rounder! This is also going on Pre-Sale on the 10th October and the General Sale will be 20th October.

That’s it for today’s post huns! Aren’t these just the most beautiful brushes you’ve ever seen?! I’m in love with them and not sure if I can ever live without them! Make sure you check out Cosmic Brushes - they have some beautiful products! See you in the next post..

Rebecca x

*Some of these products were sent to me for free for me to try out, all opinions are my own*