Mac released several new shades with their Pro Longwear Paint Pots, being an original fan of the paint pots, I was intrigued. The colour which I have been wanting to get my hands on for months now is Vintage Selection. It is described as a "frosted dirty peach" however I would say it is more of a brown-ish/peach champagne colour.


The colour is very pigmented but also blendable! I like to use this as an all over wash of colour on the lid to add a nice glow and sheen to the eyelids, due to the brown tones in it, one colour is enough on the lid as it provides a contour in the crease and lightens up (catches the light) in the centre and inner corner of the eye. It lasts ALL DAY and doesn't crease and would look beautiful when doing neutral and metallic eye shadows  especially golds and browns!



Which Mac Paint Pot is your favourite?
I present to you, my pick of blushers for Spring and Summer...


These shades are all bright, some are matte, some have a sheen to them and we have one cream blush! They vary in price and the cater to different skin tones, so hopefully, there is something here for everyone.


Sleek Blush By 3 Palette Lace (Crochet, Guipure, Chantilly), Estee Lauder Tease, Rimmel Live Pink, Nars Luster, Illamasqua Lover, Topshop Head Over Heels


Sleek Blush By 3 Palette - Lace

I love this palette so much, for three incredible blushers it costs a mere £9.99! It comes with two matte shades, an orange and a red and then one orange/coral shade with gold shimmer that reminds me of Nars Orgasm, but dare I say it, it is even better than Orgasm or Super Orgasm (in my humble opinion). What's best is that all three shades are very pigmented and true-to-pan in their colour pay-off this makes these, and most other Sleek blushers, fantastic for dark skin tones as they are vibrant, bright and will not make the skin look ashy. For paler girls, don't get too crazy with this blush, a quick dab of the brush is all you need!



Estee Lauder Illuminating Powder Gelée - Tease
Naughty I know seen as though this was a limited edition product however I had to add it as it is the most beautiful shimmery pink blush/highlighter which I will be using throughout Spring and Summer. If you can find it anywhere, I would urge you to get it! And if you already have it, then go put it on right now! Anyway, this blush is SHIMMERY, which I love and is a wonderful sweet, light pink. These gelées are so incredibly smooth and are a tribrid product (see more here) and blend like a dream, diffusing the colour and shimmer perfectly on those cheekbones! I would have to say, this is the angel of my blush collection, giving a bright halo effect to my face.




Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush - Live Pink
This again is another bargain buy for just £3.99. it is a bright pink with a little bit of a gold shimmer to it however contains no glitter particles, it is soft and blends beautifully. Even though the packaging isn't fantastic, the size is great to just throw in your purse to touch up during the day!



Nars - Luster
A love of mine, for when I have a tan or am in need of one. It is described as a "sheer golden apricot" and gives a wonderful glow to the skin, any pale skins, I would recommend you try this before purchasing however for those olive toned skins or skin with yellow undertones, this gives the warmest glow to the cheeks!



 Illamasqua Blush - Lover
Lover is a matte orange-apricot blush, it blends flawlessly into the skin and gives an orangey/coral glow to the cheeks. I love this when I want to go coral on my lips or have a bright yet not garish colour on my cheeks, this has to be one of my favourite blushers!



Topshop Cream Blush - Head Over Heels
Head Over Heels is a coral pink blush, it is a cream-to-powder blush and adds a very healthy subtle glow which can be built up for intensity. Even though I LOVE this colour, it isn't very long lasting but when I want a dewy finish it is a must have however if I want the colour to stay, I layer over a little of Illamasqua's Lover 



Which product will have you blushing this Spring/Summer?
I don't know what I like more about this lipstick, the beautiful shade or the French name for it... La cerise sur le gateau which translates to: the cherry on the cake. And I feel like this describes it perfectly, the lipstick being the cherry and your face being the cake that is.


It is a steal for only £2.50 which you can get from amazon. It is a little drying on the lips and tugs however if you make sure your lips are well prepped then you should have no problem! I have managed to somehow break mine so the bullet won't twist to release more product however at about 1/6 of the price of a Mac lipstick, who am I to be complaining?

The colour is a wonderful deep bright pink, it reminds me of Mac Rebel but without the purple tones in it. I would say it is more pink than a raspberry pink. It is incredibly pigmented and quite long lasting, if you suffer from dry lips perhaps stay away from this or add a lip balm on top of it? Overall, an incredible product for the price tag!




Today was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the air was filled with happy chatter. This got me thinking about make-up and nails. Spring always brings out pastels, we rock mint greens, lilacs and peaches. We reach for corals, pinks and oranges. Autumn and Winter, we head over to reds, plums and  blacks. So, where are the blues?

I could not understand. Sometimes, I love to match my lipstick to my nails or outfit, however sometimes I just want a nail that can be forgiving with all colours, and most blues do that. I wanted my nails to carry that fresh breeze and almost imitate those beautiful blue skies. So here, is an ode, to the blue.


I chose navy, darker blues to avoid the typical bright, glitter, or pastel blues we are used to seeing. Navy/darker blues add a slight mysterious edge to the nail whilst making them look elegant and reminding us of the sky, especially those beautiful clear dark blue skies after the sun has set. Furthermore, these shades of blue really do seem to suit every make-up look, red, smokey, coral, winged, pink, bronzed, highlighted, dewy, matte - you name it, blue will suit it!



THE TOP FIVE BLUES:

Essie - Bobbing for baubles



L'Oreal - 608 Luxembourg Garden


NYC - 115 Ink Stain


Urban Outfitters W.I.P - Cleopatra


OPI - Into The Night



Will you be diving into the blue?
Revlon knew they had a good thing with the Revlon Lip Butters so they thought, hey, why end it here? Let's make some BRAND NEW SHADES!!! YAY. Now, if you do not know, I love the Revlon Lip Butters, here I have a post dedicating my unprofessed love for them! 



If I could, I would have bought every new shade but as Boots were having a 3 for 2 offer on all cosmetics, I decided to just pick up three: Red Velvet, Juicy Papaya and Wild Watermelon. 


The new shades are very spring and also cater to different skin tones with lighter-darker shades. Juicy Papaya, is perhaps my least favourite of the three, it is a creamy peachy-orange colour however it is quite light. Swatched, it really is a beautiful colour however on my skin tone it can look a little to light and creamy and not bright enough. I intend to use this as a coat pocket lip product, easy to wear and moisturising!



Wild Watermelon is a beaaautiful colour, especially for Spring and Summer. It is, as the name states, a watermelon shade, a beautiful pink/red which is bright without being neon. This colour suits most skin types and I am in LOVE with this shade! It looks quite glossy so keeps that fresh spring look on the lips and makes them look just oh-so-juicy.



Finally, a colour I thought I would never see in a lip butter or out of its usually matte home is Red Velvet. Red Velvet is a dark, burgundy red-wine colour and a colour you wouldn't associate with moisturising formulas. This is why this shade was a must-have as it is so unique. Korres Lip Butters do cater to darker shades such as Plum and Rose however they are only a sheen of colour whereas the Revlon Lip Butters do pack a punch with their pigmentation!



 Overall, the quality of the products have remained the same and they have expanded their line with new colours which we haven't seen before in lip butter formulas. Revlon were on a role with their releases last year and do not look like they are going to be stopping any time soon!

Have you tried the new Lip Butter shades?
This week I bring you two colours, my first attempt at ombre nails (emphasis on first). The colours I used were Urban Outfitters W.I.P Peppermint and Topshop Nails Jewel in the Crown.


To do this I painted the nail with my base colour: Peppermint. I then poured out the darker colour: Jewel in the Crown, onto a plastic sheet and used a make-up sponge to lightly stipple the colour onto the tips of my nails, adding more and more product to intensify the colour at the tip. To clean things up, I poured out the base shade: Peppermint, and used the opposite side of the sponge to stipple in-between the darker colour and the base to create a better gradiation of colour.


If you like this nail look, I shall practice and perfect my technique and pick a spring/summer nail and can do a detailed blog post with pictures and instructions or a video? If so, suggest colours you would like to see!


Have you tried the ombre nail?
REN have already got a great following from several bloggers with their Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask however not much is heard about their other products? I am loving serums and oils at the moment so have been trying several out however this has been a really stand out product! I have been testing this out for about two months now and can say whole heartedly that this product is fan-tas-tic!


From the brand: A concentrate formulated to resurface the skin and renew the complexion giving a radiant, youthful glow. A complex of Glycolic, Lactic, Tartaric and Citric acids promotes skin-cell turnover leaving skin looking revitalised, brighter, smoother and more healthy.

The Resurfacing AHA Concentrate works as an exfoliator, the acids eating away at any dull dead skin, leaving the skin radiant and new. Free from any nasties it is safe and good for the skin. It is a great alternative to Alpha H Liquid Gold for those who find it to be a little too harsh on their skin as this has the same radiance boosting effects as it, due to the Glycol! I have found that it has also helped with my blemishes and keeping my skin clear and smooth. It brightened my complexion and gave me that healthy glow however, it did not help with any hyper pigmentation on my face. I have oily, blemish prone skin with the odd dry patch on my cheeks (especially during this past snowy weather), I think that this would be great for all skin types as it is not too harsh and it aids with tackling old, dry skin whilst minimizing pores and fine lines.

Overall, this has become a staple in my evening skincare routine, I apply it directly onto clean skin and pat and smooth it onto the skin then continue with the rest of my routine. I still use my Alpha H Liquid Gold 2-3 days a week in rotation with this to add a little more pow into my skincare. I think this lovely bottle will last me a long time and for the price of £30 it is well worth every penny. If you are on the market for a new serum I would recommend this as it does target many problem areas and leaves the skin with that incredible beachy healthy glow which for me, is a must!

Available to buy here.

Have you tried the Ren Resurfacing AHA Concentrate?
So I am being extremely naughty doing a blog post about this however after hearing Estee from essiebutton mention it in her March Favourites video, I had to do a post in homage to the beauty that is Revlon's Matte lipstick in Strawberry Suede. (Discontinued but still available on Ebay)



Strawberry Suede is, as the name states, a Strawberry shade. It isn't too bright, too pink or too red which makes it such a unique and beautiful shade. It seems to fit the smartest attire to the girliest summer dresses! Plus it is matte which means it has great staying power! 



Have you tried Revlon's Strawberry Suede?
My hair is very imbalanced, I have oily roots and dry ends. I am due a trip to the hairdressers to chop those ends off however for now, I need to treat my dry ends and make my hair lighter and more manageable. Even though there are plenty of serums out there, they cater more for frizz or wet hair whereas I was searching for something I could use to target day old dry hair which was feeling just a little too dry.
 In walks in Phyto 7...


From the brand: "Phyto 7 Hydrating Day Cream With 7 Plants is a genuine "day cream" for hair. Infused with 7 pure and natural plant extracts, this leave-in conditioner quickly absorbs into the hair fiber to help maintain an optimal hydration level, preventing frizz, static and split ends"


There is no doubt about it that it is everything it claims to be, non-greasy, moisturising, simple, effective. I apply a teeny pea size amount into my palms then rub it between my hands to melt it into an oil-like texture then really just concentrate it onto the ends of my hair, going no further than the mid-lengths of my hair. It immediately leaves my ends feeling new, healed and light! It is a dream in a bottle and I would recommend this to anyone who is having and problems with dry hair! Plus at £13.50 it is a great price, a high-end quality product which doesn't hold the price tag of one - it may be more expensive than your regular Boots haircare purchase however it really is worth every penny... and even more!

Have you tried Phyto 7?

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