MAC Patisserie Lipstick

I have gone through a few phases with my everyday lipstick choices, there was the dreaded concealer look lip, the light pinks, the corals and now I have settled down and am opting for a more “my lips but better” look. I have been chopping and changing from a few different lip products the past couple of months, but the past few weeks there has been one lipstick that has constantly in my handbag and that is MAC Patisserie. This has done its rounds on the beauty blogs the past year, and while it was always something I admired it never struck me as a lipstick I needed in my collection.

I did eventually pick it up since I wasn’t really happy with any of the other options I was using and thought that since this one has been so raved about that it was definitely worth giving a go. MAC Patisserie is a Lustre finish, I only own one other Lustre from MAC and that is Hue which is a well loved lipstick in my collection. These lipsticks feel lovely and moisturising on the lips as well as giving a lovely wash of colour. They wouldn’t be the longest lasting formulas of lipsticks in the MAC line up but I do like the finish that they give, so for me they are worth the extra few top ups through out the day.

The colour is almost the exact colour of my own lips, so it really enhances that and adds a nice shine to them. I would describe the colour as a dusky rose shade, perfect for everyday but also looks amazing at night with a smoky eye. I have been loving wearing this with my NARS Doucear blush and a small bit of brown shadow on my lids for everyday.

I am currently on the hunt for MAC Velvet Teddy and can’t seem to find it anywhere! If you have any suggestions for any dupes please let me know and I will be sure to check them out!  

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Essie Bordeaux

  

Oh look, she bought another red-black nail polish. I'm nothing if not consistent! As soon as the darker, colder months roll through it is all about the darker colours on my nails, and one of my favourite shades to wear is that red-almost black colour. If you have been following my blog for awhile you will know I do own quite a few of those shades but one more won't hurt...right? This particular polish is called Essie Bordeaux and it is so beautiful!

We all know I am a massive Essie fan..I'm actually thinking of doing a favourite Essie polishes post? Let me know if you like the sound of that! I love the quality of the polishes, the brushes are just so amazing and they last a reasonable amount of time on my nails. This nail polish is no different, it goes on opaque in once coat - I normally do two because I like it to look slightly darker. You can see from the picture how it looks with 1, 2 and 3 coats. I have gotten about 4-5 days wearing this nail polish before it really does go past the point of looking acceptable.

I don't know if this polish purchase was all that justified but I have been getting my wear out of it! Will there be another Essie nail polish in this months favourites?...quite possibly! 

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Transitioning into Autumn

As my favourite time of the year is rolling in I have been picking up a few different make up items to help transition my make up look to suit the season. I absolutely adore Autumn, I love the weather, the fashion- all the different layers, textures and the darker colours- and of course the make up. Everything just gets that little bit darker and a little bit more vampy. Colours that I would reserve for an occasional night out are now deemed as everyday appropriate. I think lipstick is the easiest way to change up your look for the colder months. There have been two lip products in particular that I have been reaching for the past couple of weeks as the change in seasons has begun. 

MAC Rebel- I think this is one lipstick that most people have in their collection, it is a very dark vampy plum colour. Perfect for that night out statement lip but can also be patted into the lips lightly to create a very subtle everyday berry lip look. It has a Satin finish so it leaves a lovely gloss to the lips, and feels nice and moisturising too. But I would advise to use a lip liner as things can get a bit messy and you will definitely need a mirror to apply this bad boy!

No.7 Matte Lip Crayon Raspberry Red – I love a matte lip, especially in the colder months and this new release from No.7 has been ticking all the right boxes for me. It is extremely similar in formula to the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils which you all know I love, so it’s nice to have something a little easier on the pocket to just have for everyday use. It is not at all drying on the lips, in fact it feels quite moisturising while still remaining completely matte. The shade is absolutely beautiful - a lovely raspberry that really looks well with a deep pink blusher on the cheeks, and a neutral eye. I love having this thrown in my handbag because it is perfect for just brightening up my everyday look if I feel things are getting a little dull or worse for wear.

  

For nails you all know I love my darker shades anyway but once the leaves start falling  I turn to the deep reds, plums and burgundies straight away. My picks this year are along the same colour thread as they are every year but I picked up some new ones recently that I wanted to share with you.

Essie Angora Cardi- This has been on my wishlist since I first discovered Essie polishes but only recently managed to get my hands on it. It is a dusky pink colour that is very neutral and non-offensive on the nails. I would call this my sophisticated colour as it looks very sleek and tidy and just makes you look that little bit more put together. The colour goes opaque in one swipe and is really long lasting on my nails. I know this will be my staple colour for the cooler months so expect to see it appear in a monthly favourites soon! 

Barry M Cocoa- This is one of Barry M's latest releases in their Gelly Hi-Shine range which you all know I am a massive fan of already. This is a beautiful rich, chocolate brown which I think it is one of those shades that would suit everybody. You do need a minimum 2 coats of this to achieve opacity but once its dry it does not budge! As with the rest of the range, this polish is amazingly shiny and glossy on the nails so it looks like you have had them professionally done.

Finally for eye make-up, this is the area of makeup where I normally play it safe and go for my everyday neutrals. But lately I have been dabbling into abit more colour and going a little more smokey for everyday. I have two eyeshadow duos which if I’m in a hurry are really easy to just grab and throw on because I know the colours will look well together and minimal effort is required.

Estee Lauder Raisins Duo- This was the eyeshadow duo to have this time last year- with good reason! The rich colours look amazing together and are so surprisingly wearable. I was always afraid of pink-toned eyeshadows before I got this, because I thought they would make me look sick or that I have an eye infection, but I reached for this so much last year and got so much wear out of it. The quality of Estee Lauder eyeshadows are beautiful, they are really pigmented and very easy to work with. I would definitely recommend you check them out!

MAC Cranberry & Twinks- I couldn't really talk about eyeshadows without talking about something from MAC. Everyone..everyone loves Cranberry for Autumn. It is a red shadow which looks absolutely terrifying in the pan but absolutely beautiful when applied with a darker shade in the crease- enter Twinks, a darker plum shade. I love wearing Cranberry all over my lid with Twinks blended into my crease. The two complement each other perfectly. While they may not be perfect for an everyday eye look it's definitely nice for an evening out with a little bit of winged liner!  

Do let me know what your favourite products for Autumn are and I'll be sure to check them out! 

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The Balm | Mary Lou Manizer

  

It was the Jemma Kidd All Over Radiance Cream in Iced Gold that truly sparked my obsession with highlighters. Since that has sadly been discontinued I have been on the hunt to find something equally as good. I do have my favourite cream highlighter the No.7 Instant Radiance which I have reviewed here, but there are days where I'm not in the mood for cream products and just want the convenience of a powder. I had heard rave reviews on many of The Balm's products - in particular the Mary-Lou Manizer so I eventually gave in as I always do and ordered it. I ordered from Cloud 10 Beauty and as always the parcel arrived beautifully packaged and really quickly. Of course as soon as it arrived I had it on my cheek bones within minutes, and a couple of minutes after that I had an Instagram picture up of it asking where it had been all my life. This highlighter is absolutely amazing. I have used it everyday since getting it and have gotten so many compliments and questions on what I'm wearing. 

First off the packaging - it is cute, compact and sturdy. Everything we could ever want. You get so much product for your money - 8.5g to be exact- and since you need only the tiniest amount I can imagine this will last for a very long time. It also comes with a mirror in the compact which is always an nice addition. The powder itself is just so ridiculously pigmented. The smallest touch of a brush will do both my cheeks and down the centre of my nose. It is a champagne coloured highlighter which are my favourite shade for my skin-tone as I think it is the most flattering and natural looking. The effect this highlighter gives to the tops of my cheekbones is just out of this world. It gives such a natural looking radiance to the skin without the slightest hint of glitter. As I said before you really do need the tiniest amount of this product to get the desired effect. It is really easy to get a little too "brush happy" with this one so go in light-handed ladies! 

If you love your highlighters you NEED this beauty in your life! You won't regret it promise. It's available online here from Cloud10Beauty. Let me know if you have tried this highlighter and what your thoughts are! Also let me know what your all time favourite highlighter is!

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Zoeva Rose Gold Brushes

So I finally made the purchase. You may have seen them mentioned in my September favourites post or floating about on my instagram, but they are the beautiful rose gold Zoeva brushes. Everybody seems to have picked these up and even though I wanted them when they first came out, I just never got around to ordering them…until recently..oops. I had heard so many good reviews about the quality of the Zoeva brushes and how they were comparable to more expensive, higher-end brushes so they were always a brand I was interested in trying. The rose gold-ness just pushed me over the edge! You know I love a bit of rose gold in my life!

In the set there are 8 brushes in total. They are made up of a mixture of natural and synthetic bristles so perfect for using with most formulas of make –up. The brushes included in the set are the 106 Powder brush, 102 Silk Finish brush, 110 Face Shape brush, 127 luxe sheer cheek brush, 142 concealer brush, 227 soft definer brush, 231 petit crease brush and the 317 liner brush. After a few weeks of using all 8 brushes I have found them all to be amazing quality and do the job brilliantly. There is not one brush I do not use from this collection. If I could only use one set of brushes for the rest of my life it would be this. A few of my favourites are the:- Silk Finish Brush which I use for buffing in my foundation. I think it is like a denser version of the Real Techniques Buffing Brush which is another all time favourite. It blends in my foundation seamlessly and so quick. The Soft Definer Brush is really similar to the MAC 217 and I use this for both applying and blending eyeshadow, and finally the Sheer Cheek brush is the best brush I have found so far for applying blusher. It applies the perfect amount of product to the cheeks and I have used this for blush, bronzer and highlighter and it does a perfect job at doing all three. 

If you were to invest in a set of brushes I would 100% recommend you try Zoeva. Amazing brushes and they are not overly expensive so they wont break the bank. Let me know if you have tried these brushes and if you have any other recommendations from Zoeva that you think I should try!

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Current Haircare Routine

Over the past few months I have become alot more interested in haircare. I have spent the past couple of years trying to grow my hair and finally it is at a length I am happy with. While growing it, I was chopping and changing the products that I was using but I have finally found and stuck to these few the past while and I am really happy with my routine. I thought I would show you what products I use on my hair and give mini reviews along the way. 

 John Frieda Luxurious Volume Shampoo & Conditioner - All time favourite shampoo and conditioner right here. I think I have bought one other shampoo & conditioner combo in the past six months and I didn't even finish the bottles and just went straight back to these. I find they give my hair a good clean and make it feel and look thicker without weighing my hair down. They smell lovely too which is always a bonus!

 Aussie 2 Minute Miracle- I know this is quite a controversial product to include. Some people love it and some people hate it. I honestly love the way it makes my hair feel. I only use it once every 3 or 4 washes and leave it on while I shower. It leaves my hair feeling and looking so much healthier and shiny. It is a brilliant quick fix if you feel your hair just needs that little extra pick me up. It's perfect for dry ends for adding that little bit of extra moisture to them. 

Tresemme Keratin Smooth Treatment- I have been after a treatment like this for a while, I tried the John Frieda offering but I just wasn't feeling it. But this...this is just amazing! I take 5-6 pumps and work it through my hair making sure it is well combed through. Then I just blowdry my hair as normal and straighten it. This keeps my hair straight for at least two washes and after I first apply it, it leaves my hair feeling silky smooth and gives me that "straight from the salon" feel.

L'oreal #TXT Volume Spray- Because there is no such thing as hair that is "too big", I spray this through my roots and mid lenths to make sure my hair is really voluminous! I am obsessed with big hair and since my hair doesn't hold a curl that well since it has gotten longer I have been using this to just give it abit of movement. It helps give you second day hair on the first day which is amazing! I love the look it gives when I just spray it at the roots and give it a rustle and I'm ready to go. I am switching between this and the Charles Worthington one which has a little more hold which I also love!

Batiste Dry Shampoo- For the days that my hair is not looking its best I spray a couple of sprays of this through my roots. It helps soak up any excess oil that may be hanging around and just makes my hair look fresher in general. This is the lazy day hair wash in a can! I love that it has a bit of a brown tint to it because I find that the original one comes out quite white on my hair and takes ages to rub in and make sure I don't look like I have just poured talcum powder on my head. But with this it comes out almost the exact colour of my hair so it doesn't take as long to blend in.

The Wet Brush- If you have hair that is really difficult to get a brush through especially after washing, you need this in your like! This glides through my hair and gets rid of all knots completely painfree! It has the added bonus of a handle- I haven't had a brush with a handle in what seems like forever and it makes life so much easier! Even though it is called the wet brush I have been using it on both wet and dry hair, and I find that it works equally well on both. 

GHD Straightners- My trusty GHD's. I don't know how long I have had these but they have never let me down! They are the best quality hair straightners I have ever tried and they really stand the test of time! I don't find that they damage my hair all that much (I'm not the best for using heat protection!) and they always leave a lovely shine to my hair. 

So those are my haircare essentials at the moment. I have been fairly consistent with my routine the past couple of months and my hair has been looking quite alright for it! Let me know if you think there is anything that I would like in my routine or something you think that would fit in quite well and let me know what your favourite hair care product is!

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