MAC Mineralize Skin Finish | Soft & Gentle

Possibly one of the most old school products ever, but I've only just gotten my hands on it! MAC's Soft & Gentle was the be all and end all of highlighters before Mary-Lou came around. Now we all know I am in love with Mary-Lou and it has been pretty much the only highlighter I have been using the past few months (apart from Lulu from the Pippa Palette when I'm travelling) But lately I have been getting the urge to try something different and having heard so much about this over the past few years, I decided to go for it. 

I had never tried a Mineralize Skin Finish before this one and really didn't expect it to be so intense! This is one of the softest powder formulas I have ever tried. It is so pigmented and it is so easy to go overboard with this! I think I will have to get a fan brush to use with it because all my other brushes just pick up too much product. As you can see from the picture the product is so intense.Compared to the Mary Lou-manizer, this is a bit more of a champagne colour and I feel that it would suit a lot more skin tones. It definitely does contain tiny specks of glitter-which doesn't bother me but it might not be for everyone. I have been wearing this as my everyday highlighter since getting it but I will be amping it up for nights out soon. I just love having all the highlight on my face, all the time.

I would definitely recommend you give this a swatch the next time you are at a MAC stand, if you love highlighter as much as I do-you need this in your life!

 

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Charlotte Tilbury | The Dolce Vita Palette

Can it get any more Autumnal than this? I think not. This is a palette I have seen and admired online since the launch of Charlotte Tilbury. But I never entertained the thought of getting it because I thought that the colours would not suit me. Like I said in a previous post, I am a cool-toned eyeshadow wearer but over the past couple of months, my tastes have changed and I am embracing the warmer tones. I was eventually pushed over the edge when I seen Karen wearing this palette on her eyes on Snapchat. That woman could make me buy anything, it looked GORGEOUS on her! So that evening I logged on to Brown Thomas and made the purchase.

When it arrived, my first thoughts were "What was I thinking?!" when I seen the colours and realised how far from my usual shade choices they were. So I sat down that evening and piled on the make-up and had a play around with the palette. I actually really like the way these colours look on me. They would 100% never have been my first choice if I was to pick them, but when I have my whole face done with lashings of mascara it actually looks really nice.

This is not the first eyeshadow palette from Charlotte Tilbury I've tried, and the quality is fairly consistent throughout the palettes. The shadows are nicely pigmented and easy to work with. The glitter is not as pigmented as it looks in the pan but I have mixed it in with my Inglot Duraline and it really intensifies the glitter, I can't wait to use it at Christmas!I think I am going to get so much wear out of this palette over the colder months, and since buying it, I have really become obsessed with all things Charlotte Tilbury and just want everything in my life!

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MAC Diva Lipstick & Burgundy Lipliner

 Once October rolls around, I am all about the Autumnal make-up. In my opinion nothing gets more Autumnal than a dark burgundy lip. I have been lusting after MAC's Diva for months now. I bought the Wet 'n' Wild dupe back in March but that didn't curb my craving and I just had to get the real thing. So after looking at it online for the millionth time, I ordered it. I had a Wedding to go to last weekend and I thought the colour would look perfect with my dress, and since it's a matte formula it would last all night without top-up. While I was browsing for this lipstick online I did notice a lot of people recommending to wear it with a lip-liner. I had absolutely nothing like this in my collection, but my boyfriends brother was coming through duty free at the time so I asked him to pick me up the MAC lip-liner in Burgundy which was a perfect match!

So when I applied this on Saturday night, I applied the lip-liner all over my lips- making sure the have a more precise line around the edges. I didn't have a lip brush to apply the lipstick and I feel that it would have been a nicer application with a brush. But it still glided on to the lips. Even though it is a matte finish lipstick it still has a slight sheen to it. It does set on the lips and I can guarantee that it does not budge. We had dinner that night before going out, and I looked in the mirror after stuffing my face expecting to see lipstick up to my nose- but it was still intact. A little bit faded but it had not moved. 

The colour of the lipstick is just amazing, the shade is perfect for this time of year. It was a very comfortable lipstick to wear. It didn't dry out my lips, which is a problem I tend to have with matte lipsticks. I love the lip liner so much, you could wear it on it's own for a lighter look or add the lipstick for a more amped up effect. I am so glad I got my hands on this combination and I will definitely be getting a lot of wear out of them in the coming months.

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GlamGlow YouthMud Face Mask

Something that has been so hyped up this year has been the GlamGlow mud mask range. I remember when this first started to arrive in Ireland, I remember thinking that the price was outrageous and I would never pay that for a face mask. Ha! I ended up getting a sample of this with a Cloud10Beauty order and it all went downhill after that! I ended up buying it with 20% off, so that did take the edge off a little bit. But after using this for well over a month, I would definitely say that you get what you pay for!

This is a very traditional face mask, it has a clay texture and after you apply it to the skin it dries down and hardens on your skin. I found that it dried really quickly on my skin and had a really cooling/tingling effect to it. It is designed that you leave it on for ten minutes and then wash it off with water in a buffing motion so you get a light exfoliation too. Since using this I found my skin to look and feel a lot smoother. I think it's the combination of getting an exfoliation as well as the face mask that works well with my skin. It doesn't leave my skin feel tight or itchy after removing it either. I have been doing this mask once a week and my skin has improved so much. 

It is formulated without parabens, sulfates or phthalates which makes it suitable for all skin types. It brightens skin and tightens the pores. I have not had any experience of  purging since using this mask, but I have read that some people have so proceed with caution!

This is an expensive facemask but the results definitely justify the price tag. I would recommend trying a sample like I did before buying the full size! It is available to purchase online here.

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