MAC "Captive" and "Ruby woo"...

Hello lovelies. :)

Here is my second post for today, i was going to leave it for a bit later but i'm not feeling too well so i thought i'd go back to bed for a while and blog from the comfort of my duvet! :D 

This post is going to feature my two amazing new lipsticks by MAC! Now, i am a girl on a budget so these have never been a go-to product of mine but when my boyfriend said he wanted to treat me. I thought this would be a prime opportunity to try out MAC's famous lipsticks! My mum always used to tell me that lipstick makes a difference but up until about 3 months ago, i was never really bothered. But now, i literally can't wear make up without finishing my look with a slick of lipstick! 

"Ruby woo" is an amazing red shade with a matte finish! I've never tried a matte lipstick before but i fell so in love with this shade of red that i had to have it. And omg, i am so glad i picked it! It lasts all day (with one or two minor touch ups) when worn alone but i always use my nan's go to product Lipcote. And with a bit of that on top, it lasts all day and i don't have to worry about it sliding off. The only other lipstick i have known to last all day is Maxfactor's Lipfinity. So i am very impressed with this and will be buying more matte lipsticks in the future. I've read on a few other beauty blogs that matte lipsticks are difficult to apply so that's why i have steered clear but that's not the case with this. It glides on very easily!

I usually stick to wearing red but "Captive" is a different shade for me. It's a pinkish plum colour with a satin finish. I bought a plum lipstick a few months ago but the colour was so dark that it just washed me out and made me look ill so i was a bit sceptical about this shade but i am pleasantly surprised! It is still quite dark but just light enough to not make me look like a zombie! The lasting power was quite different with this lipstick. Although it did last a good 2 hours before i had to reapply it again (not a full reapply i will add, it just slipped off the middle of my lips but stayed round the edges). It wasn't an all dayer like Ruby Woo. It also didn't like my lipcote very much and i found that it made no difference to the lipstick and made it difficult to reapply, as putting more lipstick over the lipcote just makes you end up with bitty lipstick all over your lips - Not a good look!

I'm so glad i bought these lipsticks and i've fell in love with them so much that they may just have to become a regular purchase. At £14 a time, they're a little pricey but they're so worth it! The staying power is overall a winner and they also smell gorgeous! Unlike other lipsticks, these have a sort of vanilla smell. Heavenly!

What are your favourite MAC products? :)

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Josie Gibson's 30 second slim

Hi everyone!

Wow! It's been a while since i last posted anything. I've been quite busy with work and stuff and also not very well off so i haven't been able to buy much to review...well, i have got a few reviews in the pipeline but i guess i have been feeling a bit lazy of late as well :P So there, my excuses are out of the way. Now, let's get down to business.

I know this slightly veers away from the usual content of my blog but i suppose this being a review of a fitness DVD, it kind of ties in to the beauty side of things.

I've made no secret of the fact that I've always been on the heavier side but since last June, I've been on a one woman mission to slim down (I've shed 35lbs so far). After Christmas i put on half a stone so i thought I'd step up my weight loss and buy this DVD. Everyone can see how amazing Josie looks now and i thought I've gotta get me some of that!

This is the description given on Amazon;

"Big Brother’s Josie Gibson is more of a little sister now! She’s dropped 5 dress sizes and 3 stone using 30-Second Slim. Personal trainer James Stark created this Short Sharp Slim workout based on the latest science of High Intensity Interval Training. It’s just 30 seconds of sweat, followed by an active rest. 

"Laboratory tests show it burns fat faster than any other form of exercise," says James. 

Plus, Josie reckons, "it’s great if you’re a bit lazy like me ‘cos the hard bit only lasts 30 seconds at a time!"

Three 20-minute workouts build in intensity from Level 1 to Level 3. In each there’s… 

• WARM-UP: 4 minutes of easy calorie-burning moves. 
• MAIN WORKOUT: 12 minutes of fat-burning intervals & moves to tone up the bum, arms and belly. 
• COOL DOWN: 4 minutes of stretches to lengthen the muscles."

I'm not gonna lie and say that this is a walk in the park, because it's really tough work. Especially if you're like me and have pretty much never exercised in your life! I lost my Christmas weight in two weeks (doing level one 3 times a week) and then put my DVD back on the shelf because i was just finding it too hard! But after 2 months of doing wii fit and playing the just dance and zumba games, i felt ready for something a bit more strenuous! I've been doing this again for about a week and a half now and so far, I've lost another 4.2lbs so this is definitely working for me (along with watching what i eat of course; i track my food intake using my fitness pal). I still find it very tough and I'm still only on level 1 but it's gradually getting easier and the results speak for themselves. Josie says to stick with it, so that's what i plan to do. She has done amazingly well and I'd be happy to look half as good as her. I also enjoy this DVD because her story is very easy to relate to for real people. She's not just some gym fanatic who has never had to lose that much weight. She used to be a larger girl and she's worked hard to slim down, and when you're doing this work out, it feels like she knows what you're going through.

Has anyone else used this DVD? What were your thoughts?

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Garnier Moisture Match - Shine Be Gone

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Hello everyone!

My pay day finally arrived, which means I'm baaaaaaack! :D Pay day means i can buy more beauty products (which is what I spend most of my money on) and feature them on here for you lovely people to enjoy :)

Today I will be telling you about a new moisturiser I stumbled upon and had to buy. As I've mentioned many times on here, I suffer from oily skin and i will buy into pretty much anything that says it will mattify it! It drives me mad and it's an ongoing quest to find something to rectify it and I think I might have cracked it with this little beauty!

I'll start off by showing you the whole range

This is the description of them from the Boots website

"Not all skin is the same, so a tailor-made approach to your skincare routine is essential.

The five new Moisture Match moisturisers combines the best textures and ingredients with Mannose – a patented hydrating active ingredient – which works hard to help reinforce the skin’s barrier function and to improve the appearance of skin texture.

There are five moisturisers to choose from:

Goodbye Dry (for dry to very dry skin)

Start Afresh (for normal to dry skin)

Shine Be Gone (for combination to oily skin)

Wake Me Up (for dull skin)

Protect & Glow (for Normal skin)"

I bought my moisturiser from Boots and it cost £5.99 for 50ml which is a steal in my opinion for something that gives your skin tailor made hydration. I naturally went for "shine be gone" for combination to oily skin.

"Garnier’s first ever whipped formula for a uniquely cooling texture.

With Aquakeep technology, Shine be gone is blended with super-absorbent micro-spheres to deliver a mattifying effect that lasts all day.

Just a little of the cooling sorbet texture goes a long way and is immediately absorbed leaving skin non-greasy and looking perfectly mattified.

Green Tea extract, known for its powerful antioxidant and detoxifying properties protects the skin whilst leaving it looking beautifully smooth and matte."

I'm a huge fan of garnier products anyway, I always find they do the job they're designed to do and at a very affordable price and I can happily sit here and type that this does exactly what it says on the tin! I was actually amazed that something so cheap could have such a good effect on my skin. The texture is very odd, it is slightly lumpy almost. It is described as a sorbet and I think that pretty much sums up how it feels and you don't need a lot to cover your whole face. Once you apply it, it sinks in in no more than a minute and leaves no trace at all. Just really smooth, hydrated skin and the best bit - no oiliness. Even after a 10 hour day at work, it was still fighting back against my skin's oiliness and it won! My skin stayed matte all that time and well into the evening as well. This just goes to prove that you don't have to spend big bucks to get incredible results. After extensive research and trying endless amounts of different products and make up, I was starting to think that I would never find anything to tackle my shiny face, but I will definitely be buying this over and over again. It smells beautiful too and provides a great, even base for make up.

My ONLY gripe with this is that it doesn't contain an SPF so I would advise if you get this to wear a foundation or primer with SPF in it to avoid any sun damage to your face. I'm not sure if the other moisturisers have this in there so it could be worth checking out before you buy, just in case you rely on your moisturiser for SPF as opposed your make up :)

Has anyone else tried the other moisturisers in this range? I'd love to hear if they are as good as this one!

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Macademia Oil Deep Repair Masque

As much as i like winter; mainly for all things christmas. My hair doesn't. So this year i set out to find a really great product that would keep my hair hydrated for these cold winter months. I colour my hair and also dry and straighten it everyday, so hair masques are really important to keep my hair soft and free from split ends.

That's where Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque comes in. I've always heard amazing things about this but i was a bit put off by the high price tag (500ml £36.75. 250ml £23.95). After a bit of shopping around, i found a 250ml tub on amazon for £12.80 (link above) so i thought i'd try it out to see what all the fuss is about.

What it promises

"Macadamia Natural Oil's Deep Repair Masque revitalises dry, damaged hair like you have never experienced before. Using a combination of macadamia and argan oil infused with tea tree oil, chamomile oil, aloe and algae extracts this masque will rejuvenate and rebuild the hair, leaving it deeply nourished for improved elasticity and shine with long-lasting conditioning benefits."

What I thought

I'm going to be honest, as i always am. This was another disappointment. The high price tag just isn't worth it and i'm so glad i didn't pay the full price for it. Don't get me wrong, it smelt amazing but the results were no different to those you'd get from a cheaper brand and the smell did remind me of a herbal essence conditioner i tried a few years ago. It didn't leave my hair feeling any worse but i didn't really notice a huge difference. Not like what is promised on the packaging. I think what i'm saying is that this product has been overly hyped up online and it didn't really live up to my expectations. I have found that my regular conditioner which is Dove Colour Radiance Express Treatment Conditioner works a lot better if i leave it on for 5 minutes rather than the recommended 30 seconds. I do this everyday but i am still looking for a decent intensive conditioner that i can use once or twice a week. Has anyone got any recommendations? I'd also love to hear your thoughts on Macadamia oil products!

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Too faced - Shadow Insurance. Anti Crease Eyeshadow Primer

Hello everyone! :)

I'll start off by apologising, my blogging has been quite slack of late. What with Christmas coming up and other things going on in life I just haven't had the time, but today I will be sharing my views on this wonderful product I've discovered!

I heard about this product on beautylish, which has fast become the most used app on my phone. It's great for make up and beauty inspiration, photos and articles. I love it! Anyway, this primer was one of the top rated products and I'm a sucker for anything with a good review. I must admit, I wasn't familiar with too faced as a brand so I went on their website to check out a few of their items. I fell in love instantly! Their products are so well packaged and the quality looks amazing. My only gripe was the price tag. I'm a girl on a very tight budget so I decided to check eBay to see if I could find this primer for a good price. I found it from an eBay shop with good feedback for £4.98 so I just had to get it! I usually use benefit "stay don't stray" eye shadow primer and I find this absolutely amazing, but I'm afraid on this occasion I did stray to discover new things!

Here's what it says on the box

"Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer is your full-coverage insurance policy against all fading, creasing, melting, blurring, oil-slicked and hard-to-blend eye-shadow accidents.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer is a silicone based eye-shadow primer that transforms any eye shadow into a perfectly blendable colour-drenched intensified version of itself, then locks down perfectly ‘till you take it off.

This skin soothing formula evens out the skin tone on your lids and smoothes out lines while it secures a barrier between the oils of your skin and your make-up so no shadow catastrophes will ever happen again."

Ok, so let's get down to business, the directions for use say you only need a small drop to cover each eyelid and this is definitely true. That one small drop covered my eyelid evenly. The formula is quite thick and concentrated, hence why you only need a drop. It's silky smooth and blends in to your own skin perfectly. It dried invisibly so it didn't make my eyelids a different colour from the rest of my face, which is always a good thing. I used this under my urban decay eyeshadow in "S&M" and it didn't budge all day! Urban decay eye shadows are very pigmented anyway but using this primer seemed to intensify the colour even more. At the end of the first day I used this, I came home and my eye shadow still looked as though it had been freshly applied. There were no creases or smudges. Just my eye shadow, still in tact! All in all, I think this is definitely my new go to primer. I will still use my benefit primer under my concealer but as far as my eyelids go. They are converted to this amazing little wonder product! 

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Rimmel lycra pro - Celebrity Bash

Hello Lovelies.

Here is my picture of celebrity bash on my nails as promised :)

Also a little update on the chip factor of this nail varnish. It's lasted me an incredible 4 days virtually chip free. I say virtually because there are just some little chips on the tips of my nails. I have been at work for these 4 days as well so that's pretty good going for me, since my other nail varnishes (including my nails inc. ones) barely last an hour without chipping. So I'm very pleased! It does say on the bottle that it lasts up to 10 days but i think, with work and other day to day activities, that's pretty ambitious!

Photo by me

This is my new favourite nail colour. It's so dark and rich. Perfect for autumn :) You only need two coats for perfect coverage and just like coral romance, it has the lovely thick brush so it glides on smoothly! I absolutely love this stuff!

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My new nail varnish love

Hello people :)

Today I found myself loitering around the local pharmacy because of my boyfriend's poorly tooth (that's another story). I can't resist a browse around a pharmacy whilst i wait, I'm such a sucker for cosmetics that i just have to have a look to see what i can buy, even if i don't need anything. I always walk out of there with an array of colours painted all over my hands from trying out all the testers.

Today i came away with two rimmel Lycra pro nail varnishes. They were two for £7 so i had to take advantage of the offer (the offer was in a boots pharmacy FYI, so I'm sure the offer extends to larger boots stores!). The one that originally caught my eye was a shade called coral romance.

Photo by me

Photo by me

In this picture it looks more of a hot pink than a coral, but i think that must be my camera being dodgy. On my nails in real life it looks more of a light shade of red/orange colour. I was looking forward to a nice summery shade adorning my fingers to brighten up my autumn days, and i was not disappointed.

The dark red shade i bought is called celebrity bash. I used this one on my toes and i absolutely love it! It looks amazing and is the perfect dark, brooding shade for autumn! I really can't wait to paint my fingernails with this one, it's just such a beautiful colour! When i do paint my fingernails with this, i will do a separate post with a picture so you can see for yourselves how nice it is! :) I will also let you know how chip resistant it is, as i haven't had the chance to really wear this yet. It says on the bottle that it can last up to 10 days but i'll soon see about that! I seem to have a real problem with my nail varnish chipping, even with top coat so I'm interested to see how long this one with last without chipping away.

What i love best about these nail varnishes is the brush! It's really wide and it covers the whole nail when you apply it, so it goes on with just one stroke. I used two coats just to make the colour richer but that's all you need. And because it goes on so smoothly, you can do your nails really quickly! I always seem to get nail varnish all over my fingers when i use thinner brushes (not a good look) but that doesn't happen with this nail varnish which is a big bonus!

All in all, I'm very happy with my impromptu purchases and i will definitely be buying more of these nail varnishes. If anyone else has any of these and can recommend a nice colour for me to try, then I'd love to hear from you! :)

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Benefit "Posietint"

I am completely in love with benefit products! I think benefit is probably my favourite make up brand. I recently bought the "big 10" collection off eBay, it's a set of 10 of their big sellers in miniature sample size!

I will be reviewing all these products eventually because I love them all and have a lot to say about them! But this post is dedicated to the lovely PosieTint!

This is a pinky coloured cheek and lip tint, it is more translucent than its predecessor;   benetint and the colour is a bit more pigmented.It still just gives a subtle redness to your lips and makes them look very kissable. I will admit that I didn't really get on too well with using it on my cheeks. It just wouldn't blend properly on my skin and it looked too pink and blotchy. I won't be using it on my cheeks again.

My lips are quite red anyway but this really enhances them and really adds something very summery to any look. I just apply three dots to my top and bottom lip then dab it around to blend and even out the colour. Here it is on my lips (not a great photo)

Photo by me

As I said, the look is very subtle but I really feel like it completes my look these days. I've never been one for wearing colour on my lips but i think when i run out of this, I'll definitely be buying the full size and making it a staple in my make up bag! It doesn't dry my lips out either and it has quite a nice smell to it!

Another winner for me from benefit :)

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Soap And Glory - Scrub Your Nose In It

RRP £7.40 for 125ml

What it does.

Claims to reduce large pores and prevent blemishes, whilst leaving your skin silky soft.

What I thought.

This review is so painful for me to write, I'm a big big fan of soap and glory products and i wouldn't usually have a bad word to say about them. I did like this product, but my skin really didn't!

This can be used as a facewash or a mask, i used this for about 2 weeks and i used it twice a week as a wash (because of it's exfoliating properties - i don't like to over exfoliate) and once a week as a mask. It felt nice to apply and it wasn't overly grainy like some exfoliators are. It also had a nice minty smell which left your skin feeling all tingly and refreshed. 

I tried persevering with this product but it made me have one of the worst breakouts of spots since i was a teenager. I had spots everywhere. It did to my skin, the complete opposite of what it said on the bottle. I stopped using this two weeks ago and my skin is still not fully recovered. I would recommend this as i think it just didn't agree with my skin type. I've seen mostly good reviews for this product (that's why i decided to buy it) but for me and my poor oily skin, it just really didn't work. I'd give this product a 3 out of 10. My score is only based on the smell and how it leaves your skin feeling afterwards. Everything else is a no no for me I'm afraid.

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