Monday 26 May 2014

The Lipstick Product Addict Tag

So I saw a tag my cousin KaBOOM! Cosmetics  did, and it was called 'The Lipstick Product Addict Tag'. I thought this looked like a pretty nifty tag seeing as I just LOVE me some lip products and yes, I am pretty much a self confessed addict! I hope you enjoy reading about my favourite and not so favourite lip products! Here it goes!

Favourite Treatment/Balm 


I'm gonna be a bit boring here but you honestly can't go past a good ol' fashion lip balm. My absolute favourite lip balm of all time is the Nivea lip balm in Pearl Shine. However to be honest with you I pretty much obsess over all Nivea lip products! They are moisturising, smell good and make your lips ever so luscious!

Best Eye-Catching Red


I've tried a few classic red's in my time so far, however, for me I prefer a deeper red. Something berry toned that appears to be a tad vampy! My favourite is the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 09.

Best Luxury & Best Drugstore 

My favourite drug store lipsticks would have to be a toss up between the MUA Make-up academy lipsticks and the Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks. Both are extremely high quality for the small price you pay which is great when you don't feel like splurging!


My Favourite high end lipstick would have to either be my MAC Snob lipstick or the Clinique high impact lipstick in Rosette.

Best MAC Lipstick

(Unfortunately) I only own one MAC lipstick...(cue tears)...so again it would have to be the MAC Snob lipstick! I just love how creamy and luxuries the MAC lipsticks feel!

Most Disappointing 

This is a 'no brainer' for me, it would have to be the Australis velour lips matte lip cream. After purchasing Ma-li-boo and having a nightmare of a time with it, I do not think I'll ever be purchasing any other shades! I will definitely be doing a review on this product very soon!

Liner: Yay or Nay?

I'm honestly not a huge liner lover, but I do use them a lot when I go for darker looks as it's a must for me! I love the Prestige lipliner in Garnet and the Australis lipliner in My Fair Lady.

Best Gloss

I've never been a huge fan of gloss as it always gets stuck in my hair! Ugh annoying right! But i have to say I really do enjoy using the Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss in Maple along with the NYX Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler. I find these aren't sticky at all and give a nice subtle shine to the lips!

Something Extra 

I have to say without a doubt my FAVOURITE type of lip product are the lip crayons! I absolutely love lip crayons, I love applying them, I love the look of them and I think they are just so fun! My favourites are the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Twilight and the Seventeen Lip Crayon in pink (it has no printed name or number on it!)

Sarah x

Feel free to do this tag ladies! I tag Emily from FaceBodyHairByEmilyBrand

UPDATE

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I've been so slow with posts lately, I'm literally under a mountain of school assessment! I've currently got four posts in draft's that I'm still writing so I should have them up this week! I did really hope to have a certain updating schedule but I'm not sure if that's going to happen as I never know when I'm going to be flat out! I will try however be a bit more consistent!

Sarah x 

Friday 16 May 2014

Make-up Of The Day With Two Lip Choices

Hey everyone!

Today I will be doing another MOTD (make-up of the day) look!

I was inspired to do a look which could be worn with two very different lip colours.

 Look one: Pretty Pink Lip


In this look I used the Chi Chi Lipstick in Super Socialite 
It's just the most gorgeous, creamy pink tone which goes perfectly with a smoky eye.

Look two: Classy Pink/Orange Lip


So for this lip colour I used the NYX Butter gloss in Peach Cobbler 
 I'm currently obsessed with this colour! It looks amazing with so many eye looks!

Other products used:

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation - 810 Classic Ivory  
Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer - Classic Beige 
MAC Studio Fix Powder - NW15
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder - Blonde
ELF eyelash/eyebrow clear mascara
NYX Jumbo eye pencil - Milk
Chi Chi glamorous classics palette 
Maybelline HyperGlossy liquid eyeliner
MAC Zoom fast black lash mascara
Glam eyes false lashes - Kelly lashes
NYX matte setting spray

Sarah x








Thursday 15 May 2014

♡ How To: Vampy Ombre Lip ♡


Hey lovelies! So I realised I really only do reviews and while I love doing them, I really want to try something new! So today I will be doing a 'how to' post!


When I first made my blog, I got a lot of compliments on the lips I had in my first profile picture. If you can remember, it was a tapered brown eye with winged eye-liner and a vampy ombre lip. And as I have been asked a number of times as to how I achieved that look, I decided just to share with you all as its just so freaking easy!




Step 1: Moisturise

 

So the first thing your doing to want to do is make sure your lips are clean and moisturised. Having dry/flaky lips will be accentuated by this lip colour and that’s not a great look if you ask me! Simply use a lip scrub or even just a lip balm to ensure your lips are soft and smooth.
Step 2: Lip Liner


Using a lip liner is a must to achieve the crisp edges of this look, whenever your using a red lipstick its vital that you use a lip liner to not only shape your lips, but prevent colour bleeding through. I used a simple red liner, the Prestige lip liner in Garnet (left). However if you prefer using a purple toned lip liner then you could try something like the Australis lip liner in My Fair Lady (right). Simply just line your lips and then fill in.
Step 3: Base Lipstick


Practically any red lipstick can be used for this look. Personally, I prefer using a deeper red lipstick just to add some extra depth, however if you feel more comfortable using a simple medium toned red then go ahead! I used the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 09 (right) which is a gorgeous cherry. You could also use a brown toned red like the Lancome Rouge Sensation lipstick in Red Desire (left). You can either apply the lipstick straight from the bullet, or, use a small lipstick brush which will ensure your lines are crisp.

Step 4: Rim The Edges


What you will need for this step is either a black or purple lip liner. However, using a lip liner is not totally necessary in my view with a look like this as an eye liner works just as good. I recommend buying a cheap black eye liner as it will get ruined and I wouldn’t go applying it to your eyes after you’ve applied it to your lips. Hygiene hello? Take the pencil and carefully outline your lips as if it were the red lip liner that you applied earlier. Feel free to use as little or as much as you like, keep in mind though that once applied you cannot take back so start off with a little then build up.

Step 5: Blending

Next take a small lip liner brush, lipstick brush, or even a concealer brush, anything small enough to use on the lip area. Begin blending the black or purple liner into the inner red area in small, quick motions. Make sure not to blend the two colours too much or else you'll lose that ombre gradient effect.
Step 6: Optional


This step is optional but you could take a lighter toned red and dab the colour into the inner area of your lips. I used the DB Designer brands moisturising lipstick is Red Hot Red. This just lightens up the look if you were a bit too heavy handed with the dark liner. You could also add some clear lip gloss if you want to make the look a bit more glamorous and intense.


And we are done!



This look is perfect for Halloween, dress up occasions, special effects, formals or even just for everyday!


I hope you enjoyed my first 'How To' post and if you liked it then please let me know and I’ll do more in the future!

 
Sarah x

MAC Studio Fix Foundation Review


As a long time lover of MAC Cosmetics I can clearly remember my first ever MAC purchase, the Studio Fix Foundation. This was perhaps the most hyped about MAC product at the time I purchased it, which definitely influenced my decision to buy it.
 
 



As I always tell people, every product works differently for everyone, so I was really hoping that Studio Fix would work in my favour as I really really wanted to love this foundation and call it a holy grail product. HOWEVER, this was unfortunately not the case.

I think pretty much everyone has a specific set of preferences when searching for their perfect foundation. For me, its finding something which will;
  • Keep me matte for 6+ hours (I have incredibly oily skin so this is a must especially at school)
  • Cannot separate – what I mean by that is due to having large pores I’ve experienced some foundations separating especially on the chin and t-zone area after an hour of wear.
  • Long lasting
  • Medium – Full coverage
  • Will not oxidise
  • Is not pink toned (thus causing an orange face)

What I like:
 
Packaging:


I have to say the packaging is one thing that I love about this foundation. Simple yet classy packaging is what I tend to be first drawn to, as I prefer the look of neutral colours in my make-up collection. The bottle is transparent like most foundations, which allows you to easily distinguish the shade, featuring MACs oh so famous matte black lid.

I will say the only thing about the packaging which annoys me is the fact that it does not come with a pump. For the high price you pay I would expect a pump, and the same goes with other high priced foundations like Nars Sheer Glow. Isn’t it strange how a lot of drug store foundations come with pumps yet the higher end brands don’t? Logic? I bought my pump from a MAC counter for $8.

Shade Selection



 
 
Probably the reason why I first fell in love with MAC was due to their AMAZING colour selection. They simply out do themselves to go above and beyond in order to make every possible shade to suit a wide mass audience. With the Studio Fix Foundation's coming in 36 shades, you will just about find a colour that matches you flawlessly. Basically their colour coding works in terms of NC and NW. NC being cool toned, as in your yellow toned foundations. NW being warm toned, your pink toned foundations. Despite the fact that I do have pretty pink toned skin, I steer clear of all pink toned foundations as they are basically going to leave me with an orange face. Not very attractive huh? I was matched to NC15 which matches me perfectly and doesn’t even require me blending the product into my neck, a big plus when your in a rush.

Consistency

 
 
 
 
The final thing which I like about this foundation is the consistency. I found that the product blended really well, and worked best with a buffing brush, I used the real techniques buffing brush. The product is neither too runny nor too thick, its simply a nice balanced, blend able consistency.
 

What I dislike:


Coverage



Dun dun dun....now we approach the strenuous task of the dislikes. I will say now I used this foundation for over a year yet didn’t really identify that there were any issues. Perhaps I was reluctant to admitting that I maybe didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. The coverage was definitely a huge issue, I had heard from a lot of people that they found it was a medium to full coverage foundation however to me, it was a low to medium coverage. After about 2-3 hours the product was noticeably sliding off and faded patches could be seen on my temples, chin, nose and forehead. I’m not sure as to why the coverage and lasting power was so dismal, I mean at first it appeared to be okay, but the more I wore it I found my redness and blemishes were not being covered to a decent standard, especially for a high end brand like MAC.
 
Matte
 
Ahh...and it just gets better!
 
I actually found that this foundation made me even MORE oily and shiny. Someone please tell me how that's even possible when I’m already the worlds oiliest person? I had been told by the woman behind the MAC counter that the foundation was aimed at person's with combination/oily skin so I expected that it would keep me somewhat matte for at least 5 hours. But of course this foundation wasn’t meant to be! I cannot believe I walked around like a shiny mess/human disco ball for over a year! Sigh!
 
Separation
 
Finally, the foundation suffered from EXTREME separation on my chin, nose and cheek areas. Out of all the foundations I’ve ever used (and I've used many!) this one separated the most. Even when using a pore filling primer of sorts, the foundation still separated on my pores! Oh the horror! This is without a doubt the main issue I have with a lot of foundations, so finding one which does not separate is a miracle!
 
Overall

Overall I did not enjoy using this foundation despite the fact that I used it for over a year AND re-purchased 4 times. I really don’t understand why I just didn’t admit it wasn’t working for me and just invested in another foundation. This really goes to show that not all high end products are amazing, and I've now got three holy grail drug store foundations which do not separate or have any other issues.

I would not recommend this foundation if you have very oily skin and large pores as I fear you might have the same problems. However, as I said before, every product works differently for everyone so if you are worried, ask to try it on at a MAC counter and see how it goes.
 
RRP: $49:00

Would I re-purchase?

101% definitely not. However, id be interested in trying out another MAC foundation, perhaps the prolong wear, face and body, or studio sculpt.

I really wanted to put up shots of me wearing the foundation in a period of 1-10 hours to show how it lasted and also the separation areas however due to time constraints I was not able to as I wanted to get this up ASAP! I will put the pictures up in the near future however.

Thank-you for reading yet another long review! I know blog audiences tend to like shorter snappier reviews however I have a lot to say about these types of products and like to do in-depth reviews which provide you with quality information.
 

Sarah x