MAC Mineralise Skin Finish 'Lightscapade' Review & Swatches

MAC MINERALISE SKIN FINISH 'LIGHTSCAPADE' - £21.50
Ahhhhh I absolutely adore this highlighter. I mentioned it in my MAC Haul not too long ago and I have been loving it ever since. LIGHTSCAPADE is a lovely champagne colour with veins of blue and gold running through. It's not exactly shimmery or glittery, it just creates a glowy sheen on the skin - perfect for creating the faux glow in winter. I have really pale skin so finding highlighters that are quite cool toned and not orange is pretty hard, but LIGHTSCAPADE is perfect! You can lightly sweep this on your cheekbones for a subtle glow, or you can build it up to be quite bold highlight. This is a little pricey at £21.50 but you get 10g of product so I definitely think it's worth it as it is bound to last you ages! 

I've got my eye on the ever-so-famous Soft & Gentle - but is one of these bad boys enough?

Olivia

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Barry M Matte Nail Polish in Crush Review & Swatches

 BARRY M MATTE NAIL PAINT 'CRUSH'

When I saw the Barry M Matte collection in my local Boots store I did a little squeal of joy. I had first seen the collection on Lily Melrose's blog and loved pretty much all the shades, but this one, Crush, stood out most to me, especially for the coming autumn/winter. A very deep burgundy - almost black matte polish, what more could you want? I'm actually pleasantly surprised with the application of this, it is streak free and opaque with one coat! I did two coats out of habit, but I think one coat would have been totally acceptable. I also love how quickly this dries down, it dries to a matte finish although it has got a sort of sheen to it, which I actually really like. I prefer the formula of this nail polish to any of the other nail polishes I have tried, it's just so thick and quick drying. The quality of this nail polish (and all other Barry M polishes!) is insane for the price tag of £3.99. I've got my eye on some more of the shades (I'm looking at you, Vanilla!).

I think Barry M have really hit the nail on the head with this polish - colour, formula  and finish are all spot on!

Have you tried the Barry M Matte polishes? Are you a fan?

Olivia

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MAC Haul

MAC MINERALISE SKIN FINISH IN LIGHTSCAPADE // MAC PAINT POT IN PAINTERLY // MAC EYESHADOW IN OMEGA // MAC FIX +

"Goodbye money, hello new make up" is something I say on a regular basis nowadays. I  absolutely love the products from MAC, but not their price tag, so I only really buy things I really want or when I've got a little extra money to spend, these products were a little birthday treat to myself, and I love all of them! I won't go into too much detail about them as there will most probably be some reviews coming shortly!

MAC Mineralise Skin Finishes are very popular in the blogging community, especially the shade 'Soft & Gentle'. I haven't seen much about the one I bought, 'Lightscapade' but it is gorgeous none the less. I went for this one as I thought 'Soft & Gentle' could have been a bit too bronzey for my skin tone.

The next thing I picked up was the MAC Paint Pot in 'Painterly'. I was originally going to get 'Bare Study' but when I asked on the #BBloggers chat which one was nicer as a base under shadows, many of the girls said 'Painterly' so I opted for that one. I actually haven't got round to using this that much, but so far it's been all good, and no creasing in sight!

MAC Eyeshadow in Omega is something I have been wanting for for such a long time. The perfect eyebrow shade for blonde gals. This is pretty similar to Naked 2 from the Urban Decay Naked Palette but I really like it all the same! There will be more on this in an upcoming post.

MAC Fix+ was actually a bit of an impulse purchase. I'd seen Chloe from Glitteralittle use it and she said it kept her make up in place for ages, so I had to buy it (darn you Chloe!). I think this will last me for bloody ages as the bottle is so big!

Do you like the look of any of these things?

Olivia

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Ego Professional Straighteners

EGO PROFESSIONAL STRAIGHTENERS*

For me, straightening my hair can be a bit of a chore, which is a problem as I tend to do it quite a lot, maybe once or twice a week. Since using the Ego Professional Straighteners, it hasn't been so much of a chore but, dare I say, a pleasure. 

Packaging wise, it is beautiful. I love the ombre design on both the both and the straightener itself. It also feels very sturdy, yet looks very sleek at the same time. Would it be wrong/weird to say the colours are supposedly "bang on trend" for Autumn/Winter? Either way, I am in love with the packaging and I don't think I could sing its praises enough.

On the dial, it appears the highest temperature is 210°C but don't be fooled, with added heat boost it can go up to 220°C with the flick of a switch. I have been using it with the heat boost at 220°C because it saves time. My hair is long, thick and pretty frizzy so it often takes a long time to straighten/curl/blow dry/basically anything. With the Ego Professional Straighteners I find it takes almost half as long as it does with my usual straighteners, and it seems to me that my hair stays straighter for longer, even when using exactly the same products.

My only slight problem with this is that it doesn't tell when the straighteners have heated up to the desired temperature. It could just be me being completely blind and stupid but I can't see any indication of when it has heated up! This is a bit of a problem as you don't want to waste time - especially if you're in a rush like me most of the time. And also, you don't want to be straightening your hair on a low heat when you actually wanted a high heat.

Overall, I have been loving using these and would definitely recommend them if you're on the hunt for some new hair tools! I've never tried GHDs so I wouldn't be able to compare, but I definitely think they're worth the money!

You can buy these from Beautybay.com, QVC and Instant Beauty Fix.

Thanks for reading,

Olivia

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September Favourites

Every year I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with September. I hate summer coming to an end and having to go back to school yet towards the end of the month it's my birthday and I also love how it is the start of autumn. It's been a pretty good month for beauty products so I though I'd do a favourites post.

MAGAZINE ORGANISERS - Tesco

I had been wanting a couple of these for a while to organise my school books and make sure I'm on top of all my school work. I think I would have preferred some plain ones but I do think the cow pattern is pretty cute. There are matching storage boxes with the same pattern which I also want to buy to put some of my old books in that I will need later in the year for revision. 

RIMMEL MATCH PERFECTION FOUNDATION - Boots

I picked this up on a bit of a whim from Boots a while ago when it was on offer. My friend uses this and her skin always looks pretty healthy and glowy so if thought if give it a whirl. The shade is a pretty good match for my skin as it is pale but isn't too pinky toned. The coverage is really light but definitely buildable, I find I do kind of have to buff it in quite a bit though. The finish is very dewy but natural looking at the same time. I really like it and I may do a full review on it soon!

REAL TECHNIQUES EXPERT FACE BRUSH - Boots

I bought this brush ages ago and I absolutely loved it! I feel as though I have sort of rediscovered this in a way because it has been pushed to the side a little since I bought my eBay beauty blender. The Expert Face Brush and the Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation are perfect together and I feel as high I've fallen back in love with the Expert Face brush once again!

RIMMEL GLAM EYES LASH FLIRT MASCARA - Boots

This is definitely an underrated mascara, I haven't seen much coverage of it on blogs but it is an old favourite of mine. It has a plastic wand and a formula that isn't too wet nor too dry. This just makes my lashes look so long and full! Although as this starts running out and dries up it can flake off horrendously and you will end up with black speckles all under you eyes. This mascara is relatively cheap so definitely go and check it out, I'd 100% recommend.

SYNTHETIC EYEBRUSHES (set of 4) - eBay 

These only arrived the other day but I've been absolutely loving them nonetheless. In particular these two, they blend eyeshadow out perfectly and make concealer look flawless. I haven't washed these yet though so I'll let you know how I get on with that!

URBAN DECAY NAKED BASICS PALETTE - Debenhams

I have done a post on this already here so I won't ramble in too much! But I had to include it in this months favourites because it is such a nice palette. I have got so much use out of it, even though I don't wear eyeshadow everyday. I'm thinking of doing a post showing some looks with it so is you'd like that, let me know! 

CARMEX LIP BALM - Boots

The autumn weather has already taken its toll on my lips! They have been so dry lately and this has been the only thing that seems to sort them out. I apply this so much during the day at school, and it just keeps my lips moisturised and soft. That is one of the things I hate about he colder weather: my skin is so dry!

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