Mac Giambattista Valli FULL Collection

I know. I didn't exactly need more MAC lipsticks, but I wanted these too much. The much anticipated and desired Giambattista Valli collection finally arrived!

Although Mac did mess everyone around with the release date, and then further more with the release time, I truly believe this collection was worth it. I feel very privileged to have managed to get all 5 in this now super rare collection, as it sold out completely in 15 minutes! It was one of the quickest selling Mac collections in a very long time.

So.. a little background information about the collection. Throughout many websites there were a vast amount of different reasons that I found that had an explanation as to why the famous designer chose these colours, as well as the design.

Known for his floral fashion work, one of the reasons widely read was that each of the colours were based on one of his favourite flowers. Another reason for the bright and beautiful colours was the idea of matching them to his most recent dress designs.

I personally love this idea the most; that they are coloured on the outside because Giambattista Valli has claimed to of said that he was tired of girls spending so long trying to find the colour lipstick they want to wear in the bottom of their bag. 

I must admit, I have spent a fair share of my time scrawling around the bottom of my bag and rolling up lipsticks just to find the colour I need, so therefore I love this prospect.

Packaging wise, I fell in love. Everything about these lipsticks scream elegance and beauty. The boxes again reflect the floral concept with a white floral image, and the words 'Giambattista Valli' are beautifully placed to almost flow with the theme. 

The white of the box is then strongly contrasted by the colour of the lipstick inside. Below, you can see what comes in the box, but unfortunately I couldn't photograph the inside of the box well! Everything about the lipsticks, including their boxes, is elegantly crafted and executed amazingly. Also, its colour coordinated throughout and who does not love colour coordination?!

BIANCA B

Lets get down to business. The first colour, and the most sought after colour, Bianca B. There are good and bad things about this lipstick and I may as well get the truth out of the way: I only bought this because of the packaging. I had seen swatches online and knew that it would be too light on my lips, but I couldn't resist the pale pink dainty packaging. As I said, this really isn't that pink at all. It is basically white with a very very very VERY small amount of pink in it. I also found that the formula wasn't great in this and that it was extremely chalky. If you have dry lips, this will just not work well for you.

However, I do use it! I find that this colour works beautifully in the upcoming fashion of ombre lips and adds a lovely finishing touch to your lips, especially layered on top of another favourite, Velvet Teddy.

MARGHERITA

The first thing I think of when I wear this colour is summer. It's the most beautiful, peach toned orange colour. The balance of orange and peach has been executed perfectly and this is the first 'orange' lipstick I can actually confidently wear. 

For a matte lipstick, the formula is so creamy and goes on so smoothly. 

I love lip lining this lipstick with a coral colour. Margherita is perfect for a nude everyday look and that's why I simply adore it so much.

If you are able to get your hands on this, do it. It's not as neon and shocking as you may think from the packaging.

TATS

As a loving sibling, I bought this lipstick especially for my older sister as I don't personally wear bright pinks, and she looks great when she wears them. Tats is described as a hot pink on the Mac website, which I didn't agree with completely when I first swatched on my lips. 

It has a deeper undertone of red rather than hot pink.

Its again a matte finish (like the whole collection is) but is buttery and pigmented as well as applying just as smoothly as a cremesheen would.

This colour is long-lasting and doesn't budge easily from the lips. I love this lipstick with dark or smokey eye makeup.

CHARLOTTE

An essential colour for any Mac collector, reds are important. Charlotte is definitely my other favourite alongside Margherita. A deep matte red, this colour is pigmented and doesn't need a lot of product to create the classic red lip. 

It does have some slightly yellow undertones, but this really isn't noticeable at all and does allow the colour of the lip to look more vibrant. 

If you weren't able to get your hands on this particular colour, it is remarkably similar to Mac's Russian Red, with the only difference being that Russian Red is slightly more matte.

The formula on this lipstick is definitely the best out of all 5, with pigmentation, creaminess and smoothness all being all out amazing. I love the combination of this lip colour and the liner of Mac Brick which helps accentuate the lip shape and colour.

EUGENIE

Out of all five lipsticks, Eugenie is the only one which I don't believe the packaging reflects the true colour. The packaging is a browny-red which misleads you into obviously believing that the lipstick is brown. When swatching and applying to lips this turned out to be the deepest purple colour.

I compare this regularly to Mac Sin and Mac Diva. 

This lipstick has a sticky feeling to it and does leave the lips slightly streaky due to the sheer darkness off the colour. I'd love to say this applies smoothly and evenly, but the truth is that it's definitely not the best at that at all.

I still love the lipstick though and it is a beautiful colour when layered up and non streaky.

                      

Go forth and let your lipstick collection multiply

Love, Lois xo

Blushers, Bronzers and Contours

Hello! I am so so so sorry that my blog posts are not regular at the moment as I am waiting for an upgrade from my Mac Mini to a Macbook! 

Anyway, todays blogpost is all about the products I use to form (and fake) a strong facial structure.

As a teenage girl who can only dream of having prominent cheekbones, faking it is of course making it. I use a variety and mixture of high end and drugstore products, but mainly just use the products that I believe work the best and provide the best looking outcome.

Firstly, blush. 

Blush is the absolute best at providing colour and maintaining a healthy looking glow and is essential to stop your makeup making your face look pale and washed out. Wether cream or powder blush, a makeup bag definitely isn't complete without some kind of colour.

Sleek Rose Gold is the perfect dupe for Nars Orgasm for a fraction of the price. I believe that this retails for £4, whilst Nars Orgasm is around three times that. This blush is a deep pink colour that has specks of gold in it which creates a beautiful sheen and glow. When worn lightly, the pink colour is not as strong whilst the shine is much defined. You definitely don't need a large amount of this product each time you wear it because it is so pigmented that it creates a definite gleam after a small swatch.

From the recent MAC Heirloom collection comes another blush. Modest Blush is a pale pink blush that is perfect for the upcoming summer. Often when a blush is pale, it does not show up. But when i say this, I mean it. This blush is heaven sent for its pigmentation and  amazing formula. Its buttery, and easy to apply quickly.

Another very recent MAC collection, Toledo sold out in hours and in the collection had 3 blushes. This is the most sought after - Ripe Peach. A coral-orange-peach ombre blush, this looks so stunning in the packaging . However, the pigmentation on this let me down a lot. You have to use a lot of product to get even the slightest colour onto your cheeks, and that was really disappointing. I am yet to try the other two colours in the collection, so I cant say wether the pigmentation is the same for all of them.

Onto the physically faking it. Bronzers and contour shades are all about one thing, creating shadows which aren't actually there. With a contour colour you don't want shimmer and you need an ashy brown. This is why I love the following products so much.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kits have become a phenomenon for the beauty bloggers and YouTubers all around the world. I opted to only buy the powder one at the moment due to the fact that a cream contour may leave your face looking cakey and overworked - although I can't say anything about the Anastasia cream contour as I obviously haven't tried it (yet)!
From left to right in the photo the colours in my kit are : Vanilla (face powder), Banana (for setting and colour correcting), Sand (to highlight), Java, Fawn and Havana (all to contour)

This kit contains all the contour colours I need for my olive toned skin. The colours blend together easily and the Banana shade allows my eyes to appear brighter and I end up with a seamless, NON dirty looking contour which is getting rarer to find with a powdered contour.

Dallas by Benefit is another well loved, often used bronzer and contour shade. Its deep mud tones allow depth and shadow to your contour and light applications allow a lovely bronzed face.I dont personally use the brush that comes with this version of Dallas as it applies it unevenly and makes the powder sit on my skin and therefore not blend well. 

However, overall this product is a good product. Sometimes in the wrong light it can look dirty and orange if not applied well so if you are unexperienced with contour shades, Hoola is probably the better colour for you to start with.

Last but not least... my little tiny version of Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. For everyday wear, I highly recommend this. Also, as we all know from the Chocolate Bar palette, this smells amazing! (Cocoa powder is used in the powdered makeup.) This is a tester size from a Love Me Beauty box a couple of months ago and it is the perfect size to see wether the product is for you or not. 

Although I doubt this is the same with the real product, with the tester size, it stopped working! I used it for a month or so and then the product would stop coming off on my face, so if anyone knows how to make the makeup work again please let me know as this is a favourite! 

This product is lovely, it adds the perfect amount of bronze to your face for a summer glow without looking cakey and uneven. I cant wait to try the full size version. 

As well as this, it comes in three shades, Milk Chocolate, Chocolate and Dark Chocolate. Each is adaptable for contour shades and different shades of skin tone.

As we are supposed to be well into summer here in the UK, finding the right contour and bronzing shades for your skin is essential, and adding colour to your face is key.

Love, Lois xo

Primers (and almost primers)

If you want your makeup to actually last, priming your face is vital. These are my favourite primers (and almost primers, as said in the title) that I own. 

There are many different primers that all do different things for your skin. Before buying any primer, check what skin type you are and what primer corresponds with that.

Starting off with my 'almost primer', Mac Mineralize Charged Water. Before any application of makeup, I spray this mist over my face to hydrate it and achieve the same affect of a moisturiser, without waiting for it to dry.  Mac claims that this can be used at any point, even when makeup has been applied, and it will still hydrate.

This currently retails at £17.50 for 100ml and lasts such a long time! As for how it helps makeup application, it doesn't do much. It obviously isn't designed to be a primer, but it does help my skin feel less dry with my makeup on. It doesn't increase durability of the makeup either but as I just said, it isn't designed to do so! I would definitely recommend investing in this item if you have dry skin and need a quick way to help hydrate and care for your skin.

Next, an actual primer. The Blur Cream by L'oreal creates a smooth base and lightly colour corrects. This product claims to even out the skin surface which I believe it does perfectly! It doesn't add any colour to your face. It also claims to make pores less visible, which I don't believe it does dramatically. There was a slight difference, but as for the thing it does best, it makes my makeup last. With the application of this, it will take my foundation from lasting 5 hours to around 9-10 hours! The smell isn't very pleasant, and it does feel a bit like silicone and adding a plastic layer to your face when not blended correctly but other than that, its a good product.

This retails for £10 and is available in most drugstores.  I would recommend this again for dry skin, but not so much for oily skin types. It does make my dry skin feel pretty oily due to the plastic feel and could end up in you having a shiny face! This product is definitely worth the money if you are looking for a cheap primer that does its job well and performs brilliantly.

Lancôme La Base Pro is an all rounded perfect primer. It is high end so obviously has a higher price tag. It is oil free so is suitable for all skin types and creates a perfectly smooth and even surface to apply makeup onto. It is translucent and slightly thicker than the blur cream, meaning less product is needed for a whole face application. This would always dramatically increase my makeups durability. It applies easily and is worth the £28.50 RRP. This is available at most high end retailers. Although I do not use this primer daily, it is used constantly for events and nights out when I really need my makeup to seriously last.

Below are just some unblended swatches of the products with the Blur Cream on top and La Base Pro underneath. This is just to show the different consistencies and colours of the products.

All products mentioned are worth buying and please remember that there is a really noticeable difference when you use a primer, even if you believe it may not be worth it.

Love, Lois xo

High End vs Drugstore Highlighters

Highlighters are key to sculpt and define your face. They are also another one of my guilty pleasures, and they sure can get expensive for essentially just putting compacted glitter onto your face.

When buying highlighters you have two main decisions. 

Firstly: Powder or liquid?

Secondly: Drugstore or high-end?

Either way, here are my favourites of all the categories.

Okay so first off we have powder. 

On the left of the picture below we have the high-end highlighter: Lancôme Blush Highlighter in the shade Moonlight Rose. This is a limited edition highlighter that was originally labelled as a blush but was adapted into a highlighter, and a beautiful one at that. This was priced at around £35, but I am unsure on wether it is still available.

Secondly, on the right there is a drugstore powder highlight. MUA/Makeup Academy are well known for their high quality products at low prices. This highlighter is now available in 3 different shades, but this shade is Pink Shimmer. Priced at just £3 each these are a true bargain that work perfectly.

On the swatches below (obviously left being high end and right being drugstore) you can really see the true quality of both of them with just one swatch.

So starting with the high end, Lancôme really did create an amazing highlighter here. It is incredibly pigmented and creates a gorgeous shimmer that when blended out can work as an amazing base for a very full on contoured look. This also works really well with a Mac 159 brush which allows the perfect amount of product to be applied onto the face. For how much you pay, you get your fair amount of usage and it is a creamy, generally lovely highlighter that is perfect for everyday use.

The MUA/Makeup Academy highlight is actually a dupe for Lancôme Moonlight Rose as you can see by the built up swatches. For £3 it has a crazy amount of pigmentation and applies flawlessly with any brush, and even with your fingers (I don't recommend just leaving it how you apply it if you do that, definitely blend it out unless you want a streaky face.) This is definitely a more pearly based colour and can be built up to work really well with a more natural, dewy looking face. I cannot recommend this product enough and I cannot wait to try the other two highlighters in this collection.

Onto the liquid highlighters, and these have more than one use as they are more blend-able.

On the left we have the drugstore highlighter which is actually from Tesco's new brand BD Cosmetics. I bought this in a panic when I believed I had lost my high beam, and at only £8 it wasn't much of a money loss if it didn't work very well. I believe this is only in one shade. This is very pigmented and you really do not need a lot of the product to achieve the desired glimmered outcome.

On the right the high-end alternative Benefits High Beam. This product has worked really well on some occasions and awfully on others. Don't get me wrong, I love this product. I love Benefit, but I have found that especially with matte foundations this just does not blend out properly. Leaving me very streaky and very sad. However it does leave a beautiful shine and gleem. This is priced at £20 and does last a long time, so is a very fair price. This has a little brush, like a nail polish would, that allows you to add small amounts of the product to precise points of your face.

On the swatches below you can really see the difference in the two colours. The BD highlighter is almost bronze and High Beam is pearlescent and pinky white. They both perform similarly although i always use High Beam for a stronger more distinct highlight, and the BD highlighter for a dewy look when mixed into my foundations.

As I said, highlighter can be used in different ways and to outline different aspects of your face and features. To make your face thinner, you just apply on the cheekbones and cupids bow, as well as on the nose. With liquid highlighters you can mix it with a matte foundation to create a much healtier, radiant looking foundation that allows your face to look dewy.

Never underestimate the power of a good highlighter.

Love, Lois xo

The Eyeshadow Palettes

I have never been amazing at eyeshadow, literally ever. But when I found these palettes it became a hell of a lot easier to complete an eyeshadow based look. 

These are my holy grail palettes and genuinely are so much better than some of the hyped up eyeshadow palettes that you hear too much about.

Firstly, one of the MOST underrated brands I know of - theBalm. This palette Nude'tude retails for around £30 and is worth every single penny. The colours are everything you would need for a completed look. They are creamy and buttery and oh my god I just love this palette (too much). 

The packaging creates a really professional look and feel to it and I really love how the actual eyeshadows are set out. Nothing beats a really good mirror too.

The swatches below are in the shades 

Left down - Serious, Sexy, Sophisticated, Selfish, Stubborn, Sassy

Right down - Sleek, Silly, Seductive, Sultry, Standoffish, Snobby

Overall, this palette really is worth the money, and you can even get these cheaper off other people on Depop for second hand prices. If you are a beginner with eyeshadow this palette has all the basic mattes and shimmers to help you perfect the art of eyeshadow. The pigmentation is unreal. Trust me on this.

Secondly, The Iconic Elements by Makeup Revolution. DUPE ALERT this is literally exactly the same as the Naked 1 Palette by Urban Decay. The shades and pigmentation are identical, and Makeup Revolution make it very obvious that they are duping Urban Decay by even placing the eyeshadows in the same order as in the naked palette. 

The only difference?

Naked 1 Palette: £38

Iconic Elements Palette: £4(!!!!)

The eyeshadows are lovely to work with and extremely easy to blend on the eyelid, but what I will say is that if you want really defined eyeshadow, then this would take 2 layers or so. However, for £4 this palette is a definite go to for the matte browns (which are great for bases and transition shades)

This palette also does come with sponge top applicators but I prefer using my own brushes.

The swatches below are simply from the left side of the palette to the right as Makeup Revolution chose not to give their shades names.

This palette has performed solidly and extremely well for all the time that I have owned it, and there are also Iconic Elements 2 and 3 which (you guessed it) are dupes for Naked 2 and 3.

TooFaced are one of my favourite brands as they consistently produce great quality makeup products. I bought the Chocolate Bar palette because of how much I have heard about it on YouTube and other blogs. It RRPs for around £35-£45 but again, it's always worth looking on Depop and other selling sites to see how much other people are charging for their used palettes.

Another really amazing aspect of this palette is it smells just like chocolate. TooFaced are well known for their placement of cocoa powder in their makeup, and this palette smells incredible. Just that little bit extra which makes you love this truly lovely eyeshadow palette.

Asides from that the actual quality of these eyeshadows is really good, they're pigmented, smooth and so far have lasted an extremeley long time when worn.

Below are the swatches from the palette going across and then down -

Gilded Ganache, White Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Black Forest Truffle, Triple Fudge, Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Semi-Sweet, Strawberry Bon Bon, Candied Violet, Amaretto, Hazelnut, Creme Brulee, Haute Chocolate, Cherry Cordial and Champagne Truffle

(AND breath)

A beautiful palette that does just what it says on the tin (and smells like it too)

Lastly, not a palette but one of the single nicest eyeshadows I have owned that I simply couldn't not include it in my eyeshadows post. This is Mac's Extra Dimension collection eyeshadow in the shade Sweet Heat. from just one swatch you get an incredible amount of pigmentation that is so creamy and smooth that it applies flawlessly. It also works really well with any coloured base and creates great sparkle to your eyelid.

I hope I gain more eyeshadows to show you but for now,

Love, Lois xo

My Favourite Perfumes

I truly love smelling nice. Who doesn't? Perfume is a daily need and I never mind spending that little bit extra on a perfume that really does smell lovely. 

At the moment, these are my three favourite perfumes. 

Lady Million, Beyoncé  Heat and Chanel Chance (Eau Tendre)

Firstly, my beloved Chanel. This perfume was a tad expensive at around £60 for 50ml. However, this is the nicest smelling perfume I have ever owned, even though I limit the usage on it. 

It lasts really long on the skin and is a very floral, fresh scent that I adore smelling like. 
In excess though, this perfume can get overpowering and ruin the overall scent of it. So you do have to use it carefully, and only on the skin, not on clothing.

Whenever I wear this perfume, I get so many compliments on how I smell. As well as this, look at how pretty it is! Almost too pretty (and expensive) to use!

If you are looking for a long lasting, beautiful looking and floral smelling perfume Chanel Chance Eau Tendre is the one for you. 

I have always loved the smell of One Million on boys, so when I found out there was a Lady Million (a female version) I just had to own it. This retails for around £50, so slightly cheaper than the Chanel.

It is a very strong scent, that does in a vague way remind me of the male One Million, but has the element of sweetness that is vibrant and does make the perfume overall smell more feminine. Although I do love this perfume, and it is very well loved and used, I feel like it needs lots of the product to actually have a lasting smell. I don't feel like this lasts that long on the skin at all, although the first few hours of wear you do constantly get delightful little whifts of the perfume.

Lastly, Beyonce Heat. This perfume has lasted me since Christmas and is on the last few sprays right now and I am devastated about it. This perfume is definitely more strong and you really can smell this throughtout the day, so it lasts very long on the skin. I am really bad at describing smells (if you have not already gathered that) but this perfume is probably the hardest to describe. It is sweet but not floral, so I would say the best way to describe it is; fresh. It would probably be better just to go into the shop and smell this perfume because I cannot describe it for the life of me. I really do recommend this perfume for people who travel a lot so need the smell of their perfume to last all day long. 

Again, this retails for around £40-£50.

I do own a lot of perfumes so these are just my favourites. 

If you are on a lower budget, or just want something cheap for everyday use I do highly recommend the Zara perfumes which are under £10 and have a range that will fit everyones tastes.

If you get a chance, please go smell these perfumes in store, I hope you love them as much as I do.

Love, Lois xo

My Mac Lipstick Collection (The Nudes)

We have reached the final set of lippies, the famous nudes. No girl is complete without her nude lipsticks, and I will never stop buying them.

Each one of my lipsticks has had so much loving the past few months as the whole 'Kylie Jenner' lip trend has come into fashion, and also because I am a (newly converted) blonde and dark lip colours wash me out now.

Pictured below are my current 'nude' lipsticks L-R: Viva Glam II, Velvet Teddy, Creme in Your Coffee, Hue, Notice Me.

Firstly, Viva Glam II. As you can see in the picture, this lipstick is very close to running out and I am dreading it. It has a satin finish which feels so lovely on the lips whilst still having amazing colour payoff and pigmentation. It's a very similar colour to Velvet Teddy but does not dry your lips out at all! If you want a lovely brown nude colour (without the drying effect) then this is the one to go for.

Onto the famous Velvet Teddy which has the claim to fame of apparently being what is used on Kylie Jenners lips - along with the whirl/soar lipliner. This mauve nude has a very matte finish and will (unfortunately but obviously) dry your lips out. It still looks really lovely though, whatever condition your lips are in. All I will say is that this lipstick takes dedication to apply and create shape with without the help of a lipliner, but besides that it's still one of my favourites.

Creme in your Coffee was quite a recent purchase for me, as my friend bought it and it looked really nice on her lips. But as soon as I put it on, our love/hate relationship started. The colour on this is nice and the pigmentation is fine, but as a blonde (and not a brunette as my friend is) I find that this lipstick makes my face look dull and pale. Not only this but I feel as if you can't add any proper shaping to your lips with this, as it just slips down and wears out very quickly. Maybe this works better with a lip primer, but it's just not right for me.

Although Hue below looks rather coral and orange toned, it isn't. Hue has a glaze finish which creates a very slight coloured sheen over the lips, which just about allows your lips to look plumper and apart of your makeup look. As this is a coloured glaze, it will change the colour of the underlying lipstick if you choose to apply Hue over one, so just bear that in mind when doing so. Very good multi use lipstick though that I will definitely repurchase, even if it doesn't get used as much as some of my others.

My newest purchase isn't as much of a 'nude' as it is a 'pink/purple'. In fact, the picture doesn't do it justice. This colour is quite literally pastel and lilac. Notice Me is apart of the new 2015 Mac is Beauty collection and as it was a colour I wouldn't usually pick, I thought I would try it on and immediately fell in love. It has a lustre finish but has just the right amount of pigmentation to allow a build up of colour. It applies smoothly and evenly and I really love how different and summery this colour looks on the lips. The new 2015 Mac is Beauty collection has so many summer pastels that are essential colours for your lips! If you get a chance, check it out.

Without Flash - L-R Viva Glam II, Velvet Teddy, Creme in Your Coffee

Hue, Notice Me

With Flash - L-R Viva Glam II, Velvet Teddy, Creme in Your Coffee

Hue, Notice Me

So even though I have a strong feeling that this collection will continue to grow larger, that is all the lipsticks I have up to date. But with a beautiful new collection out on the 9th of July I am pretty much sure there will be another blogpost very soon on my beautiful lippies.

Once you go Mac you never go back.

Love, Lois xo