My Current Favourite Lip Combo!

Hey there Lovelies!

With my no buy still in full swing I've been rummaging through my collection more and more to find those unloved gems that have sadly been forgotten about. MAC's Up The Amp was one of the lipsticks i was most excited to try after my USA trip but i found it a little too harsh and dark on my fair complexion. It wasn't until i started shopping my stash that something clicked and I had that light bulb moment and realised... I could lighten it with my Sleek Pout Paint! Pout Paints are Sleeks version of the much loved OCC Lip Tars and in my opinion are a much nicer formula to work with, i just wish they'd release more shades! Cloud 9 is simply a white mixer shade from the range and works perfectly with every lipstick I've tried it with so far!

Since this discovery I've been mixing my lipsticks like crazy trying to find more unique shades and make some of my more "unwearable" lipsticks a bit more flattering on me. Its a simple concept and I'm a little embarrassed I hadn't thought about doing this before! It is also a great way to try the popular ombre lip trend that's been around lately, although i haven't quite mastered that one myself. This has really brought back my love for lipstick and for once I'm actually making the most of my excessive lipstick collection and really loving doing so!

  

Pout Paint in Cloud 9 (£4.99, SleekMakeup)

Up The Amp (£15.50, MAC)

I'm head over heals for this combo and have been wearing it at every possible chance i can get! My love for lipstick is well and truly back!

What is your favourite lipstick or combo?

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FOTD: Girl About Purple!!

Hi there Lovelies!

This week i had a bit of a fail with my normal hair dye... Long story short i got a little fed up and decided to slap some purple on! While the purple was short lived due to being extremely high maintenance, I thought I'd share my favourite makeup look from this week! Even though I'm back to boring ol' blonde now I am still adoring Mac's Girl About Town lipstick, how was i this late on the bandwagon? Anyways, onto whats on my face!

Eyes

MUA - Eye Primer

Makeup Revolution - Waterproof Eyeliner

Urban Decay - Naked Basics

Smashbox - Hyperlash Mascara

Anastasia - Ash Blonde Brow Duo

Lips

Nyx - Edge Pink Lip Liner

Mac - Girl About Town Lipstick

Face

Smashbox - Photofinish Primer

MAC - Studio Fix Foundation

Nars - Laguna Bronzer

Maybelline - Dream Lumi Concealer

Nars - Light Reflecting Loose Powder

MAC - Dame Blush

It's not even been a day back blonde and I'm already missing my bright hair. Sigh. Next time I'll invest in some actual light purple dye rather than my slightly shoddy DIY hot purple and conditioner creation!

What has your favourite lipstick been this week?

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Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Peach Lights - Review

Hey there Lovelies!

 Makeup Revolution have been doing the rounds here in the blogging world so of course i had to place a cheeky order, or two! With a huge product line and bargain prices they were bound to catch us beauty lovers attention. They have a real extensive line of products and a lot of "dupes" of higher end products so I'll have quite a few more exciting MUR reviews coming up here on the blog!

As with a fair amount of their products their Vivid Baked Highlighter really reminds me of the much loved pink MUA Highlighter offering, but MUR have no affiliation with the brand. This particular product comes in three shades, Peach Lights (as pictured, but my shoddy lighting has washed the product pics out quite significantly), Pink Lights and Golden Lights.

Baked highlighters are some of my favourite products to use and my Mac Mineralized Skinfishes are some of my most reached for products in my collection, so i was eager to pick up a cheaper alternative. It contains a rather generous 7.5g of product and is housed in pretty sturdy plastic packaging. Texture wise the powder is quite stiff but easily picked up onto a brush (i like to use the Real Techniques Contour Brush to apply it) and blends out quite nicely.

Finish wise it has quite a metallic sheen to it, making it a no go for me for day time use unless used with a real light hand. The peach doesn't really translate on the skin either just leaving more of a sheer champagne glow which I've quite enjoyed for more dramatic, evening looks. All you glitter haters can breathe a sigh of relief that this contains no chunky glitter either, and on me it doesn't tend to accentuate my pores.

For a bargain brand this is a really decent highlighter, just not for daytime wear for me personally. It costs a mere £3 and contains a lot of product for the price point which is always a plus. If you enjoy MUA's Pink Highligher offering then I'm sure you'll love the Makeup Revolution ones, now have a couple more shades to play with. My Mineralized Skinfishes still hold my heart on the highlighter front but for a budget brand this gets a thumbs up from me!

Makeup Revolution are due to launch in selected Superdrug stores but in the meantime you can check out their range on the website here.

Have you tried any Makeup Revolution products?

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MAC Osbourne Haul & Review

Ello Lovelies!

A quick haul and mini review from me today! I've been trying to sort through my holiday goodies for some posts and potentially a couple of videos but considering how hot these products are, i thought i should get this up ASAP! A good few months back Sharon Osbourne shared a picture of her palette from her then upcoming MAC collection and i was pretty much hooked at first sight.
 

I'd been checking online for this release for days and somehow i completely missed the launch and everything sold out online within the hour. Needless to say, i was not impressed. Luckily Southampton now has a MAC counter and i was able to get in touch and find out if they had stock in... They did so i ran like a crazy woman into town. Oh how i do wish MAC would give definite release dates, it would make me (and many other MAC fans) much happier!

I really only wanted the two lipsticks i picked up but i have absolutely no willpower and picked up a couple more bits from the collection. Jolly Good Mineralize Skinfinish and Peaches And Cream Blush... What can i say? I'm a sucker for packaging!

Being so fair i usually skip on most of Mac's MSF releases as generally their bronzers are either too dark or too orange for me but Jolly Good looks rather promising! You can use each segment individually or swirl them together and as far as first impressions go, i really quite like it! It is very powdery so i have to use a light hand but i really love this so far for giving an all over glow to the face. And thats a pretty rare thing in an MSF for fair skinned ol' me!

 Ignore the name, Peaches and Cream is an extremely pretty pink blush. It actually swatches far darker than it looks in the pan which is surprising (or could be a downside for some people) and I've got to say I'm pretty smitten with this too! Its super pigmented but when applied with a light hand (i have a habit of going overboard with blushes and looking like Aunt Sally) it looks pretty damn good if i do say so myself. The shimmer translates to more of a sheen on the skin and gives the illusion of a healthy flush or glow to the face. This one gets a big thumbs up from me too!

And last, but definitely not least is the lipsticks! The main reason i ran like a mad lady to my Mac store for. Now i haven't worn these yet so can't give these a real review or first impressions but I'm rarely disappointed with a Satin or Matte Mac lipstick so I'm pretty sure its going to be love. Kelly Yum Yum takes a slight twist (and i mean slight) on the oh so popular Candy Yum Yum. To me Kelly's version is a smidge darker and warmer making it a hell of a lot more wearable for me at least. And not forgetting Dodgey Girl... We're all a bit crazy over purple toned lippies lately aren't we? I had my worries that this wasn't going to be lavender enough for my liking but I'm pleased as punch with it from the swatches. Now i just need to be able to pull it off!

If like me you've been lusting and waiting for this collection for months i wouldn't hang around to snag your favourites up. The collection sold out within the day online so I'd make a speedy trip to your local counter! I don't think I've been this enthusiastic over a Mac collection in years! But for my no buys sake, i need to avoid the rest of the years launches!

Did you pick anything up from this collection?

What was your favourite?

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MAC 15x Cool Neutral Palette Review

 

Hey Lovelies! 

I thought i should get this little beauty out of the way following my review on the Warm Neutrals Palette which you can read here. 

As i mentioned in the last post i really couldn't pick between the two and very naughtily picked up both palettes when they launched on the MAC website. Both are priced at a semi reasonable (for MAC) £65 and contain 15 nearly full sized eyeshadow pans which is a steal considering the £170ish price tag to create your own. As i mentioned in my last post the palette contains 19.5g of product making each shadow 1.3g rather than the regular 1.5g per pan advertised on the MAC website. But again the price difference really makes up for the slight lack in product.

This palette contains an overall more cooler variety of shades (stating the obvious) but does have the addition of a few warmer ones which make the palette a little more versatile. Personally, i think out of the two this has to be my favourite shade selection. I also found the textures of these a little better than the Warm option as these swatched and applied beautifully.

I find MAC shadows a little drier in texture and these all feel of the same quality of the MAC eyeshadows i already own. My favourites from this palette are Crushed Love and Sun Tweaked,  i always tend to steer towards more bronzey/gold shades so these are right up my alley. After Dusk and Blackberry are going to make really lovely winter smokey eye options, a nice alternative to using Cranberry. My camera (or should I say my lack of photography skills) likes to wash the lighter shades in the palette out quite a bit. So onto the swatches!

Flounce (M). Sweet Allure (S), Sun Tweaked (F), After Dusk (VXP), Blackberry (M)

Pick Me Up (M), Cozy Grey (M), Crushed Love (F), Deception (F), Brun (S)

Silver Fog (L), French Clay (F), Cumulus (F), Pearled Earth (VXP), Black Tied (V)

Overall i think this is a pretty well rounded palette. It would have been made perfect for me with the addition of a transition shade... I know, i know, I'm like a broken bloody record, i just wish more palettes would have one! If you like MAC shadows i think you'll love these so i highly recommend giving these a little swatch at a counter or store near you!

What do you prefer? Warm or Cool?

You can find these at MAC counters and online here.

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FOTD: A Little Nakedness

I'm talking about the palette of course...

Being a glasses wearer I've shied away from shadow the past few months so i thought it was about time i cracked one of the many palettes I've splurged on in the last few months out. Pulled out of the stash was Naked 3! I decided to try and opt for a more wearable day time look and for now I'm pretty smitten with this palette. Anyway onto the look!

Eyes:

 Urban Decay Naked 3 - Trick, Dust, Strange and Factory.

Mua - Eye Primer

Elf - Black Liquid Eyeliner

Tarte - Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

Tarte - Brow Pencil in Taupe

Lips:

Fresh - Lip Balm

MAC - Wonderstruck Lustreglass

Face:

L'oreal - True Match Foundation

Nars - Orgasm Illuminator

Nars - Laguna Bronzer

Nars - Light Reflecting Setting Powder

Maybelline - Age Rewind Concealer

MUA - Lolly Blush

Oh and I am actually wearing clothes in these pictures, my hair just covers the straps, so no actual nakedness lol. I'll be playing around with more day time looks over the next few weeks and will be sure to post some of my favourites.

What palettes have you been loving lately?

Leave me a comment and let me know!

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Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm Review

Hey Lovelies!

As soon as i spotted these in my local Boots i knew i had to have them, its no big shocker really considering my love for all things matte in the lipstick department! There are 10 shades in the matte range and i had to pop into three stores to find the shades i was after, annoyingly it seems smaller Boots are stocking just 4 shades while the larger are only carrying 8. Which leaves the purple shade firmly out of my reach at the moment... Sigh.

I did get my paws on 3 gorgeous shades to share with you today! These are currently on 3 for 2 in Boots or £7.99 each (Superdrug currently have £2 off) so keep your eyes peeled for offers if you are after a few shades. The shades i picked up were Unapologetic - an extremely bright warm pink, Elusive - nudish (for me) lightish pink and Audacious - hot orange. I don't think i own anything like these in my collection!

Matte, oh how i love thee. I really enjoyed the balm stains Revlon released in previous years so was SO excited to hear of the release of these beauties. I'll make the obvious comparison now... These are very similar packaging, smell and texture-wise to the Tarte matte balms. I haven't tried any of the Tarte permanent range shades but i did get one of their gift sets around Christmas which contained 4 smaller sized balms and i feel these are very comparable. They both share a similar minty scent, extremely similar packaging and both have a lovely creamy texture. Surprisingly I've found the Revlon ones pack more of a punch in the colour department, but this may just be because they have a brighter colour range. If you're not after an exact Tarte shade these are a great inexpensive dupe.

I like to wear a balm underneath as with any lipstick but for a matte shade i don't find them overly drying, i actually find these a lot more comfortable on the lips than Mac Mattes or Retro mattes. They are pretty much opaque after two swipes and i find the application really easy with these sort of chubby stick style pens. I've worn Unapologetic for around 7 hours before needing a touch up, it even lasted through eating and drinking although it did look a little dry by the end of its wear. I even forgot at one point i was even wearing a lipstick, so these get a huge thumbs up from me!

 

Overall the Revlon Matte Balms are a massive win for me, but i am a little biased towards mattes. They are comfortable, they wear well and they are affordable. So far are my stand out drugstore product of the year! If you love mattes you really need to go give these beauties a swatch. I'll now be hunting down that purple until i can eventually get my hands on it, oh and possibly a couple more shades while I'm at it... I know they're a new release and its wishful thinking, but i do hope Revlon release more shades in this range!

Have you tried the Revlon Matte Balms yet?

What are your favourite matte lipsticks?

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Blog Sale!

Hey Lovelies!

With my low buy in full swing this year i thought I'd do a small blog sale to clear out any of my unloved items. This way someone else might be able to show them a little more love than i have. Many have just been swatched with the rest being used just a handful of times and I'll detail the usage on each item. 

 

Sadly i am doing this UK only due to postage fees and postage will be £3 for the first item and 50p each additional makeup item and £1 for the nail polish. Royal Mail state i can only send 4 polishes at a time so if you are interested in the duos i will have to post anything above 4 separately with additional postage. I will happily do discounts on postage for multiple items. All payments must be made as a gift through Paypal to katiexlou@live.com and all items will be posted within 3 working days. No returns.

If you see something you like or have any questions just leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you asap. Happy shopping!

Mac Hue Lipstick - Used x1 - £7 SOLD

Mac Fresco Rose Paint Pot (LE) - Swatched - £7 SOLD

Mac Heat Element Mineralized Duo (LE) - Swatched with box - £7 SOLD

Mac Pink Split Mineralized Duo (LE) - Swatched - £7 SOLD

Mac Love Alert Dazzleglass - Used x1 -  £7 

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Libido - Used x2 - £5 SOLD

Illamasqua Powder Blush in Panic - Used x4 - £5 SOLD

Illamasqua Powder Blush in Thrust - Used x4 - £5  SOLD

YSL Glossy Stain in 14 - Used x1 - £10

Inglot Gel Liner in 86 - Used x2 - £5

Inglot Pearl Lipstick in 188 - Used x1  - £5

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Platinum Pink (LE) - Used x5 - £12 SOLD

NYX For Your Eyes Only in Smokey Eyes - Used x4 - £3

 

 Laura Geller Gel Liner in Black - Brand New - £3

Jemma Kidd Lipgloss in Perfect Red - Swatched - £2

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss in Punch Bowl - Swatched - £2

 

 Sleek Palette in Morocco (LE) - Swatched / Green used x3 - £4

Sleek Palette in Original - Swatched -  £3 PENDING

Sleek Palette in Acid - Swatched - Burgundy shade used x3 - £3 PENDING

Wet n Wild Trio in I'm Feeling Retro - Swatched - £2

Wet n Wild Trio in Don't Steal My Thunder - Swatched - £2

Wet n Wild Trio in Spoiled Brat - Swatched - £2

Nars Pierre Hardy Polish Duos (LE) - £11 per duo or 2 for £20

Most brand new, few swatched.

Easy Walking

Sharplines

Sharks

Ethno Run

Vertebra

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