Review: MAC Constructivist Pro Longwear Paint Pot

Hey

I've been enjoying a long weekend with my family so this post is a little late going up. It was lush to spend some time with my family in the countryside. Going back to work is never fun after a chilled out weekend.

Today I wanted to share one of my latest purchases! I'm absolutely loving my first paint pot (reviewed here) and have been using it most days. I couldn't resist picking up another when my Debenhams Beauty Card had £10 worth of points.

I'd been trying to decided between a few different colours but as I already have another nude eyelid primer I decided to go with Constructivist as it was a colour I didn't have anything similar to.

Constructivist is a described as a metallic brown with red pearl. I'd describe it as a warm brown with a golden shimmer. 

natural light

with flash

I love the texture of this paint pot. It's so soft and blends onto the lid easily and can easily be packed onto the lid to give a full colour or blended out to make a great soft brown base colour. 

This shows a swipe of the colour and it blended out. I love the tone and that it stays warm. I find most of the brown shadows I've got look dark and warm but when blended tend to go a little grey toned. 

Here I used it for a night out as a base blended out. I love that it can be used under a shadow and looks great applied all over the lid for an easy day look. 

Have you tried Mac paint pots?

Love M

xxx

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick Electric Orange

Goooooooooood morning!

Today I've got a gem of a lipstick for you. I've been wearing it the last few weeks after picking it up in Asda and it's a great 'summer moving into autumn' colour when you're not quite ready to give up the summer feeling yet.

This lipstick is from Maybelline's Color Sensational range. I've previously spoken about another shade in this collection which is called Shockingly Coral,but this shade is Electric Orange.

Firstly I like that all the lipsticks were individually packaged with tape so you knew nobody else had put their sticky fingers on it. This is always a massive plus for me!

Electric Orange is shade number 912:

This shade was a NIGHTMARE to photograph as the colour doesn't actually look like any of the following pictures....this one was taken with a flash:

Hideous! It's definitely not neon.
Without flash is a little more true to colour but the lipstick is a bit brighter in reality.

You can see the colour and the payoff on the back of my hand, the orange is a really wearable colour and has a shine which I love in a lipstick.
It's also quite hydrating too so I feel like I can wear it for quite a while during the day without having to worry that my lips are going to crack and flake.

You can see it on my lips below, this photo was taken with a flash so the colour might not be exact but it's pretty close. The colour is really easy to wear and its been great over summer and the few autumn weeks we've had so far. I can imagine I'm going to get a lot of wear out of it.

It's similar in some ways to MAC's Vegas Volt but a hydrating and more sheer version.

Have you tried any Maybelline lipsticks? Which of the Color Sensational lipsticks is your favourite?

L xxx

OPI Liquid Sands: Bond Girls - Honey Ryder and Jinx

Happy Friiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiday!!!!

I'm lucky enough to be spending my day in London today, and my current plan is to go to the Victoria and Albert museum so I'm really looking forward to it as I've never been and it's supposed to be amazing!

That said, I've been swooning over these polishes for a little while. I'm obsessed with James Bond and OPI which generally means that these polishes were a complete no brainer.



When OPI bought out the original collection I snapped it up, along with the Bond Girls Liquid Sands. I have previously posted about the mini set I bought but my friend in America sent me over 2 full size of my favourite one and a new one.

The new one was Honey Ryder, a beautiful gold liquid sand polish.

It was love at first sight for me!

I keep trying to think of things to say but quite honestly I feel the pictures say it all.
It's such a beautiful polish and the texture is gorgeous.



The texture makes it look so glittery and adds another dimension. I like different kinds of polishes and techniques but I don't normally like them all that much, but these liquid sands I do love!

I particularly love wearing Honey Ryder on my toes, it's long lasting and is a great sparkly addition to my collection. I know if I wear it that it will go with every thing I might wear so it's a great easy option.

Below is Jinx, the other full size polish. I've mentioned in the previous post how much i love it, it's a coral liquid gold with a gold shimmer through it. It shimmers like a fire in the light which makes me love it even more!

Are you a fan of liquid sand polishes? Are you obsessed with collections of polishes like I am?

Sets are far too easy to get addicted to!

L xxx

Beauty Rehab

Hello!

I'm here with another Beauty Rehab post today. I've been trying really hard to not spend, and also use up products from my stash.
My stash is rather extensive and it's just taking up too much space in my room. I do not have enough space for the ridiculous amount of stuff that i have accumulated, more than that I do not want to waste them so Project Use Up has begun.

I wrote more about my decision on this post here and I haven't been as good as previously as I have picked up a few goodies....but nowhere near as many as previously!

Without any more babbling I'm going to start doing 1 line on each product so you can have a quick review of whether I loved, hated or didn't care for the product.

Molton Brown Shower Gel: I can't say I'm ever a fan of expensive shower gels as I never find them that different to my usual S&G type ones, so this wasn't a massive hit for me but a nice smell.
Dove: Essential in my product wardrobe, always have about 5 on the go!
Neal's Yard Hand Cream: I love this, would repurchase asap. Smells amazing and saves the bees! SAVE THE BEES EVERYONE!
S&G Clean on Me shower gel: Another Christmas present essential, I look forward to getting the next Xmas kit!
Clarins Eye Make Up Remover: Liked this, wouldn't pay the price for it though as others do the same for less.
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish: Love this, would buy again but am working through my stash for now.
No7 Eye Make Up Remover: Love this, would buy again and already have more! The £5 vouchers are awesome.

St Tropez mousse tan: Loved this before but now I'm not so sure, the colour wasn't so dark as before and I was a bit disappointed.
S&G Mist you Madly: Not a fan of the smell and so wouldn't repurchase, huge bottle though!
S&G Butter Yourself: Loved this! Amazing smell and works a charm, would repurchase in future on 3 for 2s!
Garnier Ambre Solaire spray tan: This is my saviour for tanning my back, I have no bf present to tan my back for me so this is perfect for reaching and giving an even tan! Would repurchase.
Aveeno Triple Boost Serum: This was great for the price, sunk in easy and helped with hydration.
Good Things Deep Pore cleanser: Apparently they don't sell this now which is a shame as I would have repurchased.
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hours: This did pretty well at lasting but I wasn't a fan of the finish, and also the colours were a little dark for my skin sometimes.
Aussie 3 min conditioner: Have loved these forever and will always buy them! 

Neutrogena Daily Scrub: Loved the smell, didn't feel like it did enough for me, very small particles so good for sensitive skin.
Rimmel Wake Me Up: Love this for a drugstore foundation, lovely glow and coverage, this is my 2nd bottle.
Another Aussie, Dove and St Tropez, see above for comments.
Rimmel Recover foundation: This was too glittery for me, but did work at being anti fatigue.
Hydraluron: Didn't see any results initially, stopped using it and my skin was so dry! Just disappointed in the price for such a small tube as I'd love to repurchase regularly.

L'Oreal False Lash Flutter mascara: Quite liked this, the brush was interesting and picked up all my lashes.
Benefit's Dallas: Forever love this, am on my 2nd but i do hate that they break as product is wasted.
Benefit's High Beam: Love the original highlighter! Also have another.
Avon Magix primer: This was great, great price and works so well, i should repurchase, not sure why i haven't!
Rimmel Match Perfection: I bought this as a powder so it worked quite well but was a bit heavy, and on its own wouldn't be right for my skin. I have the loose powder to try though!
Benefit's Porefessional: Wasn't sure of this at first but now I love it and was gutted to finish it. My miniatures will have to see me through for now.... :(

OPI Correct and Clean Up pen: Useless, dried up in seconds. Stick to cotton buds!
Barbara Daly Eyeliner Pen: Liked this initially but again, it dried up so fast. I'm always so careful putting lids on but they still dried up.
Lacura Under Eye Concealer: Great bargain buy from Aldi, need to buy this again.
Ojon Rare Blend Oil: Bought this in full size, need I say more.
Lush Dream Cream: Loved this but it's so expensive for a tub with a short use by on I can't justify it
Lush Olive Branch: This was so so, wouldn't repurchase as there are others I prefer.
Molton Brown mini Shower Gel: This was from a travel set which I've kept for ages....but never use! It's time for them to go and this was a lovely smell.

Woooooooooo what a list!

I've also been working my way through samples so expect to see a post with those on soon. They're keeping me busy with new exciting products.

Have you been using up your products recently? Found any hidden gems?

L xxx

Review: Avon Ultra Colour Rich Moisture Seduction Lipstick Fuchsia Fever

This is a lipstick I've actually had for a while but after buying so many this past year I keep forgetting then ones I have. Lately I've been making it a mission to try and use up the make up I have and refind hidden gems.

This is one of Avon's colour rich moisture seduction lipsticks. These lips are extra hydrating on the lips. I tend to favour brighter colours most of the time so picked the shade Fuchsia Fever.

As with most of the Avon Colour range the rich moisture lipsticks come with a classic black and silver packaging. They have Avon embossed on the silver part. I like the simple packaging but it does mean it doesn't stand out to me in my collection.

In this picture you can see the unique feature of this lipstick. It has a marble effect on the bullet which is moisturising ribbons throughout the lipstick so that lips are kept hydrated. 

As you can see from the swatch it's got quite a glossy finish. Fuchsia Fever is a true pink. I tend to gravitate to blue toned pinks but this has more of a warm base to it. It's really pigmented, moisturising and glides onto the lips without any dragging.

I really like the finish of this lipstick, it feels almost balmy on the lips but leaves amazing colour behind. Even though it's not blue toned it also doesn't make my teeth look yellow which I find some lipsticks do.

I really need to go through my collection more and mix up my make up more regularly. It's so easy to get stuck into a rut.

The Ultra Rich Moisture lipsticks retail for £8.50. I definitely think they are worth it. Also as it's Avon quite regularly you can get them on offer.

Love M

xxx

Benefit Crescent Row Minis (Christmas Perfume Set)

Every time I go up to the Benefit Counter I find myself smelling the perfumes. I kept telling myself I'd treat myself to one soon but was holding out for the release of the Christmas set as I knew last year they had a set of the mini perfumes.

When L and I visited the new Benefit Carnaby store last week and they showed us the Christmas gift sets I couldn't resist snapping this one up. This is the crescent row minis set. The set retails for £29.50 for 4 x 10ml perfumes. You get more for your money with this set as one Benefit Perfume is £29.50 for 30ml. I absolutely love the packaging how it's displayed like a store front with the windows. It's so cute!!

On the back of the packaging it has description of the perfumes. I love how all the perfumes have quirky names and in the set is a good selection of scents from sweet and floral to wintery and woody. 

Each perfume bottle comes with it's only little box so you can even split it and give the perfumes out to different people. The boxes are so cute with printed doors on to match the 'personality' of the perfume. The perfume bottles look the same as the full size bottles and have funky packaging. The only downside is that the bottles don't have sprays on them so you have to pour the perfume.

Under My Spell Noelle

This is Benefits newest perfume and was recently released for Autumn winter time. Under my spell Noelle is described as a woody, exotic, floral scent. This describes it well. It's a great one for winter and almost makes me feel warm and rich smelling it. This is a stronger scent and not one I'd usually pick due to the woody notes but I've actually been converted since the weather has taken a turn for the worse.

I love the packaging for this one in all the gold and bronze colours and the animal print give it a real luxe feel. I love that each of the perfumes have their own poems to describe the scent!!

My place or yours Gina

This perfume is describes as woody oriental and is my favourite in the set. I love fragrances like this lately that have underlying sweet notes but not in a sickly sweet way. (My all time favourite perfume is Viktor And Rolf reviewed here) I can really smell the raspberry in it and I love that it contains peony as it's one of my favourite flowers.

The simple black pink and gold packaging always appeals to me and I love this colour combination!

Laugh with me LeeLee

Laugh with me LeeLee is described as woody floral with a citrus edge. The citrus really keeps this scent fresh and makes the it not too overpoweringly floral. I can see this as more of a summer scent. Light and not too overpowering but still one you'd notice.

The blues, greens and pale colours on the bottle make me think of summer too. It's definitely one I'll be saving.

Ring My Bella

Ring my bella is described as fruity, floral and seductively sweet. This is definitely a floral scent and may not be to everyone's taste. I really like it though. It's girly but not sicky sweet and I definitely understand it being described as seductive. With top notes of lily and rose it is the most floral of the set.

This is one of my favourite bottles package wise. I love the purples and greens and the floral print to it. 

I'm so glad I picked up this set and finally have some Benefit perfumes. I'm definitely still thinking about So Hooked on Carmella. Come spring time I think it'll have to be a treat.

This is part of the Christmas Gifts and isn't available online yet but can be purchased in selected stores.

Have you tried any Benefit Perfumes? What's your favourite type of scent?

Love M

xxx

Review: Mac Naked Lunch

I've been meaning to write about this eye shadow for ages. I actually picked it up at the end of March when L and I went to have our make up done in Mac. Ever since I hit pan on bootycall in my Naked 2 palette I've been looking for a replacement for it.

Bootycall is the perfect colour to just sweep over the lid for lazy day make up and adds a gorgeous shimmer, it's one I used a lot so decided to see if Mac had a good colour I could use instead. I've heard lots of people talk about Naked lunch and without mentioning to the MUA I was looking for a new nude colour when she was creating my make up look Naked Lunch was one of the shadows she used.

Naked Lunch is my second Mac shadow, I also own Cranberry which I love and use a lot! (see make up looks with cranberry and naked lunch here). I love both the mac shadows I've got and I'm definitely going to build up to having a palette one day.

At the moment I'm buying my shadows in pot form, if you have a palette they can be bought in pan form and you save yourself a few pounds. The shadows are in sturdy black casing with a secure click down lid!

Mac describes Naked Lunch as a minimal pink with shimmer. I find it to be almost on the peachy tone of the nudes. It does have a subtle shimmer but the eye shadow is still fine milled and easy to blend.

It is well pigmented and applies easily with minimal fall out. It is great to just brighten up the eye for an easy everyday look or can be used as a brow highlight or inner corner highlight.

This was my make up when we when out for L's birthday. The MUA used it as a base for a smoke eye and then under the eye a little to brighten it up.

Here this is how I use Naked Lunch the most. My easy everyday look is a slightly shimmery nude eyeshadow with a mid tone matte brown blended through the crease. I love the shade the Naked Lunch is and think it's a good replacement for Bootycall.

Have you tried Naked Lunch? Have you had to replace single shadows from a much loved palette?

Love M

xxx

LFW - Backstage with Label.m

When we saw the email pop up in our inbox inviting us to go backstage at LFW to the shows Label.M and Toni and Guy were working on we both knew it was too good an opportunity not to go. 

We were lucky enough to head to LFW in February to see the Matthew Williamson show so after that experience we were both excited to head to LFW again. We both love all things fashion, hair and make up and thought to see what happens back stage would be really interesting.

Label.M is a brand we've been lucky enough to try a few products from now and it's fair to say we both love them. Especially the protein spray! When we arrived we met Lucy who gave us the bands to allow us back stage! 

The shows we attended were held at Freemasons Hall. It was such a beautiful setting and the building was amazing!! Inside there were lots of great high ceilings, guild work and paintings!

I decided to test out the panoramic feature on my camera. It's great to show the set up of the room. We were both really shocked at how calm it was before the show. Everyone was really busy but it was so well organised that everyone was just working efficiently.

When we walked in we were lucky enough to speak to the head hair artist for the designer. Mateus (hope I spelt that right) explained the concept for the look to us. For Natasha Zinko it was more of a Presentation than a catwalk show, this meant the models hair really had to last. Natasha Zinko is a Jewellery and clothing designer and lots of the models would be wearing hats. The plan for the hair was big hair with curls that looked natural and effortless. 

The hair was prepped with Label.m Extra Strong Mousse and blow dried to ensure it would hold. 

The hair was then curled using tongs and wands and pinned into the curls and left to set. Mateus would show the stylists how to do it on one model and then they would go and repeat. It was all very well organised. The placement of the curls and where the pins should be positioned were all standard so that the finish look would all look the same. Some of the girls would have two or three stylists curling the hair to get it all done. 

We loved being able to have a nosey around and see the whole look come together. A combination of Mac, Bodyshop and Nars make up were being used. The make up was a strong brow (Cara Delevingne esque!), cat eye with white liner on the water line and the liner going underneath into the inner corner and an amazing red lip! 

One of the models with make up done and hair waiting for the next stage. The lips were a stunning colour and Mac Lipmix in crimson was used. Am I right in thinking this is only a pro product?

The models all had grey nails. It was an essie shade but we couldn't figure out which. Maybe slightly more grey than Chinchilly. I think it was most likely to be Cocktail bling, It looked so neat on the nails. 

As it was approaching show time set stylists were given the job of finishing off the hair so all the models would go to him one at a time to get it brushed out. It was impressive how organised it all was.

Here the finishing touches are being done!! How beautiful is that hair!! We both want to try it out and are hoping we've picked up the tricks to gorgeous volumous curls. It looks so soft and big!!


How stunning is the final look!! The hair and make up look amazing and Natasha's Designs are amazing!! I'm a huge lace fan and love the classic simple look of this dress!! I love the garden theme and layout of the presentation.

This is definitely a look we will be trying to recreate!

The second show that we went backstage at was for Pam Hogg. Unfortunately as they were running late and everything was a bit stressful here we didn't stay there long as we didn't want to get in the way.

Even so we managed to snap a few quick pictures!

The style for this show was sleek hair blow dried straight to be pinned back or underneath. The main focus at this show was the clothes and the head pieces, there was absolutely no way anything was detracting from them and you can see some photos from the Metro of the show itself below:

 

The models at the Pam Hogg show were lovely, they even posed for us and it just shows how used to the chaos they are!

The make up for this show was laid out beautifully, there were so many products and I just wanted to get my hands on it all!

Particularly the lipsticks they look amazing!

It was really cool to see the notes the artists had made as well, the pictures look awesome!

It was a fantastic experience to attend LFW again and especially to go backstage. Seeing all of the hair being done was so interesting and we picked up a lot of tips.

I think we'll both be trying out the mousse technique to see how much better our hair looks and how much longer it holds, the Label.m Extra Hold Mousse is supposed to be amazing for this!

Which shows were your favourite from LFW? Did you do any celeb spotting?

L and M xxx