Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Lightscapade

Hey All

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things post holiday. I will probably do some travel tips posts soon as before we went away we did loads of research and it definitely paid off.

Last weekend L and I caught up with one of our friends for lunch and a little bit of window shopping which of course meant me buying as I have no willpower! I've since put myself on a 100 day spending ban as I really don't need anymore make up and need to start using some of it up.

A few years ago now I picked up my first Mac products included in them was the Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle (review here!). I raved about it loads and it was a firm favourite for well over a year until disaster struck and a drink leaked in a bag it was in and it turned to mouse. I managed to dry it out and it was usable but never the same.

I love highlighters and tend to use the one in my naked flush palette but last weekend decided it was time to finially purchase Lightscapade (which after reading my review of soft and gentle I can see I wanted back then!) The packaging has been updated since I purchased soft and gentle. It's still classic monochrome but looks more modern.

Lightscapade is cooler than soft and gentle which I'm looking forward to trying as I'm so pale I think it will suit my skin tone even more.It has a range of colours from blues, to pinks to silver in it with a very fine shimmer.

On the skin on me it comes out slightly warm toned champagne. I really love how it looks on my cheeks.

As with soft and gentle it's really fine shimmer so no glitter ball look. I love how soft these highlighters feel and how they blend on the skin.

One thing to be aware of that L's eagle eye noticed is that this was also released in a collection on display last week (I can't remember which one) and the one released in the collection had an embossed finish on the powder but had the normal packaging but a gram less product and when it's the difference between 9 and 10g and the product is £23 that means you are losing over £2 worth of product for no difference!

Are you a highlighter fan?

Love M

xxx

FOTD

Hey there!

I'm not big on FOTD, mainly as my photos never turn out quite right or generally something goes wrong. But I enjoy reading/seeing other peoples FOTD's so I've persevered to show one of my favourite looks for the upcoming spring and summer months.......if they arrive!

I've started off with my new fave face base....Urban Decay's Naked skin. It's a gorgeous, light foundation which feels weightless on my skin allowing you to still see my actual skin underneath. I'm a big fan of it especially for the warmer months.

The concealer I've applied in this FOTD is the UD 24/7 concealer pencil. I find this creamy and blends really well, though my colour, although its perfect for me, is very light and lightens my undereyes like a charm!

Next up is the brows. My latest venture has been using Gimme Brow from Benefit. After having an awful eyebrow wax from them they kindly sent us out a few products as an apology so I've been testing this out. There will be a full review but for now I'm quite impressed with how easy it is to use and the effects of it.

I think it looks really natural and i like having my brows brushed through.

One of my favourite eyeshadow palettes is the Theodora one from UD. I'm a bit of a UD fan really aren't I?? What a saddo haha.
I wear this palette most days and am a bit gutted that it was limited edition, I'd be distraught if it ran out which it inevitably will. I will be searching high and low for alternatives in the future!

After this I used the infamous UD 24/7 pencil in Perversion which is just unbelievable. I've tried many black liners before but this pencil is out of this world!
I've also applied Benefit's They're Real mascara to complete my eye look, lashes always look better with a few coats!

On my cheeks I've used a MAC beauty powder from the Emanuel Ungaro collection a few years ago and I've also applied MAC's MSF in Soft and Gentle to my cheek bones.

The lipstick I've used is MAC's Viva Glam Nicki Minaj which I absolutely LOVE. It can be drying but as long as you've moisturised your lips enough beforehand you will be fine. It's such a gorgeous colour it's hard to resist it!


What do you think of my FOTD? Do you prefer the eyes or the lips?

I think I need to wear pinks more often, I've been obsessed with coral for ages but I should get back into pinks too, don't you think?

L xxx

Review: Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle

When L broke my Mac virginity back in March this was one of the first products that caught my eye as we browsed the counter. I was drawn to the pretty shimmer and was just discovering highlighters and the wonder of them at this point. This is a hugely popular Mac product and well known in the blogger world and in my opinion one well worth the hype.

It is my beautiful Mac Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle. Excuse the messy package it is now 6 months old.  It retails for £21.50 (here). It's a soft powder with a baked texture. For the price you get loads of product. After using it every day since the end of March I'm just losing the dome shape now. So it really is going to last you a long time.

Soft and Gentle is the a warm golden slightly pinker nude skintone shade. It just adds the most beautiful lift to the skin. It's a slighty shimmery highlighter but you won't look like you're covered in glitter heading to a school disco (who else thought the glitter all over was a good look)

Look how pretty. And you can see here how it's nowhere near pan yet. I definitely think you'd get at least a years wear using it every day. I like to dust it on my cheek bones, down the bridge of my nose (with a very gentle hand) and under my brows. 

The mandatory swatch there for you. This photo is taken without flash!!

Here is a light dusting of it on the cheek for every day :)

Have you tried Mac MSF? I really want to try Lightscapade. It looks amazing!!

What's your best highlighter? I've found liquids just can't compare to this!!

Love M

xxx

I was given a highlighter powder for my 18th birthday from a family friend which was a limited edition Dior highlighter. It's in a silver case with a key ring style brush attached to the side and contains both silver/pink and yellow/gold highlighters and it has always been GREAT.

I still love it and have used it for every outing since my 18th and is still nowhere near pan whatsoever.

This combined with the fact I own high beam for a more subtle shimmer I never thought I'd actually need another highlighter for a looooooooooooong time.

I mean 6 years of usage and it barely looks like it's been used, why would i need to buy one if I've got this?

This was until M came to mine to get ready for our Reunion night out and I tried the MSF for the first time.

Unbelievable.

i couldn't believe how tiny the shimmer particles were and how easily they blended with the rest of my make up.

i genuinely couldn't believe how much of a 'glow' it gave me with one sweep across the cheeks and down my nose.

From the photos of the night you can clearly see in every single one how lush the effect is and quite frankly as soon as I get a job it will be one of the first things I will be buying!

(Along with some more Liz Earle!)

Have you tried it?

I tend to shy away from things that have been hyped up as I hate having the same as everyone else.

But I will be making an exception for this!!

L xxx

10 Things I would Repurchase

I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while. I wanted to do a post on all the products I love so when Lauren from All things beauty, make up and shopping tagged us in this I was pleased.

I think there is a big difference between liking a product and going out and repurchasing a product repeatedly. These are my top 10 products I'd go and re buy at the moment.

1. Revlon ColorStay Foundation in shade 220 natural beige. 

If you have pale skin I cannot recommend this enough. They have such variety for pale shades. I'm the fourth shade in this range and for comparison Mac NW20 is too dark for me. This blends beautifully into the skin and really does last. Perfect for oily/combination skin types.

2. Origins Super Spot Remover

This deserves all the raves it has gotten. It really does shrink and heal spots quicker. It's worth every penny and I can see it lasting a while.

3. Mac large contour brush 168 and Real Techniques Stippling brush.

These are the two brushes I couldn't do without. I probably prefer the Mac one more but purely because if needed I could apply my foundation with fingers. As you can see they need washing (bad blogger). They are used most days and I love them. 

4. Sleek blush by 3 palette in Lace, No7 blush in Honey and Mac MSF in Soft and Gentle. Technically three items but these three products make up my daily cheeks. The No7 blush is the perfect contour shade!

All three of these are amazing, I use the No7 under my cheek bone, One of my sleek blushers on the apples of the cheeks and my Mac MSF to highlight. They look amazing together.

5. Rimmel Match Perfection 2 in 1 concealer and highlighter.

I prefer this to the cult blogger fave collection 2000 one, I really like how it can be used to cover blemishes and how it brightens my under eye area. It lasts all day. The only down side is it has a brush applicator so isn't great when being used on spots (hello bacteria) but it's easy to apply to the hand then on the face.

6. Lauren's Way Darker than Dark

I was very sceptical of this product. Could a celeb branded product beat St Tropez. After seeing so many positive reviews and the fact it's lots cheaper than St Tropez I had to try it. It really gives a lovely colour, fades well and best of all no fake tan smell. And don't worry it doesn't turn you Orange.7

7. Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb

This perfume is amazing and worth every pretty penny it costs. The smell is divine and really lasts all day. This had finally knocked Vera Wang Princess of my top spot.

8. No7 Top Coat

This top coat is very quick drying and leaves nails with such a glossy finish. It's amazing and has already been repurchased twice! I always use my boots vouchers to buy at least one bottle of this.

9.  Maybelline Colossal Volume 

No repurchase or love list would be complete without this product for me. I've been using it for 3-4 years now and while I've tried many others I always go back to this one. It gives amazing volume, doesn't flake off and just makes lashes look beautiful.

10. MUA Heaven and Earth Palette

As you can see, well loved and well used. I love this, I use it most days. I love that it also contains a colour perfect for my eyebrows and the shadows are long lasting and don't leave you with tons of fall out down your face.

That's my list. I haven't included skin care or lipsticks as I love so many lipsticks I couldn't put one and my tastes change a lot and while I love my Clinique and Origins moisturisers I'm not done trying out other.

Is any of the stuff on my list on yours?

I tag, but would love to see any of these anybody does. I think posts like this are so helpful to see what people really love

Love M

xxx

First FOTD

Hey all

Today I thought I do a FOTD for you I took these photos a while back but haven't braved putting them on here yet. Hope you like this post, let me know. Personally I like seeing these posts as I like to see the products people use regularly and how they look on.

So here is the make up I used. This day was a cheap face make up day and a lazy one, no priming, eyeliner or contouring!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in True Ivory - £5.99

17 blush in shade in Nude - £3.49

Natural Collection pressed powder in Cool - £1.99

MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle - £21.50

Accesorise brushes (part of a set at Christmas)

MAC 168 Large Contour Brush - £26.00

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - £11.99

Eylure Shape and Shade Brow Kit - £10.99

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara - £10.00

17 Peep Show Mascara - £6.29

MUA Heaven and Earth Palette - £4.00

MAC Fanfare Lipstick - £14.00

No7 Lipliner Shade Nude - £6.75 or £1.75 with voucher

Nivea Lip Balm - £1.65

First I apply my eyeshadow. 9 times out of 10 I will do my eyes before my foundation so if I get any fall out from foundation I don't have to re do my foundation. I also apply lip balm so my lips are ready for lipstick.

First I apply the 4th eyeshadow on the top row all over the eyelid. Next I define the crease of my eye with the 5th shadow on the bottom and lastly with eye shadow I do a V on the outer corner of my eye with the 5th shadow on the top row.

Next comes mascara. I always wear two different mascaras. I use two different ones usually depends on what two I grab out of my bag first. I apply thick and fast first to define and separate my lashes. I then use peep show to add some volume to my lashes.

I apply some of the lightest eyeshadow to the inner corner of my eye to make it look wider.

Next is foundation and Blush.

I apply Rimmel Wake Me Up all over using my stippling brush to get a nice even finish.

Then whilst doing the suck the cheeks in face I put the blusher on the apples of my cheeks and add a sweep of MAC MSF over my cheek bones and a sweep down my nose and under my brows.

Finally filling in my brows and wiping of my lip balm I line my lips to help the lipstick last.

This is such a gorgeous natural lip shade and one that gets plenty of wear.

So after all that my face looks like this!!

And in natural sunlight you can see the effect of the mineralize skin finish. This is the best highlighter I have used and I use it almost every day!!

So that's my first FOTD for the blog, hope you like it.

Love M

xxx