Review: MAC's Blankety

Looking for the perfect nude? Well, this may be the blog post to read. I love my lipsticks, like, seriously love them. It's bad how many I own but you know what, I don't really care. I am all up for a bold lip however, when it comes to nudes, I have got time for that. MAC lipsticks are an all time favourite of mine and I could not fault any of the ones that I own. Blankety has been quite famous across the internet for a while now and I never really knew whether I wanted to try it out. If I'm honest, when I saw people wearing it on blogs and YouTube videos I thought it was more of a darker nude, and I prefer a lighter colour, so I was never really interested. But then the moment came when I somehow managed to fall into the MAC counter (how does that happen ey) and I stood next to the lipstick stand. Yes, I swatched a billion before I found blankety and oh my giddy aunt I fell in love. I know I say that about many lipsticks that I own but seriously, this changed me. I swatched this colour and was like ahhhhh then I looked at the name and was like AHHHHH. In my head though not out loud cause that might've made me look a bit odd...

The colour is definitely more on the pinky side of nudes which are my fav. I do own brown toned nudes but I just think that those with pink undertones suit my skin tone more and I've always gone towards them. I would say this is quite a girly pink and would suit all skin tones. It also seems to make my teeth look whiter which I love and it looks great with a tan. But what doesn't look great with a tan? This is because it is quite blue undertoned and I would recommend to anyone who wants a pearly white smile to get blue toned lipsticks as it really brings your nashers out.

The longevity of this product is pretty good. As it is an amplified finish, it is very pigmented. However, I do own many other amplified finishes from MAC and I wouldn't say that this is the most pigmented out of the ones that I own. This may be because it is a nude though and the others are bold colours so I'll give it that one. It does last pretty much all day, but that is if you don't eat and drink, which is never going to happen in my world because I love food too much and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I sometimes do need to reapply it but overall it stays well. I do sometimes find that it leaves a line on my lips when it wears off, which isn't very attractive. This could be because my lips are quite dry at the moment though so don't quote me on that. It isn't matte and gives a nice subtle shine and of course, the smell never fails to disappoint. Think vanilla.

MAC lipsticks retail at £15.50 (what a liberty, I remember when they were £13) and you can get them from their website or shop or House of Fraser concessions!

Charlotte xxx

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Review: MAC's Rebel Lipstick

The berry lips are coming back, even though I tend to wear them all year round but whatever. Autumn is the perfect time to whip out the dark berry and red shades and this lipstick is perfect. Rebel from MAC is a recent purchase of mine as I've heard many good things about this lipstick. One of my friends from university raves about this colour so I thought I should give it a go. MAC Rebel is very much a deep pink/purple shade and unlike many berry lipsticks, this has an obvious purple undertone rather than red. However, I quite like this as I think it makes it a lot different to the other berry lipsticks out there at the minute. Although, I do love my berry reds. There is a subtle blue undertone that goes with it as well, making your teeth look extra white. 

The lipstick is a Satin finish, which I don't normally go to and think this may be the only Satin finish that I own from MAC. I don't like sheer lipsticks and am very much a fan of bold colours. I was worried that it wasn't going to be bold enough for me, but actually I was quite impressed with the finish. It has the pigmentation of an Amplified finish, but turns slightly matte depending on how long you wear it. I've worn this all day, and even eaten with it without re-applying, and it is super long-lasting. It does stain your lips however, so when you remove it you're left with pink stained lips, but I guess that's a given with dark lipsticks. I would recommend a lip liner with this lipstick as it can go a bit feathery at the edges, however I wear it without a lip liner and it looks just as good. 

I'd say this is one of my favourite Autumn/Winter shades at the minute however it is not my all time favourite. I still prefer a red toned berry colour rather than a purple so I opt for those shades more than this one. I would recommend Rebel however, I would be careful when you buy it. It isn't as dark as it looks in the bullet, which may scare those who aren't used to bold colours. You can even see by the photos how dark it looks compared to the colour on the lips. 

MAC lipsticks cost £15.50 (which I'm still not happy about as they've gone up in price over the past few years!!)

Charlotte xxx

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Current Beauty Wishlist

Warning: There's a lot. A girl can dream...

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection - 100 Arched Powder Brush

Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser

Real Techniques Collectors Edition Sculpting Set

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

Ghost Eclipse Perfume

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot - Soft Ochre

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

MAC Strobe Cream

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer - Fair Neutral

theBalm Mary Lou Manizer Luminizer

Charlotte xxx

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My Top 5: Nude/Pink Lipsticks

Top to bottom: MAC Hue, MAC Creme Cup, MAC Snob, Revlon Lip
Butter 'Strawberry Shortcake', Tanya Burr Lipgloss 'Afternoon Tea'

I wanted to discuss some of my top 5 favourite make up and beauty items and so to start with, I thought I'd talk about my top 5 favourite Nude/Pink lip colours. I love a nude lip, I think it can really finish off a look and make it look effortless. The majority of nude lipsticks that I own are more pink based shades and therefore the majority of my top 5 contains very pink toned colours. As you can see, not all of them are lipsticks, with only 3 in fact being in lipstick form. I have a bit of an obsession with MAC lipsticks so I do apologise if there is a MAC overload in the next few weeks but they're just too bloody damn good!

MAC Honeylove

I've written a blog post about this lipstick before (which you can read here) and I've had it since Christmas and still love it. It's more of a brown toned nude, a very Kylie Jenner shade, and is a matte finish meaning it lasts all day. I think this colour works with all skin tones, it suits me when I'm pale and when I have tan on so it is a perfect, all round colour. It is such a great shade to throw on when you're going for a natural and subtle look.

MAC Creme Cup

A very much loved lipstick amongst the blogging and YouTube community, I think I bought this a while before I got into blogging so I feel like I knew about this way before many people. You know when you hear a song ages before it goes into the charts and feel a little bit of you die inside when everyone knows it and it's no longer your song anymore? That's how I felt about this lipstick. But anyway, I love this shade. It is the perfect baby pink shade and as it is a cremesheen finish it gives a subtle gloss too. It has blue undertones to it, making your teeth look whiter than they may be and is just a perfect natural, girly lipstick.

MAC Snob

This is my most recent MAC purchase and what a good purchase it is. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about Snob, many saying it doesn't suit their skin tone. For me, it is a purple toned pink which suits me better when I have a tan. However, it doesn't look too bad when I'm pale either making it perfect for everyday wear. It is a satin finish, meaning it has a slight gloss to it, similar to Creme Cup. It's great for all seasons and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this!

Revlon Lip Butter - 'Strawberry Shortcake'

I remember last year these lip butters became a huge craze over the blogosphere. I actually own three shades (and you can read about two of them here) but I have to admit, Strawberry Shortcake is my favourite. As a pink lipstick lover, this is the perfect pink shade, not to soft and not too bright if you get me? It glides on like a dream and is moisturising just like a lip butter (hence the name obvs Charlotte), giving a subtle gloss. This is perfect for just whipping on if you're in a hurry!

Tanya Burr Lipgloss - 'Afternoon Tea'

Believe it or not, I only own one Tanya Burr lipgloss. I know right, shocking. I do love Tanya Burr. Everything about her is just too hard not to love. When she brought out her own makeup line everyone went crazy. I'm one of those people who doesn't really jump on the bandwaggon until the craze dies down so then I will give in to the hype. I bought one of her lipglosses in the shade 'Afternoon Tea' and oh my days I was not disappointed. The lipgloss is unbelievably creamy and gives gorgeous glossy lips. I've never been that into lipglosses but this has changed me. The colour is a very baby pink type of pink and is such a girly shade. Also, I have to mention the smell of these lipglosses. Just think sweets, and if you're a lover of sweets like me you'll be very excited.

So there you have my top 5 favourite nude/pink lipsticks. I'm thinking about doing a continuous top 5 themed post every week or every other week to share with you my favourite products. Let me know what you think!

Charlotte xxx

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MAC's 'Honeylove' Lipstick Review

The Kylie Jenner lip trend has become very popular amongst girls, particularly over the blogging and YouTube community. I, even though I love the Kardashian/Jenner family, have never really gotten into the whole 'I need MAC Velvet Teddy to look like Kylie Jenner' phase. I just didn't think that a brown toned nude would suit me so I didn't really bother. However, for Christmas I received MAC's 'Honeylove', a brown toned nude similar to that of Kylie Jenner's lipstick choice. Have I entered the craze? I had this on my wishlist for over a year since I saw my friend wearing it to sixth form and I really liked it. So, when I received this as a gift I was really excited to try it out.

I own a lot of nude lipsticks but none of this sort. All of my nudes are mainly pink toned as I think they suit me more and I like how they look on the lips. I have never tried a brown toned nude before but I thought I'd give it a shot. This lipstick, in my opinion, would suit many skin tones as it is a natural looking lipstick, perfect for those who aren't keen on going for the bold choice. But for me, I still prefer a more pinky nude. I don't dislike this lipstick, however, as I do think it is a lovely colour and I've worn it a lot since I received it at Christmas! It is a matte finish but doesn't look too dry on the lips and actually has a slight sheen to it when you first apply. The consistency is quite creamy, making it much easier to apply than many matte lipsticks. I do find though that sometimes you can see the cracks and dry skin on your lips, especially if you have dry lips which I've suffered from recently.

It does last a long time which puts a huge tick next to this BUT it does not last as long as some of my other lipsticks, especially Russian Red, as it can rub of throughout the day. It is perfect for an all year round colour and would suit any skin tone!

Have you tried Honeylove?

Charlotte xxx

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MAC's 'Russian Red' Lipstick Review

I love MAC lipsticks and by love, I mean I have a strong obsession. My bank balance is always hit hard when I take a trip to a MAC counter and I spend a good quarter of every shopping trip browsing and swatching a bunch of lipsticks until my hand looks like I've encountered some sort of deathly disease in the past hour that I had been standing there for. Of course that's not true, but my mam will always ask what has happened to the backs of my hand when I go shopping and I always give the same answer. I'm a make up addict, this is the life I lead...

Russian red has been on my MAC lipstick wishlist for a while now and I kindly received it for Christmas this year. this lipstick is a matte formula meaning it does not have any shine and stays on for longer. I've been really getting into matte lipsticks recently as I prefer the longevity of the product but I also love how it looks on the lips. I'm always worried about these formulas, however, as I've heard people speak about one MAC lipstick in particular (think it may be Ruby Woo, which is also on my wishlist) being quite hard to apply and doesn't glide on easily. Russian Red, on the other hand, does the trick and glides on like icing on a cake (MMM CAKE). It doesn't feel drying on the lips and doesn't look it either. BUT, I wouldn't recommend wearing a matte formulated lipstick if you have dry or cracked lips as it will make them a lot more noticeable. Not a nice look I can assure you.

The colour is more of a deep red but a very wearable lipstick for those who aren't comfortable with bold lip colours. It's more of a blue-toned red meaning that it makes your teeth look just that little bit whiter giving it more brownie points than it already has. It does last all day and my mam was shocked that it had lasted from morning to night without budging even though I eat 24/7, it did not move. She was genuinely impressed. The only problem I have about this lipstick, as well as other MAC lipsticks for that matter, is the price. £15.50 FOR A MAC LIPSTICK?!?! I used to pay about £12/£13 point which, yes I know is only a couple of pounds difference but still, how expensive?! Rant over sorry but I'm just not happy with this increase in price, how is my purse going to cope? 

Have you tried Russian Red?

Charlotte xxx

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MAC's Lady Danger Review

Oh my days, Lady Danger you beauty. I do love a MAC lipstick guys and I especially love a good red. I've been really getting into bright lips recently and since I got some money for my birthday I decided to treat myself to a new MAC lipstick because you know, can't have enough can you?

Lady Danger has been on my wishlist for a long time now but I was always frightened of the matte formula. Matte lipsticks tend to look very dry on my lips and it doesn't look pretty but this lipstick is something else. Even though it is matte, it applies almost creamy like and feels very smooth on the lips, not what a normal matte lipstick would feel like. It doesn't dry my lips out (BONUS) and feels moisturising all day, I've worn this all day before and although the colour isn't as bold as it is when you first apply it, it's still there! 

The colour is a very bright red which his more on the orange side, perfect for summer, even though summer is practically over...but I would say it's more of a neon red that goes very well with a tan and makes your teeth look extra white!

I'm very impressed with MAC's Lady Danger but not so impressed with the price, MAC, why you making it more expensive so I can't spend my pennies?!

Charlotte xxx

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MAC Studio Fix Concealer || Review

I love having a flawless base to work with and having the right concealer makes a huge difference. I've been wanting the MAC Studio Fix Concealer for a long time now and I've heard a mix of reviews over it so I thought I'd give it a try for myself. I bought this with some Christmas gift cards as well so it was a bargain, usually priced at £15.00!

I have this in the shade NW15, which I think is the lightest shade in the collection. The girl at the MAC stand picked this out for me and I have to say it is the perfect shade for my skin. The consistency of the concealer is quite quite thick but slightly creamy. At first, I wasn't to keen on the thickness of the product but as I got used to wearing it I found that it worked quite well on particular areas of my skin. I would use this mainly on blemishes or any specific redness I have around my face, mainly around my nose. I find that it can be quite heavy for an under eye concealer and I prefer to use my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, which is a liquid form. However, the colour of this is great for brightening my under eye circles and it does give good coverage, but I have found that it doesn't last as long as my Collection concealer and can tend to crease slightly, which is a no no!

Have you tried MAC Studio Fix Concealer? What's your favourite concealer?

Charlotte xxx

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Christmas 2013: Beauty Gifts.

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a late Merry Christmas but I thought I'd say it anyway! I hope you all had a great Christmas, I had such an amazing Christmas this year: spending time with family, relaxing and of course, having Christmas dinner (the best part). I received some amazing gifts and I am honestly so grateful for everything!

I always love these type of posts because I always find a good product that I might be able to snap up in the sales or add to my current beauty wishlist, and I'm sure a lot of you are the same (unless you're just little nosey parkers ;-)). I'd just like to put a disclaimer out there that I'm not in any way shape or form bragging about any of the gifts I received I just thought it would be nice to share with you the beauty gifts that I was given, after all this is a beauty blog! I mainly received these presents off my parents but also from a few other family members like my grandma and aunty and uncle. Last year, my mam made me a beauty box full of hair, skin and make up products so I hinted to her this year how much I looooved that idea and she made me another one. So, here we go, I'll stop waffling.

Make Up

I've been wanting to make my own MAC eyeshadow palette for so long and so I added it to my Christmas list but honestly didn't think I'd get one. I opened my present of my grandma and immediately saw the black MAC packaging and was like omg. I was so shocked to see the palette! She also got me three eyeshadows: All That Glitters, Sable and Handwritten and then I bought Woodwinked a couple of days after. As well as buying Woodwinked, I also bought the MAC Studio Fix concealor in the shade NW15, so technically this isn't an actual gift but it was a gift to myself so I thought I'd include it anyway! In my little beauty box from Santa, I received the well-hyped Benefit Rockateur blush! I was so grateful to get this and can't wait to try it! I don't want to ruin it cause it looks too pretty. I was also given a dusky pink nail polish from Marks and Spencer, a Soap and Glory lip butter and a gorgeous brown eyeshadow duo from Topshop. Then, from my Aunty and Uncle I was given two gift sets from No7, which includes neutral eyeshadow shades with two eyeshadow brushes and in the other it has a mini mascara, lipstick and nail varnish.

Skincare

Next up is skincare. Of course, I was given a Lush bath bomb. My mam knows I love lush and when I got my favourite ever bath bomb I was buzzin! It is the Comforter, which is a blackcurrent smelling bubble bar that makes your bath go pink! PERFECT. I received a lovely Jimmy Choo shower gel to go with my perfume and a Pure Natural Beauty skin exfoliator. I also got my favourite ever moisturiser which is the Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream. Funnily enough, I got a sample of this in my last christmas box and loved it so I asked for the bigger size and got it! As well as this I received the Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash and the bareMinerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser and some bog standard facial wipes from good old Sainsbury's.

Haircare

Last but not least is haircare. I received a Mark Hill 'Gorgeous Brunette' box set off my Aunty. I remember getting some last year and loved the products so very excited to use these again! As well as the set, out of my box I was given the Aussie Dual Personality Anti-Frizz and Conditioning Milk which I have already tried and it is absolutely lovely! A Bed Head Conditioner and James Brown Intensive Moisture Mask was also added alongside my favourite sea salt spray by L'Oreal and also some L'Oreal Elnette hairspray which is funny because I always borrow my mam's and I think she gets slightly annoyed. I got the hint mam!

So there you have it, a little snippet into my beauty gifts I gratefully received for Christmas. I'm going to be honest I never put photos on or anything of what I got for Christmas because I don't want people to think I'm showing off, which I'm not, but I thought instead of showing you what I got altogether, I'd create a little collection of my beauty gifts to fit in with the trend! 

I am so thankful for all of the gifts I received this year and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have the best New Year!

Charlotte xxx

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