MAC - Marilyn Monroe collection Scarlett Ibis

Let me introduce you to my favourite lipstick ever. Not only is it a beautiful shade, texture and in a beautiful casing but it also has incredible sentimental value.

When the Marilyn Monroe collection was released I was a full time college student and working on the weekends only - there was no way I would ever of even considered spending £15 on a lipstick. I plonked this on my Christmas wish list and thought nothing of it. Then it sold out - I think I actually cried. On Christmas day my boyfriend gave me a little lipstick shaped box - and this baby was inside of it. He had bought the lipstick for 3x retail because that's how much I wanted it. Because of this I only ever wear it on very very very special occasions.#

This colour for me is the perfect orange-red. I have not been able to find another quite like it! It is a matte lipstick however it is not too drying on the lips, applies like a dream and only needs an occasional top up on a night out (I smoke, unfortunately - I am working on giving up I promise!)

FOTD feat. Sleek blush and contour palette

Hands up who needs to get their weave did *waves hands frantically in the air*
This is just a little face of the day from my birthday (before I got deliciously drunk and the rest is a blur)
Face: 
Revlon Colourstay for oily/combo skin in Buff
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent
MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel
Sleek contour and highlight from the blush and contour palette
Eyes:
Sleek brow stylist wax in 01 light
Loreal super fine liner in black
Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara
Benefit Eye Bright in waterline and brow bone
gold and champagne eyeshadows from Coastal Scent's 26 colour palette
Lips:
MAC lipstick in Dubonnet 

And that's all she wrote. xo 

Spring time lip haul

Firstly, may I apologise for being incredibly slack with my blogging lately. I have been incredibly busy, with several birthdays deadlines and a new job to attend too!

I have decided to ease myself back in, and I thought what better way to do that then to ease myself into Spring and all of her beautiful offerings?!
Today I am covering my springy lip haul - I can't be the only one that gets a slight hint of sunshine, goes all giddy and decides that everything about my appearance needs an overhaul?

Firstly I bought three Maybelline popsticks in Orange Crush, Pink Crystal and Cherry Pop. I bought these from fragrance direct in amongst a nail varnish haul. Don't get me wrong, I love these handy little lipsticks but being a clear, gel like balm the colour pay off is very minimal. The smell is very sweet and reminds me of summer and these do actually feel very conditioning on the lips. I think the candy pink packaging won me over more than anything else!
Secondly, I picked up three of the Revlon Colourburst Lacquer Balms in Demure, Tease and Enticing. Hey, they were 3 for 2 at boots - what can I say! They look very similar to Mac frosts if you ask me, however the product is a lot softer and although the colour pay off is good you definitely need to keep these handy bullets in your purse because as soon as you sit down for a fruit cooler at Starbucks, these babies will need reapplying.
Finally I added two new shades to my Mac collection. I have been dying to get my hands on the original Viva Glam lipstick for I don't even know how long, but for some reason it always had the heartbreaking "sold out" sticker on it every time I picked it up in my local Mac store. Viva Glam I is the perfect matte red for me - I have always disliked bright reds on me as I feel they look childish and too barbie like on me - this perfect burgundy has a slight brown hue that I love and I feel is slightly less drying than other mattes that I have tried. 
Peach Blossom is my newest purchase and I am head over heels! It is a Cremesheen with a medium colour pay off making this little baby very buildable and very versatile indeed.  It is my go to shade, it is a "my lips but better... and slightly more peachy and shiny and perfect" don't let the name mislead you - the colour is actually slightly cooler than you'd imagine. I originally bought Creme Cup but thought it was far too frosty for me, this is all I hoped Creme Cup would be.

Date night!

Une Skin Glow Pencil

Bourjois Une Skin Glow Pencil G01 - £1.99

Due to working full time, it is very difficult for me to get my shopping fix mid week. This is where my newest discovery - Fragrance Direct - comes in. I'll have a spare couple of bob, or a stressful day (usually the latter) order this and a few days later It'll turn up on my desk! I have heard of this wesbite before, but I had absolutely no idea that they did make up, and more importantly that it was so affordable! 

It was here that I first discovered Une, an all natural, organic all singing all dancing sister to Bourjois. I bought the shade G01 as from looking at swatches, it looked incredibly similar to my HG Benefit's Eye Bright.  

When I popped the lid off of the tube, the colour itself was more like Benefit's High Brow - a warmer version of Eye Bright. Consequently, I use this on my brow bone and down my nose, occasionally under my eyes - as this pencil is matte, I usually use this on one of my "dressing down" days where I don't feel like contouring my face too much - just a little nifty dab here and there really opens up the face and makes me look much more awake! 
Of the Une products I have tried, this has been by far my favourite and I fully recommend this as a fanstically subtle radiant highlighter!

Revelling in the Revlon

Revlon Colour Stay Aqua Mineral Makeup in ivory.

Aqua, mineral powder... you must be joking, right?! wrong.
I am like a magpie with a shiny 50 pence coin when it comes to things which seem a little odd, so of course when I saw this I just had to get it! When I first picked this up, I was very sceptical. Now, it has replaced my HG powder on a night out, and if my skin is looking mighty fine I use this by itself. I am a full coverage girl, and although this claims to be a mineral powder foundation, I would not dream of using it on its own unless I was having an extremely good skin day (which happens very very rarely) I tend to dust this over the top of my make up, especially if I know there is going to be some happy snappers where I am going. 
This powder is very finely milled and contains coconut water for hydration, which applies like a dream and feels god damn magnificent. The powder is predominantly matte however there are light reflecting particles that can admittedly look a little shimmery in day light, but at night or under artificial light this is just the best.  
Back to the coconut water - this makes the powder feel moist and light, but not in a cakey "I didn't take my make up off before I went to the gym" way. 
I am very very pale and the lightest shade has a slight yellow undertone which when paired with the correct colour and tone of foundation works beautifully.
I do not like the brush that the powder comes with, although it is a pretty neat idea I feel the tightly packet bristles are far too harsh on my sensitive skin - a real techniques buffing brush works perfectly for this little pot of wonders.

Oh, just Pink About It!

Essie: Pink About It £7.99

This is my all time favourite Essie nail colour. Unfortunately, it is no longer in the current shade range so I am saving it for super special occasions! it is very similar to Muchi Muchi, but it has a subtle iridescent cool shimmer which I cannot get enough of. 
As with every Essie nail varnish, the brush requires a knack and as with every Essie, it is prone to chipping. It is also prone to "oh my god I love this colour... It's still tacky? Do you know what would make it less tacky... Another layer!!!" With that being said, with my trust Jessica top coat it easily lasts the week on my 9-5 office job hands- and nothing makes the day go quicker than looking at your girly princess nails! I feel this colour looks good on short, long, real or fake nails.

Carley x

New Years makeup!

 

Happy New Year! 

I apologise for the lack of blogging recently, my New Years resolution is to record everything and blog more regularly! 

I thought I would give you all a quick run down of my makeup from last night as for once in my life I actually liked how my face turned out! 

Face - t zone moisturiser and Benefits the porefessional on my cheeks, Revlon Colour Stay in Ivory, Seventeen Stay Time concealer in light, L'oreal nude BB powder in fair, Sleek contour palette and Mac lustre drops in Pink Rebel. 

Eyes - Benefit's champagne all over the lid, the coppery colours from the coastal scents 26 nude palette, Rimmel Glam'eyes eyeliner in black, Eye Candy 007 eyelashes and Soap & Glory thick and fast mascara. 

Brows - Benefit Browzings gel, powder from Seventeen's brow's that and Benefit's eye bright on the bone.

Lips - Jemma Kidd makeup school Nude lip liner, Une matte nude in 008 and   Mac Marilyn collection Scarlett Ibis dabbed over the top. 

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a wonderful new year! x 

MAC lustre drops in Pink Rebel

MAC Lustre Drops "Pink Rebel" £18 for 18ml

I have never fallen for anything as hard as I have fallen for this little bottle of liquid sunshine. I originally went into MAC to repurchase "Sun Rush" but, as RiRi had just launched her collection and her highlighter was of course all sold out, Sun Rush being really very similar sold out quickly too. The lovely assistant in the shop dabbed a little of this on my cheeks and I was in love. 

On the website this is described as a bronzer but I feel like it is more a highlighter. I use it on a night out to brighten my face up and I even use it before heading off to my 9-5 desk job as a shimmery subtle blush! 

I usually have issues with MAC skin products (I'm looking at you, studio fix...) but this has not caused me any problems at all! Although the bottle may look a little weenie for 18 big ones I can assure you a little goes a long way. I have used this every day for over three months now and I don't even think I've hit the "main" part of the bottle yet! 

You simply take a drop and dab underneath your eye sockets for a perfect, wide eyed look with a subtle shimmer! I wouldn't recommend mixing this colour with foundation like you would with the golden counterpart of this product as it will leave you looking fabulous but also a little bit like you've had a few bottles of merlot and fallen headfirst into the Barry M display at boots. But, as a glitter and wine lover that is usually the look I go for!

The lemony flutter cuticle butter miracle.

Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter - Lush - £6.50/50g

This is an absolute miracle.
I have always been such a fan of Lush - both for the ethical side and the actual product side. I have never, ever been disappointed with a Lush product and I doubt I ever will be.
Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter is a lemon scented moisturising butter that leaves you feeling ever so soft and smelling even better. A little of this product really does go a long way, the amount on my hand in the bottom picture is more than enough to do your hands, elbows and dry patches anywhere else on the body (although if I'm telling the truth you will probably apply this every where because of how god damn good it smells!) The fragrance is light and zingy - not lemony in a toiler cleaner way, in a fresh lemonade kind of way.

A tub this size will last me around 6 months so the price is amazingly good! They could probably double the price of this and I'd still continue to repurchase it! 

Like all Lush products this has been approved by the Vegetarian Society.
I also use this product on my face as although I have oily skin, I get incredibly sore dry cheeks and lips. I actually first bought this around 7 months ago and this tub is a repurchase, I first bought it because I had such sore dry lips, the lovely assistant in Lush directed me to this before anything else. If you want sexy, soft kissable lips I definitely recommend this. 

The winter skincare for beginners.

Avon Nourishing Créme de nuit nourrissante.
I purchased this last year when my aunt became an Avon lady and I felt bad about not really trusting or liking the make up products enough to use on my sensitive skin. I'm very glad I did.
I have absolutely no idea what it cost me, but it probably wasn't much over £5 and the winter skin range is still available at Avon, so this isn't going to be the most informative review but it's still something I wanted to talk about. 

After a 79 year old lady called Pauline who I met whilst walking my dogs told me "we're not getting any younger" I decided I needed to take my winter skin care up a level. I usually cleanse, tone, use an overnight serum if my skins looking dry and then moisturise. This has (rather naughtily) either replaced or mixed in with my year round moisturiser.
My Skin: I'm an oil slick. That doesn't stop me getting extremely dry and bumpy cheeks and forehead. I need something that'll rehydrate without leaving me even more oily than when I started.
This night cream has no odour which I quite like, as unless it's ginger bread or a roast cooking I really don't want to smell it whilst I'm trying to sleep! The consistency is more gel like I've found, which is also quite nice.
I'm in a predicament, though. I've nearly run out of this and I am looking for a more beneficial night cream than just keeping my skin hydrated - also this does help, I want a cream that will make my skin glow and maybe even not need foundation - I'm already getting fed up at the transfer I seem to put on my winter scarves!

The November wish list.

Okay guys. I've started my full time job now - and that means only one thing, my first full time pay packet!
I'm usually absolutely rad with money, I'm never caught extremely short. So I though why not construct a wish list that I can actually buy! A lot of these products have been raved about all over the bloggosphere and on reddit/r/makeupaddiction too.

1. Models Own It Pastel Box Set - £20.
   I have plenty of pastel nail varnishes but no matter how hard I try to match them together, the pinks either a little too warm or the blues a little too dark or the yellows a little bit too.. yellow. You get the picture - these also all smell super cute! Colours I can hopefully carry into Autumn and smell my nails on my commute to work? Yes please!
2. Thierry Mugler Alien Perfume 60ml - £50.
   Everyone has that one perfume that is "them" for me, this is it. I bought this for my mum without really trying it when it was first released because it was on special offer and she did not like it one bit, so it got passed to me. I absolutely love it - it's a proper marmite perfume as it's so strong. Its a jasmine, spicy sex bomb that smells completely different in different temperatures and changed but by no means wears off over time. It's very, very sexy. 
3. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo - £12.
   You've read about this. If you've managed to find my tiny blog, you've read about this. 
4. Gold Casio Watch with Black Face - £26.
   I've wanted a Casio for ages, but as I've got several watches I didn't feel like this was very necessary. It's also a nod to my own style - vintage with a modern, digital flavour.
5. Coast Scents 26 Eyeshadow/Blush palette - £21.
   I've wanted a Coastal Scents palette for I. do. not. know. how. long. I've always thought you'd have to pay stupid shipping fees to get them from America however I've recently found a UK stockist and as I really stick to nudes, this is the palette for me!
6.  MAC Retro Matte Lipsticks - £15.
   The colour here is Ruby Woo, but I want the majority of the shades in this collection - it's the amazing consistency and finish of Ruby Woo but in more than just "...oh...red" I'll do my best not to buy every single one! 
7. New Look Wendy Panelled Wing Bag - £19.99
   I've got a thousand bags, however I've had the same trusty ASOS bowler and H&M brown leather satchel on the go for nearly the whole year now. I don't need to explain this bag - it's beautiful, and new look bags usually last quite a while, too!

The first post: Minted Nails

 

Revlon Nail Enamel 14ml in 85 - Minted. £6.49

 My nails are one of the parts of me I am very proud of. Biting my nails all through childhood and suffering from pretty nasty anxiety as a teenager left my nails mangled. Around two years ago, I suddenly stopped biting them. Now they are actually my most looked after item of body.

 

I've also come to realise that I really had no colour that wasn't pink, red or some variety of that. Cue a trip to Boots! (As if I needed a reason!) 

I decided on some blues, purples which I am admittedly still wary of - purple reminds me some what of old people and Marie from breaking bad... 

I saw this little beauty from over some other counters and was a woman on a mission. I've been dying for a fresh looking chic minted green and I found it! 

The formulation of these little beauties have always been fantastic for me. One coat is enough and five minutes later you're on your way for a lovely Autumnal stroll through the woods however I do love to layer it on and the picture above is of two coats and Astor's Matte top coat on top. 

The price is equally fabulous - 14ml for less than 7 squid, I paint my nails very very regularly and I have never got one of these babies to the top of the information on the back if that makes any sense!