My MAC Palette - Swatches and Reviews

First of all an apology to my hiatus from blogging but the deadlines from university came and required my complete attention for two months and for paying £9k a year I would like to try and get a career in the fashion industry but alas my return features a blog post I have been itching to do ever since I saw MAC eyeshadows.

I would like to introduce you to one of my most prized possessions my MAC eyeshadow palette...

...she's a beauty isn't she?! 

I'm a huge make up lover and I do like to invest (yes it is an investment) my money in make up as I take joy in deciding which face of the day I would like to put on and it is my little sanctuary for 20 minutes (or an hour in some cases). I decided that I wanted to start my MAC palette in October 2013 as I felt my style had matured and I wanted a swanky new palette full of my favourite shadows to go with that and I had been drooling over the MAC shadows for long enough and made notes from bloggers recommendations of which shadows I would like in my palette. 

Top Row (L-R) - Blanc Type, Omega, Charcoal Brown, Woodwinked, Mystery

Middle Row (L-R) - Nylon, Coquette, Sumptuous Olive, Green Smoke, Concrete

Bottom Row (L-R) - Vanilla, Naked Lunch, All That Glitters, Print, Carbon

I knew that in my palette I wanted to have a range of shadows that could be used for brows as I change my hair colour often my brows need to match that so I have quite a lot of matte browns as it would be easier for me to have all my different brow colours in one palette for travelling and needn't carry lots of products around. The three main looks I wanted to have in my palette was a brown smokey eye, dark green neutrals and a classic grey smoked eye with highlighters, base, crease and corner shadows for each look and the brow colours also worked into these looks.

Top Row Swatches

Blanc Type - My first shadow bought is my perfect base neutraliser, great pigmentation and really brightens the  eyes up.

Omega - This create the perfect natural crease used with Blanc Type as a base one of my favourites for everyday use

Charcoal Brown - This is a great brow colour for me and to use in the corner for a matte brown eye.

Woodwinked - Adds a lovely warmth to the eyes I use this in the corner and crease blending in circle motion and bringing it under the eyes to make them more defined.

Mystery - If I had to pick one shadow from the palette it would be this as its my brow colour and a perfect brown smokey eye or even as a brown liner.

Middle Row Swatches

Nylon - This is a beautiful yellow toned shimmer I love using this on the inner corners to make eyes pop, highly recommended.

Coquette - This works great with Omega for a defined crease to make hazel eyes stand out.

Sumptuous Olive - A great shimmer shade for hazel eyes.

Green Smoke - Use with Sumptuous Olive in the corner for a shimmery look that makes hazel and brown eyes stop traffic.

Concrete - Great blending choice for matte browns works with many different looks.

Bottom Row Swatches

Vanilla - Slightly shimmery a great brow bone highlighter and base colour works well with pink toned shadows.

Naked Lunch - A light, feminine pink great for softening the eyes and works well with All that Glitters.

All That Glitters - Stunning shimmery pink with champagne highlights, highly pigmented.

Print - The 'do it all' smokey eye buildable colour and easy to blend, use with Vanilla as a base to create a smokey eye that will last all day and night.

Concrete - Matte black use carefully to deepen a smokey eye or as a liner adds high definition to the eyes.

This concludes my MAC palette I'm really happy with all the shadows I have and the ability to create so many different looks in one customised palette I can't wait to start the next one although maybe after I graduate and can afford one! 

What are your favourite MAC shadows, let me know in the comments?!

Autumn Beauty Favourites

Autumn has finally settled in the beautiful colours of the leaves changing have inspired my make up selection for this season and we are are slowly getting closer to my favourite holiday of the year - Halloween! 

The pieces I have picked out are what I put into my everyday make up bag that add a little something special to my regular everyday make up along with my Autumn scent.

Victorias Secret Pure Seduction Fragrance Mist - $14

When in Victorias Secret picking up gifts for friends there was an offer to get another bottle of their fragrance mists for half price as I had been wearing their 'Coconut Passion' all through summer I decided to pick a more floral fragrance for Autumn. After smelling them all I decided on 'Pure Seduction' this is described as 'a passionate romance of succulent red plum and sweet freesia' and smells divine this is a fragrance you can get lost in as the heavenly floral notes entice you to a romantic daydream which will get you many compliments from by passers. 

 DiorSkin Star Foundation (Shade 012) - £32

I like to wear a light coverage foundation to let me skin breathe for daily use so I bought this new Dior foundation as it gives light reflecting properties with a satin finish this foundation looks amazing on skin thats clear although if you are prone to breakouts I'd recommend using a concealer for those areas. It gives a healthy golden wash of colour to my face and still lets your skin feel like skin.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo's in Pomegranate and Pink Gold - £4.99 each

I love using cream based eyeshadows for lazy days and these shades are great for Autumn and look even better combined, they last all day don't move and the shimmer looks beautiful when the light reflects from it.

Loreal Perfect Slim Super Liner - £6.99

I'm never without my signature black liquid cat eye in Autumn and this Loreal liner does the trick perfectly and easily I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to try liquid liner the pen form makes it really easy to control as it has a thin nib.

Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Mascara in Noir - £25

For special occasions I use my favourite mascara to add a touch of chanel to any look this is the 'Do It All' mascara from natural flirty lashes to 'Is she wearing false lashes? But they look so real!' this is my wonder product and worth the hefty price tag.

Sleek Blush in 'Pomegranate' - £4.49

If I'm wearing simple make up and want to add a wash of colour I chose to do so with a blush this one from Sleek gives you a gorgeous berry stained cheek but only use a small amount and blend well as it's really pigmented.

MAC Creme Sheen Lipstick in 'Peach Blossom' - £15.50

When I first bought this lipstick I was going to return it as it is the same colour of my lips with just a shimmer to it and thought it wasn't worth the price tag but from being too lazy to return it I ended up wearing it a few times and really liking it for the 'my lips but better' look. This is a really easy lipstick to wear as it's more like a balm that moisturises your lips while giving them a subtle shine with a slight peachy pink tone this is really flattering on fair skin tones and my go to lipstick for autumn. 

What are you autumn beauty essentials?

Let me know in the comments

S .x

HOW TO - From No Brow to High Brow!

The first in my latest 'How To' posts is one of my most requested tutorials- brows! Having groomed brows adds a veil of sophistication and are a prominent main feature of the face in high fashion reflected by the present day poster girls such as Cara Delevingne, Barbara Palvin, Suki Waterhouse etc. Brows also help to frame your face and bring more attention to your eyes and create the illusion of bringing out your natural contours of your nose and cheekbones.

I first brush my brows in shape using this Topshop Brow Brush.

I find it easier using the bristle side to control them as I have thicker brows.

I use Benefit's Brow Zings in the shade 'Light' which is retailed at £24.50 but you can purchase the Sleek Brow Kit which is a dupe for this one for £8.49 if you're on a budget although the Benefit one is better quality and I've been using it for years as it lasts all day and night and the colour works well for me.

I recently purchased the MAC 266 brush (£16.50) and it has changed my brows for the better! This feathery light brush adds natural strokes to the brows and allows you complete control to create soft curves and sharp angles an investment which is worth it for every brow enthusiast!

I take light strokes in the wax with my brush (I only use the wax part for a more natural look as powder doesn't well with my brows).

I always start by creating the under curve line then fill the brow with diagonal strokes that follow the direction of the hairs.

I then add vertical soft strokes at the front of the brows, do these strokes lightly with not too much product on the brush to add a gradient effect which looks most natural.

I then create the end curve following my brow shape and filling in sparse areas, I like to create a long sharp finishing line at the end of the brow as it looks more polished and compliments the cheekbones.

Now repeat to the other brow and remember your brows don't need to be identical they are meant to be sisters not twins!

Now you wouldn't want all your hard work to go to waste and have your brows loose shape and go wild midday so set them in place with a clear brow gel I'm using the Natural Collection Clear Mascara (£1.99) to shape and hold them in place. Another trick is you can spray some hairspray on one of your fingers then dab it on your brows to really hold them in place this won't harm your brows as long as your use a good make up remover daily to remove the product after.

Now you've got brows to wow!

What brow products do you swear by?

Let me know in the comments!

Radiant Daytime Make Up Tutorial

I've created this make up look for a transitional look from Summer into Fall with light neutral smokey eyes and bright pink undertones to highlight the face and create a dewy, radiant face that captures this time of year perfectly.

Don't worry if you don't have the exact products that I'm using just use something similar that you have already!

I've recently been suffering with lots of spots and redness so to combat that I moisturised my face first then used my new MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation which is a high coverage foundation and has SPF 15 great for this time of year when the sun is still out to protect your skin.

I squeeze a small amount onto my beauty blender from Real Techniques then blend onto my face and down my neck, I keep repeating this until I have full coverage of my face, I've found this foundation quite drying so I'd recommend a dewy moisturiser beforehand. 

As I have dark under eye circles I always need to use a high coverage concealer like this Collection Lasting Perfection one but you might prefer a lighter concealer when using a high coverage foundation.

I use my Real Techniques Expert Face brush to blend my concealer.

This has provided me with enough coverage to hide any redness and blemishes but still giving a natural look.

I always use the wax part of Benefits Brow Zings to fill in my brows as I like the colours and how the formula holds my brows in place all day.

I've been growing my brows back out as I guiltily over plucked so I fill them in with a sharp angled brush in short strokes.

I've been setting my brows with a clear brow gel, like the one from Natural Collection.

If I want my eye make up to last all day and night I prime my eye lids with the Nars eyeshadow primer, I'm choosing MAC's 'Nylon' as a highlight for the inner corners of the eyes, on the base and the brow bone as the yellow tones brighten the eyes.

I use a blending shadow brush (e.g. MAC 217) for this then brush it first onto the inner corners then build onto the base of the eye and highlight my brow bone.

Using 'Liar' from Urban Decays Naked 3 palette I blended it in the corners and crease, blending it out to smoke into the 'Nylon' shade I applied just before, this bronze shadow adds some colour and radiance to the face.

Using the shade 'Factory' from the image pictured before I blended this into the corner and slightly into the crease to give some depth to the eyes. 

I used the shade 'Blackheart' pictured above with a sharp angled brush to line the top and bottom eyes and to create a cat eye flick then I blended it out with a shadow brush.

I curled my lashes then applied my Maybelline Falsies mascara on the top and bottom lashes, using a black mascara intensifies the darker eye shadow and highlights the eye colour more.

I then applied a luminous highlighter pen and blended with a flat sided foundation brush to brighten areas of the face.

I used my MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Powder to set the make up with a large powder brush, this powder gives a golden glowy look to the skin.

I then contoured the cheekbones with my Nars Laguna Bronzer which has delicate flecks of shimmer in it to add a natural highlight to the face.

I then added some pink blush to my cheeks using a stippling brush and a shimmery peach nude lipstick to complete the look.

This is a really feminine look that's great for work, during the day and switch the peach lipstick to a raspberry red for night!

The glowing shimmers in these products give you a dewy summer glow, the pink tones lift the face and the smokey cat eye defines your eyes, pretty easy and quick to do this has been my go-to make up look for August.

Let me know any make up tricks you'd like the know how on in the comments!