End Of Summer Lipstick Shades (ft. MAC & Rimmel)

As the weather is slowly turning worse (boo!) I feel like I'm scrabbling to keep hold of the ends of summer. This means wearing sandals in the rain, refusing to take jackets out even when the forecast is rain, and putting on obscenely bright summer lipstick. As much as I'm very much a red lipstick girl which always works best in winter, there are a few shades that I have in my collection that just remind me of summer.

Top: MAC Girl About Town (Amplified)

I originally bought this when looking for Show Orchid - which was a pro shade at the time, and this was the closest non pro shade I could find! It's a super super bright blue based pink - think the brightest Barbie pink then multiply it. I love this shade so much that I even got over the Amplified finish, being a matte girl myself. I can't describe this in any other way than it being just a happy shade - you genuinely feel brighter and better wearing this. The only thing I'll say is it does take some balls to wear so make sure you wear it confidently!

Middle: Kate Moss for Rimmel Shade 101

I know this shade looks a bit tame, and it is, but to me it's the most beautiful summer pink. It's soft, flattering on most skin tones, and just a gorgeous neutral. This is one of those literal 'throw on and go without a mirror' shades that somehow ends up looking as good as if you just spent 10 minutes with a lip brush and liner. 

Bottom: MAC Costa Chic (Frost)

Another finish that I wouldn't usually buy from MAC! The photos of this does not do this shade justice. Costa Chic is a deceivingly bright coral - it's literally almost neon. I find it looks best with an absolute overload of mascara and not much else. The only thing I will say with the frost finish is it's sometimes best to apply a single layer (it's very opaque) and then pat your lips down just to take a bit of the 'frostiness' off!

Have you got any bright summer shades you've been reaching for lately? We've not got long left to wear them before it's back to deep reds and purples (can't wait can't wait can't wait)!

Depop Beauty and Clothing Sale!

Hi guys -

Just a quick post to say that I'm selling loads of stuff on the app 'Depop' in the next few days - that includes MAC, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, and also clothing from Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, and more! Selling all super cheap as I'm having a clear out in my house and trying to get a few spending pennies for my holiday. Please check it out if you have the app, I'm also open to offers so get yourself a bargain! My username is @erinjaine :)

MAC Lady Danger Lipstick Review

As you saw in my last post I treated myself to a new powder, this was the purchase that went along side it! On a recent night out I lost my beloved Russian Red (it still hurts) and so I thought I'd buy a new red that felt a bit more 'summer'. Enter Lady Danger. It's described as a 'vivid bright coral-red', and when they say vivid bright - they bloody mean it. I hadn't actually realised how much the orange/coral comes out when you wear it - it definitely verges on not really being red! 

It's a matte finish so you definitely need to have prepped lips for this to sit well. A lot of people complain about MAC matte finishes 'bobbling' or drying out but it really is all in the prep work. Lip balm, scrubs, the works - and then it will look beautiful. At the minute I'm wearing it with winged eyeliner but I think in summer when it's hot (haha, hopefully) it will look great with just lashings of mascara. 

Shockingly bad iPhone quality of Lady Danger on the lips!

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation Review

MAC Studio Fix in NC25, £21.50

Since moving to the city I've had to tighten the purse strings a bit, and sadly that meant not splurging on my favourite MAC powder. However after a particularly pleasant pay packet (lame alliteration, I regret nothing) I decided to have a little MAC treat.

It's described as a powder plus foundation, and I'd say that's only half right. I couldn't use this by itself unless I was having the most amazing skin day so I wouldn't use it as 'foundation'. However when you do use the powder over your normal foundation, it just works. And it works well. I love how my skin looks after using this - it gives off a matte texture whilst not ever being dry, and gives your skin this velvety look and finish. It's just very, very good. 

I would say you can get away going a few shades lighter/darker with this, so not to worry too much if you can't get matched up properly. Especially for the summer it wouldn't be a bad idea to get one a shade or so darker so it matches as you tan. 

If you have the money, buy this. If you don't have the money, buy this. It's amazing. You need it. Yep.

MAC Cranberry + Woodwinked Eyeshadow Review

Cranberry (left), Woodwinked (right)

Enter two of the prettiest eyeshadows ever. My two best chums bought me these to start off my own MAC palette (love you guys) and though I had 4 colours I'd like on my wish list, they chose the best 2 out of the 4. Cranberry is the most stunning red shade. I always thought that red (along with blue, green, purple etc - 70s/80s/90s I'm looking at you) was a colour to be avoided in eyeshadows but this is not the case here. It's hard to describe but it's subtle enough not to be a full on red, yet still pigmented enough to tell that it is red. This even as a wash all over the eyelid looks amazing with heavy black mascara contrasting against it.

Woodwinked is a true gold shade that can easily be built up. While both are highly pigmented and give great colour this is the one you want to be light with when applying - it's beautiful when applied lightly or if you go for a full eye look using it heavier as a highlight looks amazing. This one can literally be used for any kind of eye look you want to create.

Being MAC shadows of course the formula is great - pigmented, long lasting, smooth to apply - no complaints here. Now just to finish those 2 empty spots..

Forgotten Loves: The Blusher Edition

As I'm sure many of us do, earlier I was rootling through my stash of makeup to see what I hadn't used in a while.. When I came across these. Both of these are well loved and well cherished blushers, but for some reason I'd been neglecting them *taps wrist*

Estée Lauder Pure Colour Blush in Witty Peach (21), £25

I bought this blusher because my best friend had an old one that I kept borrowing, til it got to the point where really I should buy my own. The photo doesn't do the colour justice - it's actually a gradient blush, starting with a light peach colour and graduating into a soft pink. When you swirl them together you get a wonderful soft, girly glow.

MAC Pearl Matte Face Powder (Archie's Girls) in Flatter Me

So technically a face powder and not a blush, but I tell you if I put this all over my face it would not end up. Another powder that you swirl the two colours together, these two combine to make a very glowy almost tan colour with a hint of pink. I find it quite subtle and I think it looks so pretty in summer when you have a more tanned face. Sadly this was limited edition so if you fancied yourself one you'd have to trawl the likes of eBay for a genuine buy.

Disappointing Products 1: MAC Eye Shadow Gilt By Association

As many beauty bloggers will find, sometimes you lust and lust after a product and then when you get it - it breaks your heart. This is most definitely the case with this MAC eyeshadow.

Can we all just appreciate how freaking beautiful this shadow is?! It is stunning. A true black flecked and swirled with a pure gold. I could rave about how it looks in the pan all day.. but on my eyes, not so much. The two colours together actually make it very hard to work with - you cannot achieve a true smoky eye because the gold throws it off, but the black makes it hard to use the gold (err… that kind of made sense right?). 

This is swatched with no flash and natural lighting - and it almost comes off brown in this picture! I could have taken a million pictures with my arm turned this way and that to show the different flecks. The consistency is also a bit of a problem - you don't get a lot of colour payoff with one swipe so you have to work to build it  a lot. And I mean a lot - the above picture was 4-5 firm swipes. 

It makes me so sad as I literally love this eyeshadow to death but you cannot use it in an eye look without looking terrible. I'm sorry, MAC. I thought we got along with everything. *violin music*

Disappointing products will be a recurring theme on here (sadly as I have quite a few). Have you had any luck with shadows like this? 

How Much Is My Face Worth? The Basics!

I absolutely love this tag and have wanted to do it for ages, but kept on wondering which products to include. I finally decided I would do the basics that are literally on my face everyday and maybe closer to Christmas do a 'going out' face worth tag! Onto the products..

I actually feel like I have got my everyday makeup down to quite a good amount - when you get like me and buy tonnes of makeup it's hard not to chop and change all the time, but these bits here have been staples in my make up bag for quite a while now.

Revlon Lash Potion, £9.99

L'oreal Brow Artiste Pencil in Brunette, £5.49

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair, £4.19

You may remember I did a post about the Revlon Lash Potion and how much I wasn't in love with it.. This point is still pretty much valid but sadly the tube lasts for ages and I can't justify buying a new one at the minute when I can't really spend on makeup this month! The eyebrow pencil was a random pick up which I now love - it has a wax pencil on one end to set your brow which surprisingly works very well. And of course the concealer - the one raved about by multiple bloggers! I really have grown to like this, it's great for everyday use.

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black, £2.99

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in Ivory, £7.99

Sleek Face Form Kit in Light, £9.99

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC15, £21.50

This eyeliner you also may remember from my very first post - it's my absolute favourite and have been using it since I was around 12! Perfect for pretty much any type of eyeliner you want to do - I will remain loyal forever to it! The foundation was a random pick up in Tesco oddly, when I had run out of my beloved MAC Studio Fix Foundation - and I've been using this instead ever since. Then the only two powders I use is the contouring shade from the Sleek Face Form kit and my Studio Fix powder from MAC. I love both and am very close to finishing these two! 

Total = £62.14

I really don't think that's too bad a total! If I went back a year it would be a lot more expensive but when I consider that these are all of my favourite basics which I have bought time and time again, I think it's worth it. Have you ever figured out how much your face is worth? 

MAC Rebel - best winter lipstick ever?

After I said a teary farewell to Girl About Town the other day, I thought it was about time to invest in a winter lipstick that would be worn and loved for the next few months. Enter MAC Rebel. It's a lipstick that has been raved about repeatedly, blogged about, etc - but I just never picked up as it looked too scary in the tube. On Saturday though, I bit the bullet!

MAC Girl About Town - goodbye summer lipstick!

Hello everyone! Sorry that I've been missing the past few days, I've been trying to sort out my move to Manchester and it doesn't give me much relaxing time. In the week or so I've been doing this, the super nice weather has disappeared to be replaced by rain and misery. Therefore I wanted to wear a stupidly bright, girly lipstick to say goodbye to summer.

My favourite lipsticks: reds!

In all honesty, every time I put on red lipstick I either think one of two things: the first is "do I look like a five year in her mum's makeup?" and the second is "I look so sophisticated!". And whichever one I think is to do with the shade of red. There are so many different tones and shades of red out there that it puts a lot of people off even trying them! Luckily as I've got older (and spent more money on lipsticks.. oops) I've managed to find some firm favourites that I know suit me.

L-R: Lime Crime Velvetines 'Red Velvet', MAC Marilyn Monroe 'Deeply Adored', Kate Moss for Rimmel '01', MAC Riri Woo

These are actually all quite different reds so I hope it instills some hope in you for your own red lips! Lime Crime's Red Velvet is actually a liquid lipstick that goes on as a gloss, but dries matte. I absolutely love this - you don't need very much to get amazing colour, it dries quickly and barely smudges. It's a velvety rose red, definitely not a bright red but very classy.

Sorry for including a limited edition lipstick (well two!) but I had to - from the Marilyn Monroe collection I managed to snag Deeply Adored. On me it is almost a browny red - I'm pretty sure it was described as a deep scarlet though. It is very much a deep movie star red and I thought it captured the Marilyn feel perfectly. I can imagine this looks absolutely amazing on people with darker skin as it would look so sultry and vampy!

Doesn't everyone love the Kate Moss lipsticks by now? Colour, staying power and a cheap price tag?! This one is the most 'classic' red out of the four - just a bright true red that actually seems to suit a lot of people. 

My last one (another limited... shoot me) is the famous Riri Woo. Very, very close to it's cousin Ruby Woo. A lot of people actually said if you already have Ruby Woo don't bother getting this! This is a retro matte finish and it is very matte - which I love - but I know bothers a lot of people. You must have well conditioned lips to wear this though or it just tugs and pulls! It's a super bright, blue based red that you have to have guts to wear.

I would have included Russian Red by MAC in here too but sadly I couldn't find it! However it is a shade worth checking out as it is absolutely lovely and on par with all of the above lipsticks.

Do you have a favourite red or are you still looking? Let me know down below :)

PS - if you don't follow me on Twitter or Bloglovin', you should do! There could be a little giveaway starting tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled on how to enter.