MAC lipstick collection - Swatches and Review

If you had seen my lipstick collection a few months ago (June/July), you would have noticed that I didn't own any MAC lipsticks. Not because I had anything against them, but mostly because I wasn't a keen lipstick wearer and also, the sheer amount of shades and finishes available from MAC made it impossible for me to choose which one I liked the most. Fast forward to today, and I am the owner of 3 MAC lipsticks. Here are the shades that I have, swatched and reviewed =)

Thanks to my not so great camera, the colours show up pretty similar, but they are actually different

The order of the colours in the picture above

 

Twig - This would be considered my first purchased MAC lipstick, which I bought in September (as mentioned in my beauty product haul). A satin finish lipstick, Twig is described as a soft muted brownish-pink, I find this the perfect everyday colour. In fact this one lives in my bag and moving between bags so that I am always carrying it around.

Viva Glam III - This has a matte finish and is described by MAC as a muted brownish-plum. I recieved this as one of my graduation presents, and was the first MAC lipstick in my makeup collection. This is a colour that I had picked out ages ago as I had swatched it a number of times in the MAC store and stated that it would be my first MAC lipstick purchase (see Instagram for proof of this). This is colour that is darker than a colour I would usually go for but it just appeals to me.

Captive - This MAC lipstick is one that I won from Sam's giveaway a few weeks ago (thank you Sam!). When she contacted me, I had actually forgotten what colour I had noted in the comments on her blog. Captive is also satin finish lipstick and it's described as a pinkish-plum colour.

(click for a bigger image)

And that's the end of my little MAC lipstick collection (which I think will be growing as time goes on). I prefer the satin finishes over any other MAC lipstick finishes (no idea why, it's just personal preference). I am a big fan of neutral and everday colours that can be worn with pretty much anything, as I prefer to focus attention on my eye makeup rather than my lips, but I'm tempted to try out some brighter and bolder colours (hence why the three lipsticks are pretty much just different shades in the same colour family).

What lip colours do you prefer? Any MAC shades (or any brand for that matter) that you suggest I try out?



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September Beauty Haul

As P10P:TakeII finished a few weeks ago, I have been buying quite a bit more in terms of makeup and skincare (and just general bits and bobs). Although, in my defense, I have used up more products (which will be revealed in the September Empties post at the end of the month) and therefore needed to restock as well as try a few new things. And here's what I bought!

 

Soap & Glory Flake Away travel size (Boots - £2.50). I bought the travel size tub to test out the Flake Away scrub after reading Aalia's review on her blog Hijabi With Style (check out the review here). I seem to be getting more dry and flaky skin as well as ingrown hairs, so hopefully this scrub will help with reducing the ingrown hairs and removing dead skin.

Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Peel Off Face Mask 10ml (Boots - 99p). I had a Boots Advantage Card voucher which gave me 150 points when I bought any product from the Boot's Tea Tree & Witch Hazel range, so naturally I picked up the cheapest one there. And one can never have too many face masks!

Dove Deodrant Beauty Finish (Boots - £2.45). Standard deodrant. No explanation necessary =)

 

Dermalogica Top Performer Collection (Dermalogica - £20). I had a face mapping skin analysis at the Dermalogica in Westfield Stratford to see if I should be making any changes to my skincare routine. My skin is dehydrated, I have an oily T-Zone (mostly on the nose) and I have hypo-pigmentation on my cheeks.The sales assistant recommended a few products, however I have had bad expereinces when changing my skincare routine in the past (thanks to eczema and sensitive skin) so instead of buying the full size products I bought the Top Performer collection. This is a set of travel sized products and she also kindly gave me a few samples to take away as well. I'll be trying this new routine out over the next few weeks and will blog any findings =)

Garnier Olia Hair Colour in Golden Brown (Superdrug - £6.99). A new product in stores, which is a permanent hair colour that doesn't contain ammonia. From what I've read, the formula is oil based, rather than water based which means the dye works a lot better (in simple terms) and is less damaging to the hair. Picked up the golden brown shade, but I have no idea if it will show up on my dark hair.

MAC Satin Finish Lipstick in Twig (MAC - £14) [rubbish lighting=no picture]. I went along to the Glamour Beauty Power List Live event at Selfridges in London earlier this month, mostly because I have't been to Selfridges in ages. Tickets were £10 and redeemable on any beauty purchases made on the night. I only picked up a lipstick from MAC, and I'd describe Twig as a 'my lips but better (and more pinkier)' shade. I would have also picked up the new limited edition Vaseline in Pink Bubbly, but unfortunately the ingredients list states wine extract, so I put it back.


I also purchased a few non-beauty items this month, including an abaya and flat lace shoes (as seen in this OOTD post). A few other items include a sweatshirt from David & Goliath (perfect for the autumn weather) and a blazer from New Look (it was on sale) =)






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What's in my make up travel bag?

Seeing as I'm going to a Walima (wedding reception) over the weekend, I thought I might as well use the opportunity to show you what I'll be taking with me in terms of makeup. I'll be wearing the abaya/jilbab that I wore for Eid last year (in this OOTD blog post) so my makeup will match the turquoise shade. Although the Walima is on Sunday, it's going to be in Manchester, so we're going up on Saturday and therefore won't have to rush on Sunday morning to get ready.

So without further ado, here is the contents of my makeup bag for the weekend:

Foundation: MAC Select SPF15 foundation (NW35), PHB Mineral Foundation (Warm Beige)
Concealer: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection (Shade 4 Deep)
Blusher: Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks (Rosey Glow)
Lips: E.L.F Studio Lipstick (Ripe Rose), Carmex lip balm (not pictured)
Eyeshadow Primer: Kryolan Eyeshadow Base (thank you frootibeauty!)
Eyeshadow: Sleek Palettes - Storm and Curacao
Eyeliner: E.L.F Studio Gel Liner (Black), 17 Metallic Eye Pencil (Bronze)
Mascara: No7 Extreme Lengths Mascara (miniature)
Brows: Sleek Brow Kit (Dark)

Extra's: E.L.F Studio Makeup Mist and Set Spray
Brushes: E.L.F Studio 11 piece brush kit and Studio Kabuki, No7 eye shadow brushes (from a brush set), Artist brush (used with gel eyeliner)

I think that's all that I'll need! I'm still debating on whether I should wear false lashes or not, as I have only worn them (successfully!) once and don't want to be spending ages trying to put them on. I may take them just incase I do decide on wearing them and hope that I can apply them without any trouble.



If there are some decent pictures, I may do an outfit post (either the travelling outfit from Saturday or the Walima outfit from Sunday, or maybe both!)

Hope you all have a nice weekend!




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Pure Halal Beauty-Mineral foundation

[Note: Long Post]

As a mineral foundation lover, I'm trying to find one that suits me the best, and one that I know won't let me down. I'm currently using E.L.F mineral foundation in Warm, however my skintone has somehow managed to get darker and it's now a bit pale for me. As everyone seems to reference their foundation shade to MAC, I'll let you know that mine is NW35, which is also matched to Illamasqua Skin Base foundation shade 12, and Bare Minerals foundation in the shade Medium Tan.

So a few weeks ago, I ordered samples of mineral foundation from Pure Halal Beauty (PHB). PHB is a UK based company that specialises in 100% natural and organic beauty products, which are free from alcohol and animal ingredients, as well as not tested on animals. They have a wide range of products available from make-up and skincare to haircare and fragrances. I love their company motto/slogan which is 'Where beauty and belief co-exist'.

I have to admit that I love sampling products. I prefer samples as it's a way to test out make-up and skincare products to see if they would be okay to use on my sensitive skin. Also, as I'm on a student budget, I'm reluctant to spend money on a product because there is always the chance that I might not like it after using it a few times (and would then be a waste of money).

I love recieving post!

Back to PHB mineral foundation samples. I love that PHB provides samples in the first place (major brownie points!) as well as mini pots if you want to try the foundation for a longer period (or as a travel product). There are a total of 8 shades to choose from, and based on the shade descriptions and images, I chose to sample Warm Beige and Deep Cinnamon. They arrived swiftly, and I was sent an email stating that they had been dispatched (IMO a sign of a good e-retailer). Once I'd opened the envelope, it was clear that Deep Cinnamon was going to be way too dark for me, but I kept hold of it just incase. Also, the Deep Cinnamon shade a little shimmery although I'm not too sure why. I swatched these on my wrist (which is quite a bit lighter than my face), and also swatched the E.L.F. mineral foundation in Warm, for comparison.

Swatched - Daylight

Swatched - with Flash

As the samples come in little bags, I tipped out a small amount into the lid of the E.L.F foundation pot, and used the E.L.F Studio Face Kabuki brush with the swirl-tap-buff method. PHB Warm Beige is actually pretty close to my skintone. Because it's a mineral foundation, it blends well onto my face and gives a light coverage (which can be built up in order to get more coverage). I love it because it's a great foundation for everyday use and is super easy to use once you get the basic technique right. I also use a tiny amount as a setting powder when wearing liquid foundation, just lightly applied over the nose and chin (to avoid shiny-ness later on in the day).

PHB Deep Cinnamon is clearly not my colour as shown in the photo's. I have a few samples of BB creams lying around and so will be mixing the mineral foundation and the BB cream together to see if I can mix up a colour that matches.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with the PHB mineral foundation in Warm Beige and after P10P is finished, I may be purchasing a full size pot. =)

If you've managed to reach the end of this post, then you'll be pleased to know that you can get 10% off your purchase at Pure Halal Beauty using the code PURE10  (excluding special offers) =)




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