Lipstick Collection Part 1

I  love watching youtube videos of makeup collections and reading blog posts about what products each person has, so I thought I would share what I own. I was never really a big lipstick fan until recently, I still don't wear it very much but I've started to see what is out there and the type/colours I like. My lips get dry quite often so I'm always using a lip balm before I apply any lipstick, I'll usually go for something sheer and moisturising. Matte shades don't seem to look so good on my lips and I don't feel like I can pull off the bold coloured lips. I do own a few bolder colours but I sheer them out and will sometimes add lip gloss over the top.


I decided to do this in two parts because I don't want this post to go on and on. Plus this is a picture heavy post :)

I only own four MAC lipsticks
Viva Glam Nicki - I did a post on this a few months back here

Watch Me Simmer - This was from the Shop Mac Cook Mac Collection so is no longer available, it is an amplified finish. I don't know much about MAC lipstick finishes but this is a very bright bold and pigmented colour. This has more of a matte feeling and tends to dry my lips a little so I sheer it out and put gloss over the top. This is more longer lasting than the creamier formulas. 


Viva Glam Gaga - This is one of my favourite lipsticks because I think the colour suits my skin tone more than others, it is a lustre finish. This doesn't dry my lips out and blends really smoothly onto my lips.


Innocence Beware - from the Venomous Villains collection, this I picked up from a CCO. It's a nude colour with a very slight hint of pink. This is a creme sheen finish and has a creamy consistency and goes easily onto the lips. I mentioned earlier that I prefer wetter formulas rather than dry/matte ones and this is one of the finishes that I prefer as it feels nicer on the lips. You will need to reapply this through-out the day but that doesn't bother me as I expect to with lipstick.

Dior
I have two Dior lipsticks, these are part of the Rouge Dior range. I picked these up in Duty Free. I have the colours Rare Amber which is a burnt reddish shade with some orange, and Pink Songe, which is a medium pink colour. I love these lipsticks as the colours fit my lips and skin tone really well plus they are really easy to apply. These aren't matte shades but they are highly pigmented and have pretty good staying power.

Chanel
I only own one Chanel lipstick which I got at duty free with the Dior ones. I decided to try out one of the Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks as I prefer this type of formula. I really don't like the dry feeling on my lips that most lipsticks give so I purchased this to try. I really liked the colour selection but went for something safe with Rivage, a nude pink colour. The staying power isn't too good but then with something like this I wouldn't expect it to be. This is one of my favourite lipsticks to wear.

Check back for part 2 soon! 

My First (and last) Beauty Box

I know I know… it's almost 10 days into march and I'm posting about the February Carmine box. But this was my first ever beauty box that I've bought and thought I'd share my opinions for a first buyer. The first beauty box that I'd ever heard of was glossy box, I remember they're first box had a NARS illuminator which was full size along with other good samples and I thought this was a great idea but was hesitant to sign up, I thought I'd wait a few months and see what other items came in the next few boxes, but for me the more boxes that I saw the less interested I was in the idea. I'm not one for surprises so the fact that I couldn't see what was in each box before purchasing wasn't something I was into. I want to see and know what I'm buying before I do. I also didn't like the idea of a subscription, this again is a more personal thing just because I don't like my bank details being saved. So a few weeks ago I saw what a few bloggers had received in their carmine box and later found out I could "gift myself" a box instead of signing up, which I thought was an even better idea due to the reasons previously stated. I've not seen this option available on other beauty box websites, if there are let me know. I think having the option to just buy the one is far better because you can then get a better understanding of how these boxes work and whether you would like to go further and subscribe. The main reason I bought this box is because I wanted the blush from TheBalm that had come with some of the boxes, but I did not get this in my box. (Refer back to not liking surprises ;) ) It seems that I received everything I'd seen in others boxes except this. Of course this is purely my fault, and was a test. Needless to say I still don't like surprises and won't be purchasing any more boxes. The blush is actually a few pounds more than the carmine box anyways (Doh!)

Here's what I received in Mine:

Japinesque Smudger Brush - Quite soft and would be great for makeup bags/travelling

White Glo Whitening tooth paste - Does this class as beauty or skincare? Perhaps neither, found it strange that this is in a beauty box but look forward to trying either way.

Andrea Fullerton Nail Boutique Polish in Paris - Like this colour 

Il rosette - the lipstick - not sure about the colour but will try it out

Blingtone eyeshadow in Sp"ice"y - incredibly glittery/chunky not something I'd pick/use

Yardley London Peony Perfume Sample

Overall I like the samples in this box but I'm not in love with them, maybe they'd ran out of all the good stuff but for me it seemed like anything was shoved in this box. If you can purchase "January" and "February" boxes shouldn't the products from that month be in that box? If the products have all gone why still offer that box? I would say if you like surprises then beauty boxes are worth a try but for me I will not be re-purchasing. For me I'd rather spend £10+ per month on something I actually want.

What do you think of Beauty Boxes? Are you signed up to any? What are your favourites?

MAC: Viva Glam Nicki

The first time I heard about Viva Glam and Aids fund was back in 2007 when I met Dita Von Teese at Selfridges when she was promoting the Viva Glam line. The MAC aids fund was set up to help people affected by HIV and AIDS. MAC donates 100% of the money through Viva Glam to it's organisation. On their website www.macaidsfund.org it shows you what buying one Viva Glam Lipstick can do for people affected By aids. So not only do we get to buy great products but we also get to support a great charity at the same time. MAC uses different celebrities to help promote the charity. The latest Celebrities being Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin. A few days ago I was emailed a pre-sale code to purchase Viva Glam Nicki, and as I love Nicki Minaj I purchased it straight away. I've purchased previous Viva Glam products including Viva Glam Gaga.

I've never actually made an order from the MAC online store before, so this was my first time and I have to say I was really impressed with the service. Not only did I get free shipping but It also only took 2 days to arrive. 

  The lipstick itself is described as a "yellow pink" and is a satin finish. When swatched it is quite vibrant and pigmented. I really love the colour but when applied it washed me out, probably due to my pale complexion but I found that blotting my lips and sheering it out looked much better.

I think this would look great with a lip gloss applied over the top to tone down the vibrancy of it whilst still keeping the colour. It has quite a creamy texture but when blotted can dry out the lips I find that using a gloss helps keep my lips moisturised. As this is such a pigmented colour you may want to apply it with a lip brush to get a more accurate finish.

{swatched}

{Viva Glam Nicki}

{With lip gloss applied}

{sheered out}

The MAC Viva Glam Nicki lipstick will be available online 28th February and in stores March 1st. It retails for £13.50.

What do you think of Viva Glam Nicki? Will you be purchasing it? Have you purchased from the Viva Glam line before?