My Little Mac Eyeshadow Collection.

I'm poor.

There, I've said it. I'm just another teenage girl who enjoy living a lifestyle she has no financial means of supporting. So, it's needless to say that my Mac collection is pretty limited. I currently have 10 Mac shadows, with three more planned with my birthday money. I thought it would be interesting to post a little something about the shades I do have, and why I think Mac eyeshadows are the best on the market. So, without further ado, here are the culprits.

As you can see, I don't have many, and my collection is certainly lacking a lot of key shades. I currently have Ricepaper, Cork, and Wedge on order because I just love my neutrals. I'm also considering purchasing chrome yellow because I've got a bit of a  yellow eye make up fetish at the moment. (I blame Beyoncé).

These guys are the gems of my collection. At least one of them makes an appearance every day- if not two or three. From left to right we have: Gesso, Brulé, All That Glitters, and, you've guessed it; Carbon.

Some of these shadows are great, but I don't wear any of them on a daily basis. From left to right we have: Venus, Crystal, Tilt, Pink Venus, Motif and Orange. 












**WARNING** I'm terrible at doing swatches. If I'm this bad at putting make up on my arm, it's a wonder I can get it looking half decent on my face.

1) Gesso- "vivid white" matte. I would honestly be a little bit lost without this shadow. It's so variable and fun to work with as it can be applied lightly for a subtle highlight or built up for an intense and interesting look. The quality of this product makes it the best white eyeshadow out there in my opinion.

2) Brulé- "soft creamy-beige" satin. I use this pretty much every day. As you can see it's really close to my skin tone so makes a great base for a neutral look, whilst concealing my blemishes.

3) All That Glitters- "beige with gold pearl" veluxe pearl. Now, this is a sexy colour. It's really pigmented and shimmering but perfectly wearable in the crease. I use this shade a lot.

4) Carbon- "intense black" matte. I haven't applied this shade particularly well in the swatch (I did warn you), but it's the perfect deep black. No shimmer, no sparkle, nothing fancy- just black!

5) Orange- "neon orange" matte. You probably think I've gone mad looking at this colour, but no; I assure you I still have most of my marbles. I'm really into orange make up with dark brown eyes, and I also like blending it with other warm colours for a sunset themed look. I guess that is a bit crazy, but you can't hide behind neutrals all the time! I love this shade, but I would say that you have to work hard for decent colour pay off.

6) Motif- satin. I don't think Mac make this colour anymore because I can't find any trace of it on their website, and I've had it for a few years. It's a really pretty iridescent shadow, and it looks gorgeous if you have the time to work with it. I just get a bit bored and inpatient though because it's not quite intense enough for me.

7) Pink Venus- "washed pink" lustre. It's so glittery, pink, creamy and bright! Like Barbie vomit! Let's just say, I went through a phase. I wish I suited pink because it's a dream to work with, but it just makes me look  ill when I wear it on my eyes. I have had more success using it as a blush... food for thought...

8) Venus- satin. Again, this one is a few years old and was actually a present. There's no trace of it on Mac's website so I think it's fairly safe to say that they don't make it anymore. In all honesty, it's no great loss. It's a shimmery cold silver-grey. Not for me. However, I will say that as with all Mac shadows, the quality is excellent.

9) Crystal- "violet duochrome with pearl" frost. This is a lovely colour, and looks different under every light. One minute it's a glowing violet and the next it's a steely grey. I like it a lot, but it's difficult to use on my skin without looking like an extra from the Twilight films.

10) Tilt- "violet with blue green pearl" frost. Again, I love this colour and it's always the first one I reach for when doing a blue look. Unfortunately, I don't wear blue that often because it just doesn't look right. Lovely shade for darker skin though.


So, there you have it, my little collection. I plan to post a review of my new shadows as soon as I get them. Very excited!
Rach x

BIRTHDAY! :D

So, tomorrow is the long awaited 18th birthday! I'm quite excited about my first legal drink, but mostly about the big party I'm having with friends and family. I've been debating the hair and make up look for the event, and I've decided on a neutral smokey look with a braided updo, to avoid clashing with my bright green dress. (Pictures to follow soon).

I've asked for lots of bits and pieces from MAC, so I'll see what tomorrow brings, and I'm sure there'll be a few reviews on the way. I'm actually considering posting a little something about my little MAC eyeshadow collection. We'll see what happens :)

Rach xx

What a week!

I can't believe how busy I've been this week! I've been helping out with hair and makeup for a musical being directed by my friend- Oh! What a Lovely War. Everyone has worked so hard to pull it off, and it was absolutely fantastic. I'm really grateful that I got to help out. :)

It's been really good fun, and certainly a new experience but I quite possibly underestimated how much time and effort it takes to do full Pierrot makeup on 20 (fidgeting) cast members. With a limited budget, I had to be a little creative- no fancy brushes or grease paint; just good old fashioned face paint and Pritt Stick for those unruly eyebrows. In the end, I decided not to go for anything too detailed or time consuming, just bold and striking. (little skill required :P)

Nice costume, Dan.

E.L.F Brush Collection and Reviews

Since I discovered the company, I've had a love-hate relationship with E.L.F cosmetics. Even though a few of the products can be a bit hit-or-miss, I think their range of brushes is pretty damn decent. I have 12 E.L.F. brushes- 6 from the regular line at £1.50 each, and 6 studio line at £3.50 each (although they now retail at £3.75). To satisfy the teenage stereotype, I'm too lazy to wash all my brushes and photograph them for this post, but I will put links to the E.L.F website.

NORMAL "PROFESSIONAL" LINE:

Total Face Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~39.htm
This brush is a little bit bigger than the website would have you believe, and it's had split reviews. Although there have been complaints in the beauty world that it's prickly and uncomfortable to use, I haven't noticed any problems. It's not the softest brush in the world, but it's nice and dense with little shedding- even after over a year of use and regular washing. I normally use it with loose powder, but I guess it would work for all over bronzing if you're that way inclined.

A solid 7/10!

Bronzing Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~43.htm
Screw Mac, screw Sigma- I'd be LOST without this brush. For even the clumsiest among us, it makes contouring incredibly easy; and creating ultra-defined cheekbones no problem at all. Watch out, Benedict Cumberbatch... You've got competition! ;) I use this brush daily for bronzer and blush and I absolutely love it. For me it's the perfect size to get in the hollow of my cheek, but a few people have complained that it's a little scratchy like the total face brush. Can't go wrong for £1.50- give it a go!

Has to be a 9/10.

Defining Eye Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~44.htm
This has to be my least favourite of all E.L.F brushes. When it arrived, it seemed to have glue in the fibers, making it all clumped up and spiky. Not good. After a few washes it was okay, but the brush head isn't very dense so it's difficult to apply strong colour. Sometimes I reach for it when applying subtle colour to the outer part of my eye, but that's about it I guess. The angle is pretty nice, just a shame it's not better quality.

3/10

Smudge Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~262.htm
This little guy is fairly new to my collection, and made an appearance in last week's post. I haven't used it as much as I though I would, but it's nice and dense and great for creating smokey looks. If you're a make up beginner, I'd recommended this tool for smudging out eyeliner or shadow around the last line. Easy Peasy!

I like this brush and I should use it more- 7/10

Eye Crease Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~223.htm
Also a new one, and I absolutely love it! This brush does what it says on the tin, and is great for sticking a bit of colour in your crease. I like using this to apply a concentrated amount of shadow for a really dramatic look. It's nice and small and dense, so it's almost like a pencil brush.

9/10

Eye Shadow Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~41.htm
This is my everyday eyeshadow brush and it's perfect. Does exactly what you want it to do, and it's ideal for packing colour onto the lid. It's soft, dense and great value for money. What more could you want?

Can't fault it- 10/10.

STUDIO LINE:

Angled Foundation Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~138.htm
One word (not really a word) to sum up this brush: "meh". Yeah. it's okay I guess. Good quality- soft and dense. I don't really use it for liquid foundation though- I think it's a bit streaky. However, I will say that the angled edge makes it perfect for getting into tricky places such as the side of the nose.

5/10

Powder Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~136.htm
Oh God. Where do I begin?! Well, I rarely use this for powder (maybe to pack on a bit of Mac MSFN if I'm having a bad skin day) but it's an everyday staple for liquid foundation. I love this with Mac Face and Body, but it also works with a heavier foundation, and could even be used to apply a tinted moisturizer or BB cream. It's the softest brush I own, and it's incredibly dense and this is what makes the finish so flawless.

10/10

Fan Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~137.htm
I don't use this THAT much, but it's just as soft as the other brushes and good for applying setting powder or dusting away fallout on the cheeks from eyeshadow.

7/10

Stipple Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~227.htm
I have such a love-hate relationship with this brush. It's soft, but just so damn flimsy. I can't really use it for foundation. but it works well for blush as it fits perfectly over the apples of the cheeks. Don't bother- get the powder brush.

5/5

Concealer Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~140.htm
Don't bother. Seriously. It's small and scratchy so I can't use it to conceal under my eyes. I do sometimes use this to pack concealer onto blemishes and spots; and I've even used it once or twice for cream shadow. Really not worth the price tag- however small it might be.

BLEHH.

3/10

Eyeshadow "C" Brush http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product~prodID~141.htm
This little gem is good for absolutely everything and it's almost like the big daddy of the smudge brush. If I'm in a hurry I use it for packing on a lid colour, or to smoke-out the crease. It's a bit clumsy for precise application but it's good value and multi-purpose. Rachel likes!

ALL DONE. Sorry. That was unnecessarily long and rambling. I hope this gave you a good idea of what's hot and what's not (god, I hate that phrase). I should probably mention I used to have a couple more E.L.F. brushes, but they've gone walk-abouts. I haven't got any of the bamboo brushes either, which are more expensive, but I hear they're comparable to Ecotools. If you stuck with me to the end you deserve a medal!

Until next time,

Rach x

E.L.F. Cosmetics Purchases

Since I discovered them, I've always loved E.L.F. cosmetics. Maybe that's what comes from being really stingy and reluctant to splash out on high-end brands; or maybe they're a genuinely brilliant company.

Ever the tight-arse, I took full advantage of E.L.F's £25 when you spend £50+ offer. Taking this into consideration I paid about £37 for everything I got, along with free delivery. Great!

Delivery was really fast (ordered on a Friday night, arrived on the Tuesday) and everything I paid for was present in the carefully packaged cardboard box with no breakages whatsoever. The company didn't get my order bang-on though, and in typical E.L.F style they accidentally gave me a free lipstick in "Sociable"- turns out to be a really great colour!

So here's what I got:

• Lipstick in sociable
• Smudge brush
• Eye crease brush
• Smokey eye palette/beauty book thing
• 2x Smokey eye edition beauty book (one's for a friend)
• Eyeliner and shadow stick in pearl/glow. (studio)
• Eyeliner and shadow stick in black/smoke (studio)
• Matte lip colour in coral (studio)
• Matte lip colour in tea rose (studio)
• Mascara primer (studio)
• Lip liner and blend brush in wine (studio)
• Contouring blush and bronzing powder (studio)
• Blush in gotta glow (studio)
• Fake lashes in natural
• All over colour stick in spotlight
• All over colour stick in golden peach
• All over colour stick in persimmon

Phew! So yeah, quite a lot of make up. This isn't my first experience with E.L.F and I've always been impressed with the value for money considering the quality of the products you get. All of the standard line products retail at £1.50, the Beauty Books are £6 each, and the studio line products I purchased were all £3.75, although a few items from that range do cost a little more. I have to admit that some of the products can be a little hit and miss. I absolutely adore the all over colour sticks, but I've found that the matte lip colours are a pain to apply as they don't seem to go on smoothly. My Beauty Book seemed no where near as pigmented as the one I bought for my friend which is crazy. Maybe it's from an older batch or something, but I should have checked to see which one was better before parting with the nice one! As for the eyeliner and shadow sticks- I am absolutely in love. The black eyeliner is so gorgeous, creamy and long lasting, and the pearly colour makes for the most beautiful highlight. The lipstick is a really nice addition, despite the colour being very bright and glittery- something I'd normally shy away from. I'll just throw in the swatches of the all over colour sticks- they really are a great alternative to a cream blush as they apply well, are perfectly pigmented, and can even be used on the eyes and lips. Not bad for £1.50 a piece.

(L to R: Spotlight, Golden Peach, Persimmon)

If you're just starting out with make up, I cannot recommend the brushes highly enough. For £1.50 each, they are perfect. The quality is high, so they don't shed at all and they're really soft. The studio ones are just as fantastic; the powder brush is my all time favourite and I plan on writing a little something about my E.L.F brush collection at some stage.

I'll leave it at that for now, but I'm sure there'll be reviews and more swatches to come at a later date.

Rach x

A Few Bits and Pieces from mememecosmetics.co.uk

I've always been a fan of Groupon, and when a great deal on makeup comes up, I'm normally too easily swayed to resist. So when a £45 voucher to spend on mememecosmetics.co.uk was available for £18, I snapped it up!

To my knowledge, MeMeMe is a UK based company who sell into Superdrug stores across England. I've had one or two pieces from their range before, but I've never really given them that much thought. I picked out a few products from their website and they were delivered in 4 days. I think the products should have cost just under £50 altogether, but with my Groupon code I paid a lot less, excluding the rather pricey £3.95 delivery.

The products arrived securely packaged, and nothing was broken or damaged in any way. All good so far!

So, here's what I purchased!

• Flawless Loose Powder (translucent)- £5.99
• Correct and Perfect Concealer (buff)- £6.99
• Shimmer Stack (pink)- normally £9.99, on sale for £7.99
• Boho Balm Lip and Cheek Tint (taupe/coral)- £6.50
• Dew Pots (Woodland Truffle, Deadly Berry, Silk Dusk)- £7.25

As you can see, the packaging is really lovely; especially the Boho Balm which has a bit of a vintage feel to it. The main perk is the mirror in the shimmer stack compact. It's HUGE, making it ideal for chucking in your bag ready for on-the-go touch ups.

Honestly, I was disappointed with the Dew Pots. Nothing wrong with the consistency or quality; it's just the colours weren't quite what I was expecting. I was hoping that Woodland truffle would be an ever-so-slightly shimmery neutral shade, but it seems I've ended up with an incredibly glittery dark gold. Pretty, but not what I wanted. I was also expecting Silk Dusk to be a darker reddish pink, but it's a muted shade of rose- very warm with a lot of shimmer. Deadly Berry, on the other hand, is far browner that the website suggests and less sparkly than the others which is interesting. Nice enough, but it's very, very dark. I guess this just goes to show the perils of buying make up online.

(L to R: Woodland Truffle, Silk Dusk, Deadly Berry)

Moving on, I'll just mention a few words about the Boho Balm, as this is one of MeMeMe's most popular products. It's advertised as a lip and cheek tint, and I believe it is available in two varieties. Saying this, the only one available on the website was the coral and taupe one, which suited me just fine. I gave it a little go and on the lips it's stunning in either shade- long lasting and nicely pigmented. Maybe it's just me, but it was HORRIBLE on my cheeks. Honestly- I looked like I had some kind of unfortunate skin condition due to its sticky, blotchy finish. I was going to post a picture, but it was just too much of a train wreck. Sorry. 

 

Coral on the left, taupe on the right. You get 11g of product, which is a decent amount for something I'll only really use as a lip colour.

Taupe on the top, coral on the bottom. Note that the taupe is slightly pinker than it appears in the tub. Maybe this is why it looks so horrific on my face.

I'm not going to bang on for too long about the Shimmer Stack or Flawless Powder. They're both decent products and do what they say on the tin. However, the gem of this little haul is undoubtedly the concealer kit. I was a bit nervous about buying something I couldn't match, but I went for the lightest shade to suit my Twilight-esque skin colour. It's a perfect fit- warm enough to be brightening without being too intense. It's a creamy product making it comparable to MAC's Studio Finish, but I think that this is even better. The cream is coupled with a translucent powder which sits in a little screw tub below the main product. When this is applied over the concealer it gives the most beautiful flawless finish and can cover all manner of blemishes no problem at all. The power is best applied with a fluffy eyeshadow blush. I'm currently using a Sephora one. My one little grumble is the lack on shades available, as there aren't any shades suitable for dark skin. Poor show, MeMeMe!

I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of fun messing around with my new products. All in all, ordering from a company I know next to nothing about has been an interesting experience, and I certainly wouldn't have done it at full price. In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure that some of these products were worth their price tag. £7.25 a pop for a bog-standard cream eyeshadow seems a bit steep, but I would have happily paid double what I did for the concealer. Just goes to show- you win some, you lose some.