Mac Pro Longwear Foundation

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Last weekend I popped into my nearest Mac store (after just discovering they had one, I was extremely happy) and I really wanted to try out a new foundation after trying out the Mineralize Moisture and not liking it. After I has explained to the wonderful Mac assistant she said that I would be more suited to Pro Longwear as I have combination skim which tends to make my foundation not last as long. She also said that the NC range (which I had been using before) is too yellow for my skin tone and tried a NW15 on me instead, It seemed to match my skin tone perfectly and after she had talked my through the Pro Longwear and explained about how it lasted up to 15 hours I decided to try it out.

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Now the Mac website says the foundation provides sheer to medium coverage but I’d say it’s more medium to full if it’s built up, I personally really like this as I’m not a fan of thin watery foundations as to me if you’re going to spend all that money on a foundation you’re going to want it to cover up your imperfections right?
One problem you may find is that when you apply it to your face it sets rather quickly due to the long wearing of it, I’d suggest that you apply the product directly to your brush then work into your face so that you’re not letting it sit on your face first and then buffing it in. The key to this foundation is to really work fast with it! Don’t let that put you off though as once it’s applied it dries to a semi – matte finish which I absolutey LOVE! I’ve been stuck looking for the perfect in between of sheer and matte and I think I’ve found it with Pro Longwear.

Onto the staying powder of this foundation. The Mac website suggests that this product lasts for 15 hours! and I can by some sense see where they’re coming from, after a long 10 hour day I came home and checked my face in the mirror to see that the foundation had barely budged, I took a tissue and blotted my face and hardly anything came off..Seriously impressed!

If you’re looking for a long wearing, nearly matte foundation that will keep your face looking flawless all day then Pro Longwear is for you, if you remember to work fast with the product then this will easily become a favourite for many skin types!

Overall rating: 9/10

What do you make of this foundation?

April Favourites

I can’t believe another month has passed by, where is the time going? Anyway this month my favourites have varied and I don’t just have beauty products, I read for the first time all year and cried my eyes out which is why the book has made it into my favourites. I also have some new products that I’ve bought this month and have fallen in love with.

My first favourite this month has to be The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, now I know I am way behind on the bandwagon with this book but to be honest I’ve just never got around to buying it. So when my mother bought me it for Easter and I had two weeks off from college I thought what better time to read it? I literally got through the whole book in two days and must have cried enough tears to fill a bucket, I honestly didn’t think I was going to get so into the story and fall in love with the characters as much as I did, without saying too much in really did not expect the huge twist and it completely broke me! After reading I now can’t wait to see the movie.

Now onto the beauty favourites, I’ve been LOVING Creme Cup by Mac I got it at the beginning of April and I don’t think I’ve used much else on my lips since, it’s just the perfect everyday colour and it goes perfectly with a smokey eye. If I want to darken it up I use a purpley brown colour on top of it and the combination is beautiful (I’ll do a post on it soon).

On the same line of lip products, I recently got the Elf Lip Exfoliator which I talked about in a haul here. I suffer with really dry cracked lips and this product has been a life saver since I got it, you can feel it working as soon as you apply it and after leaving it on for around 5 minutes you’re left with smooth lips ready for even a matte lipstick. This stuff smells and tastes amazing too!

Again another lip product favourite (I’ve gone a bit lip mad this month!), I finally got around to getting an Eos Lip Balm in Sweet Mint. First of all the packaging excites me so much and I love how you don’t have to use your fingers to apply it to your lips, making it really hygienic. The lip balm itself is extremely hydrating and you don’t feel the need to reapply it again and again.

Finally moving away from lip products, my penultimate favourite this month is an old favourite of mine, the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny. I used to use this product around a year ago and adored it! It unfortunately broke when I was travelling though and after searching high and low I couldn’t find it anywhere in shops or online. So as you can imagine I was ecstatic when I found it in a large Superdrug store while in Birmingham at the beginning of the month. This is the best and cheapest bronzer I’ve ever used, it’s matte which means it’s great for contouring and is the perfect shade for my skin.

The last favourite this month is something I’d never imagine using as I didn’t think they’d ever work, but it’s actually a foot cream. I was given a few soap and glory items for Easter which included the Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream, and I can say that it is indeed amazing! I used this stuff the night I had it to see what all the fuss was about, I applied a small amount to each foot and put socks over the top before sleeping and to my amazement I woke up with the softest feet I’ve ever felt! Honestly they felt amazing and all the dry skin around my heels was gone. I recommend you try it out if if like me you never thought a foot cream would make much difference because believe me, it does!

That’s all my favourites for this month guys, I wish you all a happy May!

What did you love this month?

Elf Haul

Last weekend I saw that Elf were doing a huge 50% off their whole collection as a part of an Easter promotion, and I couldn’t resist. I placed an order for £32 but had it for around £18 which is an absolute bargain! I got some stuff that I’ve been meaning to try for a while now and I can’t wait to try them out.

I got 3 brushes, a pointed foundation brush for using cream bronzers and a flat top foundation brush both from the studio line, I also got a fan brush from the normal elf range to use with highlighter. I’ve heard great things about the elf studio line brushes and I can tell why, both the brushes are extremely soft and I can’t wait to try them out. The regular elf line brushes however don’t seem as soft but I’m sure it’ll do the job for highlighting.

The next thing I got was the Mineral Face Infused Primer, I haven’t tried this out yet but I’m looking forward to as I’ve heard great stuff about it. According to the box it’s supposed to get rid of any dryness and fill in your pores, I’ll be sure to do a review once I’ve tried it out.

I also picked up 3 of the Elf lipsticks in seductive, flirtatious and charming all of which are pinky shades as I feel like I don’t own many everyday pink lipsticks and for 1.95 you can’t go wrong!

As I wear a lot of lipsticks and am constantly battling dry flaky lips so I thought I’d try the Elf Lip Exfoliator, I tried this as soon as I opened it and I love it already! It’s in a lipstick like tube and feels like your applying sugar to your lips, it not only tastes amazing but leaves your lips free from dry skin and ready for any lipstick!

The last thing I ordered was a mineralise blush from the studio line, after reading reviews I decided to get pinktastic as it works brilliantly as a highlighter, I’ve swatched this and it’s a stunning gold colour with small specks of rose gold. I think this will look beautiful on the skin!

Elf were also offering 2 free gifts with every purchase over £15 so on top of everything I ordered I got a free lipgloss and a mineral eyeshadow. Thanks Elf!

Have you bought anything recently?

Products That Aren’t Worth The Hype/ I Regret Buying

I’m one of those people that extensively researches a make up product before they buy it, where it be blogs or You Tube I’ll read/watch a good 5 to 6 reviews on something before I buy something and especially if it’s on the expensive side. Now there’s a few products I’ve bought in the past that I have since regretted buying, even after researching and reading reviews making me feel as though it would work really well. Maybe it’s just me but some products are just really not worth the hype and are not worth buying.

Now the first product I bought and had high hopes for was the
L’Oreal True Match Foundation. I actually no longer own this product as I sold it after trying it out a few times. I found the colour of this product wayyyyyy too yellow and the actual consistency was awfully runny. It stuck to all my dry patches and oxidised on my face throughout the day. This foundation is talked about all the time on blogs and YouTube for being really good, It just didn’t have the same effect on me unfortunately and I feel as though there are much better and cheaper drugstore foundations out there.

Another product that is majorly hyped up online is Benefit’s High Beam. Now this is raved about in the blogging world which was actually my reason for buying it but I still to this day don’t understand the hype? This highlighter isn’t awful by all means and does do the job, but for the price tag I don’t find it any better than the one that comes in my sleek contour kit, in fact I actually prefer that one. It does involve a lot of blending into the skin too or it can just sit there and look patchy. Another thing I’m not a fan of is the strong pink undertones in it, having pink undertones to my skin I want something that isn’t going to highlight that and high beam definitely does if it’s not applied in the right way. Save your money and buy a cheaper alternative!

The next product may surprise people as they were SO hyped up in the blogging world and everyone went crazy for them when they first came out in the UK. But I regret to say that I actually don’t get the hype/ regret buying the Maybeline Baby Lips .In particular the plain lip balms, I feel as though they actually do the complete opposite as to what they’re supposed to and bring out the cracks in my lips. I do however LOVE cherry me and feel as thought this is the only shade of the whole collection that is worth the hype.

I’m new to gel eyeliner and after seeing so many YouTubers and bloggers raving about how much easier and better they are than liquid eyeliners, I thought I’d give them a go. Now seeing as it was my first time trying a gel eyeliner I decided to go for a cheaper option and get the Boots 17 Gel Eyeliner, I had high hopes for this stuff as it had great reviews on the boots website. I was left disappointed however. The brush that comes with the eyeliner is basically unusable as it’s so small, and the actual eyeliner is tough, crumbly and more of a grey colour than black, it’s also dried up and is now unusable after only having it for a month! If I decide to buy another gel eyeliner I’ll research more carefully and spend a bit more money.

The last product I regret buying is the Catrice Prime And Fine Eye Primer, I bought this product whilst in Germany as you don’t tend to see many cheap eyeshadow primers, and for around £4 I thought you couldn’t go wrong. I was wrong, very wrong… This stuff doesn’t blend on to the eyelids whatsoever and settles in to the creases of your eyes before you even apply your eyeshadow. I have however since found a good cheap eye primer which does a really good job!

Are there any products you’ve regretted buying?

 

Three Products I Couldn’t Live Without

Whilst getting ready this morning I thought to myself ”If my house was to burn down at this very moment what three make up products would I save?” I then decided within less than a minute what those three products would be. I use these products every day without fail and even if I use a new product for a while I’ll always find myself coming back to them.

1. Benefit Brows A Go-Go – This eyebrow kit has been in my collection for over two years now and as you can tell by the picture it has been well used..Since getting it I’ve not used anything else on my brows, although at first I thought £28 was a lot to pay for something to fill your eyebrows in I can’t imagine using anything else now. The kit comes with two eyebrow powders, an eyebrow wax, an eyeliner, eye bright, a brow highlighter, a mini hard angle brush and a mini tweezers. When I first started using this product I used the wax to fill in my eyebrows but looking back it was way too harsh and ‘scouse brow’ looking, I now use a mix of the dark and light powders which are incredibly pigmented and give my eyebrows a natural defined look. I honestly could not live without this product! Get it here.

2. Naked Palettes – This counts as one item right?… Since first using the original naked palette nearly three years ago I’ve barley used any other eyeshadows, the pigmentation of them is great and they blend so effortlessly. I’ve recently got the naked 2 and along with original palette I can create so many looks with them that I could happily never use anything else.
You can get them here and here

3. Sleek blush in Rose Gold – The third product was originally going to be a foundation but then I realised I don’t have a firm favourite one that I couldn’t live without and tend to go back and forth between them, that’s a different story when it comes to blush though. My last favourite has to be a sleek blush in rose gold, I honestly think this colour would suit any skintone and it also works as a highlighter as it has a beautiful shimmer in it.
You get it here

What products could you not live without?

Summer Essentials

Summer Essentials by xcourtneypaige 

With the weather in the UK being so nice lately, it’s inspired me to do a post on my essentials for the summer. I’m hoping to do a spring/summer make up post soon so stay tuned for that.

1. Evan Facial Spray – There’s nothing worse than being too warm and this facial spray is a great way to cool you down when you’re feeling a bit hot without messing all your make up.

2. Sunglasses – Sunglasses are must for the summer, not only do they stop you from becoming virtually blind when the suns out but they also look great if you pick the right ones for your face shape. I love a good aviator!

3. Water – Water is essential all year around but especially in the summer as your body needs more fluid in it. I’ve always wanted to try Fiji water (mainly for the pretty bottle)..

4. Bioderma Photoderm Max 50+ Tinted Face Cream – I bought this to go on holiday in December and I now can’t get enough! This stuff not only provides maximum sun protection, (great for us pale people) but also works amazingly as a foundation which leaves your skin with a beautiful glow.

5. Suntan Lotion – Obviously suntan lotion is an essential in the summer, I love the Hawaiian ones as they don’t make my skin feel sticky.

6. Polaroid Camera – I’ve been DYING to get a Polaroid camera for the summer and hopefully I’ll have saved enough to get one before the summer is over. I think it’s a really cool way to capture your summer memories!

7. Kimonos – Kimonos are really in this summer and I for one LOVE them! I’m a big fan of the floral ones, they’re light enough to wear on a hot day and warm enough for the cooler nights. The one pictured is from Oasis.

8. Coral/ Orange lipstick – Neutral eyes and bright lips is my go to look for the summer, this year I’m loving coral lips and I’m dying to try Morange by Mac.

What are your summer essentials?

Mac All Fired Up Dupe

Whilst swatching Mac’s All Fired Up for a blog post on it recently here, I realised how similar it was to the colour I had on my lips at the time. That was the Catrice Ultimate Colour lipstick in Pink Me Up. The Catrice lipsticks are extremely underrated in my opinion, they’re creamy with high shine and last for ages on the lips. I have three, all of which I love and wish I could get my hands on more.

Catrice – Pink Me Up

Now side by side the colours are close to identical, All Fired Up however is slightly darker on the lips and is matte where as Pink Me Up Is not, it is however highly pigmented as is the Mac one. I’d say it stays on your lips for up to 4-5 hours without needing to be reapplied compared to All Fired Up staying on the lips for a good 6-7 hours. I find that the Pink Me Up is easier to pull off due to finish of it and is easier to apply than All Fired Up.

All Fired Up

If you’re not interested in the finish of the lipstick then I would I highly recommend that you get the Catrice lipstick before buying the Mac one as you’d be saving a massive £10!

Unfortunately I picked up this lipstick whilst in Germany and they don’t sell Catrice products in the UK (fingers crossed they will soon), you can however get the Mac one here.

Do you have any dupes?

Mac Mineralize Moisture Foundation

I recently bought this foundation on the suggestion of a mac worker, I asked her for a foundation that would suit my dry combination skin and she told me that the Minerlize Moisture Foundation would work like a dream! She suggested the shade nc15 which I thought would be too light but it actually matches my skin perfectly.

I really appreciate the packaging of this product as it looks quite expensive and comes with a pump which is always great. It is however glass so isn’t the best for travelling.

Now the actual consistency of this product is quite watery and provides light to medium coverage once built up, it feels more like a tinted moisturiser on the skin than a foundation and blends like a dream. This foundation does however have a strong sheen/glow to it, which if you’re into that is great but if you’re not I’d stay away as it doesn’t seem to matteify even with powder.

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I’d say this foundation lasts around 5-6 hours before starting to disappear and after 7 hours it’s pretty much gone from the skin, this means it’s not the best for a long day at the office or a late night out but is great for an afternoon out.

I can imagine this product becoming a holy grail for many people with dry skin as it does apply like a moisturiser and glide over any dry patches you may have. However if you suffer with oily skin and are thinking of buying this product I’d stay well away as it will just highlight any oiliness you may have.

My final verdict
For £27 I was expecting a longer wear from this foundation and a tiny bit more coverage but apart from that it’s probably going to become one of my holy grail winter foundations just for the hydration it gives my skin.
I doubt I will be wearing this much in the summer though which is a shame as it has spf15 in it, but as my skin tends to get more oily in the warmer months this product will only highlight that, even with a layer of powder.
7/10

You can get this foundation for £27 here

Have you tried this foundation, what are your thoughts?

The Lipstick Tag

I’ve seen this tag floating around so seeing as I love my lipsticks and didn’t have anything else to blog about today I thought I’d give it a go.

1. How many lipsticks do you own?
Not including any lip glosses, stains, butters or liquid lipsticks I have 20 traditional lipsticks.

2. What was the first lipstick you owned?
This is a tricky question. After looking through my collection and thinking hard I think the first lipstick I bought (that I still own) is an extremely old Maybeline one in the shade clear diamonds. It’s essentially a clear lipstick with a tiny bit of sparkle.

3. What is your favourite lipstick brand?
Although I currently only have 2 I’m going to have to say Mac, they just apply beautifully and come in the widest range of colours.

4. What is your most worn lipstick?
Lately it’s been creme cup by mac but if we’re going with long term then it’s going to have to be Calvin Klein Dangerous, it’s a dark berry shade and I wore it almost every day last year.

5. What is your favourite finish?
Although I love the look of matte lipsticks they tend to cling to the dry patches on my lips and require a lot of maintenance. So I’m going to say creme sheens as they are extremely hydrating and looking beautiful on.

6. What was the last lipstick you bought?
The last lipstick I bought was Mac’s Creme Cup and I haven’t used anything else on my lips since. AMAZING!

7. How many lip products do you currently have in your bag?
This question is made for me as I constantly have a collection of different lip products at the bottom of my bag! After digging through I found 3 products, which is actually quite reasonable for me. There’s a Rimmel Apoclips in Luna, a random H&M lipgloss which is actually really pretty and Carmex which is always in my bag for emergencies.

8. What is your favourite red lip colour?
I actually only own one red lipsticks as I feel like they don’t suit me as much as other colours, the one I do own however is a Avon lipstick in the colour red. This is a stereotypical blue toned red with a creamy finish and lasts all day!

9. How do you store your lipsticks?
I store my lipsticks in acrylic storage I got from muji which sits in my dressing room, I’m yet to fill the whole container which is just an excuse for me to buy more…

10. Which lipsticks are you currently lusting after?
This answer could go on forever but I’ll just give you a list of 3 Mac lipsticks that are going to be my next purchases. First is Rebel, I’ve been wanting to try this lipstick out for ages now so it’s definitely going to be my next purchase. Pink Plaid , this is the perfect pink lipstick which I think would suit anyone! Lastly I really want to go out of my comfort zone and try Morange .

Feel free to do this tag and link me to your post in the comments!

April Wishlist

April wishlist by xcourtneypaige 

1. Mac Blush in Warm Soul – I’m not a big blush fan and only own around 3 colours but I feel as though this colour would suit my skintone perfectly.

2. Eos Lipbalm – I’ve been searching for these in the UK foreverrrrr! Now that I know they sell them here I’m dying to get one.

3. Mac Strobe Cream – I’ve wanted this product ever since the woman in mac applied it under my foundation, it made my skin so radiant. I need!

4. Naked 3 palette – I feel as though I need this more than I want it just so I can say that I own all 3 of the naked palettes. It does however look stunning!

5. Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel – I cannot express to you enough about how much I want this product in my life! I’m a huge fan of bronzing and contouring as I think it completely lifts your face and complexion and this stuff just looks to die for.

6. Bourjois Helathy Mix Foundation – I recently run out of my match perfection foundation and picked up the Mac Mineralize Moisture foundation as a replacement, but at £27 I feel rather bad about using it everyday so I’m thinking of picking up the healthy mix foundation as an everyday one and keeping my mac one for special occasions.

What are you lusting after this month?