Mac Lipstick Collection

It was about five years ago that I started collecting Mac lipsticks and, as with many people who get into makeup as a hobby, curiousity for trying other brands soon got the better of me! Nevertheless, Mac undeniably make an amazing spectrum of colours and I'm sure I will be adding to the collection at some point in the future.

I also own some limited addition packaging lipsticks in my collection, which I may post separately about one day.

Left to right (clockwise): Creme d'nude, Politely Pink, Plink, Angel, Modesty, Madly Creative, Speed Dial, Snob

The London Eye

I was lucky enough to get to go on the London Eye recently and it was a fantastic experience. Living in the UK, we pretty much say goodbye to the sun in August and then spend all of the Autumn, Winter and often Spring facing week upon week of cold and uninspiring weather. It has been particularly rainy this year. My home town in Kent was terribly flooded in December, and I still believe most of the sportsground is underwater. My heart goes out to those that spent Christmas evacuating their homes and are still coping with water damage, even now as we approach Spring. Thankfully my family were the lucky ones and didn't have any major problems.

Review: DiorBlush Rose Libertine No. 939

Rose Libertine (shade 939) was my pick of the Vibrant Colour Powder Blush range by Dior. For me, this was an investment blush, so I therefore researched it a lot before I finally purchased it. Ideally we would all visit counters before we part with our money, but if you live outside London, that is not always possible for some brands. My research told me that it would be a good shade for my fair skin and I was right! This blush is now the pride of my ever-growing collection. Here's why:

Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

I tried this mascara after Christmas for the first time and I was not as bedazzled as I thought I'd be. The box screams statistics at you such as: '94%  saw dramatic length and volume' and '100% saw long-lasting results'. With those consumer panel results as well as before and after pictures which look almost too good to be true, this mascara certainly became one I had to try, even with the ludicrous £18.50 price tag.

Quality 'Me' Time

Leading hectic lives, involving work commitments, family pressures and structuring a social life; it isn't any wonder that we find ourselves wondering when we might get some breathing space for ourselves. Whatever our situation, for most people there come moments when it is hard to find that time; for some, there is too much of that time available and life can become monotonous. But this isn't a post about boredom or loneliness. I want to talk about  finding quality 'me' time- time where you truly feel happy, relaxed and content.

When spots attack: products to fight back!

There are many causes of facial spots and I can only talk in this post from my experiences of the little (or sometimes MASSIVE) blighters that have taunted me over the years. This is not a post aimed at those with more severe acne, but at those who encounter pimples regularly and want to know what they could try in order to avoid them hanging around and also reoccurring as often. One thing is universally true about skin break-outs: they usually occur exactly at the moment when you have an occasion where you want to look good- school photos, dates and weddings are favourites for those bastard blemishes to make an appearance. I am of the thinking that if there are things you can try to fight back, you should do it (within reason, of course). I am fortunate enough not to have major acne problems and I can only sympathise with those that have, but I do often experience flare ups which range from minor 2-3 day to fortnight-long battles. Rarely am I blemish-free for long before another rears its ugly head.

Firstly: prevention.


It makes sense that if you can create a happy environment for your skin, it will behave itself more than if you deprive it of what it needs. I won't be a hypocrite and say I am the healthiest eater- far from it, but it makes sense that if you're not feeding yourself with the necessary elements of a balanced diet, your body will rebel, inside and out. If you do one thing for your skin, eat fruit and vegetables as part of your daily diet. If you have to, take vitamin tablets, but ideally you should try to incorporate the foods you need into your eating plan. If you are not eating any fruit or veg, an eating plan or eating re-think may be your path to less volatile skin.

Light Coverage for Spring/ Summer: 3 options for dry skin

For a long time my skin was not a friend of mine. Having pale white skin which burns at the mere suggestion of the sun has meant that I have had to ensure I wear at least spf15 on sunnier days, particularly as I didn't always do this when I was younger and less educated on these matters. Of course, my skin colour also means that I am in danger of sporting the 'tangerine-glow', if I don't find suitable matches. To throw in another variable, I also have dry skin which gets easily weather-beaten in the Winter and, if I'm not careful, in the Summer too. Although there are imperfections I would like to cover up, having cakey-looking, obvious-looking and dryness-emphasising foundation is not a good look for me.

The Best Mac Everyday Shades: from the pan to the eye!

I began trying Mac eyeshadows and building up my collection quite a few years ago. I've generally favoured neutral shades since I started wearing make-up, with the exception of a few of my teenage years where I experimented with crazy colours for fun. I am not denying that the more exotic colours offfered by Mac draw me in like the next magpie. On the contrary, I own some bright shades which I will look foward to showing off in a future post. But for everyday in my profession, I steer clear of anything that will make people double take.

Left: Malt; Right: Quarry

For those who prefer not to spend their time or money on make-up, I can totally see that many of the shades I will talk about lovingly and in detail are very similar, perhaps even clones of each other in some cases. If, like me, you have ever debated for minutes, hours, days over whether to go with one colour or its sibling, considering undertones, pigmentation and consistency, you may like this. The photos were taken at different times so the lighting may vary, I'm afraid.

I will start with my favourite: Quarry.

Salisbury, Ducks and Rainbows

Salisbury is famous for its cathedral. Whilst visiting a friend for lunch, there was opportunity to take some snaps of the beautiful building, and also the ducks.

My pet duck came with me

Although this was not a shopping occasion, the city has plenty to offer in the way of high street shops in a prettier setting than many towns I frequent.

The other draw for me is that there is a nice riverside area where you can see the ducks (real ones) and swans. Today we saw some little new-born ducklings chirping and bobbing along the river. They were adorable!

Review: Revlon Lip Butters

Lips: it's a thumbs up from me

As you can see by my toothy grin, the Revlon Lip Butters are a hit with my smackers! I am sporting number 055 'Cupcake' in the photo which is my favourite of the three I have.

The Colorburst Lip Butters were quite recently released in the UK after being a coveted item of many US bloggers. I was curious to see if they lived up to the hype, especially as Mac tends to be what I turn to most nowadays for my lips, especially their conditioner in the pot- it's amazing.