Showing posts with label make-up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label make-up. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

MAC Archie's Girls... ♡


I'm not usually that interested in any of MAC's collections. Nothing usually catches my eye but I think their newest one, Archie's Girls, is really something special. 
It's been around for a while now so maybe I am a little bit late with this post, but I've only recently got my hands on a few of the bits from the collection. I know lots of the collection is sold out now but I managed to get these bits from the MAC store in Cardiff, which had quite a few bits left if you're hoping to get some last minute bits and are nearby.
 Let's start by mentioning how cute the packaging. I am in love. Both the outer box packaging and the product packaging are adorable. The cute graphics of Betty and Veronica with the cute little hearts had me at hello. 

The products featured in the collection are all lovely. Think Spring and Summer brights - bright pinks and reds with splashes of purple and some neutrals thrown in there too. I love how they created separate products for both Betty and Veronica, with Betty having the lighter pinky and peachy tones whilst they gave Veronica a deeper edge. The 'Betty' products were more suited to my skin-tone so I kind-of wanted them all but I also picked up an absolute gem from the Veronica set. I really wanted to get the gorgeous Pearlmatte Face Powder's the collection had to offer, a pearlescent powder with cute heart embellishment, but they were completely sold out everywhere - dammit. 

The polishes in the collection were absolutely gorgeous - I had my eye on the pastel pink shade but I thought one was enough. This shade is perfect for the upcoming spring and summer months as it's a bright, candy pink. It looks gorgeous on my nails and really compliments my pale complexion. The formula is something I was really pleasantly surprised about. I've never heard anything good about the MAC nail polishes so I've never been to fussed about purchasing one, but I thought I'd give one a go as it is soo pretty. I'm not too sure about the MAC formula's for their nail polishes but this one is a 'Creme'. It's smooth, pigmented, easy to apply and the best thing, it's so glossy and shiny  I feel I don't need to apply a top coat over it as it doesn't chip very easily and has their nicest sheen. I can't wait to get my hands on more of the MAC polishes, they're definitely a bit of an underdog product.

I've never tried a lip-gloss by MAC but the shade of this one caught my eye - a beautiful pink with a hint of coral. Perfect for Spring and Summer and I've really been enjoying wearing lip-gloss instead of lipstick these past few weeks, as they are a fuss-free alternative. I love this one because the shade is so pretty and the formula is smooth and glossy without being too sticky. This is in the Lipglass formula, which I believe is their basic lip-gloss formula - it has a slight stickiness to it but it manages to still feel comfortable on the lips. The pigmentation is great and the shade really brightens up my face. I love wearing it for a subtle-pink lip. 

This is the absolute gem of the collection. I never ever wear a red lip as I find it just doesn't look nice with my pale and slightly pink skin-tone. I find a standard red just makes me look weird so I've never really bothered trying to find a red that looked nice, I just accepted it and moved on. My boyfriend actually picked this out for as he said I never seem to wear red lipstick and he'd like to see it on me, and he did a terrific job, well done  Mick. I've definitely found the perfect red. I think this one looks nice on me because it has definite pink undertones so it isn't so ''red'' if y'know what I mean, think more of a raspberry red. I think this is quite apparent from the swatch but if you'd like to see it on my then there is a picture here. I was a bit worried about the lipstick itself being dry due to it being in a 'matte' formula but I was so impressed to see how smoothly is glided on which meant it had a slight sheen, which is perfect for me. It also lasted around 2-3 hours on my lips and faded nicely without leaving that 'ring' of colour around my lips like most lipsticks do which make me look like I'm sporting a liner with no lipstick look, which isn't too nice. Lily from What I Heart Today also raved about this lipstick here, so I think it's a bit of an all-rounder considering how completely different our skin-tone/hair colour's are. This lipstick is a definite winner and is 100% worth the slightly expensive price-tag, good job MAC. I'm hoping to see this shade re-promoted in the near future. 

I do feel a little bit guilty posting this as I know lots of the collection is sold out online and in-stores but the polish and lip-gloss are still in stock on the MAC website if you want to get your hands on them. If you can then I urge you to buy something from this collection as it's a good'un and I've been really wowed by each of the products I got. I'm looking forward to see what new collection's MAC have in-store for us this year.

Have you tried anything from the Archie's Girls collection? Do you plan on getting anything if you haven't already? 



Sunday, 19 August 2012

♡ ♡ Nail of the Day; Disco Lilac ♡ ♡

Hello everyone.
I haven't done a nail related post in ageeeees so I thought I'd share newly discovered nail combination that I absolutely adore and can see myself constantly wearing it for the next few weeks.


No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Lucky Lilac 50
Essence Nail Art Special Effects Topper in Disco Disco 11

I am absolutely in love with this combo at the moment, I've never really been a fan of glitter on my nails but I am in looove with the Essence Topper. The chunky silver glitter looks lovely over the No7 pastel lilac and I assume it'll look nice over any shade. It's a really nice quality polish, dries quickly and has a beautiful iridescence. 
I actually won the essence polish in the lovely Eyelyn's give-away recently so sorry UK followers, it's not available here *sigh*. I'm sure there are lots of similar top coats around though.

There will be lots of skin-care and hair-care reviews coming soon so look out for them!

What's your favourite nail combo? What's your go-to brand of nail polish?

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox




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Wednesday, 18 July 2012

❀ ❀ Review; Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Gel Liner ❀ ❀

I was so excited when I saw that Collection 2000 were doing gel liners. Gel liners have been hugely popular in the blogging/beauty world and a staple for me ever since I first used one. This time last year they were more or less only available from higher end brands like MAC, Bobbi Brown etc. but since the release of the Maybelline gel liner many other high-street brands have followed, Collection 2000 being the cheapest to my knowledge. I know MUA are releasing some soon so I'd love to pick some of those up and do a comparison post as I believe they are cheaper.

I bought the liner in the shade "teal" as I already have a MAC Fluid line in dip-down (a deep, brown) and I fancied something a bit more exciting than the average black/brown and this colour screamed summer to me. 
The Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Gel Liners come in 4 colours - Brown, Black, Teal and Gold which I think is a pretty good range for the high-street although a purple would be nice hint. They retail at £4.99 (Bargain right?) and can be found at most stores that stock cosmetics, the most popular being Boots and Superdrug. 
I love how Collection 2000 have included a little "how to guide" on creating the perfect look with the product on the back of the packaging. A nice touch for someone who's a gel liner newbie. They also have included a little brush, pictured below, which I also think is a nice touch again for someone who's a gel liner newbie and may not have a brush. I didn't find much use for the brush as I found it applied the liner too thickly (I use the elf angled liner brush to apply!) but it's pretty handy for smudging the product on the lower lash line which is how I've been wearing this product this along with the infamous cat eye flick. 
 As you can see the packaging is pretty basic. A little glass jar with a little black lid. Not very impressive but it's about the product not the packaging right?
Pictured without flash
Pictured with flash
 The colour of this product is beautiful. A bright teal with a subtle sheen. So impressed with the colour and the pigmentation. Looks exactly how it does on the eye as it does in the jar!

Collection 2000 say... "these intense colour pigment pots will give up to 12 hours lasting wear, for a glossy finish to your essential eyeliner look."
Swatched once in natural light
I agree with the intense pigmentation but not so much the glossy finish. The product looks rather matte on my eyes but the subtle shimmer does give it a slight sheen. This product does last amazingly on my eyes, I was most impressed with the staying power which I thought was very comparable to my MAC fluid-line. Maybe not 12 hour wear but no liner stays for that amount of time on my watery eyes. 
The texture of this product is very surprising for a gel liner. Most are smooth and soft but this one seems to be quite hard and more like a tough cream eye-shadow which can make the product harder to load onto the brush and does make for a less smooth application. Although, I do think that it's odd texture is a plus as it can be worn as a very long lasting cream shadow (I've tried and it applies very nicely and stays like nobody's business) and I feel the texture aids the product in staying so long on the eye. 

All in all I love this gel liner. No worse than my MAC fluid-line (the only difference is the texture) so I am very impressed for the £4.99 price tag. I will definitely be picking up more of these in the future. Maybe the gold? Maybe the brown?

Have you tried these out yet? Will you be picking any up? Are you a fan of gel-liner?

'Til Next Time, 
Carys xox




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Sunday, 1 April 2012

❀ Up-coming posts ❀


Hello there, just thought I'd let you all know about some posts I'm planning to do soon! I'm trying to get my blog 'up and running' again as I love writing posts as there's no where else I can share my unhealthy obsession with beauty!

  • Favorite Spring Nail Polish's
  • Outfit Posts (I now have a tripod yay)
  • Favorite Perfumes/Perfume Collection
  • Colourful Spring Make-Up Look/Spring Ready Make-up
  • Spring Wishlist
  • Haul!
Any recommendations would be very helpful! 
What posts are you looking forward to, if any?

'Til Next Time, 
Carys xo

Friday, 9 September 2011

Clarins? At Tk Maxx?

Something I really wanted to share with you guys, is something really lovely that I found at Tk Maxx last week!
I don't usually go in there, but sometimes, if I have a lot of time whilst shopping I'll pop in for a look around. I never usually see anything I like, except from the bags and furniture, but I decided to have a quick look at the beauty/skincare/haircare etc. and I'm soo glad I did!
 There were tonns of Clarins products, all for over half price! They had a really pretty pink lipstick, and lovely purple eye-shadow, a lot of skincare and a powder foundation, which surprisingly was in my shade, and a few other things.
 I was chuffed considering I have a huge love for Clarins skincare and trying their make-up was something I'd been interested for while now so I was pleased when I found this beauty :-)

Clarins Rouge Appeal Long-Lasting Lipstick in 12 - Orange Sorbet 
Nail Vanish - 'Hot to Trot' by No7
Swatched 3 times on the bottom, once on the top
The packaging with I absolutely love
This is one of my new favourite lipsticks! It's in a gorgeous bright orange colour, with a silvery, cool toned sheen, which is incredibly flattering for my blue eyes a pale complexion. It's smooth on the lips, and is very long lasting. Even though it's a very "summery" colour, I think it'll work for the Autumn. And it'll definitely be used next summer! The packaging is a lovely red colour. And is in a very abstract shape which I love, it's very unique. But the best part of this product was the price.. It was reduced from £15.50 to £5.99, which I think is a definite steal
Just thought I'd share this with you guys so you could pop to your local Tk Maxx and   take advantage of this! They also had make-up by eyeko, revlon, and calvin klein, so it's safe to say I'll be going back soon!


I'd also like to apologise the lack of posting but I'm thinking about filming a favourite products video? Anyone interested in something like that?


'Til next time,
                                     Carys xoxo