Sunny days, happy faces

Sunshine is such a rare occurrence in Northern Ireland that when it happened I felt the need to take some photos and preserve it.

You can still see the snow on the hills in the background. After snow in spring it's no surprise I was eager to see some sun!

 Now if only the temperatures outside matched it..

I've definitely got those summertime cravings..

Much love, 

                 Natalie xx

Azure eyes - beautiful blues

I got bored yesterday and started playing around with a few colours to see what I could come up with.
I was actually staring out the window (visible in the background) so you can see where the inspiration for these colours came from. I am in love with the turquoise-bluey-greeny eyeliner i've used underneath the eye and I feel like it really brings out my blue eyes!

Admittedly it's a very dramatic look and not one for everyday but I think the colours are gorgeous nonetheless.

 so here are the products I used to create this eye look: 

Left to Right: GOSH eyeliner in 'Cool Mint', L'Oreal colour riche le kohl, Too Faced Eye shadow insurance policy palette, L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara and Rimmel Match Perfection concealer. 

 You'll have to excuse this rather grubby looking palette but the colours inside are striking and bold, not for the faint-hearted, but perfect for adding drama.  I used the bright blue colour 'Skinny Dip' all over the lid and blended it outwards to diffuse the colour.

 

 

Along with the eyeshadow I think this product is the shining glory of this look. The pencil is so creamy and goes on like a dream (again you'll have to excuse it's grubbiness - it was lying in the bottom of a drawer). I think this colour is so unique and I'm glad I re-discovered it. These sorts of colours are also bang on trend this spring so they're a lot more wearable than you might think. 

 

 I used the black liner to tight-line my eye and the concealer to tidy up any possible fallout underneath and to give me a cleaner line where I blended the shadow.

So what do you guys think? What eye looks are you loving currently? 

 Thanks for reading! 

Much Love, 

                     Natalie xxx

Foundation failure - MAC studio fix fluid

Condemning post title aside, this post is purely based on my own experiences with this particular foundation and I shall tell you all exactly why I was so disappointed. 

I can assure you this wasn't a 'trialed once and then thrown aside' job. I was VERY determined to make this work for me and actually wore it out a lot. After paying neigh on £20 for a foundation one doesn't back down easily. I wanted this foundation to work for me so badly, but it just didn't.

I put this down to a number of factors. Firstly, the shoddy shade range. This is the palest in their range. Now in previous posts I have informed you all of my foundation trials and tribulations being a very fair skinned lady. I was matched to this shade by a sales person at the MAC counter in my local department store. Either their store lighting was seriously off or they were just determined to make a sale and compromised.. a lot. 

Admittedly blame has to go to me for buying the thing but it was my first experience getting matched and I  had the "Well the professional says it fits me, so it must do" outlook. I shall not be quite so trusting again!

You'll also probably notice this foundation is extremely  yellow-based. I have quite a lot of pink undertones in my skin so this was definitely not the right shade for me. There was no 'NW' range in this foundation and like I said this was their palest. Now I'm not an expert on other MAC foundations so their shade ranges could be a lot more accommodating but this one wasn't great.

The next fault lies in the formulation itself. If you are someone with dry patches in their skin, dry skin generally or combination skin I would advise you to stay wellllll clear of this foundation. It is extremely difficult to spread and clings horribly to dry patches, emphasising them and leaving a very unattractive finish. I have a friend with quite oily skin who absolutely loves this foundation so if they stock your shade and you've got oily skin you may well love this, but it just was not for me. 

The foundation also oxidizes pretty significantly meaning it get's darker after application. I would advise you to get a sample of this foundation and make sure you're happy with the change in colour if you're considering a purchase.

The next aspect that annoyed me was the absence of a foundation pump... I really hate bottles without a pump! it's a particular pet peeve of mine. I hate having to whack the bottle of my hand to get it out and then being annoyed at the stuff left in the bottom that I can't get out! 

Now if the foundation inside was great (Like Revlon Colourstay foundation) I would overlook it but, already unimpressed, it just made me more annoyed. 

My final qualm was the smell.. it has a horrible very heavy 'make-upy' smell. It's quite strong so if you're funny about the fragrance of products I would tread carefully..

Here you can see the disastrous shade match... and as I'm not going for the 'Satsuma dry patchy face' look this foundation has found it's way into the 'Makeup ornament' dresser section- the stuff that lies there unloved and unused.

I would love to know if any of you have tried this foundation, what's your opinion? What experiences have you had with other MAC foundations?

Much love, 

               Natalie xxx