Lipstick Forever #5- Mac Ruby Woo (Matte)

This was a birthday present from the lovely Dani amongst others!

Packaging: Classic Mac. Very uncomplicated, but very pretty and very grown-up. I'm not over fond of the lid shape though if I'm honest.

Colour: It's... red. That's the closest I can get. I think this is a much more orange red, but in certain lights it can look more like a true red. So perhaps it's an orange red, but isn't too difficult to pull off if orange isn't your colour. Sorry, I'm rubbish at judging the undertones in red!

 

Application: This is one of the tougher lipsticks I own to apply. The matte finish makes it drag a little, and it definitely applies better if it's a little warmed up. It doesn't bother me too much, but it does make me think carefully about whether I've got time to apply it properly. As with most pigmented lipsticks, you have to apply carefully to not end up with looking wobbly, but you can apply from the bullet if you're ultra careful.

 

Kiss Test: There's pretty much nothing coming off this baby.

 

Lasting Power: Um... here blog readers, I fail you. I can't actually remember (it's taken me ages to write up this review and I've been busy). I think it falls under the 'decent lasting power as long as you don't eat or drink' category, as I *think* it got ruined when I had a meal. But really to qualify a lipstick as good it needs to last about 4 hours (which is a breakfast to lunch kinda time span) and it wouldn't have problems doing that.

I do like this lipstick, even with it's orangey side, but it isn't one to reach for every day for me. I love a matte finish, but it can be a little drying and a bit tricky to work with if you're in a 'no effort' mood. I love this more for evening- it's a great party lipstick because it's so vibrant! 

5/10 for day, 7/10 for night- 6/10 overall.

Love B xxx

Lipstick Forever #1: MAC Russian Red (Matte)

So a new series (yes I have a lot of them. I like doing posts in series ok?!). This is Lipstick Forever- a celebration and voyage through lipstick in various colours and brands (essentially a lipstick review series). We start with a classic- MAC's Russian Red with a matte finish.

 

Packaging: Yeah it's MAC. It's pretty gorgeous. Grown up but with a slight edge, this is classic lipstick styling. 

Colour: This is lauded as a good 'blue red'. In real life on me there is a slight orangeness on me (I'm so pale I find it difficult to find a red that doesn't pull orange on me), but it's not really too noticeable. 

Application: For a matte lipstick, this doesn't feel very matte! It applies very smoothly and doesn't drag. It also doesn't make my lips look dry or highlight any flaws, although I don't suffer too much with that in general. On the lips, as with most pigmented reds, you will need to use a lipbrush and apply with care to get the best out of it (I put it on straight from the bullet and you can see it looks a bit uneven). If you need to tidy it up though it isn't ridiculously hard to get off. 

Kiss Test: After 2 coats and blotting, does it come off? A little bit. For a red, it isn't too bad.

Lasting Power: After 6 hours, including a meal and multiple drinks, it's still on and looking pretty good! This does come off on things like cup rims, but stays pretty even (the red ring of death hasn't appeared). It has smudged a little at the sides of my mouth, but it's pretty decent overall.

It's not my perfect red if I'm honest- it's not quite blue enough for me and the smudging annoys me. But I'm being very picky. If you want to get into red lipstick, this is a great place to start!

8/10

Love B xxx

Random Days: Mini Haul :D

I had another mini haul yesterday and the day before, as I had a few girly days out to say goodbye to my friends :(

The first haul came from Folkestone, which is lovely (from the limited view of the inside of Primark) and got some little treats! I got several headbands from New Look, and some super cute dresses from Primark. I'll update this post with photos of them tomorrow once I've actually got some light to see them in!

The second haul came Canterbury, I was actually quite restrained (no really) especially we essentially went in EVERY shop in the town haha!

I came home with this little lot:

From M & S! I'm really not a orange person, but this is the first shade I've seen that isn't really harsh or neon. It's really pastel and sherbet-y and lovely :D This was about £3.

I'm not a big mascara buyer either, but I saw this Maybelline The Falsies on someone's blog (can't for the life of me remember whose it was!) and loved how amazing it made the blogger's lashes look. See my earlier post on the M & S eyeshadow to see how it looks on, so far it's amazing! This was on sale at the cheaper price of £6.19, but I managed to get it with my Boots points :-)

I'm happy with normal shampoo for washing my brushes, but after seeing this video by Tiffany D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT8LpwDjwNI) I couldn't resist a quick way to clean my brushes, hoping it will save me a lot of time! This was £8.50 I believe.

This actually came in the post this morning, but nevermind :D I have been lusting after this Light Liquid Foundation for a while because of Illamasqua's amazing shade range and brand ethos. First impressions are AMAZING colour (in the lightest natural shade LF115) but need to experiment with application because it's tough to blend and get even, but hopefully I can try it lots and get it looking amazing :-)

Will update with more pics tomorrow!

Love Luxie xxx