NARS Matte Velvet Lip Pencil - Mysterious Red - Review

The Review...

Over the past few days I've bought and being trying out the NARS Matte Velvet Lip Pencils, after seeing the Nars Fall 2013 Ad campaign the evening before I was due to head into town shopping, the perfect pencil fast tracked it's way up to the top of my list, sod the makeup wipes!

With the 'limited edition' tag line looming in my mind as I shopped my way around town, I tried and failed at both Space NK and Selfridges. I even resorted to checking online during the walk towards each. With no such luck I decided to ask the lady on the NARS counter at Selfridges if there happened to be a similar colour, and of course there was... Cruella, obviously I marched straight to the till and whipped out my card.

Later that evening, sat back on the sofa, online shopping once again, my flatmate and fellow beauty blogger Sophie (The Beauty Room Blog) asked if i'd tried looking on ASOS, and da da da, to my joy, limited edition Mysterious Red was IN STOCK, never have I ever added to basket and pressed confirm before! And there still in stock for you too! ASOS . (Top tip, student discount of 10% can be used on beauty too!)

Up top: Cruella, Down low: Mysterious Red (Limited Ed)

Review:

When swatching the pencil, you'll notice the thick, smooth, velvet like finish of the pencil, once on your lips this feels even better. After application, the product almost 'dries' onto your lips, giving a great long wear application - there's nothing I love more! Today I applied my Mysterious Red at 11am and it's still going strong at 4.30pm.

The pencil like appearance of this product only heightens my love for NARS and this lipstick, being in pencil form it means that there's no need for a lip liner or a lip brush. Application is super quick and easy with only one coat needed.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this NARS pencil to anyone who'll listen and think it's a must buy for any lipstick lover out there...

Amy xxx

Mysterious Red

FOTD: Autumnal Eyes

Autumnal Eyes/Red Lip 

First up, apologies for the cray cray hair, we all have those bad hair days! Moving swiftly on to the main event, the makeup...

With my outfit for the day emitting a certain autumnal feel, I decided that my makeup look should reflect that too.

I went for a golden orange tone on my eyes, with the all important cat flick with gel black eyeliner, keeping the cheeks fairly simple with just bronzer and completely the look with a gorgeous matte red lip.

Hope you liked my face of the day, all products are pictures and listed below.

Product List

Foundation and Concealer: Rimmel Wake Me Up (Ivory)
Bronzer: Bourjois Bronzing Primer and NARS Laguna
Highlighter: MAC's Soft and Gentle MSF
Eyes: Bobbi Brown eyeshadow stick in Vanilla (Base), MAC's Woodwinked (bottom L), Cranberry (Top R) - on the large pallete, MAC's All that Glitters (small palette top R) and Nylon (bottom L) 
Lips: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

Amy xxx

Keeping the Oil at Bay

So today I thought I'd share some of my essential products to create a oil-free face!

First of all though, I thought I'd explain my skin and its very bad habits!

Skin Type: I'd say my skin is 'combination' however it does appear to have a mind of it's own, in the winter months especially I tend to get patches of dry skin around the outer edges of my face and right on the end of nose! But on the other hand, my t-zone area suffers from oiliness, therefore I have to use products to combat both these problems, I truly am combination in terms of skin type. 

MAC Oil Control Lotion 30ml Travel Size - £12.50  Having never really thought MAC as skincare, I was recommended this product by a friend and was then ultimately persuaded by Nicole Guerriero of YouTube fame to run to the MAC store and snap it up. The JOYS this product provides, oh my! Without this my skin/makeup would be in total utter chaos/meltdown (literally) one pea sized amount does this trick and seconds later, primer or foundation is good to be applied.

If your a primer kinda gal, insert your favorite here! I simply haven't found the perfect one just yet so can;t really recommend one. If you can recommend me one please do so in the comments box below!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - As I very inconveniently have super duper oily eyelids it's essential that I use the little tube of magic cream before applying any eye shadow, however saying that, recently I've been considering trying out the NARS version of this product, which has had great reviews on the blogosphere, so ill update you on that one!

Finally, once I've applied my mask of make-up I always, always, always apply a finishing powder or a finishing spray, some I have tried include, Rimmel's Stay Matte powder in Translucent, Mac's Blot Powder and I'm currently using Mac's Prep and Prime loose powder, of which I apply using a Real Techniques Powder brush, and I also occasionally apply Urban Decay's De-Slick Spray to keep the oil at a natural level throughout the day.

My Eye/Lip Liner Collection.

Hey Guys!

So, hopefully there's a couple of regular readers of my blog, so if you would like to then please do follow me! This would then just let me know that me doing this isn't a waste of time! Thanks in advance ;)

So let's get on with the eye liner collection. As you'll notice I'm a BIG fan of green eyeliners, they seem to work really well with brown eyes, especially on the lower lash line, and as a 'brown eyed girl' I'm a gonna take advantage of that!

Eye Liners

These are a few of my favourite/worst eyeliners in my collection. Thought you might like to see both sides of the story! We'll work from top to bottom: Number 1 is the Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Pencil in 010 Silver. I love the pencil to use right in the corner of the eye as here it acts as a highlighter and on the outer corners on the lower lash line, however I personally don't think it looks quite right as a full eye liner. 

Secondly is the Mac Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Raven. The pencil is probably my most worn pencil due to it's great colour and how easy it is to apply. It's colour looks like a dark brown but it does have a hint of glittery purple. Who doesn't love a bit of glitter?! 

Number 3 - Mac Pearlglide Intense in Undercurrant - WOW. BEST PENCIL EVER. Not just because it's green but the finish the application. Everything. I normally just apply it's emeraldy goodness onto my lower lash line for the exotic look.

Next up: Mac powerpoint in Bordeauxline: I really like the powerpoint pencils by Mac but i wasn't wowed or amazed with this colour, it's nothing special basically, I just think maybe there would have been a cheaper option and have been just as good. 

Another Powerpoint by Mac - this time in So There Jade, NOW, this is much more like it, Perfect in colour and great in application, again super pretty on the lower lash line and waterline.

The last two contenders: NYX Jumbo eye pencils in 627 and 625 (Cobalt and Sparkle Nude) I serioulsy hate this product, frankly there awful in pigment and are utterly rubbish in application and worst of all, they stay on for all of 5 minutes, which is a BIG minus for me. I warned you!

Mini Make-Up Haul

Mini Make-up Haul! 

Hi guys,

So I went a little cray cray the other day when I popped into town with my blogger friend Jess (Go check her out here!) and ending up spending far too much money on not that much stuff :( it's always the way with make up.

Prices and links are at the bottom.

Hope you Enjoy.

See below for info and prices.

The first shop we went in was of course MAC, and due to my inability to leave that darn shop with a bag I ended up buying the Pearl Glide intense liner in 'Designer Purple' and since I already have it in 'Undercurrent' it seemed rude not to pick this little friend up for him! I also had to buy a new 217 brush as you can never have enough.

Next we hot footed it to Space NK, loyalty card in hand and ready to be used it was straight to the NARS counter, but a little cheeky peek was had at the Laura Mercier Foundations (convinced ourselves out of that purchase some how....) Here I picked up the much coveted Nars Laguna Bronzer and it's a lot bigger than I had expected, which obviously meant it HAD to be bought. 

Still in Space NK the lip glosses caught our greedy little eyes and there it was, heaven in a tube'larger than life lip gloss in ODALISQUE', this peachy toned lip gloss was begging to be in my makeup bag, and what convinced me even more was that the brush isn't a sponge applicator it's, well, more of a brush! It isn't sticky at all and has a great staying power. However I think these lip glosses are different to the usual NARS glosses as they are £1.50 more in price.

Technically I didn't buy this next product, a regular on the 'Best Primers' list its the Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish foundation primer. I found it creeping in my mums drawer, and didn't think she'd miss it, so it now has a nice new home! This primer is oil free, so it works great on my combination skin and actually does keep your makeup looking great for longer - highly recommend. 

And finally, Skincare, I kept seeing Pixiwoo (YouTube channel - if you don't who these two are GET OVER THERE NOW!) using this moisturiser on every video and talking nothing but good about it, but i thought it would probably be far too expensive, so when I saw 'Oilatum Natural Repair face cream' in Boots I had to buy it and I'm sure glad I did, great for the dry patches on my jaw and light enough to apply makeup over it might just be the best moisturiser I have tried yet!

Amy xxx

Price List:

Mac Pearlglide - £14

Mac 217 Brush - £17.50

Space NK (NARS) Laguna - £26

Space NK (NARS) Lipgloss - £19

Smashbox Primer (Boots) - £25

Oilatum Moisturiser (Boots) - £7.65

25 Things About Me ...

Twenty - Five things about moi...

Hey guys, so I thought I'd complete the popular topic on blogs atm myself and give you a little snippet into my life. So here goes numero uno...

1. My home is in Manchester, I was born in Carlisle, but now am currently in student accomodation at Edgehill University (Ormskirk, Sorry where? I hear you ask... Near to Southport/Liverpool)

2. Here I am studying Primary Education in order to achieve my quest to be a Primary school teacher. Obvs.

3. I enjoy going to watch Manchester City Football Club, i enjoy it that much I am the proud owner of a season ticket.

4. Crikey this is difficult. Erm OOOOOhhhhh I know, I'm a little bit obsessed with all things beauty related.

5. My favourite thing in life, and yes it is a hobby/sport is Shopping. Nothing makes you feel better than a little spending spree. 

6. Saying that, I'm very careful with my money, like I have multiple spreadsheets and everything.

7. I have two doggies, a black labrador named Olive and a younger Jack Russel named Penny.

8. I'm one of those people who is super organised APART from when it involves UNI work or school work, always last minute with those things. E.g. right now i should be doing work but here I am....

9. My favourite movies are without a doubt RomComs, If you look through my DVD collection, no word of a lie there all rom coms.

10. I don't know If i have a favourite film. Basically any movie with Hugh Grant in. What a guy. Really want to watch Notting Hill now.

11. I'm a chocoholic. So much so that every year I HAVE to give it up for lent in order to end up looking like an actual whale. So atm I'm 4wks and 1 day in. 

12. My most prized possesion is my Filofax. It travels with me day to day and contains EVERYTHING. I even bought little stickers with like cars and planes on to represent different things!

13. A biggie. I don't drink alcohol. SHOCK. Some people may think I'm boring or whatever, but I have my reasons.

14. There's nothing I love more than staying in and watching T.V. on the sofa. Quiet nights in suit me fine :D

15. I LOVE LONDON. This year I've been down once already, with my wonderful friend Jess (Go read her blog, it's fabbity fab 'Jess's Blog' and I'm going down again in a few weeks, then to see Michael Freaking Buble at the O2 in summer!!!!

16. I can't get drive, at nearly 19, this really isn't acceptable. I've been taking lessons for just over a year now and frankly I'm crap at it! Will keep trying though.

17. Miranda Hart, I would marry her. Now. What a woman, seriously though how can someone be that funny. Bear with.....

18. Nearly there. Ummmm. After a long reluctance to join any form of social media I finally caved in and got Twitter ( follow me at @Aburke94) this was mainly because of moving away to uni and keeping in touch with people etc.

19. One Direction. Need I say more.

20. Me and my mum and Dad have the same initails. AB. Helpful when cashing cheques, hehehehe.

21. My Mum's name is Alexandra Burke. Yes she did win X Factor....... (No, she didn't)

22. I own an INSANE amount Nail Polish. Like a ridiculous amount, I haven't counted recently but about 6 months ago it was at like 70. 

23. I'm constantly watching Beauty video's on youtube to get Buyspiration. My favourites include: Pixiwoo, FleurDeForce, SprinkleOfGlitter, Pixi2woo, ThePersianBabe, EssieButton and Zoella 28039.

24. Really struggling now. I make a bloody good Double Chocolate Chip Brownie. If you'd like to know the recipe/ see what all the chocolatey goodness is all about, leave a comment below.

25. Lastly, My favourite beauty product at the moment, out of ALL my collection would have to be .... dun...dun....dunnnnnnn....... NARS blusher in Lustre, as recommended by Zoella 28039, So thanks Zoe!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Amy

xxxx

My Brush Collection : 1

Hey guys,

Firsly I AM SO SORRY! I've not posted for 2/3 weeks (who's counting? shhhhh) so this week I'm aiming to catch up with 3 extra posts. For the last 6 weeks Ive been on placement in a school so it's all been a bit cray cray. Apologies. Moving swiftly on to the good stuff.........

So today I thought I'd introduce you to my brush collection. Although I do love buying a new brush, I dont seem to have many to show for it! Literally itching to pop onto MAC right now. MUST DISTRACT MYSELF. In this post I though I might as well include eye and lip liners as there all kept in the same place... so read on.

So this is all my brushes, and also my eye/lip liners.

 So I love keeping all my make-up in clear acrylic storage mostly from MUJI feel free to check out there website, this pot was super cheap at only £2.25 and they also do a square version too. 

L-R : Bare minerals I.D. Concealer brush. Real techniques shading brush, RT's Stippling  brush, RT's blush brush, MAC 168.

Concealer Brush: (£21)

So we'll go left to right, so first up is the Bare minerals max coverage concealer. To be honest i probably wouldnt reccomend this brush, the only reason I use it is to stop myself from buying the MAC concealer brush 195. The good thing about this brush though is defintly it's size, it's the same length as an Iphone (yeah, I don't have a ruler ..) so perfectly fits in any makeup bag, unlike other brushes pfftt. 

RT's shading brush: (£7.99)

Another brush I have used as a concealer brush in the past. It works really well with MAC's studio finish concealer. It's smaller than most concealer brushes, but it works to it's advantage.

RT's Stippling brush: (£11.99)

Well where do I even begin! The brush is just amazing, brilliant, unfathomable. Literally the best brush in the world. I don't know how it does it but when applying foundation it simply creates the best application and finish. Your probably thinking that perhaps that's only with certain foundations, but i shall prove you wrong! I've tried it with multiple, I'm currently using the YSL touche eclat, and in the past I have used MAC Matchmaster and even M&S foundation (don't judge) and it works great with all.

RT's Blush Brush: (£9.99)

Not as an impressive CV as the stippling brush, this blush brush does exactly what it says, One of the things I don't like is the size of the brush , it's far to long length ways and doesn't need to be. With that in mind, I upgraded to MAC.

MAC 168 - Large angled contoured brush. (£26)

Whilst it's name says its 'large' it isn't it's more medium, although mine is currently covered in NARS blusher, it's normally (who am I kidding..) a lovely snowy white colour. I use this both for contouring and blusher, as it works really well either way. With this brush I find that a lot depends on the way you hold it and position it on your cheeks so work that out beforehand!

So guy's keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of my brush collection! 

If you have any brushes that you recommend I get the PLEASE let me know in the comments box below!!!

Thanks for reading, have a great day 

Love, 

Amy xxxxxx