Whats in my makeup bag? - Plus mini reviews

I thought I'd show you what currently lives in my makeup bag which I use every day when I'm just going to work and don't have time to do much with my makeup. I need to just get it on and get out the door. There is a mixture of higher end makeup and drugstore products - one of which has become one of my favourite mascaras from No 7 which I will be repurchasing.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation, Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer and Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation - £30
Lightweight and like the name says, looks like skin. Blends effortlessly and has a light to medium coverage. It is best suited to normal/dry skin. I really like this foundation, in fact I love the range of Bobbi Brown foundations as there is something suitable for everyone. Considering I am shade 3 in the colour range (I have a light/medium skin tone) which is the 5th shade from lightest, there are plenty of shades to try - Alabaster (0) being for the fairest skin and going to deep dark skin with Chestnut (9), a total of 16 shades!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - £5.49 Boots
This has what Rimmel are calling an 'Anti-Fatigue Effect + Radiant Glow' which is supposed to make your skin look brighter and more awake. What that means in reality is that there are teeny tiny light reflecting particles in the product which bounce light off your skin creating to effect of radiance. Does it work? Yes it does. I like to use it under my eyes because of this, my permanent dark circles could do with a bit of brightening up. I don't use it on spots though because I don't want to be doing any highlighting of them. The coverage is pretty good, most people would find it substantial unless you are like myself - the only thing that is going to rid me of dark circles completely is Photoshop.

Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer - £10 Boots
This is a creamy concealer which includes two shades plus a setting powder and powder puff. The lighter shade of concealer is a bit more whipped and creamy as it is supposed to be used under your eyes to brighten them up and the texture making it easier to apply with no drag. The darker colour is supposed to be used on blemishes. I'm not too keen on using it under my eyes as it can look a bit crepey and sit in the fine lines due to my dry skin. It does work really nice over spots and blemishes though as it melts into the skin seamlessly. The powder is way too light and doesn't look like a transparent powder at all to me so that bit in my opinion is useless to me plus it is not as finely milled as I like. The colour range is appalling too, there are only two colour combinations to choose from, leaving anyone who has dark skin left out.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, Topshop Blush Head Over Heels, Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner,
No 7 Lash Adapt Mascara

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - £21
I've been using this powder for ages now. It is a great colour match for my skin tone and the powder is really finely milled. You can use it super lightly or apply it heavier. I've even applied it on it's own to even out my skin tone when I was in a rush. You get a ton of product in the pan too so even though it is quite expensive, you wont need to repurchase for a good while. There are 10 shades in the range and many people may find that they can cross over two colours because they are sheer.

Topshop Blush in Head Over Heels - £6
Topshop blushers are becoming really popular and I really like them too. This one is my favourite one because it gives a lovely natural glowy colour or you can build it up to become stronger. I love how the Topshop blushers set and still retain a slight dewiness. For the price of them, you can't really go wrong.

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner - £14
I love a really inky black non flaky/smeary/runny eyeliner. I'm a fan of the feline flick so I need something that will stay put all day and not rub off if I get hot or run if my eyes water. I used to use a MAC Superslick but this one is cheaper and performs the same. It also has a different applicator, this one has a fine brush so you can get really thin lines but may require more practise and the MAC one has a tapered sponge applicator. I always found that the sponge would make me draw the line a bit thick at the flick and I'd have to remove and redo. This is one better for me. Oh and a lot of people find liquid liner hard to do, I've never had much problem with it but find pencil liners really hard to use unless I smudge them haha. The long handle of this one does make liquid much easier, it is like using a pen.

No 7 Lash Adapt Mascara - £12.95
This is a mascara I have really enjoyed using. It makes my lashes so full and voluminous. It doesn't flake on me and barely moves if I have watery eyes. Obviously it is not waterproof and it failed the onion chopping test (which my boyfriend found hilarious) but honestly, I don't like waterproof because it is so damn difficult to get off and I hate rubbing my lashes with remover. This one suits me perfectly well and even though it doesn't beat my favourite mascara, Chanel Inimitable Intense, Lash Adapt gives me just what I want from a mascara and the price isn't too bad. Oh and it lasts well too, usually a tube of the Chanel will dry out in a few weeks, making it useless. My Lash adapt is almost empty and I've used it for the past 3 months.

What's in your everyday makeup bag?

Jennifer xx

MAC Heavenly Creature - Mineralize Skinfinish Review

Clockwise from top left: Earthshine, Centre of the Universe, Light Year, Star Wonder

I love Mineralize Skinfinishes. Ever since I discovered them, I've been a bit of a collector so I get quite excited for new ones to come out. Heavenly Creature brought four new swirly pans of goodness and of course, I purchased them all.

They are all lovely and have very good textures. There's no chunky glitter in them like some MSFs have. They apply smoothly and look so beautiful on the skin.

Centre of the Universe

Centre of the Universe is a gorgeous golden glowy shade and works nicely as a bronzey blush. It looks really flattering, love it.

Earthshine

Earthshine is the only one that I'm just not sure on. I'm not sure how to use it really as it is quite dark and muddy on my skin tone. I might end up using it as an eyeshadow. I've tried it as a bronzer and I'm not quite convinced it works for me. I need to do more testing with it to find a way to make it work for me

L-R: Earthshine,  Earthshine blended, Centre of the Universe, Centre of the Universe blended

Star Wonder

This is a pretty pink shade which works well as a blush. It gives a soft glow and golden sheen to the skin. It would work on most skin tones.

Light Year

Light Year is a light peach shade with gold shimmer. It works more as a highlighter on me but can also be layered over blush. It is super pretty and is not a glittery highlight.

L-R: Star Wonder, Star Wonder blended, Light Year, Light Year blended

I really like these. Some people say that they find MSFs hard to wear because they can enhance pores due to the glitter in them. Try these, they might be easier to wear. I don't have noticeable pores so I can't say for myself. If I had to pick one only, I'd pick Star Wonder as the pink is very easy to wear and is the smoothest and most pigmented.

Jennifer xx

MAC Heavenly Creatures - Sky & Universal Appeal Eyeshadows

L-R: Sky, Universal Appeal

Every year MAC bring out a mineralize collection for the Summer, after their main Summer collection. They are always so beautiful with the swirls in the products and there are always lovely shades. I like mineralize products but I had to be practical with the eye shadows this year because I simply don't pull them out enough to get a bunch of them, no matter how much I like them. I chose two shades which I thought were quite unique compared to what I have already.

Sky

Universal Appeal

The things I like about the mineralize eye shadows are that you can use them wet or dry and when you apply them over different bases you get multidimensional effects which look pretty cool. I also like these swirly eye shadows because you can pick out different areas to use. Some people say you can't but I always use them like this so I know you can. You might not be able to pick out an individual colour but I do pick areas to swirl my brush in to change the shade of the shadow. Eg. In Universal Appeal, there is a dark purple, violet and gold. If I want it to be very dark purple, I choose an area which has more of the dark purple or if I want more violet, I choose those areas. 

L-RL Sky, Universal Appeal. Complete mixed colours swatched dry, no primer/base.

These two colours are quite well pigmented for mineral eye shadows when used dry, when used wet they are much better and yield plenty of pigment. Universal Appeal also appears more purple when used this way compared to the browner tone it has used wet. Sky is such a pretty shade of blue and has a teal undertone which makes it easier for me to wear, blue is not the best colour on me so I have to pair it well to work. Both colours apply smoothly and evenly and don't drop lots of fallout although all mineralize eye shadows have some fallout so care should be taken when using them. These have a much nicer texture compared to the chunky mineralize eye shadows MAC has released previously.

Jennifer xx

My current go-to neutral makeup

I am a creature of habit... and laziness. I really can't be bothered to search out different products every morning before work so I tend to use the same things for a few days and leave them in my makeup bag. Then I switch them out and try other products. This is probably because I have so much makeup and it is poorly organised to grab it as needed.

I've been wearing this makeup a lot lately and I often wear something similar to this. Gold is my favourite eyeshadow colour, I find it really flattering and brightens and opens up my eyes which is so needed when I'm tired. It also works well on most people. If you are curious, my favourite gold eyeshadow is Urban Decay Baked. It is a beautifully soft and pigmented gold which isn't too yellow or brassy, just perfect.

For this makeup, I wanted to make use of my pigments which don't often get much attention from me - they are harder to use than pressed eyeshadow and make a mess. I loved how it turned out and I need to use pigments more often.

What I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Water Based Mixing Medium
Illamasqua Marvel Pure Pigment
MAC Cocomotion Pigment
Shiro Cosmetics Master Sword
MAC Twilight Falls Mineralize Eyeshadow
a highlight shade (can't remember what I had in my makeup bag now)
MAC Superslick Liquid Liner in On The Hunt (black)
No7 Fanomonal Mascara
Illamasqua Thunder Brow Cake (eyebrows)

Jennifer xx

MAC Khol Pencil - Teddy

MAC's Kohl Pencil in Teddy is something that has been on my wishlist for a while. I've seen Pixiwoo use it in their videos and thought it was such a pretty colour. When it comes to brown eyeliner, I like something that is quite dark but still looks brown. Lighter browns don't look right on me as they are too light against my very dark lashes and I don't find that they give enough definition. Teddy is described as an intense bronze. It is a dark brown liner with bronze shimmer which makes it really pretty and sultry. As it is a khol pencil, you can smudge it and also use it on the waterline. It looks so good with gold, brown and bronze eyeshadow and is also pretty with green. I've mostly been using it along the outer part of my lower lash lines to give added definition and sometimes along my waterline. It is a flattering waterline colour because it is not really harsh like black can be and doesn't make my eyes look really small. I really like this pencil and would recommend it for any skin tone and hair or eye colour, I think it would work for everyone.

Jennifer xx

Monthy Favourites - May 2012

Time for the monthy favourites (I'm a bit late again), these are products that I have been using all month/rediscovered or have stood out for me.

1. Paco Robanne Lady Million EDP

This is one of my favourite perfumes, I just love it but I hadn't worn it in a while. I got it out again and I still adore it. It is sweet with some floral notes and makes me feel special. I'm not overly fond of the bottle design but I do kind of like how the spray works. I just wish I could figure out how to decant it into a travello.

2. Lush Rehab Shampoo

I have used this shampoo before but stopped using it when I started colouring my hair. Now that my hair is it's natural shade again, I can use it. I went to Lush to get some toner but decided to find out if they sold a shampoo that will reduce build up from dry shampoo - which I use a lot and end up with quite a bit of build up. This stuff is great. It clears my scalp of all the crap left on it after a couple of days using dry shampoo and leaves it so much fresher. 

3. MAC Lovecloud Blush

This has been my go to blush this month. I'm not sure if it is still available as it was a limited edition colour. I really love it, it is so easy to wear and can be applied sheerly or built up. It is a pink with some coral in there to warm it up and works really nicely on my skintone. I also love the satin finish because it is so soft and natural looking.

4. Origins Vitazing SPF 15

This is basically a really sheer tinted moisturiser with SPF in it. I took this on holiday with me in case it was hot and I didn't want to be wearing foundation. Plus foundation wasn't really needed. It has these little greyish dots in the moisturiser which burst as you rub it into your skin and release a tint. This tint is supposed to be suited to all skin tones but I think very fair skins and dark skins might find it either too dark or light. Light to medium skin tones should be okay and it might even be okay for skin that is a bit darker. You don't get a lot of coverage with it but it does help to even the skin out somewhat and then a bit of concealer will cover the rest if needed.

5. SensatioNail Starter Kit (I have the red) - review to be posted soon.

Now this is a little gem! I love this piece of kit! I wont go into it too much because I will be doing a full review on it with lots of photos of it freshly applied and then two weeks later. If you don't know what it is, it is an at home soak off gel polish kit which includes everything you need to get started, including the lamp and one colour (either red or raspberry). It was quite dear when I got mine but the price has gone down a lot now so if you are interested, it is worth a go. I applied this for my holiday so that I didn't need to polish my nails while away and hopefully protect them better than regular polish would from working the locks and narrowboat. It held out brilliantly, as you will see in the upcoming review :D

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor! - Powerpoint Eye Pencil Review and Swatches

MAC's Powerpoint Eye Pencils are very soft and creamy, the apply without dragging and last all day. I really like them. They don't smudge all over the place so I would hope that they would be good for the Summer months, especially with them being released with a Summer collection. They provide intense, opaque colour with one swipe and can be smudged before it sets. They aren't fully setting pencils, if you touch them, they will transfer but they stay well if left alone. They have such a pretty finish, there are pearlised particles in there giving a lovely sheen.  You might find that the gold is dupeable but the green is quite unique as most green eye liners seem to lean more blue or are darker. Bare in mind that these are not waterline safe although I've used the gold one on mine before I found this out and it was fine. If you have sensitive eyes, please don't use them inside your eyes. It is your choice whether to ignore MAC's warning though but it is probably a good idea to take notice of it.

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor! - Shore Leave Lip Pencil Swatches

Shore Leave is a warm toned light pinky coral. It is the Pro Longwear formulation so has really good staying power, I lined the around my lip shape and applied lipstick over it and in on the rest of my lips and this lasted longer than the lipstick, leaving a bit of a ring around my mouth - make sure to fill in your lips too so it grips the lipstick everywhere! It is slightly drying, you may want some balm to soak into your lips before applying but it would be best to blot it off before applying the pencil to make it last well. It applies nicely as it is creamy but it sets on the lips, it actually feels a little tacky compared to regular lip pencils, probably to help hold your lipstick on for longer.

L-R: Shore Leave Lip Pencil, Sail La Vie Lipstick

Have you tried the Pro Longwear formula?

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor! - Sail La Vie Lipstick Swatches

Sail La Vie is a lovely reddish orange in a satin formula. It was quite hard to photograph, it is actually more orange and doesn't appear glossy like in the lip swatch. It is similar in tone to Scarlet Ibis from the Iris Apfel but they are not dupes. It is very comfortable on my lips and glides on effortlessly. It would work on a large range of skintones and would look fantastic as a statement bold lip. It is also perfect for the Summer.

L-R: Shore Leave Lip Pencil, Sail La Vie Lipstick

What do you think of this colour?

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor - To Catch A Sailor Lipstick Swatches

Sail La Vie is a golden tan lipstick with a frost finish. It is not a colour I would normally go for but there is something about it that drew me in. I'm still not entirely sure about it, I might just use it for layering over corals and orangey lipsticks for a different look. I think it might look better on me if I have a tan or with some bronzer although it could be that I just need to get used to wearing such a different colour. I've seen it on fair skinned girls and it looks lovely and I bet it would be amazing on dark skintones too. You could also layer it over nude shades.

So what do you think of this colour? Is it something that you would wear? What do you think I should wear it with?

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor! Fleet Fast Blush Review and Swatches

After binging out on all of the Tres Cheek blushers (if anyone wants a review on any of them, leave me a comment and I will get one up for you) I intended not to buy any of the blushers from Hey Sailor... that didn't work though haha. I bought Fleet Fast and it is such a perfect natural colour on my skin. I simply love it.

My new love with MAC's blushers is their satin finish which has been in the latest blush offerings. They are perfection in a pan, I honestly can't rave about them any more. I've always been a bit wary of matte blushers on my dry skin and I usually prefer a bit of shimmer. The satin finishes that MAC have come out with recently have just looked so flawless on everyone's skin that I've seen them on and I know that a lot of people are really chuffed with them. They give such a natural finish which doesn't look completely matte, instead giving skin a slight sheen which actually looks just how skin should - not caked in makeup.

Fleet Fast has some fine gold shimmer in it which is quite subtle on the skin - you can see it but it is far from being a glitter bomb on your face. It is very flattering. I adore the colour too. It doesn't seem all that unique but the formulation is what makes it a must have for me. The shade is somewhere between pink and coral but with an earthiness to it. It gives my cheeks a natural flush which also appears like I've been in the sun, I love it.

It also has really good staying power, lasting almost all day on my skin - bearing in mind that I have dry skin so it might not work as well on normal to oily skin types.

So if I can recommend that you try something from this collection, this would be one of my top picks.

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor! Au Rose Suntint Review and Swatches

Suntints are products that MAC tend to put out with Summer collections, there were some with last years Surf Baby collection but I skipped them due to lack of pigmentation. This year, 3 new shades are available and I chose Au Rose which was the most pigmented of the three.

Some days I just want a subtle colour on my lips which will also moisturise so tend to go for balm which has a little bit of a tint in it. Au Rose is a pretty pink coral with gold shimmer and would be flattering on all skin tones. The amount of colour that shows depends on your natural lip colour. My lips are quite pink naturally so I don't get much colour added to them, Au Rose just makes them look healthy and glossy with pretty gold shimmer. I really like it and have been wearing it for the past couple of days.

It is really comfortable on my lips, it isn't overly sticky like a gloss but does have some tackiness. I've not had my hair flying into it though. It lasts pretty well on me even through eating and drinking, a good few hours later it is still hanging around and the shimmer lasts longer than the balm. It is not the most moisturising balm but while it is on my lips it provides enough protection to not let them dry out. My lips are very dry so most balms aren't enough to deal with them.

The Suntints also have the added bonus of SPF 20 which is great for the Summer (if it ever stops raining in the UK!). Using a balm with an SPF in it will ensure that your lips are protected through the heat. They are also very easy to apply, simply by squeezing the tube and out it pops from the plastic applicator. I love how they are fuss free so no need to dip fingers or brushes into a pot and you can clean the applicator when needed.

Jennifer xx

MAC Reel Sexy Lipstick Review and Swatches

I love this colour! Coral is my favourite lip colour to wear. Reel Sexy is such a beautiful lipstick, it is creamy and pigmented and applies so easily. It doesn't dry my lips and looks pretty close to one of my favourite lipsticks, MAC Jazzed which came out nearly two Summers ago. It is not quite the same as Jazzed, Reel Sexy is more pigmented and more opaque and it is an Amplified finished apposed to Jazzed which is a Cremesheen. It appears brighter on lips so it needs blotting down or dabbing on to make it look closer to Jazzed. I bought two tubes because it is a colour I wear so often and I'm happy with it. I find light coral to be a colour which looks both bright but natural, strange really.

Jennifer xx

MAC Hey Sailor Crew Highlight Powder Swatches & Review

Now, before I start this review, I wouldn't have bought this had I not seen it in store and swatched it. I just wasn't bothered by it before but really liked it after I tested it out. I'm glad I got it because it is so pretty on my skin.

I've been really into highlighting lately but already have a few of them so didn't want to bother with this. I also thought that there was an overspray on it which would come off after the first use and make it another bog standard highlighting colour. I still don't know if it is actually an overspray - I'm not willing to go digging through the powder to find out - but it is quite thick if it is so will last a while. I've used it a few times and it doesn't any different in thickness than when I first got it.

The powder is made up of three shades, all of which are impossible to select individually as they are so thin. You can choose an area if you prefer though but I've been using it all swirled together. It is actually very well pigmented for a highlighting powder and works nicely as a soft blush on me. I didn't imagine that the payoff would be as strong as it is. I really like it as it gives a glow as well as a blush. Darker skin tones may find that it only works as a highlighter with a pink tone to it.

I actually really love this powder, it looks so nice and natural on my skin. It is one of the best colours I own on me. I like that it is not a high shimmer finish, giving more of a glow than high sheen or frost, making it suitable for a wide variety of skin types and shouldn't emphasise pores. I have dry skin and find that the powder lasts a whole work day with some slight fading. Normal to oily skinned people might find that it doesn't perform as well on them though. I really hope the colours work all the way through the powder although I'm not sure that they will do as most of MAC's powders like this don't. Even if it doesn't, I think the beige shade will look good due to the great finish.

The three top colours swatched, the last swatch being the whole powder swirled together.

I would recommend that you try this powder in store if you get the chance in case the colour doesn't show well enough for your liking.


Just to confirm, the pink, peach and lilac are not an overspray. In fact, the beige is the overspray but it is quite thick. Temptalia has dug into her powder and discovered that the colours seem to be arranged in a similar way to Benefit Sugarbomb so in other words, there are chunks of each colour which meet up and then the beige is sprayed over the top in a thickish layer. I don't think the colour will change a whole lot when the overspray is worn down :)

You can see Temptalia's review with the photos of the excavated powder here.


Jennifer xx