The Staples: MAC Studio Fix Fluid

When I was updating my new 'Product Directory' page, I noticed I rarely do reviews of products that are staples in my makeup collection and part of my day-to-day essentials. There are items that I have repurchased multiple times, but have never mentioned on here. So I decided to start a new feature about 'the Staples' in my collection.

Today, I'm going to start off with an oldie, but goodie - MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation. I have repurchased MAC Studio Fix Fluid a few times now and can't seem to let it go.

FOTD with only MAC Studio Fix Fluid as a base. No concealer or powder.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation is a matte finish, medium to full coverage foundation that is buildable. I use the shade NC15 and it's the perfect colour match for me. It applies and blends into the skin easily, whether you're using a brush or your fingers. Sometimes if I want a more dewy look, I have mixed in Benefit High Beam or a dewy foundation and it works a treat. This is one of the most long-lasting foundations in my collection and I like to use it when I have long days at work or times where I need my foundation to last. This foundation has SPF 15 in it, which is great for daytime, but I have found that it does not photograph well in flash photography. I know some people have had bad experiences with MAC foundations, but it has never broken me out. It has a strong paint-esque smell to it, which I don't notice when applying to my face (only if I unscrew the cap and sniff). The foundation costs £20.50 for 30ml, which I think is a fair price. However you have to buy the pump separately, which is a little annoying but once you've bought one, you won't need to buy another.

As you can see, I have hardly any bad things to say about MAC Studio Fix Fluid. I think I would as far as saying that this might be my holy grail long lasting foundation.

Have you ever used MAC Studio Fix Fluid before?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

January Favourites 2013

Throughout January, I have been enjoying a number of products that have fast become staples in my routine.

This month I have been loving using Wet n Wild Mellow Wine blush. It's a lovely dark pink-red colour, which gives a lovely pop of colour on the cheeks. I have been in love with my MAC 266 and using the centre shade of the top row of the NYX Nude on Nude Natural Look palette. I would not have normally opted for a colour like this, as my hair is darker than the shade, but it somehow works. My lipsticks of choice for the past month have been Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Rivage and Wet n Wild Spiked with Rum. Rivage a pretty pink colour, which gives a natural rosy colour to the lips. While it doesn't last too long on the lips, I love the formula and the glossiness. I love the long-lasting formula of Spiked with Rum and the colour is great for Winter. The Sigma Precision Round P82 has been one of my favourite brushes for packing on and blending out concealer over redness and blemishes. It's bristles are super soft and leaves such a flawless finish.

For skincare, the Emma Hardie Amazing Face cleansing balm has been a dream to use recently, especially as my skin has been a little dry in this cold weather. I am going to do a full review of this soon. I have also had a few pesky blemishes, which the Origins Out of Trouble mask has been a godsend for. I normally use it twice a week, but recently I've been using it on specific big spots and leaving it on overnight. It really helps to minimise the size and redness of the spot. I have used Lush's Mint Julips lip scrub everyday since I got it and it leaves my lips soft and smooth.

My random favourite this month has been this Jasmine candle from ASDA. I don't like to spend too much money on candles, so I was happy that it only cost £4 and I would say it's definitely on par with Yankee Candles. The smell is gorgeous and really radiates around the room. The packaging is fairly simple, but neutral.

What have you been loving this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Casual Weekend FOTD

Yesterday my family and I ventured to a number of furniture stores to try and buy some new furniture for our house. In the end, we traipsed to at least 5 versions of what felt like the same shop but came home empty handed. Better luck next time, eh?

At the weekend, I like to keep my makeup light and simple and try to use as few products as possible. If I could, I would go out without any makeup on, but instead I opt for a 'no-makeup-makeup' type look.

I decided to use Revlon Photoready in Shell as my base, as it gives a subtle glow to my complexion. I used my Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer in Natural Beige under my eyes and over any redness or blemishes. I gave my skin a light dusting of Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder to set my base and then used Benefit Dallas on the apples of my cheeks, as I think it gives a nice, healthy glow. Although I wanted to keep my makeup simple, I still did my staple winged eyeliner using the Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner and used my current favourite mascara - Rimmel Lash Accelerator. I filled in my eyebrows using my MAC 266 angled brush, which I am in love with, and a cool toned brown from my NYX Nude on Nude Natural Look Kit palette. To finish everything off, I used a little Eve Lom Kiss Mix lip balm to keep my lips soft and moisturised, while adding a little glossiness.

What does your weekend FOTD consist of?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Everyday Makeup

I don't often post FOTDs on here... In fact, I've only ever posted one before this! But I've recently been liking my everyday makeup so I thought I'd share it with you.

Face:

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Natural Collection Green Concealer

Paul & Joe Light Cream Foundation

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

MAC Studio Finish Concealer

L'Oreal True Match Powder

Cheeks:

Revlon Matte Blush in 'Perfectly Peach'

Benefit Hoola

Eyes:

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow in 'Sun'

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

Eyebrows:

Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 004 Black-Brown

Lips:

Benefit Her Glossiness in 'Didn't Hear it from Me'

If you would like to see me applying this, then check out my Youtube video here.

What makeup have you been using daily?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

July Favourites 2012

Today I thought I would share my favourites from July with you:

Haha, Youtube always choose such unfortunate thumbnails

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

April Favourites 2012

Today's post is for my April favourites. I hope you enjoy the video :)

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

December Favourites 2011

I know this a little bit late, but Happy New Year! I hope 2012 is an amazing year for you!

Today I have a quick December favourites for you (also a bit late, sorry). I haven't done a 'Favourites of 2011' post, as I'm at home at the moment and I only have my travel make-up bag with me and wasn't organised enough to take pictures before I left uni. I might do one when I go back next week, if anyone would be interested in seeing one.

Clockwise from left: NARS Laguna, MAC Her Blooming Cheek, TIGI Cherry Almond Leave-In Conditioner, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Max Factor Nailfinity in 'Red Passion'

I've been using NARS Laguna a tonne this month to contour and add colour to my face. It is a lovely brown (not orange) shade, which I've never found to be too dark for my pale skin tone. It has a tiny hint of sparkle, which gives a nice glow, rather than a disco ball appearance and isn't too obvious.

I mentioned this blush in my Current Favourites video and I have been alternating this with NARS Laguna all month. It's a bright blue tone pink blush, which looks petrifying in the pan, but leaves you with a pretty pink flush (as if you've just come back in from the cold).

I have been loving the TIGI Leave-In Conditioner all month. I've recently stopped using standard conditioner, as it has been leaving my hair feeling weighed down or greasy. So I have been shampooing and then applying this to my hair when it is approximately 80% dry. Since I'm leaving my hair to dry naturally, it helps my hair form nice waves, tames frizz and leaves it feeling so soft. Also it smells amazing!

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle has been my scent of choice since the weather has changed colder. I'm terrible at describing scents, so I'm not going to attempt it... Sorry! Although the perfume was rather pricey, I can see it lasting a long time as I have the eau de parfum and I find I only need 1-2 spritzes and the scent lasts all day.

I bought this polish ages ago and completely forgot about it! I wore this shade on my nails for Christmas and I loved it. I like that it's a blue toned red polish, rather than an orange toned red polish (like many on the market are) and it kind of reminds me of what Revlon's 'Cherries in the Snow' lipstick would look like as a nail varnish (even though Revlon has a 'Cherries in the Snow' nail varnish). This is part of Max Factor's Nailfinity line, so it's designed to last for a week or so. The picture of my nails shows the tipwear after about 6 days, so I have to say I'm mighty impressed! I'll definitely be checking out more colours in this range in the future.

I just wanted to throw one more favourite into the mix and it's my new iPhone 4S! I've only had it since Christmas, but it's love :) I have downloaded a number of apps already, but I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations?

What products have been your favourites this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Current Favourites

I didn't do a November favourites, because I was using pretty much the same make-up throughout November as October and I didn't see the point on posting the same favourites. But recently, I've been loving some new products so I thought I'd share them with you by doing a quick video.

What are you loving at the moment?

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

New Bits & Bobs

Last week I managed to get a MAC Her Blooming Cheek blush and MAC Pink Nouveau lipstick from the lovely Rachel's blog sale. I came home to see a parcel from her and literally ripped it open!

Her Blooming Cheek blush is a gorgeous, highly pigmented pink. It looks scary in the pan, but using a stippling brush to apply it leaves you with a pretty pink cheek. I think this will be a firm favourite this winter! Pink Nouveau is a bright Barbie pink lipstick. I originally didn't think it was very me, but upon trying it on I fell in love with it. I wore it when I went shopping with my mum with a neutral eye and I really liked it! Thank you so much again, Rachel!

Her Blooming Cheek, Pink Nouveau

I have recently been lusting after a dark red/wine lipstick for Autumn/Winter. I was waiting for my friend to get her eyebrows threaded in Superdrug, so I thought it was only right to have a cheeky look down all the make-up aisles! I went a little swatch happy and must have swatched every single dark red lipstick I came across. My hand looked like I had linear measles! After some deliberation, I opted for a red lipstick by MUA which was cheap as chips at only £1! It's a gorgeous red, which is lovely for night and day. It applies like a dream, is super creamy, non-drying and lasts for ages.

I also picked up a matte black eyeshadow (shade 20) as my old one had smashed into smithereens. Like I've said before, the pigmentation of MUA eyeshadows is amazing and they are soft and velvety. MUA has definitely rapidly become one of my favourite affordable brands.

MUA Lipstick Shade 1, MUA Eyeshadow Shade 20

What have you bought recently?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Haul From Home

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in approximately a week, I was at home for reading week at the end of October and was either spending time with my family, babysitting my sister or revising throughout most of it, so I didn't get much of a chance to blog and then when I got back to the flat, our internet had decided to go kaput and we have only got it back today. Thank goodness for mobile internet!!

Somehow I always manage to bring back to Birmingham a lot more than I take home! So I thought I'd show you my 'haul' of the stuff I brought back from home to Birmingham.

Post

I get most parcels sent home because of a few issues I've had with Birmingham postal service in the past. I won a giveaway from Shadahada's blog, but there were customs charges to pay and the postman left a card at the beginning of October. Unluckily, my parents went to China and America throughout the whole of October, so unfortunately I missed that and I think it got sent back to her :(

I was lucky enough to win the lovely Aseya's giveaway a while back. She was generous enough to post the item and added a few other goodies with it. I love the nail polish! That will definitely be featured in a NOTD soon! Thank you so much, again, Aseya! :D

I bought teeth whitening bleach from a dental showcase in March, but the trays that came with them were crap. I bought these custom fit trays for £35 on eBay, which is pretty good as it meant I didn't have to pay extortionate amounts at the dentist and the service from the eBay seller was great. They send you 4 pots of impression material and you have to take the impressions yourself (Quite a hilarious feat!) and then send you back our trays and a little vial of bleach. I highly recommend the sellers if you need bleaching trays.

Duty free and America

I asked my parents to pick up a new MAC Studio Fix Fluid for me from duty free, as I thought it'd be worthwhile to save a few pounds buying it in duty free. If I'd known they were going to America, I would have asked them to get it America, but oh well!

When I found out my parents were going to America, the first thing I asked them to pick me up were some Crest toothpaste, as I've heard people rave about these and I wanted to give them a try! I hope they live up to my expectations.

Previously Bought

I went to Bicester Village with my mum and picked up a few things from CCO. The Brighter By Nature Pads have received brilliant reviews on the Origins website, so I persuaded my mum to treat me. I have used a few of the pads and unfortunately I am yet to experience the amazing effects that everyone else has. I will persevere and update you all. The set of the Vitazing, Ginzing eye cream and Drink Up Intensive Mask was a brilliant bargain at around £30! I've been using the Vitazing moisturiser and omgosh, it's love!

I hope this hasn't been too boring for you! Have you tried any of the products I brought back? What did you think of them?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

October Favourites 2011

I don’t have many favourites this month, as I have been trying to speed up my morning routine and have been using the same few products all month. I also haven’t bought any new make-up for a few months now and I am actively trying to minimise my collection.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid – I bought my first bottle of this almost 5 years ago and used it every day. During the past few years, I’ve opted for lighter coverage foundations and reserved this for nights out and days where I needed my make-up to last. Over the past month or so, I have been choosing this as my go-to foundation and I have rediscovered the love I had for it back when I first bought it. It leaves a lovely matte finish, which I am aware that a lot of people dislike. I find it can look natural if you only use a pea sized amount of foundation. It lasts all day on my skin and doesn't leave me a oily mess by lunchtime. I have the shade NC15 and it is a perfect colour match. This is love.

Layering Different Mascaras –Recently I’ve been forgoing eyeliner in a bid to speed my up make-up routine and instead I have been applying lashings (excuse the pun) of mascara. The two mascaras I've been reaching for the most recently are Max Factor False Lash Effect (the waterproof version) and Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara. By mixing a volumising mascara and a lengthening one, they have made my lashes look super long and voluminous. I love that they’re both waterproof/long lasting formulas, which means that I don't get an unsightly raccoon look and they hold curl wonderfully. The combination of these two products, along with my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers, have rapidly become holy grail status.

Topshop Neon Rose – I have been using this cream blush so much over the past month. I love that I can just use my fingers to apply it and I love the matte, powdery finish. It’s a gorgeous colour, which leaves you with a pretty flush to the cheeks. Although, be aware that it’s very easy to go overboard with this blush and you could end up looking rather clown like! (See here for swatches and to find out what it is a potential dupe for).

What were your favourite products this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

August Favourites 2011

I can't believe it's the end of August already! This means I need to start repacking for university soon, as I go back to Birmingham on the 10th (and start on the 12th). Argh! Packing is so stressful, lol. This month, I haven't really been doing anything exciting with my make-up. To be honest, I've been using the same products every day and I haven't bought anything new as I'm trying to be good and use up the make-up I have, before buying more.

MAC Lustre Drops in Sun Rush - I bought this from a blog sale a couple of months ago and didn't ever use it, because I didn't really know what to do with it! This month I have been adding a tiny drop to my foundation and it gives a lovely glowy and fresh bronzed look. It gives the right amount of glow, without making it look like you've gone overboard with shimmery bronzer. It also looks pretty as a highlighter, especially underneath W7 Africa (mentioned below).

W7 Africa Bronzing Powder - W7 market this as a bronzing powder, which baffles me as I can't see any bronze when I watch it! When swirled together, it's a beautiful peachy-pink colour, which I use this as a highlighter. It doesn't have massive chunks of glitter, like some powder highlighters do and it makes you look really glowy. Another great thing about this? It only costs £1.99!


Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Concealer in Fair - I absolutely love this! I know it's designed primarily for use under your eyes, but I also use it on areas with redness or discolouration (e.g. under my nose, on acne scars, etc.). It's a perfect lightweight concealer, which does not crease and lasts all day. The colour 'fair' is a perfect match for me, which is lucky! I always thought the roller ball was a bit of a gimmick, but I have to admit it is nice and cooling under the eyes and great in the morning when you're still half dead.


Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Rivage - This is my current favourite lipstick and have used it non stop all month. This lipstick is so beautiful and it's my perfect 'lips-but-better' colour. I love the colour, the formula, the packaging, everything about it! (Thanks again to Tine, as I won it in her giveaway!)

Missguided Nail Splash in Missbehave - I've been wearing this colour on my fingers and toes for the whole of August. It's a pretty, mid-tone pink, which is described perfectly on the Missguided website as cotton candy pink. The application was easy and the colour was opaque in two coats. This nail polish has great wear and only chipped at the tips after about 3/4 days.


Babyliss Big Hair - I only bought this in the middle of August, but I love it! It gives me big hair and I have big love for it! (I will have a detailed review of this coming soon)

What were your favourite products this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

N.B. Everything was bought with my own money, apart from the Chanel lipstick which I won in Tine's giveaway and the Missguided Nail Splash, which I was given at the Brum Blogger Meet. All my opinions are 100% honest regardless of where I got the product.

Hey Mr. Postman (Part I)

Over the past few weeks I've done a spot of online shopping from eBay and blog sales and won a few blog giveaways. I had some stuff sent to my home address and some to my uni address, in the hope that they would arrive while I was there during Easter/reading week or term time. However, I haven't seen some of the stuff until now!

Even though I've had some of the items for a few weeks, I decided to do accumulative posts instead of posting as soon as I received things. In order to stop them from being mammoth posts, I decided to split them into two posts - One with my eBay and blog sale purchases and one with my giveaway wins and LLYMLRS JWLRY purchase.

Sorry it's a mix of camera and Blackberry photos. My camera ran out of battery and I don't have a memory card for my new one yet!

Clockwise from left: Jelly Lens, Hair Spirals, Royal Wedding Mug and Glycolic Acid

Hair Spirals (£0.99 for 3) and Jelly Lens (£0.99): I was on the hunt for some cheap alternatives to the Goodys Spin Pins, which retail at nearly £5 for 2 (Extortionate much?!). I found the hair spirals, after typing in 'hair spirals' in the search bar, from a seller in China who came up trumps with 3 for 99p with free postage! I had a nosy through the other items they sold and decided to also purchase the jelly lens. It's a bit of a gimmick to be honest and since I received it, I've not actually used it! But at only 99p, I thought it'd be a bit of fun. The items only took about 10 days to get here from China, which I was super impressed with.

Royal Wedding Mug (£5.50): Out of all my friends, I was the only person that was super excited about the Royal Wedding last month. With all the build up to the wedding, I had a look at all the memorabilia that was being released. After seeing a lot of merchandise with subtle royal designs, I decided I wanted something that was rather in-your-face, so I hunted around on eBay and thought this mug was perfect! The pictures are from the day they announced their engagement and I just love how happy they look :)

Glycolic Face Peel (£4.75 + £2.25 p&p): Recently my skin has been looking a little dull and I was getting a bit sick of my acne scars, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm a bit of a DIY obsessive, so I did some research on face peels. In the end, I decided Glycolic Acid would be a good starting point and settled on 30% concentration. I chose this one over one with a free neutralizer, because the 'free brush' swayed me... But as you can see, the brush is tiny and pointless! Plus the instructions say to apply the peel with a cotton pad, so I don't understand why they include a brush!

(I have only linked where I got the glycolic acid from, because the sellers of the hair spirals, jelly lens and royal wedding mug don't appear to be selling the items anymore.)

Clockwise from left: MAC Lustre Drops from Ellie's blog sale, Essie Midnight Cami and H&M Blue My Mind from Product Pixie's blog sale and Cloud 9 mini straightners from Ann's blog sale

I never really used to buy from blog sales because I didn't have my own Paypal account and using my dad's wasn't really an option. I used to look at blog sale posts and think what I would buy if I had my own Paypal. Thinking back now, I wonder how many things I wanted but missed out on... Since setting up my own eBay account and therefore a Paypal, I've been a keen bean and bought a number of things. I think blog sales are good opportunities for people to get rid of the stuff they don't use and for others to try things without committing to the RRP.

Sorry this post is so long! If I haven't already bored you to death, I will have the second part of this post tomorrow :)

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Favourite Lip Combination of the Moment

I just thought I'd share my favourite lip combination of the moment with you all. Since the weather is starting to warm up and summer is almost nigh, it's the trend to wear bright lipsticks. I've been wanting to wear some bright lipsticks, but alas I've been scared! So I settled for a happy medium, where my lips are brighter than usual but not as bright as the trends.

Left: MAC lipstick in To Swoon For, Right: ELF Plumping Lip Glaze in Oasis

Left: Oasis, Right: To Swoon For

The combination looks a little brighter and darker in real life.

What are you favourite lip combinations at the moment?

xoxo, Joy

Review: MAC Face and Body

I've been meaning to write this review for absolutely ages now, but I kept putting it off. I thought now would be the perfect time to get it up, since spring is officially here and summer is dawning on us and I think MAC Face and Body is a perfect foundation for these seasons.


What they say: (From MacCosmetics.co.uk) A water-based, water-resistant foundation that provides natural coverage for face and/or body. Ideal for all skin types. Face and Body Foundation provides sheer, natural looking coverage in an easy to blend formula. Available in a wide range of colours. Contains several emollients to help moisturise and condition the skin. It delivers professional looking results that meet the exacting standards of beauty photography and is ideal for perfecting the face and body.

Price: £23.50

Swatch:

MAC Face and Body in Shade N2

Slightly blended out. Hopefully you get an idea of how runny/watery this is.

What I Think: I absolutely adore this foundation! It gives a lovely, natural finish which looks like your-skin-but-better. It has low-medium coverage, but it is also build-able and can be layered to achieve a higher coverage. I've tried using a variety of brushes to apply this, such as the Sigma F80 and a regular foundation brush, but I really like using my fingers to apply this for a lovely natural finish. The foundation applies quite runny, but after a minute or so, it becomes tougher to blend in - Almost as if it has set or something. I have areas of redness around my nose and chin that require some extra coverage and although the foundation doesn't cover these up completely, I don't mind and a little concealer is all I need to sort it out. I just love how natural this foundation looks.

I am impressed with how well this foundation lasts. I set it with powder and it lasts pretty much all day. My cheeks tend to be quite dry, while my t-zone gets oily throughout the day, and I have found that this foundation is perfect for my skin. Since this is a water based foundation, it gives my skin the right amount of hydration.

Due to this being a water based foundation, an oil free moisturiser would need to be used with it, since water and oil don't mix. If you use a moisturiser with oil in it, the foundation will slip straight off. I didn't realise this when I first started using this and since switching to an oil free moisturiser, I have found that the foundation lasts longer. I wouldn't necessarily say this is a disadvantage, but it's something that I wanted to flag up.

One disadvantage of this foundation is the colour range. In comparison to the countless shades of foundations like MAC Studio Fix or MAC Studio Sculpt, Face and Body only has 13 shades. They are either warm (N) or cool (C). The MUA in MAC matched me to N2, which I thought was strange since I'm rather yellow-toned and usually wear NC15/NC20 in Studio Fix. However I have found that because this foundation is so sheer, it is quite forgiving if you do end up with the wrong shade or can't find one to match your skin perfectly and it will still blend in seamlessly regardless.

Another disadvantage (which I've not encountered myself, but have heard about from other people's reviews) is that the foundation can tend to separate. I understand that separation is inevitable, since the foundation is water based and you do get a lot of product, but I've had this foundation for about 6 months now and have not encountered any problems yet. Hopefully I'll finish it before it gets a chance to!

Although £23.50 is quite expensive for a foundation, it is worthwhile since you get a whopping 120ml of product! This works out at approximately 20p/ml (In comparison to Mac Studio Fix - £19.50 for 30ml and 65p/ml). It will last you for ages! I have used this pretty much every day (or at least 3-4 times a week) since I bought this and have only used approximately 1/3 of the bottle.

I would definitely recommend this to people that like sheer foundations and/or wear tinted moisturiser. I can see this being a foundation that I will always have a bottle of! :)

Have any of you ever tried MAC Face and Body? What did you think of it?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

First FOTD, plus a few other things

This is my first FOTD post (Actually it's yesterday's FOTD...), eeek. I was quite hesitant about posting this, because I was feeling self conscious about the picture as my skin hasn't been that great lately and I filled in my eyebrows unevenly! But in the end, I just decided 'What the heck, I'm just going to post it'. This is just a simple, neutral day look which I wore to my lectures yesterday.

Please excuse my washing in the background!

Face
Benefit Dr. Feelgood (As a primer)
Revlon Photoready in Shell
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15
Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder
MAC Virgin Isle CCB
Bourjois Rose de Jaspe

Eyes (I forgot to take close up pictures of my eye, sorry!)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MUA eyeshadow in Shade 11 all over the lid
MAC Brun eyeshadow in the outer third, crease and eyebrows
No7 Gel Eyeliner
No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara

Lips
Body Shop Sheer Lip Shine in Sheer Pink

Last week, I was lucky enough to win another giveaway. I was so chuffed when I saw an email from the lovely Leah telling me that I'd won. The parcel with the prizes arrived at the weekend, so that was a really nice way to start off a lovely weekend :) Thank you so much, Leah!!! Go take a look at Leah's blog (Look! Flying Monkeys!), it's full of a mix of beauty, fashion, food and all things lovely. :)


I just wanted to share a quick Boots purchase with you all. It never would have occurred to me that you could buy jewellery in Boots, but I was waiting for my friend while she was buying some stuff and was surprised to see a jewellery stand. Not only a jewellery stand, but one with lots of pieces that had 1/2 price stickers on them, score! There were some other pretty pieces, but this ring really caught me eye. It reminds me of a wing ring that I'd seen on ASOS a while back, but smaller and cheaper at only £2! I really like how it has the diameter of the ring on the label, rather than S, M or L. Although when I first tried the ring on, I almost had a panic attack when I thought it was stuck, lol! From now on, everytime I pop into Boots, I'm going to keep an eye out for their jewellery section! :)


Have any of you bought any jewellery in unexpected places before?

Thank you for reading. I hope my FOTD didn't scare you off, lol! xoxo, Joy

Pearls & Poodles Giveaway + DIY Projects

I found out earlier this week that I had won Milly's 1 year blog birthday giveaway of a MAC lipstick and an eyeshadow. I was over the moon and could not believe how lucky I was! Thank you so much again, Milly :D If you don't already follow Milly's blog, why not?! It's amazing, with a mix of beauty, fashion and lots of gorgeous cupcakes, you should all go and take a look!

I was able to choose which lipstick and eyeshadow I wanted, so I opted for Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick which I've wanted for a while now and Brun eyeshadow to fill in my eyebrows.

I've been at home for reading week this past week and when I got back to uni last night, I saw a little parcel from MAC outside my room and actually squeed before running into my room and ripping the box open.



As soon as I got into my room, I whipped Viva Glam Cyndi out of the box and applied it. It is a perfect coral-red, which is suitable for day and night. I love it! Brun is a lovely matte dark brown. It blends in perfectly with my brows and I can also see myself using this in my crease with some of the colours from my Naked Palette.

Since I've been back, I've also been inspired to do a little bit of DIY.

I made myself an eyeshadow primer, following Ingrid/MissGlamorazzi's tutorial here. I was surprised at how easy it was to make! All you need is foundation, concealer and moisturiser!

I forgot to take a picture before I mixed everything together!

L-R: On its own, over Urban Decay Primer Potion, over DIY Primer

In her video, Ingrid showed swatches of the DIY primer in comparison to other high end primers. I decided to do this as well to show how good the DIY primer is! The black eyeshadow is by BeautyUK and on its own, it looks like a washed out black/grey. With UDPP and the DIY primer, you can see how pigmented/intense it becomes. Surprisingly, the DIY primer makes the shadow pretty much as intense as the UDPP does! I don't think it'll help to delay creasing, but it's definitely a good alternative to forking out for the high end primers or if you run out of your favourite primer.

I also decided to make my own palette using Fee/MakeupSavvy's tutorial here on using a sanitary towel protective tin that came free with packs of Bodyform. I've had this box since I was in year 7, where everyone tried to be discreet and slide their towel up their school jumper sleeve without anyone noticing (Or was it just the girls in my school that did that?). It's been sat in my drawer for years now, so I decided to make use of it and turn it into a palette.


The MUA eyeshadows were super easy to depot. All I did was slide my knife between the pan and the plastic and lever it out. I was expecting to need to use my straightners to melt the glue a little, but no heat was required. Trying to depot the Beauty UK shadow was another story! I managed to flick a massive chunk of it out, dent the pan and in the end, didn't even end up depotting it. Bad times.


I still have some space in the tin, so I might depot some of my other random eyeshadows at a later date.

I just thought I'd throw in some swatches of the MUA eyeshadows. They're so pigmented and soft. I love them and for only £1 (90p if you have an NUS card or fill out a survey online - See the back of the receipt!), they're great value for money! I really like the MUA brand - It's affordable and great quality.

L-R: Shade 12, Shade 1, Shade 11

Sorry for the lengthy post. If you read it all, I congratulate you :)

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Dupe: MAC Virgin Isle

Normally I ramble on and give you the whole back story in each post, but today I thought I'd get stuck straight in... I think I may have found a potential dupe for MAC's Virgin Isle Cream Colour Base, which I wrote about here.

Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose vs. MAC Virgin Isle CCB

Neon Rose is part of Topshop's permanent make-up range, priced at £6 for 4g, while Virgin Isle was limited edition from the MAC Stylishly Yours collection, priced at £13.50 for 3.2g. Although correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it is a MAC pro product, so it would still be available after this collection has gone.

All photos were taken in natural daylight with no flash.

Left: Neon Rose, Right: Virgin Isle
(I probably should have given the products a clean before I took photos, lol!)

As you can see, the two products don't look particularly similar in the pan. Virgin Isle is a lot brighter than Neon Rose. Neon Rose looks pinkier, while Virgin Isle has a more orangey-red tone.

Swatch - Left: Neon Rose, Right: Virgin Isle

Swatch blended out - Left: Neon Rose, Right: Virgin Isle

Personally, I think the two products look very similar in these pictures. You can see that Virgin Isle is more pigmented than Neon Rose and you can see the different finishes of the two products - Neon Rose has a cream to powder formula, while Virgin Isle does not. But apart from that, I would say that they are dupes of each other.

What do you think? Are Neon Rose and Virgin Isle dupes or not?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy