Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipsticks

After a day at work earlier in the week, I decided to pop into Boots to buy myself ONE new pink toned nude lippy, as I seem to have a thing for nude lips at the moment.

As you can all guess, this whole 'one item only thing' never happened. Let's face it, it never does, who was I kidding? Especially considering everything is always on 3 for 2, a little splurge was inevitable...

   

 After having a walk around and swatching everything so much that my hand was beginning to resemble Elma the Elephant (please tell me you guys know who that is, and loved the book when you were little too!), I settled on these Maybelline ColourSensential Lipsticks, along with my first Rimmel Apocolips Lip Laquer, and Revlon Photoready Cream Blush (reviews to come soon)!

This isn't the first time I've purchased lipsticks from this range- I have quite a few now and absolutely love them! So after swanning around Boots hunting for the perfect shade, it's no surprise that I eventually made my way to these.

These are the colours I chose to purchase. (From left to right) 842- Rosewood Pearl,175- Pink Punch, 338- Midnight Plum, 630- Velvet Beige.

   

Rosewood Pearl is a lovely everyday nude lipstick, that applies quite sheer but can be built up easily. For me, it's probably one of the best 'your lips but better' colour I've come across to date.

Pink Punch is a bright fushia pink, that I haven't had the chance to wear yet, however the colour is very bold and opaque when swatched. I never used to be one for bright lipsticks, but am slowly getting braver, and purchased this after lusting after MAC's Girl About Town, but not being able to bring myself to part with £14 for a lipstick I might not like. 

Midnight Plum is a purple lipstick with blue toned shimmer, and is within my usual red/ purple bright lipstick comfort zone. This lipstick is sheerer than expected and takes a few coats to build up to a very deep berry purple. 

Velvet Beige is a pinky nude, but is the colour I'm least sure about. It is very opaque, and can look quite harsh on the lips. Whilst pretty in the tube, the colour just makes me look more like a senior citizen (typical granny colour). I'm still experimenting to find a way to sheer this out and make it work for me though!  

Overall I love these lipsticks, and Maybelline have an amazing colour range to choose from, unlike some other high street brands. The consistancy of these is lovely and very moisturising, although the staying power could be a little better when it comes to the nude shades in particular. They retail for £7.19 each and are available in Superdrug, Boots, and Supermarkets, although I always purchase mine in Boots (3 for 2, AND Boots Advantage Card Points= No Brainer).

Have you ever tried any lipsticks from this line, and what did you think of them? If not, what is your favourite range of high street/ drugstore lipsticks?

  

Let Me Introduce Myself...

So after writing a few on topic blog posts, I feel its appropriate to introduce myself to any readers that may be out there!

This is me, hello *waves*:

 My name is Dominique and I'm nineteen years old.
I live in a Kentish town with my family and boyfriend of four years. :)
I love cats and have twelve. I would name them all but it'd take forever, so here are some photographs instead- who doesn't love cat pictures?!

I love anything beauty and fashion related and also enjoy reading blogs, and had been thinking about making my own for a long old time, and finally decided to take the plunge. 

Now you know a little about me, I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment saying hello!

  

Lust List: Monochrome Accessories

1- HANNA Flatform Sandals , Topshop, £32

After a recent purchase of plain black flatform pumps, I've been looking for a pair of summer shoes that give me that little bit of height (and make my legs look thinner of course!), and I think these are them! I don't own any white shoes, but think these would look lovely in the warmer months when tights are no longer necessary. The price isn't outrageous either. Topshop, you've done it again!

 

2- Jeffrey Campbell Lita Daisy Shoes, NastyGal, £104.42

My jaw dropped as soon as I saw these, and I've been visiting the Nasty Gal website continuously since just to look at them, although I haven't had it in me to press the checkout button yet! I own a pair of black velvet Litas already, which are gorgeous, but think these are a stunning more summery pair. I'd team these with bare legs and frilled ankle socks, for a girly meets edgy feel.

3- Moon Gaze Shades , NastyGal, £26.10

Another Nasty Gal find; If I had to buy all my clothes from one website, it'd probably be here. These shades remind me of some by Prada, but are obviously far cheaper, it's just a shame that customs charges exist, or they'd be on their way to me already. I'm considering purchasing this similar pair from Asos to avoid having to pay for shipping and customs though, but we shall have to see!

4- White Cambridge Satchel , Asos, £105

I always purchase black handbags, and frequently find myself wearing an all black outfit, which isn't very summery at all. I can see myself wearing this bag with a black lace summer dress, teamed with the white flatforms above, and my trusty black bowler hat, with some silver jewellery pieces as an accent. A summery take on my standard monochrome style.

5- Above Knuckle Rings , Asos, £6

I wasn't sure about above knuckle rings when I first saw them, but I've grown to really like the idea of them. These ones are plain which suits me perfectly, as I tend to gravitate towards unfussy and simple jewellery, with the exception of a statement necklace occasionally thrown in for good measure. 

What are your favourite current trends, and what are you currently lusting over? 

Review: Kerastase Masquintense

A few months ago I decided to dip dye my hair myself at home using the L'Oreal Wild Ombres 3 Kit. Being the worrier that I am, and considering every time I go to the hairdressers I get told that my hair is dry, I decided that it was a sensible idea to invest in a deep conditioning treatment before bleaching the ends of my hair.

I popped into the hairdressers, and after a quick discussion with the assistant about my hair type I decided to purchase the Kerastase Masquintense number 3 for fine hair.

I think I paid around £23, but after searching on the internet have found that it can be purchased from www.lookfantastic.com for £19.92, and you get 200ml of product in the tub.

The product comes in a tub with a screw top lid, which will make it easy to get the last bits of product out when I've nearly finished the tub. However, generally I think it's a little unhygienic, and very fiddly to get the product out of the tub when I use this in the shower. I think I'd prefer for it to be in a bottle with a pump dispenser overall..

I have very long hair and use a walnut size amount, which does the job. I smooth the mask through the lengths of my hair once a week, and leave it on for 5-10 minutes before rinsing it off. After using this for a few months now, it's crazy that I've hardly made a dent in the top- this stuff is going to last for ages, and would obviously last even longer if your hair is shorter than mine is!

The smell is quite floral but I don't think it's overpowering, although I've heard other people say otherwise. It really depends on whether smells bother you, as they generally don't bother me anyway. When the product is rinsed off the smell does stay on your hair throughout the day, and I quite enjoy getting a whiff of it a few hours later as I go about my business. :)

The consistency is more runny than I expected which also makes it quite tricky to apply, especially in a shower situation, and I often find myself dropping some into the bath and crying a little inside as I watch it disappear down the plug hole considering its quite pricey (a slightly over the top reaction haha).

After using this mask my usually unruly, tangled hair is definitely far more manageable. I find that It stays sleek and soft throughout the day, but after the next wash is back to normal again. Therefore I wouldn't really say that it hydrates your hair very effectively, rather coats it making it feel lovely for the day only.

This mask does not weigh down my long fine hair which is impressive, and generally I do enjoy using it, however I wish its effects were more long lasting than they are.

I'm still undecided as to whether I'll repurchase, but think I'm edging towards the idea of trying a few different masks instead, in the hope that I find one that can truly nourish my hair.

What's your favourite hair mask or treatment?

My Mac Eyeshadow Palette

I am 100% an eye product junkie. Some people seem to hoard lip products, but my makeup drawers are instead bursting full of eyeshadows, primers, and pigments. As a result, naturally I've accumulated a rather nice collection of MAC eyeshadows...

I didn't have all that many MAC eyeshadows until my last birthday, when my boyfriend decided to whisk me off to the Selfridges beauty hall and buy me a fifteen eyeshadow MAC palette (I was over the moon of course!), in an attempt to satisfy all of my eyeshadow needs. I spent a good forty minutes swatching and comparing before I finally had compiled my list and was ready to make my way to the till.

I'm pretty unadventurous when it comes to colours, so I chose mainly neutral shades, with a few darker colours thrown in for good measure, considering i'm rather partial to a smokey eye.

So without further ado, here 'she' is...

And here's a closer view of all of the colours inside!

As pricey as MAC eyeshadows are (£10 for a pan refill now if i'm correct- shocking!), I do think that most of them are amazingly pigmented, and of lovely consistency.

CRYSTAL AVALANCHE is a 'white with reflects'.  love to use this eyeshadow as a highlight on the brow bone, and as with most MAC eyeshadows a little does go a long way. I also love to use this as a highlight in the tear duct area.

NAKED LUNCH is a 'minimal pink with shimmer'. This is a lovely all over lid colour which I like to pair with Satin Taupe for a nice everyday look.

WEDGE is a 'soft muted beige taupe'. This is a colour which looks gorgeous in the pan, and has a lovely matte finish which would in theory be beautiful as a crease contour colour. However, I have tried to use this so many times, but just find that the colour payoff isn't so good. I'm actually not sure why I didn't notice this when I was at the counter, not sure if I just got a 'bad' one? Either way, sad times indeed.

WOODWINKED is a 'warm antiqued gold'. It is such a beautiful summery colour that I think would suit any skin tone. I'm NC15 or paler, and love this as a crease colour, but think it would be a beautiful lid colour on deeper skin tones.

HONEY LUST is a 'bronze dipped peach'. Again, this is a stunning all over lid colour. It's very shimmery and slightly grainy in texture, so if either of these things put you off then this is one to steer clear of! It's very similar in colour to All That Glitters, although I prefer Honey Lust on my cool skin tone.

ALL THAT GLITTERS is a 'beige with gold pearl'. If you have a warmer skin tone, this colour is likely to suit you. I find it to be quite pink-toned, so prefer to wear the very similar Honey Lust, as I feel it compliments my skin tone better.

SATIN TAUPE is a 'taupe with silver shimmer'. This is one of MAC's cult shades, and I can definitely see why! It's become one of my go to everyday shades, and is a colour I won't hesitate to repurchase when finished.

ESPRESSO is a 'muted golden brown'. Again, this is one I will definitely repurchase, and is probably my favourite crease colour in the palette for everyday wear, probably because of it's matte finish, which makes it perfect for daytime. I also take this colour along my lower lash line if I fancy a daytime appropriate smokey eye.

MULCH is a 'red-brown with bronze pearl'. This is another very rich shade, which is very versatile and looks surprisingly nice on my skin tone. It's slightly shimmery but still is able to be worn as an everyday colour and is very easy to blend.

BRONZE is a 'gold-brown with gold-bronze shimmer'. This colour is one that goes beautifully with All That Glitters, and I actually also have in a duo in my handbag. It's one that I used to wear a lot, but have left off of recently, in favour of cooler toned colours over the winter months.

TWINKS is a 'deep plum with pearl'. An amazing colour for a rich smokey eye, this is a shade I like to build up for a dramatic night time look. Smudged across the lower lash line, it looks gorgeous, and is entirely responsible for my desire to now purchase 'Cranberry' as I think they would look nice together.

SMUT is a 'muted black with red shimmer'. However, I'd actually say that this is more plum toned, and Twinks is more red toned, but there you go! This is another of my favourites for a coloured smokey eye.

PRINT is a 'muted grey with shimmer' and is my go to smokey eye base colour.

BLACK TIED is a 'black with silver sparkle'. This colour looks like the perfect black glitter in the pan, but I wish the glitter was more noticeable when applied. It's still lovely to add a subtle pop at night time though!

CARBON is an 'intense black'. If you're in the market for a black eyeshadow and fancy purchasing one from MAC then i'd recommend Typographic over Carbon. This is simply because of the consistency and colour payoff. I find Carbon to have quite a chalky consistency which is difficult to blend in comparison to Typograpic, and Typographic's colour payoff is definitely superior.

  

Apologies for the very lengthly post but here you go! What are your favourite MAC eyeshadows? Or maybe you've found some good dupes? Either way I'd love to hear what you have to say so feel free to leave a comment!