MAC Faux Lipstick

MAC is a makeup brand that I'm sure most people have heard of. Being slightly more expensive than high street cosmetics I had always avoided buying anything from them, even though I knew I would love most of their products.

Last summer I finally decided it was time for me to purchase my first MAC product and I absolutely loved it. From that moment on I have been obsessed with their products and would say that they are one of my favourite makeup brands.

After building up my collection of bright lipsticks, I decided to venture into more nude colours and came across a shade I had never seen before, this shade was Faux, a satin finish muted mauve-pink colour.

This lipstick is perfect for an everyday look as it isn't too out there and makes the lips look beautiful and smooth. I've never had a satin finish lipstick before so I wasn't sure what to expect, I assumed that the lipstick would transfer slightly more sheer onto my lips. However it seems extremely matte to me.

I'm not really sure why it's satin finish as I'd say its definitely more matte than anything else, which is perfect for me as I love matte lipsticks. Despite the matte finish the lipstick is very moisturising and lasts on my lips for most of the day, and the amazing vanilla scent that comes with all of MAC's lipsticks is so pretty.

This lipstick retails as £15 which is slightly expensive, but it really does show, when you use it, that the quality is very good. Do you own any MAC lipsticks? Which is your favourite?

Thanks for reading x

Sleek

Sleek cosmetics is a brand that I hadn't really heard much about until recently, I'd always seen the stand in Superdrug and assumed that the products weren't very good because they're so cheap. I was so wrong!

About a year ago I really wanted a bright purple lipstick and couldn't find one anywhere, until I saw that Sleek had a vibrant purple-pink lipstick with a matte finish. I bought it thinking that I'd probably not like it and again, I was so wrong.

I now have four lipsticks from Sleek and really hope to get some more soon!

The first of the lipsticks and probably my favourite is Smoulder. Although this is a sheen lipstick it lasts so long on my lips, literally all night, it's amazing. It is a dark purple-brown colour which gives off a grungey kind of look. The formula is so nice as it smoothes over the lips very easily and the pigmentation is excellent.

The second lipstick, Cherry, is also a favourite of mine. The formula is a sheen finish just as Smoulder is and it is a very deep red, I have noticed that even though it does last for a long time on the lips after a few hours the colour begins to fade and creates a stain on your lips. This isn't really an issue though as you can just reapply it throughout the day/night.

Next up is the matte purple-pink lipstick, Mystic, which is the first Sleek lipstick I ever bought. I really love this colour and although it is very bright I think it can be worn with a lot of different make up looks. The formula of this lipstick can be quite drying as it has a matte finish, although if you apply lip balm before applying it then your lips shouldn't dry out too much. 

Finally is the matte lipstick Heartbreaker and my least favourite of the four. It is a very bright pink colour which really does not suit my skin tone. The formula is pretty much exactly the same as Mystic as they are both matte and the colour is actually really pretty. 

I really love these lipsticks (if you hadn't already got that!) and I would honestly recommend anyone to get them. 

Thanks for reading x

Everyday natural makeup

Everyday natural makeup is something that can actually be quite tricky to achieve, there have been times when I have aimed for natural makeup but have applied slightly too much of one product that I end up with a full faced makeup look.

Natural makeup should enhance what you already have, making your eyes stand out and your skin look fresh and healthy. Here is my step by step guide to achieving natural everyday makeup.

Primer: Firstly you should begin with a clean face, freshly cleansed and moisturised (I also like to use MAC fix+ as it freshens my face up and makes my makeup look more natural), and begin using a primer. Primer can be used in many ways but it's sole purpose is to keep makeup in place all day and help with the application of your foundation. The primer that I used for this look was the Benefit Porefessional primer which claims to reduce the appearene of pores once your foundation has been applied. I apply this to my T zone and cheeks carefully patting the product on with my fingers.

Foundation: Next I used my Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation SPF 15 in the shade Sand. This foundation has a medium coverage which is buildable and it is extremely pretty. For this look I use the smallest amount of foundation to achieve a natural look. I applied the product evenly over my face using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

Concealer: I then used my MAC Studio Finish Concealer to cover up and blemishes I may have, I apply this using my fingers and then blend that in with the same Real Techniques Buffing Brush. For my under eyes I used Benefit Boing concealer for a more fresh faced look.

Mascara: I usually apply my mascara before applying eyeshadow as I tend to be very heavy handed and get it literally everywhere! I used Benefits They're Real mascara which is literally amazing although very pricey.

Eyeshadow: To begin with I used the Urban Decay eyelid primer to prime my eyelids which holds my eyeshadow on all day. I then took the shade Naked from my Urban Decay Naked Pallette and apply that all over my eyelid with an ELF eyeshadow brush, I then took the shade Buck from the same pallette and applied that to the crease of my eyelid and blended it out. This will give the eye a little more definition. I also applied a light shimmery shade from an MUA pallette to the inner corner of my eyes as a highlight to give the illusion of bigger and more awake eyes.

Contour: This is my favourite step for every makeup look as it frames the face and makes the cheekbones more prominent. I used my Benefit HOOLA bronzing powder and took a small amount on my Real Techniques contour brush then applied a line underneath my cheekbones and then blend that out. Make sure to blend this out completely otherwise you'll have a dirty looking line down the side of your face!

Highlight: This isn't a necessary step but if you want to achieve that glowing fresh effect then I would recommend it. I used my Topshop highlight in Sunbeam which is a slightly golden colour and applied a small amount to the top of my cheekbones with the same Real Techniques contour brush and blended it out. I also applied a tiny bit to my brow bone and cupids bow.

Lips: For an everyday look you could just apply a bit of lip balm or Vaseline but I applied a MAC Cremesheen lipstick in Coral Bliss, a very sheer corally pink colour.

You may want to apply some blusher for a rosy cheeked effect, I just personally don't like the look of blusher on myself. I am by no means an expert with makeup so if you do your makeup in a different order or apply it differently and you're happy with the results then by all means carry on that way, I just though this might be helpful for beginners to learn a few basic tips.




Thanks for reading x

Daisy Street Discount

Online shopping is something that I am very familiar with since coming to university and getting my student loan, there was one point that I was going to my accommodation reception every day to collect a new parcel. Nothing has changed in the 5/6 months of being here, despite having no money, I  somehow manage to justify spending money on clothes.

Daisy Street is an online shop much like Misguided, their clothes are always on trend and at a reasonable price, so when I discovered their 50% off sale items discount I knew that I couldn't turn back. Basically, when you enter the discount code 'SALE50' all sale items in your basket are reduced to half price! 

Here are the items that I purchased: 

The first item is a dark grey swing dress which originally cost £15.99 and was reduced to £9.99 in the sale. The second item is a chunky gold chain necklace which was originally priced at £9.99 and was reduced to just £4.99. My favourite item is the green and navy tartan skirt which originally cost £19.99 and now costs £15.49. Last but not least is this basic black cropped tee which cost just £3.99.

After adding these items to my basket, I added the discount code 'SALE50' which then took £12.74 off of my total price! Don't miss out on this amazing discount, I'm not sure how long it's going to last for.

Have you ever bought anything from Daisy Street? 

Vegatarian or crazy?

Since I can remember I've been somewhat fussy when it comes to meat, if I think about the meat whilst i'm eating it I start to feel nauseous and can't eat anymore. I remember one time I was eating a chicken burger from McDonalds and I started thinking about what I was eating, for the rest of that week I could't bring myself to eat meat. The problem is, I absolutely love beef. Burgers, spaghetti Bolognese and roast beef! Anything with beef, I will eat. Until I think too much about it...

I also have a very strange sort of phobia of fish. I can't remember the last time I ate it, definitely over ten years ago, I can't remember what it tastes like. All I know is that it's stinky and when you go in the sea they swim between your toes and pop. Well, thats what happens in my mind. I can't eat around anyone eating fish and I can't look at fish because they make me feel sick.

So this leaves me with 3 problems...

1. I can't eat meat without feeling nauseous

2. No one around me can eat any kind of fish unless it doesn't look like fish

3. I'm very strange

For years my dislike for meat (or the thought of meat) grew stronger and I started to eat it less and less. When finally, at the beginning of january this year, I decided that I was going to be become a vegetarian. This might not come as a shock to you as I wasn't really eating meat anyway, but my decision wasn't based on the fact that I couldn't eat meat anymore, it was based on how absolutely crazy it is that we actually eat meat!

Now this might sound slightly over the top but after watching Vegucated, a documentary that I strongly recommend to watch (unless you believe that ignorance is bliss), I just felt vegetarianism was the next step for me. Everything just made sense, I couldn't believe that I hadn't done it sooner and I felt and still feel now that my eyes have been opened. I want to preach my vegetarianism to the whole world and make people understand that they do not need to eat meat to survive and that by eating meat we are destroying our planet and KILLING ANIMALS, but i won't go into that...

I'm not even a huge lover of animals but the things that I have seen on numerous documentaries regarding how animals are treated and where our meat is actually from (which no meat eater ever seems to know) have completely changed my whole mindset. Why should we kill and eat another living thing and feel no shame about it? A comedian (can't remember who) once said that we cry when our dog dies but when we eat meat we don't even think about it, I think this just describes the human race. What you don't know wont hurt you, eh?

Despite everything I've said I honestly do not judge anyone for eating meat, if I could eat it then I would. I wish that I was able to eat as much chicken and beef as I wanted without thinking about it too much, but I can't and thats just me!

Have you ever considered being a vegetarian? Do you think I'm a crazy person?

Hello and welcome

Hello everybody! Congratulations and good luck to those of you that have stumbled across my blog, you're in for a real treat. No really... Good luck. I thought I would kick it all off with the 5 W's, always a good place to start.

Who?
My name is Ellie Mae Parker, I am a 19 year old student from Leicester currently residing in Huddersfield for university. I am in my first year of studying journalism and so far its going really well, apart from the 9:15 lectures...
I am currently obsessed with Monki and pugs.

What?
We are advised at uni to start a blog, and since one of my assessments at uni is writing a weekly professional blog I realised that writing about 'Fun days out in Huddersfield' wasn't as rewarding as I thought. So here is my non-professional, fun and hopefully interesting blog. I really hope that you enjoy it :)

Where?
Originally I am from a town called Leicester which is in the East Midlands, although every Northern person I meet thinks that I'm Southern! When I was younger I always thought that I'd love to move away from Leicester and live in Ireland or Australia, but I think Huddersfield is probably far enough. I am really enjoying my time in Huddersfield and feel quite at home here already which is a good thing, but Leicester will always be my 'hometown' and I will always feel that sense of home when I hear the horrible Leicester accent.

When?
I was born on November the 20th 1994, which means that it's almost my birthday (which I'm way too excited for) and that in 21/22 years I will be 40...

Why?
Since I was 16/17 I have been reading lifestyle blogs and learning new things from them. It would make me so happy to know that I have helped/taught someone something and made them as excited as I was when they see a new blog post from me!

Thank you so much for reading my first blog post and I hope to hear from you soon.

(Apologies for the photo, it's one of the only pictures I have of myself on my Mac haha)