BEST OF | Pink Makeup

Valentine’s Day may be long gone, but there’s no reason to put down our pink-hued makeup just yet. For me, pink screams Spring. There’s something about the colour that adds a freshness, a youthfulness and a brightness to any makeup look. Whether it is a bright pop of fuchsia you’re craving, or the more toned-down rose option, this post will include something for you…























I’ll begin with perhaps the most unapproachable area of makeup when it comes to all things pink – the eyes. I can’t say that I’m a lover of neon fuchsia eyeshadow (although I was known to rock that look many, many years ago) but here I bring you subtle rose-tinted shades that while they add a hint of colour, won’t stretch you too far from the neutral spectrum. The most obvious option is the well-loved Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, which is a stunning rose-hued neutral palette. I have posted three looks with this palette which you can check out here. If this palette is slightly out of your budget, or if you’re still on the fence about these pink hues, a great affordable alternative comes in the form of the L’Oreal La Paris Nude Palette which delivers many similar shades (full review here). The final stunning pink option (in the top image) is the Mac Pigment in Rose. This is a really interesting mixture of gold and rose, and it is intensely shimmery and metallic. If you’re a neutral lover and you want to add colour to your arsenal, this comes highly recommended.























From the hardest feature to the easiest to incorporate pink is the cheeks. A pink blush is the nearest to a natural flush without using a full-on red shade. Finding the right shade of pink can add a gorgeous youthful glow to the skin. The first blush I bring you is from my favourite formula, and it is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface. These are the most long-lasting and smooth blushes I have ever tried and (apologies to all my non-American readers) you need to try one out ASAP. Ordering from Sephora is achievable these days so it is a little easier to get hold off. This shade is a pop of light pink that isn’t too warm or too cool so it would suit a huge range of skintones. On the more budget-friendly side is the Gosh Blush in Flower Power. This is slightly easier to wear that the bubblegum hues and works great on those with more yellow undertones in the skin. Having said that, I also feel this is a universal shade, and the slight shimmer adds a really pretty, but subtle, sheen to the cheeks.























My favourite way to incorporate pink, and my favourite makeup category in general, is definitely lipstick. If you’re like me and love to experiment with your lip colour and wear bold, bright shades, then Mac Lipstick in Impassioned is one of my all-time favourite shades. This colour is probably the shade that suits me the most out of anything I’ve tried, but I can see this working on so many people, fair to dark skin. It is a yellow-toned pink that leans slightly towards red. Stunning. For a slightly more blue hued fuchsia shade, I can’t recommend the Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in Fuschia Desire enough (check out my full review of these here). Moving on to the more parred-down options, for those who love nude-pink shades, Mac Lipstick in Creme Cup will definitely become an instant favourite. The formula is gorgeously creamy and the shade is very flattering. Finally, a favourite everyday shade of mine would have to be Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon. This is a stunning warm-toned mid pink. It adds colour to your lips but it isn’t so much of a statement. This is definitely the one I’d recommend for those who are new to or slightly wary of pink on the lips.























And finally, we finish on nails. For the bright, in-your-face option, this Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish in Covent Garden Place is a fun and intense fuchsia, which i think looks amazing on the toes especially. This Barry M Nail Paint in Strawberry Ice Cream is definitely more everyday appropriate, but still adds enough pink to make it fresh and fun.

So that rounds up my pink-themed makeup picks. It’s funny because I wouldn’t really associate myself as a pink gal, but there’s something about pink makeup that is just really incredible, and it is a universally flattering shade. What are your favourite pink picks?

RachelElizabeth

What’s In My Makeup Bag – New York Edition! | Blogmas Day #14






















The time has finally come for my birthday trip to New York! This afternoon I am jetting off to NYC with the boyf to celebrate my 21st birthday! This was actually my present from my parents, and it is possibly the best a girl can ask for. However, I have committed myself to Blogmas, and I really want to keep up with posting everyday, so I actually plan on scheduling enough posts until I return on Thursday! I thought I would start off with what makeup I am planning on taking on my trip, as these are some of my favourite posts to read – everyone loves to be nosey…


I will begin by saying that I am by no means a light packer – I like to have options. Having said that I don’t think that I have gone too overboard; I will leave that one up to you.

Face
Because the days will be long, I definitely wanted to bring a primer. One of my all time favourites is the Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer (full post here), and as I’ve almost ran out, I thought I would be able to finish it off on the trip. I then decided to bring my tried and true L’Oreal True Match Foundation (review here)- I am bringing two shades (W1 and W4) because I fake tan, and once it fades I need to mix the shades. I am also bringing two concealers: the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard for blemishes and general imperfections and the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair to highlight the face. Moving on to powder products, I am bringing the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light (post here) to set my makeup, and the Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna and the Mac Blush in Harmony for general bronze and contour goodness (check out my recent post for more details on this!). I decided to bring two blushes – my all time favourite Tarte Amazonion Clay Blush in Exposed and Mac Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul. These are quite similar colours, but Exposed is matte and Warm Soul is very shimmery. Finally, I’m bringing my current favourite highlighter theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer (post here).





















Eyes
This category is one that I feel I have actually been quite selective. I had to bring my trusty Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base to keep my eyeshadow looking flawless all day, and I also decided to bring the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Stay On Shadow Paint in Chained for days when I want a quick easy option. I decided to stick to one palette that has everything I need, and this had to be the Lorac Pro Palette – I have a full review and swatches here. This is still quite new to my collection but it is probably my favourite palette, and I know that it will serve me well. Next is the Urban Decay Ink for Eyes liquid eyeliner and for mascara I am bringing the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara. And of course I am bringing an essential to my makeup routine – my Tweezerman Eyelash Curlers and my current eyebrow pencil, the Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde. As a bit of a glamorous addition to my makeup for my trip I thought I would bring a pack of my favourite eyelashes, the Ardell Demi Wispies.  






















Lips
Probably my favourite category, and one that I always struggle to pack for! So I decided to bring the basic choices. For my nude lip option, I have picked the Kiko Precision Lip Pencil in 300 Caffe Latte and the Mac Lipstick in Kinda Sexy. This is one of my favourite go-to combinations at the moment. For a bold red, I chose another Kiko Lip Pencil in 306 Geranium Red and my current obsession, the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red. In case I’m feeling a bold lip that isn’t red, I decided to bring Mac Impassioned, which is another fave of mine. And finally, the newest lipstick in my collection, Tom Ford Leonardo (full post here) just because it’s stunning. For a lip liner to accompany that, I’m bringing Mac Beet Lip Pencil

Brushes
The final category is tools. For ease, I will list the brushes I am taking, and if you want to know more about my favourites, check out my posts on brushes here. So from left to right we have: the Real Techniques Setting Brush, the Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush, the Real Techniques Contour Brush, the Real Techniques Multitask Brush, the Sigma E35 Tapered Blending Brush, the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, the Mac 239 Brush, the Real Techniques Blush Brush and the Mac 217 Brush. I know this may seem like a lot of brushes, but it means that I will have everything I could possibly need on my trip.

I apologise for the incredibly wordy post, but I hope that you enjoyed having a nosey in my makeup bag. Stay tuned tomorrow for all the skincare goodies that will be travelling across the Atlantic with me. 

RachelElizabeth

The Best Lip Glosses Ever? | Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss Review

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not the biggest lipgloss fan. For one, I prefer the look of a more matte finish lip product on me, but most of all, I don’t like the feeling of lipgloss on my lips. With most formulas I’ve tried, they are far too milky, separate on the lips and are way too sticky. However, despite my somewhat rocky relationship with lipgloss, I wasn’t quite ready to give up on finding the perfect formula. And I think I may have just found it…

The Revlon ColorBurst Lipglosses retail for £7.99 making them an absolute steal. I have four shades of the range (which is actually quite extensive), and the formula is pretty darn consistent throughout. Papaya is a bright coral shade, which leans more on the red side of coral than the pink, and has a subtle  golden shimmer running through it. Adorned is an extremely bright blue-toned fuchsia with pink and purple shimmer. Bordeaux is a deep wine shade, with the same subtle golden shimmer as Papaya. Peony is a peachy-pink with lots of golden and peach shimmer. 


The best performing shade of the four is by far Adorned. It is probably the most pigmented and smoothest lipgloss I have ever tried, and it wears for such a long time. The other three shades are still beautiful lipglosses. The formulation isn’t too sticky, but is still very long lasting. They smooth over any imperfections on the lips and just make your lips look very luscious and full. 























From left to right: Papaya, Adorned, Bordeaux, Peony

If you like lipgloss, you will love these. Because they are so pigmented you can wear them on their own, but I personally like to layer over lipsticks for an even longer lasting lip look. 

3 Orange Lips

Lipsticks are definitely my thing – if you hadn’t noticed in the background of most of my pictures, I have several drawers full to the brim of them. I will wear pretty much any colour, but when it comes to bold lips – and especially because summer is approaching – I tend to gravitate towards orange tones. I find they look great with a tan, and really bring out the blue in my eyes. I think there is an orange lip out there for everyone, from the bright lipstick-phobes to the bold lipstick obsessives. Today I bring you three of my favourites, from the sheer to the in-your-face loud orange.

Let’s begin with the sheerest of the three. The release of the Lip Butters sent the blogging world into a frenzy, and everyone couldn’t get enough of these. This is a slightly newer shade of the bunch, and is a sheer yet bright orange. The formula of these is really great – they apply with the feeling of a lip balm and are really comfortable on the lips. However, unlike some other tinted lip balms, they still deposit a decent amount of colour on the lips. If you’re a little afraid of orange lipsticks then this would be a good place to start. You’re not quite committing to the full-blown bright lip, but it leaves a nice sheer wash of orange. This is a great low maintenance option that you can throw on in the morning and not have to worry too much about it. 













































If you are a lover of red lipsticks but you’re not quite ready for a full blown orange lip, then an orange-toned red may be one to try. The Velvet Matte Lip Pencils – another product everyone loves – are amazingly formulated. If you love a matte lip then you need one in your collection. The pencil form makes it so easy to apply, they are so creamy and pigmented and best of all, unlike some matte formulas, they don’t dry out your lips. Red Square is a really vibrant orange-toned red which is perfect for the summer months. This shade is a nice modern twist on the classic red lip, and is another one that will suit so many different skin tones.













































I mentioned this lipstick in my top Mac lipsticks post here, and it is one of my favourite and go-to bright lips. It is probably one of the most famous orange lipsticks, and is definitely worth the hype. This is definitely not for the faint-hearted – it is described as a ‘loudmouth orange’ for a reason. It is a bright orange with a slight red undertone, making it easy to wear. The formula on this is beautiful – it has the right amount of moisture to make it comfortable, but it is still extremely pigmented and long-lasting. If you want to go all out, this is one you have to have.






















(Apologies for the inconsistencies in lighting – I couldn’t quite get Morange to show up true to life, so I used the picture from my previous post!)

If you liked the format of this post, I have also showcased three of my favourite red lipsticks here. I’m sure that I will do the same with all my other favourite lip colours to wear…

RachelElizabeth

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms | Review and Swatches

I was a little late on the bandwagon on these – every Boots and Superdrug I went in to, the stands were really messy and half of the shades were missing. But finally, after rifling through the drawers underneath the displays, I picked up three shades on 3 for 2 at Boots. I have been so excited for these ever since I heard American bloggers and youtubers talking about them months ago, and I am so happy these have finally hit the UK. The Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms retail for £7.99, and are still currently on offer at Boots.
























I picked up three shades: Standout, a deep blue-toned red, Shameless, a true rich purple and Elusive, a neutral yellow-based mid-tone pink. I’ve found that all shades perform quite consistently, which is great to see across a range. They apply with a slightly satin finish, but I found that they dry much more matte. The pencil shape makes them really easy to apply – they are much more precise than a regular-shaped lipstick. All three are very creamy and incredibly pigmented. What is great about this formula is that isn’t too drying, which can be the downfall of some matte lipsticks.

The only con I’ve noticed is that they aren’t as long wearing as other matte formulas that I own – especially the Mac mattes and the Nars Velvet Matte Lip pencils. Saying that, they do hold up relatively well throughout the day, even when eating food and drinking. The formula just means you have to take extra steps to making it last longer – I find blotting and reapplying several layers works well. 

Standout



Shameless














































Elusive













































All in all, I would definitely recommend these lip products. They haven’t topped the list of my favourite matte formulas, but they are definitely good option. If you are new to matte lips, these might be a good place to start as they’re easy to apply and not to expensive. Have you picked up any of these?

RachelElizabeth

Manicure Monday #2 | Revlon Nail Enamel in Bewitching

Revlon Nail Enamel in Bewitching (£6.49 here)

Revlon is quickly becoming one of my favourite brands for the nail polish. They have a huge amount of shades and formulas, but the original nail enamels have continued to be my favourite. All of the shades I have are really easy to apply, go on with two or less coats and are one of my longer-lasting formulas that I own. 

Bewitching is a gorgeous rich burgundy shade with a cream finish. I wouldn’t say this is an overly original shade, as it can probably be duped in several other brands, but if you are in the market for a burgundy, this formula is definitely one I would recommend. This polish lasted about 4 days on my nails without any chipping which is a considerably long time for me. 

No doubt another Revlon nail polish will pop up in future Manicure Mondays, and one or two will probably end up in my basket when I am next browsing the aisles of boots. Have you tried any Revlon nail enamels?

RachelElizabeth