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The Perfect Nude Lip Liner? Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Liner 3C | Review and Swatches

We probably have Kylie Jenner to thank for everyone’s recent obsession with lip liner. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have lips like hers? A nude lipliner is a must for any makeup lover – they’re not just for over-lining either. If you’re like me, and your lips lack a definite line or are slightly asymmetrical, a nude lipliner will be your best friend. It will also do wonders for longevity, and trust me, when you find your favourite lip liner, you will never turn back…

When I picked up the huge Sephora Give Me More Lip Set while I was in New York, I was so excited to try out the Makeup Forever Aqua Lip Waterproof Lip Liner Pencil in 3C. It is a ‘medium natural beige’, which is quite similar to my natural lip colour, but slightly more brown. It isn’t so brown that it looks unnatural, but it mimics a shade that could be someone’s natural lip shade. The texture is impeccable; I have never tried such a creamy lip pencil. This makes it so easy to apply and fill in the entire lips. Like a usual pencil, it has a matte finish, but it doesn’t feel drying. It is also possibly the longest lasting lip product I have tried, and I really want need to get my hands on some more shades.
























If you’re from the UK and you are really annoyed at me mentioning Make Up Forever which is notoriously difficult to source, I have heard that it is coming to Debenhams in the near future! I for one am very excited for that day to come…

–RachelElizabeth
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Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette | Review and Swatches

Admittedly, one thing I was so excited about when I was heading to New York was the prospect of going to American drugstores. It’s not even an exaggeration that I spent a good few hours of our trip popping in CVS and Duane Reade – especially when the one a few blocks away from our hotel was open 24 hours! I had accumulated quite a wish list thanks to all of the amazing stateside YouTubers that I watch, and this particular eyeshadow palette was especially difficult to source. It was sold out everywhere. When I finally saw one I snatched it up immediately, and boy am I glad I did…


The Wet n Wild Color Icon Palette in Comfort Zone is a neutral and green-toned eyeshadow palette retailing at $4.99(!). I knew it was going to be affordable, but when I saw the price my jaw dropped. Understandably I was a little skeptical about the quality, but the rave reviews it receives are definitely deserved. Firstly, the colour selection is gorgeous. The left hand side of the palette would be a great neutral quad on its own. The ‘browbone’ shade on this half is a stunning highlight shade; the eyelid and crease are really nice shimmery warm shadows which are perfect as lid shades, and the definer is an interesting deep blackened burgundy which could create a really striking smokey eye or could easily be used to line the eyes. 

However, I really fell in love with this palette because of the right half. I’m not the biggest colour-wearer, but these are really wearable yet interesting shades, that I can definitely see myself rocking. The browbone shade on this half is actually quite neutral, and this is one I have worn quite a lot all over my lid. The eyelid shade is a green with slight gold undertones, which I find make it far more wearable. The final shades are stunning – the ‘crease’ shade is a deep dark green with gold shimmer running through and the definer (arguably my favourite, and a dupe for Mac Club) is a warm brown with a bright blue duochrome. That shade worn over a black base is such a stunning smokey eye without being too garish and colourful. 

The formula of these are really quite amazing, regardless of the price. They are smooth, buttery and incredibly pigmented – I think the swatches really do show how great the quality is. There are some downfalls but nothing that would make me discourage anyone from buying this palette. The first is the packaging; it is obviously not luxurious or robust. It feels as if it could break very easily, but at this price-point you can’t really expect much more than that. It also is lacking in matte shades but these are easily supplemented with other palettes and eyeshadows that you may already own (check out my review of the Makeup Revolution Essential Mattes Palette for an affordable option). Yet as a set of shimmery eyeshadows, you really can’t beat this for the price.























I am thoroughly impressed with this palette, and am actually so shocked at how affordable it really is! If you live in the States, and I envy you strongly, you have to pick this palette up if you haven’t already. Have you ever tried anything from Wet n Wild? Let me know your experiences and faves!

–RachelElizabeth




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Bite Beauty Lip Lab | Making my own lipstick!

While I was in New York, there was one beauty-related activity that I really had to do – it was also the only thing I actually booked prior to our trip. In case you weren’t aware, the brand Bite Beauty, which currently only sells lip products, have a store in Prince Street, New York City, called their ‘Lip Lab‘. Here, with the help of the lovely workers there, you can make your own customised lipstick. What is also incredible about Bite is that they are a completely natural brand. As a self-proclaimed lipstick addict, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do this, so a few weeks before we went, I emailed them securing an appointment.

Firstly, you are asked what finish you want your customised lipstick to be: crème, matte, sheer or deluxe. The first three of these finishes are $36 and the deluxe is $48. Then you have to decide on what the specific shade will be. The girl who helped me was so lovely and made up a few shades in order to make sure that I was 100% pleased with the finished result. As you can see from the picture above, they have such a huge variety of colours which they can mix, meaning you can practically achieve any shade. 








After trying on the different shades that she had concocted, it was then for me to decide the scent of the lipstick; the choices being cherry, vanilla, mint, citrus, mango, violet and superfruit. You are also allowed to mix scents, making these lipsticks even more customisable that I had initially imagined. The final element to decide is the shape of the packaging. What I love about the packaging is that they represent the way different lipsticks are wore down by different application methods, meaning that you can pick the one that matches the shape of yours! After this appointment, which took about 15 minutes, the lipstick then has to be made, which took around 10 minutes. 


So what did I pick? I went in with the idea of a bright warm red-toned pink, as this is probably my favourite bright shade to wear. Think Mac Impassioned. I wanted to get a bright shade simply because I find them much more exciting! They give you your specific shade combination on a card, so that if you ever were to run out of the shade, you could easily get it made up again. I went with a matte finish – I wouldn’t say this formula is completely matte, but more a satin, which is nice because it isn’t drying. It is very long-lasting and incredibly easy and creamy to apply. For the scent, I opted for a combination of vanilla and violet, which smells delicious. 

I had such an incredible time at the lip lab, and would recommend it to any lipstick lovers out there. If (or hopefully when) I go back to New York, I will definitely going back to create another amazing shade. It may at a first glance seem quite pricey, but for the service and the finished product, it really is worth every penny. Would you create your own personalised lipstick? What shade would you go for?

–RachelElizabeth
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Nars Audacious Lipstick in Raquel | Review and Swatches

So let’s talk about the most talked-about and instagrammed lip launch of the year… the Nars Audacious lipsticks. Nars shocked everyone by bringing out a huge line of reformulated lipsticks that all have female names, and let’s just say that they are stunning…

When deciding on which side I wanted out of this huge collection, Raquel was immediately my first choice for two reasons: a) many people in my life have nicknamed me Raquel, and b) it looked like the perfect nude. I was lucky enough to receive this as a christmas present from my mum, and on swatching this, this was definitely the perfect choice. It is the perfect mix of pink, beige, peach and tan, creating my ideal everyday shade. This works for me when I’m both at my palest and when I fake tan, proving its versatility. 

This is also one of the nicest, most luxury formulas I have ever come across. It applies so smoothly, much like what you would expect from a lipstick with a much more glossy finish. What makes this stand out is the fact that it is a semi-matte finish but is unbelievably comfortable. It also lasts for ages on the lips, especially for a light-coloured lip. Somehow this withstands eating and drinking, acting almost like a liquid lipstick. I have been so blown away by this formula and I will be undoubtedly picking up a few more shades in the future.


Have you tried any of the audacious lipsticks? Enable me…

–RachelElizabeth
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Update | New Years Eve in Paris, Uni Deadlines and Blogging Plans for 2015

Yes, I know. It’s been a while. But let’s just skip over all the excuses that I could currently be waffling about and give you a nice little update of what the last month has had in store for me…


Probably the most exciting thing in this post is that I got to spend a few days in Disneyland Paris over New Years Eve for one of my best friend’s birthday. I have only been to Disney once, and being very young and not even tall enough to ride Space Mountain, I can barely remember it. Let me just say that it was probably the most magical few days and allowed us to relive our childhood without seeming too insane. It was also amazing to avoid the stress that New Year is burdened with, and I got to spend it with some truly great people.

On my return from Paris came with the realisation that I had two rather large essays in for when I went back to uni. Final year of university hadn’t quite hit me until I really had to get stuck in and write an obscene amount of words in under two weeks. But those essays are behind me now, and scarily enough the end of my education is looming. It’s been a little bit daunting that I’ve suddenly had an epiphany that my days as a student are soon to be over, but I am actually quite excited to really get stuck into life.

Sadly with all this work and me galavanting on holidays over the christmas period, the blog had to take a back seat. However, after successfully completing Blogmas, I am more determined that ever to remain consistent with blogging. With a break has also come inspiration, so hopefully 2015 will bring some great posts. I have decided that my aim is to post 3 times a week – nothing too taxing, as I want to focus on really improving my content rather than posting for the sake of posting. The proposed schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but this is subject to change. 

I apologise for this seemingly randomly thrown together post, but I think it’s just what I needed to really get back into the swing of things. Consider this my very belated semi-new years resolutions post… Better late than never, right?
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Merry Christmas & Blogmas Roundup! | Blogmas Day #24

So I did it! 24 daily blog posts… It got difficult towards the end and my scheduling was off, but I did it. Despite it being a little stressful at times, I have to admit that I’ve really enjoyed doing it, and it was well worth the challenge. I’ve also had the most amazing month and the festive period has got me feeling really grateful, so thank you to anyone who has ever read any of my posts! I thought I would round up Blogmas with my favourite posts of the series…







And finally I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. I’m going to spend the next few days with my family, away from my uni work and the blog, because it just feels good to have a break sometimes. What are your plans for Christmas?

–RachelElizabeth
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New York Day 4 & Haul! | Blogmas Day #23







So today’s post marks the very last day of my incredible New York trip. We had to leave the hotel at 3pm meaning it wasn’t quite as jam-packed as the other days, so I’ve decided to include a cheeky haul at the end of this post with all the beauty bits I picked up! If you’ve missed any of the other NYC posts you can check them out here.


We started off the day with probably the most unhealthy breakfast I’ve ever had in my life. We went to a restaurant around the corner from us called Morning Star Cafe, and we were both in the mood to get something rather ridiculous. I opted for, as shown in the picture above, Waffle Smores, which was essentially a waffle topped with melted chocolate and marshmallows. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but I definitely couldn’t finish it. The boyf went for a Waffle Banana Split which was equally as impressive and indulgent.























Then the only plans we had for our day was to hit up Macy’s. And boy did we… The christmas department was incredible; it had trees of different colour schemes, a countless amount of christmas decorations and my favourite of all was the wish machine, which printed out emails from children with their wishes for Santa. I think the squirrel one was my favourite…


























After a spot of Pinkberry in Macy’s, and then grabbing some lunch at a cafe called TreeHaus, it was off to the airport. Unfortunately it was so much cheaper to get a non-direct flight, so we did have to stop off in Paris before we finally made it back to London. Now for the fun part…























Starting off with the more budget-friendly purchases, I popped into Duane Reade a few times too many and picked up a few bits that I’ve had my eye on for a while. From Wet n Wild, a brand I’ve been interested in for a while, I picked up two Mega Last Lip Colors in Spiked with Rum and Think Pink and the coveted Color Icon Palette in Comfort Zone which was actually really difficult to find. I picked up two L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in Amber Rush and Bronzed Taupe, which we can’t get in the uk. Another eyeshadow I picked up was the Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigments Eyeshadow in Breaking Bronze as these haven’t been released here yet. The final thing I got which I am so excited about is the Milani Baked Powder Blush in Luminoso, a highly raved product.























And obviously Sephora happened. We will skip over the fact that I managed to achieve VIB status in four days… I picked up the Lavanilla The Healthy Deodorant in Pure Vanilla, the Kate Somerville Nourish Moisturiser, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe and the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper. From Bergdorf Goodman I actually got the best deal – I bought the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer twice the regular size for the same price of the usual in the UK! I also popped into a random beauty shop near the Empire State, and picked up the Dose of Colors in Sorbet, which I have been wanting for a while!























It wouldn’t be right not to make the most of the amazing gift sets out at this time of year. I went into Mac and saw that they still had the Objects of Affection Pink + Rose Pigments + Glitter in stock, so I picked it up immediately because it just looks stunning. I also picked up this stunning Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay Blush Palette which I couldn’t resist. I also had in my mind that I would pick up the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit as it is quite a bit cheaper than in the UK. Finally, something that I had a little trouble ordering with LookFantastic, I went into the Benefit store in Soho, and saw that they still had the Cheeky Sweet Spot Blush Palette so I cancelled my order and picked it up!
I haven’t used much of this stuff yet as I was waiting for good light to photograph in. I will, no doubt, be reviewing most of this at some point, so if there is anything you’ve got your eye on let me know, or keep posted…

–RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #29 | Sophisticated Glitter – Blogmas Day #22


Sometimes glitter can sometimes seem a little much, and although I will, especially at this time of year, sport a complete glitter manicure, it is nice to just add a hint of sparkle to your look. This is where the accent nail comes in…


So I began with a nude – I went for the Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Lychee which I actually have a full post on here. Any nude or neutral colour would look great with this look – anything that you would wear on an everyday basis. Then you pick a nail you want your glitter on. I’m not entirely sure why, but my favourite is always the ring finger – slightly off centre but still noticeable enough on your fingers. For this I used this very interesting glitter, the Maybelline Color Show Brocades Nail Polish in Knitted Gold which is sadly no longer available. But any glitter that you have would work ideal for this look – I personally think gold looks the best with nudes!

Do you ever rock an accent nail? Let me know your favourite combinations below!

–RachelElizabeth
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New York Day 3 | Blogmas Day #21


This was our last full day in New York as we had an overnight flight the day after. This was also the only day that I had actually booked something rather special, but more on that later…

We started off the day by having breakfast at Andrew’s Coffee Shop which is very near Macy’s. It was very busy, which we took as a good sign, and I had some really tasty banana pancakes – it had slices of banana inside the pancake, yum. We then made our way to the High Line which is an unused railway line that has now been changed into a national park. It definitely had some good views, and it was filled with modern artwork. It definitely felt like an up and coming area of Manhattan with lots of construction of new apartment buildings and offices. 






We then headed to my only booked activity, which was to go and create my own lipstick at Bite Beauty Lab, but I think this in itself deserves its own blog post. Being in Soho, we then took it upon ourselves to have a nice afternoon shopping. We grabbed some lunch at the Hampton Chutney Co which was a slightly healthier option than we had had previously!























In the evening we had planned to go up the Rockefeller center, but unfortunately the weather was pretty miserable. If you looked up at the tallest buildings in the city, you could barely see the top ten floors, so we decided that it just wasn’t worth it. We did end up having a really lovely dinner at Bill’s Bar and Burger, and I had a really great beef burger with american cheese, onions all inside an english muffin.























We decided to still have a wonder around the Rockefeller because it is decorated so beautifully for christmas, with the iconic christmas tree and ice rink. Although we were a little disappointed about not going up, we did mange to catch the Saks Fifth Avenue lights show which was just opposite. 


–RachelElizabeth
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New York Day 2 | Blogmas Day #20

If you didn’t catch day 1 of my trip that I posted yesterday (check it out here), then I am doing a little series all about my trip to New York. This day we were very lucky with the weather, and had another day filled with sightseeing…

We began the day with a really amazing breakfast at a restaurant near our hotel called The Smith, and I had Eggs Benedict which was absolutely delicious. The home fries that came with it were also incredible.
























Then we headed off to Wall Street – the last time I came to New York I didn’t actually come here, so didn’t really know what to expect. It is significantly smaller than what I imagined. It was filled with gorgeous christmas decorations though, and it was fun to be in amongst the hustle and bustle of the working New Yorkers. 


















































The end of Wall Street brings you to the East River. We had in mind that we would get some sort of boat cruise to the Statue of Liberty to save time and money. We ended up getting a Zephyr, which was an hour long cruise that started by going under the Brooklyn Bridge, then took you round the west of Manhattan, back past Ellis Island and sailed slowly around Liberty Island so you got a great look at Lady Liberty itself. My boyfriend said this was the highlight of his trip as we had a great tour guide, and the views of the skyline on the way back were breathtaking. It was definitely worth going on a really clear blue skies day for this. 


After the boat we grabbed a coffee and food and then headed to Ground Zero. I got the most gorgeous dirty chai from Gregory’s Coffee. By the time we reached Ground Zero the sun had set so we actually saw the memorial all lit up in the dark. It was quite a strange experience for me – I was quite overwhelmed and found it hard to imagine what had happened there 13 years ago. The memorial itself is incredible – the fountain plunging down into a black square of nothingness looked both stunning and quite sinister. 



We then decided to go to Brooklyn for some dinner and to see the skyline from the other side of the river. This was such a stunning view, and we got an amazing pizza to share at Grimaldi’s. This was probably my favourite dinner of our whole trip.

So that wraps up the second day of our trip. This was probably our favourite day, probably due to the amazing weather! Come back tomorrow for day 3…

–RachelElizabeth

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