Birthday wishlist!

Hey guys! 

So my birthday is rapidly approaching and I will be turning the grand old age of 23 in 3 weeks, so I thought I would share a few items I have on my birthday wishlist at the moment!

Jess x

FOTD & Mac Candy yum yum mini review

Benefit the porefessional primer 

NARS pure radiant tinted moisturizer 

MAC studio finish concealer NW15 (under eyes)

Collection lasting perfection concealer 

Maybelline colour tattoo in pink gold for base

Combination of Toasted, Naked and Hustle from Naked palette 

Rimmel khol kajal pencil in pure white for inner corners + brow bone

Sleek storm palette black & brown from brows

NARS Laguna bronzer

NARS Desire Blush 

MAC Soft & Gentle for highlighter

L'Oreal volume million lashes 

MAC Candy yum yum 

A pretty simple look from me today, I have really been loving a good old bold lip of late so I thought I would showcase a fairly new addition to my ever expanding lip product collection - Candy Yum Yum.

Candy Yum Yum, as the name suggests, is a matte, blue toned, bold candy pink, just the right amount of bold without verging into unwearable territory. 

 I think this colour is perfect for the summer months, it's the sort of shade you can slap on with everyday boring makeup and instantly makes you look like you've put in loads of effort - anything that saves me time getting ready is a winner in my book!

I would highly recommend this lipstick to any lip product junkie like myself, but if £15.50(?!?)  for a lipstick is out of the question then I really think you should take a look at the Bourjois rouge edition velvet lipstick in 'pink pong', not quite an exact colour match but the finish is almost identical (Bourjois applies as a liquid, drys matte) and for £8.99 they are practically a steal (sort of).

Pros:

Highly pigmented

Long wearing

Vivid colour

Cons:

Slightly drying on lips 

Can settle into cracks and sticks to dry patches 

Have you tried this lipstick? 

Currently Loving...

Hey guys!

So because I don't get through enough new stuff each month to justify regular monthly favourites posts, I decided I'm going to share with you today a few things that have been tickling my fancy over the past few months.

Hope you enjoy! 

....

Benefit The porefessional primer:

This little guy has been living in the depths of my makeup bag for over 2 years now (yeah, gross, I know) Unused and unloved it wasn't until recently I pulled it out and rediscovered its mattifying wonderfulness! The porefessional does get it's fair share of hype in the beauty community and for good reason, it really is one of  the best primers out there in my opinion. It is oil free and silicone based so feels lovely and silky when applied onto skin, I don't have a massive problem with large pores so I don't know how well it works to minimize them, but I do find that this covers mine up but doesn't clog them up or break me out at all. My foundation applies seamlessly over this primer and I find I don't get as oily throughout the day when I'm wearing this. The only thing that puts me off this primer is the price tag at £24.50 I think it is completely, ridiculously overpriced, yet I will still continue to buy until I find an alternative *sigh*.

Primark aviator sunglasses

A bit of a random favourite this month but I have been loving wearing these aviator glasses, I've never gone for this style before but i'm really pleased with how they look. I love the simplicity of them and how they aren't too chunky or hard to style, they give a really effortlessly chic vibe and make me feel like Mary-Kate Olsen or something. (lol) Despite this pair being a little flimsy they have been well loved and for £2 you can't go wrong!

MAC studio finish concealer NW15:

A new discovery for me, I was on the look out for a  full coverage concealer a while back and after a reading a few reviews I decided on this over pro longwear. At first I found studio finish quite hard to work with and couldn't quite get it to work for me with a brush or with my fingers. After a bit of trial and error I have found this stuff to work best when warmed up and patted on with fingers. The formula is very creamy but this stuff is surprisingly full coverage, I predominantly use this under my eyes as I find it really brightens that area up, doesn't crease and stays put all day.

Maybelline color tattoo in on and on bronze:

Totally a year or so late on the 'on and on bronze' band wagon where have I been?! I really love this colour it's one of those perfect swipe and go products that look like you've made way more effort than you actually have. The colour gives depth to my eyes and really compliments my blue eyes and skin tone but I think it would look pretty on everyone, it is a universally flattering shade in my opinion.

Garnier moisture match for normal to dry skin:

I've been using this moisturiser for a long time now and this is actually my second tube of the stuff and I absolutely love it! I don't have especially dry or oily skin but this just keeps my skin soft and hydrated. There is nothing particularly exciting about this moisturiser, it's basic, it's cheap and gets the job done. Simples.

 MAC mineralize blush in Dainty: 

I'll be honest, I actually hated this blush when I first tried it out and proceeded to push it to the bottom of my makeup bag and continue to use other products. However, not being one to waste money I decided to pull it back out and give it a second chance. Dainty is a yellow toned pink with gold shimmer running through it, I don't find the shimmer in the pan translates on the face but it does give a slight sheen effect which I really like. The colour is really flattering on my fair skin and does a really good job of perking up my complexion and giving me a healthy glow.

Bourjois rouge edition velvet in Pink Pong: 

Oh lord, this has to be my ultimate favourite of the entire year so far! I am a self proclaimed lip product  addict and I will admit I get super excited when I see hype around new lipsticks, so you can imagine how thrilled I was about these bad boys and let me tell you - they do not disappoint. The rouge edition velvet's are liquid lipsticks that set matte on the lips. Super opaque from the first swipe the velvet's feel really smooth and comfortable when first applied (not a sticky lip in sight) they are seriously heavy duty in the staying put department-I can vouch for their longevity, I have worn this lipstick for at least a full day even after food and drink it was still going strong! Pink pong is a really vivid pink colour that looks absolutely stunning on the lips, It is my go to bold lip for nights out and I even wear this in the day if i'm feeling particularly brave. 

Have you tried any of these products?

MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection// Extra Dimension Bronzing powder

MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer (Delphic) - £24.00

 Ahhhh just look at that packaging <3
I can't believe that in the last couple of years I have been buying from Mac cosmetics I've never got round to purchasing anything from a limited edition collection, I think there is something about the words limited edition that makes you want something even more than usual, the fact it may be gone soon and you may never get your hands on it is a really good way to make people part with there cash faster, I know it works on me!
I was browsing the MAC website last week looking for some new goodies I could get my hands on, since I'm on a bit of a make up binge this month, when I noticed the new summer collection had been released and oh boy, I was excited. Obviously the first thing that peaked my interest in this collection was the stunning packaging, the usual sleek black packaging has been replaced by a beautiful turquoise shell with 3 dimensional water droplets on the exterior, I can't be sure but I think this is the first MAC collection to have 3D packaging and I have to say it is rather impressive! 

There was actually a lot to choose from in the collection which includes a gorgeous array of lipsticks, shadows, bronzers and blushes all reminiscent of colours from the ocean.

I could have bought so much from this collection including both the beautiful extra dimension blushes available which I might have to get my mitts on soon.

 I decided to play it cool and pick up the extra dimension bronzers from the line. there were two to choose from; Aphrodite's shell described as 'a golden bronze with a touch of shimmer' and Delphic 'a soft brick tan with a touch of fine shimmer'. After umming and ahhing for a while I decided to go for Delphic because the swatch on the website looked more suitable for my fair skin. I have to say that the swatches on the website for this collection can be a little hit and miss in my opinion, I have watched a few videos of people swatching other things from the collection since buying this product and have noticed something are noticeably different from the swatch and description on the MAC site, I suppose that is always the downfall with buying online, I would definitely recommend getting to a MAC store or doing a lot of  research before buying online! It is a lot of money to spend on something you are not sure is right for you colouring.

Now onto the product - when I first saw the name of this product I was instantly excited by the 'Extra Dimension' part, I remembered back to the extra dimension skin finishes that were out a while back now, I think that made me wonder if this was going to be like that but in bronzer form, soft and gentle is my favourite bronzy highlighter after all, it sounded perfect!

 I have to say when this arrived on my doorstep I was a little underwhelmed, while the packaging and the design on the product look incredible I don't understand why this is described as extra dimension, while there is a small amount of shimmer in the pan it doesn't really translate on the skin very much and is essentially just a nice albeit, average bronzer. I would say the finish is satin, it is not shimmery but not matte either. While I don't think it would be a good contour colour it's great for adding definition and warmth to the face.

Delphic is quite a dark brown colour and I think in hindsight it could  be considered a little too dark on my fair skin tone. I can get away with this when I'm tanned but I think if you are very pale I would stay away from this shade as it can very easily look a bit orange from looking at other online swatches I think Aphrodite's shell would suit lighter skin and this bronzer would look lovely on darker skin tones.

All in all I do actually really like this bronzer as with the majority of MAC products the quality is excellent and when used with a light hand it does a good job at warming up my face and giving me some definition which is all I can ask from a bronzer. I definitely do not regret buying it at all and I will be using it, the packing is well worth the extra few pounds you pay for this product in my opinion. 

If you're a big MAC fan or just love collecting the new collection releases then I recommend checking this one out, there are some beautiful products to choose from and I think everyone will find something they love!

I hope this was helpful :)