MAC makeover

Hello Lovelies!
Sorry for being so out of touch lately - I have been plagued with an upper respiratory tract infection for the last three weeks, and it still won't go away! But I needed to break my blogging rut, so I decided to share with you some photos from a MAC makeover one of my lovely friends gave me lately. 
Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention to the products used, so I can't comment on individual ones, but she is a very skilled young woman and not only did she create a flawless look, but she also gave me tips on how to adapt my makeup to complement the shape of my eyes and brow-bone. 

This look is very different from my usual go-to black winged liner, but the blue and brown smokey eye was a nice change! Unfortunately I underwent this transformation at around 11pm, so I couldn't wear it out that day. I also loved how she shaped my brows - they are still in a deplorable state of over-plucking woes, and yet they looked really good when filled in by her. (This gave me hope; my right eyebrow has been only semi-present for over a month!) 
Hope you're all well.

Rachael XX

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Naughty Boots Haul: Real Techniques, Bio Oil, No7, MaxFactor, Save The Nail

Hello Lovelies! 
I made multiple mistakes today all leading to a massive naughty haul in Boots which isn't on my list of Essential Student Finances, and therefore should shame me! I decided to let you in on it:

Mistake 1: Deciding to go to Boots after my day of boring lectures
Mistake 2: Entering Boots whilst in the knowledge of their 3 for 2 promotion on makeup, nails, eyelashes and accessories
Mistake 3: Letting myself touch makeup whilst experiencing high levels of impulsiveness
Mistake 4: Taking time to read a sign which tells you that the 3 for 2 works in your favour - by ordering your purchases in price order and giving you every third item free, rather than simply the cheapest ones (If you are buying 6 or more purchases)

 Oh what lovely products!
Real Techniques Stippling Brush £11.99
Well I have been eyeing up Pixiwoo's Samantha Chapman's brushes for a loooong time. This was one of the first things I picked up! I credit some of this willingness to Rachael from Smeemies who featured a Real Techniques brush in a recent haul - think that tipped me over the edge!
No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in 'Fair' £11.50
A mixture of its cheap & cheerful quality and ineffectiveness when partnered with my new No7 foundation has caused me to branch out and find a replacement for my Natural Collections Face Powder
MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara Gold Limited Edition (£10.99) free!
Unfortunately I'm yet to write my post comparing the False Lash Effect Mascara to the Lash Architect Mascara.. I feel this gives the game away on my preference! But look out for my post as it shall (hopefully!) give balanced reasoning with both mascaras!
Real Techniques Blush Brush £9.99
When I made the decision to purchase 6 items instead of 3, this was pretty much in my hand instantly. And I'm so pleased
Bio Oil 60ml £8.99
I have ummed and ahhed over this product for an extremely long time. I have spot scarring on my chest/shoulders/back and whilst its not something which affects me day-to-day I have been unable to get any to fade, and this is championed as clearing most skin imperfections
Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat (£6.95) free!
I have never used Save The Nail before, however my No7 Top Coat has turned gloopy and I wanted a change

Total Haul Cost: £42.47
I have no regrets.

Rachael XX

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Evening Makeup: Bold Avon FOTN

Hello Lovelies!
I was out last Saturday night and had forgotten that I had taken photos of my makeup look to share with you! This began as a semi-intense look, but I just kept adding and adding more makeup.. Luckily I was going properly out so I didn't look over-done! 
I really loved the eye makeup I went for! Very sultry pinks which came from an Avon palette which was sadly Limited Edition! I teamed this with a lot of black liquid eyeliner, mascara, and a very heavy brow look (incidently produced using other Avon eyeshadow which I run through my brows). On my lips is my well-loved MAC lip and cheek colour in 'Keep it Casual'. I used bronzer to create some depth with my cheekbones, and swept a bit of my new No7 Natural Blush Cheek Colour in 'Honey' over my cheeks. It is not a bold colour choice for my cheeks, so this kept the focus of the look on my eyes as intended. Apologies for the poor lighting causing strange lines on my face in these pictures! But I want to post them anyway! :)

 I just love putting makeup on my face! I like unleashing my creativity :) Have a lovely weekend!

Rachael XX

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Revisited: The Bodyshop Lip and Cheek Stain Review

Hello lovelies!
Way back in my first ever makeup post I reviewed the Bodyshop Lip and Cheek Stain on my blog. At that time I had only purchased and used the 'Bronze Glimmer' tint, which is a beautiful sparkly golden-orange shade with an almost grainy consistency (the glitter). Since then I have found its EVEN better counterpart: 'Rose Pink'. This is such a beautiful delicate pink colour, which can be built up in layers to create your PERFECT just-bitten lip look. Note however: Too many layers of this will, like any other over-used and abused product, damage your lips! Not terribly, but your lips will dry out and become irritated. Not that this has happened to me.. 
However, when used appropriately without the mental commitment of seeing just how deep a colour you can achieve, this product is a makeup-bag must have. It complements most looks, and flatters most skintones. You may find it more watery than you expect it to be - as it is a stain, if you make sure to buff in each layer with a lip brush or your finger, your lips will quickly pick up the colour (as will your fingertip). RRP £10

 As you can see in my last photo, you can really build a wonderful intensity! I love this product to pieces, and really recommend it. This post has however made me majorly cringe at its original counterpart, and so I may give that post a few editing tweaks here and there..! 
The Body Shop UK featured my photos from this post on their facebook page! You can see that HERE! 
Also, if you're a long-time reader of my blog you'll know that I  usually forward all my replies via email to anyone who comments on my blog - but I've sadly had to stop! My hotmail now refuses to send any of these messages telling me I'm spam. Sorry guys! 

Rachael XX

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Eyes and Cheeks: Holistic Makeup Looks

Hello lovelies!
I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on holistically getting your makeup products to complement eachother and on the idea of using products for multiple areas of your face! You may have already seen my post from way back on the Bodyshop Lip and Cheek Stain. This product and others like it allow you to easily use the same shades on your lips and cheeks, meaning less awkward colour-matching mistakes where shades you use don't quite work together! Another product I love for this, probably even more-so is the MAC Lip and Cheek Colour - which I was given in the shade 'Keep it Casual' and features in this birthday haul. You don't actually need to use a dual-purpose product for this job. Even sweeping a bit of lipstick across your cheeks and buffing it in will work in the same way. This means that if you're stuck for space in your clutch just chuck in a lippie and you can kill two birds with one stone! 
Yesterday I wanted to go for a more casual and lower-maintenance makeup look than I have done recently, and so used my No7 Natural Blush Cheek Colour in the shade 'Honey' on my eyelids. I then smoked it out at the edges slightly using some of a black eyeshadow from the Sleek Sunset palette which I had left on an eyeshadow brush, and finished with a thin line of liquid eyeliner and mascara. 

I finished my look by sweeping the blusher over my cheekbones too. I'm not wearing anything on my lips because they are suffering from becoming very dry and peeling lately! (ew!) so I'm trying to leave them be and just hope all my lip-balms and E45 clear it up! I really loved this look actually - and I'm a fan of any look that allows you some definition whilst using less products! 
Also, I'm so sorry I have turned absolutely awful at replying to comments! I keep blogging at times when I only have 20 minutes to spare, and then forgot to go back and check afterwards.

Rachael XX

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Blindfolded Makeup Challenge!

Hello lovelies!
I recently decided to do a blindfolded makeup challenge (having been encouraged by Euan who really wanted to attempt my makeup again - you can see his first [non-blindfolded] attempts here) If you have never encountered me talking about Euan (my best mate) on my blog, this is a picture of the guy I let stab my face with makeup blindly:

........Concerned?

 I have recently seen two funny attempts at this challenge on youtube! Zoella and Marcus Butler got together to do eachother's makeup: (watch both!!)

Okay, so he went first. This makeup look was a lot faster than his previous attempt at my makeup. And it felt really weird. If you have never let anyone do your makeup blindfolded I suggest you do! Mascara is terrifying. It was incredibly hilarious too:

With flash - you can see the extent of the eyeshadow a little clearer!

My lipstick is my favourite part! So Batman Joker-esq! 

 After this I was allowed to do his! No photos were taken.. (sorry!) But he looked very similar to me! So use your imagination ;)

Rachael XX

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