My MAC Faves

 

In Order // Riri Woo // Please Me // Kinda Sexy

So like most girls, I'm pretty partial to a MAC lipstick and I find them a reliable and high quality lip product that I can wear from day to night. I know there are always loads of MAC lipstick posts flying around, but I always like seeing everyone's faves and if one keeps coming up, it's probably worth giving a try! I am by all means no make-up/lipstick expert at all, but I know what I like and what works for me, so I thought I might as well share what I believe is worth spending your money on.
Even though I have built up a fair collection of MAC lipsticks, I always find myself reaching for the same ones unless I'm tryna work a certain colour theme. I seem to be drawn to matte lipsticks too, and although they can be quite drying on your lips at times, it's nothing a slick of gloss can't sort out. I always find that they are highly pigmented and give you a full, strong colour on your lips. 
My first fave is the 'RiRi Woo' red lipstick from the Rihanna x MAC collection. I literally ran to Selfridges to get as much of this collection as I could when it first came out! Absolute desperation. Anyway, I'm totally glad I did because it's definitely my go to lipstick for nights out, date night and just when I wanna step up my look in general. I love red lipsticks because they make your lips look fuller and really stand out. Not to mention how beaut the Rihanna x MAC packaging is alone! You can get the original version of this shade (if you didn't know already) in the form of 'Ruby Woo'. 
My second fave had been my ultimate favourite for a long time. 'Please Me' is my everyday go-to lipstick and I absolutely love it. Again, this is a matte lipstick and some people can find quite drying but it really is a beautiful shade of pink and looks just as good with some added lip gloss. It goes with so much and looks amazing all year round so there was no way this couldn't make my top 3! 
Last but certainly not least, is my current fave that knocked 'Please Me' off my number one hot spot. If you are lusting after those Kylie Jenner lips (and are not doing the #kyliejennerchallenge - ouch) then 'Kinda Sexy' is a good option and I couldn't rate it any more if I tried. I always struggle with nudes as I hate my lips being paler than my face, but this one is a bit deeper and has pinky tones, which is what suits my skin the most. I know that this is available on line and in the pro stores, as it stopped selling in the normal department stores (waaah). 
ALSO...You can get all of these beauties from the Debenhams website which FYI, has 10% off right now! Making them £13.95 - get shopping!
What are your favourite MAC lipsticks?

#Ririlovesmac

Hey dolls, 

I haven't done a beauty post in a while but I was so excited about the new RiRi Loves MAC collection, I felt I should do a little post on my new beauties! To be honest I definitely bought the products due to the celebrity endorsement - I am easily sucked in. However I fell in love with the packaging and decided I needed a new mascara, red lippie and bronzer/blusher anyway. I have used all three of my products a few times now so here are my thoughts so far...

RiRi Loves MAC Powder Blush Duo - Hibiscus Kiss

"Rihanna's Powder Blush Duo in Hibiscus Kiss combines two shades of M·A·C's celebrated colour for cheeks and face. Cool coral complements a neutral matte bronze in one gorgeous package." - M.A.C

This was the one product that I 100% wanted from the RiRi Loves Mac range as my favourite pink bronzer and blusher have both run out, so it made sense to try out this duo. I love a pink blusher as I feel it complements dark hair and looks lovely when you have a tan if applied lightly. I have to say the pink blusher is very pigmented so you don't have to use a lot and I think it looks lovely on. The bronzer is also a lush shade but as I am a bit of a tan addict, it doesn't show up very well on my skin. As you can see in my swatch (it's the one on the left) it's quite hard to see - it does give a nice glow though and works well as a powder to brush over my face. 

RiRi Loves MAC Lipstick - RiRi Woo
  
"Part of the four limited-edition shades created by Rihanna. In Retro Matte - the signature red of RiRi Woo" - M.A.C 

Originally I was after the 'nude' lipstick from this collection, however I was out of luck when I hit Selfridges and it had already sold out - boo :( despite this, the gold packaging was too pretty so I couldn't leave without getting one! The dark purple  and burnt orange shades aren't really me so I opted for the red matte shade 'RiRi Woo'. I only own one other red lipstick in red (Russian Red) so it's nice to try others. I know a lot of bloggers love Ruby Woo, which I can only imagine is pretty much the same, so I grabbed this one as well. If you love a matte lip this is for you! I find this lipstick more drying than my fave matte lippy (please me) so I think I will have to put a slick of gloss or balm on for a bit of extra lip hydration! It's super pigmented though and I can't wait to wear this over Chrismas! 

RiRi Loves MAC - Extended Play Gigablack Lash

"A lightweight curling, lifting mascara in an intense carbon black pigment. Applies with a petite gripper brush embedded with micro-spheres to give each lash effortless, upward bending definition and extreme volume. Easy wash-off formula. Smudge-free. Lasts 16 hours." - M.A.C

I have got to say, I love this mascara. It's so easy and quick to apply and I see an instant difference in my lashes. I already wear the Eyelure individual lashes everyday so I just apply a tiny bit to the ends of them for extra definition. However, when I use this on my bottom lashes, they are instantly separated with one application and as the brush is quite thin, it makes applying this to the lower lashes super easy. I used to love big, thick mascara brushes but I have recently found after using the Bobby Brown mascara that the thinner brushes seem to be more effective on my lashes. If this mascara works so well on my lower lashes, I can imagine it works wonders for the top lashes! I would definitely re-purchase this again.  

You can get the RiRi Loves MAC collection from Selfridges, House of Fraser & Debhanams and if course MAC stores & online! 

Have you tried any of the RiRi Loves MAC range?

 

 

My Holiday Essentials | Products

Hey dolls,

I know this is a bit different to my usual outfit posts but I'd like to throw in a few more beauty posts as I feel I have learnt a lot about beauty products from following all your fab blogs out there so I might as well share the things I am loving and if I think they are worth buying. I have made a list of my 11 must-have, for me, holiday essentials. Now when I say essentials, I mean essentials you may forget or not usually bother to use. I mean sun cream isn't on this essentials list but obviously that's an essential and some of the stuff I have listed you will probably think, well yeah, duh of course I take that. Either way, its basically a list of stuff I always pack with me on my Summer holidays.

Mac | 'Costa Chic' & Mac | Gold Deposit
Mac lipsticks are definitely a firm favourite in my lipstick collection, I have about 25 different shades now as I just love everything about them from the different textures, to the amazing pigmentation. When I jet off on my holidays I love to take a few different shades but one that never fails to escape my make up bag is a coral shade. Perfect against glowy skin/ tan and suits both blondes and brunettes! My favourite coral lippie is 'Costa Chic' which is a light coral shade with a gorgeous shimmer effect. It's not quite as bold and pigmented as my other coral fave, 'vegas volt' but its great for day to night wear making it in my eyes that little bit more versatile.

I'm pretty late on this band wagon, but I wanted to share my thoughts with you on another AMAZING Mac product that I got last Christmas. My mum needed to get me some more little presents for Christmas and she ended up just telling me to choose some make-up as she didn't have a clue what else to get me. So I picked up a few bits from Mac and was immediately drawn to this gold glittery pot also known as MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in 'Gold Deposit'. I'm a sucker for anything bronzed and glittery and I love a multifunctional product, such as this golden highlighter powder.
I have only used it a few times since buying this and I absolutely love it. I love sweeping this along my collar bone and across the balls of my cheeks after applying my base. It has great pigmentation and you can literally put this anywhere in my eyes. It looks lovely on top of a matt bronzer on the apples of your cheeks. I think this is a perfect product for summer as well. It definitely came on holiday with me as it looks amazing once you are bronzed up with a tan. Definitely a massive thumbs up from me!You can get both of these from any MAC counter and also their online store HERE and HERE.
 
Batiste | Dry Shampoo
I definitely overuse the dry shampoo, it is my saviour as I don't tend to wash my hair every day due to my hair being quite coarse and dry naturally. Washing everyday would be a nightmare. Plus, I hate the chore of washing my hair as now it's getting longer it takes forever - ugh. So I only wash my hair once or twice a week (I know - you're thinking ew) and freshen it up with my trusty dry shampoo! As the sun dries my hair out even more I try to only wash it 2-3 times on holiday as well, so the dry shampoo is an absolute necessity for me, nothing worse than oily flat hair. If you don't use this shampoo already you can get any of these beauts from most drug stores - I usually get mine from Super drug as they have some good offers on quite often. I have Tropical and Lace at the moment which both smell delicious! The tropical has a coconut aroma, which is perfect for holidays!

Herbalife | Radiant C Face Quencher* & Herbalife | Radiant C Daily Skin Booster*
Oh my gosh, the Herbalife face quencher is probably one of my most favourite things to take on holiday. When I'm sunbathing my face always gets super hot and constantly feels like it needs splashing with water every few minutes, which isn't ideal when I just want to lie there and be lazy! If you feel my pain, then you should snap up this amazing little quenching face mist from Herbalife. This beach bag essential instantly hydrates and refreshes my skin with a few quick sprays. You simply spritz onto your face when your in need of refreshing and it's water based so it's nice and gentle on your skin. This sells at £7.00 and is worth every penny for two reasons - the lovely refreshing feeling and the delicious citrus-y fresh smell! Mmm!

Another Herbalife product that I have been loving recently is the Radiant C Daily Skin Booster. This sells at £24.20 which is pretty pricey, but I have been really enjoying how nice this product goes on and makes my make up look loads better. I use this as a primer usually underneath my make up when I am going out. As it is filled with antioxidant vitamin C, it instantly brightens my skin and I would also use this for day to day wear when I don't usually bother with a foundation base. It smells delish and good to put on at night time if you have been a bit careless and burnt your face - I am prone to this :( ! Herbalife don't directly sell from their website but you can search for distributors near you on their website HERE. 

Herbalife | Boost Moisturiser* & Garnier | Sunkissed Moisturiser
Moisturiser is so important to me on holiday, after a hard day of lying by the pool 8) I always smother myself in some form of aftersun or moisturiser when I get out the shower. I usually use Garnier as I love the smell and application of these body moisturisers, but I was sent the 'Radiant C Hand & Body Lotion' to try so I thought I would give it a whirl. This moisturiser goes on really well and doesn't leave me feeling greasy which is always a plus in my eyes. It also contains SPF 15 coverage to protect me from the rays, which is useful when you are going out for dinner when its still quite sunny. The only downside to this moisturiser is the packaging. Don't get me wrong, I like a simple packaging but the colour of the bottle seems a bit dull and for some reason looks a bit 'old'? It is also on the pricey side of £24.35 and even though it did the job, I probably wouldn't rush out to buy this again based on the high pricing.

Garnier Sunkissed Moisturiser is definitely my all time favourite tan moisturiser, not only does it smell delicious, but it is great for applying over a natural holiday tan to enhance your golden colour. Admittedly this probably isn't something I would take away with me as I usually tan quite well, but I like using it when I get home. I also think it's great for those that don't tan so well in the sun as it gives you a bit of colour whilst your away as well as acting as a nourishing moisturiser for your skin. They have this on offer in Superdrug at the moment, try it if you haven't already!

Orofluido | Hair Oil & Aussie | Heat Protector Spray 
I have reviewed this hair oil HERE when I was first starting out my blog (cringinell) and I have religiously used this ever since then. I was introduced to this hair oil by one of my girls and if you are looking for hair growth using hair oil is definitely the way forward. It doesn't have to be this one, as I realise the likes of Moroccan oil are a massive favourite in the beauty world, but for a third of the price this oil has definitely transformed my hair. I wouldn't dream of going away without it. As you probably know the sun dries your hair out massively so giving it that extra nourishment and sealing those ends has never been more important! I usually get mine off eBay but I have found it cheap on 'Cheap Smells' HERE.

To me a heat protector spray or leave in conditioner is definitely a must on my holiday list. I always take one with me when I go away somewhere hot to keep my hair nourished and stop it from drying out. I have quite natural dry hair so it just gives it that extra softness whilst I'm letting it bake away in the sun 8). Aussie is one of my favourite hair brands so I picked up a heat defence spray just to pop on whilst I'm in the sun. They also have a leave in conditioner which is great for holidays that I would also recommend as both smell AMAZE. These are available in most drugstores. 

BassBoomz High Performance Bluetooth Speaker*
So this isn't a beauty product but it's definitely another must for me on holiday! I recently had the opportunity to try this super cute wireless speaker after trying out the Bass Buds headphones from the Glamorous party event. I was super impressed with these so I had high hopes for the BassBoomz! This portable speaker is perfect for taking on holiday for blasting your Summer tunes as you simply need to charge it up and you are ready to go anywhere! The battery life lasts for ages and it is LOUD! I would probably use this at a house party or chilling in the back garden/balcony on a sunny day as it has a very impressive sound for such a small speaker! I guess it goes with the saying good things come in small packages :). You can get the BassBoomz speaker from www.bassbuds.co.uk for £49.95 (reduced from £79.95!).

What are your holiday essentials? 

My Favourite MAC Lipsticks

Hey guys!

So if you read my recent post on my new H&M skirt, I mentioned I went on a little 'treat myself' session and picked up my two favourite MAC lipsticks. I am obsessed with lipsticks, especially MAC ones, like a lot of girls out there. I love the vanilla scent when you are applying on your lips, it smells good enough to eat! I have lots of lipsticks from a range of make up brands, but MAC is by far my favourite for lipsticks and my collection is getting bigger as I am a sucker for a pretty lippie! I love the range of colours, the pigmentation, the smell, the packaging and the general long lasting effect they have on my lips.

However, MAC isn't the cheapest lipstick going at £13.50 a pop, and I really need to find some dupes of my favourites for during the day to save me some pennies! 'Please me' which you can see in the first picture is my all time favourite. I love a matt lipstick and I've bought about five of these over time as I tend to wear it nearly everyday. I think this shade of pink is gorgeous and lasts for ages. My second favourite at the minute is 'Viva Glam Nicki Minaj'. I have seen this lipstick on so many blogs, and it is obviously a firm favourite with a lot of girls! I personally love the colour as I have never really owned a pink lipstick that I can think of with orange tones, and when I am all tanned up it totally complements a bronzed skin tone, making your lips 'pop' with colour. 

What are your all time favourite MAC lipsticks?

Peace & Love

MAC Paramount

Hello beautifuls :) !

I recently bought a lipstick from MAC and would like to share my thoughts, as it is not usually a colour I would go for. When it comes to lipsticks, I cant get enough of them and it is definitely what I spend most of my money on when it comes to buying make-up. I love lips, as you can be creative with them and they can literally finish off your outfit. I usually tend to go for pinks, corals and bright colours, as I feel these go well with most of my outfits/clothes. I do wear red from time to time but I only really bother with it if I am really dressing up.

Anyway I particularly admired Louise, from Made In Chelsea's lipstick from last Christmas. I thought the black on the lips was really daring and she looked stunning. I then noticed a lot of girls had got onto this trend and I regularly saw girls sporting the black lips. I recently saw my friend on Twitter's Instagram picture, with a black lip and she looked gorgeous. She told me she had got hers from Topshop, so I went to have a little browse. I tried on a few of the colours and still wasn't sure. I felt like the colour was too harsh on my lips, as well as making me look ten times paler than before.

Still determined to find the perfect darker shade, I ventured to Selfridges to pay a little visit to the MAC counter, which can sometimes be lethal of course. I had a look at some of the shades and one of the MAC girls put 'Paramount' on me. This was a dark brown colour I had picked up earlier, as I thought this might be a bit more subtle and obviously a warmer tone. The girl literally whizzed the mirror in my face and said 'it looks amazing, you have to get it!' and then sauntered off to find someone else to pounce on. I was sort of left like 'is she just saying that?', and I couldn't work out if I really liked it or not. In the end I decided it was better than black and purchased!

I've tried it on a few times now and I actually really like the colour. I think it is a good alternative to a black lipstick if you don't feel brave enough or don't suit such harsh tones on your lips.

Has anyone else had this problem? 

Do you think brown is a good alternative?  

Peace & Love

Presents & NOTD

Hello Lovely Bloggers !

So today I have done loooads of uni work and said I wouldn't blog till I have everything handed in. Ooops. I am so bored of it I decided to play around with my nail varnish and show you my new gifts :).

Basically my boy went on a stag do last week and came back bearing gifts! Crazy right!? I thought them kind of things were just lads craic and boozing. Anyway, he very kindly picked me up a lush new perfume and some MAC Lipsticks :).

I have never smelt this perfume before, but it smells delicious. It is called Versace - Bright Crystal and is the perfect perfume for a long lasting smell that lasts all day. The smell is fruity, crisp and refreshing - everything I want in a perfume! It also comes in a pretty pink and silver packaging and the lid resembles a huge crystal :) I am always on the look out for new perfumes and love getting new ones to try (I have quite a collection!). I do like quite a few of the celebrity perfumes but as you probably know, they don't last very long. My ultimate favourite has got to be Calvin Klein -Euphoria as I haven't found one that tops this yet! It is the type of perfume I always go back to and don't mind forking out for, as I know it is long lasting and smells gorgeous.

Top - Viva Glam Gaga Lustre

Bottom- Viva Glam Gaga 2 Amplified

I also got the two Viva Glam MAC lipstics by Lady Gaga. I already have the Viva Glam Gaga Lustre lipstick, but I do use it quite a lot and it is definitely on it's last legs! The other lipstick was Viva Glam Gaga 2 Amplified, which I have never used before. It is a nude colour as you can see from the picture, if you didnt know already. I am not usually a fan of nude lipsticks as I like to wear nice bright colours on my lips, and I HATE the foundation on your lips look...sorry I just do. However, I am getting used to this one so hopefully it is a grower! I decided this cute MAC bag will be perfect for puting my favourite go-to MAC lipsticks in too, as I have so many and I hate shovelling around in my make up bag to try and find the one I want. Luckily this is see through so I can see what is what, overall I am impressed!

So my NOTD :). I have seen this NOTD done on a few other blogs and really wanted to try it myself as it looks really cute!

Sorry the picture of my nails looks better in real life, my camera is rubbish though! You get the idea though :)

Basically all you need is white nail varnish, some sort of newspaper or magazine (I would say it works better with newspaper) and an alcohol hand wipe - I used vodka and a make up pad... same difference! Most girls have used the free ones that you pick up from KFC though. You also need a clear coat to put on once you are done so it seals the ink :).

All I did was paint the base of my nails white, took part of the magazine and placed the written part face down on the nail, then wiped the vodka over and held it down for a few seconds, and voila! Then just painted a top coat of clear nail varnish on top to keep it all in place. Simples.

I didn't have any newspaper lying around, just loads of magazines! I presume it will work better with newspaper, as the magazine has a shiny coating over the writing making it harder to come off onto your nail! Not bad for a first effort though!

Has anyone else tried this? What are your favourite perfumes? Let me know so I can try!

☮ & ♡

xoxo

My New Blog Sale Buys

Hello !

Just a quick post on my two new beauty pieces I bought from a blog sale the other week, which might I add are brilliant for the price !

Firstly I got the O.P.I nail varnish in 'Play the Peonies', which is a really light creamy pink colour...

This was just £1.50 !! With O.P.I nail varnishes usually costing about £8, it's safe to say I got myself a bargain here. I only have two other O.P.I nail varnishes, as being a student, I can never justify the prices when I can get a really good nail varnish from the drug store like Barry M. However I do love O.P.I and you always know that you are getting a good quality nail varnish despite the price. I love this nail varnish as it is a lovely subtle colour you can wear everyday. I know it sounds really weird but I love wearing these pale nail varnishes when my hands have a tan. I know, I sound bizarre but it's just one of my weird and wonderful likes, ha!

The second item I bought was MAC pigments - Impassioned Solar Bits...

Again, this was just £2.00 !! Amazing! Especially when this usually RRP's at £16.50. The pearlised pigment clusters are a gold/bronzed metallic colour which is perfect for summer and I love any sort of bronze/gold make-up in general. I absolutely love it and I can't wait till I next go out so I can sprinkle this stuff all over my face, ha! I also think that if you are a MUA this would be perfect for contouring on photo shoots, I will definitely be making my MUA friend practise on me :).

So there we have it, my two blog sale bargains! I was so chuffed to get such expensive brands for so little, which were also both pretty much full and in perfect condition. Has anyone else got amazing products from a blog sale?

Peace & Love

xoxo

** Benefit & MAC Giveaway! **

Hello again !

Another post from me today :). I am going to do my first giveaway for all my lovely followers that read my blog. First of all thank you so much for reading ! I started my blog as something I had to do as part of my university course, but I actually really enjoy blogging and wish I had done it ages ago ! Although I can't blog as much as I would like to due to studying for my Masters, I really appreciate each and every one of you who reads my blog. I love reading everyone's comments and it feels rewarding that people are bothering to look at what I have to say :) *Hugs!!*

Anyway ! My first give away will be three items :)

1. Benefit BAD Gal Lash Mascara
2. Benefit BAD Gal Waterproof Liner
3. A Mac Lipstick of your choice :)

Not bad huh?! So here is what you have to do...

1. Firstly to enter you must be a follower of my blog & leave a comment on this post telling me who your style icon is, just to make it interesting and I love seeing who you have picked :)  (1 entries)

2. Follow me on twitter here and tweet "I just entered @ashleighgxoxo Benefit & Mac giveaway at  http://prettygirlrich.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/benefit-mac-giveaway.html enter here! xo" (+ 3 entries)

3. Make a blog post about my giveaway with a link to this post/my blog :) (+ 5 entries)

So you have lots of chances to win these amazing beauty products, which might I add - are some of my favourite make-up essentials :). The winner will be picked at random on the 27th of April... Good Luck !


go go go :) !

Peace & Love 

xoxo

Mini make-up spree :)

Hello :)

So, on Wednesday I went for a little browse up town, and of course I couldn't resist a little spend. Even though I have NO money to burn at the moment. Standard Ashleigh behaviour! Anyway, I went with the intentions of a new foundation, as I am literally scraping every last drop out with my foundation brush, never good.

I always go in Selfridges for MAC make up, but thought I would have a wander in House of Fraser for a change. All I can say is I left confused with no foundation (I'm not very good with types of foundations, I never know what to get) as the sales assistant listed all the foundations and wandered off?! So I was still none the wiser! Anyway even though I am still rationing foundation, I did pick up some lovely bits that I love already !

Firstly the new MAC lipstick - Lovelorn.

I love this new lipstick! I know quite a few people already have this, but I have always been drawn to the 'Matt' lipsticks as I like the full coverage (My all time favourite and still is, is "please me"). However, I thought I should try one of the 'Lustre' lipsticks for a change. This looked a lovely girly pink colour, and I haven't wore another lipstick since I bought it! I love how the shine on my lips means I don't really have to bother with lipgloss as a topcoat, as I like it without. Overall, very impressed.

My second purchase was from Benefit- 'Girl meets pearl'. I already knew what I wanted as I had a smaller version of the product from a Christmas present- 'I'm Glam, therefore I am'.

As soon as I tried on the 'Girl meets pearl', I loved it! My friend had already recommended me this and after trying it, I definitely wanted the bigger version.

I have tried other highlighters, but this is definitely my favourite by far. I don't wear foundation in the day, just bronzer, so a touch of 'Girl meets pearl' is perfect for that extra glowy skin.

Benefit says, "With light reflecting pigments...it's a dewy glow" and "Raspberry & Chamomile known for soothing". Explaining why it smells so delicious!

So considering I'm no make up expert, I was pretty impressed with my new treats! They are both worth buying for sure :).

Does anyone else have these products?

xoxo