Review | MAC Plumful Lipstick

A recent purchase, a long lusted after shade, and a heavily influenced buy from Avi (@avisaxenaa on twitter and she also has started a new blog linked here). Plumful is a beautiful rose plum shade in a lustre finish which is perfect for the summer months. It gives a lovely wash of colour without being overpowering and too purple on the lips, and the finish also means that although the lasting power isn't amazing, it is low maintenance as it fades well and can be re-applied effortlessly. 

When it comes to MAC lipsticks my collection was pretty much reds and brights which is fab but I wanted more range. The lustre finish is a welcome addition as it gives a lovely finish, is moisturising and low upkeep for the summer months (or all year round). 

x

revlon: pink in the afternoon

Whilst browsing in Boots, trying to pick 3 items to make use of the 3 for 2 offer they have on in store, (*queue you all running to boots*) I remembered thinking that I'd been looking for another nude lipstick to add to the one, yes, only one, I have in my collection already. I've never owned a Revlon lipstick so I went straight to their stand and found this little gem called 'Pink in the Afternoon'.

This is definitely an every day, pink toned nude which will go with any makeup look or outfit. The formula is creamy, but rather a sheer coverage, with high pimentation which feels light on the lips, which doesn't cling to any dry or flaky patches, rather than a creamy, heavy formula which requires a lot of blending to get an even coverage and to avoid any dry patches. This lipstick can be washed over the lips at any point during the day for a top up as you wouldn't really need a mirror because it's a 'your lips but better' colour. I'm definitely happy with this purchase and it will be a firm handbag favourite, it'll be getting a lot of use!

spring lipstick picks

Both MAC lipsticks = £15, Both Topshop lipsticks = £8, Both Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayons = £7.99

Whether looking for something creamy and smooth or something with a little shine when the sun his it, then the high street and low-high end has something for you! I love all these lip products for different occasions or looks and they are all affordable and well worth their money.

The two MAC lipsticks featured are of the 'Amplified' formula which means they are super creamy and easy to apply even without a lip liner. They can be applied and left for an intense colour or even blended out simply with your finger for a more subtle hue of colour. The colours are extremely vivid and pigmented and look lovely for all skin types and whether you have a tan or not. I have previously written a more in depth review of Vegas Volt here.

The two Topshop lipsticks are of a similar formula to the MAC amplified formula as they are also very creamy and easy to apply. The colours are a little less pigmented than the MAC alternative but are more in budget that MAC for some people, are are very good value for the money. I frequently find myself browsing the Topshop lipstick collection which is vast and has every colour you could think of! I have previously written a more in depth review of Ohh La La here.

The Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayons were extremely popular this time last year and every time I went into my local Boots store they were always sold out, especially in these two shades which epitomise summer and spring to me. The lip crayons are more like a cross between a lip balm and lip gloss as they have a 'sheeny' finish which does leave a slight tint to your lips even after the glossy effect has worn away. I wouldn't say they last the 10 hours that Bourjois claim, but they are lovely for something lighter for no makeup-makeup days when the sun is shining and your spending the day outside. They are a little more subtle than a lipstick and give a shine in the sun which I love when I don't want a creamy and very pigmented lip. 

All the options are pretty affordable and good for different occasions whether you're going out in the evening and want a heavier but still summery lip, or for in the day if you fancy a wash of colour and a gloss and all are handbag essentials for me during this time of year.

Which are your spring lipstick picks? Which of these lipsticks would you pick? Do you prefer the amplified creamy finish or glossy finish?

"orangey reds"

Topshop 'Infrared'

MAC 'Lady Danger'

 More often that not, recently I have found myself constantly reaching for orange toned reds in a pathetic attempt to bring sunnier weather (which worked today, but this was purely coincidence) and now try and steer clear from deep reds such as Russian Red or Rimmel Kate Moss 107 which were firm favourites right the way through autumn/winter. 

Whether you prefer matte or a more sheer finish, both of these offerings have something for you. In the day, I tend to reach for Infrared as it gives a nice wash of colour which can be built up with more than one stroke across the lips so I love how versatile this lipstick is. It's an easy way to bring a pop of colour to a neutral eye and I pretty much wear this everyday to uni nowadays. 

On nights out or if I'm having a casual evening at the pub I go for Lady Danger because of it's lasting power and high pigmentation both due to the matte formula. It's difficult to wear this lipstick with dry lips as it does tend to drag across when applying but with a good base achieved using a lip scrub (I love Lush's bubblegum lip scrub) and a good lip balm (I reach for Carmex Cherry or Burts Bee's peppermint lip balm) then it drags less, your lips look smooth and the colour still lasts wonderfully with this firm base.

I love both these lipsticks equally but for obvious, very different reasons but I don't feel my collection would be complete without either!

MAC - 'Vegas Volt'

MAC 'Vegas Volt'' £15

Whenever I'm online, nine times out of ten I end up on the MAC website lusting after a lipstick or eyeshadow and this has been going on for about a year now guys, it was tragic. So finally, after being paid  from my job (eee!) I decided to buy a couple of lipsticks just to start off my collection and see if I like them or not! 

The colour I'm wearing here is 'Vegas Volt' and I bought this because I love wearing peach on my lips as I feel it brightens up my face and plus, I've just got back from my holiday so I thought this would look nice with a tan - I wasn't wrong! On the website it is described as a 'Full Power Coral' and I don't disagree at all. The colour is bright but not luminous on my lips which makes this perfect for spring or summer!

I love the formula as it's quite a matte finish but very creamy on the lips and doesn't dry them out at all which is a must for me as I always have dry lips (if anyone wants to suggest a good lip balm please do!)

So my first impressions of MAC lipsticks are so high that as soon as I woke up this morning I ordered another two from the website which are more suited to autumn/winter and I can't wait for them to arrive! Red lips for this autumn winter are a go go!

I hope you've enjoyed this post, I'm sorry the lighting on the photos isn't that great, I'm still working on a good place to take photos where the natural lighting is good! 

Please let me know what you want to see more of!

See you soon! xx

New Buys #1

So I finally paid off my £300 debt with my grandma (she kindly leant me the money to buy an iPad, so I have been paying her back for months) and now I'm getting money on a weekly basis, I can't stop spending!
As always, I went straight to Superdrug to browse and buy some makeup products that I'd seen other bbloggers, particularly Stef and Sara who are my absolute favourites. I suggest you check them out, Sarah also has a YouTube channel which is where I learnt skills to fine tune my makeup routine!

So the first product I saw Stef using which caught my eye, is an eyebrow pencil with a comb on the lid by Rimmel.

The shade I bought was "002 Hazel" but there are shades to suit everyone's shade of hair. The retail price was only £2.99 which I feel is an absolute bargain, particularly for me as I needed a comb and a pencil to help make the tail of my brows more precise and Rimmel have created this handy all-in-one.

The second product I bought is something I came across on the Superdrug website when I was having a browse for a new eye shadow palette as I'm yet to find one that I love. I have recently been lusting after the Naked palette (isn't everyone?!) but I simply cannot afford it at the minute so I was looking for something of a similar style and I think I have found it and for just a fraction of the price! The reviews on the Superdrug website featured people saying the colours were similar to the Naked palette and for £4 (yes, £4!) I thought I had nothing to lose.

I present the MUA 'undressed' palette.

Some colours are shimmery where others are matte which I love as I'm fed up of wearing shimmery colours everyday and on occasion, fancy something more nude. I tried this palette for the first time today and am really impressed. The colours are pretty pigmented and the different shades are a wonderful change to my previous everyday eye shadows. I used this video by Sara to do my makeup today, she uses the Naked palette so I used the colours I thought were most similar and the finished makeup looked almost the same, but still looked lovely (I thought so anyway!) and obviously people wouldn't know that I hadn't used the Naked palette, eheh! So as you can tell, I'm really loving this product and would recommend it to anyone, plus it's so cheap that even people on a limited budget can afford it and create so many great eye looks.

In addition to the MUA palette, I bought a single pressed eyeshadow, a deeper matter brown which didn't feature in the palette; for just £1. 

Again, this shade is a good addition to the 'Undressed' palette and for only £1, you can't go wrong!

Last, but certainly not least, a lipstick from Barry M. I've been after a bright red lipstick for a while and after buying a few that looked red on the packaging but were more pink when applied to the lips, I have finally found the right shade! Hurrah! Ideally, I would buy a MAC lipstick, but due to a budget at the minute, I shopped around for a cheaper alternative and good old Barry M sorted me out with the shade 'Pillarbox Red'. 

The lipsticks from Barry M are very pigmented which I love and smooth onto the lips very easily. Unfortunately if you have dry or cracked lips, any imperfections show up where the lipstick hasn't got into the cracks, but as long as you keep you lips soft using Vaseline or other lip balm, then these lipsticks are great. I always feel that the swatches on the stand are very accurate to what the actual product looks like and for only £4.49 they are good value for money. 

So, that concludes the products I bought the other day and I hope you found my reviews useful. Please have a look at the girls blogs I mentioned above as they are two that I check for updates on a daily basis, and love the content they post! 

Please become a member of my blog (You can do this on the right) and feel free to comment if you have used any of these products, recommend any other products or even feedback on what content I post; I would really appreciate it. (You can even comment anonymously if you wish.)

I have also made a new twitter account specifically for this blog: @bonjourkatie_, follow me to be updated with everything to do this blog and give suggestions on what to post.

Thank you to the people who view my blog, and I hope you'll continue reading.