Conquering a Make-up Fear | Mac Select Moisturecover & Fix + Review

I did it. I finally conquered my fear. I stepped foot in a Mac store.

For someone who is quiet and shy, the thoughts of going in to a more premium make up store creates anxiety, and heart palpitations. Why? Well firstly because it’s way out of my comfort zone. I get the feeling that I don’t belong there, which is silly because as a paying customer I have every right to be in that store.

This is also linked to confidence, especially at the moment as my skin is flaring up, so having to walk into a place where all of the workers are naturally drop dead gorgeous (seemed to be a requirement to work in this store) with perfectly applied make up, and I wander in rocking a lovely range of red Kilimanjaros on my face...It’s just a bit uncomfortable to say the least!

 Secondly I’m scared that I won’t be able to say no if they start up selling. I end up creating a hypothetically, awful situation which escalates in my brain to me leaving in handcuffs because my cards get declined.

(I know, bit over dramatic, but my panicked mind runs away with me!)  I know it’s no big deal to the majority, but for me it was something to overcome.

So, I decided it was time, after walking past the store a couple of times and nearly talking myself out of it, I ventured in nervously...

And there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

The assistant was so nice, and didn’t make me feel uncomfortable about being there. I just explained what I needed, and my skin type and she matched me up, applied some for me to see, then I toddled off to pay.

Easy peasy.

So after all that, what did I get?

 

Mac Select Moisturecover Concealer £15
Mac Fix + Travel Size £8

 

 

Well, I’ve been sporting some beautiful dark circles under my eyes lately, and the cult Collection Lasting Perfection concealer just wasn’t working for me. Crazy creasing = old  lady eyes.

The MUA suggested Mac Select Moisturecover, and she was spot on. It does what it says on the tin, it stays moisturised and it really brightens up the area, I think this is because it has a nice glow/sheen to it. (I’m in the shade NC15) I can also get away with using this on my face blemishes too, as it blends really easily, so that’s an added bonus. I’d say it was a light to medium coverage, so it doesn’t feel cakey on the face, but definitely set this with powder. I’ve only really used high street/drugstore concealers, so for my first high end product I’m very pleased :]

I also picked up Mac Fix +, because as I mentioned, my skin hasn’t been great lately so I’ve been leaning towards mineral make up. I can’t say it makes it all stay on any longer, but it definitely takes the edge off so it doesn’t look so powdery, and smells lovely! (This is also what the shop also smelt like! Is this a Mac thing?)

I’ve not had any irritation from it, and it feels nice and refreshing. However, if you’re looking for something to prolong your make up, I wouldn’t suggest this. I find it’s great for other things though, like dampening your make up brush to blend in liquid foundation, or making an eye shadow into an eye/brow liner. I like that it can multi task, it feels like it's paying for itself!

Overall I’m really impressed, and will definitely be saving some pennies to spend on some more products. That’s the only downside, the prices, but I feel like you’re paying for quality.

Any suggestions on what to try next are very much welcomed :]

Gem

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Heat Wave Hair | Fudge Salt Spray | Review

Oh, Hello Summer, how nice of you to join us.

Britain is currently in a Heat Wave :] Yay! It’s super sunny and hot and lovely, but alas, using a hair dryer in this weather? Or Ever? Urm no thanks.

So, as usual I have been really lazy with my hair and just left it to dry on its own.

 This is fine if I’m not going out in to public places, (think Friends, Monica's holiday hair) but sadly life doesn’t stop for the sun *sigh*

 My solution has been...

Fudge Salt Spray

 This stuff is awesome, I spray some in to my towel dried hair, scrunch and leave to dry. Easy. I don’t find it crispy or stiff, it leaves the hair soft and free to move, plus it smells incredible. Seriously, so good, kind of like sun cream & coconut freshness..? yeah, rubbish scent description, but you get the idea!

In this weather I would be lost without it. It gives great raw texture and brings out any natural waves, which you can refresh the next day by adding some more to the roots/lengths. The hold is pretty good, I have long, thick hair, and it keeps it all in place all day. I’ve tried the legendary Bumble & Bumble one too, but I think I really do prefer Fudge, (and so does my purse) and I seem to keep coming back to it. On top of all that, it protects your lovely locks from UV damage, and it’s packed with happy hair vitamins to keep it all looking and feeling good.

 

If you like the beachy, boohoo look or bed head hair then I highly recommend you try this out. I think for the job it does, it’s reasonably priced at around £8-£10, and it seems to last well because you don’t need to apply a tonne to get the results. Happy days!

Just remember that the sea salt dehydrates your hair, so apply a leave in conditioner before hand, or use a hair mask once a week.

I hope your having lovely weather where you are too :]

Gem

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P.S I did a quick, non-heat wave tutorial using sea salt spray, if you want to see the results I’ll pop the video below.

 

New Happy Face | Purity Skincare Review

Hey there!
 

On the back of my last post about my skin, it's behaving much better now, (Hurray!) so I thought I would do a quick skin care review. As I mentioned, I’ve gone back to using Purity and genuinely feel like it has worked some magic on my face :]

 

From Left to Right : Facial Wash, Cleansing Lotion, Exfoliator & Overnight Moisturiser

 

All the products are organic, fragrance free and not tested on animals, an awesome trio to look for in beauty products. The pricing is extremely reasonable too, you can find it all on the website, just Google 'Purity Skincare'. I got the cleanser, face wash and night moisturiser for £15 (before tax/postage), which is the price you can end up paying for a single fancy high end product. They also very kindly popped in an exfoliator, which was a lovely surprise!

So now, of an evening I massage my face with the conditioning cleansing lotion to break up the makeup, wipe it away with damp cotton pads, and wash my face with a little bit of the facial wash. The cleansing lotion is so gentle, and feels really moisturising. Sometimes if my skin is dry or I'm wearing more make up, I’ll just cleanse twice with the lotion instead of using the face wash after a single cleanse.  Then I apply an ample amount of the regenerating overnight moisturiser, which is the best night time face treat. It has a nice, thick consistency making it feel lovely and nourishing, and your skin definitely feels a hell of a lot softer and smoother in the morning.

Then when I wake up, all I do is wash with the face wash, which doesn’t feel stripping or drying. There’s nothing worse than using a face wash that makes your face feel like it’s going to split in two if you smile!

That’s pretty much it :] very simple.

 I use the facial exfoliator about twice a week. At the minute, my cheeks are still sensitive because of outbreaks, so this exfoliator is gentle enough to use on those areas. The little chunks of walnut are in a thin, creamy liquid, so it isn’t a harsh abrasion, just enough to feel like you’re getting the dead skin and grime off.

Sadly the day moisturiser was out of stock, but once I get my mitts on it I’ll let you know how I get on with that.

So this is the main chunk of my skin care after my acne break out, and it has really helped. If you've got any more tips to help with skin I would very much love to hear them :]

Gem x

DIY Floral Headband | C'mon, all the other kids are doin' it...

These are the 3 I made, but there are endless possibilities!

So I'm sure you've seen the floral headbands or halos in just about every store now we're in Summer.

 (Well kind of in the UK, I hear this weekend will be B-E-A-utiful where I am :D)

 

 They can range from super cheap in Primark, to the more expensive online stores, but why even bother when you can make your very own! More so, you can create it the way you want it, and in the colours you like :]

You Will Need...

 

- Fake flowers of your choice 

 I got mine from B&M, which I believe is a store only in Great Britain, but it's a cheap shop that sells a little bit of everything. Any kind of craft store or supermarket should stock them.

- A headband to work on

- Scissors

- Hot glue gun

 

This is a really quick way you can throw together a cute, flowery headband! Perfect for holidays, festivals, weddings or even nights out.

 

 Just don't use a plastic alice band, because they bend out of shape with the heat!

This was not obvious to me, stupidly... heat + plastic = bendiness technical term

 

I also advise Not crafting on your bed, because it will not end well :[

 

 

 

Hope you like it!

 

Gem

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