MAC Snowball Collection Haul

MAC always has a special place in my heart, it was one of the first brands that I tried that was 'high end'. When I saw teasers and official releases of the new Snowball collection, I was very excited. This year they seem to have done things a little different, a lot of things come as sets and the sets come in cut little bags, then there are special releases that are sold separately. A great deal of the products are encased in a gorgeous shimmery copper outer packaging. A few weeks ago when it first came out I was in Sheffield seeing Little Mix. Myself and Nicole made a trip to Debenhams and it was there in all its glory, fully stocked and ready for us - I picked two bits that I really wanted. 

The Two Brushes You Need

If there is one thing you can never have too many of, its makeup brushes. You just have to have some for all occasions, moods and from different brands to try and test. I strongly believe that a good base (skincare wise) and quality brushes either make or break the final makeup look. My makeup hero is the beauty blender, however there are some things that magic sponge can't do. That is where these two brushes come in, my new holy grails, rid or die's and life saviours. Both makeup brushes are from MAC, who's brushes I have never tried and now am obsessed. 

MAC Mineralize-Skinfinish Soft and Gentle Review

I have this 'imaginary' MAC wishlist, full of all the things that I really want to try out from lipsticks to to the new 9 eye shadow palettes which are perfect for the autumn. For my birthday a few months ago I was very kindly gifted a MAC Voucher and held off spending it until I was absolutely sure exactly what I wanted and then after doing some browsing I purchased the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle. After using it for only a week I am ready to tell you my thoughts and summed up its AMAZING. 

What is Soft & Gentle? Its a mineral powder that has a metallic finish to it and is primarily used for adding a glow to your skin. I have fallen in love with this powder because it adds a gorgeous glow to my skin like no other product. Its a very very finely milled powder that is extremely pigmented meaning you need to pat/dab your brush in. MAC products like blushes ect I am sure will last you forever as you only ever need a little bit and makes you feel better about the £24 price tag. 

MAC describe this wonder highlighter as a 'gilded peach bronze' but to me its more of a champagne bronze and looking at the close up picture you probably agree as well. The colour therefore makes it suitable for all skin tones, as it will adapt to you. 

I use this along with the bronzer to give my face a lift and not make it look flat and it lasts all day even when only using a small amount. I apply it to the tops of my cheekbones, down the centre of my nose and just above my lips to give my skin a nice glow. 

This is by far the best highlighter I have ever used, and am so glad I took the plunge to buy it because I have obsessed! Its safe to say after only a week this is now my HOLY GRAIL and if you want a product that will give you a nice dewy finish without looking oily then you need this. 

PRICE - £24
Available - MAC

 

Bloglovin|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook

Is MAC Cinderella Worth it?

I am sure that you have all heard about the MAC Cinderella Collection, inspired by the new film that is out now the products are meant to be all girly, princessy and cute! I am such a huge fan of Cinderella and was waiting to get my hands on something from the collection, below is a little collage of everything that is available and even though some of the things are old things in new packaging and others are just pointless, I still wished to get my hands on something that I would use. Last friday it was released in the UK but online and sold out within seconds!! Gutted, is not even the word to describe how I felt. 

Credit

Then my fairy godmother came along and my friend Aimee said that her dad would be able to get me some things I wanted on Friday when it was to be released into stores - and voilà! He was an absolute superstar and managed to get me the lipsticks, I was debating for a really long time whether to get a lip gloss and a lipstick or even all four but at the end of the day I am a lipstick girl! There has been a lot of hype around the collection but also a lot of negativity and I completely understand where those people are coming from. Many of the things don't live up to what you would expect from a Disney Collaboration, I was expecting a lot more princessy things and a lot more choice as well The eye palette is a real let down, because the colours are already mac ones apart from the purple one in the bottom right hand corner

Packaging - The typical MAC bullet shapes with blue frosted packing and when you open it up the rim is a gold colour and very bring as well. Then the Cinderella logo is printed across the front. 

But all in all, I love the names of all the products! Like Stroke of Midnight and Glass Slipper- ADORABLE! The lipsticks are in the shades Royal Ball which is a pink nude and Free as a Butterfly which is a more brown toned nude and both are perfect for me as I am a lover of lipsticks that come in these shades.

I love when MAC come out with limited collections, and this is one that I just had to get my hands on and I am over the moon with these two shades and think if you are to buy anything from the collection definitely have a look at the lip products as they are perfect everyday colours.

You can buy in stores now, or online but everything is sold out here.

Are you going to be getting anything from the collection? Or are you really disappointed? 

 

Bloglovin|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook

Accidental MAC Haul!

Someone may have spent a little bit of money on some MAC things..but in all fairness I was able to buy everything discounted thanks to a little shop near where my grandma lives! No idea of the name, but am defo going to be buying some more things and might even pick up some things for you lovely lot?! 

The most exciting purchase was the limited edition Gaga lipstick in 'Riveting Rose' and its so shiny and sparkly that I don't really want to use it or swatch it! 

Another product that I picked up to go along with the lipstick is this lip gloss thing in 'Dark Crimson' a gorgeous red. I think that these two will make a beautiful combo for the Autumn time. 

Accidental MAC Haul!

I have a lot of Mascaras, but I had to buy one more right! The fancy packaging on this one had me at first sight, and its a dual one so I guess its for extra volume and thickness. 

Another favourite purchase, this gorgeous blush in 'Dollymix' has got me thinking of all different kinds of looks that I can do with it. I have a slight obsession at the moment with blush and can't stop buying them and this barbie like pink seems a little bit daring but I know that I will love it, when it comes to wearing it! 

 

Bloglovin|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook

The Birthday Edit + First Ever MAC Purchase!

Last Friday it was my 17th Birthday! Time flies and I honestly couldn't believe that the year has gone so fast and turning 13 seemed like yesterday. I thought I would take pictures of all my celebrations and a teen tiny haul! Not bragging or showing off, but it has been ages since I have a haul on here!
Outfit + Nails

On the actual friday I was actually at work experience, and decided to go there with this birthday girl badge on that is really cute. The dress I am wearing is from Primark and have fallen in love with because the fit is beautiful as well as the pattern of it, I wore it with some black pumps but think that some heels in either nude or black would look great as well! Then on my nails I had this gorgeous colour on from Rimmel; Breakfast in Bed by Rita Ora is my go to shade at the moment. 

Haul

The first two things were bought a little earlier than my birthday, as when we went to the Ideal Home Show in Manchester there was a makeup store (Cherry Berry Cosmetics also online) and their prices were a tiny little bit reduced. So I bought a MAC Glaze Lipstick in Hue which is such a gorgeous colour to wear everyday and I now want to buy lots more lipsticks because they look so pretty! I also picked up a MAC Bronzing Powder as I have been on the hunt for a new bronzer for months and when I saw this I didn't even think twice about it.

Then my lovely friends also spoilt me rotten this year! With all these lovely gifts that I have fallen in love with. Aamira bought me a MAC Lip gloss that goes great with my lipstick so that is my new everyday lip combo I can already sense it. Along with that she also bought me a box of chocolates which I gobbled up very quickly as well as the white statement necklace you can see in the 2nd picture, which I already know how to wear and what to wear with. The other necklace was from the work experience placement I was on last week which was very sweet of them, and the perfume is from my brother! The Debenhams gift card which will be spent very quickly is from Nicole as well as a Little Mix cup that I am currently drinking out of as we speak. The candle is a firm favourite in our household as well as that I received an entire pack of stationery from Charlotte the book, notebook, folder and everything to keep me organised for the new school year! 

I feel very lucky to have got all these things and much more which I didn't photograph, thank you all for reading!

Bloglovin'|Twitter|Facebook|Instagram

MAC EBAY Brushes Dupe||Review

So, a while ago now I ordered a few brushes from Ebay that looked just like the RT brushes and you can find the full post here > http://classandglitter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/real-techniques-dupes.html where I go through in depth about them and where to buy. Then the other week when browsing ebay again for no reason I came across some other makeup brushes that looked just like MAC brushes! I can't really compare them to the real ones as I don't own any, but when I do I will compare them properly but for now I am using pictures and what I have heard from other people.

The picture above are the ones I got from EBAY and just looking at them, you can see that they look very similar to the MAC ones the only difference is that they don't say MAC on them, but they do have the number of the brush that you order at the bottom. These brushes are unbelievably soft and are amazing to use on the eye. 

The handle for the brushes are very thick in my opinion, even though they are easier to use to handle they can take some getting used to. I love using the '239' one to pack the colour on and then 217 one to blend everything together and to remove harsh lines. I am honestly surprised at how amazing these brushes are and how they work. I will be always using these with my eye makeup as they are just great and I will be ordering more in the future because they are great for only 99p yes only 99p. 

These brushes came quicker than I expected as when I ordered them from china I thought they would take a while, but in fact they came within just short of 2 weeks, Also from the same seller I have ordered other brushes so will have them up in a few weeks. 

Here are all the important links for you! 

Buy the MAC 217 Dupe here 

Buy the MAC 293 Dupe here. 

Buy the acutal MAC 217 and 239 here and here 

40 beauty questions TAG ♥

I love doing all these tag post on here, I find it so much fun! I came across the '40 beauty questions TAG' on
citygirl907 and really wanted to do it!

SKINCARE

How many times do you wash your face daily?
I wash my face twice, once at night and once in the morning!

What skin type do you have? (dry, oily, combo)
I have normal/dry skin which is very sensitive... It is occasionally okay, but can tend to become dry around my eyes and nose when it's cold ect.

What is your current facial wash?
I am really loving the Skin Therapy One from Wilkinson's, it is a facial wash that doesn't seem to react with my skin and leaves it feeling fresh all day.

Do you exfoliate?
I try my best to exfoliate, however sometimes I don't due to my skin becoming dry really quick!

What brand do you use?
I use the Skin Therapy brand or sometimes  Simple as these don't irritate my skin. 

What moisturizer do you use?
I have recently started using the Nivea cream for dry skin!

Do you have freckles?
No

Do you use eye cream?

No

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

It really depends, sometimes hormones trigger acne on my skin and sometimes it's reactions.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
No 

MAKEUP

What foundation do you use?
I have started to use my favourite foundation of all time again which is my 'Natural Collection' one, this is because there isn't anything in it! And the coverage is medium which I actually prefer! 

How about concealer?
Yep, this is also from Natural Collection.

Do you know your undertone color?
No 

What do you think of fake eyelashes?
I think that they look pretty if the right ones are used, however I don't use them as I am a wimp.

Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, I found this out recently when writing my Spring Makeup Bag Cleanup, it is so weird and since finding out I have actually been sticking to it! 

What brand of mascara do you use?
Collection which I bought from the pound shop in my haul! 

Sephora or MAC?
I haven't tried either yet! 

Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
No

What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
With foundation I use my fingers as it gives me a better coverage, for concealer I have started using a brush as it is much nicer! Then blush and powder brush!

Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?

I don't use a primer instead I apply a light colour all over the lid.

For the face?
I haven't really tried a face primer before!

What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
I love the MUA Artiste Palette and the eye-shadow in shade 'Chocolate'. Swatches can be found here.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
None of the above;

How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
I have poked my self several times, hence why I have stopped using them!

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Do you use mineral makeup?
I have a few products, never used them though!

What is your favorite lipstick?
I don't really have a favourite lipstick!

How about lipgloss?
Miss Sporty Hollywood Lipgloss in the shade 'pasadena'  these shades are my favourite!

What is your favorite blush to use?
NYC Outside Cafe, the colour is so pretty and subtle which I love! 

Do you buy your makeup on eBay?
I have always had a habit of buying makeup in store, as I like to know the actual colour!

Do you like drugstore makeup?
HELL TO THE YES! I don't really own that many high-end products! Why pay more for products when you can get them cheap?

Do you go to CCO’s? (cosmetic company outlets)
Ooh, unaware of any in England! 

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
I really would like to, however don't have time!

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
Yessss

Name a makeup crime that you hate?
People doing their makeup at school!! 

Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
Neutrals are my personal preference as they suit me way better!

Which celebrity always has great make up?
I love Cheryl Cole's makeup (BIG FAN) the smokey eyes she has are amazing and her dimples are soo cute!

If you could leave the house using just ONE makeup item, what would you use?
Tinted Moisturiser!

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Yeah, I do all the time. I am not embarrassed at all!

Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
I never feel the need or urge to wear makeup all the time! 

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
I can't choose! I have so many favourites! But, if i had to pick it would be MUA, the products they bring out are dupes for the high end stuff at a really good price and they are such good quality! 

What do you think of makeup?
I love makeup, it is a bit of fun. Taking it too seriously and too far is a bit OTT though! Many girls think that they can't live without their make-up but girls you can - BELIEVE! 

If you do this TAG, leave a comment below with a link to your blog! Or tweet me @shimmeringice <3