MAC Russian Red

So, I think my new thing is red lipsticks, I am so in love with this colour. Russian Red by MAC is a slightly matte, deep red and it’s my new all time favourite. I first dabbled with red lipstick earlier this year when I bought MAC Everyday Diva, which is a glossy, pillar box red. However, Russian Red suits my skin tone so much better, since I got it, it is the only lipstick I have worn, it has never been off my lips!

Despite being a matte colour, it is not drying at all. It is much easier to apply than Everyday Diva, as the colour does not bleed at all, which results in a much crisper and more defined Cupid’s bow. I also think the shade is sexier, even if I do say so myself!

I have been using MAC Cherry lip pencil as a liner with this shade, and it is a near perfect match.

Russian Red is available to buy here. Does anyone have a favourite MAC red lipstick? How about Ruby Woo? I’d be interested to hear people’s experiences of this, as I think it will probably be my next lipstick purchase.

Thanks for reading!

   Cupid’s Bow
 Russian Red

   Comparison with Everyday Diva
 In Durham

Gel Nails

I hadn’t had gel nails on before so I thought I’d give them a try, my manicures and pedicures usually last a week with normal nail varnish so my expectations of a gel manicure and pedicure were pretty high. I went to Thorns in Newcastle upon Tyne to get them done, I didn’t need an appointment and was seen very quickly. Staff were friendly and polite and the price was very reasonable (it cost me £15 for fingers and £18 for toes).

On arrival I paid for my treatment and was shown to the nail bar where a member of staff removed my normal nail polish from my fingers and toes and filed the surface of my nails, I assume this was to help the gel adhere to the nails surface more thoroughly. After that I chose a colour (black) and a different member of staff applied a base coat, 2 coats of colour and a top coat to my nails. Each coat was cured under a UV light for 60 seconds before the next coat was applied. This process was repeated for my toes.

I really like how shiny my gel nail polish looks, it’s now the 8th day since I had them done and they still look as good as when I first left the salon, although slightly grown out which, if I’m entirely honest, is bothering me. I think I’d definitely get them done again, I think they’d be ideal for going on holiday if you don’t want to take nail polishes but still want chip free nails for a fortnight. Overall I’m pleased, although I do miss painting my nails!

Information on Thorns Newcastle can be found here. Photographs show freshly painted gels and 8 day old gels. Let me know what you think!

   First day

  8th day

Proactiv Solution 3 Step System To Clearer Healthier Looking Skin

I’ve been using the Proactiv Solution 3 Step System To Clearer Healthier Looking Skin for about a month and a half now, it is a skin care set of cleanser, toner and moisturiser which promises clear skin. As I have quite oily skin I like the fact this system contains salicylic acid to promote shine free, clean skin.

The cleanser has a pleasant, almost medical smell to it which I appreciate. It has small, grainy bits in it for exfoliation and a little goes a long way. My skin definitely feels clean after using it, and it removes any foundation I may have missed with my make up wipes. I like to take my make up off with a wipe and then wash my face immediately afterwards to ensure all traces of dirt are removed.

  

The toner, which I use after washing my face, I find to be quite harsh. It leaves my face stinging slightly after use, I’m not sure that this is supposed to happen but I’ve been bearing with it! I apply the toner with a cotton wool pad after gently towelling my face dry.

  
The final step in the system is the Repairing Treatment moisturiser. This moisturiser doesn’t leave my skin dry and does control shine, my make up usually lasts all day at work with only a few powder touch ups. It doesn’t say on the bottle whether or not it contains an SPF so I’m assuming it doesn’t. This may be a problem if you have pale skin, I’m not really worried about it though as my foundation contains an SPF.

  
All in all, I much preferred this 3 step system in comparison to the La Rosche-Posay Effaclar system I previously tried, however, I don’t feel it did keep my skin clear and it was quite expensive to not deliver on its promise. I’d also prefer if the toner wasn’t so harsh that it actually stings! My main skin concern is my large pores and I don’t feel it improved the appearance of these. I don’t think I’m going to buy it again, but if you’d like to try it, I purchased it from Boots here. It has good reviews on the website so it may just be my skin that doesn’t benefit from it.

If you have any ideas of which skin care system I should use next, please leave them in the comments!

  

Barry M Sunset Nails Daylight Curing Can’t Get You Out Of My Red

I can’t help myself but fall for every new beauty gimmick going so when I heard Barry M had released a nail polish and top coat which sets like gel in daylight, I rushed straight to Boots to get my hands on it! Sunset Nail polishes claim to cure in daylight to set hard like a gel, rather than having to cure them under a UV lamp.

I wasn’t sure whether to apply a base coat, but I thought since this polish was red it might be best to use one just to avoid staining. Can’t Get You Out Of My Red is a classic pillar box red, due to the improved, flat, square brush application was easy and I applied two coats of colour. This nail polish is very very thick, but both the colour and the top coat were easy to apply and have dried nicely. I haven’t been out in the daylight yet so I can’t comment on whether it has hardened them, although even in the house with the light on they seem to have set very hard. I’m not sure how the polish on my toes is going to be exposed to daylight as I’m not sure I can saunter into the office on Monday morning wearing my sandals! I will do an update next week as to how long this polish lasted and whether any chips appeared.

All in all I’m very pleased with this colour and top coat, especially for how cheap they were! Photographs show a base coat, 2 coats of colour and a top coat. Thanks for reading!

   
 

MAC Everyday Diva

Bank holidays mean treats, so this weekend I treated myself to a new lipstick and lip liner. MAC Everyday Diva is a glossy, pillar box red, classic lipstick. I got the MAC Cherry lip pencil to use with it and it blends perfectly. I really like this lipstick, I’ve never worn red before but I thought it was about time to try new things away from my favoured baby pink or nude lipsticks.

Everyday Diva is really bright and I think it really compliments my skin tone. It’s not something I would wear during the day to work, as I wouldn’t feel office appropriate in this given my full lips and prominent Cupid’s Bow, however, I think this will definitely be my go to on upcoming nights out! Application was easy enough, but without using a lipliner you wouldn’t have to have the steadiest hands known to mankind to get this on perfectly. Using a lipliner to outline my lips made applying this lipstick simple and quick. I would certainly recommend MAC Cherry as an ideal partner to this lipstick.
Everyday Diva and Cherry are available to buy here and here.

What do you think and which lipsticks are you loving at the moment? Let me know and thanks for reading!

   
       

MAC Honeylove & Hover

I’m loving the current trend for beige / nude lips, so thought I’d give it a go for myself. I usually like to wear a muted lip tone anyways as I have quite full lips, I don’t like my daytime look to bring lots of attention!

I have been wearing the MAC Honeylove matte lipstick and Hover lip liner for about a month now and I really like the way they look with my daytime makeup. I have quite a prominent Cupid’s Bow and I think the using the Hover lip liner along with the lipstick really accentuates this.

The one thing I find about wearing a matte lipstick is that if your lips are slightly dry or cracked this will be highlighted, so it is important to have moisturised and exfoliated lips in order to pull off this product. Honeylove and Hover are available to buy on the MAC website and are both well worth the money in my opinion 🙂 thanks for reading!

   
 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Anti-Blemish System

I have really oily skin so a friend recommended I try using the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Anti-Blemish System to try to keep it matte under my make up during the day. The set contains a cleanser, toner and moisturiser to be used twice a day.

I found this set to be effective from the get go in reducing shine, the products are easy to use and have no particular smell to them, which I appreciate as I’m not a fan of perfumed skin care products. The purifying gel cleanser leaves skin feeling soft and clean after even just the first use. This is followed by the clarifying toner which is applying using a cotton wool pad, I like the fact it claims to reduce the appearance of pores, as my large pores are something I really worry about. The duo [+] anti-blemish cream is a non oily, non greasy moisturiser and is a good base for make up. However, I found after a few weeks of using these products my skin was painfully dry, and the skin on my chin and around my mouth was flaking and peeling, so I use the duo [+] anti-blemish cream in the morning as a base for my make up and on a night time I have been using Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Super Serum and my skin is returning back to normal. I think this set may be slightly too harsh for my skin, although it is oily, it’s obviously not as oily as I think it is! I will continue using these products until they are finished though to see how it goes. 

Once a week I also like to use a scrub, to remove any dirt or makeup I might have missed and to avoid getting any blackheads. I like to use Clearasil Daily Care Vitamins & Extracts Scrub and the obvious staple of everyone’s skin care regime – the infamous St Ives Naturally Clear Apricot Scrub. These products are both available to buy at Boots along with the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Anti-Blemish System which has amazing reviews, so don’t let my weird skin reaction put you off!

If you have any tips on what products I could try on my oily / not as oily as I think / mega dry skin, please let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!