So I was clearing out my blog drafts - as soon as I have an idea for a post I make a draft. And post never make it past then, I have even more that are half done, some photos taken, some writing thrown in, but it's just too 'out of date' to finish and post now
Well I was clearing it (54 drafts down to 12!) and found these photos I took in NZ. And I honestly don't know why I didn't post this as wearing Mac Gaga Lipstick as a blush really is one of my favourite ways to wear it and I love the finish it give.s
The photos aren't great, but I think they show what the lipstick really looks like on the skin so I figured I'd post them anyway!
I rarely wear it on the lips, but I do often grab it for a lovely dewy pop of pink on the cheeks.
The rest of my make up is nice and simple. Nars Sheer Glow, a mix of lots of random golden shades (the sort of eyeshadow look I do all the time), lashings of Benefit they're real mascara and slightly filled in brows. I'm also showing off my lovely new OPI Polish - Taupe-less Beach!
Still loving this colour.. despite having several colours shamefully similar!
This isn't something I'd usually think to put on here, but I bought my first beanie hat! (I think it's a beanie hat… I'm calling it that anyway). I know buying a hat isn't a particularly interesting purchase, but I actually only own one other hat, and that's just a big floppy thing for on the beach. Hat's just don't suit my face so I typically just avoid them, regardless of how much I love hats
I got this one from valley girl here in NZ, and it came with these gem-flowers all along the front. They're definitely not my cup of tea so I just cut them off as I much prefer it plain as the lilac colour is just so pretty!
Also, I never realised just how warm hats keep you! Silly I know, but I wore this yesterday and I was toasty warm despite the chill in the air - I get why people love their hats in winter now!
As for make up, I kept it super simple, some eyeliner, mascara, a little bit of pencil in my brows and the amazing collection concealer - done. I was just popping to the library (on a saturday?!) so I just couldn't be bothered doing a full face
Let me know what you think of it - I'm still not 100% convinced I don't look silly in it
My daily make up is usually ridiculously quick and simple but hopefully leaves me looking like I put a lot more than the minimum amount of effort required to look presentable in. I think I owe most of that to the lipstick though.
You might have noticed but I often don't wear lipstick, or anything on my lips actually. I'm just not a lipstick girl… not that you'd know that by looking at how many lip product I own, lipsticks are just so tempting with their beautiful colours, but once I buy them they sadly never get used. But in Dubai I fell in love with mac's Russian Red, wearing it almost every day I was there, so, convinced I was now a lipstick sort of girl, I couldn't resist the mac counter in Sydney and somehow walked out with Craving.
Honestly, it's made me look at the rest of my lipsticks completely differently, I have so many lovely colours I just never wear. I think I just feel too 'dressed up' if I have lipstick on - makes no sense I know. But since getting craving i've been wearing it almost none stop.. possibly 5 days in a row which is completely unheard of for me!
On the rest of my face I just have Laura mercier tinted moisturiser, the Balm Bahama mama, Benefit they're Real, Collection lasting perfection concealer, L'Oreal brow artist, ChiChi Nudes palette
I love this lipstick liberally swiped on, but my favourite way to wear it is dabbed in the middle of my lips and smudged/smeared out so it's a lighter weight. Craving is my first amplified finish and it's amazing - creamy, pigmented, reasonably long lasting and it just wears beautifully throughout the day! I hate high-maintenance lipsticks, I just can't be bothered having to constantly reapply but it leaves a subtle stain once it's worn off which means I can put off reapplying!
At the moment I'm sticking to a little bronzer for some slight contouring and skipping the whole blush and highlighter, but I don't see that lasting too much longer. As soon as I start having to wear a coat on a daily basis I can't resist piling on the highlighter to try and keep my skin looking really 'alive'.
I made use of my ChiChi Nude palette sweeping on a light shimmery shade and then layering on the mascara. I got the palette in Brisbane on a bit of an impulse as the colours were buttery soft and pigmented when swatched. On reflection it's not a particularly great palette as all the colours have a distinct silver, cool undertone but I can't complain as it was a bit of a bargain. And the streamlined packaging means it's great to throw in your bag for a weekend away.
Since getting craving I've been much more experimental with my lip colours, and I already know another amplified mac lipstick will be mine in no time at all!
Although this blog is almost entirely me rambling about make up with the occasional hair or skin care ramble thrown in, I want to share a couple of my other random favourites every so often too. It's not going to be a regular thing, but maybe every month or so expect a bit of an odd collection of favourites to appear! I've had one of the most amazing month and these are just handful of things that sprung to mind Saturday morning while nursing my fuzzy head after celebrating a friend's birthday last night
Picking my own Fruit
Where I'm living at the moment I'm surrounded by fruit trees and everything seems to be ripe at the moment so I've been picking a little selection of fruit every morning. There's just something so lovely about starting your day picking oranges and lemons! - I can't wait for the grapefruits to be ready!
Myer Briggs Test
This has been around for ages, so it's probably not new to most of you. But it's basically a 'personality test', you answer a bunch of questions and you get given a 4 letter result. I'm INTJ if you were wondering. I've just been really loving googling the various 'charts' out there, there's one that correlates your 'type' with a Game of Thrones character, or someone from star wars, or even a disney princess! I had a girly evening the other night and after a glass of wine we figured out our types and had way too much fun comparing which characters we'd be! It's a fun way to waste some time!
Golden Kiwis
I've never seen these in the UK so I've been pretty much living off them here as they're so good and I want to make the most of being able to get them where they're grown!
John Mayer's cover of XO
I found Beyonce's latest album to be really hit or miss, roughly half the songs I completely adore, but some just don't do it for me. John Mayer, one of my favourite artists, did a cover of XO recently and I can't stop listening to it! I think he completely nailed it!
New Zealand
It's a bit weird to have a country as a favourite, but I'm now my time in New Zealand is coming to an end I just can't help but see all the wonderful parts of the country. I'm trying to squeeze in as many weekend trips and long treks as possible since the landscape here is truly phenomenal!
College Prepster
I've loved Carly's blog for a while but the last month or so I've been checking it every day and loving every single post! Definitely head over and check it out if you haven't already as she's got a lovely style with great posts for young women, and actually women of almost any age. I always find what she posts seems to just perfectly suit what's going on in my own life - oh and her puppy, teddy, is adorable.
TED
I'm ridiculously late on the bandwagon here I know, but it's only the last month or so I've discovered Ted Talks videos. And oh my gosh they are addictive. I personally love watching one when I wake up in the morning as they're just so inspiring it sets me up for the day. They're also my guilty pleasure during study breaks as they keep me motivated!
Despite winter being well on it's way here in New Zealand this last week we've had a mini late autumn heat wave. It's not been breaking records or anything but bare legs and suncream have definitely made an appearance. I've wholeheartedly embraced the warmer weather and my make up has been kept to a complete minimum, as no one wants to slap on a ton of make up when it's going to sweat off! Following the same theme my skin care has become seriously streamlined with one cleanser being almost entirely to blame.
Simple make up
It's all about the skin at the moment, any shift in weather makes my skin a little funny for the first week as it handles the change, so instead of smothering it in foundation I've been reaching for a sheer, dewy tinted moisturiser. The perfect little combo at the moment in Laura Mercier's oil free tinted moisturiser and Collection lasting perfection concealer, these two together provide a great finish, slightly dewy but with great targeted coverage.
Everything else is kept super simple, a little hula bronzer for some slight contouring action, a tiny amount of They're Real Mascara (since it's a pain to remove) and just a slight shimmer shade all over the lid, usually Urban Decay's Sin or Mac's All that Glitter. Fresh, Quick and Simple for mornings when getting out of bed is just hard work.
Simple Cleanser
I actually first tried this when my friend let me borrow hers and I liked it so much I went out and bought it myself. Despite going out to get it I'm not going to tell you this is necessary in your life, although I do think something 'like' this is a necessity. It's gentle, it's calming and it does the trick. I've not seen any magical effects from using it but I know that regardless of how my skin is doing this will cleanse without being stripping, or leaving my skin clogged.
It's biggest selling point for me has got to be that I really can use it on my eyes and it doesn't irritate or make my eyes water - I definitely don't use it daily on my eyes but if it's a late night and I just can't be bothered it gets rid of your eye make up while you cleanse your face. Ss many cleansers claim to be for skin and eyes, maybe it's just me, but I find half of them way to harsh to use anywhere near my eyes.
Here's hoping the warm weather lasts a little longer here - not likely sadly.
