MAC Lipstick in Morange

Last week my sister surprised me for no reason and bought me MAC Morange (so nice of her) which is now the 13th shade in my MAC lipstick collection. MAC lipsticks are definitely my favourite, they have such a wide colour range and the shades last really long on the lips.

Morange is a gorgeous, bright orange (MAC describe it as a 'loudmouth orange') with an amplified finish. I'd say this is my second favourite MAC lipstick finish, matte being the first as Lady Danger is my all time favourite. The amplified finish lipsticks last around 4 hours on the lips and barely need touching up on a night out and even when it fades, it still leaves a lovely orange tint on the lips. Orange is definitely my go to lip colour for Summer and this is a great addition to my collection - I've been wearing it non-stop since I got it.

Unfortunately MAC lipsticks have went up to £15, but that probably wont stop me from buying them! What do you think of Morange?

I'm Back From Portugal

You've probably noticed that I've been MIA for the last week or so and that's because I'm just back from 8 amazing days in Portugal. Before I went I was too busy to schedule any posts and thought I'd just take a little break from blogging while I was away but now I'm back with lots of new posts lined up.

If you follow me on Instagram you've probably seen all these photos but for my readers who haven't I though I'd show you a few snaps. These were all taken on my iPhone as I obviously didn't take my DSLR with me so sorry about the quality. 

I booked up not too long ago to go to Albufeira in the Algrave with my friend Jacqueline. It's such a gorgeous place and I've visited it before when I was a little girl but obviously had such a different holiday to the one I'm just back from. We spent our days lying on the beach or at the pool topping up our tan and our nights partying on the strip til all hours of the morning. We lived off of Pizza and Sangria and tried to nap whenever we could. One day we went to a water park which was so much fun (not so much with a hangover though) and a change of scenery. We also treated ourselves to a lovely meal at a gorgeous restaurant one night, definitely the best steak I've ever had! Although we stupidly ordered a large steak and it turned into a bit of a Man VS Food moment. 

I'm so sad to be home but definitely happy to get some sleep. I also got the best tan I think I've ever had, I hope it doesn't fade too quickly! After 8 days of living off vodka and tequila I think it's time for a detox - only kidding I'm going out again tomorrow night!! I hope everyone has a good weekend, I'm going to enjoy mine before I go back to work on Monday!

Summer Holiday Skincare

One of the things I love doing before I go on holiday is shopping for toiletries and this year I went a bit crazy in Boots and Superdrug (and online). I took full advantage of both their 3 for 2's and left with everything I could ever need while I'm in Portugal. My favourite thing about going on holiday is sunbathing and getting a tan and I like to keep my skin looking and feeling good as the sun and sun cream doesn't exactly do wonders for my skin. I thought I'd share a few things I picked up that will keep me looking (hopefully) half decent in the heat.

Garnier Ambre Solaire After Sun: While I was reading Beth's blog I came across this after sun in her May favourites post and loved the sound of it. I always use and after sun on holiday to soothe my skin and hydrate it after hours of lying at the pool/beach trying to get the darkest tan possible. The thing I love about this is that it deepens and prolongs your tan as it contains a subtle self tanning ingredient. I always lust after the Lancaster Tan Maximiser After sun but at a fraction of the price I'm hoping this works just as well. It was on offer in Superdrug and I paid about £3.50 for it.

La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water Spray: I was drawn to this little spray when I was looking for a 3rd item to pick up in Boots 3 for 2. It contains natural anti-oxidants to soothe and soften skin that has been irritated by the sun and also helps prevent skin ageing, perfect for going abroad. I know this will come in handy when I'm lying at the pool and needing something to refresh my skin and cool me down. It's actually on offer on Escentual for £2.33 at the moment - bargain!

Bioderma Photoderm AKN Mat SPF 30: I hate putting sun cream on my face, it always stings my eyes and skin and breaks me out - you can just feel it clogging up your pores! I also use oil on my body and there's no point in buying a big bottle of sun cream just for my face so I searched the internet looking for a face cream with a high SPF. I am so happy I came across this little beauty as it's mattifying formula sounds perfect for a hot climate (no greasy looking face for me this year). It's UVB and UVA protection prevents sunburn and premature ageing while the balancing Fluidactiv complex helps to keep your skin looking clear and prevents spots. What more could you ask for? Again, this is on offer on Escentual and you can pick it up for £9.13 which is pretty decent for this 40ml bottle.

So these are some of the products that I'll be using every day on holiday - less than 2 weeks to go!! I'll also do a post on what's in my holiday makeup bag and some other beauty essentials that I'll be packing. I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Summer Haul

Bikinis: All H&M (Clockwise - Top & Bottoms both £3.99, Black Top & Bottoms both £3.99, Ombre Fringe Top £9.99 & Bottoms £7.99)

 Lace Crop Top: New Look £14.99

 Top/Dress: H&M £7.99 Playsuit: New Look £14.99

Clutch Bag: Primark £6, Earring: Primark £2.50, Necklace: Primark £4, Sunglasses: H&M £6.99

 Lauren Conrad Books: Amazon £4-£8

Essie Maximilian Strasse Her: Boots £7.99, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation: Boots £8.99

Recently I've picked up a few things for my Summer and for my holiday to Portugal so I thought I'd do a haul post. I'm going away two weeks on Wednesday and have almost got everything I need apart from toiletries (my favourite thing to shop for). The one thing I struggle with is packing lightly, especially when it comes to bikinis! Last year I went to Ibiza for a week and took 8 with me but this year I'm going to narrow it down to 4. I've bought three new bikinis this year and they're all from H&M which is my favourite place to shop for bikinis. They have such a big selection at really reasonable prices (even better that I get my staff discount), I absolutely love the green ombre fringe one that I've seen a few bloggers with which also comes in brown/orange.

I still have a lot of holiday clothes from last year but thought I'd pick up a few new things for night time. I love the lace crop top I picked up in New Look and can't wait to wear it with my high-waisted shorts. I also got a dress from H&M to wear with a gold belt and gladiator sandals and finally my favourite outfit for wearing on holiday - a playsuit. I always take at least 3 playsuits away with me because they're so easy to chuck on and dress up or down.

This year I've been really disappointed with the Summer clothes in Primark, I couldn't find anything that looked nice on and the rare pieces I did like weren't in my size. However, I did manage to get a few accessories and will probably go back for another look. My favourite is the clutch bag, I think it looks much more expensive that £6 and the laser cut out with the neon yellow underneath is gorgeous. I've also been wearing my H&M sunglasses ever day that the suns been out.

I've already got Lauren Conrad's Style book and the LA Candy trilogy so I decided to get the Beauty book and the first two books from The Fame Game trilogy. So far I've been loving reading all the tips in the Beauty book and have a post lined up of a Lauren Conrad inspired makeup look. I meant to save the two novels to read on holiday but I'm already half way through the second one - oops! I love a bit of chick-lit.

Ever since I bought the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer, I've been dying to try the foundation. So far I'm really liking it but it's slightly too light for me and the darker shade was too pink for my skin. I'll do a full review on it soon. And finally, my most recent purchase Essie Maximilian Strasse Her. This polish is part of the Spring 2013 collection so I wanted to get my hands on it before it was sold out (I might have raked through the drawers below the stands in Boots to find it). It's a cool grey/green shade and I can see myself wearing it a lot this Summer.

So that's some things that I've bought recently and I'll definitely do a post on which skincare and makeup I'll be buying for my holiday. Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Orange & Coral Lipsticks for Summer

So this week we had one day of sun (yay!) and hopefully this will be the start of more to come. Like I said before, when the warmer weather comes I like to switch up my makeup routine and this usually starts with my lipstick. In the Autumn/Winter I tend to go for dark berry colours but in the Summer my favourite colour to wear on my lips is Coral so I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you.

I'm a big fan of Topshop lipsticks and last Summer I picked up both Infrared and Ohh La La. Infrared is a deep orange that looks amazing with bronzed, sun-kissed skin. In Ibiza last year I wore this on my lips almost every night. Oh La La is a pale coral colour and the lightest shade of the bunch which is perfect for every day wear, especially if you're not a bold lipstick kinda girl. I find Topshop lipsticks really good quality for the price (£8) and I definitely need to buy some more shades, they're all so pretty! The only downside is that the packaging gets super dirty.

If I had wrote an April favourites post (I took the pictures and just didn't get round to it) then Vegas Volt would have been in it. It's a bright coral with an amplified finish which is one of my favourites as the pigment is amazing. I've been wearing this non-stop on my lips the last couple of weeks and it's definitely a MAC lipstick I suggest you add to your collection.

If you prefer lip butters to lipsticks, my favourite shade at the moment is Juicy Papaya. The Revlon lip butters are so moisturising and a great alternative to lipstick as they're really natural for every day wear.

Now the prettiest of the bunch, YSL Rouge Volupte in Rose Paris. This is a more pinky/coral that the rest of them and probably one of my favoutites. I absolutely adore the colour of this and the gorgeous packaging is an added bonus. I don't think my Summer lipstick selection would be complete without one of these beauties and another Rouge Volupte shade I think would look gorgeous for Summer is #13 Peach Passion...maybe I'll treat myself soon!

What are your favourite Coral lipsticks?

Summer Makeup Bag Essentials

Since it's now May and Summer's (hopefully) on it's way, I wanted to do a post on some of my Summer makeup bag essentials. I like to switch up my normal routine quite a bit when the Summer comes and go for a more natural, dewy look. I don't like my makeup to be as heavy and tend to go for brighter colours on my cheeks and lips. Here are some of the products I'll be using this year...

So when the warmer weather comes around I'll be swapping my full coverage foundation for a lighter CC cream. I usually swap between Laura Mercier Silk Creme and Armani Luminous Silk on a daily basis but I think I'll be keeping these for night time during the Summer. This month I've been loving L'Oreal Nude Magique Anti-Redness CC Cream which neutralises the redness I get on my cheeks and nose. I started off using it as a base but now I use it on it's own because I find it makes my skin look even and natural. I did a full post on this here if you'd like to see it in action. When this runs out I'll definitely be repurchasing it because for under a tenner it's a bargain compared to other CC creams on the market.

I've always been a powder blush kinda girl and avoided cream blushers because I wasn't sure about them. However, recently I've purchased my first couple and have been converted! I'm in love with my Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Blush (and can't wait to buy more) and have also been using the Revlon Photo Ready Blush in the shade Pinched. This gives my cheeks a really dewy, natural look as it's quite subtle and perfect for every day wear. I find it harder to work with than my Kevyn Aucoin one but that's to be expected.

Two products I can't live without are bronzer and highlighter to achieve that Summer glow. I switch between my NARS Laguna and my Chanel Tan De Soleil but I think I'll be using my Chanel one more this year as it'll go well with the cream blushers. Still straying from the powders, I love Benefit Sun Beam to give me a gorgeous golden glow. I either mix a little bit of this into my foundation for a luminous base or use it as a highlight on my cheek bones, the bridge of my nose and my brow bone. I prefer gold toned highlighter's in summer because they look amazing with a tan.

I'll also be ditching the lipstick (sometimes) during the day and switching back to my lip butters for a more subtle, natural look. One of my favourite Lip Butters at the minute is Revlon's Juicy Papaya. There are so many shades in this range that I want to get my hands on!

So that's some of the products I like to switch to during the Summer months and I'm praying we get a hot one this year (not holding my breath, I live in Scotland). What products do you switch to in the Summer?

This Weeks Holiday Wish List

I'm going to Ibiza at the end of August, so here's a few things I'm thinking of buying on pay day (maybe not the sunglasses)!

Maxi Skirt - New Look £19.99

Bandeau - New Look £3.99

Bikini Top - RI £15.00

Bikini Bottoms - RI £10.00

Shorts - H&M £9.99

Sunglasses - Ray-Ban £120.00

Melissa xxx

New Look Wedges

 I recently purchased a gorgeous new pair of wedges from New Look at a bargain price of £24.99. New Look is definitely my favourite place on the high street to buy shoes as I think they are great value for money. They also come in Fuscia, Black and Oatmeal, but I went for the orange as it's my favourite colour. I wore them to a friends birthday and love wearing wedges on nights out as they are so much comfier than heels. I'll probably take them to Ibiza with me but let's hope the weather picks up so I can wear them here!
Melissa
xxx