MAC Colour Craft Collection Haulin'!

Hi Beauties,

If you are tuned in to my twitter, you'll know that I went over to MAC today to check out the MAC Colour Craft Collection.

As usual, I'd like to share with you what I picked up and my initial thoughts.

Sunny By Nature MSF

By far the prettiest and most wearable of the bunch. They are all fabulous but I know that the few MSF's I own sit inside my vanity desperately waiting to get used. Unfortunately, MAC has a habit of going overboard on the shimmer.
*****"Dearest MAC, We the makeup-addicts also have day (office) jobs, and we, really don't look good under office lighting with those gold cheeks! The MSF's are too shimmery".*****

Anyway, it is a beautiful bronzey color with a few veins in light pink. This one is fantastic for contouring, bronzing or even allover the face for a warmer skin tone. This color may be too light for darker WOC but the "Warm Blend"* 3-color MSF will probably work perfectly. *disclaimer: it has gold shimmer. Read above.*

Style Demon Mineralize Blush

Deep cinnamon-rose with gold shimmer. When I got home I compared it on my Brunette MSF and they are quite similar. I may have to exchange this one. :-(

Nice Mix Up Lipglass (marbled)

Gorgeous orangey-bronze color. The consistency is quite sticky but the color payoff is way better than the Tri-color Lipglasses from the Sugarsweet Collection. Overall a nice addition but not a must have.

Miss Marble Lipglass (marbled)

This is soft muted pink color. I have an abnormal obsession with pink lipglosses/lipsticks/blushes, whatever, that I felt I needed this one. But if you are 'normal' and you have other pinks this is not a must have.

Trimming Talk Lipstick (Frost)

GORGEOUS! WOW! I love this color. The frost part is barely noticeable but the pink is to die for! You do need to add 2+ coats to hide the pigmentation from your own lips but once you do, it's amazing. I am wearing it as I type this and I don't want to take it off. LOL

MAC 131 Brush

I haven't tried this brush yet but I can see myself using it for liquid foundation, powder blushes, cream blushes, MSFs and highlight. It really is too expensive as are most MAC brushes, but I just see so many possibilities with this one.

Happy Shopping!

XOXO,
Awilda

Curly Wurly

Beachy Waves, here I come...

After reading The Yummy Mummy's Beauty Blog and how the Babyliss Conical Wand can create gorgeous beachy waves, I just had to get one...proof alone that I look to these beauty blogs to decide what I am going to buy next! These blogs have alot more influence over my decision than magazines now. I think that really is a step in the right direction...real people with impartial reviews.

I have tried curling my hair with GHD's but I just don't have the skill!ha ha. I've tried loads of times and it just doesn't look right. I wanted to find a tool that would be quick and easy to use.


I loved the pics Holly had posted coz I like the more relaxed curl look - it doesn't look too structured or like you have tried too hard. I can't wait to try this baby out! I will of course post a pic when I have used it. I have a BBQ on saturday at my parents house to celebrate the engagement and I will be getting all done up for that so I will post a pic then.


I bought the wide barrel version coz I want my waves to be loose. As you can see from the pic on the right, there's a heatproof mat that comes with the wand and also special gloves to avoid getting burnt handies! The wand has different heat settings for damaged/coloured hair, thick hair, afro hair etc, which I think is really good as some only come with one burning hot setting that incinerates your hair! Since I highlight my hair, I don't want to damage it through using heated appliances.

I would be interested to know what products everyone uses to style their hair when they are curling it. I want a product that is going to set my style all day without feeling sticky or hard to the touch. Any suggestions?

Top 5 Liz Earle Products

First off, I think the Liz Earle range is a great organic, affordable line and particularly good for anyone who needs gentle products on their skin. I am going to count down my favourite products from this brand that I use on a regular basis and explain why I like them so much.

1) EyeBright Soothing Eye Lotion - This water consistency lotion is fantastic for refreshing my eyes after a long day in the office staring at a computer screen. It's also a life saver after a wild night out! It minimises bloodshot eyes and depuffs the eye area in general. It contains Witchhazel, Aloe Vera and Cornflower to help tone and cool your eyes. It's so refreshing and just makes me feel so much better when my eyes are all sleepy and itchy first thing in the morning.

2) Brightening Treatment - I'm always up for anything that brightens my skin and this mask is a great natural solution to perking your face up a bit. It contains white clays and camphor oil to put the radiance back into your skin. I apply it after I've used the Cleanse and Polish about once or twice a week. The clay also eliminates impurities in my skin a.k.a. spots!

3) Skin Repair Moisturiser (Dry/Sensitive) - I remember when I had my first and worst outbreak of Psoriasis on my face when I was 21. My dad very extremely ill in hospital and I got really bad Psoriasis from all the stress I was under. It's hereditary and lays dormant sometimes until you get rundown or stressed. Anyways, nothing I used soothed the dry skin and it was really starting to upset me. My mum saw a section on QVC (Cable) about Liz Earle products and how she developed them after suffering from a skin condition herself (eczema). I thought I would try this moisturiser to see if it would help and it did an amazing job of hydrating my skin and cleared up alot of the Psoriasis within 2 or 3 weeks. I was really happy with the result and found that by using this cream in the winter months when my skin can get very dry, it prevented another breakout and I haven't had another bad bout of it since. I would say the lighter version for normal skin would be better for the summer months and it's a great base for make-up too, it really sticks to this cream once applied. It contains Borage (a fatty acid), Vitamin E, Avocado and Echinacea.

4) Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - Now I know I've harped on about this before but it really is a must have product if you want flawless skin and who doesn't??? It's a multi award winning product and there's good reasons for that. The cleanser itself is rich and thick and contains things like Chamomile, Eucalyptus and Vitamin E. You basically just slather on the cleanser, wet the muslin cloth in warm water, squeeze out the excess water and then remove the cleanser from your face in circular motions with the cloth. It exfoliates your skin in a gentle way and gives the same results as micro dermabrasion. It baiscally refines the texture of your skin, gets rid of dry patches and redness and makes it incredibly smooth. I can't recommend this product enough!

5) Instant Boost Tonic - First off, this stuff smells divine, it's rose scented and non drying. It contains Vitamin E, Geranium and Aloe Vera. It's an amazing skin tonic to use after cleansing and really refreshes your skin. I love using it on holiday as it cools you down and makes your skin feel super clean without any dryness. It's one of those products that's just so lovely to use.

I think the overall thing that I love about these Liz Earle products is that when you use them, you really feel like you're doing something good for your skin. Because all the ingredients are organic, you can rest assured that you're not applying a load of chemicals onto your face.

You can only buy these products on the Liz Earle website or on the QVC tv channel/website.

If any US followers are interested in trying these products, I could possibly do a contest with a few gift sets to give away. Let me know if this is something you would like to enter.

Also, a short note on a contest that Lily Loves Lola (www.lilyloveslola.blogspot.com) is running at the moment...the prize is a bottle of St Moriz! Go check it out!

My Favourite Benefit Products

I love the design ideas and overall kitsch retro style of Benefit, it's really fun and colourful, which is an important part of makeup. I have tried loads of their products over the years and although they are pricey, some of them really are worth the pricetag and hype. Here is a rundown of my 5 favourite Benefit products which have really performed well for me and I continue to repurchase.

1) High Beam - Ever since I started using this highlighter a few years ago, I fell in love with it and tried to get everyone I knwo to try it. It is a pearlised pink liquid that is applied to the cheekbones, down the centre of the nose, browbones and cupid's bow. It creates a gorgeous sheeny ethereal glow that is so natural and more importantly there is no glitter in this formulation. It just makes your skin look soft focus which is what I always strive for. It offers an effect that powder highlighters often can't achieve, the sought after 'dewy' look. I love this product and will always go back to it coz I know I can rely on it to deliver.

2) Erase Paste - This stuff is fantastic for concealing any dark circles under your eyes. I only got a tester of it recently from a department store but I've used it all up now and it's definitely on my list for the end of the month! It's hard to find a product that doesn't look cakey and thick under the eyes, that's the last thing you want! You can also use this product to conceal any redness around the nose etc. I highly recommend this to anyone who suffers from under eye bags/circles.

3) Powderflage - This pale pink powder is great used in conjunction with erase paste. Applied after the Earse Paste, it basically softens any lines and illuminates the under eye area, eliminating any darkness. It's very finely milled so there's no powdery effect under the eye. I love it!

4) Bad Gal - I first discovered this chubby smokey eye pencil a few years ago and I was a bit unsure at first as it didn't look like a precision tool...but the more I got used to it, the more I loved it. The thing I love about this eyeliner is that the colour is buildable. You can apply it lightly for a gentle graphite smokey eye or apply more for a dense black line. It can be sharpened to provide a narrow line or left blunt to achieve a really smudgey smokey eye. I like that it's versatile and it lasts for ages which i think, justifies the pricetag.

5) Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/Liner - I love cream eyeshadows that form a base on the eyelid that just won't budge. I'm always on the lookout for a replacement waterproof eyeshadow like my beloved Lancome Colour Dose. These cream eyeshadows from Benefit come in a range of really flattering shades and I love the fact that you can also use them as an eyeliner. You can either use them as a base for your powder shadow or wear them on their own. They are very similar to MAC Paint Pots and Estee Lauder Double Wear Cream eyeshadows (I'm yet to try the EL ones but LipstickRules rates them). They don't crease or budge in any way which is the best thing about them and as you don't need to use alot of the product, they last a long time.

There are some of Benefit's products that just don't work for me like the Dallas bronzer but as with all make-up, what doesn't work for one person may work for the next. Despite the odd disappointment, I'm always interested to see what they come up with next.

So, what are your favourite Benefit products and why?

Do you wear make-up for yourself or everyone else?

I heard an interesting conversation on TV the other day. It was a debate that started off with the statement that "Feminist journalist, Julie Bindel, has said she's never worn make up in order to get male attention". Basically they were debating whether women wear make-up for themselves or for men. I have had alot of comments made to me over the years due to the fact I wear makeup every day. Alot of people (mainly other women) tend to judge you, assuming that you're vain, superficial or trying to get male attention.

I think it has to be said that the answer will be different for each individual but I can honestly say that as make-up is my hobby, I do it for myself. I like to look attractive as it makes me feel more confident and yes, I'll admit it, it's nice to get compliments. Overall I would say I do it because I enjoy the ritual of applying make-up, to me it's like colouring in when you are a kid, it's fun! It does wonders for your self esteem and that's why I do it, to feel good about myself, so I'm firmly in the "I do it for me" camp.

Make up has been worn by men and women over the centuries for so many different reasons, as a form of art, as war paint or tribal markings or sometimes as an expression of power.

The idea that women wear make-up to attract men can be argued, but then you could say the same about wearing dresses, or men buying nice cars and spending hours cleaning/waxing them. Everything could be put down to an attempt to attract the opposite sex. I guess there are some people out there who crave the attention but I think 95% of women wear makeup coz it makes them feel glamourous and just plain good about themselves. It's also a way of expressing your personality and who you are. Make-up is an expression of femininity and if you are proud of being a women, what's wrong with expressing that through make-up?

I think it would be a bigger betrayal to women (and yourself) to deny yourself the simple basic human right to express yourself. We all have choices and whether you want to wear make-up or not, it should be your decision and I don't think it's fair to critisise anyone for making a personal choice.

What's your opinion on this debate?