MAC BROOKE SHIELDS GRAVITAS PALETTE

Let's talk about this beauty. I honestly took these pictures as soon as I opened the box so I could capture the shadows in all their new, untouched beauty. This is the latest pre-made limited edition palette from the MAC Brooke Shields Collection - the Gravitas palette. There are 15 gorgeous eyeshadows with a mix of limited edition and permanent shades. I broke down and swatched every shade in this video. I honestly can't get enough of this palette. If you can get your hands on it, don't hesitate!

MAC VIVA GLAM V #30LipsIn30

This is officially the latest time I've put up a #30LipsIn30 post (it's been a busy day!), but I'm getting it up just in time. MAC Viva Glam V is the last in my mini MAC lipstick collection, and is one I've really tried to love. I've not given up on it yet though.

The shade is a beige-pink which is universally flattering and just looks sort of nice. Nothing special, just a all-round great nude - there's the whole my lips but better vibe with this one. The sheer formula contains microshimmer which isn't so noticeable on the lips but it feels a little gritty on application which is where I have the problem. It just doesn't feel that great on the lips, or as you apply it.

If I can focus on how this looks rather than how it feels, I think it has potential to become a favourite. I definitely like how it looks in the lip swatch below. This is most likely a lipstick you'll see more from me in the future but as of now, I'm on the fence.

What do you think? Should I stick with it?

Tina xx

MAC JAPANESE MAPLE #30LipsIn30

We're into our last week of #30LipsIn30 and I thought I would get out another MAC lipstick before it's over! This is Japanese Maple which is a gorgeous light peachy nude in the Cremesheen formula. I really love the application of Cremesheen lipstick as they are so moisturising and creamy (duh).

This nude is perfect to pair with a smokey eye or a neutral simple one. It's just peach enough to not completely wash out my complexion but not too peach that I can't quite pull it off so I think it was a good MAC lipstick pick from myself.

I chose this one after looking at swatches and a faint memory that Jaclyn Hill had mentioned it in a past favourites video (bonus points if you can find the video!) - I swear beauty YouTubers can sell me anything.

What's your favourite lighter lipstick from MAC? I'll add it to my ever-growing MAC wishlist!

Tina xx

AUTUMN ROSE GOLD EYESHADOWS FOR ALL BUDGETS

While spring and summer come with bright colours, autumn lends to the warmer shades especially when it comes to the eyes. I personally love playing with these sorts of shades so I thought I'd get a jump start on the coming season and create an edit of my faves (particularly the more rose gold of the bunch) at all price points.

MAC All That Glitters (£10) - This is a bit of a classic in the world of beauty. All That Glitters is a soft rosy gold shade with a veluxe pearl finish laced with a gold shimmer. It makes for a gorgeous subtle sheen to the lid when worn alone, or can be amped up with a darker colour in the outer corner or crease (I like to pair it with Antiqued from MAC). It really is an easy to wear shadow which is perfect for seamlessly transitioning into the colder months.

L'Oreal Infallible in Amber Rush ($7.99) - L'Oreal's Amber Rush packs more of a punch as a pressed pigment and can be used wet or dry. Unfortunately, it's not available in the UK so I was lucky to snap one up in a US blog sale. It is a bit deeper in shade and more of a bronzey gold compared to MAC All That Glitters. The formula is creamy and easily applied to the lid. You can see it in action here.

Rimmel Kate Moss Shadow Stick in Rose Gold (£4.49) - My pick from Rimmel comes in form of an eyeshadow crayon which makes for a quick and easy application which you can even just blend out with your finger. This is probably the most gold of them all, but can be blended out quite a lot for a more subtle eye colour or even used as a base for other eye shadows.

Collection Bronze Glow Mosiac Powder in Radiant (£2.99) - The cheapest of the bunch from Collection is actually designed for the face but I love how it looks on the eyes. I like to take a blending brush, swirling all the shades together, and sweep it across the whole lid. It has a gorgeous shimmer and actually comes off fairly similar to All That Glitters. It's definitely worth picking up at less than £3 and enough product to literally last a lifetime (although I'm not suggesting you keep it that long). It's gorgeous for that bronze glow over the cheekbones too, if you're looking for something fairly intense.

L-R: MAC All That Glitters, L'Oreal Amber Rush, Rimmel Kate Rose Gold, Collection Bronze Mosiac

So, that's them all. These are the products I've been reaching for to give my eyes that rose gold autumnal shine and I love them all. Do you have a favourite fall eye colour shade? I'm sure I'll be finding a few more in my collection as the temperature drops (bring it on - I'm ready for scarves and hoodies!).

Tina xx

MAC SYRUP #30LipsIn30

Today, I'm going back to MAC and the second lipstick I ever purchased from the brand (you can see the first here) in duty-free (yay for airport discounts!). Syrup is a lustre lipstick, and a natural berry shade. This is another "easy to wear" type lipstick (my fave) that even my Nan borrowed it off me once - it's perfect for all skin types and all ages!

It applies so easily, and doesn't last too long but is easy to reapply and is very natural looking. Syrup was a welcome addition to my little MAC collection and I go through phases of wearing this shade every day. If you want something easy, quick and comfortable then this is the one.

MAC CREME CUP #30LipsIn30

MAC Creme Cup is a bit of a classic. This was the first MAC lipstick I ever purchased, and my most used one to date. It's a gorgeous neutral pink, which is so easy to wear - it really goes with everything. Creme Cup is a cremesheen lipstick, so it is very creamy and easy to apply. This is one of my absolute favourites, and a must have in any MAC lipstick collection. I'll let the swatches speak for themselves.

Keeping things short and sweet today. What's your most used MAC lipstick? I only have a small collection so I'm always looking for recommendations. Let me know!

FOTD: UNDER-EYE HIGHLIGHT

The Kim Kardashian look is one that is difficult to transition onto an average person. The average person in question today is none other than myself. I've watched probably hundreds of videos and read umpteen blog posts on highlighting and contouring. There's always a huge emphasis on getting the right shade of bronzer/contour but not so much on the highlighting part.

Today's face of the day is one I'm quite fond of because of that bright under-eye highlight. It's taken me a while to practise getting the under-eye area highlighted enough to be noticeable but not too much that it's stark white and painfully obvious. A little mixing and matching and it's all gone a bit right today.

Base: Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer; I have a small sample of this and I've really been loving it. I've never found a primer that I've loved before but I think this may be my favourite I've tried. Works best if your skin is on the oilier side of the spectrum.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53 Light Beige; It's on its last legs but I haven't given up on the bottle yet. Love this stuff.

Concealer: MAC Prolongwear in NC20; you can't go wrong with this stuff. It's my favourite concealer for the lasting power alone; not even mentioning the coverage.
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly; I mixed in a dab of this and I mean a dab. This is the lightest shade and it is light. I bought this when the shade I wanted was out of stock and it is a bit much alone but mixed in with the prolongwear it proved to be a winning combination. Really good for those of us with pale skin.

Powders: NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder; A touch of this powder and you have a flawless finish. It's a staple of mine.
NARS Laguna; another favourite; perfect for bronzing up the skin in no time.
Sleek Face Form Palette in Fair; used the contour shade in this to, well, contour. Just a little.
Milani Blush in Luminoso; adds a little peachy-pink sheen to the cheeks.

Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base; an eyeshadow primer is essential for my oily lids.
Rimmel Eyeshadow Paint in Rich Russet; I kept things simple with this long lasting liquid eyeshadow all over the lid.
Make-Up Revolution Iconic 1 Palette; I added a touch of the darker matte brown in this palette through the crease just for some added definition.
L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim; this is my favourite liquid liner in pen form that I've tried. It's very easy to use as it's flexible enough, but not too flexible that it's uncontrollable. I only took this about halfway onto my lid for a subtle wing.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero & Demolition; Zero to tightline and Demoltion for the waterline. They do not budge.
Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara + Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara; one layer of The Rocket makes sure my curl holds all day and then the Estee Lauder mascara adds some extra volume.

Lips: MAC Viva Glam V Lipstick; I picked up a couple of new MAC lipsticks recently and this is the perfect everyday shade.

THE MAKEUP TIMER TEST TAG

As soon as I saw this over on Lily Pebbles' blog, I knew I had to do it. The tag involves timing yourself putting on your make-up and I took Lily's advice to not feel rushed and took my time (ha). My time ended up being quite a bit longer than hers. I did however include the time it took to choose a product, and then the time added on when I changed my mind.

I'm a bit of a professional when it comes to fairly natural looks using about a gazillon products. Just the average day in my world of make-up. Here's what I used:

Primer/Foundation: No7 Beautifully Matte Make Up Base / Benefit the Porefessional / Rimmel Match Perfection in Ivory & Soft Beige
Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 2 / MAC Prolongwear in NC20
Bronzer/Blush: Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer / Sleek Face and Contour Kit in Fair / Rimmel Powder Blush in Santa Rose
Brows/Eyes: Rimmel Brow Pencil in Black/Brown / Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette / Cargo Vintage Escape Palette / Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara / Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof Mascara / Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in Black & Brown / No7 Stay Perfect Mascara
Lips: Modelco Lipstick in Get Naked / NARS Pirée Lipgloss

Just a few bits then. Part of me wants to see how quickly I could do a full face of make-up if I tried. Maybe another day. Clearly, I take my eyeshadow blending oh so very seriously. I feel like I should throw in a few disclaimers for certain times but I'll just leave that to your imagination (aren't you lucky?).

Have you tried this tag? I tag you if you haven't done it yet!

FOTD: A NATURAL LOOK USING FAR TOO MANY PRODUCTS

I can admit that I'm often guilty of going overboard on my make-up when occasion doesn't call for it. A quick week day lunchtime catch-up with a friend probably doesn't lend to a dark smokey eye but sometimes I can get a tad carried away.

Today I found myself on the other end of the scale, with a very natural look. And when I say natural, I really mean it. But I stayed true to myself, and the list of products used is just as long as usual. This is a look I don't wear often, but probably should. I've kept the eyes very simple leaving the lower lashline completely bare (previously unheard of in my case!) and went for a slight flush in the cheeks and a berry-toned lip.

I started off with my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 53 Light Beige blended out with my beautyblender. This is really the only base I've been consistently grabbing for over a month now. It's a nice light-medium coverage and leaves a dewy finish on the skin; so it's perfect for summer. There was a slight peak in the product count due to the number of concealers used. I had a pesky blemish that just wouldn't play nice so I ended up layering my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 3 Warm Medium and my Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach. I got there in the end. I used my ever faithful MAC Prolongwear Concealer in NC20 under the eyes and a touch down the centre of the face for a slight highlighting effect. I set everything with a light dusting of my Maybelline Fit Me Powder in 120 Classic Ivory which is one step I maybe could have skipped. The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in 03 Medium Matte and my Natural Collection Blush in Peach Melba were my choices to bring some colour back to the face.

For the eyes it really was simple. I primed with my NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (skip if your eyes don't crease everything that touches them after 10 seconds), and then just dusted a bit of the Maybelline powder over the top to even things out and give more of a polished look. One layer of L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Extra Black on the top lashes and the eyes are done!

I almost forgot my brows (it happens quite a lot) but ended up just putting a touch of powder from my Whitening Lightning Brow Bar to Go through them and was happy.

Finally, for the lips, I dabbed on a fairly new purchase of MAC Syrup.

What products have you been using recently to create your every day natural make-up look? Leave them below...

A WARM-TONED SMOKEY EYE LOOK

Okay, it's first post time. Let's do this!

I've always been a sucker for a good smokey eye (who isn't?) and have watched countless YouTube tutorials on all kinds of said eye look and I think I've spotted a pretty strong favourite amongst the beauty gurus. Everyone loves the "warm tones". Those gorgeous reddy-browns which always look beautiful, that is until I try them on myself. I'm not sure if it's down to my skin tone, my undertones, eye shape... the list could go on but I have never been able to get it to work for me. Until today.

I can't take all the credit as I was totally inspired by Allison from the YouTube channel amarixe (you know the one), and her gorgeous eye look she's been rocking for the past couple of videos. So, I was browsing the make-up section in Poundland of ALL places because wherever there's a make-up section in any shop, that's where you'll find me. I came across a few seemingly "reject" Rimmel products reduced down to a quid which seemed to be due to the quirky colours. We're talking khaki-coloured nail polishes, a purple Scandaleyes liner (which would have been a total bargain if I didn't already own one which I paid full price for - gutted) and then the gem which inspired this post.

The Scandaleyes eyeshadow paint in 005 Golden Bronze. For £1.

Swatch: MAC Antiqued

Naturally, I had to have it. I'm a huge fan of the formula which has insane lasting power. I already own another in Rich Russet which is much loved, and a perfect liquid alternative to Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in On-and-On-Bronze

So, let's get down to it. The warm smokey eye which I love.

Firstly, I just threw the eyeshadow paint all over the lid. The formula is pretty easy to work; it comes out very wet giving you time to blend using your finger (I found this easiest) or a brush and then it sets a few seconds later and doesn't move all day. The finish is gorgeous; metallic, crazy pigmented and super shiny. I'm not usually a fan of golds on me but I love this one. Next up, I popped a much neglected MAC Antiqued (any reddy-brown will work) in the outer corner and crease and this is what I came up with. Completed with winged liner on the lid and a nice brown liner in the waterline and I'm loving it. I think this might become a fave look of mine to create and one I'll definitely be posting up on my YouTube channel soon. I can finally join the warm smokey eye club!

Rimmel eyeshadow paint in Gold Bronze here, £4.99 (or check your local Poundland)

MAC Antiqued, £10 here