I've spent a few months deliberating on which MAC eyeshadows I should get and after a lot of research, watching youtube reviews and looking at different swatches I've finally completely filled up my large Pro Palette. I've been trying out the shadows for a few weeks and I honestly love every single one! To some people, it may look like a palette with very similar shadows mostly comprising of browns, neutrals and a hint of purple. But, these are the colours I tend to reach for most often and I wanted to invest in shadows I would actually use. 

• Nylon (Frost) - Pale Gold with icy shimmer - Beautiful intense white shade which is perfect for the inner corner or even as a brow bone highlight.
• Omega (Matte) - Soft-muted beige taupe - My favourite transition shade for a cool toned shadow look.
• Wedge (Matte) - Soft-muted beige taupe - This is slightly more warm than Omega and also great as a transition shade. On my medium-toned skin, it doesn't show up as well, but great for anyone who is fair or has a light skin tone. 
• Tempting (Lustre) - Sinfully rich coco - Very pigmented dark gold shade which is beautiful all over the lid. 
• Charcoal Brown (Matte) - Muted taupe brown - So many reviews mentioned that they use this for eyebrows, but personally it's another favourite transition shade, it shows up a bit better than Omega on my skin tone, so it gives further depth in my crease. 
• Naked Lunch (Frost) - Minimal pink with shimmer - This is a very hyped up shadow, however pigmentation isn't the best. It's a very subtle champagne colour, which I like to use as a brow bone highlight. 
• Mulch (Velvet) - Red-brown with Bronze Pearl - Very pigmented bronze shade which is great all over the lids, it complements my brown eyes quite nicely and it looks beautiful with a darker brown shadow in the crease. 
• Woodwinked (Veluxe Pearl) - Warm Antique Gold - Very smooth, pigmented and blendable true gold. One of my must-haves. 
• Satin Taupe (Frost) - Taupe with silver shimmer - Another favourite, works really well with brown eyes, and I love wearing it on its own with just a bit of eyeliner and mascara. 
• Smut (Velvet) - Muted black with red shimmer - Although it doesn't swatch very smoothly on my hands, it actually blends quite well with other shadows on my eyes, I like to use this on the outer V when I want to create a smokey eye but don't want a harsh black. 
• All That Glitters (Veluxe Pearl) - Beige with gold pearl - Probably my favourite shadow out of all the shades I own! Perfect for a soft and subtle makeup look, one of my must-haves for everyday and a very versatile colour. 
• Sable (Frost) - Gold plum with bronze pearl - I fell in love with this colour as soon as I swatched it. It looks stunning on its own, and blends very well. 
• Sketch (Velvet) - Burgundy with red shimmer - The formula isn't the best, and it tends to be drier than any of the other shadows in this palette, therefore making it slightly harder to blend. However if you're willing to make it work, it is a beautiful and unique crease shade. 
• Beauty Marked (Velvet) - Black red with sparkle pearl - In the pan, this looks quite intense and shimmery. That being said I have come to love it as a crease or outer V shade especially with purple based looks. 
• Fig 1 (Matte) - Eggplant purple - This also may look intimidating when you first look at it, but I feel like it gives you a lot of control over the intensity of the colour due to its smooth, and blendable formula. It has also got a great lasting power. 

To round it all off, I would say that I'm very satisfied with the shades I chose and this palette is quickly becoming one of my favourites as it has got all of my go-to shades. There are numerous looks I can create with this customized palette and I'm sure it will get a lot of love during these next couple of weeks. 

Do you own any MAC eyeshadows? What are your favourites? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Christine
​xxx

This week has been super busy so in order to squeeze in this week's post I thought I'd do a tag. I was scrolling through some beauty posts on bloglovin and I came across this tag by that's just fabulous. Thought I'd give it a go as it may still give you some insight on my beauty habits. So, here goes...

If you could have anyone in the world do your makeup, who would it be?
This is a hard one. However, the first person that popped in my head was Carli Bybel. She has never failed to impress me with any make up look she's done. I feel like we have very similar tastes in makeup and I would honestly fangirl so hard if I ever got the chance to meet her. She seems like such a genuine person and I would trust her blindly.

What's your top makeup tip?
For eyeshadow, always start off with a base shadow which is very similar to your skin tone. Apply that all over the lid up to your brow. This will help blend any darker shadow you apply to your eyes later on. 

What one makeup item could you not live without?
Probably concealer. I feel like I use this for so many different things, whether I'm trying to brighten up my undereyes and conceal any dark circles or else when I'm having bad skin days and I need to cover up some acne scars or spots.

What one skincare item could you not live without?
I think I'd have to go with my cleanser on this one. Although I must admit, I try to put off removing my makeup till the last possible minute, there's nothing better than the feeling of refreshed and soft makeup-free skin just before you head to bed. 

What are you worst at when it comes to applying makeup?
I used to really struggle with winged eye liner, and although I'm still not the best at it, I've  definitely gotten much better. As they say, practice makes perfect!

What's your biggest pet peeve when it comes to beauty?
The only thing I can think of is badly drawn eyebrow shapes. I've seen some that have made me cringe, but obviously to each, their own!

What's your favorite makeup era?
Another hard one! Hmm... I love the 50s. For a simple and quick look, I put a warm brown as a transition colour in the crease, some wing liner and a red lipstick and voila... I'm channelling my inner Audrey Hepburn!

What's your guilty pleasure product?
Eyeshadow! It's a bit ridiculous honestly the amount of different eyeshadows I own, but I just can't help it. I'm all for flawless skin, but somehow I always gravitate towards eye products somehow. 

What's your underdog product?
The essence I love Stage Eyeshadow base. This was one of the first makeup products I ever bought and I still love it. I think that Essence is such an underrated brand. They have some great quality products at such affordable prices.

What's your favorite makeup product of 2015? 
Damn! This is definitely the hardest question for me... it's so hard to pick just one. I have a whole blog post about my 2015 favourites and that was already suuper hard to cut down. So, I'm going to cheat and at least choose 2: the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer in Medium/ Deep and MAC's lipstick in Mehr. They're still my go-to products in 2016!

So, now I would like to tag Emily from Lifestyles of Emily and anyone else who would like to do it :) Can't wait to see your answers! 

It's no surprise that MAC is one of my favourite brands. However, I feel that in regards to liquid lipsticks, MAC were a bit late to the game. They finally released their own line of liquid lipsticks in January of this year. Seeing as I saw a lot of mixed reviews of these on Youtube and on other blogger sites, I admit I was a bit skeptical on whether I would take the plunge and buy them. 

Last week, I stumbled across a MAC counter, and ignoring the voices in my heart to keep walking away, I couldn't resist and I ended up walking away with one of these babies in Feels so Grand. It is a deep true red, which I think would suit a great variety of skintones. I looooove the colour. 

Let's just first start off with packaging... although I feel that MAC could have done much better, I still appreciate the fact that they wanted to keep the same style as with their usual lipsticks (the bullet cap). And, honestly I think it's growing on me. 

The pigmentation of this liquid lipstick is to die for and I also love its finish. It applied like a dream, and with just one swipe, it was very opaque. Even though it's matte, it's not sticky to the touch and it dries fairly quick. The daw foot applicator gives you a lot of control, allowing for a great and precise application. Although it is matte, it will still feel comfortable on the lips and not too drying. The staying power is pretty good as well, keeping in mind that you might have to reapply after food (especially the greasy kind) and drink. 

What I wasn't too keen on was the reapplication of it. There were times when throughout the day, I had to touch up especially on the centre of the lip (this is pretty normal for me) but on so doing, it seemed to crumble on my lips, making them look extremely dry. Therefore in the case that you have to reapply, I would suggest taking it all off using a makeup remover wipe and starting over again. 

So, would I suggest buying it? If you're willing to go to the trouble in order to reapply, then I would definitely recommend this product. Personally, I like to leave this for days when I know that I will only be out for a few hours, therefore not having to touch up at all (because I'm super lazy :P) 

Until next time, 
Christine xxx

It feels so good to be back... I've been a bit MIA the last couple of weeks as school and exams took over my life this month. But now that I'm back, since winter is well upon us, I wanted to share some of the beauty and mostly skincare products that my skin can't live without during this time of year. Let's be honest, my skin really struggles during this time so I try to make sure that I dedicate at least 15 minutes of pampering in a week. Hopefully, my skin will thank me later. 

Lip balm
With the cold and windy elements, lips tend to lose moisture, eventually leading to dry and chapped lips. The first thing to do is make sure to hydrate your body and drink plenty of water, but if like me, this never seems to be enough, I would recommend the EOS lip balm in Fruit Punch and the Body Shop Hemp Lip Conditioner. I've tried quite a few different lip balms in my time but these 2 are definitely my favourite. You can always find them in my purse.

Moisturiser
My current favourite is the Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. I was given a free 8.9ml sample of this with a recent order, and honestly, I didn't expect much from it. However, from the day I picked it up, I haven't stopped using it. It has got an oil free formula which is perfect for my oily skin. It doesn't feel greasy on my face yet it still helps protect from the sun with an SPF of 15. 

Hand cream
When my hands are in need of some moisturizing, I always reach for my Figs & Rouge Rose Berry Shea Butter Hand Cream. This was kindly given to me by best friends as a birthday gift last year. I've almost run out of it and I'll probably be buying it again just for its smell. Anything oily on my hands gives me anxiety but this is non-greasy just as it states.

Face Mask
Don't you just love the feeling of soft and refreshed skin? NIVEA's Pure and Natural Mask Anti-Stress helps me achieve just that. This is enriched with Argan oil and Aloe vera which are known for their beneficial qualities. This mask is perfect for all skin types, giving intense hydration.

Do you have any tips on how to keep your skin hydrated throughout winter? I'd love to know!

Until next time,
Christine xxx    ​