MAC 217 Brush: Worth The Hype?

I've actually already done this post earlier this year but when looking for it to link in a recent tutorial, I realised that I've accidentally deleted it somewhere along the lines. I think that the MAC 217 is one of the most highly talked about products that a lot of people, including myself wonder at some point "Is it worth the hype?" I thought I'd redo the post, not exactly but thereabouts to let you know what I think and if it is worth the hype.

The MAC 217 Blending Brush is just that. A big fluffy brush for blending the shadows into the crease and on the lid. Many beauty gurus often talk about this brush and segregate it from other MAC brushes as being "holy grail".

I received one earlier in the year as began to use it immediately to find out for myself what all the fuss was about. My first impression was that it's alot bigger than I had previously imagined but when using it, it slotted perfectly into my crease to produce a great blended colour. This brush is quite long and fluffy which allows it to really work the colour onto the lid.

At a steep $24 it is definitely pricey for what it is considering you can get a bunch of good Real Techniques Brushes for the same price. Despite this flaw in price, I would say that this is a good brush to have in your kit but there are probably lots of dupes available out there.

Overall I would say this brush is worth the hype but that does not mean to say that I would buy it again as I do believe there will be similar brushes on the market for a fraction of the price. 

Xoxo 

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A Guide to MAC Lipsticks

When first buying a MAC lipstick, it can be very daunting. Being bombarded with questions when asking for help in store... Cremesheen? Lustre? Matte? Frost? Along with more, I decided today to explain what each finish actually is to hopefully make it easier for everybody when buying a lipstick from MAC and essentially, to create a guide to MAC lipsticks.

Cremesheen: This is my personal favourite MAC formula, it is very creamy and smooth to the lips. I like it because rather than being sticky or drying, it provides a moisturising texture that blends seemlessly into my lips for a lovely finish. Whilst only lasting for a couple of hours, it's easy enough to reapply. 

Popular Cremesheens include- Creme Cup, Shy Girl and my personal favourite, Modesty. 

Matte: I love the look of matte lipsticks but I find this formula very drying and difficult to blend into the lips. It is very long-lasting, the most durable of all the MAC formulas, lasting for approximately 6 hours. It provides a lovely matte finish but I'm not a fan due to the difficulty with blending it into my lips. I prefer a smooth moisturising formula despite preferring the finish of a matte lipstick.

Popular Mattes include- Velvet Teddy, Lady Danger, Candy Yum Yum and Russian Red. 

Lustre: This formula is very creamy and smooth to the lips which I love however it is quite a sheer finish, it can easily be built up but essentially, it appears as more of a tinted lip balm than a lipstick. They aren't super long-lasting and do require reappliance however you can get a couple of hours out of them. 

Popular Lustres include- Patisserie, Plink, Hug Me and my personal favourite Syrup.

Frost: This formula provides a very shimmery finish which can make them more unwearable and looking "frosty". These lipsticks last longer than lustres with a couple of hours duration before needing to reapply. They are a little glossy but not as much as Cremesheens or Lustre.

Popular Frosts include - Angel and Costa Chic. 

Glaze: This formula provides an even sheerer coverage than Lustre. It is quite glossy but also looks natural. Glaze lipsticks duration time is an obvious flaw, with them only lasting an hour or so. 

Popular Glazes include - Hue and Pervette. 

Cremesheen Pearl: This formula is a mix between Cremesheen and Frost. They are creamy and moisturising but with a little frosty undertone. 

Popular Cremesheen Pearls include - Coral Bliss and Pink Pearl Pop. 

Amplified Creme: This formula is very creamy and glossy but not quite as long-lasting as it could be. These lipsticks are very bright and "Amplified". 

Popular Amplified Cremes include - Vegas Volt and Girl about Town. 

Satin: This finish is quite matte but a much less drying formula. They provide the lips with a little sheen and last a long time, a good 5 hours. They are quite opaque but have a lovely finish. 

Popular Satins include - Rebel and Snob

Retro Matte: This formula is similar to the matte finish but much more drying on the lips. For that reason, I personally try to stay away from them because they aren't creamy or moisturising. It includes lovely colours but the extreme matte finish is very drying. 

Popular Retro Mattes include - Ruby Woo and Dangerous. 

These complete the standard MAC lipsticks! I hope this was helpful and makes buying MAC lipsticks a bit less daunting and hopefully enables you to buy the formula that you are looking for. 

Xoxo

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Favourites: Products I've been loving

Since I haven't posted in quite a while (which is going to be changing), I decided to fill you in on the products I've been enjoying these last few months. There are quite a few because I really wanted to vary the different types of products in this post, I always wanted to go into more detail so be prepared for a long post...

1. MAC Modesty Cremesheen Lipstick
This lipstick was a gift for my birthday and I'd been wanting it for a while. It's a very warm nude colour leaning towards the brown side, quite similar to Velvet Teddy but being a Cremesheen finish rather than a Matte. I personally prefer cremesheens because they feel much smoother and moisturising on my lips. I also find it easy enough to dab some powder over my lips should I want them matte. I find nudes really wearable with any look and I've been reaching for this and my next favourite lots recently.

2. Soap & Glory Sexy Motherpucker Gloss stick in Nudist
This is probably my favourite lip product. I have used it so much that it's actually becoming blunt because I use it so much, its definitely going to be a re-purchase. These gloss sticks are very different to the other crayon-based sticks that I've tried from other brands. Not only does it smell like Vanilla but it is also extremely moisturising on the lips whilst still looking lovely and glossy. I'm not the biggest fan of lip glosses as I find them sticky but this one is different, the formula is lovely and I find this colour extremely flattering for all skin tones.

3. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
I used to love this pallette and use it with every look but somewhere along the lines it got shoved to the back of the drawer, along with most of my eyeshadow collection, but then recently I dug it out, dusted it off and began to use it again. I've been hooked since, every eye look I have to encorporate these shadows in because the texture is lovely and the colours are so wearable with so many looks. This palette contains highlight shades, crease transition shades and overall lots of neutrals that are easy to work with colours. This is definitely a holy grail product.

4. MAC Eyeshadow in Blackberry
I've always been a fan of purple eyeshadows because the purple really brings out the green in my hazel eyes. Purple is a great colour for all eyes but I especially love encorporating it into my eye looks. I love to run a bit of this matte shade under my lower lash line and in an outer V on my lid with some shades from the Naked Basics palette.

5. Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara
I received this mascara as a gift a few years ago. I know that's bad, keeping a mascara that long but I hadn't used it and recently I began to. It's the perfect mascara for both volume and length. I'm not a fan of the "clogged up" lashes coated with three or more layers but that look is achievable with this mascara. However, I much prefer to use it in a way that separates my lashes whilst providing both length and volume. It's very affordable too which is nice.

6. Bethany Mota Perfume by Aeropostale
My little sister actually first bought this perfume in Florida and wore it the whole holiday. I became obsessed with the smell and she bought it for me for my birthday. It's quite a sweet smell, not everyone's cup of tea but I perosnally love it. It's very difficult to describe scents but I would definitely give this a sniff the next time you're in Aeropostale to see what you think.

7. Pandora Rings
I was blessed with recieving both a Rose Gold Michael Kors Watch which I love and two Pandora rings for my birthday. I have worn them all so much and I really love the way the rings look together, I've been wearing them most days.

8. Crest 3D White Whitestrips
I purchased some of these whitening strips to use before prom. I have used them before and I love them. The pack consists of 14 strips to use for 5-30 minutes depending on how bright you want your smile and how fast. I used a strip for 30 minutes the first night and the next day got asked if I'd had my teeth whitened. These work so quickly at transforming your smile and I would 100% recommend them.

9. Clearasil Rapid Action Treatment Cleansing pads

I don't use these cleansing pads everyday because I can be quite lazy with my skincare, mostly only using moisturiser and cleanser once or twice a day sometimes but when my skin is suffering with lots of blemishes, I like to give it a wipe with one of these pads. They smell very strongly of alcohol (one of the ingredients) but it works at reducing the redness of my blemishes quickly. I have a review on them which I will link at the end of the post. 

10. Bath & Body Works Coconut Leaves Candle
I purchased two candles from Bath & Body Works back in April: Tiki Beach and Coconut Leaves. They were my first B&BW candles and the scent really does release to the whole room and all the house. These scents are like the Carribean and seriously remind me of holidays and summer. Whilst I haven't lit Tiki Beach yet, I hold high hopes as I have been loving Coconut Leaves. 

11. Photobox photobooks
This has got to be my go to birthday present now. It's an easy, personal website that allows you to print photos very cheap and get them delivered straight to your door as well as producing unique gifts such as phone cases and photobooks. I love making photobooks and I would definitely recommend looking at this website, they often have deals on too.

12. Netflix 
As always, I've been loving Netflix and helping my sister catch up with Once Upon A Time and mum with Pretty Little Liars. It's also great to have a Netflix day with friends and discover new films and TV shows. 

13. Skype
I've never been one for phone calls or video chats but recently I've been enjoying skyping and doing it a lot more often for hours at a time. It's just a really easy, fun and free way to socialise without having to leave your house!

xoxo

Related Reviews:
Lip Crayon Comparisons - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/lip-crayon-comparison.html
Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette Review - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/urban-decay-naked-basics-palette-review.html
Clearasil Cleansing pads review - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/clearasil-rapid-action-treatment-pads.html
Florida Haul - http://pinkcupcake7.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/florida-haul.html

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