OOTD: Spanish Sunshine

Dress: Mango

Bag: Aldo

Sandals: Aldo

Watch: Omega

Bracelet: Pandora

Face: Dior BB Cream

Cheeks: Bourjois Bronzer, MAC Fleur Power, MAC Cream Colour Base in Pearl

Eyes: Maybelline Gel Liner, Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara, 

MAC Paintpot in Barestudy, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Tease,

Eyebrows: MAC Lingering

Lips: Mac Plink!

Here is an outfit of the day from my recent visit to Madrid to see my parents. We went out for a nice meal, and as it is still so hot and sunny in the evenings, this is what I wore! I bought this dress while I was out there, I just couldn't resist the gorgeous electric blue colour as this is something I have been looking for for a while. I also love the light silky material and the floaty design because it's perfect for the sunshine and heat.

The bag is my new staple accessory, its the perfect size for me to fit in all my things - I always carry so much around! I think the colour is really versatile so it will go with loads of my outfits.

Tomorrow I am back to Madrid again to make the most of the Spanish sunshine this summer, although I am going to be doing some dissertation work while I'm there! I will also be spending some time with my family and boyfriend, enjoying the food and visiting the sights (and shops!). I am thinking of doing a little holiday photo diary too while I am there!!

I hope everyone's having a lovely summer!

Ali xxx

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MAC Cream Colour Base: Pearl

MAC Cream Colour Base - Pearl £14.50

Whilst on the search for a new face highlighter, I came across this Cream Colour Base in MAC in the shade Pearl. I am a fan of highlighters, and I love adding a bit of extra glow onto my browbone, cheekbones and occasionally on my cupids bow. I had every intention of purchasing the MSF in soft and gentle, however I wanted something that wasn't too glittery or shimmery.

This highlighter adds a gentle iridescent sheen to the skin, and gives an extra bit of glow where it's needed. I love the colour it gives as it's really subtle and the colour matches my pale skin (and still looks good with my tan too!).  It is described as a pale gold with icy shimmer. You can slightly see the sheen it gives on the swatch above after it was blended in - I love how subtle it looks without any glitter or shininess.

The only problem I have with this highlighter is that it isn't the easiest to apply. I usually just dab it gently onto the necessary areas with my finger, but it isn't too blendable and I find I have to be careful not to rub off my foundation underneath. To stop this happening, I make sure that I warm up the product before applying. I am not really a fan of applying my make-up with my fingers and always opt for a brush wherever possible, so I sometimes apply it with a foundation brush which works OK too. I am also going to try with a make-up sponge too and see how that works! I do love that this product is buildable, however I think a light application looks best!

Overall, I love the look that this highlighter gives, as it isn't at all shiny, but gives a slight glow and sheen to the skin. Having tried this, I now want to branch out to try some different highlighters and see how they compare as I don't quite think this is the 'perfect' one for me - so any recommendations will be very much welcome!

I hope everyone has been enjoying the sunshine! Sadly for me I have been stuck at uni finishing off my dissertation and have missed all the glorious weather! Tomorrow I am off to my cousins wedding - and I am a bridemaid so I am veryyy excited, lets hope the weather stays the same :)

What is your highlighter of choice? Are you doing anythign nice this weekend?

As always, I love to hear from everyone!

Ali xx

MAC Lipstick: Plink!

On Wednesday I flew out to Madrid in Spain to visit my parents and enjoy the beautiful sunshine! One of the best things about traveling abroad by plane is the duty free make-up counters, so what better way to spend my time at the airport than looking for a new lipstick to add to my collection! As I didn't have an abundance of time to go through each lipstick, carefully choosing which one I wanted, I went for something which stood out to me that I haven't looked at before.

Knowing that I wanted a light and easy wearing summer shade, to wear on holiday and at home that would add a subtle yet warm glow of colour to the lips, I chose the shade Plink! I was torn between this and the new Cut a Caper shade from the Heavenly Creatures collection, but I decided to opt for the pinker shade instead of the coral as it was a bit too similar to my more recent purchases!

Plink! is a Lustre finish so it applies quite sheer to the lips but it is definitely build-able. Although I am not usually a fan of shimmery lipsticks, I think this is quite subtle and something which is great for a holiday to go with a more natural or bronzed make-up look. I do love the warm rosy pink tones of this lipstick and I would recommend this if you're looking for a natural and easy to wear pink shade or a nice alternative to the more baby pink colours.

What's your most recent lipstick purchase? Have you found any nice summery shades?

Ali xxx

My Daily Make-up Essentials!

 Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer in shade 51, Rimmel Exxagrate Liquid Eye Liner, Bourjois Extreme Clubbing Mascara, Dior Forever Foundation, MAC Lipstick in shade Creme Cup, Clinique Loose Powder, L'oreal Studio Effects Primer, MAC Eyebrow Pencil in shade Lingering, Benefit High Brow, MAC Blush in shade Fleur Power, Laura Mercier Secret Camoflage Concealer, Urban Decay Naked2.

I love having a few select products which I go back to on a daily basis. I am always one for trying new products, but each time I do, I end up going back to the same selection. For the price, I find these the best products for me. 

I love the Bourjois Bronzer and think the shade is perfect for my face for both winter and summer as its not shimmery, which I like, but also adds that little bit of extra radiance! I use liquid eye liner on a daily basis and I much prefer this to gel liners. I love the brush on this product, the colour lasts all day on my eyes and doesn't run out quickly at all! For mascaras, I love so many high end versions but, with saving money in mind,  for the price this one by Bourjois matches up most closely to the likes of YSL and Dior, which I also love. I sometimes find this a little too thick so I use a mascara like L'oreal Million Lashes to separate my lashes a bit. I posted about this Dior foundation when I first got it a couple of months ago and I still abolutely love it! You can see my review of this here. I have also posted about the MAC lipstick. This has crept its way into my daily routine as I find it so easy to use and the light colour is perfect for everyday use whilst being quite moisturizing for my lips.  You can see my first review here.

I love using this loose powder by Clinique. It gives me a light and matte look but doesn't make my face look to make-up heavy. My two favourite brow products are the MAC pencil in the shade lingering,  and the Benefit High Brow. I have posted about the pencil here. The Urban Decay palette is quite new to me but I really like the shade range and it is perfect for daytime. My ultimate beauty must have, and one I could not live without is  my Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage concealer in the shade SC-3. I will be posting about this soon and you can see how much I love it and why!

What are your daily make-up essentials? Have you tried any of these products?

My favourite eyebrow pencil: MAC Lingering

After trying numerous different pencils and products for defining my brows, the best I have tried has to be the MAC Lingering pencil.

This is the most natural a product has made my eyebrows look. It goes on so lightly and you can easily build the colour if you want your brows to be that bit darker whilst maintaining that natural effect.

I think it looks best when you apply with gentle light strokes against the hairs until you get the fullness and shape you want. This pencil is so easy to apply and glides on really well to create an even looking brow.

The only downside about this product is the pencil itself. I find that it is impossible to know when it is nearing the end so I have to have a back up pencil incase it runs out with no warning! Once the mechanism is twisted, you are unable to wind the pencil back in which means it sometimes breaks off.

Regardless of this, this is one of my beauty essentials and I wouldn't use anything different! You can see and buy the product here!

Have you tried the MAC eyebrow pencil? What are your favourite brow products?

MAC: Creme Cup Lipstick

 As a lover of bargains, when I browsed the MAC counter at the airport I caved in and bought myself a few products! One of these products was a MAC Creamsheen Lipstick in the colour 'Creme Cup'.

Perfectly priced between drugstore and premium brands, at £13.50, I think they definitely contenders for the best value for money in a lipstick.

I wanted to get a shade which was nude and natural looking and came out with something a bit different! Initially I thought this might have been a wrong choice as it was a bit too blue-toned for my skin and quite lilac looking in some lights. After a few wears I have really grown to love it. I find it is a nice natural looking pink; nude but with a bit of a difference. It is so easily wearable as it goes with a variety of make-up looks. I like to wear it a bit bolder with minimal eye make-up as it really makes your lips stand out; with heavier eye make-up, a simple coat of this can give your lips a subtle boost! I have found this to quickly become a staple in my handbag for a quick touch-up!

The formula itself is great - I can never complain with cremesheens. It glides over any dry parts of the lips and gives you that bit of needed moisture!

Have you bouught any new great lip products?

MAC Costa Chic: The perfect lipstick shade for Summer

In my recent wish list I mentioned that I wanted the 'watch me shimmer' MAC lipstick, however, when I went in to buy it I came out with this one instead! The shade is called 'costa chic' and I absolutely love the colour, its so different from any other lipsticks I own, it's really vibrant and pretty.

Its a frost lipstick, which isn't usually my favourite type of MAC lipsticks as I find this a little bit drying but I couldn't resist the gorgeous colour! Its a pinky coral shade with slight gold undertones, which I think is perfect for spring and summer but wouldn't look the best in winter. I tend to find that with this lipstick I need to rub it into my lips with my finger to get the best look, and if I moisturize my lips before I apply it, it gives a much better effect.


What do you think? Have you tried any new MAC lipsticks lately, or is there any new summery products I should try?