The MAC Lipstick Collection Anniversary Post!

Note: For some reason this post (the one that has taken the longest to write out of all my posts thus far) deleted from my blog and I am absolutely raging about it. If you’ve read this before I apologise but I wanted to repost it as a sort of milestone or whatever because it’s kind of an important generic beauty blog post to do. Thankfully, I wrote half of it on Word so here goes…(if this has ever happened to you feel free to rage with me in the comments)

Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, NOVEMBER IS UPON US!

For me, this means that it’s been a year since I started collecting MAC lipsticks which inspired this post and it’s date of publishing. Lipsticks of the MAC variety were the gateway drug that led to my current status of makeup addict so they will always be important to me. Irrespective of finish, they have consistent high quality and I feel like every woman should have one! After education, equal rights and black skinny jeans, of course…

As someone who strongly believes that celebrating half-birthdays should totally be a socially acceptable thing, it was inevitable that I would celebrate this little ‘anniversary’.  So here’s my collection, in order of purchase, for you to have a nose of!

1. Velvet Teddy- Matte finish

That’s right kids, way before Kylie Jenner had even considered creating her own variety of lip I had this bad boy in my midst. A very random colour to start with but when I was in Cardiff last November, for some reason I decided that I needed this in my life. I never understood why it didn’t have much hype around it as even once I’d acquired more MAC Lipsticks, this combined with Whirl lip liner remained my favourite. It’s matte but creamy and if you don’t like matte lipsticks it also looks good with clear gloss over top!

2. Please Me- Matte finish

I picked this up in the airport on the way to Holland for my school’s Dutch exchange programme and in retrospect I wish I’d picked up more as I think it would have softened the blow of the tragic 10 day experience. It’s my go-to everyday matte-soft pink shade and is my most well-loved lipstick. It also suits all skin tones so is an all-round winner.

3. Private Party- Satin finish

I also got this at the airport before The Netherlands too and it’s a stunning dark purple that I love because on the lips it doesn’t look like as much of a bold dark lip that it is in theory. It actually makes me very nervous that this is limited edition (I cannot for the life of me remember what collection it’s from) because I have no idea how I will replace it when it finishes. Dupe suggestions are heartily welcomed!!!!!

4. Pink Nouveau- Satin finish

This is the bluest pink I have- it’s so blue that I’d say it leans towards a lilacy pink. The blue undertones mean whiter teeth for everyone and I’ve seen a lot of people describe this as a statement Barbie pink but on me it’s a bit more muted than that. I like it very much but for some reason I find myself reaching for Please Me more…

5. Girl About Town- Amplified finish

Welcome: the winner of the Longest lasting lipstick ever. Honestly, if you swipe this on really quickly just to see if it goes with your outfit it will make the decision for you because it will stick around all day! It’s both a blessing and a curse. I’d definitely describe it as stain-like. It is a hella creamy statement deep pink that can be glossy or satin, if blotted.

6. Up the Amp- Amplified finish

Though bold in nature, this is faint-hearted friendly if patted into the lips but my preferred method is to slather it on and create a deep lilac situation as seen above.

7. Vegas Volt- Amplified finish

To sum it up in a sentence: this is summer in a shade. This is one I always forget to reach for but I love, again, how creamy it is. It’s a bold, coral orange that doesn’t look clowny in the slightest and I hardly ever see similar ones to it on other makeup counters.

8. Patisserie- Lustre finish

Oh how I love thee. This is a your-lips-but-pinker nude that I recommend to every fair-medium skin tone to try! It’s so easy to put on with pretty much any outfit or makeup look. It’s the only Lustre finish I have and I expected it to be pointlessly sheer but it’s definitely buildable. I wouldn’t recommend giving this Handbag Lipstick status in summer as it will melt but for Autumn/Winter it’s great to have on you for those days where nothing is going right and you feel like you need some lipstick on to cheer you up. P.S. Don’t let the glitters in the bullet put you off, this lipstick is no shimmer fest.

9. Cosmo- Amplified finish

This suits every skin tone under the sun and in every season on the calendar. It’s a nude that is your-lips-but-better with a slight raspberry tone to it. This and Russian Red are great choices for a first MAC lipstick and I highly recommend it. This is another one that hardly has any buzz around it in the beauty blogosphere and I have no idea why as I think it's amazing!

10. Diva- Matte finish

This is the most confidence enhancing and appropriately named lipstick I own. I literally feel like Beyoncé/ Regina George wearing it. It’s sexy, cute, dark and badass all at once. Let’s just say, bold statement though it might be, that if Grease was remade nowadays, this is what Sandy would be wearing in that scene.

11. Blankety- Amplified finish

I bought this on a whim as I didn’t own any straight up more-than-a-concealer-lip nudes and as you can see, this all over the lip does absolutely nothing for my face. However, there is a silver lining to this tragic tale as when paired with my trusted Whirl lipliner, a stunning 90’s lip is created that I wear all the time. In fact, I think I would choose this if I had to pick one lip look to wear for the rest of my life. Wow.

12. Angel- Frost finish

I got this because of Kimmy K which I mentioned in my Birthday Makeup Haul post and I’m not going to lie, I don’t reach for it much. I find myself automatically grabbing Please Me when I want to wear a pink and so this tends to slip under the radar. However, since I began writing this post I’ve made the effort to wear it more and now it’s becoming my go-to lip colour for natural no makeup makeup days. I always get compliments when I wear it so I totally understand why it is renowned as Ms. Kardashian West’s fave.

13. Russian red- Matte finish

My best friend got me this for my birthday and I am eternally grateful. It’s a straight up telephone/post box red and is matte but incredibly comfortable on the lips. I would describe it as Ruby Woo’s friendlier cousin as most people I know buy Ruby Woo and hate how drying it is but this is not drying in the slightest. It's also blue toned so makes my teeth look pearly white which is why it has replaced my Tom Ford Wild Ginger lipstick I raved about here as my favourite red to wear!

14. Viva Glam Rihanna 2- Frost finish

I love this one so much that I wrote an entire blog post about it. Check that out here.

I had so much fun making and writing this post so thank you for reading it! Crazy as it may seem, I actually have a kind-of-sort-of  Part Two coming up in the next few weeks so stay tuned for that!

Let me know your favourite MAC lipsticks in the comments!

Olivia xo

Coming Soon #1

Hey guys I hope you are all good and having a wonderful day so far!

This is just a quick post I'm writing to give you a bit of an insight on what's to come on my blog. 

Due to my blogging schedule and generally busy life at the moment, it is quite a while after I initially think of a blog post idea that it actually comes to life on my blog. I find that future posts that I'm really excited to write sit in my drafts for ages and as I'm quite an open person I want to let you know what I've got planned! I want this post and others I do like it to be a sort of bookmark for people who are reading my blog so you are always kept up to date with what is to come. I will come back and update this post with links to the actual posts mentioned once they have been published so it will still be relevant to those of you reading this ages after it's been published.

So in no particular order, here is what is coming soon on oliviamakesupstyle.blogspot.co.uk ...

• Part Two of my MAC Lipstick Collection
• Clueless Inspired Outfits
• How to Outfit Repeat Without Anyone Noticing
• The Liebester Award
• My Monday Morning Drugstore Face
• How To Get Out of a Style Slump

I look forward to writing and shooting for these posts and I hope you enjoy them!

Thanks for reading feel free to check out and follow me on my social media-y things here.

Olivia xo

NARS Haul #1

Forgive me, for I have sinned.

I said in my last post that I've been loving NARS right now and this payday boy, oh boy was that statement consolidated. After a few too many bad customer service experiences in MAC, I had a serious NARS moment and here's what I got. P.S. I hope you like pink polka dots...

1. Blush in Deep Throat

Having Deep throat or Orgasm is the obligatory beauty blogger thing to do and for ages I've been flitting between which one to get. Finally, I decided that Orgasm is rather similar to the Sleek blusher in Rose Gold that I wrote about here, so purchased Deep Throat. I think next up for me is Super Orgasm. Side note: NARS blush names are so hilarious, right?

2. Matte Multiple in Cappadoce

I am aware that these are a complete rip off considering the standard Multiples are bigger yet the same price but I have been lusting over them for months. There are three contour shades in the range: one lighter than this which was too peachy for me and two warmer/deeper ones which are very similar. I've only used it twice and my verdict thus far is that admittedly it's quite gimmicky and would be much better if it was a tad more grey. As it's so warm it doesn't quite create the shadow effect that is basically the whole point of contouring so is better for bronzing up the skin. However, two uses isn't a good enough representation of my final opinion and I think once I experiment a bit more by applying it wet etc. I will come to like it better.

3. Audacious Lipstick in Audrey

After seeing Lily Pebbles' post on her picks from this new 40 shade lipstick range and stalking this Temptalia post for like a week, I decided on the shade Audrey. I swatched it and fell in love even more so purchased it from Selfridges. It's a berry red that is also pinkish but also an everyday colour and that makes absolutely no sense. I'd describe this as the halfway house between MAC's Cosmo and Rimmel and Kate Moss' 107 lipstick. The sleek, silky black packaging shuts with the most satisfying magnetic clasp which was a major selling point for me. The only problem I have with the visual aspects of this lipstick is that I wouldn't want to go running to this with foundation covered hands/fingers as I can tell it isn't going to be very fingerprint resistant. 
The lipstick itself isn't majorly long-wearing because it's so creamy/hydrating and so far I've had trouble with it bleeding and transferring quite a bit. I'm used to touching my face and not having to worry about whether I have lipstick under my eye or on my cheek but this is already all up on my favourite coat and has got quite friendly with some of my clothes. It's quite annoying considering it's £24 a pop so if you're looking for a lipstick that doesn't budge this isn't for you but if you don't mind reapplying throughout the day this is your guy.

4. Algorithm

This is both the icing on the cake and the cake itself. I've been hunting down the Ita brush for what feels like forever and Laguna is my favourite bronzer so this is my definition of heaven on Earth. The hunt for the Ita brush is a struggle that is intensified by fact that in some department stores it's £43 and others £28. I was told by someone in Selfridges that they're not allowed to sell the brush in the UK for different prices but the Liberty's and John Lewis websites beg to differ. The fact that in all stores it is notoriously out of stock means that attaining one is a game of sheer luck. 

Anyway, this Limited Edition Holiday set features a version of the Ita that is the exact same size with just a mini/shorter handle. The Laguna seems bigger than the size that costs you £27 in a standard purchase and on top of all of this goodness, the container of it all has a stunning design. So for £39 for the set, even my mother (who constantly rebukes me for my frequent make up purchases) agrees that it's a bargain!
On a tiny bit of a negative note, the Ita brush is much more scratchy than I expected it to be, however this may be due to the fact that I recently placed an order on Zoeva and am currently floating about life on a cloud made of their soft brush bristles...

Swatches

L-R: Cappadoce, Audrey, Deep Throat

Thanks for reading this and let me know in the comments what you love from NARS!

Oh and I'd love it if you followed me on bloglovin'

Olivia xo