Review: MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick

MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick…My Cult Classic Red

I haven't always been a fan of red lipsticks, mainly because I found them hard to wear and definitely because I haven't always had the courage to either. Finding the right shade to match skin tone can be tricky but over the last year or so i've purchased and swatted many red lippys and  can safely say that MAC's 'Ruby Woo' wins hands down. 

As you can see from the pictures, it's a very vibrant cool-toned red. This usually means that it suits fair to light olive skins but I've yet to see a pic of anyone, irregardless of skin colour, wear this lipstick and look awful in it. I think it's a great red for anyone. A total classic; it's just what I envisage when I think of the colour. The finish is matte, I don't find it drying but obviously as with most mattes it's not moisturising either. It has an uber retro luxe look about it and I always find myself applying it for most special occasions, especially over the festive period.

 Pucker up...

This is me wearing Ruby Woo, though it has a filter on it so not completely true to colour but you can see what i mean about it being super red and eye-catching. I find applying Bobbi Brown's 'Red' lipliner to the outer lip and filling in before coating the lip with 'Ruby Woo' a great way to intensify the colour even more and ensure for an even fade. Having said this, it doesn't actually need it, I just like the look of the red lipliner under and I find I apply it better once my lips are traced. 'Ruby Woo' has AMAZING staying power, totally kiss proof and is actually rather hard to get off at the end of the night! Try using Lush's lip scrubs before applying lots of lip balm afterwards. 

PS, the best tip I can give when it comes to wearing a red lip is to ensure that your lips are in tip top condition before you even think about trying it or the red will deposit in the cracks or flaky bits of your lip and look really rather nasty… 

Do you have a favourite red lipstick?

xoxo

Goodbye 2013...

…Hello 2014!

I don't know about you, but during that final countdown to the new year, I get really anxious and find myself trying to hold on to the amazing and happy memories I've had from the year i'm leaving behind. 

I don't know why I do this year after year, because as soon as the clock strikes midnight the tension evaporates and i think ahead to making the future year even bigger and better than the last! That's the only firm and fast resolution, I'm going to make going forward now. There's nothing worse than setting yourself impossible goals and basically setting yourself up to fail.

 New Beginnings...

2014 is the year that sees me moving out from my parents' to live with my Fiancé in our first home - I'm so excited! Just to have my own space and freedom, not to mention the amount of storage I will have compared to hoarding all my beauty, clothes, bags and shoes in my bedroom. I can't wait to start being more organised with how I store things, which will be a blessing when I come to find things. Being able to take photos for my future blog posts without clutter in the background will be a massive bonus :)

 Dreaming of summer...

I have to say January is my least favourite month of the year, it always seems so bleak and grey. Anyone who knows me knows that I live for summer so naturally at the beginning of the year I start to make plans for getting in shape to be ready to bask in the glorious sun! I'm VS fashion show obsessed and I sometimes watch a bit of their shows to inspire me into working out and being the best i can be. These women train like athletes, they don't starve themselves to look good. To have the body of a VS Angel… Wah!

 Juicey...

I saw this image of fruity waters and a green juice on weheartit.com and just looking at them makes me feel fresher. I really want to try and make a conscious effort to drink more water and try my hand at concocting some smoothies and juices of my own to take to work with me instead of glugging tea every hour. If you have any recipes, be sure to let me know them!

 Fitter and faster…

I'm not much a tech/gadget geek but when i heard about the new Garmin Forerunner 620 watch I really wanted it to help with my runs and general training. I was going to go with the cheaper 220 model but if I was going to spending a lot on a watch anyway I thought I might swell splurge on one that did everything I needed and included the heart rate monitor. I love how easy and simple it is to use - I was borrowing the 110 for a while and although still fairly easy, the 620 is easier to navigate and has the touch screen. The design is sleek, fashionable without limiting practicality and so far so good! I'm keeping track of my runs via Garmin connect and over time i'm hoping to see a big improvement in my runs. 

Happy New Year xoxo

Birthday Beauty Haul

Tom Ford, Laura Mercier and Blink...

Luxe doesn't get much better than these beauties

These are the brands that I splurged on fora bit of birthday beautifying... I'd been planning to treat myself to a Tom Ford lippy with my birthday money anyway but the rest was unplanned and I certainly never expected to pick up anything else TF as it's so expensive! But after a little makeover at their counter in Selfridges at the Trafford Centre I was sold.

Tom Ford Lip Colour - 01 Spanish Pink £36

I had NO idea which colour I wanted to buy before the assistant tried a few on me but I was almost certain that it wouldn't be a nude... I've already got so many fave neutral lipsticks so I kind of thought i'd try the signature bright red lip or black orchid lippy that you see in the TF ads. I tried the new release for A/W13 - Bruised Plum and as much as I loved it and thought it would be perfect for winter I really have got the exact same shade almost in my Chanel A/W12 lippy: L'impatiente. The only difference is the texture and finish, the TF is super creamy and has a shine to it whereas Chanel's is matte and quite drying and staining. If I was to get another lippy I'd go for the True Coral one next. In fact, I really want it for my holiday next month. Addictive!

Spanish Pink in high lighting (above) and low lighting (below)

I think the true colour of Spanish Pink is a mixture of both my swatches - the top pic is slightly more pink, almost bubble gummy whilst the lower is a little too dark. Both look very different and I'd say it does look shiny though like the top swatch for a long while before dulling to more of a pink stain. The Staying power of this lipstick and undoubtedly all of TF's range is unrivalled.... Seriously impressive! Must be to do with the brazillian murmur butter and chamomilla flower oil that aids staying power and colour payoff. Seriously smooth application too.

Tom Ford Blush - 04 Savage £45

I had to buy this blusher after the lady applied some to my cheeks... I think the fact that this particular shade more than any of the others can double as a highlight and contour product sold it to me. Perfect for daytime and easily buildable and shimmery for evenings. Gives serious definition if applied properly to the cheekbones... I worried with it being quite so dark that it would look too bold/brash but I love it. There were a few other shades that seem a bit samey to the ones I already have so this was the only option for me. I cannot wait to use with a bit of a tan again!

Savage blush swatches in high and low lighting respectively

This blush really packs quite a bit of shimmer, more than most i'd say but it's still ok for daytime as it's not overkill I don't think. Unless you have trouble with shine on your cheeks/T-zone that this might emphasize but i'd suggest just using a powder blotting tissue and wear this beauty anyway! Again, massive differences in the swatches but this is quite true to reality. Depending on how the light catches the blush makes a huge difference to how it appears. it can look very bronzed and matte but then you turn and the golden shimmer plays on your cheekbones. Although the assistant said even the palest of faces can get away with this shade, I personally don't think I could pull it off at my palest come January... I mean I might but I just can't see it looking too flattering on myself.

Tom Ford Brow Sculpt - 02 Taupe £34 

This was the main impulse buy and I dithered slightly... I've been using Benefit's Brow Zings for what feels like forever and i've always raved about how much I love it but after she filled in my brows with this tool... well, there was no going back! The colour, the application and brush on the end is just perfect. The Taupe shade is a little lighter and gives me a less intense colour than the Brow Zings which I'm enjoying now that I've gone lighter with my hair. It's not too light for my natural brows and it's again very buildable. Just brush it through in strokes then wisp the wand through afterwards to soften and smudge the wax into the brow to keep it in place.  Slightly more expensive than I'd have ideally liked to have paid for a brow pencil and it's more than a little fiddly and technical to sharpen the damn thing when it gets a bit blunt but it was my birthday and I went a little mad :)

From top left: spanish pink lip colour, taupe brow sculpt and savage blush

So for three cosmetics from the Tom Ford beauty collection, I used just over £100 of my birthday pennies... I love luxe beauty and these scream premium so I don't mind forking out the extra for a few key items but I know a lot of people won't buy these purely because of the price and I don't blame them. I've found alternatives with the lippy for e.g, chanel which is still super premium but over £10 cheaper and i'm sure there's high street brands that can provide dupes. It's all about personal preference.

Laura Mercier Secret Camauflage Concealer in 03 - £26 and Eye Basics in Wheat £20

Secret Camauflage Concealer...Kiss goodbye to dark circles!

Eye Basics in Wheat

I've only swatched the Eye Basics here because the concealer is exactly how you see it in the picture. I've been using MAC's select cover up moisturising concealer for so long and although it works to an extent, it doesn't hide half the sins this concealer does! Dark circles are hidden and no caginess even though it really is much more intense than the gloopy MAC. I've also been using Urban Decay's primer potion since I was a kid it feels so I'm switching to LM's eye basics in wheat for a change. Doesn't feel as sticky for eyeshadows to catch to but seems to do the exact same job whilst having the advantage of evening out skin colour and providing a perfect base for your eyes. To be honest, I love this product so much because I feel I can wear no eyemakup other than maybe a lashing of mascara and feel fresh and wide-awake. 

I also got the Blink goodies with some vouchers I had which i will review in a separate blog post as I really have rambled enough for one night! Keep your peepers peeled fellow beauty junkies... As always, I'd love to hear from you if you've tried any of the above products or are wanting to know anything else about them gals! xoxo

Birthday Fun

Turning 25 isn't so bad...

My birthday was on the 16th, finally falling on a Friday, so I decided I'd love to have a long weekend away in Manchester; my absolute fave place to shop! Birthday money burns holes in purses  even worse than normal money, y'know....I've had a few requests to see what beauty bits I was gifted and bought with my birthday money which I'm hoping to put up tomorrow. I went a little mad at the Tom Ford counter! Need time to try everything so I can chat about it in more detail.

My parents always get me the most yum cake, made to order from somewhere and this year didn't disappoint! Victoria sponge - lots of butter cream, jam and icing a-plenty with a sprinkling of glitter... I  still always make a wish before blowing the candles out :)

My fiancé and I stayed for the first time at the Hilton in the Deansgate area which was lovely. I love the bizarre shape of the building, I always see it on the way into MCR, very iconic but for some reason never chose to stay here before now. We went for the exec suite rooms but the very first had the most awful smell so we had to change and ended up directly under the Cloud 23 bar but thankfully you couldn't really hear it. We were right next to the presidential suite and their must have been some pretty important or snobbish people next door because they had strange bodyguards stood outside our/their doors all night.... So much for some privacy! Other than that, the hotel was nice and I really enjoyed my stay.

I think I took this skyline-y picture from the executive lounge area whilst getting slightly drunk off the free bar our room got us. Looked really impressive and for me it's the perfect place to just sit, chat and drink. There was a glass pane in the floor that I was stood on without realising that it actually showed you right the way down to the ground below... I quickly hopped off once this fact was pointed out to me!

I was surprised with some birthday bubbly from the Mr after a long hard shopping sesh' at the Trafford. This Lanson pink champers is seriously tasty! 

I've eyed Mulberry for so long, their bags being something of an obsession to me so it seemed only fair that I should treat myself to something from the collection sooner rather than later.  I knew I wanted it to be classic above all else and very simple. Something I could use with absolutely anything. Once I'd picked up the black and gold hardware LilyI was sold. Timeless and effortlessly chic. I wore it out on my birthday night with a Karen Millen bodycon and it looked and felt dreamy...

So this was a crystal skull I saw in Selfridges filled with Vodka for £62. I adored it and I totally regret not buying it now. Yes it's vodka and I don't care much for the stuff but you're paying for the skull ornament. Would have looked so cool on my shelf! I could still get it I guess, we'll see.

I also saw this uber cute fox knit from my all-time fave designer of amazing and uniqeu sweats; Markus Lupfer.  I have a thing for pretty foxes on anything and this is the best I've seen, th sequins are so sparkly and it has this look in it's eye that makes me coo but I can't bring myself to part with £310 to take him home with me :( Let's pray for a sale, huh?!

Before leaving Manchester, wrong 'un that I am, I had the best culpa ever from this Starbucks somewhere along 230? Deansgate. It was the only one that wasn't packed and I managed to bagsy a window seat. I'm easily pleased! I think better and reflect more when I get a good seat in these places :-) So i'm another year older, maybe not wiser, but I'm loving life right now and I can't wait to see what 25 brings.... 

xoxo

Take me to the beach...

Orlando + Miami, June 2013

If you really know me then it'll come as no surprise to you that i'm totally obsessed with summer and all that it entails; long hazy days, unleashing your summer wardrobe and my fave part... getting ready to hit the beach! It's taken me a while to get around to uploading my holiday pics but it's been a month since I was in my most favourite place in the whole world so I think it's about time. Bikinis at the ready!

Starbucks cuppery

Shameless Bikini Selfie

I know that my bikinis aren't for everyone due to budget but seriously, you really can tell the difference... They just feel like they're holding everything where it's supposed to be and the fit is amaze... The green Odabash bikini a bit below was £160 but I got it for free after winning a twitter competition and I'm in-love. 

Agent Provocateur monochrome Mazzy bikini

ahh, The Mazzy...where do I start. I was eyeing it all last year in the 2012 orange and black colours and  I went cray and bought it this year. Everyone has their vices! It's just a stunner.

Melissa Odabash Nevis triangle bikini 

South Beach

My fave place on earth... The beach is just beautiful and it's quite the place to people watch. It really is like the movies, so glam and full of the rich, beautiful and famous. The old ego takes a bashing when you're eating all you can eat buffets and there's a 6 foot skinny blonde with big boobs a few loungers down from you though....

Pinkberry

I ate so much fro-yo whilst on hol! I miss it SO much, why is there nothing quite the same unless you live in LDN?! Pfft. I always have gummy bears and some form of chic drops or yoghurt drops. God damn, now i want some! :O

Martini time

Copious amounts of cocktails were slurped... my fave martini from Tony Romas in Orlando...

Wildfox crop top

I love Wildfox and their stuff is just too perfect for holiday clobber! Crop tops for the day, beach dresses for coverups and baggy snuggly jumpers for the flight. Again, sales of WFx are everywhere! This is the 'My Boyfriend Is A Cowboy' tie crop.

South Beach lifeguard hut

Brassy blonde hair after sunning

I usually hate that brassy ginge blonde look but for some reason it actually looked OK on holiday. Maybe the tan and the warmth went together but back in drab old Britain I just feel meh. It kind of looked a lovely strawberry blonde that day. Purple shampoo is doing the job again.

Jin Soon polish in Blue Iris

This Jin Soon nail polish in Blue Iris is simply the most vivid blue I own and my first ever Jin Soon purchase! I wanted Tea Rose also but it was sold out - the gorge salmon colour. Wah!

Before tidying up smudges... 

Some of my makeup and beauty buys

I always come back with a wide variety of makeup bits and this isn't even the whole lot. Infact, it was as I was taking this picture that I realised I was missing my Bobbi Brown shimmer brick and MAC lippys and case that I bought in the bargainous Cosmetic Company! Urghh. Then I got jibbed and sent a bill of £53.82 to have it shipped back.... ERR. I got my own way and was refunded in the end and got my pretty bits back. WIN!

My beloved Micheal Kors 'Selma' handbag and pink purse....

Glmaour magazine called it the 'Holygrail of handbags'... I concur! The structuring, the colours that you can get... The Selma has it all. I got this white version with a $100 off making it around $260 whereas it was being sold in the UK for £330. It had to come back with me. And the purse. And the hotpink iPhone purse (not pictured). I have a problem.

South Beach, nr Wet Willies Bar

Crazy Golf

Take me back!! Roll on Barbados...

5 Images I Hearted

I love trawling through WeHeartIt when i've got a spare few minutes. These are the last 5 images I hearted and why...

Girl got 'tude...

This picture makes me smile, feel young, wild and free. It reminds me a lot of the Wildfox clothing campaign pics, probably why I like it so much.

Time for reflection...

Candice Swanepoel looks the image of serene perfection. I try and think what she might possibly be thinking about, this gal has it all. I feel like I need time to reflect on my life right now; where i'm going and where I really want to be. 

 Lazy lie-ins...

This makes me think of the weekend - It's pretty much what goes down every saturday and sunday morning for me - a bed full magazines whilst perusing the boy's iPad with a cup of tea and usually a sugary snack which this pic is lacking! I was also took by the skinny tan legs. Most of the pics I heart have skinny tan legs a plenty! Good for motivation.

Buns of steel...

Apparently if you want a super firm bum you should be doing this exercise! I'm constantly wanting to firm up the derrière and slim my thighs so this picture just spurs me on! So toned... Sigh.

Pretty brunette...

 I'd been listening to the Blurred Lines tune all holiday but until recently had never seen the music video to it... I kind of developed a small girl crush on the brunette girl (Emily Ratajkowski). Her long chocolate brown hair and those statement red lips made me want to ring the hairdressers and book in to go back to my natural brown colour stat! Hawwt.

Jax Coco - My Ultimate Healthy Beach Tipple

The Drink of Life...

I recently got back from holiday and I can safely say after spending hours on the beach slowly sipping a bottle of chilled Jax Coco I'm a total coconut water convert! I've dabbled with the stuff before but none have been as refreshing or, let's face it, pretty on the eye as Jax Coco's delicious coconut water. 

Beach Essentials...

This drink quickly became a must have for my beach essentials...The simple and uber chic bottle looks so inviting and you can tell just by looking at it that the contents are going to pure and natural. 100% pure coconut water is within the bottles or tetra packs that you can get and some of my main reasons for going coconut crazy are:

1. This beverage is naturally free from fat, gluten, cholesterol, preservatives and artificial sweeteners. Hoorah!
2. It is super low in calories - there's just 18-24 per 100ml compared with 48 calories that can be found in orange juice... There's only 70 calories per 330ml serving.
3. It is also natural isotonic and contains FIVE essential electrolytes to keep you feeling refreshed and hydrated no matter where you are and what you are doing!

Jax Coco Keeping Me Hydrated At South Beach, Miami

For me, replacing lost fluid and electrolytes due to my sun worshipping ways was crucial for me to enjoy being out in the blazing sun and heat without feeling run down and dehydrated afterwards. This stuff works! The taste of coconut water isn't for everyone - my partner hates the stuff, especially the non-flavoured versions like these but I love the natural taste of coconut water. Maybe it's an acquired taste but I insist you try Jax Coco for the amazingly crisp and fresh taste of pure and natural hydration.  Drinking it now reminds me of being on SoBe... if I close my eyes i'm half way there! ;)

You can buy from Jax Coco direct here...