MAC LIPSTICK COLLECTION 2014

Happy December! Apologies for not putting any posts up for the past week or so, I've mentioned it before, so to sum up my absence in a few words.. work and weather. Grr. Fortunately, I don't need lighting or weather to pop up a little beauty post, so here we are!  I've been collecting MAC lipsticks for quite a while now, and to date, I've accumulated 22, however I know of another four that I'm receiving for Christmas, (eek!). I popped a little picture up on my Instagram showcasing my collection, and I asked if anyone would be interested in me posting about it, which generated a positive response! I shot my pictures in categories of 'finishes', so there're a variety of colours in each section. Unfortunately, I haven't mastered the art of shooting pictures like a beauty blogger, but I'm hoping they're sufficient!

Cremesheen

I actually only have one lipstick in this finish! Shock. This is a fairly recent one, and one I purchased for the Winter season. I'm not the biggest fan of this finish, as I feel it's a little too sheer for me. However, if you're looking for a more subtle wintery shade, this one is perfect as it's very build-able. 

Shade - Hang Up

Matte

Now this is what I'm talking about. 'Matte' is by far my favourite finish that MAC offers. The opacity is excellent, and you get a really nice rich, pigmented colour. The staying power is second to none, and I often even struggle to get it off at night after wearing it since the morning! I sadly do agree with the masses of beauty fanatics out there pointing out how drying it can be on your lips. Boo! Oh well, we can't have everything!

(from left to right) Shades -  All Fired Up, Velvet Teddy, Diva, Relentlessly Red, Russian 

Red & Heroine

Satin

'Satin', is my second favourite MAC finish. I find it has very similar opacity to the 'matte' finished, but a lot creamier and smoother on the lips. Looking back at this photo, I seem to have hoarded a lot of similar shades.. oops! 

(from left to right) Shades - Cyber, Rebel, Captive, Amorous, Twig & Brave

Amplified

This is a super bright finish, or at least it is in the shades I own! It basically does what it says on the tin. The colour is a lot brighter, and seems to accelerate as you apply it. I find this particular finish perfect for the Summer months, and adds a lovely, fun pop of colour to any outfit.

(from left to right) Shades - Red Balloon, Girl About Town, Impassioned, Craving, Morange & Up The Amp

Lustre

Actually, I take back what I said about 'cremesheen' being my least favourite finish. I have to say that 'lustre' has stolen that title, and are actually my least used MAC lipsticks. I didn't realise just how transparent the finish is, and it's not my favourite look. It's very wearable, but I don't often stray from a bold lip, so these two babies are no stranger to collecting dust!

(from left to right) Shades -  Milan Mode & Lustering

Okay, so I didn't intend on doing a 'my favourite MAC lipstick' image, but I accidentally forgot to include it in my 'matte' range. It truthfully does happen to be my favourite lipstick though, hence why it was in my bag!

This is my, 'I'm bad, beautiful and sassy' lipstick, and I crack this baby out when I'm not feeling my best, or I need a confidence booster.

Shade - Flat Out Fabulous

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed this post! It was thoroughly enjoyable to make, and I think I might make a few more beauty related posts if you're interested! I love trying new products, and I know I've asked for lots of new make-up to try for Christmas, so expect to see a few more popping up!

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

As I've rabbited on about, I've been on the hunt for some new/unique locations for my blog pictures, and discovering this creepy, colourful surrounding called for an impromptu shoot!  I purchased this super sparkly crop top whilst browsing in Primark. I'm a sucker for anything holographic, shiny, sparkly.. you name it! My boyfriend thinks I'm like a magpie.. quite true actually! The price was a pleasant surprise at only £8, a pittance compared to the outrageous price tags in the likes of American Apparel! Since I wore the most simple outfit ever, I decided to jazz it up with the showy crop top, and my beloved Grafea. 
Unfortunately the coat hasn't come across as fabulous in these pictures as I'd have liked, but seriously girls, if you get the chance, head down to H&M and pick this baby up! I was so beyond shocked when I discovered it was only £24.99!! This is up there with the £90 Topshop coats, and I managed to track it down in my size in my local store after failing to in the Manchester branch! With a little help of 20% student discount, it would have been stupid to leave it behind.. regardless of the 1,000,000 coats I have already acquired this season. 
By the state of my hair, I'm sure you've all cottoned on that the weather wasn't particularly kind to me, so I do apologise for looking so poop. We did try to shelter underneath some lorry.. type.. thing.. but still ended up soaked anyway!

TOP - PRIMARK

JEANS - TOPSHOP

COAT - H&M

SHOES - DR MARTEN

BAG - GRAFEA

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Blogger girls! Do any of you have trouble with locations to shoot your pictures? Either you shoot in the same space and they're getting too 'samey', or you simply can't find any suitable locations without travelling for exceptional amounts of time? You'll have seen, I'd gotten quite comfortable shooting in the somewhat 'unusual' location of a farmhouse, but not only was I getting a little sick of the prying eyes from surrounding houses, I was getting sick of editing the same old shoots, nothing really stood out to me, or excited me.. so how could I expect my readers to be interested?  I've been doing a lot of thinking about my blog recently, and the direction I want to take. I really want to explore with locations, and of course my style, so hopefully I bring more creative, exciting content to you all! I'm definitely looking at renovating my blog layout etc, so if anyone has any recommendations on how to go about it, I'd love to know! Admittedly, this isn't my favourite of locations, and not entirely what I had in mind, but it's a start!
With that out of the way, on to the outfit!  I've been following Fashion Union for a long, long time now, and I finally ordered a bunch of new pieces from them! One of them was this super cute shift dress which I spotted on one of my lovely blogger friends Nicky Houghton. It looked absolutely stunning on her, so I decided to pick it up myself in the hope I looked half as good! (PS, if you haven't already seen her, go and check out her blog! Such a sweetheart with uh-mazing style). I would recommend to size down in this dress, as although it's a shift dress, it comes up a little big! I put a belt with this to cinch it in at the waist, and paired it with some cute knee-high socks from my high school days. I popped on my duster coat and creepers so not to draw any attention away from the dress! 
I have another post ready for you guys with an even better location, so hopefully I'll be upping my game! Let me know what you think though, do you get bored of seeing bloggers shoot in the same places?

 DUSTER COAT - PRIMARK

DRESS - FASHION UNION

BELT - ASOS

SHOES - UNDERGROUND

MINT GREEN CO-ORD

It can be difficult to keep on top of 'outfit posting', but I have discovered a useful tool which will allow me to post more frequently when my designated photographer is busy, and that tool is the timer option on my camera! (Although I guess you could say the tool is me for not figuring it out sooner!). Yes, I have taken these pictures myself, involving lots of running back and forth, and lots of out-of-focus shots. However, I have managed to narrow it down to a neat selection! It needn't be said that I am thoroughly obsessed with pastels, and with the high-street stores continuously bringing out gorgeous ice-cream pastel shades, I'm spoilt for choice! I have shown this blazer in a previous post, here, and I was really disappointed there wasn't a matching bottom half to complete the set. I certainly wasn't expecting to find this blazers' other half in Primark, yet there it was, in all of it's pretty pastel delight.  I was in awe at the rails of pastel skorts in every shade. I tried on the yellow and lilac also, but decided the green was perfect! I think i'll have to pick the others up on my next trip. This top is part of a co-ord that has been around the block and back in the blogger-world, and I did used to own the black and white version, however I returned it and purchased this one as it's perfect for this season.  Unfortunately, these white flatforms are no longer available, and I purchased mine very cheap on eBay! I absolutely love flatform sandals, and i'm currently waiting on some holographic ones from La Moda. Finally, my beloved bag. I have been after this bag for so long, but I thought I wouldn't get much use out of it due to the loud colours and print. It then occurred to me that I don't care! I thought, 'This is a beautiful bag and must be thrust upon the world'. So I am currently thrusting.. (the bag, that is). 

BLAZER - NEW LOOK - £24.99 TOP - PRIMARK - £8 SKORT - PRIMARK - £10 SHOES - TOPSHOP VIA EBAY - £15 BAG - RIVER ISLAND - £45