Take Me On

song of the day - Take On Me by A-Ha.

For years I've heard about NYX products through various youtubers and bloggers, but it's been so hard to get hold of in the uk. For a while NYX was stocked in Next, but not one local to me, and I didn't want to just buy from the NYX website. A few weeks ago NYX launched in Boots, and I was so excited!
As soon as I heard the news I was planning a visit. All the lip products wanted to come home with me, but I managed to control myself and only buy two items.

The first product I picked up was the soft matte lip cream in San Paulo, a reddish pink. It's a nice little lip creme, slightly patchy at first, but easily buildable. I will be honest, the majority of my make-up is high end, and NYX really doesn't hold up against the likes of Kat Von D or Lancome when it comes to liquid lipsticks type products. The colour payoff and lasting power isn't the greatest, but for £5.50 it's not too bad.

I also bought a lipliner in the shade BedRose. A pinkish nude, I feel like this would be a great base for most of my pink/nude lipsticks. It's smooth to apply, and the colour is gorgeous. I'll definitely be trying more of the liners from NYX.

Rubi

They Keep Photos Of Me

song of the day - Everyday I Love You Less and Less by Kaiser Chiefs 

Ever since OCC released the Unknown Pleasures collection last year I have been wanting to get my hands on Technopagan, especially after seeing the lovely Sarah rocking it. Last week I was browsing the Love-Makeup website and noticed Technopagan was finally (FINALLY) in stock. I may have done a happy dance.
Technopagan is a dark purple metallic colour, that looks blue in some lights. It's the best colour to wear when you want to feel a little bad-ass.

This is only the second lip tar I've ever tried from OCC, but I already like it more than the other I've tried (called Lydia). It's thicker, so it's a lot easier to apply. The only downside? It's not a quick-swipe-and-your-golden kind of lip product. For me it took about 10 minutes to apply.

Technopagan is long lasting, has great pigmentation, and makes you look fierce (Carlsberg don't do lip tars, but if they did...). What more could you ask for?

Rubi

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Now I Know

song of the day - Clostest Thing To Crazy by Katie Melua

I've been wanting to dye my hair for the majority of my life. When I was 5 I wanted to be blonde (blame Barbie), then when I was a teenager I wanted bright streaks, and now at 23 I want to try all the colours. But I also don't want to damage my hair by dyeing it. This is were wigs come in.
Over the years I've bought a few cheap wigs for halloween costumes, but nice, affordable wigs for everyday wear seemed none existent. That was until I found Geisha Wigs on Instagram late last year. I've been wanting to order from them ever since, but with such a wide array of choices it's been hard to pick one. Then, a few weeks ago when I was feeling in need of some retail therapy I decided to hell with it, and ordered Indigo.
Indigo is a blue, purple and red mix, made of synthetic fibre, and is super soft. I kind of want to cut a blunt fringe into the wig, but I'm too nervous about messing it up, it's not like the hair will grow back (unlike my actual fringe). It's also adjustable. I will definitely be buying from GW again.

I bought this dress from Topshop years ago. It had a bit of a bat wing going on, which I was never fond of. After a few months I decided to take the sleeves off, add some lace, and dye the bottom. The material didn't pull in the dye very well.

Have you ever tried a wig out? What hair colour would you go if you could?
Rubi
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It Gets So Hot

song of the day - Horse Pills by Dandy Warhols

Another month, another MyLittleBox. MLB is a monthly subscription service that mixes beauty, fashion and lifestyle in one box. This months theme is Provence, which is an area of France known for lavender (at least according to google).

There were quite a few L'Occitane products in this months box. I've not used much from the brand before, but I've heard a lot of good things.
In my box I got a Mer & Minstrel shower gel, a Rose et Reines hand cream, the Verbena body lotion, and a cute little Verbena soap. I don't think any of the products are full sized, but I should be able to get a good few uses out of them. The only product I dislike out of the lot is the hand cream; I can't stand the overpowering rose smell.
I am surprised that none of the items smell like lavender, considering the theme of the box. I'm guessing verbena also grows there.

 My favourite item from the box had to be the MLB own brand eyeshadow crayon. It's such a pretty bronze colour, and is so easy to use. I'm pretty sure this is the first eyeshadow crayon I've ever tried, so I'll definitely be trying some out from other brands.

MLB always has the cutest fashion products in the boxes, and this months is no exception. In the box you get a cuff and some thread, which you weave through the holes in the cuff to make a design. I will admit this was a pain in the derriere to do, because the ends of the thread kept fraying. I don't really have the patience for this, so it'll take me a while to do the whole cuff. Also, the cuff is kinda big for me, so I'd have to wear is over a thick top to keep it in place.

And finally are some fridge magnets. When I first picked this up out of the box I thought it was one of those paper doll things, which was a sweet idea, but magnets are so much better.
What do you think of this months box? Are you subscribed to MyLittleBox?
Rubi
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Hustle For Me

song of the day - Tilt Ya Head Back by Nelly & Christina Aguilera

For the longest time I avoided nude lips, certain that there would never be the right colour for me. Oh how times have changed. Sarah has been raving about MAC's Nice 'n' Spicy lip pencil for so long that I finally decided to check it out, and I just had to buy it. It's the first lip liner that I've bought from MAC, and it will not be the last.
The colour is described as "pink cinnamon stick" on the mac website, and although it's not very pink, I have to agree on the description. It reminds me of the paint colour Burnt Umber.
The pencil applies smoothly, and is fully opaque. You can wear the colour by itself. As a matte pencil it is drying, but a good lip balm can sort that out if you want to wear the pencil with no other colour.

Nice 'n' Spicy is part of the prolong wear range, so at £15 it's a little more expensive than the normal MAC lip pencil range, but totally worth it. I don't own backups of any product, but I'm thinking of getting a backup (or 3) for this one. It is just that good.

I've been wearing it obsessively with MAC's Oxblood and Buxom's White Russian. The three have become my holy trinity of lip products. I wore the three for a 8.30-18.30 shift at work and I only had to touch up once (after eating).
Have you got any MAC lip liners? What's your go-to lip colour at the moment?
Rubi
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Step Out Tonight

song of the day - Step Out by Oasis

A few weeks ago MAC released a new collection (as they constantly seem to do) designed in collaboration with Isabel and Ruben Toledo. I've been waiting for this collection since I saw the promo photos on Temptalia's blog in January. The main reason I was attracted to this collection was because of the blush ombre's, they look so pretty. Sadly the shade I wanted was sold out. I did manage to get one of the lipsticks though.

I went for Oxblood, which contrary to the name is a nude. This seems to be the most popular colour from the collection, and it's sold out on the majority of websites. If you can find it I'd definitely recommend buying it. It's paler/more peachy on the lips, than it is in the bullet.

Oxblood is a matte, and described on the MAC website as a light peach nude, which it is. This is the type of colour that I would wear to work, because it's not in your face but still very pretty. As you can see in the picture above it's a very natural colour.

I'm not the biggest fan of MAC's matte formula, but with a hydrating lip balm underneath this colour goes on very smoothly. It lasts an alright amount of time (over 3 hours), and the pigmentation is pretty good. Then again, mattes usually are.
Have you made any purchases from any of the recent MAC collections? Are you a nude or bold (lipstick) kind of person?
Rubi
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Looking For The Shade I Sought

song of the day - Past My Shades by B.o.B.

(photo taken at MediaCityUK)

For the majority it's not the right time of year to be talking sun protection (unless you're off on a jolly). I like to use my factor 15 on a daily basis though, especially since I gained a few extra moles last year. The sun has been peaking out a bit more though recently, and this has put me in such a good mood.

I'm currently using the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration sun lotion SPF15*. It's lovely and light weight, it applied really smoothly and sinks in immediatly. It has none of that usual stickiness you get with other sun protection, which is always a plus.

Hawaiian Tropic has such a lovely scent to it. It took my a while to realise what it smelt like; My favourite Herbal Essences shampoo.
The product claims to be moisturising, but it doesn't seem to be to me. Maybe it's because my skin is so dry from the cold weather that only a heavy duty moisturiser is making any difference. The After Sun (which I haven't used as much) does seem to be moisturising though.

Will I be purchasing this product when it runs out? Probably not, the smell is lovely compared to what I usually use though. At £15 (from Boots) it's not exactly cheap, but what sun protection is? I usually go for the Boots Soltan and that's £10. I'd be more likely to buy Hawaiian Tropic if I was to go on holiday, and I wanted to treat myself a little more.
Are you a daily SPF-er or do you just use it during the warmer months? Have you ever tried Hawaiian Tropic?
Rubi
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I was sent this product for review by BzzAgent.