Skincare Haul: Featuring allbeauty.com and feelunique.com

Korres Pomegranate Tonic Lotion, First-Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads,Shiseido White Lucency Night Recovery Cream, Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser

Also pictured: Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Overnight Detox Oil sample, Lady Gaga Eau De Gaga De Parfum samples - both complimentary from feelunique.com

I should preface this by saying that this is neither an advertorial nor a sponsored post.  Like my last entry, which was heavy on links to Escentual.com, I really just want to pass on my experiences and the good deals I managed to find online from some of my favourite online retailers.  This started life as your average haul/shopping post, but it inadvertently turned into something of a review for the websites themselves, so enjoy!!

A couple of weeks ago I found myself online shopping.  Which should surprise absolutely nobody, because if online shopping was an Olympic sport I would definitely be holding records and a Platinum medal.  My initial reasoning for said online shopping was completely altruistic - I wanted to see if I could get my aunt's favourite perfume (well, cologne as she wears a lot of men's scents) for Christmas.  Don't worry, she knows I'm buying it. 

This foray into fragrance found me on an old favourite, allbeauty.com (formerly CheapSmells), as they had the fragrance I needed for a very very reasonable price - which again isn't a surprise as in my experience they almost always have the best deals on any fragrance I've been looking for and which they stocked.  Pleased that I’d hit the proverbial jackpot, I added the perfume to my shopping basket and then proceeded to peruse the rest of the website.  It had admittedly been a good couple of years since I’d made a purchase from them (I’d been getting my fragrance from Duty Free stores overseas when I’d been on vacation) so I wanted to see what they had available.  I’ve also been on the hunt for the old original Polo in the green bottle by Ralph Lauren for my grandfather, as it’s getting more and more difficult to find now that the new Polo scents seem to be saturating the market everywhere instead now.  I don’t know if the original has actually been discontinued now?  I hope not!  Anyway, allbeauty did have the Polo Green in stock, and cheap  too (the 59ml size EDT retails at £45.00 but they’re selling it for £36.25 right now which is an amazing 19% off!).  Unfortunately for me, they didn’t have the larger size in stock, but it didn’t stop me from looking around to buy a little ‘Christmas’ treat for myself. 

Okay, time for a little aside.  I have to confess that this is entirely how I operate.  It’s October and I started my Christmas shopping around three weeks ago.  And when I do my Christmas shopping online I almost always wind up buying a treat or two for myself as well.  I call it buying Christmas presents for myself but I’m sure you know as well as I do that I’m going to tear open and use those babies as soon as they reach my house.  And that I probably would have bought things for myself even if I weren’t Christmas shopping at the same time.  But that’s how I wind up justifying the extra purchases to myself haha. 

Anyway, this is what I bought from allbeauty!

Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser, Shiseido White Lucency Recovery Night Cream

I’ve been on the hunt for a night cream for a while now, and while I was looking around the website I found that they had a certain one that’s been on my Want To Try list for… three years?  Maybe longer actually Easily since the last time I went to Canada, as I very nearly bought it from Sephora last time I was at home visiting my family.  From allbeauty the price for the Shiseido White Lucency Recovery Night Cream was £35.00, which was a whopping 36% off the RRP of £54.50.  I couldn’t pass up a deal like that, so it swiftly found its way into my cart. 

The only product I’ve tried from this line before was the foaming cleanser, which I absolutely loved even if it was maybe a little drying on me.  Since then I’ve wanted to try the whole range, but I didn’t see the point in splurging for the day and night mousturiser from the White Lucency line right now, as it would have been a tragic waste of the pricey Chanel day cream I just repurchased a couple of weeks ago.   I’ll not do a full review just yet, as I’ve only just started using it, but it does seem to be decently hydrating and feels very nice on my skin.  I’m happy with this purchase, I just wish it came in a slightly bigger tub for the price.  Although again, I can’t complain too much as I saved just shy of £20!

I don’t even remember how this wound up in my cart, I just remember seeing it and immediately needing it - Korres' White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser.  I love a good flavoured latte as much as the next girl, but truth be told I’m more of a tea addict than anything else.  Up until recently I kept a fancy glass looseleaf teapot with matching glass cup and saucer on my desk at work to enjoy a variety of different teas – my favourite being the jasmine green tea pearls, or a nice cup of lightly sweetened white tea.  So you can probably see why this cleanser appealed to me. It cost £15 which I don't believe was on sale, but is still very reasonable if it gets along with my skin well.

I don’t have much firsthand experience with Korres as a brand, but I’ve heard good things about their skincare from numerous friends and other bloggers in the webosphere.  The one product I have tried is their lip butters, which I absolutely love.  Korres products are touted to be natural and containing less chemicals than many other brands, which also appealed to me.  So the cleanser has now replaced my usual Clinique gel cleanser.  Again, a full review of this will come later when I’ve had a chance to use it for a while and see how it gets along with my skin, but my first thought after using it was that my skin immediately didn’t feel quite as dry and tight as it does when I use the Clinique cleanser – even though the Clinique is for Skin Type 2 which is a dry skin type.  Very weird!  I’ll see how I get along with this one.  I just wish it came with a pump top as I feel like it’s going to slip and I’ll drop it when I pick it up with wet hands.

 Korres Pomegranate Tonic Lotion, First-Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads,

Not long after I placed by allbeauty order, I stumbled across a discount code for feelunique.com - £10 off a £25 spend.  Feelunique was one of those websites I had heard about and seen once or twice, but I’d never made a purchase before.  But seeing the discount code, I thought I might as well take a look and see if there was anything that caught my eye.  In fact, there was one product in particular that I’ve been dying to try for a while, so it was the first thing I searched for.  Lo and behold, feelunique came through! 

I’ve been doing some reading up on chemical exfoliation lately, as physical scrubs just aren’t really cutting it for me.  I still have clogged pores all up in there, I still get flaky patches and, most tragic of all, I’m almost out of the only facial exfoliator that I’ve ever felt worked well enough on my skin (MAC’s sadly discontinued Microfine Refinisher, RIP and let us say a brief word of mourning over its loss).  From my research, I knew that I wanted to incorporate both an AHA and BHA into my routine – with a Beta-Hydroxy Acid in the morning and an Alpha-Hydroxy Acid at night (as AHA’s can increase photosensitivity and I wouldn’t like to put it on my face just before walking outside, sunscreen or no).  Several reviews made me convinced that the FAB Facial Radiance Pads were the AHA I wanted to try, containing both Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid.  The pads are convenient to store and to use, and I’ve heard very good things about their effectiveness as well.  And I mean, with £10 off I really couldn’t go wrong!

In order to make use of the discount code, I needed to spend over £25 – and at £20.50 the pads didn’t take me above that threshold on their own.  So I had a look around and settled on the Korres Pomegranate Tonic Lotion for £14.00 – which also helpfully contains Salicylic Acid and therefore fits the bill for the BHA toner I’ve been looking for.  This is a pretty standard toner to be honest – after cleansing, you put some on a cotton pad and wipe over your face before you apply your moisturiser.  I’ll be using this one in the morning, and hopefully the BHA will help unclog my pores over time.  It has to be a damn sight better than the no-toner I’ve been using recently, anyway – I had to nix my Clinique 3-step toner as although it’s meant to be formulated for dry skin, it feels like pure alcohol and completely strips my skin when I use it.  So far I’ve used it a couple of times and I like the way it feels, but time will be the deciding factor as to whether this becomes a staple of my skincare routing or I wind up BHA hunting again in a couple months’ time.

Just a note on feelunique’s services, since I went a bit more indepth about allbeauty already.  First and foremost, I find that while they do have some items available cheaper than alternative retailers, they do sell primarily around RRP - however I find their customer service is well worth the fact that it's not a "everything on super-sale all of the time" website.  Although having said that, their promotions and discount codes are really quite frequent, so I really think you'll be able to find a great deal basically any time you want to take a look.  Plus another little added bonus is that you can select samples when checking out as well, which I think is a nice little extra touch you don't get at a lot of beauty retailers.

Samples from feelunique.com

Again though it was feelunique's service that really made an impression on me.  When I placed my order, they were doing some revamp work which meant that orders weren’t being processed for a few days.  So I placed my order on Saturday night and it was processed closer to mid-week than the next working day.  However this was all very clear up front when I made my order, so was not at all a problem – it would have been very irritating to place an order and then for it to not be dispatched without any word of an update as to why.  I really appreciated the proactive approach here for the customers.  And then even after that, I received an email later on offering a 10% discount code as an “apology for the delay.”  I mean really, how sweet is that?  Completely unnecessary, but feelunique is very clearly a website that cares about its customers and strives to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction.  Just from my initial order I would have been a repeat customer anyway, as I was happy with the service at that point and they have a wide range available online which includes things that I’ve struggled to find elsewhere here in the UK.  But things like this really make a difference, you know?  So thank you!

Until next time!

XOXOX

Wishlist Wednesday: Vol1 : Guerlain Edition

It wasn't all that long ago that I made my first foray into the wonderful world of Guerlain.  I'd coveted their beautiful packaging for absolutely ages, but for a long time I guess it just felt a little too high end.  All of that changed a couple of months ago, however, when I stumbled across some EOTD posts using some Guerlain eyeshadow palettes.  This led to reading reviews and swatches and other EOTDs using them and I very desperately needed them in my life.  Luckily I stumbled across a little website called Escentual at the same time, which sells a lot of premium brands at a discounted price.  I wound up buying four of the palettes.  And a liquid liner for good measure.

And now it's safe to say I'm hooked. Those shadows are probably the prettiest beauty products I own, and I'm in love with them as much for the product inside as well.  Which brings me to this week's Wishlist Wednesday: products I need in my life, featuring Guerlain.  These are all things I've wanted to try for ages - and eventually, I will.  One of these days.

Wednesday Wishlist: Guerlain Cosmetics by lipstickandlightplay featuring Guerlain

1. Meteorites Voyage (01 Mythic) - £94.50 at Escentual
2. Meteorites Brush - £24.30 at Escentual
3. Meteorites Travel Touch Powder (01 Mythic) - £31.95 at Escentual
4. Meteorites Pearls (02 Clair) - £33.75 at Escentual
5. Ecrin 4 Couleurs Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Palette (various) - £35.10 at Escentual
6. Rouge G Exceptional Complete Lip Colour (various) - £28.35 at Escentual
7. Meteorites Base Perfectrice Pearls - £39.15 at Escentual
8. Lingerie De Peau Foundation (02 Beige Clair) - £33.75 at Escentual
9. Meteorites Bubble Blush (02 Cherry) - £25.65 at Escentual

Until next time!

XOXOX

Note: This post is not sponsored by Escentual in any way, however does contain affiliate links.  Please see the Disclosure page for more information.

Fashion Fix: Which Witch : Halloween 2014

Which Witch : Halloween 2014 by lipstickandlightplay

Back on the theme of homemade Halloween costume ideas, here's a modern take on the old classic: Witch.  Now these pieces are all things that you could wear again at any time of the year, from that beautiful Ted Baker cloak to that dress, which I am absolutely in love with.  Adding a cute little headband-come-hat makes the Witchiness stick out a little bit more, but even without it I think you could carry it off.  And those boots?  They scream witch but they're also completely utilitarian, with good grips on the bottom which are perfect for traipsing over fallen leaves and keeping your toes warm in these chilly autumn evenings.

Until next time!

XOXOX

FOTD Vol 1: Burgundy Bliss Featuring MAC Sin Lipstick

Today's Face of the Day is credited to wanting to play with my new goodies on a day where I didn't even get out of my pajamas.  I edited the above photo slightly in photoshop just to brighten it up a little - the lighting in my bedroom is horrendous and I'm still learning all the tools and tricks of my new camera.

Anyway, I'm really a fan of this lipstick.  I applied with a brush so it's gone on smoothly and helped to get a clean and tidy application - straight from the tube yesterday when I tried it on I kind of looked like a child playing dressup haha.  I love this colour so so much.  Once the lips were in place I decided to play around with a bolder eye as well, using shades of brown, burgundy and deep plum.  

Also I just want to say that those are not my natural eyes - I'm wearing Geo Magic Color circle lenses in the shade violet, which I purchased from EyeCandys.  I'll do a full review of these lenses later but I will tell you now that they are my absolute favourite and I love how well they blend into my natural eye colour so they don't look obviously fake.

List of products under the break!

MAC + Rocky Horror Picture Show Haul

MAC + RHPS: Strange Journey Sculpt/Shape Powder Duo

My MAC + Rocky Horror Picture Show order came today!  

I've been so excited for so long for this collection, and I'm glad I managed to get the products I did.  I have never seen a collection sell out this fast before, even back when I used to make monthly purchases from every Limited Edition collection.  The Frank N Furter lipstick sold out in less then ten minutes.  Ten.  I was reading a thread on Specktra where people had items disappearing from their cart as they tried to check out and even one post from somebody who had finished checking out and then had an email saying one of the items was out of stock and would be refunded.  

I was so so happy that didn't happen!

There are five RHPS boxes but I only actually got three items:

• Strange Journey Sculpt/Shape Duo (Bone Beige/Emphasize)
• Sin Lipstick
• Frank N Furter Lipstick x3

One thing I do want to say is that I was a little bit disgusted by the opportunistic nature of some people.  It's always been a fact of life that there are some individuals who buy up the more hyped items from limited edition collections, only to resell at a profit later on ebay.  When I managed to score the MAC + Brooke Shields 'Gravitas' eyeshadow palette at the beginning of the month, I was disappointed to see that it was selling for £100 on ebay on release day, when retail was £70 here in the UK.  Again I'd managed to buy mine from the MAC website before it sold out, but there were a lot of people online who weren't so lucky as to be online when it launched at lunchtime.  Now there are Frank N Furter lipsticks up for sale with bidding of upwards of £35 for a £17 lipstick, and that's with days left for bidding to go. I've seen Buy It Now listings up to £70.  Yes, for a lipstick.  It's insane.

MAC + RHPS Lipsticks: Sin on top of Frank N Furter

Out of everything here, I was most desperate for that infamous reselling-for-ridiculous-prices Frank N Furter lipstick, so I was so glad to get mine direct from MAC before it sold out.  Not only the iconic name, but the shade just looked so beautiful and perfect from the swatches I'd already seen online pre-release.  Sin is also a permanent shade, so while I wanted it with the special collection packaging, it wasn't a big loss as I could have bought the permanent shade any time instead.  And with the sculpt/shape duo, it's been released with a couple collections in the past and I'd considered it, so was happy when it was repromoted in the RHPS packaging this time around.  But again, the separate shades are available as Pro items, so I could have bought separate pro pans and slotted them into a blush palette instead if I'd wanted to.

MAC + RHPS: Strange Journey Sculpt/Shape Powder Duo

I'm already loving both of the lipstick colours.  Sin looks a touch darker on me than it does in the swatches, but then again it could just be because my complexion is so pale.  In any case, it's very vampy and autumnal and it's daring and different and I could not be happier.  It applies a touch dry, but as long as I start with a lip balm (as I always do) it shouldn't be too drying.  Frank N Furter on the other hand applied very smoothly and felt quite nice on the lips when I wore it for a couple hours this afternoon.  Watch this space though, I'll do a review or First Impression Friday with further thoughts when I actually wear them both.

MAC + RHPS Lipstick Swatches: Sin (top), Frank N Furter (bottom)

Now, you'll notice that I bought three of said Frank N Furter lipstick.  And it is not at all to be one of the opportunistic assholes who wants to turn an easy profit, as tempting as that might be.  Instead I got one to use now, one as a backup when I eventually use up the first (and having tried it on today it really is the perfect red I thought it was going to be on my colouring).  And then one for a giveaway to one of my readers!  When last I blogged a few years ago, I waited to get a hundred followers before I held my first giveaway but since I've only just started out I probably won't wait that long.  Look out for my Frank N Furter lipstick giveaway to open by the end of November - in this case, the early birds will get the worm, as a thank you for the early adopters/followers who have already been reading. 

Until next time!

XOXOX

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things: The Autumn Tag

Ahh my first tag!  First off, I really want to thank Erika of Plaid and Tartan for tagging me - and such a perfect tag as well since I absolutely love Autumn, so I'm excited to get on with it!

Favourite Thing About Autumn

This is actually really difficult as I really do love everything about autumn.  My favourite thing, and the thing that really tips it into my favourite season, is probably the way it looks and feels.  If that makes any sense at all.  I love how the landscape explodes into a sea of colour in the autumn, how the trees seem to be engulfed by flames as their leaves turn slowly from green to yellow to orange to bright crimson.  When the sun filters through the autumn leaves so that it looks like Heaven itself is ablaze, it's such a beautiful sight and one of my favourite things.  Oh and?  My other favourite thing about Autumn is pumpkin everything haha.

Go to Makeup During Autumn

I love to rock a red lip every now and again, but that feeling is always tenfold in autumn.  Being surrounded by such vibrant shades of orange and red always makes me want to grab for a red lippy.  Recently I'm getting more into the darker, vampier shades as well - I can't wait to wear Black Dahlia lip tar and MAC's Sin lipstick, they're just beautiful deep red-plum shades.  Generally when I'm wearing a feature colour on the lips, I keep the eyes more neutral so that the lips become even more of a focal point.

Favourite Food/Drink During Autumn

Not going to lie, I love pumpkin everything - which I'm sure will be a very common answer in this tag haha.  It's been more difficult to indulge since I moved to England, as a lot of the things I love about Autumn aren't as popular over here.  For example, Halloween isn't much more than a day on the caldendar.  There's also the heartbreaking fact that we only got the infamous Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte over here a year or two ago, and the only time I can have pumpkin pie (one of my favourite things in the world full stop, and my definite answer to "favourite autumn food") is when I make it myself.  And on that note, I've just bought some cans of pumpkin puree online so I can make some pies and tarts!

Favourite Shop During Autumn

Another one of my favourite things about Autumn is that I love me a good cardigan - and Fall is the season of cardigans.  Some of my favourite and most cozy cardis are from New Look, which also happens to be one of my favourite clothing shops full stop.  There's some amazing stuff to be found on Asos as well, but again I find they're both great shops year-round, not just Autumn-specific, especially as they cater well to the Plus-Sized fashionista as well.

Favourite Autumn Scent

If we're talking smells in general, then my answer is spiced apple.  But if we're talking fragrance, then definitely The Body Shop's Vanilla perfume.  The deep, sweet, amber notes are perfect for fall.  In fact this was my signature scent for years before I started branching out to different scents, but is always a firm favourite that I find myself migrating back to around this time of year.

One Word That Sums Up Autumn For You?

Cozy

Favourite Item of Clothing During Autumn

This one is a tie between cardigans, as I said above, and a good pair of boots.  I've got some super-comfortable ankle boots with a low heel that I've basically been living in since the beginning of September, and I'm going to be super-sad when the time comes to change them out for something a little more Winter-appropriate (as much as I love snow, I don't love having to live in the same pair of hiking boots when it comes out to play).

Inside or Outside During Autumn

As much as I love walking around outside with the chilly air snapping roses into my cheeks and crunching fallen leaves underfoot - there's not much in this world more comforting than curling up with a book or a good movie inside where it's nice and warm as the fog and wind dance together outside.  With a slice of pumpkin pie and a pumpkin spiced latte, of course haha.

The five people I'm going to tag will have to answer all the siz questions.  This tag must be posted from the beginning of September to the end of October, and you must notify the five people that you have tagged!!!

Five People I Tag

I'll start by tagging Stella from StellaLee.net which is one of only a handful of blogs I follow since I just got back into blogging.  The only other blog that I'm really following has just tagged me in this, so I'm tagging all of my readers as well - if you have a blog, this is your call to arms to do your Autumn Tag.  I'd love if you commented below with a link so that I can come read yours too! ^_^

Until next time!

XOXOX

Fashion Fix: Dress Like Every Day is Halloween

Dress Like Every Day is Halloween by lipstickandlightplay 

TOP - etsy.com | LEGGINGS - missguided.co.uk 
CAMI - johnlewis.com | TOTE - asos.com | BOOTS - drmartens.com

Have I mentioned that Halloween is my favourite?  I love Halloween, I love all things spooky and I love autumn.  And I'd certainly love to dress like it's Halloween every day!  I found these Leggings from missguided.com and was inspired to put this little outfit together.  It's very casual and everyday, but very fitting for an October ensemble.  The Dr Martens are stylish but also perfect for traipsing around over fallen leaves as they crunch crunch crunch underfoot.  Also?  I may or may not have that tote bag in my Asos wishlist right now... 

Until next time!

XOXOX

Tried and Tested: Lancôme Hypnose Mascara

£22.00 - Debenhams Or $27.50 - Sephora

“Volume builds up. Lashes sparkle. A concentrate of beautiful, intense pigments adorns your lashes, which appear to have up to 6 times more volume.”

My latest review is for Lancôme’s Hypnose mascara.

I’ll be up front and honest here and say that I don’t particularly have any kind of brand loyalty where it comes to mascara. Mascara is probably the cosmetic product that I use the most, so you would think I would also be the most discerning about it, but this hasn’t proven to be the case.

For the most part, mascara has been something that I relied on heavily just to – well – not look stupid. That might sound weird, but let me explain. I’m a natural (dark) blonde, and as such my eyelashes are also very fair as well. So much so that, if I don’t wear mascara, it almost looks like I don’t have any, which in turn just makes my eyes look very odd (and coupled with my pale complexion, I look almost albino without makeup). So even on those very rare days where I’m braving the world bare-faced, even when I’m so sick that the idea of messing around with makeup makes me want to pass out – even then, I have to wear a coat of mascara.

I’ve tried all kinds of mascaras. Victoria’s Secret, Max Factor, Maybelline, Collection 2000, Avon, MAC, Make Up For Ever god only knows what else. Some have been better than others, obviously, but I’ve never actually *loved* a mascara. Okay, okay, we use the word “love” far too loosely. I’ve never really really liked any particular mascara. As long as it didn’t clump and it made my lashes black, well, I’d wear it and I would deal.

But this mascara is more than that. It manages to emphasize my lashes, adding a slight curl – although I still curl my lashes before applying anyway – definitely making them black and thick looking, adding a bit of length. Which is basically everything you can ask for in a mascara. The thing is though, even though the mascara itself is very thick and kind of creamy in texture, it’s generally really good for not clumping. And if there’s one thing that will make me hate a mascara it is a brand that creates clumpey spider-spikes. One coat of this mascara and I’m good to go. (Unlike the Maybelline mascara I used to wear, that required at least two coats to add any definition at all. One coat would colour but that’s basically it) In fact, this mascara does such a good job of what it *should* be doing that I no longer feel the need to use a lash primer underneath, which is something I’d been relying heavily on for a while.

There really isn’t much else to say about this mascara, other than it is good, it does what it is supposed to (though SIX times the volume is probably a bit of a stretch if we're being real) and you should try it. So instead of rambling inanely I’m going to get on to the final ratings and writeup:

Pros

• Very nice dark, black colour
• I really like the brush. It's a standard brush but those weird plastic spikey ones never apply well in my experience so I like this.
• Does everything a mascara should do - adds volume, lengthens, darkens!
• Doesn't clump with one coat, which is really all I need to use

Cons 

• The promised "six times volume" is a bit of a stretch - it's good but not as good as the product description would have you believe
• At £22 it's pretty pricey for a mascara
• If you like to wear multiple coats then this is very likely to clump (one coat though and you will be fine though, two coats and you need to be careful with application.)

Ratings

Quality: 4.5/5 

Value: 3.5/5 

Does What It Says: 4/5 

Packaging: 5/5 

Bonus*: N/A

TOTAL: 17/20

Fashion Fix: Modern Vampire : Halloween 2014

Modern Vampire : Halloween 2014 by lipstickandlightplay featuring halloween home decor

Putting together your own Halloween costume is almost always better than buying a premade on-sale costume set from a store. Here I've put together a modern take on the Vampire - but without the tacky satin cape and tatty dress that always seems to come hand-in-hand with that sort of thing. Smokey eyes with red lips and a bloody manicure match with a pretty lace-detail dress and lots of black and red accessories with a bit of an alternative style. And can I just say how in love with these boots?!

Pamela mann tight
$13 - gothicangelclothing.co.uk

Jessica simpson boots
6pm.com

Alexander McQueen black necklace
6pm.com

Vintage jewelry
childofwild.com

ASOS cross necklace
asos.com

1928 stud earrings
1928.com

Stud earrings
hugssy.com

Wet Seal filigree bracelet
wetseal.com

Laura Mercier eye makeup
saksfifthavenue.com

MAC Cosmetics red lipstick
amazon.com

Urban Decay waterproof eyeliner
$25 - debenhams.com

Halloween home decor
spirithalloween.com

Until next time!

XOXOX

Tried and Tested: MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

£25.00 - MAC UK Or $32.00 - Nordstrom/MAC US

“A creamy, luxurious, gel-based foundation that provides medium buildable to high coverage with a natural satin finish. Hydrating, instantly revitalizes the skin while keeping it looking smooth, soft and plush. Long-wearing, water-resistant.”

Today I've got a review for the first MAC foundation I ever used.  It was a while back now, but I still have strong feelings on it.  So with that said, here we go.

Once upon a time I was on the hunt for a liquid foundation, and so I ventured to my local counter to be colour matched. I explained my needs - my skin is ridiculously dry, and one of the major problems I had in the past with foundation (even powder on a particularly bad day) is with the foundation emphasizing and exacerbating my issues, and the ever-attractive flaking of dry skin. The makeup artist used a soft brush to test a couple of shades on me and as expected I came out at the lightest shade they carried (NC15 at the time) and recommended the Studio Sculpt foundation to me, saying that the gel-based formulation and satin finish would be good on my dry skin. She only did a patch on my cheek and jaw, but it was amazing and I snapped it straight up. It didn't look like I had makeup on, I just had a soft dewy finish and an even skintone on the area applied. It looked natural, I was in love, and I took it home very happily.

I played around at home, and over time fell slowly out of love. Every time I tried to use it for a full face application, it let me down. MAC's description of this particular product says that it's medium coverage, buildable to full - but I would be lying if I said I found this to be true at all, as instead I found adding another layer just made it even more difficult to smooth out and not look like I had a cakeface of makeup. The colour match was excellent, but this one just doesn't perform at all. The gel consistency is difficult to work with, and even after applying with a MAC 109 brush, I would have to go back and smooth it out with my fingers to get rid of the marks that the brush had left behind.

For me, this was impossible to blend. On the small patch test it looked amazing, but in real life it just failed to live up to the expectations and promises that the brand had put out there. The colour and finish were wonderful, so I persevered, but wound up with the same old issues. The foundation would inevitably only serve to highlight my dry skin problems, and it just felt awful on, like I had a very thin mask sitting on top of my skin. By the time I would get home from work, it would slip and slide around as if it had never been blended and buffed into the skin at all, even if it had been set with a finishing powder and tried in vain to touch it up midday.

I tried to persevere for a while, but in the end it just wasn't worth the trouble to get no result back at all, and I went out and purchased a different foundation, and set my Studio Sculpt to one side, professing that I would give it another chance later. But later never came, and I wound up decanting what was left of the product - a good 80% of the tube - into a travel jar so that I could Back 2 MAC the packaging.

That little jar of foundation still sits in my makeup collection, taunting me. I know I should just throw it away, but it feels like such a waste of good money, so I keep telling myself that one day I'll use it and one day maybe it will work. But I really don't believe it will ever happen. This is a product that just lets me down more each time I use it, and now that this has been written, I may actually go and finally toss it.

Overall, this is not a product I would recommend at ALL. 

Pros

• Basically perfect colour match for me
• Has a very nice finish if you can deal with the cons
• Packaging is a bit different from the norm and works well, very hygienic
• Was able to Back 2 MAC the tube toward a free lipstick

Cons 

• Doesn't blend well
• Highlights flaws in my dry skin
• Doesn't last beyond a couple of hours in spite of the "long-wearing" description
• "Buildable to high coverage" is not possible without looking awful
• I can't imagine this actually being waterproof
• Quite expensive for something that I found so disappointing

Ratings

Quality: 1/5 
Value: 1/5 
Does What It Says: 1/5 
Packaging: 2/5 
Bonus*: +2
TOTAL: 7/20

*Bonus points awarded for MAC's recycling program, as I was able to return the empty tube along with 5 other empties to get a free MAC lipstick.

Until next time!

XOXOX

Fashion Fix: Autumn Everyday with H&M+

H&M Plus - Autumn by lipstickandlightplay featuring plus size tops

An Autumn-themed monochrome ensemble featuring items from H&M's plus-size range H&M+. Jeans with a lace-sleeve tee and a scuba jacket to keep warm in the chilly autumn afternoon. Paired with stylish Broque-patterned leather ankle boots to do some serious leaf-crunching.

H M plus size top
$24 - hm.com

H M plus size jacket
$32 - hm.com

H&M plus size jeans
$48 - hm.com

Lace up boots
$16 - hm.com

Until next time!

XOXOX

Follow Lipstick and Lightplay on Bloglovin!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

First Impression Friday: MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Prolong

Welcome to the first edition of First Impression Friday!  Each week (or rather, each week that I have some new product to try out) I'll do a brief post covering my initial thoughts on something I've tested for the first time.  Please note that this will not constitute a full review, as I need more time to try out a product and make a full assessment of its' performance.

Today I've tried and tested MAC's Pro Longwear Lipcreme for the first time.  The shade of choice is Prolong, which is a nice blue-based red shade.  It's a matte finish, so it has a certain level of tackiness to it and lacks the 'slip' of a lipstick with more sheen - it's not a shade you want to be rubbing your lips together much after application, as it feels like that would really mess with the application and finish and move the product about a little too much.  I've had it on for two hours and there's absolutely no wearing off yet, which is expected, particularly for a lipstick with a matte finish (I tend to find they have somewhat better staying power in general, which may be due to the heavier texture and application).

I'll do a post on this later on with a full review with regard to things like wear-time and lasting power, but for now I want to say that it's love at first sight.  I love the coverage, the texture, the finish, and the shade.  I have one other shade from this range of lipsticks - Unlimited, which I'll test out and review another time - but already feel like I want more.  Prolong in particular, I think is quite a stark red but one that will be quite wearable across a range of skin tones.

So yes, my first impression in a nutshell is that I'm already in love, but time will tell if this will be a long-term infatuation or a short-lived fling!

Have you tried out the Pro Longwear Lipcreme range yet?  What were your thoughts?  And what is your must-have shade?

Until next time!

XOXOX