What Do the MAC Lipstick Finishes Mean?

I seem to always mention this on my blog but I remember the first day I bought a MAC lipstick like it was yesterday. I walked in with no idea what I wanted (or what to expect), and I found the whole 'buying my first bit of expensive makeup' thing a bit overwhelming. The colours, smells and different consistencies confused me - not to even mention the finishes. Over the years I've been collecting them, I've gotten to grips with the different finishes so I thought I'd create a quick guide for anyone who was confused as me!

8 Simple Beauty Hacks

I'm all for saving time when it comes to beauty regimes because let's face it, we can't always do our Sunday pamper routines every night, no matter how much we'd like to. I've decided to compile a list of my favourite beauty hacks for lazy people like myself including products meant for different things or completely unexpected suprises. Enjoy!

01.  WANTING SOFTER LEGS?
An amazing tip I've found is to shave your legs with conditioner. Yep - real life hair-on-your-head conditioner works amazing when used to shave your legs and leaves them feeling super smooth.

02.  BABY HAIRS GONE!
Use a toothbrush sprayed with a tiny amount of hairspray to comb down any baby hairs.

03.  THE CUPID'S BOW CROSS
When applying lip liner, instead of going around the lips perfectly, draw a cross (extend the line into the lip) for a symmetrical and easier look.

04.  #EYELIDS
By far the most intriguing hack for me. By applying a darker eye shadow in a hashtag shape on the outside of your lid, blending is so much easier. A life-saver for the extra 5 minute lie-ins on a Monday morning!

05.  THE TRIANGLE WING
Winged liner can be one of the hardest makeup related thing to do. I've found the easiest way to do this is to follow your lower lash line and then pull the line back to your top lashes and fill in the triangle. Simple!

06.  SETTING LIPSTICK
If you're rather impatient or just in a rush, setting your lips can be so beneficial (and also reduces the risk of the bright pink smear all over your face!). Simply put a bit of tissue over the lips and apply some loose translucent over the top.

07.  DIY TINTED MOISTURISER
Adding a few drops of foundation to your morning moisturiser gives you a fresh, easy and DIY-ed tinted moisturiser. The coverage you'd like depends on how much foundation you add.

08.  RUNNING OUT OF MASCARA?
If you're running out of mascara, the best thing to get a few more uses is to add a few small drops of eye drops to the tube.

What's your best beauty hack?

The Best For Beauty

When it comes to makeup advice, beauty hacks or even specific product reviews, there's always many places that I look to. However, depending on subject there's a few places I check. I like to decipher them into three categories; the books, the relatives and the blogs and I use these three to help me get the information I'm looking for. Of course each has it's benefits and downfalls - for example, I doubt my mum would know different ways to pull off eyeliner but I'd never have made it to my beauty loving years if she'd taught me the importance of not over-plucking my brows.

The first category is books and where I go to be inspired. The best I've found are magazines like Porter and Company but most magazines and papers usually have a beauty section. It's where I see post ideas, new product launches and different ways to use the products. More traditional books I've found are by the likes of Lauren Conrad and Bobbi Brown. Beauty by LC is one of what I like to call a 'beauty bible' in which Lauren herself gives some beauty advice, tips & tricks as well as stories from her beginning in makeup. Definitely a great read if beauty is your thing!

Relatives are where I check in for more traditional advice and tips. I always read about/see people older than me saying that their eyebrows were majorly over plucked when they were teens but I'm so grateful my mum told me about staying away from my brows. When I did start to play around with them, she did them herself to show me how it's done. Mums are the best! If you're up for a laugh, try reading some of the worst beauty advice I've ever heard.

The most obvious one (and the one I have the most faith in!) are the blogs. I spend about 1 hour a day solely reading blogs of all kinds but this is the best category when it comes to reviews. There's a few blogs I go to for beauty reviews, mainly including Vivianna Does Makeup, Milkteef & Pearls and Poodles. Emma's blog also has a really handy directory which I think is a lifesaver! When I'm looking for a product that isn't really around in the blogosphere, Google is the answer - simply type the product name with the word 'blog' on the end and you'll have all of the results!

Where's your favourite places for beauty?

How to: Find Your Perfect Foundation

We've all been there - frantically rushing around your makeup store to find a foundation to make all of your skin goals to come true, only to find them looking completely wrong when we get them home to try them on. Finding your perfect foundation doesn't have to be hard if you take these 3 steps into consideration.

FORMULATION
Before you even come to swatch a foundation, you need to decide what you want in a foundation formula-wise. Do you want it dewy or matte? I'd say that people with oily skin should go with something matte to counteract the oils; dry skin should chose something a bit more hydrating; and anyone with combination skin could get away with either.

COVERAGE
Another important factor in finding your perfect foundation is determining the coverage you'd like. If you feel like you have a lot to hide (redness, imperfections, un-even skintones) then I'd suggest a more full coverage foundation like MAC's Studio Fix. Fuller coverage foundations tend to be a bit thicker than others in terms of consistency.
If you're blessed with naturally clear skin and you'd just like something to even out your skin tone, lighter coverages would be where you'd start. They have a thinner consistency and don't have to be limited to foundation. Tinted moisturisers, BB & CC creams are amazing for keeping the skin healthy whilst still providing a tiny bit of coverage.

"The natural undertone of your skin is key when it comes to chosing a foundation. If you find one that's the perfect shade, it won't look great if it's the wrong undertone."

UNDERTONE
Personally, I think that the undertone of your foundation is the hardest to get right. There are three undertone categories: warm, cool and neutral. The natural undertone of your skin is key when it comes to chosing a foundation because if you find one that is the perfect shade, it won't look as good if it's the wrong undertone.

People with a warm undertone tend to have slightly yellower skin. In MAC, you'd chose a foundation that began with NW_.  People with a warmer undertone tend to tan easier & have more of a greenish vein shade on your inner wrist.
People with a cool undertone tend to have slightly pinkier skin. In MAC, you'd chose a foundation that began with NC_. People with a cooler undertone also tend to burn easily in the sun & have veins that look more blueish on the inner part of your wrist.
If you have neutral skin, you'll probably fit into both (or neither) of these categories. Generally speaking, you could wear either warm or cool toned foundations... Lucky you!

OTHER TIPS
-  When trying out a foundation in-store, apply it from the middle of your cheek down to your chin. The perfect foundation will blend in to the natural colour of your skin seamlessly.
-  If you're not comfortable with asking someone on a counter to match your foundation, ask for a sample to take home & try in your own time.
-  If you do try a foundation on in-store, head outside into natural lighting to see what the foundation would look like in the "real world".
-  If possible, wait as long as possible in between testing the foundation & buying it to see how the product sits on your skin. There's nothing worse than buying a foundation and not being able to take it back when it isn't what you expected!

What's your best tip for chosing a foundation?

Ultimate Tips for Red Lips

Red lips can be fussy - I mean really fussy. Up until a few years ago I hated red lips with a passion because I just couldn't find a way to stop them from being so slippery, smudgy and hard to apply. Fast-forward a few years and red is one of my favourite lip colours to wear now that I've perfected how to apply it with no problems. Yay for red lips!

P R I M E

I think that the key to effortless red lips is to prime them. Grab Lush's Bubblegum Lip Scrub and buff away all of the dead skin on your lips, then top off with some lip balm to give a nice base to work with.

L I N E

Another tip for longer lasting, non-smudgy lipstick is to line them with a lip liner in a similar shade to your lipstick. Something like the Rimmel lip liner in Black Tulip is perfect for the classic red lip that gives enough precision to create a crisp defined line. I'd also recommend using this lip liner to fill in your entire lips - this way if your lipstick starts to wear off, you have an extra stain-like layer to prevent any natural lip colour from peeping through.

A P P L Y

I'm sure you need no help with applying lipstick but if you're struggling to get the outside lines nice and crisp, try using a brush similar to the Real Techniques Detailer brush to get right to the edges. You could also use concealer to clean around the lip line.

S E T

I like to blot off the excess lipstick onto some tissue, then take a clean tissue and place it on my lips as I press some translucent powder over it. This will set the lipstick in place and leave your lips looking perfect for longer so that you won't have to top-up as frequently!

What's your ultimate tip for a red lip?

Makeup for Eye Colours

I'm sure it's not a surprise to you when I say that some eye shadow colours bring out the natural colour of your eyes. When it comes to bringing out the most in your eyes, you need to look at a color wheel and chose the colour opposite as the colour of your makeup. I've spent this morning doing a bit of research on which would be best for each eye colour & I thought it'd make for a pretty interesting post.

BLUE:  Because blue eyes are naturally cool-toned, warm shades tend to pull out the amazing colours in the eye. Shades like Urban Decay's Buck and MAC's Woodwinked would look stunning.

GREEN:  I have green eyes & I've found that purples and burgandies look best. Shadows like MAC's Cranberry would really pull out the green and look super flattering!

BROWN:  Brown eyes are pretty easy when it comes to shadows because the colour is neutral. Having said that, I think that metallic shades look stunning on brown eyes. 

GREY:  I've found that metallic shades like silver and gold look amazing on grey eyes. Shades like Makeup Geek's Mesmerized would look gorgeous paired with grey eyes.

HAVE YOU READ THESE?

-  Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

-  Makeup Brushes I Couldn't Live Without

-  My MAC Palette