NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Haul & Review

Hi guys :)

L-R : Monte Carlo, Sydney & Buenos Aires

I have read so many great reviews about the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams so I had to try them out and see if they lived up to the hype! I made an order on their UK website and I received my items last week. I bought other items as well but I wanted to do a review specifically on these lip creams instead of doing a haul on everything! I have been using these everyday for about five days so that I could give an accurate review.. I hope you enjoy and leave any questions you have below :)


#1 Monte Carlo :

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This one is the most opaque and creamiest of all the colours I purchased. When I first swatched it on my hand it was instantly vibrant and really pigmented. I apply these one layer at a time, letting each layer dry before applying the next one. I only needed to apply two coats of this for full opacity and I was really impressed! It gives a really nice, even application and there is no need for a liner as you get quite a precise line with the applicator included. This is a gorgeous colour for autumn and it's very long lasting. I reapplied this three times throughout the day and it stayed put with no smudges, even after eating and drinking! I would give this 9/10 just because it did dry out a tiny bit towards the end of the day but I can't complain when it's such a good price!


#2 Sydney :

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I was most excited for this colour because it reminded of a more wearable version of MAC's Saint Germain lipstick! In reality it reminds me more of Snob by MAC but I still love it :) It is a muted purple-toned pink colour and it is the most moisturising colour of the three that I got. These smell absolutely amazing.. Like really sweet vanilla! I'm so impressed with the colour range of this product that NYX offer. There is a colour to suit every skin tone and every preference! I'm really excited to try all the other colours in this range on different people to see if they love them as much as me :)


#3 Buenos Aires :

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This colour is my favourite colour of the ones I purchased! It is the less pigmented of the three but it is such a unique colour and it is very buildable so that doesn't bother me. I usually have to apply three coats of this but it lasts well throughout the day with the help of a few more applications! Overall, I'm very much impressed by this product. It is long lasting without being drying and the colour selection is great. I will definitely be purchasing more of these in the future and I'm really excited to try out the Butter Gloss too! If anyone has any recommendations on other colours to try please let me know :)


Thank you so much for reading :)

Love Shannon x

MAC haul :)

Hi guys :)

I'm sure nearly all of you will have heard something about the RiRi Hearts MAC Fall Collection by now! Oh my days I was so excited :) I kind of went in just wanting anything because of the packaging but I had a good look at the products and I'm actually really excited about what I purchased! I also got one lipstick from the Retro Matte collection, the original Viva Glam lipstick and a lipstick from their permanent line. Have fun reading and I hope you enjoy :) 

                                  

#1 MAC Lipstick (Flat Out Fabulous) : 

                                    

This is the only lipstick I picked up from the Retro Matte collection. The colour really stood out for me because I love purples but I don't have any really matte purple shades. The other colours in the collection were nice but I have too many similar colours already so I didn't think it was worth buying them just for the finish! 

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The texture of these lipsticks is really nice on the lips. It's has quite a velvet feel and they are not drying at all. This lipstick has quite a blue undertone and it swatches on the hand as more of a fuschia colour but on the lips it's a really nice bright purple/ raspberry colour.. I love it :)

#2 MAC Lipstick (Viva Glam 1) :

                                     

I saw this lipstick swatched in loads of pictures on Instagram and I thought it looked beautiful. It's quite unlike any red that I already own.. I mostly have brights like Rubywoo and Russian Red! I just bought it on impulse because it was at the register but I did want to try it and the proceeds go to a good cause so I thought why not? :) 

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The finish of this lipstick looks quite glossy even though it is a matte finish. This doesn't bother me though because it means that the lipstick isn't drying on the lips! It comes off as a beautiful deep rich red and it will be a beautiful colour for the autumn/ winter months :) 

#3 MAC Lipstick (Diva) : 

                                      

In the bullet this looks very similar in colour to the Viva Glam colour, however, when it's swatches it is a lot more of a plummy brown colour. It is once again a matte finish without being drying but it does come off quite matte on the lips compared with the Viva Glam. 

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I really like this colour as a really dark vampy lipstick for autumn! I had All Fired Up from the Retro Matte collection on my list but it was so similar to Diva and the finish of this lipstick was so much nicer I ended up not getting All Fired Up. I'm planning on wearing this with Nightmoth lipliner and I can't wait to see what it looks like :) 

#4 RiRi Hearts MAC Cream Colour Base (Diamonds) : 

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This was the first thing that I decided to buy from the collection.. I was so surprised by how nice it was! It looks almost wet on the skin because it's so glossy. I love the gold shimmer rather than a pink shimmer because I really don't like pink highlighters on my face! I'm surprisingly very impressed with this product and I'm so happy that I got my hands on it :) Also can we please take a moment to appreciate this AMAZING packaging?! I'm in love :)

#5 RiRi Hearts MAC Blusher (Bad Girl Gone Good) : 

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I loved this colour as soon as I saw it! I've been wanting a dark tan coloured blusher for absolutely ages but I couldn't find one that I really liked without buying an actual bronzer. This is really pigmented and would look great on all skin tones! I thought that a lot of the collection was more tailored towards darker skin tones but I'm very pale and this looks really nice and glory on my skin without looking orange. I'm really excited to have this in my collection and I'm sure I'll get great use out of it :) 

#6 RiRi Hearts MAC Lipstick (Talk That Talk) : 

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This was the only thing that I really wanted from the collection before I got to the store! It is such a gorgeous dark plum colour and it's really moisturising on the lips. It is a Retro Matte finish and it lasts really well in the lips. It looks scarily dark in the bullet but it comes off a lot more sheer in comparison with most other MAC lipsticks. I'm so happy with this product :) 

Thank you so much for reading guys! Like always comment any questions below :) 

Love Shannon x

My MAC Blusher Collection

Hi guys :)

I thought I would do a post on my MAC blusher palettes. I don't really wear blusher on a daily basis but it's nice to have a few in my collection to use on other people or to use when i go out! I've tried to collect a good variety so that I will have at least one to suit every skin tone. I hope you enjoy :) 

#1 Style : 

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This blusher reminds me a lot of NARS 'Orgasm'. I would describe it as a peachy pink with gold shimmer. It is a frost finish. The shimmer is quite metallic and very obvious. I would use this lightly on the apple of the cheek and I think it would look really beautiful on tanned skin. 

#2 Springsheen :

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This blush is a lot like Style, however, the base colour of Springsheen is a lot more sheer making this a better option for paler skin tones. It is a sheertone shimmer finish which I think makes the flecks of gold more noticeable than if it were a frost. I really like this blusher! 

#3 Sincere : 

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I love using this blusher to contour pale skin. It is the perfect taupe-brown shade without being to grey or orange. Sincere is a sheertone finish blush. This is definitely a great blusher to have in your makeup kit.. It's a good all rounder!

#4 Peaches : 

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This is one of my favourite blushers from MAC! It is the perfect peach shade for almost all skin tones. It has more of a pink undertone rather than an orange. It is a sheertone finish blusher and it stays well on the cheeks. 

#5 Plum Foolery :

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This blusher looks so gorgeous on darker skin. It's almost metallic purple in colour. It is a sheertone shimmer blush but it gives the skin almost a dewy look rather than a shimmery finish. I don't really like this on my skin (I'm very pale) but I reeeeally recommend it for dark skin!

#6 Harmony :

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I love this blusher for contouring tanned skin or to warm up the face on paler skin. I use it like a bronzer more often than I use it as a blush. It is a matte finish and it looks great used as a blusher with smokey eyes and a nude or pink lip! I definitely recommend buying this blusher!

#7 Melba : 

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Oh my goodness if you don't own this blusher go and buy it right now! This is my all time favourite MAC blusher and I just love it with every look. It has a matte finish and it comes off as like a muted pink colour. It blends really nicely and it doesn't look powdery on the skin. It suits almost every skin tone and it's amazing! I just any say enough good things! 

#8 Trace Gold : 

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Trace Gold comes in a close second after Melba as my favourite blusher. It is so gorgeous used on the cheekbones as a highlighter/ blusher hybrid! I love using this with bronzed cheeks for a beautiful sun kissed glow. It looks lovely on pale skin but the darker the skin tone the more flattering this blush will be. This is definitely a must have! 

#9 Honey Jasmine : 

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This blusher was limited edition with the "All About Orange" collection. It is a satin finish so it blends really well while still being quite opaque. I love that it has more of an orange undertone than most peachy colours. This is the only limited edition blusher that I keep it my palettes. I love it because it is such a unique colour.

#10 Pink Swoon : 

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I love love love this blusher! It's a gorgeous candy pink colour.. Almost like Saint Germain in blush form. It is has a sheertone finish but I think it transfers really opaque. This is another great all rounder because it suits every skin tone. I would definitely repurchase this! 

#11 Well Dressed : 

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This blusher only really works on pale skin in my opinion. It is very light but it gives a really nice finish and glow to pale skin. It is a satin finish blusher so it blends into the cheeks without sitting on the skin and looking powdery. It is like a dusty purple pink colour with a slight metallic finish. This is a great colour for a makeup kit! 

#12 Fleur Power : 

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This blusher is very pigmented but still easy to work with. It is a true pink with a blue undertone. Fleur Power is a satin finish blusher which again makes it very blendable. This blusher really lets the natural oils in your skin shine through so it doesn't come off as looking cakey at all. I think this colour is quite unique so it's a good addition to my kit! 

If you have any questions leave a comment down below! Thank you so much for reading :) 

Love Shannon x

Instagram : @shannonbowes

Drugstore Haul & Mini Review

Hi guys :)


This is stuff I bought while I was in England. I think nearly everything is from Superdrug but I don't have the receipts so I don't have the prices.. Sorry! I have used most of the products at least once so I'll write a mini review for each. Hope you enjoy :)


Sleek Blush (Flamingo) :

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I love all of the sleek blushes. They have the most amazing pigmentation for the price! This is a beautiful raspberry colour that looks really good with a lot of lipsticks. This is my favourite colour from the ones I purchased!


Sleek Blush (Rose Gold) :

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This is quite a good dupe for Nars 'orgasm' when it's on the skin. It is very shimmery and I prefer matte shades. I love this when it is applied with a light hand though.. It's beautiful! This blusher would look really good on tanned skin. Again, it's insanely pigmented and such good value!


Sleek Blush (Pixie Pink) :

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I love this colour so much! It's very similar to MAC 'Dolly Mix' but it's a matte version which I love :) This looks great on all skintones. I will definitely be buying more Sleek blushes in the near future!


Maybelline Baby Lips (Cherry Me) :

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I was so happy when I found out that we were FINALLY getting the baby lips products! I've literally been waiting for about two years to get my hands on these :) The formula is so moisturising and they all smell amazing! This one is my favourite scent and it gives a nice hint of colour!


Maybelline Baby Lips (Peach Kiss) :

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I actually really love this colour as a lipstick. It's more pigmented than I thought and it's so creamy! I also bought the mint version but it has no colour so I didn't include pictures. I use the mint one everyday before I put my lipstick on and I find my lipstick goes on so much smoother and it even lasts a bit longer!


Maybelline Baby Lips (Pink Punch) :

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I love the colour of this one. It is a lot more pigmented that I expected and the scent is lovely and fruity. It looks really good on the lips and it applies just like a lipstick. These are really good lip balms and I think they're priced fairly. They usually retail for about £3/€4 and I'm happy to pay this again and again! This is a really good product!


Collection Eyeshadow Pencil :

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This product is absolutely amazing! I don't know what the colour is because it doesn't say it anywhere but I would describe it as a pencil version of MACs 'Vanilla' eyeshadow. It is 100% waterproof and a really good base. I'm definitely going to buy the rest of colours in the range.


Eylure False Lashes (145) :

Naturalites 145

I don't think I've ever tried this exact pair but Eylure is one of my favourite false eyelash brands. I thought I would try them out because you get an extra pair for the same price! They look very dramatic and I'm excited to use them :)


Accessorize Baked Bronzer Duo (Bondi) :

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I bought this because it reminded me of a MAC Mineralize Skinfinsh. It has a lovely finish that's not too powdery. I would use this as an eyeshadow as well as a highlight. I think it would look lovely with blue eyes. The only thing I don't like about this product is the smell. It smells VERY chemical and almost like paint. It is a lovely colour though so I can get over the smell!



Thank you so much for reading :)

Love,

Shannon x

[Instagram : @shannonbowes]

My top 10 MAC eyeshadows

Hi guys :)

This post is on my top 10 MAC eyeshadows. The eyeshadows featured are a mixture of colours but ones that I use very often on myself and other people. Some of the eyeshadows are staples and some are a bit more adventurous :) I think all of the eyeshadows are quite neutral though. Enjoy!


#1 Vanilla :

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The picture does not do this eyeshadow justice. Vanilla has a 'velvet' finish and I think it's quite pigmented. I use this eyeshadow on the brow bone to highlight. I feel like it's perfect because there's not too much shimmer but it still catches the light. It is more of a pink tone than a yellow tone with a slight silver shimmer. I love this colour!


#2 Nylon :

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Nylon is such a pretty colour. It is my favourite inner corner highlight colour! This eyeshaow is a frost finish. It is quite frosty but instead of looking harsh, it's actually quite warm. It is definitely more of a yellow based highlighter. I highly recommend this.. So go and buy it now :)


#3 Retrospeck :

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I love this eyeshadow so much, it is definitely one of my firm favourites. It is beautiful when applied wet (I use fix+) and has a lovely metallic sheen. It is a lustre finish eyeshadow but I don't find that it has any fallout. I use this eyeshadow most days, sometimes with some gold glitter on top. 


#4 Honey Lust :

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This eyeshadow is a beautiful warm neutral colour. As the name would suggest, it's a lustre finish eyeshadow. It comes off quite glittery but with a metallic sheen. This colour looks sooo good with blue eyes because of it's coppery colour. I feel like this would be gorgeous on a bride for a pop of colour that flatters almost everyone.


#5 Woodwinked :

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This is probably my favourite MAC eyeshadow! I love the texture of it, it's so smooth and blendable due to it being a veluxe pearl finish. This is another colour that looks amazing with blue eyes but I actually feel like it compliments every eye colour in a different way. It looks different on every person but it always looks nice. If you don't have this already, you NEED it!


#6 Concrete :

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I don't actually use this eyeshadow for eye makeup looks. Instead, I use it to fill in my eyebrows. I love that it's matte but I love even more that it is completely cool-toned. Click this link to see my eyebrow tutorial on Instagram : http://instagram.com/p/dP0Ia4PAfE/ I LOVE this eyeshadow!


#7 Espresso :

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This is my favourite MAC crease colour. It is a matte finish eyeshadow with a lovely warm undertone. It is very pigmented and really easy to blend. I use it almost everyday as a transition colour. I think it would work well with most skin tones and it is definitely a staple colour.


#8 Rule :

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Okay so I know this is orange but I absolutely love it! It looks gorgeous with Woodwinked and a deep dark crease. I love using it to blend out the crease colour and it looks lovely as an everyday look with a gold eyeshadow. Although this is quite scary, I definitely recommend trying some kind of orange eyeshadow. It worked for me :)


#9 Antiqued :

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This eyeshadow has a similar feel to Woodwinked as it's very soft and blendable. It is a beautiful coppery red colour with a lovely metallic finish. It is extremely opaque and you could almost create an eye makeup look using just this eyeshadow. I love it!


#10 Black Tied :

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This is almost a 3D coloured eyeshadow. It isn't the most blendable but I would use it over a matte black or to deepen the crease so that doesn't bother me. It has a matte black base colour with different coloured glitters running through it. This is such a unique eyeshadow, I have never come across anything like it and I think it's definitely worth having in your collection!

Thank you so much for reading :)

Love Shannon x

Instagram: @shannonbowes <3

Review : Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder

Hi guys :)


So I heard a lot of good things on other blogs and Youtube about the Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder. I decided to give in and see what the hype was!

Beautiful packaging

I've had the bronzer for about six weeks now and I find myself using it almost everyday. I have it in the colour "Natural 1", which I thought suited my pale skin tone best. The colour is a golden tan although I find that it comes off quite red on the cheeks. The packaging is so classic and elegant... I love it! I really like that the packaging is so durable. I think it protects the product well. 

Inside the compact

The bronzer comes in compact style, with a mirror in the lid. You get 8 grams of product inside - which is a decent amount considering you only need a tiny bit on your brush. 

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The bronzing powder has AMAZING colour pay off! You need the tiniest amount for a beautiful sun-kissed glow. It is a matte bronzer so I use it to contour as well as to warm up the cheeks. I use the bronzer with a MAC 109 brush to contour or with a Real Techniques Blush brush to bronze. 

I paid around £30/€40 for the bronzer which I think is quite a lot. However, I would definitely repurchase this product in the future (although I doubt that I will need to for awhile). 


Thank you so much for reading :)

Love from Shannon x

P.S find me on Instagram @shannonbowes <3

My top 10 MAC lipsticks

Hi guys :)

MAC lipsticks are my all time favourite but with so many choices it's hard to decide on a colour, let alone a finish! So I put together some pictures of my top 10 lipsticks. I tried to include a variety of colours and finishes that work for most skin tones. Feel free to comment any questions! Also this is in no particular order, I hope you enjoy :)


#1 : Snob

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Snob is a muted blue-toned pink. It is a satin finish. This works well with all skin tones but is probably more suited to a medium tan to pale. I have repurchased Snob in the past cause it's such a good everyday colour and I would always recommend it!


#2 : Rubywoo

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Rubywoo is another blue-toned colour. It's a matte finish and a beautiful true red that lasts for hours on my lips. I would recommend this more for a pale skin tone but again it looks AMAZING with a tan!


#3 : Myth

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Myth is most definitely one of the more well known MAC lipsticks. It is an amazing nude colour and I think it's one of the best on the market. It is a satin finish. I think it's more of a peachy nude rather than a brown nude and I love it!


#4 : Girl About Town

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Girl About Town is a gorgeous light berry colour with an amplified finish. It is true to colour and so vibrant! It has a slight shimmer that makes your lips look really moisturised but still opaque.


#5 : Hue

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Hue is a light pink nude that works well on all skin tones. It is a glaze finish with moisturising qualities. It is one of my favourite MAC lipsticks and I wear it most days.

#6 : Rebel

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Rebel is my favourite lipstick for winter. It is really good for creating a dark lip that's not drying (which is great for chapped lips). It is a satin finish and lasts well on the lips. Love it :)

#7 : Saint Germain

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Saint Germain is the perfect barbie pink. It is an amplified finish that comes off really opaque. I would recommend it more for paler skin tones because of the fact that it's another blue-toned pink. I love wearing this lipstick on nights out.

#8 : Up The Amp

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Up The Amp is my favourite purple lipstick. It is such a universal colour with great pay off. It is an amplified finish and looks good with almost all eye makeup looks.

#9 : Impassioned

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Impassioned is a beautiful raspberry colour. Like with the others, it's amplified finish gives it great colour pay off. It has a slight shimmer and looks really good with medium to dark skin tones. It stains the lips slightly but this just makes the colour last longer.

#10 : Sunny Seoul

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Sunny Seoul is my all time favourite MAC lipstick! It is a beautiful peachy pink with a slight gold shimmer. It looks amazing on tanned skin but works well universally. It is a cremesheen finish so it's almost glossy and really moisturising. Go and buy it!!

Thank you so much for reading,

Love from Shannon x