My Latest MAC Purchases

Hey guys! Sorry that I've been a little quiet on the blogging front recently but I have really been struggling both motivation and inspiration-wise lately. However, not to worry because I'm now back and ready to show you all the latest additions to my MAC Cosmetics collection. In the past, I was a lover of bright and bold lip colours but throughout the course of this year, I have been opting for nude shades over colourful ones almost every time! I'm not quite sure whats gotten into me but I am just really into more natural, understated hues right now. So, because I was using 'Velvet Teddy' to death, I thought that I would pick up another new nude shade to add to my ever-growing lipstick collection.

After a lot of swatching and trying on with an assistant in the store, I stumbled upon 'Faux' and instantly fell in love with it! Think of it as a much pinky and slightly paler version of 'Velvet Teddy.' What I love about this lipstick in particular is how well it compliments my eyes and my cool-toned complexion. This is also my first satin finish lipstick from MAC and it feels really creamy and moisturising compared to the matte finish of 'Velvet Teddy.' Of course, a creamier consistency is a much better choice to go with during winter too because it doesn't accentuate any dry patches or flakiness on your lips.

To go with the lipstick, the assistant also suggested purchasing a Pro Longwear lip pencil in the shade 'Cultured' to go with it. She applied both products on my lips to show me what the finished result would look like and I thought that it looked even more amazing than before. Even though in the swatch below the two products look quite different in colour, they go so well together and make my lips look plumper and thicker! As it is a pro product, the lip liner is super soft and glides on perfectly without any dragging or tugging at my lip line.

(Left: Faux Satin Lipstick - Right: Cultured Pro Longwear Lip Pencil)

Overall, I am really pleased with these new purchases and I have been wearing this lip combination almost every day because I just love it so much. I get so excited every time that I get to add another MAC product to my make-up collection and these two items were no exception! After testing them out for a few weeks now, I would highly recommend these shades as they are very wearable and comfortable on the lips. So, next time you are passing by a MAC store, why not pop in and give these products a go? You definitely won't regret it!

A Vampy High End & Drugstore Lip Combo

For a couple of weeks, I had been searching for the perfect vampy lipstick to wear as part of my Halloween costume and now... my search is over. Say hello the the most gorgeous dark purple lip combination from MAC and Barry M! I really wanted to find a matte lipstick for my night out because they are usually a lot more long-wearing and fuss free than a more more glossy and moisturising formula. In the past, I have used Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipstick in the shade 'Dark Night Waterl-oops!' but I found that it was just too shiny - which meant that it would slide around, get on to my teeth and bleed outside of my lip line. Let's face it girls, that's never a good look!

So with the help of my good friend Chloe, who actually works for MAC, she helped me settle on the shade 'Smoked Purple' (£15.50) - which is described on their website as a deep eggplant purple shade. I love MAC's matte formulation as it is so comfortable to wear and not at all drying on the lips. Plus, it tends to stay in place pretty well even you are eating or drinking (and I will definitely be doing the latter on my night out!)

After buying the lipstick, I was really struggling to find a matching lip pencil to make sure that I could a get crisp and sharp line around the edge of my lips, seeing as it is such a dark colour. I didn't want to purchase a lip pencil from MAC seeing as I had already spent over £15 on a lipstick that isn't a wearable shade that I could wear everyday. After swatching what felt like hundreds of liners on my hand in Superdrug, I finally came across this super affordable one from Barry M. I'm not a big fan of the Barry M range at all (aside from their nail varnishes,) so I was pleasantly surprised when I found this gorgeous lip liner in the shade 'Plum' (£2.99.) I was expecting it to be really hard and drag the lips but it is actually a lot creamier than I expected. 

As you can see from the swatches above, these two products match almost perfectly! I am so happy that I found this incredible lip combo to wear as part of my costume. I am going as a super simple black cat but I am planning to add more interest to my outfit and overall look by really exaggerating my make-up! What do you think of my vampy lip duo? What are you going as for Halloween this year? Please let me know by popping a comment down below!