MAC Highlighters: Lightscapade + Soft and Gentle

Oh goodness. These beauties. Just look at them. Look at them. Two fab highlighters from MAC.

Let's start with Lightscapade.

Lightscapade is a pearly-beige, sort of iridescent colour which can give both a subtle shimmer but can also be built up for an intense shimmer. 

Soft and Gentle is a peachy-bronze shade and gives more of a natural finish than Lightscapade but provides a bit more of a shimmer rather than a sheen.

Since Lightscapade packs a bit more of a punch than Soft and Gentle, I tend to use it for nights out when I'm going full out with my makeup and using a highlighter as part of my contouring routine.
I tend to use Soft and Gentle during the day to add a bit of dimension and life to my face, rather than to provide any shape.

Both beautiful products for different uses. When I first bought them I thought I may have made a mistake in buying both but I use them both equally and I honestly don't know which one I would choose over the other!

Topshop All Over Glow

This product really does what it says under the tin. It was hard to show the effect on a picture but once blended in it gives a lovely pearlescent finish. The instructions suggest using it all over the face underneath foundation but it can also be used as a liquid highlighter over foundation.

It's a lovely product which really does illuminate the skin and gives a 'lit-from-within' effect. The formula is very lightweight and doesn't weigh the skin down so it doesn't feel as though it is just another added layer of product.

Definitely a worthy product for £10!

Max Factor Colour Corrector Stick: The Brightener

Recently, I've really started to notice my under eye circles. They didn't use to be a problem so much in the past but since the stress of my final year at uni, they seem to have come out of the woodwork. 

I was very tempted to try the Bobbi Brown corrector but I was a bit wary to spend so much on it. So, when I saw that Max Factor had released a collection of CC sticks, I was so excited and picked up the one for under eye circles straight away!

The product comes in a pencil form, which is helpful for quick and precise application.

The product is designed to be applied underneath foundation and I tend to take the product straight from the pencil onto my skin, and draw a semi-circle along my under eye area. Then, I use the Real Techniques Duo-Fibre eye brush to blend it out.

I was a bit disappointed in this product. I found it to be very chalky, so it didn't blend very easily into the skin. In addition to this, I didn't notice much of a colour correction on myself as the product is almost too sheer to provide any pay-off.

All in all, I don't think I would repurchase again :(

Are there any under eye concealers you love? Please let me know!

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer

Following the success of their Facefinity All Day 3-in-1 Foundation, Max Factor extracted the secret behind the long-lasting foundation and delivered this primer. It promises to prime, mattify and hold your makeup in place for longer. But does it deliver?

The product is a white cream which easily blends into the skin. When applied, it actually feels very moisturising to me, which is not something I often experience with primers! My favourite thing about it is that it doesn't feel silicone-y at all, so I don't feel as though I'm suffocating my skin. It feels very lightweight on the skin.

I definitely see a difference when I use this product before my foundation. I feel as though my foundation applies a lot easier and just looks a lot better. I have really dry skin in the space between my brows and I find that my foundation always sticks to the dry patch there and just doesn't look great. This still happens when I use the primer but by about 90% less so I can't complain!
As I expected, it does help to keep my foundation on during the day. My day at work involves a lot of running around but by the end of the day my makeup looks just as good as when I first applied it, when I use this primer.

So yes, I think the primer does live up to expectations. I probably would buy it again, but I really want to try the L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer, so I'll probably try that one when this runs out!

Have you tried this primer? Or is there a primer you particularly love? Let me know!

L'Oreal Color Riche Chameleon

 OK, so I definitely do not need any more eyeshadows to add to my collection, but I couldn't stop myself when I saw these. They are L'Oreal's chameleon eyeshadows. Part of the Color Riche line, the chameleon eyeshadows are two-toned and fairly shimmery.

 I bought two shades: 602 Plume de Paon and 600 Opalescent.

 602 Plume de Paon is a gorgeous bluey-green shade, almost teal. I'm not used to using colour on my eyes so this one may take a bit of getting used to, but I love it anyway even if I'll never wear it!

 600 Opalescent is an absolutely gorgeous shade. In the pan it looks completely silver but when applied it gives the most beautiful pink sheen. The product definitely suits its name in this case!

The colour payoff with these shadows is excellent and they have the same pigmentation I would expect from higher end products. However, the lasting power isn't too great, it's not bad but if you have oily eyelids like me, I would definitely recommend an eye primer - I use MAC's paintpot in Painterly.

Overall I am head over heels for these shadows, especially 600 Opalescent which I think will be my new go-to eyeshadow in the mornings! The shadows give just enough interest to the eye that you can slap them on without having to worry about blending or adding a crease colour, so that's a definite win for me!

Mop Lemongrass Lift Spray

I'm trying to grow my hair out at the moment so I've decided to stop using heat on my hair as much as possible, and instead I'm just letting it dry naturally and leaving it as it is. My hair is naturally curly, and I do like it in its natural state, the only issue I have is that my roots lie sooooo flat. I've tried a few drugstore volumizing sprays but I've never been particularly happy with any of them so I decided to splash out a bit and bought the Mop Lemongrass Lift Spray.

 The spray comes in a plastic bottle and is really lightweight. Its ingredients include lemongrass, ginkgo, apple cider vinegar and wheat protein and this combination gives it just the freshest scent!

The nozzle on the bottle has a fairly long arm so it's really good for being able to accurately spray the product where you want it and for really getting into the roots of the hair.It has a small hole which really allows for precision and also emits just a light mist of product which ensures that it doesn't weigh your hair down.

The bottle promises 'voluptuous and radiant hair' and it definitely delivers! When I spray it directly onto my roots the results are clearly visible and I have much more volume than without. Spraying the product all over provides a nice texture and shine to the hair.

So the bottom line - would I buy it again? Probably. I think it is a great product and if I had all the money in the world I would definitely repurchase but at £11.85 I do wonder if it's maybe a little bit too pricey for my liking as I don't usually tend to spend a lot on hair care. However, it is a pretty big bottle so if it lasts for ages then that might make the price tag worth it!

Top Notch Top Coat

The Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti Chip Top Coat has been the best thing to happen to me this month (yes, that is how exciting my life is!).

I hate painting my nails. I never manage to keep 'in the lines' and I always smudge it before it dries - which reminds me of the first time I ever got a manicure and I managed to smudge the polish as I was opening the door to leave *sad face emoji*.
I've never really been into the idea of using a topcoat, it has always just seemed like an unnecessary step in the already horrendous process. However, this one caught my eye.

I've always been a fan of Sally Hansen products, I really don't think you can go wrong with them. This product promises to dry any nails colour in 30 seconds! 30 seconds!! As soon as I saw this I had to grab it, especially once I saw it was only £5.99.

It is a brilliant product- it does exactly as promised and leaves your nail colour looking uber-shiny and the chip resistance is amazing.