MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lip Glass

After the amazing success of the Viva Glam Lipsticks, MAC have come out with a lip glass version! I never brought the lipsticks because I didn't feel the colour would suit me, however, the Viva Glam Gaga Lip Glass* is (in my opinion) a lot more wearable.

Let me just state that I NEVER wear lip gloss... like EVER! I don't even own any! Reason being that they usually taste like crap, can be very sticky/gooey and I don't see them as very long lasting compared to a lipstick. So you can imagine how I felt being faced with this little beauty....

My Verdict: Amazing! The lip gloss was not sticky, tasted okay and lasted for a a good couple of hours (I'm not sure if all MAC Lip Glasses are like this though... am I telling you guys something you already know?!). The colour was also, surprisingly wearable. It's a milky, opaque pink but the glossiness of it meant that it didn't look too light and it didn't wash me out. I also tried the Cyndi Lauper one but I wasn't crazy about the colour... if you want to see how it looks let me know and I'll do a separate post :- )

FYI: Viva Glam Lip Glasses £12, available from October for 6 months ONLY!

Are there any other MAC Lip Glasses that are really good? I've discovered a love for them so any recommendations would be great! 

In other news....

Bring on the Bling

I've been feeling a bit flash lately (it's a shame my bank account hasn't...) so decided to finally buy into the hype and get Paco Robanne Lady Million. I have been lusting over One Million forever so I was really excited about this fragrance. I'd describe the scent as a fresh and fruity (helpful eh?!) and on first spray it is quite delicious... but after it settles the smell becomes quite musty and I can smell the alcohol...Eeek! I'm really disappointed because the men's version is sooo sooo much better! 

Paco Robanne Lady Million 30ml, £45

I also got these beautiful earrings from River Island... They're much sparklier in real life and I love the little diamantés! I think they were about £9.99

Has anyone else tried the Lady Million perfume and what were your thoughts??

Sami x

Haul Time: MAC and other bits...

So, after a whole one month makeup ban, I decided to treat myself :) and of course what better brand to treat myself with then Mac?! There wasn't anything that caught my eye in their Feline collection so I went for some other bits that I'd been meaning to get for a while... 

Lipsticks

Left to right: MAC lipstick in Show Orchid and Impassioned

Top to bottom: Impassioned and Show Orchid

I've wanted to get Show Orchid for such a long time but it's only available in Pro stores (I don't understand why it's not available in normal stores because it's such a popular colour). As you can see it's a gourgous, bright fuschia that would look great with a LBD. The second lippy I got was Impassioned which initially scared me - but as you can see in the swatch it comes out as a creamy pink that I think would suit just about anyone (probably not my uncle though...) I am addicted to Mac lipsticks, and although I'm sure there are better brands out there I will always go back to them!

      Eye Makeup

        MAC Pigment in Tan

I was torn between the MAC Pigment in Tan and Melon, which are both very similar. In the end I went for Tan because it swatched as a shimmerey beige and Melon was a bit more on the yellow side. Nothing much to say about MAC pigments other then that they have amazing colour payoff, can be messy and come in lots of yummy colours :)

MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork

I originally wanted to get Painterly but it wasn't in store so I went for Groundwork instead. The quality of MAC Paint Pots are amazing because it goes on as a cream and dries as a powder. As you can see by the swatch it doesn't leave any creases and melts into my skin like magic. I use this as a base for eyeshadow and on it's own for a more natural look. Love, love, love it! In fact, I may go back for more :)

Presents!

Laura Mercier Pistashio Body Souffle 

              

Everytime I'd walk past the Laura Mercier counter I'd look longingly at their Pistachio Body Souffle because of thei ntoxicatingly delicious smell. I'ver never been able to justify spending £41 on it (yeah - you heard right - £41!) but then I got it as a present! Yay! This cream is seriously moisturising and the smell (think freshly baked cakes... or any other yummy dessert) stays on your skin for the entire day - I put it to the test the other days and it stayed on for hours. My 9yr old cousin also put some on her arm and reported back, saying that she could still smell it when she went to bed!

Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One

I prefer this sooo much more to the original D&G The One because the floral scent makes it alot more feminine. Two sprays of this last all day, which is another bonus!

The perfect weekend treat

My sundays usually consist of lazing around the house, in front of the TV with some chocolate and a magazine!

As you can see I've been busy spending my wages and lazing about (!) but now that Ramadan is over I have more time (and energy) to do more blog posts. I don't want to do loads of lazy, pointless posts every week just for the sake of posting something, but I will try and do 2/3 good quality, (hopefully) interesting posts from now on. I have a few exciting ones coming up this week!

Sami xx  

What's in my bag??

The LV Speedy (medium size)

I know it's rude to go through a lady's bag but I'm quite nosey... and I love 'What's in my bag' posts so I thought it'd only be fair to do my own :- )

I try to travel light because I hate carrying heavy bags - especially when I'm travelling around London, on the tube or train!

From clockwise left:

Quilted gold makeup bag - got this free with a magazine, although I usually hate magazine freebies, this one caught my eye

Makeup bag - I desperately needed a makeup bag when I was going to Paris and in a rush I grabbed this one from Superdrug... I would prefer a Gucci one though :)

Sweets - I always have sweets or chocolates in my bag... my friends go through my bag because they now I'll have something!

D&G perfume - this is probably the biggest, heaviest thing in my bag but I love it so much that I don't mind lugging it around... I wish they'd release a travel version though

Mobile phones - My Blackberry is a lifesaver - I use it to check emails, Tweet, BB Messenger... it's so addictive! The other phone is just a backup in case my BB dies, which it usually does...

Pen - what kind of journalist would I be if I didn't carry a pen with me?! (I usually have a notebook too, but on this occasion I left it at work)

Keys and Oyster card holder - I'm always losing stuff in my bag and it takes ages to find things (anyone else have that problem?!), so I got this pink, glittery cardholder from Accessorize, hich is pretty hard to miss...

Purse - I got this recently from River Island for my birthday... it's quite Mui Mui/Prada esque non?!

In my makeup bag...

From clockwise left:

Black Khol - My friend brought me this from holiday and it's what I use pretty much everyday for my lower lash line... it's sooo intense and black... maybe it deserves a post of it's own?

Pink Heart USB - I'm not sure where this is from because I got it as a gift but it's sooo cute... and soo me

Origins On the Spot Relief Breast Cancer version - this is a great stress-buster and the scent is so soothing...

Lipstick - I have quite a lot of lipsticks *guilty face* so I try and wear a different one everyday

The Body Shop bronzer - I got this ages ago and use it more for the mirror, although the powder is great to use as a subtle shimmer for the face and neck

Mini D& G The One perfume sample - I got this in Sephora when I went to Paris but I'm not too keen on it...

Bourjois Kabuki Brush - I love this! Kabukis are usually really expensive and super soft. This isn't as soft but for a fiver it really does the job

Paracetamol - I rarely take these but then there are instances when I really need one... usually during the time of month!

YSL Lip Contour - This is like a lipbalm and is great for keeping my lips soft... it's got a rich, creamy consistency so it's almost like a moisturiser

Carmex Cherry lipbalm - This doesn't really moisturise my lips as well as the YSL but it tastes and smells so nice that I just HAD to have it!

Ring - I usually have some random piece of jewellery in my bag 

Other bits and pieces...

Pink iPod - keeps me entertained when I'm commuting

Hand sanitizer - if you use the tube you'll understand why this is a MUST

Picture - this is actually a  broken keyring that I just carry around. This pic is of my cousin and I'll pull it out whenever I need to :- )

Tissues - a had a nose bleed on the train a few months ago and since then my mum's been giving me tissue packets to keep with me in case it happens again... bless her

I also keep my camera in my bag but I can't exactly take a pic of it as I'm using it now... I'm also a magazine JUNKIE and usually have something to read in my bag... And I'm going to get a diary (FiloFax!) to keep me organised too.

Anyway... I hope you enjoyed having a nose around in my bag... and I hope this doesn't turn into an open invite for muggers :-O haha!

I'd love to see what's in everyone elses handbags!

Sami xx

Another Naughty Haul

I went shopping. In Selfridges. And as usual I went overboard. Here's what I got:

Dior Amber Diamond Compact: I'm not sure why I brought this because it is very, very similar to By Candlelight MSF but I felt I needed something 'Dior' and this jumped out to me. It creates a lovely highlight on my cheekbones and the colours, when swirled together, create an amazing bronzy glow. I'll do a seperate post with pics soon to show you what I mean :- )

MAC Face & Body Paint: A makeup artist recommended this to me a few years ago but I was too seduced by the hype over Nars Sheerglow and MAC Studio Sculpt to check it out. Then I started seeing rave reviews about it on Lollipop26 and Bubblegarm and so of course I HAD to get it. I haven't been using it enough to give a proper review but what I can say for now is that it is wonderful on dry skin!

D&G 3 L'Imperatrice: My friend introduced me to this perfume and it was love at first smell. The bottle is a huuuuuuge 100ml but that hasn't stopped me from lugging it around in my bag! It has a lovely peachy floral scent that reminds me of sweets and for £35 it's great value for money. I haven't been able to stop sniffing it.

MAC MSF in By Candlelight: This was part of the In the Groove collection and although it didn't initially jump out to me I swatched it on my hand and was sold. It has this really fine light gold shimmer running through it that looks gorgeous in the sunlight... Look out for a review and pics.

I am suffering from buyers remorse a little because I didn't really need these things (well apart from the foundation - I really needed that...) but after seeing how glowy my face looked a la By Candlelight MSF I feel a little better! What are your guilty pleasures?

Sami x

Vera Wang Perfume

Being a bit of a beauty magpie I've always had my eye on Vera Wang Princess but it was only recently that I actually brought it (I usually play it safe when it comes to perfume and stick to my Lacoste/Armani/Chanel classics). Anyway, I was worried that although the bottle is very pretty (it's in a heart shape with a little crown on top!) it probably wouldn't smell nice.

Now, after wearing it for a couple of weeks I have to say I really like the fragrance... it's got a sweet, sugary almond scent to it (sorry - i'm rubbish at describing smells). The only downside is that it's not very strong and so I have to spray it on like 10 times in a day...

I'm now contemplating getting the new LE version (Vera Wang Glam Princess), which looks like it could have a stronger scent.

Perfume rave

Okay, so I have to say I'm not exactly an expert on fragrances... usually I go for something that smells 'nice' and has a gorgeous bottle (superficial? ME? Nooo....) But one fragrance that totally caught me by surprise was Lacoste's Love of Pink. The packaging... not so great. But the fragrance... WoW! It's so simple and sweet I could wear it all the time! I wouldn't normally go for it but I was given it as a gift and I can safely say I am head over heels.

Anyhu, just thought I would share that! : - ) xx