Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Plus

One thing i am always looking for is new and better ways to set my makeup. Powder is a big part of my makeup routine without setting my makeup in the morning all my hard work would be sliding off my face before lunchtime! Id decided it was about time i gave Mac's face powders a try, i really wasn't sure which one to go for but as i constantly read good reviews on the Natural Mineralize Skinfinish and of course being a massive fan of the highlighter version i thought that would be a good one to go for.
This is the first Mac powder product i have with the new packaging and i must say i am a fan, i think it looks a lot sleeker. i also like the magnetic fastening and think its great there is now a mirror included.
As i ordered it online i was a bit unsure which shade to go for, i thought that Light shade would be too light for me so i was trying to decide between Light Plus and Medium, the plus shades are more yellow toned so although i was worried it might be slightly too light i went for Light Plus as medium being more pink just wouldn't have matched. Luckily i made the right decision and i would say Light Plus is the perfect match for me, no ghostly glow the yellow tones match spot on with my foundation.
What i love about this powder is the beautiful finish it gives the skin, when applied after foundation to set it gives my skin a luminous almost airbrushed finish. It amplifies the coverage and also covers up pores and imperfections.
In regards to setting my makeup unfortunately i don't feel it keeps shine at bay for any longer than most other powders i've tried, in fact perhaps slightly less. Also i find when it comes to re-touching the powder it tends to start to look a bit cakey and unnatural and i end up using my Rimmel Stay Matte for further touch up throughout the day.
Its such a shame really that i love the finish so much i just don't think it works well with my skin type, this could be the holy grail of powders for people with normal/dry skin but i would advise fellow oily skin gals to give it a miss.

Have you tried Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural? What did you think?

Zoe 

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Mac Heroine Lipstick & Nightmoth Liner

If you saw my Mac haul post a couple of weeks back you will already know that i recently added Heroine to my growing collection of Mac lipsticks. The bright purple hue is not a shade for everyone, its most definitely a stand out shade but as I'm not one who's afraid of a bit of colour i knew i had to try it. I am a fan of purple lip shades and already own a similar shade from Sleek which i reviewed a while back (review here) although i do prefer Heroine and i will explain why shortly it could be a great dupe for anyone looking for a cheaper alternative. Heroine is a bright Violet purple, i find it comes out slightly brighter than it appears in the tube but i personally love the colour, it's definitely bold but i don't think its too much. I think its a universally flattering shade that works on a variety of skintones due to the slightly pink undertones and i find it can look slightly different on different people. Its a matte lipstick that same as the Sleek one i mentioned earlier but this is where they differentiate for me, Heroine is not at all drying on the lips i don't even notice its there, its matte but still has the slightest sheen to in, the Sleek lipstick however in comparison feels incredibly drying on the lips i also don't think its such a nice vibrant purple. Wearabilty wise its lasts really well on me and doesn't take a lot of touching up.
I bought the Nightmoth liner to go with the lipstick, its a very dark plum liner that i thought would be great to go with it and add extra dimension to the lips. I actually like to line my lips with it and also slightly shade some areas to add more shape, kind of like contouring for your lips and i love how it looks. Combined with Heroine Nightmoth does make the lipstick look darker than if you were to wear it alone. I was also really impressed with the staying power of Nightmoth its the first Mac lip liner i've tried but it lasted even longer than the lipstick, great if you just want to top up your lipstick and not faff around with lip liner all day/night.

Overall i love the combination of them both, what do you think? 

Zoe

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It's ok to feel a little lost sometimes

Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things we have to deal with in our lifetime, it can affect us all in different ways and there is no right or wrong way to deal with it or grieve. 

I lost my Granddad on the 27th of February, he meant an incredible amount to me and many others, it was a series of strokes that unfortunately took him from us and although I'm thankful i got to spend his last weeks visiting him in hospital giving me the chance to say goodbye, i've still found the weeks following his death incredibly hard. 

The last couple weeks i've felt lost and just not myself, not only is it losing your loved one that is hard to deal with but seeing other people that i love hurting has been incredibly hard too as there's just nothing you can do to help them. 

This is the first post i've written in a couple of weeks, its the first post i've been able to write. I've found i just haven't felt like blogging the words just haven't been there i didn't no what to say. Writing about an amazing new lipstick or my current favourite shampoo has felt irrelevant and petty in spite of things  and what my family has been going through. 

I was unsure about writing this post at all, I'm not usually one for personal posts but i thought it might help me to get my feelings out, i often struggle with expressing how i feel this is like my own little version of therapy a way to express myself and I'm hoping it will help me get back into blogging as its something i don't want to give up on, i miss feeling a part of the blogging community i just needed a break, time to spend with my family and properly grieve. I think taking a break is important when your feeling lost, there's no point forcing yourself if you just don't feel like it, i no myself like many other bloggers can feel guilty when your don't post for a while but at the end of the day its my blog and i no people will understand i want to blog because i want too and not because i feel i have too. For anyone else who may be dealing with similar things or just feeling a little lost, things will always get easier, remember that sometimes its ok to not be ok, people will understand and we must just keep moving forwards. Im sure I'll regain my blogging mojo soon enough, I'm hoping this post will be a form of closure for me after all the people we love never really leave us they stay with us in our hearts and our memories, we must move forward, stay strong and most importantly take care of other loved ones left behind. 

Zoe

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Collective Mac Haul

I've been really into buying new makeup lately, i seem to go through phases of being more into buying makeup or clothes and i've been a bit naughty on the makeup front and fancied trying a few new bits from Mac. I bought a couple pieces last month and then i went on a birthday shopping trip on Tuesday and picked up a few more bits.
This post is just to show you what i have bought, so for anyone interested in knowing what i thought about them and seeing swatches i expect i will review them all individually when i've used them a bit more.

Mac Studio Fix Fluid-
Id been wanting to try a Mac foundation for a while now, i admit i had been a bit skeptical in the past hearing some people say they seem to break their skin out but i've also heard so many people say how much they love them so i thought id have to try one out for myself. I decided Studio Fix being a long wearing foundation would probably be the best match for my oily skin so i picked it up in the shade NC20.

Mac Vanilla Pigment- 
Pigments are great as they are so multi-functional not only can they be used on the eyes but also as a highlighter and even on the lips. I thought Vanilla would be a great one to start with and I'm looking forward to playing around with it.

Mac Heroine Lipstick-
I have a list about as-long as my arm of all the Mac lipsticks i want to buy, Heroine had been top of my list for a while. I'm a sucker for a purple lip colour and Heroine is just the perfect bold shade.

Mac Nightmoth Lip Pencil-
I've been getting a bit more into lip liners at the moment, and id seen so many gorgeous lip looks using the Nightmoth liner. For a dark colour its incredibly versatile, i also thought it would be the perfect accompaniment for Heroine lipstick.

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural-
I fancied trying out a Mac face powder i could use to set my makeup and being such a massive fan of the Mineralize Skinfinish highlighter in Soft and Gentle i thought i would give one of the Natural powders a try, i picked up the shade Light Plus.
 

Like i said i will ore than likely review all the makeup featured in the haul, but if there is a product in particular you really want me to review let me no in the comments. 

Zoe 

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