Free Back2Mac Lipstick

I’ve mentioned Back2Mac a couple of times on Instagram  and not enough people know about it... so I’m spreading the word because I don’t want my girls missing out on a free lipstick.  Here's the deal... MAC has a recycling program called Back2Mac. If you return 6 empty MAC containers* you’ll be rewarded with a lipstick of your choice... simples! I returned 3 empty blushers (which I depoted into my Pro Pallette), 2 foundations and a face powder and swapped them for this....

MAC Freckletone lipstick

Since it was a freebie I thought I’d take a gamble and pick a completely new shade. I told the MUA I had lots of pale pinks, corals and brights and I wanted something different. Freckletone is described by MAC as a “neutral peach” with a Lustre finish. I’d describe it as a nude peach with a hint of  brown. It’s hardly striking in the bullet so I’m not surprised I’ve never picked it up, but on the lips it’s a sultry toffee nude that works perfectly with a bronzy look. It’s semi-sheer, semi-opaque if that makes sense, i.e. the colour is buildable. It has an easy slip application (no dragging) and a creamy glossy finish. As it’s a Lustre finish the wear time isn’t amazing, but it will hand around for up to two. If you find creme D'nude too pale, Freckletone could be the nude for you. It’s a much more wearable nude and won't wash you out.

After a little post purchase research (got to know what my fellow bloggers think) I discovered it’s a favourite of Kim Kardashian and my Queen, Beyonce... bonus!

Queen Bee

*MAC accepts returns of its primary packaging such as empty foundation bottles and tubes, lipsticks, lipglasses, blushers, face powders etc (This does not include Viva Glam, Pro Long Wear or Sheen Supreme). Find out more about Back2Mac here

If you don’t have enough empties but fancy a new lipstick, there’s currently 10% off cosmetics including MAC, online at Debenhams so bag one for £12.15 here

Summer on the Riviera Bronzing Collection from Bourjois

Bourjois are on fire with hot new product launches. First the Rouge Edition Lipstick, then the Cream Blushers and now, the bronzing range to end all bronzing ranges... Introducing Summer on the Riviera, the new three piece bronzing collection from Bourjois designed to enhance complexions with a natural glow. The range includes a BB Bronzing Cream, Bronzing Primer and a Maxi Delight Bronzer.

BB Bronzing Cream 8-in-1 £9.99/30ml

This one got my immediately attention, a BB Bronzing cream... interesting. Promising 8 actions in 1 for a sun-kissed radiant and natural glow;

1.Evens skin tone

2.Sheer tint

3.Boosts radiance

4.16-hour moisturisation

5.Smooths skin

6.Prolongs tan

7.SPF 15

8.Refreshing sensation.It has a light easy to blend formula and an addictive chocolate scent.'

The universal shade apparently suits all skin colours. Now this I’m not sure about, it is very dark. I’d say I have a medium olive complexion (MAC NC30) and this product is much darker than my usual foundations. It is however very sheer and works for me to give a dewy, bronzy glow. On lighter skin tones it will probably look dirty. It has a lovely light gel like texture that’s sheer and creamy at the same time. It’s the sort of product that’s ideal for holiday – when you want some colour but not full coverage. It will also be great post holiday to enhance your natural tan.

The Bronzing Primer £9.99/18g

As soon as I saw this I thought “Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel”.  It has that wonderful  cream/mouse texture. The Bronzing Primer smoothes, evens and mattifies the skin. It has an addictive chocolate fragrance and luxurious velvety texture making this a summer must have. The velvety formula perfectly blends onto the skin for a flawless complexion with no marks. It can be used under make up as a primer, over make up to contour or alone to add a hint of colour. It’s early days so I can’t say if it’s as good as Chanel, it is slightly darker and has more of a whipped mouse texture.

Maxi Delight Bronzer £8.99/18g

A supersized powder with a light texture for the face and décolleté. The super pigmented bronzer really warms up with face and is perfect for all over colour. There’s a slight shimmer running through it so I wouldn’t recommend for contouring. The fragranced bronzer comes in Light/Medium and Dark/Tanned shades.

The Summer on the Riviera collection is out now and currently exclusive to Boots, where you can save £3 on each product – here.

It's the 2nd Birthday box... Glossybox UK May 2013

I can barely believe it's been a month since the amazing Pearl Lowe box (see it here) never mind two years since Glossybox was born. To celebrate turning two this month's box is filled with "incredible treats from our most trusted and beloved brands".

This month we have...

Caudalie Divine Oil 15ml size worth £4.05
It was an ooooo moment when I spotted this. I love Caudalie and I LOVE oil. Divine oil can be used on the body, face, hair nails, added to the bath or used as a massage oil. It's pretty small so I'm surprised it's a full size product but a little oil does go a long way. Can't wait to try this! Full size £22.50/100ml

Nails Inc Portobello 4ml mini
I can't knock a bit of Nails Inc and this is definitely my kind of colour. Portobello is a brand new neon orange shade. £11/10ml available in the 3 for £22 online at Nails Inc.

Premae Harmony Balm 10ml sample
Apparently a skin protector and primer that gives skin a silky, dewy glow. Formulated with lemongrass oil and aloe vera to sooth brakeouts and reduce excess oil...Sounds good! £26.50/30ml.

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics Prime & Create Mixing Medium 2.5g sample

According to Glossybox an "excited new product alert". The clear aloe vera based gel can be used as a primer or mixed with foundation, powder blushers and bronzers to create a cream tint? I'm not sure where this magic's supposed to happen since they've crammed the product into the tiniest tub but I'll suss it out. £20/20g

Givenchy Noir Couture 4 in 1 Mascara 1.5g sample
Okay it's a little diddy tube but they do come in handy for travelling or sticking in your handbag and it's a great way to try before you buy. Full sizetube costs £22.50/8g.

Plus there's two bonus gifts - a pack of mini emery boards and some Green and Blacks chocolate - thanks Glossybox. I got to say, despite there being 7 products in this month's box, I did think it was a little on the empty side. The goodies are very small this month - hopefully what they lack in size, the make up in fabulousness. Overall I'm really happy with this month's box and will find good use for all the products. Find out more about Glossybox's monthly subscription service here.

Happy 2nd Birthday Glossybox!

Bourjois Khol and Contour... makes your eyes SPARKLE

I've been finding myself wanting to wear brown eyeliner recently. It's much better for during the day and works really well with my eye colour (hazel), but the No7 liner I was using wasn't up to much - too smudgy, you know the kind. I also wanted a bronzy/gold liner to smudge into the brown so imagine my delight when I discovered this 2 in 1.

Bourjois Khol and Contour Shadow & Light 13 brun & caramel eye liner is, as the name suggests brown at one end, caramel at the other. I've honestly never noticed these before and have no idea how long they've been out but they're simply genius! Brun is a dark chocolate long wearing matte brown, perfect for precise liner application and the caramel is a gorgeous bronzy gold with a hint of shimmer to highlight the eye perfectly. I apply the brown to the entire top lash line, tight lining the inner and outer edges and to the outer edges of the bottom lash line. I then smudge to make it look more natural before adding caramel to the inner and outer corners of the bottom lash line, and a little up top. The quality of the eyeliner is fantastic. Not too soft that it smudges too much and not too hard that it drags and unlike the No7 one, it lasts all day. The caramel is a bit softer and can also be used as an eyeshadow if you get smudging. The result - a brown, bronzy everyday smoky eye. I'm hooked!

Bourjois Khol and Contour Shadow and Light Eyeliners, available in 5 shades £5.49 Boots - here

Woo Hoo It’s RiRi Woo

Rihanna and MAC's RiRi Woo is in the house and it’s just as hot as I wanted it would be.

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock MAC and Rhianna have joined forces for what promises to be the coolest co-lab ever. Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until June to get our polished talons on RiRi’s goods but just to tease and whet our appetites they released a limited number of RiRi Woo’s online last week – Rihanna’s very first, very own signature red lipstick.

RiRi Woo is MAC’s cult classic lipstick Ruby Woo with a little RiRi mix. RiRi Woo is described as a “matte cool red with a retro matte finish.” It’s a deep, medium red with strong cool undertones and a matte finish. Red can be hard to wear but this one suits most and as it's a cool, blue based red it doesn't make your teeth look yellow. As it's matte, there is some dragging - you might want to use a brush to apply this one, but once it's on, it stays on and it's completely opaque. I'm not normally a big fan of matte, but there's something about a matte red, it's very iconic, very Marilyn. 

So what’s the difference between RiRi Woo and Ruby Woo?

If I’m honest, not a lot. RiRi Woo is very, very similar to Ruby Woo (and that was the point).  RiRi’s is slightly deeper and feels smoother and is of course etched with her signature. If you have Ruby, do you need RiRi... absolutely not, but do you want it? Hell yeah! And in the words of the Badgal herself it's “epic as phuck”.

MAC RiRi Woo might be currently sold out, but never fear, it’s coming back in June along with the rest of the collaboration. Sign up at MAC online to be the first to know when.

The Online Beauty Shop You Can't Live Without!

I’ve been planning this post for a while now, so I could have well and truly kicked myself last Friday when Make up Savvy beat me to it. But then she is the queen of all things savvy so it’s no surprise she loves Fragrance Direct too.

Fragrance Direct is a site I’ve been shopping on for years (the pic above shows some of the treasures I've found). It’s a real gem, in fact I don’t really want to word to get out in case all the good stuff gets snapped up, so shhhhh! Now I'm not claiming to have discovered it, you've probably heard of Fragrance Direct but dismissed it as a perfume retailer, plus they're not so good at promoting the "good stuff". With brands including Essie, OPI and Burts Bees there’s some real knock down prices and new stock all the time. Last year they even had some MAC! I picked up a blush and eye shadow, but as you can imagine they soon sold out. Here are my current top picks....

Essie Nail Polishes for £1.99 - here

Don’t mind if I do! We were all happy when Boots and Superdrug started selling Essie for £7.99, but at Fragrance Direct you’ll bag four for that. Current shades are limited but there’s still some goodies to be had.

OPI Nail Lacquers £3.99 - here

There’s over 50 shades to choose from and they’re full size 15ml bottles!

Dainty Doll Range from £1.99 - here 

It felt a little bitter sweet when I discovered Dainty Doll on Fragrance Direct a couple of months ago. I suppose it means Nicola Robert’s line hasn’t been selling so well, but then I couldn’t say no to cream and powder blushers and concealer pens for £1.99 each.

Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Salon Nail Polish £1.49 - here

I was super impressed when I received one of these polishes in a Glossybox, so much so I was willing to pay the RRP of £7.99 in Boots... but then I spied them here for a snip.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Lipsticks £1.99 - here

I hope that helps direct your search and bags you some bargains. The only way I could love this site more, would be if they offered free P&P, but it's a reasonable £1.99. Get Bookmarking! http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/