Two New MAC Lipsticks

Hello Lovelies

I recently picked up 2 new MAC lipsticks, one from the Flamingo Park collection, a matte in the shade Silly and one from the Blue Nectar collection, a matte in the shade Sweet Venom. Both are lovely summery shades and I have been enjoying wearing them since buying them around 6 weeks ago but I realised I hadn't shared them with you yet.

MAC Silly

Silly is a bright pink matte lipstick and was re launched as part of the Flamingo Park collection earlier in the summer, I had wanted Silly when it was launched in 2 previous collections but I wasn't quick enough and it was always sold out. I went to the cinema with my daughters at the beginning of July and we nipped into Sefridges to the MAC counter whilst we were out, it's across the road from the cinema so would be rude not to. I was really pleased to see they had Silly in stock and picked it up, I love bright lipsticks and couldn't wait to try it but now I am unsure if it suits me. Simon and my girls like it but when I wear it I always worry it doesn't look right, it is very bright with a yellow undertone. 

Silly is a matte finish and lasts really well on my lips, I get around 5 hours wear time including eating and drinking before having to top up and around 7 hours if I haven't eaten. 

Please excuse me in the photograph above, I look rather dishevelled and not very happy, my pain wasn't great so not the best time to take a photograph but I wanted to show you how the lipstick looks on. 

MAC Sweet Venom

Sweet Venom is a bright coral matte shade and is part of the Blue Nectar collection, the collection had only just launched so all the shades in the collection were in stock but Sweet Venom stood out to me immediately, I saw it on the display and loved it, you know me and coral! 

I have worn Sweet Venom so much since getting it, it is the perfect shade for me, a bright peachy/coral and ideal for summer, I love it. Sweet Venom is a matte shade so the wear time is exactly the same as with Silly. 

I am really pleased with both my new lipsticks, both of them apply well and don't drag or feel drying on my lips, they both last really well and both wear off nicely without leaving an unsightly ring of colour around my lips. Both lipsticks are perfect summer shades that look lovely with a neutral eye make up look. I have worn Sweet Venom the most out of the two and that is definitely my favourite as I am still unsure if Silly suits me and I wear a lot of coral lip colours throughout summer and I am loving the colour of Sweet Venom. 

Have you tried Silly or Sweet Venom? Do you have any MAC lipstick recommendations for me? I'd love to know your favourite MAC lipstick shades too, please leave me a comment below to let me know.

You can find all the MAC lipstick shades online HERE on the MAC website starting at £15.50. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

River Island Plus - Lookbook

Hello Lovelies

River Island is one of my favourite places to shop for clothes, I have shopped there for many years and I have always loved their style, so much so I have the web page stored on my laptop and check the new in section daily on their website. Being a size 18 I have sometimes found some of the styles in River Island wouldn't always fit me even in a size 18, especially if the item was a fitted piece, so when River Island Plus launched earlier this year I was ecstatic as it meant I would have even more things to choose from and because the plus size range is an extension of the straight size range, if something is a little small in straight size, I can now just order a size bigger, this is the thing I think I am most happy about because usually when a brand launches a plus size range the clothes are completely different and the range is tiny, but this isn't the case at all with River Island, they have a wide range of choice in the plus sizes, so much so I'm more often than not spoilt for choice when browsing the website. River Island Plus range from a size 18 to a size 24 and are sold in 22 UK stores and on the River Island website.

I recently chose a few items from the plus size range and today I am going to show you what I chose and let you know my thoughts on the pieces and the sizing and fit etc.

Outift 1.

The first thing I chose were these Orange soft tie tapered trousers, they have an elasticated panel on the back of the waist band with a zip and concealed button fastening at the front and a tied waist belt. The trousers have pockets, they are a cropped length and at the bottom of the trouser leg there is a small slit detail.

I paired the trousers with a plain black cami top, black heels and a black and white clutch, I thought it was a nice outfit for maybe a meal out for lunch or dinner or going out for drinks but I could also wear the trousers with some flat shoes or sandals and bigger bag and a denim jacket or leather jacket for a shopping trip or lunch out, they are really versatile trousers, they are high waisted and feel very comfortable to wear. I chose a size 18 in the trousers because they have the elasticated panel to the back of the waistband but had they not I would have sized up to a 20. The trousers are also available in Black and are £35.00. 

Outfit 2.

I chose this gorgeous bright pink cold shoulder top with the Lori skinny high waisted jeans, I really like this outfit and again I think it is very versatile as I would wear it as I am in the above photograph for a shopping trip or to see friends and go for lunch but I could easily add some heels and a clutch and go out for dinner or drinks in the evening. The top is now in the sale down from £22.00 to £10.00.

I have added the heels and clutch to show how the outfit can be changed from day to night very simply just by changing my shoes and bag. 

The jeans are high waisted with a zip and button fastening and are very comfortable, I chose a size 20 in the Lori jeans and they fit me perfectly, denim can sometimes be a little smaller in size so I always size up in jeans and these Lori jeans are perfect, I really like them. They are ankle grazer style and have a frayed edge and a small split side seam. The cold shoulder top is lovely, I really like the frill detail around the top which goes round the back too and the split sleeve is a nice detail too, the top is made from a gorgeous silky soft feel fabric and feels lovely and is very comfortable to wear, it looks lovely with the jeans and I always get a lot of compliments when I wear this outfit. 

I don't always find jeans comfortable but the Lori jeans are great, they fit well and they don't go big and baggy around the knees after wearing them for a while like some jeans can, they are a great fit and keep their shape and if like me you don't always go for jeans, give them a try they are brilliant and really comfortable too, they are also available with ripped detailing which I love for £38.00.

Outfit 3.

The next outfit isn't actually something I would usually go for but the top looked lovely on the model so I thought I would step out of my comfort zone and give it a try. The jeans are again the Lori high waisted jeans from outfit number 2 but I have paired this top with them, it is a long hanky hem black top with short sleeves and gorgeous detailing around the bottom. The top has a tie at the neck that can be worn tied or open and I think this outfit is perfect for a shopping date or meeting friends for a summer lunch or even just popping to visit friends. I also think the top would make a fabulous beach cover up, it is the perfect length and would be ideal and also would look great with leggings or worn with some leather look trousers would be lovely for an evening out.

I adore the leggings from River Island and for years have been wearing the high waisted ones and can highly recommend them. 

The black top feels extremely comfortable to wear and is very over sized, you could very easily size down in this, I chose the size 18. I adore the detailing around the bottom and the hanky hem detail too, I am pleased I decided to go for something a little different for a change. 

Outfit 4.

The last outfit is a gorgeous orange dress, unfortunately I can't show you this piece on as it was a little too small but I wanted to show you as it is a beautiful dress, it has cross detailing at the back and a tie at the waist, I would have worn the dress with either black heels and a black clutch for the evening or sandals and a larger bag for daytime wear. I love the deep V detail on the dress and think it is a beautiful dress and so versatile too. I chose a size 18 in the dress but as I said it was small so I should really have sized up to a size 20. 

The dress is currently in the sale and is down from £40.00 to £15.00, it is a beautiful dress and I wanted to show it to you because it is so pretty and it shows you an example of one of the beautiful dresses that are available with River Island Plus. 

My Overall Thoughts

I was desperately hoping to be blown away by the River Island plus range and I am pleased to say I was, all the pieces I chose are made extremely well, they all fit beautifully with the exception of the dress but that is my mistake, I hastily chose the size and chose wrong. I love how all the pieces are exactly the same items sold in the straight size range meaning they are on trend which isn't always the case for plus size fashion. I adore all the pieces I chose, they all feel incredible quality as always with River Island, they are priced really well and fit really well and true to size too. 

The plus size range at River Island is amazing and I can highly recommend it to anyone, I am extremely happy with everything I chose and I will continue to shop at River Island as I have done for many years but now I have even more choice which is incredible, I am so pleased with the range and if you haven't already checkout out River Island Plus, I highly recommend you do so, you won't be disappointed!

You can find River Island Plus, on the River Island website here. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

✿ Post Contains PR Samples or Gifted Items

Karla Cosmetics - Karla Lip Brush Set

Hello Lovelies

I love getting new makeup brushes, there's just something about using a brush for the first time isn't there? So when I received the Karla Lip Brush Set from Karla Cosmetics I couldn't wait to use them. Karla Cosmetics is owned by international award winning makeup artist Karla Powell, Karla has used her many years in the industry to develop products aimed to help you reach the top of your game in the makeup industry.  

The Karla Lip Brush Set contains 3 different brushes, the KL1 Filling Brush, KL2 Precision Brush and KL3 Cupid's Bow Brush. All the brushes have a sleek black handle, ferule and brush fibres and have Karla's logo printed on them in pink, each brush is created with vegan friendly, 100% Taklon fibre. 

The KL1 Filling Brush

I love this brush for applying my lipstick, it is so easy to use and applies product really well, whether it's a lipstick or liquid lip products like glosses and liquid lipsticks, it's a great brush. I used to always use a lip brush but got out of the habit but since having the Karla brushes and using them, I always use the KL1 to apply my lip products now and I've noticed a big difference in the way my lip products both apply and look. 

The KL2 Precision Brush

The Precision brush is designed to line the lips with product before filling in with the KL1 brush. When I first saw the brush I worried it would be quite hard to work with, however since using it I found it isn't hard to work with at all but I don't feel I use it enough and find I only use the KL1 brush. Despite not using the KL2 brush for my lips, I have found it is a great brush to use on my eyes especially for the brows and lining my upper and lower lash line. 

The KL3 Cupids Bow Brush

There isn't a lot of difference in size between the KL2 and KL3 brushes but the KL3 is slightly shorter and wider than the KL2 and comes to more of a point. The cupids bow brush is designed to line the cupids bow perfectly and it does do exactly what it is designed for, again it isn't a brush I find myself reaching for as I find I use it more for my eyes and again it's great for lining the upper and lower lash line and also for the brows but you can never have too many eye brushes so for me it's perfect and if I do want to use it for the purpose it's intended then that's great too. 

Overall Thoughts

I really like this set of brushes, it's a very handy set to have in my collection and although I may not use each brush as it's intended, I do use them each time I apply my makeup. The quality of the brushes is fantastic, they wash well and also spot clean well too and they don't shed. For the price I think this is a brilliant brush set for such well made and fabulous quality brushes and I would definitely recommend them either as a lip brush set or just as 3 great makeup brushes. 

If you would like to try the Karla Lip Brush Set, you can find it on the Karla store here for £15.00.

Have you tried this brush set? Is it something you think you would use? Chat with me in the comments and let me know. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

✿ Post contains PR Samples or Gifted Items 

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Brow Haul - My New Benefit Brow Products

Hello Lovelies

I recently visited the Benefit Brow Bar for the first time (you can read that post here) to have my brows waxed and tinted, initially my trip to the Benefit counter was to buy a brow product, I hadn't booked in for my brows done, it was only when I was there trying products and the sales assistant spoke to me about it and they had a spare slot that I decided to have it done, my trip to Benefit was originally to purchase just one item, but after having my brows done I went with some of the other products I'd had recommended to me by the sales assistant and today I thought I'd share with you what I picked up, I will have a full review of the products coming soon but I thought if I included my thoughts in this post it may be a tad too long. Anyway, here's what I picked up. 

Benefit Gimme Brow

The Benefit Gimme Brow is a cult product and one I have seen mentioned on many different blogs for a long time but never picked up, the sales assistant explained to me that the gimme brow is brilliant for a quick and easy brow look and this sold it to me to be honest, I hate filling my brows in and in all honesty, it's a bit of a struggle for me and I'm never happy with my brows so I was hoping this would be something I could use that would be simple to use and look good. I picked up the shade 01 which is the lightest shade, there are 2 other shades available 03 medium and 05 deep, you can find the Gimme Brow on the Look Fantastic website here for £18.50 inc free delivery. 

Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil

The Precisely My Brow pencil is something I knew I wanted to pick up before I visited the Benefit counter, and was the reason for my visit. I had spoken to fellow blogger friend, the lovely Liza about it as I envied her brows (bit strange of me I know) after watching one of her Youtube video's. The packaging of the pencil is fabulous, the pencil looks like an arrow, which is very different from any other brow pencil I own or have seen, I like the packaging but have to admit it has grown on me as at first I wasn't too keen. The pencil has a spoolie brush on one end and the product twists up on the other end, I picked up the shade 02 but it is available in 6 shades. The sales assistant Olivia who served me said that the pencil is brilliant for drawing on individual hairs as well as filling in brows which is something I need as my brows are so sparse. You can pick the Precisely My Brow pencil up from the Look Fantastic website here for £18.50 inc free delivery.

Benefit Browvo Conditioning Primer

I picked up the Browvo primer after the sales assistant told me that her and the girls on the counter had noticed their brows had grown since using it, the product doesn't actually claim it will aid your brows in growing, it is a conditioning primer that can be worn alone or under brow products and helps brows to look thicker and fuller but the girls on counter have all noticed their brows growing so I thought I'd give it a go as I need all the help in that department. The Browvo is a clear gel and can be applied to the brows at night time to help condition them over night, or can be worn under brow products to enhance them and extend their wear time or you can wear it alone to smooth and nourish the brows, I will be using it under my brow products and at night time to hopefully help my brows grow. You can find the Browvo on the Look Fanstastic website here for £21.50 inc free delivery. 

So those are the products I picked up recently from the new Benefit brow range, I will be back very soon with reviews of all 3 products and to let you know how I have been getting along with the products since I have been using them for almost 4 weeks now, so if you are interested in finding out more about the products I picked up, keep an eye out for those posts coming soon. I will also update you on my brows since having them waxed and tinted too. 

Have you tried any of the new Benefit brow products? What do you think of them? Do you like the packaging? Let me know in the comments section below. 

Also a huge thank you to Olivia at the Benefit counter in Boots, Manchester for all her help, she was brilliant and really helpful, she let me try all the different products too for myself and I found that very helpful and thank you to Ruby who waxed and tinted my brows for me, both girls were lovely and extremely helpful and both helped me with sitting down and getting up too which makes a huge difference and was very kind of them. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

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