May: 10 Dream pieces

May: 10 Dream pieces by grace-cottrell featuring celine sunglasses

MAC Alluring Aquatic: Aphrodite's shell and fathoms deep

As foretold in our previous post, the release of the MAC Alluring aqua collection meant that our bank balances once again became endangered.

After frantically running to Charlotte's house with visa in hand, I ordered Aphrodite's shell extra dimension bronzer and fathoms deep extra dimension eyeshadow.

My parcel arrived today, a day later than Charlotte's...? But ah well. Aphrodite's shell bronzer is a natural warm golden shade that will work best on light to medium skin tones. The powder is extremely finely milled and almost feels like a cream to the touch.

Fathoms deep appears to be a navy blue on the MAC website but in person it's more of a dark charcoal grey with a blue undertone. This eyeshadow is beautifully pigmented and provided an opaque swatch with one swipe. I really look forward to using this all over the lid for a dramatic smokey eye.

On a final note, yes it was most definitely the packaging which attracted me to this collection with the metallic blue and raised water droplets. I think this is one of my favourite packaging designs MAC has produced.

Grace xx

London calling

Cardigan - H&M

Cami - Topshop

Coated Leigh jeans - Topshop

Boots - Topshop

Phone case - Etsy

Hi guys, sorry I've been a little MIA recently, AS exams are fast approaching! Instead of spending the whole Easter break revising however, me and my best friend Charlotte decided to take a day out to visit the capital.

We quite literally shopped until we dropped and walked 11 miles in total, a result of refusing to pay for the tube to ensure we could afford a MAC blush... (Our parents question our priorities)

Covent garden, Oxford street and Piccadilly Circus are amongst the destinations we stumbled upon on on ramblings so overall I feel like we saw quite a lot considering we walked everywhere. At the end of the day we were unbelievably tired and my expression resembled that of my Kim Kardashian phone case so we welcomed the warmth and comfort of Pizza Express, as well as their chocolate fudge cake which was amazing.

Here is a quick changing room outfit photo taken in H&M. I really need to buy a cardigan but its something I always put off doing for some reason even though I would wear it very often. Why is that? Oh and a quick side note, MAC studio fix fluid lasted from 5:30 AM until 11:30PM with no touch ups whatsoever, if anyone is looking for a hardcore foundation then this is the one!

For a full account of our trip and to find out what is in the mysterious bag near my feet check out the post on our joint blog: http://exploringwardrobes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/exploring-london-by-foot.html

Grace xx

MAC Eyeshadow Collection And Swatches

 L-R: Pigments: Vanilla, Golden olive
Eyeshadows: Top: Texture, Heaux, Carbon, Middle: Kid, Cranberry, Woodwinked, Bottom: Honeylust

Heaux, Honeylust, Texture

Top - Bottom

Texture, Honeylust, Heaux, Cranberry, Woodwinked, Kid

With flash, Last three swatches are Carbon (I know -_-) Golden olive, Vanilla

On the whole I am a huge fan of MAC shadows for their amazing pigmentation and huge range of shades. I have been trying to build up my collection over the last couple of years, at the moment I own Heaux purple grey (Satin) Kid, Light warm beige (Veluxe) and Texture, a Warm orange brown (Velvet) These shades are my favourite blending and crease colours. I also use texture across the lid quite a bit as it really makes green eyes pop.

The shimmery shades I own are Honeylust, a warm gold glitter (Lustre finish) This shade is stunning when used wet alone or over Woodwinked (Veluxe pearl) which will forever be one of my favourites. Cranberry (Frost) makes a nice change from neutral shadows and is perfect for Autumn/Winter smokey eyes.

The pigments were 'borrowed' off my mum, I think they came out in one of the holiday collections? Unfortunately I am still mourning the loss of Tan pigment, which met its tragic end on the bathroom tiles *cries* Golden olive is a beautiful shade and the name is pretty self explanatory, I don't really find myself reaching for this shade though as green smokey eyes isn't a look I do often. Vanilla is similar to NARS Albatross in colour except Vanilla is much more glittery. This pigment makes a gorgeous highlight either on the inner corner or the tops of the cheekbones for a dramatic glow.

Finally can we just talk about what the hell is going on with Carbon, this is my least favourite from MAC, instead of being a pigmented black as the name suggests, this comes off as a dirty grey/green colour. I have seen black eyeshadows that put Carbon to shame from Urban Decay and even Sleek!

I hope you enjoyed this review, Let me know what your favourite MAC eyeshadows are.

xx

Forever 21 Sunglasses

Sunglasses are something I rarely buy as the British weather doesn't often provide enough sunshine to justify wearing them. However I was inspired by American Horror Story Coven to start wearing sunglasses more often because they just look fabulous and who gives a crap whether its hot enough.

These three pairs were all £4.90 from Forever 21 which is a price I am willing to pay, compared with the likes of Topshop who were charging around £18. The quality is really good and all three pairs suit my face which is something I struggle with when choosing sunglasses.

The first pair are in the flat top style and have blue and clear ombre frames. I really like these for a casual look as they add a sporty feel to an outfit.

The second pair are cat eye and incredibly over-sized. I will admit that I do bear a slight resemblance to a fly in these sunglasses but they are undoubtedly a statement piece. I love pairing these with a red lip for a retro look.

The final pair are these mirrored aviators, I was torn between the blue and yellow, both of which were really nice but I decided to opt for the yellow as it seems like everyone and their cat has blue mirrored sunglasses. These also produce that enticing fly-like appeal but I do really love these for casual looks. They look great paired with a leather jacket too.

Let me know your favourite style of sunglasses...

Illamasqua Pure Pigments: Feverent, Static and Ore (Glitter lovers prepare...)

 

Every makeup lover is sure to have that one product that draws attention every time you wear it. Illamasqua's pure pigments are my new holy grail eyeshadow for going out, I even wear these in the day because I am so addicted to the finish! 

The packaging of the products is a little messy, however I have yet to come across a container that can hold a loose pigment without dispersing too much product, at least these pigments have a sifter, unlike the MAC ones.

The first shade I purchased was Feverent, a duo-chrome shade that can be compared to MAC blue brown pigment although Feverent is much more of a reddish tone. The product applies with full opacity giving a smooth red brown base with reflects of blue and green glitter. Every time I wear this with a smokey eye I am plagued with endless questions about the glittery wonder that is the pure pigment.

Completely and utterly in love with Feverent, I went out and purchased two more shades. Static is a white pigment that reflects lilac and pink in the light. I love using this pigment to hi-light my inner corner for an ethereal feel, and also this shade is amazing when layered over a black base to create a purple glitter smokey eye. With regards to application, I would stick to using these pigments dry as they tend to go a bit clumpy when wet.

The third and final shade in my collection is Ore, a stunning bronze gold with both gold and silver glitter particles. This has been my go-to lid colour since I bought it and reflects the light beautifully. All the pigments, as you can see from the swatches are very opaque and intense, much more than the MAC pigments I have tried previously. I find the lasting power to be faultless also with minimal fallout for such a glittery product.

At £16.50 these pigments are not cheap, but trust me when I say they are worth every penny!

Rainy day outfit

Rainy days by grace-cottrell featuring leather handbags

The weather here in Manchester has been very sporadic lately with sunshine one minute and torrential rain the next. On top of this exams are drawing nearer as we speak which is a little daunting as I really need to get on with revising!

However there's a couple of things on the horizon to look forward to, the first being my birthday on Tuesday which has come around really fast this year. I also cannot wait to visit London with my best friend Charlotte in April and I plan on doing a huge jewellery haul at Camden market.

This outfit was inspired by the rainy days we have been having lately, the rain tends to make me retreat even furthur into a wardrobe of black and grey. I have been loving ripped jeans lately and I am hoping to pick up a pair in the next few weeks, even though I always seem to have bruised knees which isn't cute - calling Sally Hansen airbrush legs spray...

This shark tooth necklace is from the jewellery brand Luv AJ, I have been dreaming about their short shark tooth charm necklace in particular but why is it when the time comes for me to put together a birthday list, it is sold out everywhere?

If anyone finds this necklace online anywhere please let me know!