MAC Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator Review

This product has been around ages but recently I've been using it a lot more than I used to, so therefore I had to do a review and give credit where it's due. When I purchased this in the MAC store it was actually the last one on the shelf so I knew it was fait and I was destined to buy it! MAC's skincare I feel doesn't get as much credit as what there infamous makeup does, and there skincare line has done so much for skin by clearing any blemishes up and putting moisture back into my skin.
So here's the review and I hope you like the product as much as I do...

 

Product Description:

This is a highly effective, dual-purpose foaming, cleansing and exfoliating scrub blending natural Volcanic Ash with fine sugar crystals. Refines and unclogs the skin, adds instant moisture: leaves skin feeling soft and comfortably clean. Mineral-rich. May be used effectively on any part of face or body. Rinses off with warm water. GBP - £22.00

 



My Experience/Views:
I absolutely love this exfoliator! I'd go as far as saying this is by far my favourite skincare product ever. The packaging is really pretty, the cap/lid keeps tightly shut and the product is easy to dispense. It comes in a long tube packing 100ml of heaven.

The texture is really gritty from the sugar crystals and the colour is very bold black from the volcanic ash. Even thought the exfoliator seems very gritty, once applied to the skin it smoothens out really nicely due to it been full of minerals, and exfoliates into the skin leaving it feel extremely soft and clean, I also feel the smell makes you feel clean and fresh too.

I apply this once a week on my face at the moment but MAC's recommendations are between 1-3, I first start with a cleanser to take my makeup off, then I exfoliate using this product, then afterwards I use a tea tree facial wash just to make sure I get all the black stains off and then I pat my face dry with a towel and apply a moisturiser and blemish gel.

 

As for results this cleared a lot of my blemishes up and I especially love using it if I've broke out in spots as it really does clear them up for me. It also softens and refreshes my face creating a perfect base for me to apply my makeup too.
As for blackheads and whiteheads I have noticed a different, this stuff really is like magic! I tend to leave it about 3-5 minutes as it can be used as a mask aswell as just a normal exfoliator.

When I purchased this, the makeup artist in the store said she uses it when shaving in place of a shaving foam/cream and I have yet to try this but never knew you could use like that even though its an all over body exfoliator too. However I do have to say.. when using this it is recommended you follow up with a moisturiser as it can be very drying on the skin.

Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone! And I will definitely be repurchasing once I have used it all. 10/10.

Thankyou for reading, Emily x

Mini MAC Haul

On a recent shopping trip, I purchased two lip pencils and two lipsticks from the MAC store since I cannot leave there without spending, leading to these items now being my absolute favourite lip combos that I wear daily.

At the moment I am into the bold dark lip trend that is currently going around and so I had to go to MAC and buy these! 

The dark brown lip liner is MAC's notorious "Chestnut" shade and is a medium-dark brown that is mentioned all over the internet with bloggers and is definitely one of the more popular ones. It can be paired perfectly with almost any lipstick and is great for the fall/winter season. 

The second lip liner I got is in the shade "Plum" and I fell in love with this as soon as I saw it on someone's Instagram wearing nothing on the lips but this. (Picture Below: Taken from Instagram.) 

It is described exactly as it's name.. A red-purple plum colour. It's a really gorgeous shade to pair with a pink or red lipstick or even just wear on its own. 

Left: Chestnut                        Right: Plum 

Then I bought two lipsticks, well actually 1 and then brought back six empty MAC containers and got a free lipstick which is all part of the "Back2Mac" recycling programme. So the first one which I bought was "Film Noir" it's a deep red-brown with a Satin finish and the Mac artist actually recommended it to me to pair with Chestnut liner. 

Then the second one which I got free is "Double Shot" and is an amplified creme. It's is described as a subdued brown with a hint of rose and mauve and is a perfect shade for this season. 

I Hope I inspired you to try these shades, I can't stop wearing them & can't wait to purchase more lipsticks and liners like these! 

Thankyou for reading, Emily. 

MAC Rihanna Viva Glam I Lipstick & Lipglass

A while ago now.. I bought the Rihanna Viva Glam lipstick and lipglass and due to the new Viva Glam Rihanna 2 set been released, since i havent manage to pick them up from my closest MAC store - I thought i would review the original Viva Glam Rihanna for you. I decided to purchase them especially because their designed by Rihanna and looked so gorgeous in the store and in swatches  and on reviews I've seen. These are limited edition. MAC have only just released the Viva Glam Rihanna 2 Lipstick and Lipglass which i will be buying as soon as possible!  The money for both the items goes towards to helping women, men and children everywhere affected by HIV/AIDS as does any special edition viva glam product does.

The iconic black MAC packaging for the lipstick and lipglass has Rihanna’s signature on the boxes in red and the lipstick case itself is instead of a black it’s a deep matte red and also have got Rihanna’s signature on them. The signature was another reason why I wanted it as MAC itself is iconic and a top brand that i absolutely love and then for one of my favourite artists in the world to be pairing up with my favourite makeup brand is amazing.. So I had to buy these two beautiful products! I wouldn't of even mind if the prices were abit higher which in surprised at how reasonable the price of these two are because they cost just the same as a normal MAC lipstick to say these two have Rihanna's printed signature on and the red matte lipstick casing which is different. 

Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick (£15.00) is a ‘blue-red’ lipstick with a frost finish. It is a classic red colour with a slight shimmer to it. The lipstick feels creamy when applied to the lips but also abit matte, but 
I have read a lot of good reviews saying people absolutely love it and wear it as their perfect red shade. The colour is perfect for evening events and special events as it’s a classic red and a red lips always good for a night out or evening meal, or even just for throughout the day to add some glitter to your look.

Viva Glam Rihanna Lipglass (£14.00) is a gorgeous red shimmery, glittery lipglass that looks so nice! I can’t wait to try it over my Rihanna viva glam lipstick. The lipglass has a frost finish the same as the lipstick and does last just as long as the lipstick. It gives that perfect gloss finish over the lipstick. These two products are perfect for eachother.

 I wanted these as soon as they came out and I’m so glad I bought them! 

Thankyou for reading, Emily x.

How To Depot MAC Eyeshadows

This is quite abit different from my other posts, as its not actually a review or a haul, and for anyone who doesn’t own any MAC eyeshadows or doesn’t use MAC then this post may be abit irrelevant; however I have recently bought a load of mac eyeshadows in their original pots and not the refill pans and have been seeing loads of videos on how to depot them. As I myself wanted to know how to depot the shadows to transfer them to my palette, I thought I would share with everyone how to, as it may help some of you who need to know if starting your own palette and need to transfer the shadows to it. Also if you have 6 empty pots after this, you can take them ‘Back 2 MAC’ and get a free lipstick or eyeshadow. I have depotted my eyeshadows in a different way to how most people do because I find it much easier personally for me..doing it this way. Most people use their hair straighteners to heat the eyeshadow pot up but I used a candle. This method may be better for anyone who doesn’t have hair straighteners or who are scared of ruining them. I saw a really good video on youtube  of someone depotting their eyeshadows by using a candle to heat the pot up rather than hair straighteners and the link is here –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_IFh60rwqk

 

 I will be depotting three of my eyeshadows – Grain, All That Glitters and Satin Taupe.

So first you will need to gather a few things…

• Your eyeshadow pots
• A candle with some matches to light it
• A pair of tweezers
• Your palette
• A knife or sharp tool

Step 1: Separate the tray from the pot… Look for the gap…
Wedge the knife between the gap preferably in the corner as its easier to lift the tray up. You may have to wiggle the knife about and lift the tray up until it pops out of the pot.

Step 2: Melting the glue to pop the refill out of the tray…
Take the tweezers and grab the tray with them and place carefully over the lit candle and keep checking underneath the tray for a hole to appear and as soon as the hole is about as big as a pea then place onto a safe surface and take your tweezers or a thin sharp object and push the refill eyeshadow out of the tray and if it won’t come out strait away then take your tweezers to help pull it out.

Step 3: Place the refill eyeshadow in your PRO Palette while the glue is still hot and melted.

 

Step 4: Labelling
To save money and time you can place the empty pot with the label underneath over the candle for a few seconds until the sticker becomes easy to peel off without ripping and the you can place anywhere on your palette, I placed mine on the back in the order of the eyeshadows.

 

 

Step 5: Place the empty tray into the pot and close the lid and keep safe for if you want to take them ‘Back 2 MAC’ to get a free lipstick.

Hope this is helpful to all those MAC eyeshadow junkies, as so am I.. and am terrible for collecting eyeshadows.
Thank you for reading.. Emily, x.

Benefits High Beam

Hands down my favourite product from Benefit!

I bought Benefits High Beam a while ago now and I just had to share my experience with it! It is the best highlighter I have ever used and I am in love with it, I use it everything single time I'm applying my makeup after I have applied my blusher. Benefit also do the Sun Beam which is a golden bronze highlighter perfect for a sunkissed finish or bronzer skin; however I thought the high beam was much better for my skin complexion as I have warm pink undertones and am quite pale. 

It comes in a nail polish type bottle and packs loads of the product in and a little goes a long way with this and lasts for ages! It is priced at £19.50 for 15ml. 

What Benefit says: "high beam creates that natural radiant glow you've always desired. It's a satiny pink highlighter that creates a young, radiant, fresh complexion on all skin tones. No self respecting make-up artist would be seen without it" 

 This was my very first product from Benefit and I had heard amazing comments about the well known brand and decided to try it, when I purchased this and one other item I got some free samples of the "it's potent eye cream", "hello flawless oxygen wow foundation" and the "big easy complexion perfector". I will most definitely  be trying plenty of other Benefit products out as I am in love with the high beam and really want to try the porefressional primer and cheek tints! I can not say enough how happy I am with the Benefit high beam!, You can immediately tell strait away as it highlights your cheek bone amazingly giving you such a flawless finish. It's far better than the other highly priced highlighters I've ever tried. Due to the product being long lasting - I apply it in the morning for work and it's still visible when I come home in the evening. 

 

Above is it swatched in dots as you would apply it to your face.

 

Above is it rubbed in on my hand, giving a gorgeous pink glow which looks amazing on your cheek bone above your blusher.

 

I will definitely be repurchasing this over and over again. I may also try the 'Sun Beam' for days I want a more bronzed, tanned look. The product will last you months and months as mine has done and it is certainly worth the price, I am surprised I didn't try it sooner! And highlighting and contouring makes the world of difference to make the face appear slimmer or more bronzed. As I said before... I am really pleased with this and am really exited to try more of Benefits products and definitely recommend the High Beam to everyone and anyone who's not tried or needs a new highlighter! 

 

Have you tried the High Beam? Do you recommend any of the other Benefit products?? 

Thank you for reading.. Emily, x.

Nivea Lip Butter

 

This is a different review to my past MAC reviews as I wanted to share with everyone this gorgeous lip butter by Nivea! So this is just a quick review of my favourite lip butter in the world!! 

 Nivea's Lip Butter in 'Raspberry Rose' is the nicest smelling lip product I've ever owned! I absolutely love this. This lovely little tin of raspberry joy has got to be the nicest thing I have ever smelt! The smell is a really sweet fragrant raspberry smell and I smells good enough to eat it smells of fresh raspberries or raspberry frozen yoghurt and is such a creamy texture and goes on the lips amazing! 

 

The texture is so soft and creamy and leaves the lips feeling so soft and moisturised! They even smell great too! This is by far my favourite lip product that I have to take everywhere if my lips start feeling dry or sore. I apply it throughout the day whenever I feel like it and also at night before I goto bed. 

The lip butter is £2.10 for 16g and lasts for ever unless your like me and use it constantly all the time! I would definitely like to buy the other flavoured ones.. 'Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss' and also 'Caramel Cream Kiss'

 

The pocket sized balm instantly smoothes, moisturises and nourishes your lips. 

Have you tried any of the lip butters? What do you think? Thank you for reading..Emily, x.

MAC Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage Review

 

MAC's Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage Primer was one of my very first purchases from MAC. I have always been a lover of primer and loved having a perfect base for my foundation to glide on and last for quite a while. I was hesitant to buy this at first as I had not heard much about it and had just been recommended by one of the MAC artists. When she applied it onto my face, it immediately made my face feel soft and fresh and really moisturised. I fell in love with the primer strait away and purchased it strait after. 

 

I use this primer mainly when I'm doing my makeup for special events as I tend to use a bb cream under my foundation if I'm just doing my makeup for throughout the day, therefore my primer has lasted me for absolute ages! The bottle itself costs £20.50 for a 30ml bottle and I have to say that the bottle is quite large for a primer. MAC suggests it "Calms and soothes the skin, blots away excess oil, and evens out skin redness." When I first applied it onto my face for myself, I noticed it really moisturised my skin more than anything and added a glow to the finishing look of my foundation. I use one pump of the product as a little goes a long way! I apply it all over on my face and leave it for about 20 seconds to soak into my skin. It gives a healthy glow to your foundation and helps make the foundation long lasting aswell as even out your skin tone and make the foundation look smoother and more flawless. 

As you can see from above, it comes out as a creamy white blob and you really only need one pump! It goes onto your face abit white and illuminious as the glitter type particles in the primer really stand out, not only Is this primer long lasting but adds to your final look giving you a fresh dewy glow. 

 

This is the primer blended out and as you can see it does blend out fairly good and starts to look 'less white' and more of a moisturiser, which this primer really does leave your skin feeling so soft and smoothe!

 

 It comes with a pump and is therefore easy to apply onto your finger or hand and apply to the face. 

 At first I thought this primer was a little bit too pricey for a primer as the foundation was only a couple £'s extra; however it does last for ages as does nearly all of MAC's products! So far it's lasted me 6 months! And their is still quite abit left, so I am therefore getting more than my money's worth, as before my old primers such as drugstore ones used to last me only half of that! 

The packaging is a dark glittery box like the other prep and prime packages. I love the packaging and the pump that is already on the primer and I think it looks so good and makes it easier to squirt out. The pump does dispense enough product for the right amount to use on one application! The only negative thing I can think of which isn't really a problem for me is the fact that I can't see how much is left in the bottle.. This might be a problem if your wanting to re-purchase it strait away and use it constantly, Which I think I will be doing so.. But other than that I can't think of any other negative about it. It is long lasting and really does make the difference between a long lasting flawless face full of makeup, to a patchy, oily face of makeup that tends to slide if throughout the day/night. This primer is definitely, in my opinion, worth buying and using to get a perfect base. It does last a long time and therefore doesn't bother me about the high price and it does the job perfectly!

 What primers have you used? What do you think about the MAC skin base visage? Thank you for reading..Emily, x.