MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone - Review

MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone - £18.00
(or £15.00 for the PRO Refill Pan) at maccosmetics.co.uk

I decided to buy this MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone after seeing it on Barbara, a YouTuber who goes by the name of 'thepersianbabe' on YouTube. She is really lovely and I adore her style, I really recommend her videos! When she mentioned this in a video and said she was wearing it, it looked like a really nice accompaniment to bronzer. Coppertone is described by MAC as a 'Peach Brown' and is perfect when you want a bit of colour on your face in terms of looking 'warmer' but without having a pop of colour on the face like a pink or a coral. 

Coppertone gives a nice 'peachy tan' wash of colour to my cheeks and is the perfect accompaniment to a bright lipstick as it doesn't compete with the colour or clash. I have been wearing this a lot with my Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4 (review here) as they go together really well. I use the bronzer under my cheekbones, on my temples and under my chin, I then use Coppertone more on the fleshy part of my cheeks and blend down towards the apples. I've especially been loving this blush for the Summer weather we've been having in the UK at the moment as I've been going for more of a bronzed look as of late (I get a tad bronzer happy!)

As you can see, it looks really natural on, although you could apply more if you wanted to. It helps to give my face a bit of a bronzed look and adds some healthy colour that looks great with everything from a nude lip or a bright lip. 

This blush has really become an everyday staple for me as it's so easy to use, you can never 'over-do it' with this blush and it works really well with my skintone. I think fair skins would get on with this really well as it has a nice neutral undertone and never looks orange. I don't think this is pigmented or bright enough to suit deeper skins however, but that it just the nature of the shade.

If you are looking for a natural, understated blush shade then Coppertone is a great one to try! It's available in all MAC stores and online at maccosmetics.co.uk. 

What's your favourite natural blush shade?

Rimmel Powder Blush in 012 Coral Rose (Discontinued)

Rimmel Powder Blush in 012 Coral Rose - eBay - £2.99

Ever find a product you really love, then when you go back to repurchase, you come to find that it has been discontinued? Well, thats what happened after I finished my first pan of Rimmel Powder Blush in 012 Coral Rose a few years back after stumbling across it while "food shopping" in Asda. I went back to the same place to buy it again, but to my surprise it was no where to be seen. 'Sold out?' I thought, but when I visited other places that stocked Rimmel, the story was the same.

I did give in and try one of their other shades at one point, but it didn't compare to my beloved Coral Rose. It's a beautiful peachy coral shade with a lovely sheen to it that looks gorgeous on the skin - like a blush and highlight in one.

My friend and I were talking about how much we used to love it and how annoyed we were that it had been discontinued. I suddenly thought 'Could it be on eBay?!', as I know a lot of discontinued make-up products can be found on there. Surprise surprise, it was there, and at £2.99 I clicked 'Buy Now' immediately!

(Un-edited photo)

Swatch (with flash)

I was really chuffed that I found one of my favourite blushes again, I really recommend a look on eBay if you're partial to a coral or peach blush!

Is there a product that you love that has been discontinued? 

I'd love to know!

Make-Up Wishlist - February

So I've done a few 'wishlist' posts before, but this one is strictly make-up. There are a lot of products that I'm lusting after at the moment, and my birthday is coming up so I hope to pick up some of these things in the very near future!

1. Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub - I've been dying to try Daniel's Watercolour blushes for so long, the idea alone intrigues me and they get such amazing reviews. Cherub is their bestseller and looks like my kinda colour! He is the nicest guy too which is always nice to know - he's always talking to bloggers and make-up lovers on Twitter (he replied to me once *screams*) so check him out @danielsandler Love you Daniel *blows kiss*!

2. Estee Lauder Pure Colour Shadow Paint in Chained - I decided I had to have this when I saw it in one of Anna's (ViviannaDoesMakeup) videos, Chained is a gorgeous deep bronzey colour which I think would be great for a really quick smokey eye applied all over the lid with a finger.

3. Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch Primer - Really intrigued to try this one as I really don't get on with Benefit's The Porefessional primer after trying very hard to like it - too greasy for me. This Clarins primer promises to smooth out lines and imperfections which is what we all want, right? I'm very keen to try this under my eyes to hold onto my concealer. 

4. Illamasqua 'Blush Up' Brush - A great idea from Illamasqua as I always apply my blush to my cheekbones not the apples of my cheeks - I feel it sculpts and lifts my face much more. This brush would make it so much easier to get that chiseled strip of blush.

5. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Powder Pink - Having never tried a cream blush product before I am really keen to get my hands on this Bobbi Brown one. The price point is quite reasonable as it's a multi-use product and the colour looks subtle with a beige hint which is different from the peachy pink blushers I usually go for. (My fav being Laura Mercier's Second Skin Blush in Peach Whisper).

6. Kevyn Aucoin 'The Celestial Powder' in Candlelight - I first heard about this highlighter from one of my all time favourite make-up artists Mario Dedivanovic - Kim Kardashian's make-up artist. He used this on Khloe Kardashian for a photoshoot and it looked absolutely beautiful on her.

7. Kevyn Aucoin Pure Powder Glow in Myracle - Another one introduced to me by Mario, he used this on Kim Kardashian for a red carpet look (*edit* I found out that the shade he used is actually called 'Shadore' and is not quite as bright as Myracle *edit*) and it contrasted beautifully to her bronzer as it brightened up her face so much. It looks very shocking in the pan but looked beautiful on the skin. 

8. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation - Need I say anything about this product? I need to get my mitts on it. Medium to full coverage with a luminous finish?! Yes please. 

9. theBalm timeBalm Concealer - I had never heard about this product until a few days ago when I saw Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog (She's hilarious) say that it was one of her all time favourite concealers close behind MAC's ProLongwear Concealer which I really like. The word 'balm' just seems to get me every time. (I'm sure its my Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm obsession that has spurred this on.) The texture looks creamy but is apparently non-drying and has great staying power. It retails for around £12 on Feel Unique also which is great!

Have you tried any of these products? What products are you lusting after this month?

Beauty in a flash: 10 minute on-the-go make-up for busy gals!

Sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day to do a full face of make-up, may it be you've woken up late and are rushing out the door or you have to pop out suddenly in a hurry and want to make yourself look a bit fresher and more polished!

I've collated my favourite quick and easy tips on how to get as polished as possible within 10 minutes and put it into this blog post for you to try out yourself - I'd love to know how it works for you!

What you need:

• Hydrating moisturiser
• Hydrating eye cream
• Brow pencil
• Eyelash curlers
• Mascara
• Powder (Non-translucent)
• Big fluffy powder brush
• Your favourite blusher
• Hydrating lip balm

1. Apply a hydrating moisturiser to prep your skin, you want to look plumped, healthy and glowing. The way to lovely looking skin is all about being hydrated. Follow this with a hydrating but not heavy eye cream. Tip: For maximum hydration, look for products containing Hyaluronic Acid. I used Clarins HydraQuench Lotion with SPF15 and Emu Oil Well Moisturising Eye Cream - both contain Hyaluronic Acid. Make sure your moisturiser always contains a SPF - it's so important.

2.  Make sure your brows are neat and tidy. A polished look can be ruined by bushy or unkempt brows. Pluck any strays and wrestle them into a neat shape with your fingers (or a spoolie if you wish). Lightly feather in some colour and shape using an eyebrow pencil slightly lighter than your brows (you don't want scouse brows!) Use your fingers to brush through them afterwards to make sure the colour is all even and natural looking. Brows are so important as they shape the face, don't spend long just make them look shapely and natural. I used Mac's Brow Pencil in Lingering. (It's so good that I urge you to go out and buy one NOW).

3. Curl your eyelashes from root to tip for a dramatic wide awake look. Long, curled eyelashes will transform your face and make you look wide awake. I used Shu Uemura eyelash curlers. Follow with lashings of mascara, 2 coats on top lashes and 1 coat on bottom lashes. I used my all time favourite Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara.

4. Next, you want a face powder full of colour - not transparent. Use a big fluffy powder brush to sweep into your powder and dust lightly all over your face. Not too much powder though - this step is just to even out your skin tone without the use of a proper foundation or concealer. To conceal darker areas like under the eyes, concentrate on those areas slightly more but with a light hand to keep it looking natural. For this I used my Real Techniques powder brush and Mac Studio Fix Powder. This powder is great when used for a light dusting as it's very pigmented and evens everything out in one thin coat to save you looking dry and cakey.

5. After powdering, use your favourite blush to inject some colour and life into your cheeks. You've evened out your skin tone to a nice, flat colour, but without adding a blush or bronzer, your face can lack life and look a bit dull, not to mention lacking shape and contour.  Use your fingertips to grab some blush and carefully apply it along your cheekbone by dabbing and blending. A powder or cream blush is fine. By applying it to your cheekbones, it's doubling up as a blush/contour - this will give your face a bit of dimension and slim down your face. 

6. If you find the blush isn't as even as you'd like, take your fluffy powder brush again, pinch the bristles between 3 fingers so the bristles becomes thinner and more dense. The brush is now the perfect shape to run along your cheekbones. Use this in a slanted back-and-forth action while sucking your cheeks in to buff the blush out into a smooth wash of colour. I used Laura Mercier Second Skin Blush in Peach Whisper.

7. Lastly, pick your most hydrating and shiny lip balm to smooth any chapped, flaky skin and add shine. I used Blistex MedPlus for lips.

Extras: If you have any extra time or products, add a cream highligher to brow bone and top of cheekbones for a glow, I'd use Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow in Rose Gold. Use a light-reflective concealer in a correcting shade (salmon or peach) for dark areas under the eyes if you need a little extra help with darkness, I'd use Clinique Airbrush Concealer in 02 Medium. Lastly, over the top of the lip balm I'd apply a juicy neutral coloured lipgloss like Mac's Cremesheen Glass in Richer, Lusher for fuller, juicier lips.

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So those are my top tips for getting polished, fast. Let me know what you think!

Apologies for my absence.....LOTS more coming soon!! Promise :-)