MAC Fanfare Lipstick

MAC Fanfare lipstick is the latest addiction to my collection and is one I chose from a blogger competition win. I had swatched it a few times in the Covent Garden store and decided that as I wanted it, I might as well ask for it with my win.

My growing collection of MAC lipsticks consists mainly of pinks such as Angel, Creme Cup and Viva Glam V so it is probably not that surprising that I have added Fanfare and love the look of Lovelorn, Syrup and Please Me - none of which I have bought (yet).

Fanfare is best described as being a light salmon pink shade lipstick with a slight coral undertone. You will find this lipstick in amongst those with a cremesheen finish. So texture wise it is really creamy formula which is quite smooth when applied as it glides right across your lips leaving behind a wonderful shade of pink. 

The one thing I dislike about Creme Cup as a cremesheen finish is that if you have dry patches on your lips, it clings to them, so I can only wear it or feel comfortable wearing it when my lips are in really good condition.

Texture wise Fanfare is smooth and pigmented and on me it has a staying power of around 3 hours before it begins to fade, but as with any product like this, I am one of those people who applies lipstick regularly throughout the day. During those three hours it is more than likely that I will have had copious glasses of water and probably 1-2 cups of green tea, so for a 3 hour stay, I think it is actually quite good. 

As a shade, it is one that I really really love. It looks lovely on its own or with a gloss over the top, something else from MAC which I am a bit of a sucker for. I personally feel this is a daytime lipstick and it is one I wear for work all the time, though for an evening, you could wear it as it is buildable.

Priced at £15.50 it is quite pricey in my opinion but it is a lovely lipstick and I like the shade, plus I won it and I am super chuffed with it.

What MAC lipsticks do you love?

Flamingo Candles - Spring Collection

Flamingo Candles are brilliant, I am quite obsessed with them and have very kindly been sent a few of their new spring scents to try from the Spring Collection Range**. The range itself is just amazing and I would find it quite hard to choose my own scent from the list of the five within the range.

The two candles that I have today are both ones that I have really enjoyed using.

These two candles are just so brightly coloured they scream Spring to me.  Even the scent of each is so warm and inviting that I can already imagine sitting out in the garden in the evening as the sun goes down, a candle lit on the table outside.

Starting with the scent which intrigued me the most when I read the description - Raspberry & Salted Caramel, I didn't think it would be a scent I would like.  Actually it is absolutely amazing.  Described as being both sweet and creamy, Raspberry & Salted Caramel is a delicious treat for the senses.  Fruity notes of raspberry blend with anise, buttercream and vanilla-based caramel.  The first thing you notice when the lid is removed is both scents and it reminds me of candyfloss at the fairground.

The Jar within which the candle can be found is like similar ones from the range and it features a bright blue coloured Flamingo.  Each candle is made with organic soy wax and a cotton wick and has a really impressive burn time of 50 hours. 

The second candle from the Spring Collection is Mango & Dragonfruit and it is both exotic and punchy.  It combines base notes of lily, rose and jasmine with fruity green leaf, peach schnapps, sweet orange, melon, mango and apple and the scent is absolutely divine with both the fruity peach schnapps and floral notes being the first ones you notice as soon as the lid is removed.  If you have ever had Peach Blossom Tea, then the scent, I think, is very similar.

Again this candle is in a jar and it features a sparkly flamingo this time.  For me, this Flamingo stands out much more against the orange coloured candle due to those sparkles.  As before this candle is made with organic soy wax and a cotton wick and has a really impressive burn time of 50 hours. 

If these two scents have got you wanting to try or find that perfect Spring candle, there are three more within the rage which all sound equally divine and they are:

Rose & Marshmallow - Floral and sugary, Rose & Marshmallow is the ultimate sweet combination. Base notes of sandalwood, musk, rose and orchid blend with fruity mandarin, cherry and raspberry and creamy vanilla, coconut and marshmallow.

Green Apples - Fresh and zesty, Green Apples is the ultimate feel-good scent. Inspired by the Granny Smith apple it blends leafy green accords with citrus notes of lemon, mandarin, apple and melon. A fruity delight!

Daisy - Fresh and floral, Daisy opens with a touch of lemon and grapefruit with accords of green leaf, green violet, apple, pear and peach. Leading into a floral heart of jasmine, lily, rose, violet leaves and freesia on a base of sandalwood, cedarwood, amber, vanilla and sweet, powdery musks.

I am quite taken with the sound of Daisy and Green Apples, they sound like the fragrances I would use at home and want from a candle.

Established in 2013, Flamingo Candles is a fun and original collection of hand-poured, organic candles, manufactured in the UK. Stockists for the candles include Amazon, ASOS, Joy and many independent retailers.

Have you tried Flamingo Candles?

Ted Baker Lyla Purse Spray

Ted Baker is one of those brands that has surprised me in the beauty world. Be it a nail polish, nail file, a cream, lotion, potion, candle or perfume, I have never felt disappointed. The Ted Baker aftershaves have been a big hit with the mister and likewise the perfumes with me which you can read about here and here. Today I have a further offering from the Ted Baker perfume range and today it is all about Lyla**.

Lyla is the latest addition to the Sweet Treats range of perfumes which are aptly described as being purse sprays and as well as having Mia and Polly from this range and love them, so I had high hopes for Lyla.

Described as follows: "Quietly confident with an enchanting elegance, Lyla turns heads. Glamorous from head to toe and perfectly polished at all times, she is the girl everyone wants to be. With an enchanting elegance and infectious allure Lyla combines fruity top notes of bergamot, grapefruit and peach with soft floral extracts of jasmine and rose and an enticing base of amber, sandalwood, vanilla and musk". 

So with top notes of bergamot, grapefruit and peach, the mid notes being floral with both rose and jasmine, and a base of vanilla, sandalwood, amber and musk, you have a fragrance which hits both the floral and fruity notes without being too heavy on either. I personally am not a fan of Vanilla scents in anything at all, I find it too overpowering as a scent and it leaves me with a headache, even if it is in food, so I was a little unsure as to how I would find this perfume, but thankfully, whilst I can tell the vanilla is present, it doesn't stay long enough, the sandalwood for me becomes the dominant scent. 

Top notes are those scents that are perceived immediately on application of a perfume. The middle notes which are the ingredients used to make up the perfume, and can range from plant and flower extracts to fruity extracts and in this perfume we have Jasmine sambac and plush, darkly fruity black plum and Indian black tea. So the base notes, which are perhaps the most important because they determine how long a fragrance will last, and most fragrances have similar base notes which often include sandalwood, amber, musk or vanilla. The reason being is because there are only a certain number of notes that will last long enough on the skin to form the base of a fragrance.

Lyla is presented in a white box with rose gold detailing and the actual bottle matches the design of the box perfectly.   It has a frosted white finish bottle with a faceted glass detail on the lid with the initials TB being visible.

I really like this scent, it is one which has grown on me and it is one which works really well with the oils in my skin, it lasts all day whenever I apply it and for me it is a scent I would wear during the daytime rather than an evening scent, so it is perfect for work.  Priced at just £15 for the 10ml bottle, this perfume would make a great gift either for yourself, a female friend or even your Mum.  It is available exclusively from Ted Baker stores right now and is launching into Boots in the Spring.

Does Lyla sound like the perfume for you?

Sampling

It has been a long time since I have done one of these posts, but as I have made a point of trying and using up some of my sample products, instead of just hoarding them, I thought I would share with you some of my favourites over the past couple of months. There are 5 products in total and it is fair to say, they have all made a huge impression on me.

Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Youth Activating Oil - This is a product from my Look Fantastic beauty Box and because my skin is often quite dry in parts, but oily in others, the joys of combination skin, I wasn't too sure how my skin would react to it. My skin loved it and after using just once, it felt incredibly hydrated, smooth and not at all as oily as I had feared, infact there was less oily patches the following day, when my lunchtime I would be grabbing my compact to dab off anything excess. This is one product I will finish and if I had nothing similar it is one I would purchase without debate because I like it that much. A full sized bottle retails at £47 

Eve Lom Cleanser - I received this within my first Look Fantastic Beauty Box, I've heard amazing things about this hot cloth cleanser from many bloggers who really rate it, so I was really looking forwarding to giving this a try. Considering I live in London where the air is not exactly clean and I wear makeup on a daily basis, I found this cleanser really does do a fantastic job at removing every single trace of my makeup not to mention surface dirt and grime which just seems to cling to my skin.  Eve Lom describe this product as "a multi-tasking marvel which removed every last trace of make-up, even waterproof mascara, it also decongests, tones and gently exfoliates the skin".

After using, I found my skin to be feeling extremely soft afterwards and really clean feeling but at £85 for a full sized tub, it didn't wow me enough to want to rush out and purchase it when I have similar products which do the same job just as well for a whole lot less. 

CoLab Dry Shampoo - I got these two beauties from my You Beauty Discovery Box and as someone who loves dry shampoo, I couldn't want to try them. I have heard amazing things about them and I have to say they more than live up to the claims as to how good they are. 

The one thing that started to bug me about dry shampoo was the 'white' residue that was left behind, no matter how much you shook or brushed your hair, throughout the day more would drop onto your shoulders. Not doth these! For a start there is no white residue, you simply spray it onto your hair and massage in, them brush your hair and voila, fresh looking and smelling hair! This is one product I will definitely repurchase!

This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray which comes from my October LookFantastic Box. It is described as acting faster than the original spray it is a fast acting natural remedy to help restore healthy sleep patterns for restless sleepers and is clinically proven to provide a better night’s sleep. It contains a potent blend of Lavender which naturally encapsulates to gradually release aromatherapeutic benefits as you sleep. This edition has more of a lavender fragrance and does smell a little medicinal. 

Firstly, I love this spray, whilst it doesn't send me off into a quick sleep, what it does help with is restlessness and it is relaxing and calming, perfect for spraying on your pillows whilst you are getting ready for bed, cleansing your face and adding your night cream. Once it has settled it smells absolutely divine.

Estee Lauder Modern Muse - I got this in my November Fragrance Shop Discovery Box and it is a scent I have come to absolutely love.  Described as follows: "Be an inspiration. Experience the fragrance that captures your style, your confidence, your creative spirit. An alluring contrast of sparkling florals and sleek, sensual woods". 

Now this scent is really lovely, one you would perhaps use for special occasions rather than everyday wear and it is one of those long lasting scents, once applied you can literally smell it all day and there is a wearing time of around 7-8 hours for me before it becomes obsolete. 

So as you can see the money that I have been spending on Beauty Boxes has really paid off. Firstly it is unlikely, other than CoLab that I would have bought anything by Eve Lom or Ole Henriksson, though I might possibly I have bought Sleep Plus given the rave reviews. Secondly, they are all really good sized samples and big enough to give you more than a couple of weeks usage. 

As much as I love sachets, unless it is a facemask, I am often left on the fence as to whether I like something enough to buy it after squeezing enough out to try it the once, I tend to use them when I am away for a LNG weekend as they might travelling lighter.

Have you tried any of these products? Do you like the sound of any of them?