Lips and Eyes || Maybelline and MAC

Back to the basics today folks! And by basics, I mean beauty, otherwise known as the main love in my life and the reason I started blogging in the first place. Yes, it's a lighter topic than what I've been tackling lately, but I'll be honest with you, a slick of lipstick, a cat eye, and lashings of mascara do a lot of good for my confidence. I like to think I look like a together woman when I have a cat eye and lip stick on, especially when paired with a takeaway coffee and a paper tucked under my arm. It's a good illusion, I suggest you try it!

Top to bottom: Push Up Drama, Great Lash, Lash Sensational

It's probably no surprise to anyone who has ever read my previous beauty posts that I am a massive fan of Maybelline mascaras. I don't tend to use them for any other beauty products, but when it comes to my eyes I am a total loyalist. Unless I have the money for a Benefit Rollerlash, I will always go for a Maybelline mascara, generally the Lash Sensational (£7.99), a mascara which I believe has become a staple in pretty much every beauty blogger/vlogger's beauty stash. It's an incredible product, definitely on par with my beloved rollerlash, and it does everything it says on the tin. My lashes look voluminous, thick, and black, which is all I want really! The wand is also very similar to the Rollerlash, which definitely contributes to how amazing it is. I love the curved brush as this allows the bristles to really grab every lash and load on the mascara without clumping or weighing down my lashes. However, as much as I love the Lash Sensational, I have really tiny straight eyelashes, and so I like to layer on two or three mascaras at a time.

Previously, I've heard good things about the Great Lash mascara, but I have to say, I've tried it several times and I am not a fan. I don't particularly like the formula, nor do I like how short and fat the wand is. It would probably work well for someone with naturally long, curled eyelashes, but it's just too big and fat for my poor teeny tiny lashes. However, for only £4.99, it does the job if you are on a budget or just want to grab a cheap mascara. The third mascara I recently picked up to try (I believe it launched not that long ago) is The Falsies Push Up Drama £7.99. I have long been a fan of The Falsies range, and have tried many many of them, but I really like this new addition. I particularly love the sleek, two toned packaging, but what really grabbed my eye with this one is the brush. It's plastic and straight, but the bristles are cup shaped. Yes, this sounds weird. And it looks weird. But I've found that this unique shape allows the brush to be loaded with the formula, and then easily grab the lashes and coat each one nicely, and there's no clumping whatsoever. It's a good investment, and I will probably never not be loyal to Maybelline for their mascaras.

Moving on from mascara, but sticking with the eye area and Maybelline, I recently picked up their Master Precise liquid eyeliner £5.99 as I happened to be in the market for a new eyeliner. I am a big fan of eyeliners that come in pen form, and have repurchased Soap and Glory's Supercat liner many, many times. However, I saw this one on the Maybelline stand and it caught my eye, as the pen on this one is a lot longer and a lot thinner than what I've been used to, and I thought this might make it even easier to draw on a killer cat eye. And man, I was not wrong. This liner glides on so smoothly, and the pen is so thin that you can be really precise, even if you are usually rather cack handed. I'm really, really enjoying it. The only complaint that I do have is that the lasting power is not as good as the Supercat liner, and by the end of the day my cat eye is looking more faded and less sharp and killer. But other than that, I am very happy and will be repurchasing.

Now on to MAC! I've never owned a MAC lipstick before, despite lusting over them for many years/months/millenniums, and so before Christmas, I decided to treat myself to a couple and start building up my collection. I decided on a nude and a red, as you can never go wrong with either of those, and I keep these in my handbag for emergency application if I ever find myself in need of a killer red lip, or the situation calls for a pretty nude. I picked up Faux as my nude, and I really love it. It's a satin finish, and definitely one of those 'your lips but better' shades. In colour, it's a brownish pink, which sounds horrific, but is actually really good, and flatters my fair skin shade. The red shade I picked up is Viva Glam III, and this is a really dark, vampy shade that has a matte finish and is absolute fabulous for a night out on the town. Not that I ever do that, but I like to wear this lipstick and pretend I'm going out for a night on the town! I'm a big fan of both lipsticks, and have definitely become a MAC lipstick convert. Lovely formulas, good staying power, and a fabulous range of colours, what more do you want?! 

Love, Beth

xx