Latest MAC Haul

I really wanted to show these products as my first YouTube video but due to a few technical difficulties (the courier has decided to deliver my parcels between 8pm - 9pm)so by the time I'd recorded, edited and uploaded round my day job it wouldn't be 'til around Friday so I thought  would just write about them here in the meantime.

Mac Prep & Prime Fix + - £17.00

I absolutely love this product.  I've always got it stocked in my dressing table and it has actually become one of those items that I can't be without, like your favourite moisturiser or face wash. Some people use Fix+ as a setting spray only but personally I use it to help 'fix' my face when I'm wearing heavy makeup that sometimes can become cakey from so many layers, Fix+ just seems to smooth everything out and not look so chalky. If you're like me and suffer with oily skin so have to use a heavy foundation and powder to keep it in place then Fix+ is for you! It gives you a refreshing glow but still allows you to have the matte look us 'oily' girls tend to go for! I also use Fix+ over my brushes to intensify a product like a highlighter, pigment or eyeshadow.  And I also love to spritz the product over my face when I've removed all my makeup or even on days when I'm wearing no makeup at all, it is just so hydrating without making my skin more oily. 

Mac Prep & Prime CC Colour Correcting Loose Powder - £20.50

I wanted a product to set my under eye highlight to stop it creasing, I usually use the translucent loose powder by MAC however wanted something that had a little bit of colour in as I sometimes find that a translucent powder can appear white in certain lighting. I picked this up in the shade 'Adjust' which is almost translucent but has a peachy tone to it. I currently haven't used it for the initial purpose I brought it for because I have just been using this all over my face to set all my makeup (not just under eye) it is amazing!! For me, just foundation doesn't give me the perfect skin, you can still see dark pigments (mainly from sunbed use - regrettably) and blemishes but this just conceals all this, it is a really lightweight 'veil' over the skin that just provides that bit more coverage than a foundation alone but without feeling heavy. 

MAC Lipsticks - £15.50 each 

 I brought 3 lipsticks,  'Faux', 'Honeylove' and 'Myth'. 

Faux and Myth are both satin finishes and Honeylove is matte. I'm always drawn to brown and pinky nudes as I tend to have quite a dramatic eye so find nudes always go well with this. 

MAC Lip Pencils - £12.50 each

Sorry, nudes again! But its just what I finds suits me in most looks, I feel out my comfort zone in a bold colour. I brought 2 shades, 'Whirl' and 'Subculture'. I tend to use 'Whirl' either alone or with the lipstick 'Faux' if I want to have a more defined line around my lip or to darker the lipstick.  I purchased 'Subculture' as I knew the Myth lipstick would completely wash me out on it own, Subculture just works well with Myth to create a nude that is not to 'wishy washy' against my skin tone.

MAC Prolongwear Fluidline - £16.00

So I purchased this product as I love trying new eyebrow products and heard good things about this, even though I think it's main purpose is an eyeliner. I am an ABH Dipbrow Pomade girl through and through but was looking for a product in a lighter colour and as I was ordering from MAC I just thought I'd grab it. I chose the shade 'DipDown' because I thought it was lighter than the Anastasia Beverly Hill Pomade in shade 

'Dark Brown', however I find them quite similar,but I haven't really had chance to play around with in properly yet, maybe I'm loading up my brush too much so it seems darker... we shall see! First impressions though, it seems a really longwearing product, it seriously doesn't move and at the minute I quite like the consistency of the product more than ABH, it just seems a little smoother and really easy to blend with a spoolie brush.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid - £22.00

I use this foundation all the time when freelancing as I find it is 'a good all-rounder', I like the amount of shades it comes in which is great when you need to cover so many skin tone options. I picked up an extra 2 shades for my kit in NW 35 and NW43. For those who are unsure, NC colours have a yellowy undertone and NW colours have a pinker undertone, however in my *personal!!* opinion, I feel the higher shades in 'NC' can sometimes be a bit orange rather than brown/tan colours, so I've opted to try some NW shades which I haven't tried yet.  The swatches below are just for you guys to get a idea of the colours, they are obviously not my shade, but I know how unhelpful the swatches on the MAC site are!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil - £15.50

My wild card of today's haul is this eye pencil from Urban Decay (I know it's a MAC Haul post!). I always want my reviews to be as honest as possible because there is no point me sitting here and lying saying a product is amazing when it's not - there is not intent to offend anyone it is just my personal opinion and somethings may work completely different for you! But back to the product, I hate the shade I brought it in - I picked Yeyo online which looked white but it's actually like a metallic white that doesn't stand out on your eyes at all and takes about 469035 layers to actually get some colour on your waterline. I have had this product in shade 'Perversion' before, which is just a pure black, and it did work amazing, stays in place and doesn't run into the corners of your eyes like some other pencils, however the shade 'Yeyo' does nothing for me.

I really hope you enjoy my posts and find them useful! Feel free to leave me feedback below in a comment or contact me personally via social media, my Instagram handle is @jesslanx and I love reading such kind messages.

lovefromjessicax

MAC & Drugstore Must Haves / Dupe Products

I have been so busy recently with starting up my make-up business and making it work around my full time job I haven't had a minute to post on here so I'm going to start back again by creating at least one post a week! If you haven't read my blog before please have a browse of my other posts - they are all of a beauty, fashion, lifestyle or luxury items nature.

So with starting up my business I've been trying to find the best products for each job, I know straight away people always think that the high end brands are the holy grail products however you will be surprised at some of the drugstore products that I have found and actually think they work better than the more expensive items in my kit!

I have found the most amazing highlighters ever, its build-able so whether its a light glow or light reflecting coverage you want then this is the product for you. It's so pigmented a little bit goes a long way, I've used this so much and still haven't hit the pan yet. These are amazing for that 'GLOW'! I suffer with really oily skin and have been a little scared to try drugstore products because I thought it might effect my skin but these haven't, the product is actually quite light on the skin and doesn't feel as though it is blocking my pores as soon as I apply (unlike Estee Lauder DoubleWear!). The highlighters are made by the drugstore brand 'MUA' and these are £3 each!!

My next must have product is on the more pricey side at £15 each, but a little goes such a long way, it is the DipBrow Pomade by Anastasia Beverly Hills. This is my holy grail for eyebrows and is so versatile you can have a natural brow or build it up to a really bold brow. The only downside is that  it can dry out pretty quick but I just add a bit of baby oil in and it fixes everything!

One of my lovely clients (Hi Priya if you're reading!) gifted me some amazing liquid lipsticks by NYX. I've used so many liquid lipsticks and I sometimes find they're so drying on your lips and flake as the day goes on but these are completely different, they're so creamy but long lasting, it feels as though it's moisturising your lips but giving you the matte coverage that I love as well. The full name for the product is 'NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream' and you can pick these up for just £5.50! I currently only have 2 shades but will be investing in more!

Another high end product I think is a must have is a mascara by MAC called 'Extended Play Lash' RRP £15. I love the applicator brush, it's thin and petite - perfect for getting good separation on the lashes and really enhances your natural lash, some of my clients are so shocked how long their natural lash looks when I use this on them! It's lightweight, not thick and clumpy and has a 16 hour lasting time. 

My final product is another drugstore! I try and give the best reviews on products suitable for budgets and this concealer is an amazing dupe for NARS 'Radiant Creamy Concealer'. It's the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer! Both provide great coverage, lightweight and blend well if using as an under eye highlight. I can't comment of creasing as I always set my concealers with a translucent powder but by doing this it does stop creasing on most products. I find NARS does cater for more skin tones however it does tend to be out stock in the shades I use the most in my kit (Custard and Vanilla) so its good to have a back up product like the Maybelline.  Although not as pigmented, the Maybelline is a good contender against the NARS and that's why it has made my Top 5 Must Haves and for the price difference, you could buy yourself a MAC lipstick with the change left (Maybelline Fit Me Concealer £5.99 vs NARS £22.50).

I hope this post helps if you've been looking for some new products to add to your makeup bag!

lovefromjessicax

Bicester Village Trip & Unboxing

A few days ago I posted a little tease on Instagram (jessslx) of what I purchased whilst in Bicester and I can't believe how many messages I got asking what I brought! I felt really bad not telling anyone, I just wanted to make a blog about it and include a few tips for when shopping at Bicester Village.

The wait is over! If you read my previous blog I mentioned that my partner and I went to Bicester for his birthday because I never know what to buy him and just prefer for him to pick something himself, even though I hateee shopping with him, seriously he is worse than a girl and can't make a single decision, we go round in circles for hours!

So I brought him a pair of Prada trainers (when he finally made a decision). I actually really like them! Some men's designer trainers can be too much like a shoe and have a flat sole which is uncomfortable when on your feet for a while, these are quite sporty, I think you could dress them up or down depending on what you wear them with. 

If you've already shopped in Bicester Village you will know that the packaging and boxes sometimes isn't great but Prada is one of the exception shops, the shoes are all out the back so the boxes are pristine and nothing is mauled. The store was pretty empty so had the staff on hand to assist. These trainers were £480. 

I actually had no intention of buying anything from Bicester as most the time when I go there I end up with an impulse buy, something that I've brought for the sake of it and will never wear.  This time I brought something I've really wanted for a long time but had never seen them in a store and wanted to try it out before I brought, hence why I didn't order online.

I purchased this gorgeous Gucci scarf! Firstly, it's huge, I say scarf but I would definitely wear this as a sort of shawl/cape when it's not too cold or just over my shoulders when I go out for dinner. 

I love these scarves because they are reversible.  One side is black with the grey 'GG' logo and on the reverse it is grey with the black 'GG' logo.  So it is almost two looks in one, kind of like 2 for the price of 1 and they actually look completely different when reversed!

Again, Gucci isn't one of the stores where everything is on the floor in Bicester Village. The packaged the scarf up really good, giving me 2 bags and a solid envelope to put it in when I started using it.

This scarf was £130, the have the exact same one on the Gucci site for £170 so it's always good when you've saved a bit of money!

 My Tips For Shopping in Bicester;

- Arrive early and on a week day. It's not as busy and lets you have the full attention of the staff if you need any assistance.

- Do your research before.  I am always on sites making a wish list so am pretty hot on knowing what things cost around.  Some stores in Bicester don't put the genuine RRP to make you feel like you are saving more when actually it can only be around £10, sometimes things are exactly the same price which is fine when it's packaging is fine and you've had a good experience but that's not always the case. 

-  If anyone is after Timberland boots, you can pick these up there for around £50 if you are size 5 or smaller! 

- If they ask, say the item is a gift.  This stops them from shoving your pretty expensive item into a tiny bag.  It depends where you are buying from but some places will gift wrap free of charge.

- If you pick something up that is marked etc. grab someone and ask if there is another out the back, more than likely there probably is, don't settle for something that isn't 100%.

Overall, I think Bicester has changed a lot in the past few years, in previous years a lot of things were everywhere and all over the floor, but, it was really cheap. Now everything is a lot more civilised and tidy, however, the prices aren't as cheap as they used to be.  Bicester is best for when you have seen something that is a few seasons old but still love it and want a little bit of discount.  I think it can vary from every trip, sometimes I go and see loads, sometimes I can't spend my money at all!!

Thanks for reading guys, 'til next time.

love from jessica x

Date Night Outfit / Full Face Make Up / Loch Fyne Kenilworth

Friday was my partner's birthday so we spent the day doing a bit of shopping in Bicester then came home, got ready and went for dinner at Loch Fyne in Kenilworth - if you don't live within the Warwickshire region don't worry, there are a few Loch Fyne restaurants across the U.K. so I'm sure there's one close enough for you to try and not feel like reading this post is a complete waste of time!

So, as always I wear reasonably priced clothing and dress it up with expensive accessories, I love seeing how shocked people's faces are when they ask me how much my top was etc. and I tell them how cheap it is! The shoes and bag I teamed up with my outfit were my trusty first-love, Bianca Louboutins and my DKNY shoulder bag - the details and where you can buy these can be viewed in my 'Dinner In Birmingham' post. I never wear a lot of jewellery so on this night I just had my gold orb Vivienne Westwood necklace on.

 I just put a burgundy cowl neck bodysuit from PrettyLittleThing with a pair of simple black trousers from H&M. The links below will take you to the products!

Bodysuit: Click Here to Link to the PLT Site

Trousers: Click Here to Link to the HM Site 

This outfit comes to a total of £23! So inexpensive and is so versatile, you can mix up the bodysuit with a skirt and the trousers with a different top and you get another 2 outfits!

Loch Fyne is mainly a seafood restaurant however does have dishes from 'the land'.  I'm not into seafood really, it's more my partner but still the setting and presentation was just superb.  The service and standard of food was absolutely flawless, I can definitely recommend the sirloin steak and creme brulee, my favourite dishes.  Most main courses are between £15-£30 which I think is quite reasonably priced for a nice place with good quality food.

My favourite part of going out is getting ready! I fully had the intention of curling my hair but got too annoyed with it so it ended tied back in a low pony tail.

Face

Prep-Dramatically Different Gel by Clinique 

Primer- Benefit Poreless Primer

Foundation- Chanel Perfection Lumiere (Shade 50 Beige)

Highlight - Under Eye & Nose - Studio Fix Concealer in NW15

Contour - Cheekbones, Jaw line, Sides of Nose & Forehead - Studio Fix Concealer in NW40

Contour (Powder) - Cheekbones - MAC Gold Deposit 

Set Contour & Highlight - ProLongwear Powder in Medium Dark

Cheekbone Highlight - Urban Decay Naked Illuminated in Luminous & Tom Ford Illuminator in Intensity One

Eyes

All with Urban Decay Naked Smokey;

Base - Combust 

Crease - Password

Outer Corner and Lower Lash Line - Black Market

Inner Corner & Brow Bone - High

Liquid Eye Liner - MAC Liquid Last Liner in Point Black

Lower Lash Waterline - Estee Lauder Pure Colour Pencil in 01 Blackened Black

Mascara - Lancome Grandiose Mascara 

Eyebrows - Urban Decay Brow Box & Set with Wax

Lips

Liner - MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Nice n Spicy  

Lipstick - Urban Decay Matte Lipstick in Stark Naked

Any products or items you need help finding or would like a little bit more advice or opinions feel free to leave me a comment below!

Remember to follow my Instagram jessslx and like my post!

love from jessica x

Urban Decay Naked 3 / MAC / Drugstore Purchases & Reviews

We are 10 days on from Christmas, everyone is back to work, the stores have gone back to their proper working hours and most importantly, our deliveries are back to normal!  I order most of my make up from Debenhams as they have the best loyalty card system - that I'm aware of anyway.  If you didn't know already, Debenhams do sell M.A.C. online, I'm not sure if they sell in stores throughout the U.K. however my local one doesn't.  They actually have a lot in stock online unlike sometimes on the actual MAC website and you gain points on your loyalty card to spend!

So, I added the 'Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette' into my basket first.  I've always been in two minds about this palette, I thought I was more of a smokey eye kinda gal, so I removed it - only for a few days later I visited my parents and my mom had brought it for me as a New Years present (any excuse!).  Well I'm completely converted to the lighter shades now.  I would say the palette is overall rose gold tones which is actually a nice change to the other palettes. The packaging is similar to Naked 2, however the tin has a sort of rippled effect which I love. I did read somewhere that Urban Decay have different palette packaging so that you can feel the difference in your handbag?! Like, is that a thing? Do people carry all their palettes around? And if you do, you go girl!  As for the eyeshadow shades, the majority are rose gold/pink tones but there is a few taupe's mixed in.  7 of the shadows are glitter/shimmer and the other 5 are a mix of either matte or satin shades.  I always think Urban Decay eyeshadows are amazing quality, they last all day and don't crease awfully.  My favourite shade at the minute is 'Dust' it is a light pink glitter which I love to put in the inner corners of my eyes to create a highlighted look, with a hint of colour - it's great for a day look and really quick in the morning before work! Overall, the Naked 3 palette is definitely one you need to add to your collection, I now have all 4 and mixing between palettes to create different looks is a dream, so many of the other shades work so well with each other.  This palette retails at around £38.  Follow the link to check it out: Debenhams - Naked 3 Palette

I am forever on the hunt for that 'perfect foundation'. I ordered the MAC Studio Fix Fluid, I previously wore the Pro Longwear by MAC - there's nothing wrong with it, I just find it still quite heavy for an everyday look. I have used the Studio Fix Fluid before however I think the shade I wore it in was far too dark for me, so I just went one shade down and it's made all the difference, as I haven't used a sunbed all winter I am now NC25 in the MAC foundations.  So, the foundation is great, it lasts all day just like the pro longwear, it goes on really easy and doesn't dry too fast so you do have time to blend.  I find this foundation works best with my contour & highlight as I use concealers which I found almost 'pulled' the pro longwear foundation off when I put my highlight shade on however they work fine with the Studio Fix Fluid.  The only downsides is I find the colour quite oxidising so it does change throughout the day, however I just top up my powder on the go and this solves the problem.  My other problem is the bottle - I hate screw tops! Some people may argue its the best way of getting all the product out the bottle in the end but I prefer a pump cap as you can control the amount of product you put on your brush and apply to your face.  The foundation retails at £22 which is quite cheap as far as decent foundations go. Here's the link: MAC Studio Fix Fluid - Debenhams

The final thing I purchased from Debenhams was a MAC lip liner in the colour 'Soar'.  I have had the shade 'Brave' in the lipstick for quite a while now however when I brought it I couldn't get hold of the liner to go with it.  The other day I was just watching a YouTube video from my favourite blogger/vlogger, Sophie Shohet (seriously guys, go check her out! She makes me want to spend all my money, all the time! I love her style and how honest her videos/reviews are. Here's her YT link: Sophie5271) She videoed herself applying the liner 'Soar' and you know when like a little light bulb goes off in your head, it just reminded me that I still hadn't brought it! Anyway, I've been addicted to 'Velvet Teddy' but I've switched it up for a while for 'Brave' and 'Soar'.  The MAC lip liners last for ages and 'Soar' is a perfect shade if you are like me and like to overdraw your lips.  The MAC lip liner was £12.50. Click Here To Check It Out!

I rarely buy from drugstores as my skin is so temperamental, if I put something it doesn't like on then I am battling with bad skin for a good few weeks! However, my skin hasn't been great at the minute and I think its just a lifestyle thing (mince pies and no exercise probably has something to do with it), so I just thought what have I got to lose sort of thing.  I was just wandering around and came across the 'Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water', usually I would run a mile from Garnier but I had ran out of my 'Clinique Take The Day Off' which retails at around £22, and like I said, my skin was rubbish, I had nothing to lose! Guys, it is £5, sometimes less when it's on offer! It is so good, removes all my makeup pretty easily and doesn't sting my eyes like most make-up removers.  My skin has cleared up now, I can't say that this is down to the cleansing water however, it didn't make it worse and I am still using it now with no issues.  Apparently you get around 200 uses per 400ml bottle which is like 2p per use, if you are like me I like to drench a cotton pad so doubt I'll get 200 uses but still, it is a fraction of the price of the Clinique remover. I've looked into micellar water before and some dermatologists say you can replace your whole routine with just micellar water - I won't be putting down my Clinique Sonic Brush just yet though. Overall, a great makeup remover that suits everyone's budget!

I hope you found my opinions useful! Feel free to leave me a comment below!

Follow me on snapchat: jesslannie_x or Instagram: jessslx for more skincare/blog posts updates!

Happy Monday. 

love from jessica x

How To Make An Outfit Look More Expensive

Happy New Year Everyone!

My NY's resolution is to be more focused on expanding my blog so I will be posting at least once a week as a few people have asked where I've vanished too. To be honest, I've just been really lazy!

Anyway, starting off 2016 I thought I would post about my NYE outfit and how I make an inexpensive outfit look expensive with just some key items.

I just went for food and drinks with my family so didn't want to get too dressed up, however every occasion is a Louboutin one, so my Pigalle Blush No.1 were straight out their box, they teamed well with my Neverfull MM from Louis Vuitton which I have in the Azur Damier canvas. I went for the classic 'Double Denim' look - which can be quite risky so I broke it up with a timeless belt by Moschino. 

(Click the links to take you to the designer websites for pricing.)

To the cheap stuff;

My shirt and hat I purchased from a site called PrettyLittleThing, oh my gosh guys if you haven't already checked this site out then do it now! So many nice pieces that are so inexpensive.

Back to the shirt, can you believe it was only £12!  I went for a size M, I would usually pick S however it wasn't in stock, which was actually really lucky as M fits perfect, I would say it is around an 8/10, any smaller for me then it probably would be a bit uncomfortable. £12 for a classic denim shirt that can be dressed up or down is a bargain! It is in the sale but still available just follow the link - Click Here!

I brought a camel floppy hat, again from PrettyLittleThing. I have seen these hats retail for about £20-£40 and I just didn't think that I wanted to pay that money as I didn't know if the hat would suit me.  The hat I am wearing was FIVE POUNDS, yes, £5! So if you are a bit like me and unsure if you want to try the floppy hat look Click Here and buy yourself one for £5, yes they are still in stock!

My jeans were just a pair I purchased in May from Zara on Oxford Street in London, they were around £20 which is so cheap for a pair of decent jeans, they aren't all one colour which I love as well, I hate jeans that are just a solid one colour, I like the washed out look. I can't find these specific jeans online however there are loads on Zara for under £30!

I hope I've tempted you to have a little splurge this New Year, you deserve it!

lovefromjessicax