MAC ruby woo lipstick

MAC Ruby Woo - £14

MAC Ruby Woo is a blue toned red lipstick with a matte finish. My sister picked this up for me as a birthday present, I left her to choose as I'm way too indecisive & I'm so happy with her selection! I am forever wearing either dark or red lips so this is a great colour to add to my collection as I know I'll get a lot of wear from it. As Ruby Woo is from the matte range I was a little worried I'd struggle to apply it as my lips aren't in the best of conditions! However I make sure I use my LUSH popcorn lip scrub & apply lip balm before application which makes life a bit easier! Although it's not the easiest lipstick to use, the colour pay off & wear time really makes up for it, I don't find myself having to touch up as often as I do with others. I definitely can see this becoming my go to red lipstick, as it's the perfect shade!

What do you think of the matte formula? Have you tried MAC's Ruby Woo before?

L x

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my 21st birthday

Pretty cupcakes | Chocolate fudge Strawberry cake Mum made | Main birthday cake

Cupcake canvas & pug cushion | Beautiful Michael Kors watch from Dom <3 | "Laura's Locket" from my Nana & Grandad

Spent some of my birthday money at Topshop, Boots & the Origins counter!

I turned 21 on January 3rd & thought I'd share a few photos from my day. I didn't want a huge party or anything crazy, I'd hate all that attention! On my actual birthday I had a little tea party with my family, along with Doms too. My Mum had been super busy baking lots of birthday treats for me, including a tasty chocolate cake surrounded by chocolate fingers & decorated with Strawberries, mmm. As a surprise she also ordered me a cake, accompanied by 25 cupcakes, safe to say I've eaten a ridiculous amount of cake over the past few days! In the evening my Dad arrived back from Turkey, as he had promised me, so he took my brother, sister, Dom & myself to Nandos. I continued my birthday celebrations when I returned to London & on Friday night I had a party with my flat mates, which got a little embarassing when they sang singing happy birthday & made me blow out 21 candles in front of lots of drunk people, thanks guys! It was really fun though & so many of my favourite people turned up (: Yesterday was spent being hungover, going out for breakfast & having a walk round London with Dom & a few of our best friends. We also nipped into Harrods to admire all the luxury products I can only dream of ever purchasing & to see the cute little puppies & kittens in pet world! Finally, in the evening we all chipped in & bought supplies for Nachos & Chicken Fajitas & cooked a huge feast. Dom is taking me to Edinburgh in the Easter holidays, as we decided we would have more time then & it should hopefully be a bit warmer! I'm glad I've had lots of little celebrations with different people rather than one massive event. I had the nicest birthday & I still have a few more little things to look forward to!

L x

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LUSH popcorn lip scrub

LUSH Popcorn Lip Scrub - (£5.25, it's currently half price though!)

I was surprised to find this in my stocking on Christmas day as I didn't think I'd mentioned to Dom that I'd really like this, but he picked it up for me anyway! I suffer from really chapped lips, so this product is literally a godsend for me. I gently scrub it on until most of it disappears, which removes the dry skin, gives my lips a healthier colour & leaves them feeling soft. I personally think the scrub smells better than it tastes, as it is quite buttery & also a little salty, although don't get me wrong, I still think it's absolutely delicious! I always use this before I apply lipstick to improve the appearance of my lips & to make application a bit easier. The packaging is lovely, a cute little glass jar which can be put in your handbag if your lips are in need of some extra care!

Have you tried a LUSH lip scrub? What is your favourite flavour?

L x

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my top 12 of 2012

I clearly can't count & included 13 items... so pretend the lipsticks count as one! & also I really hate these photos but they were the best of the bunch! I can't wait to get back to using my camera...

MUA Undressed Palette - I'm not actually a massive fan of eyeshadows & don't wear it much, but this little palette has been great for creating a smokey eye for a night out or special occasion. Its only £4 & supposedly a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette & as much as I'd love to own it I know I wouldn't get my use out of it so I'm happy with the Undressed palette for now!

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation - This year I finally found a foundation that matched my skin tone pretty well. Being super pale I always struggled & always mixed in a moisturiser to achieve a better colour.

Topshop Lipstick in Beguiled - My favourite Autumn/Winter shade, I wore it so much, along with Inhibition but Beguiled wins as it's more of a wine shade rather than plum which I feel suits me better. 

MUA Lipstick Shade 1 - 2012 was certainly the year I became more confident with wearing bold lips & stepped out of my comfort zone, which I am so so glad I did! MUA lipsticks are perfect for trying out shades you're not sure you will suit as they're super cheap at only £1. The wear time is not the greatest, I have to re-apply quite regularly but they're highly pigmented, apply really well & even smell nice!

Maybelline Master Drama Kohl Eyeliner - My flatmate Sam told me about this eyeliner & let me swatch hers because she was so excited about it & knew I would be impressed. It always annoys me when a kohl eyeliner isn't black enough, but this didn't let me down with the colour pay off! It's silky soft too so doesn't feel like I'm dragging the pencil across my eyes either unlike some other eyeliners I've tried. It also reminded me a little of the Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen which I've swatched literally millions of times whenever I see it in Boots but never actually bought it because its £9! Although I've just seen its half price so I'll be picking one of those up asap!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Another very popular product with so many beauty bloggers & I completely appreciate why! My little sister has used this for years & when I tried it well over a year ago I loved how well it covered up my under eye circles & other imperfections. 

Sleek Rose Gold Blush - My favourite blush ever! I never thought I would move away from my pink blushers but after spying this on the shelf in Superdrug I decided to pick it up & I've never looked back since. It adds just the right amount of shimmer & gives me a healthy glow.

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser - Late to the scene with this product, but I've been such a poor student the past year I never got round to buying it, in fact I still haven't bought it yet! I got the sample with RED magazine & have used it every few days for the past few months & really liked how good it is at removing my makeup & leaving my skin nice & clean!

REN Vita Mineral Day Cream - This is such a lovely moisturiser, it's the perfect consistency so it's easy to apply over my face & within a couple of minutes my skin is soft & ready for my makeup. I've almost used this travel sized version up now, I'll be investing in the full size very soon.

Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream - I always have a mini of these in my handbag, plus a full size which I keep next to my bed! I have such dry skin around my nails from my anxiety issue because I always pick them (sorry grim I know!) & these cream really helps soothe the skin. It also has the typical Soap & Glory scent!

Essie Polish in Mint Candy Apple - My very first Essie polish, I caved when nobody would stop going on about how amazing it was! I wore this an awful awful lot over the Summer months & it's also amazing with glitter polishes on top. I'm looking forward to seeing what Essie have to offer for 2013!

LUSH Snow Fairy Shower Gel - I'm not sure I need to explain my love for this product anymore, I've shown it on my blog a few times & it's quite safe to say I am OBSESSED!

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - How I ever applied my foundation before I owned this brush, I really don't know! 

It was quite easy for me to pick this selection as I only have a small amount of products with me whilst I'm home for the Christmas holidays.

What are your beauty favourites from 2012?

L x

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