Rachel Sarah XO

So Stila brought out 4 palettes, Soul, Mind, Spirit and Body. I bought Soul.

I was so excited when I first saw this palette in January, the swatches looked perfect and when YouTubers like Claire Marshall, Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter started raving about this palette, it made me want it even more. Apart from the one thing that was putting me off this palette - the very very mixed (mostly bad) reviews. I um'd and ah'd for a couple of months and finally took the plunge...

And I'm not very impressed.

So let me start off by saying, the packing is so so perfect. The lid is gold and bottom is rose gold. It comes with a little lookbook type of thing and it had a cute little eyeshadow protector with the quote "Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul." by Saint Augustine.

The eyeshadows look gorgeous right? Yeah, I thought so too. They swatch really well too, as you will see a little further down the post. There is lots of sparkle and there's a good mix of warm and cool tones. But these are some of the least pigmented eyeshadows I've used in a long time. Kitten (far left, second row) is very very nice, but it is quite chunky. The matte black on the bottom row is one of the nicest blacks I've used. But does that justify spending £30 on this palette? Nuh uh. When worn on the eyes, they're quite patchy and takes a lot to build the colour up. The shimmer eyeshadows are either to chunky or the mattes are far too dry, there's no solid medium. As someone who suffers from psoriasis on their eyelids, this made my psoriasis flare up really bad because of how dry the eyeshadows are.

I apply a lot of eyeshadows with my fingers nowadays, and these eyeshadows just seem to stick to my fingers and not actually transfer onto my lid. I can usually pack a lot more colour on that way but this palette does not like that.

I really think you'd be better off buying a £6 Makeup Revolution palette or something. I think if you're after a 'barely there' make up look, this may be a good palette. But £30 to me seems like a waste of money. I'll keep using it for now and I may grow to like it, but for now it's not really my thing.

Stila make some amazing products from what I've tried (except their One Step Correct primer and this palette, they're a bit of a let down) but everything else is pretty fab.

I'm quite curious to see what their Spirit and Mind palettes are like but I can't bring myself to spend £60 on them especially if they're anything like this palette.

Sorry Stila, I still love you!

Let me know if you've used this palette or any of the other 3 palettes.

That's all for now,

Rachel. xo

Hi guys! This month has been a bit of a struggle so I do apologise for the lack of posts. Well, I've dyed my hair red and it looks pretty cool so that's something positive that happened last month. I've also decided to pluck up the courage to get driving lessons (eek!) so that's pretty scary and man, insurance is so expensive. Dad and I have been looking at a lovely little Peugeot 107, but that's a long way off yet. Need to actually have my first driving lesson, haha!

I've bought such a ridiculous amount of beauty items this month it isn't even funny, a lot of MAC was bought and I have no regrets okay.

So let's get into it shall we?

Hydraluron Moisture Jelly

 This has become my new favourite daily moisturiser. It's by the brand, Indeed Labs, they also make a serum that goes hand-in-hand with this. It's a jelly consistency and that rather flat lid is actually a pump which I think is much more hygienic. It feels lovely and cooling, it melts into the skin.

Retails for £24.99 from Boots 

Blush Palette in 'All About Pink' by Makeup Revolution and MUA Eyeshadow Palette in 'Elysium'

I've smothered these palettes all over my face nearly everyday. 

I do find that the blush palette is a bit too pigmented so you need to use a light hand for sure. The eyeshadow palette is so pigmented and the mattes in this palette are fabulous!

Both retail for £6 and are available from Makeup Revolution and MUA.

MAC Eyeshadow Quad in 'Devilishly Dark'

This is a very very lovely, limited edition eyeshadow quad by MAC, I've had this since last summer and I've only recently rekindled my love for it. It's a lovely everyday palette, I usually use the bottom left shade 'honey lust' on it's own with a little bit of the bottom right shade 'devilishly dark' running through the crease.

It's no longer available to buy anymore. :(

MAC Lipstick in Russian Red

This is a gorgeous blue based red, it's a matte lipstick but goes on really smoothly and it's quite creamy considering. It's very very pigmented, it's a deepish red but nowhere near as deep as Diva by MAC. It retails for £15.50 from MAC Cosmetics.

MAC Eyeshadow in Folie

This is actually my new brow colour, after dying my hair red I decided I couldn't go around with black eyebrows still so I was on the hunt for a very red toned brown. I looked all over Superdrug and Boots and I coudn't find one matte red toned brown eyeshadow (what's all that about?!) so I heard a lot about this eyeshadow and when I saw swatches I knew it would be the perfect brow colour, and it is! It retails for £10 in pan form or £13 in full packaging from MAC Cosmetics.

Limited Edition Kelly Osbourne MAC Lipstick in Dodgy Girl

I managed to hunt this lovely lipstick down on Depop, I managed to get it for £15 including postage, I'm kind of obsessed with Kelly Osbourne and I was gutted I missed this collection when it came out, I was not willing to spend £40+ like some people were trying to charge. It's a very nice light lilac colour, makes you look very tanned aswell. It's a matte lipstick but again, goes on quite creamy.

If you hunt this lipstick down, I suggest you buy it while you can.

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara and Seventeen Stay Time Concealer

This mascara is one of the best mascara's I've ever tried. It's lasted me just over two months aswell. I just love it. Stay Time concealer blah blah best concealer ever blah blah, you know how much I rave about it.

Perversion mascara is available from here and the concealer is available from here.

Bed Head by TIGI Colour Goddess Shampoo and Conditioner Set

I can't quite express my love for this shampoo and conditioner, I've never been able to find a drugstore colour care shampoo that doesn't do the exact opposite. The conditioner makes my hair feel so so soft, I love using the set together. The bottles are 750ml so they'll last ages.

 IT SMELLS LIKE TOFFEE TOO.

RRP: £22.99 and can be bought here

Let me know what your favourites of January were! :)

That's all for now,

Rachel. xo

Can we just... How pigmented?! I've always been a fan of MUA palettes, but Make Up Revolution are in a whole other ball park in terms of pigmentation. And you get loads more shades for only £2 more. I find some eyeshadows in cheaper palettes to be quite clumpy and there's always fall out but that's not the case with this palette. The shadows are so blendable and there's been no fall out as of yet (yey!)

My one only miniscule gripe is probably that the first three matte shades are just far too similar, but that's the only thing I don't like.

I've also bought one of their blush palettes (you get 8 blush shades in a palette for £6, help this brand is just too much.) Do expect a review soon because it's fab.

Makeup Revolution products are available in selected Superdrug stores, or you can buy their products from their website or online at Superdrug.

I will definitely be placing another order from them very soon as I'm totally obsessed.

Let me know if you've tried any Makeup Revolution products and if so, what would you recommend?

That's all for now,
Rachel. xo

Hey guys!

So it's been a while since I've done a favourite lipsticks post, and it's changed quite a lot as my lipstick collection has grown, I'm up to nearly 35, so these are the best of the best in my opinion.

(L to R: '04' by Rimmel Kate Moss, Heroine by MAC, Flat Out Fabulous by MAC, Diva by MAC, Rebel by MAC, Pink Nude by Rimmel, Blake's Red by L'Oreal, Atomic Serpent by Make Up Revolution, '107' by Rimmel Kate Moss, '110' by Rimmel Kate Moss.)

This lipstick is in shade '04' and it's from the Kate Moss collection by Rimmel, it's a gorgeous dark blue toned purple, almost navy blue. It's a satin finish but a very slippery satin finish (which isn't really what you want with a lipstick this dark) but a bit of translucent powder fixes that no bother. I think if this shade was in their matte range, I'd love it a billion times more. 

The colour is so perfect, it had to be in my top 10.

RRP: £5.49 and can be bought here

This lipstick is by MAC and it's in the shade 'Heroine', it's a gorgeous true purple in a lovely matte finish. When it comes to MAC lipsticks, matte finishes are my favourite. It's my favourite lipstick to wear all year round, because it's so bright it's really nice in summer but then because it's purple, it's a lovely called for autumn and winter.

RRP: £15.50 and can be bought here

This lipstick is also by MAC, it's in the shade 'Flat Out Fabulous', and it's also in a matte finish (you'll notice a theme appearing)

I only got this lipstick for Christmas, a couple of days ago and it's already a new favourite, before this, Candy Yum Yum by MAC was my favourite matte pink, but it's just too neon. This a bit darker and less in your face.

RRP: £15.50 and can be bought here

Oh shock horror! Another matte MAC lipstick

(I can't stop, I'm obsessed.) This is my all time favourite red lipstick, it's in the shade 'Diva' and it's a very dark brown toned burgundy shade. It's a gorgeous lipstick for autumn/winter, but I don't play by the seasonal make up rules, so you'll see me wearing this in the heat of summer. Dark lipsticks suit me as I have hella pale skin and black hair, so you know, I tend to look like a goth half the time. 

RRP: £15.50 and can be bought here

Yep, Rebel by MAC. I really love this lipstick, it's a lovely satin finish. I own the matte dupe of this lipstick - Wet n' Wild's Mega Last Lipstck in Sugar Plum Fairy, but it just doesn't look as good as Rebel does. I'm not a pink lipstick kind of gal, I love my dark lipsticks so this is just perfect for me. I bought this on a whim when I was in Norwich with my friend Jordan, walked past the MAC store and bam, £15 gone on a lipstick and I regret nothing.

A NUDE LIPSTICK? A NUDE LIPSTICK IS IN MY TOP 10 LIPSTICKS? It had to be, it's the only nude lipstick I've tried and liked. It's Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lipstick in 'Nude Pink', I don't really know why I like it so much, it's the only nude that I've tried that even remotely suits me. I'm dying to try Twig by MAC, pinky nudes suit me the best because of pale I am. I feel like if I tried a brownish nude, it'd look like I'd rubbed a dark concealer over my lips.

RRP: £4.99 and can be bought here

This lipstick is by L'Oreal and it's part of the Collection Exclusive Pure Red's range and it's in the shade 'Blake's Red', it's an almost exact dupe for Ruby Woo by MAC, only a bit less powdery.

It's a lovely blue toned red (which isn't that common when it comes to drugstore lipstick)

It has a very matte finish and it's so long lasting. The Collection Exclusive range has a lipstick for each female celebrity involved in the range (e.g Blake Lively, J-Lo, Julianne Moore etc)

RRP: £6.99 and can be bought here

I know what you're thinking. OH GOD RACHEL, IS THAT A GREEN LIPSTICK? Yes, yes it is. And it's very similar to Serpentina by Lime Crime. It's by Make Up Revolution and it's called 'Atomic Serpent'. It's a satin finish and is a shimmeryish forest green colour, it's lovely. I'm not brave enough to wear it out in public yet, but I'm working on it!

RRP: £1 and can be bought here

Oh look, another red lipstick (I'm boring, I know)

This is a Kate Moss by Rimmel lipstick in the shade '107', it's a nice dark wine colour, it's similar to Diva by MAC only a little bit more pink and less dark. It's a matte lipstick, but I find that it flakes a bit which is annoying.

I love that the Kate Moss lipsticks come in matte and satin finishes.

RRP: £5.49 and can be bought here

THIS ISN'T A RED LIPSTICK, I SWEAR. Okay, so it's a very orange toned red (shhh)

Again, this is another Kate Moss by Rimmel lipstick, this one is in the shade '110' and is part of the matte range, this one is less flaky than '107', I don't know if I go one from a bad batch but this lipstick feels all good.

The Kate Moss lipsticks are so pigmented, it's great.

RRP: £5.49 and can be bought here

Well, that's it! That's my top 10 lipsticks all finished.

What have we learned from this blog post? 

Well, I really like a red lip and I'm obsessed with matte finishes? Yeah, I thought so.

Let me know what your favourite lipsticks are below! :)

That's all for now,

Rachel. xo

*This post may contain affiliate links.

Hey guys!

So I was having a clear out of my lipsticks that I either don't like or I barely use anymore and I thought, why not do a post on the lipsticks that I can't live without. Underneath each photo of the lipsticks, I'll put the names of them and a link to where you can purchase them.

So here it goes!

(from L to R: Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in '110' - £5.49, Collection 2000 lipstick in 'Cherry Pop' - £2.99 and NYC Expert Last lipstick in 'Blue Rose' - £1.99)

The Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick and the Collection 2000 lipstick are both matte lipsticks. The Collection 2000 lipstick is a little bit more drying than the Rimmel one. Whereas the NYC lipstick is a shimmery/satin finish lipstick. The Rimmel lipstick is a bright bright orange colour, the Collection 2000 lipstick is a vibrant red with a hint of orange in it and the NYC lipstick is gorgeous blue toned fuschia.

(MUA lipstick in 'Shade 2' - £1, MUA Lipstick in 'Shade 5' - £1 and Avon Kiss 'n' Go lipstick in 'Amethyst' - £1.90.)

All three lipsticks have a shimmery finish, but the MUA lipstick in 'Shade 5' has pretty rough glitter particles in it also, so I suppose it's kind of a frosty finish. The MUA lipstick in 'Shade 2' and the Avon lipstick so look quite similar, but the Avon is more of a plum colour and the MUA lipstick has more of a hint of pink in it, whereas the MUA lipstick in 'Shade 5' is a gorgeous glittery coral colour. The MUA lipstick in 'Shade 5' is the least pigmented lipstick of the three, but that's probably due to the amount of glitter in the lipstick.

(Natural Collection lipstick in 'Cranberry', Collection 2000 Little Mix lipstick in 'Perrie' - £2.99 and MAC lipstick in 'Candy Yum Yum' - £15)

The Natural Collection lipstick and the Collection 2000 lipstick are both very creamy but the Collection 2000 lipstick is more a demi-matte finish but they're both beautifully pigmented, but the MAC lipstick is very very matte and I would not recommend this lipstick if you do have very dry lips because I've never known a lipstick to cling to dry patches as much as this lipstick does, although it does wear well if you do wear a lip balm underneath it. The Natural collection lipstick in 'Cranberry' is a gorgeous dark pinky plum colour with gold shimmer throughout it. The Collection 2000 lipstick in 'Perrie' is a beautiful bright purple on the lips, it's almost quite a vibrant lilacy colour, it's definitely wearable though - you can see a full review of this lipstick here. The MAC lipstick on the other hand, is very very hard to wear, as it is an almost neon bright pink, I'd recommend it as more of a night time colour although you can definitely wear it as more of a stain if you use a lip brush.

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Laquer in 'Kooky' - £3.

And finally, the MUA Luxe Lip Laquer in Kook is a very very dark purple colour (the photo isn't doing it much justice, I know), it's a very matte finish, it's extremely drying so I would recommend wear a lip balm either under or over it once it's dried. It's extremely long-lasting, but that's probably due to how matte it is. It's definitely for those who are a bit more daring when it comes to lipstick as a it is a very dark purple.

(from left to right: Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in '110', NYC Expert Last lipstick in 'Blue Rose', Collection 2000 lipstick in 'Cherry Pop', MAC lipstick in 'Candy Yum Yum', Collection 2000 Little Mix lipstick in 'Perrie', Natural Collection lipstick in 'Cranberry', MUA lipstick in 'Shade 2, MUA lipstick in 'Shade 5', Avon Kiss 'n' Go lipstick in 'Amethyst' and MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Laquer in 'Kooky')

As these were swatched on paper and in not the best lighting, the picture isn't showing the swatches true to colour, but you get the gist.

What lipsticks have you been loving lately?

That's all for now,

Rachel. xo

Hey guys!

So last night I went on a bit of an online shopping spree, this time, I went a bit crazy on the DVD's.

There's this amazing seller on Amazon called 'zoverstocks' and they sell used DVD's on there for 1p with Amazon's standard £1.26 postage price.

Admittedly, the majority of these DVD's are ones I've owned previously and lost, like Mean Girls, or ones I've already since but don't own on DVD. (I'm trying to expand on my DVD collection.)

I also bought a few make up bits that I've been missing from my collection for quite some time.

1. Bride of Chucky: 1p (+£1.26 shipping)

Bride of Chucky has been one of my favourite films for a long long time, but I've never actually owned it on DVD, it's just always a film that if it's ever on Sky Movies, I will watch it every time. The Chucky franchise are my favourite films in general and I'm trying to get them all on DVD.

2. Mean Girls: 1p (+£1.26 shipping)

Mean Girls is everyone's favourite movie, let's be honest. I've owned it on DVD for years now but recently I lost the disc and I gave up looking, so I just bought it again and for £1.27, you can't really complain.

3. American Beauty: 1p (+£1.26 shipping)

I've never seen American Beauty before actually, but my mum's been recommending it to me for ages now, I did actually buy it for £2 from eBay a few months ago, before realising that I'd bought the Region 1 version which isn't playable on any UK bought device unless you hack your DVD player or whatever, so I bought it again, but this time I made sure it's Region 2.

4. A Bucket of Blood (1960) / House on Haunted Hill (1958) / The Ghoul (1933): 98p (+£1.26 shipping)

I absolutely adore black and white horror movies (well, I just love horror movies in general) but the awful make up and special effects just amuse me so much and I bought this purely for House on Haunted Hill, but it actually worked out more expensive to buy that by itself and then I found it in a boxset with two other black and white horror movies. I was in my element, haha! Plus, wasn't Vincent Price just gorgeous?

5. Fight Club: 1p (+£1.26 shipping)

I've only seen Fight Club a couple of time but it's basically a classic and it needs to be in my collection, so I bought it, that's all I can say really.

6. Drive (2012): 73p (+£1.26 shipping)

Drive is also one of my favourite films (I have a lot of favourites ok) and I own every other Ryan Gosling movie on DVD except for this one so I had to buy it when I saw how cheap it was.

7. Burt's Bees Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm: £2.49 (free shipping)

I've recently ran out of the Beeswax Lip Balm by Burt's Bees and it's safe to say that it's my favourite lip balm, I can never find Burts Bees lip balms in any of my local drugstores, so I resulted to ordering it online, turns out it's about £1 cheaper aswell! If I like the flavoured lip balms, I'll probably buy the mango flavoured one next.

8. Sleek Face Contour Kit in 'Light': £4.67 (free shipping)

I saw this has been reduced from £6.49 to £4.67 and I just had to buy it, I'd be eyeing up the face form kit for ages and I wasn't sure whether it was worth it, since I rarely wear blush, so when I ran out of the contour powder and highlighter, there'd be this little blush left in some huge pointless packaging, so I thought I'd buy the contour kit and the blush seperately. I'm excited to try it though.

9. Sleek Blush in 'Rose Gold': £3.23 (free shipping)

As I said in the above post about the contour kit, I bought this blush seperately as I adore the colour but I know I won't get as much use out of it as the contour kit and the packaging would be a problem if I bought the face form kit so. It's a gorgeous colour and from the reviews I've read, it's a perfect colour for pale people like myself.

Let me know any movies that you recommend, whether they're on DVD or Netflix. :-)

That's all for now,

Rachel. xo