Osculate Orchid*

Ya'll know by now that I really am not afraid of a splash of colour, pretty much on a daily basis. After spotting Osculate Orchid Kisstick by Kiss Cosmetics I immediately fell in love.

Osculate Orchid is a blue toned purple shade lipstick, with an amplified finish. It's long lasting and smells absolutely divine. Unlike a lot of lipsticks, this one applies with ease and is opaque at first application.

This is hands down one of the most perfect summer lippies I've come across, so slip it in your bag ready for the festival and Ibiza season!!! Osculate Orchid is Limited Edition and available from 20th May 2015.

Buy Me // Osculate Orchid

perfect party pout products

Hello beautiful people

"put on some red lipstick and live a little"

What's more classic than a red lip, everyone can rock one in some shape or form. I've picked my fave red lip products that I think are perfect for the Party Season ahead of us!

Don't worry, they aren't all high end; something for everyone and every budget!

Lime Crime Velvetine in Wicked 

£13.50 from Cocktail Cosmetics

W7 Mega Matte Lips in Hasta La Vista*

£1.99 from Fragrance Direct

Mac Pro Longwear Lip Creme in Prolong

£18 from Mac Cosmetics

Illamasqua Lipstick in Sangers

£18.50 from Illamasqua

Barry M Loud Mouth Extreme Lip Colour in Diva

£3.99 from Barry M

Makeup Revolution Lipstick in Dare

£1 from Makeup Revolution

What are your favourite red lip products for the Party Season?

*products were sent for reviewing purposes

lots of love

2015

Hello beautiful people

I can't even deal right now....

When Rihanna was announced as Mac's 2014 Viva Glam spokesperson I was over the moon, but I started to wonder whom they would choose next.

Mac seem to like to pick very controversial men & women to be the face of this in house project, they've had Gaga, RuPaul and Pammy A just to name a few!

Because I'm a Mac addict I had a good think about my prediction and yes, I predicted Miley Cyrus!!

God I'm good!

I'm in love with this collection plus the campaign, it's very Vegas stripper/showgirl/glamour/sex esque...what could be better eh?

The duo is all pink and bubblegummy goodness with lots of sparkles, and of course an amplified finish for extra extravagance points!

Even though I love this campaign from Mac & Miley, I do wish that they hadn't gone for the classic Viva Glam packaging and maybe done something a little different. Maybe a pink matte bullet like the RiRi red ones.

Hmmmmm!!!!!

They go on sale on the 22nd January in the US and 12th Feb Internationally, so not too long to wait fellow Miley/Mac Addicts!

*these photos are not mine*

Are you excited to slather this pair on your wanting lips?

lots of love

October Faves

Hello beautiful people

"These are a few of my favourite things"

I know I seem to say this every month, but where the heck have these past 31 days gone? 2014 is almost over, can't decide if that's a good or bad thing!

As I start off the beginning of every new month, I'm going to have a little rave about what I have been loving through the previous month.

Ya'll know it's mainly going to be beauty, but hey ho that's what I'm all about!

We're going to start this post off with a Bang in the form of Makeup Revolution's The One Blush Stick in the shade Matte Malibu. Oh praise the lords (and MUR obvs) for creating this wonderful blush stick! Clearly I don't use this as a blush shade but for a gorgeous warm contour shade it's perfect! 

My next fave of the month has to be, without fail Mac's Fleshpot lipstick... Oh guys I'm sorry but what is a faves post without a little Mac eh?

This shade will probably repulse most of you, but I am not shy of a fleshy nude lip! Teamed up with a pinky gloss & darker lip liner (hello Kylie Jenner wannabe over here) it looks glamorous and classy; not slutty and pornstar esque.

You've probably gathered from my blog so far that I am a massive high end cosmetics fan, and most of the time I brush past anything from the drugstore. The MUA Eye Shadow Champagne has been sat in my makeup storage for months now and I haven't even touched it until the other week. This eye shadow is beautiful, so pearly and pigmented so naturally I had to include it in my October Faves post!

What have you bee loving throughout October?

lots of love

She's a Rebel

Hello beautiful people

"She's a rebel, she's a saint. She's the salt of the earth and she's dangerous"

It's Autumn and I can't even deal with how fitting this lipstick is. 

Rebel is hands down the most versatile lipstick I have EVER come across! No matter what hair colour or skin tone someone has it looks absolutely fabulous.

If you don't own this then you're silly!

My Rebel is very well loved and a bit battered now but I just had to talk and rave and shout and scream about this insatiable lipstick. I've had pink, blonde, lilac, brown and now red hair and without fail this lipstick continues to look fabulous!!

It's finish is classed as "satin" which for any of you Mac virgin's basically means Semi-Matte. So it it's extremely long wearing but not flat like most matte lippies.

Here I've teamed Rebel with my favourite lip liner, Mac's Nightmoth. The deep plum shade compliments Rebel and creates a beautiful ombre lip.

Do you own Rebel?

lots of love

Viva Glam RiRi

Hello beautiful people;

"And I'm the type that don't give a fuck"

Well your new Viva Glam lipstick surely expresses that Rihanna!!

I've been lusting over Rihanna's new Viva Glam lipstick since the first teaser image went around a few months ago. It's very different and not for the faint hearted that's for sure!

This lipstick is practically a tribute to the trashy grunge kids of the 90's that smeared bronze and glittered everything over their faces. I remember owning a fully bronze Bourjous lip gloss which reminds me a lot of this!!

MAC describe this lipstick as a frosted metallic mauve which I guess is extremely accurate however it's one of those lipsticks that will look grey on some, purple on others and even brown. I think it looks best with one of two MAC lip liners, Nightmoth and Cork.

What do you think of the new RiRi line for MAC?

lots of love, effstarbeauty xoxo

2014 Product Lust

Hello beautiful people;

"I'm so excited, & I just can't hide it"

Jesus Christ on a bike, 2014 has got some insane products coming its way!! I am super excited to purchase this one!! EEK!!!

Rihanna is the face of Mac's Viva Glam campaign at the moment and well the first lipstick & lipgloss released I was disappointed with to say the least. But wait, what's that?! RiRi's next duo for Viva Glam is a 90's heavenly dream of darkness?!

Yeah, totally on this duo. I love my dark and dramatic lip options, I am that girl that owns black lipstick & gloss. I know right. So I 100% need a sparkly purple lippie in my collection for A/W. 

My only issue with this lipstick will be if it's in a cruddy finish like lustre (spew) but I think I could let that go if the pigmentation is epic enough, I guess we shall just have to see!!

RiRi's new collection is released in September & will be priced around £15 per item!

What products are you excited for?

lots of love, effstarbeauty xoxo

Orange Lipstick Collection

Hello beautiful people;

"when life gives you lemons, apply more lipstick!"

This time last year I would not of dared to even consider wearing an orange lipstick, let alone owning one. How times can change! 

Here is my very small orange lipstick collection!

Vegas Volt by Mac is a very peachy toned orange and it's something I can only ever wear with a tan!

Wet N Wild honestly do the best cheap lipsticks ever, and 24 Carrot Gold is just insanely good. I love everything about it and it's for sure a great dupe for Mac's Saigon Summer.

The holy grail of orange lipsticks! Summer wouldn't be possible without this Mac lipstick.

I am such a make up snob and I definitely never thought I'd love a Rimmel lipstick as much as I love this one. The opacity takes a while to build but the colour and finish are wonderful.

Do you have a favourite orange lipstick?

lots of love, effstarbeauty xoxo

Nude Lipstick Collection

Hello beautiful people;

"On a bad day there is always lipstick"

So today's post is all about nude lipsticks, which is my favourite look to rock during the summer months. I love the effortlessly glam look it creates without looking too much.

Wearing a nude lipstick just doesn't sit right with some people, nude doesn't mean you'll look like you've got foundation on your lips - come on now, we've all done it! - it's about finding a neutral shade that complements your complexion and natural lip colour.

This is an extremely MAC heavy post, but well ya'll knew it would be anyway!

Mac Honey Love - warm brown toned pink with a matte finish
Mac Velvet Teddy - warm toned brown with a matte finish

Mac Blankety - pink toned brown with a amplified finish
Nars Pago Pago - warm brown tone with slight shimmer and a frost finish
Mac Myth - peach toned flesh colour with a satin finish

Wet N Wild Bare it All - warm toned brown with a matte finish
Mac Nude (RiRi Holiday Collection) - true blue toned brown with a matte finish (limited edition)
Mac Brave - pink toned flesh shade with a satin finish

Whilst swatching I realised how much Bare It All is a dupe for Velvet Teddy! A much cheaper version but the quality of the Wet N Wild lipsticks is incredible. I buy mine for around £1.50 off BeautyJoint!

My favourite Nude lipstick is Myth, which wont be a surprise to anyone that knows me!
What's your favourite Nude lipstick?
Hope you enjoyed this post!

lots of love, effstarbeauty xoxo

Red Lipstick Collection

Hello beautiful people;

"Red lipstick all on the paper, let me take a hit while you sit and rush"

A year ago I associated myself and red lipstick with looking like a cheap street walker, my oh my how times change.

Again, this is going to be a very MAC heavy post for obvious reasons (iheartmac).

Being a blonde means that I can't just wear any red lipstick, I do prefer a blue toned one in winter and an orange toned one in summer!
My all time favourite red lipstick is Sangers by Illamasqua, it looks amazing all year round and has a darker tone for a really versatile vampy look! I can't imagine this lipstick could look bad on anyone!

Mac Ronnie Red - blue toned with a matte finish (limited edition)
Mac Diva - blue toned with a matte finish
Mac Lady Danger - orange toned with a matte finish

Urban Decay 69 - blue toned raspberry red with a satin finish (this lipsticks do not budge, invest in some!)
Illamasqua Sangers - cool toned red with a matte finish
MUA Shade 8 - warm toned with a gold shimmer and semi-opaque finish

Mac Prolong - blue toned in the prolongwear finish (another lipstick that doesn't budge)
Natural Collection Crimson - slightly warm toned red with a semi-opaque finish. Incredible quality for the £1.99 price tag !

Sorry for all the photos in this post, I thought they would be helpful!
What is your favourite red lipstick?

lots of love, effstarbeauty xoxo

Lips Tutorial

Hello beautiful people;

"he said he wanted nudes"

I love a nude lip, I love the whole Pammy A pornstar look especially on a night out with a seductive dark eye look!

But rather than looking like a cheap 90's hooker I've found an addictive combo that I cannot get enough of. So if  you fancy learning how to rock this look keep reading!

Firstly you need to know what you're going to need. 

The items I have used are the brands etc that I like, you can easily get this look using brands & similar colours in your budget! 

MAC cremesheen glass in Boy Bait

MAC lipsticks in Myth & Velvet Teddy

Lavera Lip Liner in Plum Brown

OR

Illamasqua Lip Liner in Woo

Step 1. Apply Lavera lip liner around lips and fill in slightly. I do over draw mine a little for a fuller look

Step 2. Swipe on a small amount of Velvet Teddy lipstick & smush those lips together

Step 3. To the centre of the lips apply a small amount of Myth & again smush away

Step 4. Apply a bit more Lavera lip liner to darken the edges

Step 5. Slap on as much or as little Boy Bait as you like

Step 6. Pout like a goddess

And for good measure here are some ridiculous "goddess" pouts that I thought you'd all enjoy!

Hope you all enjoyed this post!

If you recreate this look tag me on twitter @effstar

Or Instagram @effstarbeauty

lots of love, effstarbeauty xoxo

Er'day Make Up

Hello beautiful people;

So this is officially my second week of blogging *does a little happy dance*
My pattern of blogging is going to be Monday-Saturday, so that's 6 posts a week!!
This week is going to all be about my daily routines, kicking it off with my everyday make up kit.

Now I am aware that this looks like a lot of make up for a natural everyday look but I can assure you that I don't look like a drag queen!!
This is a very MAC heavy post, I have in no way shape or form been sponsored by MAC, any of their counters or Make Up Artists. I love make up and my favourite brand is MAC.

Firstly I always start off with MAC's Strobe Cream, I love how hydrating this cream is and no matter what foundation you wear over the top you still achieve that beautiful dewy glow. Of course the higher coverage foundation you use the less dewy you look but it still manages to shine through !!
I always follow the application with a good ol' spritz of MAC's Fix+. This for me just helps to set the cream in place and by layering a fixing spray right from the beginning adds to the durability of your make up. Well in my opinion it does !

At the moment I've been raving my little mouth off about MAC's Face and Body Foundation, I use the shade N2 and I am an NW18/NW20 in the Summer Months. This foundation is sent from the gods, it suits every skin type and every age! I can't believe I haven't used it sooner! Super builable and the consistency is very lightweight.

To finish off my foundation I lightly pat over MAC's Studio Fix Powder + Foundation in NW18 to add to the durability of my foundation. This powder too is fab for Summer as it contains Silica which absorbs oil and moisture from the skin keeping your make up from sliding & shine/sweat free! The reason I use this powder rather than the standard Pressed Powder is because it has a lot more power & lasts me around 3-4 months, where as I used to get through the standard powder a monthly basis & I don't even have oil prone skin!

For cheeks I am in love with MAC's Mineralize Blush in Lured To Love which was from the limited edition winter 2013 collection Divine Night. The mineralize formula I find is less heavy on the skin and sits nicer than the standard MAC blushes. The peach tone to this just gives a bit of natural flush to the cheeks keeping the look natural. It also looks incredible with a heavy eye and a Myth lip for an evening look. This is by far my favourite blush I've ever tried.
Since I was 17 I have been crazy about Nars Laguna I use it everyday and it lasts me aprox. 9/10 months! Yes its a bit pricier than your standard bronzer but it lasts forever!! This is great from bronzing up the face Shaaanxo style or as a contour which is how I use on a daily basis.
My favourite highlighter for cheekbones and centre of the face at the moment is MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish in Perfect Topping which again was a limited edition product from the Spring 2014 Fantasy of Flowers collection. It's a very lightweight texture and is easily built for a subtle to strong highlight.

I get so many questions about what I use on my brows, so here are my 4 secret weapons (excluding brushes) to my brows! At the front I use Urban Decay's Naked 2 eye shadow from the Naked Basics Palette, the tail end is MAC's Fluidline in Dipdown and MAC's Studio Concealer in NC15 (the lightest shade) for my clean up and highlight. To give the brows texture I sweep a load of Ardell's Brow Sculpting Gel in Clear.
At the moment my go to mascara is MAC's False Lashes Extreme Black, this mascara is like marmite you do either love it or hate it! Personally I think its fab for lengthening and adding slight thickness to the lashes. It doesn't work miracles, but honestly what mascara does?
To finish off the look I apply MAC's Amplified Lipstick in Blankety for a full but natural look to the lips. If I'm going shopping or out for food I do tend to use MAC's Diva or Morange just for a pop of colour!

Hope you enjoyed this post!!
What are your favourite products for a natural Summer look?
lots of love, effstarbeauty x

MAC Haul

Hello beautiful people;

Today I was a bit naughty and I treated myself to 4 MAC items when visiting Merry Hill.

2 of the items were on my weekly wishlist, 1 is something I ALWAYS buy and the last was something that I'd tried and tested and needed to own !!

Disclaimer.

Fortunately, I do work for Debenhams so I am lucky enough to get 20% off MAC and I purchased everything with my own money. Make Up is my passion and I work hard for what I own. The prices below are before any discount is applied.

The items I purchased are (left to right, top to bottom):

MAC face and body foundation in N2 £21.50

MAC lipglass in Myth £14

MAC travel size fix+ £8

MAC amplified lipstick in Morange £15

For me this is a very small haul and half of the items I did actually need. The lip products are two things I've wanted to add to my collection for a long time.

The items I have purchased are definitely going to be some of my most used products this summer, the colours are perfect and the face & body foundation is the right consistency for summer.

I am so surprised at how little I purchased as I have a list of MAC items to buy the length of my arm!

Have you tried any of these products?

Or do you have any Summer products you think I should try?

Thank you for reading !!

lots of love, effstarbeauty x

My weekly wish list

Hello beautiful people;

This is the start of my weekly wishlist here on my blog :)

Of course it will mainly be beauty related with a few fashion & homeware bits thrown in too for good measure.

Items from left to right

Viktor and Rolf BonBon purfume 90ml £98

Lush Mint Julips lip scrub £5.50

MAC Myth lipglass £14

MAC Morange lipstick £15

Topshop Happy boots £68

If this is something you'd like to see more of then comment below, I love knowing what everyone is enjoying on my blog !!

Hope you've enjoyed this post !

Take Care

lots of love, effstarbeauty x