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Hey Lovelies,

I hope you're all well and that you had a good week! If you read my  recent How a Spendaholic Manages her Money post, you will know that I am currently on a spending ban. Luckily for me I have however collected 6 MAC empties which means that even though I am banned from buying things that I don't need, I was still able to go to MAC and collect a free MAC lipstick.

In case you are wondering what I am on about, the clever people at MAC run this fantastic scheme whereby if you collect 6 MAC empties and take them back to your local MAC counter or MAC store, you can exchange the empties for a free lipstick of your choice. Now being the savvy shopper that I am, I use this scheme as an excuse to buy 90% of my make up from MAC. Some may say I am foolish, but to be fair this is the 3rd free MAC lipstick I have got since I started blogging in August last year so I do think it's worth it. Anything for a free MAC lipstick, right?

Well let me start by talking you through the MAC empties I collected.

MAC Prep and Prime Translucent Finishing Powder

This is a sheer finishing powder that is very finely milled and sets make up beautifully. This would always make my skin look flawless, minimise the appearance of my pores and stop my T-zone from getting too shiny throughout the day. This is only available in one colour and the powder looks white but it's translucent when you apply it. Some products like this can make your skin look ashy but I did not have that problem with the MAC Prep and Prime Translucent Finishing Powder. It's simply a brilliant product and if you've never tried this yet I would highly recommend it!

Would repurchase? Yes

MAC Studio Moisture Fix Lotion

Now if you read my blog or follow me on Twitter you will know that I am a bit of a MAC junkie. This is one of the very few MAC products I have ever tried that did not work for me. The MAC Studio Moisture Fix Lotion is a very light moisturiser that does not contain any active ingredients that combat fine lines and wrinkles. I also didn't find this product moisturising enough and my skin always felt really dry when I used it. I think this product would be perhaps more suitable if you are in your late teens and early 20s and suffer from very oily skin because it is so light. Sadly the MAC Moisture Studio Fix Lotion did not work for me and I'm glad it has now departed from my skincare collection. Needless to say I won't be replacing it.

Would repurchase? No

MAC Idol Eyes Eyeshadow

This eyeshadow is a lustre finish that was sat in my collection for the best part of 5 years. I loved this eyeshadow when I first bought it and wore it all the time but I ended up getting bored of it after a while and stopped using it. The colour is a silver purple and it reminds me a lot of Sidecar in the Original Naked pallet. I wouldn't say Idol Eyes is  a must have MAC eyeshadow. When I was having a clear out of my collection I found  the eyeshadow had crumbled so I threw the product out and used it towards my Back to MAC empties.

Would repurchase? No

MAC Blacktrack Fluidline Gel Liner

I used to love MAC Blacktrack and it was my go-to gel eyeliner, but then I discovered the Maybelline 24 Hour Gel Eyeliners that are just as pigmented and long wearing as MAC Blacktrack but available for half the price. No further explanation needed

Would repurchase? No

MAC Studio Finish Concealer

This is by far the best concealer I have ever used. It's thick and creamy, highly pigmented and offers very high coverage. Perhaps not the best product to use for under your eyes but if you have any spots/blemishes/scares/moles on your face you want to cover up, then MAC Studio Finish Concealer is your best friend. I have yet to find a better concealer.

Would repurchase? Yes

  

Now after much dithering at the MAC counter last Saturday, I decided to get Chatterbox as my free lipstick. I don't know about you, but I take choosing lipstick very seriously and spend ages swatching them all before I make my final choice. Originally I wanted to get MAC Coral Bliss after seeing it on Fisi from Oh Snap Babes's MAC experience blog post, but sadly my local MAC counter were sold out. I also tried on Candy Yum Yum which is the most bright Barbie pink lipstick I have ever seen. I did really like Candy Yum Yum, but decided that it was perhaps too bright for me and not the kind of colour I could wear to the office without people suspecting that I have an ulterior motive. Anyway, about 50 lipstick swatches later I decided to go for MAC Chatterbox.

 

MAC Chatterbox is an Amplified finish, which means they are very creamy and highly pigmented. MAC describe Chatterbox as a bright-red pink lipstick. The colour is very long-wearing and even though it is quite bright, it is still the kind of lipstick you can wear everyday and it's perfect for summer! I am happy to say I have added another MAC favourite to my lipstick collection.

Which lipsticks are you loving for summer?

Nuala xxx

Clarins Multi Active Day Cream Review

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is going to be all about the Clarins Multi Active Day Cream. Clarins is my all time favourite skincare brand, and I have been using their Multi Active Day Cream since my mid 20s. Yes, I have tried various other creams and moisturisers, but this day cream is the only one that I have been going back to on a regular basis in my quest for eternal youth.

The Clarins Multi Active Day Cream is marketed as an early wrinkle correction cream. Clarins claim that this cream will not only visibly correct the first signs of ageing, but it will also protect your skin against sun damage, pollution and stress, leaving it feeling smooth and refreshed. The Clarins Multi Active Day Cream has a lovely soft rose scent that's very fresh and not at all granny like. The smell does not linger and you can only really notice it whilst you are applying the product.
The product itself comes in a thick frosted glass jar with a simple white plastic lid. I'm a big fan of Clarins packaging because it's so simple, elegant and instantly recognisable. The only downside  to the packaging of the the Clarins Multi Active Day Cream is that it's very heavy, which of course isn't ideal if you travel a lot or like to carry your face moisturiser around in your handbag with you. Not that I know anyone who does that.

This product feels incredibly luxurious when you apply it to your skin. I use my Clarins Multi Active Day Cream every morning after cleansing and it instantly absorbs into my skin, leaving it feeling smooth and moisturised.
A little goes a long way with this product and you barely need a pea sized amount of the Clarins Multi Active Day Cream moisturise your entire face which is just as well, because 50ml of this will set you back £40.00. But don't let the price put you off because a 50ml jar of the Clarins Multi Active Day Cream will easily last you up to 9 months, so it's definitely worth the high end price tag. Personally I would rather spend more on my skincare now and use products that combat the first signs of ageing while I'm still relatively young-ish, rather than let my skincare fall by the wayside and end up having to shed out a fortune on botox and fillers when I'm a bit older.(Yes, I am that vain).

The cream itself is very thick and moisturising but not at all greasy. It's most definitely made a noticeable difference to my skin. Whenever I am using the Clarins Multi Active Day Cream, my skin  feels plumper and my fine lines are visibly reduced. What I love most about this product though is that make up and powder do not settle in any of the fine lines on my face when I use it.
I have been using the Clarins Multi Active Day Cream quite regularly for over 5 years (I would say I go through at least one of these jars a year), and I do believe that it has made a massive difference to how my skin is now. I used to be a heavy sunbed user and binge drinker when I was in my early 20s, so technically I should be looking like a shrivelled prune now I'm in my 30s. (Sunbed damage apparently takes a good few years to show). So either it's just sheer luck, or it's my amazing skincare routine that's made me look young for my age. (I like to believe it's the latter considering the stupid amounts I have spent on skincare over the past 5-8 years). People who meet me often think I'm in my mid-20s, which is always lovely to hear. Even though I have a few very faint fine lines, they are probably only really noticeable to me because I spend ages inspecting my face in the mirror and counting my non-existent wrinkles. (Ok, so maybe I should spend a little less on skincare and a little more on a good shrink).
The Clarins Multi Active Day Cream is available in various different formulas depending on your skin type. The one I'm currently using is the one for all skin types, and I'd say this is perfect for anyone with normal-combination skin. There is also a version of this available for people with dry skin and it comes in a lotion from as well, which is better if you suffer from oily skin or a prone to breakouts. I cannot recommend this product enough, and if you are in your mid 20s - early 30s and are on the market for an anti-ageing product that really works, I'd definitely say give the Clarins Multi Active Day Cream a go!
Have you ever tried any Clarins products?

Nuala xxx

500 Follower MAC Giveaway!

Hello Lovelies,

I hope you are all well! Today's post is a very exciting one for you all because it is my 500 Follower Giveaway! About a month ago my little blog reached 500 followers which I am still so over the moon about. As you can see my blog also has a new name and design (massive thanks to Steph from Bonjour Belle for giving my blog such an amazing makeover). Well what better way to celebrate these 3 things than with a 500 Follower MAC Giveaway. Here's what I picked up at the MAC counter today for one lucky winner:

MAC 217 Brush

MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow

This Giveway is hosted by Rafflecopter and is open for one month from today. The winner will be notified via email and on Twitter. If you are under 16, please ask permission of a parent before entering.

This Giveaway is international but please follow my blog via Bloglovin (I have a new Bloglovin - link in sidebar) or Google Plus to qualify.  There are lots of other ways to gain additional entries so check the Rafflecopter Widget below and enter as much as you can :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lastly I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me and my blog since I started blogging last August. The support I have received from the beauty community online has been amazing and means the world to me! I still can't believe I have over 500 followers on my blog. When I started up I never imagined I'd ever get to 50 followers, let alone over 500! Thank you so much!

Good luck everyone!

Nuala xxx 

How A Spendaholic Manages Her Money

Hey Lovelies,

I don't know about you, but I'm a complete spendaholic with very bad money management skills. Here's what happens to me every month:

1. I work

2. I get paid

3. I go a little cray cray

4. I blow all my money on payday

5. I spend the rest of the month complaining to anyone who will listen about how skint I am.

Sound familiar? 

It wasn't so long ago I was moaning on Twitter how I had no money and it was another 2 weeks till payday when the lovely Shona from Freshbeautyxox gave me the best money management advice I've ever heard.

Shona suggested to me that I work out what my incomings and outgoings are for every month. 

She then advised me to divide the money which I have left after all my bills have gone out by 4 to work out how much I  can afford to spend every week.

Here's the formula to Shona's money management plan: 

(Wages - Bills = Nuala's monthly disposable income) / 4 = Nuala's weekly disposable income

Now I know this ain't exactly E=mc2 but I think Shona's idea is amazing. In all honesty, I'm quite embarrassed that I have been in full time work for the past 10 years and never thought of this myself. Shona is 15. I am 32. My mother will probably kill me if she ever reads this.

Anyway, I decided to give Shona's plan a go.

But then this happened:

True to my spendaholic ways, I went shopping with my friend who made me look at Michael Kors handbags. (What a bully my friend is). And now I really really want a MK handbag. This means only one thing: Spending ban.

Yup, I am now officially on a spending ban. If I do not spend any money on anything that isn't absolutely necessary (ie food, not make up), I can treat myself to this gorgeous Michael Kors handbag in a months time.

 http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/

Now 1 month isn't too long to wait, especially considering I know some bloggers who have done the 100 day spending ban. (If you're reading this and have successfully completed the 100 day spending ban, I salute you. I don't think I could ever manage 100 whole days without buying stuff I don't need).

So, wish me luck! The next month or isn't going to be fun for me but I know at the end of it I will hopefully have a lovely new handbag on my arm. And after that I will most definetely be follwing the advice I got from the lovely Shona. Thanks again sweet, you're a star!

Have you ever been on a spending ban?

Nuala xxx

Blog Update and May Favourites!

Hey Lovelies,

Hope you're all well and having a good week! I thought I'd start this post with a small blog update for you all. Some of you may have noticed my new URL and are wondering what's going on. Well, I have changed my blog name. MakeUp, Beauty Shopping! is no more. My blog is now officially called Dolled Up London. What do you think? I really hope you like the new name!
When I first started my blog, I didn't really give my blog name much thought. I sort of went my blog's about make up, beauty and shopping, so that's what I'll call it.Original, eh? Well as I got more into blogging I realised my blog name was quite long and a bit boring as well. I've been wanting to change it for ages, but I never knew what to call it. So I asked my friend, she asked her fiance, and he suggested 'All Made Up', which I thought was brilliant, but sadly that name was already taken. So I tried 'All Dolled Up'. Also unavailable. Then last night I had an epiphany (ok, not quite, but that's almost what it felt like), and Dolled Up London was born. So far the feedback I've had on Twitter has been really positive which  I'm so relieved about, and I really hope everyone likes the change!
I know at the moment my blog still looks exactly the same and the only thing that's changed is the URL and header, but I am in the process of getting my blog redesigned. Once that's done all will be revealed. When the design is complete and installed on my blog, I'm also finally going to launch my 500 follower giveaway. So keep your eyes peeled, cos there's lots of exciting stuff  coming up on Dolled Up London!
Well that's my little blog update for you. Please let me know what you think of my new name as I'd love your feedback!
Now I've got the update out of the way, let's get on with my May Favourites!

May was a funny old month for me. I got a spot. Well, it wasn't really a spot. It was more like a mountain. On the middle of my forehead. Being the simple and shallow girl that I am, that spot caused me no end of trauma and heartache. I felt that every time I had a conversation with anyone, all they could see was the massive monster on my face. And I tried everything to get rid of it. I slathered on the Sudocreme and Tea Tree products by the bucket load. Nothing worked. I knew I had to pull out the big guns. So I dug out my Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clear Blemish Gel. This gel was truly my saviour. After using it for just 2 days, the spot which had been on my face for over 10 days began to disappear, and after about 4 days it was finally gone. This gel stings slightly when you apply and works by drying out the spot and reducing redness and irritation. This product gets a massive thumbs up from me, and if you have a bothersome spot you are trying to get rid of, I cannot recommend the Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clear Blemish Gel highly enough!

Right, enough talk about horrid spots, let move onto something a lot nicer, and what's nicer than a MAC lipstick? They are creamy, highly pigmented, long wearing and smell amazing. Best of all, MAC lipsticks are completely free if you take 6 MAC empties back to the MAC counter! I've been loving pink lipstick throughout the month of May, and MAC Hot Gossip has been my go-to shade.

MAC Hot Gossip is a gorgeous pink colour with a slight plum undertone to it. It's a fab every day colour that's bright and wearable at the same time. Some pink lipsticks can be too bright for work, college or school. This colour however is so pretty and very easy to wear. Being a cremesheen finish, MAC Hot Gossip won't dry out your lips like some lipsticks can. It's definitely one of my favourites in my collection, so don't forget to check it out next time you're at MAC!

Next up we have a gel eyeliner I have fallen in love with, and it's the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner. I was recommended this product several beauty bloggers on Twitter. So far I've been pretty loyal to MAC's Blacktrack gel liner, but now that I've discovered the Maybelline gel eye liner which is available for half the price but is just as good, there's no going back. The Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner is highly pigmented and very long wearing. It has a soft creamy texture that's a pleasure to apply. I usually prefer high end make up brands, but this drugstore gel liner is just as good as its more expensive counterparts.

Now onto the final product in my May favourites, and it's the Benefit Brow Zings brow shaping kit. I've not used anything else on my brows during the month of May other Benefit Brow Zings. This kit comes with a pigmented wax to shape the brows and a powder to set them. You also get a tiny set of tweezers, an angled brush and a blending brush with this product, but I prefer to use my MAC 266 brush to fill in my eye brows. I use this product by mixing the wax and the powder together, dabbing off any excess in the pan where the tweezers and brushes were and filling in my brows. Benefit Brow Zings is available in 3 shades, light, medium and dark. After much dithering I bought the shade dark,  and from experience I have to say you need to apply it this product with a very light hand if you've bought it in the shade dark. Otherwise you could end up looking like you've drawn your eyebrows on with a Sharpie. And yes, I'm speaking from experience. But once you get the hang of using Benefit Brow Zings I don't think you'll go back to anything else for filling in your eyebrows. I find this product so much easier to use than eyebrow pencils, and if you do make a mistake, you can very easily fix it using a cotton bud.
Well. that's all for my May Favourites and my little blog update! I really hope you've enjoyed this post, and don't forget to let me know what you think of my new blog name: Dolled Up London. 
Thanks for reading!

Nuala xxx