She’s a Stainiac Maniac on the floor…

In my February Birchbox I received a small sample of Stainiac by theBalm. I was pleasantly surprised to find this inside my box, as they majority of the products were either skincare or haircare. The Stainiac is very similar to Benefit’s ‘Benetint’ as it's a pop of colour for either the lips or cheeks. I have yet to try it on my cheeks, but I thought I would give my opinion on what happens when it is on the lips. 

At first application there doesn’t seem to be much colour pay off. The lips look a touch deeper in colour but there isn’t a lot of a difference. What I realised is the colour needed to be built up, layer by layer. After a few coats the lips have a beautiful red tint. With it being a tint you don't expect much colour, but I was surprised on how little you actually got. It felt like I was constantly dragging my lips backwards and forwards due to the amount of layers I applied. 

At the start the stain feels nice as it has not dried or sunk into my lips. However, after a few minutes my lips started to feel very dry and I had to apply some lip balm over the top to prevent them from what felt like cracking. I had high hopes as I love the ‘Benetint’ but unfortunately this specific product didn't live up to them. 

Have you tried this product before? Is it any better for your cheeks? 

ShannonKims

What I Would Wear To Cheltenham's Ladies Day!

Cheltenham’s Ladies Day is fast approaching with the prospect of fancy clothing and elaborate hats. I have always been fascinated with the idea of this event, so many wonderful people attend and their outfits are always spectacular. Ladies from across the country gather for this one day and in my mind become shining stars. It's on this one day that wearing your best dress is not only socially acceptable but also a requirement!

Being at University I am sure I will not be able to attend this years races, but I wanted to show you all what I would wear if I had the opportunity to go. For me 50’s style dresses shows every single part of my body to it’s best. They highlight the best of British fashion through the wonderful neckline and the timeless style of the skirt. It's fullness doesn't swap me and stopping just below the knee keeps the timeless and beautiful look.

I was able to pick this dress up for a bargain price from asos.com. The brand Chi Chi have some amazing dresses that would be perfect for this event, if you are looking for something for the day I would seriously recommend you head over there as you will be surprised at not only some of the price but also by the quality of the dresses.

My dress is a fantastic blue and black colour that matches both my dark hair and dark eyes. I would add a pair of beige peep toe shoes that give me height, creating the illusion that my legs are longer than they actually are. I also have a matching clutch handbag that I would add to finish the look. With my hair and make up, I would create a simple braid with a beautiful floral clip added to it. I then would add a smokey eye and red lips to bring the entire look together.

What would you wear to the races? Let me know on twitter with the #colourmemarch!!

ShannonKims

A Sticky Situation - Stila Lip Glaze Review

In my January Birchbox I received a Stila Lip Glaze. I had high hopes for this product as I had heard a lot of good things throughout many blogs and videos on Youtube. I was extremely excited also to be given the opportunity to use a product from this brand, as I have never used anything from Stila before. 

The effortless packaging and beautiful neutral colour looked very promising. I thought it would be the perfect colour to place over a nude lip or even a darker lip due to it being very light colour with specks of gold glitter. 

Unfortunately the lipgloss did not live up to my expectations. I found it to be very tacky and my long hair seemed to enjoy clinging to the product like a best friend that would just not leave my lips alone. The product felt horrible on my lips and I wanted to remove it as soon as I had applied it. It did not dry or sink into my lips like a lot of lipglosses do and I felt very disappointed in a product I had heard many good things about. Wanting to see if I was the only one who thought this I passed the lipgloss over to my mum who promptly tried it out, she is the lipgloss wearer of the family whereas I prefer generally to stick with my lipsticks. She also thought the same as me. 

Therefore, I will not be purchasing any of the other colours, as they are just not for me. I would be interested to know if you have tried this product and had any different thoughts to me? 

ShannonKims 

A 50’s Dress to Impress

Trying to decide what to wear for my nieces christening was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I literally had no idea where to start or what I wanted to wear. After looking in almost every shop I decided the style I wanted was a lovely 50’s dress, that looked formal but nothing too over the top. I love the 50’s dresses that stop just below the knee, have an insane amount of petticoats and have the most flattering neckline. 

Another Little Mac Haul

 I love MAC. I’m just putting that out there, the beautiful stands of well placed make up draw you in and captivate your attention. Not letting you leave until you have another perfect lipstick, in another of their black perfect bags and I cannot seem to help myself. I love my MAC store; it’s so pretty and always has amazing music inviting you inside. All the people who work there are so friendly and helpful and I always feel like they are willing to have a chat, unlike so many other people I have had the displeasure of being served by. 

I have four little things to show. The first is the MAC Fluidline in the colour Blacktrack and I have a post dedicated to this eyeliner, which you can see here. I had never used gel eyeliner before, so I bit the bullet and decided to buy it. Whilst I was worried I could become some crazy Goth girl as I’m not normally the most steady of people when it comes to eyeliner, I have been pleasantly surprised as I’m able to draw quite a thin line that makes my eyes pop. 

The Second is my favourite item I purchased and it is the MAC 217 brush. This brush is amazing for blending colour into the crease as it glides effortlessly along the hollow of my eyes. It also can be used to intensify a look by adding a darker shade to the outer part of the eye. I was extremely pleased to get this brush as I have a few of the MAC duo fibre brushes and love them! 

The last two products are lipsticks. I had wanted colours that were different to the ones that I reach for everyday. Generally I will stick to reds, or pinks but I never really use colours that have a nude shade or a plum shade. Therefore I decided to purchase Viva Glam II, which is a satin lipstick, and also Plumful a lustre lipstick. Each can be perfect for an every day look or they would both compliment a dark smokey eye on a night out. 

What was your recent purchase from MAC?  

ShannonKims 

The Liebster Award

I cannot believe this is my third award nomination. Thank you to Emma for nominating me for The Liebster Award. Now just as Emma did I am going to start with 11 random facts about myself.

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara Review

There is nothing I like more than applying mascara and watching as my eyelashes grow in length, fluttering like an Oscar winning movie star. Or at least I like to think they do, however when reality sets in and they just look lovely and long I am still just as pleased - whilst a little disappointed I am not a movie star.