BRAND NEW BLOG!

Hello strangers, remember me? Probably not, its been a very very very long time.
But good news! I have a brand new blog, and don't worry, i'm not going to forget about this one!
I'd love it if you could follow me, it would mean a lot!

www.labellavita-xo.blogspot.com

Happy (late) new year to you all, and I hope you're all well!

Love Amy x

New Blog and Late June Favourites!

Hello everyone!

 I know its been a while and I keep saying that I'm going to post more and then I, well.. don't. But this time I mean it when I say that I'm definitely going to be posting more. I've just re-vamped my blog a little bit, adding a new header to make it look a lot prettier and more professional! Let me know what you think of it or if you think there's something I could have done better! 

Now, my first proper post in months is going to be a (very) late June Favourites. So here it goes! I hope my pictures are looking better than usual here too!

1 - Body Butter - This one is the Body Shop Coconut Body Butter, which I noticed is upside down in this picture and it's seriously bugging me. To be honest, I've just loved moisturising my body and using body butters and moisturisers, its made my skin feel a lot smoother and look more healthy and glowing. This was just the first one I picked up, and I love the scent. Not sure how much this was, its the small version though (50ml)

2 - Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation - I'm really enjoying using this foundation, it's a much lighter coverage than i usually go for but still gives a good coverage. It's definitely got a dewy finish, which i thought would look horrible on my oily t-zone, but luckily this foundation is oil free! So its perfect for giving a healthy glow without looking shiny. The only thing I don't like is that it does fade after around 6 hours, but that might be my fault for not investing in a primer! Still, its probably my favourite foundation I have ever used. I think it costs around £25

3 - MAC Milan Mode Lipstick - Technically this is a recent purchase, and should be in my July favourites rather than June, but anyway. This is such a gorgeous lipstick. Its pretty much the same colour as Girl About Town (another one of my favourite MAC lipsticks) but a lot more sheer and toned down. So its perfect for when I want to wear something like Girl About Town, but without wearing a full on bright lipstick. It has got a lot of shimmer in it, but it has a Lustre finish, so its quite moisturising. This cost £13.50

4 The Body Shop Coconut Body Mist - I must get more of these! They're only £7 and they smell exactly like the body butters. They have the most popular body butter smells I think, such as Strawberry and Pink Grapefruit (definitely getting one of these next). I think they're brilliant for the price, the smell lingers for ages and I keep spraying this all over my room and I've hardly used any!

5 - Hollister Crescent Bay Body Spray - These used to be £8 but now they've gone up to £12 (so annoying!) It is expensive, but I've had 3 of these before and they last sooo long! The last one i had lasted me around 9 months, which for me is probably longer than a perfume, but for more than half the price of a perfume! Not to mention they smell absolutely incredible. This one smells like sweets and berries! They're really refreshing to mist on your body in the summer as well so I always carry them in my bag. When we actually get a summer, that is! Seriously, what is up with the rain in England?! Its ridiculous.

6 - Real Techniques Brushes - Not even kidding when I say these are probably the best brushes I've come across. I'm yet to try the eye brushes, but I have the Core Collection and the Blush Brush. In the Core Collection, you get the Buffing Brush, Contour Brush (both pictured), the Pointed Foundation Brush and the Detailer Brush. I use the Buffing Brush for foundation, and its the best brush I've used for foundation, it makes your foundation look flawless and helps to get a high coverage, due to its density (think slightly less dense than the Sigma F80, perfect!). I use the Contour Brush for contouring my cheekbones, blending foundation/concealer and applying powder in smaller areas such as around my nose and under my eyes. I also use it for blusher, highlighter and with my Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel as its perfect for the creamy consistency. I haven't used the Pointed Foundation for anything other than applying concealer as I find it too small to use with foundation. I've used the Detailer Brush for concealing blemishes, as a lip brush and also to smudge eye shadow on my lower lash line or to apply inner corner highlight to my eyes. They're brilliant Brushes and I seriously couldn't live without them now!

So that's my favourites! I hope you're all okay, please comment on anything I could do better to make my blog look more 'professional', I'd love to hear your ideas.

 I'll be posting again very soon (I promise!).

Love Amy xxx

Worst Blogger Ever!

Oh my gosh, i am officially the worst blogger ever! I haven't posted since March!
Honestly, i don't have a reason or 'excuse', i'm just pure lazy! And lack inspiration. I've really been thinking about deleting my blog and starting over, making it much more professional, with better lighting in my pictures, more posts (lazy bum), more variety of posts instead of sticking to hauls and reviews.
I've been so close to deleting it (obviously i would have told you all in advance), but i really don't want to lose my followers. So i was thinking if i just make it more professional from now on, instead of starting over.

I've been into fashion a lot lately, and picked up some amazing bargains from places like Ebay, H&M, and online boutique sort of websites, such as Missguided and Boohoo.

Anyway, i hope you all forgive me for my lack of posts, i'm really sorry for being a rubbish blogger!

Thankyou for still sticking by me and not unfollowing haha!
Lots of love, Amy x

Starships were meant to fly! Viva Glam Nicki

Hello! Ever since my new Mac Lipstick came through the post i've been wearing it non-stop! Of course, i'm talking about the new Viva Glam Nicki Minaj lipstick. And speaking of Nicki Minaj, i am absolutely OBSESSED with her new song, 'Starships' - hence the title of this post! Check it out on youtube if you haven't heard it already, such a summery song! :)

Now, i'm a big fan of Nicki Minaj so when i heard she was doing a Viva Glam Lipstick with Mac, my favourite make-up brand, i was beyond excited! I just missed my chance to get her Pink Friday lipstick that she brought out with Mac a year or so ago, and i tried everywhere, but on places like ebay, people were selling it for nearly £30, and there was no way i could spend it, so i just left it in the end. So when i heard about her doing a second lipstick for Mac, i had to make sure i got it straight away.

About 2-3 years ago, my mum got a Mac account as she ordered me the face and body foundation when i started out using Mac make-up, so ever since then she's got emails from Mac about new collections and offers etc. I signed up to Mac about a year ago, when i started getting obsessed with Mac aha. My mum got the email about Nicki Minaj's lipstick and it had a special code so you could get it early. Obviously i had to do it! For some reason i never got the email, so whether you have to be signed up to their emails for a while or whether they just missed me out by mistake i don't know. But it didn't bother me since my mum had got the email :)

So anyway, enough about me rambling as i'm probably boring you all to sleep! Here are the pictures of the beauty! :)

So as you can see, the new Viva Glam Nicki lipstick is a bright, bubblegum pink. Its hard to capture how bright it is on camera, but it's gorgeous. I've heard it being compared to a similar brightness to Costa Chic, which i would agree with. It has yellow undertones and a satin finish. I'm not a huge fan of the finish, i personally prefer Mac's Amplified's, Cremesheen's or Lustre's, but i just pop a bit of lip balm underneath and it doesn't feel as drying. If you have chapped lips, it is likely to show. I think it's a great lipstick for summer, and would look really good with a tan, just like Costa Chic.

My lip swatch picture doesn't seem very accurate if i'm honest, my hand swatch is a lot closer! 

If you want this lipstick, you can find it on maccosmetics.co.uk or at your local Mac counter. If it has sold out, then don't worry too much, as its limited addition for a whole year! So they'll have some more back in soon :)

Hope you're all okay!

Love Amy x

Collective Haul :)

Hello! So I made a quick post the other day about the nicki minaj lipstick and saying that i'd do a haul. So here it is!

Enjoy :)

These shirts are from H&M, i originally bought the blue one, but loved it so much that i went back for another colour, I'm still deciding whether to get another colour as well haha, they're a wardrobe staple and can be thrown on with anything, tucked into jeans or shorts. They're so comfortable, and they were only £7.99!

I saw these on Boohoo.com and HAD to get them. They're high waisted and have that stripe pattern that i've seen all the shops recently. They are quite short, and do actually show your bum ever so slightly, so if you don't like that, then i wouldn't get them haha! But they're great for a night out, paired with heels. They make your legs look suuuper long as well! They were £10

I got this from boohoo.com as well, it was only £6 and i though it would look great under tops with large arm holes, as a change from a black bandeau or vest.

These are similar to the stripe shorts, but they're not as short, or as high waisted. These were from Miss Selfridge and they were about £20, but i got student discount, so they were around £18. Again, great for a night out with heels. They have faux leather panels either side, i love them!

These shoes were from garage shoes. I had bought a pair of heels off their website as part of an offer, where you get 1 pair of boots and another pair for £1, which is a really good deal. I bought some heeled boots and some flat ankle boots for work. But the heels didn't fit and i was gutted when i took them back and they didn't have the size up, and because they were part of a deal and i wanted to keep the flat boots, i just had to exchange them for something else in store instead, i saw these and loved them! They're really simple and gorgeous, but they're really high. I'm not too bad at walking in high heels though so i'll be fine :) I think these are about £25

I've bought No7 lashes in the past and sometimes found them even better than Eylure ones, i have the 40 and the 60 ones. The 40's are great for length but don't add too much volume, and the 60 ones don't suit my eyes as much. So i wanted to get the ones in between. They were £2.50 with the No7 £5 off voucher :)

I've been eyeing up Katy Perry's Eylure range for a while, i love these ones and the really really thick ones that almost look like doubled up false lashes, and was going to get both, but i was scared the thick ones wouldn't suit me and i didn't want to waste £7 on them. So i got these instead, they were £5.95 from Boots.

I'm so glad they sell Real Techniques brushes in Boots now! They're so affordable, and i actually think they're better than some Mac brushes. I got the Blush Brush and it was £9.99. I've used it for powder and foundation so far and it works great :)

I've always always always wanted my teeth whitening, but since i can't afford it, i thought i'd test out a home kit for now, this was only around £8 from boots. The reviews online seemed alright, so i thought i'd try it. I'll do a review of it when i'm done! 

In Debenhams, they're doing an offer on Estee Lauder, where if you spend £40 on Estee Lauder products you get a free gift. Me and my mum both bought a foundation each and got this amazing gift for free, and i think it said it was worth £60?! There are two sets to choose from, the one i have is the make-up gift, and the other ones has mainly creams in, but you also get a lipstick and mascara in it. The creams did look good, you get a cleanser, exfoliator, moisturiser and some other stuff, but i preferred the make-up one, my mum wasn't bothered about the gift with the creams either because we're both happy with our Liz Earle stuff atm! I bought the double wear foundation (finally!) and my mum got the Maximum cover foundation. I've given the concealer and mascara duo, nail varnish and mini perfume to my mum, its not fair to keep the gift all to myself! :)

I am so so so glad i got these, they're so comfortable and look great with anything, i've been wearing them so much. Topshop £28

I got these from Boohoo.com as they were reduced from £35 to £25. I was a bit annoyed, since i actually ordered size 8's because a lot of the online reviews recommended to order a size up, but they sent me the size 7's! Luckily they do fit, they're a bit of a squeeze, but i'm going to try the stretch-your-shoes-with-ice thing haha

 And last but not least! Behold, the Mac Viva Glam Nicki Minaj Lipstick! I am in love. Its just my kind of colour, the perfect bright pink and when i say bright, i mean bright. Although, i think it is one of those lipstick that looks different on different skintones (well most do, but you know what i mean aha). It was £13.50 and i got it early with a code from a email from Mac, i think its out this month in the UK, and already out in America, but its limited edition for a whole year, so if you miss it, don't worry too much. Every single penny you spend on Viva Glam Lipsticks goes to the Mac Aids Fund, so you get a pretty lipstick, and you're giving to charity, we all win! ;)

So i hope you enjoyed my haul, I'll be doing reviews of the Nicki Minaj Lipstick, RapidWhite teeth whitening kit and maybe the double wear foundation as well.

Hope you're all okay! See you soon!

Love Amy x

Quick post!

I ordered the new MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj lipstick yesterday and i'm so excited to get it, i have no idea when it will turn up, probably tomorrow, monday, or tuesday. I can't wait! I should have a review up of it soon :)

Expect a haul as well since i've bought a couple of things lately, including some gooorgeous stripey shorts which i can't wait to wear on a night out!

See you soon!

Love Amy xx

January Favourites!

Hello!

Since i haven't done a favourites post in a while, i thought i'd include quite a lot of products. 

Please excuse my photo's though, my camera's being a bit funny recently, there must be a setting that's not right and all my pictures are coming out quite dark, i tried to get the best pictures i could for you though! Enjoy :)

L-R - Liz Earle instant boost skin tonic (spritzer and pour bottle), Carmex cherry lip balm pot, Liz Earle Brightening treatment, MAC Fix+, Benefit So Hooked On Carmella perfume, Elemis body oil, Lush Cupcake mask.

L-R - MAC Studio Fix Powder, YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick, MAC girl about town lipstick, Revlon crystal lilac lipgloss, MAC Mocha blush (from the recent holiday collection, Sigma Flat Top Kabuki F80 Brush.

 

I've used Liz Earle for about 3-4 years now and this is one of the products that i've repurchased over and over again so its more of an all-time favourite but i've been using this every single day since just before christmas. I use my Liz Earle cleanse and polish, this, then my Liz earle skin repair light moisturiser every day and night and my skin always feels so soft afterwards. I prefer the spritzer bottle of this for mornings though, it wake me up a bit more!

Ahh my ever so faithful carmex! Such a good lip balm! I always use this under my lipsticks as well, although i tend to not use as much if the lipstick itself is moisturising as it makes the lipstick slide off easily.

Another Liz Earle product! I really am obsessed. This is amazing for those mornings where you wake up and your skin looks really tired and dull, it really brightens your skin. You get a tingly sensation when you use it (it says this is normal) and i absolutely love it, makes me feel so refreshed!

Another brand i'm obsessed with, MAC! In the winter months i tend to use more powder (no idea why) and  this makes sure my foundation doesn't look cakey. I just spray it about 3 times all over my face (from a bit of a distance) and it freshens my face and gives me a nice glow. Its nice to refresh your makeup with during the day as well so i always carry it in my handbag.

I am in loooove with this fragrance. I really bad at describing smells but its very sweet and coconutty, reminds me a lot of the drink, Malibu.Its gorgeous and i get compliments every single time i wear it.

This smells divine. Its so chocolatey and is such a lovely face mask. It makes my skin feel really smooth and really calms down my breakouts. 

I got this for Christmas in an Elemis set. My mum bought it me because i'm learning massage at beauty school and she thought it would be good for me to practice with (I'm sure she bought it just so i could practice on her haha!) but its not like normal oils where they seem to sit on your skin and make you feel greasy and horrible until you wash it off, it really soaks in. It smells absolutely beautiful and i gave my mum a massage with it and it made my hands really soft. ! Ooh and also, in cold temperatures it solidifies, so it lasts longer too! You just put it in a bowl full of hot (not boiling) water and leave it for about 5 minutes and it melts and you can use it.

Not much i can say about this other than it's a great powder that gives medium coverage. It sets my make-up but doesn't last ages, but i don't mind topping it up in the day anyway as i usually do that. 

This is soooo creamy and moisturising, its a really pretty colour and i've had a few compliments when i wear it and people asking what lipstick it is. Its the perfect everyday lipstick and i've worn it so much.

Techinally, i only bought this last week, but i've been wanting it forever and i'm so glad i got it, its such a pretty blue based pink, the perfect bright pink in my eyes! :)

I was reading The Sunday Girl's blog and she keeps mentioning Revlon Lip glosses, so i HAD to go and buy one, so glad i did. This is a gorgeous nude pink with a beautiful blue/purple shimmer. Its non-sticky as well. My camera hasn't picked up the shimmer as well as i hoped, sorry!

Swatches: Girl About Town, YSL 1 ( i think its called nude beige), Revlon Crystal Lilac.

This is MAC Mocha Blush that i got in the Fabulousy Festive Wintercool Face Kit from the holiday collection. Its a really pretty matte peachy pink. I forgot to swatch this one, sorry! But its in MAC's permanent range so you can check it out at your nearest counter. I've been wearing it everyday since i got it.

I am so glad i bought this brush. I use it for foundation but before i used the MAC 187, which i didn't feel was dense enough to apply foundation with and often left me with foundation streaks all over my face and it took me ages to blend it out in a morning. The F80 is suuuper dense, and although sometimes it feels a little too dense it's so much better than the MAC one. I haven't tried it for anything else yet but i can imagine it being amazing for cream blushers!

So those are my favourites of this month (and a little bit of last month since i didn't get round to doing a december favourites)

 

Let me know all of your favourites or link me to any favourites posts! I love reading them! Hope you're all okay, got a couple of reviews and other posts coming up soon as well :)

Love Amy x

MAC Haul!

Firstly, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Everyone says it, but i cannot believe another year is over, i hope you all had a great 2011 though and wish you all the best for 2012! :)

Recently, i've had a slight MAC obsession, as you will see. Some of the products were gifts from christmas (the kits and the studio fix powder) but the rest i bought myself . Btw, i love the new black and white MAC bags they give you now, they're so posh! (Don't know if its just my MAC counter that has only just got these in or what? haha)

Anyway, on to the good stuff.

Left to right: Wintercool Face Kit, Viva Glam Lip Bag, Iced Delights Wintercool Lip Bag, MSF Natural, Rebel Lipstick, Spiked Eyebrow Pencil, Studio Sculpt Foundation, Studio Fix Powder

Wintercool Face Kit

I am so impressed with this kit! You get a lot for your money and they have all lived in my make-up bag since christmas and i've used them non-stop! In it you get Mocha blush, Phloof, Quarry, Brun and Dance in the dark eyeshadows, Hot Gossip lipstick, Emancipation lipglass and 3 brushes.

Swatches: Quarry eyeshadow, Phloof eyeshadow, Mocha Blush, Emancipation Lipglass, Hot Gossip Lipstick, Dance in the Dark eyeshadow, Brun eyeshadow.

I've heard that the quality of the brushes you get in kits tend to be not as good as if you buy the individual mac brushes. The brushes aren't amazing, but they do their bit, and i was more interested in the actual products. The one thing i hate about the brushes though, are the glittery handles in this collection, they look so tacky! I have been wearing Hot Gossip Lipstick non-stop and i love it, its such a pretty darkish pink colour. Its one of those colours i reach for when i don't want a nude or a really bright lipstick on, its kind of in the middle. Even without the brushes, you still get a lot for what you pay for.

Viva Glam Lip Bag.

I actually asked for this because i was terrified of running out of my pink lady gaga lipstick, its one of my favourite lipsticks ever! Its perfect for when i want a nude lip but a pop of colour. Its such a pretty pink. My old lady gaga lipstick still has some left, but as they don't sell it individually anymore, i think it would be best to get it while its there :) the other lady gaga lipstickis a very brown nude, that looks awful on me, but doesn't  look too bad with a pink based lipgloss over the top, i must just suit pinker nudes. 

Swatches top to bottom: Viva Glam Gaga 2, Viva Glam Gaga.

Iced Delights Wintercool Lip Bag

This is the perfect nude lip bag for me. I've been wanting Creme d'nude for ages. 

Its really pretty and although i won't use the lip liner that much, i will use the lipstick and gloss. The gloss is a cremesheen glass in Fashion Whim and the lip liner is called Stripdown.

 Swatches top to bottom: Stripdown Pencil, Fashion Whim Cremesheen Glass, Creme d'nude lipstick.

MSF Natural in Light, Rebel Lipstick, Spiked eyebrow pencil, Studio Sculpt Foundation, Studio Fix powder. I got the studio fix powder for christmas and its amazing! it doesn't last me on an 8 hour shift at work but i don't have a problem with reapplying throughout the day. The coverage is amazing and it takes away shine instantly though, i love it. The other i bought myself. I'm in love with Rebel Lipstick, its by far one of my favourite lipsticks ever. I only bought studio sculpt foundation a few days ago, but i love it already! I've had the MSF Natural before, but the colour was too dark for me so i only use that when i've fake tanned. This one is in light and its perfect for me. The other is the eyebrow pencil in Spiked. Its really good, it doesn't rub off on me and its a great colour for my eyebrows.

Swatches: Spiked eyebrow pencil, Rebel Lipstick :)

So that's my Mac Haul! Hope you enjoyed.

I hope you all had a great New Year! I'll probably post next weekend now, since i have lots of college work to do, then i'm back at college wednesday, and also have to go to work. 

Hope you're all okay!

Love Amy xx