Mac Mineralize Skin Finish: Centre of Attention

I bagged this gorgeous Mac compact in America back in May for just $23, and I've been excited to try it and review it ever since. I just love the colours and thought it would look gorgeous lightly dusted over my makeup.

Here are swatches of the powder, first the gold bronze, then pink sheen and finally both mixed together, which I think looks gorgeous. While this looked absolutely great on my wrist, I didn't find that it transferred well to my face at all for some reason. Maybe I haven't give it enough of a chance or am being too shy with it, but I just don't see much difference bar a very subtle shimmer when I wear it. 

I couldn't even take a decent enough picture of it applied on my face - not overly impressive. I'm going to persevere with this for a while and be a bit more heavy handed when applying it in future in the hope I'll be happy with the result, but as it stands - and it pains me to say it since it's so priddy - I wouldn't recommend this.



Have you tried this compact? What did you think? Do you recommend any other Mac Mineralize compacts?

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New Look haul

I was back in the UK last weekend, and since there are no Topshops, New Looks, River Islands, etc. here in Switzerland or France, it's always a given that I sneak in a cheeky little shopping trip while I'm back. I've discovered it's seriously dangerous living away from the typical UK high-street shops, as I always feel an urge to spend, spend, spend whenever I'm back to make up for the time away. However, a partially strict spending ban is now imposed for a wee while, while I recover from the latest splurge.

Since I bought a few things from New Look, I figured I'd better dedicate a whole post to it, so here goes...

I didn't realize it but it looks like checked stuff is coming back in for autumn/winter...or maybe it never went out? The shops seem to be full of it, and I picked up these two little bad boys as soon as I laid my eyes on them.

This dark blue check shirt is sheer and more formal in style with its chiffon material, so I'll be wearing this for work; I'm looking forward to pairing it with a black cami and some black trousers or a black pencil skirt if I can find one to snap up! I think it will look nice either buttoned up or open.

This white checked half-sleeved shirt is much more informal and definitely one to wear open or casually wrapped around the waist. The material is thicker and more 'woolen' to touch compared to the one above, and I love the splash of coral; it sets off the navy blue and cream perfectly.

I'm not quite done with the checked stuff yet it seems. I love this cute black and white mini skirt; it features a little faux wrap-around effect, which adds a bit of a unique touch to an otherwise simple skirt. I think it'll be lovely for autumn/winter with some tights and ankle boots. It's a soft-to-touch woolen material and pretty smart, so I'm looking forward to wearing it for work. I like the thought of smartening up for work...I've all too often got into habits of wearing the same old stuff and trying to 'save' my 'nicer' clothes for the weekend, but I figure I spend most of the week's hours at work so why not make a bit of an effort if I fancy it? :)

I have to admit I only picked up this cami after seeing it situated by the skirt; visual merchandising at its very best! Some (like New Look themselves) would call this yellow...I call it mustard, and I think it goes perfectly with the skirt. I'll probably pair it with a simple black cardigan or jacket so as not to clash too much with the skirt, but I think it will brighten up my winter wardrobe a treat!

What do you think of my buys? How would you wear each piece? I'm always looking for new ideas to wear things, so I'd love to hear from you!

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Colmar, France

The sun has been showing it's bootiful glowing face here recently, so off out for a local adventure we went. I'd heard Colmar was a beautiful little town to visit (one of the driest because of its clever positioning beside big-ass mountains, which keep the clouds at bay - just call me Michael Fish), and it's only a 40-minute drive from us, so it was perfect for a Saturday day out.

First things first, here's a wee OOTD selfie, mainly because I was super excited to wear this dress properly for the first time; I tried it here but turns out the sun didn't want to stay out so I didn't stay in it for long!

Moving swiftly on :) ...Situated in north-eastern France to the east of the Vosges mountains, Colmar is the third biggest town in the Alsace region. Its gorgeous climate has helped cement its place as the bigtimer of the Alsatian wine region; alas, I didn't get to test this theory out so I shall be returning fo sho.

If you're into your architecture, this place really is a little beauty, especially for gothic and renaissance. Giant St Martin's Church is a perfect example...

The pretty Maison Pfister is also a well-known example of renaissance architecture in Colmar, built of stone and wood. I love the pretty bay-window-type design at the front.

They even have their own little town sightseeing trains for the keen beans (that's usually me, but Mike persuaded me to wander instead!)

We stopped for a light lunch at this lovely local restaurant and dined al fresco style...had to be done! I tried to eat light since I knew we'd be going out in the evening (post on that here), but the quiche was mahoosive and too good to leave!

We also popped into the covered market (or marché couvert), which is a lovely place to gorge on cheese, wine and nibbles of all kinds, as well as pick up some cute sourvenirs. I really wanted to pop back and pick up some local cheese but didn't get a chance in the end.

If the day couldn't get any more lovely, we came across a lovely jazz band on our wander back to the car...I love a bit of live music!

Shortly followed by these two beauties; love how the grey one is giving the other one a cheeky little nibble. 

I genuinely can't believe how PRETTY Colmar is...I LOVE the bright colours of the buildings and the gorgeous flowers dotted throughout the town. It really is the prettiest place I've visited so far in France.

What do you think of Colmar? Would you be tempted to visit if you haven't already? I'd love to hear what you think.

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OOTD: Playsuit fun at 800º Premium Steakhouse, Basel

It was my mum's birthday last week so what better way to celebrate than be wined and dined in a lovely Basel restaurant, 800º Premium Steakhouse?

Before we left, my mum took a few photos of me in this Topshop playsuit (I can only find this ivory one online now), which I nabbed for £20 in the sale recently. I paired it with a skinny black waist belt and my trusty Primark wedges. My sister and boyfriend were also there so you'll notice I'm laughing nervously as they were taking the mick while I posed. I do always feel a bit uncomfortable taking these kinds of pictures but, at the same time, I love seeing what other people wear when they go out so hopefully some people might like seeing the same on my little blog - regardless of how un-model-like I look. Perfection can be boring sometimes right? 

The restaurant itself was lovely; positioned in Messeplatz, the economic hub of Klein Basel, it's quite small and a new find for us, so we were excited to try it. The service wasn't too 'in your face'; while they were attentive, we weren't constantly checked up on or hurried along, so it was nice and meant we could take our time and enjoy each course in our own time.

For starters, I had the tuna, which was thinly sliced and lightly seared. It was absolutely beautiful and served with a cute little pipette of soy sauce, some wasabi dotted around the place and - presumably as a palate cleanser - a little pot of ice cream, though it was lightly flavoured with a hint of wasabi, which was interesting.  

My boyfriend had prawns wrapped in bacon, something I've never really thought to mix together before, but - again - beautiful and topped off nicely with a marie rose sauce.

Onto the mains, and my boyfriend had the giant T-bone steak (below left), while I opted for the Wagyu steak, which comes from a Japanese breed of cattle, known to be the most expensive and exclusive domestic cattle in the world. In fact, it was formerly nicknamed the Mayor's meat since it was often reserved for such dignitaries, so errr just call me Mayor Danielle from now on (thanks). The fat is distributed evenly through the meat, giving it a marbled effect and ensuring its quality. I'm a big steak fan so I thought it would be nice to try this, and it was definitely worth it; so rich tasting and different from the usual sirloins or fillets I go for.

We shared truffle oil hand-cut fries and broccoli with pine nuts, both of which were delicious. It always amazes me how the smallest of touches (i.e., the pine nuts and truffle oil) can really top off the taste of something.

Of course, dessert was in order, so we shared this flaming crème brûlée, which was ever so slightly too alcohol-tasting for my liking and not quite as 'crispy' on top as I usually love, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

What do you think of this OOTD? How do you accessorise playsuits? Do you like the look of the 800º steakhouse? I'd love to hear from you!

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W7 Chunky Lips: Sultry

I've been showing W7 a lot of attention lately, predominantly because they kindly sent me some products to review, and I've been enjoying testing each and every one of them out. You may have noticed I waffle on far too much and find it difficult to avoid using 10 words when one will do, so individual posts on these W7 products is definitely doing your poor eyes a favour (if anyone is reading that is!).

The market has been pretty flooded with these crayon-style lip products; I personally don't see much difference in formula between these and lipstick, apart from the packaging, but it's refreshing to try something new. Here's a swatch of W7's Chunky Lips Sultry* shade...

It's a gorgeous hot pink shade, which is lovely if you're looking for some serious colour. I was very pleasantly surprised by the smooth and easy application; with budget products, there's always a niggling doubt that they'll be awful and disappointing. While some unfortunately are, this - for me - wasn't in terms of formula. It's not as matte as I initially thought, but the subtle shine adds a pleasant glow.

At £4.95, this is cheaper than some others on the market, and the ever-so-slight rattly tube and loose twist applicator gives this away, but I can handle this when the product itself is good. I've tried the Revlon and Clinique version of these products, so it was nice to try a budget version out to see how it compared. I plan on doing a comparison post of these three to see how they compare, so keep your eyes peeled for that! 

What do you think of lip crayons? Do you like this W7 one? Have you tried their products before? I'd love to hear from you!

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*sent to me free of charge for review purposes

Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes

When I was contacted by Sarah at Younique about the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes* set, I was intrigued and excited to try it out. I'd never seen a product like it before, and I'm ALWAYS keen to try new mascaras, in case you hadn't already guessed from previous posts (Miss Manga, Makeup Revolution and W7 Souffle).

The set arrived in a smart little leather-style casing, engraved wih Younique's logo - a nice touch and handy to keep both tubes in one place. A little guide was also included, and I have to say that I felt a little overwhelmed initially: a mascara that comes with a special instruction sheet. Should it really involve this much effort? I did wonder if it would be worth it, especially as I quite like to get up and go in the mornings; however, on second thoughts, it was helpful to receive these instructions as this isn't your average mascara after all.







The set consists of transplanting gel (which to me seemed just like a normal mascara) and a tube of natural fibers (from green tea of all things!), which you apply straight after the 'transplanting gel' before it dries. For a better and more long-lasting effect, the guidance recommends you apply a coat of your usual mascara before using this set. I did feel like using a separate mascara of your own beforehand slightly defeated the point, but it seems this is optional.

So, here are some applied pics. I've included a set of before pictures so you can see the difference (note: the before ones include one light layer of mascara as advised).

I was slightly apprehensive of the dreaded 'spider'-lash effect with the slightly more intricate application involved, but I do think it's all in the way you apply and what look you want to achieve. While it was ever so slightly clumpy, I was really happy with the finished look and did feel much more glam than usual. I loved the intensity of the black too. Usually, to me, black is just black, but this somehow seemed 'blacker'!

Here are some snaps of me wearing it on two different occasions.

The mascara and fibers are water-resistant, so I was expecting a bit of a removal struggle (not a fan of the panda-eye look), but I felt this washed off pretty easily with warm water and cleanser.

All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised by this set. While it looks like a lot of effort; once you know what you're doing, it's a doddle, and I'll definitely be using this on nights out when I want my eyes to stand out. In fact, as you can see I've already used it more than once; the before and after pictures were taken the second time I used it (this weekend for my mum's birthday).

Younique will be launching in the UK from 1st October, so I'm intrigued to see how their products will be received! What do you think of these Younique 3D Fiber Lashes? Are they something you'd get on board with? I'd love to hear what you think.

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*sent to me free of charge for review purposes