Trimming My Stash - March 2017 Ediiton - Empties And Mini Reviews

I know I'm a little bit late with this post but as I seem to say a lot, better late than never. As I mentioned in yesterday's post Spring is most definitely here, we've left March behind and warmer and sunnier days on hopefully on the horizon.

2017 isn't turning out to be the best of years for me so far, and unsurprisingly despite the best of intentions, and plans to be more positive about things, March to put it politely was pretty rubbish. I did have a few good days, and a few good things did happen, so at least I have something to build on in April, and as I keep saying life is all about finding the positives, no matter how hard they might to find. Anyways before I move forward and spend another month facing life's ups and downs, it's time to look back a bit, and talk about my March beauty empties x

The Body Shop Spiced Apple Shower Gel - 60ml
NIP + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads - 60 Pads
Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm - 50g
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g
MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara - Black - 9g

Total - 7 Items

It's fair to say that I haven't had the best of starts to the year (surprise, surprise) when it comes to empties, finishing only 2 products in January and 3 in February. I really gave it my best shot in March though, and thankfully I managed to finish 7 products, blowing my previous yearly total right out of the water - Go me! As pleased as I was to finish 7 items, I was also really pleased with the variety of products, that I finished, I finished a nice mixture of skin care, body care, and make up products, in fact the only thing that probably missing was a hair care product.

1. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Shower Gel - 60ml

I've spoken on many occasions about my love for The Body Shop's festive collections, and this Spiced Apple fragrance was one of their Christmas 2016 launches. I am a big fan of The Body Shop's shower gels, they always foam really nicely, and I don't find them drying and they don't leave me skin feeling sore or irritated. This is a particularly nice one, the Spiced Apple fragrance smells a little bit like apple pie with the sweet yet tart apple, and just a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and apple pie spices. I have to say I completely stocked up on all of The Body Shop fragrances in the sales so I have enough Spiced Apple and Frosted Berry fragrances goodies to last me till Christmas.

2. NIP + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads - 60 Pads

From one slightly niche product, to one that has an almost cult status. I've mentioned before how much I love the feeling of acids on my skin and this is another one of those products that can make an incredible difference to your skin in only a few uses. Basically they are slightly textured, cotton / fabric pads that are infused with glycolic and hyaluronic acids, and witch hazel. I normally use them at night, and all you do is just wipe the pad over clean dry skin, and let all of the active ingredients do their thing. If you like Alpha -H Liquid Gold you'd probably like these, they have a bit more oomph than Pixi Glow Tonic, and they can make your skin tingle a bit when you use them but it's definitely worth it. The aim of these pads is to re-texturise the skin and add brightness, and in my experience that's exactly what they do. Even after just a couple of days of use, my skin looks clearer, my spots seem to fade and I don't look quite as tired and washed out looking. These are something that I would definitely consider buying again, but in the meantime I was very kindly sent a tub of the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Extreme Pads to try and I've also recently picked up a pot of the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Acid Pads which are supposed to be a good, cheaper alternative. I will let you know what I think about both of these products in due course. 

3. Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm - 50g

For a couple of years I really didn't get the hype surrounding cleansing balms, I was very much a cream, a gel and a foam girl. I always associate balm type cleansers with oil, and having a oily prone skin, I honestly thought that using an oily product on my skin would make skin greasier. It's a common misconception I guess, and it's one that I can officially debunk, I now get facial oils, and I now get oil based, balm cleansers. My favourite is without a doubt Emma Hardie's Moringa Balm, but this Elemis one is a very close second, and just misses out on the top spot due to scent. It actually smells really good but I find it quite intoxicating at times, it crammed full of good for you oils and waxes, and essential oils including rose, geranium, orange and lavender. I tend to use it at night and when I want to remove make up, all you is just massage a small amount all over your face, then add a touch of water to transform it into a creamy milk, remove it with a warm, damp muslin cloth or a flannel and then rinse it away. This stuff takes off every scrap of make up with ease - I don't tend to use it on my eyes because of the essentials oils but that's a personal thing, it literally leaves my skin glowing, and feeling super smooth. I actually have a few of these in my skincare drawer (thanks to several QVC offers!) but it's something that I would happily repurchase x 

4. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Yup, items 4 and 5 aren't the most interesting, I've probably said everything about these wipes that I could ever say so all I'm going to add is that these wipes are amazing for clean ups in between swatch photographs, and the other day I took nearly 200 swatch photographs - A hint that maybe I have quite a few make up posts coming soon? - yes, I think so😉

6. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 300g

Another Spiced Apple item from The Body Shop, and by far my favourite product from the 2016 releases. Obviously it has the same fruity, spicy scent as the shower gel, only this time it's infused into an amazing sugar, body scrub. I'm not a fan of half hearted scrubs with finer than air grains, I love my scrubs to have a bit texture and whilst this wasn't a rough and scratchy scrub, the sugar grains were large enough, to make you feel as though you'd exfoliated. The sugar crystals were in a slightly oily base, which meant that this product was really easy to use, it was easy to rinse, and if left your skin feeling smooth and revived. Again I picked up a few of these in the sale, so again I should have enough pots to last me through till November / December time when this scrub will hopefully make a reappearance.

7. MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara - Black - 9g

Finally a make up item - okay it's a mascara not an eye shadow or a lipstick but it's still better than nothing. It's fair to say that my love affair with MAC Cosmetics is well and truly over. In the early days of this blog it safe to say that I and a lot of my contemporaries were MAC addicts, we knew the release dates of every single collection, we had our lists made ahead of time, and we knew almost to the second when the collection would launch online. I don't dislike the brand by any means and I still love a lot of their products, I just think that I reached saturation point, I was buying things for buying sake, not because I actually wanted them or I would actually use most of them. Looking back at myself now I could kick myself for how much money I used to spend every month purely on MAC. I've definitely learnt my lesson now and I only pick up things from the brand or ask for things that I really love. I'm not sure how long this mascara has been in my collection, but a few months ago I decided to open up the box and get it used. Innovative at the time and now much copied Haute and Naughty Lash basically offers you two different mascaras in the one tube. At first I thought it contained two brushes, but in fact a clever wiper system allows this mascara to give you two different effects in the one tube, a natural defined lash and something a bit more dramatic. I did actually quite like this mascara, the two effects were noticeably different, and it did make lashes look longer and thicker depending on how I used it. I did find it just a little bit clumpy though, and I did keep a lash comb and a cotton bud on hand, just in case, when I applied it. I'm not a 100% sure I would repurchase because of that but considering my experience with one of MAC's other mascaras Zoom Lash wasn't the best, this wasn't bad.

So they were March's empties, I'm hopefully going to keep up the good work in April and I'm going to try to at least equal March's total - Fingers crossed anyway x If you have any questions on any of the products that I've mentioned in this post, then please leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you x 

Trimming My Stash - November 2015 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

I'm a few days late with this one but never the less welcome to December. Despite it's often rubbish weather, its stresses and its strains, December is probably my favourite month of the year - I love Christmas and I love spending time with my family so it really is the perfect month for me especially when I'm feeling a bit mehh and need something to look forwards to.

November was a pretty sucky month in a lot of ways so I had a lot of showers and created as many pampering opportunities for myself  as I could and that's something that's definitely reflected in my November empties.

AVON Senses Wonderland Warm And Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml

Decelor Creme Exfoliante Exfoliating Body Care - 50ml

Beauticology Sweet Gingerbread Body Wash - 50ml

The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Shower Gel - 250ml

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - 500ml

Aldi Lacura Balancing Day Cream For Oily And Combination Skin - 50ml

St Tropez Tan Optimiser Body Polish - 120ml

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder - 9g

Total - 8 Items

November was pretty much all about body care, and if this empties list is to be believed I must have the cleanest and smoothest skin on planet earth! It wasn't all about scrubs and body washes though, I did manage to finish a skincare product and a make up item so despite being down on last months total I'm still pretty pleased.

1. AVON Senses Wonderland Warm And Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml

Towards the end of the month I switched my shower products up a bit and I started introducing some of my festive scents. There were a few half finishing products left over from last year and this shower gel from AVON was one of them. This had a lovely fruity, spicy fragrance, that just screamed Christmas, it was full of citrus and apple scents coupled together with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Alas AVON haven't made this product, this time round but I would definitely recommend their Snowman shaped bath soaks if you get the chance to give them a go.

2. Decelor Creme Exfoliante Exfoliating Body Care - 50ml

Even though I'm not exactly flashing my limbs around at the moment, I'm an avid body scrub user all year round. I found this during the bathroom renovation and I have to say I really enjoyed using it. This product is perfect for this time of year, it has a soft and creamy, subtle, almost shea butter scent and it feels fabulous on the skin. It's quite abrasive but the grains as suspended in a lovely, rich and creamy base, that seems to nourish the skin while you scrub. This scrub isn't cheap but it's something I wouldn't hesitate to repurchase and from someone who normally prefers oily, salt scrubs that's high praise indeed.

3. Beauticology Sweet Gingerbread Body Wash - 50ml

Another mini and another festive fragrance - this little body wash  is from Baylis & Harding's diffusion line Beauticology. This thick sparkly gel foams easily, and produces a lovely foam and a lovely subtle, and spicy, foodie gingerbread scent. I actually have another one of these to use up but if you're looking for a quirky, yet affordable beauty gift this Christmas, then I would definitely check out this product and the whole Beauticology line which is available from various retailers including Debenhams, Boots, and independent chemists.

4.The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Shower Gel - 250ml

Ahhh one of my favourite ever festive fragrances from The Body Shop - Vanilla Spice has a warm vanilla scent which is peppered with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, to give it that irresistible, Christmas baking type aroma. They aren't doing this fragrance and any of it's other reincarnations this year though, so I'll just have to stock up on the years fruit based offerings - I already love the apple, and cranberry scents and I can't wait to have a sniff of the new Frosted Plum fragrance. The Body Shop always do Christmas so well and I'm sure this year will be no exception.

5. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - 500ml

This body wash or rather the Sugar Crush fragrance in general has achieve an almost cult following over the years and it's not hard to see why. This super creamy body wash has the fabulous Sugar Crush fragrance - this fruity lime and citrus blend isn't as bright or as zingy as you think and to me it almost has a vanilla like warmth. I love it and I will continue to buy it and I'm hoping that I might find a bottle under my Christmas tree in 22 days time ;)

6. Aldi Lacura Balancing Day Cream For Oily And Combination Skin - 50ml

My favourite moisturiser is Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream - there is not a thing that I don't like about it bar maybe the price tag. It's something that I always ask for, for birthdays and for Christmas because quite simply I can't always justify buying it myself. QVC deals help but sometimes a budget option is the only way and this one in my opinion is one of the best. It's cheap, it smells nice, it has a light texture and it absorbs quickly. I really do like but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a regular stock item so I always stock up when I see it. Alas this was my last bottle, I do have one of the very, similar shimmery versions in my stash but I'm hoping upon hope that it makes a comeback.

7. St Tropez Tan Optimiser Body Polish - 120ml

This scrub was something that I picked up in Poundland of all places. I think it's discontinued now which probably explains it but I have to be honest and say even at a pound I wasn't overly impressed with it. It wasn't gritty enough, it took a bit of rinsing and I didn't like the smell. It was worth trying but that was about it 

8. MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder - 9g

A little while ago now, face powders that were white in appearance but had a translucent finish were the way to set your make up. When they first came out they were only available in high end lines but thankfully now they're available at all different price points. This one from MAC was one of the first ones that I ever saw. A little goes a long way and despite the fact that it can look a little floury at first, it blends nicely and leaves a nice matte finish. I do like this but at £20.50 I can't justify a repurchase at the moment, so over the next few months or so I'm going to be trying out a more budget, friendly alternative, but in the meantime I have another Back To MAC product so it's free lipstick time :)

As you can see it was a pretty shower product heavy month but it's always nice to finish things that have been hanging around for a while, even if you can't replace them. December is always a busy month but I'm hoping that I can finish the year with a bang, I'm already nearly out of a nail polish remover and a foundation so fingers crossed I can finish a nice mix of products. I hope you found this post useful, let me know if you have any questions and have a fab December x 

Trimming My Stash - September 2015 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Up until last night, September's Trimming My Stash performance could have been described in one word, rubbish! but 24 hours is a long time in football, and in beauty as it happens, so instead this month's empties total looks a little bit more respectable then maybe it could have done.

MAC Shadestick - Cakeshop -1.5g
Alpha H - Liquid Gold With Glycolic Acid - 50ml
My Little Beauty Sailor Scrub - Salty Fresh - 75ml
Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo - 60ml
Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner - 60ml
Total - 5 Items 

5 items doesn't exactly equal a vintage performance but it's way better than the 3 that it would have been this time yesterday. Nothing was exactly huge in size but still I finished a good variety of things even if the make up item is a tiny bit of a cheat and  I've also been good and not included the Agadir Argan Oil sachets that I finished a few weeks ago - bottles, jars, tubes and full sized sachets only :)

1. MAC Shadestick - Cakeshop - 1.5g

Released many moons ago as part of the Sugarsweet collection, Cakeshop was a beautiful, taupey, silvery, green, cream shadow in a stick. I know Shadesticks weren't that popular with a lot people, which is probably why they were discontinued, but I quite liked them. They were ideal for lazy people like me, just scribble a bit on your eyelid, blend out really quick and you're good to go. They also made quite a decent base for powder shadows because they weren't too wet or too creamy. I must admit I haven't shown this one a lot of love lately, so it was no surprised that when I went to use it today that last half an inch was dry and crumbly :( It's a shame because this was a really nice colour - ah well at least I have another Back 2 MAC item x You can see some pictures of my Shadestick collection including this shade here x

2. Alpha H Liquid Gold With Glycolic Acid - 50ml

I love, love, love the feeling of acids and exfoliating toners on my skin. I'm prone to quite uneven and bumpy skin, and I have quite large and visible pores so I find that they really with the texture and the feel of my skin. I've used quite a few now but I keep coming back to Liquid Gold. I personally don't feel much of a tingle when I use it anymore but I can still feel, and see the difference when I use it. Acids and liquid exfoliants are a huge part of my skincare routine now, and whilst Alpha H is a brand I'll keep coming back to (I already have another large bottle in my stash), I'm always keen to try new things and I'm currently waiting for some Pixi Glow Tonic from QVC, and I have a little bottle of Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting Lotion to use, so I'm well prepared for all skin texture emergencies.

3. My Little Beauty Sailor Scrub - Salty Fresh - 75ml

I'm a huge body scrub lover and I particularly love salt scrubs so I really pleased to get this own brand product in a recent My Little Box. This easy to massage, salt scrub, had a lovely fresh, but not overpowering, fresh, aquatic fragrance. It was a nice gritty scrub. that was strong enough to give you a decent scrub but it wasn't too scratchy or harsh. I really liked this and if it was more readily available I might consider a repurchase x

4. Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo - 60ml
5. Bumble And Bumble Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner - 60ml

I was sent both of these products to review and I recently posted a full review which you can see here. I'd love it if you'd have a read but in case you don't fancy all I'll say is that I was impressed enough with both of the products to make a little Space NK purchase x

So from 3 to 5 in 24 hours, sometimes you just have to focus and try and use a few things up. I'm really hoping, well I already know that October is bound to be better, I'm nearing the end of 3 skincare products, and a fragrance, so fingers crossed I'll end 2015 with a few decent months. Have you tried any of the products that I finished this month? Let me know your thoughts x

Trimming My Stash - October 2014 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hi Everyone - Welcome To November - It's so hard to believe that there are only two months of the the year left, and it's scarier still when you think that there are only about 8 weekends till Christmas!-Where on earth has this year gone?

Like every month of 2014, in October I counted my empties and tried to trim my stash, and use up as many beauty products as I could. I already know that I'll be way down on last years figure but I'm still pretty happy with how October went.

MAC Blot Powder - Medium - 12g
Cien Nail Polish Remover Classic - 200ml
Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange & Clove Bud - 250ml
Elemis Jasmine And Rose Milk Bath - 290ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash - 125ml
Nair Hair Removal Cream - 100ml
Total - 7 Items

Yes I finished 7 items in October which is one more than I did in September. I also finished a nice mix of products including body care, skin care and make up.

1. MAC Blot Powder - Medium - 12g

Yeah a Back To MAC ! Although MAC MSF Natural gets all the love and the plaudits, I prefer MAC Blot Powder. For me MSF Natural is just a bit too powdery. Blot Powder in my opinion is way better for finishing make up and taking down shine, without adding an awful lot of colour, or chalkiness. The shades are a little bit odd and medium would easily be classed as a light in most other brands but the finish is nice, it can be applied with a puff or a brush and it lasts quite a long time. Would I repurchase? To be honest at the minute the price of £20.50 is a bit prohibitive, so I'm going to be trying out some cheaper alternatives, but I would definitely consider repurchasing.

2. Cien Nail Polish Remover Classic - 200ml

A budget buy courtesy of Lidl - Although admittedly it did cost slightly more than my usual Superdrug remover ;) There are two different variants of this product this one that contains acetone, and an acetone free version which I also have. I meant to review these for you but for some reason I never got round to it. For a product containing acetone I actually found this product quite moisturising, and it certainly didn't leave the nails, white or chalky. I also love the push down, salon style dispenser. It was easy to use, and a lot safer spillage wise. Whilst I'm going to try to reuse the bottle, and the polish remover worked pretty well I don't think I'll repurchase - the reason? the smell! Described as a having a light almond fragrance, this product to me, reeks of marzipan and I hate marzipan!! It scented my nails, my hands and the bathroom, and it lingered it. Nice product, brilliant bottle, shame about the smell.

3. Bentley Organic Handwash With Cinnamon, Sweet Orange & Clove Bud - 250ml

This was a product that I reviewed for My Pure x You can read my full review here x

4. Elemis Jasmine And Rose Milk Bath - 290ml

A product from one of the Elemis sets that I always get (wahoo!) for my birthday and  for Christmas. I love the original Skin Nourishing Milk Bath formulation, and whilst this one isn't quite as versatile, the smell is to die for and it leaves your skin feeling super soft. It was a QVC exclusive for quite while and this size and a smaller one are still available in some all be it pricey sets but a larger 400ml size is also now available from Debenhams from a pretty scary £40! It a lovely product for a really pampering bathing, experience but for the price, it's pretty hard to justify, although if Santa's listening - Pretty please!

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Need I say anything else about there? Look them up, they contain tea tree oil, and their great for emergency, cleansing and refreshing, and for cleaning up swatches.

6. Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash - 125ml

This was either a magazine freebie or a beauty box product. Although the range can be quite highly scented I really like Balance Me products and this was no different. It was a really nice body wash, it smelled nice and it wasn't drying. My only gripe is that smell was more rose geranium, rather than pure rose, but it was still nice and I would potentially repurchase x

7. Nair Hair Removal Cream - 100ml

The most basic one they do courtesy of my local branch of Poundland, and a real essential for me. I don't get on with shaving at all, and depending on my spoonie status, I don't always have the energy or can't stand the pain of waxing or epilating. The does the job and I don't find it too drying. I also quite naughtily use it on my face, because in my experience the facial versions just don't cut it on my thick, dark hair. I've already repurchased and will continue to do so x

So they were my October empties x I'm hoping I can do equally well in November and finish a similar variety of products. I already have a couple of skincare products and a mascara that I know I'll finish, so who knows what else.

Do you have a blog or a You Tube channel, where you do regular empties posts or videos? If you do leave me the link below x  Thanks for reading x

Back To MAC Via Mail - An Update

Quite a while ago I wrote a post about the Back To  MAC scheme by mail, well this is the updated version :)

Although I've fallen a little bit out of love with MAC over the last few years, they're still a great brand with a fabulous range of innovative, quality products, and the Back To MAC scheme is just the icing on the cake. For those of you who aren't aware  Back To MAC is basically a way of rewarding customer loyalty, and helping the environment at the same time.

All you do is take 6 MAC empties (they don't have to be empty) to your nearest MAC counter and exchange them for a full sized lipstick. The only requirements are that the empties must be from full sized products so no minis, samples, or accessories, and your free lipstick must be from the permanent, main line, so you can't get for example a Viva Glam, a Pro Longwear Lipstick, a Sheen Supreme Lipstick,  or a Mineralize Rich Lipstick, and it goes without saying that you can't get anything in special packaging.

What if you don't live near to a MAC counter though, then what happens? and what happens if your counter won't take depotted packaging, i.e. pots without their metal pans? Well as I posted about many moons ago there is a solution. If your in the UK you can post your empties to MAC so they can exchange them for a brand new lipstick.

You can now post up to 24 empties at anyone time - all you need to do is enclose a letter with your name and address, and a list of of the lipsticks that you would like. I've always received my first choices but they do advise that you give them a few options just in case.

The address is that same as before but the contact has changed :)

FAO Ann Marie
BACK TO M·A·C
CONSTELLATION HOUSE
UNIT 3, KITES CROFT
WARSASH ROAD
FAREHAM
HAMPSHIRE
PO14 4FL  

It normally takes a few weeks for your lipsticks to be dispatched but if you have any queries customer services on the MAC website should be able to help.

I'm just about at my 6 empties, so my only problem now is which lipstick to choose - decisions, decisions x I hope this post was helpful x Thanks for reading x

My Nail Polish Collection - MAC

We all now about my love for MAC make up, you don't ? well stay tuned for a series of posts on my MAC collection but what you maybe don't know is that I also have a bit of a thing for MAC nail polishes. The quality sometimes isn't all that I admit but they certainly make up for it in colours, and textures. I have to apologise in advance that the majority of these colours are now discontinued, in fact the first couple of polishes are so ancient they come in different packaging (from 1999 - 2001 ish!) eek - lets get started and don't forget to click the polish names to see some nails of the days.

From left to right Shag and ???

 I can find a name on the bottle of the poor colour on the left so I felt it deserved an nails of the day in this post - I love purple :) (The lovely Charlie - Lady of the Lane has suggested this may be Grid and do you know what I think it is!- thanks lovely xx)

Now back to modern day packaging :)

From left to right  - On The Prowl, Dry Martini, Seriously Hip and Bad Fairy

Again from left to right - Formidable, Kid Orange, Beyond Jealous and Biker Blue

Finally the newest kid on the block - MAC and Gareth Pugh - Ascension

Yet another colour that I think deserves a nails of the day in this post x It's looking quite lilac / purple here but it's shot through with golds, greens and blues

I've also took a few slightly out of focus pictures in different lighting so you can see how it changes x

The quality of MAC nail polish can be a bit hitty missy some apply like a dream some not so well. For a cosmetic brand nail polish thought they aren't badly priced, at £9.00 for 10ml, (although in recent collections I have noticed a price rise boo) maybe Chanel could learn a thing or two from MAC. Do you have any MAC nail colours ? and what do you think?

My MAC Collection - Beauty Powders, MSF's, and More

I thought it was about time for a new post in my MAC collection series, and sorry for sounding a little arrogant but this one was worth waiting for. I've really enjoyed having a play with this little lot, and I've definitely rediscovered a few forgotten gems. So what's this post about, my MSF,s, my Beauty Powders, my blusher kits, loose cheek colours, and some more blushers :) - basically cheek colour porn!

We'll start Mineralized Skin Finishes - I have 6 of these, well actually 7 I have a back up of Lightscapade :) but I have to say these 3 are my favourites and probably the ones I use most often

From Left to Right - By Candlelight, Lightscapade and Porcelain Pink - These are definitely my 3 favourites and I tend to wear these for highlighting etc. at least 80 percent on the time. I do own 3 others but I definitely haven't shown them as much love as I should, maybe now is the time to step out of my comfort zone - From Left To Right - Redhead, Semi Precious Rose Quartz, and Petticoat

I probably should have included this next item in my blusher post, but I've put it here instead, it is in fact the only Mineralize Blush, that I own, and I'm sure if you've read my blog for sometime you'll know which one it is...

Moon River of course, originally released with the Grand Duo's collection, this is one of my go to, shimmery winter blushers, the lovely icy pink / peach looks especially lovely on my skin when I'm pale. As you can see I've made a bit of a dent in this one, but no need to panic I have a back up :)

This next item of beauty is a Blush Ombre, I know these were much talked about when they were  originally released in 2010 as part of the Spring Color Forecast collection but it wasn't Ripe Peach that I went for, instead it was Azalea Blossom

This blush has the most amazing texture it is so smooth and velvety, I love the colour too, an icy purple and a gorgeous pale, mix together to create the most amazing blue toned pink, again a really nice colour to use on my skin in the winter months x If you love this blush, you'll be pleased to know that it is set to make a reappearance next year in the MAC Daphne Guinness collaboration :)

Perhaps one of the most popular and released cheek products in the MAC range, has to be Beauty Powders. I have quite a few of these mainly in limited edition designs and limited edition packaging, dare I say it though they all seem to be in very similar colours - whoops! First up the Beauty Powders from MAC Venomous Villains

From Left To Right -  Oh So Fair, Briar Rose and Her Own Devices, I probably use Briar Rose the least, but it's such a pretty pink I definitely need to show it some more love x  Next two more Beauty Powders in limited edition packaging

                                     

                                     

On the left, Shell Pearl from Give Me Liberty Of London and on the right, Pretty Baby from Hello Kitty. These look quite similar in the picture but they are a little different in real life Shell Pearl is a peach tone with lots of gold pearl, and Pretty Baby is more of a soft nude pink, with a tiny bit of gold shimmer. If I'm being honest I don't use this Pretty Baby that often, I know I'm sad but I don't want to ruin the Hello Kitty design. Finally 2 Beauty Powders that aren't in limited edition packaging, but like Pretty Baby they do features an embossed design

 I have to be honest and say that some Beauty Powders aren't the most pigmented, and this is particularly evident here. On the left is Blush Of Youth from Rose Romance, it's a gorgeous pale pink shade but the pigmentation is so bad you have to almost scrape it to get some coverage. On the right is Alpha Girl, I got this one from Fashion Flower so you can see the lovely floral, embossing on the powder, again the pigmentation isn't great but its a lovely peachy, coral shade.

Now for a few of the miscellaneous cheek products I have, first up an Iridescent Pressed Powder

                                      

Originally released with Fafi For MAC, Verve-Acious, is lovely yellow gold with loads of sparkle in it. Despite all the glitter and sparkle I'm surprised at how much of this I've actually used. It's really pretty but it isn't really something you can wear in the daytime, it's just a bit too glittery for that.

Speaking of sparkles and glitter, I also own the MAC Hocus Focus Colourful Face Kit, part of the 2009 Holiday Collection.

From left to right this kit contains, Pretty Baby, and Sunsparked Pearl Beauty Powders, and Peachykeen Powder Blush. This kit has some really nice shades in it, and it's one I use quite a bit, oh and this is the Pretty Baby I use so I don't destroy my Hello Kitty design :)

From pressed powders to loose ones starting with something long discontinued, a Pearlizer Sheer Pigment from the 2005 Belle Azure collection

Hundered Degrees Pearlizer is something I had forgotten about, but I'm really glad to have rediscovered it, it's a gorgeous champagne, pink shade great for highlighting eyes or cheeks.

Finally a product that can be used either as a highlighter, or as a finishing powder, Magically Cool Liquid Powder

I originally purchased this from the Venomous Villains collection, but I believe it's now a permanent item. The colour I have is Truth and Light, a sheer neutral with a subtle silver and pink shimmer. I predominantly use this as a very light highlight but you can also use it as an all over finishing powder for a glowy, healthy finish. The formulation is a bit of a gimmick to be honest but it is nice and cool applying it in the summer. I've heard a few stories about the cool effect wearing off when the tub has been open a while but I've had mine for over a year now and it's still fine, I think the key is not to dispense too much product at once :)

So that's the rest of my MAC cheek colour collection, quite substantial I'm sure you'll agree, if I'm being honest I don't think I really need anymore, in fact I've even started to buy pretty similar colours which is always a bad sign. What do think of my collection and is there anything missing from it ? Please let me know in the comments :) The next post in My MAC Collection series, will also be a Nail Polish Collection post, so guess that I'm looking at ? yes nail varnish lol, that will hopefully be up next week xx