Highlighter was something I wasn't even aware of before I started blogging so Mac Mineralise Skin Finish Soft and Gentle was definitely a case of 'The Blogger Made Me Buy It', it seems to be something many a blogger uses regularly.  I purchased this way back in September 2012 when I had my first Mac make up application, thankfully purchasing this was a massive positive from the negative experience.

Protected by classic Mac packaging this champagne highlight is a delight to have in my make up bag, it's perfect for carrying around in my handbag,  until recently it has never given me any grief regarding security due to the click close seal.  I say until recently, this will be two years old in September and the click close has unfortunately given up ghost so now my beloved Soft and Gentle stays at home when I'm out and about.

The velvet soft, blendable formula makes this very easy to use and work with, this is proven by the fact that I use this every single day.  Its one of those products that I don't really have to put much thought into application, I just buff into my cheek bones, brow bone, and centre of my face, anywhere that the light would naturally hit.  If I'm going out somewhere special and want to make more of an effort with contouring I also add this to my cupids bow and inner corner of the eye and to my collar bones to add a bit of interest to the area.  The name 'Soft and Gentle' gives the impression that this mineralise skin finish would be similar in texture to the setting powders of the same line but the product itself is actually slightly finer milled ensuring just the right amount of product is picked up by your favourite highlighting brush.

I love how this makes it so simple to achieve healthy looking complexion in seconds, with it making my quest of how to contour a winning battle I truly believe this is worth all the hype it gets.  I have been using this on my skin every time I apply make up, to ensure that glow, for nearly eighteen months now and as you can see in the photographs there is still mountains of product left, making the £22.00 price tag slightly more justifiable.  I say slightly as this is still a lot of money to spend on one product for your skin so I may try and get my hands on, the similar and more affordable, Prestige Cosmetics Mineral Bronzing Powder.  

Mac eye shadows were something I could never walk past without having a look and covering my hand(s) in swatches but for a long time the number of colours just overwhelmed me and I could never decide which to buy.  This was until last summer when I visited the Mac store on Canon Street, Birmingham.

Having just dyed my hair from brown to a more daring plum, I wanted shades that would work well with my hair and compliment my green eyes. As soon as I set eyes on the eyeshadow stand I was drawn to purples, lilacs and deep aubergines. 

After browsing independently for a few moments I was approached by a very welcoming sales assistant, I explained what I was looking for and she brought my attention to a range of different shades,  the lady was so helpful and gave me the best service I had ever experienced in a Mac store.  I eventually, after much deliberation,  choose four shades.

I feel that the four colours I chose compliment each other well and can be used separately for a more simplistic look or together for something more dramatic. 

Phloof - I choose this off white shimmery shade for use as a base, blender and for highlighting the inner corner and brow bone.  I find it works very well for all of these uses and needs very little blending to get my desired finish.  One thing that confirmed that this had to be in my palette was the name, it makes me giggle.

Fig 1 - This is the only matte shade I chose for this quad and with good reason too, I mainly chose this to mix with my usual brow powder to match the colour of my hair better, since getting this home I have used it for my eyebrows most days but also as a definer and crease colour.  Being a matte formula it takes slightly more work to blend when using it on the eyelid and is the only shade in my palette with any fall out,  but that was to be expected being a matte shade. 

Nocturn-Elle - I love this colour so much, described as a pinked up chrome purple on the Mac website, I couldn't describe it better.  I love creating a purple smokey eye using this in the crease and along the bottom lash line.  The shimmer isn't too much but perfect to give a look more dimension.  I love the way this blends so effortlessly.

Stars N' Rockets - I had seen this in so many blogs and You Tube tutorials before I had swatched it in store and as soon as it was on my skin I new it had to be mine, it was the first colour I chose for my palette, all the other colours were chosen to compliment this.  I would describe it as a light purple with an iridescent shimmer running through it.  What I love most about this colour is how build able it is, one layer will create a subtle hint of colour but with two layers it becomes really eye catching.

 

All of the shades are beautifully pigmented and a delight to use, although creating this quad has left me with a big problem!  I now have a wish list for so many other shades.  The five that are at the top of that wish list are; satin taupe, sketch, coppering, cranberry and expensive pink, but those will have to wait until my next visit to the UK.

Which Mac eye shadows do you own?  If you have blogged about your Mac shadows/palettes please leave me the links below I would love to read them.

As always thanks for reading

Gemma

x

Now you all probably thought I had disappeared off the face of the Earth, which I did for a little while but this was for good reason.  If you have read my blog for a while you may know that I am originally from Inverness, Scotland and that I had moved here to be with my boyfriend in August 2011, well unfortunately we split up at the end of June.  In all honesty I think it was a good decision and even though at the time it felt horrendous and that everything in the time we had been together had been a waste of time, I am now looking at it as a lesson.  Yes I broke down, yes I cried and yes I missed him to start with but after the initial hurt, confusion, loneliness I started to realise it had been over for a long time and ending it was the best decision I have ever made.  I'm not going to go into it too much more but I will tell you how much I have been enjoying the independence this has given me.

I now feel that without the added responsibility of having to keep a man boy happy i have been able to concentrate on other aspects of my life in greater detail.  I have spent more time with friends and made lots of new ones, drank unacceptable amounts of alcohol, danced my way through the weekends, worked harder than ever, spent all the money in the world on things I didn't need and dyed my hair a crazy colour but the main thing I have done is have fun!  I think being in the monotonous routine of a long fizzled out relationship I forgot that I was only 21 and should be having fun, but believe me I am making up for it now.

As I lived with my ex I could no longer live with him and if it had not been for one of the best friends a girl could ask for I would probably still be with him, Katie, without even realising, gave me the best gift a friend ever could, a place to live and in a round about way a way out! I moved in with Katie the day I left and it has been amazing, pamper days, sharing our beauty treats, eating too much chocolate are part of our weekly routine. Katie's boyfriend lives here too which is always a bonus when he invites his brother round, a little bit of eye candy never hurt anyone.  We all share the house with the cutest little kitten, Chuck, having a fluffy little animal running around all day is brilliant, I may have fallen in love with him slightly.

Now it is a known fact that after  break up it is common for girls to change their hair, I did colour my hair very soon after my break up but I had been thinking about the colour for over eight months it just took a new found confidence to finally get it done.  I wanted plum hair and plum hair is exactly what I got.  Iv recently gone a bit crazy for the colour purple and my hair is a slightly more vibrant plum colour and can look really purple in some lights, I love it so much! I got the cut and colour done at Birmingham's Francesco Group Academy which I have posted about before (you can read the post here).



I have attended a couple of events recently including  VintSetFest.   The VintSetFest was held at the Custard Factory in Birmingham it was amazing, hand on heart the best event I have ever been to.  I enjoyed the relaxed but professional atmosphere all night and genuinely didn't want the evening to end.  The brands that attended were fabulous and my highlight of the night was speaking to Mark from Macadamia Oil and I even treated myself to some products.  The panel including ladies from Clothes Show Live and ASOS was a really nice way to break up the evening, the experts were asked questions that all the bloggers attending had previously sent before the event.  The band towards the end of the evening just finished it off nicely, this was such a well put together event and i hope there will be many more.



I mentioned above that I treated myself to some new Macadamia Oil products, well it didn't really stop there.  I have been treating myself a lot recently because I used to save a lot of my money so myself and  my ex could do things as a couple but now its all about me. One of my favourite buys is definitely my Mac Palette, I have wanted one for such a long time and love it dearly so will definitely be reviewing this in full very soon. One thing I need to mention is the amazing customer service I received when choosing my eye shadows, the lady at the Birmingham Canon Street store is a credit to the company and if all Mac employees showed the same enthusiasm and helpfulness my attitude towards their continual appalling customer service would be transformed.


So with all these new cosmetics to try out I needed somewhere to go. Friday 26th July was the day Miss Charl, Lil Miss Chickas and myself were reunited, thank all of the gods.  We started the night off at the Birmingham Institute where Charl introduced us to her recent obsession, The Ratells (check them out on You Tube and Twitter).  The Ratells  are a band that she has been telling me about for a few months now and I only wish we had ventured to see them before this night as I was late and missed them perform, sorry boys.  But....and this is a massive but, we met the four guys in the band after they performed and even had a couple of drinks with them, this is slightly cringy but this was all very cool and made all three of us feel cool and like teenagers again.  That was the part of the night where it all got a little bit crazy, myself and Charl decided to go out on the town afterwards.  It was a long night and one of the most amazing nights of my recent life, basically we danced with all of the men and drank all of the alcohol in all of the world.  I feel the need to explain the over use of ''all of'' this was a phrase that I found appropriate to use in any given situation on the night and the more alcohol that was added to my system the funnier the sentences sounded (maybe you had to be there).


With my social and home life going so well it wold only make sense for work to be going just as well, its not just going well it is amazing.  I am now a keyholder/supervisor and have a full time contract so I'm spending a lot more time at work and have been able to leave my other job in a supermarket.  I genuinely love being at work, the people I work with, the customers and off course the beautiful products.  This week I was sent on perfume training which has sparked a love affair with the perfume that we have available at work.  So much time, thought and effort has gone into every single fragrance and that motivates me to put more time and effort when showing these perfumes to customers.  It also was my first official training session and I learnt a lot about the founders and understood the ethics of Lush better by the end of the day, I really do work for a very heart felt company.



So I hope with my openness and honesty you can understand why I have taken a little time away for a while, but now I'm back I'm more passionate than ever and can't wait to start blogging more regularly again, I have missed it so much and have so much to show you.

Lots of Love

Gemma

xxx

Bloglovin/Twitter/Facebook/

Hi Hunnis!

If you follow me on twitter (@gemmabutton) you may have seen quite a few tweets about my new favourite and maybe even all time, yes I love it that much, lipstick.  This amazing lipstick is the one and only,

MAC CANDY YUM YUM 

Mac Lipstick packaging is my ultimate favourite, classic, simple and black.  It doesn't wow anyone but thats what I like, more emphasis on the product itself not fancy pants packaging.

Candy Yum Yum, the best name for a lipstick EVER, this is one of the things that attracted me to the product first, I hadn't even seen the shade but the name excited me.  I had been looking for a matte neon pink lipstick for ages so when I seen that the lipstick with the amazing name was exactly what I was looking for I squealed with excitement.  I also think it describes the shade perfectly, what I mean by this is, you wouldn't expect a lipstick with this name to be a dark vampy purple, would you?  It screams pink to me and that exactly what you get.

I had never tried a matte lipstick before this one, but I really wanted to as I sometimes feel that a super glossy bright lipstick can be too overpowering on my lips and when people look at me they have the 'woooahhh to much lips lips lips'  look on their face.  I am so glad I eventually took the plunge for a matte lippy as I think I much prefer the formula and staying power.

I always expected matte lipsticks to be a dehydrating flakey mess but was pleasantly surprised with this little bullet of brightness.  Before I apply lipstick I always follow a routine;  brush, scrub and moisturise this can be seen in more detail here.  This routine really makes a difference in the application and final look of your lipstick.  Candy Yum Yum applies really well, you don't need to drag it along your lips to get a deep colour or apply more than once, it glides on leaving you with a perfectly opaque neon pink lip.

The lasting power of this is absolutely amazing.  Perfect example was Wednesday night, I applied at about 4pm before making a trip through to Birmingham for the Olly Murs concert.  I ate a two course meal, drank three cocktails, sang along to Olly and still had this on.  I only felt the need for reapplication on the train home at 11pm, so that's giving me a good 7 hours wear! That is phenomenal im my book.  

One thing I will say, this leaves a slight stain on your lips even after removing, I personally don't mind this but to avoid this after colour all you would need to do is apply a lip primer.  I haven't used a lip primer or lip liner  when wearing this lipstick and I have not experienced any bleeding or fanning.

I just bloody LOVE it!

lots of love

Gem

xxx

Good evening everyone, 

I wanted to write this little post just to keep you updated with what I have been up to and just a general chit chat really.  I hope you like the title of this post, I thought it was a wee bit cool.  This is going to be a little bit of a random and rambly post but there is just so much I have to tell you, if your a bit nosey like me you will love this 

First things first im ill, (yes I expect you to feel some kind of pitty) since Saturday I have been feeling really choked up with the flu, I was annoyed because I had the weekend off and had a whole blogging weekend planned but my body just wanted to sleep, im just so so tired.  I was at work today but im hoping to get a good days rest and lots of vitamin c tomorrow so I can start feeling a bit more human. 

Tomorrow will be a week since I seen Justin Bieber at the NIA in Birmingham, I wasn't a massive fan before the concert, I liked a few of his songs but I don't own any of his albums or anything.  This was the most amazing music concert I have EVER been to.   The atmosphere was just out of this world unlike anything I had never experienced before. I don't think I really realised how much he was idolized until the moment he walked on stage or should I say flew, girls were crying, screaming, shouting marriage proposals, they really are besotted with him.  Now as much as I was not declaring my love to Justin I did appreciate that he is a very fine young lad, such a good looking human, taking his top off at the end of the show was a treat.  I then spent most of the next day watching you tube and the live videos from the show I had been to, maybe had a slight episode of Bieber Fever.  Thankfully the concert I attended run to schedule unlike the much ranted about O2 performance running late yesterday, although I do not agree with what happened, I am a firm believer in the saying -Shit Happens! 

Last week I returned to the Francesco Group Academy for a curly blow dry, unfortunately it did not live up to my first visit there and I had to return shortly after leaving to have my hair curled again as all of the curls had fallen out.  The last time I was there I had an apprentice do my hair and it really was fabulous, this time I had a student this is why didn't mind to much that the blow dry wasn't the best as it is all to help the students gain experience. 

I visited the Crave Salon at Birmingham's Custard Factory,  I was sue to have a pumpkin peel facial but as I was attending the Bieber concert on the same evening the lovely Beau decided it would not be a good idea to perform the treatment.  So that I can experience the full pampering experience of Crave I will be returning this Thursday for a Big Bouncy Blow Dry, very excited about this.  Just look at the glittery black floor, so glamourous.

I had the best little spending spree in Lush the other day I bought lots of Bath Ballistics and Bubble Bars as im sure you are all very aware I love a bath.  I had actually never tried any of Lush's Bath Ballistics before and have been delighted with the two that I have tried already, look out for reviews of these Lush beauties.  The Easter range is lovely, my favourite so far is the Brightside Bubble Bar-super fruity.  I also have to mention the amazing man with orange hair that works in my local Lush store, he was amazing not overly helpful and shoving products down my throat just got an idea for what I was looking for and picked out things he thought Id like, his recommendations were amazing and I bought every single one. 

Right girls I need to make a confession, im slightly embarrassed about this confession but here goes, I had a dream about buying a lipstick!  Yes a full all night dream about buying Mac's Candy Yum Yum, I am craving a bright fushia, matte lipstick. Please tell me in the comments below what your favourite lipstick that fits this description is, I want to buy them all.

So the fact that I have wrote this little ramble for you this evening now breaks the 5 days break I have had from posting and may even mean Im feeling a bit more human.YAY.  All being well I will be posting my usual weekly posts (skincare series, hair care series) before the week is out and a couple of others too.  This brings me to a question I have meaning to ask for a long time, What kind of posts would you like to see more of on Button's Blog, is there something I haven't done that you would like to see or something im doing that you love and want to see more of?

If you have lasted this long I salute you!

Lots of Love

Gemma Button

xxx

Available here - £14.00

The packaging for this is classic mac, which I love, simple black with minimal branding and information.  The product is encased in a plastic twist pencil applicator.  This type of applicator has its good points which I think are the fact you don't ever have to sharpen it and its easier to clean off mucky foundation fingerprints.  I     do wish it had a mini sharpener in the end of the pencil to sharpen the tip of the eyeliner to have a more pointed,sharper lines when applying.  As you can see below mine has become a bit blunt now and I have no way of getting the point back without ruining the product, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

On the Mac website this shade is described as a deep khaki green with gold pearl, this is not true to colour at all. If I had not swatched this in store and seen the true colour I would never have purchased online following this description.  The swatch panel on the website also looks like a light brown with no hint of sparkle, this is also deceiving and does the shade no justice.  

I would describe this shade as a dark brown, nearly black with gold/bronze shimmer running through it.  

These swatches were taken in natural light with no flash so you can decide for yourself how you would describe the shade.

Hi lovelies,

My goodness it has been quiet on Button's Blog this week, this is all down to the Birmingham Bloggers Meet Up. I have had so many things to do this week to make sure the day is going to be great. I have been making things, booking things and sending out numerous emails aswell as working my day job, I just hope everything is worth it and we all have an amazing day on Saturday!

These are just a few things I have picked up in the last little while, I haven't bought a lot this month as I am trying to cut down on my beauty spending but with the release of so many new exciting products this month I cant see it lasting.

 Chit Chat Nail Varnish - £1 Poundland

This just caught my eye with the large chunky glitter I thought for a pound I could give it a go, I was so impressed with this I will be featuring it in a Nail of the Day post very soon.

 Simple Baby Wipes - 74p  Sainsburys  + Nivea Pearl and Beauty Deoderant - £1 Superdrug

These are just basics I needed, I prefer these baby wipes to any other and use them for everything from removing my eye make up to cleaning my make up packaging.  This deoderant is my favourite, I never purchase any other, I love the smell, the packaging and off course the performance.

 Mac Mineral Skin Finish Natural - £20.50 Mac Counter Selfridges

I was looking for a new powder for while and because I love my other base products from Mac it was just a must for me to try this.  I am enjoying using this and do so everyday although I am sure there are drugstore alternatives for half the price that I will be purchasing instead of this one when it runs out.

 

 Mac Technakohl Liner 'Uniform' - £14 Mac Counter Selfridges

I love this.  After having this used on me when I had a Mac make up application, although I didn't enjoy the experience I did love this eyeliner.  I love that it is a twist pencil so no sharpening and the colour is amazing. It is black with a bronze/gold shimmer running through it, this looks perfect alone and part of a smokey eye.

 

 Nails Inc Icons Mini set - Price and Shop Unknown

These little beauties were a gift from my mum, I love all the colours and Im hoping to get more use out of these in the spring. 

 

Lipcote Original -  £3.89 Boots Broadway Real Life False Nails - £4.40 Boots

I wanted to try this lipstick sealer for ages and truthfully I have been really dissapointed, I just didn't get along with it at all.  I like the feeling of smooth a creamy lipstick on my lips so after using this and having the dried out feeling I feel it was a wasted purchase.  I always wear false nails as I am a terrible nail biter and these are my favourite ones as I can get two sets out of one packet, they stay on for around 10 days and as they are clear I can paint them myself .

 

Rings - £1.50 each Freedom @ Topshop

I love rings, and I believe no outfit is complete without a ring or two, these were such a bargain and will be worn all the time.

 

 

 Pearl Drops Smokers Toothpaste + Colgate Max White Tooth Brushthe easier - £1 each Poundland

I am on a mission this year to get whiter teeth, my teeth are not terrible but are not as white as I would like them to be.  I want to try a number of options on my quest for whiter teeth and have started with the basics.   

 Pearl Drops Smokers Mouthwash + Eucryl Toothpowder - £1 each Poundland

I am a matching freak, I like my toothpaste to be the same brand as my mouthwash, I dont know why but it looks pretty in the bathroom.  My mum and dad used this strain removing tooth powder when I was younger although I was never interested then I decided to give it a go.

 Nair Hair Remover - £1 Poundland

I swear by this stuff! I only use it on my arms though, the results don't last long enough to use on my legs for my liking.  Just to be clear I do not have overly hairy arms but I don't like them to have any hair at all, especially when Im wearing false tan.  I never have a reaction to this one and it is very moisturising.

 

I have been extremely lucky on my birthday and recieved some lovely gifts and money, All of these 'presents' im about to show you I purchased with money I recieved.  These are all things I have been lusting after for a while now so I am delighted I now own them.

 

This week I will show you all the beauty products, next week clothes and accessories, the week after anything that doesnt fit into a category and then finally jewellery.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

L-R Lovie Dovie, Pillow Talk, True Love

I have wanted to try out Essie for ages and when I seen all 3 of these for only £7 in Tk Maxx I had to have them, I have been wearing Lovie Dovie for nearly a week now and Im soo in love its the perfect Autumn shade, the glossy red wine finish goes with everything im wearing at the moment.

 

 The Body Shop Strawberry set

Ever since trying my first body butter from The Body Shop last month I am obsessed, so when I seen I could get £10 off my next purchase over £25, on the bottom of my reciept, this little set was a must.  There is £32 worth of products including soap, body polish, shower gel, shower puff and body butter and I got all this for only £15 such a bargain. The scented products from body shop are just delicious, this strawberry is soo yummy I just want to smell of it all the time and with all these products that wont be too difficult.

The Body Shop Body Butters Raspberry and Papaye
Well done to Adam for choosing he two scents I wanted next the raspberry is beautiful and smells fresh and sweet all at the same time it reminds me of summers as a child picking raspberries in the bushes and running home to show my mum.  The papaye is actually being disscontinued so I am over the moon adam got this for me before it was unavailable in store, it is such a tropical scent and makes me feel so fresh and clean.  So impressed that he even knew where to go to get these.
Paco Rabanne Lady Million
This was the first perfume Adam ever bought me over two years ago, we had known each other only a week and he left this in my house one day with a note saying 'because you are one in a million' ever since that moment I have loved it.  Paco Rabanne is definately my favourite perfume brand, Black XS is also a favourite of mine.  This was a very thoughtful present so thank you very much adam!

Elf  10 piece Professional Brush Collection

Lately I have been building up my brush collection and now have lots of different brands including Eco Tools, Real Techniques and Mac which are all higher in price than these, I got this set for £7.99 from TK Maxx and for the price the quality is fantastic.  I am loving the angled blush brush, flat eyeliner brush and the all over shadow brush.

 

 Elf  Tone Correcting Powder, Mineral Infused Face Primer, Make up Mist & Set, Lip primer & Plumper and Eye primer & Liner Setter.

I have wanted these products for so long but truthfully I was waiting for a discount code so when I seen their was 20% off the other day I rushed home and ordered.  I got all this for £17.85 including delivery which is amazing! This primer is just excellent I may have found a replacement for my Revlon Colourstay but time will tell, expect a full review in a few weeks.

 

 L-R Real Techniques Stippling Brush, Soap and Glory Heel Genius, Soap and Glory Wish Upon a Jar, Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub, Soap and Glory Hand Food and Tangle Teezer.

If you read my Birthday Wishlist you will see that  am very hapy lady.  I eventually got the lusted after Stippling Brush and I dont know how I have lived without it until now, the application of my foundation has never been more flawless £11.99 well spent.  TheSoap and Glory heel genious is definately my new favourite foot cream at £5.50 it is more pricey than Id normally pay but smells lovely.  I have wanted to try the Wish Upon a Jar ever since I watched Maria Sparkle's brand favourites video and it has not let me down, I wont say much on this because I will review it fully, £15 of goodness. I basically picked Hand Food because it was 3 for 2 in boots so this was technically free and my hand bag size is running low. I have seen the Lush Lip Scrubs reviewed positively so many times I decided I needed to join in the hype, for £5.95 a wee treat for my lips.  I love my tangle teaser and defiantely one of my hair essentials, I have my 10 year old cousin to thank for getting me obsessed with buying one of these the most Iv ever spent on a brush at £10.99. Everything except the lip scrub was purchased in boots so I got a decent amount of points.
 

L-R Mac Studio Fix Fluid, Dazzleglass Lipgloss 'Date Night' and Minerlise Skinfinish Highlighter 'Soft and Gentle'

Adam Bought me these after my make up application at the Mac counter in Selfridges (which unfortunately was a disaster you can read here why) I have wanted to try a new foundation for ages and when I had this applied I knew I liked it staright away.  Tell me a girl who doesnt love a sparkly lipgloss, no one okay then, this is going to look gorgeous with all the deep plum lipsticks this autumn.  Soft and Gentle need I say more, one of the most beautiful highlighters I have ever layed eyes on.  All these came to the total £59.00 but this did include my Make Up Application, since there was an issue with my make up application I have since been refunded the full amount.

 



 L-R Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzer, Benefit 10, Revlon Lip Butter Strawberry Shortcake and MAC 275SE
I bought all these for £10 including p+p from Bright Town Girl's Blog Sale,  I am delighted with the Benefit 10 it has hardly been used and is in perfect condition, so thanks very much hunni.

Thats all for beauty products so if you have stuck with me until the end thank you very much because that was one long post, do you own any of these products?

Lots of Love

Gemma