MAC Oh Darling! - Dupes

We've all seen it on Instagram, we've all read the hype about it and we have certainly lusted over it, and yesterday it finally arrived in stores. The winner of Whisper of Gilts crown, Oh Darling!

So I know my last post was all about highlighters, and I did have another post planned before I did this one but after being so happy and appreciative of managing to get my hands on this product, I saw tonight that Oh Darling is now being sold on for up to three or four times the price online. This kind of thing is so upsetting for the people who desperately wanted this beautiful product for themselves and to give as gifts to loved ones for Christmas, and as someone who is a big makeup collector, I know how disappointing it can be, so this post is for you guys who didn't manage to buy Oh Darling before it sold out.

Don't worry my glowy princesses, I've got your backs.

MAC - Oh Darling!

Time for the dupes -

The top highlight is Oh Darling!

The bottom two are two highlighters I have picked out for you to try if you didnt manage to buy it. The middle highlight is 'Opal' Shimmering Skin Perfector from BECCA Cosmetics. She's a little bit cooler/slightly pinkier than Oh Darling but she's something special. I normally wear Opal on a daily basis and she is beautiful. Just as glittery, just as metallic, just slightly different in colour. This would be perfect on Fair to Medium skin tones.

The bottom highlight is 'So Hollywood' from Anastasia Beverly Hills. Honestly, colour wise she is near enough identical to Oh Darling! Both golden, both beautiful. She just differs slightly in formula. Whilst Oh Darling! is very metallic and feels creamy to the touch, I find that So Hollywood is less metallic and slightly more glittery and feels slightly more powdery. But I would say this this is near enough a perfect dupe. I find that golden highlights work better on Light to Darker skin tones. Opal or something like Moonstone from BECCA Cosmetics would work better for Fair skin types.

Becca 'Opal' (and Moonstone) is available to order here

If Opal is currently unavailable online, you can also purchase it from Space NK stores.

Anastasia Beverly Hills 'So Hollywood' is availble to order here
(She goes out of stock a lot, but a waiting list is available)


- Belle xo

My New Favourite Highlight + Extreme Highlight tips!

Okay so if you're like me and you're a complete and utter die hard highlighter hoarder then you absolutely 110% need this beautiful illuminator from Anastasia Beverly Hills. I have been testing this out since I received it last Monday and oh god, I am so in love. It's such a beautiful glittering gold and it reflects light like you would not believe. I am usually a ride or die Becca Highlighter girl but this is just as amazing, I'm so excited to try the others in Anastasia's range, I haven't even opened them yet from being so excited over this one.

So Hollywood is probably the first ever true gold highlighter I have used. I usually go for more silvery or peachy shades so I was really excited to try this out. (Good tip - If you have Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop, this mixed with it is a dream highlight!)

This highlighter is available to purchase from Anastasia's website or if you're from the UK, Cult Beauty now stock So Hollywood along with the other Illuminator shades - Click here.

With Flash -

Without Flash -

I get asked a lot about highlighters and how to get your highlight looking more extreme on Instagram.   So here are some tips -

1. Use a great brush. My favourite brush for applying my highlight is the 105 Luxe Highlight Brush from Zoeva. To intensify the highlight in smaller areas I use a MAC 224 blending brush.

2. Don't just apply your highlighter to your cheekbones. I place mine on my brow bone, the tip of my nose and I pack it onto my cupids bow!

3. Don't be scared to go crazy when putting it on. When I say I pack it on, I pack it on. Who said you can't wear too much highlight?

4. Fix+ Spray from MAC is GREAT to mist over your highlight to intensify it. I spritz it at arms length all over my face when I am done applying. Fix+ is also a great product for helping powder to sink into the skin, so if you do go nuts when applying the Fix+ will settle the powder for you and help it shine!

Hope these little mini tips help! Happy highlighting. Shine bright!
- Belle xo

New in - MAC Eyeshadows

So I decided this week that my daily eyeshadow palette was looking a little neglected and needed some new additons. My MAC eyeshadow palette by far has to be my most favourite and most used palette of all time. If you're like me and you take choosing eyeshadows as seriously as I do then you will understand that there really is something so special about creating your own palette because every single colour has been specially chosen. I always find that whenever I buy pre made palettes there are normally about 3 or 4 colours I neglect entirely and wish I could change. This is the beauty of building your own, colour by colour, you'll never get bored of the shades that you choose.

I first started building my MAC eyeshadow collection way, way before I started working for the company and I can honestly say they are one of my favourite formulas of eyeshadow, ever. MAC shadows are so pigmented and so blendable and I have never gotten bored of the colours I already own. Even when I have to look at them so much at work! However I definitely needed to expand my horizons a little as I normally always dive straight for the same colours over and over. Swiss Chocolate and Folie, I'm looking at you...

I'm really into my matte colours at the moment and I've noticed that a lot of my current eyeshadows are shimmers or glitter formulas so I thought I would add more matte shades into the mix. These are beautiful every day colours and great to use as a base or in the crease. Nylon is an amazing shimmer shade I've been meaning to buy forever for highlighting the inner corner and the brow bone, I can't believe it's taken me this long to buy it along with Texture to be honest. Texture is such an amazing transitional shade with the tiniest flecks of gold in it, but I think I've been so ridiculously attached to Uninterrupted I've neglected buying it for so long, but now Uninterrupted has been discontinued (and broken my heart in the process) I desperately needed to fall in love with another warm crease colour. 

I'll be creating some new eye looks with these over the next few weeks so keep an eye out for those and let me know if theres any shades you would like tutorials on, I would love to take some requests! 

- Belle xo

Colours and Formula - 

Nylon - Frost

Blanc Type - Matte2

Malt - Matte

Espresso - Matte

Texture - Velvet

Kid - Veluxe