Duty Free Treats - MAC & YSL

So last week I went to sunny Spain, and for me, the best part of flying abroad is… duty free at the airport! I’m like a kid in a candy shop, looking at all the lovely luxe brands in their slightly less expensive glory. Swatches all over me, spritzing scents on various patches of arm…

I decided I would treat myself, or rather, allow Mr BNH to treat me for my birthday, which fell whilst we were away. There’s nothing quite like fancy cosmetics to cheer you up when you become another year older. I didn’t have a lot of browsing time on my way out as I had been booked in for special assistance due to a knee injury, and I was walking around in a splint with a crutch - long story.  I had to be in a certain place at a certain time to board first (didn’t work out very well, as our drivers were directed by control to the wrong plane TWICE, and made our actual flight late – not our fault though!). I hobbled onwards for my fix regardless.

Anyway, I knew what I wanted and headed straight to the MAC counter. I’d heard good things about MAC Pro-Longwear Concealer and wanted to try some myself, as I like a concealer with good coverage (my opinion is that the point of concealer is to conceal…). I’d like to get into more MAC products and thought I’d try a concealer before a foundation.

The MAC website describes it as “a lightweight fluid concealer that provides medium to full coverage with a comfortable, natural matte finish. Colour-true formula lasts up to 15 hours. Helps conceal and correct the look of under-eye circles, and discolorations. Comes in a clear glass vial with a matte black pump”.

I wanted to swatch the colour before I went on holiday rather than after, as this would mean it would be truer to my natural skin tone which is quite pale, and let’s face it – tans don’t last forever! My shade was NC15, and I believe this is their palest shade, at least in this range. I don’t know for sure so if anyone knows otherwise then please feel free to correct me!

I actually caught quite a lot of colour on holiday, so won’t be using it for a while until I get back to my natural colour. With the weather so rainy and miserable back in Blighty, it’ll probably be sooner than I’d like!

I used it the first couple of nights while I was away until I became too dark for it, and the coverage was just as good as expected. I may purchase it in another colour that is darker, so that I can mix up a custom shade. My skin tone does vary quite a bit – I don’t know how to explain it other than some days I seem to have more colour in my face than others!

Here’s a swatch on the back of my hand that I did post-holiday. 

It’s clearly too pale for me as I’m still brown (for now) but it was a very good match before I tanned. You only need a tiny amount so although the bottle is quite small it should last me a while. I’ve only applied it with my fingers so far but I’m keen to try it with a concealer brush. Application is good but it sets quite quickly so you need to be swift!

It also lasted as long as I needed it to, with Benefit’s That Gal! as a primer, Rimmel’s Wake Me Up foundation, and no powder or fixing spray. My first impression was a good one, and when I get around to being pale and using it more regularly, I’ll decide whether to re-purchase again.

The return leg of my journey was also fruitful – I was looking for a certain YSL lipstick that is my all-time favourite(Rouge Pur Lipstick in Tropical Pink) but they didn’t have it.  I’ll do another blog specifically about it. I wanted to console myself with a limited edition Rouge Volupte Perle in 115, which was a shimmery peach/coral with golden glitter flecks and a glossy finish, but they were out of stock! *dramatic despairing faint*

In the end, I settled for a Golden Gloss. I would have rather purchased a lipstick, and was even considering getting a Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres  but couldn’t find a shade I really wanted. So I bought this: Golden Gloss in 50 – Golden Peach.

It’s very pretty. All the Golden Glosses are – I think YSL do the best lippies, and they smell amazing to boot. I can’t figure out the fragrance to this – I think it might be peach with a hint of orange, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Apologies for the photos - I tried to pick up the lovely glitter in the tube but I was only using my iPhone 4S so not great quality I’m afraid! There’s much more golden flecks in the formula than the images portray.

I didn’t have any glosses in this colour – maybe a few similar, or peachy, but none like this. It looks too good to use – it’s beautiful! I always have this problem with high end products – I can’t bear to use them too often. Maybe it’s because they are expensive treats and I want to get longevity out of them, or maybe it’s like a beautifully presented dessert that’s just too pretty to stab your fork into and destroy.

The formula isn’t as pigmented as I’d like on bare lips but it’s still quite nice. It feels rich without being too sticky, and it lasts a long time. It looks a lot nicer over another similar lip colour, such as a nude or pale peach. You get enough on the wand for a perfect application each time, and it’s a brush, which I like. It seems so much fancier. I’ll probably save this one for special occasions rather than everyday use.

Overall I’m happy with my duty free picks, I would have liked a new perfume too but I somehow managed to rein myself in!

Sticky kisses!