limited edition mac lipglass in 'russian red'.

[THE BULK OF MY MASTERS DEGREE IS NOW OVER. YES. YES. YES!!!]

mac have just released their 'fashion sets' collection. in a nutshell, it's basically a series of matching nail polishes and lipglosses to accompany some of their best-selling lipsticks. i admit that i'm not usually sucked in to their limited edition collections (i just can't keep up) or simply because i missed out on iris apfel and remain bitter but i was really into this. i absolutely love the lipstick shades that were chosen, and made up my mind to go get something. in the end, i went for the lipglass version of 'russian red'.

top - french connection.

nails - rimmel (rose libertine).

red gloss is a more modern take on the classic red lip - and i can't think of a single person who doesn't look far better without some sort of red shade on their lips! having it in a glossy finish is completely new to me though, as i haven't owned one until now. and honestly? i love it. i cannot help but strut around like i'm in some kind of power ballad... oh i don't know... LIKE THIS. (and if you don't recognise where this picture is from, then get out.)

the pigmentation is insane. these pictures probably don't do it justice because i was silly and applied some balm to my lips beforehand, out of habit. i forgot that i wouldn't be needing it, and so the lipglass had to sort of sit on top of it if that makes sense. but yeah, i'm certain that if you skip using lip balm, this would be a lot brighter and redder. it also has pretty decent lasting power, much more so than high street brands i'd say.

downsides? it is super high maintenance which can be a pain in the ass. it just found its way onto my teeth too many times. maybe my teeth are too big for my face. maybe i'm a closeted bugs bunny. self-doubt aside, i'm thinking that a layer of lipliner underneath might do a better job of holding it in place and making the application look more precise. but you know what? my love is unconditional.

face: 17 primer, tiny bit of mac studio fix fluid (nw30), mac face and body (c2), collection lasting perfection concealer (#2), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).

eyes: urban decay primer potion, maybelline gel liner, nars eyeshadow (from arabian nights trio), clinique high impact mascara on lower lashes, mac studio fix lash, ruby & millie eye pencil (brown/black), the body shop brow & lash gel.

cheeks: nars (portofino), clarins beauty flash balm.

lips: mac lipglass (russian red).

gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. forget my face - just look at that colour! in all honesty, i could probably compare this product to spanx. starts off as a great idea until you do it and feel like you can't breathe and get all pissed off. and then you look back on photos and your regret sort of disappears and evolves into relief because you look far better than you would otherwise. seriously. this looks so good when photographed and reminds me of real glass or something that snow white would wear. [have yet to be photographed in spanx though, but might save it for another post.]