Riri Hearts M.A.C // And Giveaway!

Win the gorgeous Riri Hearts MAC Powder Duo and Riri Woo Lipstick - Enter at the bottom of this post!

Did you ever see such pretty packaging?! As if I don't already spend enough in M.A.C they just had to go and do a collaboration with Rihanna and package the whole lot in rose gold and pink. Uh oh! 

The Riri Hearts MAC collection was released in stores on October 3rd and sold out within hours in most places. This is where living in Korea comes into it's own though. I stopped by MAC on Tuesday not expecting anything to be left in stock, but luckily for me, almost everything was still available. I picked up the powder duo in 'Hibiscus Kiss' which will be great for contouring; the cream color base in 'Diamonds' which is a lovely champagne colour perfect for highlighting; and lastly 'Riri Woo' a matte red lipstick that is inspired by the ultra-popular Ruby Woo. 

I know that a lot of people were dissapointed not to be able to get their hands on anything so I also bought an extra Powder Duo and Riri Woo lipstick to GIVE AWAY!  

All you have to do to enter is follow me on Instagram and then register your entry using the Rafflecopter box below. You can also complete optional steps to get extra entries.

Good luck everyone and I hope you've all had a great weekend!

 x x x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrity Red Lipstick Love & MAC Ladybug

Red lipstick has been something that I have admired from afar for a long time but for some reason I've just never got round to trying it myself. The closest I've come has been the odd slick of red lip-gloss every now and then. The trouble is red lipstick can be quite daunting, it's a bold statement and if you get the wrong shade or pair it with the wrong makeup look it can look hideous. The word 'clown' comes to mind.

Done right though it can look amazing, adding a striking pop of colour to simple makeup looks or that final touch to a glamorous outfit. If you need some convincing there's plenty of celebrities who I think look fantastic wearing a red lip. Taylor Swift, Leighton Meester, Lauren Conrad, Natalie Portman, Blake Lively, Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson are my personal faves!

There's a lot to consider when picking a red lipstick, most importantly is hair colour and skin tone. To avoid a circus worthy red lipstick fail you should chose shades based on your coloring:

Those with fair coloring or blonde hair should generally avoid bluish tones or very dark reds which can make you look washed out. Opt for something warmer with a slight yellow hue like MAC Lady danger or Cockney.

If you have a darker complexion or are more tanned then it's likely you can wear both warm tones and cooler tones of red. I think that MAC Red and Russian Red look great on those with a darker complexion.

I finally faced my fears and picked up my first really RED lipstick. Given my coloring I opted for MAC Ladybug which is a yellowish red shade in a Lustre finish.

MAC 'Ladybug'

Tentative testing.

Mwwaaaaaaaah!!

What do you think of red lipstick, do you wear it often? Any great tips for not looking like a clown in it?

xxx

The Everyday Face

For some time I've been meaning to do a makeup related post. In particular I wanted to show you my usual daily routine, not that it's all that interesting mind you, my love of M.A.C sees to that! I figured that you see everything else I wear though, so why not see the stuff that works the magic every day!

I'm a big fan of MAC makeup and use mostly their products for my face. They seem to have serious staying power, my face looks pretty similar at the end of the day to how it looked in the morning. Which I think is amazing, by that I mean the makeup not my face. Obviously. No one is that vain are they?! I also love their huge scope of colours so much so that I find it veeeeery difficult to ever walk away from the store empty handed! There's always one more colour I just really want!

What you see in the pictures below is the stuff I use for my everyday natural (-ish) makeup look. It's probably about a fourth of my total collection. Yeah, I love makeup. There are a couple of products I use from other brands, but not many of those are used for day wear.

Although MAC and the other products I use are all on the more expensive side I think it's worth it for something that I wear day in day out. Also I need very few re-applications (if any!) which in the long run probably makes it better value for money than some brands that you need to touch up several times a day.

Face: Clinique Moisturizer, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat and MAC Foundation. MAC Blusher 'Dainty', MAC Mineralize Skinfinish 'Soft and Gentle'

It's Duty Free - OPI Polishes, Chloe Perfume and MAC {of course!}

My sleep patterns are almost back to normal now and I'm getting used to being back home now. At first it felt quite strange, almost like a reverse culture shock. I guess I really had been away for a very long time! It's so lovely to see everyone I haven't seen in so long though. It's quite a change of pace from the busy hustle and bustle of Seoul but I think I could get used to it!

Coming through Duty Free a spot of shopping is always unavoidable for me. It's the lure of the discounted prices! I was so close to splashing out on a Miu Miu Vitello bag. It was in a hot pink colour which the sales assistant told me was a new colour. Perhaps that was just in a bid to sell to me but the 30% off that day made it very very tempting. I was already a little late for the flight by this point though and I couldn't make such a snap decision to buy. So I left empty handed. I really regret it now. I'm hoping they'll be another opportunity to get it at such a good price because I've been lusting after that bag for a very long time and we all know how I love pink!

Here are the goodies I picked up.

Chloe Perfume by Chloe. A very light, soft floral scent, very pretty...if a scent can be pretty??!

I can never avoid MAC. Yes, it's a bit of a problem! Eyebrows Pencil - 'Fling'. MAC Eyeshadow - 'Gleam' (A soft shimmery golden shade - perfect for a subtle day look)

My growing obsession, OPI Nail Polishes!
From left to right: 'Significant Other Color', 'Bubble Bath' (I heard it's the perfect nude shade, I'll do my nails with it soon and post the verdict) & 'Holy Pink Pagoda' (already used it on my toes,  it's a great bright bold coral/pink shade.

A very dolly mixture like pink nail polish from OPI - 'Mod About You'.

I'm very pleased with the purchases, I could have gone crazy with the OPI polish buying, there was a whole wall of colours. Somehow I found willpower I didn't really know I had!

Let me know what you think, do you like my buys? Hope Monday treats you well!

xxx

Five Things From This Week.

This week I had my birthday so of course I had to show you some of my birthday gifts from friends this year. They took on a certain theme - accessories, MAC cosmetics and pink. I'm a bit concerned that people think I'm a little like Barbie. Hmmm. Having said that I do love all these things, OPI polish, MAC lip products, eyeshadow, pretty hair accessories, jewellery and a gorgeous scarf, I'm a happy girl with some lovely friends.

I'd like to have fresh flowers in my apartment all the time. Sadly I just never seem to get around to buying them. Luckily I have a person who likes to buy them for me every now and then. Fresh flowers can brighten any space and add a fresh point of interest to a room not to mention the beautiful scents.

Glitter French Manicure

I'm a big lover of brightly colored nail polishes and occasional nail art when my patience allows. Sometimes though a simple nail is nice. I love the look of a french manicure, it's so clean and sophisticated. Plus, you never have to worry about it clashing with your clothes (that bothers me so much I have to re-paint my nails before I leave my home, usually at the expense of being on time). A fine line of silver or gold glitter polish is a great twist on a french manicure. Who doesn't like a touch of sparkle?!

Christmas isn't too far away now. I saw this great idea on Melina's blog, it's a Secret Santa for bloggers. I thought it'd be great fun to take part and of course hopefully make a new friend in this little world. Take a peek by clicking on the picture if you too feel like getting in the festive spirit.

Kylie Minogue with Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) Black Tote Handbag.

Seemingly I am having a bit of a thing for Yves Saint Laurent right now. I spotted this tote in the store not so long ago and then this snap of Kylie Minogue with it. Lucky girl. Not sure about her velvet jacket and those pants. What do you think? It's not something I could get away with that's for sure. But the bag...oh the bag...that I could definitely get away with. It's such a versatile bag, clean lines, smooth leather and of course it's big enough to fit all my junk in. I would like this. A lot. Santa?

That's it for this week. I hope you all have an awesome weekend.

xxx

Five Things From This Week.

Once again, we made it to the weekend. Happy Weekend folks! It wasn't such a tough week in the end. Yes, Tuesday sucked (I didn't really talk about it, here) and there was the stress of getting my hair done (that's here) of course but other than that it's all gravy baby. Yep, I did just write that.  So here's five things from my week.

OOTOD (Outfit of the other day) - More metallic jeans.

I'm a little worried I'm starting to become obsessed with the metallic trend. I bought another pair of metallic jeans, super skinny ones this time. You know the kind...where you can't even bend over they're so tight. But they were just so shiny and silver and...shiny!

Silver Metallic Skinny Jeans - H&M. Black & Silver Studded Boots - Zara. Bracelet - Vivienne Westwood. Silver Bangle - Mont Blanc. Heart Necklace - Swarovski. Other Necklaces - F21.

'Eyelash Styling Tool'

Korea has an unbelievable amount of random beauty implements which usually I have no idea what they're even for! This though, I understood and loved. It's a tool to separate your eyelashes if they get clumped together when you put on your mascara. I don't have this problem often thanks to awesome MAC mascara but occasionally a couple will decide they want to hang out. Annoying. Previously I used a small pin to separate them but thankfully now I have a much easier and safer way of doing that. Ingenious invention.

I would like want need this Yves Saint Laurent Leopard Print Belt.

Saw this when thumbing through a Korean glossy. Leopard print YSL belt, love it! Want it. Need it? Probably not but still....it's pretty isn't it!

God damn Auto Captcha.

Dear Auto Captcha,  I. HATE. YOU. That's all. Ax

Does anyone else ever have serious problems trying to read auto captcha? This week I seem to have struggled more than ever before. I cannot tell you how many times I've got it wrong. I mean, what does that even say??

This week's MAC purchases.

I had to visit MAC to pick up a gift for a friend's birthday. And of course once in MAC, some gifts for myself. Those shop assistants see me coming, I'm sure. I needed the mascara. MAC's Zoom Lash mascara is all I ever use, it's awesome. The other two things I got tempted into buying by the pretty but persuasive shop assistant. I usually use Studio Fix Foundation but Pro Longwear turns out to be a pretty good foundation for everyday wear. The last thing is 'Pink Venus' lustre eyeshadow. I may swatch it one day but to be honest it looks awful on me, gives me a puffy eyed look. I don't know why I bought it. I was tricked. Darn her!

That's my week in pictures. I'm thinking about making this a weekly feature if you guys like it, so let me know what you think. Going out for my birthday tonight so I'm going shopping now to try find an outfit now. Wish me luck! Have a lovely weekend everyone!

xxx

MAC Lipstick Giveaway!

To celebrate passing 50 followers and to show thanks for all the amazing support I've received so far I'm doing a mini giveaway. I really have been so happy at the response I've had from everyone reading my blog in these short few months! Since I'm a huge MAC make up addict I thought it would be appropriate to give away something from MAC.

So the winner of this giveaway will receive a brand new MAC Lipstick in a color of your choice! 

You can choose any color lipstick from MAC. Just take a look at their website if you don't know one you like already!

I love MAC Lipsticks and have several favorites. I'm sure lots of you have favs already or ones that you've been wanting to try out. If you don't own any MAC lipstick then it's even better for you because now is your chance to try one out. They're really great lipsticks in a huge selections of colors. I warn you it may cause addiction.

MAC Lipstick Ugly Duckling Blog Giveaway

How To Enter the Giveaway! (+1 Entry)

• Follow Ugly Duckling blog publicly via Google Friend Connect. Click 'Join This Site' tab on the left bar or click here!

• Follow this blog on Bloglovin'. To do this click here!  

Optional things you can do (for extra entries or if you're just feeling nice):

•  'Like' Ugly Duckling's Facebook Page. Click here! (+2 Entries)

•  Post about this giveaway on your blog using the picture above and linking back to this blog.( +5 Entries)
• Place a link using the photo above about this Giveaway, in your blog’s Sidebar.(+3 Entries).  

• Follow me on Twitter @Ugly_Duck_Blog (+1 Entry)

• Tweet about my giveaway. Make sure you mention me in your tweet so I see. (+1 Entries)

After you have completed your entries please leave a comment on this post. You can copy & paste the text below to tell me your info. Make sure you let me know which color lipstick too!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I've Entered! ♥

Bloglovin' name -  
MAC lipstick color name -

Extra Entries:
Link to blog post - 
Link to your blog (If posted on your blog's sidebar)-
Facebook name -
Twitter name - 
Did you tweet about my giveaway? - Yes/No

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This giveaway is open to everyone, anywhere in the world! The last date to enter the giveaway is Sunday 13th November 2011. I will announce the winner on Monday 14th of November!

Once again thanks again for all the support, comments and love so far!




xxx

Mostly MAC for a Sat!

Woah! So today is Tuesday here and I've only really just started to feel normal again after Saturday night. I think I had one too many drinks and about one seven too little hours of sleep. Now that I'm...*gulp*...25 I can't really do that kind of thing every weekend and I reaaally can't bare to wreak havoc on my skin like that too often. But you know what, it was worth it this weekend. It was one of my friends' birthdays so had to be done all in the name of friendship, you know. Had to be!

We went to dinner and then on to a bar followed by not one but two clubs, yeah that's right TWO clubs, because I'm hardcore like that! No, actually I'm not. Not at all. In fact I've actually managed to pick up a cold at the moment and I'm fully blaming Saturday!

I got home around 5.30am so it serves me right I guess!

Here's a snap of my make-up for the night....

Wearing mostly MAC because if you want staying power I can recommend no other brand! Seriously my face looked almost the same when I woke up on Sunday Morning (Errrm, yes, I didn't take my make-up off, ssshhhhh don't tell anyone!)

On my Face.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation - 'NC25'.

MAC Bronzing Powder - 'Refined Golden'.

Cheeks.

MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush - 'Peachy Keen'.

Cheekbones & brow highlights - Benefit 'Moonbeam'.

On my eyes.

Base colour - MAC Pigment - 'Jigs & Jive'.

Around eye/eyelid crease - MAC Pigment - 'Dark Soul'.

Highlights/corner of eye - MAC Pigment - 'Naked' - MAC Eyeshadow - 'Gleem'.

MAC Superslick Liquid Eyeliner - 'On The Hunt'

Eyebrows.

MAC Eyebrows Crayon/Pencil - 'Fling'.

Eyelashes

Eylure Naturalites False Lashes - 'Glamour 110'

MAC Zoom Lash Mascara - 'Zoom Black'.

Lips

Above picture - MAC Lip conditioner - 'Petting Pink'

Later pictures - MAC Amplified Lipstick - 'Saint Germain'  with a slick of MAC Lip conditioner in 'Fuschia Fix' for glossiness!

  

☺

Enough of my face, now as promised, here are some pictures of the night...

At dinner. I felt so proud of myself when I managed not to order a creamy risotto. Instead I chose a Niçoise salad made with seared tuna and quail eggs.

 It was delicious but I could have happily eaten four!

After dinner we headed to a nearby bar for cocktails. The birthday girl is on the right, I loved the sequined shirt she wore, she looked dazzling, literally and metaphorically speaking! And those hot pink novelty happy birthday sunglasses were just the perfect accessory! Hehe.

But in particular I'd like to draw attention to the lady on the front left, she's my co-worker and friend. If there's one thing I can tell you about most Koreans it's that they love to pose. The above pose is the most standard pose that you'll see all the girls and guys pulling out for pics here.

I like to mock my Korean friends, all in good humor of course!

I don't know why it's so funny...just because I'm not Korean!

Taking things one step further with a cheeky wink thrown in for good measure. This is just one of the many poses I have honed in my last two years in Korea. Putting my time here to such good use!

Most of the night I was drinking Long Island Iced Teas, my posing went downhill after the first two, man those drinks are strong. Do the trick though! On a dieting side-note: Don't check the calories in these if you are supposed to be doing just that (dieting) and want to fully enjoy them.

And so that was my night. Well actually it wasn't there was quite a bit more after that but I'm not going to post pics from later on because quite frankly, things got a tad messier and I don't want to embarrass my friends or myself for that matter.

How was your weekend anyway? Great I hope! ^-^

 
Feel free to leave a comment and follow me, here or on BlogLovin'...



...or both...pretty please?!

 Lots of love ♥
 x x x

MAC lip conditioner - Petting Pink, Fuschia Fix, Gentle Coral and Soothing Beige

Friday after work I decided to pop into my local MAC store. I picked up a few of my favourite MAC make up items. Amongst the many things I love from MAC my favourites have to be their Lip Conditioners.

First I bought a color free lip conditioner from them. It was really good but as soon as I tried one of the Tinted Lip Conditioners that was it, I WAS hooked. Not only are they the best lip balm I've ever used they also look pretty on, adding a gorgeous touch of color to your face.

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner with SPF 15 in Petting Pink

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  <3

So since I am OBSESSED with these gorgeous lip balms I feel it necessary to tell you guys about them.

MAC make four different shades of the lip conditioner along with a color free one too. The colors available are Fuchsia Fix, Gentle Coral, Petting Pink and Soothing Beige. They are quite sheer to begin with but if you apply them thicker then the color becomes bolder and brighter.

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner ~ Top to bottom....
Fuchsia Fix, Gentle Coral, Petting Pink & Soothing Beige

I love these and use them everyday to keep my lips feeling soft and looking pretty. Give them a try!

xxx