Send Nudes | My Nude Lipstick Collection and Swatches

Nudes are all the rage right now. Nope, put that phone down ladies I'm talking about nudey lips (though if you're Kim K nudes are ALWAYS the rage in your house) and over these last few months I've built up quite an extensive collection of nude lipsticks, glosses of all shapes, sizes, finishes and price ranges and today I wanted to share with you a few of my top picks from my pro make up artistry collection and of course ones from my own personal make up bag.

Swatches L-R: MAC Half N Half, MAC Blankety, Maybelline Colour Drama in Nude Perfection, Revlon Matte Balm in Mischievous, Too Faced Melted Matte in Nude, NYX Lip Cream in London, Kylie Cosmetics in Dolce K, Kylie Cosmetics in Exposed, Kylie Cosmetics in So Cute.

MAC Amplified Creme in Half N Half

Half N Half was one of the first shades by MAC I ever bought, way before the days of the Velvet Teddy reign I was rocking my good old half n half. This one is a bit darker than my other nudes and is perhaps verging on a more brown shade for us pale girls, but on a darker skin tone this would be perfection. The finish of this one is an amplified creme, so it's very creamy and quite heavy on the lips and what's great is it won't dry out your lips, great for those winter months (when they eventually roll in)

MAC Amplified in Creme Blankety

Blankety is one of my staple staple favourite. Whenever I don't know what to wear I'll always reach for blankety for comfort (ha I know!) Blankety again has a lovely creamy texture and consistency and is much lighter than it's sister Half N Half. I often use Blankety to lighten up the mid section of my lip and pat it out to give myself that 'ombre' lip, it also helps make your lips look fuller and bigger which we new age make up lovers of course all die for!

Maybelline Colour Drama lipstick in Nude Perfection
This one is perhaps the most affordable of the bunch and is one of the most surprising. Whenever I apply this shade it lasts all day! And as far as I am aware that isn't part of the major selling point, in fact I don't even think these have been to widely advertised. This shade is literally what it says on the packaging, nude perfection and is a great starter nude for you dabblers out there. My only criticism is the size is really quite small and you also have to invest in a large sided pencil sharpener just to get additional uses.

Revlon Matte Balm in Mischievous 

These matte balms are worth a look in for the forumla alone, which contains peppermint extract and leaves your face smelling minty fresh! If I could bathe in this I would! I use mischievous again to create ombre looks the majority of them time and it's a nice, blend-able, light shade which also doesn't feel drying.

Too Faced Melted Matte in Nude

The applicator for this is not great for hygiene and hence I do not stock them in my pro kit, which is a real shame because they are gorgeous. I wouldn't technically say that this was a particularly matte lipstick, it semi dries but not entirely. The finish however has a very tacky, strobed look and again is great for summer. It is quite a warm nude, even warmer than the Kylie Exposed kit so I usually pair this with a cool toned eye just to balance out the face.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London
One of my brand new babies from the brand new NYX counter in my local boots, I've been loving the finish of this lip cream, it feels more like a light soufflé finish than an actual cream which is lovely for summer when you want to feel a bit lighter. The shade itself is quite light with what I would say is a hint of orange very similar to the Too Faced melted matte shade. You do have to top NYX up quite a bit through the day but as they're high street I'm not complaining and it's a gorgeous shade!

Kylie Cosmetics Lip kit in Dolce K
I won't go into too too much detail about Dolce as you can read my full review and first impressions of it right here. 

Kylie Cosmetics lip kit in Exposed

First of my many, many mattes is the Kylie Cosmetics lip kit in Exposed. Exposed is a toffee / caramel shade which is unlike most other colours on the market. On darker skin tones it is a gorgeous cool, light colour, however on myself it is far warmer in colour and helps bring a bit more depth and dimension to my moon face. This is not perhaps one to dabble with if you're new to using nude colours on your lips as it can be quite intense but I cannot fault the formula it is beautiful!

Kylie Cometics lip gloss in So Cute

So Cute is the most versatile colour I have ever used it's gorgeous and this summer I would not be without it. It looks exactly as it did on the Kylie Cosmetics website and can be layered over the top of just about any colour to give your look an extra oomph. But I genuinely just love wearing this on it's own with a pared back eye and subtle contour for a great summer barely there look.

For all of you nude connoisseurs and nudey newbies I hope you found this post helpful, informative, entertaining or maybe I've even just inspired you to get out there and spend some pennies (go on treat yo self!) What are your favourite nude shades? I'd love to hear them in the comments below, come link them to me on Twitter or if you're just interested in seeing these nudes in action be sure to check out my Instagram and Facebook pages.

Until next time, let's get naked!

H.Elizabeth x 

Aberdeen Art and Culture | Albyn Gallery

It isn't often that I am let out of my cage enough to sample the local culture (it is a habit I am trying to break out of believe me) so when I was contacted by the PR for a local up and coming gallery in Aberdeen's West End with a unique twist to come along I practically leapt at the opportunity.
 

The Albyn Gallery, as I was to learn, plays host to over 100 pieces of unique, mostly modern, art pieces and has everything from Pino's romanticism, Disney Illustrations by Allison Lefcort (which yes is as exciting as it sounds for Disney lovers) and a plethora of works by Bill Mack, who is famed for painting classic film stars from the 1920s to the 1970s on pieces of the original Hollywood sign. The gallery is owned by the Douglas family who began collecting art a few years ago and are keen to share their love and passion for art with the public, Keith Douglas, the owner of the gallery has said, “As a family, we love art and have amassed a fantastic collection. I believe that art collections should move and evolve and, aside from some particularly sentimental pieces, I look forward to sharing my collection with others and continuing to develop what we enjoy in our home.”

But before you brush Albyn off as ' just another art gallery' let me just shed some light on how unique this collection and experience at the gallery truly is. First of all the Douglas family's passion for their collection is unrivaled, which you can tell from the way in which Keith imparts his knowledge of art, their collection and the art world in general (something I'm sure you are aware you cannot get at your run of the mill gallery) Secondly I just want to take a moment to mention some of the more unique pieces of art that really drew me in for example the Hollywood works by Bill Mack with some interesting surprises, the unique use of media by Martiros Manoukian and the wonderfully upbeat works of Dorit Levi. But for those who aren't very into art or are perhaps amateurs (like myself), don't worry the history of each piece will  be enough to satisfy your culture buds, so there really is something for everyone.

In short I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at the gallery and to be shown around by someone as passionate about art as Keith was nothing short of a delight. When you visit Albyn you'll be given nothing short of a truly unique experience that you simply don't get at your run of the mill gallery and you'll definitely come away with more nuggets of information than you'll know what to do with, and let's face it for those of us in Aberdeen such places are few and far between and we ought to grab these opportunities when we can!

 

I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into Aberdeen and Granite City Culture, it was lovely to be shown around the Douglas family's art gallery and I do hope you get the opportunity to book in a visit, be sure to head over to their website for a taste of what they have on offer. As always I love to hear from you so be sure to leave a comment below and if you do get a chance to go along to Albyn Art Gallery I'd love to hear about your experiences on here or on Twitter. Of course if you'd just like to see more from me and the Granite City be sure to follow me on Bloglovin.
 

Until next time folks, I'm feeling cultured and artsy.

 

H.Elizabeth x