Mac Foundations: NC vs. NW

If you have ever stepped foot in a MAC store, you'll know what there are literally hundreds of shades of foundation, and its hard to find the right one! Yes, there are people who work there who can help, but in a busy shop when you're in a rush and a little bit flustered because theres so much going on, it helps if you can kind of pick your own!

I have worked out what the codes mean and what shades are best suited to me, so I have put together this little guide, to help you choose your right shade too!

NW13 and NC15

Mac has a system which is the opposite to most other foundation/makeup brands. This can be kind of confusing, but once you know it, its obviously a lot easier! 

NC = Neutrally Cool - yellower shades

NW = Neutrally Warm - pinker tones

So yellow/olive tones in a Mac foundation is apparently a cool shade, which is the opposite to other foundation brands. And pinker tones are apparently warmer, which again is the opposite.

So now that you have an idea on which tone you need, theres the numbers that you need to work out. These are a lot easier! The numbers will usually start off at 15 and go up to 55 (but can start at 10 and go up higher, depending on which foundation formula you choose and how big the store is) in increments of 5. So 15, 20, 25, 30 etc etc. 

However, there are numbers which aren't in this pattern, for example a 13 or 18. These are similar to the nearest number, but a bit more of a neutral tone. So NW13 is a very similar shade to NC15 (a yellow toned foundation), but with a bit more pink added to make it more neutral. 

I'll show you an example here with my 2 Mac foundations. I am using the Studio Fix Fluid, but this is relatively the same with most of the other Mac foundation formulas. I have a neutral/yellow tone to my skin. Meaning when I am not tanned, I'm neutral, neither yellow or pink, just in between. But when I am slightly or more tanned, I have a more yellow tone to my skin. Therefore I use these 2 foundations depending on if I have been in the sun or not! 

I was first matched to NC15 in the summer, therefore I was a bit tanned, meaning I was more yellow toned. This shade was perfect for me, but when I started becoming a bit paler, I started realising that the foundation wasn't necessarily too dark for me, but it was too yellow. Making me look orange. I went back to get another one and was matched to NW13, which is roughly the same colour, but more neutral so I wouldn't look too orange. 

I was temped to get the NW10, as I thought the difference between 13 and 15 wouldn't be a lot, however NW10, with ending in a 0 or 5 (as mentioned before) would have been far too pink for me. Therefore the more neutral 13 suited my skin a lot better. 

Understand? Hopefully this post has been helpful to you first time Mac users. Any more questions about shades and tones? Just ask below! I'll get back to you as soon as I can to help with your foundation queries! 

Good luck buying yourself some foundation! You'll love it! If you struggle in store, just ask someone to help, and if you decide when you're home that you've come away with the wrong colour, just remember that Mac has a policy in which you can return any of their products, providing you have a receipt and either get a refund or a different product! 

The LBP *

Move over dress! This season its all about the Little Black Playsuit! I was sent this gorgeous playsuit by Luxemme *, and I love it! Luxemme is an up and coming brand from Manchester (where I live!) who sell amazing pieces at a great price, mixing Parisian chic with a cool, urban Manchester twist.

This jumpsuit is the perfect mix of revealing and covered up! perfect for the festive party season! I love the style of this playsuit, as the shorts are wide legged, giving that dress, but not dress look. There is mesh sleeves to keep you warm this winter, as well as a pretty cut out back and front panel.

This playsuit is extremely comfortable, however when ordering, I would suggest going a size down to your usual. As the one I received was slightly too big for me.

Luxemme have a great range of playsuits and jumpsuits for all types of occasions. They also regularly update their Limited Edition collection and have a celebrity range so you can look like your favourite style icon! 

Click here to see their range! Also, use my referral code to get 10% off every purchase you make! Simply add juliette-stephenson into the promo code box at the checkout. 

Here I have styled it just by itself, with a pop of colour in the shoes and in the lip. But I would probably wear this type of outfit to a restaurant for a fancy meal with friends for example, so here, I have shown what its like with an oversized long wool coat 

over the top. 

I have also paired the playsuit with these amazing 90s inspired chunky sandals. They will bring a pop of colour to any outfit as they are the prettiest, but brightest shade of lilac I have ever seen on shoes! These are on sale in H&M at the moment so get there to pick up a pair before they're gone! 

Playsuit - £35 - Luxemme (click here) *

Wool Coat - £30 - Primark

Shoes - £9.99 - H&M

Keep an eye out on my twitter for an exclusive giveaway for £15 worth of vouchers to spend on Luxemme, just in time to treat yourself to the perfect christmas outfit! 

Pretty Ears - from the Body Jewellery Shop *

I was contacted by Body Jewellery Shop and asked if I would like to try out some of their ear piercing jewellery. I jumped at the chance as I am a massive fan of piercings and love finding girly pieced of jewellery to wear. After looking through their website, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of pretty pieces of jewellery, as some piercing jewellery can look a bit scary and too metaly (if you get what I mean!)

Firstly, I chose to receive this Moon Stud. I was really impressed with it as its very pretty, without being over the top sparkly. The silver moon has a really nice shine, and 3 different shaped diamonds in it. The stud is meant of the tragus piercing, however I believe its too big for there, so I wore it in my helix (cartilage) piercing.

The stud is made from surgical steel and sterling silver, therefore you shouldn't get any nasty rashes off it. If you do have an allergy to these metals (mainly the steel, like me) 

 I would suggest wearing it only for a few hours, then swapping it back to the one you wore before. This will avoid any redness or anything. 

Next I chose to try out this set of 5 jewel studs. These really impressed me when I first opened them as they were the perfect size, small but not tiny! They also were very sparkly and clean looking. In this picture, I chose to wear the tiny star in my conch piercing. How cute?!

These studs are made from bioflex, which is a biocompatible, flexible, plastic-like material mainly, which means that it won't cause metal allergy sufferers any redness or anything. The small stud that fits onto the bar though, is made from sterling silver. In the pack, you get a set of 5 tops, and one bar to fit them too. This means you can change up your look without having to remove the bar! You get a star, a triangle, a classic circle shape, a square and a heart. 

Overall, I am very impressed with the Body Jewellery Shop! I sometimes am a bit weary of buying body jewellery online, with my metal allergy, however, this site always tells you what material the jewellery is made from, and also sells products made from real gold, to titanium, to surgical steel, so theres something for everyone. 

The site also sells jewellery for almost every piercing! Not only ears, like these, but belly button bars, nose rings and even fake piecing jewellery incase you're a bit scared to get the real thing! To check out their site, click here.

Missguided's New Nightwear Collection *

Missguided have brought out a nightwear/pyjama collection!!

I've been a huge fan of Missguided for years, so when I found out that they have finally brought out a new nightwear range; with nightshirts, pyjama sets, dressing gowns and teddies, I was so excited! 

The collection is amazing, click here to see the range, and I was lucky enough to receive some of their first few sets to show you. I love what I have been sent so I couldn't wait to get them on and lounge about! 

This is the first pair of pyjamas I received. Its a long sleeved, super comfortable teddy, 

or in everyday terms, playsuit. It wraps over the front, ties at the waist and the shorts on the bottom of it have split sides, making your legs look longer and your body more curvy. I love the colour of it too, the one I got is the grey, however it has a slight lilac tinge to it, which I love. This set also comes in black and burgundy. 

I love this playsuit/teddy so much that I would actually wear it out too! Get straight out of bed and into university! 

Long Sleeved Wrap Teddy in Grey - £15

Click Here!

 The other set I received was this blah blah blah cropped pyjama set. I've never seen pyjamas with this style top before, but I love it! The top is that 90s halter style crop top that is very popular right now, and the shorts, like the teddy, are high waisted and have a side split. I think these pyjamas are slightly too big, so you may want to go down a size when ordering. These pyjamas are black with the 'blah blah blah' being a metallic rose gold!

I'd also wear this top out too! And maybe even the shorts in summer!

 Blah Blah Blah Pyjama Set - £18

Click Here!

I love Missguided's new nightwear collection, and as they bring out more pieces, I'll be posting some more! So keep your eyes peeled! 

Boohoo September Style Icon *

I was challenged by Boohoo.com to recreate Kylie Jenner's outfit, using items from their site. I jumped at the challenge! Who wouldn't want to look like their style icon, using a budget of only £30? 

Here's the look I was challenged to recreate.

Image courtesy of whereto get.it 

I love this outfit, and think its great for the transition from summer into autumn, as its made from layers so you can be warm, but have the option to cool yourself down, 

or vice versa. Kylie's look was made up of an oversized checked shirt, a white tshirt dress and some thigh high boots. All finished off with her signature sunglasses 

and a big handbag.

And here's what I managed to create with a budget of only £30, 

using clothing from Boohoo.

My look is slightly different, as I was only wanting to be inspired by her outfit, I didn't want to completely copy it. 

Shirt - £20 - click here

Dress - £15 - click here

I also used my own thigh high boots, which I bought from eBay. Just search 'thigh high boots' and you'll find thousands of different styles. 

I did go over budget by £5, however, you can see that I've managed to recreate a celebrity inspired look for such a small amount compared to what Kylie paid! Why don't you have a go at creating your favourite style icon's look? 

Want free next day delivery, today only? Use the code "NEXTDEL" up until 6pm tonight. Also get 20% off tops and knitwear using the code "TOPIT" today only. 

And check out Boohoo's own celebrity inspired picks! Click here!