Vice 3 Smokey Eye

Hello again!

What's this? Another blog post? That's right pals!

Today I'm going to show a look I did using the Urban Decay Vice 3 palette. I kind of forgot about this one for a while, but I found it again (not that I'd actually lost it, I just fish it out of the drawer) and decided to have a little play.

These shadows are suuuuuuuper pigmented, but very soft so they're easily blended - just like all UD shadows. They're very pretty jewel like tones so great for these colder months.

As I was just playing around, I didn't end up lining and putting mascara on both eyes, so apologies for that. But you get the idea. So, here's what I did!

Face

Foundation was Benefit Big Easy in 01 Fair

Concealer was Rimmel Wake Me Up in Ivory

Powder for setting for Benefit Hello Flawless in Ivory

Contour powder was Heliopolis from the Sculpting Duo Palette which I applied in the hollow beneath my cheekbones

Blush was Benefit Rockateur

Highlight was Lumos from the Sculpting Duo Palette which I applied just above my cheekbones, looks so pretty with Rockateur

Eyes

Truth (a matte peachy/pink) was applied to the entire lid, up to the brow bone and in the inner corner

Last Sin (a shimmery taupe) was applied all over the lid

Angel (a shimmery brown) was applied on the outer third of the lid

Bondage (a dark slightly shimmery plum) was applied over Angel and into the crease

Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of blending using a clean fluffy brush - seriously, blend the crap of these colours!

Then I applied Bourjois Volume Clubbing liquid liner in Ultra Black to the upper lash line and winged this out

I tight and waterlined using Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in Perversion

Maxfactor Clump Defy False Lash Effect mascara on the top and bottom lashes

Lips

EOS pomegranate lip balm

Rimmel Vintage Pink lipstick

And that was it! I hope you like it!

IOTD - Khloe Kardashian

I feel like this is quite a KoKo-esque look, and she's awesome, sooo...

SOTD - Intro by The XX

Everyday Make-Up

Hello lovely people!

I thought I'd show you a really easy, simple, but still pretty make-up look that can be worn on an everyday basis, or for an evening out by adding a bright lip. I hope you like it!

So I used shadows from the Urban Decay Naked Palette, which I absolutely love! It's probably my most used eye palette and has so many combinations of colour and effect. You can stay pretty neutral in your make-up with this one, which it predominately my "look", but because the shadows are highly pigmented, you can build on them to create something more dramatic and creative if you want to.

Whenever I get a new palette, especially one as well known as this one, I generally hop on to YouTube pretty quickly to watch some tutorials and other looks people have created, just to see how other people are finding it and the sorts of things you can do with it. I got this one back in 2011 as a Christmas present and I've loved it ever since! One of the tutorials that I watched was by Anna Saccone from TheStyleDiet. She's a neutral gal like me, so I was drawn to this tutorial which I'll pop below:

 

This routine has pretty much stuck with me since then and is the basis for my go-to look. I don't wear it every single day, but it's one I go back to pretty often. Anna's is fairly dark, I keep mine softer, especially if I'm using liquid or gel liner on the upper lid.

So I'll just leave a list below of what I used and where I used it. 

Face

Foundation was Benefit Big Easy in 01 Fair

Concealer was Rimmel Wake Me Up in Ivory (I think - the label has rubbed off, hmp!)

Powder for setting for Benefit Hello Flawless in Ivory

Contour powder was Heliopolis from the Sculpting Duo Palette

Blush was Benefit Rockateur

Eyes

Virgin all over the lid, inner corner and up to the brow bone

Sin over the lid

Buck in the crease and down onto the outer third of the lid

Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner on the upper lid

Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in Perversion in the tightline

Maxfactor Clump Defy False Lash Effect mascara on the top and bottom lashes

As you can see, I left out a few steps from Anna's original tutorial and I kept my brushes in very, very, very light contact with my lids to keep this look soft and natural. You want the brush to barely touch the skin and you want to blend really well using a clean fluffy brush. 

Lips

EOS lipbalm in Pomegranate

(I was doing an interview/observation day when I wore this, so I wouldn't have been able to keep reapplying lipstick. Lipbalm was the next best option!)

I hope you like this look, and this new list form of what I used. I'm going to try it this way for a while just because I think it looks a bit tidier and cleaner on the blog, and it stops me rambling on about products - ha ha!

IOTD - Anna Saccone. She was one of the first beauty bloggers I found, and she heavily inspired me to start my own blog. Her message has kind of always been "Change your style, not yourself" which is a message I like. Experiment with fashion and make-up, but stay true to who you are.

SOTD - Showstopper by Brandon & Leah. I've been watching a lot of Kim & Kourtney Take Miami and this is the theme song. Brandon Jenner is their stepbrother and he has this band with his wife. They have a couple of EP's on iTunes and I really like them.

Benefit Easiest Nudes Ever Review and Mini Tutorial

Hello everyone!

Here's a little review and mini tutorial of a Benefit kit I got from my sister for Christmas. Everyone that knows me knows that I'm a huge Benefit junkie! I'm slowly building up to owning EVERYTHING they make! I love the make-up, it's great quality in my opinion and the packaging is always so cute! I put a few things of theirs on my Christmas list but obviously didn't know if I'd get any, and if I did, I didn't know what it would be so I was really excited to get this kit! I already had the Most Glamourous kit and really, really like it (blog post to follow!) so I knew I'd like this one too!

Disclaimer #1: I'm not sponsored by any of the brands or companies that produce the products that I've used. I wish I was, but no, sadly not!

Disclaimer #2: You might notice that eyeliner wings are slightly uneven. I experimented with Scotch tape and positioned one of them slightly different than the other. If any of you have used the gel liner that I used, you'll know that it's one of the most stubborn liners to remove, so to be honest, once it's on me, it's on. I ain't going back in there to correct that! Also, my eyes are actually quiet uneven anyway, so they're never going to look 100% symmetrical.

Disclaimer #3: My roots are disgusting. I know that too ;)

This is the make-up with the flash on.

So, inside the kit you get 2 cream shadows and 4 powder shadows. It also comes with a mirror in the box and a few little hints and tips, which is something Benefit include in pretty much all their products. I think that's a really nice touch because if you're experienced with make-up or just starting to use it, there might be something there that you pick up.

The cream shadows are in the shades RSVP and No Pressure. RSVP is a soft pink-ish copper colour and No Pressure is almost a shimmery cocoa kind of colour, although it's not super dark as you can see from the photo below. The cream shade is Call My Bluff and is great as a base or subtle and matte highlight. Then there's a very light pink called Pinky Swear, a shimmery brown called Thanks a Latte and a dark brown called Quick, Look Busy.

Sorry that RSVP (pictured left) is used. I was so excited to try these out on Christmas day that I didn't think about taking blog photos, I'm afraid. But never mind, you still get the idea of what they look like!

Here are the swatches that I took. I am so in love with Thanks a Latte and Call My Bluff! They are a great combination to wear for daytime and create a really quick eyeshadow look! 

No flash.

So here's my little tutorial. Hope you like it!

Start by applying moisturiser to your entire face and neck, concentrating on any patches of skin that might be dry. For me, it's the space between my brows and nose that can get quite peely.

Next, I like to apply colour correcting creams so that my foundation goes on in a more flawless way. To do this, I apply the green cream concealer from the Coastal Scents Eclipse concealing palette -  which I got from amazon - to any redness on my skin, which could be on blemishes or areas that get over stimulated through washing my face, cleansing and moisturising. I then take Benefit Lemonaid which is a yellow toned concealer cream perfect for neutralising areas of skin that are purple toned - 2 words people: DARK CIRCLES! This is a great product, but I'm not 100% sure if you can still easily buy it. I got mine from Debenhams, anyway, so you'll probably be able to.

You'll end up looking a bit crazy after the colour correction, so that's where foundation will come in. I apply Benefit Big Easy in 01 Fair to my entire face, making sure I cover the colour correction, using the Real Techniques foundation brush which is the thin slanted brush. I then use the expert face brush to buff it into my skin.

I follow this with concealer, I'm using Rimmel Wake Me Up and then I contour using the Illamasqua sculpting duo. After this, I apply blush which at the moment is Dandelion by Benefit.

I then took the Easiest Nudes kit and started on my eyes. First, I apply RSVP to my lid and crease of my eyelid. I then applied a little Call My Bluff on my lid, brow bone and inner corner of my eye. After this, applied Thanks a Latte to the crease, outer third and just on my lower lid close to my lashes. I used a slanted fluffy brush from Real Techniques which is great as it helps create more of a slanted, cat eye effect with your eyeshadow, blending it towards the end of the eyebrow. I applied Pinky Swear to the inner third of the lid.

I then lined my tightline using Urban Decay 24/7 liner in black and applied winged Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner on my lid. I experimented with Scotch Tape to create a nice, sharp, straight line. It worked so well on my left eye because I took my time! I rushed the right eye a bit and it was at slightly the wrong angle. Oh well, no harm, no foul!

I finished with a few coats of Max Factor Clump Defy False Lash Effect mascara, a generous application of EOS pomegranate lip balm and then Go Guava lipstick by MAC, which is part of the Trend Forecast Spring 15/Lip and Cheek palette.

All done!

SOTD - Flawless by Beyonce

IOTD - Caroline Flack

Update!

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate and that you're looking forward to the start of a new year!

Once again, it's been a really long time since I blogged, but I have just been so busy! The combination of work and completing the make-up course was quite a lot for me. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I put my heart and soul into everything I do and it all just ended up taking up all my time. I've just ended up making myself unnecessarily stressed out which has ultimately caused me to get nice and poorly - I currently have shingles which is so horrible! I'm hoping that I'll have some free time soon to start writing on here more often because I really do love it! I have so many posts planned out that I want to share with you, so fingers crossed it starts to happen soon!

So, what's been happening?

Well, I'm still working in retail which is fine for now. It's been very busy due to it being Christmas and then going into the sales. My illness could not have come at a worse time, but never mind, I'm trying to power through as much as possible!

My biggest news is that I finished the make-up course and......

Drum roll please.....

I PASSED!

I am so beyond happy! I can confidently start to market myself as a make-up artist knowing that my work is of a good standard and that I am practicing hygienically and maintaining good client care. I really enjoyed taking the course - the tutors were amazing and so knowledgeable, I learnt such a lot from them! And all the other girls that I took the course with were so lovely! I'm hoping that we stay in touch and cross paths again in the future.

I studied Level 2 make-up at the Jackie Hamilton School of Beauty which is in Norwich. I don't actually live in Norwich, or Norfolk for that matter so I had to travel from Suffolk every other Sunday to get there for 10am. Leaving the house at 8:20am on a Sunday morning is not the one - but I'm SO glad I did it! We learnt all about hygiene, client care, colour theory, face shapes/tones/types etc, cosmetic science - and so much more! We also (obviously!) learnt how to apply make-up correctly for 4 different types of make-up - daytime, bridal, evening and special occasion. We were also given the opportunity to unleash our creativity a bit and do an "Other" make-up, for which I re-created a historically accurate 1920's look. We then took a theory exam which was multiple choice and the following week we took our practical exam for which we showed an examiner that we could perform a full cleansing routine and daytime make-up in 30 minutes following high standards of hygiene and client care.

Now that I've passed the level 2 course, I have applied to do the level 3 course which starts in February and focuses more on fashion and photographic make-up. I'm so excited to start!

In the meantime, I'll be starting to launch my business and build myself up as make-up artist whilst I'm still at work.

Thank you all so much for reading and I'll hopefully be updating this blog really soon!

SOTD - Blue by Beyonce

IOTD - Zoe Sugg

The Start of Something New - UPDATE!!!

Hello kind readers!

I hope you are all doing wonderfully and have had a fab month while I haven't posted (that's my covert way of saying sorry for being lazy...).

I've been really busy! Working, socializing and getting ready to start my new training course. You may be thinking, "Training course?! What training course?!", wellllllllllllllll... I'm about to start training to become a qualified make up artist!!!!!! HOW EXCITING!

I've actually known about this since June, but I didn't want to write about it until the time came for the course to start. My track record of dropping out or chickening out of things is pretty darn high, so I wanted to make sure I didn't write a massive post about it, only to write another one telling you how much of an epic fail I am! But I start on Sunday and I'm really hopeful that this will turn out well.

I'll be studying at a small - but perfectly formed! - beauty school in Norwich, The Jackie Hamilton School of Beauty and the course will take place over the next 12 weeks. I go in for a day a fortnight and then complete case studies during the periods I'm not there. In December I'll take an exam and then if all goes to plan, I'll be able to start working as a pro MUA.

Over all the years I've spent trying to decide what I should do with myself, beauty therapy and specifically make up is something I've always come back to, and also something that my friends and family have always said I'd be good at. I'm not sure about that, but I do know that it's something I'll enjoy. I'm so interested in make up and it's honestly my dream to make a career out of it. In years previous, I thought it would be best to get a degree and then do something more "sensible", but that's so not for me. I tried it and it was a disaster. It's so much better to do something that you know you'll enjoy. So if that's going to university and getting a degree and then a job through that, then you should definitely do it. But if it's going to beauty school, or something else that's more vocational, then do it!

SOTD - Waterfalls by TLC

IOTD - Samantha Chapman

My faaaaaaaaavourite make up artist. Sam is someone I look up to so much, and if I can be even half as successful as she is, I will be over the moon!

On Wednesdays (and Fridays...) We Wear Pink - Regina George's Make-Up From Mean Girls

"In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it"

*Creeps in looking a good mix of embarrassed, awkward and apologetic for not posting in a really long time*

.....I'm sorry.....

Hello everyone! I knowwwwwwwwwww, it's been aaaaaages. My life suddenly got really busy. I turned 21 (Woo!), found myself a job (Woo woo!) and applied for a make-up course that starts in Setember (Woo woo woo!), so I've just been figuring all that out, as well as seeing my friends now they're all coming home after graduating from university.

I've finally got the end of my Mean Girls posts, which shouuuuuuuuuld have only taken 4 weeks, but I'm a terrible blogger and it obviously wouldn't run like that, now, would it?!

The final look is Regina and I chose to recreate her make-up from the Halloween party scenes.

It's a pretty easy look, and gives you chance to practise your gel liner skills - who doesn't need practise? It's also got some glitzy little gems and my photos vaguely feature bunny ears (classy lady!). Here's what I came up with, hope you like it!

Yes, I did only apply mascara, eyeliner and gems two 1 eye - I only ever show you my left eye anyway!

So, moisturise and apply your normal foundation and concealer, if you wear them. I used my usual Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow liquid foundation with Fake Up concealer around the eye area and on any blemishes.

Next, apply an eye primer if you want to, I didn't but would if I was wearing this make-up out. I then applied a pearly white cream eyeshadow to my entire eyelid, from lash line to brow bone. Make sure this is blended really well and not caked on. You want it nice and smooth. Apply a white eyeshadow over the top to set.

I then applied a very pale but slightly metallic eyeshadow just above the crease, but just below the brow bone. Blend this in well.

Apply a muted light brown in the crease and then using a clean blending brush, blend everything well. You don't want any harsh lines or blocks of colour. That's it for eyeshadow.

Apply a black pencil liner in the water and tight lines and then using a gel liner and brush, line the upper lash line. You want this line to be of thin to medium thickness, with a winged out edge. The easiest way to use a gel liner with a brush is to make short brush strokes, so you're remain in control at all times. Plot your winged edge using the end of the liner brush - hold it along the corner of your eye and match it to the end of your eyebrow. Brush a short line here, and then join it to rest of your eyeliner.

Using small body gems, stick one to the outer corner of your eye, and one to the inner corner - if you're going with gems. Leave them if you want a more wearable look.

Apply a highlight - something like Benefit High Beam, or Illamasqua Lumos highlighting powder - above the brow bone, along the centre of the nose and on the top of the cheekbones. Then generously apply a rosy pink blush to the apples of the cheeks. Blend this back towards the hairline.

And finally slick on a light pink lipstick and lip gloss (ugh, lip gloss!) (and bunny ears if you want them) - and you're done!

I hope you liked this! I do have lots of tutorials, reviews and hauls to share with you, and now I'm settled into my job I hope to update this blog more often. It's nearly a year since I started properly and I definitely haven't written enough posts yet! But I will try my hardest as I would love to boost my views and followers.

IOTD - Rachel McAdams

SOTD - Built This Way by Samantha Ronson

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink - Karen Smith's Make Up From Mean Girls

Hello! Long time, no blog. You know how it is though, life got busy, the usual story.

Here's the third post in my Mean Girls themed blogs, this time it's Karen Smith. This one was the easiest make-up to recreate, but the hardest to find in terms of photo references. She's kind of an underrated member of the primary cast in the film, but actually has some of the funniest lines.

 Do you know who's looking fine tonight?

Seth Mosakowski.

I ended up using a combination of her more natural looks (so, everything aside from the Halloween scene) to create a more general "Karen" look. Here are some that I used as references:

Bit of a tricky one, as in some photos, her make-up looks more brown, in others it's more grey. I've gone for brown so it's more natural, and because the Gretchen look I did was a grey smokey eye. Made sense to me ;)

 I hope you like it!

This is a REALLY simple tutorial. I'm almost hesitant to call it a tutorial, it's THAT easy. If you have the right colours, you can do it.

I started with a nude shimmery shadow which I applied to the entire lid, up to the brow bone. This will act as a base and subtle highlight under the brow.

Next, I applied a muted, matte brown to the outer third of the lid and into the crease. I used a medium brown that would blend nicely in the crease and with the first shadow. You don't this look to be too "blocky" if that makes sense - everything wants to be softened, delicate and natural.

I applied a very subtle gold/beige shadow to the inner third of the lid to create more depth and shape to the eye. I'm not entirely how to describe what I mean actually... Hmm... Without this added shadow, it can end up looking slightly flat. You're basically fading the colours from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner to shape the eye and create dimension. (Word vomit).

Add mascara to your top and bottom lashes and use a black liner in the tightline.

For the waterline, I lined the outer third with the same black liner as the tightline, and then blended a brown liner into this slightly, and continuing to line the rest of the waterline. This stops the liner potentially closing up the eye (not literally, but it can make your eyes look much smaller) and softens the look. Using only black liner could look far too heavy on an eye like this.

I swept a muted, rosey/brown blush across the apples of the cheeks and used an almost clear, but slightly pinkish/brown lipgloss. I used Sugarbomb by Benefit if you're looking to see what the shade actually looks like in the tube.

C'est Fini! Hope you liked this look! Next week will be the last of these blogs, and it will be Regina's Halloween look - complete with some delightful bunny ears (they're actually hideous!).

IOTD - Amanda Seyfried

SOTD - Milkshake by Kelis 

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink - Cady Heron's Make-Up From Mean Girls

Hello!

How are you this week? My week has been very hectic and stressful, but it's easing up now - thankfully!

Here's the second installment of my Mean Girls themed posts, this time it's Cady Heron's make-up, who is played by everyone's favourite child starlet, Lindsay Lohan. On a side note, I've actually become quite fond of Li-Lo after watching her interview with Oprah and the first two parts of the documentary about her. Sure, she's made mistakes, but who hasn't? Most of us don't have them splashed all over the tabloids either...

Anyway - onto the make-up!

I re-created the look that she wore during the Burn Book scene where they read out their apologies for what went in the book. It's a very light, pastel-y and soft look, which is unlike most of the other make-up that Cady wears in the film which is much heavier, with a LOT more black eyeliner. I suppose this is a reflection where their characters are at emotionally during the story.

As you can see from this picture, it's predominantly a pink, purple and blue look - very pretty, very girly.

Here's what I came up with:

(Don't worry, I'm getting my hair coloured next week, it won't look so rooty in my next post!)

So, like my previous post, I'll just describing what colours I used, rather than the brands of make-up I used. This way it's more accessible to everyone. If people prefer me to list what I actually used, do let me know. I want this blog to helpful to people and how they like it.

I started off by using a white shadow all over the lid, right up to the brown bone. I then applied a light pink shadow all over the lid. Over this, I applied a light purple shadow. Using a darker pink shadow, I added some depth into the crease. I applied a light blue shadow along the lashline, but not too thickly, just enough that you can see it under a lined lashline. I basically then just kept working into the blue with a darker purple and the pink until it looked less blue, and blended in with the pink better. Blending is the key when you're using 2 different coloured shadows (blues, greens, purples, pinks, etc) as you don't want them to look too blocky.

I lined the lashline with a black liquid liner, applied a few coats of black mascara and used a black eye pencil in the water and tight lines.

I then applied a very light pink blush to the apples of my cheeks, with a liquid highlight on the very top of the cheekbone. I didn't use any contour as this is such a soft look.

Finally I applied a rosey pink lip stain and lip gloss.

And that's it! So simple, so pretty!

Thanks for reading!

IOTD - Lindsay Lohan

SOTD - One Way or Another by Blondie

Faces of the Week - Holiday in St Ives

Hello lovelies!

I do hope you're well and that you had a fabulous weekend!

Today I'm going to share with you the make-up I wore each day of my holiday. This, like my holiday OOTD's, will be quite a long post and also quite a picture heavy post. I know that not everyone likes this sort of thing, but it's a good way for me to share the kind of make-up I enjoy wearing, and hopefully it does appeal to some of you. I'm hoping to start writing a few more posts about things I'm buying and also some reviews. But I hope you do enjoy this post all the same!

Sidenote - All the eyeshadows I've used are from the Urban Decay Naked palette. I thought I'd tell you that now so I don't have to repeat it every time. I also got back into curling my eyelashes - WHY HAVEN'T I BEEN DOING THIS FOR LONGER?! Gosh!

So, this was the first day and I wore my usual foundation/concealer/powder combination which is Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow liquid foundation, Fakeup concealer and Hello Flawless powder all by Benefit. I wanted to keep my eyes fairly simple so I used Virgin eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked palette all over the lid, in the inner corner as a highlight and under the brow bone, applying this with a simple shadow brush from Boots (cheapie but goodie). I then went in with Buck from the same palette in the crease and outer third, applying this with the Good Karma Shadow brush by Urban Decay (this was the free brush I received with the Naked palette). I then used a Sigma E30 pencil brush to blend these together. I then used Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner and the brush that came with it to line my lash line, together with Bourjois Kohl & Contour black pencil liner in the water and tight lines. Finally I finished off with Benefit They're Real on my top and bottom lashes.

So, this was . So, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always. Virgin all over the lid, inner corner and up to the brow bone. I then applied Hustle to the crease and outer third of the lid, applying a little of Toasted to the middle third of the lid.

I actually wore the same make-up on the next two days because I really liked the combination of shades. So, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always - these are my staple products that never really change. I started with Virgin all over the lid, up to the brow bone and in the inner corner. I then used Smog all over the lid and Darkhorse in the crease. Then, just in the middle third of the lid, I applied a small amount of Halfbaked to create some more colour and sparkle - brighten up the eye a bit. I then used my Illamasqua Sculpting Duo kit to contour and highlight, with their blush in the shade Ambition. On my lips (and I actually wore this everyday but apparently took photos before I applied it on every other day apart from this, doh!) I wore a new addition to my make-up collection which is part of the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Collection Privee. This is Cheryl Cole's lipstick in the shade Barely Greige by Cheryl. I absolutely LOVE this lipstick. It's very moisturising and very subtle. You do have to reapply it throughout the day, but that doesn't bother me too much. Over time I hope to buy the others in the collection because they're all so pretty, especially Barely Peach by Julianne Moore. So lovely!

Again, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always. I used the eyeshadows as the day before, except more of Darkhorse and no Halfbaked. I kept it more natural on this day - so didn't use any blush or contour either.

(Apologies for the inconsistent flash in these photos - I officially HATE my camera!)

Aaaand once again, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always. I applied Virgin all over the lid, up to the brow bone and in the inner corner, as I often do. Then I used Toasted all over the lid. I did this look when I went to Leeds, post here, and as I talk about in that post, I LOVE this eyeshadow. You can use it on it's own because it is iridescent and looks more built up. Great if you don't want a heavy look. Illamasqua contour kit and blush was the same as the other days.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

IOTD - Courteney Cox. I watched a few episodes of Cougar Town last night, I really enjoy it, makes me giggle A LOT.

SOTD - Moi Je Joue by Brigitte Bardot

FOTD and Contouring

Hello!

I thought I'd show you a make-up look I wore recently using my new Sculpting Powder Duo from Illamasqua, an eye palette from MUA and a couple of Rimmel lipsticks.

So, I started with my usual Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation in "Ivory: I'm Pure For Sure" which I applied with a Real Techniques Expert Face brush. I followed with Benefit Fakeup in "Light 02" on my dark circles and any blemishes - I'm talking about you Mr Spot next to my mouth, you poop head! I blended this in using an Eco Tools concealer brush.

It was at this point that I went in with the Illamasqua Sculpting Powder Duo Contour Kit. Applying the neutral shade - "Heliopolis" - under the cheek bone. I applied this using the Real Techniques Setting brush. My cheeks naturally go inwards so it's fairly obvious where to apply this on my face, however if you suck in your cheeks you'll see where to apply it on your own face. It's a very subtle contouring kit - you're not going to achieve crazy results like Kim Kardashian using this. If you're looking for a good tutorial on how to use this kit, try this one. I then applied "Ambition" blush powder, also by Illamasqua, to the apples of my cheeks using a Real Techniques Blush brush - which is amazing! Above that, using another RT Setting brush, I applied "Lumos" highlight - in the Sculpting kit - along the top of the cheek bone. I used a very small amount of "Heliopolis" either side of the bridge of my nose too, for a bit of shaping.

For my eyes, I used the MUA "Undressed" palette which I bought from Superdrug, firstly by applying "Shade 1", a very pale, pearly pinkish white shadow, all over the lid, into the highlight and on the brow bone. I then applied "Shade 10", a chocolatey, shimmery brown on the outer third and crease, blending the two shadows with a tapered blending brush from Sigma. I then lined and mascara'd like usual - Bourjois Kohl and Contour in the water and tight lines, Benefit They're Real on the lashes.

I applied a little of the Lasting Finish Kate lipstick from Rimmel in shade "03". Over that I blended Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in shade "200 Latino", which is a softer tone of a bright pink. I just used my ring finger to blend it, but you could a lip brush, either is fine.

And that's it! Hope you like it!

Inspiration of the day - Christina Hendricks

Song of the day - 30 Minute Love Affair by Paloma Faith

Make Up Haul

Hello!

Today I'd thought I'd show you some of my most recent make up purchases. I've been building up my collection for the last few months, and thought it was high time that I showed you and gave you a bit of an update of what I'm using.

So, I'll start with my trip to Colchester back in January where I picked up some pieces from Benefit. The Benefit counter in the Debenhams in Colchester is probably my favourite of the ones I've visited. The staff are so friendly and helpful, and I never feel like I'm sitting through a sales pitch. I feel I actually WANT to buy something, rather than that I should because they're telling me to.

I bought Hello Flawless Powder Cover-Up in the shade "Ivory: I Love Me", which is the second lightest. It's comes with a small brush underneath the powder section of the compact, which has a mirror in the lid, so it's perfect to have in your bag as you don't need to take a separate brush or mirror. The powder has a very silky texture and contains SPF 15, which is always handy. I use this to keep shine at bay and so far I'm loving it. It's very light, but doesn't offer a huge amount of cover up. Paired with a concealer it would be good for anyone that feels comfortable going foundation free, but if not, it goes excellently over the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, which is also from Benefit. I'm looking forward to using this powder over the summer so I can mattify my face when it's hot.

Retails at £25.50

I also bought a new concealer as the I felt the Rimmel Hide the Blemish stick I was using was a bit chalky. I didn't blend as well as I'd initally though and ended up looking quite cakey. It was also quite drying on my skin, which isn't great as I already have very dry patches of skin. When I relayed all this to the lovely girl at the counter, she tested a couple of different concealers on my hand for consistency and I went for Fakeup in the shade "Light 02" which is a hydrating, crease control concealer. Surrounding the pigmented section is a hydrating balm, so with every application comes a moisturising layer that helps to stops blemishes and other dry areas of skin becoming more dry. I bought it for my dark circles and so far, it works like a dream!

Retails at £18.50

Finally, I picked up the PoreFessional: Agent Zero Shine which is a real game changer! It's described as a shine vanishing pro powder, and I really think it's lives up to name. It's a one shade fits all, and I can vouch for it matching it perfectly with my pale complexion, can't be sure what it's like on darker tones. It minimises shine and the appearance of pores - both things I'm after in a product. When worn with the PoreFessional primer balm, it works wonders! I absolutely LOVE it! To use it, you twist the cap to open up the holes and tap a small amount into the lid. The bottom of the container twists off to reveal a small powder brush - like Hello Flawless, another handbag space saver. You simply swirl the brush in the product and apply to the face. Benefit are marketing the product as the pore (4) o'clock face saver, which is generally the time your make up might have started to slip off, or you might be feeling the shine. That said, you can obviously apply this at any time of day and see brilliant results.

Retails at £23.50

Next I'll talk you through products I bought when I visited Leeds back in February. I went to Illamasqua for the first time and fell in love with eeeeeeeeverything! Like Benefit in Colchester, the staff in the Leeds branch of Illamasqua are seriously lovely as well. I didn't feel products were being pushed on, just that she wanted to show me how they worked and looked. I genuinely got the feeling she just enjoyed peoples make up and making them feel good.

I picked up the Sculpting Powder Duo in the shades "Heliopolis and Lumos". Heliopolis the the neutral colour used to deepen cheek bones and create more definition to the face. It could also be used for slimming the forehead, chin and nose. Lumos is used to highlight and illuminate, which it does beautifully. These are very highly pigmented, which allows for layering if you prefer a heavier look. So far I'm really loving it. I've always thought I have chubbier looking cheeks but this helps me create the defining features of a more angular face, which I really like.

Retails at £26.00

I have bought a few items from Amazon.co.uk as well, which is simply because it's more convenient than travelling to get certain things, especially if you already know what the product will be like.

I bought an Evolution of Smooth lip balm in the pomegranate and raspberry flavour. I saw Kim Kardashian raving about this a while ago and wanted to give it a try. To be completely honest, these aren't anything that special in my opinion. I do prefer the shape as opposed to a regular lip balm tube, but I don't find the product itself to be that amazing. It's not very long lasting, but it smells pretty good. They are just an average lipbalm. I may repurchase but it's not at the top of my list.

Retails at $3.29 from the EOS website

I also bought some Real Techniques brushes. I've wanted these for ages, and it got to the point where quite a few of my brushes needed replacing anyway, so I finally got to try them. I wasn't disappointed as these are brilliant brushes! I bought the powder brush, blush brush, setting brush for contouring, a retractable lip brush and a couple of shading brushes. I particularly like the shading brushes as they're the perfect size for defining the crease of the eye lid.

These start from £7.99 in Boots

I also bought a Sleek lipstick in the shade "Stiletto". It looks like a seriously bright red in the tube, but it can be used over lipbalm for a softer raspberry colour. I like how versatile the colour is but I wouldn't say it's any better than any other lipstick I've used.

Retails at £4.99 from Boots.

Last, I went to Birmingham to visit another friend and took a little trip to Selfridges & Co, and Boots.

When I'd been to Illamasqua in Leeds, I tried the Powder Blush in "Ambition", a pink with gold tones. I didn't buy it then but kept wishing I had, so picked up when I was in Birmingham. I don't use a lot of it as it is very pink, but it does beautifully with the Sculpting Duo so I'm really happy with it. It gives you that rosey look you get when you're outside, very pretty colour.

Retails for £18.00

Finally, I went to Boots and picked up my first 2 Real Techniques brushes which were the Expert Face brush for foundation - perfect shape and size for buffing liquid foundation into the skin - and the Fine Liner brush, which has a silicone brush, much easier to clean and helps create a finer, neater line when apply gel liner.

As mentioned before, these retail from £7.99 upwards in Boots.

So that's everything. If you've stuck with me this long, I officially love you!

Have you bought anything I should try? Leave it in the comments!

IOTD - Greta Gerwig

SOTD - Season of Love by Shiny Toy Guns

Leeds FOTD

Hello!

So a few weeks ago I went to Yorkshire to visit my sister and a few of my friends, taking a trip to Leeds during the weekend I was there. I'd never been there before, but it's a great town with some fantastic shops and interesting things to look at. I went to Illamasqua for the first time which blew my tiny mind - I wanted EVERYTHING! I'll be posting a "What I've Purchased Recently" post in the next week or so, so you can see what I bought in there. In this post though, I thought I'd share with you the make-up I wore that day. It was really quick and simple, but looked nice, so perfect for a day out shopping.

I started with Diadermine cleanser and moisturiser, then used the Porefessional, Stay Flawless and Oxygen Wow foundation - all by Benefit, followed by Fake Up concealer on blemishes and dark circles.

I only used one shade of eyeshadow which was Urban Decay Toasted from the Naked palette. This coppery colour is iridescant so it looks more built up in colour than it actually is. Eye trickery, that's what it is. And I'm lazy. So I love it. Haha!

I lined my water and tight lines with my usual Bourjois Kohl and Contour black eyepencil.

Then coated my lashes with Benefit They're Real mascara. Apologies that you can see my contact lens in this photo - it happens.

On my lips I used Aquaphor lip balm to prevent chapping - it's bloomin' cold up north! On top of that I used Benefit Kiss You lipgloss from the Glossytown set.

Et Voila! C'est Fini!

IOTD - Anouck Lepere

SOTD - Dancing on My Own by Robyn