Five Minute Makeup

I thought i'd do a snappy post about my quick makeup routine when i'm minutes away from running out the door! For my skin I keep it really simple, I don't want to spend 5 minutes buffing in liquid foundation, so I stick to powder foundations when i'm in a rush, with a bit of concealer underneath. Recently i've been using my MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC15 with MAC Studio Finish Concealer  underneath in NC15 to cover blemishes and my under eye circles. And voila! The skin is covered and powdered in two steps.

On the cheeks I like to use a blush that's going to add colour but also a bit of warmth so I don't have to use a separate bronzer, for this the Benefit Rockateur Blush is perfect! It's a rosey, mauve pink with hints of brown in it (think rose gold), making it the perfect blush to wear on it's own! 

For eyes, again I keep it simple with a creme eyeshadow, such as the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Paint in 'Rich Russet' which is a beautiful bronze shade, much like the Maybelline ColorTattoo in 'On and On Bronze' (which I also love). I then add a bit of depth to the eye by taking a deeper brown such as the No7 Single Eyeshadow in 'Truffle'. 

I recently purchased the new Maybelline Mascara which is just a spin off of their Colossal mascara, it just adds a nice amount of volume and length, but does get a bit clumpy so I may have to go back to the Falsies once i've finished this mascara up!

Finally for lips i've been layering two lipsticks, the Revlon Lipstick in 'Pink in the Afternoon' and the Revlon Lip Butter in 'Berry Smoothie', which creates a really pretty pink that's perfect for every day! Although if you wanted to make it easier you could just apply a bit of tinted lip balm and bam! You're done.

Video: Neutral Smokey Eye for Valentines Day!

Decided to do another video, yes another one. I don't know, I'm just really enjoying filming them in the morning and then editing them in the afternoon. Anyway today I decided to do a 'sultry' looking brown smokey look for Valentines day, whit whoo!

I went for really warm eyeshadows on the eye, with matte browns in the crease, I then used a gel eyeliner along the lash line and then smudged it to further smoke the look out!

I wanted the face makeup to be full coverage, cause when it comes to a smokey eye you want your skin to look perfected otherwise you can end up looking tired otherwise. I also wanted to go really simple on the cheeks with just a little bronzer to sculpt and warm up my complexion a bit and a hint of colour on the cheeks with the blush. Finally I went for a matte nude lip to tie the whole thing together!

FOTD: #1

No7 Beautifully Matte foundation in shade 'Calico'// Maybelline ColorTattoo in 'On & On Bronze//  MAC eyeshadows: 'All That Glitters' 'Tempting' 'Cork' 'Brun'// L'Oreal Super Liner// MAC Pencil Eyeliner in 'Teddy"// Chanel Eye Kohl Pencil in Black// Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara // NARS 'Dolce Vita' Blush// MAC Lipstick in 'Plumful' // 

I'd thought i'd share my makeup for the day for this post, as i'm going out for dinner tonight as it's mine and Elliott's three year anniversary woohoo! I went for for simple face makeup and lips paired with strong eye makeup.

Updated every day makeup routine

Foundation: Normally every day i use No7's Beautifully Matte foundation in the shade 'Calico' and apply it with a Real Techniques Expert Face brush, which gives a natural looking flawless finish to the skin. Somtimes i'll use the Revlon ColorStay foundation in 'Ivory' or the Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream in 'Pale' depending on what kind of finish and coverage i want.

Concealer: For concealing redness or those pesky spots i use the well known Collection Lasting Perfection concealer in 'Fair' and i pat/stipple the R.T Buffing brush on top to blend it in, but not smudge it off.

Under eye concealer: I use the same concealer and dot it under the eyes and blend out with R.T deluxe crease brush.

Powder: Yes, i use the Rimmel stay matte as it really is the best powder at such a low cost, i use the R.T contour brush to apply it round the centre of the face to get rid of shine and set the concealer.

Eyebrows: I brush through my brows with the spoolly (sp?) side of my No7 eyebrow pencil, and then lightly apply a dark brown matte eyeshadow (i'm using the dark brown from a Benefit palette) using an angled brush and with little strokes fill in my brows to make them less sparse but still looking natural, we don't want no scouse brow, am i right?

Priming/eyeshadow base: To start off the eyes i'll either apply a primer such as Urban Decay's Primer Potion (i'm using the one in the shade 'Sin') or the Maybelline ColorTattoo in 'On and On Bronze' which is perfect as a base to really amplify the eyeshadows used on top. 

Eyeshadow: Finally we've made it to eyeshadow! First i take MAC's 'All That Glitters' all over the lid with the RT base shadow brush to set the base, then with the same brush i apply 'Cork' on the outer half of the lid and blend. Then i take 'Tempting' on a MAC 217 brush and apply to the crease and blend out, and then take the same shadow on the E.L.F crease brush and apply to lower lash line. Next to highlight the inner corner of the eye and to brighten my eyes a bit more i take 'Virgin' from the Naked palette in a R.T Accent brush and apply around the inner corner area. Recently i've been loving using black eyeshadow as liner, so i next take the R.T Angled brush and line my top lash line, for a softer look than using liquid liner.

Mascara: Lastly for the eyes, i curl my lashes and apply the ever famous Maybelline 'The Falsies' mascara, and for the lower lashes i use No7's Extreme Length as the wand is the perfect size. If i want more added to the liner, i'll use the Collection Extreme 24 liner but only a really small amount.

Blush: For blush it varies day to day, if i use a cream blush i'll use the R.T Stippling brush, and if i use powder i use the R.T Blush brush. The few blushes i have are: Revlon Cream blush in 'Pinched', Dainty Doll powder blush in 'You Are My Sunshine', Natural Collection 'Sweet Cheeks', Sleek Contour kit 'medium', E.L.F 'Merry Berry'.

Lips: Again my the lip product i'll use will vary day to day, most of the time i go for a pinky-mauve shade that are more on the cool toned side rather than warm. A few that i have are: No7's 'Mulberry', Maxfactor 'Rosewood', Revlon 'Crush', Rimmel Apocalips 'Galaxy', Revlon 'Smoked Peach', Rimmel 'Vintage Pink'.

Sometimes if i want more precision with application i'll use a lip brush, or if i want more of a stain rather than a full on lip colour i'll apply a lip balm and then lightly apply lipstick on top and blend out with a lip brush.

a little spring/summer clothing/beauty haul! (H&M, Topshop, MAC)

weaved sandals - Topshop // chunky peep toe heels - H&M // suede flip flops - H&M // knitted vest - H&M // patterned 'ombre' trousers - H&M // MAC 217 brush - Revlon BB cream - Collection liquid eyeliner pen - Barry M gelly nail paint in 'Lychee' // 

Yesterday i finally went summer shopping (for holiday as well) and i kind of didn't go as overboard as i thought i would, but i bought a few things that i had been wanting for a while anyway. 

Firstly i purchased the Topshop sandals which i think will be so perfect for summer and for when i go on holiday, they can pretty much be paired with anything and it'll look great! I'm thinking they'll look good with rolled up jeans and a slouchy top for the last few weeks i have left at uni!

I also bought my evening shoes that i'll be wearing a lot on holiday, i was originally planning on getting some shoes from New Look but when i got there they didn't have any in my size! So i ran back to H&M and found these beauty's! I can imagine they'll go great with the two clothing items i bought, to dress up a semi-casual outfit. The heel is quite chunky so they're easier to walk in than you think especially with the added support of the platform as well, and the ankle strap supports my foot very nicely so hopefully i won't have any trip ups!

I managed to find some comfy looking flipflops, as planned from H&M, my previous material flipflops were also from H&M and they lasted me about 4 years so i'm hoping these will last me just as long.

I didn't really buy much in the way of clothing, as i already have A LOT of clothes that'll be suitable for spring/summer and also on holiday. I'm talking about the 7 pairs of shorts hidden in a drawer and the billions of t-shirts i already have stuffed in my wardrobe. So i only resorted in buying this cute almost 'knitted' style vest top that'll be great for casual days with shorts and sandals, or dressed up with a skirt and heels. And the smart looking light weight trousers that'll match well with the top, but can be dressed down with sandals and a baggy t-shirt. I think the 'ombre' edging is kind of surprising and give the trousers an interesting twist.

Lastly i bought a few makeup items, a BB cream to protect my face from the sun when i'm on holiday (which i'd reapply throughout the day) and with the added 'concealing' element adds a bit of coverage to my not so perfect skin! I also finally bought the MAC 217 brush which i've been wanting for absolutely ages, it's a really great brush for anything to do with eyeshadow: application, blending, crease etc. And i can't wait to start using it! I also wanted to try out the 'Gelly' nail polishes by Barry M and i thought this colour was a nice take on the 'nude shade' and it can pretty much match with anything which will be great for spring/summer when i'm feeling lazy. I wanted to finally try one of those felt tip liners as well, and i saw Collection had one that was only £2.99 so i thought that would be a good buy incase it turns out that i don't like it!

I also re-purchased Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer (as mine has almost run out) and Maybelline the Falsies Flared mascara to save in case it runs out before holiday!

Have you been doing any spring/summer shopping recently?

my new mac palette!

Recently my favourite shades from the Urban Decay Naked palette have run out/hit pan (Buck, Half Baked and Smog) so i was looking around for similar shades but in separate form. I looked at the Urban Decay section in Debenhams and it turned out it would cost a lot more than actually re-buying the whole Naked palette again!! So i eventually decided it was about time i bought some Mac eyeshadows instead as it would be nice to try something new, but also it was slightly cheaper than buying the U.D eyeshadows separately.

The shades i bought were 'All That Glitters', a shade that's always being raved about and it lovely as an all over lid shade, 'Cork', a fabulous shade for the crease or on the top lash line as a liner or also an eyebrow powder to shape and fill in, and finally 'Tempting' a lovely dark bronze-brown shade, similar to 'Smog' from U.D Naked palette, and is lovely for the outer corner of the lid and also the crease!

I am very happy with the shades i have picked, and it'll be great for every day use!

a spring time makeup look!

Start with your daily foundation and concealer, i use No7's Beautifully Matte foundation in 'Calico' and buff it in with a RT Buffing Brush, and for concealer i use the one and only Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer in 'fair'.

Next fill in your eyebrows lightly, i use No7's Beautiful Eyebrow pencil in Dark Brown. Use tiny strokes to fill in and shape the eyebrows to mimic the look of hairs, then use the spool side to brush through the eyebrows afterwards.

Next set your foundation and concealer, i use Rimmel's Stay Matte powder (the best powder ever in my opinion) with a RT contour brush to fit in areas such as the under eye area perfectly! Then add some colour to your face with some blush, i'm using Natural Collections blush in 'Sweet Cheeks' applied with a RT Blush brush. Lightly place the blush on the high points of the cheeks for a natural looking flush!

Next it's time for eyes! I'm not using an eye primer for this look as it looks more natural and softer if you just use the shadows without a base. First i take 'Naked' all over the eye with a RT base shadow brush, then i take 'Sidecar' and place it on the outer half of the lid with the same brush. Next i take 'Buck' with the same brush again and place it on the very outer corner and in the crease, i then blend it out with the E.L.F Blending brush. Then i use a pencil brush and place 'Hustle' in the crease and on the lower lashline.

Finally for the lashes i use the Maybelline 'The Falsies Flared' to bump up the volume and length of my lashes, then i go over the top to comb through the lashes to get rid of clumps with 'No7's Extreme Length' on the top lashes and the bottom as well. Then for lips i use No7's 'Mulberry' to add a nice bit of colour on the lips, that is noticeable but not as crazy as a red lip!

And there have the results! I think it's a great look for spring and summer as it's quick and easy and looks lovely for day time wear, if you find the foundation and concealer combo to heavy you can always switch it out with a BB Cream or a tinted moisture riser for a lighter coverage! 

No7 Match Made foundation & No7 makeup haul

So yesterday i went into town as i was in need of a new foundation (as my revlon one was making me look really annoyingly oily) and i've been wanting to use the no7 match made service where they find your exact skin tone with the foundation that'll match it near perfectly!

The lady at the counter basically took off the makeup that i already had on the edge of my jaw line nearest the ear on both sides of my face, then took the reading on both sides and found out that i matched closest to the shade 'Calico' which, guess what, is the lightest shade of foundation, typical!

She then got a tester of the foundation and applied it over where she had taken the makeup off to begin with, and it was a perfect match! My skintone is pale but with yellow undertones, and also oily-combination, so i opted with 'No7's Beautifully Matte Foundation' which was a great match! It is medium coverage and really blends in well with my skin tone, but looks really natural at the same time which is great for every day wear but also can be built up to full coverage for a more night time look.

No7 also had an offer on where if you buy 2 No7 makeup products you get a free gift bag worth £26 which i thought was definitely worth it, so i bought an eyebrow pencil so i can fill in my eyebrows, but of course in a natural way (aka not look like it's been filled in with a crayon). I choose to use tiny little strokes when filling my brows in with a eyebrow pencil to mimic the look of hairs, making it look a lot more natural. It also comes with a nifty brush on the other end, which kinda reminds me of the 'Anastasia Brow Wiz' eyebrow pencil.

Finally getting on with the little goodie bag, it came with a sample size of mascara which will be great for my lower lashes as the wand is made of rubber not bristles, a light metallic purple (inner corner highlight?) a beautiful lipstick which i love the colour of, great for every day wear, and a day cream which will be nice to put on before foundation. Overall a pretty great freebie if you ask me!

Look out for a foundation review in the very near future (next few days) to see what i think of the foundation!