Sexy, Sultry, Smokey Eye

This makeup look is kinda inspired by Kristen Stewart’s, (although i dont really like her so im not going to give her much credit) SORRY! im not sorry.

This burgundy smokey eye look happens to be one of the more popular ones and is my favourite look of hers because she rarely goes out in anything pink or girly, so a cranberry/burgundy smokey eye look is a great way to make her grunge-y style appear more feminine. 

Face: 

The eyes are the main focus, so keep the rest of the face looking natural. Apply something sheer like the MAC Face and Body Foundation, and buff it in to achieve your desired coverage. Conceal any dark circles or blemishes as well. To set the foundation, apply a translucent powder very lightly over the sides of the forehead, jaw line and chin. Leave a bit of shine on the T-zone.

A light pink blush may be applied to the cheeks, but is not entirely necessary as the overall finish is very subtle and natural. Ladies with naturally rosy cheeks may skip this step.

Lips: 

Go for something that’s close to your natural lip color so it doesn’t overpower the eye makeup. I used dior collagen plumping gloss which has a subtle shimmer.

Eyes:

1 Prime your lids with your primer of choice. I’m using the Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base. 
2. I’m using a black eyeliner as a base for my eyeshadow. This will help create a deeper black later on. There’s no need to be overly neat about it just yet. 
3. Blend this out into a slight wing, with the deepest black near the lash line. Keep adding eyeliner and continue blending until you have a nice black smokey eye.
4. Take a warm brown eyeshadow like Mulch by MAC and apply that to the eye socket with a tapered blending brush. 
5. Then take a matte black eyeshadow and pat it over the lid to set the eyeliner. Use a blending brush to blend the shadow upwards over the rest of the eyeliner base. I used Kiko eyeshadow in No178.
6. You’ll need a berry colored eyeshadow for this step. I’m using No137 from Kiko also. Pack the color onto the lid, making sure to cover the inner corners until you are almost to the outer corners of the lid. Don’t forget to put a little bit along the lower lashline as well. 
7. Take the same matte black eyeshadow as earlier and apply it on the outer corners of the lid in a V shape. Make sure this color is blended into the berry-toned eyeshadow. I also used No207 from Kiko to add a warmer tone to the look.8. Line the top and bottom waterlines with black pencil liner.

Now for the glitter!!
I used a clean glitter fixing gel that i bought from ebay to help the glitter stay in place. The glitter i chose for this look is a charcoal/grey, from ebay also. (99p each, BARGAIN) I applied it along the whole of my lower lash line, using a small eyeshadow brush to really pack it on.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

xx

Makeup Transformations

How To: Contour & Highlight For Beginners

If you've ever wished you could change your face shape or camouflage problem areas, the answer is as simple as learning how to highlight and contour with makeup. By using bronzer, blush, concealer and highlighter, you can subtly alter how your face looks. It may take a few tries to get the exact look you want, but the process itself is fairly simple and fun!

Before you start to contour and highlight, you'll need the right makeup. Gather the following products. Contour makeup – Use a product labeled for contouring or use a cream, liquid or powder foundation or concealer that's one shade darker than your usual shade. Powders are easier to blend, but creams and liquids give more dramatic results.

Bronzer – Bronzer can add more dimension to your face and even work as a combination contour and highlighting product. Some experts suggest using a darker bronzer versus a concealer or foundation for contouring.

Highlighter – Use a cream or powder based highlighter. If you do not have a highlighter handy, you can use a concealer or foundation that's a shade lighter than your usual shade.

Concealer and foundation brushes – You can always use your fingers, but i recommend a flat top brush for better application and blending.

Lets get started:

- Apply your usual foundation.

- Outline the hairline with contouring makeup using a makeup brush.

- Follow the line to just under the cheekbones. Suck in your cheeks and trace the underside of the cheekbones. Remember the E shape.

- Complete the E shape by going back to the edge of the jaw line near your ear and tracing the jaw line to the outer edge of your chin.

- Apply highlighter in a C shape just inside the contouring line from hairline to just above the cheekbone.

- Blend both carefully using a foundation brush.

- Trace both and the cheek area (for better blending) with powder bronzer.

As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect." Spend some time experimenting with different products, shades and brushes until you get the look you want. Soon you’ll be contouring and highlighting like a makeup pro! Its easy once you know how!

xx

Graphic Eyeshadow

This graphic eyeshadow look is inspired by a girl that i follow on instagram. her account name is 'dausell'  (check her out) and she is by far the most creative makeup artist that i follow. Her work is so edgy, bright and always looks perfect. i know for a fact that my attempt looks nowhere near as good as hers does, but i thoroughly enjoyed trying out something completely different. To get a blunt clean edge i used tape on my face with a matte black eyeshadow on a brush with fix+ to intensify the colour. I used a clean fluffy brush to keep the edges blended nicely. clean up and fallout with concealer. its easy!
Its safe to say that this look is no way 'wearable' but its always fun to play around with your makeup and test your abilities. I have seen similar work in the past from Dior when they did A/W2015. Makeup artist Peter Philips created an intense graphic eye, which was shown in blue, green, prune and burgundy red versions during the runway show. (below)

xx

The Power Of Makeup

Hello everybody, today I am very excited about this post. I have seen so many Youtube videos about this topic. So today I am going to be doing a blog edition. The Power of Makeup is the topic I selected. Its safe to say that I have absolutely zero confidence when it comes to wearing no makeup. Makeup is my mask, which i use to hide behind, to hide from my spots, redness and scarring. Hopefully having this makeup less picture of me on the internet will help me learn to love my imperfections!! (maybe... probably not)
The Foundation that i am currently using, (MAC mineralize foundation in NW25)  is a medium to light coverage. I like coverage for my redness, but I don’t want to look plastic.
Concealer! To hide those under eye bags and scarring i have on my cheeks, And to cover up that i may or may not have stayed up until 2:30 in the morning watching Youtube videos.

The concealer i have used for years and absolutely love is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I have shade 2 to cover my blemishes, and shade 1 to highlight under my eyes to brighten those dark circles.

For powder I am currently using Mac Studio Sculpt Defining powder in Medium Plus, which matches my foundation shade perfectly. To set my under eye concealer i use Collection Translucent Powder on a small fluffy brush.

Contouring and Blush. To define my face and bring out my natural blushed cheeks. I use a Sleek contour and highlight palette, and mac 'Style' blush, which is a peach/coral colour. When you’re really pale (yours truly) you need a little help bringing out your natural colour, so i find this mac blush perfect for that.

For my brows i mix and match a few different light brown eyeshadows. Because my hair is such a mix of  different colours its hard to decide what colour my eyebrows should actually be! (my hair is currently lilac) I ALWAYS use a brow gel to set them in place, cus' aint nobody got time for eyebrows sliding off your face?!

In the picture above, for my eyes i used Blue Brown pigment from Mac, which is a new purchase (i am obsessed with it!) and Kid eyeshadow, also from mac to blend it into my crease. Vanilla Pigment on the inner corner and brow bone with Tanya Burr lashes in Date Night to finish the look.

Lips, i always overline them. without fail! My top lip is basically none existent, so i need all the help i can get! I used Stripdown lipliner from mac

and Doubleshot lipstick, mac also. which provides a luscious pout!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and that my makeup free face didnt terrify you too much

XX

No7 Airbrush Away Foundation Review

Airbrush away foundation which retails at £16.50, claims to give you a "flawless, smooth appearance from every angle."   The Airbrush Away foundation is said to be suitable for all skin types and has a medium coverage. It is meant to blur lines and imperfections for a flawless, airbrushed finish whilst still looking natural and skin like.The texture of this foundation is super smooth and silky. It blends over the skin beautifully. I used a flat top buffing brush from ebay to blend it out which i feel works better that using my beauty blender. With just one layer my skin already looked great. It had evened out my complexion, covering redness and adding a smooth finish, whilst still allowing my skin to show through. I added a second layer for some more coverage and it builds so well. A little goes a long way and you can really buff and blend for a super natural finish but also build up easily for a fuller coverage.
Two layers provides a light/medium coverage that still looks so natural, as the foundation really blends with the skin. It covered everything I wanted, so any redness and uneven tone on my skin, it helped to cover any blemishes and over all, just gave a really flawless look.
The Airbrush Away foundation also wears really well throughout the day, it stays smooth and even. The finish is quite dewy, so I did find that right at the end of the day it did make me look a little bit oily but nothing a touch of powder can't fix.

Have you tried this foundation yet? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

xx

My Evening Skincare Routine

Today I thought I would talk about my evening skincare routine, one i’m particularly happy with and has had massive changes on the overall look of my skin. Everyone’s skin is different, but personally, these items work really well for me as I’m actively trying to reduce the amount of blemishes I get as well as clearing up my spots and redness.If I’ve been wearing makeup throughout the day, the first step in my evening skincare is to remove the masses using micellar water of some kind. I’m working my way through the different options that the UK ‘Drug Stores’ offer, so far I’ve tried L’oreal’s, Garnier’s & Simple’s offerings. My favourite has been Garnier's, but personally i feel that they all do the same thing.




Once the mask has been removed i use my Ultrabland cleanser from lush. Ultrabland is a lot like a cream; you simply apply it to your face in the evenings, massaging gently, and then remove it with either a cotton pad and micellar water, or a dry flannel. I will admit, the smell isn't necessarily the most appealing. It also feels very lightly exfoliating as it's applied, which was a pleasant surprise. I will admit, I was a little concerned about Ultrabland when I first started using it. it leaves a fairly heavy residue on your skin, even when wiped off (although I will do use a different cleanser to afterwards to remove the oily feeling), but it hasn't caused a breakout on my relatively sensitive and acne-prone skin, so far, so I think it really would be fine for all skin types. My skin also feels much softer in the morning after I've used Ultrabland, and I've actually had quite a few compliments on my skin since having incorporated it into my routine!

To remove the oily residue left over from the Ultrabland i like to use this NAOBAY calming face toner on a cotton pad. This toner helps remove any make up from the face that I may have missed, I particularly like using this product around my hair line because i ALWAYS manage to miss bits of makeup there. I feel comfortable applying this toner all over my face because it isnt scented, which wont irritate the eye area and is generally a very gentle product. it doesn't leave the skin looking greasy either, which is a bonus for me. Instead you just get a very clean and refreshed feeling.

I know this product is meant to be used as a base, but i like to use it before applying my repair serum. (APPARENTLY this product is meant to repair damage done by toxins around us or inside us) I just apply it all over my face and wait for it to soak into my skin. I havent been using this product long enough to really explain much about it, so if it really makes a difference to my skin i will do a more in depth review!




Lastly i use Clinique's custom-repair serum all over my face and neck, and once again allow to soak into the skin completely before jumping into bed!

I hope you enjoyed this post!
xx

Chrissy Teigen Sun Kissed Glow

Not ready to accept the fact that its no longer summer? Me neither. All the more reason to make the most of that post-holiday tan and go for a bronze goddess makeup look. Here I will be showing you how to recreate a sun kissed bronzed makeup look, inspired by Chrissy Teigen. 

Follow the steps below to copy Chrissy's makeup...

(For this, as my model I used my friend Anna who is naturally very tanned. If you have very fair skin like me, a fake tan is probably going to help this look work better for you.)

Apply a liquid foundation. Once dry, apply a cream highlighter down your nose, on your cheeks and anywhere you want to bring light. Add a setting powder afterwards to keep everything in place.Take a large fluffy bronzing brush and sweep your bronzer across the forehead, along the cheekbones and over the chin. A bronzer with a hint of shimmer will be best.Apply a matte brown eye shadow over the entire lid. Then, apply a shimmery gold/cream eye shadow along the crease and lash line.Draw a very thin line of  bronze/brown shadow across the upper lash line to act as an eye liner. Do not flick out at the edges. Do the same along the lower lash line and layer the bronze shadow in the outer V to create a more intense colour.For the lashes, you can use false lashes or you can simply apply several coats of mascara.Apply a nude lipstick and a shimmery gloss and finish by using a brow pencil to fill in your eyebrows.

And, you're done!

xx