Iggy Azalea inspired; Tuxedo Eyeliner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zR6ROjoOX0

Thought I'd try out 'Tuxedo Eyeliner' after spotting it on the video of one of my favourite songs this year so far- Iggy Azalea Work. It has been non stop in our household, let me tell you that. Though did anyone else hear her interview on Radio 1 last Sunday? Talk about bland.

To create this look, it is quite straight forward but does take a bit of time and does need a steady hand. I chose a soft smokey eye as a base, main colours used were my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette (couldn't be without it) and Daniel Sandler eyeshadow in 'Tornado' (review to come on that one soon.) I first lined and winged my eyes, following the eyeline using MAC 'Blacktrack' gel liner and a thin brush. Secondly I followed the line on top using Illamasqua's liquid eyeliner in 'Scribe'- a pure white. A bit watery at first, this does need two coats to be opaque. After that had dried, I re-lined the black line, to correct any bleeds and to deepen the colour. 
Followed with lashings of mascara and my base makeup as usual, the look was done. Probably not the most wearable, everyday looks but I haven't done anything for just a bit of fun in a while. I've been so bogged down with bridal trials and wedding days (not that I'm complaining, I love what I do) that I was itching to try something a bit creative!!

Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading,

E.

Spring 'base' makeup

My 'base' makeup of choice at the moment is very different to what I have been reaching for the last few months.  The rich foundations with high coverage have been swapped for something a bit lighter.

One reason I prefer a lighter coverage is because it lets my (pathetic excuse for) freckles show through. I love freckles. Whenever I am on a makeup job I hope for a model with freckles because I just love making them a feature, and while I won't step foot in the tanning booth again (Summer 2010 was my tan bed hay-day) I do wish there was a way to make my own more distinguished. Lancome used to make a freckle crayon but I am not sure I have the guts to paint freckles on my own face just yet. I'll get back to you on that one.


I've been prepping my skin with a pea sized spoonful of Hydra Veil from Illamasqua, I don't buy all of the benefits they claim it to have, but to be fair it is the best primer I have used so far. While it offers a 'wave' of hydration to the skin (and a definite cooling effect), it keeps the appearance of my skin surprisingly matte and I do notice my makeup stays put for a bit longer than normal when I use this. It is a very unique jelly- to- liquid consistency, I don't like the presence of the alcohol content on the ingredients list but at least it is paraben free unlike a lot of their cosmetics, and it does contain hyaluronic acid which is of course a plus (great for glowy skin.)

Next I warm some of Yves Saint Laurent's 'Le Teint Touche Eclat' foundation between my fingers and work it into my skin. I really do think this foundation works best using fingers, and it isn't often you would catch me saying that (please just make sure your hands are clean first!)
I tend to ignore powder these days, but if I do use any I just dust some lightweight translucent powder on my t-zone. I follow by working a cream blusher into the apples of my cheeks, which maintains the radiant finish of the foundation. My current favourites are MAC Cremeblend blush in 'Something Special'- a bright peach pink, and Illamasqua Cream Blusher in 'Dixie' -a deep coral. For the ultimate lazy finish, I dab a bit of whichever cream blusher I have chosen for my cheeks onto my lips.

That's my current base makeup routine- fresh faced, lightweight, quick and very easy. The foundation does contain an SPF of 19 but I would advise adding your own SPF with your morning moisturiser.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Emerald, the colour of 2013?

Each year trends in both clothes and makeup are inevitably affected by the Pantone 'colour of the year'. After the Pantone View is published, fashion usually follows suit and the chosen colour is often reflected in areas ranging from interior design to floristry. I find this whole idea of a 'chosen' colour absolutely fascinating, I would love to own a Pantone brochure just so I could oggle at the beauty of colour all day. I think we definitely embraced last years Tango Orange, the colour was in all of the shops and seeing girls wearing a bold orange lip became more and more common, however I feel that this years choice of 'Emerald Green' will take a bit more adjusting.

In makeup, colour is often considered hard to embrace, and it absolutely is. I am a strong believer that it is deemed more socially acceptable to embrace colour through clothing than it is through makeup. Most of you probably wouldn't think twice seeing somebody use an emerald green clutch bag as a colour accent to an outfit, but in terms of wearing it on your face I imagine only a fair few would be comfortable doing. 

However, as this is a makeup blog it only makes sense that I document my embrace of the Pantone Colour of the Year 2013 in a makeup look, let me know what you think or how you would choose to wear the colour. My Emerald Green of choice is a powder eye shadow from Illamasqua called 'Fame'. Illamasqua are definitely my first go-to brand when searching for new pigments, they have it all. I paired it with a copper bronze eyeshadow in 'Bronx', lashings of mascara and a pair of falsies. If you're going to use a bold colour such as green on the eye, I do think lashes are a must, to make it a feature and complete the statement look.

Thanks for reading,

E.

Midweek Post: Sunset Colours

I have become a little more experimental with colour recently, which I mentioned in my last FOTD post too. Wearing warm, sunset colours on my eyes is fast becoming one of my favourites, I love warm toned colours on cool toned skin as a general preference, because although it doesn't fit in with 'rules' of colour I think it keeps skin looking alive and youthful. Too many cool colours on fair pink skin can look almost morbid sometimes. A way of trying out warm, flush colours on your eyes without buying new eyeshadows is to use blusher! Illamasqua's 'Lover', 'Naked Rose' and 'Beg' blushers are some of my favourites to wear on my eyes.

EHD.

PS I'll be replying to all of the lovely comments that have been left for me in my last few posts early next week. Please don't think I am ignoring you, I read and appreciate every comment and message left for me!

Midweek Post: A Pop Of Colour

I must have been feeling a bit fruity last week when I decided that orange and blue in the same makeup look was going to be a good idea. In the end, I really liked the outcome and wearing a pop of colour during these dark winter (I am not a big fan of post- Christmas winter) days is a quick and an easy way to brighten up my mood. Orange and blue are complimentary colours and a couple of people made nice comments about my makeup that day, which is always nice isn't it?

I used the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette on my eyelids to create a natural brown look and then put Illamasqua's medium pencil in 'Debonair' under my waterline. I blended it with one of my Laura Mercier brushes and added a bit of brown from the UD palette in the outer corners to tie in the overall look. Granted, the medium pencil needed to be touched up throughout the day which was a bit of annoyance. On my lips I used a true vivid orange lipstick also from Illamasqua called 'Flare'. The formula is a little stiff but it is ultra matte and so was the perfect choice on a windy day! Nothing worse than hair getting stuck in lipgloss! 

I enjoyed wearing something a bit different and have been trying out different looks recently, I'll try and document a few of them for this ere blog :-)

P,S, Can you tell I still can't use my camera properly? ;-D

Midweek Post: "Halloween Makeup"

I don't really do dressing up, especially at the moment when I am trying to be as sensible as I can with money, forking out on a Halloween costume is not top of my agenda. However, last night we had tickets for a ghostly walk around St Fagans in Cardiff so I thought I may aswell join in the spirit of Halloween. I chose a purple gradient lip with matching purple nails. Any excuse for me to wear some purple makeup, eh?

I lined my lips with MAC Magenta lipliner and filled it in with Rimmel's Kate Moss lipstick in 04, making sure it was completely opaque at the edges to add depth. I added MAC 'Up The Amp' lipstick and blended it out with a lip brush. To add a bit more depth I dabbed Illamasqua 'Plunge', but only in the centre of the lips. It took me about ten minutes and it was worth the effort- I loved the outcome! I paired this daring lip with a soft, subtle taupe smokey eye and small brown eyeliner flicks. I contoured fairly heavily using MAC's 'Harmony' and used MAC 'Soft and Gentle' Mineralize Skin Finish to highlight my cheekbones with- I missed out blusher completely!
I also popped No.7's 'Blackberry' nail polish on my nails then added some depth with Dior's 'Rock Coat'- this is a topcoat that makes nail varnish look 'smokey'. I love it. Sorry I didn't get a picture, but you can view it's effects here if you want to.

What are your plans for Halloween? Do you embrace it with full on costume or does it pass you by?

Silver & Smokey.

Sometimes breaking out of your comfort zone is an absolute disaster, but sometimes it results in a new favourite. I've mentioned before that I flock like a magpie to brown and bronze eyeshadows and really neglect the other colours for fear that I can't pull them off.

I decided to try a silver eyeshadow, and created a smokey silver eye that I wanted to show you all- I think these colours are perfect for this time of year as they are cooler and seasonal, they're not colours I can see myself choosing in hotter weather.

Products used:

Maybelline 24 hr Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow in 'Cyber Silver' (LE)

MAC 'Coppering' Eyeshadow

Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in 'Rich Sienna'

Laura Mercier Eyeshadow in 'Black Coffee'

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner in '2 Sepia Ink' 

YSL 'Shocking' Mascara.

I was really pleased with how much I liked silver eyeshadow on me, what colours do you love to use on your eyes? What shades should I experiment with next?

FOTD: Creamy pink lips.

I was initially a little disappointed when I  first tried my Tom Ford lipstick in Blush Nude on. Before you think I'd have the audacity to 'diss' a TF lipstick, I'm not, just the shade wasn't for me. As most of you will know by now, Emily doesn't do nude lips. I just don't feel like me and I like having fun with colour which often results in coloured lips, and I also think flatters my pale skintone better, too. This Tom Ford lipstick is fine luxury- it's so creamy, so smooth, and so opaque on just one swipe on the lips, so I had to find a way to wear it.

By layering a bit of 'Rock Candy' lipgloss from Estee Lauder on top, which was part of a duo lipgloss I got free in their most recent Gift With Purchase (you can see that here), these two products create a soft milky pink that looks ace with a smokey eye. It's about as 'nude' as my lips will ever get, but I love it and know I'll be wearing this look a lot more often from now on.

What do you think? Do you own any Tom Ford lipsticks? I definitely need Wild Ginger in my life, I'm a sucker for an orange red.

My entry for TravelSupermarket's Beauty and the Beach Competition

I was nominated by lovely Fran from one of my favourite blogs Been There, Done That, Got The Lipstick to take part in a competition being hosted by TravelSupermarket.com

The competition is to document your favourite makeup, hair and nail look for a holiday, and the prize for the winner of each category is £500 cash!! The overall winner is the blogger who creates the best overall look for all three categories as determined by the industry judges, and the winner from that gets £1000 towards their next holiday!! Such an amazing and generous prize, and a holiday is much needed at the moment so the offer is too good to miss in my opinion.

Onto my entry....

I decided to create a simple makeup, hair and nail look that is perfect for a summer holiday, and more specifically this look is aimed towards a day at the beach/by the pool.

Makeup

On holiday, aside from looking fairly presentable poolside, my main priority is sun protection. SPF SPF SPF, I've learnt over the years on my fair skin is without a doubt very important to prevent uncomfortable and unsightly burns. I prepped my face with Avene's factor 50, my favourite product of the summer and a handy 30ml size which is great to travel with. 

With no need for foundation, I applied dabs of Collection 2000's Lasting Perfection Concealer (Fair) where it was needed to cover any uneven skintone and blemishes, and before this dried I popped some Benefit 'Watt's Up' champagne highlighter to my cheek and brow bones and down the centre of my nose and blended using my fingers. I did this so that my skin has that dewy and polished glow. This is a look a strive for whether I'm on holiday or not, however I'm a big believer in embracing your surroundings- there's really no point trying to mattify your skin with dustings of powder, for it'll slip and slide after half an hour in high heat or a dip in the pool.

I quickly filled in my brows using MAC's 'Showstopper' matte brown eyeshadow (limited edition) and applied one thin coat of L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof mascara to my upper lashes. For my lips I popped on just a small amount of Benefit's 'Benetint Lip Balm', as it contains SPF15 and has a pretty rose tint to it, to help brighten up my face.

Hair 

For my hair I like it to be out of my face, so a fuss free hairstyle is a must. I parted my hair using a comb and parted my fringe into two parallel strands. I wrapped these over eachother, and added more hair to each strand. I continued this process until I reached my ear and secured it with a hair grip, pull your hair back into a ponytail (or a bun if you prefer) and spray with a little hairspray (I used John Frieda's Sheer Blonde Crystal Hold Shape & Shimmer hairspray).

This hairstyle is great for both clean hair and beach hair as it can work with natural, salted curls and is a versatile style that can take you from day to night just by adding a flower hairclip, or turning the ponytail into a top knot.

The hair and makeup takes me under ten minutes everytime, which is ideal as you don't want to be faffing around too long when you've got a holiday to get on with, nor do you want your suitcase to be weighed down with unnecessary products. Makeup and hair products included in this look amount to just 7 items, the makeup look was created using my fingers (make sure they're clean!), a hard angle brush for my eyebrows and my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers. For the hair, you'll need a hairbrush/comb and hair grips.

Nails

On a hot, summer holiday I love nothing more than playing around with colour. Colourful nails are a definite must and nail polish is a cheap and easy way to incorporate a trend. There's no denying that the colour of the season has been orange, so on top of Collection 2000's '2in1 Strengthener Base Coat' I applied a coat of L'Oreal Colour Riche nail polish in '303 Lush Tangerine' and followed it with my go-to topcoat- Sally Hansen's 'MegaShine'.

To add an extra dimension, an interesting topcoat such as Rococo's Gold Leaf topcoat in #7676 will instantly add a bit of holiday glamour to the nails.

As part of the competition I need to nominate 5 fellow beauty bloggers who I think would enjoy taking part in this competition... so I nominate:

1) Hannah from A Little Beauty Spot

2) Chantelle from Dolly Nails

3) Catrine from Unnaked Nails

4) Lydia from Florabundance

5) Beth from Birds Words

Don't forget you can check out the competition on Travel Supermarket's website HERE, where there's all the vital information you need to enter. Good luck!

Midweek post: Candy lips

I've got back into my bold lips and simple eye looks recently. The other day I thought I'd wear bright candy pink lips so thought I may aswell document it as a FOTD! I put ombre lips into practice, a look I'm really loving at the moment as it let's me be (a bit) creative but is also wearable for day to day! I love the depth it adds to lips when you use a darker liner and blend it to a lighter shade, though it's always important to remember, and god knows, AVOID that not so charming look that was so popular in the 90's- sorry Naomi!
It was also the second time I used Illamasqua's Sealing Gel. I'll pop a review up of this in a couple of weeks when it has been tried and tested properly!

Let me know if you use any of the products used and what you think of them.

FOTD:

Estee Lauder DoubleWear foundation in 'Shell' mixed with L'Oreal Lumi Magique primer

Chanel Poudre de Universelle in '20 Clair'

MAC 'Harmony' blush (contour)

MAC MSF in 'Soft and Gentle' (cheekbone highlight)

Benefit 'Sugarbomb' blush

Eyes:

Estee Lauder peach/gold eyeshadow from the 'Topaz Mosaic' palette

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner (waterline)

Yves Saint Laurent 'Shocking' mascara

MAC 'Showstopper' on brows

Lips:
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lip Liner in '004 Indian Pink'

MAC LE lipstick in 'Naughty Saute'

Thankyou for reading!

Midweek post: Teddy Bear.

Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow quad in 'Teddy Bear', £25 for 4.8g

When we move into the summer months, our makeup preferences inevitably change and I often think what makeup I choose to use is weather dependant.

Personally, unless I'm going out in the evening, I prefer to wear minimal eye makeup in the warmer months, and I prefer the colour I use on my eyelids, if I choose to, to be a matte or satin finish. Highlighted, dewy skin and bright lips are perfect this time of year and I believe that added sparkle and shimmer from eyeshadows can make the overall look a little bit too much. In comes Teddy Bear from Clinique, an eyeshadow quad of wearable neutrals and browns, all with a matte finish.

I have begun to reach for this a lot of the time, there's something about it's simplicity that seems so fuss free and straightforward. The colours can be used inidividually to achieve a simple day look or combined together to create a more dramatic eye if desired.

The consistency of the eye shadows are quite powdery, but very fine and blendable. I found with the lighter shades that it was hard to really build them up without using a lot of product, however they're perfect for that 'wash of colour' look.

Clinique aptly describe the shades as 'classic ivory', 'golden tan beige','taupey milk chocolate' and a 'deep brown.' I'd say they're very wearable shades for most people, especially perfect for low-key day looks.

Overall, I like this palette and would recommend it to those who perhaps want a simple palette of neutrals as I believe the colours would suit almost everyone who has Fair- Medium skin (any deeper and the shades may not show up well.)
It's also great for beginners as it comes with a plastic slip that shows where you could use each of the colours for an eye look and the deep brown colour could potentially be used to fill in eyebrows (who doesn't love a multi-use product?!)

I do think the pricetag for this is a little steep, but I do like that all four colours are very blendable; a characteristic not too common amongst matte eyeshadows.

What neutral palettes do you reach for? What other matte shadows can you recommend to me?

Simple British themed FOTD; 'English Rose'

Though proud to be British, I'm not particularly patriotic. The whole Diamond Jubilee has washed over my head a bit and the sight of union jack flags, cushions, duvet covers, dinner plates and nail art sickens me slightly. 

However, in a nod to this weekends goings on I thought I'd create a simple 'English Rose' themed FOTD. This embraces long eyelashes and that whole 'peaches and cream' complexion that is so simple yet elegant about traditional British beauty. 

FOTD:

Base

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation (02) mixed with Benefit 'High Beam'

Chanel Poudre de Universelle (01 Clair)

MAC Harmoney (contour)

MAC MSF 'Soft and Gentle'

Estee Lauder signature blusher 'Peach Nuance'

Eyes

MAC 'Showstopper' on brows

Estee Lauder 'Sumptuous' mascara

Lips

TopShop lipstick in 'Coy'

Champneys lipgloss.

Have you adopted more extreme makeup looks for the Jubilee, i.e. blue eyes and red lips, painted flags on your face, or will you be keeping it simple like me?

Continuing quest for 'Nude' ft. Creme D'Nude.

I've posted here about how I was inspired by National No Makeup Day to create and wear a more toned down, everyday look. Each day I can't help but switch nude colours for brights, being a pale girl I feel that I look more alive when I brighten my face up a bit  ...but due to the encouragement and compliments on my last nude look I thought I'd do another one and let you know how I'm getting on with a new nude lipstick....M.A.C's 'Creme D'Nude'. (Cremesheen, £13.50 for 3g.)

FOTD;

Base;

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Estee Lauder DoubleWear Foundation in 1C1 Shell (click)

M.A.C Cream Colour Base in 'Pearl' as highlight

Chanel Poudre Universelle in '20 Clair' (click)

Estee Lauder Signature Blusher in 'Peach Nuance'

Eyes;

Benefit Stay Don't Stray eyelid primer

Neutral cream shade from TopShop Smoke and Mirroes eyeshadow palette

M.A.C 'Coppering' eyeshadow in crease

Maybelline gel eyeliner

YSL 'Shocking' mascara

Benefit High Brow

M.A.C. eyeshadow in 'Showstopper' on brows.

Lips;

Rimmel Lasting Finish lipliner in '050 Tiramisu'

M.A.C. 'Creme D'Nude' Cremesheen lipstick

Collection 2000 Lock n' Hold Lipgloss in 'Body Pop'. (click)

Creme D'Nude;

I'm a little 50/50 on this one. It is very unforgiving, particulaly if your lips are even a hint of dry. Lips must be exfoliated, prepped and primed before it, it's not a 'swipe and go' lipstick if you're in a rush to leave, on reflection I'm beginning to think M.A.C 'Hue' would have been a better option.

I have been using it a lot, but on it's own it can look a bit 'foundation on lips' at times which obviously gets a big sarcastic thumbs up from me. However, with a wash of gloss over the top (my favourite combination so far is with Collection 2000 Lock N' Load Lipgloss in Body Pop) it warms it up a bit and adds that shiny gloss finish that I crave on every lip-look at the moment. The colour of Creme D'Nude does hold a teeny hint of peach which does warm the complexion slightly, I don't look completely dead when I'm wearing it! It's perfect if worn with a heavier eye look as it balances out all that makeup. Still miss my brights though......

Do you wear any of these products? Do you think I suit the nude look or shall I stick to my bright lips (AKA comfort blanket!)? 

Bold Spring Time Lips...Using new Bourjois Lipgloss!

Hi there lovelies I hope you've all been enjoying this lush weather we've been having if you're a UK person! Just a quick post to show you a lip combination I am loving at the moment and wore out today, which I think is a great statement lip for this exciting spring time of year.

TopShop Lipstick in 'Coy', £5 for 2.3g

Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss in '52 Coral Idyllic' £7.59 for 5.7ml

Due to its light, touch of neon shade and soft matte finish 'Coy' can look almost too much on it's own and of course it clings to the lips even if put on top of a nourished surface. It is very, very bright and although the application is smooth because it is a creamy pencil it didn't feel right on my lips without a gloss, which brings us onto....

This is a brand new lipgloss shade from Bourjois and has recently been released as part of their spring collection which is called 'Sweet Paris'. It's a gorgeous coral gloss that has a sprinkling of gold glitter in it. It is very sweetly scented and it reminds me of those parma violet sweets! I partly chose to wear it because it is a perfect accompanying shade to 'Coy' but also because this gloss claims to have a nourishing ingredient contained within it that is meant to hydrate your lips for up to 8 hours, which would make it the perfect choice to put it on top of a matte lip colour.

I've noticed since wearing 'Coy' that it is a slightly pinker (and I mean very slightly!) version of Illamasqua's 'Brink' lipstick which is a colour I have been absolutely loving since my boyfriend bought it for me for Christmas. Similarly to the TopShop colour, you have to be careful wearing it as it shows all dry parts of the lips and the Illamasqua formula is so matte that it just drags across the lips and dries them out throughout the day. Not a lip colour you can wear everyday but a colour that is really fun when you do, but I would urge you to wear either of these with a gloss or balm on top, overly dry lips just aren't a good look!

Coy on the lips;

'Coy' and 'Coral Idyllic' together;

Left to Right; Bourjois Effet 3D LipGloss '52 Coral Idyllic', TopShop Lipstick in 'Coy', Illamasqua Lipstick in 'Brink'.

So there we are, a neon coral statement spring lip!

I'd like to think that oneday I could enjoy wearing this coral lip in this over- indulgent borderline ridiculous but I love it anyway coral dining room! I could see me sauntering around with a beehive and some palazzo pants with my coral lips in this coral room, absolutely living the dream before I go for a paddle in my swimming pool ;)  (Oneday...)

Image from trendzona.com

 Will you be trying colours like this? Have you tried any of these products, what do you thinkof them? 

Would you pick 'Coy' or 'Brink' and do you feel compelled to add a glossy finish on top of such unforgiveable shades and formulas?