Red Lips.

Hi peeps! It's really nice to log back on and see some new followers. Thankyou and hello! Going to chat about a trend I have noticed the last few weeks, I cannot escape it, it's on all the pages of my magazines! Red lipstick...

It could be argued that red lips are a classic, timeless trend. But flicking through my Elle Collections A/W '13 magazine I couldn't help but notice the abundance of red lipstick used on the catwalk models on this seasons runway.

Red lips were sported on models walking for Lanvin, Armani, Meadham Kirchoff, Prada and Louis Vuitton to name a few, however the red in question was worn all different ways. 
The majority wore it glossy or with a balm finish, mattes weren't as popular this year.

Louis Vuitton and Prada sported red in a more smudged or 'just bitten' way whereas the Meadham Kirchoff and Armani models were much more polished with clean lip lines and an orange infused finish. Armani kept models super pale, with no sign of blush or even contouring which lead to a very striking 2D look, in comparison to the softer complexions on display at the other shows.

It's interesting to note that on the other end of the spectrum, the totally nude lip also cropped up an awful lot. There was a serious lack of any other colour other than red or barely-there, no signs of plums or purples so commonly seen on an Autumn/Winter catwalk. So whether you're prone to a bright pop of red, or a little shy and more comfortable with lip balm, either way you'll certainly be on trend this winter! Whichever you choose, wear it with soft eye makeup (if any at all), and refrain from pairing it with heavy eyeliner or brows, if you want to be a totally fashion-forward gal.

Thanks for reading,

E.

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.

Investing in lip liners

MAC lip Pencil in 'Spice', £11.50 for 1.45g.

MAC lip Pencil in 'Magenta', £11.50 for 1.45g.

I'd become tired and quite frankly unfufilled with my current few lip liners! Having never particularly embraced the importance until fairly recently, my cheap ones just weren't living up to any long lasting standards, and were available in a pretty dire colour range.

I knew that MAC would probably offer some good quality lip liners in some exciting colours and so I puchased three there. I'm showing two regular lip pencils in this post and will talk about the prolongwear lip pencil at another time!

'Spice' is an Amy Child's favourite, though this isn't the reason I bought it I can assure you! I wanted a nude lipliner but I'll be honest and say that I am disappointed with how brown this actually is. The pencil is so pigmented that it's actually hard to even apply it lightly to achieve that nude 'barely there' look. In terms of formular it's perfect; it glides on well and has excellent lasting power, but the colour just isn't for me, it feels a bit 90's and old fashioned. In the photograph I've applied it all over the lip to demonstrate the colour.

'Magenta' is a gorgeous purpley fuschia colour. It is absolutely divine and works with purple, bright pink, and mid tone pink lipsticks (as long as it is blended out). It is pretty much a perfect match to one of my oldest standing MAC lipsticks, which is 'Gladiola' from the Dame Edna collection- a colour I lived and died in for about 6 months of my life! If worn on it's own for a length of time, as to be expected, it is drying however this can be avoided with a lipgloss on top and doesn't matter too much as this isn't it's purpose.

Beet and Brick are next on the list as I know they're colours I'll get a lot of use out of. Do you own any MAC lip liners or can you recommend another brand to me?

You are GOLD! (leaf)

Rococo Nail Apparel in '#7676 Gold Leaf', (about £25) for 14ml.

Rococo are a premium, luxury nail polish brand, and this shade #7676 is a glossy top coat that contains real 24k gold leaf. I'll be honest and say that this has been in my 'to review' pile for about 6 months now, and I think I have finally found it's perfect partner- Essie's 'Sand Tropez'.
I mentioned here about how I have gone back to nudes recently, and whilst I do enjoy a glitter topcoat as much as the next girl, most of the time I'll wear a plain nail colour.

The formula of the polish is quick drying, you don't have to wait around too long for it to set before you slap on your shiny topcoat and it does add a different, extra dimension to a nail look.
However, I do feel I should warn you of its potency! The smell is unbelievably strong during application, but this does disappear when it dries. As with many decorative topcoats (glitter, confetti) the finish is irregular so be prepared that one nail may end up more coated than another, also some of the flakes don't sit flat and may stick up here and there. This can be avoided with a firm push down of the brush and another topcoat, though.

I do love the finish of Sand Tropez with Roccoco on top, I think it looks expensive and that they are a match made in heaven, what do you think? Would a gold leaf topcoat be a welcome addition to your nail polish collection?

Nail Varnish; The off-whites.

While everyone around me seems to be reaching for intense bold blues and pastel pinks, corals and orange, bright sea green and canary yellow nail polish, something within me has rebelled completely and is choosing the off-whites almost everytime. You know, those colours that would look like white nail polish (tippex) if it wasn't for their subtle injection of colour. I'm loving the nude & the subdude on my nails at the moment. I'll wear a bright colour for a day then strip it off to replace it with a neutral off- white.

These are the three colours I've been reaching for most lately:

Models Own 'Utopia' (£5)

This is a very easy to wear colour that is white with a pink lilac hue running through it. The warm lilac takes the edge off the stark white and makes it a joy to wear that will suit almost anyone.

Essie 'Fiji' (£7.99)

This was one of my buys from the new stand of the diffusion line in Marble Arch Superdrug a while ago. The way they're displayed would make it so easy to come away with 5 or 6 but I refrained and got two! They apply like a dream and although seem to be prone to chipping a bit easier than others I've used, they seem to last better the more coats you apply. This one is the most white of the lot, but has a lovely baby pink accent to it, again this softens the bright white and makes it more wearable and unique.

Essie 'Sand Tropez' (£7.99)

This was the second of the buys and I've worn this the most over the last couple of months (seen in my May favourites video). It's sophisticated and neutral, perfect for any outfit and any makeup look. It coordinates well and is flattering against the skin. I suppose it's an off beige, but the pastel element to it means its got that 'off white' feel to it too. I keep reaching for it, it's my favourite polish of 2012 so far, well done Essie!

What are your favourite colours at the moment?

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!)? 

My March Favourites!!

Hey all!

I'm here with my favourite and most cherished beauty products from the lovely month of March....

M.A.C 'Watch Me Simmer' Lipstick; This is the lipstick I've been picking up the most this month if I wanted statement lips! I love the shade. It's a super bright, amplified coral shade that develops more pink the longer it's on the lips (on first application it leans more red). The only downsides are that it does stain the lips. I picked this up when the Shop MAC Collection was exclusive to Selfridges, it has since been released in the rest of M.A.C. stockists and appears to have become quite popular! If you missed out the first time, don't fret, it's being repromoted in the 'Reel Sexy' collection being released in April. See full review here.

Laura Mercier lipgloss in 'Nude Lilac'; You may have seen this used in a couple of my FOTD's before but I've never really reviewed it. It isn't a particularly long- lasting gloss as it isn't a very wet formula, but I love the glaze it gives my lips, even if it is just for a temporary basis! The lilac colour in the tube doesn't transfer to the lips but the cool tones of it do, it's the perfect gloss if you're looking to tone down a bright colour underneath, used on it's own it will only add a subtle colourlss shine to the lips. There is some gold glitter running through it that does remain on the lips after it's dried up. Note that it has got a strong, deep vanilla scent. This gloss has been carried around with me in my bag and used on a daily basis...perfect for me trying a bit of a more toned down nude look this springtime! (Post Here.)

Blistex Relief Cream; Not a very exciting product but one I've been using on my lips before bed to restore them back to health! I think I must have gone overboard on lip products the last few months because my lips have been paying for it the last few weeks, they've been dry and flaky but this may also be due to seasonal changes, either way I've been applying this at night and taking it a bit easier on the lip products. It's really worked, especially over a period of time and my lips feel nourished and smooth once again! It's not like a lip balm that you can apply on the go, as it is a milky white texture that does take a while to soak into the lips- definitely a night time treatment particularly with its tingly menthol flavour!

M.A.C. 210 Brush; With this, I've finally found a suitable brush that is thin enough to apply gel eyeliner the way that I want! I've been using the Maybelline Gel Liner which I think is okay but I never got on with the accompanying brush (next on my list is the Clinique one when this runs or dries out) so I took it upon myself to get a brush to make applying gel liner a bit easier and a bit more enjoyable. It does the trick, it's a very thin brush but the hairs are dense enough that you can control application quite well. You can choose the thickness of the line you'd like to apply and it distributes product evenly.

YSL Eye makeup remover; I got this free in a makeup bag a few months ago because I'd bought a few products the counter lady threw this in, it was full of goodies and I was so happy because I really love Yves Saint Laurent! I use it sometimes at night if my eye makeup is being a pain to remove but I mainly use it on a cotton pad to quickly remove any products off makeup brushes. It's great to give the M.A.C. 210 a quick clean after use to avoid any gel liner drying onto it and going clumpy between deep cleans.

Benefit 'High Brow'; I know they've released their 'High Brow Glow' now but I'm still a big fan of the original. I feel naked if I don't wear this. Applied under the eyebrows, onto the brow bone, it adds the illusion of more refined brows, and a higher arch (something me and my brow- waxer have been working towards over the last 6 months!) so this helps give the illusion of that in the meanwhile. It's a 'linen pink' colour so it blends into pale skintones really well, and adds that extra highlight and dimension to perfect any eye look! Would really recommend this.

Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat; This was recommended to me by Cara over at Cara's Beauty Blog and since purchasing it a week ago I've put it on top of every nail look I've painted and it has completely transformed the way my nails look! I have other topcoats, but I was after a really super-glossy supershine topcoat that was fast drying and wouldn't break the bank. It dries within a couple of minutes and leaves the nails looking professionally manicured! Thanks Cara!

There's my March favourites, I don't do these often so I hope you've enjoyed it. What have you been loving lately? Let me know!