Midweek Post: My favourite eye makeup brushes.

There are a few brushes that I cannot imagine being without now, so I thought I had better share them with you so that you don't miss out too!

Real Techniques eyeshadow brush; This is a great eyeshadow brush for packing on the product. It's not too big which I find so many others to be, it is just the perfect size for my eyelids! This is made of synthetic hair so can be used with creams or powders, but I especially love it with powders because I think it picks up product so well.

MAC 217; This is often sold out on the website so you may have already gathered that it is a popular brush. This is a great brush for blending and adding product into the crease of the eye.It's tapered head means that it accesses the crease well without spreading the product over the lid. It also blends powders really well.

Illamasqua Blending Brush 1; This is great for blending eye makeup seamlessly. I always keep it clean and do not use it to apply product with, just swirl it over a smokey eye to blend the colours and fade. Like all the brushes at Illamasqua, it is synthetic hairs which I generally prefer to use.

Laura Mercier Smudge Brush; This is an absolute must have for smudging any under eye colour to create a more smokey or blended finish. It's a great size- it is small enough to be precise but wide enough to remain firm which is an important quality in any smudger brush. Works great with powder and pencil/gel eyeliners.

MAC 210; I have already spoken about this a couple of times before, for me it is a must have for applying gel eyeliner, whether it be for a winged flick or onto the water line. The only downside is that it has frayed slightly and I haven't had it a year yet.

Illamasqua Angled Brush; This is the best angled brush I have ever used for several reasons. Firslty, the brush is made of synthetic hair which makes it both cruelty free and multipurpose in terms of being able to use it with liquids, creams and powders. The length is perfect- it's as if Illamasqua have taken a standard angled brush and cut it in half, making it short and wide, therefore a lot firmer (perfect for creating straight lines or sculpted brows with ease) and alllowing more control as it isn't as flimsy. My brows have improved ten fold since I have been using this brush, the size is just perfect. Worth every penny.

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?

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! 

Springtime Nude Look #FOTD

Hiya girlies!

Apologies for a short absence, I been busy and the like. But I'm back with a spring nude inspired Face of the Day for you. 

According to Illamasqua's twitter yesterday it was National No Make Up Day, now this is a beauty blog so it would completely defeat the object to show you my face with no makeup on (I wouldn't subject you to that either, ha!) but I thought why not try a naked inspired look...

 

As strange as it may sound, I have real problems wearing a nude look, I'm always seen with a bold colour on my lips, or eyes, or cheeks. Or all. What can I say, I love makeup! I struggled to create a nude look and physically had to stop myself from reaching for the bold colours, it's become habit. However, I'm a strong believer that it's good to mix up your look and experiment and lately I have been gaining interest in nude lips. I don't own many nude, or natural- type lip colours in my collection so plumped for M.A.C 'Blankety' which is a sort of brown toned nude beige colour, I popped some Laura Mercier lip gloss on top to make it a bit more jazzy and to neutralise the brown tones a bit. I've just ordered Creme d'Nude so we'll see how I fair with that- will keep you posted!

I got to admit, I couldn't help but add a bright cheek colour...to make it a bit more exciting, Illamasqua powder blusher in 'Lover' is a strong fave of mine though would probably terrify most other people....I've got a post coming up on my Illamasqua blushers in a couple of weeks time, it's not showing up too strong in these pictures. I threw in a strong brow in for good measure, or I would have felt completely naked!

FOTD:

17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 'Shell'

Bare Minerals Matte Powder in 'C10 Fair'

Illamasqua Powder Blusher in 'Lover'

Benefit Hervana Blusher

M.A.C. Bronzing Powder in 'Matte Bronze'

Eyes:

Benefit Stay Don't Stray Eyelid Primer

NARS Eyeshadow in 'Abyssinia' all over lid

17 Eyeshadow in 'Fanfare' in crease

M.A.C Eyeshadow in 'Showstopper' in crease and underneath eye, and used to define and fill brows

Maybelline Gel Eyeliner

Rimmel Eye Pencil in 'Pure White' on waterline

Benefit High Brow

M.A.C. Cream Colour Base in 'Pearl' on brow bone

Yves Saint Laurent 'Shocking' Mascara

M.A.C 'Blankety' (amplified) and Laura Mercier Lip Gloss in 'Nude Lilac'

What new makeup looks are you going to be trying this spring?

Do you struggle to wear a nude look, or is this what you wear everyday?

Can you recommend any great nude lip colours?

 

Vogue Makeup Spring 2012 FOTD

I love reading Vogue Beauty online and their recent article depicting the makeup trends for the coming season using looks from the runways really interested me. I love reading about makeup trends, what's hot and what not, whether I choose to apply it to my face in day to day life is another story but it definitely inspires me

Look 01; Doll- like Prettiness

Vogue.co.uk

This look if from Louis Vuitton and the theme was also found in Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Dolce and Gabbana amongst others!

The look is youthful, freshfaced and simple.
There's emphasis on dewy skin, luscious lashes and a pink nude lip- very easy to translate into daily makeup, and probably one a lot of us adopt! The eyebrows are brushed upwards to appear bushy and natural which contribute to the overall youthful finish.
I really enjoyed recreating the look, I used a minimal amount of products, no brushes (does a mascara wand count?!) and kept techniques simple. I took a simple approach to application, and used versatile products that could be used in more than one way to keep it basic.


FOTD;

 

Estee Lauder B.B. Cream in 'Light' mixed with Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in '02'. (Review)

M.A.C. Cream Colour Base in 'Pearl' (Frost) (Review) as a soft highlight on cheekbones, and down the centre of the nose.

M.A.C. Cremeblend Blush in 'Something Special' on cheeks and lips

Benefit 'Instant Brow' Pencil and 'Speed Brow' Gel

Rimmel London Soft Kohl Pencil in '071 Pure White' on the inner corners of my eyes, blended onto the top lid, along the waterline, and above my lip to gently highlight my cupids bow.

Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara

Eyelure False Lashes no. 151

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in 'Nude Lilac'.

Thanks for reading!

A Laura Mercier Look....#EOTD

Laura Mercier Limited Edition (Holiday Collection 2011) Luxe Eye Portfolio.

Now, I'm not normally one for palettes of any kind. They remind me of the makeup sets you'd get when you're a young teen, full of colours you'll never wear and bad quality pearl finish lipsticks. However I saw this Laura Mercier Luxe Eye Palette in the christmas collection on the website I couldn't resist popping it on the old list. Luckily, my boyfriend bought it for me christmas and I still can't stop opening it up and going 'ooohhh' 'aaahhh'.

This palette reminds me more of an organiser, the snakeskin cover and the flap to secure it don't look like your average palette..

and wait till you look inside.. 

Containing a ponytail brush, a crease brush and a smudge brush these aren't the standard 'throw away as soon as you open' sh*t brushes, these are good quality, sturdy brushes that I'm chuffed to own.

12 gorgeous, wearable eyeshadow shades that include matte, sequin and sateen finishes.

Some are more pigmented than others, sparkling night, black coffee and fig are my favourites, they do not disappoint. Mica is a good dupe for M.A.C.'s Forgery, but I find there's more fall out. All in all, an excellent palette..I may be changing my ways!

EOTD; Simple day look.

Benefit Stay Don't Stray eyelid primer

Laura Mercier Morning Dew

Laura Mercier Royal Gold

Laura Mercier Fig

Laura Mercier Black Coffee (used as subtle eye liner on upper lid and beneath water line)

Yves Saint Laurent Dessin Du Regard Waterproof Black Eye Pencil

Benefit They're Real Mascara