Category Archives: Beauty
Autumn/Fall Nail Polish Picks
I’m one of those people that likes to changed up what colours I wear on my nails and lips for that matter depending on the season. When it comes to autumn/winter I swap out my baby pinks, blues and coral nail polishes for reds, greys and purples. These are the five I’m going to be wearing the most this season.
Collection Lasting Gel Colour – Stormy Grey 11
Although I prefer wearing darker shades in the Autumn, I do like me a nude colour. This one is a light brown nude, that looks very sophisticated and classy. These gel collection ones are amazing, the formula is so shiny and they last a good 5 days without chipping.
Barry M Nail Paint – 293 Grey
The Barry M nail paints are one of my favourite nail polish brands. All the shades I have are really opaque and only need one coat, they look so glossy too. The shade grey is an amazing autumn colour, and I wear it a lot at this time of year.
Bourjois Very Vernis – Cerise Noire 36
This is my all time favourite and most worn Autumn shade so far. It’s the most perfect burgundy shade, and I’ve never owned a colour like it before. I’ve worn it for up to a week before I need to take it off and to me it just screams autumn!
Maybeline Express Finish – Charming Cobait 637
This is the prettiest dark purpley blue colour with subtle glitter in it. I can just imagine wearing this to a Christmas party or something really festive. These nail polishes also dry insanely quick, which is handy if you’re in a rush.
Avon Nailwear Pro+ – Real Red
You can’t beat a classic red nail in autumn and this shade by Avon is the best red I’ve tried. It’s a true, deep red with a shiny finish. You really can’t go wrong!
What are your favourite Autumn/Winter nail polishes?
My Top Autumn/Fall Lipstick Picks
Autumn is FINALLY upon us, which means darker lipsticks are appropriate again! These are the ones that I’m going to be wearing the most this season.
Catrice Ultimate Colour – 110 Pink Me Up!
This colour is a slightly darker dupe for Macs all fired up, and is the perfect shade if you love wearing pink lipstick but want to go for a darker shade in the colder months. It’s so creamy and lasts a good amount of time on the lips too.
Avon Ultra Colour Lipstick – Red
I’ve had this lipstick for a good two years now and it’s my staple red lipstick. I personally think that red lipstick looks good all year around, but I love it particularly in the autumn as it’s not too light or too dark. This one is so moisturizing, lasts pretty much all day and makes your teeth look amazing! You can get this here
Calvin Klein Creme Lipstick – Dangerous
I love this lipstick SO much! Its one of my all time favourites and it’s actually really cheap. The colour is hard to describe, but it’s a mix between a dark red, brown and purple, I think it would look beautiful on so many skin tones and to me it’s just the ultimate autumn shade! You can get this for a bargain price of £1.99 here
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick – 330 Sloane’s Plum
This shade my not be for everyone and it is very daring with it being a deep plum shade and the tendency to make your teeth look yellow, but I really like it. If you’re into bold lips you need to get your hands on this. It’s an intense plum colour which looks amazing paired with a natural eye look for the daytime and a dark smokey eye for a gorgeous, glam, autumn evening look. You can buy it here
What’s your favourite autumn lipstick?
How To: Fill In Your Eyebrows
I have a love hate relationship with my eyebrows, I have days where they simply won’t co operate or sit right and other days where I’m happy with the way they look and they frame my face. I’ve been using the same brow products for nearly two years now and I feel like they give me a natural but defined brow.
1. I first comb through my brows with a spoole so that all the hairs are facing the same direction.
2. If I’m going for a full eyebrow look then I start with using an eyebrow pencil that is the same shade as my natural brown colour just to stencil out where I’m going to fill in, I use this to slightly extend my natural arch and tail as it gives the final look a sharper appearance.
3. I will then move on to filling in my brows with a wax, I use my holy grail Benefit Brows A Go Go Eyebrow Kit to do this, this kit comes with a highly pigmented light and dark powder and wax. I first take the wax on an angled brush and outline the bottom of my brows.
4. Now I take the dark brown shade on the same angled brush and fill my eyebrow in starting from the middle to the end, going with the shape I made with the brow pencil.
5. Then I move on to the lighter shade and lightly fill in from the middle to the start getting lighter as I go, creating an almost gradient effect. When I get to the very start of my brow I personally prefer to slightly square it off, I feel as though this is the most natural and I’m not a fan of rounded eyebrows.
6. This is where I like to make sure everything blends into each other and there’s no harsh lines. I take the lightest shade of brow powder and take it through all of my brows to blend it out.
7. This is a completely optional step, but when I’m going for a full brow look and I’m going somewhere special I’ll take a small amount of my Mac Pro Longwear Concealer and line it underneath and above my brow and blend it in. This makes your eyebrows appear crisp, defined and bold.
Back To School Beauty Essentials
School/college is just about to start back for some of you guys so I thought I’d put together a little post on my beauty essentials for school. I’ve also done a back to school make up look here if you’d like to read that too.
I like to take a little make up bag in my my handbag to college with me including these items and a few little extras, they’re great to have on you for touch ups and emergencies.
• The first essential every girl needs in their bag is some hand sanitiser. I carry one of these everywhere! There are so many germs in schools and a one squirt of a sanitiser before eating your dinner can stop you picking up any nasty bugs etc. I use the Primark one which is a bargain at 69p!
• For people who do P.E(gym) at school I think it’s a great idea to keep a mascara and concealer in their bag to touch up afterwards. You can’t go wrong with the Collection concealer and the Loreal Million Lashes mascara.
• Next up is a powder. This is a must for people with oily skin, schools and colleges can be very humid and warm meaning you’re going to be getting oily throughout the day. To keep the oil at bay keep a powder in your bag for touch ups when needed.
• It’s a good idea to keep whatever you’re wearing on your lips that day in your bag so you can re apply it after lunch. I think the Maybeline Baby Lips and Body Shop Tinted Lips Balms are great for school as they add colour whilst keeping your lips moisturised. My favourite ones are cherry me and orange.
• It’s always handy to keep a pocket mirror on you at school so you can check for oiliness and to touch ups throughout the day.
•I hate having dry hands and always keep my Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Hand Cream in my bag to use if I need to moisturise my hands. I guarantee if you get a hand cream out of your bag someone else will ask you can they use some too!
• Last but not least you can’t forget to throw some bobbles, bobby pins and chewing gum in your bag.
are there any other school beauty essentials you can think of?
Mac Pro Longwear Concealer
I finally picked up the Mac Pro Longwear concealer a few weeks ago and I am so so glad I did! I got the colour NC15 as I wanted to use it to highlight my under eye, this shade is perfect and I don’t find it that yellow compared to other NC products. I’ve been a huge fan of the Pro Long wear Foundation for a while now, and ever since I’ve wanted to try the concealer of the same name. The foundation is incredibly long wearing and doesn’t budge so I wanted to see if the concealer could do that same.
The Product
Even though I don’t suffer with the worst under eye circles or anything, this does completely hide any darkness I have and brightens up the area giving it a highlighted affect. I can imagine this being a holy grail product to many people with dark under eyes as it does mask any problems you have.
If I’m being honest I didn’t expect this concealer to last as long as the Pro Longwear foundation and I did think it would crease towards the end of the day. But to my amazement, after a full days wear there was no creasing, patchiness or dryness. It looked exactly the same as it did when I first applied it!
I’ve read a few reviews saying that they find this concealer to be drying. As I suffer with dry skin, I was worried that this stuff would cling to the dry patches under my eyes, but it doesn’t at all! I find that as long as my skin is moisturised before hand, it glides on and actually feels quite moisturising. Compared to the infamous Collection concealer I find this a lot less drying.
The Packaging
The one problem I have with the concealer is the packaging. It comes in a small glass bottle with a pump that dispenses way too much product for one use. During the first few days of using it I wasted a lot of product as I just didn’t need it all, but after a few days if you only do a half pump ( don’t press the pump all the way down) it should give you the perfect amount of product. If you still feel as though it’s dispensing too much I’d recommend you pumping some into a small travel pot and using it from there and then keeping any left over for next time.
Packaging: 4/10
Colour: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10
How To: Rock A Bold Lip
To some wearing a bold lip colour such as red or a deep pink or purple can be very scary and tend to stay on safe ground and go with a light pink or nude. There’s no need to be afraid of wearing a bold lip, and I think if you apply it in the correct way it can look great on everyone! These are my top tips on how to apply a brighter lip colour correctly and make it last as long as it can.
Prepping The Lips
1. Apply a lip scrub to your lips and leave it for a minute or two. When wearing a bolder lip colour you need to make sure there’s no dry skin on the lips as the colour will tend to cling to the dry patches and start to look patchy throughout the day.
2. After you have removed the lip scrub ( I usually lick mine off as it tastes yummy) apply a deep conditioning lip balm so your lips are moisturised ready for the lipstick application.
3. Line the lips. When wearing a bolder lip you can see where the colour is bleeding a lot more so a lip liner is essential. Although an exact colour match to the lipstick isn’t necessary, try to find one in the correct colour range so that it’s not noticeable when you apply the lipstick.
Application
1. As the lips should be fully lined, now is the time to apply the lipstick. When using a bolder colour I find it easier to use a lip brush so that I have more control of where I’m applying it.
2. Now it’s time to blot. This will ensure that your lipstick won’t transfer and will keep the colour on your lips for longer.
3. Use a concealer that is an exact match to your skin tone to clean up around the lips and any bleeding you may have.
4. This step is optional but I like to highlight my Cupid’s bow so that my lips stand out more. To do this I take a shimmery shadow or highlighter and lightly pat it directly on to my Cupid’s bow.
Throughout The Day
1. Make sure you take your lipstick with you in your bag for any touch ups throughout the day, especially after eating or drinking as the lipstick will fade and start to look patchy.
2. Blot every time you re apply.
Those are my top tips for rocking a bold lip, do you have any?
My Skin Care Routine / How I Remove My Make Up
My skin care routine is something that doesn’t change very much, once I like a product I will stick with it until I’m really bored of it or it doesn’t work do skin anymore which doesn’t happen very often. This is what I am currently doing to remove my make up, cleanse and moisturise my face every night before I go to sleep. I have dry combination skin and I find this is what works for my skin type.
The first thing is do is remove the base layer of my make up with a wet wipe, I know most people will say that wet wipes are bad for your skin but I honestly don’t see anything wrong with them. I’ve been using the Huggies Baby Wipes for over two years now and I’ve never had any problems with them. I prefer to use baby wipes as I know they are gentle enough to use on my skin and won’t irritate it.
I like to take my eye make up off with a gentle eye make up remover instead of tugging at it with my cleanser. I use the No7 Cleanse & Care Eye Make Up Remover to go this.
After this I take my Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water on a cotton pad and thoroughly take the rest of my make up off and cleanse my face with this. This product completely dissolves your make up and makes your face feel squeaky clean.
I will then apply a toner, this one the one part of my skin care routine that I do tend to switch up a bit as I haven’t found a toner that I have fallen in love with yet. I’m currently using the L’Oreal Age Perfect Refreshing Toner. Although this is for mature skin (which I don’t have yet) I find that it really refreshes my skin and brightens it up. Toning not only refreshes and smooths your skin after cleansing, it also makes sure that every trace of make up and dirt has gone.
Then once a week after I have done all this I will use the Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It scrub and mask. I will leave this on for around ten minutes whilst I shower or brush my teeth and then wash It off. Using a facial scrub removes any dead skin cells which can cause dry skin and dirt stuck in your pores leaving it revitalised and fresh.
After either toning or using a scrub I will then moisturise my skin so that I am bringing any moisture back into my face that I may have lost using cleansing and scrubbing. My favourite moisturiser of all time is the Garnier Moisture Match Moisturiser for dull skin. I use this morning and night and I’ve seen a huge difference in my skin since using it.
I like to then apply a moisturising lip balm like Vaseline or Elizabeth Arden’s 8 Hour Cream.
Up until a few weeks ago this would have been the end of my skin care routine but I’m now using the Nars Eye Cream which I apply under my eyes in a triangle shape. I suffer with quite dry under eyes and since using this eye cream it has really improved and I feel as though my foundation and concealer apply much more smoothly now.
Elf Blogger Festival
Around a month ago I was invited to attend a blogger event at the Elf store in Cardiff focused around festival make up. The event took place on Thursday (12th of June 2014) and when I arrived it was like walking backstage into the make up room in a festival. Amazing!
I invited my friend to come along with me and as soon as we arrived we were offered free punch with the option to have an alcoholic or non alcoholic one with endless refills. There was also an amazing singer who sung a few songs at the beginning of the event which made me feel like I was in an actual festival. We then had an hour to walk around all the pop up festival stands to get our nails, lips, eyes and cool flowers on our face using their little book of shadows.
This was my first time visiting the Elf store so of course I was taken back by all the beautiful make up and spent around half an hour looking and searching it all. I ended up picking up one of their beauty books in the natural look as the pigmentation on the shadows for £6 is insane! I’ll hopefully be doing a blog post on an eye look using the beauty book.
After an hour of drooling over make up, getting my nails done and getting a cute little heart painted on my face it was time to go upstairs for the main event. The lovely girls at elf (which I must say a huge thank you to for being so welcoming and friendly) were going to create a festival make up look using 5 products. I found this tutorial amazing and the end result of the model was stunning, they used the Elf eyeliner and shadow stick in midnight blue to line the eyes and in the outer v. All I’m saying is I now need this product in my life!
Finally before we left, the girls handed out goodie bags to us which I was totally not expecting. Inside was a little black beauty book of shadows which I can not wait to try, I think this is going to great for fun summer looks. As well as this there was a card for a free make over at the Elf store worth £20 which I’m going to use when I go to a festival in Cardiff during August.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Elf for inviting me the event and the fabulous staff for being so kind and helpful! Elf are currently having a huge clearance sale on their website and are offering free delivery on any orders over £10, go check it out! http://eyeslipsface.co.uk. Higher quality images we’re taken from the Elf store cardiff’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.
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Beauty Survey
You may have noticed that I didn’t post on Monday and I feel incredibly bad about it. I was away in London all weekend and didn’t get a chance to write anything up before I went, I’m back now though with a few typical beauty related questions that I saw a few people doing last week.
How many times do you wash your face a day?
Once. I only wash my face at night either in the shower or with my Garnier cleanser. I don’t feel the need to wash it again in the morning and It tends to dry my skin out if I do.
What type of skin do you have?
Hmmm. This is a tough one, I’d say I have dry combination skin. I get really dry skin under my eyes and on my cheeks and a little bit of oil on my t-zone, I used to have really dry skin and I mean there was no oil to my skin whatsoever but with the right skincare routine I’ve managed to control it.
What is your current facial wash?
I’m extremely lazy when it comes to washing my face and hate the hassle of washing them off so I use the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water I feel as though this stuff gets all of the dirt out of my skin and is great for on the go.
Do you exfoliate?
Yes and I swear by it! As I said before I had really bad dry skin and since using a face Exfoliator around 6 months ago it’s cleared up a lot. I use the St Ives Face Exfoliator once a week and the Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose in It twice a week whilst in the shower. This gets rid of any dry patches in your face but make sure you moisturise straight after using it.
What moisturiser do you use?
Clinique’s Moisture Surge is my favourite but it’s so expensive! A cheaper alternative that I also use is the Garnier Moisture Match for Dull Skin .
Do you have freckles?
Nope. I do have a few beauty spots on my face though.
Do you use eye cream?
No but I really need to as I get the most dryness around my eye area, I’m thinking of investing in a Body Shop one.
Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
No thank goodness! Fingers crossed I will never have to too.
What foundation do you use?
I’m currently using and loving Mac Pro Longwear Foundation which I did a review on here. I love how long this lasts on my skin and continues to look like it’s just been applied, it controls the oil in my t-zone and doesn’t stick to any dry patches.
How about concealer?
I use my holy grail Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
I haven’t tried many concealers but I feel like this one does an amazing job at covering up pretty much anything! One thing I’m not too keen on though is that throughout the day it does tend to stick to the dry patches under my eyes but for £4 you honestly can’t complain.
Do you know your undertone colour?
Hmm I’m honestly not sure. According to Mac I’m cool and they always match me to nw15 but my body has a more yellow undertone to it where as my face is more on the pink side. I do like getting a slightly yellower foundation though just so that it matches the rest of my body and doesn’t accentuate the pinkness in my face.
What do you think of false eyelashes?
A pain! I’m getting better at applying them but I honestly don’t think the hassle is worth it. My eyes are on the smaller side and I think false eyelashes only make them look smaller, I have to be careful with what ones I wear. They do look great on some people though!
Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes but that’s ridiculous! I’ve had some mascaras for nearly a year and they’re still useable, the only time I’d throw a mascara is when when it dries up. Plus with the price of my favourite mascara I wouldn’t afford to change it every 3 months.
What brand of mascara do you use?
My current favourite is the Chanel Le Volume De Chanel but I do like some ones and you can’t go wrong with Maybeline mascaras.
Sephora or Mac?
Seeing as we annoyingly don’t have a sephora in the Uk, it has to be Mac. I have a feeling if we did it would be sephora!
Do you have a Mac Pro Card?
I wish!
What make up tools do you use in make up application?
I love Real Technique brushes and they’re pretty much all I ever use these days. I love how affordable they are too.
Do you use primer for your eyes or face?
Yes both and I think it makes such a difference! I use the Avon eye primer on an everyday basis and then for special occasions I use the Urban Decay Primer Potion, both do a really good job. For my face I’ve recently been using the Elf Face Primer its silicone based and can feel greasy if you apply too much but it does make my make up last longer.
What is your favourite eyeshadow?
Hmm I’m a definite neutral gal when it comes to eyeshadow so I love anything from my naked palettes. If I had to pick a favourite though it’d be Buck from the Naked 1.
Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
I can’t remember the last time I used pencil eyeliner, it just reminds me of the early 2000’s when everyone and their mother used to heavily line their waterline with black eyeliner and I hated that look! I don’t think it does anything for my small eyes either. I love the look of liquid eyeliner but I hate how long it takes to get the perfect flick, when it is done right though it looks amazing!
What is your favourite lipstick?
if we’re going with brand it’s definitely Mac, I know they’re on the more expensive side but they are so worth it! My favourite shade at the minute is creme cup and it looks so cute with pretty much anything and is also great for layering.
How about lipgloss?
I’m not the biggest lipgloss fan as I hate the feeling of sticky lips. I don’t know if this counts but I’m a big fan of the Rimmel Apocolips they’re a cross between a lipgloss and lipstick and are not sticky at all. I think my favourite is Luna.
What is your favourite blush to use?
Sleek Rose Gold is my holy grail blush! It’s the most perfect pink shade with specs of gold in it and it honestly gives the most beautiful glow to the cheeks. It’s one of the only blushes I can use without making me look like a clown.
Do you buy make up on EBay?
I’ve bought some unused branded make up on eBay but you have to be so careful because there are a lot of fakes out there, if you’re going to make sure you do proper research or know that it’s a fake before you buy.
Do you like drugstore make up?
Yes! For things like blushes, bronzers and powders the drugstore is all I use. I feel like you can get the same or better quality from a drugstore product than you can a high end one these days.
Do you ever consider taking make up classes?
Yes and I’m considering taking one in September not that I want to go into cosmetics full time but just so that I have it as a back up or to do it on the side for a bit of fun or extra cash. I think it would be great to learn a few extra tips for myself to use too.
Are you clumsy when it comes to putting make up on?
With things like winged eyeliner and a dark lipstick yes! Most of the time I’m quite good though and I like to take my time with my make up as I enjoy doing it.
Name a make up crime that you hate?
Wow I could go on forever. 1. People who wear a full face of make up and don’t fill in their eyebrows (especially when people have really light ones) I’m a firm believer in eyebrows making your face and they can honestly make you look so much better. I don’t understand how people can apply make up and not fill in their brows.
2. People who wear foundation and no bronzer/blush, I occasionally just wear bronzer or blush on their own with foundation but when people wear foundation on its own it looks so strange and totally washes your face out. You really need to add some colour back into your face after applying foundation.
Do you like colourful shades of make up (lipstick/eyeshadow) or do you stick to neutrals?
When it comes to my eyes I’m definitely a neutral girl and only ever wear browns and greys. Lipstick however is a different story and I love a bold lip! I love deep purples to pale links and everything In between.
Which celebrity always has great make up?
The Kardashians! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of one of the girls and not liked their make up. I love Kim’s famous under eye highlight and strong contour and love Kylies winged eyeliner and big lips!
If you had to leave the house wearing just one make up item what would it be?
10000% mascara! I think mascara makes you look so much more awake and I have the shortest eyelashes so the thought of going out without wearing any scares me to death.
Could you ever leave the house without any make up on?
If I really had to yes. I’d like to at least have some mascara on though. If we’re talking about going out for a while to college or something I’d really struggle with not wearing any make up and I’d feel really self concious.
Do you think you look good without make up on?
Not the best no. I look so much better with make up on and look really different without it, I guess I’ve just gotten used to wearing it all the time and I now feel weird when I’m not.
What do you think of make up?
Obviously I love it! I believe that it can change a person from being really self confident to the most confident person in the world and I think as long as they are happy with the way they look who cares? I know for one if there was no such thing as make up I would be living a much more miserable life and would not be as comfortable as I am now.
My Make Up Trunk 