The Smokey Eye

Who doesn't love a smokey eye? I felt like glamming it up a bit the other night and decided to do a graphite/charcoal themed smokey eye. I paired it with a nude gloss to keep the focus on the eyes and used a bronzing blush to sculpt my cheeks and not introduce too much colour. I love this look and will definitely be re-creating it at the weekend when I go out for a Christmas meal! 

I am so obsessed with eyeshadows and my collection is ever-growing. I wanted to delve into some more smokey/dark colours so I added the ones I used here to my collection recently. I usually wear browns, neutrals and bronzes but I am really getting into my red toned browns, greens and greys lately.

Here I used:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Cashew

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25

Estee Lauder Automatic Brow Pencil in Soft Brown

Benefit Speed Brow

Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper

Clinique All About Shadow Eye Shadow in Graphite

Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow in Black Crystals

Estee Lauder Double Wear Eye Pencil in Graphite

Estee Lauder Lash Primer Plus

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara in Black

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder

Benefit Dallas Box 'O Powder

Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss in Tempting Tearose

Are you a fan of the smokey eye look?

MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone - Review

MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone - £18.00
(or £15.00 for the PRO Refill Pan) at maccosmetics.co.uk

I decided to buy this MAC Powder Blush in Coppertone after seeing it on Barbara, a YouTuber who goes by the name of 'thepersianbabe' on YouTube. She is really lovely and I adore her style, I really recommend her videos! When she mentioned this in a video and said she was wearing it, it looked like a really nice accompaniment to bronzer. Coppertone is described by MAC as a 'Peach Brown' and is perfect when you want a bit of colour on your face in terms of looking 'warmer' but without having a pop of colour on the face like a pink or a coral. 

Coppertone gives a nice 'peachy tan' wash of colour to my cheeks and is the perfect accompaniment to a bright lipstick as it doesn't compete with the colour or clash. I have been wearing this a lot with my Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4 (review here) as they go together really well. I use the bronzer under my cheekbones, on my temples and under my chin, I then use Coppertone more on the fleshy part of my cheeks and blend down towards the apples. I've especially been loving this blush for the Summer weather we've been having in the UK at the moment as I've been going for more of a bronzed look as of late (I get a tad bronzer happy!)

As you can see, it looks really natural on, although you could apply more if you wanted to. It helps to give my face a bit of a bronzed look and adds some healthy colour that looks great with everything from a nude lip or a bright lip. 

This blush has really become an everyday staple for me as it's so easy to use, you can never 'over-do it' with this blush and it works really well with my skintone. I think fair skins would get on with this really well as it has a nice neutral undertone and never looks orange. I don't think this is pigmented or bright enough to suit deeper skins however, but that it just the nature of the shade.

If you are looking for a natural, understated blush shade then Coppertone is a great one to try! It's available in all MAC stores and online at maccosmetics.co.uk. 

What's your favourite natural blush shade?

RiRi ♥'s MAC Summer - Retro Matte Lipstick in Heaux

Like many of us beauty junkies, I was so excited to get my hands on part of the RiRi ♥'s MAC Summer  collection by MAC and Rihanna. I already had my eye on the Retro Matte Lipstick in Heaux after reading descriptions online and seeing a review on Temptalia.com (linked here).

 At 12pm sharp last Thursday, I was already on the MAC website refreshing the page like a mad woman - two windows open. It took about 7 minutes for it to appear on my laptop, I don't know how everyone else found it? Naughty MAC! After it finally appeared, I swifty added Heaux and RiRi Boy to my basket but I ended up sacrificing RiRi Boy after not being sure on it. Looking back I do wish I had got it, but it's an exact dupe of MAC's Up The Amp lipstick, just in a different finish. It is also available on eBay but at extortionate prices! 

However, I was so thrilled to have been able to get one of Heaux as apparently it sold out in 15 minutes?! Crazy! I'm really happy with this lipstick as I am a massive fan of matte lipsticks, they are probably my favourite lipstick finish. 

I've found that in texture, it is the same kind of matte as my Ruby Woo lipstick by MAC. Both are 'Retro Matte' finishes, quite dry but perfect as a matte lipstick. It can gather in places due to it's dry texture if you apply too much, but a way around this is apply it in thin layers and blot in-between. 

As for the shade, I absolutely love it. It's a dark berry colour with quite pink undertones and is a real statement lipstick. Like all matte lipsticks, it wears nicely and only needs touch up's throughout the day. I would say that due to the formula, it would be wise to make sure your lips are nice and conditioned with lip balm underneath either a while before applying or just before applying and then blotted off, as the formula can make dry and flaky lips more obvious.

 In some photos it can look a lot brighter because of the flash, but I'd say the swatches below on my hands an lips portray the shade quite accurately. I love the 'RiRi' signature on the bullet, I'll be disappointed when it starts to wear down!

Swatch of Heaux on my hand (NC42 in MAC), with flash.

Me wearing MAC Lipstick in Heaux

I'm really glad I picked this shade from the collection, I had my heart set on RiRi Woo for quite a while but finally accepted the fact that it's pretty much identical to Ruby Woo and that it wasn't worth it. 

I really rate this lipstick and if you weren't lucky enough to get one, then I know that Rebel by MAC is a really close dupe for it!

Did you get anything from the RiRi ♥'s MAC Summer collection?

MAC Lipstick in Morange

My urge for an orange lipstick has been fulfilled with the purchase of MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Morange, a beautiful orange/red shade perfect for summer and bang on trend. 

MAC have recently launched their 'All About Orange' collection, however this lipstick is not part of it. I also ordered MAC's Neon Orange lipstick which is from this collection, but it looks too similar to Morange so I am going to return it. 

Promo photograph from MAC's All About Orange Collection.

(Photograph: maccosmetics.co.uk)

Morange is an 'amplified creme' finish which I have not yet had before from MAC. The colour is intense and the texture is creamy. I tend to blot my lipsticks with tissue if I am doing a bold lip shade, and I made sure I did so with this shade too. Blotting the lipstick mattified it more, and made it more wearable for me. 

Due to it being an 'amplified creme' as opposed to a 'matte' finish, it didn't wear for as long and was not a popular choice with my boyfriend - oops! He was sporting orange lips in the car on the way there! LOL

Swatches on my hand (With flash).

Me wearing MAC Morange lipstick.

I wore this shade on Saturday night when me and my boyfriend went out for some dinner and drinks. I teamed it with my new aqua/teal coloured mini dress from Zara which I am completely in love with, and my pointed nude heels, also from Zara. I loved clashing both the colours together and I felt nice and summery!

In the car on the way to the restaurant.

My dress!

All in all I love this shade, and I'm sure I will be wearing it a lot for summer and pairing it with bright colours in my wardrobe. I think it's a great statement lipstick and orange is quite flattering on the lips despite seeming quite outrageous!

Have you been sporting any crazy lip colours lately?

Face of the Day - 04/06/13

A cheeky little face of the day from Wednesday and a very firm affirmation that I am indeed in love with bronzer. My Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4 infact (review here). I urge every girl to try it when you're next near a Bobbi Brown counter, it's such a great quality product. The shades are perfect for bronzing, I feel like mine is quite red toned, which keeps me from looking 'orange' and like I'm 'tango-ed' LOL! The texture is very blendable and not heavy what-so-ever which makes this bronzer so easy to use. 

My favourite bronzing brush is my Real Techniques Buffing Brush, traditionally used for foundation. It provides precision bronzing with the perfect shape and soft synthetic brush hairs that buff out the product to look natural and perfect.

In the photos, I have contoured my nose also which I had never done before. Again I achieved it with the BB Bronzing Powder and my Eco Tools Airbrush Concealer brush which worked really well. I kept the rest of my makeup simple with only mascara on my eyes, some brows and a lipstick.

Heres what I wore:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Cashew

Benefit Erase Paste in Medium No2

Estee Lauder Ideal Light in Medium

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Natural Tan

Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Deep 4

Estee Lauder Automatic Brow Duo in Soft Brown

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara

MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy




I clipped my hair back as it needed a wash and my top is from Zara! I hope you enjoyed the post! Please let me know of other things you'd like to see on the blog - and I may have an outfit of the day post ready for next week of my outfit for this Saturday night!

Remember to check out my blog sale here!

What make-up have you been sporting recently?

My Absense & My Make-Up Story

Hello all!

Long time, no see :-(

I posted this picture to my Instagram a few days ago, and it shows that I haven't posted since April 24th! Almost a month ago.

I've been sooooo busy this past month and have been at work most days - boo! I had been working really hard and it just took all my energy, by the time I got home the only thing I wanted was a cuppa, my dinner and bed! Sorry poor blog! 

I have got lots and lots of posts in mind, and things I had already photographed and edited before I took my impromptu break from blogging, so you shall be seeing those soon. Sometimes it's nice to have a little break and it makes you realise how much you miss writing posts and thinking up blog ideas, but I do apologise to anyone who reads regularly - sowwi!!

If theres anything you would like to see me post about or content ideas for the blog then please leave me comments or feel free to email or tweet me. All my links and buttons are on the right-hand side of my blog ------->

So......that aside, I thought it would be a great time to share that I have a new job which I am so so so incredibly excited about!

I posted this picture to Instagram a little while ago now, and yep, I will be working as a Beauty Consultant for Estee Lauder! The picture was taken when I was watching the training videos and reading through the guide that my Counter Manager gave me.

I was so lucky to get this job, and I feel very blessed and happy that I will be in a job that I will hopefully really enjoy! :-)

I'll tell you all more about it in my next post and let you know how I'm getting on. 

In this little chatty post, I thought it would be fun just to talk about how my love for make-up started and how I got to where I am now.

So like a lot of little girls, it probably started with my Mum. I always used to watch her putting her make-up on, she never left the house without foundation and lipstick - even if she was just dropping me to school in her pyjamas!! My Mum has always had so many lipsticks, and she always mixes her own lip colours to get different combinations and shades. 

In year 7 I was obsessed with wearing make-up, my usual tipple being Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation which my Mum also used to use and we both now agree that it's awful - haha! I was partial to pink and peach eyeshadows when I was around that age, and me and my best friend Bethany got told to wear less make-up to school or they would make us take it all off - naughty!!

 In year 8 I found myself in love with a bronze eyeshadow from Victorias Secret that I used to use on my cheekbones for a glow - I was literally obsessed with it and would wear it everyday - on my eyes too. It came in a cute little pointy pot with a sponge tipped applicator - it's on eBay here, I might have to order one again to see if it's still as good as I remember! The shade was called "Gold School". 

In year 9 I used to love doing black eyeliner only on the top with a flick and some mascara. I used to use a black liquid eyeliner by Rimmel, the one with the pointy top, and after that dried, I'd use a black kohl liner by Rimmel to make it really black and smooth looking. People always used to ask how I got my eyeliner to last all day without it smudging off - thats how! I always wanted to get it perfect, I've always been a perfectionist with make-up and I'm constantly searching for better ways, better techniques and better products. 

During school I always used to wear Benefit's Some Kinda Gorgeous and went through quite a few of them. I remember going to the Benefit counter with my Mum one day, and she went there to buy her usual foundation, the twist up pan stick one, and I remember them telling her they had discontinued it. I think we both tried the SKG and she also bought me Dallas blush which I completely used up over about 2 years - I wore it every single day! I also used to wear Benefit's That Gal primer on it's own a lot as it brightened my face when I didn't want to wear foundation.

Year 10 was a lazy year for me, and I never really wore make-up, I really relished those extra minutes in bed at that time and make-up became an after thought. Year 11 saw my make-up love come back and my signature look was liquid and kohl on the top lashline and just kohl on the bottom lashline. I wore that pretty much everyday for a year or so. 

Going into college I started to get more and more into make-up and began to buy the more expensive stuff. I had a Saturday job for a few years and would happily spend my whole weeks wages on make-up in town when at college on Monday - oops! I discovered MAC and bought my first eyeshadow from there - Naked Lunch. I started to pencil in my eyebrows before moving onto MAC Espresso eyeshadow in my brows with a MAC 208 brush. I wen't through a bottle of Benefit's High Beam and loved wearing it on my brow bone, cheekbones and anywhere I could put it really - LOL! 

I didn't really wear much foundation until my second year at college as I felt my skin looked fine without it. Going into my second year at college, I became obsessed with concealer and started buying every concealer I could get my hands on. Stemming from the hatred of my dark circles, I tried to find the 'perfect' one that would hide them, and started wearing mineral foundation too. 

Any holidays I went on were a certain excuse to spend all of my spending money in one hit at Duty Free after splurging on MAC and Chanel amongst others. By my 18th birthday I had got myself a little collection together that is still ever growing. Delving into high-end foundations, blushes, make-up brushes (which aren't cheap) amongst many other things, I'm sure that over the years I've spent a small fortune on make-up - sue me!

Make-up is something I've always loved as I've always wanted to look the best version of myself. I remember doing my Mum's make-up for her if she was going out, and she used to always say 'why don't you be a make-up artist?' which I always shrugged off as it seemed so impossible and I thought make-up artists were only for celebrities and film stars. I've wanted to be a make-up artist for a good few years now, and aspire to train and gain my qualifications. Make-up artists aren't all about TV and Film, you can make over brides, someone with a special event to go to, it might be someones birthday or they might simply want some help looking good for a night out and are unsure how to do it them self. Make-up is about making people feel beautiful in their own skin and giving them the opportunity and the confidence to feel they can be anyone they want to be. I've always loved the way make-up can transform a face, how you can feel like you have flawless skin, or long eyelashes, even if you don't. 

Some people probably think it's odd that I love make-up so much, or think I'm vain, or that the make-up I wear is unnecessary, each to their own. I love it, and that's all that matters. I love it because to me it's magic, it's art and there is an incredible amount of skill and knowledge involved in make-up artistry that I really admire and aspire to be able to achieve myself one day. 

I hope you enjoyed this post - just a little about the inspiration behind my blog, and how I got to be such a lover of make-up!

"The point of make-up is not to try to look like someone else, but to look your own best"

- Tom Pecheux 

What do you think about make-up? I'd love to know!

Mini MAC Haul

A very, very "mini" MAC haul of a couple of things I ordered online recently! I do love it when they do their free delivery periods and I only wanted to pick up some small things.

So I guess you're wondering why there is a picture of my beloved Estee Lauder Double Wear in this post? No, I don't love it so much that I feel the need to mention it everywhere (although I do), but the black pump is actually from MAC!

I had read online in loads of different places that the MAC foundation pumps that fit the Studio Fix Fluid also fit perfectly with the Double Wear bottle. I originally thought that I didn't mind having to pour the foundation out, but it's just so fiddly and I always poured too much, which is such a waste of product. I picked this one up from MAC for £3.50 and it works a treat! I now do a pump or two of foundation straight onto my Beauty Blender instead of pouring it out and getting in a flap. I really, really recommend this pump if you use Double Wear, I don't know if the pump would fit other bottles, but it's always worth a little research online! The pump has a great 'locking' feature which allows you to twist the bottle right and left to lock and unlock the pump, meaning no messiness in your make-up bag and no waste of product. 

The pumps working for both brands does make sense as MAC is owned by Estee Lauder, although they probably didn't mean for people to catch on! For anyone who has struggled with the 'DW no pump situation', I hope this helps! 

I also picked up another Pro Palette, but a 2-shadow one this time. I got Carbon eyeshadow to go in one pan and I am thinking about getting a neutral 'all over the lid' colour to pair with it. This will be such a handy little palette as the black shadow is great for adding definition to the lash line, adding over gel liner or creating a smokey eye. The neutral colour will be great for all over the lid and blending out shadow as a transition colour. The palette is lovely and small and has earned a place in my 'everyday make-up bag' as when I've added another colour, it will be a great 'basics' palette to have.

Carbon is nicely pigmented, not chalky and a great intense black shade. I think a black eyeshadow is essential for everyone as it's so versatile and handy to have!

So that's my little MAC haul - I have also recently ordered the large Pro Palette after it being out of stock since the beginning of time (no exaggeration) so I am looking forward to filling it with lots of lovely eyeshadows and maybe blushes! 

I'll do a review on the palette once I get it so you all know what it's like and how many eyeshadows I think it can hold.

-

The 2-shadow Pro Palette is £6.50 and the eyeshadow refill pans are £10.00.

Have you bought anything from MAC recently?

A few of my favourite things.....

Just wanted to share with you a few beauty bits that are my favourites! There are some very old favourites along with a few newer ones - enjoy! 

MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy

I only used it on my bottom waterline in this photo, and I've been doing that a lot lately. The colour is so rich and smokey, it's a deep copper-brown that is metallic and is such a great alternative to black or brown liner. This is my absolute favourite eyeliner ever and it has been for some time now. I'm so happy that I found this shade - I hope it never gets discontinued!

MAC Face and Body Foundation in C5 and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Evasion

I have loved Face and Body for over a year now, it is the most fabulous product ever. It has the same ingredient in that they use in lip stains, which means it is like glue! It's waterproof and can be used all over the body - legs, arms, you name it! It would be great for a night out to give your legs that high-definition look. It has a beautiful glow to it and looks just as gorgeous when set with powder. This foundation is almost magic, just when you think it couldn't get any more amazing - when you buff it into the skin, it actually becomes more opaque and thick the more you buff, so great coverage can be obtained from it! A beautiful product that I will always, always repurchase.

As for the lipstick, it's my absolute favourite of all time. It is the most beautiful pink shade that is quite nude and quite close to the colour of my own lips, so it's definitely a 'my lips but better' kind of colour. It's lovely and sheer, really moisturising and leaves lips with a slight sheen and wash of colour. I love it because I can apply it without a mirror and always know it will look good. I highly, highly recommend!

My custom MAC Pro Palette - (Shades clockwise from top left): Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch, Espresso, Soba 

I love my MAC quad, and it comes with me whenever I'm travelling or staying away, it's always in my everyday make-up bag. Naked Lunch was the first eyeshadow I ever bought from MAC! Ahhh memories. This is a really nice neutral palette that is really versatile - the Satin Taupe is great used as a taupe liner, Espresso is great for my brows and as a crease colour, Soba can be whacked all over the lid on it's own and look fab, and Naked Lunch is really brightening and looks great on the brow bone and inner corner of the eye. 

Nude, round nails!

I am loving my current nails - rounded shape with a nude gel polish. I don't know the name of the shade (sorry!) but it's Calgel, which I have spoken about in my nail post here.

Estee Lauder Double Wear a.k.a the Mothership

Needs no introduction - me and Double Wear are in a very intense relationship right now. Review here!

Biologique Recherche Lotion P50

A great exfoliating toner with tons of tingly ingredients including Horseradish (the smell is....interesting to say the least!) and Glycolic Acid. At £49.00 a bottle, this stuff isn't cheap, but it has improved the texture of my skin so much and will be so good for my skin in the long run, in terms of lines and ageing etc.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

A staple of mine! It's always in my bag, possibly the best no-fuss lipgloss ever! Looks great over any lipstick and oh so nourishing. I wear this on it's own a lot, and it's great for spots too! A firm fave.

Bioderma Crealine H2O

 A cult beauty product in the beauty world - and rightly so. I wouldn't use anything else to remove my make-up, although sometimes an oil based product is needed if I have heavy make-up on my eyes etc. The giant 500ml bottle lasts me for ages and is 100% worth the money. I order mine off of eBay from monseiurgeorgew.

The Original Tangle Teezer and Tangle Teezer Compact Styler

I love love love my Tangle Teezers! They are perfect for my hair as it's very thick and I end up pulling out chunks with normal hairbrushes and hurting myself in the process! These are so gentle and get rid of all my tangles without being painful or difficult in the slightest! Perfect for Afro-Caribbean hair that is weak and prone to breakage. The pink one is the compact version that I keep in my handbag at all times!!

Classic Beauty Blender

My sponge companion for make-up application on a daily basis - I love this lil pink guy! Makes all make-up look flawless and airbrushed, brushes just don't do it the same for me after this! I have reviewed it here!

Just a few of my faves ;-) 

I hope you enjoyed this post!