Look of the Day

This is actually my look of the day for yesterday, I decided to go for a tangerine tinted eye as the orange colour tones go well with pale skin.
The eye makeup here is very subtle as I didnt want to go all out orange, but show you how you can incorporate bright colours in a subtle way into your makeup.

So here we are...

I used MAC's 'Orange' pressed eyeshadow for this, the trick is to apply very lightly and build up colour gradually in the areas that you want it, as applying heavy handed could make you look like youve had a fight with a Crayola box.
It may also be necessary to lightly line the upper lash line as I have with a black or deep brown eyeshadow.

Hope you like it :)

C
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Look of the Day

Hi everyone!

So my look today is a subtle bronze/brown slight 'cut crease' eye, I used more pink gold undertones to keep it warm, i also brought the dark bronze shade in towards the upper corner of my eye on the inner brow bone to help give it subtle structure. I am also wearing (although you cant necessarily see) the new Avon BB cream instead of foundation - but since this is my first day wearing it I wont judge it quite yet!

Here we have it...

Any questions then please comment below or message me :)

C
X

p.s. a review of the BB cream will be up in a few days

Look of the day

Smokey stone tones with highlights of gold and yellow :)

C
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How to...blue eyes pt 1

So if like me you are a bit of a trend spotter, you will have noticed the emergence of the blue eye. With models for Moshcino and Christian Dior donning the blue it is set to become a trend for the coming seasons.

But with this in mind...this look is so hard to pull off without looking a tad 80's...or like a school girl who has just raided her mums makeup bag for the first time. But this blue comeback is all about neon shades, all over coverage and being a bit too in your face. So just my look.

I have been experimenting with a few blue eye looks for you and this is a little 'how to' for those who like it that much they want to try it.
This is by far the most 'in your face' as I dare to go, but I will post up some more subtle looks at a later date for those who are interested (anyone??)

So...Here we go....

Neon blue shabang!!

Here is a list of the products used:

• Photoready Concealer - Revlon 
• Sparkle sauce mixing medium - POP
• Icicle eyeshadow - First Cover 
• Neon Blue powder eyeshadow - Models Own
• Bayou eyeshadow - First cover 
• Sapphire gel eyeliner - Avon 
• Phenomena liquid metal - Illamasqua
• Copper sparkle pigment - MAC
• Black Khol eyeliner - Models own
• Hypnose drama waterproof mascara in Black - Lancome 

So heres how I did it...

• First you need to prime the eye - I just used my regular concealer, but urban decay or too faced have excellent eyeshadow primers that would work a treat here. 
• Then I applied 'Icicle' a white eyeshadow to the whole lid and worked it up towards the brow bone. 

• Then I used my mixing medium with the Neon blue powder eyeshadow to make a pigment and applied this to the lid. Staying away from the inner corner. I also applied a light line under my lower lashes. 

• I then packed on more of the loose Neon blue powder and blended the colour towards my brow bone. 

• To add some depth to the eye I applied a mix of Bayou ( a darker blue) and Sapphire gel eyeliner to the upper lash line, but only on the outer third of the eye, I also used this on the lower lash line. 

• I then added the two metallic highlights, a silver - for which I used Phenomena liquid metal in the inner corner of the eye, blending it into the rest of the lid making sure to take it up towards the brows. And for the lower lash line I used Copper Sparkle (this has to be used with a mixing medium) to the inner third of the lower lash line. 

• After the copper has dried I blend the lower lash line, otherwise the copper would be in the limelight more than I wanted it to be. Then to finish the look I apply black khol to the lower and upper waterlines and apply one coat of mascara...and there we have it!

The finished product!!

So there we are, not as hard as you think, and really you could use this look/ technique for any bold colour, just as long you remember to blend and add depth. 

If any one out there would like to see some more blue looks then don't hesitate to either comment below or message me and I will do my best to get more up here. 

As always let me know what you think :) 

C 

X

Nail trends...

So lately I've changed...

Not for the better nor for the worse (although my bank balance may disagree). But I am a complete convert to acrylic nails.

I have always done my own nails, and to be perfectly honest was always a dab hand at it. I have an archive of fantastic colours from brands that span time and space. But I was struck down by the draw of perfect looking nails with a sparkle that cannot be matched by polish alone.

It started about 6 months ago when I treated myself to these beauties for my brothers wedding.

They are real mother of pearl chips molded into the nail tip. I fell in love. There are endless options, and its with no doubt that I say there is something for everyone. But not only that, I have found that my nails can last nearly 8 weeks without needing to be either replaced or needing in-fills ( I have never needed them replaced,  and you can have the tip changed with in-fills: this is always my method). I love having a little sparkle at my finger tips. And long gone are the days where acrylics were for chavs alone, you can look subtly glam for weeks, which is what every girl wants.

Here are some of my favorite:

These are the nails I am sporting at the moment, love the girly glitter.

Perhaps my favorites, these looked like I had opals on my fingertips, and they lasted for ages and only seemed to look better and better!

My Christmas nails, big specks of bold silver glitter, really festive and again long wearing.

I still take my time and care in my pedicures, so I still have a bit of my artistic flare on my toes, but to be perfectly honest, I dont have to worry about whether my nails match my outfit, or if they will chip. They aren't cheap to maintain (£20 a month on average, with a £35 start full set), but I enjoy being pampered for 45mins every 4-8 weeks and I feel I deserve that ;)

Glitter has made a real come back, and although its not always appropriate to adorn yourself, these nails are a lovely way of bringing sparkle in to your every day :)


Let me know what you think

C
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Review: New YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation

This weeks review product is YSL's new Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation. The now best selling foundation has managed to include YSL's award winning concealer/highlighter - Touche Eclat, a product which many a beauty enthusiast has coveted and raved about. So I went treated myself to a product that I thought would be of the same standard. 

I was very interested to test this new formula, and was lucky to get my hands on it when I did; as I was informed that prior to its release there had been waiting lists all over the world for this product, and in fact it has quickly become one of the best selling foundations - globally. 

As soon as I enquired about the product I was given facts and figures to go along with it, and a lot of 'Scientific' spiel about its highly innovative technology. The reason YSL are doing so well with this foundation seem to be because they have released a number of 'technologies' at once with this foundation. Unlike many, many other foundations, it contains no powder but instead uses a gel medium base. This is useful for a lot of reasons. It stops your make-up drying out and it creates a better base for your other products. Lasting all day with a good finish. It also claims to contain 'liquid gold' which is the reason for its 'glow'; which is unlike other foundations that uses particles of pearl for this same result. 

As sceptic as I am with new foundations I wanted to try this one out as I love Touche Eclat. I chose a shade that seemed invisible against my skin (BD20) which is one of the lighter shades of the 'gold tone' shades. As I find a shade like this will go from season to season and through the summer months can be touched up with bronzer to give more of a sunkissed glow. ( I use the lightest shade of Body Shops baked bronzer). 

The packaging on the product is lovely, really luxurious and everything you would expect from a brand like YSL. But as always the proof is in the pudding, and so the only real test of quality is how well the product works. 

I have been using the foundation for well over a week now and am a complete convert. It does exactly what it says on the tin, long lasting with a non powdery finish. There is also less need to wear a concealer under or over it as it does an amazing job of making your skin tone flawless, it even hides most blemishes perfectly, which is a rare treat in a foundation. It has a dewy finish without powder applied, but when you prefer to wear powder it has a satin finish that will not look too matte. 

A little also goes a long way here, the pump provides enough to cover the whole face and down the neck with just one pump. 

As far as I am concerned, other high end brands will struggle to top this, and it has a great value at £28, which is less than many others - especially when we consider that the Touche Eclat concealer on its own is £25. YSL are providing us with what seems like excellent value. 

So if you are in the market for a new foundation, have loved the original Touche Eclat or simply want to know if it lives up to the hype; I highly recommend giving it a go, you wont be disappointed. 

TTFN 

C

Lashes

Hi guys :)

I thought I'd do another mini-non blog about a product that I love. FALSE LASHES

Now, before I start, I would like to point out that I am in no way a 'plastic', what I mean to say is that I don't wear a lot of false things, i.e. tan, nails hair extensions...I mean Ive never even dyed my hair! But I do love false lashes.

Throughout the years, my eyes have been the one feature that has done me justice (even if everything thing else is a bit rough) and for me false lashes really help to accentuate them (obviously).

I do go through phases of wearing them every day to just on the odd occasion. But whenever i wear them I feel great, I notice immediately that I have more confidence and all of my make-up benefits from this. I love trying the new ones out and seeing if I can get away with convincing people that they're my own (this only works if you wear the lovely thin ones that just give you a hint more of length and thickness without mascara, which really helps when avoiding "spider-lash").

I do have brands that I stick to, and I would never buy really cheap ones as I just don't think that they could be good for your eyes. The same goes with glue, I only buy one or two types of glue from companies who I trust. A friend of mine bought some party lashes from a fancy dress store and when she wore them her eyes burnt and were really sore afterwards, because the glue supplied with them had really high levels of ammonia in it!!

The brands that I really recommend are Eyelure, QVS (not to be confused with QVC) MAC and Shu Uemura. If like me your a student (or a tad thrifty) then the QVS and Eyelure ones are really fantastic at a really affordable price and they're available in chemists (like boots and superdrug) but also supermarkets. I do tend to favour the Eyelure brand as they supply all different varieties; from their 'Naturalites' collection to the Sex and the City ones (at the moment my fave lashes are from this collection, the 'Samantha' ones). I also use their glue, as its brilliant, dries at the right pace and clear, and also the bottle seems to last forever! Even when you're using them every day!

If you fancy the higher end, then MAC and Shu Uemura are the holy grail of lashes. Both companies will do you a custom eyelash fit and apply them for you in store. Their ranges are fantastic and the products are really great. They are a little more expensive, but I think last time I got MAC's lashes they were around 8 pounds which is only a couple more quid than the Eyelure ones. The Shu Uemura are by far the best brand out there and have been paving the way for brilliant lash extensions for over a decade, they are however the higher end, but are definitely worth the investment if you really want a pair of statement lashes, or just fancy treating yourself. 

If you're a first timer and want to try them out, I wouldn't go for the higher end ones, but instead go for a really natural pair from a reputably company. The trick with application really is practice, and also eyeliner. When I first wore a pair I had no idea that you should wear liner when wearing them to mask the seam so I looked like a complete idiot!! But yes, apply liquid eyeliner (or gel) to your lash line and then apply!

And don't be put off if the first time you try you cant get it down! just keep trying, also don't try to apply them to the root of your lashes...it aint ever going to happen, just aim for as close to your lash line as you can get.

Hope this was a fun and helpful read.

TTFN

C