Showing posts with label MAC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MAC. Show all posts

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Eyebrow Routine!




Hey beauts! I was recently contacted by a lovely girl who asked if I would do a tutorial on my eyebrows. I was really touched that anyone would actually want to know how I do them to be honest, as I have never thought of mine being anything special! Although I am happy with the way they are, I think we all want what we don't have and I am forever lusting over gorgeous, natural, full brows! I have definitely had some brow disasters through the years (I wish I had photo's to show you all!) and when I was in my early teens, the trend was to have super skinny mini eyebrows, so of course I took to the tweezers and went pluck crazy, leaving me with brows the thickness of a pen line which I regret so much, as looking back at childhood photo's I had very full (although some what bushy and a bit messy) brows. Thankfully, after a little while, and some embarrassing looks later, they did grow back, though I never got my full brows back. On a positive note though, I do feel like the brows I now have suit my face shape and they are super easy to do and maintain so I guess you win some, you lose some! 

Anyway, on to what I do. I am pretty lucky in that my brows do tend to pretty much maintain their shape on their own, although I do give them some help. Firstly, plucking. I don't tend to pluck too often, as I can be a little heavy handed, so about once a week is fine for me (to be honest as my brow hair is so used to being removed it grows back pretty sparsely anyway) and I just pluck the underneath following the shape of my brow bone. To keep the tops in shape, I take a pair of small scissors, nail scissors are good but I find cuticle trimmers to be the best as they have a curved edge which means you arn't left with a really blunt cut across the hairs. I just used these to neaten up the front and trim down any that are too long. 

When filling in my brows, I start off combing them through with an eyebrow comb, mine is from No.7 and came from a set I got at Christmas, but you can pick these up super cheap else where. 

I then use my HD Brows Palette in the colour 'Bombshell'. I got this in my Glossybox last year and have been using it everyday since (I have recently got a back up but even after 12+ months of using it everyday, I still have some left!). Now I believe the Bombshell palette is actually meant for blondes, but even though I am a brunette, I find a mix of the 'Ash Blonde' and 'Medium Blonde' to be absolutely perfect for my colouring. They do look pretty light in the pan, but actually work really nicely to give a natural filled in look, and I find going any darker too harsh for me. For me, I much prefer using a powder to a pencil. I think in my brows it looks a lot more natural, and with the inner shape being quite squared off, a pencil is just too much. 


(Quick Tip: The Gosh Eyebrow Set is a great, inexpensive dupe for the HD Brows palette!)

I use a Royal & Langnickel Silk Pro C490 brush to fill them in. This is basically a small angled brush which some people may find this brush too small but I find it great for creating little lines in the brows to mimic real hairs rather than filling them in very bluntly. I also find it is the perfect size for creating the arch in my brow and pulling it down without leaving it looking fake. When filling in the front of my brows, I tend to turn the brush on its side and apply in the opposite direction to the hair growth, I just find this leaves it look natural and not filled in. After applying the powder, I give it another brush through with the brow comb again, just to get rid of any harshness. 

I will some times then set my brows (usually only if I am going on a night out or have a very long day ahead) with a brow gel, I like the one by Mac but Elf has a great cheaper alternative which I think works just as well! And that's it really! My brows are definitely not perfect but I hope at least someone finds this helpful!

I know it is difficult to do tutorials like this in a blog post, but I hope it makes sense! If you have any more questions feel free to pop them below! Do you have a favourite brow product? Do you fill in your brows or just leave them natural?



Friday, 28 September 2012

LOTN #2




Hey lovelies! So freshers is now officially over (sad face :()! I had an amazing time catching up with my friends and going on nights out (did not enjoy the hangovers so much!) but now here is where the real work starts. I thought I would share another look of the night's with you. I went for a similar smokey eye as my previous look, but slightly darker, and paired it with a nude lip. As you may be able to tell by now, I rarely put any makeup on my lower eye, not even mascara or pencil in the water line. I do this as I have quite small eyes and I feel leaving it clear, opens my eyes up a bit more! I have been really getting into nude lips recently, as much as I love darker, vamp-ier colours for autumn, with a smokey eye I think its nice to keep the lip simple.

Face
Revlon Photoready Primer
Mac Studio Fix Fluid NC35
Clinique Superbalanced Makeup Ivory
Mac Studio Finish Concealer
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
HD Brow Palette Bombshell
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Nars Deep Throat Blush

Eyes
Urban Decay Naked Palette-
Virgin all over lid/brow bone and tear duct
Buck through crease
Smog/Darkhorse over outer two thirds
Naked to blend out

Mac Powerpoint Eye Pencil Engraved (Upper lash line)
MUA Black eyeshadow (to deepen)
Maybelline The Flared Mascara
Ebay Eyelashes (cut in half)

Lips
No.7 Perfect Lips Pencil Nude
Mac Hue Lipstick

I promise the next post will be my super simple eye brow routine/tutorial! What makeup do you go for on a night out? Do you prefer a nude or a bright lip?

Thursday, 20 September 2012

LOTN!






Hey lovelies! I am now back and uni and enjoying freshers week as much as poss before getting stuck in to the work! I went out last night and thought I would share my look of the night with you. I recently got a new lip liner from Mac which I have been wearing non stop and absolutely love it! (Post to follow) In this look, I went for a light smokey eye and coral lip, a combo which has become my go-to look. I paired it with a coral top, nude skirt and black blazer, along with my fave pair of nude strappy wedges (still living in the summer!).

Face

Revlon Photoready Primer
Mac Studio Fix Fluid NC35
Mac Studio Finish Concealer NC30
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Medium Plus
Nars Laguna Bronzer
Mac Cream Colour Base Pearl
Nars Deep nThroat
HD Brow Palette

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion
Urban Decay Naked Palette
Mac Powerpoint Eye Pencil Engraved
Maybelline Flared Mascara
Eyelashes (Half Lash) Ebay

Lips

Mac Lip Pencil Lasting Sensation
Mac Cut A Caper Lipstick
Revlon Lipgloss Coral Reef

What has been your go-to look recently?

Friday, 31 August 2012

August Favourites 2012!




Hey lovelies! So, it feels like forever since I lasted posted on my blog. For the past week I have been bed bound with food poisoning, which hasn't been nice at all! But 7 days of stomach cramps, migraines, hot and cold chills and sickness and it seems to have sorted itself out. I believe I may have skipped out on last months favourites and i'm not really sure why...but usually I really get the urge to write a favourites post to share all the things I have been loving, so I guess over July, I wasn't really using anything different than the previous month and had gotten into a bit of a routine with the products I was using. If you read my acrylic storage post (here) you will know I invested in some Muji clear storage drawers, which I have become obsessed with and have allowed me to be able to store some of my makeup in view on my dressing table, which means i'm getting a lot more use out of items that had previously been forgotten about. So, over August I have been mixing things up a bit in the makeup department, as thanks to Muji I now have lots of choices within arms reach when getting ready at my dressing table. 

Anyhoo, on to the favourites!

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr 'Eternal Gold'. I picked up a few more of these Color Tattoo's and completely forgot to post about them. Eternal Gold is a lovely light yellowish gold that works lovely on its own or as a base on the eye. I have been getting so much use out of this!

Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Flared Mascara. I love all the Maybelline mascaras and this was my lastest one to try. The curved wand is sposed to flare your lashes outward using the curved side first, followed by the flat side. I wouldn't say it particularly 'flares' my lashes out but it is a great mascara and gives a lot of length to the lashes. 

Mac Trax Eyeshadow. Trax is a lovely burgundy, brown toned plum with lots of shimmer. It looks so pretty swept all across the eyelid for night time.

All For Eve 'Eve's Balm'. I got this is my August Glossybox and have been loving it. Its a lovely rich balm for even the most dry and chapped skin. This is a multi purpose product and can be used just about anywhere, but I have been using it on my lips and really like it. It has a lovely scent which reminds me a lot of the Figs & Rouge Lip Balm in Rambling Rose.

Mac Cut A Caper Lipstick. This has been a firm favourite ever since I got it! I have a post here that goes into more detail, but it is the most perfect corally pink and I have been wearing it a lot lately (although limited edition means I am having to be a little careful using it!).

Aussie Dual Personality Aussome Texturising + Conditioning Gel Spray. This is basically a texturising spray that contains sea kelp and works wonders on flat hair. I use this when I want some added volume and it really does work. I mostly work it in around my crown and a little bit towards the front of my hair for a gorgeous volumised look. I have been using this loads recently over the past month and I love it (it smells goooorgeous too). Would you be interested in seeing a post all about the Aussie products that I use?

Essie Risky Business. This was actually in my August Nail Polish Favourites post, but I felt I had to include it again. It is a lovely bright corally red, perfect for summer and I love how it looks on the nails and toes. I have been wearing this too many times to tell this month!

Hope you enjoyed my favourites! Let me know in the comments what you have been loving this month.


Saturday, 21 July 2012

Mac Heavenly Creature Collection


Hey ladies! I don't know why, but when it comes to Mac limited edition collections, I am always that girl who leaves purchasing till the last minute then notices things starting to sell out, suddenly panics and darts to the shop to see if they have any left. (Well, not surprisingly, they didn't!) I then spend hours trawling the internet trying to find what i'm after on various websites, and this time, I came up trumps! Since I had seen Mac's Heavenly Creature Collection, I had been dying to get my hands on the ever popular 'Cut a Caper' lipstick, and when I had seen that Mac, Debenhams and House of Fraser (as well as my local counter) had sold out I was soo gutted. Luckily, I managed to pick one up on the Selfridges website from the low stock that they had left. I actually checked back moments later and it was out of stock! It was definitely one of those 'meant to be' moments!
Cut a Caper is the most perfect peachy pink colour, (something that I think Mac need to add more of to their permanent line!) and I am absolutely in love with it. I believe this is a re promote first released in 2010, and I had read that it was one of those sell out colours that everyone is dying to get their hands on. I'm really not surprised it's so popular, it is such a gorgeous, wearable colour and has definitely become one of my favourite lipsticks. 

I also decided to get one of the Mineralize Skinfinish's as I am a sucker for how pretty these are. I got 'Center Of The Universe', a lovely coral with ripples of gold running through it. It is so beautiful and looks gorgeous used as a cheek or brow bone highlight, on the cheek as a blush, a tearduct colour, or all over the lids, it is definitely a very multi purpose product. 


I am in love with this collection and I have my eye on a few other things that I may persuade myself to purchase before they sell out! Did you pick up anything from this collection?


Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Mac 'Hue' Lipstick


  Eyes- Nars Cream Eyeshadow Camargue (Base) // Mac Scene (Outer corner) // Mac Cork (Blended through crease) // Mac Woodwinked (Outer two thirds) // Elf Black Gel Liner // Maybelline Volum' Express Mascara 

Hey girls! I went shopping the other day for an outfit for a girls night out and had set myself a realistic budget so that I didn't go mad buying everything in sight. At the end of the day I had picked up a whole outfit including a clutch for under my budget, so, feeling pretty impressed with myself, I decided to pop into Mac and buy myself a treat (Does anyone else do that!?)! I knew I wanted a lipstick but was torn between getting a nude or a coral to go with the outfit I'd bought. After swatching some potentials, I ended up getting 'Hue'. Hue is definitely a beauty blogger/ youtuber favourite and is hyped about a lot, and being a pinky nude, I knew I would get a lot of use out of it. The finish is a glaze, which means the staying power of Hue isn't amazing, but I don't mind reapplying if it means having a gorgeous lip colour. It is very glossy and moisturising on the lips which is perfect for me as I can have very dry lips which lipsticks can sometimes stick in to. This is definitely a colour I will get lots of use from and can be worn day and night as it is so natural on the lips! (Sorry about the annoying shadows across the last photos, it was late at night and hard to get good lighting!)

Have you tried Hue? Do you have a favourite Mac lipstick?


Friday, 6 July 2012

Natural Collection Eyeshadows



// Asteroid //
 // Barley //


Natural Collection is a brand I had heard of but had never picked anything up for them before. Whilst in Boots, I saw they had some single eyeshadows which looked really nice for £1.70, so I began swatching and was really suprised at how lovely they looked on the skin. They had a 3 for £5 offer on, so I picked up a few and decided to give them a try.

My two favourites from the ones I picked up are 'Barley' and 'Asteroid'. Barley is a skin toned gold colour with lots of shimmer, which when applied gives a gorgeous hint of shimmer to the skin and works lovely as a base colour. Asteroid is a dark brown with flecks of gold shimmer running through it, which I have been using to deepen the outer corner of my eyes. For £1.70 each these eyeshadows are both affordable and good quality and work great for a subtle smokey eye. 


FYI:
 I also noticed that these are the same size as Mac eyeshadows and when depotted fit into the Mac palettes perfectly!

 I would love to know if you have tried these eyeshadows and what you thought. I would be interested in seeing if they had any matte colours in the collection!


Monday, 2 July 2012

Monthly Roundup: June!

Can you believe that June is over already, and that we are now over half way through the year!? June has been a pretty good month for me (besides the awful weather we have been having!) and I wanted to share some of my favourites from the month with you!


Garnier Summerbody// Aussie Volume Shampoo, Miracle Hair Insurance, Dual Personality Heat Protection// Revlon Lipbutters Lollipop, Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake// ELF Nail Polish Mint Cream// Mac Scene Eyeshadow// DIY Studs// Simple Eye Makeup Remover

What did you love during June?



Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Look Of The Day: Mac Scene Eyeshadow

A few posts ago I spoke about my 'Scene' eyeshadow purchase from Mac, and said that I was going to post a look wearing it. Well, here it is!

As I mentioned in my previous post about this eyeshadow, I bought it as I was getting into a routine of always using brown eyeshadows, and wanted to mix it up a bit. 
'Scene' is a blue toned grey, which I usually stay away from as I have blue eyes, but I warmed it up a little by blending Mac's 'Cork' out along the crease. 


Face
Clinique Superbalanced Makeup '36 Beige Chiffon'
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfecting Concealer 'Medium' (Under eyes)
Mac Studio Finish Concealer 'NC30' (Blemishes)
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder '001 Transparent'
Famous by Sue Moxley Bronzer 'Tahiti'
Mac Blush 'Harmony' (Contour)
Nars Blush 'Deep Throat'

Brows
HD Brows Palette Bombshell 'Medium Blonde'

Eyes
Maybelline Color Tattoo 'Permanent Taupe'
No.7 Eyeshadow Palette (Skin toned colour, inner third)
Mac eyeshadow 'Scene' (Outer corner and through crease)
Mac eyeshadow 'Cork' (Blended out through crease)
ELF Eyeliner 'Pearl White' (Tear duct) 
Bourjois Volumizer Mascara

Lips
No.7 Lip Pencil 'Nude'
Mac 'Angel' Lipstick


I really like this look, I think adding 'Cork' through the crease takes the harshness away from the blue toned eyeshadows, making it wearable for me.

What eyeshadow looks have you been going for recently?
x

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