Tuesday, 26 August 2014

Face of the Night with MAC Velvet Teddy Lipstick

If you read my post yesterday you will have seen that my friends and I were all out on the town this weekend for birthday celebrations. I managed to sneak a peak inside all their makeup bags but didn't get round to taking a picture of my own makeup. Instead, I thought I would recreate it for a Face of the Day post.

There was definitely a bit of a 90s theme going on my with my makeup, with lots of brown tones, especially on the lips! For my lipstick I used Velvet Teddy which is probably my all time favourite MAC lipstick and has been for a long time. It is the perfect, matte 90s lip.

Face

Primer
MAC Prep & Prime Natural Radiance in 'Radiant Pink'

This is only a little sample pot but since using a MAC primer for my Sister's wedding makeup and seeing how amazing her makeup lasted, this is definitely on my wish list. 

Foundation
L'Oreal Lumi Magique Light Infusing Foundation

This foundation just makes me happy because the glow it gives makes me look like I've just come back from holiday, when really I've just been to Brighton for the day!

Under Eye Highlighter
MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter in 'Light Boost'

The bomb!

Powder
Charlotte Tilbury Air Brush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder

Whilst I wasn't a fan of Charlotte's Film Stars on the Go palettes, this powder is amazing. Another item used on my sisters wedding day, this stuff mattifies and keeps that dreaded shine at bay. Its also so finely milled that it feels really lightweight, not cakey or heavy at all. 

Bronzer
MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in 'Aphrodite's Shell'

Contour
"Fawn" from the Anastasia Contour Palette

Blush
MAC 'The Perfect Cheek' Blush

This is from MAC's limited edition Marilyn Monroe collection but its up there in my top 5 blushers ever. If Velvet Teddy is the perfect 90s lip colour, this muted pink is the perfect 90s blush colour.

Highlight
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in 'Luminous Light'

I can't help using this, its my new obsession!


Eyes

Eyebrows
Anastasia Brow Whizz in 'Soft Brunette'
Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

Its very rare for me to deviate from my beloved Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil and I think I'm going to have to go back to it soon because nothing else seems to work as well for me. 

Eyeshadow Primer
MAC Paintpot in 'Layin' Low'

Eyeshadow
MAC Eyeshadows in 'Grain' and 'Embark'
Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in 'Taupe'

I have been having a bit of a MAC eyeshadow revival lately, in fact there is a lot of MAC in this makeup look in general! I used 'Grain' all over the lid with Bobbi Brown's 'Taupe' in the crease and blended lightly underneath the lower lash line. Finally I used 'Embark' on top of my eyeliner to smoke it out, the MAC 239 brush makes this a doddle!

Eyeliner
MAC Fluidline in 'Black Track'

Mascara
Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

I know two mascaras is slightly excessive but I already have so much makeup on my face, why stop at one! You will definitely be seeing both of these in my monthly favourites.

Lips 

Lipliner
MAC Lip Liner in 'Half Red'

It wouldn't be a true 90s makeup if I didn't channel my inner Pamela Anderson and use a lip liner. Half Red is a muted, reddy/brown shade which I always seem to forget I own for some reason.

Lipstick
MAC 'Velvet Teddy' Lipstick

If you are looking for a good Kylie Jenner lipstick then you really should try this!



Monday, 25 August 2014

Girls Night Out

This weekend it was one of my best friends birthdays, so to celebrate we headed down to Brighton for the day. It was a fleeting visit but we managed to squeeze in lunch at Meat Liquor and grab a box of Bens Cookies before we left! 

I have been to Meat Mission in Hoxton, which is the sister restaurant to Meat Liquor and although the menus are pretty much identical, I have to say I preferred Hoxton. The Hoxton Meat Mission is inside a converted church and the stained glass interior is awesome. If you love a good burger its definitely one to try.


After Brighton we headed back to get ready for our night out. Am I the only one that thinks the getting ready part is sometimes more fun than the actual night out itself?! Back in the day I remember visiting our friends at Uni and we would spend hours getting ready, listening to terrible music, playing Singstar and drinking far too much. We have tamed a bit with age though and the getting ready process is a much more civilised affair these days.

Last year on my blog I shared my love of snooping in other peoples makeup bags. My post on what was inside Chloe and Chefs makeup bag was one of my favourites, so I thought I would take a few sneaky shots of what makeup they wear on a night out.

Chloe

Chloe is the most experimental when it comes to her makeup and when she finishes something, she tends to always try something new. Chloe has the best edited lipstick collection, its small but there is a colour for every occasion. Next time I'm in America I want to try the Ardency Inn Boom Base, its a lip base but Chloe has been raving about it and has well and truly sold it to me!

Base
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage

Bronzer
Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer

Contour
MAC 'Sculpt' Sculpting Powder

Highlight
Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight

Eyebrows
Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil
Illamsqua Brow and Lash Gel

Eyes
MAC Prunella Eye Kohl
MAC Power Surge Eye Kohl
MAC Prussian Powerpoint Eye Pencil
Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara

Lips
Ardency Inn Boom Base Lip Balm and Base 
MAC Bad Girl RiRi Lipstick
MAC Syrup Lipstick


Chef

The birthday girl! Chefs makeup tastes are a combination of Chloe and Sops. She can be quite experimental but is quite particular. Once she finds a product she loves, it stays (like her No7 foundation which she has used for years). We are both massive fans of the Urban Decay setting sprays and Chef has recently bought their Prep Spray, which I am intrigued to try myself!

Base
Urban Decay B6 Vitamin Infused Complexion Prep Spray
No7 Intelligent Colour Foundation
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer
Rimmel Match Perfection Powder
Kat Von D Lock-It Powder Foundation
Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray

Blush
Kat Von D Everlasting Blush in Lovesong

Highlight
Edward Bess All Over Seduction in Sunlight

Eyebrows
Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil
Illasmasqua Brow and Lash Gel

Eyes
Chanel Ecriture De Chanel Automatic Liquid Eyeliner
Max Factor Black Kohl Pencil
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Covet
Dior Diorshow Mascara

Lips
MAC Cosmo Lipstick 


Sop

Out of everyone, Sop gets ready the quickest. I always panic when I'm still applying my foundation and she already has her false lashes on! Sop doesn't wear foundation, just concealer and definitely uses the least products out of all us (a natural beauty). She knows what she likes and sticks to it, she also has no patience when it comes to applying makeup but don't tell her I said that!

Base
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage
Laura Mercier Secret Concealer

Blush
NARS Desire

Highlight 
Benefit High Beam

Eyebrows
MAC Lingering Eyebrow Pencil

Eyes
Eylure False Lashes (116)

Lips
MAC Modesty Lipstick


In the mad getting ready rush I didn't actually photograph my own makeup, but I have a post that will be up tomorrow to rectify that! Here is one photo I did get of me.....in the toilets, nice.


The next day was spent indulging in our guilty pleasure, Keeping up with the Kardashians and attacking the aforementioned Bens Cookie Box!

Saturday, 23 August 2014

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstars On The Go - All About Eve

The latest release from Charlotte Tilbury's makeup line are her Filmstars On The Go palettes. These are designed to be an easy look in a palette, containing a cream eyeshadow and a lip and cheek tint. 
There are five different palettes to choose from, each named after Charlotte's favourite films.

The packaging is beautiful, the retro, rose gold sunburst casing is pure old Hollywood. I was torn between two shades, Rebel Without a Cause and All About Eve but ended up sticking to the more neutral shades in All About Eve.

The lip and cheek tint is the only multipurpose lip/cheek product I have found that actually works on both the lip and the cheeks. Normally they are too drying on the lips and too sticky on the cheeks, but this felt hydrating on my lips and just like a regular cream blush on the cheeks.
 On my cheeks the blush has really good lasting power and stays on pretty much all day. The lasting power on the lips isn't as good and I found the colour fades within a couple of hours.


The cream eyeshadow is such a beautiful golden taupe shade but I had major issues with this creasing on my eyes after just a few hours. I wore this without a primer and after about 4 hours most of the shadow had worn off, leaving some pretty ugly creasing behind. With an eyeshadow primer the wear time is slightly extended but not by a great deal. 
Its such a shame because I love everything else about the palette but for £42.00 the wear time is just unacceptable to me, especially if I compare it to the Maybelline Colour Tattoos which cost £4.99 and don't budge all day.

After a few hours of wear;


Sadly this is a skip which makes me so sad to say, as when I first applied this I really loved the look and it is so quick and easy to apply. For that reason I will continue to use this but I will just need to make sure I touch up throughout the day.

Charlotte Tilbury's Filmstar On The Go palettes are available from Selfridges for £42.00



While we are here, I thought I would do a run down of whats on the rest of my face!

Base

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Light Infusing Foundation

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque

Josie Maran Argan Creamy Concealer Crayon

MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell

Charlotte Tilbury Air-Brush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro Powder

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Luminous Light

Eyes

Soap & Glory Archery

Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

How To Tint Your Eyebrows At Home

You may be used to plucking your eyebrows at home but would you ever tint them? Tinting your brows can make a big difference, particularly if you have dark hair like me. It makes your eyebrows appear fuller and only takes a few minutes to do at home.

I like to use the permanent tint kits by Eylure. Eylure have repackaged their eyebrow tint kits and you can now buy these single application kits. However the single application kit is actually more expensive than their normal kit, which gives you up to 12 applications....Maths isn't my strong point, but that doesn't sound right to me!

Both kits are available here on Feel Unique or you can pick them up in your local Boots.

In the single application kit you get 1 mixing tray, 1 plastic stirrer, 1 spooley brush, 1 sachet of colour cream and 1 sachet of developer cream.

Step 1: Pour the Colour Cream sachet into the mixing tray

 Step 2: Add the Developer Cream to the Colour Cream


Step 3: Mix the two together with the plastic stirrer until the dye is evenly mixed.

Step 4: Apply to your eyebrows using the spooley brush provided. Before doing this make sure your eyebrows are clean with no makeup. You can also apply some vaseline to the skin around your eyebrows, this will act as a barrier and prevent the dye staining your skin.

Step 5: Leave on for 5-6 minutes to allow the colour to develop before removing with a damp cotton wool pad. Make sure to really scrub your brows back and forth to remove all the dye. You can also use the kit to tint my eyelashes like I did, but if you are going to do this make sure you do a patch test first!

Before

After


Monday, 18 August 2014

Face of the Day with Laura Mercier Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips


If you have been reading my blog for a while, you might know that I have a slight obsession with finding out the exact makeup used in film and TV programmes. Laura Mercier's Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips is one of the shades used on Christina Hendricks in Mad Men, so of course I had to try it. 

I was thinking I really should do a blog post on my favourite 'your lips but better' lipsticks. You know the ones that give you some colour but you don't have to bother looking in a mirror to apply them! My friends always laugh that I have about 20 lipsticks the same colour!

Face

Foundation
L'Oreal Lumi Magique Light Infusing Foundation
I am so happy that I can finally wear this foundation again! I bought it last Summer but its quite dark so I can only wear it when I have a bit of a tan going on. This is one of my all time favourite foundations and that's compared to foundations that are 3 times the price. It gives a light to medium coverage, so I would still use a separate concealer but the glow it gives your skin is beautiful.

Concealer
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
I have actually just finished this concealer and its not one I would buy again. I don't think it gave particularly great coverage, especially for the price.

Bronzer
MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell
This was a limited edition bronzer from MAC's summer collection. It doesn't have any glitter in it, but it has this sheen to it which just makes your skin glow. I hope MAC re-release these next Summer.

Contour and Highlight
Anastasia Contour Palette
Full review here, I just used the banana shade to powder under my eyes and down the centre of my face and used a tiny bit of Fawn to contour the cheeks slightly.

Blush
Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso
Milani blushers are my favourite, they have just the right amount of colour and glow. You don't even need to use a separate highlight when using one of these.

Eyes

Eyebrows
Soap & Glory Archery and Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel
I ha vent reverted back to my beloved Hourglass pencil.....yet!

Eyeshadow Primer
NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
My favourite eyeshadow primer, makes your eyeshadow last all day but is a nice light consistency, unlike other eyeshadow primers I've tried.

Eyeshadow
MAC Eyeshadow in Romp
I have fallen back in love with my MAC eyeshadow palettes and have been re-discovering all my old favourite shades like Romp and Woodwinked. Romp is a beautiful bronzy colour, which I like to apply all over the lid and blend out for a really effortless eye look.

Mascara
Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara
From a re-discovery to a new discovery, oh my is this mascara is good! At first I wasn't sure but after about 2 weeks something amazing happened and this gave me the most volumised lashes of my life.

Lips

Lipstick
Laura Mercier Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips
If its good enough for Joan, its good enough for me! This is a really moisturising lipstick and looks really glossy on the lips, the only downside is that it wears off pretty quickly.