Face of the Day with L'oreal L'Extraordinaire Colour Riche Liquid Lipstick in Nude Ballet

I am a self confessed makeup addict, my mind is switched to makeup mode most of the time! If I am watching a film or TV programme and I like the look of a particular characters makeup, I start trying to guess what product was used. Before I know it, I'm googling away, trying to find the makeup artist and what products they used.

I definitely have a lot of useless makeup information stored up there but in case anyone else is like me, I thought I would share my two most recent finds.

I am a massive Mad Men fan, cannot tell you how much I wish I lived back in the late 60's early 70's.

 I love the makeup in the show, especially Christina Hendricks' character Joan. I did a little research into her makeup and found that its not always a red lip she's wearing. Due to the colours in the show, when she is wearing a pink lip it appears red and one of the colours used is Baby Lips by 

Laura Mercier, so of course I had to try it. 

On a slightly more embarrassing note, when Kim Kardashian recently got married I was waiting with baited breath for that makeup breakdown. When her makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic spilled that he used an £8.99 lipstick by L'oreal, I was in Boots, quicker than you can say Kardashian!

Face

Foundation

Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation in Shade SP50

I like this foundation because its light and doesn't feel heavy on your skin but still gives a good medium coverage. Plus the high SPF is perfect for these sunny days.

Concealer/Highlighter

Max Factor Under Eye CC Stick

I recently did a review of these Max Factor CC Sticks and the yellow toned, under eye one is definitely the best of the bunch. 

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in SC3

The day I finally finish this will be a momentous day and I don't quite know what I will do without it after all these years.

Contour

MAC Sculpting Powder in 'Sculpt'

Don't worry if you missed out on this in the Maleficent collection, Sculpt is one of MAC's Pro contour powders, which you can buy online here. This has definitely made me fall back in love with contouring.

Blusher

Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar

These powders by Milani have to be one of the best beauty buys in any American drugstore. I love that they give a sheer amount of colour with a heck of a lot of glow.

Powder

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder

I do like this yellow toned powder for brightening my face, I just wish the packaging was a bit more practical. 

Eyes

Eyebrows

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette and Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

 My eyebrow weapons of choice, always.

Eyeshadow

MAC Sculpting Powder in 'Sculpt'

I wasn't feeling eyeshadow, so I just used a bit of contour powder though my socket to create a natural shadow.

Mascara

Benefit They're Real

Its taken a while but Ive fallen back in love with this mascara. The torture ball tip is just perfect for really winging out your outer lashes, giving a pretty cat eyed effect.

Lips

Lipstick

Laura Mercier Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips

Baby Lips is a pretty safe, everyday wearable pink colour. There's nothing not to like about it and if you like your nudes more on the natural side like me, then its definitely one to add to your list.

L'oreal L'Extraordinaire Colour Riche Liquid Lipstick in Nude Ballet

Being a Kim K colour, I was worried this was going to be concealer lip nude but its actually pretty wearable. For me it is a little bit pale on its own but I really like it layered over another lipstick. These are seriously glossy and pretty long lasting, I am impressed.

Contouring and Highlighting with Max Factor's CC Sticks

My friend Chloe told me about these new Max Factor CC sticks and I was on a mission all last week to find them. The sticks come in 5 different shades and I have the purple shade, which is designed to correct dullness, the yellow shade, to correct under eye circles and the highlight shade, which is designed to highlight (duh) ;)

The sticks cost £9.99 each and are currently on 3 for 2 in Boots so if you can find them, now would be a good time to stock up!

The crayon format of these sticks makes them perfect for highlighting, as you can be precise with your application. My favourite by a country mile is the yellow toned stick, for correcting under eye circles. It visibly brightened up my under eye area and made a brilliant highlighter for the rest of my face. 

The worst of the three was without a doubt, the highlight stick. I have actually taken a picture of it swatched on my hand so you can see what a fail it is. This doesn't show up on my skin at all and it just leaves behind this horrible glitter shimmer. I didn't realise until looking on the Boots website that there are actually 2 different highlight shades, a pink toned and a champagne toned. I'm assuming this one is the champagne toned one, but either way this is so bad I will not be using it again.

I would say if you wanted to try these definitely go for the under eye corrector. The others, I'm not so sure about.

I mentioned that these sticks were perfect for highlighting and I know a lot of people find highlighting and contouring pretty daunting, so I thought I would show you how I do it. 

You can make your highlight and contour as dramatic as you like by applying more or less product. As my cheekbones are non existent I verge on the lighter side, to avoid looking too much like Boy George.

First Step Highlight: I always start by highlighting my under eye area, as this makes the biggest difference. I used the yellow toned CC stick and applied it under my eyes, right down to the bottom of my nose. When applying this under your eyes you want to take it wider and draw along the top of your cheekbone but as you move further down your cheek you will gradually bring that line in, closer to your nose. 

I then highlight the centre of my forehead and draw a line down the centre of my nose. The forehead highlight might seem a little strange but it really does brighten the face. 

Once you have applied your highlight, all you need to do is blend. I just use my foundation brush to blend it all into my skin. The key is all in the blending so make sure you blend well!

If you don't have the Max Factor CC Stick, an alternative is MAC's Prep & Prime Highlighter in Light Boost. Like the Max Factor stick, this is yellow toned but has a much more creamy consistency. 

I would say Light Boost gives more a natural highlight, whereas the CC Stick is a bit more dramatic.

Second Step Contour: Now I will admit, contouring takes a bit more effort than highlighting but there are certain products you can use to make the job a lot easier. I am currently loving the NARS Ita brush as it really does the job for you. I also like to use a smaller fluffy brush like the MAC 224 for contouring my nose or around my eyes, as this gives you more precision for smaller areas.

For your contour colour, the most important thing to remember is that whatever you use, it needs to be matte. Shimmer reflects light and should be reserved for your highlight only.

I am currently using the sculpting powder from MAC's Maleficent collection in the shade but don't worry if you missed out, as MAC have a whole range of permanent sculpting powders available on their website. Ideally you want your contour shade to be quite ashy rather than warm toned, as you are trying to create natural shadows on the face.

You can even use an eyeshadow to contour with, as long as its a matte shade that's a few shades darker than your natural skin tone. I have a Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in Taupe which works fantastically well as a contour colour. 

When applying your contour you can either suck in your cheeks and follow the natural hollow, or I like to start from the top of my ear and do a short line and blend out. Just make sure you don't take your highlight to far down your cheeks and don't panic if you get carried away, just blend over the area with your foundation brush and that should take away any harsh lines.

The last step I do is powder and my favourite powder to use for this is the Ben Nye Banana Powder. Like my highlighter, this is yellow toned so gives you an added boost of brightness.

And that's it, highlight and contour done!

I don't do this on a daily basis because lets be honest, who has time for that, but when I do I like to keep the rest of my makeup fairly simple. All I added was some mascara and lipstick, oh and I also used some of my contour shade through my socket as a natural shadow to define my eyes. 

Face of the Day with MAC Mehr Lipstick

After my little MAC haul earlier in the week I promised a Face of the Day, so here we are.

Face

Foundation

L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Foundation

I am a massive fan of L'Oreal's foundations, I finished my Magic Nude Liquid Powder this week and I feel slightly bereft. Infallible 24 Hr is L'Oreal's newest addition to their foundation line and I was keen to try it. Today is the first day I have worn it, so I'm not in a position to give a full review but so far I'm not blown away. Its quite thick, especially when compared to the extremely runny Magic Nude.  It gives a medium to full coverage and while I don't think it would last 24 hours, it has stayed on all day. 

Concealer

MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter in Light Boost

You are probably bored of seeing this in all my Face of the Day posts but I just don't want to use anything else at the moment!

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer

Brilliant, heavy duty concealer for spots and redness.

Powder

Ben Nye Luxury Banana Powder

I have a bit of a powder gap in my life at the moment. I finished up the Rimmel Stay Matte, which is a very good powder but my inner snob can't deal with the cheap packaging. I tried the Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot powder but I wasn't very impressed and by the end of the day I was shining all over the place. I do love the finish of the Ben Nye powder and it keeps my oil at bay, but again the packaging isn't overly functional for everyday use. If you have any good setting powder recommendations let me know.

Bronzer

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder in 00 Makeup Artist

This will remain my go to bronzer until I use it all up!

Blush

MAC Harmony

Still loving it and still sculpting those non existent cheek bones.

Highlight

NARS Copacabana Illuminator

The weather was beautiful today so I dug out this bad boy as I was feeling very Spring like. Have to say it didn't work so well, as the L'oreal foundation is quite heavy with a matte finish. I think I might do an all out glowy Face of the Day tomorrow with this though.

Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candlelight

As Copacabana didn't work too well I was quite literally forced to apply my favourite ever highlighter on top. Of course I wasn't actually forced but how else do you justify the use of two highlighters on one face!

Eyes

Eyeshadow Primer

Benefit Stay Don't Stray

This must be the never ending eyeshadow primer, the darn thing just wont finish. Its a good primer but the packaging is crap and its overpriced so I do not recommend.

Eyeshadow

MAC Pigment in Naked

One of the items from my little MAC trip. This is such a pretty but subtle champagne colour. Works really well as an inner corner highlight because its so natural looking. I applied this all over my lid.

MAC Folie Eyeshadow

I then took Folie, which is a red based brown and applied it through my crease and underneath my lower lash line. I did also use a bit of my bronzer to act as a transition colour between the two shades. This keeps everything blended and prevents any harsh lines.

Mascara

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

I have been loving this mascara lately, it gives me lots of volume and length and it stays put all day, hoorah.

Eyebrows

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

No surprise here.

Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

I desperately need to buy a new one of these, this one is getting quite nasty!

Lips

Lipstick

MAC Lipstick in Mehr (Matte)

My favourite item from my MAC haul. This lipstick is my new obsession, a beautiful dark pink, perfect for every day and I simply love the matte finish. Surprised I haven't heard more people raving about this lipstick.

Ben Nye Luxury Banana Powder

I caved and decided I had to try Ben Nye's Banana Powder, made famous by Kim Kardashian.

This yellow toned setting powder mattifies, counteracts redness and brightens the skin. 

This is a lovely powder. Its so finely milled that its beautifully soft and isn't at all cakey or heavy looking on the skin. I love the colour and combined with a good concealer, this really does brighten your skin. 

I am very happy I tried this but there are two downsides. The first is the packaging, Ben Nye is a professional makeup brand, so the packaging is basic and not practical for using as a touch up throughout the day. The second, the whole Kim Kardashian effect has made this little beauty sell out pretty much everywhere. Your best bet is Amazon or eBay

If you can find this, I wholeheartedly recommend you snap it up!

Face of the Day with L'oreal Glam Shine Balmy Gloss in Sin for Peach

This has been one of my go to makeup looks all month long. Its quite a 'girly' makeup look for me as its quite pink but I actually love this look. There's a lot of added radiance in here as well because trust me I need it right now!

Face

Foundation

NARS Sheer Glow in Fiji

Concealer

MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter in Light Boost

My first weapon against dull and tired Winter skin! This brightens up my face but doesn't look artificial.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium

Because using a highlighter on your spots isn't the best idea!

Bronzer

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzer in 00 Makeup Artist

I like to use a bronzer in the Winter not only to add warmth to my face but to also give it dimension. 

Blush

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow and Mood Boosting Blush in Natural

I love this soft pink colour against pale skin, plus it has a tiny bit of shimmer in it which helps add to the overall glow of this makeup!

Highlighter

Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight

Now, this is where 99.9% of that natural glow is coming from. Honestly the best highlighter I have found, well worth the money.

Powder

Ben Nye Luxury Banana Powder

Like Light Boost, this is yellow toned so brightens dull, sallow skin....just what I need right now!

Eyes

Eyebrows

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

Eyeshadow Primer

Benefit Stay Don't Stray

Eyeshadow

L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush

Featured in my January favourites, which I posted yesterday. This is one of those one wash colours, where you can use it all over your lid and don't need to worry about using a separate colour in the crease.

Mascara 

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara

Very sad to say this mascara has now come to the end of its life. I probably won't repurchase it again any time soon, as I'm pretty fickle when it comes to mascara but it was good while it lasted.

Lips

Lip colour

L'oreal Glam Shine Balmy Gloss in Sin for Peach

I spied this in Boots and thought it was a very 'me' colour. I love this natural, rose shade and these Balmy Glosses feel lovely on the lips. I still will always prefer a lipstick over these new wave of lipstick crayons but the formula's have really impressed me.

Face of the Day with Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in 210 Unapologetic

I have been sitting here debating whether to put a 'u' in Colorburst, it just doesn't look right but as Revlon went to the trouble of trade marking it, Colorburst it is!

As much as I love a matte lip, I wasn't overly excited about these new Revlon balms. Sometimes I get caught up in the beauty hype, other times I get a bit tired of it all but when I was in Boots I swatched this colour on my hand and it was so beautiful I caved!

I chose the shade "Unapologetic"which is a bright pinky red colour, out of all the shades this is the only one that really stood out to me. I just love the colour and its cool to see bright, matte shades like this available on the highstreet.

The balms are matte but don't feel overly drying and have a pleasant minty scent. I would wholeheartedly recommend trying this shade.

Face

Foundation

NARS Sheer Glow in Fiji

I have been loving this foundation, full review here

Concealer

MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter in Light Boost

Perfect for brightening under the eyes and the centre of your face.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Whilst i love my MAC Highlighter, its no good for blemishes. Lasting Perfection is one of the best concealers for redness and spot cover ups!

Bronzer

Givenchy Terracotta Moisturising Bronzer in 00 Makeup Artist

Adds just the right amount of warmth to my face without being orange.

Powder

Ben Nye Luxury Loose Powder in Banana

I will have a full review of this powder on the blog this week so will save my thoughts for then!

Highlighter

Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Powder in Candelight

Simply the best natural looking highlight, I would seriously struggle to use any other highlighter now.

Eyes

Eyeshadow

Bobbi Brown Eyeshadows in Bone and Camel

I have got a lot of use out of my Bobbi Brown palette this month. For this look I used the lightest colour, Bone all over my lid and then used the darkest colour, Camel through my crease. 

Eyeliner

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black

This eyeliner is amazing for creating a really subtle flick, which is a look I have been loving lately, plus it doesn't budge!

Mascara

MAC Extended Play Lash Mascara

I didn't want loads of volume from my mascara for this look, as its all about the lips so I went for MAC's Extended Play, as its a great lengthening mascara.

Eyebrows

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

My favourite product for filling in my brows

Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

Another favourite. I love this gel as when you brush your brows up and use this it actually keeps them in place, all day.

Lips

Lip colour

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in 210 Unapologetic

So, I really did not need another lip product but I'm glad I got this #sorrynotsorry (get it?!)

Goodbye 2013

I wish I could say 2013 was the best year of my life so far....but it really wasn't. I'm really hoping 2014 will be the year (crosses fingers, toes and eyes). There was one good thing about 2013 though and that was my holiday. Chicago, Memphis, San Diego and LA, I will forever cherish those memories. 

I wonder if my feet will ever be that brown again?

As promised yesterday, here is my Face of the Day for New Years Eve. I was thinking about getting the glitter out but 2013 doesn't deserve glitter, so a dark eye it is.

Eyes

Eyebrows

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

Illamasqua Brow and Lash Gel

Eyeshadow Primer

Benefit Stay Don't Stray

Eyeshadow

Smashbox Smokebox Palette

This was a Christmas present, so I was excited to play around with it today. I used the lightest colour, Alabaster all over my lid and the sparkly warm brown, Roast in my crease and underneath my lower lash line.

Eyeliner

MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella

I have rediscovered my love for Prunella, such a cool metallic plum colour. Looks way better than black eyeliner.

Brushes

MAC 217 Blending Brush and Smashbox Crease Brush

I thought I would show you the brushes I used, as the key to a smoky eye is blending and to blend well you need good brushes. Of course I used my trusty MAC 217 but this brush from Smashbox is so big and fluffy its amazing for blending any harsh edges.

Mascara

Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara

My beautiful friend Amelia recommended this to me, so I had to try it. This is my first time using it but I love how black it is. It says the formula is enriched with kohl, which I'm guessing is what makes it such a deep black.

Face

Primer

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

I only got this about 3 hours to go, I was so excited when I saw it in Boots I grabbed the last one. I'm going to do a post tomorrow on some other new goodies I found in Boots as well, so look out for that!

Foundation

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

As I have done my makeup about 5 hours before I'm actually going out (brilliant) I needed some heavy duty foundation to make sure it lasts! Studio Fix does smell like paint but boy does it last.

Concealer

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Again, I have only had this for a matter of hours but I just have all this new makeup that I'm really excited to try! I was impressed by the coverage and although I was umming and ahhing over the shade selection, I definitely think I picked the best shade for my skin tone with 'Vanilla'.

Bronzer

Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder

Powder

Ben Nye Luxury Banana Powder

The last of the new products! The infamous yellow Kim Kardashian powder, I will experiment with this a bit more before letting you know my thoughts!

Lips

Lipliner

Jordana Tawny

My favourite lip liner and it only cost me $1.99 from Walgreens

Lipstick

Burberry Lip Cover in English Rose

That's how I roll, a $1.99 lipliner and a £22.50 lipstick. Makes you even cooler if you are using 2 different currencies!

I hope you all have a fun New Years Eve and a happy and healthy 2014!