MOTD: Autumnal Berry Lips

Hello again guys; it’s been months since I did a proper Make Up of the Day post on my blog, so I decided that it was time to do another! Somehow over the past few weeks, England has gotten extremely cold so I’m definitely feeling more autumn and winter beauty looks at the moment. Recently I’ve been a bit more minimal with my everyday make up routine, but I today I decided to go all out and do a full face. Starting primer, I used the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser (£7.99)  all over my face before beginning to apply concealer. I applied the Rimmel Wake Me Up (£6.49) in the shade ivory using a Real Techniques beauty blender around the eyes, nose and any blemishes. Overall, it covers all blemishes and dark circles well, but it is definitely too dark and yellow toned for me, as I’m more pink toned and pale so I wish they would make a porcelain shade too. 

I prefer to do my brows next, using the L’Oréal Paris Brow Artist Xpert (£7.99) in the shade Cool Blond. It is one of the products in my make up bag that I literally use every time I apply make up; it gives a very natural effect to filling the sparse parts of my brows (oops to the occasional overpluck by mistake) and matches my natural eyebrow shade perfectly. I then use the spooly end to brush out the excess product and frame the brows with concealer. My holy grail brow product is the Benefit Ready, Set, Brow! Which for £20 is definitely one of the more expensive items in my make up bag, but I love that the clear gel glides over my brow and sets them in place all day without the need for reapplication. I like my brows to be natural but tame and this really helps me to achieve that look.

I didn’t want to use foundation as I wanted something lighter on my skin; the Bourjois Paris 123 Perfect CC Cream (£9.99) is a great alternative to foundation as it does cover all skin sins whilst allowing your skin to breathe. Sadly, it is a little too dark for me at the moment (the autumn and winter months literally drain all of the colour from my face haha) but I use the shade ivory and as it is pink toned, it does work into my natural skin tone well once it’s blended out a bit using a beauty blender. For Contour, I used the bronze shade from the trusty Rimmel Kate Moss Sculpting Palette #002 (£6.99) and a Real Techniques brush across my cheekbones and across the temples of my forehead. It’s more of a bronzer, but as my skin is so pale, that does work better for me anyway, before applying the blush from the same palette with a different Real Techniques brush across the apples of my cheeks to add a natural flush. 

For my eyes, I wanted to create a glowy, sparkly bronze look that swept across the whole of my eyelid. I’m definitely getting in the mood for festive make up and recently I’ve been loving the Sleek Make Up iDivine Eyeshadow Palette - All Night Long. For £8.99 you definitely get your money’s worth as it contains twelve different shadows and the packaging includes a large mirror which is great for travelling. There’s a mix of vibrant shimmers and neutral matte shades which are excellent to use as a base. I started off by using a Real Techniques brush and a neutral light brown all across my eyelid as a good base for the shimmer shadows that I planned to use. I then applied a coppery bronze shade across the outer corners of my eyes before adding a gold shimmer across my inner corners. Once that was done I then blended out any harsh edges using a clean brush and added some of the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter across my browbones, cheekbones and cupid’s bow in the shade Pink Shimmer. The highlight is so pretty and stands out nicely against the rest of the skin but I could’ve built the highlight up a little more to make it blinding; that’s something I’ll definitely do come Christmas time. It’s also super affordable at £3, it’s such good value for money and lasts for a long time too.

I decided against applying eyeliner as I’m not the best at it; I hate it when I have a perfect base then mess it all up when mismatched eyeliner so it wasn’t an eyeliner day. In fact, the eyeshadow was fairly bold and shimmery so eyeliner wasn’t really necessary anyway. However, one thing that I love is volumised, bold, spidery lashes and to create that without using false eyelashes I use two mascaras. I start off by using the Maybelline Volum’ Rocket Express from the roots of my lashes to the tips and it really volumises and lengthens the lashes well. It’s my favourite drugstore mascara and really worth the £7.99 that it costs. To complete my eyes, I used the L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll mascara to make my lashes more thick and curly; it’s actually the same price point, £7.99 and is equally amazing, although I find it works best on top of another mascara, rather than on its own (excessive, I know ahaha) overall, I love the effect that these mascaras give my lashes without the need to apply false lashes, which is amazing. It’s much easier to use your natural lashes and mascara.

Lastly, I applied the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Plum This Show all over my lips; it does take two or three coats to become full opaque, but that’s not a massive surprise for such a dark lip. Priced at £5.99 it’s great value as it is affordable and the formula of the lipstick is actually really nice, it’s not drying on the lips which is a nice touch. I wanted a berry lip as I feel like the darker toned lip suits the change in the weather; I always associate darker lip colours with winter and the festive season. I’m really happy with how this look turned out and I’ll definitely be recreating it for nights out with friends over the coming months. Let me know in the comments if there’s any make up looks that you’re loving for autumn and winter as I’d love to hear; until next time :)

MOTD - 90s Gal

Hello again! This month I'm trying to be a little more organised with my blog posts; as in I'm attempting to keep more in line with a blog topic, such as beauty or fashion. If you've been reading my posts for a while then you'll know how much of a beauty love I am. At the minute I'm really loving the 90s make up trend of brown lipstick; actually brown lips are having a massive retro revival right now, which is kind of a joke as I remember reading teenage magazines aged around 14 that were literally slating all of the main 90s trend, including the brown lipstick. I bought the NYX Liquid Suede in the shade Sandstorm and I've been in love with it ever since. It's got the largest applicator I've seen on a liquid lipstick so I do find it a challenge to apply neatly. If I'm honest, I almost always over line my lips with this lipstick by mistake. The downside to having brown lips does mean that my contour does end up making my complexion look hugely muddy, although that's also because I'm super pale. This look is definitely more of a night out look than a day to day look. Using the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser Primer as a way of setting my make up flawlessly, followed by the L'Oréal Paris Infallible 24hr Foundation in the shade Porcelain before the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer placed under my eyes, across my nose and on any other blemishes and spots. The final part of the base is powder, which I always use the Maybelline Matte Maker in the shade classic ivory. The next step is to contour my face using the Rimmel Kate Moss Sculpting Palette in the shade #002. Due to my pale complexion I only add the bronze shade to my cheekbones and my hairline as I don't like to look like I've been hit by a brick, haha. I also use the blush shade from the same palette and lightly dab it across the apples of my cheeks.

 

 

I decided that as this look is more of a going out look, so natural brows were not an option. I used the Sleek MakeUp Brow Kit in the shade Light; firstly using the powder to fill in any gaps in the hairs and the gel to set my brows in place. I did thicken my brows slightly, so that they would stand out and frame my face. For my eyeshadow I used the w7 In The Night palette, using a lilac matte shade all over my lid and a shimmery purple across the centre of my lid. They're not the most pigmented shades in the world, but they add colour without making me look like I've been punched in the face! In terms of eyeliner, I swear by the L'Oréal Paris SuperLiner Slim in the shade Intense Black as it has a pen shaped nib that glides across the lid and it dries very quickly. It's the only liner that I'm able to create a neat looking cat eye shape with. My favourite mascara of the moment is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express in the shade Very Black; it lengthens, separates and literally curls my eyelashes so well I feel like I've got falsies on and the blackness matches the eyeliner well, making my eyes pop. My holy grail highlighter at the minute is the MakeUp Revolution Vivid Baked Highlights in the shade Ever Glow Lights; it's a really bright, glowy highlight that's super buildable to blinding if you want to be. For £3, it's an absolute steal. I apply it over my cheekbones, across my brow bone, along the centre and tip of my nose and lastly across my Cupid's bow. Lastly, I apply the NYX Liquid Suede all over my lips in the shade Sandstorm. I've found it can dry a little patchy with one coat, so I usually apply two coats to ensure that it's completely opaque. I hope you like this look, I liked it but it was definitely a lot bolder than I usually would put on my face! Forgive the badly lit photos, I really need to invest in a proper camera. Until next time! ❤️

 

MOTD - Natural and Glowy

 

This make up look is one that I wore to spend the weekend with boyfriend; as I get older I'm slowly starting to be ok with how I look sans make up, but if I'm going out I do prefer to wear make up as I will admit that it boosts my confidence a little. At the minute I'm loving glowy skin with nude lips and a strong brow. Considering I wear make up roughly once a week, I own so many different make up products it's a joke! Starting with my base, firstly I prime my skin using the Baby Skin Pore Eraser by Maybelline to create smooth, silky skin that will let make up stay on all day. I also use the Hide The Blemish by Rimmel concealer crayon in the shade ivory to cover under my eyes only. Next, I use the Lasting Finish Foundation by Rimmel in the shade ivory and literally cover all of my face with it; this foundation has fantastic coverage but it's slightly too dark for me before powder. That said, it feels smooth and light on the skin even with it being full coverage. I then use a second concealer, the Eraser Eye Age Rewind by Maybelline in the shade Light and spread in the triangular shapes under my eyes as well blend into the blemishes around my nose and my eyelids. The final step in creating my base is to use the Matte Maker Mattifying Powder in the shade ivory which is the perfect shade for my pale skin. I bake the concealer in before brushing all over my skin to create a flawless finish.

At the moment I've been practising how to contour; to do this I've been using the Kate Moss Sculpting Palette by a Rimmel in the shade #002 Peach Glow. I start by using the bronzer, brushing it into my cheek bones before using the blush from the palette, lightly dusting it into the apples of my cheeks. From there, I use the Makeup Brow Kit by Sleek in the shade light and shape my brows using the powder from the palette and setting my brows using the wax. I then like to colour my eyelids with eyeshadow using the Rose 2 Colour Riche Eyeshadow Palette by L'Oreal. For this look used three different shades; a matte pink all over the lid and in my crease, a shimmery rose shade in my inner corners and start of my eyes before finishing with a shimmery purple across the outer corners of my eyes. This shimmery eye look is one that I would save for special occasions, but I have to be honest and say I wish I hadn't used the purple as it didn't blend particularly well.

With practice, I'm slowly learning how to use highlighter in a more natural way, rather than simply layering and caking it on. I used the Vivd Baked Highlighter by MakeUp Revolution in the shade Ever Glow Lights and gently brushed it across the top of my blush, on my brow bone and across my Cupid's bow. (Putting highlighter on my nose doesn't look nice so I leave it to the cheekbones). After applying highlighter across my face I then use The Volum' Rocket Express by Maybelline mascara on my top and bottom lashes in the shade Very Black; I like to have very curled, separated lashes and the dark shades makes my eyes look wide without the need of eyeliner. Lastly, I used the Soft Matte Lip Cream by NYX in the shade London on my lips; I'm in absolute love with this lipstick, the shade is nude but classic which fits this overall look. When I wear make up I'm starting to really like the less is more approach but at the same time, I do love make up. What looks are you guys loving? Let me know in the comments! :)

 

MOTD: Smoky Eyes feat. Nude Lips

Hello again, sorry for the delay in posting this as this was actually a post that I meant to upload during my holiday in Poland but somehow it never really happened, oops. I actually have been wearing less make up recently, but when I really want to make an effort and look nice I do wear quite a bit. During the time spent in Poland with Piotr and his family, I wanted to look and feel nice so make up definitely made my skin look a lot nicer. I don't suffer with very spotty skin but it's not a flat colours, there's a lot of dry red patches which I like to colour correct whenever I want to look and feel flawless. None of the images below have been edited, so to show the power of the make up worn. To start I use the Maybelline Baby Skin Primer to prep the skin for the make up. Priced at £7.99, it's not only good value it makes my skin look poreless and smooth. After, I use the Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in the shade ivory, which priced at £2.99 is very cheap but it's concealing power is fairly basic. I use this concealer as a base on top of the primer around my eyes and nose to set on top of the primer and preps for the bb cream I put on next.

My preferred base is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC cream in the shade ivory which I love. It feels super light coverage wise, and does an excellent job of covering my uneven skin tone. I literally pour some into my palms and rub it on top of my skin with clean hands. The next step I take is using the Maybelline Age Rewind Eye Concealer in shade light (which is £7.99) I press the concealer into each of my under eye bags in a triangle shape and press into my nose and brow bone, as well as any spots. I use the Real Techniques concealer brush to blend it into my skin before using a RT expert face brush to set my full base with the Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Power in shade ivory all over my skin. It's my favourite powder and reasonably priced at £3.99 too. The next step I take is to contour my face using the Kate Moss for Rimmel Sculpting Palette in shade #002. (Priced at £6.99) I start by using the bronzing powder using a RT setting brush to place some colour under my cheekbones, along my jawline and across my forehead. I use a small brush as where I'm so pale I try not to over contour my face. Next, I use the blush from the same palette and another RT setting brush to gently brush it along the apples of my cheeks. Then, I blend in using an RT powder brush so that it looks more natural on the skin. The next step I take is to use the Sleek MakeUp Brow Kit in the shade light, using the powder to fill in my brows (with one of the brushes provided in the kit, which is £8.49) which are naturally quite thick and dark. 

 

 

 

 

I then use the L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche La Palette Rose 2 to blend a natural pink matte shade into my crease before a shimmery pink toned eyeshadow over my lids as my skin is pink toned, so the pink complement the look well. The palette is £14.99 for 10 different shades, so extremely good value for money as they're super pigmented. Next, I use an MUA highlighter in the shade iridescent gold swept on my brow bone and on the tops of my cheeks, my Cupid's bow and along the bridge of my nose, using a RT setting brush. For £3, it's highlight is super blinding and packs in a lot of glitter onto my face. I do blend it in using a RT powder brush to make the glow look far more natural. I then go back in with the Sleek Brow Kit to fix my brows with the wax using a brush provided in the kit. This means the brows won't move and will look flawless throughout the day. I then use the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade London (priced at £5.50) and put it onto my lips. It's such a gorgeous nude shade and makes the whole base of my face look much more natural and I adore this lip product so much, it glides on my lips.

Finally, I wanted to create a smoky eye but as I'm so pale, it made more sense to create a smoky eye using eyeliner. My preferred eyeliner is the L'Oreal Paris Super Slim Eyeliner in intense black and it's so easy to use, it's pen style nib flows along the lid and creates a lovely line. (It's the best I've used and only £6.99) It's blackness makes up for the light eyeshadow that creates a nice contrast to the nude lips. I used a black eyeliner pencil by MUA to fill in my waterline and pushed it a little underneath to add an extra smokiness for the bargain price of £1! Finally, I used the Maybelline Rocket Volum' Express mascara in very black which was £7.99 and it is an amazing mascara, it lengthens, separates and volumises my lashes so much and it really finished the whole look off nicely. This was my go to make up look throughout the holiday and I felt so feminine but fierce.