June 2013 Favourites

You know the drill, let’s get cracking!

 

Clockwise from top left:

Illamasqua Loose Pigment in Beguile

It’s basically just really sparkly, looks good over any colour and is super fine. How could I not love it?

Illamasqua Hydraveil

My undereyes are loving it. LOVING. Erryone’s been talking about this, you can read my full review here.

Illamasqua Concealer in CC105.

Last Illamasqua product this month, I promise! It’s a white concealer. I know. But it’s awesome a strong highlight, or as a white eyeshadow base. Love it.

L.A Colours Endless Semi-Permanent Auto Lipliner in Berries

Man, I love this thing. Actually, I love all of these lipliners and for £1.99 each I’m not sure why I don’t have more. The “all day wear” claims are of course bull, but these do last particularly well without being too drying. This berry-red shade is just too pretty.

EcoTools Tapered Blush Brush

At least, I *think* it’s that and not the large powder brush, based on the price I paid for it in Asda, which was about £5. Either way, I’ve been using this for a light sweep of bronzer and I’m in love with it. I had to buy this before a holiday having left everything else at home and I’m kind of glad I did, because it is so beautifully soft!

Darling Girl Kiss You Off Colour Rich Lip Balm in Sanctuary

Yep, it’s another berry colour! Could I be any less summery? I always love the formula on these and Sanctuary is one of my favourite colours DG has done for lips. Lip colours seem to be off the website at the moment so I’m not sure if this shade is still available or not.

Wet n Wild coloricon Nail Colour in Back Alley Deals

My friend Priscilla picked this up for me and it’s so pretty! From Wet N Wild’s Ice Baby collection last year, it’s fine purple glitter with larger magenta glitters. With no top coat it almost has that liquid sand look, with topcoat it’s unbelievably blingy. Also loving Believe Me, It’s Real from the same collection.

Sleek Blusher in Fenberry

A tiny touch of this blush gives even light skin a rosy, flushed “I’m such a pretty English Rose y’all!” kind of look. With a golden highlighter it’s drool worthy. Again, it’s a berry, again, it’s not a “summery” colour and yes, I know it’s been through the mill as a result of crappy depotting technique but damn I love it!

 

L-R: Beguile. CC 105, Berries, Sanctuary, Fenberry.

What have you been loving this month?

I put things on my face, and photographed them poorly.

A bunch of random, quick, left-on-my-memory-card looks that are just knocking around. Don’t say I don’t treat you.

Eyes: Maybelline Mossy Green Color Tattoo, Wet N Wild Comfort Zone Palette
Cheeks: The good Lord only knows.
Lips: MAC Viva Glam V

So my hair looks good, my eyes look… all wonky and shit. I still love the Comfort Zone palette, and I still can’t get over how cheap it is for how amazing it is! Bargain town.

 

Eyes: All MUA Undressed Too palette, except the Liner which is Sugarpill Midori.
Cheeks: Not sure, probably Illamasqua Lover
Lips: NYX Pumpkin liner, MAC Korean Candy

Good face angle there, Robyn. Nice work! We had a hot day a few weeks ago, so I wanted something summery. I’ll be cracking this combo out again.

Eyes: All MUA Undress Me Too except inner corner which is Darling Girl Prometheus. Liner is by FAshionista.
Cheeks: Accessorize
Lips: MAC Magenta, Fyrinnae Fan Service

You’re going to see a lot of MAC Magenta because I’m in love with it! I actually wore this look on my birthday because I needed a little sparkle but I had to be super quick in the morning.

Eyes: MUA Undress Me Too Palette, except for the liner which is Darling Girl Obviously a Wig.
Lips: MAC Magenta, MAC Girl Next Door

No full face shots because they’re all horrendous, but I still wanted to share my lip combo again – it’s MAC Magenta again, with a sheer pink from the Archie’s Girls collection over the top. I’ve resolved to start wearing coloured liner more often so I actually use all my 10,000 pigments.

 

So there you go guys, nothing exciting but I’ve been such a lazy blogger recently! I’ll have some proper posts for you soon, I promise!

New Lipsticks: Drugstore Brights!

I’ve picked up a few beautiful bright lipsticks recently, and what with the bloody awful weather at the moment and the fact I barely have time for makeup in the morning, I really genuinely feel I needed all of these in my life!

Max Factor Giant Lip Pencil in Vibrant Pink: I haven’t bought a Max Factor product in many a year, but Boots are having one of thier 3-for-2 deals on at the moment and this caught my eye. Having not jumped on any of the pencil bandwagons over the last year or so I can’t say what this is comparable to formula-wise but it manages to be bright as balls and still feel very light and balmy on the lips. Sadly the rest of the range is less exciting in terms of brights, but this one is a winner even though it does stain like a bitch!

Maybelline Colour Sensation Vivid Lipstick in Electric Orange: A present from Wendy who knows my tastes very well! It looks much more yellow based in the tube which worried me initially as strongly yellow based oranges look just awful on me, but it actually wears beautifully and suits me rather nicely. I’ve heard mixed things from other bloggers on the range, but based on this shade alone it gets a thumbs up! Again, the formula is balmy and pigmented which is rather nice.

Rimmel Apocalips in Siren: I’ve been TRYING to purchase the red shade of this for weeks, but everywhere I got it’s sold out, so I picked up Siren, which is more of a pinky-red instead. I think the shade is absolutely gorgeous and the finish is beautiful but there is something about this that makes me not want to scream and shout from the rooftops about it – possibly that every time I’ve worn it it’s ended up all over my face and teeth.

Wet N Wild Centre Stage Collection lipstick in Fuschianista: Another gift from Wendy, only available stateside, this is from Wet n Wild collaboration with Fergie, which to be honest I find a bit of an odd one! I was delighted with this shade as it’s very similar to one from NYC which I loved back in the day. While that shade was a measly £2 it absolutely awful smelling and the lid would not stay on – no colour or saving on price is worth a stained handbag! I’m happy to report this doesn’t smell rank and the lid stays on, thank you and please.

L-R: Max Factor Vivid Pink, Maybelline Electric Orange, Rimmel Siren, Wet n Wild Fuschanista

 

Bought anything bright lately?

Pop of Aqua LOTD

I did a really cute smokey blue look with brighter blue liner with my friend last week and being the lazy bint that I am, I wanted to recreate it this weekend.

Eyes: Lid: Inglot Pearl 402. Crease, Inglot Matte 337  Highlight. Inglot Matte 330 and MAC Gesso. Blue liner, dark blue ‘crease’ colours from Wet N Wild 'Blue Had Me At Hello’ palette over Urban Decay pencil in Perversion. Aqua liner, GOSH Fine Art Liner in 11.
Cheeks: MAC Cream Blush in So Sweet, So Easy
Lips: MAC Viva Glam Gaga, MAC Lip Conditioner

I so rarely wear light pink cheeks or lips, but I really like it with the smokier eye.  I actually really like this blush too – before I wished that it were more pigmented, but I actually love the finish and I’m using this type of colour more and more now that I’m contouring with foundation most days. Same kinda deal with the lipstick – I always found VG Gaga very hard to wear personally, but once it’s sheered down I actually really like it, and now I’m wishing I had bought a back up. I can’t believe it was actually my first MAC lipstick!

I thought the pop of blue was really fun, and I was going to wear false lashes but actually, in real life my lashes showed up perfectly fine against the blue liner, so I left it without. Sadly I forgot how much of a pain in the arse the GOSH art liners are to apply - Very pretty, but a total pain in the arse!

Step by Step: Wet N Wild “Shimmer The Night Away” Look

Christmas and New Years are long gone, my annual ski trip has just ended and the rest of January is looking miserably dull and grey, grey, grey. So I have a cute, shimmery tutorial for you, hurrah! All shadows are from the super cute “Shimmer The Night Away” 8 pan palette from Wet N’ Wild (thanks Wendy!) Here’s the look we’re going for:

 

 

1: Apply your primer. Brush the white ‘browbone’ colour all over your lid and inner corner, and then work the silver “eyelid” shade in your crease with a fluffy brush, starting from the outside in, taking care not to go below the crease.

2: Using a small brush, take the silver along your lower waterline, making it a little thicker on the outside corner. Then take the pinky-purple “eyelid” shade on one side of a small, c-shaped brush and sweep it about a third of the way across the outside of your lid.

4: Add more of the pink-purple to build up the intensity, and when that’s done, take the black “definer” shade on the left hand side and define your crease line and lower lashline.

5: Take a blue pencil eyeliner and line your upper lashline, then go over it with the blue “definer” shade.

5: Make a wing with black eyeliner as usual, and link it up to the blue liner. Add liner on the waterline, if you like, and blend out any harsh edges with your face powder or a matte skin tone shade. Then do your brows and mascara/lashes, et voila! You're done….

The lips are MAC Pink Nouveau (thanks Rachael!) with my old favourite, GOSH Light N Shine no 5 gloss. I fancied something really girly to go with the eyes.

 

I love wearing makeup that my blogger friends have sent to me, it make me think of them whenever I look in the mirror!

Are you brightening up January by wearing bright or funky makeup?

Wet N Wild Sparkle ‘Til Morning Coloricon Eyeshadow Palette: Swatches and Looks

Recently I got a banging parcel from Wendy full of lovely US goodies including two Wet N Wild 8 pan palettes!

Sparkle ‘Til Morning is a slightly oddly named affair, being a mostly neutral palette. It’s not a palette that immediately conjures up images of dancing the night away as the name would suggest. It’s not the first time I’ve been bemused by WnW’s choice of names, but that’s not really the important part anyway! I didn’t take a picture of the palette because I are impatients, so let’s jump right in with the swatches!


Right-hand side, on bare skin above and MUA primer below. (Highlight, lid, crease, definer.)


Left-hand side, on bare skin above and MUA primer below. (Highlight, lid, crease, definer.)

A pretty nice mix, huh? This is a pretty warm palette, which I really like with my eye colour. The pinky highlight and the blue definer shade really make this palette stand out from the millions of neutral palettes that have popped up this year. All are satin/sparkly, which is good as they’re all so pretty, but a matte brown or taupe would have been really fabulous, although the darker definer shade can be buffed out so there is very little sparkle.

I’ve been reaching for this all week and it’s great for both a more polished look or if you’re in a panicked, sweaty rush in the morning (and let’s be honest, it’s normally the latter.) When I don’t know what to do with my makeup I always revert to a neutral eye with thick winged liner and have done since my teens, so I’m always happy when I find a palette that will fit in nicely with that.

Nothing special perhaps, but sometimes that’s just what you need!

A pop of blue with your neutral eye? Be still, my beating heart. Another favourite look of mine, the blue in the palette really make it a winner.

Not the best looks I’ve done of late with these two, but there you are!

I couldn’t choose between this and Comfort Zone as my favourite Wet N Wild palette, but if you’re in the States and you’ve not picked this up, you’re mad. It’s certainly going to be a workhorse!

 

This will probably be my last post until after Christmas, so MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you all for sticking with me through 2012 :)

Lip Maths: Wild Galactic

Wet N Wild Megalast Lipstick in 918d Cherry Bomb + Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss Galactic =

Boom!

 

Loving this combination – Ilamasqua Galactic is crazy stuff! This is the first time I’ve played with it, but expect to see it more in it’s full silvery glory very soon!

Labyrinth Mini Series Part 1: Sarah

Ohhhhh yes, kids! I’m going to do a little Labyrinth mini-series for you! Labyrinth is my favourite film and if you’re an even-slighty-geeky girl around my age, I bet it’s one of yours as well.

 

I’m going to kick it off with a really simple, pretty look inspired by Sarah, and then hopefully they’ll get a bit more exciting!

Eyes: Hi Fi Cosmetics Mornings of Gold, Sleek Eau La La Liner in Cocoa, dark brown from Sleek Storm Palette, MAC Gesso, Darling Girl Vicar in a Tutu,
Cheeks: Almay blush in 130 Peach, NYX Mosaic Highlighter, ELF Studio Radiance Enhancer
Lips: Wet and Wild MegaLast Lipstick in 909D, MAC Viva Glam Ricky lip balm.

Really really simple look for Sarah as she doesn’t wear much makeup, even in the ballroom scene. I didn’t think doing something fussy would work for her. I went much thicker on my brows that I normally would, a la Jennifer Connelly, and kept the eyes really subtle and shimmer. The lid is more of a white-gold, more like her waistcoat she wears throughout the film and then the inner corner has more of a green shift, more like her ballgown dress. I could have used things with less of a pink shift to them, but Mornings of Gold is from Hi-Fi’s old Labyrinth collection so pretty appropriate!

I went for coral lips, like the lipstick she uses to draw her marks when she’s in the Labyrinth and a coral flush to match even though Jennifer is pretty pale. (Would you not be blushing around David Bowies “bump”? You totes would.)

Stay tuned for some funkier Labyrinth looks, folks!

Super Quick Long-Lasting Face!

Got ten minutes to get out of the door but still need to look fresh and wide awake and like you’ve washed and all the rest of these things that other humans expect of us? Here’s my 10 (ish) minute, long-lasting face!

 

Eyes: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Permanent Taupe, MAC Paint Pot in Blackground. Gold highlight from e.l.f Day2Night, Active Lashes falsies.
Face: MAC Prep and Prime Moisture Infusion, Revlon Colorstay, Illamasqua Lover
Cheeks

For my eyes, I used paint pot-type products as they’re really quick to use – I used the Maybelline colour just with my fingers and then the MAC one with a small brush. I always go netural on the eyes if I have less time as I feel much less likely to fuck it up!   I’m fairly quick at putting falsies on and these ones have a really thin lash band so I find them pretty easy - filling in my brows actually took the most time out of the whole look! If I had to get up super early everyday I’d get them dyed for sure.
If you have time, a gold highlight is always lovely and if I were really strapped I’d do this instead of lashes

Normally, I have to wait ages for my face cream to sink in as I’ve switched to using richer ones in the daytime to keep the flakies away. It works well, but when I have less time I just slap on a wee bit of MAC Prep and Prime Moisture Infusion as it’s a cross between a serum and a primer, so it gives me some moisture but dried right away. I applied that and then used Revlon Colorstay with my fingers, just where I need it.

I used just one colour on my cheeks – I’d normally highlight - and a coordinating, long-wearing bright lippy for impact. And I was done!

 

This is still quite a lot of makeup, of course, and I could certainly do a quicker face (no falsies!). But normally I’d apply colour to my crease, use several colours and bases on my eyes, do winged liner, apply an inner corner, Cupid’s bow and cheek highlight, wait for my face cream to sink in, blah blah blah.

 

What do you do when you need to look presentable quickly?


NB: Though this really did take me around 10-15 mins, this post is mostly bollocks as we all know when we’re in a rush, we do our makeup on the bus and end up poking ourselves in the eye with a mascara wand. Fact.

Weekend Face

I had a busy weekend just gone, with shoots with tons of fabulous alternative models on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I managed to do some half-decent face each day myself, so here they are:

Eyes: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to The Bronze. Shadows from Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette. Maybelline Eye Studio gel liner. Sleek Eau La La Liner in Bullion. Paris Hilton eyelashes (yeah, yeah.)
Cheeks: Boots No 7 Vital Radiance highlighter, MAC Modern Mandarin
Lips: MAC Rebel

Maybe this look is a bit mish-mash with the eyes-lips-cheeks, but I don’t care. I had a day off, I was wearing ALL the makeup. The lashes are awesome – the “hairs” cross over each other to make big spiky lashes. Get thee to Savers as all the Paris Hilton branded lashes have 2 sets in the box for £2.99 – bargain!

Eyes: Pink lid colour and highlight from Wet n Wild Lust palette,
Cheeks: Sleek Pan Tao, BeautyUk Peaches and Cream.
Lips: Wet n Wild Mega Shield in Salsa Lessons

Super quick face as I was up at 6.00 which is stupid for me on a Saturday – hence why the eye shot is blurry and you’re getting a good look at my curtains! I was  I was off to a pin-up shoot so I wanted to look..well, pin-up. Liner, red lips, done!

Eyes: Shadows from Wet n Wild Lust Palette. Sleek Eau La La Liner in Raisin, MUA Liner in Pink Sparkle. Salon Perfect lashes in 105.
Cheeks: Sleek Pan Tao, BeautyUk Peaches and Cream.
Lips: Kiko Supergloss in 107.

I hate it when I take my photos right away and the glue is still tacky and you can see it. Ah well. I LOVE this style of lash – wispy, but still long and full with a thin lash band. Wendy sent them to me, so thanks psychic Wendy!

What have you all been wearing recently?