My Daily Make Up Routine!

So, this is my make up routine for a typical weekday when I'm working or popping in to town. . .

1/  Every single morning, there is the prising opening of the eyes because let's face it, it will probably help if I can see what I'm doing and I need all the help I can get. A quick shower and an even quicker wipe across the face (with the L'Oreal Paris 3 in 1 Purifying Miscellar Solution) is employed most days for this first mission. I know miscellar solutions are reportedly overused and should not be used in place of a 'proper' morning cleansing routine but hey, it seems to work quite well for me. This step usually finishes with a frown in the mirror as my eyes have very reluctantly opened, only to find my reflection. Damn, I don't particularly care for what I see!

2/ At night, I tend to lather my face in potions and moisturisers but in the morning (I have to be out of the house by 6.40am at the latest), a dollop of the Hydreane Riche moisturiser from La Roche Posay (My absolute favourite moisturiser ever. Totally recommend, I always come back to this stuff. Remember this rave?!)  mixed in to Extra Comfort foundation from Clarins suffices.
I can't really feel this foundation as I rub it in to my face (Yep, I do the finger thing. I can get in to all my little contours etc that way plus is it just me or does it take at least three times longer to apply foundation with a brush?!). It feels and looks quite a lightweight foundation (though many claim it to be of medium coverage) and blends in easily giving my face a nice polish and a flattering glow. I frown as I move a little closer to the mirror though, I can still see a little redness in my cheeks and jeez, those eye bags. Did I honestly just wake up from a good night of sleep?!!

3/ Scramble around in my nice new flowery make up bag from Boots to find my Clarins Instant Light Brush On Perfector concealer thingymajig. I was on a mission last week to become more organised and this bag was to be my new home for my day to day make up. . ! So after 5 minutes of frantic scrambling, I find said concealer lying ever so innocently (ha!) on the floor behind me. Now to twist the pen and tapping concealer with fingers in a large triangle under my eyes. Wow, sigh of relief. A miracle has again taken place, I almost look awake. A quick shake of the pen to determine how much concealer is left but I can't tell. I dread the day that I do the twist and nothing comes out. I really really like this concealer for under the eyes but wish I could see inside the pen and find out when I needed to find the serious cash to stock up.

4/ Using my Sigma angled brush, I apply a little Mystery (MAC) to my brows and raise an eyebrow or two as I fill the gaps in. All the while muttering as to if the threader got a little carried away recently. Argh, I walked out of there feeling so 'fine' too.

5/ A quick swipe of something close to hand (often Seventeen, Phwoarr paint) to prime the eyelids. Then with my Sigma flat shadow brush, I tap my current favourite eyeshadow on to colour block my eyelid. More often then not, this task falls to the Naked eyeshadow from Urban Decay. All That Glitters, Modellette, Buck, Tempting and Satin Taupe have all performed this role at some time but Naked for me, is the ultimate colour blocker. Face on, it gives the wearer a subtle but flattering draw to the eye but when I look down, it makes my eyelids look that much more and really softens my look. A quick swirl or two with the Sigma blending brush to blend out.

Note: After using Sigma for five years, I have recently experimented with the Real Technique  eye brushes but I need further practise and practise needs time so I tend to stick to the Sigma in the mornings as the clock ticks ever closer to 6.40am. Occasionally a little contour to the outer corner or darkness along the eye line is needed but very rare I bother making the extra effort  especially as we get closer to the end of the week. This is where the semi-permanent eyeliner from last year pays off, I can move straight to mascara.

6/ More often then not, I stick with just a few slicks of mascara now my eye line is already so dark. Instant curse as I pull away from the mirror and look at the final result. Cor, I so need the Prestige blackest lashes or some Max Factor, back in my life. This L'Oreal Voluminous isn't half messy and, unlike L'Oreal Million, here smudge galore is served with very little (and quite disappointing) extra oopmh, length or volume. Sigh as I resign myself to the fact that I will need to buy a new mascara this weekend, if I want to go out in to town etc without fussing (unsuccessfully) with falsies.

7/ Oh, the clock says 6.35am already. Deep breath before I grit my teeth and (fake) smile anyway as straighteners are switched on (ready for the hair prep which needs to swiftly follow) before a final swipe just above my cheekbones with NARS, Deep Throat blush.

8/ A little Lush lip scrub applied before picking up straighteners. Mmm, extra dip in to the pot, just a little taste. After all, I'm not sure there will be much time for breakfast this morning. As I lick my lips, I make a mental note to add Rimmel Stay Matte Powder to my shopping list. I keep meaning to buy it with my points, it definitely helps my make up pull through a double shift. Ooh and as Harmony from MAC catches my eye, it passes through my mind that maybe I should try again tomorrow to set my alarm five minutes earlier for some contouring action. When I do bother to use Harmony, it rewards me.

........FAST FAST FAST FAST FORWARD AND THE OCCASIONAL TRIP OVER MY OWN FEET OR ABANDONED TOP ON THE FLOOR AS I RACE AROUND THE FLAT AND COMPLETE THE REMAINING STAGES OF MY DAILY PREP (HAIR, TEETH ETC)...........

9/ Before finding myself in the car, scrambling around my Miu Miu Bow for a lip product. Shoot, I thought I had promised myself I would keep them in the inner zip pocket but no, only an electric key there. Oh and is that a perfume bottle, a quick overly generous spritz of that before lip product search resumes. Finally, I find a Sleek Pout Polish in Peach Perfection but a bit fed up of that and then, oh, there is the Benefit gloss but that feels almost too much for work. Another scramble until I find MAC Underage (a bit drying) and Lanolips or even better, a Maybelline Baby Lips. The Peach Kiss is my favourite. Remind myself to check lips later, my favourite daily lip products never last. Well all, except the totally fabulous Lanolips.

10/ Another smile crosses my face. A genuine one this time as the first of my daily major tasks has been completed. Yep, my make up is in place!!!! Well, sort of, except that bloody  L'Oreal Voluminous mascara which smudges again as I put my driving glasses on. Oh well, 6.50am, must wipe smudges away at the other end. Start ignition, lights on and off I go or well, that was my plan but darn, I need to de-ice. Resume scrambling action ... just know there is a couple of deicers in here somewhere. . !

So that is how each day starts for my face and I? What about you? Do you have a signature make up look? What make up products do you recommend?

Thanks for all your comments and support this week, it means such a lot and gives an excuse for that genuine(!) smile to cross my face again. I hope you are all well. Two days until the weekend . . . woo!!!

Tag: 10 Things I Would Repurchase!

 

I was tagged by the lovely M of C.S.I Beauty Blog to do the 'Ten Things I'd Repurchase' tag.

Thank you, M!

I love the idea of this tag as it is so easy to get carried away when you first try a product and go 'Oh, I love it so' and then six months later find 3/4 of a tube etc in some dark, dusty corner.

Yep, we've all been there. . !

This tag makes me think about putting my money where my mouth is. What products have I actually finished? Will I/have I brought these products again?

And whoa, some of the products where I can confidently say yes, yes and yes in reply to such ponders are not necessarily the products that I get too excited about or talk about a lot here. Sometimes, daily staples are overshadowed by a newer purchase or cleverly marketed novelties.

Well, not today! Here are ten little gems that maybe I take a little too much for granted because thinking about it, I'd actually be quite lost/sad if suddenly I could not get hold of them anymore.

1/ Revlon Colorstay

The first one, Revlon Colorstay, a foundation was actually the most obvious choice for me. I love this foundation and have brought it over and over since my first bottle about three years ago. It is the only foundation I have ever found to offer a shade (Ivory) which completely blends in with my natural skin shade. I like the fact that I can buy a version in this appropriate shade that caters specifically for my dry skin too. This may be why I find that despite quite deep coverage (and I'm quite heavy handed, slapping quite a lot on), this foundation sits so well on my skin and looks natural in that 'she looks as if she has caught the right light' way. I also work very strange hours and I can say that I'm confident that this foundation looks good without touch up for ten hours straight. Though, I rarely touch it up at all as after that long, I care a lot less about what I look like. I initially had doubts about this foundation, my first bottle was very watery and difficult to work with but I think, I had a dodgy bottle as otherwise, I have found these so easy to apply. A lot of people say you have to blend quickly to get a good finish. I haven't really noticed that. The only foundation that comes close is L'Oreal True Match but it is Revlon I come back to, I love it such a lot.

2/ L'Oreal Volume Million Lash

No surprise here, I've raved about this mascara so many times on this blog. This IS the mascara to give you lashes. Yep, this one delivers volume; length and separation. In fact, if I had to design a pair of falsies for me. The lashes would basically be a blatant copy of what this mascara delivers. Yes, sometimes it can be a bit of a diva but with steady hands, dry weather and a little patience, this mascara always magics me up some fantastic lashes that no other mascara has mustered. Honestly, this mascara is worth any extra effort that may be required.

3/ The Daily Smooth

Now I'm a fan of all the Soap and Glory body butters but when we consider the gorgeous scent, the mid range price and the good emollient job delivered by the Daily Smooth then it is no wonder, that this is my body moisturiser of choice.

4/ Gucci Rush 2

This scent, with notes that include Banana, Blackcurrant and Rose, is like no other. It is the one scent that always makes me smile and sometimes, it is the only scent that will do.

5/ All That Glitters Eyeshadow (MAC)

I've read time and time again that this MAC eyeshadow may be a little orange for pale skins but I really like how this one looks on my eyes. It tends to be one of my go to shadows for work. I tend to colour block it, blend out and then poof, suddenly my eyes seem to come to life. No more work or shadows required. The result of this very, very simple eye make up is subtle in the way that it catches the attention of others and is just quite pretty. I think I've said before, this is the shadow that gets you the 'pretty eyes' rather then 'pretty eye make up' comments. Blimey, this one could become holy grail!

6/Angel lipstick (MAC)

Another daily staple for work, Angel from MAC just makes my lips look a little bit more. However, slap some gloss on top and this lippie actually becomes rather alluring.

7/ No 7 Hot Cloth Cleanser

This is my cleanser of choice now and I tend to stock up when Boots have their frequent £5 off NO 7 voucher on. It seems to cleanse my skin well, without irritating or drying it out leaving a great base for my moisturisers to begin working their magic.

8/ La Roche-Posay Hydreane Riche

I've done a rave on this one, it makes my skin so soo soft after just one application and seems to keep my complexion pretty clear. Hands down, the best (face) moisturiser I've ever tried.

9/ Benefit Erase Paste (not pictured)

I wore this for about two years and only went through three pots at the most. It lasts almost forever and gives me the finish I want (and one that lasts all day). It blends well over my colourstay and covers up my dark circles so well. The only con is the price tag and that is why recently I have been using the Collection 2000 Lasting finish concealer which is good (though probably not as good as the Erase Paste) and a lot cheaper per an item but each tube only lasts a couple of weeks making it a bit of a false economy so I think, I will be switching back to my beloved Erase paste soon.

10/ L'Oreal Elnett (not pictured)

I think most people agree that this is one of the best hairsprays ever (TIGI Headrush is good but more expensive). It holds the hair in place without stickiness, seems to add shine, brushes out easily and smells divine. I'm not really very curious (or knowledgeable) about other hairsprays because whenever I need one, I can always get hold of Elnett and it does exactly what a hairspray should promise to do.

I tag:

Amelia: Duckling to Swan

L: C.S.I Beauty

Laura: Beauty Lover's Notes

Dani: The Beauty Dressing Room

Sarah: I Heart Cosmetics

A.J: The Sunday Girl

Lisette: Lisette Loves

Muhsine: Bubblegarm

Steph: Ess-jay24

Kelly: Klg Hair Advice (+all things nice)

 

. . . because I currently really enjoy all these blogs but to be honest, I'd love to tag all of you!!! Please let me know in the comments what you'd repurchase or do a tag post like this one and link me to it in the comments. It'll be fun to see what you all buy and recommend.

Oh and don't forget to check out C.S.I Beauty Blog written by M and L. Great posts, fabulous reviews and posts almost every day. Wonder Women or what, how do they do it?!!

Have a good night.

 

X

　

An obsession or two!

Yes, I like shopping. In fact, I like shopping quite a lot (!) but the three things, I like indulging in the most are pretty tops, perfumes and books.

Pretty tops!

Good old H&M can always be relied on to deliver a pretty top!

This gold vest is gorgeous and could be worn in a number of ways and all year round.Yay, gold will always catch the eye and probably makes me look slightly classier then I am. Oh and er, this one was just £7.99.

I already have a couple of sequined vests in different colours from last year and I always believe if you like something, buy it in every colour you can, so ta dah! I picked a couple up in black and white too.

Black Orchid

I've always had a bit of a love-hate thing going on with Tom Fords legendary scent. I have said before that when I first sprayed, it was all a bit too deep and woody. I felt the perfume sat on my skin and was somewhat artificial before finally sinking in and enveloping me a couple of hours later in the most beautiful scent. Yes, this was the perfume that I said suddenly exploded and  blossomed in the most beautiful way but then I also used to find a few hours later, that it started to smell greasy and off. I've always thought that this scent could be diffcult and temperamental to wear so it has spent a lot of time banished to my dark perfume pot. You can read my earlier thoughts here in my perfume post.

Well, I'm doing a bit of a 360 (again!). I dug this perfume out again about a month ago and it has been in my handbag (hence the missing lid) ever since. I bloody adore it and have worn it every day for weeks. The scent is so, soo pretty in fact, beautiful is a much more appropriate adjective and indeed, Black Orchid gleams many a compliment. It is definitely a floral with just enough spice to take the edge off and make the perfume that much more contemporary and in the words of Sephora, show-stopping! I really can't think of any scent similar.

I don't really notice any artificial starts or the ylang notes when I first spray now and I certainly don't smell the going off factor. It may be that I'm more used to the perfume now or maybe it is because I'm spraying little and often rather then constantly dowsing myself in the stuff. Whatever the case, I absolutely love this perfume (the one that has been described as Sex In A Bottle!) and can't believe that I left it sitting unloved in my collection for so long! I'm pretty sure I will be trying the new Tom Ford perfume, Violet Blonde very soon.

Me Before You

I've seen this book in stores for ages but have always overlooked it. You see, the cover is so simplistic and hides all the things that this book is about. I thought it was just another comedy romance and as much as I love them. I already have so many and never considered adding this one to my already extensive collection. However, then I started to hear rumblings that there was just this little bit more to 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes and well, in short I got it, read it in days and yep, there is a whole lot more to this book.
It is one of the best books I've ever read  and was a bit of a page turner. Lou's family are hilarious but when you strip the book back to its core issue, it is absolutely heartbreaking and like everybody else, a few tears were shedded while indulging in this one. It really got me thinking about life and the duty we have to make the most of ours while we can etc etc! Anyways before I go and get all deep . . .

Since pretty tops, scents and books are my true obsessions then I can never resist a good conversation about any of them. So what tops, scents and books rock your world right now?

X

A scentastic confession or two!

Now I have mentioned, my intentions to shop the perfume collection (see The Perfume Post!) that I already have before buying any more scents.

Er, yeah, right, you know what they say about good intentions and all that . . !

To be honest, the perfume whore that I am, was always deemed to break this little pledge and yes, indeed, I have failed and what's more, I did so, in a pretty pathetic manner succombing to temptation not once but twice.

So lets meet my achilles heels, scent-style!

Firstly, we have the original Jimmy Choo fragrance which I brought just month or so ago. Now this one was on my wishlist for a while. When it was released, there was a lot of hype and many positive posts and reviews floating around. In my mind, it became a perfume that I would definitly possess soon and the time has come.

This perfume is meant to be a fruity chypre. It includes some quite unusual notes such as Tiger Orchard, Toffee and Pear Nectar. I find it comparable to Gucci, Flora in that it feels quite a sophisticated scent to wear. I know that Fleur De Force felt it was perhaps too sweet and it certainly does have sweet notes but I don't find them too overdone or cheap smelling. I find the sweetness flutters happily among the deeper Indian Patchouli base note. It is certainly a scent I would feel comfortable wearing to dinner and is one that I have worn shopping Gucci, Flora (see a review of Flora here) style a couple of times. This perfume is a joy to wear and just makes me feel a bit more ladylike. Also of note, is the long amount of time that a spray or two of this scent lingers on your skin. This perfume is more or less the embodiment of how I imagine a fragrance should be which might be why I, already, have so little left.

Secondly, I have purchased Lady Million again. To be honest, it is now November and consequently, stocking up on this fabulous fragrance was inevitable. Yes, after raving about this perfume last October (here), I continued to wear it day after day until it ran out. Consequently, Lady Million has become my designated Autumn scent. I really do love this one and I think, it has got to be in my top three perfumes of all time. The heart notes consist of neroli, arabian jasmine and orange flower with top notes of bitter orange and fleshy raspberry and base notes of vibrant patcholi and honey.

It has being hyped as a perfume for excess and wealth. According to The Perfume Shop, the best is never enough for the woman that adorns this.

Hmmm, she sounds a bit scary.

However, I don't feel like a power freak or a superstar bitch wearing it. Indeed, its scent is unique and unmistakable but I feel warm, happy and glowy wearing this number. It is heavy and deep but still very pretty and again, long lasting. Although Lady Million is particulary suited to darker nights and this time of year, it is a perfume I would happily wear anytime doing anything. Normally, I put scents in to certain situation or mood categories. For example, I would wear Ghost to a job interview or dinner but I would never wear it to a music festival. However, with Lady Million, I really do think it is a scent that you can get away with anywhere. I really can not recommend sniffing this one out if you get the chance, it is so gorgeous and I have never smelt a scent like it which is why if I had to pick between the two, Lady Million beats Jimmy Choo. Still thank goodness, I haven't had to make that choice and they have both become welcome additions to a collection that never seems to shrink!

Although, lets take a moment, to give me a little credit. Yes, I blatantly broke my oath but with all the pre-christmas perfume promo out there, I have probably resisted temptation ten times over to shop a scent or two. A little pat on the back then, maybe?!

- In other news, my perfume collection is not the only collection blooming. I've also added to my TopShop vest collection (you can see my earlier rave here) with a navy blue.

They are not the cheapest vests but honestly, they are so verstatile and easy to wear. More often then not, I have being wearing the pink or dirty green one so it just made common sense to pick another one up when fate threw it in to my line of sight.

You can view the top on the TopShop site here.

- As for the reading fest, I'm still on it. . . just about! However, I'm not finishing the books as quickly as I'd hoped. I never realised how much I must have read commuting from A to B in the past. Now, that I get myself there and back, I realise I don't have as much time to read. However, I'm doing my best and I'm just about to finish Matched by Allie Condie.

This has been an easy book to pick up (when I do find the time). I'm a sucker for a love story and I'm also a bit guilty of doing the 'what if' so I like the questions that Matched throws up about society as a whole. The detail that Condie has put in to her alternative world is immense, the prose flows very well and there are also some ocassional paragraphs or lines which really resonate with meaning. It won't take much effort for me to read the last 70 pages or so tonight and then I get to pick my next book to read from all of these.

Lately I have become a bit of a magpie when it comes to books. Most of these are unread relics purchased years ago or purchases from charity shops (Matched was £1.49!). I can not recommend picking up your books in charity shops enough. Books seem to have made a bit of a comeback recently and are getting a lot of hype in the media. You can walk in to any charity shop and find, almost immediatly, several current bestsellers and book club/blogger favourites for about a quarter of the cover price. I got The Help and Room from an Amazon, Love Film offer but I've seen them in nearly every charity shop I've been in recently. In one charity shop, I spotted a book I read earlier in the year which I'm not sure I've mentioned here, No and Me by Delphine de Vigan. It was such a sweet book, short but paced beautifully. Recommend!
- I do admit to buying 'The Pig That Wants To Be Eaten' Julian Baggini from Waterstones this week after seeing Gemma's fantastic book haul. This book will get my brain in to gear and sounds right up my my street. It presents you with all these different thought scenarios like, 'Is it ok to eat meat?' then puts some 'ifs' in to the equation such as 'Is it ok to eat meat if the pig wants to be eaten?' I can be a bit of a geek sometimes and get a bit of 'rush' from debates such as these so hopefully I'll love this book as much as I love the Sunday Herald quote on the back,
'. . .It's one to which I'll keep returning- whenever I feel like an argument and have nobody to argue with.'


Any plans for the weekend? As usual, any book or scent recommendations welcome. Inbetween fireworks and Chocolate Brek (another Autumn fad, I'm virtually living on the stuff at the moment), I'm hoping to get a few posts written. I've got some purchases from TopShop and New Look to share with you all as well as a few beauty and hair treats.


Oh and I nearly forgot, this is another 'To Do' this weekend, I will find some suitable products and master this make up look from Pixiwoo. Absolutely stunning!

X

The Naked Palette (and a little bit of Rimmel)!

Yay, my Naked palette arrived and I am very pleased that, so far, it lives up to the hype.

This is what resulted from my play hour!

Sin for the inner corner

Toasted all over the lid

Hustle (absolutely gorgeous) for the outer corner, crease and under the upper lashes

With a concoction of Hustle and Smog to line the lower lash line

I actually surprised myself with the shadows that I chose here. I like the look of all the shadows in the palette but I was expecting different ones to scream out at me. I thought that my first Naked eye look would be more of a bronzy one or a dark smoky one with Creep and Gunmetal.

Virgin,Sin,Naked,Sidecar,Buck,Half Baked, Smog,Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

However when the palette actually arrived, I fell for the warmness of Toasted and Hustle.

I know for my green eyes, red is meant to be quite complimentary. Unfortunatly this can be a diffcult colour to adorn without looking very tired or slightly alien. Neither Toasted or Hustle are red but I felt they were a lot warmer then I was expecting. For me, at the moment they are the stars of the palette.

I am also wearing two mascaras. The first is L'Oreal Volume Million. I used this product on the top lashes and still love it. However, for the bottom lashes, I used Rimmel Sexy Curves and the reason I used this one here is because I don't want to chuck it but for me, this mascara doesn't seem to work at all.

I have just read a review on Temptalia and she finds that 'It just looks like I'm wearing mascara, but it doesn't like I'm wearing a very good one!'

I'm personally inclined to agree with her. It is true, I have only used this mascara a couple of times but have had it for about three months. I probably haven't tested it fairly because I really do not like it so just don't reach for it all. In my experience, it does nothing to define, lengthen, volumise or curl my upper lashes and I have been left with little choice but to try and find another use for it.

As I find that a lot of (very good) mascaras look a bit much on the bottom lashes, I thought that if anything could work my bottom lashes subtly it would be the Rimmel one because it seems to me, not a mascara, that could ever look too much in any way.

Indeed, this seems to be the case. The Rimmel mascara just about coloured my bottom lashes without the usual extravagance and occasional mess that some mascaras create but for me, somebody who does not do a lot with her bottom lashes day to day, I'm not sure that this alone justifies buying this mascara again.

I feel a bit bad about dissing this. Maybe I'll play around with it a little and see if I can make it work my lashes. If I change my mind on it, I will let you know.

What do you think, does Rimmel Sexy Curves work for you? Do you think it makes a difference that I have the waterproof formula? Are you still loving the Naked palette? Don't forget, comments and shadow combinations are always welcome.

X

Action time!

So I have been doing a lot of talking on my mission lately and maybe not enough applying. I think because my make up collection is now almost adequate (ahem, I do really want to try some more of the Famous range though), I have being less inspired to try things out.


So over the last couple of days, I have been trying to mix it up and try out some different looks. Some of them wearable, some of them not so.

Now my photos are still not great but I am going to show two looks that I created. Both of them are based on tutorials from Pixiwoo.

The first is Sam’s Festival look

See the tutorial here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xJR_4sU3Dw&playnext_from=TL&videos=KkWH-dFZaLg

BASE

Benefit Hollywood Glo (instead of foundation)

Maybelline Peach cream blush

EYES

Sigma Indian Girl Powder shadow (This was a free sample, I can’t decide if it is a grey or brown shadow)

A Rimmel liquid eyeliner

Max Factor Lash Extension Effect mascara

LIPS

Collection 2000 Baby crystal

I had to impromise a little with products. I don’t think that I had any of Sam’s suggested products to hand. Her version seems to appear more bohemium and festival-like then mine but with a proper base, I’m actually quite liking this one for a daytime look. Saying that I will probably keep Hollywood Glo in the mix somewhere. I had forgotten that I had this product and I’m liking it. For a festival, I’d imagine it would be able to hold its own without a base. Also the Sigma eyeshadow was a bit of a revelation, I have heard Sigma make up been slated more then once but this shadow was a pleasant surprise although I can not decide what colour it is. Grey or brown?!

The second look is Nikki’s Christina Aguilera look.

See the tutorial here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzEbNG8MxS0&playnext_from=TL&videos=XoapB9QIWrg

BASE

Revlon Photoready Vanilla

MAC Harmony (to contour, no blush)

EYES

RSVP from Benefit (as base and eye highlight)

Rimmel Glitzed eyeshodow (for the lid)

Maybelline Fudge( for the inner socket and then outwards to contour all the way to outer corner and brows)

Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara

A little liquid eyeliner (applied to the roots of upper eyelashes)

LIPS

Rimmel red lip liner (until it broke)

Barry M Cherry Red Lip Laquor Crayon (to line and fill)

Benefit Frenched lipstick

My look ended up as a bit more of a Pin up vintage look rather then a Christina one. Maybe because I had no glitter (for the lips) or false lashes. Nic said that the lashes needed to look spiky so ideally next time I would use my double tubes (messy) mascara but this time I just tried to apply the mascara in very short, jerky movements covering bits of each lash at a time rather then brushing the mascara all the way through. Does that make sense?!

I felt a bit let down by Rimmel when I did this look. Firstly the red crayon type pencil from them snapped when I tried to use it to line my lips and secondly, I just feel that Glitzed (which I have posted about before http://essjay23x.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/rimmel-glitzed/) was struggling to speak for itself. The pigmentation seemed weak and the colour difficult to build.

So what about you? Do you use tutorials on You Tube to try and develop your make up pisazz? What teachers do you recommend?

X

Some little things and . . ?!

Sometimes I change my mind or discover something new about the products that I have been using and may have mentioned so today, I just wanted to keep you people updated with a couple of things.


MUA Nail Varnish

I posted about one of these recently. It was shade 10. I know I said in my May favourites video on You Tube that it was not really the colour that you would wear out. Well actually, I wore it out on Saturday and I loved it. In some lights it looks quite metallic. A nude with a subtle, tantinglising twist.

In conclusion, I think you can wear this varnish both day and night and that it is great value for £1. I doubt it is a contender for Chanel et al varnishes but neither do I apply it and immediatly think ‘Bargain bucket’. I’m also very impressed by the drying time, it is mega quick!


Creme de la Femme.

I love this. I know that I have compared it to to Snob and I would still say there is a resemblance between them but the two shades are actually quite different color-wise. You can see this in the photos below.

Snob!

Creme de la Femme

I am actually finding Creme de la Femme, easier to wear. Again, it is darker and a tinge closer to red then the pinky Snob. I think Creme de la Femme is closer to my natural lip shade and needs less maintenance as the colour wears away. Patching is less evident and it just seems ever so slightly more classy and mature over the course of a day or night.

I have also said that I would wear Creme de Femme when I want the lips to do the talking but actually I have since found that Creme de la Femme is more versatile then that. I have since used it to accompany smoky eyes and this lippie merges in to such a look and plays a meagre supporting role just fine. It lends the lips just enough polish to keep them looking in synch with the rest of the ‘made up’ face without overdoing it. Yep, I admit that my flirtation with Creme de Femme is growing deeper and deeper each day. Really like!


Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara

This is still a great product and does exactly what it claims but the tube seems to have dried out quite quickly. Then again I have been using it quite frequently.

Anyhow, nevertheless I think that ‘m getting just a little bit bored of using this mascara every single day.

The mascara is ok for an everyday look but if I’m going out or want a little extra pisazz, I find myself mixing it with a couple of layers of the beauty tubes mascara. Sometimes I use the primer, sometimes I don’t.

For the first time in my life, I’m actually craving clumps. They can give my look an extra dimension and lend a bit of a ‘cool’ factor!

Green tea

I feel much better in myself and more energetic since I have been drinking tea. However, I have noticed that if I drink the tea on an empty stomach, I do get awfully nauseous within about ten minutes of consumption and a couple of times have been physically sick. I have felt this with a couple of different brands of green tea and regardless of the brand, it seems if I ever green tea on an empty stomach, it really does make me feel sick. It is a horrible travel type nausea too. That horrible that I will not be having green tea on an empty stomach anymore and am keeping a close eye on the situation. I’ve never heard others say of this before. Have you?

And finally there was going to be a pretty bag but uploading issues again so expect a post very soon.

So Girlies, have you got any purchases or products that you want to rave about, diss or update on? Remember I’m on a mission so keep me informed.

X

PS Don’t forget that when I get 50 followers I will have a giveaway or competition. The 50 followers can be from any combo of BlogLovin (link in wordpress sidebar), WordPress subscription(link in sidebar of wordpress blog http://essjay23x.wordpress.com), Blogspot followers (link in blogspot sidebar http://essjay23x.blogspot.com), Twitter (xessjay23x), You Tube (essjay23x) so get following!!! ;)