The Christmas Party Makeup

It’s the season of red lips and glitter, my favourite! I had a Christmas party last weekend so thought I was the perfect excuse to show some of my top picks for the party season. Expect the standard cliché red lips, glitter and lots of highlighter!

In terms of base, I like to go for something I can trust to be long wearing and provide the coverage! Of course I opted for my trusty Nars Sheer Glow along with my usual concealer combo of the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and Mac Prep + Prime highlighter in Light Boost. To top it off, I applied a light layer of the Chanel Les Beiges powder to keep things in place!

To add more warmth to my skin, I bronzed up with the Too Faced Sweethearts bronzer which I love! I then added more definition with the Kevin Aucoin sculpting powder and topped it off with a lot of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed highlighter in Pearl because if you can’t have go overboard with highlighter at Christmas, when can you!?

For eyes, the Mac pigments came out to play! I picked up the Bronze set from holiday collection, using the a combination of both Stardream and Handsome Prince. Of course I added some liner using my favourite Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I finished my eyes with the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara.

Finally, I obviously finished with some red lips for the ultimate Christmas party look using Mac Russian Red.

What are your party picks?

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My Current Makeup Menu

It’s been a while since I last shared my current makeup routine so it makes sense to post a little update. Having got back into wearing makeup again on a daily basis, I have been sticking pretty much to a solid consistent routine using the same products again and again and rarely changing it up. For someone who adores Autumn and particularly the makeup trends at this time of year, surprisingly I haven’t turned to dark lips and eyes, instead I’ve been loving a more Summer appropriate look with dewy skin, a peachy eye look and nude lips.

My base is the one area I’ve been sticking to a constant routine and hardly changing up. I start by priming with the Jouer Anti-Blemish Matte Primer which feels nice and calming on the skin but I can’t say it’s helped improve my skin long term. I then go in with my trusty Nars Sheer Glow foundation and top it off with the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer on any blemishes, again another favourite of mine! I then conceal under the eyes with the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter in Light Boost with the yellow toned liquid working to highlight under my eyes and discard any darkness.

Before setting my base with the Chanel Les Beiges Powder, I use the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter in Opal across my cheekbones and blend it out with my Beauty Blender. Before finishing off my face with a bit of bronzer to warm up my skin a little. Of course I am still obsessed with my favourite Honey Bronzer from The Body Shop.

Moving onto eyes, I start with my eyebrows and keep it fairly simple by running the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil through them to add a little more definition. I then move onto eyeshadow using the beautiful Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette which is full of gorgeous peachy and brown warm tones. I like to create a simple shimmery golden-y peachy look using mainly Nectar, Luscious, Cobbler and Caramelized which creates a gorgeous ‘golden goddess’ look that gives off extreme VS Angel vibes! Damn yeah! To finish off my eyes I coat on my favourite Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara which leaves my lashes looking thick and full.

To finish off my look, I like to dabble in a few different lip shades since lipstick is my thing, if you haven’t noticed all ready! Currently though, I am loving one of the new Urban Decay Vice lipsticks in the shade Backtalk. A gorgeous cool toned pink with a comfortable matte finish. LOVE!

 What makeup have you been reaching for lately?

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Current Beauty Wishlist

As a beauty obsessive, I have a wishlist much longer than my arm on a regular basis. Although instead of boring you all with a list the length of the yellow pages, I have rounded up some of my top picks that I have been lusting over!

There is quite a few eyeshadow products as I do love a good eye palette, I just can’t get enough really! I have two quads on my list from Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury. The first is from the new fall Chanel Le Rouge collection. The quad is basically autumn in a palette, a gorgeous trio of warm brown shades and a beautiful and slightly daring red shade. It is pricey but you can’t go wrong with a beautiful monochrome Chanel compact eh! The Charlotte Tilbury option is slightly different being a collection of gold-y neutral shades that looks very seasonally appropriate! Again I think this one is limited edition so hopefully I can snap up this one soon!

The last eyeshadow option is from Anastasia and their well hyped Modern Renaissance palette. What drew me to this palette, other than the fact that I’ve seen it everywhere is that the colour selection is beautifully unique. The warm shade selection looks well up my street and could even persuade me to experiment a bit with colour! The packaging looks super cute too!

I am also so incredibly hyped to see that Kat Von D makeup is finally coming to the UK. Hallelujah! I’ve been desperate to try the ever so popular liquid lipsticks so I can’t wait to finally get my hands on a couple. I am not particularly sure what shades yet, any recommendations?

Lastly, is the Sweethearts bronzer from Too Faced. I’ve not tried much from Too Faced but everything I have, I have really liked! This bronzer looks so pretty and that’s not just the packaging! The light and dark shade combination looks perfect for my skin tone and I’ve heard that the pigmentation is pretty good too! So hopefully I can nab this one quick!

What is on your wishlist?

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The Bag Wishlist

I’ve always been a bag kinda gal at heart, bags over shoes anyday! My dreams of owning a designer bag have existed for too many years now and I think it’s time I did something about that, right!? Being a Leo, I do have expensive taste and I do like a little bit of luxury so whilst a designer bag may require a good few wage slips, it is still something I am happy to invest in. You either get it or you don’t but for me it’s the kinda thing I like. Having got hooked onto luxury style YouTube channels which I mentioned here, I am ready to take the leap into saving for my first designer bag. So what is it going to be, well I thought I would show you some (yes just some) of the bags that have topped my wishlist!

Starting with the bag of dreams, a Chanel Classic Flap. Every bag lover needs a Chanel, right!? Now the price for Chanel is eye-watering and sadly it tends to increase year on year making it near impossible to buy one. However hopefully one day, whilst it is not on my immediate list (for obvious reasons) I will be able to visit a Chanel store in Paris (yup, going all out!) and pick up my very own. Then I will be one step closer to being LC, life goals right there!

Another bag of dreams that I just need in my life is the Saint Laurent Sac De Jour. This bag is simply beautiful, black grained leather possibly in size small please. Again it is one of the more pricier options on my list but having this bag would make me complete. Hopefully I can save up for this one once I graduate as a special treat cause you gotta treat yo self.

Now I mentioned that I prefer my bags over shoes but if there was one pair of shoes I would like to get my hands on then it would be the classic Valentino Rockstuds. Of course with those I need a bag to match, it’s only right! I adore the Valentino Rockstud Lock Shoulder Bags, particularly the light nude pink-y shade which would match my shoes obviously! The bag just looks so beautifully elegant with the gold hardware, I need!

I usually tend to avoid seasonal pieces and trend-led items and I would particularly advice to when opting for a spendy purchase however I have my eye on one. The Gucci Dionysus Shoulder bag is a classic but I have never really been a fan of the whole Gucci monogram style however I adore some of their Floral design options. It is a bit different and totally a statement piece but it is so beautiful! I have been actually really impressed by some the newer Gucci styles recently too!

Lastly, a much cheaper option than the rest, the Celine Trio. I adore the whole minimalistic Celine aesthetics and I just love how simple but chic this bag is. Everyone needs a good crossbody small style bag and this is such a great option. The three compartments is also incredibly handy but I can imagine pretty annoying when you have to get your bag searched! A good all rounder though!

What is on your bag wishlist? 

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Brands I Want To Try More Of

One of my favourite bloggers Rebecca of From Roses did a post a while back talking about some of the brands that she wanted to try more from. I totally loved the concept of the post and I thought why not do my own version. My beauty collection consists of groups of products from the same brand and then the odd ones that I’ve picked up from different brands which I’ve not really explored much further. There are so many beauty brands out there that I would love to try out more from with a range of well-loved and adored products.

Burberry: I only first dabbled into the world of Burberry beauty recently when I picked up one of their eyeshadows. They are one of the most desirable designer beauty brands out there in my opinion. Every one of their products is so beautifully packaged but also well though out. The range is a perfect size too; not too small but not too big that its overwhelming. If I had to pick one product to try out it would be their Fresh Glow foundation. The name ‘Fresh Glow’ is just screaming out to me, I can imagine such healthy flawless skin. With lightweight bases becoming ‘my thing’ I would also love to try their BB cream which again sounds so radiant and glowy. Lastly, I am still calling out for Pale Barley eyeshadow to be part of my collection, another blogger enabled purchase eh?

Clinique: You may recall my first pick ups from the Clinique line in my last post. As I said before I have been pretty impressed with the Clinique makeup range, it seems pretty appealing. I am still wanting to try out more shades from the Lip Pop range and the Cheek pop range. Although my most coveted product I would love to try is the Contour Chubby Stick, it looks like such an easy way to contour and it’s about time I got one of those chubby stick things! Also as Clinique is a skincare brand I do have good expectations for their base products. After seeing Lisa Eldridge using it in one of her videos, I would love to try the Redness Solutions base product which sounds super appealing to my skin. Also with the theme of redness I would love to try the Superprimer Face Primer which boasts a range of different primers to help correct different skin problems. Again I would love to try out the primer for helping redness as it’s something my skin still needs to combat.

L’Oreal: My only drugstore pick comes from L’Oreal. Honestly I only own two products from L’Oreal, a foundation and an eyeshadow, shocker? I don’t really know why I haven’t dabbled into the world of L’Oreal so much to be honest although I would like to try out some more of their products. Their mascaras are always highly raved about so I would love to try them out, any suggestions? Their new Infallible Matte Foundation also got a lot of loving this year when it was released in the UK so whilst matte foundations aren’t usually my thing I would love to give this one a try.

Hourglass: The brand with the most gorgeous products ever. Wow. I am still struggling to take in how beautiful their blush is. Speaking of which, I would love to get my hands on a couple more of these gorgeous blushes namely Mood Exposure and Incandescent Light. The blush formula is just so beautiful and these shades look super gorgeous. I would also love to get my hands on one of their Nude Lip Stylos particularly shade 1 which looks like a gorgeous nude pink. I am also desperate to find out what all the fuss is about with the Ambient Lighting Powders. The shade Diffused Light sounds perfect for my pale complexion. Although have you guys seen the Holiday 2015 palette!? Talk about NEED!

Chanel: The brand for the beauty lovers out there. I feel like every beauty enthusiast needs a little Chanel in their life. My Chanel wishlist is pretty much never-ending but I do have a few that make my top picks. Their Vitalumiere Aqua foundation sounds so perfect. A lightweight base which creates a glowy healthy complexion. The dream base. Their iconic Les Beiges Healthy Glow Powder is probably my most wanted Chanel product. A fine powder encased in the most gorgeous packaging. I am not the biggest powder lover but I feel like this may change my opinion. I am also loving the look of their quad eyeshadow palettes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a gorgeous little palette!

Smashbox: I am a huge fan of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, easily the best primer I’ve used ever. Although strangely it’s the only product I’ve tried from the brand. As their Primers are their most iconic product and I absolutely love the Photo Finish, I would like to try a couple more from the brand. Particularly the Blemish Control Primer and the Colour Correcting Primer which both sound interesting? Also anyone tried the Primer water? Pretty intriguing. Their palettes look super pretty too! I was so close to picking up the Full Exposure palette on holiday but sadly it was sold out. I would really like to try the Double Exposure palette though which has a little pop of colour but nothing too overboard. Lastly, their Contour Sticks look super good. Jaclyn Hill is a huge fan and they look super easy to use and the soft formula sounds great.

Have you tried any of these products? What brands do you want to try more from?

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The Spring Lip Edit

 

When it comes to Spring, berry and bold lips are taken aside in favour of peachy corals and pinks in much lighter hues. You may have seen my Spring Edit were I looked into the dewy radiant beauty look fit for Spring but now its time to delve right into some of the lips products I will be reaching for in the much warmer weather. (Each lip product I mention is in order with the swatches from Left to right.)

MAC Shy Girl – I briefly mentioned this one in my Spring Edit post, it is in fact the first ever product I bought from MAC. Its a beautiful nude peachy shade and is in a cremesheen formula which makes it slide easily over the lips. I like a light layer of clear gloss over the top for the perfect spring lip 🙂

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon Peach on the Beach – I bought this late last year and never got much wear out of it since it was around Autumn time. As the warmer weather has slowly settled in, I dug this one out for a try. Its such a pretty bright coral shade and the formula has a glossy finish. I do find this quite drying on the lips and it can settle into dry patches making it appear a little unfortunate although I have found that slightly patting it into the lips works the best.

MAC Creme Cup – I am having a bit of light pink/nude moment just now. I am already eying up several lip products of similar shades, as if one wasn’t enough! I bought this quite recently and I have been pretty much wearing it non-stop. Its such a beautiful light pink shade that isn’t too pale that it washes you out or too ‘Barbie’. Again this one is a cremesheen formula so is incredibly creamy on the lips, look out for a full review coming soon!

Chanel Rouge Coco Cecile – Of course this beauty was going to make the cut! I am totally in love with this beautiful nude pink shade from Chanel which I reviewed raved about here. The formula of the Chanel lipsticks are truly like no others, beautifully creamy and super hydrating, basically like the qualities of a lip balm but with the pigmentation of a lipstick. I am definitely eying up a few other shades from the line!

Benefit Lolli-balm – Speaking of lip balms, there is no better time than Spring to wear a good tinted balm and I can’t rave enough about my love for these Benefit offerings! The formula of these is super hydrating and nourishing on the lips but the pigmentation is also pretty impressive for a tinted balm. Lolli-balm is of a light pink shade and gives the lips such a lovely boost of colour. I reviewed this one and the Benebalm here.

Topshop Whimsical – Topshop lipsticks are something I am pretty on the fence with if I am honest. I know they are pretty popular but the shades I have feel pretty drying on the lips and aren’t as creamy as MAC offerings. Although the shade Whimiscal is something I am trying to be a little more optimistic about. It is indeed a very pretty bold coral shade, perfect for Spring. I find that similarly to the Bourjois option, this lipstick is much better when patted into the lips acting more of a lip stain as I find it uncomfortable sitting on the lips. Interestingly, my original review here still continues to be my most viewed blog post to date, ooo!

Calvin Klein Delightful – Last but not least, probably the boldest on offering here is from Calvin Klein. This shade is a bold fuchsia pink, one I haven’t got a lot of wear out of. Bold pinks are something I used to wear a lot when I was younger but I haven’t got much wear out of them in recent years but this is definitely a shade I need to pluck up the courage to wear more often! While it is pretty vibrant, its not too in your face which makes this shade a lot more wearable. The formula is also very creamy and even better I got this lipstick for only £1.99 from Fragrance Direct, bargain!

What will you be wearing on your lips this Spring? 

 

 

 

April Favourites

I probably say this every month when it comes to monthly favourites… but where has the time gone! It’s crazy to think we are in May already *gasp*! Anyway on to some of the beauty bits I have been loving this month, if you read my blog regularly then you may find some of these a little predictable haha!

Benefit Majorette Blush – No surprise here really! After lusting over this blush for quite a while I finally picked it up and fell in love. Its a beautiful coral cream-to-power finish blush that just adds such a nice boost of colour to the cheeks, perfect for spring! You can see my full review on this beauty here.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Flat Contour Brush 301 – Quite the long name there! I picked this rose gold beauty up after Real Techniques launched their incredibly anticipated higher-end brush line. Compared to other RT brushes, this one was a little on the pricey side at £22 but its pretty damn beautiful. It’s the perfect contour brush, the brush is quite dense and really picks up product well and also distributes it well on the face. It’s hard to think how I ever contoured without this one!

Chanel Rouge Coco Cecile Lipstick – There was no escaping this one when it came to this month’s favourites. There is nothing more exciting than picking up a new lipstick (that sounds so tragic but ever so true!) especially a Chanel one. They are a must have in any beauty lover’s makeup bag! The newly reformulated range offer great pigmentation whilst also having a good level of hydration on the lips. The shade ‘Cecile’ is such a pretty neutral rosy pink that I have been loving paired with MAC Soar lip liner – dream duo right there! Check out my full review here.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette – Do I even need to explain why this is a favourite. The UD Naked palettes are widely coveted and with good reason. I am pretty sure I mentioned this exact palette in a previous favourites post which pretty much sums up my love for it. I am sure you are all aware of the fantastic quality of the shadows so I will refrain from discussing that side of things. The colour range is just perfect. Its such a versatile palette, berry, pomegranate shades for Autumn and light rosy pastel pinks for Spring. I am having a bit of an obsession over light pinks and lilacs when it comes to eye-shadows and this palette has it covered. To stop myself writing a full essay on this one, you can simply check out my full review here.

Nivea Lip Butter Raspberry Rose – A lip balm/butter, not the most interesting product but hella good. The scent of this is incredibly dreamy, a raspberry scent which feels rather nostalgic some how, I am thinking some sort of candy but no idea? It is incredibly creamy and I like layering this on overnight for a full boost of hydration on the lips to keep them soft and moisturised. The great news here too is that its as cheap as chips and comes in other scents too including an ever popular blueberry, mmm!

Chanel Tenderly Nail Polish – Another post, another Chanel Tenderly mention. When will it stop, never! I finally buckled up the courage for a Chanel splurge on this beauty and so far no regrets (thank god!). This shade is just so my colour, a beautiful plum taupe-y colour that is just so versatile and looks ever so sophisticated. You can take a further look into my thoughts on this one here.

What have you been loving this month? 

 

 

 

The Spring Edit 2015

Looking out the window just now, it’s safe to say Winter is far behind us. Enter Spring, warm(er) weather, cherry blossom, excuses for ice cream and lighter nights. When it comes to beauty, its all about the light glowy radiant look with gleaming highlighters, fresh radiant bases and coral cheeks. In other words here is the bulky spring edit for 2015.

Starting with the base, I have a newbie in my hands! If you read my blog regularly you may recall me lusting after the Nars Sheer Glow foundation for far too long well as you can see now I have finally picked it up! While BB/CC creams and tinted moisturisers are all the rage for spring for the fresh light coverage look, my skin needs a little more cover. This foundation has pretty darn good coverage but still offers a radiant look perfect for spring. To add that extra light and glowy feel, a swipe of the iconic YSL Touche Eclat under the eyes is great for brighting any dark circles.

Onto the cheeks. I couldn’t resist mentioning this one again, Benefit Majorette Blush. This cream-to-powder coral blush is the perfect boost of colour for the cheeks in Spring. For a bronzed look, a sweep of Nars Laguna round the face and in the hollows of the cheeks for a subtle contour. To top it off, a light sweep of the irresistible Nars Copacabana illuminator on the cheekbones to achieve that extra glow.

For eyes, I have been loving rosy and lilac shades on my lids. Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold (swatch here) is the perfect soft pink and has such a beautiful creamy formula. In addition, L’oreal Colour Riche Mono Eyeshadow 601 is such a pretty shimmery blue-toned lilac shade. To finish, Benefit Bad Gal Lash gives the most prettiest natural fluttery lashes.

For the lips, my first ever MAC lipstick is back out to play. MAC Shy Girl is such a gorgeous nude peach shade which looks even prettier with a coat of clear gloss on top for a natural soft look. To finish, Chanel Tenderly (which I reviewed here) on the nails for that perfect spring look or a pastel shade from my Nails Spring Edit will do the job!

How have you changed your beauty routine for Spring? 

 

 

The Spring Edit: Nails

It feels like Spring has finally sprung. I don’t know about anyone else but with the colder and horrible weather during Winter, it makes me feel like we will never get any good weather. Gladly we are past that stage now and its time to overload on pastels and lighter colours. I have selected 9 nail polishes from my stash that I will be wearing over the warmer season, some of which are the obvious light pastel shades for spring or a little different. Please be aware some of the swatches above appear a little darker than they actually are.

Top Row

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Road Rage – I’ve spoken more about this one before here with better swatches. This is part of the new quick dry range from Barry M which comes in a range of pretty spring pastel shades. This one is a lovely duck egg shaded blue-y green.

Chanel Tenderly – Again you may have heard me mention this before here. This is part of Chanel’s Spring 2015 range and it is quite different for Spring with a mauve-y plum toned shade but I am loving it!

Essie Ballet Slippers – This is a shade I am currently rocking on my nails and its different to anything I have ever owned. It really is as nude as nude can be. If you are wanting a moment of having natural looking nails this pale sheer pink gives your nails a nice little boost of prettiness.

Middle Row

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Rose Hip – This is a beautiful pastel pink shade perfect for Spring and the Barry M gelly formulas are one of the best around.

Essie Under Where? – This is a beautiful lilac-y lavender shade with a hint of pink from one of the resort collections in the main Essie line.

Essie Master Plan – This is a new addition to my stash and its a beautiful light grey shade that will go with anything. Everyone needs a good grey in their collection and its such a sophisticated shade that doesn’t need to be dull.

Bottom Row

Essie Maximillian Strasse Her – Weirdest name ever. Despite that it is a favourite of mine at the moment. Its quite hard to pin point the colour, its a blue-y, green-y toned grey-ish kinda colour. Its a pretty unique shade and one that is a great addition to any collection.

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Full Throttle – Another one from the quick dry range that I reviewed before here. This is a colour that usually wouldn’t appeal to me but its such a pretty shade on the nails. It’s a very soft apricot colour perfect for the warmer months.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine HuckleBerry – Another one from the Barry M gelly range and yet again it’s a lovely pastel shade. This is a beautiful light baby blue that is pretty versatile and could be worn from Spring to Winter.

What nail shades will you be wearing this Spring?