Vamp Up Your Valentine's Day Look

Hello!




With Valentines Day fast approaching, I thought I would share a ' Valentines look' for you all. You don't need Valentines Day as an excuse to rock this, but hopefully it could inspire those who are in bit of a rut and want to try out a different look.


My main focus was my lips, and I just added a slick of eyeliner to really finish the look. 

Only fellow make up junkies will understand when we start talking about finding ' The right shade of red'. Finding a lip colour that is long lasting proved to be difficult, however, after much (too much) testing and swatching, I now have my holy grail of Lip products that I will just continue to re-purchase.

Hope you 
enjoy this post!




Firstly. If you've read my blog, then you know I'm a fan of the ' Sleek' range. I love their eye shadows and contour kits, and my love didn't stop there, because my new obsession is their  ' Pout Paints'.   ( Swatch 2)


I have purchased every colour, but for the sake of this post, I have just shown the colour ' Pin Up'



There is alot of product packed into this little tube. I do warn...Tread with caution, because you may scoff at these little tubes, but with this product, less is more! You only need the smallest amount to achieve the look you want. 


The pout paint to me does everything I want- it gives me a red gloss that lasts! It's a bright red that’s perfect for an evening look, a night out or a bridal look. A staple in my make up case!


Next is the Ben Nye lip palette. I love this palette and it’s so handy for mixing colours to get a desired look. It comes with a lip brush, which does the job. I took this palette on Holiday with me, to see if the colour would last through the Indian heat and it did not fail me. I wore this for 4 hours without having to re-apply! ( Swatch 3)


Last but not least is my Tom Ford lip lippie in 10 ' Cherry Lush'.  I always have this with me, because its one of my creamiest lipsticks and the colour is like no other lipstick. It's has a very subtle orange undertone, which gives it that pop. I usually need to re-apply this after 3/4 hours if that, so to me it’s a keeper! ( Swatch 1)


I hope you all enjoyed this post and have a great Valentines Day!

♥

Zukreat Artist of Makeup Contour Sticks Review + Swatches

 Zukreat Artist of Makeup Contour Sticks Review 

 Having followed Zukreat for many years, and having seen her work via YouTube/ Facebook/ Instagram, I, like many people have been eagerly awaiting  the AOM  line to release, hoping it would live up to its hype.

Contouring is now a well-known process since the release of Kim K’s pictures, as it gives us those cheekbones and slim nose that we oh so want!! I purchased two contouring sticks, at the price of £18 each.  As a MUA, and a self-confessed Junkie, The thought did cross my mind ‘Do I really need another contouring product?!’…YES YES I do!  I was quick to realise that this product gives a different finish,to similar products on the market.

The product comes in a stick applicator, which is convenient, and also has the expiry date on the product, which is a helpful reminder.

The texture is very creamy and easy to blend. I applaud Zukreat as she has been able to create a product that is oh so creamy without being greasy! When blended out, the contoured sticks give the face an obvious defined look, but what I love about this product the most, is just how buildable it can be, to give a more dramatic look.

When I first received the products (the delivery was very speedy) I was surprised at how much product you actually get in these tubes! Bonus!

Now contouring can be difficult to grasp if you’re new to all of this, and it can be a brain puzzle trying to work out what you are supposed to contour?!, What colour to use?! Foundation first or on top?! What brush!??  Breathe!

Contouring is actually very simple, with very quick results, and like anything…it’s just practice, practice and more practice.

Let’s begin!

Disclaimer: It’s not a pretty process but once all blended out it looks great. If you think you look ridiculous then you’re doing it right.

The idea is to highlight the areas on your face that you want to pop; this is where the light would normally hit your face.  You apply the darker contour colour to the areas you would want to minimise, and also sharpen e.g. Jaw line, nose etc.

Now contouring is not a one trick pony that fits all. It’s all dependent on your face shape. Some people already have quite defined facial features, and do not need any contouring. It’s all dependent on your face shape and your features, along with your own 
personal preference.

This is a general guide to give you an idea of areas to contour-

I started off by washing my face and applying Bobbi Brown Intensive Moistrouser Cream. To apply the contour you can either use a brush or apply the sticks directly. If you’re new to contouring, I would suggest using a small brush ( Samantha Chapman concealour brush due to its size is great) or any tapered brush so you can get the sharp lines needed.

I found the AOM contour sticks to be so creamy and so easy to blend. I used my beauty blender to blend the contouring, and I was so surpised at the result. The contour sticks blended out just as youd hope to leave you with the idea base.

After blending out the contouring, I applied foundation on top of the contour- This gives your base a more natural look .This is a personal preference, so don’t be put off if you do it the other way. I applied the foundation with my MAC stippling brush, however you could also use a Beauty Blender ( a different one if you used this to blend out the contour, or a cleaner one).

I added my NARS powder under my eyes and set the darker contour with my bronzer. A sweep of blusher and my illamasque lip-gloss in Champagne, and I’m set!

The final result was this :

I cannot recommend Zukreats contour sticks enough and I’m excited to try the rest of her range! What I have been looking for is a contour stick/ highlight product that really makes your under eye area pop instead of leaving you with that dull look, and I have finally found it!

Thank you!  ♥

Hand Made Gift Ideas!

Hello!


This Christmas, My partner and I decided to make hand made gifts to each other. We both are saving up and we both wanted to make gifts for each other because it’s more sentimental and personal.




When we originally set each other this task, I had all these ideas...and then a complete mind block followed this.  I searched the Internet and found some ideas on Pinterest, which turned out to be a lifesaver. There are so many great ideas that are really sentimental, and cost practically nothing. I do urge everyone to try this out and I’ve included some ideas below to get you going!




Gift Ideas!

•   A basket with their favorite foods e.g. homemade cookies and Pies! Yum

•   A photo album of your time together. You can great deals to print the pictures out cheaper

•   A scrapbook of your time together

•   A book of tokens that your other half can cash in. E.g. A token for breakfast in bed

•   Make your own canvas with a personal message.

•   If you're arty then you can maybe draw your other half a picture, or alternatively paint them a picture*

•   Grab your needle kit out and stitch them a personal message on a pillow cushion

•   Knit a scarf- depending on time and skill!

Hope these ideas have inspired you!


I made my partner a Canvas. It was pretty easy. I did this by printing out the message on A3 paper and stuck it on the back of the canvas. I made sure I cellotaped the paper to ensure it didn't move around. I then stenciled the letters...very slow work, and spent the rest of the afternoon painting it in.  The song is personal to us both, which made the present quite personal.




My partner is the arty one, and is quite skilled in this area, so he drew me this wonderful picture of me. I love it!


Good Luck  ♥

Storage Storage and more Storage

Hello and Happy New Year!

We've now entered 2014 and I think theirs no better time to organise your room/ personal space. I'm quite organised and I like knowing where something is, rather than searching around my room- so you can imagine how frustrating it is when something is ' borrowed' or moved.

I spent all day organising my jewelry, clothes, papers etc.…and left my favorite part (the makeup oranising) last, this is usually because it takes me the longest as I end up getting so engrossed and trying different looks, I forget what I was actually supposed to be doing. 

I have this brilliant makeup case that I take on makeup trials with me, however that’s just for the clients. My own makeup I keep in a large organiser box on my dresser. This was fit for purpose but the compartments weren’t big enough and I constantly felt like I was rummaging every morning!

Knowing what I needed, I went googling and found most make up cases either not big enough, too delicate, ridiculously expensive or Rather cheap and looked like it would fall apart the moment I’d put my eyelash curler in there. Sigh

Then one day... on a walk through IKEA I found these large plastic boxes, of all different sizes, which you can stack on top of each other.  What I loved about these boxes, was that you could completely tailor them to your need, and make it up of smaller boxes, the longer ones, maybe throw in a big box!

I did originally want a clear plastic, but these are brilliant because they don’t get mucky as often as they would if they would be clear.

I’m very happy with my organized boxes. I can understand they may not be as pretty on the eye as the boxes the Kardashian use, but they are fit for purpose, and come with a reasonable price tag, so all in all… a winner for me.

I will be sharing other storage examples…and please feel free to share yours!

♥