Everyday Sparkle

Hi loves,

It has been forever and a day since I was last on here… Please forgive me – Ive had a lot going on in my life such as moving house, not once but twice, starting a new job, leaving that job and now starting a new one. So… I’ll stop waffling on and get right into my next tutorial…

I dont know about you but I love anything sparkly… So I try to incorporate it into as much of my makeup looks as possible which can be hard in the professional working environment 😉 so see below before a step by step on how to incorpate this into an every day look…

~ STEP 1 ~

You should always prime your eyes, but if you are using a shimmery shadow – you definitely need to prime! For this I turn to my trusty Shadow Insurance by Too Faced Cosmetics, then applying a thin layer of Soft Ochre Paint Pot by MAC Cosmetics – setting it with Blanc Type shadow also by MAC Cosmetics.

~STEP 2~

Taking Soft Brown by MAC Cosmetics and my Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush and blend that into and above my crease – this will be my base transition shade.

~STEP 3~

Using the colour Bandit by Colour Pop and my Sigma E35 Tapered Blending Brush I place this directly into the crease – further deepening the colour and getting that rusty brown colour I love.

~STEP 4~
To deepen the outer V and crease further and add a slight smokey effect – I take my E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush by Sigma, and the colour Embark by MAC Cosmetics and blend that into the outer V and partly the way into the crease, blending it out till there are no harsh lines.

~STEP 5~

Using my new favourite shadow – I Heart This by ColourPop, I first apply this using my fingers and pack it on – then taking a firm brush (I just used the one from my Urban Decay palette) I smooth out the colour I’ve placed on my lid, then taking a bit more on the same bush, I go over the top – to make it a bit more intense. Taking the same E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush I go over the outer V and some of the crease to ensure the smokey dark colour is prominent.

 

~FINISH~

To finish this look I line my lashes using Rimmel’s Glam Eyes Liquid Liner and creating a cat eye effect, together with a few coats my lashes with a few coats of my favourite mascara – Le Volume De Chanel. Apply my foundation (see my earlier post on how I do this here). Line my lower lashline with Bandit using my Sigma E20 Short Shader Brush and coating my bottom lashes with Le Volume De Chanel.

  
  
 While its not an overly complicated look, i think it has great impact mainly because of the gorgeous feature shade – I Heart This by ColourPop. So have a look and let me know what you think or if you give this a try at home.
Till next time xoxo

Bronzed Glow like J Lo

HEYA!

So I don’t know about you but I have major girl crush on J Lo (still love calling her that) – how could I not – her style, figure, personality and her flawless face. So if you want to see how I did this – read on…

… E  Y  E  S …

~ STEP 1 ~

First I start off by priming my eyes as always with my Shadow Insurance by Too Faced and then with MAC’s Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. Setting this with a mixture of Beaches and Cream and Peach Smoothie both by Makeup Geek all over my lid and up to my brow bone. Then, taking Soft Brown by MAC on my Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush I blend this into my crease and just above as this will be my transition colour.

~ STEP 2 ~

To darken up my crease further, I take Texture by MAC on an Sigma E25 Blending Brush and blend that into my crease. Repeating until it is as dark as I want it to be.

~ STEP 3 ~

Taking Cocoa Bear by Makeup Geek I apply it to my outer V and blend into my crease with my Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush and again repeating until it is as dark as I want.

~STEP 4~

Taking Tan Pigment by MAC and apply on my lids using my MAC 242 Shader Brush to blend it out till it becomes a nice glow.

~STEP 5~

Now you could stop here but I wanted to make it a touch darker. So, taking Embark by MAC I apply that to the outer V with my Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush and blend it directly to my outer V keeping extending it out to help enlarge the eye.

~ STEP 6 ~

Here I curl my lashes using my MAC Full Lash Curler and then coat my lashes with a combination of In Extreme Dimension Lash by MAC and Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara. Let that dry for a few minutes. Again, you could also stop here or you could apply some false lashes. I chose to go ahead and apply No. 43 lashes by MAC wtih DUO Adheasive. While that is drying I apply a light coat of Cocoa Bear by Makeup Geek under my lower lashe line and heavily coat my lower lashes with Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara and TADAAAA! My eyes are done! Now onto the base…

… F  A  C  E  …

For me this is the REAL feature of this look. I really wanted to emulate J Lo’s bronzed glowing skin. So here is what I did and used to achieve that.

~ STEP 1 ~

As my skin is on the dry side I start by priming my face with Embryolisse 24 Hour Miracle Cream, and Bobbi Brown’s Hydrating Face Cream. I Let that sink in for about 5 minutes and then finish priming my face by applying Hourglass’s Veil Mineral Primer and then apply my favourite illuminizer, MAC’s Strobe Cream.

~ STEP 2 ~

Taking my new favourite liquid foundation by Make Up Store in the colour Honey and mixing in their TO DIE FOR Illuminizer. It doesn’t say what the shade is but as you can see from the pic below it is a bronzed shade and I’m fairly certain its the only one they have. It also doesn’t appear to be on their site however they said that if you contact the store directly then they can make arrangements to ship to you. Click here for the store closes to you. So, taking about 2 pumps of the foundation and a small pump of the illuminizer and mix it together and apply all over my face with my trusty Beauty Blender.

~ STEP 3 ~

Taking my holy grail concealer – Radiant Creamy Concealer by NARS in the shade Honey and place this directly under my eyes. Taking the same concealer in the colour Ginger I place this just under my eyes and then taking the same concealer but in the shade Ginger I apply that in an upside down triangle shape under my eyes, down the bridge of my nose and up to my forehead and a little on my chin. Taking my Beauty Blender I blend all that out. To set this I use Chanel’s Le Blanc Fresh Glow Loose Brightening Powder.

~ STEP 4 ~

Taking another Make Up Store product, their Micronized Compact Powder in Latte and set my foundation. I don’t like to use a lot of powder as I am naturally dry and I want this to be a particularly dewy look. So I usually prefer to apply this with a big fluffy face brush and pat that over where it’s needed. To contour my face I use Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer with my MAC 168 Large Angled Contour Brush – I like this bronzer for this look as it helps add a further glow and bronzed look to the skin.

~ STEP 5  ~

For my blush I use MAC Mineralize Blush the shade Love Joy as it’s a warm mid tone brown shade with gold pearl in it. I tried to find this on the Australian MAC website but for some reason it’s not there anymore yet I know for a fact that you can buy in in store. Taking my Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in the shade Luminous Light and my Sigma F35 Tapered Highlighter Brush and place that where I highlighted earlier with my concealer. Finishing off by setting my face using Make Up Store’s Face Mist Spray which can actually double up as a prepping agent for your skin or to set your makeup. Like I mentioned earlier this doesn’t appear on their site but if you check the store locator for the closest one to you they will ship to you.

And I’m done!

So, that is my take on J Lo’s bronzed summer glow. What do you think? Let me know, I would love to hear from you…

Till next time xoxo

 

 

30 Days of Beauty – Part 1

Hey my lovelies,

As most of you may or may not know I completed a self-imposed 30 Day Makeup Challenge last year so I decided it was high time I did another one. After much thought I decided to make one not based solely on makeup looks but about beauty in general as well. I dont know if any of you have partaken in a 30 day beauty/makeup challenge but I actually find them to be tricky… especially seeing as I work in an office for the majorty of my day I have to somehow make it “work appropriate”. Anyway without any further delay please find the whole 30 Days of Beauty Challenge by yours truely…

~ THE CHALLENGE ~ 

~ DAY 1 ~

…No makeup, makeup…

This is would have to be my go to makeup look. This is the look I usually wear on weekends if I have nothing really that special on but I might be out to lunch with a friend or just running errands 🙂 Its super easy, fresh and light on the skin. Products used are as follows:

• Embryolisse Lait Creme
• Tony Moly Egg Pore Silky Smooth Balm
• Garnier BB Cream Oil Free
• Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Peach
• Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer
• Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder
• The Balm Hot Mama Blush
• MAC’s MSF in Soft and Gentle
• Eye of Horus Goddess Mascara

~ DAY 2 ~

…Lip Cocktail…

If you’re coming into winter, or maybe you’re like me & are just prone to dry lips you find yourself always reaching for your pawpaw or chapstick… well here is my cocktail for, dare I say it – more kissable lips?
1. Firstly you will need to start with a lip scrub (anyone will do) – the one I am using here is my Santas Lip Scrub by Lush (limited edition for Xmas but they have other delicious flavours such as bubblegum). Take a tiny bit & place on your lips & scrub scrub scub. The best part about this scrub is it’s made up of all natural ingredients & you can just lick it off when you’re done – yup thats right ladies/gents it’s edible :O – and delicious 🙂
2. Once you’ve scrubbed your top & bottom lip apply some moisturizing lip balm (again any one will do) – I like to use Lucas Papaw Ointment (it’s da bom). Apply a generous layer & let it sink in so your lips are fully moisturized
3. After the balm has sunk in, apply your chosen lipstick – here I am using Rouge Allure in number 88 by Chanel.      4.  To finish it off I’ve applied a nude lip gloss by Bobbi Brown in the colour Buff 4 over the top.

So there you have it, fresh and ready to do some kissin’ haha!

~ DAY 3 ~

… Victoria’s Secret Bombshell…

By no means do I even compare to the Victoria’s Secret beauties – but I thought I would attempt to give their stunning effortless makeup look a go. They are always so glowy and fresh – with an oh so subtle slight smoked out eye… Products are below:

• Shadow Insurance by Too Faced Cosmetics
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Pots and Pans
• Soft Brown, Espresso, Grain & Nylon eyeshadow by MAC Cosmetics
• Derailed from the Vice 2 Pallete from Urban Decay
• Hush Cream Colour Base by MAC Cosmetics
• Chromagraphic Pencil in Black Black by MAC Cosmetics
• Le Volume De Chanel Mascara by Chanel
• No. 2 lashes by Lashes in a Box

~ DAY 4 ~

…Evening Look…

This is just a fun look that I actually normally would wear out at night – or even for something bold during the day. It features one of my most FAVOURITE brands – Makeup Geek and their pigment Utopia. I actually posted a little video on my instagram of how I did this look if you want to go check it out 🙂 A List of products used is below:

• Shadow Insurance by Too Faced Cosmetics
• Preppy, Creme Brulee, Cocoa Bear & Corrupt all by Makeup Geek
• Utopia Pigment by Makeup Geek
• Schwing Liquid Liner by The Balm
• Le Volume De Chanel Mascara by Chanel

~ DAY 5 ~

…Lashes…

I firmly believe that, like a great pair of shoes complete an outfit – lashes do the same for your makeup. I love them all – from the subtle to the not so subtle… They can really help open up the eye and add a dramatic flair. The pair I am wearing in the picture below are one of my favourite dramatic lashes by Velour Lashes in the style “Doll Me Up”

~ DAY 6 ~

… Favourite Body Products (top 5)…

Here are my top 5, can’t live without, body products… Clockwise from L-R:

• Kerastase Réflection Masque Chroma Captive – this conditioner is AMAAAAAZING. I use this on mainly the ends of my hair as they’re dyed so need a little extra love – I leave it in for approx. 5mins & wash it out – result: super soft hair!!
• Clarisonic Mia 2 – this is my true skin savior… I’ll admit I bought this on a bit of a whim – but I have not looked back. It helps ensure my face is 100% clean, improved the overall elasticity of my skin & the way it absorbes moisturiser
• Clinique Skin Sparkle Exfoliant – this is the best I’ve ever used. It does an amazing job of helping leave my skin smooth like a babies bottom but it also contains salicylic acid & menthol which help leave the skin feeling smooth & refreshed not tight & dry like a lot of exfoliants do
• Michael Todd True Organics – Tropical Fruit exfoliant – I use this is on my face & I love that it’s made out of all natural ingredients is perfect for my sensitive skin 
• Kerastase Bain Elixir Ultime shampoo – I love how this leaves my hair soft but not flat plus it smells divine!

~ DAY 7 ~

…Eyebrows…

I have pretty full brows as it is – but in my opinion that’s even more of a reason to maintain them. In order to get the shape I want I get them threaded at the brow spa in David Jones (Elizabeth Street Store) then taking my Brow Powder Duo in Medium by Sigma and my no.12 large synthetic duo brush Anastasia Beverly Hills I concentrate on filling in the beginning and the end of my brow  then taking my Clear Brow Gel by Anastasia Beverly Hills I set it all in place. I usually only do this if I’m going out at night and want a more dramatic look.

~ DAY8 ~

…Drugstore Makeup Look…

This look is for those of you who are might just be beginning with makeup, or are on a budget or just don’t want to spend a lot on cosmetics… all products purchased from Priceline:

• Base Magique & Lumi Magique Pure Light both by Loreal 
• Match Perfection Foundation, Transparent Loose Powder & Natural Bronzer in Sun Bronze all by Rimmel
• Fit Me Concealer by Maybelline
• Blush in Pom Pom Rose & Rose Frisson both by Bourjois
• Mega Plush Mascara & Colossal Volum’ Mascara both by Maybelline

~ DAY 9 ~

 …Fave Makeup Products…

These are a few of my all time favourite products that I find myself reaching for time and time again – and each time I use them I remember why I fell I love with them…

1. Strobe Cream by MAC Cosmetics- this is hands down the best illuminating cream I’ve used so far. It smells great and really helps my skin glow 

2. Radiance Gel Bronzer by Chantecaille – as I’ve got dry skin I prefer this to using powders as it blends super easy & helps give my skin a more natural sun kissed glow. 

3.  Glam Eyes Liquid Liner by Rimmel – this in my opinion the easiest liquid liner to use, super pigmented and it’s affordable!

4. Sheer Glow Foundation by NARS – this is a gorgeous full coverage foundation but still helps give a natural finish. A little goes a long way.

5. My own personalised neutrals palette of Makeup Geek eyeshadows. These shadows are seriously amazing – high quality, super pigmented and completely affordable!

6. Melon Pigment by MAC Cosmetics – this is my go to colour for summer – it’s stunning and pairs beautifully with reddish brown shadows – really makes green eyes pop!

7. Naked Pigment by MAC Cometics – this is beautiful natural pigment that you could even use as a highlight on your cheekbones

~ DAY 10 ~

…Bridal…

Here is a shot of my gorgeous friend Alex, I did the makeup for her wedding – she wanted very sheer, minimal makeup. I was lucky in that she had taken my advice from the trial we did & really worked on rehydrating her skin & looking after it. As you can see the end result was flawless. Products are as follows:

• Lait-Crème Concentrè by Embryolisse
• Face and Body Foundation by MAC Cosmetics
• On the lids is All That Glitters & Haux in the crease both by MAC Cosmetics
• On the cheeks I mixed two shades from my 10 colour Professional Blush Palette from BH Cosmetics
• Highlighted the cheekbones and centre if the face using Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm
• On the lips a simple colour using Butter Gloss in colour Crème Brûlée by NYX Cosmetcs 
• I didn’t apply lashes or mascara to Alex as she’d had lash extensions so they were gorgeous thick and didn’t need anything 🙂 all brushes used were by Sigma 

Alex’s Photographs were taken by Lovelight Photography

Stay tuned for Part 2 later in the week…

Till next time xoxo