My holiday haul

I can never go to France and not pop into Sephora while I'm there.  I didn't go too mad.  I had to pick up another Aqua Brow, as it's my go to brow product.  I'd heard great things about Sephora's Cream Lip Stains, and as I'm a sucker for anything sparkly I picked up a glittery pink eyeshadow, and another MUFE Lab Shine lip gloss.  I also popped into Yves Rocher for their Coconut eau de toilette .

I don't have an awful lot to say about the eyeshadow!  It's a proper girly pink, and it's soft, pigmented, and blendable.  The tester in store seemed to have more glitter than this one though.  I'm hoping it's more glittery further down.

This picture shows off the sparkle in the eyeshadow and lip gloss!

I chose Lab Shine gloss in Shimmering Beige and I'm in need of good nude lip products.  It's a pinked beige with golden shimmer.  It goes on fairly sheer, and I'm sure it'll look great with a smokey eye.  Lab Shine glosses smell really sweet, which I quite like.  They're tasteless, which means I don't have the desire to lick it all off as soon as I put it on!  They're non-sticky too.

After reading a few reviews I went in knowing that I wanted to get one of Sephora's Cream Lip Stains, and after much deliberation and swatching, I chose Strawberry Kissed.  The name is spot on as it's a bright pinked-red, just like fresh strawberries.  It goes on opaque in one swipe and dries down to a matte finish quickly.  Once it dries it feels like you're not wearing anything at all on your lips.  Staying power is amazing.  Once dry is totally transfer proof.  No leaving marks on glasses!  It holds up through a meal well, providing it's not oily food (oil removes pretty much all makeup).  I'm so impressed with the formula that I wish I could get my hands on more colours right now!  I've been on the hunt for years for a good transfer proof red lipstick for my kit for brides, and this is perfect.  I seriously recommend trying these out for yourself!

Blue, gold and pink tutorial

I got quite a few requests for tutorial of yesterdays look.  Trying out a sightly different format for the tutorial today.

Products Used

Illamasqua Skin Base Lift in White and Light 1

Sephora Du Luxe Punk eyeshadow (deep pink)

Sleek Originals palette (black, dark shimmery blue, deep shimmering gold)

Boots Natural Collection Soft Pink eyeshadow (pale pink)

Illamasqua gel liner in Infinity (black)

Illamasqua Sophie pencil (black)

Lancome Hypnose Star mascara

Primark black and gold glitter liner

Barbara Daley eyeshadow pen in Air Force (medium grey cream shadow)

Active Cosmetics Razzle Dazzle lashes

Random eyeshadow glue

MUFE Aqua brow (not show in this tutorial, but thought I'd share what's on my brows!)

I prepped my lid with NARS smudge proof eyeshadow base as I have the oiliest lids ever.  For most I would have thought that the grey cream eyeshadow will be enough of a base.

1.  Apply your grey cream shadow all over the lid.  I used the brush on the end of the eyeshadow pencil to do this.  If you're just using a regular cream shadow, and synthetic flat shader brush works best.

2.  Using an eyeliner brush, draw a line where your crease is in black gel liner.  I removed any excess and blended it up slightly.  Darken the inner and outer corners of the lid.  This doesn't have to be super tidy.

3.  Using a tapered blending brush (I used MAC 226, which is limited edition.  Damn you MAC!) apply the deep pink shadow to the crease, just above the gel liner.

4.  Pat a pale pink shadow under the brow, and blend down into the darker pink.  I favour MAC's 275 as it's super dense and allows me to really blend the colours.  Add more of the deeper pink if you need to.

5.  Part your gold color onto the center of your lid using a flat shader brush (MAC 242).  The Sleek shadow I've used is a little chunky, so really takes some effort.  You can see here how I need to add an extra layer (which I did, after taking photos).

6.  With a clean shader brush, pat your dark blue shadow on the inner and outer lid.  Be careful not to over-blend this.  I used a patting motion to blend so as not to make the colours muddy.

7.  Using the same brush, apply  blue shadow on top of the black gel liner.  I used the narrow side of the brush to run the shadow along, and then used short pushing motions to blend it up into the pink.

8.  To add some depth, take a black eyeshadow on an angled brush (MAC 266) and run it along the crease where the gel liner is.  Again, use small, gentle pushing motions to blend it up into the blue.  You don't want to take this colour up very far.  I also added it to the very inner and outer corners of the lid.

9.  Clean up any fall out from under your eye, running a makeup remover wipe along the edge of your eye where your wing will me.  Add your concealer under the eye and along that edge.  I just used my finger.

10.  Taking your gel liner again, use your preferred liner brush to line your top lid.  This line can be as dramatic as you like!

11.  Run some of the blue shadow under your lower lash line.

 12.  Line under your eye with blank gel liner, taking the liner into a point at the inner corner of the eye.

13.  Line your upper and lower water lines with black pencil.

14.  Add black and gold glitter liner to your lower lash line, along the black gel.  I'm rubbish at photographing glitter, so you can't really see it in these pictures.  

15.  Add mascara and lashes, and you're done!

Finally, a dramatic FOTD

I've been stuck in a bit of a makeup rut recently, but yesterday I felt inspired.  The look here is pictured with false lashes, but I took them off when wearing the look out, as I was wearing my glasses and the lashes kept rubbing against them.  I'm trying to wear my glasses more often, but it does mean that I can't wear my false lashes as much, which sucks.  I didn't get any full face pictures as I didn't have time before I went out, but I wore Benefit's Sugarbomb blush, and Guerlain's Madame Fascine gloss.

Products Used
NARS smudge proof eyeshadow base
Barbara Daley eyeshadow pen in Airforce
Sleek Originals palette
Sephora eyeshadow in Du Luxe Punk
Illamasqua gel liner in Infinity
Primark black and gold glitter liner
Illamasqua pencil in Sophie
Lancome Hypnose Star mascara
MUFE Aqua Brow
Illamasqua Skin Base Lift in White and Light 1
Active Cosmetics false lashes

Purple and coral lipsticks

Moving from pinks, these are my purple and coral lipsticks.  I don't have many of each which is why I'm doing them in one post.

Illamasqua  Underworld
This was my first Illamasqua lipstick.  It's a pinky purple with blue shimmer, which gives it a soft duo-chrome effect.  It's a little on the sheer side, and it can take some time to get an even application, but it's a colour that I haven't seen from any other brand.  It's wearable, but a little bit different.

Inglot Colour Play Lipstick No.95

I was drawn to the bright colours in the colour play range, and I just had to get this purple.  It's got strong blue undertones to it, which makes it a little more unusual.  The formula is comfortable and incredibly pigmented.  

Inglot 175

I picked this lipstick up thinking that it was going to be a dark red.  What I got was a dark, rich purple.  The joy of online makeup shopping!  Luckily I love this colour.  It has berry undertones which makes it super flattering on my skin.  It's also got quite a bit of slip to it, but it's not as messy as dark lipsticks can be.  It's one you'll probably want to wear a lip liner with though.

Lime Crime Poisonberry

This is my only Lime Crime lipstick, and whilst I'm not a fan of the packaging I do really like this lipstick.  It doesn't have the one swipe opacity that Lime Crime promise, and it does take some work to build it up to this colour.  It's a medium blue toned purple with subtle shimmer.  Despite the opacity issue, this is probably my favourite purple lipstick.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Liberte

It's not often that I pick up a sheerer lipstick, but this coral works well with a more dramatic eye.  I find the warmth in it is more flattering on the skin than a pale pink, but it still works with cool undertones.  Staying power isn't amazing, and, like MAC's lustre formula, it can be a little drying.

Sephora No.28

I picked this up whilst in France last summer, and it really is a great summer lipstick.  It looks great against both tanned skin, and those of us who are pale all year round.  It's about medium opacity with a nice glossy finish. 

 MAC Crosswires
I wasn't entirely sure where to put this one.  It's a bright pinky-red coral.  On my lips it pulls more pink, but from most of the swatches I've seen it's definitely more coral on others.  MAC's cremesheen formula is, in my opinion, their best.  Pigmented, moisturising, with a bit of a sheen, I also wear this as a sheerer colour by patting some on my lips with my finger.

MAC Watch Me Simmer

This is a bright coral which, again pulls more pink on my lips.  It's definitely more coral than Crosswires, and is slightly warmer.  The amplified finish means that it's fully opaque and fairly moisturising.  It feels heavier on the lips than Crosswires.

Aquarius FOTD

So I didn't make it through a whole month without buying makeup.  Almost as soon as I started to rejoice at my skin clearing up, it went all red and blotchy and I got lots of little spots.  I know it's because I'm really ill at the moment, but it got to me.  Whilst in Boots I spotted Maybelline Baby Skin primer, which every one has been raving about, and Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream for oily skin.  As my YSL foundation has run out I thought I'd give them a go.  They seem like they're doing the job at the moment, but I always like to wear new face stuff for a week or so before passing judgement. 

Anyways, next up in Sephora's star sign inspired face chart collection is Aquarius.   I used the product list as a guide line, choosing to use the chart rather than the instructions.  This one is far more interesting that the Capricorn face chart!

After having a massive fallout with the phone on my camera, I decided to dig out my proper camera.  It's a bit old, but the quality is pretty good.  Though for some reason my eyebrows look almost wet in the close ups.  I can promise that they don't look like that in real life!  Also, photographing glitter seems impossible for me.  I wish that you could see how pretty Illamasqua pigment in Beguile really looks.

Face

Maybelline Baby Skin primer

Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in Light

Illamasqua Skin Base Lift in White and Light 1

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light

MAC Alpha Girl Beauty Powder Blush

Benefit High Beam

Eyes

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk

Sugarpill Tako eyeshadow

MAC eyeshadows in Cool Heat, Submarine, and Contrast

Urban Decay Blackout eyeshadow

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Beguile 

MAC Fix+ (sprayed on lid before applying Beguile)

Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Perversion

Lancome Hypnose Star mascara

MUFE Aqua Brow

Lips

Sephora lipstick No.28