Face of the Day #07

This has probably got to be my favourite go-to look ever. I'm always one for experimenting with lots of different make-up looks, but this is the one I always feel drawn to when I just want to look like myself. A thin, winged flick at the top of the lash line looks made up, put together, but still natural. And when I feel like going out then all I have to do is slick on a nice lip stick and I'm ready to go.

FACE/BASE

I've been trying my hardest to like the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 115 Ivory, but after taking these pictures I have finally given up and went out to buy myself a new foundation. It's not the worst foundation in the world - the finish is quite nice, but it just has a tendency to slide around on the face. I used the Seventeen Stay Time Concealer under my eyes and dabbed it under the eye area with my finger tips. I set the whole lot with the Seventeen Stay Time Pressed Powder (Seventeen make some really rather fantastic base products). On the cheeks I used one of my all time favourite blushers - the MUA Blusher in 01. It's an absolute bargain at £1 and as you can see it's been through quite a bit, but I just keep coming back to it for a natural, luminous glow on the cheeks.

EYES

Obviously the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly had to come out again - I don't think I've used a different primer in about two years and as soon as I hit pan on this one I'm going to run to get another one straight away. I blended a bit of Tease from my Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallette into the outer corner and the crease with a big fluffy brush. I then used the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner to line very closely at the upper lash line, flicking it out at the outer corner and making sure to take it quite far into the inner corner of the eye as well. I really like the elongated cat eye effect you get from taking the liner quite far either way. To top it off, I used the L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagene Mascara on top lashes, and as the brush is quite bulky I switched to the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara for bottom lashes.

LIPS

I left my lips completely bare for this look with only a little hint of lip balm. As the rest of the look is so neutral, pretty much any shade of lipstick goes well, but I just didn't feel like any colour on my lips that particular day.

Face of the Day #06

A very short time before doing this face of the day post I received a new eye shadow palette in my monthly Love Me Beauty box, so I was dying to try it out and see if it would do any better on the lid than it did in my less than impressive swatches. I think this is probably the last time I'll be using my Rimmel powder, as I've seriously hit pan on it now and I've already got a different replacement powder waiting to be used in my make-up drawer/box.

FACE/BASE

I've been using a new foundation lately, namely the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in Shade 115 Ivory and I'm not particularly sold. Even though it's the lightest shade in the line up, it's still too dark for me by about two or three tones, but hopefully now that the sun's out I'll be able to pick up a bit of a tan and it will be a better match. I've stuck to my old faithfuls when it comes to concealer, namely the Seventeen Phwoarr Paint in Fair and the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 004 Sandstorm (also a shade too dark, I've got no idea why I picked it up in the shop). The powder is literally on its last legs right now, so I'll be replacing it with a different one very, very soon. For cheeks, I dug out what used to be my favourite blusher ever, the MAC Powder Blush in Mocha. I don't think there's a skin tone in this world that wouldn't be able to pull off this soft, dusky pink shade. I've treated myself to a new Real Techniques Blush Brush and it's made application so much easier!

EYES

I've dug out my old HD Brows Palette in Foxy again to do my brows, but this time I used the ashy brown shade instead of the reddish one. You can't see it in the picture, but there's hardly any of it left in the pan, so I'll be on the lookout for a replacement shortly, as well. I needed a tried and trusted base for my eye shadows to adhere to, so out came the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, which makes literally any eye shadow stay on my lids all day long. I then got to work with my new Beauty UK Eye Shadow Palette in Earth Child, using the golden bronze colour in the top row all over the lid and blending the reddish brown to the left of it into the crease and outer corner. I used just a touch of the green in the top row along the bottom lash line and lined the water line with a Sephora Eye Pencil in Brown (which I forgot to include in the picture, whoops!) On my lashes I used just one coat of my new favourite drugstore mascara, the Bourjois 1 Seconde Volume Mascara in Black.

LIPS

For my lips I reached for another old favourite, the MAC lipstick in Please Me. I used to wear this one religiously until one day I decided that the colour and the matte finish just don't suit me at all. Lately, however, I've been enjoying using it again and for a matte formula it really doesn't feel drying at all, which I love.

Face of the Day #05

I used to hardly ever wear lipstick, especially any loud, bright shades. They're just such high maintenance and not only do I end up with lipstick marks everywhere, the constant reapplication needed to keep bright lipstick looking good is just too much of a faff. However, my recent purchase of the bright orange L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire has changed everything (at least for now). I've never had so many compliments on my make-up as when I wear this lipstick. So I thought, sod it, if I have to deal with orange marks on my straws and more frequent trips to the bathroom to reapply, that's just a sacrifice I'm going to have to make. To balance out the bright lips I've kept it a bit more plain on the eyes with another new purchase, the much hyped up Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet.

FACE/BASE

As you can see by the severely squished tube of Laura Mercier oil-free Tinted Moisturizer, there really wasn't much left when I did this look and by the time I'm typing up this post, it's sadly served its purpose and there's not another drop that I can squeeze out. For concealer I stuck with my trusted Seventeen phwoarr Paint - I don't think I'll ever buy any other concealer again (yes, that's a big, big statement right there). For cheeks I stippled on some Bourjois Cream Blush in 03 Rose Tendre - for a drugstore formula, this blush is pretty much unbeatable, even though the packaging does get a bit manky with time and almost all the writing wore off on mine already. For setting, I stuck with another old faithful, the Rimmel Stay Matte powder, dusted just along the T-Zone.

EYES

As my lips were pretty bright with this look, I kept the eye make-up a bit more simple with a slick of the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet. I just applied it straight to the lids with the wand, then waited for it to dry for a few seconds and eventually just smudged out the edges with my finger. You can use a brush for that if you want, but I find that fingers work just as well, if not better, as they don't absorb any product. While the Shadow Paint sets, I topped up my brows a little with my recent re-discovery, the Benefit Brow Zings in Medium. To top it all off, I applied one coat of the Bourjois Elastic Mascara on top and bottom lashes. I really love this mascara, but sadly it's starting to run a little low now, so it's going to be time to move on to a different one, soon.

LIPS

On to the star of the show, the L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire by Color Riche in Tangerine Sonate. The main reason I don't mind faffing about with topping up my lip colour all the time is because this gloss/balm/lipstick hybrid does it all in one go for you. One slick and you've got colour and shine right on your lips - no need for two or three different products. At the same time it somehow manages not to be sticky at all, so no awkward hair in mouth situations there.

Face of the Day #04

This was originally meant to be a light, natural spring type FOTD, but then I dipped my fingers back into my Naked 2 palette (which I haven't used in over a month) and couldn't help but go overboard just a tiny little bit. Whoops! I tried balancing things up with a very light, nude and glossy lip and also used a very light base, so you gotta give me credit for at least trying!

FACE/BASE

I started out with a nice and light base this time around, as I didn't want too much coverage. The Simple Kind To Skin Perfecting Beauty Balm looks quite scarily orange as it comes out of the tube, but fortunately it blends out rather nicely and gives a very natural, slightly perfected finish. I then applied my old faithfuls, the Seventeen Phwoarr Paint and the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - I don't think I'll ever buy another powder or a different concealer! On my cheeks I applied the MUA Powder Blush in Shade 1. It's a very bright, blue based candy pink which I find looks very natural on my cool skin tone.

EYES

For my brows I switched it up from my usual HD Brows palette and dug out an old friend - the Benefit Brow Zings in Medium. The powder in this due has hardly been touched as I was always a little scared of how pigmented it is, but these days I find it to be a perfect match for my brows!
I used my trusted MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as a primer all over the lid and then went a little crazy with my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette. Using a big fluffy brush I applied Suspect all over the lid, then buffed in Snakebite into the outer corners and the crease using a MAC 217. Using another, clean 217 I blended out the edges before lining the upper lash line with Blackout using a small angled brush. Finally, I dipped my ring finger in Bootycall and patted a small highlight into the inner corner and under the brow bone of each eye.
To top it off I applied one coat of the Bourjois Elastic Mascara - though looking back a second coat probably wouldn't have hurt.

LIPS

When I finally got to the lips I realised that I'd probably used a touch too much eye shadow to call this a natural make-up look, so to take the edge off a little I used a nude, creamy lipgloss. I received the Artdeco Hydro Lip Booster in Translucent Rosewood in a beauty box and I really like it for the colour and its creamy, non-sticky formula.

Face of the Day #03

Quite a few of these products are the exact same as last month's - either because they just refuse to get used up despite daily wear, such as the Omorovicza BB cream or the Artdeco brow gel, or because they're so awesome that I don't want to use anything else, such as the HD brow palette or the Seventeen concealer. I also dug out this Elizabeth Arden palette that had been gathering dust in the bottom of my make-up drawer for ages. I also couldn't resist buying another Rimmel Colour Rush balm and have been wearing it pretty much every single day since.

FACE/BASE

Like I said above, the face products I used here are almost identical to the ones from my last post. I started off with the Omorovicza Complexion Perfector BB SPF 20 blended in with my fingers, some Seventeen Phwoarr Paint tapped under the eyes and on any blemishes applied with a flat, dense concealer brush and then set everything with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder.
On my cheeks I swept the blusher out of my Elizabeth Arden palette, called Golden Rose. As the name would suggest it's a rather beautiful rose gold shade with just the right amount of shimmer in it. It's quite a bit like the infamous Nars Orgasm blush, but with decidedly less glitter.

EYES

On my brows I used the tiniest amount of brow powder out of my HD Brows palette in Foxy and set it all again with my Artdeco Clear Lash & Brow Gel, which has a seemingly never ending little bit left in the tube. On my eyelids I applied the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe. I find that it works best applied with just your finger, as brushes tend to just absorb too much product. I did however use a fluffy brush just to blend out the edges. Now for the sparkly bit! The Elizabeth Arden eyeshadow in Mink works rather beautifully to add some dimension to the otherwise quite flat cream shadow. I then finished it off with the black Lancome Le Crayon Khol on the inner waterline and top lashline and a slick of the A La Carte Cosmetics Divine Lash Mascara - two more products that never seem to end.

LIPS

It just had to be another Rimmel Colour Rush balm - this time in Give Me Cuddles. I just love the way these feel soft and moisturising on your lips, but leave a stain that will even last through a meal or hours of sipping drinks. I'm already considering which shade I should buy next.

Face of the Day #02

Time for another Face of the Day post! I'm currently sporting a golden-bronze eye with a matching shimmery nude lip. The Rimmel eye shadow used to be a firm favourite of mine, but then got shoved to the back of my make-up collection, so it was about time to dig it back out. I bought it after seeing Lisa Eldrdige recommending it for people with blue eyes in one of her videos. And I couldn't agree more, it really does make my eye colour pop! A few of these items, such as the Artdeco brow gel and the Omorovicza BB Cream are on their last legs, so I'm making sure to use them every day until they're ready to be chucked and/or replaced.

FACE/BASE

Desperate to squeeze out the last little bits in the bottle, I started off by smoothing the Omorovicza Complexion Perfector BB SPF 20 all over my face using my hands. I find that the thick texture can drag a little if you're using a brush, so finger tips are definitely the way forward with this one! I then used a flat concealer brush to apply the Seventeen Phwoarr Paint in Fair under my eyes and on two blemishes around my mouth. This stuff is absolutely amazing and gives insane coverage for a drugstore product - it's got a firm place in my list of favourites! I then set my make-up with the Rimmel Stay Matte powder - the one I showed in my last FOTD post has sadly crumbled to dust, so this one is my back-up powder. To finish off, I applied a swish of MAC Iridescent Powder in Golden Bronze on my cheeks for a hint of blush and highlight all in one. The pot is huge and I can't imagine ever running out of this even if I used it every day for the rest of my life!

EYES

For my eyebrows I used the same procedure as always: First defined them with my HD Brows palette in Foxy, then set them with the Artdeco Clear Lash & Brow gel. There can't be more than about a week's worth left in the tube, so I'm gonna have to look for a replacement product pretty soon. Any suggestions?
As always I primed my lids with my trusted MAC Paint Pot in Painterly and then packed on the Rimmel Glam'Eyes Mono Shadow in Spicy Bronze, before blending out the edges with a fluffy blending brush. With my pinky finger I added a sparkly gold eye shadow from my big Sephora palette (not shown) in the inner corners of the eyes. I then applied the L'Oreal Contour Khol in Iced Chestnut to the lower and upper waterline for a bit of added definition. As I was feeling a bit lazy I couldn't be bothered to curl my eye lashes and just applied my A La Carte Cosmetics Divine Lash Mascara in Black straight away. I got this one in last month's Love Me Beauty Box and it has become a firm favourite ever since!

LIPS

On my lips I added a touch of shimmer and shine with the Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss in Golden Pearl.

Face of the Day #01

I think I've done this type of post once in the 2 and a bit years (Jeeeeeeshhh, has it really been that long??) that I've had this blog, so it's time to overcome my fears and show you guys what I'm actually wearing on my face! This time I went for a soft, smokey eye look which was understated enough to be worn during the daytime.

Taking this picture was actually pretty tricky. I'd just had my roots done that morning and the artificial light indoors made them disappear on camera, so it looked like my hair only started halfway down my face. It was scary, let me tell you.
But on to the products used:

FACE/BASE

I started out with the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser all over the face as I didn't need a lot of coverage that day. I then applied my MUA Cover and Conceal wand under my eyes and tapped it in with my fingers to cover any dark circles. On my cheeks I applied my Inglot AMC Cream Blush in 90 on my cheeks and topped it off with a touch of MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush. I really love using it as a liquid highlighter at the moment, as it just adds a lovely, subtle hint of glow to otherwise slightly dull winter skin. I set my make-up with my Rimmel Stay Matte powder, which as you can see in the first picture has been almost used to death. Nothing to worry about, though, as I've already purchased a back up of the exact same powder.

EYES

I started by outlining my brows with my HD Brows palette. I received it in a Glossybox over two years ago and despite being used pretty much every day it's still going strong! I set it all with the Artdeco Clear Lash & Brow gel, which works really well on keeping brows in place throughout the day, although it does make them a bit crispy if you're not extremely careful while applying it.
To prime my lids I used my MAC Paint Pot in Painterly - nothing works better at keeping eyeshadow exactly where you put it during the day. Mine is starting to get a little bit low, so a purchase is on the cards soon. I then used the NYX Mono Shadow in Sahara all over the lid. I got this product in my latest Love Me Beauty box, so I wanted to try it out as soon as possible! I applied a bit of MAC Knight Divine in the outer corner and blended it towards the middle. This is another product that's been getting much love, as I've hit pan on it a while ago. I then tightlined the lash line with the Lancome Le Crayon Khol eye liner - I'm yet to find a black liner that is creamier and more pigmented than this one. I used a small flat brush to pick up a bit of colour from the pencil and used it to line the upper lash line as well.
To finish off I curled my lashes and applied a coat of the Maybelline Rocket mascara. Even though it seems to be a blogger high street favourite, I'm not a particular fan of this mascara, as I find the wand too bulky, while the formula bleeds on my lashes after less than an hour.

LIPS

I like the eyes to be the centre of attention when it comes to my make-up, so I tend to wear mostly nude and creamy pink shades on my lips. In the picture above I slicked on a coat of MAC Creme Cup and was ready to go!