EYE SHADOW LOOK MAC CLUB & MAKEUP GEEK | FOTD

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I buy all these different eye shadow palettes and then end up rarely ever using them. If you've read my Prom make up post, you wont believe what I'm about to say next, but Club eye shadow by MAC is one of those neglected eye shadows. If you have read the prom post, you'll know that I also used it on my sister for her prom, however this make up look was from the same day and while we were debating which shadows to use for her she said she liked mine and just wanted that, so there you go Club, neglected for ages and then used twice in one day!

I've never been a natural eye kinda girl and prefer something more intense, smoky or subtly colourful, so on a whim I paired the eye shadow with an orange shade from the Sleek Del Mar palette - oh how daring of me! I like how it turned out, definitely not for your usual everyday look but it would work well for a night out or summer festival kind of look. I used warm shades through the crease and added a tiny bit of the orange from under the eye to join it into the look more.

Details:

Primer: MAC Pre + Prime Skin Base Visage (review here)
Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
Concealer and Under Eye: Collection Lasting Comcealer, MAC Highlighter in Radiant Rose, MAC Emphasize powder
Powder: Bourjois Healthy Mix powder
Bronzer: MAC Give Me Sun
Blush: MAC Peaches
Contour: Benefit Hoola
Highlighter: MAC Soft and Gentle

Eye Base: MAC Painterly and Quite Natural Paint Pot
Eye Shadow: MAC Club and Carbon, Make up Geek: Peacock, Peach Smoothie, Creme Brule, Cocoa Bear (crease) Sleek Del Mar Orange eye shadow (lower lash line)
Eye Liner: Immortal Gel Liner, Make up Geek
Mascara: L'oreal False Lash Flutter
Lashes: Ardell Demi Whispies
Brows: Espresso Eye Shadow MAC and Maybelline Brow Drama


I really like how this eye look turned out and it's made me excited to try out more colours and be more adventurous. What are your favourite more daring eye shadows?

HANNAH'S PROM OUTFIT AND MAKE UP

Yesterday (30th June), was my sister, Hannah's sixth form prom. I did her make up for her, but she refused to do anything with her hair as she didn't want to look "too done up," It's prom! but okay Hannah... It's funny how different sixth form prom seems to be from your end of school year 11 prom, where most girls are wearing huge dresses, curls and tiara's etc. I didn't go to my sixth form prom as I was on holiday, but it seemed like a pretty good night that I wish I had gone to, so I was glad Hannah went to hers. 

Make up

She told me that she wanted something on the darker side, so not the traditional pretty prom, glittery gold make up. We chose to use MAC's Club eyeshadow, as it's so pretty yet also kind of grungy/dark pretty. The photos really do not do it justice.  I used MAC's Painterly paint pot and then Quite natural on the lid to help intensify the Club shadow. In the crease I used Make up Geek's Peach Smoothie, Creme Brule and Cocoa Bear, to give the eye some warmth and definition. The warm red/orange shades were also a nice contrast with the green and blue in Club. I also used Make up Geek's Immortal Gel liner and Lancome star mascara, with individual eyelure lashes, which looked amazing with her already naturally long voluminous lashes, Gosh some people are just sickening aren't they?! For her brows I used Charcoal Brown Eye shadow by MAC.

For her complexion, I used Bare Minerals Brightening Primer, Bare Minerals Ready foundation, Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer and MAC's Prep and Prime Highlighter in Radiant Rose to brighten up under the eyes. I set this with MAC's Emphasize powder. To conceal any imperfections I used MAC's Studio Fix Concealer. For Powder I used Bare Minerals Mineral Veil, MAC's Give Me Sun to bronze and contour and Benefit's Coralista and Hervana blush mixed together. To highlight I used MAC's Soft and Gentle. For her lips she kept it simple and low maintenance, with Benefit's Coralista gloss, as they were eating a meal at prom and no one has time to touch up! 

Outfit

Her dress is from a concession within Topshop, you can find it here still in stock. It was £35, which is pretty reasonable for a Topshop dress and especially for prom. It has gorgeous gold glitter running underneath the floral pattern which looked so pretty in the sun light.  Her shoes were from New Look, but a while ago so probably are not longer available. Her nail varnish is Tanya Burr, New York Night, she chose a dark colour to keep with her "I don't want to look too pretty for prom" look. 

she is the worst person to take photos of as she hates having them taken so much, but I managed to get a few good ones, where she actually looks pretty happy and not like she wants to kill someone. 

Has anyone else got a prom this year? If you do I hope you have a great night!

BARE MINERALS | AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER PALETTE

To justify the sheer about of eye shadow that I already have, plus what I know I will be getting for both my birthday and christmas this year, I have come to the conclusion that you really can't have too many eye shadow palettes; there's always going to be a slightly different shade or finish that you just need and therefore need to buy the whole palette - obviously!

This palette is no different and as an added bonus, Bare Minerals are known for being a mineral based brand and all of the products contain ingredients to help the skin. The eye shadows in this palette contains a complex composed of positively charged antioxidant rich sea minerals, with cold pressed borage oil, caffeine and cucumber. How lovely does that sound?! The ingredients help nourish the eye area, by reducing the appearance of puffiness, for a softer, smoother and revitalised eye area. If that's not reason enough to need this palette, I don't know what is!

Packaging
First things first, the packaging is gorgeous! It is a slim rose gold compact, with a reflective surface which actually works very effectively as a mirror - bonus! The down side of this is it does highlight any finger prints which doesn't look too great. The mirror inside is very reasonably sized, so if need be, you could use it on the go to do your make-up. The palette is very travel friendly as it is very lightweight and compact.

Colours, texture and longevity

As you can see the tones in this palette are very cool and consist of all pink, mauve and silver shades, with a taupe colour and a white. The colours are nothing like the picture on the back of the product which is slightly strange, however, they are still very pretty shades. All of the shadows are very smooth and creamy to touch and well pigmented. Although it looks like a very shimmer-glitter based palette, when applied the shimmer and glitter are a lot more subtle. The eye shadows give a beautiful amount of colour, however if you were using the palette alone to create your look, the shadows are not going to give you a very intense eye look as they are quite soft in tone, which does make them perfect for those who like a natural neutral eye but want something a little prettier and more romantic, with a splash of colour. 

To clarify, the shadows are very pigmented they are just so soft in tone that they can't produce darker looks alone for those of us who like a more intense eye. One of the colours is similar to Satin Taupe by MAC (2nd from the left, top row, 'Valet').

When I wore this palette recently, I decided to pair it with a dark berry lip colour, which really complimented the eye shadows. As I normally focus my make up looks around my eyes, it was nice to still have pretty, sultry and slightly smoky eyes but have them natural enough to still be able to pull of a dark lip. 

The longevity is very good; I didn't have any creasing and the shadows stayed put all day. I used my painterly paint pot by MAC, like always. The brush included is not too bad considering the quality of most of the brushes that come with palettes. IT is double ended; one end is a flat shadow brush, which applies the shadows really easily, it could be slightly softer, but for packing the colour on this isn't really a problem. The other side is more of a pencil/smudger brush. I like the idea of this brush being in the palette, however it is slightly too rough to use so close to your eyes, but it would do the job if necessary. 

I need to get better a swatching! The second photo below shows the shimmer/glitter in Romance better than the top one does.

And finally, some photos of the eye shadows in action. I applied Debutante in the inner eye lid, with Valet on the outer lid, blended with Romance and a tiny bit of Swept Away in the centre of the lid. I used Curtsy under the brow bone and in the inner eye area. To be honest I was just using as many of the shades as I could! They are very easy to work with and blend which makes the application very quick ans seamless.

Oh just a few photos...

I think in the future I will definitely be using this palette alongside some of my other shadows, possibly some darker matte shades and then use the palette to add some pretty shades. I really like this palette and especially like the skin care ingredients that it contains. I would recommend it to anyone who likes cooler tones or anyone who likes the natural look and wants to add a hint of colour to their look. The palette is exclusive to Debenhams, so you can find it in any Debenhams store, with a BareMinerals counter, or online (however it is out of stock online atm). It is also limited edition so if you do want it, act fast!

What do you think of this palette? 

SLEEK VINTAGE ROMANCE PALETTE

So, we're all pretty obsessed with the Autumn/Fall make-up colours and I think this may be the perfect palette for the job! Thinking about it, apart from the make-up side of things, I'm not feeling particularly Autumnal... I think this year is just going way too quick, that I can't even keep track of the seasons. 

Anyway, if you're a regular reader of our blog, you'll probably already know that I absolutely love the Sleek Ultra Mattes Palette. The Sleek palettes are of great quality and a really reasonable price at £7.99. I've been on the look out for the Vintage Romance palette ever since I saw it on another blog and grabbed it right up the second that I saw it. 

I really love the outside packaging; it's like the Sleek brainboxes knew that there's a tonne of girls out there craving the Autumn shades and Autumn feeling, so they decided to double please us with both Autumn colours and an amazing Autumn leaves packaging. I kind of wish that the actual palette's packaging was the same as the outer box. It would be very different from others and far from subtle, but it would be pretty cool. 

Another feature of this palette that I love is that each shadow has it's own name and not just any name but the cutest lovey dovey names to fit in with the 'romance' theme of the palette. Each shadow is either a state or city around the world with a love themed name in front. for example, 'Pretty in Paris,' 'Romance in Rome...'

As always the colour pay off is really good and all of the shadows apply really smoothly. Some of the shades are definitely more pigmented than others, however, they do all apply well, so it's not an issue, it purely is only that some are even better than the others. There is only one matte shade in the whole palette, which is okay as it's a great colour (propose in Prague), however it would have been nice if there could have been one or two more matte shades at least, as the palette is extremely shimmer/glitter focused and sometimes you need a little matte! The matte shades would have definitely made the palette easier to wear. 

Another slight criticism that I have is that the colours are all pretty similar and there isn't much of a mix. The palette is mostly gold shades and a lot of cranberry/purples. I do love these colours and they are Autumn appropriate, however, once you use them, there isn't much of a difference between each shade. 

For this look I was really just playing around with the colours and putting as many different shades as I could reasonably fit on my eye. I've used Propose in Prague through the crease, Meet in Madrid in the inner corner, Court in Cannes over the inner lid, Pretty in Paris and Meet in Madrid in the centre of the lid and Romance in Rome to darken up the outer corner. 

Overall, I am glad I got this palette and would recommend it if you love the purple and gold shades, if you don't however I would most likely avoid this palette as you'd be wasting the majority of the shadows. I'm excited to try out more looks with this palette and I enjoy using the colours as other than this palette, I don't really have these shades in my collection. Although there is quite a limited colour range, I think you definitely could sill create a lot of different looks, I just think the colours will be great for more dramatic looks, this definitely isn't a natural everyday palette. 

What do you think? Do you have this palette? 

AUTUMN MAKE-UP LOOK | MAC COPPERING

I had been craving the Autumn make-up colours since August and now I can't even remember what colours existed before all of the pretty Autumnal shades came into play. I ordered Mac's Coppering eye shadow back in the summer because Jaclyn Hill said she loved it and I love her, so... I just had to. I hadn't really paid it much attention as it's quite a statement colour and those not so exciting neutrals are just so much easier to chuck on,so poor old Coppering was kind of getting neglected. 

However, I was feeling very Autumnal a few weeks ago, (yes it has taken me that long to get this post up - bad blogger)! so I invited Mac's Coppering out to play and boy did we play! The photos really do not do Coppering any justice, as it's so much more intense, shimmery and just more beautiful in person. As you can imagine it's a copper red colour, which may sound scary but it is surprisingly easy to wear and complimentary on all eye colours. I used Mac's Somoa Silk and Rule in the crease and Coppering all over the lid and quite heavily under the eye in the lower lash line. It reminds me of the leaves turning the orange/brown shades and falling off of the trees in the Autumn months... how sentimental.... 

I didn't intend for the black gel liner to be so bold, however, it was one of those times where one eye wasn't going quite to plan and therefore getting bigger and bigger, so in the end I was left with this bold line. Does anyone else suffer from the curse of one eye going perfect and then the other inevitably failing miserably? 

I was trying to remember what I used on my lips and then I remembered that it's actually the Pink Punch Baby Lips, you can see how pigmented the shade is especially as it's only a tinted lip balm. The foundation that I used is L'oreal's True Match with Rimmel Match Perfection powder (Not a huge fan). I used Benefit's They're Real mascara and Bourjois bronzer, with Dallas blush by Benefit. 

I hope you're all enjoying the Autumn make-up colours and trends; I'm not so much a fan of the Autumn/Winter weather but I do love the fashion and the make-up trends.

AUTUMN INSPIRED EYE MAKE-UP LOOK

Hello everyone! 

I actually did this make up look around the mid-end of August, when the weather started to turn a little less summer like and a lot more like autumn. However, a couple of days after the summer weather came back again, so I didn't really feel like I could post an autumn make-up look, while sitting wearing my summer dress and flip flops! 

I had been craving those berry/red shades so I picked up Maybelline's  Metallic Pomegranate  24 Hour Colour Tattoo, that Hannah reviewed 'here.' Hannah loves the Colour Tattoo's, however, the first time I used mine, I really wasn't impressed. It seemed to clump up and then peel off really easy. I also couldn't blend eyeshadow on top easily at all. The second time that I tried it, I actually really liked it. I'm not sure what I did differently, but they worked really well. 

1. I used the Metallic Pomegranate all over the lid. I really like the colour, however, I wish it wasn't so shimmery! I then put the light beige/orange Sleek shade (labelled with a 1), through my crease as a transission shade to make sure all of the future blending would look smooth and seamless. 

2. I next blended another Sleek shade (labelled with a 2), through the lower crease, blending it into the Pomegranate colour on my lid. I also lightly patted it over the lid. 

3. I also took the Pomegranate shade under my eye in the lower lash line.

4. I then used the black shade in the Sleek palette (Labelled with a 3), lightly in the inner corner and heavier in the outer v/outer corner of the eye. 

5. I then blended the black shadow in the corners under my eye 

6. I added Rimmel's gel eye liner to my lash line and flicked it out.

7. I used MUA's Shade 1, single eyeshadow as an under the brow highlight and also to highlight the inner eye. 

8. I finished off the eyes with a few coats of Benefit's 'They're Real' Mascara. (That I'm not too impressed with any more, as mine feels like it's running out after just a few weeks of use)!

As the eyes are pretty heavy, I wanted them to be the main focus, so I've kept the rest of the face very natural looking. I used Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, Rimmel Match Perfection Powder, Bourjois bronzer, Benefit Hervana blush and Revlon's lip butter in sweet Tart. 

I'm absolutely loving Autumn make-up looks so far and I really feel like I need more Autumn colours! Are there any products that I need to try? 

FOTD | DARK COPPER BROWN/BLACK SMOKY EYE

Although this post has been titled as a day make-up look, as I wore it in the day, it's probably better suited as a night look, unless like me, you like to always be wearing a lot of make-up. As I love to do make-up and experiment with new looks, I always make an effort with my make-up and like to look made up, so I don't mind waking up a little, well a lot earlier than perhaps necessary, so that I have time to do my make-up nicely. 

 I really liked this look and enjoyed wearing it. It has a nice amount of darkness and definition, without being too heavy or dark; as the black shadow has only gone along the lash line and then been smudged out and also doesn't go too far up the eye lid. The brown and copper shades are taken up into the crease to add to the smoky look. The brown shades make the eye look smoky without being too intense and heavy, as all black would. It makes the look more natural looking and easier to wear for more occasions. 

As the eye is quite dark I wanted to add a lot of high light under the brow bone and in the inner eye corner to brighten the eye and add a good contrast between the shadow and the highlight. I also wanted to contour the cheek bones and add a highlighter there to sculpt the face better. As the eyes are dark and the cheeks are contoured, I chose a light pink nude lip, to keep the look more wearable and to not take the main attention away from the eyes. My boyfriend even commented that he liked the 'nude lip,' in his exact words. I'm not sure how he knew what to call this but I guess after 4 1/2 years you start to wear off on one another. 

If I wanted to wear this look for a night out, I would add some false lashes and maybe a bit more black around the eye. You could also wear a bright pink or coral lipstick with this look, if you wanted a really made up look. 

Do you like this make-up look? What's your favourite looks at the moment? 

Products used:

Face: 
MUA Matte Perfect Primer
Revlong Photo Ready Foundation
Bourjois Bronzing Primer
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
Sleek Contour kit light
Mac Give Me Sun MSF
Benefit Dallas Blush
Rimmel 050 Live Pink blush

Lips: 
Top Shop Pillow Talk lipstick
Revlon Creme Brulee Lip Butter
Benefit Life On The A List Lip Gloss 


Eyes:
 MUA Brow kit
Rimmel Gel Eyeliner
Benefit They're Real Mascara
Sleek Ultra Mattes Eye Palette 
(All of the neutral shades)
MUA Undress Me Too Palette 
(Shades, Shy and Fiery).
MUA Shade 24 Pearl