Time to Believe

Yes, it seems that moisturising, long lasting bright lip colour is possible!

I’ve been playing around with my lipstick collection lately and today I dug out Believe by Lush, from their emotional brilliance cosmetics range. I picked this up last summer but haven’t worn it much so it was a pleasant surprise today to rediscover just how long lasting, vibrant and comfortable this product is. It doesn’t dry out unlike many other long lasting lipsticks that I’ve tried so your lips feel moisturised and it never turns into a crusty film of colour that peels off in flakes during the day (yes, I have experienced that with some other products before and yes, it is gross!)

I applied this over a bright pink lip liner by Gosh and it lasted seven hours on me until I decided to remove it before eating my dinner. Usually I would apply a bright colour like this with a lip brush but you can achieve a good finish with the doe foot applicator that comes with the product so I just applied it using that.

Below: Gosh lip pencil in Glam Pink (left) and Lush liquid lipcolour in Believe (right)

You can see the lovely texture and vibrant colour really nicely in this close up pic below:

I kept my eyes simple by blending an orangey gold across my lids and finishing off with some mascara et voila, the finished look (well, plus a little foundation, blush and face powder too!)

And here’s a quick close up of my eyes just because I took a picture of them so I figured I might as well include it!

Septemberry

What with the weather on the turn and the word “September” just begging me to make a pun out of it and the usual make-up trend at this time of the year for berry tones I thought I’d do a mini-series of berry looks.

I haven’t bought any new make-up for a couple of months because I’ve just moved cities (London to Edinburgh) so my make-up budget has been going on boring household bills lately. However, it’s probably just as well as berry colours are popular every autumn so I had plenty of berries in my make-up stash already that had just been lying around neglected since last winter.

First up here’s a deep red matte cranberry lip. I used“Cranberry” matte finish True Colour lipstick by Sleek which I got in a Christmas set that came out a couple of years ago so I don’t think that it’s currently available alas, although I’m sure there are a few similar shades in their current range. This lipstick is very, very pigmented and even works well mixed with lip balm and worn as more of a shiny stain (haven’t got any pics of that today though I will post some another day if I remember).

This kind of colour can be a bit problematic and in fact you can see that it’s a bit patchy in the close up although from a distance I think it looks fine. Matte finish lipsticks are often quite dry so it was a bit difficult to apply evenly. When I’m wearing a strong lip like this I like to apply colour on the centre of the lips straight from the lipstick bullet but then work on the edges with a brush to ensure a super-crisp outline. I blotted after applying one coat then went ahead and applied a second. Worn like this this lipstick lasts for ages and ages on me – I get six hours wear before I have to worry about touching up and it even survives food and drink.

On the rest of my face I went for matte skin, slightly flushed cheeks and a slick of mascara. I think this is a really nice autumn daytime look, though if I were wearing this lipstick after dark I’d go all out and pair it with a dark, smoky eye.

Two Tone Lips with Illamasqua

Here’s a bright, fun look to rock when you feel like wearing a bold lip. It was chucking it down with rain the day I wore this look and these bright colours definitely helped cheer me up a bit!

My tip for creating very precise lip shapes like this is to use a slanted eyeliner brush to apply the lipstick for extra precision.

I used the dark purple Kontrol and bright red Drench lipsticks by Illamasqua. I concentrated the red as a dot in the centre of my lips, but Illamasqua have done a whole Youtube video showcasing their take on the two-toned “lip ombre” trend where they create a slightly different shape. Anyway, it’s definitely a look designed to be played with!

Fun Daytime look for Autumn 2013

Hellooooo again! So the explanation for my three month blogging hiatus is that I actually moved across the country from London to Edinburgh a month ago and have been very busy organising the move and setting into my new home.

If you’d like any more info on my life in London and/or Edinburgh in general then there will be more updates coming soon to my “life” blog at http://ahteem.wordpress.com/

But back to make-up which is mainly the point of this blog. Today I’m easing myself back into blogging with a simple daytime look featuring metallic earth tones on the eyes and a lovely subtle matt peachy lip.

Above: I used the shades “Oz” (the olive shade) and “South” from my Urban Decay Glinda palette (pictured below – these are the two shadows in the bottom right)

The result on the eyes is quite subtle and perfect for a lazy (this took me about five min to apply) but fun daytime look. A word of warning though – there is bad glitter fallout from both of these shades, so have a glitter busting solution on hand (such as some gentle sticky tape to lift the glitter off the skin with, or some loose face powder to try to brush the glitter off with) when you apply these to clean up all the glitter that will land on your face from these shadows!

I did a “triple flick” eyeliner shape or as I prefer to think of it – drawn on lashes! It’s just a fun way to shake up your eyeliner routine if you’ve gotten into a winged-out rut like me and always wear your eyeliner in the same way but fancy trying something a bit different. The liner I used was 24/7 liquid liner in Smog by Urban Decay which is a lovely deep khaki green shade which complements these particular shadows perfectly.

Finally I patted on a matt peach lipstick – I used Accessoize matt lipstick in Smitten. As you can see from the pic it’s a gorgeous colour but it’s a bit difficult to work with as the dry texture tends to settle into the fine lines of the lips. My solution is to pat it on from the bullet then work it into the lips with a lipbrush, mixing with another creamier orange lipstick if necessary. I think the end result is worth the effort though and it’s the shade that I’ve been reaching for time and again the past few weeks.

Sleek Candy Collection

Sleek Makeup have just released a limited edition summer collection called the Candy Collection which consists of a 12-shade eyeshadow palette (i-Candy, £7.99), pout paint (Lol-Lip-Pop, £4.99) and blush-by-three blush trio (Sweet Cheeks).

I did hesitate for a while over whether to buy the entire collection or not. The products aren’t exactly expensive, but they’re not really what you could call cheap either. What I would say though is that Sleek are a great value-for-money brand when you consider the price-to-quality ratio. In the end, I decided to buy them all instead of any other make-up this month.

The products come in cardboard packaging featuring a mouth-watering cupcake and sweets design. I wish they could print these designs onto the make-up packaging itself which is the same slick black packaging as normal.

I have to say that while the blushes and pout paint definitely remind me of candy floss and iced cakes, the eyeshadow shades don’t exactly scream “candy” to me. I think this might have been more suitable as the palette in the Aqua Collection while the Lagoon palette would have been more suitable as a candy palette. Here are the two side by side for a quick comparison (Lagoon palette on top):

First up, here are swatches of the blushes and Pout Paint.

From left to right: Cupcake (creme), Dolly Mix (matte), Candy Floss (satin); Lol-Lip-Pop pout paint.

I was super-excited about this blush-trio and originally this was the only product from the collection that I was going to buy. However, I wasn’t too impressed when the creme blush left staining on my arm when I removed it with my normal make-up remover so it does make me think that these might be just a bit too pigmented for blushes. I’m not too keen on the formula of these.

I have been enjoying the Pout Paint more than I thought that I would though. There’s a whole range of different Pout Paint shades available and they’re designed to be easy to mix up to allow you to create your own custom colours. This one is no different to the others in the range - it offers fantastic pigmentation and opacity, the texture is creamy and very comfortable on the lips, and the product lasts a respectable 3-4h on me. The main disadvantage for me is the packaging, which I find a bit difficult to work with. Pout Paints aren’t the easiest to top up on the go due to the fine nozzle and I always apply them with a lip brush to get a sharp line.

Below, the eyeshadows swatched.

Left to right: Strawberry Sherbet, Bon Bon, Parma Violet, Apple Sour, Pear Drop, Flump, Liquorice, Blue Fizzle, Aniseed, Bubble Gum, Mint Cream, Cream Soda

The quality of this palette is excellent. I think this is one of the best quality Sleek palettes that I own. The pigmentation of Parma Violet in particular is unbelievable – it’s definitely the most intense violet eyeshadow I own. While I think that the colour scheme is a bit incoherent, you can definitely mix-and-match up some fun bright looks with this palette.

To conclude, this collection is brilliant if you love bright colours, but definitely one to steer clear of if you prefer your neutrals. In the pic below I’m wearing Apple Sour, Pear Drop and Flump eyeshadows (along with some purple eyeliner and mascara too), a mixture of the two powder blushes and Lol-Lip-Pop pout paint.

Neutral Lipstick Selection

I have two favourite shades of lipstick that I’ve basically stuck to since I was about 18. I do realise that I’m stuck in a total lipstick rut but it doesn’t matter how many other shades I try, I always end up with these old faithfuls back in my handbag.

I don’t stick to one brand though, I just end up with the same shades from different brands. A useful result of this though is that I’ve discovered one MAC dupe and one quite close match.

I

Above (all pics) left to right: MAC Honey Love, MUA Lip Boom in Ok.com, MAC Creme in Your Coffee, B. lipstick in Orchid

Honey Love is slightly darker than OK.com but actually the difference is not very noticeable on my lips, while Creme in Your Coffee is very very similar to B.’s Orchid.

MAC lipsticks cost around £14 in the UK whilst MUA Lipbooms cost £3 and B. lipsticks are around £8 (but are often on special offer at Superdrugs). The quality of both MAC lipsticks is very good but I don’t think I would repurchase Honey Love because it has a very dry texture, and while Creme in Your Coffee is very good, to be honest I find the B. lipstick to be just as good but it’s also cheaper and cruelty free.

Don’t worry about me having two of each shade of lipstick though, I promise that these are my everday shades and I’m sure to use all of them up (probably by the end of this year!) And when that happens, I will be on the search for the next creamy tea shade and reddish brown!

Saturday Makeup

Hmm, cascading hair, smokey brown eye make-up and brown lips – seems like I went for a bit of glamour with my makeup today for no particular reason! I think this make-up is perfect for Saturdays though as the colours are pretty subtle for wearing during the day but there’s still enough depth to give a bit of added drama for going out at night.

This is a bit of a “bargain” look as most of the products I used were from low cost brands (although a bit of MAC did sneak in there….)

On Eyes: Essence eyeshadow in Light the Fire, Place! blended with MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Havana in the outer corner; Essence Sun Club Gel Eyeliner in BBC All Night Brown; MUA Mega Volume mascara in brown.

On lips: B. lipstick in Orchid

Big Bang

I got this Urban Decay Super Saturated lip pencil in Big Bang for Christmas but hadn’t played around with it until this weekend. I’m not sure if I really approve of lipsticks/glosses that come in pencil form that you have to sharpen because it feels like an awful waste of product. Anyhow I will try to remember to stick this one in the fridge for a couple of hours before sharpening it as that will make the product harder and hopefully cut down on waste a little.

Big Bang is a beautiful bright fuschia with plenty of sparkle thrown in. It actually matches the colour on the barrel of the pencil quite closely. I wore this for four hours before eating some scampi and chips after which it was still on my lips, then I had to remove it with make-up remover as I was going to a party and wanted to wear a different colour on my lips. So to conclude, if you’re looking for a long lasting bright pink, this could be your lippie. Super Saturated lip pencils retail for around £14 for 2.8g in the UK.

1920s Revisited

One of my friends had a ‘20s style birthday party last year, and it seems like the 20s are still in fashion as another friend celebrated her birthday with a ‘20s themed night out this weekend. Here’s a photo of a couple of us, with some different photo effects applied just for fun.

I did the make-up for my friend and me and did the same look on both of us just to save time. I was actually really pleased with how it turned out; 20s evening make-up is such a fun look to recreate because you can play around with smoky eyes, dark lips and bright cheeks!

Above: original photo

Some Quick ‘20s Make-up Tips

I love this youtube video by the fantastic Pixiwoo on how to create a very authentic ‘20s look.

And here are my own quick tips on how to create a quick and simple evening look with a ‘20s vibe. Disclaimer: These tips are about how to create a fun look, not about achieving a super-authentic ‘20s look!

• On eyes go for a rounded eyeshadow shape in smoky colours and extend your eyebrows with some pencil/eyeshadow. I think eyeliner and mascara are optional as the smoky colours themselves already lend a great deal of intensity to the look. We’re not wearing any in the photos above.
• The lip shape was quite rounded with a very defined cupid’s bow. Use a lip pencil to help draw on the perfect cupid’s bow, and try painting your lip colour on using a slanted eyeliner brush for added precision. Add some bright blush to the apples of your cheeks in a round shape.
• Finish off with tons of face powder, and your ‘20s look is complete!

Match Your Makeup to your Handbag

Make-up has always been heavily influenced by the trends at global fashion weeks, so here is my fashion-inspired trend du jour: matching my make-up to my favourite handbag. What do you think? Is this a trend that could/should catch on?!

Trend-setting aside (he he), coral just happens to be my favourite make-up colour at the moment because it matches my thank-goodness-it’s-spring-at-last sunny mood!

I’m wearing a coral coloured Hello Kitty lipstick in the shade Betz Believe, a bright orangey pink from my Sleek Respect iDivine eyeshadow palette, and a coral blush.

I think this lipstick is amazing – but I don’t know if it’s available anymore as the stands seem to have disappeared from all my local Superdrugs! It has a very nice, creamy consistency and good coverage in just one swipe. Hello Kitty, if you are out there reading this, please come back to Superdrug soon – I’m a big fan of your range!

I teamed the eyeshadow with royal blue eyeliner and mascara because I felt that my eyes needed the extra definition of some eyeliner with such an orange shade (to avoid looking like my eyes were just pink because I had an eye infection!) but I wanted something less harsh than black. I know that many people hate coloured mascaras because they find them a very “teenage” look or consider them to be unflattering, but to be honest, I really do think that certain shades can really be an asset in a make-up bag. Today for example I think black would have overwhelmed this look somewhat, whereas the blue lent it just the right intensity.

Dainty Doll Bargain Pack

I picked up this bargain pack in TKMaxx a couple of weeks ago for £4.99. I haven’t seen Dainty Doll in many shops but I’ve checked the Boots website and the current prices listed there are eyeshadow - £11.50; lipstick £12.50; cream blush £13.50. So this set represented a saving on the RRP of £32.51, cool! (However, I can also let you in on a little secret that this selection of products and more are also available at a reduced price on Fragrancedirect at the moment if you’re interested in checking them out...)

I’m not sure how well known this brand is nor how popular it is really as it doesn’t seem to have wide distribution at the moment. It was launched around five years ago by former Girls Aloud band member Nicola Roberts who wanted to create a range specifically aimed at paler complexions. The products come in cardboard packaging with a cool illustration a lithe-limbed ginger haired beauty.

The packaging itself is very sleek and satisfyingly heavy, although slightly annoyingly the rubberised finish of the pans does pick up dirt and finger prints easily.

Above: eyeshadow in 004 Copacabana

Above: cream blusher in 001 Paper Roses

Above: lipstick in 006 Baby Love

Above left to right: Copacabana, Paper Roses, Baby Love

I bought the pack without being able to look at the products before purchase so it really was a lucky dip. I have to say though, I think I did well! The eyeshadow is insanely bright and pigmented but it’s just the kind of shade that I like. I also got incredibly lucky with the lipstick which is the same kind of cappuccino nude that I usually choose as my everyday work shade.

The cream blush is a lovely shade of pink but unfortunately it’s a bit too light for me – it does show up on my skin, but the finish is too subtle for me. This could be a great choice for somebody looking for an ultra-natural looking blush though.

In the shots below I’m wearing all three of the Dainty Doll products and also a light shade of eyeshadow as a highlight under my brows, a thin slick of teal eyeliner and some mascara.