May 2015 Favourites | Makeup, Tools & Skincare
BEST OF | Pink Makeup
Valentine’s Day may be long gone, but there’s no reason to put down our pink-hued makeup just yet. For me, pink screams Spring. There’s something about the colour that adds a freshness, a youthfulness and a brightness to any makeup look. Whether it is a bright pop of fuchsia you’re craving, or the more toned-down rose option, this post will include something for you…
I’ll begin with perhaps the most unapproachable area of makeup when it comes to all things pink – the eyes. I can’t say that I’m a lover of neon fuchsia eyeshadow (although I was known to rock that look many, many years ago) but here I bring you subtle rose-tinted shades that while they add a hint of colour, won’t stretch you too far from the neutral spectrum. The most obvious option is the well-loved Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, which is a stunning rose-hued neutral palette. I have posted three looks with this palette which you can check out here. If this palette is slightly out of your budget, or if you’re still on the fence about these pink hues, a great affordable alternative comes in the form of the L’Oreal La Paris Nude Palette which delivers many similar shades (full review here). The final stunning pink option (in the top image) is the Mac Pigment in Rose. This is a really interesting mixture of gold and rose, and it is intensely shimmery and metallic. If you’re a neutral lover and you want to add colour to your arsenal, this comes highly recommended.
From the hardest feature to the easiest to incorporate pink is the cheeks. A pink blush is the nearest to a natural flush without using a full-on red shade. Finding the right shade of pink can add a gorgeous youthful glow to the skin. The first blush I bring you is from my favourite formula, and it is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface. These are the most long-lasting and smooth blushes I have ever tried and (apologies to all my non-American readers) you need to try one out ASAP. Ordering from Sephora is achievable these days so it is a little easier to get hold off. This shade is a pop of light pink that isn’t too warm or too cool so it would suit a huge range of skintones. On the more budget-friendly side is the Gosh Blush in Flower Power. This is slightly easier to wear that the bubblegum hues and works great on those with more yellow undertones in the skin. Having said that, I also feel this is a universal shade, and the slight shimmer adds a really pretty, but subtle, sheen to the cheeks.
My favourite way to incorporate pink, and my favourite makeup category in general, is definitely lipstick. If you’re like me and love to experiment with your lip colour and wear bold, bright shades, then Mac Lipstick in Impassioned is one of my all-time favourite shades. This colour is probably the shade that suits me the most out of anything I’ve tried, but I can see this working on so many people, fair to dark skin. It is a yellow-toned pink that leans slightly towards red. Stunning. For a slightly more blue hued fuchsia shade, I can’t recommend the Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil in Fuschia Desire enough (check out my full review of these here). Moving on to the more parred-down options, for those who love nude-pink shades, Mac Lipstick in Creme Cup will definitely become an instant favourite. The formula is gorgeously creamy and the shade is very flattering. Finally, a favourite everyday shade of mine would have to be Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon. This is a stunning warm-toned mid pink. It adds colour to your lips but it isn’t so much of a statement. This is definitely the one I’d recommend for those who are new to or slightly wary of pink on the lips.
And finally, we finish on nails. For the bright, in-your-face option, this Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish in Covent Garden Place is a fun and intense fuchsia, which i think looks amazing on the toes especially. This Barry M Nail Paint in Strawberry Ice Cream is definitely more everyday appropriate, but still adds enough pink to make it fresh and fun.
So that rounds up my pink-themed makeup picks. It’s funny because I wouldn’t really associate myself as a pink gal, but there’s something about pink makeup that is just really incredible, and it is a universally flattering shade. What are your favourite pink picks?
–RachelElizabeth
What’s In My Makeup Bag – New York Edition! | Blogmas Day #14
The time has finally come for my birthday trip to New York! This afternoon I am jetting off to NYC with the boyf to celebrate my 21st birthday! This was actually my present from my parents, and it is possibly the best a girl can ask for. However, I have committed myself to Blogmas, and I really want to keep up with posting everyday, so I actually plan on scheduling enough posts until I return on Thursday! I thought I would start off with what makeup I am planning on taking on my trip, as these are some of my favourite posts to read – everyone loves to be nosey…
I will begin by saying that I am by no means a light packer – I like to have options. Having said that I don’t think that I have gone too overboard; I will leave that one up to you.
Face
Because the days will be long, I definitely wanted to bring a primer. One of my all time favourites is the Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer (full post here), and as I’ve almost ran out, I thought I would be able to finish it off on the trip. I then decided to bring my tried and true L’Oreal True Match Foundation (review here)- I am bringing two shades (W1 and W4) because I fake tan, and once it fades I need to mix the shades. I am also bringing two concealers: the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard for blemishes and general imperfections and the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair to highlight the face. Moving on to powder products, I am bringing the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light (post here) to set my makeup, and the Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna and the Mac Blush in Harmony for general bronze and contour goodness (check out my recent post for more details on this!). I decided to bring two blushes – my all time favourite Tarte Amazonion Clay Blush in Exposed and Mac Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul. These are quite similar colours, but Exposed is matte and Warm Soul is very shimmery. Finally, I’m bringing my current favourite highlighter theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer (post here).
Eyes
This category is one that I feel I have actually been quite selective. I had to bring my trusty Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base to keep my eyeshadow looking flawless all day, and I also decided to bring the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Stay On Shadow Paint in Chained for days when I want a quick easy option. I decided to stick to one palette that has everything I need, and this had to be the Lorac Pro Palette – I have a full review and swatches here. This is still quite new to my collection but it is probably my favourite palette, and I know that it will serve me well. Next is the Urban Decay Ink for Eyes liquid eyeliner and for mascara I am bringing the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara. And of course I am bringing an essential to my makeup routine – my Tweezerman Eyelash Curlers and my current eyebrow pencil, the Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde. As a bit of a glamorous addition to my makeup for my trip I thought I would bring a pack of my favourite eyelashes, the Ardell Demi Wispies.
Lips
Probably my favourite category, and one that I always struggle to pack for! So I decided to bring the basic choices. For my nude lip option, I have picked the Kiko Precision Lip Pencil in 300 Caffe Latte and the Mac Lipstick in Kinda Sexy. This is one of my favourite go-to combinations at the moment. For a bold red, I chose another Kiko Lip Pencil in 306 Geranium Red and my current obsession, the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red. In case I’m feeling a bold lip that isn’t red, I decided to bring Mac Impassioned, which is another fave of mine. And finally, the newest lipstick in my collection, Tom Ford Leonardo (full post here) just because it’s stunning. For a lip liner to accompany that, I’m bringing Mac Beet Lip Pencil.
Brushes
The final category is tools. For ease, I will list the brushes I am taking, and if you want to know more about my favourites, check out my posts on brushes here. So from left to right we have: the Real Techniques Setting Brush, the Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush, the Real Techniques Contour Brush, the Real Techniques Multitask Brush, the Sigma E35 Tapered Blending Brush, the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, the Mac 239 Brush, the Real Techniques Blush Brush and the Mac 217 Brush. I know this may seem like a lot of brushes, but it means that I will have everything I could possibly need on my trip.
I apologise for the incredibly wordy post, but I hope that you enjoyed having a nosey in my makeup bag. Stay tuned tomorrow for all the skincare goodies that will be travelling across the Atlantic with me.
–RachelElizabeth
FOTD | Halloween Edition – Pop Art
I know Halloween has been and gone, but I still thought it would be fun to share with you what I wore. I had a lot of fun creating this pop art inspired look, and although it took me a long time, I definitely think that the end result was worth it. If you’re interested in how I did this look, keep reading…
I started with my standard foundation routine – the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer to ensure extra longevity, my L’Oreal True Match in W4 followed by the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard under my eyes and on any blemishes. I then set this all in place with the Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus.
Now onto the fun part. I primed the eyes using my standard Nars Smudgeproof Pro Prime Eyeshadow Primer. I then used the hot pink out of the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette (no longer available but any pink would work) all over my eye lid, and created a winged out effect using an angled brush. I then lined my eyes using the Mac Blacktrack Fluidline and extended the line to reach where I had winged the eyeshadow to. With the same liner, I outlined the shape of the eyeshadow, to create a slight cut crease look, and connected it to the inner corner. I lined the waterline with the Nyx Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk to create a bright eyed cartoon effect, then lined under the lashline with the fluidline. Next up was the eyebrows. I started by creating the basic shape with a black eyeliner and then went back over that with the fluidline to make sure it was really dark. I created the expression marks in the crease and in between the eyebrows by making a sad expression and following my natural lines.
The tear was pretty simple – I drew the basic shape with a bright blue eyeliner pencil and then set it in place with a corresponding eyeshadow. I then lined that again with the fluidline. Next up was the lips – I started by lining and filling in my lips with my trusty Kiko Precision Lip Pencil in 306 and topped it with the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper to create a vibrant and long lasting lip shade. I then lined the lips with the fluidline. Next up was the dots – the part I was worried about the most. I used my favourite Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in Red Essential as the tip was a bit thicker than a regular pencil which actually made drawing on the dots quite easy. They may not have been the neatest – I struggled on my cheeks where my skin was slightly more squidgy – but I think it worked for the overall effect. The finishing touches were to line the perimeter of my face with the gel liner and then spray my hair yellow with coloured hairspray (link here).
So I hope you enjoyed this post. If you were interested in what outfit I wore, it was an aztec style dress from Missguided – but I think any bright dress could have worked for this look. What did you go as for halloween?
FOTD | Makeup For Glasses
I’m not entirely sure why I’ve never spoken about or worn my glasses on my blog before, but I actually have to wear them everyday in real life. I also have contacts, but I’ve never found them comfortable enough to wear daily, and in all honesty, I actually quite like wearing glasses. The only thing that I find annoying is that makeup ultimately gets swallowed up by the frames, and there are also several factors that I have to consider when adapting my makeup for glasses.
So, my frames are Tom Ford (link here) and they are relatively new. On me I prefer a bigger frame, just because I feel it suits my round face shape. I really like the slight cat eye that these glasses have and I always go for tortoise shell frames as they are less harsh against my light features than black. However looking at them from a distance they practically look black meaning that they go with everything.
The main concept I’m going to focus on in this post is definition. Especially with big frames like mine, your face can get pretty lost and end up looking quite flat. I find it hugely important to pay extra attention to the brows – the key here is for them to look groomed, defined but not so intense that they compete with the frames. Today I used the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Taupe (full review here). I think it is also important to focusing on defining the lash line, especially when you have light-coloured eyes like me. I always go for a wing, and my favourite eyeliner of the moment is the Urban Decay Ink For Eyes (full post here). Finally, as cliche it may be when it comes to makeup looks for glasses, I love to rock a bold lip as it really balances out the face. Today I was feeling quite autumnal, so I lined my lips with Mac Beet Lip Pencil and then applied the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture in 60 Antifashion over the top. I love this lip combo as while it is still a berry, it still brings a lot of light and colour to the face.
I don’t believe that there should be any rules or restrictions you have to abide to when it comes to makeup, but sometimes, especially when you’re in a rush, it is nice to have a go-to look to fall back on. Glasses are a great accessory in themselves, so it often means you don’t have to wear as much makeup to make a statement. Do you wear glasses? What are your tips and tricks?
–RachelElizabeth
Urban Decay Ink For Eyes | Review
Winged liner has always been my go-to look – I would even go as far as to say it’s my signature. For the past two years or so, I’ve been more focused on trying gel eyeliners, but I felt I wanted a change. I have very oily eyes so I struggle with eyeliners smudging, so I’ve been searching for my perfect inky black, waterproof and long-lasting eyeliner and when Urban Decay released a new liquid eyeliner, I knew I had to try it.
The Urban Decay Ink for Eyes is an inky-black felt tip eyeliner. As expected from Urban decay, it is incredibly black and pigmented. The tip is super fine, but as you can see in the picture below, mine is slightly frayed. This hasn’t however effected the precision of application as it hasn’t affected the whole brush but it is a bit of an inconvenience. I find it really easy to create thin and thick lines with this pen, and creating a wing is also really achievable.
In terms of longevity, it definitely lives up to the claims. It is very waterproof – so much so that it can be difficult to remove. However, using an oil (such as The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil post here) makes it much easier to break down the product and remove. It doesn’t transfer to my brow bone and stays looking perfect all day long.
Urban Decay is one of my favourite brands and it definitely hasn’t disappointed this time. Have you given any of the new eyeliners from the brand a go? My eye is now on the cream liner…
–RachelElizabeth
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Streak | Review and Swatches
As I mentioned in my last lipstick-centric post here, I just haven’t been reaching for the bold lip colours as much these days. I have been all over the darker nudes and peachy pinks and some on the new shades I’ve been picking up have already shot up there with my favourites. This one in particular is becoming very highly valued in my collection…
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Streak is a warm toned peachy pink. Its quite a hard one to describe because its bright but very muted and wearable – almost a muted neon. As you may be able to tell, I had hit the fake tan bottle pretty hard before this photo was taken and I think this shade looks great when my skin is that little bit deeper. In terms of the formula, there isn’t much to say other than it is incredible. I have tried one other shade from the line, F-Bomb (blogged here), and it is just as good. They are so incredibly creamy, pigmented and long lasting, and I honestly cannot fault this range.
Short and sweet, this stuff is amazing and you need at least one of the range in your life if you’re a lipstick junkie like myself.
–RachelElizabeth
Inside My Sister’s Makeup Bag
Introducing to RachelElizabeth, fellow beauty addict and my older sister Charli. We both started watching YouTube at around the same time (a long long time ago), and she, much like myself, has a rather large beauty stash. I’ve wanted to include her on the blog for a while, and as she often travels back home to visit I thought there was no better introduction than having a nose in her makeup bag. She is a Physiotherapist, so I asked her if she could explain the makeup that she wears on an everyday basis, and, of course, the fun things she adds to spruce it up on the weekends.
“Working in a hospital means I don’t get the chance to top up my makeup throughout the day, and as I have oily skin I like to use products that keep me as matte as possible. On a daily basis, I start by prepping the skin – firstly, I use the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray and then prime with the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer. I find the combination of these products has been the best base to apply makeup on top of. For foundation, I use the Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC15, followed by concealing under the eyes and any blemishes with the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer also in NC15. This concealer is the only concealer I have tried that doesn’t crease under my eyes, and it stays put on my skin even at its oiliest. To set this all in place and to add a bit more coverage, I use the Mac Studio Fix Powder, again in NC15. To bring a bit of colour and subtle contouring to the face, I switch between the Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in Shade 03 and Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna (not pictured above). My favourite everyday blush is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed as I find it is natural enough for daytime when used with a light hand. To fill in my brows, I use the MUA Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit – the medium brown (top right) is the perfect shade for my brows. I used to use Mac Eyeshadow in Omega but I find the MUA option much more pigmented. I then set my brows with the Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara in Dark Blond. Finally, I curl my lashes and apply mascara. I use two different ones because most mascaras smudge on my lower lash line. My favourites are the Chanel Volume De Chanel Mascara for my upper lashes and the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara as it doesn’t smudge or transfer throughout the day. As a final step, I like to use the setting spray once more, just to lock in all the makeup.
“When I’m not working, I like to add a little more excitement to my makeup. In terms of eyeshadow, I like a light shimmery colour on the lids. For this, one of my favourite combinations is the Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in Shade 13 as a base and the Bare Minerals Nude Beach Eyeshadow. For a little definition, I like to take the bronzer I’ve used that day and blend into the crease of my eye. All three naked palettes are also my go-to eyeshadows. I love winged eye liner and for this I like the Bourjois Liner Pinceau Liquid Eyeliner – it is a nice matte black shade and it doesn’t transfer onto your brow bone. I also like to brighten my waterline with the Mac Chromographic Pencil in NC15/NW20. One of my favourite steps is highlighter, and for this I use the Chanel Poudre Signee De Chanel Illuminating Powder which I think was limited edition, but I love it because it has a very fine golden shimmer running throughout. For a more natural lip, my favourite is the Mac Lipglass in Nymphette as my all time favourite shade in lip gloss is pink with gold shimmer. For a brighter lip for spring and summer, I recently bought the Mac Lipstick in Full Fuchsia. This is great as it is not too matte but not too glossy, it wears really nicely and isn’t too drying.”
–RachelElizabeth
–RachelElizabeth
3 Red Lips
Red lipsticks are my weakness – I have managed to build quite a substantial collection. Everybody can pull off a red lip, its just a matter of finding one with the right tone to suit your face. Personally, I wear all sorts of reds, as I normally like to play up the lips when doing my makeup. Today I bring you three of my faves, from high-end to budget friendly.
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain – 9 Rouge Laque
The most expensive of the lineup, and one that was very hyped on its release. This was a very innovative product from YSL – if you haven’t read about/bought it already, this is a long lasting lip colour with a glossy finish. I like to apply 2 or 3 layers and blot in between to ensure the longest lasting application. The glossy finish lasts around 4 hours, and when it fades it leaves a stain on the lips. What I love about this particular formula, is that is really easy to reapply unlike some lip stains and it doesn’t dry out your lips. Shade 9 is a bright yellow toned red.
Maybelline Superstay 14hr Lipstick in Non-Stop Red
The budget option and a Lisa Eldridge recommendation (if you don’t watch her videos on youtube, you must!). This is a really great long-lasting matte formula that really does stay on the lips for hours. You have to make sure that your lips are well exfoliated and hydrated as imperfections can show through. However, if you like a matte formula, you will no doubt enjoy this. Non-Stop Red is a bright slightly pink-toned red.
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in F-Bomb
Last not least, is the most classic shade of red amongst the three in this post. The release of the Revolution lipsticks was also a big one. They claim to have everything – longevity, high pigmentation and hydration. I am pleased to say that this lipstick really does deliver, and is one of the most comfortable lipsticks to wear even though it is a long lasting formula. F-Bomb is a slightly deepened blue-toned red, and one of those reds which make your teeth look really white.
I could ramble on about red lipsticks all day, and I have such an extensive list of favourites that would have made this blog post tediously long. As you may be able to tell from the three I decided to feature in this post, I love long-lasting formulas and I would recommend all of these completely. What’s your go-to red?
–RachelElizabeth