Valentines Makeup Idea's.

I know not all of you 'celebrate' Valentines Day or even like it. But for some of us, it's just a lovely day to treat your partner a little, show them some tlc and generally have a nice time. I do have plans with my boyfriend to go out for a meal which is always nice as we don't get to do it too often!

I thought i'd create a Valentines Day makeup look that you could use for inspiration as it's always nice to jazz your makeup up a little bit especially if you're going out. I rarely wear eyeshadows so i thought this would be a perfect time to incorporate some colour.. 

Makeup used:  Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear set with Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation.  Concealer - Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection     Bronzer - Nars 'Casino'     Eyeshadow - Mac Cranberry (lid), Brown Down (crease), Black Tied (liner)     Eyebrows - MUA Brow Kit     Lipstick - YSL Rouge Volupte 'Forbidden Burgandy'. 

Or, if like me you feel like bright colour on the eyes and lips is a bit too much then you can always opt for a nude lip... 

Lipstick - Look Beauty 'Toffee Cup'.

Personally i prefer the nude lip especially if you're going out to eat as it's much easier to maintain. I'm definitely going to be sporting this makeup look this Valentines Day. 

Hope you like! And if you're not doing anything specifically for Valentines Day this might just be a little inspiration for you to be a little more daring with your makeup and get glammed up a little ;)

Makeup Monday: Rose Gold!

Hello everyone! I haven't done a makeup monday post for a while - not too sure why! But i want to get back on track. I shared my Pro Beauty haul the other day and have been loving playing round with a few of the bits i bought. Especially the NYX eye products! 

So i decided to use the NYX Cream Shadow in Pinky Beige on my eyes. It's such a gorgeous baby pink basically with lots shimmer going through it giving such a bright, wide-eyed effect. Sometimes i love to be a little (or a lot) girly so this is perfect because it looks so cute! 

I used the NYX 'Pinky Beige' Cream Eyeshadow on my eyes then set it with MAC's 'Expensive Pink' Eyeshadow which is a lovely light pink with a duo-chrome gold effect! It looks different in different lighting :) The cream shadow also looks great with Sleeks 'Rose Gold' Blusher on top which has even more gold through it! 

On my face i simple put Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation on my 'problem area's (nose, under eyes, chin) then buffed Laura Mercier's Mineral Foundation all over my face so a flawless but natural finish! And bronzed with MUA's Bronzed Perfection Bronzer and used Sleeks 'Rose Gold' Blusher on my cheeks as it doubles up as a highlighter too.

On the lips i stuck with the pink theme ;) And used Revlon 'Berry Smoothie' Lip Butter - love, love, love this product as adds a pop of colour whilst adding a little bit of moisture to the lips! 

Absolutely loving this eye combination recently. If i'm feeling slightly more dramatic i'll add a dark brown or black into the outer corner for some definition. 

What do you think? Rose gold on the eyes - yay or nay?

Makeup Monday: Lush Event!

Hello, as always on a Monday i'm showing you a FOTD! Please let me know if you like these every Monday. I'm hoping these help - i may tempt you into buying a new product or show you how to use a product you already own!

Anyway, i did a post on the Lush 'Emotional Brilliance' event i attended here it was such a good night. I love the makeup i wore this evening it's probably becoming my go-to makeup whenever i go anywhere half decent. It lasts all night long and i love the way it looks!

Face

17 Miracle Matte Primer (t-zone)

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (applied with Real Technique's Pointed Foundation brush on 'problem area's - under-eye, nose, spots and blended)

Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Powder (applied with Real Technique's Buffing brush all over the face)

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (under the eyes)

Nars 'Casino' bronzer (contour - cheekbones, nose and jawline)

No7 'Peach' Skin Illuminator (blended onto tops of cheeks and centre of nose)

Natural Collection 'Peach Melba' Blusher

Eyes

Une Skin Glow Pencil - shade G02 (applied on waterline, inner tear-duct and around eyebrows to define)

Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil (colour in eyebrows)

Avon Supershock mascara & George X-tend mascara (post here)

Lips

MAC 'Please Me' lipstick.

Now i've wrote that down it does look like a lot of products.

What do you think? Do you use any of these products? What's your secret to long-lasting makeup?

Night time makeup: Smokey eye!

In my my last post (here) i shown you an outfit i wore to party, in this post i'm going to show you how i did my makeup! At the moment i have been loving smokey eyes - day and night. I am forever playing with makeup and kind of make it up as i go along. So, here is what i came up with.. 

Face:

Foundation - Estee Lauder's Double Wear and Revlon Colorstay on top (thin layers of each - so long lasting!)

Concealer - MAC Studio Fix.

Setting Powder - MAC Blot Powder.

Contour - loose powder a few shades too dark.

Bronzer - MUA Bronzer in Shade 1. 

Blusher - MAC's 'Fleur Power'.

Eyes:

Base - MAC Paintpot in 'Groundwork' with a black eyeliner on top (smudged across lid and into crease).

Lid colour -MAC's 'Twinks'.

Crease colour - MAC's 'Brown Down'.

Highlight - MAC's 'Dazzlelight' (inner corner) Vivo Matte Eyeshadow 'Sandstorm' (browbone).

Eyeliner - Avon's Supershock gel eyeliner pencil (tightline and waterline).

Eyebrows: Avon double-ended kajal stick (brown end).

Lips:

Liner: NYX lip pencil in 'Natural'.

Lipstick: Lacura (Aldi's brand) lipstick '415 -Pink Rose'.

Ta-daaah - perfect night time look and it doesn't take too long either! This look stayed put all night i swear!

'Clubbing' Outfit!

Outift (simple really)

Dress - Primark - £10

Wedges - Varanni Shoes - £22.95

Makeup

Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear in ' 4W1Shell Beige' 

Powder - MAC Blot Powder 'Dark'

Contour - AVON Loose Powder

Bronze - Illamasqua Powdered Metal in 'Ezrule'

Eyebrows - Rimmell Eyebrow Pencil in 'Black Brown'

Lipstick - Look cosmetics 'Toffee Cup'

False Eyelashes - Rimmell 

Hair
Extensions from Jolin (link to website here)
Curlers used to curl hair - Babyliss Proffesional 210 Curling Tong (available from argos)

Outfit - Day in Manchester!

Last week i went on a Philosophy trip to the art galleries in Manchester (and lunch in chinese buffet - yummy) as our module is 'Why do we value art?' so it was supposed to be very helpful. It such a fun day but the weather was SO crap and horrid. So i had to wrap up warm. This is what i wore (along with my trust khaki green parka):

Jumper - Primark

Black Shirt - Topshop

Leather Panel Leggins - New look

Ugg Boots (Classic Short - Chesnut) - Uggaustralia.co.uk

Necklace's - Topshop

Rings (left to right) - H Samuel, my Mums Ring, Primark and my Mums Ring

Nail Varnish - Barry M 'Spring Green'

Makeup:

Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear

Concealer - MAC Studio Fix 

Powder - MAC Mineralise Skin finish

Contour - MAC Studio Fix Powder

Blush - Avon True Colour Blusher 'Russet'
Mascara - Avon Super Shock

Lips - Lancome Juicy Tube 'Lychee'

Snowy England & OOTD

Outside Selfridges at The Trafford Centre - getting a few snaps of my outfit in the snow!

Rihanna top - Primark (mens section)

Denim Shirt - Topshop

Parka Coat - New Look

Leather panel leggins - New Look

Bag (underneath Selfridges one) - Miss Selfridge

Ugg Boots - Ugg store or online

Necklace - Bohoboho.com

My boyfriend, Mark, in front of the Manchester wheel (a smaller, not-as-good version of the London Eye).

Yes, Trafford Centre and Manchester in one day - small haul to come!

Also got treated to a Nando's - lucky me! It was delicious and nice to be warm and away from the harsh, snowy weather enjoying a Double chicken pitta and chips (my favourite).

Enjoying some 'fun' in the snow (big cheesy grin on my face). My Ugg boots got slightly wet but luckily my feet were nice and warm! :D

Makeup

Foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear in '05 Shell Beige'

Concealer - Mac Studio Fix in 'Nw35'

Bronze/contour - Illamasqua Powdered Metal in 'Ezrule'

Blush - Avon True Colour Blusher in 'Russet' 

Mascara (lots of it) - Avon Supershock Mascara in 'Black' 

Overall it was a lovely day out, did not expect it to snow atall (glad i had my camera with me)! I hate the snow most of the time but this time i thought it was quite nice for some reason - i don't know why. Bought a few things, not much but, expect to be seeing them soon! 

Nadia xox

January Favourites.

Vivo lipstick,  Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, Avon mineral powder, Avon Blusher,  Avon double-ended eyeliner, Paint brush, Sigma flat top kabuki.

Clockwise: Vivo lipstick, Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, Avon Blusher, Avon mineral powder.


Some staples in my makeup bag this month! Through January i've used these products day and night all highly pigmented, long-lasting and quick and easy to use.
Swatches:

Top - Bottom: Avon blusher, Brown end of the eyeliner, Black end of the eyeliner, Avon Mineral Powder, Vivo lipstick and Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation.

Avon true colour blusher 'Russet' - Featured here in a previous post. At first i wasn't too sure about this blusher, i thought it was difficult to blend and too pigmented but with a change of brush this blusher is perfect for a natural flush of colour and sculpted cheekbones. I use this with a MAC angled brush that i got in a christmas collection (similar to the 168) and apply it on the apples on my cheeks and up to my temples (following my contour) = cheekbones of a model - almost!

Avon double ended kajal stick 'Black and Brown' - Two colours in one, perfect for all occasions! This is so easy to shove in my bag and apply on the go. It's handy to take out and change your look from day (brown) to night (black) if you haven't got time. Its a little too 'soft' and smudges if used for a 'cat eye' so i only use this on my waterline or if your in a hurry i draw this on my crease and outer v then blend with a brush = perfect smokey eye in a hurry!

Avon powder - I think this has been discounted (boo). It's just a powder i purchased that is WAY too dark which makes it perfect for contouring and slimming my face down - soft, highly-pigmented and easy to blend.

Vivo lipstick 'Nougat' - A neutral lipstick that is creamy and has good pigmentation. Even better, it's £2 from Tesco. Cheap and cheerful. Good enough for a day at college, looks natural but gives my lips a nice pop of colour.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - Don't think i need to say much about this product! Amazing high coverage foundation for oily skin. It's easy to blend and lasts all day - what more can you ask for? (full review to come).

Sigma Flat Top Kabuki - Christmas present that i haven't stopped using ever since - amazing for foundation, quick, easy and gives a seamless application (full post to come)

Royal paint brush - Bought from 'The range' a shop that can be found all around England. I saw this brush and thought 'ooh this will be perfect for blusher', it was so soft and the perfect size so i bought it and forget about it for ageeees. Several months and a wash later it is being adored for contouring my cheek bones - the PERFECT precise size! Amazing and cheap. GO BUY SOME PAINTBRUSHES!

 Nadia xox

Medieval Dress Up

So this is what i wore to a relative of my boyfriends 50th birthday party! As you can tell by the title and of course the outfit, it was a pre-19th century british character themed fancy dress and i was Maid Marian the partner of the famous Robin Hood.

We made the skirt and sleeves from burgundy velvet that we bought from a material store and the floral 'headband' was also some sort of ribbon from the same shop that i just tied and clipped in my hair. I wore my burgundy skater dress (similar to the ones sold in Topshop) and just put the skirt over, tied gold rope as a 'belt' and just put the sleeves on my arms (although they didn't last too long). It was freezing so my boyfriends hoody went on!

You can't see the shoes in the pictures as the skirt is so long but i wore my heeled chelsea style boots from River Island.  

Makeup

Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation(long lasting!!)

MAC Studio Fix concealer

MAC Blot Powser (set t-zone) and MAC Mineralize Skin Finish (set whole face)

Illamasqua Powdered Metal - Ezrule (contour/bronze)

Avon True Colour Blusher - Shade 'Russet' 

Eyes:

Cream shadow from an ELF palette

MAC 'Mulch' and 'Twinks' in crease and lower lashine and 'Carbon' in outer-v.

Mac Blacktrack gel liner (winged eyeliner) and AVON SuperShock mascara.

Lips:

MAC 'Twig' Lipstick

Overall it was such a fun night! I think even the birthday girl herself was shocked at all the effort everyone had gone to. Pretty proud of my 'homemade' outfit me and my mother made the night before - talk about leaving things to the last minute! There was stocks and everything it was so fun. And that is me enjoying chopping Robin Hood's (my boyfriend) head off!

What do you think? Like a bit of fancy dress every once in a while?

Nadia xoxo

Everyday Makeup Routine!

When your up at the crack of dawn and you need to be ready for education or work in half an hour, the last thing you want is to have to spend ages on your makeup. I think every girl should have a fast routine that she can rely on. This is mine:

Nothing fancy - just a simple daytime look that i can do in 5-10minutes at home or on the bus! 

I took these pictures after i had been out from 8am - 3pm so i'd had this makeup on for a good seven hours and i'm happy with how it's stayed with no top-ups (i didn't even have to powder my t-zone which usually ends up an oily mess) 

 This is a fairly new routine which i rely on most mornings when i need to be ready in a short time for college. It includes a new love which i'm going to go purchase!

My new love, is the well praised foundation - Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-place foundation. 

I've used it three times since i got the sample and still have some left. I've wore it twice for college (longggg days) and once for a party. Every time i have used it, i have been impressed with the staying power, the oil control and the coverage is amazing too. Beats my other foundations anytime.  I plan to do a full review when i buy the full bottle.   What are anyone else's views of Estee Lauder's double wear?

So anyway, i cleanse and tone my face with Lush's Dark Angel cleanser and Breath of Fresh Air toner. 

Then moisturise with Nivea's Soft Creme (tub). I definitely remember Nivea creams - i've used them all my life through summer and winter. Affordable and effective. 

I then apply either MAC pro-long wear foundation in NC42 or my new favourite Estee Lauder Double Wear in 4W1 Shell Beige. I put 'blobs' around my face with my fingers then blend with Sigma's Flat Top Synthetic Kabuki brush. 

I conceal my under eye circles and redness around my nose with MAC Studio Fix concealer in NW35 with my fingers then blend in some area's with Sigma's Precision Round brush (good for getting in all the little 'nooks and crannies')

Next i set the foundation and concealer  with MAC Blot Powder Pressed over my t-zone (especially my nose) i then dust MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark all over.

I then contour with a paintbrush actually (it is the perfect size) and MAC's Studio Fix powder in NC45. 

My go-to blush is MAC's Fleur Power - can be built up to a bright doll pink or applied lightly for a natural flush of colour. 

Then another new favourite is my Illamasqua's Powdered Metal in Ezrule to highlight my cheekbones and nose.

Last but not least, lashings of Avon Supershock mascara for long lashes. 

Sounds longer and more than it actually is, but this is my simple daytime routine. Sometimes i swap products like blush or mascara etc. But this my basic routine that i tend to stick to for the daytime. 

Wow, so i hope this may have helped you! I definitely recommend all the products i have mentioned. They are all effective and work well or i wouldn't use them myself.

Nadia xox