Makeup Monday: Autumn Makeup Looks! (Guest Post)

Hello Lovelies!

I’m Rebekah from ‘It’s a Kind of Lovely’, and I’m so thrilled to be doing a guest post for Nadia!  I started following Dressing Table Delights pretty much as soon as I started my blog and we’ve been in contact ever since, through our blogs and on twitter.  So now on to the post!

I wanted to do a piece on autumn makeup trends as we are going to be getting into autumn soon, and I’ve decided to be prepared this time.  Having scoured the internet for photos from all of the fall/winter fashion shows, accessing Vogue online and other fashion/beauty magazines I have put together two interchangeable looks that will give you all of the basics you need.

Firstly I’ve gone for the ‘No Makeup’ look.  Basically this entails giving your skin a flawless look and no more.  I haven’t even used blush!  The only other staple trend I have incorporated with this look is bold brows which are going to be HUGE (literally) this season.

Products used:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation – 53 Beige Clair

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer – SC-3

Chanel Loose Powder – 20 Clair

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara (smallest amout possible!)

MAC lipstick – Shy Girl

As this look uses minimal product, it’s great for mornings you’re in a hurry - no need to look tired if you’re running late!

The second look is a little bolder.  Big on trend in all of the fashion shows was ‘Alternative Smoky Eyes’.  Basically, create a smoky eye using any other colours except your usual browns and blacks.  Popular looks were mauvey greys – such as the Bourjois smoky eyes palette in “gris lilac”, which gives a subtle smoky grey with a purplish undertone, which I love.  But I decided to use the Revlon CustomEyes palette in 030 Rich Temptations – which incorporates some of the most popular colours of the season.  Deep Khaki greens and Plum/burgundy purples!  

I’ve teamed this with the “Rosy Cheeks” trend; which could be worn with the first look too.  And the “Bold Lip” trend; and this season, it’s deep plums and reds that are coming to the forefront of popular bold lip of choice!  Again this can be teamed with a more natural looking eye.

Products used:

(same base as previous look)

Revlon CustomEyes Palette – 030 Rich Temptations (applied as per guide on back of product – helpful if you’re new to eyeshadow!)

More of my Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

MAC powder blush – Breath of Plum

Illamasqua cream blush – Lies (highlight)

Revlon Colourburst Lipgloss – 016 Bordeaux 

I can’t wait to play about with these trends, mixing them up and changing them out to get completely different looks!  What are you most looking forward to rocking in Autumn? For me I think it’ll be a bold brow and lip combo!

Rebekah xxx

It's Nadia here: As you can see Rebekah always looks amazing, her makeup looks are always so flawless - she's so good! I love this post and will be trying my best to copy ;) Thanks Rebekah!! 

Seduce - Illamasqua Cream Blusher!

Illamasqua Cream Blusher - Seduce - £16.50 - available online (currently out of stock)/in store/counter

I absolutely love the names of Illamasqua's blushers - this one is called 'Seduce' and it really did reel me in. This was the first colour that caught my eye and upon swatching it i fell in love. 

I stupidly left the shop as i wasn't sure i wanted to spend £16.50 on a cream blusher and when i finally decided i wanted it a few hours later the shop was shut :'(

However, my lovely boyfriend surprised me with this a week later because he knew how bad i wanted it (THANKYOU MARK!!)

As you can see this is a bright, fuchsia pink - there is no other way to describe it! It has a 'dusky' tone to it as apposed to a 'neon' which i think means it is more wearable and natural looking! It may look bright in the pan but when applied to cheek it looks so natural and adds a healthy, dewy flush. What i love most is it can be worn, under foundation for a subtle glow or on top of foundation for a more vibrant effect. It can also be built up to the desired intensity, so it can be worn by all skin tones, light to dark.

I apply this with a stippling brush as i find this the best method, but you can apply it with your fingers or any other brush that you find works for yourself! It lasts all day - 8hours-ish on my oily skin - so i don't think anyone will have a problem with how long this lasts. But setting it with a powder blusher in a similar colour with obviously make this last even longer (perfect for a night out). Illamasqua's cream blushers have a dewy finish which i personally prefer, if i wanted a matte finish i'd rather just get a powder blusher to be honest. 

You can clearly see how natural it looks on the skin above, it adds the nicest hint of colour! I have fell out of love with pink blushers recently, opting for a peach/coral cheek, but i make an exception for this shade. The dusky finish is 100x more flattering than the more bright, neon options. 

Does this make me want to purchase more Illamasqua cream blushers? YES YES YES. 

I like the look of 'Crush' a deep plum shade!

Unfortunately Seduce is out of stock on Illamasqua's website for the time being :( 

Illamasqua Powdered Metal 'Ezrule'.

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in 'Ezrule' - available online/in store/counter - £22.50 

Packaging: Classic Illamasqua round tub with a black lid. Very sturdy and shiny with Illamasqua printed on the side and the logo on the top. Nothing special but it does look nice stood up on my dressing table. I don't reccomend travelling with this, like any loose powder it gets very messy and when you open it, it can go everywhere! I suggest storing this upright to avoid powder spilling out - that way you don't make a mess and don't waste product!

Colour: This is a dark, warm brown. A perfect bronzer colour on medium/olive skin tones (i am an NC42). I think this will be too dark on light skintones and end up looking muddy but, don't worry they do other shades! On dark skintones this may be suitable as a highlight on cheekbones? 

Overall this is a lovely colour to give a 'ethreal' glowy look to the skin and contour/bronze at the same time. The golden shimmer comes out great on camera and is only really noticeable when directly under artificial lighting. Noone has ever pointed out the shimmer and been like 'you have a glittery face' so i'm guessing it doesn't make me look like a disco ball (thank god) just gives my cheeks a sun-kissed glow!

Consistency: It's like any other loose powder really. Finely milled powder with lots of small particles of golden shimmer - not gritty or rough - goes onto the skin very smoothly and can easily be blended! I have no problem whatsoever with the formula!

Left - No flash                                               Right - Flash

Length of wear: This lasts a whole night out for me - from 8pm til 3.30am - not a problem. The pictures (below) we're took after a concert - so it definitely has staying powder.

If you're looking for a powder that will give you a gorgeous glow, you know like you see on them beach adverts? Then don't hesitate - try this out! They can be a bit daunting at first - noone wants to look like a disco ball but with a light hand, a fluffy brush and lots of blending the result is a gorgeous, ethreal, glow.

I honestly adore this for when i'm going out  - not for everyday use. 

I love it so much i want a lighter version to use as a highlight (not at the same time though obviously)!  As you can see on the pictures above it gives the nicest effect! I can't praise it enough.. 

Oh i did get this when Illamasqua had a sale, but it is worth the full price it will last ages!

'Going out/Concert' Makeup!

So my last post was what i wore to the drake concert so below is how i wore my makeup for the night... 

These photo's we're took at the end of the night when i got home, so my makeup obviously isn't looking as good and fresh as it did at the start of the night! Still - at least you can see how these products faired through a concert (there we're no top ups) - i think it lasted pretty well if i'm honest!

Base: I wore my trusty Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation in shell beige, set with MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in shade medium dark and concealed using MAC'S Studio Finish concealer in shade nw35. This combo controls my oily skin extremely well considering i was dancing around for 4 hours at a concert and gave me a flawless(ish) base!

Bronze/contour: I just use a loose powder to contour which is a few shades too dark - i find this works best for creating a shadow. For the 'ethereal', bronze look i used Illamasqua's Powdered Metal in Ezrule brushing it onto my cheeks (concentrating in the hollows) and brushing it up to my temples and onto my forehead. This gave me a bronzed but sculpted look and the shimmer gave me a healthy looking glow and highlight!

Eyes: I used my favourite - Avon SuperShock mascara. I gave them a good few coats to get long, dramatic lashes. I used an eyeshadow by MAC called 'Dazzlelight' in the inner-corners of my eyes to give them a bright eyed effect and really open them up.

Lips: I used MAC's Viva Glam Nicki lippy! Absolutely in love - gorgeous, statement colour and long-lasting as you can see!

So, this is pretty much how i do my makeup for all nights out/concerts - the only thing that really changes is the shade of lipstick and the addition of false eyelashes - as i know it never fails to be long-lasting and gives me that healthy glow that i love so much whilst keeping oil at bay!

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

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