Easy eye look | Make up Revolution

Just a quick one today - to show you how I used this palette from Make up Revolution (Romantic Smoked) to do a really easy everyday look.


I started with the matte taupe in the middle of the palette, and applied it to my crease, with a wash of the third shimmery colour all over the lid - it's a really lovely almost - peach. I then added some of the bright white shimmer to the centre and inner corner of my lids and finished the look with the shimmery purple smudged along my lashline and pulled into a messy flick.


I have always really loved Make Up Revolution eyeshadows, I find that they wear really well and blend together nicely. This palette is a bit different with a few fun colours, but you can definitely use it to create such a simple look - just like this one.



If you haven't already, I would definitely recommend having a look at the shadow palettes from MuR - this one was only £4 and I've got so much use out of it!

Thanks for reading :)

Lou

Stila ~ In the Garden Palette | Review

Hello, you look nice.

I think I've been a bit slow on the scene for this one, but I have to say I'm really glad I picked this palette up.

I think this is the perfect collecting for someone like me, who loves a neutral look, but wants a cheeky dabble in some colours now and again, and this palette has a dash of blue, green and purple thrown in around the standard neutrals,

I apologise for the horrible swatches, but the light really wasn't doing the colours any favours, you'll  just have to believe me that they are one-swipe swatches and a really smooth texture.

The only change I would make to this palette is add a deeper matte shade or two- the only two completely matte colours are Chinois and Nectar, which are too light to deepen the crease with.

Apart from that, this is a really nice all- round palette, with nice everyday shades (Chinois,Nectar, Breeze, Bark, Sage), and the brighter shades (Honey, Freesia, Rossette, Juniper) for when you feel a touch adventurous.

Overall, I would recommend- lovely texture, good lasting power and I really like the selection of shades in here.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Stila In The Garden Palette

This is my first go with this palette, and I wanted to create something really wearable. Looking at the colour selection, it can come across a little bold: mossy greens and bright blues which might be bit outside your comfort zone. 

I think greens can definitely be wearable, especially at this time of year, and I really love this combination.

First of all, I washed Nectar in my crease just to create a little depth. There definitely wasn't a good selection of matte shades in this palette, which could be a downside for some people, but Nectar was just about dark enough to give the lid a little dimension.
I then went ahead and washed Breeze all over  the lid and Bark on the outer third and on the lower lash line. I added a hint of Chinois in the inner 1/4 and finished with a small dash of the liner which was included along the top lash line.

The shadows and the liner lasted so nicely all day, and I really love the soft day time look I managed to get from this palette.

I will hopefully manage to do a full swatch review on the whooole palette so you can see the beautifulness of it. I'm also really excited about using the blues... which look amaaazinggg...hang tight, coming soon!

Thanks for reading!
Lou xxx

Clinique High Impact Mascara | Review

I know mascara reviews aren't the most fun, so I'll just be throwing some pictures at you and moving along, m'k? 

I am definitely against the principal of high-end mascaras. It's such a boring make-up item, and yet something which makes such a difference to your face.

I got this Clinique High Impact mascara by accident really- it came as part of a Clinique skin care beauty box I got myself, and I hadn't been excited to try it. I basically had to because my Maybelline one ran out. 

I have to say though, I was pleasantly surprised, and if you're into high end mascaras, this is definitely a good one. It does all the right stuff- lengthens, curls, holds, separates, doesn't flake etc.

Well, the proof is in the pudding.

Thanks for reading!

Lou x

Naked during the day | Eyes

When you think Naked Palette, you think amazing smoky evening eyes, or least a nice beach-y bronze look. I've been experimenting with the original Naked palette for a relaxed daytime look with a tiny bit of smoke, and this is my favourite so far.

I used Buck  in the crease, Sin over the main part of the lid and the browbone, and Naked  to blend the edges. The real star of the show is Darkhorse- which I used on the lower lash line and outer v to create a daytime smoky look.
This combo is perfect for during the day on Saturday. I'll tell you why. It's enough to look 'done' if you are going out for the day or just spending time with friends or family. But what makes it great is that it can be a great base for anything extra you might want to add in the evening. Nothing too shimmery or dark which would be hard to blend over, but just enough so that I could go back in 6 hours and really make it night-time appropriate. Or, leave the shadow, wack on some liner, lashes and a bold lip and you're good to go. Fabulous.

I used the Seventeen Va Va Voom mascara, and a tiny smudge of Blackout from the Naked2 palette along my top lash line. Like, a tiny amount.

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading
Lou x

My current concealer cocktail

Who- ever said that one concealer could do it all was lying. Or they don't have the under-eye circles I have... OR they've found a magic make up product I have yet to stumble upon.

Anyway, I'm all about that layering life to make sure those bad boys stay hidden all day long. I can't say I'm 100% in love with all three of these, or that they're my holy grail concealers, or anything like that. But at the moment, it's working , and until I finish them, I'm not hugely bothered about hunting down some alternatives. If I ever need a hint more coverage, I pop a tiny dot of Collection Lasting Perfection right on the darkest part of my eye to really hit it where it hurts. (What?)

Feast your eyes on my eye. (Eye-eye Sir). My camera is fairly flattering, so the intensity of that eye bag just isn't showing up. Anyway, I've done a couple of photos to try to show you the concealer- layering process, and the finished result

So, first of all, I dab a little of the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque into the purple-most bits of my undereye bags. Now, despite costing me almost 20£, I have found it hard to fall in love with this product. It's super SUPER creamy, making it hard to set, and not to crease the moment you apply it. But, it cancels out most of the purple-ness fairly well, which I suppose is it's number one purpose.

The next step is to layer a little of the Maybelline Anti - Age sponge concealer thing over top, just to cover the peachy-ness of the corrector. Side note: check out that blending job on my nose. Oh wow.

Lastly, I layer a healthy load of L'Oreal Lumi Concealer, which is basically a brightening pen. You can get loads of these, and I would recommend any that L'Oreal make as I've tried a good few. Loverly.

And that's it! Wack a little powder on just to set the concoction, and you're good to go. I would be happy to get this routine down to two steps, but the Maybelline concealer isn't a good colour match to my skin, and needs a bit of a pick me up.

Hope this was helpful!
Thanks for reading!
Lou x

Travel Brush Edit

Being away from my full selection of make-up brushes really stresses me out, and I find it just as hard to limit my brushes as my actual make- up when I go away.
I always limit my selection to whatever I can fit into one of these Real Techniques pouches, which can comfortably hold these 9 brushes.
I also carry my travel powder brush in my bag at all times, so I have no need to pack an extra one when I go away.
It goes without saying that most of my brushes in general are Real Techniques, and when I go away I tend to take my favourites...which, funnily enough, are Real Techniques too.

Face brushes

Face brush wise, on this trip, I took my sponge, which I don't normally do because it's so annoying to travel with.
My Buffing Brush is my pick for base application. It blends in my foundation or whatever I'm putting on my face really well, and its nice and big and easy to use.
I use the Expert Face Brush for bronzer. I find that the dense bristles blend and buff a soft bronzer (normally the Body Shop Honey Bronzer) into my skin really well.
The Multi Tasker brush is fab for blusher; nice and big and cheek shaped. It doesn't plonk too much product on your chops, but if it does, you can always wack out the expert face brush for an extra blend.
The Elf Blush Brush is fabulous for highlight. If I'm using a powder highlight I will normally reach for this brush to swipe it along my cheekbones and blend  into the rest of my face products. Really cheap too! If you're really good with setting your under-eyes, this is a great one for that too.
The RT duo- fibre eye brush is my favourite for concealer. Either under my eyes or around a blemish, this is a really good one for softly buffing in product for a seamless finish.

Eyes

Eyes- wise (oo-er), I managed to pack almost the whole essential eye kit from Real Techniques without meaning to.
The Base shadow Brush is great for exactly that- getting the base of your shadow down. It's great for packing or brushing product onto the lids.
The Domed shadow Brush is fabulous for the crease. It's just the right size so that you get just enough in the right place, and just the right consistency to blend everything out beautifully.
The Duluxe Crease Brush is perfect for blending. Dodgy edges, complicated blending and colour-layering, this brush does it all.
The Accent Brush gets right up under the bottom lashes, or right into the crease if you're trying to get a more intense contrast. It's also great to wing out colour, or pack a dark colour on the outer corner, as it's so precise, it's hard to go over- board.

I find that for a trip, this collection covers the basics and allows me to do everything I want. If I'm away for more than a few days, I'd definitely give them all a wash, especially the concealer brush, to keep them clean.

Hope you enjoyed this, and it was helpful!
Thanks for reading
Lou x