FOTD - Bronze Smokey Eye

Hi Everyone,

Today's FOTD post features one of my favourite looks- the bronze smokey eye. I must admit that I am not the most adventurous with my eye make-up on a day to day basis but I am getting better after following some absolutely amazing MUAs on Instagram. This one is pretty quick and easy and is just about subtle enough for everyday wear, although I did use false eyelashes today which definitely is not something I have time for every day!

Prep:

Ultima II Procollagen Extrema Day Lotion (I love this moisturiser and it is sparkly too!)

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

Face:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20

Benefit Erase Paste in Medium

Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium

Brows:

GOSH Eye Brow Kit (colours light and medium)

Cheeks:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (to contour)

Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-On Illuminator in Light (to highlight)

M&S Limited Collection Highlighter Drum

MAC Powder Blush in Melba

Eyes:

No.7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black

Estee Lauder Doublewear Stay-in-Place Gel Eyeliner in Stay Onyx

Eylure Naturalites Natural Volume False Lashes

From the Urban Decay NAKED palette: 

-Shade 'Naked' on lid

-Shade 'Virgin' on browbone

-Shade 'Creep' along lower lash line

-Shades 'Darkhorse' and 'Smog' along upper lash line

-Shade 'Half Baked' on lid

Estee Lauder Doublewear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black

Lips:

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in Nude Beige

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis a Levres in No.19

Phew, that was a lot of products! I hope you enjoyed my face of the day and I'd love to know what your favourite make-up looks are.. Maybe I'll try them next time!

Rosie x

Valentine's Look!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, we have been right in the midst of all the recent flooding and spent most of the week staying in a hotel!

Today I thought I'd share my (slightly belated) Valentine's look. I really wanted to stick to natural-looking, glowy make-up this Valentine's Day as we spent it at home enjoying a home cooked meal (yum!). For the base I used MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20 which I mixed with a little MAC Strobe Cream to give a slight glow. I used my normal concealers (Benefit Erase Paste in Medium and Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois) and dabbed a bit of Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator across my under-eye area and down my nose.

For my brows I used a MAC eyeshadow in Brun. I set the look using MAC Skinfinish Natural powder in Medium, before doing a slight contour using my Chocolate Soleil bronzer by Too Faced. I added some subtle sparkle to my cheeks using M&S's Limited Collection Highlighter, and used a small amount of Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in shade 02 on my cheeks to add a light flush.

Now, onto the eyes! The eyeshadows I used were all from the Urban Decay NAKED or NAKED 3 palettes. For the base I used the shade 'Virgin', and then dabbed the shade 'Half Baked' all over my lid (both from the NAKED palette). Under my eyes and in the outer corners I used 'Darkside' from the NAKED 3 palette, and in my crease I blended in 'Smog' from NAKED. I lined my waterline with a white liner from Revlon, and in the outer corners used my No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Gunmetal Grey. Finally, I finished the look with a bit of Benefit They're Real! mascara and a slick of MAC lipstick in Hue (recently purchased in a blog sale for a bargainous £6!).

That's it folks! I hope you like my Valentine's look and please send me your links if you have done your own!

Rosie x

Current Favourites: Nude Lipsticks

L to R: M&S Limited Collection Lipstick in Pink Shine, Collection Volume Sensation in Satin Bow, ELF Jumbo Lipgloss Stick in In The Nude, No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in Daydreamer, Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 101.

Top L: M&S Lipstick in Pink Shine, Bottom L: No.7 Lip Crayon in Daydreamer, Top R: Collection Lipstick in Satin Bow, Middle R: ELF Lipgloss Stick in In The Nude, Bottom R: Rimmel Lipstick in 101

 Hi Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying what's left of the weekend, although this weather is awful! It has been so dark and wet all day that I've barely been able to bring myself to leave the house.

Today I wanted to do a post on one of my major obsessions: nude lipsticks. I have been hugely unadventurous in the lipstick stakes recently and I have found myself acquiring a load of nude shades; my favourite of which I am going to share with you in this post. Nude lipsticks have been a long-standing favourite of mine for a while as they are so easy to wear, look very natural and compliment almost every makeup look. I could not live without a good nude lipstick in my makeup bag, and here is the lowdown of my current favourites.

First up is the Marks & Spencer Limited Collection (and Limited Edition!) Lipstick in the shade Pink Shine. This is from M&S's Christmas collection and comes in the cutest purple packaging decorated with snowflakes and reindeer. This is the newest addition to my nude lipstick collection but is already a firm favourite for the easy-to-wear shade, moisturising feeling and sparkly particles which give a lovely, glossy look. I have never bought an M&S lippy before but after trying this one will definitely be investing in more- the Christmas collection can be bought here and they have a gorgeous plum shade available too which may have to be my next investment!

Next is the Collection Volume Sensation Lipstick in Satin Bow. I have actually already done a review of this lipstick here but it is certainly a favourite of mine and therefore well worth a mention! It is a lovely, moisturising formula which feels very nice on the lips, although the lipstick itself is starting to melt a bit in the packaging which is a bit of a shame.

The E.L.F. Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in the shade 'In The Nude' is more of what I'd call a 'true nude', in that it is much more neutral/ brown-toned rather than pink. I like to wear this lipgloss for work as it is a very natural, 'your-lips-but-better' type product, although the smell is quite medicinal and not all that pleasant!

The No.7 High Shine Lip Crayon in 'Daydreamer' is also more of a browny-nude, and it is super glossy which I really like. I love this shade for Autumn- it goes really well with bronze and gold tones which I always associate with this time of year. It is the most expensive of the five lipsticks mentioned in this post at £9, although Boots regularly have offers on at this time of the year and I grabbed it for £6.

Finally, the Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate lipstick in colour '101'. This is definitely more of a pink-toned lipstick; I would describe it as a 'dusky pink'. Nevertheless, I am including it as a nude lipstick as the effect on the lips is still reasonably natural, and this is a regular favourite of mine when I want to add a splash of colour on my lips but don't want to go for anything too dramatic.

Have you tried any of the products mentioned? I am always on the lookout for new nude shades so let me know your favourites!

Rosie x