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

How I Contour

Hi Everyone!

Today I wanted to share with you a quick post on my contouring habits. Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you'll know that contouring and highlighting is a key part of any makeup lover's regime to slim the face, accentuate the cheekbones and highlight our best features (!) whilst simultaneously trying to hide those that we're perhaps less fond of.

I don't claim to be an expert but I love to have a go at "HAC"ing (Highlighting & Contouring- name borrowed from Maskara's blog!), especially as my face is heart shaped and I have quite a high forehead.

There are loads of products on the market at the moment for HACing, but my personal favourites are:

Contour:

Chanel Tan De Soleil or

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer or

Topshop Bronzer in Sandcastle (which I cannot find online)

Highlight:

Estee Lauder Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator or

Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois

I also tend to use a powdered or liquid highlighter such as Revlon Photoready Skinlights Illuminator to finish the look and give my skin a real glow.

For the look above I used the Estee Lauder Illuminator and the Chanel Bronzer, which is great for contouring as it is quite creamy and very easy to blend! As you can see I swipe the bronzer across the top of my forehead, under my cheekbones, down the sides of my nose and around my chin/jawline to begin with (over foundation). Some beauty bloggers will tell you not to contour too far down the face and keep it as a clean line to the middle part of your cheek, but if you have a heart-shaped face like mine you may find that this just isn't enough! I like to blend right the way across under my cheekbones to create a more visible 'apple' of the cheek, but that's just personal preference!

I also apply the highlighter down the centre of my nose, under my eyes, on my lower forehead and on my upper lip and eyebrow arch. I tend to blend the bronzer in with my Real Techniques Contour brush but prefer to use my fingers for the highlighter. Just keep blending until you're happy with it! It can be as dramatic or subtle as you like, that's the beauty of it!

To complete my look above I just swiped some Too Faced Powdered Sun onto my cheeks, added a slick of MAC lipstick in Costa Chic and lined my eyes with my Estee Lauder Doublewear Gel Eyeliner and some mascara. Easy peasy!

I'd love to hear about how you contour/highlight and what products you use so please leave me a comment below!

Rosie x

Face Of The Day

Hello lovelies!

Today I am doing a quick Face of The Day post to showcase some of the fab new products that I have picked up recently. I have always been a fan of the full coverage foundation, but in this look I am trying something a bit different and using a BB cream instead. I did not expect to like this look as much as I do, but the BB cream I used gives a lovely illuminating glow and is perfect for everyday. I hope you enjoy!

Face:

Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in Pink Light (under BB Cream)

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer in 001

Revlon Photoready BB Cream Skin Perfector in 020 Light Medium (applied with fingers, not a brush)

Clinique Even Better Concealer in Chamois (used as highlighter on nose, cheekbones, chin and forehead)

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium

Brows:

MAC Eyeshadow in Brun, applied with Bare Minerals Brow Brush

Cheeks:

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer to contour

No.7 Instant Radiance Highlighter to accentuate the highlighted areas

MAC Blush in Melba

Eyes:

No.7 Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black (on upper and lower waterline and smudged slightly under eyes)

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Lips:

Natural Collection Lip Lines (this is an old one and I can't find the shade I'm afraid!)

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

Overall I love this dewy, fresh faced look and it was so easy to create that I will definitely be doing it again! The Photoready range from Revlon is a firm favourite of mine at the moment and looks so flawless in photographs- I am planning a post on my favourite products from the range which will hopefully be available soon.

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone and of course feel free to leave me a comment!

Rosie x

Current Lust List!

Hi Everyone,

Firstly, I hope that you've all had an amazing weekend! I haven't been feeling too well, hence why things have been a bit quiet on the blog-front, but have had a lovely day today holed up in my cosy flat catching up on this week's telly.. Bliss.

I am SO delighted to see that my blog has now reached an amazing 313 followers! I am so grateful to every one of you for visiting my blog and I cannot believe how much it has grown since I started in June. I only hope I can keep it up!

Today I am doing another Lust List, as again I find myself wishing for so many things that I cannot possibly hope to own them all. I am sharing a selection of my current lusts with you here, most of which will be making their way on to my Christmas List shortly!

First up is the Daisy Eau So Fresh scent from Marc Jacobs. This is not a new perfume but it is a pretty recent discovery for me and I am dying to get my hands on it! The fragrance contains notes of raspberry, wild rose, grapefruit, plum, apple blossom and cedarwood and is very fresh and delicious. I am a big fan of fruity-scented perfumes that are not overly sweet and this one ticks all the boxes for me.

I also currently have my eye on these over the knee boots from the Betty Jackson Black collection at Debenhams. I have been looking for some slim-fit, over the knee boots for a while now and I think these boots are really smart looking and would work well for Winter. I would wear them with some dark skinny jeans, a t-shirt and my favourite wool shrug from Zara for a casual, wintery look.

Every good outfit needs a good bag, and I love this black and white number from DKNY. I'm a big fan of DKNY bags as they are good quality, look very chic and manage not to be crazy prices. This one is £240 which admittedly is not exactly a bargain, but compared to other designers I think it is reasonable. I love the detail on this bag; the DKNY chain and the white stitching, plus it is practical as it has both a long and a short strap and zips up at the top which is handy on the tube. Definitely a good work handbag!

I am also keen to add this 'No Makeup Makeup Fresh and Flawless Face Palette' by Too Faced to my makeup collection. As soon as I saw this palette I fell in love with it- it contains a shimmer bronzer, creme and powder blushes, and a concealer, luminiser and brightener.The colours in this palette are lovely and natural and perfect for creating a 'healthily flushed' look for Winter rather than looking too 'done'. I am really loving my creme blushes at the moment and this palette contains a really pretty pink shade that is unlike any that I already own.

Finally, I've heard some really good things about Crest Whitening Strips and would really love to get my hands on some. I have been considering teeth whitening treatments for a while now as I think a nice, bright smile really makes a big difference to the way that you look. I have a few friends that have had their teeth bleached and the results are just amazing, but at about £300 it is a little out of my price range for now! These strips are a cheaper option but still promise great results.

So, there you have it folks- my current Lust List! I would love to hear what you guys are lusting after or what you think of my choices, so please feel free to leave me a comment below!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday :)

Rosie x

Too Faced- The Bronzed & The Beautiful Palette Review (and some freebies!)

Hi Guys,

How have your weeks been so far? Mine has been busy, lots of dinners and drinks after work, and I've been dying to do a review on my new Too Faced palette all week but just haven't found the time (until now!).

As I mentioned in my last post, this palette was a bit of an impulse-buy after drooling over it at my friend's house on Saturday. I am a bit of a bronzer addict to be honest, and despite my best efforts I just haven't managed to find my ultimate bronzer in my quest for the perfect, healthy glow. My recent favourite has been Chanel's Bronze Universel, but I am always on the lookout for a great new product, and after trying this I just had to get it for myself.

I bought this Too Faced palette from ASOS, primarily because I am a regular ASOS shopper and have signed up to their free Next Day Delivery service. It also had the added benefit of offering a 10% student discount off the original price of the palette (£28), so I snatched it up for just £25.20. Given that a full sized bronzer from Too Faced would set you back £25, this palette (containing 5 different products) seemed like a pretty good deal!

This palette is the 'French Riviera edition' so is decorated with lots of 50's style beach scenes, which I love. I think Too Faced package all of their products really well, although the size of this palette does not make it ideal to just slip into your handbag. The products within the palette are: 

- Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer

- Snow Bunny Perfecting Bronze

- Sun Bunny Classic Bronze

- Powdered Sun Highlighter (exclusive to this palette)

- Primed and Poreless Bronze Tint Primer (5g)

The Chocolate Soleil is my current favourite as it really does smell deliciously chocolatey and reminds me of the Bourjois Delice de Poudre. I have been using this shade for contouring and then highlighting my cheekbones with the Powdered Sun, which is a great shade for Summer as it is yellow toned. 

Sun Bunny is one of Too Faced's more popular products, although it is quite shimmery rather than matte and so more of a night time product in my eyes. I like the fact that it is two-toned so can be made as subtle or as defined as you like, and I can't wait to use some of this on my next night out with my Costa Chic lipstick from MAC- such a great summer look! 

The Snow Bunny bronzer on the other hand is described by Too Faced as a Winter bronzer, probably due to the pinker tones in the highlighter, and I really like the idea that this palette will see me through all seasons! I have used some of the highlighter alone on days when I have not been wearing much makeup and it is a great product for lifting the complexion and making skin look a bit brighter.

Top Left: Chocolate Soleil, Top Right: Sun Bunny, Bottom Left: Powdered Sun, Bottom Right: Snow Bunny

I also love that this product comes with a primer. I bought myself a Too Faced primer some time ago and deliberated for ages whether to get the bronzing primer or the normal.. I settled for the normal in the end, so I'm so pleased to have a chance to try this one! This just gives a really subtle, healthy colour to the skin and leaves a really smooth base to apply foundation. I find the Too Faced primers quite silky and not remotely greasy, and I love that they are quite thick so you can really tell the difference after applying.

Finally, also included were some instruction cards on how to create different looks using the palette. This is great for those that are new to contouring and need a bit of help, or just for those that need a bit of inspiration! Personally I have not tried to follow any of the looks given in the instructions yet, but would be interested to try them out at some point.

All in all I think this palette is one of my favourite purchases recently, and one that I will certainly get a lot of use out of. There is not a single product that I'm not sure about or that I won't use, the sign of a good palette, and I can't wait to take it with me when I go to Reading Festival in a few weeks. Have you tried any Too Faced products recently? What is your  current favourite bronzer??

Before I go I also wanted to share with you a couple of the freebies that I've picked up recently! I have been wanting to try out a few different foundations, particularly after reading good reviews, so after work yesterday I nipped to Oxford Street to hit up some of the beauty counters. I didn't buy anything, but picked up foundation samples of Clinique Stay Matte, Estee Lauder Double Wear, Chanel Perfection Lumiere and Kiehl's BB Cream. Samples for me are an absolute lifesaver as I am so indecisive when it comes to foundations and I love to road test any new products before committing to a big purchase. Is that just me, or do you do the same?!

Finally, I also picked up the September issue of Elle magazine and got this Bumble & Bumble Thickening Spray as a free gift! I love B&B products but they are a little pricey, so I can't wait to try this out and let you know what I thought.

Have you picked up any good freebies lately?

Anyway, that's all from me today, night night all!

Rosie x