Old And New

This weekend I've been 'shopping my stash' as the blogger phrase goes! Since being back and organising my make up I've been loving playing around with some forgotten gems and the make up I ended up wearing yesterday was all about combining some old loves with some new favourites

Lioeli Waterdrop BB Cream
I'd actualy forgotten I still had this! After checking it was still in date, I instantly threw it on as I remember adoring this one summer and I think I wore it every single day for almost two months. Wearing it again I don't love it as much as I once did, but I still adore the dewy finish it delivers

Mac Creme Colour Base in Shell
After buying this I spent weeks trying to figure out a way I could wear it, as my original intention of using it as an eyeshadow base went down the drain since it creases after 5 minutes. I wore it as a cheek highlight today as I wanted a cream product to keep the dewy finish of the BB Cream and Cream blush. and it just looked beautiful and wore surprisingly well!

No7 Nude Lip Liner with ELF Runway Pink
I'm not really a lipstick person, and I can probably count on my fingers the number of times I've actually bothered with a lip liner. But these two trusty old products found their way onto my lips today and I was pleasantly surprised at the result! Both are creamy and the matte lipliner paired with a semi-matte lipstick created a great finish that I think was pretty modern despite being such a classic shade

Bare Minerals Hiking Trail
Everytime I've cleaned out my products this one has been in the 'maybe' pile, and yet has somehow ended up staying. The reason being it's a stunning colour. But I detest loose shadows, or any loose powders actually - they're just a faff. Today I used a tiny amount to lighten up my khaki shadow and it was such a pretty look I'm thinking about whipping Hiking Trail out more often.

Revlon Color Stay Eyeshadow Link in Kahki
A Beautiful colour that I loved playing with. But a corner smashed as soon as I took it out of the bag, and after it sitting in my make up drawer for 2 days it's somehow completely shattered!

LOreal Super Liner Perfect Slim
Loving it - it's just so easy to work with. I'm just waiting to see exactly how long it'll last since pen liners are notorious for drying out and the lid isn't as tight as I'd like.

I finished it all off with Mac Lady Blush, a dab of collection lasting perfection concealer and lots of Benefit They're Real Mascara!

Touch of Winter Colour

It's officially winter down under but I'm attempting to bury my head in the sand about the cold mornings as I only have a month left down here before I hit the sunny West Coast of the USA!

Although I still have a while left in the gloomy weather my mind is well and truly in summer mode, and that's definitely reflected in my refusal to commit to my winter staples.

I'm persisting with my tinted moisturiser and light shimmer colours. Today I decided to whip out revlon tutti fruiti lip butter for just a touch of colour as this never fails to 'lift' my face as it's just such a warm colour!

Eyes were light, shimmery and probably look the same as a hundred other photos as it's really my 'go-to' look. Urban Decay Sin in the middle and a couple of the lighter shades from ChiChi Glamourous Nudes Palette - which I've used a lot more than I thought!

I should mention, I've been trying out Laura Mercier's Primer as I've heard lots of good things, but I after a month of trailing with different products I'm not 100% sure it's breaking me out. And not just little breakouts, oh no. Every. Single. Time I use this I get a massive 'under the skin' spot (sorry for TMI) which for me is just crazy! 

I'm not sure why as the ingredients all sound quite promising, but something in it just makes me skin go crazy! I'm also not convinced it really made a difference in making my make up last longer either

Lady Blush

With winter firmly making itself known here my staple summer bronzed look is steadily being replaced in favour of a light sweep of blush (although I have to say New Zealand Winters in the North Island are so much milder than back home so I can't complain too much)

Mac Ladyblush has been in my collection for years, and my love of it is pretty cyclical. I don't think I've used it in maybe a year, but this last week or so it's been making an appearance every, single, day!  It really is just the perfect, natural looking blush, it's not too pink, or too red, or orang, nope, the undertones are super flattering.

I'm not really a huge fan of cream blushes, I always want to love them (I have a weak spot of all cream products I think) but I just find them a pain to apply and blend over a foundation - tell me I'm not the only one that all too often has ended up with patchy foundation because of blending cream blushes! But I've just been dabbing it on with the Real Techniques Stippling blush and blending it out with the buffing brush to get a beautiful, and easy, finish

I kept everything else really simple today, Laura Mercier primer, Lasting Perfection foundation and concealer (a lovely little combo for full coverage), and then my everyday maybelline liner and benefit they're real mascara - I decided to skip eyeshadow since I was in a rush 

Now we get to the real reason for this post, Ladyblush on the lips is amazing. Firstly the colour - stunning, i've actually been wearing it on my lips more than my cheeks recently as its just a gorgeous natural-ish pink-y sort of shade. Not only is the colour amazingly flattering but the finish and texture actually works so well! It's velvety finish that feels amazing on, and I suppose because it's actually a cream blush it doesn't bleed or settle into any lines. 

I've heard a lot about people applying their lipsticks onto their cheeks to get a dewy flush of colour, but putting a cream blush onto the lips is new to me at least. And I can't get over how using one product on the lips and cheeks suddenly makes everything looks so 'put together'!

Today was just a minimal effort day, but Ladyblush really turned it into something pretty! I'm already looking at mac's over cream blushes, as the price is so much easier to justify if you know you can use it as a blush and a lipstick! 

Colder Weather

While all you lucky people in the northern hemisphere are embracing the warmer weather, winter is steady creeping in down under. So I'm doing the only logical thing, and piling on the layers - clothes and make up! I just use the changing seasons as an excuse to mix up my make up

I've loved experimenting with Collection's Lasting Perfection Foundation, it reminds me a lot of revlon colorstay as it dries pretty quickly leaving a relatively matte finish but with 100% better packaging, a thicker consistency and minus the smell.

 L'Oreal Brow Artist, Mac Woodwinked Eyeshadow, Bobbi Brown Eyeliner, Benefit They're Real, Benefit Hoola, Collection Concealer, Mac Painterly Paint Pot, Mac Craving Lipstick

The packaging is great - it's literally all you can ask for a foundation container, glass bottle, simple design, and a pump! I don't ask for much in my foundation packaging - looking at you Mac and Nars and every other brand that still sells plastic bottles bottles without pumps!

As far as shades go, it's a little hard. There's only a handful of shades, and they all look the exact same in the frosted glass bottles. The names are also a bit misleading. Mine is 'cool beige' but I'm not entirely sure what's meant be 'cool' since it's definitely got a warm undertone… Anyway I just picked up the number that corresponded to the concealer shade that suits me and I got a pretty good match

I should also say it definitely oxidises a fair bit once it's fully dried, for my shade that works quite well, however it's something you should be aware of when trying to find your shade in store.

 I'm still clinging to the idea of summer and resisting swapping my bronzer for blush - although I have toned down the amount of shimmery bronzers - sadly. I adore Mac Craving Lipstick - although I'm probably going to feature this in another post as I can't wait to ramble about it

Along the theme of transitioning to winter - I always know when winter has come when my breakfasts turn warm. I just can't stand starting the day with something cold when it's freezing outside. My absolute favourite at the moment is this delicious, filling and oh so easy Apple Cinnamon Oats.

It's just some oats, popped into the microwave with water for a few minutes and some yummy slightly cooked apples! I just chop up half an apple, liberally sprinkled it with cinnamon, add a splash of water and cook. I've cooked the apples in the microwave (when I was in a crazy rush) and also in the oven, honestly they taste about the same but using the microwave means less washing up! Oh and I also throw in some extra cinnamon into the oats, but that's just because I love cinnamon

Let me know if you like these posts with a jumble of things in them, I personally love reading longer posts with lots of different elements!

Craving

My daily make up is usually ridiculously quick and simple but hopefully leaves me looking like I put a lot more than the minimum amount of effort required to look presentable in. I think I owe most of that to the lipstick though.

You might have noticed but I often don't wear lipstick, or anything on my lips actually. I'm just not a lipstick girl… not that you'd know that by looking at how many lip product I own, lipsticks are just so tempting with their beautiful colours, but once I buy them they sadly never get used. But in Dubai I fell in love with mac's Russian Red, wearing it almost every day I was there, so, convinced I was now a lipstick sort of girl,  I couldn't resist the mac counter in Sydney and somehow walked out with Craving.

Honestly, it's made me look at the rest of my lipsticks completely differently, I have so many lovely colours I just never wear. I think I just feel too 'dressed up' if I have lipstick on - makes no sense I know. But since getting craving i've been wearing it almost none stop.. possibly 5 days in a row which is completely unheard of for me!

On the rest of my face I just have Laura mercier tinted moisturiser, the Balm Bahama mama, Benefit they're Real, Collection lasting perfection concealer, L'Oreal brow artist, ChiChi Nudes palette

I love this lipstick liberally swiped on, but my favourite way to wear it is dabbed in the middle of my lips and smudged/smeared out so it's a lighter weight. Craving is my first amplified finish and it's amazing - creamy, pigmented, reasonably long lasting and it just wears beautifully throughout the day! I hate high-maintenance lipsticks, I just can't be bothered having to constantly reapply but it leaves a subtle stain once it's worn off which means I can put off reapplying! 

At the moment I'm sticking to a little bronzer for some slight contouring and skipping the whole blush and highlighter, but I don't see that lasting too much longer. As soon as I start having to wear a coat on a daily basis I can't resist piling on the highlighter to try and keep my skin looking really 'alive'.

I made use of my ChiChi Nude palette sweeping on a light shimmery shade and then layering on the mascara. I got the palette in Brisbane on a bit of an impulse as the colours were buttery soft and pigmented when swatched. On reflection it's not a particularly great palette as all the colours have a distinct silver, cool undertone but I can't complain as it was a bit of a bargain. And the streamlined packaging means it's great to throw in your bag for a weekend away.

Since getting craving I've been much more experimental with my lip colours, and I already know another amplified mac lipstick will be mine in no time at all!

Piling it on for Autumn

Winter is definitely creeping in but last week we had a lovely warm spell so I celebrated by throwing my foundations in the corner and whipping out my tinted moisturisers. I'm a little (a lot) obsessed with Laura Mercier's tinted moisturiser, to the point that when it came to going out with som friends for a meal I couldn't bring myself to putting a foundation on despite craving so full coverage. So for one of the first times I layered up.

I'm not a fan of building up foundations, or tinted moisturisers, I apply one layer, buff it in really well and I'm good. If it's not enough coverage then I just accept that's the way that foundation works and smother my face in concealer. (for the most part LM tinted moisturiser gives the perfect daily coverage)

So I put an awful lot of LM's Tinted moisturiser on, and despite being doubtful of the finish, I've fallen even more in love with it. You really can get it to a solid medium, verging on full-ish coverage! And the best bit is the finish doesn't vary - it's still the lovely blend of dewy-satin finish!

Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser, Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eye Eraser, Benefit they're real, Maybelline liner, Mac Camomile & Patina, Smashbox Avant/Garde, Benefit hula, L'Oreal BrowArtist
and, not pictured here, but lots of Baptiste XXL Volume dry shampoo to make my hair a little crazy

I kept the restt of my make up super simple for the evening, neutral lightly shimmer shadows, a lighter concealer than normal for under my eyes, and I didn't go for a lipstick, as when I'm going out for dinner I just can't bare to put some on when I don't its going to come right off.. and probably into my mouth while eating - not a pleasant thought. 

3 Mini Revelations

Today was a day of trying some new things - powder foundation, side buns and pale pink lips being three things I disregarded as not being very 'me' but I may, dare i say it, be a bit of a convert!

Sometimes I just can't be bothered to wash my hair, I know you have those days too so don't judge! And my usual coping mechanism is to throw it up in a top knot, and although I think they're pretty I don't think they necessarily suit my face - they always just look a little too harsh. 

So today, having been inspired by a random video from Meghan, I attempted a messy side bun thing - and I really like it! It keeps everything off my face without looking too sloppy, and I feel like its channelling the whole 'effortlessly stylish' look (I wish)

All the stuff I popped on my face: Vie One-Step-Face-Base in ivory, Maybelline master precise liquid liner, Maybelline fit concealer, Benefit they're real mascara, L'Oreal super liner brow artist, Mac viva glam gaga, Mac tempting, Mac brule, Urban Decay twice baked, Lancome tropiques minerale orche doree.

I've been interesting in giving powder foundations a whirl for a while now, and recently there's been a bit of a rise in my favourite bloggers recommending them, namely laura mercier's. But I just couldn't take the plunge since part of me was always convinced they'd just feel and look horrible not he skin, I had this image of dry flaky skin, probably because I've only ever used powder sparingly

 But while I was home I rummaged through some make up I left and rediscovered a powder by Vie which used to be my favourite for dusting over my foundation for nights out. Since I needed a powder for New Zealand I threw it in my suitcase, and yesterday I tried it all over with just a touch of concealer for some extra coverage under my eyes. And oh my gosh - it looks so natural! I don't think the vie powder itself is amazing, although I'll definitely use it up, but my interest in trying another powder foundation is well and truly renewed. It didn't sink into any pores, accentuate dry spots of make my face feel dry, was truly a doddle to apply with my ecotools kabuki, so I simply can't wait to branch into powder foundations

I picked up Mac's GaGa along with the powder while I was home hoping I'd manage to find a use for it. I pick it up when it first came up after hearing endless hype without considering the fact I rarely, if ever wear pink lipsticks. Spurred on by the successful powder foundation venture I gave it a whirl and I can't say I love it but I am definitely more of a fan now my skin is a little darker as it just suits my complexion a lot more.

Ignore the goosebumps, it's getting chilly down here. Tempting and Lancome's Tropiques Minerale.

Throwing in an honorary mention to Mac's tempting eyeshadow, this all over the lid with a little brule to blend it out and a touch of urban decays twice baked in the very outer corner is one of my favourite looks right now, which is surprising as prior to this week I think I'd actually used Tempting twice, possibly three times. I think it's been so neglected as it swatches quite poorly and it's a glittery mess in the crease. Tempting needs to be the centre piece of the look to work for me, the coppery tones and gold reflexes create a beautifully balanced look.

Do you ever have that, where you disregard a product only to use is again months down the line and have no idea why you weren't head over heels in love with it from the start? 

Tiger FOTD

I did this Halloween look over a week ago but for some reason I wasn’t quite happy with it so I never got around to posting it but, looking at it again I thought I might as well- hopefully it’ll give someone out there an idea for what to wear to a costume party :)

This one is just as simple as my other Halloween looks but it just takes a little longer to do, all you’ll need is a foundation, a white eyeliner, a contouring powder, an orange and a black eyeshadow, eyeliner and a mascara.

1. Apply your foundation (I opted for matte full coverage)

2. Sharply contour cheekbones & temples

3. Go around the contouring with the orange shadow

4. Draw on lightened areas with a white liner and blend

5. Sketch on stripes, liner and broaden out the nose with an eyeliner

6. Go over the liner with a black shadow to darken & draw on the lip

7. Conceal lower lip, apply mascara and touch up

8. Do your hair and your ready to do!

The more I look at this the more I like it but I’m still not 100% happy with it, what do you think? Have you decided on what you’re going to be this Halloween? I still can’t choose between the Fairy, the Mermaid and the Zombie!

Hope this has been Helpful!! x

Zombie FOTD

Here’s my third Halloween make up look and this is a pretty generic Halloween make up that I suppose could work for nearly any costume – I’m just going to call this a zombie one though :)

This really is a look anyone can do as you need barely any products and its super quick to do!

1. Apply a pale foundation or white face paint (I used a white foundation with a little gray eyeshadow) and powder your face
2. Take a black shadow and start heavily contouring your cheek bones, your temples and your under eyes
3. Place a black eyeshadow all over your lid and slightly blend out to create a dark smokey eye
4. Take a black eyeliner and draw on the line of your cut, lightly line your lips then lightly do your brows 
5. apply a red eyeshadow(you can use a lipstick or a lip liner too) to draw on the open wound and around your eyes
6. And to finish conceal your lips blending in the eyeliner and apply lashings of mascara- Simple!

 I actually did something really simple to this last year and because there’s nothing fancy, it lasted the whole night with only one quick little touch up. Let me know what you’re going to be this Halloween and if you like this little Halloween make up idea posts :)

Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

A Rushed FOTD

Before this summer I was pretty much never late, occasionally a few minutes delayed but usually bang on time or quite often early. But since I’ve finished college this year I seem to be constantly rushing around because I’m late!
Face
Skin79 BB cream
Mac studio sculpt concealer
A little bit of Benefit Georgia & Mac soft and Gentle MSF
(but mainly my natural cheek colour as it was so hot)
Eyes
Nouveau lashes which I got in my Glossybox(I didnt think I'd like them but I love them!)
Mac All that glitters all over the lid
Avon white eyeliner as a subtle highlight
Lips
Just a BodyShop lip balm – I can’t cope with anything heavy on my lips in summer!
(These are some sneaky shots I took inside Topshop’s changing rooms because I didn’t have time prior to going out to take some shots of how the waves looked!)
Hair
Once again my beloved Babyliss waving wand which I love & a bit of hair spray

Try to forgive how rushed these were, I tried to quickly take one or two decent shots while running out the door (I actually took them in the car) as I really liked how this looked :)

Hope you've enjoyed!! x

P.S this was taken on a sweltering hot day last week- I want that weather back!

Nude Rose FOTD

Another little FOTD :)
I went to the cinema with some friends to see Hangover 2 (Loved it) and I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures!
Face:
Skin 79 BB cream (I finally get why BB creams are raved about!)
Diorskin Sculpt concealer in 01
Lancôme Tropiques Minerale in Ochre Doree & E.L.F Tickled pink
Eyes:
Urban decay Foxy cream shadow (this is the same colour as my skin with a bit of sparkle)
Bobbi Brown Gel liner in Black ink (love it)
Avon supershock mascara
Lips:
E.L.F first date lip stain (review here)
Hair:
I just threw it up in a messy bun as I’m still on my 40 heatless days challenge and I couldn’t really be bothered messing with it :)
But my favourite thing was this gorgeous scarf from Urban Outfitters, designed by Pins and Needles. I completely love it :)
I wore it with the rosy cardigan (which you can see) also from Pins and Needles at urban Outfitters and then a simple black dress from H&M
(I attempted an ootd but getting a decent picture is a nightmare–noidea how you fashion bloggers do it!)
Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

Bronze-Golden FOTD

(I know I need to work on the title of these posts.. I'm working on it!)
I wasn’t planning on posting any more EOTD or FOTD unless I was going out or decided to do something a little bit different but a friend actually commented on this look so when I got home I decided to take a few pictures for you :)
I used..
Mac Honey Lust (I used this little eyeshadow trick) all over the lid
Urban decay Honey in the centre of the lid for some dimension
Urban decay Twice Baked and Shag through the crease
And as always Urban Decay Yeyo as a highlight!

For eyeliner I used my Bobbi brown gel liner in black
(I can’t say enough good things about this!)
Rimmel’s sexy curves mascara :)
(I didn't do anything with my brows, I just left them natural)

If you’re curious about what I wore this with well..
I wore Clinique redness solutions foundation 01
Diorskin sculpt concealer 01
Benefit sugarbomb blush
Prestige 03 pure shimmer highlighter
& I just put some burts bees lip balm on my lips.

Hope you’ve enjoyed!! x

Summer FOTD

I’m getting back into posting more than once every so often, a few times a week from now on – promise :D

So to ease myself back into it :P here’s a little FOTD

Face
Benefit’s You Rebel Lite (I’m still not keen on this but.. I’m trying to figure out a way I can wear it!)
Stay don’t stray concealer & primer from benefit
Benefit’s benitint
Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer (Why did I not own this before? I finally know why people rave about it :p)

Lips
Benefit’s benitint – anything that’s duo purpose is an instant favourite with me :)

Eyes
Maxfactor false lash effect mascara – I always forget how much I like this
Pink Slate eyeshadow duo


(I know i got a bit carried away with the swirly things.... but they're so pretty :D)