Royal Blues

Earlier this week I saw everyone's favourite Instagram makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes showing a demo on the new Revlon So Fierce! Vinyl Eyeliners. They caught my attention straight away as I'm big into colourful eye liners at the moment (mostly thanks to the Glossier Colorslides). I went to have a look at them in person the next day in Boots and since they were Buy One Get One Half Price I ended up getting two of them. I went for Mightly Mocha and Royal Blues, there are four other shades- Midnight Mystery, Force of Steel, Powerful Plum and Righteous Rum (all of the shade names  are pretty self-explanatory). It worked out at just under €15 for both. The Glossier ones are €15 each so if you were interested in trying a bright eyeliner you could try the Revlon first as they're €5 less, but Glossier really win with their colour selection, they have 14 shades and so many unique and bright ones.

I really like this formula of eye pencil, very similar to the Glossier ones only these have a high shine, vinyl finish. It's similar to a gel formula, applies smoothly, is long lasting and fast setting so you have to work with it quite quickly. They are also smudge proof and waterproof which is great for the warmer weather we've been having recently.

I ordered the Brow Duo which includes both Brow Flick and Boy Brow and it means you save €4. I needed a new Boy Brow anyway so I picked up the two together. I really love that Glossier do these sets, I'll definitely be getting the Lash Slick + Colorslide Duo when I get paid. I've used the Brow Flick a few times now and I'm loving it. It's perfect for getting the super thin, hair-like strokes that you can't get from a pomade, gel, pencil or crayon. I've used a product like this before from a brand called K-Palette that my friend brought me back from Japan and I really liked it but the colour was just a little too light for me and you couldn't really see it as my brows are quite dark. It's been great for filling in any gaps and drawing on hairs where I need it (which thankfully isn't a lot). Boy Brow then adds volume, extra colour and hold them in place.

Obviously if you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know I love Boy Brow and having tried the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel recently, I can safely say I much prefer Boy Brow. I like that it's more of a pomade texture so it really pulls every hair up and holds it in place and it doesn't get on the skin around your brows like the ABH one. I am still loving my Brow Wiz for quick every day brows though.

I kept my skin quite natural with the Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation, which as you can see is really light and radiant. I then added a little of the Fenty Beauty Amber Match Stix to contour and some of the Clarins cream bronzer stick. I wanted to keep my cheeks and lips neutral but warm so I used the Glossier Cloud Paints in Dusk and Beam mixed on both. I just made sure my lips were really moisturised first so the Cloud Paint mixture didn't look dry. I actually love the shade that they made on my lips, it's such a great neutral. I'll definitely be trying this more in the future. It's also a handy hack for if you mix your Cloud Paints and have some leftover on the back of your hand (which I always do).












*Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (101 Linen)
bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Stick (02 Golden Peach)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
Revlon So Fierce Vinyl Eyeliner (Royal Blues)
L'Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic Mascara
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter (Moonstone)
Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Dusk and *Beam)

*Press Sample


I've recently been asked to join the Glossier affiliate programme and I figured since I'm such a big fan of the brand and I use their products every single day, it makes perfect sense to me. Since I don't have swipe up link capabilities on Instagram, I can only really use affiliate links here on my blog. So I just wanted to be completely transparent and let you all know (the two people that read my blog!) that any Glossier links from now on will be affiliate links. All it means is that if you choose to click on one of the Glossier links and buy a product based on my recommendation, I will make a percentage of that sale. So it's basically the equivalent of a sales person getting commission. Nothing else will change, I'll still be posting as normal and buying my own products as a normal Glossier customer. Yes I have received press samples from them and I will always indicate those as above with an asterisk but I've also spent a lot of money on their products myself and have continuously repurchased the products that I really love. If you have any questions, ask away!

Emma x

Orange Crush

The other evening I got home from work and felt like playing with makeup, so using what I had already applied on my face at 7am that morning I added a few more elements and this is the result.

I used 'Lit' from the BPerfect Cosmetics Stacey Marie Carnival Palette, a shade I don't think I'd worn properly yet. I ended up with this soft winged graphic shape. I then added some Glossier clear lip gloss to balance out the bright matte eyeshadow. 

The rest of of face makeup had stayed in place quite well considering it had been on for about ten hours at this stage. The only thing I did was brush away some bits of mascara from under my eyes and brushed out my eyebrows. I think the staying power is all down to the beautiful Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation and that I set everything with a little powder and the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. 

Sometimes I think only photographing my makeup for a blog post when I've just applied it is a bit misleading. Obviously it's going to look well when it's only just been applied but I was so impressed with how it looked after wearing it all day, I think it goes to show that prepping your skin well and using light layers and setting sprays does actually work. It doesn't always turn out that way, but I like to take note of the products I use when it does. 

Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen SPF 30
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (Shade 2)
bareMineral bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Power Duo (Brow Wiz and Dipbrow Gel in Medium Brown)
Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging
*BPerfect Cosmetics Stacey Marie Carnival Palette (Lit)
Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Mascara
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Beam)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
*L'Oréal Paris Infaillible Magic Loose Powder
Glossier Lip Gloss

*Press Sample

This is definitely a love it or hate it look, what do you think?

Emma x

Jet!

Today's look is all about the eyes. I hadn't done an exaggerated smoky liner in a while and if I leave it too long I get out of practice and it's much harder to do. I learned the technique I used from the makeup queen herself, Katie Jane Hughes (who is slowly but surely teaching everyone the best makeup techniques FOR FREE on her account). She has a story highlight on her feed called Classic Liner where she goes through it step by step. I would say if you're going to try it, leave yourself plenty of time as it can be a bit finicky. Every time I try it, it comes out differently, but that's part of the fun.

I've tried a few different ways including using pencil, then eyeshadow, then gel or liquid liner. This time I used a brown crayon liner, blended it out and then a black crayon liner, again blended out. This way you can build up the intensity and make it extra long lasting. I used a matte black eyeshadow (Jet, from the UD Born to Run palette) over the top, blended into a kind of gel/paste using a fixing/setting spray. I usually use MAC Fix+, but I didn't have any so I used Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. I applied the concoction with a thin angled brush and then used a small fluffy brush to soften the edges. I hadn't intended to at first, but I ended up using the shades Breakaway and Weekender to help blend the liner. I also used a pointed cotton bud to help shape the wing and clean up any of the black eyeshadow that fell down. I waited until my eyes were finished to apply concealer.

This is a much more extended wing than I would usually wear but it kind of had a life of it's own so I went with it! I actually really like how it turned out and that it's almost touching the tail of my brows. The eyes were enough of a statement so I used my current favourite Cloud Paint combination on my cheeks- Beam and Dusk. I love the neutral warmth that they create. I also wore double highlighter which is becoming a daily occurrence at this stage. I chose Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect lipstick (over Pillow Talk Lip Cheat) as it's the same tone as the cheek colour, it's probably my favourite warm toned nude.

One of my most recent purchases is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Power Duo brow kit. It's a full size Brow Wiz and a travel size Dipbrow Gel. I really like the Brow Wiz but I don't think the Dipbrow Gel will beat Boy Brow for me, it's a more liquid texture and I find it ends up on the skin around my brows which Boy Brow doesn't because it's more of a pomade texture. I'm not totally happy with my brows here but I'm still getting the hang of using these two products together. I just ordered Glossier Brow Flick so I'm very excited to try that out. It's safe to say I have enough brow products to keep me going for a while!

Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen SPF 30
*My Clarins Re-Fresh Hydrating Beauty Mist
No7 HydraLuminous Moisturising Foundation (Porcelain)
bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging
Urban Decay Born to Run Eyeshadow Palette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Power Duo (Brow Wiz and Dipbrow Gel in Medium Brown)
Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler
Marc Jacobs Beauty Velvet Noir Mascara
Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (*Beam and Dusk)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat (Pillow Talk)
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick (Bitch Perfect)
*Lancôme Long Time No Shine Loose Setting Powder (Translucent)
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

*Press Sample

If you watch Katie's technique, you'll see it's particularly great for hooded eyes, which I sadly have. You can see in the first photo how my eyes look when they're completely relaxed and you can see the wing because I've extended it out and traced over the fold in my eyelid. I think blending the edges is great for this technique. It might look strange when your eyes are looking down or closed, but when they're open it's a proper wing shape. If you struggle with winged liner or your eye shape, I definitely recommend trying this out.


Emma x

Truffle Shuffle

Last weekend I was sitting down to do my makeup and I couldn't decide what to do. I knew I wanted to wear these statement earrings I got in Mango a couple of months ago and I was inspired by the colour combination to try to match my makeup to the earrings. This look is definitely not going to be for everyone but I love how fun it is and I think keeping everything else pared back makes it a bit more "wearable", not that that's ever stopped me before!

I went back to my trusty BPerfect Cosmetics Carnival Palette and thought the shade Shuffle would work well as a match for the warm yellow/orange shade of the earrings. I've worn this eyeshadow a couple of times before and it's such an eye-catching, vibrant shade. I decided to try it with liner which I haven't done before and I think the contrast between the black liner and the bright yellow works really well. 

I wanted to leave the main focus on my eyes so I wore the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Fenty Glow on my lips. I love this gloss so much I recently bought one of the other shades, Fu$$y, which is more pink toned. Between this and the clear Glossier Lip Gloss, I've been completely converted back to glosses over the past couple of years, I especially love them paired with matte eyeshadows to add some dimension to my face. 

I've been playing around with the Soapbrows kit for the past week and a half and trying different combinations. I'm not crazy about how my brows turned out here, but I've since gotten the hang of using Soapbrows with a brow pencil. I just bought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and I love how it looks so I'll take some photos of that for the blog soon. 

I've been doing the double highlighter technique a lot over the past few weeks and this time I tried it with the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter and Glossier Play Niteshine in Platinum Rose on top. I think you can see in the photos they give my skin a beautiful sheen. I used the Real Techniques Setting Brush to apply both, it's small and fluffy so it gives a soft, diffused look instead of  it being to concentrated, I find this works particularly well with the Niteshine as it's quite pigmented, but this way it's not as intense. I think this would be a great look for the Summer, I never thought I'd be so into bright eyeshadow but I've really been loving wearing colourful shades over the past year or so. 

Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen SPF 30
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (2 Fair Neutral)
Soapbrows Kit
Soap and Glory Archery 2-in-1 Brow Filling Pencil and Brush (Dark Chocolate)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging
*BPerfect Cosmetics Stacey Marie Carnival Palette (Truffle)
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Storm and Beam)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (Fair 1)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
*L'Oréal Paris Infaillible Magic Loose Powder
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer (Fenty Glow)

*Press Sample

Would you wear yellow eyeshadow? Have you tried any of these products?

Emma x

Stellar Wings

One of my favourite things about makeup is how you can use it to change the appearance of your features, which is why I love playing with liner as it can totally change how your eyes look. I applied the Bodyography Glitter Pigment in the shade Stellar (I've been loving these pigments by the way) and then I wanted to add liner, but something a bit different to my usual wing. I ended up with this elongated liner look which I worn a few times and I love how it changes the shape of my eyes.

I wanted to keep everything else quite pared back because the eyes are so strong so I used a base with lighter coverage, Glossier Skin Tint and Stretch Concealer. I hadn't used these two in a while because I tend to save them for when my skin is looking it's best because like I said they're both quite light coverage, but I love how they make my skin look and I figure if my skin is looking well, I shouldn't cover it up too much. I use Skin Tint all over to even out the tone and then use Stretch Concealer anywhere I might need extra coverage. You can obviously use them alone but I just think they work so well together.

I also used my most recent beauty purchase, Soapbrows, for the second time. I'm still getting the hang of it but so far I really like the effect it gives my brows. It also means I don't need to fill them in as much. I just used a little bit of Soap and Glory Archery Pencil to fill in any obvious gaps. I'm still trying to figure out the best product to use with the Soapbrows and after trying out my sister's Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade, I think I'm going to get that as it's what Nikki (Nikki Makeup) uses along with Soapbrows and they seem to work really well together.

For my lips I wanted something neutral and warm so mixed Glossier Generation G lipstick in Cake and Leo with a touch of Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect in the centre for some dimension. I then finished off my skin with my favourite neutral blush, Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk and my favourite new highlighting technique, layering different textures of highlighter. Like with my post from a couple of weeks ago I added Glossier Play Niteshine in Platinum Rose over Glossier Haloscope in Moonstone. I love the effect this gives my skin and I think because of the individual textures of these highlighters, it's not too much to layer them like it could be if you used powders.

Glossier Generation G in Cake, Leo and Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect

Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint (Light/G11 or G12)
Glossier Stretch Concealer (Light/ G11 or G12
Soapbrows and Finish Mist
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Dusk)
Glossier Haloscope Face Highlighter (Moonstone)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
Bodyography Glitter Pigment (Stellar)
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
NYX Professional Makeup Epic Ink Liner
L'Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic Waterproof Mascara
*Glossier Generation G Sheer Matte Lipstick (Cake and Leo)
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Lipstick (Bitch Perfect)

*Press Sample

What do you think? Would you wear liner like this or do you prefer a subtle wing?

Emma x