Bad Blood

Last weekend before we were self-isolating and before I spent the week sick in bed I created this look  that was inspired by something a bit unusual. I've said here before many times that inspiration can come from anywhere and last Saturday I was inspired to use shades based on the colour of blood, both wet and dry (this is down to a couple of nose bleeds I had during the week).  I understand that it seems gross but I thought the colours were both different and complimentary and I wanted to create a look that included both. 

If you image search the colour of dried blood you'll understand, it's like an earthy, reddish brown. I had a look at my palettes to find similar shades for my eyes and I came up with the Urban Decay shade 'Punk' and the Anastasia Beverly Hills shade 'Red Ochre'. I used both of these on my lids and under my eyes in a more circular shape and just used mascara to define my eyes for more of an imperfect, grungy feel. I tried it with two different lip pairings- a pink/nude gloss, Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in the shade Fussy and then a more bold blood red, Urban Decay Rock Steady Vice Lipstick.

I wore a medium coverage foundation, Bite Beauty Changemaker, as I wanted to cover any redness in my skin since I knew I'd be wearing reddish tones on my eyes and my lips. This foundation evened out my skin and gave coverage without being too full on. I used a more neutral colour blush, Glossier Dusk, with a slight amount of Storm mixed in to again avoid my cheeks looking too pink or red. I finished my skin with the Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face as there is very little pigment, it's more about texture and brings the skin to life if your base happens to look too dry or flat. 

I really love how both versions of this look turned out and I hope no one was too grossed out by my inspiration. Which version do you prefer?

*Glossier Futuredew Oil Serum Hybrid
Bite Beauty Changemaker Supercharged Micellar Foundation (L15)
Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer (Baked)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer (Light/Fair)
Soapbrows
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler
*Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Palette (Skimp and Punk. This palette is sold out but Punk is in the Born to Run palette too
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (Red Ochre)
Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Dusk and Storm)
Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face (Prism Rose)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Pixi Glow Mist
NYX Professional Makeup Suede Matte Lip Liner (Lavender & Lace)
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer (Fu$$y)
*Urban Decay Vice Lipstick (Rock Steady, this shade seems to be discontinued by the UD shade Gash is quite similar).

*PR Samples
** I bought Dusk, Storm is a PR sample

***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

IT Cosmetics Pillow Lips

A couple of weeks ago I went to an event for the launch of the new lipstick collection from IT Cosmetics. The Pillow Lips High Pigment Moisture Wrapping Lipsticks come in two finishes and 14 shades in a collagen infused and long-lasting formula. They are infused with a Tri-Oil Complex consisting of jojoba oil, peppermint oil and sesame seed oil. This formula is meant to leave the lips soft and smooth and looking full and plump, minimising the appearance of lip lines. 

I was so excited to try these out after getting to play with them at the launch. The shades range from peachy and deeper nudes to berrys, corals, pinks and reds. I was given the shades Vision (a light peach nude), Humble (a nude cinnamon), Like a Dream (a red plum) and Stellar (a true red). I loved the idea that they were supposed to give great colour payoff in one swipe but with ingredients to nourish your lips. In my experience it's not something that is easily done in a lipstick formula, you usually have to compromise on something. 

After trying out all four shade I'm so impressed by how these lipsticks perform. In my experience of trying as many different lipsticks as I have over the years, it's rare to find this kind of pigmentation in a formula that feels comfortable and hydrating. I actually totally forgot I was wearing Stellar yesterday because of how lightweight it is on my lips. Three of the shades are cream and one is matte and there doesn't seem to be any difference with the formula, they all feel as comfortable as each other. The only difference is the finish, but even at that Like a Dream isn't a drying matte at all, it feels just as hydrating as the cream finish lipsticks. I think they've done a great job with the shades which all seem like they would work for lots of different skin tones. There's a few I'd love to try out, in particular 11:11 (a bright fuchsia), Wishlist (cool rose) and Fanciful (a bright orange red). They are €24 which I think is an excellent price for the quality you're getting. It's the same price as the Clarins Joli Rouge Lip Lacquers which were some of my favourite lipsticks launched last year and in my humble lipstick-obsessed opinion, these IT Cosmetics ones and the Clarins ones are much better than some I've tried that are a lot more expensive. 

If you like pigmented lip colour but hate the drying feeling some lipsticks can leave on your lips, I highly recommend trying these out at the counter. They're available from Brown Thomas and Arnotts now. 

Top to Bottom: Stellar, Like a Dream, Vision, Humble

Vision (Cream)

Humble (Cream)

Like a Dream (Matte)

Stellar (Cream)

Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face (Prism Rose)
No7 Protect and Perfect All in One Foundation (Porcelain)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter (Golden Peach)
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer (Light/Ultra Fair)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler
*Urban Decay Primer Potion
Revlon So Fierce! Vinyl Eyeliner (Righteous Rum)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (Tempera, Red Ochre, Venetian Red)
Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara (Noir)
*Glossier Cloud Paint Cream Blush (Storm)
*IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder (Translucent)
*Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Pixi Glow Mist
*IT Cosmetics Pillow Lips Moisture Wrapping Lipstick (Vision, Humble, Like a Dream and Stellar)

I hope you can see from the swatches just how pigmented the lipsticks are. I like the lightest shade Vision a lot more than I thought I would. It's one of those sixties inspired peachy nudes that look great with Twiggy style eye makeup. I also loved how Like a Dream matched my eyeliner, I feel like this would work on so many different skin tones. Stellar is probably the stand out for me though, obviously being a huge fan of red lipstick. It's a beautiful classic, true red that again would look amazing on everyone. I definitely think there's room in the beauty market for this collection. I love that IT Cosmetics always include skincare ingredients in their products, especially as makeup is on your face for a huge portion of the day, it's nice to know a product is actually doing something good for your skin too.

What do you think of this collection? Does it interest you or do you think there are enough lipsticks on the market?


Emma x


*PR Samples
**Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

Ruby Slippers

A couple of weekends ago I went to my dad's family work Christmas party with my niece and I figured it was as good a time as any to break out the red glitter. I wanted to keep the look fairly simple (for one that involved red glitter) so I just applied some of the shade Venetian Red from the ABH Modern Renaissance palette and blended it out and up into a winged out shape. I then used a flat shader brush to apply the glitter from the Pixi Glitter-y Eye Quad in RoseBronze concentrating the majority of the glitter close to the lash line with less on the brush as I moved it up towards the socket line. I finished the eyes with mascara and didn't add any liner or anything under the eyes as I thought the red glitter was enough. I wore nude lips during the day and then later tried it with red lipstick and I think it looked great both ways. I used three Lisa Eldridge lipsticks, Muse and Fawn for the nude, with Muse at the edges and Fawn in the centre and Velvet Ribbon as the red. This is such an easy way to create a festive eye look as these glitters don't need any glitter glue, you could actually just pat them on with your fingers if you wanted. There is very little fall down because they're suspended in a cream formula which makes them quick and easy to apply if you don't have much time to get ready.

As you can see it looks quite different depending on the lip shade you pair it with. You could wear this look with any shade of glitter (there's a pink, purple and bronze in this palette) and even pair it with glossy lips. I think it would look great with a clear gloss. What do you think? Would you wear this look?

*Glossier Futuredew Oil Serum Hybrid
*Erborian CC Crème (Clair)
*Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (101 Linen)
Soapbrows
Glossier Brow Flick (Brown)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Duo
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Anti-Aging)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (Venetian Red)
Pixi Glitter-y Eye Quad (RoseBronze)
*Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Storm and Dusk)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
*L'Oréal Infallible Magic Loose Powder
Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Colour (Velvet Fawn, Velvet Muse and Velvet Ribbon)


What's your go-to festive makeup look?


Emma x


*PR Sample
**Storm is a PR Sample, I bought Dusk myself
***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

Get Down Tonight

Last month I ordered a couple more Bodyography Glitter Pigments, Prism (a duo chrome green/brown) and Get Down (a rosy purple). One of my favourite makeup colour combinations is purple and red and you may have seen me wearing these shades together before so I knew when they arrived I wanted to wear Get Down with a red lipstick. I thought it was fitting to wear it in a look that had a slight nod to the seventies as Get Down was part of the Disco collection that Bodyography released last year. 

I used the purple eyeshadow Backfire from Urban Decay as a base in a winged out shape and then applied Get Down all over on top and Eclipse Glitter Pigment just in the centre of my lid. I used the Glossier Colorslide in Disaster Class along my water line as I thought the deep wine shade went well with the warm purple eyeshadow. 

As usual with any look I do, but in particular something this full on, I tried to keep my skin fresh and glowing. I started off using Glossier Futuredew which has become one of my favourite ways to prep my skin for makeup. I don't tend to use primers as I don't find I need them but if I ever do use one it's usually something hydrating, especially at this time of year. This is where I find Futuredew excels. Like a lot of people my skin leans on the more dry side during the Winter and I love that this instantly makes it look and feel radiant and hydrated. Makeup goes on no problem over it and it doesn't make my t-zone any more oily than usual. Any time I wear this I get complimented on how glowy my skin looks so I know it's working. 

I used the Erborian CC Crème again in a light layer and then No7 HydraLuminous on top as it's not too heavy but just gave me extra coverage as my skin has been acting up recently and I have some marks from blemishes left on my skin. These two products applied in light layers over Futuredew gave me the most radiant looking skin but it didn't look or feel heavy and it lasted all day. 

On my lips I used the No7 Precision Lips liner in Red and one of my favourite lipsticks released this year, the Clarins Joli Rouge Lip Lacquer in Joli Rouge which is a classic cool toned red with beautifully flattering lacquered finish. I absolutely adore this lipstick formula and Clarins have nailed the shades, I can't recommend them enough! I actually wore this look to see Frozen 2 in the cinema which is quite fitting as it's very similar to Elsa's eye makeup, total coincidence!

*Glossier Futuredew Oil Serum Hybrid
*Erborian CC Crème (Clair)
No7 HydraLuminous Moisturising Foundation (Porcelain)
*Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer (010 Beige Porcelaine)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
YSL Beauty Touche Éclat (1 Luminous Radiance)
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinstick (Amber)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (Medium Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
*Urban Decay Eyeshadow (Backfire)
Bodyography Glitter Pigment (Get Down and Eclipse)
Glossier Play Colorslide Technogel Eye Pencil (Disaster Class)
*Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (not pictured)
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Dusk and Storm)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
*Glossier Play Niteshine Highlighter Concentrate (Platinum Rose)
*L'Oréal Paris Infallible Magic Loose Powder
Pixi Glow Mist
No7 Precision Lips Pencil (Red)
*Clarins Joli Rouge Lip Lacquer (742L Joli Rouge)


What do you think of purple and red together? Have you tried any of these products?

Emma x


*PR Sample
**I bought Dusk, Storm is a PR Sample
***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

Lisa Eldridge Lipsticks- The Blue Velvet Collection

Today's post is the second of two featuring the beautiful New Velvet Lipsticks from Lisa Eldridge. The Blue Velvet Collection consists of Velvet Beauty, Velvet Myth and Velvet Midnight. Velvet Beauty is described as a beautiful and vibrant light pink berry inspired by the rosy lips of pre-Raphaelite paintings. Velvet Myth is described as a wildly vivid Mulberry inpired by a vintage kimono Lisa bought on her first trip to Japan and Velvet Midnight is described as a dramatic blackberry.

When I saw the first images of the lipsticks I knew straight away I wanted all three of these shades. I especially loved that they came in a set called the Blue Velvet Collection as Blue Velvet one of my favourite films. The shades of these lipsticks really remind me of the colours in the film and it inspired me to take some photos on the backdrop of my blue velvet jacket. This isn't really a review of the lipsticks but more of an appreciation post. I wrote a little bit more about them in my previous post. Having worn these three over the past week I'm so happy that I got this set. They're just all so beautiful on and the perfect berry shades for this time of year in particular. I wore the same makeup as I had on in the last post I just added a little more of Cloud Paint in Haze. 

Velvet Midnight, Velvet Myth, Velvet Beauty

In direct sunlight

Velvet Beauty

Velvet Myth

Velvet Midnight

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
*Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (101 Linen)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer (010 Beige Porcelaine)
Fenty Beauty Match Stick Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Duo (02 Golden Peach)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (Medium Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
Revlon So Fierce! Vinyl Eyeliner (Force of Steel)
*Glossier Pro Tip
*Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Dusk and Haze)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
Glossier Haloscope (Moonstone)
*L'Oréal Paris Infallible Magic Loose Powder
Ardell Individuals Duralash Naturals Knot-Free Flares Short and Medium
Duo Eyelash Glue (Black)

Sadly the only lipstick of these three that's still available to order is Velvet Midnight.
See my posts on the New Velvet Collection, Velvet Ribbon and the Summer Pinks Collection. You can see me wearing Velvet Jazz here and Velvet Morning here.

Did you get your hands on any of the lipsticks? Which one is your favourite?

Emma x


*Press Sample
**Haze is a press sample, I bought Dusk myself
***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.

Lisa Eldridge Lipsticks- The New Velvet Collection

Earlier this month, Lisa Eldridge launched six new shades in her velvet lipstick range. She also brought back the much loved trio of shades from last year as well as some of the Summer Collection. On the launch day I had my alarm set, ready to go with four shades in mind to buy, The Blue Velvet Set which includes Velvet Beauty, Velvet Myth and Velvet Midnight and also Velvet Muse. However about ten minutes before the launch Lisa posted a video in which she applied all of the lipsticks and I was sold on Fawn after seeing it in the video. The only one I wasn't sure would suit me was Velvet Decade as it's a chocolate brown shade so I didn't include it. I placed my order and I was so happy that I was going to have more of her beautiful lipsticks in my collection. However I couldn't stop thinking about Velvet Decade and after seeing some more photos of it I decided to add that to my order a few days later. 

It's obviously a lot of money to spend in one go on six lipsticks but I have no problem doing it as I absolutely love the lipsticks of hers that I have and I wear them all the time. I also think you're getting such beautiful shades and quality for your money. I received my order earlier this week and I managed to hold out trying them until Friday when I had some time (and most importantly daylight) to take some photos. It's been so dull all week that it was hard to take any photos but I finally got some and I'm so excited to share them in today's post. I'm splitting it into two posts, one with the Blue Velvet Collection and this one, the New Velvet Set featuring Velvet Decade, Velvet Muse and Velvet Fawn. There are a lot of photos as I want to be thorough just in case anyone hasn't placed an order yet and is looking for more photos and swatches before they decide, also they're so gorgeous I kind of got carried away taking photos of them!

So let's get into the three shades from the New Velvet Collection- Velvet Decade, Velvet Muse and Velvet Fawn. On her website, Decade is described as a chic deep cocoa brown with both warm and cool undertones inspired by hand tinted sepia fashion portraits. Muse is described as a sensual, smoky rosewood shade with pinky brown and dirty rose undertones and Fawn is described as a pretty and delicate fawn shade inspired by the 90s shades in Lisa's vintage makeup collection. The lipsticks are a matte formula but creamy and hydrating matte with a slight sheen so they're not flat looking on the lips. They don't feel dry at all but light and comfortable. I used a muslin cloth and some cleansing balm to exfoliate my lips first and then applied some Glossier Bubblewrap which sinks in quickly so that my lips were hydrated but not too shiny so I could apply the lipstick straight away rather than waiting for a balm to sink in.

So what do I think? I was probably the least certain of how Decade and Fawn would suit me but I needn't have worried. In her video about the collection, Lisa describes the undertones of each shade and how they make them more wearable for every skin tone. I know not every shade will appeal to everyone but I genuinely think there's something for everyone. Like all lipsticks and makeup in general, products will look different on everyone depending on their natural skin tone and lip colour. But I think the shades have been expertly developed to suit so many different skin tones. Who would have thought I'd love a chocolate brown shade so much on me. Muse is such a great "my lips but better" shade on me and I can see it being one of those shades that goes with so many looks. Fawn is such a pretty Bardot-esque shade that I can see myself wearing with more intense eye looks and sixties style looks too. 

I've included a photo with swatches of all three lipsticks beside three Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks just for colour reference. I thought they would be much more similar to the CT shades I chose but as you can see they're actually so different. I swiped each one twice so they're all the same amount of intensity. Hopefully if you have yet to order a lipstick it will give you an idea of what the shades looks like.

Velvet Decade, Velvet Muse and Velvet Fawn

Velvet Decade

Velvet Muse

Velvet Fawn

L-R Velvet Fawn Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect, Velvet Muse, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, Velvet Decade, Charlotte Tilbury Birkin Brown

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
*Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation (101 Linen)
*bareMinerals bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (Fair)
*Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Concealer (010 Beige Porcelaine)
Fenty Beauty Match Stick Matte Skinstick (Amber)
*Clarins Glow 2 Go Blush and Highlighter Duo (02 Golden Peach)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (Medium Brown)
Glossier Boy Brow (Brown)
Revlon So Fierce! Vinyl Eyeliner (Force of Steel)
*Glossier Pro Tip
*Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
**Glossier Cloud Paint (Dusk and Haze)
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (1 Fair)
Glossier Haloscope (Moonstone)
*L'Oréal Paris Infallible Magic Loose Powder
Ardell Individuals Duralash Naturals Knot-Free Flares Short and Medium
Duo Eyelash Glue (Black)


I'm so in love with these lipsticks, they have completely surpassed my expectations and I'm so excited to keep wearing them in different ways. Muse is currently sold out in the single form but is still available in the Ultimate Velvet Mix Collection alongside Decade and Ribbon. See my posts on Velvet Ribbon and the Summer Pinks Collection. You can see me wearing Velvet Jazz here and Velvet Morning here.

Did you get your hands on any of the lipsticks? Which one is your favourite? Keep an eye out for my post on the Blue Velvet Collection coming very soon!

Emma x


*Press Sample
**Haze is a press sample, I bought Dusk myself
***Glossier products are affiliate links, if you choose to shop via those links I will receive a small percentage of the sale but it won't cost you anything extra.