Beauty and the Beach 2

Last month I entered the TravelSupermarket.com Worldwide Wardrobe Competition. I then read about their Beauty and the Beach 2 competition and I immediately tried to come up with ideas for each category, Nails, Hair and Make Up.

I wanted to combine all three categories to create an overall look. The look that I came up with is something that I like to call "Modern Beach Pin-Up".

Make Up

When thinking of ideas, my main aim was to create a look using long lasting products that contain SPF so that the look can be worn during the day and quickly adjusted for a night out.

I started with Clarins Beauty Flash Balm as a primer, this is a step you don't necessarily need, but it's nice if you're just wearing the make up for a night out. If you need to during the day you could wear a primer to help your make up last longer depending on your skin type. I then used Double Wear Light foundation because it has SPF 10 so you could wear it during the day as it's a long wearing foundation and I know from experience that it is amazing for hot days. The SPF isn't too high so if you wear it at night you won't get flashback in photographs. I did my brows using a brow brush, some matte dark brown eyeshadow and clear mascara to hold them in place all day.

For eyes I used Urban Decay's Primer Potion in the colour Sin as it's a long lasting product that doesn't crease. You could wear it alone during the day with just some mascara if you wanted a low maintenance make up look for the beach. I added Sin and Virgin eyeshadows from the Naked palette and some waterproof eyeliner for a more glamorous evening look. I finished the eyes by curling my lashes and adding some Maybelline waterproof mascara.

I used a cream blush and some highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones  to give a nice subtle glow and define the face. I dusted some loose powder on my T-Zone to avoid my face looking shiny in photographs, but it's not necessary if you have drier skin.

For lips I used some red lip liner and a gorgeous Revlon lipstick on top, but because this is a fun holiday look, I added a pink gloss on top to give the lips a gorgeous high shine finish. This gloss also has SPF 15 so it's great to wear during the day as we often forget to protect our lips from the sun (well I know I do anyway).

Products Used:

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
Estée Lauder Double Wear Light in Intensity 1
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
No7 Beautiful Eyebrow Pencil in Brown
Revlon Matte Eye-shadow in Rich Sable
Urban Decay Eye-shadows in Sin and Virgin
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Natural Collection Lash Care Mascara in Clear
Essence Liquid Ink Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair
Estée Lauder Cream Blush in Evening Rose
theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighting Powder
No7 Perfect Light Loose Powder in Translucent
Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Red Diva
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Cherry Blossom
BECCA Ultimate Colour Gloss in Flamingo Crush

Hair

When it came to hair I wanted a style that would be quick and easy to do. This whole style took me under thirty minutes and looks great the day after too.

Starting off with "beachy waves" or in my case my natural hair, I had already used an all in one treatment which included heat protectant.

I used a 25mm curling iron pulling the hair away from the face rather than towards or under, you can be as random or as particular as you want depending on the type of curls you desire. I was going for a more defined, retro Veronica Lake inspired curl so I used the curlers at the highest heat setting. This also helps the curls last longer. I then sprayed some hairspray on my brush and brushed out the curls to make them less like ringlets. This gives gorgeous soft sweeping curls and the hairspray on the brush helps them to stay nice and smooth and avoids frizz.

I parted my hair with a deep side parting and added some large flower clips to one side of my head. You could correspond the flower to your outfit or just wear the curls without any accessories. You can bring the small travel size hairspray out with you for touch ups too if you need to.

Products Used:

Uniqone All in One Hair Treatment
BaByliss Pro Curl 210 Hair Tongs
Hair Brush
Hair Grip
Umberto Giannini Beauty Secrets Travel Size Hairspray
Flower Hair Clips and Accessories

Nails

For nails I wanted to continue the retro theme so I gave myself a half moon manicure with a twist. After base coat I used a rose gold polish and then added the reinforcement rings and painted a second coat with a pinky red shades. The rose gold peaks through and is really eye catching in the sun. I also thought it was nice that the nails mirrored the colours I used in my make up look.

Products Used:

Sally Hansen Double Duty Base and Top Coat
Orly Rage
Essie Watermelon
Reinforcement Rings



What do you think of the looks I created? Is is something you would wear on holiday?

You can enter all three categories for the chance to win the overall prize of £1500 and there is a prize of £500 for each of the three categories individually. The competition is open until June 5th and you can find out exactly how to enter here. Please let me know if you decide to enter so I can see your looks! I had so much fun creating my entry.

Emma x

Worldwide Wardrobe Competition

When I read about the Worldwide Wardrobe Competition from Travel Supermarket I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up. All you have to do is create looks based on five different locations and activities around the world for under £200 and say why you chose your items. The five themes are sightseeing in Paris, clubbing in Ibiza, shopping in London, cocktails in New York and partying at the Full Moon Party in Thailand. There is a winner for each city and the prize is a trip to the destination your outfit was inspired by. You can enter all five, or pick however many you want. I chose Paris, New York and London.

I chose London because despite the fact that it's incredibly near to Dublin, I've never been there before. Keeping in mind that I was creating an outfit for a shopping trip, it had to be comfortable as well as stylish, as London is one of the most stylish places in the world. I chose a printed 90s inspired midi dress from ASOS as it's a great transitional piece since the weather still isn't great this side of the world. I chose the leather jacket because like I said it's still jacket weather at the moment and in London you have to be prepared for rain, snow and sun! I chose the Topshop boots because I felt that the midi dress would require a slight heel to balance it out and boots are always handy for an unexpected rain shower while out and about, the heel isn't too high so they would still be comfortable for shopping all day. The Zara Taylor ring is another 90s inspired item, it reminds me of the mood rings everyone used to have when I was younger. I finished the outfit off with some inexpensive accessories. The Zara messenger bag is big enough to fit the essentials in for a day out and the two tone colour brightens everything up. Finally the oversized ASOS sunglasses are always handy to have in your bag in case the sun decides to shine. 

Total: £198.99

I  have recent first hand experience of sightseeing in Paris and my main objectives for this outfit were comfort, practicality and of course some Parisian inspired style. I found this striped dress from Next and I based everything else around it. I added the denim jacket because layers are always a good idea when your going to be going between being outdoors and indoors all day. One of the most important things you can wear when walking around a city sightseeing is comfortable footwear, so I chose a pair of shoes from Clarks as they always have the most comfortable shoes. Another must have is a small cross body bag that you don't have to worry about. It's perfect for keeping your passport, wallet and other essentials. The sunglasses and belt are self explanatory, I thought the ring would add a nice bit of colour to a pretty neutral outfit and the watch is just a bit of fun as well as being practical so that you can keep an eye on the time for museum opening hours. 

Total: £189.97

It's always been one of my dreams to visit New York and what could be more classically New York than a Breakfast at Tiffany's inspired black dress. I chose some simple black court heels to wear with it and some gold and coral accessories. A simple coral clutch, a cocktail ring and some cute Marc Jacobs daisy studs to echo the cut-out detail of the dress. 

Total: £195.86

I found it was more difficult than I thought it would be to stay under the £200 limit but I'm very happy with the end results. I chose outfits that I would actually wear in each location and it was actually quite fun looking through different sites for the right pieces. 

You can find all the details on how to enter here.

If you decide to give it a go please leave me a comment and let me know so I can have a look at your outfits!

Emma x