Spring Bronze Glow Smokey Eye with BareMinerals!

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0 palette in The Rare Find,

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick in Be Free,

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Bronze

Hey Beauty Lovers! I decided to ditch my beloved black eyeliner and create this warm bronze glow smokey eye! To create this look I used MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study as a base, applying it all over the lid as the shade has such a pretty sheen that it highlights brow-bone beautifully. Then I applied Surreal from the bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 palette in The Rare Find, which is a pretty yellow gold, just in the inner half of the eyelid, followed by Frisson, which is a matte warm brown with red undertone, into the outer half of the lid as well as taking it into the socket and under the lower lash-line. 

Just for a touch of definition I applied Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Bronze over the top lashes blending it with the eyeshadow, repeating the same under the lower lashes, also applying it onto the waterline. This is a very quick smokey eye, and makes blue eyes pop, but would look equally beautiful on green and brown eyes! For the lip I applied bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick in Be Free, which is a super pretty nude with a beautifully creamy texture. It's a subtle look that is perfect for a sunny spring day!

LOVE

The Classic Combo: Red Lips & Red Tips!

 Shade: St James

Hey Beauty Lovers! Sometimes when I'm not sure what beauty look I want to wear or which colour I should choose to paint my nails I opt for red lips and red tips. You can't go wrong with that! On the nails I'm wearing two coats of Nails Inc. Gel Effect Polish in St James, the formula is just a-mazing! This is seriously the most beautiful hot red I have ever encountered. If you love your nailpolishes please make me a favour and check out this colour, I'm totally convinced that you will fall in love with this red. 

It will be that 'love at first sight' moment, a moment that I don't think exists when it comes to men, but it surely does when it comes to nailpolish... or lipstick... or blush... St James is not a flat red, it has the most stunning dimension to it, although at first it looks like a cream finish, but when you look closer you will discover there's a super pretty sheen to it, with very fine red and gold shimmer. To pair it up with a red lip I chose the closest match of red I could find in my collection, which is the Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 111 Kiss Of Life!

LOVE

Favourite Autumnal Lipsticks: Nudes & Reds!

Right column top to bottom: 

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free [the creamiest nude lipstick]

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in 03 [a nude with a bit of colour]

Topshop Lips Lipstick in Rumour Has It [nude with a hint of toffee]

Revlon Super Lustrous Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout [nude cool pink, looks more subtle on the lips]

Left column top to bottom:

MAC Frost Lipstick in New York Apple [shimmery sheer to build-able berry shade]

MAC Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo [best red ever, most long lasting warm toned red]

MAC Matte Lipstick in Russian Red [classic deep red]

MAC Matte Lipstick in Deeply Adored from Marilyn Monroe Collection [deep berry]

Hey Beauts! During the cold months of the year I tend to wear nude, red, and berry lipsticks. Nude lipstick is a classic for me, it goes perfectly with my beloved smokey eye and I tend to wear them all year around. Red lipstick is a timeless classic, and every woman should have at least one red lipstick in her make-up collection. During a/w I find a red lip with smokey eye a rather beautiful combo that can look a little over-done during spring and summer. And of course berry lip looks super cute when you are wrapped up in a thick jumper and scarf with pink cheeks blushing from the cold.

LOVE

Inspired by Lisa Eldridge's Classic Smokey Eye!

 This is my Instagram pic so the colours are a bit different...

You can see the swatches from top left to right:  

Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in 4, Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner in Black,  

MAC Paints in Sublime Nature,and bottom two from L to R  

Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Taupe and Hot Stone

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Eldridge's work and so happy to see her doing beauty looks again. Her latest creation is the Classic Smokey Eye, to see her vid click here! I decided to recreate this look especially because I already had Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Taupe, which I haven't touched in ages. This Classic Smokey Eye is all about greyish brown shades, shades that naturally don't suit me, I prefer warm browns on me so I was really intrigues how this look would work on me. And I ended up loving it! This is why beauty is all about experimenting and being brave, I highly recommend to try this look, it has honestly become one of my staple looks!! 

I followed the exact techniques that Lisa Eldridge shows in her video, but used all the products I already have in my make-up collection. So do watch the vid of how to do this look, and I will just list the products I used otherwise this blogpost would be insanely long... 

Base [in the order I used the products]: 

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Light 4 Deauville, Liz Earle Light Reflecting Concealer in Medium 02 [just under the eyes], Collection 2000 Concealer in Light 2 [everything is rubbed off of mine, I still got the original one, best cheapest concealer ever - to conceal spots etc, not for under eyes], bareMinerals Matte SPF15 Foundation in Light W15 [all over to set the foundation],  Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer [doesn't seem to have a shade number, might have rubbed off - I always finish off my make-up with this concealer under the eyes], Aerin Illuminating Powder in Pretty Bronze [I love to contour under my cheek-bones with it, I even prefer it to Nars Laguna!], and finally Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush in 4 [I bust this baby out during summer, the prettiest bronzy natural blush I can think off]

Eyes:

Soap&Glory Archery Brow Tint & Precision Shaping Pencil in Love Is Blonde [I love the name as much as the pencil it self, I find the tint end a bit too hard but omg(!) is the precision shaping end amazing!! I will have to do blogpost about it separately it's that good, basically gives you the sexiest blode brow], MAC Paints in Sublime Nature [all over as a base], Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Taupe 4 [as the main eyeshadow], Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Hot Stone 56 [as the darker shade, very similar to what Lisa Eldridge used, a greyish dark brown], Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner in Black [one of my favourite black eyeliners, very intense and creamy so it's great for smudging, once it sets it stays put forever], before I apply mascara I always curl my lashes, it has become a religion - I use Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers, Avon SuperExtend Extreme Mascara in Black has proved to be a great companion [doesn't seem to ever end or dry out, love it!]

Lips:

And lastly for the lips I decided to keep it nice and simple as this looks requires lots and lots of blending, so I went for Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 03, I was obsessed with it couple of summers ago, and might go back to it this summer, these lipglosses are super simple to use, not sticky which is a major plus point and they just somehow make your lips look very pretty and natural! 

Hope you like this look, I certainly loved wearing it! The cool browns I usually try to avoid wearing changed my mind, thank you Lisa xox

LOVE

Cara Delevingne Vogue UK March Cover Inspired Look!

1. MAC Eyeshadow in Honesty

2. MAC Eyeshadow in Texture

3. MAC Eyeshadow in Mulch

4. Burberry Complette Eye Palette in No.05 Dark Spice [just the chocolate shade]

5. Rimmel Scandaleyes in 012 Bronze

6. bareMinerals Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in 7pm

7. MAC False Lashes Extreme Black

8. Dior Addict Lipstick in 534 Sly Coral

9. Topshop Lips in Rumour Has It

I adore Cara Delevingne! As I used to collect Vogue issues with Kate Moss on the cover I now do the same with Cara on it... I particularly loved the eye makeup she had on the cover of this month's Vogue... It's the type of eye makeup look I gravitate towards, the bronze and chocolate eyeshadow shades with dark smoked out eyeliner... Although at first it seems Cara is wearing a black eyeliner, I think it's actually a super dark brown, as it has that warm tone to it that black doesn't... This is an inspired look I created, and it's less dramatic and more wearable during day time for those of us who like to rock the smokey-eye during the lighter hours of the day as well...

Firstly I applied the MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork [forgot to include it in the pics], then in the inner corner and lid I applied Honesty to give that highlighted slightly shimmery look... And in the outer V I applied Texture to bring in the warmth, which always looks great in the crease... With Mulch I blended the two together, which took it a step further by creating more dimension and building up the depth of the smokey eyemakeup... Mixing Texture and Mulch together I also applied them with a pencil brush under the lower lashline... For that last bit of dimension I took the chocolate shade from the Burberry eyeshadow palette and blended it just in the crease-line and a touch on the outer corner as it is incredibly pigmented... 

Next for the eyeliner to create the right shade I firstly applied the Rimmel Bronze [a true metallic bronze] on top and lower lashline, and on top of Bronze I applied the bareMinerals eyeliner in 7pm [a very dark brown] blending the two together creating a slightly bronzy dark brown... And for eyelashes I could have used some fake lashes to recreate the big eyelash look that Cara is rocking but it would be a bit much for the day-time, so I just used the MAC False Lashes Extreme Black mascara to give me that extra bit of volume! 

And to finish off Cara's nude lip look has a little warmth in it to tie the whole look together... So I decided to apply Dior Sly Coral as a base blotting off most of it leaving a pretty a light flash of shimmery peachy coral... Sly Coral is a very old lipstick in my collection, if not the oldest, so it might have been discontinued by now... And to nude the lip down over the top I applied Topshop lipstick Rumour Has It also blotting at the end, which takes off the shininess of a creamy lipstick and mattifies it a touch for a more natural look... Et voilà!

LOVE

Chanel Vertigo + OPI Warm & Fozzie Combo!

I was in the mood for some grey, and picked this beautiful Chanel Vertigo from my nail polish collection, it's a grey with red/pink light shimmer [2 coats]... Lately I have been obsessed with glitter ombre effect, but this time I had very little time to make my nails so I decided to only do the accent nail [which also will cut down on the taking-off time later]... For the glitter I used mini OPI Warm & Fozzie from The Muppets Collection [also 2 coats just half of the nail upwards]... It's a metallic with very fine gold/silver/bronze glitter on a clear base... And to create that gradual ombre effect I used the Rimmel Glitter Top Coat in Disco Gold, the glitters are sparse so it's easier to control where you want more or less of them [3 coats starting lower and gradually coming down to the base of the nail-plate]... 

LOVE

OPI Tickle My France-y + GoldenEye Glitter Ombre Nail Look!

OPI Tickle My France-y [L]

OPI mini GoldenEye [R] - from The Bondettes Collection 

Can you see a pattern happening? I'm absolutely loving the glitter ombre nail look at the mo... The nailpolish combination is endless, you can make the same nail polish look new every time just by adding a bit of glitter, but ombre-ing them takes it to a whole new level of awesomeness... Seriously try it if you haven't yet, you will be hooked! Here I have gone for a nude [OPI Tickle My France-y] nail look with a touch of gold [OPI GoldenEye]... For a glitter ombre nail look make sure to use a glitter polish that has a clear base or a glitter topcoat... 

Some of the glitter nail polishes can have a huge amount of glitter particles and some don't have that many, the less glitter there is the easier it is to create a gradual ombre effect... I also like to use a second glitter polish just to blend it, so far I have been using my Rimmel Glitter Topcoat in Disco Gold, which works really well, but I want to try new glitter topcoat and see what else I can find... And of course I always finish my manicure with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Topcoat, which leaves my nails looking professionally done, glossy, neat, and most importantly dries the nail polish really fast!

LOVE

Awesome Winter Frost Inspired Nail Art Look: Essie Combo!

Essie Where's My Chauffeur? 

Essie Beyond Cozy...

Both shades from the Essie Winter 2012 Collection!

I had a fun spa treatment booked for tomorrow but ended up cancelling due to the weather, it's meant to snow some more over night and during the morning, so getting there would be pretty tricky... Anyways, in preparation for the spa I had a pedicure and painted my toes in Essie Where's My Chauffeur? - it's a beautiful teal shade I naturally think of when I envision myself at a spa and a swimming pool... I adore teals and love wearing them on my nails too, but it's somewhat bright for this time of the year... But seeing Where's My Chauffeur? on my toes I could no longer resist and had to paint it on my nails too and make it more seasonal... 

Inspired by the current snowy weather and winter frost I came up with this nail look! So here it goes... Two coats of Where's My Chauffeur?, one coat unevenly applied of the Beyond Cozy just on the tips covering roughly one/third of the nail... And then about three coats of Rimmel Disco Gold over the top covering two thirds of the nail to achieve a gradual intensity, and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Topcoat to finish off... I love how amazing they look in real life, they are quite striking in a beautiful way... And they look like they were done by a professional nail artist, and the thing is I haven't even put much effort into it! This nail look is super easy to recreate and  guaranteed to get you lots of compliments!

 

LOVE

Ciaté Twilight with Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow - Ombre Glitter Nail Look!

Deborah Lippmann in Boom Boom Pow...

[exclusively available at House of Fraser]

Ciate in Twilight...

For those of you who follow me on Instagram you would have seen the pic I uploaded last night after purchasing Ciaté Twilight! It is an awesome black nailpolish with gold and green fine glitter, I applied it pretty much straight away... It's beautiful, but the tip-wear is not great, almost hours later there it was the nail tips looked worn, but I still like the colour, so I thought I'd hide the tip-wear and bring a little more bling to my nails... This is a great way to transform any of your nail polishes and also to disguise no longer neat looking manicure... It's a fantastic time saver when you want to have awesome looking nails but have no time to paint them from fresh!

So here we go, Day 1: two coats of Ciaté Twilight with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat... Day 2:  followed by Rimmel Rock Your Colour Glitter Topcoat in 002 Disco Gold, starting in the middle of the nail plate pulling upwards towards the tips, two coats... Also followed by Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow starting half way on the Disco Gold, and one more coat just on the edges of the tips [as you'd apply the French manicure line], this helps to create a gradual intensity! I love the end result, awesome but chic! And then I finished off with one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri again, this just makes them more glossy and helps to dry faster the newly added four coats...

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: A Glam Red Lip Look with Chanel!

This is the make-up look I wore to the Estee Lauder Christmas event and since I received so many compliments I decided to share it... There was one picture taken of me but it was rather unflattering and after much consideration I decided not to upload it... Luckily before leaving to the event I took a few pics of the make-up look I created... I had very little time and so went for something sophisticated and classic - black eyeliner and red lip! I wore this lip combo first time to the event and wore it quite a few times since, it has even become my pick-me-up lip look! The entire look is really simple yet quite chic... For the eyes I went with barely there colours and just a classic black eyeliner, for that I used MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study as a base and MAC Eyeshadows in Honesty all over the eyelid and Cork in the crease for a light definition... 

To make my face look more fresh I went with the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude over my waterline, that always visually opens up eyes and gives you a more awake and refreshed look, perfect for those days when you feeling a bit tiered... And then my beloved Estee Lauder Quick & Thick Eyeliner in Punker Black finished the look... This eyeliner is great for when you are in a rush and have very little time to do your make-up, like I said already many times - it's fail-proof! And finally, the star of the look is the incredibly flattering lip combo! With Chanel Lip Definer pencil in 56 Orange Intense I filled in the lips and then went over it with the Chanel Rouge Allure Lip Colour in 97 Incandescente, et voilà!

LOVE