makeup

What’s new to my makeup bag.

IMG_5283I wanted to share with you some new drug store products that have made it into my makeup bag. numbered

  1. Rimmel London Lasting Finish Primmer. £6.99. This primmer is nice and moisturising, it is a little on the thick side but it does provide a nice smooth base for your foundation and it also has a slight shimmer to it making it illuminating too.
  2. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in shade Light. £5.99. This concealer is really creamy goings on really well and blends out nicely with out drying out your under eyes.
  3. Revolution Baked Highlighter in Peach. £3.00. This is so gorgeous, I also have the Golden Lights shade but picked up Peach for a more rosy highlight. It is very pigmented and finely milled. It applies really well with a large fluffy brush and is pink without being too much perfect for my fair olive skin tone.
  4. La Cross Premier crease shadow blending brush. £2.49. I got this brush on Ebay, it is such high quality, super soft and fluffy while dense enough to make blending your crease shadows so easy.
  5. Max Factor Excess Shimmer in copper. £7.99. This is a creme high pigment shadow, its called copper although I would describe it as a rosey champagne, it has such a nice shimmer looks gorgeous swept across the whole lid or as a highlight on the inner corner.
  6. Sleep Makeup Divine Eye Palette in Au Naturel. £7.99. This is my absolute palette at the moment. I wear them during the day or night there’s such a good range and I have used every colour. The champagne shimmer in the top right is my favourite as well as the mauve matte brown, shimmer khaki and the shimmer deep plum. So pigmented and creamy they blend really well, stay put through out the day and when the shimmers are used with a damp brush they literally make your look.
  7. Revolution Ultra Bronzer. £3.00. This is a huge pan for the price, and a great build able cool matte bronzer which works for subtly warming up the complexion through to a full on contour. Great bronzer for fair skin.
  8. Maybelline Push Up Drama Mascara. £7.99. Oh My God! this is literally the best mascara ever. If you like slightly clumpy full lashes then this is amazing. It goes on so quick and instantly wow! and it lasts all day, doesn’t crumble and is flexible and comfortable on your lashes.
  9. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in shade Vanilla. £9.99. I have tried other foundations but I just keep coming back to this one. I love hydrated dewy makeup at the moment and this is exactly that, it has a medium to high coverage and applies so nicely. I have the shade Vanilla 52 mixed in with Light Beige 53 depending how much colour I want. I also find these foundations to have yellow undertones, perfect for my olive skin. Other light foundations I have tried have been too rosey.
  10. Olay BB cream in fair. £9.99. I picked this one up the other day from Superdrug where Olay was buy one get one free. I got their complete lightweight day fluid and also picked up this bb cream as it was free. It is so hydrating and moisturising with a subtle hint of coverage. I like to use it on its own or under my foundation when I want a little extra coverage and hydration.

So these were my latest additions to my makeup bag and this below, is my makeup bag. I got it for Christmas its from RiverIsland and is quite large but its a perfect size for my everyday makeup and its just so pretty in Nude and rose gold leather.

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I am loving a super highlighted, dewy completion with a mauve and dark dusty pink smoky eye at the moment. I think I am trying to get into the spring session even if the weather isn’t ready to yet.

All of the products are available in Superdrug online or in store.

I also got my nails done today and for the first time in ages I have gone for a deep dusty pink. It’s OPI You Sustain me. When your fair and have dark eyes its hard to wear pinky pinks as they just don’t go with your skin tone but I would defiantly recommend trying a cooler pink such as a mauve shade or one with a brown tone to it.

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Rimmel London Nudes.

I am a real fan of Kate Moss’s lip stick collection for Rimmel London. They come in such a great range of colours, they are really long lasting and costing only £4.99 from most dug stores -they are my go to lippy. Kate Moss recently brought out a new Nude Collection and again I was not disappointed.

This new collection features 5 gorgeous lipsticks in a range of beige shades, a clear lip conditioner and 5 nail polishes in an irresistible range of nudes. The collection is so on trend for this season and will see you through the summer and well into autumn/winter. For me it’s their lipsticks again that have caught my eye. I have purchased shades 43 and 48, 43 is a buttery caramel colour, it’s not far off my natural lip colour but just takes away the pink tone so it works really well against my olivey skin. 48 on the other hand is a rich dark beige almost chocolate, which would made a perfect nude against dark skin but for me it works as a chcocolately statement lipstick -I love it because it is still defiantly a beige shade and not a red or plum tone. There is a colour to compliment every skin tone and with its same long lasting finish as in Kate’s previous collections they will last. Perfect against your summery skin.

What’s in my makeup bag.

I recently had a sort out of all my makeup. It was such a mess -eye shadow dust and black liner splodges everywhere. The other morning I had a rummage for my tweezers my hands got so covered in makeup, I’d had enough. From that point I knew I needed to have a sort out. I had all sorts in my makeup bag, things I hadn’t used in ages and all just taking up space and making it even harder to find what I am looking for.

It is always good to have a sort out, make up is expensive and you don’t want to be chucking everything away but most makeup products have a 12 month use by date on them so it is important for hygiene to throw away old products. It is best to invest in products you know you are going to use everyday to make your money go further. I cleaned up all my makeup and washed my brushes and then sorted them in to the products I use most often and ones that I might use again in the future.

This little beige makeup bag was an absolute bargain from Newlook it was £3 in the sale. It’s a nice size as it fits all of my essentials with out take up too much room in my hand bag if I need to do my makeup on the go.

I would probably say I buy most of my makeup from Boots as your points add up quickly on my Boots card and their products are often on 3 for 2. Here is a list of my must haves right now.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Lah Multiplying Mascara £7.99

Maybelline Fit Me! concealer £5.99

Boujour Smokey Eye Trio £7.99

Boujour Healthy Mix Foundation £9.99

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner £7.99

Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil £2.99

Rimmel London Good to Glow Highlighter £4.99

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss £5.45

Makeup bag -Newlook £3

Brush set -Amazon £6

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer Sand 20. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara Very Black 1Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil Black/BrownBourjois Healthy Mix Foundation Beige 54

Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio Eyeshadow Nude Ingenu 4Rimmel London Good To Glow Highlighter Notting Hill Glow 1Makeup Revolution Matte Concealer Stick 01 FairestMaybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner Black

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick By Kate Moss 38Body Collection Eyelash Curlers

If you are interested in how I contour my face. I have the quickest and simplest steps for everyday contouring, link bellow -Complexion Perfection.

https://katielouisaclarke.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/complexion-perfection/

Complexion Perfection.

Everyone’s skin in different but I wanted to share with you how I like to achieve a glowing complexion. For me I believe it’s all about creating highlights and shadows with a slight dewiness to make your skin appear healthy and fresh. I like to start with Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix foundation “for a healthy glow and flawless complexion” I apply this evenly and not to heavily across my whole face, this will act as a base for the other products so I like to keep it as light as possible whilst achieving full coverage, I also like to apply it with a medium foundation brush to ensure coverage. If you are in a hurry I like to pretty much leave it there as this foundation isn’t too masking your skin looks great just from this but for the true rich glow it’s time to contour and highlight.

So next I take Maybelline Fit Me concealer in Chestnut. it’s important to choose a concealer that is at least 3 shades darker than your skin tone because you are going to blend it into the natural shadows of your face to give it greater depth. So using the concealer draw a line following the hollow under your cheek bones and across your forehead close to your hair line and then using a beauty sponge blend it out, working the colour until it softens and blends into the foundation below. Subtly is the key.

Next you need to lift the highlights of your face; under your eyes, down your nose and into your T zone. For this I like to use a Light Foundation stick in the fairest shade. I draw a triangle under each eye and then a large T shape down my nose and up into my forehead. Then using my finger I like the blend and soften this colour into the foundation below. You have now created a complexion filled with highlights, mid tones and shadows that give structure to your face.

Finally I like to finish with Rimmel London’s Up and Glow highlighter, it’s a shimmer cream that sits perfectly when applied to the peak of the cheek bones and above the brow for that added glow.  I accompany my complexion with a lick of mascara and i’m ready to go for that fresh faced look.

Contouring can be extremely complex but I find this simplified technique works well and looks great for everyday makeup.

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Want to know how to keep that summer tan for longer, click here.

https://katielouisaclarke.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/glowing/

Want help finding the right foundation for your skin tone, click here.

https://katielouisaclarke.wordpress.com/2015/05/25/my-top-two-foundations/

A good mani.

A girl with a good manicure projects confidence and professionalism. You can’t hide your hands, we use them for everything from greeting someone to simply scrolling through our phones.

I like to paint my nails just as much as the next girl but I was struggling to find the point. I would always choose a nice shade and it would look great for the first day but after a while and after I’ve washed up a few dishes and tidied the house twice my nails would always be left chipped and broken. I would then struggle to find time to redo them so they just continue to slowing chip away till I’m left with that horrible little patch of colour in the centre of each nail.

nude nails

I have just started a new job and shabby nails were not an option. First impressions matter even down to the colour of your fingers and toes. So I decided to get my nails done. I’ve never thought it was worth it before but now seemed as good a time as any to give it a go.

shades of nude

I had my nails shellacked. Basically its the same as painting your natural nails like you would at home, but the special formula sets like rock under UV light leaving your nails feeling super strong and so glossy. The brand I used was CND Shellac -they come is a huge array of colours. I am wearing Field Fox its a gorgeous dusky nude pink shade. If I wasn’t at work I would probably try a darker mauve colour, or a striking red or black. CND claims it will last chip free for 14 days, It’s currently day 4 and so far it looks as fresh as the day I had it done -Yay Sucsess! Hav a found a polish that actully lasts? I will keep you posted on how it looks on day 14 and whether I feel it is worth spending the little extra money on it.

For inspiration and my favourite shades check out my nails board on Pintrest.

Thanks for reading everybody. A follow up post is to come shortly. Have you had any experience with Shellac? leave your comments and views below. Lots of love 🙂 xx

my top two foundations.

Finding the right foundation for your skin tone and type can be an absolute palaver. There are so many out there you have to consider whether you want a liquid or a mouse, light or full coverage, matte or dew finish and then you need to find the right colour- this is the part I struggled with for years.
foundation colour chart

Here are a couple of tips for finding the correct shade for your skin. Firstly decide what coverage you need, if you have dry or sensitive skin go for something light with natural ingredients also consider a dewy finish as this will be more moisturizing than a matte finish that could dry your skin out further. If you have “normal” skin then you have roam of what ever you like but I would recommend a light to medium coverage, anything too heavy with leave you looking caked and blotchy when it wears off.

foundationPicking the correct shade is the tricky part. When you go shopping for a new foundation I would say wear minimal to no make up so you can a clean base to work from. If you can I would recommend going somewhere like Selfridges or Debenhams or any department store where the staff are on hand and able to advise and test the products on your skin for you. If you are testing the foundation yourself then apply a small amount to the jaw line, this is the palest area of your face and if the foundation matches this area it will blend easily into your neck for a flawless finish.

I have fairly normal skin and prefer to wear a medium coverage matte foundation, my skin has a sandy beige under tone so I have found lots of foundations look too pink against my skin but now I have found my two favorites. Mac Studio Fix Fluid in shade NC15 and Revlon Colourstay in 180 sand beige. Both foundations have a similar consistency and apply really well to the skin with a foundation brush. Revlon Colourstay is a slightly deeper shade which is perfect for night or in the summer when I have a little more colour while Mac Studio Fix is the perfect shade for every day.

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These foundations may not be the right ones for you but they are defiantly worth a look. Let me know what your favorite foundation is by leaving a comment bellow.

Mac Studio Fix Fluid £21.50 http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/158/1231/Studio-Fix-Fluid-SPF-15/index.tmpl?77tadunit=fcb8c5d7&77tadvert=7634424279&77tkeyword=mac%20studio%20fix&77tentrytype=s&cm_mmc=google-_-search-_-brand-_-mac%20studio%20fix&gclid=Cj0KEQjwkIurBRDwoZfi1bGCxocBEiQAmcs-epnSWgx8bwa1z2Lt1-xExAw5Ln0IWG5LKOYe99B144QaAsy_8P8HAQ

Revlon Colourstay http://www.revlon.co.uk/Revlon-Home/Products/Face/Foundation/ColorStay-Makeup-with-SoftFlex-for-Combination-Oily-Skin.aspx

ck in2u.

It’s hard to find a new fragrance. There are so many out there and when you go to try them out you end up with a thousand smells sprayed up each arm in a cloud clashing fragrance that make you dizzy. I’ve decided I am not much of a fan of floral smells, I find them almost bitter and some put my teeth on edge. I also don’t like musky based smells as I find them too strong and lingering. How ever I did really like Lady Million for a while, it has a sweet but not to sickly smell that you can wear day or night. My Lady Million was running out, I wanted to find a new fragrance but didn’t know where to start.

My boyfriend Zac started wearing Calvin Klein in2u soon as I smelt it- I loved it. It has a sweet manly fresh smell, when Zac wears it, it makes me melt at the knees. Mmmm it’s good. I think I also like it so much because to me it’s Zac’s smell, the smell he wears when he’s all dressed up.

A popular fragrance for young men, Calvin Klein In2U Him Eau de Toilette is a masculine and fresh fragrance which is perfect for evening use. On trend and distinctive, Calvin Klein In2U Him is a combination of Lemon and Tomato Leaf top notes, heart notes of Cacao Pod and base notes of Vetiver, Cedar and White Musk. Calvin Klein In2U Him features a stylish glass bottle which makes it an essential fragrance for any young man looking to make a fashion statement.

I then thought I should try the ck in2u for her- then we could have the matching couples fragrance. I tried it and fell in love with it, its sweet but clean and fresh. I like the vanilla under tones mixed with the pink grapefruit, it’s such an easy sent to wear.

Described as a fresh and floral scent which opens with fresh pink grapefruit and sugar orchid, Calvin Klein In2u expresses the freedom of the new age and the possibilities available to the youth of today. The base notes feature amber, red cedar and vanilla, making it a perfect concoction for the modern day woman. Housed in an urban style bottle with an attractive and minimalist design, Clavin Klein In2U is deliciously floral and is a signature scent not to be missed.

Ck in2u pair

The ck in2u range has been around for quite a few years now, Calvin Klein have brought out ck in2u Heat for Him and Her as well as a Pop range- I haven’t tried them out but I will. I have been using their original line for about 2 years and I can see myself continuing to use it for the foreseeable future. The fact it’s been around for a little while also means its often on offer or reduced in price, I picked up a 150ml bottle of for Her for £19.99 I think it is RRP is £50. It is available at most fragrance retailers and department stores.

So Nails.

There’s nothing more girly than painting your nails. It looks so pretty and stops them breaking. Wack on some colour and look fabulous all week and then surprise yourself a week later with how much your nails have grown. Also a good colour on your nails finishes your look and makes you feel like you’ve made more of an effect even when you haven’t. Right now I am wearing Barry M Matte in Crush- its a dark burgundy berry colour- the matte finish is so sophisticated, in my opinion its just more subtle than the glossy finish making it more wearable. All the colours in their matte range are so nice and at £3.99 a bottle and often on offer with 3 for 2 they are definitely well worth a try.

Barry-M-Matte-Polish

Another nail vanish range I am in love with is Essie’s Autumn Collection- I know we are heading into spring but theres still plenty of time was those autumn shades. Essie is a little more expensive but the vanishes do last longer without chipping and the colours are so scrummy. I have Sew Psyched which is a neutral pale khaki tone.essie

A cashmere-soft sage pewter nail lacquer is perfectly suited to set off fall and winter styles. dressed up or down, this shade is sure to start a fashion frenzy.

Its something a little bit different and I think it goes really well with my skin tone and being neutral it goes with everything.

http://www.boots.com/en/Essie-Nail-Polish-Sew-Psyched-13-5ml_1347605/

http://www.boots.com/en/Barry-M-Matte-Nail-Paint_1388205/