Mini Topshop Make Up Haul

STUDENT LOAN IS HERE!

It's tradition that when my loan comes in I have a little/big shop! I've been feeling pretty stressed because I have to hand in my dissertation tomorrow! AHH! I think I will be ok just need to get bits done today, (hence my procrastination of a blog post!). Annnyways, on my little shop I bought lots of lovely new beauty products, I thought I would do the haul in bits as I did buy quite a few things.

Starting with my Topshop make up haul! I love Topshops make up, especially the wide range of nail varnishes (I have a lot, hehe!). The colours are always slightly different, sort of brighter and more youthful than other brands and are really good value for money! They vary from £5 - £6 depending on their properties, for example, a glitter shade etc. I normally just glance at the row of colours see one I like and buy on impulse, I rarely stop to consider it. After all, a girl can never have too many nail varnishes!

 My latest nail varnish purchase was 'Eclipse' - a metallic green, with a gold sheen. It looks a bit darker in the pot than on the nails but I'm still pretty happy with the colour, it's sort of futuristic in a way! I think it will look great with a black outfit (which I plan on wearing on my next night out, hmmm convenient!).

Eclipse

I also bought 'Hazard' lipstick. I only have one other Topshop lipstick, 'Whimsical' a nude/coral colour. I do like this lipstick, but I suppose I have doubts because I'm not really a nude type of girl, but, the quality is good and is surprisingly moisturising on the lips. I've been looking for an affordable deep red for a while now, I saw this and thought the colour was perfect. A blood red stained look that is really seductive and sultry. I'm pretty excited to wear this especially because I'm dying my hair back brown next week and think this will look amazing with dark eyes, dark hair, dark outfit, dark... everything! So, yay! Very happy with this, thank you Topshop!

Hazard

My final purchase was an eye crayon in 'Marble'. It's a metallic soft eye liner than can be smudged and worked to a cream shadow or highlighter, really versatile. I actually bought this for my dissertation practical bit of work which is a short video, all to do with reflecting light off make up (it's a bit more complicated than that, but I won't bore you with the details!) however, stupidly, I forgot to take this in my kit as I was saving it for this haul post! Ah well, I made do! I'm really happy I bought this though, I normally smudge a little bit of Illamasqua's liquid metal in the corner of my eye for a highlighted look but this shade is the perfect balance between creamy/white and gold, I'd say a pale copper. It's a lovely shade and really workable.

Marble and Hazard swatch

Out of the three, I am most excited to wear 'Hazard'. It's getting to the point where my lipstick collection is ridiculous but I just love them! I'm also super happy with this as I don't really have a deep red and have wanted one for ages!

Are you a fan of Topshop make up? Any favourite pieces? LET ME KNOW BELOW!

My Morning Skincare Routine

I thought it would be a nice idea to talk about my daily skincare routine that I do every morning without fail (unless I'm staying at my boyfriends where we more than likely got drunk the night before, leaving me lying in bed all day making him cook me food).

I have quite sensitive skin, especially around my eyes as I suffered from eczema a few months ago, it thankfully has now disappeared but can return with a vengeance, if I don't make sure to keep my skin clear of any make up over night. Because I'm completely paranoid of it coming back I really have to make sure I use natural products or products specially designed for sensitive skin. I find if I use a product that isn't very natural, my skin can go very blotchy even a bit rashy at times!

Some products that I've used in the past that have reacted with my skin are Garnier cleansers and toners, L'oreal gel face wash and actually some Clinique products, which upsets me as I never used to have this problem and now I can't really use them any more!

I start my morning routine with Dr. Hauschka's cleansing milk, I raved about this product a few posts back, but it really is amazing. Really natural and calming for my irritated skin and lasts for ages! Before this product I had Dermalogica's Ultra Calming cleanser, which, to be fair, I didn't actually mind, however, I still found my eyes to be a little itchy at time even if the redness wasn't visible. I would recommend this product though if you don't actually suffer from eczema, but if you just find your skin to be red and blotchy.

Dr Hauschka cleansing milk

Ultra Calming cleanser

I then move on to exfoliation, I don't always exfoliate but I love that tingling feeling you get when you have a good scrub! If I want to go fully exfoliating crazy I use St. Ives Apricot face scrub, this is an affordable well know scrub which really does the job! However, I've started using Dermalogica's daily microfoliant, this is a lot gentler on my sensitive skin and leaves my face feeling really clean and fresh. I definitely recommend using this in the morning as it gives your skin a smooth revitalised look. A product I tried a little tester of and loved is REN's Micro Polish Cleanser. I'll definitely be buying this when my Dermalogica runs out! 

St. Ives scrub

Dermalogica's daily microfoliant

Next comes a quick cleanse and tone with some cotton wool pads. My skin's had a good clean already so I sometimes don't feel it necessary to invest more of my precious morning time in extra cleansing and toning, but if I do I go for The Body Shops, Vitamin E cleanser and toner. These smell amazing and generally suit my skin. So I'm happy to use these when needed! Here's the link - thebodyshop.co.uk

Then, FINALLY! Most importantly moisturise!! Currently I'm using REN's T-Zone Balancing Day Fluid which I love! REN has never really disappointed me with any product I've tried. The Day Fluid is great for my skin which I can find can get a little oily throughout the day, the moisturiser actively reduces shine and protects the skin against free radicals. Another moisturiser I've tried is Clinique's Moisture Surge. I do like this product but I found it didn't leave my skin feel overly hydrated, I swear it evaporates in the pot as well! (Probably not but I'm suuure I had some left!), also as I said earlier Clinique leaves my skin a little bit irritated!

REN T-Zone Balancing Day Fluid

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream

If I'm feeling extra tired (probably for an early 9 am lecture or something!!) I try and brighten up my dark under eye circles using Balance Me's Wonder Eye Cream. I actually got this product in a Glossybox and loved it so much I bought the full sized! 

So there we have it! I do tend to vary my products quite often, I seem to constantly be buying different things and having little bits of products left here and there! But, this is my routine at the moment, it suits my sensitive skin and is great for the cold wintery months! 

I'd love to hear of any other products for sensitive skin that I could give a try, so comment below and discuss! 

PINK

This is very naughty of me to be doing this considering I have a dissertation in next Friday and I have rather a lot to do! But, I am the queen of procrastination, so I thought I would do a really quick and easy pink themed make up! 

Girly, feminine and pearly pinks are quite SS12, but I love the fresh, glowing nature of it and I think the look can be worn all year round! In my last post (Christmas haul one) I talked about my Mac 'Rose' pigment so I thought I would incorporate that into this make up! 

Also, excuse the pictures, I did this at a rather stupid time of day and only had artificial light and the flash kept going off and I look all washed out and weird but anyway you'll get the idea! 

Here we go... 

I started with my usual skin routine, Benefit's "That gal" primer smoothed onto my cheek bones, forehead and centre of my nose comes first. Then using a Real Techniques 'expert face brush' I buff in my Diorskin Nude foundation to give a very natural flawless finish. 

I then filled in my eyebrows using an angled brush. For this look I wanted my natural shape of my brow a little more defined but still kept quite natural, so I used my HD brow palette in 'Foxy', using the dark brown which is a pretty good match for the natural colour of my brow! 

Starting on the eyes I applied Benefit's 'Stay don't stray' eyelid primer all over and a little underneath my eye, I never would normally use a primer for eyeshadow but Mac's pigments can have a little fall out so I find it's better to have a base for the pigment to stick to. This leads me on nicely to my next step! I've then apply Mac's pigment in 'Rose' which I recently purchased and am finding any excuse to slather it on! Using a flat eyeshadow brush (I use Mac's 239 brush) I pack the colour on and then blend using a fluffy blending brush (Mac 224 brush). In the corner of my eye and on the brow bone I've used my Albatross highlighter from Nars, just to give a very feminine pearly finish. 

I've then gone for the feline eyeliner flick (using Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliner in 'Black Ink'), I find, because I have quite big peepers, without eyeliner my eyes look odd, so yeah, I like a good slick of it on my upper lash line! 

I've also contoured here also, using a Real Techniques contour brush and Kryolan's Suprapalette, nothing crazy, I just wanted a bit of depth to the hollow of my cheek bones. I also, normally ALWAYS use Nars Laguna Bronzer on any make up I do (I'm pretty obsessed and am running out, AHH!). I dusted this along the sides on my nose, cheeks, temples and a tiny dusting along my jaw line as well (I like to define this as I have an abnormally small chin so I need so definition there!).

 Then for a bit of Illamasqua blusher (Nymph) on the apple of my cheeks applied using my Illamasqua blusher brush some Mac skinfinish highlighter on my cheek bones and my cupids bow. I'm actually running out of my Dior Blackout mascara but I didn't actually mind for this look as I wasn't wanting an over the top lash, I think it gives quite a nice doll eye effect when the lower lashes are quite separated and even a little heavier than the upper lashes.

And finally for the lips! I mentioned this lipstick in my last post also, my new purchase from Mac's new collection 'Apres Chic' 'Haute Altitude'. A really nice rosey pink that matches the pigment on the eyes.

As I said, the pictures aren't that great, so I did this really cringey video of me fluttering my lashes at you all! 

Thanks for reading! Have you got any favourite pink products you would like to share? Let me know below! 

Christmas Beauty Haul

Hello and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and has started the new year well. I had a lovely Christmas with family and friends and my NYE was super fun also! I want to kick off 2013 positively and productively so I've decided to get this blog rolling and update it as often as I can with reviews, tips and other bits and bobs that I like to ramble about! 

As my first post of 2013 I want to share some of the amazing products I got for Christmas! I had asked for a few things from my parents so I knew what I was getting, which is great because my student loan won't suffer too much (although I definitely have shopping carts online ready to go when it comes in!). So, here we go...

SKIN -

Benefit's "that gal" primer is something I've wanted for ages but had to stop myself from buying as I told my mum in November I wanted it for Christmas! I had a mini tester that actually lasted quite a while so I managed! I never normally use a primer just a good amount of moisturiser, but, I was so impressed with how "that gal" transforms my skin. It looks glowing and doesn't leave that weird velvety texture that I find some other primers do. It's great on its own, however, I normally wear foundation all the time anyway so I put it underneath on areas I want highlighted (Cheekbones, centre of my nose etc). http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/that-gal

I also asked my mum for some Dior Skin Nude Foundation as I've been a poor student and I've been using Rimmels "Wake Me Up" (not that I mind this, I actually think it's a really great budget foundation). I was tested in store a while back for this and my sister uses it also and said she loves it! It gives great full coverage, and feels soft on the skin, it also blends beautifully! I may stick to Rimmel for everyday use but for a night out this is aamaaazing. http://www.feelunique.com/p/DIOR-DIORSKIN-NUDE-Natural-Glow-Radiant-Fluid-Foundation-SPF-15-30ml?utm_source=GoogleBaseUK&utm_medium=gen

EYES -

I didn't actually get this for Christmas but I bought it with Christmas money, so it counts! MAC's pigment in 'Rose'. I'd seen this on a make up tutorial on YouTube and fell in love. It is a beautiful colour, a metallic rose/gold/pink. I've used it a few times in the day and on NYE actually! It leaves the lid looking glossy and foil like when applied all over, which I think looks amazing. Applied on the lower lash line also looks great smudged in with black liner. http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/154/372/Products/Eyes/Shadow/Pigment/index.tmpl

LIPS -

YAYYY, I was so happy when I opened my sisters present on Christmas Day and saw a Tom Ford lipstick in 'Violet Fatale'. I've wanted a Tom Ford lippy for ages but I've never been able to commit to the price, but I've got one! And I just love it, it's smoothing on the lips, has great staying power, amazing colour and luxurious packaging -

Tom Ford 'Violet Fatale' 

I also picked out an amaze lipstick by YSL for my boyfriend to buy me, again, I've wanted one for ages and I'm not disappointed! I would say it's more of a night time lipstick (even though I love a bright lip in the day), it has a very thick consistency and beware of lipstick teeth, however, the colour is gorgeous and the packaging is great and looks expensive. I got the 'Rose Culte' shade a sort of fuchsia pink which is very sexy and worthy of a strong pout! http://www.feelunique.com/p/Yves-Saint-Laurent-Rouge-Volupte-Lipstick 

Finally, I decided I needed a new nude/pink day lipstick, so in alliance with my MAC pigment purchase I opted for one of the lipsticks from the new MAC collection 'Apres chic'. I still wanted a highly pigmented shade and the amplified lipsticks are my favourite so I went for 'Haute Altitude'. It's a rose/peach/pink shade, it glides on willingly and like all MAC lipsticks stays on for ages. I really love this new collection by MAC (apologies in advance bank balance), warm and neutral shades perfect for the wintery months! http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/whats_new/10396/New-Collections/Aprs-Chic/index.tmpl

(Left to right) MAC, Tom Ford, YSL

FINALLY!! 

PERFUME - 

Christmas and birthdays are the perfect time of year to get a new scent. I was overjoyed with my boyfriends choice of Chanel's new scent 'Coco Noir'. He's so sweet, and a very good perfume chooser (anniversary perfume being Tom Ford 'Black Orchid'!) I would never buy this scent myself as it has a very hefty price tag, but it's really special and definitely an evening scent. It's a mature sensual fragrance with soapy, clean undertones. Quite over-powering at first but it calms down after a while and smells delightful! 

My second scent this Christmas from my mum and dad is Burberry's new fragrance 'Burberry Body'. I received a sample of this is my Glossybox (not sure on which month) and loved it. It's quite a light, feminine fragrance, where as I normally go for a more heavy, dark perfumer. But, 'Body' is refreshing and girly and definitely acceptable as an everyday spritz! I feel I may get through it quite quickly though as I seem to have to spray a lot to be smelling nice all day! 

So... That's it! I'm sure I'll be indulging in more beauty delights when Januarys loan comes through but for now I'm very pleased with my Christmas beauty gifts and purchases! 

Did you receive any great new products for Christmas? TELL ME BELOW! I love comparing and sharing! 

Dr Hauschka Cleansing Milk

Favourite product of the week

Drum roll please…

Dr. Hauschka cleansing milk. To be honest, I’ve had this product for about a month now, and 3 pumps (morning and night) has kept my skin feeling supple and fresh. After experiencing THE most frustrating issues with eczema around my eyes and the odd patch of dry skin here and there, I’ve had to be super careful when using skin care and make up. I have been back and forth to the doctors for around a year (possibly more) and no emollient, cream or anything helped.

The only thing that I found helped was the suns UV rays, after sunning for the one week it was hot this summer my skin had improved, only to go back to (which was now) normal when the british weather returned. I realised I was actually becoming more and more down about my eczema. Not being able to wear make up was the worst. Obviously, being a make up artist this is really important to me as well as trying new products! Eyes are my most favourite feature to make up as well so being restricted in this area was really upsetting.

Anyway, sob story over, I have now got normal (still as tad sensitive) skin! From basically wearing no make up all summer and following a strict daily skin care routine, my skin slowly started to relax and breathe. The itchiness and red areas faded and I was left with a blank canvass. Only, I have to be really careful that the eczema won’t flare up again.

This is where Dr. Hauschka’s cleansing milk comes in, it is great for everyday use as it’s completely natural and specially made to be kind to sensitive skin. It can be used massaged into the skin and splashed away with water, as well as, removing tough eye make up using a dampened cotton wool pad. It’s quite pricey at £23.45 but well worth it, especially for me! I will be using this constantly throughout the cold winter months, religiously making sure the devil itself (eczema) doesn’t come back!

Visit http://www.drhauschka.co.uk/ for more info!

Anybody tried Dr. Hauschka? Any other natural skin care brands recommendations?

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Working with Minna...

So last week, as everyone probably knows by now (as I wouldn't stop harping on about it!) I was the make up artist for a Finnish designer called Minna. Her garments are so beautiful and delicately made it was a treat seeing them up close! The garments are made using gorgeous vintage materials, making them even more appealing to my vintage loving self!

I first heard about this opportunity thanks to my lovely friend Chloe Hooper (she's a very pretty ginger) who tweeted me Minna's link saying she was looking for a make up artist in the Dorset area. I emailed Minna explaining I was an aspiring make up artist at university etc etc. And amazingly she emailed back explaining dates and what she was planning! I was extremely excited and because I really love the clothes, the website, Minnas blog I was passionate about the job.

So anyways, finally shoot day came along and I was up at 5.30am getting ready for an hours drive to Minna's cottage in beautiful Dorset, making sure I wasn't late! I did spend a fair amount of time parked outside the wrong house... Her neighbors house. But, other than that the journey went swimmingly! So after introducing myself to Minna, I went on to meet the photographer Karoliina Barlund the model, Anna Herold and Lizzie Steele, the studio manager for Minna in London. It was quite daunting but I was just excited to be honest!

I started the make up, aiming to achieve a natural but quite haunting look on Anna, at first I caked the foundation on a bit too heavy, being used to studio shoots I needed to adjust my eye to a more natural face. However, after the minor cock up, I feel the make up looked beautiful, a darker smudged kohl underneath the eye really brought out Anna's piercing blue stare and a very natural nude lip helped soften the look. I am pretty sure Minna and her team are happy with the images as well which is always a bonus! (Hehe)

So the day went from there really, the weather was perfect and the location was stunning. We had a lovely lunch in Minna's beautiful Garden made by her mum (it was really yummy homemade pizza with parma ham and tuna! DEEELISH!) and then back to shooting. The last location was at about 5.00 and the light was just amazing. The sun going down and just kissing Anna's windblown hair was amazing. The images can be found on Minna's website http://www.minna.co.uk/collections/autumnwinter-2012

It was such a great experience and I feel motivated and excited at the prospect of creating more make up for a lot more shoots in the future!

Below are some images I really love!

Class shoot

Model - Kate Sutton
MUA/Photographer - Grace Revington
Styling and hair - Kiera Liberati

Today in lesson was pretty hilarious and a bit of a joke! But at least it allowed me to do more make up and take some more pictures! The dress was a gorgeous red so I'm going to edit another shot not in B&W to show this off! Love the shape of the garment and the way it moved. Also pretty pleased with my contouring. Even though I was hungover I'm glad a dragged myself into class after all!