My Current Go-To Work Make-Up

Aloha!

Kylie Jenner inspired me, and a lot of other women, to bring back the 90's brown lip. Being so pale it's hard to find the right shade of brown but on a 3 for 2 offer, I found a brilliant Max Factor lip liner, that has now become a trusty fav (good MAC dupe!). I through this simple make-up look together on a whim because I wanted to try the brown lip and it's now become my go-to for work. It only took me 15 minutes, so perfect for rushed mornings, and you can't really go wrong with the matte nude shades.

FACE  

After completing my morning skin routine, I began by dabbing Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser onto my T-zone (click here for review). It's velvety consistancy melts across the skin and fills in all those large pores and fine lines; leaving a smooth base for your foundation.  I then stippled Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum-Gel Foundation from the middle of my nose, outwards. This is a really nice lightweight foundation that still provides full coverage whilst letting your skin breathe. I love to wear it to work because it injects a splash of radiance when you're skin is looking a little tired. Next I used Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, one shade lighter than my foundation, for some light highlighting and to conceal under my eyes, and my blemishes. Since the eye make-up and lips were to be matte I thought I might as well keep with the theme and use  Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder to set. This is a great powder for those of you on a budget, under a fiver, and does what it says on the tin! 

For a warm bronzed feel, of course I used my ultimate fav, Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer! (Okay I know it's not actually called that but let's be honest it's a fitting name and you all know what I mean) I applied this beauty in 'the magic 3' (under cheek bones, temples and jawline). Applying your bronzer in this way will slim your face and accentuate your cheek bones. Finally I finished the base by dusting Bourjois Little Round Pot of Blusher (15 Rose Eclat) on the apples of my cheeks. You can't really go wrong with these little pots and this shade in particular gives you a gorgeous natural warm glow. You could continue by applying a highlighter on your cheek bones but it's not necessary as the blusher has little light reflecting pigments. 

EYES/ BROWS

I always start by shading in my brows with Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil (Hazel). Now I naturally have blonde eye brows that are almost invisible so it's hard to find the perfect match. I've been using the brow pencil since day dot and thoroughly recommend to all my fellow red heads out there! I then used L'Oreal Brow Plumper (Blonde) to add definition and give my brows that oomph. The reason I shade in my eye brows first is because it gives you a frame to work with when applying eye shadow.

 Moving on, It comes as no suprise when I say that I primed my eye lids with the legendary UD Primer Potion (Original). I don't really need to go into too much detail with this as I'm pretty sure a lot of you will be getting a bit bored of the constant praise I give it (hehe). All the eye shadows I used were from the Original UD Naked Palette, which you can see is looking pretty tired, as I've had it for so many years! This is a realllyyy easy eye make-up to apply and only take a few minutes. First I used a flat brush to pat Naked onto my lids. Then I took my trusty MAC 224 blending brush (click here for review) to contour my eye socket with Buck, a really warm brown, that compliments the lip liner perfectly. Lastly, I took my flat brush again to highlight under my brow bones, the middle of my lid and the inner corners with Virgin. Highlighting and shading your eyes in this way will make them appear bigger, brighter and more awake. 

To finish of the eyes I lined my top lash line with Rimmel Scandaleyes Liquid Liner. This is a great eye liner for creating super thin or thick bold lines. It is supposed to be water proof although I don't class it as waterproof (tried and tested!). I then applied Max Factor False Lash Effect 24 Hour Mascara Now I've been using the original version for 6 years but this one has great staying power! The only down side is it's ridiculously difficult to get off! (I mean not being funny but I didn't take the whole 24 hour thing literally) Saying that, it defines each lash and adds length and volume for that 'fluttery' look. 

LIPS

Starting from the cupids bow and working my way in I applied Max Factor Color Elixir Lip Liner (Brown & Nude). When I got this I was quite skeptical and didn't have high hopes but after testing the water I was pleasantly surprised. It's very creamy and keeps lips hydrated which is a must for me as I do get dry lips easily. It's very soft to apply, light weight and non transferable. I probably had to top it up once throughout the day but if I'd applied a lipstick over the top I think this could have been avoided. Alternative you could always go for a jaw dropping red.

So that's my current go-to work make-up, I hope you guys like it and hopefully give it a go. What make-up do you wear to work? (If any?) Let us all know!

Neeks ☯

Top 5 Spring 2015 Lipsticks

Aloha!

If you're anything like me, your lipstick has the ability to transform an outfit, make a statement, reflect your mood and develop throughout the seasons. In A/W 2014 nudes and deep plum shades exploded and MAC Rebel soon became my A/W fav. Thankfully, Spring is among us and that means the sun is shining, new life is emerging and everything seems to get that little bit more cheerful. To reflect this light mood we have bright peaches, matte and shimmery pinks and Kylie Jenner brown's so, from left to right, here is my top five Spring 2014 lipsticks! 

Maybelline Colorsensational (Petal Pink & Peach Poppy) 

Maybelline seemingly hasn't launched a great product for me since the Instant Pore Eraser (see post). But recently, whilst picking up some regular toiletries I stumbled across their Rebel Bouquet Lipstick Range. Their creamy texture left my lips feeling hydrated and more plump plus they're lightly floral scented. You do have to use a little more than usual, as they're more like a gloss, but despite this it stays on for most of the day. Overall I think they're really cute and easy to wear daily. They're not overbearing and inject just enough colour to give you that spring feeling. I would say the soft pink and light peach shades would suit most skin tones. I mean for just over a fiver, they're a pretty good bargain.   

Max Factor Colour Elixir (Bewitching Coral) 

Believe it or not, this one was actually free in a Max Factor deal in Boots. I don't know why I never buy Max Factor lipsticks to be honest because I always end up being rather fond of them, when I receive a sample or free gift. This particular range of lipsticks are supposed to give you the benefits of a lip treatment while you wear it. It's '60% Elixir treatment' and includes a range of anti-oxidants along with Shea, avocado and aloe butters. I don't know for sure what the Elixir is but my lips do stay hydrated when I wear them. This rich coral shade is very vibrant and sheen. It's versatile, as you can wear it on it's own, or apply it over another lipstick to give it that extra oomph. 

MAC (Candy Yum-Yum) & (Please Me)

Okay so you already know why Candy Yum Yum is in my top five! (see post) I was raving on about the lip pencil a couple of months back and for my twenty first birthday, I got the matching lipstick from everyone at work! This mega bright, matte pink has been my go-to for a while now, it's kinda replaced my beloved MAC Rebel and I already know I'll be wearing it to Bestival in September. Please Me was also a birthday present, from my sister Sophie, I'd been easing myself into the '' matte brown lipstick zone'' because Kylie Jenner has some how hypnotised me, and most other girls in their twenties, to wear it. Thing is, it's hard to get the right shade as I'm so bloomin' pale but that's when I received this baby! Just the right cross between dusky pink and light brown... you simply can't go wrong. 

Okay so that's my top five Spring 2015 lipsticks! What are you favorites from the above? What lipsticks have you been wearing lately?

Neeks ☯

2015 Fresh Spring Look

Aloha!

It came to my attention that I hadn't blogged in like a week but of course as a lot of you know it was my birthday so I was busy celebrating! I had a few new products I wanted to try and kinda put this together on a whim but after posting on Instagram a lot of you were asking me what products I used, so I thought it would be nice to write a make-up look for you guys. This is my favorite style of make-up to wear at the moment, as we are coming into spring, it's warm and fresh and can be worn to day to day. Not only that it's reallyyyy easy to do!

FACE

Ok so I won't drown you with endless information but after my usual prep routine I'll begin by dabbing Maybelline Instant Pore Eraser across my T-Zone. Unfortunately for me I have oily skin which is tends to come with larger pores. This is a good way of reducing the appearance and it's cheaper than some other brands; I actually wrote a comparison on this one see here. I'll then start stippling Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation, working from the center of my nose outwards (never start on one side of your face) I'm not going to preach too much about this foundation but I think it's good for a high street brand, I mean it has good coverage and lasts all day so although it doesn't magically give me flawless skin, I gotta say, it's a good one. 

I think I've almost come to the conclusion that when it comes to concealers an expensive brand won't necessarily give you the best result (psst, will be doing a post on this). Max-Factor Mastertouch Concealer has good coverage and is particularly good for people with fair skin.I found it easy to blend and it's yellow based so is good for dark circles. Lately I've been loving Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder (another blogger made me buy it!) This is not a powder you want to buy if you're going for the matte look,  it's easy to end up using too much and end up looking like a disco ball! A light dust is all you need for that radiant look. 

I'm the kinda of person that looks ill if I don't have some form of blusher on so it's in my knowledge that Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher (Cendre de Rose Brune) and Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer are the perfect spring time combo! Trust me, I can't actually stress enough how good these products work together. I always start by applying my bronzer in 'the magic 3' (under cheek bones, temples and jawline) and then lightly dust my blusher over the apples of my cheeks, before finishing with Benefit Watt's Up!. This is a cream highlighter that's easy to use. It blends well and because it's a soft focus highlighter you can use it during the day without it being 'too much'. On the other hand, you could layer to accentuate your cheek bones even further. 

EYES/ BROWS

I pretty much always have the same routine with my brows. I always use Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil (Hazel) as it's the closest shade to my natural colour. I'll then seal my brows with L'Oreal Paris Perfection Brow Artist Plumper (Blonde for a long lasting finish (nothing worse than getting home from work and realising you've rubbed half your eye brow off) I love this because you can wear it on it's own for a more natural look. 

Firstly before I apply any sort of eye shadow I will apply the legendary Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original), this is the one product I know 100% will never let me down! It makes your eye shadow more vibrant and will keep it on for hours with no creasing! I then chose a few shades from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette . With a flat brush I patted Verve onto my lids and then blended Pistol into my crease, with a large fluffy brush. Lastly I used Booty Call to highlight the arch of my brows and inner corner of my eyes. I love this combo, it's almost impossible to get wrong and due tot he light shades and shimmer, your eyes will appear bigger. 

I then lined my upper lash line with Bourjois Intuitive Liner (Ultra black), I was sold by the 'easy application' factor but personally I think this it's the sort of eye liner you need to practice with. Saying that, once you have the knack of it, it's easy to create ultra thin or dramatic lines, plus flicks are a doddle! To finish off I applied Max Factor False Lash Effect 24 Hour Mascara (Black). Now I've been using the original version for 6 years but this one has great staying power! The only down side is it's ridiculously difficult to get off! (I mean not being funny but I didn't take the whole 24 hour thing literally) Saying that it defines each lash and adds length and volume for that 'fluttery' look. 

LIPS

For this look I used Max-Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick (Star Dust Pink). It's a subtle pink nude that adds a young fresh element. It's also infused with shea and aloe butters, which keep lips plump and hydrated. I actually got this for free in a promotion but probably would have ended up buying it otherwise.. it's effortlessly applied and fits any skin tone. 

Neeks x

Maybelline BROWdrama Sculpting Mascara

Aloha! 

Let's start with a little background info on my brows. Being a natural red head I'm subject to the annoyance of having translucent eyebrows that in no way shape or form provide a frame for my face. They've always needed a little assistance but the hassle of getting them tinted every 4 weeks means that I had to befriend the trusty brow pencil. Don't get me wrong, this works fine but when humidity or a careless touch to the face strikes again it leaves me on a continuous search to find a better alternative. 

Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Mascara promises a 'a long-wearing formula that won't streak, clump or flake' for a 'natural  finish'. I was really excited to try this as I thought a more natural effect would be better for the summertime but to tell you the truth I was a bit disappointed. After umming and arring I felt compelled to buy the  'dark blonde' shade as the brown was way to dark for me. I got the impression that it would be really easy to apply but on my first attempt I actually had rub it off and start all over again. Baring in mind, I'm pretty make-up savvy and usually brows are a piece of cake, I felt the small mascara brush with the rounded end made it more difficult than it had to be. For me, in order to achieve the even, streak free coat, that Maybelline promised,  I actually had to spend a good 7 minutes on them and despite all that effort I didn't think it was worth it for the result I got.

It's not all that bad through! It does stay on all day, doesn't clump or flake, and it does provide a natural finish but for me it was just too natural and barely noticeable. I did attempt to add more product to see if that made a difference but unfortunately it just made matters worse and once it dried I was left with crispy eye brows (eww). If you already have well shaped, dark brows I would imagine this would actually be a good product for you because you wouldn't need to use it to actually 'colour' your brows and the sculpting aspect is actually rather good, however, for us fair haired ladies it simply isn't enough to use it on it's own. 

After a few more attempts to get the best out of this product I finally started to shape my brows with a pencil first and then add the mascara over the top to seal it in. This seems to work quite nicely and despite being dissapointed in the product, overall, if you have the right kind of brows and are looking for a quick polish this mascara is the ideal product for you and could potentially work wonders! 

Wax, powder, pencil, gel or mascara? How do you shape your brows?

Neeks x 

Benefit POREfessional VS Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

Ding ding ding! It's the undefeated Benefit POREfessional VS the new Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser. I have to say I've gotta take my hat off to Maybelline for taking on the all time primer champion; so I bought it with the mindset that even if it's not that great they deffo get brownie points for trying. Let the battle commence!

First up it's Benefit's POREfessional, the UK's no.1 best selling facial primer. Now there is no doubt that it's a great product and a definite must have in most make-up bags but at £24.50 is there a cheaper alternative? Maybelline's Baby Skin is just £7.99 so if this is in fact just as good (if not better) then it's a no brainer, I have to try it! 

POREfessional is a nude coloured balm with a velvety texture. Personally I have large pores around my T-zone and find that dabbing the POREfessional over these areas helps minimize the appearance of large pores IF I then apply my usual foundation over it.  On the other hand Baby Skin is a clear gel, slightly thicker than POREfessional, but a pea-sized amount is enough to cover my whole face. It also seems to make a huge difference even without applying make-up over the top. It makes my skin a lot softer, supple and even a bit more glowy, as well as minimizing my pores (oooh looks like Maybelline is in the lead).

Now here's the bit I'm umming and arring about. A great feature of the POREfessional is that I can dab it over those problem areas throughout the day without running the risk of smudging my make-up. Now the Baby Skin doesn't work as well when applied over make-up however, when I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I found that even after a long shift at work I didn't actually need to apply anymore. 

Okay so I think I've made my decision *deep breaths* although you can't deny Benefit's POREfessional is a great product, not trying to be negative, but I really don't think it's worth £24.50. I think I expected it to be this amazing product that was sent down from the heavens and would magically bless me with angel like skin but when it fell on my lap I was a bit dissapointed. Now that I've introduced Maybelline's Baby Skin into my life and know what an affordable £7.99 bottle of wonders can do I don't think I'll be buying the POREfessional again. 

Maybelline's Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser is a light-weight clear gel with a velevty texture. It fills in pores and fine lines and makes your skin look smooth aswell as feel baby soft, it didn't make my skin oily and kept my make-up on all day. Maybelline I have been converted! 

POREfessional VS Baby Skin Pore Eraser! What's your verdict?  

Neeks x 

Redheads & Royalty

Aloha!

It's that time of the year again where I'm impatiently waiting for the arrival of Christmas festivities but I've promised myself I won't talk or blog about it until December! However, I have been throwing myself into my uni project 'Redheads & Royalty'.

Without beating around the bush we had to create 2 contemporary Elizabethan images. The first image needed to be a design that I created for myself and another student applied it on me. The second design will be designed by someone else for me to create on them. So this is my design, enjoy! 

The Elizabethan elements are my red hair and fair skin, with pink blush Sleek 3 Blush Palette- Pumpkin (squash). I also embraced my fair brows and put a contemporary spin on Elizabethan red lipstick by adding plum shades from Kate Moss Lasting Finish(004) and L-Oreal Color Riche (240). The large hair rolls were inspired by the shapes of Elizabethan wigs and the crimped bottom layers were my interpretation of an old technique known as 'frizzing'. The modernised eye make-up was applied with 'sidecar' and 'toasted' from the Urban Decay Naked Palette 1 Other key products include Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation (shell) Benefit Highbeam Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner (black) and MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara (black).

 So there you have it! My contemporary version of Queen Elizabeth 1st. I really hope you like this post and find it useful, I will be uploading my next image next week when I've completed it.

What are your favorite elements of Elizabethan hair & make-up? Let me know!  

Neeks x