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 ☯

A/W 2014 Evening Make-Up

Aloha!

It's been a while since I've blogged about a make-up look but lately I've opted for an extra half an hour sleep in the morning! Plus the shorter days don't help as unfortunately it's usually too dark photograph. However, all is not lost! Because I've had a nice quiet Saturday so far and took the time to apply one of my favorite evening looks for A/W this year. I've also committed to ditching the fake tan and embracing my pale complexion along with enhancing the red tones in my hair to give me a bit of warmth for the cold seasons. I particularly like this look as it's easy to wear, warm and a recurring trend but conclusively the eye make-up makes it more than easy to switch up the lip stick (or gloss). 

Now I'm not diving in with too much detail about my base as that's enough info to have it's own post! So instead I'll do an updated foundation routine separately. First off I always, and I mean ALWAYS, fill in my brows first. I know a lot of people like to do this after they apply their eye shadow etc, still it really is down to personal preference. I truly feel it's easier to fill in my brows first, partly because without make-up my eye brows are virtually invisible but from an application perspective it gives me a nice frame to work with. Lately I've opted to shade my brows in with Buck from the original Urban Decay Naked palette, as my hair is slightly darker now, plus I haven't got round to buying a new pencil yet; the only downfall with using powder and an angled brush is that it does take twice as long as the pencil method! (For me anyway) Once I've shaded my brows I then brush them with L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in light/ medium. This just gives a more defined and fuller appearance; and I must say, after using this, I will never go back to using Maybelline Browdrama ever again! And if you read my review you'd know that I wasn't too impressed to begin with.   

Before applying my eye shadow, we all know of that one crucial step that must be taken first, and of course that's to pat my eye lids with the religiously worn Urban Decay Primer Potion. I mean all I can really say is I've yet to find a primer that can beat this one, I'll apply my eye make-up at 6am and it will still be there, crease free, at 10pm without fail. I then used a flat brush to pat Nooner from Urban Decay Naked 3 palette onto the inner 2/3 of my lids. Subsequently using a fluffy brush to blend Hustle (Original naked palette) into the crease. I find these two shades compliment each other really well as they both have mauve undertones. Before highlighting, I applied Blackheart  (Naked 3) into the outter corner of my eyes and blended it downward, towards the lower lash line for a slight smokey effect. This subtle step is essential when wearing dark eye shadow for balance. Lastly, I used Strange (Naked 3) to highlight the inner corners and underneath my brow bone. To finalise my eye make-up I thinly lined my upper lash line with Bourjois Intuitive Liner and to be frank I can't actually praise this eye liner enough, all I can say is it's very unique and I will be writing a full review very shortly! Lastly, for impact, I laced my lashes with InStyle's Best Beauty Buy 2014 Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara, a mascara, in which you all know, I've been using since it was first launched 5 years ago and never looked back!

To assemble the final look a little colour is needed to warm up my complexion (otherwise I run the risk of looking ill) and what better way to warm up than by contouring with Bourjois Delice de Poudre, or as most people call it 'Borjois chocolate bronzer', simply because it smells and looks like a bar of chocolate. This combined with a light dust of Bourjois Little Round Pot in 48- Ashes of Roses give a sweet warm glow, without being too OTT. This combo has been my go-to for a couple of months now so will indefinitely be included in my 'Updated Foundation Routine' 

Lastly, to finish off, I applied one of my all time favorite party lipsticks L'Oreal Color Riche Lipstick in 290 Plum Passion. Sadly, it seems to have been discontinued but if you'd like to read my review click here. And of course, as I previously mentioned, this make-up look is very versatile so any nude, raspberry or plum lipstick will do the job! 

What's your A/W look?

Neeks x