SEPTEMBER BROWN FAVOURITES

I thought brown would be quite fitting for this months favourites as the leaves are slowly starting to change and shiny brown conkers are dropping everywhere! Here are my September brown favourites:

Maybelline 24hr color tattoo in On and On Bronze: A cool metallic bronze that is great as an eyeshadow base or blended out all over the lids as a pretty wash of colour over the eyes. These last all day on me and are so great for quick and easy application.

Urban Decay Naked palette: This palette has so many pigmented, pretty colours that are perfect for almost every occasion. I love the warm shimmery browns and matte browns in the naked palette as they are great for blending, running under the lower lash line and creating a brown smokey eye.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Haute Chocolate: I'm not normally drawn to brown nail polishes but this rich, conker shade is so pretty on the nails. It has a hint of ruby red and coppery brown running through it and as it's part of the complete manicure range theres no need for a base or topcoat (although I still use Sally Hansen Insta Dri on top for a glossy finish and for quick drying!)

MAC Woodwinked: This is one of my favourite MAC eyeshadows and my go to eyeshadow for that 'Victorias Secret' look. I love wearing this bronze gold MAC eyeshadow either swept over my lids and blended out or under my lower lashes to really make my eyes stand out. 

Rimmel professional eyebrow pencil in dark brown: This is a constant repurchase for me. It's affordable at only £2.99, lasts all day and has just the right natural brown tone thats perfect for my brows. It's pretty versatile as you can sharpen it and add individual brow hairs for a more defined look or I like to have it quite blunt and soft to shape my brows and then blend in with the little brush provided with it. 

AUGUST FUCHSIA FAVOURITES/JULYS CORAL FAVOURITES/JUNES GREEN FAVOURITES/MAYS GOLD FAVOURITES/APRILS BLUE FAVOURITES/MARCH MINT FAVOURITES/FEBRUARYS ORANGE FAVOURITES/JANUARYS PINK FAVOURITES

WILDFLOWER SUMMER NAIL ART

I like to keep any nail art that I create quite simple and easy so that it looks pretty with minimal effort. I've been loving wearing this wildflower design on my nails for summer - it adds a pretty touch to white painted nails and i've had so many compliments whilst wearing it!

Paint the whole nail with a white nail polish - I used Barry M Matt White.

For the design:

Step 1 - For the grass/reeds effect I used Essie Mint Candy Apple. I wiped as much of the product off the brush as I could by wiping the brush on edges of the bottle and then just flicked up the nail.

Step 2 -I repeated this process with a darker green - No7 Totally Teal. This brush was easier to remove most of the product and gave a really good wispy grass effect so I applied this over and around the first grass colour.

Step 3 - Adding your wildflowers! I chose to use Rimmel sunshine as my main colour to make the flowers really stand out. I dotted roughly 10 flowers on each nail working from top to bottom to give that pretty wildflower look.

Step 4 - I then added pink flowers using Barry M Gelly nail paint in Grapefruit. I added less of these (around 7) and used a smaller dotting tool again to give it a sparse, wildflower effect.

Step 5 - You could skip this step and go straight on to the topcoat, or choose another flower colour but I thought a fuchsia glitter would look really pretty and brighten up the nails. I dotted Barry M Magenta glitter all around the grass/reeds to finish the design. 

I then added Sally Hansen Insta dri topcoat to finish the nails.

(I used these nail dotting tools from amazon, they are a great set for only 85p!). 

Tweet me a pic if you try this! - @sophiesmakeup

Nail care

As a Make-up artist, it's important to have nice clean nails. When working, I never wear nail polish and so it's important to keep my nails in good condition.

I start by using Tweezerman clippers to cut my nails and to create a general square shape. I then use the Crystal nail file from the Leighton Denny grooming essentials* kit to shape my nails into a squoval shape and to remove any harsh edges. I love using a crystal nail file as you can use them back and forth, they are easy to clean and don't damage your nails as much as an emery board. I rub the Leighton Denny best defence hand and nail cream from the kit onto my cuticles and wait a moment before using the dual ended hoof stick to push back my cuticles and clean under my nails. I then wash my hands to remove any dust and dirt to make sure they're clean again for the next steps. 

I paint my nails with the Sally Hansen Miracle cure which is a clear strengthening treatment. This is a constant repurchase for me as I feel it's really helped my nails! Lastly I drop some Jessica Phenomen oil (which contains sweet almond oil, jojoba oil and vitamin e) onto the centre of my nails and let it run around the nail and into my cuticles before massaging it in.

I love taking my time to really look after my nails, I used to have really short flaky nails but since I've started really caring for them (and maintaining a good diet) they grow so quickly and are so much stronger. I normally put on a vlog (I've been loving Anna's!) and then really take my time to look after my nails!

Halloween Skull / Ghost Nails

I love this little skull design for some halloween nail art, it's easy to do and looks sweet on the nails! I did my nails like this for the weekend and got so many compliments on it! 

This is how I achieved the look:

Step 1 -  Paint the whole nail in the colour of your choice, I chose an oxblood colour but  

             black or grey would also work well! I used 2 coats of OPI Nail Varnish in Mrs 

             O'Leary's BBQ.

Step 2 -  When base has dried, use a dotting tool to make 4-6 large polka dots on each 

              nail, for this I used Barry M Nail paint in 66 Matt White.

Step 3 - Using a smaller dotting tool draw either a squiggly ghost tail or a square on the

             base of the polka dots, again using Barry M Matt White Nail paint.

Step 4 - Eyes! I used the thinnest dotting tool to dot little eyes on my Skulls using Sinful

            colours in Black on Black.

Step 5 - Once the eyes are dry, use a Topcoat to set and to give the nails a nice shine. I

            used Sally Hansen Insta-Dry.

Let me know if you try these!

xx

May Favourites

These have actually been my favourites for a few months now, they are all pretty basic but staples for me at the moment. I've been loving a fresh faced, natural but glowy look for spring and these have all helped me acheieve this look!

Loreal Lumi Magic Primer - I've wanted this for a while but the price put me off. This is £9.99 for 20ml however I picked this up as my freebie when boots had 3 for 2 on make up. I love to use this on my upper cheeks and all around and under my eyes before foundation. It really lightens the area and gives a pretty glow to your skin. The only problem I've found with this is that it separates in the bottle, you need to give it a good shake before use but then it really delivers for me on illuminated, fresh skin.

Mac Paint pot in Bare study - So easy for a quick sweep of colour over the eye, its such a pretty champagne colour and great for no fuss, quick and long lasting make up. This has been a favourite of mine for quite a while now.

Sally Hansen Double Duty strengthening base & top coat. I've worn this alone on my nails most week days and then I will wear this under one of my current favourite Nail varnishes on the weekends. My nails have been growing so quickly recently and I'm pretty sure it's thanks to this, a good cuticle oil and not wearing nail varnish during the week.

La Roche Posay Effclar Duo - This has really cleared up my skin, whenever I'm having a bad skin day I use this as my morning moisturiser until my skin clears up. I bought this from boots on a 2 for £15 deal, I'm so glad I stocked up as it really works for me and has become a staple in my skincare routine!

The Body Shop born lippy in pomegranate - I love this colour! Its a pretty sheer orange red balm, great for simple Make-up and gives you just a hint of colour on the lips whilst moisturising. I've had this in my Make-up Bag for a good few months now and I definitely want to try more of the colours. 

My non beauty favourites are - Season 4 Of the Vampire Diaries (I think this has been my favourite season yet!) I can't wait for 'The Originals' spin off series and for Season 5! 
I have also just started knitting and I love it! I've also loved the Beautiful mess app and eating lots and lots of Raspberries.

xx