WINTER BLUSHERS

As it's been getting colder I've been changing my make up and adding frosty pastels and rich winter tones to my make up routine. These are the blushers that I've added to my make up bag for winter:

Nars Dolce Vita: This deep, rose red blush is extremely pigmented and gives my cheeks a pretty rosy glow. You only need the smallest amount of this blusher to give you long lasting berry cheeks. I've been loving wearing Nars Dolce Vita with MAC all that glitters on my eyes, winged liner and Revlon Lip balm in crush on my lips and the combination is so pretty and great for Winter.

MAC Well Dressed: For the days when I want something a bit more subtle on my cheeks I opt for MAC well dressed. I love wearing frosty pastels in winter and this powdery cool pale pink blush really works well with a pastel bobble hat, shimmery champagne eyeshadow and MAC Soft & Gentle highlighter.

Sleek Blush by 3 in Sugar*: This contains three highly pigmented blushers that are perfect for Winter. The berry red shade is similar to Nars Dolce Vita, but with brighter red tones. The middle shade applies as a deep wine with copper tones running through it, it's such a beautiful shade that reminds me of a deeper version of my all time favourite blush, Sleek rose gold. The warm matte orange shade has peach undertones and looks so pretty with shimmery eyes and subtle pink lips.

Which blushers have you been wearing this Winter?

FESTIVE REDS

I love wearing red in December, there's something so festive about painting your nails with a sparkly red nail polish or wearing a bold red lipstick. Here's a few of my favourites:

Lips

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusives Lipstick in Blake: I love Blake Lively, she has such amazing taste and this sophisticated matte cool toned red fits in perfectly with her style. The formula feels slightly more powdery than I normally like in a lipstick but it contains jojoba oil and so keeps lips soft. It's long lasting and a stunning pure matte red.

Sleek Matte Me in Rioja Red*: Supposedly a dupe for the Hourglass Opaque Rouge lipsticks this liquid lipstick is long lasting, super pigmented and really affordable. It dries to a pretty, velvet matte finish and is a beautiful true red. This can be tricky to apply but once dry on the lips it stays put for hours. It's one of longest lasting lipstick's that I've tried and so it is perfect for Christmas parties.

Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang: This is a creamy, bold red that leaves a satin sheen finish on the lips. I have to prep my lips well before using this as it shows up any imperfections but then it looks so pretty on the lips, is long lasting and fades to a stain. I've written a full review here.

Nails

Nails Inc Tate: A beautiful sophisticated cherry red nail polish which is great if you want something festive without the glitter. Opaque in 1-2 coats Nails Inc nail polish has a great formula that lasts well on my nails.

Barry M Ruby Slippers Red Glitter: Great for fingers or toes this classic glittery red nail polish is a staple for me at Christmas. This is my favourite ruby glittery red nail polish to wear on Christmas day.

Essie Leading Lady: This is a deep red nail polish with flecks of raspberry micro glitter running through it. It's a stunning nail polish and great to wear for the lead up to Christmas.

Which are your favourites?

LIPSTICKS CURRENTLY ON ROTATION #3

I've been adding lipsticks to my make up bag ready for winter and I've also been enjoying wearing long lasting lip liners recently. These are all currently on rotation in my make up bag:

Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner in East End Snob: I've had this lip liner for a while now but rediscovered it after reading Amelia's post about it being a great dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's lip liner in pillow talk. I love wearing this neutral pink lip liner mixed with balm to create a subtle glossy pink lip.

Revlon Lip butter in Raspberry Pie: This berry pink lipstick is so pigmented and looks really pretty on the lips. I've been wearing it as a stain by dabbing some of the colour on and then rubbing it in to my lips. It's a great winter lipstick and keeps my lips feeling soft.

MAC Retro lipstick: This matte, rusty/terracotta red is great for an everyday red tone without being too bright or bold. It has a satin finish, smells amazing and lasts well on my lips.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss in 107: This rich berry lipstick has a hint of red to it which makes it perfect for the transition into winter. As it's a matte formula it lasts well on my lips and looks so pretty with MAC all that glitters on the eyes.

Sleek Eau La La Liner in Lingerie*: I love the formula of these lip liners as they're creamy, pigmented and long lasting on the lips. This is a beautiful deep dusky rose shade that I've been wearing as an everyday autumn/winter shade.  

Which lipsticks are currently on rotation in your make up bag?

AUTUMN/WINTER MAKE UP TRENDS

As mentioned in my Spring/Summer make up trends post, I love to see the make up that is on trend and then try to incorporate a more wearable version into my make up routine. Some of the trends are going to be perfect for the festive season and I've been really enjoying wearing them throughout autumn.

Ethereal Gold & Silver metallics: A metallic eye with golds, silvers and winged liner was the focus of the Chanel A/W 2014 look and a strip of silver liner was applied in Dior to the upper lids. I think that shimmery gold or silver eyeshadows look great applied lightly all over the lids and then blended out before adding winged liner. I love the Maybelline colour tattoo in eternal gold and eternal silver as they are easy to apply with your finger as a base or as a subtle shimmer to the eyes, they blend out really easily and add a festive touch to your make up. They also look pretty blended under the eye.

Berry stained lips: Although eyes and skin were the main focus in A/W 2014 make up, berry stained lips also featured. MAC rebel is perfect for this look as you can pat the colour onto your lips and then blend in with your finger. This gives a pretty, stained effect that lasts ages on the lips.

Contouring and highlighting: Skin was cleverly contoured and sculpted to give an almost mannequin effect to the skin on the catwalk. The Sleek Face Contour Kit* is perfect to lightly sculpt and contour your face for everyday make up. The contour side is matte and the perfect shade of brown which isn't muddy or orange. Both the contour and highlighter are pigmented and easy to blend, you only need a small amount of product to really make your cheekbones stand out.

Metallic Olive greens: Pat McGrath created a stunning make up look for Dior using liquid latex with pigment pressed on top in blue or green. Natural Collection eyeshadow in Moss Shimmer is a beautiful shimmery olive green with slightly golden tones which looks beautiful blended all over and under the eye. You can see me wearing this look here.

Long lashes: Eyelure have some top and bottom lashes which are great to wear for this look or layering up on your favourite mascara (Mine is still the L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara) will give you a more natural, fluttery long lashes look.

Which is your favourite trend?

FOUR EYESHADOW PALETTES

I love eyeshadow palettes because they work well in my make up kit, you generally get more for your money and they're great to take away with you when you travel! Here are four of my current favourite eyeshadow palettes: 

Sleek Oh So Special palette*: As with all Sleek eyeshadows that I've tried, the shades are all really pigmented and the palettes are really affordable for such great quality. I own a couple of other Sleek palettes (Storm and Au Naturel palette) but this is definitely my favourite. The colour selection is beautiful, perfect to create festive make up looks and it is also great as an every day palette. I've been loving wearing this throughout autumn as it contains quite a few matte shades which go perfectly with a bold berry lip.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: This was at the top of my Christmas wish list last year and a beautiful palette full of shimmery rose golds and coppery bronzes. I love using this palette when I want to go for a more girly look, you can create soft pink smokey eyes, or use the muted dusky pink and purple browns in the crease for definition. For a full review and swatches click here.

Nars And God Created the Woman palette: - Like the Sleek palette, the Nars shades are all so pigmented and long lasting on the eyes. Nars eyeshadows are so buttery in texture and all the shades in this palette are perfect for autumn. This Nars palette is great for travelling as the packaging is small and feels sturdy and the shades are so versatile and can take you easily from day to night.

Stila in the light palette: This is the newest addition to my palettes and I've just recently written a full review and swatched the palette here. This has become my current everyday palette. It's perfect for the transition into winter and has a great mixture of mattes and shimmery shades.

Which are your favourite eyeshadow palettes?

AUTUMN BLUSHERS

I'm drifting away from bright summer blushers and adding warmer, richer autumnal tones into my make up routine. I'm really missing a subtle plum blusher from my collection, I would love any suggestions for pretty plum shades please!

MAC Warm Soul - When you need to add a warm glow to dull skin on a gloomy day, this blusher really delivers. It is a pretty, beige pink blusher with golden shimmer running through it. It really brightens and adds a glow to your skin.

Bourjois Healthy Mix - This orange toned blusher can be built up to a slightly burnt orange colour that really warms the complexion and looks pretty autumnal. It works really well with MAC woodwinked on the eyes and Topshop infrared lipstick dabbed lightly on the lips. You can see it swatched and worn here.

Nars Orgasm - Although this golden peachy pink blusher is also well suited for the summer months, It shows up as a pigmented, deep warm pink on my skin tone. I love wearing this to give me a flush of colour to my cheeks and have been wearing it together with the sleek storm palette in this autumn make up look.

Sleek Suede - The perfect blush to wear with a strong autumnal berry lip. This matte blush is a neutral peach brown that is similar to MAC gingerly. It works well with strong lips or eyes as it sculpts the face and brings warmth and colour whilst staying neutral.

Benefit Benetint - For a natural, wind bitten flush of colour to your cheeks Benefit Benetint is great for autumn and winter. It gives a subtle but buildable rosy glow to your cheeks. You have to work quite quickly with this to blend it in with your fingers in an upwards circular motion, I follow just under my cheekbones to get the right place for me.

What are your favourite autumn blushers?

AUTUMN MAKE UP

I've been wearing this look along with last year's copper eyes & red lips look a lot throughout September so far. I've also dyed my hair a bit darker this year and I'm so tempted to add a hint of plum through the ends!

For this autumnal make up look I used two colours from the Sleek storm palette that actually remind me of the infamous and now discontinued Estee Lauder Raisins. I applied MAC bare study as an eyeshadow base before sweeping the light pink colour from the storm palette all over my lids. I then blended the deep cranberry colour into the outer corner of my eye and up into the crease. I also ran it under my lower lash line for definition. For my brows I used Rimmel professional eyebrow pencil in dark brown and lined my eyes with a small flick using collection fast stroke liner.

For my base, I used Bourjois healthy mix foundation as it gives a nice dewy finish and is buildable to a medium coverage. I applied the bobbi brown corrector in bisque under my eyes to counteract any dark circles and swept Nars Orgasm blusher onto my cheeks to give me a flush of colour. I dabbed a bit of Topshop glow highlighter in polish to the tops of my cheeks and under my brow bone and finished with a touch of MAC Brave lipstick on my lips.

What make up have you been wearing this autumn?

Autumn Make up

I've been wearing this look all throughout September and October and only now am I finally starting to change up my make up! As Halloween, Bonfire night and my Birthday have now all passed, I'm getting pretty excited for Christmas! As I've loved wearing this Make up so much I thought I would share what I've been loving and constantly wearing.

Face - Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation

        - Collection Lasting perfection concealer

        - Sleek Blush in Pixie Pink

        - Mac Soft & Gentle Highlighter

Eyes - Eyeshadow - MAC Naked lunch all over eye, Mac Satin Taupe in crease and Mac Nocturnelle blended under the eye.

        - Loreal Superliner in Black Vinyl

        - Fashionista white eyeliner

        - Revlon Lash Potion Mascara

Lips - Maybelline Babylips in Cherry Me

Nails - My Halloween nails

Smokey Fuchsia Eye Make up

Another look for a hot summer's evening. This time a little bolder on the eye and more subtle on the lips. 

I mixed the cranberry colour from the Sleek Storm palette with collection's eyeshadow in viva vegas to create this purpley fuchsia colour. I added some gold and blended it in to the inner corner of my eyes to give a bit more dimension and to open the eyes a little. 

I brushed a small amount of MAC Gleeful on my cheeks which is a very pigmented wine coloured blush with a hint of gold running through it (best applied with a very light hand and blended very well.) And finished with a nude pink lip.

Products used -

Face-
Bourjois Healthy mix foundation
Collection lasting perfection concealer
Bourjois bronzer
Mac Gleeful MSF Blusher
Rimmel Stay matte powder

Eyes
Sleek storm palette
Collection eyeshadow Viva vegas
Brows - Clinique superfine liner in dark brown
MUA intense black liner
L'oreal super liner in black vinyl
Maybelline the falsies mascara
Ardell demi wispies false lashes
Collection dazzle me in 8 Bedazzle

Lips
Topshop lipstick in Innocent
Rimmel stay glossy lip gloss in non stop glamour

xx

Summer Blushers

L- R Bourjois Healthy Mix - Sleek Pixie Pink - Sleek Rose Gold - Mac Well Dressed

These are my current go to blushers. I think all of them are very pretty, well pigmented and easy to blend!

Bourjois Healthy Mix blusher 41 - You can see what this looks like on my skin here. This is a lovely coral orange blush which gives a healthy natural glow.

Sleek Pixie Pink - I love this bright pink blusher, it gives a lovely flush of colour to the cheeks and is very pretty and girly.

Sleek Rose Gold blush - This is my favourite ever blusher. It is a gorgeous golden peach coral which has a warm golden shimmer which reflects light as you move. You can see me wearing it here.

Mac Well Dressed - This is a pretty pale soft pink, it's quite cool toned and I normally wear this in the winter but I think its perfect for these rainy summer days!

What is your favourite blusher?

Pink & Blue

Revlon Photo ready foundation, collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, Sleek Blush in Rose Gold, Barry M 19 eyeliner, Ardell demi wispies lashes, MAC Please me lipstick, Maybelline the one mascara. 

Barry M eyeliner - '19'

I bought this for a flash of colour for the summer, this would look really pretty in the waterline or if you wanted a bolder look you could line around the whole eye like I have done!

I started by lining my whole eye and then blended it out a little with a blending brush. I then applied some false lashes and plenty of mascara on the bottom lashes. I used MAC Please me on the lips as it is a pretty pink which I think compliments this look well.

I'm really impressed with this eyeliner, it feels creamy and blends pretty well for a liner. I wore this all day and it lasted really well, its such a lovely colour and really well pigmented.

NYE Purple Make up

Eye Make up: MUA Peal eyeshadow shade 9 all over lid, MAC nocturnelle in crease, Dark blue from sleek storm pallete in crease, Barry M glitterdust, prestige white eyeliner, UD Naked pallete side car, Loreal Carbon gloss liner, maybelline the one mascara. - Im working on a tutorial for this look so hopefully will be up soon.

Happy new year!

Although I spent NYE in my PJ's at home lol, I wanted to create a make up look that could be worn on NYE :)

I've decided to completely embrace this new year & make resolutions for the first time!
Theres something about new years that gives you an excuse to have a 'fresh start' - start a gym, stop letting something get to you, take up a new hobbie or take a leap of faith! 
I've always been stubborn and thought 'My new years resolution is to not have any resolutions' as I thought that I would change/diet/excercise/de-stress when needed.
This year however I feel completely different. I feel like I want goals to spur me on, I want to get out of ruts, I want to jump on my cross trainer to burn off the christmas indulgence lol!
I'm really excited for this year as hopefully there will be lots of good changes, I'm feeling really positive eek! Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my blog this past year, I hope everyone had a lovely new years xx
 
A few of my resolutions:
Blog more!!
Exercise at least 3 times a week - crosstrainer & zumba
Start a Youtube channel?  
Study Make up
Read lots of new books!
Relax, dont let things get to me so much
Be more confident.
Buy some sigma brushes

What are yours? x