Strobe Lotion Golden Elixir

Okay, so as a fan of strobe cream and lotion anyway, you can imagine my excitement when I saw this little beauty hit the shelves! 

For any of you that haven't ever heard of strobe cream or lotion it is basically an amazing miracle moisturizer that freshens and boots tired or dull looking skin. It contains iridescent particles and soft focus diffusers which make your skin look smoother and reduce the appearance of imperfections. Magic aye?

The ways to use this product are endless!

This version is so perfect for summer.  Here are just a few of the ways you could use it:

You can...

Mix a little in to your foundation to give a gorgeous warm golden glow. If you use a full coverage foundation this is also a good way to get a slightly lighter coverage for the warmer summer months! 

Use as a highligher on your cheek bones and other areas on your face.

You could also use it to highlight parts of your body, anywhere that you want to enhance and reflect the light. (ie. Collar bones, down the middle of your Shin bone, Shoulders)

Use on legs and arms to give you that bronzed summer shimmer.  Think how amazing this would look on your legs on the beach on holiday?!

Use on its own on your face. It will diffuse any imperfections,  reduce the look of pores, Moisturise and brighten your skin AND give you a gorgeous golden glow. What more could you really want?

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Here is a before and after of the Strobe Liquid Golden Elixir on my arm. The photo doesn't really do the product much justice but you can see that it gives you a lovely bronzed glow! 

This costs £22.50 and you can purchase it from here

The original Strobe Cream is also £22.50 from here

Or you can get the Original Strobe Liquid Lotion from here also for £22.50

I would love to hear what you guys think of this product? Have you used strobe liquid before?

Pinks & Purples Eyeshadow Palette

I thought I would share with you guys bit by bit how I organize and store my makeup.

So I am going to share with you one of the most loved parts of my kit, my eyeshadow palettes! I'm going to start with my pink/purple palette 'cause it's my favorite and it contains some of my 'go to' colours. Having brown eyes I always feel that purples in particular do flatter my eye colour and make my eyes stand out. 

My eyeshadow palette is the new style MAC one. It comes in 2 parts, the outer case and the insert. The outer case can hold a few different inserts (for example the lipstick insert featured in my previous post)  but the eyeshadow one holds 15 pro palette eye shadows. 

I think having the eyeshadows in a palette rather than individually is soo much easier. Everything's in the same place and it makes organizing your make up a lot quicker and simpler! 

You can de-pot your individual eyeshadows to go in to the palette, which I can show you in a later tutorial if this is something you would like to see! 

So anyway, heres my Pink / Purple eyesadow palette. These are a selection of my favourite and most used shades. 

My Top 5

Pink Freeze

This is one of my favorite colours to use as a highlight in the inner corner of the eye when creating a smokey eye.  

Naked lunch

One of my 'go to' colours. Looks great on pretty much anyone. Nice as a highlight on the brow bone, or inner eye or a base colour all over the lid. 

Stars & Rockets 

 I don't use  this one as much as I would like to. Its a lovely lilac shade with blue tones. Its a great colour to really make your eyes stand out. 

Vibrant Grape

This is my must have colour for a purple eye makeup. The colour is so pigmented and vibrant.

Sketch 

This is a must have for the ultimate purple smokey eye. Its a deep burgundy purple with a slight glitter .i use this all the time in to outer corner and the crease of the eye. 

I would love to hear your thoughts, or if you have any links to posts you have done on eyeshadow palettes or makeup organizing I would love to see!

Until next time, 

Mac Lipstick Palette

As much as I love my MAC lipsticks, one thing I find very frustrating is that the packaging all looks the same! The more my lipstick collection grew, it became increasingly difficult to find the lipstick I wanted when on a makeup job or doing my own makeup. I have been waiting for this palette for so long. I attempted this with a Muji palette a couple of years ago but gave up after things got a little messy!

So basically, this palette holds 24 lipstick colours all in the same place. How convenient! This is great for any of you makeup artists out there, it makes everything so much quicker. Not to mention lightening the load of your kit! Or even if you aren't a makeup artist but just have a huge collection of lipsticks that you would like to see all in one place for easy access. 

My own personal favorites that I use all the time I haven't melted down as I like to have the lipstick I'm wearing in my bag for top ups during the day. And obviously you cant lug this massive pallet around can you!

What you need: An empty lipstick palette, A spoon, A Candle, Lipsticks, Lots of tissues!

Before you do anything, make sure you clean and sanitize all your lipsticks before melting them in to the palette! This is so important to kill all the germs or bugs that may be lurking on your lipsticks.

Each section of the palette holds just over half of your lipstick. Cut a little off at a time just to be sure not to over fill.

Place it on to the spoon and hold over the candle. Be aware that the different textures melt differently. For instance Creme D'nude (Creamsheen) melted within a few seconds where as Ruby Woo (Retro Matte) took over a minute.

Be careful not to let the lipstick bubble as this can change the colour/texture of the lipstick.

Once the lipstick is completely melted, gently pour in the the palette.  It only takes a couple of minutes to set so make sure not to move the palette till its set so it doesn't spill out.

And its as simple as that.

Make sure you write down all the names of the lipsticks and the textures and label it so you don't forget the names!

My Palette

Colours from left to right

Row 1: Up the amp, girl about town, Quick Sizzle (Limited Ed), Impasioned, Candy Yum Yum, Pink Plaid, Budding Love, Angel

Row 2: Rebel, Diva, Ruby Woo, Pink Nouveau, Twig, Faux, A Perfect Day (Limited Ed), Creme D'Nude

Row 3: Lady Danger, Morange, Fanfare, Watch me simmer (Limited Ed), Vegas Volt, Costa Chic, Coral Bliss, Cut a caper (Limited Ed)

 Thanks for reading, 

May Glossybox

Hello!

I was very excited when I received my Glossybox this month. I knew it was their 2nd birthday so had high hopes that it would be a good'un. And I wasn't disappointed!

So here's what I received:

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Bellepierre Super lipgloss in Rasberry by Bellapierre Cosmetics (Full Size)

Full size RRP £12.99

If I am honest I have never heard or tried this brand before, so was curious to try this one! 

I received a lovely purple/berry colour which I love. It has a gorgeous fruity smell and feels soft and moisturising on the lips and not sticky at all. It has a pretty low colour pay off but is great if you just want a hint of colour on your lips. 

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Divine Oil by Caudalie (Full Size)

Full size RRP £4.05

This is an oil for your hair, body or face. I have fairly oily skin so am a bit apprehensive about putting this on my face, that scares me a little bit. I tried some of this on the ends of my hair as they tend to get a bit dry and split (from endless dying and straightening, oops) and I have to say it worked a treat. It noticeably improved the appearance of my split ends and it smells amazing! It is a light weight dry oil and doesn't feel greasy at all. It is a lovely product and I am looking forward to experimenting a little more with this! 

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Fairy Lashes Mascara by Jelly Pong Pong (Full Size)

Full Size RRP £15

I am always on the hunt for the perfect mascara so was pleased to see this in my Glossybox. 

I have heard about this product before and have been keen to try it out. It has a pretty decent size brush, I'm not a fan of huge clumpy brushes 1. because they are messy and 2. the clump your lashes together and look awful. After one coat of mascara I couldn't really see a noticeable difference in length and volume. After 2 coats my lashes looked slightly longer and more volumised but not dramatically. I don't think this mascara beats some of my current favorites but it's okay for an every day defining mascara. This mascara claims to be water-resistant, it didn't flake or smudge during the day but I haven't yet properly put it to the test for its water-proof ability, hopefully it won't disappoint. 

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Angelica Hydration Cream by L'Occitane En Provence (15ml Sample Size)

Full Size RRP £30 for 50ml

I haven't yet tried this product. To be honest I have some great moisturisers that I swear by but I will definitely give this a go to see how it compares. 

This product claims to "moisturize and revitalize  leaving skin looking plumped, smoothed and absolutely radiant."

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Prime & Create Mixing Medium by Beautiful Movements Cosmetics (Sample Size)

Full Size RRP £20 for 20g

I haven't heard of this brand before and wasn't sure what this was for when I first saw it. I have some mixing mediums from MAC which change the texture of a product in to something else, and it seems this it a pretty similar to that. It says that this can be used as a primer, mixed with foundation for an air brushed finish, or with powder blush to make a cream tint, or eyeshadow pigment to create an eyeliner. I am looking forward to trying to trying this to see how it compares to MACs mixing medium.

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Makeup to suit your eye colour

A question a find a lot of people asking is 'what eyeshadow colour will suit me'

Obviously there are a few things to take in to consideration when choosing eye makeup like skin tone, hair colour, outfit etc but one of the key ones is your eye colour.

I thought I would do a little post on which shadows to choose that will compliment your eye colour.

I have created some examples for you too, my eyes are brown so I have altered my eye colour in photoshop for the other colours to give you a clearer idea!

Blue eyes

To make your blue eyes pop you need to go for a complimentary colour. Try to steer clear of blue eyeshadows as they will compete with your eye colour. If you are going to use a blue eyeshadow, make sure it is a dark blue/navy. The darkness of the navy against blue eyes will make them stand out. 

Rich warm browns are an ideal colour for blue eyes, as well as soft peaches, taupe and dark greys. These colours will really contrast against your eyes and make the colour more intense. 

My favorite shadows for blue eyes:

Some others I recommend for blue eyes include: 
Handwritten, Amber Lights, Bronze, Contrast, Rule, Brown Down & Handwritten. 

What I used: 
Lid: Paintpot in Eclair
Crease:  Handwritten
Liner: Dipdown Fluidline
Coffee Eye Pencil

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Brown eyes

Brown eyed girls are pretty lucky in that you can pull off pretty much any colour.  My favorite colour to use on brown eyes is purple. This colour really enhances the warm tones in your brown eyes.
A dark green or navy liner can also look fantastic on a brown eye, and it's an easy and wearable everyday look. 

My favorite shadows for brown eyes:

Some others I love include:

Vibrant Grape, Knight Divine, Tempting, Woodwinked, Satin Taupe, Cranberry, Nocturnelle & Club. 

What I used: 
Highlight: Jest
Lid: Vibrant grape
Crease: Sketch
Liner: Blacktrack Fluidline
Feline Eye Kohl

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Green eyes

Avoid silver, blue or green eyeshadows if you have green eyes. These colours will over power your eye colour. 

Deep browns, gold or copper tones are stunning on green eyes. To really make your eye colour pop go for shades of purple and lilac. 

My favorite shadows for green eyes:

Other colours I like to use on Green eyes include:

Brown Down, Satin Taupe & Embark. 

What I used:
 Lid: Woodwinked
Crease: Satin Taupe
and Embark
Liner: Dipdown Fluidline
and Teddy Eye Kohl

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Hazel eyes

Golden browns, warm taupe and deep purples will really pull out the green tones in your eyes. A navy eyeshadow would also look gorgeous on your eye colour. Colours with an orange undertone will make your eyes stand out. 

My favorite shadows for Hazel eyes:

Other colours that look great on Hazel eyes are:
Mulch, Coppering, Bronze, Rule, Orange, Shadowy Lady & Sketch

What I used: 
Lid: Sketch and Shadowy Lady
Crease: Orange
Liner: Bootblack Liquid liner
and Smoulder Eye Kohl

All eyeshadows and products by Mac Cosmetics

Hope this has been helpful!

Prom Makeup

Prom season has come around again, so I've put together a few makeup looks that would be perfect for your big night! 

Pretty in Pink

This is the perfect soft and sophisticated eye makeup for your prom night.

What you will need:

Painterly Paintpot.

Pink Freeze, Sushi Flower, Cranberry & Sketch eye shadows.

Blacktrack Fluidline. 

Fascinating Kohl Pencil.

Haute & Naughty Mascara.

Number 3 False Lashes

• Start by pressing 'Pink Freeze' eye shadow in to the inner corner of your eye with a pencil brush. 
• Softly blend 'Sushi Flower' in to the middle and outer corner of your eye and blend just slightly above socket line but do not take too far up towards the brow. 
• Blend 'Cranberry' in the outer corner of the eye and in to the socket line, take it underneath to the bottom lash line as well and blend well.  
• To add extra definition use a small amount of the darkest colour 'Sketch' in to the outer corner and the socket line and blend well. 
• Add 'Blacktrack' liquid liner on top lash line and 'Fascinating' Eye Kohl in your bottom waterline. 
• Add your mascara and/or lashes

Quick tip: When applying lashes, put the lash glue along the base and leave to dry for about 60 secs. This way the lashes will stick straight away with out you having to hold them on. This makes putting lashes on a lot easier. Also make sure you measure the lashes to your eye before you stick them on, 9 times out of 10 you will need to trim them slightly. 

Glitz and Glam

If you want to add a little sparkle to your prom outfit, the perfect way to do this is with a simple glitter eye!

What you will need:

Eclair Paintpot 

Glam Crystal Eyeliner in Funk

Feline Eye Kohl

Wedge Eyesahdow

Opulash Mascara

• Apply Eclair Paintpot all over your eyelid and blend properly so it fades out towards the brow. 
• Use wedge eye shadow to make edge a little softer and blend a bit easier. 
• Use the Glam Crystals Eyeliner (You could use any colour, I have chosen the gold) and apply straight on to the eyelid from the wand. 
• Use feline Kohl pencil and blend this in to your lower lash line and also apply in your waterline. 
• Apply Mascara and/or lashes which ever you prefer. 

Quick Tip: Using glitter liners are easier than the loose pigment as you don't get any fall out. when using these liners build up the intensity of the pigment by layering up, make sure you wait a few seconds between each application for the glitter to dry. 

Feline 

This is a classic and timeless look that will go with any dress you choose! 

What you will need:

Painterly Paintpot

Smut & Carbon Eyeshadow

Blacktrack Fluidline

Feline Eye Kohl

Haute & Naughty Mascara

Number 20 Corner Lashes

• Apply 'Painterly' Paintpot all over your eyelid as a base. 
• Using a small angle brush take your 'Smut' eyeshadow and carefully etch out a line where  your crease is. Blend this out with a soft fluffy brush but try to keep the sharp edge in the crease for the 'Cut Crease' effect. 
• Add a small amount on 'Carbon' eyeshadow in to the outer part of the eye to make it look a little more dramatic. 
• Smudge 'Carbon' in to the lower lash line and blend well. 
• Create your flick liner using 'Blacktrack' Fluidline. (Click here for more detail on creating the perfect flick liner)
• Add 'Feline Kohl' Eye Pencil in to lower waterline.
• Finish with 'Haute & Naughty' Mascara or False Lashes. I used corner lashes to emphasize the feline shape even more. 

Natural Beauty

This is a great look for you girls who like to take it back to basics but still want a beautiful makeup! 

What you will need:

Painterly Paintpot.

All that glitters & Dazzlelight Eyeshadows

Coffee eye pencil

False Lash Mascara

• Apply 'Painterly' all over eyelid. 
• Use a fluffy brush and blend 'All that glitters' eye shadow on to eyelid and blend out towards the brow. 
• Take a small amount of 'Dazzlelight' eye shadow and press in to the center of the eye, creating a highlight. 
• Use 'Coffee' eye pencil to line your upper and lower lash line & smudge it in to make it softer. 
• Apply your mascara. 

Smokey Eye

Sexy smouldery eye is a certain way to make an impact!

What you will need:

Blackground Paintpot

Carbon & Cinderfella Eyeshadow

Feline Eye Kohl

False Lash Mascara

• Using a fluffy brush, blend 'Blackground' Paintpot all over the eyelid. Use this as a guide to where you're going to add your eyeshadow. Make sure you blend well. 
• Add 'Carbon' eye shadow over the top of the paint pot. Pat the colour on and blend it outwards.
• Pat 'Cinderfella' over the top of the 'Carbon' eyeshadow and blend the edge. Don't over blend it or the glitter pigment will fall out. 
• Take 'Carbon' and 'Cinderfella' eyeshadow underneath the lower lash line and smudge it in. 
• Use 'Feline' Eye Kohl in the waterline.
• Apply False lash mascara and/or False Lashes.

Pop of Colour

A simple yet effective way to add a burst of colour to any outfit! 

What you will need:

Macroviolet Fluidline

Designer purple Pearlglide Liner

False Lash Mascara

Fascinating Eye Kohl

• Using the 'Perfect flick' technique, create a liner using 'Macroviolet' Fluidline. 
• In the lower lash line apply 'Designer Purple' Pencil and smudge in with a small brush. Be sure NOT to apply this pencil in to your waterline. It has small glitter particles which will irritate your eye.
• Use 'Fascinating' Eye Kohl in your waterline.
• Finish by applying your Mascara or False Lashes. 

Quick Tip: Using a lighter eyeliner in your waterline makes your eyes appear bigger. Apply the darker liner in to your lower lashes but not in the actual waterline. Use a colour like 'Fascinating' or a skin colour pencil to give the illusion of wider, bigger eyes. 

I would love to know what you think of these looks. Which one would you choose?