MAC Melba Blush >

Melba by MAC Cosmetics is my go-to blush at the moment. I have been using it pretty much every day for the last few weeks and can't seem to get enough of it! Melba has been one my best friends holy grail products for a long time but I had personally never tried it. When I was in the States, I used it for her bridal makeup look (see post here) and after that moment I decided - I need to have this as part of my collection!



Melba is part of MAC's permanent range and described as a soft coral peach with a matte finish (link). In the pan it looks a slightly unexciting muted coral shade but trust me once the powder is on your skin it is so much prettier!



Because it is super pigmented you only need a light dusting of Melba on your cheeks for a warm pinky-peach natural glow. I feel it makes me look more tanned and because it has a matte finish it is my perfect everyday blush.

I just adore this blush and will definitely continue to repurchase Melba because it is now a must-have as part of my makeup collection! Have you tried Melba? xoxo 

Wedding Makeup - The Bride FOTD

Back in September I was in California for the wedding of one of my best friends. In the months coming up to the big day she asked if I would do her wedding make up. She explained that she'd done a couple of trial runs at MAC and said she never was that impressed with what they had done and felt I'd done her makeup just as well, if not better, in the past. Of course in the first instance I felt incredibly flattered of her to ask me but on the other hand I felt very nervous about the whole thing! Yes I love makeup and I feel pretty confident these days doing my own makeup and doing my friends' makeup for events or nights out..but this was something so much more important! I am definitely no professional makeup artists and this I would be one of the biggest days of her life...god what if she didn't like what I did!?

Anyway after an initial freak out moment I remembered, this is one of my best friends and I know what she likes and dislikes and she is certainly NO bridezilla so I went back to feeling super honoured and now also excited to be able to be part of her wedding in this way!

Luckily she had a pretty clear vision of the makeup look she wanted for her wedding day; natural, glowing and pretty with a bit of sparkle but making sure she still looked like herself! We used products by MAC cosmetics that she had chosen with a MAC makeup artists during a previous trial run so it was really great to have such clear instructions to go by. I was still a little nervous on the day but in the end it was so much fun to be there to help her get ready, do her makeup and make her feel beautiful on this special day. Not that I really had to do that much because I think she is the most beautiful woman (inside and outside) already!

So now without any further a-do; here comes the gorgeous bride!!!

(No photoshop or editing used....doesn't she have the most amazing eyes?)

Products used for this FOTD:

♥ Face:
MAC Prep + Prime line filler (link)
MAC Prep + Prime Primer (link)
MAC StudioFix Foundation
MUA Bronzed Perfection (as seen here)
MAC Powder Blush - Melba

♥ Eyes:
MAC Saddle eyeshadow (gold orange brown/matte) - all over lid
MAC Downbrown eyeshadow (teddybear brown/veluxe) – blended into crease &lower lash line
MAC Tan Pigment (muted pinky brown bronze) as seen here– applied to middle of lid
MAC Fluidline in Dipdown (flat brown) – applied along lower lash line only
MAC Zoomlash mascara

♥ Lips:
Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss in Imaginaire (56) as seen here

The bride was pretty happy with her look I think ;)

Doesn't her hair look amazing? I loved the romantic but fun twisty half up-do!

The above photos were all taken by me on the day. Now below are some official wedding photographs by Stephanie of Creative Photography Inc. It really was such an amazing day that I will remember forever....

Getting ready, walking down the beach 'aisle' and the kiss!

The "I do's" :)

The beach was the perfect backdrop for their Californian wedding!

Some fun group photos after the ceremony!

At the wedding reception. The dress code for the wedding was 'summer chic' so I decided on this fun turquoise dress I got in Paris over a year ago (as seen here). Makeup wise I went for a bronzed golden look using my Estée Lauder Island Oasis eyeshadow palette.

This is probably my favourite photo of the couple; it shows true happiness, love and fun which I hope their marriage will be filled with for the rest of their lives!!

Lulu & Will; I love you both so much and I'm so happy that I was be able to be part of your special day!
Friends forever ♥

What do you think of my first official bridal makeup FOTD? Xoxo

MUA Bronzed Perfection - Holiday FOTD #

Back in August MUA released a new bronzer to their cosmetics collection. Say hello this this monster of a bronzer.....yep this baby is ginormous!! The MUA bronzer is designed to give you an all over healthy-kissed glow by sweeping the product over your face and body. I decided to take this bronzer on holiday with me to put it to the test; could this really provide me with 'bronzed perfection'?

In the tin you the bronzer shows a small amount of shimmer but not to worry this barely transfers to the skin, leaving you with a soft and matte finish. The pigmentation is great but do be aware that the bronzer tends to get quite powdery so don't go crazy with your brush, you only need to sweep across the bronzer lightly to eliminate too much fall out and to pick up the right amount of product.

The shade of the bronzer is a light to medium so I think this would suit fair skin tones for a lightly bronzed look or it can be build up to enhance a deeper tan. Apply the bronzer to the areas of your face where the sun would naturally hit; building the colour gradually to get the exact shade you want. The bronzer can be used all over the face, neckline, arms or shoulders as a bronzer or contour.

I have to say I loved using this on holiday. A quick sweep of the bronzer all over my cheeks, forehead and nose would give me a lovely soft healthy glow. Here a recent holiday FOTD with the MUA Bronzed Perfection Bronzer...

This bronzer contains a whopping 15g of product and guess what, it only costs £3! Now that's what I call a MEGA bargain :) The bronzer is available now from your local Superdrug or at the MUA Online store.

Do you think you will try this bronzer for that warm, healthy complexion all-year-round?

Bourjois Paris Flowers - Summer Trend look+

Back in June Bourjois launched their 2012 summer collection inspired by the beauty of tropical flowers from Latin America with a palette of bright blue teamed with spicy orange.

They created the above look using the following new products from the collection:

Bourjois round pot eyeshadow in no.16, a spicy orange

Bourjois round pot eyeshadow in no.02, a vivid blue (blue canard)

Bourjois 3D effet lipgloss in no.53 Corail artistic (one of my favourite glosses this summer!)

Bourjos Volume Glamour Max Waterproof mascara

I liked this colourful summery look, so I decided to recreate it myself :)

I applied the burned orange eyeshadow (16) all over the lid and into the socket line. Then I dampened the eyeshadow applicator and applied the bright blue shade (02) close to the top lash line for that fun splash of colour!

Other products used in his FOTD:

Clinique stay matte foundation in #9

Vichy dermablend ultra-corrective stick (review here)

UNE BB cream bronzer (review here)

NARS blush in the shade Orgasm

 

What do you think about Bourjois new summer collection? Is this look something you'd ever wear?

 

The full Bourjois Paris Flowers collection is available now at Boots & Superdrug stores nationwide and online.

Summer statement lips: MAC So Chaud

Recently while catching up on some of my favourite blogs I spotted the stunning Linda, from PS I love Fashion, blogging about this new red lipstick she'd gotten at MAC. I pretty much fell in lust as soon as I saw it on her! Unable to get this lippy out of my mind I wondered over to the MAC store and treated myself to this little beauty....

Introducing you to my favourite new red lipstick for summer: So Chaud!

So Chaud is an 'intense reddish-orange' (matte) from MAC's permanent line.

Red lips always provide a classy look but I love that the orange tones in this lipstick give it a slightly modern twist. It's a really unique colour and makes quite a statement when worn. It fits in perfectly with this season's trend of bright orange and coral colours which makes it the ideal red lipstick for warm and sunny days. Even though they label So Chaud as a matte lipstick, I find it very creamy and no where near as matte as say Ruby Woo, which is one of MAC's most best selling red lipsticks. The lasting power of this lipstick is impressive and it's not at all drying. 

I also think it makes my blue eyes POP! 

Other products used in this FOTD:

Clinique Stay Matte Foundation (loving this at the moment!)

MAC Warm Soul Blush (review here)

MAC Wedge eyeshadow (all over lid)

Clinique's new super-balanced powder bronzer (link) 

Verdict....So Chaud is definitely So Hot!! And as Gwyneth Paltrow once said; “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick”. I couldn’t have said it better myself! 

What do you think of So Chaud....hot or not? :) xoxo

Healthy Sun with UNE BB Cream Bronzer

We all want a bronzer that is going to give us a natural looking healthy holiday glow and recently I have been loving UNE's BB Cream bronzer to give me just that!

In June UNE released a new addition to their cosmetics foundations range in the form of a BB cream bronzer. Their Healthy-Sun BB cream bronzer is the first compact 'BB' bronzer on the market. For more information about BB creams and their benefits, you can read an older post about that here. 

The BB cream bronzer comes in a re-fillable compact and like other UNE products it has 100% natural ingredients and the packaging is made with recyclable materials. I also love that the front of the compact (after removing the top sticker) is a mirror!

The BB cream bronzer is available in 2 shades: Golden (S05) and Coppery (S07)

The BB cream bronzer has a unique cream-to-powder formula that is blend able, water-resistant and provides you with a long lasting, natural tan that is actually good for your skin!

Some of the ingredients that make this happen:
Organic Shea butter to nourish and hydrate the skin.
Organic beeswax which lends softness and glide to the formula.
Jojoba seed oil to protect the skin and to help it maintain its natural moisturisation.

The BB bronzer swatched (quite heavily) on my hand.

The BB cream is creamy yet non-oily and it just feels incredibly light and comfortable on my skin. It has such a soft texture which means you can easily apply it with your fingers; in warm touches on the cheeks, forehead, bridge of the nose and chin, for that 'after-a-stroll-on-the-beach-healthy glow"

However for an even more fully tanned look I love sweeping the BB cream bronzer all over my face and neck with my favourite Ecotools Kabuki brush (link)!

Other products used for this FOTD:

VICHY Dermablend Ultra-Corrective Stick (review here)

Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Foundation (review here)

Topshop Neon Rose cream blush (link)

Estee Lauder Bronzed Dunes Eye Palette (review here)

Bourjois 3D Effet Lipgloss in Corail artistic (53) 

The UNE BB Cream Bronzer is available now at your local Boots or Superdrug for £14.49. What are you loving to give you that perfect summer bronzed glow at the moment?

Black, white and red at Royal Ascot

A couple of weeks ago it was that time of the year again to get all dolled up for the annual event that is Royal Ascot! I went with a group of friends last year which was so much fun that of course this year it again was high on our social must-do agenda! Last year I went for quite a colourful outfit (read post here) but this year I decided on a more classic black and white look. And when I think classic I think red lippy! So here the make up look for my day at Royal Ascot...

Makeup Used:

Clinique Stay-Matte oil free make up in #9 Neutral

Am loving this foundation at the moment, full review to follow.

MAC charcoal brown eyeshadow (shape and set eyebrows)

MAC Nylon and Wedge eyeshadows

MAC Springsheen blush

L'Oreal Super Liner in black (top lash line)

 Estee Lauder Sumptuous Waterproof mascara (link)

Collection2000 - Queen of Hearts lipstick

My friends and I had organised a huge bus to get us to Ascot so on Saturday 23 June all fifty of us got on a bus glammed up and ready for a day of fun! The bus was well stocked with prosecco, croissants and fun people which made for a fabulous start to the day :) 

My friend on the left is wearing my ZARA digital print dress as seen here (link)

White dress by ZARA (purchased a few months ago - you might be able to pick it up in the sale now!)

Black little blazer from little boutique shop in Paris

Black patent LK Bennett Selina Court Bow heels (as seen here)

Black Saucer Fascinator by Début (buy here from Debenhams)

Watch by Michael Kors

Silver diamonte studs from Karen Millen

We had lots of laughs and probably consumed a few too many bottles of bubbly that day ;) 

But hey I love a good excuse to dress up and have a fun day out with my friends so count me in again for next year I say! Have you ever been to Ascot or any other kind of horse races? xoxo