My NYE Sparkly Smokey Eye Makeup

This year my NYE celebrations weren't anything too crazy and wild but more a local, fun low-key affair! With a group of my dear friends, we had booked several tables to enjoy a delicious set course NYE dinner at The Oak, accompanied by a few glasses of bubbly of course. The Oak is a cosy restaurant in Notting Hill and upstairs they have a great bar, where we ended up dancing until the wee hours on the first day of 2013.

Outfit wise I was wearing my Zara combined leather look dress (as seen here) accessorised with a H&M bejewelled bib collar necklace. So for my makeup I wanted a dark smokey eye but with a bit of sparkle because New Years is the one night where glitter is always acceptable :)

Products used in this makeup look:

Mix of Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation &  Estee Lauder Double Wear Desert Beige (2N1)

FYF Mineral Loose Impeccable Powder (as seen here)
Benefit High Beam Highlighter on my cheekbones/bridge of nose (see how to apply this here)

Sleek Brow Kit to fill in my brows
Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer Powder (as seen here)
NARS Orgasm Blush

MAC Paintpot in Blackground (base all over lid)

MAC Carbon eyeshadow (lid)

MAC Haux eyeshadow (blended into crease to soften the black)

Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow from NAKED Palette (lightly blended in crease) 

MAC Eyeliner in Fascinating - white (applied to tearduct area)

MAC Vanilla Pigment (applied to tearduct and browbone areas to highlight)

AVON Supershock Gel eyeliner in black (applied to waterline)

L'Oréal Paris Super Liner Perfect Slim (upper lashline)

NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

MAC Reflects Antique Gold Glitter (lightly padded onto lid for that perfect NYE sparkle!)

What do you think of my NYE makeup? I hope you all rang in the New Year with a BANG!

Christmas Party - 1920s Inspired Makeup

December is always a month full of parties and events which is great because it often gives you an excuse to dress up or sparkle in your best outfits! A few weeks ago we had my office Christmas party and this year it was 1920’s themed. It wasn’t meant to be a very strict theme but it encouraged everyone to make an effort to look old school glamorous! Most people straight away started planning ‘what to wear’ but as a typical beauty blogger my main focus was on how I wanted my makeup to look for this party. After googling for 1920’s beauty inspiration I came across this image (link) of Charlize Theron which I absolutely loved so I decided to go for a very dark berry lip with a nude/rustic look for my eyes.

This is my finished look of the night:

Products used: 

MAC studio finish concealer NC20 

Clinique stay matte foundation – Shade 9, Neutral (link) 

MAC bronzer in Golden 

The Body Shop – cheek colour in Sweet Nutmeg, an oldie but a goodie! (link) 

MAC Mineralize blush in Warm Soul (as seen here) applied as highlight on cheekbones 

MAC Pigment in Vanilla applied to tear duct & brow bone 

Urban Decay NAKED palette – eye shadow Virgin (all over lid)

Urban Decay NAKED palette – eye shadow Naked (blended into crease area) 

MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow (Duo) - Play on Plums (as seen here)

Applied the plum/burgundy shade along my lower lash line. I really love this limited edition eyeshadow duo and am gutted it is running on empty; can anyone recommend a good dupe for the plum/burgundy shade? 

L’Oreal Super Liner in Black – my current favourite liquid liner pen! (link)

NARS NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara (as seen here)

On my lips I'm wearing Berry Vamp by LookBeauty from their Loud Lips range. The packaging of this lipstick is a bit cheap but the colour is really stunning and the fomula is smooth, highly pigmented and long lasting. Not bad for only £7 (link) I have changed from being more of a sheer lip gloss girl to quite loving a darker lip – what do you think of this lip shade?

Jewellery wise I kept it simple and wore these vintage clip-on earrings that used to belong to my grandmother! My hair was done by the lovely Jess from Powder Puff & Pin Curls, who specializes in vintage hair-do's! She came to our office and did the hair of about ten ladies to get us all looking in style for the 1920's party. I will post some more photos of the party in another post :)

Dress wise; I couldn't seem to make up my mind and with December being so busy, I just hadn't had time to find the perfect outfit! Until last minute that was,  because the night before the party I saw this dress in Zara and it was love at first sight! I didn't own a long black evening dress yet so I felt it was a much needed addition to my wardrobe ;) The dress is part of the new collection by ZARA as seen here in their Woman Lookbook Twelve. I adore this recent collection by Zara, it is so classic and elegant.

 ZARA Combined Lace Dress - £69.99 (link)

The dress falls beautifully and the fabric is very soft and pretty. I love how the added touch of the lace in the back makes it that little bit sexier whilst remaining classy. For me, it was the perfect Christmas party dress and I really liked my slightly different to usual look! What do you think of my 1920s inspired look?

How and why to use an eyelash curler

One of my can't-live-without beauty products would have to be an eyelash curler. I am always recommending my friends to buy one because I think they are such little miracle workers! My lashes are naturally quite flat and don't have much of a curl to them so using a curler makes all the difference to really open up my my eyes and give me a more doll-eyed look.

Over the years I have tried several brands and two of my favourites would have to be the Shu Uemera curler (review here) and the MAC full lash curler. I recently lost my Shu Uemera one that I'd had for quite some time so I decided to repurchase my MAC trusty old favourite!

About their Full Lash Curler MAC cosmetics says "Curls lashes. Adds all natural glam! An artist essential: a pro-quality tool. Shapes and curves lashes into all-natural curl. Primes them for mascara or false lashes. Use it pre-lash and pre-mascara. Easy to use. Designed to curve gently round the lash line. Works with a simple squeeze and release motion! Totally tearproof!"

Here some before and after pictures to show you the difference...

A lot of people always joke and say it looks a bit like a tool of torture but I promise you it doesn't hurt at all and they are very simple to use. Trust me there is no need to fear the curler ;) 

Here is how to use them:

• Always use your eyelash curlers on clean eyelashes. Never curl lashes after you apply mascara because as the mascara dries, lashes can stick to the curler & be torn from the roots; damaging your lashes. If necessary, use eye makeup remover to remove old mascara.
• Next, simply spread the handles of the curler and center your upper lashes in between the upper and lower pads. Place the curler at the base of the upper lash line, as close to the roots as possible, without pinching your lid. Now squeeze gently! Hold for five to ten seconds and release. Once you feel more comfortable with your new tool, try walking the curler out to the end of the lashes as opposed to just clamping it down. This will give your lashes a more natural, and less harsh looking curl. Repeat on the other eye and don't use the curler on your bottom lashes.

Left eye curled - right eye au naturel! See the difference?

Now that your lashes are all lovely and curled just apply 2 to 3 coats of your favorite mascara, wiggling the wand from root to tip.

I'm currently loving the Clinique high impact extreme volume mascara - £17

And voila! Spidery long lashes in a snap!

For even longer lasting curled lashes here a little tip; with your blowdryer on low heat, blow air on your curler for no more than 5 seconds. Touch the metal. If it's hot, let it cool for a few seconds. You don't want to burn your eyelid. Now just continue to use your curlers as per the above steps. Heating is not necessary to use an eyelash curler; however, the heat will make a noticeable difference in curling your lashes.

MAC Full Lash Curlers retail at £14/$20/€23.50 and are available online or at your local MAC counter.

Do you use an eyelash curler to give your lashes more POW?!

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

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

If you please....(with MAC Tan pigment eyes)

One of my favourite lipsticks at the moment is 'If you please' from 17 Cosmetics. It's a bright pink shade from their Supreme Shine collection and only costs about £4.99 from Boots!

It's such a fun bold pink colour that you can apply lightly or build it up for a more intense look...

When I wear this lippy I like pairing it with one of my holy grail MAC pigments in Tan. 

You can read my post about how to use and apply MAC Pigments here: link!Tan is a muted pinky brown bronze colour that really seems to make my blue eyes pop!

When I wear this shade people often comment on how bright my eyes look that day :)Products used on eyes:

Estée Lauder Double Wear Shadow Crème in Buttercream (base)

MAC Tan pigment (all over lid and lower lash line)

Estée Lauder Pure Color Eyeliner in Blackened Black  (tight lined the waterline; top & bottom)

Incredilash Mascara by 2True Cosmetics

From the 17 Supreme Shine Lipstick range I have both 'If you please' and 'Hot stuff'. I think the packaging of these lipsticks is really nice; they look very high end for only a few pennies!

If You Please (left) and Hot Stuff (right)

Hot stuff is a stunning hot red shade! It's rich, highly pigmented and slides on smoothly leaving your lips with a lovely shine but not sticky or glossy. 

There are 13 shades in the Supreme Shine Lipstick range and for £4.99 I think they are great value for money. You can find them online here or at your local Boots store.

Burberry lipcover in Rosewood

I am currently loving my Burberry lipstick in the shade Rosewood; seriously how gorgeous is this lippy?

I discovered this lipstick because it was one of the items in my March 'The Harrods Edition' Glossybox. 

I have to say the March Glossybox was filled with some amazing products:

♥ Ojon Restorative Hair Serum

♥ Clarins Extra firming body cream

♥ 4ml Eau De Toilette of Fendi's new Fandi fragrance

♥ Erno Laszlo - 5 piece cream gift set

..but this mini Burberry lipstick was definitely my favourite! 

Isn't this the cutest and tiniest lipstick you have ever seen? 

The packaging of the mini version is exactly the same as their full sized lipsticks with its polished gunmetal case and Burberry check embossed lipstick bullet.

It's a rosy brown shade that I think would suit most skin-tones. It's a quite a natural look but it does give a nice touch of elegant colour to your lips. The formula is 'soft satin' which feels very light whilst being creamy and moisturizing.  The lasting power is really good and it has a pretty satin/glossy finish to it.

Other products I used for this look: 

CID i-Perfect Foundation

MAC Peachykeen blush

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder

MAC Belightful highlighter

Estee Lauder stay-in-place shadowcreme in Golden Sands

Urban Decay NAKED2 Palette (Suspect & Snakeskin)

Estee Lauder Pure color Kajal eyeliner in Pure Black

Blink+Go Mascara

What do you think of the Burberry lipcover in Rosewood? A full sized version of this lipstick retails for £23 (link) which isn't cheap but this is a shade that is very timeless so probably worth the investment!

I always love the makeup looks as seen on the models on the Burberry runways or in their advertising campaigns so this lipstick has got me excited about trying more from their beauty collection. Do you have any Burberry beauty products that you would recommend? xoxo