Make-up Wishlist

I have started writing a few blog post today but I wanted to spend more time getting pictures and put more time into them so for todays blog post I am going to write a wish list of make up items that I have been eyeing up this past month .

 
Three contour and three highlight powders , I read a lot of good reviews on this product apparently its pigmented , creamy and easy to blend out . Judging by the reviews people prefer this palette more then the Anastasia Beverly hills powder contour palette .


Who doesn't love abit of cream contour and theses contour sticks look like the cream contouring dream . I would imagine these make cream contouring a lot easier . From what I heard there ridiciously easy to blend . You get three shades one for highlighting ,one for bronzing and one for highlighting . Such a cool product .
 
 
 
 
 
A lot of hype about this palette of 3 highlighters , before this palette I never heard of this brand but now they are definitely more popular . The ambient light palette has three natural powder highlights that give a really nice glow.
 
 
The swatches of this look amazing .  Its a more intense highlighter then the ambient lighting highlighters . Can you tell I'm obsessed with highlighting and contouring at the moment ?  
 
 
 
This foundation has a dewy finish , on myself for everyday wear I love dewy foundations . Also would love to try Armani Lumious Silk foundation or Nars Sheer Glow foundation .
 
 
 
Liquid lipsticks are really popular at the moment because of how pigmented and long lasting they are , apparently theses liquid lipsticks are great . Really love the colour 'Lolita ' a dusty rose colour.


Hope you all enjoyed this blog post , if you have any blog post suggestions or questions feel free to comment below . I will have another blog post up later this week  .

What products are on your make up  wish list ?

Alannah x

March Beauty Favourites

 
 
How is March nearly over ? This year is flying!  Anyhow todays blog post is my March Beauty Favourites (and a few other things thrown in-between) .
 
Carrefour - Le Duo
 
I have never heard of this brand before and I think it might be French or Spanish , I received it as a gift . I cant find this anywhere online but the main reason I like this product is for the orangey brown shade . So really I have been just loving warm browns , I think there super flattering on all eye colours .
 
 
This necklace is so pretty and delicate . I seen it in River Island and couldn't resist . I love wearing it with blouses .

 
I have done a mini review about this product on my Instagram and Facebook before but I seriously love this powder . It makes your make up last and stay matte all day . Its very finely milled so it looks invisible on the skin . Ben nye is a stage make up brand so if it can last on stage it can certainly last on a night out  . Its a good price too for the quality of the product . The packaging isn't the fanciest but that doesn't really bother me because of the quality of the product inside. Great price too - Bonus .
 
 
 I usally don't like blush on myself because I have red cheeks to begin with but lately I have been reaching for this blush a lot . Its a shimmery blush and apparently a dupe for Nars Orgasm blush . Its a shimmery pinky coral blush and I really like the way it looks on my skin . I love sleek make up its affordable and good quality. This blush makes your skin look glowy and would look amazing with a tan . Its reminds me of something jlo would wear .

 
 I wish I had found this product sooner  ! All those years of fighting with the hairbrush have finally come to an end thanks to this product . I have long hair that gets matted very easily . If my hairs matted I take this spray ,spritz it through all of my hair then brush through and it really does make such a different you find yourself not tugging half as much on your hair . It smells nice and it makes your hair feel nice and light like your just after coming out of the hairdresser . Its a huge bottle and its lasting me ages .
 
 
I got this for Christmas and hide it in my room a few weeks after because I was going through it that fast and wanted to leave it for summer . Its such a fresh perfume(its actually an eau de toilette), it almost kind of smells like there's lemon in it and it is the perfect summer smell . Is one of those perfumes that a lot of people would like and its not too overpowering . Its long lasting too once I apply it I can smell it on myself still throughout the day which doesn't usually happen with an eau de toilette. Next time your in a perfume shop , have a smell.
 
 
Why would I need sunscreen I live in Ireland ? The weather has been sunny in Ireland in between the rainy days , but I have been going on walks when it is sunny . In Facial Studies in college we where warned about the damage that sun can cause on your skin so even if its a cold day and I am going for a walk I will still wear sun cream . The sun has a huge impact on your skin aging. This one from boots was a decent price and its quite a high spf . It also adds a nice healthy glow to your face when you apply it and doesn't clog up your pores like some sun creams do. If your going somewhere where there will be flash photography I wouldn't recommend wearing it because it will have flash back .
 
 
So that's it for my March Beauty Favourites . My non beauty favourite of this month is the tv show New Girl I have watched them all before but since season four is finished I decided to go back and re-watch the old episodes . Schmidt is my favourite character ever and I just think he is hilarious .
The whole show is funny , I can really describe the kind of humour it is but if you haven't watched and episode of it before you should watch and episode and see if you like it . Also been loving Nutella on toast , I feel like I'm In primary school again but I'm addicted .

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post and if you have any questions or blog posts you would like to see feel free to comment below .
 
What beauty products have you been loving this month ?
 
Alannah x
 

Time saving tips : Shower , Make - up , Hair

Those days where you want an extra 10 minutes in bed or end up with unexpected plans this blog post will hopefully help you in getting ready fast . I have really mastered the art of getting ready fast , super sonic fast . So if your in a rush and trying to read this I will keep it short in sweet .

 

Shower

- Before you get out of the shower rub some baby oil on your skin , oil and water don't mix so it makes drying yourself so much faster . It also makes your skin super soft .

-Talc powder , also helps you get dry faster .

If you don't have enough time for a shower and your hairs looking kind of greasy a top knot bun is your best friend . Spray some hairspray to keep baby hairs looking tame and make it look like your hairs supposed to look that sleek .You could also wear a bright lipstick to distract people from your greasy hair.

Hair

- Before I dry my hair I apply face moisturiser so by the time I get to applying my make up the moisturiser has already settled into my skin .
 
- Dry your hair upside down .Not sure if its in my head but I think it does makes a little bit of a difference in how fast your hair dries .

- I usually nearly fully dry my hair with a hairdryer then do my make up and by the time my make up is finished my hair is fully dry .

- If your hairs not  fully dry put some mousse in it or put it in a plait , the moment It dries it will have a nice wave.


Make up

- Eyebrows first if you have none like me .

- I then blend out a brown eye shadow in my crease . (optional)

- Some mascara.

- Foundation

- Concealer

- Bronzer

- Lip-gloss (because Kylie Jenner lips are to time consuming)

If your really stuck for time putting your make up on in the car is also an option.

Clothes

- A Jumper and jeans is my go to because its easy to wear and your don't have to think of what jacket to go with what top . Throw on a necklace and your good to go ( after you put on shoes of course) .

- Shoes that are easy to slip on , pumps or boots . Nobody got time for tying laces .

Perfume

- Essential, to make you smell like a princess .


Hope this helps if you ever get in a situation where you have to leave the house in 30 minutes or less .
Comment below if you have any other tips on getting ready in a hurry .

Alannah x

Kim Kardashian Make up + Cream Contouring Tutioral

Everyone seems obsessed with the Kardashians/Jenners theses days , but I'm just obsessed with there make up artist Mario Devindovic . I think we can all agree that Kim Kardashians everyday make up is still more then some of us would wear on a night out but were not all followed around by paparazzi. Cream contouring is time consuming but I love this look for a night out . I have the face of a five year old so its nice to contour the heck out of my face and give my face some structure .


Everyone has this idea that cream contouring its very fake looking and sometimes it can be but if you use lightweight products and blend properly it can look really skin like and more natural then contouring with powder products .
 
 
 

 Mario is Kim's make up artist most of the time they have also became great friends over the years  , two other make up artists that also do her make up quite frequently are Joyce Bonelli and Rob Scheppy both very talent beauty make up artists as while .

 I have watched and read loads of interviews with Mario and his thing really seems to be layering . He doesn't just apply concealer he applies cream , liquid and powder . When he's doing lips he uses a lip pencil a lipstick , lip glosses and even mixes some lipstick together to make the perfect colour . He believes that layering is great for the make ups longevity .
I looked at close up pictures of Kim K and created this look. Its not really based off one of her make up looks but just a mixture of a few .
 
Eyebrows & Eyes
 
Step 1 : I started off with the eye brows first . I tinted my eyebrows yesterday so I didn't have much filling in to do . Kim's eyebrows are usually really soft looking nothing to harsh. I filled them in with an eye shadow to create that soft effect.
 
Step 2 : I  then primed my eyes with some concealer . This conceals any pigmentation on my eyelids while making the eye shadow  applied on top more vibrant .
 
Step 3 : I applied a lovely shimmery cream eye shadow with a dome shaped eye shadow brush to my inner tear duct and inner corner of my eyelid. I love the way this looks really brightens up your eyes and makes you look more awake.
Step 4 : I then applied a pale brown matte eye shadow colour as my transition colour with a fluffy blending brush .
Step 5 : I took the same eye shadow again and blending it out under my bottom lash line .
 
Step 6 : I then applied a dark matte brown to the outer corner of my eyelids , then blending it out .
Step 7: With a black eye pencil I lined the top lash line and created a small flick. I then smoothed it out with an angled brush . (full winged eyeliner tutorial here)
Step 8 : I lined my tight line with the black eye pencil .
 
Step 9 : I lined my waterline with a white eyeliner pencil . Kim goes between black and white pencils on her waterline but usually wears black when she's going to an evening event.
 
Step 10 : I applied some mascara to my top and bottom lashes.
Step 11 : I applied Penneys fake lashes in Sultry . Actually my first time wearing these and I really like them . Kim usually wears individual lashes but she's has quite long eyelashes to start off with .
 
Face
Step 1 : I Made sure there was no make up on my face by using micellar water on a cotton pad . A clean base is essential for an even foundation finish .
 
Step 2 : I highlighted under my eyes , centre of my nose , centre of my forehead , centre of my chin and under my cheekbone contour .
Step 3 : I contoured the sides of my nose , top of my forehead , sides of my forehead , under my cheekbone, the centre of my cupids bow and under my bottom lip .
Step 4 : With a damp beauty blender I blended the contoured and highlight by damping so I don't move the product .
Step 5 : On top of that I then applied some light liquid foundation on the places I previously highlighted and some darker liquid foundation on top of the contoured previously applied .
Step 6 : I blending this out my dabbing it with the beauty blender and using my fingers .
Step 7 : I powdered my face with translucent powder and a powder puff , dabbing again so none of the make up previously applied moves .
Step 8 : I warmed up the cheeks with a little bronzer .
Step 9 : I applied some blush to my cheeks just to give a natural flush .
Lips
Step 1 : I Lip lined my lips .
Step 2 : I then applied graftobian cream blush as a lipstick .
Step 3 : Last put not least I applied a natural lip gloss  .


Exact Products used:
Eyes
Eyeshadow Transition shade: Urban Decay eyeshadow - tease
Black eyeliner Pencil : Make up Designory black eye pencil
Fake eyelashes : Penny's/Primark Sultry Fake lashes
Fake eyelash glue : Duo eyelash adhesive dark tone

Skin
Skin prep : Bioderma H20

Lips


Hope you all like this look , I am really happy with the way it turned out and reckon its going to be my go to look on a night out from now on .

As always if you have any questions or want any advice feel free to comment  below .

I will do a more in depth contour blog post (best products to use , how to contour for your face shape etc ) soon .

Alannah x

How to : Winged Eyeliner

When it comes to eyeliner its all very intimating , how do I create the perfect flick , gel , liquid or pencil eyeliner , will winged eyeliner suit me ?

Well I will try cover as much about eyeliner as I can and I have been an avid eyeliner wearer for the past 5 years I think it can really pull together a make up look and look really classic .

What to use ?

Liquid Liner
Starting off with winged eyeliner I used liquid ( essence liquid eyeliner to be precise) . I definitely recommend liquid liner for beginners as its more forgiving if you make a mistake then gel . With liquid you also don't need a brush so it saves you some money . Choose a thin tip liquid eyeliner because you can always make it thicker but its more difficult to make a thick wing smaller .

Pros
  • Great for beginners
  • Comes with a brush
  • Work well when your trying to make fake eyelash bands invisible/blend in .

Cons
  • Unhygienic for make up artist to use on every client (unless you put it on your palette and use  a different brush)
  • Some can be not very long lasting
  • Some can be not a very pigmented black
Some great liquid liners : Essence , Nyc , Collection , Urban Decay

Gel eyeliner
I love me some gel eyeliner . Its long lasting , super black and if you have the right kind of brush , its easy to apply .

Pros
  • Long lasting
  • Extremely black
Cons
  • Can be hard to remove , so not great for beginners if you make mistakes
  • Dries up (if your using Inglot gel eyeliner buy inglot duraline which makes the gel moist again) .
Some great gel eyeliners : Inglot (my fave) , Maybelline , Mac

Eyeliner Pencils
Used more for creating a smudged eyeliner look or in your waterline or tightline.

Pros
  • Great for more mature ladies
  • Add to a smokey eye
  • Can make the eyes look more awake (white eyeliner pencil)
Cons
  • Hard to create a clean winged eyeliner with unless your using a brush with it .
  • Not smudgeproof so don't be rubbing them eyes .
Some great eyeliner pencils: Make up Designory , Mac , Rimmel

Eyeliner Pens
I personally don't like these, they seem like a good idea especially for beginners but I like the movement you get with a brush . They barely have any movement in them so it makes it hard to wing them out because there too structured. One of my friends also thought the same thing . The one I tried was the Bourjois one so it could be just that it generally isn't a good eyeliner pen. I have read good reviews on Soap and Glory Pen so if you want to try an eyeliner pen try this one .

If you don't have any of these you can use a black eye shadow and a damp eyeliner brush , its not as long lasting as the others but works pretty well .


Brushes to use with gel eyeliner or eyeshadow :

Left to Right

Thin eyeliner brush : Great if you want to create a thin eyeliner look . Easy to build up to a thick line also .

Small pointed brush : This brush actually comes with the Maybelline gel eyeliner and is actually a really good brush.

Angled brush : Probably the easiest brush to use for beginners using gel , If you set it at the side of you eye it already creates the wing for you.


Try out the small brushes in your make up collection , see what works for you best .



How to create the perfect flick ?

 
First calm yourself down its just make up , if something goes wrong you can always start again .

Rest your elbow on a table for support and rest your little finger on your cheek to help steady your hand. I like to look straight into the mirror when doing my eyeliner. When you look down or close your eye to do eyeliner it can sometimes come out different then you expected when you open your eyes .

Step 1: Starting on the outer corner I draw a line for the bottom of the wing , I usually just follow my bottom waterline as if I where to extend it  .

Step 2: Draw another line a little further up on you eyelid , make both lines meet at a point .

Step 3: Fill in the gap between both lines .

Step 4: Now that the wing is done you want to start bringing the eyeliner over the rest of the eyelid . Keep it close to your lash line and drag the brush about 1/3 of the eyelid . Draw a small line , then draw another small line , then keep attaching all theses small lines , a little at a time .

Step 5: Draw another line attaching to the one you just done and take it to the centre of you eyelid  .

Step 6: Finish of the line by lining the inner corner of your eyelid .

Step 7: Now that the winged liner is created you can add mascara .


Will winged eyeliner suit me ?

Winged eyeliner is definitely not for everybody . It can something's look a bit harsh on more mature skin and on hooded eyes it doesn't show up . If it doesn't suit you there's always smudged/smoked out eyeliner or you can just apply eyeliner without the wing at the end. Smoked out eyeliner is really easy to achieve and not half as time consuming .Suits most eye shapes and still give that lifting effect .





Step by Step on Smudged eyeliner :

Step 1 : Using the same technics you would doing a winged liner . It doesn't have to be perfect because you will be smudging it out . Create a wing the line the rest of your eye.

Step 2 : Using a dome shaped eyeshadow brush smudge out the eyeliner .

Step 3 : If your have any mistakes us a cotton bud to remove them and if you want the bottom of your wing to look sharp you can conceal under it .



Top Tips :
  • If you make a mistake don't panic , wait till the eyeliner dries and then go in with dry  cotton ear bud usually if you rub it a bit the mistake will disappear but if its not budging try it with some make up remover (the cosmetic cotton buds from muji and Penneys work well because they have a pointy tip and are more precise) .
  • If you want a really sharp edge apply some sellotape to your hand then peel if off (to take away the stickiness so you don't tear you eyeball out )  then apply it on the outer corner of you eye . Then when you finished doing you eyeliner you can remove it and you will have a super sharp edge . Concealer also works to create that sharp edge .
  • It can be hard for older people to create a smooth wing so try creating a more smudged out look , its not as harsh .
  • If you have smaller eyelids stick to thinner liner so you have  more lid space .
  • If you  have big eyelids you can get away with thicker liner .
  • It can be time consuming at the start but the more time you do you will get faster and better.


I could go on for days about eyeliner but here is the basics to create a basic winged liner . I will probably have looks with more dramatic eyeliner in the future and how to create it .

Hope you all enjoyed this blog post , as always feel free to comment below on any questions you have .

What's your favourite eyeliner ?

Alannah x

Loreal True Match Foundation - First Impression


 
 
New foundation , YAY ! Decided to try out LOREAL Paris true match foundation after hearing Lauren Curtis rave about it for years . I had the worst foundation on today , I squeezed the last of a few of my foundations out mixed them together and used it on my face . To be honest I would have been better off wearing no foundation because through out the day the foundation started to get really patchy. I went into boots and one of the girls working there removed all my make up and apply this foundation . Surprisingly this foundation is a lighter coverage then I thought it would be , very buildable but far more natural then I thought . I am the lightest colour, I am really pale at the moment , ghost life . I really like the look of this foundation so far its gives a nice even flawless looking coverage , its a lot more matte then foundations I would usually wear but its not too matte where your skin look dull . I have some dry skin around my nose that the foundation set on top of but that can be sorted out with some exfoliator . So far so good , I see how it gets on throughtout the day .

Just Applied Pictures


 

*I applied primer beforehand and have blush on

10 hours later

To be honest this foundation isn't as long wearing as I thought but I did have a very light layer of it on . It as stuck to the dry patches of my skin but I hope with a bit of exfoliation and moisturiser the next time I wear it it doesn't do this . Coverage stayed very even though throughout the day still heading my rosy cheeks at the end of the day . 
 
 
Final Verdict : Usually don't go for a more matte finish foundation but I like the coverage , finish and the natural look of this foundation . Doesn't last as long as I was hoping although I did  only apply one layer of it , if you were to build it up it might stay on longer . It will be interesting to try it some night I go out to see how it last . I will probably have a review on it in the coming weeks with extra details but so far it seems quite good  ,not amazing but not a total disaster .
 
 
If you have any questions feel free to comment below .
 
Alannah x
 
 
 

Valentino Spring/Summer 2015 Make up : Barely there Make up Tutioral

 
I love runway make up whether its crazy & colourful or precise and beautiful . Looking at Runway pictures on Vogue.com I decided to recreate this natural no make up kind of make up that was seen on the Valentino Runway . On the Vogue website you can zoom in so I really paid attention to the detail in this look . Great everyday make up look that can be created in under 10 minutes .

 
 
Step 1 : Skin is the main focus of this look , the models skin looks matte but not overly matte where the skin looks dry . How I achieved this was by applying some face serum to my face , moisturiser then primer . This will help the foundation last long and create a barrier from my skin and the foundation .

Step 2 : I applied my loreal true match foundation (first impression blog post coming soon) using a stippling brush for and even flawless coverage . With all the moisturing products applied beneath they will make this matte foundation slightly more glowy .

Step 3 : I concealed my under eye bags.

Step 4 : Using my favourite most used 342 inglot eyeshadow ( Click here for full review on this eye shadow) which actually working perfectly because its a cool toned brown , I lightly contoured under my cheekbone . Its no Kim Kardashian contour so keep it light and natural looking .

Step 5 : On the eyes it almost looked like the models had a eyeshadow stick in a warm brown colour on the eye that the make up artist just blended out . Since I have nothing like this I used my  Inglot 342 eye shadow and blended it out then applied a little of gold eye shadow on top . The eyeshadow is not very in your face so apply a little at a time and blend .

Step 6 : Under the bottom lash line using a dense shadow brush apply some of the 342 Inglot eyeshadow , very little of it .

Step 7 : I curled my eyelashes then I applied some natural looking mascara to the top eyelashes only .

Step 8 : With a white eyeliner pencil line your waterline .

Step 9 : They models had eyebrows that where quite thick and hadn't much of and arch , I filled in my eyebrows again using my inglot eyeshadow ( sorry for over mentioning this product ) , you want to lightly fill them and at the the end of you brow create a slight arch . I used an angled eyeliner brush to create these brows.

Step 11 : For the lips I applied some rosebud Vaseline .

Step 12 : I sprayed the sides of my face with the Caudlie Beauty Elixir to give a more dewy look  .

Step 13 : I then powdered my t- zone to keep it matte  .

 
Products Mentioned :
Face
Beauty Elixir Spray : Caudalie beauty elixir
 
Eyes & Eyebrows
 
Lips
 
 
 

So hope you all enjoyed this blog post , some blusher I personally think would complete this look . My next tutioral will be something creative with more colour , if theres any sort of blog post you would like to see comment below or if you have any questions .

What's your favourite Spring/Summer Make up trend ?