So, there I was in Superdrug, repurchasing yet another Maybelline The Falsies mascara. When a shop assistant uses their crafty ways to convince me to buy the new Max Factor Clump Defy Extensions False Lash Effect mascara which is on offer for the same price. I went for it because I thought I may as well try something new and break away from my The Flasies habit! And after testing it out for a few weeks I can give you guys my verdict...
So, this tag has been making the rounds on YouTube and after watching quite a few, I decided it was time to give it a go myself! The tag was originally created by Amelia Liana and Este from Essie Button, enjoy!
1. Favourite balm/treatment?
This one is easy for me, I could not live with out the Molton Brown Vitamin Lip Saver! Although not the cheapest balm out there, it does wonders for hydrating the lips whenever they're feeling dry. I use mine every day, it's very well loved!
2. Best eye catching red?
I don't own a lot of reds, but when I'm feeling a little daring I like to pair Jelly Pong Pong's Lip Blush with Revlons Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon.
3. Best luxury and best drugstore product?
I don't often splash out of lipstick so my luxury collection is pretty small...but I do LOVE the Dior Extreme Lipsticks. I have Cherie Bow (top) and Paparazzi (bottom), I love them both and wear them regularly. I don't think I can pick just one drugstore lip product, but I always love Revlon's Lip Butters and their new Colorburst Balm Stains!
4. Best MAC lipstick?
I'll probably have to say Lustering, can not get enough of this gorgeous pink!
5. Most disappointing lip product?
After all the hype over the Maybelline Babylips, I finally gave in and bought one a while a go. I picked up the colour Peach Kiss and was really disappointed with the results. There was almost no colour to it at all and just a lot of shimmer, not really one for me!
6. Lip liner - yes or no?
I hardly ever use lip liner, and if I'm honest, it's just because I'm lazy!
7. Best gloss?
I think the Topshop Gloss Inks, are gorgeous with a beautiful high shine finish. I chose Smitten not knowing it would be quite so bright! I still love it, just not often brave enough to wear it!
8. Something extra!
Topshop's Macaroon is a gorgeous baby pink that i love to brighten up a look in spring/summer. It's one of those lipsticks that you instantly feel happier once you out it on!
If any of you have done the tag make sure you leave link because I'd love to read them!
Caitlin A
x
Hey guys! Thought I'd show you a fresh and pretty summer look with a pop of red that I tried out today. I kept my base nice and simple with light coverage foundation using my Clinque Super Moisture Make-up and then used my favourites Nars Laguna bronzer and Orgasm blush from my gorgeous happening pallet. For the eyes I kept it light and champagney, using Burnout and Dust from Naked 3 and a dark matte brown from Sleek's Storm pallet (not pictured) for the corners and the crease. For eyeliner, I used a bronze/brown pencil that's pretty much identifiable as it has all rubbed off (but I think it's from No7!) just on my bottom lash line. Finished with lashings of Maybelline's The falsies mascara. For a highlighter I went for the So Susan water based Pure Luminizer, its a liquid highlighter with a nice formula to brighten up the tops of your cheek bones. Now, I love Revlon's Lip Butters, but Wild Watermelon has got to be my favourite. It's a sheer gloss with plenty of colour but its still not a scary bold lip so it's a perfectly wearable shade!
Let me know your favourite lip colours to brighten up a neutral look,
Caitlin A
x
Who would have known such an every day house hold item could come in so handy when it comes to the make up department? Ive tried this technique on so many occasions when I want quite dramatic and striking eye make up, for nights out and special occasions, and I think its a more edge, cool take on a classic smokey eye. Today I went with a golden theme especially for summer as its a look I think I will recreate lots the summer, as it will look so lovely with a tan! So if you want to know how I created this look then read on...
Products used: Urban Decay- Naked 1 Pallet, Nars- Laguna Bronzer, Benefit - Watts Up, Rimmel - Wake me up foundation, Collection 2000 - Concealer, Benefit- Sugar Bomb Blush, Rimmel - The falsies Mascara, Maybeline - Gel Liner, Revlon- Afternoon Tea Lipstick.
Base: I started by applying Watts up, underneath my foundation in the areas I wanted to highlight, so on the tops of my cheekbones, under my brow bone and down the centre of my nose. I then went in with my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation on a Real Techniques Expert Face brush, and buffed it all over my face to create a nice dewy glowing skin.
Eyes: I then took two pieces of Sellotape about 4 inches long and placed it under my lash line in an angle that would meet my brow if it were extended. I then took the colour 'Buck' on an angled brush and drew in a line just above my natural crease and winging out to meet the tape. I used this colour first to create the fake cut crease shape without going in to harsh straight away! Then take a flat shader brush and fill in the corner (between the drawn line and the tape) with the same colour. Once your happy with the shape you can then go in with the colour 'Dark Horse' and add that on top into the corner to create intensity. To intensify further I then went in with 'Creep' the darkest shade in the pallet, and added this right to the corner and outer part of the crease to create and ombre/ darker intense look. Once the colour is in place I then took a clean blending brush (or if you don't have one a cotton bud will do) and blend from the original line you created to create a softer and more smokey effect. Once your happy with the outer colour, I then went in with 'Half Baked' the golden colour and and swept this all over the inner and centre of the eye lid. Also carefully blending the colour to merge with the darker colours in the outer corner. I took the gold right into the inner corners and tear duct area to brighten the eyes. I then took off the Sellotape to to check that the shapes I had created were even. To intensify the line further I took my Maybeline Gel liner and traced the first part of the line from the lash line, making the outer eye lashes look thicker. I made my line quite nice and smudgy rather than super precise, to make it look less like dramatic liner.
I then finished the eyes with my Maybeline The falsies mascara to give my lashes length and volume!
Finishing touches: I look my Collection 2000 concealer on my Ecotool Buffing Concealer brush to clean up any fall down under my eyes. As I was going for a golden summery look, I then took Nars Laguna Bronzer on my big power brush, and buffed it onto my cheeks, temples, down my nose and under my jaw, and then popped Benefit Sugar Bomb on the apples of my cheeks, concentrating the brush onto the peachy colour of the 4 in the box. To finished I went for my perfect nude in Afternoon Tea from Revlon, to compliment the really heavy and dramatic eyes.
I really hope you like this look, let me know if you create a look with sellotape and what you use!
Caitlin B x
Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of post on Saturday, exam stress is taking over my life at the moment! I thought I would show you today how to create my favourite 'Day Date' make-up look, or you could wear it just when you have somewhere nice to be during the day! Before we start, I do not claim to have any professional make-up knowledge or even be very good at it! But, enjoy!
I began by using Rimmels Wake Me Up foundation in the colour Ivory, to give you a nice and dewy spring look. Applied with my fave foundation brush, the Real Techniques Expert Face brush. Just keep blending until you have a nice coverage all over. I follow this up by using the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer under my eyes and over any redness and blemishes.
A new discovery for me, Soap and Glory's Archery Brow Tint and Precision Pencil in the colour Love is Blonde. Using the pencil at one end and the felt tip at the other, you can fill in your brows easily and to your own individual taste. I tend to stay away from the strong brow, I like to keep it as natural as possible.
So next up is the eyes. Step 1: Using my Urban Decay Naked 3 Pallet I pack Burnout all of the lid and then sweep Dust across the top for a light, shimmery finish. Step2: Using my Naked 1 Pallet, I used Buck (any matte brown will do) in the corners and the crease and used Virgin as a highlight in the inner corners of my eyes. Step 3: I'm a big fan of winged eyeliner, my usual go to product is the the Rimmel Glam Eyes Professional Liquid Liner. Last up, step 4: mascara, for my top lashes I use my fave mascara Maybellines The Falsies, and on the bottom Benefit's They're Real! Which I think has the perfect wand for applying bottom lash mascara!
After this I contoured my face using the bronzing powder in the Urban Decay Naked Flushed Pallet, dusted my cheeks with Nars' Orgasm blush and went back to the Naked Flushed to use the gorgeous highlight in there. I swept this underneath my eye and down the centre of my nose.
I finished the look off with my current favourite lipstick from Mac - Lustering, I think it's such a pretty pink!
Let me know if you try any of this out to impressed your day dates, or even just your friends!
Caitlin A
x
I thought I'd share with you some of my make-up bag essentials that I just couldn't do with out! Some of these look very well loved I know, and they definitely are!
Urban Decay's Naked 3 Pallet as I'm sure most of you will l know is full of the prettiest neutral shades, both matte and shimmery. This pallet makes it easy to create a range of wearable, everyday looks looks even for those of us no professional make-up know how!
Another cult item that I use every day with out fail is Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer. You've probably heard about it's amazing coverage and staying power so I don't need to go into much detail. But it's very good and very affordable! My make-up is almost never with out one!
Maybelline's the Falsies Mascara in Black Drama is another product that is never missing from my make-up bag, as soon as it's run out I'm straight to Boots to buy another! It has a really nicely shaped wand and leaves your lashes looking volumised and never clumpy! Highly recommend trying this one out!
Molton Brown's Vitamin Lip Saver, although may not be the cheapest lip balm available, is definitely my lip saviour! I use this everyday with out fail, especially whenever my lips are feeling dry and it sorts them right out in no time at all!
The Real Techniques Expert Face brush is yet another item that gets a lot of love in the blogasphere, but for good reason! Foundation or tinted moisturiser glides on smoothly and blends into your face brilliantly, leaving hardly streaks.
Benefit's Rockateur is a blush that I always go back to again and again, it gives a lovely finish to the skin and the colour is a darker shade than most blushes, almost a bronzer. Although I'm not in love with the packaging of this product, I've still got a lot of love for it!
And last but not least, my favourite make-up item I own. You know the question about your house burning down and you can save one piece of make-up? Well this is mine. The Nars Happening palette is a compilation of their Laguna bronzer, Orgasm blush and a quad of eyeshadows. Although the palette was limited edition I'm pretty sure all these products are still sold as individuals - and as you can probably tell, I'm gonna need a new Laguna pretty soon!
Let me know what make-up products you cannot live with out!
Caitlin A
x
So as exams are coming up for a lot of people (myself included) I thought I'd give you a run down of my favourite way to de-stress - a pamper evening!
So after fully cleansing my face, my first step would almost always be a bath, my favourite way to relax! But as I'm currently living in student halls, that's sadly out of the question! So I began with a shower instead. I washed my hair with a new purchase, the Garnier Ultimate Blends shampoo and conditioner. I have the one with coconut oil and cocoa butter, which leaves my hair feeling so smooth and looking so shiny. Definitely what my hair needed! I followed up with the Loreal Elivive Smooth and Polish hair mask to give my hair an extra treat! Whilst in the shower I also used the Palmers Cocoa Butter body scrub, the smell of this is like chocolate heaven!
Once out of the shower I moisturise both my face and body using the Boots Botanics Triple Action Day Moisture Cream and The Body Shop's body butter in the mango scent - again, another smell I can't get enough of!
The next step is all about feet (I know, not a body part we love to touch, but needs to be taken care of!). The Body Shop sells great skin care products for this type of job, I love using the Spa Wisdom Africa Honey & Beeswax Hand and Foot Butter, and finish with lashings of their Pepper mint foot spray. You can't say no to great smelling feet!
You can't have a pamper night with out a face mask; there are loads that I love but the one I used here is the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask. This does wonders for unclogging your face of anything nasty and leaves it feeling nice and smooth!
Whilst the mask is getting to work, I usually use this time to paint my nails. Keeping with the spring theme, today I went for Maybelline's Color Show in Urban Coral, I'm loving this!
Go and treat yourself to a pamper evening and let us know your favourite products to use!
Caitlin A
x
So this week something pretty exciting happened, I rediscovered my Benefit World Famous Neutrals pallet, which I though was long long gone down the back of a draw somewhere never to be found again. (Spring clear outs are clearly not my forte). Lately I've been stuck in a bit of a rut with eye shadows, always reaching for my staple Urban Decay 'Naked' pallet, but since re-finding this beaut, its all I've been wearing. Its equipped with two cream shadows and a quad of neutral shades, perfect for me as I rarely venture past neautrals.
Now pink eyeshadow has always been a big no no for me, like seriously who could pull it off well? So I always used to avoid the pink shade 'Its complicated' in the pallet, but since seeing Cara Delevingne and Suki Waterhouse rocking it I thought why not. I think its the perfect pink shade to pull off the trend as it has a peachy undertone and gold shimmer meaning it just gives your eyes a warm golden shimmer, rather that WOW thats pink. I then use a little of the lightest colour 'Call my buff' in the inner corners and then blend the darkest warm brown 'Kiss me, Im tipsy' into the crease to give my eyes definition. Im a massive eye liner gal so the winged eye liner is my staple to finish the eye look off along with lavishing coats of the Maybelline 'The falsies' mascara.
To complete the spring trend I used Nars 'Laguna' bronzer to warm up my face, making me look less like a Bella Swan wannabe, along with my new favourite blush Nars 'Deep Throat'.
Finally to give my lips a pop of colour I used one of my all time favourite lipstick in the Loreal Rouge Caresse range called 'Aphrodite Scarlet', the beautiful name totally compliments the beautiful finish of the lipstick, sheer, glossy surprisingly pigmented and beautiful. Big love for this lipstick!
What us know your favourite spring trends and products!
Caitlin B
x
So spring has well and truly sprung, and that means it's time to make a few changes to my make-up bag! The best way to compliment a natural, glowing spring make-up look is to add a pop of colour with a fresh and pretty lipstick. I'd thought I would share some of my favourite shades of the season with you.
This first little beauty is my most recent naughty MAC purchase, but it was SO worth it. It's called 'Lustering' and is such a pretty, girly pink (without venturing into Barbie pink territory!) It has gorgeous creamy finish and feels very moisturising. Although I will admit the one down side to this lipstick is that it doesn't last all that long on the lips and will need to be reapplied throughout the day! But it's still one of my faves!
'Vegas Volt' from MAC is a much more bold coral, the perfect mix of pink and orange. The finish is lovely and not too shiny; this colour can be dressed up or down so can take you right through from day to night (with a little touching up!).
I'll talk about these next two together as I think they are both pretty similar and both pretty great! The Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in 127 'Juicy Papaya' and the Bourjois Color Boost in 04 'Peach on the Beach' are both really fresh and pretty pinks that once they are on your lips, always put a smile on your face! Definitely a staple product during the spring/summer for me!
The Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in 356 'Cherie Bow' is my all time favourite 'my lips but better' shade and is easy to wear with natural make-up looks. The formula of these is really nice and gives your lips a lovely subtle shine for the days when you want it to look like you made more of an effort than you did!
'Vegas Volt' from MAC is a much more bold coral, the perfect mix of pink and orange. The finish is lovely and not too shiny; this colour can be dressed up or down so can take you right through from day to night (with a little touching up!).
I'll talk about these next two together as I think they are both pretty similar and both pretty great! The Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter in 127 'Juicy Papaya' and the Bourjois Color Boost in 04 'Peach on the Beach' are both really fresh and pretty pinks that once they are on your lips, always put a smile on your face! Definitely a staple product during the spring/summer for me!
The Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in 356 'Cherie Bow' is my all time favourite 'my lips but better' shade and is easy to wear with natural make-up looks. The formula of these is really nice and gives your lips a lovely subtle shine for the days when you want it to look like you made more of an effort than you did!
For those of you who are scared of a bold lip or like to go heavy on the eyes, this nude is for you! Maybelline ColorSensational in 'Tantalizing Taupe' is a gorgeous nude with a subtle shimmer that gives that extra something. Side note: this one does have a bit of a funky smell that I don't agree with (a bit like Playdough?) but if that doesn't scare you, you'll love it!
Let me know what lipsticks you're loving this season!
Caitlin A
x
