Eyes :: Naked Lunch and Satin Taupe

Here is one of my go-to eye combinations. I have a few shadows that I always go back to and this duo is extra extra special just because it is so effortless but put together. Naked Lunch is perfect as an all over the lid shade, on it's own or as a base for others. Sometimes I will leave it at that but I think that it's perfect partner is Satin Taupe. Used in the outer corners and along the outer crease it creates depth to the look yet is still very natural and wearable for everyday. Of course all with the help with my trusty MAC 217 brush and we're done.

Naked Lunch / Satin Taupe

Daily Makeup :: for work and in order of application

 MAC Face and Body Foundation in C2 / Bobbi Brown Corrector in Extra Light Bisque / NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly / Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory

 MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Fling / MAC Paintpot in Painterly / MAC Eyeshadow in Patina / Urban Decay Naked Palette - Buck in the crease and Virgin as inner corner highlight / Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara

 The Body Shop Honey Matte Bronzer in Light Matte / MAC Blush in Sincere / NARS Blush in Deep Throat / MAC MSF in Light Plus / NARS Multiple in Copacabana

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care SPF 15 / MAC Lipstick in Peach Blossom

Being Creative

A big thing happened today (17.06.14). The next step in my life has been confirmed. Everyone here probably now knows that having creativity as a part of my life is very important to me. So starting this September I have signed up to do a course in London: Hair and Makeup for TV, Film and Theatre (and there is a strong possibility of doing a similar course soon after but for Fashion!) There has been much talk on the matter over the last few months. There are so many routes into the makeup industry I have found it to be quite overwhelming, but my current job has prepared me well for my next step.  I am so excited to take my first step into this world and see where it leads me. I have realised that I do want to learn but not in the traditional academic sense. I have learnt so much about hair over the past 4 months, something I previously knew nothing about, and it astounds me how much my knowledge has grown. This course will take me up until December so I'm really looking forward to starting (and slightly nervous) and to enter the new year with some new skills and a known direction in life. 

What a difference a year can make.

This Sunday

Today has been somewhat of an ideal Sunday for me. Well saying that, the day started off by being woken up by my cat before 7. I have no idea how she managed to get in when the door was closed, on a normal day I wouldn't have minded aside from the fact I hadn't gone to sleep until 1am that morning due to late night babysitting. The wild life I live! Instead of lounging around in bed I made my way downstairs and finished off the last 2 episodes of season 4 of Skins, I'm addicted. Lunch was a casual affair. Pasta, cheese, bread, cherries. Followed by my weekly Sunday clear up in my room. Clean makeup brushes, hang up clothes that have somehow made their way to my floor (I have no idea how...) and then I decided that this afternoon was to be dedicated to film watching. Off to the local shop I went to pick up two films I have been wanting to watch for a while now. Hunger Games Catching Fire has already been watched (which brought back serious memories of when I met the cast at the London premiere last year, a severe case of luck and timing I tell you!) This evening I am going to watch Endless Love. It looks like the ultimate romantic chick flick, but let's be honest here who can resist it? Especially with Alex Pettyfer involved. And then I am really looking forward to an early night. (See, I told you I lived a wild life). And to top off my day I've had a completely makeup free day today with my hair tied up. As much as I love wearing makeup, I love these days just as much!

For this coming week I am starting it off with my Monday morning Zumba class and I am going to see The Fault In Our Stars on Tuesday with a friend. I don't normally give into the hype but this one I really want to see for some reason. And I'm very excited that Wimbledon tennis is starting tomorrow. I love that for two weeks there is always a tennis match on in the afternoon, and it can cancel out the amount of football on the tv right now.

Have a lovely week!

The Playlist #2

1. Tee Shirt - Birdy
2. Ghost - Ella Henderson
3. I'm Not The Only One - Sam Smith
4. Like I Can - Sam Smith
5. Through The Dark - One Direction
6. Only Love Can Hurt Like This - Paloma Faith
7. Blind Faith - Chase and Status
8. See You Again - Carrie Underwood
9. All The Stars - Ed Sheeran
10. Don't - Ed Sheeran

I recently bought Sam Smith's album so I could listen to it whilst driving and it deserves all the praise it has recieved and more. My two favourites from the album have made it onto this playlist, but I've been listening to all of the songs and they are well worth a listen.  Apart from that there are a couple of recent songs, and some golden 'oldies'. As well as a couple of songs from the upcoming release of 'The Fault in Our Stars', a book I have never read but both these songs (Ed Sheeran and Birdy) are very easy to listen to over and over and over again. I have been counting down the days until the release of Ed Sheeran's new album (2 days to go!).

What Change Has Taught Me

I had quite a big change in my life at the end of last year. It was probably the worst period of my life so far, that being said it was also one of the best. Of course I can say that now in retrospect, but at the time I was a broken person. Now 6 months on I am strong again and I have direction in my life, taking me where I want to go. Without this change I wouldn't be who I am today and I would still be in a 3 year degree which I did not care about. So here I am going to share with you what I have learnt from a massive change in my life..

1. It's ok to feel lost and confused for a while.
2. The answer will come soon enough, you will find a new path and everything will slip into place again.
3. Cry as much as you need to. It helps.
4. Trust your gut instinct. If a job doesn't feel right, don't do it. Wait until you know it's the right thing for you, you'll know.
5. Everything takes time, be patient.
6. Not everyone will get it, and that's ok.

A Little Tradition

I turned the grand old age of eighteen on the 12th July last year. I decided to make a tradition for myself that I hope to keep up for the forseeable future. And that tradition is that every year around the time of my birthday I will buy myself one piece of luxury makeup that I will then be able to link back to that time. It may sound silly people but as a lover of anything makeup related it means that I am able to justify spending a bit of money on a product that I may forego at any other time of the year and it means that I will be able to look back and have a certain memory attached to some of my makeup pieces. Last year I decided to buy myself my second NARS purchase, the eyeshadow in Nepal. Since then my addiction to NARS has become slightly unhealthy but we'll overlook that for the moment.

The time of my birthday is coming around again and I am soon to be entering my final year as a teenager. So I have been thinking about what I am going to get this year. I have a couple of ideas that have multiplied over and over again on a list on my iPhone but I have narrowed it down to just a couple. 

Left - Right

MAC Paintpot in Constructivist
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy
Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow in Stone 
Too Faced Natural Eyes - Neutral Eyeshadow collection

Some Loving From MAC

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for MAC, but it is only in the past few months that I have been giving alot of their makeup a trial. I used to go into MAC and feel quite overwhelmed and wouldn't know where to start with the amount of choice there is. Since completing a weeks course in March at London College of Fashion where I used MAC products for the week it has really improved my knowledge and confidence using makeup from this brand. I have built up a bit of a collection over the past 6 months or so and these are the stand out products for me at present. You know those products that you just keep going back to because they're so damn easy to wear, yep those ones.  They're all on the 'au naturel' side of things because that's my day to day preference

Face and Body Foundation in C2 / Lipstick in Peach Blossom / Eyeshadow in Patina / Lip Pencil in Dervish

To Travel :: the next 10 years

All images and their owners can be found on my Pinterest.

I love to travel and there are so many places in this world that I want to visit. So here I have a compiled list of some of the places that I want to visit in the next 10 years, unlikely but never say never. Some of these places I have been dreaming about for years (New York, I'm talking about you) and others are more recent decisions. But either way I intend to do everything I can to get to these places in the near or distant future whether it be socially or for work (a girl can dream). I have been lucky enough to visit Paris a few times but they have either been school trips or very fleeting visits when visiting my French exchange, so I would love to be able to spend time there on my own accord and explore the city at my own pace. As for those American destinations, for some reason I have always had an infatutaion with these places in particular. I am a city girl at heart after all.

Naples / Sydney / Ibiza / New York / Paris / Los Angeles / San Francisco / Chicago 

Inspiration :: for those summer days

I started watching 'Skins' (a British TV series) the other day on Netflix and was immediately hooked. It is exactly the kind of show that sucks you in until before you know it you're halfway through the series without even realising. There are a variety of characters but the one that stood out to me personally is a girl named Cassie. And one of the thing that I first noticed about her character was the different makeup looks that she wore over the episodes. They ranged from an orange lip, to a smudgy darker eye and my favourite so far was a very basic, simple look. It didn't look like much on first glance but as the scene progressed and I noticed her makeup more and more I thought there and then, 'I'm going to have to try and recreate that'.

First, let me explain the look to you (as unfortunately I can't find a photo, but it's in season 1 episode 5). On her lids was a pretty pearly white colour with a light baby blue on the inner corners and slightly further down. She had a pretty shimmery pale pink lipgloss on, and there wasn't anything obvious on her face. To me it was her eye makeup that stood out the most. Immediately I thought of Urban Decays shadow in 'Virgin' to go all over the lid and up to the brow bone. I initially used a Max Factor eye pencil in a pale blue shade on the inner corners but it didn't look quite right. I was wearing minimal makeup at the time so it really emphasised my undereye bags, so some concealer is definitely needed if you want to try that look out! So instead I used 'Silver Ring' eyeshadow from MAC all the way underneath the lash line and on the outer corners of the top lash line. Once finished it turned into a look that I would happily and could easily wear on a day to day basis. Perfect for those summer days!

A further twist on the inspiration was adding a bit of depth to the eyes, for this I used 'Naked 2' from the Naked Basics palette (not pictured) as I didn't want any obvious definition but it subtly added an extra dimension to the look.

Add Some Colour, I Dare You

It's so easy to get stuck in an 'au naturel' palette of colours. The easy browns, muted peaches, safe sheer berry shades. I'm talking from experience. So every once in a while I make a conscious effort to add a bit of colour to my everyday makeup look. Nothing too in your face but it's nice to shake it up every so often. For me that means adding a brighter pop of pink to the cheeks, cue Bobbi Brown. As for lips, seeing as we are now in June I tend to reach more for brighter pink/coral shades. Still pretty natural but just upping the amp a bit, you're unlikely to see me rocking a bright red lip anytime soon but these two shades are just the right match.

I'm more confident at mixing up what I wear on my eyes. I don't know why but you are much more likely to see me wearing darker and varied shades on my eyes than on my lips. So to follow on with the blue trend that has been around for a while now I have two options. Firstly the eyeshadow from MAC which I either wear under my lower lashline to the eyes a bit more, or in the crease over a neutral shadow. Or, slightly more fool proof is the Max Factor option which I have been wearing as an inner corner highlight quite a bit recently or again under the lashline slightly.

So those are my suggestions. Add some colour, I dare you.

Bobbi Brown blush in Apricot / MAC Lipstick in Costa Chic / Max Factor Wild Shadow Pencil in 45 / Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink Sizzle / MAC eyeshadow in Silver Ring

Makeup is...

art work

a means to be creative

a way to express yourself

a pick me up on down days

where a lot of my wages get spent on

my passion

a way to relax

my career path

reflective of your mood

a way to show your style

not necessary everyday

anything you want it to be

Worn Yesterday :: at work

Today I thought I would share what I wore to work yesterday. I'm lucky in the fact that I can wear quite casual attire. When I first joined my boss told me that she wanted to let everyones personal style shine through and not cover it up with a uniform. Those words have really stuck with me and my confidence in what I wear has really grown over the past few months. I can tell that I am developing my own style and no longer feel the need to buy something because it's the thing to have, but more if I like it and I think it suits me.

I'm on my feet all day so comfortable shoes are a must! Honestly my New Balances are my new best friend, I'm not joking. I bought this top a few weeks ago now and it is one of my best purchases in a while. It is versatile, comfortable, chic and just everything I need to make it look like I've made some effort, when we all know that I made as little as humanly possible (it's 7am, give me some credit here). And of course I thought I would show you the makeup that I wore yesterday as well. I tend to makeup it up as I go along. This time I stuck to my usual base, a champagene/bronzey eye using cream products and my new favourite lipstick.

French Connection Top / Topshop Jamie Jeans / New Balance 373

NARS Tinted Moisturiser in Terre-Neuve / Bobbi Brown Corrector in Extra Light Bisque / NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer in Chantilly / MAC MSF in Light Plus / Liz Earle Cream Blush in Cameilia / MAC Brow Pencil in Fling / MAC Paintpot in Bare Study / Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Pencil in 011 Bluffing / The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Balm / MAC Lipstick in Peach Blossom

Different Interpretations

I've had the Urban Decay Naked Palette for a couple of months now, first introduced to you all the way back in January.  I've been playing around with some of the options that there are with all the different shades, which I will say were quite intimidating at first. There are just so many and I wanted to try all of them at once - not a sensible idea of course, veto'd immediately. With a mix of shades - light and dark, shimmery and matte, neutral and colourful - there are so many options to go with. So these are my favourite looks that I have come across so far that I regularly come back to.

Virgin/Sin - my go to highlight shades.

Naked + Buck -the matte, neutral duo

Sin + Buck - go-to everyday look

Sin + Toasted - a slightly smokier everyday look (copper-brown toned)

Sin + Hustle -another smokier everyday look (brown toned)

Half Baked + Smog - the bronzey duo

Toasted - a beautiful solo shade all over the lid

Sin + Gunmetal/Creep - the blue smoky eye

Gunmetal/Creep - under the eye liner (great for those with blue eyes, black alternative)

Urban Decay Naked Palette

The Lip Stash

I won't lie to you. I confess that I have one too many lip products. Lipsticks, lip stains, lip balms, sheer lip colours, lip pencils, I've got em all. And yet there are a few options that I reach for time and time again. In those last few minutes before I need to leave the house it will most likely be on of these lip products that I will reach for. They are all easy to wear, will go with basically whatever look that I have on, and most importantly I feel comfortable wearing each of them.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Kissable Pink / Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipshine in Cashmere Rose / L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Tempting Lilac / NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien / Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie