Makeup Spotlight :: Lily Collins

All photos can be found on Pinterest

From France

Caudalie Hand and Nail cream / Bioderma Crealine H20 100ml / Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm

On my recent holiday to France there was lots of reading, lazing around in the sun, eating and sightseeing. However being surrounded by French pharmacies everywhere I went I felt it would be rude not to pay a visit. These purchases were in fact found in a pharmacy in a big French supermarket, if only Bioderma was so accessible here in England! Of course I was immediately drawn to the Bioderma stand, I didn't actually need a full sized one but instead I picked up a mini bottle of it. I thought it would be easier to take up to London with me without taking up too much space. I've been eyeing up the Nuxe lipbalm for years. It was all the rage circa 2012 but I couldn't bring myself to fork out over 10 euros for a lip balm. Safe to say I was obviously having a weak moment. And then I almost walked out of the store with just those two products, but then I saw the Caudalie hand cream was on the counter. I was actually in need of a new hand cream so I picked up that as well, see told you I was having a weak moment. Not too much damage done in my opinion...

Why I Love MAC's Patina

1. It goes with anything. Anything.

2. It is one of my go-to eyeshadow shades. 

3. It is such a gorgeous and unique colour. I have never seen anything like it. 

4. Did I mention I love it?

MAC Eyeshadow in Patina

The Neutral Lip Duo

For the past few months since the purchase of these two happened I have been using them (and loving them) a lot, but on their own. And then one morning a few weeks ago I had just applied the lip liner and on a whim put the lipstick on over the top. They are the perfect match! Now you may think that I'm silly for not realising this before, especially as in these photos they look rather similar, but it just hadn't occured to me. They really complimented each other and created a lovely natural-pink lip. This combo has now been made a permanent fixture in the looks I always go back to.

MAC Lipstick in Peach Blossom / MAC Lip Pencil in Dervish

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

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

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

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

The Regulars

When applying my makeup in the morning I usually change up what I'm wearing on my lips, cheeks and eyes quite frequently. That's one of the great things about makeup, there's always a new shadow, trend, colour to try out. However there are some products that make an appearance every single (make-up wearing) day which I don't expect to change any time soon. They are my basic basics.  My base can change up depending on the day (read: the state of my skin), the colours that I wear vary and the amount of makeup that I put on will change day to day, but these will always make an appearnce.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Extra Light Bisque / MAC MSF in Light Plus / NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly / MAC Paintpot in Painterly / The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care

Duty Free Made Me Do It

I mentioned at the beginning of last month that I was going to try and spend no money on anything  beauty or clothes related. Well that didn't go exactly to plan. To any self confessed beauty addicts out there, if you are able to walk past the MAC counter, or any other beauty counter, in duty free then I salute you. Because it appears that I can't. 

I was innocently (read: naively, stupidly) perusing the different products and brands being sold with no intention of parting with my hard earned cash. I walked past YSL, Dior, Benefit. I even walked past the giant Cadbury's chocolate bar without loosing my will. And then MAC happened. At first it was just testing out multiple shades of eyeshadows on my hand, and then blushes on my arm, and then lipsticks on my other hand. Which if I'm being completely honest with you is how I usually leave MAC (note to self, always bring wipes with you to remove this evidence) so I wasn't worried yet. 

Then the damage happened. The sales assistant asked me if I needed anything. The beginning of the end. Before I knew it I'd asked to have the eyeshadow in 'All That Glitters' and a 217 brush.  And that was it. They were mine. As I write this there is still no feeling of guilt or regret at this impulsive purchase. Perhaps because I have fallen head over heels in love with the eyeshadow, a golden-champagne shimmer. Or I have finally realised why so many bloggers have said (and I have dutifully ignored for the past few years -face palm-) that you do need at least two 217 brushes in your collection. It makes eye makeup just that bit simpler and cleaner. AND to top it all off I made a generous saving. What can I say? Duty free shopping doesn't come around every day now does it? 

One Wash Wonders

There are some days where I don't want to spend years applying numerous shades of eyeshadows and then spend years blending it all to look 'au naturel'. This is where these products come in handy. One shade, swept across the lid. Done. No fancy blending, no nothing. Just a pretty simple look achieved by using one eye shadow or if I'm feeling very lazy then a paintpot is the simplest and quickest option.  Here are my choices...

L-R

1. MAC All That Glitters

2. MAC Paintpot in Bare Study

3. Rimmel 030 Smokey Quartz

4. Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze

5. MAC Patina

6. MAC Paintpot in Painterly

Travel Makeup Bag

One of my favourite things to read about on blogs are the contents of other peoples makeup bags. I find it really interesting to see what people are using out of the vast choice of beauty items out there. A lot of the time it will also remind me of a long forgotten product or a hidden gem that I haven't heard about before. It's not all about the hype after all. So I'm going to assume that there are other people out there who are just as nosey as I am and show you the contents of my travel makeup bag. In retrospect I didn't need all of these products. 6 lipsticks for a week is a bit drastic don't you think? In particular when I spent the majority of my time lying by the pool sans makeup. C'est la vie! In my defence one of the highlights of this holiday was being able to spend a significant amount of time in the evenings putting on my makeup. It really is one of the most relaxing things for me to do. Something which can become a chore when trying to rush out the door. 

Enough rambling, let me introduce you to the contents of my travel makeup bag. It was all housed in this Cath Kidston makeup case which I've had for a while now. It's spacey enough to fit everything in, palettes included and it didn't take up too much room in my suitcase. 

BASE: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser (Terre-Neuve), Estée Lauder Daywear Tinted Moisturiser, NARS Creamy Concealer, MAC MSF Natural in Light Plus and Medium/Dark

CHEEKS: MAC Blush in Sincere, NARS Blush in Deep Throat

EYES: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette, MAC Quad (L-R Pink Freeze, Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe, Silver Ring), MAC All That Glitters, MAC Patina, MAC Paint pot in Bare Study

LIPS: MAC 'Peach Blossom', MAC 'Costa Chic', Estée Lauder Pure Colour Lipstick in Crystal Pink, Revlon Super Lustrous 'Kissable Pink, Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Gloss in Glorious Grapefruit, Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya

Lusting: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushers

Individual images from Pinterest

Some of you might remember that at the beginning of this month I pledged that I was not going to spend any money on any beauty related items. For a self confessed shopaholic I feel like I have done pretty well so far. I have been restrained, apart from that one time at duty free which was nigh on impossible to avoid. Howeve recently I have found my self-constraint slipping. I am currently lusting for one of the most exciting launches this year, in my humble opinion, an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush. They are just so pretty and have been raved about so much, I feel like it would be rude not to. The shades above are 3 of my favourite at the moment (L-R Dim Infusion, Mood Exposure, Luminous Flush), of course I only want to purchase one, let's not get ahead of ourselves. If I had all the money in the world I would buy all 6 shades, but priced at £28 a blush I'm not quite at the point where I can afford to do that. A girl can dream.

I could lie to you, but I won't. I've already caved, in my mind, and decided that I am going to make a visit to my local Space NK as soon as we enter the month of May and purchase one of these beauties. I've just looked at my calendar and the 1st May is a week today! Hourglass blushers, I am coming for you.

Holy Grail: Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish

It may surprise you that I have only ever used 2 cleansers since I started the whole 'Cleanse, Tone, Moisturise' cycle. The first being The Body Shop Vitamin E Cleanser, before I moved onto the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish when I was about 14.  It has been with me and my skin through its rough periods, and by that I mean the dreaded teenage hormonal skin and I am still using it now. Although I would say that my skin has changed over the past year or so I still feel like this cleanser is doing it's job. Once upon a time I had quite oily skin and now it's more normal/combination. My mum also uses this cleansee and she has normal/dry skin.   So I would recommend this to anyone out there.

I use it morning and evening with a muslin cloth that comes with the cleanser. In the evenings though I prefer to do a double cleanse. Using it first to remove majority of the makeup I'm wearing and then the second time it can properly cleanse the skin. I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin since I've been doing this. I can't see myself straying from this holy grail product any time soon!

Using Blush To Contour

A tip that I picked up recently was to use your blush to subtlety contour. Obviously not the bright pinks, corals or reds that you have in your collection but a muted brown. Instead of using a bronzing or sculpting powder this works just as well and is one less product to pack if you are going away or just trying to save time on your makeup in the morning. The shade that I have is 'Sincere' by MAC, but I know that 'Buff' and 'Tenderling' by MAC also work well.

Start by using an angled powder brush and taking the blush from along and slightly under the cheekbone from where the cheekbone meets the top of the ear to where it stops at the apples if the cheeks in a forward motion. You can then place some of the product in the usual contour places, in the hairline and under the jaw. I like to then use a pink blush just on the apples of the cheeks to add a pop of colour. In this case I've used 'Apricot' by Bobbi Brown. 

MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes

I bought two of these the other week and I can't believe that it's taken me this long to purchase these. There's so much hype around these products but I could never bring myself to purchase them until now. I got them in two colours: Light Plus as my natural colour and Medium/Dark to use to contour/add some colour.  The light shade is great to use as a powder on top of a base to add a bit more coverage (I like to use it over the NARS tinted moisturizer) or you can use it on its own for one of those sheer coverage days. For the darker shade it is great to use on the temples, jawline and under the cheekbone. And best of all there's no cakey finish to it! It's not a product that's going to run out quickly so it is definitely an investment purchase.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish - Link