What can I say? I’ve been shopping! These were bought on two separate trips and one online order over the past month or so, so I’m not feeling too guilty. Spring I’m ready when you are!
White Crop Tee – Blue Gingham Dress – Black Sequin Crop Vest (Sale) – Folk Smock Dress– White Crop Top
Although I never really been a massive primer fan, I’ve always felt my make-up should be good enough to last on its own, I’ve been reaching more and more for a certain few that as well as making my make-up last they add a certain something ‘extra’ to my beauty routine. I certainly don’t think I’ll be incorporating primer into my daily routine just yet but these beauties are doing the trick for special occasions.
Face: Clarins Instant Smooth Fake Tanning Primer & Laura Mercier Radiance Primer.
I won’t prattle on about the Clarins primer too much as it does have its very own individual review here, but needless to say Clarins do the best faux tanning products and the fact that this caramel hued base also makes me skin feel silky soft and blurs my pores is an added bonus I can get on board with! The Laura Mercier Radiance Primer is a newer addition to my Muji boxes. I haven’t yet tried this under or mixed in with my day base of choice the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, instead preferring it to a pre-curser to my ultimate night-out foundation, the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk. This gives skin a beautiful light from within glow without making you look like an extra from Twilight. The slight pinky-peach undertone of this primer works fantastically with my skin tone, whether I am tanned or not. You can even use this as a highlighter over foundation for a dewy glow without the shimmer of a more traditional powder highlighter.
Hair: Living Proof Prime
The latest addition to my primer stash is the Living Proof Prime for hair. This was 100% influenced by Sali Hughes great video on how to look after your fringe. After washing my hair I take a tiny bit of this and run it through my fringe before blowdrying. This stops all the oil and make-up from my forehead adsorbing into my hair and therefore works wonders in extending the time in-between hair washes. If you have a fringe you need this! As I said this is a fairly new product for me, so I have yet to try it all over my hair to see if it extends a ‘proper’ blow dry or style such as curls. I will however by putting these to the test this weekend and reporting back.
Eyes: Nars Smudge Proof Eye Primer & MAC Painterly Paint Pot
Again this Nars Eye Primer is a holy grail for me and has an ode all to itself here. But to sum it up, nothing and I mean nothing compares to this tube of wonder. My eyeshadow stays glued to my eyes with this underneath them. I’ve even fallen asleep with my make-up on (I know I know) to wake up to my fully fledged smoky eye unsmudged! MAC’s Painterly Paint Pot is my every day eye base when I don’t need my eye look to last 24 hours. It evens out my skin tone and provides a nice base for a light shimmery shade. I also love to use this under my concealer on my dark circles. Not only does it stop the concealer from creasing it also means I need to use less as the colour brightens up the area.
Lips: Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub & Nuxe Reve De Miel Lipbalm
Now if you have read my blog for a while you will now I am a matte lip lover! Especially the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. However if you are going to commit to wearing a matte lipstick, especially a bright colour or a red you need to prime your lips and make sure they are in tip-top condition. I have two little hero products for this, starting with my Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub, I really use a good amount to get rid of any flaky bits of skin that could potentially show up. Then once I have wiped away the scrub I apply the Nuxe Reiv de Miel Lipblam. This is great for using before you apply your lip of choice because not only it intensely hydrating it leaves your lips matte and non-slippy. So when you go on to use your lipstick it won’t slide all over your face.
So for someone who claims not to be a big primer lover I certainly have a few favourites! Do you have any must have primers I need to try?
This Saturday us Londoners woke up to the 1st of March and a lovely sunny day! To make the most of the sunshine Tom and I decided to head to Borough Market; a food market on the south bank; for a potter about and to hopefully find something yummy to eat.
Despite our good intentions the market was exceptionally crammed so we couldn’t get to have a proper look round all of the stalls. We did however make good on our promise to find something yummy to eat! We were spoilt for choice as the market had everything from, burgers and hotdogs to Chinese and Ethiopian. In the end Tom went for a massive scotch egg which came with the most delicious sweet potato chips and I plumped for a falafel wrap with lots of chilli sauce and hummus.
After munching our way through our first course we both needed a little pudding, again there was plenty to choose from, with multiple cute little bakeries selling cupcakes, brownies and other sweet treats. This time Tom went for a giant piece of baklava and I picked up a very chocolaty looking brownie. We had planned to walk down to the Thames and eat our goodies on the way but by this time it was getting really cold, so instead we took shelter in the nearest Pret and warmed up with a cup of tea.
After we could start to feel our fingers again we walked past St Pauls and into Covent Garden before heading home. I love weekend days like this, just walking around and taking in what the city has to offer.
Coat – Asos-Jumper – Asos-Skirt – Vintage-Boots – Kurt Gieger (old)
I love how this Rika sweater is a pop of colour on a grey February day.
Sweatshirt – Rika
Jeans – Ragged Priest
Bag – Mulberry
Trainers – Nike
February has been a mixed month for me, half of me wanted to stay in the hibernation mode I spent all of January in, and yet the other half needed to get out and enjoy what little sunshine we’ve had. I had terribly dry skin on my forehead caused by all the central heating in my office, but have found a product that was worked wonders in helping to clear it up!
Essie Nail Polish In St Tropez – This is an old darling of mine, the perfect soft grey nude to match the skies of February in England. I love how this looks on me when I am at my fairest, which is a whiter shade of pale for those wondering.
Caudalie Vinosource Serum – This is the aforementioned miracle worker for dry/dehydrated skin. I picked this up in Paris late last year and have been using is every morning under my Aesop day cream since. A little goes a long way and I love how instantly gratifying this is. As soon as it goes on it’s absorbed and leaves my face feeling hydrated and plump.
Pixi Glow Tonic – I’ve loved using this toner nightly, in replacement of any manual exfoliates. It keeps my skin smooth and blackheads at bay without stinging my skin like the Alpha H liquid Gold.
Stila Convertible Cream Colour In Poppy – Although this looks scary in the pan, in reality this bright red cream blush is fantastic at creating that fresh from building a snow-man winter flush. A dab (and I mean just a dab!) of this blended onto my cheeks and a little on my lips makes me feel like a ginger Snow White.
Burberry Eyeshadow in Rosewood – When I walked over to the Burberry counter I was all set to purchase the iconic ‘Pale Barley’ but the lovely sales assistant managed to convince me into picking up Rosewood instead. This beautiful soft rosy taupe-brown complements brown eyes. It creates a soft haze around my eyes framing but not overpowering them. The perfect eye to go with either a bold or nude lip.
Rimmel Lipstick on 07 & Too Faced Lip Creme in Nude Beach – This has been a month of extremes in terms if lipsticks. I’ve either been going all out with the deep red hues of Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 07, which is a lovely satin finish. Or I’ve gone 60s nude with, what I consider is my ‘perfect nude’.
What have you been loving this month?
The Emmaus Cafe in Portslade.
This weekend I went to visit my friend Ellen who lives in Portslade, near Brighton. Brighton is one of my favourite cities in the UK filled with quirky cafes and bars its small enough to be able to walk around easily (unlike London!) but still big enough to have everything you need at your fingertips.
On Saturday, before we ventured into Brighton, we stopped off at the Emmaus in Portslade for some breakfast.
Jan & Ted enjoying breakfast!
The Emmaus is an old convent turned shelter where homeless people can have a bed to sleep in and a reason to get out of it in the morning. As well as having the cafe on the premises, it is filled with vintage stalls selling everything from cloths to books, furniture and plants.
After filling up on my ‘Buck Rarebit’, which is a Welsh Rarebit with a fried egg on top, we mooched around the stalls meeting the residents. It was lovely to chat to all the people who live and work at the Emmaus and indulge in a little ‘guilt free’ shopping!
Billy
I couldn’t resist taking some outfit snaps of Ellen in her Marc by Marc Jacobs Jacket, another great charity shop find!
Jacket – Marc by Marc Jacobs (Similar)
Shirt – ASOS
Jeans – Cheap Monday
Coat – ASOS (Now on sale!)
Scarf – Zara (Old)
Bag – & Other Stories (Similar)
Boots – Office
If you are planning a visit to Brighton this spring or live locally, I would thoroughly recommend taking some time out to visit this amazing project.
Acne Star Boots
Acne Star Boots
I have fallen head over heels in love for these beautiful Acne Star Boots. How much do I love them? Let me count the ways, I love that they are made from the most incredibly buttery soft leather, that the heel is high enough to make legs slimmer and bums more pert, but still comfortable enough to wear all day everyday. I love the Chelsea boot detail and the edging round the front and the little pull at the bag to tug them on easily. I love that they make jeans look smarter and floral dresses more rock ‘n’ roll. I just freaking love them!
I got mine from Matches here, they currently have them on SALE in Silver! Unfortunately (thankfully) not in my size : (
Sin,Tempting,Sumptuous Olive,Club,Smut,Silver Ring,Woodwinked,Mulch,Embark,Swiss Chocolate,Blackberry,Patina,Satin Taupe,Ricepaper,Cranberry
Building my MAC palette has been a long and very fun journey. Recently my brother bought me back two eyeshadows from America where MAC is pretty much half the price as it is here in the UK, once slotted in my 15 pan palette was completed.
Since it’s taken me around five years to fill up my palette, I didn’t really think that much about the ‘harmony’ of the palette as a whole; I just bought random shades I liked. Saying that, I love my palette and find it has a good balance of everything I need. From all over the lid colours to matte shades to blend in my crease and a highlight shade. I also have one random depotted Urban Decay eyeshadow Sin in there. Some of the shadows are a bit chipped as when the wind threw my palette off the window sill over the summer, it was of course the black shadow I used to have that smashed and went everywhere including all over my other shadows, sods law.
I still have the original palette and although I do love the look of the shiny new ones with the beautiful clear top at £20.50, it seems a bit steep when the old packaging has suited me fine thus far.
I took the pictures below with no flash in sunlight to get the colours to come out as true as possible. As is well documented MAC eyeshadows can be a bit hit or miss. Some certainly swatched better then others!
Rows Left-Right
Urban Decay Sin (frosty pinky champagne), Tempting (Lustre, golden bronze), Sumptuous Olive (Veluxe Pearl, gold olive-green), Club (Satin, green/reddish-brown), Smut (Velvet, muted black) Silver Ring (Veluxe Pearl, mid-tone grey), Woodwinked (Veluxe Pearl, warm gold), Mulch (Velvet, warm brown) Embark (Matte, dark red-brown) Swiss Chocolate (Matte, milky warm-brown)
Cranberry (Frost, dark pink-red) Ricepaper (Frost, light peach-gold) Patina (Frost, golden-taupe) Satin Taupe (Frost, cool-taupe) & . Blackberry (Matte, plum) Can we take a moment and look how badly Blackberry swatched! Don’t waste your money on that one folks!
Rather than go through every single shadow I thought I would pick out a few favourites and tell you how I like to wear them.
Woodwinked: As you can tell this is my most loved MAC eyeshadow I think I went through a phase of wearing this nearly every day for a few years whilst at Uni. I now keep this as an all over the lid summer colour, or sometimes I use it as an inner corner highlight on a dramatic smoky eye.
Mulch: This is a fantastic ‘sweep on and go’ brown slightly smoky eye. I run it all over the lid and under the eye for that Oslan twin effect. I also like to amp it up at night with Swiss Cockolate in te crease and Smut in the outta v.
Patina: This is my current every day work eye-shadow its so easy to blend all over the lid and up towards the crease for a ‘no make-up make-up’ look.
Cranberry: This is my newest acquisition brought back all the way from the US . Although I’ve only it worn it once on a night out, it was love at first blend! It’s such a fantastic way to create an interesting intense night look, looks amazing with Embark in the crease Smut in the outta v and lots of black eyeliner.
For anyone living through the polar vortex and violent winds this winter you will know how tough the weather has been on the skin. During the day I have been ever faithful to my Aesop Camellia Nut Facial Cream, but at night I have really needed to up the ante. Step up Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream, a thick almost balm like emollient that has been a little tub of miracle worker for my face this winter. Now I have to say if you don’t have very dry skin this might not be for you, when first purchased I found the thick consistency a labours task to rub onto my face every night. It does take a little time for it to sink in, but once you have worked it into your skin it feels incredible. So plumped up and nourished. I personally love the smell; sandalwood is a favourite of mine and the active ingredients of manuka honey and avocado oil sooth restores my flaky itchy skin. Despite the heavy texture of the cream I am pleased to report it has not clogged my pores causing breakouts. I am very nearly at the end of my little pot and although I might switch to another lighter cream over the summer I will definitely be re-purchasing this when the colder months arise again.
My Everyday Make-Up Bag.
I realised the other day that I’ve never really gone into depth on my ‘everyday’ make-up. Even though, like most of you reading this, I have a pretty sizeable collection to choose from, each morning I end up reaching for the same things. or at least variations of the same theme, maybe switching up my eye shadow/blush from time to time. I try and go for a simple look as 5 days a week I’m slapping this on at 7.30 in the morning or sometimes even on the train. Luminous base, pink cheeks and lips and a brown smoky eye do it for me. So here are the products that have been my ‘go tos’ for the last month or so.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Porcelain* buffed in with my trusty Real Techniques Buffing Brush gives my skin just the right amount of coverage for an everyday look covering redness and any minor blemishes I may have, I then go over any redness round my nose and under my eyes with the Nars Stick Concealer in Chantilly* which is a fantastic high coverage yet non cakey concealer. Chantilly is actually a little light for me even after the longest winter know to man so it’s great at adding luminosity under my eyes. I then apply my Nars Eyeshadow Primer all over the eye as a base, I like to let it dry a bit before going over with my eyeshadow so I quickly groom and fill in my browns using an old YSL mascara wand I’ve washed as a spooley and my MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Spiked which is a fantastic really dark warm brown that isn’t too red. I then sweep some Stila Eyeshadow in Barefoot Contessa* is a lovely warm brown, a little like MACs Mulch but more a tad more plumy, all over my lid up to my crease with my MAC 217. During the week I never bother with using more than one colour on the lids preferring to leave the highlighting/crease colours to the weekend when I have a bit more time to play. I also take a little eyeshadow under the eye to add extra definition. I then line my lower water line with Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude, I get very red eyes in the morning so this is an essential step for me. A coat or two of my old faithful L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes and my eyes are done. I then pop a little of MACs Mineralize Blush in Pet Me* a great every day yellow toned pink that gives me a nice flush but doesn’t overpower my face. Lastly a swipe of a moisturising lipstick, obviously this changes almost daily but at the moment I’m loving MACs Hue for a girlish pink or Patisserie for a more ‘my lips but better’ shade.
So there you have it my everyday make-up look, what’s yours?
Kittymakesup 