FOTD: A Pop of Pink Lipstick

I'm back with another face of the day post and today I was feeling a pop of pink lipstick to brighten up the miserable cold weather in the UK! All the products I used are listed below...

Lips:

To line my lips I used Nyx lipliner in 'Sand Pink' and topped that with the Bourgeois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in 'Pink Pong'.

Eyes:

To begin the eyes I took my Illamasqua 'Neutral Palette' and added the dark brown shade to my crease, flicking it our slightly in the corner. Next I took Illamasqua 'Furore' Pure Pigment and pressed this onto the lid. To create my dramatic winged liner (as always) I used the Maybelline Gel Liner and finished it off with lots of Maybelline 'Falsies' Mascara and some individual lashes. I defined my brows using Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in 'Peek'.

Skin:

As always I started with Illamasqua 'Skin Base' Foundation. I then added the Collection 'Lasting Perfection' concealer under my eyes, around my nose and on any blemishes. To contour I used Illamasqua 'Sculpting Duo' and adding a pink blush to my cheeks using the Collection 'Shimmer Shades' quad. Finally I went in with the Seventeen 'Shimmer Brick' to add a strong highlight to my cheek bones!

What do you think of this look? Have you been adding any pops of colour to your makeup looks recently?

Sam xx

Bourjois Délice de Poudre Duo Review: Bronzing Powder and Highlighter

When I heard about the new launches from Bourjois I was extremely excited to see this bronzer and highlighter duo! I have loved the chocolate bronzer for a long long time and am so pleased to see more and more contouring and highlighting products hitting the high street. 

The product holds a bronzer on the right hand side, which is the perfect shade for my light to medium skin tone and blends out beautifully to contour and sculpt the cheek bones. On the right side is a champagne illuminating/highlighting powder. In the palette the highlighter seems to have a pearly glow with a slight shimmer, however when transferred to the face the highlighter is not as strong as I had hoped and the shimmer seems to disappear. I love a shimmer on the tops of my cheek bones and this product just gives a slight glow, perfect if you like a subtle highlight, however not as prominent as I had hoped for. Therefore the bronzer is perfect for me but I've found that I prefer to use a second highlighter over the top of the one in this duo to add more shimmer. 

I like to use my Illamasqua Highlighter Brush to apply both the bronzer and highlighter to my cheeks, blending the bronzer in circular motions under the cheekbones to give a slight sculpt and patting the highlighter onto my cheek bones. I found I had to get quite a lot of product onto the brush to create a strong contoured look, which I love, however taking a small amount of product would create a nice subtle contour, if thats what you prefer to go for. 

The image below shows my base makeup before applying the duo, then after I had applied the bronzer and highlight, and finally after applying blusher to the apples of my cheeks. I love this product for day to day use, however I will be using a second/alternative highlighter just because of my preference to have super glowing cheeks. 

You can pick this duo up from UK drugstores on the highstreet for £7.99 and Boots currently have a 3for2 offer across all Bourjois products (which I always find hard to resist!).

Have you tried any of the new Bourjois products? What are you favourite things to use for contouring?

Thanks for reading! Sam xx

Bourjois Rouge Edition Liquid Lipstick Review

So I am a HUGE lipstick fan and so of course I had to try the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet liquid lipsticks. I have tried many liquid lipsticks on the market, good and bad, and these are definitely added to my good pile.

The liquid lipsticks come in eight shades, ranging from super brights to subtle nudes. So I picked up one of each and went for the pop of pink ‘Pink Pong’ and my lips but better ‘Nude-ist’.

The doe foot applicator makes the lipstick easy to apply and create a neat edge around your lips, however you may want to add a lipliner to begin if you want super precision, photo ready lips. The lipsticks also layer beautifully! No streaking or bleeding, the velvet formula is just right and the colour pay off is next to none!

So they have lived up to my expectations so far, but how about the lasting power? … I was very impressed! They did disappear from the center of my lips slightly after eating, however nothing a little touch up can’t fix. Aside from this they don’t budge at all and take a few washes of cleanser to remove.

Out of the two shades I have to say I prefer the bright pink ‘Pink Pong’. I am one for a bright lip come day or night and with the amazing colour pay off its definitely all about going bold.

The Bourjois Rough Edition Velvet liquid lipsticks are available online and on the highstreet. I picked mine up while there was a 3for2 offer in boots, which I believe is still on, so GO GO GO why not pick up 3 for the price of 2 while you can!

Have you tried any of the shades? Which liquid lipsticks are added to your ‘I love these’ pile?

Sam xx

Summer Bronze Make-Up

I think it's fair to say most people love a bit of bronze in the summer and a bronze shimmer make-up look, paired with tanned skin, is one of my favs to create at this time of year. A shimmer eye paired with a bright lip is the perfect summer combo for either a summer day-time or evening look, and combine this with bronzed skin to create the perfect summer glow.

I began this look by creating a bronze shimmer eye and here is a step-by-step tutorial for the look along with all the products I used...

Step 1: To begin I applied Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Permanent Taupe' to the lid to prime the eyes.

Step 2: Next I went in with 'Twinks' eye shadow from MAC all over the lid and also under the lower lash line.

Step 3: Then I took 'Woodwinked' from MAC on a blending brush and put this lightly through the crease and under the eye.

Step 4: To create more shimmer on the lid I pressed 'All That Glitters' from MAC into the centre of the lid. I also took a bronzer just above the crease to add further definition. 

Step 5: Next taking 'Wolf' Powder Eye Shadow from Illamasqua I used an angled brush to blend this into the upper and lower lash line to define the lashes that little bit more and create a smokey effect.

Step 6: Finally to finish of the look I added a few coats of mascara to the lashes. 

And there you have your bronze shimmer eye look!

To create a full face look I used Bourjois 'Delice de Poudre' Bronzing Powder (also known as the chocolate bronzer) to add definition under the cheek bones and topped this with Illamasqua Powder Blusher in 'Lover. I also used Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Soaked to add a bright splash of colour to the lips. 

What do you think of this make-up look? What are your favourite looks to wear in the summer?

Sam x

Minnie Mouse Nail Art Tutorial

I don't like many cartoons, but like most girls when I was young I LOVED Disney! A while back I created quite a simple Minnie Mouse nail art look, but this time I wanted to make it slightly more detailed. I'm not going to lie, this nail art did take me around 2 hours, with the bow taking up the most amount of time. I am really pleased with the outlook so I really wanted to share it with you! As always I have put together a step by step guide and if you don't want to spend so long on a nail art look you can always simplify the bow slightly.

What will you need?

So what will you need to create this nail art look? I used nail varnish in light pink, dark pink, beige, black and white. I also used a base and top coat, dotting tools in several sizes and a very thin nail art brush.
The nail varnishes I used were Illamasqua 'Top Coat', 'Boosh' and 'Scorch'; Bourjois 'Rose Satin'; Nails Inc 'Porchester Square' and Barry M 'Shocking Pink'.

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint your nails in a layer of base coat.

Step 2: Paint all nails in the light pink shade. I applied 3 thin coats to ensure the base of the nails was opaque.

Step 3: Taking the dark pink shade on a dotting tool, create the bow shape just above the centre of each nail.

Step 4: Next, take the white nail varnish, and a very small dotting tool, add polka dots to each nail.

Step 5: Taking the black nail varnish on a thin nail art brush, outline the bow and create the outline of Minnie's face.

Step 6: Using the black nail varnish again, this time on a dotting tool, fill in the area around the bow and the face.

Step 7: Next use the beige shade on a dotting tool to fill in the face area.

Step 8: Using the black and white nail varnish for the final time, create the eyes at the tip of the nail.

Step 9: Finally once all nail varnish is fully dry, add a top coat onto each nail. This will seal the nail art into place and prevent the nails from chipping for slightly longer.

And there you have your Minnie Mouse nails!

What do you think of this nail art look? I would love to know your thoughts so leave a comment below and let me know!

Happy Nail-Arting! Samantha xx

Tips and Tricks to Stop Eyeliner Smudging

One of my pet hates is getting to the end of the day and finding my eyeliner has smudged up into my crease. This used to happen on a daily basis for me and I used to find myself constantly checking and rubbing it away. There are a few tips and tricks which I have picked up to ensure the dreaded smudge line does not appear, so I thought I would share these with you.

The key is to apply lots of powder products into the crease of your eye, to counteract any oils lying on the lid and provide a dry base. This is particularly important if you have hooded eyes as your eyeliner will regularly meet with your crease. So what exactly will you need?

If I want to create a classic flick of eyeliner with no colour on my eyelid, I use a pressed powder (Rimmel Stay Matte Powder), a flesh toned powder eyeshdaow (Illamasqua Justify), a bronzer (Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer), a gel liner (Maybelline Gel Liner) and Mascara (Rimmel Scandaleyes). In order to apply these products I use an Illamasqua Blending Brush, Real Techniques Shading Brush, Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, Real Techniques Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush and an Illamasqua Fine Liner Brush.

Step-by-Step:

I have put together a step-by-step pictorial as to how I use the products to mattify my eyelid and prevent creasing.

Step 1: Apply a very small amount of foundation onto the eyelid.

Step 2: Take Rimmel Stay Matte Powder onto a real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and press this all over the lid and up to the brow. 

Step 3: Take Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Justify on a Real Techniques Shading Brush and add this to the whole eye lid and take a small amount under the lower lash line.

Step 4: Take Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer onto Illamasqua's Blending Brush and Run this through the crease and up towards the brow. 

Step 5: Next I take Maybelling Gel Liner onto a Real Techniques Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush and Illamasqua Fine Liner Brush to create my feline flick.

Step 6: Finally I take Rimmel Scandaleyes and apply a coat of mascara to my top and bottom lashes.

And tada!!!! There you have a flick of eyeliner which will not smudge into your crease and will stay put all day!

I am so glad I have finally found my tip to avoiding my eyeliner moving all day, and as I said above the key is to use lots of powder products and word these onto the lid and into the crease. I have described how I use flesh toned products, but I also use coloured eyeshadows to add a pop of colour to the eyelid and prevent the eyeliner moving.

I hope you have found this post useful! To you have any different tips to stop your eyeliner moving?

Until next time, Samantha xx

Rudolf The Red Nose Reindeer

I'm back with my second Christmas nail art and with just 9 days till Christmas Day I'm feeling very festive. I have seen lots of reindeer nails flying around the internet so I thought I would try my own! As always I have put together a step by step picture guide as to how I created my reindeer nails so if you want to find out keep reading ...

What will you need?

In order to create this nail art you will need nail varnishes in light pink, light brown, dark brown, white, black, red and glitter. You will also need a top coat and dotting tool in various sizes.
I used the following nail varnishes: Bourjois 'Rose Satin', Loreal Paris 'Beige Countess', Barry M 'Magnetic Red Sparkle', Barry M 'Matt White', Miss Sporty 'Black', Mavala 'London' and Rimmel 'Finishing Touch Glitter Top Coat'.

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Paint all nails in the light pink shade. I painted on three coats as my varnish was quite sheer and I wanted an opaque base.

Step 2: Using the light brown shade paint on semi circles at the bottom of your nails to create the face of the reindeer.

Step 3: Using the dark brown and a small dotting tool create the antlers. I began by dotting on a vertical line and then added the smaller diagonal lines after.

Step 4: Using a reasonably large dotting tool created two large white dots for the eye.

Step 5: Next take the black nail varnish and with a small dotting tool add two black dots in the centre of the white dots to create the eyes. Then take a larger dotting tool and create a semi circle for the noses on all nails apart from the ring finger.

Step 6: Take the red nail varnish and the large dotting tool and create the final nose on each ring finger.

Step 7: Taking the light pink again on a small dotting tool, add a dot to each reindeer cheek to give them a slight blushing colour to the cheeks.

Step 8: This step is optional but I wanted to add some festive sparkle so I added some fine glitter on a dotting tool to each nose of the reindeer.

Step 9: Once everything is dry add a layer of top coat to each nail. This will seal in the nail art and prevent any chipping.

I hope you have enjoyed this nail art! If you create any festive nail art I would love to see or if you have any ideas for other Christmas nail art I could create comment below and let me know. 

Until next time, Samantha xx

Vintage Rose Nail Art

I thought it was about time I put my new nail art tools into good use so I thought I would do another nail art post! This time I tried a vintage flower look and as always I have put together a step-by-step picture tutorial so you can see exactly how I created this nail art. 

What will you need?

In order to create a nail art look similar to mine you will need a large and small dotting tool, a thin nail art brush, and nail varnish in the shades light pink, dark pink, sheer pink, lilac, coral, light green, dark green and white. You will also need a top coat.

The nail varnish shades I used are: Illamasqua Harem and Lament, Rimmel Ring a Ring O' Roses and Sea Green, Bourjois Rose Satin, Alessandro Elegant Rubin, Barry M Matt White and Collection Look at Me!

Step-by-Step Tutorial: 

Step 1: Paint all nails in 2 coats of the sheer pink shade. 

Step 2: Once the base coats are dry take your large dotting tool and create rose flower shapes randomly over the nails. I used the coral and dark pink shades for this. 

Step 3: Taking a lilac and light pink shade, go in with the thin nail art brush and create the detailing in the centre of the roses. 

Step 4: Again using the nail art brush create the leaves. I first went in with the light green shade and then placed the darker green lightly over the top. 

Step 5: Using the smaller dotting tool and the white nail varnish dot small polka dots in gaps on the nail.

Step 6: Finally once all nails are dry paint a top coat over each nail. This will add shine to nails and seal the nail art into place. 

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! As always let me know if you have been creating any nail art yourselves as I love to see what everyone creates. For more nail art I create you can also follow me on Instagram @samantha_helen5 !

Happy nail art-ing!! Samantha xx