Easy Fresh Spring Makeup

Another YouTube vid, another FOTD post...

A few weeks ago, I got a request to 'do something' with MAC Sumptuous Olive E/S. This is a shadow that can easily become muddied if too much smokeyness is added, so I kept the inner corner light and just blended the Sumptuous Olive out at the crease. Teamed with glowing coral cheeks & lips, this kept the overall look fresh and spring-like.

I know I wasn't pouting when I took this pic, so not sure why it looks like I was !!

Chanel Pro Lumiere

Sleek Primer Palette

MAC Sumptuous Olive E/S

AVON Gel Shock Liner

Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

MAC Omega E/S (brows)

MAC Select Cover-Up Concealor NW20

DIOR Capture Totale Loose Powder

Benefit Coralista

Estee Lauder Blazing Sun Crystal Lipstick (available online from 28th Feb)

New from Lauder: Pure Colour Lip & Nail Shades

Estee Lauder can literally do no wrong at the moment. With Tom Pechaux's non-stop assault on their colour palettes, Lauder have transmogrefied themselves from 'posh old lady brand' to a brand that has girls & women racing to counters to snatch up the latest limited edition collections.

The latest Lauder/Pechaux offing is quite vast. There are 45 new lipstick shades & 16 new nail lacquer shades hopping their merry way into the Pure Colour range, from 28th February. I've picked out some of my faves from the new ranges...

Pure Colour Nail Lacquer

In the lacquer ranges, there will be 8 new additions to the permanent line and 8 limited shades. Pictured above is 'Nude Attitude' from the permanent line and 'Chocolate Crave', which is a limited shade. The chocolate shade is exactly like melted chocolate and I half expected it to smell like chocolate when I opened the bottle. Unfortunately it didn't, but it is still quite dreamy. In fact, the 2 colours sat side-by-side kind of remind me of Bailey's ice cream, with the glass bottles like ice cubes. Yum!

Next on my hit list will be Mega Fuchia, Violet Diva and Wild Blue.

Pure Colour Lipstick (Long Lasting & Crystal)

There is nothing about Lauder lipsticks I don't like. I love the gloss sticks, the crystals, the double wear.. I could go on. Pictured below is Melon (LL) Crystal Baby (C) Blazing Sun (C) and Crystal Rose (C).

For those who have yet been unable to get hold of Crystal Baby, you will be pleased to hear that there are 2 or 3 shades that are quite similar being introduced to the Crystal line. The Crystal lipsticks are so easy to wear, moisturising & sheer.

The packaging of these are worth the £18 price tag alone. They are like ornaments; absolutely gorgeous!

You will be able to find all of the above products on counters and online at www.esteelauder.co.uk from 28th February.

St Andrews Charity Fashion Show 2011

Last night I attended the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show 2011. Before you ask, no I didn't meet Wills & Kate, although I did wear Royal Blue just in case...

The fashion show is hosted each year in conjunction with Trekstock, to raise money for charities such as Cancer Research UK, through one-off collaborations in music, fashion & trekking! The annual event attracts fashion-lovers from across the UK and show cases creations from some of the biggest fashion houses. This year there was Amanda Wakeley & Nicole Fahri, with previous years showcasing Vivienne Westwood & Prada.

Here are few snaps from the evening (or you can hop on over to YT to see some footage)

Scottish Ballet Presents 'Alice'

Last month, I posted about my trip to the Scottish Ballet's production of Cinderella, but I'm already planning my outfit for when Alice opens in April! The company describes Alice...

After tumbling through a camera lens, Alice finds herself in a strange dreamlike place. Drifting through episodes from Lewis Caroll's treasured stories, she meets a series of fantastical characters, who each impatiently try to teach her something, and guided by Carroll himself, she has to rely on her wits to find her way out.

This is the promo pic, of one of the lead female dancers, Sophie Martin, and below is a 'behind the scenes' vid of how they captured the famous fall!

Alice opens in Glasgow on the 12th April and will be touring Scotland & Cardiff!

Jessie J Inspired Bright Crystal Lips

Jessie J Inspired Crystal Lips Inspiration

Kate Spade; Ready for Spring

I've just been doing a bit of fantasy shopping at Kate Spade. With all the girly pinks, creams, polkadots and stripes, I'm feeling extra ready for spring!

Bronze/Gold Indian Inspired Eyes

I had the absolute pleasure of doing the hair & makeup for a bride having her indian/scottish wedding reception last night, following their traditional indian ceremonies in India a couple of weeks ago. I then had the pleasure of actually attending the wedding!

After spending a day surrounded by amazing jewellery, Saaris, food and beautiful women, I was completely inspired to do an 'indian inspired' look for my own makeup.

Not wanting it to look like I was trying to rock a culture that clearly wasn't mine, I just used a few touches; warm colours on the eye, dark brows and a nude lip. The sparkling effect from MAC Antique Gold reflects let me capture that deep golden look around my eye, without it being too over the top.

Click here to see the video on YouTube.

Japonesque Palette

I'm a huge fan of de-potting and decanting products into compacts and palettes. It makes my life much easier when travelling with my kit and is just generally a much more organised and convenient way of storing products.

I had been lusting after this Japonesque palette for months & months and finally picked it up from Guru Makeup Emporium at the IMATS in January. So far, I've de-potted most of my MAC lippies. I still have cream colour bases & other non-MAC lipsticks to go. It's a fairly messy & laborious process and requires a good few hours of time, which is why I'm only half way through!

I don't do this for my own lipsticks - I'm too much of a packaging lover to do that, especially with lipsticks from Estee Lauder or YSL! I'd never do that to them!

Products of the Week & Giveaway!

To take part in this giveaway, just head on over to YouTube and subscribe!

Sleek Primer Palette

Ok. We all know that Sleek are a Budget Babe's Benefit. Their products are fun, quirky, excellent quality (for the most part), have an incredible variety of highly pigmented colours and are an fantastic High Street pitstop for those with darker skintones.

Even knowing this hadn't prepared me for quite how much this unassuming little 'primer palette' was going to impress me. I picked it up in Superdrug for £6.99 on Wednesday after seeing 2 or 3 tweets about it. I was absolutely blown away by how pigmented the paints were - I used the blue all over the lid as a base for the Rihanna video and the pay-off was intense!

These swatches below are done on the back of my hand, underneath a daylight bulb. Each swatch is just one swipe of the colour with my finger tip. Incredible. Check out that black!

Unfortunately, I can't put any names to the colours as the card that came inside was clearly printed out of order. It was the same on the other 2 I bought a day later...

Q&A

I have been inundated with questions over the last couple of days about it's quality, staying power etc. So here we go...

Do the colours crease?

I found the colour settled into my socket line, but it was the tiniest thinest line. And even though a little amount settled, it didn't drag the colour from other areas. It didn't go patchy, slip or smudge under my eye.

Could/Should I use a primer underneath?

if you have very oily lids, you may want to use a little primer to stop this slipping, but if you have slightly oily or normal/dry lids, then you'll be fine. All products, whether cream, paint or powder will eventually crease & settle at some point. No product is bullet-proof.

Do the colours stain?

I was really worried I would have to go into work the day after filming the Rihanna vid with turquoise lids, but it didn't stain at all.

Can the colours be blended or do they set?

I found they took a good 5 minutes to 'dry', so plenty time for blending, if you wanted to wear them alone. The fact they stay wet for a good few minutes means you have plenty time to get your shadow over the top too.

Is it Limited Edition?

I don't think so! On the Sleek website, it introduces the palette as the latest addition to the family, so I am assuming it's a permanent product. If you are interested though, you will probably still need to buy quite quickly before it sells out.

Is it value for money?

Yes!

You can buy yours here or alternatively, you can win one if you skip on over to my YouTube channel & subscribe! once I hit 2000 subs, I will be picking a winner at random.

A x