Quick and Easy Smokey Eye.

I am a major fan of an intense smokey eye look however I'm not so fond of the time it takes to achieve, so when I found this quick and easy way of creating a similar look I figured I may aswell share it - so here goes! 

For any smokey eye I use an eye primer and for this look I used the Urban Decay Primer Potion as it locks the shadows in place for long wear! I then reached for my Clinique gel liner in Black Honey but you can use any shade of gel liner which is the main thing I love about this look, the same steps can be used in any colour, a black gel can create a gorgeous smokey eye in the same way as I have done this look and is great for the holiday season. However the Black Honey shade is this beautiful purple toned brown with gold running through it - I pat this on and keep adding layers to create as much intensity as I want I then blend the edges with a fluffy brush so theres no harsh lines. 

For the second step I used a similar toned shadow and placed this over the top, this helps set the gel liner and again add more intensity. For my look I used the mid brown shade in the Morning Java palette from Clinique which has that similar purple undertone running through. To add abit more depth I then picked up a small amount of the darkest shade in the palette and placed this on the outer corner and blended the excess into the crease. I then took the same two colour on a small shader brush and took it under the eye to bring it all together! 

To finish I used lots of mascara and right now I keep reaching for the Max Factor Velvet Volume mascara which does exactly what it says on the tin, I have also found it really extends my lashes whilst leaving them feeling soft rather than others that can feel stiff and uncomfortable on the eyes. 

I'm really enjoying wearing this look at the moment and will definitely be trying it in different colours to see how many different looks I can achieve (stay tuned!) I hope you enjoyed this post - I read every comment and will reply to any questions! 

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Current Loves.

Each month I like to try and mix up my make-up routine and this month I have decided to give a couple of newer products in my collection a go. The Dior BB Creme has been a favourite base of mine for a while, and is one I often reach for on days off, as it's so lightweight but gives great coverage. I have tried out one of the new Eyes to Hypnotise by Charlotte Tilbury, I got it in The Huntress which is the bronzey shade that works beautifully with the Dolce Vita palette- it also came with a liner in the shade Amber Haze which again is a bronze, lovely for the winter season. Another newbie to my collection is the Kiko Moon Dust face powder in Mysterious Pink which is my perfect blush, it's a neutral/warm toned pink marbled with a subtle gold glow, this looks gorgeous when it hits the light and saves time in your routine as you dont have to use a highlighter on top! Lastly, it has to be a berry lip and these Lip Pops from Clinique are perfect as the primer infused formula allows them to wear longer and more evenly which is great with darker shades, my favourite at the moment is Berry Pop however Rebel Pop is on my list next!

Thanks for reading, I read every comment and will reply to any questions!

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The Berry Lip Trend.

On a day to day basis I am a nude lip kinda girl however when it comes to the colder months and richer colours come back into season I cant help but delve into my collection and grab those plummy shades. I have a couple that are my holy grail Autumnal lip shades that I reach for every year and also some more recent purchases. 

In terms of finish I do tend to prefer a matte or satin as I find the darker shades wear better in those formulas, although I often suffer from dry lips so I just place some Elizabeth Arden 8 hour lip balm on before to keep them hydrated. I also tend to use lipliners with most of these shades to get a cleaner line and to stop any colour bleeding. 

L-R: Charlotte Tilbury; Night Crimson..Rimmel; 107..Revlon; Fiery Flamboyante..Mac; Dark Side..Nars; Cruella. 

*Charlotte Tilbury in Night Crimson - I LOVE this lipstick, the colour, the formula, the packaging, it's just perfection! The longevity of this product is very impressive and wears off evenly so none of that patchy lip situation going on! Although these lipsticks are at the higher end of the price scale they are worth the hype if you're looking for that one perfect lipstick. 

*Rimmel Kate Moss in 107 - I dont think there will ever be an Autumn lip edit without this one featured. The quality of this lipstick for the price is outstanding and delivers everything you need for Fall. I am now on my third purchase of this shade and will continue to repurchase as it is such a great buy!

*Revlon Matte Balm in Fiery Flamboyante - A very new purchase for me, I'm pretty sure this is a new shade as I had never seen it before. I have a couple of these already and adore the consistency, they are perfect for quick and easy application aswell as being comfortable to wear and give great pigmentation. 

*Mac in Dark Side - I had to include a Mac shade, although I have quite a collection I dont reach for them as often as I used to, yet I do love the colour range that they do. Dark Side is the newest to my collection and is one I have been reaching for, contrary to its name this is wearable shade and isn't quite as scary as it sounds, I've found patting it down to more of a stain with a balm on top looks really pretty if you want something more subtle.

*Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella - The perfect red. There is no better way to explain this shade, it is definitely a bold statement and is not for the faint hearted if you're nervous of trying a bolder shade however if you're looking for that classic red then you can stop right here because everything you need is in this lip pencil. My only criticism would be it is slightly drying on the lips and therefore does need a balm underneath, but I tend to wear one anyway so its not really a problem. 

Thanks for reading, as always I read all comments and answer any questions - let me know any autumn favourites you have so I can check them out!

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The Autumn Edit.

For my second post of the day it's just a quick one! I recently realised that I had subconciously changed my everyday makeup due to the new season without even really noticing, these are products that aren't the classic bold berrys but are the more soft warm tones that brighten the skin up. 

As I have a large Mac palette and a quad I tend to swap the quad round with whichever are my most used shades at the current time and recently those have been Paradisco, Mythology, Coppering and Antiqued all of which fall into the orange/rust kind of tones which are perfect for this time of year. 

In terms of face products I tend to change up my blush shades and in this case I have been picking up Clinique's blush in Ginger Pop which again is a rich deep orange/bronze shade, I also used this in the summer with golds so this is a all year round kind of colour. On top of that if im feeling like I want more of a glow I use the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Nectar - again the orange shade but with more pink that adds a natural glow to the skin. 

Finally for lips and for this I tend to change up on a daily basis but I have been putting the Charlotte Tilbury lipgloss in Ibiza Nights over basically everything aswell as on its own, the gloss adds a sheer wash of nude with gold that enhances the lips when the lights hits them - absolutely stunning! 

Let me know of any Autumn staples that are worth picking up in the comments below, I read every one and will reply to any questions - Thanks for reading! 

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Little Bit of Sparkle.

 Over the past few months I've not had much time to experiment and try out new make-up looks so when the chance came I took full advantage and came up with a gold/bronzey look that adds a bit of sparkle to an everyday look. For a base I used a L'Oreal Colour Riche in the shade Golden Nude, these shadows are super pigmented and are even better when used wet. I then used a Dior Fusion Mono in the shade Mirror which is the most beautiful iridescent gold that catches the light and intensifies the L'Oreal underneath. To finish the look I used the red shade in Charlotte Tilbury's Dolce Vita palette in the outer corners and blended slightly with the bronze glitter shade. 

The intensity of the sparkle doesn't show up very well on camera but the gold is super pretty with a winged liner. I really enjoyed being able to do something abit different, I think I'll be wearing this look quite abit in the summer as the bronze colours should look abit better with a tan. I think its definitely worth trying something new and abit out of your comfort zone, I will be trying different looks more often. 

Would love to know what you guys think about this look, I read every comment and will reply to any questions! 

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