How I Do- The 'Overdrawn' Nude Lip

Hey lovelies! 

                    Starting a new series today all about how I do all my favourite make-up looks! I'm starting with possibly the biggest trend of right now, the nude lip. The nude lip is something that has obviously been around forever but thanks to Kylie Jenner and those larger than life lips she's sporting, it's now everywhere! I love it and I'm all about the big lips. 
BUT I've seen SO many people get it wrong, it's actually painful. The key to a slightly overdrawn nude lip is for it to not actually look like you've drawn your lips on. Seems obvious right? You'd think so but a couple of scrolls on Instagram would suggest not everyones got it. 
Here's how I do it: 

Start with a dark lip liner to create the shadows, focus on the inner corners of the lips and underneath the bottom lip, where the natural shadow would lie. None of this has to be neat as everything gets blended at the end. 

MAC 'Chestnut' lip pencil 

Then go in with a nude pencil, slightly darker thank your own lip colour. Here's the important part - NEVER overdraw the corners of the mouth, this is what will give you away. Start from the inner corner following the natural line and slightly go above your natural lip line. Don't emphasise the cupids bow, go straight across (*obviously* don't draw a line across your mouth). 

MAC Pro Longwear 'Nice n Spicy' 

Now this is what will make or break the lip, (woah tense) you have to use a matte lip colour as anything with a shine will draw attention to the lip liner. My favourites are MAC 'Yash' and Illamasqua 'Bare' but you can just use whatever you have that works for you. 

MAC Lipstick in 'Yash' 

Then if you want to add a dab of concealer in the centre of the lip and blend out, as well as highlighting above the cupids bow. Get a lip brush blend up any lines so everything looks one gradual colour. Don't add gloss. If you feel you need it, add a clear or a lighter gloss in the centre. 

It's easy really. It's my go to lip at the moment and I love it, anything that makes you poutier can't be a bad thing, right? Let your inner Kylie Jenner soar my children. 

What's your favourite nude lipstick? I'm always on the hunt for more!

X

Fake It Til You Make It - The Kylie Jenner Effect

Hey hey hey, 

So unless you've been living under a rock of late, I'm sure you've all been privy to the worldwide phenomenon that is Kylie Jenner's lips. 

Now I for one, am one of those people who has no qualms whatsoever when it comes to plastic surgery or fillers or whatever, so many people look amazing with it, many of whom I know. I'm also pretty sure that as soon as I can afford it, I will be getting a 0.5ml Juvederm syringe of filler in my lips to make me look pouty and fab. 

My problem however is that Kylie is telling the world she hasn't had anything done and is therefore responsible for girls everywhere drawing big lines on their face and passing them off as their lips as if no one can tell. I'm not saying she doesn't do it well, cos bloody hell that girls make-up is on another level of perfection but seriously who is she kidding? She's gone from this to this in like 6 months...

Girl please. 

If she want's to say she's had no fillers (which I highly doubt) that's cool, she's very clearly also over-drawing and rounding them off but can she at least say something? She's acting as if it's normal for your lips to just quadruple in size over night, which unless you've developed a particularly nasty allergy to something, they don't. Tell the world your secret before every girl in the world thinks that because they own a nude liner, they've cheated their way to new lips-you haven't.

My real problem here though, is the MAC problem. Ever since the new and surgically enhanced improved Kylie emerged, everyone and their dog has jumped on the bandwagon and sought out the lipliner that is apparently Kylie's secret- Whirl. That lipliner has been sold out for what, 6 months? This however has now filtered down into the other MAC liners and consequentially led to MY lipliner of choice for the last 3 years, Spice, being sold out for nearly 2 months in my two local MAC stores. WHAT?! Is this a sick joke? I've had to change to a pro liner in Nice 'n' Spicy, which is good but it's not the same. 

Seriously Kylie, what are you playing at? Just tell everyone your mouth is full of collagen and put the world to rights again!

XXX

All Night Long - Clutch Bag Essentials

Sup guys,  

               So I reckon over the past few months, I've finally sorted out my night out clutch bag essentials and I've basically got it down to a T. Now let me warn you in advance, I favour and over-sized clutch, simply because I carry a lot of shit needs lots of things. So this guide probably isn't going to be for those who want to carry some sort of wristlet invention (HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!). 

First the obvious: phone/cash/ID/keys. I assume these are everyones essentials for a night out, unless of course you like have a beard or don't use phones, have a bar tab and get into your house through the window at the end of the night. If you're not one of those people however, I assume you would need all these things. I personally don't ever take a purse on a night out as it just takes up unnecessary room in my already rather full bag. It's much easier to put your card/cash/ID in the zip compartment of your bag and not have the worry that if your purse mysteriously disappears, you're left with nothing (of course if you lose your bag, you would also be left with this problem so just don't lose your bag, okay?). 

Now lets get onto the important stuff. 

Firstly and possibly one of the most crucial part of any going out bag, EYELASH GLUE (unless you don't wear eyelashes *shudder*). If you don't take your eyelash glue out, you are playing a very risky little game and must be some sort of dare devil/adrenaline junky, cos really WHY you take that risk? Are you insane? What happens if you get caught in a twister? What happens if the tequila hits you the wrong way and you burst into completely unnecessary tears? Or most likely, what happens if those pesky corners come unstuck and you have to walk round looking a little bit gozzy for the rest of the night? Just take the glue,k? 

GOD.

Next, you should always take a powder and a brush. I know some people don't feel the need to carry make-up on a night out (I don't personally know any of these people obviously) but I really think you should. Think of that dreaded moment when you get the Instagram/Twitter/Facebook notification the morning after a night out, that you've been tagged in photos from the night before, you might look like a drunken mess but at least if you've been touching up all night, you won't be shiny *silver lining* 

I personally favour this one, as it's brilliant, has a nice big mirror and it looks pretty

Next, something that I've found particularly useful of late. As someone who favours a nice lipstick, whether that be a dark purple, deep red or a Kylie Jenner-esque nude, I'll always be wearing something. Obviously your lipstick fades throughout the night and particularly in winter, this tends to leave a bit of dry patchy lip behind. Which is why I feel lip balm is necessary. Put it on before you re-apply for a smoother application or put it on when you can't be bothered to put your lips back on and get a lighter and shiny version of your prior lip colour, simple!

That is what I'd call the bare minimum. I personally also take my lipstick, bronzer, bronzer brush, eye liner, chewing gum, plasters and a hair bobble (in case of the dreaded rain striking). But I personally think you could probably scrape through with that much. 

Let me know what you take on a night out, am I the only clutch bag hoarder? Tell me in the comments below!

XXX

You're Not 19 Forever, Pull Yourself Together...

Oh hey there, 

                     So here I am, crawling back to this blog, pretending I haven't been absent for nearly a year... but the dates don't lie and here I am writing a blog post. I've decided I've got some stuff to say and I've got to do SOMETHING to make a change before I turn the dreaded 1-9. Now  I know many people will be thinking, what's so bad about 19? A thought I shared with you until it started coming at me faster than I'd like to admit and I realised I'd done barely anything of interest in my first year as a real-life adult *let the sobs commence*.

So I'm going to blog again, cos then I can at least say I do something other than sleep, eat and watch Netflix...(I'm not sorry about any of those things btw). 

Also I still have a ridiculous need to buy beauty products and spend way too much money on them. This month is also filled with birthday funzies which means lots of getting my make-up done and new make-up to go along with it *cheers immensely*.

Gerd your loins kids, this is gonna get good. 

XXX

Happy me on my birthday last year, oh how times change...

Haul Ass!

Oh hey there, 
                       Yes it's me, that person who used to have a blog. I shan't go into the usual heaps of excuses of why I haven't blogged in an eternity as quite frankly I have no excuse, I've just been super busy of late and the blog took a back seat. So my sincerest apologies aside, let's pretend like this isn't kinda awkward...

I thought I'd come back with a quick hall of a couple of make-up items I picked up of late. I have had a job now for a full year so I am basically a fully grown adult...right? No, I'm not at all, I bare no resemblance to an adult at all, apart from the fact that I can now buy things without having to go into the living room with my puppy dog eyes at the ready and tunefully say "daaaaaaad". I have acquired so much new stuff of late that since I took the photo's for this blog, I've bought even more new stuff, don't hate...I think I have a problem. I will show said other new things at a later date but for now here's what I bought last week...

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation in 303, Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Never Say Never, Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel, Benefit Hoola Bronxer, Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Alluvium, Illamaqua Cream Eye Shadow in Inhale

I'm very much enjoying all of my new products as their pretty and lovely and new... The bronzer and cream eye shadow are repurchases because I have used both products every day since I discovered them so now I just can't live without them. 

The Rimmel foundation was a bit of a random purchase after being a bit curious about drug store foundations as I've been a bit of a snob of late. Although nothing will ever beat my beloved Double Wear, I do really like this foundation, it's super long lasting but not too thick so perfect for everyday use. I've also worn it out on a night out with a primer underneath and it's lasted all night and photographed well, perfect! 

I was SO excited about the Elemis peel as I've heard people rave about it for years. It's kind of pricey but it is worth every penny as it makes my skin feel all smooth and baby like. Full review coming soon!

I've also noticed that I have a definite lipstick problem of late, particularly of the bright pink variety. Through the winter, I was all about the vamp but lately pink is the way forward. The Bare Minerals lipstick was a bit of a random thing as I've never used Bare Minerals products before but this lipstick is gorgeous. It's super pigmented and doesn't dry the lips out at all. My 2 best friends and myself all wore this lipstick out on a night out last week and it proved itself to be rather long lasting, well done Bare Minerals! 

Finally the Illamasqua pigment is just a thing of genuine beauty and it would've been rude not to buy it. It's a beautiful midnight blue with silver, gold and pink glitter in and it make's me happy just looking at it. Oh I just LOVE Illamasqua. 

And finally...

Shoes glorious shoesssss

I nabbed these bad boys after months of lusting after them but not being able to justify the price tag however one rainy Thursday I stumbled into the Metquarter and in the corner of a rather cramped sale shelf, my future babies were sat very patiently awaiting my Visa's visit. They were the only pair left in the whole of Liverpool (I'd already been to 2 Kurt Geiger's that day...) and they were in my size. It would've just been silly not to buy them really. They are genuinely beautiful, the picture doesn't do them justice at all. The front is super pointy (more so than in the photo) which I love and the wedge makes the lack of platform way more bearable. 

So that's that. I promise to be better from now on, really I do. If you want to see more in depth reviews of any of the products let me know. 

Speak soon guys X