Tawny Lover at Dusk // A Makeup Look

The beauty of having a larger than average cosmetic collection is that I have the ability to try new products and new combinations regularly. I have been using my Laura Mercier Lingerie palette non-stop since I bought it, as I’m sure you’re sick of me mentioning. One of the shades, however, wasn’t as loved as the others and a while ago I made an effort to try it out, and see if I could make it work.

Tawny Apricot is a rosey apricot sort of shade (swatch here), and I was worried that it wouldn’t flatter my pale complexion, but I popped some Rich Cocoa into the crease and outer third which tied it together well. A bit of my essence gel liner in Midnight in Paris also helped things along, I think that even the brightest shadows can be made wearable with the help of some liner.

I brought (quite a bit of) colour to my cheeks with Illamasqua’s Lover and one of my most recent gloss purchases, MAC’s Dynasty at Dusk. If I were to try this combination out again I would probably throw Rich Cocoa along the lower lashline as well, and ease up on Lover just a tad as well. That being said, I had a lot of fun playing with these products and would wear this again.

How often do you play with unloved items in your makeup collection? Do you tend to go for the same looks all the time, or wear a new look every day?

 

 

*All items were bought by me, except the palette which was a gift from Chris. Honesty, always.

October Favourites

With the majority of my cosmetic collection tucked away, I was finding it hard to use and enjoy a lot of the stash. Now that the lovely Chris has put together my desk and storage, I’m relishing in old makeup finds and digging into some lovely products. Quite a large lot of favourites this month!

As always, Laura Mercier has held strong in my heart and I’ve been loving the Lingerie Cheek & Eye Palette. All of the shades have been getting love from me, and when I haven’t been wearing those I’ve reached for some pieces from my MAC stash. Jaunty is a stunner, and paired with the recently purchased Coquette my perfectly lazy day eye look is created (see the look here!) When I have a little extra time to put my face on, I grab for my essence gel liner in Midnight in Paris-gorgeous name, wonderful gel liner that really stays put. In October I cracked open a fresh tube of mascara, trying the new Impact Curl from Face of Australia. Love, love, love.

My beloved Illamasqua blush duo was well loved in October, especially the Lover pan when I wanted peachy perfection on my chipmunk-esque cheeks. If I craved a little pink action, my essence marbled blush in Swirlpool hit the spot, and my oh my does it make me glow in the best way. I’ve gone back to using a good base for my foundation, and it has made a big difference to the way my skin looks with makeup on. Face Base from Face of Australia is a lovely one, and feels like moisturiser but lets the foundation glide on and stops it from attacking any flaky patches. The Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Oil Free Matte sunscreen* also acts as a terrific primer, and though I have issues with the firm bottle, the formula is worth working for it.

Lips have been loving one of my favourite ‘my lips but better’ shades, the Clinique Chubby Stick in Whole Lotta Honey. If I hadn’t won this shade from Clinique online I don’t think it is a shade I would have gravitated towards, so am grateful to have had them choose something that suits me perfectly. I’ve also been liking pale pink lipglosses like Nars Turkish Delight and my Sportsgirl Liquid Lipstick in Luscious.

 What were some of your favourites for October?

Have you tried any of my favourites?

 

*Marked items were provided for review, and I won the Clinique Chubby Stick on my personal facebook page, so it has no blog affiliation. Honesty, always.

Stars and Darkness

The other morning, MAC's Stars and Rockets eyeshadow was staring up at me whispering 'use meee, I promise I'll try and be flattering!' and so I decided to give it a shot!

I find purples hard to work with as I don't feel that they suit me very much, but I was quite happy with the duochrome sheen that Stars and Rockets gave my eyes. I used it all over the lid (and along lower lashline) with Fyrinnae's Princess of Darkness on the outer v for some depth. I am head over heels for both shades, they are really beautiful.

Products Used:

Bourjois Healthymix Foundation #52

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

MAC 'Stars and Rockets'

Fyrinnae 'Princess of Darkness'

MAC 'Nylon'

Urban Decay Virgin

Australis Lash Length Extension mascara*

essence gel liner in Midnight in Paris

BYS Brow & Eye pencil

Covergirl blush in True Plum

essence 'me&my icecream' gloss

How do you wear purple eye colours?

Do you like this look?

*This product was provided for consideration. Honesty,always.

Favourites for May

Left my favourites for a little later in the month, just because I could. Here is what was and is rocking my socks!

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The Kiehls Midnight Recovery eye cream* is a relatively new product that I've been absolutely loving this month! Winter sees my skin dry up that little bit, and I've been treating my undereyes to this slightly lavender scented delight each night. Packaging is clean and attractive, and I find the scent really luxurious.

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I threw in Benefit's Dallas blush when I hauled from the US Benefit site as I wanted to try one of their blushes (along with Hervana, which was the reason for the haul!) and this one seemed to call out to me. Good job it did, I am head over heels for this neutral blush that goes well with bright eyes and bright lips. Genius!
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I often get obsessed with a colour and let it flood into every aspect of my life, and right now chartreuse is it! Halfway between a yellow and a green, Poison* from Femme Fatale Cosmetics is a mind blowingly beautiful eyeshadow. I am currently trialling a bunch of the FFC shades and am impressed, and this is the star in my eyes. Have been wearing this so frequently, bright eyes were abundant in May!
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Though it is winter, I've been running around like mad organising the engagement, working and finishing up my final semester of uni, so this Rexona Clinical Protection* deodorant was an important product for me.
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Juicy Couture's Dirty English is one of my staple scents that I'm worried has been discontinued, but have been using regardless. It's spicy, addictive and great for colder weather, and is actually a male cologne that I bought for Chris years ago. It never sat well on him so I claimed it, and a few bottles later here this one lies.
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Sad to say that my skin has seen better days, and so the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion was out in full force this month! I whack this on the spots at night and rinse it off in the morning, and it stops them erupting into large, sore blighters!
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Following along the lines of FFC's Poison, MAC's Bitter was a frequent star in my eye looks during May. My favourite was wearing both Bitter and Poison together, to create a lemon/lime sort of idea (my Mum adored the look, which helped!) This shadow is great with a slick of black liner, and is good for brightening up dreary winter moods!

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Speaking of black liner, the essence Midnight in Paris gel liner is my favourite right now! The formula is long-lasting and easy to use, and I use my NP Set* liner brush to apply it. I now find it easier to create flicks and wings, and I have been enjoying playing around with this little pot.
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Of course YSL is making an appearance in my favourites, they are my brand of the moment and this Rouge Volupte in 01 Nude Beige was a perfect pairing with my brighter eye looks. Can't rave about these enough, this is an amazing lipstick.
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One thing I have been consistent with this past month or so is treating my face to a replenishing mask. Mask of choice? Jurlique's Intense Recovery Mask, which was inside a beauty box and is a large sample tube. Chris likes this one as well, and I find it really calming and I like that it is a green shade, the funnier my face looks when a mask is on the better.

What rocked your socks last month?

*These products were provided for consideration, which does not sway my feelings about them. Honesty, always.

a face, featuring Danmari and drugstore wonders

Days without make up just aren't doing it for me lately. I feel like I need that little bit of creativity in the morning to jump start my day. This is the face I painted on the other day to celebrate one of my nephew's birthdays in the park with his mothers group- was such a lovely day, filled with chatter, lollies and running around with little ones.

This is my fallback look, I wear quite a lot of coral and orange so it goes with that really well.

I like quite a heavy blush, and this was no exception.

A simple wash of a champagne neutral over the lid and my Lancome Doll Eyes mascara.

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Most of these items are my favourites of the moment, and so you might see them in my January favourites as well. It's mostly drugstore/priceline stuff, with a touch of high end in there.

Danmari palette: Nars Orgasm

Danmari palette: Nars Hungry Heart highlighter

 Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

 Loujene brow powder (darkest one)

Ardell clear brow gel

Essence gel liner in Midnight in Paris

Revlon Super Lustrous gloss in Coral Reef

Maybelline Color Sensational in Coral Pop

L'Oreal Color Infallible in Sahara Treasure

Hidden away are the Dove tinted moisturiser (beige) and Lancome Doll Eyes mascara.

My most common FOTD's tend to feature coral lips...

How often do you wear a coral/orange lip?

What are some of your favourite coral products?

(All items featured in this post were purchased by me, except for Sahara Treasure + Nars Danmari palette (Christmas gifts from Chris) and Dream Matte Powder (gift from best friend Candice). Honesty,always.)