Thursday, 28 November 2013

Monthly Favourites - November 2013 + Mini Reviews

Hi all! We're heading into December and that means Christmasss (me stating the obvious). I wanted my blog to emanate that Christmas spirit, and even though my winter theme contradicts the two LOVELY seasons we experience in Trinidad, I like it a lot :) .

Today I'm sharing with you my favourites for the month of November. I actually don't do a favourites post every month since I usually don't have that much new products to talk about. However, this month I do! I basically grabbed my most used products of November and any others I absolutely love. 

Onto my favourites!


MAKEUP

I'll first talk about the brushes, my Real Techniques stippling brush and Sephora airbrush concealer brush, both of which I use every time I apply makeup. I know they're dirty, sorry, but I use them all the time, so they don't stay clean very long (feel free to check out my brush cleaning routine here). Now, the stippling brush I use to create a flawless base with my foundation and it does an amazing job. It works well with my foundation to create both an even skin tone and a smooth finish. Then I go in with the concealer brush to cover up any blemishes or dark spots showing through, and so far this is the best brush I've used for that.

Since I was not that big on lips in the past I never invested in a lipliner. When I saw the NYX retractable ones I decided to give it a try. I loveeee (one e is just not enough) this colour! Its #16 Plum and it's the perfect colour for me as it matches well with most of my other lip colours. I've been enjoying wearing it alone though, with just a lip balm under to prevent it from being too dry. If you love plum colours like me, you'd very much enjoy this lip liner.

I'm pretty sure you all know about the Benefit They're Real mascara and how amazing it is, so it's no surprise its a favourite. Basically it does a fantastic job at lengthening and giving you fuller lashes. I also got compliments and questions when I used it a few times.

For cheeks, I have been loving two blushes, Smashbox Blush Rush in Heartbreak and NYX stick blush in #5 Tea Rose. When I want a perfect long lasting blush, especially when I have on a full face, I grab Heartbreak. I just looks really nice on my skin tone and goes with almost anything else I have on my face. It is also easy to blend and build on. However, for those natural faced days, Tea Rose does the trick. The creamy texture gives a more natural flush to the face and the colour is just so pretty.

Even though Mac's blush in Blunt is traditionally used for contouring, I use it on my eyes. Its a great matte brown colour that can be used alone or with many other colours to create a really pretty eye look. Definitely look at your other face products, like your blushes and bronzers, and try them as eye shadows. Aside from that, it is also a great contour colour.


EVERYTHING ELSE


I have naturally wavy/ curly hair that can get both oily and frizzy so I always look for hair products that can counteract that. In my last favourites I talked about the Suave Keratin Infusion conditioner which I still use and love and I pair it with the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo. Its a favourite because I dont have anything bad to say about it. It does a good job in making my hair feel clean and nice and I enjoy the smell.

So I can't be the only girl who hates having to shave their legs. It's just tiring and boring and you have to do it so often! These Gillette Venus shaving cartridges with olay are the bomb and make the task a little easier (I'm afraid I sound lazy). They're so creamy and nice and give a really precise, clean shave. I just wish they weren't so expensive, but I think its worth it.

My mom recently got me The "Wet" Brush...(wha?) Yeah, it's basically a brush to use on wet hair and detangles like a charm. This thing is also the bomb. I usually use a comb to detangle my wet hair and distribute conditioner throughout my hair when I wash it. This does a way way better job at detangling my hair. Plus it's just fun to use okay...Seriously though, if you have really hard to detangle hair when its wet, invest in this brush.

Finally, my last favourite is the Coach Poppy Citrine Blossom perfume. Really fun, fresh, citrus-y scent that I also got compliments on. If you don't usually like the fruity, sweet scents, try this one out.


That was longer than I expected but I hope you enjoyed nontheless. Let me know your favourite products of the month in the comments below, I'd be happy to read them. Thank you plenty for your time!


Tuesday, 5 November 2013

From Day To Night: A Makeup Look + Easy Winged Liner

Hello everyone! Today I was in the mood to do a full face of makeup and decided to blog about it. I have a lot of fun sharing with you the looks I come up with, so, this one is gonna be a tutorial/ makeup look/ day to night makeup...er... you'll understand. I did use a mixture of high end and drugstore makeup.

Quick side note: I usually buy my makeup at Superpharm or Total Care in Trinidad and all the high end makeup shown was purchased at both Ulta and Sephora when I was abroad. If you are looking for higher end makeup to buy in Trinidad, Total Care Pharmacy sells a decent amount and I'm always surprised when they have the latest makeup products. If you know other places in Trinidad that sells high end products (besides mac) let me know!

Onto the makeup looks!

PRODUCTS


Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder, Smashbox Blush Rush in Heartbreak, Benefit The Pore fessional, Make Up For Ever Pro HD Foundation, Maybelline NY Dream Bouncy Blush in #20 Peach Satin,  Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder & L'Oreal True Match Super- Blendable Crayon Concealer




Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara, Mac Lipstick in Amorous, Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, Mac Powder Blush in Blunt, Revlon ColorStay Gel Eyeliner in Black, Rimmel London Lipgloss in Razzle Dazzle and Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter in #090 Sweet Tart


DAY LOOK


The steps are pretty straightforward so I won't go into detail. I basically created a simple winged liner with a reddish brown colour blended in the crease (I used mac's blunt which is a blush but I love using it as an eye shadow). I finished off with some mascara and thats it!



For face makeup, I used my beauty blender to apply my foundation since it gives a flawless finish without it looking cakey or heavy. I applied a very light amount of bronzer and a creamy pink blush to keep the look fresh and natural. I finished off with a light pink lip colour and gloss. I also kept my hair natural and loose. 



TRANSITION INTO NIGHT

To take this look into night, add some black eye shadow to the lids and blend well. Also, blend some of the same black shadow on the lower lash line. Using a black pencil liner, line your water line as well as tight line. Finally highlight your brow bone and tear duct area with a shimmery white shadow. 

For your face, apply a deeper blush colour to your cheeks as well as a darker lip colour. Super easy right?



Night time look with updo

I had a lot of fun with this and I encourage you to try it out. Let me know if you enjoyed this post. Hopefully I inspired you to create your own fun day to night looks. If you have any questions or feedback feel free to leave it in the comments (you don't need an account to comment, you can select "Name/URL" when commenting and simply type in your name!)

Before you leave, check out my previous blog post, a review of Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Mascara!