Halloween Series - Poison Ivy

Hi lovelies! Today I've got another Halloween look for you :) This is definitely my favourite kind of makeup! At Halloween you can be so creative and use lots of different colours and products that you wouldn't normally use. One of my all time favourite looks is Poison Ivy. I love Uma Thurman's portrayal of the villainous Ivy in the Batman movie and with the long, bright red hair clashed with the green, it's just a perfect fancy dress idea for this time of year!

 

 

I wanted to create a softer, comic book inspired look, almost cartoon like, which is why I drew the leaves on and added the bright red veins. I also (like with most things) wanted to add a girly touch with the gold glitter :) You could of course, stick on some fake leaves instead of drawing them which I think would look amazing, I also wish I'd had a red wig to really pull the look together, but hey it's all about the makeup!

 

- Firstly, apply your base as normal.

 

- Using a contour brush and a green eyeshadow, contour your cheeks making sure to really blend the colour out & add a darker green to deepen it.

 

- Using the same green eyeshadow, contour the sides of your nose starting at your brows. Really exaggerate it!

 

- Apply a white creamy eyeshadow base to your eyelids, such as NYX jumbo pencil in 'milk'.

 

- Using a flat eyeshadow brush, pack on a light or lime green all over your lids, then use a soft brown to blend through the crease with a blending brush.

 

- Apply a dark green to your outer corners in a V shade, then blend any harsh edges with your blending brush.

 

- To deepen up that outer V, apply a small amount of matte black eyeshadow on a pencil brush, then blend again.

 

- Apply black gel liner quite thickly and flick out at the end until it's level with the end of your eyebrow. Then add lots of mascara and false lashes if you want to.

- Apply some of the light green eyeshadow to your inner corner as well as under your eye, then add some of the darker green to the outer part to darken it up. Then add gel liner to your water line.

 

- Using a small angled brush (slightly wet) and a red eyeshadow, draw on veins running from under your eyes onto your cheekbones.

 

- Fill in your eyebrows using a small angled brush and a red eyeshadow.

 

- Take your creamy white eyeliner pencil again and draw on the shape of the leaves, then colour in. On top of that white base, using any eyeshadow brush, apply a green eyeshadow (quite light).

 

- Take a small pointed eyeliner brush with some eyelash glue and create little lines running through the leaves, then add some gold glitter on top of the glue.

 

- Apply a red lip liner, then red lipstick (I used Ruby Woo by MAC), then use your finger to dab on some gold glitter onto the centre of your lips.

 

And there's the Poison Ivy look complete!

 

Hope you liked it and be sure to check out another Halloween look within the next few days :)  

Halloween Series - Sugar Skull

Halloween is just around the corner! And it's at this time of year that I wish I lived in America. Seriously, those guys know how to celebrate it! I love nosing through pinterest at all the awesome Halloween costume & party food ideas which always seem to be pinned by someone in the States. Here in the UK we really don't seem to bother with Halloween any more, I don't even get any trick or treaters :( But in my house we still go all out! My little boy always dresses up (he's a werewolf this year) and the dog normally dresses up too...much to her dismay. I love decorating the house with spooky bits and pieces but what I love most is all the Halloween makeup ideas. So, I decided to try my hand at a few of my favourites and give my own take on them. Over the next week or so, I'll be posting a few different makeup looks with step by step guides and today it's all about the Mexican Sugar Skull.

 

I'm sure you've seen Sugar Skull photos all over the internet, it's the perfect look for Halloween because there's so many different variations. I wanted to make mine quite girly with pinks, purples and a bit of glitter.

 

(Would just like to apologise in advance for the pink dressing gown in most of the photos!)

 

 

 

First, I applied a foundation much lighter than my skin tone and also mixed it with a white creamy face paint to make it even lighter.

 

I then used a thick black eyeliner pencil to draw on the eye sockets and the nose, then coloured them in.

Using the same black eyeliner, I then started adding more detail, including a cobweb with an upside down heart and a design on my chin. I know I messed up the cobweb :( it was hard to get it neat! I also drew the scalloped design around my eyes and coloured them in using a purple NYX jumbo pencil. I coloured the other designs in and then used a pink eyeshadow to add shading to the cobweb and also to contour.

 

I used the creamy white face paint to add highlights to my eyes and nose, then used a bronze liquid glitter liner to draw on some swirls and colour in the heart.

 

 

I decided to add 2 teardrops on my forehead and also lined my waterline with the purple liner.

 

To finish the look, I applied a bright pink lipstick then used a liquid eyeliner to add the smile lines and stitching effect.

 

 And there you have it :) I'm going to be posting a Poison Ivy look in the next couple of days so keep an eye out for that and if you have any requests then let me know in the comments!

Current Favourites

I hope you're having a fabulous October so far! The temperature has noticeably dropped during the past few days, so we're officially on our way to winter... I have to admit, I hate the colds and bugs that come with the change in weather but I've (weirdly) been enjoying the chill :)

 

I thought it was time for another favourites post! It was quite hard narrowing it down as I've discovered a lot of goodies during the past month or so, but I've chosen my top picks, the products that have really stood out.

 

 



 

MAC 'Rebel'

 

I've mentioned this lipstick a lot recently, so I won't ramble on about it, but I received this in a beauty swap a couple of weeks ago and I've worn it alot since then. It's the perfect purple/plum shade for Autumn and I adore the formula (satin) too.

 

£15.00

 

 

Clarins Toning Lotion with Iris

 

This toner is for combo-oily skin and I've been loving how gentle but effective it is. It removes any last traces of makeup after cleansing but doesn't dry out my skin, in fact it leaves my face feeling soft, smooth and clean. It has a slight scent to it, but nothing that noticeable.

 

£18.00

 

 

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me

 

As the name suggests, this is the Cherry version of the much hyped Baby Lips. I actually bought a couple of these on ebay when they were only available in the US, but I grabbed this one when they hit the UK and I can't get enough of it. I love cherries! And the scent is so strong. I know it's just a lip balm but on the days I've not been wearing Rebel I've just been applying this to keep my lips shiny and moisturised and it also gives my lips a lovely deep pink tint.

 

£2.99

 

 

Herbal Essences 'Hello Hydration' Intensive Mask with Coconut Extract

 

Wow, that's a mouthful... I haven't really been fussed about Herbal Essences in the past, but I noticed a lot of bloggers and vloggers going mad for their new products, particularly the Bee Strong range, but being a lover of coconut I decided to give this mask a go. It's really affordable and you get a lot of product too, I love the coconut scent as it's not too overpowering but just sweet enough :) I have to say I was hugely impressed with this! I also picked up the regular conditioner from the same range which is also good but this really blew me away. For a drugstore brand, I couldn't believe how soft this made my hair. I've been using it for about 3-4 weeks (once or twice a week) and I've definitely noticed a huge difference, my hair is super soft and just looks to be in much better condition. This is definitely worth a try!

 

£4.19

 

 

Miracle Oil

 

I won this in a giveaway and I'd heard it's a great dupe for the much loved Moroccan Oil, so I was excited to give it a go. Wow. It's seriously awesome stuff! I've never tried Moroccan Oil, so I can't comment on any similarities there but this is the best hair oil I've tried so far. I apply a small amount (the size of a 50p) to damp hair, concentrating on the ends and then dry my hair as normal. When I first used this, I was shocked! My ends were so soft and felt like I'd just had a fresh haircut! This may seriously be a holy grail product for me. I use it almost every time I wash my hair and the results are just brilliant. I looked up the price for this and it's much cheaper than the popular alternative.

 

£13.50

 

 

Vaseline 'Cocoa Radiance' Moisturising Lotion

 

Another drugstore gem! I love anything that smells of cocoa butter and this is seriously yummy! It's a medium consistency which I prefer to thicker body butters and it sinks straight into the skin without leaving me feeling greasy. Not much more to say on that really but I've been using it non stop during the past month.

 

£4.99

 

 

Yankee Candle 'Salted Caramel'

 

If you read my Autumn Tag then you'll know I've had my eye on this baby for a while! This is definitely the time of year to enjoy some scrummy scented candles and I've been really loving this one. It's sweet smelling but with a slight salty edge and it's perfect for Autumn.

 

£8.39 (Small jar)

 



Autumn Inspired Makeup Look

Don't worry I'm not going to ramble on about how much I love Autumn...again! :) But I did want to share a makeup look I wore last week which was inspired by Autumn colours.

 

I recently received MAC's Rebel lipstick in a beauty swap with a fellow blogger and I literally jumped for joy when I saw it! It's been on my wishlist for so long and I can finally wear it. For those of you that aren't familiar, it's a hugely popular shade for this time of year, in the packaging it looks to be a deep, dark purple which looks a bit scary but once applied it's a lighter almost pink toned plum shade that literally screams Autumn :)

 

 

I love experimenting with statement lip colours so I came up with this makeup look using my much loved Rebel and paired it with a pop of emerald green. Hope you like it!

 

 

 

 

Firstly, I applied my base as normal (I've really been loving Max Factor's new whipped crème foundation, definitely worth a try if you have oily skin!) I also contoured slightly and added a neutral blush so as not to take attention away from the lips and eyes.

 

I then applied a concealer as an eyeshadow base and packed on a light matte cream shade all over my lid.

 

I blended a small amount of soft matte brown through the crease to add some definition, then applied a shimmery white shade to my inner corner as a highlight.

 

I used a Body Shop eyeliner in emerald green under my lower lash line to use as a base and then with a pencil brush applied a shimmery green eyeshadow over it. I blended it out very slightly to avoid a harsh line.

 

I added mascara and voila! Eyes done :)

 

I used a lip balm on my lips then rubbed them with a cotton bud to remove any dry skin. Rebel isn't totally matte but it's close to it, so it could be a little bit drying on the lips. Once my lips were nice and smooth I applied the lipstick!

 

Such a simple look but I love plum and emerald green together :)

Laura Mercier Body Souffle - Creme De Pistache

Recently I was lucky enough to win a pretty amazing blog giveaway by the lovely Laura at LibertyLovesMakeup who has become one of my lovely blogging friends and is genuinely a sweetheart :) Honestly, have a nose at her blog because it's fab. Anyway, when I entered this particular giveaway I had everything crossed because the prizes were right up my alley! I won an Alpha H Balancing Cleanser, Miracle Oil (dupe for Moroccan Oil) and this little gem, the Laura Mercier Body Souffle in Crème de Pistache (or Pistachio to us common folk).

 



I'm going to review the Alpha H cleanser in a few weeks when I've given it a thorough test drive and the same with the Miracle Oil, so if they're of interest to you then make sure to click the follow button so you don't miss them. But today, we're focussing on this luxurious little gem.

 

I am fast becoming a huge Laura Mercier fan, I love the Silk Crème foundation too and I had been desperate to try one of these body soufflés after having a sniff of them all in Selfridges a few months ago. By the way, whoever names these products is a sales genius! How can we resist things like 'silk creme' and 'souffle'? Anyway this is basically a body cream but it's heavily scented and super thick and creamy. Let's start by saying this smells divine! Literally smells like rubbing pistachio ice cream all over you (except it's not that cold), but you get the idea. Although it looks really thick in the tub, once applied it sinks into your skin and leaves you feeling soft and moisturised but without any greasiness. Perfect!

 

 

 

If you're near to a Laura Mercier counter than I highly recommend having a sniff of their soufflés. They have a Crème Brulee one which quite frankly I very nearly ate when I tried it... I do prefer this scent though. It almost has a slight marzipan smell to it, so if you like marzipan, you'll love this! They also have Fresh Fig, Almond & Coconut and Ambre Vanille. Yum.

 

I'm definitely going to save this for special occasions... Although I'm not quite sure what constitutes a special occasion for body cream? But I do know I won't be using this every day as it's just too luxurious (and very expensive!) Due to the price and general high end feel of it, I think it would make a beautiful Christmas present, so get it on your list for Santa girls!

 

If you fancy treating yourself, you can pick them up at Space NK for £43.50. Yikes! - Link

Benefit's Rockateur Blush

Can we just take a minute to admire this downright beautiful blush.

 

 

 

 

Ok minute over, let's discuss. This is Benefit's latest blush offering and for me, it's perfection. I love deep rosy pink blushes as they suit my skin tone but this is a pretty universal shade. It'd look gorgeous on darker skin tones too so it's one of those shades that anyone can work with. It looks rather shimmery in the box, but when it's applied it creates more of a sheen (depending on how heavily you apply it), it's pretty well pigmented so you don't need a lot if you're on the paler side but it's certainly buildable.

 

This is the first Benefit blush I've owned, yep not lying! I was always tempted by the various shades but for some reason I never ended up purchasing any. However, as soon as I saw this on one of FleurDeForce's YouTube videos and then noticed it popping up on lots of my favourite blogs, I knew I had to see what the fuss was about and I wasn't disappointed! Like I said, it's slightly shimmery but for Autumn/Fall I love a bit of shimmer. I tend to move away (albeit only slightly) from bronzer during the colder months, preferring a rosy glow on the cheeks, so this fits the bill.

 

There are two things I don't like about this product. The first is the packaging. I believe Fleur said the same thing, but it's quite cheap and tacky looking with the gold snake print and lace. I get what they were trying to do with the whole 'rock chick' vibe but maybe just black lace and a few studs would've been better? I also don't like the box it's housed in. I've always disliked that when looking at other Benefit blushes and maybe that's why I held off on buying any. The blush is quite low down in the packaging, making it a bit more difficult to get your brush in there, it's nothing major but I just think a standard blush compact would be more user friendly. Who knows, but to be honest I'm not entirely fussed about that as the actual blush speaks for itself and it's fabulous.

 

Rockateur blush £23.50 - Link

 

Are you tempted to try this one? 

 

 

My First 'Empties' Post!

I love reading empties posts, which is slightly weird, but I'm just nosy and like to know what products fellow bloggers have used up :) I actually really like the feeling of finishing a product, mainly because it means I can purchase something else! This is my first empties post and I could've done one sooner but I tend to throw (or recycle) the empty bottles and tubs without thinking. Finally I've saved up a few goodies to tell you about.

 

 

 

 

The Body Shop - Mango Body Butter £13

 

This actually went quite quickly because there isn't a huge amount in the tub. That's a bit annoying considering the price, but it smells delicious so it's forgiven :) This will probably shock a few people as I know how well loved these body butters are but I actually find it a bit too thick in consistency. I'm much more of a 'body lotion' kind of girl as I like to use something that's moisturising but quite light, this is down to the fact that I hate my skin to feel wet or greasy after applying body products. Don't get me wrong, it's lovely for those evenings when my skin feels particularly dry and I need something like this to really sort it out, but in all honesty I'm not in love with it.

 

Repurchase? Probably not as there's so many cheaper alternatives that I prefer

 

 

Frizz-Ease Intensive Masque £5.89

 

This was a great masque discovery for me, it feels as though it really nourishes my hair, giving it a full on injection of moisture and leaves it feeling soft which is the most important thing for me when using hair treatments. I used this a couple of times a week, leaving it on my hair for about five minutes and it ticked all the boxes for me.

 

Repurchase? Yes definitely.

 

 

Ted Baker Body Spray £2.50

 

Bit of a random product that caught my eye in Boots a couple of months ago. I wanted a handbag sized spray I could take with me on the go and I was drawn to the pretty packaging with this one. It smelt so good! Like strawberries and vanilla, so definitely more suited to those with a liking for super sweet scents :) It's pretty cheap and fits perfectly in a makeup bag.

 

Repurchase? Yep!

 

 

Batiste Dry Shampoo £2.25

 

Not going to say much about this because I think pretty much everyone has used Batiste in their lifetime. It's a decent dry shampoo that sorts out any greasiness in between washes and I've pretty much tried every version of this. The one thing I don't like is the white powder that's left in your hair once sprayed on but once I've massaged it in, it's not a problem. I would like to try another dry shampoo so any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

Repurchase? Hmm, yes if I can't find another brand to try.

 

 

Avene Cleanance Lotion £10.50

 

This is a moisturiser predominantly for oily skin and I'll be honest here, I love it! It's quite a light gel formula with no scent and feels really fresh and gentle on my face. It doesn't dry out my skin but certainly doesn't feel greasy either. I really like Avene as their products are so natural and their Cleanance range is a great option for those of us with excess oil! The only downside is how small the tube is for the price.

 

Repurchase? At some point in the future, but at the moment I'm using something different.

 

 

Schwarzkopf Gliss - Liquid Silk Conditioning Spray £1.78

 

I bought this a few months ago after seeing Kayleigh talk about it in a blog post and I love it. I spray it liberally over damp hair and brush through. Once dried, my hair feels super soft and lovely :) It's really affordable too and you get a lot of product. It took me ages to use up as I alternate between some other conditioning sprays but this one is a firm favourite.

 

Repurchase? Yes, once I've used up my many other alternatives!



 

 

The Autumn Tag

I've seen a couple of these tag posts popping up and I'll be honest, no one has tagged me *sad face* but I'm going to do the Autumn Tag regardless! :) I love Autumn and everything about it, in fact (and please don't think I'm weird), I love it more than Summer. Don't get me wrong, by Winter I'm moaning about the cold weather and having to wear coats constantly but at the moment I'm excited for all things Autumn!

 

 

For Autumn, what is your...

 

Favourite thing about it

 

I think just the general feeling of Autumn! I love the crisp, cold weather, the golden brown leaves on the ground and the fact that I can dig out my scarves and chunky knit jumpers to get me through the cold weather. I also love staying in through the colder months, I'm not a huge 'going out, clubbing' kinda gal anyway but especially when it's chucking it down and bitterly cold, I love to be curled up with my little boy on the sofa, watching movies and drinking hot chocolate.

 

Favourite drink

 

So I know I just mentioned hot chocolate and I definitely do love that but I have to say that I get super excited when I go to Costa just as Summer's ending and they start to change up their menu for Autumn. I love their themed drinks for this time of year like their gingerbread lattes and their toffee nut mochas etc. So I'd have to say that Costa's yummy, calorific coffee is a firm favourite.

 

Favourite scent /candle

 

I do love candles, but I don't really have any. I do have some Yankee Candle tarts (basically small discs of scented wax that you burn as apposed to an actual candle) and I particularly like the Cinnamon Stick scent which is perfect for Autumn/Winter. I would love to try Yankee Candle's Salted Caramel this year, so I may treat myself to that.

 

Best lipstick

 

I recently mentioned a gorgeous plum lipstick by Bourjois in a previous post which you can read here, it's called Violine Strass and it's from their Rouge Edition range. It looks to be a dead on dupe for MAC's Rebel which I don't own but would like to :) I definitely love a berry or plum lip for Autumn as it's the perfect time of year to get away with such a statement shade. But I also love my lip balms too as my lips tend to get very dry once the colder weather hits.

 

Go-to moisturiser

 

I'd normally say something to help with dry skin due to the time of year, but to be honest my skin is still getting pretty oily throughout the day so I'd have to say Origin's Zero Oil moisturiser. I've only been using it for just over a week but I'm really chuffed with it! It's great for reducing oil and keeping skin matte but I know this won't be much use for a lot of people, who tend to have dryer skin in the colder months.

 

Go-to colour for the eyes

 

If I'm rocking the plum lipstick then I'd keep the eyes neutral, but I actually love Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate at the moment, it's a gorgeous deep, plum colour with flecks of gold and it looks lovely on the lid with a soft brown blended through the crease. I pair it with a nude lip and it's a great alternative for Autumn.

 

Favourite music or band/singer to listen to

 

I can't say my music choices change with the seasons, I'm quite a 'chart' girl at heart and I love anything catchy and upbeat. I really like 'Counting Stars' by OneRepublic at the moment, it's a lovely song with great lyrics, if you haven't heard it then I definitely recommend checking it out.

 

Favourite outfit

 

I love Autumn fashion. Chunky scarves, jumpers and anything warm! I especially love choosing some comfy Autumn boots and a coat to see me through the colder months. I like the khaki parka coats with a bit of fur or leather, making them much edgier and interesting. I also like to change up my handbag choices, going from pastels or brighter colours from the Summer and instead using darker bags, maybe with some studded detail.

 

Autumn treat (what do you have your eye on?)

 

Where do I begin! If I have to narrow it down, I'd say a big cosy parka I've got my eye on from ASOS and as I mentioned before I'd like to buy MAC's Rebel lipstick this year, plus the Salted Caramel candle from Yankee Candle :)

 

I hope you enjoyed reading my Autumn Tag! I certainly enjoyed writing it and it's put me in the mood to light a candle and have a huge cup of tea... By the way if you've done this tag then do leave your links below as I'd love to read them! Here are the lovely ladies I'm tagging.

 

 

Charlotte from Looks2BLoved

Laura from Liberty Loves Makeup

Liza from Glam Beautys

Hannah from Cosmetic Crave

Rebekah from The Other Words



 

 

Also, make sure to check out their blogs as they are all lovely girls with fabulous blogs and I love reading all of them!