Rock and Chic Taylor Momsen

I bought a few things from New Look last week and picked up the free magazine thinking ooooo I like her make-up. When I read it I realized it was Gossip Girl Taylor Momsen.
She has a Debbie Harry/Madonna/Courtney Love feel about her.
That platinum hair and smokey eye is a combination perfect for any rock chick. It's something you would see Kate Moss wear with ease, I show you that you don't need to be wild or have that amazingly bright hair to pull off this look.
F.Y.I I wore this through the day with my hat and skinny jeans and felt every part an eligible band member. I wish... but I did feel nice :)

What I used.

Face

• Bobbi Brown foundation in Sand

Eyes

• Urban Decay Primer lotion
• Hi Ho Silver by Jesse's Girl
• Stila onyx khol pencil ( you could use M.A.C smoulder or feline)
• Urban Decay Jabberwocky -black
• Coastal Scent silver eyeliner
• Urban Decay Madhatter - brown
• M.A.C Black track
• M.A.C no 7 lashes

Lips

• Prestige Silk lipliner
• M.A.C Prr lipgloss

How to- 

1. Apply a small amount of UDPP
2. On the inner corner of the lid add Hi Ho silver
3. Take the Stila eye khol and rim the eye and smooth the lower lashline with a sponge tip applicator
4. On the upper lashline wing the eyeliner out to create a cat look
5. Once you have smoothed your desired shape then apply a black on top getting lighter towards the inner corner
6. Add more Hi Ho silver on the inner corner to blend with the black
7. Blend
8. Add a silver cream liner to the inner corner to brighten the area
9. Line the upper lash line, I used M.A.C blacktrack
10. Add mascara and lashes
11. On the lower lashline add some brown underneath the smudged black to create shadow.
12. Done :)

I love the heavey smokey eye, if your daring wear with a light eyebrow fro a modern touch

Going Green?

I had never thought about actually wearing green nail varnish until I was sent some in my winners bag from O.C.C. It's a deep emerald green colour really beautiful, I wore it when I had nail extensions and loved it. I got asked loads of questions about it and when I said who it was by quite alot of people mostly outside of the US didn't know who they were.
O.C.C known as obsessive compulsive cosmetics started out with just 2 lipbalms and now they have a huge line of fabulous products.

Check them out here - http://www.occmakeup.com/pcp.html

This led me to buy the mint green nail varnish by Barry M and until today had never worn it. I felt strange seeing these bright green nails but I'm getting used to it. The colour is perfect for spring as all the pastel colours are fashionable in clothing, make-up and nails.
Barry M was created by Barry Mero and has actually been around since 1982, started in London his line has progressed to Superdrug and ASOS.

Check them out here - http://www.barrym.com/

The OCC polish is $8
The Barry M is 304 in Mint green

Here's what I'm wearing today. Wear with girly prints and tea dresses or rock out with skinny jeans and studded vests.

 Barry M and OCC

This is one coat of polish, for a even finish apply 2 coats and finish with top coat

As always use a base coat especially as this could stain.

Are you braving green this spring?

Gaga's honey bee killing spree

So this is my second Lady Gaga look from her "telephone" video.I chose the scene where she brings honey out to Beyonce and Tyrese.
She wear a plastic apron and chefs hat but thats not the crazy part, she has a telephone receiver covered in yellow hair over one eye and the cord around her head.
I had neither of these all I had was straw and a plaited metallic hairband.
The wig I had intended to wear was not her colour so looked really odd so I ditched the wig and just curled my own hair.
Here's the finished look, as with the other one I wanted to do a picture slightly arty so it looks like a painting.

What I used

Eyes

• M.A.C Espresso on eyebrows
• M.A.C Carbon on eyebrows
• M.A.C Gesso all over lid
• M.A.C Blacktrack as eyeliner
• Ardell wispie lashes
• Loreal voluminous mascara

Lips

• M.A.C Magenta lipliner
• M.A.C Clear gloss
• Go cosmetics eyeshadow no 4

How to

1. Fill in the brows with the brown and black eyeshadow
2. Using a matte white (gesso) wash the entire eye
3. Apply eyeliner to the upper and lower lashline  and exaggerate the inner and outer corners with a fine tip brush.I used Benefits get bent brush
4. Apply your falsies, corner lashes would be ideal.
5. Once the glue is dry fill in any gaps with eyeliner and apply a little mascara.
6. To the lips apply a violet lipstick, I mixed an eyeshadow with clear gloss but please make sure you read the label to make sure you can use on the lips.
7. Keep the skin matte and bright, I used a pale foundation and powdered over the top with a setting powder.

Enjoy your look xx

I heart vintage bags

I love vintage bags, they're unique, worn in and the best bit...everyone isn't walking round with it!

Don't get me wrong I have a favourite bag which is my beloved Marc Jacobs which is only 1 year old so hardly vintage or unique but these beautes are a close second.

My first Vintage bag purchase was the red Gucci number from ebay for a reasonable £40, It can be worn as a side bag or clutch.It looks lovely against all black as it gives a bright pop of colour.I wear this with red lips for an all round vintage look.

The second was a gift from my partners sister who has a online boutique selling vintage clothes, it's the orange/brown clutch that can also be worn on the side. I am using this all the time lately as nude coloured clothes are dominating the highstreet so I found this bag compliments them well.

High street vintage?

The others are what high street call "vintage" but they should really say "vintage style" never the less they are equally beautiful and well designed but for me they lack the personallity of it's previous travels.

Believe it or not these 3 were very cheap, the gold one was about £4 from a footwear store, the shell bag was £4 from Primark and the beige box clutch was £6 from Asda.

Alot of celebs opt for this vintage look those I admire are the Olsen twins and Nicole Richie , they ooze style and presence.Although I feel a little sick when they wear animals that part is awful but the rest is effortless.

If you are interested in the shell bag Primark still have them and they come in blue and beige.

Buy the blue one for that Parisian sailor feel for summer and wear with high waist shorts.

Where do you get your vintage?

Are you into vintage or do you hate the idea of owning something used?

Sexy smoke with Sigma

I wanted to create a smokey look that was pretty, soft and low maintenance. All I used was the Sigma smokey palette and a M.A.C eyeshadow. It means no eyeliner to smudge and re-apply or false lashes to bother with. It's quick look that looks professional.

This is the Sigma palette, firstly before I explain what I used for this look I want to give you my opinion on each eyeshadow incase you were thinking of buying it and needed some users thoughts.

As with the neautral palette I used you can either transport each eyeshadow seperately or all together in the quad.

• Shine a light- A shimmer white, very chalky 
• Start me up-A pale grey, nice colour but chunky particles which always puts me off an eyeshadow.
• You got the silver- A lovely steel grey but not very pigmented but if you layer this up it works well.
• Paint it black- A very dark grey/black, shimmery and intense one swipe and you get loads of colour. This is the best colour in the palette. I adore this shade and rate it over M.A.C black tied!

Step by step

1. Put a primer on the eyelid up to the brow bone
2. Take "Indian Girl" from the Sigma neutral palette and place on the inner and outer corner
3. Pat "You've got the silver" into the middle of your eyelid to make it pop
4. Apply "brown eyed girl" from the Sigma neutral palette on the inner and outer corner
5. Apply a matte white to the brow bone as a highlight
6. Using a blending brush apply a matte grey to the crease I used M.A.C scene eyeshadow
7. Using "Paint it black" on a small shadow brush pat into the inner and outer corner again to create the dimension.
8. Apply a light grey under the lower lashline with a pencil brush
9. Curl lashes and apply mascara 
10. Done :)

To view the tutorial click below

Hope you like it

Recent jewellery buys

I love vintage style jewellery as well as big bangles and dinky little cute necklaces,
Here's my newest buys how I wear them and where they're from
I get asked about my jewellery on YouTube all the time so I will blog my buys for you guys to see.

First up a vintage style pink/white bead bracelet. I love the floral beads on this one. It is a one off made by a clothes designer called Marie. Let me know if your interested in buying one, I like to wear this with either a plain T and jeans or a girly tea dress.

These cutie pie necklaces are from Accessorize in the UK.I like layering thin gold necklaces so I choose ones with different length chains.
The Cupcake one sits the highest the the Geisha doll hangs lower. Both were £6.00

I was so in love with the Geisha girl that I bought a matching keyring but I don't have a picture.
I layer about 4 of these pendant necklaces at once for that vintage feel. I wear these with v or heart neck  dresses so they are the main focus.

Next up are these vintage style mint green and gold earrings. These are very smart and I feel so lady like wearing them. These were £2.50 from Primark, a bargain!

Speaking of Primark these 3 bangles were also from there and really cheap, I can't remember the exact price for them all but it ranges from £3.00-£4.00
Mint green is hot for this summer as it's a beautiful pastel colour, so wear with this seasons greige and soft pinks.
Florals is also a trend this summer so I definately wanted to snap this up, I picked a colour from it (in this case blue) and found a matching bangle to wear it with.
These would look gorgeous with a tan, so if your going on holiday this year go and get yourself one of these.

It cost me around £35 for all of these, a real bargain I'd say. My tip is to buy little and often rather than in one go as jewellery can become expensive and trends change so quick.

Where's your favourite place to buy your jewellery?

Smelling of Roses

This is just a quick post about some Lush products I bought this week.

I wanted to treat myself to some skin smoothing smellies so I popped into Lush.

I'm not a huge fan of this brand as I hate soaps (they're unhygienic) and not keen on bath bombs,

However I though I would look to find a nice body scrub. I did find one but I also left with a portion of Ring of Roses smoothing butter cream...

So what do they do and what do I think?

Ring of Roses

• What it is- a delicious fragrant butter showering cream
• Contents- Larkspur, Honeysuckle, Marigold and Cornflower plus Evening Primrose oil to make your skin blossom.
• How to store- Freeze it, chill it or store at bathroom temperature.
• How to use it- Take a small amount and rub it into wet hands, build a smooth lather and cleanse skin.
• My opinion- This was gorgeous and I will definately be buying more, it has quite an orange scent and really does make the skin feel soft. Don't expect your skin to feel super hydrated afterwards as that isn't it's property but I always moisturise after a shower anyway.
• Price-£3.30 for 100g

Sugar Scrub

• What is it?-a round solid bar of scrub
• Contents- Fair trade sugar with stimulating Fennel and Ginger to beat cellulite
• How to store- I have stored mine in an airtight container. Make sure you keep the part you aren't using away from water as it dissolves and will become useless.
• How to use it- it is very solid and hard to break, the lady advised me to cut into 4 but trust me its so tough that you cannot cut it easily. Plus a quarter would be far too much to use in one shower. It is the size of a bath bomb cut in half so is quite big. I kept it in the bag and smashed it up with a rolling pin, it seemed to break it into nice useable pieces which I then poured into an airtight container from Asda.
• My Opinion- This smells a little aniseedish but that didn't put me off, it works like any sugar scrub but I like that it has the Ginger and Fennel in it to beat the cellulite! I can't say anything other than it made my skin feel smoother.
• TIP only use 3-4 times a week, don't over exfoliate your skin. I like to do a light exfoliation a few times a week to keep my skin bright. If you use fake tan you should also scrub to keep the tan even and smooth.
• Price-£2.60 for 100g

I can say that these products will definately make me return to the store so congratulations to Lush for converting me!

Do you have any questions about these products?
Which Lush items are your favourites?

Big Daddy better watch out!

I bought Benefit's Big Daddy pigment a few weeks ago and when I tried the E.L.F pigment it immediately reminded me of the Benefit so I did a swatch and these are the results

Below is what it looks like on top of Urban Decay primer potion.I noticed that when on top of primer the eyeshadow really sticks and is quite a  toughy to remove so be assured that it's gonna last.

It also made the colours brighter, more metallic and very very smooth, you don't have to use Urban Decay use any primer you have.

  

The two jars look very similar but the Benefit jar has a higher quantity.

Benefit's jar has 1.8g and E.L.F has 0.9g

The jar on the left is Benefit's Big Daddy the jar on the right is E.L.F's  Elegant

The Benefit eyeshadow is priced at £15 whilst the E.L.F is a mere £3

I can honestly say that if these were presented to you both in plain packaging you wouldn't know the difference the quality is fantastic

I'm very impressed with these!

I'm definately going to try more of these E.L.F colours. A friend of mine wore some on a night out and they looked lovely and lasted.

Do you own any?

If so what colour do you recommened 

Gaga's on the telephone

This is one of my Lady Gaga looks
I chose to re-create the image of her in prison with the cans in her hair and the 40's rock look but I improvised and used bottles.
It was so simple to do but keep these tips in mind:-

• Keep the skin simple and bright use a light foundation and only use colour under the cheekbones and hairline, no blusher.
• Keep that Monroe shape to the brows by creating an angular arch 
• Make sure the darkest part of the crease is the inner corner under the brow
• For the eye liner make sure it starts thinner on the inner corner and gets thicker towards the outer.
• Have fun it's only make-up

There's more looks to come which will be completely different so im excited. I always try to channel the character i'm trying to portray so excuse the poses :)

Products used.

Face

• Bobbi Brown Porcelin foundation
• Bobbi brown creamy concealer in Ivory
• M.A.C accentuate and sculpt contour

Eyes

• Black eyeshadow for eyebrows
• Primark black eyeliner
• M.A.C Gesso eyeshadow (white)
• Coastal Scents grey/ brown eyeshadow
• M.A.C No 8 lashes

Lips

• Prestige lipliner in Bordeux
• Prestige lipstick in Pinot Noir
• Self made lipgloss mixing a pigment and M.A.C matte lipgloss

To see the tutorial in full click the link below

Which Lady Gaga look do you like best in her new video?

E.L.F me look pretty :)

I was lucky enough to get sent some goodies by E.L.F I was really excited to use them as they get great reviews.So when I got asked what I wanted I chose some neutral colours as I know most of my subbies who would use E.L.F would prefer a subtle look over a dramatic.

I created a chic Sophia Loren inspired look for under £10! The foundation I used was my own as well as the eyeliner but the blush, contour, and eyeshadow was all E.L.F.

This was taken with flash so it looks a little lighter

On to the products!


These are the mineral eyeshadows
Price:£3.00
Opinion:Very good quality, alot like my Benefit eyeshadow (I will review these 2 later) goes on smooth and lasts
Colour:Elegant- A soft champagne
Quantity:0.9g

Mineral eyeshadow
Price:£3.00
Opinion:As stated above great quality, this particular one is strange as it looks very chunky in comparison with the gold glitter but smooths into a beautiful brown shimmer. A definate buy!!
Colour: Wild
Quantity:0.9g

This a small quad palette
Price:£1.50
Opinion:When I say small I mean small but it does the job and for £1.50 it would be a cheek to complain.The colours are well put together and are pigmented. It is dinky enough to take on a night out and plus it has a small mirror, nothing to shout about but hey its handy!
Colour:This one is called Butternut

So after using my own eyeliner I applied these babies, they are the dramatic lash.

Price:£1.50

Opinion:These are very light 

Pro's:As they are light you will find they won't starting coming off like others do especially on the outer corners.

Con's:As they are very light they are also flexible and soft so it makes application harder. Make sure you apply them to the middle first to avoid the gap syndrome.

Worth a buy at £1.50 I like wearing them and although it says they are dramatic as you can see on my eye there fairly natural.

Style:Labelled as dramatic

Next I applied the bronzer and blush
Price:£3.50
Opinion:Ok packaging but they are keeping the quality of packaging down so its cheaper to buy.The product itself is lovely, I really don't like bronzers with a shimmer. To me it just looks awful in the light as the gold glitter stands out. However saying this using the bronzer sparingly on the hairline and temples it gives a little glow.M.A.C's Golden bronzer is the same but actually has more shimmer and I hate it! never use it waste of £20 quid or whatever the heck it was.
The blush is gorgeous a lovely shade perfect for summer, I love blusher as you can place it in different areas of the cheek to create a different look. This one is pigmented and reminds me of NARS I would buy this again for this blush but hey thats just my opinion.
Pro's:The bronzer is nice if you like shimmer, be careful as it has quite alot of orange in it so apply too heavy and your in trouble.Blush is fantastic and they're quite big compartments.
Cons:There's only one shade of this compact so it may be too dark for pale skins and way to light for dark skins. Maybe they're bringing out more? hope so...
Colour:Blushed/bronzed

Phew nearly there...
Next is the Complexion perfection
Price:£3.50
Opinion:This is definately not a neccessity for me, I use a translucent face powder to blot my face and can't see me swapping it for this.This product is said "to create a balanced and radiant complexion that is beautiful and healthy. Evens out skin tone and absorbs excess oil. Brightens and neutralizes the skin"
Ok so what it does is make skin look brighter and neautralizes redness. Well actually to be fair when I applied it over my blush it toned it down so I had to re-apply . I'm not sure if it brightened my skin but it is very light and when the colours are swirled it makes a highlight shade.
I'm just going to use this on the highlight areas or if clients have rosacea.

Did this help any one with making their mind up on E.L.F ?


My friend bought a few mineral shadows a few weeks ago and wore them on a night out and looked gorgeous, which of the mineral eyeshadows would you recommend I buy?


FTC Disclaimer: I was sent the items in the pictures to try out, I was not paid or influenced by anyone to make this post or tutorial. All opinions are my own.

Home-made Mothers day ideas

Me and my mum used to always make home made skin recipies. We used to watch an Indian lady make all these fabulous masks and scrubs
Remembering this it gave me the idea to do this post.
If you are strapped for ideas or cash this Mothers Day try giving her a homemade pamper day.
These are all ingredients you can buy at the supermarket and Pharmacy so it doesn't require you trekking all over to find supplies.

Mothers are always on their feet whether it's chasing the kids, cleaning or working so treat them to a relaxing foot soak.


Try these


Calming Chamomile and parsley
Get a large basin and fill with hot water, it has to be left for 10 minutes so it will have cooled by the time you soak your feet.
To the water add :-

• 4 bags of Chamomile Tea
• 1/8 cup of dried Parsley
• 4 drops of essential oil (try orange or peppermint)

Add the ingredients to the hot water and leave to steep for 10 mins for the herbs to infuse. Soak your feet for 15 minutes then pat dry and moisturise


Or try this


Peppermint  and Lavender soak

This foot soak soothes aches, remove odors, and soften rough skin. For extra brownie points go ahead and add some rose or lavender petals to the bath

• 
  
  1/2 cup of Epsom salts
• 
  
  5 drops of Peppermint extract
• 
  
  3 dros Tea Tree oil
• 
  
  3 drops Lavender

Soak for 15 minutes pat dry and moisturise.

How are you treating your Mum or loved one for Mothers day?

My spring love - O.C.C Bright pink lips

I did a little makeover on Miriam a few weeks ago, I transformed her eyebrows in my post Easy as ABC.

I wanted to use her for some editorial type pictures as she has beautiful strong features. I wanted a bright lip look kind of a pop art, Andy Warhol feel.

I used my wonder gloss by O.C.C its actually called a lip tar but don't be deterred. It's the best lipgloss I have come across in terms of pigment and longevity. This will last ages has a minty taste and is very silky, not thick at all!

Miriam has dark skin but this showed up as bright on her as it did me.

We played around with the photo and decided to contrast the lips against a black and white background.

"TA'DA"

I love it and want to use it for everything, it has an Erykah Badu feel about it

What do you think?

Ok so the owner of an online fashion boutique KIRAEDWARDS.COM asked me if I would model some of her vintage bags she has for sale. I agreed and will tell you I felt really silly as I am no model at all but these are the outcome. I'm showing you guys as I used the Lip Tar again, I did the make-up myself it was very simple and clean. I pulled my hair back to create a Twiggyesque looking crop for a Mod feel which at the time I hated but actually is ok I guess.

Products used:-

On my face is M.A.C'S Face and Body

                      Bobbi Brown concealer-mixed a few

                      Chanel bronze Universal

Eyes               M.A.C kid eyeshadow

                      Coastal Scents gel liner

                      M.A.C No 7 lashes

Lips               O.C.C Lip Tar in PAGENT

It is a fabulous product and they have a fantastic array of colours

The company is Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

The lip tar is 100% vegan and cruelty free and contains Hemp oil, Peppermint oil and Vitamin E!

A snip at $12.50

http://www.occmakeup.com/lips.html

Who loves O.C.C?

Illamasqua Vs M.A.C - Pigment review

You know when you buy a product from a brand not actually knowing what you want but having the feeling I just want to buy something, anything ...

A while ago actually last summer I bought a pigment and some crazy lashes from Illamasqua. The stand is very inviting and the visuals are stunning, it draws you in like a moth to a flame.
I chose a brown loose pigment that has a hint of blue, sounds crazy but trust me it's pretty. It's also pretty expensive too but I'll get onto that.

I wore this while in Greece and loved that it wasn't too dark and when the sun hit the blue it sparkled (I checked in a mirror :)). I have been wearing it over M.A.C's impassioned Solar bits pigment which is a darker brown colour but has a lovely satin like sheen. I take a flat shader brush try a Sigma 194 dampened the tip and dip into the Illamasqua Fervent pigment and pat into the middle of the eyelid this will really make the lids pop.

I realised that the colours were similar to M.A.C's Blue brown pigment. I had a sample but pressed it into a pan to make it more portable and less messy.

Here's some picture to show the similarities.

Price- Illamasqua £15 for 1.3g jar
           M.A.C £15 for 4.5g jar
My Opinion-It's a beautiful colour but doesn't have as much colour pay off as M.A.C pigments plus the price is steep. I know the packaging is lovely but are we paying for the brand? You get 1.3 g in this pot yet a massive 4.5 g in M.A.C's jar.

Make-up ideas - I wore mine as I explained above but this time tried a blue / green line under the eye for a nice contrast. I used Urban Decays 24/7 Flipside liner and then applied absolem (homegrown) eyeshadow on top, this give a green/blue colour but also gives the eyeshadow something to hold onto so lasts longer.

Who has the Illamasqua metal cream eyeshadows?

Alice in Wonderland palette- Make-up ideas

A few of you may have the Alice in Wonderland palette by Urban Decay, if not I know there's some who have the book of shadows. Either way the colours are the same they just gave them cool character and scene names.

To be honest if I had the book of shadows I wouldn't have bought this palette but since I didn't have any of the colours I thought why not.

So for all those who feel confused or stuck when it comes to choosing complimenting colours to blend on the eye I have swatched some colours that look lovely together to give you some ideas.

I wore this at the weekend and loved it, it's subtle fresh and gives a light smoulder.  

How to wear this look:- Place Vorpal (the lightest grey) all over the lid and buff Mad hatter (dark brown) onto the outer corner and lightly under the lower lashline. Line the upper lashline with a black liner and your done.

This is one I have just created on my hand anddecided im going to wear it tomorrow!

How to wear this look:- Place Queen (a cranberry colour) all over the lid, take Mad hatter and lightly place on the inner and outer corner of the eye. Start lightly as this is can look dark so build application. Make sure you buff it into the Queen so there's no lines. Once it is smooth add Midnight tea party (champagne colour with glitter) to the centre of the lid to make the eyes pop. Add liner and your done.

This is a subtle look yet anything but boring

How to wear this look:-Place Curiouser (light purple) to the inner corner of the eye, then take Underland (bright purple) and place on the rest of the lid blending with the first colour. Then on the outer corner of the eye add Jabberwocky (shimmering black). To keep this day time avoid bringing the black into he crease.Just keep it on the outer corner and a little on the outer lower lashline to add definition.

This is a easy way to wear blue without feeling like Pat Butcher :) 

How to wear this look:-Firstly place white rabbit (shimmer white) on the inner corner of the eye. Then on the rest of the lid place Alice (vivid blue). To finish take Jabberwocky to outer corner of the eye and blend onto the lower lashline. To make this really smokey add the 24/7 black eyeliner to the waterline and smoke the black all the way along the lower lashline instead of just the outer corner.

Tip# To make the blue soft blend a skin coloured matte eyeshadow into the crease to stop the blue looking like a block colour

Did this give anyone ideas?

Be confident in trying new looks, make your own combos by mixing up colours on your hand to see what looks good together.