How to: Halloween Vamp Look

Vamp it Up

Wanna get my look? Read on 

This Halloween vampire tutorial on YouTube is very helpful for getting the eyes right for this look. 

Start off with a clean base, apply your foundation as you normally would. Use a few shades lighter than normal and apply concealer to highlight down the nose, along the cheekbones and between the brows and on the chin. 

It is all about the essential smoky eye, eyeliner flick, and of course the bruised look. 

It is easy to create a bruised eye. Take a fluffy eyeshadow brush and mix a matte red eyeshadow and a matte blue eyeshadow.

 I used a matte blue eyeshadow in Fog from the MUA matte palette. I didn't have a matte red so I used a shimmery red in a MAC eyeshadow palette. 

The two shades mixed together create a purpley colour which is essential to define and create the bruised effect. 

Use a silver shadow on the lid. Line your lower lashline with black liner, I used Inglot soft precision liner. No need to be precious about it, this look is all about the seamless, so blend, blend, blend over that liner with some matte black shadow. 

Taking a black liquid liner, line the upper lash line ending in a flick. Don't touch the flick but blend the line with some black shadow fading into the silver shadow.

I used a grey shadow to contour my cheekbones and around the temples. 

Now for the fun part, the ombre lip!

Taking your black eyeliner line your lips. Colour in the outer corners of your lips, it should look like black trianges on the corners of your lips. 

Then I took my MUA lipstick in Style Transformation. 

You can use a red lipstick either but I decided to do a berry lip. 

Apply on the non coloured in parts of your lips first. Then apply over the black areas and blend in with a lip brush. 

I love this ombre look as it really creates definition and it is an interesting look. 

For the blood, I took TopShop matte lipstick in RIO RIO, and with a lip liner brush just drew small downward strokes. Obviously, if you had some fake blood to hand it would complete the look. I just applied some false eyelashes, slipped on a black dress and I am ready to go!

Happy halloween!

Keep on blogging it beautiful xoxo

X-Factor Style Diary: Hannah Barrett

 

Who else was watching the X-Factor last Saturday? I was loving Hannah Barrett's black and white long sleeved biker zip up dress. It did fabulous things for her figure and I am dying to get my hands on it. So after a quick look online I found the dress, its from River Island. (pictured below)

 

It retails at £45 so approximately €50, and unfortunately it is currently out of stock! I will definitely be snapping this up as soon as it comes back in stores as monochrome is a huge look for Autumn/Winter.

 

Orange Is The New Black

I cannot say how much I am loving this show. Set in a womens prison in America, the main character Chapman ends up there for a year for a crime she committed ten years ago. 

So far, so depressing right? Wrong! This show is just chock full of hella funny characters such as Tastee, the at times overly stereotyped 'black girl'. 

That's just the humor of the show however. Moments of the nine of the eighteen episodes I've watched so far are disgusting for example a used tampon in a sandwich, but on the whole it is rather funny if slightly dark. 

You will grow to hate Mendez their tashe wearing corruption ridden guard and root for the 'forbidden love' between an inmate and a guard. To put it frankly, I didn't realise how lesbian this sitcom was going to be but you get over the explicit scenes. 

I'll admit it, the only reason I wrote this post is to show the world these two Tastee gifs, because to be honest that girl is H-i-lar-IOUS.

Ciao, 

xoxo

MUA Cosmetics Haul

 

Finally, at long last my MUA cosmetics arrived. I say at long last, but it took exactly 5 working days as stated on their website www.muastore.co.uk I was just so eager to see what all the hype was about.

 

The products I ordered were as follows:

 

MUA Ever After matte eyeshadow palette

 

Scarlet Siren matte lipstick

 

Matte foundation Shade 1 Soft Sand and Shade 2 Honeycomb

 

Extreme Volume mascara in Black/Brown

 

Maxi moisture lipstick in Style Transformation

 

 

My first impressions:

 

MUA Ever After matte eyeshadow palette

 

I was ecstatic to rip into my heavily bubble wrapped makeup goodies!

 

The matte eyeshadow palette is very pigmented which is great as some of the shades looked very light. It includes 10 matte shades and can be used to create a subtle or a smoky look.

 

I used the shades Chino and Truffle in my crease, Taffeta on my lid, and Bare to highlight. I then wet my angled brush and used Penny on my brows. I loved the overall look, but Penny was a bit dark for my brows as I am very fair! I should have used Fade instead.

 

 

Matte palette & swatches

 

Matte lipstick in Scarlet Siren

 

I am in love with these £1 lipsticks! €1.18 to us Irish gals ;) The packaging is slick, and the colour pot at the bottom is just fantastic and such a good idea if you are doing makeup on someone else.

 

You can use the bullet of lipstick for yourself and the little pot of colour for a client. It is very pigmented, and has a lovely not too drying texture for a matte lipstick.

 

 

Matte foundation Soft Sand & Honeycomb

 

These foundations at €1.18 were such a super cheap buy I couldn't resist.

 

I had planned on using them for my makeup class, as you are just applying and removing makeup there is no need to use expensive foundation...or so I thought.

 

This foundation felt fine on my skin when I first swatched it, I could really wear either shade 1 or 2, but then I applied it, and it was waxy, and had very poor coverage.

 

I was really disapointed with the foundation. The packaging is lovely and really professional looking however.

 

Here is the blurb on the back of the foundation:

 

A creamy texture that blends beautifully for that perfect velvet finish and long-lasting matte complexion

 

Definitely not easily blended, and I would describe it as waxy over creamy.

Thumbs down!! But at €1.18 I wasn't expecting miracles.



 

Extreme volume mascara in Black/Brown

 

I used this mascara this morning, I wouldn't say it gave me any more length or a huge amount of volume but it did the job in coating my fair lashes and not making me feel like an alien. I would recommend the black/brown shade as it is great for a day look.

 

 Maxi Moisture lipstick in Style Transformation


I prefer to describe this lipstick as Wild Berry as I feel like it is such a rich berry shade which is very in for A/W. I have never worn a berry lipstick before, and it was quite a strong look for day, but I really feel like you are never fully dressed without a strong lip!

This lipstick was gorgeous and creamy. It smells divine! Imagine walking into a Yankee candle shop. It applied really well, and lasted very well and didnt come off when I was drinking. It also didn't get on my teeth! Bonus!

Overall verdict: Very pleased with my MUA Haul but will not be purchasing foundation again. Loving the lippie! Eyeshadow palettes are great value for money too. Its worth hitting up the website for a few beauty bits!

Let me know what you thought of my review!

Keep on blogging it beautiful

xoxo


Disclaimer: I had to get all photos shown from google, as my photo uploader wasn't working. So thanks to whoever photos I have displayed!

Halloween Makeup Inspiration

A la Gaga

Sexy Vamp (courtesy of Inglot)

Pop Art

Old Hollywood

Purrrrr

All images are from Google. 

Girl vs Goth

Girl vs Goth by bloggingitbeautiful featuring Topshop

David Koma open back dress
stylebop.com

Topshop coat
topshop.com

FAUSTO PUGLISI leather pants
farfetch.com

Boohoo midi skirt
boohoo.com

Topshop black boots
topshop.com

Dinosaur Bones
moreislove.com

Bargain Beauty Buy- Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation

 

My bargain beauty buy: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation in Biscuit

 

What it says on the bottle:

• Oil Free
•  
• SPF 20
•  
• 16 hour wear

 

First Impressions:

 

It's a lovely glass bottle with an easy to use pump which makes it more expensive looking than Rimmel foundation which I would normally use. The price was the main thing though, only €5.99! In fact everything on the Collection stand was €6 and under!

 

My Opinion:

 

The consistency was lovely and creamy. This foundation is meant to be medium to full coverage and it definitely lives up to that! The texture is lovely and light and the shade Biscuit is my perfect shade!! I was so amazed to find a foundation at such a bargain price that matched my skin perfectly.

 

I cannot rave about this foundation enough! Oh my god, I have never actually gotten this excited about a beauty product before! Now this is only my first day of wear, and I have been wearing the foundation for about four and a half hours through commuting and college and a long walk up a hill and it is as perfect as when I applied it, I'll tell you guys if it lasts the full 16 hours it claims in another blog post :)

 

Go try some of their products, this is the first time I decided to give true bargain beauty a go and I was pleasantly surprised. Coming soon is my MUA Haul!

 

Keep on blogging it beautiful

 

xoxo

Have you tried the Paleo way? Eat like a caveman

The paleo diet is the hot new diet of the moment and it is one diet fad that I have actually looked into and think it makes sense.

So many diets are about restricting your calorie intake or cutting out food groups. The paleo diet is all about getting back to our roots and how we used to eat before food became so over processed.

I will tell you right now, grains and dairy are a no-no on the paleo diet.
Half of the worlds population is supposed to be lactose intolerant and as someone who has had on-off stomach problems I have often put it down to dairy, or predominantly milk.

The science behind the no dairy rule is that essentially out bodies are not designed to break down milk past infancy. If we look to other mammals for example, no other species drink milk past infancy.

The same is true with grains, or carbohydrates such as bread and pasta. We once subsisted off meat and vegetables but now our diet is made up of grains.

Carbohydrates contain such high levels of sugar that when not used they break down into fat. We eat carbs for energy, but if you aren't following an extremely athlethic exercise plan, our bodies have no need and can get all the carbs we need from meat, veg and sweet potatoes.

So many of our health problems, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and fatigue are caused by irritations from certain foods in our diet. Click here for some information http://www.primalpalate.com/blog/paleo-inspiration-jeannes-story/

I have a previous blog post from when I decided to go gluten free. I'll admit right now that it didn't last beyond a week. Our bodies become addicted to the gluten in food so we have to wean ourselves off it.

Celebrities such as Holly Carpenter follow the paleo plan and you only have to look at what shape she is in to motivate you to do the same.  


This website is great for recipes, and even if you aren't going to cut grains and dairy from your diet, they sound positively mouthwatering!! http://www.paleoplan.com/recipes/

L'Occitane Hand Cream Review

Stellar Magazine paired up with L'Occitane to gift their readers with a 30 ml L'Occitane hand cream of their choice. I went into L'Occitane, magazine in hand, eager to get my (dry) paws on my free hand cream. 

The girls of L'Occitane Liffey Valley were very helpful and told me of the three different types of hand cream they had on offer. I set off testing the creams on my hands, and sniffing them for that all important scent. 

The Cherry blossom cream smelt absolutely gorgeous but the cream itself was of quite a liquid consistency. The second I tried the shea butter hand cream I loved the thick, creamy consistency and the smell was lovely. 

The shea butter hand cream is specially formulated for dry skin and contains 20% shea butter which is just what you need to nourish and protect the delicate skin on your hands. After all, hands are supposed to be the first place you notice ageing, so hopefully mine look 19 forever!

Best beauty buys

The beauty product that I cannot recommend enough for staying power is the Isadora Mattifying powder.

I was waiting for the bus to college one day and ambled into the chemist nearby. Tons of Isadora makeup was on special, and reduced to knock down prices! Hence, I picked up this little beauty as my powder had run out.

It is hands down the best powder I have ever used. It keeps my make-up on all day, it literally does not budge. It also really does do what it says on the tin, completely gets rid of my shiny sweaty T-zone.

I picked this up in the lightest shade 30 Matte Blonde, and its perfect as there is no added colour, and this best thing of all is it also contains SPF 15. The texture of the powder is silky, and the powder puff feels lovely and velvety on my skin. It comes in a perfectly sized compact with a mirror and I cannot recommend it enough! :)

My second must have is MAC false lash mascara in black.

 It is simply the best mascara I have ever used. It doesn't flake off, it makes my lashes look long and lustrous and it lasts all day long without clumping.

 A tip when you are buying mascara is when you pull the wand out of the tube, if you hear a POP! noise, it means it is a lovely glossy mascara and will not dry out quickly. 

That's all for now beauty bloggers! What are your best beauty buys? 

Mwah!

xoxo

Miley Cyrus vs Sinead O'Connor

So I know this isn't in keeping with my normal blogging themes, but to be honest, I would like my blog to be seen as a feminist blog one raising issues to do with women, be it in Ireland or the world.

Too many women's magazines rely to much on the fluff. It is almost as if they think we are incapable of processing much more than the latest fashion or makeup trends.

Obviously I have a huge interest in makeup. But my other passion is media. I am studying to be a journalist and am learning about what the medias role is. The media have huge responsibility in reporting the facts to the people, and they also have a huge part in how people are portrayed. These days it is not uncommon to have half naked women on our TV/computer screens 'twerking' as if they are the new 'feminists'. They are essentially prostituting themselves and making themselves into sex objects just to be noticed. It really has gone too far.

How woman are allowing themselves to be portrayed in popular culture is frankly disgusting, between Miley's Wrecking Ball video and Rihanna's Pour it Up video, the message these women are sending across is that the only way to get noticed is to degrade yourself. The voice is no longer what gets you heard it is the body. It really is shocking that this is what the future generation of females have to look up to.

Peaches Geldof tweeted:

Just saw Rihannas "Pour It Up" video. Miley at the VMAs and now this- just gonna ask- whats next- actual penetrative sex in a video?! Yeesh."

She pretty much voiced what we are all thinking about the route the music industry has gone down of late.

I stand up and applaud Sinead O'Connors valiant attempt at providing Miley Cyrus with some spot on advice.

Miley's response shocked me however. She basically put down Sinead O'Connors opinions on the basis that she suffers from mental health issues and she made fun of her for them. It is almost unsexy nowadays to voice your opinion. This is like a throwback to the whole 'seen and not heard' days of the 1950s.

This girl seriously needs to educate herself, and reign herself in before she makes any more serious twitter faux pas against one of the most influential women of our time.

And by comparing her video for Wrecking Ball to Sinead O'Connors world famous song Nothing Compares 2 U ? Cop on to yourself girl before I take a Wrecking Ball to your gaff. #TeamSinead

Nima brush and Nima mitt review

I just started doing a makeup course, which I absolutely love btw, and I decided that I had to invest in some decent quality brushes as I hope to go on to do freelance work as a makeup artist. Watch this space!

We are so lucky to have our fab tutor Niamh Martin, she has taught at both Portobello Institute and LA Makeup. On top of all this, the busy bee has been formulating a range of makeup brushes. There is a 12 piece Elite Professional Collection and a 12 piece  Essential Sunshine Collection, as you see above my beautiful bright cylinder containing all the essential brushes!

The brushes are made of different grades of hair, for example goat and horse hair. There are also synthetic hair brushes such as the duo fibre. The reason for the different hair types of brushes depends on the product you are meant to be using them with.

For example, you would use a synthetic duo fibre brush for liquids, as they pick up a lot of product. Whereas you would not want to use the same brush for blusher and bronzer as you would ideally like to build up on the colour and not just deposit a huge amount of product on the skin!

There is a new type of foundation brush on the market called the kabuki brush, and this is a great tool as it really buffs the foundation into the skin for that long lasting look.

You can buy all these brushes at http://www.nimabrush.com/ 

The brushes feel like great quality and I can't wait to start using them all. I have used the duo fibre, blusher and bronzer brush and while a few hairs have shed this is supposed to be natural as the brushes are handmade.

My other purchase was the Nima Mitt. This is great if, like in a makeup course, you are applying, taking off and reapplying makeup. Consistent use of face wash products would just strip the skins natural oils and damage the pH balance. Instead you can use the Nima Mitt!
All that is required is water, as the mitt itself is made up of microfibers which help to break the bond of the makeup to the skin.

When your face is clean, you merely scrub the mitt with a bar of soap, rinse and hang by the loop to dry. This can also be purchased at http://www.nimabrush.com/ 

How do you wash your brushes #bbloggers?

That's all for now ;-)

Keep on blogging it beautiful

xoxo

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own, I have paid for the products myself and have not been asked to promote them in any way.

Halloween Vamp

Halloween Vamp by bloggingitbeautiful featuring gold vermeil earrings

River Island top
$41 - riverisland.com

Isabel de Pedro skirt
$300 - julesb.co.uk

Lace up chunky heel boots
trafficshoe.com

Christian Louboutin clutch
christianlouboutin.com

Gold vermeil earrings
artisandesigngallery.com

Angie necklace
swell.com

BCBGMAXAZRIA hair accessory
bcbg.com

Asos beanie
asos.com

Barry M orange nail polish
$4.84 - asos.com

Inglot VIP Blogger Event & Makeup Haul

Inglot officially opened their doors on South Anne Street, just off Grafton street on Saturday the 28th September. Irish beauty bloggers however had the privilege of a preview of the store before it was opened to the public. Lucky us! ;-) 

I went along with my mum in town lured by the promise of goody bags and wine! We were not disappointed. Inglot laid on a friendly welcome from Jane Swarbrigg, Inglots brand manager. She claimed to recognise me from somewhere, where I do not know! Perhaps I just have a very familiar looking face ;-) 

The store is quite narrow and long, which was a bit of a struggle to peruse as the place was crammed with enthusiastic bloggers. We had a quick look at their extensive selection of nailpolishes, and eyeshadow palettes and headed upstairs where the masterclasses were to commence. 

Our lovely model for the evening bore a striking resemblance to Michelle Keegan, as remarked by one of the other bloggers in attendence. We had some wine, quickly guzzled down with some Haribo tangfastics as I made the mistake of shopping on an empty stomach never a good idea! Then came the main event of the evening, the much anticipated Inglot goody bags....

I received a red lipliner, an eyeliner, a voucher for a makeup lesson, a voucher for a makeover and two fabulous nailpolishes! My mum also got a face primer sample and a lipstick. I will have reviews up on these items as soon as I have used them all. I have used the lipliner, eyeliner and primer, and am happy report that they all proved to be pretty decent beauty buys! So all in all, I was happy with my mini makeup haul. 

Reviews to follow!

Keep on blogging it beautiful

xoxo