How to: Create a Smoky Eye

 

Purple smoky eye, opaque base and nude glossy lips

 

Products I used:

 

Base: MUA Shade 1 Matte foundation applied with a flat foundation brush

Contour: ELF Blush & Contour kit in Light

 

Eyes: Collection gel liner in Black

Sleek vintage romance eyeshadow in Honeymoon in Hollywood

MUA matte black shade

MUA extreme volume mascara in black

Inglot soft precision liner in black

 

Lips: Catrice Ultimate Colour 010 nude lipstick and nude lipgloss

 

Method of application:

 

1. Apple base as normal. This look is for a night out so a cream based foundation is recommended as it will give heavier coverage. The goal is to create an opaque finish yet not make it look like the makeup is caked on. A smoky eye needs perfect seamless skin.

 

2. Next step is contouring.

 



 

To contour simply follow this tutorial on Kimmy K. The white areas are where you take  a lighter foundation or conealer, the darker areas are where you take your sculpting cream.  Mainly contour under the cheekbones. You can do this with a matte brown bronzer or a contour cream. It really makes your cheekbones stand out.

 

3. The eyes! The most important feature of this look. There will be a lot of fall out due to heavy eyeshadow so you may want to do the eyes first before the base. If not, fold up a tissue and hold in place under the eye so you don't ruin your perfect base!

• Fill the eye in with your gel liner into a semicircle never go above the crease. It should look like this:

 

The liner will provide something for the shadow to grip onto, and it is a quick way of building up into a smoky eye if you don't have the time to layer and layer.

• Then, take your purple shimmery shadow or whichever shade you want to be your pop of colour and press onto the lid taking it above the crease.
 
• Blend it out with your matte black shadow to get that smoked out look.
 
• Then taking a pencil brush fluff your eyelashes on the bottom with some dark matte brown, and follow on with gel liner on your inner rims.

• Squeeze eyelids together to smudge.

• Then simply mascara those lashes and your eyes are good to go!

 

4. Lightly apply some foundation onto the lips. The taking a good amount of your nude lipstick, blot, reapply, blot, reapply, and add some gloss!

 

5. Apply some powder for staying power and voila! :)

 

Hope you enjoyed recreating your smoky eye

 

Keep on blogging it beautiful

 

xoxo

 

 

 

What do you love about Christmas? #Falala Blogger tag

FAVORITE WINTER DRINK ?      
I love some mulled wine after a bit of ice skating. This little market in Temple Bar used to do absolutely delicious Jack Daniels hot chocolate so either of them! Yum-yum!

FAVORITE WINTER SNACK ?
I don't think there is anything in particular, but favourite winter food is of course roast dinner!!

IN WINTER I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT :
Cosy, cosy clothes! Lots of warm knits, a big coat, scarf, hat, gloves, fluffy bedsocks and Uggs!


FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG ?
All I want for Christmas by Mariah Carey is my all time favourite, and also Fairytale of New York by the Pogues because I'm Irish and it is a classic. 

BEAUTY MUST HAVE FOR WINTER ? 
 Lip Balm, I use Carmex and Burts Bees and my lips still manage to be chapped! Also handcream, as I usually forget my gloves...Loccitane is great :) 

CHRISTMAS MOVIE ? 
Home Alone, every time. I also love Christmas with the Kranks and Elf. 
DO YOU LIKE SNOW ? 
 It's great for a bit, but then it gets a bit tiresome. Doesn't feel like Christmas without it though! Nothing as magical as waking up to a white blanket of snow. 
CHRISTMAS EVE OR CHRISTMAS DAY : 

 Christmas Eve as I love the anticipation and opening a present on Christmas Eve. 

IN WINTER I LOVE : 

Going Christmas shopping! 

CHRISTMAS WISHLIST :     
 Makeup, clothes...etc. I'm heading to New York for Christmas :) 


If you love Christmas, why not try the #falala tag ? 

Leave links below so I can see your answers! 

Keep on blogging it beautiful 


xoxo

Sleek makeup, E.L.F cosmetics & Collection Haul!!

Makeup haul

 

First of all apologies for the bad picture quality, but my makeup haul is finally here! I ordered things off ELF cosmetics weeks ago and they finally arrived yesterday. I was ecstatic until I saw the lipsticks! Serious thumbs down! :(

 

I wanted to include a picture of why I didn't like the lipsticks, but it wouldn't upload. They are jammed into their tubes, and the pink one has weird bubbles on it. They are also horrible colours and look like the ones you used to get in those cheap sets when you were younger.

 

Sorry to start on such a negative note but apart from that I was delighted with the other products I received from Elf cosmetics.

 

I ordered a makeup artist brush belt which is decent quality, has lots of space for brushes and an adjustable cord to fit the size of the wearer. I can't wait to get use out of this when I am doing some professional MUA work. It is made of a faux leather material which will be great to wipe clean.

 

St. Lucia blusher and contour cream is next on the list, at just £3.75 it was an absolute snip and I love it! Contouring is big these days and I can't wait to have fun playing around with it. I got the lightest shade available as I have heard they can be quite dark.

 

Their ultra cheap white handled  pro concealer brush was also on my wish list and it does the job. The brush head is a little on the small side, it is great for getting into the inner corners of the eyes but for people who are lazy like me it takes a lot of blending. The brush hairs are synthetic fibre which is good for any liquid products.

 

Elf cosmetics were having a 50% off sale when I ordered so it all came to a very good price. Disappointed about the lipsticks however as I have had such a good experience with MUA cosmetics another beauty brand, and expected other websites to be of the same quality.

 

I have emailed them however and hopefully they will rectify the situation.

My makeup purchases

 

Sleek Makeup now have a stand at Boots Liffey Valley. I was so excited and rushed over to buy a few bits as I had yet to try Sleek Makeup even though I hear a lot about it in the beauty blogosphere.

 

My purchases are above, the Sleek vintage romance eye shadow palette and the sleek makeup fuchsia lipstick.

 

Boots had a 3 for 2 offer on so I purchased gel liner from Collection also :)

 

I ended up getting the lippie for free! Bargain!

 

The eye shadow palette has  a gorgeous selection of jewel toned eye shadows with quirky names such as Court in Cannes and Propose in Prague. Most are satin or shimmer eye shadows but there are one or two matte shades which is great for the crease.

Swatched Fuschia

 

The swatch above is of the fuchsia lipstick, it is a really strong gorgeous almost neon colour which is fab for a night out, or a day out when you just want a bold strong lip!

Makeup Of The Day

 

Above, is a makeup look I created with my new gel liner from Collection in black, and Fuschia lipstick from Sleek! I wore this look for college as sometimes I just feel like making an effort! :)

 

The lipstick is creamy, and you would think it was matte but as the picture above shows it has a little bit of sheen to it.

 

Handy little pictorial for gel liner application- it's trickier than it looks!

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this blog post of my haul, I'll have some makeup looks up soon :)

 

Stay tooned ;)

 

xoxo

 

My Makeup Wish List

 I've been trawling through makeup artist must have videos in preperation for my visit to New York, oh yes, I'm heading to the Big Apple on the 23rd of December.

 While this is in no way a conclusive list these are just four products I have heard mentioned over and over again as must haves for any makeup artist or makeup lover. :) 

 

 ·         Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder

 

The go-to matte bronzer in most makeup bags

 

·         Nars blusher Orgasm

 

Universal peachy-pink blusher to suit all skin types

 

·         Laura Mercier hydrating primer

 

The most raved about primer on the market

 

·         Mac Soft & Gentle Skinfinish


 

Soft & gentle highlighter is your go to skinfinish

 

 

 

What are your makeup must haves?

 

Let me know in the comments below,

 

 

Keep on blogging it beautiful xoxo

 

 

What gets my goat: Girls in the gym

I feel compelled to write this piece after being in the gym today, working hard I might add!

I don't go very often but when I do, I go hard! I did 55 minutes of cardio. Twenty minutes on the treadmill doing HIIT ( High intensity interval training), 15 minutes on the bike, and 20 minutes on the cross trainer which is where I encountered the 'gym' girl.

I was there slaving away, sweat dripping down by bright red face attractively, attired in my typical work out gear when this 'young one' gets on the cross trainer beside me.

Hair done, full face of makeup on, and wearing the most inappropriate clothes for the gym EVER. She gets on the cross trainer and starts doing the most ridiculous version of a workout I have ever seen. It mostly involved her sticking her arse out, holding on to the cross trainer while barely moving, looking all around her to see if she was getting any looks.

Ugh! Pissed me off so much, I just wanted to shake the bubblegum snapping Barbie! For god sake did she not realise how ridiculous she looked?!

I know sometimes going to the gym full of a bunch of guys can be intimidating. But you are only making yourself look like a brain dead fool if you go around in the gym like that. What is the actual point?

I don't know if I sound really harsh but it really iritates me when girls put on an act like that, especially when it makes the sweaty girl next to her working hard look bad!

I'd love to hear your thoughts :)


Keep on blogging it beautiful


& making an effort in the gym!


xoxo

Stuck in a style rut? Get your Christmas fashion inspiration here

Every year I find myself reaching for the usual LBD as my go to Christmas wear, but this year I want to change it up!

I mean how often do we get to wear head to toe sparkle when we feel like it?

 

Why not try one of Littlewoods takes on the piece below: a navy sparkle long sleeved body con or a figure flattering sequinned wrap dress (pictured below)

 

Embrace the silly seasons fashion ideals, and mix and match prints and colours that you wouldn't put together normally.

 

These sexy spike stilettos are from River Island
 

I normally prefer to go for closed in heels versus open toe as my poor little piggies have a tendency to freeze but these shoes were just so fabulous I couldn't say no.

Littlewoods Ireland have a fantastic partywear shop and great selection of heels. River Island is the go to for party dresses and on trend accessories. New Look is an old favourite for staple pieces and heels that don't tear your feet to shreds.

 
We also usually forget the all important cover-up. I am loving the long line biker jackets, shearling waterfall jackets and if you are feeling a little Ab-Fab, why not try one of the faux fur offerings New Look are doing? This long line biker jacket will you keep you warm and on trend this Christmas.

 

 Of course, we can't forget the statement necklace. Pick this one up from New Look and wear it with a plum or berry colour for fashionable colour clashing.

 

 

 

 

 

What are your Christmas  party wear must haves? Let me know ;)

 

 

 

Keep on blogging it beautiful xoxo

November favourites

November favourites by bloggingitbeautiful featuring colorful shirts

R13 colorful shirt
$540 - net-a-porter.com

H M quilted coat
$80 - hm.com

River Island skinny fit jeans
$32 - riverisland.com

Topshop mid finger ring
topshop.com

Topshop fur scarve
topshop.com

Stila matte eye shadow
sephora.com

Topshop red lip makeup
topshop.com

Beauty product
eyeslipsface.com

Peppermint Hot Chocolate
foodnetwork.com

Glass Slippers Swarovski CRYSTAL Pink Converse Chuck Taylor Low Top...
etsy.com

Makeup Of The Day

Hello lovelies,

I haven't done a makeup of the day (motd) post in quite awhile so I decided to update :)

This is a normal day look I did for college with a smoky brown eye, winger linger, and a soft glossy pink lip. Depending on how much makeup you like to wear, this could also be a day look or even bridal.

Products I used:

Face: Collection foundation in Biscuit mixed with Shade 2 MUA matte foundation in Honeycomb

Eyes: MUA matte palette got an outing for this one! I am making great use of matte shadows since I've been doing my makeup course and we are having it drilled into us that matte shadows are the only way to go for a structured eye. I used all the brown shades basically to create this. I also used a shimmery rose gold shadow on my lid from an old MAC palette I have.

I created my winged eyeliner using MAC liquid liner. You really need a steady hand for liquid liner application. I find it best to draw the flick, and then go inwards thickening the line. If you make any mistakes put some moisturiser on a cotton bud and flick it away.

I also outlined my eyes in Inglot soft precision eyeliner in Black.

Lips: I used a baby pink lipstick with Catrice nude gloss over it. Catrice do great nude lipsticks and glosses at affordable prices.

And no, I don't have blusher on! I just have that natural rosy glow ;)

I set my foundation with my Isadora mattifying powder in shade 30 and I use an essence bronzer for blondes. It smells like coconut, its gorgeous.

I recently ordered a lot of products from elf, so I will have another haul up soon fingers crossed :)

Eyes Lips Face is a bargain beauty brand much like MUA and I ordered the St. Lucia blusher/bronzer cream contour palette, a concealer brush, a brush belt and two of their lipsticks in Captivating and Sociable. I can't wait to paint my  lips with them!

I have recently got into lipstick in a big way. I find that they really finish off your outfit, and on MUA website they are just so cheap and great quality I have to say! They are very long lasting.

That's all for now folks,

Keep on blogging it beautiful

xoxo

Skincare & Haircare Haul feat. Soap&Glory, Fenjal & Aussie products

 

Indulge yourself this winter!

       

 

I'm sure you have all had one of those days. One of those days where nothing seems to go right, you look less than fabulous, the weather is crappy and you are just feeling oh-so sorry for yourself. Well I was feeling like that recently and instead of turning to chocolate like I usually would I wandered into Boots and treated myself to a few new proucts with the view to having a spa day!

 

I picked up Scrub 'em and Leave 'em body buff by Soap & Glory. I have always loved the pink, girly packaging of their products. I have some cellulite on my thighs that I would love to get rid of so I decided to invest in a scrub. This scrub has a lovely fresh scent.It's ingredients contain babassu oil and sea salt. It has small grains but it really does the job! I have definitely noticed a difference in the softness of my skin and don't notice the cellulite as much!

 

The next product I chose was fenjal creme body wash. I have been a fan of this product forever, it is also my mam's go to guy for a luxurious body wash. It contains 'pure jojoba oil for soft skin all day' and it smells absolutely fantastic! It is a lovely creamy body wash and your skin instantly feels smoother. I highly recommend it, it feels and smells divine!

 

I purchased the Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo an the 3 minute miracle reconstructor as my hair is not in great condition after years of dying it blonde!  It says on the bottle it is 'for hair that's dry/damaged/ a bit unhappy'. It is made with Australian Macaemia nut oil.

 

They say 'our shampoo infuses moisture into dry, damaged hair helping to condition and smooth' .The Aussie products always smell fantastic with extracts of balm mint known to 'smooth rough cuticles and helps restore manageability and adds shine'.

 

The only problem I have now is my hair has gone from dry and damaged to overly greasy! So maybe these two products are just working too well!

 

If anyone knows goo haircare products for hair with oily roots and dry ends please leave a comment below.

 

Treat yourselves once in awhile to a spa day, get yourself a face mask, paint your nails and just relax surrounded by some candles in the bath because you are worth it.

 

Keep on blogging it beautiful gals,

 

xoxo

 

Love your enemies

"Love your enemies,

Just in case your friends

Turn out to be a bunch of bastards."

I stumbled across this quote in a book I found in a charity shop entitled Confessions of a Gossip Columnist by Jason O'Callaghan. The quote seriously struck a chord with me about the irony of life.

I have been in a bit of a blogging slump, so I decided to take part in Blogember! A blogging challenge to blog every day in November, and this was the first topic: One of the best lessons life has shown you.

I really believe you have to look out for yourself first, and stop worrying about everyone else.

I was always a person who worried about what other people thought, and felt pressured by other people into doing things until one day I just snapped. I was sick of being treated badly by those so-called friends, those people who just live off negativity and love to inject it into others lives.

I was fed up of being brought down by other people who had nothing better to do than bitch. Because although I know a lot of us might not want to think it, but if they are bitching about someone you can be 1 billion percent sure they are bitching about you too.

I got sick of being around that negativity. People who think nothing of sitting in a corner, bitching about people on a night out seriously must have some self esteem problems going on that they need to deal with instead of trying to talk about other people.

This negativity was really eating into my brain, my soul, my thoughts my feelings. I started to get panic attacks, and anxiety over how people would react if I didn't do what they wanted. I realised finally with the help of people who do care for me, namely my family, my boyfriend and a few select friends that I don't need these sad, pathetic, negative people in my life.

So I cut all contact. It was tough, these people can be like bloodsuckers. It is tough to get rid of them, it might almost seem like you need a barring order, but once they get the message and get them out of your life, you can start to live again and be happy like you are meant to be.

My life lesson is people can only bring you down if you let them.

You need to stand up for what you believe in. Surround yourself with positivity and you can only be happy.

Also, if it ever comes to who to listen to for advice or life lessons, your mammy ALWAYS knows best!

What's so great about November?

 

November seems to be that boring interlude between the excitement of dressing up for Halloween in October and the Christmas buzz in December. However, there are lots of reasons to love November! It is after all one step closer to the silly season.

 

The falling leaves, and chilly weather give us all an excuse to curl up and hibernate with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book or for the fitness conscious take part in a charity run. 

 

There is the RUN IN THE DARK in Dublin City Centre for the Mark Pollock trust, a charity seeking to find a cure for spinal cord injury, and of course Movember.

Get mo-running in the Phoenix Park on the 16th of November.

 

 

 

Why not even don some fabulous nails like these from Penneys rrp €1.50

 

The 22nd of November signals the release date for the movie the Hunger Games: Catching Fire for all you District 12 fans out there. I'm going to use November to catch up on all the books and of course the start of November is the best, as I am on midterm break from college. No more early morning lectures...for the next couple of days anyways!

 

Enjoy November xx