Lilac Eyeshadow & Winged Eyeliner Makeup Tutorial

Recently I decided to ditch my go to neutral makeup look and try out something a little more daring. As a teenager I loved wearing purple eye shadows to emphasise my green eyes. However, as I’ve got older I’ve moved further and further into neutral territory. It’s safe, I’m comfy there…there isn’t much room to go wrong. But as the saying goes, you can stay within your comfort zone where not much new ever happens, or you can delve into unfamiliar territory and discover new and exiting things. For me (as sad as this sounds), my new and exiting thing is that I’ve started to wear bright eye shadows again, in particular this lilac one with a slightly deeper purple running through the crease. It has fast become my go to look, who would have thought?!

For those of you who are colour confident, or even if you’re a neutral lover like myself and fancy trying out something new, this tutorial takes you through my current favourite makeup look step by step. Enjoy.

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My MAC Empties - Back to MAC!



In case any of you lovelies aren’t filled in about MAC’s 'Back to MAC' programme, basically it’s a fantastic way of receiving something back for your money while being environmentally friendly. By returning six MAC packaging containers, you are entitled to a free lipstick of your choice (excluding Viva Glam lipsticks for which all proceeds go to the MAC aids fund) and MAC will dispose of said packaging in an ethical way. Pretty good eh?!

So here are my empty (ish – more on that later!) containers that I’m taking back tomorrow, but before I part with them I thought I would show you which products I’ve made my way through. First is my beloved Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC35, as you can see I have scraped the very last morsels of this product out of the jar and the time has come to remove the reusable pump, pop its original lid back on (I don’t think this is a necessity) and repurchase this baby. You can read my review of this foundation as well as how it compares to MAC’s Studio Sculpt Foundation here. All I will say is, it’s love!

 Next we have two eyeshadows. The one that is completely empty is Satin Taupe, which is such a beautiful and versatile colour, in some lighting it looks brownish grey on the lid while in others it has a purple tinge to it, I love this as it is smoky however still natural enough to wear all over the lid during the day. It’s also a lovely one to wear in the crease to add some depth to the eye. The other pot of eyeshadow you can see (the one with the lid closed) is Blackberry, this is a matte deep purple shade that my mum gave to me after it brought her out in a rash (she has extremely sensitive eyes). In a nutshell, I highly dislike this product as I found the colour payoff is terrible especially for such a dark shade. Usually MAC’s colour payoff is second to none and I highly rate their products for lasting ages, this one however has an extremely solid powder consistency and doesn’t adhere to a brush easily, so for that reason it’s bye bye Blackberry – you’re going back!

The red lipstick is Lady Bug and is nearly finished but not quite, so I’m going to empty the remains into a sample pot. This one is a sheer, deepish, yellow toned red and rather than swiping all over my lips I prefer to dab this product on lightly to create a natural healthy tint. The nude coloured lipstick is Myth and I bought this a few years back when ‘concealer lips’ were the in thing (why?!). Needless to say I don’t use this anymore but it did have its place in my heart at one time and is nearly all gone. As with Lady Bug I’m going to decant the rest of the product into a sample jar to use underneath other lipsticks to lighten them up a bit. I also like mixing this with a pink gloss to create a natural nude lip. Last up is the completely empty pink shade. This was my first MAC lipstick and indeed the first MAC product that I ever bought and I wore it on my first date with my boyfriend six years ago, yes – it’s been empty quite a while. This little beaut is Lovelorn and if it wasn’t so old I would have attempted to extract the remains of this as well (waste not, want not and all that!) It’s a pretty blue toned pink and is perfect for a pop of colour during the day.

This is my first lot of products that I’ve ever taken back to MAC, which is an ode to how bloomin’ long they last! I’ll be sure to share with you whichever lipstick it is that I end up choosing for my freebee, hmm decisions decisions!

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Back To Basics: The Natural Look

Recently I’ve been opting for a much more natural look with my makeup. I’ve ditched my signature cat flick for a simple swipe of eyeshadow, a teensy bit of eyeliner on both my upper and lower lash line to thicken the appearance of my lashes and of course, a quick coat of mascara. I’ve really been trying to keep my skin clear lately so I’ve said goodbye to my foundation for a little while and only used concealer where I need it. A light dusting of bronzer, blush and a swipe of lipstick later and I’m good to go, quick and easy.

Face – Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer – Shade 3 Medium

Bare Minerals Warmth

MAC Blush – Fleur Power

Eyes – MAC E/S – Woodwinked (lid)

MAC E/S – Handwritten (crease & brows)

Avon Super Shock Eyeliner

Maybelline Rocket Volum’ Express Mascara

Lips – MAC Lipstick – Crème Cup

 

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Back To Basics: My Everyday Eye Makeup Essentials

When it comes to the topic of eye makeup, I’m the same as a lot of other ladies out there in that I own a multitude of different eyeshadows, liners, etc, however I always find myself reaching for the same few items on an everyday basis. These are the basics of my eye makeup kit if you will, the products that I’d be safe with if all my other makeup were to be taken away (let’s pray that never happens) and here I shall explain why I couldn’t possibly do without them.

Let’s begin with my MAC quad palette, this is one of MAC’s customizable palettes and I love it for travelling as well as for everyday use. In it I have Arena, a soft peach which I use most days as a natural looking base all over my lid. I then like to add some depth to my crease which I achieve by using Cork, a soft matte brown. For a more made up day look or for my favourite nighttime look (a bronze smokey eye) I have Woodwinked and Amber Lights which I also think are both perfect for day to night transitional makeup if you’re a busy bee on the go. When doing a smoky eye I (sparingly) use MAC’s Handwritten eyeshadow which is an extremely pigmented dark matte brown in my crease, I also use this everyday to fill in my eyebrows.

No matter which look I’m going for I always top it off with a flick of eyeliner over my top lid and a coat (or two) of mascara. I’m currently using Avon Super Shock Eyeliner and Maybelline Rocket volum’ express Mascara.

 

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FOTD

Last weekend was my cousins baby shower, so I thought I would share the makeup that I wore for the special day with you. It was a daytime do at a hotel so I went for a made up yet simple look. Hope you enjoy!

Face –  Benefit Porefessional Primer

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation - NC30

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - Shade 3 Medium

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Medium Dark

Bare Minerals Ready Bronzer – The High Dive

MAC Blush – Style

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish – Soft and Gentle

Eyes – MAC Paintpot – Painterly

MAC E/S – Arena (lid)

MAC E/S – Cork (crease)

MAC E/S – Handwritten (Brows)

Urban Decay E/S – Sin (highlight)

Avon Super Shock Gel Eyeliner – Black

Maybelline Rocket Mascara - Black

Lips – MAC Lip Liner – Stripdown

Mac Lipstick – Please Me

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My Everyday Makeup

So this post is about the makeup that I am currently wearing on a daily basis. This changes throughout the seasons and depending on what mood I’m in, however for summertime I am leaning towards accentuating my natural tan by using a bit of bronzer and neutral colours on my eyes. Rather than going for a peach or bronze blush like I normally do in summer, I’ve recently been loving a pink blush to add some healthy looking colour to my cheeks. I’ve been pairing this with a pink lip for a fresh faced look. These are the products that I’m using at the moment.

Face

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation – NC30

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer – Shade 3 Medium

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Medium Dark

MAC Blush – Fleur Power

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish – Soft and Gentle

Eyes

MAC Custom Eyeshadow Quad:

Top Left - Arena (Lid)

Top Right - Cork (Crease)

Bottom Left – Woodwinked (Lid)

Bottom Right - Amber Lights (Lid)

Mac Eyeshadow – Handwritten (Crease & Brows)

No7 Beautiful Eyebrow Pencil – Brown/Black

Avon Super Shock Gel Eyeliner

No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara

Lips

MAC Lipliner – Stripdown

MAC Lipstick – Please Me

Elemis Loving Lips Quenching Lip Balm

I hope you enjoyed this post, I love looking at other peoples everyday makeup favourites and so I thought I’d share mine too!

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