Think Pink: A Simple Summer look!

 

When it's hot outside, the last thing I want to do is spend ages on a full face of makeup for it to melt away in the heat. With that in mind, I created this look using products which over the past few months and weeks have proved themselves to be long lasting during the warm weather whilst also being quick and easy to apply.

This look is perfect for a weekend adventure, or even a trip out with friends.You can easily dress it up by smoking out the eye, and dress it down if the bright lips are too much by choosing something more subtle like a pink/nude matte lip.

If you'd like to recreate this look, all the details are below:

Foundation: Nars Sheer Glow - Siberia 

Concealer: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Contour: NYX Taupe Blusher

Eyebrows: Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade - Taupe & Medium Brown

Eyeshadow: Naked Basics Palette

Eyeliner: Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof Eyeliner Ultra Black*

Mascara: Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde  Mascara*

Eyelashes: Eylure Texture 154

Lips: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick - Pink Pong*

Flower Crown: £4.00 at Primark. (Recent)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this look! What outfit would you pair it with? Let me know in the comments!

 Em xxx

Bourjois Cream Blush Healthy Glow 02 Review!

Cream blushers are a product which haven't really taken my fancy before. I was never interested or bothered in them until I saw them being used backstage at Graduate Fashion Week and I was so impressed with how they looked on the models it kick started my interest into trying them myself. I was lucky enough to be gifted the Bourjois Cream Blush 02* in a goody bag at Fashion Week and I've been gradually trying to work it into my everyday look.

The Bourjois Cream Blush 02 is an apricot shade, and an unusual product for me as it's on the warmer side of products I usually wear. It has a slight shimmer, however don't let it put you off as it blends beautifully and gives just the right level of colour and shimmer on the cheeks to make a statement. I like to apply mine using the Elf small stipple brush partly because I really liked the look that Lans achieved using that technique on the runway models and also because as a cream, it makes sense to use a brush which can really get into the product and blend out easily into the skin.

This is a cream to powder product meaning it applies like a cream but sets like a powder. I do find the staying power to be less than desirable and by the end of the working day, I can often struggle to see signs of it remaining on my face however, staying power aside, I'm really into how this looks currently. 

If you have pale skin like me, then Go in with a light hand and blend it out in layers for a true pop of colour on the cheeks.

It's a perfect accent for those days where you want a natural look, but feel like mixing it up with something a little different than a peach lip.

For £7.99 I think it's a great little product, and a must have for laid back summer skin.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've tried the Bourjois Cream Blush, or any other cream blushers. Are you into them? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Em xxx

Foundations For Pale Skin: Pale Test #7 MUA Undress Your Skin Review!

I get asked on an almost daily basis which foundations and concealers are the best for pale skin tones, and this series is going to explore all different types of  products from varying brands and at all price levels which will hopefully help you to make a decision on which foundation and concealer is right for you! 

In universal skin tone terms.. I'm an NC15 in Mac. However, Mac isn't really doing it for me at the moment, so i'm on the hunt for a replacement that will be the perfect foundation for My Pale Skin. 

Product: MUA Undress Your Skin

Price: £5.00

Packaging:  The MUA Undress Your Skin Foundation comes in a plastic tube with a screw on lid. It's unoffensive, but certainly not the prettiest. The problem with this packaging is that it has no structure. What I mean by that is that the tube is fairly flexible, but the contents are surprisingly runny! Be prepared for volcanic eruption of foundation upon opening and for the love of make up, do not squeeze the tube hard when the lid is off.

Coverage: The product gives a medium - full coverage.

Colour:  MUA Undress Your Skin comes in 3 colours. I chose the lightest shade - Porcelain. I find the colour to be a slightly odd one. It has a sort of Salmon undertone to it which oxidizes and becomes ashy in places. It certainly was not a good look when I tried it.

Finish:  I expected this product to give a illuminating glow, with a smooth even coverage. What I actually got was a salmon ash cake face. It is not the easiest product to apply, i'm not a fan of the formula and I couldn't get it to work.

Final Verdict:  If your skin tone is similar to mine, save your £5 and buy a slice of cake instead. The MUA Undress Your Skin foundation has FAILED the pale test. I like MUA, and I think they have some amazing products, but this to me was a let down. I don't know what I expected, but I certainly expected one aspect of the product worked, but I wasn't a fan of any of it. I don't like posting overly negative reviews... but yeah, I couldn't see any redeeming qualities which is such a shame.

As Always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this foundation or what you'd like me to try next, let me know in the comments.
Em xxx

Why it's important to compare yourself... to yourself and nobody else.

I recently wrote about overcoming the 'Blogging Blues'  and I had so many lovely comments, tweets and emails from readers and blogger friends who related to it. In my post, one of my points was to not compare yourself to others, but only to yourself. I shared on twitter 2 photos that represented my blogging journey better than any words ever could. My first and last blog photos. I even started a photo sharing session with many bloggers sharing their first and last photos too.  

As bloggers we spend so much time learning. We're constantly learning new about new products, fashions, trends, techniques and skills. We're constant researchers, we live and breathe social media and imagery, but all of this comes with a hidden downfall - comparison. 

The problem with living in a world full of social media is that we're surrounded by other people, albeit virtually - but often there's no escaping it. That comes with the hidden price of insecurity and envy for good measure. We spend so much time looking forward and trying to better ourselves and our blogs that we never really look back at where we started.

I wanted to share with you three visual examples of how I've grown over the past few months since I started my blog. From the sole single product shot, to the haul post and the make up look - my imagery has changed so much it's almost unrecognizable as belonging to the same person, taken with the same camera. 

The Single Product Shot

Gone are the days of the dull, flat product shot with a busy background. Instead replaced with a clean, bright and airy image making full use of the depth of field my DSLR has to offer. I feel proud when I look at the image of the Kadalys Banana Balm, and I cringe when I see the image of the elf acne blemish powder. 

The Haul / Multi Product Post

I actually laughed when I compared these images side by side.The old image taken on a bit of wood found on the side of the road with products 'artfully arranged' in what can only be described as a horrendous attempt. To the bright airy shot of the Kiko Eyeshadow sticks. Even though the new image isn't perfect, and there are things I wish I did differently, it's a visual reminder of how much i've improved and how far i've come. That old tatty bit of brown wood - has been painted white is the base that the products stand on. 

The Make Up Shot

Can you believe I wasn't actually wearing fake tan in the first pictures? I had no idea how to use or set the white balance on my camera when I first started sharing photos of my make up online. My photos all had a yellow tint to them, which massively affected how my make up looked. If you look at the eyes, you can see that they're a grey/yellow in the first and bright white in the second. 

The two biggest changes that happened to my make up pictures were learning how to use my camera properly - including the white balance, and learning not to use warm yellow table lamps to light my face.

I wanted to write this post to show you why it's important to compare yourself only to yourself. I didn't fully realise how much i'd improved, learned and grown until I put these images together. It makes me proud to look at my latest images - I still cant believe that I took all of these photos.

This is my blog journey so far in photos, and a reflection of how I've grown as a blogger. I would absolutely love to see yours - so be proud, and post them! I'd love to read some blog posts showing the journey of your blog and how you've progressed. Leave me your links in the comments.

As always, thanks for reading.

Em xxx