Tricks to brighten your face!

Hey Everyone,

Today's post is going to be some tips and tricks to get that fresh faced look (which we all crave on those early mornings!) 

Okay, when I said brightening I didn't mean that bright! Photo on the right seems more realistic :) A bright and fresh looking face can make all the difference to how you feel and how you appear to others. We all have those days when your face needs a good pick me up! 

The most important aspects of the face to get right are the skin and the eyes! Start with your regular foundation and don't skip out on concealer. This will make tired eyes look not so tired. 

Now the fun bit - I started by priming my eyes with MAC's paint pot in soft ochre. Then to set that, I would recommend using a matte neutral shade all over the lid (Walk of shame - third along from the left in the Urban decay Naked basics palette). Remember nothing too strong in the crease as we want to open the eyes - I used a bit of Naked 2 (same palette fourth along from the left) for a bit of definition. Then, to highlight the inner corner, I used a bit of Virgin (first shade in the palette). 

Now for eyeliner - you don't have to do this step, but a bit of black liner on the top lash line really helps to make your eyes look bigger! I flicked mine but that's just me (I used Stila's stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner in intense black). For the final touch, I took my NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Milk to use in the waterline, if you find that white is too harsh for you, swap it for a fleshy tone pencil instead. 

Finally, we have to show the skin some love! I would suggest using a nice pretty pink blush - I used the Daniel Sandler Watercolour fluid blusher in the shade Cherub. This leaves the skin with a very natural flush and then to finish off, I used some highlighter! What better way to brighten the face than with some the Balm Cosmetics Mary-Lou Manizer. Just make sure to blend with your fingers or used foundation brush to make every thing seamless!

I hope you enjoyed this post and have a lovely day,

Emma
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Everyday Make up Routine

Hey Everyone,

Remember how I said I would do one post a week minimum, I believe that will very quickly turn to 3 or 4 times a week hehe :) I'm just so excited about what I want to talk about! :P I apologise for the quality of the pictures, I shall be sorting out my lighting soon!

I thought the next logical post would be to show you my every day make up look, so you can get a feel for my style. Though having said that, my day and evening looks can be very similar - I'm not shy when it comes to make up ;)

This is where I do my make up every morning before uni, and just for you, I made sure it was relatively tidy. And yes that is a fridge on the end - I have to have somewhere to put my fresh face masks and eye packs ;)

Don't I just look so "fresh" at 7:45 a.m. (excuse the sarcasm :P) As you can see my daily face is pretty natural (apart from the eyeliner) and I like to let my natural skin show through a bit :) 

Primer is essential for me; I have combination skin with an oily T-zone. So, I find a primer really helps my make up last all day. I'm currently using the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Oil Free, I got this as a gift for my birthday in January and I haven't looked back since. It is an amazing primer, just wish it had a better price tag - £28 :/ but having said that I will definitely be repurchasing. Then for eye primer I've actually been using the MAC paint pot in Soft Ochre. Now, I was never a fan of these paint pots until I tried this one, I believe it's because this is more matte so provides the perfect base for my eye shadows.

My every day foundation for the past 2 months has been the Laura Mercier Tinter Moisturizer - Oil free in the shade Nude. Don't let the name fool you! This is not your average tinted moisturizer, I would definitely describe it as more of a light coverage foundation. It hasn't broken me out and I would say it is a natural finish, letting your skin show through. Then for those problem areas (nose, chin and odd blemish) I use Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in the shade Light 2. Again, this has been a staple in my make up collection for over a year and I wouldn't be caught without it! Then for those under eye bags I use Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque. I know these are very obvious choice concealers (seeing how much they are talked about on the internet) but they are honestly amazing, and do their job so well! Though with the Bobbi Brown concealer, you only need a very small amount and remember to powder it or it might crease a bit!

Let's face it (pun intended), one of the focal points of my face are my eyebrows! I've been blessed with caterpillar-like brows, which can be slightly scary at times, BUT I love them! So I show them some love with the Make Up Forever Aqua Brow in shade 30, I know people say I don't need this but I have a bit of sparseness through the arch of my brows and then to set that in place I use MAC clear Brow Set (another must-have for those with thick brows!)

So, for eye shadows I've been using Urban Decay's Naked Basics Palette - which is AMAZING and so cute :P I use the third shade (I always go from the left), Walk of Shame, all over the lid. Then, I use the fourth shade, Naked 2, through the crease and then I use the tiniest about of Faint (fifth shade) in the outer corner. To finish off, I used the first shade, Venus, as an inner corner highlight.

Then, I go onto eyeliner! My favourite part :D I'm currently using the Stila Stay all day waterproof liquid eye liner. I did an in depth review on this product if you'd like to check that out :). To finish off the eyes I used Maybelline the Rocket Volume Express Waterproof mascara. As you can tell I like waterproof products, because I just feel they last so much longer on me and I do tend to get oily eyelids.

Nearly there - I promise ;)

When I started writing this post I had no idea actually how many products I use on a daily basis! And to make it worse I use 3 cheek products! The first is to contour, I use MAC Harmony blush which is a matte neutral shade, it's a little bit warm for me I think but I do really like it.  Then for blush I'm using Daniel Sandler Watercolour fluid blusher in Cherub, which is a really pretty pink shade. To highlight I'm using the Balm Cosmetics Mary-lou Manizer (such a cute name!) and it honestly is the best powder highlighter I have EVER used! If you need a highlighter I totally recommend this one! 

To finish off the face, I set it using MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in the shade Medium, this is a cult make up product. It's a lovely face powder, with a bit of extra coverage and a natural soft finish. Last but not least...lipstick. I love a good nude/pink (always on the look out for new lip products) and I love the Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani in the shade 103, which is just a stunning nudey pink. Moisturizing to the lips, not very long lasting but what nude lipstick really is?

I know that was a very long blog post but it appears I use A LOT of products :P

I hope you have a lovely day,

Emma 

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