Best of 2013!!!

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all had an awesome start to 2014 yesterday and I wish you the best year (better late than never :P) So, to start my blog in 2014 I am going to look back to all the products I loved! I won't be reviewing every product; that would be a mammoth of a post! So, I'm simply sharing my top picks from 2013.  

Face products:

Foundation - Make Up Forever HD Foundation

BB Cream - Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream 

Primer - Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Oil Free

Under-eye concealer - Bobbi Brown Corrector

Blemish concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection concealer

Cheek products:

Blusher - Laura Mercier Powder Blush in Rosette and Apricot Blossom

Contour - MAC Powder Blush in Harmony 

Highlighter - the Balm Mary-Lou Manizer 

Eye products:

Eyeshadow - MAC powder eyeshadow in Satin Taupe, Mystery, Cranberry and Sketch

Eyeshadow Palette - Urban decay Naked Basics palette

Cream eyeshadow - MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre 

Eyeliner - Stila Stay all-day waterproof liquid eyeliner in Intense Black

Mascara - Maybelline the Rocket Volume Express Mascara

Lip products:

Lipstick - MAC Rebel and Tom Ford Blush Nude

Lipgloss - Lancome Gloss in Love in 312

Nail Products:

Nail Colour - Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 660 Pat on the Black and Chanel Nail Colour in 565 Beige

Top Coat - Sally Hansen Insta-Dry 

Special Mention:

Yankee Candle in Black Cherry

Perfume - Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

I hope you enjoyed this post and are having a lovely day! 

And again - Happy 2014 to you all!! :D

Emma

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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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