F.O.T.D Friday: Purple and Gold Eye

Purple and Gold Eye

I started by applying the DB Moisturising primer with my hands.

Next I applied Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Buff with a Real Techniques Buffing brush.

Next I filled in my eyebrows using the Rimmel eyeshadow in Dusk with an angled brush and then set them in place with the LA Colors clear mascara.

Next I placed LA Colors Loose Eyeshadow in Sunshine all over my lid.

I then applied LA Colors Loose Eyeshadow in Radient to my crease with a fluffy brush and blended it out.

I then highlighted my brow and inner corner with a yellow toned highlight colour.

Next I applied La Colors Eyeliner in White under my lower lash line as a base for the purple.

Then using a damp pointed shadow brush I applied a purple shadow on top of the white liner and blended it out a little bit.

Next I tightlined my eyes with a black eyeliner pencil.

I then applied Revlon Growluscious Mascara to my top lashes and Maybelline Great Lash to my lower lashes.

I then went back to the skin and powdered my face with Rimmel Stay Matte.

I then bronzed/contoured my face with the LA Colors pressed powder in Cocoa.

I then applied a pale pink blush.

Then onto the lips I lined my lips with LA Colors lip liner in Pinky and topped that with LOL lipstick in Kiss Kiss.

Next I went back and lined my waterline with a black pencil before applying false eyelashes. I then blended the lash band by applying Maybelline Gel liner in Blackest Black.

And here is the video if you want to watch how I applied it. Please excuse the bad editing, singing and weird faces that I make at the end of the video.

Whatever Wednesday: 40 Beauty Questions Tag

Here is a video of me doing answering the 40 beauty questions. This is a little bit of a slack post but I can never decide what to post about on Wednesdays. Hopefully I will find more inspiration next week.

Manicure Monday: Nude and Dotty

After 14 days of wear

Before I get on to this weeks manicure I wanted to show how my last manicure went. The photo on the right is my manicure after 14 days. It is a little grown out and there is some chipping on both of my index fingers. but overall I would say it has worn well. I could easily fix up the corner of my index fingers and it would still be an acceptable manicure if I was in a rush. The manicure stayed relatively chip free until around day 10 when the index fingers chipped. I did not take any extra care of this manicure, I left it as it was when I finished it.

Nude and dotty

Today's manicure is fairly simple although it requires patience.

After I had removed my old polish, I quickly manicured my nails before applying basecoat.

Next I applied two coats of Revlon Nude Chic to all of my nails. This colour is actually slightly pinker than in the photos.

After letting this dry at least 90%, I made a vertical line of dots down the centre of my ring finger using a dotting tool and pink and white nail polish. You could choose any colours that you prefer.

I then continued to fill my entire nails with vertical lines of pink and white dots. I did two pink dots in each column. I tried to make it random but a lot of my pink dots ended up in line diagonally.

I chose to only do the dots on my ring finger because I lack patience and couldn't be bothered to do it to all my nails, but if you have the time and you like that look, then you could.

It is important to make sure that the dots have completely dried before adding topcoat because if they aren't they may blur and the finished product will not look as crisp.

I think this is a great way to add something interesting to a nude manicure. It doesn't take much skill although a steady hand can help, but so long as you take your time, anyone can do this.

F.O.T.D Friday: Navy Blue Intense Eye Tutorial

Intense Navy Eye

This F.O.T.D. is a little different, normally I will be doing my make up for work or going out somewhere and choose to document it for my blog. This time I was bored and thought I'd have a play doing something more intense.

I started the same way as last week applying the Designer Brands Moisturising primer with my hands.

I then applied my Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Buff with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

Next I sprayed my face with the Australis Finishing Spray and pressed it into my foundation.

You could powder your face at this point, I forgot so I didn't do it until the end but I used the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent.

I then applied the darkest colour from the Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadow in Electric Pop to my lid and blended out the edge into the crease.

I then applied a bright blue eyeshadow to my lid.

I then took a slightly deeper blue and blended it in the crease and outer V to act as a transition colour. I chose to build up the colour with this look, so that I didn't go too dark too fast.

I then blended the edge with a clean fluffy brush.

Next I added an even darker blue to the crease and outer V. I went back into the transition blue and blended the top edge.

I then used a black with blue shimmer in the crease and outer V into the outer edge of the lower lash line.

I then used the same shadows under the eye.

I added under eye concealer to help shape the lower shadow. I used Wendy Hill's A Good Nights Sleep.

I also highlighted my inner corner with a pale blue.

I then went on and filled in my brows before coming back to smudge a covergirl black pencil liner into the lash line. I smudged over it with the black with blue shimmer.

I then lined my waterline and tightline with Maybelline Gel Liner in Black.

I then added Revlon Growluscious Mascara.

I foinished the face with my LA Colors Contour Powder and a pale pink blush and also a highlight.

I then wore a nude lip using L.A. Colors lipliner in Nude, Wendy Hill lipstick in Au Naturel and a nude gloss from Models Prefer.

Please watch the video to see exactly where I placed the eyeshadow. Sorry it is a bit long but feel free to skip throught to the bits you want to see.

Whatever Wednesday: Skinfood NZ Cleans All Review

This is an empty product review of the Skinfood New Zealand Cleans All Cleanser. I hauled this about a month ago and just finished up the bottle so I thought it time to give it a review.

You may think 1 month isn't very long for a cleanser to last but this really is a Cleans All. I use it in the morning, to remove my make up at night and then also to do my second cleanse to make sure my skin is clean.

I really do love this cleanser, before I started using it I had been using quite active cleansers to combat my acne but this left me with dry patches but still oily and spotty. On top of this my skin is always dehydrated because I never drink enough water. So I set out looking for a gentle cleanser just to use in the morning when I don't need a powerful cleanser. I got this and fell in love with it and it is now the only cleanser I use. I do still use other exfoliaters every now and then.

It leaves my blemishes feeling calmer my skin is clean but not dry and tight. I find my moisturisers absorb better into my skin instead of just sitting on top. I can genuinely say I would re purchase this product because I already have. Often I say I would re purchase a product only to be beaten by curiosity or pretty packaging and I end up buying a different product. But I love this cleanser so much I bought a new one as soon as I finished my first bottle. I get it from The Warehouse for $12.99.

I'm not saying this is a magic cleanser that will get rid of all your blemishes, but it definitely soothes mine and I feel like the pimples I do get are smaller and disappear more quickly as well as not being as deep.

Because this is an all in one product I find myself never skipping out on washing my face. I used to be terrible at keeping up with washing my face especially in the morning because it would dry out my face, but now its so easy to use just one product and my skin actually feels nicer and any sore pimples I have hurt less.

At $12.99, why not give it a try even if you only use it as your morning cleanser or make up remover.

Here is a video of me rambling about how much I love this product, I think it shows I genuinely love this product. Sorry its not edited but its under 10 minutes.

Kmart New Zealand Haul

There is no Manicure Monday post this week because I have been struggling to do my manicures on a Sunday because everyone is home and I don't want to be anti social and lock myself away doing manicures. So I have given myself a week off from manicure post and I will hopefully now be able to do my manicure posts during the week and schedule them for the following Monday.

But fear not, I have still got a little something for you, I went shopping today at Kmart and I thought I would show you what I got.

I got myself two boxes of tissues for $1.20 each because I am always running out of tissues. I also bought a mega towel for $12 which is not pictured.

I got some facial cleansing wipes to clean make up off my hands after I apply my make up. These were $3.

I got a LOL lipstick in the colour Kiss Kiss which is a purply pink colour. It was $4. Expect to see a review, or at least a photo of this and the other lipstick I bought.

I got a BYS lipstick in Half Time Oranges which is an orange colour. This was $2.75 I think. It was regularly $5.

And finally I bought some lashes, a 2 pack for $7. I am wanting to get in to wearing lashes more often but I don't want to shell out $20 for a pair of lashes unless it is a very special occasion. I will try these out and let you know what I think.

I also got a 5 pack of lashes for $5 from the $2 shop. I will also try these out and see which lashes are better.

Here is a video, which has swatches of the lipstick and also shows the towel I bought. Sorry in advance for the sniffing, I was really trying to figure out what it smelt like.

F.O.T.D Friday: Pink and Purple Eye

Pink and Purple Eye

I did this make up for work, it is quite natural, but a little different with a bit of purple thrown in there.

I forgot to take a before photo but if you watch the video you can see my beautiful no make up face.

I started off with the Designer Brands moisturising primer because a few of my spots were a little dry and this primer helps to stop my foundation clinging to them.

Next I applied Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Buff using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

I then sprayed my face with the Australis Make Up finishing spray and buffed it into my foundation a bit to make sure my foundation was blended well.

Next I applied a pale shimmery pink to my eyelid and then a bright purple shadow into my crease and outer V, I then blended it. I also applied a small amount of the pink to my brow bone. And defined my lower lash line by applying the purple to the outer corner of the lower lashes.

I then did a thin, slightly winged liner with my Maybelline liner.

I drew in my eyebrows using the Rimmel Eyeshadow in Dusk and then set them with the L.A. Colors clear mascara.

I set my foundation with the Rimmel Saty Matte Powder in Transparent.

I contoured with the L.A. Colors pressed powder in Cocoa.

I applied a pale pink blush to my cheeks and highlighted my cheeks with a skintone shimmery shadow.

On my lips I am wearing L.A. Colors auto liner in Nude and Wendy Hill Lipstick in Au Naturel, as well as a little bit of a nude Models Prefer Lip gloss.

Here is the video, if you want to watch me ramble on whilst I apply my make up.

Whatever Wednesday: 12 Personal Questions

1. What do you order at Starbucks?

I don't go very often but when I do, I love the white chocolate or caramel frappuccino. I get the one with no coffee and whipped cream on top. I hate coffee and I don't really like hot drinks.

2. What's one thing in your closet that you cannot live without?

Cardigans, I dislike my upper arms, so I love that cardigans cover me up, and if its a dressy cardigan then that's extra good.

3. What's one thing that most people probably wouldn't know about you?

I have quite a weird personality. I am painfully shy, so I appear quiet and anti social to most people. But around my boyfriend and family I am as loud and weird as possible.

4. Name one thing you want to do before you die?

Number one thing is to have children.

5. What's one food you cannot live without?

Potatoes. I like them fried, baked, boiled but most of all MASHED!!!

6. What quote/phrase do you live your life by?

Everything's going to be okay. I tend to worry and stress quite a lot, so I like to take a second, breathe and tell myself everything is going to be okay. Then I come up for a solution to the worst case scenario. For example if I end up with no money, its okay, I have family to stay with. This doesn't always help me but I try. Also, if you don't have anything nice to stay don't say anything at all.

7. What's your number one most listened to song on iTunes?

I don't have iTunes on the computer I'm using at the moment, but I'm guessing something from Elton John or maybe Six60.

8. What kind of style would you define yourself as having?

I don't really have any style. Maybe casual or girly?

9. What's your favourite number?

If I have to pick one, it would be 14 because it's my birthday but all the numbers are great.

10. Name two hobbies?

I love watching YouTube videos, I can spend hours browsing videos. My other hobby is my job, I love doing manicures and beauty treatments to make people feel better about themselves.

11. Name two pet peeves?

Snoring when I am trying to sleep. If it was a constant noise it would be fine, but the loud then the quiet of snoring frustrates me. but then also when the snoring stops I think the snorer has died. Pet peeve number two would be people that hide behind the internet, if you wouldn't say it to someone's face, don't say it over the internet.

12. What is your guilty pleasure?

I have no pleasures that I feel guilty about, although I am kind of addicted to Dr Pepper and the caffeine keeps me up all night because I am caffeine sensitive.

Manicure Monday: Nail Care Routine and Nail Art Tutorial

Pink and green nail art

To make up for missing last weeks Manicure Monday, today is a double whammy. I am doing a step by step nail care routine and also a nail tutorial for this look.

First off, let's start with nail care.
Step 1: Trim nails with nail clippers. You only need to do this if you are wanting to shorten your nails dramatically. Make sure not to cut your nails too short.
Step 2: Using a fine grit nail file, file your nails to remove sharp edges and get the exact nail edge you want. This is the point where you can make your nails round, square, pointy etc.
Step 3: Remove excess cuticle. See the video for my rant about what you can use to soften your cuticles.
Step 4: Trim off any hang nails.
Step 5: Buff your nails to remove ridges if you have any. You can skip this step if you want to.
Step 6: Remove any oil from your nails using a cotton pad with nail polish remover on it. This is an important step because if oil is left on the nail, the nail polish will not bond with the nail and it will not last.

Now on to the nail tutorial.
Step 1: Apply a base coat. This will help your manicure last longer and prevent staining.
Step 2: Apply the colour you want for your border all over your nail. I chose O.P.I. Kiss me on my Tulips. I only needed one coat to get the opacity I wanted. If you need to apply two coats, go ahead and do that.
Step 3: Make sure your border colour is dry and then go in with your middle colour. I chose O.P.I Fly. Apply this like you did the first colour but leaving a 2 to 3 mm border of your first colour at the cuticle and side walls. Let this dry and then apply another coat to reach your desired opacity.
Step 4: You can at this point choose to leave it as it is or make a full border by painting your first colour on the tip of your nail as though doing a very thin french manicure. I chose not to.
Step 5: After making sure your nails are at least 90% dry, apply a top coat. Then once it is dry, your manicure is complete.

I would like to add a little disclaimer about the video. This is the first time I have ever recorded myself on camera and you may notice I stumble over my words and ramble quite a lot, so please do not judge. Also the pink does not show up true to colour in the video, it is an almost neon pink. The photo does it more justice.




The files I used in this video are here. And here is the buffer and cuticle pusher.

F.O.T.D. Friday: 3 and a half minute make up

This post is a little different than my usual make up looks, I haven't been wearing a lot of make up lately so I thought I would show you what I do when I'm  rushing to get ready and want to look a little bit more put together.

Before and After

I timed myself when I was doing this and it only took me three and a half minutes. I started by buffing in some Maybelline Dream Matte powder to blur my blemishes, reduce my redness and make sure I'm not looking shiny.

I added a little blush to my cheeks, you could skip this step if you want to or swap it out for bronzer if you prefer.

Next I ran LA Colors clear mascara through my eyebrows to set them in place, sometimes I fill them in but if I'm in a rush I skip it.

I am wearing Maybelline Great Lash Mascara on my lashes which is a great mascara for everyday because it doesn't add too much volume.

I finished with a little gloss on my lips.

This is just my base look. You can add to it if you have extra time. Sometimes I will start with a BB Cream instead of moisturiser, or add some concealer before the powder.

The best way to do a quick make up look is to decide what is most important to you. If you love flawless skin, start by perfecting your skin with concealer and powder then just add mascara, but if you want your eyes to pop, start with your eyes then finish with a dusting of powder and run out the door.

A great way to make your make up look like you put in some effort is to wear a bright or dark lipstick.

No Mirror Make Up

Before and After - No Mirror Make Up

I missed my Manicure Monday this week so I thought I'd do something fun for Whatever Wednesday. I have attempted the no mirror makeup challenge and I filmed the process so you can see that I didn't cheat.

Other than almost poking my eye out, the finished look was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.

Close Up

I wanted to do a full make up look to really test my blind make up application. I am wearing foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, brow powder and mascara, blush, contour, setting powder and a red lip.

I could have done with a little more coverage over the blemishes on my chin and my eyeliner didn't really line my eye but I think it could be fixed up to be a passable makeup look. Especially if you squint and don't get too close.

This was really fun to do, it was quite exciting not knowing how it would turn out. You should give it a go.

F.O.T.D. Friday: Awake makeup

Somedays I wake up and I am shocked by what I see in the mirror. On this particular day I was feeling a little under the weather and very tired.

I wanted to make myself feel better and look more awake so out came the makeup.

Before and After

On my scary face days, when I want to look my best I always reach for my Revlon Colorstay Foundation. In this picture I am wearing Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Buff with Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in light on top. I am also wearing Rimmel Match Perfection 2 in 1 Concealer and highlighter in Ivory.

On my cheeks I have contoured a little bit with L.A. Colors Pressed Powder in Cocoa. I have a little bit of both colours from my Wendy Hill Cheek Duo in Riviera as my blush. I have also highlighted with shimmery champagne coloured eyeshadow that I also used on my eyes.

On my eyes I have a winged cut crease kind of look. For a closer look at my eyeshadow have a look here in my Revlon Mascara review. I used a champagne shadow all over my lid then used my Rimmel Mono Eyeshadow in Dusk in the crease in a winged shape. Whenever I am feeling tired I always do a winged look on my eyes to make sure they look open and not down turned at the outside. I also have a little liquid liner on my top lash line.

On my lips I am wearing L.A, Colours Lip liner in Pinky and Designer Brands Lip Gloss in Strawberry Sorbet.

Whatever Wednesday: Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara Review

I have been wearing this mascara for a couple of months now and I am really pleased with how it works. I bought mine from a little makeup shop for around $12 and accidentally picked up the Waterproof version.
I have to say that this is not the best waterproof mascara, it is waterproof enough that it is annoying to get every last bit off when removing your makeup but it still smudges when in contact with water. I have the colour blackest black.

Before and After

You can see from the photos that this formula lenthens, thickens and also adds a little curl. If you look at the bottom two phots it looks like my lashes are shorter with the mascara on buyt this is because my lashes have flicked up. I did not curl my lashes in these photos.

As this mascara gets older I have noticed it starts to clump more, but I have had it for at least 2 months, probably longer.

The staying power of this mascara is quite good, although I have noticed flaking. The flaking usually only happens on days that I have found myself touching my eyes. I have also noticed that because it makes my lashes so long and curled that sometimes my lashes hit my brow bone and the mascara smudges onto my brow,which can be quite annoying if you don't notice this until the end of the day.

I believe that this mascara is supposed to have ingredients that improve lash growth, I can't say that I have noticed this in my self but then again I haven't been looking out for it.

Overall this is a great mascara if you want lots of volume and length. Its great when wearing a full face of makeup, I think it is a little much to wear by itself on days when you wear no makeup except mascara.