Blue Eyeshadow - Yay or Nay?

The other night we went out to dinner and I was inspired to do a blue eyeshadow look as the dress I had on had some bright splashes of blue through it.

I know most people associate blue eyeshadow with the 80's but I really like it and I think that if the colour isn't too heavy it can look quite pretty so long as you keep the rest of your makeup subtle.

For this look I busted out my 120 pro-palette and did a blend of the three blue shades I have circled below. The palest shade on the top row is what I applied all over my lid, with the first light blue shade on the second row applied to the centre of my lid. The darker shade on the second row is what I blended into the outer corner and into the crease.

The rest of the products I used to complete this look were as follows:

 

Face:

* Avon's Ideal Shade Souffle Foundation in Ivory

* Mirenesse Touch On Concealer in Golden Cream

* Physicians Formula Transluscent Pressed Powder

* Bourjois Bronzing Power in Fair to contour

* Bourjois Blush in Rose Pompon

Eyes:

* Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Macara in Noir Max

* Mirenesse Seamless Velvet Shadow in American Star (Shimmery cream shade to blend the blues together and highlight my brow bone)

Lips:

* Nude by Nature Lipliner in Chique

* Mirenesse French Kiss Lip Cocktail Lipstick in Bellini

 

What do you think? Would you brave blue eyeshadow or do you think it should be left to the 80's?

Have a great day!

Michelle xx

November 2013 Favourites

So, I usually don't worry about posting about the products I used the most during a month because a lot of the time I mix things up so much that I tend to forget what I have loved more than others.

But, the month of November was just so hectic that I don't even really remember much of it and I found myself really using the above products practically every day because it meant that there was less for me to try and think about when I was getting ready.

Anyway, here is a break down of the products that kept me sane during the month of November.

Face
* Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation in Vanilla - I have had this foundation tucked up in the back of my makeup cabinet for ages and finally cracked it open last month and instantly fell in love. I can't believe how gorgeous and lovely the texture is of this foundation and the coverage is perfect for my skin.
* Nude by Nature Soft Focus Illuminator - I found this to be the perfect partner for the Bourjois foundation when I wanted a bit more of a glow to my skin.
* Savoir Faire Cconcealer in Light - I've been really needing a bit more coverage under the eyes lately as sleep has been eluding me and for some reason I've had a lot of breakouts around my chin area since the weather has warmed up. This concealer blends perfectly with my skin tone and gives just the right amount of coverage.
* MAC Blush in Formal - This was a recent acquisition during November- in the Stroke of Midnight Lip & Cheek bag I reviewed a few days ago and I've just loved how versatile this pink is and how well it blends onto my cheeks to give a nice healthy glow.

Eyes/Brows
* Elizabeth Arden Colour Palette - I think I have shown this before a very long time ago. I always seem to break this old faithful out when I'm in a hurry because the two Graphite and Platinum eyeshadow shades gives a great quick and easy eye look that goes with practically everything. The blush in Sunblush makes a great bronzer too when I really want to get out the door quickly.  
* Calvin Klein Intense Eyeshadow in Aqua Shimmer - I seem to gravitate towards green eye makeup when the weather warms up and I just love this shade blended into the crease lightly to brighten up the eye area when I really feel like just going back to bed.
* Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black - This is one of my favourtie all-time mascaras and I always break it out when I want one that I can rely on without wondering whether it will be halfway down my face by the end of the day.
* Mirenesse Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Osiris - I love the shade of this eyeliner as it's a dark gunmetal grey and therefore not as intense as black. These eyeliners are great and I have every shade but I don't recommend using them on a very hot day as they can get extremely soft which makes them a bit harder to apply accurately.
* Ardell Brow Defining Kit - If you saw my recent review of this product it won't be any surprise as to why this has become a daily necessity for me. I just love it.
* Models Prefer Brow Highlighter - I've been using this mostly as a highlighter for the inner corners of the eyes to wake me up a bit more and it's definitely grown more on me for use as a brow highlighter too when I'm in a hurry. It also makes a great cheekbone highlighter in a pinch too.

Lips
* Models Prefer Ultra Lipgloss Pencil in Perfectly Polished - These pencils are so easy to apply when in a hurry and give a really great amount of colour on the lips.
* MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in How Darling! - You would have seen that this was only a recent aquisition for me during November and I have been obsessed with the milky pinkness ever since.

Hair/Body
* Evodia Coconut & Lime Fragrance Roll-On - I thought I would hate this when I got it as I'm normally not the biggest fan of fake coconut scents but when we flew to Tasmania for our holiday I took it due to it being nice and small to fit into my makeup bag and I kind of became a bit obsessed with it.
* Schwarzkopf Dry Shampoo - I received this to trial from Beautyheaven and can't get enough of it. I just love the fresh scent and it makes my hair feel really nice and clean in between shampoos.  

So those are the products I loved and lived with during the month of November.

What were some of your favourites during the month?

Michelle..

Nude By Nature - BB 5-in-1 Miracle Cream

So, I have been meaning to write a post about this cream for an awfully long time but just kept forgetting!!

Today I finally realised I still hadn't done it so here is my review of this cream for your enjoyment :-)

I have been using the Nude By Nature BB 5-in-1 Miracle Cream on and off for a good couple of months now after receiving it in a past Bellabox (I think?).

At first this BB Cream and I had issues. I mean REAL issues! I found it so hard to work with and just kept getting very frustrated every time I tried to apply it of a morning. It dries very fast to a matte finish and becomes practically impossible to work with once it has passed the point of blendability. If I tried to apply too much I ended up with streak city all over my face and if I applied too little I ended up being stuck with an unfinished face that was practically impossible to blend and even out.

Then, one day I finally found the exact amount I needed to apply to get perfect coverage for my face and a love affair was finally born. See, love can be something that can grow on you eventually.......

Here is a little bit about this BB Cream:

'Our BB 5-in-1 Miracle Cream takes the best skin care mixed with the best in mineral make-up to give your skin the nourishing softness you like, with the flawless finish we love. BB instantly hydrates, corrects, perfects, protects and gives your skin natural radiance in one lightweight application. BB you best, beautiful self with this natural wonder!'

So, once I found the perfect application amount I became hooked on this cream. Once it sets it gives such a nice matte finish to the skin that is ideal for those days you just want to walk straight out the door without any fuss. It covers small blemishes with ease and makes the skin look nice and even in a way that a regular tinted moisturiser just doesn't seem to achieve.

This BB Cream comes in three shades, Light, Medium and Dark according to Nude By Nature's website.

The shade I received was Medium which is a tad too dark for me, especially now it's winter and I've resorted to my almost ghost-like paleness again. But, I wouldn't say that it's so dark that I feel I have a mask on so I've still been using it over the past few weeks on a regular basis. I'm lucky that I have been blessed (??) with a lot of freckles so it tends to be a similar shade to them and therefore blends over my face quite well. I think the light shade would have been a perfect match though so may look into trying this next time.

The scent of this BB Cream is a winner too. It's quite pleasant without being too overpowering and doesn't stay with you all day which I think is a bonus.

Overall, this is probably one of the better BB Creams I have used so far and seems to be the one I reach for most often.

Has anyone else tried this BB Cream yet? Do you find it as temperamental to apply as I do?

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx

FOTD featuring Arbonne Cosmetics

A couple of days ago I reviewed some products from the Arbonne Cosmetics range here and decided to post a quick FOTD which I did incorporating all of those products for what I think is an easy and very simple daytime look.

For this look I used the following products:

Face: Nude by Nature BB  5 in 1 Miracle Cream, Mirenesse Touch On Concealer in Golden Cream, Arbonne Cosmetics Blush in Blossom, b Collection by Bloom Cheek Tint in Napa Valley (to highlight), Australis Bronzing Powder in Golden (to contour)

Eyes: Arbonne Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Divine Plum blended out all over lid, Mirenesse Touch Up Brow Sculptor, Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Mascara in Black

Lips: Arbonne Cosmetics Lipstick in Scarlet

I'm absolutely loving bolder colours on my face at the moment now it's getting a bit cooler temperature wise.

Is anyone else embracing darker shades now we're heading into more chilly weather?

Michelle xx

Nude by Nature Soft Focus Illuminator

I have to admit that I love using illuminating and highlighting products this time of year as they make the skin glow and seem to brighten up any look.

The latest favourite of mine has to be my Nude by Nature Soft Focus Illuminator. It is a liquid mineral illuminator that is so easy to blend onto the skin and gives my face a flawless and glowy look all day. It also adds a little bit of warmth to my skin which I love.

I think I received this in one of the monthly beauty subscription boxes a while ago and promptly put it in my beauty collection box and forgot about it. I finally discovered it again a few weeks ago and have been hooked ever since.

As you can see in the below picture, this illuminator is a subtle golden shade with a hint of shimmer that you can just see when it is blended out.

(Left: Straight out of the tube, Right: Blended)

My favourite way of using it is to mix a small amount with some liquid foundation and then apply the blend all over my face. It's also great for a subtle cheek highlighter but you have to be very careful not to squeeze too much out as a little goes a very long way.

This product definitely isn't your disco-ball type of illuminator so is perfect for daytime use and for practically any look when you want a bit more of a glow to the skin.

Surprisingly, this is actually the first product I have ever tried from the Nude By Nature range and I am quite impressed. I'm very keen to check out some more of their products now.

Has anyone else tried this illuminator before? If so, what did you think of it?

I hope everyone has a lovely day!

Michelle xx