Thursday 28 February 2013

What's on my nails :)

I'm not very good with nails to be honest, and am very lazy when it comes to base coat top coat blah blah (I can hear the gasps of outrage) ha :-O BUT as long as they look nice and last more than a day im happy!
What I find myself doing most is applying two coats of a bright colour and then jazzing it up with a glitter topcoat which I find 1.hides any streaks or minor mistakes and 2.prolongs polish and prevents chipping. Who doesn't live a bit of glitter eh? I'm excited for spring to come, and whilst I like pastel colours I'm more interested in all the neon colours that I'm seeing everywhere at the moment. With that in mind here's what I put on my nails today :)
The bright orange polish is a Nails Inc one which came free with a magazine yonks ago. I have a few Nails Inc polishes and I think they're really good quality, not at all sheer or streaky. The glitter is a Models Own one from last years Hed Kandincollection called Ibiza Mix. It's the first time I think ill actually finish a full bottle of nail polish, that's how much I love it! I really like Models Own for their nail varnish, they can be found in Boots, they're not too sore on the bank account and there's always some sort of offer on them.
What's your favourite brand of nail polish? Always on the lookout for newbies that dry quickly and need minimal amount of coats!
Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx



Friday 22 February 2013

MAC Soft and Gentle

I own only one mineralise skin finish from MAC, and it is beeyouteefool! It's a baked powder highlighter which when applied gives a gorgeous champagne coloured sheen to the skin. It's often raved about and it was Louise from Sprinkle of Glitters blog post which MADE me buy this.
Swatch below has been taken with flash to appear brighter for you lovely lot to see but in daylight this powder can be used really subtly to give a dewy glow. I personally don't use highlighter every single day but if I want a polished healthy look ill always opt for Soft and Gentle. This is pricey at over £20 but I can't imagine running out as you only need a little, so well worth it in my opinion. It's also gorgeous used as a shimmery lid colour on the eyes, and for a night out would look beautiful dusted on the décolletage and down the front of the legs for a healthy sheen. What's your favourite Highlighter?
Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx





Thursday 21 February 2013

My Favourite Youtubers <3

YouTube is my TV. Some people relax watching the soaps etc but when I have spare time I'm glued to any and all makeup tutorials, hauls and tips and tricks on YouTube. I think it's a brilliant way of learning and applying new techniques to your makeup in real life, without having to pay to do a course in makeup. It also gives me a heads up on new releases which I love, but my poor purse definitely does not!! So anyway, I thought I'd list and summarise who I watch and why and share with you :)
PIXIWOO
My number 1 and ultimate favourites to watch. I'm sure everyone knows but Pixiwoo are sisters and makeup artists Sam Chapman and Nic Haste. They are fantastic at what they do, naturals in front of the camera and their tutorials are second to none. Sam introduced Real Techniques brushes to the world and they're much hyped and my personal favourite. Can't praise the channel enough!

TANYA BURR
Another fantastic makeup artist, with a beautiful face and personality to match, love her tutorials.

GOSSMAKEUPARTIST
This guy makes me laugh! He teaches brilliantly but also has a lot of insider knowledge on brands and the naughty things they do that we should know, and is very informative on product ingredient lists etc.

SPRINKLEOFGLITTER
Louise's channel is a fun filled wonderful place to be, she's bubbly, funny, relatable and I heart her. She appeals to me because she's a mummy who loves makeup just like me, and when I watch her I feel happy because she's so infectious.

EIMEARBYRNE/LETZMAKEUP
I grouped these two together(but they're separate channels) because they're both fantastic makeup artists and the very best thing of all is they're Irish :-D

JEMIMALOU
A gorgeous girl and a really solid makeup artist, I learn something new from every tutorial I watch.

NIKKIETUTORIALS
This girl blows me away. She's not even twenty yet and if I had even half of her makeup skills I'm sure I'd be successful in makeup artistry. She edits her videos brilliantly and gives me the giggles!

BLUSHBLENDBEAUTY
This is Natalie, who I watch because not only do I enjoy her videos but also I could imagine being her friend. She is brilliant at makeup but she also talks about weight loss and fashion, and she's so humble and lovely. She deserves many many more subscribers than she has. Love her!!

STEPHANIECONNOLLY
Last but not least is one of my very best friends. I'm not even biased I promise! Steph started as a beauty channel and evolved into a vlogger/weightloss guru/MUA/mummy rep/inspirational all round funny girl. Her videos always keep me on my toes because I never know what she's going to upload next. Steph has a very exciting series coming up soon and I predict big things for her channel.

So there we have it. I have SO many more on my YouTube subscription list but I don't want to bore you, these are my very very favourite and if you don't watch them, go look them up on YouTube! Tell em I sent you ;)
Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx

Thursday 14 February 2013

MAC Power Surge Eye Kohl

I thought I'd pop a post up today on one of my all time favourite makeup items- Power Surge eye kohl by MAC.
When I was just getting into makeup in my teens one of the first eyeshadows I ever bought was a gold shimmer dust from Natural Collection in Boots. Sadly these are now discontinued, I don't know why as they were one of the best products in the line. Anyhow, every time I wore it people would always comment on my blue eyes. Lesson learnt gold+blue eyes=winner! From then on some variation of a gold/bronze eyeshadow combo has been my go-to no-fail eye makeup. Whether its a wash of light gold during the day or a dark smokey brown-gold at night it works for me. I wear a black or brown kohl at night but sometimes I feel like this can be too harsh, and close the eye up. This is where Power Surge comes in.
It's a beautiful gold kohl pencil, and you can see from the swatches below it can be applied lightly for a shimmery gold effect or layered up to a darker bronze/gold colour. In the daytime sometimes ill just wear no eyeshadow, mascara, and Power Surge on the waterline which is a no fuss look but still enhances my eye colour. However it's also beautiful paired with almost any eyeshadow look. If you've done a dark smokey eye this adds some golden shimmer to open your eyes up without leaving the waterline bare or having to apply a white or nude kohl. Ahhhh can you tell how much I love it!!!
The best thing is that gold does the same for all eye colours, it's a universal colour in my opinion and I don't think there's anyone who couldn't wear this pencil.its so versatile, as with all kohls it can be smudged all over the lid and used as an eyeshadow base too. I've used this a LOT since I bought it a few months ago and haven't had to sharpen it yet so it's going to last ages, which is a good thing considering the price (£14). It can be found in all MAC stores or online at maccosmetics.co.uk. The swatch on the website does not do it justice. I've shown it below swatched on my hand and on my waterline. Seriously, go check it out!
Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx







Tuesday 12 February 2013

Stila "all is bright" lip glaze set

I had to rush to take a pic and get this post up quick, before this set sells out. I LOVE Stila eyeshadows and I have the "in the light" palette so when I heard they had a sale of their leftover Christmas giftsets I had a little browse- the website is stila.co.uk if you're interested. I've never owned any of their lip products but have read a lot about how good their lip glazes are, sooo when I saw this on the website I knew I had to have it.
This set contains 8 1.5ml lip glazes, 6 of which are limited and edition and 2 are best sellers. The 6 limited editions are l-r Jack Frost (shimmery peach with pink and gold flecks), Jingle (peach), Holly (bright red), Jolly (light pink with gold flecks), Joy (blue-toned pinky purple), Splendor (light mauve with pink and gold flecks) and the 2 permanent lip glazes are l-r Black Cerry (plum) and Sugar Plum (nude pink).
This set is worth £75, at Christmas it was on sale for £18.50 and right now it's on the website for £12.95. Bargain, I couldn't pass it up!
Swatches below are in the order in which I have named them above. they have a twist up brush head applicator and i love the fact you can always see how much you have left. These lip glazes are ever so slightly scented but its not offensive and doesn't linger. I cant wait to start using these and I'm so glad I picked them up especially at this price. I shall definitely be aiming to get my hands on some more stila goodies in the future, especially since customer service was lovely and delivery was free and within two days.
Have you tried these? Do you have any other Stila recommendation?
Thanks for reading, Love Steph xxx