Makeup Menu: Saturday Night

I'm not at all seasoned in the art of walking in high heels anymore. The 7pm-12pm slot of my saturday night usually consists of eating a rather large dinner, bath time. a sneaky purchase online and then bed. However, the last few months of the year are always filled with birthdays and parties and so I thought Id share my go to products for a night out. 

Firstly, my main concern for nightly outings is skin and the best evening foundation I have tried is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk which I wear in the shade 4. I dub this 'perfect skin in a bottle', blends like a dream and sits nicely between a matte and dewy finish. Another base perfecting product I am obsessed with is the Hourglass Ambient lighting Powder in Diffused Heat. I don't know how it does it but this powder completely blurs all imperfections in the skin while giving you an amazing glow. I also like to add a subtle sheen to the tops of my cheekbones and cupid's bow the the Benefit Watt's Up highlighter stick.

Next comes eyes, and although I like to keep it neutral most of the time I do like to add shimmer in the evenings. Firstly I apply a sticky note from the outside corner of my eye to the end of my brow just to keep everything in a nice feline shape, and also make winged eyeliner SO easy. I add a base shadow and define my crease using my trusty Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette and then I spritz a flat brush with this cute bottle of Fix+ from MAC and go in with the most exciting thing about my night out makeup, a pigment. This Makeup Geek pigment in Nightlife is a beautiful bronze colour and gives your eyes the most amazing pop and with a primer it last all night without flaking away or smudging. To finish eyes, I give them a quick curl with the Shu Umerua Eyelash Curlers and add false lashes, the ones Ive used twice now are the Ardell Glamour Wispies which I apply with a little Duo glue. 

Finally, were on to lips and on nights out I do enjoy giving my bold colours a dust off because thats the only time I really get to wear them. The two Ive been obsessing over recently are the Dior Addict Fluid Stick in the shade Wonderland, which goes on the lips very wet and then dries to a beautiful satin finish and is so comfortable on the lips. My second favourite is the Nars Audacious Lipstick in Grace which is a similar colour but dries a little more matte and rarely needs a touch up. 

Chubby Cheeks, New From Nars and Beauty Launches

Here is a roundup of all the things that have been happening in the beauty world and have had my attention in the past week. 

1. New from Clinique, they have expanded there range with there Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm, everything you want in a cream blush. It's creamy, easy to blend out with fingers and perfect for touching up. I have the shade Robust Rhubarb which instantly wakes me up and gives a nice healthy glow.

July 2014 Favourites

Hey guys! A little delayed I know, but here are my beauty favourites for the month of July. 

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet foundation: A natural finish, skin like foundation perfect for oily skin. Its watery formula makes it easy to blend, keeps oil in check and the finish is velvet indeed.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer: The best concealer I've ever tried. Covers dark circles, blemishes, acne scars, you name it. So easy to apply and blends beautifully.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural: A gorgeous setting powder that never looks too cakey or powdery on the skin, no matter how heavy handed you are. Keeps oil at bay and gives a nice glowing finish.

Maybelline Brow Drama: One of the better brow products from the drug store, a mascara like gel that keeps hairs in place while adding a touch of tint to them. Quick and easy, perfect for natural makeup days. 

Revlon Brow Fantasy: Another brow product I have really been enjoying. The pencil on one end is firm and allows you to fill in and shape your brows exactly how you want and the setting gel on the other sets everything down while adding little bit more colour.

Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette: The first palette I ever owned, and used it to death so of course I had to pick it up again. Too Faced shadows are up there with some of the best. Buttery soft, pigmented, and blend ridiculously well. Theres not a shade in here i wouldn't use and I'm in love with the sleek tin packaging.  

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet: One of the best liquid lipstick formulas around. They came in a range of different shades but for me the brights are where its at. Not at all drying on the lips, even though they are matte and when they dry the colour sticks around forever. No touch ups required

Maybelline Color Elixir: I need these in every shade. A balm/gloss/lipstick hybrid that make your lips look nice and full. 

Garnier Micellar Water: The Bioderma dupe. Read my post here.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil: Literally melts makeup off your face. No need to fuss with cotton pads and remover. Just rub into your makeup and wash off, perfect for when you come home from a night out. 

A Rimmel Affair

Rimmel have been a stand out drug store brand for me over the past six months. I tried some of their products years ago and they never wowed me, and ever since then I had no interest in trying anything from the brand.

The first thing I picked up was the Match Perfection foundation, after seeing it in a lot of Tanya Burr's videos. It feels really lightweight on the skin while still giving a decent amount of coverage and blends very easily. The shade range is quite large compared to other drug store foundations. I have the shade 100 Ivory which is perfect for me and for girls with oily skin this dries semi-matte and will last all day. Ive been enjoying this so much I think it has become my favourite drug store foundation ever!

The Wake Me Up concealer also became another favourite. I love this for under eye circles especially on mornings when you can tell Ive spent too long in front of the computer the previous night. I blend this in with fingers and it never creases or looks cakey on me.

I hit pan pretty quickly on the Stay Matte powder in Transparent. I use this with a big powder brush, swoosh it around in the pan and then I stipple it on my face to set everything. Again, never looks powdery and has gone on the 'Must Always Repurchase' list. 

Finally, the Scandaleyes kohl liners have been a standout to use. They're probably the smoothest pencil liners I have ever tried, they never tug on your eyes or look too heavy. I love using the nude colour in my waterline because it doesn't budge and makes me look more awake. 

I'm looking to try more from Rimmel but every time I go I can never decide. Let me know what you guys have tried and what other products you recommend. 

My MAC Quad (Complete)

Look at the beauty! Filling up the empty spots in this palette was more fulfilling and exciting than I'd care to admit. 

From left to right: Nylon, Naked Lunch, Honey Lust and Sable. For an everyday look, I apply Naked Lunch all over the lid with a 217 brush and then blend Sable into the crease and outer corner, then I use Nylon to highlight the inner corners of my eye, and Honey Lust is for days when I'm feeling a bit more shimmery. 

Iv'e been reaching for this palette everyday this month, I'm dreading the inevitable day when I hit pan on one of these shadows. It's unclear at this stage if a tear will be shed.

I loved filling up this palette SO much that I may or may not have purchased a 15 pan bad boy which may or may not be featured fully loaded in the coming months ;)

Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo

If you read beauty blogs you will know that almost everyone who features the Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo adores it, and of course I am no exception.

Amongst the drug store brands there really isn't a very high variety of cream eyeshadows. I have very oily lids so finding one that will stay on is a bit of a mission. And I believe it has ended.

This eyeshadow is the most long lasting shadow of tried in cream form. It comes on very opaque and I just use my fingers to apply it and it dries within about a minute. I had it on from 7 in the morning till around 11 in the evening and it still looked the same as when I put it on. YAY.

I got the shade 'Bad to the Bronze', it kind of looks smoked out when you apply it alone and that appeals to my laziness when I have an early start. 

Mood: impressed