face of the day: natalie from made in chelsea

Haha can I point out that I don't have a wrinkly forehead or one eyebrow higher than the other...  I just seem to have  to raise one eyebrow when I smile for a picture and this is usually hidden by my fringe - nice!

When I was watching Made in Chelsea on Monday night (oh the drama!) I was thinking to myself how lovely some of the girls' make up looked. Millie, Louise and Natalie especially always manage to look so natural and pretty and, like me, they're a lover of all things neutral when it comes to eye make up. In particular, I really liked Natalie's make up on Monday night's programme. Natural glowy skin with very slightly defined upper lashes - beautiful! Obviously this is just an inspired look so I'm never going to look quite as flawless or have locks that bouncy and flowing (sigh) but I'd thought I'd give it a shot.

As I said all the girls in Made in Chelsea have such glowing and healthy looking skin so after applying the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer I used a combination of the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 and the No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Normal/Dry Skin in Fair. Now normally I would perhaps just use the No7 BB Cream but over the past few days my skin has gone crazy (I think due to the stress of exams and eating naughty things) so I just wanted a little extra coverage but still with the finish of a BB cream. Also as I wanted a little more coverage I used a traditional flat foundation brush which I very rarely do. Usually I always use a buffing brush or stippling brush for my foundation but I find a traditional foundation brush really allows you to lay more product on to the skin and hide any unwanted areas more effectively.

To conceal my gazillion spots and in particular the really nice volcano right in the centre of my forehead I used my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair. Then for under my eyes and around my nose I chose the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory. I find that this is great for the under eye area as it really brightens any darkness. Finally to finish off my foundation and concealer I took a very small brush and only powdered the areas that need to stay in place such as around my nose, under my eyes and any spots. For this I used the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent.

Step two in getting the perfect Made in Chelsea skin definitely requires some bronzer. When don't you see the girls with a healthy looking tan? As I haven't jetted off to Dubai any time recently (or ever for that matter) I made do with using some Soleil Tan de Chanel. Natalie doesn't have much contouring so I simply used a stippling brush to apply the bronzer all over my cheeks and up to my temples rather than creating any more of a defined structure. To carry on the bronzey cheek theme I used a little bit of tangerine coloured blusher. The one I actually used is a very old one I found in my blusher collection by L'Oreal Paris but after a little look on the internet I don't actually think it's available any more and all the information has rubbed off the back... Anything tangerine or peachy coloured will do on the cheeks but don't use too much as Natalie doesn't seem to be wearing much blusher at all (I had to restrain myself as if you've read my blog before you may have realised that I can be quite heavy handed on the cheeks!) To be honest you could probably leave out any blusher but this is something I'd definitely struggle to do haha.

I kept my brows very simple and natural looking by using my trusty Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde to just fill in any gaps and extend them a bit. I didn't really change my natural brow shape as I didn't want them to look unnatural or drawn on. I then slicked a little ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara on to keep any unruly hairs in place.

On to the eyes! This was actually what I liked most about her make up. It doesn't look like much but that's the genius of it - it's so simple it's perfect haha! I also love how round Natalie's eyes are and I really think she knows how to work with her eye shape, she makes them look even wider and prettier. First I swept a little of the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Ivory all across my lids just to even the colour of them out. I then put some of Urban Decay's Naked Eyeshadow in to the outer part of my crease and blended thoroughly as I only wanted the tiniest amount of definition here. Along my upper lash line I then used an Avon Colour Trend Kajal Stick in Brown. To make my eyes appear rounder I only took the eye liner about two thirds of the way along my lash line and made sure that it was thickest in the middle of the line as this can make your eyes appear wider. I chose brown instead of black as I didn't want a harsh black line and I also used my ring finger to smudge the liner in to my lashes a little. I then used some of the UNE Skin-Glow Pencil in G01 along my lower water line to open my eyes as much as possible! After curling my lashes I chose to use the Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black. I only applied this to my upper lashes as Natalie doesn't seem to have any on her lower ones.

Finally to finish the look off, on my lips I first applied a little lip balm then took some of the MUA Lipstick in Shade 16 on my finger and rubbed it across my lips so the colour was nice and sheer.

Are you a fan of the girls' make up on Made in Chelsea? I'm not obsessed with the programme but I'm definitely obsessed with their make up!

xx

face of the day: glow!

As my day yesterday simply consisted of getting my shoes reheeled, buying some new Biros and revision (wild), I wanted really neutral and natural looking make up - nothing over the top or too heavy. For me, this means getting my skin looking as glowing and flawless as possible because I think radiant cheeks and just mascara on the eyes is such a great combination.

After moisturising I applied some of the Rimmel Fix and Protect Pro Primer on and around my nose and on my chin. I don't know what's happened but recently my pores around my nose have been looking HUGE and so I picked this up yesterday in a bid to shrink those horrid craters in my face a little bit. So far so good but I'll test it out a bit more thoroughly before giving a full review. In the bid for glowing skin I also applied some L'Oreal Lumi Magique Base Concentre de Lumiere (the French name sounds so much more glamorous haha) to my cheeks and then after letting it sink it added another layer to my temples and cheekbones. While this definitely does not perfect your skin or give any coverage, the healthy glow that it gives when worn under foundation is just fab!

On to the foundation! Last Monday I picked up a sample of the Nars Sheer Glow from Selfridges and I am absolutely loving it. I only have about one application left in my little sample pot eek! I'm definitely going to go and repurchase it as I love the way it makes my skin look and feel. It makes my skin looking totally even and flawless but not flat and overly matte - I hate it when foundation takes away any natural glow. When I first applied this foundation I thought it looked really obvious, but after a couple of minutes and it's settled on to my skin it looks almost undetectable. I can't wait to get the full size! I also used a little of the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair under my eyes and anywhere where I needed any extra coverage (always the chin!), as well as using my UNE Skin Glow Pencil in G01 to take away any redness from my lower water line.

Next I applied some Soleil Tan de Chanel to the hollows of my cheeks and to the sides of my forehead with a stippling brush. Being quite pale I love the dimension this adds to my face and the sunkissed look it gives. I know that people say it can look orange and I do agree, which is why you have to be very careful to apply a little at a time to get the colour you're after. For blush I chose a 17 Blusher in First Kiss. Again this is a really glowy product and the pretty pink colour is so girly and gives a great flush to the cheeks. I think this blush and the Chanel bronzer are a fab team! I've also read that some people have said that First Kiss gives a similar effect to Nars Orgasm but obviously at a fraction of the price. After finishing my cheeks I put on a very small amount of Collection 2000 Pressed Powder in Candlelight just to my nose and chin to set my foundation. I never apply powder to anywhere else on my face as I want to keep my skin looking glowing.

I then pencilled in my eyebrows with Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows in Soft Blonde which is my go-to eyebrow pencil at the moment. I included it in my recent Current Favourites post so if you want to know more of my thoughts on it then click here! On my eyes I simply curled my lashes and then used the Clinique High Impact Mascara. I just have a little sample size of this from a magazine and while there's nothing fundamentally wrong with the product, I don't think I'd purchase it again as it far from blew me away and there are definitely cheaper mascaras that perform better. To highlight the inner corners of my eye and brow bone I then used an MUA Eyeshadow in Shade 1. I thought this was such a pretty highlight colour that I actually also dabbed a little on to my cheekbones.

Lastly I kept my lips very simple and used a Kate Moss for Rimmel Lipstick in Shade 3. Although I do like the colour of this lipstick it's perhaps a little light for me as I have quite naturally pigmented lips so I warmed it up a little with an MUA Love Hearts Lip Balm in Sugar Lips which is a really pretty pink and smells incredible!

So that was my make up for the day! I'd love to know any products you use to make your skin look dewy and glowy!

xx

five treats for under £25

Clockwise from top left: Forever 21 Dangling Spike Earrings, COS Small Leather Zip Purse, Skagboys by Irvine Welsh, Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in Illusoire, James Sadler London Mug

When I put these wish lists together, it's very easy for me just to pick lots of very expensive items so I thought I'd show you some cheaper things that I'm currently lusting over (um... although I may have bought a couple already!) So if you're out shopping today or tomorrow, here are a few ideas of what you could treat yourself to without breaking the bank!

• Well I should probably admit that that I've already bought these earrings from Forever 21. I really like the idea of the heavily spiked necklaces that lots of people seem to be wearing at the moment but I'm not sure if they're a bit much for me and I could actually pull them off. Instead I thought that these would be a subtler way of wearing the trend and for £2.40 I couldn't really say no!
• I bought my current purse in a charity shop probably about four years ago now and I still absolutely love it. However, the part where you put your change has ripped at the bottom so I'm forever chasing pennies round the lining. However, I don't want to part with my beloved purse so I thought I'd perhaps just buy a coin purse. I love how simple this one is from Cos, it's so plain and unfussy.
• Again I've actually already bought Skagboys... I absolutely love Irvine Welsh so I've been excited about the Skagboys, the prequel to Trainspotting, coming out for months now. If only I didn't have revision so I could just sit down and read it all day!
• This colour of this Chanel eye shadow is so beautiful, the greyish purple shimmer is so interesting. I probably shouldn't get this too soon though as I treated myself to a purchase from Chanel this week - the Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Make Up Base... oops!
• If you're in Britain you'll know how disgusting the weather is at the moment so that means endless cups of tea to try and cheer myself up. Also, with revision added to that, the kettle is never off! I love having nice mugs and this mug by James Sandler is so cute!

Tell me what your current wish lists are... I'm very easily tempted haha

xx