My Favourite Autumn/Winter Lipsticks

Plum/purple shades are extremely popular for the autumn/winter seasons, and these are my current top 5 lipsticks!

From left to right: Maybelline Superstay in 'Always Plum', Kiko Smart Lipstick in shade '914', Rimmel Moisture Renew in shade '380', MAC 'Rebel', MAC 'Diva'.

The Maybelline Superstay lipstick has a mauve/berry look to it, which is lovely. It's true to it's name and stays on well (I'm not sure about 14 hours though!)  The only fault with this lipstick is that I find it quite drying!

 The Kiko Smatlipstick looks much darker before actually applying it (I find this is the case with many lipsticks) but I still love the vibrant purple-y shade! It doesn't stay on as long as the rest though, be warned!

 

The Rimmel Moisture Renew and MAC Rebel and look very similar, but when you apply them you can see the Rimmel lipstick is a much darker shade. MAC lipsticks have the best staying time - and actually stay on longer than some of my lip stains!

Diva is a dark crimson red shade, which is gorgeous! It's the darkest of these lipsticks, and I love how wintery the colour is - but it's not one I'd wear on everyday occasions. I really can't fault MAC lipsticks and there are so many I want to add to my collection.

What is your favourite lipstick for winter?

Let me know in the comments below!

Danielle x

Autumn Makeup

Hi guys, I had such a busy summer with work that I didn't have time to blog as much as I'd hoped I would. Now I've moved back to Manchester I have more free time on my hands so I'll try to post a lot more!

Now that it's getting colder again it's time to swap them bright orange summer lipsticks to darker, wintery shades. Autumn is one of my favourite seasons and I love the colours I can play with when it comes to makeup.

I used my Urban Decay Naked 2 pallet to create the base of this look, blending a dark grey lid into a sultry winter brown. To add to the autumn feel I blended some orange on top of the brown, using my Revolution 'matte brights' pallet.

 I usually opt for full coverage in autumn/winter months, and I used Estee Lauder Double Wear in Ecru. This is an amazing foundation that is very resistant and doesn't budge when I get caught in the rain (which is bound to happen in Manchester).

 Finally, this dark purple lip colour is perfect for the season, especially when heading out in the evening. It is a Collection lipstick in 'scorned' from the Gothic Glam collection. During the day I'd usually opt for a lighter, more plum-like shade.

I hope you like this look! What do you like about autumn makeup? 

Danielle x

Barely There Summer Makeup Look

When I'm heading out into the sun I don't want to be spending too much time applying a ton of make up that will probably end up melting off! So when it comes to summer, there are a few changes I make to my everyday make up look. 

In the day time I'll usually try and keep it simple. I tend to opt for a more lightweight foundation, as full coverage will often be visibly patchy on my skin after too much time in the heat. It's also important to let your skin breath on hot days. I usually use this 'Boujior healthy mix' which is a lightweight foundation with a healthy, dewy look (perfect for my normal/dry skin).

I often swap my usual powdered highlight/blush/contour palettes for cream based products in summer. I find this adds more of a natural glowing look to the skin. The Kiko 'creamy stick highlighter' and 'velvet stick blush' are two of my favourites this summer. I then apply a slightly mattifying powder to the T-zone, so I appear to have glowing skin but avoid looking as though I have oily skin. 

As this look is already very natural, I like to use lipstick as a way to add a quick pop of colour. Corals and orange shades are a must for any summer lipstick collection! These shades tend to create a more vibrant summer look. Here are two of my favourites: 

Kiko Smart Lipstick in shade 907 and Barry M Lip Paint in shade 54.

Kiko on the left, Barry M on the right.

Of course, no makeup look would be complete without a coat of mascara and filling in the brows! Though I wear winged liner on most days, for a 'barely there' look I would give it a miss. However, I do like to apply a touch of white eye liner on the waterline to create a wide eyed effect. Any white liner pencil will do!

There you have it, a very simple 'barely there' makeup look. What are your tips for makeup in summer? Let me know in the comments below!

Danielle x

Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush Review

Anyone that wears eyeliner knows that the stuggle is real. The saying 'never ask anyone with winged liner why they're late' applies to my life more than I care to admit. If you wear gel liner, then finding the right eyeliner brush for you will make a huge difference: it will reduce the amount of mistakes you make and cut down the time it takes you to apply your liner.

I used to use the Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush and it was definitely not for me. I found it too flimsy and it took way too long to get a precise flick that I was happy with. When I saw how different this 'brush' was I had to try it.

After using it just once, I was very impressed. My eyeliner (MAC fluidline) glided on so easily with no tugging, which made the application much quicker than when I was using my previous eyeliner brush. The shape of the brush is perfect for creating the perfect winged eyeliner as it's not too flimsy, and the thin point allows the flick to look neat and precise.

Sadly, there are a few cons to this brush. After a few applications I noticed that I was having to use more product on this silicone brush than I would have with a regular one, which makes me feel like I might be wasting my not so cheap gel liner. Another slightly annoying problem is that sometimes the gel liner starts to rub off after going over the same spot with the silicone brush. These aren't major issues though, and nevertheless this has proved to be one of my favourite brushes in my collection. 

Winged eyeliner created using the Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush and MAC Fluidline.

Though it isn't without its cons, in my opinion this is by far the better of the two Real Techniques liner brushes, and quickly became one of my favourite brushes overall. It is avaliable to buy online at Boots here.

What eyeliner brush would you recommend for the perfect cat-eye?

Danielle x

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadows Review & Swatches

As a girl that uses powdered eye shadow 99% of the time I was eager to try these 'cream gel shadows' after hearing the hype about them. I bought two to begin with and since then my collection has grown, which suggests my review is going to be a good one!

They definitely aren't called 'color tattoo' for no reason, these shadows genuinely put up a fight when it comes to taking them off! They will not budge if I rub them with my fingers, and they even take a bit of a scrub with a makeup wipe. This is great for ensuring your makeup looks fresh for longer (especially on a night out), and also means they don't crease as they stay exactly where they're applied.

From left to right: Eternal Gold, On and on Bronze, Pink Gold, Eternal Taupe, Metallic Pomegranate.

My collection consists of these warm shades, which compliment each other really well. Aside from 'Eternal Taupe', they all have a nice shimmer to them. 'Eternal Taupe' seems dry in comparison to the rest of the pots, which leads to this particular shadow being slightly more difficult to blend.

These cream pots work well as a base coat for layering powdered shadows on top, though I prefer to blend the darker shades into the outer corner to create a shimmery smokey eye look.

These 6 Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows stand the test of time (and a makeup wipe), they blend together well and even the more subtle colours have an eye-catching, vibrant kick to them. They've got my thumbs up, and my collection will definitely continue to grow!

What are your thoughts on these cream gel eyeshadows? Let me know in the comments below!

Danielle x