HALLOWEEN

Sometimes I feel like an outsider with this Halloween thing: I'm a wimp with scary movies, dressing up properly is too much effort and I never really did anything for it as a child apart from a few terrible Halloween discos (my parents always considered trick or treating as rude and to be fair I see their point) However, it is one of those things I have enjoyed more as I got older: last year I dressed up as a cat with pretty strong eyeliner flicks, and today I'd like to share the makeup I plan to use on Friday with an all black outfit and a half hearted prop (the cat ears may come out again) 

First things first - prepped base with Max Factor's primer which I've probably mentioned too much but it does such a good job at keeping makeup in place for longer, and when you have oily skin that eats makeup as easily as mine, this is important.

I wanted a fairly matte base with good coverage so it was time to bring out Maybelline's SuperStay Better Skin foundation, with the classic Collection concealer and Rimmel powder. In hindsight I should really have saved concealer for after the eyes as there was a fair bit of fall out, however you live and you learn.

I feel eyes is always the fun part. First things first, prepping the eyelid with a Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold (admittedly not entirely matching the eyeshadow) and then moving onto brows while that sinks in (is this a thing?) I've recently been using my Seventeen Brow's That brow kit, despite opening it and thinking these colours would never work with my brows, with a light hand I can use them pretty well. I use the pencil to make my blonde eyebrows look like eyebrows then fill in further with the brown powder in the middle. Still don't feel brave enough for the tinted wax - one day perhaps! I then get out my Naked 2 pallette, apply Verve as an inner eye highlight, Pistol all over the lid and Blackout in the crease, outer corner and along the lash line, and then blend (a lot, although I do think being Halloween this being slightly on the messy side could work?) Below is how the eyes look like at this stage: 

 I then apply eyeliner and lots of mascara, clean up any fall out and eyes = finished.

I was pretty boring with the rest of my face and simply bronzed and lightly contoured with Bourjois's bronzer as I felt there was enough happening without adding blusher / highlighter.

   

The finished look with two lip options! First we have a is a Bourjois lip crayon in the shade Plum Russian. This is super glossy and can be either sheered out or built up depending on preference, and it's a great Autumn colour for when you don't want your lips to be too brave or in your face (me) To go a bit brighter I pulled out a Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in the shade Hot Plum. Insane colour and pigmentation, this is beautiful, but not something I feel like I can pull off unless dabbed on and then sheered out as much as possible. However, with this look, I really like it.


 All done, and can I just get a shoutout to my Primark Hogwarts tshirt? So comfy, and c'mon it's Harry Potter!

What are you going as for Halloween? :) 

SAYING GOODBYE TO A HOLY GRAIL

Long time no blogging! I was doing so well, but school, work, driving lessons (although happily I've since passed my test!) and a mass of 18ths suddenly built up and I struggled to find time to read blogs let alone update my own. Worry not, for I have returned to y'all.

The Benefit They're Real mascara, a favorite among many. Retailing at £19.50, for me and my budget this doesn't come cheap. If you fall in the same boat I'd recommend trying it out first if possible to see if it works for you. I ended up having this put on me when me and my friend scrounged a benefit makeover ("Hmm I just don't know if this is my colour..") way back in 2011 and was blown away by how great it made my lashes look. I felt other mascaras just didn't compare, and after a magazine sample the full size finally came into my possession in summer 2013 (thank you duty free for making me justify the price tag!!!) 

So the big question - is this better than the average mascara? Personally I would say yes yes yes, if you like insane length and volume this can only be a winner, and it really worked for me. I felt like it did a lot more than just coating the lashes with black and really made a difference. It's also pretty long lasting on the lashes too (although I never seemed to have the impossible to remove problem others struggles with). One of the most important aspects for me is the brush and this is a pretty great brush, I particularly like the dome tip which makes it easy to reach every lash.

However, although I would say this is by far the best mascara I've tried, I'm reluctant to repurchase. This little tube just didn't last long enough, and it was dried out within a couple of months when I hadn't even used it every day - not what you want from a £19.50 mascara! Ironically the sample I got a few months before the actual mascara outlasted it by far. I've been hanging on to it for ages but I think it's time to admit it's past it and say goodbye. Nice having you, I may or may not see you again.