Spring Favourites

It's well and truly reaching into sunny climes here in the UK (thank god, I'm a huge sun worshiper and feel naked without a tan), so i've tried to throw away all my blacks and silvers, and welcome colour, colour, colour. 

So I thought I would do a post talking about my favourite go to's now its reaching the summer months, especially at work where I like to experiement with my make up.

First and foremost I thought I would talk about my favourite eyeshadows and liners. Firstly, Undercurrent by MAC is my all time favourite. It is beautiful. If someone dare attempt steal it from me- and my friends are partial to 'borrowing' my make up'- they would regret the day they placed their fingers on it. Its a really nice vibrant green, with shimmer particles in it. I have dark brown eyes so it's really nice to add a contrast to them. It lasts forever as well.  My second liner is LSD from Urban decay. It's one of their 24/7 liners and they have amazing longevity, and its really nice deep blue with shimmer.

(Top is Undercurrent, bottom is LSD)

My favourite shadows are Cranberry from MAC, I keep using this in my crease instead with a really bright pink with a bit of Buck in the outer edge, a really nicr Spring take on a smokey eye. My other two go-to's are Nocturnelle and Trax, purple works really well on dark eyes. Which brings me really nicely onto my Charlotte Tilbury Colour Morphing Shadow Pencil in Dark Pearl, which is the day colour for dark eyes. I recommend everyone to check these pencils out. The prettiest and easiest way to get a nice smokey eye. I usually hate cream shadow sticks, but Charlotte has come up with a day and a night colour for each different eye colour, which is meant to bring out your eye colour. They don't settle in your crease, and are reasonably easy to blend out. My next purchase wil definitely be the evening colour!

(Dark Pearl Charlotte Tilbury)

For highlighter and blush I've gone to MAC Fleur Power and MAC Adored Mineralise Skinfinish. Fleur Power is a really nice rose pink, matte finish, so adaptable for day and night. Adored is a pinky undertoned subtle shimmer, similar to soft and gentle, but with pink instead of gold undertones which is amazing in the sun.

(MAC Adored Mineralize Skinfinish)

I have a couple of the Barry M gel nail varnishes in Huckleberry and Greenberry. I Really like pastels like baby blue and mint for the summer, and rhe Barry M gel nails are give really good coverage with just 2 coats and last forever!

I just added on the end my favourite summer fragrance, YSL Elle. It is a really nice sweet floral smell. It is my ultimate perfume, and a must now its warmer.

What are your favourites this Spring?

Frankie xXx

Purple Glitter Cat eye

Ok, so the 'no make up' make up is sometimes the option that we should all strive to achieve, especially during the summer months. So let's whack out the CC cream and put away the Studio Fix Fluid, and embrace the 'au naturale' (well natural looking) and step out into the sunshine. Now, whilst I'm all for this-if you're like me and have a strong penchant for something dramatic and exciting- and I don't mean clawing at your best mates face on a drunken Friday night, fighting about who saw the hunk at the bar first (who in reality is not so much of a hunk)-no, I mean bold and dramatic make-up, then something like this, especially if adorning the 80s retro look, is right up your street.

For the eye

Actually it is a lot simplier than first percieved, it only involves a few key toold and make up bits.

Brushes
1) An angled liner brush
2) Charlotte Tilbury eye smudger brush
3) A 217 Blending brush
4) A 239 eye shader brush
5) Some sellotape

Make up
1) Nocturnelle by MAC
2) Strange by Urban Decay
3) Blackout by Urban Decay
4) Reflects gold Glitter MAC
5) Bobbi Brown gel liner in Black Ink
6) Idol eyes MAC
7) Urban Decay Primer potion in Eden

1) So firstly put the tape across the eye, following the direction lower lash line, out at an angle.
2) Prime the lid with Urban decay Eden.
3) Pat Strange onto the lid with your 239.
4) Using your 217 take Nocturnelle across the crease and just above, going right up to the tape.
5) Clean your 239 and place idol eyes ontl the lid, followed by your Reflects Gold Glitter.
6) Now take your Charlotte Tilbury Eye Smudger Brush and take Blackout and put this on your crease to create a shadow, blend this out with a 217.
7) Take your angled brush and place your Bobbi Brown Gel liner on the top of your eye and below, creating a cat eye, creating and flick at the end of the eye by following the line of the tape right up to the where it finishes.
8) Apply mascara or fake lashes and you are done!

Excuse the crazy hair, it was unintentional, though it does seem to match the 80s look.

Frankie xXx

Achieving skin perfection, the Holy Grail of products

Getting the perfect foundation base, and the perfect skin, can be a tiring and exhausting journey. The world of skin and foundations seems to be one full of contradictions. The media and make-up gurus alike reverberating in your eardrums with 'you need to look like it's a continuation of your own skin', or "your face can't look shiny' (applies powder like as thick as the sand in the sahara) yet, you need to look 'dewy' and 'glowing' (queue the over application of highlighter so you become your very own disco ball). All these running contradictions, by no surprise, make most girls want to take a long walk off a short cliff and give up on attaining the seemingly ever illusive 'perfect skin'.

I think what is most difficult is knowing what foundations are good foundations to use. I think foundation makes a make up look. You mess that up, you're done. No matter how pretty you make your smokey eye look, and how well you've perfected your gel liner (for once you haven't ended up going right up to your eyebrows trying to make the thickness of the lines even), if you look like you've been working for 30 years in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, you're still going to look bad. The key to avoiding this is making sure you go to a beauty counter and get your skin matched, if they do it, and you don't do it yourself, and it doesnt match, you'll be surprised how many brands will replace the foundation after purchase for one that matches.

I think foundation is one worth spending alot of money on: 1) the quality tends to be better 2) you get the advantage of an expert working for that brand who can advice you which type of foundation might suit you best.

My favourite foundations:
1) Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk (A-MAZING)-they have a huge variety of shades and it makes your skin look so glowing (I wear 5.5)
2) Clinque even better, a similar finish but slightly thicker coverages (03 ivory- for the winter months)
3) Estee lauder Doublewear Light
4) Nars Sheerglow in Fiji
5) MAC BB cream ( this is super light for summer)

The next key ingredient is concealer.  Important for dark circles, belmishes,dark spots, scars. All of the little imperfections. Now I tend to use 2 products here

1) Mac Studio Finish concealer in NW20. I use this for under my eyes, and I also put this around my brows to enhance definition once filled in.
2) Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer in Medium Cool-this is swept under my eyes to the top of my cheek bones, and down the centre of my nose.

After this, and my brows I filled,I contour using my Sleek pallette (both cheap and amazing- though I don't rate the highlighter much).  

Next comes blush,of course this is very dependent in skintone. If you're darker you'll go for warmer colours, peaches for example, and if pale you'll go for cheek popping colours.

Some good blushers to consider:
1) Clinque cheek pops-4 amazing colours
2) Mac Fleur Power- a really nice matte pink
3) Mac Warm Soul (a shimmery warm brown/pink colour)

Finally, highlighting. I have two go to highlighting products. They are Mary Lou Manizer and Benefit Watts Up. Both are champagne colours, the former shimmery- more of an evening highlighter), and the latter being a creamy counterpart, giving your cheeks a Victoria's secret-esque glow. 

And that's the end of my routine. I shy away from powders as much as possible.  I think they dull the skin too much and if you're foundation is worthy of it's price- should stay entact regardless. 

I've done a step by step photo of each of these processes, from bare skin to the end of a full make up base. I usually apply Strobe cream underneath as primer/for an extra glow.  THE most amazing discovery I've ever made. 

What is your make up base routine? Happy hunting that dewy-faced look that will make you halo worthy.  Because every girl is worth it (cringe- I mean it's true but, no).

Frankie xXx

Mila Kunis Make up-Smokey eye

Mila Kunis is arguably up there with Jennifer Aniston as of one of the biggest celebrity crushes of all time. I think she really hit everyone's radar on a big scale when she appeared with JT (swoon- he is easily in my top 5) and then that coupled with her scene with Natalie Portman in Black Swan I think most of the male population would walk over hot coals just to lick the bottom of her feet. Ok, so I'm veering slightly off topic here, but you get the jist, she's hot. And her make up is flawless (though that one picture of her with no make up- Mila I feel for ya, we've all been there). The thing that Mila is most famous for is of course her smokey eye. It is always so big, bold, dramatic and mysterious, so I thought who better to imitate than her.

Products used:

Face
- Nars Sheerglow foundation in Light 5
- Gosh prep n prime
- Collection lasting perfection in Medium cool.
- Sleek contour kit in medium
- Warm Soul Mineralize Blush Mac
- Benefit Watts up Highlighter

Eyes
-Bodyshop Brow kit in Brown/black (used brown shade)
-Swiss chocolate MAC
- Nooner from Urban Decay Naked 3 pallette.
-Dior 2013 Holiday quad in Golden Snow.
- Blacktrack Urban Decay
- Midnight Cowgirl Urban Decay
- Peversion pencil liner Urban Decay
- Urban Decay Primer potion
- Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

Lips
-Ample Pink Plushglass Mac

Eyes
1) Using a blending brush blend swiss chocolate on your crease and slightly above the crease.

2) Using a shader brush pat the lighter shimmery pink colour on the first half of your lid.

3) Next take a clean shader brush and place purple colour on the second half of your lid and slightly above, then start blending it across on the crease and above towards the inner corner of your eye.

4) Take the dark cool toned grey colour and just pat that right in the outer quarter of your lid and use a blending brush and start blending it into the crease, also take this colour under the lower lash line.

5) Now take Blacktrack and just work that with a blending brush just in the outer V of your eye to add some shadow and depth.

6) Take Nooner on a Blending Brush and use it at the top of all your shadow near your brow line as a transition colour to prevent your eye looking to harsh.

7) Using a pencil brush (219) take the gold colour from the pallete and place this in the inner corner of your eye taking it a quarter of the way under the eye amd slightly above.

8) Go over this with Midnight Cowgirl to give it a more platinum shimmer.

9) Using Peversion line your lashes , and smudge out ( smudging here is important- it needs to be dramatic).

10) Curl your lashes and add volume with Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara, amd highlight your brow bone with Shroom from MAC.

Obviously this is more of an evening look, but certainly one to try out if you wanted to create a lasting impression on somebody.

Who do you guys think challenges Mila in the smokey eye stakes?

Frankie xXx

The Little White Dress

Now the LBD is a staple of any woman's wardrobe, no matter what shape, size, colour, you are. However, during the summer months, as much as I will always be a staunch fan of black, it's time to branch out and find an alternative, equally adaptable, staple dress as a part of your summer capsule wardrobe. The only colour that I think could challenge the LBD in a battle of the dresses is the LWD, which is, of course, the little white dress. A brighter version of the LBD, that you can use in the sunshine, though admittedly will have to be careful not to turn it into the LWMD- little white muddy dress. I've composed 3 different looks with an amazing white dress I found on ASOS for a steal of £35, which will be even less if you're a student. 

White dress ASOS

Look 1

This is a more casual look, perhaps if going around town, going on a city break somewhere maybe, hitting the cosmopolitan European streets. The jacket embraces the summer floral trend, whilst also debuting a twist on the monochrome trend.

Jacket- ASOS
Boots- Topshop
Bag- Aspinal
Necklace- Topshop

Look 2

This look is a smarter alternative to the previous, a bit more of a day at the races, or a date night for drinks on a summer evening. This look is big on pastels, with a baby blue blazer and a pink bag and shoes.  The necklace is also a mixture of both pastel pink and blue.

Jacket- Topshop
Bag- Mulberry
Boots-Zara
Necklace- Next 

Look 3

This is an evening out look, this look echoes simplicty and monochrome, with a hint of gold. The necklaces are 3 dainty gold necklaces, and both the bag and shoes are black suede with gold detailing.  I paired this with a bronze snokey eye and red lip with Ruby Woo from Mac.

Shoes- ASOS
Bag-Mulberry
Necklaces-H&M

A swift goodbye to the LBD for the next few months, I'm sticking with the LWD.

Frankie xXx