#FOTD | Everyday Glam

This is a bit of a different post from yours truly. I've decided to share with you some of the products I would use for an everyday look with that little something extra. So what would be perfect for a day out with the girls, on a trip away with that special someone or just whenever you might want to go that little bit extra! I don't tend to go too dramatic with my night out makeup most of the time, for me, this look would be perfect for a night out too! I may even do more of these "Face of the Day" type posts down the line, should anyone find them useful!

Quite a natural look with a little shimmer around the eye

Unfortunately as with all (mine anyway) natural looks, there are quite a few products involved to get to this point! To start with I prepped my skin by using my cleanser, acid toner, serum & moisturiser as usual. Then I got started with the makeup itself, this is going to sound like quite a lot of products, but when you're used to all the steps it really doesn't take as long as this post will make it seem. To make it a little more digestible I've broken it down by area of the face.

Face
Foundation: Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream applied using a flat foundation brush from Nima Brush
Concealer: Correction Lasting Perfect Concealer under the eye and on blemishes, using my finger and then finishing the blending with my foundation brush
Powder: One Heck of a Blot from Soap & Glory using my Real Techniques Powder Brush

Cheeks
Blush: NARS Orgasm which I applied using the Real Techniques Blusher Brush
Contour: NARS Laguna which I applied using Real Techniques Contour Brush
Highlight: Very very small bit of The Balm Mary Lou, applied with my fingers

Eyes
All over Lid: Sin from Urban Decay NAKED 1 palette, patted on with the brush in the palette
In the Crease: Smog from NAKED 1, patted on with the brush in palette (also brushed this along lower lash line)
In the Outer Corner: Darkhorse from NAKED 1, patter on with the brush in the palette
In the Inner Corner: The Balm Mary Lou, applied with my fingers

In all instances the shadow was of course blended out with my MAC 217 brush, the key (I've learned) is to build up colour through patting and blending and repeating, don't put it all on at once!

Upper Lash Line: Bourjois Liner Feutre - also along outer corner of the lower lash line
Mascara: Benefit's They're Real, two generous coats (don't also forget to use your eyelash curler first)
Eyebrows: Essence Eyebrown pencil with Buck from NAKED 1, applied using the Real Techniques Brow Brush

Lips
Make Up For Ever Lip Liner Pencil in the shade 43 all over the entire lips and then a coat of Dior Addict Gloss in the shade 684 and then finally a light patting of Virgin from NAKED 1 the lips using my finger. I did this for two different reasons, one, to set the lipgloss in place and two, to give a nice sheen to the lips

A little disclaimer, buying make up is definitely my hobby, so while there are quite a few high end products in here, they have been built up over time, certainly not all bought at once! Then of course the look can easily be replicated by substituting these products with your own favourites!

Hopefully I might have given you some inspiration or ideas on how to create your own everyday glam look. If you do, definitely be sure to send me a pic through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! If you've any recommendation on similar/better products, get commenting! I'm always looking for new products and shades to try.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a great day whatever you're up to!

Treat Yourself | Pamper Night In

So a couple of weeks ago as part of the #BOBBlogChallenge I'm taking part in for 8 weeks, we had to mention our favourite pamper product. Since I have never been once for the pampering, it was quite an empty post. So I decided to take it upon myself to change that and I had a little pamper session myself. So if you're looking for some ideas what to do yourself, keep on reading...

Firstly I started on my nails, I soaked them in some way soapy water to soften my cuticles and then I used Soap & Glory hand lotion. Next up was my base coat from Essie (I always put this on first, no matter what colour I'm doing my nails), then I chose the baby pink colour from Models Own new HyperGel range. I finished off with a top coat from Essie.

Next I cleansed with Clinique's Take the Day Off Balm, you can find a full overview of this magical product here.

Then it was onto the face mask, this one is from Montagne Jeunesse. I know Lush is very popular for face masks, but this was a bit of a last minute decision, so you can pick these one-time-packs anywhere (I actually got mine in the local supermarket). You just pop it on for 10-15 mins, it smelled nice and my skin felt quite refreshed afterwards, it was quite thick though. Definitely need to spend a couple of minutes getting it properly off the face. Any Lush fans reading this, please let me know your suggestions of which mask you prefer, as this is definitely on the list for my next trip into Lush.

The next step was Chanel's Hydra Beauty Serum, for which you can find out more about here. And I finally finished it off with No.7 Repair & Protect Moisturiser & the same brand in Eye Cream.

The final stage in my pamper routine was feet, I guess this particular pampering session focused on all my extremities, not that that was in intentional. I suffer from dry, cracked skin on my feet. I'm not saying it's glamorous and feet are a thing I really don't like, so I won't subject you to pictures. So to help with that I have been lashing on Aqua Minerals Nourishing Foot Cream, which has really been helping get my feet summer ready. Once I've been using it for a bit longer, I will do a proper review.

In the midst of all this of course I had a marathon of back-to-back shows, sure what better way to relax? This is probably quite a random selection of shows, but I tend to watch everything seasons at a time, so all different kinds of shows take my fancy from time to time. I have to say the hype is worth it, True Detective is shaping up to be the next big thing. Also back when it was originally aired, I hated Seinfeld, I never got into it. I think maybe perhaps the jokes were going over my head, as now I love it. I think it's hilarious, I'm up to season 7, if you haven't watched it yet, get a hold of some box sets, pronto!

Anyway I hope this post has given you some inspiration. Take the time to look after yourself, you deserve it!

Best of Beauty Blog Challenge | Skin Care Saviours

I'm very excited to be getting involved in a Blogger challenge as this is my first one ever. It is the brain child of the fabulous Samantha over at All The Buzz. It is an 8 week challenge, and as the title of this post suggests, it's the "Best of Beauty Blog Challenge". You can find everyone who is involved through Twitter via the hashtag #BOBBlogChallenge.

For this post I am going to talk about my one true Skin Care Saviour and that's the Clinique Take Off The Day Cleansing Balm. It has changed my skin care routine forever. I have been using it for 6 months now and I can't imagine how I ever went without.

I first heard about it from the YouTuber, A Model Recommends and have never looked back. As with all cleansing balms, it is quite a lard-like consistency. Once you take an amount into your hands however, it melts from the heat of your skin. So when you massage it into your face, it is more of an oil-like consistency. Fear not if you suffer from oily skin, this cleanser is suitable for all skin types. It does not leave your skin feeling oily, just incredibly refreshed.

When I've finished massaging it all over my face (including my eyes), I use a damp piece of cotton to remove the balm. I know a lot of people use cloths of various kinds, but to be honest I have an excess of cotton pads at home and the nice lady at the Clinique counter actually suggested dampening a cotton pad, so I went with it and it works a treat so far anyway. One of my favourite things about this cleanser is that I can use it to remove waterproof mascara, which means the cleansing process only requires one product instead of an extra step using eye makeup remover. In summary, I would recommend this product to everyone. It retails for €28 in boots and lasts for over 2 months. An excellent investment as far as I'm concerned!


Have you ever used cleansing balms, what is your favourite one?
What is your holy grail skin care product?