A small KIKO haul

Happy Halloween 2013

Firstly Happy Halloween everyone, i hope you all have a spooky and fun filled day!

This past week i have been off work on half term (Gotta love the perks of the job), so with some little extra time, i thought i would try out some Halloween make up looks. I am not a professional, and i can hardly apply real make up to my face at the best of times, let alone apply face paint in an artistic way to create the illusion of something else, but i thought i would give it a try and see how i get on.

I managed to create three different looks for you, and then on the third look my eye was getting a little sore due to some of the products i used and i gave myself a subconjunctival haemorrhage, it doesn't hurt at all, but sometimes the vision goes slightly blurred and it looks a lot worse then it is, so i am getting alot of people saying, "ohhh..that looks bad!" So i decided to stop on three make up looks, mostly because i value my eyesight. :)

All the looks were a little rushed, i may have a week off work, but that doesn't mean i get to just sit around and do nothing all day (much to my dismay), but no, i am trying to fit in all the errands i would normally do into this little space of time i have, so all these looks were a little rushed. If i was to do them for a Halloween party i was attending or something, i would be more careful about how i did them.

Right, PREPARE yourselves for a rambly post.

Look one - The Sugar Skull / Day Of The Dead Skull.

By far my favourite look, very easy to create and the patterns you can do are limitless so even if you and a bunch of your mates go dressed up as this for Halloween, you will all look so different! This look is very easy to achieve. First using white face paint, cover the face including eyebrows and lips. Then using black face paint, make two circles around your eyes and colour them in, try not to make them too big like i did (ops). Then using a different colour of your choice, draw some petal like shapes all the way around your circles (This is why they shouldn't be too big, because now the petals shouldn't touch, unlike mine). then using black go around the petal shapes outlining the details, i used liquid liner, as it seemed easier. Next, paint the lips in black with face paint and then using the liner again, draw two lines upwards from your mouth and then a few wispy lines down those lines, to make it look like stitches in a way. Draw a pattern on the bottom of your chin, any pattern, it can be your choice, and finish off my painting your nose black, but just the end of your nose (Which is again, something i didn't manage to do). Then by all means if you want, you can also draw a pattern on your fore heard, spiderwebs are quite popular. To complete the look add some coloured contact lens and you are done, ready to go scare a few people.

Look two - Freaky Doll Puppet.

This was the one, that ruined my eye, and i think its something to do with the fake blood i used, its also the one i rushed the most as my face was just not enjoying it. Out of the three looks, this one is the tricky one i would say AND the one i least enjoyed doing, the one i found the hardest for many reasons, and the one that took ages to come off after. First you wanna cover up your eyebrows, the trick to this is, use some glue and go over the eyebrow, then use a loose powder and place over the gluey eyebrow, so the glue absorbs that powder up, then use some light concealer and again cover those eyebrows, apply some foundation over the eyebrows and finally again apply some loose powder and blend that all in. That's the one sure fire way i know how to rid of them unless you actually have the product that they use to create scars and cuts on movies. Once that's done, apply a light layer of foundation over the whole face, then using alight brown colour, (i used eye shadow) mark out where you have some facial lines, for example your forehead, nose and your cheeks, blend them in. Using a black liner, draw some eyebrows above where your natural brows are, (take your time with this, as i clearly didn't). Then using black face paint or some simple black eye shadow colour in he eye lid. Use White face paint and add just a little under each eye, blend in a little as if it was concealer, and use white eye liner to apply to the bottom water line of both eyes, this makes it appear that you have larger eyes. Now go back to the black powder and draw under the white and if you can stick on fake eyelashes on the top and the bottom lines. Using the black eyeliner, create two lines going from the corner of your lips down, (to give you the puppet mouth) and using a bright coloured lipstick, fill in your lips in a small heart shape. Then using a bright blush, you want to apply two round dots to the centre of your cheeks, and finally, (This is optional) apply some fake blood to around the eyes, to make it seem like you're crying blood, and some around your mouth, so it seems you have eaten something you maybe shouldn't have. Be aware that some fake bloods are very hard to come completely off and will still leave your face with a slight red stain. To finish the look off completely, tie your hair in two bunchies. you could even use a wig. I edited my photo to make it appear that i have red hair as i didn't have a wig, but you can of course just tie your hair up normally or buy a wig if you wish. Now go scare some people.

Look three - Pop Art / Comic Book Girl.

This look i think is very simple and basic to do and is very effective, its also, one look that gets used less and less at Halloween so it has more unique factor to it than i would say the other two. First use a foundation and blend that into your face like normal. Then fill in your natural eyebrows, i made mine a little thicker then normal just for effect, (personal choice) then choose a colour that you want to go for, i opted for blue as i was going to make her cry, blue seemed right as it would be the colour of her tears. Using a blue eyeliner, eye line the top of your eyes, and the bottom water line, then carefully draw in some tears, coming straight from the eyes, use a lighter or darker colour to try and catch the shadow in the tears. Then using  a black liquid liner draw the outline to those tears to make them stand out. Using the same blue eyeliner, fill in your lips just like lipstick and again use the same black liner to draw the outline of the lips. Finally use a red lip liner or some red face paint and just dot your whole face, you could go as far as dotting your ears and your neck to completely blend in, that is totally up to you, and Voila, you are done. You don't have to choose the crying comic book girl, you can of course choose any, google has lots of different ideas and inspirations that i know you guys will find one that you all like. Also please, IF, you do the crying one, please take more care with your tears then i did.. (Hideous). I then just added a pixel effect to make the photo stand out a little at the end.

So there you have it, the three relatively easy Halloween looks that i attempted to do, before my eye got ruined and sore. Please let me know if you decide to try any of these, i would love a sneak peek at yours. Also, sorry for the longness of this post.

What are you guys doing for Halloween this year?

Have a SPOOKY one..... Mwahahahaha..
Ana
xx

Favourite Autumn Lipsticks

Hello Lovlies,

Its been a very long time since i posted, due to mostly lazy issues as well as personal issues, i haven't really had a proper chance to sit at a laptop and write some posts up.

However, i am really excited to finally put this post up about my favourite Autumn lipsticks. As Autumn kicks in, my lipstick shades change quite a bit and they darken up a little as well as going more vampy. I absolutely love all the different shades that start popping out for Autumn, but for this post, I'm going to do some old trusty favourites that get used year after year!

No 7 High Shine Lip Crayon Shade Statement.

This is a gorgeous colour that i not only wear throughout the Autumn months but that will still be in my make up faves during Winter, Spring, and Summer. It's a bright reddish colour, which glides on effortlessly, it feels almost like applying a lip gloss rather than lipstick and the finished look looks rather like a lip gloss too, but unlike a lip gloss, it doesn't feel too heavy or topped on my lips which is just how i like it. It lasts me throughout my day only needing a top up when I've eaten and drank at lunch time. Such a perfect glossy lipstick for any time of the year.

Kiko Pencil Lip Gloss Shade 12 Wine Red.

This is a beautiful colour that i generally only tend to wear in the cooler months. Its a plum kind of colour and it goes on quite easily. The only thing i have to say that i dislike about this product is, the fact its very thick, once applied, and it feels thick and heavy. It almost feels like when your lips are parting, there is still some gloss stuck (if that made any sense what so ever?!) maybe gloopy was the word i was searching for. It's such a shame as this really is one of my all time faves for the Autumn months, but I'm more of a lipstick girl and not a lip gloss fan and unfortunately, just as the name suggests, this is DEFIANTLY a lip gloss. (That's not saying, i wont still included it in this list, as i do love LOVE the colour).

Kiko Lipstick Shade 388.

This Lipstick isn't a firm favourite of mine, as the colour is nothing too special for me, but it does still get a lot of wear out of me as it is in fact perfect for an everyday lipstick look during Autumn, and since my make up is applied in 15 minutes flat in the mornings, its the perfect shade to wear on a day to day basis for work. Its has a very creamy consistency, and because of that it slips onto the lips perfectly, it does at first seem rather heavy, but after doing a few blotches, its fine. It lasts for long periods of time and leaves my lips feeling super soft.

Sleek Pencil Shade Mossberry 747.

I'm going to be totally honest with you, this isn't a lipstick or a lip gloss or even a lip pencil, its actually a Kohl Pencil, meaning it's for your eyes. Here's the deal, on my eyes as eyeliner, i tend to go for black with a slight touch of white maybe in the corners of the eyes to make them appear bigger, more alert and generally awake. So this shade of Mossberry, which is a deep berry/plum, would not be what i normally apply to my eyes. I was making the decision to chuck some pieces of make up in the bin the other day, when i came across this pencil and i decided "I'm not going to wear that colour on my eyes, so i may as well chuck it too", when suddenly it hit me, that what a great colour this would be if it was a lipstick type pencil. So i applied to the lips, and left it for the day. I got so many compliments, and different people asking me for the shade and brand of this amazing "lipstick", that i decided it could stay in my collection but as a LIP PENCIL rather than a Kohl Pencil. Haha.

As i said, the colour is a deep berry/plum, it is actually such a beautiful shade and i don't know if these photos do it enough justice. It does apply on to the lips quite matte, which means if you have dry lips all your imperfections may pop up, but the colour stays, it lasts throughout most of my mornings, and its so lightweight that i always forget I'm even wearing anything on my lips. This to me, is my favourite Autumn shade at the moment. It came in the Sleek Berry Collection that i believe they released last year at some point, along with a blusher and an actual lipstick!

Kiko Lipstick Shade 389.

This lipstick is just going one up from the last Kiko Lipstick i tried and look at the colour difference. Once again just like the last lipstick from Kiko, it has a creamy consistency which needs to be blotted a few good times to not feel weighed down and gloopy. It lasts on me through out and makes my lips feel hydrated, which is not something i felt very much with my last Kiko Lipstick. This colour is another one i wear a lot for daily looks as its so versatile and you can wear throughout the day at work and then change outfits, apply a little more and BOOM, a night time look too. Once applied the finished look for this lipstick is rather like lip gloss but it feels very lightweight, (after you have done all your blotching). I love the shade and i wear it on a day to day basis during the colder, cooler months.

So there you have it, just 5 of my favourite lipsticks i have been wearing a lot of recently in these colder months. After doing this post, i learnt a few things, one of them being..Don't throw a piece of make up away because you think you will never wear it, try it for something a little different and you might like it, just like the Kohl Pencil for a Lip Pencil.

What shades are you loving at the moment?
I'm also looking for a good high street dupe for MAC Rebel, anyone know any?
Don't forget to leave me a little comment below and i will have a read!

Ana
xx

My simple and easy make up routine lately..

Hello my beauties..
Since returning from my holiday, i will admit that i have become slightly lazy with my make up routine. While i was out there on holiday, i hardly wore any make up, so i could soak up enough sun on my face, and now that my skin has a healthy glow, i am still in the holiday mode where i don't want to wear too much make up but just enough to cover any imperfections i feel i may have.

So, i thought i would do a little post showing you how my face of the day has been looking lately, and what i have been wearing on my face since returning home.

I am wearing..

Helen E Cosmetics Foundation in shade Loren..

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer..

17 Instant GLOW bronzer bronzing rocks..

Barry M Black Eyeliner..

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara in Black..

Oriflame Eyebrow Palette..

Vivo Lipstick in shade Pink Sweetie ..

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Liquid Liner in Black.

I am absolutely in love with this look, it's tanned and bronzed with a slightly darker eye and some colour on the lips to make it pop. I'm sorry the quality of the photos are not very good, but i was using my phone camera for these selfies.

Has your make up routine changed over the summer?
What are you loving at the moment?

Ana
xx

Oriflame Blush Review

Hello everyone,
I've been meaning to do this post for a while, and I've had it stored away for ages.

When i attended the Scarlett London bloggers meet up a few weeks back, i was introduced to a new brand, Oriflame, i have already wrote a review on their eyebrow palette kit, which you can find here, and i now have a blusher review from them.

This blusher in the shade "Fresh Pink" has become one of my favourites and it it has come all the way with me on my holiday to Portugal. Its such a pretty pink shade, and when you rub the brush into the palette you pick up just the right amount of product so you are not wasting lots of it away.

There is no shimmer in this colour and it generally lasts me through out my whole day, I've also noticed that if you are like me and have really defined cheek bones, then this pretty pink shade stands out so much more. I've had a fair few compliments on it and i love wearing it.

This is the second product i have used from Oriflame, and i have to be totally honest when i say, they are surprising me in every aspect and i can not wait to purchase some more from them.

I have greasy skin, but this blusher manages to stay on and not bring back any of my shine,
would i recommend this blusher for anyone?  the answer is Yes defiantly. You could wear this colour during the day or mix it up with a darker eye for an evening look!

You can buy this product directly from the Oriflame website and at £8.95, i realise that may seem a little expensive for only a blusher, especially compared to some other high street ones but as a firm favourite of mine now, i would defiantly repurchase! You also have the choice of three pretty pink shades to choose from.

Oriflame Blush

Have you tried an Oriflame product or a blusher of theirs?

Ana
xx

Oriflame Eyebrow Kit Review

Firstly Hello all, and wow, its been ages, it actually feels like a lifetime since i last posted. Work has been pretty manic and as its nearly the end of term (2 days to go, not that I'm counting or anything) we have been mad busy trying to get everything ready!

I am back today however, with a post about a make up brand that not a lot of people may have heard about, but a brand that has been around for years, over 40 years in fact. It sells in more than 60 countries worldwide, but the base of it is founded in Sweden. I'm talking about a make up brand called Oriflame! You can find out more information about Oriflame by clicking here.

I was unaware of this brand until i attended the Scarlett London meet up a few weeks back, (read about the post here.) There i met the lovely Joanne who was representing Oriflame, i got a chance to sit down with her and ask her some questions based on the brand, she was really helpful and managed to answer all the questions i had, she also asked me to sample some of the make up she had bought along with her. I tried and swatched some of the blushes and i also had a go at their eyebrow kit, as it looked pretty impressive. I always fill my eyebrows in with an eyebrow pencil, but i have recently been wanting to branch out and try a powder, so the Oriflame eyebrow kit appealed to me!

During the meet up, Joanne asked us to write down any products we were willing to test and would like to sample. I wrote down a blusher i had grown fond of and the brow kit. A few days after the event i received the products plus a catalogue so i was able to see some of their other products.

Its been a few weeks since i first started using the brand and it has quickly made its way into my everyday make up look, its now permanently in my make up bag and it has even made its way into my Travel make up kit, which i will be doing a post on before i go away in less than 2 weeks! :)

The packaging on this kit is very sleek, with a shiny black finish, it has a little mirror for you to apply on the go, as well as a hidden compartment underneath the product for you to store your brushes, PERFECT! It also comes equipped with a little chart that explains how the shape of your eyebrows should be and where to start from and finish.

This brow kit is actually a dream to use too, i use the Dark Shade 1, but you can totally mix the two browns to create the correct shade, i am yet to use the setting wax over the brows as i just don't see the need for it, and as for the brushes, even though they do work well enough, i always prefer a full size brush instead of the little travel brushes so i have opted to use the Eco Tools Angled Eye Liner brush and found that it does the job perfectly. The product lasts all day for me, i literally put it on at 7:30am and by 6pm its still in tack and in place, its not too dark to make the eyebrows look tattooed on (Nothing worse, then those tattoo brows that look drawn in like a colouring book), in fact the shades are very subtle. Even in this heat its lasted through out. I am actually in love with this product and it has fully converted me from a eyebrow pencil girl to a powder girl.

You can purchase the Eyebrow kit from the Oriflame website located here and its priced at £7.95. I know that this is a product i will be re-purchasing as i love the finished look it gives me.

Have you tried anything from Oriflame?

(p.s, Keep a look out for the Oriflame Blusher review coming soon).

Ana

xx

The London Bloggers Party

Hello my lovelies,

On Saturday, i met up with the beautiful Anna from Anna Rozanska. Together we were off to The London Bloggers Party. After a little confusion with where the actual event was taking place and trying our best to avoid the rustle and bustle of PRIDE, we made our way to Hanover Square to Dirty Martini. Me and Anna were eager to go in, but not before filling our tummies, as i hadn't even had breakfast that morning, we quickly found a MacDonald's and then went to Hanover Square park and ate in there. It was so nice to finally catch up with Anna, I've known her for years but we don't see each other often, as i live in London and she is based in Sheffield, so it was lovely to spend a bright sunny Saturday Afternoon with her (Even if her feet were killing her because she decided to be all glamorous and wear heels the entire day) :P

After our brief lunch we made our way to Dirty Martini, and were checked off the guest list and then made our way down to a basement type room, it was a long and spacious  place and there was an open bar plus lots of seating areas. We were welcomed instantly by Scarlett who told us to try the new "Scarlett London Martini" that they were kind enough to make for us bloggers. We took our seats and i got a chance to catch up with Rachel, who i had previously met at the Bloggers Lunch which was also organised by Scarlett, you can read about that post here.

As quickly as the room was empty with only the early bird bloggers, it got extremely full quite too. Suddenly the room became quite warm and loud and everything became a bit of a bustle to move about in. Mostly because us girls all decided to stay in one section of the area, and no one really wanted to venture out from that space, we didn't want to seem like the unsocial one! Haha, i got to meet so many youtubers, and bloggers that i have watched, listened to, read, and just generally loved and i was so excited to be able to collect new business cards (as well as finally give mine out) of bloggers i had never seen or met before. It was also lovely to finally put faces to names etc. Although i will be honest, there was so many that i was like, "i recognise her, but I'm not sure on her URL or her twitter name! :| Ops."

My Outfit of the Day..

Coral Boyfriend Blazer - Primark (old)

Black Trousers - Market Stall

Shoes - Primark (old)

Blouse - Matalan

Necklace - Lasula

Bag - Boutique in Newcastle (But most people thought it was Mulberry, so I'll go with that ;))

Watch - Vintage Market Stall

Max, thought he would take a picture of me, so i captured one of him too..

These were the only shots i managed to capture, as the whole event took its toll on me and all i wanted to do was mingle with everyone else and make new friends.

Now time for some photos, from Scarlett London's blog, and all thanks to her boyfriend Max who can be seen in the photo above.

(Max's photo)

Overall, it was a lovely event, even if it seemed a little hectic at times, and a little crowded it was lovely to see so many new faces and catch up with some old ones! :)

It was lovely to finally meet Islaay (I-LA), Fenetta & Tanya as i have been speaking to them for a while now. It was also lovely to see so many other bloggers and i only wish i had more time to chat to each and every one of them.. Ashleigh, Joelle, Ellie, Ellie, Jess, Sophia, Lucia, Shay, Georgina, Kimberley, Becky, Lorna, & Christina. Until next time girls, i hope we get a chance to chat some more.. :) aaannnddd, Ashleigh, me and you need to meet up more often, you are just too funny!! :) haha

I want to say a massive thank you to Scarlett, for organising this opportunity for us to get to know each other a little bit better, i cant imagine how much hard work goes into doing something like this, i always look at the scale of these things and think WOW! So thank you so much for taking the time to organise it, you rocked it and did an amazing job! :) Also thank you so much for organising a little goodie bag for all of us to leave with, it has some amazing things in (but I'm saving the goodie bag for another post) I'm super excited to try the hair oil among other things!

Also present at the event was..
Search Laboratory, who gave us goodies bag which included a book full of SEO tips. After talking to the girls about it a little, i was really intrigued and excited to get stuck in to reading the book.
Quiz Clothing, which also provided us with a goodie bag, with an amazing voucher for 70% off clothes, have you seen some of Quiz's clothes?, I'm super excited to spend this.
Cloud Nine Hair, which i didn't actually get a chance to get round too, this saddened me, as i am always desperately on the look out for new hair care products that can tame my messy hair!
and finally,
Oriflame, which is a make up brand trying to break the UK market. We got to chat to the girls for a little about the brand, we got to sample some of the goodies and then we were allowed to jot down which products we would love to test and try out, i HAD to put my name down for the eyebrow kits, as it just looked amazing! I'm super excited for those products to arrive too!

So all in all, The London Bloggers Party was way too much fun, if i missed your name out I'm super sorry, there was so many of you lovelies to get through, but if we did chat drop me a little comment below. It was lovely to meet everyone and I'm super excited to make my way through all those business cards i got, plus to start using and testing some of the goodies i got in my goodie bags!

Did you attend The London Bloggers Party?!
Ana
xx

Benefit's Flawless Oxygen WOW Foundation Review

Hello my lovelies,

Today i thought i would do a little review post on the Flawless Oxygen WOW Foundation that i was kindly given in my goody bag at last weeks Benefit event. I wrote a post about the event here. I thoroughly enjoyed the event and was super excited to try the goodies. I thought i would do separate posts on them, and i thought i would first off start with the foundation.

I was super anxious to try this foundation as I've heard a lot of good things about it. I've tried this foundation with the Stay Flawless Primer and without. Today I'm speaking about the foundation on its own, without the primer.

The first thing i noticed was the foundation was really runny, and very orange based when it went on to my hand, but after i blended it into my skin the orange seemed to disappear and it was the correct shade for me. However, with my skin being oily, almost all the time, this foundation did not agree with me. It blends in really nicely, and after 10 minutes or so of having it on my face i loved the result, i gave it another 20 minutes and the result was not so great. You could practically see the make up smudging off my face, whenever i put my fingers to my face for an itch or to move some hair from my eyes, i would rub off a part of the foundation, which in turn, left a very visible smudge mark for all to see.

If like me, you have oily skin, or you touch your face every so often, this foundation is not the best for you. I also work in a school with little people, so hugs and cuddles become a part of my every day life. Imagine my surprise, when a little boy from year 1 came over to me and gave me a great big hug and as he pulled away, i could see that his head had lots of cream like texture on it, when i asked him what was on his head, he had no idea.. so i started rubbing it off, and then imagine my surprise even more as it started to blend into his head. Worse still, was when i took a trip to the toilet and checked the mirror, my left cheek had a BIG patch of foundation missing. It's like this foundation just literally falls off your face by the touch. It passes from the face to anything it comes into contact with.

I like my foundations to have good coverage all over, except maybe in the summer time when i will opt for a BB cream with less coverage, (as i like that its lighter), this foundation had little coverage and didn't last for long periods of the day as it just rubbed off on to anyone and anything it touched. I was really surprised as a lot of bloggers had got on so well with this product and as i had read some great reviews based on it. However, at £25.50p i just cant justify the price for what the product does to me and my skin. I felt like i was constantly checking to make sure the foundation was still in place, (this could be because i didn't use a primer.. however i have also tried this foundation with the Stay Flawless Primer, and i shall have a review up on that very soon).

There are some good things about this foundation though, i liked the fact it gave me DEWY looking skin, (if i didn't touch it) it gave me a little glow. This product would be great for the summertime, when you want less coverage, as it doesn't feel caked on (perfect for hot weather). Again though, with hot weather comes SWEAT and something tells me this foundation wont last long with sweat.

Overall, i loved trying out a new foundation, and even though it hasn't worked for me, that still hasn't put me off Benefit products. If you have dry skin, i think this product will be amazing on your skin, if however, you have oily skin..i would avoid it. At £25.50p a bottle, its not exactly cheap and for that price i think i may stick to my Revlon Colour Stay.

Have you used this foundation and do you have oily skin? how did you find it!?
Ana
xx