What I wore on my face for a special event

Hello!

I recently wrote about a dress I wore to a red carpet event I was invited to last month.  I thought I would also write a little post on what I decided to do with my make-up.  As I didn't want to be carrying around a little bag with me all evening I needed to wear make-up that would be very long lasting and not need any touch-ups, though I did slip my fiancé my lipstick to keep with him just in case.  It turned out I didn't even need it though as my lipstick stayed in place all evening!  So with that in mind what make-up products did I go for?

As I hate wearing foundation and my skin was in quite good condition I decided to go with the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm to give my skin a natural radiance and glow.  I layered this over the Body Shop's Aloe Soothing Day Cream which I picked because it's a soothing and light cream with out SPF.  I wanted to use a moisturiser without SPF because that can cause flashback in photos.  Under the eyes I used the Lumene Vitamin C Radiant Eye Cream as a base which I used the Maybelline Fit Me concealer on top of to cover my dark circles.
With my base done I used the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes in Lots o' Latte.  I went for this because I wanted a fairly neutral looking eye, and as much as I love the Maybelline 24hr Tattoo in Bronze on Bronze, this trumps it in terms of longevity and is much more natural looking.
I used my new Lumene Blueberry Liquid Eyeliner on the top lash line to make sure my eyes were defined and used the Manhattan Volcano Explosive Volume Waterproof mascara on my lashes.  I used Art Deco Eyebrow Powder in shade 5 on my eyebrows using a flat angled brush to add natural looking definition to them.
On my lips I went for the Blistex Lip Relief Cream first to soothe my lips which are a bit dry at the moment.  This was particularly necessary as I was going for a long lasting lipstick which can be a bit drying.  Once this had soaked in I applied the Bourjois Rouge Velvet Lipstick in Frambourjoise.  I chose this lipstick because I trusted it's staying power and it's a lovely bright but not too bright matte pink.  To balance this out I used my Clinique Powder Blusher in Pink Love because I felt that the pink in it was a good match for the lipstick.  Then I used the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighting powder on the tops of my cheeks and just above my cupids bow because, well.... it's just really pretty!
I was going to leave it at that but then in the back of the car I decided to add a little bit of powder to my forehead and nose because I can get a bit shiny there.  I used my Lumene Touch of Radiance Powder lightly on those areas.  Later on in the evening I did look a bit shiny so maybe I could have used a touch more of that!
Phew!  That was quite a long list.  I don't normally go to town quite so much with products on my face but it was a special occasion and I knew I was going to be photographed and quite possibly captured on film too, so I wanted to be looking my best all evening.  It was interesting for me to figure out which products to use as they clearly were the ones I trusted the most.  I also was surprised at how easy it was for me to figure out what kind of make-up look I'm most comfortable with.  Subtly defined eyes and a semi-bright lip colour was an obvious choice so perhaps this is route I will go down when it comes to my wedding day make-up as well!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

My current stage make-up essentials

Hello,

I hope you are having a good start to the week.  I went to the chiropractor yesterday for the first time ever.  I was a bit nervous as I was having my neck done.  It cracked LOADS, it was quite intense and I think I squealed a couple of times after some extremely loud cracks.  I think it did some good though because my neck tension seems to have dispersed quite a lot.  I have four more sessions so am looking forward to seeing how I get on with that.
I thought I'd do a post of some of the make-up products I've been wearing rather frequently for stage.  Some of these products I use for day to day activities too but less intensely.

 I also use different eye shadows and blushers depending on the role but the products here are current stage make-up staples.

The Garnier BB cream in Light would probably surprise a lot of people who perform on stage as traditionally very thick foundation is considered a necessity.  I find if I apply the BB cream with a brush I get enough coverage.  This is fine for me when my skin is quite good.  I use a concealer as well to hide any redness from blemishes and under my eyes but I prefer this to heavy thick foundation which I can't stand and makes my skin itch.
The Art Deco eyebrow powder is good for day or performance use.  I just apply it more heavily for a show than I would during the day.  It is quite a dark powder for me so it shows well on stage.  For normal day wear I just brush it lightly through my brows.  I also set it with a brown eyebrow gel.
The Lumene Rasberry Miracle lip sorbet in Full of Berries is a bright red very highly pigmented rich colour which is why I started using it for the stage.  I feel like the brightness of the colour lifts my face and my otherwise quite pale complexion.
For eye-liner I like to use the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in 01 Black.  I originally bought this for normal day use but found it more suited to stage make-up.  Unlike my mornings when I'm in a rush I can take my time to apply it for a performance using the little brush.  It's quite an intense black and is a thick formula which lasts well making it good for the stage.
We can get our make-up done by great make-up artists at the theatre but I really enjoy doing it myself and using my own products.  I'm pretty sure that wearing make-up for performances is at least partly responsible for my obsession with make-up!

Till next time :)

Twirlybirdie

Eyebrows with Art Deco powder and Lumene brow gel

Hello!

It's my weekend.  I've got a slightly more extended weekend than I was supposed to have because one of the guys in our company hurt his foot so the show we were meant to be performing on Sunday was cancelled.  It's a relief in a way as this is the only weekend we have to move out of our apartment.

Asides from that it is a very grey day today.  It was dark by about 4.30 pm which I found pretty depressing.  I managed to have a nap as I was super sleepy and now I feel a bit brighter.  I really fancy a bit of reading and chilling and just general snuggling.  Today I popped in to the shops and sprayed myself with the tester for the Prada Candy perfume which I'm in love with right now.  It's a very rich warm and sweet scent which I love for winter time.  I wouldn't wear it in the summer when I prefer a fresher scent like Lacoste Pour Femme but for winter time this sweet scent is warming and perfect.  I can't really afford to buy it right now though so I guess spraying the tester in the shops every now and then will have to do for now!

I thought that I would write about some more new make-up products I recently purchased.  I find it quite strange that I love make-up products so much when most of the time I actually hardly wear any.  I find that as my job involves me sweating and exercising there's not much point dolling myself up for that.  I'm so used to not wearing a lot that I feel self concious if I wear more than usual at work in the day.  I try to wear more at the weekends but even then more than a little feels strange.  One area I quite like to wear make-up on though is my eyebrows.  I find doing them really makes my face look more alive and I still feel quite natural.  I think it makes a real difference to my face more than doing any other one area.

Normally I use an eye pencil and just pencil them in a bit.  I decided to have a go with some eyebrow powder and found this Art Deco eyebrow powder on offer recently so I decided to give it a go.  It's quite a dark shade but my eyebrows are naturally quite dark and prefer to use a slightly darker colour on them.

This eyebrow powder comes with a little angled brush which is useful for applying the powder.  I found it quite strange to use at first though as the bristles on the brush are really stiff.  I ended up just having to dab the tip of the brush on the top of the powder to not take too much powder on the brush and then stroke it through my brows.

You can see in the pictures that the shadow is quite dark.  There were three shades in the shop and I went for the one that was in the middle in terms of darkness.  I quite like dark brows at the moment though,it suits my winter mood.

I then use the Lumene Brow Gel to keep my eyebrows in place.  I like this because it's a brown gel which adds a little bit of colour when I use it on it's own.  Also it doesn't start to look manky like a clear gel does when powder from the eyebrows gets on the mascara wand when you use it over the powder.

I like the dark brows with neutral make-up.  I think they make my eyes stand out more.
Do you have a particular area of your face you like to wear make-up on more than any other?

I think a warm snuggly bath is in order!

Until next time

Twirlybirdie :) xxx