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

High Street Mascara and Eyeliner

After having quite a spendy December and January I promised myself that I would keep to a tighter budget this month.  I wanted to buy a new mascara as the L'oreal Telescopic one I had been using was drying out a bit and I like to have more than one mascara on hand at a time.  I was determined to buy high street so went for a browse in our local department store.  One brand on sale here is called Manhattan, which when I looked it up is owned by the same company that produces Rimmel make-up.  I had noticed that some of their packaging was exactly the same, particularly their own version of the Rimmel Apocolips.  I quite like Rimmel products so I decided to check out a mascara from Manhattan as Rimmel is not so widely available here.
I took a look at all the brushes and settled on the Volcano Explosive Volume mascara as it had a nice big bristle brush, similar to brushes I have liked in the past.
I also wanted to try a liquid eyeliner again after not using liquid liner for ages in favour of eyeshadow or pen liner.  The reason I stopped using liquid liner was because it started to irritate the skin on my eyelids a little.  I was using the L'oreal Super Liner Eyeliner and loved it as it was so black, richly pigmented and easy to apply.  Possibly because I was wearing it everyday for many months I suddenly developed a slight reaction to it which was disappointing and unsurprisingly put me off liquid eyeliner for a while.
I decided I wanted to get back in on the liquid liner so I decided to opt for Lumene's Blueberry Liquid Liner which, with 90% natural ingredients, I am hoping wont irritate my skin.  I also chose it because of the applicator which is a tapered nib which I find easier to use than a thin brush.  The colour was a rich dark black, similar to the L'oreal one.

I've been using these on and off for about a week now.  The mascara when I first tested it out wasn't what I had expected it to be.  The bristles on the brush were much stiffer than what I had imagined and it turned out the formula was waterproof which I normally avoid because I can't be bothered with the hassle of trying to get it off.  Once I got the hang of it though I didn't mind and I'm sure the waterproofness will come in useful.
The liquid eyeliner has also been good.  I've been enjoying having liquid liner back in my life again and love the definition it gives my eyes.  No irritation so far either.  I'm wearing both the liner and mascara in the photo below.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening!  I feel like I could use an early night tonight,
till next time :)

Twirlybirdie