Too Faced - Boudoir Eyes Palette Review

Hi beauties!

Happy Friday!!

Today's post is about a lovely little eyeshadow palette I've been getting a lot of use out of recently - Too Faced's Boudoir Eyes. Think sultry, beautiful eyes, perfect for both day and night!

At £29 it's a little on the pricey side, but if you think about it you are getting 9 shadows with plenty of eye look combinations possible. That's how I justify these kind of purchases :)

What I really like is how these are set out: Day, Classic and Fashion - with your base, mid-tone and outer corner shade all in one neat little row. It also comes with a handy guide to creating three looks!

I really like the quality of these shadows; soft and buildable colours. Satin Sheets is definitely my favourite, it's such a beautiful colour (a pink frost with gold undertones - love it!)

Has anyone else tried this palette? I'm thinking of trying some more Too Faced products, let me know what you think!

Samantha x

Portfolio Update

Hi beauties,

I hope you're all enjoying the lovely weather we're finally having - sunshine makes such a difference, everything seems so much better!

So I just wanted to update you on my make up artist journey. I've been really fortunate to help on some fantastic shoots recently - these were styled shoots, so basically all involved are there to give their time, skills and expertise for free - in return we all get some fab photos to use in our portfolio. I loved every minute, it's so nice meeting local suppliers and networking. Definitely the best way to get great experience if you're looking to work in this industry. 

Hope you like the pics!

Copyright Shelley Morecroft

Copyright Shelley Morecroft

Copyright Kelly Weech

Copyright Kelly Weech

Copyright Shelley Morecroft

Copyright Kelly Weech

Thanks for stopping by!

Samantha xo

MUA Kit: MAC Face and Body Foundation Review

Hi beauties!

I hope you're all well!! So I'm finally back after a busy, but exciting past month and I've got a lovely long list of fab products I want to review - so here it goes with the first one.

Now any aspiring make up artists know that building your kit is a little daunting. Having to whittle down your products to ensure you have something for everyone is no easy task, and I wanted to be able to turn up to shoots knowing I have the right products to do the job.

I spent so many hours researching, reading reviews on foundations as I felt this was the most important staple in my kit that I didn't want to make the wrong decision on. Now as I've mentioned before I want to work on mostly bridal and photoshoot work, so for me the foundation I use needs to work hard. It needs to last, not look cakey or too heavy on camera but also give that glow and not look flat - I want my clients to look like them but at their very best!

So the best place I found for these kinds of discussions was ModelMayhem - I just love seeing what other artists have in their kit! This is where I came across MAC Face and Body (I know, I know - it's nothing new), but I was drawn to it by the fact that it was water-resistant and long wearing.

Now I'd say this foundation really is reserved for those good-skin days. It's a buildable low to medium coverage, and gives a really natural finish. If it's full coverage your after, this simply wouldn't cut it; I did read about one artist who'd taken this on a job and the model needed a little more coverage than she'd anticipated and it just didn't look good on camera - the last thing you want is the photographer needing to go to great lengths to touch up the photos.

They come in a huge 100ml bottle which is amazing value, but for the purpose of building my kit and space-wise I opted for the 50ml at £20.50 - even though I know it's not as much of a good deal. But I thought it's always good to give something a try before you invest too much. 

The shade range is quite good, and I think MAC Pro do a white shade so you can further custom mix, as for my fair, fair skin even the lightest shade is a tad too dark. For my kit I got shade C1, C3, C5, N1, N3 and N5 as this was a recommendation for a starter kit. Having used it on a recent shoot, I also suggest going slightly lighter than you think you are as it does tend to oxidise after you've put it on.

A few tips with this foundation: give it a good shake before you use it and I also read to keep it in the fridge as it the formula stays good for longer that way.

I'd love to hear if any one has any recommendations for a more full coverage foundation - needs to be long lasting and good on camera?

I'm working hard on building up my portfolio and have had some great opportunities come up - ladies, I can only stress that if you have a passion for something, go out and get it!! I've just had my logo designed - let me know what you think!

Thanks lovelies!

Samantha 

xo

Everyday Make Up - Naked 2 Palette

Hi beauties,

I hope you're all doing well and staying warm and safe in the snowy weather!

So today I wanted to do a wearable everyday look for you - and as I've been using my Urban Decay Naked 2 palette on a daily basis I thought it deserved a feature! I remember when I bought this palette a while back, I just loved all the neutral shades, but, to be honest I was a little unsure of how best to use the shades (they'll all so pretty, but I learnt quickly that I can't use them all at once - shimmer overload!!)

To prep my eyes I used my e.l.f. Eyelid primer. I then used the shade Foxy all over the lid before placing suspect over it, no higher than the crease. To define my crease I used a bit of tease, which is a lovely matte colour. To darken the outer corner I used snakebite which is a pretty shimmery warm brown. To highlight my brow bone and inner corner I used bootycall (possibly my favourite shade as it's really versatile)! And finally I used a tiny bit of blackout along the lashline for more definition and to add some more intensity to this look.

        This look could easily be worn in the evening by adding some lashes and black liner!

Have a lovely weekend lovelies! I'm off shopping to by some items for my professional kit - eee! I'll be back soon with a post on my make-up course experience.

Lots of love x

Pretty Pink FOTD and Update!

Hi beauties,

Firstly, a huge and sincere sorry for being MIA from the blogosphere for the past month - I'm clearly not good during these miserable winter months, and appear to have been hiding beneath my duvet... merely venturing out to go to work - boo! To ease myself in gently, I thought I'd do another FOTD post. I always enjoy reading these sorts of posts - so I hope you do too!

I chose to keep it quite simple and fresh looking, using a pretty pink lipgloss from Revlon and my Bobbi Brown pink blush - love this combo, I think I'll be wearing this quite a lot in the Summer. Do you lovelies have any go to products when you're in need of a pick-me-up?

I also wanted to give you a little update on life. I'm very excited to be attending a make-up course next month. It's only a day course, but this fits around my job and wasn't too expensive. It seems to cover all the basics and along side it you have to do some assignments and an exam, so I'm really looking forward to gaining some further experience and knowledge! Will let you all know how it goes! 

Speak soon :)

Samantha

xo

Bedroom Beauty Challenge - Sprinkle of Glitter

Hi beauties!

I hope you're having a lovely Sunday - in between baking some yummy cookies, I wanted to do a quick blog post for you.

So I'm sure many of you read the lovely Sprinkle of Glitter's blog, she also makes Youtube videos, where she talks about beauty, fashion, life and her little munchkin, baby Glitter (Darcy). She's also prone to an impromptu sing song, which I always appreciate!

Now, on to the challenge! The idea is to experiment with makeup, and each month she provides the inspirational words for you to get out your make up bag and create a new look! This month's challenge was Vivacious Vixen. Now I knew I definitely wanted to get the false lashes out for this look, and I was thinking sultry eyes, but also something quite wearable. So here's what I came up with!

I think this is such a fun idea, and will definitely try and take part each month! If any of you are planning on taking part, please let me know as I'd love to take a look at your lovely make up looks!

Samantha

xo

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Hi beauties!

I hope you're all keeping well in the snowy weather - I love days like this where you can just bundle up inside with a warm drink and comfort food. Pure bliss!

So today I wanted to talk about a product that although is already rather well known, I truly think it's worth talking about - I've been using it every day since I bought it a few weeks ago! 

A worthy winner of a Cosmopolitan Beauty Award 2012, it creates a flared false lash effect to enhance those beautiful eyes of yours!

What I really love is the spoon shaped brush, as it really allows you to get in to the root of the lash, separating as you work it through.

It's a great product, and I definitely recommend trying it out if you haven't already! I know I'll be repurchasing once this runs out. Available at Feelunique.com for only £7.79. 

Apologies for the slightly crazy brows!

Let me know what your favourite mascara is!

Samantha 

xo