Makeup Hack | Multi-Functional Makeup?

One way I love to save a few pennies without scrimping on quality, is to realise the multi-use potential of my makeup. A trap that we can all be guilty of falling into, is believing too strongly the instructions on cosmetic packaging. Whilst I am definitely not suggesting to try that new autumnal berry lip liner as an eyebrow pencil (although if you are that daring, I say good for you), we do need to learn to see beyond the designated use of makeup. 

After a gorgeous golden eye look? Open up your bronzer and contour powders!

If you are looking for the perfect browns to create a bronzed eye look, then there is no reason why any contour or bronzing powders you own will not perfectly fit the bill. So rather than waste your pennies on a new eyeshadow palette, convinced by promotions that this is the only way to create the look you are after, have a look through powders you already own and see how they work as eyeshadows. 

Rather than buy a palette of bright shadows, have a root through your blusher draw! 

In the same way, highly pigmented blushers are perfect for creative eye looks utilising bright shadows. Rather than buy a palette of colourful shades that I am unlikely to use often enough to be a worthy investment; I use and spend my money on blush palettes. These not only provide the shades that I am after, but I know that I will use them daily for adding a flush to my cheeks.

These are just a couple of the multi-functional possibilities of your makeup. I think one of the best hacks that I can share is to break through the confines of seeing a product within the restriction of its designated purpose. This will save you money, room in your makeup bag, time and will still produce beautiful looks. 

Don’t be scared to be creative with your makeup, even if you do and it ends up being a disaster; just grab a face wipe and try again! Makeup isn’t permanent so don’t be hesitant to explore all the possibilities of your collection. I hope this little hack helped you all and I would love to know your thoughts! Leave comments down below or message me on Twitter and Instagram.

Devon

xoxo

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Drugstore Stars | Sleek Makeup Blushes

Even as a professional makeup artist, I still love and regularly use products from the drugstore. Certain items have a permanent place in my kit and one brand that I love in particular is Sleek Makeup. When starting out, I looked towards Sleek to create a basic kit that was affordable and still of a high quality so that the standard of my work would not suffer. Now, even with the choice of purchasing higher end brands, certain Sleek products have maintained a permanent place in my kit. Their Blush by 3 Palettes are my favourite from the drugstore; for their price, performance and packaging. 

At £10 per palette, each blush equals to just over £3. This affordable trio is encased inside a fittingly sleek, slim and professional looking black palette. For £20 you can add 6 blushes to your kit; varying from matte to shimmer shades; coral to pink tones and options suitable for light, medium and dark skin tones. 

At such an affordable price, you would expect to have to cut corners in terms of quality and performance; but with Sleek this is not the case. I love the quality of these blushes and honestly can’t see myself replacing them for higher-end options any time soon as the only difference would be the noticeable hole left behind in my bank account.

(Shade : Lace)

For options in my kit, I bought two powder blush palettes and one containing cream blushes. The powder palettes I chose were Lace and Sugar. Lace is perfect for light skin tones and contains two matte shades; a coral and pink tone, and a gorgeous light pink with flecks of gold shimmer running through it. Sugar is ideal for warmer skin tones and contains two matte shades; a dark plum tone and a warm peach. The third shade is a pink-toned brown with gold shimmer running through it.

(Shade : Sugar)

The cream blush palette I have is Californ.I.A, which follows the same format of containing two matte options and one shade with a slight shimmer. The palette is the perfect combination of pink and coral toned blushes and can be used for adding colour to the cheeks or lips on light to medium skin tones.  

(Shade : Californ.I.A)

This is just a very brief selection of some of my favourite Sleek items. These blushes are intensely pigmented, blend seamlessly into the skin and I am yet to find a client or occasion that they have not worked brilliantly for. I honestly can’t see myself replacing these for other options any time soon. I would love to know all your thoughts on the brand and these blushes if you’ve tried them in the comments down below!

Devon 

xoxo

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Kit Essential | MAC Prep + Prime Fix +

When I’m on shoot, there are a few items in my kit that are an absolute essential. This may not always be for their most obvious reasons and so I want to share with you the products that I personally rely on and a few tips of how to make the most of them. Today’s post is dedicated to a well known favourite: MAC Prep + Prime Fix +.

It terms of setting sprays, this isn’t one that is going to massively improve the wear and longevity of your makeup; however this isn't why I love it. 

Firstly, I always use Fix + to 'finish' a look. I find that a spritz of this helps to add a freshness and a slight dewy glow back into the skin. It stops the finished look from looking cakey by blurring the makeup together slightly and melting it into the skin. So, whilst not removing or disturbing the coverage, it keeps the makeup looking natural and not too heavy.

The second reason I rely on Fix + is that it allows me to make the most of my eyeshadows. As a newly qualified Makeup Artist, it can be hard to squeeze luxury palettes within my small budget. I’d rather buy from the drugstore, so that I have a greater variety of colours and finishes and I am able to create any look that is requested. Although, the problem is that the quality of the eyeshadows suffers so that the finished look isn't as professional. My answer? Fix +.

An investment in a £17 bottle will save you the money that you would otherwise have had to have spent on high-end shadows. Lightly spraying a brush with Fix + before picking up any product, will transform the quality of what you are using. Affordable, drugstore eyeshadows become richly pigmented, creamy and blend able; meaning that the overall finish of your look need not suffer! 

Below are swatches of the same eyeshadow but with and without Fix +:

(Left: Without Fix +. Right: With Fix+)

I still use this trick even when working with my more expensive palettes. If there is a certain colour that I want to really standout on the eye; such as a gold, silver, bright colour or a highlight. This is why I never leave home without my Fix +. I hope these few tips have helped or inspired you and I would love to know what you think as well as your makeup essentials!

Devon

xoxo

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3 Ways To : Liquid Liner #1

I am a girl that loves her liquid liner; a simple yet classic look that will look stunning on any eye shape. I often adorn a feline flick and think that (although a rare achievement) no feeling beats the satisfaction of seeing two crisp, evenly drawn cat eyes. I love the versatility of liquid liner and I am here to share my three favourite ways to wear a bold flick. 

1. The Hepburn Way

A series of the best liner looks would be incomplete without mention to the iconic Audrey Hepburn, a woman known for her wide doe eyes often adorned by the perfect feline flick. This has always been a favourite look of mine and one that I frequently recreate although, no matter how hard I try, I am definitely no Holly Golightly. 

Soft, pale pink shadows with a slight shimmer and a defined crease play the backdrop to this flick. I found the perfect shades tucked away inside my LORAC Pro Palette. I started by dusting 'LT. Pink' over my entire lid and then applied the shade 'Mauve' through my crease. Both of these are matte and create the perfect, subtle base for your liner. I finish by adding a slight shimmer to the centre of my lid by patting on the shade 'Champagne'. This helps to brighten up your eyes whenever the light catches your lid.

I then draw on my liner with my faithful Stila Stay All Day and apply my favourite Revlon Lash Potion Mascara, which adds amazing volume and length without clumping. 

In true Hepburn style, this look would not be complete without a pair of bold brows. I use both my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in 'Brunette' and DipBrow in 'Dark Brown' to build up a full, yet natural looking finish. I also keep this eye look top heavy with only a small amount of mascara and no shadow or liner on my lower lash line.

I finish by adding a soft, creamy lipstick and found Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Satin Lipstick in the shade ‘The Missing Pink’ to be the perfect fit for this look. Audrey Hepburn was known for her pale skin and slightly flushed cheeks, so I skip the bronzer and simply stipple on my Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher. 

I hope you enjoyed this first instalment of my 3 Ways To : Liquid Liner series and you find inspiration for the next time you attempt to perfect a feline flick. Be sure to follow my blog so that you don’t miss out on the next two liner looks that I love. 

For all my tips, tricks and method for applying liquid liner see my previous tutorial here or read here for my favourite high-end and high-street liners. I would love to know what you think in the comments below.

Devon

xoxo

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Tutorial : My Spring Face

As Winter finally draws to a close, I can feel Spring edging its way a little more into each day. The days are getting longer, the evenings lighter and I can see the first signs of daffodils underneath a bright, blue sky. I love this time of year; one for celebrating new beginnings. As I start to switch up my jacket choices, my makeup routine also undergoes a spring clean to create a fresh face for this new season. For Spring I like to opt for a light, dewy complexion and for brighter pink or coral lipstick shades over deep berry tones. I am excited to hopefully inspire you with my makeup routine for the perfect Spring Face.

Youtube Video - Tutorial 

This time of year I love to wear a lighter foundation for a youthful finish. My perfect choice for this is the L’Oreal Lumi Magique, which contains light infusing particles and creates the perfect ‘lit from within’ glow. Next I use my favourite under-eye concealer, the Rimmel Wake Me Up; a creamy, light formula that perfectly brightens up your eye area. Lastly I add any extra coverage to blemishes with my Collection Lasting Perfection and dust a light translucent powder down the centre of my face. Both of these add coverage without caking and looking unnatural. 

Moving on to eyes, I start by swiping the Estee Lauder Shadow Paint in the shade 'Halo' over my lid to create the perfect base and I then use shades from my Stila 'In The Light' Palette. This palette has the perfect rose gold shades for Spring; I use 'Bliss' over my entire lid, 'Sunset' on my outer corner and 'Kitten' on the centre of my lid. I also use the chocolate brown eyeliner that accompanies this palette to tightline my eyes and along my lower lash line.

I finish off my eyes by adding plenty of my Revlon Lash Potion mascara to my lashes and I fill in my brows with my Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in the shade 'Brunette'. 

I add slight contour to my face with my Tropic Sculpting Palette in 'Blush' and add a natural, rosy flush to my cheeks using my Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blusher in the shade 'Soft Pink'. I finish by adding the rosy-pink highlighter from the same Tropic palette to the tops of my cheekbones. 

Only a bright lipstick would be fitting to complete a Spring inspired look and so I chose to use my Revlon Moisture Lip Stain in the shade 'Rio Rush'. 

I hope you enjoyed this Spring tutorial and my first ever video! I think I shall make seasonal looks a permanent feature on my blog as I really enjoyed putting this together. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Devon

xoxo

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Makeup Hack #1 : The Perfect Brows

I am sure I'm not alone in my constant love-hate relationship with my brows. From first discovery and serious over plucking when I was 14, to heavily colouring them in with an obviously unnatural reddish-toned pencil. Neither were good looks or times that I wish to revisit as I finally have my brow situation under control. I am excited to share my basic tips to hopefully save anyone else from their own eyebrow nightmare.

1. Leave it to the Professionals

My first tip is to book an appointment at your nearest salon. My eyebrows have been drastically saved by having a professional handle the situation. I now have monthly HD Brow appointments; a half hour session that involves a mixture of tinting, waxing and threading.  

Although, at £25 a session, I understand that this may be a little too pricy for everyone to think a worthwhile investment. I would suggest at least getting it done once as you will have the basic shape that suits your face, which you can then maintain yourself.

If you do not want to commit to a full on HD Brows appointment then I would recommend regular threading sessions. This will keep your eyebrows neat and tidy and will create a situation that is ten times better than self-plucking. 

(Brows after HD session)

I have loved handing the responsibility over to a professional and out of my own hands. I look forward to my monthly sessions and, whichever option you choose, I promise that letting the professionals do what they do best will be the best brow decision you can make.

2. Filling ‘em In

When I first entered the baffling world of eyebrow makeup, I picked up the first pencil I spotted that claimed to be the fit for dark brows. I then scribbled over the top of my natural hairs and thought that the job was done. Wrong. 

For starters, like most ‘brown’ claiming pencils, this was an odd red shade that was an entirely unnatural fit for my hair colour. The pencil itself was too thick and meant that it was plainly obvious that my eyebrows had been coloured in. 

(Brows filled in with Anastasia Brow Wiz)

It’s important to find the right shade for you and to figure out whether you prefer a pencil, shadow or gel. I now use the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Brunette; the perfect matte brown shade. The pencil is retractable and thin so that you can easily recreate the appearance of fine hairs. If I want a more dramatic finish then I also add the DipBrow Pomade in dark brown, a gel which creates natural finish and is entirely waterproof. With this duo, I can rely on my eyebrows to look flawless all day. 

I hope this handful of tips helps you in your quest for the perfect brows. I would love to hear all your thoughts in the comments below! 

Devon

xoxo

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Beauty 411 : Liquid Liner

This instalment of the Beauty: 411 shall be dedicated to Liquid Liner; that dreaded routine that causes a tense moment of breath holding for all of us. Mastering the art of the feline flick requires both practice as well as the right tools and I am here to share my goto high-end and high-street liners.

1. High-End

After my guilty Cult Beauty Haul, I made the discovery of the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner and I have been putting it to the test since. I am happy to award this as the best liner in my collection and I would eagerly invest the £13.00 again to repurchase. 

This is in the style of a felt tip pen, which makes drawing a thin line along your lashes incredibly easy and the tip creates the perfect flick. An instantly opaque, pitch black line is revealed that dries almost immediately. 

Even on my oily, small lids this liner stays in place all day; a feature that I always struggle to find. Both gel and pencil liners instantly transfer onto my lid and will smudge after only a couple of hours. With this, I can rely on my feline flick sticking in place until I wash my makeup off at the end of the day.

2. High-Street

As a lover of liner and in my constant quest to find the perfect match, I have tried my fair share of drugstore offerings. My favourite one that I always return to is the L’Oreal Paris Super Liner, priced at a purse friendly £6.49. This has a thin, study sponge tip that allows you to draw an instantly dense, black line with ultimate precision.  

I love the Black Lacquer colour, which creates a shine finish; although this can easily be toned down by running a black eyeshadow over the top with a detail brush. This not only creates a matte finish but also adds to the wear time of your liner.

That’s it for this Beauty 411 and I hope you enjoyed this handful of tips and my suggestions for the best liners on the market. You can also read all about my favourite primers for a flawless finish in my previous 411 post.

Devon

xoxo

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Rimmel GlamEyes Mono 'Smokey Quartz'

As an eyeshadow palette addict, I rarely invest in single shadows as they hardly feel worth buying considering the countless collection I have stashed away at home. When I do make the investment in a single shade, it must be something special for my attention to be captured. I recently stumbled across this individual shadow whilst perusing the Rimmel display, it immediately tugged at my purse strings and I am excited to share this with you all.

This singlet shadow is in the shade 030 ‘Smokey Quartz’ from the Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow collection and is priced at a purse friendly £4.49. The formulation does not disappoint and is surprisingly impressive for the price. Although the colour payoff is not as opaque or as creamy as a high-end shadow; it is soft, silky and can create an intense blendable wash of colour. 

I love the packaging of this single shade as it is in a sleek black case and the shadow itself is embellished in a quilted patten with the signature Rimmel crescent lying in the centre. I definitely believe that Rimmel London have upped the ante with their packaging since redesigning the mono palettes, these shadows now look sophisticated and far more expensive than they truly are.

The aspect that initially caught my eye was undoubtedly the shade. Smokey Quartz is a stunning shimmer that is a cross between a rose gold and taupe. It has a pink-gold hue to it but with slight grey and mauve undertones that creates a darker, smokey finish. This looks gorgeous simply used by itself over the entire lid and blended out for a quick smokey eye. 

The shade is somewhat reminiscent of the coveted By Terry Shadow Stick in Misty Rock, although not a complete dupe, for less than a fiver it definitely makes an affordable and closely related substitue. 

I have loved using this shadow recently and I am excited to try more from the range. I would love to hear what you think as well as your current favourite eyeshadow shades.

Devon

xoxo

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LORAC Pro Palette 2 : Review

After raving all about the original LORAC Pro Palette here, I am equally excited to now share with you the low down on the Pro Palette 2. Both of these were bought in the same guilty purchase of mine from Nordstrom as I convinced myself that, if I was paying the extortionate prices for shipping to the UK, I might as well make the most of it and add more than one to my basket. I have trialled and tested this palette and I am happy to report that it is as equally impressive as the original.

Once again, this palette is incredibly slim and in a gorgeous sleek packaging. The outer casing is a smooth, matte grey and feels surprisingly lightweight. Like the original Pro, this is another perfect choice for travelling as a large mirror is also concealed inside and a handy mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer accompanies this palette.

The standard of eyeshadows do not disappoint and all the usual positive adjectives once again apply; creamy, blendable and pigmented. These shadows are an amazing quality and leave a gorgeous wash of colour over your lid. There is an equal balance of matte and shimmer shades with each owning their own row of eight perfectly sized squares. 

In distinguishing this palette from its grownup sister, I would suggest that the Pro 2 is the choice for anyone who is looking for a palette that provides the option of creating slightly more unique, colourful eye looks. 

As well as stunning neutral shades, there is also the option of a matte dark purple (Plum), royal blue (Navy) and a khaki toned shimmer (Jade). These shades provide the possibility of creating more dramatic looks rather than being confined to your basic neutral and cooler tones. Although these are still a plenty in the Pro 2 and this palette will equally fit the bill when you are wanting a simple sweep of colour for a natural, fuss-free day look. 

One shade that particularly stands out is Rose; a gorgeous rose-gold shimmer that creates an opaque, pink-toned golden shine after only a quick, initial swatch. This is without a doubt my favourite of the whole palette and I can not wait to create endless looks centred on this one shade.

I hope that you all enjoyed this mini review and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments bellow. If you would like to hear all about the original Pro Palette then you can read my first review here. 

Devon 

xoxo

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Drugstore Stars | Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm

As a lover of drugstore lipsticks, I have tried my fair share and this is the next instalment in my series of sharing the lipsticks I crown as top of the drugstore. I have already dedicated posts to my love for the Revlon Super Lustrous and Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate; now I want to talk all about the Revlon Matte Balm Stains. 

These Balms are in the same sleek packaging as the original stains and are a simple chubby lip crayon. They are available in 10 stunning shades ranging from entirely nude to a bright, bold red and are a bargain priced at only £7.99. Like any large lip crayon, they are easy to swipe on and, even if wearing a slightly darker colour, apply with ease and are perfect if you are in a rush. For these editions, the casing is in a smooth, matte finish in the same colour as the lipstick.

The formulation of the matte versions are surprisingly moisturising and create a velvety finish without drying out your lips. They are infused with moisture due to a triple complex of Shea, Mango and Coconut butter, meaning that you are left with a smooth, opaque wash of colour that is comfortable to wear and doesn't crease. They wear amazingly well and I find that I rarely have to touch up throughout the day

These are my current favourite three shades from the collection. Firstly, 250 'Standout' a bright, true red shade that creates a slightly retro look due to the velvety finish. I adore this shade and it is often my go to red lip as it is so easy to apply and I can rely on the balm to stay in place all day.

(Standout)

I also love the shade 225 'Sultry', a rosy brown that would suit any skin tone and works perfectly either as an everyday colour or paired with a smokey eye in the evening. It creates a finish that is slightly darker than your natural lip colour whilst remaining subtle and suitable for any occasion.

(Sultry)
Finally the shade 205 'Elusive' is a new yet permeant addition to my collection. This is a light, baby pink that creates a soft finish that is not sickly sweet or too reminiscent of Barbie pink. This looks gorgeous paired with a neutral eye during the day and could either be worn alone or with a pink gloss on top for a more intensive finish. 

(Elusive)

(Left to Right: Elusive, Sultry, Standout)

I hope you all enjoyed this mini review and I would love to hear all about your favourite lipsticks! You can also get in touch over Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Devon 

xoxo

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