I thought that each Saturday after work I would tell you about the three items I have reached for the most during the previous week. Why three? No more silly a reason than it is my lucky number

1. MAC Lipglass in Soft & Slow – This was part of the Neo Sci-Fi Collection and therefore limited edition (although it has appeared in other collections such as Smoke Signals). It is the easiest shade to wear, anyone would suit this beautiful rose pink with a slight shimmer. I wore it on my wedding day August past and only recently re-discovered it in an out of favour handbag. I have been wearing it tonnes again and if you can get your hands on it you really should buy it as its amazing!
2. NARS Blush in Torrid – This is a lush coral colour, very pigmented and gives off an amazing lustrious shimmer. It is bold and bright, and too often gets over looked for more “mainstream” NARS shades like Deep Throat and Orgasm. Although I love Deep Throat too, NARS has so much more to offer than just the few celebrated. Get down to your nearest counter and check the rest out!
   
3. Miss Selfridge Dove Earrings in Gold Finish – I bought these about a month ago and I am always complimented when I wear them (which is a lot!!), you can dress them up or just wear them with jeans, they are fun and wholly feminine.
   

What have you been reaching for this week? xox

This is a nice look if you like your safe browns but fancy trying something a bit more daring. I have used 3 different shadows on the lid & crease, sable which is a beautiful shimmer brown with undertones of plum and bronze, cranberry and a soft matt brown. The first picture shows the colour under flash, the one under that is taken without flash, you can see the rose tone better.

Its very dull here today though and hard to get great lighting. Its good to bear in mind though that when you wear eyeshadow, blush, lipgloss etc, depending on what lighting you are under you will get a different effect. That is why I am quite fond of a veluxe pearl or lustre finish, you get a number of different tones and effects from one shadow dependent on surroundings. If you do like these finishes though remember to always balance it out with matt eyeshadow somewhere in the mix

The secret to this is Blend Blend & Blend especially if you are fair skinned like myself. These colours will work effortlessly on medium to dark skin types but for us pale and interestings you will need to keep a lighter hand to avoid looking like you just have sore eyes!! Pinky bronze is hard to wear but so worth getting right as it makes brown/ green eyes pop beautifully.

I used a black kohl eyeliner pencil and completely lined my eyes, upper & lower including the water line. Flick/ tick is optional but instantly sexes the look up. Finish with 2 coats of black mascara.

If I was wearing this out for an occassion I would definitely make sure I have a fake tan done and bronze up my cheekbones with some MSF, but you get the idea. Have fun with your eye make-up, experiment

(if you can’t pose on your own blog, where can you, eh?!!)

Eyes

• MAC Paint Pot in Painterly (eye base)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Sable (main eyelid)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Cranberry (crease & outer corner)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Soft Brown (crease and lid to blend harsh lines)
• Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero (upper lashline, lower & water line)
• L’Oreal Double Extension Mascara Carbon Black

Face

• Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Sand Beige
• Barbara Daly @ Tesco Concealer in Medium
• NARS Blush in Deep Throat

Lips

• Benefit Color Plump in Love Ya
• Bobbi Brown Lipgloss in Nude

xexfx from Twitter gave me this idea, although I think she managed to break it down the 5 products. Unfortunately I’m just not that restrained

These are 10 products I would choose above all others if I was forced to. I have literally hundreds of pieces of make-up, creams and potions in my kit but I could happily live with just these 10.

I haven’t included eyeshadow as although I love to wear it and play with it, I think mascara is all that is truly necessary to open up your eyes and make you feel gorgeous!

1. Laura Mercier’s Foundation Primer (all skin types), I discovered this when I was looking for a primer to keep my wedding make-up in check all day. I bought this and Smashbox’s Photo Finish, and although I like the latter it isn’t a patch on Laura Mercier. I use this every day, much like a moisturiser before adding my face. It has the lightest cleanest fragrance, and makes the skin feel incredibley smooth without the waxy, greasy finish I get from Smashbox. I use the all skin types version but it is available in oil free should your skin require that. Its pricey but totally worth it and lasts about 2 months per 50ml tube.
RRP £27.00

2. MAC’s Select Cover-Up in NW20. I know that everyone has a different preference to how they apply concealer, I apply mine prior to my foundation, as I feel just slides off if I try and blend it over it. I think everyone should do whatever works best for them though. Consistency is great, creamy and fantastic coverage, especially on spots, without being drying or overly thick. Lasts for absolutely ages too.
RRP £11.00

3. Revlon Colorstay Make-up with SoftFlex SPF 15 Normal/ Dry Skin, this is a recent discovery. It was recommended a number of times by You Tubers and I decided to see what the fuss was about. I love it! I have and still use (hate waste) various MAC foundations, but to be honest I have never been overly impressed with them. I have found them to be quite drying and patchy as the day goes on. I also feel that there is no one particular shade that completely suits my skin tone.
This make-up is superior to MAC’s Studio Fix Fluid IMO. It gives silky even coverage, that is buildable, without caking or feeling mask like. Comes in 2 finishes, depending on if you skin is oily or dry and it also doesn’t come off on everything you touch. Bonus! I wear shade Sand Beige 180.
RRP £11.99 (NB Boots have 3 for 2 on all Revlon cosmetics at the moment)

4. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish MSF in So Ceylon. I can’t begin to describe how much I love love love this product. It brightens and highlights giving the most amazing glow and polish on my cheekbones.

This is it swatched on my hand prior to buffing. The colour is metallic and bronzed without too much glitter. Using a MAC’s dinky 181 brush you buff it into the skin to acquire the finish you want. Go heavy or light, its up to you!

This particular colour is limited edition now and is sporting the triangle of death beside it online so I will definitely buy another and store it.
RRP £16.50

5. NARS Blush in Deep Throat, I adore these blushes. The colour variety, the finish, the pan sizes. I particularly love Deep Throat because it is a beautiful peach with shimmer that doesn’t try too hard. It gives a healthy flush, perfect for attaining that natural make-up look on days off from being a glamour puss
Other colours of note in the range for me are Sin, Torrid, and Outlaw.
RRP £18.50

6. MAC Brow Set in Mink, this was a limited edition colour within the Emmanuel Ungaro collection I believe but its the formula which I love and there are still comparable colours in the range. I normally use it over pencil, but if I had to use just one item it would be the Brow Set. It holds and tames my brows into place, once this stuff is on, I find they don’t budge all day/ night. But not in that cakey, rock hard way some brow gels can give.
RRP £10.00

7. L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black, its just the best mascara ever. I try others regularly, but I always come back to this one. It makes my lashes thicker, longer and more seperated looking without any clumping. And I always used to think black is black, right? wrong! this truly is dark dark black, really makes my eyes pop. I think the wand and formulation work together to make this unbeatable IMO. Bargain that it is pretty inexpensive too
RRP £6.99

8. Nivea Caregloss & Shine, in the Winter my lips get so dry. I can’t possibly wear lipstick all the time or gloss. This is a saviour, repairing my lips while still letting me pout with glossiness
Some chemists are doing 3 different flavours in a little gift set for £3.19 which is a total bargain considering one costs me just shy of that!
RRP £2.69

9. Flower by Kenzo Eau De Parfum, this is my signature scent. I wear others now and again, normally at night, but this is my daytime staple perfume. Its a love affair that I know will last forever.

Whats number 10? My MacBook Air *strokes it, hugs it, cries with pride* nuff said

Todays eyeshadow look was inspired by a tweet conversation last night regarding how much make-up I buy and never use, or use once and make a snap decision its not for me.

Frankly its a disgusting amount, and its really not just make-up, its clothes, hair products, shoes *cringe*

I have made a move on the clothes/ footwear front and Ebayed an absolute tonne of stuff last month, so I shouldn’t feel overly bad

The first make-up product I have picked out for a re-try is MAC’s Fluidline in Brassy.

For those that don’t know these are MAC’s gel eyeliners. I use Blacktrack and Blitz & Glitz regularly but I have never got to grips with Brassy. Its quite orangey in tone and I thought it would really stand out and look lush on the lashline but to be honest, it really doesn’t do either of those things. It just seems to get lost against eyeshadow and mascara.

Sooooo I thought, why not use it like a paint pot and try it all over my lid as a sparkly base and go from there? I did just that, using my 217 brush, put it all over the lid and in the crease.

Then I lightly coated the lid in Woodwinked and put Mulch in the crease and corner. A tiny bit of matt black eyeshadow was then swirled into the outer corner for definition. Mylar again on the browbone (I like it because it isn’t shimmery).

Liquid eyeliner on top lashline and one coat of mascara. I have purposefully kept the lower lashline pencil free to give it a cleaner, fresher feel. I really like the result, so Brassy has been upgraded to my kit again

Eyes

• MAC Fluidline in Brassy (eye base)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked (main eyelid)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Mulch (crease)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Mylar (brow bone)
• Max Factor Masterpiece Liquid Eyeliner (upper lashline)
• L’oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black

Face

• MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW20
• MAC Select Cover-up in NW20
• NARS Blush in Deep Throat

Lips

• Carmex Lip Salve