Costa Chic and Impassioned Mac Lipstick Review

That’s it I’m in love with the Mac lipstick range. I can’t get enough so obviously I brought two more…

The first shade Costa Chic in the finish Frost is an oldie but goodie. Although this is not my favourite finish the shade won me over.  This perfect peachy coral would be amazing on holiday or casual day-to-day wear.  It complements a tan and pale skin. However as I mentioned before, the frost finish does not do it for me. It does what it on the tin and leaves the lips looking frosty and beautiful but at what price. On my supper dry and chapped lips it leaves them even dryer. If I don’t apply a generous layer of balm first the product can become bitty and fade fast. I guarantee this will not be the same for everyone but it’s only fair to warn those with dry lips at prep work is needed with this finish.

The second shade I went for was a super pink fuchsia Impassioned in the finish Amplified from the permanent colour range. This shade is super, loud, super pink and thus far my favourite shade. It’s another perfect for summer and will also complement every skin tone. Although I am beyond in love with this lipstick please note that it is bright, very bright so if you like your pink lipstick but don’t want to stand out too much I would recommend trying it on first.

Although it’s always good to try products on before purchasing when looking at bright lipsticks I believe the right bright suits every girl no matter what shade the skin, eyes or hair.  Don’t be scared to try a bright shade and stand out from the crowd. You’ll look amazing I promise!!

Both these products retail at £14.00 each and you can find them at a MAC counter or click here to view there website.

Bunnies first Blog

 Thought I’d do something a bit off topic today. I have a great love of animals and currently own two house rabbits. They’re the cutest things on four legs and I thought it would be nice to share some pictures and tell everyone a little about them in case anyone’s in two minds of whether a house rabbit is for them or not.

This is Jet; he is two years old and named after the martial art star Jet Li. He’s a little man who’s always getting into mischief. He loves stealing food, escaping into the neighbours’ garden and jumping on the kitchen counter top because his legs are so strong. He hates a girly cuddle. He’s a lovable menace. 

However you will not find a funnier rabbit then Jet. He always wants to be with you and know what your doing. When the Olympics visited England my partner, sister and I were sat in front of the television eating some spaghetti hoops (I have no idea why) Before we knew what was happening, a rabbit flew through the air with the not so greatest of ease and landed right in the hoops! Jet was as shocked as we were, his little face looked down to see his beautiful white socks soaked in this bright orange stained juice. He just looked at me as if to say, “Mummy, what are this??” We all couldn’t stop laughing for at least twenty minutes.

Whilst writing this short tale Jet has managed to fish a cereal box out of the bin and thoroughly tear it to pieces.

This is Bruce; she is Jet’s little sister and is also two years old.  She is named after the martial arts star… you guessed it Bruce Lee.  She’s calm and caring and is always there to cuddle, not to mention a complete poser for the camera. She loves children, kittens and being brushed with her tangle teezer. She hates birds and being chased by her daddy.

Now your probably wondering how a little girl rabbit got named after such a brutally skilled man.  Well, when rabbits are babies it’s incredibly had to tell the sex between male and female. Before little Bruce was fixed she was diagnosed as being a boy, therefore my partner insisted of the names of his favourite action stars. Now you many be asking well why didn’t you change her name as soon as you discovered the mistake. If it had happened to Jet we would have.  However little Brucie is the smartest rabbit on four legs, she had learnt her name in a week and will come running when called, (I wish I could say the same for Jet…)

So there you have it. Two baby bunnies from the same litter, grew up and treated the same way.  They truly couldn’t be more different. They are like yin and yang, like my partner and I.  I’m very lucky and blessed. I couldn’t ask for better bunnies and it has been a pleasure to watch their little personalities grow and develop.  Rabbits, like any other pet, need freedom and space to expand themselves. If you contain them to a cage and never let them roam they’ll never grow into the little companions they could be. If you’d like to know how to care for house rabbits please leave a comment and I’ll do a series of blogs on bunny care.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Review

Gone a bit lipstick mad this summer and brought the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in shades 1 and 16. I really wanted to try this lipstick for ages but at the retail price of £24.50 (at time of publishing) I could never justify it. One week I had done particularly well at work so I decided to treat myself. Now I’m forever trying to find and excuse for buying another one!

These are presently my favourite lipsticks I own. They really are a luxury product and I just love how moisturising and silky they are on my lips.  It does last, however I still keep it in my handbag as it does wear throughout the day.

The first being shade 16, which is the most perfect pink, coral and just looks so pretty on. If you want to try a bright shade this summer without it standing out too much this is the shade for you. It’s bright without being in your face.

The second shade 1 is a pinky nude. Its so pretty on the skin but be warned it is quite pale. It may not work on a darker skin tone. 

You can purchase this product from any Boot store or online. You’ll find it on http://www.boots.com/en/Yves-Saint-Laurent/.
If you'd like to see how I wear these shades and what other makeup I put with them, please leave a comment and let me know. Thank you.

Orly Nail Varnish Review

 

Just quick posts about the Orly nail varnish collection. I have many, many nail varnish High end and drugstore and none compare to my Orly Nail varnish. At £5.00 (at time of publish) a pop it’s not the cheapest  nail varnish in the world, however it goes a really long way.

I brought 'Velvet Rope' my first Orly nail varnish 5 years ago and whilst others have dried up and lost their tone this one has endured. The deep midnight purple is offset by pretty silver sparkles, making this shade perfect for a special night out.

The second shade I brought was 'Gum Drop', the cutest pastel green. I love this shade so much for just a casual everyday spring/summer look. The pigment is amazing only needing one coat and a supper quick dry time.

Note; only one coat of varnish has been applied on these pictures!!!

As I’m not massively into nails or nail art I only own 2 shades of Orly nail varnish but as I am often in the wholesalers noising through products I do know that the variety of colour is very large indeed.

I think you can purchase Orly in boots stores or online at http://www.boots.com/en/Orly-Nail-Polish_1162523/.

Mac Lipsticks Viva Glam Nicki and Vegas Volt Review

 Recently I purchased my very first pair of Mac lipsticks!! I know, where I have been! After my makeup challenged sister told me she had brought one before me I thought to myself, ‘I’m seriously letting the side down.’ When choosing my lipsticks I thought I’d be daring and go for two ultra bright shades. (As a naturals girl I thought I’d branch out.) I can tell you now I’ve never looked back! I’m fully converted to a naked eye, bright lip gal; this will be evident if you follow my instagram account http://instagram.com/charlottelucyelliott. Each lipstick cost £14.00 from mac but you can also purchase them online at http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/index.tmpl.

The first shade Viva Glam Nicki in the finish Satin is from a newer collaboration collection with Nicki Minaj (I know…her style is a bit out there even for me.) but I have to say I love this shade.  This neon pink colour would be amazing on holiday.  It complements a tan, is highly moisturising and has long wear abilities. WARNING this shade is not for a wallflower prepare for stare!

The second shade I went for was a super orange coral Vegas Volt in the finish Amplified from the permanent colour range. I first tried on Costa Sheek in Frost, which my sister brought but decided that the Frost finish was not moisturising enough for my dry, dry lips and if I’m going bright lets really go bright. This true orange coral (as apposed to a pink coral) is perfect for summer and even though I have not used it as much as Viva Glam Nicki I feel it will come into it’s own when the novelty of a bright pink lip wears off.

Both lipsticks really have staying power even when eating, however I find the Amplified finish does go slightly cloggy if I have not prepared my lips correctly where as with a Satin finish I’m good to go. This may not happen to everyone but my lips are always super dry and often chapped. If you suffer from dry lips like me, make sure before you start your makeup to dowse you lips in balm so it has time to sink in and your lipstick will not only go on easier but last a lot longer. This shades are super bright and I wouldn’t recommend them if you want to fade into the crowd. However if you want to be bright and bold this summer these lipsticks are beautiful and I will be repurchasing them. 

Sleek Palettes Review

 I have just discovered the Sleek palette collections and I simply can’t get enough of them! I am intending to order them in literally EVERY colour. For the price it would be rude not too.

  
The pigmentation is bright, the staying power lasts all day if the skin is prepared properly and packaging is perfect for travel and that essential ‘All my products in one place’ issue. All this for drugstore prices I’m actually in love. I have not yet tried the cream products in sleek however, I have not tried cream products in many brands for the simple reason I prefer powder. I intend to venture further into cream products but for now… I NEED MORE SLEEK PALETTES.

Eye shadow palettes retail at £7.99 at time of publishing

Trio Blusher Palettes retail at £9.99 at time of publishing

You can find these products in your local Superdrug or online at http://www.superdrug.com/search?q=sleek&searchsubmit=Search&brand=Sleek

If anyone wishes me to do a tutorial with Sleek palette please leave a comment to let me know. Thank you.

Gretl's Buns

This look was originally twin french plaits, to match all the other children.  However after someone pointed out to me that Gretl, (as the smallest and cutest of the Vontraps) should probably stand out from the rest. This meant the look was adapted into the traditional Austrian twin buns. I think everyone will agree how cute they look. 

The hair was parted in a centre parting from the front hairline to the nape of the neck.

The hair was gathered from each side and secured with a bobble or elastic band. This created two pony tails either side of the head.

Not forgetting I had the pesky microphone to contend with. Before securing the second pony i had to create a second parting from the centre of the forehead to the adjacent side at the nape of the neck. I then back-brushed through the parting and secured the microphone wire to the back-brushing using grips.  This meant the microphone was going nowhere as I brushed the pony into place.

Once the microphone was secured and ready to go, the ponytail was gently back-brushed to create the volume needed for the bun.  This goes to show you don't always need a bun ring to create a perfect, volumised ballet bun.

The hair was twisted loosely round the bobble to created the completed bun.

The bun was then tweaked and perfected to the eye before securing with grips and hairspray for the final look.

How cute does she look??

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Theater's Natural Beauty

The base make-up on all the Vontrap children was applied the same way.  I had to remember that although this is theatre make-up, the end product still needs to look angelic to the audiences eye. (They are supposed to be children after all.) Using a technique I learnt from the 'You Tube' vloging sensation 'Goss Makeup Artist'  I was able to create this look. I urge you all to watch this as it was actually meant for day to day wear. However I adapted it for the theatre by using darker/brighter colours and heavier, deeper foundation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52iZkTdNSVM

After applying the base, I added extra highlighter and blush to add a dewy, youthful effect to Liesl's skin.

To create a naturally larger eye I used the Benefits 'Big Beautiful Eyes' contour kit, retailing at £24.50.

This allowed me to contour an incredibly natural smokey eye that would widen the eye and emphasize the lash line.

Never forget forget when doing theatre make-up to darken up areas like brows, lash lines and outline lips so they are visible to an audience sitting far away.

A Seriously Glam Thespian

I loved doing the make-up for Elsa because it was so subtly different to all the other girls make up. It gave me the chance to steer away from the natural dewy look and get creative with seriously smokey eyes and contouring. Elsa is a glamour gal and her make-up had to reflect the fashion of the time, along side her wealth and style.

After applying foundation two shades darker than the natural skin tone, I went on to do some major contouring around the cheek bones and forehead area. A blonder (and rather draining) wig had to be placed at the end so I took the bronzer quite low on to the forehead area to add as much colour and depth to the face as possible.

The 50 shades of grey smokey eye I created truly captured the late 1930's era with the classic blues gradually getting deeper into the grey and even blacks.

Much of this look was created using Urban Decays 'Naked' palette,  retailing at £36.

Light blue was added along the lid of the eye to begin. As the eye I was working on was hooded, the brightness of the blue would pull the lid to the front making the eye look more open. A medium blue was then added above and through the eye to create a base for the rest of the deeper eye makeup.

The next step was to take the grey Gunmetal from the Naked palette and place it in the out corner of the lid. Once enough product was applied it was then blended through to the centre of the top of the lid. this created a shadow that made the hood of the eye disappear.

To deepen the corners of the eye, a small amount of Creep black from the Naked palette was applied to the outer corner and blended slightly. If this look was recreated for a real life scenario I would probably skip this step as it is mainly for the audiences benefit.

A fine line of Virgin white from the Naked palette as used to highlight the brow bone.

Going back to Creep, the top and bottom lash lines were shaded to create the effect of thicker lashes.

False lashes were then added. I must take a moment to express how much false lashes are a benefit to theatre actresses. With all the existing make-up it's so much easier (and if applied properly less irritating) then mascara. False eyelashes are quickly removed with a cotton bud of moisturiser (or a good cry) as opposed to the constant rubbing and wiping of make-up remover to get mascara out of those lashes.

Once those brows were thickened up, I was then able to go on to the blusher and lips. I used coral instead of a deep red as Elsa is a lady and would go for elegance over brashness. It was also important to consider that the patriotic reds weren't the height of fashion until 1940 and The Sound Of Music was set in 1938. 

I applied the coral blush just above the contour line and took it slightly down towards the jaw. It was important to keep the blush off the apples of her cheeks as this technique is actually used in film to make a character look older (and thats the last thing you want to do to an actress).

The hair had to be pinned as flat to the head as possible so the wig would sit flat to the head. This became quite a challenge as my client had rather a lot of hair.