FOTD Smokey Day Eye Mila Kunis Inpisired

After watching a few Mila Kunis films in recent weeks I've round myself leaving my beloved heaven and earth palette behind except for the shade I use on my brows. Mila works the smokey eye beautifully and her eyes always look stunning. Who wouldn't want stand out eyes like hers.

From google images

Here she is at the Ted premier (A film I loved) looking stunning. She has a really defined smokey eye with a hint of brown here and well defined cheeks and a nude lip. She works the nude lip and smokey eye combo well.

from google images

Amazing brows, a perfect black liner, well defined crease, volumised lashes, contoured cheeks and a nude lip! What's not to love about his look. It also looks to me like she has the Kim K contour make up on with the lighter under eye.

Enough of my girl crush and onto how I'm wearing my make up a lot at the moment. I know some may think this look is a bit much for every day but I love a strong eye look and it doesn't take me long to do.

So here is what I used. Wow that looks a lot doesn't it.  

To create the smokey eye I use the black from this beauty work palette. It's a little bit glittery in the pan but that doesn't show on the eye. I blend this into the crease of my eye after applying one of the nudes from my MUA palette. I apply the black in a v shape at the corner of my eye. 

I then line my eyes very close to the lash line using an Avon Colour Trend eyeliner. These are great and very black and cheap. Lately I curl my eyelashes. I blast them for a few seconds with the hair dryer so they are hot first. 

For mascara I'm using two Bourjois ones. The Volume max waterproof and the two step one. I like to use the two step one of the 1st step so my lashes get gently separated than apply two coats of my volume max one. I'm really liking this mascara which surprises me as I'm not usually a Waterproof mascara fan.

After eyes I do foundation. I do it after my eye make up so that any fall out from eye shadow can be easily cleaned up. I've been using this Collection primer at the moment but it's not one I'd repurchase. I have others I prefer. This feels to full of silicone for me. The Fix Me Up spray I love. I spritz it on after I've done my make up. I'm not sure it makes my make up last longer but it makes it look less cakey. 

Foundation wise I'm loving my Revlon Colorstay. I think this could be my perfect foundation. I love the finish on it, the lasting power and how it applies. I mix a small amount of wake me up in to add 'glow'. I'm using up my Collection concealer. I know it's a blogger favourite but lately I've been preferring others.

To do my cheeks I use three products. No7 blush in honey under my cheek bone (any pale girls this is the perfect under cheek day contour shade) My lace blush by 3 palette. I favour the orange and the red, when I bought this I though the middle shade would be my most used but I actually prefer the others. They are super pigmented and only needed the smallest touch.

I like the then add a sweep of MSF using my Mac brush over my cheek bone.

For lips I'm finding lately a nude shade just isn't suiting me aswell as bronze. For this look usually I would use Mac Fanfare (reviewed here) but as I had borrowed L's beautiful Russian Red lipstick I decided to take full advantage and use that. For a day time look so it was more subtle I applied it over lip balm

It gives it more of a soft red look.

And the finished look. Wow that was a long post. Who kept reading ;). I really like the smokey look even for days and find myself wearing it a lot varying the blush and lipstick I use. What do you think of a day smokey look. This make up probably only takes me 20 minutes to do this now.

Love M

xxx

A trip to town after pay day

I always find I'm the worst after pay day. I seem to think I have all the money in the world and forget I shouldn't be spending. I'm sure it's not just me.

L and I popped into town on Saturday morning bright and early to bag ourselves some Origins freebies. Did any of you ladies pick them up too?

I only intended to really pick them up and a present for my brothers girlfriend. Of course that didn't happen though.

Here are my goodies - 3 Origins moisturisers, Lush Herbalism cleanser, Lush Breath of Fresh Air toner, Mac Lipstick, Fanfare, Bed Head Superstar shampoo, Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey Conditioner and a set of weights.

We had planned to go to town and visit each of the Origins counters. Origins had a great offer on on Saturday if you took back any full size skincare product they would give you a free 30ml moisturiser. No catches they just wanted more people to try there products. I think this is a great way to try a brand. Did any of you pick these up?

I got two of A Perfect World this was the one recommended to us and one Starting Over just to try. These are great natural products free from parabens and lots of other things. We plan to do a full post on Origins soon.

Next came a stroll to the MAC counter. After selling some bits on eBay I decided I deserved a lipstick. I picked up Fanfare, which will appear in a Lipstick Monday post next week and L had managed to save six empties so could pick up a freebie. I also now have £10 on my beauty card so that's going towards next months MAC lipstick. What colour do you recommend next?

My brothers girlfriends birthday is this week and she'd asked for a MAC eyeshadow. After testing some out on my hand I went with Satin Taupe, it was such a gorgeous colour and formulation I think I'm definitely going to have to pick myself up some soon. What's your favourite colour MAC eyeshadow?

A quick trip to lush was needed to pick up my essentials. I walked in there with blinders on and refused to look at anything else. I have a tonne of bubble bath at the moment so as much as I want bubble bars it seems silly to pick them up.

This is probably my all time favourite toner. It works amazing on my skin and really helps prevent it getting to greasy. I find it lasts well too. My last bottle was a Christmas present and has only just run out. I use it twice a day most days. It's great for if I get in from work and feel my skin is greasy a quick spritz and I'm instantly refreshed.

Lastly we popped into TK Maxx. It's great for picking up odd bits and pieces. I love there homeware.

I wanted to pick up some weights so I could start doing my workout dvd. I bought it back in February stuck at it then for 10 days and got brilliant results so really need to get back into it. When I did it in February I was using water bottles as weights. Cheaper but not as effective.

These were only £7.99, I love that they are soft grip weights and at 3lb they will be perfect for with the DVD.

Whilst there L's devil side came over her and she persuaded me to head to the beauty section so I had to pick up a new shampoo and conditioner even though I have just ordered a Moroccan oil set.

With my extensions I've found the high street brands usually contain silicone (usually listed as diemethicone) which at first I thought would be ok to use even though I was told not to. It really has been causing my extensions to slip out though as the product goes under the micro ring. (posts on my extensions and silicone in beauty products). I decided to pick up these as well as the ones I've ordered as they were cheap. The shampoo was also SLS free. Extra bonus there.

I've used both of these prior to writing this post just to give quick thoughts on them. First thing about both products, they both smell amazing, especially the conditioner. I had to mix the ones I got as the conditioner for Superstar shampoo contained silicone and the shampoo for the oatmeal and honey condition contained ammonia laureth sulphate which L informed me was worse than SLS. I find I'm definitely more aware of what chemicals are in the products I use. It makes shopping longer though. I have had bed head products before and really loved them so was pleased to pick them up cheaper in TK Maxx. I will definitely be going back there for more. They are huge bottles and so far definitely seem worth paying the extra for. As an added extra I love the pump tops. They just make it easier.

Have you been purchasing anything this weekend? Have you tried any of the bits I got?

Love M

xxx

COTW - Silicone in beauty products

After last weeks chemical of the week post went down so well here's today's instalment.

Today is silicone.

The sciencey (I know not a real word) bit. Silicon is mixed with groups such as methyl, ethyl or phenyl (you will see these names appear later on and are used in the ingredient lists found on products.) What the silicon is mixed with effects the properties of it, and will give a different result in products such as shampoo, I will explain what the different silicones do later on in this post.

Silicone is used in a wide variety of products. In the beauty industry you can find it in products such as shampoo and conditioner and foundations and primers. Silicones can help to make some beauty products work better but for others their short term effects seem good but don't last.