Purple Is The New Black

 

Since dying my hair purple, I've had to completely re-evaluate my make-up routine, With black being to harsh for a day look, I was looking for something a bit more subtle. 

In almost perfect timing, Jane Iredale released their City Nights Collection, and sent me a few samples. 

The moment I saw the plummy shades of eyeliner and lipstick, I knew I had to give them a go. Such perfect hues for this season. 

I fell in love with the Jelly Jar Gel Eyeliner shade (also available in an olive green). It's a dark purple which means you get the definition you need when using it for winged eyeliner, and it's super blendable, allowing you to work it in with a variety of eye shadows for a smokey eye. 

It complements my hair brilliantly, but I think it's a shade that can actually be worn by anyone. I know that you can get brown liners for anyone who finds black too harsh, but I think this would be a more exciting alternative. 

As for the PureMoist Lipstick in Katerina, it goes so well with the eyeliner. Slightly different in shade with more of a reddy tone, it makes for a nice contrast. I've used another one of Jane Iredale's PureMoist Lipsticks, and it does what it says on the tin. Considering how strong the shades are, they aren't dry at all, and actually stay for quite some time. I also like to mix it with other shades, just to give any dry lipsticks I may have a bit of moisture and shine, 

The one thing I will 100% praise Jane Iredale's products for is that they last soooo long. I hate spending money on a product, using it regularly like I should only for it to run out sooner than expected. You don't need to use a lot of any of their products, so they last you a good few months, A worthy investment I'd say. 

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Holiday Beauty Essentials

                         

Seeing as I've been doing a lot of posts recently reviewing products that are suitable for the holiday season, I thought it was only fair that I did a post showing the products I took on holiday with me. I am god awful at packing lightly and am renowned among friends and family for having the biggest bag packed full of what I like to call 'just-in-case' items. There was a mountain of products I wanted to take with me, but we were only taking hand luggage which limits liquids to 100ml bottles, so I had to be very selective about what I took, and just pick items I knew I would struggle without. 

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

Having looked up the weather before I went, and discovering it was going to be between 30° and 35°, just the idea of wearing foundation in that heat made me feel hot. However I wanted to take something, just to get rid of those dark patches and cover up any burnt bits, so this little concealer was perfect. Its light reflecting qualities made my skin look dewy and fresh instead of the beaten, weathered look created by lots of sun, sea and sand. 

Clinique High Impact Mascara

It's always nice to dress up of an evening on holiday when you're going out for something to eat, and even if you're not intending to wear much make-up, a decent mascara can finish off a basic evening look perfectly. I've tried many mascaras since doing this blog, and so far Clinique's High Impact is my favorite. 

MUA Gel Eyeliner

I've been testing this product for quite some time now ever since I bought a hauls worth of MUA products with the aim of doing an MUA haul and review post (which will be up shortly, promise) , so I won't go into too much detail about it just yet. Obviously the fact I took it on holiday with me is proof that I'm happy with the product. I do find liquid eyeliners can be a little bit too strong for the skin on my eyes - which is quite sensitive - and eyeliner pencils are too faint. So I'm fast becoming a fan of gel eyeliners, and since I'm a huge cat-eye addict, I couldn't go on holiday without it. 

ArtDeco Peacock Coquette Nail Varnish

I knew I wanted to take at least one nail varnish with me, and I'm sure if like me you have a massive collection, you can understand how hard it was for me to pick just one. This particular nail varnish is from Art Deco's Autumn/Winter 2013 'Asian Spirit Western Feeling' collection which I loved. The reason I chose it is because it's such a chameleon shade. Depending on the light, it can range from a gorgeous turquoise to a forest green, and in some lights it even looks navy. There were points when I was laying on the beach and noticed my toenails were the same colour as the sea. 

St Kitt's Herbery Face Cream

My skin has such a tendency to look dry, and I knew the Clinque concealer would not work to its best if my face wasn't moisturised. It's so important to keep your skin hydrated if you're going to spend hours in the sun like I did, and having just reviewed a few St Kitt's products and loving them, as well as the bottle being the appropriate size, I felt it was a perfect addition. 

Nivea Powder Touch Underarm 

This little beauty came in my Cosmopolitan Superblogger Masterclass goodie bag and is responsible for my new found love of roll-on deodorant. I had such a love/hate relationship with deodorant sprays and could never find one that suited me 100%, and it never occurred to me to try a roll-on, but seeing as this was a freebie I gave it a go. The main issue I had with sprays was that they dried out my skin, but this roll-on has nourished it back to health. 

Mary Kay Limited Edition Retro Rose Cream Lip Colour

As a last addition to my planned evening make-up look, I took this lovely Mary Kay lip colour. Finding lipsticks that suit me is something I struggle with (god I do have a hard time of it ha) and reviewing the Mary Kay Hello Sunshine collection actually introduced me to the first set of lipsticks that worked with my skin tone and my hair colour. Obviously it's creamy and moisturising texture was an added bonus, and the dark yet warm shade added a sophisticated element to my make-up as a whole. 

BVLGARI Omnia Crystaline Eau De Parfum

Due to being very picky about fragrances, I only have a handful of perfumes that I like the smell of, and at the moment this is my favourite. I received this as a free sample, and loved the fact that it was a miniature of the actual bottle and not a little phial, and that it was parfum and not eau de toillette. As it's parfum, I don't need a lot and the scent lasts for hours. I've had it months and I'm not even half-way through yet (by the way I sincerely recommend applying for perfume samples - a much cheaper way of having a large selection of fragrances, then buy the ones you really like). Due to it's size and of course how much I love it, there was no question about packing it. 

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New Age Fun with a Vintage Feel: Mary Kay's 'Hello Sunshine' Collection

Oh how I adore Summer make-up. The variety of colours open to us this season is endless,  and vary magnificently from trend to trend.

I absolutely love it when a brand takes a current fashion trend and uses it as inspiration for a make-up collection, and Mary Kay Cosmetics have done just that.

Honing in on the vintage mania that has taken over the fashion industry for a good few years now,  Mary Kay’s Limited Edition ‘Hello Sunshine’ collection is new age fun with a vintage feel. Oh, and how kitsch is the packaging? 

Springy Eye Duo

When I first opened these and saw the colours, I really wasn’t sure what to think, but the moment I swept my finger across them I couldn’t wait to try them out. They really are springy, and lay slap bang in between a powder and a cream eyeshadow. They’re incredibly lightweight and smooth to use, and require hardly any blending whatsoever. The colour is quite translucent, with a slight shimmer, so that the colours on the skin are subtle, but obviously the colour is buildable. I like to put the browner shades just under the bottom lash line, and either the blue or the yellow on my eyelid, all the way up to the brow, and team it with a thin line of eyeliner for a 60s Summer look.

*Wearing Spring Eye Duo in Summer Sunset with Carefree Coral Lip Colour*

*Wearing Springy Eye Duo in Stonewashed with Retro Rose Lip Colour*

Creamy Lip Colour

These are the answer to my red lip prayers. Being olive skinned, yet not very tanned, I find it quite hard to find a classic red lip colour that doesn’t completely wash me out, but the colour palette of this entire collection is quite warm so it suits me perfectly. These lipsticks are incredibly smooth and moisturising, and have a matte finish with a slight shimmer that lasts for ages. Carefree Coral is a pinky red  whilst Retro Rose is on the browner side.

*Wearing Lip Gel in Cherry Twist*

Lip Gel

For a classic vintage red without the matte finish, this product is perfect. A bit of sheen with some colour adds volume to your lips, so for a juicy, voluptuous look, without the grease of your average lip gloss, I highly recommend this product. My only gripe would be that you need more than one application to build up a decent amount of colour, but once you’ve achieved that, it lasts for quite some time. 

Mary Kay were also kin enough to send me samples of their Lash Love Mascara, True Dimensions Lipstick in Citrus Flirt and Facial Highlighting Pen in Shade 3, all of which are featured in all of these pictures, except the lipstick, which is only in the above picture. 

Steph x x x

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