Get Ready With Me: Royal Variety Show Using Smashbox 'Light It Up Set'

This time last week, I was lucky enough to attend the Royal Variety Performance 2016.

My super boyfriend is a Graphic Designer and worked on the tickets, brochure and other huge center pieces that go into the evening. Due to his hard work, he was able to nab tickets to the show and the after party, AND with a plus one. Yey for me!

It was such an amazing evening. The show was at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo, and on entering the champagne reception I knew it would be a special evening. I got to see various comedians as well as David Walliams who was the host. Performing were amazing artists such as Robbie Williams, Emeli Sande, Gary Barlow, Sting, and my absolute favourite of the evening, Lady Gaga. There were also scenes from some amazing musicals on the West End, dance performances and magicians. It really was spectacular, and I am so grateful that I was able to go.

The after party was so much fun. Hosted at The Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair, we were rubbing shoulders with celebrities (namely the Chuckle Brothers!) and were serveda huge four course dinner with bottomless wine. This is a lifestyle I could get used to. The Evening was also sponsored by BMW so there were loads of cool cars outside including an old bat mobil. One of my boyfriends jobs was to make a huge timeline for the Royal Variety and also BMW, as well as designing the large stickers that went on the sides of the cars.

Proud!

Best Moment of my life!

The Royal Variety show is a very special evening, so a nice dress and immaculate hair and makeup was a must. After all, I was in the presence of Royalty (unfortunately Harry was unavailable, so it was Charles and Camilla), so here is how I did makeup for the evening.

I bought this 'Smashbox Light It Up' set in Boots a few weeks ago which is worth about £70. It contains all the Smashbox best selling products and I thought for the price of £35, it would be a great way to explore the brand as I have never tried any makeup from them before.

The set contains the primer, mascara, a lipstick, highlighter and kohl pencil.

Because I was doing quite a bold eye look, I did them first so I could clear up any drop down later on.

I patted on some concealer over my eyes so the makeup had something to sit on, and then went in with this palette.

A friend gave this to me a while ago and I have been dying to use it. The Nude'tude Palette by 'The Balm' has a mix of warm and glittery eyeshadows, perfect for the look I wanted to create.

I started with 'Sultry' as the base, and used 'Sophisticated' to smoke in the the outer corners and crease. As that started to build, I also went in with 'Silly' to really darken the outer corners and give that extra smokey effect.

Finally I used the light pink shimmer shade 'Standoffish' in the inner corners to brighten up that area.

It is worth mentioning that I have never properly invested in good eye shadow brushes but my friend (the same one who gave me the palette- shes so good to me) told me about these really cheap brushes online. This set of gorgeous rose gold brushes cost about £2.00 on Amazon and they are really good quality! Worth a look if like me, you'd rather spend your money on the makeup not the tools.

Next, I used the Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Pencil in 'Raven', to go around my water line and smoked that out to finish of the look, and then I used my Lancome Grandiose Liquid Eyeliner for a classic flick, and a lick of the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara which I LOVE.

The wand is really chunky so allows you t really coat every lash and open up the eyes.

So here was the finished look.

Next was my skin, and I needed something that was going to last me till the early hours of the morning.

To start of, I used the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer which makes your skin feel flawlessly smooth. I know a lot of people don't like that siliconey finish you get with primers, but I find they do work the best, and this primer does have that texture to it.

After my skin was prepped and primed, I went in to use my foundation.

I used my Kat Von D Lock it foundation which is soooooo gooooood.

I will probably do a whole post on this foundation as its so great, but it is really full coverage, long lasting, and I also got it in a warmer tone as the shades can go really, REALLY pale. This shade is Light  47 Nuetral which is probably a fraction too dark for me in winter, but as I fake tanned for the occasion I thought this would blend in more seamlessly.

I buffed this on and then used another layer of 'Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer' to cover my dark circles. I then used my Hourglass Blusher, and the Ambient lighting powder to add some shimmer.

Next was highlighter to add some more glam glow, and the Smashbox L.A Lights highlighter stick is so damn pretty. This gold shimmer shade is called 'Hollywood and Highlight'  and I think it is my favourite highlighter at the moment as it looks so natural but is really obvious too if you know what I mean?

I popped this on my cheek bones and then finished everything off with the final product from the set. A real red carpet worthy Hollywood red 'Be Legendary 'Lipstick' in the best selling shade 'Get Fired'

So here is the finished look! This would also work perfectly for any upcoming Christmas dos as you can never go wrong with a classic look like this.

I hope you enjoyed this post and also my pictures from the evening!

Oh and my dress was from ASOS!

12 Days Of Christmas Nail Art

It is nearly Christmas!!!

On the 1st of December I decided to embark on a nail art challenge. The 12 days of Christmas nail art challenge. Although traditionally the 12 days of Christmas is meant to start on Christmas day, I thought I needed something festive to make that big day come quicker!

I won't lie, I had every intention of getting on top of it and prepping some super nail art before, but as per usual, life got in the way and I didn't post everyday on time. Admittedly, some of them I probably could have done better, but between living between two places, not having all the right equipment and having the busiest week at work along with a really crappy cold, it has been a bit hard.

However I persevered as I really wanted to deliver on my promise,

So without further ado, here are my 12 days of Christmas nails!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Two Turtles Doves

Three French Hens

Four Calling Birds

Five Gold Rings

Six Geese a Laying

Seven Swans a Swimming

Eight Maids a Milking

Nine Ladies Dancing

Ten Lords a Leaping

Eleven Pipers Piping

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Pixi Glow Tonic

A few years ago, when I was first getting Glossybox and Birchbox, I always remember Pixi being a brand that would pop up occasionally. Fast forward a few years now, and that mint green packaging can be seen everywhere, as it is a largely recognised brand in the beauty world.

Not only this, but one product in particular has even reached cult staple among beauty editors and bloggers, and that product is Glow Tonic.

This product is so exclusive, it can only be bought online, or in Liberty London.

As soon as I hear about anything being a cult favourite, I always jump at the opportunity to find it, because, well, it's got to be good surely?

Thankfully, working up in London, Liberty wasn't too far for me to go to get this product, so I strolled in one day and picked one up out of the large tubs they had displaying them.

For £18, this isn't the cheapest tonic on the market, but it is also not the most expensive, and with ingredients such as Aloe Vera, Ginsing, and a little glycolic acid, I knew I was investing into some ingredients that my skin really loved and thrived off.

Or so I thought.

From day 1 of using the tonic, I was getting the largest spots I've ever had in my life, all over my forehead and between my brows. I thought maybe as it's an exfoliation product, that perhoaps this was the products way of getting my skin to remove impurities? As I thought that, I proceeded to carry on using the tonic twice a day, however the spots were not reducing, and where actually getting really painful, to the point where I though I was getting a headache to find it was just the spots throbbing on my head.

I cut down using it to once a day, but still, the spots wouldn't go, until I finally gave it up to give my skin a rest. For a few weeks, the spots remained but were going down. 

Even though I am mid twenties and have never suffered from acne as a teen, I do think I have developed more problematic skin in my adult life, so I can't blame all my spots on this product, however I never usually break out on my forehead, in fact I break out everywhere else APART from my forehead, so it did seem strange to me that this product was only affecting my head.

A few weeks passed, and I saw the tonic sitting there, and I thought I would give it another try. As I said earlier, the ingredients have been ones that have really helped my skin in the past, such as Ginsing which is the main ingredient in my Origins moisturiser which I would rate as my favourite moisturiser. Aloe vera which has always helped soothe and quench my dehydrated skin and seen me through many a sunburn whilst travelling, and also Glycolic, which is in the Ren Glycolactic mask which has never irritated me before.

Perhaps I had been hormonal the first time round and that is why I broke out so bad? Maybe I didn't persevere with it long enough to see the full benefits? Maybe it was actually another product I was using in conjunction with it?

With all this going through my mind, I wiped on the tonic with real commitment. The smell is so gentle and floral, it reminded me of rose which is such a soothing ingredient, so surely this would be just as gentle? I was using only my basic skincare as my skin had become so horrendous, and I had been dabbling with new skincare so wanted to strip back to what I knew worked for me so I could find the root of the problem.

I cleansed with my trusty Caudalie cleansing milk, and was moisturing with my Green People 24 hour vit fix. Two very natural products that my skin drinks up, and nothing else.

Sure enough, the next day, I woke up to a throbbing pain on my head, and yes you guessed it, I looked in the mirror to find a huge, under the skin spot, pretty much in exactly the same place as before.

I think it is fair to say that this tonic is not for me at all. In fact, this product is the first product to actually give me a noticeably bad reaction. I am really dissapointed about it as I really wanted to love this product. Having sensitive skin, I loved the idea of a gentle exfoliater using fruity enzymes so I didn't have to use a scrub. The ingredients sounded delicious and I also think it just looks like a really luxurious product to have on your dressing table.

There are other products from Pixi that I would really like to try such as the cleansing balm, or even from the glow range the glow mud cleanser and the glow mask. 

Due to my reaction from this product though, I am a little apprehensive.

I would love to know why I had such a bad reaction to this product, as my friend who has very similar skin to myself gets on really well with this product, so she is now the owner of my barely used bottle.

Have you tried this product? If so let me know your thoughts on it, or if you know of a similar product, I'd love to try it out!

Sorry this was a long one!

If you want to read about any of the other products mentioned in this post I have left links to my reviews when you click on them.

My Top 5 Autumn/Winter Lipsticks

Lipstick is probably my favourite makeup staple out there. It really finishes off your makeup, and I feel my shade of lipstick can reflect how I'm feeling or the kind of person I want to be that day.

Winter in particular is a great time to experiment with a darker shade, a berry tone, or a more racy red you wouldn't wear any other time of year.

Here are my top 5 lipsticks for the Autumn/Winter seasons.

From left to right

'Diva' by Mac

In all honesty, I have really neglected this colour over the years, but it is a gorgeous deep berry tone that I have been reaching for recently, I am a sucker for a matte lip, so this one ticks all the boxes for me. Just make sure your lips are nourished or it can go a bit chapped and chalky!

Lancome L'Absolu Rogue Shade 361

This Lancome colour is a much lighter berry colour and also a bit more sheer, so better for the day or a more subtle berry lip. It is really moisturing though and really comfortable to wear. Although it is fairly sheer, I find the fade is still a really pretty colour, so you don't have to race to reapply.

Rimmel London Kate Moss collection shade 01

I am no stranger to red lips, but find I usually go for quite bold reds with blue undertones to compliment by fair skin. I love this Rimmel red because it has a burnt orange tone to it, so it differs to my other reds. Perfect to match those orange autumnal leaves.

Urban Decay Vice collection Back Talk Comfort Matte

This is the  newest lipstick to my collection. I have recently been loving nude lips, but for the winter time, I find this one is perfect as it is quite a deep nude. It has a darker tone to it which makes it more of a smouler nude than a natural nude.

Mac Viva Glam Ariana Grande 

Lastly, is my Mac Viva Glam Ariana Grande lipstick which is a really dark, deep purple, which verges on black. I haven't been brave enough to wear this enough yet, so will definitely take the leap over the next few weeks.

I actually did a whole post on this lipstick, so if you want to read a more in depth review of this lipstick, then click here 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Are there any Lipsticks that you find yourself wearing more in the colder months? Please let me know!

Hair Chalk

If you follow my Instagram page, you would have seen I posted this picture of my beet root ended barnet. In this post I will show you how hair chalk is a great way to change up your look whether it is just by colouring the ends of your hair,  or your entire head.

I was inspired to try hair chalk after I saw ASOS post a video of Phoebe Lettice from Made in Chelsea, using hair chalk as a quick fix. Love her or hate her, she has been a big hair influence on me, and my Hair Pinterest board has a lot of pictures of Phoebe, and her occasionally pink hair.

Here is the video of Phoebe Lettice using hair chalk that I mentioned earlier. She uses a Kevin Murphy hair chalk, and also one from Fudge which is a brand I really want to try out. The round 'bugs' she uses look easier to apply than the Topshop stick one I used, as it has a flatter surface and a little case to minimize pink hands afterwards.

 I have wanted pink hair for so so so so so so so long now, but I wanted a quick fix into pink hair that could be washed out for work or in case I didn't like it. Hair chalk is a fantastic way to colour your hair without the commitment. This washed out of my hair fine and was a great change for one night.

The hair chalk I got was this one which was £4 from Topshop. I had a few issues with it, but overall it was a really cheap way to colour my hair. I literally coloured strands of my hair in. In the video of Phoebe using one, she ran it down from root to tip to create the pink. I found I had to really go up and down my hair though to get the colour out. It could be due to my thick hair though. Using this technique made my hair quite volumized so I didn't need to use any product to make my hair big like she does in the video.

If I'm being honest, my hair felt pretty horrible with the hair chalk in. A bit strawy and dry, but it stayed put all evening, and even when I slept with it in over night, it didn't come off on my pillow (thank god because we were staying in a hotel!) and was actually not as messy as I thought it would be. When chalking my hair, bits did break of the stick but other than that it was an easy process. Due to the thickness of my hair I spent about 30/45 mins chalking my hair.

Here are some of my dos and don'ts when using hair chalk

DO wear gloves when applying the chalk, as I had very pink hands for the rest of the evening which took a good few washes to remove.

DO section your hair into bits to make sure you don't miss anywhere.

DON'T wear your hair up. If your going to use this chalk make sure your wearing your hair down, as I also had a very pink neck!

DON'T wear an expensive top. I got a fair bit of pink on my clothes around the collar at the back so don't wear anything you absolutely love and paid a fortune for. The chalk washed out of my clothes fine but JUST in case.

DO this in a bathroom where you can wipe down surfaces and avoid carpet as much as possible.

Apparently you can apply the hair chalk to damp hair and then lock the colour in with hair straighteners when dry, which may be the solution to a lot of these problems, but I think that would make the colour last longer which I unfortunately didn't have the time to do. I will give that a try the next time I want to chalk my hair and let you know how it goes!

Here is a picture of my finished pink hair and my boyfriend enjoying a glass of wine before heading to the o2 to see Katy Perry.

Hope you enjoyed!

Hourglass Makeup

If I am completely honest, I had never heard of Hourglass makeup before I started working at Monty, who does the PR for them. A few days researching into the brand and getting to try a few bits, I knew I absolutely loved it, as it is a really luxury brand. 

If I was to describe Hourglass in three words, it would be warm, shimmery and glowy, and I hope my pictures will reflect this.

Since being at Monty, I was lucky enough to try some of the makeup, so today, I will be doing a full face in just Hourglass showing you some of the gorgeous pieces of makeup they have in an everyday Autumnal look.

To start of, I use the Ambient Light Correcting Primer. This obviously primes the skin but also acts as a colour corrector, and adds a glow to the skin. 

From Left to Right: Mood Light, Dim Light, Luminous Light

I have this in all three shades, but Mood light which is pinkier toned suits me the best. Dim light is quite brown, and Luminous light is a white toned primer for added luminosity. 

Next is foundation, and the Hourglass Vanish Seamless foundation stick is one of the most popular products from hourglass. The stick foundation comes in over 26 shades so is great for all skin tones.

A lot of bloggers either really love this product or don't seem to get on with it, but I absolutely LOVE it. For some reason I thought the stick would be really dense and hard to blend but it is really creamy and it has really great coverage. 

I am the shade Porcelain but you can get really light almost white shades, deep red toned shades and also really dark so it really does have a great variety. The foundation does have a Vanish Foundation brush that is sold separately, but I used my real techniques foundation brush and it blended out perfectly.

Next, I used the hidden concealer in the shade Vanilla for my under eyes and blemishes. I usually prefer a liquid concealer but the coverage on this is again really good so no complaints for me. 

I used my beauty blender to apply this as the smaller end of the sponges is perfect for getting into the smaller nooks around the eyes.

Next comes the real glow.

I use the blusher shade 'Dim Infusion' for the apples of my cheeks which is a quite a peach toned which works well for my fair skin, and the way it is packaged is just stunning.

I also use the strobe powder in 'Iridescent Strobe Light' for added glow

Finally I used the powder in 'Radiant Light' which has a slight shimmer, and sets the face as well as adding the dewy finish to the skin

Now the base is done, next is the brows, and I have been using the Arch brow pencil in blonde which I am loving. Usually I go for a more brown shade but I will never go back after using a blonde one (I know, go figure that the right colour would look better) but I usually get quite reddy tones in my brows when I use brown which shows up as really ginger in photos.

I love the way this is packaged, again with that triangular tip co-insiding in with the vanish stick, but it's shape also makes it really easy to get straight lines and angles. It also has a really chunky spoolie brush on the end which is really good at brushing out the brows and adding shape. The pencil itself is quite hard to I find I have to work quite hard to get good coverage, but that is quite a good thing as you don't want to be too heavy handed when it comes to brows.

I unfortunately don't have any eye products from Hourglass to show you, so I've just used my regular eye makeup products which, at the moment, are the Lancome Grandiose Liner which you can read a review of here, and also the Smash Box full exposure mascara which I got in their recent gift set which I will review soon!

Although I don't have eye makeup to show, I do have some lip products, and since I have been obsessing over Autumnal berry shades recently, I thought this liner and matching matte lipstick in the shade 'Empress' would really finish off the whole look.

And this is the final finish

I love this brand and hope to try more of it in the future. As a usual lover of matte finish, I love the way Hourglass has a subtle shimmer to everything, and think it is turning me down the dewier finish route.

Have you tried any Hourglass before? If so let me know what I should try next!