Five minute summer makeup look

Hello my loves,

I posted a picture on Instagram earlier today showing you my 5 minute look for when you needed to be ready 5 minutes ago! 

This is actually the story of my life; I do NOT do early mornings and I have a bad habit of over estimating the amount of time I have to get ready. I will lie in bed till the very last minute possible and then be in panic mode.

The products that I'm going to show you are all drugstore/chemist brands. (bar one product, but this isn't an essential part to the look to be honest so you can switch it up or leave it out, totally up to you!)

The aim of this look is to literally have it as fool proof as humanly possible - so you can basically do it half asleep - this was the most important thing to me!

Also in the summer with that clammy, humid weather I hate having thick makeup on because I feel like I am melting like a snow-cone the second I leave the house; I feel patchy and gross for the whole day then. So everything I am is using here is to keep the skin and face light, fresh and very natural - i.e. PEEERRFECT for summer!

Products

Primer: Makeup Revolution Aqua priming base (This is spray on primer and it feels so refreshing and cooling)

Foundation: Rimmel #InstaFlawless skin tint in light/medium (this is literally just a tint, it doesn't have any extra coverage to it, it will just even out your skin tone and give you a healthy finish. I wear this on its own and under foundations too)

Concealer: Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer (This has a lovely serum texture so it doesn't feel cakey at all but it covers very well. I use this anywhere I need coverage)

Mascara: Soap & Glory Thick & Fast collagen mascara (my favourite trick to make your lashes look longer is t curl them beforehand - I know it seems time consuming but it literally takes less than 30 seconds and it gives you a wide awake look)

Lips: Huda Beauty Lip contour in 'Bombshell' and Maybelline Color sensation vivid matte liquid lipstick in 'Nude frill' (If you wanted the Huda Beauty lip contour in this shade and missed out - the Maybelline liquid lipstick is an absolute identical shade!)

Setting Spray:  Maybelline Super stay 24 hour setting spray (My tip for this is shake the bottle before you spray this, otherwise it can come out in very odd blobs..)

I did not do my eyebrows as mine are not a necessity when I'm in a rush but if you need to do your eyebrows quickly; I would recommend the L'Oreal brow artist sculpt product. It will tidy your brows and give a thicker appearance. 

If you have oily skin you can dust your face lightly with some translucent powder and then spray with the setting spray to remove the powdery texture.

I hope this was helpful! If you try any of my looks or use any tips let me know, I love to know that I've helped some of you! <3

With Love from,

Rebekah x

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Lily and Rose Jewellery ♡

Hello my loves,

Today's post is all about my new favourite jewellery brand Lily and Rose.

Lily and Rose is a Swedish brand that has been created by Therese Zetterberg. She favours the use of Oktant and/or Swarovski just to give you an idea of how stunningly sparkly and luxurious her pieces are!!

I am a self confessed jewellery addict; I am a magpie - honestly, the more sparkly, glistening and the more eye catching a piece of jewellery is, the more I have to have it!

In my opinion, jewellery is just a instant game changer when it comes to outfits; a beautiful pair of earrings can take your outfit from a 5 to a 10. This is my favourite trick - I also match my eye makeup to my earrings if I'm stuck for something to do!

I have had my eyes of Lily and Rose's Instagram page for the past few months and I was lucky enough that they gifted me with a few pieces and I loved them all so much I just HAD to share them with you - I feel like all girls should know about this brand.
If you have special event coming, maybe a debs or prom, anything at all, you will definitely adore this brand. All her pieces scream elegance and have a exquisitely beautiful, romantic look about them.

Here is what I picked:

These are the 'Kate' earrings in 'Indian Pink' and you can get them here .

These are the 'Miss Kate' earrings in 'Vintage Rose' and you can purchase these here.

The 'Sofia' Bracelet in 'Indian Pink' which you can get here

Here is a little fact about the brand that literally made me fall even more in love with the jewellery line.
Why is the brand named Lily and Rose?

Do I have any Sex and the City fans here?

Sex and the City was (and still is) one of my favourite TV shows ever.

Do you remember Charlotte Goldenblatt (played by Kristin Davis)?

She had two little girls called Lily and Rose! 

This was Therese's inspiration for her brand's name, she names Sex and the City as on of her biggest sources of inspiration when she was 16 years old.

I just love little background facts like this - I think knowing the ethos & inspiration of a company really helps you to relate to them - and I really related to this company!

I hope I've helped introduce you all to something new -  I am always on the hunt for new places to shop & pick up beautiful items and I love to share when I have found something amazing!

With Love from,

Rebekah x


* This blog post was NOT sponsored - all opinions are always my own.

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Too Faced 'Sweet Peach' eyeshadow palette (swatches included)♡

Hello my loves,

So if you follow me over on Instagram you would of seen that I got my Sweet Peach palette by Too Faced in the post yesterday, finallllllllly!

 Straight out I'm already totally obsessed - I didn't think it was possible to form such a strong love so quickly, but I have!!

For those not familiar with the Too faced 'Sweet Peach' palette here is what it looks like:

Beautiful right???

Also, if you are not familiar with Too faced brand itself, they are famed for bringing out palettes that smell like their moniker, (and taste, but we won't get into that haha!) so the peach palette literally smells like peaches - they also have chocolate bar palettes!

I know that this will be my go to summer palette for three main reasons; 

Firstly (maybe this isn't so important but..) because of the smell - peaches always remind me of spring and summer, fresh and sweet.

Secondly, the colour selection is just perfect for summer and spring - you have your peach shades in it, but also some beautiful warm bronze & taupe shades AND some gorgeous accent shades like purple and khaki.

Thirdly, this palette will be amazing for summer holidays - it's literally the only eyeshadow related item you would need to bring on holiday. It has a metal resistant case to keep the shadows safe and because of the variety of colours you can create tonnes of different eye looks.

(L-R: White peach, Nectar, Peaches'n' Cream, Georgia, Cobbler, Luscious)

(L-R: Caramelized, Candied Peach, Just Peachy, Puree, Bellini, Bless her heart)

(L-R: Summer Yum, Peach Pit, Tempting, Talk Derby to me, Delectable, Charmed I'm sure)

My favourite shades are Candied Peach and Just Peachy. I don't own any similar shades to these. 

I love that in this palette they included transitional/crease shades. This means that you really do only need this one palette to create tonnes of different looks. Some palettes (e.g. Urban Decay Vice collection palettes) sometimes don't include transition shades which mean you always need extra shadows with you, the palette itself is not enough.

This palette will be gorgeous on all eye colours, but if you have blue to green eyes, the colours in the palette will make your eyes pop!

This palette retails for €47/$49/£39 and is available from Debenhams in the UK and Ireland,Too Faced official website and ULTA, although it is out of stock on their own website and ULTA at the moment.

HOWEVER, Too faced's co-founder Jerrod Blandino has said that they will be doing everything they can to bring this palette back so keep your eyes pealed!!

I would highly recommend this palette, Too faced shadows are amazing quality; they are extremely creamy, pigmented yet blend-able. In my opinion this palette is worth every cent.

Trust me, your makeup collection needs it!!

With love from,

Rebekah x♡

My favourite Mac brushes ♡

Hello my loves,

I want to do a talk through on my favourite Mac Brushes today. You all loved when I did a list of the Mac products that I think are worth spending those hard earned dollar bills on, so this is a similar concept! I'm a big believer on the fact that your tools really have an affect on the look and application of your makeup.

I believe that you are better to invest in a few amazing brushes than piles of mediocre ones that aren't doing you justice. The thing about Mac brushes is that they are expensive in comparison to other brands yes, and I agree you don't need every Mac brush, BUT there are some that are worth every penny. Here are my favourites, that I would recommend:

Mac #217

(eyeshadow blending brush)

This specific brush has cult status it's that good and that popular.

This is a blending brush for ensuring that your eyeshadow is seamlessly blended with no harsh lines.

It makes blending super easy even for beginners. It's not as soft as other blending brushes due to it's densely packed fibre and this is the reason I feel that it's so good - it allows there to still be control over your blending. Very soft brushes blending brushes can be messy and unprecise.

 Buy here or here

Mac #263

(small angled brush)

The one of the best brushes for both eyeliner AND brows - so it's a great multi-tasker brush.

I personally use this as my eyeliner brush, I find it helps me get the sharpest, most precise wing. It also helps me to keep my wing from getting big and out of control (we've ALL been there!)

Buy here or here

Mac #130

(short duo fibre brush)

This is brush that will give you a fantastic airbrush finish. Duo fibre brushes are amazing in general for giving a Photoshop finish and this one particularly because it's small enough to work around all your little areas on your face (edge of nose, under the eyes). The small size allows you more controlled blending & allows you to hang on to your coverage rather than blending it all away.

I also find this brush great for blending out my cheek contour as it is small enough to keep the product excatly where I placed it (which is what you always want when blending contour!).

Buy here or here

Mac #170

(rounded slant brush)

The perfect contour brush for your entire face - especially if you use thick cream/concealer like products for your contour (like Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kit etc.)

It buffs the product into your skin without moving it around too drastically. The angle shape of this brush works well with the angles of your own face so this makes it so simple to use, you will literally pop it under your cheek or jawbone and watch it just hug and sweep the curves of your face.

Buy here or here

I hope this was helpful - I know Mac has so many brushes and going in looking for them is honestly the most confusing thing in the world no matter what your makeup level!

As always, any request that you have for posts, leave them in the comments :)

With love from,

Rebekah x♡

How to work with 'Loose face powders' my tips & tricks ♡

 

Hello my loves,

 

Okay, no excuses no anything and this isn't an excuse; I've not posted for a while & that was not my intention - I have been suffering with a shoulder injury since December and that has just been completely time consuming and painful. I'm a really heavily dependant right handed person and this was my right shoulder I hurt so everything has been difficult and tiring to do the past 2 months.

But I finally have some holidays from work and the rest is doing me some good so I honestly am DYING to get back into blogging at least weekly like I have done previously!

 

That's enough pity-me-party now so let's crack on to why you're here!

The point of this post today is to discuss loose face powders.

 

Loose face powders are finely milled powders used to set down sticky or tacky cream products you've put on your face like a concealer or foundation.

They come in MAAANNY colours:
- Translucent (no colour)
- Purple (will take away yellow tones and sallowness)
- Yellow (brighten & highlights)
- Peach (brightens and adds warmth)
- all regular foundation colours (these match your foundation shades to give a super natural look)

 

 

 

The sister of loose powders is pressed powders, which I'm not inclined to use as they can cake and cling to dry patches very easy.

However, loose powders come with their own problems too.

 

Has anyone ever seen these type of pictures?

 

 

 

The cause of this is loose powder.

 

If you want to AVOID this happening to you this is what you need to do:

 

1. You can choose any loose powder to use on your face SO LONG as you read the back ingredients and avoid at all cost any powder that has:

 100% silica (any high amount of silica will cause this so try to avoid)

  zinc oxide

  titanium dioxide

 if you intend on using this powder all over your face or to *bake.

 

2. The ingredients that I have mentioned are white based so they are used to bring brightness and a highlight so they are fine if you intend on just using a smidge to set under your eyes but given the intense brightening and reflective white nature of these powders - they are not suitable for your whole face and are not suitable for 'baking' as you will be leaving a pure heavy tone and powder trace behind.
This is one of the reasons for FLASHBACK in photography.

 

3. Examples of powders that have these ingredients in them would be:

- Laura Mercier 'Secret brightening powder'

- Inglot 'Translucent Loose powder' 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a small dusting of these products where you want too highlight - but these are not to set your entire face with.

I feel like that's why these products come in such small containers because it's not intended that you're to be whacking this everywhere.

 

4. The two powders that I love that won't cause that white powder cast are:

- Laura Mercier 'translucent loose powder'

- Inglot 'Loose powder'

Both of these powders are suitable to use all over your face and to bake also if you want to.

 

*Baking??

 

'Baking' in the makeup world, has nothing to do with cakes unfortunately.

When someone speaks about 'baking' what they mean is that they are taking a generous amount of translucent powder and placing it heavily under their eyes, around the nose, under the contour. By placing a generous amount in these areas, you allow your skin to absorb just the amount of powder that is requires. You leave the powder 5-10 minutes to absorb and you use a large brush to dust excess away. 

 

What powder is best for me?:

 

 As a rule of thumb, I would only ever use loose powders with colours in them in the areas that I need them - eg. yellow powder under my eyes/centre of the forehead to brighten. These powders can be quite chalky and most of them contain the bad ingredients we don't want so are best used sparingly.

If I'm baking or setting my whole face I will usually use just a translucent powder like my Laura Mercier Loose translucent powder I mentioned above. Because these are translucent they won't cake up as noticeably or cling to dry patches as noticeably.

If you have dry skin or skin that powder seems to cake on, avoid powders with talc if possible or stick to one where there isn't a tonne of talc - ask at the makeup counters or google product ingredients. Talc absorbs oil, think dry shampoo, but if you have dry skin as it is you will have very little to absorb Laura Mercier's 'Invisible Loose setting powder' is a talc free product, so perfect if you suffer from dry skin, be aware however, it does contain SILICA (which we don't want) but is isn't a main ingredient - still do use a light hand & no baking.

 

Best tools for working with loose powders:

 

This is totally up to preference but I will usually use the Real techniques 'powder brush' to dust loose powder all over my face and then in areas that I might need more setting where I've used more products like say concealer & foundation I will use the Real techniques 'setting brush'. If you intend on using the baking method I mentioned above, I'd suggest that you use a damp beauty sponge and apply the powder generously to the areas this way.

 

So that about rounds up my 'Loose powder 101'! If I've left any questions unanswered please leave me a comment and I will get back to you! <3

I hope this helps anyone who was confused! I am going to do a video on 'baking' during the week, so if this is something you want more info on keep an eye out! <3

 

With Love from,

 

Rebekah