Wearable shimmery shadows ✨

When it comes to eye make-up, I definitely prefer a more natural bronze/brown smokey eye as opposed to dark black/grey shades! I find it very wearable during the daytime yet sophisticated and glamorous for the evening. Today I'll be showing you how I achieve this look with one of my newest products in my collection! I have been lusting over the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks for ages and it wasn't until recently I realised that they must've been part of a limited edition collection as they weren't available on the website anymore! I was really gutted as it would've been perfect for me - I'm a huge fan of shimmery eye shadows! Thankfully, I found the Shimmer Brick in Raw Sugar on Amazon and I didn't hesitate to snap it up! I've used it a few times now and it's amazing, the colours are so rich and pigmented and there's a great variety of shades! 

As a base colour, I used a small amount of Maybellines 24hr Colour Tattoo in the shade 'On & On Bronze' and gently patted it in onto my eyelid with my finger. The purpose of this is to help build up the intensity of the colour and to make the powder shadow more long lasting. Then, using the Real Techniques base shadow brush, I took the 3rd and 2nd to last colours from the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick (shown in the left photo below) and applied this all over my lid and into the crease of my eye. To add definition, I used the last colour (right) from the Shimmer Brick and with a Real Techniques Duo-Fibre eye brush, I gently built up some more colour in the crease of my eye. I also took this colour underneath on the lower lash line to add a bit of smokeyness. Using a clean Real Techniques deluxe crease brush, I blended the shadows on the lid and crease together so it looked more natural and smokey. 

I personally feel like eyeliner really frames your eyes so I lined my lids with the Smashbox Cream Eyeliner in Caviar using a Mac 263 brush (this brush is so amazing for both eyeliner and eyebrows!!). I've been trying out a few drugstore mascaras recently and I've been loving Maybelline's Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying mascara so this is what I've used today! It really does thicken and lengthen your lashes (however my camera quality is awful and you can't even see my lashes 😪) yet isn't clumpy or gloopy at all!! As per usual, I've used Cliniques Bottom Lash mascara on my lower lash line - I really don't know what I'd do without this holy grail product! To finish off the make-up look I added the MeMeMe Eye Liner in Clay to my waterline and added one of the lighter shadows from the Shimmer Brick to my brow bone as a highlighter! That was all I done to achieve one of my favourite, quick, wearable eye make-up looks! 

I've still got my eye on the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette so hopefully fingers crossed that will be my next eye look to show you!! 😁🙏 

Hope you're having a lovely week! 

Katie x 

Valentine's Day date outfit & make-up

Happy Valentines everyone!! I'm currently on the train to meet my Valentines date so I thought I'd share with you my outfit and make-up for this seasonal event! This year, we're doing something quite casual and fun - dinner, drinks, cinema and a hotel stay. I wanted to pick an outfit that was casual yet smart and sexy. I feel like an all black outfit can never go wrong when paired with great accessories and a red lip. With this outfit, I love the contrast of the casual tshirt with the coated jeans and snakeskin heels - it's adds texture and edge to the outfit. I used to be obsessed with statement necklaces and I've recently got back into them! The main star of this outfit is definitely this necklace! I feel like at this time of the year, a lot of jewellery in stores is gold and I only wear silver so finding this was great! I love how ethnic looking this necklace is and it gives a beautiful touch to an otherwise plain tshirt! 

Black tshirt - Topshop  

Black coated jeans - New Look  

Snakeskin court heels - Marks & Spencer's

Bag - Love Moschino

Necklace - Claire's Accessories 

Rings - Pandora, Chapelle 

Watch - Fossil 

Make-up wise I wanted to go for a really subtle, soft bronze eye and a dark red lip. I felt like it was important to keep my base natural and glowing so a good bronzer and highlighter were my best friends today! I didn't want to do anything too dramatic as I wanted my look to be effortless and a bit 'undone' however the red lip brightens up the outfit! If you're not a fan of red lipstick then a nude lip would also look gorgeous with this make-up! I'd recommend Mac's Velvet Teddy as it is the perfect nude and I know everyone loves it! I completely forgot to take a make-up selfie (sorry!!) but I did take a picture of the products I used whilst I was getting ready!

Products used: 

- Collection Lasting Perfection concealer 

- Clarins Skin Perfecting BB cream 

- Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer 

- No7 Mineral Powder 

- Bobbi Brown bronzing powder

- Mac Pro long wear blush in Eternal Sun 

- Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo in On & On Bronze

- Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette 

- Chanel Sublime De Chanel mascara 

- Clinique Bottom Lash mascara 

- Gosh Velvet a Touch lip liner in Cardinal Red

- NARS Semi Matte lipstick in Shanghai Express

Hope you have an amazing Valentines Day! ❤️ 

Katie x 

New products/FOTD

Recently I've purchased a few new products and have been loving them! They have already found their  way into my every day favourites! Over the last week or so my base has consisted of Clarins Skin Perfecting BB Cream set in place with BareMinerals Touch Up Veil Finishing Powder (both in medium). I love this duo as they are both so lightweight and refreshing yet give a flawless, full and even coverage.

During the winter months I love to brighten up my face with a subtle bronzer. I've started using the Bobbi Brown bronzing powder in Natural and it really does give a natural, radiant glow to your skin. 

For eyes, my newest purchase has been the Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette and I absolutely love it! It has 6 gorgeous taupe-hued, highly pigmented shadows which are so wearable meaning they're perfect for every day use. I'd highly recommend all of Urban Decay's eye products. I have incorporated my new purchases into today's make-up look so here is my face of the day! 

~ Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Cool Medium

~ Clarins Skin Perfecting BB Cream in Medium 

~ Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Beige

~ BareMinerals Touch Up Veil Finishing Powder in Medium 

~ Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Natural 

~ Mac Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Sunbasque 

~ Sleek Brow Kit in Dark 

~ Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown 

~ Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette 

~ Urban Decay Perversion Mascara 

~ Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara 

~ Nyx Lip Pencil in Mauve 

~ Mac matte finish lipstick in Velvet Teddy 

Brushes: Real Techniques duo fibre cheek & face brush. 

Katie x 

Skincare routine: morning & night

Today I thought I'd share with you my skin care routine! I find it interesting reading and watching other people's skin care routines as it really does show how we all have different skin types and different problems to battle! It's also a great way to discover new products that might really benefit your skin!! 

Morning products:

- Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream 

- No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying Exfoliator 

- Kueshi Pure & Clean Revitalising Face Toner 

- Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser  

- No7 Beautifully Matte Make-up Base 

When washing my face in the morning, I use Cliniques 7 Day Face Scrub all over my face and massage it in. It's important not to attack the skin too vigariously with exfoliators as it's then likely to cause irritation. After this, I use the No7 Beautiful Skin Purifying Exfoliator on my T-Zone only as that's the areas where my pores get clogged the most. Once I'm out the shower and my skins dry, I apply the Kueshi Pure & Clean Revitalising Face Toner all over my face using a cotton wool pad. This Toner is great for your skin as it controls the oily areas whilst hydrating the dry areas so it really does combat all problems! Due to having sensitive skin, I've always had problems finding a moisturiser that doesn't upset my skin. After years of trial and error, I've found my holy grail moisturiser in the form of Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser! I really like Simple products as they are easy to get hold of in all drug stores and are also pretty cheap. Once my moisturiser has kicked in, I apply No7 Beautifully Matte Make-up Base and then get on with my make-up for the day. I think it's vital to apply a primer before foundation as it makes it more long lasting and makes the application easier giving it a flawless finish. 

Evening: 

- Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes 

- No7 Beautifully Skin Cleansing Water 

- Kueshi Pure & Clean Revitalising Face Toner

- Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser 

- Clinique All About Eyes Eye Cream

- Lush Grease Lightning Spot Treatment 

In the evening, I initially take most of my make-up off with Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes. When cleansing with wipes, my skin doesn't feel 100% clean so I like to double cleanse by applying No7 Cleansing Water with a cotton wool pad. After this I just wash my face with warm water and a clean flannel. Once again, when my face is dry, I apply the Kueshi Pure & Clean Revitalising Face Toner to my face as it makes my skin feel really refreshed and healthy which is perfect after a long day! Moisturising is very important so I do it twice a day, every day. At night time, I use the same moisturiser (Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser) and massage it in until my skin feels super soft. When moisturising, it's important to do what you do to your face to your neck too as your neck area is very prone to ageing. I've never really thought about using an eye cream but since receiving a sample of Clinique's All About Eyes Eye Cream, I've been loving it! I've always suffered with dark circles around my eyes but since using this I've noticed a visible change! I've been using this eye cream for a good 4 months and still have loads of the sample left but I'll definitely purchase the full size! The last step of my  night time skin routine is to apply a spot treatment as unfortunately I'm quite blemish prone. At the moment, I'm really loving Lush's Grease Lightning spot treatment. I find it really effective as it instantly reduces redness and treats the blemish! Lush's Grease Lightning seems to be a cult favourite and it definitely lives up to its name! 

What are your must have skin care products? 

Katie x