A Day In Taxachusettes

So when I'm trying to save a bit of money, where do I go shopping?

Only the state with one of the highest sales taxes in the United States! I do adore Boston though, I'd love to live there for a few years at some point. I'm so disappointed that I only got to spend one day there this summer and compared to last year I was quite good about my spending!

I took two quick trips to MAC and Sephora, I knew what I was going in for, got what I wanted and then left. That took some serious self control! Plus I had to be quick because my lovely, patient boyfriend was in the Apple Store waiting for me or waiting outside for me! We had lunch on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center, it was so weird to think I was twice as high as that when I went to the top of the Empire State building! The Top Of The Hub is my favourite restaurant and the views certainly make for good table conversation. If you're ever in Boston you HAVE to eat there, Sunday brunch is my absolute favourite! It's so surreal to look out from that high while eating a casual lunch, plus the food is truly scrumptious!

In Sephora I got MUFE's HD Foundation in Shade 123. I decided to splurge a little bit and get this becuase it's so hard to come by in England (not to mention more expensive!!). I then popped up Newbury Street to MAC and bought Opulash in Bad, Bad Black and another Dazzle Lipstick in Win-Win. I adore Naughty You and really wanted to pick up another Dazzle. The opportunity presented itself when MAC were out of both Saint Germain and Creme d' Nude. I've used Opulash once and I've got to say.. It's pretty odd! It feels so weird when it's dried onto your lashes. Definitely worth a post to itself!

I've done a lot of little hauls lately, I think a spending ban is in order fairly soon!

xoxo

FOTN 25/08

Last night Ryan and I went out to see his brother's band at their first headlining gig. I had literally 30 minutes to dry and straighten my hair then do my makeup so I don't exactly love it.. but I'm posting it anyway..

Benefit YouRebel

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium

MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

MAC Eye Brows in Lingering

MAC #7 Lashes

MAC Plush Lash in PlushBlack

MAC Amplified Lipstick in Impassioned

I put on the bright lip at the last minute because I didn't want to not use any colour at all. I'm not sure if it suits me.. maybe it would look better with a darker tan?

xoxo

MAC Lash Series - #4 Lashes

As most of you know, I wear false lashes virtually every day. I have some pretty large gaps in my natural lashes that have always been there; it takes a lot of time and a ton of mascara to get my lashes looking full and 'normally placed', needless to say the gaps become very obvious when I wear mascara and I find it a lot easier and a lot faster to use lashes suited for everyday wear. I usually alternate between MAC #4's, #7's and #31's depending on the look I'm going for. #4's are long and wispy, #7's are spiked bunches of lashes and #31's are natural length and look. I'm going to do a series of my favourite MAC Lashes because I really think they can look very different on that off and you should never judge lashes until you've seen them on someone (preferably yourself). I'm starting with my most frequently used and today I'm featuring the #4's.

So here's how they look brand new in their case. I always store my lashes in their original case as it keeps them in better condition and out of harms way!

Okay, this is the lash applied close to the lash line with no eye liner or other eye makeup. I personally think it looks pretty awful at this stage!

Next I apply a light coat of mascara. Most people will tell you to apply mascara first then apply the lash. It's true, the lashes will last longer (as in number of times you can wear them) if you do this, but I find they look very un-blended and I actually find it very difficult to apply the lash close enough to the lash line when I already have mascara on. It's personal choice, for myself I just think they look better when done this way.  

Once the pair of lashes have been worn once I skip this step entirely and apply a single coat over my own lashes and a further coat on the root.

Here I've applied a second thin coat of mascara to the roots of my lashes only. This thoroughly blends your natural lashes with the false ones. With this type of lash you would risk clumping the wispy hairs together if you applied any more mascara. Not to mention that these are fairly natural looking lashes and you would be making them look more and more fake with each coat of mascara. Again, it's personal choice but all I would say is let the false lash do it's job, get your own lashes blended in and then STOP!

I've also intensified the look by applying black eyeliner in my waterline. Don't do this if you want a really natural look. For a super natural look leave your waterline bare, for a touch of definition use a light brown liner and for a super defined look use black. I felt that since these wispys were so long I needed to balance out my bottom lash line.

What are your favourite natural lashes?

xoxo

Nude FOTD & Simple HOTD

So the reason I've been even worse than normal at posting this weekend is because we took a trip to NYC! I thought I'd have internet and the time to post, but we were only there for 3 nights and ended up seeing 2 shows and staying at the top of the Emipre State Building until 2am! We were rushing around like crazy trying to see everything, I barely checked my emails! So I'm going back a few days, but on Wednesday when we left I did super simple and almost non-existant makeup becuase I really didn't want to have to take a ton off when I got to our hotel room, I knew I'd just want to sleep! So here's what I did:

 Benefit YouRebel SPF15 Tinted Moisturiser

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium
NARS Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna
MAC Prep+Prime Lash

MAC Plush Lash in PlushBlack

MAC Lipstick in Myth

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Boy Bait

I'm adoring my YouRebel this summer. I never use it in England, but it's been a godsend with the humidity out here. I'll be doing a full post and review soon!

I just straightened my hair, sorted out my fringe and clipped up the shorter top sections. It's a simple, sleek look I do most days. It's also really versatile because you can put in pretty clips or backcomb for a bit of extra oomph!

Before this I couldn't wear makeup for about a week because I got a tiny bit burned (nothing bad, just a bit pink!) and didn't want to agravate it in the hope I wouldn't peel (which I didn't!), so that's the real reason for my lack of FOTD's.. My skin's all better now so I have a lot of catching up to do!!

What's you favourite summer beauty product?

xoxo

HOTD & FOTD From Yesterday

So I decided I really had to get a new haircut, I definately had to go for some change and here is the result:

I can finally put my hair up without looking like I have no hair too! So with new hair I did a fairly neutral face using:

MAC Prep + Prime

MAC Studio Fix SPF 15 in NC30 (thanks to Xen-Tan!)

 MAC MSF in Medium

MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

Rimmel London Liquid Liner in Black

Eyelure Girls Aloud Lashes in Nadine

MAC Plush Lash in PlushBlack
MAC Lipstick in Pretty Please

I kinda like peeking out from under my fringe :)

xoxo

Fresh Academy Photo Shoot FOTD & HOTD

So today was about the funnest and craziest day ever... I haven't said anything on here because I really wasn't sure what would come of all this. About 2 weeks I recieved a phone call telling me I had made it through to the 2nd round of a modelling competition to be The Face Of The Hair Group 2010! I had to go to the Fresh Academy and Studio today to take my entry shots plus 3 other outfits. I had a brilliant day, arriving and having my hair and makeup done, choosing 3 outfits and shooting on a variety of sets. All I have at the moment is photos my mom and I took in the dressing rooms, I should recieve my prints and CD in about 5-6 weeks. I love the pictures, I'm truly proud of them and I can't wait to share some of them with you guys. The final of the competition is in January/February 2011 so I have a while to wait to find out if I've gotten anywhere, but as soon as I know anything I'll let you guys know :)

Getting my hair done and making

use of my new extensions

Finished hair :)

Makeup almost done

Lipstick :)

Ready to go :)

Sorry for the weird expression, mum caught me candid!

Can't wait to see my prints when they come through :) Have any of you ladies done any professional modelling?

xoxo

FOTD - Lashes Without Liner

Today was a bad day, I woke up to find that somehow my MAC palette that holds my highlighters had fallen off the shelf, broken it's clasp that holds it closed and smashed four of the shadows. I am not a happy bunny. I managed to sort and save most of the pieces, anyone know how to 're-pot' (lol?) or press the shadows back into place. If anyone could point me in the right direction it would be very much appreciated!

Anyway, Happy June everyone!!

This was from 2 days ago, and I just did quick makeup for work. I had lashes in mind when I did this because I've received several emails from my lovely readers asking about using liquid/kohl liner when applying false lashes. So, this FOTD was really to prove you don't necessarily need eye liner. Yes, it can make the look cleaner and it does give you something to aim for, but you CAN apply lashes without it.

Face

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Foundation in 201 Classic Beige

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium (Powder)

MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush

MAC Creme Colour Base in Hush

Eyes

MAC Shroom Eyeshadow

MAC #7 Lashes

MAC Plush Lash in Plushblack

  MAC Eye Brows in Lingering

Lips

MAC Frost Lipstick in Angel 

When placed properly and blended with mascara, false lashes can be worn with a more natural look.

To be totally honest, I would wear smaller lashes (like MAC #31s) if I was actually going to do this as a day look, but I just wanted to emphasize my point!

So, anybody up for the challenge of lashes without liner?

xoxo

xoxo

FOTD - MAC To The Beach

Since getting my To The Beach goodies I just had to do a FOTD with them. So here it is :)

Face

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 16 Hour Foundation in 201 Classic Beige

MAC Select Moisture Cover in NW20

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium (Powder) and Soft and Gentle (Highlight)

MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin

MAC Eyeshadows in Sweet & Punchy (Lid and Inner Corner), Humid (Crease), Brule (Blend) and Shroom (Highlight)

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Blue Lagoon (Waterline)

MAC #7 Lashes

Duo Lash Glue

MAC Plushlash in Plush Black

MAC Eye Brows in Lingering

Lips

MAC Lip Pencil in Life's A Breeze

MAC Lustre Lipstick in Lazy Day

MAC Tinted Lipglass in Easy Lounger

I absolutely love Sweet & Punchy and Humid, they look so darling together! I'm considering the bronzing products from the To The Beach Collection. Any thoughts?

LUSH Haul coming up later tonight (and maybe some reviews)!!

xoxo

FOTD - Hollister Skirt Inspired

So I bought this super cute blue, green and yellow Hollister Skirt, I'll put a pic up later, but this morning I saw it and thought of my new Alexander McQueen for MAC eyeshadows. So here's my FOTD:

Face

MAC Mineralize Foundation in NW25 (Foundation)

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation (Concealer)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium (Powder), Medium Deep (Contour) and Soft and Gentle (Highlight)

MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

Eyes

Alexander McQueen for MAC Eyeshadows in Pagan (Lid) and Haunting (Crease)

MAC Eyeshadows in Brule (Blending) and Shroom (Highlight)

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Alligator

MAC #7 False Lashes

MAC Plush Lash in Plush Black

MAC Eye Brows in Lingering

Lips

MAC Frost Lipstick in Angel

MAC Lustreglass in Morning Glory

xoxo

So Finally...

I'm not a stupid.. well not for the reason I thought. My MAC bag was hiding in my Jane Norman bag. So finally.. here is my Technique Haul!

First up is my frost lipstick in Angel. I love this lipstick because it's a deeper pink than the others I have, so I think it's great for when I don't want to draw so much attention to my lips. I think it's one of those "better-than-my-natural-lips" colours. I don't think the swatch actually reflects this colour completely, my camera isn't behaving.

So I also have this thing now, about buying a gloss to go with my lipsticks. I forget to take a picture of the box, but I got a Lustreglass in Morning Glory. It's a beautiful glistening gloss with tiny microparticles of shimmer. This would look amazing on the lips on it's own, or used to highlight a lipstick. Again, the swatch doesn't do it justice, I'll have to swatch it on my lips to show you it's true colour.

Frost Lipstick in Angel, Lustreglass in Morning Glory

One of the products recommended by Bex (who is a Trainer for MAC) was brown mascara as it is a way to show off your own eyelashes without overpowering a natural look. Paired with Shroom eyeshadow I think brown mascara looks sooooo beautiful. I chose Plush Lash in Brownette.

Plush Lash in Brownette

You can't truly see the colour here since the brush is black, look on the wand and you can just about see it.

Finally, I had to pick up some #7's. I've been wondering whether I really wanted that style of lash, but one of the counter artists suggested them to me and I thought, why not? I'm really glad I tried them, they really open up your eyes and give you that 'doe-eyed' look.

I'll have to take a pic with them on to show you guys. Anyone else have a particular set of lashes they just love? I really want to try the Foxy Locks ones too.

xoxo

FOTD - Viva Glam Gaga

Oooh, my first FOTD...

So today I didn't have a whole lot of time, so I decided to just do a simple look that drew focus to the lip. Since I haven't really had the chance to wear my Viva Glam Gaga lipstick very much, and since it is a nice spring/summery colour, I went with that. And I had a total MAC overload on this one...

Face

MAC Studio Fix Foundation in NW15

MAC MSF Natural Powder in Medium

MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

Eyes

MAC Plush Lash in Plush Black 

MAC Eye Brows in Lingering

Lips

Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick 

Got to admit, I quite like it as a simple summery look :) Anyone suggest a lipliner to go with Gaga? I haven't found one I really like yet, I suppose you could use a nude?

More later, but I've got to study for my Theory Test now!!

xoxo 

Todayyy...

I went to a MAC Technique Workshop in Reading! If any of you ever get the chance to go to one of these.. GO! They cost £25, but it's redeemable against products after the workshop, so it's really free...

I'll post pictures of the look I created and my little haul tomorrow or Friday, because me being stupid me, I left my camera and phone cables at home and now I'm at Ryan's! *smacks head*

But I can tell you what I bought! One of the looks we were shown was how brown mascara can be used in a simple everyday look as an alternate to black. This is perfect for me, because I don't wear a lot of makeup to work and I often don't actually have time to muck around since most of the time I wake up and go to work in the space of about 30 mins. I chose Plush Lash in Brownette. This was all I bought from what we were using in the workshop, simply because I own most of the eyeshadows and face products already, and I don't really want to buy any more brushes right now. I've been lusting after a frost lipstick in Angel for months since I've been seeing it on sooo many blogs and I finally gave in and bought it. And since I've fallen in love with my Lustreglass in Flusterose, I bought a Lustreglass to go with Angel called Morning Glory, which is a super pretty bubblegumish (is that a word?!) pink. Finally, just another addiction showing through, I got a pair of #7 lashes. I wanted to put some lashes with the look I created so I bought a style I hadn't tried before.

Anyway, pics tomorrow or Friday, I have my interview for getting into college next year after my impromptu 8 month sabbatical. So glad I get to tack another year onto my education because of one bad decision (not!). Then I have to go straight to work (yay!) so I may not have time to post anything tomorrow, and definitely not a full review of my tale of today! Anyway, talk to you all tomorrow hopefully!!

xoxo

TheSmallPrint: Image from promotional email.