Moccasin mad

As requested my mother returned from her American road trip with a pair of moccasins, and I absolutely adore them! Not only are they ridiculously comfy (it’s like walking on pillows) they seem to go with nearly everything I pair them with. So much so in fact that I couldn’t decide what to pair them with in this post so have just left them on their own.

I just love the detail in the suede and the beaded eagle giving it that coveted ethnic look.

These baby ones for my nephew Edward are only beyond cute <3

A real style staple for this summer, these “real” moccasins far better than any designer copies I have seen around, and a fraction of the price no doubt. I’m not sure why but pastel moccasins are just…wrong somehow. If you can’t get your hands on the real deal aim for something that stays true to its ethnic roots and you can’t go wrong.

Matte and cut out nails

This you will all be happy to hear is a fairly easy mani and only requires one colour!

I simply started by outlining the heart with the polish using a thin brush and then filled in the rest for the cut out nails. For the matte nail I simply painted the whole nail then using the same thin brush painted a matte heart using Essie’s Matte about you. I recommend a few coats to make sure it stays matte.

You can use a clear top coat on the cut out nails to cover your bald patch up but not on the matte nail as you will undo the matte.

If you find you have made mistakes with the cut out nails simply dip a cotton bud in nail polish remover and remove them!

And that’s it nice and simple

Makeup setting spray

Sorry I haven’t posted in a few days I’ve been super busy and a bit run down

Anyway I thought I would review this setting spray! As you know I had (notice the past tense) a little bit of a problem with my makeup cracking after a few hours and going cakey if I use powder. Then I stumbled across this setting spray.

For only £9 I thought it was worth a try!

I use it instead of a setting powder, and I have to say I’m impressed. I was a bit worried it would make me shiny as its a liquid but it soon dries off leaving a matte finish. It certainly does hold your makeup in place I was recently wearing it at a foam party (there is a lot of foam) and my makeup stayed intact for the most part.

The only thing I would say is I found you needed to use about 4-5 sprays to cover the whole face which is a bit much. Also it’s not as shine resistant a few hours down the line the same way a powder would be but comes with the benefit of a dewy non cakey look.

If you are finding your powder makes makeup look to heavy but it just won’t stay put without it give a setting spray a try, it actually does work.

When to onesie

With the summer gone on vacation for a while the cold and wet has returned and so many (me included) have retreated into our onesies. And why not they are great! No need to worry about showing your big pants when you bend over, no need to worry about matching top and bottoms and best of all comfy.

So where is my issue?

Nothing really it just seems that some people have gotten a little too comfy in them. What I mean by this is that there is a time and place, even for the onesie.

The whole essence of the onesie is essentially that you can’t be bothered to look nice and you don’t care. For this reason it doesn’t work if you are wearing any makeup…certainly not full makeup, and the same goes for hair, if you have time to style you have time to get dressed. If you walk around in a onesie but full makeup and hair it does not make you look edgy and stylish, it makes you look confused. They should not be fitted or tight, they are something to be comfy in not look sexy in.

This brings me to where to wear the onesie, if you are anything like me leaving the house without so much as tinted moisturiser on strikes fear into your heart. This is a clue of when to wear. I would say unless you are ill, very hungover/drunk or at a festival it should not be worn in public. Aka when you look a hot mess

Tribal nails

I decided to go complex and try out a tribal pattern with a matte finish.

I started with the orange triangle and worked my way out. It took ages and the left hand is no picnic so it’s not one to do in a rush! Wait for it to be very dry do you don’t smudge it before the matte top coat. I just used a thin brush to do the patterns, make sure you don’t have too much polish on the brush to avoid making a splodge.

Nail wraps

So I have seen many a pack of nail wraps harbouring complex designs which would take forever to do by hand and have always been tempted. Could this be the quick fix for nailart junkies with no time for a full mani?

So I decided to try them out

The wraps come in a sheet of adhesive nail shaped stickers which you simply peel off and stick on to the nail. There is some selection in widths but its pretty limited. As you can see there are some gaps around the edges of my nails where the wrap did not quite make it (who knows maybe I just have wide nails). After selecting the sticker and sticking it on your nail you then file off the excess with the file provided which worked quite well.

And thats it!

Although it was easy and quick it did not give quite the standard of finish I would like. There were gaps, the wraps tended to crease and lift requiring clear polish to keep edges stuck.

Better than nothing but not better than the real deal. Your many brushes and dotters are safe for now at least!

White and blue

In all honesty this outfit started with the sunglasses (got for my birthday) as I was desperate to wear them. Who knows how long the sun will last right!

I coupled them with a simple pleated blue chiffon skirt, I really love this skirt it has a tennis feel about it so you don’t feel too dressy. Then just a simple notquitewhite blouse (to match the all important glasses).

And that’s it effortless but classy

The perfect nude

I have long searched for that perfect shade of nude lipstick with no luck. The reason for this is simple, everyone is different, what might look great on that lady from the gym might look ridiculous on you.

Another reason is the mass confusion over what is “nude”. Is it the beige pinky colour that your “nude” shoes come in? Is it the skin/concealer colour your “nude” tights are? Is it simply the same colour as your natural lips?

So I have decided to publish my findings on the matter.

Gosh

The pros:
Price (if I remember rightly little over £5)
Colour, this lipstick features the colour most people associate with “nude” lipstick.

The cons:
Wear, tends to wear off quicker than more expensive brands and takes a few lip smacks to get it looking how you want.
Durability, very easily snapped/melted/smushed so be careful!

Channel

The pros:
Gives a rainbow like glisten to lips rather than adding any real colour (though this may vary depending on original lip colour)
Lasts, this lasts as long as you don’t lick it off!

The cons:
Price, you do get what you pay for however
No real colour added so only really useful for natural looking lips.

Dior

The pros:
Colour, a sheer version of typical “nude” colour gives a more natural look.
Lasts, you won’t find you’re printing on glasses.

The cons:
Price, again you get what you pay for.
Potentially would need to combine with for example the Gosh lipstick to get a really obvious nude look but with a nicer finish.

I don’t really have a favourite as they are all quite different but if your on a budget I would suggest trying out Gosh first as they are a bargain and have a great range (I also hear Revlon does a great nude).

Matte coral, blue glitter

I recently acquired Essie Matte about you top coat which mattifies all polishes it covers and wanted to test it, plus glitter makes everything better.

I simply painted two coats of my base colour (Natural Collections) then added the glitter polish (Revlon) and the mattifing top coat (Essie) everywhere you want matt. I didn’t put it on top of the glitter as I didn’t know what effect this would have.

Beauty blender dupe, Nars sheer glow

After all the hype about beauty blenders and the whole cakey makeup thing I decided to try out some cheaper alternatives before investing in the real deal, it’s only a sponge right?

Wrong. I got the Cosmo copy of the beauty blender and it is AMAZING. I won’t be bothering to invest in the real deal simply because I can’t imagine how it could be better and it’s triple the price (my one cost just under £5).

So how do you use it?

The instructions are on the back but I have found that there are two ways to use it depending on the look you want to create. I use Nars Sheer glow liquid foundation as I find this is sheer and natural looking but also is a great coveruper (I have gross dry AND oily skin) because you can layer it really easily to cover any sins.

No Makeup Look
The no makeup look is essentially just following the directions. Wet the sponge so it doesn’t just drink your makeup. Then apply the makeup to the back of your hand (I usually warm it first just by keeping it between my legs while I prime etc) dip the sponge in the makeup and stipple on. This have a flawless, seamless airbrushed finish. You only really need to apply it to problem areas (provided the colour matches) because it is so seamless but still covers what you want it to.

Contoured
Same as before only when I’m contouring I like to put my foundation, highlight and contour all on with relevant brushes in the areas needed first and then blend with the same stipple technique. Basically I find this give a more airbrushed finish aswell as using less foundation because you only apply it where there is no highlighter or contour not all over the face.

I haven’t tried using it with a setting powder yet but I have read that it applies powder easily so once I find a good setting powder I will try this out!

Love it love it love it.

This is the no makeup look