My seven step morning make-up routine ...

So I have seen a few of these done on v-logs and decided I would share with you all my morning make up routine.  This is just my every day work wear make up.

My essentials in my new makeup bag.

STEP ONE: Clean and Moisturise

I start  by giving my face a once over with a damp flannel, partly to wake me up and partly to remove any build up of oils. (Especially if its been a  very warm night or I just feel icky)

After a quick wash I apply my moisturiser, at the minute I am using Clean and Clear Dual Action. Its an oil free moisturiser which I like as it doesn't feel to heavy and has a slight tingle after you apply it.

I also have the Clean and Clear Blackhead Control Toner which I use before moisturising a few times a week, I would do it every day but doing a full cleanse and tone routine on a morning is a bit time consuming.

Love the light feel and tingle.

STEP TWO: Primer and base

After my moisturiser has soaked in its time to apply primer. I just use a thin layer all over my face with my foundation brush. I've got Witch Anti-Blemish primer at the minute, its good again not too heavy and doesn't make my skin feel tight. The pump action on this is really handy as it stops me squeezing too much out at once. I got this at Superdrug for about £6 so it doesn't break the bank. I apply this will a brush as I try to touch my face as little as possible to try and prevent breakouts. 

After my primer is all dry its time to apply base. Now as this is my everyday routine that I use for work here I apply Witch Tinted Moisturiser in Medium. I use this because I find foundation too heavy for work, I sit at a desk all day and our dress policy is smart casual (leaning more too casual) don't want to look too made up. 

This is also really light and not too heavy, can you see a theme going on I like good coverage but light weight. This gives both, it evens out my skin tone but doesn't look too flat, made up or feel like I'm caked in foundation. 

If I was going out I would use normal foundation here to give a bit heaver coverage to last a bit longer. 

 

This is my foundation brush, just a cheap one from Primark but it does the job. As you can tell this has just been freshly washed, you need to wash your brushes minimum once a month best every few weeks, I can be a bit lax with this but I'm getting better. You need to wash your brush for the same reason you should avoid applying make up with fingers or minimum wash your hands first ... bacteria! If you suffer from breakouts like me its important to try and minimise the extra bacteria you introduce onto your skin so using a brush and cleaning it regularly will help with this. You can use a sponge if you want but I've never found one that gives a nice coverage and they are a pain to wash. 

To wash my brush I use warm water and fairy liquid, water alone wont remove the foundation build up. My sister suggested I start using baby shampoo so I'm going to pick some up and try that. 

Start by squirting a dollop of foundation on the back of your non brush hand then dab in it little by little, too much at once and you will get un even thick coverage. When I go to apply my base I start by giving the brush head a a good wiggle keep all the bristles loose or it applies too pasty and not even. 

Try to use long strokes to apply the foundation then quick little ones to blend it, making sure to start in the centre of your face and work out to avoid tide lines. Also make sure that you blend right up to your ears and just under your jaw, this is not the nineties tide lines are well and truly out make up should enhance not plaster. A tip I use for my jaw is to go round side to side then with a practically dry brush do little quick strokes down about an inch just to make sure its blended. 

STEP THREE: Conceal and set 

Now its time to cover up and problem areas. Again I apply this with a brush to avoid touching and to get a nice blend. I'm using  Miss Sporty So Clear Anti-Blemish coverstick, the tip is shaped like a lipstick with is good for using with my brush. 

This is another Primark brush, double ended, I like the slight curve to the tip as it helps with application. To get a good application I tend to use one side for the right eye and the other for my left. To get an even coverage of concealer start under the eye and blend out, dont just apply a chunk under the eye or it will stand out against your foundation. Some people suggest applying your concealer before base but I find that mine blends in better when I apply it on top. 

The picture below indicates the area I apply concealer, I start right on my lash line and in the corner of my eye then use downward strokes towards my cheeks to blend out. This way its not too thick and clumpy, and it evens in with your base instead of making your under eyes look too light. I also sometimes take the brush up over my lid to prime them for shadow. 

After I have done under my eyes I use the tip of the brush to apply a little concealer either side of my nostrils and blend it out as this area is a bit red for me. Then its time to tackle any break outs, I take a dap of concealer brush it on the mark then use quick strokes to blend it in. 

This next one I learnt online from a girl who had really bad ache but her makeup covered it completely without looking heavy or thick. To make sure that your foundation is completely even and blended take your powder brush (a big fluffy brush) and brush your face using circles, don't apply too much pressure or you will just wipe off your base.

 After a blending its time to set your base. I only recently started using doing this and have found that it works wonders, my make up looks more natural and even. I use the Natural Collection, loose poder in Neutral Translucent from Boots. I love this brand as its cheap but works really well. Its also great for your everyday makeup when your on a budget as most of their stuff is around £1.99. 

I use neutral translucent powder as other colours tend to give you too much colour or look either powdery or shiny. This gives a natural look whilst still setting your base. I apply mine using a my big fluffy brush and go in circles like when I was brushing my base.

Cheap, cheerful and effective. 

STEP FOUR: Blush 

After my base is all set, its time to add the accents. First up blush, at the minute I am using a mega cheap blush but I love it, Primark's Great Balls of Desire. I first got this in a little travel box which was solid blocks of half blush half bronze. I was using a No17 version before but found it a bit heavy and flat I prefer the shimmer in this. As you can see I have lost quite a few of the balls but I have a spare pot in the drawer. 

I like that this is a really light pink and has a nice shimmer to it without being overly sparkly, I do not want to look like a Twilight vampire in the daylight.  So to apply my brush I use a medium round head blusher brush, I start by doing a big cheesy grin to find the apples of my cheeks, then apply the blush in almost circles on the apple and blend back towards the top of my ears. The highlighted area on the pic below shows where in general I apply mine, the trick is to blend back gently so it doesn't end up looking like the highlighted picture, this is blush not war paint. 

STEP FIVE: Eyes 

The last part of my make up routine is my eyes, for day to day wear I keep it light with just a shimmer shadow and some brown mascara. The shadow is a mineral based on I got from boots ages ago I dont think they even do the brand anymore which is a real shame as I love it. It gives a nice shimmer and brightness to the eye area without being overly sparkly or white. 

To apply this I use the other end of the purple concealer brush, this end is flat with a even rounded tip just bigger then a thumb nail. I apply the shadow all over my eyelid right up to the brow line and out to the tips of my brow. 

 

STEP SIX: Brows 

Now I have always shaped my brows but that was about it, I tried using a brow pencil when I was younger but it looked daft, scouse brow style. Then recently all these brow kits started coming out after people decided they wanted fuller brows like Kate Middleton or Cara Delevingne. Instead of wasting loads of money on one of these kits with brow filler I bought a light brown shadow and used a small brush I already had. 

The shadow I bought was Natural Collection Crushed Walnut, you can see its quite light I wanted some fill but didn't want scouse brow my brows are very dark so you would want to choose a colour that suited your own colourings. 

To apply I use this fine brush, take a gentle dab of the shadow and start at my nose gently filling in the thick section then work to the tip turning the brush sideways as my brow narrows. 

STEP SEVEN: Mascara 

For day time I wear Natural Collection brown mascara as my lashes are quite dark to start with. Upper lashes I just do normal upward long strokes but for the bottom I place the brush across the lashes and gently move side to side towards the tips. You have to be careful not to touch under your eyes or everything gets to be quite messy and you end up needing to apply more concealer where you wipe the mascara off. 

So that is my make up routine, it might seem long on paper but usually only takes me about 10 minutes start to finish then its of to work. 

If you have any other tips or tricks you learned doing your own make up leave me a comment. 

xXx

Making a house a home ...

 .... or in our case making a flat more cosy. Having discovered Pinterest with a vengeance I came across a post that fit very well and had me in giggles. 

You see I just love interior decorating, its what really makes your place feel like a home. So with that being said and after having a good look around on Pinterest I have recently been adding some items to our little nest. 

The first is a really cute little handing owl tea light holder I found in the coffee shop attached to fiancés pt training gym. They have some awesome owl pillows as well but they are a bit out of my price range at the minute. Here is is my new window owl. 

Isn't he just the most adorable thing in the world! I have moved our little silver heart that usually sits in the middle window across so this guy has prie of place. I love how adorable he is, there are some really cute owl motifs around at the minute and I would love a lot of the different items they are on, but at the same time lots of the stuff is fairly useless. So I will stick with my cute little window owl. 

Next up is my new picture wall!! Having seen this done loads of times on Pinterest I decided that I just couldn't wait till we moved to somewhere bigger I wanted one now. 

So we picked up a new frame from Poundstretcher to match our existing ones then I set about arranging pictures and frame placement. I think its looking really good at the minute. The big one and the single frame are new the other two we just moved them around. A couple of the pictures in the giant frame are just place holders until we get some new ones taken and printed out as we haven't been taking as many pictures recently. Hopefully with a wedding coming up we can get a nice pic with either the bride and groom and our other engaged friends or just the friends. You see the fiancé keeps telling me we have too many pictures of just us hehe but I like them because they are all different memories. Guess I will just have to invest in another photo album 

As you can see from the two chairs, this is behind our dinning table which runs parallel to the wall. We used to have the bottom right pic in the centre of this wall and top right on the right hand wall in the middle of the table. That wall is now looking a bit bare so we are going to get another one of those trilogy frames to hang in the same place this one was. This will mean three new landscape pictures to fill which I am sure we can do, but I have found a different idea on Pinterest. 

For valentines last year I made up a google map picture montage of key places in our history as a couple. Its a really cute idea, you take a shot of the google map image on different places that mean something to you, ie first met, first date etc So when I saw this on Pinterest I was intrigued.

I am totally going to do this to see how it looks. If I dont like the map images guess we will just have to find some cute pictures hehe 

xXx

What to wear for a wedding ...

So this July myself and the fiancé are going to our friends wedding. This is also the first non family wedding we shall be attending together :). Its going to be an amazing day, and huge. The ceremony is at Ampleforth Abbey then the reception is a marquee at Byland Abbey!! 

This invite is stunning, thick card and the type is
raised so you can feel it. 

So I have decided that weddings are like buses ... when one comes along another 2 follow. Our first wedding is July, then September, then January (Abbey, Castle, Castle) then finally it is our wedding in May!! Exciting times ahead. So many weddings also means lots of wedding outfits! 

I know we could just wear the same outfits but I dont want to look the same on all the photos or you cant put them up, and I like having lots of pictures as memories. Any way down to the important aspect of outfits! I know what I'm wearing to the last one hehe picked my dress out the other month, it arrives in January! For wedding guest attire thats a little different. Fiancé was easy, he knew exactly what he wanted and found it straight away the lucky bugger.

So this is fiancés wedding attire, a lightish grey pinstripe 3 piece Aspen and Court suit from Greenwoods. There was an amazing deal on when he bought it in which he also got a shirt and tie of his choice then a pair of shoes bundled with the suit for £150!! So he has gone for a lavender shirt and a silver tie with purple paisley print.

So with him in grey and purple I decided that my outfit either had to be/contain purple or at least contrast with purple. Now I say this not because I want us to be matchy matchy but because as a couple I dont want us to clash, since we will be in pictures together. I went out looking for a flowery dress as its a summer wedding and found some nice ones in Fenwick's. But before spending a small fortune on a dress I wanted to look up at Boundary Mill to see if I could find a more expensive dress at reduced price. 

I went up with my mum and sister, who also needed outfits but they needed then for my wedding. People might say its a bit early for them to be looking, but if you think about when the seasonal stuff comes in this is the best time to start looking. See with our wedding being May they wanted summery dresses but most of the summer stuff has only just started coming into the shops so if you dont see anything you like your a bit stuck. As such by starting to look now they had all this season to look for something. 

We ended up with mountains of stuff to try on. I had a fabulous Hobbs dress that was silver with purple flowers but it just wasn't my size, 8 was a little too tight when I sat down and the 10 was way to big. So I tried on a different all purple Hobbs dress and it fits lovely. Very classic cut and gorgeously made being Hobbs.  I know I had wanted a flowery dress but purple/lilac doesn't seem to be in this season so instead I am going to look for a floral pashmina to wear round my shoulders, might also see about a little cream cardigan incase its a cool day. 

I love the bow detail at the front. 

I am not sure what sort of colours to go for with a pashmina. Should I look for a cream base with colourful floral print or look for a bright base with some floral detail? I feel like I need to have a pattern as the dress is a block colour so more block colour on top will be boring. What do you think? 

xXx

Bits and bobs, this and that ...

So I mentioned in one of my last posts that I had picked up some bits in Primark in the Trafford centre.

There you go, pic on the left a very tidy looking primark and on the right me with my giant bag hehe well anyway I have finally got round to taking some pics  of them, and I took some pics of other new items from the past few weeks.

First up, here is my cute new Primark handbag. I love the navy and cream, it goes with loads of different outfits and I should know as I've been using it since I bought it. The size if really good as well, I can fit all my stuff in, medium filofax, cath kidston purse, spare make up and the random bits a girl usually has. There is also a shoulder stap which I have taken off for the minute as I mainly take my bag to work so don't need it over my shoulder. 

Next up my little grey crop top. Just a flat pic of this one, not on me. For £3.50 this top is really nice, not too thin so you can see through it and not too cheap and starchy. Not had a chance to wear this out yet as the weather has been fairly minging up here and its not really appropriate to have your midrift out at work. 

Last item of 'clothing' is a pair of cute boat shoes my mum got me. We went up to Boundary Mill to look for wedding outfits, see my wedding post, and had a little look round the shoes. As I was low on funds my mum was really nice and got me theses cute shoes. I saw two pairs that I really liked but these ones are leather Hush Puppies and I decided they were more value for money. 

I love the colour and have been looking for a pair of boat shoes since fiancé got his grey ones about 2 years ago now. Its really hard to find them at times, even when they have been in season there are so many colour and slight shape variations that I just haven't sound any that really looked me. These ones are really comfy and the dark tan matches with lots of different outfits. Plus leather is always good for when the weather decides to throw a wobbly and rain. 

The last 'bit' I have picked up is a new make up bag. I have been using the same one for about 8 years now, it came free with a magazine when I was in senior school and I love it. Its the same general shape as the new one, rectangle with a zip that lets the top flap off. I like this style as you can open it right up and get to everything instead of stuff falling to the bottom. I picked this one up in poundland of all places :s I like that its really bright and of course the owls are pretty cute. 

Anyway thats all from me with new buys I will just leave you will a hilarious pic I took in the coffee shop the other day.

xXx

A wonderful weekend in Didsbury

So myself and the fiancé spent the recent bank holiday weekend in Manchester with our friends. We went to stay at their new apartment with some other friends from Southampton. We dont get to see these friends that often so it was really nice to get together for the whole weekend and chill out. We were also celebrating the fact that Saturday was exactly a year to the day of our wedding!! So it would be exactly a year until we were all celebrating again, but in a more formal setting and with different outfits.

Our friends apartment is amazing, its in an old converted hospital so all the ceilings are very high and the exterior is amazing to look at. The surrounding flat  blocks were also really nice all finished to a high standard so they made the area look really cute. Anyway aside from a beautiful exterior the interior has been done really well, its like visiting an expensive hotel with plush carpet and close up artistic canvases of the building.

Their flat is really nice too, rectangular space with the bedroom and lounge on the exterior wall and a second bedroom almost like a mezzanine level over the kitchen dining part of the lounge. Its hard to explain but very cool as the little second bedroom has little slat shutters you can open and look down on the lounge from.

Anyway after we had arrived and caught up on life we went into the city centre to visit an art gallery. It was really nice, the three girls went on a fashions of the 17th century tour while the lads had a wander round. There were some really amazing paintings on display and some very peculiar ones. The gallery had an exibit on that was really odd, all the pieces were exquisit compositions but the subject matter was a bit unusual at times. I will let you decide, the artists name is Raqib Shaw.

After a few hours in the gallery we went back to Didsbury to get ready for dinner. Fiancé had decided to try out a new outfit he found on Pinterest. Casual shirt, black waist coat, burgundy casual dicky bow,  blue jeans then tan shoes and belt. He looked very cute, totally rocked it.

                                             

Our meal was amazing, we went to a local restaurant called Alberts (http://albertsdidsbury.com/) the staff were really friendly and the atmosphere was cool. My main was  a little bit late and our waiters looked distraught, kept looking over from the pass where they were hurrying the kitchen along, then profusely apologised for my wait. After our lovely meal we went for a walk to a local pub, which was huge, for a drink then decided to call it a night. 

Right to left, Groom, Bestman, Groomsman.

On Sunday we went back to the Trafford centre to play mini golf. Having never been to the Trafford centre it was definitely an experience. A bit like the Metrocentre or Meadowhall  but with more decoration. The mini golf was really good, well maintained, clean and actually a lot of fun. We played 18 holes but had to go round as two groups so it was girls followed by the boys. Strangely enough the boys were a little bit more competitive then us girls hehe

The couple that mini golfs together...

I love the fiancé and the groomsman in this one!

Well hello ... 

A baker, an engineer and a med student walked into a bar ...  heheh After mini golf we decided to have a look in Selfridges. The med student had no idea what this was so fiancé (baker) explained, I knew making him watch Mr Selfridge would come in handy. The food court was amazing! I could have spent a small fortune, and thats just on American candy hehe we kept it under a small fortune and just got some Hersheys kisses, a pot of Lucky Charms and I treated the fiancé to a pot of Reeses peanut butter, he was very happy about this.

After running round the food court we decided to go for a wander into the main clothing area. Did you know there is a Primark inside Sefridges?? well I didn't. It's the tidiest Primark I have ever been in, no clothes on the floor they were hanging on rails and there was a really nice capsule collection to choose from. I bought a cute long sleeve light grey crop top and a little blue and cream handbag. Then was presented with a giant yellow Sefridges bag! it was awesome much nicer then the plain brown Primark ones hehe 

After we got back from the Trafford centre the lads cooked us an amazing dinner, we drank lots of wine and fizz. Then played a rather hilarious game of Balderdash until 2 am!! On the monday 2 of our group went home and the rest of us went decided it was such a nice day we would go to a local park and have a picnic style lunch. Then we went for a stroll round the park and got home just in time to pack up and head for the train. 

Overall it was an amazing weekend. 

Good Food, Good Friends, Good Fun!!  

xXx

My wardrobe may go on strike soon ...

So saying the past few weeks have been hectic would be an understatement. You see I have been completing my pupillage applications :s this in itself is difficult but then add in the fact that the system we use to apply (similar to UCAS for uni) started to crash the weekend before they were due, and you end up with an extremely stressed Emma. The positive side was that due to the fact the system has been acting up so badly, the Bar Council decided to extend the deadline twice. This is a godsend as it was taking ages to load each page let alone to save or submit. 

Anyway to avoid cabin fever and to prevent me going stir crazy I have actually been holed up in the flat constantly from the end of work I have been allowing myself a few hours a week to relax and decompress. This is also very useful as these applications are beyond important and after a while you are simply staring at the screen writing nonsense. 

So in my time off I have in fact managed to pick up a few cute little pieces, I have been meaning to post them for the last 2 or 3 weeks but hey better late then never. 

First up is a really cute little blue dress I picked up when I was out with my sister in Newcastle. Now looking at it I bet you can't guess where its from? 

Primark! at the time I was trying to avoid spending but I had been looking for a little day dress and at £13 this was an amazing bargain. I like this because I can dress it up or down depending on how I feel. At the weekend I wore it out with friends in manchester with chunky tan wedges, tan belt, cream waterfall jacket and a tan bag. But I could just as easily dress it up with a pashmina/jacket and pair of cream court shoes. 

Next up is a combo piece. The skirt is from H&M in leicester the other month and the crop top new look. I love the skirt but unfortunately I think it shrunk when I washed it :( so might need to have a look at the hem. You see Im 5'9 so if things hit my ankle wrong I just look daft, as if i bought the wrong size. The top was another bargain at 4.99, Ive tried it with a couple different looks and its really versatile. 

Next is a denim vest and leggings. I saw some one out in town in something similar so kept my eye out. I got the leggings for a fiver and the top was 15 from George at asda. Its from the G21 range and is actually a size 12 shirt. I bought this because i really liked the detail and the back is long enough to cover my bum. (I don't like leggings as trousers, only place I wear them is the gym) also being a 12 its not too fitted on me which is the look i was going for. As you can see from the pic the shirt is distinctly missing some sleeves which is because I wanted a vest but even the nice ones weren't long enough so when I got this home i chopped off the sleeves. 

Final new purchase is a george G21 maxi dress. I saw this when I was looking at the shirt but waited until after pay day to buy it hehe I really like that its not just plain grey and the top section is lined so its quite warm. Iv got another maxi this style, strapless with a floaty top and elasticated waist. They are really flatering and give a bit more shape then a normal sheath maxi. I paired this with a little cardy and pumps but once the weather warms up I think it will look really cute with sandals and a summer snood. 

Next up is just a little mix and match from the other day. I paired the black crop top with some grey skinnies, the denim vest and some little black pumps. 

What do you think? 

xXx