FOTD: Plum Smokes

I had a rather exciting interview today for a job working as a Makeup Artist in a Glasgow based salon so I decided to do something a little bit different from my usual brown smokey eye, it's so easy to get stuck in a rut doing the same things with your makeup! I love this look, it's still smokey but with a little bit of colour to give it a more summer feel.

Products used -

Face: Clarins Beauty Flash Balm as Primer. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Cashew Beige mixed with Nars Orgasm Illuminator (loving this combination for more dewy "summer" skin). MAC Ambering Rose Blush. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in Deep to contour. Estee Lauder Heatwave Highlighter (L.E). Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer in Warm Light for under eye.

Eyes: Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder for Brows. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette using Strange as brow bone highlight. Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden. MAC Eyeshadows in Star Violet, Cranberry, Swiss Chocolate & Sketch. Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black. Dior Mascara Base. Dior Extase Mascara in Black.

Lips: MAC Lip Liner in Magenta. MAC Lipstick in Impassioned.

What do you think? Do you experiment with your makeup or do you stick to the same looks you know work? 

FOTD: Sunshine in Scotland!

Believe it or not, there is sunshine in Scotland today. This rarity inspired me to take my makeup to a little bit more of a Summer-y look!

 Products used for this look -

Face: Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Cashew Beige mixed with NARS Orgasm Illuminator. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess in Deep. NARS Gilda Blush. Estee Lauder Summer Highlighter. Estee Lauder Doublewear Concealer in Warm Light.

Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden. MAC Eyeshadows in Texture, Swiss Chocolate & Embark.  Maybelline Gel Eyeliner. Dior Iconic Mascara. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder.

Lips: Tom Ford Lipstick in Wild Ginger.

I'm also wearing my Foxy Lox Clip in Extensions here too, absolutely beautiful quality of hair which I would highly recommend. I have dyed my set so unfortunately I can't tell you the colour of these.

Is everyone enjoying this little heatwave? :)

FOTD: Theatrical Eye

This started off meaning to be a glitter cut crease, then I just went a bit crazy and it turned into more of a Swan Lake-esque looking eye!

Yeah, so a little OTT but I still quite liked it all the same! :)

Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden. Inglot Pure Pigment in 23. My own Silver Glitter. MAC Eye Pencil in Smoulder. Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Blackout. Inglot Eyeshadow in 23. Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black. Eylure Girls Aloud Lashes in Nadine. Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara. Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder. MAC Vanilla Pigment to Highlight.

Skin: Laura Mercier Silk Creme in Cashew Beige. Sleek Contour Kit in Medium. MAC Melba Blush. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle.

Lips: MAC Lip Pencil in Nightmoth. MAC Lipstick in Rebel.

FOTD: Orange Smokes!

Hello you lovely strangers!

I've been neglecting my blog for far too long now and really want to get back into it. So I'm starting with a little Face of the Day for you... Meeting up with my best friends who I haven't seen in far too long so here is my face (please excuse the towel turban)...

To create this look I used...

Eyes: 

Urban Decay Strange Eyeshadow from Naked 3 Palette & MAC Vanilla Pigment on the Brow Bone. Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, MAC Rule, Cork & Embark Shadows, Tan Pigment and Urban Decay Blackout on the Lid. Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in Black. Eylure Girls Aloud Lashes in Nadine. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Promade & Illamasqua Brow Cake in Thunder on Brows. 

Skin: 

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm used as a primer. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Cashew Beige. NARS Laguna & Estee Lauder Bronzer in Deep to contour. NARS Orgasm Illuminator & Estee Lauder Heatwave Highlighter to Highlight.

Lips: 

Urban Decay Naked Lip Liner. MAC Hug Me & Hue Lipsticks.

Jings, I use a LOT of products when I'm doing my makeup! I hope you like this look!

Review: M.A.C Cherry Lip Pencil and Ramblas Red Lipstick

I absolutely adore red lipstick. It can be the basis of so many different looks; from pin up to vamp, it's individual and versatile and I have been on the search for the perfect colour of red since I fell in love with the colour 2 years ago. For a long while, I wasted countless hard earned pennies on drugstore red lipsticks but never found one that was quite right for me. That's when I ventured to M.A.C, where else?

I asked the girl to identify which red would suit my skintone and she suggested Ramblas Red. I was rather dubious having heard so little about this specific lipstick but I purchased it along with their Cherry Lip Pencil...

First off is the Lip Pencil. Personally, I don't own very many lipliners as I find choosing a colour quite difficult, however this is different from all the rest. This is the most marvelous Lip Pencil I have ever tried, amazingly pigmented, creamy, easy to use and the perfect shade of red are just a few of the compliments I would pay this lip pencil! The colour is described on the MAC website as a "vivid bright blueish red" which exactly describes the colour.

I tend to apply this around the shape of my lips, then fill in the rest with the pencil too which really helps your lipstick cling to your lips for longer. However, I've found myself wearing this lip pencil simply on its own due to the impressive colour pay-off and its ability to last even until the next morning!

MACs Cherry Lip Pencil retails at £10.50 for 1.45g (which lasts forever!)

Next up is Ramblas Red Lipstick, a beautiful bright blueish red but with slightly deeper tones than your classic red lipstick. This lipstick has an Amplified Creme finish which I find to be a beautiful glossy yet long lasting finish. I adore the colour of this lipstick however it does have a few flaws: if not used alongside a lip pencil, this lipstick bleeds TERRIBLY, so warning, forget a lip pencil at your peril! Secondly, the lipstick doesn't last as long as I would hope a red lipstick to last on the lips.

MACs Ramblas Red Lipstick retails at £13.50 for 3.0g.

The reason I love these colours so much is that the suit me when I have my fake tan on or happen to be embracing my paleness as you can see in the pictures below. I find that, with a lot of red lipsticks, one will suit me beautifully when tanned and look horrible when pale and vice versa.

Fake tanned as you like!

Embracing the pale!

(Apologies for the rubbish pictures, I had to take them on my Blackberry as my camera has went daft again!)

Recommended for: anyone with cool undertones looking for a beautiful red lipstick/lip pencil.

What is/are your favourite red lipstick/s?

ARK xo