10 Winter Lip Picks.

It's probably no surprise that I love bold, dark, vampy lips. So much so that this post was both a joy and a torture to write. 50% of me was so excited to share with you my favourite dark lip colours because well, I love talking about lipstick! The other 50% was dreading it because it was extremely hard for me to narrow it down to a) a particular number and b) permanent, readily available shades. I'm happy to say that all these colours are permanent, no limited edition ones here! I managed to restrict myself to just 10, otherwise I'd be here all day listing lipsticks! Most of these are more berry, purple and burgundy toned colours (although I did include a couple more subtle shades for you guys!) because I find them more readily available than the darker reds. That being said, I am waiting on a certain Lime Crime product that I'm hoping will prompt a follow-up post closer to Christmas around my top 5 holiday reds. Keep an eye out!

A lot of these are MAC, but I have a few budget/drugstore lipsticks here too that I love for winter and I hope you will too! These are just some of my favourite dark lipsticks, particularly the ones I've been using this year... if you want to see more lipsticks (and to see them in action on ma faaaace) then follow me on Instagram. I always post new makeup purchases on there and usually show them in a FOTD before they feature on ze blog!

FOTD - Naked Freak | Electric Palette Tutorial.

Okay, so I know I said I'd wait until I got home from France to do tutorials with the Electric Palette but uhmmmm, that didn't really happen. I've played around with it a little since I got it, but want to wait until I'm home (to the comfort of false lashes etc) to do some reaaally bright looks. So, wanting to keep it (slightly, only very slightly) more netural, I came up with this. I kept the crease brown and used a pop of colour on the lid and the lower lashline. I think the neutral crease makes it a little more wearable but ultimately it's still quite bright. I included one picture in the pictorial of a really neutral look I did, using the Electric Palette only on the lower lashline. I didn't take any other photos of that look, and it's so simple that I didn't think it would warrant an entire post but I thought I would throw it in here anyway because it's using the same 2 palettes (Naked Basics and Electric Palette) as my other look. The only difference is I swapped the bright lid for a neutral, matte cream colour.

I (obviously) don't have false lashes on in this FOTD, and if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I lost my lash curlers whilst on the trip. It was pretty traumatic, but I've since bought a different pair so the republic still stands and the earth has started turning again. Basically, excuse the state of my lashes and I hope you enjoy the face of the day! If you want to see my review on the palette, with my overall thoughts and swatches then click here :)

How To | Perfect, Glowing Summer Skin & Lips.

I have to admit, I'm a matte skin girl at heart. However, when it comes to summer I really like to switch things up and go for a more 'glowy' look to the skin - not necessarily dewy, and definitely not oily or shiny! This generally involves creams and lighter formulas rather than piling powder on top of powder. This routine looks so fresh on the skin and I absolutely love it. I've come up with a pretty solid routine that will suit both dry and oily skins (give or take 1 or 2 products!) Most people with dry skin will automatically gravitate towards this look, but even if you have an oily skin I'd suggest giving it a go... or incorporating some of these products into your routine for a summer glow to the skin! I decided to include some of my favourite lip products for summer, too. Skin and lips are always a big thing for me during the hotter months and although I like bright lipsticks for summer nights, I also enjoy 'easy' sheerer washes of colour for during the day. If you're interested in seeing some of my top picks for bright summer lipsticks, I have a blog post all about it here. In the meantime, if you have any summer skin product recommendations then I'd love to hear them!

Top 5: Medium & Full Coverage Foundations for Oily and Dry Skins (Drugstore & High-End)

A good foundation makes the world of difference to any makeup look and I think it is one of, if not the most important aspects of cosmetics. While eye makeup is fun and everything, a good foundation can make your skin look flawless and change the overall appearance of your look.
I've tried a lotttt of foundations from different price ranges and while some high-end foundations are nice, I have found a lot of budget friendly bases that are very comparable to higher-end ones. Although I have oily skin, I have found that some of these work better for a dryer skin type, and some are best suited to an oily skin.
One important thing to keep in mine is that all of these foundations are medium to full coverage and very long lasting. While I wear most of these daily, a full coverage isn't for everyone all the time and so might be something to try for a special occasion or night out. I hope this post helps some of you who are on the hunt for decent full and flawless coverage!

Favourite Lipsticks for Spring and Summer.

Okay, so... I like love lipstick. I love lipstick quite a lot. I think that Spring and Summer is a great time for bright neon and pastel colours on the lips and nails. A crazy bright lipstick is something that looks great with a tan and, when paired with some bronzer and lashings of mascara, can make you look like you've put a lot more effort into your make-up than you really have. When it comes to bright colours like these, it's really all about balance when it comes to the rest of the face. Sometimes I like to go full whack and do a full coverage foundation, eye make-up and a bold lip but I think for most people, a light coverage base, mascara and winged liner would be enough with a neon lipstick. I honestly believe that everyone can wear something this pastel or neon, it's just all about finding a shade that is right for you! A good lip exfoliator and some lip balm beforehand is definitely recommended, too... pastel and neon shades are notorious for settling into lines in the lips and in the words of (any) Kardashian: seriously like, I mean, that is not cute!

Top 10 Make-Up Products for Summer.

I thought I'd ease myself into the whole blogging business by doing a post on my top 10 make-up products for Summer! Actually, I say ease myself in but it was embarrassingly difficult to choose only 10 products! This is a fairly general post, I tried to cover as much face,cheeks, eyes and lips in the one post. However, if you'd like to see a more specific one on top 5 eyeshadows/lipsticks/blushes for summer then of course let me know! Anyway, these are tried and tested, well used and well loved products that see me through any time of the year, but especially summertime. Many of these products are sweat proof, long wearing, easy to apply and fun to wear in summer (Girl About Town, I'm lookin' at you)

Hope you enjoy! Let me know if you've tried any of these products and any other summer/heat proof make-up recommendations

First up is the product that needs no introduction really. If you're a Mac fan then I'm sure you have this in your stash somewhere. Studio Fix Powder is a powder foundation that gives a relatively full and flawless coverage (particularly for a powder). As a disclaimer; I am a total cake face...Usually, I like a medium to full coverage on a daily basis so a BB/CC/ZZ cream or a tinted moisturizer is a rarity in my make-up bag. Honestly, I rarely wear anything other than a bit of concealer if I'm going anywhere during the day in summer (all or nothin' yano?) but, when I do want more coverage - Studio Fix Powder gives me just that. This stuff is SO easy to apply with a kabuki style/densely packed brush... it essentially gives a full coverage in about 5 seconds. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Easy to apply, long lasting, great for oily skin and won't slip and slide around your face when the sun comes out.

Mac Studio Fix Powder 

Although I have oily skin, I love cream cheek products in the summer time. While they don't always have the longest wear time, they're easy to apply, natural looking and can be set with a complimentary powder for extra staying power. Cream highlights look beautiful on any skin type (particularly dry). Mac Strobe Cream is technically marketed as an illuminating moisturizer but because of my oily skin and the gorgeous sheen it gives, I prefer to use this strategically on top of my cheeks as a subtle highlight.  This is just a little mini sample I received with a Mac order a while ago, but a little goes a long way when using this as a highlight! The texture is thin, smooth and liquidy so it won't cake up around cream or powder foundations. Mix some Strobe Cream in with your regular foundation for a lightweight, dewy tinted moisturizer.

Mac Strobe Cream

Next is the shameless 'Chanel bronze universel/soleil tan de Chanel' dupe. I don't actually use this as a 'primer' but more-so as a cream bronzer in the summertime. Bourjois Bronzing Primer has a really light, mousse-y formula that blends very easily on top of powder (in fact, I often use this on top of setting powder as a base for my contour and it works perfectly!). Although the colour may look a bit intimidating in the pot, its quite sheer and blendable so it would work on even fair Irish skinned milk bottles (such as myself). The number one selling point? It smells like chocolate... that.is.all.

Bourjois Bronzing Primer 

SUCH a pretty colour for spring/summer. The picture doesn't even do it justice but Cactus Flower is a bright poppy red/pink shot through with gold shimmer. It pulls almost a pink/coral on my skin tone which screams summertime to me. Pricey, but beautiful. It's not a secret that Nars do excellent blushes - both powder and cream. I apply this with a small stipple brush or clean fingers and it is such a beautiful blush. Sad fact: I read online somewhere that this was one of the blushes used on Zooey Deschanel during 500 days of summer and bought it a week later. Sad but true. (Cue the 'Shut up and take my money' meme)

Nars Cactus Flower

Something cheap and cheerful to balance out the Nars entry - Maybelline Colour Tattoos. Similar to Mac Paint Pots, these bad boys caused a miniature explosion on beauty blogs when they first came out. I LOVE these - definitely one of my favourite 'drugstore' buys. Pink Gold (featured below) is probably my most used Colour Tattoo (on and on bronze is a close second and very summer time appropriate!). I use these as both a cream eyeshadow and a base underneath other shadows. The former makes for a really quick and easy summertime eye look if you can't be bothered with a million brushes and eyeshadows. I have worn these in France in the middle of July and they have not creased, they're amazing! They come in so many colours, both neutrals and brights and with Maybelline usually on a 3 for 2 offer, it's a great opportunity to give them a try!

Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo

Colourful eyeliner is such a fun way to add a (for lack of a better word) 'pop' of colour to a simple or neutral eye look... especially on the waterline or lower lashline! I'm a huge fan of the Urban Decay 24/7 glide on range; they stay put on the waterline and once they set they don't move! Urban Decay has an insaaaane colour range when it comes to their eyeliners so they're worth checking out. Their shadow pencils are also super easy to use and can be quickly swept across the lid for an even bolder look. They also make amazing eyeshadow bases!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Covet)/Shadow Pencil (Clash)

Ah, the Naked Basics palette. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few years then I'm almost positive you've heard about the 'Naked' phenomenon from Urban Decay. I could write a whole blog post dedicated to this product but all I'll really say is; get it. It took me so long to buy it... I thought I didn't need it... I absolutely did. Above all, this palette is SO useful for travel. It's all I ever bring with me when I'm between Galway and Dundalk and it's the only eyeshadow palette I'll be bringing with me on my holidays this year. It's so teeny tiny, has good basic colours (5/6 are matte) and a mirror. Perfect for travel and I don't have to think about my eyeshadow look when using it. (p.s. Venus is a beeeeeautiful cheek highlight when you're in a pinch!)

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

I was always stuck between the "I don't want to wear a lot of make-up... but I also want my brows to look done... but if I do my brows then it looks weird without a full face of make-up and ahhhh never mind I'll just go full drag today in 70 million degree heat" dilemma. That was until I discovered Tinted Brow Gel and now my summer face routine is about 10 minutes shorter. I basically use this when I want to give my brows a more polished look but don't want to fuss with pencils, powders or gel products. Very subtle effect but I always like knowing that my brows are somewhat 'done', even when I don't have a lot of time!

Catrice Eyebrow Filler

Ideally, I would fill this with bright lipsticks that I would typically wear in the summer but maybe that's for another blog post. In any case, I do think that a brightly coloured lipstick (a coral, a red, a pink) is a great thing to have in your summer make-up bag. It adds colour to the face, can make you look like you've put in a lot more effort than you actually have aaaand can even be used as a cream blush (multitasking at it's best!) Girl About Town is one I reach for a lot in the summertime. It's a raspberry, almost fuschia pink that flatters SO many skin tones. The amplified finish means it's very opaque and comfortable to wear.

Mac Girl About Town (Amplified)

FOTD using Girl About Town 

If you want something a little bit sheerer, less fuss but still comfortable to wear then look no further than the Revlon Lip Butters. The beauty blogging community when crazy for these when they first launched. They're a lipstick/lip balm hybrid. The pigmentation of a sheerer lipstick (think lustre by Mac) with the moisture and comfort of a lip balm. They glide on the lips and are very comfortable to wear. Although some of the shades are softer, sheerer colours, they are still very pigmented for a 'lip balm' style product (especially 'Lollipop' which isn't pictured here but is a beautiful hot pink with blue shimmer.. very summer time appropriate!) These come in an array of shades (my suggestions for summertime include Creme Brulee, Tutti Fruiti, Lollipop, Sweet Tart, Wild Watermelon and Juicy Papaya) and can usually be found on a 3 for 2 offer in Boots.

Revlon Lip Butter - Creme Brulee/Sweet Tart

Girl About Town, Creme Brulee, Sweet Tart

If you made it to the end of this post, then you go Glen Coco! Thank you for reading :)
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