New makeup!

This was a good weekend for new purchases! IMATS on Saturday contributed tremendously of course, and I now have lots of new things to amuse myself with until my next 'haul' (still hate that word, sorry!)

First things first, IMATS was SO busy I didn't get to go to any of the seminars, and some counters were so rammed I couldn't even see the products on offer.

The best thing about the event (aside from gawping at the amazing models) was getting to discover new products which I would never know about or get to try out.

The only word to describe this picture is FIERCE!

I was a bit in love with this one!

Babooooon!

There were a few brands that really stood out for me, including Naked cosmetics, Crown Brushes, Eve Pearl makeup and MUD.

Naked cosmetics had the biggest range of pigments I have ever seen! The come in little pots similar to Barry M and they had literally every colour imaginable. I was fascinated at how they could be mixed with water and even lip gloss and still look amazing. I really wanted to get some samples of these to try out, but I wasn't feeling generous enough to fork out the £60 they wanted for a stack of six colours.

Next there were the Crown brushes which I know a lot of bloggers have already been using and loving. I had hoped to get a brush set (with roll) for a very reasonable £20 but the crowds were so big and they wouldn't let me pay on card there which was a pain, but I will probably be buying these online soon :D

Eve Pearl cosmetics were also really impressive, the pallets were great for all complexions and also, how nice is Eve?! Sherin and I were talking to her for ages and watching her work her magic!

Sherin and Eve modelling her award which we kept calling the golden globe- oops!

Now, on to my favourites... Make up designory (MUD). I was drawn to this stall as I am a sucker for eyeshadows and they had a large range on display staring at me! I got to speak to the vice president of the company and he gave me lots of gorgeous products to sample which are so perfect for me. I got a 12 pan pallet of neutral shades which I love as well as a lip glaze and lipstick in a nude/pink colour (another favourite) and some lip liners too. So yes, extremely happy with these. The colours are brilliantly pigmented, they have a very extensive range and all the products were designed by makeup artists, so they really know what we want :)

Lots of lovely stuff to try! Also check those feather lashes I can't wait to crack them out!

Woah I have written way too much already. I have lots more to share with you but I will save it for another, more structured post, sorry!

Has anyone else tried any of these products? Am I just really slow off the mark? Probably... Still, thoughts please!

xXx

IMATS

Tomorrow. 11pm. I’m there. Who else is?

Ermmm, does it matter that I know nothing about makeup I just ‘think it looks nice and that’. Will people suss me out?

Will I get thrown out if I mention that I don’t actually use a primer, and I think more than £15 is a rip off for a foundation?

Probably.

Still, I’m going because I think it could be fun, and I hope to meet lots of nice interesting bloggers new and old Okaaay?

So let me know if you’re going and we can potentially meet up and talk makeup over a cupcake. (There better be cupcakes!)

xXx

Virtual Makeover

Just to prove that my blog offers the best advice and reviews for makeover ideas, (modest, me? No!) I thought it would be fun to look into other makeover sites on offer on the big wide web.

After searching 'virtual makeovers' on Google, I was shocked to see how many hundreds of these sites they are, but they are all almost exactly the same!

So I tried the first one that caught my eye, which was iVillage The site claimed it could show me my 'new look' within five minutes. However, I wasn't even allowed to upload a photo of myself unless I was a member, which would've taken me about 10 minutes. Instead of giving in and signing up to something I really didn't want to start spamming me with junk mail, I chose to just pick one of the existing models to makeover.

This is a pretty pointless tool, as if you want to give yourself a makeover, you generally have to start with your own face, surely?! Still, I gave it a go just for a laugh.

The site let me chose all kinds of details, from the colour of my eyes, to the shade and shape of my lipliner. It's pretty fun to play about with, but it isn't really a makeover, nor does it help you find what looks work best for you.

Anyway, after about 15 iminutes of fiddling about with this strange woman who bared no resemblence to me at all, my makeover was complete! Of course, it wouldn't let me save the picture as I wasn't a member, but here's a sneaky print screen of it.
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So I've not really learned anything from my magical virtual makeover, except the fact that doing anything on line requires you to sign your life (or just your inbox) away to random independent websites.

Not for me, thank you!

However, if you are interested, here are a few similar sites I've tried out :)

Focus on Style: Allows you to try different outfits and celebrity looks

Mary Kay: A more professional looking website, but some seriously dodgy looking faces to choose from

Taaz: The nicest looking, and most realistic, but signing up to be a member is unnecessary hassle.

I hope you find this helpful, let me know if you've tried any virtual makeovers!

Part 1- Emma's new face

OK so part one of the the mass makeover of my very best friend, Emma, involved a total makeup refresh.

She is luckily very naturally pretty, but she's not a girly girl and doesn't care much about makeup or trying new looks.

First things first I got her to take off all her makeup and bravely show what she was like before....

I wanted to make her look a bit more fresh faced and girly for the spring. First off all I straightened her hair and smoothed it over with a round brush. Then I gave her a french plait type crown through the top of her hair, to take some weight off as she has very long, thick hair.

Then I started on the makeup. I applied a light foundation to her skin with my fingertips, and concealer on blemishes with a sponge. I went for a really pink blusher as she has quite a pale complexion and I wanted to warm it up a bit without making her look orange.

Emma has lovely blue eyes and I wanted to accentuate them, so I started with a blue/green eye liner and smudged it under her eyes and on her eyelids.

I also used a pale blue eye shadow over the lids and white on the inside corners to really make the eyes stand out. I finished it with lots of mascara to make her eyes as big as possible.

And this is the result! I hope you like, feel free to leave lovely comments :)