Showing posts with label Real Techniques. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Real Techniques. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 15, 2012


In winter the first part of my body that gets neglected are my legs, this of course is not appreciated when they're on full show throughout the other half of the year. When it does become time to get my pasty pins out they do need a bit of sorting, especially as they are the part of me that takes the longest to tan. I rely on a couple of products to help me achieve semi-decent looking legs, nothing too masking just to naturally enhance.

Firstly, I'll apply some fake tan, my all time favourite being Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe (post here) but if, like in the picture above, I hadn't previously fake tanned then instant one is what I reach for. My lovely friend Johnny at Body Sun Tanning gave me Fake Bake Faux Glow, which is practically like foundation for legs. It's a wash off spray that provides a lovely matt colour, making my legs appear three shades darker. I do have a couple of scars on my legs that it's managed to cover too. It's a really miracle product that just makes my skin looks so airbrushed and flawless! I just wish it came in different colours as the shade is a little too red based for my yellow toned skin.

If I do have a tan that just needs a little enhancing I'll reach for This Works Perfect Legs Skin Miracle (post here), which is more like a tinted cream that makes skin look a little more alive. It provides a glow so I tend to keep all the product focused down the centre of my legs to help catch the light.


The last step is where my limited knowledge of contouring and highlighting comes in, if I want something to appear thinner, I'll sweep a highlighter down the centre, making the light catch it causing my legs to look thinner. A handy little trick eh? For this a big fluffy brush is handy, I used the Real Technquies Powder Brush as it's absolutely huge, and it's synthetic bristles pick up quite a bit of product. The highlighting product I'm referring to is The Body Shop Puff On Radiance (post here), which provides some serious shimmer. If you were looking for something a little more subtle, Gueralain Meterories (post here) would be my recommendation for you as it's more illuminating than shimmery.

This routine only gets pulled when my pasty limbs are in need of some serious leg SOS, especially for an important event - like weddings and birthdays. Do you have a little routine to get your legs summer ready?

Monday, August 13, 2012


With the Olympics providing us all with an amazing fortnight, I'm going to save my soppy proud to be British thoughts to myself and of course, relate it all back to beauty! All these medals got me thinking and as I took a look at my excessive stash and decided on 3 items that deserve an extra little mention as they've been most reached for recently as they always deliver the results I would like!

Bronze: Real Techniques Buffing Brush (post here)
Something I rarely talk about yet it's such a vital part of my routine! There are rare days when I don't reach for this whether it's for applying foundation, blending concealer or applying bronzer it just leaves me with the most airbrushed finish! I don't know what I would do without it... 
By the way! If you're unable to get hold of Real Techniques Brushes the Sephora Mineral Powder Brush is a very similar alternative      :)


Silver: Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment (post here)
How did I finish this little tub so fast? It's next on my 'to purchase' list as it's absolutely amazing at nourishing hair, leaving it so tame, smooth and all round in instantly better condition. As it's a solid formula that melts into an oil I don't feel as though I'm wasting any product too! Love!


Gold: Dior DiorShow Airflash Foundation
For the rare days I've been reaching for foundation this has been my one of choice as it's a spray so my base can be applied in a total of 4 seconds! Apart from being a total time saviour and lazy girl option it leaves a glowing matte finish and lasts well on my skin, especially in the heat! Expect a full review but for now it's getting gold!

What are your Bronze Silver & Gold beauty items?

Thursday, May 17, 2012


Aloha Wedding Season! Summer is (hopefully!) here and there have been quite a few wedding invitations popping through my door recently which is all very exciting. Before the weddings come the engagement parties, most likely Sunday brunches. I think getting the balance for brunch makeup right is quite important, especially in the summer. Being a brunch in the sun makes wearing makeup quite a task as the sunlight instantly picks up on whatever makeup on your face. For example, you don't want any shimmery highlighter as the sun will immediately make it very visible on the skin, as well as making foundation very obvious. This also means making sure everything is well blended as you don't want any harsh bronzer lines. Another thing that I thought of and actually noticed at the party was the hangover puffy eyes. A couple of people actually wore  their sunglasses indoors to hide them. On top of thinking about all of this is the photo proof makeup aspect, as there will definitely be some photos so makeup has to be photo appropriate (aka no SPF in foundation or light reflective particles in concealer) This long ramble here is all that occurred to me at around 3am the night before. So heres what I decided to apply the next day...


As soon as I woke up I doused two cotton Pads in Liz Earle Eye Bright Soothing Eye Bright Lotion and placed them on my closed eye lids to help decrease any puffiness for about 10 minutes 

Skin
- I prepped my skin with Givenchy Mister Matt for a smooth poreless base whilst making sure I stayed matt throughout the day
- My Photoproof foundation of choice is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk which I absolutely adore. I raved about it fully here if you fancy a meaty foundation post** wink with my Hourglass Hidden  Concealer
- For my cheeks I applied a matt bronzer from the Sleek Contour Kit, post here, followed by my Burberry Light Glow Blossom Blush in Number 5, post here
- I pressed some of Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder on to my t-zone with my Real Techniques Multitask brush to set my foundation


Eyes
- As always I started off with my Mac Painterly Paint Pot to help increase the staying power of eyeshadows and even out my lid colour, review here
One word for the eyeshadows- Burberry!
- I used three different Burberry Eyeshadows, first I applied Porcelain No.03 all over the lid, continued to apply Pale Barley No. 22 to the outer half of my lid, swatches and review here
- I then lined my upper lash line using Chanel Automatic Liquid Liner in brown and blended out the line with a Louise Young Ly13 brush and Burberry Midnight Brown Eyeshadow No. 21 and took whatever was left on the brush along my bottom lash line, swatches and review here
- As it was a very special occasion I curled my lashes with the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers (I don't like doing this on a daily basis as I don't want to ruin my lashes!)
- For Mascara I used a combination of the Dior DiorShow Lash Serum and Primer which I raved about here followed by the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill
- To brighten and generally help my eyes look more awake I used the Pixi Eye Bright Liner along the lower water line. This is a total life saviour as the flesh toned colour will counteract the redness in eyes and looks much more natural than a white liner

Lips 
- Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in Lucky... My favourite lipgloss ever!

So there you have it, my rambly thoughts about makeup the evening before and what I actually applied the next day! What would you use? 

Thursday, April 26, 2012



Last Friday night I went over to the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington for the Vogue Festival Vertu After Party. Makeup wise I wanted to use my foolproof products that I knew were going to last without touch ups! The actual event was tons of fun, there was a talk during the evening with a panel that included Net a Porter's Natalie Massenet, David Downton, Erdem Moralioglu, Alexandra Shulman and Vertu president, Perry Oosting. The party was full of celebrities like Rachel Zoe and Cara Delevigne & you can see the pictures on the vogue website here


Products Used:

Skin 
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk *link* to post applied with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush, *link* to post
By Terry Touche Veloutee Concealer *link* to post applied with the brush and blended in with fingers
Sleek Coutour Kit in Light, used the dark shade to add some colour to my cheekbones, applied with a Mac 103 brush
Laura Mercier Blush in Lush Nectarine applied with a Real Techniques Mulitask Brush, *link* to post

Eyes
Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in 454 Royal Kaki, followed by Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara and L'Oreal Voluminous in Carbon Black, which by the way is the best mix of mascara ever!

Lips
Burberry Lip Cover in Nude Rose No.25