Tag Archives: Face of the Day

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

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Oh the last few days of Autumn and the first few days of Spring are just so delicious aren’t they? Gradually you stop reaching for your big woolly coat, those fun, floral prints work their way back into your wardrobe, your makeup becomes more fun, and you daydream of long days spent picnic-ing in the park or lazing on the sand as the waves roll in. It seems like ages since I’ve done a Face of the Day (that’s what the abbreviation “FOTD” means, for anyone who doesn’t actually write a beauty blog.) Actually looking back it hasn’t been THAT long, but still… This is a makeup look I’ve been wearing a bit lately, it feels fresh, fun and most certainly spring-worthy!

A lot of people have been asking me to do a “how-to” post on this particular look, so here it is guys: An easy peasy spring makeup look!

1. SKIN: Skin was prepped with Face of Australia Face Base Primer, then I applied Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation in Medium/Deep with my fingers, warming it first, before spreading it onto my skin. I followed with a light dusting of MAC Cosmetics Prep+Prime Transparent Finishing Powder. I used quite a stiff powder brush to then dust Dior Amber Diamond Highlighter onto my cheekbones, nose, and just above my brows. Then buffed the foundation over with the same powder brush. A little highlighter in the cupid’s bow above your lips never goes astray either.

2. EYES: Using the MAC Colour Added Eyeshadow Quad, from the Shop MAC range, I washed “Laundry Daze” on the inner corner of my eyes across the lid to about halfway. Then using “Self Serve” I filled in the outer corner, swept it into the crease and up towards the brow bone. I double lined my eyes, first with Australis StayPut Liner in Black, then with Smiink Eyeliner Pen in Black/Noir, flicking it out beyond my lashline a little. I finished by curling my lashes and applying a coat of Face of Australia Impact Curl Mascara — starting by placing the brush at the base of my lashes and zig-zagging it to get some product build up for added hold — then sweeping the brush upwards through my lashes. Two coats minimum, and then combed through with a final coat of Maybelline’s The Falsies Flared Mascara just on the tips of the lashes for good measure. Then blended the shadows out to remove the harsh edges.

3. BROWS: Using a q-tip dipped in makeup remover, I swiped it across my brows to remove any foundation residue, then combed my brows into place. I tamed and filled with SAX Cosmetics Perfect Brow Shaping Kit (awesome, awesome product, go and buy it now)!

4. CHEEKS: Rimmel London’s Sun Shimmer Matte Bronzing Powder works really well as a contour as well, I used the Medium shade for this look in the hollow underneath my cheekbones, across the top of my forehead near my hairline, under my jawline and down the bridge of my nose. NARS Blush in Sin provides a beautiful soft, berry pink glow on the apples of the cheeks.

5. LIPS: Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Crayon in Cupcake

6. HAIR: Bed hair by my bed

Has the warmer weather inspired you to change your makeup or your wardrobe? What changes have you made? Let me know!

Love,
Rosie
p.s. sorry ’bout the crappy photos, I’ve been snapping far too much with my phone lately. Need to take some time to stop, smell the roses and shoot things properly with my SLR!

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Disney Princess FOTD – Beauty + The Beast

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Last night I was chatting with some friends on twitter and suddenly, for some reason we were discussing Disney Princesses. I adore the Disney Princesses, so flawless and good and generally sparkly with happiness. It was decided that the Disney Princess I most closely resembled was Belle, from Beauty & The Beast. What a wonderful compliment! I always loved that movie and Belle is incredibly beautiful. Here’s what she looks like in cartoon form.

Image courtesy 1st-cartoon.blogspot.com

The basics of Disney Princess makeup are these:
1. flawless skin
2. fluttery lashes that look natural
3. arched but natural, full eyebrows
4. flushed cheeks
5. pretty pink lips

Here’s my interpretation of Belle as a human.


It’s essential to start with a beautifully flawless base, so I chose a few products that always give me glowing, perfect skin.

Key Products
Face
Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Foundation in 07/Medium-Deep
(warmed & applied with fingers)
Revlon PhotoReady Compact Powder in  030/Medium-Deep
(dusted over the top to set and help to matte down the foundation)
M.A.C StudioSculpt Concealer in NW25 (for illuminating under-eye circles)

Eyes
M.A.C All Races Matte Eyeshadow
(on the lid and swept up into the crease with a small blending brush)
M.A.C TenderSmoke Metallic Eyeshadow
(pressed into the crease and then allowed to collect in the outer corner of each eye to give the eyes depth) 
Napoleon Perdis China Doll Gel Liner in Equinox
(applied with a very fine angle brush right along the top lash line, and flicked out slightly beyond the lashes for an almond eyed shape)
Lash Curler (gently walked up the lashes for a wide-eyed look)
Australis Cosmetics Killer Curves Mascara in Black Brown
(Brown-black because it’s a bit softer than full-on black. Apply two coats, then comb through the lashes and apply a final coat just to the tips of the lashes)

Brows
Run a q-tip dipped in makeup remover over them to remove any traces of foundation, which would stick the hairs to your face. Then brush upwards in the direction of the growth.
Benefit BrowZings in Medium
(use the pigmented gel to define and help to keep them in place, then wet the powder brush with a little water and use the powder to fill in your brows)
Designer Brands Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown
(very softly and gently use the pencil to outline and define any bits still looking sparse or uneven. Then comb through again to disperse the products evenly.)

Cheeks
Australis Cosmetics Paparazzi Perfect HD Blush in Screen Siren
(applied generously to the apples of the cheeks)

Lips
Face of Australia Lip Quench SPF 30+ Moisturising Lipstick in Lychee Crush
(applied directly to the lips from the tube, blotted with a tissue and then applied again for a strong colour and super shiny finish.)

Some close-ups…

The eyes and the brows

The cheeks

The Lips

I hope you enjoyed my Disney Princess-inspired Face of the Day! I feel very happy, sunshine-y and sparkly! I could burst into song at any moment. In fact…. *wanders off looking for backing orchestra*

So my lovelies, do you have a favourite Disney Princess? Which one would you be? Would you ever try Disney Princess-inspired makeup? Let me know. Leave a comment, stop by Facebook or tweet me!

Dior Shimmer Amber Diamond – Wonder Dust

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I was going to be all clever and come up with a headline something along the lines of “a diamond in the rough”. But, this really isn’t a diamond in the rough. It’s a diamond that’s been perfectly polished, packaged and is ready to be worn and enjoyed. I discovered DiorSkin Poudre Shimmer (Ultra Shimmering All Over Face Powder) in Amber Diamond (or as I’ve dubbed it “Wonder Dust”) on the gorgeous Makeup & Macaroons. I was so impressed with the review (and the pics), that I jumped straight onto StrawberryNet to rustle me up one of my very own.

Firstly, can I just say how much I adore buying Dior products. They are always perfectly packaged, oh so pretty and just unboxing them makes you feel like a million bucks. Velvet compact case anyone? *swoon* This little diamond is a highlighter powder made up of five differently coloured shades, which combine to create an absolutely stunning shimmer and highlighter. You can either swoosh your brush along length-ways, picking up a little of each colour, or you can be a bit more precise and choose just one or two. I chose the former, because I’m greedy. And I wanted to see what the results would be like.
I’ve used plenty of highlighters in my time: creams, liquids, powders, almost gel-like solid illuminators and I am I.M.P.R.E.S.S.E.D. The combination of colours neatly sidesteps the obvious patch or line that you sometimes get from one-colour highlighters, creating a soft, gradual shimmer wherever you use it. The extra colours also mean you can completely substitute or use this in combination with your usual blush or bronzer. The powder is super-fine, meaning a) It won’t sit on top of your foundation looking all powdery; b) It won’t make your skin look dry or cakey and c) It looks incredibly natural and blends superbly.

I created a face of the day (FOTD), with the excuse of getting dolled up to go Christmas shopping, using DiorSkin Poudre Shimmer in Amber Diamond as the basis for my look.
The products I used:
Face: Napoleon Perdis Stick Foundation in Look 4, Revlon PhotoReady Powder in Medium/Deep
Eyes: The two purple shadows from Revlon’s CustomEyes Palette in 015 Party Pops, Maybelline Eye Studio MasterLiner 24 Hour Cream Pencil in Black, Revlon Fabulash Thickening Mascara in Black followed by Australis Killer Curves Mascara in Black.
Brows: Benefit Brow Zings in Medium
Cheeks: Natio Pressed Powder Bronzer (as a contour below my cheekbones) and Estée Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush in Peach Nuance (along the cheekbone)
Lips: Natio Lip Liner in Nude (used to outline and fill lips completely), followed by ModelCo Lip Service Lip Duo in Kitty (just the gloss).

How I used DiorSkin Poudre Shimmer in Amber Diamond: as a highlighter along the top of my cheekbones, one swoop down the middle of my nose, on my brow-bone and the outer corners of my eyes to lift the whole eye area and lastly a little bit (applied with the tip of my finger) on my cupid’s bow, for a bit of extra lip va-va-voom.

I absolutely adore this product. I love the way it gives you a nice soft shimmer, a natural glow that doesn’t look overdone or fake. It is definitely my must-have for the party season. I’m going to be using it again and again.

So lashies, what are your must-have party season products? Have you made any excellent  makeup discoveries lately? Please share! Leave your comments or tweet me. I’d love to hear from you.

Rosemary xox
p.s. all the images above have been taken with a flash

Kristen Stewart W Cover Inspired Party Look

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Ahhh party season! What a perfect opportunity to get dressed up and try out new makeup looks. My work Christmas Party was on this week and the theme was “sixties”. I was originally going to work the twiggy makeup look, but when I saw this W Cover featuring Kristen Stewart looking all bedroom-eyed and beyond glamorous, I knew I had to give this look a go.

I started out with a beautiful base – Napoleon Perdis Stick Foundation in Look 4, applied with a foundation brush for maximum coverage, followed by a dusting of Revlon’s PhotoReady Powder in 030 (Medium/Deep) to set. Since this look is all about the eyes and the brows, that’s where most of my attention went. I used Revlon‘s new CustomEyes Palette in 010 (Sweet Innocence) – mainly the peach shadow – as a wash all the way up to the browbone.

Then I double-lined my top lids, first with Maybelline’s Eye Studio 24 Hour Masterliner and secondly with a new product I’m trying: a permenant eyeliner pen by a brand called Smiink. It was perfect for this look because it’s super black, easy-to-use and once it’s in place it doesn’t budge. Because the liner underneath my eyes needed to be a little smudged, I used the Smiink liner first and then the Maybelline, so I was able to blend and smudge it a little.

I used Gorgeous Cosmetics Madam Lash False Lashes in Miss Glam and Australis Cosmetics Killer Curves Mascara. Benefit Brow Zings in Medium helped me to shape and fill my brows, and finished off with Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics’ Lunar Dust in Sunset along my cheekbones (none on the apples) and Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Lunar Dust in Twilight as a highlighter along the top of my cheekbones and on my cupid’s bow. The lipstick I used was ModelCo’s Lip Couture in Kitty.

Above: Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Lunar Dust in Twilight (left) and Sunset (right). Sunset looks quite red and dark in this shot, but once it’s on your skin it’s a really soft, pretty pink with a lovely bit of shimmer. And the results, well here they are…


If I had to do it again, I’d lose the massive lashes. As much as I loved them, I think they detract from the point of the look which is the liner. I’d also go a little heavier and wider with the liner. I thought I’d done it quite dramatically, but looking at the photographs now it is nowhere near as wide, dark or dramatic as the original look. I’d also spend some extra time on my brows and would use a darker colour to fill them in. Kristen’s brows are really dark and strongly defined and mine could have been more so.

For those of who that are interested, I wore an American Gold white lace mini dress from MarketHQ.

Ooh, and one last hot tip: if you’re wearing a dress that shows some leg, take a moment to apply a little leg makeup. I used Le Tan’s Flawless Legs and the perfectly smooth colour made me feel really confident and supermodel-esque!

So what do you think lovelies? I know I didn’t nail it, but I came pretty close. And at least I put my own spin on it. Do you have a celebrity look that’s inspired you for party season? Maybe more than one? What about a celebrity look that you’d love to master? Let me know. Leave your comments or tweet me.

Rosemary xox