Blog As I Go Tutorial!

So I don't know if this is an actual thing but I thought I would blog what I'm doing and using makeup wise as I did it! This is 100% real life time trust me it is currently exactly 3pm on Wednesday 3rd Sep 14 so let's see how long this takes!

First I'm going to start by priming my t zone with this - (L'Oréal Nude Magique Blur Cream in light to medium skin)

Next I'll be applying L'Oréal Infallible foundation in the shade 140 golden beige - this shade is a bit too dark but is perfect with a tan. Plus this foundation is perfect for staying all day and honestly is 24H like it says!

After that I'm using my Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer to highlight under the eyes, down the bridge of my nose and to conceal any imperfections.

To set my face I'm using my Natural Collection Loose Powder in Neutral Translucent - this is perfect to keeping your base staying flawless all day and gives you a natural matte finish.

Then I just filled in my brows with my beloved elf Eyebrow Kit in dark :)

Next I bronzed my face with the Bronzing Summer Glow Kit by 17 and  contoured my cheeks and nose with Nars Laguna.

For my eyes I used the Sleek Au Naturel palette and placed the 2nd greyish shade all over my lid. I then placed the 5th shade which is a peachy orange into the crease. I darkened up the outer v on each eye by placing the warm brown shade there with a small fluffy brush by Estee Lauder. Using the same brush I placed the almost black shade on the outer V also and blended it all together with a clean fluffy brush from eBay (these eBay/china brushes are soooo good and incredibly cheap so I'll leave a link below if I can find them). 

Next I used my eyeko skinny liner to add a small wing which makes the black shadows draw into the centre of the eye without looking too heavy. Next i used my new favourite mascara - the volume million lashes so couture by L'Oréal. 

For my blush I used Benefits Coralista with a Real Techniques duo fibre face brush in order for the product to be applied more sparsely. I used the same brush to apply my highlight which was the MUA Undress Your Skin shimmer highlighter. For my lips I used Revlon Super Lustrous Matte lipstick in Smoked Peach 013.

MAKEUP BRUSHES: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-Pcs-Professional-Makeup-Brushes-Set-Makeup-Brushes-Kit-Free-Draw-String-Makeup-Bag/1836599605.html

I was stupid and forgot to take a selfie so you could see the finished product... the one photo that actually matters... well... if you create this look I'd love to see the different ways it came out haha! just respond with a photo :)

Thanks again!

Melissa xoxo

ELF UNBOXING HAUL! 💕

Hi everyone! If you haven't seen this already it was uploaded last week! You may have seen me talk about this video in vlogs before (I can't remember if I did!) but this was filmed way back in the beginning of June and I was finally able to edit it (even though my editing is rubbish). Thank you for being patient with me and here is my first PROPER REAL KINDA VIDEO!!! Soz for being embarrassing.

Melissa xoxoxo

Top 7 Nail Colours for Summer!

As the seasons change, so do the colours on our nails. Here are my top 7 recommendations from my collection that are perfect for summer outfits.

Rimmel London's Salon Pro Kate Collection Polish, #705 Reggae Splash

Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint by Barry M, #GNP5 Blueberry

Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint by Barry M, #GNP6 Prickly Pear

Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint by Barry M, #GNP13 Papaya

Essie Nail Lacquer, #1 Blanc

Essie Nail Lacquer, #27 Watermelon

Essie Nail Lacquer, #99 Mint Candy Apple

                           

London Zoo OOTD + MOTD

Last Wednesday I supervised a school trip to London Zoo (I hate London Zoo) and thought it would be a good opportunity to show a outfit of the day (ootd) and the makeup I wore as well (which I also had to carry on without reapplying for my whole shift at work straight after so my makeup survived about 14 hours of wear (or just about). 

For my makeup look, I really wanted to create a look that accentuated my eye shape as you may have noticed I have hugely round and large eyes which makes it difficult for me to wear certain winged liner. After watching like all of LustreLux's videos on Youtube (most specifically her video tutorial on her everyday cut crease makeup which I adore omg) it gave me the motivation to attempt something similar. Here I softened the cut crease and used natural toned shadows for it to be easily blended before lining my lids with my Eyeko Skinny liner. I paired this eye look with a simple pinkish nude - using e.l.f.'s lipstick in Rosy Tan and topping it with a clear gloss by Rimmel - this is really lip plumping and is a favourite recently.

For my outfit I wanted to keep it casual as I was only supporting a trip so I went for the iconic, t-shirt and jeans look and topped it off with my new stone/grey faux leather jacket from H&M. I have this jacket in black (which you may have seen before) but I ordered this one online and it arrived about a week ago so it wasn't until it arrived I realised it was exactly the same as my black one just in a different colour! This jacket makes any look more edgy but not too grungy as the black jacket does.

I paired it with this t-shirt - a men's shirt originally from UNIQLO but found in a charity shop. This cost me like four quid (bargainnnnnn) and is soooooo soft and a perfect fit for an oversized t-shirt for my shape. Plus I love the graphic font on it and how it's navy which just makes it so versatile.

I wore jeans as I said before with this outfit and these are some of my favourite jeans - they are Primark skinny jeans for eleven pounds and Primark change these jeans all the time - the fit, the stitching, the material, something just always changes every time I buy a new pair but these are the best I have found. They are so stretchy and soft plus they are very flattering (making dat butt look good). My only fault with these are that they fall down on me as they are quite big even though they are my size (but I find Primark sizing should not be trusted at all it is very messed up) so I do belt these every single time.

I wore my old low top converse with this outfit as I thought it could rain plus I would be walking through London all day so needed something remotely comfortable but hell I was wrong. I love these as they were my first pair of converse I bought (I only have two though??) yonks ago as converse are actually quite pricey. Especially for a teenager. So I bought these ones as I wanted something versatile like the black classic converse but also something unique as I was spending a fair share of my money on trainers so I picked the ones with the limited edition blue stitching - these also come with three different laces to choose from but I am pretty sure they don't sell these shoes anymore. 

 

So that concludes this brief OOTD and MOTD! Hope you enjoyed and if you like posts like these plus +1 it or comment below!

Thanks for reading, Melissa xoxo

High-End Rosy Makeup!

Today I was desperate to rediscover some of my higher priced products that i rarely used because a) I am lazy and use the same products and b) I am cheap and don't use high end stuff when I can use cheaper ALAS I realised that I actually own a bit of high end makeup and thought I would do a look as best I can using high end makeup. I also didn't want to do a full eye look today like I usually do - I wanted to do a simple look that's wearable for anyone and maybe even a 'no makeup' makeup look! That said, these are the products I used. *disclaimer: this is not sponsored but it turned into a little first impressions too soz lul*

I started priming my skin with the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I haven't used this that many times to say that it holds all my makeup in one place but I expect good things from it - it didn't necessarily smooth out my foundation when I put that on and give a smooth completion but my main aim of this foundation is that it increases the longevity of my base makeup and hopefully it pulls through!

Then I used the BB Skin Perfecting Cream (with SPF 25 - super great to wear during the summer as it's creamy and has a dewy finish) from Clarins in the shade 02 Medium. This wasn't as impressive as I thought as I thought it left my skin looking a bit patchy over perfect like it says on the tube! And for a thick and creamy foundation/base it's a light coverage. It says it is a light to medium coverage - I'd say more medium as it dis cover quite well but I'm just confused how the product is so thick when it's such a light coverage!

I used Benefit's Erase Paste on my undereye area to cancel out any dark circles and definitely does the trick however I prefer a brightening undereye concealer so I will probably be sticking to my Rimmel Match Perfection concealer. I used the shade No 2 Medium for the Erase Paste. After that I cheated a bit as I didn't have a light high end powder and used by e.l.f. Eye Brightener in Buff to set that undereye concealer. I set the rest of my face with MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus with a Too Faced kabuki brush. 

Next I bronzed my face very lightly with Benefit's Dallas Bronzer using a Real Techniques Blush Brush. This is my sister's bronzer so I don't use it loads and I prefer shimmer bronzers like my Rimmel one I've usrd plenty of times! I contoured the hollows of my cheeks with Benefit's Hoola Bronzer which is my all time fave and I use it to contour anyway. I use a slanted and curved brush to contour which is very similar to the brush that Hoola comes with anyway!

For my blush I tend to use either Rockateur or Coralista anyway (from Benefit) but I sensed this look was becoming very Benefit heavy so I used a MAC blush which unfortunately I don't know the name of as I have had it agesssss and the sticker has come off on the packaging :(

Keeping the look natural, I didn't fill in my brows properly and just combed them through and ran a brown shadow through the tails of each brow to make them a little more defined. 

For my eye look I used a neutral tone brown, a transition shade (you can use any and I used the lighter brown in Sleek's Oh So Special palette) that I applied into the crease and onto the brown bone to give a more elongated look to the eyes - this is a good look if you have larger and more rounded eyes like me as it doesn't make them look smaller as such but more elongated and cat eye. I went over that briefly with an olive shadow from a No 7 trio I had lying around (It has no name but a number printed on the back - 220NN - I don't know if that helps anybody?) I blended that shade in my outer V and onto the brow bone slightly. I used Benefit's They're Real Mascara but was running out so topped it up with The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara in the shade 01 - this Body Shop mascara is actually really good at volumising definitely recommend!

Lastly, moving to my lip combo! I realised I didn't have a neutral or nude toned lippy so used Benefit's Bene-tint to almost line my lips before applying a lip colour in the shade Tutti-Cutie, also by Benefit.

I realise this is quite Benefit heavy but I honestly just own more Benefit cosmetics than I realised and a lot less other high end brands! Overall, I love how this look turned out natural but rosy and the makeup definitely blends better in the photos than how it does when I look in the mirror. Nonetheless, the makeup has blended a lot better now than it was earlier when I first applied it so I guess the creamy Clarins balm just needs to breathe a bit!

Thanks for reading! I hope to be posting a lot more now that I have no exams or school and especially as I don't go back to work for a further ten days! Thanks again and if you have any looks you would like to see I will try and see if I can do them! I wish I could have filmed this as a tutorial but you probably know the situation with my computers. I know. It is sad. I disappoint. :(

Thanks, Melissa xoxoxo

Simple Dewy Makeup Look for Summer! + Quick OOTD

Here's how I achieved this simple makeup look which is lovely when it's gets a little warm and you want your makeup to last but it still to be "barely there"!

I started off with just a simple MUA primer, I know this one doesn't give me a matte finish on my skin which is nice for glowy or dewy skin. Then I buffed in my L'Oréal True Match foundation (I used the shade Golden Ivory) which is a perfect foundation as it gives you the ability to go matte if you want but glowy too as it blends with your natural tones! I used my Rimmel London Match Perfection Skin Tone Adapting concealer in 010 Ivory which gives that beautiful Kim Kardashian, highlighted glowy effect to the skin. I set my under eye area with e.l.f.'s Eye Brightener in the shade Buff. I set the rest of my face with a transparent powder by Collection and set any blemishes I had, and also around my nose and chin with L'Oréal True Match powder in Golden Ivory to keep them from looking oily and to keep redness at bay.

I then set my brows with my e.l.f. Brow Kit in Dark (with a tiny bit of a brown eyeshadow shade from the Sleek palette Au Naturel). I contoured my face very lightly with Benefit's Hoola bronzer and buffed it out with a kabuki after so it wasn't as harsh. I then used Nars Multiple in Orgasm for my blush, only on the highest points of my cheekbones.

For my eye look I stuck to one eyeshadow colour (this is not what usually happens I know), using a light rose-y gold colour from Sleek's Au Naturel palette by patting it all over the lid and then using a fluffy brush to blend it into the crease. I lined my eyes quite small with my L'Oréal Blackbuster Super Liner (I love this product HUGE recommend) and used my Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara then topped my lashes with Rimmel London's Lash Accelerator Endless mascara.

On my lips I used my Nars Multiple in Orgasm and massaged it in and blotted before applying Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink Pout (all time fave lippy) and voilà the completed look!

Hope you enjoyed this kind of post - I'd do a video but I've explained the situation with my computers many times on my vlogs and the other blog posts are connected to the videos so they don't make sense without the vids so I feel like it would be pointless but anyway, I really enjoyed this look - I feel like it shows off the wearer's natural beauty and glow with the dewy skin and minimal liner (no wings) and long lovely lashes! Plus the glossy pink lip is very cute! Once again I apologise for the video/computer dilemma I am trying my best to fix it but it's not going as to plan at the moment, wish me luck!

Thanks, Melissa xoxo

P.S. Quick OOTD because I love this outfit it is so cute and is still summery without going to bright with colour (I know some people don't like lots of colour so this maybe ideal for you!) I wore this striped long sleeve t-shirt from New Look - I still believe they sell it online for four pounds in the sale - this shirt is very light as it's cotton. I paired it with this textured white skater skirt from Primark which is the first time I've worn it since I bought it (which was last year actually but still it's very light, a bit see-through) I paired this outfit with black slipper pumps as the only place I was going out was Sainsbury's and I had to wear closed toe shoes as I was wearing skin tone tights. Anyway I shall love you and leave you!!!

Beau-Belle Hair Extensions VS Wish-Dream Best

Beau-Belle and Wish-Dream Best are both small retailers of human hair extensions and hair products on Amazon who I've recently had the pleasure of purchasing from and I've been quite impressed. 

The hair extensions I ordered from Beau-Belle were 18 inch extensions in the shade Dark Brown and I have to admit I was sceptical at first because they were selling for such a cheap price, (£23 on average compared to the £58 I was prepared to pay for a set on FoxyLocks) and they were selling on Amazon, rather than their own individual website. However I took a shot in the dark and I'm glad I did. The Beau-Belle extensions arrived within just two days of me placing my order, a day before the estimate of 3-7 days, which was impressive. The branding and packaging was cute and I definitely felt like someone had gone to the effort to make this product feel special. But let's talk about the hair. The hair is 100% Remy human hair, which means all the cuticles are kept intact and are all aligned the same way as they were on the head (this freaked my sister out and she now refuses to wear someone else's hair on her head). I don't know who's hair this was but my god did they look after it - these locks are so soft and shiny, I didn't think it was possible to fall in love with hair until now! The only issue I had with the locks, which is my fault I have to admit, is the fact is that the hair is a shade too dark for my natural colour. As they are human hair though, I can dye them but I'd rather not for the time being, especially as they are only 70g in weight, not nearly enough to give me voluminous locks, which is again, my fault as I didn't read the full description and got carried away by the affordable price tag.

so shiny

So, I ordered a second set, making sure that it was at least 120g of hair and a shade lighter, a medium brown, but these measured 20 inches. I was going to order from Beau-Belle again, however Wish-Dream Best were cheaper with their full-head sets of extensions. These took longer to arrive, about 2-3 weeks, which of course, was painful. At the time I didn't really know why it took that long but now I know that despite the company having business headquarters in the States, they have suppliers from China, where your order is directly shipped to you from. When these arrived, I was slightly disappointed. Maybe it was the high standard that Beau-Belle had set, but this hair was not soft and shiny really, and felt quite straggly and tangled. However, the colour shade, Medium Brown is exact to my hair colour, I honestly cannot believe how well it blends. These extensions did come with two spare clips, which gained Wish-Dream Best extra points, but the added weight from 70g to 120g of hair was no match for my new healthy and consequently thicker hair. So all in all, I am still sans-perfect hair extensions. 

the photo deceives your eyes trust me it's not that shiny okay

So do I buy more but from which seller? The good quality ones with excellent customer service who put a smile on my face (thank you very much, I think most probably) or the extensions that match my hair colour to the exact shade, that I can't even tell which is my own hair when I wear them, but take ages to arrive and aren't as fabulously silky smooth? DILEMMA.

I need your advice! The links to the hair are down below so you can read other reviews etc to get an overall judgement but your opinions would really help me so if you could leave a comment that'd be fab.

click here to see the Beau-Belle extensions
click here for the Wish-Dream Best extensions


Thanks for reading!
Melissa xoxo