Why I Love Makeup

I know, it's been a while.  It wasn't a planned break, it just sort of happened.

To get back in to the swing of things I thought I'd remind myself, and you, why I love makeup so much.  

All of these photos were taken in the second half of 2015 and yet all 16 of them are completely different and transform my face.  White winged liner, silver tears, gems, blue lips, big purple circles; anything is possible!  And the best part is if I don't like it or didn't execute it that well I can just wash it off and try again tomorrow!  Every day I learn a bit more and hone my skills.  Everyday presents fresh inspiration; a new colour combination, a new unconventional material to use or the discovery of a wonderful makeup artist.

If you feel stuck in a rut, or have never experimented before, then this is me encouraging you to play with texture, colour, shape and size!  Go crazy.  If you don't feel confident yet, no one else has to see it.  You can just experiment in your room in the evenings until you feel daring enough to show the world.

Maybe you'll never want to wear colourful makeup, and that's okay too.  I just encourage you to push your limits and keep growing your skills!  

What are your reasons for loving makeup?

I'd love to know which of these looks is your favourite?  I always have fun creating so each of them is a bit special but I am particularly fond of the look with blue eyebrows.

Also, I'm thinking of switching over to Wordpress.org soon and getting my own domain name.  It all seems very daunting at the moment so if any of you can give any advice I'd really appreciate it!

Rachel

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My favourite Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencils

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils

It's no secret that I'm an Urban Decay junkie and one of my favourite products from the brand are their 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils.  I was originally drawn in by their wide range of colours (which has since expanded) and kept using them because of the amazing quality.  They are the best eye liner pencils I've ever tried; they don't budge at all and the colour stays intense all day.  I love that they set really well, my eyes are slightly hooded and other pencils can transfer up to the top of my eyelid but these don't do that.

Read on to see swatches of my favourite eye pencils.

Pop of Chartruese

I thought I would share a look I've really been enjoying lately.  It's a simple, light grey/taupe eye with a pop of colour on the inner corner; in this case chartreuse.

Colourful Cut Crease with Sugarpill

On Saturdays I like to be a bit more colourful that usual as I'm not in work, yay. This is a recent look, which I've called a cut crease for lack of anything else to call it.

I wish I had taken step-by-step photos for this look but I was not planning on making a post about it.  I didn't know just how well it would turn out!  I based it on a look I saw on Instagram that I really did not think I would be able to recreate successfully (unfortunately cannot find the original but if I do I will edit this).  I love the look and thought it would be pretty awesome to give a thumbs up to Sugarpill as they'll have a booth at this year's London IMATS, YES!

...It is so annoying when I don't realise there was a mascara smudge until I see the photos!

Transformation Tuesday. Warning: Picture Heavy!

So I thought I would use the Instagram #transformationtuesday and go a bit crazy.  I've sifted through a ridiculous number of photos from the last 12 years or so and picked out ones that show how my makeup has changed over the years.  Unfortunately I wore the same look every day for most of those years, as you will see for yourself.

I saw a blog post in the last week where the writer said that Davey Havok was her high school inspiration, so definitely true for me.  I fell in love with all things AFI when I was about 13/14 and loved DxH so much that I made (and still have) a folder in which are about 1000 printed out pictures of him...in rough chronological order.  Sigh. Black was the colour.  Oh yes.  Black everywhere.  Let the pictures begin.

No face.  Black nail varnish. Yes. Age 13

Concrete Minerals Sugar Skull Collection

Concrete Minerals Sugar Skull collection

I'm so excited to finally write this post.  I've had these pigments for about 5 weeks so I have had a good play with them.  Concrete Minerals have been popping up in lots of the Youtube videos I watch for quite a while so they were on my radar but last month I had a few extra pounds so made the splurge.  They have a few collections but the colours in the Sugar Skull collection stood out to me the most.

First off, the packaging! Look how cool the tin is.  I love the whole Day of the Dead thing and I think it's really pretty (it it can almost be recreated using the colours inside).  The colours themselves come in standard plastic jar with a sifter to stop things getting too messy.

5 Looks with the Electric Palette

Last week was devoted to Urban Decay's Electric Palette. I used it in a different way each day, some fairly subtle, others a bit more daring.

Read on for details :-)

Back in the Day with Urban Decay

For my first proper post I wanted to do something a bit special and close to my heart.
Urban Decay were the cause of my love affair with makeup.  Until I met their products I only ever wore black eyeliner and black eyeshadow that I applied with a foam applicator.  10 years ago all of that changed when I saw their colourful display in Boots.  Ahhhh I fondly remember there frequently being a 3 for 2 offer on their counter.  Those really were the days.
Seeing as their new Electric palette (officially due out tomorrow although I may already have it) is harking back to their vibrant roots I thought it would be fun to look at some of the first items I bought from the brand.