Get Ready With Me: Natural Glam!

How long has it been since I posted a step by step breakdown of what I've got on my face? Too long!!! So today I'm going to go through the steps taken to achieve a natural glam look.

First things first, wash them hands, girl! Then pop in lenses if you're blind like my good self! Then take some skincare over your face, I chose my Nivea 2 in 1 Cleanser and Toner, followed by my Nivea Q10 Day Cream.

Starting with the base, I primed with W7 Prime Magic Anti Redness, and went in with my Rimmel Stay Matte foundation which I applied with a round top kabuki brush and then pressed over with a cheap makeup sponge. I set it with Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Cool. For contour I took my Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light and contoured my cheekbones, temples and under my jawline. I took a Catrice Blush in Pinkerbell across my cheeks - I was going for a natural rosy glow. I didn't bother with highlighting this time around. Pure laziness on my part. 

I took an angled brush and the shade Tease from the Naked 2 palette to define by brows, and set them with my W7 clear brow gel. 

For my eyes, I primed my lids with Essence I Heart Stage and took Tease through the crease all the way to the inner corner of my eye on a fluffy brush. Then I took Busted on a small flat brush and carefully pressed it into the outer third of the crease and very outer corner, dragging it under my eye to my lower lashline to about halfway. I blended this all out with a clean fluffy brush and went back between Busted and blending until I was happy with the definition. To amp up the glam side of this look I pressed Half Baked onto the empty space on my lid, blending gently to diffuse it into the darker shades. This created a soft yet glam smokey eye. For my liner wings I used my NYX liquid liner in Glam Golden which is a deep antique looking gold shade. Then I lined my waterline with a black pencil liner, and applied a thick coat of Catrice Better Than False Lashes mascara. 

To finish the look, I hummed and deliberated over the lips, but in the end I opted for Mac Cremesheen in Creme Cup. This creamy nude pink makes this a great every day lip color and so it completes a great natural look for the day time.

Pardon my dorky face in the last picture, it made me laugh so I thought I would include it!! 

What do you think of this look? 

Would you like to see more of this sort of thing?

XO 

A

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Christmas Party Face of The Night

We're like a family. A mad, certifiable family who dance!! 

If you follow me on Twitter, read my blog, or know me at all, you'll know that I adore Zumba. I can't sing the praises of Zumba enough... As our instructor tells us, ZUMBA, ZUMBA, ZUMBA!!! But enough about the Latin inspired Dance Workout, this post is about my Christmas Party Make-Up!

I first exfoliated with Loreal Men Expert Exfoliator (yes, I know!!), ran a little of my Nivea 2 in 1 Cleanser and Toner (review) over my face with a cotton pad to take away any residue and then moisturised with my Garnier Pure Skin moisturiser. Starting on my base, I applied my W7 Prime Magic Anti Redness (review) with my fingers, applying it all over my face. I then took my Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation, dotted it all over my face and blended it in using my BCC F20 foundation brush. I took my Seventeen Phwoaar Paint Concealer around my nose and on any blemishes, and I used Maybelline Fit Me Concealer under my eyes in a triangle shape to highlight slightly and blended them both in with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.

To set my concealer in place, I took my BCC F15 Tapered Contour Brush and lightly dusted over Catrice Prime and Fine Translucent Loose Powder, just on the areas where there is concealer, I'll set the rest later as you'll see. To contour I used my Sleek Face Contour Kit in the lightest shade and contoured under my cheekbones, first using my BCC F30, and then buffed it out using my Real Techniques Contour Brush to get rid of any harsh lines.

Once I contoured under my cheekbones I went in with my RT Large Powder Brush and Set the rest of my make-up using Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Cool, making sure to blend my contour even more, to really give a natural yet sculpted look. For blush, I've opted for a rosy matte shade, using MUA Single Blush in Marshmallow and lightly swept that over my cheeks and towards my temples using my RT Blush Brush.

For brows, I've been going bold and using the 17 Brows That Kit and filling them in with my RT Brow Brush, then setting them in place with my W7 Brow Gel. Onto eye make-up- I primed my lids with my beloved Essence I Heart Stage, and whipped out my chosen palettes for the evening, W7's In The Buff Lightly Toasted, and In The Night. I followed a tutorial by The Makeup Chair on Aria Montgomery from Pretty Little Liars.

I took a Revlon Eyeliner in Aubergine, and ran it along my lashes, then using my BCC E23 brush, packed Laura E from ITN onto my lids from the inner corner to about 2/3 of the way over on the lid. Then taking Delilah from Lightly Toasted in the same brush, blended that onto the outer corner. Tp deepen the color. To blend the purple and brown shadows I used my BCC E32 brush. I went back to my ITN palette and used Bologna to smoke out the look. I added Dusty as an inner corner highlight and then added Catrice Liquid Liner to create a wing and Ardell Demi Wispies to complete the look.

To complete the whole look, I used my Essence Lip Liner in Femme Fatale, and Rimmel X Kate Moss in 01, with Revlon Moisture Stain in New York Scene over the top for some gloss.

So there you have it, my Zumba Christmas Party look, step by step!! 

Did you like it? 

Let me know in the comments! 

Amy

xx

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A "Naked" Face With W7*

The good folks at Aqua PR and W7 sent me a few goodies to review this week. I've tested them all week and I'm here to report back. I was sent the Pore-fection Primer, Naked Nude shadow palette, Nude Kiss lipstick in Naughty Nude, and the Style Eyes clear brow gel.

The Pore-fection primer is a very close dupe for Benefit and their Porefessional.  The colour of the product, the consistency, the finish on the skin, even the long wearing nature of it stands up to Benefit. I've worn this under my foundation for days now and it's beautifully suited to even the most sensitive skin! You can wear this alone, wear it under BB Cream or under foundation, it's fab. As for longevity, I tested it at Zumba twice (Tuesday and Wednesday) and my foundation never moved. That's proof, this primer is a real winner! 

The Naked Nudes shadow palette has four very generously sized pans of light wearable shades. I blended all four together on the first day to see what kind of range I was working with, as you can see in the picture at the bottom. Mid-range pigment saturation mean the shades in this palette are buildable and blendable. If you want a contoured eye or a very light wash of colour, you're in safe hands. This palette is wonderful for neutral, simple and quick eye looks. If you work in a job where you need simple, quick, natural make-up, this is the palette for you. A perfect look for this would be for a very soft neutral eye, a 50's wing and red lips. 

Enter stage left, the Style Eyes Brow and Lash Shaping Gel. I wouldn't be inclined to use this on my lashes, but it's perfect for fixing your brows into place after pencilling them in or using brow powder. I'm really impressed with this Brow Gel because it fixes the brow hairs in place but not for one second does it make your brows all stiff and crunchy. I don't think those words are even in the collective vocabulary of the people at W7. 

The only product that didn't impress me, not for formulation or anything (it's well formulated, don't get me wrong) but for the shade, is the Nude Kiss lipstick in Naughty Nude. It's just a little too concealer-y in tone than I care for. With that said, it's creamy, moisturising and has a beautiful sheen. Perhaps if you have a warmer skin-tone than I do, this would suit you. As you can see in the picture below, it makes me look a bit washed out and frankly, a bit sickly looking. I tried everything to like it, I did! Maybe if I was tanned, it would go better!!

Finally, here's a look from the last few days, brows, base, shadow and lips all courtesy of W7! 

What do you think of these products?

Let me know! 

Amy 

xx

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**All products contained herein were sent to me by W7 and Aqua PR for consideration.**

**All opinions are my own**

W7 Absolute Lashes

Absolute Lashes, my newest mascara purchase from W7. I'm a bit obsessed with this budget brand, and this mascara has WOWED me like nothing has ever wowed me before!!

The tube is exactly the same as the Benefit They're Real tube, even down to the font on the outside. The wand is the same plastic spiky offering, with a round spiky tip on the end to reach those difficult to coat outer-end lashes. It separates, lifts and coats each individual lash, spreading them and making them look amazing.

The formula is lovely, it holds a curl really well, but unlike Benefit, it's easy to remove at the end of the day. There's no scrubbing, rubbing or fruitless hunting for oil-based eye-makeup remover!

If you're a fan of Benefit's They're Real, this mascara might be up your street, because compared to the Benefit offering, this is cheap as chips!! I cannot justify 23.40 for Benefit, when Absolute Lashes 7.99 and it's exactly the same, if not better, in my opinion.

As I've said before about W7, you could put this on, claim it to be the high-end sister product, and nobody is going to know. Again, I wouldn't do that, because the whole world and her mammy needs to know how lovely W7 is.

Pick this up in The Cosmetic Outlet for 7.99!! 

What do you make of this mascara??

Drop me a comment and let me know!

Amy

xxx

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W7 Prime Magic Camera Ready Primer

Anti Redness

A while back I was in The Cosmetic Outlet with Kayliegh, and I was not leaving without a primer for under my make-up. I wound up getting two W7 Prime Magic Primers. I picked up the Original clear version and the green tinted Anti-Redness.

The first thing I will say about these is you need to shake them up before you use them! I opened the clear one to try it on the back of my hand and a watery residue ran out of the nozzle of the tube. When you shake them, they mix back together, which I can only assume means they separate when left for a while. 

Original

I've found the Anti-Redness version being used more as I have redness around the nose and on my chin. It slightly tones it down which is good enough for me, because with a good concealer and foundation, it'll all be covered anyway. It does apply well and when you rub it in, the green pigment dissipates, so you don't run the risk of the dreaded Hulk look. 

The Original, clear formula is no different to the green version, it just lacks the colour correction qualities. It's as silky, smoothing and wonderful as its Anti-Redness counterpart. If you have good skin with no redness, then your best bet is the clear one.

Other than that, these primers are silky, they fill in pores and smooth the surface of your skin. The finish is so smoothing and even wearing them alone makes your skin look better. Neither are radiance enhancing but somehow they make your skin look glowy and lovely. If you were inclined, you could smooth some of this on your skin, do your brows and be done!! How much better can you get.

These primers make my make-up last all day and well into the evening, with no breakdown of foundation that I could notice as I gawked at myself in every available shiny surface to check. I will definitely be loving these for a long time to come!! 

These primers are €8 each or two for €15 in The Cosmetic Outlet! 

Let me know if you try these, and tell me what you think!!! 

Amy 

xx

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W7 In The Night Palette

12 pans of beautiful festive shades

Another beautiful tin by W7

Another W7 palette, yes I know! I'm a bit obsessed!! This palette has been tugging at my heartstrings lately, with its decadent purples and berry toned shades. Nothing makes me happier than a deep purple smoky eye, it looks sultry without being as harsh as a full-on black smoky eye would be by comparison, and it stands out in a sea of browns and golds.

This palette is as buttery soft as its counterpart, the Lightly Toasted, which W7 sent me a couple of weeks ago. Having finally tracked this one down, I was hell bent on trialling it ASAP. As with the Lightly Toasted, it comes in a beautiful tin that clicks closes satisfyingly, with a double ended applicator.

Lets look at the shadows!!

Such an awfully lit photo... I apologize...

Dusty - shimmery light pink
Wonderland - dusty rose toned shimmer with micro glitter
Summer - very light silvery grey shimmer
Atlanta - mauve toned silver shimmer
Abracedabra - cool grey-purple with silver shimmer
Top Hat - royal purple satin
Razzmataz - deep purple micro glitter
Lady Luck - vibrant pinky purple with silver shimmer
Laura E - deep blackberry purple satin
Party Pooper - cool taupe satin
Gate Crash - deep steel grey satin
Bologna - matte black

Party Look: 

First I took Atlanta all over the lid and up to the brow bone as a surface to blend on, and smudged Lady Luck on the outer two thirds of the lid, blending the edges. Then I very lightly used Razzmataz to define the crease and the outer V. Finally I smoked out the look a bit using Laura E. I used Bologna as a smudgy liner and finished the look with a couple of coats of Absolute Lashes mascara.

In order to balance the dramatic eyes, I used MAC Creme Cup on the lips, which isn't pictured here because I'm forgetful as sin!


I know for sure I'll be rocking this palette at my Zumba Christmas party on the 5th!!

What do you make of this luscious, festive, and dramatic palette from W7?? Tempted?? Let me know!!

Amy

xx

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Review - W7 In The Buff: Lightly Toasted*

The Beautiful Outer Casing

Did you know if you Google the W7 Lightly Toasted palette, there are reviews in every language but English?? But now there is!!

Commonly beheld as a dupe for the cult favourite, the Urban Decay Naked palette, this bargain offering had a lot to stand up to, it's more popular cousin has held the attention of the beauty community for years.

The Lightly Toasted palette comes in a lovely lightweight yet sturdy tin, much like Naked 2 and Naked 3. This immediately sways it with a point in its favour as I cannot abide the packaging the Naked 1 comes in. Tin is much easier to clean, sturdier to travel with and it makes a reassuring click sound when the lid closes. Inside the tin you will also find a double ended applicator, a sponge tip on one side and a brush on the other.

Just like the Naked 1, this palette has 12 shadows ranging from highlight shades, golds, bronzes, browns to grey and black. Each shadow has a different name and there's a mix of shimmer, satin, glitter and matte shades. 

Lets have the run down of the pans, shall we??

Teddy Bear - pinkish cream satin, perfect for highlighting the inner corner or brow bone
Wonderland - light rose gold shimmer
Cracker - very light nude matte shade, flawless transition color
Happy - a warmed toned light golden satin
Lady Luck - matte taupe
Twister - yellow gold shimmer

Di Di - warm bronze satin
Delilah - deep bronze cool toned satin
Magic - warm copper satin
Its A Dream - warm toned deep brown shimmer
Up In Smoke - black with silver micro glitter
Dawn - cool silver shimmer

12 Gorgeous Shadows 

I cannot fault these shadows in the slightest, they are buttery soft and so easy to blend. The layout of the pans in the palette is very reminiscent of the Naked layout and to be honest, I doubt that anyone would know the difference if I wore these shadows in a day or night eye look and claimed them to be their Urban Decay cousins... 

I wouldn't dream of doing so, because the value for money with this palette far outweighs the UD version, but that's how similar these shadows are...


Soft, Sultry Day Look;

Start with Essence I Heart Stage Primer, then taking Cracker through the crease for a base to blend on. I then packed Happy onto the lid and lightly buffed the edges into the crease. Then taking Its A Dream on the outer corner, blending it into the Cracker base all the way into the inner corner, finishing by deepening the outer V with Up In Smoke, blending all together until you are satisfied.

If you lose any of the intensity of Happy, don't hesitiate to pack more onto the lid and lightly blend to create a seamless look. To complete, take Teddy Bear onto the brow bone as a highlight. 

In order to truly polish this look, I used Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner to create a winged out liner look and added some light corner lashes to add subtle drama to the look. 

Soft Sultry Day Look

There is so much you can do with this palette, from subtle day looks to dramatic night looks. You can wear one of the shadows alone or use more than one to blend together to create personalized looks for any occasion.

At 6.99, the W7 Lightly Toasted palette is a bargain. 

You definitely need this palette in your life. 

Get it, thank me later!!

Don't forget to enter my give-away HERE for a chance to win yourself 12 months supply of Water Wipes with thanks to the good folks at Irish Breeze.

Amy

xo

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