Imagine That *FOTD*

Hi Lovelies!!

I'm here today with a simple make up look! I had found myself stuck in a rut with make up, with very limited time to have fun with it (which is the whole point, right?!) However, I had a day off work and neglected all other responsibilities to have a bit of a play around.
(Please do excuse the photos, I have a new camera that I'm trying to get the hang of!) 

Products Used:

Collection Concealer (1-Fair)

MAC Studio Fix Fluid (NW10)

Collection Shimmer Shades (Way to Glow)

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher (001)

Too Faced Candlelight Glow

L'Oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Powder (Light Ivory)

Benefit High beam

Urban Decay Brow Box (Sugar)

Urban Decay Ammo Palette

Illamasqua Pure Pigment (Alluvium)

MAC Pencil Eyeliner (Black)

Benefit They're Real Mascara

Lush Bubblegum Lipscrub
Illamasqua Lipstick (Corrupt)
MAC Lipstick (Sounds like Noise)

Face

I started off by covering blemishes and red patches with the Collection concealer, blending out with a small brush. I then used a larger brush to apply my foundation and then used my fingers to make sure it was all blended evenly. 

For contouring, I used the Collection Shimmer Shades palette and simply grazed my brush over all of the shades and then blended upwards towards my cheek bones, then lightly dusted powder along my temples and jaw line. (This is supposed to make your cheek bones look more defined...whether this works or not on me, I'm not convinced!) 

To add some colour to the apples of my cheeks, I applied the Dainty Doll cream blusher with my finger tips. To lift my complexion, I used the Too Faced Candle light glow and applied this over my cheeks and slightly down my nose with a brush. 

To seal this all in, I used my trusty L'Oreal Bare Naturale face powder. 

Eyes

I always start off with my eyebrows, by the time my is covered in make up they seem to disappear and I look like a bit of an alien. At the moment, I'm using the shade 'Sugar' from the Urban Decay Brow Box. I simply use an angled brush and powder over my natural eyebrows. 

For the main look, I used 'Polyester Bridge' from the Urban Decay Ammo Palette and used this to cover my eyelids and slightly under my brow bone. I then used 'Alluvium' by Illamasqua and applied a thin line along my eyelid crease and eyelash line (about half way along) then used a blending brush to blend it outwards. To add a bit more definition, I used the MAC black eyeliner along my lash line and slightly under my water line, again blending it out to keep the look subtle. 

To finish it off, I applied a thin layer of Benefit They're Real Mascard. 

Lips

I opted for a slightly more daring look. 

I posted a tutorial on how to do gradient lips, take a look! 

And there we have it! I'm left feeling like I've made a valiant effort with my make up whilst not going too wild with it, giving myself a new everyday look!

What do we think? :)

-K
x

I knew I'd be swimming home. *Gradient Lips*

Hi Lovelies!!

Earlier on today I was doing my make up, and I got to the lipstick and I was so unsure as to what colour to wear. I remembered I was wearing a tie dye top and the idea of gradient lips suddenly became very appealing. I've seen bits and pieces about gradient lips dotted around the internet, but I wasn't sure as to how wearable it would actually be.
I have to say, I love it. So much so, I thought I should share it with you!

    

The inspiration (in my trusty harem pants as well!)

To achieve the look, I started off by getting rid of any dry skin on my lips by using the Bubblegum Lip Scrub from Lush (tastes super nice too!) 

For this particular look, I used the following shades: 

Outer shade- Corrupt by Illamasqua

Inner shade- Sounds like Noise by MAC

This was really so simple to achieve. With a small brush I lined my lips with Corrupt and used the same brush to blend it into the middle of my lips. I then used Sounds like Noise on the centre of my lips. Just like that, it blended together nicely. Just to perfect it a little bit I used the same brush to blend the two colours together. By doing so, the statement orange has become more of a coral colour making this look even more subtle and wearable. 

Have any of you tried the gradient lip look? I'm officially a fan of it!

-K
x

dreamers banished to obscurity. *Illamasqua review*

Hi Lovelies!!

Hoozaahhh I have a beauty post for you today. As most of you probably know, Illamasqua held a 50% off event on their website; I leaped at the chance to take advantage of this. I had only tried one Illamasqua product before and I wasn't that impressed, but I was determined to give them another chance and with 50% off each product, it was the perfect opportunity! After filling my basket up with many products (that I loved the look of but would probably never use) I settled on two products.

Lipstick in 'Corrupt' 

Pure Pigment in 'Alluvium' 

Originally, each item is £16.50 each, thanks to the 50% off I got both items for £16.50!

The lipstick in 'Corrupt' is described on the website as a "warm bright pink, matte finish." This is definitely an accurate description, and the lipstick is very matte. It has that 'pull' effect that good matte lipsticks are known for, I would recommend perhaps using a lip liner to begin with or a small brush to apply the lipstick as it can be quite tricky to stick to the natural shape of your lips with this (and it's something I'm still trying to get the hang of/develop enough patience to take my own advice!) 

The pigmentation of this lipstick is incredible, and I really do love the colour!

Despite the matte formula, I haven't had any trouble with it highlighting dry lips which can be a bit of an issue for a lot of matte lipsticks. I have, however, experienced flaking of this product. I've found that unlike a lot of lipsticks that just fade after a couple of hours of use, this starts to flake off and that doesn't make for an attractive look. 

As I only paid half price for this item, I can deal with that- however if I had paid the full £16.50 I wouldn't be too happy about it. 

Would I buy an Illamasqua lipstick again? Probably, when they go into sale. I certainly wouldn't pay the full price for one unless I hear of one where flaking isn't an issue. I love how bold the colours are and the variety of colours that are available, I think this is the main appeal with Illamasqua as a brand!

On to pure pigment in 'Alluvium,' (which is now on sale for £7.50, if you were interested!) This is described as something that can be used to highlight cheeks and brow bone, if you're feeling adventurous, or as an eye shadow which is the option I've opted to. I've only used this properly once, so I need to experiment a bit more with using it wet- but that seems like something that requires more time than I have available to me in the mornings when I'm undoubtedly already late for work. 

I fell in love with the colour of this when I saw the swatches on the Illamasqua website, however I seem to not be getting the same results whenever I use it. 

Isn't it beautiful!! 

Unfortunately, when it comes to applying it or swatching it, it looks a little more like this; 

As I said, I need to experiment it with it a bit more because I'm determined to fall in love with it, but at the moment- pure pigment it is not. The swatch has been done with a brush, and I've just tested it with my finger and the pigmentation is better, however it's still not quite what I expected. I imagine with the use of water and finger application it would be quite impressive; meaning it's something I could only really appreciate if I'm getting ready for a special occasion and actually have the time to go through the process.
If you're someone who is willing to invest time and effort into getting great results (and dealing with the mess that a loose powder is bound sure to make) then perhaps you would love this.
Again, I love the colour variety that Illamasqua offers but I certainly wouldn't have been impressed if I had paid £16.50 for this! I'll carry on persevering with this and hopefully I'll find a method that works for me. (I'll try and update you on this!) 

After I was left feeling a little down by the liquid metal (review here) I'm still torn as to how I actually feel about Illamasqua products. You know when there are brand that you instantly fall in love with and remain faithful to, this isn't one for me...but I still can't help but feel that I want to try more. It's going to be a rocky relationship, but it's something I'm willing to make work! 

Have any of you tried Illamasqua products before, how did you feel about them? I feel like I'm alone in a sea of people who adore their products and I'm left feeling a little deflated by them. 

I should highlight, if you make an account with the website, from your 3rd purchase onwards you are entitled to 10% off each order- very tempting and a nice bonus for loyal customers!

-K

x 

The Ouija Board reviews I Haven't Lived At All.

Photo by Victoria O'Rourke

Check out a review of my book! 

The Beat

Hi Lovelies!
Ahhh....I'm sorry!! I have been an awful blogger. I've just been SO busy and blogging hasn't been a priority at the moment :( Between working full time, setting up a business, publishing a book and everything in between- I'm pretty damn busy *yawn* This also means I've had basically no time to even catch up on blogs, but if there's anything you'd like a comment on just post the link to it and I really will try to take a look! To add to this, every bit of money I have has been pumped into this book so it's not like I've even bought any new products or clothes to blog about.

As this is basically consuming my life, I just wanted to give you all an update on my book.
The release date is set for 14th August, and pre-orders are now available in my store.

If you get the chance, please do take a look it over on Goodreads and maybe add it to your 'want to read' list, there's also a give away for 2 copies on Goodreads!

I've teamed up with the lovely and talented Doodleheart for the illustration work on posters and postcards, these are also available in my store!
Please do give her facebook page a like! 

It would be really great if you could help support me with this by making a quick blog post or something; even just a couple of sentences would be a great help! 

If you're interested in reviewing this book, send an email to: contact@evelynknightley.co.uk with your blog details and format preference. 

Please like my page on facebook and follow me on twitter!

So, what have I missed in the blogosphere?! 

-K
x

evelynknightley.co.uk