What's In My Bag?

ASOS East West Pocket Tote Bag (£28.00)

Since finishing my second year of university I no longer have not carry around tonnes of folders and stuff so thought now would be the perfect time to do a What's In My Bag? post. I am a huge fan of ASOS handbags as they are reasonably priced, good quality, and last a pretty long time. This tote bag is the perfect size to carry a folder (if need be) and all the other crap necessities that I carry on an everyday basis. 

Daisy Print Notebook (Etsy) I am forever taking notes, coming up with blog ideas, or writing lists for all manner of things so a notebook is essential along with pens. (I found 6 while emptying my bag..)

Current Book (Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson) I always carry a book for when I'm waiting around and if you're into psychological thrillers then I highly recommend this one. I haven't finished it yet but I was hooked since the first page! Next up on my list is definitely The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. 

Diary (Paperchase) I can't live without my diary! Although this one from Paperchase isn't on sale anymore, they still have loads available and even mid-year ones for those at school/college/uni. 

Purse (Monki @ ASOS) I love this purse as it's big enough to hold all my cards and lots of change but not too big that it becomes a place to hoard receipts!

Headphones (SkullCandy) A necessity for travelling, waiting around. Now I have 10GB of 4G I'm forever watching YouTube videos on public transport to pass the time!

iPhone Charger Pretty self explanatory! I also use an external charger (when I remember to charge it... and put it in my bag...)

Keys My car keys, house keys, memory stick with my uni work on, and several key rings!

Makeup Touchups Stay Matte Powder, Match Perfection Concealor, usually a lipstick (or two) and an Ebay Makeup brush which I don't mind bumbling around in my bag all day! 

Moringa Body Spray (The Body Shop) This is my second repurchase of this fragrance cause I love it! It's so fresh and is good for on-the-go freshen ups.

Hand Maid/Gel (Soap and Glory) I always carry antibac hand gel cause the world is a gross place, the Soap and Glory one is my fave simply because of the scent!

TIC TACS Cause who doesn't like minty fresh breath without having to find a place to throw away chewing gum?

Camera (Not pictured but is the Samsung NX3000) New camera! I love the DSLR quality, flipout screen, light weight and compact form for on the go snaps as well as my blog photos. 

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P.S If anyone wants to buy my old Canon 1100d camera with all the original packaging, strap, lens, etc, including a UV protection lens and a remote control then please let me know! I'm open to offers on price, but since it's in perfect condition I'm looking for at least £140 which is less than half price!

MAC | My Everyday Quad

Since completing my MAC palette I've not wanted to carry round my whole pro palette when I've been staying at my boyfriends or out on days where I would need to touch up, so I decided to buy the four pan palette which I can store my eyebrow shades but also my everyday eye look. It keeps everything simple and compact. 

The four shades I have included are Shroom, Patina, Omega, and Coquette. Combined they can create a simple golden eye or smoked out for a more evening appropriate look so this quad is perfect for everyday or even if last minute plans arise!

I simply comb my brows through with a spoolie and then use an angled brush to define the mid-part and wing of my brows with Coquette and then fill in the fronts and mid-parts with Omega. Simple as!

I'd be lost without my paintpot in Painterly as I use this everyday to smooth and even out my eyelids, I then set with a transparent setting powder to ensure this lasts even longer and leaves a more powdery base for the eyeshadows to blend on to. I then define and warm up my crease with Omega, taking this slightly above my crease so the deeper shade blends out evenly. I then define my outer corner and slightly through my crease with Coquette and blend out by mixing both wha's left on my brush with a bit of Omega. 

I then apply a small amount of my Barestudy paintpot to the mobile lid, focusing mainly on the inner part of my lid and putting a small amount on my inner corner. This will add an extra bit of shimmer but also help the next shade, Patina, to really pop. I apply this all over my lid, pushing it with a flat shader to help really build up the colour, then going back in with my blending brush to ensure all the colour are blended together. 

To finish I simply apply Shroom to my inner corner to brighten up my eyes, then go in with a few coats of mascara, I used a sample of MAC's False Lashes Extreme Black which I like, the spoolie is very soft of my lashes, it doesn't tug or pull at my lashes. 

I tend to pair this look with a nude lip for everyday, especially when I'm at work as it is low maintenance, today I've used MAC's Faux which is my current favourite! 

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Eye Bases

If you follow me on various social media you'll probably know my love of eyeshadow bases, they're just so EASY! So I thought I'd dedicate a whole post to the ones I own and how I use them! 

First up are my MAC Pro Longwear Paintpots in 'Painterly' (middle) and 'Barestudy' (to the left of painterly). Painterly is one of my most used simply because it matches my natural eyelid colour perfectly and covers all my veins and imperfections. It helps any powder eyeshadows I use to stick and the colours to pop whilst not removing the blendability of the shadows. Barestudy is a beautiful champagne shade with gold shimmer which works wonderfully all over the lid as a wash of colour with a warm toned contour through the crease and lashings of mascara. MAC paintpots are super longlasting and wonderfully pigmented. 

Next are my three Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo's in the shades 'On and On Bronze', 'Pink Gold', and 'Permanent Taupe'. On and On Bronze is exactly what the name suggests, bronze which can be washed all over the lid or build up and blended out to be pretty smoky. I adore this in the autumn and winter smoked out with a black eyeshadow along the lashline, so easy but looks like you've spent ages applying shadows and blending them out - winner! Pink Gold is my least used shade, I bought it on a bit of a whim really and have only used it a few times! I think it would work really well the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette because of the rose gold tones. Permanent Taupe is fab as a liner with a bare lid and smoked out along the lashline for a bare eye with a twist. The 24hr colour tattoos are quite waxy in formulation but this makes them extremely longlasting, they don't crease or budge all day which is fab. 

Seventeen's eye base in 'Wild Nude' is a beautiful taupe which can be used very similarly to 'on and on bronze', the formulation of this is extremely creamy as so easy to blend which means I love using it on days where I have very little time! 

The Max Factor Excess Shimmer in the shade 'Copper' has a mousse like formula which initially gives a subtle wash of bronze shimmer but can be build up to a more opaque finish which sets and stays in place. 

As you can tell I don't just use eye bases as a base, I utilise the different texture and formulation which each brand takes on and use them to my advantage! I'm always on the look out for more eye bases so send your recommendations my way! 

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Review | MAC Plumful Lipstick

A recent purchase, a long lusted after shade, and a heavily influenced buy from Avi (@avisaxenaa on twitter and she also has started a new blog linked here). Plumful is a beautiful rose plum shade in a lustre finish which is perfect for the summer months. It gives a lovely wash of colour without being overpowering and too purple on the lips, and the finish also means that although the lasting power isn't amazing, it is low maintenance as it fades well and can be re-applied effortlessly. 

When it comes to MAC lipsticks my collection was pretty much reds and brights which is fab but I wanted more range. The lustre finish is a welcome addition as it gives a lovely finish, is moisturising and low upkeep for the summer months (or all year round). 

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Brush Collection | Zoeva

A new type of post for me, but since my brush collection is expanding I thought it would be fresh content! I owned a few Zoeva brushes before being lucky enough to receive the Zoeva Rose Gold Collection from my parents and then I've bought a few extras because they're just such good value for money! 

Base Brushes:

106 Powder - brilliant for giving a light dusting of powder leaving your foundation looking flawless and lasting all day

127 Luxe Sheer Cheek - my absolute favourite for contouring as it fits perfectly in the hollows of my cheeks!

105 Luxe Highlight - does exactly what it says on the tin, perfect for highlight

102 - Silk Finish - The best for foundation, especilly my MAC studio fix as it builds up the cover well and doesn't leave my foundation streaky, just beautifully buffed in. 

110 Face Shape - I love using this for stippling my concealor onto blemishes, it packs on the coverage but doesn't draw attention by leaving the areas cakey. 

142 Concealor Buffer - Good for precision concealor application or for packing on colour to the eyes

Eye Brushes:

222 Luxe Allover Shader - Wonderful for packing on colour and smoking shadow underneath the eyes, it's dense but sift so gentle on the eyes

2 x 227 Luxe Definer - Like the MAC 217's better half. It's less dense so beautifully blends out any shadow as it's so soft and fluffy.

231 Luxe Petit Crease - Great for blending darker shadow into the crease or outer corner, also for deepening up the lower or upper lash lines.

232 Luxe Classic Shader - A staple for packing on shadow, especially when adding that extra 'pop' shade to the lid.

230 Luxe Pencil - Good for an inner corner highlight or adding depth to the lashlines.

317 Wing Liner - Lovely for filling in my brows or as a wing liner applicator.

As you can see I tend to multitask my brush uses because why not break the rules once in a while eh?! I could not recommend a brand for brushes better than Zoeva, I much prefer them to my MAC one's and they are much cheaper too, what more could you want? 

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My MAC Palette

After months of buying the odd shadow here and there, I finally purchased my final 3 shadows and completed my MAC palette!

Going downwards, the first three shadows are my inner corner/brow highlights:
Vanilla - a creamy white
Dazzlelight - a full power pale shimmer
Shroom - a shimmery light beige

Second and third row are my 'all over the lid shades:
All That Glitters - a beige with gold shimmer
Patina - a gorgeous taupe with gold pearl shimmer
Woodwinked - a beautiful bronze

Sable - a plum/red with bronze pearl shimmer
Mulch - a deep bronze
Satin Taupe - a muted purple taupe

The final two rows are my crease, smoky eye shades:
Omega - perfect for filling in my brows and also as a initial crease shade
Wedge - a muted beige
Cork - a muted gold/brown

Charcoal Brown - the classic brown for the crease
Coquette - a grey toned taupe
Mystery - a plum toned brown which I love for giving my lash line more definition

I'm so happy with this palette! I definitely want to expand my collection as there are still many more shadows I want to try! Stay tuned for a post on my favourite quad of shadows and a look using them!

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Makeup Menu | May

Let's kick things straight off, I prime with Benefit's Porefessional Primer and my foundation base is MAC Studio Fix Fluid with a pump of Seventeen's Wow primer to give a bit of glow. To conceal my breakouts I used MAC Pro Longwear Concealor which is insane at covering imperfections. It's not cakey and matches my foundation perfectly in colour. I set my t-zone with a quick swiz of my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte powder as I get particularly oily here. I bronzed and contoured slightly with MAC's Harmony Blush and used MAC's Soft and Gentle Mineralise Skin Finish as an all over cheek highlight which is a new addition to my makeup collection and I wish I'd have bought it sooner. I love it. Any MAC/Makeup lover needs this in their stash. 

I primed my eyes the same way as usual, with my MAC Painterly Paintpot and then used MAC's Omega and Charcoal Brown eyeshadows from my MAC palette and a 217 blending brush to define my crease and warm up my eyes. I then packed the shade Bubbly from the Stila In the Light palette (another new addition) over the centre of my lid and took it into my inner corner and tearduct for a highlight. I then deepened my outer corners with the shade Glided Gold from the Stila palette and ran this under my eyes for added definition. I took the darkest shade in the palette, Ebony, and ran it along my lashline with an angled brush to define my lashes and give the appearance of thickness. I applied a few coats of Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara which gives length and a bit of volume so is good for everyday.

My brows were simply combed through and filled in using an angled brush and MAC's Omega eyeshadow, not my favourite method but my Sleek Eyebrow stylist is running low so I thought I'd go for this instead. 

To finish, I applied my new MAC Faux lipstick which is a satin 'muted mauve-pink' perfect for everyday. I'd never tried the satin formula before but it's a winner. Creamy, full power pigmentation and longlasting - everything I want in a lipstick.

This inadvertently turned into a very MAC heavy face... probably because I received money for my birthday so had a big splurge in there! Plus it's my favourite higher end brand so I use at least one product from them everyday. I'm really enjoying a very bronzed, glowing look and this fits the bil for this move into "summer".