JUNE'S GREEN FAVOURITES

I've been loving these green coloured products throughout June, I can't believe it's been 6 months of colour favourites already! 

Pixi mesmerising mineral palette in Emerald Gold* - I've been reaching for this pretty gemstone palette a lot this month, the colours are so pretty and I've been loving wearing the shimmery gold blended all over the eye with the mint green in the inner corners!

Origins Dr weil mega bright dark circle minimiser eye cream - This is a lovely thick eye cream which is light infusing and targets the cause of dark circles whilst firming the eye area. I haven't been sleeping properly in this heat and this has really helps to cover up my dark circles!

Bdellium tools 716 Smoky eyeliner brush - This is one of the softest brushes I've ever felt. It's perfect for inner corner highlighter or for smudging out eyeliner.

Origins Drink up intensive overnight mask - Even in the summer my skin is quite dehydrated. This really helps to hydrate my skin and to leave it feeling plump, smooth and moisturised. I only use a very small amount of the mask during summer - less than a pea size (in winter I use more!), as it's very thick but it really helps to keep my skin hydrated.

Natural collection moss shimmer - Supposedly a dupe for Mac's sumptuous olive, this is a beautiful olive golden eyeshadow. I love wearing it with the a gold blended into the first inner quarter of the eye. See the look here.

Caudalie beauty elixir - This has been my saviour this month as its so perfect to use in the heat. Just a few spitzes and this leaves your skin feeling cooler whilst smoothing the skin and giving it a burst of radiance. It contains orange blossom, organic balm mint (so refreshing!), rosemary, grape and rose.

I've also been listening to and absolutely loving Ed Sheerans new album 'Multiply' this month!

MAYS GOLD FAVOURITES/APRILS BLUE FAVOURITES/MARCH MINT FAVOURITES/FEBRUARYS ORANGE FAVOURITES/JANUARYS PINK FAVOURITES

PIXI MESMERISING MINERAL PALETTE EMERALD GOLD

The Pixi mesmerising mineral palette in emerald gold* is so lovely for the warmer weather and I've been reaching for it nearly every day this month. It contains two warm coppery browns, a shimmery gold, a light golden champagne which is perfect for the inner corner and brow bone highlight and two greens, a golden emerald which looks amazing dabbed on to the centre of a smokey eye and a subtle light mint green.

The darker shades in this palette are really impressive, they have a buttery texture, are pigmented and last well on my eyes. The lighter colours take a bit more to build up, but are just as pretty. I love that the palette contains vitamin e which helps to nourish and protect the eyes, any make-up that helps to protect the skin for me is always a good thing!

The colours are best applied with a flat shader brush, I've been sweeping the gold shade all over my eyes with the coppery brown blended into the crease and then I use either the creamy champagne colour or the mint colour as an inner corner highlight. I can see this working really well in Autumn too by blending the coppery browns and emerald green together!

NO7 POP AND GLOW CREAM BLUSH STICK

I love wearing cream blushers in the summer, they're easy to apply, blend and are pretty and subtle on the skin.

I was drawn to the No7 Pop and glow cream stick shade in mango sorbet as I don't own anything like it. It's a pretty, light peach colour that looks natural on the skin and is perfect for summer. The creamy formula blends really well before drying to a slightly powdery finish to make it longer lasting, a bit like the topshop cream blushers. It's also buildable so you can wear it as a natural finish or build it up to give more of a healthy glow to the skin. I love how easy these are to pop in your bag for touch ups, you can just twist up the top, swipe it over your cheek and then blend it with your fingers!

I love wearing this with Mac all that glitters all over the eyelid, Mac goldmine blended under the eye and a peachy coral lipgloss for a warm glowy summer look!

A LITTLE HOME HAUL

Baylis & Harding Strawberries and cream hand wash / Dairy Milk Marvellous Mix ups / The White company Tealight / Little things box.

These are just a few bits and bobs that I've bought recently for the home. The Baylis & Harding handwash smells amazing and the bow is detachable so you can put in on other bottles after you use it up. It's pretty girly, but I love it!

I got The White Company's tealight holder in their 20% off sale, the tiny tealight holder glows and sparkles when a candle is in it, its so pretty and whimsical and looks great on my table. The 'little things' box is from homebase It's perfect for storing jewellery, stationery, tea lights or any other little things! The Marvellous mix-ups didn't disappoint, I only wish you got more in the packet!

xx

BLUE OMBRÉ GLITTER NAILS

I fell in love with Ingrid's Blue Ombré Glitter mani and so I thought I would try and recreate it. It's perfect for summer and looks so pretty on the nails!

To start my ombre nails I used Liz Earle's strengthening nail colour in 'Rhapsody In Blue'* on my thumb, it's the perfect midnight dark blue colour to start the ombré mani. For the glitter I applied models own Jack frost nail polish over the top.

I used Essie Aruba blue on my index finger as a base and pressed on Nail rock glitter dust in blue whilst the Essie polish was still wet. 

For my middle finger I mixed some of Barry M's blue glitter with the Nail rock glitter dust to create an in-between shade, I mixed them together in a plastic pot until I was happy with the colour and then applied it to my nail.

On my ring finger I applied Barry M's blue glitter and on my little finger Barry M's textured nail effect in 'Lady' which is a lovely white pearl with peach glitter running through it.

To complete the look, I used a top coat to seal the glitter in and to give my nails a finished look. Overall I'm so happy with this nail look and will be wearing it all throughout summer!

xx

Nail care

As a Make-up artist, it's important to have nice clean nails. When working, I never wear nail polish and so it's important to keep my nails in good condition.

I start by using Tweezerman clippers to cut my nails and to create a general square shape. I then use the Crystal nail file from the Leighton Denny grooming essentials* kit to shape my nails into a squoval shape and to remove any harsh edges. I love using a crystal nail file as you can use them back and forth, they are easy to clean and don't damage your nails as much as an emery board. I rub the Leighton Denny best defence hand and nail cream from the kit onto my cuticles and wait a moment before using the dual ended hoof stick to push back my cuticles and clean under my nails. I then wash my hands to remove any dust and dirt to make sure they're clean again for the next steps. 

I paint my nails with the Sally Hansen Miracle cure which is a clear strengthening treatment. This is a constant repurchase for me as I feel it's really helped my nails! Lastly I drop some Jessica Phenomen oil (which contains sweet almond oil, jojoba oil and vitamin e) onto the centre of my nails and let it run around the nail and into my cuticles before massaging it in.

I love taking my time to really look after my nails, I used to have really short flaky nails but since I've started really caring for them (and maintaining a good diet) they grow so quickly and are so much stronger. I normally put on a vlog (I've been loving Anna's!) and then really take my time to look after my nails!

L'OREAL COLOR RICHE L'OMBRE PURE EYESHADOWS

L'Oreal Color Riche L'ombre Pure Eyeshadows L-R - 201, 206, 205

I've seen the L'Oreal Colour Riche L'ombre pure eyeshadows circling the blogosphere and so I thought I would have a swatch in boots. I don't normally buy mono eyeshadows unless they're Mac as I find palettes normally are better value and work well in my make up kit.

I'm already in love with these, they have a buttery texture (as they are gel infused) and are extremely pigmented, especially in the darker shades. I've just done a light swatch above, but they can be built up and are a lot more pigmented than the photo shows. The colour selections are beautiful and they are long lasting on the eyes. 

There are so many different shades to choose from in the range - mattes, shimmers, chameleon/two toned colours, warm tones and cool tones. I swatched nearly all of them and couldn't find a shade that I didn't like. They are best applied to the eyes with your finger or I like to use a flat shader brush to pack on the colour and blend out with my finger.

I prefer to wear light shimmery colours on my eyes and so I chose colours from the 'nude' selection. I picked 201 'Cafe Saint Germain' because it reminded me of a lighter version of By Terry Misty Rock. It's a beautiful shimmery purple taupe that looks beautiful all over and under the eye. 206 'Little beige dress' reminded me of my all time favourite eyeshadow Naked lunch, its lighter but when swatched has the same peachy pink running through it. It's such a pretty colour for all over the lid or as an inner corner highlight and under the brow bone. 205 'Sable lamé' is a stunning light gold with glitter running through it. I love light shimmery golds and I couldn't resist getting this shade to wear with Mac RiRi Woo at Christmas (early I know, but its just so pretty!)

Although they are quite expensive at £5.49 for a mono eyeshadow, you do get a lot of product and they are currently on offer 3 for 2 in Superdrug. I really recommend having a swatch next time you're in store as these really are worth the hype!

THREE REDS

Whenever I can't decide on a colour to wear on my nails, I choose red. I prefer darker shades of reds as I feel they add a touch of sophistication, these are my three current favourites.

'The Bright Red' - Rita Ora for Rimmel in 'Raw as night'* is the perfect fire engine red. Touch dry in 60 seconds and opaque in just one swipe, this is perfect for on the go, no fuss nails. I own a few other 60 second colours and I love the formula, I can never be bothered to wait for my nails to dry and these are great if you need to do your nails in a hurry!

'The Sophisticated Red' - Nails inc Tate nail polish is a classic dark red. It looks great with gold midi rings and is a great transitional colour from Summer to Autumn.

'The Shimmery Red' - 17's fast finish nail polish in 'Garnet' is a deep warm shimmery red. It has just enough shimmer to show on the nails but it's subtle enough not to look sparkly. I normally wear this on my toes as it's a little streaky to apply but it dries quickly on the nails.

xx

MAY'S GOLD FAVOURITES

Following the monthly colour theme, these are May's Gold favourites. Golden hues are perfect leading up to summer, I've especially been loving wearing gold tones on my eyes and nails.

Shu Uemura eyelash curlers: I got these a couple of christmasses ago and have used them practically every day since. They are the best eyelash curlers i've ever tried. They give me the perfect lasting curl while fanning my lashes out making them look long and fluttery and I love to use them on no make up days or when I want to give my lashes a lift. I hold them at the base of my lashes squeezing gently and then squeeze three times at the base, middle and top of my lashes before applying mascara.

Orly Nail polish in Rage: This has beautiful tiny particles of rose gold glitter, it lasts really well on my nails and can be opaque in just one swipe. It's one of my favourite colours to wear as it looks so pretty on the nails and is great to wear throughout the year.

Mac eyeshadow in Goldmine: I bought this after seeing a picture of Kim Kardashian wearing it with strong winged liner. Its a lovely true gold colour and looks great with winged liner and bronzed skin.

Maybelline New york colour tattoo in Eternal Gold: I like to sweep a thin layer of this over my lids and then really blend it out with my ring finger. I love wearing cream eyeshadows blended out to give a subtle shimmer of colour. It's a pretty, light gold that I can wear as an everyday colour.

Loreal EverRiche Shampoo for dry and fine hair: This is my 4th bottle of this shampoo. It's a really rich shampoo that conditions my hair as well as leaving it clean. I only need a tiny amount to lather through my hair, it leaves my hair feeling soft and silky smooth and it doesn't contain sulphates. One of the best things about this shampoo is that it smells amazing - like vanilla, apricots and coconuts, the scent lingers on my hair and leaves it feeling so lovely!

xx

Aprils Blue Favourites        

March's Mint Favourites

Februarys Orange Favourites    

Januarys Pink Favourites