Bare Eyes, Bright Lips

On Friday, I rocked the ‘No Mascara’ trend which was hot at the Christopher Kane A/W show. I thought I would be horrified to look at myself without mascara and my signature eyeliner but I actually quite liked it. I enjoyed the freedom of not wearing mascara.

Only two people at work even noticed a difference, they both commented how much they liked it and how natural and fresh I looked. I’m glad I didn’t scare everyone at work and I will definitely be rocking this look again. I’ve listed all the products I used below.

The base: It’s important to have a flawless base with the no mascara look. I achieved this by using;

• Korres Quercetine & Oak Face Primer: a silicone free, wrinkle filling and skin perfecting primer which is enriched with powerful antioxidants and creates a super smooth surface.

• My face cosmetics ‘my mix foundation’ in Med/Dark. I never usually wear foundation, I normally use Chantecaille’s tinted moisturiser but I like this product because it is just like a tinted moisturiser. It matches my skin colour with and without fake tan.

• Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Oil on my cheekbones.

Cheeks: I tried to be as natural as possible with my cheeks but blusher is my make up weakness, just can’t live without it and you’ll never find me rocking the no blush look that Grazia was raving on about recently.

• Korres luminous finish blush in 15 Natural with Nars Deep Throat.

Eyes: Trish McEvoy is my eye-saviour. If I hadn’t been using the Lash Enhancer, I don’t think I would have had the courage to wear this look. The night time lash enhancer treatment has made my lashes so thick, healthy and a bit longer. I have also discovered a new star product – the Trish McEvoy Instant Eye Lift. This is an under-eye concealer which fills in lines and brightens eyes. I even used this on my eyelids and my colleague commented how she loved my ‘eyeshadow’, this would also make a great base for eyeshadow if you’re after a multi-purpose product. I used to recommend Bobbi Brown’s Secret Brightener or By Terry’s VIP Touche expert but I highly recommend the Trish Instant Eye Lift – especially if you have dark circles (like me) and you want smooth under-eye skin.

Lips: A pop of colour is key with the no mascara look, so I wore Mac’s amplified lipstick in Impassioned with Illamasqua’s Intense lipgloss in Indulge.

What do you think? Would you be brave enough to ditch your mascara for the day?

Meet Newcastle's finest Nail tech

Finally, I got to speak to Award Winning Nail Technician, Vikki Taylor-Dodds. This interview was supposed to be joint with the Sam Biddle post. However, Vikki took a well deserved holiday after her hard work at this year’s Nailympics, she’s back home, bright eyed and bushy tailed.

So, Vikki, how did you get into nails and how long have you been in the industry?

I started in the nail industry in 2002, I have always enjoyed creative hobbies and especially nail art.

I have been truly wowed by your competition nails. Tell me more about how you got into handcrafting little fairies and mermaids on nails?

I start building designs much same way I would draw them, If you take any item you break it down into sections it makes it much easier to build.

How long does it take you to complete a set of competition nails?

Many competitions nails are handcrafted from scratch, so at the excel show last year they took me 2 & 1/2hrs. The nailympics allows you to pre build your nails it can take you months, my last set took about 75 hours.

You must be a great artist. Do you think you can be taught this type of design work whether you’re creative or not?

Yes i think you can be taught the skills to build & design, It’s harder to teach someone how to come up with the original ideas, It's all about looking for inspiration.

I have never seen anything like your competition designs. Where does your inspiration come from?

Magazines, Clothing, TV, I even look for inspiration in my local supermarket. People think I’m crazy because I can admire someone’s shoes on a night out and my brain is working overtime thinking of how I can put that design onto a nail!

What brands do you use to do your design work? And which are the best brands to use for aspiring nailista’s?

I use EZflow, their competition white is excellent for building and the colour range is fantastic, the products you use makes a huge difference to your work.

Out of all your creations, which are you most proud of?

I don’t have a particular design because I’m a perfectionist I can always see room for improvement, an hour after I have finished them, i think oooh I wish I had done that!

Do you do ‘regular’ nails anymore?

Yes, I do nails in my salon every Saturday and I teach most days. I still love doing a regular set of nails (I must say they normally have a little design in them).

Thank you Vikki. I can't wait to see your next set of competition nails!

Vikki is the owner of Spoilt for Choice Salon in Newcastle and runs an education academy, Educationail. For more information on Vikki and her education school, visit her website http://www.imspoilt.com/.

If you are willing for a grilling from me, email me. I would love to interview you if you have your own blog, cool website or if you know your 'stuff'.

Beauty Buy Friday

I popped over to one of my favourite make up stands today - Illamasqua and I was tempted to buy everything, but I was sensible and just picked up these beauties.

Happy One Year Anniversary

Wow, where has a whole year gone already? It’s so strange because I’m so new to blogging and I’m still learning (I only just discovered I could add the followers button on mine yesterday) but at the same time, I have actually been talking about beauty products for around 10 years now, just not via the internet.

I started this blog as a bit of a joke really to shut my friends up, they were always on my case about starting a beauty blog. Last October, after a memorable evening with Jenny and Kiran, I finally gave in and Makeup It Girl was born.

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone and anyone that takes their time out to read my posts. I really appreciate your support, comments and feedback. Thank you to fellow beauty bloggers who have helped me learn new things (such as I heart cosmetics and Beautywowza).

As the regular readers and facebook fans will know, I love doing a giveaway and sharing products which I sometimes receive from companies. So, to enter the Make up It Girl one year anniversary, all you have to do is post a comment below saying ‘I love a freebie’ and telling me which is your favourite beauty brand. I have a range of beautiful products and depending on the response, I may just do one big hamper or a few mini giveaways. Can’t wait to hear from you. Giveaway ends next Friday.

I won’t ramble on any longer, I’d rather highlight how great the last year has been through pictures.

The Maldives in May

The Real Candy Bitches Blog

Meet the Khandashians

FAMILY

My sister's handmade jewellery - Jewel Heritage

Miami

GREAT friends

Typical me picture

South Beach Frolics

Took up pole dancing and got a pole for my birthday

SOUTH BEACH

Today..wearing my new Illamasqua blush and lipgloss.

THANK YOU

XXX

Sleek eyes

(Lovely Laura modelling Sleek eyeshadow from the i-Divine palette)

Laura is the best person to speak to about finding a great bargain, her outfits and make up always look immaculate.

Last week Laura was wearing the most magnificent shade of electric blue eyeshadow which she bought in a palette from Sleek make up. I monitored the lasting power of the eyeshadow throughout the day and it hadn't creased. I was so impressed! The Sleek palettes cost just £5.99 for 12 shades!

In the picture above, Laura is wearing the purple from the same palette called i-Divine. The colours can be worn alone or mixed to create your own signature look, there is a gorgeous array of colours. I'm going to Superdrug tonight to pick me some palettes up. I love them! 

Check out the Sleek website here.

Dull lifeless hair?

Nope, this is NOT a L'Oreal advert but seriously, if you're hair is a bit on the dull side, prone to frizz breakouts and you just want silky smooth hair? You have got to get the Moroccanoil Hair Mask, it's enriched with Argan Oil and after just one use, my hair is silky and smooth.

I'll be using this as my once a week treat to maintain my frizz-free hair. I even got caught in the rain yesterday and my hair didn't frizz up. My friend is getting my the actual oil as well from her local wholesalers. I think it's available to buy from http://www.lookfantastic.com/. Please let me know if you guys have seen this brand anywhere else. It's truly amazing!

Brighten up your skin in 60 seconds with Liz Earle

I’ve been using the Brightening Treatment Mask by Liz Earle for a few weeks now. I believe in testing products out for at least a week or two to decide whether I love it or not and I’m happy to announce that this is another one of my star products.

I love how this face mask comes with a muslin cloth because that’s something that can annoy me about face masks when they’re very rich and creamy – trying to rinse it off and it just moves around my face, as well as making a mess with splashes of face mask-water everywhere.

During the week I have been mixing the mask with Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish to give my skin a little boost, I must say, I’m completely addicted to this new formula now!

The Brightening Treatment Mask has been designed for skin when it needs a quick fix, it’s packed with naturally active ingredients such as organic aloe vera, purifying white clay and toning witch hazel. The camphor oil stimulates skin and sweet almond oil softens and smoothes.

How to use;

Use in the morning or whenever a quick fix is needed. Apply one pump to clean, dry

skin. Leave for between 30 seconds and two minutes. Soak the soft, pure muslin cloth

provided in hand-hot water and gently wipe away.

RRP:

50ml pump Starter Kit + muslin cloth £12.75

50ml pump £12.00