Coral/Peach Summer Tutorial!

So today the weather was amazing and I felt like wearing some makeup that reflected it, and since I recently got a huge eyeshadow palette with a lot of colours, this seemed the appropriate thing to do! I liked the idea of a (sort of) single colour tutorial, so this happened.

So, to get everyone started with a fright, here is my naked face! To prime my skin I used my Smashbox Photofinish Primer and locally applied my Essence My Skin Illuminating Primer (cheekbones, nosebridge, forehead).

To prime my eyelids and eyebrows I used the Catrice Prime and Fine Eyeshadow Base. (Review of all three products shown above here.

I evened out my skin with a thin layer of the Catrice BB Cream, applied with my Beauty Blender Sponge.

To cover my problems (dark circles, redness around my nose, etc) I used the Catrice Camouflage Cream Concealer.

I went for a fairly natural brow today and started by first filling in my entire brow with Naked 2 from the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette with an angled liner brush and then defining the arch and "tail" of my brow with Faint from the same palette.

For the palette I used for this look you can go here for extensive photos.

Over my entire lid I applied a light tan colour which is a little darker than my skin tone, but will make a nice base for the rest of my eyeshadow and help everything blend better. I blended it across my entire eyelid with a fluffy blending brush.

To lightly define my crease I applied a dark taupe colour with a tapered crease brush and also blended this onto the outer portion of my lid.

Time for some fun colour! I have blue eyes and to accentuate that (It's a colour theory thing!)  I went for a very trendy colour that comes back every summer... Coral!

I mixed two matte colours together for this bright coral colour and applied it over my entire lid with a flat paddle brush. To avoid a too harsh line I blended the edge with the tapered crease brush I used for my crease. (did this later on, you'll see the difference!) See how the coral colour accentuates my blue eyes? I'm loving it and will definitely be doing this look more often this summer!

 To add a little touch of shimmer I used one of the smaller shadows in the palette in a gold-coral colour and only applied this on the middle of my eyelid. To find the excact middle just hold a mirror straight infront of you and the middle is basically the area where your iris is. The shimmer adds some dimension and acts as a bit of an eyecatcher. I patted this onto my lid using a flat paddle brush.

L-R: Lid shimmer colour, inner corner highlight.

To highlight my inner corner I went for a very yellow gold. It adds a very summery to the look and just looks fun, really! I used this with a slightly fluffy shader brush and applied it onto my inner corner and blended it upwards.

To line my upper lashline I used a matte "black" from the palette. I say "black" because honestly it's not a true black, it's more like a dark grey but in this case it gets the job done. I wanted it to be light definiton and this certainly is that! I used this with a slightly thicker angled liner brush and lined about 3/4 of my lashline. No wing, no monkey business!

If you have seen some other tutorials of mine, you know how this goes. Curl lashes with Tweezerman Lash Curler and apply a good two coats of Maybelline Volum' Express One-by-One Waterproof Mascara.

To mattify my face I used the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 003 Peach Glow through my T-zone and under my eyes.

To add a little warmth to my pale face (which is currently especially pale, as I've been sick for a long while and am still recovering) I used this dark powder in the bottom of my big eyeshadow palette and blended this along the sides of my face. Along my hairline on my forehead, temples, under my cheekbones and under my jawbone. I applied this with a tapered face brush.

On my cheeks I used a peachy Hema Blusher with a large stippling brush. This applies a light wash of colour and gives me more control over the product application. This blush is very shimmery and that is why I am not using any powder highlighter on my face. The dewiness of the foundation along with the shimmery primer underneath is more than enough, especially since powder highlighters can look "too much" in bright sun-light. And this is very much a look to be worn on bright summery days!

L-R: swatch of lipstick and blush!

On my lips I applied this beautiful L'Oreal Caresse Lipstick in 301 Dating Coral. I love the formula of these lipsticks, they giver sheer, buildable coverage and feel like lipbalms. Perfect for just throwing in your bag and applying during the day, if you're spending the day out in the sun!

And here's the final result! A bright summery look, pretty much only using one type of colour. Honestly I think coral/peach is the only type of colour you can get away with this with, espcially with a light complexion, but I like it either way and enjoyed wearing it!

Let me know what you think and if you wear "trendier" colours in spring/summer.

Thank you for reading and untill next time!

XXX

Favourites of the moment!

Sorry for the long break between posts (again!). But I've been feeling a little un-inspired lately due to personal things that I won't weigh this blog down with, so let's get down to business!

Favourites of the moment; I won't call them spring or summer favourites because to be honest, it does not feel like spring OR summer in Holland at the moment. The past week or more, it's been grey, rainy and cold. Not really what you'd expect for mid-Europe at the end of May, right? Luckily I am heading south in a little less than a month for a few days in Paris! I will most likely do a short blogpost about the trip, showing pictures, maybe things I bought, etc. Not sure about that yet! Anyway, I digress. Favourites! (Dont forget to click the pictures for high-res larger pictures!)

I am still recovering from a flu that's been bugging me for a little over a week, but even before then I've been doing a lot of minimal make-up with bright lips. That shows in my favourites, for sure!

Let's start with the basics, shall we!

Excuse my "naked" nails, but I've been sick, okay?!

This doesn't need any introduction really, does it? Especially since I've been sick, I've not been able to live without this baby. My lips are so dry, and this is the only thing giving me any kind of relief. Elizabeth Arden 8 Cream travelsized tube, 30ml. Bought at a Kruidvat for €5.00.

Even if it may not be summer at the moment, I still protect my VERY pale skin everytime I go outside. Having very pale, very senstive and very burn-prone skin I opted for maximum protection and bought this Eucerin Sun Fluid SPF 50 mattifying. It controls oils, is a very light texture and protects my skin nicely. It contains 50 ml of product and ought to last me the summer. Eucerin is available at pharmacies in Holland and costs €16.49.

This travel/handbag sized eau de toilette by Kruidvat is a new staple in my routine! It's a new scent they've recently released and it's RIGHT up my alley. Most things with the words "cherry blossom" usually catch my eye, since I love that scent. The packaging says the main notes are: raspberry, cherry blossom and blond wood. Don't ask me what blond wood smells like, but if this is it, it smells amazing! It's a little "warmer" than scents I normally wear, but I am completely obsessed with this. It smells like summer to me and if the weather won't give me summer I'll just make my own.
The bottle contains 15 ml and is available at Kruidvat only. I believe this was €3.99, but I am not sure anymore. The fullsized product is 50 ml and €7.99. Definitely worth a shot when looking for a new scent, they have 5 different scents, for both men and women.

As far as my skin goes, I've been opting for a more natural look lately as well. I've been using the Catrice BB Cream almost every single time I've worn a foundation type product. It's just a great natural option for every day wear. It looks natural, not cakey and the colourmatch is great for me. For an extensive review I direct you towards this post, in which I did a review of several Catrice products. The tube contains 30 ml and is available at Kruidvat (In Holland, that is.) and it costs €5.99.

For basic concealing I've been using the Catrice Camouflage Cream every time. It's a great creamy concealer, and so very budget proof too. For a review I once again direct you towards this post. The Camouflage Cream costs €2.99.

As a subtle under-eye highlight I've been using the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer. This contains light-reflective particles and helps disguise dark circles. Lord knows I need that, eh? It's a normal "click-pen" type of concealer, which is packaging we often see with this formula. I use this on top of the other concealer, I must say, as it does not give me enough coverage on it's own. But I like the effect it gives enough that I don't have a problem with that. Mine is the colour 01 Ivory. Maybelline is available at all drugstores in Holland and the product costs €9.99.

As I stated earlier I've been keeping things fairly simple, and these two palettes give me all the basics I need for that!

Oh Urban Decay, how I love you... There's absolutely nothing I hate about this brand (except the price) and since Sephora is leaving Holland, I might also lose access to Urban Decay. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Ahem. Anyway. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. Five beautiful matte eyeshadows and a satin highlighter, what more does a girl need for a simple eye-look? For an in-depth review go here, and read my thoughts on this and see better photos of it! Urban Decay is available online and at Sephora. This palette is €25.95 and I found it worth every cent.

L-R: Chantilly, Guipure. Crochet.

For blush I've been keeping it easy too, which is why this palette especially has been a favourite. I've been doing some travelling and such and this just provides me enough choice for whatever mood I might be in. This is the Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in Lace. For review and swatches go here and enjoy the eyecandy!
My most used shade is Guipure and then Crochet. I don't find myself using Chantilly too often as it is just too orange on my light skintone. Sleek is only available online in Holland and this product costs  €12.95.

With a soft eyelook, the easy way out is always a bright lip for instant glam! And I personally always feel more confident in a bright lip, I find it makes my face look brighter and generally improves my complexion.

First up is the GOSH Soft'n'Shine Lip Balm in the colour 31 Passion Pink. It's a bright fuschia with subtle silver shimmer in it. I love this formula and it's cheap too. In one swipe it's not very opaque, but coverage is easily buildable. GOSH is avilable at some Kruidvats in Holland and otherwise not very widely available world-wide, I believe. It's a Danish brand, for those wondering! The Soft'n'Shine Lip Balms check in at a very affordable €8.49

Second up is my newest Rimmel Apocalips in the colour Stellar. This is a bright coral-red. Perfect for summer in my opinion. It's just such a happy colour and wearing it makes me happy. For my opinion on the Rimmel Apocalips, feel free to check out my review here. Rimmel is available in drugstores world-wide and the Apocalips check out at €10.99.

On the first picture you also saw this box and may have wondered: "What is that thing?!" . Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.... BEHOLD!

Are you in love yet? Urgh... I know I am! My (amazing, wonderful, lovely) husband bought me this as a surprise and once I started playing around with this, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Knowing bright shadows especially is very hit and miss, I was VERY excited when I found out that these are mostly amazing quality. As with any large palette, there are some bad apples, but all the AMAZING shadows make up for it. The biggest duds are probably the dark mattes, but then again that's not the end of the world to me. I'm in love with this baby! This was ordered from Boozyshop and is their own brand. Many brands have things like this, think BH cosmetics and Coastal Scents 120 palettes. The facepowders in the bottom are all three very pigmented and are all matte. The two light ones can be used as shadows or as matte highlighters. The dark one is (with a light hand) a good contour colour for me. My husband tells me this was around €35, but since I can't find it on their site anymore, I can't be sure. I want to do some bright tutorials with this palette, but I'm coming up short for ideas. Let me know if you have any, or photos of awesome, bright makeup you'd like a tutorial on.


What are you favourites of the moment? Let me know in the comments below!


Thank you for reading and untill next time!

XXX