Spring/summer 2014 Catwalk looks

When it comes to make-up there are no rules. Go as wild or understated as you like as your own personal make-up style is an extension of yourself. I love watching the catwalks at fashion week just to see what the designers have chosen to go with and why. A good way to get ahead on make-up trends is to do this and then customise it to make it your own.

I noticed in terms of skin it was all very natural and dewy. BB creams, tinted moisturisers and concealers were all over the catwalks. That bare faced dewy look is perfect for the spring/summer season. To get this look I would recommend using Smashbox photo finish foundation primer to create a flawless even base without adding colour and YSL's BB cream for that amazing dewy natural coverage as seen on Rosie Huntington. I always reccomend YSL BB cream for that dewy look over most other BB creams out there because I think it has the three must haves... 1.Flawless finish 2.Feels silky smooth on the skin 3.Smells gorgeous! :)

With regards to eyes metallics are the one. Its all about pops of colour on the lids. It adds a certain youthfulnes and the mettalicity gives it the right amount of sexy. I fell in love with this look on Chanel's Artful spring 2014 collection catwalk. The models looked like barbie mashups of 50's and 80's combined with a modern edgyness and some harajuku infuences with the paled out faces to solely emphasize the eyes. Besides the beautiful clothes the makeup was really on point. Intense eyes witout eyeliner is back! Mac paint pots are perfect for this look, Benefit also do gorgeous mettalic cream shadows that are so simple to use and create the look. By simply sweeping it across your lid wll just brighten up you face, coat your lashess in mascara and if your feeling daring ditch the eyeliner completely. It's such a refreshing change for a day look.

Lips - a slight step away from nude lips but not too far. Understated statement lips I would call it. Berry, Peach, Pink... you name it. It goes. Summery coloures with a sheer gloss to give a more natural colour is what I noticed a lot of. Babylips by Maybelline is perfect for this as it provides moisture and colour all in one. Save the matte lips for winter guys, its all about glossy vulumptuous lips this spring/summer. Cream lipsticks are also a great idea, go as bright and wonderful as you feel. a creme orange lipstick for me defines srping/summer in a nutshell, daring, bright and fun.

And as for eyebrows... Keep them wild ...but keep it clean. Keep it Delavinicious

Mwah xo



GIMMI BROW

So the newest product to be launched from Benefit Cosmetics line is finally here... and it's amazing!
'Gimmi brow' is a brush on gel that leaves natural looking fibres on the skin and hair for fuller filled out brows. The brush allows for precision and shaping. You can go for a natural look with this product and also for a full on intense brow by building. It lasts all day and keeps your brows in place and is also (Thank God) water resistant. I literally love this stuff. It comes in two shades, light/medium and medium/dark, having used all of Benefits brow products I find this one the easiest and most natural looking. It also works well with 'Browzings'. Don't get it mistaken for 'Speed brow' which is a translucent brow gel purely for setting the brow hairs whereas 'Gimmi brow' also applies colour.

But.. seeing as I'm giving an honest review I feel is should also tell you guys what I found to be the negatives (There are hardly any). If you have quite thick jet black eyebrows this product may not be for you and I would recommend 'Speed brow' instead because 'Gimmi brow' is so pigmented it comes out an ashy colour on jet black as the darkest shade is a dark brown. One other thing that isn't entirely a negative is that the brush holds a lot of the gel on it so it can get messy if you don't realise this. I recommend practising in the mirror a few times to get your desired look or even going to any benefit counter and asking them for a make up lesson in how to apply it once you've bought it. They would be more than happy to help.

Here is a before and after I did on a client.

 

 

Mwah xo

Mixology!

Okay so this post is all about how to mix products to make even more amazing products. Sometimes meaning you don't have to get a different product all together. There are some make up products I see and I'm just like... really? I could make that by mixing something I already have so here it goes...

Radiant foundation?

It's not everyday matte make up. Especially in this lovely weather, radiance is also a very sexy look to go for and this is how to achieve it without going out and buying a 'radiant foundation'.

Your fave foundation


        +

Your highlighter

















This works so well and really gives your foundation a radiant glow. I recommend liquid highlighters as they blend easier with the foundation. Just a pea sized amount mixed into however much foundation you would usually use and Voila! :)


Metallic lipstick?

Metallics are sooo in this season! From clothes and shoes, to make up. Precious metals are the way forwards. So here is the magic formula

A moisturising lipstick


+

A shimmery eyeshadow








I'm sure we all have both of these in our make up bags. I highly recommend benefits Creaseless eye-shadow as the colours are so gorgeous and metallic and super long lasting which would hold your lipstick longer as well. Using a lip brush (or your fingers) blend the two and apply for a glam pout!


So these two are the ones I use/love the most. Hope you guys try it out and love it!
Until next time :)

Mwah xo

Prime and shine

Eye shadow is definitely one of my favourite stages of make-up. I love experimenting with colours, shapes and seeing how with different blending techniques you can manipulate the appearance of your eye shape. The one thing I used to struggle with was getting it to stay as perfect an our later as it did when I first did it. Especially with colourful looks it really didn't look good when the colours sunk into the creases of your eyes! So I invested in primers, the first primer I used was a cheap one from Asda, I didn't really see a huge difference so started using different kinds of eye shadows and although some eye-shadows do stay better than others the problem wasn't solved. I then decided to try the primer thing again but this time I did some research and heard about the Urban Decay eye-shadow primer potions. I got myself one and only then did I realise it was fully possible to have long lasting eye-shadow! I sort of became obsessed and started out trying different eye-shadow primers and after having tried almost every eye-shadow primer out there i have found the best two (even better than the Urban Decay one...)

1. Benefit Stay Don't Stray

This stuff will literally keep your eye-shadow unmovable for hours on end. Perfect for a night out where you are likely to get all hot and your make-up could melt, this will keep it in place.

It prevents creasing if you have particularly oily lids and  prevents smudging. LOVE this stuff and there is a darker shade for darker skin tones.

2. Helen E Stage eye-shadow primer

This primer I only got introduced to recently but I already love love love it! It gives even the most subtle eye-shadow colours more pigment. Its great for making colours stand out and the matte texture really helps keep the shadow in place. There is only one colour of this but I find it works perfectly on my skin which is dark, if anything it helps to make the shadow stand out more. 

So... just had a thought whilst writing this... Is mixing primers allowed? I definitely know you can mix face primers, so I'm officially going to go and try out mixing these two shadow primers and see how well it works. It can only be twice as good right?

Mwah x

It's been a loooong time.

Hey! so I apologise for being away for sooo long and never actually getting round to posting my Halloween pictures (ill post them after this blog post) . I let thing get waayy on top of me and I went into shut down mode but Uni and work all in check now I have time to blog agin! Wooo :)
It actually warmed my heart when someone came upto me and asked why I'd stopped blogging, I assumed no one would notice my absence but I now realise that I cant really think that sooo I'm back :)
Okay catch up...

So I'm even more obsessed with skincare than ever! Because its winter and the cold is sooo harsh on your skin its really important to keep on top of your skincare game. For moisture I highly reccomend the Vitamin E range from Body shop, they have face wash, cleanser, toner, serums and so much more. The serum and the Intense moisture cream are my absolute faves! Bobby brown extra repair moisturiser (which is also a primer OMG!) is my absolute saviour! Perfect for dry skin sufferers who don't want a primer that will dry out your skin, yes its expensive but it does last and does its job perfectly. You get what you paid for.

Around your eyes is such a delicate area so make sure you take extra care of that area. Bobby brown hydrating eye cream is perfect for combating dryness, dark circles, puffiness and any other eye related issue you might want to eliminate. Its not harsh at all therefore no stinging which is what I find with a lot of eye creams. Love it.

Lips! So I've recently become obsessed with lipstick and a key thing to having popping lips is to have well conditioned soft plump lips. Your lips can get dry easily especially with harsh weather. And believe it or not I have found a cure that actually beats good old Vaseline, YSL Top secrets plumping lip balm is the answer! The smoothing lip balm instantly fills in any cracks in your lips whilst restoring plumpness and moisture. It has a lovely feel on your lips and a tiny amount goes a long way. It works as a lip primer as it slightly evens out your lip colour as well, I love this stuff. Don't get me wrong I will always swear by Vaseline but when it comes to intense lip treatment you can use when you feel your lips getting very dry or even for everyday use this is the product.

Last but not least cold weather obviously causes dryness which causes flakiness which means you have to really get rid of the dead skin to keep your skin fresh, you have to make sure you use a face scrub that is gentle on your skin and wont leave it even more dried out than before. Benefit Refined Finish Facial polish is the perfect face scrub. The grains are all perfectly formed with no sharp edges so its gentle on your skin, the ingredients are hypo allergenic so your very unlikely to break out and it leaves your skin feeling fresh and healthy. Make sure whenever you scrub your face to lather your face in moisturiser afterwards because after any type of face scrub you need to restore moisture levels considering your taking away dead skin.

Really hope this helps

Mwah xo

Top 5! (Current)

Okay so if you ask me my favourite make-up products every month it would be different eveytime as I love to switch it up and try new things. There a few things though that would come up every time but on the whole I always tend to find new things that become my favourite till the next best thing comes along :D

Ill start with Studio Fix from MAC as that is a recurring favourite. Ever since I started using this about 4 years ago, its been a staple in my make-up bag. The thing I love about this particular product is that you have full control over the coverage. MAC on the whole is quite full coverage but because this is essentially a powder foundation, if you apply it with a brush you can create the most subtle coverage or really build it up to its full potential with flawless results every time. I also love it when products have SPF in them because its just extra protection and that never a bad thing! All MAC products have SPF 15 in them! I literally can't fault this product, it never makes me feel to made up either, as its not thick and there are sooo many shades to choose form that everyone can get a perfect match.

THIS! is amazing! I was introduced to this a while back and feel like I really need to share the greatness off this product. Porefessional is a Primer from Benefit, it is the UK's number 1 best selling primer and this is why... Most primers I feel either give your skin a slightly ashy look, or a rubbery feel. I am yet to find a primer that compares with this. As your applying it you can see the visible difference as it reduces the size of pores, and smooths over any lines preparing your face for a layer of foundation or powder, ALTHOUGH you can use this product on its own for daily use as I do, the product applies in a very silky way and doesn't dry out your skin, so for a more evened out complexion without looking made up I use this and that's why I love it! its like a two in one. Amazing primer that also acts like a toner. and I just loove the feel of it on my skin :)

Helen E Blemish concealers are awesome! I find that they are a perfect texture to really brighten up under your eyes without looking cakey and they cover up well without adding too much layering to your face. They are light but effective in other words. I use the darkest shade, but can get away with the medium shade because of how well they blend. When I'm doing a dramatic eye make-up look and really want to highlight my brow bone I tend to use the medium one. The yellowish coloured one is for white skin and works just as well giving a healthy illuminated look. I love this, and the price makes it soo much more appealing at only £10 (pop into a store and you can grab one for £5!)

E.l.f really surprised me with their false lashes. I bought them as an experiment. I wasn't expecting too much from them but was extremely pleasantly surprised. I genuinely have converted to these. I don't buy my falsies from anywhere else now. They have three different types from natural to dramatic and they come with a half lash on top of the full one to add extra definition if need. I couldn't fin a picture of the exact one I have but its basically the same but in black packaging with an extra half piece. The glue is really good as well, it is quick to set and clear, the spine of the lashes are also very flexible so its really to apply and get right into the corners. It also come with tweezers! Love them :)

Urban Decays Naked 2 Palette is just simple amazing. Every time I open it up I feel like a kid in a candy store with the colours. They are most definitely the best pigmented eye shadows I own. A bonus to this is also that it comes with a double sided brush, (I'm not talking like some crappy plastic bush) you get a professional eye-shadow/contouring brush that comes in really handy. My favourite colours are Half baked, Busted, Verve and Blackout. I find those colours combined also create a very sexy smoky eye for a night look (my fave kinda eye make-up). The eye-shadows don't crease and are incredibly long lasting, especially if your using primer underneath. They don't fall all over your face when your applying it either. I'm in love with Urban Decay eye shadows and I just love all the colours, all so feminine and pretty, and also very much worth the price.

So they are my top 5 for now! Ill be doing one of these every few weeks so keep and eye out! I highly recommended all these, I'm sure you wont be disappointed :D

Mwah xo