Battle of the rouge lip!

So finding the perfect red lip can be a bit of a mission, with all the different shades and undertones out there. It has taken me a while to do so but I have found my perfect red... Well almost. I've found two. I've decided to bring the internal ongoing debate I have as to which one is my favourite to my blog.

Candidate number 1 is the infamous Ruby Woo by MAC. I love this red, it is the perfect balance between a deep and bright red. Super long lasting and super matte! It doesn't budge and there is 0 bleeding with this. My only criticism with this is almost not a criticism... I feel like sometimes (mostly in the winter) it becomes too matte and drying, It actually becomes hard to apply, which isn't entirely pleasant. In the summer I have no complaints but with the weather in the UK it's not very avoidable.

Candidate number 2 is the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture The Mat in colour 203, I love love love this, it is pretty similar to Ruby Woo but slightly brighter. You can achieve that deep luxurious look with a bit of dark lip liner blended into it. This also doesn't bleed and lasts longer than most lipsticks although I don't believe the longevity quite matches upto Ruby Woo.

So not much difference between the two but from reading my own argument I think I prefer Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture The Mat - 203 simply due to the way it looks and feels lovely on the lips. Your lips are delicate so anything you put on it shouldn't be dragging it or drying it out. For quick intensity for a photo shoot maybe I would definitely go for Mac but for everyday, throw in the handbag type of use,any time of the year YSL wins for me.

I think.
I'll probably change my mind next week, but for now :)

P.s They both smell ahmmaazing!

Mwah xo

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



217 baby!

You've probably heard makeup fanatics rave about the infamous 217 brush from MAC. As a makeup freak myself I've really wanted to try the brush and experience its magical powers. That day finally came and I can safely say I'm not disappointed. It's like working with a magical blending wand. The real hair brush which is feather light on the skin is perfect for blending concealer into the skin, dusting powder into corners and blending out eye shadows. I also find it works well if you're going for a more concentrated strong contour line. It's definitely worth buying more that one of these brushes considering its multi purpose use or you'll have a lot of cleaning to do during one makeup application which won't be great for the brush itself. Make sure you treat your brushes with TLC because a good quality well treated brush should last a lifetime :) (making it definitely worth the £18) ...my advice = go and enlighten your life with a 217 brush!

Mwah xo

Pow lips!

Okay, so I heard about this Clip Lipnicure stuff through tumblr on Julie begins Blog. Julie Begin is an international makeup artist who is also a key inspiration for a lot of my ideas. I love her boldness and experimental use of colour. Here is some of her work ...

Anyway, back to the lip stuff, so I had to order it to try it out because I was really looking for a lip stain that had a killer pigment considering I have quite dark lips. This stuff is genuinely amazing. I ordered the Guilty pink colour as a safe option not knowing if it would look to bright against my skin. So it came within 2 weeks of me ordering it and along with it I got some cc cream and two interesting paper masks which are actually quite nice (weird but nice). It comes in a cute little lop with an applicator top. The colour is AHHMMAAZZEEE... I was literally so shocked by how bright and well it coloured the lips. It is also non transferable and has a super matte finish so lasts literally over 7-10 hours (roughly timed). Iv'e been wearing it daily and have discovered cute different ways to wear it. by dabbing a small amount in the middle of your lips and blending it out gives a sultry look. If you line your lips with a darker colour and put the lipnicure after it gives a diva-licious pout. and obviously on it own it gives an awesome pop of colour.

Here is is on me... (apologies for the quality...)

This was using the lip liner method :)

Here are all the colours they do

Go grab yourself one :)

Mwah xo

What do you think?

I've been playing around with images. As I start to expand this onto different platforms I want a recognisable image that instantly translates to this, so this is what I have so far :) Let me know which ones you like and any improvements I could make

Mwah xo

p.s Follow me on Instagram beautyxyzee ! :)

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