It's a beauty thing: June 2014

Monday Mani #6

I hope you all liked the June themes special, with a new theme every week here on IABT. Tomorrow is the first of July, cray. So today&#...

A Feature - 08:00

June Favourites

There has been many new products introduced into my various routines and although some I haven't been using long enough to fully ...

A Feature - 16:00

The Weekly Round Up #29

It's weekly round up time again, and although June favourites are just around the corner (tomorrow actually) I still wanted to in...

The company I work for threw a massive ball last night (Saturday) so I thought it would be a nice idea to tell you the things I did to get ready and also what I did when I got home and the next day, to round up my Summer Ready theme this week. Hope you have liked the posts I have done in June and the theme weeks, any requests, ideas, feedback etc, please let me know. Plus, check out how this all looks on the night on my Instagram and Twitter.

Preparing:

To prepare for an event/night out/special occasion, I like to give my skin a bit of a pamper before I put it through the trauma of a night out. So I first like to take off any makeup I may have worn through out the day to start fresh. I put on a radiance boosting mask on Friday night, which leaves a nice dewey look to the skin which is how I like my skin to look, (don't worry, I will be setting my makeup so I won't look shiny in photos), so there's no major treatments that need to be used. It does what it says. I then apply my skincare the same as I would in the morning except I use a moisturiser without any SPF in so I don't have a white cast over my skin in photos. I make sure my skin is properly moisturised and eye cream has been applied properly before I start with any makeup.

To also prepare for the evenings event, I have been gradually building up a slight tan with these two products. The Garnier Beauty Oil Nourishing Lotion is such a fantastic moisturiser before applying self tanner. Once the lotion has sunk in, I then apply the Tarte Brazilliance Skin Rejuvenating Maracuja Self Tanner using a tanning mitt. Because I am so pale, I prefer to build it up gradually than just going full out on a self tanner I don't particularly trust and then show up to the ball looking like I've been tango'd which just isn't a good look.

Makeup:

Because it was quite warm, I wanted to make sure my makeup would last all night without melting off so I used my Benefit Porefessional as I trust this primer to do what I need it to whilst helping smooth over pores and imperfections. Tip: never use something for the first time the night or day before an event, always go with what you know works for your skin. Normally I would just apply this to the centre of my face but I like to use this all over for nights out. Once that is on, I then go in with my foundation and I used the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation as this doesn't have an SPF in and gives a really flawless finish and the coverage is really good. You need to spend a while buffing this onto the skin, less is more with this foundation so I like to start off with a few dots over my face and blend then build up coverage where needed. I used the Garnier 5 Sec Miracle Blur ?? for Eyes under my eyes where concealer goes and also taking it up onto my eye lid too. I then go in with the NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer I apply this to those horrid dark circles, around my nose, and anywhere I want to highlight. The Sleek Cirrector & Concealer Palette is perfect for any blemishes or stubborn redness. I use the E.L.F HD Under-eye Setting Powder on a Real Techiniques Setting Brush.

Onto the complexion now and I use the Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette for my bronzer, blush and highlight (all stunning and blend so seamlessly into the skin). Then with the NYC HD Loose Setting Powder (which comes with a free cloud of smoke with every opening) and a super fluffy brush, I set the areas that get a tad shiny or where makeup starts to wear off the most. Onto eyes...

For the brows, I start by using the Soap & Glory Archery Pencil to fill in my brows and make them slightly darker and then I use the pen/marker side to fill in any really sparse areas. I finish by setting with the Maybelline Brow Drama and that's brows done.

As for the eyes, I've already primed them using the Garnier Blur thing (yep that's the technical name for it) so I use any matte brown shade (or you can use a bronzer) to add some definition into the crease. Then, I go in with the Maybelline Gel Eyeliner and create quite a dramatic wing. Finish off with a matte black shadow over the top to set the liner in place, a few (thousand) coats of mascara to top and bottom lashes and that's eyes done.

Onto the lips now and I went with a nude lip as I didn't want any bold lip to clash with my outfit so I used the Soap & Glory Matte lipstick in Blush Pink. Personally I prefer a nude matte lip as it's low maintenance, doesn't cause severe paranoia that it's smudged all over your face and on your teeth. It's just not a good look so I go with the safe option.

Hair:

I kept my hair style pretty simple. I just curled it using the Babyliss Pro Curl 1inch ?? Wand and curled all my hair. I normally like to be working with two day hair for this so it has a bit of texture and grip but doesn't look too flat and lifeless. I use a teasing comb to give the roots a bit more volume and then spray with the Got-2-Be Volumising Hair Spray to keep it in place. This stuff has really good texturising, volumising abilities and doesn't make my hair feel too gross and crunchy.

Outfit:

So the makeup and hair is done, and it's nearly time to leave. I got this white lace skater dress from Miss Selfridge and the necklace from Oasis. The bag is from New Look and the blazer is from H&M (last year) and the black sandals were from last year and I can't remember where they were from.

some midi rings and Pandora Bracelet and Watch and that's it.

Nails:

As for the nails, I went with this Maybelline Colour Show in Pink Boom which although it doesn't match any of the colours in my outfit, I really liked this baby pink shade and though as my accessories are quite colourful I thought my nails should be too. They looked alright on the night anyway.

Post Party Pampering:

So I went to the ball, had loads of fun and came home. Because I have had quite a bit of makeup on, been pretty hot and sticky, and have consumed some alcoholic beverages, I like to wind down and make sure I am removing every last bit of makeup and giving my skin a bit of a detox. I always remove my makeup the same way as a normal night and do the same skincare routine. The morning after the event, I do my normal cleansing but I then apply a detox, clay face mask. This draws out any impurities, left over makeup, dirt or whatever and give my skin a really good clean. This always makes me feel slightly better anyway, especially if I have a bit of a fuzzy head.

A shower/bath always wakes me up and makes me feel tonnes better so I like to have a quick shower just to refresh myself and make sure I don't smell like a brewery for the whole day.

After the shower, I like to apply some sort of treatment on my skin. I wasn't in any hurry to get out the house so I applied some Pai Rosehip Oil and then put an overnight face mask on from Origins. Adding both those onto my skin gives my face some super power hydration and allows it to just drink that all up and rehydrate my skin.

That's it for my get ready with me. I hope you liked this style post, and I hope I will be able to do more of these in the future. I had a really good night at the ball last night, it really was amazing, and there's some amazing people there. I'm not one to go out drinking every weekend so I don't do this often but when I do, I like to make sure I'm doing everything everything I can to be a better version of me, even if it is just for a night.

How do you like to get ready for a big event?

A Medley - 12:49

7. Summer Ready Night out - Work Ball - Get Ready With Me

The company I work for threw a massive ball last night ( Saturday ) so I thought it would be a nice idea to tell you the things I did t...

A Medley - 08:00

6. Summer Ready Drugstore Makeup Look

We're day 6 of this weeks Summer theme on it's a beauty thing and I thought I would go through a drugstore makeup look with you...

A Medley - 08:00

5. Summer Ready Top 10 Under £10 Summer Essentials - Top picks #10

As part of Summer Week on my site, I thought I would do a top 10 under £10 summer essentials with some of my favourite, must have prod...

A Medley - 08:00

4. Summer Ready Dewey Makeup look

For me, getting the perfect dewey summer look is always on my radar any any products that promise to do that then I am all over them....

A Medley - 08:00

3. Summer Ready Sweat Proof/Waterproof Makeup Look

Following on from yesterdays summer edit post, I thought I would show you my favourite long lasting, sweat proof, waterproof makeup ...

- 08:00

A Beauty Chat: 2. Summer Ready Edit

My very first post on my blog was an Autumn edit, which I totally loved and was really pleased with. Plus, I have tried to do one for e...

- 08:00

A Beauty Chat: 1. Summer Ready Monday Mani #5

To kick off this weeks Summer theme, I thought I would show you some of my favourite summer manicures. These are not ones I have don...

- 12:00

A Weekend Post: The Weekly Round Up #28

I try really hard not to include things more than once in any of my favourites posts but sometimes I love a product so much I just can&...

- 08:00

A Beauty Essential: Beauty Myths #7

We made it. Day 7 and hopefully there's some of you still reading. It's the final day of Beauty Myths Week so I thought I would...

- 08:00

A Beauty Essential: Beauty Myths #6

It's Saturday, day 6 of Beauty Myths Week here on it's a beauty thing and here's some more myths to get you thinking.

- 08:00

A Beauty Essential: Beauty Myths #5

It's finally Friday, which means the weekend is only a day away and I have some more myths to share with you.

- 08:00

A Beauty Essential: Beauty Myths #4

I'll be honest, these next beauty myths are something I am guilty of believing. Until, again, I researched, experimented and learnt...

- 08:00

A Beauty Essential: Beauty Myths #3

Today is two myths that I have always thought to be accurate, until a few months ago, where I researched it a little bit more. Now ha...

It's that time of the month again where a little box appears on my doorstep filled with lovely beauty bits. This months Glossybox is a Summer edition I believe. There's some bit in here which I really think I will like.

1. Starting off with nails, and the Nailgirls 3 in 1 Base/Topcoat & Nail Strenghtener was the first thing I saw as I have been looking for a good base coat for ages but never really decided on one. This is £13.50 for the full size 15ml but this bottle is only 10ml and can be purchased from nailgirls.co.uk. Nothing will replace my Seche Vite Top Coat but base coat and nail strengthener is very welcome. The full size packaging reminds me a bit of the Pop Beauty Polishes, but there are some stunning shades of polish on the Nailgirls website and although more on the O.P.I price point, I'm definitely keen to pickup a few shades.

2. This was one that got me super excited actually. The Teeez Trend Cosmetics is a brand I have never heard of before but the packaging caught my eye and intrigued me. The Beautiful Eyes Flat Stiff Brush is said to be perfect for applying powder and cream eyeshadows effortlessly. The packaging is really cute, it looks more of a travel size type brush I think but it is actually the full size, and is €19 and can be purchased from nelly.com. I'm definitely going to be trying this one out tomorrow. I had a look on the Nelly website and all the packaging for this brand is just amazing. Definitely something right up my alley and I like the creative-ness and unique-ness of the design and the products they offer look really nice too so may have to put in an order from them at some point too.

3. Onto the Embelleze Novex Brazilian Keratin. Eh? I know right. This is a "vitamin E enriched professional hair food therapy treatment that replenishes essential hair proteins for results that leave your hair shinier and smoother". This smells amazing. You can purchase this from beautybyzara.com and although this is only a 100g pot, you can purchase a 1kg tub of it for £24.99 so hopefully it's a bloomin' good hair mask for that price. I will definitely give this a go and keep you updated with this.

4. The So Susan Cosmetics range is another brand I have heard from - which is the good thing about Glossybox - and I was sent the Concealer Quad and although it looks a tad too dark for me to use as concealer, there are some shades in there to maybe mix, as well as a salmon colour for under the eyes. As well as concealing there's also the possiblity of contouring too. It has Virgin Marula Oil (never heard of it) and is supposed to cover minor blemishes and imperfections and is ideal for the summer with it's lightweight texture. This is quite pricey at £17 for this full size product and can be purchased from sosusan.com. Not sure if I would pay £17 for it but will give it a go. This doesn't seem to have a shade on it so I don't know if they just have one shade for all, but when looking on the website it said shades range from pure ivory to deep tan but doesn't give the option to choose your shade. I've had a quick look on the website of So Susan and some of the products look really nice but are a bit higher in price than I was expecting.

5. Final thing in this months Glossybox is the Roger&Gallet Fleur de Figuier Eau Frâiche Fragrance. Said to be created by a renowned perfumer called Francis Kurkdijan the fruit-floral fig inspired scents are supposed to "allow your senses to take a break reminiscent of a walk through a Mediterranean garden". A pretty bold claim I must say, and boy I hope it's right. It smells really nice and not something I typically go for but this is a really good sample size as the full 100ml bottle costs £32 and can be bought from marksandspencer.com which is surprising but I will definitely give it a go and see how I like this kind of fragrance on me.

As always, I will keep you up to date with how these get on, so make sure you're following me on twitter and Instagram for any updates.

Have you tried any of these brands or products before?

- 14:49