Next Route Style Eye Makeup Competition

I was approached by the lovely Roch and Tash from Next Route Style blog to enter an eye makeup competition they were running. I immediately jumped at the chance! What a great way to get involved and of course do what we all love, get creative with make up. And with a £20 Feel Unique voucher and post on their blog up for grabs, it was added incentive!

I didn't really plan my look, but I knew I wanted to go wth a smoky cat eye effect and got more ideas as I went along. Here's what I created.

And here's a little snippet of some of the products I used for this look.

How to get this look... 

1. I always prime my eyelids before using any shadow, my choice was the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. 

2. I then went in with a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the colour Horseradish. I applied it straight from the stick, all over the lid and blended the edges with my finger. 

3. Using a Mac 239 brush I applied Macs gorgeous green colour called Humid all over the lid and blended with a clean Mac 217 brush until neat. 

4. Then I added some of Macs Black Tied to the outer edges of my eye and winged it out slightly following the shape of my eye. I also took some Black Tied under the lower lash line. I then used another 217 to blend that all together.

5. I then used YSL's Shocking Eyeliner on my top lash line, winging it out and joining to the bottom lashes.

6. For my water line, I wanted to keep with the green smokey theme, so used Urban Decay's 24/7 Eye Pencil in the colour Mainline.

7. I applied Bourjois Volumizer mascara in Ultra Black to my top lashes. This mascara is great for building volume as it has two steps which adds different amounts of mascara to the wand.

8. For my bottom lashes I applied Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara.

9. Lastly I added some Eyelure lashes in number 101 using the Duo lash glue. 

If you like my look, then please please vote for me on Next Route Style's blog post by leaving my name Kayleigh Goddard as a comment.  Click HERE... It's that simple. 

I appreciate all votes, and good luck to all the girls in the competition, there's some really great make up skills that have been showcased during this comp.

And thats to Roch and Tash for running this comp, i've really enjoyed doing it! 

Recent Haul

My bank balance does not like me this month as I’ve not been able to resist the shops. I’ve seen so many beauty bloggers putting themselves on spending bans recently, and I think I may be next! Anyway, I thought I’d share with you some of the products I picked up on my recent shopping spree.

My first stop was at the MAC counter in Selfridges. I literally cannot come away from Mac without purchasing anything. I picked up a new Natural Skinfinish as the shade I have is too light now, an eye pencil in Coffee, a Lipstick in Coral Bliss and two eyeshadows for my palette, Mystery and Black Tied. I love all these products so far and been using them pretty much daily. I was disappointed with the lipstick though, as it broke the first day I used it. Unusual for Mac products. :(

Next stop was Boots. I think we’ve all had moments where we’ve popped in Boots to pick up some lunch and come out having spent a small fortune! I’m guilty of this most days. In this particular visit I picked up an Essie nail polish from the new range in Naughty Nautical, a Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Kiss Me Coral, a Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Bashful and a Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow in Taupe.

I also popped by Tophop to pick up one of their cream blushers. I rarely wear cream blusher, but I absolutely love these from Topshops range. They are so pigmented but blend really well. I got another colour to add to my collection in the shade Afternoon Tea.

The last few products I picked up online from Illamasqua. They had kindly emailed me a 20% discount code, and it would have been rude for me to waste such a discount (or that’s what I tell myself). I decided to try the Hydra Veil after hearing so many positive reviews on this product, so far so good. It definitely withstood the heat test last weekend with the gorgeous weather we’ve been having. I also picked up an eye palette called Complement. It features four eyeshadows, three powder shadows in the shades, Slink, Forgiveness and Queen of the Night, and then a liquid metal shadow in the shade Focus. I wanted to try the Skin Base Foundation, so thought no time better to give it a go. :) I used Illamasquas handy colour chart to see which shade to buy. I managed to match myself nicely using my Mac and NARS shades.

So lots of new products for me to try and test over the next few weeks. I’ll be reviewing any favourites I find out of these, I’m sure they’ll be a few. Has anybody tried any of these? Let me know your thoughts! :)

On a last note, it’s my blogs first birthday next week. I’ll be doing a BIG giveaway in celebration containing some of my all time favourite products. So make sure you keep posted for that!

Party Season Essentials

January is always a detox and chill out month for me, and this year unfortunately it's also been a poorly month! :(

So while I'm feeling sorry for myself wrapped up indoors, I thought I would reflect on my favourite products that I seemed to use throughout the party season of Christmas and the New Year. 

These are obviously just a few of the items i use for a night out, but I have definitely used these products for most make up looks throughout December and early Jan. 

The first three products are a shower gel, setting spray and a foundation. Before going out on a night out I love to have time to properly get ready, including a relaxing bath or shower. I love using this shower gel from Lush called Snow Fairy. It smells absolutely amazing, and lasts forever!! It just generally puts me in a good mood for the night. 

The Setting spray I use is Mac's Fix Plus. I have to use a setting spray as my make up just seems to shift after a couple of hours partying. I think we've all used hair spray in the past to set our make up, and I did till quite recently as I couldn't find a setting spray that worked for me. Mac's Fix Plus definitely works, and my make up isn't complete without a little spritz! 

Lastly is my Mac Pro Longwear foundation. This is the darkest foundation I own, I have it in the colour NW25, so I tend to use it for nights out when I fake tan. It's quite a full coverage foundation and you only need a tiny bit, in fact I think I've owned this one for nearly a year now and it's just about run out. It gives such an even coverage and leaves the skin glowing. Firm favourite. 

These are definitely two products that I use not just when going out but daily. NARS Laguna bronzer and Urban Decays eyeshadow primer.

I love the Laguna bronzing powder for going out as it has a slight golden shimmer to it, which really does give the prettiest finish. It can be used for either contouring, or adding colour to the cheeks, or just as an all over bronzer. It really is the perfect all rounder! 

I have to use a primer underneath my eyeshadow, if I don't it'll literally crease before I'm even out the door! I used to use one from No.7, which was good, but still gave me a creasing effect towards the end of my night. Since trying this urban decay option, I really can believe all the hype around it, it's amazing. My eyeshadow doesn't crease, smudge, or wear off at all. You can get this in different colours as well which is a nice idea if you want to use it as a base colour. I don't think I'll find a primer as good as this one, well done Urban Decay!

I have been wearing a lot of heavy eye make up over winter for different party looks and outfit matches, so this creamy paint pot from Mac has been perfect for building colour. This is in the colour Constructivist, and is a highly pigmented lovely rich mahogany colour. It dries perfectly, and is easily blendable. It really changes the appearance of some eyeshadow colours when you apply them over the top and gives a lovely finish. 

I absolutely loved this lipstick from Mac over the winter months and kick starting January. It's in the colour Plumful from Mac's Lustre range. Its such a pretty rose plum colour, and actually appears darker on the lips than shown in the swatch above. It gives a lovely sheen and lasts ages. I know some people shy away from the darker colours, and I must admit, I used to as well, but this colour is so wearable, and goes with anything. 

A proper night outs make up look for me, isn't complete without some false lashes. I tend to always stick to the Eylure 101's as I find them the most natural on my eye. They just give a bit of bulk and a little definition to the lashes. I apply these with Duo eyelash glue which you can buy from Mac, as they don't budge with this glue and last all night. Eylure lashes are really durable and I normally end up getting a few uses out of one pair. 

In December I picked up Clinique's Bottom Lash Mascara. I have quite a lot of bottom lashes and they can look quite clumpy when using a normal sized mascara wand on them. This mascara is absolutely amazing, I love it. It doesn't smudge or clump, and makes your bottom lashes look completely lengthened and separated. This is a product that I think every girl should own, I use it every day!

So there were just a few of my party season favourite products to use. With Christmas and New Year over now, we'll all be keeping our eyes open for the spring launches which have already started appearing. What did you all enjoy wearing over the festive period? 

November Favourites

So I'm a bit late of the mark for this post but once again, time has just flown by this month!

So here are the products that I really enjoyed using throughout the month of November.

 It was difficult this month to condense the number down to a few faves as there were so many I enjoyed using this month. November sees the beginning of the 'party season' which normally means lots of outings and different make up looks.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation

I used to be quite loyal to my foundation, using Mac's Pro Longwear as a staple part of my daily make up. But in the last couple of months I have enjoyed trying new foundations, and seeing what works best for me. When I heard about Maybelline's new Fit Me range, including a gel foundation, I had to try it. At £7.99, it's an absolute bargain and has several colours so you get the perfect match for your skin tone. I got mine in number 210 which is Sandy Beige. It wears really well and last all day. 

Bobbi Brown's Creamy Corrector

I've wanted this corrector for such a long time, so I bought it in duty free when I went on holiday recently. I absolutely love this product. It absolutely does what it says on the tin, covering all blue tones from under the eye and leaves that area looking so fresh and bright. I use this along with the Bobbi Brown concealer, and the two together are an unbeatable combination.

Benefit They're Real Mascara

I'd heard a lot about this mascara so when I found it on offer on Look Fantastic's website for £13.60, I snapped it up! I have not stopped using this mascara since. It's amazing! It really separates the lashes and if you curl them as well, gives amazing length. For a fuller look I still reach for my YSL Shocking mascara, normally when I'm going out. I love this product, it's great and I'll definitely be repurchasing.

Unite 7 Seconds Detangler

This product is literally a hair miracle, I can't live without it. Please Unite, never discontinue it! :) I use this product after washing my hair. It just takes a few sprays on to towel dried damp hair, leave for 7 seconds, and then brush through. My hair gets really tangled, and it used to be a nightmare to brush. This spray makes it so much easier.

Dove Summer Glow Nourishing Body Lotion

I think most of us are depressed when winter sets in and our summer tans are slowly evaporating. It means we have to work so much harder to look bronzed and drag out all our fake tanning products. I love using this moisturiser but I usually just use it in summer to top up my existing tan. This winter I've been using this as a base daily tan and I love it. It gives a subtle glow which can then be built to a deeper intensive tan for a night out.

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter

It's no secret that the Revlon lip butters are an absolute fave of mine. My lips get quite dry and I love how moisturising these are! I have them in several colours, but I have been loving wearing their red shade called 'Candy Apple'. It's a lighter red and has a slight gloss to it. It lasts so well on the lips and looks especially great with a tan. I couldn't stop wearing this while I was on holiday.


Top: Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple /  Bottom: Mac Lustreglass in Flusterose


MAC Lustreglass

I’m normally not a big gloss fan, I usually only use a lipstick on my lips. I saw a swatch of this gloss and thought it looked absolutely gorgeous. It is a light pink gloss with glitter and sparkles in it and really does shine on the lips. It isn’t sticky at all which is great as I hate that with lip glosses. I wore this recently over Mac’s Creme Cup lipstick and they looked so pretty together. Definitely a big fan of this gloss.   

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish

This is another purchase I picked up in Duty Free recently. I actually wanted the Dior Amber Diamond highlighter, but it was out of stock so I picked this up instead. I am SO glad I did, I love it. I use the shade Soft and Gentle which is perfect with just the right amount of shimmer. I use this as a cheek highlight and it gives the makeup look a gorgeous finish. I can’t stop using this, it’s great.

Essie Nail Varnish

I am loving this colour by Essie at the moment, it’s quite an opaque grey colour, and only needs one coat to look great. It’s in the colour Miss Fancy Pants and even though Essie can be a little more expensive that other varnishes they are so worth it. I find these nail colours really last on my nails and rarely chip. I’ve been wearing this colour so much recently as it’s so wintry and goes with anything.  

So there are my November favourites. Sorry they’re so late, it won’t be long till we’re discussing Decembers, and I have so many already! J Have you tried any of these products? What are your current beauty faves?

New Dressing Table

I've recently moved back in to my mum's house, trying to do the adult thing and save for a mortgage. Since moving home I am really missing the space I had in my flat in Manchester, my bedroom was humongous compared to the tiny box room I have at home! :(

I really wanted a dressing table, but my room is so small i needed to browse around. I eventually found one in my catalogue which is designed for small spaces, yay! I spent a FULL Sunday putting it together, (yes I am a DIY genius, not!). Here it is in all it's glory...

I have most of the skincare items I'm using or testing at the moment on top of my dresser, some are in a separate drawer or in the bathroom. I also keep my brushes in front of the mirror for easy access. I try and keep the top as clutter free as possible, anything I'm not using, goes in a separate drawer unit.

As well as skincare, I also keep makeup and eye makeup removers on top as I use them daily. I found this cute heart shaped glass dish at a car boot sale I went to with my mum a while ago for 20p! I think it looks lovely and fits my cosmetic pads in just nicely.

My brush holder is from Elf, it fits perfectly in front of my mirror and is a great size for holding all my brushes with plenty of room for new purchases! :) It has 3 compartments for Eyes, Lips and Face brushes. I also tend to keep things like my eyelash curlers, tweezers and my Duo eyelash glue in here, just for easy picking! For some reason in this picture I have a Pixi eye pencil in there too (not quite sure why, ha).

The big problem I had was with the drawers. Because its a slimline dresser, the drawers are much smaller, so no storage solutions would actually fit. As you can see at the moment I am using little boxes to separate my makeup, but eventually I would like to get some proper storage for it all. In my left hand drawer, I tend to keep all my lipsticks, lipglosses, powders, mascaras, eyeliners and my palettes. I tend to keep the products I use most often in my drawers and store the others elsewhere.

 

In the right hand drawer I tend to store my foundations, single eye shadows, bronzers, blushes, eyelashes, brow palettes and brush bags.

I try to keep it as tidy as possible, but it's hard when your trying to use different products and test different things out.

 So that's it for my dressing table, and once I get my storage solutions sorted it will be fab! I love having somewhere to sit down and do my make up and skincare.

Do you have a dressing table? Or do you have a different makeup storage idea?

Birthday Fun!

Sooo, it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago and I had an amazing weekend with family and friends. My birthday fell on a Saturday this year which makes it even better (no work! Yay!). So I thought I'd quickly share with you some of the lovely presents I got from my nearest and dearest.

Here's the first few items; a water bottle off my mum for my gym/zumba sessions. You can put the middle part in the freezer so it keeps your drinks cool while working out (it's currently freezing away at home ready for tonight's aerobics session!). Perfect! Then off a couple of friends I got some sweets, a little cute purse and off my friend who I was recently a bridesmaid for, she got my favourite picture of her wedding day professionally printed and framed. Such a lovely idea! The book is off my mums partners mum (if that makes sense, ha). I have really been enjoying reading this series of books at the moment, so that was a thoughtful gift.

The biggest surprise gift was off my mum, she got me a Kindle Touch! Yay! I've wanted one for such a long time now as I read a lot, especially on my way to work and on long journeys. I hurriedly finished the book I was reading so I could get reading the next one on this! I also got a pink cover for it (pictured later).
My best friend spoilt me with a few of my beauty faves including the YSL Shocking mascara (LOVE this, better than the original YSL Effet Faux Cils by miles in my opinion) and MAC's All That Glitters eyeshadow for my palette (I've been wearing this nearly every day since she bought it me, such a cute colour). The clutch bag is from River Island and was a gift from another good friend. I love the style and colour. River Island bags are such good quality and always lovely designs. The After Eights were a yummy addition from my mum! :)

Also off my bestie (who knows how beauty/makeup mad I am), I got Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish starter kit complete with two muslin cloths. I love this cleanser, it's amazing. I've tried a lot of cleansers but this definitely wins the prize. It's definitely going to be a staple fixture in my skincare routine. She also bought me one of the Korres lip butters which I absolutely love. She bought me the Mandarin Lip Butter Stick in the shade Peach. It's such a pretty colour and perfect for day to day wear. They are so moisturising and really last on the lips.

I also got lots of other lovely presents from friends and family, including a boots giftcard (to feed my beauty addiction!), a ticket to watch my favourite football team Manchester City win the Charity Shield (c'mon city), a bottle of Martini Asti, accessories, lots of lovely cards and some money.

So all in all, got some lovely things, and had a great birthday celebrating in Manchester with cocktails, lovely food, a night in a gorgeous hotel and even better, spent it with some amazing people! :)

August Favourites

So I realllly had to think about my monthly favourites, because to be honest, there's been so many! With the weather being so up and down, and I've had quite a busy month, which means I've been using and loving a lot of products. But I picked my essentials that I haven't been without this month to share with you. 

And here they are...

Origins Super Spot Remover

As I said, it's been a busy month, which means I've been breaking out more than usual, but this little bottle has been a saviour. You basically apply this on any blemishes or even on red areas left by blemishes and it helps to dry them out so they heal quicker. You can apply it as many times as needed, and I really do notice the difference after a couple of applications. It's pricey for a spot treatment, but the bottle lasts for ages!

Maybelline Falsies Flared Mascara

I bought this mascara a few weeks ago after watching Tanya Burr (pixi2woo on You Tube) use it in a tutorial. I have quite long eyelashes anyway, but this mascara really accentuates them. The wand is perfect to work with and it doesn't clog or clump my lashes as some mascaras do. I don't think anything will beat YSL's Shocking mascara which is my all time fave, but I'm enjoying using this at the moment. 

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Now, this is certainly one of my most expensive skincare items, but I just can't be without it. I apply this nightly as part of my skincare routine before moisturising. It comes with a handy pipette and the lady on the Estee Lauder counter in Selfridges suggested 3 drops would suffice daily. I find it really helps lock in moisture, smooth and even out my skin tone. This product also helps if you have any scars or discolouration of this skin.

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

I love this moisturiser, it is a staple favourite of mine and I don't think I'll ever change. For a while I couldn't find anywhere online that shipped this product to the UK. This product is only available for purchase in France as far as I am aware. Then I hit jackpot and found it on a website called Love Make Up, I was so excited I purchased it straight away. Their delivery was excellent, arriving the next day!! I often use this moisturiser in place of a primer. 

Elizabeth Arden's Pure Finish Bronze Powder

This bronzer is part of Elizabeth Arden's Rose Aurora make up range, in which all the products are lovely. I have this bronzer in the shade, Soft Radiance. I've really enjoyed using this bronzer this month as I've been slightly paler than usual and it gives the most gorgeous hint of colour when contouring through the cheeks. I also love the packaging to this product, it really screams premium beauty and I love my bronzers to have a mirror. 

MAC's Pressed Blot Powder

When the weather is as warm as it has been (humidity wise, obviously we've had no sunshine), this product is my saviour! I literally cannot leave the house without this on, or else a few hours later my foundation will look oily and my face will feel awful. I powder this all over my face after applying all my face make up, especially when using liquid foundations and/or cream bronzers, blushers etc. This is a sheer powder, literally just to take that shine off the skin, although I think MAC say there is a small hint of colour. Mine is in the colour Medium/Dark.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss

I have been wearing this lipgloss so much recently. It's so pretty, and glides over so many lipstick colours. This is in the shade Negligee Pink, which is a really light pink colour. It's so glossy and the packaging is gorgeous. The only thing I'm not 100% on is the applicator which is like a little brush, and can sometimes mean you get gloss overload on your lips. Regardless of that, I am a big fan of this product.

Maybelline Baby Lips

I wasn't sure whether to include this in my monthly favourite or not as it's not available in the UK, but I had to leave it in as I love it so much. This product is basically a coloured lip balm, but it is so moisturising, smells amazing and glides on so easily. This colour is Pink Punch and is a perfect 'every day' colour. This product is perfect for dry lips and really locks in moisture while giving off a gorgeous colour. Come on Maybelline, sort it out and release these in the UK! I want to buy more! :)

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

This is definitely my 'go to' foundation at the moment for day to day wear. I normally don't use pharmacy or drugstore foundations at all, but after trying this foundation I was pleasantly surprised. It's so cheap, and I actually got it even cheaper in Savers for £4.99! Cannot believe the value. This foundation promises anti fatigue and radiant glow and I honestly think it does what it says on the tin. When I started wearing this foundation I had so many compliments on how awake and fresh my skin looked. It has a slight shimmer to it, but you can't see this once it's on the skin. It also smells amazing, (is that strange?). I have this foundation in Soft Beige and have just repurchased a new one. No doubt I'll be back to my MAC Pro Longwear for the winter months, but for now, I LOVE this! 

So that's it for my August Favourites. I tried to keep the amount of products as low as I possibly could, but there are so many more I could talk about. Have you tried any of these products, what are your thoughts?

Mini Mac Haul

 We all have those days where we're like "OMG, I need to shop and buy some pretty things to make me feel better", well I seem to have these days regularly! *Sorry bank balance!* :/ So here's just a couple of things I bought from Mac recently on a lonely dinner hour!

MAC's Pro Eye Makeup Remover

My eyes are so sensitive that the most important part of my skincare routine is removing my make up as gently as possible. This eye makeup remover certainly does the trick. You only have to dab the littlest amount on to a cotton pad, sweep it across your eye and the hardest part is done. I love this remover, however, something has just arrived in my Glossybox this month which could compete... keep posted to hear more on that one! :)

MAC Eyeshadow Pro Palette Refill Pan

MAC eyeshadows are my absolute top 'go-to' eyeshadows for any occasion. Most are sooo pigmented and give a lovely colour on the eye. They are so blendable and the colour choices are simply gorgeous! I am building up my palette at the moment but I mostly stick to brown and neutral colours as that's what suits me best. Here I went for a dark brown called 'Smut', which blends gorgeously with with 'Satin Taupe' from MAC, and 'Star Violet' which is a brighter colour allowing you to vamp up the lips also. I like to wear Illamasqua's Wanton lipstick with it!

Left to Right: Star Violet and Smut

Left to Right: Star Violet and Smut (sorry, this pic doesn't show the colours very well!)

MAC Lipstick

I love MAC lipsticks, and literally haven't stopped wearing this colour since I got it. It's called Chatterbox and is such a gorgeous bright pink colour and perfect for a night out, meal out etc etc. It's one of MAC's amplified lipsticks, so it literally stays on allll night! I think this lipstick will be a staple fave throughout the rest of summer and for my holidays for me. 

Anyone else gone a bit crazy on online purchases? Please tell me I'm not the only one abusing my bank account! :) More soon! 

Newbie Beauty Blogger

Hellooo...

Is anyone out there? Probably not considering this is my first blog post and I have no followers as yet!!

Just a bit of background on me! I currently work for an electronics company dealing with their technical documentation. However, make up and beauty products are my real passion, and possibly what I spend a huge majority of my wage on! :/

I have decided to start this blog after being asked a lot of beauty questions by various friends. I also read a lot of blogs and find they are an essential part in choosing which products to buy and try.

So bare with me, I have lots to blog about, and hopefully some may find it helpful!

Bye for now!