On the 9th day of Christmas Day…

“On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me”…

IMG_6056.JPG

A massive box full of Chanel No.5!!

I know I said it’s not Christmas without a little Chanel but it’s not definitely Christmas without a little No.5! As one of the worlds top selling fragrances and an absolute Christmas icon there is a massive range of No.5 goodies.

There’s the usual body lotions and bath gels but for that extra special touch their No.5 loose powder at £50 is a winner. The loose powder maintains the classic notes of N°5 but the puff allows a light and silky application over the body after bathing. Or the hair mist! In a slinky bottle this little gem is highly underestimated. The pores in our hair actually retain more scent than the ones in out body making the hair mist an amazing alternative to carry around than those expensive glass classic bottles. Or…. If you’re just looking for a stocking filler the No.5 soap at £22 makes the most beautiful wee gift.

But what really makes this special is the wrapping…. A gorgeous Chanel box under the tree (whether they admit it or not) is every girls ideal Christmas!!

The “Drugstore” Creeper…

When I go shopping I literally can not pass up the opportunity to go make up shopping. Seriously. Boots, MAC, super drug, John Lewis. My mum and sister will tell you a quick shopping trip is not quick when I’m there. So the last shopping trip I went on was no exception… Call me the “drugstore” creeper…

20140804-163154-59514993.jpg

On my last little venture into Boots I actually picked up a few wee gems which you shall all thank me for as they were bargains! (And seeing as I am constantly giving you new bits and bobs to try every penny counts!) I am a massive fan of base products. When I was younger I had quite a bad spotty completion and since then have been obsessed with foundation, concelear, powder you name it. So this always tends to be what I pick up. So when I saw Revlon had a “2 foundations for £12” deal they had me (hey, if it’s good enough for Emma Stone!?). I picked up two different foundations;

1. Colour stay (which in all honesty I haven’t tried yet because, drum roll please…. It’s too light for me!!)
2. Photoready. Now this foundation I absolutely have fallen in love with! It’s packed full of light reflectors giving skin an airbrush finish bouncing light in any light leaving skin with a radiant glow. It’s texture gives it away as a “drugstore” product, however I didn’t feel it was watery like others can be I just found that it needed a brush rather than fingers and needed a bit more (than the one pump a premium cosmetic will give you) to give a fuller coverage. It wore really well and didn’t leave me super shiny which is common with me and foundations. All in all for £6 it was a massive find, has been in my make up bag ever since and if you follow me on Instagram (@stephmartistry) it’s been the foundation I’ve been wearing in most of my make up pictures. I went for shade 003 Shell but I think there are 6 shades to choose from the lightest, refreshingly, being pale and not a sickly yellow or pink colour!

20140804-163355-59635612.jpg

Next on my bargain hunt was bourjois. I’m partial to a bit of bourjois, being from the same house as Chanel I find there products very similar… You just don’t get the same luxury. (Try and tell yourself you’re a bargain hunter when your holding a gorgeous Chanel packaging…. Yup we all love a bit of luxury.) These two bottles of loveliness are their new range of skin bases, Happy Light for matte or radiant Light, depending on your preference. The Radiant one is quite straight forward, a beautiful texture that leaves the skin feeling like silk and slightly wet for those that like a dewy glow (perfect for drier skins if you find foundation can stick in dry patches). The Matte has just an equally beautiful texture but certainly doesn’t leave the skin wet! The more you apply this into the skin the more the product starts to stiffen and meet resistance! Such a strange sensation! I found this held my foundation very well, I purposely didn’t powder (yes it was very hard for me… I’m okay now 😊) and I got through a whole wedding morning without feeling like I needed to powder. However using it on clients, It really has to be worked into the skin before anything else is applied on top or it will start to roll. I also picked up a cute wee blusher “love struck rose” which I was desperate for as I have so many pink blushers and wanted something warmer for summer. This blusher makes me smile every time I apply it. Bourjois blushers are scented with rose which is just my absolute favourite. Bourjois was also sporting a brilliant offer of 3 for 2 so these items cost me roughy £7 each.

20140804-163459-59699521.jpg

And last but certainly not least because I think this is my best find….

20140804-163610-59770176.jpg

I mean minus the gorgeous packaging but is that a bobbi brown shimmer brick or what!? This is from cosmetics brand Seventeen and cost just £5. There were two shades Gold Bronze and Pink Bronze I went pink as when I swatched them in store the Gold was very yellow… So be warned. It does have chunkier flecks of shimmer but over all it gives a lovely highlight and I’m a big fan of a highlighter. I used it on the tops of my cheeks, Cupid’s bow and the excess over my chin and bridge of the nose. I have also been taking the lightest shade on a small eyeshadow brush and highlighting my inner eye corner. Very versatile product and a great dupe for Bobbi Brown Shimmer bricks (although again you can’t beat a bit of luxury and their colour choices are much better).

I love doing a “drugstore” raid, picking up a few bargain bits and pieces always let’s me try what’s out there and you never know what little gems you can find! Not all of us can afford a premium make up bag but we should never let this stop us from feeling premium when we get dolled up!

As always I hope you find this useful and as always please tell me if you but anything I post! I love knowing how you feel about products as they always work different! Until next time my lovely people 💜

Ciao. x

My bank card doesn’t like my pro card…

Hi everyone,

How are you all? I hope you’re all knee deep in your summer plans and loving some well needed time off!?

Today’s blog is pretty much just a massive shopping list! I recently became a MAC PRO member, one of the great little perks of this is a cheeky 30% off… So as much as this makes me happy it doesn’t for my bank card! I’ve bought a few bits and pieces recently and MAC has produced some amazing new collections, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to show you some of my amazing new finds!

So I did a couple of looks, something to suit everyone. So the first look…

20140718-094828.jpg

FACE

Studio Fix NW20; a full coverage foundation that gives a velvet semi matte finish. Great for flawless complexions without a caked appearance.
Prep+Prime in Bright Forecast; this concelear has a warm peach undertone and is perfect for counteracting the blue, dark tones under eye.
Prolongwear concelear NC15; this concelear is literally the bomb! Full coverage but easily blended. I use this to brighten up under the eyes and contour.
Cream colour base in Hush; this is used to give a glossy highlight over the cheekbones and Cupid’s bow.
Maleficent limited sculpting powder (permanent shade replacement “harmony”); this is used as a shadow colour to contour under cheek bones, forehead. Perfect for paler complexions.
Dainty blusher; used on the apples of the cheeks.
Fix plus spray; I tend not to powder with studio fix as it’s a filler coverage so I give myself a fees sprits with this baby leaving the foundation looking dewy and healthy but in placed all day!

EYES Kelly Osbourne limited edition quad (this was a limited palette but there’s always permanent shades similar!)

Prolongwear concelear used to prep the eye area
Femme fetale; used as a “transition” shade in the socket. Using a transition shade brightens up the shadow of the socket and helps blend all other darker colours when trying to create a smokey eye.
Embark; using this shade all over the eyelids no higher than the crease. Use small amounts applied to the lid and buffed out with a clean blending brush for a seamless smokey eye.
Sexy eyes; use from inner to outer corner and blended with Embark to add more smoke!
Lashes are a couple of coats of Barry M Vegas lash and two sets of lashes!
Eyebrows as always are shaped with Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow wiz in taupe and pomade in chocolate to fill.

LIPS
Kelly Osbourne limited edition lip liner
Limited edition Colour Play lipglass in lots of laughs

Second look…

20140718-095659.jpg

FACE

BB cream compact in shade light; this is really high up on my list of BB creams I’m in love with. Available In lighter shades it applies beautifully and gives a light, fresh coverage.
Prep+Prime in light boost; this is used on all the high points of the face (cheeks, chin, brows, nose) to lightly highlight the face with out too heavy a contour.
Prolong wear concelear; used under eyes as in look 1.
Cream colour base in hush; again used as previously.
Warm soul blusher; used on the edge of the cheekbones and swept upwards, giving a lifted cheek rather than a flush.
Studio Fix powder NW20; to add a but more coverage and a more matte finish over my central areas.

EYES; Kelly Osbourne

Prolongwear concelear is used to prep the eye area. If you’re like me this is great for covering up the redness the eczema leaves on my skin but it also contains an eyeshadow primer!
Femme fetale; this shade is used in the socket, it’s a fantastic warm shade which is perfect for using as a “transition” colour.
Sexy eyes; this is used all over the eye lid. A gorgeous shimmery peach, perfect for all eye colours.
Sweet eyes; a perfect highlighting shade used in the corner of the eye and brow bone.
Embark; is blended underneath the eye with a little bit of Femme fetale.

Lashes and brows are as above!

LIPS

Sharon Osbourne limited edition Cranberry lip liner
Kelly Osbourne limited lipstick in Strip Poker