Violet Chachki Inspired Makeup - I'm Still Obsessed With Drag

So, I love a good gay club, and recently loads of Drag Queens from Rupaul's Drag Race have been appearing at my favourite one. A couple of weeks ago, the winner of Season 7, Miss Violet Chachki herself was there. I got to meet her and get a couple photos. It was brief and I was super drunk, but she said my makeup was cool, so it was pretty awesome.

The makeup look I did was inspired by a look she posted on her instagram. Very pin-up and cool as heck. (Also, the nose ring is fake, for the record).

Let's start with the skin. I primed with Benefit's Porefessional, which I still adore, and then I used Mac's Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NW20, which, again, I still adore. I then used Revlon's PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef on my cheeks and contoured and highlighted with Sleek's Contour Kit.

For my brows, I used Mac's Cork eyeshadow with a small, bristly angled brush for the inner part. I then used a dark brown from Inglot with a tiny, sharp angled brush, for the rest of the brow. Next, I used a cotton bud to crisp up the lines. I finished with No7's Lash and Brow Perfector, to set the brows, and tidied the hairs with a spoolie.

Now, the eyes. I primed using Two Faced Shadow Insurance. In the crease I used a red eyeshadow by Inglot in 382 and darkened it with a black eyeshadow, also by Inglot, in 391. I used the same black to draw a thin line under the lower lashes, winging out under the tear duct. On the lid I used a base of Nyx's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - which I also used in the inner corner and on the waterline - and set it with a white eyeshadow, again, Inglot, in 373. I then did this giant ass wing, using Bourjois's Liner Pinceau  Liquid Eyeliner, á la Violet Chachki. I finished with L'oreal's Volume Million Lashes for my mascara and a pair of thick, flared out, Eylure lashes.

For lips I used Sleek's Matte Me Lip Cream in Rioja Red, cleaning the lines using No7's Lip Pencil in Fire, and then going back over it with the Lip Cream.

And there we go. I love this look, like a whole lot. And Violet was an absolute darling. For reference, the nose ring is from River Island.

Bonus picture with Violet and me.

Cruella De Vil Makeup - Cos I Started Watching Once Upon A Time And It's Great

So, Once Upon a Time is an amazing show. I was finding season four a little so-so, up until they decided that the second half of the season was going to be about the sassiest bitches in fairytale land. Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil. Now, Cruella isn't an evil witch, she's just a bad person, period, and I sort of love that. Her style is also flawless, and considering I haven't driven a car since I passed my test two years, I imagine I would drive much like she does. She's a bit of an idol for me, and I love how the show portrayed her. Thus, this make up.

For this look I wanted to go somewhere between Once Upon a Time Cruella and the Disney version, with a touch of drag, cos that obsession has not gone away. You will need a glue stick.

To start with, those brows. First, brush the outer half of your brows upwards, making sure they are all in a uniform direction. Then, take a glue stick the dries clear and work it over that half the of the brow. Keep adding glue until the texture looks smooth, you can use water to smooth is a little (just dip your finger in the water and run it over the glue). Now set this with a loose, translucent powder. Next, cover this with foundation and leave to set.

For the colour, I started with a black eye shadow by Inglot and a fine, angled brush. I wanted the brows to be thick and angular, so I started by defining and exaggerated inner brow with the shadow, taking the line down the bridge of the nose a little ways. Then fill in the brows up until the arch, going beyond your natural arch and creating an exaggerated curve. Make sure the tail is nice and fine (I use an assortment of cotton buds and make up wipes to achieve this). With the shape established, I went over it with liquid liner for intensity and sharpness.

Now, skin. I started with Benefit's Porefessional to prime, I then applied Bourjois's 123 Perfect Foundation. I then used Sleek's Cream Blush in Newport Peach on the apples of my cheeks, as I wanted the cheeks to look quite rounded. Now, contouring is a big ol' deal with this look. Cruella's cheekbones are quite something, to say the least. For this, I took Sleek's contour kit and a medium sized, flat brush, which is smaller than my typical brush, because I want the contour to be a bit more intense. I contoured my cheeks, extending the line further than I typically would, and curving it under my cheek a little, making my cheeks look more rounded and defined. I blended this out using a larger, angled, fluffy brush, but went in again with the smaller brush to keep the definition. I also contoured my nose, under my jaw and my temples. I then highlighted my cheekbones, the tip and bridge of my nose, my chin and above the arches of my brows using the highlighter in Sleek's Contour Kit. I finished by setting everything with Mac's Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder.

For lips I used Sleek's Matte Me liquid lipstick in Rioja Red.

Now, these intense ass eyes. I started by priming with Two Faced Shadow Insurance. I then took a stiff pencil brush and an Inglot black eye shadow to define the cut crease, making sure the outer edge has a sharp edge and that the inner corner blends into the brow. I blended it out with a fluffy brush the best I could, considering the glue stick. I then used Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Light in Purple over my lid as a base. Over that I used Collection's Glam Crystals Glitter Liner in Rock Chick as a base for Stargazer's Glitter Shaker in Onix, which I patted over the top. I then used Nyx's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on the brow bone and the waterline, setting it with a white eye shadow from Inglot.

For under the eye, I took the angled brush with a black eye shadow, creating a sharp line under the lashes and then creating a sharp, exaggerated tear duct. I then applied spiky false lashes under the eye and super thick lashes on the upper lid.

And there we go. All done. I promised a mental look. Next time I'm thinking a haul post, cos this bitch wants to go shopping.

Women Of Shakespeare - Juliet, Something Neutral For Once

So this look has been sitting on the back burner for a while, as you can tell from the colour of my hair. And by that I mean I wore this look Christmas shopping. I've been busy. Really busy actually, as I had my last of four exams today and I started my new job three weeks ago. It has been a seriously intense month and I am so happy to see its close. BUT, positives; I have a job and thus more money to buy make up and now I have a Summer to read books and paint my face, so upsides.

Juliet is possibly Shakespeare's most identifiable heroine. Most people I've met had to study Romeo and Juliet in school, those that didn't would be familiar with the story anyway - it's iconic. And Baz Lurhmann's film is pretty darn amazing, so there's that.

Juliet is a thirteen year old girl who's beauty puts the moon to shame, which, I personally feel, is hard to bring to life. However, I attempted it. Now, Romeo uses a whole lot of light metaphors when talking about Juliet; she is pale and glowing - so skin is a big deal with this look. With the rest of the look I wanted to look youthful, natural and girly. I take a pinch of salt when it comes to natural, and I'm not sorry about that.

First off the skin. I used Benefit's Porefessional to prime, because my pores are just horrible and this product disguises that. I then used my typical foundation, which is 123 perfect by Bourjois in Vanilla. I then contoured with Sleek's contour kit because I was going out and it makes my face look better. If I were not leaving the house, I would cut out the contour to make the face look rounder and more youthful. But with my face, even with contour, I'm getting that anyway. I then used Sleek's cream blush in OC. Now, highlighting. I used MUA's Shimmer Highlighter in Pink Shimmer, which I feel works well for this more girly look. I applied it to my cheekbones, my chin, my cupid's bow, the tip and bridge of my nose and above my brows because I wanted to glow brighter than the moon. I finished with Mac's Transparent Finishing Powder, because I have oily skin.

Now, eyes. I primed with Two Faced Shadow insurance to start, I then almost exclusively used the shadows from Sleek's Au Naturel palette, the only exception being Mac's Cork. I took a fine, angled brush with Cork and drew a line just above my crease and then winging it out at the end, dipping a little down to the outer corner to create that triangle shape. The colour will drag, so apply with short strokes that build upon each other. Doing the crease like this will make the eyes appear a little bigger. I then darkened this line with Bark from the Au Naturel palette using the same brush. Then take a clean blending brush to soften this line a little. I then took Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk and applied it all over my lid, inner corner and water line, blending it in with my finger. I then applied Honeycomb from the Sleek palette over the top of this, all over the lid. In in the inner corner I applied Nougat and blended it onto the lid, right up to the exaggerated crease.

 I then used Bourjois' Pinceau Liquid Liner to apply a very thin winged line, again, to make the eyes appear bigger. I applied a touch of Bark under the eye, using an angled brush and finished with mascara and some wispy false lashes (Demi-Wispies by Ardell if I remember correctly.

Then, to finish, the lips. I applied a red lip gloss by Barry M to the upper lip, I then rolled my lips together a little for the basis of the ombre on the lower lip. I then dabbed a little more colour on the centre, blending it out with my finger.

And here it is, a moderately natural look. The next look will not be, I glued down my eyebrows and everything for that one.

Adore Delano Drag Makeup - The Newest Time Sink In My Life

So a dear friend of mine introduced me to a little show called Rupaul's Drag Race, and, well, now I'm sort of obsessed (I may be watching it whilst writing this). The show is camp, glitzy and right up my alley (cos makeup, fashion, puns and the camp, all the camp). I am simply in love.

One of my favourite Queens of all time is Adore Delano. She is so damn funny and her lips! I live for her lips. This here is my interpretation of her look. It's a fairly tame one, cos I'll be damned if I'm gonna really go for those brows, I am too lazy for that shit. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun with this look.

Lets start with the skin. Drag Queens wear a whole lot of face products, mainly because they are men painting to look like women, but also a lot of them are performers, so they need makeup that stays through sweat and looks good under harsh lights. That means heavy and matte.

To start I applied a primer all over my face, as my pores are pretty awful and need covering - I used Pore-fessional from Benefit, which I got as a free sample from a magazine and actually need to buy a full thing of, as it's pretty great. Then I used my usual foundation, which is 123 Perfect by Bourjois. It's a matte foundation, as I have oily skin, it's also a long lasting one, so it fits the bill.

Next is the contouring, which is a big deal for drag. I used a Sleek contour palette and a large, angled, fluffy brush to apply colour in the hollows of my cheeks, under my jaw and at my temples. I then used a smaller fluffy brush to deepen the cheek and then to contour my nose. For the nose I blended a thin line down either side of the bridge, joining up the lines under the tip of my nose. You don't want to darken the sides of the nose too much, because it can actually make the nose appear wider.

Then there is baking. Baking (also known as cooking) is where a product is left to settle into the skin before being blended in. I used this technique to emphasize my cheek contour. I took a translucent powder - Mac's Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder - and patted it underneath my contour using a makeup sponge, you want to create a really sharp line. Then you leave it for five minutes or so, I tend to leave it on whilst finishing off my eyes, or something like that. Then I just blend it away whilst finishing my skin with the same powder.

Now highlighting. So, you still want it to be matte, but also to be noticeably there. For this purpose I used a matte, white eye shadow from Inglot. I used a small fluffy brush to apply the colour to my cheekbones and under my eyes - Kim Kardashian style - then on the tip and bridge of my nose, on my cupid's bow, the top curve of my chin (to hide my butt chin) and above the arches of my brows, blending upwards. I then built a little more colour on my cheekbones, as I want them to be highlighted the most.

Now for the eyes. Start with a primer - I use Two Faced Shadow Insurance. Now, the liner is the main focus of this look, so the shadow is fairly minimal. I used an Inglot eye shadow that is three shades of a warm brown in one pan. I started with using the medium shade in the crease, blending it towards the nose. I then used the darkest shade to darken the crease. I then used the lightest shade on the lid. Next, I used Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on the waterline and in the inner corner, I used a white eye shadow by Inglot to set this.

For the brows I used a small angled brush and a black eye shadow. Adore's brows are amazing, so I couldn't fully replicate them. However, the gist is very dark, very angled and big on the front part. I used the shadow to create a boxy shape for the front part and a very fine tail.

Now the liner. I used Rimmel's Glam Eyes Liquid Liner, some people would use gel liner, not me, I hate that stuff. I've tried, I really have, but it does not work for me. If it works for you, use it, but I'm sticking with my liquid liner honey. Now, you want the liner to have a sharper angle at the outer edge than you would typically do, and go longer, and thicker. Start at the outer corner of the eye and draw a line towards the brow. Then draw a line on the lashes and then keep building that line until it basically fills the mobile lid. Join the line up with the outer line, creating a curve rather than a straight line.

For underneath the eye start with the exaggerated tear duct, making sure the point is very sharp. Then draw a line very closely underneath the lower lashes. Draw a line out from the outer corner, leaving a large V between the two lines, this basically going to be a horizontal line from the outer corner. Now thicken the line, taking the outer flick as a starting point. To finish the eyes, mascara and the biggest lashes you own.

Now those amazing, amazing lips. I wanted to go matte red, because a matte texture will help disguise my natural lip line. Now, I started with a No 7 Lip Pencil in Fire. I started by drawing a line just outside of my natural lips, I then built on this, not straying too far away from the actual shape of lips, whilst straying very far from my actual lip size. I then used the liner to fill in my lips. I then applied Sleek's Pout Paint in Pin Up over this, but I'd actually recommend using a lipstick. To finish, I patted a translucent powder over the top to mattify the lips, using a small flat brush, for precision.

 And there we are. A drag makeup look. I had to open the door to a pizza guy wearing this, he looked a little shocked, to say the least. Despite this, I sort of want to wear this out. Maybe I'll skip the lips.

Women Of Shakespeare: Desdemona - 'The Handkerchief!'

The next look in my utterly self indulgent series is for Desdemona, the unfortunate wife of Othello. Othello is sort of a quintessential tragic hero (although I know my lecturer would heartily disagree with that statement, he seems to hate the very concept of the tragic hero and his fatal flaw, and I get it, but this isn't an essay soooooo). Othello appears to be the only black man in Venice and is married to a very white woman (but still Italian, but would have been acted by a white man, so make of that what you will). Desdemona and Othello are happy and in love, but Othello is overcome with jealousy, relating to an incident with a handkerchief, and ends up suffocating Desdemona just before he finds out she's been completely faithful. Heart wrenching stuff.

My inspiration for this look came from the description of the handkerchief, which was said to be white with embroidered strawberries on it. Also I went pale skin, as Desdemona is supposed to be real white in comparison to her husband.

 For the skin I mixed Stargazers White Foundation with my typical foundation (currently Bourjois 123 Perfect in Vanilla). I skipped contouring as I wanted to look a little more youthful and innocent and went full on with the blush. I used Inglot eyeshadow in 382 with a big, fluffy brush and started with a light coat, drawing it up my cheek. I then used a smaller brush and applied a more concentrated colour on the apples of my cheeks. I wanted a fairly matte look, so I skipped out on the highlight.

For the eyes I started by Priming with Two Faced Shadow Insurance, I then used Inglot's 382 in the crease, extended to my temple and underneath the eye. I wanted it to be very soft and blended out. I then used the darkest shade in Inglot's 124 to darken the crease. Next, I smothered Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk over my lid, in the inner corner and on my waterline, blending out with my finger where appropriate. On the lid I applied X-Rated from Urban Decay's Vice 2 Palette and in the inner corner I set Milk with Inglot's 373. I then applied a very thin line of liquid liner on the upper and lower lid. Add a touch of mascara and small sections of false lashes on the upper and lower lash lines.

 For the brows I just brushed on concealer with a spooley, as I wanted this look to be quite theatrical (also to rev up the paleness).

I thought an ombre lip would fit the look quite happily, so that's what I did. I started by blending the foundation mix on my lips, I then used No 7 Lip Pencil in Blush to fill in my upper lip and the inner part of my lower lip, blending it out with my finger. I then used No 7 Lip Pencil in Plum to darken the inner parts of my lips. Next I applied Barry M Lipstick in 153 on my top lip and rolled my lips together to blend the colour on to my lower lip. To finish I applied a thin layer of clear lip gloss.

Et Voila. Here's me with a dress up apron from a Magenta costume (from Rocky Horror) which I'm pretending is a handkerchief. So, yeah.

Bird Makeup - Utilising Crazy False Lashes With Even Crazier Makeup

So I recently wrote a blog post about a Nyx haul I did, and in that haul was this handsome pair of lashes with red feathers sprouting from their outer corners. Thus, this look was born.

I recently saw a showing of a performance of The Tempest at The Globe (the original performance being at the Globe, I saw a recording of it at a cinema, where it was so nice not to have to stand throughout the entire three hours). In this performance the actor who played Ariel had this really cool makeup on, which was a wash of red extending from his eyes towards his temples. I was inspired. So with this in mind and these beautiful lashes, I came up with this look.

 All the shadows I used are Inglot. The red is shade 382, the yellow is 343, the white is 373, the peach on the lid is 612 and the dark purple in the crease is 452. On the lips I used No 7 Lip Pencil in Fire, with Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 01 over that, followed by Barry M Lip Gloss in Valentines. On my skin I used a mix of Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in Light Vanilla and Stargazer White Foundation. I blended the red eye shadow into my cheeks as a blush, used Sleek Contouring and Blush Palette to contour and used MUA Pink Shimmer Highlighter on my cheekbones, nose, cupids bow, chin and forehead. 

 For my brows I put Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on to a spooley and pulled it through the hairs. I also used Milk on my waterline and inner corner. I used Bourjois Liquid Liner for a Cat eye to better blend in the lashes. The lashes are, of course, Nyx Super Power. I also used Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yellow as a base for the yellow shadow.

Et Voila!

Nyx Haul - For When Needing To Replace One Thing Turns Into Buying Four Things

So, Nyx's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk is a certified staple in my make up collection. It's a rare day that I do not reach for this product (sky falling? blue moon?). So when I was down to a measly stub it was time to stumble back to the Nyx website and do some buying. Because who just orders one thing from online? Not me, certainly. Like, I'm paying for postage, I better make the most of it. Thus, Nyx haul.

Now, I have a bit of a split position on Nyx products. Some I absolutely adore (jumbo eye pencils, yo), others I'm fairly ambivalent about (glitter cream palette, anyone?). I've tried their nail polishes, that, whilst having an incredible range of colour, are a bit so-so on the formula side. Their eye shadows are buttery and pleasant to work with, but I very rarely use single eye shadows any more. I'm pretty in love with their Glitter on the Go shakers, but they're being discontinued. So, with these past experiences, I cruised on over to the false eye lashes. I was not disappointed. I also bought a lipstick, because I just want to love them, because a lot of them are named after Greek Gods, and that is a very fast way to get into my heart (and also my collection - see also Nails Inc polishes named after London Streets).

First things first, we have these BEAUTIES. Like, hot damn. These are the parrot lashes. Who knew I wanted to look like a tropical bird? Now, wearable is not a word to be caught dead in the same room with these lashes. But that's OK. Wearable isn't everything and I love doing crazy editorial looks. Also costume parties.

Just take a minute to fully appreciate these lovelies.

Next up are the Super Power lashes. These are more toned down than the Parrot lashes and I can conceivably see myself wearing these out. Because red and black are match made in the fiercest heaven.

I'm just in love.

Now we have the lipstick. It is called Hestia, who is the Greek Goddess of the Hearth. Now, this lipstick is far from homely. It's sex in a creamy and well pigmented formula. I often find Nyx Lipsticks a bit too creamy, I feel like they're just going to slide off my lips, despite having a respectable amount of staying power. I just feel like the formula is just sitting on my lips, rather than sinking in and feeling a little more natural. However, this lipstick felt a little nicer, to the degree that I will be reaching for this lipstick a lot. Because, guys, this colour. Dark red lips I feel are my spiritual lipstick home. I constantly get drawn to them, when buying and reaching for one to wear.

The ease of application caught me off guard. I was expecting to have a streaky and unpleasant mess with my initial application, but I got a nice even coverage that I went over to just build the colour a little. I'm one happy bunny with these purchases.

Cyborg Make Up - For When You Want Your Exterior to Reflect Your Cold, Hard Heart

So, this is my friend Zoe. She is stunning and I swear to God hew face is just a dream to put make up on. She's has lots of lid space for me to play with, plus full lips and great bone structure - she makes my job easy. So whenever I can get my hands on her face for make up purposes, I do. I always end up doing something extreme and a tad weird, because she's not going to go out with it and it's my time to have some fun.

This time around I did cyborg make up. I can't tell you why, probably something to do with my love of doing fake tears. Liquid metal tears seemed like a fun thing to do, so I built the look around that concept.

 For the face I used Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in Light Vanilla, I contoured and highlighted with Sleek's Contouring and Blush Palette in Light. For the brows I initially brushed some concealer through them to lighten the hairs, I then covered the brows in Collection Glam Crystals liner in Hustle. For the Lips I patted Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 01 in the centre and blended it towards the edges.

I used Urban Decay's Vice 2 Palette for the eyes. In the crease I used Rewind, which I then darkened with Lovesick. On the lid I used a base of Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk which I then pressed Shellshock over. I used Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean on the waterline which I set with a black eye shadow. I then used a Bourjois Liquid Liner to create a cat eye. The lashes are Fever Lashes, which can be bought at Smiffy's (which is where I got them).

 For the tears I used a small brush and Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 01. Using a lipstick gives a shinier texture than a shadow, it also has a more translucent consistency if blended enough which worked well for what I wanted. I wanted the red to be a bit like the flesh being burned away by the molten metal tears. I then used Shellshock - previously mentioned - over the red to create the molten tears. I then covered the tears with clear gloss to make them look more liquid-y.

 For the Metal Panel in her forehead used gel liner to outline the area I wanted, I then filled it in with Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, which I then set with Shellshock. I then used the gel to add more lines and some dots to look like bolts. I then used Collection Glam Crystals Liner in Dancing Queen for the red lines and Madness from the Vice 2 Palette for the blue lines.

I then proceeded to take a billion photos because Zoe kept pulling silly faces. To be fair to her though, I did just do this to her face.

Burlesque Make up - The Film Not A Potential Career Path

 So Netflix, yo (I'm saying yo because I'm currently watching Breaking Bad, and that's also a direct result of Netflix, so, yeah). I have entered a wonderland of sub par romantic comedies that I can watch at one in the morning. It is pretty great, if not a little harmful to productivity. The point of this is that I watched the film Burlesque starring Christina Aguilera  and Cher and the runaway best part of the movie is the make up. And I'm not going to let you disagree with me, because you would be wrong. Not because the movie was bad, but because the make up is that good. It's sparkly and colourful and walking that line of not quite yet looking like a drag queen. That line is my line. I live that line.
I didn't really plan to do this, but I got inspired and decided to start playing with my make up and I ended up with this, which I'm fairly happy with. Ignore that I'm in my pyjamas.

 I started by filling my eyebrows in with a black eye shadow - I used an Inglot one and proceeded to use that one for the rest of the look. I made the line as fine as my brows allow and sharpened the edges by using a concealer. I wanted this to be fairly drag. I then took and angled brush and a black eye shadow and drew a line just above my crease and elegantly swept it out just beyond the end of my brows. I then used the same shadow to draw a wing and line around my entire eyes. Then I used Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean on waterline, setting it with shadow.

 Next was the lid where I had no choice but to use glitter, like, come on. I used my finger to apply a base of the pale pink shade in MUA's Glitter Eye Palette in Twilight - this stuff is super sticky and creases so use it with caution. I then set this with Stargazer's Glitter Shaker in Garnet which is all kinds of pretty. I then went over the black shadow with gel liner to give a cleaner line. This is when I created the point in the inner corner. I finished with healthy amounts of mascara and Eylure Dramatic Lashes in 202.

I used Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in Light Vanilla and Sleek's Contouring and Blush Palette in Light to contour and highlight. I used a smaller brush than usual to contour so as to give slightly sharper lines, especially round my nose, I then blended this a little with a larger brush - fine line of drag, yo. I then used Revlon's Photoready Cream Blush in Coral Reef on the cheeks. I set this all with Mac's Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder.

I over drew my lips, because who cares about subtlety? I used a No 7 Lip Pencil in Fire to entirely fill in my lips, which I then covered in Sleek's Pout Paint in Pin Up. To finish I put a reasonable amount of clear lip gloss on my hand, then using my finger to pat unto my lips, so the colour doesn't get smudged around by an applicator. And I was done. Cue taking many photos of myself at an inappropriately late hour to be awake. Finis.

Face of the Day - Make up for Partying

A few days ago it was the Birthday of my lovely friend Jade. We were going out clubbing - like the hip kids we are - so she asked me to do her make up. I'm quite happy with how this came out, as a glass of wine was drunk during the process.

Jade doesn't wear a huge amount of make up normally, so I created quite a neutral look.

On the face I used 123 Perfect Foundation in Light Vanilla by Bourjois. I then used Nyx Blush in Nutmeg to Contour and Sleek Blush By 3 Cream Blusher in Newport Peach on the cheeks. I ran some Mac Cork eye shadow through the brows and a smudged some Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 22 on the Lips.

 For the eyes I wanted the cat eye to be the main focus. Jade has round, large eyes, so I created a fine line with a longer flick to lengthen her eyes. Her eyes are also slightly hooded, so a thin line is needed, otherwise no eye shadow will be seen and horrible creasing will occur. For the shadows, I used Cork by Mac in the crease, with a dark brown by Inglot to deepen it. On the lid I used Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha and set it with Gates of Eden in the Sleek Garden of Eden Palette. In the inner corner I used Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. Over the entire lid and more concentrated on the inner corner I used Inglot Body Sparkles in 51. The liquid liner is by Bourjois. I used some false lashes that I cannot for the life of me remember where I got. They were wispy and longer at the outer corners, though.

 On my face I used the same foundation (we both had the same one, who knew?), I used Sleek Contouring and Blush Palette to contour (duh) and highlight, I used a blush from the same palette I used for Jade in the colour OC. I then smothered my face in Mac's Prep and Prime Translucent Finishing Powder, which I sometimes worry someone will mistake for drugs, because it is white powder. ANYWAY. Nothing on my lips because we were already late and alcohol dissolves the lipstick anyway.

(Also, if you look closely there's an adorable and lovable Pokemon perched behind me, much love for my Froakes).

 Cork by Mac and a Dark Brown shadow by Inglot in the crease and Inglot Body Sparkles in 71 on the lid. The glitter is Spock by Make Up Store. I used Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk on the water line and in the inner corners. I then pat some Inglot Body Sparkles in 51 in the inner corners. The liquid liner is the same as before, and again the lashes are miscellaneous, possibly Girls Aloud ones.

The night ended up being darn good despite me breaking a pair of shoes and losing one of another pair then at the end of the night after many hours in a club being asked to leave it for said bare feet. Lets not talk about what the floors of clubs are actually like. A Happy Birthday to the lovely Jade, anyway.

Photoshoot by the River - Beautiful Friends and Beautiful London

 Last week I had a couple of my friends over to do their make up and get some cool photos in our beautiful city. We went to Hungerford Bridge and the South Bank, also known as some of the most beautiful places in London. Waterloo Bridge is my personal favourite for views - you can see the Shard, St Paul's, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the City - it's damn amazing and never ceases to astound me. However it tends to be busy and I didn't want to embarrass my friends too much, as it was they got quite a few funny looks. I'm not sorry, though, I got some damn good photos.
Hungerford Bridge is the next bridge along from Waterloo Bridge and has pretty good views itself. It is also near a brilliant Mexican restaurant - Wahaca if you're interested - which we went to after we were done. The South Bank is also lovely, and there are always book stalls there if you want to get books for cheap, or just want to browse and look very cultured while doing so.

 This is my friend Kimberly, she only dresses in monochrome, so for the make up I couldn't help but oblige. I wanted something vampiric and gothic, but also so very stylish - hence the rhinestones, I'm a sucker for rhinestones.

 I used a gel eye liner to draw the shape, a Black Glitter Eye Crayon by Barry M over the top as it has really chunky silver glitter in it, I then set that with a sparkly black eye shadow - Lovesick in the Vice 2 Palette by Urban Decay. In the centre of the lid I patted some Inglot Body Sparkles in 71, which is the most amazing glitter, it has a pinky-brown base colour with green and blue glitter. It is probably my favourite piece of make up. Because of the black base, only the blue and green come across, still hella pretty.

 I then put medium a sized rhinestone on the inner corner of each eye. The lashes are Eylure in LP6. For the lips I used a Rimmel lipstick in Starry-Eyed. I used a brush to blend the colour in the inside of the lips to give the feel of a red wine stain - or a just fed vampire.

 My friend Meiri is almost the opposite of Kim, loving colour and lots of it. It was typically raining on the day so she brought her incredible yellow umbrella. I couldn't help but utilise it.

Subtle was not a word within my register when I was creating this look. When I do colour I don't do half measures. I used the Ultra Matte V1 Palette by Sleek, which is everything you could want for a bright look. I used the yellow in the first third of the lid, the pink in the centre third, and the blue in the last third. I then used Nyx Glitter on the Go in the shades Cool Blue and Hot Yellow and a Stargazer Glitter Shaker in Pink over the top of their respective colours. For the crease I returned to the Sleek Palette, I used the purple for the entire crease and the blended a little orange into it on the outer edge and a little pale green on the inner edge. I used the yellow, pink and blue on the lower lash line to reflect the lid. I then finished with a shimmery white in the inner corners.

 To finish I created a wing with a liquid liner, I also did a thin line on the lower lash line. I uses Eylure lashes in 141. For the cheeks I blended the same pink from the eyes in an upward movement up the cheek. I used a Barry M lipstick in 52.

I was really happy with how these looks came out and I think both Kim and Meiri look amazing.

I thought I'd finish with my favourite photo from the bunch, pouts are all well and good, but you can't beat a smile, especially if it's caused by funny looks from strangers. All those poor tourists wondering who these two women who were being photographed were. We'll all be famous one day, I'm sure.