Autumn Playlist

Firstly, how awesome is that middle album artwork? Today I thought I'd share a selection of the songs I've been listening to recently. My taste in music has definitely become more electronic/dance tunes over the last year, so if you're not really into that then this playlist probably won't be your cup of tea...

Overwerk - Control ft. Nick Nikon

Capital Cities - Center Stage

Overwerk -  Buzzin'

Cinnamon Chasers - You

Uppermost - Imagine Reality

Far Too Loud - Boom!

Anoraak - Nightdrive With You (Fear of Tigers Remix)

Cinnamon Chasers - Lights

Grum - Transport

Duochrome Smoky Eye

I decided to have another play with MAC Club eyeshadow, because I felt that my previous look using it (found here) didn't quite capture how literally beautiful this colour is. By layering Club over a blue base (I've used Nars Ubangi Eye Paint) it really brings out the different tones in the eyeshadow, shifting it between blue, green, and brown in different lighting.

It's difficult to capture on camera, but if you have this eyeshadow seriously give it a go because it makes for a really easy smoky eye by just adding MAC Satin Taupe and some matte blue eyeshadow through the crease and in the bottom lashline.

Something else I've learnt recently that makes dark smoky eyes like this look much easier; is by applying your crease colour first and blending that out, and then applying your lid colour.

If you wanted to, you could absolutely smoke this out further but I personally prefer to keep my eyeshadow mostly within my lid space - just work with your own eye shape!

Winged Eyeliner Made Easier

After my latest eyeliner purchase turned out to be a bit of a disappointment (more on that later), I found myself needing a new technique for applying winged eyeliner.

Step in the angled-brush-and-eyeshadow method. I spray some Urban Decay Complexion Prep Spray onto my MAC 208 brush, and then use it to apply matte black eyeshadow to the lashline and create a wing. It's difficult to explain in words how I make the wing shape, but there are loads of video tutorials on the internet and then it's basically practice, practice, practice.

It took me a while to find a brush that was was small enough to create just a subtle winged effect, but this MAC 208 does the job perfectly. This technique also works without the setting spray, but I find the finish to be less opaque and not as long-lasting.

Turkish Lookbook

A post I would have scheduled while I was away if I had the time, is a mini collection of the outfits I'd wear on holiday. Instead, I'm sharing it now:

The Airport

A simple and comfortable outfit for travelling in; no-one wants to be taking off loads of layers and accessories when going through security!

 The Daytime

Not a part of the holiday that requires much in the way of clothing! Being the lazy person I am, I only made it to one breakfast! and the rest of the day it was lounging around the pool in a bikini and throwing on this awesome white kimono for lunch.

The Evening

When it came to packing outfits for the evening, I pretty much just threw things in my case that were summery and I wouldn't be able to wear for much longer. Nothing too fancy, just something to wear while working my way through the menu of all-inclusive cocktails...

Chop Chop

Apologies for being off the radar lately! The past few weeks have involved finishing my summer placement, doing some exams at university, and jetting off for a VERY last minute (but much needed) holiday in Turkey.

As you can imagine, I didn't really have much time to organise any scheduled or guest posts so sorry about that. I will say though, that the recent change from two uploads a week to once (usually on a Sunday) is probably going to be more of a regular thing, as I'm starting my final year of my MEng Electronic Engineering degree and will be prioritising my time to work on that.

Anyway, today I'm sharing a bit of a makeover I had just before I went on holiday: chopping half my hair off. Previously, my hair reached my belly button, and now it's kind of a long bob sitting just below my collar bone. I also had some dark lowlights put back through, as my roots were getting ridiculous and the maintenance of blonde hair was just too much effort for me.

The story doesn't end there though. Oh no. There's a reason I went for such a dramatic haircut (and not just because Turkey was insanely hot). I've been growing my hair for the last three years with the intention of donating to www.littleprincesses.org.uk which is a charity providing wigs for children with cancer, alopecia, and other conditions leading to hair loss. 

The minimum donation is 7 inches, but we cut off 10 inches (plaited, so it should more when un-plaited!) and there are certain 'rules' about what hair is suitable - more details on the website if you wanted to do this yourself!

This is also why I've had a bit of a 'hair bootcamp' this summer, with weekly hair masks and treatments, just so it could be in the best condition possible to be turned into a wig.

I was definitely nervous before doing this, and the idea of someone else having my hair is a little weird; but I know that that person needs it more and I've definitely discovered that there is such a thing as too long hair!

Nars Sheer Glow vs Sheer Matte

L-R Glow, Matte (both Mont Blanc)

I first purchased Nars Sheer Glow back in March (I think), and it quickly became my favourite foundation. Lacking an SPF made it great for photos, and the coverage/finish was lovely. A few months and an empty bottle later, I was in need of a replacement! Being the middle of summer, I opted to try the Sheer Matte foundation instead.

Having now used both, I thought I would do a little comparison post!

Packaging
The packaging is pretty much the same for both - the iconic matte black that Nars use with bold lettering - although Sheer Matte has a frosted glass bottle so you can distinguish between the two.

Shade
I can't say if this applies to all the shades in the range, but Mont Blanc is very similar for both foundations with Sheer Matte pulling ever so slightly more yellow in tone, whereas Sheer Glow is what I would call a 'perfect neutral'.

Application & Coverage
The consistency of these two is very similar (not too thick, but liquid enough to blend easily), and both foundations provide a similar amount of coverage; although I would say that Sheer Glow blends just a tiny bit easier.

Finish
Quite obviously, Sheer Matte has a much more matte finish that Sheer Glow, but I find on my skin at least that Sheer Glow isn't massively dewy but just a nice natural texture. For summer, I would recommend Sheer Matte more, purely for the fact that you would need to powder a lot less.

Staying Power
Both of these have some great staying power. I can get a good 5-6 hours wear, and longer if using a makeup setting spray. Having said that, I do find my face gets shiny faster with the Sheer Glow if I'm on a night out and dancing a lot.

Overall, it's going to be down to personal preference as to which you think is better. For the moment, that's Sheer Matte for me but I might revise this when it gets to the colder months and I inevitably have drier skin!

Summer Empties

It can be weirdly satisfying to throw out a whole bunch of products at once. But also sad when they're all products you've loved using. Not quite the end of summer yet, but it is getting darker earlier and definitely not as warm as it has been! Just a gentle reminder that autumn is approaching...

TIGI Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo
Love the packaging, and this left way less white residue in the hair than cheaper dry shampoos.

Nars Sheer Glow
My current holy grail foundation. I replaced this with the Matte version due to warmer weather. Look out for a comparison post soon.

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder
Alright technically this isn't empty but it will be soon, and moving back home after my summer placement I didn't see the point in bringing the rest of the empty packaging with me. This is right to the edges now and getting to be awkward to pick up product, but for a miniature version this has done well to last nearly a year.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner
This started to run out literally in the middle of application. Picture this: one eye with perfect winged eyeliner, one without any. Not a great look. I would definitely purchase this again, but I'm tempted to try the new felt-tip version - Ink for Eyes.

bB Creme de Coco Tropical Riche Masque
After my most 'recent' hair dying session (going blonde back in April), my hair has become quite damaged towards the ends. In order to remedy this, I've been using this hair mask regularly. I'd say it's helped rather a lot.

TIGI S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer
This helps to smooth the hair, and make it easier to brush through, but I dislike the glitter particles in the product. They're not obvious in your hair, but you do end up with glittery hands, and it doesn't seem to wash off!

Argan Gold Hair Vitality Oil
Another hair product, and it happens to be my favourite hair oil. An absolute bargain too, as it's only £4 from Asda!

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter
I have a love/hate relationship with these. On the one hand I love how great they smell, but hate how greasy they make my skin feel while they take years (ish) to sink in.

La Roche Posay Effaclar AI Targeted Breakout Corrector
A staple product in my skincare routine, and the best spot treatment I've ever used.

Super Facialist Tea Flower Pore Purifying Clay Mask
As featured in my Heatwave Heroes post, I've applied this pretty much every week all summer to relieve my face of excess oil built up through the week (lovely). It's also quite fluid for a clay mask, which makes it easier to apply.