Birthday Makeup......Audrey Hepburn Inspired

This is the makeup I wore for my 26th birthday dinner with my husband. I was looking for something simple and sophisticated, yet different than my usual daily makeup. I normally do not line my lash line with liquid eye liner because it can take a long time to do it precisely plus my magnifying mirror broke few months ago and I only bought it the other day. 

As you can see in the above picture, my dress was already bright and had a busy tropical print going on. You can see more pictures of my entire outfit here. Because of the dress, I wanted to keep my makeup as natural as possible but still with a little colour and warmth since it's Summer after all. I also didn't want any smokey eye or coloured shadow on my eyes. So I was very inspired by this Audrey Hepburn makeup tutorial by Tanya Blurr on pixi2woo channel on you tube. As you can see if you watch her tutorial here, I only followed her in the way she applied the makeup but I used completely different products both in terms of colours and brands. While she used more browns and light pink shades, I opted for pale golden yellows, beige browns and light reds to keep the same colours of my dress and make the final look more Summery and fun. 

This is exactly what I did:

1. I started with a cleansed and moisturized face, including the eyes. I also made sure to use some SPF because the sun where I live is still bright in the late afternoon and I don't want any more pigmentation on my nose.
2. First thing I did was to apply my concealer under my eyes and on my lids (since I do not have an eyeshadow primer at the moment; let me know if you have any recommendations).
3. Then I also used a little foundation to even out my lids.
4. For the eye makeup, I started by applying the white eye shadow all over the lid as well as in the inner eye corner and brow bone to make the eyes pop and the makeup appear brighter. 
5. I then applied the golden pale yellow shade on my palette on the entire lid and then contoured my crease line with the ash brown shade. I also used the first shadow on the inner lower lash line and the second shadow on the outer lower lash line.
6. I finished my eyes with this Audrey Hepburn inspired winked eye line and my black mascara.
7. For the face, I applied my foundation with a makeup sponge. I slightly contoured my cheecks with my favourite blush/bronzer at the moment. And used a slightly red blush on my cheecks. I also applied some highlighter on my cheeck bones.
8. And for the lips, I simply applied 2 coats of my red lipgloss.

Products I used:

        I used the 2 shades in the centre and the white one on the left in the second image.

• Maybelline Affinitone Concealer in shade 01
• Vichy Aera Teint Liquid foundation in shade opal 12
• White, golden pale yellow and ash brown from BC palette
• Body Shop liquid eye liner in shade 01 black
• Deborah Milano Definitive Volume mascara
• Essence silky blush (used as bronzer) in shade 40 natural
• Body Shop blush cheek colour in shade 07
• Missha The Style light lip gloss in shade RD001

I was very happy about how my makeup turned out, especially the winked line which is something I rarely do. I think this makeup complemented my 60's inspired outfit so well while still keeping the look contemporary. If you would like to see what I wore on my nails click here.

STAY FAB

Makeup & Hair Inspiration for Summer 2012...

This week is an exciting one because both my husband and I celebrate our birthdays. I am one of those people who love birthdays, especially mine. My birthday has always been something to look forward to and has become even more exciting since I started celebrating it with my loved one! 

So each year, 2 months prior to my birthday (which is on the 16th June) I start thinking about how I can celebrate this day but most importantly what I can wear. I love clothes, I have always loved them. So for me there is no better way to celebrate my birthday by feeling great in what I am wearing for that night out with my husband. But clothes on its own are not enough to complete a look. So I have also got to envision my hair and makeup and choose the accessories to pair with my outfit. These are what can really make you look great! 

Since I have already decided what I am wearing on both my husband's birthday and mine, I have now started thinking about my hair and makeup while I finish purchasing the last few accessories and nail polishes. In this post I want to share with you some pictures which I might be taking inspiration from, when getting ready to celebrate both birthdays.

Dior Summer 2012

Revlon Spring Summer 2012

 Clarins Spring Summer 2012

STAY FAB

Natural Makeup for Spring.......with Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream

Each year, the warmer seasons tend to feature brighter colours. This season in particular is all about mixing pastels together. as well as wearing popping colours. I am sure that you (as me) are all excited about pairing coloured pieces together and wearing them out to feel great after a cold and dull winter. But with all the colour on our clothes, it is advisable to keep the makeup more natural. A lighter face will also mean higher comfort when the temperatures start raising, and will help us maintain a fresh and polished look without too much effort even during the hottest months. The following makeup look is both natural and light. 

Products on my face.....

QV Moisturizing Day Cream with SPF 30

La Roche Posay Anthelios 50+ Sun Protection (for Sun Intolerant Skin)

Maybelline Affinitone Concealer

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream with SPF 42 in shade 23 Natural Beige (a very light application)

Missha Golden Rose Blush in 208

3 shades of brown from my BC eyeshadow palette (a light brown on the entire lid, a medium brown on the crease and a dark brown to line my upper and lower lashes)

Deborah Milano Volume Mascara (a very light application on the upper lashes only)

QV lip Balm with SPF 30

This makeup looks also good when worn with glasses, especially if they are frameless like the one I am wearing below (which are by Moschino for those interested).

A quick review of Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream with SPF 42

The BB Cream is a great product for Spring and Summer because it gives you a very light coverage thus helping you achieve that natural makeup I have been talking about. At the same time it also gives you a light to medium coverage (which is buildable). It is therefore a great tool to obtain that flawless natural face we all dream to have. The best thing about the Missha BB Cream (as many others BB creams) is that it is light and has a high SPF which are both important during the warmer season. And this one is also cheap and it comes in about 6 shades. Plus, if you apply a light hand you are very likely to be able to use even darker shades. This is especially useful if you are very pale and want to give your face a slightly warmer appearance without getting the dirty clowny look which bronzer can sometimes give us (for all the pale women). For this exact reason I used shade 23 which is a natural beige (at least one shade darker than what I would normally use). It looked fine and just gave me that warm look to make me look alive. And I was able to skip my bronzer. The consistency of this BB cream is creamy, thus great for normal to dry skin but also for acne prone skin (as indicated on the package). It didn't cake and it didn't need powder on as it looked just a little dewy, exactly as I like my face to be. It stayed on for many hours although I had only applied a little bit where needed. If all of this is not enough for you, the M Perfect Cover BB Cream also claims to have whitening and anti wrinkle properties. So what else should we desire?.......May be an unscented version! Overall a great product which is also good value for money since it only costs 15 euros and it comes in a 50 ml tube. 

STAY FAB.

Coral Pink Lip.......Lipstick Review + Easy Makeup Look

Hello ladies,

I am sure you already know how in is coral at the moment and it is going to be around all summer long. So here is a makeup look featuring coral pink lips, which is easy to recreate as well as very easy to wear since the coral pink lip is not as bold as coral lips. 

This look was inspired by a new lipstick I bought about 10 days ago. Lately, I have been trying to grow my lipstick collection and also throw old ones. About a month ago I had eyed a lipstick in a makeup shop at my local supermarket but felt it was too bight for February so I didn't buy it. Since then, I have been thinking about that beautiful bright colour again and again and when I saw it a second time I couldn't resist buying it. This beautiful lipstick which caught my eyes is a Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in shade 022 Nostalgia. It costed me less than 4 euros which is a great price for a lipstick that is going to last you so long (unless you break it of course).......

My Opinions

I love these lipsticks mainly because of their prices. I also like their colour intensity, smoothness and their shine. Another great thing about them is that they do not have an unpleasant scent which is very important to me.Although they are advertised as lasting up to 8 hours, I would day they do not last more than 4 hours which is still good because one can easily reapply them. I would prefer them to be completely unfragranced and more moisturizing, but for their low price they are definitely good value for money. 

As for the colour per se, I think Nostalgia is one of the most beautiful colours I own. What makes it so special to me is that........

• It complements my natural complexion and enhances the contrast between my darker hair and fair skin....
• The colour is stunning and when applied it looks gorgeous (more coral than in the picture above)
• It is bright but not too bright ....
• It gives your lips shine without making them appear too glossy, thus great for those times when you want to avoid a lip gloss....
• It can be worn during the day but also at night, depending on the rest of your makeup.....
• It is definitely a great colour to have for both Spring and Summer.

My Makeup Look

1. I started with a freshly cleansed face and I applied my QV day cream with SPF 30 which I love and you can read my review here...... http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2012/01/fragrance-allergymy-new-skincare.html
2. For my face, I used my Maybelline Affinitone Concealer which I couldn't live without to cover redness and blemishes and I skipped foundation. Here is my review..... http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/07/maybelline-affinitone-concealera-review.html
3. For my eyes, I used the concealer to even out my eye lids and just applied a black pencil liner on the upper lash line as well as on the lower lash line. I also lined my water line with the same liner. Finally I applied a coat of my Definite Volume Mascara by Deborah Milano (review here  http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/03/definitive-volume-mascara-by-deborah.html). I also highlighted my eyebrow bone with a white shimmery eye shadow.
4. For my cheeks, I used my Essence Matte bronzing powder to sculpt my cheecks as well as a blush and I higlighted my cheeckbone with a shimmery white shadow. Read my bronzer review here.... http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/essence-makeup-review.html
5. For my lips, I applied a balm by Labello and then of course applied several coats of the beautiful Nostalgia lipstick.
6. I also applied a little Rimmel Stay Matte powder ( read review here http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-rimmel-stay-matte-pressed-powder.html), which I never do, to tone down the bronzer and that's all I did......

STAY FAB

What to wear on New Year's EVE?

Looking forward to 2012? Better be since 2011 is almost over. Apart from thinking about your new year's propositions, have you thought about what to wear on NYE? I am pretty sure most of you know exactly what to wear. For all the others who still don't, I suggest you to read the posts below which I wrote during the month of December to inspire my readers on holiday dresses, hair, makeup and nails............

HOLIDAY PARTY DRESSES

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-dresses.html

HOLIDAY PARTY MAKEUP

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-makeup.html

PINK MAKEUP......FOR THE HOLIDAYS

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/pink-makeupfor-holidays.html

PARTY HAIRSTYLES

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/party-hairstyles.html

CHRISTMAS NAILS

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-nails.html

REVLON FACETS OF FUSCHIA.............A CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE

http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/revlon-facets-of-fuschiaa-cheaper.html

And once you have figured out your outfit, hair, makeup and nails make sure to enjoy your last day of 2011!

Happy End of 2011.

My Makeup Today.....Pink for the Holidays Light!

Today I have tried the pink makeup look I wrote about in my Pink Makeup for the Holidays post which you can view here http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/pink-makeupfor-holidays.html. I wore it in the morning to run some errands so I played it down by skipping eyeliner and making the crease lighter. I really loved the lip colour. I used concealer to neutralize my lip colour. I followed the same steps as in my Pink Makeup post. However, I skipped foundation. And for eye shadows I used Gosh quad in 021 Baroque. While for my lip I used a light plum colour by Ladylya.  

On my nails I wore Movie Star by Rimmel which I featured in my Christmas nails posthttp://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-nails.html

STAY FAB

Pink Makeup......for the Holidays

Here is the Second Holiday Makeup Look. You can see the first look here http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-makeup.html. This is the makeup look I would wear with this pink sequin dress.

If you want to see how I paired this dress you can read my HOLIDAY PARTY DRESSES post here http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-dresses.html.

Second HOLIDAY Makeup Look:

FACE

Body Shop Matte It on my T zone

Makeup Forever HD Foundation (view my review http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/10/make-up-for-ever-hd-foundation-review.html)

Essence Bronzing Compact Powder Matt in Shade 02 (see my review http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/09/essence-makeup-review.html) 

Body Shop Cheek Colour in shade 02 Raspberry Pink

Cheekbone highlighter

EYES

Maybelline Affinitone Concealer (see my review http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/07/maybelline-affinitone-concealera-review.html) for under eyes, redness and eye primer

Mac Pink Venus on my lid. And for my crease I would use a combination of Mac Grain and Embark. And the I would highlight my eye bone with Mac Orb. 

 

I would line my waterline with a brown eye liner and apply my Definitive Volume Mascara by Deborah Milano (view my review http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/03/definitive-volume-mascara-by-deborah.html). I would also use the same crease colours to line my lower lash line.

LIPS
Because this makeup look is so soft, I would wear a more deep lip in a plum shade. Some options are YSL No. 23, Dior Fantastic Plum, and Maybelline in Plum Proper 942.

NAILS
For my nails I would wear something similar to the lipstick like the ones below.....

Stay FAB.

See my FIRST HOLIDAY MAKEUP Look.....
http://alessiapearl.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-party-makeup.htm

How to wear teal......

Hello again,

Today I had some errand to run with my husband and I felt like wearing my cute and chic teal cardigan...so after trying to matcg different clothing items with it I chose to wear it with......... my dark blue jeans, a grey camisole and some grey pumps as well as a grey handbag. As accessories I only wore some teal earrings and my wedding ring. You can see the outfit below......

And you can also see the makeup. Here is how I did it.

Eyes: I applied a dark teal eyeshadow to the entire eye lid, then I applied some cream shadow to the inner part of the lid and blended it with the teal. I continued by applying some charcoal grey to the outer corner of the eye as well as to my crease and I blended everything with a good blending brush (mine is from studio basics). I then applied some shimmery white to the tear deop area and I used this white shadow to highlight my eyebrows bones. I finally lined my lower water line with a brown eye pencil and then I smudged some teal shadow just below the las line where I had applied brown. Finally I filled my eyebrows with a brown shadow.

Cheeks: I applied Body Shop Cheeck Colour No. 7 which a dark pinkish/reddish brown

Lips: I used a medium dark pink lipstick and then I finished the look with a transparent lip gloss.

I really liked this makeup look. It looked dramatic yet it had some colour rather than being grey and white. Hope you like it too and give it a try. Give me feedback please.

AlessiaPearl