Red Lips

Ok so at work this weekend we're doing "Give It A Go Friday" - basically every friday and into the weekend, we try and persuade people to try out something new. As much as 70% of women admit that they are stuck in a rut with their make up, so this is a good way of trying out new things and playing around with new looks.

Our first theme is red lipstick. There's so much to be done with beautiful red lips. I personally love using the theme to create a vintage look - using hair rollers, red lips and matching red nails.

One thing I always say though is that if you're doing something bold with your lips then you should keep eye make up minimal, there's nothing worse than going around thinking you look fabulous and actually looking like a clown!

Here are my top 5 bargain products to get red lips this weekend....

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain - Romantic £7.99

A lipstain is a fantastic way of making sure that your lips keep their colour. I love this deep crimson colour, and although I'm no Emma Stone, I'm always impressed with the results. I would reccommend buying the balm also to keep your lips nice and moist.

Maxfactor Lipfinity - Fiery £10.99

This is a little bit of a luxury buy, but completely worth it. I justify it by not having to pay extra for the balm as that's included. Lipfinity not only makes a beautiful sparkly red colour of your lips, but keeps that "just applied" look about it. It's fantastic.

Bourjois 3D Effect - Rouge Democratic £7.69

Although this is a gloss, the application is quite waxy and thick, and creates a very nice deep glossy colour. It's nice if you want something a little bit different to a usual Matte red, and the thin applicator brush ensures a precise application. It's very glamorous!

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish - 22 £5.49

This was my very first ever red lipstick, and I always tend to go back to the Kate collection for a perfect Matte look. Maybe for me it's hazed with nostalgia , but I absolutely love this product. I have both 01 and 22 which are both reds, but the 22 is the one I use the most.  Unlike some lipsticks this applies really easily, has a great bold colour and is lightly scented.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer - Stellar £5.99

This is only a recently tried product but I just absolutely love the rich colours of the Apolcalips collection - particularly this trendy coral red. It just brings something completely new and vibrant to the theme of red lips, it really is a celebration of colour.


Those are my top five, but there's something no lipstick wearer should live without...

A lipstick sealer like this one from Lipcote really seals in the colour - there's nothing more sad than faded lipstick. The formula is great, not too runny, not too sticky, just the right consistency to keep you looking fantastic. You can pick these up from any chemist or drug store for £3.69, and the effects are long lasting.

What I'm Using #1

I took inspiration for this from Ebruska's Make-Up Blog, which is fantastic and as sophisticated as one day I hope mine will be.

Basically, I have a little No7 make up bag that I carry around with me full of the make up I'm currently using. You won't see me anywhere without it; it's on my "things to never leave the house without" list. I work with make up all day and I test alot of make up in my free time, so every product in this bag has my absolute seal of approval. Here is a list of the products that I am currently using...

Primer

Bourjois Flower Perfection Translucent Smoothing Primer

No7 Airbrush Away Primer 30ml

Foundation

17 Photo Flawless Foundation - Natural

Maybelline FIT Me Foundation - 115 Nude Beige 

Concealer

The Body Shop Concealer Pencil #01

Bronzer

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Compact Bronzing Powder - Light

Blushes

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush  - Berry

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blush - Pink Rose

Bourjois Little Round Pot - #37 Rose Pompon

bareMinerals i.d. Blush - Vintage Peach

Highlighter

Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer  - #001 Flush of Pearl

BB Cream

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream Normal/Dry

Eyeshadow

Maxfactor Smokey Eye Eyeshadow Stick - Bronze Haze

Maxfactor Smokey Eye Eyeshadow Stick - Purple Mist

Rimmel GlRam Eyes Quad Eyeshadow - Sun Safari

17 Smoky Eye Pallette

Mascara  

Loreal Volume Millions Lashes - Black

Maybelline Volume Express Rocket Mascara - Blackest Black

Eyeliner

Boots' Natural Collection Kohl Eye Pencil - Black

Boots' Natural Collection Kohl Eye Pencil -Olive Green

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

17 Tatoo Me Semi-Permanent Liquid Eyeliner

Lipsticks

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Collection #107

Rimmel Kate Moss Collection #01

Rimmel Kate Moss Collection #22

Rimmel Moisture Renew - Soft Coral

Loreal Colour Riche - #252

Lip Stain

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Precious

Lip Balm

Nivea Lip Butter - Vanilla and Macadamia

Vaseline Ltd Edition - Pink Bubbly

Lipsmacker Lip Balm - Fanta Orange

Skincare

Boots' Essentials Cucumber Facewash

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit daily scrub

Montagne Jeunesse Peel Off Anti-Stress Masque -Cucumber

Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden Salt Scrub

Soap and Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk

                    No7 Completely Quenched Body Moisturising Lotion

  Boots' Coconut and Almond Body Lotion
 Boots' Cocoa Butter and Mallow Body Lotion
Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula

Haircare

Aussie Colour Mate Shampoo

Aussie Colour Mate Conditioner

Pantene Heat Defence Gloss spray

Boots' Coconut and Almond Leave-in Conditioner

Batiste Blush dry shampoo

Elnett Supreme Hold Hairspray

The Primer Police

It's amazing how often I hear people say "I don't use Primer" or "It's a waste of money" or "My make up goes on fine without it" and "I don't really understand what it's for".

If you were putting wallpaper up, you would have lining paper underneath it to smooth out any imperfections on the wall, so that the lumps and bumps don't show through the end result. Well that's why you need a primer under your make up.

Your face goes through a lot every day and having that thin layer of cream/gel before you apply make up does not only improve the end result, it adds just a tiny bit more protection for your face, before you clog it up with powder and foundation.

Furthermore, it keeps your make up perfect for longer. The best way to apply your make up is with a brush - when you use your fingers you're just moving the formula around your face, using a proper make up brush helps to press foundation onto your skin and into those area's that you want covered the most.

For the best results, use a primer first. They come in all textures. My personal favourite - as previously mentioned on my blog - is Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer, which comes as a very light and easy-to-spread gel.

Once that's applied you add your powder and then your foundation - it's widely disputed which one of these you're supposed to put on first. I always put on my powder first, I find it keeps the foundation on for longer as it kind of sticks to the powder. I don't know if this is true but it's always worked for me.

For me, that is a standard make up base and I would go from there, but I would always reccommend having that Primer on first. They aren't too expensive either, you can find most decent drug store brands cost less than £10 and the effects are well worth the money.

Primer Time

As I was lazing around on my morning off, as I was googling "MAC Primer" (as you do), I came across an article by Elle about the six best primers, which you can find here.

Now, when it comes to primers, I find that it's a very trial-and-error process and you definitely want to get the best quality product that you can, but the products that Elle reccomends are extremely pricey, and since I work with make up all day, every day, I've come across a few really impressive primers that actually don't cost the world, but have great results.

Anyone that comes into my store seeking help about their foundation almost always leaves with this product:

Flower Perfection by Bourjois works particularly well for people with oily skin, especially around your T zone. The texture is that of an extremely light gel, that spreads easily - a lot really goes a long way. It dries almost instantly and evens out your skintone. It makes the foundation application much smoother and to be honest - it just feels absolutely gorgeous on your skin. Alot of customers I let them test this on their wrists first and they often come back and tell me how fabulous it is. At £9.99, it's reasonable, and until 30th March there's a 3 for 2 offer on Bourjois products so you can really make the most for your money.