How I do A Neat Wing Eye

One thing I used to dislike about doing a wing liner is making both eyes look the same without any smudging. There was many a times where I'd end up rubbing off all my eye makeup in frustration because I couldn't get the lines to match up properly or neatly. This was before I discovered a little trick - sticky tape. Today I thought to share with you how I do a wing liner. In the example below I used Maybelline's ColourShow black eyepencil, however using a liquid liner or any liner works all the same. It takes me about a minute or two now to draw a perfectly symmetrical wing.

The first thing I do is take a small piece of tape and gently press is on the lower lash line and join it up to the end tip of my eyebrow, though you can play with the angle you place the tape depending on the look you want. Then I draw a line going upward from the lower lash line on both sides, ensuring they are of the same length. Then I draw a line across the upper lash line and then fill in the little corner between the two lines on a slight slant. Remove the tape and there's a clean line. Easy peasy, nice and neat. Sometimes to ensure I create a perfect liquid liner I map it out using this technique with an eyepencil, which ensures no mess and helps it to stay on longer.

What do you think of this technique? How do you draw your wing liner?

Kristina xx

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Makeup Goodies

It started with just needing a contour brush and I ended up with a basket full of makeup! (I tell myself I really did need all these things anyway . . . ehem.) Moving on! I bought everything except the eyeshadow palette and the contour/ highlighter sticks from Priceline, which is where I buy all of my makeup/ skincare products. They had some great savings on so luckily it all cost me under $100.

I went for this contour/ sculpting brush from Real Techniques, because I read a lot of good things about it and I must say that I love it. The brush is flat and is on a perfect angle to contour my cheekbones. Also the bristles are soft and gentle on the skin without being too flimsy. The bristles grip onto the product really well and they don't leave streak marks. The handle itself is very comfortable to hold and has a lovely colour. I found you can use this brush by holding it very close to near the bristles are. Around this area it has a little indented area where you can hold onto and apply your product with if you're wanting a very sharp, defined look. Gripping the end of the brush in the black area allows for blending and creating a soft look. I have heard great things about their other brushes too and have my eye on the bold metals collection, which look amazing.

I love blushes that provide a beautiful, rosey flush. I scoured the many testers and found this one by Bourjois in the shade Rose Frisson (Frosted Rose). It has a very subtle, rosey sheen that is very pigmented and has lasted me all day. It comes with a very cute little brush and a mirror and doesn't take up too much space in my makeup bag, which is a bonus. It also has a lovely rosey scent, which is really nice too. It's pretty in a pot!

One product that changes around a lot in my makeup bag is my mascara. I am always on the hunt for a mascara that will extend my lashes without clumping.  I went for the L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in black because a friend of mine wears it and I loved how it separated and elongated her lashes. The wand is different to what I am used to because it is rather bendy and I am used to sturdy wands. It's not a bad thing though because I find it is easier to maneuver through the lashes. The bristles have great grip and are very short and sharp, which allow my lashes to be separated and lengthened (there's worse when mascaras clump your lashes together as you brush them). The actual mascara product itself has a nice liquid consistency, which doesn't clog. I also like how it's very buildable. It doesn't provide large, bushy lashes but I find going over it with a larger mascara brush allows me to create that.

I also bought two eye pencils from Maybelline, which are from the Colour Show range. I bought the both dark brown and the black, as they are the two eye pencil colours I use the most. The pencils are kohl pencils and they have a matte, pigmented finish. They also last on the eyelid all day without smudging. They are also really easy to blend onto the eyelid if wanting to create a smokey look.

I'm a huge fan of Nude by Nature products and was very excited when they introduced their pressed mattifying mineral veil/ translucent powders as they are so much easier to carry around. It took me a while to get round to this one because I had the other version in a little container, which lasted me a long while. I love how this compact comes in a little pouch with a flat powder pad, however I find it's better applied with a powder or kabuki brush. It really controls shine and isn't cakey, which I love.

You can never have too many brushes! Well, I tell that to myself anyway :D I needed a blending brush so I went for this one by Models Prefer, which also comes with a flat liner brush. I love it because the bristles are soft and they don't pull. Plus it was a bargain!

I popped into a little local makeup shop and they were selling some products I hadn't heard of before, though my sister had and she said they were good. I was after a cream contour and highlighter so I bought LA Girl's Bronzer and Hi-Light stick in Brazen and Cashmere. They both glide easily onto the skin and are easily blended. They aren't too pigmented in that they have a sheer sheen to them, but I believe it can be built up. The bronzer gives a sun-kissed glow and the Hi-Light stick is very creamy. You can even use the bronzer as a cream shadow if you wanted.

My sister and I went half on Morphe Brushes eyeshadow palette, of which they had a range on display. We went for this palette (Warm Palette) as it reflected the kinds of shades we use the most. The shadows are soft and powdery. I wouldn't say they are very pigmented but they are buildable and blendable. You can see the swatches below, which go downwards from column 1-7.

What do you think of my makeup goodies? I'd also like to read what you've recently added to your makeup collection.

Kristina xx

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The Last 5 Things I Purchased

I've had quite a busy week, hence the lack of blog posts, but I did manage to treat myself a little so I'm going to share with you the last 5 things I purchased! 

1. Forever New Cardigan

The first thing I bought this week was a long burgundy cardigan from Forever New, which you can see here. I love cardigans and the rich colour of this one made me have to buy it.

2. Forever New Jeans

I also bought a pair of black jeans you can find here, which are really fitted and comfortable. I basically live in jeans so I might be needing to buy myself another pair in good time...! 

3. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

I read a lot of good things about this mascara in the blogging universe, so I went out and bought it myself. The brush is different to what I have used before in that it doesn't have actual bristles. It is also smaller than the mascara wands I am used to. I did have some trouble maneuvering this through my lashes and ended up getting it all over my eyelid. I think I just need to practice using it as I have tried it only when rushing to get to work. I love the texture of it though because it isn't drying. I will have to continue to get a feel this one!

4. Magazine

I am a proper sucker for magazines (especially for those that come with freebies!). I will literally read anything so along with this magazine I got about five other ones. This one came with a Shea Butter handcream from L'Occitane, which I have never tried before. I have been meaning to experiment with L'Occitane products as I have heard a lot about it. I also love their packaging and the ingredients they use within their products. 

5. Nails

Not exactly a purchase but I went out and got my nails done with a friend. The last time I got my nails done was with shellac and that was well over a year ago. I stopped going because it just wouldn't last for me. Literally after a day or two they would fall out. When I heard about SNS, which you can read in detail here, I wanted to see if it was better for my nails as I missed having them done nicely. I have had them for over a week now and I am very happy with this nail technique. I have not one chip and my nails feel strong and are growing nicely. As it says in the link the benefits of this technique is that it consists of natural ingredients and involves no UV light, which is healthier for the nail.

What are some things you purchased this week?

Kristina xx

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What's In My Makeup Bag?

The type of makeup I use on a daily basis depends on a lot of factors such as whether I'm in a hurry or whether I'm spending most of my day indoors or outside. Just in general I tend to switch up the makeup products  quite often because I get quite bored using the same products for too long. Today I wanted to share with you the products that are currently in my little makeup bag (of which some have been there for some time as I really love them!).

I am using NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in the shade Finland almost everyday now for a good few months. Being summer time in Australia this is the first thing that I reach for in the morning. I just don't like the feeling of wearing too much foundation in the heat so I use this as my foundation for a light coverage, which is very buildable. I apply just a small amount using my beauty blender and it gives me a natural, dewy finish. It also features SPF30 sunscreen and is non-comedogenic, which I love. In terms of endurance, it stays put for me all day. I do tend to get a bit shiny on my t-zone throughout the day, but after a quick touch up of powder I'm all good.

Another foundation I love and have been using on and off for about two years now is Nude By Nature's Natural Mineral Cover Powder Foundation. It's so light and gentle on my skin and very buildable. Also, it's so quick and easy to apply so if I'm in a horrible rush this is what I tend to reach for. It's also perfect in the summer time when I prefer to wear as little makeup as possible. I apply this using Nude By Nature's Kabuki brush, which gives it an even and natural finish. Most times I tend to use Nars Tinted Moisturiser first then apply this on top to give a stronger hold for the moisturiser. 

These two foundations are definitely my current favourites! To set them into place I dust some of Nude by Nature's Mineral Finishing Veil, which is a translucent powder that controls shine. 

To give myself a light bronze colouring/ contour I use Calvin Klein's Summer Affair Bronzing Powder, which is highly pigmented. I have been using it for a while because I like the colour and the nice sheen it has to it as well. To switch it up a bit I will use my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, which also has a gorgeous sheen to it. It's much less pigmented than the Calvin Klein bronzing powder yet it lasts just as long during the day.

For some colour in my cheeks I am using Nude by Nature's Virgin Blush, which has a rosy colour. I've been using this blush for ages, now. I really like Nude by Nature products because not only are they are gentle on my skin and look natural on but they last a very long time! This particular blush is very pigmented so I powder only a little but on my cheeks. It's easy to blend and gives a pretty, natural flush. 

For concealer I use Rimmel Wake me Up in Ivory to cover any dark circles under my eyes and Rimmels Match Perfection 2-in-1 concealer and highlighter also in Ivory, which I apply below that near the top of my cheeks because it is a little lighter than my actual skin tone. Both are liquid concealers, which I find the best to blend into my skin. So far the 2-in-1 concealer is my most used concealer product.

For lips I'm always wearing nude colours and the one I'm wearing most at the moment is Mac's Hug Me, which is a sheer brown/nude colour. I think it matches perfectly with my Models Prefer Infinite Colour Lip Liner in Infinite Spice. It helps hold my lipstick longer and glides on effortlessly.

The eyeshadow palette I absolutely love and use almost every day is Too Faced Chocolate Bar. As I said in another post, I really love wearing eyeshadow, especially browns and charcoal colours. This palette gives a variety of those colours, which I can mix and match to produce various looks. The shades I use the most are Milk Chocolate, Semi-sweet (which I use to colour in my eyebrows) and Hazlenut. 

If there's one thing I swap around a lot it's my mascaras. One of my favourites is Maxfactor's Masterpiece Mascara, which I've been using on and off for a while. It's bristles and formula allow me to achieve a look whereby my eyelashes are separated and long without any clumping. To achieve a more voluminsed look, on top of that I will apply Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara, which I find has become rather drying after using it a few times, but despite this I love the length that it gives to my lashes.

What are some of the products that you keep in your makeup bag?

Kristina xx

Parisian Patisserie

I've said before that I love Parisian things, I honestly must have been born there or something in a past life. Anyway, there's one particular Parisian Patisserie or boulangerie based around Melbourne that I love and frequent a lot and it's called the Parisian Baker. Looking at the photos of the gorgeous selection of pastries it's not too difficult to see why I love it so much. It's a cosy little place that's decorated white with shabby chic furnishings. The lovely, wide shop front window is filled with a display of breads and pastries that I doubt you could ignore if you were to walk by it.

I honestly have a difficult time choosing what to eat here because everything is just too good and tastes like no other pastries or desserts I've had before. I feel like I'm eating authentic Parisian pastries made in Paris (all that's missing for me is the Eiffel Tower and a French accent).This place is my favourite for frothy hot chocolates the almond croissants, which are deliciously crusty and buttery! Also, I love the Chocolate Truffle Cake, which for me has just the right amount of chocolate in it (not too sweet). It literally melts in my mouth. I've also had a box of Petit Four, which features a mini lemon curd tart that I could have a million of because it's so delicious.

The beignet (donuts) are the softest, fluffiest donuts I've ever tried. They are filled with either raspberry jam, custard and chocolate (of which I have tried all three) . . . I'm getting so hungry writing this right now haha. The custard and chocolate filling I could eat by by themselves with a spoon. Oh, and the cinnamon donuts are perfection. Again, soft and fluffy. They also have brioche breads, which are amazing, too. They have savoury brioche ones with ricotta and spinach fillings as well as raspberry and custard. I could literally eat this whole shop if I had the room for it.

Also, I love the Parisian touches, such as the cute little bicycle at the front whose basket I've once seen filled with loafs of bread. They also have a clock telling the time as it is in Paris, which makes me wish I was really there! 

Apologies if I've just made your mouth water . . .! What are some Parisian pastries that you love? If you live in Melbourne, let me know of your favourite cafes :)

Kristina xx

Celebrity Inspired Makeup Look: Lily James Smokey Eye

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