Bright Summer Floral Nail Art Tutorial

Summer is fast approaching and lots of bright flowers have blossomed, so in true summer spirit I have created a floral nail art, which definitely isn’t short of colour!

All you will need are a selection of different nail varnish shades, a fine nail brush and a dotting tool . If you like the look of this nail art, head over to the Avon Blog here to see exactly how I created it. I also created a ombre nail art look which you can see over at the Avon Blog here.

Matte Goodness From Illamasqua: Matte Lip Liquids and Matte Veil

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted I was away last weekend and I had a crazy busy week. But its all good because I'm back to share with you some new amazingness from Illamasqua! As part of the Summer 2014 collection, Illamasqua launched the Matte Lip Liquids and Matte Veil.

Matte Lip Liquid in Surrender:

Matte lip products are up there in one of my favourite make-up must haves, recently shying away from glossy finishes. If you want a lip product that sure is matte and won't budge from your lips then the Matte Lip Liquids are for you.
I have the shade 'Surrender' (warm peach) and they are also available in the shades 'Forbidden' (sensual pink) and 'Exotic' (vivid orange). I like to apply this product by first lining the lips with a lip pencil and then taking Surrender onto a lip brush and sweeping it across the lips. One thing I did find is that you really do need to layer the product in order to get an even coverage of colour.
The Matte Lip Liquids apply like a gloss with a creamy texture and within seconds drys to a matte finish. When I say it doesn't budge, it really doesn't! I have had Surrender on for over five hours and the colour is still exactly the same shade and there is no sign of it going anywhere! The only thing I do find is when I eat, the product slightly moves from the centre of the lips, however with a simple touch up your lips are back full of colour.
All three Matte Lip Liquids are available online and at Illamasqua stores and counters for £18.50. If you're looking for a spring lip product and you love a super matte finish, these are definitely for you!

Matte Veil:

A lot of you will of heard or tired Illamasqua's Hydra Veil. Following the success of this amazing product, Illamasqua have launched Matte Veil, a mattifying primer which is also a cosmetics care product.
Butyelene Glycol dissolves the skins overactive oil levels, helping to keep the shine at bay and Sodium Hyaluronate keeps the skin feeling moisturised and balanced, meaning Matte Veil certainly won't dry out the skin.
I apply a small amount onto the back of my hand and use my fingers to work this into the skin before applying my foundation. You instantly feel your skin tightening and mattifying as you apply the product, which I love! After a long day in London, I often sit on the train at the end of the day and see a shiny spoon face staring back at me in my reflection, however Matte Veil definitely helps to keep some oil at bay and not only does my face appear shiney, my foundations seems to stay on a whole lot better. Even if you're skin isn't oily, this product would be great for mattyfying and balancing out the moisture in the skin, so don't write it off!
Matte Veil is slightly pricier than the Matte Lip Liquids at £30, however you do get a very generous amount of product and you only need to use a tiny amount each day so it will last! Again Matte Veil is available online as well as at Illamasqua stores and counters.

Are you a fan of matte lips and skin? I would love to know of any products you have tried and loved, so leave a comment down below!

Samantha xx

How To Create Lips That Last

Does it annoy you having to constantly look in a mirror to check your lipstick is in place and you're not left with the colour just around the edge of your lips? Well I have the answer! This is a tip which I picked up a little while ago, and it has changed my life. The key to creating lips that last is layering!

Before picking up this tip I always thought lip liners were for the more mature lady, to help shape your lips as you get older, however I was so wrong! All you will need to create lips that last is a lip liner and lipstick in similar shades. As you can see I have gone for a bright raspberry pink using Illamasqua Lip Colouring Pencil in Temptress and Lipstick in Atomic, however there are many different combos I create each day. 

Step-By-Step:

Step 1: Wipe any foundation or powder from the lips in order to make it easier for yourself to fill in the lips.

Step 2: Taking your lip liner line the entire edge of your lips, going slightly over the edge of the lip line where necessary to create a full, even shape.

Step 3: Again using the lip liner, fill in the middle of the lips to create an even cover.

Step 4: Finally take your lipstick and apply this over the entire lips.

And there you have your lips that last! As I mentioned the key part of this is layering products. You could even go in again with your lipstick to add another layer to the mix. I normally only have to apply my lipstick again once in the day (normally after I have eaten at lunch) and not worry about my lipstick budging again. 

I hope this helps and let me know any make-up tips you have or which lip combos you have been loving recently! I would love to hear from you!

Samantha xx

Barry M Aquarium 'Mediterranean' Swatches

As soon as I saw the new Barry M 'Aquarium' range launch I wanted all of them! I never used to be a fan of duo chrome polishes, however recently I have been loving them and I think they make a great addition to any nail art look. The Aquarium range from Barry M see's four duo chrome nail paints, as well as two glitter top coats. After seeing lots of swatches on other nail blogs, I had to have the duo chrome shade in Mediterranean and when I made a trip to boots and all the make-up and nail varnish was on 3for2, I couldn't resist but make a purchase of this, along with the Barry M Gelly polish in Rose Hip which I swtached here.

Mediterranean is a gorgeous blend of pink and copper tones. The polish also has a shimmer finish, adding a magical mermaid feel to the polish, which I LOVE! The consistency is fairy runny and thin, however applying 3 thin layers gives a perfect wash of colour.

In a harsher/bright light the copper tones pick up more and the shimmer finish really sparkles, whereas in a lower light the pink tones really come through and the shimmer is muted.

What do you think of this polish? Do you love it as much as me? I cannot wait to use this in a nail art look, so I'm sure you will see one on here very soon!

Samantha xx

How To Define Your Brows

Its only been recently that I have started to care more about my brows, and define them more in my daily make-up routine. I think a major part of this is through interning at Illamasqua, I am surrounded by people with amazing 'Illamasqua Brows' on a daily basis and picking up tips and tricks from Illamasqua artists has worked magic on my brows!

So what do I use to define my brows? 
The two major products are Illamasqua Concealer and Brow Cake. I also use the Illamasqua Concealer Brush and Angled brush to apply these and set it all into place using the Maybelline Brow Drama.

How I define my brows:

Step 1: To begin I apply concealer all around my brows using the concealer brush. This helps to hide away any hairs sprouting through which are too small to pluck out and helps you to shape the brow.

Step 2: Next using the concealer brush and my foundation buffing brush, I buff the concealer into the skin. 

Step 3: Taking Eye Brow Cake in the shade Peek on an angled brush, I create the outline of my brow taking a small amount of product onto the front of the brow.

Step 4:Again using the andled brush and Eye Brow Cake, I fill in the centre of my brows, pushing the remaining product left on the brush on the front of the brow.

Step 5: Finally taking the Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Blonde, I set the brows into place, pulling the hairs up towards the front of the brow to create a more natural effect. 

And there you have your define brows!

The Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake has transformed my brows, and you can also use it wet to make it into more of a brow paste. If you want to get your hands on this, it comes in many different shades and you can get worldwide delivery on the Illamasqua website.

What products have you been loving to define your brows? I would love to know so please leave a comment below!

Samantha x

Pastel Pink Jelly Heaven

One of my favourite colours at the moment is pastel pink. I recently purchased some pastel pink JuJu jellies and found the perfect nail varnish to match, which by coincidence, is a Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint from Barry M in the shade Rose Hip. I couldn't resist but photograph the two together as they really do take me to jelly heaven!

I have always loved Barry M nail varnishes, however I have only tried two of the Gelly finish shades before. Although I sometimes find pastel and super light shades such as white very hard to apply to the nails, 'Rose Hip' applied so easily and I love the final look.

Barry M Gelly polishes do have a shine finish to them, however I applied a coat of Seche Vite top coat to my nails to get an extra splash of shine and to make the polish last that little bit longer. I can't wait to be able to pair these two together again as the weather gets a bit warmer and I think the jelly shoes and nails would look so cute with a summer dress or jeans and a floral top!

'Rose Hip' costs just £3.99 and Boots have a 3 for 2 offer at the moment so I may have added some more Barry M nail goodies to my basket which I will show you in a future post! Also my JuJu Jelly shoes were from Office and they put me back just £20.

What shades are you loving at the moment? What do you think of this shade?

Thanks for reading! Samantha xx

Sneak Peek: Avon Sprinkle Nails

I am so excited to finally be able to share some very exciting news with you! Last month I was invited to be a guest blogger on the Avon UK online blog and create some videos for their YouTube channel. I had never created a nail tutorial in video format before, so this was something I was really looking forward to.

The first video was a tutorial on how to use Avon's new Sprinkle Nails. These are very similar to caviar nails, and they will be available to purchase later this Spring. In my tutorial I used the shade 'Purple Confetti'* - a gorgeous mix of different purple tones, along with the Gel Finish Nail Enamel in 'Lavender Sky'* on the base of my nails. The Sprinkle Nails will also be available in Pink Confetti and Green Confetti.

I found the Sprinkle Nails super easy to apply and I created three different looks through using the sprinkles all over my nail, on the tip, and to create a geometric triangle. You can see my full tutorial on the Avon YouTube channel and I have also included the Video below.

As you can see in the video, I began by applying two coats of nail enamel to the nail and leaving this to dry completely. I then applied another coat of the enamel where I wanted to place the sprinkles, dipped the whole nail into the Sprinkle Nails pot whilst the nail varnish was still wet and pressed them into place. Finally to make the sprinkles stay in place that little bit longer, I applied a layer of top coat to each nail, paying particular attention to the edges and tip of the nail.

You can purchase the Sprinkle Nails very soon from your local Avon representative which you can find here and you can also purchase online! I would definitely recommend them to all nail lovers who want to create a manicure with a difference. 

What do you think of the Sprinkle Nails? Will you be grabbing them when they launch? 

Thanks for reading and happy sprinkling! Samantha x

Golden Smokey Eye Make-Up Tutorial

Im back with another make-up tutorial and today its a golden smokey eye look using the Illamasqua Neutral Palette, along with the Sugarpill Brush Set and some other make-up goodness! I have created a step-by-step pictorial of this look and I think its perfect for lots of different occasions!

What did I use to create this look?

To create this look I used eye shadows from the Illamasqua 'Neutral Palette', 'Permanent Taupe' Colour Tattoo from Maybelline, the gel liner from Maybelline and Illamasqua 'Masquara'. I applied these products using the Sugarpill Brush Set which I love!

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: To begin I applied the Maybelline Colour Tatoo in 'Permanent Taupe' all over my lid using my finger. this will act as a primer, to help the make-up stay in place that little bit longer.

Step 2: Next, taking the brown shade from the Illamasqua 'Neutral Palette', I applied this to the crease and outer edge of the eye using the Sugarpill Tapered Blending Brush. 

Step 3: Taking the golden eye shadow in the palette, on the Sugarpill Large Eye Shadow Brush, I applied this all over the lid and under the lower lash line. 

Step 4: Next, I took the nude eye shadow from the palette, again onto the tapered blending brush, and applied this to my brow bone to blend the shadows further.

Step 5: Using the Maybelline gel liner on a Sugarpill Precision Eyeliner Brush, I added a flick of liner to my top lash line.

Step 6: Finally I added a coat of mascara to my lashes, using Illamasqua Masquara, to finish off the look.

And there you have your golden smokey eye make-up!

I paired this look with Kiko 'Pink Carnation' lipstick to create more of a day-time make-up look, however you could transform this to a night time look by adding a slightly darker lip!

What do you think of this make-up look? What products have you been loving to create your own eye make-up?

If you want to find out how I define my brows, like I have in the look above, subscribe to my blog as I have a blog post on this coming up very soon!

Thanks for reading! Samantha xx

Ombre and Spring Daisy Nail Art

I think its safe to say that spring is here and summer is on it's way, so today I created a spring daisy nail art and to make it slightly different I added an pastel ombre base to the look. As always I have put together a step-by-step tutorial so if you want to find out how I created this look then please keep reading...

What will you need?

To create this look I used nail varnish in pastel peach, pastel lilac, pastel blue, yellow and white. You will also need a top coat, a dotting tool and finally a small make-up sponge.
The nail varnish shades I used were: Barry M 'Matt White', Collection 'Lemon Soda' and 'Dynasty', Kiko '372 - Nude', Rimmel 'Sweet as Sugar' and Seche Vite 'Dry Fast Top Coat'.

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: To begin with I gave all my nails an opaque base using the white nail varnish.

Step 2: Once the base was dry completely, I went in with the 3 pastel shades (peach, lilac and blue) on a small make-up sponge and created the ombre effect. I applied several layers in order to make the colours stand out more and to create a seamless ombre effect on the nail. 

Step 3: Next its time to create the flowers. I began by creating the petals using the white nail varnish on a dotting tool and then added a yellow dot to create the centre of each daisy. 

Step 4: Once the above steps are all dry, I went in with a top coat on each nail to seal in the design. 

And there you have your spring daisy nails with a pastel ombre base!

What do you think of this nail art? Have you been creating any spring nail art? I would love to know your thoughts so please leave a comment below!

Happy Nail Art-ing! Samantha xx