My friend tagged me to do this, so here goes!
Greed: What’s your most expensive beauty item?
I don’t really have many things that are that expensive, I tend to have a lot of cheaper products rather than expensive ones.My Naked 3 palette retails for about $52 USD but I didn’t personally buy it. So the next most expensive thing is probably a Bobbi Brown eyeshadow. I still can’t believe I paid $50 for a grey eyeshadow to use on my eyebrows. It does match really well, but I’m sure I could have got a cheaper version. However, the makeup artist taught me how to fill in my eyebrows, and she did pretty eyes and lips on me too, so I feel like I got my money’s worth in that sense. All of the make up artists I’ve met at Bobbi Brown’s Britomart store are really helpful, as well as at their other counters.
Wrath: What item do you have a love/hate relationship with?
MASCARA. I love the way it looks, but I have bought so many duds in my life. Either they make my lashes clumpy, or the wand’s shape means I get mascara under my eyes, or it rubs on my skin easily. So many frustrations have come with mascara. You can’t usually get testers, not that I’d really want to use a gross tester on my eyes, so it’s always a bit of a guessing game. When it’s right, it looks so good though. Any recommendations for mascara, dear followers?
Gluttony: What brand takes up most of your collection?
It’s a real mix of brands, I use a range of different products. I have about 9 MAC products, and that is probably the most of any one brand.
Sloth: What product do you neglect the most due to laziness?
I neglect make up other than lipstick most days of the week, so does that count? I tend to be all or nothing with my make up. I’ve been neglecting trying my new ELF highlighter as I’m scared of looking stupid, but I plan on giving it a try tonight.
Pride: What product gives you the most confidence?
Lipstick. Even when I have no other make up on, I feel like lipstick makes me look more put together and professional which always makes me feel confident.
Lust: Which item is top of your beauty wishlist?
I really want to get a dark purple lipstick, like Harlot from Blush Baby – I just need to get brave enough to wear it. I also want a Tangle Teezer, my hair has been getting so knotty since it has been long.
Envy: Which makeup product/look is great on others but not on you?
Bold, winged eyeliner. Not much of my eyelid is visible when my eyes are open, so wearing eyeliner like that means none of my eye make up really shows up, and so they can look kind of small.
In honour of Mother’s Day I asked my mum to answer a few questions about beauty.
She is one of my biggest beauty role models, I’m always passing on great tips of hers like combing your hair in small sections from the bottom up, and always wearing sunscreen. I wouldn’t dare give away her age but I’m sure you’d all agree that she looks very youthful.
1. Who is your beauty biggest inspiration?
Definitely not my mother – she was married to a pharmacist and unless she was going out to a special event she barely wore more than a slash of lipstick. I get inspired if I see a movie and like the person’s makeup – eg the movie Chocolat – the lady wore red lipstick and red shoes – so I went straight out and bought both.
2. What beauty sins are you guilty of?
Occasionally I line the inner rim of my eyes with eyeliner – this is a terrible hangover from the 80’s that I found very hard to give up.
(editor’s note: she also never takes her make up off before bed)
3. You’re running late – choose 3 the only 3 make up items you would apply.
Mineral makeup powder, eyeliner and lipstick/gloss
4. What’s your favourite lip balm?
Apart from wearing Vaseline Petroleum Jelly on my lips when I was a tween (to attract boys!) – I have never used a lip balm.
(editor’s note: whaaaat! I put on lip balm several times a day. This is not fair)
5. Worst beauty item you’ve tried, and what was so bad about it?
Eyelash curlers – they do nothing for me and I used to get sucked into buying them and then I would use them and then remember they were a waste of money.
6. What hot beauty tips do you have for me/my readers?
If you’re short on space or time, you can just use a blusher brush and put it on your cheeks and eyelids, and then also on your lips (follow up with a bit of clear gloss)
7. What do you like doing best – eye makeup or lips?
Neither – I don’t particularly enjoy putting on makeup as it is time consuming and just a necessity. If I had to choose – it would be eyes as lips is just putting on lipstick – big deal
8. Brushes or hands?
Hands of course – much much faster, much cleaner and you don’t waste foundation on your brush.
9. Who’s your favourite beauty blogger?
I have never read a beauty blog except for this one – and I love it!
(It might not be that genuine of a compliment but I’ll take it)
10. What are some of your favourite beauty products?
I have about a thousand bottles of foundation – purchased during 40% off sales. I have some mac eyeshadows back from when I used to buy that brand, and a dozen lipsticks, a few mascaras, eyeliners, eyeshadows, blushers and miscellaneous items. Do I have a favourite? If I had to choose one, it would be my mineral makeup powder, takes 1min to apply and gives me a lovely “lift”
(She also has enough hair serums to open up a shop)
Thanks for answering these questions for me Mum! The thousand bottles of foundation is definitely true, it’s a shame that we aren’t the same colour or else I’d generously take them off your hands. I can’t wait for my next visit over to you so we can spend hours at Priceline and Chemist Warehouse together. Even though you always get us matching outfits which I am somewhat less fond of haha.
Has your mum given you some good beauty tips? I’d love to hear them. Happy Mother’s Day to any mothers among my readers.
Lena x
I’ve been nominated by Fatima from Lipsticks and Coffee for a Liebster award. It’s a way of getting to know other up and coming bloggers, and I’m excited to do this!
The Liebster Award rules:
- You must link back to the person who nominated you;
- You must answer the 11 questions given to you by the nominee before you;
- You must pick 11 nominees with under 200 (or 2000 if you want to go with that) followers to answer your questions;
- You cannot nominate the person who nominated you;
- You must let the people you nominate know they have been nominated
Questions:
- Where do you buy most of your beauty products from?I buy most of them at Farmers, because most of them are impulse buys. Recently I’ve been buying from iherb.com a lot, as well as maccosmetics.com
- What is your favourite post on your blog So far it’s been my favourite lipsticks post. Lipstick is one of my major loves, and the photos turned out really nicely too.
- Are you an optimistic person? Not really, although I’ve been trying to be more optimistic lately.
- What is the last product that you bought because a blogger recommended it? It’s not just that a blogger recommended it, but the Naked 3 palette I got recently is something I wanted after seeing all kinds of bloggers go crazy over it, and also I thought it would just look really awesome on me – and it does.
- Describe your favourite person He is the most kind, supportive and loving person ever. He’s also REALLY cute and patiently takes photos of me for my blog, and watches silly tv shows with me.
Me and Sam at a friend’s wedding earlier this year
- What are some of your holy grail products? Rimmel Stay Matte powder is the besssssst powder ever and I love that it’s not coloured because I get more tan in summer, and more pale in winter. Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze might be my favourite eye colour because I can just swipe it on in 2 seconds and I always get compliments when I wear it. Also, MAC Pro Longwear concealer which I raved about yesterday.
- What are three things you’d like to achieve in the next year? I’d like to get a job that using my degree – Geography/Environmental Management. I’d also like my blog to be more popular, have more readers. I’d also like to move to a bigger flat – our place is tiny.
- Describe your ultimate birthday experience Be woken up with a cup of tea by my man, go out to breakfast at one of my favourite cafes – have eggs benedict and a coffee, the breakfast of the gods! Then maybe have a look around the shops, or sit around at home and read, it’s just nice to have a break and relax. Then have dinner with my family and drinks with my friends!
- What are some of the most used apps on your phone? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit is Fun.
- What color is your room? ‘Half Spanish white’ aka off-white. It’s not exciting
- How long does it usually take you to get ready in the morning? Most mornings it’s about 40 minutes from getting up to walking out the door, but I don’t usually wear much make up to work because I just sit at a computer all day and it doesn’t really feel worth the effort. Most of that time is consumed by sitting down with my toast and catching up on the internet on my phone, or looking for my shoes or something.
Questions for my nominees
- Who is your beauty biggest inspiration?
- What beauty sins are you guilty of?
- What has been the best moment so far this year?
- What inspired you to get into blogging?
- How do you cheer yourself up when you’re sad?
- Favourite smell – could be food, flowers, or perfume etc?
- You’re running late – choose 3 the only 3 make up items you would apply.
- What’s your favourite lip balm?
- Worst beauty item you’ve tried, and what was so bad about it?
- Who is your favourite beauty blogger?
- And who is your favourite beauty vlogger/youtuber?
My nominees: I’m not actually sure how many followers all of these have, but I’ll do it anyway! I don’t have 11, only 9, I don’t really follow that many blogs!
Gosh, that post was a lot more effort than I anticipated in the beginning! It’s interesting seeing other blogs through these little awards though, it’s how I’ve found some of my favourites. Lena x
Saturday, May 3rd 2014 Makeup
To me, one of the most important parts of a make up look is the base. It doesn’t matter how fabulous your eyeshadow looks if your foundation doesn’t match your skin, or you have way too much powder on. It’s taken me a while to find products that work for me, and now I’m really happy with my usual base routine.
If my skin is dry, I’ll apply moisturiser, and then usually brush my teeth or something while it absorbs. The next step is applying primer, at the moment I’m using NYX anti-redness primer – you can see how it compares to other primers here. After that comes concealer, and I want to take a moment to rave about how great MAC Pro-longwear concealer is. I only need to use a tiny amount, and it covers all my pimples really well. I’ve tried a fair few other concealers and most of them did a rubbish job compared to this. I put a bit on my finger and pat it on any blemishes, and then blend it in with my Ecotools Airbrush concealer brush.
The small amount of concealer that you need to apply
After applying concealer – pimples, what pimples?
Once my concealer is on, foundation is the next step. I am really in love with MAC Studio Sculpt foundation – it’s quite a thick formula but I don’t think that it makes me look cakey. I used to use Face and Body, but I like that this gives me more coverage and it lasts better during the day. I buff it in with my XO Beauty flat top foundation brush as I think it gives a better finish than a normal paintbrush type, or using my hands. I’m interesting in trying a Beauty Blender but they’re not cheap.
Lately I’ve been quite into a cream blush from Napoleon Perdis that I got free with a magazine last year – it gives a really nice colour to my cheeks. I apply it to the apples of my cheeks with my fingers. Once that’s on, I use my Ecotools kabuki brush and put on my Rimmel Stay Matte powder in transparent. It prevents me from looking greasy, but doesn’t look cakey or chalky at all – some matte powders can just look awful, especially if you have dry skin.
The tools
The necessary make up
Here’s what the finished product looked like, once I had also put my eye make up and trusty Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum on. I used my ELF brow kit, and the shadows are Urban Decay Buzz, Factory and Dust from the Naked 3 palette, finished off with Smashbox mascara. All ready to go shopping with a friend, and then to a comedy show with my BF in the evening!
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I’m always interested to know more about what products other people use – have any of you tried the Beauty Blender? Do you think it’s worth investing in? Do you have any burning questions for me?
Lena x
Saturday, May 3rd 2014 Hair care
My haircare routine
Before I started this blog, I did a guest post on my friends’ blog about my haircare routine – go have a read. The rest of their blog is great too.
Lena x
Yesterday Cassandra of CassandraMyee said on twitter that she was going to not buy makeup for the month of May and I’ve decided to join her. My make up drawers are already overflowing, and in April I got a lot of great new make up, so it’s time to use it and stop buying even more. I think I can do this, I just need to stay out of the shops and off my favourite online shopping sites!
Do you want to do this with me and Cassandra? Let me know in the comments or on twitter.
Lena x
