Blogger Competition: HOF 'Inspired By Mum'

I was recently contacted by House of Fraser asking whether I would like to take part in their new Mother's Day, 'Inspired by Mum' blogger competition. You have to be a blogger to enter - to enter you just need to create an outfit or beauty look inspired by your mum, then photograph your look and post it on your blog. In the post you need say which item from House of Fraser would 'complete' your look, it could be an accessory, clothing item or a beauty item. Leave a comment on the House of Fraser Competition blog post (here) with a link so they can see your blog post entry. The competition closes on the 2nd April at midnight, for more information check out House of Fraser's blog. Here is my entry/look!

The photos of me are from a couple of months ago, I have been ill recently so I had to use older photos but the makeup is the same as I wear all of the time

This makeup look is one that I wear the majority of the time, it is inspired by my mum as she wear very natural makeup which is defined and simple but pretty. My mum is never overly made up with makeup (unless she is dressed as an umpalumpa for world book day at work) so I take her lead with my makeup. My stance on my makeup on the whole is to define and perfect as much as I can, I love to contour and cover but keep my skin looking like skin. I think less is more although I do love me some winged liner. Here are the steps to achieve my natural 'inspired by mum' makeup look.

Base: For my foundation I used the Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation in the shade 'believe in me ivory' (£25.50) which I love but the shade is a bit too dark so I use a really small amount and blend it down my neck too. I used my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply my foundation, it is amazing as all of the RT brushes are. Now onto concealer, I have super dark circles and dry skin especially around my eyes...then add in a couple of very fine lines and it is a concealers worst nightmare! I haven't found my dream concealer and I don't think I ever will but this Clinique Airbrush Concealer (04, £18) is the closest thing I have found so far to perfection. It is a great shade, it has medium coverage, it doesn't emphasise dryness and it blends incredibly quickly/easily. 

Brows: My mum doesn't do anything to her brows but mine are so unruly that I have too. I fill them in pretty much everyday and I used my Mac Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering (£13). It is a fantastic twist up pencil, so quick and easy to use. Then seal with brow gel, I love the Tweezerman Brow Mousse but for this look I used a MUA clear mascara. 

Eyes: I always apply something on my eyes and for a quick two eyeshadow look I use my Nars Pleasures of Paris palette which I have had for ages. I use my trusty Nars Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Primer (£18) first and this primer is one of my holy grail products. I have quite deep set eyes and eyeshadow always creases on me - this primer keeps my eyeshadow crease free for most of the day, which for me is very impressive. Then I apply the shade 'abyssinia' all over the lid for a brightening base; then just along the upper lash line I apply the shade 'cordura' to define the eyes and it makes the lashes look thicker and fuller instantly! Then onto the lashes themselves, both myself and my mum always wear mascara, I think it makes a real difference overall.  Firstly I use my Shu Uemura eyelash curler and yes it is worth the hype (and the slightly steep price tag). I either use my Lancome Hypnose Star mascara (£22.50) or my Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Waterproof Mascara. 

Lips: For the lips both myself and my mum like to keep it natural - unless it is an evening look, in which case it is plum shades all the way! For this natural daytime look I used the Revlon Lip Butter in the shade 'pink truffle'. 

To complete my 'inspired my mum' look I would have to choose the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Fragrance (£48). For as long as I can remember my mum has had Chanel fragrances as a gift from my dad. They look so expensive and luxe, I love the smell of Coco Mademoiselle, it always reminds me of my mum when ever I smell it. 

There is my entry into the House of Fraser Blogger 'Inspired my mum' Competition! What do you think of my look? Are you going to enter the blogger competition? 

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Makeup Collection: Eyeshadow and Face Palettes

Here is the fifth (phew) post about my makeup collection - this post is all about my palettes - some are just eyeshadow palettes but others contain face and lip products too. 

 The first set of palettes includes all of my drugstore/high street palettes: I have eyeshadow palettes from Soap and Glory, Smashbox, Kiko, Avon, MUA, Bobbi Brown, Revlon and Elizabeth Arden. 

My favourite palette in terms of colours have to be the MUA palettes, I have the first undressed palette which I love and it is only about £4, although I bought mine for £3 online. The kiko palettes are great too, Kiko has to be one of my favourite high street/drug store brands! But my favourite cheaper palette has to be my Soap and Glory Lid Stuff Quad in the shade 'whats nude' I have been using it for about 8 months now (or a bit longer) and I use it everyday I wear makeup. There is only one shimmer shade, the other three are matte which I love - I love the shades, the smooth texture and they hardly crease, which is very impressive as 99% of products crease on my eyes. 

The second set of palettes include my expensive palettes from: Dior, Nars, Laura Mercier, Burberry and Lancome. My favourite palettes overall have to be the Dior ones, I have three Dior palettes (two of which I bought at duty free). When ever I go on holiday I always buy something from duty free and it is usually a Dior palette or some kind of makeup set. I also really like the Nars palettes and my Burberry palette. 


What are your favourite palettes?

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Review & Swatches: Nars Pleasures of Paris Palette

I purchased this palette a while ago and I have been using it non stop recently! This palette is supposed to be limited edition but it has been available to buy on the Nars cosmetics UK website for months. Now on with the photographs and review!

The only problem I have with the Nars packaging is that the cases can get very dirty, very quickly! The packaging soon gathers dust, eye shadows and finger prints which makes the cases look very used and dirty.

The case contains a large mirror which I do not really use but I think it would come in handy when I take this palette on holiday with me this august. The case also comes with a plastic slip which protects the eye shadows. 

The shades in this palette are as follows (top row): Nepal, Violetta and Demon Lover

                                            (Bottom row): Fez, Abyssinia and Cordura 

I have been using this palette for a good few months now and I love the texture of these eye shadows, they feel so smooth, soft and almost creamy when applied and blended. The shades are also great, they are mostly neutral shades with the exception of the purple shades which for me are not really neutrals. The pigmentation of these Nars eye shadows is really great, all of the shades with the exception of the shade 'Violetta' and maybe 'Abyssinia' are incredibly pigmented. 

Nepal: this is one of my favorite shades as it is a gorgeous peachy pink shade with a pretty metallic sheen when applied. This shade is perfect for spring/summer and it looks so nice on the eyes. The texture of this shade is really nice, it applies like a dream and it is really easy to blend - with a brush or finger tip. I love to use this shade all over the eye lid and in the inner corner. 

Violetta: this shade is one that I was not that interested in when I purchased this palette but it is actually really nice. This shade looks really purple/lilac in the palette but on my pale skin tone this shade look very grey with purple undertones, which for me makes this shade a lot more wearable. I use this shade paired with Abyssinia as it can look a little bit dull on its own. 

Demon Lover: a deep vibrant purple shade that again I was not that interested in and the only way I use this shade is as a eye liner - to line the upper lash line. This shade makes a welcome change from my black eye liners and it still has the same impact as it is darker as a liner than it is when it is blended out across the eye lid. 

Fez: again one of my favorite shades, along with Nepal and Abyssinia, and it is a gorgeous golden brown with golden shimmer. This shade on my pale skin tone looks like a golden bronze which looks so pretty on the lids. I use this shade all over the lid or just in the outer corner and it applies/blends beautifully. 

Abyssinia: this is a pretty creamy highlight shade and it does work really well as a inner corner, brow bone and cheek bone highlight, in my opinion. This shade is not as pigmented as some of the others but this is a positive point for me as I want a subtle highlight - I personally do not like the 70's disco ball look! 

Cordura: this is a deep brown with golden shimmer and I only use this in the outer corner or as a liner as it is really quite dark. This shade is not as easy to blend as the others but it is a great shadow overall - and it is incredibly pigmented!

In terms of longevity and creasing these eye shadows do crease within an hour of wearing them - without a primer but with my MAC paint pot in the shade 'painterly' underneath as a base these shadows last for about five hours without creasing at all. These eye shadows do not have the best longevity but they are fantastic overall, in my opinion. 

Shade range: 5/5

Overall pigmentation: 4/5

Overall texture: 5/5

Longevity: 3/5

Application/blending: 4/5

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