Lipstick and Study Notes

Hello Everyone!

In my July Favorites I quickly mentioned the Kylie Lipkit I'd bought, but I figured it deserves a whole separate post. So many people hate the lipkits, so many people swear by them- which leaves all the others (like myself) confused as to which side to believe. I like to be quite hands on with makeup, and try things out myself before I decide if they're any good rather than listen to the ranters and ravers online (which, to be fair, is exactly what I am by writing this review. A ranter, or a raver. If I were you I wouldn't even be listening to me to be honest. But I hope you do).  

As I mentioned, the original shade I wanted to get was Candy K, but as that one was sold out I did some research on Koko K and decided that was also a really nice shade. It's so hard to pick out lip colors online because a lipstick looks different on everyone, especially online where there's so many different people and such different lighting. Besides, after you've ordered it and tried it on, it's not like you can just get a refund if you end up getting the wrong color, so that's definitely a bit scary. If you're gonna buy makeup online, look at a lot of different blog posts and youtube videos so you can get an idea of what the product might look like on you.

Candy K is more of a brown nude as compared to the pink Koko K

Images courtesy of www.kyliecosmetics.com

When Koko K arrived about a week after I'd ordered it (which is pretty quick), the mailman told me I had to pay another €18 for 'import rights', which I thought was absolutely ridiculous! It wasn't even so much the fact that I had to pay even more on top of the product and shipping costs (even thought that was also annoying), but the fact that apparently these costs are applied at random (so not everyone pays them) and that they were not mentioned at all when I purchased my lip kit really irritated me. However, I don't think this is the fault of Kylie Cosmetics, but more of the Dutch delivery system. Either way, I was pretty annoyed.

The lipkit came in the iconic black Kylie Cosmetics box, including a little note written by Kylie herself (photocopied, obviously). The lip kit came in the cute little box I've seen all over instagram, and it looked just as lovely in real life as it did online. I immediately swatched the liner and liquid lip on my hand, and found that the color of the liner was a bit different than than of the liquid lip, but when you wear them together it's not noticeable at all. If anything this means you can wear the liner by itself if you want to wear something a bit different!

I applied the lipliner on my lips and the first thing I noticed was that the formula was very different from what I was used to. It wasn't as hard and pencil-like as some, but not as creamy and soft as others. It had a sturdy consistency of what I can only describe as a soft wax, but was very pigmented and went on very well. 

The liquid lip smells very sweet, which I don't mind, but I can imagine it can put people off. The applicator was a bit thinner than my Jeffree Star one and it was really easy to create a nice, clean line. When applied it took a little less than a minute to dry, and once dry it looked beautiful! The color was a little bit lighter than I had hoped, but it was nonetheless a gorgeous pink. The consistency of the liquid lip was a little bit thick and slightly chalky, but I only had to reapply it maybe once in the afternoon I was wearing it.

Overall I am really happy with this lipkit, and am definitely considering buying another- the only thing holding me back is the thought of having to spend product+shipping+import, which is a bit too much for me. So as for now I will be trying some other brands, I've heard colourpop does some amazing liquid lips for half the price.

What do you guys think? Love Kylie Cosmetics or hate it? What liquid lips are your fave? Let me know!

xoxo

Rowan

Hello Everyone!

As you should all know by now, I love playing around with makeup and trying crazy different looks. A little while ago I wanted to do something inspired by all the tragic attacks that have been happening recently, so I created a 'crying hearts' look. It was super fun to do and I was quite happy with the outcome.

Hello Everyone!

One of the most important things in how well you do makeup is the quality of your brushes. Where you can get away with getting some cheaper quality makeup, a makeup brush isn't something you can just buy from the dollarstore (or poundland, or Action-you know where I'm going with this). This doesn't mean that you have to go and spend all your savings on the Tom Ford brush collection, it just means that it's better to buy one higher quality brush every once in a while and slowly build up your collection, than spending that same amount of money on a whole set that's -let's be honest- probably not going to be any good.

Of course, as to any rule, there are exceptions. There's loads of people who like to use Primark or other cheap brushes and have found they actually work great for them, which is awesome! I just wanted to mention the price/quality connection because I've heard a lot of people say they are not good at applying makeup, when a lot of the time it's because their brushes are horrible and even the best makeup artist can't be as good with crappy brushes.

Another exception is of course Real Techniques. This brand was set up by the awesome Sam and Nic Chapman (also known as Pixiwoo on youtube), two amazing makeup artists who know exactly what a good brush is. Therefor, their brushes are amazing quality but -luckily for us- also really well priced. Rather than spending up to £50 on one good brush at MAC, you can spend that same amount and get a set of three or four great brushes by Real Techniques.

My personal brush collection is a huge combination of MAC, Real Techniques, and other random brushes. I have accumulated this set over time as, like I said, brushes can be quite expensive and I definitely  don't have the money to spend €300 on brushes in one go. (But oh, how I wish I did).

Maybe in a future post I will show you guys my entire brush collection, but for now I thought I'd give you a quick rundown of my all time favorites, and maybe give you an idea of the types of brushes that are essential in your kit/collection.

1. FOUNDATION

A good foundation brush is a good foundation to your collection (see what I did there? Dadjoke.) Lot's of people like using a blending sponge or their hands rather than a brush which is totally cool too, try all three and see which one you like best. I personally prefer a brush because I find it's the least messy, and is quite quick and easy to use. I have about 5 foundation brushes but my favorite is this real techniques buffing brush, which came in the core collection set. The entire set is available at many different drugstores or online. 

Real Techniques Core collection, £22/€16.24/$18, available here/here  

2. BLUSH

This blush brush was one of the first brushes I bought, and it's still the only blush brush I own, since this one is so great I didn't find it necessary to buy another one. It's shaped to fit the shape of your cheek, and it's dense enough to pack on product, but soft enough for blending, making your blush look natural. 

MAC 116, £28/€34/$35, available here/here/here

3. CONTOUR

I used to own a round, small contour brush, but found that the shape of the brush didn't work with the shape of my face and made my contour far too wide. This brush however, is shaped perfectly to fit in the hollows of your cheeks, and because of it's flat edge creates a perfect natural contour. 

MAC 168, £28/€34/$35, available here/here/here

4. HIGHLIGHT/FAN

I got this brush from my manager at UD because it was part of an old set we were getting rid of, but any kind of fan brush works perfect for highlight. It's so flat that it really packs on the product, and the fan shape of the brush places the product in a slight bend on the cheekbone, so the highlight looks more natural and less like a white stripe. 

5. CREASE/BLENDING (DENSE)

As you can probably tell, I am really fond of the MAC brushes because of their amazing quality, relatively good price, and because they last ages! This is another one of my first brushes and I must have had it for about 3 years, but I still use it every day without problem. I love using this dense fluffy brush for applying color to my crease and blending shades together, but this brush can be used for a number of things, even including cream products such as concealer. 

MAC 217, £20/€22/$25 available here/here/here

6. CREASE/BLENDING (SOFT)

If I've packed product on to heavy, or just want to do a light, natural look, this soft fluffy brush works wonders. It's less dense than the 217 brush so it can sweep off any unwanted product or create a very light, soft look. It's great for blending out transition colors, and can even be used for applying highlight. 

MAC 224, £23.50/€34/$32, available here/here/here

7. BROWBONE/DETAIL

The last MAC brush on this list is this little flat brush, which is very small and dense. I love using this brush to highlight under the brow bone, or to apply some shadow on the bottom lash line.

MAC 214, £21/€27/$25, available here/here/here

8. FLAT/APPLICATION

This UD brush is one half of a double ended brush, but I tend to use this side for applying product onto the lid. The other side is a flat, fluffy brush, which can be used for blending or applying a little less product to the lid than this flat side. This brush is not available to buy separate but comes in all of the Naked palettes, so, you know- all the more reason to buy the palette you've always wanted. 

9.BROW/ANGLED

I picked this brush up at Wallmart three years ago and it has been my trusty companion ever since. I always use this brush to do my eyebrows, and have a complete meltdown every time I misplace it. It's angled and hard, so it creates really sharp lines, but the individual bristles make filling in your brows look super natural. Any kind of angled brush is the best brush to use for your brows, and once you're hooked, you won't be able to do them any other way. So beware. 

Revlon Double Ended Smokey Eye Brush, $5.99, available here

There you have it! What are your brush kit essentials? And which brands do you like to use? Let me know!

xoxo,

Rowan

Hello Everyone!

Today I'm back with a new makeup look! I did this makeup on my gorgeous friend Emma the other night in the worst lighting ever, but I am still pleased with the outcome. It's a very simple look (as she doesn't wear a lot of makeup) but I glammed it up a little bit with some glitter liner! She looked so pretty and we had lots of fun.

Enjoy!

Products used

BASE

-MAC Prep and Prime primer (£21/€28.50/$31 for 30 ml, available here/here/here)

-Nars All Day Luminous Foundation in Light 2 mont blanc (£32/€43/$48 for 30 ml, available here/here/here)

EYES

-Mac Pro Longwear paint pot in Soft Ochre (£16/€21/$22, available here/here/here)

- Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette  in Dormouse, Duchess, Chessboard, Salazen Grum and Lily (£43/$60 available here/here)

-Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter liner in Distortion (£14/€20.40/$20 , available here/here/here)

- L'Oreal Paris Superliner (£6.99/€13.99/$8.95, available here/here/here)

-Rimmel London Glam eyes (£5.29/€7.49/$5.69, available here/here/here)

CHEEKS

-MAC blush in Desert Rose (£18.50/€22.50/$23, available here/here/here)

-Makeup Revolution Blush Palette in Golden Sugar (£6/€7.99/$9 available here)

LIPS

-MAC matte lipstick in Velvet Teddy (£15.50/€19.50/$17 available here//here/here)

Hugs and Kisses!

XOXO

Rowan

As I love to do makeup, and love to learn new tips and tricks, I have spent a LOT of time watching youtube videos of makeup tutorials. One of the things that took me a while to learn, is contouring. Now, however, contouring is one of my favorite things to do.

Here is a little picture step-by-step of how I contour my face. I only do this look for special occasions or when I go out, because it is not exactly subtle and doesn't look natural, per sé. However, on a regular day I do contour my face, but with powders instead of creams so that it looks less dramatic and more subtle.

Contouring (and highlighting) is a way of defining your facial structure, making your good features stand out and your "bad features" less noticeable. I really like contouring my face because I have quite a round, chubby face, and contouring makes my face look a little more defined and slimmer.

 *disclaimer* I am aware that my naked face isn't the prettiest (this is why I wear makeup). Don't be frightened. 

First, highlight the areas you want to stand out. Under the eyes, the chin, cupid's bow and a little bit on the forehead.

Next, blend, blend, blend!!!! You can use a blending spongue or a foundation brush.

Add some blush on your cheeks between the contour on your cheekbones and the highlight under your eyes, to give you some life. Also add some contour powder or bronzer on the contoured area, and some highlighting power on the highlighted area, to smooth it out and make it look a little softer.


 

Finally, put on the rest of your makeup, and tada! 

Next is the pink blush in 'Dollymix'. I never used to wear blush, but one day decided to try out a drugstore brand blush just because I was curious what it would look like. I have quite a round face so it didn't exactly define my cheekbones, seeing as these were hidden deep underneath my 'squeezable' cheeks, and I was a little bit disappointed because the blush wasn't very pigmented and generally just didn't do much for me. However, when I was living out my dream in the M.A.C. store, I came across a whole stand of beautiful blushes. After staring at them in awe for a little while I decided Dollymix was the perfect one for me, seeing as if I couldn't define my cheekbones, I might as well highlight my 'chubby' cheeks with a subtle yet noticeable pink. Thank goodness for this decision because Dollymix is now definitely one of my absolute favorite products that I simply can't live without!

Now this is one of the products that I consider 'magical'. This Medium Pressed Blot Powder may look like a tinted powder, but is in fact completely transparent! How do they do it? I -and many teens with my- have the problem that my dear friend Emma likes to subtly refer to as 'Shine Bright like my Forehead'. My T-zone in particular can be quite shiny, which isn't very flattering and makes those features that you want to look nice and small (like your forehead and nose) look huge- not an ideal situation. This powder has a 'matting' power and by applying just the teensiest bit you can easily get rid of any shine in your face, it's the perfect finishing touch to any look. I think I even finally understand why women used to leave their dates to go 'powder their noses'!

Last but definitely not least is my favorite product, a matte red lipstick in 'Ruby Woo'. Though a little lighter than it may appear in the first picture, Ruby Woo is your perfect everyday red shade of lipstick. It goes with pretty much anything (as long as you don't overdo your eyes) and works with a casual day look as well as a romantic date look and even looks great when you go out to party. The only negative side to this lipstick is that, because it's matte, it's very dry. Therefor I would recommend applying a thin layer of lipbalm before applying the actual lipstick. Also, because it is a very noticeable color I prefer to apply it with a lipbrush, or if I'm in a hurry I apply it onto the middle of my lips straight from the stick but create the shape and fill in the edges with my brush (of course you can also use a lipliner, provided you have one in a matching color). The lipstick stays on for quite a while but usually comes off of the middle of your lips quicker than the outside, so make sure to always take it with you so you can do a little touch up. I have another matte red MAC lipstick in 'Russian Red', which I bought at the airport and absolutely adore. It's quite similar to Ruby Woo only a tad darker, which creates an intenser and more 'sensual' look.

As you can read, I'm pretty enthusiastic about everything I've bought from MAC so far, and would absolutely recommend anyone to go check out some of their products.

So what do you guys think? Do you love to spend your money on your face or do you prefer to save it for more important things? Are you a fan of MAC or do you prefer other brands? Please do let me know in the comments below!

Hugs and Kisses,

Rowan