FOTD and a Cheeky Fringe

Yes, I have a full fringe!

However, it's nothing new, I've actually had it since before I started this blog.

I just don't like it very much and always wear it to the side, 

but it's growing out now so I thought I better get my use out of it while I still can.

Do you like it?

Today is quite a natural FOTD, rosy cheeks and subtle eyes. 

I left my hair in its natural curly state, then straightened and ruffled my fringe.

Products Used:
Base: 

- 17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer.
- Loreal Paris Infallible Foundation Matte Finish in Porcelain

- Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B20

- Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder

- Cream Blush from 17 All About Nude Palette L.E

Contouring, Cheeks and Lip:
- Benefit High Beam

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4

- Benefit Bella Bamba Blush

- MAC Please Me Matte Lipstick

Eyes:
- MUA Heaven and Earth Palette.

- HD Brows Kit in Vamp
- MUA Mascara Shade 1 Clear (Used as Brow Gel)

- No7 Lash Adapt Mascara Black

So what do you make of my full fringe? Let it grow out, or give it a trim?

M x

Also, Don't forget to enter my Christmas Giveaway, bundle of prizes include Bourgois, Eyeko, MUA and Forever 21.

Guest Post: Top 5 Benefit Products by Kayleigh at Addict For Dramatics Beauty

You may have seen my "Pale Vs Bronzed" Post over at Addict for Dramatics Beauty, well now it's my time to return the favour. 

I am a huge Benebabe, although not as big as Kayleigh, (check out the pic below!), so who would be better to give their Top 5 Benefit Products, than someone who seems to own half a Benefit Counter? Take it away Kayleigh.

Since 1976, Benefit have been a well loved cosmetic brand. 

Thanks to their cleverly named products and whimsical, retro inspired packaging that many others are imitating these days. 

I absolutely love the old-fashioned candy store feel that their stores and counters have, which for me always makes the shopping experience that bit more fab. Being an absolute sucker for anything with a hint of a vintage feel, it has taken pride of place as my favourite brand.

So what about the products? 

For me, there are some hits and misses, but overall, I can safely say that my make up bag is dominated by Benefit make up, many of which I use in my daily routine. 

So for a newbie Benefit user, whatever do you try first? 

Well, here are my top five favourite products - give them a go!

 

1. Brow Zings

This is my absolute can't live without product for every day. I never really bothered with my brows before, but after having this smeared on my face by a Benebabe I was quite shocked with how good they looked! 

My eyebrows are rather thin and this really helps to fill them out, give them some shape and keep them looking neat. It comes with a wax for shaping the brows and a powder for setting them, plus weeny tweezers and brushes for applying. 

While I find the tweezers a bit useless, the brushes actually work very well with the product despite their size. After trying cheaper versions and other eyebrow products such as HD Brows, I still find that Brow Zings works the best - it's a must have for thin brows.

2. Smokin' Eyes Kit

What I love about this kit is that apart from mascara, it is pretty much everything you need for eyes, all in a little box. If you haven't tried a smokey eye before, it makes it super simple  by including the basic shadows you need with a little step by step guide. 

I find the shadows to be super soft and blendable and they create the look perfectly. It also comes with little things to put the finishing touches to your look - like Eye Bright, Brow Zings wax, an eyeliner pencil, mini tweezers and of course a double sided brush to apply it all with. A great all in one product!

3. California Kissin'

My favourite thing about this lip gloss is the gorgeous minty taste - when applied throughout the day it really makes you feel a lot fresher. 

This gloss claims to have teeth whitening properties thanks to the blue tint; of course I haven't found it actually makes a difference to the colour of my teeth, although it does brighten up my smile as a whole. It applies sheer with plenty of sparkles that shine blue in the light and it's perfect for day time as well as evening.

4. Benetint Lip Balm

I'm a big fan of the classic Benetint lip and cheek stain, although I find the lip balm a lot easier to use. It is pretty much exactly the same product - it has that rosy red colour, the floral scent and it even tastes the same on the lips (not that I would recommend eating it!). 

Unlike Benetint it doesn't dry too quickly and it is a lot more blendable, plus moisturizing for your lips. Even though it is a lip balm you can use it on your cheeks too! It gives a gorgeous flush and the adorable pot is really handy to keep in your bag.

5. Lemon Aid

An eyelid "primer" for dark circles and redness, it is basically a yellow-toned concealer to counteract any discolouration around your eyes. It works really well in helping to really wake up your eyes and make you look a lot brighter and more alert after a late night. 

What I like about this product is that it can be used on its own as well as under make up, so even if you can't be bothered with a full face you can still freshen up your look. A great product for busy girls!

All products available from www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk or your nearest Benefit counter.

So there you have it, those are my top five Benefit favourites! 

Do you use any of these products, or what would be your own recommendations? Let us know! 

If you fancy winning a Smokin' Eyes Kit for your very own, pop along to Addict For Dramatics to enter my giveaway (50 Followers and 100 Followers) and check out Max's own guest post.

I hope you enjoyed this post and a big thank you Maxine for letting me take over her blog today!

No problem Kayleigh and what a great post! 

The Smokin' Eyes Kit sounds perfect. I think my favourites have to be High Beam and Posietint, but then I love Bella Bamba too, what's a girl to do?

What are you favourite Benefit Products?
Would you like to Guest Post on my blog? If you are interested, please email me: beautytothemax@hotmail.co.uk

M x

Also, Don't forget to enter my Christmas Giveaway, bundle of prizes include Bourgois, Eyeko, MUA and Forever 21.

Halloween Make-Up Tutorial: Twilight and True Blood Inspired Modern Vampire

Hiya, 
Today I've got another Halloween Tutorial, (are you sick of them yet?). 
Both the Halloween tutorials I've made before (Zombie/Corpse Bride and Lady Gaga Skull Face) have been very dramatic and scary looks, so I thought I would try a "prettier" Halloween look. 

I've called this look Modern Vampire as it's not your traditional coffin-dwelling, garlic-fearing, dodgy Transylvanian accent-bearing Vamp, (Sozza Dracula). 

Let me start by saying, I am a huge fan of Vampires, Buffy The Vampire Slayer (cheesy, I know), was, and is still my favourite TV Show. Although recently, thanks to the Twilight Saga and TV shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, there has been a Vampire explosion in modern culture. These Vampires or, Glampires, are sexy and sultry. 
Modern vampires have a timeless beauty. As Edward Cullen says in Twilight, 

"Everything about me invites you in — my voice, my face, even my smell". 

The Modern Vampire is designed to lure you in, they need to be sexy and straddle the line between innocence and danger. 

Apparently becoming a vampire means you get insanely glossy hair, a clear ivory complexion and impossibly chiseled cheekbones (must be the blood diet). Unfortunately not many of us are blessed with those striking features, so what's a girl to do, but fake it? 

My inspiration for this look is Jessica and Queen Sophie Anne from True Blood, (both fellow pale red heads) and Rosalie Hale/Cullen from the Twilight Saga. 

So here it is :)

To enlarge just click.

Products Used:

Base: 

- 17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer
- Loreal Paris Infallible Foundation Matte Finish in Porcelain

- MUA Brush-On Concealer Pen

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 1

- Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent

Contouring:

- MeMeMe Blush in Coral

- MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4

- Benefit Highbeam

Eyes:

- HD Brows Kit in Vamp (HarHarHar, no pun intended)
- MUA Mascara Shade 1 Clear (Used as Brow Gel)

- Sleek I-Divine Palette in Storm, Shades 2, 6, 11 and 12

- Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in 021 Red Dynamite

- Benefit "They're Real" Mascara

- Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Black

Lips:

- Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in 021 Red Dynamite

- MUA Lipstick Shade 13

Technique:

- I applied my base using the products stated, I used the palest foundation I had (Loreal Paris Infallible Foundation Matte Finish in Porcelain), which is the lightest colour in the range. 

- Vampires have killer cheekbones, I do not. So I applied my MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4 underneath the cheeks and applied Benefit High Beam aboves my cheekbones and on the browbone. There is a reason High Beam is nicknamed "Super Model in A Bottle".

- I used Blush solely for the purposes of contouring, the Blush I used (MeMeMe Blush in Coral) is a very light and peachy colour, I applied it softly as the blush has to be barely noticible, vampires do not get flushed. 

- Vampires are cold, they are not sweaty or shiny therefore, I set my face with Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder in Translucent.

- As you can see from my inspiration collage all the Vampy lady's have perfectly defined brows, to achieve this I combed my brows, made sure they were no stray hairs and filled them in with my HD Brow kit, mixing the black and brown to get a dark brown. I then fixed my Brows with MUA Clear Mascara.

- Now, on to the eyes, I drew red lip liner underneath my eyes and in the waterline, I then blended outwards, applying a little matte black to the outer corner, and a little golden white in the inner eye.

- I then applied matte brown along the top line of my eye and blended, adding some golden white.

- Next, I took my Maybelline Gel Liner and lined my top eyelid, ending in a soft flick.

- To give a fluttery look I curled my lashes and applied 2-3 coats of Benefit's "They're Real" Mascara. I was going to add false lashes at this point, but I was more than happy with the effect the mascara gave, however if you wanted to add extra drama, go ahead.
- Lastly I lined and filled my lips with my red lip liner (Rimmel Red Dynamite), and put a slick of MUA Lipstick in Shade 13 over the top. I cannot praise this lipstick enough, its the perfect shade of bright blood red and is only £1!
- To finish, I lightly curled my hair with staighteners and used Neal & Wolf Glow Super Shine Spray to give my hair make my hair glossy (dead for over a hundred years yet I still have shiny hair?). 

I love this look, it's combines a sultry retro feel with a little bit of danger. 

And is it just me, or does the red eyeliner look pretty good? 

I think this is definitely a look which can be worn again and again. 

It's my new favourite night out make-up.
Go forth, Vamp up, and have a lovely weekend.

M x