What is in my Make Up Bag - January 2015

What is in my Make Up Bag - January 2015

My Make Up Bag

I am in my boyfriend's house today and had not planned a blog post or taken any pictures for a post I could work on. I was feeling sorry for myself when I thought - wait this is the perfect opportunity to to a blog on my make up bag!  

I travel to and fro between my house and my boyfriend's house and, although I have a drawer with some bits and bobs, I always tend to bring my make up bag forward and back with me. 

My brushes

I bring the things I need to do my make up for whatever occasion. This is my new make up bag which was a gift from my boyfriend's sister for my birthday and I am obsessed with it (if you have read by liebster post I'm sure you already know this)! 

Tonight we are having a few friends around for a board games night so its nice and casual.

I have a few of my brushes with me- My 35N Make Up Forever foundation brush and my Real Techniques buffing brush, contour brush and deluxe crease brush. These would be the brushes I use the most. 

My foundations and concealer

My favourite Rimmel Match Perfection foundation (here's my review of it)  has just run out so I am now using Oriflame Studio Artist Foundation which my good friend gave me. I love this foundation and it smells amazing which is a plus. I use the Sleek Bare Skin Foundation in Praline for contouring and find that it works very well with the Oriflame foundation. Finally I have my old reliable concealer - Rimmel Match Perfection in Ivory ( also reviewed here ).

My powders

I have a few different powders. Firstly my Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light. It has to be the most useful palette ! I use it everyday for contouring. I have my new Primark P.S. Love... bronzer which I am testing out at the moment and my Natural Collection Pressed Powder for setting my make up. 

Eye Make up

I have my Sleek Brow Kit in Dark which is my favourite brow kit at the moment, my favourite Sleek eye palette i-Divine Oh So Special 658, Collection Intense Colour Kohl Pencil and Rimmel The Max Volume Mascara. 

Seventeen and Collection

Finally I have my two favourite lipsticks at the moment! Seventeen Stay Pout -Going Steady and Collection Gothic Glam- Seduction (reviewed here). 

And that is the extent of my make up bag! What is in your make up bag? I would love to hear from you.

I will be doing reviews and swatches of these products soon so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!


I'm off to start playing the board games!  Enjoy your night :)

Feel free to follow me on Google +, Bloglovin', or twitter (@Pressed_Powder) and I will follow back 

Love Bobby x.

Long Lasting Make up

Long Lasting Make-up

A good base is key!

It is always a good idea to have a good base for make-up and so today I will be discussing Foundation, Concealer and Powder. 

Formula Daily Care 

I always start my make-up regime in the morning by using a gentle cleanser and then applying moisturizer. I leave the moisturizer for ten minutes to make sure it has fully soaked in. During this time I might start on my hair if I am a bit pushed for time. Alternatively you could use a good night cream the night before if your skin is not prone to dryness. The night cream I use at the moment is working well for me- Formula Daily Care. It is always important to keep your skin hydrated, especially before applying make-up. 

Seventeen Primer

Next I apply primer. See a review for the primer I use here. Primer is a new addition to my make-up bag and I use it on the days I know I need my make up to be long lasting. I find it is best to apply it with a brush a little bit at a time otherwise it tends to dry too quickly and become flakey which is a pain. 

I then move on to my foundation. See a review of my foundation here.. I usually mixed two different foundations together to get the colour I want, especially if I have one expensive foundation which I don't want to use heaps of at a time. I always use a foundation brush to apply the foundation and then a beauty blender sponge on any areas that need some extra blending.

Match Perfection

Concealers

I then use concealer to conceal any blemishes. I also use a highlighting conceal under my eyes to make them look brighter and more fresh.

If I was going to wear eye shadow that day I would apply it at this stage. It is easier to get rid of fallout from eye shadow with a foundation brush at this stage rather than afterwards when you have set your make up with powder.

Next is contouring and highlighting. I still find this step a little scary so I do tend to only use very light colours when contouring. For me - less is more!

Finally I set my face with translucent powder using a kabuki brush.

I find that the moisturizer and primer help to keep the foundation in place for longer as does the translucent powder. I would always follow these steps if I knew I had a day and night commitment and would not have time to re-apply make up between the two.  

Do you guys have any tips or tricks to add for long lasting make up?

Thanks for reading :)

Love Bobby x. 

Christmas Nails

Christmas Time Beauty Tips

 Now that our tan has been done, we will move on to the topic of nails. 

There are many different options to consider when deciding on how you want to do your nails for Christmas. Firstly I would suggest that the style of nail you choose to use for your nails should reflect your work load in the run up to Christmas Day. If you plan to be very hands on with cooking Christmas dinner you may not want to have long false nails and opt instead for a simple polish or shellac manicure which would not hinder your festive activities! 

The style I am going to share with you today is Stiletto stick on nails called 'Don't Touch' by WAHLONDON. I chose these nails because they are cheaper than a manicure but look very classy. Speaking from experience I would not advise that you choose this style of nail if you are planning on baking! These nails are long and take a bit of time to get used to but they are a glamorous addition to any outfit. 

The beige or nude style nail compliments any style but what I like most about these nails are that they are a matte/gloss combo. The nails are mostly matte with a slight gloss on the tips which give them a lovely shine.

Preparation 

As always preparation is key, Make sure that you have completed any tanning regimes before applying these nails as the last thing you want is to stain or discolour your lovely new false nails.  

It is important to look after your nails and I would suggest cleaning, filing, buffing and smoothing your nails before applying any kid of nail polish or fake nails. The best tool to use is a nail buffing block which you can pick up in any local pharmacy/ drugstore.   

Application

These nails have a small adhesive pad which fixes the nails to your natural nails. I have used these adhesive pads and although they work and keep the nails in place for around five days I would recommend using nail glue instead of the stick on pads purely because it is difficult to get they nail to stick tight in against your natural nail especially towards the cuticle. This means that the nail is slightly lifted and there is a small gap between the base of the nail and the false nail. This may be because I have tiny hands and therefore tiny nails so I had to mess around with the pads to try and get the right size for each nail. 

Always lay out the nails before applying. The last thing you want is to be hunting for the right nail size while waiting for nail glue to dry and accidentally bumping a nail out of place. Arrange the nails as they would appear on your hands (baby finger, ring finger, middle, index, thumb) on a clean surface. 

Apply both baby fingers on each hands first and work your way towards the thumbs. It is always a bit tricky when you are only left with the thumbs to finish so if you have a friend or partner willing to help it is always a plus! 

After Care

Once the nails are in place to not get they wet or let them come in contact with oil or any lotions for at least half an hour and then keep contact with water to a minimum. If you need the nails to last for several days you could consider wearing latex gloves in the shower - not very glamorous I know but it prolongs the life of the nails, especially if you decide to use the adhesive pads as opposed to nail glue. 

When you want to remove the nails do not pull off as you may damage your natural nail permanently. Always follow the instructions on the pack or if in doubt soak the false nails in acetone and gently remove as they become loose.  

What ever style you choose to go with this Christmas I hope it turns out fabulous! If you have any tips or tricks for nails or any questions feel free to comment below.

Fake Tan

Christmas Time Beauty Tips

Christmas is only days away and I have neglected to pamper and prep myself for the big day until the last minute as usual!  If you are in the same position I will be covering a few beauty musts to consider to be Christmas ready over the following posts which may help. 

Tan or not to tan?

Using fake tan in winter can be tricky. Too much fake tan in a cold and winter climate can look unnatural and so in this season less is definitely more. For this reason you may decide to say no thanks to fake tan and go au naturel. With my pale Irish skin I feel more confident with a light healthy glow to perk up my complexion. If you decide on using tan this Christmas here are a new tips and tricks I have picked up along the way.

Before tanning 

Before tanning it is vital to prepare the skin. Similar to using primer before foundation- prepared skin will give fake tan a smooth and even base to build tan upon. Plan your tanning session in advance as it is better to start getting your skin ready a day or two prior to applying. 

First things first, exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Using a combination of an exfoliating mitt and exfoliating scrub seems to work best for me. Give your skin a good rub in the shower to remove dead skin cells. Pay particular attention to the rougher areas of skin such as the elbows and knees. The reason you want to remove the dead skin is because these cells will colour darker than the rest of your skin when they react to the fake tan leaving your tan blotchy or patchy. 

After exfoliating your skin it is important to moisturize- preferably with a non-scented light moisturizer which will not interfere with the tan you will apply the next day.

N.B. If you are shaving your legs as part of this skin preparation it is even more important that you leave the skin at least a day to relax before tanning as otherwise you may end up with irritated skin or lots of little dots where the fake tan has got caught in open pores. 

(I have been in a rush before and literally applied tan straight after shaving and the results were awful - I ended up wearing tights that night instead of bare legs... oopps) 

Tanning Tips

Always use a tanning mitt when applying fake tan. Tanning mitts are useful for a number of reasons- they help to apply an even layer of tan on the skin, they protect your hands from fake tan staining and they are quick and easy to wash after use. 

If applying a gradual tan try and get one which has a dye in it. This helps as you can see where you have missed before it develops. Let your tan dry naturally for as long as possible. I would generally do my tan at night so after the tan dried I can put on loose clothing and hop in to bed and let it dry further during the night so that I don't smudge it by getting into an outfit too soon.  

When applying fake tan to your hands the last thing you want is to get a line down the side of your hand or to forget to tan between you fingers. Remember the hands are the most visible and so you don't want them to turn out a bit funky looking! The best tip is to use whatever is left on the mitt and rub it in to your hands- remember less is more. After you do this use some hand-cream and apply as normal making sure to get between your fingers and wrists. This will give you a light tan on your hands ans help to avoid any unsightly disasters! 

  

Looking after your tan

Once your tan is finished and dried it is important to look after it. Moisturize daily with a non-scented light moisturizer. 

Do not spray perfume on your neck/ chest- the alcohol in it will remove some of the tan and you will have a circle of pale skin or drip marks (unfortunately I am speaking for experience!). I tend to spray some perfume in a mist and walk through it so it doesn't damage the tan or another good trick to to spray some perfume in your hair and it will last the day.    

Removing fake tan

Sometimes fake tan can fade away gracefully but other times it can be stubborn and you are stuck with a few lingering patches here and there. Exfoliation tends to work best for getting rid of any patches of left over tan. 

Some useful tanning products I use 

• Coco Brown One Hour Tan
• Sally Hansen Instant Tan
• Soltan Tanning Mitt

If you do decide to use fake tan this festive season I hope these tips and tricks help you! Happy tanning!