The Notes: The Sunday Face

Sunday is most definitely my favourite day of the week. Lazy mornings, followed by a quick brunch and then a slow afternoon of walks and movies - whats not to love? Because Sunday mornings are made for lounging around in pyjamas, I am not one for whacking on a full face of make up just to be pottering around all day. So I've been sticking to this simple face for the past few weeks - a light dewy base, and a bit of shimmery peach on the eyes and lips to liven things up a bit. 

I tend to go for a light foundation at the weekends, so Chanel's Vitaumiére Aqua Foundation is perfect. It definitely needs a good shake up before use, and despite being very lightweight and luminous, it still boasts pretty good coverage. Paired with the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, my skin looks radiant and healthy.

For eyes I don't like to go all out, so my Estée Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow Trio in Beach Metals is ideal - all the colour in one place. This little palette is getting a lot of use this autumn, with a shimmery highlight shade, warm peach for all over the lid, and deep plum for the outer corner. Paired with a soft brown eyeliner and a quick coat of mascara, it gives a lovely autumnal feel. I finished off the look with a very light dab of MAC's Fanfare lipstick. The cremesheen finish means it goes on so smoothly and the coral colour really compliments the eye look. 

You can finish this kind of look off with any lip colour really, maybe to experiment with a deep burgundy next?

Love Meg

xx

The Notes: The Berry Lip

Ah the berry lip. A look that is often favoured around autumn, for its warm hues and almost-christmassy feel. Along with a good old peachey-nude, it is definitely up there at the top of my most loved lipstick looks. So I've pulled together a break down of some of my favourite go-to's for the classic berry look:

Estée Lauder Long Lasting Lipstick in Rose Tea errs on the side of a nude berry, but ultimately gets pulled out whenever I'm after a deep warm lip. Probably the easiest to wear of the bunch, it goes with just about every eye look around, and really does last the day.

Clinique has two great offerings here - their Chubby Stick Intense in Grandest Grape, and Plushest Punch. Grandest Grape is a very deep berry, and a lot more purple toned than Plushest Punch, which sits on the pinker side.  With a soft creamy finish, these are so easy to apply, but tend to come off after a few sips of hot chocolate, so definitely one to keep in your handbag!

You can't talk about berry lips without mentioning the best the drugstore has to offer: The Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Lipstick in 107. As deep as Grandest Grape, but more red-toned, I'm already on my third re-purchase of this one. 

MAC's Plumful sits somewhere between Grandest Grape and 107. Cooler than 107, but with the creamy texture of the chubby stick, this one is a firm favourite and perfect for cosy autumn days. 

I'm thinking a few new purchases are to be made as autumn goes on - any suggestions?

Love Meg

xx

The Notes: My MAC Lipstick Collection

Can you call 6 lipsticks a collection? Probably not, but as these are one of my favourite posts to read, I thought I would share my mini MAC lipstick collection. Neutral berry shades, moving into corals and a classic red to top it off; you can definitely see a slight theme going on here non? 

L-R:

Patisserie - My all time favourite and my go-to daily lippy. I actually have two of these - one for my dresser and another that lives in my handbag - just in case. The perfect 'My Lips But Better' shade that just goes with every eye make up look going. 

Brave - A slightly deeper version of Patisserie, with a blue undertone running through it. This one is another easy-wearer. 

Fanfare - My most recent addition - the perfect pale coral to ease into Spring. Not too bright, but more colour than the first two. 

Ruby by Pedro Lourenco - A limited edition, thats a twist on the classic Ruby Woo. A pillar box red in an Amplified finish, I love this with a simple eye look as a statement pop of colour. How pretty is the packaging though?

Crosswires - A bright summery coral, that packs more of a punch than Fanfare. It looks great when wearing pastel colours and a gold/bronzey eye. 

Plumful - Another beauty addict fave right here. This is a deep berry shade that rocks during the colder months with a smokey eye.

A quick breakdown of my MAC lipsticks - I'm sure there will be a few new additions as the year goes on!

Love Meg
xx

The Notes: Because I'm all about that Base

Foundations: one of the trickiest things to get right when it comes to make up. Like many make up wearers, I have trawled my way through many formulas, brands and colours (you name it, I've tried it) to find the best foundation to suit all my skin needs. But I think I have just about got myself covered for any skin/ life scenario with my top 3 bases:

For the 'my skin looks so dull' day: 
The Nars Sheer Glow foundation is a cult product, and for good reason. The silky formula blends easily, leaving a beautiful finish, which literally looks like ' a glow from within'. Had a sleepless night? No problem, Nars has you sorted with this one.

For the 'my skin hates me' day:
You know the days, when you have redness, sensitivity, blemishes - the whole shebang, and you just want to crawl back under the duvet? Well the Chanel Perfection Lumiere has your back (or your face) when these problems arise. Targeted specifically to correct all types of imperfections, the Perfection Lumiere really is a good skin day in a bottle.

For the 'my skin doesn't know what it wants' day:
Buildable coverage? Check. Not too matte, but not too dewy? Check. Decent shade range? Double Check. The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is one that has been on my wish list for quite some time. Having recently succumbed and bought a bottle, I'm sold. 100%. It has everything you need in a decent foundation, and no matter if my fussy skin is having an oily day, or a drier day, Luminous Silk smooths it out and leaves a natural finish. We're playing with the big boys now.

The Product: Bobbi Brown Calypso Cheek Palette

Living in the UK, where we are constantly in the 'do I bring my coat or do I brave it' stage of the year, one of the only ways to tell if Spring is approaching is to head to your local beauty department to see if the Spring Collection make up launches have made an appearance. Ok its not quite that bad, but it really is one sunny day followed by a miserable rainy and windy one. 

So on my latest trip to John Lewis I scoured the beauty hall and was delighted to see that Spring has indeed sprung in the make up world! I think Spring beauty launches are my favourite of the year - soft palettes, coral lipsticks and subtle shimmer all bloom around March and its this natural, feminine look that makes me most excited for Spring (that and not having to leave for work in the dark)! 

Upon my travels, I came across the Bobbi Brown Hot Collection and the stunningly beautiful cheek palette in Calypso. There were two other blush palettes in the collection - Berry which holds much deeper warmer tones and Pink, with more fuchsia bright shades. Each offering is targeted towards different skin tones, so there really is something for everyone. I went for Calypso, the medium tone suggestion, with two coral blushes and one blush/highlight hybrid. All shades are beautiful alone with strong pigmentation, but my favourite has to be 'Coral Sugar', the lighter blush on the right. It looks so natural when applied and is extra pretty teamed with the middle highlight 'Calypso". 

All three palettes are Limited Edition and definitely worth the £34 price tag. It has quickly become my go-to blush look for early Spring, and the other two are looking tempting...

Love Meg
xx

The Product: Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Powder

So contouring is big right now. I'm sure we have Kim K to thank for this outbreak, but as a gal with a rather round head, its a very welcomed trend. Only issue is, is thats its a) incredibly time consuming and b) tricky to master. Whilst skimming the virtual aisles of Cult Beauty I happened across this beauty and remembered that it had been on my wish list for quite some time. Into the basket it popped and from the second it hit my doormat (thank you Mr Postman) there has been no looking back. And herein lies the end of all contouring mishaps. I think its the colour that really makes this - a cool toned brown which is ideal for recreating those coveted cheekbone shadows, something that I sincerely lack. 

I go in with my Real techniques Contour Brush and a very light hand. The fish face pout makes its appearance here along with plenty of natural lighting and a touch of highlighter (I'm really into the No7 Instant Radiance at the moment). It is such a natural finish, with not a hint of orange in sight and I think this tops my big list of game-changers.

Love

Meg xx

The Notes: Make Up Bag #2

An updated breakdown of my go-to products. Some oldies, some newbies, and even a splash of colour on the eyes! 

The current love of my life, the Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation, has been a staple pretty much every single day of late. I did a full review and rave here  and the love is still strong. Likewise, another recent purchase, the Kevyn Aucoin Scultping Powder in Medium has been used on a daily basis to create the effect of cheekbones on my balloon face. Blush wise, I'm adding a much needed pop of colour to my cheeks with the Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink. It leaves that 'just in from a cold walk' pink on my cheeks and looks so natural on top of the Chanel foundation. 

Brows wise, I've been reaching for the Benefit Gimme Brow gel. An instant brow tint, this works better if you run it first against the hairs and then comb through the right way to give that natural but full brow effect. It is so quick, something which I love this time of year when getting up early in the morning is just too cold! I'm into the natural brow thing at the moment, as I'm spicing it up a bit on the eyes with MACs Cranberry eyeshadow, for an autumnal smokey eye that is a nice change from my usual champagne toned shimmer. Teamed with a nice cat-eye flick (courtesy of the Eyeko Skinny Liner) and lashings of the L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara this warm berry eye look is perfect for autumn! 

Keeping it simple on the lips, Ive been opting for MAC patisserie, my all time favourite nude shade - definitely a 'my-lips-but-better' colour that tones down the look to keep it everyday-safe. 

Anything new in your current make up bag?
Love
Meg xx