The Gorgeous Spectrum Collections 4 Piece Contour Face Set

Oh em geeeee! These make up brushes by Spectrum Collections have got to be the most beautiful brushes ever created! They are so soft and lovely to use. They come in all sorts of different colours and sets. They are also made from the highest quality synthetic hair which makes them Vegan and Cruelty free! 

I got the 4 piece contour face set which includes:

B01 - Flat Top Buffer

B02 - Domed Buffer

C03 - Tulip Powder

C04 - Angled Powder

The B01 Flat Top Buffer brush is the best way to start, you can use it to get an even, all-over coverage with cream, liquid or powder foundation. 

Then use the B02 Domed Buffer brush to give an airbrushed finish by lightly buffing the products into the skin for a lovely finish.

The C04 Angled Powder brush can be used to create angles and add depth to cheekbones and the jawline with a darker tone or bronzer for a subtle contour. 

For the finishing touches use the C03 Tulip Powder to set your base with a translucent powder if needed.

I found the all the brushes helped apply my make up evenly and smoothly.

This set retails at £29.99 but if you sign up on their website you get 10% off your first order. www.spectrumcollections.com

I will definitely be purchasing another set soon, I have got my eye on the bomb shell pearly queen set! So gorgeous!

How do you cover your birthmark?

I get lots of people asking me how I cover my birthmark and what I use, so I wrote this step by step routine, so I hope you find this helpful! 

The best base for makeup is healthy skin, so making sure you have a good skincare routine is always helpful. I always start with priming my face, any primer or mosturiser is good, I use 'Bobby Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base' it is quite expensive at £40 but you only need a pea sized amount so it lasts you ages. (I bought mine in October 2015 and I still have plenty left!)

Next I use Veil Cover Cream in shade biscuit, which is a camouflage cream used to cover my birthmark, I use a triangle sponge to apply that as i find that works best and gets into the nooks and crannies! Then I use the Veil Cover Cream Dusk Finishing Powder and apply this with the same sponge to set the powder. 

Once that is set I use the Youngblood Mineral Foundation in shade warm beige with the Youngblood Ultimate Foundation Brush and blend that in all over my face and over my birthmark. This gives me an even look and matches with the rest of my face.

I then add a bit of bronzer to my cheeks and anywhere the sun catches. At the minute I'm using the Laura Geller Baked Bronze-n-Brighten which I use with a big Youngblood kabuki brush then I use my Bobby brown shimmer brick to highlight my cheek bones.

This is just how I do the base of my face on a day-to-day basis! 

Once I have done my base I then move onto my eyes and lips. 

Please send me a message if you there is anything else you would like to know.

I have just set up a YouTube channel so I will have some makeup tutorials coming soon! :) please subscribe...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgidDUYWJZLbhIbh_5yE0SQ

What's In My Make Up Bag?

I’m often asked what make up I wear, so I thought I’d do this short blog post on ‘What’s in my make up bag?’

These products are what I use on a daily basis. So in order of what I use…

♥ Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base

♥ Veil Cover Cream - Biscuit

♥ Veil Cover Dusk Finishing Powder

♥ Latex Triangle Sponge

♥ Young Blood Mineral Foundation - Warm Beige

♥ Young Blood Ultimate Foundation Brush

♥ New CID I-Bronze – Rio

♥ Young Blood Kabuki Brush

♥ Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick

♥ Bobbi Brown Face Blender Brush

♥ Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Kit

♥ L'oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim - Black

♥ Tweezerman Eyelash Curlers

♥ L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara So Couture - Black

♥ MAC Kohl Eye Pencil – Black

♥ Charlotte Tilbury Brow Lift – Grace K

♥ Charlotte Tilbury Lip Pencil – Iconic Nude

♥ MAC Lipstick – Honey Love or Charlotte Tilbury – Very Victoria (it can vary!)

I have used most of these products a good few years and I find they provide me with great coverage and are quick and easy to apply which is always a bonus when your trying to get ready in rush! They all last me throughout the day. This is just what I use for my daily routine, on a weekend I often use different products when I’ve got a bit more time to get ready etc. Once I find a good product I often stick to it for a while until something new comes along (always trying out new things you see!) Hope you found this helpful and thank you for reading! :)

Amy x

Aromatherapy Associates Mattifying Deep Cleanse Face Wash

I have been using this face wash for just over a week now and I love it! 

It’s a refreshing and lightly foaming face wash ideal for oily or combination skins. It contains anti-bacterial lavender and tea tree (which smells amazing! I feel like I’m having a spa-like experience in my bathroom!) It is combined with conditioning marine algae and aloe vera which work to remove make up and impurities, leaving skin balanced, toned and deeply cleansed. 

I have definitely noticed a difference in my skin since using it, it feels so much smoother and the few spots that I had have now gone. 

It is quite pricey at £26 but it does a great job and I cant wait to try more Aromatherapy Associate products because they have never disappointed me with their products, I would definitely give this product 5 stars! 🌟

The 'Saturday Night' Look

I love playing about with make up and creating new looks! So Saturday night, a night out with my friends was the perfect opportunity! 

At the minute I have a thing for Charlotte Tilbury, the products look really classy and come in pretty packaging! 

I have a port wine stain birthmark on the left side of my face, so sometimes it can be quite difficult to find a product that gives you could coverage and gives an even look, I have spoke about the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation on my blog before so feel free to read that to find out more. 

So in order of what I used...

 

Wonderglow Primer - Instant Soft Focus Beauty Flash - applied with my fingers.

Magic Foundation - applied with the magic complexion foundation brush.

Filmstar Bronze & Glow - applied the darker shade with a kabuki brush and the highlighter with the  powder and sculpt brush. 

Dolce Vita Eyeshadow kit - applied with eyeshadow brush and used my finger to blend the glitter.

Loreal Liquid Eyeliner.

Eyelash Curlers.

Loreal Million Lashes Mascara.

Eylure Lashes - 117.

Mac Black Eye Pencil. 

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Pencil - Iconic Nude.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution - Very Victoria. 

& Voilà! There you have it! 

I absolutely love these products, I felt great and confident on my night out and it stayed in place all night. The products come in quite pricey but they last a long time and are worth the money. As you can see not all of them are Charlotte Tilbury products, some are just normal high street make up brands which are just as good and do the job for me! 

If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Thanks for reading :) 

Amy x

What Make-Up Did You Wear On Holiday? Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser

So as some of you know, I recently went on holiday to California and did a bit of a road trip from San Francisco – Yosemite – Death Valley – Las Vegas – Palm Springs – LA/Hollywood – Santa Barbara then along route 1 to Monterey.  I absolutely loved it and had the best time!

Before I went I was trying to figure out what Make-up I would wear during the day because when its really hot the last thing I wanted was the sweaty make up running down my face look!

People often ask me what make-up I wear when going on holiday (when I’m just on a relaxing holiday by the pool) I started not to wear any and last time I went away I used the ‘Garnier Ambre Solaire BB Sun Face Protection SPF30’ which worked well but looked a bit streaky on my skin and it was supposed to blend naturally with your skin tone but it didn’t really, it was only £9 from boots, but I found a much better product that I will get onto!

If you are going on holiday and you do want to wear make up to cover your birthmark or imperfection then I would use Veil Cover Cream as it is waterproof and lasts most of the day.

So moving back onto the holiday and what make-up I used!

I found a new product which I LOVE! It is ‘Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser’ in shade ‘Natural Radiance’ it says on the on the bottle lightweight flawless coverage and it does exactly that! By no means did it cover my birthmark but I wasn’t bothered about that I just wanted something that contained sun protection as well as something that will make my skin look healthy and glowing for during the day.

It gives a natural, warm healthy glow with plenty of coverage to hide blemishes, it lasted throughout the day without the radiant glow fading. It contains SPF 2O so it’s ideal for wearing on holiday.

It felt good to be not wearing any make up, I felt free!

Because I loved this product so much I also wore it on an evening, I used it all over my face and then used ‘Young Blood Mineral Foundation’ just over my birthmark and then blended a little bronzer all over to give my face an even look.

It is £34 but it is definitely worth it, I will definitely be buying it again and use it more often than just on holiday! This is a must have item for your make-up bag!

If you're body positive, why do you cover your birthmark?

A question I got asked a few days ago, so I thought I'd write a blog post on it in case anyone else thought the same thing and I felt like I needed to clarify myself.

I cover because it's just part of my everyday make-up routine, like most girls. Just because I am body positive doesn't mean i will be make up free forever, I like wearing it. 

There's no right or wrong in wearing it, I do what makes me happy and if I'm able to help people along the way then it's a bonus.

I used to be the girl that was afraid to go out the house with no make-up on but I'm not that girl now, I'm not bothered anymore, I have accepted myself and my flaws and I'm turning them into a positive and that's all that matters to me. I will go out with no make-up on or I will go out with. I'm still the same person.

I love make-up so if I suddenly stopped wearing it, I wouldn't be me anymore.

I'm sure we have all had those days where your not wearing as much make-up as usual and someone says "You look really tired, is everything ok?"

No, not tired, but thanks for letting me know I look like a heap of shit. 

Make-up is a powerful thing it's every woman's secret weapon.

I would say make-up is a little hobby of mine, I like to try out new make-up looks when I'm bored or watch YouTube make-up tutorials. 

'Makeup is not a tool meant to make ugly things beautiful. It is meant to magnify the beauty that already exists.' 

I-Bronze Rio Bronzer by New CID Cosmetics

Bronzers for me are one of the main items I use for my daily make up. I prefer to use a bronzer rather than a blusher because I think I'm naturally quite pale and I like to add a bit of colour to my face.

The bronzer first of all comes in its own individual cardboard packaging. It's then placed inside a high-tec sturdy flip lid container, which even comes with its own compact mirror on the inside of the lid. 

I came across this product as it was highly rated on www.lookfantastic.com.

I couldnt help but notice just how gorgeous the bronzer is, with its baked look and marbled swirl effect as soon as you open it up, I just love anything that's girly and pretty so I had to buy it!

The swirly, chocolately, pinky gorgeousness creates the most naturally crafted shadow into the cheek bones with a hint of shimmer. 

Finally a product that gives you a sun kissed look without that orangey tone!

Priced at £24.00 you definitely get what you pay for and I would buy this product again.   

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation

I was born with a port wine stain birthmark covering the left side of my face, I love trying out new products to see what they are like for coverage and to see what works best for me and my skin. 

I love Charlotte Tilbury products and I saw they released the new 'Magic Foundation' there was also a make up tutorial on Charlotte covering birthmarks (http://youtu.be/xIJmbsED0K4) so I thought I would give it a go. 

I found this product so easy to apply although over my birthmark it did take me a few coats to give me good coverage. I can't get my birthmark completely covered with this but I would give it a good 8.5/10 for coverage on my skin.

If you don't have a birthmark and you just want to cover redness or blemishes or your birthmark is lighter than mine then this product would definitely give you great coverage. 

The foundation feels really light, silky and comfortable on my skin and it really does give you that flawless effect.

Priced at £29.50 I would say this is a great buy as the quality of the product is fantastic. 

I would definitely buy this product again as it feels great on my skin! 

Perfection in Imperfections

Perfection is overrated. A little imperfection is good for us. Look at a beautiful face in any airbrushed picture and you will see that something is missing. It doesn't look quite right; there's nothing unique. There's a certain amount of perfection in being imperfect.✌🏼️💜

I love pancake day! The healthy option?

I love pancake day! I went for the healthier option... Banana pancakes. They are made from 1 banana, 2 eggs, dash of vanilla essence and half a teaspoon of baking powder. I also oiled the frying pan with coconut oil. 

Firstly blend your banana, then whisk your 2 eggs together and add to the blended banana, then add your vanilla essence and baking powder and blend them all together. 

The only bad thing is the spoon of Nutella I added! But they tasted delicious! 

You can also add blueberries to the mixture which is also lovely and then serve with honey for the proper healthy version :) 

Heart shaped too! 

 

You are who you are...

Hi guys, I've received lots of messages recently asking me how I cope with having a birthmark and what advice can I give? But the truth is I guess I just accepted it as who I am, Ive never let it stop me from doing things I love and as I've grown older I realise it's protected me from unaccepting and unthoughtful people, keep positive and confident in your own skin, you only live once so don't waste your time worrying. You are who you are, embrace it and never let anyone dull your sparkle ✨