Thursday 29 October 2015

CARTOON VAMPIRE HALLOWEEN MAKEUP LOOK INSPIRATION

When it comes to makeup looks I never go normal. From my Drowned Mermaid to my Dragon Lady I'm always on the hunt for different looks. Today I bring you a Cartoon Vampire! I wanted to do something simple yet something that looks pretty effective. The hardest part of this look is covering the eyebrows. I didn't use any fancy covering foundations, and everything for this look I had already owned - So anyone can achieve this look with what they have.
To blank out my brows I used a glue stick to push them up and flatten them. I then used concealer then powder to set then repeated this one more time. I didn't use any fancy concealer or powder. If I were to this properly I'd use a high coverage concealer and powder! I then used a thick foundation all over my face for the best coverage and powdered. This is costume makeup so it's not a problem if it looks slightly cakey. I had a lot of spots when doing this too so I had to apply it thickly. I then used the purple from the Kryolan Bruise Wheel (You can get it here for £11.99) and blended it all over the eyes. It's very pigmented so I just kept blending until I had an ombre effect and then carried on down the sides of the nose. You can use a normal purple eyeshadow and blend it in with a powder brush. I then used a dark grey matte shade over the eye lid just to darken them and set them. I painted on my brows with Mac's Blacktrack with a thin liner brush. I applied this thinly and wide to create a cartoon feel. I then used the Blacktrack liner over the lips creating a thicker, cartoon like lip. I then used Mac's Diva in the center for a sublte ombre feel. I used Harmony by Mac to add some contouring to add a different dimension to the look. I popped in my Scarecrow Vampire Fangs (You can see my review for this here) and then my red contacts, some mascara, and I was good to go. It really is a simple look to achieve. It just takes a little time blanking out the brows then redrawing them on precisely!

Thank you so much for reading!
What are you going as for Halloween?!

Wednesday 28 October 2015

NORFOLK PLACES TO GO IN AUTUMN - BACTON WOODS

I recently went to Bacton Woods in Norfolk, a place I have so many memories about. I used to go there when I was in the Guides and I constantly came here as a child to take the dogs for walks. This place is nostalgic and to me it's simply magical. I adore the hues of autumn. The gorgeous crisp greens melting into yellows, browns and burnt orange. It's a place to come and reflect and clear your mind - I adore coming here. Here's a few snaps from my few hours - Enjoy!


Tuesday 27 October 2015

MAKEUP REVOLUTION - SALVATION PALETTE UNICORNS UNITE REVIEW AND SWATCH*

It's no secret that I am in love with all things Makeup Revolution. They seem to come out with killer products constantly that are at unbeatable prices. One of the palettes I had been eyeing up a while is the Unicorns Unite palette, since being a mermaid and all. I couldn't contain my excitement when I received this at the Suffolk Blogger Meet and I actually did a squeal when I saw it in the top of my bag. I couldn't wait to get experimenting! I think this palette is so versatile and could be used for bright looks, interesting smokey eyes and natural looks with or without a pop of colour. If you're looking to inject a bit of colour into your makeup routine but don't want to go too crazy, I recommend picking up this palette. There's also 5 matching lipsticks (Which I am obsessing over and need in my life RIGHT NOW), which looks as if they compliment this palette perfectly! Now let's get on with swatching this ethereal palette...
The names of these shades are just to die for. I love seeing creative names with creative palettes so that was a great touch for me. I liked that all the shades on top are a mixture of shimmers and the bottom 6 circles are matte. The matte shades are great for an all year round look and great for using as transition colours for the pretty shimmery ones. When I first looked at the shades I was drawn to Medieval and Fantasy. They're both just gorgeous colours!
Legend, Grace, Medieval, Unicorn, Believe and Symbol.

LEGEND - Legend is a beautiful shimmery soft golden champagne hue which is perfect to put all over the lid for a simple wash of colour that makes you look awake. I tend to use this most when I'm in a hurry as it gives effortless colour and a good amount of shimmer that's not too over powering. This is beautiful paired up with Medieval.
GRACE - This shade is beautiful. I wouldn't usually go for pink shimmers but this has a soft beige turn to it that it just looks classic on the eyes. Again this is great all over the lid but also looks lovely with pretty much all of the shades in this palette.
MEDIEVAL - Is one of my favourites of this whole palette. It is the perfect bronze metalic shade that is perfect for all skin colours. It's such a beautiful copper shade and the colour pigmentation is incredible and it blends well with other shades too.
UNICORN - Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of pinks and when I saw this in the pan I thought I'd never reach for it - But how wrong was I! It's a really soft pretty pink, not that 'I'm a 6 year old girl' pink - If you catch my drift. Again it has lovely colour pay off and would look lovely with Grace for a subtle ethereal pink makeup look.
BELIEVE - This shade is beautiful. It's a dark purple shade with a dark grey undertone to it, so it looks as if it shifts colours slightly. This is great for adding some colour into a smokey eye and is perfect for autumn. The pigmentation is lovely, and would be blended out well with a matte shade for this palette.
SYMBOL - I love this shade. I know I say that about near enough all the shades in this palette but look at it. Because it has a dark grey hue to it it's not a unwearable silver, like some silvers can be. It also has the right balance of shimmer so you're not going to look like a girl at a Christmas disco.
 Spiral, Fortune, Fantasy, Beauty, Spiritual and .Creature

SPIRAL - Spiral is a pretty bright navy shade with a grey tone to it so it's not too intense. I love that this shade is colourful but still wearable.
FORTUNE - This is such a pretty colour and slightly similar to Believe. However it has a slight blue tone to it and it's not as dark so you can see that the colours are different.
FANTASY - Where do I begin. The colour pay off to this is insane. I honestly couldn't believe it when I first swatched it. I'm so happy that this is such a gorgeous colour too. This isn't as shimmery as the others and comes off more satin. It's a really unique forest green shade which is a perfect alternative to black if you're wanting to experiment with colours. Well done Makeup Revolution. I am in love.
BEAUTY - This is basically a shimmery and brighter version of Fantasy. I adore this shade also as the grey tone to it makes it more wearable. 
SPIRITUAL - Okay. I need to calm down with this palette because I am super impressed. How can you not fall in love with this colour. It's the right mix of brown, purple and pink and the pigmentation is amazing. There's not much else I can say apart from that this shade is stunning.
CREATURE - As much as I'm raving about the shades in this palette this is the only shade that fell slightly flat for me.To be fair, to be the last one swatched with all the others being amazing it's going to be hard to compete. You can see in the pan that this is a matte shade with micro gold glitter. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't say what I honestly think of this shade. The pigmentation isn't amazing and the gold gets lost. It's not a stand out shade to me and gets lost among all the other amazing shades. However when I remind myself that this palette is only £6, I'm not upset over one shade as the others make up for it.
Pure, Buttercup, Unite, Horn, Special and History.

PURE - This has good pigmentation and is great for popping under the brown bone for shimmerless highlight. It's a brilliant blending shade for pale girls like me!
BUTTERCUP - Again this is a brilliant blending shade and also a great transition shade for a smokey eye or colourful look. It's also pigmented and the colour is really pretty and pairs up well with Unite and Horn for an everyday look.
UNITE - I love this warm hue as it's great all over for a casual look. Works well as a transition shade if you don't use too much, and works well with the green and pink shades in this palette.
HORN - Works beautifully with blues in this palette. It has great pigmentation and also looks lovely just smudged into the lash line.
SPECIAL - This pretty lilac toned pink has amazing pigmentation - It blends like a dream! I love that they've put in a matte in here that isn't typically considered neutral so you're able to get creative!
HISTORY - Is a black matte. I don't think there's anything 'wow' about this shade and the pigmentation is okay. That said it's great for smudging into the lash line and adding depth to some shades.

Final verdict? This palette is a knockout. I really, really love this palette and I was so impressed with the pigmentation and colour selection. All of them seemed wearable yet daring and I've not seen that in a palette before. It's perfect for any makeup look and any mood, so if you're looking for something for every day that takes you though to the night and any other colour creations, this it the palette for you.

You can find this palette from Makeup Revolution here for £6*.
What's your favourite shade?
Thanks for reading!

*This product was gifted to me for review.


Sunday 18 October 2015

SUFFOLK BLOGGER MEET

The lovely Daisy, you can find her blog here, organised the brilliant Suffolk Meet all on her own. Being a fellow blogger meet organizer I not only wanted to go and see what was in store, but to go and support her. It's not an easy thing to organize so I could see and appreciate all the hard work and time that went into such a lovely event that she should be proud of. I went with my fellow Norwich Blogger organizer Justine. We would've come with Court as well but she was super ill, however I grabbed a bag for her so you'll see a post on her blog soon! Excuse the heavily photo post, there was a lot going on...
There were loads of little groups of items on a few of the tables from the photos above. It made the place look really interesting and I as curious as to what everything was! Feeling slightly ill on the day I didn't indulge in the Hotel Chocolat chocolates, however my lovely friend Michelle had a few and I'm sure she enjoyed them. I picked up the Dalandan Orange Life Tonic which was so yummy! It was interesting to taste coconut water with a fruit flavour. Another nice touch was the Twig & Dot candles. They smelt beautiful and I picked up the Cinder and Smoke scent. There were cute cola ghost marshmallows and owl cookie cutters too which were super lovely! We also had someone from Lipiver talk about their cold sore preventing product too which is perfect for the cold weather.
Yahoo mail was there too with their cute paper subscription boxes full of pretty cards and decorative items. Everything was so gorgeous and I fell in love with the bright colours and adorable designs. The lady, who is actually Daisy's mum, was really lovely and it was nice to hear that she designed some of the cute cards. We were all given an adorable card from Yahoo Mail too which was so lovely and I'll show it in my goody bag post soon. It will have a lovely place above my office space!
Odylique was another brand there that I hadn't heard off, but I was really intrigued. The lady was lovely and knew everything about the products so I was able to ask any questions I could think of. I loved the glass bottles with the pretty floral design on the front. It was really nice to discover a new brand and we also had something from them in our bags too so we were able to try out a product too which I loved! You can have a look at all their lovely smelling products here.
Charity Candles where there too which I had heard of before. It was nice to have a good smell and all 4 of us (Me, Justine, Kelly and Alys) were obsessing over the spiced orange scent, it honestly smelt beautiful. I wished I had picked up a candle now, it's the thing I really regret! You can have a browse at all their lovely scents here.
Ivy-Joan had some gorgeous items that I just fell in love with. I wanted everything! I spent a good amount of time laughing at the cards and cooing over the cute home decor. I wished I'd picked up that adorable lunch box! I'm obsessed with making my lunch at the moment, so it would have been perfect. If you're looking for personalised gifts, Ivy-Jon is the way to go. There's something on the website for everyone, and I especially love the shabby chic vibes. You can find them online here.
Raffle Prizes

There were loads of prizes on offer, so I bought 14 strips in hope for something cute! I won the years perfume subscription from The Perfume Society, a voucher for Personal Planner and some face masks! I'll be blogging about these separately, along with the goody bag contents! I'm not sure how much money was raised but I'm sure it was a lot! 
There's Daisy!
Goody Bag Contents plus raffle prizes

I believe every bag was different, as I'm seeing so many different things in peoples bags! My favourite thing in the bag was the Unicorns Unite palette from Makeup Revolution and the MoYou London nail art kit! If you've written about your bag already please pop your link in the comments so I can have a nosey! I'll be doing an in depth review of the bag soon so don't worry if there's nothing in this post about it. Daisy did an amazing job and she should be really proud. Everyone seemed to have a blast which was the main goal, so I'm so happy it's been such a success! Overall it was a really cute event and it was so lovely to see new and familiar faces! Thanks again Daisy!