I haven't done an even vaguely makeup-related post in ages, so I thought it was about time I shared my 'everyday makeup' look and talk about the products I use. I am in no way, shape or form an expert and neither is the finished product particularly original or out of the ordinary, but I really enjoy reading posts like these!

Step 1: The first thing I do is apply foundation. I used the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation for ages and I quite liked it, but recently I switched to their Match Perfection one and it's a million times better! Even though the shade is apparently the same (100 ivory), the Match Perfection is much more suited to my skin tone. I use my fingers to kind of dot it all over my face and then I go in with a Real Techniques beauty blender sponge (the orange one, not pictured because it's in a right state at the moment) which gives a nice airbrushed effect.

Step 2: Next step is concealer. I use the Rimmel Match Perfection 2-in-1 concealer and highlighter in the shade 010 ivory - it's more or less exactly the same shade as the foundation. I usually just use a finger to apply it under my eyes and on my browbone and eyelids a bit.

Step 3: Now that I have a base I tend to reach for some blush and just sweep it gently over my cheekbones using a brush that I believe came from Forever 21. I bought a whole set ages ago because I liked that they were labelled with what to use each one for, as I found the whole makeup thing pretty daunting to begin with. To be honest I only own one blush which is the Collection one in the shade 'shocking' - I probably should invest in some more shades!

Step 4: Next I deal with the eyebrow situation. I'm kind of lying here because the product in the pic (the Rimmel 'Brow This Way Brow' Sculpting Kit in dark brown) isn't really part of my everyday makeup since I've only used it once or twice, but I will be using it from now on as my trusty Clinque eyeshadow trio has finally run out. I use a little angled brush to fill in some areas and just really define my brows, which I find makes SUCH a difference to my face! Honestly if I could only use one makeup product for the rest of my life it would probably be brow products.

Step 5: Okay that might not be true because eyeliner is really my absolute essential. I wear it everyday and I always do a cat-eye flick, which has been quite tricky to master but I usually get it right first time now. I use the Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in 'ultrablack' and I love this product so much! I've tried a few different felt tip liners (the horror of the little pot and wand things drove me to them) but this is my favourite.

Step 6: Carefully avoiding any smudging of the eyeliner, I then curl my lashes with this really crappy (but pink!) eyelash curler I got from H&M and which probably needs replacing, and then I use the Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara. I'm always on the lookout for new mascaras because they never seem to do anything for me - this one is fine but nothing special, probably one of the better ones I've ever used though.

Step 7: Finally I whack on some lipstick - for everyday wear it tends to be this Rimmel one in the shade 066 'heather shimmer', but sometimes I go all out and opt for a darker version of this exact colour, also by Rimmel which is called 'starry-eyed' and has confusingly identical packaging. 

And that's it! There are probably a million other things that are *supposed* to be part of your makeup routine but to be honest this is all I do - it takes under 10 minutes and it's become second nature to me. Also you may notice my affection for Rimmel and Collection... Basically they're just solid trustworthy brands which are also pretty cheap so I tend to stick to them, whoops.

And finally here is a photograph of my face in which you can more or less see my makeup (minus the lipstick, sadly, because it wasn't taken for the purposes of this post):

Hope you enjoyed this post!

x

I had my last exam yesterday, which means this is officially the first day of the summer holidays for me! I still have to go back to school for graduation next week, but I'm really looking forward to that actually - I'll probably do a really emotional post about leaving school behind blah blah blah. Now that I have more time on my hands, I can dedicate a lot more of it to blogging and hopefully come up with some interesting and creative ideas for posts. Having said that, I'm proud that I managed to more or less keep blogging through the entirety of the exam period!

Today I wanted to talk a bit about a fashion/lifestyle newsletter I signed up to a month or so ago, the Newsette. Someone on Polyvore sent me a message asking me to check it out, so I googled it and easily found the website.

It basically does what it says on the tin: it's a newsletter with four main parts (things to do, things to know, best pics on instagram and some sort of list of tips or must-have items) that is completely free of charge and drops into your inbox every day. 

The first section is short and generally comprises a link to another website, and ranges from anything from frizz-resistant hairstyle ideas to how to eat healthy at Dunkin' Donuts. This is followed by a few somewhat frivolous news items, mostly to do with celebrities, viral news stories or videos, or general current events, each with a link to find out more if the brief summary catches your attention. The 'best pics on Instagram' section is a nice visual element, often featuring well-known bloggers such as Kristina Bazan (who seems to be featured in every other edition). The last section is a bit more miscellaneous, including features such as music awards highlights, fashion must-haves, tips for flawless skin, smmer bucket lists, hairstyles, most buzzed about beauty products and lots more. You can find examples of past issues on the 'archives' section of the website.

Basically, the Newsette is the ultimate accessory reading material for your typical Starbucks-going American girl: it comes straight to your smartphone 'before you grab your morning latte'. It's light-hearted, fun, takes about a minute to scan through and gives you a few little windows into the worlds of fashion, makeup and the internet. Given it's completely free I think it's worth a quick sign up, just for the knowledge that something short and sweet will drop into your inbox every day.

The only actual criticism I have is that it's so American-orientated: mine arrives mid afternoon, which roughly corresponds to early to late morning in the States, which isn't a problem in itself but the whole 'before you grab your morning latte' is slightly redundant. I think it would be a nice idea if each subscriber could set their time zone and receive the newsletter when they want.

All in all I'm glad I took a couple of seconds to sign up to the Newsette - click here to go to the website for more information.

I've decided I'm going to do more 'top picks' posts from various online shopping websites, because I really enjoy reading these kinds of posts and seeing little snapshots of what's available without having to trawl through pages of items. Having said that, when the mood strikes I also do love hunting through said pages of items and picking out my favourite things - I'm a dedicated Tumblr user and I think scrolling through my dashboard at speed has trained my eyes and brain to recognise images I find aesthetically appealing in a split second, which is also good for shopping sites.

Anyway, I was looking at the Topshop website the other day and I noticed they have some really nice nail polish colours (my inner Brit is cringing slightly at the use of the word polish instead of varnish but I'll let it slide for the sake of clarity). I'm somewhat of a nail polish fiend, as I almost always have some colour on my nails before I inevitably peel it off, an unfortunate habit I have. I've tried so many brands over the years, but not that many high end ones as I can never quite bring myself to splash too much cash, although I admit you do get what you pay for when it comes to nail polish. But one brand which I've found to be nearly as good as the few high end ones I'v tried is Topshop, as their polishes really stay on despite my best peeling efforts and they go on quite nicely too.