SPACE NK MAKE UP BRUSHES: My thoughts ...

Hasn't it been an age since I last blogged?

Moving house was hectic and renovations even more so.  I am living with only a livingroom and bedroom and teeny en-suite at the moment so taking any blogworthy photos has been a little difficult as well as having little to no time to sit down with the laptop.

Anyway, I have wanted to blog about these make up brushes for a LONG time so with a spare 10 minutes this evening, here goes ....

I got to try out some Space NK brushes, which led to me purchasing some Space NK brushes.  Their quality is comparable to high end make up brands and unfortunately so is their price.

I have the blush brush (RRP £28 - my own purchase), the eyeshadow brush (RRP £18 - PR item for review), and the foundation brush (RRP £25 - PR item for review).

The blush brush is large, dense and squared off in shape.  It is actually quite different from blush brushes I have used in the past which have been softer, fluffier and rounder but I have to say this is working well for me.  It gives good placement of the blush and covers a larger area of the cheek, which dependant on the overall finish you want may not always be a good thing.  It has made it into my everyday make up bag so it is a thumbs up purchase.  It's biggest flaw is its price ... for £28 I would rather buy from a major brand ... however, I managed to purchase in the January sales but would never repurchase at full price i'm afraid.

A closer look 

As far as the eyeshadow brush goes, it is great for placement of shadow on the lid, I also use to blend as the brush is quite fluffy despite being densely packed. Again, the price tag lets me down but this is probably because I expect cheaper as it isn't branded MAC, Space NK, Bobbi Brown etc.

Space NK brush on left, MAC 190 on left 

The foundation brush is my favourite of the 3 with it being comparable to the MAC 190 but with only £1 price difference I would personally go for the MAC brush everytime.

Space NK left, MAC right

Although the Space NK foundation brush is a little bit wider, it makes little difference to make up application and these 2 brushes are near enough like for like.

As much as I really really like Space NK brushes, I wouldn't purchase them over branded make up brushes like MAC unless I picked them up for half the price on sale.  With so many similarities to their more popular competition and very little in the way of price comparison, I can't see these brushes standing out in the market place.

Have you tried Space NK brushes? What are your thoughts on quality and price?

x

Hidden-Lane Hen Do

Not long back, I had an exciting opportunity to work with Kirsty at her gorgeous tea rooms in the West End of Glasgow.  The Hidden-Lane Tea Rooms regularly plays host to exclusive vintage tea party hen dos and I was asked if I would be interested in creating some vintage make up looks for the gaggle of hens.

It sounded like a fun evening so I signed up straight away.  On the evening around 15-20 girls turned up and were treated to a tea party of cakes and scones and tea cups filled with their poison of choice, probably not tea.  While 2 hair sylists tended to the locks of the hen party, it was up to me to give the girls vintage makeovers.  It was impossible to get round everyone in a short space of time but I was able to makeover most of the hen party and a few touch ups for the other girls.  Most of the girls wanted a vintage pin up look with red lips and big lashes.

Louise Bichan, a fabulous photographer based in Glasgow was on hand to document the evening in her unique style.  Here are some of the images she sent me this week.

If you are interested in a vintage tea party themed hen night, contact Kirsty at Hidden Lane Tea Rooms on 0141 433 1240

x

Some professional shots of Rachael's wedding make up ...

Rachael got married a couple of months ago now and I was honoured to be there on the day to make over 7 beautiful faces for the big day!

It was a gorgeous wedding and at last Rachael has her professional photos.  I thought I would let you see a sneak peak of some of the faces I made up on the day.  I hope you agree they all look gorgeous!

Real Life: Blue Smokey Eye

So you might remember a few posts ago I wrote about my love for a blue smokey eye and I think the general consensus was that people do hesitate when it comes to picking blues or navy on the eye.

Well this weekend I was able to do a dramatic dark blue smokey eye for a delightful young lady - Jen.  The evening was a glam night out with the girls and Jen was going for a laid back but slightly rock chick look with her outfit and hair.

Jen isn't used to wearing heavy eye make up and majority of the time wears very little make up and mostly neutral tones when she does.  However, she threw caution to the wind with this dramatic smokey eye.

I think the smile on Jen's face can guarantee that she liked the finished look :)

Here is what I used:
BASE: 
Laura Mercier Primer
MAC Face & Body C3
MAC Select Cover Up NC23

EYES:
Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Palette using the neutral taupe and darkest blue shade (Limited Edition)
MAC Deep Truth
Estee Lauder Pure Colour Eyeshadow in Midnight Star Metallic
MAC Blacktrack Liner smudged with MAC Carbon shadow
Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara

CHEEKS:
Bourjois Bronzer
MAC Pinch o' Peach blush
Nars Copacabana highlighter

LIPS:
MAC Angel mixed with Rimmel Foxy

I would love to know what you all think!

TREND: Graphic Eyeliner

Eyeliner is the main staple in my everyday make up look, day or evening.  You may have noticed in every magazine, advert and catwalk show this season, eyeliner is the main focus too.

I love the drama and impact it creates and it seems this Autumn/Winter, eyeliner is really breaking out of it's shell and throwing some shapes on the lids.

Cat eyes have evolved to graphic sleek double edged lines and the retro flick is bigger and bolder than every before and usually minus the flick!  Inspiration comes from many sources including the late, great Amy Winehouse and make up artist liner genius Val Garland among others.

The best way to re-create a look like this is to ensure your eyelids are primed.  Try Urban Decay Primer Potion and set by sweeping some translucent powder over the lid to make sure the liner doesn't move through the day.

Always use a gel or liquid liner to get the look.  It will create the impact and depth required of the trend and will be easier to manoeuvre and manipulate the placement across your lid.

Finish off with a coat of mascara or for a nonchalant rock chick look leave it behind for a change.

The look is all about being bold and having a bit of fun with your make up so the more graphic and creative the better!

Wedding Make Up

As promised in my previous post, here is a sneaky peek at the wedding make up of yesterday's gorgeous Bride.

Rachael was looking for a soft, natural look that fitted with the vintage theme of her wedding.  She doesn't normally wear a lot of make up and was more comfortable with a tinted moisturiser as a base so we used Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser.  This left Rachael with a gorgeous radiant glow.

I used Chanel Bronze Universale to contour and Bobbi Brown Apricot blush on the cheeks to give a natural flushed glow.  Eyes were smokey using MAC Soba, Patina and Handwritten.  Lips were lined in MAC Dervish with MAC Angel lipstick layered on top, finished off with Clinique Fireberry lipgloss.

I also applied some individual false lashes to the outer corners of the eye.

Rachael was delighted with the finished look.  Hair was by Stacie at Absolute.

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser

Yesterday I had a wonderful wedding party to work with.  I was booked to do the Bride, Bridesmaids and Mother of Bride but by the time I had left them, I had completed 7 make ups in total!  I was exhausted but it was great fun and it really helped that the family were a dream to work with, thoroughly lovely people.

The Bride doesn't normally wear a lot of make up and she felt that she would be more comfortable with a tinted moisturiser on the day rather than a foundation.  There is only one tinted moisturiser that I would trust to do the job on such a big day and that is Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser.

In fact, this tinted moisturiser is the only one I use and recommend as it is almost like a little bit of magic in a tube.  I have found no other to live up to its brilliance.  It is a costly investment at £33 but I absolutely trust this product like no other.

To ensure it lasts the full day I apply on top of a primer, usually Laura Mercier also, but any primer should do the trick.  It works well on the skin, gliding on like silk and blends like a dream.  It gives a soft, tinted veil of cover but the most wonderful thing about this product is the natural radiance it creates on the skin.  Your skin literally glows from within.  Beautiful.

My Bride yesterday looked absolutely flawless wearing this and she looked utterly radiant as every Bride should.  Photos will be uploaded soon so you can have a sneak peak at her final look.

You can buy Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturiser at branches of House of Fraser and Space NK for £33.