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Wednesday 31 July 2013

25 facts about me

  Hi guys! I hope everyone's well! 

I was on on my to meet my friend the other day and I came across a billboard/ advert that said 'things about me' and it got me thinking that it would be kind of fun to do a 25 facts about me post! 
I'm not going to lie it actually took me quite a while to do this post cause I didn't really know what to write without sounding boring, so I hope you all enjoy!

Feel free to follow me on twitter and google+, I follow back! :) xoxo


                        It's me! :)


25 facts about me:

1) I'm from Birmingham in the UK
2) I'm left handed
3) I've got 1 tattoo and 5 piercings 
4) I love working out and eating healthily 
5) my favourite animals are giraffes (I'm a little obsessed!)
6) I've been studying fashion since I was 14.
7) I want to become a makeup artist 
8) I'm moving to London to work in fashion/makeup
9) I've broken my leg with I was 6
10) I've never been abroad
11) blogging makes me extremely happy!
12) I'm constantly on my phone
13) I collect teddy bears (yes I'm a child)
14) I'm massive Disney film buff
15) I'm obsessed with friends and have to watch at least 1 episode a day
16) I'm massive football fan and support Liverpool FC
17) I've worked at London fashion week
18) I'm the biggest Michael Jackson fan ever!
19) I own at least 30 handbags
20) I've moved house 6 times
21) I'm a self taught makeup artist 
22) I adopted a dolphin when I was 10 and used to get photos sent to me
23) I have a slight obsession with the Kardashian family  
24) I have a pet cat who is 13 
25) I can't draw! 

I really loved doing this post, it was fun to just sit down and make this list! 
Hope you all enjoyed! 

I've been thinking about doing a giveaway when I get to 50 followers, let me know if it's something everyone's interested in! :) xoxo 

MUA Academy vs. Real Techniques brushes!

Morning you beautiful people! 

I thought I'd do a brush review post just to switch things up a little bit! I've been a massive fan of brushes for years and I think the basis of any makeup look is a set of good brushes, so it's only natural that I'm always buying and using brushes!



When I first started buying brushes, I first saw a stippling brush at a MAC counter and I really wanted to know what I was for and how to use it so I set out to find a brush just as good and I didn't want to spend a lot of money! So when MUA academy announced they had their own line of brushes coming out then I knew I had to buy! So I brought 2! :p 

For £3 each, I really couldn't complain! 

When I got it delivered I knew I'd love it! I wanted to try it out right away and I loved it! It leaves my foundation looking great on my skin and buffs it in lovely! If I'm in a rush I can easily use this brush for most things so it saves on brushes! When I finish doing my makeup, I always clean my brushes and set them to dry and I actually thought this brush was going to be really hard to wash because the bristles are quite far apart but I was totally wrong! The product slipped out of the brush and into my hand and was so easy to wash out!
Overall I love this brush and I've got to tell you it's definitely worth £3!! 







When I was more familiar with the stippling brush, i set out to find another one just as good and I definitely found one in the form of a real techniques stippling brush and I fell in love! 
It was everything I was looking for and more! The packaging was great , the brush itself looked good! I just fell in love. I wanted to try it straight away, so I took my makeup and reapplied it with this brush and I wanted to thank all my gods I brought this brush! It buffs my makeup in so it looks like ive hardly got any foundation on. It was a little more pricey at £13 and In some ways I think it's worth it but others I really don't! 

I think it was about the 4th time of me using it and it started to shed! I was gutted! It only happened for a week or so and now it doesn't which I found to be a bit strange! 
When I started washing it, I did notice that it was harder to clean, especially if you leave it for longer than a day! It can be a nightmare and I can sometimes spend up to 10 mins washing this one brush! 





I'm not totally sure which one i love more because I use them both in different ways! But I will say this: if your looking for a cheap alternative for a stippling brush then go for the MUA academy brush! You really can't go wrong with this brush! 


Tuesday 30 July 2013

Bath/ shower products I love!

Hello lovely people! 

I'm obsessed with shower gels and body lotions and all that good stuff, so I thought I'd do a post on the bath and shower products I'm using at the moment! I use a wide range of many different things but I don't tend to mix and match products, I like to keep to the same brands to make the products work and plus it makes me smell a lot better! 



              (Excuse the towel lol) 

At the moment I'm using a 3 piece product set by boots that is a mango sugar scrub, body wash and body lotion! 
It smells absolutely gorgeous and works like a dream! All products are great, I use the body wash on a daily basis and the sugar scrub every 2/3 days to exfoliate my skin and get rid of all the unwanted nastiness! :( 



When I'm out of the shower, I used the body lotion which is so creamy and thick it's beautiful! The goes on the skin beautifully and soaks into the skin leaving a lovely mango smell! Then I apply my aloe Vera (see my July favourites post for more info) to my skin and use my roll on dove deodorant (no alcohol) so I feel nice and fresh! 

If you love fruity smells that last a long time then I'd definitely recommend buying this! If not then don't worry, they also have:

-Cocoa butter
-Brazil nut
-Honey
-Coconut 
And at £8 each they are so worth it, I'm going back next week to buy a different flavour! :) 




Sunday 28 July 2013

My bucket list!


           Morning you lovely lot! 
I hope you've all had a great weekend! 

I was looking at blogs a few days ago and saw that someone had done a post on a bucket list of 50 things they want to do before a certain age and it got me thinking that this would be a great post and a good way of letting you all know a little bit more about me and what I like! So I've got a list of 20 things I would like to do/ achieve by the time I'm 30 or so! (They're not in order) 

                Hope you all enjoy! :) 



1) Learn to drive
2) graduate from university 
3) go on a girls holiday
4) take a short course in makeup artistry 
5) get a few more tattoos


6) start my own business
7) visit America 
8) move to London 
9) live in a different country for a year
10) work at MAC cosmetics 
11) own Louis Vuitton hand luggage

 
12) get matching tattoos with my best friend
13) own at least 3 designer dresses 
14) dye my hair golden brown 
15) go skinny dipping
16) watch a primer league final game at wembley 
17) take up yoga
18) swim with dolphins 
19) go and see a west end show
20) meet and feed some giraffes 




Hope you all liked! Feel free to comment, I'd love to know what's on your bucket list! 
Twitter: @kissmakeupblog 

My faves for July!

 I've been waiting to do this since I started my blog and I'm so glad I can post about this now! I've seen so many different bloggers do these types of posts and I love seeing what everyone else has brought and loved! 
 
I've got quite a few products and items that I've loved this month but I've narrowed it down to 5! 

              I hope you all enjoy! :)



1) studded small clutch bag
2) MAC mineralise skin finish in medium/ dark
3) Aloe Vera bio active skin treatment 
4) Batiste dry shampoo 
5) MAC foundation brush no. 190 

 Studded clutch bag (select, £10)

I love this bag! I've had it a few months now and almost every time in out with my girlfriends for drinks I take this bag! It looks quite small but I can actually fit quite a few things in there: my iPhone, keys, money and even lipgloss! There's a small pocket in there that is perfect for you money and there's even a long chain that connects so you can use it as a shoulder bag.
The design is a navy blue, sliver studded clutch with a skull on the opening inspired by Alexander McQueens trade make skull! 






MAC mineralise skin finish, (MAC, £24)

I love this product! More me I used to think that every powder was the same but this product is so good! I tend to have an oily t-zone but this calms it right down and gives my face and makeup a really glowing and nice finish! They come in lots of different shades and the MAC artists are super helpful and lovely! 






Aloe Vera skin treatment (Holland & Barratt £6.99)

I'm always looking for different products to help with my skin and this does it! I suffer from stretch marks (I know I'm not the only one) so I thought I'd put this into my top 5. I used this every day after my shower in the morning and then before I go to bed, I've been using this for a few months now and they are certainly fading! It doesn't leave a smell and its a clear gel that settles into your skin so beautifully and leaves your skin feel so soft and moisturised! Definitely a must buy if you suffer from dry skin or scarring! 




Batiste dry shampoo, (Superdrug, £1.50)

I've always been a bit sceptical of dry shampoos becuase I've brought a few in the past and they haven't really done anything to my hair but I brought this really cheap and I love it, this is actually my second bottle! If I don't feel like washing my hair or I'm in a rush I just spray this on my hair and it looks great! It doesn't leave my hair dry or greasy! It's great and it comes in loads of different types and flavours! 




MAC foundation brush, (MAC, £19.99)

I'm always hearing mixed reviews about MAC's brushes, some people saying they shread and other people saying their great! I was torn. So I decided to buy myself one that I knew I was going to use so it wasn't a waste of money! A foundation brush. I knew that it would come in handy as I'm always applying foundation whether its on myself or clients so it wasn't a total waste of money but I don't think I'd pay another £20 or so for another one. I love the way the bristles feel and they're shapes to be used not only on the face but under the eyes and around the nose which is perfect! It blends into the skin so well and it's so easy to clean i actually enjoy cleaning it! If you wanted a decent foundation brush then this is the one to get, if I'm grabbing a foundation brush I always go to this one! 







Hope you all enjoyed this post and don't forget to follow me on Google friend connect, I follow back :) xoxo 

Saturday 27 July 2013

Karla Powell!

             

               Afternoon everyone! 

I've been thinking about doing this post for a while now but always put it off, but as I was creating face charts this morning I thought I'd post something about them! 

I absolutely love creating face charts, it gives me a chance to be creative with makeup and sample ideas for photoshoots I may be doing! 
When I first started with face charts I was using the MAC ones cause they are the standard ones a lot of makeup artists use but then I came across Karla Powell's face charts and I had to buy them! 

I'm a massive fan of Karla's work and she's taking the makeup world by storm at the minute with her amazing fashion work and recent work at IMATS which I was lucky enough to see for myself! She is well and truly amazing and if you don't know her name, you should definitely look up her work! 






   Just a few of the images I took of Karla's     pop art work at IMATS London this year.

The face charts come in an A4 black zip up case which can be put into your bag and is great for storing all your other images in and has a zip all around the case so it can open easily.






 

Inside the case, there is 25 plastic wallets inside to hold your work, including 25 sheets of face charts to practice on! I love the quality of paper that has been used as it holds the makeup really well and super easy to apply the makeup to! 
It also has compartments on the inside to hold bits and pieces in such as business cards, pieces of paper, pens and brushes! It also has a pocket on the back cover to hold any other pieces you wish! I love this as I'm always stuffing things in so I don't lose it! 





           Back pocket of the case.

The face charts themselves are a simple but stylish design that I love! They are super versatile and can do pretty much anything with them!




If you want to check out Karla's work then you can check out her website and all of her social media sites below: 

Official website/ tumblr: http://www.karlapowell.co.uk/

Twitter: @karlapowellmua

Instagram: @karlapowellmua

Facebook: Karla Powell Makeup-Artist







If you want me to do a post on my visit to IMATS and what I though, leave a comment or let me know on twitter :) xoxo

My skin care routine


                Morning girlies! :) 

One of my absolutely favourite things I love to do is look after my skin! I know that some people hate it and find it a chore, but I love buying and testing different products to see the effects and after feel of my skin! 
When I was younger I did suffer from quite bad spots and it made me feel really and about myself. I'd feel ugly and like nothing would work for me. I used to cleanse, tone and moisturise but I had nobody to teach me how to do it properly so more often than not I'd get it wrong and end up in more spots! It was horrible!

But as I got older and more into makeup I realised that good skin was the foundation of good makeup so I started buying different products that I thought could help me with my problem skin. After trying loads of different products I've found a few that works for me so I thought I'd share with you my experience and what works and what doesn't work!            I hope you all enjoy! :) 


           Morning products


From left to right: simple kind to skin moisturising face wash, clear skin pore penetrating scrub.

When I wake up, one the the first things I have to do is clean my face of the Bacteria from the night before. I own a face cloth so I don't transfer the oils from my hands. I start with using the clear skin pore penetrating scrub as I tend to have large pores and blackheads. I've used this product for a few months now and it definitely works! I'm seeing results with smaller pores and it clears up blemishes in the skin. The scrub deepens into the skin and gets rid of unwanted bacteria. The only downside of this product is that it can be a bit too much, which is why I sometimes use the simply kind to skin moisturising face wash. It lathers into a soap and gently washes the skin and doesn't strip the skin of my natural oils.

                  Evening products


     Avon conditions eye makeup remover 

Before bed I wash off all my makeup and clean skin. For me it's the worst thing in the world to sleep in makeup and your just asking for spots! I definitely have a routine for clearing my makeup. First off, I take off my eye makeup using Avon conditioning eye makeup remover. It comes out like a white lotion and massage it into my lash line to get rid of my mascara and eye makeup. It comes clean off with my face cloth and it's so easy to clean. It doesn't sting my eyes and its really great for getting rid of the last few bits of mascara that are really stubborn to remove! 



From left to right: simple kind to skin purifying cleansing lotion, clear skin blackhead clearing daily cleanser.

After taking off my eye makeup, I used a cleanser to cleanse my skin and remove makeup. As I said before i suffer from blackheads and quite big pores so I use clear skin blackhead cleanser almost every day and I've definitely been seeing results! It had cleared up my skin from redness, trouble spots and blackheads! The product is a clear blue liquid with blue crystals that act as a scrub to get beneath the surface of your skin to clear it. It really does work great! 
But on the other hand, I love the simple range and especially the cleanser! I love the no colour, no fragrance policy of the simply range and I really do think its one of the great things about this cleanser! It clears my skin and makes it feel super soft and moisturised! 



 

    Garnier pure active exfo-brusher wash

When I've taken my makeup off I like to exfoliate. People say not to exfoliate everyday as it can damage your skin so I tend to use this product every 2/3 days. I love this product! It's super easy to use and works like a dream! The head of this product has bristles that acts as a brush on your skin as the products comes out of the top. I use it in circular motions on my skin as it makes a foam. It gets rid of any excess dirt and oil and really does clear my skin! It's really easy to clean off the skin and doesn't feel tight and rough after I've used it! 




 Solutions truly radiant overnight retexturising emulsion 

When I know my skin is clean and clear, I like to put the moisture back into my skin by using retexturising emulsion. The product is a shimmer product when I put it on my skin it turns clear and settles into my skin beautifully. It feels makes my skin feel soft and like I've just washed off a face mask! I've had this product for about 3 months and I've still got well over half a pot! I definitely recommend this product if you have dry skin or need a bit of a vamp in your skin care routine! 

   Simple kind to skin light moisturiser 

For a moisturiser I like to stick to the same brand that I use and don't like to switch brands too much so I use the simply kind to skin moisturiser. It pulls together my routine perfectly and just finishes off my skin care making my skin feel pull of moisture and really does work! 
(I don't have a picture as I literally ran out yesterday and have to re-buy it today! Whoops!) :p 

I hope you liked this post, feel free to leave comments below of what skin are products you all use, I'd love to know! :) xoxo

Thursday 25 July 2013

Review- MUA Academy, The Artiste Collection

Evening everyone!
i hope your all having a great week! If you read my blog youll know that about a week ago i posted a 'whats in my kit' blog which included a few of the MUA palettes in there. I love the fact that they are super cheap, easy to use and really versatile!

One of my favourite MUA palettes is the Artiste collection because it has everything in one! It has 6 eye shadows, 2 blushes, a bronzer and highlighter! The eye shadows are all marbelled and have great effect on the eye and they are super pigmented! The blushes are great as they come in 2 shades and its great for different skin tones.
The bronzer is great for a natural look and really subtle and the highlighter..is amazing! I dont just use it for under the brow bone but on the cupids bow aaand even sometimes on top of the cheekbones!

Check it out below!









See swatches below :)


Eye shadow swatches from left to right: Pistachio, Mocca, Ice, Grape, Chocolate, Cookie.


Blushes, bronzer and highlighter from left to right: (blushes) Pink Sparkle, Primrose, (bronzer) bronzed (highlighter) Shimmer Kiss.



Hope you all like liked this post and if you do, check out the rest of my blog
:) xoxo

Wednesday 24 July 2013

The Liebster Award!

So yesterday morning I checked on my twitter page and the lovely Nadine at http://rosyblossom.blogspot.co.uk had nominated me for the Libester Award! I'm so excited to answer these questions and see what everybody else has posted!

For anybody that doesnt know what the Liebster  award is, its for blogs that have less than 200 followers and its a way in which lesser known blogs to put themselves out there in the blogging world and communicate with more people!

The rules of the liebster award are:

- you answer the questions given to you by the nominator 
-Create 11 questions for the nominees to answer
- you must then nominate 11 bbloggers of your own
- tag them into your post for them to answer your questions




The questions that were asked to me:

1. What is your most expensive beauty buy ever?

A: that's a hard question but its definitely something from MAC! It's either my Fix+ or mineralise skin finish.

2. What is your most used beauty product?

A: my collection black gel liner, I love it, because ive got small eyes anyway it definitely helps me and its great!

3. Do you spend more money on skincare or makeup?

A: definitely makeup! I'm a freelance makeup artist so almost all of my money goes back into makeup for my kit! 

4. What beauty product do you never leave the house without?

A: my moisturiser! I use it every day and my skin definitely feels dry if I don't use it every morning and night! 

5. How long does it take to do your makeup in the morning?

I'd say about 30 minutes, because the weathers hotter now I try not to put too much makeup on.

6. Who is your favourite beauty blogger/YouTuber?

Oh I have far too many but I'd have to say pixiwoo or Carli Bybel! I've learnt everything I need to know about makeup from them!

7.What beauty item do you own the most of?

A: Lipglosses, I'm a sucker for glosses and I buy them at every opportunity! I've got at least 3 in my handbag at any one time!

8. Would you rather never be able to use mascara or concealer again?

A: I'd probably go without concealer because I use foundation I don't often use concealer unless I really need to.

9. Full face of makeup or bare minimum?

A: definitely bare minimum! I love creating a full face makeup when I'm going out or a special occasion but I'm definitely more of a bare minimum kinda girl!

10. What is your favourite makeup/skincare brand?

A: I think the base of a good makeup look is the skin so I'd say it would have to be the simple skin range. I use most of their products and love them because they are fragrance and colour free and it's really great for you skin!

11. What do you want for your blog in the future?

I'd like the hope that more people would take interest in my blog and I'm be able to meet and communicate with more people who love makeup and fashion! :) 


The beauty bloggers that i am nominating are:

1) @BeautyBlogger20- http://www.shonaelizabeth.blogspot.com (Shona)

2) @haysparkle1- http://haysparkle.com (Hayley)


 4) @bloosieslife- http://www.bloosieslife.blogspot.co.uk (Suz)

5) @RedRiotClothing- http://readredriot.wordpress.com (rhiannen)


7) @LauraBlog2013- http://laurathinksabout.blogspot.co.uk (laura)

8) @Coleoftheball- http://coleoftheballl33.blogspot.co.uk (nicole)

9) @April_Todd- http://beautiface.wordpress.com (april)

10) @CostelloReviews- http://costellonails.blogspot.co.uk (louise)

11) @closbeautyspot- http://closbeautyspot.blogspot.co.uk/ (chloe)

My 11 questions to the nominees

1) if you could only use one product for the rest of your life what would it be?

2) whats your favourite beauty brand?

3) do you prefer foundation or concealer?

4) your favourite moisturiser?

5) where do you like to shop for summer clothes?

6) what is your must have beauty product for winter?

7) if you had £100, would you spend it on clothes or makeup?

8) what is your favourite makeup brand?

9) high end or high street fashion?

10) if you were stuck on an island what 3 beauty/makeup products would you take and why?

11) where do you see your blog in 3 years?

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Lipstick Time!

                                            

Morning everyone! :)
Ok so im one of those girls that love collecting and trying on lipsticks but i dont wear it all the time. When i do wear lipsticks thought it makes me feel a lot more confident in myself and actually feels like my makeup is complete! I say i dont wear a lot of lipsticks but the one thing i do love is a good lip gloss! I have about 4 clear and slightly pink lipglosses dotted around in soooo many different bags and around my house! I thought id share with you a few lipstick colours and textures that i like and do wear quite a lot when im out and about! :)

Enjoy!





from left to right: avon plump pout in plumping pearl, color trend lipstick in intimate, collection lock 'n' hold lipgloss in body pop1, avon matt liptick in the shade show me some skin, depotted liptick shimmer pink pearl. the brush i used to apply the products is a Real Techniques detailer brush.


I know that when people, me included, swatch lipsticks on either arms or hand, you can sometimes notice that the colour isnt always the same shade as when you wear it on your lips, so ive swatched them on my lips so you can get a more accurate colour.

(please note that my lighting isnt that good so some colour may be less pigmented but ill tell you which products when they come up)

Clear lipgloss


So may already know that i love a clear lipgloss and this one is no different! it leaves my lips feel so soft and moisturised and sometimes lip glosses can be sticky and horrible but this gloss slides right onto my lips and lasts for quite a few hours!


'Intimate' Lipstick



this purple color trend lipstick is one of my favourite colours. the photo doesnt do it justice. when i first put this colour on i did realise that i do need to put a few layers on for the colour to come through but when it does it look so good!


Pink Gloss



if i could wear only one shade of pink for the rest of my life then this would be it! the colour is so bright and pigmented and its a great little pick me up to vamp up and makeup look! It is a bit sticky when you apply it but it stays put for atleast 5 hours and the colour doesnt fade! Love it!

Show me some skin



This shade for me is a very nude shade as its a matt brown. it glides onto my lips so nice and smooth. it lasts a long time and goes great with a lot of different makeup looks! (As i was swatching this lipstick i realised i actually really like it a lot and defintely going to start wear it a lot more!)

Depotted lipstick



Im not actually sure what brand this lipstick is but i really like it! the pigment is great and its so easy to apply with a brush, it gives a natural colour to the lips and is great for people of fairr skin to brighten up a daytime look!

I hope you all enjoyed this post and i love to read and reply to comments!
:) xoxo