Easy Halloween Make up Look

 Firstly I started with my foundation and concealer, the foundation was very light so that it gave a ghostly appearance

 I took the MUA undressed pallet and used the dark black shade on the whole of my left eye lid and blended it with a fluffy brush into the crease 

 I then used the collection eyeliner and drew a few lines on the side of my face coming from the eye, then drew semi circles joining them together to create a spiders web

 I contoured my cheeks with a really dark contouring powder to darken my complexion

A tip to lighten the eyebrows is to smother them with glue, then apply powder for the dark eye shadow to be bolder 

 I used the same dark black shadow and drew on thick black arched eyebrows 

To put the whole look together, I decided to apply a dark purple matte lipstick. I thought that it looked boring just covering the whole lips, so I winged it out at the sides

I didn't add mascara because in my opinion it looked more interesting without

And this is the end result, thank you for reading and I hope you have a fantastic Halloween!

Until next time, 

Marta xo 

PS. this will probably take me all evening  to take off now, oops!

MUA Eyeshadow Palette-Undressed £4

Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer £7.99

L'Oréal Paris True Match Foundation £9.99

Natural Collection Loose Powder £1.99

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner £2.99

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush £9.99 

KOBO matt bronzing contouring powder £4

Eyeshadow Brush £1.99

OOTD | Autumn

Hope you are doing well! It's been a cold, rainy week but that really excites me because it finally feels like Autumn. I'm not the most fashionable person, but I thought I would share one of my favorite outfits to wear during this time of year. It is very casual, but the cut of the top makes the whole look a little more interesting. I am also completely in love with these booties and I have been complemented on them so many times now (surprise surprise, they're from Primark!) I have paired all this with black Joni Jeans to add some simplicity to the look.

Top- Primark £6
Coat- H&M
Jeans- Black Topshop Joni Jeans £36
Boots- Primark £15

Martaxo

Current Foundation | L'Oreal True Match

Hey!

This is just a little update on the foundation that I currently use, I went for the beautiful L'Oreal true match, it has a new formula which is more runny than the previous one and I don't quite understand how it can be so bendable, but it's amazing! I went for the lightest pink tone shade as it is coming up to winter (eek!) and I will probably be as light as a ghost so this will suit me the best. 

Lots of love, Marta xo

Matte Lips

Hi gorgeous,

I haven't written in a while because of the amount of busyness that took over, some of those things were good and some were bad, but we all go through our ups and downs and there is always a light at the end of the tunnel-remember that. But I am happy to be back! I hope you are well :)

Moving on, I wanted to write about a little trick that I have discovered about two weeks ago, which has been driving me insane as I get bored of glossy lips and this method really mattifies them:

All I do is apply some lipstick (any lipstick will do) then I take a small fluffy brush, mix it in some face powder and dab it onto my lips.

Red lips before this method

Dab on the powder, then blend slightly into the lips

This will be the end result!

Excuse the college uniform, this is the purple lipstick before

This is the purple lips after

Another picture of purple lips after-please ignore the mess!

The colour looks so much more natural and I love how mattifyng it is, it also helps it stay on for everrr!


Hope you enjoyed this little blog post and liked this little trick.

P.S. I hope you like my new blog layout! Took me a while to pick something that I love, simple and pastel- definitely my fave.

Hugs and kisses, Marta xo

AUTUMN

Autumn is literally right round the corner and I am so so excited that I can't even contain it! For a few years now, Autumn has been my favorite time of year. It's not too hot or cold, Halloween and Christmas are slowly arriving, candles finally start to show up, dresses and skirts with tights, boots and scarfs float around and obviously THE PURPLE LIPS AND NAILS. All these thoughts excite me. Extremely. What's your favorite time of year and why? I'd love to know!

As the purple lips excite me the most, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite lipsticks I enjoy using in the Autumn.

Topshop Lipstick 'Black Widow'
This lipstick is the most dramatic, darkest purple that I own. It has a matte finish so looks amazing on the lips during autumn and winter. If your lips tend to be dry, I would advise you to moisturize your lips well before wearing this lipstick because throughout the day your lips may crack. The shade 'Black Widow' is not on the website right now.

Topshop Lips- similar shade

Collection Lip Butter 4 'Perfect Plum'

The collection Lip Butter is a more creamy consistency and has a very glossy finish, which is the opposite to the Topshop lipstick. The colour of this purple lip crayon has a red/pinky undertone which will suit most skin tones. Also the price of this is incredible! (£2.99!) 

Collection Lip Butter- 4 'Perfect Plum'

L'Oreal 401 'Fuschia Drama'

The last of my favorite purple lipsticks is the L'Oreal Color Riche extraordinaire, which believe it or not, is actually a lipstick. It's classed as a lipstick because of the amount of pigmentation it has in it, however the texture of it is like a lip gloss as it is very soft and creamy. (£8.99)

L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Extraordinaire- 401 'Fuschia Drama'

Martaxo

The easiest way to clean your brushes

I don't know about you... But I hate the thought of having to clean my brushes at least once every two weeks, so the last thing I want to do is spend loads of time on it. So I have searched and searched through the world of the internet and I think I have finally found the least time consuming, cheap and healthy way to wash my brushes.

All you need is conditioner. Doesn't everyone have some lying around somewhere? Cause' I know I ALWAYS do. Oh and you probably need your positive cleaning mood on.

First of all, put on some music.
Then grab the brushes that need cleaning.
Squeeze out some conditioner onto your clean hand and wet the brush.
Using circular motions, rub the brush onto your hand and mix it with the conditioner- you will probably see all the disgusting old foundation that has been sitting in the brush for a while- yuck.
You want to do this for about a good three minutes until the brush is completely clean.
Lastly just wash out the excess conditioner and rub the brush on a towel- when you leave it out to dry over night, do not leave it standing up as this will ruin the bristles. Instead, just leave it flat against a towel or the best way, leave it hanging upside down.

Marta xo

Garnier BB Cream review

Good evening ladies,
                             
I am finally back from my holiday, I hope you had a great summer too and got up to loads of amazing things!
I thought it would be about time for another foundation review as when I was on my holiday, the only base make up I had were foundations- which is obviously not ideal for the hot weather.. which by the way was 40 degrees ;) So I went on a hunt to find a BB cream and stumbled across this Garnier BB cream. I thought the brand only did hair and skincare products so I thought I'd give it a go. I picked up the shade Light/Claire- there were only two shades and the other was for medium skin tones. I bought this in Poland for 19.99 zloty (which is only less than £4!)

Garnier BB Skin Perfector Oil Free - Light

The BB cream claims to mattify, blur pores and imperfections, even skin tone, moisturize and provides SPF 20. After testing it out for about a week, it definitely did do all of these things, it even had really good coverage which is unusual for a BB cream. It kept my face hydrated but matte at the same time, and I didn't need to even set it with a powder. However, it was disappointing that there were only two shades and the lightest isn't even that light because it oxidized on my skin and I could see that dreaded 'slag' line. Which is a shame because apart from the colour range, the BB cream is amazing.

Product rate: **** out of 5
Thank you for reading!

Marta xo

5 Beauty Hacks You Should Know

Hi!

There are a few beauty hacks that I am aware of + are effective as they make the life of make up so much easier, so I thought I'd share them with you:

I've chucked away a lot of mascaras because they have dried up but don't do it! Just put a few drops of eye drops into the mascara, then shake and the mascara will be much better and you will be able to still get a few uses out of it.

Another good make up hack I'm aware of is for fuller lashes- who doesn't want them?

All you need to do is put some baby/talcum powder or translucent powder onto a cotton bud and brush it on your lashes, making sure you look down so no fall out goes into your eye! Then continue like normal with mascara and voila, longer and fuller lashes.This is so quick and easy but yet really effective.Here is a picture of my mascara alone and the other with this technique with translucent powder:

Left: Mascara       Right: Powder and mascara

(My lashes are already thick and cling on well to mascara this is why the results are subtle, they work better on my friends)

Mix Vaseline or petroleum jelly with a loose pigment or eye shadow to make your own lip gloss. Just squeeze out some jelly onto a spoon or container and add how ever much pigment or eye shadow you want (depending on the intensity) then give it a good old mix and you will have made your own custom lip gloss- you can also mix colours! I love to do this myself because I can get the colour I would like.

I don't know about you, but my skin tends to get a little oily during the day and there is a little hack for this. Whenever you go to the toilet, grab some clean toilet paper or blotting paper from a drugstore and pat it onto your oily patches. This is really quick and easy and doesn't take anything out of the purse! You can also use the blotting papers linked below, even when you are not oily and it will give your skin a matte finish. 

Blotting paper- £2.69

And finally the last hack- if you've ever bought a foundation that is too dark, it's not as bad as you think because you can just mix it with some moisturizer to lighten it up. Sometimes it is easier to buy a darker foundation so that you can use it during the summer when you are a bit more tanned or can lighten it up when you need to in the winter. I also like to buy a darker and lighter foundation so that you can try and mix them together depending on your skin colour. 

I hope that some of these hacks you havent heard before and may have taken your fancy and I hope you have a chance to try them out :) 

Marta xo

First Impressions!

Hello Everyone,

I thought I would do a first impressions post as I had a few new make up items and thought I'd give them a little love. It's also extremely hot in England at this moment (hope I don't jinx it!) and I'm writing this blog post outside in the sun so it's a perfect time to type some stuff on the laptop for you.

After college, I made my way to Superdrug with my friends and noticed the most beautiful brushes my eyes have ever seen. They are made by the brand Lottie London (which I have never heard of) and the prices were very affordable, so I thought I would give it a try. I have the powder brush, the handle and tip of the bristles are in the colour light blue- which, for me, is very visually appealing so it grabbed my attention straight away. 

After trying out this brush for a few days, I really enjoy using it, it's very light and soft on the skin so will not irritate, however, the bottom of the bristles that are black do feel a little more harsh. Absolutely beautiful brush and I will definitely be purchasing more! 

Lottie London Powder Brush- £7.99

***** out of 5 stars

Moving on to the Master Sculpt by Maybelline which comes in two different shades, one in Light/Medium and the other in Medium/Dark so you will probably find one that suits your skin tone- I have the shade Light/Medium because I'm pretty pale :( The contour shade is very pigmented and easy to blend with a fluffy brush so is perfect for contouring. It does have a slightly orange undertone but isn't too noticeable. The highlight side is gorgeous but it is not as pigmented as the contour. The pallet also has a mirror and contouring brush which makes it a handbag essential! (However, the brush is very hard and doesn't work for me as I think it may irritate my sensitive skin, so I take a different one with me)

Maybelline Face Master Sculpt- £6.99

**** out of 5 stars

I received the Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation from my sister for my birthday- thank you! I was really excited because I haven't used a whipped creme foundation before. Mine is in the shade 40 light ivory which will be great for the cooler months when my tan wears off because right now it is a little too light for the rest of my body (it's finally really hot in the UK!) It is a very creamy formula and blends really well into the skin, the coverage is light to medium and can be built up without looking cakey. I feel it has a slightly matte effect onto my skin but does get oily throughout the day because it's very moisturizing- I find if I just touch up with some powder or blot with some blotting paper I do not have this problem. I think the foundation will suit any skin type but will suit dry skin the most as it is very hydrating and lightweight.  

Max Factor Whipped Creme Foundation- usually £9.99 now on offer for £5!

***** out of 5- will be using it a lot in the winter! 

The last product I have is the L'oreal Paris Brow Artist Genius Kit. It is packaged beautifully with a big mirror inside- which again is great to throw in your handbag. The kit has a powder side and tinted wax which are both really good and pretty pigmented. A little more pigment would be better though as I spend quite a while filling in my eyebrows with this and it takes a lot of product. This kit would be amazing for beginners as it has the powder, wax, mirror, spoolie with an angled brush on the other side and some small tweezers- so basically all you need for brows in one! My kit is in the shade Light/Medium as my hair is becoming blonder because of the sun and I don't want super intense brows so the shades are perfect.

L'Oreal Brow Kit- £9.99

**** out of 5- because of the slight lack of pigment.

Thanks for reading! 

Marta xo

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation Review

So I was shopping and had some money spare, I decided to visit John Lewis to look for a foundation. I tried to look for the Nars sheer glow foundation because of the amount of good reviews but it was not there. In the end I decided to splurge on this Giorgio Armani one. I have the shade number 4, the lady matched me well and gave me a tester of the highlighter (which was cute.)

After testing this foundation for a few months now, it is the best foundation I have ever tried. It literally feels like there is nothing on your skin at all but it still gives medium coverage. It does not go cakey at all but I have noticed that by the end of the day I do need to blot my t-zone with some powder as it does get a little oily. I have combination skin and it has never clinged onto any dry patches and has not clogged my pores. I like to use the Real techniques expert face brush with this foundation as it does not leave any lines and buffs it well into the skin.

Also, how cute is the bottle? It is made out of glass, (kinda screwed if I drop it) it has a pump and the lid has the Giorgio Armani logo on it. It looks so classy and I love it.

This is more of a pricey foundation, It costs £36.50 in John Lewis oops.. However, there was a 10% off sale when I was there. The money is definitely worth it. There are also some amazing drugstore foundations out there like the L'Oreal true match or Rimmel wake me up but I find the money is worth it and I will definitely be purchasing it again!

Product rate: ***** out of 5

Thank you for reading the blog, I hope it was helpful.

Marta xo