Kellyhope Murphy - Creative Makeup

Please Dont Let Me Go*

2012-03-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

Decided to put my new Dior foundation to the ultimate staying power test and wore it when I went to see OLLY MURRS last night! I put my make up on at 2:00pm, went for lunch, went for a few drinks then went to the concert. I did not ONCE fix or change any of my make up.

These photographs were all taken when I came HOME at around 1:00am. Now let me discuss how this was a big test -

(1) TIME : I was going for HOURS without make up.

(2) RED PATCHES : When I drink even one glass of wine I go very red and my make up never stays.

(3) HEAT : I was right up the front of the crowd and my god it was ROASTING, plus with his dancing I was having hot sweats!

DIOR managed to defy all of those three problems and stayed perfect right until I took it off!

2012-02-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

More 'behind the scenes' photographs from the shoot to keep you interested until I have the proper final edited photographs from the shoot itself ready to go!

Photographs + Make up : Kellyhope Murphy

Hair : Tracy Murphy
Model : Lisa Blake

Pioneer* [BEHIND THE SCENES]

2012-02-26T14:36:00.001-08:00

After too long planning and prepping Saturday finally came! Portfolio shoots are stressful! I've finally realised the worst person you can work for is - yourself because you are always so hard on your own work! I had WAY too many speed bumps to start with, it ended up being models down, an hour behind but in the end we all got into things and it all went so well! I haven't printed anything yet but so far on the contact sheets the pictures do look good! (not that I'm tooting my own horn!)

The two photographs above are :

(1) A part of my messy messy set up. Of course it's me so I had coffee and my Mac on hand. A part from that there's too much to point out. You can only see my eye shadows really since I was in the middle of a look when I posted this and everything was out/on that table.

You can however see my beautiful BABY PINK case (that only holds a quarter of my stuff) that I got thanks to the lovely girls in Salon Services in BRAY! I love them, they always get me the best things.

(2) A 'behind the scenes photograph' of my sister fixing the models (Lisa Blake) hair in the middle of Lisa's first set up of the day.

I'm going to obviously bore you guys with the amount of photographs from the shoot I'll be posting but I guess that's just inevitable! Hope you had a lovely weekend.

QUICK - big thanks to : Ramona in the studios for being a star, my mom for keeping us in coffee, my sister for doing an amazing job on the hairs and standing in LAST MINUTE as a model and then of course LISA for being the most beautiful, trusting and professional girl I have ever worked with!

The little things -

2012-02-19T15:08:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite little tricks when it comes to adapting my favourite make up looks into 'day time' suitable looks or in this case 'Spring' looks is color. Although I've told you all a hundred and three times about I think it's more important to stick to what you want as apposed to wearing what is 'in' and 'on trend' I do still think some times you just want to feel more 'suitable' for the season.

Normally the look I have on above is done with much heavier eyes, a lot more bronzer and of course a very dark bold lip. Now don't get me wrong, if I wake up and want to wear it like that - I don't care what month of the year it is. Don't take this as me telling you because it's February you have to wear pink lipstick. I'm simply going to give you a few tips on how to adapt your make up if it's what you want to do!

Try a bright shade of blusher instead of your six brush strokes of Bronzer. It's SPRING, try and look human and healthy as apposed to a cast member of Jersey shore.
Focus on ONE aspect of your face. As much as I love strong lips, strong eyes, strong brows for Spring I think it's important to 'tone down' and one of the easiest ways I see that happening is by softening down some of your features.
Try ditching the dark reds, deep purples, heavy brown lipsticks. Be brave, go to your nearest make up counter and pick up corals, pinks, nudes.
HIGHLIGHTER should be your best friend this season. Spring is all about looking fresh, healthy and ready for the year ahead of you.

Hope this helps! Enjoy SPRING and remember no matter what the magazines are telling you, no matter what the models are wearing - if you feel comfortable, confident and happy stick your middle finger to the world and wear WHAT EVER you want!

x

I love your face.

2012-02-17T08:54:00.000-08:00

Earlier on this week I posted a bit on Trilogy's SPF 15, Anti Age Daily Moisturiser and when I did I told you all to get ready for a flurry of Trilogy posts. I was going to END on this product because it is my favourite but it's Friday so I thought why not? This is Trilogy's original and probably most popular product called 'Rose Hip Oil'. It is the bases and main ingredient in most of their other products.

This oil retails normally at approx €19.99 (for the small bottle) and is a perfect present if you think someone needs a little bit of T.L.C or if you want to treat some one to some long deserved luxury!

*I personally have bought this product for a good few people at this stage (for people of all ages and skin types) and all I've ever gotten back was positive feed back!

(Rosehip Oil was awarded in Harpers Bizar Beauty Hot 100 2012 for the SECOND year running)

* * *

It is already doing wonders in the press and has come back (from my customers alone) as a 5* product. When someone comes into the shop and wants to try the product I always tell them to start with this one because if this sits well with your skin, everything else will. Trilogy Certified ORGANIC oil is a natural oil that helps improve appearances of dry skin, wrinkles, stretch marks and scares. With the winning combination of active ingredients and 100% natural formula comes an effective oil suitable for other skin concerns including but not limited to : ageing skin, dehydration and uneven skin tones.

(Trilogy has been featured in many publications including Tatler)

Trilogy is as they say 'Family Friendly' and can be used during/straight after pregnancy to assist skin elasticity and reduce the appearance of stretch marks. It's safe to be used on infant and child's skin. Due to it being compatible with all skin types, it's pretty much ready for anyone to use.

*Never use Trilogy oil on BROKEN skin

HOW DO I USE TRILOGY OIL?

'How do I use it?' Is normally the first question customers ask. Most of us aren't used to using oils. I should know, when I initially got into talks of the product I was 100% put off with the idea of testing a product that was purely an oil. I had no idea how to use it. I stood in my bathroom looking into my mirror wondering 'What in Gods name am I supposed to do with it?!' Don't worry though I'm here to help! There are many ways you can use Trilogy Oil but I'll go through a few :

(1) Place two to three squirts (the oil comes with a dropper) into the palm of your hand, use your finger tips to massage the oil into your skin before applying your SPF/Foundation.

(2) Open your personal favourite moisturiser, drop Rosehip Oil (amount of drops dependant on the size of your container) into the moisturiser. This is more so advised if the idea of pure oil on your skin isn't appalling to you, however some don't find this as effective.

(3) Combine your Rosehip Oil with your favourite home made face mask recipe and leave to let the oil soak into your skin for the best results! It's all as easy as 1, 2, 3 drops!

(4) For your body use the same as (1) A simple - pop drops onto your hands and then massage the oil into your skin, you can use a lotion over the oil if you think it's necessary!

*I personally apply the oil every day (twice a day sometimes if my skin is really dry) but it's purely up to yourself!

If this hasn't won you over I will leave you with ten of the most recent awards given to the oil :

HARPER’S BAZAAR BEAUTY HOT 100 (UK 2011)
‘Best Natural Skin Miracle’

EVENING HERALD BEAUTY AWARDS (Ireland 2011)
‘Best Day Serum’

INSTYLE AUSTRALIA (Australia 2011)
‘Best Beauty Buys’

BEST IN BEAUT.IE AWARDS 2011 (Ireland 2011)
‘Best Night Time Moisturiser’

PRACTICAL PARENTING & PREGNANCY AWARDS (UK 2011)
‘Finalist: Pregnancy & New Mum Skincare

THE GREEN PARENT NATURAL BEAUTY AWARDS (UK 2011)
‘Highly Commended: Best Stretch Mark Product’

HARPER’S BAZAAR BEAUTY HOT 100 (UK 2010)
‘Best Organic Anti-Ager’

IRISH TATLER BEAUTY AWARDS (Ireland 2010)
‘Hero Serum’

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL (Ireland 2010)
‘Best Serum’

U MAGAZINE BEAUTY AWARDS (Ireland 2010)
‘Kindest to our Environment’

Lips, Lips and LIPS!

2012-02-17T04:09:00.000-08:00

Betsey Johnson Spring 2012

One of my favorite things about the current 'trends' is lips being center stage! Wether it's on the runway, in music videos or in all our favorite cosmetic company adds bold lips are the 'in' thing. From shocking pinks, and colors as daring as yellow and purple our bins should all be full of our boring dull nudes.

No matter what your skin tone there is a color for you. If you are like myself you will know that lip color and skin color don't matter to me. I wear what makes me feel beautiful. I wear what I want to wear. But if you worry about your tones matching your colors I'm going to just put out a few little tips and color guides so you know what to wear and how to wear it :

(Lime Crime recent colors)

If you have fair skin tone - pastels (white based colors) will work best
Medium (not too fair, not to dark) : Reds and oranges are the best
Darker skin tones : you are lucky enough to be able to pull off the purples!

We have all seen this trend before, Lime Crime have been pulling these colors out of their creative bags since long before the spring trend started. We've seen the bold pastel oranges in Barry M lipsticks and recently enough we've seen the beautiful purples in the 'Quite Cute' collection.

I personally think the best way to wear a bold lip like this is to wear a very natural shadow (only slight sculpting) with a thin liquid liner wing, mascara, bronzer to define your cheeks - a tiny dash of blush and then your lips being the most important aspect of your entire look.

However if you are brave enough to go all out they also look great with dark smokey eyes for maybe a night time look. Either way you can wear them a hundred and one ways to make it look quirky and different! That is of course if you are brave enough to let your lips take center stage!

How do you feel about bold lips?

Too much?

Tonights, the night.

2012-02-16T05:36:00.000-08:00

Trilogy is one of the most beautiful skin care ranges I have been lucky enough to stumble upon so far. We stock it in work so of course I had to go through full skin care training. I went thinking it would just be like every other skin range we already had but it wasn't. By the time I had left the head offices I didn't only have a new full knowledge of their products, I had a bag full of their products I had bought for myself! I will eventually discuss some more of their products but for now I just wanted to show you all a product that I wear every single day (even if I'm not wearing make up!)

Trilogy Age Proof - Daily Defense Moisturizer Pro's :

SPF 15 - I don't care what anyone says I believe with my heart and soul that everyone should wear sun screen every day of the week. Not only will it protect your skin from any sun rays but it will also protect your skin and slow down any signs of aging.
This product can actually be used as a primer for your make up. I personally still wear primer (after applying Trilogy) but that's because I wear so much make up that I think it needs the extra kick. For any one who just wears general amounts of make up though - I would happily recommend this as a full primer.
It leaves your skin feeling and smelling beautiful.
It's so good for you - Trilogy sell themselves by showing their ingrediens, and of course because they are an 'organic' skin care range, even the fragrances are all certified as 'Natural'.
The main ingredients are : water, Corn, Cocoa, Shea Butter, Evening Primrose, Aloe Vera, Rosehip, Cucumber, Green tea, etc.
ALL of the Trilogy range is 'Against Animal Testing'.
The packaging is recyclable!

If those seven points aren't enough to win you over I don't know what is!

To put it quickly in lay-mans terms I will say :

This product is quick and easy to use. It combats aging, sun damage AND hydrates your skin all in one go without hurting animals, the planet or your skin!

Have you ever used a 'Triology' product?

What's your favorite moisturizer?

Lets get . . naked?

2012-02-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

So after all this time I finally caved and put the NP2 on my 'birthday wish list' that my mother so gracefully nearly FILLED! I don't think I could of slept at night if I bought it - purely because I'm still on the train that re-in forces the fact that they are practically the exact same palette.

I will say though there are some BEAUTIFUL shades in the NP2, I sort of wish I could just take half of each palette and make a 'super palette' that I could use on the days I'm too lazy to wear proper make up!

Do any of you guys have the NP?
OR the NP2?

Do you think it's worth the price tag?

Untangle Me.

2012-02-13T05:31:00.001-08:00

I can't sleep so I decided to answer some of the questions that I've been getting in via email these last few days! Remember if you ever want to know anything/request something all you have to do is email me :

kellyhopemurphy@gmail.com

(1) What eye shadow pallets do you have? I'm starting out as a MUA and I don't know what to buy.

Well I always think you should buy and use the make up from company's that you trust. For my own personal make up I have :

(1) 16 pro MAC in colors for smokey eyes
(1) Urban Decay Vegan pallet
(1) Urban Decay Naked Pallet
(1) Urban Decay Naked Pallet (2)

(6) Quad pallets from Limited Edition collections
(2) Hello Kitty MAC pallets
(1) MUA pallet

Then for my actual kit I have :

(4) 16 pro MAC in all different colors/shades
(1) Urban Decay Naked Pallet
(2) MAC Quads

Then a bunch of loose Chanel, Urban Decay, lots of MAC pigments etc.

(2) How do you cart your make up around for jobs?

I have a make up kit! Just like beauticians use or maybe nail technicians etc? Mine is baby pink and I bought it in a salon trade shop. I actually need to buy a bigger one soon but I'm waiting till a few more jobs can fill the pockets.

(3) Highlighter/bronzer or blusher?

WHY DO I HAVE TO PICK JUST ONE?! I use highlighter under my eyes and up the top of my cheek bone, then I put bronzer to sculpt and last but not least blusher over the tops of my cheek bones around my eye socket!

2012-02-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

A closer look at Chanel Lipsticks : 68 Candeur (limited edition) and 69 Flirt (limited edition)
Both lipsticks are elements of the latest Spring Chanel range. As much as I love Limited Edition products the first time I wear them I have this moment where I think 'One day when you are gone, I won't be able to replace you' and it breaks my heart a little - then I end up using it less. Catch 22 I guess. Wear it, enjoy it and never get it again. Or keep it, only wear it on special occasions and make it last longer.

What are you favorite Spring lip shades?

Have you a favorite Chanel lipstick?

Happy Early Birthday!

2012-02-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today I got spoilt rotten birthday present wise! I decided I'd share the BEAUTY aspects of my gifts!

(1) Vogue : How beautiful does Lana Del Ray look? If only she sounded as good live!

(2) Chanel Lipstick Shade : 68 Candeur (limited edition)

(3) Chanel Lipstick Shade : 69 Flirt (limited edition)

(4) Benefit - High Beam : 'Complexion Enhancer' aka MIRACLE in a bottle

(5) Bobbi Brown - Creamy Concealer : comes with finish powder, beautiful x 20

(6) Rimmel Powder Compact : Clear Complexion shade 021 (Transparent)

(7) Rimmel Nail Polish : 045 Misty Jade (the closest thing to my favorite Chanel that I hate using)

(8) Naked Pallet 2 : It's so like No.1 but I guess I'm all about trying new things

Have a little faith in me.

2012-02-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

I told myself for years and years that if I spent money on something, I'd get value out of it. That I'd use it over and over again. That isn't always the case though is it? This post is going to show two items. One I spent a lot of money on thinking I'd use it every day and one that was cheap that I was un-sure of all together.

My M.A.C professional pallet is the FOURTH pallet from M.A.C I have. This one I told myself I just had to have because I wanted more exciting colours and a new take on eye shadow. So I planned my pallet, ordered it and here I am four months later and I've only used FOUR colours out of the sixteen.

I'm currently stuck in a make up rut and until I'm able to kick myself out of it - this pallet only gets used on work jobs, which is a pity since it cost so much. Sometimes smaller pallets (like the quad) are such a better idea. The main reason I don't use this one too often is because I don't like putting it in my hand bag! Quads and the Vegan Pallet by Urban Decay are so much easier to throw between the books and hair spray.

Thinking back now if I had of bought the same colours (because lets face it, the eye shadows are M.A.C which means they are beautiful and the perfect pigments) but bought four quads as apposed to one 16 x pallet I'd probably be a happier blogger.

I went back to Bobbi Brown the other day to talk to the manager about the make up artist that I had been helped by. Normally I walk away from a make up counter wanting to kill someone, because of this I never go into them. I always buy my make up online OR I go into a store with the attitude of 'PLEASE DON'T TALK TO ME BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK I NEED BECAUSE ALL I WANT IS A PAIR OF EYE LASHES'. Bobbi Brown proved me wrong!

This lovely girl introduced me to the foundation stick that most use for all over coverage but lets face it, even if I used cement I wouldn't find it strong enough so I use this as a concealer but trust me - it's a MIRACLE worker. I adore it. I would nearly go as far as saying I fell in make up love with it!

The best part was that it was ridiculously cheap! Something like . . €35! I honestly walked away thinking 'she had lovely hair but I'll probably end up giving this to mum' now I don't leave the house without it!

We never had a chance, I remember that.

2012-02-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Shaping peoples eye brows is one of favourite parts of client bookings. I don't know why. I want to squeal with joy when someone asks me to do theirs - yet tonight I found out just how much I hate doing my own. Normally I get them done in a beauticians but because I'm saving to go to America I decided one way to cut down on costs is doing my own tan/own waxing etc.

It took me 5 x the normal time to do eye brows and now I'm still not 100% happy with them. Maybe next time I should ask one of the many people who's eyebrows I do - to do mine. I did however find them so much easier to shape and define once they had been plucked so I guess it worked out in the end.

What do you do with your eyebrows?

Wax/Thread/Pluck?

Wishful Thinking -

2012-02-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

(1) Dior 'Show' Mascarra
(2) Bobbi Brown 'Hydrating Eye Cream'
(3) Benefit 'Erase Paste'

(4) NARS 'Gaiety' Blush

All I want in life right now is tripple word scores and enough make up to save up for a holiday WHILST getting everything on my wish list. I was even reasonable and only put a few items on this weeks wish list. Normally I have 10-20 items on my boards but today I got it right down to four.

I choose these four items mainly because I've had my eyes on a few of them for a while :

(1) Keltie Coleen was the first person who brought this mascarra to the forefront of my wants list. I had seen the release etc. but had the normal reaction of 'blah, blah, just another mascarra' THEN Keltie posted a photograph of her lashes AFTER she used 'Show' and my god. My heart skipped 104 beats.

(2) I have the biggest bags under my eyes so every little helps right? Last time I was in Bobbi's one of the girls told me about this cream and oh dear god. It's DEVINE! I'm currently SCRAPING the ends out of my second pott! Sadly I don't really see a new one coming anytime soon but.

(3) I've never used Erase Paste but apparently if you love Touche Eclat (which HELLO I DO!) you love this? I'm not too sure but I always say, never knock something without trying!

(4) I don't have ANYTHING to say about this NARS blusher other than :
LOOK AT THE SHADE AND FALL IN LOVE!

Do you have any of my wish list?

What do YOU think of them?

What are you lusting after this cold Friday in February?

If you're cold and you're alone.

2012-02-09T15:23:00.000-08:00

I've some how managed to accumulate too many lip glosses. I say 'too many' mainly because I never ever ever ever wear it. This is my lip gloss box AFTER I threw 90% of them out. What is my life? PLUS I have a WHOLE BAG full of Bourjois and Bobbi Brown lip glosses at the bottom of my wardrobe from last week that I haven't even tried. What is my life?

Do you like me think lip gloss is nothing but sticky and sparkle?

Or do you think it 'makes' a look?

See the light in the night when you're fading away.

2012-02-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

Drawing in pen was never a skill but some times it's all you have. This is another possible look for my photo shoot on the last week of February! So far the sourcing of the accurate sized and shaped crystals is killing me. I'm trying craft stores, bead stores, every store that I see! I guess if it's meant to be it will.

We'll All Be.

2012-02-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

I've never been good at listening -

But just this once I'm going to try! I've had a few requests/comments about the content and layout of this blog and I decided that I'd put it up to you guys! SO! All you have to do if you have a suggestion, request (for the record I just wrote 'requestion') or question all you have to do is TELL ME!

You have so many ways of getting to me (well getting in CONTACT with me, not getting to me) you can choose, now get ready this is a bit of a long list (not that long but still)

FORMSPRING : http://www.formspring.me/kellyhopemurphy

TWITTER : http://twitter.com/llyhope

TUMBLR : http://kellyhope-murphy.tumblr.com/

FACEBOOK : FACEBOOK LINKS ARE LONG

EMAIL : kellyhopemurphy@gmail.com

Couldn't be any easier right? OH AND BY THE WAY - I've got a record number of emails this week about starting to do 'rewards' and 'prises' for my readers. I could possibly, maybe definitely think about this if you guys REALLY want it, I mean I'm on a ban from buying myself goodies so why not treat you?

Standing in the way of control*

2012-02-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

The first image of Ditto released by MAC features hair by Malcolm Edwards, make-up by Val Garland and nails by Marian Newman.

It's only January I know but already I'm too excited to welcome June into my life with open arms. Not only will it mean Summer is one step closer but it also means Beth Ditto's collaboration with M.A.C cosmetics hitting a counter near you. What the collection looks like? Yet I don't know but I already know it's going to be bigger and bolder than anything the company have came up with to date.

I still remember -

2012-02-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

One of the 10 looks I have drawn up for the photo shoot I have set up. Going from 10 looks down to three is going to be hard. HOWEVER I managed to locate (finally) the silver Swarovski Crystal gems for my main look of the photo shoot so that is one thing of my (VERY LONG) list of things to worry about.

I wish I could share more and tell you all my plans but I'm trying to keep things to myself because it's all still plans, plans, plans at the moment but if things turn out the way they are looking right now - I hopefully will have something new to add to my C.V if you know what I mean ;)

Thank you all for the recent boost in views, my family/friends are amazing and keep posting me on facebook/twitter! So hopefully I don't disappoint you all know by being boring!

And I like the way it sounds when I'm at home*

2012-02-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

I've had a few requests about how to store make up and it coincided with a clean up so :

This weekend I decided the one productive thing I'd do would be to clear our my make up case. I'm really pathetically in love with Kim Kardashian so when I saw her make up case in one episode of KUWTK I asked my Daddy (he can make anything it's amazing) to make me a make up case just like hers! It's all see through, it has four drawers in it, and has a place on top for storage.

I took my imitative and used old YSL and Vivienne Westwood box's that I had in my room as storage dividers with in each drawer. I split my make up into four sections :

Skin : creams, primer, foundation, concealer, high lighter, bronzing powder, blush, etc.
Eyes : eyebrow pencils, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliners, etc.
Lips : lip liner, lipstick, lipgloss, etc.
Extra : sponges, wipes, tweezers, glue, lashes, scissors, hair spray, fixer, extra brushes, etc.

Give me a week and it'll all be a mess again.

I love you more, every day - every shade.

2012-02-05T13:58:00.001-08:00

A Shade of Red for Every Heart M.A.C Valentines Day Collection.

What better way to say I love you then with new M.A.C cosmetics! I’m not one for valentines day but this year I have a love heart drawn around the 14th of February. What do you think? Did cupid hit your heart in terms of the shades? Are you head over heels for M.A.C?

Oh So Pretty!

2012-02-05T10:12:00.000-08:00

Free with March's ELLE (with the beautiful Alexa Chung on the cover) comes Soap and Glory's - Thick & Fast mascara worth £10.00. I've heard nothing but good things about this mascara but I was a little un-sure about it myself so I never bought it. My god I am regretting it now! For the price of it, it works WONDERS. I always try and stay away from cheaper mascara's but Soap and Glory have proven me wrong.

It has what most make up company's would describe as a 'false lash effect' giving you longer and fuller lashes. One of my favourite things about it is though - THERE WAS NO CLUMPING. None at all. This is something that very rarely happens.

I've only been using it for a day and I'm already in love, I'll definitely be buying myself another one when this one runs out (I'm talking like I've used it a hundred times!)

ps. OFF TOPIC BUT : How amazing have the last two months ELLE covers been? I mean Dakota looked flawless and strong in February and now Alexa looks so elegant and beautiful in March.

I was taken back -

2012-02-04T06:59:00.001-08:00

Saving Grace.

2012-02-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

It's nearly mid-night and instead of getting beauty sleep I'm spending my time scanning and editing face charts from past clients/my make up look book/plans for photo shoots! Hopefully these come in handy for some of the looks I've already posted, if you ever want to request a full face chart for a look you aren't sure how to create or handle just email me or pop it on my formspring!

Fuel To The Fire.

2012-02-01T14:31:00.001-08:00

Working on face charts all night = sleepy me.

Some Days.

2012-02-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

So I've been throwing this idea around for about two weeks now between my (Tumblr) page and my (formspring). I don't like using a hundred and one pages but I understand some people don't have Tumblr and didn't want to email me (identity showing) so a formspring was the only way to get around it all! Anyway - I'm babbling already! I'm going to answer some of the questions here today, the rest are either nothing to do with beauty or are about something so specific that I wrote back to the people as apposed to writing it here for everyone! So hold onto your hats - here we go!

OH AND BEFORE PEOPLE THINK I WAS RUDE AND DIDNT ANSWER YOU -
I have left some out because I'm blogging about those things this week AND I also left a hell of a lot out because everyone seemed to nearly want to know the same basic thing, if you don't see your question chances are I've still answered it - the questions was just worded differently by someone else.

(1) I have really bad skin and can never find a concealer that's good enough to hide it all :(

Have you ever tried foundation sticks as a means of concealing? I know they are meant to be used for all over coverage but rules are meant to be broken! My favorite foundation stick for concealing is Bobby Brown! It's around 30 euro but it last's forever because you are using it on the bad parts of your face as apposed to all over full coverage! Use that then pop on your normal foundation.

(2) i love your blog i always read through posts when im bored who makes your must have items and hand bag essential diagram boards for you?

By 'diagram boards' I'm guessing you mean posts like THIS one? If so I make them myself using images from google and then I edit them all together like a scrap book with GIMP. If not then I'm not too sure what you mean! x

(3) do you think that to make it in the buisness you have to study make up????

I sure hope not! No in all seriousness (not to be mean) but I know people doing make up courses in top make up academys or even in simple '5 day courses' and they walked away with a certificate but then the next day they still post photographs on face book with badly shaded eye shadow!

I think that it's something you are either have or dont. It's a bit like art - no matter how many hours you spend learning to shade and draw if you don't have that foundation in yourself it will show.

(4) How do you afford all of your expensive make up?

I do this really boring thing 5/6 days a week called working :D

(5) What is your favorite brand of make up

I got asked this question a few times and I genuinley can't choose one. I love MAC for their eye shadows and blushers, YSL for their Touche Eclat, Estee for their foundations, Chanel for their eye liners and bronzers etc.

(6) i loved the post on 5 minute make over you are so pretty ^_^ what is your every day make up look?

Most days of the week I try and keep it simple :

-Liquid eye liner + False lashes
-Sculpt + very obvious blush
-Playful lip color

(7) ive been having really bad problems with acne and my foundation sit's on it in such a way that makes it look even worse i feel so concious about it and i don't know what to do!

Maybe what make up you should be trying instead isn't the answer. Instead try and solve the problem. Try the simple steps of getting rid of spots/trying to improve your skin. If that doesn't work go to your doctor, all of these things will help. THEN when you skin is healthy worry about what you're putting on it.

(8) What is your favorite brand of mascara?

Right now? I would have to say DIOR! If I wasn't saving to travel I'd be in there buying a hunderd and one Dior 'Show' mascaras. Other than that I love Estee Lauder 'Turbo Lash'. It's delish.

(9) If you had to choose between bronzer or blusher what would you pick

Um, eh, oh, erm - BRONZER. Just because I have really fat cheeks and need bronzer for sculpting! ha ha. But I do really understand why people would pick blusher, I'd pick blusher for other people.

(10) Where you find inspiration?

For make up looks, I generally just get inspired by the stupidest things. If you look at my posts and if you scootch through my 'look' folder (which you obviously couldn't because it's in my house but still) you would notice that a lot of them are titled with lyrics from songs. It's stupid to think that music could make me think of a make up look but I do!

Other than that I guess sometimes it's just someones personality or fashion is a big one too!

(11) what do you take out with you on a night out beauty product wise? I love your looks by the way most bloggers are up their own ass but you seem so normal! =)

Aww thank you sugar plum! On a night out I bring the normal :

hair spray, concealer, blusher, mascara, eye lash glue, lipstick, bronzer
(12) do you have favorite lipstick or do you just use different ones all the time? ?

My favorites at the moment are : MAC Morange, MAC Quite Cute, MAC Morange

OKAY I HAVE A GOOD FEW MORE THAT I'M GOING TO ANSWER BUT I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THEM AND THEN I'LL ANSWER THE REST OF THEM!

Hope some of these helped xo

UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

2012-01-31T05:24:00.000-08:00

My blog looks as messed up as my make up bag at the moment so please bare with me while I add new features and throw around some background ideas!

FAO : People emailing me about adds' and offers - I don't want to get into any of that the way I look at it is my blog is for me and anyone else who wants to read it. It's not about making money or getting free things. I don't accept products for reviews because I feel like that could be seen as interference with my own honest opinion.

If anyone wants to ask anything else about it you can email me -
kellyhopemurphy@gmail.com

Kellyhope x

Give me thunder, give me lightning.

2012-01-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, although I hate saying it - less can be more. I've learnt in the last year of working full time (that means leaving the house at least 5 mornings a week with full make up and it just was not working. So I had to learn how to make things work with less time or I'd have to be REALLY tired or REALLY ugly in work.

Long story short I learnt how to take away things in my make up routine that I didn't need EVERY SINGLE day. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying cut your time in half every day, but for your own sake, and for your skins sake try and tone it down some days.

For the look above :

-Skin : Bobby Brown Foundation Stick

Use four strokes of the stick (one on your four head, your chin, one of either of your cheeks) then set it in with a flat foundation brush, finish with pressed powder.

-Highlighter : YSL Touche Eclat

You are probably all sick to death of me going on about this but YSL saved my life (melodramatic I know, but some mornings when I see the bags and then see them disappear - I start believing in God, a god called Yves)

-Eyebrow : MAC Cosmetics Eyebrow Pencil

Used to shape the eye brow and give a fuller look to the original shape. Over all soft and simple strokes to create a frame for the rest of the face, don't over do it.

-Eyes : Urban Decay Naked Pallet, Chanel 'Automatic' Liquid Eyeliner, YSL Mascara

Urban Decay Pallet : the shadow 'Naked' all over the eye as a base. Then use Chanel 'Automatic' liquid eye liner to create a cat eye look. Quick and simple flick in the corner of the eye for a feminine, romantic look. Finally finish with some YSL mascara on top and bottom lashes.

Obviously the look can be achieved with a hundred and one DIFFERENT products, the ones I listed are simply the products that I used to achieve the look.

Like We Did -

2012-01-27T04:36:00.000-08:00

Spending my day working on the written/graphic aspect of my Make Up portfolio, this interview is making me so nervous that I'm finding myself un-able to spell my name. You can see I have favorites when I call all my make up documents by company names - My CV is under 'Chanel' my portfolio is under 'MAC'. I'm so sad.

Don't stand in line -

2012-01-26T15:56:00.001-08:00

I really need to start getting organized before I can prep my case for a job on Saturday.

Beauty Over Money?

2012-01-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

I've a feeling I'm going to get into trouble for posting this but - I said from day one I'd be honest about everything I posted. That I wouldn't become one of those 'blogger girls' that post everything and anything they can just to make people happy and keep their sponser on their side.

One of the biggest problems I think we are faced with these days is beauty reviews and magazines. I bought Elle the other day (Dakota Fanning looked so beautiful on the cover, I couldn't resist) and as I went through it I started making lists of products the magazine made me want to buy.

When I was finished I looked at it, I then went and did the same on Vogue's official website (in the beauty section, which is my bible). It sickened me how long the list was. I went back through it a few hours later and was realistic about it. I said 'what do I need?' 'what is on this list that I don't already have a perfectly good product for the same purpose?'. In the end I was left with TWO items.

Normally I would of stuck that list into my filofax and on Wednesday when I'm paid I'd go into Brown Thomas and I'd buy everything on the list that I could until my credit card stopped working.

Now that I'm saving to go away it's like a switch has gone off in my mind. For months and months people have been going on about Nars 'Orgasm'. So about two weeks ago I went into BT and I bought it, without even looking at it. I thought everyone is talking about it, this product has to save my life.

I am a blusher girl, I love every shade, every style, everyone who wears it. So trust me when I got home after a long day shopping my heart was racing too fast as I opened the box. When I did I was faced with a blusher. A blusher much the same as every other blusher I have ever bought, it just happened to be twice the price.

I thought - 'its post shopping blues, try it in the morning you will fall in love'. It didn't happen. I ended up using one of my 17 (cheap boots brand) blushers over it to give my cheeks more of a color.

Now don't get me wrong. The blusher is gorgeous, it's great quality, great pigment but that's it. It didn't change my life. It is barley worth writing this blog about. I however hope that this might make you realize something. I've learned from my mistakes so hopefully you will too.

Stop listening to the hype. If your favorite blogger is talking about the latest Chanel eye shadow do yourself a favor and forget about it. When you are reading through Elle ignore the articles about how YSL pen changed a girl with already bag-less under eyes.

Only go and look for these things when you NEED them. Read away, shop away but please for the sake of your pocket and for the sake of my heart stop buying because of what other people are saying. Make up is about what suits you, what works for your skin and what makes you feel good.

So yes, even though I'm a free lance make up artist and I'd probably be shunned for posting this by most people I am happy to admit that I retired my Nars blusher to my professional make up case and decided that I personally got much more pleasure out of using €3.99 blusher because at least I bought it because I saw it, tried it and really bloody needed a blusher.

Model Search of sorts -

2012-01-23T05:23:00.000-08:00

So I have that big interview coming closer and to put my portfolio forward I have to present with a section of professional studio photographs. So I have hired a studio, worked on a few looks and now all I need is you. Yes you.

I am looking for girls roughly aged 16-26 who that would be interested in a make over and photo shoot based in GREYSTONES to go with it! In the end you will walk away with profesional studio shots of yourself and hopefully we can have a good giggle during the day!

If you are interested PLEASE contact me either :

Email - kellyhopemurphy@gmail.com
OR get in contact with me on facebook : HERE*

All for you my Daisy.

2012-01-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

At this stage I think I have 10 blogs prepared, I have two photo shoots to post. Four jobs to show you guys and then a few new (exciting) bits of information to share. I sadly just never have the time to get around to sitting down with my Mac and work.

Excuses, majuses but I've been working my ass off in my grown up job and I've been working long hours on that (exciting) bit of information I'll be allowed tell you guys soon enough! I however am on my second text edit page of Q&A (thank you all for sending in your questions) and I am going to try and get them all up in a huge post tomorrow (Sunday).

Hope you are all well and keeping warm, January is a bloody cold start to the year.

All my love -

Pin Me Down.

2012-01-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Working on more looks for my portfolio. This one is called 'pin my down' and it's a modern ORANGE twist on the typical pin up look. I'm sick of people thinking you have to wear red lipstick to have a pin up look. Make up is about breaking the rules and experimenting, be brave, be daring, be yourself.

'Dark Knight'

2012-01-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

I need to learn how to use the scanner, I altered a bit of this after scanning it as well but a lovely girl emailed me about the type of things I offer in lines of lessons so I thought I'd post this. What I basically do is :

-Talk to the client a week or so before the day we decided on
-Find out what kind of look she wants to work on (I normally do ONE look a lesson)
-Draw up face charts of ways I could do the look they want (example - day time with eye liner no shadow, or a day look with light cat eyes no liner and medium exposure lips)
-Put it into my 'package' which is basically just 5/6 pages of tips for skin, make up, beauty treats.

This look was for a close friend and she lives in the far side of Dublin so I actually tried it out on myself and sent her pictures so she could decide if that was the look she wanted or not.

(obviously the only make up I have on here is my eyes)

2012-01-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest issues with Estee Lauder 'Double Wear' was that it came without a pump. For two bottles of ignored my irritation and continued to use it. Then one day when I was cleaning out my MAC drawer I found spare pumps from finished foundation bottles. I tried to put it into the Double Wear bottle but as you can see from the first picture MAC bottles are larger. Light bulbs went off - fix the problem.

If you have taken the pump off a MAC foundation you can put the Double Wear lid onto the MAC bottle (like in photograph two) instead of leaving it without anything (if like me you always loose the lids after putting pumps on it).

2012-01-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

I went to Dundrum shopping center today to stock up on a few of my favorites for my make up kit and for my own collection. I decided to share with you a few of my favorite bits! Enjoy! x

2012-01-05T14:03:00.001-08:00

The face behind it all.

2012-01-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

People always ask me how I manage to always have my make up done. I never leave the house without at least liquid eye liner on. My rule is simple. Keep your essentials with you everywhere you go. You never know when you are going to -

Meet the rain, end up staying over in someones house, bump into someone you fancy who happens to be a bit infront of you in the queue giving you time for a hair and lippy check! etc.

My essentials are easy -

(1) Brushes - no matter how bad your eyeshadow is, how little eyebrow work you did that morning with a good brush and a bit of skill you can fix MOST things.

(2) Lipstick - I always think you should pick two things to enhance, mine are lips and eyes so leaving the house without lipstick is a big no no! A bit of color on your lips can make it seem like you made a lot more of an effort than you did.

(3) Dry Shampoo - This is a life saver. Whether your hair just looks a bit greasy, you got wet or you just ran a marathon and are a sweaty betty this can will like I said before - SAVE YOUR LIFE and your hair.

(4) Flawless Finish - I use Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish as a 'fix up' job. I use it to cover a pimple, fix un-even skin tone and generally just for touch ups during the day!

(5) Bobby Brown Foundation - If you have flawless skin no one will notice you have no shadow on!

(6) Hair Spray - Keeps your hair and make up in place, what else do I need to say?

(7) MAC Felt Tip Eye Liner - It takes two seconds to apply but makes two hundred percent of a difference to your face. If your eyes look alive so will you.

(8) Hair Brush - Essential if you are using dry shampoo and for life in general.

(9) Vera Wang Princess Perfume - Smelling delicious is also something not to forget!

Have yourself an . . ASOS Christmas?

2012-01-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

Like most good things in life - they start with ASOS. It's easy, it's affordable and it's the easiest way to buy make up ranges that you can't buy at your own front door. Illamasqua happens to be one of my favourite make up ranges out there, from the tag line alone of 'Make Up For Your Alter Ego' it had me at day one.

Their foundation is like photoshop for your face, the lipsticks have colors you can only dream about and they have fake eye lashes like ones you see in the movies. The eve of Christmas Eve I decided that new make up was in order. I purchased a lipstick and loose eye powder from Illmasqua, I also purchased my first Models Own nail varnish.

(Diablo - illmasqua £15-50)

The lipstick I bought was in the shade 'Diablo'. I am a red lipstick collector but this one stole my heart so quickly I had my credit card details in the form before I even realised I'd be broke after. My only qualm about this lipstick so far is it doesn't stay on THAT well. I've only worn it out once and more of it ended up on my wine glass than it did on my lips. I had to re-apply it much more than I normally would with say M.A.C

(top - Urban Decay Stardust {last blog} . illmasqua Ore. illmasqua Diablo)

I also bought 'Pure Pigment Loose Powder' by Illmasqua in 'Ore' it is 100% more perfect than it seemed on the Internet. With the pictures I presumed it'd just be a mushroom brown loose powder but oh no. It's this beautifully pigmented GOLD glittery shadow that I am too excited to try.

Last but definitely least is Models Own 'Matte Pink' limited edition polish. I was so so so so insanely disappointed by this product. I always hear people on Tumblr/Blogger boasting about their Models Own nail collections. I bought their pen for nail art and I fell in love so I presumed their nail varnishes would be delicious. Boy I was wrong.

Things I didn't like about it :
-the color is bland in comparison to the advertisement
-the brush is so thick, it's like nail polish brushes from the 90's
-on the FIRST use it was lumpy like I've had it for months
-when they said matte they meant it, my dog is more exciting

I'm hoping if I can get my fingers on a gloss top coat I might fall in love but I don't see it happening. I adore matte nails, my matte top coat gets used more than any other polish I have but this just was not my cup of tea.

The Cow Jumped Over The Moon!

2012-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Most people like to start a new year with a bang, but this year I decided the best way to start any new beginning is with glitter pigment. 'Stardust Eyeshadow' is an eyeshadow that has a prismatic sparkle set against a mix of breath taking colors with over 40% higher glitter pigment than most UD products.

I got 'Moon Spoon' (middle row furthest right above the black) as a part of a Christmas present and I am 'Over the moon' with it. I personally don't think it's strong enough to use as a shadow. I instead use it over a smokey eye or even just a simple lid defining to just put a bit of a glitz and glam effect to an every day eye.

Hope everyone had a safe and sparkly new years eve, may 2012 bring you beautiful make up and beautiful skin. xo

Skin Care.

2011-12-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

I've been getting a lot of messages recently talking about skin care. Most of them revolved around the big old ordeal of, if you have bad skin do you cover it with make up even though the amount of make up you wear in the first place could be the problem?! This is a heart over head matter.
You have two options :

(1) Continue to wear products to cover your 'bad skin' - products such as concealers heavy duty foundation powders etc. Sadly though you are only hiding a problem instead of fixing it.

(2) Fight the problem head on. Stop wearing a chunk of your make up, help your skin and think of the long term satisfaction you are going to get out of having good skin.

I will admit I wear a lot of makeup. So much so that I've built up such a high emotional attachment to it that without it I don't even have the confidence to leave the house. It's a horrible way to be, but it's true. However if I see pimples, black heads, any sort of blemishes on my skin the first thing I do is try and fix it.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying go out with nothing on your face but pick your products rationally, treat your skin and let it breath. To avoid these problems take care of your skin all year round. My 'big skin secrets' are :

(1) KNOW YOUR SKIN TYPE. One of the biggest every day mistakes people make stems from using the wrong products on your skin. Skin care ranges don't bring out different products targeted for different skin types for the fun of it. If we could all use the same things we would.

If you are stuck, ask for help.

(2) Most skin care specialists will tell you to 'cleanse, tone, moisturise' but one thing people seem to leave out is EXFOLIATING. It is one of the best ways to improve your skin. It's normally recommended once a week -

(3) Always take your make up off before you go to bed, I'm not a HUGE fan of face wipes but each to their own. Even if it's 5am and you are drunk as a skunk make yourself take off your make up.

(4) Try and half 'free time'. If you know you have one day off in a week and for that day you aren't leaving the house DONT wear make up. Give your skin a chance to breath and feel the air against it.

(5) Protect it from the sun. Even if you aren't in a sunny place (I live in Ireland come on!) Always try and buy products with either a built in SPF. If you can't find one, make sure add an extra product to your make up routine that DOES consist of an SPF.

(6) Water. Drink it as much as you can - not only is it good for you, it's good for your skin. Hydration is one of the most important elements of skin care.

I know these all seem like things everyone already knows but some times you need to just stop and think about things rationally. When I was younger I never took care of my skin. For that reason I always HAD terrible skin and I'd always make the mistake of covering it up with cheap, heavy make up. It wasn't until I actually got told how to look after my skin that I figured out my skin was only bad because I was neglecting it.

If you have bad foundations, no matter what you do the walls a house will never stand firmly. Cracks will fall and eventually it will all come crashing down. Think of your face in that way. No matter how beautiful your make up is, if you have bad skin under it all dying for air - you are never going to have a clear complexion.

Iris Apfel for MAC -

2011-12-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

Ms Apfel told the Telegraph that she believes young people are wanting in the style department: 'Most of the young people today look dreadful. And celebrities look even worse,' she said.

You have to wonder if Ms.Apfel is hoping her hand in MAC Cosmetics new range will turn it all around right? Well I doubt it slightly. The new range looks breathtaking. It's bright, it's bold, it's everything I love about make up. However if I'm going to be a realistic Rachel about it I have to admit that I don't think it will do much for most people.

It's the kind of range that I think you have to be careful with. If you don't use it properly and tastefully you could end up looking like a clown/thirteen year old girl at a dance festival.

I'm however dying to get my hands on a few of the pieces (most of them aren't getting me THAT excited) but come on. Have you seen the nail varnish and lipsticks?! Either way you still have a few days to think about it, the range doesn't hit stores till January 5th. (according to internet reports)

How do you feel about Iris' range?

Is it too much?

Is make up ever too much?

2011-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas doesn't always have to be about over doing it, keeping it simple can be just as fun. For my work Christmas party I decided to strip it back to basics. Hopefully I'll get loads of time over Christmas to post pictures from jobs and my (please god let it be exciting) holiday times! xxx

Restrict.

2011-12-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

Say hello to my new favorite lipstick - MAC Creamsheen "Restrict". As you can see it is a 100% nude color but I adore it for lazy make up days like today when I'm just cleaning and running to the store. I would probably never really wear it with 'proper' make up just because for ME it doesn't say enough but still, I can see other people wearing it everyday!

It feels amazing on my lips, stays around for ages and is generally just amazeballs! 10/10 MAC!

Home made palett.

2011-12-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

Eye shadow pots are one of the most annoying space consuming elements of my make up kit. I decided on a rainy Sunday when the idea of getting out of bed hurt to much to solve my space problem. I decided to make a quick tutorial on how to make home made paletts for make up ranges that don't make pretty ones of their own (a la MAC).

What you will need :

(1) A pretty shallow piece of tupperware

(2) Double sided tape
(3) Eye shadows
(4) Scissors

Steps :

(1) Crack the eye shadows from their pots (there is youtube videos on how to do it OR just get a stanley knife and take it out yourself - try not kill yourself). OR OR OR If you are lucky enough to have an in testers make this much easier as they come already cracked from the tubs.

(2) Place double sided tape onto the under side of your shadow.

(3) Place the shadow into the tupperware - the placement should depend on the size of the product (Bourjois which I used are quite big) and the design you want to create. (rows or in a circle etc. )

(4) Repeat x the amount of shadows you have / can fit into your tub.

Pro - Palett!

2011-12-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

Building a MAC palett is all about planning. A simple microsoft word plan is all you need. Decide what looks you want and how you can achieve it. Start from your high light color in the top right hand corner down to the darkest of your contour in the bottom left. From there use two tones of similar colors to get a 'base color' and 'contouring' color for each shadow look.

For example, I went from :
Passionate : Main lid
Cranberry : Corners
Trax : Contour

Question Submitted by Email :

2011-12-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

If you had to use just one make-up brand for the rest of your life what wold it be and why?

When I first got this question I didn't know where to start. I went through my favorite products in my head trying to decide what meant more to me, what I used more. Then a beautiful light bulb went off in my head and I re-read the question again. To use one brand of make up for the rest of my life is so much more than just my favorite products. It's about having faith in a brand, having no doubt in my mind that quality will ever be an issue and another big element I'd have to take into consideration is that I'd have to pick a brand I know would constantly surprise, excite and keep me interested in the job I have dedicated myself (and my bank balance) too.

Some brands ticked one box, some two - but only one company ticked every single box. A company that I've blogged about too often. A brand I have used in photo shoots, in fashion shows, in every day life. That company is - M.A.C

My main reasons behind my decision were :

They have something for everyone. Whether you are starting out with basic colors, simple applications - or if you are the kind of girl that can blend three shades of their eye shadows together like you were born to do it - they have what you need.
Quality is one of the things I presume their company has to be based on because in the years that I have been using MAC I have never once been un-satisfied with a single item I have purchased from them.Their brushes have so far lasted me over three years, and the only reason I have ever gone back into their stores with one of their products in my hand was to purchase another one.
Diversity - Who ever decided the 7 colors of the rainbow clearly never thought of the designers working in company's like M.A.C. They are perfect for your simple plum brown (Follie) right out to your dramatic mid-tone reds (Passionate). The diversity with in the colors and ranges of their product never ceases to amaze me.
The last and main reason I chose MAC is because of the different elements with in their products. I have often found myself buying a product such as a Mineralize Blush from a store, getting bored at night and using it over an eye shadow primer as a base color or if I'm feeling very daring I have even used blushes/shadows over a 'Paint Pot' for long lasting base on my lips, covered with a gloss for sparkle you have a perfect lipstick.

By saying this I'm not ruling out the use of any other make up brands. In my make up kit and in my personal make up collection I value my taste on diversity of products, I enjoy trying new things and exciting new colors but I based this decision on the company I always go back to - and at this stage when some the MAC girls know me by name it proves that they are that brand.

I'm running away with the CIRCUS!

2011-12-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

When a large brown box turned up on the front stop this morning I was waiting for a boring drugs order or a skin care order (I work in a pharmacy remember, I'm not a drug dealer) but instead I was delighted to see a box from Essence. Now you know me I'm not a big Essence fan - Although they have had a few hit products a lot of products have been a miss.

This time though I was so pleasantly surprised to see the beautifully packaged, products for December 2011/January 2012. Not only did the order include make up but it also included Essence's first PERFUME, a matching make up bag and gel foil nail transfers, your surprised too right?

As soon as I saw the perfume I laughed to myself. 'Who would ever buy ESSENCE perfume?' I thought. But oh lord once I opened the beautiful box I was proved wrong. The bottle is beautiful, the elegance and chicness is dripping from it. Not only is is beautifully packaged it also. . get ready for it . . smells AMAZING.

On first smell I thought that it reminded me of something else but I wasn't too sure. When no one else got it either I sprayed it again. Alarm bells went off and I decided to see if I was right. On one arm I sprayed Essence Circus, on the other Lacoste Touch Of Pink (one of my favorite scents). I was right, bazinga. They smelt the same, if anything Circus smelt BETTER.

But don't worry I went back and asked around again, getting tester pages for both perfumes and 9/10 girls choose Circus over Touch Of Pink even though they all said both were similar! It's fair to say at under 8 euro I already have two in my bag coming home!

I personally like the range over all but there are THREE products I liked enough to purchase {I will review them later I'm still in work}. One of them is Circus Hightlighter Powder. Now normally I just use eye shadow to high light but at even a simple finger smudge this product had me won over.

Retailing at 3.49 (euro) it's a little palette of golden goddess heaven. If you are pale, it's not really the thing for you but for Christmas when we all go a bit brown over night *cough*fake tan*cough* it's amaze-balls.

Another thing I've bought to try is 'Circus Long lasting Eye shaddow'. They are in little round pots with domed shapped lids. They are cute as a button and small enough that storage isn't an issue. For 3.29 (euro) you can purchase the three shades -

01 It’s Magic (gold)

02 Raise the Curtain (champagne)

03 My Sparkling Acrobat (the graphite)

Working 9-5 what a way to make a living!

2011-12-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

Excuse the spam but with a grown up job to balance as well as being a free lance MUA ~I don't have much time to blog, so when I do I go wild.

After a long days work the only thing changed was the smudged lip stick on the side of my lips from where I had drank too many cups of take out coffee. After posting about bold lips and bare eyes I decided to show you that I do take my own advice as well. Rebel by M.A.C is one of my all time favorite colors. Added in a look with orange toned browns (to bring out my blue eyes) and natural looking fake lashes it was a perfect look for my 7.30-7.00!

2011-12-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

Off topic from the Christmas blogging for the minute I wanted to just talk about nail art on gel nails. I recently just started getting gel nails done WITH nail art. Normally I either get a french manicure or just a plain color over my gels. Recently though Tara has talked me into getting designs!

At the moment I have gel nails with SILVER GLITTER built into them in a beautiful swooping ice drops falling design. I'd upload a picture but they are impossible to capture. I've taken nearly 10 bb pictures and you still can just see 'bling' as my embarrassing mom would say.

My main problem with nail art and gel nails is the life spam. I'm a five year old when it comes to keeping my attention and only four days into my glitter nails I'm already a little bored!

I recently found this photograph floating through Tumblr and it got me wondering about exciting nail art. What could you possibly do that would be crazy and chic enough to make you not hate it four days into a three to six week relationship with your beloved ten gel nails?

Sadly this is one of those blogs where I don't have the answer, but hopefully next Friday when I get something crazy done for Christmas I can tell you what made my nail beds skip a few heart beats.

White Christmas?

2011-12-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

As much as I dream of a White Christmas in terms of snow, I also have NIGHTMARES of a White Christmas in terms of my skin in family photographs. I'm Irish so I'm paler than a cold bottle of milk - but I thank baby Jesus every day for the invention that is fake tan.

Up until last September I had never put fake tan on myself. The odd time I had ever worn it before it had either been a spray tan for a special event or one of my girlfriends would attack me with Sally 'Airbrush Legs'. It was always a joke when we were getting ready to never let me near your tan.

Since then I have grown a few feet taller, lost a few pound and I have learned the art that is fake tan. Now that I have honed the skills I have found my tools - White To Brown. It's meant to be like 'Wow Brown' but I personally think it surpasses that, Rockstar and St.Tropez.

Tan type aside I'm going to go through things I've learned about tan that hopefully will help you while you are dreaming up plans of your beautifully golden, white Christmas.

Don't put tan on if you are going to be lazy. Especially with build up tan you are going to end up looking stupid and dirty if you don't commit to keeping it well.
The three day rule is simple : three days before you tan shave, two days before hand exfoliate, one day before hand use moisturizer.
Use a tanning mitt, latex gloves are pants.
Try and buy a fake tan that is brown so you can see what you are applying as you apply it.
Work your hand in circular motions.
Pay specific attention to - your hands, elbows, inside elbow, neck, knees, back of knees.
Only tan what's going to be on show to save costs.
Make sure you have a foundation with darker pigment in it for when you are tanned.
Use bronzer to even out any patches
If you want to go back to milk bottle pale, bath/wash in baby oil.

As much as they are pretty obvious hints and tips I grew up without anyone who really was there to tell me how to tan so I had to figure these things out for myself! Hope this helps!

What color Christmas are you hoping for?

Dashing through the snow

2011-12-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas blog # 2 - NAILS

I'm going to do a quick run through of GEL NAIL tips etc and then I'm going to talk about the new craze that is 'Nail Rock' as featured heavily on the X-Factor! I personally wear Gel nails most of the year around so I've become accustomed to the tricks of the trade, here are some of my favorite tips to getting perfect nails you'll be happy with :

(1) I personally think preparation is key - the life spam of my nails has always been based on the condition my nails were in before I got them done. In a perfect world you nails shouldn't be bitten/cut right down. The shorter your nails are the easier it is for them to snap.

Another good tip for preparing your nails is using cuticle oil / oil from a brand such as 'Trilogy' or 'Bio Oil' on your nails beds. I recently just got mine done and the beautician (who I adore and is an angel) said that my nails were in the perfect condition for gels!

(2) Think long and hard before you go and get your nails done. Do you want plane french tips? Oval or square? Do you want a color? Do you want art? Whatever you choose is what you have to live with for 3-6 weeks so don't make it a rash choice.

(3) Book a nail appointment at a time where you don't do much. There is not point in getting them done at 8am and having them smudged with in an hour. I personally always get Tara to open late for me ( I told you she was an angel ) so I'm going home with fresh nails about 11pm, then I just get in pj's and get into bed with my hands out side of the covers.

(4) Try not soak your nails in water for too long

(5) If you are putting on tights/doing something that your nails are making difficult put a pair of SOCKS on your hands, it makes your life so much easier.

(6) To keep your nails in great condition at night rub oil or something like Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream or Trilogy Everything Balm into the bottom of your gels/into your nail bed at night and then put a pair of cotton gloves on and have a good night of dreams.

(7) If your nails are short be prepared to get your re-fill's quickly, if you have bitten down nails no matter how much the growth is - or isn't I'd get mine re-filled with in two weeks so the next set will last longer and be stronger!

If you don't have the time, money or interest in GEL nails another quick fix for those Christmas nights out are 'Nail Rock'

Nail Rock is basically being given a 'God' title because they have been used on the X-Factor but I'm personally not too sure about all of the hype. As much as I think they are delicious and smart and quick I think that if you are looking for perfect nails for more than a few days don't do it.

I've used Nail Rock myself a few times now (we recently got them into work so I was showered with gifts that included nearly one of every type) but I will admit after wearing them out one night because I work and tend to use my hands a lot one chipped or pealed off a little and I'm picky so it annoyed me to no end.

For a night out I think they are AMAZING - so I really do think they are worth it for that but after that I'm still sitting on the fence.

Do you think Gels are worth the money?

Is Nail Rock more your thing?

Do nails matter at all?

Christmas tips 1 - LIPS!

2011-12-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas time is just around the corner, I can barley believe it's December 5th already! To most people that means we have 20 days left till Christmas but for me, and for you it really means if you haven't started already you are behind in preparation for the PARTY SEASON!

These next few weeks between work dinners, girls nights out, Christmas dinner with the in-laws and of course the big one New Years Eve it's going to be crazy.

What you need to do is take a deep breath and start organizing. If you can stay on top of your grooming, this party season will fly by with out one terrible half tanned arm being found on your boyfriends sisters facebook. Admit it - we have all had to deal with it!

I'm going to fly through some tips, some tricks and most importantly some cheap ways around expensive tastes!

I will be doing different tips through out the day so stick around for tips ranging from today's lipstick to hair pieces and gel nails. If you have any requests or questions remember you can always contact me via email :

kellyhopemurphy@gmail.com

Lipstick :

The colors of Christmas are red and green, but it doesn't stop on the tree. One of my favorite things about the holiday season is having a free pass to wear Red Lipstick every single day.

As much as I would love to spend the run up to Santa's visit with my lips covered in Chanel Rough Allure Satin Lip I don't really think I could justify the €30 + on one item of cosmetics! INSTEAD you need to start looking into 'dupes'.

They can range from half the price to 1/10th of the price. I will admit as much as I am willing to spend big on make up I don't see the point if I can get something just as nice for half the price.

For beautiful reds look into brands like :
M.A.C - Russian Red (cool toned)
Gosh - Lambada (cool toned)
Barry M - Pillarbox Red (warm toned)
Collection 2000 - Red Red (warm toned)
M.A.C - Lady Bug (warm toned)

* I have included skin tones beside the lipsticks but like I've said before and will say again if you like a shade WEAR IT. I simply included the skin tones in case people were very particular about their lipstick choices!

M.A.C Ladybug pictured right -

If you are worried about the life spam of a red lipstick the only real tip that I could give you is to buy a good lip pencil. Instead of just out lining your lips like most people do color in your ENTIRE lips with the pencil before applying your lipstick. It will not only make your color last longer but it will give your lipstick color pigment a good base.

*NARS 'Cruella' is a beautiful velvet matte lip pencil, cheaper dupe NYX in 'Snow White'

MY MAIN LIPSTICK TIP FOR CHRISTMAS :

If you are going out to a Christmas party with shocking bold lips such as the red we just went through the worst thing you could do is LEAVE YOUR LIPSTICK AT HOME. If you are going to have a bold lip the most important aspect of those lips is that the color is vibrant and strong. Every sip of drink you take, every time you lick your lips, every mouth full of food you eat you are going to be removing some of the lipstick. It's impossible for your lipstick to stay perfect all night.

So to avoid spending half the night with just the bare out line of your lipstick left on your face make room in your little clutch (or huge satchel Chanel I could carry my house around in) for your lipstick a long with the rest of your make up essentials.

2011-12-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

I'm never too sure about some OPI collaborations but when I saw the words OPI and THE MUPPETS my heart skipped too many a beat. This is more of a 'pre' review because I've only tried FOUR myself but still. I want to even just discuss some of the colors.

Normally my biggest problem with OPI ranges is that they barley differ from ones before and or are too similar to their basic OPI polishes. For once although some remind me of old ranges (Burlesque, POTC - etc) I still adore some of these shades.

Putting aside my over picky mind here is the entire range as they look in 'real life' below :

ANOTHER problem I have with OPI that is an issue I think with people getting upset about the end product not looking as it did on the bottle is simple -

O.P.I is amazing if you are willing to put layer after layer of nail lacquer on. What you see on the bottle is not achievable with one coat, most of the time not even with two. Once all those layers are on - you have to be willing to sit still and not move for a while or you will smudge your thickly painted nails and you will want to cry.

L - R

Rainbow Connection

Miss Piggy With It!

Divine Swine

Fresh Frog Of Bel Air

These are my four personal favorite of the range. They are the four that I personally went and purchased after having the chance to try the entire set. Rainbow Connection does need a good base and to be hones the other three only work well if you have a red, purple and green base on before using the colors in my opinion!

Have you tried the range?

What is your favorite shade?

Naked Palette x 2

2011-12-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

Top Image :

Original Naked Pallet on the left, Naked Palette 2 on the right

Bottom Image :

Original Naked Palette on the top
Naked Palette 2 on the bottom

I always wondered what in the world could be LESS useless than the Naked Palette? Nothing right? I mean it's boring, too simple and leads to people being lazy and un-creative with their make up. Don't get me wrong on a morning where you have two seconds to get ready I think it's great but the amount of girls I know who have bought the palette and never worn anything again is heart breaking.

So here I was thinking nothing could be any worse than the Naked Palette but oh no. Urban Decay have apparently taken it one step further. The images above are not 100% guaranteed as the EXACT shades (they were sent out for PR and reviewing purposes) but yet again they have taken a bunch of boring colors and re-named them.

On the plus side Naked Pallet 2 has a larger mirror and a double head brush.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Are you a Naked Palette fan?

Is a second edition making your heart melt?

Or do you think it's a waste of time AND money?

2011-11-22T07:25:00.000-08:00

'BUT MOM IT'S WINTER'

Winter is my favorite season. Not only because of the red cups in starbucks, the snow, the excuse to dance around the house in a santa hat to Christmas music. Oh no that is not all. I love Winter because in my mind it is the one season where you can break every rule without looking like a clown!

I am a big believer in bold make up. I think that if you don't try and be adventurous there is no point. So when lip sticks like Kate Moss' purple Rimmel lipstick end up on my television - I foam at the mouth. What I think you have to understand though is - If you are going to break rules, only break a few.

(*) With Kate Moss' purple lipstick, MAC Rebel, Dior purple, right down to the age old red lipstick you have to learn that if you want people looking at your lips it's the only place you should use block colors.

If you have pink lips, red lips, purple lips or even navy lips I personally feel your eyes should be nude. I think that you can still sculpt and shape them but they should be earthly tones from a set like Benefit cat eye or Urban Decay Naked Pallet.

(*) With dramatic eyes I think you have to be more careful. There is a difference between beautiful dramatic eyes and the panda eyes we see some famous people sporting. Not naming names *cough*TAYLOR MOMSEN *cough* but some people really need to tone it down!

If you are going to be brave - go big! Take that black, the gold. Use whatever the hell floats your boat but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. For me, don't do it unless you have a good blending brush. It will save your life and your dignity.

With dark/dramatic eye's pair it with a colder tone lip. Not only nude works, you could use an ice pink, a very cold coral etc.

In completely other news I was asked to review the Girls Aloud party lashes. Before I start I want to point something out. I love Girls Aloud. I think they are beautiful, talented and have amazing songs. That how ever is where it should of stopped.

As soon as these lashes came out, I rushed to work happy that day. Ready to buy each pair (even though Cheryl is my favorite) I was so sorely disappointed though. I was hoping to be transformed into a sixth member and instead I felt as drab and dull as dish water.

If anything the nicest word I could use for them is 'cheap'. I think they do the opposite to what eye lashes should do (open up your eyes) and I think that the diamonds on some of them just look in a word - TACKY.

Don't just take my word for it, if you like them - good for you! I just can't get used to them, don't want to get used to them and see them as no where near worth their money!

xxx

Christmas Wish List -

2011-11-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas is right around the corner which means Santa will be making his trips to M.A.C and Chanel counters before we even know it. What do you want though? At this time of year do you ask for the dark mahogany Urban Decay shadow your heart has melted for all winter? NO. You won't be opening these hopefully beautifully wrapped box's till December 25th. Winter products will be useless and you will be going into Spring with last months dreams. Don't get me wrong if you want that shadow - get it, but if you are hoping to be prepared and hoping for dewy skin and bright eyes in Spring try be a little realistic as you write that list! Here are a few things I've already got in preparation for Spring/things that are going on my own list! Listen up Santa!

(1) Nars Illuminator

(2) Chanel Blush

(3) Chanel BeautÉ Initiale Energizing Multi-Protection Fluid Spf 15

A daily source of moisture and energy with anti-aging power keeps skin looking fresh, soft and comfortable, as it visibly boosts radiance, vitality and overall well-being.
(STAR PRODUCT - excuse my extra info, it's like my baby)

(5)Naked Pallet

(6) Viva Glam Gaga

PS. I am in no way suggesting you ask Father Christmas for an owl, they are for life not just for Christmas.

Vogue Essential Beauty -

2011-11-06T04:36:00.000-08:00

When people think of 'Smokey Eyes' they see black, dramatic, dark - but this season we subtle smokey are starting to appear on the run ways. Featured on Vogues 'Beauty Esenentials' this month is a smokey eye you've never seen before. This look is simple - we've all done it before. All we simply must do now is change our colors.

Instead of reaching for dark gray, blacks and silvers - reach for beige, golds and soft browns. Although it's not a product I often boast about one product that I think most people will find essential in this look is Urban Decays Naked Palette.

With a soft eye I'd personally theme it with a nude gloss lip and a well contoured cheek. Nothing should be over done, you should look flawless but effort less. Easier said than done - I know, I know. But if anyone can do it, you can.

From a trend I adore to a trend I wish died a long time ago is the brushed up eye brows. Yet again this was take from Vogues beauty trends - also seen on the run ways. This tip though - I think should be in the 'never leave the house with' pile.

For run ways - maybe. In a photo shoot - I guess. But as far as an every day look goes, I'd worry about you if you thought this was something you wanted to do. However we all like different things and if this is one of the things you'd like to try - you can do it super easily.

It's all about a bit of product in your brows and then taking a brow brush and pushing those hairs up and out instead of down and in.

What do you think of the smokey eye? Should it be done if it isn't bold and dark? Is the subtle look more your style?

& As far as the eye brows go - should they be tamed and clean or should you be allowed go wild?

You crack me up Barry!

2011-11-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

(Photographs taken from google)

I went into Boots the other day looking for new make up to try. Sadly I had bought or got free samples of most of the 'newest' items in most ranges. I decided since nothing caught my eye to buy some nail varnish. I bought this white crackle nail varnish thinking it was just plain white nail varnish. I guess I've learned my lesson to read the label!

Long story short - I love it. I have the black crackle and for me it's just too dark. My nails are short (I bite them) so pastels and soft colors work much better. My favorite thing about the white crackle is how it sort of reminds me of snow. You weren't expecting that were you? Right now I have red glitter nail varnish on (MAC) with white crackle over it and it looks like a scene from a Christmas movie!

It's just as messy as the black one, crackle really isn't for someone with OCD - but if you are willing to clean up the sides and bud of your nails, buy it. Buy two! Just make sure you read the label first!

Have you used white crackle!?
Did it turn out good? Would you recommend it?

2011-11-01T07:45:00.001-07:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Lash Attack!

2011-11-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

People say the word 'fake' like it's a bad thing - I've come to embrace it and now I probably use the word as much as I say please and thank you. Although most people never believe me when I say it - up until even a few months ago I didn't know how to put on fake eye lashes. I could put a pair on someone else, badly and it would take me twenty minutes plus a lot of cussing but with my own eyes I was useless.

It's a little ironic then that only weeks ago I was posting tips on how to apply them, right? Well not really no! I fell in love with how they looked and locked myself in my bedroom for two days and decided that I wasn't going to leave until I had mastered it. I now can even put on bottom eye lashes with just one hand! (the other obviously holding a mirror - I'd use the second hand if it was free!)

People keep asking me why I bother wearing them every day and the photograph above explains why! Excuse how roof I look, if you read my tips you will remember I put my lashes on before any other make up so I look ill! This is also what my every day fake eye lashes look like BEFORE the mascara and curling application.

I think one of the biggest problems in terms of fake lashes is people are scared to incorporate them into every day life. It's as if they have a stigma over their eye lash box - that reads 'only take me out if I want to look great and flirty on a night out in a club'.

Don't let CERTAIN peoples taste in fake eye lashes ruin your fun, remember that depending on your choice of eye lashes you could look like a princess or like . . . the photograph above!

At the end of the day - fake eye lashes are not just a night out thing. I will point out that I do wear different eyelashes during the day than I would on a night out (obviously my night time ones are much more dramatic) but still - on a day to day occasion I sometimes just feel like putting on my fullest eye lashes and you know what - the world didn't end.

Have fun with it - go to your room and try on a pair just for the sake of it. See how much it opens your eyes, how much nicer your whole 'look' is after - if you hate it fine. Don't ever wear them during the day any more but do it for the right reasons!

As you can see eye lashes when worn properly can be fitted into your every day life. To look past my babbling and cut this long winded post down to a point all I really wanted to say was :

-Fake eye lashes aren't all about looking insane, over doing it and being dramatic. Some times you can just find the right balance and wear them as easily as you would mascara. So try it! Buy natural looking lashes next time you are in the beauty store and see how different your eyes look!

Ps. On another note as I was writing this blog the post man rang the door bell. He ironically enough in his hand hand a package for me. Within the package was - ten pairs of color full over sized glitter fake eye lashes! These are exactly what I don't want yall to be wearing every day!

How do you feel about lashes?

Every day? Never ever? Only on nights out?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T05:59:00.001-07:00

Loads of posts coming up soon - it's been a busy two weeks I'm sorry I haven't been around! I'll be back later with a few tricks and treats x

You may now kiss the bride!

2011-10-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Quick run through of a make up look for a wedding. I will admit with no dis-respect to my lovely client it was one of the first times I did a make up job where I had to consider elegance and stature over how bloody cute the latest NAVY Ilmasqua lip stick was. I was slightly out of my comfort zones, having an artistic background has led me to always taking things a step too far but I've had to learn that unless it's what the client wants - I don't do it.

This look was so easily achieved. It was probably one of the quickest make up jobs I've done to date!

-M.A.C Prep&Prime primer
-Max factor pan stick (under eyes)
-Estee Lauder double wear (all over)
-Chanel eye brow pencil
-Revlon fake eye lashes
-Shimmer Stick (high lighter)
-Chanel bronzer
-M.A.C Zoom Mascara
- Lips : liner/lipstick both MAC

(*)Gold eye shadows :
- The cream of the MAC Leopard Lux Fabulous Feline pallet (all over)
-The gold from Urban Decay vegan pallet (all over)
- The gold from Urban Decay NAKED pallet (from crease out to brow)
- Rimmel dark brown (from a really old pallet) (used to contour and for shadow areas)
- Urban Decay Sparkle Dust (in brown/gold used all over eye for finish)

2011-10-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

Came home to this! Made me so happy! My friends and family have been so supportive with the whole 'starting up my own business' sort of venture I've been working on - but seeing someone I don't know saying this - just about made my day.

I just want to be a bit soppy for a second and say thank you to everyone who has helped so far! Even if it was just telling me to shut up when I complained of pains in my wrist after working a shoot for 8 hours straight. Blending blood hurts after a while!

xo

Flawless Finish!

2011-10-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

When I hear the word 'flawless skin' my heart rates too fast. I'm like a child in a candy store, a donut lover with a life time supply of Krispy Kreme. I've been using Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish for nearly four years now - but I had recently stopped using it. For no reason other than I got a little caught up in all of the new Studio Sculpt, Match Master MAC, YSL, my new love for Estee Lauder.

Then yesterday in work my first ever shipment of Elizabeth Arden came in, and it was like a lost child coming home. I've already bought three in my shade! Doing my make up this morning reminded me of all the reasons I loved Flawless finish in the first place.

- The packaging is sleek, elegant, easy to put into your hand bag without getting dirty or breaking.

- It comes in a great diversity of skin colors!

- The sponge is of such a high quality (even though I sometimes apply it with a flat head foundation brush)

- The make up it self is a miracle worker. My skin looks 1 million times better after using it!

(I've a day off on Friday and I'll post a before and after)

- It stays SO well! I put my make up on at 6am and now at 1:48 (blogging from work, tut tut) I haven't as

looked at my face never mind fixed anything!

-The finish is as they say flawless! No lies, I'm not being paid to say this!

- It's affordable! Look around drug stores at least one will have it on offer! If you are Irish (Dublin based) give me a shout and I'll send you in the right direction!

- It lasts long! I wear it WITH foundation so my pallet lasts me at least six months! I think it's slightly too much coverage for my face all over during the day but it's perfect all over for night or of course if I'm having a bad skin day!

Have you ever used Elizabeth Arden? Do you agree with some of the critics that its for older skin? Do you love it as much as I do? Id love to hear your views!

xoxo

Purple Lip!!

2011-10-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

Two minute make up look including shade four PURPLE Kate Moss limited edition Rimmel London Lipstick Range! All you need is :

Skin products, liquid eye liner, fake lashes, white eye shaddow, pink/red/purple eye shaddow, mascara, blush + your lippy!

For an understated eye with ANY lipstick color run a white over your entire lids, than take a dark pink or a light red/wine/purple and blend it really well into the upper part of your lid, using it in a darker capacity on the crease of your lid! Finish off with classic liquid eye liner!

Kate Moss -

2011-10-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

I’m not a huge Rimmel fan - but Kate Moss is one of my biggest style icons, so as soon as I saw her name on the line I knew that I’d have to try it. I was lucky enough to be able to sample everything in her range. When the box came to my door I was too excited to even properly thank the post man!

Sadly my excitement ended there. As much as Kate Moss could never do any wrong in my eyes her range is as bland as rainy morning. Don’t get me wrong the quality of the make up was as good as all of the Rimmel range. The smokey eye eye shadows have great color pigment, the mascara was as good as the rest of their previous ranges. Their lipsticks were creamy and lasted well.

That was it though - the eye shadow pallet was the exact same colors as a pallet I previously bought from them (the only difference being it was shaped in the Union Jack) - the mascara was the exact same as most of them before and the lipstick shades were average.

The only product that I actually took enough notice in to even comment on it was the purple no.4 - I have already worn it a few times! I will be posting a look with the purple being used.

So - if you want good quality products with a cute little Kate Moss signature on the lid, this is the range for you! If you want new, exciting products then maybe give it a miss!

Quality - 4 stars!
Originality - 2stars!
Advertisement and packaging - 5stars!

What would you count as 'fall make up looks' - the big question!

2011-10-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

I keep getting emails about fall looks -

I think that one of the strongest looks out at the moment is -

Eyes : Metalics, wheter it be one color, a mix of a darker on the crease to add deffinition or just a little swept across the upper lid to add shape to your eyes its all in.

Cheeks : As much as I hate to say it - bare is back. At the most if like me you feel naked without blush use a very light nude toned blusher.

Lips : Wine stained lips are so in right now. Rustic, burgundy, dark deep colors - obviously shades differ depending on your color tones.

Other than that after NYFW I think that the ‘natural’ brown, honeys and nothing else look is strong at the moment.

My personal favorite look for fall which a lot of people who know anything about make up would slam me for is -

Strong defined eye brows, strong cat flick eyes, blush on the higher cheek bones and than a strong color like MAC Morange.

Who really cares though? To be honest - if you feel confident and beautiful wear it. Fashion and trends aren’t there to be feared or followed. People can if they want to, being ‘on trend’ is the reason for some people to wake up in the morning but for example - I wouldn’t wear metallic eye shadow if you paid me. It being a fall trend doesn’t change that! xx

2011-10-25T08:28:00.001-07:00

I’ve been getting a good hand full of people asking me what kind of colors suit their skin type, and how to judge what color eye shadow they should wear. As much as I am 100% willing to help describe how to use the color wheel to match shadows and how to know if you are warm or cool under tones I just wanted to say something.

I get told every time I’m in MAC that the green/blue under tone colors I’m buying don’t suit my eye colors. They try and make me buy more oranges and golds. As much as I understand that gold and orange under tones bring out the blue/green of my eyes - sometimes I really couldn’t give a fruit cake.

I wear what makes me feel good. If I want to wear bright yellow eye shadow in the depths of winter I’m going to. Make up isn’t about right and wrong it’s about making yourself feel more comfortable in your skin. It’s about expressing your mood. It’s about having fun and not caring what anyone else says!

Santa Baby!

2011-10-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's October, so like most normal Christmas crazy people - I'm already writing my Christmas list! While I was on M.A.C browsing through the website I found myself going through the section of extra little misc things. These were the first things my heart started melting for!

Make up is important but another thing that you need more so is somewhere to store it. Going on holiday is always a hassle - I store all of my make up in box's and drawers so when a two week trip to Portugal shows up I clearly can't put all of those into a suit case! (trust me I've tried)

So what do you think? How do you travel? Is your bronzer shoved in the side pocket with your bras or do you have a smart successful way of taking your face on holiday with you?

Day 2 Night -

2011-10-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Rimmel London - Glam Eyes Day To Night Mascara
My new favorite drug store mascara.

I was going to make a pro and con list of this mascara. I had started and I realized how quickly my pro list filled up and the only thing that I had managed to put on the ‘con’ list was :

‘The advert lead to me believe the mascara would make me look like Zoe DesChanel. Sadly it didn’t - I want my money back’

Eyelash Tips!

2011-10-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

My tips for wearing lashes :

(1) The more you wear the more you get used to them. Like they say practice makes perfect. This time two years ago I couldn’t put lashes on myself for love nor money now I do it every day, half asleep - without thinking twice.

(2) When you take them out of the box get a pencil, pen, make up brush (something around those thickeness) and wrap the eye lashes around the pencil. Hold it for a moment. When you take it off you should see that the eye lash instead of being straight is now rounded and in the shape of your eye.

(3) Hold the eye lash to your eye, if it’s too large cut access (I normally cut from the inside, if you cut on the outside where it’s the longest you sometimes loose the effect)

(4) Put the eye lashes on before you put on ANY make up. Lashes stick best to skin. Curl your natural eye lashes with an eye lash curler before applying the falsies.

(5) Put some eye lash glue (I suggest buying some like Eyelur glue instead of using the glue thats from the packs) on the back of your hand, and then use your other hand to guide the eyelash through the glue. This isn’t always necessary but some eye lash glues have larger applicators that are messy. Once the glue is on the lashes give it a few seconds to go tacky before putting them on,

(6) Try and get the line of the lashes as close to your own lash line as possible. You will have a few seconds to re-align where they are sitting but you have to work fast if you want them to sit properly and last properly.

(7) Once you have left both lashes to dry and sit properly use an eye lash curler to give extra shape if you need to. Apply mascara AFTER your eye shadow etc is all done and you will have perfect eye lashes!

*If you want to re-use the lashes I wouldn’t put Mascara on them. I always recommend though buying lashes from ebay (ebay owns my heart) and using them for just once off. I buy them for 60 pairs (including packaging) about $12!

It means every time I use them I can put as much mascara on it as I want! They look as good as normal lashes and if you are buying eye lash glue anyway (about 3.00 euro for a pot that lasts forever) you are saving so much money!

2011-10-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween doesn’t have to be a hassle. Doesn’t have to be scary. Some times A little black dress and taking your make up to the next step is all you need to feel a part of the fun while still looking and feeling hot to trot with just a few little tricks.

Are you the type to trick or to treat?

Leopard Luxe!

2011-10-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

I am not one for Halloween but bed rest is driving me crazy so I came up with a two second job to turn yourself from human to leopard. All you need is :

-orange eye shadow
-brown eye shadow
-liquid eye liner

(the colors used above brown and orange were from Leopard Lux MAC fabulous feline range. The liquid eyeliner is just MAC liquid eyeliner)

2011-10-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Every day simple under stated look for work. Using just purples and oranges.

Eyes : MAC orange eye shadow, Purple is H&M eye shadow, Liner is MAC, Lashes are from EBAY, Mascara is Estee Lauder, MAC and Bourjois

Face : Primer MAC, Concealer MAC, Pan stick (maxfactor), Pressed Powder is Rimmel, Bronzer is Sun Shimmer, MAC Mineralize powder in Warmth Of Coral, High lighter is white MAC eye shaddow

Lips : MAC Morange

MAC Matchmaster.

2011-10-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

I’ve already blogged about M.A.C Matchmaster foundation but now that I’ve bought it/tried it things have changed. At first I was unsure. To be honest I still am. I normally wont feel fully comfortable with a make up product untill it’s time to buy a second. I either hunt for something better or feel complete with what I have.

When I tried Matchmaster in the shop the coverage scared me. I wear heavy make up. I have poor skin and I hate my freckles (Irish skin booo!) so coverage is a big deal for me. I put aside my fear and bought it any way because I wanted to review it! I personally bought shade (1) for those of you that are in any way pale I recommend it because there is a BIG difference between shade (1) and shade (2).

When it came to actually wearing the foundation I did like it. I will admit as I sit here in bed looking over at my make up case Matchmaster isn’t the first thing I would save in a fire. I will admit that there isn’t a 101 things I want to gush to you about it. It isn’t life changing, I could live without it.

Paired with a good concealer though (post to come later) it is pretty good at matching your skin tone. For that alone I would recommend it. It gives you a lovely natural looking glow that I find it quite hard to find. Another great thing about it is lasting power. With a MAC primer it lasted me flawlessly for over 16 hours. I work long hours and I will admit I’m a sweaty betty after running around in the boiling heat so normally I have to fix my make up at lunch (half way through my work day) but instead with two sprays of MAC finishing mist it stayed nearly perfect all day.

Pro’s :

(1) Great range of shades
(2) Sits well on skin
(3) Stays well
(4) Smells great (yes I’m someone who cares about the smell of foundation)
(5) Goes on easy

Con’s :

(1) Doesn’t have amazing coverage
(2) Not heavy enough for night time make up
(3) Consistency isn’t great

Have you tried it yet? What do you think of Matchmaster?

Morange.

2011-10-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

M.A.C Morange is everyone’s favorite at the moment (or for the last few months for me. I’m already on my second Morange!) but not everyone wants to spend the money on M.A.C lipstick. Like I’ve said a hundred times before I hate bringing out expensive lippy so instead I look for cheap lipsticks that do the same job.

Rimmel London 210 Coral In Gold is my stand in for Morange. A few of you have been asking me for a good orange and this is my only real answer.

Cat Eye.

2011-10-08T13:43:00.001-07:00

Every day cat eye look. Really simple to do -

Eyes :
MAC paint pot
MAC gold eye shaddow
Belle Pier gold glitter pigment
Chanel liquid eyeliner
Estee Lauder turbo mascara

Face :
YSL Foundation
YSL Primer
Bourjois concealer
MAC pressed powder
MAC Mineral Blusher Warmth of coral
MAC Morange lipstick

The Importance Of Eyebrows.

2011-10-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

People often ask me why I bother putting eyebrow pencil on. This is why. I don't know what I'd do without being able to have my eyebrows filled in. They are a very big part of my whole 'make up' look. Whether they work for you or not try it and see how they could change up your entire face.

Cleaning Brushes.

2011-10-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

A few of you have been leaving me ‘questions’ about how I clean my brushes. I was cleaning my own earlier and decided to make a short video instead of trying to explain it! A few people use ‘olive oil’ or ‘baby shampoo’ on their brushes. Both of which makes me feel a bit un-easy. I know that it’s perfectly fine and each to their own but I don’t really want either of those on my face.

Instead I use The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver it was reccomended to me by a M.A.C make up artist and at first I was slightly bemused by the idea of using it to clean MAKEUP brushes but after some research and testing I fell head over heels in love.

To this day (literally) my first EVER set of MAC brushes (that I purchased over three years ago) still clean back so well that you could sell them off again as brand new.

The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver can be purchased in most Art & Hobby shops and retail for approx 12.00 euro

What do you use to clean your brushes? Do you clean them at all?
xo

Art Of Powder

2011-10-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

‘The line between Fine Art & Makeup Art is undeniably blurry…explore illusion with the Op Art Optical Bronzer. A Street Art Eye Shadow personalizes the eye with madcap graffiti & for those who love light & shade, an In The Abstract Highlighter.’

I’m really not too sure about this at all, as much as I love new - artistic elements being brought through make up I never seem to enjoy the lack of controll you have in mixed color pigment products. Sometimes they work so well and some times they just - well drive me up the wall. The highlighter and bronzer look like they’d be easy enough to use but I think if I had to use the eyeshadow I’d end up just throwing it at the wall.

Has anyone dared to try any of the new Fine Art M.A.C products?

2011-09-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

New York and London Fashion Week has come and gone giving the beauty freaks long enough to collect good quality photographs of their favorite Make up looks that stompted their way down that run way. This year M.A.C are making life a lot easier and are going through the products they used to create each look at the New York, London, Paris and Milan fashion week shows.

This year M.A.C worked for designers such as -

House Of Holland (heavy smokey under eye)
Vivienne Westwood (colorful x 20)

Jeremy Scott (Daisy Duke meets New York)
Jason Wo (very 50’s pop art)

M.A.C Matchmaster!

2011-09-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

I was making note in my makeup moleskin of new things I need to buy/test/review etc and I remembered about M.A.C’s new foundation. Now I’ve never been a fan of M.A.C foundation - even though I am a fully committed M.A.C unicorn I sadly was born too pale to ever really get my heart fully set on any of their products.

I tried adding the white PRO foundation to my normal Studio Fix and as much as it worked I was just never head over heels in love with it and for me that’s reason enough to go searching for a new brand of foundation.

The last time I was in M.A.C though Lisa was telling me all about this new product that I had to come back in and try - hopefully I will get to see it on Sunday and I’ll come back and review it but till then enjoy the campaign photograph and the item information from the M.A.C website -

A virtually “invisible” foundation with coverage influenced by your own skin tone. A breakthrough patented formula technology with a spectrum of 14 light to deep dark shades. Discover shade intelligence!

Every day make up essentials!

2011-09-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

One thing I always reccomend to people is that they keep two different make up collections. One to keep at home and one to bring out. Obviously everyone isn’t made of money and you can’t always buy two of your new favorite M.A.C lipsticks or two of your new ELF blushers but what you can do is buy drug store versions that wouldn’t have the same quality/color pigment but still do the same job!

I have spent many a nights crying in night club bathrooms because I dropped my limited edition Lime Crime lipstick or cracked my Chanel bronzer. I’ve learned from my mistakes but hopefully you’ll be able to learn before you make your own mistakes!

My advice would be :

(1) Buy a set of cheaper range brushes (Eco Tools from Boots are cute and retail at a ridiculously cheap price, sadly there aren’t too many shapes and sizes to choose from but after two cocktails you aren’t going to complain because you can’t find your 193 at home. You will reach for any foundation brush!

Then go through your make up and make a list of things you always wear on a night out (including simple things like remembering to bring EYE LASH GLUE - eyelure are a good one for super cheap prices) and bring it to a drug store such as Boots or Super Drug. Go through each cheap make up stand (best suggestions : Barry M, Rimmel, Benefit, Bare Minerals, Collection 2000, Maybeline - etc) and try and find things similar to your make up at home.

(2) Buy a bag for said items above.

(3) Keep them all in the bag so you never forget anything when you leave the house. The only item you should ever really be adding or taking from your spare bag is your lipstick.

2011-09-30T04:23:00.000-07:00

(1) Nars - Illuminator Orgasm
Just because summer is over doesn't mean your skin has to stop sparkling. By using a product like Nars Illuminator you can wave good bye to the winter blues and add a touch of sparkle to the important under the eye areas.

(2) Blush - Top Shop 'High Five' Now that your tan is long gone and you should be starting to wear your winter shade foundation bronzer isn't always the first thing you should reach for on those dark mornings. Instead go for a healthy blush with a product like Top Shops 'High Five' to bring a bit of color into those cheeks.

(3) Carmex - Strawberry TubeOne thing I'm sure you've never heard is someone telling you how great your cracked lips look! Winter is the time when cracked lips come back with a vengeance but this year don't let them win. With a cute slim cheap tube of Carmex in your purse your lips will stay moist and with an added bonus will smell delicious too. (Available in most drug stores + some high street stores such as American Apparel)

(4) La Roche Posey - Hydra-phase Intense Riche for Dry Skin Winter + Skin = bad combination. Everybody knows that winter means colder weather. Whether you are out hunting down Makeup bargains or trailing your hung over behind to college in the winter your face is going to be hit with cold air. This will lead to problems such as runny noises and un-called for watery eyes, worst of all though it will draw the moisture out of your skin leaving you with dry and damage skin. To over come this use a product like La Roche Posey's Hydra-Phase Intense Riche creme for Dry Skin (avaible in Boots) to make sure your skin is looked after.

(5) Black Day To Night Mascara - Rimmel +(6) Estee Lauder - Turbolash All Effects Motion Mascara

With your skin, cheeks and lips all taken care of above we've forgotten one more little thing, or if we're getting technical TWO things - YOUR EYES! Winter time is not exactly an easy time to get through. When you wake up it's dark out, you spend the whole day being freezing and moaning about snow and then by the time you finally get home and have some time for yourself it's bloody dark again. It's natural to feel tired but theres never an excuse for letting a season make us LOOK tired. Your eyes are a tell tale sign for tiredness and if you only have two seconds to put one thing on your eyes - PICK MASCARA.

Mascara opens up the eyes and makes everything look a lot more awake and ready to function. With money always being an issue I included two mascaras in my must haves, my favorite drug store product and my favorite more 'high end' mascara. I have used both myself so I know they work well!

Day to Night comes with a double aplicator, one for volume one for length. If you are a fake eyelash lover like me - you should use both all the time. The trick they advertise with is using one for day time and then to get the 'WOW' effect at night use both but come on - we all want the wow effect 24-7! The best thing about this product? The advertisements on TV. It doesn't really get much better than Zoe DesChanel really now does it? Sadly this item will not make you look anything like her (sadly).

Estee Lauder Turbo is one of my favorite things in my whole kit! I found it accidently! Literally. I went to get my eye brows waxed (bold I know) by the Lauder beauticians and the second she started talking about it I could feel my credit card burning a hole in my pocket, ever since I've never turned back. Once you open the top of the mascara the applicator. . wait for it - VIBRATES. It sounds naughty I know but trust me - it's a gift from god and all of the other Heavens above! Trust me!!!

These are my favorite winter items but what about you? What melts your snow filled heart in the winter months?

Before + After

2011-09-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Garnier BB Cream!

2011-09-24T12:09:00.001-07:00

I wanted a broad spectrum of results from reviewing the BB cream so as well as buying it for myself I bought it for a 24 year old, 38 year old and 48 year old (all family members) I just got off the phone today with the 38 year old and she only actually called to ask me where she could get more because her skin has never looked so young and healthy in her entire life.

Garnier BB Cream!

2011-09-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

Garnier BB Cream!! I know I know it's been out for ages! You are probably sick of hearing BB reviews but I wanted to wait and see if it actually did anything for my skin before I showed you anything.
I bought BB the first day it was released in boots and I will admit I actually brought my brushes and tools with me and tried it on in the Dundrum car park!! I was just so excited I had to try it.
The first picture was my skin with no make up on it before using BB
The second is the BB cream
The third was my skin this morning (over two weeks later) no make up

Pro's of BB :
(1) It is a nice consitancy
(2) It smells beautiful
(3) It is cheap
(4) It hydrates your skin
(5) It has an spf (15)
(6) It takes the red of out your skin

Cons of the cream :
(1) The smell is strong
(2) It only comes in 150ml - I'm already on my second
(3) It only comes in light and medium

A picture of my skin with BB Cream :

Normally I would wear pan stick, foundation and concealer but in the picture above all I have on my skin is BB cream and compressed powder.

2011-09-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

As every one knows Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev won over every heart and sole with not only the best dress but the best figure and date too! From head to toe she was flawless - the only problem I have with the whole situation is I think her make up could of been better!

With her dress and complection I think a cat eye and red lip would of looked a lot better with this dress! When it comes to a dress like she was going to make a statement no matter what she did so in my opinion she could of taken it a little bit further.

If I had of been doing Nina's make up this is the chart I would of worked from :

2011-09-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

I owe my cheek bones to these four products! They are probably the aspect of my face I put the least work into but ironically are the aspect most commented on! In order from L-R we have :

(1) Soleil Tan de Chanel Moisturizing Bronzing Power

(2) Benefit Hoola Bronzing Powder (3) Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades (4) M.A.C Mineralize Blush

I obviously don't use all the above products together! Depending on the season, general look of the day I go between some, other days I mix - the most important thing you must remember is though :

Contour with light and dark, high lighting is just as important as sculpting out the shape with your darkest shade! After that? Blend! Blend! Blend!

2011-09-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Night time is normally the time I go crazy - wearing bright yellow lipstick or eye shadow so dark it's not allowed out before midnight. Last night for my friends birthday though, I felt like going for a 'fresh face' night out look. It only took about two minutes and stayed perfect!

2011-08-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

Bourjois have brought out a smokey eye eye shadow set. It retails at about 12.99 euro which may seem expensive but you are getting three full colors from it.

I personally think that they are perfect for anyone that is scared of the every day smokey eye look. It comes with three shadows - one for high lighting, one for general lid coverage and then the darkest is used for contouring.

As you can see they come in all different shades. From blues and purples to the age old classic of golds and browns. On the back they come with detailed diagrams of how to apply the colors, and where.

The quality of the eye shadow is amazing, and when used with eye shadow primer it stays forever.

If you are a smokey eye obsessed girl like me - then you will find the only problem is the container is slightly bulky. I bought five different colors of the triple shadows for my make up case to use on jobs so what I did was - I took the little shadow pots out of the large container and used double sided tape to stick them down to the bottom of a small circular tub of wear.

Product rate : (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) five star product!

2011-08-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

After mentioning 'Bourjois Healthy Mix' briefly in my last blog about foundation primer I decided that I would post about it specifically. For a good while like I previously mentioned foundation was a struggle for me - however after finding Healthy Mix I have to admit it is one of my favorite drug store foundations that I have ever used.

The main ingredients include :

Apricot for radiance
Melon for hydration
Apple for anti-oxidants
Ginger for energy

It was advertised as '16 hour perfectly glowing complexion and toned skin' I was un-sure. I will admit that without primer it did last 16 hours - not perfectly, but with my skin nothing does. However with my YSL foundation base it actually lasted longer.

I put the foundation on at 5:30am and at 11:00pm when I took my make up off my skin was still bright, and hadn't dried out at all. It looked nearly as it did when I put it on.

One of my favorite things about it though has to be how nice it smells! It has a fruity scent of it that lasts for ages! It is the exact icing on the cake that any girl would want.

The concealer is probably even better than the foundation. I will admit one night my skin was really really bad and I was so conscious of how much coverage I would need that I used the CONCEALER all over my face. The coverage is un-real. I will be murdered for this but my sister has quite poor skin and this is the concealer I always buy her in work because it just covers everything.

(1) My skin before I put any make up on - yes I do actually manage to look this bad every day naturally.

(2) 6:00 am half an hour after applying, just leaving for work - My skin after doing my make up (including the healthy mix foundation + concealer)

(3) 8:00pm (or approx.) home from work and after a bit of shopping my skin is still perfect! I didn't touch my make up all day other than the every day extra bit of highlighter under my eyes at about 3:00pm (my lunch break) just to freshen up my eyes.

THE ONLY FLAW IN HEALTHY MIX : lack of color range - which is always a problem with Bourjois foundations. I wouldn't swear to it but from memory there is four colors. (51)(52)(53)(54) I personally have (51) on my face, but if I'm going on a night out and I have fake tan on I use (54). Although you don't have much choice I think that the colors are actually really good and they mix well with most skin types/shades.

My verdict ? (*)(*)(*)(*)(*) five star product!

2011-08-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Spending money on foundation that never sticks vs. Spending the cash on a primer?

For a long time I had a battle with foundation. I am quite pale which is enough of a problem but I also work long hours and need good long lasting coverage. Even though I tried a hundred and one foundations I never really found it. I became a slave to my foundation, I would spend my coffee breaks sneaking into the bathroom to fix where my nose had started to show through red, or where I had started to go patchy. No matter how much I set my foundation with pressed powder I could never find anything that stuck long enough!

I decided instead of fighting my long living battle any longer – that I would try something else. Foundation primer. I started to look into differnt primers. M.A.C was the one I had planned to go with, it had the right texture and I couldn't find too many faults. Then I had to hear that it didn't always work to well with foundations that were not M.A.C! Sadly M.A.C don't do a foundation pale enough for my skin - even with using pro white foundation I never really find it matching perfectly. So sadly M.A.C primer was out of the question.

With that in mind I decided to look into other ones. Smashbox was next on my list – although it's been hyped to no end when I personally tried it I found that the consistancy wasn't too plesent. I felt like it was 'gloopy' and 'sticky'. I didnt enjoy the feeling of it at all.

So then in the airport of Edinburgh the YSL stand caught my eye. I decided since I had time to kill before my flight that I'd have a look into it. I met a lovely girl working there and with in minutes I fell in love. The texture is perfect, the packaging is easy to use – it dries the quickest of all primers I have tried and it just so happens to smell nice too.

I was hooked straight away and I bought two on the spot. I will admit that it is slightly expensive. I think that it retails at approx 49euro – but what I will say is :

I manage to sleep at night knowing that I spent 49 euro on primer BECAUSE with that primer I can buy cheaper foundation. In the pharmacy I work in our main make up is Bourjois so I have to be trained in the products. With that I found my love for the Fruit Bourjois Foundation. At less than 16.00 euro it makes the primer price easier to accept.

Before that I had been using Chanel/YSL/MAC foundation and spending way to much money on foundation that never even stayed. Instead I now spend the bulk of my money on the primer and use drug store foundation that suits my skin type and stays perfectly on my skin.

2011-08-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Make up can be a touchy subject. When I need help I never seem to know who to turn to or where to ask for help. I always have it in the back of my mind that if I go into a store and ask - they'll want to sell me their own brand. If I ask a make up artist that has sponsors, will they tell me that the best products are the ones they are being paid to endorse?

What I want to start here as a make up enthusiast and new born free lance make up artists is the place that I could never find. A blog full of ideas and aspects of make up ranging from Chanel right down to basic drug store make up like Essence because lets face it - we aren't all made of money.

As I work I will be posting photographs of clients, videos and stories. I will be doing 'help' sections - and then of course I will be doing little 'favorite products' and 'review' sections! Input is always helpful, if you would like to see more of something, less of something or something completely new please dont hesitate to contact me!

I don't claim to have years of experience in the industry or M.A.C training under my belt. What I do offer though is an un-biased every day girl opinion who just happens to be a little bit obsessed with everything make up.

Contact information :

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kellyhope-Murphy-Creative-Makeup/122589557839616

Email : kellyhopemurphy@gmail.com