Ruby Who?

Coming home, even after just a month, is definitely a transition. In a place like Central Phuket, you find out a lot about yourself. You find yourself in so many ways, but you can also lose a part of yourself too. It's important to live your life as you. Nobody can write the chapters of your story except for yourself, so get creative.  

I have gotten myself into a bit of a rutt when it comes to makeup. I missed being dramatic and adventurous with my appearance like when working in the industry, so I am starting to put more of an effort into my creativity again and glamming it up!

Growing up, I was always under the impression that a woman with a red lip was the definition of confidence. I have gone through tonnes and tonnes of red lippes but I always go back to my trusty Ruby Woo. I am willing to sacrifice dried out lips for the matte finish that I love. If you're not a fan of your lips feeling like they have graized the deserts of the Middle East for days.... a matte finish may not be for you. However, I love matte because I know it is going to stay on my lips all day without moving. There is nothing worse than catching a glimpse of yourself and seeing your teeth with a beautiful corner colourfully coloured in with your favourite red. Or that perfect defined line you spent ages to achieve for that Angelina Jolie shape has decided to drift off to the side to have a chat with your nostrils. Never a good look. Ever. 

To achieve the perfect lip, follow these top tips:

I always do my lips as the last stage of my face, I feel like it brings everything together and finishes the look perfectly. While doing the rest of my makeup, I always use a good lip conditioning balm to nourish my lips before sucking all moisture out of them for the rest of the day with my matte obsession. By the time you get around to doing your lips, they will feel smooth and soft and perfectly prepped for your choice of colour. I always pat my lips down to get rid of any excess balm before applying my liner or lipstick as this will dilute the colour if not removed.

I always apply my lip liner before lipstick. This will define the shape and size of your lips while also keeping the colour strong , vibrant and will last make your perfect pout last longer.

After applying your lip liner and lipstick, line the edge of your pout with concealer. Make sure your concealer matches your foundation colour, you are not trying to highlight, just make your lines look nice and crisp.

Pop a bit of matte bronzer under your bottom lip creating a shadow which will make your bottom lip look fuller. A tiny dab of highlighter on your cupids bow will also draw the eye to your upper lip making it appear bigger, just make sure your not heavy handed as if you apply too much you're going to look like a Sweaty Betty.....never a good look!

Hope these tips are useful! Love Jen x

Road Trippin'

This weekend me and the boys headed down to Cork for a Muay Thai Boxing event. We thought it would be a good motivation trip before heading to Thailand to do the same ourselves with the natives. Eek. The boys were there to support some of their Thai Club friends and they did really well so it was a good trip all round. 

Here is the makeup I wore. It was a little rushed 'cause I did it at half nine in the morning and it had to last me until midnight. My outfit, I went for Topshop Joni jeans, a Topshop crop top and a flannel shirt I picked up in Singapore. I also had Timerland style boots from Penneys on.

Colour Pop Candy

Lately I've been feeling pretty strongly about the 'bare look' eye and a statement lip. Be it a strong pop of colour or a daringly dark nude, it should always make a statement.

Today's details are some of my favourite products. I decided to go with a slightly lighter eyebrow shade as I have a bit of false tan on today. My weapon of choice is MAC Dirty Blonde. Alongside a perfectly carved brow goes a daringly perfect pout. Candy Yum Yum always steps up to the plate and no matter what skin tone you have, she never fails! 

Autumnal Shades of Berry

Hi guys!!

Definitely embracing coming into the Autumn/Winter (for the couple of weeks I'll be here anyway) and jumping straight on the bandwagon of the infamous berry lip. These Autumnal shades are an almost garaunteed trend every year. Definitely worth investing in a the perfect lippie for you and your wardrobe, after all, you'll be seeing it next year and for years to come!

I however won't be embracing for too long as me and my other half are heading on an adventure of a lifetime. We have packed in our jobs and are heading to south-east Asia for 4-5 months and then hopefully settling down in Spain. Lots of updates and blogposts from all around the world to be made!

Love J xx

It's a Fine Line to Love

Right now, I'm obsessed with winged eyeliner! Blended into a smokey, dramatic eye or paired with a bare lid and a colour pop on the lip, I'm hooked!

My personal preference would be the INGLOT Gel Eyeliner in the number 77 (jet black). A trusty reliable that lasts all day without smudging and can be used on the top and bottom waterline.

MUA Tip: I find a lot of makeup brushes are too thick to achieve the fine lines I'm looking for, so I often use fine paint brushes to apply the product. Thinner and cheaper! Can't go wrong!

Jx 

Embrace Me!

Today I managed to master the concept of the fishtail braid, and it has to be said, it looks a lot more complicated than it actually is! As a first attempt, I don't think I did too bad!

To achieve this look, I'm afraid you do need to have long hair, preferably past your collar bone. Divide the hair into two pieces. Take a small amount of hair from the outside of one section and bring it into the inside of the other. Repeat on the opposite side. Use this method the whole way down the hair and you have yourself that tricky looking, beautiful braid. Easy right?

Optional:

I prefer this look quite worn-in and messy. Either do the braid the night before and sleep with it in style or simply after completing your braid, pull at each side of the plait to loosen both sides (I prefer this way).

This will also give the appearance of fuller, thicker hair as the braid looks a lot bigger when teased and pulled a bit.

Jx

Get the Look!! Channel your inner Monroe!!

Before I began this look, I firstly applied my oilatum moisturiser and let it sink into the skin for the duration of the eye application to allow it to work its magic!

Using an Inglot 4SS brush, I buffed MAC Prolongwear Concealer all over the lid from the lash line to the brow in the colour NW20 to act as an eye primer as this concealer does not crease.
Using an Inglot 17TL brow brush and MAC Fluidline in Dipdown, I carved my brow from the bottom of the arch and then downwards to extend the tail. I then cleaned off that same brush in a tissue and used it with MAC Cork eyeshadow to lightly fill in the inside corner of the brow to achieve an ombré effect. Using a Sigma F70 flat concealer brush, I then carved the underneath of the brow with MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW15 to achieve a clean, sharp look and to act as a highlight to the brow bone.
I applied MAC Painterly Paint Pot to the lid from the lash line up to the crease using the same F70 concealer brush to intensify the colour of the eyeshadows. Then, using an Inglot 9S flat eyeshadow brush, I pressed 373 Inglot matte white eyeshadow all over the lid up to the crease, packing on the colour to intensify the brightness.
Using the same 9S brush, I dipped the tip of the brush into MAC Cork eyeshadow that we used earlier and I pushed this colour into the crease above the white, the whole way across the eye. I then used an Inglot 6SS brush to buff out this colour and extend it upwards. I then used a mixture of 329 Inglot matte chocolate brown and MAC Brun eyeshadow, a dark cool brown, in the crease using an Inglot 10S small blender brush to define the crease. I also brought this combination of colours underneath the bottom lash line the full way across the eye.
I lined the lid using Inglot 77 Gel Liner extending the line outwards from the corner of the eye into a thick flick and along the upper and lower waterline. Again using the 10S blender brush I defined the outside corner and outer corner of the crease with a matte black, Inglot 63 eyeshadow. Don't be afraid to go over the liner a little.
I then applied some false lashes. I used Eyelure 202 lashes for this look and applied them with clear DUO Glue, available worldwide. I then applied Inglot False Lash Mascara to my own natural lashes to weave them through the false ones making it look more natural.

On to the face:
My skin feels nice and hydrated now so I can go straight in with my foundation. I dampened my Beauty Blender first and used this with my MAC W10 full coverage foundation and applied the product to the centre of the nose, the middle of the forehead, under the eyes and onto the cheekbones. I used the Beauty Blender to stipple this product right into the skin so there is no residue of any oils on the surface of the face.
I then used MAC NW35 full coverage foundation and the same sponge and applied it to the rest of the face making sure the two colours are blended seamlessly.
Again , using the Beauty Blender, I stippled Maybelline Fit Me concealer in the colour 15 underneath my eyes to brighten the area.
To set all the liquids on the face, I used Inglot AMC Powder in 55 and used my Sigma F25 to apply this to the whole face.
To contour I used my Sigma F35 and Inglots No.30 Pressed Powder underneath the cheekbones, around the hairline, down the side of the nose and underneath the bottom lip to give the illusion that these areas are more hollow. Use this product sparingly as it is very dark and highly pigmented so only a little is needed.
To add a bit of colour to the cheeks I applied Fleur Power Blusher from MAC using a Sigma F15 duo fibre blush brush. This I applied along the cheekbone to achieve the illusion of a natural lift to the face, especially for mature skins.

I lined the lips with Inglot 58 lip liner, focusing slightly on the outer edge of the natural lip line to achieve a fuller lip. I filled in the lips with MAC RubyWoo matte lipstick.


And there ya have it guys. All the steps you need to channel your inner Monroe! xxx