Before and After make-up and how to hide redness

Hi all,

I wanted to do a before and after make-up post to show how make-up can be used to enhance a person's features and also make their skin look healthier. I used my sister, Ellen for this, she doesn't wear any make-up at all except when she goes out and for special occasions. She has great skin, it isn't oily or has any spots (I'm not so lucky!), however she has a lot of redness. 

Here are the before and after shots...

So to start off, I used MAC's Studio Fix Fluid in NC15 and using a foundation brush (all my brushes I use are Crownbrush) I started on the jawline and worked my up and around her face and adding a bit more to the more red patches. 
Then I used Kryolan's camouflage palette and using a concealer brush applied it under and around the eyes.
Then to contour I used MAC's powder blush in Taupe and using an angled blusher brush, applied this under the cheekbones just to give a bit of structure. You can also apply it under the jawline as well to create more shadow to give the appearance of a stronger jawline.
Then I applied MAC's translucent face powder using a large, soft powder brush.

I then defined her eyebrows using MAC's refill eyeshadow pans in Coquette and Handwritten using an eyeshadow brush.

Then for her eyes I wanted just to define them to make the colour stand out as she has really lovely blue eyes, and to make them appear bigger. For this I used a cake eyeliner by Kryolan and a small liner brush and lined the upper lash line with a small flick. I then used a MAC eye pencil in black to line her water line. I then applied MAC's Zoomlash mascara in black.
Then to finish off I applied a clear gloss to her lips. 

I think this look really suits Ellen as it is not a heavy look, it is simple and pretty. If a person doesn't wear make-up everyday I don't like applying foundation too heavy as it can make them feel uncomfortable. I applied just enough here to give her an even skin tone and just a little contour to give a bit of structure. I love MAC's studio fix fluid as it has a medium coverage and you can build it if you want more. Kryolan's camouflage palette is highly pigmented so this is great at covering imperfections.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and found it helpful!
See you soon,
Beth x

Match your lipstick with your nails!

I've noticed a trend recently where you match your lipstick to your nail polish, matching colours had gone a bit out of fashion but now its returning and I think this is a really nice subtle way of matching if you don't want to be too obvious about it.

I wanted an excuse to feature my new Miss Sporty nail polish I bought recently and this seemed like a good way! I realised I didn't have a really nice red in my nail polish collection and so I bought a 'lasting colour' Miss Sporty nail polish in the colour 'deep wine' which is a beautiful deep red. It has a shiny finish and is slightly glittery. Its not the in-your-face postbox red, its an elegant, pretty red and goes with any outfit. I love Miss Sporty nail polishes, they are such a bargain but they are such good quality as well. They also have what they call their 'maxi brush' which is an extra large brush so you can cover your nails quickly and easily which I think is a great idea!


This is a really nice colour to match with your lipstick, so I have used a MAC red lipstick in the colour 'Ruby Woo', this leaves a very matt finish so I also used a BYS wet look clear lipgloss over the top to give it a shine. I also used a MAC red lipliner to get a clean line. I prefer using a small lip brush or an eyeliner brush to apply lipstick because I find it is easier to apply and helps achieve a clean, neat line to your lipstick.

Obviously they are not an exact match, it would be very difficult to get an exact match in colour! But I'm very pleased with this look because both the reds compliment each other and I believe this could be worn with any outfit for any occasion. If you're not a fan of bright, bold red lips, you could  try a lip tint with a gloss over the top which give  a more subtle look.










Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading!
~Beth x