Why I Don't Wear Makeup On Family Holidays

Now, before you call me a hypocrite ("you posted a holiday makeup entry like two weeks ago" you cry) I'm talking about family holidays. And by that, I mean the stress-free, nobody-here-knows-you kind of holidays.

For these holidays, the most I'll bring is lip balm and maybe a mascara/eyeliner in case we go out somewhere fancy. Even then, I might not wear it. There are five reasons for this:

1. I'm surrounded by people who aren't going to judge me for not making a huge effort
2. I think it's nice to let your skin "breath" for a bit. I don't know if it actually helps in any way, but it makes me feel better
3. I apply makeup mostly because I find it fun and relaxing. On holiday, I should have other things that are fun and relaxing to do
4. When I'm away I don't want to bother with my usual makeup-removal routine in the evenings. So I don't wear any makeup.
5. It's hardly practical to wear makeup when you're going to be either in and out of a pool or cuddled up in front of a fire doing nothing much.

 Ok, I admit it. This is mostly a filler post because I only have one other post in the works for while I'm away. And no outfit of the week this week because I'm in casual holiday clothes.

Reveiw: Rimmel London Match Perfection Ultra Creamy Compact Powder

Ok, so the very first thing I want to say about this product is that I don't like wearing heavy makeup all over my skin day-to-day, so I tend to almost always use this or recently MUA's BB Cream, rather than actual cream/liquid foundation. It's light. Like, really light. And for me, this stuff is perfect. But here's the lowdown:

Pros:

• The powder itself has silky finish and feeling
• When applied with the sponge, the coverage is enough to hide smaller blemishes or redness
• Applied with a powder brush, it's good at removing the shine of BB creams and similar without looking cakey
• It's great for hot weather when creamy foundations might melt off
• I love the packaging - there's place for a sponge and a mirror under the compact without making the whole thing too bulky
• This stuff lasts FOREVER

Cons:

• When applied on dry skin, peeling skin, or skin recovering from acne/spots, it can give you a walking-dead appearance. By this I mean that the powder catches and it looks a bit yucky
• If you try to use it as a powder over a full-coverage style foundation the result will be a cakey makeup-overload
• You need to re-apply after four or so hours, because it does come off (saying that, I rarely do)

Price: £5.99 at Boots

Outfit of the Week: Casual, Cool (?)

My outfit of this week isn't exactly planned. In fact, it's just what I happened to be wearing today to go out shopping. What can I say? I ran out of time and I have heaps of art coursework to do!

Even so, I actually quite like this look. It's cozy, warm, a bit hipster and it means I get to wear my lovely leather jacket again. I had exactly 6 minutes to put this outfit together (we were in a hurry) and thus, it is makeup-less.

One day, I will take photos where my legs or (gasp) even my shoes can be seen. This is not that day.

 Jacket: Primark
Jumper: Q-20 (I only bought it yesterday from one of those strange little market-style shops)
Glasses: Specsavers (they're my prescription pair)
Hat: No idea. I nicked it off my brother.
Jeans were my faded black skinnies - they're so faded I can no longer read the label to tell you the designer, but I bought them on Tk Maxx

Travel Makeup: What I Bought + Reviews

Last week I went to Snowdonia in Wales as part of my AS Geography course. I knew that it'd be cold, and we'd be doing a lot of walking, so I packed accordingly. I also knew there wasn't enough space in my suitcase for loads of makeup, so I took only the "essentials" - things I knew I could apply quickly and wouldn't melt off my face during the day or get messed up by a little rain.

As a general rule, I'd say take makeup you know you like, and that fits your look. There's nothing worse than everyday makeup that doesn't make you look like you. Oh, and if you're going somewhere cold and windy, like I was, bring Vaseline and a moisturiser, because your face will need a little extra protection. Anyway, onto the products!

W7 Camouflage Kit Concealer Palette
This palette is great because the range of tones means that it works as both an under-eye and blemish concealer. I knew I might not be getting as much sleep as I might like (and you never know when you'll get spots) so I wanted to be on the safe side. Although it's long, it's slim, so it wasn't too bulky for my wash-bag, thank god. I love it, although it does tend to sit on your skin a bit, rather than sinking in. I used the brush it came with to save space, but I recommend bringing another small concealer brush if you have space, as that one's a bit scratchy.

No 7 Exceptional Definition Nutrient Enriched Mascara
A favourite of mine because it's got this brilliant formula that leaves your lashes flexible and is really comfortable to wear. It's a black mascara, but I have naturally dark lashes so it's quite a natural finish. Not good for dramatic looks, but perfect for day-to-day wear.

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner
Ok. I'll admit this isn't exactly a natural-looking liner. But I LOVE lining my top lid, and this is much cleaner and more practical than a liquid liner, and gives a better cats-eye flick than   a black kohl eyeliner would. This is one of my favourite products of all time. Period.

Revlon Matte Luxurious Color White Kohl Liner
I realise a white eyeliner wouldn't be on most people's essentials lists, but I have quite small eyes so I like to balance the darker top lid with a white waterline - it gives the impression of wider eyes. Saying that, I wouldn't actually recommend this particular brand, because I was finding that within a few hours it had almost all vanished. This is just what I had to hand when packing - I've had it for ages.

Santoro Eclectic Peaches and Cream Fragranced Lip Balm
This was actually given to me as a gift, but I prefer wearing a tinted lip balm to a gloss, as a general rule, so it was perfect. And it's just so cute! It can be a little sticky, so it's better applied with a small brush (or keep a tissue on hand to wipe your finger).

Rimmel London Match Perfection Ultra Creamy Compact Powder
I find foundations too heavy even when I'm not trekking up the side of mountains and measuring the depth of rivers. This was an effective cover-up, appropriate for the situation. Plus it has a compartment for the sponge and a mirror, so it's great to travel with. You can tell by the photo that the metal pan's starting to show - I think that tells you what I fan I am of this product. I won't say any more here, because I want to post a proper review of it at some point!

Outfit of the Week: 50s Biker/Steampunk Fusion

First blog post!

Recently, my friend and I have been a little obsessed with 50s fashion.  I was playing with a 50s theme for this outfit, but since I've also been meaning to test-run this new skirt I bought I decided to see if I could fuse the two to create something a little more modern. I think it went pretty well!

Note to self: Check hair looks ok before taking photos in future

 Outfit:
Jacket - Primark
T-shirt - M&S
Skirt - Lovestruck
I was also wearing black leggings and naturally distressed black ankle boots.

Accessories (what this outfit is all about):
Goggles - Amazon
Studs -  Claires
Gloves: Picked them up for 50p in a clearance sale, not sure if they're still available.
Necklace (actually a pocket watch): From Claires, again, but actually a gift from my sister
Ear Cuff - Claires, but was originally one of those ones with a chain and stud. Upon bringing it home and trying it on I realised the chain wasn't working for me and removed it with a pair of jewelry pliers.
Belt: Second-hand

For the makeup, I tried out a cut crease winged liner – not something I've done before – and it’s a bit messy, but I like the result. I won’t be doing a tutorial for anything like this until I’m a bit more confident, but check out vintageortacky's Mockingjay look on Youtube to see how it’s done, because that’s the same method I (attempted to) use.

This was the least blurry. I really need to get better at handling a camera

I used Collection 2000’s extreme 24-Hour felt tip liner, bronze eye shadow (brand unknown) and Barry M’s black kohl eyeliner and black mascara to create the eyes, then used MUA's red lipstick in shade 13 (a favourite of mine for rockabilly looks) with a little of an old dark red I bought in Claires Accessories on top to make it that little bit edgier. Could be worn with a gloss, but I didn't bother.

My nails are a Claire’s black polish with a silver crackle coat by 17 from Boots, and are inspired by Bunny Bennett from Steam Powered Giraffe’s nails. I didn't actually wear them specifically for that look, but they look good with it.