I pimped my grandma!

Forget 10 years younger, I reckon I shaved at least 15 years off my grandma's age when I gave her a makeover last week. She'd been asking me for a while to impart some beauty knowledge and to help her to get a new look.

So this is my grandma with Lily pre makeover!

I don't think my grandma looks old or her age by any means but I do think that she could look better.

When most women reach a certain age they seem to get stuck in a rut, beauty wise. They tend to stick to the same trusty foundation 3 shades too dark, pastel coloured eyeshadow all over the lid and on the lips, the same brightly coloured Estee Lauder lipstick that they've been using for the last ten years.

At nearly 80 years old my grandma was definitely stuck in this rut and eager to help her out of it I jumped at the chance to give her a glam gran-over.

No nip, tuck was required but all I needed to help freshen up her look and turn back the years were a few makeup gems from my collection.

This is the finished look I came up with.

Gone is the baby blue eyeshadow and hello to natural tones, a bit of blush and some eyeliner!

The first thing I got her to do was to apply L'Oreal's Studio Secrets resurfacing primer all over the face (she had never heard of a primer before, guess what shes getting for Xmas?) which really helped to mask her fine lines, hide dark circles and age spots prior to foundation.

I then applied Maybelline's Satin Finish foundation which gave her a really nice medium amount of coverage and an airbrushed look, much more natural on the skin than her usual heavy coverage base.

One benefit of ageing skin is that spots are rare and as my grandma didn't have any no concealer was needed anywhere apart from under the eyes. I used a touch of YSL's Touche Eclat to help brighten her eye area and to highlight her brow bone.

One thing I've become really passionate about recently are eyebrows and how defining them just a little can really open up the face and add structure.

Before my makeover my grandma had never considered eyebrow grooming as part of her routine but when I showed her the difference it can make she now does it religiously.

I used Gosh's eyebrow pencil in grey/brown (which is amazing) to groom and fill in the patches, I honestly think doing this took years off her, healthy looking brows definitely makes the face appear younger.

For her eyes I steered clear of any pastel shades which she usually loves and showed her how to get a gorgeous natural look using a pretty dusty pink and deep brown from my Sleek Storm palette.

After applying neutral eyeshadow I lined her upper lid with YSL's eyeliner Moire in number 6 (brown) which gave instant results. A little eyeliner really can change and define someones eyes.

On the cheeks I dusted a little of Barry M's Pink Orchid blush to add a little flush and touch of youth.

Last but not least I used Mac's Hue on her lips, staying neutral but with a hint of pretty pink. It was the first time my grandma had ever used a lipstick so light, why is it that older women always wear a brighter, bolder lipstick?

So whats your verdict? Whats my glamorous grans poll age now post makeover?

xx

The perfect dupe!

Last week I placed an ELF order so I could get my hands on the much raved about Studio line, the more professional range with most items costing a mere £3.50!

Usually I'm sceptical about make-up this cheap but I have to say ELF has impressed me so much I'm going to place a second order after writing this. This post won't include all the products I purchased but one GIANT product rave about my favourite item.

If you love pale nude lips your going to love this beauty!

After popping most of the Studio line in my basket I thought I'd check out ELF's mineral range and spotted this gorgeous lipstick. The online swatch looked lovely but in real life it is just beautiful.

This is Natural Nymph!

It was love at first sight, as soon as I popped off the lid I knew Natural Nymph would be my next lipstick love!

As you know I love my nudes, especially ones with peachy undertones and this one really reminds me of some of my faves, Mac's Close to Real, 2N and Jemma Kidd's Wendy. It is a great dupe for any of these, if you don't want to break the bank, Natural Nymph is the perfect alternative.

Just so you can see a comparison, ELF's Natural Nymph is in the middle with 2N on the left and Close to Real on the right!

Swatches, Top - Close to Real, Middle - ELF, Bottom - 2N.

As you can see it really is similar to the Mac lipsticks, Close to Real especially, so if you missed out on grabbing the Limited Edition lipstick a few months ago this is a great buy.

So the colour is spot on, what about the formulation? Can it really be as good as Mac's?

The simple answer is YES and if I'm honest I prefer it, shock horror!

Natural Nymph's consistancy is amazing, it reminds me of the YSL Rouge Volupte's, soft to touch on the lips and it goes on like a dream.

The formulation feels very nourishing almost like a lip balm which amazingly lasts a long time too. I'm not sure if this is because it is a mineral lipstick but anyway ELF has got their lipsticks spot on. I love it!

The only negative I have about this product is the smell or lack of, I miss the fruity scents from YSL and vanillary notes by Mac. I know you don't eat lipsticks but I do like mine to smell like I could!

On the lips!

Elf have really impressed me with this lipstick, I would of never thought I'd prefer a lipstick costing £3.50 to most of mine which cost 6 times that!

Anyway just wanted to let you in on a great dupe and if you are placing an Elf order soon make sure you check out the mineral lipsticks, they are amazing quality!

P.S If you spend £25 or more at Elf and enter this code AGIFT4U you get a free mini make-up collection palette worth £15!

xx

Trish McEvoy

My beloved Nar's Laguna has hit pan and is nearing the end of it's life, I'm thinking a month max. So on a recent shopping trip I decided to scour all the makeup counters in Harvey Nicks for something new to try, as Laguna is being DISCONTINUED (shock,horror!) and I saw no point repurchasing something I couldn't re-buy.

Thinking about it I'm sure I would be able to get my hands on it again from a rip off merchant on eBay but I'm not prepared to pay £50 for a bronzer, so the search began.

After testing powders from the likes of Laura Mercier, Mac, YSL and Bobbi Brown I stumbled across the most amazing bronzer by Trish McEvoy. I rarely look at her cosmetics line as I don't live near a Harvey Nicks (only available there) but I have had bits and bobs by Trish before.
What I love about her range is that all the compacts can be customised and personalised to suit you and your needs. There are several sizes of compacts, I went for the medium magnetic one which alone costs £11.

I can't tell you how happy I am with my new compact, it has everything I need to create my daily face in one sleek,black palette. I know I only wanted a bronzer originally but I ended up getting a few other things to fill my compact.
So in the top half I have a blusher and two eye shadows. I fell in love with the blush as soon as I saw it, Blush Perfect 1, is the most gorgeous milky pink with a hint of peach. Like all the powders I bought in this compact the blush is like velvet to touch with great colour payoff and adds a subtle peachy pink to the cheeks.

So with half a space left I could of picked a highlighter but I opted for two eye shadows. I chose Lilac which is a gorgeous colour to use as an all over wash, I've being using it instead of a beige colour most days and it can be paired with most shades as it is a very subtle lilac.

The other colour I chose is of course a neutral shade, Gilded Bronze, which is a beautiful golden brown. Both shadows have a glaze finish, meaning they have a slight shimmer to them.

From left to right: Blush Perfect 1, Lilac and Gilded Bronze.

And now on to the nicest bronzer I have ever used, Dual Resort. As you can see it is made up of two halves, a lighter peachy gold and a mid tone golden brown.

Why do I think this is so good? Well, apart from the lovely, soft consistency and good pigmentation, when both colours are swirled together and applied it makes my perfect bronzer shade.

I have never had a bronzer look so natural in tone on my skin, as I'm quite pale most bronzers are too dark for me and look very unnatural. Dual Resort matches my skin tone perfectly and adds the most gorgeous peachy bronzed glow to my cheekbones.

Dual Resort!

Right at the bottom is the lightest shade, in the middle is the darker half and at the top is them swirled together!

This is one of the best makeup purchases I've ever made, it's been the only thing I've needed on a daily basis apart from foundation and concealer as it has everything I need in one tiny compact.

However it does come at a price, Trish McEvoy is not cheap but the quality is fantastic and being able to customise a palette to your needs makes it really worth it. You could make a small compact with just eye shadows, one with two blushes, a blush and a highlighter etc.

They would be great for a personalised Christmas presents for a make-up lover or yourself, I've added some more Trish on my never ending Christmas wish list.

Here's a price breakdown for you:
Compacts - from £9, mine was the medium, 2 tiered = £11
Eye shadows - £9 each they are refills.
Blush/Highlighter - £16
Bronzer - £21

I know it sounds a lot but I love having everything in one place, my Trish compact is my only go to item now most days other than the basics (foundation etc).

Has anyone else tried Trish McEvoy?!
xx

YSL Singulier mascara review!

Once every so often a product comes around that stands out and gives amazing results, making you realise that what you thought was good before is nothing compared to this. YSL has accomplished this with their new mascara, Singulier.

I bought this about a month ago and it was love at first use. I'm predicting this will be just as much a cult product as their other mascara, Faux Cils. Anyone who has used Faux Cils knows it's a great product for creating volume and gorgeous black lashes but when compared to Singulier it is definitely overshadowed.

Singulier is the first mascara I've used that really does it all. It isn't just the fact that it makes your lashes considerably longer, voluminous and gives them a gorgeous lasting curl without the need for eyelash curlers.

What I love about this mascara is that it can transform your lashes depending on how many coats you use. One layer creates gorgeous fluttery lashes perfect for daytime but add another and there's no need for false lashes. My mascara's are usually split in half, one group for natural and the other for dramatic, Singulier is the only one I've found to do both jobs so well!

It is my perfect mascara!

One Coat!

Side shot!
Front!

I think the reason this mascara works so well is down to the innovative brush design, YSL has combined traditional, natural bristles with plastic ones in order to create a mascara that grabs every lash.

The unique shape which somewhat resembles a helter scelter coats lashes from root to tip, lenthening and volumising as you wiggle it upwards.

Two coats!
Up, just so you can see just how amazingly long and volumous it makes them.
The formulation of this mascara is just right, bang in the middle. Usually they are either too wet and gloopy or just too dry making them impossible to apply well.

As with most YSL products this mascara is heavily fragranced with a floral scent that may put some people off. Personally I like this but I can understand why some people wouldn't, so if you are interested in giving this mascara a go, smell it first.

YSL's combination of the perfect formulation and unique brush have created one amazing mascara, I honestly love this product so much and I think it's the best 20 quid I've ever spent.

If you were thinking of purchasing this mascara I hope this review has helped, if like me you like dramatic and exaggerated lashes then this is definitely a mascara you should try.

Has anyone else tried this? What did you think?!

xx

Happy Birthday Blog!

Happy 1st Birthday YM beauty blog!

If I were to buy my blog a cake this most definitely would be it, designer handbag (check), lipstick (check) and lipgloss (check), perfect!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I started blogging, oh how time flies when your having fun, as they say and fun I certainly have had.

When I first started my blog as part of my University course (I merged my passion for writing and make-up =YM) I never thought I'd still be here a year later and could not of imagined the wonderful beauty community that has developed in that time.

I have done some amazing things during my blogging time, met great people, made friends from all over the world, had fantastic opportunities, found a convincing outlet for my cosmetics obsession and most importantly realised my true passion.

I had always loved make-up but not until I started blogging and getting involved with the whole community did I realise this is what I wanted to do. I've never really known what direction in life to take, first it was fashion, then writing and now cosmetics, with my blog I've been able to merge them all into one!

Thank you so much to all of you who continue to follow my journey into the magnificent world of make-up and long may it continue. I love blogging, reading all your blogs, getting tips, learning tricks and most importantly finding out what products to add to my list when I next hit the shops!

xx