Product Smackdown: Micellar Waters For Under €7!

Hey Ladies,

Is it just me or does it seem that companies are bringing out micellar waters left, right and centre? Not that I am complaining as they have become an essential part of my everyday skincare routine and just like mascaras I am on a quest to find the creme de la creme of micellar waters. In the past couple months I have put three different products to the test, two that are under €7 quid and one that is more of a premium brand but more on that in the coming weeks!

First up is the hugely talked about Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, its packaging and size are very similar to that of Bioderma so when this hit the shelves the beauty world went into a frenzy. For under €7 you get a whopping 400ml of product which lasts me at least 4-6 weeks depending if I am wearing makeup everyday. No fragrance and no alcohol means this is super gentle and it removes most makeup, although I do find that I need something with a little more oil to remove that pesky Inglot gel liner. I do love this and I have repurchased this numerous times since I first tried it and it is a staple product for a Makeup Artist's kit.

With that said lets skip over to the L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Water (phew that's a mouthful!). I picked this up when micellar waters first popped up on the scene and immediately fell in love. Definitely my favourite of the two products although you only get 200ml for the same price as the Garnier which is a little lousy. I found that this takes of every scrap of makeup including waterproof eyeliner (I'm looking at you Inglot!) and mascara, whereas the Garnier didn't measure up! I also noticed less breakout with this product which is a huge bonus for me.

Both products do an incredible job at removing makeup and for such a bargainous price you really can't fault them. Even if you aren't a skincare person this is definitely the lazy man's (or woman's) way of taking care of your skin with minimal effort and throw away those bloody baby wipes because with these products it takes just as little effort to cleanse your skin.... no excuses!


VIVA LA MICELLAR REVOLUTION!
Love,
S

MAC "Fix + Mist" =VS= MUFE "Fix+"

Hey Ladies,
A very important part of being a freelance makeup artist is always being prepared for anything. Regularly my clients get their makeup done for an important event such as a debs, wedding or 21st early in the day which means they need their makeup to last all night. To achieve long lasting makeup I like to use primers and setting sprays which really prolongs the life of a makeup.  

I often get asked by clients which is better Make Up For Ever "Mist and Fix" or MAC "Fix+" which is a very difficult question as these products are supposed to do the same thing but I find that they are quite different in their own way. I thought I would do a quick post on this to give my opinion on how well they work and if they are worth the money if you are interested in buying them for your makeup kit.

Let's take it one at a time...

MUFE "Mist and Fix"
This is my go to spray for clients who need their makeup to last all day and don't want to touch up throughout the night. It is colourless and odorless so it will not affect the makeup and you can apply products on top once it has been applied. I use maximum three sprays for the face to keep everything in perfect place. I also find that if you feel you have over powdered that this spray takes away the powdery look and leaves the skin looking natural. The cost of this product is around €20 so it is very inexpensive and invaluable if you are a makeup artist, it also lasts such a long time as you only need a small amount.


MAC "Fix+"

This spray isn't as long lasting as the MUFE spray but it does a good job if you are only wearing makeup for a couple of hours and you don't want your makeup to budge. I like to use this spray on myself once I have been wearing my makeup for a couple of hours and I want to refresh my face. You can also use this spray on bare skin to increase hydration as it contains green tea, cucumber, chamomile, minerals and vitamins! It is perfect if you are going on a long haul flight if you want to look gorgeous getting off the plane and to prevent skin from drying out because of the cabin air conditioner. I wouldn't really class this as a setting spray but more of a skin perk'r'upper. It is also fantastic to remove the over powdered look also and at €20 it's no harm to have it around.

My choice? I can't choose as they are so different in their own way but I couldn't go without them in my kit.

Love,
S

MAC Lipstick Haul

Hey Ladies,
Today I have a MAC lipstick haul. I am slowly increasing the amount of product I have in my kit and when people ask me what I wanted for Christmas I just say make-up because I need it to fuel a my kit. My boyfriend picked me up the MAC Viva Glam gift set which comes with two lipsticks in a MAC bag. I've wanted these for ages, I wanted to get them before they were discontinued. Lady Gaga designed both of these lipsticks and you can really see her style reflected in them. I will be putting up a post featuring the nude one tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Next up is this dark purple lipstick in the colour Cyber. The bf also picked me up this one as I had it before and my friend loved it used to borrow it all the time but between the two of us I haven't a breeze where it has gone. I love this lippie for really bold looks and night time. It's fab! Also, since I had some products for Back To MAC, if you don't know what that is there is a post coming soon! In exchange for those products I got this beauty of a lippie in the colour Plumful. MAC lipstick cost around 20 quid so it was a nice steal and a great bridal colour and it can be seen in my last post... here.

I have already de-potted Plumful and Cyber to show you how to store them, an upcoming post!
Hope you enjoyed.
Love,
S

Twiggy Inspired

Hey Ladies,
Here's a look I did in my course a couple of weeks ago. The model is my friend Amanda who is also attending the course. This look is inspired by Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick, in class we had to do an era look on each other and I love this look. I toned it down quite a bit on Amanda as she has hooded eye lids and it is quite had to she detailed shadows. I will also include a before picture to show you the difference the look gives, I suited this look to her face by giving her more of a shape to her brows and added enough liner in the correct direction to open her eyes up and elongate them more. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Love,
S

Back To Business!

Hey Ladies,
Sorry I haven't been around for the last two days. I haven't been feeling the greatest and I have been trying to sort out business cards. Business cards are the most stressful thing! Even though I am very fortunate with a lovely boyfriend who is able to design them for me and a dad who can then print them I can never decide what I want on them!

But, over the past two days I have finally sorted out the final design and they are in the process of being printed. The final theme I came up for my business cards is a classy and elegant design, based on an advertisement I've seen in a magazine. Here is some of the pictures that I took to include on the business card. I will post the look that is seen in these photos soon!
Love,
S