Clown Contouring: take two

After the success of of my sugar skull contouring post, I decided to try the clown contouring look that has been breaking the internet. She looks terrifying (because clowns are super scary) and then starts blending and turns into a perfectly manicured diva. 

Just like in the last post, I mixed Illamasqua white Skin Base foundation with Sugarpill eyeshadows to create my corrective concealers until I buy the products I need to look this ridiculously fabulous every day for the rest of my life!

I was immediately hesitant about the light purple around my mouth, I covered my lips because I didn't pay attention but I have no idea how having a bright purple area around my mouth is going to look fab and contoured...

I used a blending brush instead of my beauty blender sponge because the foundation was setting fast in my skin for some reason.

...and...

TADAH!

My skin is really bright, almost looks like I did strobing instead of creepy contouring. I would change the purple around the mouth, must be my complexion but it just stayed looking purple. My cheeks are so flush and bright and my puffy eyes, DISAPPEARED. Stop clowning around makeup! (puns...teehee)

Thanks for reading, XO Tay

Product Specifics
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 00 combined with Sugarpill Pressed Powders
Light Pink- Dollipop
Light Coral- Dollipop and Buttercake
Light Purple- 2am
Minty Green- Acidberry + Midori
Dark Tan- Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation 13
Eyebrows- Thunder brow cake by Illamasqua
Lip Gloss- Naked by Urban Decay
Setting Powder- Bare Minerals Mineral Veil

Clown/Sugar Skull Contouring

Bunny from Graveyard Girl product and makeup tutorial vlogger on youtube

I have been so confused by the clown and sugar skull contouring trend taking over my news feed. A woman will use many colors on her face, look like a crazy clown thing and then blends it out to look like a sexy goddess. Here is me, I just got contouring down pat and now they throw another challenge out there! 

Well... 

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

I look ridiculous and I am panicking. I just drew spider webs and hearts and green dots all over my face. There is no possible way this is going to end up looking like normal face makeup and I will have wasted all this makeup to make myself look like a pastel weirdo.

Now, all the tutorials I have watched show them using color correcting concealers and fancy cream contouring palettes. Well, I don't have those. But, I DO have white foundation and colorful eyeshadows so, using the Sugarpill Cosmetics Sweetheart Palette shadows mixed with Illamasqua white Skin Base Foundation. I used lip brushes and concealer brushs for application and just kinda went for it...

Using my beauty blender sponge, I started blending and I was amazed by the outcome! IT WORKED!

How do I not look like a hot pastel mess? I do not know...

How did we get here? How did I make my skin look flawless and well contoured and brighter than ever? If  I had the patiency I would do this every day, Probably easier if I had the right products. (I know what to splurge on next if I can contain myself)  I finished off my look with Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake, Benefit They're Real Eyeliner, Benefit Roller Lash Mascara and LUSH Perspective lip color. Put the cherry on top with a setting powder to concrete this magic I made on my face.

Hope you enjoyed this post, XO Tay

LOTD: contour on fleek

No shame. This is how I lay out my contour. Using a dark foundation and a very light foundation with a few dabs of the just right colour, I lay them out to accentuate what I want. I used Illamasqua Skin Base Foundations in 02 (light), 06 (just right), and 13 (dark). 

I blended them all together with rapid dabbing motions using my Beauty Blender sponge. Set it with loads of translucent setting powder and I was happy! 

I added MAC Melba blush and a light Lightscape highlighting powder (also MAC) to give my skin a dewy glow. 

I have my beloved Redrum by Jeffree Star on my lips and Guileran Les Fumes quad eyeshadow palette paired with They're Real Eyeliner from Benefit (review coming soon) on my eyes. 

 Slicked down my hair using Bumble and Bumble Styling Creme and then excesive amounts of Elnett Shine Hairspray.

Thank you for reading! Xo Tay

LOTD: Interview Look

You always have to look polished for an interview. Refined but never lacking personality. 

Foundation: YSL Fusion Ink Foundation

Contour: Silhouette Gel Sculpt by Illamasqua, Lightscape by MAC

Eyebrows: Anastasia Brows Beverly Hills

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked Basics palette and Benefit They're Real Eyeliner,

Roller Lash Mascara by Benefit

Lips: Perspective by LUSH

Hair: GHD curled, City Swept spray wax by Bumble and Bumble

Sebastian Professional Trilliant shine spray to finish

Yellow Skater Dress from F&F at Tescos

Pink Poms Earrings by Rock N Rose bought through ASOS

Using Paper 53, I doodled by finished look.

xo tay

Elle Magazine UK Samplers

This month Elle Magazine UK has a double wammy of samplers. The main samples featured on the front of the plastic wrapping are three deluxe skin care samples from (MALIN+GOETZ). 

This (MALIN+GOETZ) set include the Grapefruit Face Cleanser, Vitamin E face moisturizer, and a lip moisturizer. I am currently using them as my nighttime treatment routine and my skin is loving them. The face wash is nothing spectacular, it washed your face, it does its job. The moisturizer has such a smooth sensation and it definitely hydrated my skin. I have an oily complexion but slightly dehydrated skin. The lip moisturizer is AMAZING. In three days of use, my lips are transformed and super soft and smooth. For getting a sub par magazine, you can get awesome samples.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!

L'Oreal Elvive High Gloss Shine Shampoo massive sample sachet!

I love this stuff, for a cheap shampoo, there are not cheap results, my hair is SHINING and super smooth!

Thank you for reading! XO Tay

Maybelline Color Show nail polish

At my local Tesco's, I have been picking up these nail polishes by Maybelline and have been extremely impressed. Today I did a manicure using a pastel purple and a shimmering pastel pink named in the picture.

Thanks for reading. XO Tay

Comic Book Inspired Look

Pinterest provided me with more than enough inspiration to do a comic book inspired look. I have been limited to not many proper products (yet) to do crazy makeup, I did what I did with what I had! I went for a black and white with a color pop! 

MY LIPS ARE THE FAVORITE PART OF ALL OF THIS!

I used Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 00 (white) and the NARS Pandora (black and white) powder palette as well as Illamasqua black kohl pencil to straighten up lines. The lips are Anna Nicole matte liquid lipstick from Jeffree Star Cosmetics.

For having no idea what I was doing, I think I did a pretty impressive job! I want to invest in high quality face paints so I can do some crazy stuff! Hopefully soon I will have landed a job and can get cracking on that!

Thanks for reading! XO

LOTD: Black Lips

I love a good shocking makeup look but black lipstick is one trend I struggle with, it never looks good on me. I tried it again today and spent the day getting looked at like a crazy person. 

Lips: Black Velvet by Lime Crime 

Complexion: Beautiful Movements Cosmetics, honey powder (worsed named cosmetics brand)

Melba blush hy MAC

Eyes: Lime Crime Venus Palette, Rimmel liquid eyeliner (black), Illamasqua liquid liner (white)

I love speckling liner :)

Thanks for the read, tell me what you want to see on my facebook page! Xo Taylor

LOTD: Crazy Colors

Somedays, you just need to have a little fun! 

On the eyes I used Velocity (blue) and 2AM (purple) eyeshadows with Goldilux glittering gold pigment. Added a pop of color on top of that with Blue Milk liquid eyeliner by Lime Crime. My lips are Passion (irridescent pink) by LUSH. I did my complexion using the Benefit 'Look Good In Everything' box kit including promer, foundation, concealer and powder. Finished it off with Hoola bronzer by Benefit and Lightscape by MAC.

I hope you enjoyed this look! Xo Tay

New Hair Color

I am on the prowl for a job so I changed up my hair color for something a little more normal. So from Peachy Orange and Pink to Brown with a peekaboo panel of blue and green. (I could not go COMPLETELY normal...) I am getting an undercut on the back and bottom of my hair next week at Vintage Rocks Belfast, but until then...

Hair Color is unfortunately a box because I am skint (I never recommend coloring your hair at home, always go to a hair color professional if you can.) My peekaboo panel is washed out mermaid and seapunk by Bleach London.

LOTD, OOTD: Wedding Weekend

I went to my brother-in-law's wedding a the luxurious Galgorm on Saturday and dazzled it up big time. I wore blue and glittery silver.

I wore a lovely midnight blue halter dress from Lindybop's bridal and evening dress collection. I accessorized with over sized stud earrings, ankle star pointed heals covered in silver glitter from New Look. I stepped it up a notch with a silver sequins and feathers fascinator from the accessories stall in Castle Court Mall in Belfast City Center.



Foundation: Illamasqua Skin Base Foundations in 02 and 13, MAC Lightscape Highlighting Powder, and Illamasqua Gel Sculpt in Silhouette all set into place with Illamasqua Setting Powder.

Lips: Honey Love matte lipstick.

Hair: GHD curled and set with Elnett and Sebastian Professional Trilliant Shine Spray (color is Rose and Awkward Peach by Bleach London)

Eyes: Big Eyes dual end jumbo Pencil by Maybelline and Sugarpill Grand Tiara silver pigment mixed with Misty glitter by Violet Voss Glitters. Rimmel Exaggerating Liquid Liner, and They're Real Mascara by Benefit Cosmetics. Eyebrow Pomade by Anastasia Beverly Hills. False Lashes by Eyeladora.

LOTD: last night

Was out on a day of drinking and went for a classic ME look of Winged Eyeliner and Red Lips. Sometimes, dramatizing a classic still is all you need to take a look from day to night and because I was out all day and all night I decided to go for a look that would work for both. This winged eyeliner look is called a bat wing because of the break and intensity to it. I imagine it would look fantastic with false eyelashes but early morning motivation was lacking so I was amazed I got this far.

Yes, these earrings are quite  ridiculous but they are exactly my personality; large, hot pink and doesn't match any outfit! They are so heavy and my ears were aching at the end of the day but BEAUTY IS PAIN.

Foundation: 

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundations in 02 and 13

Shu Eumura Contouring Duo

MAC Melba Blusher

Eyes:

Naked Basics Palette 

Rimmel Exagerating  Liquid Eyeliner

Maybelline Collosal Lash Mascara

Benefit Brow Zing in Medium (powder only)

Lips:

Mac Prep + Prime

Jeffree Star Cosmetics Redrum liquid lipstick

I thought I would give an OOTD as well today. I loved my outfit. It was again, a need for an outfit that would work in hot weather for day and night and work with the earrings!

Striped Top from Primark

Full midi skirt with pleats from ASOS Curve

Pink PomPom Earrings by Rock'n'Rose from ASOS

Phone Case by Moschino 

Messy Hair Do from Lack of Curling a Pixie Skills.

Doing my 'Great Gatsby' pose, cheers, thank you for reading.

XO Taylor

Exfoliation Continued, Body-ody-ody

During the summer months we shed our layers and show some skin. You want to show off your skin to be smooth and glowing! A scrub will do that for you. If you are like me and do not tan (SPF all the time, oh yeah), you use false tan and need to scrub your skin so tan takes more evenly.

Body exfoliation heightens blood flow to the skin and muscles, can bring more bodily awareness to stubborn fat (chunky areas that feel cold always), help to lower visibility of cellulite and prevent ingrown hairs. It is so beneficial to your skin health and makes you full body complexion glow!

These are my Top Three favorite scrubs:

Soap & Glory Pulp Friction 

available at boots for £8 (click here)

First of all, the name, is amazing! This scrub foams up and really gets the job done. I use it regularly and find that it helps even out patchy areas on my skin. I think it makes my tattoos brighter and makes my legs feel amazing! It is not the strongest scrub I have ever used but its amazing. 

Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub 

available at boots for £11.50 (click here)

This is the strongest most intensive body scrub I have ever used. You mix the oil and the salt together and get scrubbing! It is extremely hydrating and leaves a thin oil layer on the skin that keeps the skin ultra smooth. This works wonders on the feet to get back into sandals mode.

Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff 

available on feelunique.com  for £6 (click here)

Cocoa Brown just got its biggest celebrity endorsement when the young Kylie Jenner said she loves these tanning products (as do I). This scrub is designed for prepping the skin before the use of false tan and it definitely gets the job done well. It is also great for removing false tan when you you done with your faux glow.

The Right Exfoliant For You

Sun exposure thicken and dries our skin and we keep applying moisturizers and serums to keep that glowing complexion but they will do NOTHING to your skin without the number one most important addition to your skin care routine, exfoliation.

There are so many different kinds of face scrubs and exfoliants and exfoliating styles out there that it starts to get very confusing and you end up asking yourself, which one is for me?

First, there are some common myths about exfoliation that I need to throw out the window right here, right now:

- A sensitive skin cannot be exfoliated

WRONG

They make non scrub feeling exfoliants that will not irritate the skin and will still get the job done.

- Acne skin cannot be exfoliated

WRONG

A scrub with microbeads and little 'scrubbies' will worsten acne but a chemical exfoliate will really help remove all that flaky skin.

- The harder and stronger I scrub, the more results I will get

WRONG

The harder and stronger you scrub that more and more you put your skin at risk for broken capillaries or permanent red veiny splotches on your skin. 

So which kind would suit you?

Scrubs

A scrub...scrubs. You feel that gritty texture made from micro-beads, nutshells, or sugar. I am against micro-bead exfoliants as micro-beads are not biodegradable. In many states in the USA, micro-bead products are now prohibited. If you have dry, rough skin or congested (without pimples) complexion or even just like that deep clean feel and no sensitivity , this is the option for you.

Enzyme + Acid

I won't get too technical but enzymes and acids dissolve dead skin cells on the surface of your skin. They come in many potencies for sensitive skin, acne skin, ageing skin, or professional treatment level. They can be in the form of cleansers, gels, powders, masks, or facial oils. They are my preferred form of exfoliation.

Exfoliants of this kind will normal advertise whether they are good for certain skin types or not but just in case they don't.

for sensitive skin- you want enzymes

for acne skin- you want salicylic acid

for ageing skin- you want lactic acid

Manual

Less exciting to explain and talk about, to manually exfoliate- you do it yourself. Face brushes, electric rotating face brushes, and Clarasonics. You can use these instead of an exfoliating product with your face wash and just do small circles all over your face. This is a great option for trying to boost your complexion as it really brings a healthy blood flow to your skin.

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Thank you for reading, feel free to message me on the blogs facebook page and get some personalized advice about what exfoliation style would suit you.

xo Taylor

LOTD: Back in the Game!

Nearly a week without wearing eye makeup, I went off the wall today with a shimmering smokey eye to make doing chores in my holiday onesie a fabulous event! Didn't make my bed or vacuum the living room but I put my face on. 

Maybe I should stop being a housewife... ha, ha.

Skin:
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation
Illamasqua Gel Sculpt Silhouette
MAC Melba blusher
MAC Eyeshadow Brule (as highlighter)

Eyes:
Urban Decay Smoked Palette
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner
MAC Extreme False Lash Mascara
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade

Lips:
Lime Crime Wicked matte liquid lipstick
Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy lipgloss