FOTD: Singapore Sling

Lately I have been opting for a simple look of black eyeliner and a statement bright lip. It's quick, it's easy and I love it. In a recent Makeup Shakeup post, I aimed to use the Sleek Curacuo Palette from the Caribbean Collection. Teamed with my trusty Illamasqua Sealing Gel, I used the hot shimmery pink Singapore Sling to create a pop of colour on my upper lash line above my beloved Maybelline Gel Liner.

My base consisted of Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream which quite frankly I cannot recommend highly enough, Illamasqua Brow Cake in Gaze through my brows, Topshop's Brighton Rock on my lips and my peepers are finished off with Illamasqua Vow pencil on my waterline and lashes have two coats of Rimmel's Scandaleyes Flex Mascara.

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What's your current favourite go-to make up look?

IMATS London 2013

It makes a pleasant change to be writing this post in the summer. Previously both IMATS I have attended in 2011 and 2012 were in January/February which involved a lot of snow! For 2013, IMATS London moved from January to June along with a change of location from Alexandra Palace to the Olympia National Hall in Kensington. Cue a very early start on Saturday at Leanne's (5am - I think we're borderline insane?!), a journey from East to West London and some added transportation issues (cheers TFL) before we could gain access to one of the make up world's biggest events.

As usual, all the stands and stages were on one level and there was lots of space between stands for all the visitors to mill around in. The balcony section of the Olympia housed a small cafe area, the preparation area for the Student Competition and the Make Up Museum.

Make Up Museum

Lincoln created by Kazuhiro Tsuji

And some familiar faces!

Daniel Craig as James Bond

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

The IMATS Experience

Saturday was by far the busiest day for me, taking in the artistry, watching the Student Competition, attending the Power of Social Media talk and of course shopping! IMATS is certainly a great experience but I feel its definitely better if you have a plan. Bicky, Leanne and I knew which stalls we simply had to get to before it got super busy. I bought the things I really wanted and I spent Sunday treating myself to some impulse purchasing!

Lime Crime and Sugar Pill at Love Makeup

PAM

Charles Fox

Pigment Stacks at Naked Cosmetics

Inglot

Bobbi Brown Pro

Make Up For Ever

Mehron

m•i•a by Einat Dan

Student Competition: Battle of the Brushes

This year, the beauty/fantasy competition was on Saturday. It's always a must watch for me because I love to see the results after we've had a sneak peek of the preparation area! I find it fascinating to see what the artists create in their two hour time limit. The 2013 theme was The Elements, inspired by—but not limited to—the four forces of nature: earth, wind, fire and water.

Michael Key, Make Up Artist Magazine Publisher and Heather Wisner, the IMATS Student Competition Director about to announce the winners.

Third place - Valko

Second Place - Laetitia Saren

First Place - Ya-Sui Tseng

The Power of Social Media

Being kept highly entertained in the Apex Room by (L-R) Ruth from A Model Recommends, Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter, Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup and Caroline from Beauty Mouth

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Another brilliant IMATS weekend is now over. I had a great time and it was lovely to see a few familiar faces and meet a few more in the form of the very lovely and funny Grace from All That Slap! Especially as she convinced us to go to Pizza Express. Because you know, the trains were cancelled. And it was inside the Olympia. Would have been rude not to, right? ;)

Did you go to IMATS? Was it your first time or are you a bit of a pro now? I hope you all had a great time. Stay tuned for my haul post, coming soon.

Makeup Shakeup #3

The warm weather is making a come back this week, so I've decided to adopt a summery theme to my makeup. Hello shimmer!

♥ Benefit Sunbeam Golden Bronze Complexion Highlighter ♥

I love using a highlighter to accentuate and I've had this sample tucked away in my stash for such a while, I thought it was about time I dug it out and put it to use. Powder highlighters are well within my comfort zone so a liquid version is something I'll have to work with. Sunbeam is gorgeous and I can't wait to use this with my foundation for a subtle glow.

♥ NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural ♥

I raved about these when I first got my hands on them many moons ago with my first Cherry Culture order. The NYX cream blushes were my first foray into the medium and I loved them until I discovered the Topshop cream to powder formulas which are now my absolute favourites. There's something so undeniably pretty about this shade that gives me just the right amount of subtle colour on my cheeks.

♥ MAC Melon Pigment ♥

Another product I've had for an absolute age! I remember being obsessed with this and wore it to death when it arrived. I've got a little left (these samples from Makeup Geek go a loooong way) and I think its perfect for warm weather. A shimmering eye with a complementary blue or purple eyeliner works wonders on me, which handily brings us on to my next product...

♥ Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Inception ♥

Unfortunately I mislaid my favourite purple gel liner so the next best thing is Inception eye shadow mixed with some Illamasqua Sealing Gel for a rich, deep violet liner. Perfect!

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Do you adapt your makeup with the weather? What's your go to look on a sunny day?

Makeup Shakeup #2

This week I have decided to let the sun and an awful lot of online shopping inspire me. Bright, rich shades and striking patterns have me lusting over colour of all forms. And lots of sunshine calls for lots of colour - eyes, lips, cheeks, nails, you name it, this week there'll be colour all over it.

This week I am rediscovering:-

♥ 17 Blush & Glow in Peachy ♥

If I'm going for a bright eye or a bright lip, I'll keep the cheeks fairly neutral and having a rummage through my ridiculous blusher collection, I unearthed this beautiful blush duo from 17. Divided into two halves, it has a lovely shimmery peachy coral blush on one side and a shimmery, dusky rose gold shade on the other. I'll swirl my duo fibre cheek brush in both colours, tap off the excess and apply on the apples of my cheeks, heading upwards towards my hairline. It gives such a natural glow to the skin. Perfect for summer.

♥ Sleek Curacuo Palette ♥

As you can probably tell, this is one of the palettes in my collection that hasn't had much use before. I bought it because it was bright and pretty. Oh and it had nice packaging. But its barely been touched. I'm determined to get lots of use out of it this summer. I'm not 100% sure I can rock bright eye shadow but if I use it in conjunction with my next product, I'll certainly be attempting coloured liner again!

♥ Illamasqua Sealing Gel ♥

I recently rediscovered this in my makeup collection - its a must for a perfectly defined, long lasting brow. However you can use this with pretty much anything for a smudge proof, waterproof finish. I'm planning on using it for some colourful liner looks.

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Are you loving colour in your makeup routine for summer?

Listening to: Bo Bruce - Before I Sleep

Makeup Shakeup #1

Applying makeup is something I enjoy doing and over time I find products I love and cannot live without, using them on a daily basis which unfortunately means that the rest of my collection doesn't get as much love as it should. Inspired by lots of you lovely ladies and your love for switching up your routine, I'm going to start a makeup shakeup - changing the products I use on a weekly basis.

This way I get to use the products that survived my mass clear out recently (stay tuned for a blog sale!) and show some old favourites some love. This week I am rediscovering:-

♥ Illamasqua Illuminator in Poised ♥

I can barely believe this has been buried within the depths of my makeup collection for so long. Poised is the most pretty highlighter I think I've ever seen or used. I've had it for almost two years now and I always come back to it as my highlighter of choice. I swatched it here so you can see how gorgeous it is! Unfortunately the Illuminators have been discontinued, having been replaced by the new Gleam cream highlighter in a compact. Personally I find the Illuminators easier to use and I'll be really sad if they don't make a comeback in the future. I'm certainly going to enjoy using it this week.

♥ Topshop Desert Sun ♥

I cannot get over how amazing quality the Topshop makeup line is. Everything I've tried has been amazing and I cannot look at the range without leaving with something every single time. Desert Sun is  marketed as a bronzer but it has a really pretty pinky coral blush on one side with a bronzer on the other and they both have a super subtle shimmer to them. Now the warmer weather has reappeared I'm looking forward to using this to give me some colour.

♥ Topshop Brighton Rock lipstick ♥

I go through phases with makeup and at the moment I'm loving a fresh base, mascara and a bright lippie. I usually go for the same one again and again but as I was rooting through my lippie drawer I rediscovered Brighton Rock which is a bright pink lippie with a lovely satin matte finish. Its gorgeous worn alone or with a slick of pink lipgloss over the top. Statement lips here I come!

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Which products are you going to be reaching for this week? Do you switch your products up on a weekly basis?