Smokey Eyes..... Keepin' it simple!!

Hey Everyone!!
In my bid to at least try and produce some shorter videos on my channel, I show here how to achieve a quick smokey eye with minimal products, and with little to no effort or skill needed!!

Products used:

BH Cosmetics Eye & Lip Primer.
Mac's "Feline" Kohl Pencil (Or use "Smoulder")
Mac's Mega Metal Shadows (From Peacocky Collection)
"Sex-Pectations" (Or use "Star Violet")
"Peek-at-you" (Or use "Shroom")
Mac's Haught & Naughty Lash Mascara
Collection 2000 Color Lash in "Brown"

And for the Lips.....
MakeUpForever Aqua Lip LipLiner 10C
Mac's Lip Gelée "Luxuré" (From "Champale" Collection)

Check ye later Guys:)
Siobhán.
xx

Vichy "Aera Teint Pure" Fluid Foundation.

I'm in love..... with a foundation!!

So,  I'll start with the back story of my discovery of this liquid gold!! I recently started watching "JuicyTuesday" on Youtube (A little late to the party I know!). And after watching a few videos I noticed that the lovely Theresa kept raving about the Vichy "Dermablend" corrective foundation and I was interested to try it out as I have the Dermablend concealer and LOVE it!!
So I made the trip to my local Boots and went looking to test out the colours but there were no testers:(
The only tester I could find that was in any way pale was for the "Aera Teint Pure" Foundation in the colour #12 "Trés Clair, Opal" and this colour happened to be the palest, and seemed perfect from first blend, though on the back of my hand!
But as I really wanted to try the "Dermablend" one and had this stuck in my head, I decided to go away and check back in a few days time to see if they would get the tester in.
Anyhow, next day I happened to take a gander into a local pharmacy near my house, "McLoughlins", and they had the entire range as well as nice full testers! So I immediately squeezed out a little of the lightest "Dermablend" colour which is #15 "Opal" and it was too dark. I had another look at the "Aera Teint Pure" colour in #12 and again it seemed the perfect shade. Then I noticed that the foundation came in 2 formulations, a creamy one for day/sensitive skin and a fluid one for normal/combination skin which I thought was cool.
But when I saw that it cost only €18.00 I was sold!!
It's a 30ml bottle, same as most other foundations like Mac's bottled foundations etc but compared to Mac's Studio Fix Fluid, €13.00 cheaper!!!

And the rest is history!!

I got it home, have worn it every day since (On day 4 so far) and though I know it's early days yet, I just don't see a down side to this product!!

I've been testing it without any primer underneath to see how well it performs alone, and I have to say, I'm just blown away by how well it lasts and how lovely it looks on the skin.

So, mine is the Normal/Combination formulation.
It comes in a 30ml Glass bottle.... with a pump ^_^
It is supposed to be 12 hours wear,  it's a light fluid formula and gives medium coverage.

Vichy says:

Even with make-up, the skin breathes as naked skin
Action :
First range of foundations using the micro-aerated and non-occlusive technology which evens out the complexion without blocking the pores and lets the skin breath.

AERA TEINT Ideal for… :
Women of all ages with dry or normal skin.





It contains minerals, has a day friendly SPF of 20 and an anti-pollution action.

According to what I've read on the internet, there should be 5 shades
*15 Opal
*23 Ivory
*35 Sand
*46 Honey
*58 Bronze

.....But I have shade #12 Trés Clair, Opal, so clearly there is at least 6 shades. So not sure if that is a newly brought out shade or what but either way, I'm just glad I have it and that it exists!!
You could definitely say that having only 5/6 shades is a negative and there seems to be a fair jump in colour between each shade but the palest one is very pale and the darkest one is quite dark so from a makeup artists point of view, it's good enough for my kit.

I only need one pump and it blends so smoothly over my skin! In fact, there's a little left over from just the one pump so I will have to see if I can do a "Half pump" so as not to waste any of it. 
It has a natural satin-like finish that's not too matte nor is it to sheeny. I've set it with both Mac's Mineralize Skin Finish Natural and ELF's Invisible HD loose powder, and have noticed minimal shine showing through after several hours of wearing it, especially around my problem nose area.

The shade I have, #12, is quite a nice neutral shade. On the back of my hand it looks perhaps the tiniest bit pink but once blended in it just disappears and completely fades away. It lightens my face up just enough to match my paler neck and chest but doesn't look ghostly like other paler shades tend to look.

Anyhow, that's all she wrote for now, but I will come back with an update in a month or so to see if it stays up to standard.

As of now it gets a 4.5 out of 5!!

Thanks for stopping by ^_^
Take care!

Siobhán.
xx

Eye Brows Update & Routine!!

Peacock Pretty:)

 

 Hey Guys:)
Here's my Peacock inspired makeup look!

PRODUCTS USED:
Bh Cosmetics Eye & Lip Primer
RCMA "Midnight Green" Cream Colour
Mac "Smoulder" Black Eye Kohl
Bh Cosmetics 120 palette 1st Edition
Mac "Fascinating" White Kohl Pencil
Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Powder  
Mac "BlackTrack" Fluidline
Claire's Accessories Skin Gems
Rimmel "Sexy Curves" Mascara
Mac Select Cover-up concealer
Illamasqua "Primal" Blush
Mac "Oak" Lip Pencil
Mac "To Pamper" Lustre Lipstick (LE)

Share the Love ..... Irish Edition!

Hey Everyone!!

As I get told so much from Youtube viewers that it's great seeing an Irish person sticking themselves on Youtube for the world to see, I thought I'd share some of my favourite Irish Youtube peeps with ye all!! I'm subscribed to them because they are all lovely and have great talents and great channels, and I think ye'll all agree!! So check them out and go listen to more Irish babble!!

PS: We love to talk!!

xx

Favourite Smudge/Pencil Brushes!!

Hey Guys!!

So on the back of my last favourite brushes video/post .....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZYq4QjmENQ
http://www.letzmakeup.com/2010/11/favourite-blending-brushes.html
..... where I shared with ye my favourite blending brushes, here is my favourite Smudge/Pencil brushes!!

Blending out Eyeshadow..... tips and tricks ^_^

Howdy Everyone!

Mastering well blended eyeshadow seems to be up there with mastering liquid liner for many of you, well those who contact me through my Youtube channel at least. To get a nice blend does require a little practice as well as a few techniques, and very importantly, the right tools!!



*I would first advise doing your eye makeup before your foundation, this will allow for any fall out from blending eyeshadows to be cleaned away easily without you having to re-do your base!

*Next, remember that powder eyeshadows will blend much easier over a smooth, dry base. This is achieved by applying a powder base to the lids before applying the colour shadow.
Translucent face powder or a nude coloured eyeshadow will work best.
If you want to apply a cream eyeshadow or tacky base of some sort first, for the shadow to adhere to (to make it more vibrant or intense), then just apply your base powder down from the brow to where the cream base ends. This will allow you to still have a smooth blend above your crease line.

*Spend as long as you need when blending the eyeshadow. Adding a little shadow at a time and blending as you go will make life much easier on yourself. And so as to not compromise the colour intensity of your shadow, only blend around the edges of the shadow shape that you are trying to achieve!

*Having a blending or crease brush is extremely important when working on a seemless blend. A dense & fluffy, dome shaped brush will work best for this. Check out my video & post on my favourite blending brushes HERE
One more thing to remember when it comes to brushes, it that natural haired bristles will blend powder products much better than synthetic fibre brushes.

*The best example of a perfect blended eyeshadow is the "Smokey Eye". Most people seem to think that this means a black or gray coloured eye but it just means any eyeshadow colour that is applied to the lids and blended out to almost nothing, as if faded into your skin.

Anyhow, out with your brushes, whatever colours you like, and remember to BLEND BLEND BLEND ^_^

Have Fun Guys:)
Chat soon!
Siobhán.
xx

My top 5 liquid foundations for Combination/Oily skins!

Hi!

(So again, this post was moved from my old blog to this one so it's a little dated but I wanted it up before I make my video on my favourite foundations of the minute. I still love these foundations but a couple of new foundations that I have discovered since writing this blog may have crept into my top 5 and pushed others out!! Either way, ye'll find out shortly in my upcoming videos!!)

My top 5 liquid foundations for Normal/Dry skins!

Hey Guys:)

(Some of you may have read this post before as I've just moved it from my old blog to this one!! However I plan on making a video on my favourite foundations of the moment soon so I thought it'd be a good time to add this to this blog rather than re-typing it all out again!!)

As I’ve said before, my skin type is very changeable and I often find myself with dry/dehydrated skin mostly during the cold winter months. Because of this I have tried my fair share of moisturising foundations and also have had many clients who have drier skin. I very much believe that it’s extremely important to treat dry skin as this skin type ages much quicker than it’s oilier counterpart!

So the best foundations I’ve tried & tested are.......

New Year New Makeup!! ft. BH Cosmetics

Hey Guys!!

Wanna see the makeup that I wore out on New Years Eve this year?

I wasn't going to post this yet as I'm not sure if I will upload the accompanying video or not.
BH Cosmetics sent me 3 palettes along with a brush set and eye/lip primer for review or tutorial, but they will be sponsoring my video so since the lighting on the tutorial that I have filmed for it turned out awful, I may have to film another one. I want it to be perfect before I upload it but I'll leave that 'til during the week, so for now I'll show some photo's and the product list, and if I do upload, it'll appear here in a couple of days time!!

(Mon 3rd Jan; It's a go :) Here's the video!! Enjoy, and again sorry about the poor lighting!!)



 
I went for a pink eyeshadow look, with classic liner, lashes and under-eye glitter to add a party element to the look.  I used colours from the 120 BH Cosmetics Palette, 3rd edition. (See pics below of palette)
 

Best Beauty Finds of 2010.

Hey Everyone!

Here are my best beauty finds of the past year 2010. They differ from the beauty buys in that I haven't paid for these products, so they were either gifted to me, sent from a company, from a swap or from work!!





Products mentioned:
1. Eden Allure Moroccan Argan Oil  (plus Bio Oil)
2. Mac "Painterly'' Paint Pot
3. Mac "ProLongWear" Concealer & Foundation
4. Mac "BloodLine" Pigment & "Sketch" Eyeshadow
5. ELF (EyesLipsFace) Products
6. Wet & Wild "Color Icon" Products & Blushers
7. Álainn Professional Makeup Brushes
8. The Brush Gaurd (Thanks Laura!!)
9. Laura Mercier "Luminous Coverage" Foundation
10. Tweezerman Hair Cutting Scissors

If you are interested in any of these individual products, please google them before asking any where to buy etc questions as I will not have the time to properly respond to your questions in the next couple of days and I don't want to keep ye hanging either!!

In the Mean time..... Happy Christmas!!

Take care,
Siobhán.
xx

Perfect Eyeliner Tutorial!!

Hey Everyone!!!
Here is my contribution to the quest for the perfect symmetrical eyeliner which is something everyone who loves makeup strives for!
In the video I am using my Ben Nye Cake Liner and The Daler Rowney System 3 Round No. 0 Paint Brush &  Mac's #266 Angled Eyeliner Brush. The paint brush is my favourite but I have several which I love and use often.

They are, from right to left, and from top to bottom, Sigma SS209, Sigma SS266, 0 Marks Sablon 279, Daler Rowney Dalon 277 #00,  The Daler Rowney System 3 Round N.01 Paint Brush, Mac's #266 Angled Eyeliner Brush, The Daler Rowney System 3 Round No. 0 Paint Brush, Mac's #209 Eyeliner Brush, Mac's #210 Eyeliner Brush.

I have a couple others that I don't really like or use. I will be making a video showing my favourite eyeliner brushes soon, adding to my makeup brushes video series!

Here are some old pictures of eyeliner from my tutorials!

Have fun Eyelining!! And remember to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!!

Take Care!!
Siobhán.
xx

Chestnut Eyes & Redd Velvet Lips Tutorial ^_^

Hey Guys:)



Here's another installment to my Christmas/Holiday Inspired Makeup Looks for 2010!
It's the look I wore in my "Personalised Necklaces" Video that everyone was asking about.

Products Used:

Laura Mercier "Luminous Coverage Foundation"
Mac "Select Moisture Cover Concealer" NW15/20
Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light
Illamasqua Powder Blush "Primal"
Mac "Painterly" PaintPot
MakeupForever Flash Colour #023 (Brown)
ELF 32 Colour Palette
Mac "Kid" EyeShadow
Mac "Handwritten" EyeShadow
Mac "Typographic" EyeShadow
Highlight Colour... ?? (Nylon, Shroom, Mylar etc)
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner
Ben Nye Aqua Paint "Liquorish"
Mac "Haught & Naught Lash" Mascara
Mac "Wedge" Shadow (Eyebrows)
Illamasqua "Gaze" EyeBrow Cake
Mac Prep & Prime Lip
Mac "Brick" Lip Liner
Mac "Russian Red" Lipstick (Matte)

Hope ye like the look!!

Take Care,

Siobhán.
xx

My lovely new "LetzMakeup" Necklace!

Howdy Guys ^_^

The company "My Name Necklace" recently contacted me about sending me out a necklace and in return I would make a video promoting their product for them in time for Christmas! And I jumped at the chance!



I know I usually don't do non-makeup/beauty videos on my channel but I really love this type of jewelry so I asked them to design a necklace for me that says "LetzMakeup" in ornate writing and I am delighted with the finished product!!
It now joins my Siobhán, Mac & Hello Kitty Necklaces on their very own hook ^_^

I think my necklace costs about €30 at the moment (but there is a sale on now!) and is sterling silver (Bling bling, lol:P) and at the moment, shipping is free on the Irish website.

http://www.mynamenecklace.ie

And the company are also offering a discount of 10% if you enter the discount code "LETZMAKEUP" at checkout!
(There is also an international website
http://www.mynamenecklace.com)

My chain is 14", the shortest,  but you can choose longer lengths of 16" & 18" as far as I know. You can choose silver or gold and a multitude of designs and fonts!
You can find out all the relevant information on the website either way!

I usually always wear my "word" chains along with other necklaces as I love the tiered look but for girls so love simplicity, they look lovely on their own aswell!

I think that it would make a great gift for Christmas or a birthday etc, I know I love receiving them!
Anyhow, just wanted to share that with ye:)

Take Care & Happy Holidays!

Siobhán.
xx

New Years' Smokey Eye Look.

 Hi Everyone:)






Here's another Holiday/Christmas inspired Makeup Look. This time it kind of reminds me of tinsel as the pigment is so high shine, and I've added some jewels to the ends.

So Sorry again about the poor lighting! I'm having problems with it as my apartment  just doesn't get enough light at this time of the year and I can't afford proper studio lights yet but I don't want to not upload tutorials either so I hope ye aren't too bothered by it either way!


(Note: I only list the products used as so many people ask what I use after every video! I personally think it's unimportant to use the exact products I use and understand that not everyone can afford or actually get Mac products etc so please just use what you have and don't worry too much about it!)


Products used:

Mac "Painterly" Paint Pot
Mac "Blacktrack" Fluidline
Mac "Blue brown" Pigment
Mac "Mylar" Eyeshadow
Mac "Sketch" Eyeshadow
Illamasqua "Tingle" Pure Pigment
Max Factor "False Lash Effect" Mascara
Illamasqua "Gaze" Eyebrow Cake
Claire's Accessories Eye Jewels
Bourjois #51 "Healthy Mix" Foundation
Mac "ProLongWear" Concealer NW20
Mac Mineralize SkinFinish Natural in Light
Mac "Sculpt" Powder
ScreenFace "Mosaic Gleamer" Illuminator
ScreenFace "Pink" Blush Powder
Mac "Subculture" Lip Pencil
Sally Henson "Diamond Lip Treatment"




Take Care,
Siobhán.
xx

Best Beauty Buys of 2010.

Hey Guys!

As the end of 2010 is nearly upon us, I thought it timely to share my favourite (bought & paid for by me!) products of the year!
Please google with the info below to see where you can buy any of the products mentioned in your area!!
Let me know if any of you would like to see swatch pics of any of the products shown in the video aswell.





Products mentioned :

Braun Silk Épil 7 Epilator ..... approx €120 - €180
Crest 3D Advanced Vivid Whitening Strips ..... approx $40
Pre-Natal "Pregnacare" Vitamins ..... approx €5 - €6
Bourjois "Healthy Mix Foundation" ..... approx €12
L'Oréal Studio Secrets Re-Surfacing Primer ..... approx €16
Olay Complete Care Multi-Radiance Moisturiser .....approx €10
Primark "Glo Baby Glo" UV Reactive Nail Varnishes ..... €2.50
Illamasqua Powder Blush in "Primal"
                   Eyebrow Cake in "Gaze"
Inglot - AMC Shine Lipgloss #541
             Freedom System Lipstick Trio
             Freedom System Palettes
 5  pan palette (DS 482, Pearl 411 & 422 & 413, AMC Shine 15)
10 pan palette (AMC  Shine 08, 42, DS 465, Pearl 419 & 433 - Row 1)
                        (DS 488, Matte 382, Pearl 441 & 439, AMC Shine 63 - Row 2)
NYX Makeup Brushes - Makeup Artist Brush (Crease Brush)
                                            Fan Brush
                                            B 17 Smudge Brush
                                            B 06 Powder Brush


I will let ye all know what my favourite finds of 2010 (Not paid for by me) are soon!

Take Care,

Siobhán.
xx

World AIDS Day & Viva Glam.

Hey Everyone:)

Today is World AIDS day, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection.


"AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007,^[1] and an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007,^[2] making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007,^[3] of which about 270,000 were children.<sup>[4]"


Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_AIDS_Day</sup>


I think it's such an important cause to get involved with in whatever way possible, and as a makeup artist & fanatic, the easiest way I can think to help give something back is to purchase makeup!! Such as one of the MAC Viva Glam Lipsticks, glosses or the Christmas Viva Glam Gift Set!!

 MAC, through their MAC AIDS Fund,  give all the proceeds from these products to charities who help people, locally as well as all around the world, who are directly affected by HIV & AIDS.

http://www.macaidsfund.org/


The Lipsticks & glosses retail for €17.50 each here in Ireland ($14.50 USD) and the shades really are so wearable for any skintone!


There are 6 colours of each in the permanent line but currently there are an additional 2 of each which were created along with Lady Gaga & Cyndi Lauper, the current spokes-people!

(And let me just add at this stage that I haven't been asked by MAC or anyone associated with them to do this post, nor are they aware I am doing so. I just think it's an extremely worthy cause and today is the perfect day to maybe introduce a few people to it!!)

If you are still looking to buy a gift for your mother, sister, or any of your friends, The Viva Glam Gift Set that's out as one of this years "A Tartan tale" Christmas sets would make the perfect gift & gesture in helping out this cause. They retail at €42.00 from the Mac Counters in Irish Brown Thomas Stores this season. ($36.00 USD)

And finally, they also bring out Christmas cards every year, for the "Kids Helping Kids" Fund which are designed by kids affected by AIDS & HIV, and the proceeds go directly back to helping children affected by AIDS & HIV!! 

Definately a worthy cause and these packs retail for €8.00 in Ireland.

(Also $8.00 USD)

I know it's tough for people everywhere at the moment with the financial crisis, especially at this time if the year. I just think that if you were already intending on picking up a lipstick, or a gift for someone that choosing one of these products will not only make a lovely gift but also contribute to a very important global cause!!

Thanks for reading this post and take care everyone!!

Siobhán.

xx

Festive/Holiday Makeup using E.L.F 32 Colour Palette ^_^

Hey Guys:)



So here's another Christmas/Holiday inspired Makeup Tutorial that was created using a palette that was sent to me by EyesLipsFace or E.L.F!!

The 32 Colour Palette is available on the UK website for £9.00 (€10 I think!!)
http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/
http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/product...

It's a really lovely Palette regardless of price, but it's price tag definately sweetens the deal for me anyhow!!

Here are swatches of all the colours.....

Top row

Row 2

Row 3

Bottom row

My favourite row in total is row 2 but the palette as a whole is really nice and the pigmentation for the most part is suprisingly good! Of course there are a few colours that barely show up as you can see on the top row but they are still usuable if packed on top of a tacky base or primer.

One down-fall for me is that the shadows are almost too soft and the powder breaks up very easily when you dip your brush into it.
Also, it could do with a better selection of highlight colours and a matte neutral shade.
Apart from that though it's a nice palette.

Also in the video is the nail varnish "Metal Madness" that retails for £1.50! Pretty Price Tag!!

And I have been wearing it for 4 days now and I've almost no chipping!!
Anyhow, That's it for today!!

Chat soon ^_^

Siobhán.
xx