FOTD: Golden Smokey Eye.

So last Wednesday I went out & the next day morning I shared a photo of my make up on Instagram because I loved it. You know when you have like three hours to watch Youtube videos & get ready and everything just comes together?
Then the lovely Sarah from RaraGiggles asked me to do a post on what products I used, so here it is! I also decided to check how much my face costs, because using a previous picture means I;m not actively trying to use certain products!

Eyes

Essence I Love Stage eye primer - €2.99

Urban Decay Naked Palette (Naked, Buck, Half Baked, Smog, Darkhorse & Creep) - €44

MUA Up All Night palette (No 1 & Hot) - €4.99

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeliner (Black) - €7.79

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner (Black) - €11.99

Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Mascara (Black) - €10.49

Maybelline One By One Mascara (Black) - €11.99

Urban Decay Browbox (Brown Sugar) - €25

Face

Benefit Porefessional - €34

Nars Sheer Glow (Mont Blanc) - €40

P2 Dress Code Happy Concealer - €3.95

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (Light) - €6.35

Benefit Booing Concealer (01) - €24

NYC Blushable Creme Stick (Big Apple Blush) - €3.49

Bourjois Bronzing Primer - €13.99

ELF Shimmering Facial Whip (Pink Lemonade) - €2.40

Lips

Korres Lip Butter (Pomengranate) - €9.95

Rimmel Exaggerate Lipliner (Eastend Snob) - €5.49

MAC Satin Lipstick (Snob) - €19

Total

€281.86

Waaaaah that is a bit of a crazy total... But I suppose it's my hobby, plus I used a lot of products! It'd be pretty easy to leave out a lot of these products & get a similar result. I couldn't go without the Naked palette though, the golds & browns are beautiful!

This is not in any way a tutorial because I cannot do that for the life of me! But for reference, I blend Buck & Naked just in/over my crease, Half Baked goes in the centre of my lid, with Smog on the outside & Darkhorse applied on the outer V of my eye, with Creep blended over that. Then under my eyes, I started with Darkhorse on the outside, Smog in the middle, and Half Baked in the inner corner. I used the colours from MUA Up All Night as highlights, but Virgin from the Naked palette is one of my favourite eye highlights ever. (I'll stop gushing over Urban Decay now).

So that was my face last week!

Chloe x

Clinique Super City Block SPF 40

So it's June, the sun is out, and I am now 21 & paranoid about my skin. I'm pretty sure I have a forehead wrinkle already. But one thing I've always been good with is remembering suncream (Did I ever mention I'm ginger? My skin burns if the lights are too bright.) At least I've progressed a bit from slathering myself, including my face, in thick white lotion.

Last summer, in one of Clinique's Bonus Time offers, I decided Super City Block would be my skincare. City Block comes in a SPF 25 or SPF 40 variant & I picked up the SPF 40 because I'd use 100 if I could find it. And I've been using it ever since.

City Block comes in a light green tube with a silver cap. The product itself is lightly tinted but it blends out on the skin, and it evens out the skintone a little bit too. It isn't shiny at all so it's fine to wear alone, but I usually wear it under make up & it doesn't interfere with it at all.

And for the technical bits: City Block protects against both UVA & UVB rays and it protects against environmental aggressors too (like city pollution, hence City Block). It's oil free & allergy tested. I have fairly sensitive skin, and it doesn't irritate it at all, but because I have dry skin, I have to apply moisturiser with the sunscreen.

During the summer, I'm out rowing a lot, & on Sundays I might be out from 8AM til 4PM, on the sea. If the sun is out, and it reflects off the water, I need a lot of protection so I use City Block, throw on a BB cream/ concealer and then I can keep applying it over makeup throughout the day. My one problem is that City Block doesn't protect against wind burn.... It looks like sunburn but you don't even get the sun first. Boo.

City Block costs €22 for 40ml which I'm happy to pay - I only use a small amount plus there's no point in splashing out on make up when your skin is damaged.

Which facial sun protection do you use?

Chloe x

So...? Sexy Eau De Toilette & Body Fragrance

I haven't reviewed any fragrances before, because I really find it hard to describe scents! But I love trying out different perfumes and when So...? contacted me & asked if I'd like to choose a Eau De Toilette to review, I was delighted!

So...? was probably the first brand most girls tried out (I got many Impulse & So...? gift sets for Christmas) and I always felt so grown up getting perfume. I'd discarded it since then, but when I looked through the website, I realised that the brand have changed a bit & there's a lot more fragrances, some of which sounded beautifully sophisticated. So I decided to try out So...? Sexy.

So just to break it down, here are all the notes of the EDT -

Top Notes: Mandarin & Blackcurrant
Heart Notes: Rose & Jasmine
Base Notes: Sandalwood & Musk

It was definitely the mandarin & blackcurrant that caught my eye, it just sounded so fresh! But I knew the sandalwood & musk would tone it down a bit. And I was right! All the scents combined form a deep perfume and it smells quite floral but not in an old-granny way - It's definitely more of a modern, subtle scent. And I admit, it is pretty much a sexy perfume! It's a bit more of a night-time fragrance because of the musk & sandalwood and I've worn it out on a few dates with my boyfriend.

The packaging isn't up there with more expensive perfumes, but I do like the outer box and the accompanying body fragrance - I think the actual bottle itself should either be clear, or completely covered with the fishnet pattern. It's a sturdy bottle though, so I'm not afraid to thrown it into my bag if I'm traveling or plan on being out for a while.

The biggest downfall of the EDT is the lasting power - It definitely doesn't hang around as long as other perfumes, but I suppose in general, eau de toilettes don't! They're supposed to be lighter, and I don't mind that, because as I said I can bring the bottle with me to top up. It's just something to keep in mind. One way of increasing the lasting power is by layering the scent, hence the body spray. The spray is a lot lighter, but if you spray a light bit on yourself then apply the EDT, it does work & last longer.

So...? Sexy is definitely a lot more grown up than some of the perfumes I had, but there's lots of choices if you're planning on picking them up as a present - I think my favourite used to be So...? Kiss Me, & I still rob some of my sisters occasionally. The 30ML fragrance is €8.49 in Boots, but the 50ML is currently on sale for only €6.49 so it's a good time to try it out! Plus it's a brand that constantly has miniature gift sets, etc.

Did you use So...? when you were growing up? Would you still use it?

Chloe x

MAC Satin Lipstick - Snob

So on one of my many, many trips through the airport recently, I decided I needed a nude lipstick for work. As much as I love neon pinks/ dark purples, they get overlooked when I'm working! I did think about Creme Cup, but I figured Snob was a bit more up my street.

The packaging is standard MAC - A black tube with silver writing. I'm not sure why I bother throwing in a photo of the packaging anymore, plus it's impossible to photograph! But anyway, I like it, I have a lipstick stand with little black tubes & it looks quite nice & organised!

MAC call Snob "a ladylike mauve". The bullet does look like a pinky mauve, but on the lips it's a lot pinker. It's quite warm toned & I do worry it might make teeth look a bit yellow. It still falls into the nude category for me though!

It's a satin finish, & I think it lasts about 5 hours. It's pretty opaque applied straight from the bullet, but it does settle into the lines on your lips a bit. I think satin might be my favourite finish - I don't find it drying, but it has good colour payoff and sticks around.

MAC lipsticks are not cheap at all, at about €19, but I've picked a few up in duty free & I'd rather buy one of their lipsticks that I loved the colour of, than two high street lipsticks. I can see myself wearing Snob quite a lot throughout the summer so I think it's worth it!

I'm so tannedddddd.... Despite the 28 degree sunshine, this is Cocoa Brown. #lifesaver

Chloe x