MAKE UP DIARY #1

sunday

monday

tuesday

wednesday

thursday

friday

saturday

This is rather self-indulgent post as its a record of the make-up I was wearing last week. I've been umm-ing and ugh-ing over whether I should post this at all as I don't want anyone to think I'm vain or self-obsessed!  I haven't had time to try a lot of different looks lately so I set myself the challenge of looking different every day for seven days and then seeing what I can improve on and what look suits what occasion. I will admit now that I'm very much a paired-down princess and don't move out of my usual basic go-to looks because I think I'm going to look 'over done'. I am my own worst critic. So please ignore this moment of 'vanity' I seem to be having but if any of these 'looks' make you interested in recreating them for yourself please look at the product lists below...

MOST DAYS BASE PRODUCTS

I used the same 'base' products for most of the week. It's a routine I stick to and then use other products on top of to achieve different looks. The products I used for this were:

Maybelline BB in 'Light' as a primer

Estee Lauder Nutritious foundation in '0.1' as a light coverage foundation

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer in 'Light' to hide dark circles and imperfections

Estee Lauder Lash Primer to make my lashes fuller and thicker before mascara

Natural Collection Eye-Shadow in 'Mocha' to fill in my eye-brows

Estee Lauder Lucidity Powder in 'Translucent' applied after other make-up to matte the skin

SUNDAY

I went for the 'Pretty in Pink' theme as I was on a date day with Dave and then I went to meet my father and brother for dinner afterwards. I wanted something really feminine as with all that testosterone, and what is more feminine that a splash of pink?

Natural Collection Eye-Lines Pencil in 'Brown' - used to line the top lash

Estee Lauder Double Wear Smudge Proof Mascara in 'Brown' - applied only to the upper lashes

ELF Face Blush Powder in 'Glow' - applied to cheeks and blended out

17 Instant Glow Pink Bronze Bronzing Balls - applied to the hollows and apples of the cheek

YSL Touche Eclat in '01' - applied to the top of the cheek bones and down the middle of the nose

ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in 'Pink Lemonade' - color built up over several applications

MONDAY

For work at the moment I'm trying to look as 'natural' as possible as I was criticized for wearing color on my lips. This is my attempt at looking 'natural' although as the blush I used is highly pigmented I ended up feeling a bit over-made for the a truly natural look.

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara in 'Black' - applied to both the top and bottom lashes

ELF Face Blush in 'Coy' - applied all over the cheeks and blended well

17 Instant Glow Pink Bronze Bronzing Balls - applied to the apples of the cheeks

YSL Touche Eclat in '01' - applied to the cheekbones and middle of nose

Palmers Cocoa Lip Butter - applied to the mouth (and promptly licked off because it tastes so good!)

TUESDAY

The weather was absolutely incredible so I thought I would celebrate with a little color. I was feeling inspired by the Stella McCartney runway looks. Please ignore the burn and strap marks - I crisp up in just a ray of light! My hair is also wet in this picture.

MAC Lipglass in 'Clear' - applied to the lips.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in 'Nude' - applied to the cheeks and blended out

ELF All Over Color Stick in 'Toasted' - applied to the cheekbones and blended into the blush

Inika Kohl Pencil in 'Sapphire' - applied to the top of the lashes and along the waterline of the eye

Collection 2000 Xtreme Length in 'Blue' - applied to the top lashes, a further coat added to the outer lashes

Estee Lauder Pure Color Eye Shadow in 'Blue Peacock' - applied to the outer corners of the eyelid only

WEDNESDAY

I was going for a lot of color that day and somehow I didn't actually achieve it. The corals ended up looking more like peaches instead - and even then they didn't show up properly on the photo!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in 'Nude' - applied all over the cheek and blended out

MUA Lipstick in 'Juicy' - applied to the lips, blotted and reapplied

Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara in 'Brown' - applied two layers to the top lashes

Lily Lolo Mineral Blush in 'Ooh La La' - applied to the apples of the cheeks very sparingly

THURSDAY

With the weather cooling in temperature slightly, I decided to try out my new purchases instead of wearing all the coverage I normally opt for. Again, the photo is questionable (I really want my actual camera fixed now) but I wanted to show the gold on my eyelids.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Primer - applied to the oiliest parts of my face

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream in 'Light' - applied all over the face using a brush

Estee Lauder Lucidity Powder in 'Transparent' - applied all over the face

Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in 'Nude' - applied to the cheek area and blended well

Estee Lauder Double Wear Mascara in 'Brown' - applied to both the top and bottom lashes

Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'Eternal Gold' - used as an eyeliner all around the eye

FRIDAY

I thought I would attempt a Duchess of Cambridge recreation as I'd viewed a Pixiwoo video of recreating her signature style. Having to wear it for work, and with my hair scraped back, wasn't ideal but I think I kind of carried it off... Maybe... Actually, no I didn't at all.

Collection 2000 Xtreme Liner Pen in 'Black' - thickly applied to the tops of the lashes

Inika Organic Eyeliner in 'Black' - applied to the entire waterline

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara in 'Black' - applied to both the top and bottom lashes

Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in 'Pink Nude' - applied to the cheeks and blended across and up

Figs and Rouge Organic Lip Balm - applied to the lips

HD Brow Palette in 'Vamp' - used the dark brown to fill in eyebrows

SATURDAY
I've been trying to teach myself how to contour my face. I've read blogs, watched countless YouTube videos and trawled through the back catalogue of magazines to try to find the perfect way to do it. In the end I gave up and simply experimented and this is what I came up with. To me my face does look thinner and my cheekbones stand out a lot more. To other people I look normal. Meh. I gave it my best shot.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Blush in 'Nude' - applied to the cheeks and blended out

17 'Instant Glow' Pink Bronze Bronzing Balls - applied to the hollows of the cheeks, around the jawline, down the sides of my nose and the hairline, blended well and reapplied in areas needing extra definition

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara in 'Black' - applied to the upper and lower lashes

YSL Touche Eclat in '01' - applied to the cheekbones, inner corners of the eyes and cupid's bow

MUA Lipstick in 'Bare' - applied to the lips

MAC Lipglass in 'Clear' - applied to the centre of the lips only

So that was my week's make-up diary. Looking back at all of the photos I have realized that I am actually rather boring when it comes to my make-up, aren't I? There certainly isn't a lot of color showing through and where I have tried to incorporate color it either hasn't successfully shown on the photo or I have blended it into oblivion. Saying that some of my more recent cosmetics purchases have been very colorful and with this in mind I may attempt another one of these diaries in the future with the aim of introducing a lot more vibrancy to my look. I've also tried to look different every day but have some how ended up looking similar in every single photo (scowl) so I didn't really accomplish anything I set out to. Hmmm....

Would you keep a make-up diary of your looks every day?

What do you think of my make-up diary?

Let me know - all comments loved and appreciated!