The Overnight Beauty Bag!

I have a hens night tomorrow (really? it's that time already!?) and one of the things that is exciting me the most is the packing side, sad. Edits and makeup bag picks are amongst my favourite posts to read and so here are my picks for the girls' night out shenanigans..

First up is the makeup and many of the choices are geared towards plans for a smokey eye, a solid night out choice. I'm undecided as to whether I'm going towards neutral dark browns or cool tones so I'm bringing both the MUA Undressed palette and a MAC quad with satin taupe, smut, carbon and omega for blending out the edges. I'm loving the Undressed palette more than I thought I would and am so tempted to get the real deal, which is of course, the UD Naked Palette. To accompany the shadows I've really grown to love the UD Glide on Pencil in Perversion which clings onto the waterline rather well, and of course a mascara is essential and I'm taking a new bird, the Modelco Fibre LashXtend (a GWP with this month's Instyle magazine, run!). While it is not dramatic, it does not smudge (win) and gives soft, defined lashes though more testing required to give a proper verdict. Keeping everything else neutral I'm taking MAC Gingerly Blush which just goes with everything, and my trusty staples the JK Dewy Glow, Everyday Minerals shadow in My Place for the brows and the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation, a fool-proof foundation choice.

Taking a downsized version of my usual skincare routine, I'm just going to take some essentials as I'm trying to be realistic (and to not scare my friends with my real skincare routine, ha!). To take the makeup off I'm still going to take my jojoba oil as I just trust it more than a wipe, and some cotton bud tips to help remove the eye makeup residue. Taking off the makeup is the most important thing so I'm also going to take the Alba Coconut Milk wash for a second clean for the morning wash. For moisture I'm entrusting the Cupcake Organics Day Cream which is thick enough to do double duty for night and day. Samples are a godsend and so coming along are Balance Me's Eye Wonder Cream and the Radiance Oil. Not sure if I'll use the latter but you know, just in case. Of course there is the next day to think of and an SPF is needed, and so the Green People SPF 25 Face Lotion is hopping along for the ride.

And that's it! Ha!

What do you usually take with you overnight? :)

x, mai-anne

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TWTW #16 - New Discoveries

There's nothing to photograph this week but this is one of my new favourites on tumblr that I'd thought I'd share. Now, onto some new favourites I've discovered in the past week. Branching out methinks...

Blog

This is quite an established blog but earlier in the week I really dug into Love of Cloth (cute blog name too). I love Kim's simple, slightly quirky style and that she seems to really love each piece she wears. I'm usually not as much about the individual pieces as the piecing of pieces but Kim's blog has somehow made me appreciate the individual garments side of things more and in a non- consumeristic sort of way.

Beauty

Later in the week I was very inspired by We We Raised By Wolves and had quite a dig there too. What inspired me was how varied her beauty blog was with products ranging from mainstream to green products, high and low end, but done in a friendly, fun and informative manner. I've felt a weird need to over-justify myself in my head (and possibly in this blog) as my feet are both in the green and mainstream beauty world, but Evelyn's blog showed me that there is no need for that and you can enjoy both without feeling guilty or restricted and I am grateful. I feel like I've found my track now and am so excited to keep going on it!

Music

I've followed her for years but I really enjoyed Marie Digby's newest cover of Zedd's Clarity. I'm not going to lie, I don't know the original song but I really liked the arrangement Marie (and possibly another contributor) put together.  I've also found a new favourite song which is Gabrielle Aplin's Salvation, I just love that chorus.. my my.

TV/Movie

The Jane Austen obsession continues and I've fallen in love with the 2007 movie version of Persuasion. The story is a little darker and more sad than her other stories but there is a real thoughtfulness about it that I really appreciate. Definitely very keen to read this book now. 

Looking forward to a fresh new week tomorrow! :)

picture from: http://lovee-xox.tumblr.com/post/52223201122

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The Search (Continues?): Eye Primers

How exciting, an eye primer collection. This blog just gets better and better. Haha, sarcasm aside, I have indeed been on a hunt for an eye primer that can keep shadows on my eyes for a day's wear (8 hours, just 8 hours please). My eyes aren't oily, they're actually on the dry side, but its their hoodedness that causes shadows to crease very easily. This is even more evident on my right eye which is the more hooded of the pair and shadows just wiggle around more so there. So as quite an eyeshadow lover, I've been on the serious hunt for something that just works, sans parabens, red cosdna.com ingredients  and now also cruelty free (slightly more "rules" as I want to stick to it daily). Here is my current journey, thus far..   

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Playing Chemist: Mixing Bases

As a bit of a foundation lover, I've managed to rack up a few in my stash with some nods and some no-nos. After many trials and errors I've realised that having an odd assortment can mean tailoring your base to your needs that day, with the added bonus of getting more mileage out of something that is tempting to toss. Step in the current four I'm rotating and here is the mood board of base blends I'm loving..

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(A Broke Girl's) Beauty Wishlist

Oh boy, that's a lot of wishing! It always seems like when you're tight with money, you just want everything and when things are okay, nothing looks appealing. Unfortunately I'm at the former stage - it seems like the universe has put all the bills and expenses into June and July so here I am.. making a wishlist, not a shopping list!

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inspiration walls

I'm slightly obsessed with inspiration lately, can you tell? I think it's the "late bloomer" in me, I want to explore so many things and all at once!

The first is a board of clippings, photos and other bits and bobs that are a bit more personal. I layered a pretty fabric over a corkboard so that it would have a nice start as it still has plenty of room for more pins. The second is a picture I bought off urban outfitters - I love that saying and reminds me that life is just that, an adventure, not just a goal. The third is just my calendar/plans/goals to keep me on track as most of my work is done solo/at home. And the last is a collection of my favourite pictures from the internet to inspire the creative girl inside me (and to aim to take good photos!). I'm not sure about the legalities on this one to be honest but I'm not selling them or claiming them as mine so hopefully it's okay. Most were found from pinterest and tumblr etc :) One of my favourite things about doing things like these is that it helps to start to hone your aesthetic but also free it at the same time, somehow.

I'm starting to love the space I live and work in, ahhh...

x, mai-anne

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