New Years Eve Make Up

I thought I'd do one last post to round up 2014 seeing as it's been such a great year! Normally I upload on a Tuesday but I wanted to finish on New Years Eve with a little tutorial of the make up I have been loving these past few weeks when going to Christmas parties etc! I've been using my Urban Decay Naked Palette on the eyes mainly using the golden tones to create a really strong eye look and then leaving the rest of the face fairly neutral.

Before doing the eye make up I used Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer in 'Medium 3' just in the spots I needed, Soap and Glory's Kick Ass Concealer Under the eyes and to highlight, then Soap and Glory's Archery Brow to shape my eyebrows. I then finished this off with MAC Studio Fix Powder and a bit of Benefit 'Rockateur' Blush and primed my eyelids with Urban Decay's Primer Potion. All brushes used in this were also from Real Techniques, I honestly do love their brushes! Here's a little step to step on the eyes...

Step 1. Using a 'Deluxe Crease' Brush wipe the shade 'Natural' all over the eyes to even out the eyelid and give a bit of a base for the eyeshadow.
Step 2. Using a 'Base Shadow' Brush push 'Half Baked' all over the mobile lid and blend in (make sure to tap off the brush as you can get some fall down with these)

Step 3. Using an 'Accent' Brush bring 'Half Baked' into the very inner corner of your eye and slightly underneath. This can be done quite strongly into the corner, I find it gives an amazing highlight, just be careful not to get it in your eye!
Step 4. Back to the 'Base Shadow' Brush, lightly mix the shades 'Buck' and 'Naked' and blend into the crease lightly just to smooth the outer edge.

Step 5. Using an 'Brow' Brush, get any dark brown eyeshadow and very slightly use this to line the outer corner of the lash line, only going to about the middle of the eye. (I also tight-lined with Soap and Glory's 'Supercat' eyeliner but you can skip this step!)
Step 6. Finally finish off with lashing's of mascara or you could add false eyelashes if you wish!

Have you been wearing any make up staples this season? Let me know what you think of this look!

And finally, just to say thanks for reading and Happy New Year! See you in 2015!

Packing for Holiday - My Travel Make Up Essentials

Following my post on Tuesday of the toiletries that I take on holiday, I thought I would do one on the make up I like to take when I travel too. Here are a few of the bits I took with me this year...

• Benefit Porefessional Primer - My absolute favourite primer ever!
• Garnier Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One BB Cream - I used this in the evenings for a bit of coverage that still lets skin shine through and was really natural looking
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 'Warm Medium' - For those sneaky blemishes, I only really used a little of this in the evenings instead of foundation
• Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer 3 Piece Camouflage Kit - I like to use this under the eyes as its got a peachy tone and yellow tone to cancel out those dark circles, the setting powder is great too!
• Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Translucent Mattifying Powder - As I have combination skin, I always need a good powder to keep away that shine. I tried this one out on holiday and really liked it!
• Sleek Contour Kit in 'Medium' - As both a bronzer and highlighter, this is great for travelling and really showing off that glowing tanned skin! 
• Benefit Rockateur Blush - A staple in my make up bag, I wore this everyday on holiday!
• Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Precision Pencil - Eyebrows are very important to me! This pen/pencil is great at keeping them looking natural but also perfect!
• Soap and Glory Supercat Black Eyeliner Pen - My favourite liquid eyeliner at the moment, it's really easy to apply and hasn't dried out despite me having it for months now
• Urban Decay Naked Palette - A go to palette for holidays, with gorgeous golden and champagne colours, this is all you could want for an evening eye shadow that takes seconds.
• Benefit They're Real Mascara - Another favourite of mine, I couldn't be without it!
• Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in 'Nudist' - I've repurchased this so many times I may as well just have a standing order. This is my favourite nude lipstick and such a lovely formula
• Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick in 'Neon Red' - This bright red lipstick is probably my favourite one in my whole collection and looks great with a tan!
• Natural Collection Mango and Papaya Lip gloss - I've been buying this lip gloss since I was about 11 and will forever, it's just a clear lip gloss that feels really nice on the lips and both smells and tastes amazing, what more could you want?

These are just a few of the main bits I took on holiday with me this year. I also took some extra lip products (as I said before I am a major over packer) and also took my Benefit Hoola bronzer, a set of Sleek blushers just in case and a few other bits and bobs.

What make up items do you take on holiday with you? Is there anything you couldn't live without?

Love Hope xxx