Tutorial - Smokey gold eye with a nude lip.

I'm all about a smokey eye. The typical smokey eye tends to be a lot darker but since I was only going for a pub lunch after this tutorial, I thought a really dark smokey eye might not be appropriate. 

I looked through my kit and found a gorgeous Copper pigment that I received in my last Glossybox. Now, historically I tend to avoid pigments. They can transfer all over your face if not applied with extreme precision. However, I was up for the challenge. I've included a step by step tutorial which is rather lengthy! Please don't be too offended by my bare face! :-)

MDR Make Up

1) Ensure your face is clean. I cleansed mine with Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser, toned with Liz Earle Tonic and moistoirized with Elizabeth Arden SPF 50 8 hour cream for face.

And this, is my face! Since pregnancy, my skin has been a lot more sensitive and despite being acne free, it has a lot of redness to it. I also have one eye larger than the other which is actually something Darcy has also inherited too....

 2) To ensure a smooth foundation, it's always best to use a primer. I applied MAC Prep and Prime with a Real Techniques pointed foundation brush and then applied Too Faced Shadow Insurance to my eyelids and under my eyebrows with my ring finger.

3) Once that dried, it was time for foundation. I love Revlon 24hr Colorstay foundation and I use the shade 'Buff'. It's great for gradually building up coverage and lasts at least all day. I used the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to really buff in the foundation. You basically move in small circles all over your skin until the product has settled in. This can be slightly time consuming but it's worth it, trust me! 

Excuse the expression but as you can see, the majority of the redness has disappeared and my skin tone is looking a lot more even.

4) Now it's time for concealer. Without a doubt, this is one of my essential make up products. I used Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in shade 1 Fair. I then used a MAC 217 brush to really buff the product in. Now, as I was going for quite a full on look, I applied concealer slightly different then I do on a day to day basis. On this occasion, I used the triangle technique. This is something I do when professionally contouring and as you can see, really can transform the look of your skin.

The triangle technique

Ensuring all the blemishes are covered

5) I then use the Real Techniques detailer brush for any blemishes and also for the bridge of my nose. To ensure my foundation stays in place, I use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush and Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder.

Starting to look a little more presentable!

6) I recently purchased the MAC Bronzer in Golden from their recent Alluring Aquatics collection and wanted to test it out. As I expected, I love it! It's completely matt which is very flattering and is perfect for contouring. I applied this using the Real Techniques Contour Brush. 

I applied the bronzer to my cheeks, the top left and right of my forehead, chin, jawline and slightly on my nose.

7) At this point, I always prep my lips. I used the Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub followed by my trusty Carmex! This ensures my lips are soft and smooth which results in a perfect lipstick application.

8) I'm not using a blusher for this look so instead, to add a bit of contrast to my cheeks, I used a highlighter. This adds shimmer and is great at reflecting light which is very flattering. My favourite highlighter is one from Tophop. I used a light buffing brush from Freuline.

9) Now it's time for the eyes. Once you've got your skin base sorted, it's easy to figure out the density of your eyeshadow. I have the joy of one eye that is slightly smaller than the other which results in lots of adjusting with my eyeshadown. Because of this fact, I have to apply it slight differently to each eye so it they end up both looking the same.

I start by using a neautral base colour. The one I chose for this look is from the MUA neautral pallette. It doesn't have a name but it's a pearly/gold. I apply this all over my lid, the tear ducts and the bottom corner of my eye.

10) I then add the Copper pigment over the middle part of my lid. I use a very small, detailed brush for this to ensure that it doesn't transfer onto my face.

Using a fluffy brush, I then start to blend in the two eyeshadow products together.

The copper pigment was actually a lot less shimmery than I expected and didn't transfer under my eyes.

11) Now it's time to create the smokiness to the eye. This can occasionally mean a make up disaster. If you add too much eyeshadow at once, it becomes very difficult to blend it all in. For a while (until it's all blended) you will look a bit strange. Just build up the eyeshadow until it's all blended in. I'm using my trusty MAC pointed brush to add the colour. The eyeshadow I'm using is MAC Tempting. I apply it the orbital bone and at the corner of my eye then blend blend blend using a fluffier brush.

 This took me a good 10 minutes to get right. Lots of adding small amounts then buffing in and repeating.

12) Now for the eyebrows. Many years over overplucking has resulted in my eyebrows not having a very nice natural shape. They're uneven and even after doing eyebrows professionally for 5 years, they are still something I struggle to rectify. For my brows, I used a mix of eyeshadow (MUA) and pencil (AVON). First I line the brow to create shape, then use the eyeshadow to fill in. 

With one eyebrow done, you can already see the difference that a good brow makes!









13) Now it's time for eyeliner. This is without a doubt the most technical point of make up application. It's something I practice constantly. My best advice is to use a very good angled brush and good quality gel liner. I use Bobbi Brown. I have to say, it's not my favourite product. It's quite dry and so I have to add a small amount of water to the pot to get the right texture. I always work outside in, so start at the flick and trace along your lash line. I continue until the middle of my eye normally, unless I'm going for a really intense lined eye.

This is with eyeliner complete on both eyes














14) I then worked on my eyelashes. On an everyday basis, I apply a light coat of mascara then off I go. For this look, I used a mix of mascara and individual lashes. I will do a separate tutorial for lash application. I used my eyelash curler, applied a small amount of mascara and then added individual lashes for a more dramatic look.

15) To complete my look, I then added lipstick and lipgloss. Normally I like to use a lip liner, however I haven't found a nude lipliner I really like. I'm tempted to try MAC Oak as all the other ones I've tried have a very orange tone to them. Anyways, I applied MAC liptick in Honey Love with a MAC lip brush (the retractable one) and applied MUA lipgloss in Buff over the top.

I dried my hair and attempted some victory rolls!

Here is my complete look!

Leap day ramblings!

Firstly, I just wanted to say a big thank you to you all for taking the time to read my blog! I've now had over 1,470 hits and it's so overwhelming. So thank you :-)










Next a little apology for the lack of blogs this month! It's been a manic one and well, I'm back on it! One of the things I wanted to do was to go over three of my favourite beauty items from the past month. Now, I've tried to not spend ridiculous amounts on beauty products but I have made a few wonderful purchases so here it goes...


My top purchase from February has to be the Bioderma Créaline H20 Cleansing Solution. Now, it's something I've heard about through the industry and one of the essential tools in a make up artists kit. One of the reasons is because as a make up artist, you are working with all skin types. Dry, sensitive, oily and so you need a make up removed that isn't going to cause any irritation. The fantastic thing about Bioderma is that it has been created to be a 'water like' product that actually 'eats up' the product rather then just remove it from the skins surface. It's used backstage at Paris Fashion Week and unfortunately is only available for purchase in France. However, many reputable companies are selling this product online for roughly £13. So it's a good idea to shop around but always check reviews! Although £13 seems quite a hefty price for a make up remover, the bottle is 250ml and you literally need the tiniest amount on a cotton pad. Because of this, it's bound to last a very long time. It's a great product to remove make up before you cleanse! 

Another beauty related purchase is my amazing new perfume. I was fortunate enough at Christmas to receive from my lovely mother, an imported DKNY perfume. It's gorgeous but I felt it will be more suitable for summer. So recently, I popped into John Lewis and tested out (probably) every single perfume I could get my hands on. I immediately headed for the Prada 'Candy' perfume as I had heard wonderful reviews and the bottle was divine. However, I was sadly disappointed and felt that it was a little too grown up for my taste. Eventually, I found one I love. Which is my next favourite beauty purchase of February.... Vera Wang 'Princess'. 

I think I stumbled in at a good time as I managed to get 100ml for £40 which considering that normally 100ml is £59, I was pretty pleased with myself. It's the most beautiful, floral scent and every time I've worn it, someone has complimented me on it. It's a mix of pink guava, waterlily and vanilla and I've found it stays on the skin perfectly without being too overwhelming. To top it off, the bottle is very beautiful and looks lovely on my vanity table. 

Finally, I wanted to share with you my new favourite blush. I tend to go through phases with blusher. In summer, I like the colour to be more of a brown than a peachy/pink colour and in winter/spring, I revert back to peachy or pink colours. Historically, I've always been a Benefit blusher kind of girl. My first 'high end' make up purchase was 'Dallas' by Benefit which I still repurchase every year. However, since becoming a make up artist, I've been open to different blush colours and have stumbled across one that I'm starting to really love. It's MAC blush in Peachykeen.

It retails at £17 which may seem a lot, but it does last a very long time. And on top of that, Benefit blushers start at around £20 so I still feel that I'm getting a good deal. Peachykeen is one of my kit basics as it suits all skin tones and has a really nice application. It does last all day (although can become patchy towards the end of the day) but this isn't uncommon with blushers. 




So there we have it. During March, I'm going to be continuing my mission on finding a good foundation (as currently I mix one or two!) and hopefully find a fantastic serum for my skin.




I also wanted to announce some fantastic news. I've been selected as a UK blogger for a brand new skincare company called Biao Skincare. They are based in the USA and I will be doing a blog sometime this week on Biao to explain what the company is all about and what I'll be doing over the next few months! It's a very exciting time! :-) 


Again a big thank you for reading and I will speak to you soon.




Love Marissa xoxo

Follow me on twitter: @MDR_MakeUp