Smokey Wing Tutorial

Product Details:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette - Burnt Orange, Primavera and Cyprus Umber.

Maybelline Gel Liner

Makeup Geek Cosmetics Eyeshadow - Corrupt

MAC Eyeliner - Feline

Ardell Lashes - Demi Wispies 

Brush Details:

MAC 224

MAC 219

MAC 211

Morphe E17

MAC 210

This look was inspired by a particular photo on instagram from makeup artist Keilidh Cashell. I'd never tried anything like this before but I loved how effortless it looked on her so I decided to try it myself and let me tell you I didn't want to take it off. 

Using a MAC 224 brush I blended Burnt Orange from the Modern Renaissance palette into my crease and all over my lid, I also used a Morphe E17 brush to blend this shade on the lower lash line. I then used a MAC 219 brush to add the shade Primavera to the inner corner of my eye. 

Next I started on the smokey wing. I used Maybelline Gel Liner and a MAC 210 brush (the perfect combination) and did a normal wing making sure that I didn't take it too far out. I then used MAC Feline Eyeliner and lined my waterline. 

The next step is smoking out the wing which requires some patience. Using a MAC 211 brush and the shade Cyprus Umber I began Going over the edges of the wing creating a gradient. I also did this on the lower lash line. Then I repeated this step with the Corrupt eyeshadow but kept it closer to the wing itself. I then repeated this again with the Cyprus Umber eyeshadow and again with Corrupt to make sure that the original lines of the wing were seamlessly blended out. 

After this was complete I popped on some mascara and some Demi Wispie lashes!

Let me know if you've used any of these products and what you think or if you have tried something similar yourself. See you soon!

Rebecca x

May Favourites

It's almost the end of the month which means it's obviously a monthly favourites post. It feels like yesterday since my April favourites and time is flying which means it's closer to my holiday, so I'm not complaining!

My first favourite is the Clarins Hydraquench Cream, if you read my skincare routine post (click here if you haven't!) then you'll know how much I love this. I've tried many different moisturisers from more affordable brands to higher end brands too but this one is definitely my all time favourite. It smells beautiful, it sinks right into my skin and I wake up with the softest skin - it's basically an ice cold pint of water for my thirsty skin! This is my second batch of using this moisturiser and using it the second time now made me realise how much I liked it the first time.

Next up is the Morphe 35O palette. I've had this palette since around November last year so I've had it a long time and I do love it but I just kept forgetting to reach for it as I was using other brands such as Makeup Geek. However, towards the beginning of this month I thought to myself I'm going to do an eyeshadow look using only the 35O palette and now I can't stop! I find myself reaching for this everyday it has everything you need from a base shadow, transition colours, warm tones (even a few cool tones), shimmers and inner corner highlight colours - the possibilities are endless!

Last but not least in this months favourites is the Morphe M521 brush. If you follow me on instagram (rebeccacapel) you will have seen a recent splurge of spotlight/halo eyeshadow looks. I personally think that a halo/spotlight eyeshadow look is really flattering and something a little different from your average smokey eye. This brush works miracles for me for this particular type of eyeshadow look as the brush is pinched at the base so although it is a blending brush its flatter than, for example, a MAC 217 which means that it's perfect for packing on colour seemlessly on the inner and outer corners of the eye for that spotlight eyeshadow look. What's best is this brush was so cheap compared to other brands and there was no compromise on quality, I purchased mine on BeautyBay.com i'll leave a link just here.

That's all for my May favourites! Let me know what your favourites were in the comments or let me know how you feel about any of the products I have mentioned today in this post! See you soon!

Rebecca x

Spring Pink

Thinking back to about a year ago made me realise that I used no colour whatsoever, I was a neutrals girl completely! But times have changed and I think now is definitely the time of year to experiment and incorporate more colour into our makeup. 

After priming my eyelids from brow to lash line with concealer and setting it with a cream coloured eyeshadow I use a MAC 224 brush and the Makeup Geek eyeshadow (of course) in the shade Sorbet. Using backwards and forwards motions to begin with, I focus this directly in the crease and when there is less product on the brush I use circular motions to take it up to the upper crease.

Using a MAC 217 brush and the Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Cupcake I follow the same steps as previously however I don't take this colour up to the upper crease I just focus it directly in the crease itself using backwards and forwards motions.

Next taking my new little baby the Morphe 521 brush I focus the same Cupcake eyeshadow on the outer corner and the inner corner of the eye only leaving the centre of the lid free from any product. 

To give the eyeshadow more dimension I use the same Morphe 521 brush and the Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Bitten and layer this over the Cupcake shade on the outer and inner corner of the eyes.

Next is the star of the show, Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Whimsical. Using a MAC 242 brush I pack this in the centre of the lid going no higher than the crease. Because this eyeshadow is foiled it doesn't need an eyeshadow primer. I also use the same eyeshadow with a MAC 219 pencil brush to create the inner corner highlight too. 

I finish off this eyeshadow look I used the Morphe gel liner in Slate, Benefit Rollerlash mascara and a pair of Ardell Demi Wispie lashes. I didn't want any lashes that were too full as I wanted the eyeshadow to be the main focus.

All Makeup Geek eyeshadows (from left to right) Sorbet, Cupcake, Whimsical and Bitten. 

Brushes (from left to right) MAC 224, Morphe 521, MAC 217 and MAC 242

Let me know if you liked this look in the comments below! See you soon!

Rebecca x

Everyday Eyes

Back again with a little eye tutorial! This one is for one of my everyday eye looks. This is my personal eyeshadow look for when I can't decide what I want to do, when i'm not feeling very inspired or when I just want something simple. I understand that this may not be an everyday eye look for some but it works for me!

After priming my eyelids using a concealer and setting with a cream eyeshadow I use Makeup Geek eyeshadow in the shade Creme Brulee as my transition colour. Using a MAC 224 brush I use backwards and forward motions from the outer corner to the inner corner of the eye and gradually move it up into the upper crease when there is less product on the brush.  

Next I used Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Frappe with a MAC 217 brush to sculpt out my crease using the same backwards and forwards motions. To do this I keep my eye open and looking down into the mirror so I can see where I am focusing the eyeshadow so I dont go too far either way. I turn the brush vertically to make sure the eyeshadow blends seemlessly rather than focusing too much into the crease. I then go back in with the MAC 224 brush and blend the two shadows together further.

I repeat the last step using the Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Cocoa Bear. By using 2 or 3 colours in the crease area it gives the illusion of a deeper socket. After this step I use the same 217 brush and pack the Cocoa Bear eyeshadow all over the lid between the crease and the lashline. 

I then use a Morphe E23 brush and the Makeup Geek Frappe eyeshadow and blended this on the lower lash line, this brush is small enough for the lower lashline but fluffy enough to blend the eyeshadow seemlessly. 

I used a MAC 210 brush and Morphe gel liner in the shade Slate to line my lashline before applying mascara (Benefit Rollerlash of course!) and then apply my favourite false lashes which are Eylure lashes in the style 157. 

To put the icing on the cake I pop Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter from theBalm on the inner corner of the eyes using a pencil brush. This is my favourite product for an inner corner highlight as a little goes a long way and I do like that bright glow in the corner of my eye.

So that's my everyday eye look for when I've no idea what look I want to do. What are your favourite everyday looks? What are your favourite products to use? Let me know in the comments! See you soon!

Rebecca x

Pop Of Colour Tutorial

I finally got round to using my Neptune eyeshadow from Makeup Geek. I love bright colours but on a day to day basis I never reach for them which is probably why I've put off trying this eyeshadow for a long time. I was inspired by a makeup tutorial video that makeup artist Karen Gonzalez (iluvsarahii on instagram) did a while ago (link here). 

After priming my eyelids with MAC Prolongwear concealer and setting it with a cream coloured eyeshadow, I blended Makeup Geek eyeshadow in the shade Creme Brulee into the crease using a MAC 224 brush. 

Then I used a MAC 217 brush with Makeup Geek eyeshadow Frappe and focused this more into the crease itself and also used this shade all over the lid. 

Next I used a MAC 210 brush and Morphe gel liner in the shade slate to do a bold winged liner to bring the eyeshadow look together. 

I used Benefit Rollerlash mascara on my top lashes and then applied my favourite lashes which are the Eylure 157 lashes (these are exclusive to Superdrug!) 

For the bottom lashline which was the main focus of the look, I used the Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Neptune wit a MAC 219 pencil brush and smudged it from the outer corner of the lower lash line to the inner corner. I also used this eyeshadow in the waterline and to finish off the look I used the Benefit They're Real mascara in Beyond Blue.

Hope you like this makeup look let me know how you incorporate a pop of colour into your makeup! See you soon!

Rebecca x

Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Collection

My love for Makeup Geek Eyeshadows is definitely not a shock to anyone. I've talked about them on here before in a few posts but I've never actually talked about the different types of eyeshadows, their prices or shown you the different ones I have in my collection with swatches. When Beauty Bay started stocking Makeup Geek eyeshadows back in the late months of last year it was relief to all of us in the UK as we can now order them and not have to pay the shipping price from the US. 

The three types of shadows I own from Makeup Geek are the original eyeshadows which have a matte, shimmery or metallic finish (£4.95). Foiled eyeshadows which have an intense, opaque and metallic finish (£7.95). Duochrome eyeshadows which are two toned pigmented eyeshadows (£4.95).  

What started off as a little collection of 4 has spiralled out of control (in a good way I promise) into 33 little pans of heaven. I store mine in a large Z palette displayed above however I do have 6 extra eyeshadows that are not in the picture above as they are stored in a separate Z palette. What I love about Makeup Geek eyeshadows is that they are more affordable than higher end eyeshadows but there is certainly no compromise on quality. I am terrible at describing colours so the descriptions of the shades below are from Makeup Geek. 

FIRST ROW

White Lies - Pure white (matte finish)

Baby Face - Light brown with cool grey undertones (matte finish)

Vanilla Bean - Light beige (matte finish with very light shimmer)

Peach Smoothie - Light peachy beige (matte finish)

Chickadee - Warm yellow orange (matte finish)

Creme Brûlée - Medium sand (matte finish)

Grandstand (Foiled Eyeshadow) - Medium rose gold with slight taupe undertones

SECOND ROW

Americano - Dark brown with subtle purple undertones (matte finish)

Steampunk (Duochrome eyeshadow) - Blue/black base with copper reflects

Brown Sugar - Warm copper brown (shimmery finish)

Country Girl - pink brown (shimmery finish)

Flamethrower (Foiled eyeshadow) - Bright warm copper

Cocoa Bear - Reddish brown (matte finish)

Frappe - medium maple brown (matte)

THIRD ROW

Showtime (Foiled eyeshadow) - Rusty brown with warm undertones

Burlesque - Muted burgundy with warm undertones (metallic finish)

Bitten - Deep maroon red (matte finish)

Cherry Cola - Deep brown with strong red undertones (matte finish)

Vintage - Medium brown with mauve undertones (matte finish)

Cupcake - Medium pink (matte finish)

Confection - Blush pink with subtle grey undertones (matte finish)

FOURTH ROW

Motown - Deep eggplant purple (matte finish)

Drama Queen - Densely dark purple (shimmery finish)

Corrupt - Intense black (matte with a very subtle sparkle)

Bedrock - Medium grey with strong brown undertones (matte finish)

Prom Night - Pale purple with hints of grey (shimmery finish)

Sorbet - Pastel melon pink (matte finish)

OTHER SHADOWS

Havoc (Duochrome eyeshadow) - Warm red brown base with teal reflects

Masquerade (Foiled eyeshadow) - Bright medium plum with warm undertones

Wisteria - Pale purple (matte finish)

Daydreamer (Foiled eyeshadow) - Light lilac with cool undertones

Whimsical (Foiled eyeshadow) - Frosted silvery pale pink

Neptune - Bright blue (matte finish)

That concludes my collection, let me know what your favourite shades are from Makeup Geek or your favourite eyeshadows in general in the comments below! See you soon!

Rebecca x

Let's Talk Brushes

When it comes to good makeup, good brushes are just as imporant as the products you use. I've used many different brushes over the years and whilst I've discovered new brushes, I've got a few which are my favourites.

My top four face brushes are (from left to right) the MAC 129, MAC 168, MAC 188 and the Real Techniques Setting Brush.

MAC 129 is the brush I use to set my foundation with powder after I've used my loose powder to set my concealer (for more details here's my How To: Flawless Base post). I love this brush because it's the perfect size and it's pinched at the base so it's not perfectly round. The only problem I have is that sometimes the bristles on the brush shed, but this doesn't happen too often but it can be quite annoying trying to remove a bristle stuck to your foundation it's enough to drive a gal crazy on a Monday morning. Whenever I wash this brush I find that if I don't apply conditioner to it and let it soak it in for a while before rinsing, the bristles can be quite harsh. 

MAC 168 is the brush that I use to apply my contour, bronzer and blusher. The bristles are natural hairs which means that my powder products blend out seemlessly. I love that this brush is angled as it allows me to easily sculpt underneath my cheekbone. The angled brush also makes it easier to sweep blusher across the apples of my cheeks.

MAC 188 is a new recent favourite of mine. I have two of these brushes and I use one for foundation and one for highlight (this is a very versatile brush). Because this brush is a duofibre brush it blends out my foundation flawlessly and it's also great for applying highlight to the tops of the cheekbones too (not after it's had foundation on obviously). 

Real Techniques Setting Brush is a brush I've had for a very long time, just over two years I think and it's still going strong. I used this for a long time as a highlighter brush but when "baking" became more popular I now use it to apply loose powder underneath my eyes to set my concealer as it's small so it's the perfect shape to fit underneath my eyes.

I have 6 eye brushes which are my absolute favourites (from left to right) MAC 224, MAC 217, Real Techniques domed shadow brush, Morphe E17, Anastasia Beverly Hills 12 brow brush, MAC 210. 

MAC 224 is my little baby, I would be seriously lost without this brush. Because this brush has natural bristles it's perfect for blending eyeshadow. I use it to blend my transition colours and I also use it for nose contouring as well. The bristles on this brush are the same as the MAC 129 so again when I've washed the brush I condition it, this also makes the bristles softer on the skin around my eyes when I'm blending as this is thinest skin on the body. 

MAC 217 is the blending brush I use after blending my transition colour into my crease using the 224, the 217 is smaller so it really helps to sculpt out the crease and create the illusion of a really deep socket.

Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush is the brush I use to apply and blend my eyeshadow primer, the brush has synthetic bristles so it's great for blending out cream products like eyeshadow primers. This brush is similar to the Real Techniques crease brush but this one is pinched at the bottom which makes it easier to pack on the primer. 

Morphe E17 is a brush which I use to apply eyeshadow to my lower lashline. Before this brush I used a pencil brush but it didn't blend the eyeshadow low enough underneath my eye and didnt blend seemlessly enough. Because this brush is fluffier it makes it so much easier to blend eyeshadow underneath my eyes.

Anastasia Beverly Hills 12 Brow Brush I don't know what on earth I was doing before this brow brush. I purchased it when I ordered my first Dipbrow and I've never looked back. The brow brush is so thin and stiff that it makes defined brows easy to do and because it's so thin it makes it super easy to make the brow have a thin taper at the end. 

MAC 210 is my favourite eyeliner brush because it's so thin. This brush makes eyeliner so easy because you don't have to worry about making the line too thick straight away. This brush also makes it very easy to do winged eyeliner because the brush is so fine. 

Those are my favourite all time brushes! Let me know what your favourite brushes are and why you love them in the comments! See you soon!

Rebecca x

February Favourites

The last week of February already? This month has been amazing for me especially after January which is everyones worst month out of the entire year. I've been away with my boyfriend, had some time off to myself, seen my friends and got to spend some time with my family also. I've also indulged in a few treats for myself (makeup treats, duh! What else would it be?) and now that life seems to have settled down back to normal after the hectic Christmas I'm back on my makeup game and trying out new products left, right and centre. So let's get started onto the products which I have been loving this month!

MAC Prep+Prime Highlighter Pen 

I have the shade Lightboost which is probably the most popular. This is a yellow toned liquid highlighter pen and I think it's great for highlighting the high points of the face (centre of the forehead, down the bridge of the nose, under the eyes and also a little underneath the cheekbones to sharpen the contour). What I love about this product is that it has a slight sheen so it brightens the skin beautifully and makes me look so much more awake and makes my skin look fresh, it blends easily and it is definitely not too heavy either so this can be put on top of foundation. I apply the product straight from the pen and blend it out with a Real Techniques Duofibre Contour Brush or a damp Beauty Blender and I feel like it adds more dimension to my face and makes my skin look so much more healthier. 

MAC Studio Fix Boldblack Lash

I've not heard many people talk about this mascara and honestly I don't think it receives the credit it deserves. Now, this is the first mascara I ever tried from MAC and I went through about three tubes of it before moving onto Benefit They're Real and then onto Rollerlash and  I've been using Rollerlash for a long time since it came out and it's been my number one. However, about two or three weeks ago I was sat at my desk doing my makeup, beating the face, slaying it etc and I spotted my boldblack mascara in my mascara section and I just used it because I haven't used it in so long and oh my goodness I forgot how BLACK this mascara is. Like wow I remembered why I loved this so much! And the reason why I've been using it so much is because I love wearing false lashes I wear them most of the time because I wasn't gifted with angel wings for lashes so because I wear lashes I'm not really looking for any length or volume in a mascara, I want a super black mascara that makes my natural lashes blend in with my false lashes and when this comes back in stock on the MAC website I'm definitely going to buy another because I've well and truly fell back in love with it. 

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

Becca's talking about Makeup Geek eyeshadows again..shock. We all know how much I LIVE for these eyeshadows but this month in particular there's four shades that I've been particularly loving. (From left to right) Peach Smoothie, Creme Brulee, Frappe and Cocoa Bear have been little gems this month. So I've been using Peach Smoothie as my first transition shade with a MAC 224 brush and blend it into my crease and just up onto the brow bone and then go in with the Creme Brulee shade and do the same. Then taking a MAC 217 brush (major key) I blend Frappe into the crease and then using the same brush I blend Cocoa Bear into the crease again and i also blend this in the outer corner. By taking a darker colour and blending it into the crease each time it gives the illusion of a super deep socket and a larger lid. I pack any gold or copper colour onto the lid, smudge Frappe on the lower lash line pop on some falsies and I'm good to go and this has been my go-to eyeshadow look this month. This creates the most beautiful warm brown smokey eye (and you know I'm all about those warm eyeshadows) and I absolutely adore it. All my Makeup Geek eyeshadows are stored in a large Z palette (I've finally filled one full of Makeup Geek yay!) so all my favourites are kept together in one place!

MAC Lip Conditioner

Last but not least is this little beauty. Now lipbalms are a struggle, some are sticky, some don't work, some are gooey and some are just completely irrelevant as hell. I've always struggled to find a nourishing lipbalm that I can pop on before my makeup and let it soak in until I do my lipstick, and I took a leap of faith with this one. This is very pricey for a lipbalm but oh my goodness..wow. You know how MAC lipsticks kind of smell a bit like Cadbury's mini eggs? This is the same! Which is amazing because duh it smells good but this is such a wonderful lipbalm. You just squeeze the tiniest amount out of the tube pop on a thin layer and let it soak in. It's so nourishing and rich but its not sticky or gooey whatsoever. I feel like I have finally solved all my lipbalm issues and that makes me incredibly happy. 

Very unintentional that most of my favourites this month were from MAC that's just the way the cookie has crumbled in February. Let me know what your favourites have been this month in the comments as I would love to know! 

Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Haul

Yes that's right I'm here again discussing Makeup Geek - big shock. But it's all for a good reason as I mentioned in a previous post how much I love them. So obviously I had to get more!

On the top row from left to right the shades are Baby Face, Chickadee, Frappe and Cocoa Bear and the other three on the bottom row are Cupcake, Prom Night and Sorbet. 

Baby Face - a cool toned cream matte eyeshadow. I purchased this as I love to set my eyeshadow primer all over my lid with cream shades like this. This eyeshadow is a similar colour to MAC Shroom.

Chickadee - very warm toned burnt deep yellow matte eyeshadow. I have seen this eyeshadow used a lot in youtube tutorials and thought it would be perfect as a transition colour or to warm up an eyeshadow look. 

Frappe - this is a neutral medium brown which looks matte but there are a few flecks of shimmer in the pan. It hit me the other day that I have a lot of light browns and a lot of deep brown eyeshadows so this is a perfect medium brown for my collection. 

Cocoa Bear - this is a very well known eyeshadow from Makeup Geek I've no idea why it took me so long to purchase this as this shade is so up my street! Its a warm toned medium brown which I think is a matte shade. 

Cupcake - a cool muted pink matte eyeshadow which I think would be a great transition colour when doing a purple smokey eye. I personally prefer to use muted pinks as a transition when using deep purple eyeshadow rather than a standard brown transition colour.

Prom Night - a silver shimmer eyeshadow with purple undertones. This is beautiful! I don't tend to purchase grey or silver eyeshadows ever but this is a stunning colour which I'm looking forward to using! 

Sorbet - last but not least is this light peach matte eyeshadow, I saw this shade in my friends Z Palette last week and it definitely caught my eye, I think this shade will be perfect in the spring time! 

So that concludes my mini Makeup Geek eyeshadow haul! Let me know if you have any eyeshadows belonging to this brand or what your favourite eyeshadows lately in the comments below! See you soon!

Rebecca x

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

Hello loves! Apologies for the few months of absence, Christmas was extremely busy and spare time was none existent! Work and college took over but now that the new year is here I'm back and feeling better than ever. Over the time that I've had away from my blog I've discovered many different brands for makeup and brushes and all that good stuff! However, I think my favourite brand over the past couple of months is definitely Makeup Geek. I first heard about these eyeshadows through youtubers and when I saw that Beauty Bay started selling the single eyeshadows online I knew it was a sign that I had to get my hands on them!

So I first purchased about 6 eyeshadow pans to begin with and then I became OBSESSED and I couldn't stop buying them. They're so pigmented and creamy and the best part is that they're super affordable! I've been storing them in my Z Palette which is so easy because the Makeup Geek eyeshadows are already magnetic so you can just pop them right in. Not all the eyeshadows in the picture above are Makeup Geek but the majority are! (I can't wait to fill a full palette!). My favourite shades are currently Peach Smoothie, Bitten, Brown Sugar and Havoc. 

I find myself reaching for these eyeshadows every single day (my other eyeshadows are definitely feeling slightly unloved) I'm extremely glad I found this brand and I will 100 percent be purchasing more in the near future. 

Let me know what your favourite new discoveries have been these past few months and why you love them! See you soon!

Rebecca x