Operation Wedding: new makeup buys

by Jemma on May 4, 2012

in Beauty, Operation Wedding

Happy Friday folks!  I hope you have all had a great week.

I’ve spent all of mine working with an extra shift thrown in too and a cold, so I have been a little more tired than usual.  However I did make sure that I took some time out for myself in my day off on Wednesday and headed to the big smoke, to Birmingham.

I was supposed to be heading to the Jewelry Quarter to check out some wedding rings, but being a complete idiot where directions are concerned I just gave up and got heavily distracted in Selfridges.

Cue the shoe porn…

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More on these is a post coming up next week!

Another thing that I have been thinking about is my wedding makeup.  I am definitely going to do it myself as not only is it going to save money but  I know my own face and what suits it.

Ok, so I am not a makeup expert or anything but I would worry that if I got a makeup artist to do it for me I would be more stressed just incase they did it wrong and I didn’t look like me.  Basically,  I don’t want to walk down the aisle with Alfie to turn around and say “who the hell are you!”  I have also been thinking about perhaps taking a make up course such as the London makeup courses.

My everyday makeup is very minimal as I like the natural look an I think I want to follow through with a similar thing with my bridal make up, but with a defined eye.

After drooling over the shoes I looked around the shops to look for some new make up to try out.    I even went over to the Benefit counter and had my make up down too.  The makeup artist was also a bride to be so we were chatting for ages.

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I love what she did with my face, although I think she got a bit heavy handed with my eyebrows.  As I have started to think about my makeup now I have plenty of time to play around with different looks and makeup brands.

Foundation wise I usually use MAC studio fix which gives a light coverage, but I was looking for something a little different for a change. So at the Benefit counter I was really impressed with all of the products the makeup artist used, but if I had bought everything I would have spent in excess of £200. Instead I picked the new Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW foundation (£24.50) that the lady used in Hazelnut.

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This gives a light to medium coverage and is so lovely and very natural looking. It may be a dead cert for my bridal make up.

She also used on my face: Porefessional and That Gal primers, blusher in Dallas, powder in Hello Flawless Hazelnut, Whats Up? highlighter, Brow Zing in dark, They’re Real mascara.

I will be definitely going back for the eyebrow pencil, blusher as I love the colour and the primer if I cannot find a cheaper alternative.

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I have so much love for MAC and their wide colour palette, which is why I always go to them for my foundation and concealers. Unfortunately the drug store brands tend not to stock concealer or foundation colours in my skin tones, they are either too dark or too light.  Hence, make is always my favourite brand for these items. I think investing in a good base is very important for building up your makeup and this mineral concealer (£16.00) gives such great coverage for blemishes, scars and dark circles.

On to the drug store brands

In the past I admit that I have been a bit of  makeup brand snob and have always gone high end.  However, since being addicted to YouTube and make up tutorials, particularly Anna Saccone (love this girl!) I have seen that drug store brands are pretty amazing and give great results.

So I headed to Boots to check out their make up:

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In the end I took advantage of the buy 1 get 1 half price offer currently on the Maybelline products and got a Dream Touch blusher and an Eyestudio Lasting Drama gel eye liner which comes with a brush.  I picked up both products for about £11.

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I have been really surprised with the quality of these.  The blusher is perhaps too pinky and bright for the look I want to create for my bridal makeup, but it creates a beautiful shimmery glow, perfect for spring.  The gel liner is very impressive, easy to apply and it doesn’t budge!

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Overall I am very impressed with all of these make up buys.  I am definitely liking mixing premium make up brands with good drug store brands as I think you then get the best of both worlds and it doesn’t get too taxing on your purse.

Now I am in the market for new makeup brushes.  I have heard that Sedona Lace, Sigma and MAC are all good, but brushes are such a mind field for me.

I also want a new mascara, which gives great volume and length.  Right now I am using Dior Show, but would love a cheaper alternative.  Apparently Cover Girl Lash Blast is just as good but I don’t think it is available in the UK! Sad smile

So loves I need your advice on makeup brushes and mascara and I’m very open to trying different options.

Which brushes do you recommend?  Do you have any favourite mascaras?

Do you like to mix premium and drug store makeup? What are your favourite products?

I have actually really enjoyed writing this post so perhaps as my confidence grows I will do more beauty posts and maybe, dare I say it, vlogs!

Have a great weekend guys!

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Tagged as: Benefit, Boots, bridal makeup, Covergirl, Dior, MAC, operation wedding

  • Nada

    Im currently in the process of veganising my make up case and beauty products so some old brands are out I the question for me. Luckily Smashbox and Benefit are both cruelty free! I cannot recommend Smashbox mascaras enough. Lash DNA is the best mascara I’ve ever used, I’ve had people say they think I’m wearing fake lashes when I have it on, it lengthens without clumping and looks really natural. The Full Exposure is also great but a bit more volumizing. I think you can find them at some selfridges

  • Nada

    Whoops pressed enter too quick! – and also order them online :) hope that helps.

  • http://iheartvegetables.com IHeartVegetables

    That MAC foundation sounds awesome!! I love trying new make up :)

    I can’t wait to hear more about those SHOES!

  • http://www.keepinghealthygettingstylish.com Laura@keepinghealthygettingstylish

    One of my friends is a beauty blogger and she recommends ELF brushes, I’m going to get some myself will let you know if they are any good! I’ve always mixed and matched high end and drug store brands, I love MAC and Benefit but I always get No 7 loose powder. I don’t use a foundation as luckily I seem to be managing to get away with it for now just using a little concealer! Those shoes are utterly amazing, please tell us you are getting those!

  • http://fruitacious.wordpress.com fruitacious

    you look gorgeous!
    i don’t really know anything about make up–i can’t figure out how to put it on well :P

  • http://athleticali.wordpress.com athleticali

    I love all of the benefit makeup, and the packaging is always so cute! Unfortunately, as you said, it’s way too expensive to use all the time. I usually get some of their mascara/eyeliner for christmas, then save it for nights out.

    The best (cheap) mascara I’ve found is from Boot’s natural collection. It’s in a white tube, and called ‘lash curl mascara’. I have it in the brown/black shade for daytime, and I’ve been thinking of buying the plain black one for nights out, as it really does look good.

  • http://leashieloo.wordpress.com leashieloo

    I’m also on the hunt for my wedding makeup! Since we are going to be in the middle of nowhere, I may not have the option of finding a good makeup artist which means I will have to have a backup plan. I always like a good mix of drugstore/premium items, I imagine what I end up with will be a little of both! And P.S. I am lusting over those shoes!

  • http://nicoleandgwendolyn.wordpress.com nicole marie story

    This entire post has made me smile SO MUCH.

    1. Brushes: Chanel, ALL THE WAY.

    2. Mascara: Christian Dior, Iconic.

    3. Eyeshadow: Chanel, Les 4 Ombres, #14 Mystic Eyes.

    4. Eye Pencil, Chanel, Crayon Yeux, Cafe, Coffee Bean.

    And now I shall return to the shoe porn. :D

    Best shoes for a wedding? The Kate Spade collection.

    When is your wedding. Mwah! :)

  • http://betterfitpersonaltraining.com/blog/ Melissa (Better Fit)

    The Benefit makeup looks great!

    I love beauty posts! I’m so hopeless with it ;) I do mix drug store and Premium makeup. I try new things to see if I like it in a cheaper version, but I have to say that the premium stuff is usually so much nicer!

    Getting makeup done for my wedding was a definite job I wanted to get right. although, I was more nervous about getting my crazy curly hair to look good!! :)

  • http://www.lilylipstick.blogspot.com LilyLipstick

    Your make-up looks gorgeous. I’d definitely recommend the Benefit Primer, I purchased it on a whim and its become one of my favourite products. The best mascaras I’ve used lately are L’Oreal Telescopic and Benefit’s They’re Real. I’m more inclined to repurchase the L’Oreal one as its more affordable but as it its your wedding day I think the expensive Benefit one is more than justified! x

  • http://loveliveandlearn.wordpress.com Love Live & Learn

    I love this post, it’s so much fun to read about your makeup! I use a mix of drug store and premium products depending on the product itself, one thing I will never use a drug store version of again is probably foundation because my Bobbi Brown one just feels magical! On the opposite end of the scale I love Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer, it’s perfect for my skin :-) My favourite mascara is the Max Factor False Lash Effect, it’s amazing, I haven’t used another mascara in about 2 years! You look gorgeous in that photo by the way, you have beautiful eyes :-)

  • http://www.healthifulbalance.blogspot.com Healthiful Balance

    Happy weekend! I hope you have an awesome one! :D
    I hardly wear andy makeup so I cant give you any great adivce on what to buy, but there are a lot of helpful beauty you tube channels you could check out. Or, you could search you tube for different bide makeup looks. :)

  • http://milkandspoon.wordpress.com milkandspoon

    Looks like you had a great shop! Ive just bought that same Benefit foundation for myself :) love how natural it feels.

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Oh it’s amazing isn’t it! :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Youtube is amazing for tutorials!

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    I have heard that Max Factor False Lash Effect is meant to be really good. It’s on my list of things to try before my big day!

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Thank you! Benefit’s They’re Real is pretty awesome. I have just ordered the Cover Girl Lash Blast from the States to see how that is.

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Yes I think I can get my own makeuop down but I will definitely need help with my hair. :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    All sounds so amazingly luxurious! :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    I am crazy over those shoes! :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    That mascara sounds great- I’m all for chweaper alternatives!

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Thank you lovely! :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Oh please do! I have heard great things about ELF but have never actually ordered anything from there. I usually just wear a powder on top of my concealer too, but thought somethimg more “industrial” would be better for my wedding photos. :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    I cannot wait to post about the shoes, so amazing! :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Have you tried Liz Earle beauty products. They are all natural and not tested on animals, I love them. :D

  • http://sugarandlife.wordpress.com Sugar and Life

    Make up brushes: Louise Young (brushes are high quality for the price and have featured in a lot of Pixiwoos blogs!), MAC, Illamasqua, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Sigma.

    Louise Young has THE best foundation brush I’ve ever seen and it’s incredibly unique-it’s called the LY34 and applies foundation lovely although I always use it to smooth my moisturiser with before applying liquid foundation as it can absorb a bit more of the product than I would like.I love.

    MAC 266 is one of my must-haves for shaping and defining the eyebrows (firm believer that your eyebrows are an important feature of your face and should NOT be overlooked when doing your make up!) I tend to use a dark brown eyeshadow to colour in my eyebrows, then a mascara brush to just brush through the product lightly and shape the eyebrow hairs the correct way. If I’m going out for an occasion I’ll use Illamasqua’s sealing gel on top and to sharpen the ends of my eyebrows.

    I’m not a big fan of drugstore products-I’m one of those people that once you start using premium products, I don’t bother buying high street products UNLESS there have been a lot of good reviews on them (e.g. sleek have some lovely eye shadow palettes that you can get for £6).

    Favourite premium products:

    Bobbi Brown shimmer brick in nectar-I’m into a lot of peachy nudes at the moment and I use this particular brick to highlight my cheeks, on the top of my eyebrows, down the center of my noise and my cupids bow. I also have it in rose shimmer which is lovely :-)

    1)Chanel Vita Lumiere foundation
    2)Illamasqua skin base foundation
    3)NARS oil free moisturising foundation
    4) Make up forever HD foundation

    I will always use premium foundations as I’ve never found a drug store foundation that get a base as perfect as them.

    Concealors: bobbi brown, NARS, MAC cream concealers.

    Chanel loose powder-finds this minimises the look of tiny hairs on my face and mattifies my face without making it look powderey!
    ANYTHING from Illamasqua-my favourite premium band EVER!!!! Lipsticks and nail varnishes are devine! Current favourite picks are Lipstick in ‘Brink’ with lip gloss ‘torture’ layered over top, paired with their blusher ‘Lover’-love the peachy nude tones at the moment!

    Also, clinique’s cream eye liner in black is THE best eye liner I’ve ever used. It applies a lot smoother than any gel liner I’ve used (And I’ve used a LOT), and it doesn’t dry out or crack like gel liners in the pot!

    Also, for everyday looks, I use Louise Young eye shadow palette (5 flattering neutral matte shades for £30 last time I used it)-I use this the most work work\formal evenings and the pigment is just as good as MAC\Inglot.

    NARS do a lot of nice blushers, best selling blushes are orgasm and deep throat.

    Japan’s RMK have some awesome glitter eye shadows-they’re hard to get (I can only ever find them on a few british based beauty e-retailers)

    A cult product that’s a must have if you have oily skin or wear a lot of eye make up is urban decays primer potion for the eyes-this helps keep shadows in place better, which is important if you’re pulling an all nighter or going to an all day event like a wedding ;-)

    I also use Estee Lauders pore minimizing liquid before my foundation to smooth out my complexion.

    OCC do some awesome lip tars in a wide variety of colours (you name it they have it!) but not something I would recommend for a natural look

    Clinique’s High Impact mascara always flatters my eyelashes-I have a lot of long eyelashes and found this is one of best products for building up volume without making them look spidery or clumpy!

    Favourite drug store products:

    Barry M do some nice loose pigments at good price, same goes for their nail varnishes. They have some cute pink lipsticks
    Sleek eye shadow palettes and blushers
    Loreal Volume Million mascara
    Rimmel’s Kohl eye liners

    A website which I love to use to find good dupes for premium products:

    http://www.temptalia.com/makeup-dupe-list

    Hope this helps! :D

  • http://celeryandcupcakes.com Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes

    Thank you for this. I will have to check all of these out! :D

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