rimmel – Megan Monroes

20th October 2016

Five Perfect Autumn Lipstick Shades.

Paraphrasing the wise words of George R. R. Martin – Autumn Is Coming! Actually, to be pretty frank, it’s well and truly here and apart from the orange leaves and snuggling in front of the fire, what else could be better than choosing the perfect shades of lipstick?

To suit the Season, I find the perfect shades to wear are usually purples, burgundies or anything fairly dark, so after finally being inspired by Laura – I’m going to share with you guys my Top Five shades. However, it’s all about being comfortable and happy with yourself so if the colours aren’t for you then that’s okay, it’s just my personal opinion.

My first lipstick recommendation has to be MAC’s Up The Amp – a purple shade with an amplified finish. I think this colour is perfect for Autumn weather due to it’s vibrant intense purple fitting perfectly with the cool and windy weather. I also believe this shade suits all types of skin tones and is suitable for everyone to try due to it being quite versatile. On the website the lipstick is described as a, “Lavender Violet“. However, I feel it is more intense than the image shown, the shade is definitely very bold and stands out. At £15.50 this product comes in at the medium to high end price range but as a lot of my lipsticks are from MAC, I can definitely say they are worth the money and are very good quality.

Next up is NYX’s Cherry Skies – to me, this colour is the signature shade for Autumn due to it’s rusty burgundy tone. It is a deep matte red in liquid lipstick formula and is only £6.50, which comes in towards the cheaper price range and it is definitely worth your money. I actually think that NYX’s Liquid Lipsticks are better than some of the high end products out there, they stay on and are lasting! This shade is an absolute show stopper – a statement bold you can’t miss me red and because of this it may be intimidating to some. However, if you’re a red lipstick lover like me, it’s definitely worth branching out and giving it a try! I feel this colour is a perfect compliment to the rusty orange and red leaves of Autumn and has a very 1920s vintage vamp feel.

My third must have shade for Autumn is MAC’s Twig, described on their website as a, “Soft Muted Brownish-Pink” which I think sums the colour up perfectly. Although, I do think once again the lipstick looks slightly lighter than it actually is, it is definitely darker than pictured. The finish for Twig is Satin, which is a glossy texture so it looks quite shiny, however I feel the colour stays and if this bothers you than a lip pencil can always be used to make it last – I use Hover. This shade is not too bold but definitely isn’t a nude lipstick, so if you want a subtle look than this isn’t really for you. Personally, I prefer to go for a bolder colour in the colder season and pink coral shades for the warmer weather.

Number four is Rimmel’s Glam Plum Fulham in 470, which is an intense purple-burgundy shade with a glossy finish. After not wearing this colour for a while I decided to apply it today, so I could review it for this post and at first I was pretty shocked with how bold it was. I was almost unsure if this shade suited me at first because it stood out so much but once I’d finished applying I loved the end result. At £6.49 this lipstick is nearer the cheaper priced products but once again I found the quality to be long lasting even with the glossy texture. The product is described as a “Moisture Renew” lipstick and I can definitely say that after wearing this all day my lips have not felt dry and I’ve not needed to reapply it either.

Last but not least is probably one of the most popular lipsticks around; MAC’s Velvet Teddy. With Kylie Jenner setting the nude trend for lipsticks on fire, this soon became the top selling shade in MAC’s Collection so of course, I had to find out what the fuss was all about. Velvet Teddy is described as a, “Deep Tone Beige” with a matte finish and I would pretty much agree with that description. The colour looks like the perfect shade for autumn and it’s not too nude, it actually has a proper brownish tint to it and doesn’t drain your face. The only problem is this lipstick is extremely popular so it may take a few trips to MAC before you actually come home with one.

I hope you enjoyed my Five Perfect Autumn Lipstick Shades and they inspire you to update your look and try something new. There are so many amazing colours out there to make your own!

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10th November 2015

Creating Your Own Lipstick Colour.

After seeing Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face (1957) last week, I was determined to find a Rusty Red shade lipstick which she wore in the film. I started searching google for photos and to my shock realized that even though I own a million red lipsticks – I don’t have a Rusty Red shade!

Therefore, I came to the realization that instead of buying a new one, for now I would mix my own shade. The credit for this goes to Marilyn and her Make Up Artist/Friend Allan “Whitey” Snyder who was known to mix multiple shades of lipstick to create Marilyn’s signature pout.

***Marilyn Monroe by Milton Greene in Bus Stop (1956)***

Looking through pictures of Marilyn, I realized that not only did she like to wear her signature blue toned red, she too also wore a Rusty Red shade, most noticeably in her 1956 film, Bus Stop. Who could be more inspiring than Marilyn and Audrey?!

I decided to use a red lipstick in a coral shade and a brownish nude shade, choosing; Rimmel’s Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 12 and MAC’S Twig. Sadly I don’t think 12 is available to buy anymore, but there are some pretty similar shades such as 37 and 110.

To create this look I used my Real Techiques Retractable Lip Brush for the best application. Firstly, I applied a layer of MAC’S Twig for the base of my lip colour, after applying Twig I added Rimmel’s Lasting Finish in 12. After blending the two colours together, I found that the shade was more predominantly red then brown so I added another layer of Twig.

After just these three steps I now was wearing a red shade of lipstick that I do not yet own – Rusty Red! I’m definitely going to mix lipstick shades together more often, it’s so fun to see what you can create!

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5th September 2015

Eyeshadow Love.

Although my favourite Make Up Must Have is of course, a Lipstick, lately I’ve been getting a lot more interested in Eye Shadow! I’ve always been inspired by Marilyn’s Eye Make Up, with the main focus being the Eye Lashes and Eye Liner. She mostly wore a natural white base on her eyelids with a slight dark shadow between the crease, that I usually leave out. However, I’ve decided to branch out with colours and mix and match with Eye Shadow as much as I do with Lipstick!

As well as wearing a white eyeshadow base, I also wear nude and gold shades and therefore, as soon as I saw the new Maybelline Nudes Eye Shadow Pallet, I knew that I had to try it! I love Maybelline, I’ve worn their make up for years and I especially love their Mascaras. Before this, I’ve only actually had one Eye Shadow Pallet, I usually buy just the one colour, so I’m by no means an expert. Therefore, I can’t tell you how happy I was to see instructions on how to match each colour and where to apply it on the back of the compact!

The instructions give you three ways to wear the shades; Quads, Trios and Duos. I wanted to try as many shades as I could so naturally, I chose to follow the Quad Instructions. I picked the middle four shades to use, mainly because I didn’t want it to be too dramatic and I’m more used to using golds and lighter nudes, I have yet to master a Smokey Eye! For the Quads, the lightest colour is used to cover the entire eye area, the sparkly gold is used to shade the eyelid, the chocolate shade is used to contour the crease and the darkest shade is used to line around the eye.

Overall, I found the Eye Shadow fairly simple to apply, I used my Eye Shadow Brush and made sure to blend each of the shades subtly together. I found the crease contouring and lining around the eye the hardest, simply because it was the smallest space to apply. However, as I always apply my Winged Eyeliner after my Eyeshadow, that covered the lining around my eye anyway. I can’t wait to try the other colours and discover which shades suit me and dare to try shades I’m not used to!

The second Eye Shadow Pallet I bought was Revlon Photoready in 520 Watercolours Aquarelle. I think after watching Cleopatra (1963) I’ve subconsciously been inspired to try colourful Eyeshadows, after all, the eyes are just as important as the lips! I was browsing around and saw this compact, what I loved the most was the display of the colours as they are placed where the shades should be applied to on the eyes.

It was also helpful to have the instructions on the back once more, I guess all Eyeshadow Sets do this as it’s a very good idea for a novice like myself. Firstly, I applied the lightest shade, the primer, all over my eyelid and right up to my brow bone. After that I added the main shade to the lid, then I applied the center shade on the crease and sweeped the top shade on the brow bone. Lastly, you can add the sparkle shade to complete the application, however I forgot to do that, silly me! After applying so much Eyeshadow, it’s definitely handy to brush over your face as so much falls down onto your cheeks.

To finish my look, I applied my new Maybelline Matte Lipstick in Siren In Scarlet. I’ve got many Maybelline Lipsticks and I think they’re wonderful, so I knew I would like this. I think Matte is my favourite finish on a Lipstick, I like the option of adding a gloss and I think Matte lasts the longest and applies the best. I always use Rimmel’s Match Perfection Foundation in Light Porcelain 010 and Rimmel have re released these with a Pore Blurring Effect and a 24 Hour Moisture Hydration too!

I really can’t decide which Eye Shadow I prefer, although I wear Nude Shades more, I absolutely love the colourful shades and will hopefully try some more in the future! Which do you prefer?

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24th August 2015

Lipstick Love.

Although I adore all aspects of Make Up, my absolute must have item would be Lipstick, I am absolutely obsessed! So as you can probably guess, this post will be all about my latest buys, you guessed it, Lipsticks!

Besides the eyes, I think the lips are an essential part of any make up and although I do love the vintage look, I like to mix it up every now and then! My other favourite shades to wear would be peachy corals and nudes.

So last week I ended up buying three new Lipsticks and one Lip Pencil, what can I say? I think I’m a bit out of control. However, two of my lipsticks ended up being free because of the wonder that is a Boots Saving Card.

Originally, I only intended to buy one Lipstick, well Lip Pencil and that was Soar from Mac. Ever since Kylie Jenner’s lips became a phenomenon everyone has been obsessed with what colour she wears and it just so happens that Soar is one of them. Naturally, because of this I was not expecting it to be in stock, however, I was in luck! The great thing about Mac Lip Pencil’s is that they’re so strong and stay put all day, you can even wear them without a lipstick! Therefore that’s what I’ve done today, The pencil is a dream to apply on your lips, it’s soft and has a matte finish, so you don’t need to apply again, it should last all day. Overall I love this colour, it’s a bold nudeish pink and something a bit different than a normal pink or nude, I’d definitely recommend! It’s my favourite MAC Lip Pencil that I have so far, I also really liked Whirl but I think I made the right choice.

While I was in MAC, I naturally decided to look at the other Lipsticks and came across one that I’ve had on my wishlist for quite a while, it’s called Please Me. As I’ve said before, although I love the colour pink, I don’t really like to wear it that often as I don’t think it suits me all that well. This shade however is not a strong bold pink, it’s subtle and a matte finish, my favourite finish for MAC Lipsticks. I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did, it’s almost like a nude pink and I just think it’s a lovely colour. Who knows, maybe it will inspire me to wear more pink?!

Lastly, I decided to check out Rimmel’s new Kate Moss Nude Collection. As I’ve said before, I think because of my love for the 1960s and stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Sharon Tate, I’ve really been enjoying Nude Lipsticks lately. When I was younger I used to wear one by MAC called Myth all of the time, however I then moved on to more bold shades such as reds. There were three shades and after trying all of the colours on my hand, I found that I liked colour 45 the most. When I first applied it I felt that it was way too understated for my liking, however, all it took was a few more layers and the shade really grew on me! It’s not a lipstick colour I have in my collection, but I’m definitely glad I have one now. I guess when I wear this shade I may apply heavier eye make up to contrast with my lips.

I’ve bought many Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks before and it just so happened that Boots were having a Buy One Get One Half Price offer! I looked at there other colours and came across her Lasting Finish Collection, straight away a red lipstick caught my eye, number 110. As you can probably guess, I have a lot of red lipsticks, however you’d be surprised how many different shades you can get in red! I really love this colour as it’s not too bold like many of my other lipsticks, it’s a warm tone and a nice change from the cold classic shades I usually go for.

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9th May 2015

Look Of The Day.

Hi lovely people!

Now that my face is finally back to normal I can start wearing make up again, so I thought I’d write my second beauty post! Yesterday, I went to town and bought a new eyeliner and a new lipstick, so they will be the focal points of this.

After my moisturizer disaster, I went back to using my Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturizer, one I’ve used before. It’s really natural and drys pretty fast, which is good if you’re like myself and can’t stand the feel of it on your face for too long! As my skins been so dry since my allergic reaction, I’ve been using it twice a day – in the morning before I put my make up on and at night, after I’ve taken it off. I’d definitely recommend it if you have sensitive skin like me, plus it smells nice so that’s always a bonus.

After applying all of my face make up, it was time to start on my eyebrows. Now, I’m one of the few people who doesn’t like to do anything with them. I’ve been pretty lucky with the shape, but I have had a few comments about them being too light. I personally don’t mind that, there’s nothing worse when you see severely tattooed eyebrows and I definitely wouldn’t do that. Therefore, after watching the lovely Rose and Rosie’s Eyebrow Video, I was inspired to try something similar! I used my Rimmel London Eyebrow Compact and went for the second lightest colour on the left.

I used the bottom brush and slowly brushed the eye shadow into my eyebrow, following the natural line. It literally took a few minutes if that and is a nice subtle difference, if you don’t like to much change.

Here's my natural eyebrows. — *Here’s my natural eyebrows.*

The left one is natural, the right one has the eyeshadow on. — *The left one is natural, the right one has the eye shadow brushed in.*

Here's both of them with eyeshadow. — *Here’s both of my eyebrows with eye shadow.*

So here’s the final results, I personally like it and although I probably won’t do it all of the time, I think it’s a nice easy way to make a subtle change. After all, less is more!

Next, I used my new Rimmel Scandal Eyes Thick & Thin Eyeliner, there were three different ones available. The first was a really thick felt pen, which I didn’t want as I like to be able to build it up. The second was similar to one I’ve had before, it was a thin felt tip, I was tempted to go for that but I decided to try a new one. The third was my choice, the tip is defined to shape the winged eyeliner. At first I found it pretty hard to use, anyone who wears winged eyeliner will know that it’s not an easy task, but I had to be even more careful because of the shape of the eyeliner.

*The 3D precision slanted tip, which enables you to draw a thick or thin line.*

Sometimes, I find it hard to fill the tip of the lid by my eyelashes, without messing up the rest of my winged eyeliner. To do this I use Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner, the brush is so thin and perfect to fill in the hard to reach places.

*Another tip, when your felt eyeliner is running out, dip it in to the liquid one!*

Here’s the finished result, first without mascara and then with.

I used my Maybelline Mascara Mega Plush Very Black for volume and Maybelline Mascara Rocket Waterproof Very Black for separation. Lastly, I put Benefit Eye Bright inside my inner eyelid, it gets rid of any access eyeliner and brightens up the eyes by contrasting the dark winged liner.

Lastly, I used my Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque Liquid Lipstick in 07. I saw it advertised in a magazine and decided to give it a try. I think Bourjois is a beautiful brand, but I haven’t really used it much for some reason. I’ve always been wary about buying one of the liquid lipsticks as I wasn’t sure how well they would last. Therefore, I used my MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil in Dynamo first, to make it last better and to define my lips.

The brush is a nice change from using lipstick, but it was quite messy to put on and I needed to use quite a few q-tips. Obviously, blotting lipstick is a must, but with this you absolutely can’t forget to as otherwise it gets on your teeth, which is not a good look. However, it can be frustrating as it removes the colour because it’s in liquid form. I do really like it and would probably get another colour, but overall I definitely prefer lipsticks.

The lipstick is a beautiful colour, I love pink and red tones, they remind me of the 1950s Vintage Stars and the liquid form does give it a nice 3D look.

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