HOLIDAY FACE

 Zilch! Horrible eye bags, small break out (thanks uni) and very bad brows. Still growing them out... they are very uneven I know.

Hair, make-up and new scarf! 

KEY PRODUCTS:

LAURA MERCIER TINTED MOISTURIZER SPF 20 - NUDE

DIOR EYE-SHADOW - 760 TWEED

SUE DEVITT EYE INTENSIFIER PENCIL - AVA

THEBALM MARY-LOU MANIZER

BEAUTE COSMETICS LIQUI-GEL STAIN - FEVER

ILLAMASQUA LIPSTICK - ENCOUNTER

NYX BLUSH - TAUPE

Hey guys, happy holidays! So nice to play around with make-up and look semi-presentable for once. Very easy soft smokey eye with winged eyeliner and red lips... and of course highlighting.

Have a good holiday and wish me luck on my dissertation!

L.F RAMBLES - HIATUS?

My current expression for everything right now.

Hey guys, third year has hit me like a brick. I knew it would happen, but actually being smacked in the face with it SUCKS. I am super stressed and I'm currently in the midst of having briefs with short deadlines and amount for a lot of credits. I can't afford to fuck up because I managed to do well last year, so if I am to get a good degree by the end of this, I need to be working hard (no life and miserable for the most part). I've been illustrating/reading/researching like a mofo and I've got my dissertation and another hand in  for early January... so make-up isn't in the forefront of my mind. I'm really sorry but I don't want to be updating with substandard content for the sake of just updating.

Lighter news:

• I'm really happy working at Boots again.
• Still a pescatarian! Last year I stopped after 2 months, so my aim is to do at least 6 months before I decide whether to continue or not.
• Still eating clean. Sushi is still my cheat food though.
• Still obsessed with shoes. Trainers FTW.
• Been buying more skincare than make-up lately. I've turned into a skin care junkie. Rosehip oil = you need this in your life!
• My friend introduced me to a site in which I was briefly hooked onto. Some 'interesting' things came out of it. But it mainly confirmed the fact I'm a independent motherfucker. 

Anyway yes. This is me saying bye for now. I still love make-up, I just don't have the time right now to update my blog to a good enough standard. If I do any cool make-up jobs/looks I'll do a massive post with everything that has gone down.... but for now. Studying. Lot's of studying.

I'll be back next year. Hopefully you'll still be sticking around?

L.F RAMBLES - THOUGHT BUBBLE LEEDS COMIC ART FESTIVAL 2013

The queue for people with tickets! Funnily enough buying tickets on the day actually got us in quicker. Had to wait like 15 mins? Not bad. 

My battered wristband thing

So one of the main reasons for going to Thought Bubble was because I wanted to meet Jack Teagle. I'm a huge fan of his work and my inner geeky side really wanted something signed by him. So above is one of my favourite comics by him and he even did a doodle! I'll throw it out there but it's weird meeting illustrators/creatives in real life who you've admired for awhile? It's like 'fancying' their work but meeting the creator there's a bit of disconnect even though it's by them? So I think throughout the day I was really happy and excited to meet illustrators I've admired for awhile but when I met them I didn't know what to say... or maybe because I'm shy? I don't know. God I know I've used the weirdest analogy to try describe this. 

I also bought this risograph print by him that I've wanted for awhile. You can buy it here. 

When I asked if he could sign my comic of his I also decided to give him one of my Kitty comics. It's not that I think I'm even remotely good but his comics actually inspired me to create my own. He was really nice about it and said we could do a comic swap. So above is some some of the comic posters I picked up. Pretty sure I was allowed more than one?

Chubby! It's a new collaboration between Jack and Donya Todd. Looks good so I bought a shirt to support... and obviously because it's so FREAKING CUTE.

Picked up this Kristyna Baczynski print. Love the style and colour use.

Some business cards... well actually two. Can anyone else relate to going up to people's stand and looking at their work and feeling guilty for not buying anything? I kind of felt this all day especially when the artist is literally in front of you.

Dilraj Mann - love the characters he creates. This screen print is so beautiful!

Philipa Rice

Love this so much! Can't wait to frame it. Speaking of lovely female creatives I also met Gemma Correll who was super nice too.

Oh hey! It's a queue. How long was I stood outside in this bitter cold November weather for? More than an hour. Why? This was the queue to Olly Moss. SO FUCKING WORTH IT. If you are not familiar go Google him. NOW! Really original and quirky ideas.... and he also has a massive fan base which means trying to own something by him is really tricky or expensive (look at Ebay for his stuff). So... yes this is my chance to own some of work so hell yes to queuing for a stupid amount of time - sorry Sophie for making you do this too.

 My prints! I didn't know they were exclusive to Thought Bubble so yay for that. Again  I can't wait to frame this for my future home. Right now they are safely stored away. 

I might of picked up a 'few' of business cards I liked by him.

Hey guys, a post that is slightly geeky and definitely not related make-up related. I went to Thought Bubble  last Saturday and I really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd share it with you guys... well mainly my haul. I've been on a slightly bad and expensive kick with buying prints. I've actually got some Nous Vous coming my way too. But hey it's like buying art - I see it kind of as an investment. Nothing beats actually owning a physical version of some art work. 

I should also point out I'm not a massive comic fan. Or hardcore anyway. I think from looking at the things I did get you can see I'm more interested in the illustration-y side of things but I had a really fun day looking at artists doodling and finding new creatives too. I spent a good 5 hours browsing around as it was divided into 3 different buildings. There was also some talks and workshop things going on too if that floats your boat. I'll definitely come back again next year :)

Before I go... where have I been? Uni has taken over my life. I'm really sorry for the lack of posts - hopefully after Christmas I can have some free time again.

L.F DOES A/W - POWER BROW

SOURCE

After my spell of featuring thin arched brows, I turned to the other side this week. If you have naturally bold full brows... I envy you! I was inspired by the ombre fade of the eyebrows and the eye-shadow - it balances the graphic edge of the brows to give a more softer overall appearance. 

I've cropped this weeks image...the left side didn't look symmetrical. 

Webcam of the full finished look. 
KEY PRODUCTS:
ILLAMASQUA LIPSTICK - ENCOUNTER
ILLAMASQUA CREAM PIGMENT - EMERGE
ILLAMASQUA POWDER EYE SHADOW - FLASHER
SHU UEMURA GLOW ON BLUSH - MEDIUM AMBER 761
WET AND WILD COLOR ICON - SILENT TREATMENT
MAYBELLINE GEL EYELINER - BLACK

Hey guys, sorry for the belated post but here's this weeks look! Taking a break from my usual love for thin stylised brows and taking a nod to the Cara brow = full, structured and bold.
I initially started with a green khaki crease and then when I shaped the brows, I let the black slowly merge together - the subtle nuance of colour compliments the punchy red lip and everything else was kept minimal and simple (contoured the face like mad).
Hope you like this weeks look, are you sporting a fuller brow this season?

L.F RAMBLES - ME

Sorry if you find these a bit grim, but it made my walk to uni more interesting. 

St Sushi is the best Japenese restaurant in Newcastle .

New Balance 574 Trainers

New to my collection. Perfect for speed walking to uni because it takes me at least 35 mins to get into uni by foot. Short legs = not cool.

1. I still HATE maths. Especially mental maths. I got a 'C' for GCSE but that was a struggle!
2. I love SUSHI. I can literally eat the stuff everyday - ask my flatmates/friends.
3. I have a 'slight' fear of dogs without leashes, I usually freeze up till they pass.
4. Insane tolerance to spicy food from working at a Thai place. 
5. I'm into horoscopes/zodiac shizzle. I'm a stereotypical Capricorn and proud!
6. I enjoy reading food blogs reviewing junk food, even though I have no intention on eating them.
7. Die Antwoord is my favourite band right now. Keeping it ZEF.
8. Make-up was a happy accident. Self taught and still loving it to do this day.
9. My actual phobia: anyone self harming (cutting). I really can't watch/hear anything to do with it - fictional or not. It makes me feel kind of faint and sick.
10. I collect fashion/make-up publications, coffee table books, patterned tins/boxes and anything done by Illustrators I admire.
11. Totally into high fashion - but I don't really show it with my own personal style. 
12. I have the most awesome friends ever - so lucky to have such amazing individuals in my life.
13. My favourite fruit are nectarines.
14. 'Currently' a pescaterian. I lasted 2 months last year (for fun) and I've decided to start again this year - hopefully I'll last longer or for life maybe? :)
15. I'm pretty shy and private in 'real life' - which is kind of ironic why I have a blog sharing everything about myself to the world. 
16. I hide behind my shy-ness and low confidence by hanging around with really loud and outgoing people. FYI friends: I'm not using you - I do like you anyway.
17. I'm an introvert. SURPRISE. 
18. I HATE it when people tell me they are "bored". 
19. Serious workaholic once I get going. I choose work over play A LOT. 
20. I have 10 piercings :)
21. I love watching documentaries and really trashy reality TV programmes... I know tell me about contrast and having no taste ;)
22. Marc Jacobs is my favourite fashion designer, but I also love Riccardo Tisci and Gareth Pugh.
23. I don't like celebrating my own birthday. It's too ME-CENTRIC and I hate attention.
24. I can't drink coffee anymore and this saddens me.
25. I get really spray happy with perfume.

Hey guys, I thought I'd do a fun facts about me this week so you get to know me a bit better - some of these you might know about already (my excessive fan girling of Die Antwoord) and some might be news to you today.

L.F DOES A/W - ROYAL BLUES

SOURCE

LARA STONE FOR VOGUE PARIS BY STEVEN KLEIN

This screams A/W with the clash of brash silver and deep berry toned lips. 

 I took the blue undertone eye and dark berry lips as inspiration and the rest I just went with the flow.

Webcam whore shot but you see the make-up :)

KEY PRODUCTS:

SLEEK EYESHADOW PALETTE - BAD GIRL

REVLON SUPER LUSTROUS LIPSTICK - BLACK CHERRY 

Hey guys, another unwearable look this week! I got the A/W bug and deep vampy lips with navy inky eyes was the theme of the day. As you can see there our similarities between the source image and my interpretation - I've just chosen to exaggerate features and proportions.

What do you think of this weeks look? I might do something more wearable next week.... who knows!

L.F DOES A/W - CONTRADICTION

SOURCE
Intense eyes with bleached brows and muted lips and razor sharp cheekbones. LOVE. And slightly jealous. 

I look pretty moody. Weird mix of intense Gothic/Arabic style eye with the kitsch pop eyebrows. Opposites attract right?

The pink undertones are more prominent here :)

KEY PRODUCTS:

LOUISE GRAY FOR TOPSHOP SEQUINS

DANIEL SANDLER WATER COLOUR CREME-ROUGE BLUSHER - SOFT PINK

BOBBI BROWN LONG-WEAR GEL EYELINER - BLACK INK

NARS BLUSHER - TORRID

SUGARPILL PRESSED EYE-SHADOW - LOVE+

LANCOME L'ABSOLU NU LIPSTICK - 302

LAURA MERCIER SECRET CAMOUFLAGE - SC 3

LAURA MERCIER EYE-SHADOW - SPARKLING DEW

MAC PAINT POT - BARE STUDY

THE BALM MARY-LOU MANIZER THE LUMINIZER

Hey guys, I'm back with another 'interesting' look this week. I thought I'd do something different with the eyes, as I tend to change the appearance by making them appear larger than emphasizing my natural narrower shape. The more feline heavily defined shape is not something I'd do in real life but if you have a different eye shape to me, this way of defining your eyes will have a greater impact. I initially left the brows alone but it lacked something.... and the obvious route was to rock out the sequins and glitz! I 'bleached' my brows out first and using the sequins created an outline - it's subtle but without saying POW.The rest of my face was left pretty neutral with a soft pink to tie everything together.
What do you guys think of my combination? And I start uni (final year) this Monday. ARGHHH. 

L.F DOES A/W - SMOKE BOMB

I never hide my obsession with John Galliano and Pat McGrath. I love the power of transformation with make-up, and these theatrical characters are magical.

SOURCE

This was actually my initial starting points. You can seethe remnants of the burnt rust shades before I went wild.

One of the lashes is a bit too long and drags the eye down but otherwise I like the anarchy of it all.

KEY PRODUCTS:
REVLON SUPER LUSTROUS LIPSTICK - BLACK CHERRY
MAYBELLINE EYESTUDIO LASTING DRAMA GEL EYELINER
MAKE UP  FOR EVER EYESHADOW - 39
SUGARPILL EYESHADOW - BUTTERCUPCAKE AND LOVE+
THEBALM MARY LOU MANIZER LUMINIZER

Hey guys, I'm finally back with a look. I know I say this a lot but I *actually* did plan to do a wearable look, but having YouTube videos in the background I soon got the creative buzz and the brushes took over. There's a lot of black and my house mate said it reminded him of a bomb or fireworks with the splashes odd sporadic hints of colour. It's a heavy look but the 'soft' brush feathering edges makes it less harsh. Kind of my a smokey eye mask of some sorts.
Hope you guys like this :)

L.F RAMBLES - SORRY

ORLA KIELY FOR TESCO JUTE BAG
Perfect for someone who likes recycling and loves prints.... me! It's very sturdy and a good size. It's actually become my gym bag haha.

MEL BY MELISSA 
Yes. Another pair of shoes. These are the best shoes ever though - cute design and super comfortable

THE BALM MARY LOU MANIZER LUMINIZER
I actually tested this product on a photo shoot (from another MUA's kit) and fell in love with it!

It gives an incredible shine/glow without glitter. Hyper real skin = need this.

Hey guys, really sorry for the lack of posts. I feel guilty every time a week goes past and I've not done a look for you guys, but I've just been really knackered from work and playing with make-up is the last thing on my mind when I return home.... zoning out and eating food is though!

I've been really lucky my manager has given me some pretty solid hours since I started, and next week I start 6 - 11 (OH MA GAWWD) for 10 days, so in theory the early start will mean I'll have the rest of the day to be super productive and do some looks.

Sorry for being a crappy blogger.

L.F RAMBLES - HELLO REALITY

CHIARA FASHION

As mentioned in my photo shoot post, this is the item I picked out for myself as a gift. I'm totally into the sneaker-wedge (Isabel Marant) trend right now. SHAWTY NEEDS SOME HEIGHT - I'm 5ft 1 ish! These are really comfortable and I like the deep red suede-effect going on. Adds some colour with out saying POW.

NUXE REVE DE MIEL ULTRA-NOURISHING LIP BALM

It's expensive BUT it delivers.

AZENDI JEWELRY

My friend got me this as a belated birthday present... thanks! Totally unexpected and I'm glad she decided to go down the simple design route. Say no to 'bling' ALWAYS.

EMMA HARDIE

My latest skincare fix. A lot of hype with this line, but so far I'm really enjoying it. The infamous cleansing balm is pure luxury and makes the skin so smooth - I use this as a second cleanse though, just to limit my usage and extend the product longevity. Also buy the cloths and ditch the muslin!

HELLO KITTY LIBERTY LONDON MUG

I like mugs... and prints.

THREADLESS SHIRT BY MAXWELL HOLYOKE-HIRSCH

I've recently become a bit of an Ebay whore and this shirt caught my eye. I love the illustration especially the birds with hats! It's got a felt finish too which is pretty neat :)

DR BRONNER'S MAGIC PURE CASTILLE SOAP

I've raved about his products before but this is the only cleanser I use for my brushes now. To make the soap last longer dilute into a separate bottle - no need to use it neat! Clean and conditioned brushes guaranteed!

 My Die Antwoord shirt. 

LAURA MERCIER TINTED MOISTURIZER
This has been on my wish list for years. Is it worth the hype? I won't be using this till I cut down my already huge foundation/base stash.

Hey guys, small update and haul. How is it August already? AND WHY DO I START BACK AT UNI NEXT MONTH. NOOO. It's been a good summer and I've definitely enjoyed time off and come to some realisations that have clouded my head for awhile. It's funny how your outlook can change in a couple of months - I'm in a more optimistic mindset. Ready to finish my degree, hopefully amazing adventure teaching times in Korea with Allan (yep, total 360 outlook) and follow whatever path comes my way after that.
Also on Monday I got some really good news..... I got the job at Boots again. I presumed I didn't hear anything because they were waiting nearer to Christmas shop period, but apparently I should of heard from them sooner. I was speaking to one of the managers today and they said out of 40 interviewed, they only accepted 4! I'm so happy because I think during my interview I was really nervous. I've been called in early to do some extra shifts so it means I get a proper uniform and I get to work the tills this time! I'm kind of excited my name will be on the receipts because my name is quite unusual.... but this won't be good if I make a mistake haha. Yep! So I'm back in Newcastle now instead of being looked after by my parentos.... bye Summer. Hello reality :)

L.F DOES S/S - GOING BACK TO NATURE

SOURCE

I love this fragile petal armoured mask. 

My more subtle take on going all au natural. And I have weird eyes going on.

KEY PRODUCTS:

MAC LIPSTICK - HONEYLOVE

CONTOUR CREAM/POWDER

BECCA EYEBROW POWDER - ASH

FLOWERS

DUO ADHESIVE

Hey guys, this week I'm going back to basics, and incorporating in some mother nature. If you do intend on recreating this/doing this on a model, you should probably plan what flowers/plants to use and how they would structurally work on the face. I was working on the existing flowers I had in the house, so I just worked with what I had. I was lacking on petals so I decided to make a feature of one side and on the other have more of the buds, and with the power of duo adhesive - I'm some sort of flower hippy! The rest of the face I kept very clean and minimal with some highlighting and contouring.

So I've used flowers, thread, gems.... what else is on the list?

INSPIRATIONAL VIDEOS ROUND UP 8

I've recently been obsessed with watching Eat Your Kimchi videos and stumbled across a video where Martina gets a makeover by the talented Saemmool Jung. Jung is responsible for doing all the famous K-pop stars, and even though I'm not familiar with that fandom, it's interesting to see what trends/styles/looks are popular on the other side. It might sound a bit 'weird', but even when I first started out with makeup, I never specifically hunted down looks or tutorials for Asian eyes etc. I just see make-up as make-up, and faces as faces... it doesn't really matter to me. BUT a lot of my Asian friends, tend to relate more to looks done on Asian models - which I can see why if you are unfamiliar with make-up. Anyway.... check out Jung's channel, she creates very beautiful faces and her videos are beautifully shot and edited.

I love how NARS shows us the production of their campaigns - from styling to on set. The make-up has a very decadent glamour edge..... so ready for fall!

Mary Greenwell creates an effortless chic look for day or night.

Define, contour and highlight - the best way to cheat yourself amazing face structure.

Need skincare advice or a new regime? Watch this video.

Bowie meets punk? 

Fall trends we'll be sporting this fall by legendary Pat McGrath.

MUM GETS A MAKEOVER 6

KEY PRODUCTS:

NARS BLUSH - ORGASM

PIXI EYE BEAUTY KIT - NO.3 MAGIC

BECCA BROW POWDER - ASH

ELF TONE CORRECTING POWDER - COOL

Hey guys, here's my mum again! She usually moans that the make-up I do on her is too 'natural' or boring, so I decided to play up with the eye shape by adding some drama and lift. This look could of possibly been more 'night' than day, but the satin finish eye-shadows tones down the intensity - so I think gives an overall soft finish appearance, without looking too overbearing. Everything else was kept soft and fresh to give an appearance of youthfulness (which we all want) :)

CHIARA FASHION BLOGGER EVENT SHOOT

Spencer from Le Bibliotheque rocking a green smokey eye, bronzed skin with glossy lips.

Rachel from Lost In Lipstick with a soft brown smokey eye, defined brows and red lips.

Em from EmTalks sported a warm brown smokey eye, peachy fresh skin and soft nude lips.

I'm usually a behind the scenes girl, but I got asked to take some shots of me doing my thing... so here's a totally non-contrived shot of me touching up Rachel's lipstick. 

Disclaimer: all photos belong to Chiara Fashion.

Hey guys, so last week I had the awesome opportunity to work with Chiara Fashion to be the make-up artist for their blogger makeover event. This was a great opportunity to not only work with a fashion brand but also to get to know some bloggers in person.

I do blog, but I wouldn't call myself a 'blogger' (especially compared to the standards today) - I just keep this as a personal journal. So it was very exciting to meet the girls who do it on a  larger scale and get some insider knowledge on how they keep it up and their motivations in starting in the first place.

The concept of the day was that the girls chose their own outfits and they'd be a photo shoot documenting their looks. It was a pretty hectic schedule so I was doing each girl one after the other, meaning I didn't have time to come onto set to do any touch-ups (until the last girl). I also met a lovely Chiara colleague who also does hair and make-up, so we worked as a duo making up each girl - she did an awesome job on the hair!

I want to say a massive thank-you to the team at Chiara Fashion for inviting me over and spending the day at their studios. I had a really lovely day meeting the bloggers (I'm not just saying that) and being part of the makeover team.

If any of the items from the photos takes your fancy head over to Chiara Fashion! They have some really lovely pieces and I was very luckily gifted an item from their store which I will feature in my next post.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post. Which look is your favourite?