Cracked barbie - Halloween make up

Hey guys, sorry I haven't blogged in quite a while. I was travelling during the summer in Cyprus and in Greece! I will do a post about my travels soon.

In this post I'm going to explain how i achieved this halloween make up look! I really like this look! Its a bit different and it has an element of prettiness and its also a bit freaky! This is a very easy make up look to do! Keep reading if you want to see how i did it :) 

 

1 - I primed my face with my trusty Catrice Cosmetics prime and fine primer.

2 - Using any nude lip liner I sketched out the shape of where I wanted the beauty make up to go.

3 - I applied my Rimmel wake me up foundation inside the line i sketched out, then I powdered with MACs studio fix.

 

4 - Using the white snazaroo face paint I applied that all over the rest of my face with a flat foundation brush, I added a few layers so its perfectly white. Make sure to bring the white all the way down to the neck, chest and shoulders for the full effect!! 

5 - Using a mascara wand that I got in a packet from pennys I'm going to dip that into the white face paint and put it on my eye lashes and eye brows. You could also add white eye lashes to this! 

6 - I applied my MAC eye shadow in the shade "frost" all over my eye lid but of course you can use any white eyeshadow! Then I applied a grey essence eye shadow in my crease for some definition! 

7 - I contoured my face with the grey essence eye shadow! Then using the pigment "reflects gold" from MAC I highlighted and also applied some on my eye lid.

8 - Now moving onto the beauty side! I filled in my brows with a brown eyeshadow.

9 - I put sello tape under my eye to create a perfect line for my eye make up! First I blended tease into the crease, I then blended in the blackout into the outer corner of my eye, these colours are from Urban Decays naked 2 palette.

10 - I took off the sello tape which should then create a perfect line! Then I put on my Rimmel gel eye liner with a big flick. Then added mascara and lashes.

11 - I contoured using hula from benefit, and I have the peachy blush from Rimmel on my cheeks.

12 - On my lips I have the white face paint on one side then i have 06 from Rimmels Kate Collection on the beauty side.

13 - Now for the fun part, adding the cracks! Using a very fine eye liner brush and my Rimmel gel eye liner I followed the line I first sketched out, once im happy with the shape I started to add in small cracks. Keep adding in little lines until your happy! 

I hope you liked this post and found it helpful! I think this look is so beautiful and you can really experiment with different colours and different shapes on the face! 

This is the final look! 

If you decided to do this look tag me on my Instagram as i would love to see your creations too!! Robyn_mccarthy_ 

I will have a few more halloween looks up soon so watch this space!!

Have a great day

Robyn 

Xxx

Make your own hair dye!

I love being experimental with my hair so I tried out a new trick the other day. I recently bought the Opia hair chalk in Pennys/Primark and I found them very good! The colours came out so vibrant on my hair but the down side to them is that it would take a long time too apply the colour too a big section of your hair and also I found them quite drying. I figured out a better way to dye my hair with the chalk so if you want to find out how I did this then keep reading :) 

I bought the Opia hair chalk for 4 euros in Pennys, There are 5 colours in the packet that you can use. They can be applied on wet or dry hair and they wash out.

My hair is bleached blonde so it will take colour easy as it is a blank canvas for hair dye. When mixing the Crushed chalk with the conditioner, the colour that is made in the bowl will be the colour that will come out on your hair if it is a light enough colour and if it is left on long enough. 

What you need

- Hair chalk

- white conditioner

- a mortar and pestle

- mixing bowl and spoon

- gloves

Steps

1. First I picked the colour that I wanted to apply to my hair.

2. I broke off about 1/3 of the chalk. 

3. I crushed the chalk in the mortar and pestle until it was a very fine powder.

4. Then I added the powder into my mixing bowl with white conditioner in it.

5. Mix together until it is smooth.

6. I washed my hair normally then left it wet.

7. I sectioned my hair so it was easier to apply the dye.

8. I applied the dye to the ends of my hair with my hands for a "dip dye" effect.

9. I left the dye in my hair for about 10 -15 minutes.

10. I rinsed out the colour and then dried my hair.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful.

Don't be afraid to try this as it will wash out after one or two washes!

I hope your having a great weekend.

:)

Robyn 

xxxx

My top 10 must have beauty products

Everyone has their favourite beauty products, weather its make up, hair products or skin care products! Here are my top 10 must have beauty products, the list wasn't hard to make as I repurchase these products constantly and use them religiously! So if you want to find out my must have products then keep reading :)

1. Catrice cosmetic prime and fine smoothing refiner

 This primer in my opinion is amazing! I always repurchase it and now all my friends and family members are using it too! A primer is a base for your make up, you apply it all over your face before you put on foundation and it will make your foundation go on smoothly and last all day! It is an oil free and silicone based primer that helps hide any pores or wrinkles. I would defiantly recommend this product to any one as it feels so nice on your skin, makes your make up last all day and its only about 5 euro!

2. MAC studio fix powder

This powder is by far my favourite powder out of many that I have tried! I have repurchased this powder for the last 5 years running! It is a powder foundation but I put it over mine own foundation as I love full coverage, but you can use it as a powder foundation also. It is full coverage, matte, long wearing with a velvety texture. Once you use this powder there is no turning back, you will get hooked on it! I love this powder and couldn't imagine not having it in my make up collection! It is approximately 30 euro.

3. Benefit Hoola bronzer

I love this bronzer as it is very natural looking on my skin. Being blonde and quite fair (when I don't have tan on) it is a great bronzer, it is ashy toned, it wont make you look orange! A lot of bronze's have a red under tone which if not applied on the correct skin tone can look awful. It is a common mistake people make, You need to find the correct bronzer to suit your skin tone. I think the hoola bronzer would suit most skin tones as it its a very natural colour that can be applied as light or as dark as you apply it yourself! This is around 30 euro.

4. MAC 217 Blending Brush

I have talked about this brush in previous posts, it is by far my favourite brush, it is a blending brush mainly used for eye make up. This was the first brush I ever purchased 5 years ago and I still have that brush plus a few extra ones for my kit. If its taken care of and washed properly it will for last years! The hairs are goat hair but they are very soft and feel nice on your skin. I recommend this brush so much for doing any eye make up look it is also in the top 10 best seller list in MAC, its 24 euro.

5. Garnier micellar cleansing water

This is the best make up remover in my opinion, it removes stubborn waterproof mascara and gel eye liners which im sure you can all agree are a pain to get off! With a cotton pad and a tiny splash of the cleansing water it wipes away nearly all the make up in one wipe! I love this for using on clients and also myself! If you mess up your gel eye liner, no problem, with a cotton bud this will clean it up in seconds! It doesn't irritate your skin and feels so refreshing. Its around 5 euro and you will get a lot of use out of this as it comes in a 400 ml bottle! 

6. MAC prolong wear paint pot

Paint pots are amazing, I first got introduced to them when I started doing my make up artistry course and they have changed how my eye make up looks and lasts! Paint pots are a base for your eye shadow that you can also get in many different colours meaning that you could wear it on your eyes with out eye shadow! Its a creamy texture but drys and it very long wearing. If you apply this before eye shadow it makes the eye shadow so much more vibrant and more photographic, some times your make up can look washed out with flash photography but the paint pots acts as a barrier. Paint pots are about 25 euro.

7. Inglot duraline

This product is great, it is a silicone polymer that can make any powder a liquid. For example if you have a gold eye shadow and want to wear a gold eye liner you can take some of the eye shadow, add a drop of duraline to the eye shadow, mix together then you have eye liner or a liquid gold for lips or anything you want. If you have gel eye liner that is dried up, here is the perfect solution. Its a fab product and it is approximately 12 euro.

8. Tangle teezer

Having long, bleached and damaged hair I have a very bad problem with knots as im sure many of you do! I find that my hair get so badly knotted that if I used a normal hair brush on it, it would actually get stuck in my mane of hair haha. If I didn't have a tangle teezer I think I would be bald by now! They are great, they really get out all the knots! The only complaint I have about this is the tangle teezer I have doesn't have a handle but I know that they have recently brought out tangle teezers with a handle so I must get one! They are 15.99.

9. Duo eyelash glue

I always think if you have a good eye lash glue you can use any eye lashes weather they are 2 euro or 20! This glue is great, it is a white glue that drys clear, you can also buy a black glue if you prefer. This glue has latex but there is also a latex free version in case of allergies. It is approximately 7 euro. 

10. Rimmel wake me up foundation

This is my favourite foundation and iv been using it for the last year! It has a lovely dewy and glowing kind of texture that is very build able, for a day look you could wear one fine layer but for a night look you can wear 2 layers for more coverage. I have a day time foundation for my skin tone but also have one for going out to match my tan! It has SPF 15 in it which is great for wearing it during the day. I would always powder this foundation as it can be quite shiny but I still love it! This is 10.99. 

Thank you for reading my top 10 beauty must haves, I hope you found this helpful for trying or buying some new products! I would highly recommend each one of these products that I have talked about they are all amazing in my opinion! It would be a very hard decision to pick a favourite out of all of them!

I hope you are having an amazing day, im sending you some good vibes,

Thanks for reading

Robyn

xxx

End of year Fashion show

My first year in College has come to an end and wow it realy has been one of the best years of my life so far! Iv met some of the most amazing girls that are so talented and creative! Iv made some friends for life and im so excited to see what the future holds for all of us!

The theame of the fashion show was "fashion week" so we got to pick a designer that inspired us! the designers i chose for the show were "the blonds". My look was inspired by the spring/summer 2014 New York fashion week show! I love the make up in this show, its realy funky and has gorgeous vibrant colours! The hair for this show is amazing and realy stood out to me. "The blonds" are known for there iconic bodysuits that they design for celebrities like Beyoncé, Lady gaga and Miley Cyrus. 

I made the body suit for my look, i also did the hair and of course i did the make up! I was so happy with how my look turned out. My gorgeous model Rachel looked amazing in the body suit, hair and make up. The hard work leading upto the show paid off! The show was fun and everyone got to show off there favorite styles of make up! One of my favorite styles of make up is high fashion. 

           

      

 I hope you enjoyed this post and liked the look i designed inspired by "the blonds". 

 Thanks for reading

 Robyn 

 xxxx

MAC 217 brush and Crown brush dupe

The MAC 217 brush was actually the first make up brush that I ever bought, and it is still by far my favourite brush of all time! I got my first 217 brush when I was about 14 and I still have it and use it today! That is nearly 5 years and its still great to use!! I have three 217 brushes so I can have them for myself and my make up kit. This brush is one of MAC's best sellers! It is a bit on the pricey side at 24 euro, but if your willing to spree out then it is totally worth the money! I'm also going to tell you about a pretty good dupe so keep reading :)

Mac 217 brush

The 217 brush can be used for many things, mainly eye make up which is what I use it for but you can also use it to apply concealer or cream products in a small area. I use the brush for its main use which is eye make up! You can apply eye shadow and blend out harsh edges. This brush is mostly used for blending and shading eye make up but if you just want to buy one brush for multi purpose you can defonatly do a lot with this. This brush is made with goat hairs that are very soft and dense and pick up a lot of product! 

I would highly recommend this brush to everyone as it is multi purpose, its soft so it doesn't hurt sensitive eye lids, it doesn't shed any hairs, it has a long handle so you can be as gentle or heavy with application and it lasts for years as long as you take good care of it (how I clean my brushes is in a past post).

Crown Brush C443 

As you can see both brushes look very similar! Just like the mac 217 this is also made of goat hairs. The shape and the density is very similar. The only thing I can fault about this brush is that the hairs are very rough on the eye lids! Other than that it blends out great and its only 7.60 euro on crownbrush.ie! When I was at the RDS beauty show in Dublin I purchased a lot of crown brushes and they are great! The quality is good and the prices are great! This brush is used for blending and shading just like the 217. 

The mac 217 is on the left and the Crown C443 is on the right.

These brushes both have the same purpose which is applying product on the eyes, blending out eye shadows and shading eye shadows. The only major differences are 

1. The price 

2. The feeling of the hairs the 217 is a lot softer than the crown.

I recommend both brushes but if I was to chose one over the other I would chose the MAC 217. If you don't want to spend that much money on one brush then the crown is brilliant. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and found it helpful!

Have a great day.

Robyn 

xxx

Urban Decays Naked 2 vs. Naked 3 palette!

I'm sure many of you have heard of "Urban Decays" Naked palettes? Well today im doing a Naked 2 vs Naked 3 post! I love both palettes. I don't have the first one as I never really liked the colours in it! I love this range! I think its brilliant for some one who travels, someone who might just want a few eye shadow colours or someone who just loves make up in general! I think these palettes are pretty amazing and nearly every time I do my make up I use at least one colour from either the 2 or the 3! Both palettes also come with a duo ended brush which are quite good!

Naked 2 

I got the naked palette 2 first about a year or two ago. It is such a gorgeous palette! The packaging is a lot better than the first naked palette it is a lot sturdier! The mirror is nice and big. The colours in this palette can be used for a very natural every day make up look, a very sexy and dramatic eye make up look or a very golden and bronzed make up look. There are 12 colours and they are all very different, quite pigmented and have a beautiful texture. I tend to use the first five colours the most. I love the matte colours in this but I wish there was a few more as a matte colour is a lot better for a very precise eye look. I do love the gold and pink metallic and glitter colours though as I have blue eyes these colour make the blue pop! Also there is a matte black colour which is so handy to have in a palette for a lot of eye make up looks! 

Naked 3

Personally the Naked 3 is my favourite one! Some people disagree and say the 1 or 2 is there favourite. Its very romantic, rosie and beautiful! Each colour has a rose gold tone to them. Since I got this iv been obsessed using it nearly every time I do my make up! I think these colours are so on trend at the moment and will suit any skin tone or eye colour! The only thing a can say about it that I don't like is that the glittery colours have a lot of fall out which is quite annoying, other than that I cannot fault it, the range of colours are amazing, they are so feminine and girly but you can also add the darker colours for a more edgy look! 

I love both palettes I think they are both gorgeous and with either one you will be guaranteed a lot of use of of it! If I was to chose one I would pick the naked palette 3 as that it my favourite! I still love the naked palette 2. I would highly recommend both palettes they are a make up must have of mine!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and found it helpful! 

I hope this helps you pick out which one you might prefer.

Have a great weekend

Robyn 

xxx

My March Favorites

So March is coming too an end and the clocks are changing YAY! (well in Ireland anyway) so that means longer days and bright evenings which I love so anyway onto my march favourites, beauty and random shtuff so keep reading :D

1 - Pretty little liars - tv show - So if you know me you'l know im kind of obsessed with this show and this month season 4 finished and it was pretty amazing! If you haven't been watching this you better start because it is the ultimate show!

2 - Inglot gel eye liner - This eye liner is amazing and it is defiantly a new favourite of mine! Once you put on this eye liner it WONT budge! It is a bit of a nuisance some times if you get it on your hand or any where were you don't want it, it is quite hard to get off but if you use eye make up remover you'l be graaand!

3 - MAC heroine lipstick - This is the perfect purple lipstick! It is a matte lipstick which I prefer, it was discontinued in MAC but it has recently come back so I was straight in when I found out it was back!!

4 - Grapefruit - yes... very random but iv been loving grapefruit this month, iv started to eat a bit more healthy and stuff like that so iv been having one a day because they taste sooo good and they are great for you!! 

5 - choker necklace - So you might remember in the 90's the chokers, well there coming back in fashion which I think is fab! So I had to get my own! I got mine in topshop and I LOVE its because its pink, and pink is my favourite colour so I couldn't resit buying it! 

im also wearing MAC heroine lipstick in the picture

6 - All woman stalk - APP - I really like this app! It is like a blog that has posts on everything and any thing! It has 100s of posts so its endless reading on lifestyle tips, travel, celebs, beauty and everything you can Imagen! 

7 - Fancy by Iggy Azelia - song - This is defiantly my fave song of the month iv been replaying it over and over! I think Iggy is so cool and she is a fellow Aussie girl so that's even cooler! The video is great, its based on the movie Clueless which im sure so many of you have seen and if not you must watch it! Give it a listen :) 

8 - Cocoa Brown - Fake tan - Iv been loving this tan as its so affordable, easy to apply and gorgeous! Its a mouse formula, it spreads so nicely and you can see it when you apply it so you don't get any lines or anything like that!

9 - mask of magnaminty from lush - face mask - This is a lovely face mask, iv been using it a lot recently and I feel like it has helped my skin clear up a lot! I don't have acne or anything like that but I do get hormonal breakouts and stuff like that but my skin is a lot clearer now that iv been using it more! Its so fresh and I would defiantly recommend it! 

10 - Babydoll cosmetics eye lashes - When I was at the beauty show I saw this brand for the first time and I fell in love with there wispy eye lashes! Iv been wearing them every time iv gone out and there lovely and natural but they give you that "umph" and will complete any make up look!

I hope you enjoyed this post and like my March favourites and give them a shot for yourself!

Hope you are having a nice weekend.

Robyn

xxxx 

Make up look using the urban decay naked 3 palette

Hey everyone, if you want to see how I did this make up look using the urban decay naked 3 palette then keep reading :) 

1 - first I primed my skin with "catrice cosmetics prime and fine" primer which is my favourite primer!
2 - then I applied "rimmel wake me up" foundation on with my "blank canvas flat top kabuki brush".
3 - I contoured my face with my "crown" concealer palette as I demonstrated in my last post.
4 - I then powdered my skin with my "MAC" studio fix powder, which is another favourite of mine!

now onto the fun part which is the eyes!

5 - I primed my eyes with "MAC" painterly paint pot.

6 - Then using my "MAC" 217 brush - my all time favourite brush! I applied the colour "strange" all over my eye lid.

1.  2. 3.

7 - Next using my "la creative" pencil brush I applied the colour limit in the corner of my eyes and the crease.

8 - Then I blended in that colour using the same "MAC" 217 brush

9 - I then applied the colour "nooner" again using the "la creative" pencil brush in the crease and outer corners of my eyes.

10 - I blended out this colour with the 217 brush and kept adding the colour "nooner" with the pencil brush then blending again until I was fully happy with the blending as you want it to fade nicely into the brow bone.

 

11 - as shown in my last photo you can put sellotape on your eye like so, for the next step for a more precise line.

12 - now for the hard part eye liner! I use gel eye liner all the time that is my favourite but if you prefer liquid, cake, pencil or whatever you use that's cool! Use the eye liner that suits you! I use the "inglot" gel eye liner, and I use a small brush from art and hobby.  

13 - when doing the flick which is properly the hardest part I place the brush as shown in this photo and I drag inwards towards the eye.

14 - next using my pencil brush with the colour "nooner" I put it underneath my eye and then blend it, then I put eye liner on the lower lid but only on the outer corner, then I blend it using the pencil brush again. 

15 - once im happy with the blending I applied a generous amount of my "benefits they're real" mascara on bottom and top lashes.

16 - I applied my "essence" lip liner all over my lips and then I applied my "MAC" myth lipstick over it.

 

I hope you like this make up look and I hope you found this post helpful! This make up look could be perfect for a night out, a Debs/Prom or any other occasion! If you don't have the naked palette 3 you can use this post with any other colours you like, I chose the naked palette 3 as it is my "go to" eye shadows at the moment I think it is gorgeous! 

Thank you for reading

Have a great day

Robyn 

xxx

Contouring with cream products

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a while. Today's post is about contouring with cream products! I'm sure many of you have seen the picture of Kim Kardashian and her famous make up routine!

Last week I bought the "crown" concealer palette so I tested it out last night! I love it! Its amazing for contouring as it has so many different colours! You can order these online on the crown website there approximately 20 euro! I totally recommend them!

So I gave the Kim Kardashian contouring a shot!

CONTOURING 

 Using the darkest colour I applied it on the areas of my face I want to look more structured and slimmer. So they are under the cheek bone - to find this you can feel your cheek and place the product in the more sucked in area. I put it on the top of my forehead on either side. I put it on the jaw line for a more structured look. Down the sides of my nose and up to the brow bone, this will make your nose appear slimmer. 

HIGHLIGHTING

Using the lightest colour I started to highlight, you cant see this as well in the pictures as I am quite pale anyway. I highlight beside where I contour to make the contouring stronger! I highlighted under the eye in an upside down triangle shape, I highlighted above the cheekbone, underneath the cheekbone contouring, down the centre of the nose and up to the forehead, the cupids bow - above lip, centre of chin and you can highlight the brow bone as well if you like, I didn't do that as sometimes I think it can be a bit too much! 

Now the most important part of the process is BLENDING! I cant stress how important this step is! You don't want to be walking out the door with big lines on your face looking like a zebra!! So using any foundation brush you have but if I was to recommend a brush I would say a stippling brush or a flat top kabuki brush but if you don't have these any foundation brush will do! First blend in the darker bits and then blend in the highlighted bits and then blend them together so they merge into each other naturally! Make sure you blend until it looks gorgeous and natural! The great thing about cream contouring is that it is a lot more natural than using powders! It is also great for someone with dry skin as it wont go patchy like powders might! 

If you want a stronger contour you can add more or else you can go over this with powder bronzer and highlighters! Make sure you powder your make up after doing this. Contouring is great as it gives your face structure and life. When you just put on foundation your face looks flat and it has no dimensions atall so contouring puts the structure back into it. You can also create structure on your face that you may not have like strong cheekbones which a lot of people love! 

I hope you found this post helpful and enjoyed reading it. I will be posting a lot more now as I have more time on my hands! 

have an amazing day 

Robyn 

xxxx

How to clean your make up brushes

Being a Make up Artist and a make up addict I have ALOT of brushes so its a bit of a task to clean them but it has to be done! I clean my brushes with anti bacterial soap or baby shampoo. When im on the go and doing clients make up I use the No7 brush cleaner in between clients. I clean my brushes from my make up kit everyday that I use them. I clean my own personal use brushes once a week or once every two weeks depending on how often I used them. I would defiantly recommend cleaning your brushes once a week or once every two weeks so you don't spread germs and spots you may have on your skin and if you are doing other peoples make up it is extremely important to clean with anti bacterial products between clients!

- Using warm water wet the hairs of the brush, make sure you don't get water above the silver bit as it can cause your brushes to fall apart.

- I put a tiny bit of soap on my hand and swirl the brush in the soap and create suds, some brushes will be alot messier than others like your foundation brush, it may take a while for them to be fully clean.

- After that rinse under warm water and repeat until the water runs clear.

- After your brush is fully clean make sure you put the hairs back into their original shape while they are still wet.

- Squeeze out the excess water with your towel and you can also shape brush by doing this.

- When leaving my brushes to dry make sure the hairs are over the edge of your counter so the air reaches all of the hairs

- Brushes will take a few hours to dry and when they do they feel brand new!

- I would not recommend using a hair dryer to dry them as it can melt the hairs down and also I wouldn't recommend leaving them on a radiator. As make up brushes are expensive its too risky.

- Leave brushes air dry for best results.

Thanks for reading I hope you found this post helpful :)

Robyn 

xxxx