Buff.On.Beauty's first make-up practice session

So since my last blog post, I have been again purchasing new products and tools to build up my kit. TopShop, as a fashion-forward brand, was my first point of call to check out the hot new colours of the season. So I popped into their flagship store on Oxford Street on Monday to have a browse. I thought the make-up was reasonably priced and although I've not used any of the products yet, I tested out some pressed powders, lip crayons and pencils on my hand in-store and have since read good reviews online. I like the colours; its all about bright pinks and peaches as well as zesty oranges for both lips and blush for this summer. The lippies and crayons are highly pigmented which I love and the theme throughout is 'matte'.

For my kit, I purchased an eyelash curler, a double pencil sharpener and tweezers. All were really professional looking, in matte black, perfect for my new kit, and were really reasonably priced at £12 for all three. See all these accessories plus others here: TopShop Make-up Accessories.

Anyway, yesterday, one of my best buddies, Jane,  came round to my gaff to be the first of my guinea piggies. I started off the practice session by doing a nude/day look. Read on for BuffOnBeauty's step by step guide to how I achieved the look...

Nude/Day look

Step 1 I buffed in Maybelline New York Fit Me Foundation in Ivory 115 using my stippling brush. I found the foundation buffed in really nicely and provided good yet natural coverage. In fact, I used Buff Beige 130 as my foundation for today and I am loving the feel of it on my skin. The colour really has just blended in with my natural skin tone and has provided great coverage. My skin feels glowing and moisturised and coverage looks almost exactly the same at 3.30pm this afternoon as it did at 8am this morning when it was applied!

Following application of foundation, using my concealer palette, I mixed a colour suitable for my friend's skin tone and applied under the eyes, round the corners of the nose and anywhere else that needed it. I then blended the edges into the face with my stippling brush which I had previously used to buff in the foundation. 

Step 2 I kept the eyebrows simple, just applying a chestnut brown shadow into the brow using one of my larger eyebrow brushes, to match Jane's hair colour. I lengthened the brow slightly, bringing the ends upwards to lift the eyes.

Step 3 I pressed a shadow onto the eyelid using one of my larger shadow brushes (in a colour which I can only describe as a reddy/purply chestnut) which worked really well with my friend's auburn locks. Then I blended the colour down, keeping the look simple and suitable for day-wear.

Step 4  I applied a light application of black mascara using a disposable mascara brush. Applying the mascara was the trickiest part of the practice session. Despite Jane's longstanding uneasiness with applying products very close to the eye (she won't mind me saying that!) it can be difficult to wiggle right into the lash and to avoid getting mascara over and under the eyelids. 

Step 5 To finish the look, I applied Boots No17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive with a lip brush. I know the lipstick is meant to be glossy, but I found the lipstick to lack pigment, and although it did make the lip glossy, with one lick of the lips the lipstick had disappeared. I also bought the same lipstick in Belle and although the colour was stronger, the product sat on the lips more like a poor-quality lipgloss and had no staying power at all. I'm sad to say, I wouldn't recommend this lipstick if you want staying power and strong pigmentation.

So there you have it, 5 easy steps to a natural day look.

I also experimented with an evening smokey eye look with brown tones (rather than the usual blacks) to compliment Jane's porcelain and auburn colouring.

For the final look of the practice session, I strengthened Jane's brows for a catwalk look, and applied a bronze glitter round the eye as well as on the lip. I contoured with a shadow from my palette in Mushroom.

Both these looks will go into my portfolio, which I may publish online by the end of the year.

xXx