The Importance of Pencil Eyeliner | MAC Coffee Eye Pencil Review

Now I don't know about you, but pencil eyeliner on my waterline in some way or another is absolutely essential in pretty much any of my makeup routines; everyday, nights out, natural or dramatic. It's just about finding the right one to fit the right purpose (I'm after a good white one at the mo, so suggestions are welcome!)

I recently purchased MAC's Coffee Eye Pencil, after seeing it on numerous tutorials, I had to have it in my kit.

How it applies after just one swipe

Application- Creamy
Longevity- Medium
Price Range- ££
Product Life Span- Long
My Rating- ♥♥♥♥

This eyeliner applies so nice and smoothly that you literally need one swipe for amazing pigmentation of it. As a result of its creamy-ness however, I find it does smudge off, but I guess you get that with most pencil eyeliners! Just be prepared to reapply a couple of times throughout the day.

At £14 a piece, I think this is priced really reasonable for a more high-end eye pencil, considering the way it applies. Furthermore, I find that I barely have to sharpen it because of this creamy application and I feel it is going to last a long long time, adding to this great price!

I gave it four hearts for my rating because I've pretty much been using it daily. I think the colour is great because it's dramatic enough if you wanna use it for the evening, but because it isn't totally black, it makes a great daytime eyeliner as well. If it lasted all day I'd give it five, but I just don't think I'll have that with any pencil eyeliners!

Here are some before and after pictures so you can get an idea of the difference it makes. I think it's so so essential for me!

Before

After

Before

After

With Mascara

I hope this was helpful, and if you have anymore questions about the prodcut just holla at yo girl!

Dani Alexandra
Xoxo

What's In My Makeup Bag?

So this is my current makeup bag...



Don't ask, I don't know....I wish this was my makeup bag, and someday soon, it will be...


Ted Baker MAISA Large Bow Wash Bag

Anyway, and this is what is currently in it!



A Pair of Tweezers
A Pencil Sharpener
NARS Laguna Bronzer
Vichy Dermablend Foundation in 35 Sand
Clarins Gloss Prodige in Candy 04
2 Eyelure Lash Glues (Even though I'm not wearing any lashes today)
Garnier Roll-On Anti-Dark Circles (I believe it's the darker shade)
EcoTools Powder Brush
Benefit Porefessional
Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Black Brown
Benefit Bad Gal Pencil Eyeliner
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner in Glossy Black
Bourjois Blusher in Golden Rose
Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder in Soft Sand
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Medium 1 Custard

Dani Alexandra
Xoxo

Statement Red Lips with Subtle Nude Eyeshadow

I need to get an HD camera and stop using my phone. Anyway...

I really love a bright reddish statement lip and I think paired with a subtle nude eye is such a gorgeous look for this time of year, just before the lovely soft golds and pale pinks of the spring trends hit us.





If you wanna know how I achieved this look, then keep reading, and trust me, it's super easy!


I started with a clean, cleansed and moisturised face (yeah I know, real pretty) and just primed my eyelids with Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion.




I then went in with the shade Buck from the Urban Decay Naked Palette and used a Sigma E25 Brush to work that colour into my crease, focusing it in the outer corner of my eye and working it very slightly towards the inner corner.



I then took the shade Naked and dabbed that all over my lid with a Sigma E55 Brush, focusing it on the inner corner so that that's the most pigmented, and just working it out. I then slightly went over with the Buck again, just to ensure that the colour was really defined and beautiful.


Next was time for my face products. I primed my nose, especially the creases on the sides, with Benefit's Porefessional, then applied 2 layers of the YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation in B40 (read a little review of it here). I coated my beautiful (not) bags with NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard, as well as applying this to the creases around my nose and any blemishes. To make sure that none of this budges, I generously coated my face with Bobbi Brown's Sheer Finish Loose Powder in Soft Sand. As you can see I now have zero eyebrows and zero shape or colour to my face...



That's better. I just contoured my cheekbones with NARS Laguna Bronzer using a NARS Ita Kabuki Brush then also applied the bronzer all over my forehead. Next I blended some Bourjois Blusher in Healthy Mix into the apples of my cheeks and up, then finally to give my face more definition, filled my eyebrows with a Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Black Brown.




I then glued on some Eyelure 101 Lashes, and then tried to hide the line of the strip by applying a coat of Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eye Liner in Glossy Black along my lash line. I finished off my eyes by drawing some Benefit Bad Gal Pencil Eyeliner onto the outer corners of my waterline (top and bottom). Note that I would for sure be putting mascara onto my top lashes to blend into the false ones, and bottom ones, but I'm at my boyfriends in Manchester and like a fool forgot my mascara. Note to self; have an emergency stash of makeup here...


After priming my lips with MAC's Prep and Prime Lip Primer, I lined them with MAC's Ablaze Lip Liner (Trust me, especially when working with bright colours, lip liner is so important! It really does make your lips look so much fuller as well as helping minimize any fall out), then finally applied MAC's So Chaud Lipstick all over my lips. Wow, MAC overload on the lips.

And that's it! I really hope you enjoy this look as much as I do! It really is great for a number of occasions, from a lunchtime catch-up with the girls, to a family dinner, to a wild night out!



Dani Alexandra
Xoxo

All About Foundation ♥

I've tried a few new foundations in the past year, and I thought I'd do a post on my opinions of them. Don't judge the change of colour against my hand, I have been different levels of tanned at various points this year!

Vichy DermaBlend in 35 Sand


Coverage- Full
Longevity- Short
Price Range- ££
Product Life Length- Long
My Rating- ♥♥

I really like how this foundation applies and how it looks on my skin...at first. The shame is that I find after a short while when I look in the mirror it sometimes goes cakey very quickly as well as fading away quickly. Maybe with the right primer, powder, or both this foundation could stay perfect, but it unfortunately doesn't for me all the time. At £15.50 I do think you get what you pay for, I enjoy the fullness of the coverage and it has lasted ages.

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Brightening Makeup in Honey


Coverage- Light
Longevity- Short
Price Range- £££
Product Life Length- Medium
My Rating- ♥

This foundation is probably one of my biggest let downs because I was so excited about it and was then just so disappointed. I feel this would only work on skin that's pretty flawless already because for me, it's more like a tinted moisturiser consistency which isn't great for £25.50. I don't think it stays on for very long either. If my skin is feeling particularly clear and smooth, enough so that I don't even really need foundation (probably more in the summer) then I may find myself reaching for this one again, but until then...

Clinique Superbalanced Makeup in 03 Ivory


Coverage- Full
Longevity- Long
Price Range- £££
Product Life Length- Short
My Rating- ♥♥♥

I really loved this foundation. I loved the way it applied, the way it looked, the way it lasted. It's very very matte and I do really like a matte finish foundation. What I didn't loved is the fact that it cost £22 and ran out after about a month and a half. Because it doesn't have a pump, I found that I wasted a lot of the product when trying to pour it out, more would escape than I really wanted. For that reason alone, I regret to say that I wouldn't repurchase, but if that's not something that bothers you this is a great great foundation.

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat in B 40 Beige


Coverage- Full
Longevity- Long
Price Range- ££££
Product Life Length- Medium
My Rating- ♥♥♥♥

I haven't had this foundation long but I have died and gone to foundation heaven. I think. I love everything about this product so far. It has such a smooth and silky texture and applies so nicely .The coverage is so buildable and I do like a fuller coverage so 2 layers is plenty and does not look cakey at all, but it's also so easy to go light with this foundation. Its longevity is great as I find it to last most of the day on my face! I'm not sure about the product life span as of yet as I haven't had it that long, but I've used it pretty much everyday since I got it about 2 and a half weeks ago and I don't think it's gone down that much yet. It's £29 a bottle so a bit more pricey, but worth every single penny.

Dani Alexandra
Xoxo