Wednesday 21 December 2016

Leaving Blogger? Timetables? No Blogmas?

It has definitely been forever since I made a proper blog post, but I thought I'd start over since the new year is approaching and also give you guys a blog update.

I am most definitely not leaving blogger, lol. I have been away for a while working on some new art collections which I really can't wait to share with you. I have also been working on my own personal website, which contains my portfolio. I've had to give this more attention because it is what I need to really push my career forward. I will still be blogging on here however there will also be a more professional website.

I've decided not to make a blogging timetable for 2017, just because I've done it before and seriously cannot stick to it. I'll blog once or twice a week and maybe more in holiday seasons.

I couldn't do Blogmas this year as the last two months have been incredibly hectic to me due to me moving house, but we are settling in and 2017 should be an awesome year for my blog.

I'm also planning to buy the relevant equipment I will be needing to do Youtube! I've been influenced and also told by many to start a channel, I think this would be really interesting as I'm interested in lots of different stuff so no video would be the same.

I'd also like readers to take time and reflect on their favourite posts and comment below, so I can also produce more of whats popular, because my stats may not be telling what the minority likes.

So, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Expect loads from me in 2017!

Lauren x

Sunday 23 October 2016

INFLATABLE ZONE


Inflatable zone is a leading manufacturer in amazing inflatable products which are sure to turn your outdoor spaces into a world of fun. Inflatable zone caters for all inflatable fun  including bubble soccerzorb ball, inflatable slides, inflatable bouncers, water game equipment, etc.

Perfect for your upcoming event or even homely leisure, Inflatable zone has something for the kids, the adults and even the Grandparents! Inflatable zone caters to most parts of the world, making it very easy for you to have the fun inflatable experience of a lifetime! 


As well as providing you with a fun inflatable experience, Inflatable Zone also takes customisation orders, logo-printing, personalised size, shape and design which really caters to your needs!


Shop their amazing range of water toys here
Shop their popular coloured water balls here
Shop their great range of tents here

Enjoy a great inflatable experience and to top it all off, Free shipping on all orders!

Sunday 16 October 2016

STYLE WE


AMII

Have you ever wanted to rock your own unique style and be the only one to have that unique style? Style We should definitely be your go to online store! Style We is an independent online shopping platform that brings to you high quality, unique clothing from independent designers. They work with designers around the world to bring you beautiful clothing that will definitely turn heads! 

Style We provides great clothing for all occasions, whether it be elegant dresses or casual day wear you are bound to find what you are looking for. 

As well as a great online platform they provide you with a warm, welcoming community of buyers and designers where you can easily socialise and share ideas. I definitely recommend that you head over there and look at what great deals you can pick up. If you're an independent designer, this could also be a really good opportunity for you to get yourself involved and really put yourself out there. 

Shop their new arrivals here: https://www.stylewe.com/category/whatsnew
Shop from their great money saving flash sale here: https://www.stylewe.com/category/flashsales
Shop from a range of designers here: https://www.stylewe.com/designer/lists
Shop clothing gifts for Thanksgiving day here: https://www.stylewe.com/deals/thanksgiving-day.html

Be sure to Check out Style We's Facebook to be up to date with great deals and great fashion at the same time. 

Deep Questions Tag

It's been forever since I did a tag and I think this one is actually so awesome and you guys will defo get to know me better. I picked up this tag from Bria Lou's blog at Lou's world, be sure to have a look at it and talk to her as she has an amazing blog! I'm going to jump right into it, I nominate whoever would like to do the tag! The tag actually involves 50 questions however I'll be breaking into two posts of 25.

1. What's my passion?

Well you guys already know, it's written all over everything I do lol! If you're a first time reader my passion is fashion. I do excel at certain areas but It's my passion as whole and it will definitely play a big part of my future in terms of my career, how I live, where I go and all sorts. I specialise in illustration but by the time I've finished education I hope to have learnt design and also a bit of fashion business. To see more fashion illustrations please follow me on instagram: @efyalauren and I regularly post videos of my drawing process and materials on snapchat: lilmiss_laurenx.

2. What would you do in life if you did not need to earn money?

Draw all day! I literally do that already for no money but, to not need to earn money and still be able to do your passion as much as you want is really amazing.

3. Where do I want to be in 10 years?


Image result for luxury life

Well in 10 years, I'd love to be married. Maybe not have kids yet but I'd love to be married and have my own house. Ideally in ten years time I would've made enough millions to never work again but time will tell! Realistically in ten years I'd really like to be a recognised figure in the fashion industry and not exactly have my label huge and out there, but have it standing.

4. What are your fundamental life values?

Image result for whatever you do do well

This actually a hard one that I really had to think about, I have a few that I live buy I guess. The first one is WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT WELL or in other words AIM TO BE THE BEST AT WHAT YOU DO . I'm very competitive and I love a good challenge and competition. I also think whatever your passion you should be an expert in that field and know what you love inside out. The second one is DO IT WHOLEHEARTEDLY OR DON'T DO IT AT ALL! I just think that if you are forced to do things you definitely won't enjoy it as you didn't choose to do it out of your own free will so the outcome will not be your best work!

5. Who are the 3 most important people in your life?


I have more than three so this is going to be very hard but to many that are not mentioned you are ever so important to me too! The first would definitely be my mum as she's definitely a role model for me, I admire how strong she's been over the years and how she's acquired everything that she has despite some major set backs. The second would be my best friend as he is definitely a big source of my joy and makes my college breaks ever so interesting. The third would be a multitude of people and that is the readers, the followers and everybody involved lol! I love the encouragement I get through my dm's and snapchat telling me to just carry on and telling me that what I do is great! Makes me want to do more and defo picks me up when I'm down.

6. What is your biggest dream?



Right now its to have it all in terms of my career, the dream is really to have a huge worldwide label - just like Givenchy and Chanel and just for my work and my creativity to be known to everyone.

7. How much are you willing to sacrifice for your dream to come true?

1% of what I own lol.
A lot, but depends what. I already sacrifice a lot of time and I try to draw everyday and perfect skills everyday. Also what I do has been a very huge investment. I've spent a lot on a lot of high end artist equipment and I'd say what I own if about £500 worth of high end materials and I am not even done collecting!

8. What are three things in your life that you'd like to change?

This question is actually so deep. It actually opened up so many issues for me that I didn't even know existed. The first thing is probably the way I go about situations, in terms of many of my relationships I have with people I tend to assume, over think, panic and act on what I've over thought which usually lands me in a big mess. I'm not great at talking about how I feel so I really need to work on that. The second is probably friends, at the moment I have an incredibly limited circle of about two close friends and a few I make small talk with at school. I'd really like a circle of maybe 4 - 5 friends that were really down to earth, honest and have similar interests to me. There is honestly no one I have met so far that has a crazy passion for fashion like me and watches old Ghanaian movies almost every week.

9. When was the last time you ACTUALLY laughed out loud?

I think it's absolutely so terrible that we say lol every minute with an extremely straight face. I last laughed out loud yesterday whilst watching a Ghanaian movie with my mum and brother. I find them absolutely hilarious however a lot of modern Ghanaian's born in London always say I'm weird and definitely think I'm very different because I know a lot about the old Ghanaian way of life and the music and movies. I just like to connect with my culture a lot as it's very important to me.

10. What are you grateful for?

The house I'm in, the food I eat, the people I'm around, the talent I was given and the God I serve.

11. When was the last time you tried something new?


Well as I now go to school in Central  (Angel), it's definitely all very new to me. I have these really long three hour college breaks and in that I've started exploring London, well at least the free parts. I often do this on my own but find it very interesting. I go to museums and galleries and also interesting outdoor spaces.

12. When was the last time you did something spontaneously?

Well guys, I was feeling crazy and decided to text my ex.

13. What are the most memorable moments from your past?


I actually a lot: The day my little brother Miles was born, prom, first holiday to Ghana etc.

14. Are you making the same mistakes over an over again?

I sure am! I think I will defo continue to until it results in something really terrible that gives me a huge reality check.

15. How important is social approval to you?

It's important to me to a certain extent. I really admire people who really don't care what others think. I mean I don't care what others think but if someone has an opinion about me I'd always like to know what exactly it is. I don't care enough for it to drastically bother me and take me into eternal depression but I like to hear what others have to say about me.

16. Do you live for others or live for yourself?

I think I definitely live for myself. I do everything I do to make sure it benefits me, before making a decision I always know how it will help me and what it'll do for me.

17. What was the last life lesson you learnt?


Image result for friends come and go quotes

That friends and even best friends come and go. This is the next post on the people series guys! I literally used to think some people would be around for forever and a day due to the things they said at the time and how happy they made me at the time. Time changes and so do people and they tend to break promises. So I decided the best way to go about friendships is to start of slow and not go in wholeheartedly and always put in what you get out. Sounds selfish but it's so nobody wins or nobody loses. If they invite you to their birthday, invite them to your birthday. If they introduce you to their family then introduce them to your family. This just makes sure everyone is on an equal path and nobody is doing more than they're receiving.

18. When was the last time you helped someone?

I helped my mum in the kitchen yesterday if that counts! I also help my brother with his homework all the time, in fact I've almost become his full time tutor.

19. Did you ever help a complete stranger?

Yes, yesterday actually. Whilst shopping, she couldn't reach an item placed high on the shelf and I simply got it down for her.

20. What is your greatest fear?

Probably having to divert my career to something I really despise like maths, or having to go into a field I really hate. I'd literally give up on life and become a hobo. Any garden sheds available anyone?

21. What word best describes your personality?

Creative.

22. What inspires you?

The work of Hayden Williams and Paul Keng, the determination of my mother and also being Black African.

23. What is the biggest change initiated by you in the past five years?

Sorry to say but choosing strawberries over grapes.

24. What's your life's biggest achievement?

Probably landing the collaboration with Adore me, was over the moon to hear they emailed me.

25. When was the last time you were proud of yourself?

Friday! My family and I went to the local town hall and I picked up a Young, Gifted and Black award! This is defo a separate blog post coming up guys that you'll defo love!

Thank you guys so much for reading, remember this will be continued with another 25 questions so keep watching out for the new content on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Also if you decide to do this tag comment your link below so I can read it!

Lauren xx

BLOG UPDATE!

I'm back to answer many questions about the blog, what is going on with the blog and what is yet to happen?

Hey guys, today is just a little short blog update. I do blog updates because I love my readers, followers on every platform and you guys deserve to know what is going on! So, since I started school again in September it really hasn't allowed time for me to get back on the blog so I decided to devise a timetable and hopefully it'll work. From now on I'll be blogging two to three times a week and this will be usually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and one day out of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

I do have a lot lined up for the blog and for myself really, I'm thinking about changing the blog name for the second time lol, but I haven't entirely been only blogging about drawing so I was thinking about changing it to a more universal name that reflects everything that is blogged about. 

Apart from that I've got new content and some new series that will be going on! I've decided to start a Textiles and History of Art series. These are two of the three subjects I take in school and this is just going to be some subject help along the way to guide anyone that does these subjects or similar subjects. The subject content is hardly different from things like fine art, graphics and design technology. I will post on this about once a week. 

I will still be showing you guys my illustrations and all the upcoming projects i'm doing and so on and even events I go to! I had a series called Beauty Thursdays, this will now just be on any day that I can blog as Thursdays I am in school from 9 - 4:30 and when I get home I'm literally so exhausted. I will also be continuing The people series, because it seemed like a lot of people liked it and could relate to it. 

Thank you guys so much for reading and please remember to check for blog posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and over the weekend. 

Lauren x

Saturday 13 August 2016

Adore me x Lauren Williams

This summer I've been doing a number of projects and collaborations and I'd like to share with you guys one of the most interesting products I've ever done!



Adore me is a lingerie store, that encourage ladies to be confident to show off how sexy and stylish they areWith the theme of underwear as outerwear I was asked to create some summery festival looks that help show off comfort and sexiness. I personally had so much fun creating these looks and also had a little drift away from my comfort zone which helped me a lot! I'm going to show you guys the looks! P.S - I'm sorry the images are really huge and different sizes but that was the only way you could see them properly... Blogger really needs an update!

1. Lemon n' Lime

Yellows and green motivated this illustration, keeping it simple with inspiration from Kente cloth for the pattern on the swimsuit.

2. Sweet Treats

Using innocent blue and pink I created this look, this bikini was floral inspired but I decided to keep it basic and not go in with too much pattern but rather enhance and focus on the structure of the bikini. I came up with multiple spaghetti straps on the bra that continue down, and some extra decorative straps on the bottom.


3. Blue Blaze

I was inspired here by people who slay grey hair so I thought why not! In the end it worked and I really liked this illustration. Taking inspiration from the latest choker and bandage dress craze, I created this look. I used a mix of sky blue and royal blue to create contrast.

4. Sunkissed

In this collection I tried to experiment with most colours at least once, and I had realised I hadn't done red or pink! So I combined the two and came up with this simple bikini, with lace up detail and mesh.

5. Peaceful Purples

I had the most fun creating this illustration because of all the lilac! It's not a colour I use often so it was fun to experiment with it. It's not clear but the only fabric there is the black straps and the flowers are extra detail which are attached by the straps.

6. "Innocent"

After creating Peaceful Purples I wanted to create something very very simple. That resulted in me coming up with this nude one shoulder swimsuit, with the slightest bit of nudity lol!

7. Fierce

I wanted one of the outfits to be animal print, so I went with an easy leopard print swimsuit, orange also emphasises how fierce I wanted the illustration to look.

8. Hint of African

Finally, I was inspired again by Kente cloth and came up with this swimsuit, the colours Red, orange, yellow and green were used. I used those as they're very typical in Kente cloth. To spice up the look I added some lace up heels. Very festival worthy!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, please visit Adore me for all your Summer inspiration on lingerie and swimwear!

Friday 22 July 2016

Bridal Collection 2016

1. Pretty Indie 
  • Time: 2 Hours 
  • Material: Letraset Promarkers, Winsor and Newton brushmarkers, Copic Ciao Markers, Pilot G-tec C4, Unipin fineliner 0.1 and 0.05, black pencil, brown pencil, white pencil, tipex



2. African Mama

  • Time: 3 hours 
  • Materials: Copic markers, various pencils, tipex, White gel pen




 3. Colourful Classy

  • Time: 1 hour 
  • Materials: Copic markers, Various pencils, tipex, fine liners



3. Spice
  • Time: 3 DAYS
  • Materials: Copic, Promarkers, Brushmarkers, Gold pen, White pen, Tipex, Coloured pencils, fine liners 



A full post is coming soon about the materials I use and how I edit my drawings x
Thanks for reading x

Lauren x

Thursday 21 July 2016

BOOTSALE MADNESS!

Recently I've become so obsessed with bootsale websites and apps, I think you will be too after this blog post! Many people think as soon as the word "Bootsale" is mentioned it means collecting junk and hoarding things that don't work and that you don't need.

My last post was a new buys  post showing you some new cosmetics that I've bought recently. Those of you who have been reading my blog for ages know I am one to save and I love second hand things, but what if I told you about a bootsale app that sells both new and second hand things. Stick around because I have about three amazingly great bootsale apps to show you how and where to save money! 

1. Depop 


Depop is only available in the form of an app, but it is so worth downloading. I have met some great sellers on there. They have everything from clothing, cosmetics to furniture and books. It is honestly great. I have received some great products from there such as; Ben Nye Topaz powder, Makeup Geek eyeshadows, Colourpop lipsticks, La Girl Lipsticks and so much more. I watch my favourite beauty guru's on youtube and think... how the hell will I be able to get these products? There is no need to buy them from the retailers website, there really isn't. I bought my Ben Nye powder for £7, my MUG eyeshadow pans for £4.50 each. It's an amazing site. Many sellers are also opened to offers and swaps. So the price listed might not be the final price, bargaining is allowed. You can also sell on there, I've sold through there and just like any site, they take their seller fees but it's still great. You can also direct message sellers to negotiate prices and also sell your stuff to others.


2. Shpock 



I'm sure you've heard about shpock somewhere lol, Shpock shows you things for sale in your area. Some things come new and some come used. I bought my Anastasia Dip Brow pomade from there for £8 and it was completely new and in its packaging. The idea of Shpock is a bit like gumtree where you are meant to meet the seller and collect your item however lots of sellers on Shpock are willing to post. It is absolutely free to sell on Shpock and they do not take seller fees. Once an offer is put in for an item you can go on talk with the seller/buyer about postage or collection and how you will pay. I've sold on Shpock and made over £100 with it so far. All these apps are great ways of earning money if you just clear out what you don't need and see how much money you can actually make!

3. Carousell 


I'm fairly new to Carousell, Carousell is said to be a "Snapchat" for buying and selling. I have not bought or sold anything yet on Carousell but the priniciples are the same with Shpock and Depop. Carousell has weekly giveaways which is nice, It also a bootsale of everything, so there's a wide range of things on there. As most bootsale apps you have the option for delivery or collection. 

I hope you guys will now go out on a bargain hunt and find some awesome deals, tell me how you find these sites down below in the comments. 

Subscribe to my blog on the right side of my blog to never miss a post from me! ---------> 

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Instagram: @efyalauren
Twitter: @efyalaurenxox


Beauty Thursdays: ABH, Makeup Geek and much more


Hi guys! I'm starting on a new series. It's called beauty Thursdays's. It'll be the day I post all my beauty posts, so watch out for that every Thursday! This week is going to be on all of my new buys. I decided to step out of the drugstore range and try more high end products and try to get a better outcome and so far its working well for me. 

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow "Ebony"




I'm sorry for the quality of the pictures, but this product is as bomb as they say it is. It really is. Is it possible to be heavy handed with this product, apply too much and go overboard. If you do that make sure to use a concealer to go around it to carve out the perfect brow. I'll be showing you were I bought it in my next blog post. I'm wearing it in the above picture.

2. Makeup Geek Pressed Eye shadow pan "cocoa bear"

                      

I bought this beacause I needed a transition colour that matched my skin tone but a little coppery or reddish. I honestly couldn't find it anywhere. I got the idea of buying this from a beauty guru on Youtube called Destiny Lashae, she uses this for her transition colour most of the time and makes really pretty looks. I tried it out for myself and I really like it. I've tried it but I'm yet to show a proper look with it.

3. Colourpop matte Lip "Chi"

                     

I fell in love with this shade that I swatched, it looked so pretty on my skin however it was not right on my lip, so unfortunately I can't use it. I've even tried to use it with a lip liner but it still looked like I've just eaten a powdered doughnut.

4. Vital Full Cover Long wear concealer

This is not high end or even drugstore, I got it in Dalston Pacs - my hair store. It cost me £2.99 but right now it is my Holy grail! It is so amazing and the shade lighter than it is from my skin tone is just great for my highlight.

 

It creates an amazing highlight and I love it's outcome. The first picture is when I've set my highlight with a setting powder and the second one is when I haven't set. You can see, baking and setting is for more of a full coverage look rather than a casual day to day look but they're both from the same concealer! Just different finishes. I'm very tempted to go and look at this brand and buy more of their things.

5. LA Girl Matte Lip in DREAMER

I saw one of my favourite beauty guru's called Destiny Godly on youtube try this, so I went to buy it since me and her are like the legit same skin tone, I thought this can't go wrong. However when I got it and I swatched it I didn't like how it looked on me. So unfortunately I'm selling this back. 

Thank you guys so much for reading. Please stay tuned for my next post today which is about where I bought most of these things! 

Lauren x

Wednesday 13 July 2016

Leavers Tea/Prom 2016


Hi guys, I'm back with a colourful post about prom, how to get the look and generally how my prom went! I went to an all girls school hence why it was called a leavers tea rather than a prom. I was on a strict budget but I defo made it work and slayed at the same time! I'd just like to say you don't need so much to wow people!

The dress: 

I wanted to be different and where something that reflected my African culture so, I decided to get mine custom made. I bought the Kente fabric from Dalston market for £15 and it was six yards. I bought the white fabric from Walthamstow marker for £5. It was a stretchy fabric and I bought three yards. The seamstress that sewed it was called Juliet and she's a family friend. She sewed this lovely creation for just £30, it was my idea and she brought it to life! It is a mermaid dress with sections of African fabric. So all together the dress was £50.

Makeup:

I hired a makeup artist for my day, I didn't want the stress of doing it myself and possibly getting things wrong and delaying! It was a real trouble finding one that deals with darker skin tones such as mine, in the end I found a company called Virtue Glamor, they were really good and you can check them out and even book online here: virtueglamor.online. They cater for all skin tones and do hair too, which is great. I paid her £40 for what she did. So in total I went to prom on £90!



On the day:

I arrived at school around 10:45 even though the ceremony was supposed to start at 10:30 lol. We took pictures until around 11. We started the ceremony and heard different speeches. I also sang with my friend Tianna, that was followed by a buffet prepared by the school which was quite nice. Around 1.15 we went to the Thames to have a party on the river! It was really awesome and the boat had a lovely view. We partied until 6 and made our way back home. It was a great day.


Thank you so much for reading, I'm posting a "new buys" post next so watch out for that x

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Life Update




Hi blog! I know I've been away for ages, I'm done with exams so I decided to come back on the blog! I'm going to start with the life update so you guys all know whats up! So, I've been away for the whole of May and June busy with my exams. Lately I've been working on a lot of stuff.

Artwork:



I've been doing less fashion illustrations because of time but, I will make a new post showing the ones I have done. I'm also working with the company VIDA to make my own merchandise! There will be a post about that soon too. I haven't bought any new materials really. I still have the same markers (Copics, Promarkers and Brushmarkers - Winsor and Newton.

Music:


I've been listening to the same old artists (afrobeat artists). I love some of their new songs that have been released. Some are below:


Fuse ODG ft Badshah - Bombae
AIM ft Mr Silva - Mon'sa
Yemi Alade - ferarri
NSG - No Jamo Full Ghana
Korede Bello - One and only

I know i'm late but I have only just discovered Bryson Tiller? He is AMAZING!!! His music speaks to me and everyone of his songs has a meaning that I can relate to. I've been hooked on him this month. My favourite songs are; don't, exchange, right my wrongs and sorry not sorry.

Health and beauty:


I have ordered a lot of new products, when they all arrive i'm possibly going to do a big what's in my makeup bag video to kick off my Youtube because I definitely have cleared a lot of stuff out, sold a lot of stuff to people as well! So there is a big change from my last big blog post about it!

Relationships:

Okay, well this is awkward but I'm left with two main best friends lol. School ended and I don't see them a lot since then but it's all cool because we all still keep in touch!

General:

Summer's here and I generally haven't got much to do so I am looking for a job and that also means a lot more drawing and blogging!

Thanks for reading x

Thursday 14 April 2016

Revision!

So sorry to say guys, I'm off blogging until around the end of June. I have exams I need to revise for, therefore I can't blog. You may see one or two odd posts from me but not regularly.

Love you all, Lauren x

Thursday 7 April 2016

My go to party look: Makeup and Hair tutorial

Today I have a picture tutorial, it's been really long since I did one of these but this is my go to party look, I do this look when I don't have time before a special occasion and I need to think of something super fast! 


It's a purpally, red, gold smokey eye lol with my normal foundation routine. You can definitely mix and match with the colours and recreate this look but to hit the nail exactly I used the  Lorac Pro palette and MUA Academy undress me too palette. 

Lets get started! 

1. Prime time 


So for me, the first step is priming. You can use any primer you want. I have oily skin and after a while my foundation starts to look reaaaaaally shiny so, I use milk of magnesia which is God's gift to people with oily skin. It really helps to control oil. I let that really seap into my skin. In the bottom right picture I looked like I just slapped myself but lets continue guys :).

2. Eyebrows

Okay, so I start by using a spooley to brush my eyebrows and to make sure that all the hairs go in the same direction. I'm using the dual ended spooley and angle brush from Primark. To fill in my brows I'm using the second to darkest shade from a makeup revolution eye shadow palette but you can use whatever you want. Secret: I filled in with eye liner before - gel. 


3. Conceal and don't let them feel

Next up, use your concealer and angle brush (different to what you used to fill in the brows) I'm using LA Girl Pro conceal in the shade Dark Cocoa GC88. I like this colour, it's close to my skin tone and it gives a subtle highlight. I find the LA Girl applicator to be really heavy so I squeeze a little on my hand and use the angle brush. I line the underneath of my eyebrows and then blend the colour into my skin with the angle brush. I line the top too but that's totally optional.




4. Leftover concealer 

Use the leftover concealer as a base for your eye shadow by patting it onto your eyelids. If you don't like to get messy you can use brushes but I've always loved finger application! 


5. Proper eye shadow base. 

I'm using the Lorac behind the scenes eye shadow primer but you can use anything that's an eye shadow primer and just pat it into everywhere there will be eye shadow. Use a wet wipe to wipe of anywhere there shouldn't be eye shadow because it sticks easily to the primer. 


6. The actual eyeshadow! 

So first I'm going in with the colour taupe for my brow bone highlight. I just sweep this under the highest point of my brow which adds extra highlight. The I'm going to add my transition colour. This colour is a colour close to your skin tone which makes the blending a lot easier. My transition colour will be a lot different to yours, it depends on your undertone. I have some reds and oranges in my undertone so I use a little red with a brown. For my transition colour I'm using Garnet and Sable from the Lorac pro palette (Love this combo). As you can see - Garnet is my most used colour lol. I sweep that above my eyelid but not on it. The brush I'm using is a dual ended brush from the naked 3 palette from Urban Decay.


For the next part we are starting to add depth and dimension so for details we're using my dual ended brush from primark or just a pencil brush. I forgot to show which colour in the palette but for this we're using deep purple. Any dark purple will do. It's shiny by the way not matte. We're gonna make a few dots with it in the outer corner and the sweep into the crease creating a V shape. You end up with really harsh purple lines. Make sure you do it lower than the transition colour so you get a gradient but high enough so you still see the primer on the eyelid.


Next, I'm going back with naked 3 brush and using "deep purple" to blend out the colours so we don't have sharp lines. Then, get a shimmery Gold ready. My Gold is from the MUA undress me too palette which is like super super pigmented. 


Here's the fun part. Put your favourite gold all over your eyelid try not to get rid of the purple though. The best way to apply this is by wetting your brush. It makes the eye shadow stick instead of it flaking down onto your face.


Next, take something with a straight edge. I'm using my primer. Use your pencil brush to create another outer V using deep purple and black. and blend it inwards to about one third of the lid.


This is the extra fun part! Grab any gold glitter to intensify the look. I'm using a glitter eyeliner from an unknown brand called Rapsody, but you can buy these anywhere. Put this all over where the gold on the lid is. Then use your blending brush with no product on to blend it out. 



Optional: Line the eyes. My eyeliner was so odd it hurt but you know, never mind.


7. Concealer

Most people do this after their foundation but I find doing it before saves a lot of foundation. If you think about it, when you put foundation on your T zone, it's going to be covered by your concealer highlight so why not just put foundation on the parts not covered? I'm using my two La Girl Pro concealers in GC87 - Beautiful Bronze and GC86 - Chesnut. I highlight my T zone, which includes a little of my forehead, under eyes, bridge of nose, cupids bow area and chin. I use a foundation brush to pat down the concealer and spread it out. I find that going in straight away with a beauty blender really makes everything disappear. Eventually I do use a beauty blender to blend everything in. I use the B. Beauty blender.


8. Foundation

For my foundation I'm using two. Mac matchmaster foundation in NW50 and Makeup Forever foundation in the shade 185. Most of the areas I pump the makeup forever as that's closest to my skin tone. As it's a little darker, I put one pump of the mac one on each side to even out the colour. Don't be fooled guys, I had some really strong lighting going on which was making me look lighter lol. I use a beauty blender to blend that in and also blend into my neck. We defo want to avoid concealer creasing, smile lines, gravy lines and flashback so lets blend well lol.


9. Bake! 

I love this part of makeup, I think its so magical lol. Anyway I use the Ben nye translucent powder in Chesnut and normal baby powder. Strange right? I mentioned the two in my last haul so please check that out. When I mix the two I get a great highlight colour. I use a makeup wedge/sponge and just apply it to wherever I put concealer and the term bake implies we leave it for a while. This stuff is incredibly strong, so I don't leave it for long but, I'm going to go and do my contour then return.


10. Contour 

For my contour I'm using the La Girl pro concealer in the shade GC89 - Mahogany (the darkest colour). Not much different from my skintone but I will later go over it. I contour the hollows of the cheeks, hair line and nose and sometimes cupids bow. The bottom two pictures are just me wiping of the powder.

I've wiped the powder off now I'm using my beauty blender to blend the rest of the contour. For my nose the beauty blender is too big so I used the brush that came with the smash box double exposure palette to blend my nose contour. 


As mahogany doesn't do much for my skin, I use the fashion fair finishing powder in earth as more contour, in the same places.

11. Blush

For blush I'm using this totally unknown blush with two colours. I'm using the darker red because the pink is a no go for people with my skin tone. I'm putting this just above my contour. 


12.  Mascara

I don't do this straight away because I like the eyes to chill a bit before I do any more so I do everything else and then come back to it. I'm using the 3D Fibre last duo from younique. It's a multiple step process to get your lashes looking how their adverts look lol. In case you have this, firstly apply their transplanting gel as a normal mascara then add the moodstruck fibres and repeat this step until you get the desired lash length and style. If you have the time to really get your lash style, perfect natural looking alternative to falsies, if not then falsies are good too. I just couldn't find mine lol.


12. Makeup finally done, onto hair! 

Firstly I brush out the hair to get rid of knots. and then tie it into a little bun. My hair was relaxed a week ago so this is much easier to do. 


Use any gel, I'm using eco-styler which is £1.99 from most Afro-Caribbean hair shops. I'm putting it on the edges around my hairline and just letting it sit there. Then, I'm going to brush my hair back which slicks the edges down with the gel. Then I brush out my hair piece and attach it on :). 




Our Finished look: 




Wow! That was long. I hope you guys enjoyed this and comment on any tips I could use in my makeup. If you like these tips of posts please comment if you could like to see more! 

Song of the day: Fuse ODG ft Joey B and Wretch 32 - Tingo

Lauren x