London Haul

Since I haven't been too consistent with my recent blogs as a result of many things, I thought I'd ease myself back in by sharing with you what I purchased during my weekend in London. 

The first thing I bought over the weekend were these sunglasses from Diesel. I've wanted to buy myself a gorgeous pair for a while and since I had some left over birthday money, I decided to splurge on a more high end pair. These haven't left my face all weekend and I'm near on obsessed with them! The sunglasses are available in black but I decided to go with the brown as they are a lot less harsh on the face.

The next thing I purchased was this beautiful candle from Anthropologie. I was instantly drawn to the gorgeous glass details and the scent definitely did not disappoint. The scent is Mokara Orchid, White Lily Spring Moss and I thought it's elegant, fresh aroma would be perfect for the spring time.

Sunday morning took my mum and I to Regent Street and whilst browsing in Juicy Couture I picked up this really gorgeous sports bra. I was a little sceptical about it since I didn't see the need to spend money on something you simply sweat in, but I was really really happy with the fit, which is something I find quite difficult when I'm looking for bras. The bra itself is halter neck and zips in the front, so it is extremely comfortable. I'm not sure what it is but something about brightly coloured gym wear is extremely motivating and a little extra incentive to exercise never goes amiss! 

The last two things I purchased over the weekend were lip products from Charlotte Tilbury. Red lip products are something I ALWAYS gravitate to - lip glosses, however, are not. I've never been one for a glossy lip, mostly because in not a fan of the sticky consistency but my Mum has raved about Charlotte Tilbury, so I thought I'd try one on at the concession. I adore the way this lip gloss goes on, it's extremely smooth and for someone who hates lip gloss, I am in love with this one! The colour of gloss is extremely pigmented and I was really happy with the way it looked with my skin tone. 

The lip liner caught my eye for a similar reason, it's smooth consistency was extremely obvious from just looking at it and after trying it, I was definitely not disappointed! 

I'm sure some of these products, if not all, will be making an appearance in my favourites this month! Let me know what you got up to over the weekend and if there's anything I should try out. 

Frankie x 

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Fashion Week Beauty Trend - "No Makeup" Makeup - Achieving Glowing Skin

All over the various fashion weeks that have been taking place over the last few weeks, I have noticed the sudden surge in the "no makeup" makeup trend. Natural, glowing skin and minimalistic makeup was featured all over fashion week and since I love a more natural look, I was very excited to see that "no makeup" was well and truly in this spring. Unfortunately, most people are not blessed with perfectly clear, glowing skin, but using just a few products and simple tricks, youthful, fresh skin is achievable for just about anyone. 

Ports, Milan Fashion Week

With a minimal amount of light contouring and highlight, the Ports show featured seemingly bare faced models whilst maintaining a striking face by making the facial bone structure the focus of this look.

Balmain, Paris Fashion Week

At Balmain, raw, natural beauty was key. Using only moisturiser and small amounts of concealer, where needed, the Balmain models sported a virtually bare face, allowing their natural beauty to be showcased - an ethos I was very happy to see.

Marni, Milan Fashion Week

The makeup featured at the Marni show epitomized the words 'pretty' and 'innocent'. Fresh skin was key here, with rosy cheeks taking centre stage. The very lightly contoured cheekbones kept the face looking slender, and prevented the round face that pink cheeks can often create. The coral toned cheeks, and matching lip colours, softened the face and kept the look pretty and feminine. Combined with a subtle highlight, the model's face looked beautifully natural and glowing.

This look could not be easier to emulate, with a dewy base and light contouring, the 'no makeup' makeup takes no skill to recreate. To start, a well moisturised face is essential. I like to apply moisturiser twice a day and a serum every night. Since I have naturally dry skin, a serum is something I find extremely helpful as it penetrates deeper into the skin than an ordinary moisturiser. Recently, I've been using a moisturiser from Nuxe and a serum from Ahava.

Like pretty much all makeup, you want it to last for as long as possible, so after my moisturiser I've been using this Vitamin Enriched Face Base from Bobbi Brown. I love how easily this product goes on and it really easily creates a really smooth base and makes it so much easier to get the natural 'no makeup' finish that we're trying to recreate.

For a base, I'm once again using my Two Faced Beauty Balm that I've mentioned many times in previous blog posts. I think a BB cream or tinted moisturiser is definitely the best way to get the natural, dewy finish that was all over the runways at fashion week. Different BB creams have different finishes, do you definitely want to pick out one that has a dewy finish as opposed to a more matte one. Getting the correct colour is also essential for this look as there is nothing natural about an orange face.

Equally, an oily face is not the look we're going for so be sure to set your nose, chin and forehead with a powder. I like to avoid my cheeks as I don't get particularly oily throughout the day and I find that it is easier to create a natural glow by leaving out my cheekbones. However, if you have oilier skin, do apply powder where necessary and just add in extra highlight when we get to it. The powder I'm using is the Studio Fix Powder Foundation from MAC.

The next step is bronzer. In the pictures above, the models didn't have overly contoured faces but their bone structure was still emphasized. I'm using this bronzer duo from Clarins for the pretty pink undertones, in both colours. Starting with the lighter of the two colours, I like to apply bronzer to my cheekbones and blend it into the apples of my cheeks to start to build up the rosy glow that the models were wearing. Now taking the darker of the two colours, I tend to go ahead and contour my cheekbones, temples and very lightly my jawline, making sure to blend it down to my neck to keep it looking natural.

The last product I'll be applying on my cheeks is this shimmer brick from Bobbi Brown in the colour 'Pink Quartz'. It has lovely pink tones, like the bronzer, as well as darker browns to make it look very natural when used as a highlight. I like to apply this along my cheekbones and blend it into the apples of cheeks. This step should really emphasize the cheekbones without being too shimmery. 

To add an extra bit of brightness to my face, I've been applying a light champagne shadow into the inner corners of my eyes, just to make me look more fresh and awake. The colour I'm using is a Sephora shadow in the colour 'Peach Beige'.

At this point I'd lightly fill in my brows and apply mascara, but since that is a fairly standard procedure, I didn't feel the need to include it. 

To ensure this makeup stays on all day, I've been using my setting spray from a brand called Pretty. I have been loving this product to set my makeup and think it is an amazing, and much cheaper, dupe of the Urban Decay spray, that I loved. 

I'd love to hear what trends you've noticed on the runway this season, so definitely let me know if there's anything you've been loving.

Frankie x

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