Author: lisaralphmua

Professional Makeup Artist

Some thing’s to consider when choosing your Wedding Day Lipstick ♡

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For some Bride’s, choosing their Wedding Day Lipstick will be their most thought about element of their bridal makeup. 

Often in bridal magazines and on  website’s it will list endless amount’s of lipstick and to be honest it can be extremely overwhelming!

Nine time’s out of ten during a bridal trial, my “bride to be” will request a nude lip. 

While I do love a nude lip, I also feel that sometimes on your wedding day it is nice to have a hint of colour!

Take for example Mac Cosmetics Soar lipliner and Mac Cosmetics Modesty Lipstick as shown in the picture’s. As you can see by the picture’s it isn’t an intense colour but it does add balance and warmth to the overall makeup. Often your lipstick can make your eyes look brighter and teeth look whiter!

Sometimes a nude lipstick won’t add enough contrast in a picture ,especially if the picture is taken from a distance. Of course in the brighter month’s of the year I may use a lighter tone than Modesty but I have found this shade to be a go to on duller day’s.

Also by using Soar lipliner to line the lip it makes the finish of Modesty a touch pinker.

Another thing to consider is the finish of your Lipstick. While a matte finish will always last longer it may not sit as nice on your lip’s as say a satin or creamsheen finish?!

 Sure if you live in a country where the climate is warmer (lucky you) I’d say go with a matte lipstick , you can always add a little gloss for extra shine or dimension.

But if you suffer from dry or flaky lip’s, either spend time on the week’s prior getting your lip’s as smooth as possible. ( Tips – Stay hydrated, use a lip scrub, apply a lip conditioner ( not Vaseline) apply Vaseline as a barrier if outdoor’s in cold weather or in the pool to protect against chlorine) , or simply opt for a satin , creamy finish lipstick.

Lastly don’t be afraid to ask the Makeup Artist’s working on counter, these girl’s know the popular bridal lipstick’s within their brand and will be happy to show you them. Play around, experiment and don’t be afraid of a little colour. You could surprise yourself!

Thanks for reading!

Much love, 

Lisa

Natural Bridal Inspired Makeup | Skin Focused

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Well firstly CONGRATULATIONS!! I take it if your reading this you may be engaged to be married, eekk!!

 If not no worries, as this look is perfect for any occasion!

With Bridal Makeup two of the main things to think about is “Will it photograph well” and “Will it last all day”??  Pictured above are products that I have tried and tested many times before and can completely and honestly recommend!

Okay, so even if you never used a primer in your life, your wedding day is not the day to forget it!! One of my favourites is MAC Natural Base Lumiere this product will brighten and illuminate the skin without adding to much glow, making it suitable for both oily/dry skin types.

So call me extra but I use two primers (its your wedding day after all). The second one being BENEFIT The Professional, now if you follow me on Instagram  (username lisaralphmakeupartist ) you will know I am a massive fan of this product. A pea sized amount will smooth over any open pores/ fine lines leaving a flawless base to begin applying your foundation.

Lots of people have their favourite foundation’s and I too chop and change between a couple of fave’s. However one that has never let me down, that lasts all day without developing shine is Estee Lauder Doublewear. Now I think this foundation has got a bad rap in the past, but if you moisturise and prime your skin properly and most of all don’t use too much product this foundation is beautiful, after all it is one of the world’s bestselling foundation’s!!

Today I used my Inglot Undereye concealer which is lovely and lightweight and isn’t too drying. If however you have a darker undereye area Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer has a little more coverage.

I don’t use powder to set the Estee Lauder foundation as it sets to a matte finish itself however I make sure to set my undereye concealer and my t-zone because I have combination skin. For this it has to be MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural my favourite powder ever! A beautiful lightweight powder with a natural matte finish that doesn’t leave the skin feeling cakey or heavy.

So lets talk brows, as a makeup artist I do find its an area where people get a little nervous but trust me a well groomed brow can do wonders for the face especially in pictures!  For the last 3 weeks I have used the Bperfect Brow kit in Chocolate everyday and I am loving it, it adds colour and definition with being overly structured, and the fact that it is Irish is even better!

Now to add some warmth and contour to the face BENEFIT Hoola Bronzer is a serious go-to for me. Great for most skin tones this bronzer isn’t too warm making it perfect for contouring those Victoria Beckham cheekbones.

Blush is personal, some like a lot some like a little..some like pinks some like peaches..a great in between shade is Warm Soul from Mac Cosmetics this will add a just the right amount of colour with a little glow too.

The next product is a new one for me, I was kindly gifted the Cailyn Ireland O! Highlight Palettes 2 weeks ago, and I have used it everyday since. This highlight is great for Bridal and photography as it isn’t too OTT. On your wedding day highlight is a beautiful way to accentuate high cheek bones, cupids bow etc. however because of flash photography refrain from going too mad with the highlight. Less is more on your wedding day!

Lastly lips! Again VERY personal. I recommend trying out different lipsticks & shades up until your wedding day to see what suits you?! A classic combo that I use would be Mac Soar lipliner paired with Mac Brave Lipstick. This combo is a soft pink that provides just the right amount of colour without being too strong. I could spend a lot of time on lip choice and will hopefully blog about this again soon.

Lastly you want to set it all in place for this one of my faves is Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray. Spritz over the entire face to seal the deal.

I quickly want to mention the embellished top that I am wearing as I think it is perfect for a pre-wedding dinner, hen night or day after party! The detail is beautiful and I will add a link here if your interested x

Thanks for reading, and I hope this has given you some help as I know wedding planning is pretty hard core.

Until next time,

Much Love

Lisa x

MAKEUP FAVOURITE ♡ ESTEE LAUDER LIGHT FOUNDATION 

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Hi ladies, so today I am sharing my thought’s on one of my favourite foundation’s which is Estee Lauder’s Doublewear LIGHT. It’s one that I find isn’t talked about a lot but I really do like it, I will pop a link HERE

The key word here being “light”. Unlike its fuller coverage sister product “Doublewear” this one has a more light to medium coverage. Which I like, ALOT!

I found this foundation perfect for daytime as it’s not too heavy on the skin but still adds nice coverage to even out the skin tone and lasts all day too!! 

I usually only need just over a pea sized amount, maybe two depending on my skin condition. (If it’s that time of the month ladies, you know?!)

 

My personal favourite brush to apply it is the @blankcanvascosmetics F20 which you can find HERE. It’s kabuki style bristles make it perfect for a seemless blend.

The foundation itself has a lovely matte finish so it doesn’t require a lot of powder especially if you have dry skin, however if your a combination queen like me go ahead and set that t-zone! 
My personal favourite powder to set the foundation has to be @maccosmetics Mineralize Skin Finish. A fab powder that sets the skin to a beautiful semi matte finish. Definitely one of my all time favourite’s again! I usually  get my MAC products instore from Brown Thomas, or online HERE.

Well that’s just about it for this one ladies, I hope some of you find this helpful!! I also would love to hear if anyone else has tried it so please comment below..
Much love,

Lisa x

My most have Hair Tools to keep my Hair Healthy!

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Hi Everyone, today I going to chat to you about a few hair tools and accessories I use to help keep my hair in the best condition possible.

So first off I have quite thick long hair and I would say it’s quite a dry texture. Now while my hair is thick the hair itself is fine. So I find I prefer to use Volumising Shampoos otherwise my hair can be flat/limp which I hate.

So first up is-

JOICO Shampoo & Conditioner (BODY LUXE) 

I always used to use S & P from the chemist or Supermarket but lately I just found my hair was just lifeless and really bothering me. So my I asked my friend who is a hairdresser is it worth the extra money she said definitely as a lot of the cheaper S&P are filled with bulking agents and silicone that can coat the hair and way it down overtime.

I have been using this range for over a month now and I have really found a difference, one in particular is that my scalp feels healthier as mad as that sounds. After a good scrub in the shower my hair feels so light when dry but still has good body. Also I used to never really condition my hair ( I know how bold am I?) Because it would get greasy so fast but I find with this one it doesn’t!

It smells fab and gives a lovely shine, so I defiantly will continue using it!

The next product is..

THE WET BRUSH

This baby is amazing, having thick hair I have too many memories of my mother “pulling the head of me”  when brushing out my hair,Ouch! This brush has really fine bristles that brush through knots like no other, if I lost this brush I would definitely go out and get another straight away. If you hair thick or unruly hair you need this in your life.

Next up is..

PARLUX 3200 COMPACT

My hairdryer is over 7 years old and it’s still going strong!  Having thick/long hair it takes forever to dry but not with this. These are professional hairdryers but they are so worth the price because they last forever. It have unreal power and also has heat settings and a cool hair button to help close seal/pores. 10/10

Lastly are these..

HAIR BOBBLES

I love these for tieing up my hair, they look a little weird but these guys don’t break or damage the hair when you tie it up. Also one thing I love about these when I sleep at night I like to tie my hair up from my face neck and with these it does not mark or dent my hair when I take it down in the morning which is great!! I don use “normal” hair ties anymore.

*In the pic above I curled my hair with the Babyliss Curling Wand which is available  HERE.

Will that’s it guys, the products and accessories I love at the moment, I will pop links below to where I got mine, thank you all for reading!💋

Joico Shampoo and Conditioner I picked up at Redz Hair Design and Beauty Bar.

The Wet Brush is available HERE.

My Hairdryer you can find here at BEAUTYBAY.

Hair Bobbles can be found in most hair salons and PENNEYS/PRIMARK.