Workout Make Up

Hey Hey Everyone!

So you might have read this title and thought - Is she crazy make up for the gym?
Well I don't think I'd go as far as crazy buuuttttttt .....

Now I'm not the kind of girl who cant set foot out the door without having done the whole hair and make up routine, I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin but I do like to don a bit of make up for my workouts.

I'm not just heading to the gym going solo on a treadmill for 30 minutes then heading home. The gym is a rather social event for me I do group classes with roughly 50 - 75 other women and I go to these with some of my best friends and colleagues and often see other people I know there on a regular basis so I do like to look vaguely presentable.

Don't get me wrong I far from head out in a full face of make up, eyeliner, lipstick that sort of thing but here is what I do tend to wear.

I like to start with a great moisturiser before hand especially today when I haven't wore make up all day so it really got chance to sink in - for this kind of super charged moisture goodness I opted for Elemis Maximum Moisture Day Cream.

The base products I opted for were Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer - oil free in Porcelain. I feel like this has the best coverage of all the tinted moisturisers which I have tried, I usually apply this with my hands but today used the Real Techniques Buffing Brush and I think it actually gives better coverage this way. For the areas where I require slightly more coverage (chin, under eye and around the nose) I added the tiniest amount of MAC's Studio Finish Concealer in NC15 this concealer for me is a oldie but a goodie! I absoloutly love it as a all rounder concealer, this must be about my 4th pot of it!                         

For eyes I slicked on one layer of Soap and Glory's Thick and Fast Mascara which is one of those no fuss 'does what it says on the tin' kind of products - mines on its way out of mascara life though so the results aren't as great as usual!

For Brows I filled them in slightly with Rimmel London's Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 002 Hazel again some people may think that filling in brows for a workout is a bit excessive but for me eyebrows are a important part of my base make up - I fill them in every single day no matter what i'm doing I really feel they give your face shape and definition and it takes me a matter of seconds to fill in with this product! Whilst this isn't a product I reach for on a daily basis as I prefer wax's and powders it does the trick.

Finally for a hint of colour to my face I added Collection's Shimmer shades in 1. Way to Glow a blusher bronzer and highlighter in one! I literally adore this and its under £5 absolute must buy in my opinion - I swirled around my Real Techniques Blush Brush over the peachy and highlighter colours and added to my cheeks for a subtle glow. Finally I added some Lip balm in the form of a light pink tinted moisturiser from MAC which I haven't got the name of and cant find online, it must be super old stock!  It give a lovely hint of colour but i find my lips get super dry at the gym so a moisturiser is a must!

I hope you enjoyed this post as I keep saying I am very new to the whole blogging world so would really appreciate any help and support in feedback! Probably the easiest way to follow my blog at present would be to Bookmark it and keep checking back as I don't have a Subscribe button yet.

Also check out my YouTube Channel also for Beauty, Clothing and Lifestyle videos - there is a new video going live as this Blog post does! It's the same as this blog - katiesfaceandcloset

Girls Trip to Oxford

Hellloooo Everyone!

So this past weekend me and my two best friends from high school (who I am still incredibly close to and spend a large majority of my time with) decided to take a road trip to Oxford all in the name of FASHION!!!

I have been absolutely desperate to go to Bicester Village which for those of you who don't know is a shopping outlet village just a few miles from Oxford. I live fairly close to one of the other outlet villages in the North West of the country but after looking on the Bicester website I realised that that had many many more high end stores. the like of Gucci, YSL, Tory Birch, Dior, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Reiss, Cath Kidston, Celine, Fendi, Kate Spade and Mulberry to name just a few!

So naturally once I realised it was in fact only a 2-3 hour drive from where I lived the girls were texted, the hotel was booked and my mini was loaded up before I could say 'I'm meant to be saving for America'!

What a lovely few days it was! Day One we went straight to the shopping outlet from the drive, then to the hotel for a short power nap then back out to a lovely restaurant at the village. Day Two saw us wander around Oxford having some lovely food and admiring all the beautiful architecture of this old University City.

Here are some pictures from my trip, I hope you enjoy .....


Day 1 - A last minute cup of tea before the journey - its obviously far too early for the cat to wake.

My comfortable shopping/unpredictable weather outfit!

Black oversized top / Topshop Link to Top  Leggings / Topshop Link to Leggings  Oversized Scarf / Primark  Faux leather cropped jacket / H&M Link to Jacket   Handbag / Mulberry Alexa Link to Handbag

Face of the day - winged eyeliner and pinky red lips

Condensed packing - Medium Longchamp Bag and Cath Kidston Travel Make up / Toiletry bag

Tank full now time to pick up the girls (lucky fish charm is coming - this was a gift from Charlotte from her time in China)

Breakfast to go thanks to Charlotte - Brioche, breakfast biscuits, yoghurts, fruit juice and apples! mmm

I CANNOT be trusted shopping, picked up this absolute beauty which I've had my eye on but with a saving - win win eh?!

Ohhhh the excitement of my new purchase - Jess just had to Instagram it!!!

Time for dinner after a long hard days shop! (L) Charlotte (R) Jesss

Dinner at Busaba Eathai - Thai Restaurant - I had Smoked Chicken Noodles and a Homemade Lemonde mmmmm

Day 2 - Good Morning Oxford

A stunning breakfast at Bill's - Pancakes with Blueberries, Strawberries and Maple Syrup, cup of tea and some apple juice!  http://www.bills-website.co.uk/locations.html

Wandering the lovely streets

 

Wandering ...

Day 2 Outfit - White oversized top / Topshop  Cardigan / H&M  Scarf / from a shop in the Undercover Market in Oxford  Leigh Jeans / Topsop  Handbag / Prada  Boots / Matalan (I am unable to find links to any of these items - most are a season old)

Oh go away rain!!!

Emergency umberella purchase

So thats it for my weekend in Oxford - hope youve enjoyed this post - it's a really nice post for me to put together!

I am up and running with my YouTube account now and my most recent video is a 'Whats in my bag?' featuring my new bag purchase so be sure to go over there, view and subscribe!

Katie's Face and Closet YouTube

So until next time,

xoxo Katie

Springtime In The UK Outfit Of The Day

Well Hellooooooo Everyone!

So has Spring Sprung here in the UK? The weather is still very mixed but is going slightly warmer and although were having some rain the sun appears to be shining through much more often than we are used to! So this has prompted me to share with you a Spring Outfit Of The Day!

Neon Pink Oversized Jumper - Matalan
Light Blue Jeans - Topshop Leigh Jeans
Rose Gold Ballet Pumps - Oasis
Light Grey/Mink handbag - Prada
3 Spike Silver and Rose Gold Necklace - Topshop
Square Rose Gold Bracelet & Round Gold Bracelet - Forever 21
Rose Gold and Silver Boyfriend Style Watch - ASOS



This outfit can also be seen in my latest video 'Whats in my Handbag' over on my YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR-tiFDfJn8m0UJ56T36r5w

Speak to you all soon!

Neutral Nails Trend

Well good evening girlies!

I hope you've had a fantastic Friday and what a lovely short week it's been!!!

Today is quite a quickish post as again today i've been running around doing errands, seeing family and friends and just generally having a lovely day!

So this is my take on the 'Mannequin nails' look has been on for a few days and is still in pretty darn good condition so I thought it deserved a little post!

Step 1:

 

My favourite method of removing any traces of old varnish is the Bourjois Paris Dissolvant Miraculeux. It removes all traces and as it says very very quickly! It is most definitely the laziest make up remover ever but makes the nails feel very nourished and it doesn't smell too bad either!

Step 2:

I settled on this Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Lychee 312 for two reasons really 1) I really wanted a very neutral nail and 2) I was desperate to try these Gelly nail paints as a shell fiend!

I found that two coats was ok but felt the third gave it the more dramatic look - it is very very pale I feel it would look lovely with a tan! It is almost a clay type colour very very lovely and on trend at the moment!

Step 3:

Finally I added a layer of the Seche Vite Dry fast Top Coat this is a new purchase of mine and even after only a couple of uses I think it is fantastic! It dries super fas (hence the name i guess) and also leaves a lovely shine on the nail! The colour varnish didn't necessarily need a gloss over but it was more for the fast drying properties that I went ahead with a layer of this.

So above is the finished look, please let me know what you think as I'm aware this nail trend isn't really to everyones taste!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend and speak to you all soon!!!

xoxo Katie 

Everyday Hair and Makeup

Well good afternoon everyone! hope your all having a good day.

I decided to ease myself in gently with a everyday type post today.

This is a post i enjoy reading about myself so i thought what better to do.

Today I had a few short but nice plans; popping to see some family and friends, calling into a few shops, going to a appointment, seeing some more family and shortly going to the gym (although I may remove my make up for the latter.

Above is my getting ready set up, sat at my dressing tables, easy access to all my makeup in Muji storage and brushes in their containers and generally I will be catching up with various beauty bloggers YouTube videos - or their personal 'follow me round' channels

To start, I ALWAYS wash my hands the second before i start applying my makeup, I generally use brushes to apply everything but I think having clean hands is as important as having a clean face at this point.

I do switch up my daily moisturiser/primer but currently I've been loving the Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer - it took me ages to track down but was well worth the hassle in doing so! it is very cheap and does the job really well, it is a gel like consistency which is unusual at first.

For my base routine I have recently started using Revlon Colorstay 24hr foundation in shade 110 Ivory for combination to oily skin (my nose and chin tend to get oily throughout the day with the rest of my face being dry for the most part. The Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup in 01 Creamy Ivory is technically a foundation but I use it to gain maximum coverage in those areas where my makeup slides throughout the day and even though this is only my 2nd day of use I already feel it is going to be one of my forever products (big statement). To all of that I add a sweep of the Benefit Erase Paste in No 1 Fair and a dusting of Rimmel London's Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder in Transparent and my base is complete!

 

I enjoy a bit of a statement brow but nothing to 'Scouse' so to accentuate what I've got (thanks to the Benefit Brow Bar which I go to regularly for a wax and tint) I use Benefits BROWzings in Light added to that a sweep of Elf's wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara and they're good to go.

 

For my Cheeks and highlight I've recently been loving this mixture of products - Dainty Doll Nicola Roberts line for fair skinned girls (hallelujah!!!) Powder blush in 004 this is a gorgeous bright pink blush with lashings of gold shimmer running through, after applying that to my apples i add a sweep of MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle to the tops of my cheek bones and temple area (and occasionally under the brow)

My eye makeup is generally pretty standard I use a neutral base - this 17 Metallic Toffee Trio is perfect for me as it has the two neutral cream and bronze based golds which I use everyday or I can add some of the darker shade for a slightly more dramatic but still very daytime look. I then slick on a super thin line with a flick and this L'Oreal Super Liner perfect slim in intense black these two paired with the Maybelline the rocket volume express mascara give a lovely deep dark look to the lashes and lash line.

 

Finally a slick of Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 025 Peach Parfait and I'm good to go for the day!

Below are also the brushes I use on a daily basis - generally I use Real Technique ones for the Face and MAC for the eyes

Thanks so much for reading and leave a comment with what types of posts you would like me to continue doing - I'm about to write a ideas list! And please let me know if you use any of these products and what you think of them or if you would like me to review any of them!

Bye for now

xoxo Katie