Top 6 MAC Grey/Smoky Eyeshadows

After recently posting my Top 6 MAC Neutral Eyeshadows  I thought I would share with you my top grey  shades which are perfect for achieving that subtle smokey eye but can also look very natural if you don't want to go overboard. Keep reading to see what I've put in my top 6!

I’ve been collecting MAC eyeshadows for a while now and I love pan refills. Not only are they cheaper but they’re a lot easier to transport around in a palette. Grey colours are so easy to use in a smoky eye and also go well with so many different colours. There are so many different makeup looks to create with grey and darker shades.

Annoyingly I have no idea what shade the first grey colour I own is. The name has rubbed off the bottom! If anyone has any ideas what this could be, please let me know! This mystery grey is the lightest grey in my palette and perfect to use as a base colour all over the lid. I will then blend this up into the crease and add one of the darker shades as a transitioning colour. The next colour is copperplate which is a slightly deeper shade than the mystery one. This is the perfect crease shade and blends like a dream. I’d describe the colour as a light-medium grey with a hint of brown, similar to a mushroom.  This matte colour also looks lovely under the eyes. The third colour in the below photo is Print and this has more of a satin finish. This colour is much darker and also works well in the crease and is perfect for a night out where you want to have a more dramatic smoky eye look. Print smudges out so easily and is so blendable. It has a hint of sparkle but essentially is mainly a matte shade.

Onto the three deeper smoky shades if you’re looking for a grey that is subtle but buildable then you need Smut in your palette. Smut is a cool-toned shade which does appear to be a browny-grey and I love the name of it! The next shade I have is Typographic which is a dark grey and applies so smooth. I use this on my outer corner and it blends so well. I tend to use this alongside Carbon when I want a super dramatic smoky eye look. Carbon is the final eyeshadow in this series and it’s the perfect matte black shade. It’s such a handy addition to my palette and it can be used to deepen other shades and it’s so easy to control. It’s easily blended if you apply too much and not heavily pigmented so you look like a panda. I think everyone needs a basic matte black eyeshadow in their makeup collection.

Do you have any other eyeshadow suggestions for me to add to my palette? Would you like to see more makeup collection posts? Let me know in the comments.

Top 6 MAC Neutral Eyeshadows

My favourite eyeshadows are MAC ones and I often buy pan refills for my palette. I was recently stuck for blog ideas so thought I would share with you some of my favourite MAC Neutral shades and I hope to follow this blog post with my favourite grey and shimmer colours if this one goes down well. I couldn’t pick at top 5, so here are my top 6 neutral matte shades, perfect for simple and smoky eyes!

(L-R Brule, Omega, Wedge, Charcoal Brown, Brun, Corduroy)

Each eyeshadow for me has its purpose. A lot of them look very similar from the offset but they are all different in their own ways. As you can see I am a big fan of Brulé, this is the second refill I have purchased as I absolutely love using this as a neutral base every day. Although it is the lightest colour I don’t tend to use it as a highlight. Omega is the next eyeshadow I recommend and the colour is a soft light brown with a matte finish. I use this in my crease or under the eye. It is also a great eyebrow colour for people with fair hair. Wedge is again slightly darker than Omega and I also use this in my crease to create the illusion of a natural shadow. It’s a great natural brown colour and a great transitional shade.

Charcoal Brown and Brun are very similar shades but both different in their own right. I love using both of these colours on my brows but also as crease colours to really deepen the shadow. Charcoal Brown is a natural colour and stays put all day and looks great in the outer-V of the eye. Brun is a slightly deeper brown but is a little bit harder to work into the crease. It doesn’t seem to blend as nicely as Charcoal Brown but it does the job on my brows. Corduroy is the deepest brown shade that I own and is great blended out into the crease if you want a smoky eye but don’t want to go dramatic with a dark black colour. 

What are your favourite neutral eyeshadow colours?

How I Deep Clean my Make up Brushes

I hate cleaning my make up brushes, it is such a chore however an important routine that needs to be done. If you don't clean your brushes, they pick up bacteria and each day this festers in the bristles of the brush and you ultimately end up smearing the bacteria across your face. Unless you want to be using dirty bacteria filled brushes every day, then it is a task that must be completed every so often.

It is important to give your brushes a deep clean now and again to rid this bacteria. It can do your skin the world of good. I usually clean my brushes every 2 weeks minimum, if for some reason I can't wash them in this time frame, I definitely start to notice my skin start breaking out.

Firstly, I lay all of my brushes out ready to be cleaned, and get a towel ready to lay them on after they have been washed.

I then dampen them with slightly warm water. I then use this face exfoliator pad that I picked up in Primark for around £1.50. I used to clean my brushes on the palm of my hand but I hated how wrinkly my hands used to get and this little tool has helped me no end. The great thing is this little silicone pad can suction to your sink so you don't even need to get your hands wet. You can hold it if that makes it easier.

I pop a small amount of Johnson's Baby Shampoo onto the pad and swirl the brush across the rubber bristles. I then rinse the brush once more in water and repeat this step until the water rinses clean. You can really see the difference between a clean brush and a dirty one!

I then squeeze out any excess water, and leave to dry flat overnight on a towel. It is important to dry these flat because if you stand them upright in a brush holder, some water can trickle down and loosen the glue that holds the brush fibers into place. When dried naturally, they keep their shape.

This is such a quick task and one that definitely needs fitting into your routine. Make up brushes are expensive, so it's important to take care of them. I hope this post has helped.

How do you clean your brushes?

MAC - Velvet Teddy Review

I've been forever envious of Kylie Jenner's lipstick and the way she pulls off nude shades so well, so I recently bought the well-known matte nude from MAC in Velvet Teddy which is a pretty close match to what Kylie has been seen wearing. With the nude-lip trend still in full swing I couldn't wait to get my hands on this.

This is the perfect nude shade for me, and although it is in matte it's not too drying at all.

I lined my lips with Rimmel Last Finish 1000 Kisses lip liner in Tiramisu then applied a quick sweep of the Velvet Teddy. This is definitely going to be one to re-purchase. I love it!

Apologies for my awkward photo. I haven't quite got the hang of taking pictures of myself.

Outfit of the Night - Christmas Party

Just thought I'd share with you my outfit for my work's Christmas meal last week. I had a really fun time, ate loads of food and drank too much wine.

Shoes - New Look
Replica Disco Pants - Republic (Glamorous)
Sheer sleeveless shirt - Select
Belt - Primark
Jewellery - New Look

Make-up
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - 1C Shell
MAC Studio Fix Conceiler
Laura Mercier Translucent Powder
Sleek Contour Kit
MAC blush in Melba
HD Brow Kit
MAC Eyeshadows in Wedge & Brulé
Soap & Glory Liquid Eyeliner
Yves Rocher Lipstick in Frambois
Primark Eyelashes

How Much is My Face Worth?

I recently saw this post on Nelipott’s blog and thought it was an interesting one to do. It also made me realise I spend way too much money on make-up and will definitely be looking for alternatives. I use different make-up every day, but here is a standard days worth. And yes, I do wear a LOT!

Liz Earle Moisturiser £16.25 // Porefessional by Benefit £23.50 // Maybelline BB Cream £6 // Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation £21 // Mac Studio Fix Conceiler £14 // Bare Minerals Face Powder £16 // Stay Matte Face Powder £4 // Sleek Contour Kit £6.50 // Mac blusher in Melba £13.50 // HD Brow Kit £25 // Urban Decay eye Primer £14.50 // Mac Wedge Eyeshadow £12 // Mac Brun Eyeshadow £12 // Soap and Glory Eyeliner £6 // White pencil Eyeliner (Generic) - £1.00 // Yves Rocher Sexy Pulp Mascara £8.45 // Glossybox Lipstick £7.00 // Lipcote £3.60

Applied With:
Real Techniques Buffing Brush
Real Techniques Contour Brush
Real Techniques Small Brush  - Core collection £21.99
Eco Tools Big Powder Brush £10
Models Own Powder Brush £10
Revlon Eyebrow Brush £3.99
Mac 217 £17
Elf eye Definer Brush £1.50

Total:  £274.78

Oh dear. How much is your face worth?