SOFT BRIDAL/WEDDING MAKE UP

This is a perfect look for any kind of day time event. It can be worn with any colour and suits everybody! I used Bobbi Brown LongWear Oil Free Foundation and Mac's Light Correct and Conceal Pro Palette for the base before filling in the brows using a combination of Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown and Hd Brows Powder in Ash Brown. I primed the eyes with Mac's Painterly Paint Pot before using Urban Decay shadows from the original Naked Palette in Naked, Sin and Darkhorse on both the eyelid and lower lash line. I added the flick using Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink and coated my top and bottom lashes with Maybelline The Falsies Mascara. 

Under the eyes I concealed and highlighted with Collection 200 Lasting Perfection Concealer and before setting the base with Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder in Translucent. I used Mac's Harmony Blush for my contour and bronzed lightly with Mac Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium Deep and a buffing brush. For Blush I chose Nars Deep Throat; a warm coral with a small amount of sheen. Lastly, for the lips I lined them with NYX Nude Pink Lip Pencil and finished off with Mac Angel Lipstick; the perfect pink nude for a bridal look!

This look could be worn with strip or, preferably individual lashes to add more emphasis for a bridal look or with a brighter lip for a day at the races or night out. I love how pretty and versatile this make up can be and just how easy it is to achieve!

What would be your perfect wedding make up look?

Thanks for reading,

India xx

HOW TO USE A PASTA MACHINE

I am a self confessed pastaholic and I was over the moon when my mum got me a pasta machine for christmas this year. I thought I'd do a 'how-to' post on how I use it to make my own pasta! First of all, the only ingredients you need are eggs and "00' flour. I got my flour in the pack with the machine but I have looked online and it is easy to find and not expensive.

First of all weigh out as much flour as you are going to use (generally 100g per person) and add one egg per 100g in to a mixing bowl. I made 200g so used 2 eggs.. you get the idea! Mix this in to a dough using a blunt knife and then once all the egg is mixed in you can get your hands in and start pressing it all together in to a ball. The dough shouldn't be wet but it should all bind, you can add a few drops of water or pinches of flour to adjust it either way. take a few minutes to really knead the dough together until its all well blended and not crumbling or too stiff.

Next cut the dough in to smaller chunks, for 200g I cut it in to four. Take one chunk and mould it in to a flattish sausage-type shape and begin to pass it through the flat rollers of the machine on the widest setting (mine goes 1 to 9 - widest to smallest). Do this a few times until the pasta has formed a shape which doesn't change after each roll, then begin to narrow the rollers and roll through once at each setting. If I'm going as thin as possible (like I did here) then I jump up in twos until the end (so setting 1, then 3, then 5,7,and finally 9). Once its rolled as thin as you want it, the next step is up to you! My machine has cutters for spaghetti, tagliatelle or you can just leave it flat for lasagne. You can also make ravioli or your own pasta shapes by hand. 

As you can see I went with tagliatelle! The cutters are really quick and easy to use but I do suggest separating each piece out when you lay them out to dry. This can be a bit of a chore but it definitely stops them clumping together. You must lay the pasta on a tablecloth or tea towels so that the air gets to it all and leave it to dry for at least an hour before cooking. You can also store the pasta in a cool dry place for up to a week.

I really hope you like this how-to cooking post; I'd love to post some pasta recipes to use this gorgeous fresh pasta with so let me know if that is something you'd like to see.

Will you be trying to make your own pasta or sticking to the dry stuff?

Thanks for reading!

India xx

WINTER CRANBERRY EYE MAKE UP

I am loving cranberry and wine tones at the moment! They are so beautiful for winter and I wanted to share with you this really wearable and flattering look, it looks especially stunning on green eyes but absolutely anyone can wear this!

I used Mac Face and Body Foundation and mixed shades N1 and C3, then I filled in my brows using my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. For the eyes I primed them with Mac Paint Pot in Painterly before blending in Urban Decay Limit Eyeshadow (from the Naked 3 Palette) as my transition colour. Next I took Mac Cranberry Eyeshadow all over the mobile lid and deepened the crease with Mac Sketch Eyeshadow which I also run under the lower lash line a little. I lined my eyes with Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Caviar and coated my lashes in Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara.

To finish the skin I used my Mac Pro Conceal and Correct palettes to conceal under the eyes, add coverage around my nose and chin and to contour lightly before setting it all with Benefit Porefessional Agent Zero Shine Translucent Powder and Mac Harmony Blush to contour. I highlighted with Mac Soft and Gentle and use Bobbi Brown Nude Pink Blush to add just a touch of colour back in to the cheeks. Finally for the lips I over lined them slightly with Nyx Nude Pink Lip Liner and filled them in with Mac Angel Lipstick.

What's your staple winter make up look?

Thanks for reading,

India xx

NAVY SMOKES WITH A NUDE LIP

This a really classic smokey eye look with navy blue rather than black. I think its a really sexy, wearable way to use colour and just adds a twist to a look that is always a winner for a night out! I kept the skin quite pale with Bobbi Brown Longwear Foundation in Warm Ivory before shaping my brows with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Medium Brown and using HD Brows Ash Brown powder with a Mac 263 to fill in. 

I primed the eyes with Mac Painpot in Painterly before adding NYX Jumbo Pencil in Black on the lower lid and buffing upwards with a Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush. I added Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow as a transition colour just above the crease before using Prank, a very dark navy blue, from the Urban Decay Vice 2 Palette all over the lid. I blended this upwards into the transition colour to really smoke the look out. Next I took Madness, a more shimmery royal blue, on my finger and patted it over the centre of the lid. I smoked out the lower lash line with Prank before using my Stila Felt Pen Liner to add a thin flick and frame the wing of the eyeshadow. I coated top and bottom lashes with Maybelline The Falsies Mascara to finish. This look would be great with some dramatic lashes too.

I used the Mac Correct and Conceal Palette to really blank out any darkness under the eyes and make the dark eye look stand out. I set the face with the Banana Powder shade from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. I used a large soft brush with Mac Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium Deep (a shade darker than my skin tone) to bronze the face and add warmth. I didn't add a strong contour to avoid the face being too severe. For blush I used Bobbi Brown Nude Pink to give the look a pretty touch. Finally I lined the lips with NYX Nude Pink liner and filled them with Mac Hue Lipstick, a pale nude, to really flatter and balance out the heavier eyes.

I really love this twist on an old classic and I think its such a easy way to create a unique but flattering look for any night out.

What do you think of a blue smokey eye?

Thanks for reading,

India xx

MY PREGNANCY SO FAR (UP TO WEEK 26)

As I'm nearly at my third trimester already I thought I'd give a bit of an overview of my pregnancy story so far, rather than a pregnancy update, to begin with. This week is week 26 and, to be honest, the first part of pregnancy is pretty damn boring! Especially the whole 'no alcohol, seafood, patè or anything else nice' thing. This is my second pregnancy so I have done it all before and it all merges in to one a bit more the second time, plus you already have one child to keep you busy in the meantime!

That one child is Faith, she'll be 4 in March and this one is due on 23rd April so there will be a nice 4 year gap between them. We started trying in the summer and I actually got my positive on my birthday which was a lovely little birthday present for me! I've been really lucky so far, having no morning sickness and only a small amount of nausea near the beginning. I was absolutely exhausted in my first trimester which knocked me for six a bit but other than that it's been plain sailing. The only real symptom I've struggled with is sciatica, which was the case with my first pregnancy too. It seems to just be in my left leg and is so painful at times but it seems to get a bit better with a hot water bottle and a good night's sleep.

At my first scan the date turned out to be slightly earlier than we'd calculated so that pushed my due date back by a couple of weeks. Everything looked healthy though and we got some cute pictures! After this the exhaustion started to ease up a bit and I felt a little more human. We had already told close family by this point but after scan we announced to the world and got loads of congratulatory messages which was great. It was really nice keeping it a surprise from almost everyone this time!

At the 20 weeks scan we decided to find out the sex as Jack (my partner) was desperate for a boy.. Luckily, his wish was granted! I was so excited that we would have one of each but slightly nervous because I'm so used to having a girl! I have no idea how to potty train a boy!! 😂

Since the last scan we've been slowly buying the bits we need and getting the baby's room painted and set up. I'm starting to get really excited now, the bump is getting pretty big and I can feel him moving loads; he's always kicking and wriggling when I lay down or rest an arm or something on my belly! Faith and Jack have both felt kicks and we have even seen my belly jump when he gives a really strong kick. My best friend, Ruby, is currently planning my baby shower which will be in February and I will be sure to take lots of pictures for a post on that! 

If you'd like to know any more about my pregnancy or even about my first pregnancy or parenting experience with Faith then please comment! I will give a few more updates as the weeks go on and things start getting more exciting closer to the due date. I hope you enjoyed this post as it's not something I really planned on blogging about so any feedback is definitely welcome.

Thanks for reading! 

India 

WEARABLE ORANGE EYE LOOK

In contrast to my last post, I wanted to show how bright colours can be worn on the eyes without looking like a clown! I went for orange today because its not usually a colour that I reach for but I wanted to push my boundaries a bit. I started the face as usual, with Bobbi Brown's Longwear Oil Free Foundation and shaped my brows with my Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown. 

To start the eyes I primed them with my Mac Painterly Paint Pot and started off with Buck, a warm brown shade from the Urban Decay Naked Palette, through the crease as my transition shade. Next I took Mac's Orange Eyeshadow which is a very bright matte and used a Mac 217 to blend this deeper in to the crease adding the key bright orange shade to Buck. For the main area of the mobile lid I packed on Toast, a warm coppery glitter shadow from the Naked 3 Palette. I added Buck and Orange until I was happy with the intensity of colour and used a big fluffy brush to blend out the edges. I topped off the brow bone with a pale matte cream shade to highlight and then created quite a dramatic flick along the top lash line with Bobbi Brown Gel Liner. I blended some Buck and Orange along the lower lash line as well and then coated both sets of lashes with Maybelline The Falsies Mascara.

I used Mac's Correct and Conceal Palettes to correct darkness under the eyes and conceal redness around the nose as well as adding a bit of highlight to the centre of the face and under the eyes. I set this all with the Banana powder from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette before using a fairly big brush to add some bronzer/contour to shape and warm up the face. For blush I used Bobbi Brown Desert Rose, a mauve-pink which contrasts well with the orange of the eyes. I dusted some of the shimmer from the Contour Palette on the tops of the cheekbones and finished off with a slick of NYX Lip Gloss in Beige (which is actually a pretty pale pink and not beige at all!).

Would you brave wearing orange on the eyes?

India xx