(*Blog Warning: I am sorry for some of the condition that my make-up is in,  I am very ashamed. Also I am sorry for the awful camera quality - the iPhone 4 for you - especially as there is a lot of photos*)

Ever since I was a little girl I admired make-up. I never got to wear it until I was about 12, but that didn't bother me considering I was a massive tomboy and the only 'make-up' I was bothered about wearing was mud or sand. That didn't stop me though from watching my mum in the mirror as she applied mascara with an open mouth, or being mesmerised by the adverts with bright red lipstick (something at the time I thought only adults could wear, unless I was in a dance show). Over the past few years though, my love, need and collection of make-up has grown and I like to think I have mastered my own technique for make-up, even if the shades and quantities change.
Whilst doing my 'Daily Make-Up' the other day I decided it could be a good idea to do a daily make-up routine blog considering I haven't blogged in a while. So here it is!!!

(All products listed after the Daily Make-Up Routine)

Daily Make-Up Routine (December 2014)

Step 1: First off, using my Real Technique Expert Face Brush I apply my Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation. Then I apply the Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer to my problem areas (for me under my eyes and spots) to cover up unwanted marks and blemishes. You don't have to use a brush for the foundation and concealer, i recommend sponges or just your fingers as well as they can be useful for hard to reach areas (make sure your hands are clean though first).

After Foundation - some problem areas i.e spots have been particularly hard for me to cover at the moment so are still on show...*cries for a little bit*

Step 2: Now i tackle my eyebrows. Everyone knows that these are one of the most defining features of your face and everyone wants to have 'strong eyebrow game'. To start, I use my tweezers to get rid of any strays and make sure the shape is as close to perfect as I can get. I don't actually have an eyebrow palette so instead I use Benefit eyeshadow - shade:elegant espresso (I'm awful I know). With I use an angled eyebrow brush (no brand just one I've had for years) and colour in my eyebrows. I start on the outside where it is thinner and then work my way to the other end of my eyebrow, working in the same direction that my eyebrows go.

After my eyebrows are done - I like to call my eyebrow shape The Extended Tear Drop

Step 3: I've developed the routine of working down my face when applying make-up so next I do my eye make-up starting off with my eyeshadow. Using the Eco Tools Shadow brush I start off by putting the lightest shade of Benefit Jetset Eyeshadow shade:champagne eye shadow, to place just under my brow on the outside corner. This defines the brow. I then use this shade in the inner corner of my eye. For the main base of my eyelid I again use the Eco Tools Shadow brush and the shade gold card, covering my eyelid to the crease.. I have always been a fan of this shade and for the base shade it's great. On the outer corner of my eye and the crease I like to use a darker shade to shadow the eyelid and emphasise the look. I use the shade Pretty In Mink (light brown) from the Benefit set for this.

Step 4: Next with eyes is eyeliner. For my daily look I do two different types of eyeliner. On my bottom liner I use the Pretty In Mink shade and the Eco Tool Flat Eyeliner Brush to line my bottom lashes. As I do my top eyeliner as well this lighter shade tones down the look.I have spent years trying to do top liner well. Normally on an everyday basis I try and avoid winging my eyeliner and keep it just to my lid. I use the Maybelline EyeStudio Drama Gel Liner. I start off in the middle and then flick to wards to inner corner of my eye. I start in the middle because as the brush goes along the thinner the line becomes as I press down lighter. I then do the same with the opposite side of my eye, towards the outer corner but this time I press harder on the corner so the line and thickness stays the same.

Step 5:Mascara is the last things I do on my eyes. Before I apply any I use my No7 EyeLash curlers to enhance my lashes. For my mascara I use Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express. I swear by this mascara and for years I have used nothing else as I haven't found anything quite as good. I apply a few coats onto my top lashes, especially focusing on the tips to extended the lashes even further. Personally, I leave my bottom lashes and I get irritated by them often.

Finished Eye

Finished Eye

Step 6: Lipstick is a releatively new thing to my look and later on in this year I started using darker or brighter lipstick instead of just plain lipgloss. At the moment the lipstick I use on a daily basis is the MAC Lipstick Lustre in shade:Plumful. MAC Lipsticks are my favourite and are so nice and easy to apply. )(Cheaper alternatives that I used prior to this will be in a blog post soon).

Favourite Shade At The Moment

Step 7: The last two things I do is my powder and bronzer. A lot of people put on powder straight after they have applied their foundation but I've found that if you apply it after all your other make-up is on, it keeps that make-up in place and stops it shifting off your face during the day. To my skin which is shining from the foundation , and my eyebrows if they are too dark, I use the Rimmel London Stay Matter Pressed Powder to power my face of too much shine using the Eco Tools Powder brush. I then apply my Maybelline Dream Sun Bronzer and Blush using the Eco Tools Angled Powder Brush. This is great for applying onto the apples of your cheek. If my bronzer or blush comes out to harsh I'll go back over with my powder to tone it down.

And here is my finished look.

Make-Up Look Complete

Make-Up Look Complete

Hope you liked my Daily Make-Up Routine. If you have any questions or requests or tips please leave them in the comments :-)

Instagram: emmakatherinesmith
Twitter: emkathsmith
Tumblr: houseofblackroses
Email: emmaksmith97@gmail.com


Products:

MAC Lustre Lipstick  (Plumful)

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (100-Ivory)

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (Ivory)

Benefit Jetset Make-Up Kit:

Benefit Jetset Make-Up Kit Eyeshadows  ( champagne please, gold card, pretty in mink, elegant espresso)

Maybelline Dream Sun Bronzing Powder and Blush

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Press (001-Transparent)

Eco Tools Brush Set

Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Flared

Maybelline EyeStudio Drama Gel Liner (01-Intense Black)

No7 Eyelash Curlers

(Middle Brush) Real Technique Expert Face Brush, (others)unbranded brushes)

Shopping is a great experience. I guarantee that I do it everyday whether it's online or in store (even if I don't buy anything) or sometimes just window shopping.I probably think about clothes way more than I should and when it's been a while I sometimes feel the longing for the feeling of walking into a shop or browsing the web. Online shopping comes with the bliss of silence or your own music, more of a selection and awaiting the arrival of the package; and in-store has the perks of trying clothes on, the smell of clothes and the feeling of clothes straight into your hands. Here, I have a list of my top 3 favourite shops, and a little snippet of why I love them so much and my excuses to justify me spending 99% of my time oggling over items, some I only dream of owning.

(1) Drop Dead:
   This has always been my number one beloved shop. Each time the range changes it just gets better and better and there never fail to have stand out pieces which remind me just why I love it so much. The line is never the same and the items not only vary the vibe of the store but keep it up to date and pleasing everyone.The quality of the clothes are really good and the sizing fits perfectly whether it's a long t-shirt or a tiny crop top. Whenever DD do collaborations/collections I get very excited as they always bring some you would not expect and create pieces which everyone is desperate to have. The Itchy and Scratchy collaboration is one I loved, with the purple scratchy knit top being an all time favourite. Recently this week, the new collection with Black Stabbath was released, and I was not disappointed. The detailed designs are just what I hoped and with Hannah Snowdon being a massive inspiration of mine (more to come in later blog post) the collection is something that I will long to own until I own it ALL.
 The store experience at DD is one that still stands out in my mind. Unfortunately, both the London and Sheffield stores are 2 hours away so it's not like they are within normal shopping distant but when I do go there is nothing that can beat the quirky warehouse look of the stores and the amazingly friendly/helpful staff that work within. I cannot praise it enough.
Here are some of my favourite DD pieces at the moment:

Black Stabbath 'The Lining' T-Shirt = £30.00

Let Them Eat Scratchy Knit Top = £40.00

Feathers Tank Top = £30.00

Marble Tank Top (Black) = £30.00

DEAD Shorts = £50.00

(2) Nasty Gal:
     Nasty Gal was a website I found out of nowhere. I was looking for alternative stores and I came across this. From that day on I have gone on it religiously and looked at the blog and lookbook and whatever new clothes and accessories they have added that week. It might seem strange that Nasty Gal is on the top of my list of shops even though I do not own anything from their currently but from people I know who do have stuff I now that they have not been disappointed and the clothes that they continue to add never disappoint me as I could happily kit out my whole wardrobe for the rest of my life on that website. Nasty Gal holds the home to many basic pieces and block colour pieces which are beyond fabulous in their own right. My favourite part of Nasty Gal is 100% the Vintage section. Some of it you would never be seen dead in now but when you see it on the models it makes you want to own it and looking at some of the time-less pieces makes me wish I was tumblr enough to pull them off.
Here are some of my favourite Nasty Gal pieces at the moment:

Day Tripper Denim Jacket = £48.48

Get Down Button Up - Green = £36.05

Franchesca Skirt = £42.27

Nasty Gal On Mock Down Dress = £36.05

Vintage Rudi Gernreich Spotty Past Dress = £514.67

(3) Urban Outfitters:
    In the UK there are now LOADS of Urban Outfitters stores around which makes me, a very happy girl. Although pricey, it is still one of the best shops I have ever been too. It is so miss mis-matched and well Urban that my heart yurns to want to buy the entire shop whenever I am there. I have actually owned quite a few things from UO over the years I am pleased to say and one of my latest purchases, which will be on my favourites, I was overjoyed to buy. The quality of UO clothes makes the price reasonable and knowing that although new, it has a timeless, almost 90's vibe to the fashion which means each piece is something that I'll want to be wearing years down the line. The best part of the store to me is the shoes and skinny jeans. Forget diamonds are a girls best friend, I live by , 'You Can Never Have Too Many Shoes...and Jeans'. With UO selling footwear and jeans from their own label as well and brands like Vagabond and Dr.Denim,  it's hard not to fall in to whirlwinds of heightened emotion whenever you come across or own a pair. The run-down, unfinished style of the stores mesmerizes me as well as how each one tends to have different pieces in meaning you are never faced with the same things twice and it's always a surprise. The online store is like a box of surprises with the extra brands and the 'Online Exclusives' which makes shopping with them that extra bit exhilarating.
Here are some of my favourite Urban Outfitters pieces at the moment:

Light Before Dark Oversized Poplin Shirt in White = £45.00

Pins & Needles Fringe Back Top in Black = £30.00

Cheap Monday Spray On High-Rise Jeans in Black = £49.00

Staring at Stars Tulum Square Dress = £42.00

Vagabond Dioon Leather Lace-Up Boots in Black = £90.00

The amount of times I have attempted to start this is ridiculous. I tried different writing styles,things to say and content, and yet nothing flowed right. So, I decided that to write exactly what I was thinking would be the best bet (well almost exactly).

I've been trying to start a blog for years now but I've never found the time and patience to do it. Now that I have finally got around to it, I am determined to start something up and do something worth while...I will do this, I will. ( Am I the only one who thinks of 'I do believe in fairies, I do , I DO!', whenever I see/say this). Anyway...Disney moment aside, I really need to write something relatively interesting in my first post so anyone who sees this won't leave after 20 seconds. I'm obviously going to tell you a little about myself because otherwise you'll be sat reading it like 'who the hell is this person?' although you're probably already thinking this. I don't want to do the usual 'my names...I am___years old...I like...' because everyone gets tired after about the third fact. I'm going to try and make it interesting for you...


At the age of 16 I have decided that if I don't start doing something relatively productive in my life, aside from college work, then I will find no motivation at to try new things. I have all these ambitious plans for the future and I've pretty much mapped it all out in my head, but without challenging myself and fully committing to something none of that will come true. I was never one as a child to do many activities out of school. I did around a year of ballet, dropped out of horse riding after 2 lessons and I never learnt an instrument...but I did complete Beavers, yes I did beavers not brownies, I rocked that blue jumper.
Things that I did find interest in as a kid though were music, fashion and art. Ever since I can first remember I was always listening to some kind of music whether it was Avril Lavigne and the Let Go album, or The Mamas and The Papas and Michael Buble with my parents (California Dreamin' is a classic song you should listen to it).While I was listening to this music I would be drawing or writing or playing with my dolls making them wear different outfits every 5 minutes. 
Even though many things have changed over the years, my love for these things have stayed the same. And that's the kind of thing I want to include in this blog, Fashion, Music and thoughts on life. Especially over the past few years, my eyes have been opened to different situations in life and it's made me develop into the person I am.

So who am I? Well:

• 95% of my time is spent on netflix, tumblr or at gigs.
• The other 5%is spent with my friends and family. 
• My group of friends are my rock and they make going to college everyday bearable.
• meeting people who are as weird as I am with my sense of humour makes me VERY happy.
• I can't remember the last time I went a day without listening to at least a good 4 hours worth of music.
• Pizza is my favourite food...well it was but as I'm now vegan it's hard to find a PERFECT pizza so I'm going to say hummus is now my life.
• All I want to do in life is write and travel and have a great family.
• I drink way too much tea; yorkshire tea, fruit tea, green tea, ice tea...you name it i'll drink it (apart from earl grey or mint).
• I really don't spend enough time doing college work
• Procrastinator is my middle name (it's not but it should be)
• Black is a happy colour
• I generally dislike pop music (unless you are Ariana Grande...don't ask it's a guilty pleasure)
• I wish I could go to a gig ever single day of my life...I would be in heaven.
• My love for tattoos is unreal and having to wait until I'm 18 to get one is one of the most disappointing thing to have ever happened to me.
• I cry when I laugh even the littlest bit....IT'S SO ANNOYING.
• Getting deliveries through the post is so exciting (as I write this my UO delivery has just arrived...words can't describe my joy)

So, this blog is my first step into being an enthused me. I'm going to try new things, step out of my comfort zone and be dedicated for once in my life. I'm starting just as a blog but who knows where it might develop.

-Emma :-) x

Instagram: emmakatherinesmith
Twitter: emkathsmith
Tumblr: houseofblackroses
Spotify: emmatheunicorn