If anyone has been around these parts for a while - Mum, I'm looking right at you - then you'll know that not only do I love House of Fraser, but I've also been lucky enough to work with them on many occasions before. They're just one of those fabulous does it all/has it all/you name it, they've got it/[insert your own choice of "one stop shop" synonym here] that I can totally rely on whether I need to top up my makeup collection - because, you know, when does a beauty blogger ever not need to top up her makeup collection? Never, you say? Oh I totally agree, so glad we're on the same wavelength... ;) - purchase a wedding present for someone, a birthday present, a house warming gift... you get the gist. House of Fraser has it all.
So, when I first heard about
House of Fraser's Beauty ambassador competition - which I was actually told about a little while back now - in which you create a post based around your beauty icon, I whole-heartedly jumped at the chance to get involved. Without getting all "girl power" on your
arses butt's, it's
so important to build each other up, recognise our achievements and appreciate what makes a woman beautiful inside
and out.
Before this blog turns into a Oprah Winfrey/Beyonce style "Independent woman"/"We don't need no man" type post, I'll get into who my beauty icon is because boy do I love to fangirl over my beauty/fashion/life icons. After toying over picking a classic, synonymously beautiful icon - Audrey Hepburn, Maryilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor... you know the ones - I settled on someone who has a mixture of that classic, pure, wholesome beauty, but is also totally relevant to today with a makeup style that not only do I wear daily, but I also think is a go-to look for so many and will be for years to come. And that is [*insert drumroll sound track here*]... Blake Lively.
There are
many reasons why I love Blake (yep, we're on first name terms, obvs) but here are the ones that stick out to me. In short. Because we all know by now that I love to ramble. As I have done previously about her
here. I'll also stop using stupidly short sentences to emphasize that fact now too ;)
- Her makeup is iconic because gorgeous glowy/bronzy skin, sheeny golden eyes and peachy pink lips just work no matter what skin tone or type you have. Or whether it's Summer or Winter because let's face it, we all want healthy looking skin all year round.
- She also runs an incredible lifestyle blog (well, more of a website, I very much doubt that Blake sits typing away on Blogger or Wordpress) - #TeamBloggersForeverThough - called Preserve which I think not only bloggers, but all women (and men) would find informative, useful and just uplifting.
- Finally, she was in Gossip Girl which needs absolutely no further explanation. xoxo
She's married to Ryan Reynolds.
Here's the Blake Lively makeup look that I recreated and the products I used.
Note to self: Don't recreate the makeup look of someone so stunningly beautiful. No matter how amazing the products are, or your makeup skills - which mine aren't by any stretch of the imagination - your self esteem will shrivel to the size of a pea on comparison.
Hammer Product time!
I could go through everything that's on my face, but I'm aware of not only boring you to death, but also of the fact that you can of course recreate this look with any similar items that you have. So feel free to use whatever products you like but here are the items that I used and highly recommend for getting the authentic The Elle next door does x Blake Lively look.
All about the eyes: Blake loves a shimmery golden, peachy, champagne toned eye colour and luckily, so do I. I plucked for
Mac All that Glitters from my ridiculous neutral shadow collection and I'm
so pleased I did because it worked perfectly for the look. That's what I love about House of Fraser too, Mac stores and concessions are pretty rare so it's amazing that selected House of Fraser stores have a Mac concession and you can also purchase their products online at HOF too. The same goes for
Urban Decay - which I also used in this look in the form of their
Sin eyeshadow for an inner corner highlight - ... see, I wasn't joking when I said that HOF have it all, was I?
Those peachy pink lips: As I mentioned in my previous post; pink, peachy pink, peach and
more pink lips are my comfort zone - you know, because I
love living life on the edge and all that... - and the most perfect colour to fit that bill is
Tom Ford's Spanish Pink. I've raved about this on numerous occasions but it's a stunning peachy pink with a fantastic, velvety, moisturising formula that's
so long-lasting on the lips.
The glowy skin: There are many ways of creating bronzy skin; highlighter, bronzers, cream blush or a shimmery blush for example and my favourites for getting Blake's looks is
Mac's refined golden bronzer and
Mac Soft and Gentle. (#MacAppreciationSociety) Both create that healthy glow that makes you
look like you've been chugging all the green juices in the world,
even if you've been sticking to your thrice weekly Indian takeaway habit.
[insert guilty face emoji here]
There you have it, those are my main "Girl, if you wanna look like Blake, you
need these products" products... but of course you can choose whichever ones you like to recreate it yourself.
House of Fraser actually have the most incredible Beauty Department so if you're in the market for some new picks/to treat yourself - because Yolo... - then definitely head over to the link and check it out.
So, that concludes my Beauty icon rambles and "Get the look" tutorial-esque post today. Who knows, the next time you hear me wax lyrical about House of Fraser it could be to tell you that I'm the new beauty ambassador. Or (and most likely) it could well not be. Either way, you'll still be sure to find me browsing the most incredible place on the internet the beauty department and ogling over Blake Lively :)
As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post!
xx
Labels: Beauty, Blake Lively, MAC, Makeup, Tom Ford
