Maybelline Better skin foundation

I bought this foundation a few months ago, but I hadn't gotten round to trying it out yet because I got to wrong shade. Yeah, it happens. But now that it's winter and my skin has gotten a lot paler, I've been able to wear it. 

You know what. I really hate that! Whenever you buy a foundation at the drugstore you kinda have to guess if the color you're picking out is gonna be the right one. I hate that there is no way to test out the color.

Inspirational Mondays

I love this neutral glossy look. What do you think about it? Please let me know in the comments below or find me in twitter @_MakeUpDiary_ using the #InspirationalMondays

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

Maybelline Brow drama

I love eyebrows. They might be my favorite part of doing make-up. It's just that they make such a difference. It's true what they say, eyebrows really do frame the face. 

Of course everything starts with well groomed eyebrows. I'm not saying you need to start plucking your eyebrows like crazy, but just get rid of the strays and shape them up a little. 
If you're thinking about drastically changing the shape of your eyebrows, definitely get it done by a professional. If there's one thing I learned over these past few years it's that you NEVER touch your own eyebrows. 

Physicians Formula Happy booster blush

Well what can you really say about a blush? I'm finding it difficult to find the right words to describe this blush, but I love it so much that I feel like I need to do a quick post about it.

Rimmel Fix & perfect pro primer

I always feel like Belgium gets a little forgotten when it comes to beauty and make-up releases. Like, for example, the Rimmel fix & perfect pro primer. It's been years since I first learned about this product and I've been looking for it ever since. I hadn't been lucky until very recently when I came across it in the drugstore. 

Blogmas #10 + Blogmas #11

My Benefit advent calender was really exciting for the past 2 days. Two products that I've been wanting to try for a long time. The Stay Flawless 15h primer and Benetint. How good can this get.
I hope that from now on I'll be getting more of these exciting goodies. 

Blogmas #7

Today was a pretty standard day. I didn't do anything special at all. 

I had a little trouble getting out of bed this morning after last night's concert. I had so much fun yesterday. It's been two years since I last saw Bryan Adams live in concert and it was just as great as I remembered. I got my sister totally on board. She liked his music too, but she was much of a fan. I think after last night that changed quite a bit. 

Blogmas #6 - OOTD + FOTD

As you know I went to the Bryan Adams concert tonight. It was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Reckless album. I didn't really have time for a post tonight, so I thought I'd share my outfit and my make-up look with you. Also really quickly wanted to let you know that I got the Porefessional in my Benefit advent calender today.

Outfit
All H&M

Make-up
Foundation: L'Oréal Infallible
Powder: Clinique Stay Matte sheer pressed powder
Bronzer: MAC bronzing powder
Blush: MAC Mocha
Eyes: Rimmel GlamEyes in Backstage and Urban Decay in Half Baked and Naked
Liner: L'Oréal super liner
Brows: MAC brow pencil in Lingering and Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown
Mascara: Benefit They're Real
Lips: MAC Soar lipliner and Faux lipstick

How did you spend your day? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

Blogmas #5

Today was the first day I saw a house burn. Like an actual fire. One of the houses that is situated next to my work went up in flames. I never thought a fire could spread that fast. I mean, you hear about it, but you can't imagine it unless you're actually witnessing it. 
It all happened around 2 o'clock. The street was starting to fill with smoke so we went outside to see where it was coming from and it turned out to be coming from one of our neighbors. We weren't even sure at first if it was an actual fire, because it was just a lot of white smoke coming out of the chimney, but within 5 minutes the sky turned black and there were flames coming out of the roof. 

Inspirational Mondays

Being an MUA, I like to stay creative. What I like to do is to go online and search for make-up looks that inspire me. From now on, every monday I'll be posting some of the looks that inspire me most. 

So let's start off with this amazing fall make-up look for #InspirationalMondays

If you're ever interested in finding out how to achieve any of the #InspirationalMondays looks just let me know in the comments below or find me on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_ and I'll do my best to make a tutorial for you guys. 

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

My favorite mascaras

1. Dior Diorshow Iconic
Dior mascaras are by far my favorite, drugstore or high end. I got this one in a combo set with one of my other favorites 'extase'.
I like this one because it's a great everyday mascara. It lenghtens your lashes without giving too much volume. So if you're into natural looking lashes then this is the one for you. 

2. Dior Diorshow Extase
Again, this is an amazing mascara. This one is not really lenghtening, but it gives your lashes tons of volume without clumping them together. In combination with Dior Iconic it makes for one amazing mascara.

Sabine Peeters - Make up artist

Hey guys,

I went on a little shopping spree this week and one of the things I picked up is this make-up book. It's written by one of Belgian's best make-up artists Sabine Peeters.
What I love about this book is that there's something for everyone in here. It starts with the basics like how to test for your foundation shade and what a bronzer is for.. So if you are new to the make-up game, you'll know exactly how to use everything. 

Further along in the book Sabine shows you how to get all the iconic looks from the 50's, 60's and the 80's. And of course she shows you how to create a perfect smokey eye, because no make-up book is complete without a smokey eye look. 

What's very different from this book than any other I've seen or own myself is that it shows you how to get a certain celebrity's look. This is what I like most about this book and the main reason I decided to buy it. 
You've all probably have had the same experience as me, trying to figure out how a celebrity achieved a make-up look. In this book Sabine shows you exactly how to do that!!

If you're interested in buying a make-up book to learn more about it, then this is the one you want to buy!! If you want to know more about Sabine's work then you can check out her blog www.lifeislikeaboxofmakeup.wordpress.com

This book is available at Standaard Boekhandel and it costs €29,99

Have you read Sabine's book yet? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below or find me on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

My favorite blogs

Being a blogger myself, I like to look to my fellow bloggers for inspiration. 

Below are some of my favorite blogs to read. I definitely recommend that you go check them out and support all of them by following them on Bloglovin'.

1. Style-itblog

style-itblog.com

This blog actually belongs to one of my best friends. Her name is Lisa and she has a real passion for fashion :). I think she has an amazing sense of style and she always has the coolest pieces in her wardrobe. 

She's a newbie to the blogging world, so it would mean the world to me if you would follow her blog. 

2. I Spy DIY

www.ispydiy.com

I stumbled across this blog on my Bloglovin'. I myself am not the biggest DIY'er, but I love to look at all the little projects other people are doing. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be making my own decorations.. I think this blog is full of amazing ideas. Definitely worth checking out.

3. Cupcakes and cashmere

www.cupcakesandcashmere.com

On this blog you'll literally find everything you're searching for. Make-up, DIY, Food.. You name it, it's there!! What I might like the most about this blog is the name. Cupcakes and Cashmere!! The sound of that alone makes me want to read it.

4. The beauty department

www.thebeautydepartment.com

I'm sure you've all heard about this one. A lot of you might even already follow this blog since it currently has 189848 followers on Bloglovin'. I like to read this blog to get tips about hairstyles and make-up. 

5. Hair Romance

www.hairromance.com

I actually only discovered this blog very recently. If you check out my Pinterest, then you will have noticed that I am obsessed with all kinds of different hairstyles. Especially now my hair is shorter. I like to differentiate my hair on a daily basis. I don't really like the simple ponytail. This blog is full of tutorials, tips and tricks to spice up your hairstyle. 

What are your favorite blogs to follow? Let me know in the comments below or find me on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

L'Oréal Studio Line - Volume texturizing spray

If you read my last post then you know that I'm not a big fan of the studio line wave creating spray, so it might surprise you that I really do like this product.

Compared to the wave creating spray, this product actually works and it doesn't smell *Bonus points*.

The packaging of this is the same as the other one. They both come in an orange-brown can. I think it looks really simple but nice. 
Just as it promises, it delivers tons of volume in your hair, whilst still looking and feeling natural. 
The instructions say to spray it on dry hair and massage it in. It gives you instant results. What I love about this, is that it doesn't make your hair sticky and it doesn't weigh it down. This truly is an amazing product and I definitely recommend it. 

Before

After

Have you tried out any of the studio line products? Let me know what you think about them in the comments below or find me on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin'

Salt sprays - Worth the hype?

Hey guys,

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you've definitly heard all about salt sprays.
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, salt sprays are basically texturizing sprays you put in your hair to give you that messy beachy wave look.

When I found out about this I was actually pretty excited, because I love to rock the 'messy hair' look. Unfortunatly for me, as with everything beauty-related in Belgium, salt sprays were nowhere to be found. 
About three weeks ago, I stumbled across 2 different of these sprays and I decided to buy them both so that I could test them. 

The first is the Got2Be beach babe. I was especially excited about this one, because it's the same brand as the Got2Be guardian angel heat protection spray and I love that stuff.
The second one is from the L'Oréal Studio Line. I hadn't used this brand before, so I didn't know what to expect. This product also doesn't market itself as a salt sprays but it works just the same.

The instructions for both say to use it on damp hair and to either blowdry it or let the wind take care of it.
I tried it out, expecting amazing beach waves... Nothing happened. 
I continued to try it several times over the next few days, but I got no results out of it. I tried everything possible. Wet hair, damp hair, dry hair. Nothing! I used a blowdryer, I left it like it was. Nothing!

Also, I'd like to point out that the L'Oréal one doesn't have a nice smell, which is another reason why I won't use it anymore. Who wants to have smelly hair?
The Got2Be one did have a nice smell however and out of the both of them, it's the one that gave me the most result (however tiny it was). 

In my opinion they are NOT worth the hype.

What do you think about salt sprays? Please let me know in the comments below or find me on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

Where to buy

L'Oréal Wave Creating Spray

Got2Be Beach Babe

A new beginning..

Hey peeps..

I know I've been MIA for the past couple of months, but I do have a very good reason =).
I've been going to beautyschool to get my degree as an MUA and I graduated in june.. 
The reason I'm only starting up again now is because I wanted to take the summer off before I started my career as a makeup artist. 

Since it's the end of september now, the time has come to start my blog up again.. 
From now on you'll be seeing a lot more make up tutorials on here. 
If you ever see a makeup look that you want me to recreate just send a picture of it to me @_MakeUpDiary_ 

See you soon

Xoxo Nathalie

PINTEREST!!

Hi lovelies,

I'm trying to expand my social media as much as possible, so today I'm happy to share with all of you that I am officialy on Pinterest.
I just recently discovered this site and just like everyone else who has been on it, I too have fallen in love with it. 
It's really userfriendly and just basically amazing.
I can find anything I want on there and then add it to one of my bords. If I need any inspiration later on or I want to try a new make up look I just go on there and find something that I like..

If you need any inspiration I would recommend checking out the site if you haven't already and whilst you're on there, be sure to follow me..
http://www.pinterest.com/MissNathalieM/

Are you on pinterest already?? Please let me know your username and I'll follow you back..
Be sure to let me know what inspires you. Leave it as a comment below or find me on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

The importance of eye cream

When it comes to skincare most people know that it's best to cleanse and moisturize their skin every day.
I find however that there's a lot of you that forget a very important part of your skin.. The under-eye area!!

As we get older we notice small wrinkles creating around our eyes, crow's feet. Let's be honest for a second here. Nobody likes to see that they are getting older and well.. Crow's feet are a good indication that you've lived a little already.
All of a sudden we panic and we start using eye creams like crazy, but there's no point, because at this stage you are already too late. 
You can however start using eyecreams right now. If you're still young, it might prevent you from getting crow's feet at a young age and if you are already suffering from crow's feet, don't stress out just yet. Using an eye cream will prevent any further damage that can happen to your under-eye area. 

The reason we start seeing signs of aging sooner around our eyes is because the skin is a lot thinner, vulnerable and delicate in that area. Wrinkles are created because the skin around our eyes doesn't have any oil or water glands to keep that area moisturized. So it's very important to keep that part of your skin hydrated. It doesn't really matter that much wheter you use your daily moisturizer or a seperate eye cream to get there. There are however people that claim that your daily moisturizer is not rich enough and is not designed to be used on that area and that you better buy a specific cream for your under-eye area depending on what you are trying to prevent/cure.
Wheter it's puffines, dark circles, wrinkles.. There's an eye cream for everything nowadays.
I myself like to use an anti-wrinkle cream and an hydrating eye cream, because I'm trying to prevent wrinkles from happening.

All of this aside, the best advice I can give you is to make sure that whatever you're using has an SPF in it and to stay away from smoking and too much sun light, because as we all know all to well, those are the most damaging to your skin..

What do you think is the best eye cream out on the market right now?? Let me know on twitter @_MakeUpDiary_ or comment down below.

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

Where to buy

Dior capture XP eyecream

DIY: Deep conditioning hairmask

Even though it's supposed to be winter right now, the weather in Belgium hasn't really been like it. It kinda like extended fall over here..
This past two weeks it's starting to get a little colder and my hair is not liking it. 
My hair has been feeling really dry and brittle, so I decided to give it a nice conditioning mask to recover from all the damage these weatherchanges are doing to my hair.
Now I like spending money on my haircare, because I'm trying to grow out my hair, but that's not gonna work unless I really take care of it.
I did however make this mask myself with products that I had lying around my kitchen, so I'm quickly showing you guys how to make your own deep conditioning hairmask.

What you'll need:
- Olive oil
- Milk
- Banana
- Bowl

How it works:
This mask is so easy to make, it's kind of ridiculous.
What you want to do is put about two tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl, pour in about the same amount of milk and then add about half of a banana. Warm it up in your microwave for about a minute. When it's all warmed up, you want to mash all of the ingredients togheter and then they're ready to take in the shower with you.

How to use it:
When you get in the shower, start with wetting your hair and then apply the mask to the ends of your hair. Let it sit for about 20 minutes whilst you're washing the rest of your body. You then want to wash out the mask and you want to make sure that you get rid of all the banana pieces that are still stuck in your hair. Trust me.. There will be pieces of banana stuck in your hair after you get out of the shower if you don't check it. I would also recommend to rinse the ends of your hair with a little bit of shampoo, because if you don't get rid of the residue of the olive oil, you're hair will look greasy when it's dry and that's definitly NOT the look you want to go for.

Do you want to see more of these DIY projects?? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me your ideas @_MakeUpDiary_

Xoxo Nathalie

PS. Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Picture via Pinterest

Hi lovelies,

I wish all of you a happy new year.. 
I hope it brings you a lot of joy and love.

I'm really excited about starting the new year, working on my blog and sharing my life with you.
I'm starting 2014 by doing a mini-series of the best beauty and skincare products of 2013, so be sure to stop by next week if you want to know what products made the list.
If you have anything you would like to see from me in the next year please let me know in the comments below or tweet me @_MakeUpDiary_

I love all of you
Xoxo Nathalie