Thursday, 16 October 2014

London trip

On Friday 10th October we were given the great opportunity to visit London for the day to look at the Tudor portrait exhibition at The National Portrait Gallery and also to visit some make-up stores in the central London area with the benefits of special discounts if we purchased anything on the day. I really enjoyed this day as my hometown is London and I have missed it a lot! Of course an educational trip that involves discounted make-up shopping is always a plus!

The National Portrait Gallery:
We had to look at the Elizabethan portraiture and choose a painting that visually engaged us. I chose this painting which was made in the early 17th century, but was found to have an overpainting from the 18th century. The reason I like it the most I think is the colours used, the look different to me than those most used in the majority of Elizabeths portraits which is why it took my attention. I like the silvery blue toned colours on her gown that contrast with the gold and deep shaded jewels. What she is wearing clearly shows who she is and her status in society. While Elizabeth grew older her outfits were said to become more and more extravagant which makes me think this portrait would have been made in her late forties/early fifties maybe, however this is hard to tell due to the make-up she is wearing which was used to cover any imperfections and signs of aging. Elizabeth also used to have portraits painted to make her look beautiful and had any she didn't like destroyed and re-painted to her liking, which makes it quite hard to judge her age from them. During this period only the noble and prestige could afford to wear jewels and pearls and in this portrait her dress is encrusted with both, she also has masses of pearls dripping from her neck and decorating the accessory she is wearing on her head. This portrait in my opinion is one of the most flattering of Elizabeth and where she looks most beautiful.

                                                                                                                                                                                                          
As I have grown up in London I am pretty familiar with the central London area and had visited all of the stores we went to except the MAC Pro store more than once. I love Illamasqua and how their store looks, the Once collection theme made for a fantasy, fairy-like garden experience and everything looked elegant and chic. I have wanted to purchase one of Illamasqua's pigments for a long time now and was immediately drawn to static (an iridescent pink/silver) after seeing a look on the Illamasqua instagram page where it was used as a highlighter, however as I had a limited amount of money to spend that day I wanted to buy something I would use more often so opted for Beguile (shimmery white). I then went and had a look around Charles Fox but as we had a limited amount of time to get round the stores and back to the coach I headed promptly to the MAC pro store as they were offering us Solent students a one day only opportunity for 35% off all their products so I had a list I made on the coach at the ready. I purchased Fix+ spray as I have been wanting to try it for ages after many recommendations on the internet through make-up artists and fanatics I follow, beauty bloggers and also YouTubers. So far I am really impressed with it and think it will become a permanent part of not just my own make-up bag, but also my kit as it is so versatile. It can be used after moisturising and before base application for a smoother and fresher finish and then a spray again after the base has settled on the skin to set it. Fix+ also brightens and freshens the face after a few hours of make-up application when the skin starts to dry out and also to wet pigments for a more dramatic and intense look! I also bought the loose pigments in Blue Brown and Naked, I am a huge fan of the pigments after purchasing the shade Vanilla earlier on this year and can't wait to get my hands on more to add to my collection. For the lips I purchased a lip pencil in Stone which is a grey shade which I think is beautiful for an Autumn/Winter lip look, and also to create the famous Kylie Jenner pout everyone is after at the present! I wanted a matte nude lipstick for everyday wear for a long time but have struggled to find out that wasn't too pink and wasn't too brown that suited my skin and didn't wash me out too much, Honey-Love is the shade of dreams for me! I was very happy with my shopping and really enjoyed my day! My only regret is not have more money to buy even more for my kit and of course for myself from MAC as the discount was incredibly generous and made a big difference compared to our usual 15% off!

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