Find Your Perfect Summer Red Lip

Red lipstick is a staple product that every makeup lover should have in their makeup bags, it can transform a day look into a glamorous evening look. In this post I'm going to show you some of my favourite red lip shades and also give you a brief overview of which types of red lipstick are most likely to suit you.

What toned red lipstick should I go for?
Pink/Cool toned skin - go for the classic reds or a pinky red.
Warm/Caramel toned skin - go for a burnt orange/red.
Dark toned skin - go for the richer red shades.
Really there is no right or wrong way when it comes to red lipstick, so if you feel like it, go for whatever shade you like!

Some of my favourite Summer reds

Mac Lipstick in Ruby Woo £15.50 and Mac Lip Pencil in Cherry £12.50
Ruby Woo is the classic red lip, with its blue undertone and matte finish. This colour works beautifully against cooler skin tones, just like Taylor Swift.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate Moss in 111 Kiss of Life - £5.49
This lipstick has a mix of orange and blue undertones meaning it should suit a variety of skin tones. It claims to have a matte finish but I would call it more of a satin when you look at it compared to Ruby Woo.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Harlot - £14
If you prefer a lip colour to be more glossy the OCC lip tars are great. They have a really strong staying power as they do slightly stain your lips. Harlot is a more pinky red and is more likely to suit cooler toned skin.

Mac Lipstick in So Chaud - £15.50
If you have a warmer skin tone this lipstick is a stunner! It really warms up the skin with it's orange undertone, whilst also having a beautiful matte finish. I love to pair burnt orange/red shades with the Mac Pro Longwear Lip pencil in High Energy.

Mac Lipstick in Lady Danger - £15.50
Lady Danger is another staple lipstick, it's such a vibrant burnt orange without being too garish and neon. Again I pair this with the Mac Pro Longwear Lip pencil in High Energy to really get the full potential of the lip colour.

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Twitter | @Alexandraahowe
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How To: Create Winged Eyeshadow (without tape!)

In this tutorial I'll be showing you how to create the perfect winged eyeshadow without having to use tape, which can increase your chances of fine lines and damaging your skin. 

The lighting the day I filmed this totally doesn't justify the look, but if you follow the steps it will look like the original photo. One day I will be able to get some proper lighting rather than relying on natural light. 

What I used |

Eyes |

Mac 24-Hour Extended Eye Base

Mac Paint Pot in Painterly

Mac Eyeshadow in Wedge

Mac Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe

Bdellium Tools Blending Brush

Mac Pigment in Blue Brown

Sigma Small Tapered Blending Brush (10% off with code INNOVATINGBEAUTY available here)

Mac Fix +

Mac Eyeshadow in Soot

Sigma Pencil Brush (10% off with code INNOVATINGBEAUTY available here)

Sigma Tapered Blending Brush (10% off with code INNOVATINGBEAUTY available here)

Mac Eyeshadow in Brule

Mac Pro Longwear Eyeliner in Definedly Black

Benefit They're Real Mascara

Face |

Mac Sculpting Powder in Sculpt

Lips |

Mac Lip Liner in Boldly Bare

Mac Lipstick in Kinda Sexy

Connect With Me

Twitter | @Alexandraahowe

Facebook | Alexandra Elizabeth

Instagram | @Alexandraahowe

How To: Stacked Naked Wedding Cake

A couple of weeks ago I was given the task of creating a 4 tier naked wedding cake for a family wedding. Most commonly they are just Victoria sponge but for this one I made a different flavour of cake for each tier. I made banana for the 12”, Victoria for the 10”, carrot for the 8” and coffee & walnut for the 6”. This cake is easy enough to make even if you aren’t an experienced baker, it was my first ever time making a cake like this. You can make it far easier if you have the same flavour for each tier as you can just make a massive batch of the batter.

To figure out how much of each ingredient you need for the different sized tins this is how i did it;
For example, I have a recipe for an 8” tin but I need it for a 12”, I divide 300g of flour by 8, then times it by 12 = 450g of flour. Then just do this for all the ingredients. Sometimes you’ll just have to round it up or down for things like eggs.

What you will need;
Ingredients for your cakes and buttercream
4 cake tins (12”, 10”, 8” & 6”)
4 cake boards (12”, 10”, 8” & 6”)
Cake leveller or cerated edged knife
Piping bag with a large and small round nozzle
Palette Knife
Cake supports (you can purchase supports from your local cake decorating store or on amazon, you can also use bamboo skewers)
A selection of flowers (peonies, gerberas and gypsophila are popular ones)Presentation board/stand
Flower picks (you can purchase from your local cake decorating store or on amazon)
Cake topper
Icing sugar for decoration (Optional)

How to create the cake;

Step 1 | Bake 2 cakes per tier, making sure you line the tins well with baking paper to make it easier to remove them from the tins once baked.
Step 2 | Level the cakes with either a cake leveller or a cerated edged knife, so they’re all the same height. 

Step 3 | Place the bottom cake on each cake board, pipe a layer of icing onto the top and smooth out with a palette knife, then place the other cake on top.
Step 4 | Add 4 cake supports into each cake in a square at least 2 inches in from the edges.
Step 5 | Place each tier on top of each other.

Step 6 | Place the cake onto your presentation board/stand.
Step 7 | With a small piping nozzle, pipe along around the edges of each tier to hide the cake boards. To smooth these edges I just ran my finger along the buttercream to look that little bit more rustic.
Step 8 | Arrange your flowers onto the cake using flower picks.
Step 9 | Around the flowers add the berries using the buttercream like a glue. Arranging the berries in clusters tends to look most effective.
Step 10 | Add your topper.
Step 11 | Sprinkle icing sugar over the cake for the final touch (Optional)
Step 12 | Serve and enjoy the cake!