I know my blogs have been a bit topsy turvy of late with the school holidays and I usually don't post on the weekend either, but as I did date night make-up yesterday I thought I'd do the actual date night outfit too. 

Here I am wearing my lilac silk Sandro blouse, that I bought on my last trip to Bicester village, Zara skinny soft rip blue jeans and my Mango flowy mac.  

To pep it up I've added my Sophie Anderson 'Lia 4' woven clutch bag in neon pink and navy weave and cute pom pom tassels. I wasn't able to find this particular one from UK stockists so used a different style for my outfit builder which is currently available from Net-A-Porter.

I've also accessorised with my Tanya sparkle necklace from Z for Accessorize and my Massimo Dutti leather fringe heeled sandals from last year. I absolutely love them but again found it hard to find a similar pair available from this season so I've gone with New Look's much more affordable 'Chloe' inspired sandal.

Tousled hair, bright red toe polish and make-up as described in yesterdays post and I'm good to go. Click on the descriptive text below to shop a similar date night look and if you like this post please kindly share with friends and family. 

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Banana Republic pink silk blouse
Zara soft rip skinny jeans
Reiss black leather belt
Z for Accessorize 'Tanya' necklace
Mango flowy mac
Sophie Anderson clutch bag
New Look black leather fringe sandal
Nails Inc. The Hurlingham nail polish
 

Inspired by the recent interest in You tube tutorials showing before and after make-up faces I decided to do my own. Nicole Matthews and Nikkie are just two of the beauty gurus who have been making the headlines with their amazing transformations, and I must say both look amazing, but they are only just out of their twenties. I daresay they have the time and inclination to spend on contouring, highlighting and shading so this is my alternative guide for the over forties where some might agree less is more!
 
On the left is my bare face, no filters, and on the right my 10-15 minute date night made-up face, yes I timed it but had to look for my small blush brush and sharpen my eyebrow pencil during that time too. To be honest it took me longer to get a similar 'after' shot for comparison than it did to do my entire make-up!

Below is the make-up builder showing the products I used. I always start with a serum and have tried various ones since my thirties. This laser renew serum from L'Oreal is my current favourite and I'm also using the night peeling lotion from the range too as I find it really suits my skin.

Then I use a light moisturiser always with a SPF, this Avene hydrating cream is easily absorbed and has a SPF of 20. On to my base layer and as I still have a light tan from holiday keep to foundation with minimal coverage. I recently bought 'No Foundation Foundation' from Perricone MD as it contains active anti-aging ingredients and a 'light diffusing mica' which apparently softens the look of fine lines! I would usually apply with a foundation brush but it advises to blend in a circular motion with the fingertips.

I like a dewy look in the daytime but for evening use a powder to remove shine. Here I've used True match mineral powder foundation in Golden beige from L'Oreal which also gives a little more coverage. With a large blush brush I sweep Guerlain's moisturising bronzing powder,03, on cheekbones, middle of my forehead and just under my chin. Then on the 'apple' of my cheeks add a flush of pink from my Bourjois 'Rose Frisson' blush pot.

Onto my eyes and ever since I was made up by celebrity make-up artist Caroline Barnes have used an eyelash curler on her recommendation. Then I use an eyebrow pencil in soft brown and feather over my own eyebrows to make them look denser rather than change my natural shape. As I'm going to be wearing a lilac silk blouse I've opted for a pastel eyeshadow palette from Maybelline and use the pink on my lid, the lilac in the sockets and dab the white on the inner corners. 

Then I apply a coat of mascara, put on my Maybelline lipstick, blot with a tissue before applying L'Oreal's liquid lipstick for a glossy finish. I decided to keep the overall look soft and light so plumped for a nude lip rather than a colour. I then round off with a second coat of black, volume 'Million lashes' mascara, again from L'Oreal.   

Et voila! Hopefully I've achieved an enhanced and polished version of my natural self, which although less exciting than a more dramatic transformation maybe slightly more realistic for those that want to spend more time actually on the date night than in front of a mirror!    

To shop the products I've used click on the descriptive text below and if you like this post please kindly share with friends and family.

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The kids and I have just got back from a camping trip at Dernwood Farm, so whilst we had a lot of rain on our stay-cation we thankfully missed last nights storm. Today's weather definitely calls for a pyjama day so no daily outfit builder I'm afraid.     

So instead here are some of my favourite blogs, websites and articles to peruse while I put some soggy, muddy washing on!

Fashion mum of 40-an established blog from Annmarie, mum of two with a similar taste level to mine.

Not another mummy blog-I love Alison's latest post introducing us to 'The kid who' website.    

WHO WHAT WEAR-be inspired by their article '50 summer outfit ideas' weather permitting!

Nubie-great for contemporary kids furniture and having bought the low loft bed I can certainly recommend the 'Oliver' range from Denmark.   

talentedladiesclub.com -read 'Home alone' to get a dad's perspective on his week left alone with four children.

I'm also reading 'The Love secret' by Dr Sue Johnson, which 'reveals that romantic love is an attachment bond, just like the one between mother and child.' It 'covers the three stages of a relationship and how best to weather them'. 

So whilst we weather this storm I may catch up on my reading while the kids snuggle up on the sofa to watch the latest Disney offering!

Photo courtesy of Dernwood Farm website.

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