The Beauty of Makeup Books

Forever Flawless and Express Makeup

SALES!!! Now that I've got your attention, I just wanted to show you guys some amazing makeup books I bought recently at an astonishingly low price. So girls (and guys) run out to Aldi ASAP and grab these books. They currently have 3 books by Rae Morris and 1 by Napoleon Perdis ALL for $10.00 each. I'm absolutely in love with all of Rae Morris' books, I bought the Express makeup and not shown is, Makeup: The Ultimate Guide. I bought them for my night class that I'm doing in makeup and the photography in them are amazing, featuring models like Miranda Kerr and singers like Natalie Basingthwaighte. These Rae Morris books could possibly be really trendy coffee table books, stacked on top of each other maybe with some other fashion books, just beautiful.



Napoleon Perids' Makeup book, Forever Flawless is a great book for those girls who are just starting out in makeup, it has some great beginners knowledge and there are looks in there that I think girls can benefit from.


Inside the book they help you with foundation and things like how to match your colour. They also have some really simple looks for girls that are easy to follow along with. Each look gives you step by step instructions and let's you know which Napoleon products and makeup to use with these looks.

A look in Forever Flawless

Now on to my favourite, Express Makeup by Rae Morris.
Not only is the photography amazing in this book, but the looks are beautiful, simple and edgy all at the same time. I was immediately sucked in by the front cover because of 2 things; the gold writing and the fact that the model on the cover looks like Lily Collins and I absolutely love her and her eyebrows. The front cover totally embodies the entire feel of the book; Classic and edgy.

The great thing about this book is that it's detailed but simple enough that someone who doesn't have experience with makeup, can follow along and create some amazing looks on themselves. Rae's book gives advice on skin care, priming, foundation and many more, plus they even recommend what colour shadows compliment and intensify your eye colour.

Section on foundation.

Smokey eye tutorial as seen on the cover.

Edgy glittery tutorial.

This look is the one seen on the cover and I absolutely love the photography and the positions of the images and steps. As you can see, the steps are small and concise and are super simple to follow so that any one could master these techniques.








I definitely think that this look is something that can be worn for a night out, or even toned down to lessen the runway feel that it has to it. I'm a sucker for glitter and orange so this look ticks all of my boxes.







All in all, I highly recommend beauty and makeup books for those who are beginners or even girls who have had years of experience under their belts. Reading and looking at these books gives me inspiration to try out new looks and products. I don't think you can ever stop learning and I've learnt a few new tricks and methods from reading beauty books.

The books on my vanity.

So girls, run out now and buy beauty books! They're an amazing source of knowledge and at this price are an absolute steal. My personal favourites are the Rae Morris books, she's Australian, she's known world wide and she's fabulous.

Chat soon ladies, xox

Outfit of the day: Melbourne CBD

So today I had to go into the city and meet with my program coordinator so she could sign some forms for me to have an internship overseas!
And I thought that it would be a perfect time to show you my Outfit of the Day!

So pretty much I'm going for the Street style, biker/casual look :)

Here's a Full length shot. I really like the way the beanie compliments my hair colour.

I really like the over sized look that's in fashion at the moment. But the key to this look is to make sure you don't go over board on the size. I bought this top one sizer smaller than I usually wear so I don't look like a penguin in a human shirt. Another thing to add to this look it to wear a slimmer bottom; tight jeans, pants or thick cotton leggings like I'm wearing. This way you can create a balanced outfit, while still keeping with the over sized look.

Over sized Chicago 1973 shirt from U Cutie $30.00

If you want to wear this type of top with a skirt, I would recommend a high waisted skater skirt in a complimentary colour, black would probably work best. This way you have the over sized shirt but cinch it in to create a waist. I wasn't planning on buying this top at all, I actually went into U Cutie to buy a skirt I had seen the week prior. But my sister saw it and fell in love immediately, they didn't have it in her size so she told me to buy it. On the hanger it's nothing special, but when you try it on it's so cool and I love anything with an association to America and their cities. 

Faux leather and denim jacket from Kmart $8.00 on sale.

The hero of my biker chic look is my bargain buy from Kmart, my faux leather and denim jacket. There's nothing I love more than free food, but discounted clothing comes a close second. I have to say, sometimes Kmart does not get it right, but this time... It's right! I've gotten so many compliments on this jacket and it would probably have to be my go to outfit completer. It's comfortable and even though it's fake leather, people can't usually tell.

Mustard coloured knit beanie from Kmart $8.00.

The trick with shopping on a budget is to know where to find the quality bargains. Like I said before, Kmart is temperamental when it comes to fashion. But you have to be able to search though the clutter to find the diamond... in the rough. (Excuse my Aladdin reference) This knit beanie is another amazing find from Kmart that I believe is a quality purchase. At $8.00 who can complain? The thing about Melbourne is, it can be summer and you'll be needing a beanie. I love the mustard colour, I think it goes well with my ombre hair and I think the beanie with this look creates a casual vibe and plays down the biker feel, which can sometimes go too scary.

Zara leggings $40.00

I am literally in love with these leggings. They are thick and warm enough so I don't feel like I'm wearing those flimsy tacky leggings. I am a pants or skirt girl, so I'm always on the hunt for amazing pants. I've had the Sportsgirl leggings and sadly they have broken and the waistband stretched out only after a few wears. These leggings have an amazing waistband and the great thing about them is that they can be worn like high waisted, Olivia Newton John pants from Grease. Score! They are great quality and astonishingly enough for Zara, they are cheaper than the competition, Sportsgirl.

Details of leggings.

The other thing I love about them are the details. I'm having a kind of obsession with horse riding clothes, weird right? And these pants so remind me of riding trousers, with the paneling on the hips and inner calf, I feel kind of elegant, like those fancy women in the country club movies. The gold zipper on the bottom of the pant legs are really cute and again add this little touch of subconscious glamour to the look.

Vans $20-30

And to round out the biker, street look, I paired it up with my black skinny Vans. These particular ones are the Canvas Authentic Lo Pro, these are awesome because they are thinner than the usual ones and have a feminine feel to them. They're usually priced (in America) around $45.00, where as in Australia, they can range from $80-90. I bought this pair when I was in LA earlier in the year at the Citadel Outlets, Vans store. I'm not exactly sure, but I'm thinking I bought them for around $25. Because these shoes are so popular and expensive in Australia, I waited until I could find them on sale, even if that meant getting them from another country!

So with searching for bargains, saving your money and using clothes you already own, you can create a casual look that's still kind of edgy but chic at the same time.

Hope you enjoy! And watch this space for more posts :)

xox

Who is The Beauty Grotto?

Welcome!
My name is Jessica, I'm an Australian who lives in the suburbs of Melbourne and this blog is dedicated to beauty, fashion and everything in between.
I'm not professionally trained in makeup, but I am self taught and I'm hoping to branch out into the makeup industry.

I'm a student, who loves fashion and makeup, but I have to live on a limited student budget.
So this blog will showcase how I manage to keep up with fashion and beauty while studying at the same time.

I love street style fashion but also am a sucker for glamorous and girly stuff. So I'm a sort of mixed bag when it comes to my style, I like to mix and change up my style using the things I already have in my closet. The same goes for makeup, I try to utilise the same makeup I have in my vanity but change it up and use it in different ways and save up for a little while to buy products and clothing. And I hope that through this blog and up coming YouTube tutorials, I can show you some tips and tricks to help those of you on a budget!

Enjoy! And watch this space for more posts.

xox