Lilac Glitter Ombre Nails!

Apologies for the vast difference in pictures, but I have always been terrible with taking photos of nails..on top of that this colour by MUA is abit of an odd one because in some lights it appears pink and others more lilac. My hands are hardly the daintiest and in general I don’t tend to dress up my nails, so when I do it’s at least worth a blog post right? 

To create a lilac glitter ombre you will need:

• A lilac polish (I used MUA’s lush lilac)
• A glitter polish (Mine is Barry M’s silver glitter and I think this is the most gorgeous glitter shade because the rainbow effect of the particles make it look almost holographic ^_^)
• A clear polish

  
  

Step 1: Paint two or three coats of the lilac polish (however many coats needed for an opaque finish and allow to dry)

Step 2: Paint the nail from 3/4 of the way up with one layer of glitter polish. Let this dry before moving on.

Step 3: This time starting from the middle of the nail, paint one even layer of the glitter polish.

Step 4: Once the glitter has dried and is not tacky in the slightest, paint 1 or 2 layers on the last quarter (tip) of the nail so most of the glitter is concentrated on the white part of a French manicure.

Finally – finish with a clear polish to prolong your pretty nails and clean up any mess with cotton buds and nail polish remover

et voila!

Lilac Glitter Ombre Nails!

August Haul

Hello my lovelies ^_^

I wanted to show you some of the bits and pieces I’ve bought this month and a couple of kind gifts too ^_^

I wasn’t intending to splurge or treat myself as early this month...

I got myself an iPhone 4S (finally) so I was slightly skint..but since Eid (eidi money) and also getting results and lots of lovely congratulations cards, I’ve also been treated to some monies from my overly generous and ever thoughtful family.

Starting with clothing (though this isn’t a fashion blog in the slightest, it’s still somewhat interesting right D: you tell me?) - The two stars of this month have been H&M and Primarni. Ok guys the sheer difficulty to photography these was the most frustrating challenge I've faced since starting this blog ._____.

The H&M pictures come out terribly so I’ll link them instead-

1. Black cardigan • £10 • link basically this is what it is, simply a black cardie, a must have in every wardrobe. I already had a lovely one from H&M that I purchased a while back. It’s perfect for summer with slightly rolled up sleeves and was looking for a back up of that actually as I wear one to work but I couldn't find it so settled for this.

2. Plum T-shirt • £6.99 •  anyone who knows me will know I am slightly obsessed with autumn/winter colours. I love khaki and am instantly drawn towards it and its the same for burgundy's, mustards and maroons. I think these colours especially compliment medium skin tones and that's why? Or maybe it's just a long phase..whatever the reason I picked this his tee out because H&M are great for layering and they make good quality goods ^_^ Also the material of these t-shirts light and perfect for layering (great for all seasons!)

Primark

apologies for how unironed these are ._. I promise when I wear them they will feel the heat of the iron

1. Beatles T-shirt • £8 • This is an oversized black t-shirt with the iconic photo of the Beatles crossing the road. It looks more faded than it actually it is as because I had to adjust the colour so the colour of the cardigan would look more accurate. But anyways I'm a big lover of larger tees and also men’s t-shirts as they look more modest and feel more comfy. They’re also great for layering too. I’ve wanted a Beatles T for the longest time, but when H&M made them they ran on the shorter side, so I had to pick this up as soon as I saw it.

2. Burgundy long cardie • £8 • I’ve been looking for long cardies for a long time that are good quality and not that stretchy sorta material. Primark are doing a range of autumn colours with these cardigans, which are a sort of granddad style. The fit is lovely, with tighter sleeves and a longer style and I just adore this colour. Also the price for this was brilliant, I was expecting between £12-£15 so I'm going to be stocking up on these in the near future.

3. Patterned white and black tee • £5 • I saw this tee with a white background and black pattern at first and liked the style of it, but when I saw the black one I had to pick it up. It’s sort of reminds me of that dress Kim K wore, similar to Kayne’s album cover?  Anyways the awesome thing about this is the colour is slightly off-white and the pattern isn’t printed on but, ok how do I explain this, like you can feel it?? Basically it’s a textured top and I think it would look great with a pair of black chinos and a blazer with heeled boots, or maybe a long cardie for a more casual look.

4. Oversized black tee with leather/suede sleeves • £4 • that's right guys FOUR POUNDS, ok this is pretty basic but sometimes when I’m shopping I get these fantastic visions of how certain pieces could look and be styled (not that they do looks that fantastic in real life but hey hey) So anyways I thought this would look lovely with a long sleeved royal blue top and matching hijab and a maxi skirt. Again oversized so super comfy, it would have been good if I had been drawn to a colour other than black (you can see a theme here right D:) but I’ll style it with brighter colours for the pop :)

4. Black make-up bag • £3 • I don’t really get drawn to makeup bags in other stores, but Primark always have such a nice range of sizes and styles sometimes I can’t resist! I have another similar to this size but for some odd reason I bought it in white (a year ago) and you can imagine the horrific state it is in now. For my holiday to Turkey I bought a larger one with silver cube studs, brilliant for carrying a large selection of makeup but far to large to lug around day-to-day. So this one was exactly what I was looking for, the perfect size to slip into my bag, two compartments (one for makeup the the other for hand sanitizer, tissues, lip balm etc.) and it even has a cute little bow to jazz it up a little.

5. Black Suede heels • £12 • This is a purchase you’ll not see very often on my blog, and I doubt I’ll see in my shopping bag because heels are a type of shoe I seldom wear. Firstly I am 5’6.5 which is tall enough for me! I find towering over people uncomfortable ._. and in all honesty I’m all about the comfort when it comes to feet! Having said that the heels I do own aren’t really to my taste, pretty but impractical and easy to trip in due to the heel part being stiletto-ish. I was in the mood to try on some heels and instantly feel in love with these. They look so classy and would look great with pretty much any outfit, plus they’re fairly comfortable and don't you just love the straps?! Safe to say these are the first pair of heels I’ve bought and not wanted to take off (for longer than 20 minutes)

TEETH WHITENING

Please excuse the old fleecy blanket..didn’t realise it’d age showed up so much till I took the photos…oh well old is gold as they say right??

3D Crest Whitestrips • link

Ok so a few weeks ago I was going through bloglovin’ and reading various different reviews. I came across this one for teeth whitening and was seriously impressed. So as it was around Eid time and I was in the mood to treat myself, I decided to purchase these. I’ve always had confidence issues regarding my teeth. Yes I’ve been through braces (double blocks – the whole lot basically) and they did make a difference, but what's the use of straightish teeth when they don’t shine WHITE like a diamond?? Tea lovers like myself will understand the pain of TEA STAINS urgh, and teeth are important (communication!)you are meant to get them whitened by the orthos once the braces come off but that was rubbish 

anyways so the pictures from that review were great and so were others I searched online, and I have around 2 days left now till I’ve completed my 10 day pack. I don’t think I’ll be doing a full review of these as the before pictures didn’t turn out so brilliant…in short they do the job. My teeth are whiter..not quite as white as I expected and also I feel abit ripped off by the sizes of the strips, they’ve made the top ones quite short and wide and the bottom really long..my front teeth are big so it means the other visible teeth on the top row (other than the front 4/5 teeth) aren’t as white?? *sigh*   FINAL VERDICT: not too sure if they were worth the monies, but yes my teeth do look whiter. They taste horrible but they do stick properly if you dry your teeth and  I may try these again in the distant future. Also the sensitive teeth ones, you only have to keep the strips in for five minutes (professional –30mins)

Makeup

I picked up 3 Maybelline products after work this month, because who really can resist a 3for2?? Also I’d never seen this concealer in boots or Superdrug before yet heard so many raves from across za pond it was like a force drew me to the makeup stand in Sainsbury's for that very reason

1. Maybelline Tattoos in ‘On and On Bronze’ and ‘Eternal Gold’ • £4.99 • link

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with these, and although I'm still going to be youtubing and googling different eye tutorials with these, I'm pretty impressed. I mean a fiver is still a lot of money for a one colour eyeshadow product (you could get a whole MUA palette for less than that!) it does make eye looks and especially Smokey eyes simpler. Also you can easily add other colours and blend..obviously I’ve hardly had a chance to play around with them but with 3for2 they were £2.50 each and we shall see if I do actually use them often.

2. Maybelline Instant Anti-Age, The Eraser Eye, Perfect cover concealer • £7.99 • link

The only link I could find was from the Superdrug website. Anyway despite the slightly high price tag for a drugstore concealer, I really do love this. I have it in the shade nude and find that it is quite literally the perfect shade for my skin tone. It blends like a dream and whilst it can’t replace collection lasting perfection for under the eyes (they’re quite a tough battle) it is brilliant for blemishes. I also love the applicator, which apparently is self-cleaning o_0 works for me!

My auntie actually gave me some of those lovely treats to keep (too kind!) but I forgot to photograph them..it's ok though reviews will be coming up at some point in the future!

Stationary!

Probably the only enjoyable thought about going back to school has got to be stattionary shopping..just statnding by all the stationary isles in various stores and basking in the glorious rays of pretty new stationary..how can anyone not love stationary?! maybe I want to be a teacher so I can continuously buy new stationary for ever idk

1. Pencil Case • £7.99 • link - currently on sale! • Mum picked this up for me from WHSmith, mainly because its been around 3 years since I’ve have a proper pencil case (been stuck with the clear plastic ones) and I adore the birds and the whole colour scheme of it (similar to my bedroom) It has a really cute theme about it, it’s made of the shiny material so it won’t soak in ink stains and there’s three compartments :)

2. Sharpies ‘80’s Glam’ set • £6.99 (I think) • link • WHSmith had this deal on with where you could purchase these for more than half-price (they're usually £20!)  I’ve always been tempted by sharpies and there's pretty much all the colours you could need want and ask for here! I’m a big user of colour when it comes to revision notes so these were a good deal.

The other two notebooks were gifts one from an auntie and one from an uncle. The 2014 diary should hopefully come in handy and I’ve decided to use the notebook for my blog. As the academic year begins my time will be alot more limited, so hopefully I'll keep ontop of blogging using this. Also I have so many ideas whizzing around it’s brilliant to have one central place to jot them all down!

What have you been buying this month?

August Haul

Hello my lovelies ^_^

I wanted to show you some of the bits and pieces I’ve bought this month and a couple of kind gifts too ^_^

I wasn’t intending to splurge or treat myself as early this month...

Review | No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream Normal/Dry

           No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Normal / Dry skin - £12.95 – link

One of the things I got the opportunity to try for a few days was this BB cream from No7. To be honest I’ve never been that interested in this type of product since finding my HG (link). The way I see it a BB cream is a lighter version of a tinted moisturiser with added benefits like SPF etc.;

My skin is pretty good, the main problems are uneven skin tones and the odd blemishes, so when it comes to a base on a good day I opt for concealer where I need it, on a ‘normal’ day my beloved F&B and then when my skin is playing up and I don’t have a lot of time it’ll be my L’oreal True Match. Essentially I’d rather have nothing spread all over my face, than something that gives such a light base I’d have to dot concealer over it anyways.

Ok so I’ve painted quite a negative picture of my perception of BB creams, but believe me I approached this with positive curiosity ^_^

‘Its unique 3-in-1 formula evens and enhances skin tone and disguises imperfections, while the nutrient-enriched formula helps to banish blemishes.

The added protective power of SPF 15 and 5 * UVA technology to help skin stay youthful, No7 BB is the only way to wear this season’s must-have essential - perfectly-pared back, beautiful skin.’

Packaging: It is pretty simple, no pump just a squeeze bottle with a screw lid. It is pretty compact so easy to slip into a makeup bag for travelling and it won’t take up lots of space on the dressing table. It is easy to wipe clean and the tube contains 40ml of product. I actually think for the price and considering its a ‘drugstore brand’ this is quite pricy, and so would expect great results from it.

shade: So I had the shade fair to try, I did think it would be too light but actually has a warmer tone. According to the boots website it is only available in two shades fair and medium which isn’t brilliant as again a lack of choices for fair skins or darker tones. I was pleasantly surprised with the colour as I have a medium skin tone (I’m guessing around a NC35 but not 100% sure).

Application and feel: The consistency is very thin as expected, and on the packaging it is recommended to apply it with hands or a sponge. I worked this into my skin using my fingers and it blended very nicely. For a short while afterwards it did feel and look a little shiny, as it’s made for those with dry skin so once wearing it, I did feel like it was providing my skin with lots of moisture.

Overall finish: Once blended into my skin it did look slightly too light for my skin tone (but I do like picking a slightly warmer colour for my skin tone to add colour). This however wasn’t too much of an issue as that is the purpose of bronzer, however the actual look of the cream with its lack of coverage was fine for an ‘au natural’ day but for me personally as I’ve already said, I’d much rather skip the lightest base and use moisturiser and concealer instead. It did slightly even out my skintone, but I feel that it showed too many blemishes to be regarded as a quick go-to product and although it was non-patchy or sticky and did blend in nicely, if it was mine I wouldn’t repurchase it.

I do understand the appeal of BB creams, but once a girl has a HG it’s hard to measure up to that. Have you tried this BB cream? Also I’d love to know if there are any BB creams that you really recommend – challenge my opinion on them ;D

Review | No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream Normal/Dry

Liebster award! (X3)

Hey guys ^_^

so due to being super busy (I've finally started to learn to drive!) with work and training and family staying over, I've just put off doing this award till I have the time to properly sit down and think – which apparently isn’t going to happen, but after receiving a third nomination, I thought I’d better get a move on D:

The Rules Are:

Tell 11 random facts about yourself  decided to skip  this because there’s facts about me here and here

Answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you

Choose 11 bloggers with 300 followers or less

Create 11 questions for your chosen bloggers

Make sure to let them know you have nominated them

Don't tag the person that tagged you

HUMUNGUS THANKYOU TO THE BEAUTIES WHO NOMINATED ME, I really appreciate it ladies ^_^ ;

1. Pippa – One of the funniest bloggers ever, Pippa and her blog are simply brilliant and you’d be crazy not to check ‘pippa-loves’ out ok (srsly you’ll regret it if you don't)

2.Vanessa – Ma home gurl from across za pond, Vanessa is soooo funny too like between her and Pippa I can honestly say, what’ll be a bad day due to other things, can be turned around just by reading their musings and reviews, there’s nothing like getting to know the blogger’s behind the reviews and honestly Vanessa is one of the loveliest out there

3. Kayleigh – A beautiful Scottish lass who loves cupcakes and tea just as much as I do. Her blog isn’t so much focused on beauty but still has really lovely pictures of outfits, adventures and so forth!

Pippa’s q’s

My 11 questions (be forewarned, not too beautyish):

1.Favourite TV series?

-I honestly don't have one because when I do watch TV it'll be because I really love that particular show and I won't continue watching it if I don't love it (so basically I'm rubbish at answering this question!

2.Favourite book? (I need new books)

 ahhh so many that I can't even think clearly about specifics right now! Probably A Thousand Splendid Sun and the Harry Potters.

3.Fav sites to download music on Favourite past-time besides blogging?

 (YouTube downloader because I'm not savvy with anything else) I loved reading but since school got so hectic it's become shopping either online or with friends, nothing like a bit of retail therapy (or window shopping)

4.A place you want to visit that you haven't yet?

ohhh good question! I'd like to visit Italy ^_^

5.One makeup item you can't leave the house without applying?

concealer! It is my everything and saves many an eye from horror every morning!

6.Do you prefer the Ombre hair look or highlights? (What? Ok fine I'm asking for me)

hehehe well I used to love ombré on other people but I think highlights (though your hair is long enough for ombré to look gorgeous!!! So either :P)

7.Favourite sweet/candy?

SKITTLES!!!!!

8.Are my questions awful? Favourite things to write about on your blog? (i.e. reviews etc)

No ofc they aren't ^_^ and probably hauls tehehe I've got one coming up, but then again I'm impartial to writing anything I just enjoy blogging in general :')

9.Favourite season?

Autumn and spring (I'm a mellow person) actually I love me some triple layering in the winter too and I love summer in other countries gaah I don't have one >_<

10.Favourite mascara?

Probably Max Factor 2000 calorie, it does amazing things and doesn’t try out super quickly either, though to be honest I’m not a huge mascara lover and most days skip it.

11.What are your favourite posts to read on blogs? 

Would it be cheating to say any? :p I love reading blogs so much (though I enjoy it most when I’m chilling out before bed) and it’s kinda replaced my long love for YouTube! Maybe because it’s the written version? I’m no sure but anyways I guess my favourite posts to read are any with beautiful, large photos so I can feast my eyes ^_^

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VANESSA’S Q’S

Here are my questions!

1. If you had to buy only one item off your wishlist, what would it be?

A NICE CAR PLEASE (and beauty related then NARS SHEER GLOW)

2. If you were to design a makeup/beauty collection, which brand would you love to collaborate with?

brilliant question ^_^ Probably Rimmel from high-street because I just love their whole brand, and higher end then The Balm, they possibly have cuter packaging than Benefit (or they’re both in the same league of cuteness anyways)

3. Corals, pinks, reds, oranges or purple/plum shades?

Pinks for face, coral/pinks for the lips and purple/plums for the eyes and nails ;D

4. Which beauty item(s) do you gravitate towards most? (e.g. blush, lipsticks)

Blushers and Eyeshadow Palettes, but if I had to pick one, blushers mainly because they’re just a lot more affordable than buying a gorgeous new mahoosive palette.

5. A beauty product you think is overrated?

Probably Revlon lip butters, if they were a fiver then fair enough but for the price and the amount of hype they got, not all that impressed

6. Your favourite personal collection (e.g. makeup, books, wardrobe, human trophies (wait, this isn't Hannibal)

For sure my makeup collection thusfar. I mean aside from makeup, I hardly have any other proper collections..other than a hijab collection? but that needs a lot of work still as does my ‘shoe collection’ (I'm extremely fussy when it comes to footwear.

7. A quote/attitude you try to live by?

I’m not sure that this was a particular one up until recently but I’ve been very inspired and motivated by two recently, one taken from the Quran

"Verily, with hardship there is relief" (Qur'an 94:6)

I mean it’s pretty self explanatory, but essentially that though we go through hard times in life, there is always some form of relief, even if we don’t see it clearly at the time, there is good in everything and I want to be able to see that goodness in everything. I used to be a very positive person and the bubbly sort of girl but I feel growing up I’ve naturally changed, and I feel it’s really important for me to keep my mind as positive as I can.

and the second a quote from Rumi : “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

8. Alright, say you had the opportunity to time travel (-coughcoughTARDIS/DeLorean-). Which era/period would you stop by, whether be for beauty, fashion, or historical (social/cultural/political) reasons?

I would go to the Ottoman period in Turkey! Their history intrigues me and to be able to see Sultans and their wives and the beautiful mastjids being built..it would be phenomenal!

9. If you had the chance to be a character in a TV series, which show would it be?

damn another great question..which I can’t for the life of me answer right now *brain blank*

10. Describe yourself in three words? (Idk man, idk)

VANESSA Y U DO DIS………erm…thoughtful and friendly (do I gotta give a negative one??)

11. One piece of blogging advice? :)

As I'm pretty new to this, the only kinda advise I can give is if you’re on a windows desktop/laptop etc. then download live writer, its BRILLIANT personally I don’t like writing posts on the blogger site and enjoy writing them a whole lot more through that platform, plus if you don’t have wifi you can continue editing posts and then post as a draft or publish them at a later time..and along those lines smartphone people (pretty sure it’s all of you guys) go download the blogger app! You can access drafts and continue adding bits and bobs to posts you intend to finish up later, when you have a spare couple of minutes. It’s a brilliant little app

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KAYLEIGH’S Q’S

My questions for the bloggers:
1. Why did you decide to start to blogging?

I’ve always loved the beauty community from YouTube and have been very inspired by the ladies on there but I could and cannot ever see myself posting videos up on the internet. That's where the blogosphere comes in, I get to participate, connect with fellow beauty lovers around the world and unwind!

2. Where do you get your style inspiration?

Not from any particular person, but I gotta admit whenever I see Vanessa Hudgens in her day-to-day outfits she always looks lovely. I guess my style could best be described as casual with a pinch of ‘I’ve made a slight effort today’ (i.e I added some jewellery or a matching bag or maybe matched my hijab to something in the outfit lol)

Having said that sometimes my mum really inspires me with what she wears, she does have a great eye for fashion so I'm always going to her if I need a second opinion on anything ^_^

3. Where are your favourite places to shop?

H&M (on and off), ASOS, Zara, River Island, Primarni and of course online ;D

4. If you could only ever use one make up product again, what would it be?

this is a mean question :( haha, probably concealer

5. What do you do in your spare time?

I read blogs, I shop, I learn more about my religion, I sit in coffee shops and catch up with my closest friends, I window shop online, I watch YT videos and I like baking too

6. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

A teacher and funnily enough that's my aspiration now too

7. What is your favourite season?

(already answered)

8. Do you prefer shopping online or going to the shops?

Generally speaking online, but for clothes then instore

9. What are your favourite blogs?

I’m too new to have specific favourites just yet, but if you mean genre then beauty for sure ^_^ I do love photography/lifestyle blogs too and sometimes will give a fashion blog the odd once over because it’s interesting to see how these fashionistas can look so fabulous all the time

10. Do you prefer skirts/dresses or jeans/trousers?

Maxi skirts over maxi dresses and….right now trousers over jeans (palazzos and chinos but this does change often)

11. What is your favourite fashion/make up era?

AUDREY HEPBURN

NEED I SAY MORE (1950s)

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My 10 Nominations:

1. Rachel

2. Melissa

3. Shivani

4. Alex

5. Zara

6. Margaret

7. Bethany

8.Bryony

9. Sam

10. Daphne

11. Poppy

If you’ve already done this award I’d love to see yours! so please leave a link in the comments below :) If you haven’t (or if you have and want to do a part two) I’d LOVE to see your answers ^_^

My 11 Questions:

1. What is your favourite high end and drugstore brand?

2. Flowers or Studs?

3. The one beauty rule that you stick to no matter what?

4. What is the best part of blogging for you?

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

6. If you had to live off of either cheese or cucumbers for the rest of your life which one would you pick?

7. Glossy or Matte?

8. Do you have any HGs? If so what are they?

9. Are you generally a spender or a saver?

10. Share one blogging photography tip?

11. Which oil could you not live without?

They’re a big mix of things, certainly not all beauty related but I hope you enjoy answering them/reading them. PLEASE tweet me @blushinggiraffe or comment below when you’ve done it because I’d really love to read them ^_^

Liebster award! (X3)

Hey guys ^_^

Review | Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser

Hi Guys!

I've been really busy today, since finding out I've got a place in Uni I've had to sort out a new student bank account, work out ways and prices to commute and next on my list is..well getting the reading list sorted out! I also have a wedding to attend tomorrow which I'm super excited about as I’ve not been to one in two years and I love an excuse to dress up and see family as much as the next girl ^_^

Today I’m going to be reviewing a skincare product from the Superdrug range (I was able to test this out thanks to my lovely auntie) The Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser - link

Now everyone knows how important it is to remove your makeup at the end of the day, to keep the pores clear and keep skin looking at its best..but it’s not always something we look forwards too! There are a range of ways to remove za makeups (ok no more strange accents I promise) including facial wipes, foaming cleansers, bioderma and this method using a ‘hot cloth’. I think this first exploded into the beauty world through the now infamous Liz Earle’s H.C.C. My aunties and mum are all big fans of this as are many other YouTubers and bloggers! It’s a fantastic product, but the price range isn’t the most affordable for someone on a budget.

Which is where this nifty product comes in! Available online and instore, this is a superdrug own branded hot cloth cleanser. You get 200ml of the good stuff and a Muslin Cloth that is easily washed too.

It’s USP is that it is rich in Vitamin E (very moisturising, has some protection against UV rays though it cannot be classed as a sunscreen and it’s also known to heal wounds and fight against aging YAY VITAMIN E!!)

The concept of a hot cloth cleanse is you squeeze out some of the cleanser and rub it into your skin. Then run the muslin cloth under hot (but not overly hot/boiling) water and gently wipe the cleanser and all that makeup off. The benefits of hot cloth cleansing is it removes ALL the makeup, not like when you use a facial wipe or even a cotton pad because your skin can be left tacky and it doesn't always have that FRESH feel..ya feel me?! 

Putting moisturiser on straight after doing a hot cloth cleanse was the BEST feeling ever, and I'm definitely going to treat my skin right and do this more often!

I love the price point of this (usually £6, currently a fiver) and the amount you get too. It is a drugstore brand so it’s not going to have ingredients as awesome as the more expensive ones, but it does the job very well and it great value for money. I would highly recommend this to everyone, budget or not as it really is a great cleanser. Also scent wise (when I COULD actually smell it) it smelt lovely, not too strong and not at all artificial, so I'm sure it would be awesome for sensitive skins as well as normal-dry.

Have you tried any hot cloth cleansers? What do you like to use to take off your makeup? I’d love to know ^_^

Review | Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser

The Versatile Blogger Award ^_^

A BIG thank-you to Vanessa from Citron and guavaberry for nominating me for my first ever blog award! 

It’s such an honour to be nominated for this already as my blog isn’t even a month old yet and *Oscar award speech drumroll* honestly I've been overwhelmed by the comments and the niceness on the blogosphere, it’s so lovely waking up to thoughtful comments and yeah you guys are ever so appreciated thank you! <3

This award is pretty straightforward -

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you & link their blog.
2. Each nominee must name 7 things about themselves.
3. They must nominate 15 blogs or bloggers they've recently discovered or follow regularly.
4. Inform the nominees about their award.
5. No tag backs!

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1. I am the eldest of four siblings, but I am also the eldest on both my mum’s side and my dad’s side and after me came a lot of cousins! 12 on the mum’s and 14 on my dad’s. Most of dad’s family are in Pakistan, but all my cousins from my mum’s side are here so you can imagine Eid/family get-together are a blast and a half!

2. I am a people’s person. I love quietly observing people and that’s why airports are one of my favourite places! This might sound a little strange, but I love watching people arriving from other countries, cultures mixing, family and friends reuniting, the differences in goodbyes and hello. I think it’s one of those few places where true emotion is expressed, because when saying goodbye to someone, you don’t ever know when you’re next going to see them and I think that realisation hits even the coldest of people. Emotions are pretty overwhelming, and always heart melting to watch.

3. Talking about emotions I am what would be described as – an emotional girl. Not just movies though, lets not stop there, I positively sobbed when Dumbledore was killed and fell from the tower in the sixth book. I guess I get attached to characters, and really feel what they feel and can relate (or try to). Hmm I’m painting quite a dull picture of myself here aren’t I, there are many things that make me happy too! Like skittles, working with children, seeing my grandparents, window-shopping, online shopping, baking, giraffes, iced coffees, highly pigmented makeup, finding bargains and the list goes on!

4. I recently went to Turkey with my mum, auntie, uncle and cousin and absolutely fell in love with Istanbul. I couldn’t recommend going there enough, the mix between east and west is perfect with friendly locals and delicious ‘kebaps’. Also as a Muslim I loved the sense of spirituality and brotherness you felt as you walked the streets on the city, something that isn’t that apparent where I live anywhere. Muslim or not you cannot NOT be awed by the phenomenal architecture made years and years ago (how did they made that without cranes diggers and scaffolding?!?!) I guess this whole point although it turned into a Istanbul appreciation one is I LOVE TURKEY AND WANT TO GO BACK ASAP PLEASE <3 here's some photos

*sighs* Just beautiful..

5. I need to use bright colours when I’m revising or the chances are I won’t remember it, who doesn’t like rainbow coloured notes?!

6. I used to be obsessed with Milsberry when I was 10 and I had a notebook with several pages filled up with what I needed and wanted to get for my house, the prices of those things, daily targets etc. etc. IF ONLY I WAS THAT ORGANISED WITH THE REST OF MY LIFE D: needless to say I was slightly devastated when they shut the site down.

7. My nose sometimes works and sometimes it doesn’t :( sounds hilarious when read yes but it’s pretty upsetting (frustrating?!) to be shopping for a new perfume, or to try and smell ANYTHING flowers, cooking, body lotion and randomly no scent will come..I probably should get this checked out properly but in all honestly it’s probably a genetic thing as my mum, auntie and uncle have the same sort of problem >.<

I never quite know what to write when asked to name seven facts so I hope those weren’t too random and infact, congratulations if you made it this far! haha

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My Nominations:

Pippa from Pippa-love

Libby from Life-of-libby

Melissa from Melissalovesthis

Zara from lavieenrose-xo

Yasmin from pomegranateblossom

Shivani from Glamdiaries

I don’t have 15 people I’ve not been here long enough .-. and the other blogs I read are very well known, but I love reading all of these blogs and ofc Vanessa’s, you can read her post here so check them all out ^_^

Enjoy finding more beautiful bloggers!

Iqra

xxx

The Versatile Blogger Award ^_^

A BIG thank-you to Vanessa from Citron and guavaberry for nominating me for my first ever blog award! 

It’s such an honour to be nominated for this already as my blog isn’t even a month old yet and *Oscar award speech drumroll* honestly I've been overwhelmed by the comments and the niceness on the blogosphere, it’s so lovely waking up to thoughtful comments and yeah you guys are ever so appreciated thank you! <3

This award is pretty straightforward -

Rules

1. Thank the person who nominated you & link their blog.
2. Each nominee must name 7 things about themselves.
3. They must nominate 15 blogs or bloggers they've recently discovered or follow regularly.
4. Inform the nominees about their award.
5. No tag backs!

Review | Sleek Blush – Flamingo

Hi lovelies! Today I’m going to be talking about one of my favourite blushers ever –> Flamingo

Before I get into the review, I just wanted to say a huge well done to those of you who’ve got into Uni today! I got my first choice and my grades surprised me ^_^ glad to know I’ll be doing a course I know is right for me!

Anyways Sleek is one of my favourite makeup brands hands down. It continuously delivers in good quality, highly pigmented cosmetics which suit a range of skin tone all at a very reasonable price. They’re the only high-street makeup brand with 30 shades of foundation! Sleek really does tick all the boxes. I only own two of their blushers, but I do own a few eyeshadow palettes, the brow kit and the face form kit (contour kit)

For some reason my camera didn’t quite pick up the vividness of the blush in the pan. On my finger and in the picture below is a more accurate colour match, but basically at a first glance this blush looks pretty intimidating. Its a bright in-ya-face pink, almost florescent but not quite that highlighter shade and something I’d imagine many people would shy away from.

However when used with a light hand and a fluffy (NOT dense) brush (I love using the Real Techniques blush brush) it becomes a beautiful, natural glowing pink. The slight blue tone in the makes it a cooler blush. I do tend to favour peachy tones and warmer pinks, but I have loved popping this shade onto my cheeks recently to switch things up a little bit as I think it’s all too easy to get stuck in a rut and a change is as good as a rest (refreshing ^.^) The slight sheen gives such a beautiful healthy appearance! It’s not massively shimmery as such but wearing a highlighter isn’t necessary. It can of course be built up (the more you build up the stronger the pink), but you gotta be careful with the amount of pressure applied when brushing this on because it’s one of those shade that could easily make you look like a china doll who fell into a tub of pink paint!

Price point these blushers cost £4.49. UNDER A FIVER – WINNING! Sleek also have the blush-by-3s which are £10 each with 3 different shades pinks/red/peaches) They’re on my wish list!

It has great lasting power for a drugstore brand, and the pan contains 8g which is a very decent amount, as MAC blushes only contain 6g. I also love the sleek packaging, it’s small enough to fit comfortably into your makeup bag, and it’s shape means it’s easy to stack up together with its brothers and sisters unlike SOME brand’s packaging (I'm looking at you elf studio blushers). It also has a generously sized mirror in the pan, again increasing it’s usefulness to pop into the handbag. The two swatches above show the blush in different lights. On the left is the colour close up to a window with bright sunlight shining directly at it, and on the right in warmer lighting. Either way it’s a very pretty colour that’s fast become one of my favourites.

I’m so glad I was feeling daring and picked this up, it’s a total winner. It’s also made me more interested in looking at the other brighter or unusual blusher shades in the collection, because they usually appear completely different on the skin than in the pan!

Pros:
Fantastic pigmentation
Very affordable price for the quality
decent lasting power
Good amount in the pan
Sleek packaging (tehe)
Will suit all skin tones
Great sized mirror
Cons:
can look a little cray if over applied

What’s your favourite blusher and shade?

Review | Sleek Blush – Flamingo