Huda Beauty Cream Contour Method

Hey ladies! I hope you’re all doing brilliantly. Today’s post was requested by one of my favourite IG people, she’s supported The Blushing Giraffe since the start and I’m so thankful :’) Thankyou Ahlam!

So this cream contouring technique is quite different to the usual way of putting foundation on first and then applying the darker and brighter cream products. I saw Huda Beauty do this in one of her sped up GRWM videos and she had linked a more detailed video in the description box. I have also linked it to the end of this post so you can see a visual step-by-step.

This methods essentially looks more natural as you end up using less foundation. Everything is super blended which results in a sculpted look without any harshness! ^_^ I wouldn’t do this on a daily basis but for days where I have more time to get ready I loooove this and I think its great for like a meal out during the day or a party...basically anywhere as you can just use cream products alone, or you can ADD to the cream with powder which will intensify the contour and highlight as well as increase the longevity. This is all about perfecting so it’s really important to start off with a good moisturised base and be sure to apply some eyecream around 5 minutes before so that area is hydrated.

I’m going to talk you through how I personally do Huda’s Cream Contour method and what products I use.

1. Colour Correct

Huda actually didn’t do this because her skin looked pretty even in tone, but if you have any darkness on your face this is essential to do first. I used my Benefit Erase Paste 3 under my eyes, using the warmth of my finger to gently blend in a layer and correct that darkness. I also have some discolouration around my mouth, it is a little bit darker than the rest of my face so I’ve been trying out the Maqpro Slim Fard Creme Palette in PP01 which I bought from www.love-makeup.co.uk. Unfortunately that shade isn’t in stock right now but keep an eye out as they change things around quite frequently.

 

2. Contour

Taking the shade beautiful bronze from the L.A Girl Pro Conceal Concealer range I draw two lines under my cheekbones. The applicator for this also makes applying this along the sides of the nose really easy. I always apply some to the chin too, this makes my slight double chin look less prominent and sharpens up my face a little. Sometimes I add a bit to the temples but I think my forehead is proportionate to the rest of my face.

 

3. Highlight

I use the L.A Girl Pro Conceal Concealer in Creamy Beige under my eyes and along my cheekbones in a small triangle. I never apply concealer directly under the bottom lashes because it tends to look cakey, so instead I put it on just below that area. I also highlight the bridge of my nose, chin area and a tiny bit of the centre of my forehead. For a special occasion I would also add a little UNDER the contour line which would define the contour further.

 

4. Blending

It’s important not to over-blend when you’re cream contouring in this way. So I take my E.L.F Stippling Brush which has quite loose bristles ad I gently blend the contour. This diffuses it slightly but it is still quite strong. Next taking a damp beauty blender I start to blend out the under-eyes. This is my favourite bit because it is instantly bright and flawless looking. Also because I let it sit for at least two minutes whilst blending the contour, the concealer ‘set’ better, giving higher coverage. I also like to leave my concealer for a minute or so on a normal basis, this baking technique gets the most coverage out of the concealer you’re using and it lasts longer on the skin too!

 

5. Foundation

The next step is to finally apply the foundation! By now you’ll have most of your face colour corrected, contoured and highlighted. I used the same foundation Huda did Diorskin Star (31) which is a beautiful slightly dewy, perfecting foundation. The formula is perfect for contouring in this order as it feels incredibly light on the skin and blends flawlessly. The advantages of adding foundation now is that it will blend together with the highlight and the contour, diffusing any harshness. As mentioned earlier I tend to use a lot less than before and using a buffing brush and a light hand I apply it mainly on the cheeks and lightly around the face. Huda uses a smaller stippling brush with longer hairs and that looks like it works wonderfully for merging the foundation with the highlight and contour, but all my stippling brushes are pretty large so I just use the buffing brush carefully. It’s really hard to describe this process so be sure to check out Huda’s video as she demonstrates it so well and it’s easy enough for me to follow so I have no doubt that you can too! Key for this step: Use a light hand and LESS IS MORE!

 

6. Set and Powder

Now the base is done it’s essential to set all that under-eye highlight, I usually go in with my Ben Nye Banana Powder which I’ll have tipped into the lid and swirled my RT Setting Brush in before gently powdering down. Then it depends on how much of a contoured look I want to go for, but I usually set the cream contour with another powder of some sort, these days it has been the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in medium-deep (another discovery from Huda Beauty!) and you can read the full review to that here. Adding a bronzer over the top brings warmth to face which you would normally get from applying the cream contour shade on top, however the powder on top of the light layer of foundation and contour shade gives the face a natural warmth. Being a blush-a-holic I do like to apply a little bit just above the contour line. This slightly emphasises the contour whilst adding some colour too.

 

And that’s it really! Although this post was very wordy it’s simple to carry out, watch Huda’s video here and follow her ^_^ I actually prefer the look of this order than the one where you put foundation on first and then apply a layer of highlight and contour. I use less foundation and my skin looks better for it too! Have you tried this method? Or cream contouring at all?

 

Thank-you for reading ♥

Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Huda Beauty Cream Contour Method

Hey ladies! I hope you’re all doing brilliantly. Today’s post was requested by one of my favourite IG people, she’s supported The Blushing Giraffe since the start and I’m so thankful :’) Thankyou Ahlam!

So this cream contouring technique is quite different to the usual way of putting foundation on first and then applying the darker and brighter cream products. I saw Huda Beauty do this in one of her sped up GRWM videos and she had linked a more detailed video in the description box. I have also linked it to the end of this post so you can see a visual step-by-step.

The Starting Over Tag!

The starting over tag base products by blushinggiraffe

Hello Everyone! I’m back with a Tag, something I haven’t written in a while, so I hope you enjoy!
A big thank-you to Hajarah from chocolatefrosst for tagging me! I think the title is quite self-explanatory but here is the hypothesis of the tag:

I have lost (unfortunately) all my beauty products. Now I have been given the opportunity to ‘start over’ and purchase 16 products..

Oh what a horrible thought D: I think I’d cry if I lost it all, seriously I’ve worked hard and found some amazing deals to build the collection I have at the moment! So I will list out the 16 products I would purchase first without much thought because these are have the same thing in common - reliable and they work extremely well for me. I’m going to try and keep it short and sweet and as you can see my 16 picks are above ^

Base Makeup
1. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Stromboli
2. Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer Reviewed here
3. Ben Nye Banana Powder - Reviewed here
4. Benefit Erase Paste in 3 


Cheeks
5. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer medium/deep
6. NARS Blush in Deep Throat - Reviewed Here
7. Illamasqua blush in Allure
8. Mary Lou Manizer- Reviewed Here
9. NARS Duo in Laguna and Orgasm
10. Bourjois Bronzing Primer

Rest of za face
11. Rimmel Lipliners Reviewed on the blog
12. Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade Reviewed here
13. Rimmel Nude Khol Liner
14. Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner Reviewed here
15. I heart chocolate eyeshadow palette Reviewed Here
16. LA Girls Pro Concealer - Beautiful Bronze cream contouring! Swatched here
Well there you have it, the 16 I would repurchase if I had to start over, quite a generous amount actually considering if I actually had to buy my makeup again it would take a long while to pick all of these up, I don’t even want to add up the total cost here! (Although y’all know I’m savy so I wait for deals...but still!)

I tag the following beauties...
Tamanna - TamannaMUA.com
Asma - DifferentStrokesByAsma.Blogspot.co.uk
Pauline - asianhomie101.blogspot.co.uk
Nabihah - thesundaywardrobe.blogspot.co.uk
I can’t wait to see what you ladies pick as your starting over products ^_^

Thank-you for reading ♥
 Follow Via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook

The Starting Over Tag!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Requested | How I Cover Up Really Dark Under-eye Circles

Hello everybody! This is one of my most asked about posts, and it’s taken me a long while to finally write it up! I think its probably because I’m worried that the products I recommend won’t work for everyone, so I’ve decided to make it into a bit of a ‘guide to covering up dark circles’ and I’ll explain everything as thoroughly as possible while recommending other products too. (Read: this will be a long one! In fact one of the longest I have written to date ._.)

This post will only really benefit you if you have medium/very dark under eye-circles. Of course please feel free to read if anyways if you don’t, I’m  just throwing it out there! If you have no dark circles/only very slightly then you don’t need to be using all of these products you lucky thing!

 My skintone is around NC30-35 and I have very dark circles. They are partly hereditary and partly because of late nights. The trouble with dark circles it that they impossible to eradicate completely. There are a few things you can try which sometimes do help lighten them, but usually (and unfortunately) they don’t do much. For example placing a thin slice of cucumber, or potatoes on the eyes is said to reduce the darkness, and although it feels very cooling and refreshing there is little evidence that it rids you of darkness. Also Increasing your intake of water is also supposed to help, something we should do anyways because water is EVERYTHING but again it’s probably not going to make a HUGE difference to your under-eyes. A lot of the time people buy fancy expensive eye-creams which promise to rid them of dark circles and…they just don’t work! So that brings us to makeup!

Like I said I do have pretty dark circles, so if you don’t – this will be excessive for you!

My four step routine is as follows:

Moisturise – Correct – Conceal – Set

1. Moisturise using a lightweight, hydrating eye-cream

Why? I know I just dismissed eye-creams a couple of sentences above, but I was talking about those rather expensive ‘talk the talk but don’t walk the walk’ kinda creams y’know? For me it is essential that I use an eye-cream before I start my concealing routine, because my day cream (the Nuxe Reve de Meil Ultra Comfortable Face Cream) is simply too thick and creamy for the delicate under-eye area.

You want to hydrate the area and prepare the area for some pretty thick products or at least 2 or more light layers of makeup! So the moisturising is best done with an eye-cream and there are plenty available on from the drugstore/supermarkets so you don’t have to purchase an over-priced one. If you don’t moisturise your skin and you have any dryness around your eye – you will definitely see concealer cake up and look horrendous ._. so take the time to prep the skin properly!

Currently I have been loving the ‘Good things Bright Eyes Eye Cream’ which is fragrance free as well as paraben and mineral oil free too. The only thing I don’t love about it is it’s claim to reduce dark circles, because it hasn’t for me! But still a good EC!

How do I use it? I simply dot it around the eye area and using my ring finger gently ‘tap’ it in. It’s SO important to be gentle with your under-eye area and vigorously rubbing around the eyes is a major no-no. Also by using a tapping motion you’re more likely to use less product and evenly distribute the amount you do have on places you need to most.

---

2. CORRECT The Darkness!

What is it? This is the part which most people skip out on, and then wonder why even with concealer there’s a grey undertone showing through. Dark under-eye circles are essentially dark pigments in the skin. Before we can conceal the skin under the eyes and attempt to brighten it up, we must get that skin to a similar colour to the rest of our face…by colour correcting the darkness!

If you have black/darker under-eye circles then you need a peach shade corrector and if you have blue/green dark circles you need a salmon shade corrector.

 A corrector’s purpose is (funnily enough) to correct and it is the first thing that a makeup artist will do when working on the client. By targeting the area’s on the face that need the most attention and spending a bit more time and effort on it, you are free to then use a light/medium base which gives you a natural look rather than a super heavy full coverage foundation which could result in cake face! (e.g of a beautiful dewy base -Bare Minerals bareskin - reviewed here).

So…correcting = essential for anyone with dark under-eye circles!

How do I use it?

Currently I am using Benefit’s Erase Paste in the shade 3 ‘deep’. I use the Real Technique’s detailer brush (from the Core Collection) and take a small amount out of the tub. Then I  brush the corrector in the inner corner and outer corner around my eye. These are the darkest areas. I always make sure I brush corrector in a C shape, ensuring that darkness is covered above eye level and under the eye also (refer to photo below if confused).

Essentially apply the corrector in the darkest areas around the eye, but don’t over-do it. Correctors are usually made of a thicker consistency than a concealer, so you need to use a small amount and then blend it out with your ring finger. The warmth of your finger will help blend the corrector around your eyes and cover more area without applying LOTS of product. Trying to use a brush to blend out corrector is not going to get you very far because of how thick it is!

In this slightly  comical picture, I have shown where I apply the corrector with the detailer brush. Once it is on I use my ring finger to gently blend it out using the patting motion which spreads out the corrector and allows it’s coverage to spread without applying too much of the creamy stuff!

What correctors are out there?

The disadvantage of correcting is that the drugstore hasn’t really clicked onto it yet. So a lot of the time correctors are expensive, but remember you are only using a small amount (no-where near as much as a brightening/highlighting concealer) and generally a little goes a long way.

The most famous corrector is probably the Bobbi Brown one, however as that is owned by Estee Lauder who support Israel, thus killing lots of innocent babies and women I won't be purchasing from them the brands they own ever again. 

 Another option I used to use was the Benefit Boi-ing concealer in the shade 3, which is orange in tone and a slightly thick/stubborn formula! So I found it much easier to use my fingers to gently apply some of it, however if I bought it again I would warm the concealer up IN the pan,and then use a brush.

The detailer brush has made correcting my dark circles SO much easier because it is flat, small and applies the product exactly where you need it. I also find it easy to add more without disturbing what is underneath (something which is easy to do when you are using your fingers).

Currently the Benefit Erase Paste in the shade 3 is working a treat because it is designed for under eyes and so it’s a tad more creamy than products which are labelled as correctors. Having said that if you use a liquid concealer which is darker in colour, it simply won’t offer as much coverage and you’ll be there for hours layering it up – not to mention your eyes will end up looking an orange mess! Anything liquid-ish for correcting is not going to be effective enough. In fact Goss Wayne even recommends you to use a lipstick if it’s the right shade to correct your dark circles, and we all know how creamy they can be!

So a slightly creamy, thick in texture corrector is essential and a small detailer brush is the best for applying a concentrated amount of corrector onto the darkness.

---

3. Conceal and brighten to your heart’s content

This is the part which everyone is fairly familiar with so I will keep it as brief as possible!

Why do it?

So once you have corrected your dark circles, you will find that your under-eye now looks the same or slightly orange/peachier than the rest of your skintone. Some people are lucky in that their dark circles aren’t too bad and so they can correct and conceal in one! (Actually the Erase Paste is a ‘brightening camouflage’ and I think if you have medium dark circles and one of the shades matches you, it could be all you need!). However for most people they want a brighter under-eye, and using a concealer (which is a shade or two lighter than your skintone) will be able to brighten and conceal the area too.

How do I do it?

The number one mistake people make (myself included) is applying too much concealer. The most important thing to remember is NOT to add a tiny line directly under the eye, but to apply a small V shape under the eye. I’m not talking about going all out Kim K highlighting (unless you like to do that of course) but a small V shape will help brighten up the whole under-eye area.

Dot or gently spread the concealer from the inner corner in a diagonal line and the connect it to the outer corner. The using a damp sponge OR your ring finger again, bounce and tap around the eye area to brighten it up! (Sort of demonstrated in the picture below!)

Which concealer is best for me?

I get asked this a lot and to be honest it’s a very hard one to answer for someone else! You need to assess this yourself and I’m afraid sometimes its a case of trial and error! What works for me may not for you, so try and think about what YOU need…is it extra coverage? Brightening? and then set about looking for your near perfect concealer.

Personally I stick to my all time favourite drugstore concealer the ‘Collection lasting perfection’ in shade three. This is such a raved about concealer and that is because it provides fantastic coverage. Most people like to use this for blemishes and find it too thick for under the eyes, however as I keep saying I have pretty dark under eye circles, so as long as I am using a small amount and blending it out well with my finger -  I find its coverage fantastic. I also think that its slightly thicker consistency helps it to adhere to the corrector and NOT disturb/move it around! Which is something that happens when I use my Rimmel wake me up concealer because it is quite runny in consistency. 

On the other hand..after correcting you may find that the darkness is rid and you just want to brighten the area up, in which case look for a illuminating concealer. There are many brands who make these (I’ve heard the collection one is great actually!).

---

4. SET IT ALL!

WHY? There are two reasons – firstly setting it will reduce the amount of creasing and secondly it will prolong the corrector and concealer and keep it in place all day!

What I use and how

I use the Ben Nye Banana Powder which I have reviewed here. I love using this rather than a transparent powder as the yellow colour not only brightens the whole area but also adds a tad more coverage – which is always welcome for people who have very dark circles. You can see this in the instagram video I will post ^_^

Taking the Real Techniques setting brush, I pat it gently in  small amount of the powder and gentle pat it on top of the concealed area. It is ESSENTIAL not to pat TOO much because you will have cakey under-eyes not a good look in the slightest. If you are not of a NC30-NC50 (approx) with yellow undertones then look for a powder similar to your skintone or a translucent one. If you have pink undertones, and are fair I’ve heard the bourjois powder (in the cute quaint pot) is a great brightening powder.

And there you have it ladies! My full concealer routine, nothing revolutionary but I’ve been asked to write this so many times I couldn’t put it off any longer haha ^_^

On my instagram @theblushinggiraffe you can see a super quick video of me completing the routine. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to drop me a comment and I really hope this has been helpful for you!

Thanks for reading!

 Follow Via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook

Requested | How I Cover Up Really Dark Under-eye Circles

Hello everybody! This is one of my most asked about posts, and it’s taken me a long while to finally write it up! I think its probably because I’m worried that the products I recommend won’t work for everyone, so I’ve decided to make it into a bit of a ‘guide to covering up dark circles’ and I’ll explain everything as thoroughly as possible while recommending other products too. (Read: this will be a long one! In fact one of the longest I have written to date ._.)

Review | Ben Nye Banana Powder

This has been a favourite of mine for quite a few months now, infact it’s become the kind of product that I find myself thinking ‘how did I manage without this before when doing my makeup??’ and most certainly if I had to pick 5 items from my collection to keep forever, this would be on that list!

I’m sure many people heard about Ben Nye’s Banana Powder from Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist raving about it and let’s face it, no matter what you think of the soon to be Mrs West, she sure does manage to look flawless almost all the time - with contouring and highlighting done to perfection! This received so much hype on YouTube, and though I’m not always one to jump on the bandwagon, I am so so very pleased I did with this one!

I’m going to try and structure this review a little differently so do let me know what you think, just fancied a little change ^_^

what is it?

Essentially it is a finely milled yellow powder, suitable for use all over the face, but mainly under the eyes and for highlighting. The yellow colour will not do much for those who have strong pink tones in their skin, but for people with yellow undertones who struggle with dark circles, it is a little lifesaver! I have struggled with dark circles from mid-teens till now, due to a huge range of issues (but mainly genetics and insomnia too) so for me it has worked wonders. Ben Nye has a range of colours available, and there is bound to be one to cater to your skintone, however the banana powder tends to work fine for light/medium and ever slightly deeper shades.

What is so special about it?

The beautiful thing about this powder is, not only does it sets your concealer and prevents it from caking/creasing, but it also adds coverage too! It disguises the dark circles with it’s counter-acting yellow tones (much like the salmon/peach coloured correctors). The main difference between the salmon/peach colour and the yellow colour is that yellow is also brightening, so this covers and brightens rather than just disguising the dark under eye circles. I’ve tried normal powder under the eyes (Rimmel stay matte) and elf’s HD powder, but nothing beats Ben Nye’s Banana powder!

Packaging

This stuff isn’t packaged in the most glamorous way imaginable, it is simply in a clear plastic bottle with a black lid and holes through the top of the bottle, similar to that of baby powder. However it is easy to sprinkle a little into the lid, and the excess powder easily goes back into the bottle. It is a little bit messy, but never an issue.

The initial purpose of this was for stage makeup! To be worn under harsh lighting conditions and therefore you can imagine the least of Ben Nye’s worries were to make his bottle look extraordinary! Does the function, and the powder pays for itself so no problem to me :)

How do I apply it?

Now as I have mentioned, my dark circles are my biggest insecurity and though I don’t mind going out without concealer on, I feel a lot more comfortable with the pesky darks covered up! So because of this it is really important for me to use products that provide as much coverage as possible whilst still looking natural. I start with a peachy toned concealer (currently using Benefit’s boi-ing in shade 3 but lusting after Bobbi Brown’s corrector!!!) and pat lightly under the eyes. This instantly corrects the darkness. Then I dab a little of Collection’s lasting perfection, in whichever shade I have lying around. For some this is too thick for under the eyes, but for me it is perfect. After using my ring finger to blend/pat that in gently, I take my banana powder, and with a Real Techniques setting brush (tapping it on the side of my table so it’s not overloaded) I gently pat the brush under my eyes, and the with sweeping and patting motions set the excess powder in. Et voila! Happily covered up dark circles = happy Iqra!

Where to buy it from?

It can be a little tricky to get hold of, I know amazon sometimes have it in stock, though when checking online for this review, I have seen it being sold at extortionate prices! Having just checked my amazon order history, the seller I bought it from is no longer selling :( so I would recommend this online store (LINK) where the price is very reasonable (not too sure about delivery costs though!)

Overall:

Worth the hype? Definitely!

Essential for everyone? No. If you don’t suffer with dark circles, you’ll be fine using a normal powder to set concealer or even the translucent one they do. As I mentioned those who are very experienced with makeup use this powder as a highlighter all around the face (check YouTube for some pretty scary looking screenshots!) but personally I would only attempt that for a really special occasion, and even then I’d be hesitant!

Value for money? Without a doubt

Product rating : 10/10

Pros: Adds coverage, whilst setting concealer to last all day so no need to worry about touch ups. Doesn’t look cakey. You get a large amount for what you pay for. It is multi-functional (what’s not to love about that??) It makes covering dark circles up a lot easier!

Cons: It can be quite messy…that’s about it!

Review | Ben Nye Banana Powder

This has been a favourite of mine for quite a few months now, infact it’s become the kind of product that I find myself thinking ‘how did I manage without this before when doing my makeup??’ and most certainly if I had to pick 5 items from my collection to keep forever, this would be on that list!