Makeup Starter Kit | Affordable Edition

Hello everyone, I thought I'd type up a makeup starter kit filled with ethical recommendations from yours truly. As 2016 draws to a close, you and I will be bombarded with fantastic deals and sales, so I hope this post is helpful for all, but especially for those of you who may not be too much into makeup, but just want to add a couple of bits to your collection. These items are all affordable and most of them you can purchase from the highstreet, however some I would recommend picking up online, because there are always great deals on them. These are also the items that I would repurchase if all my makeup disappeared, so I hope if you purchase any of them, you enjoy them as much as I do.  Apologies for the lack of photos, teacher training AND short days = no time!

To prime or not to prime?

Personally I only use a primer on a special occasion, because I tend to stick to my Soap and Glory (£14.99) SPF 50 as being a base, which is so important ladies! I have written a post on it before, but the basic jist is that it manages to get makeup to stick onto the face AND protect the skin. However the Topshop airbrush primer (£12.00) is fantastic for providing a smooth canvas if you have uneven skin. If your makeup melts away quickly, spritz your face with a makeup setting spray after moisturising, but before applying any makeup - the MUFE Mist and Fix 30ml (£8.00) is travel size and very affordable to try out.

Foundation

If we are talking strictly bases you can buy in the drugstore, I would recommend the Bourjois Health Mix Foundation (£10.00) which has a beautiful medium coverage and really leaves a healthy glow to the skin. However the shade range isn't fantastic...so I highly recommend the EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation (£12.50), which I didn't love at first but I've grown to like it a lot. I find its quite versatile, though the finish is more on the matte side, if you mix it with some illuminator or even a tin drop of oil you can achieve a glowy finish. The coverage is great too, a solid medium but buildable. I tend to apply it with my E.L.F Stippling brush (£4.50) when I'm wearing it for 'everyday' as it sheers it out a little. They have actually recently released a bunch of new shades, so its no longer limited to just olive skintones. My new shade is 6.0 and I found their website quite helpful when trying to determine the perfect match here.

Correctors and Concealers

My all time favourite corrector is the Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer in Medium (£10.00), which IS pricy for the amount of corrector you actually get! This is a three piece kit and the good thing is, I can use each of the items just fine, however it is the corrector which I love the most. It is the perfect shade for neutralising my horrendous dark circles and works even better than a similar Benefit product! Pricy, but worth it...especially when theres a 3for2 deal on! In terms of actual concealers, the L.A Girl Pro Concealers creamy beige (£5.00) and Collection Lasting Perfection in 3 (£4.19) are my two tried and tested. The L.A girl one is more hydrating, yet has great pigmentation and manages to conceal and brighten at the same time. The collection one is thicker, creamier and if you have dry under-eyes won't be your cup of tea, but as long as I have colour corrected it works a charm.

Powders

Over the years I have liked powders more and more, because quite frankly I cannot wear makeup without a light bit of baking under the eyes these days! When I don't I notice the most awful creasing and melting of my undereye concealer. My favourite brightening yellow powder for under the eye is the Wet 'n' Wild Megaglo contouring palette in Caramel Toffee ($4.99), which I have a post on here. I like to bake with the Coty Airspun loose powder ($8.99) which works really well. I keep it on for about 50 seconds and then brush it off - works like a charm. I don't have a favourite face powder for all over the face, instead I just use the excess of the coty powder over my T-Zone which can get a little oily sometimes.

Contour, Bronzer, Blush and Highlight

For bronzing the face, Topshop's Mohawk (£9.00) is my all time favourite shade and formula from the highstreet. It is beautiful for those of you who have an olive medium skintone and provides the perfect warmth of the skin. Contouring wise, if you're looking for a really strong one which sharpens your features the Natural collection shadow in crushed walnut (£2.00) works a treat! I would advise you go with a light hand though. I have a few favourite blushers from the highstreet, the Sleek blush by 3 in spice (£10.00) is gorgeous for a medium skintone and I often will mix and match the shades. The value for money there is fantastic and so is the pigmentation! I also enjoy the Rimmel soft colour blush in pink rose (£4.00), which has been a long time favourite of mine and mentioned on my blog many times. It is a gorgeous natural flush and you are at no risk of looking like a clown. I have to say for highlight, I am a firm stickler for my highend ones - especially ABH! But when I think my collection and the one I would want to repurchase, I go back to the Topshop Glow Pot (£9.00) or their baked highlighter - either one is BEAUTIFUL. A little goes a long way and both of them can look very natural on the skin, or be built up for a more intense glow.

Brows, Liner and Mascara

Brows is a tough one because I am again so used to my ABH products, which are well worth the investment ladies! However if they're out of your budget, I would recommend checking out the Freedom eyebrow kit (£3.50) which I used to use all the time. It has a range of shades and even a gel in the kit, as well as a mirror, applicator and mini tweezers - the biggest bargain of all time! If you like a bolder brow and don't mind practicing, pick up their version of the ABH drip brow (here for a fiver). I don't think its quite as good as the ABH, but it does the job so long as you have a good spoolie. I am a real fusspot when it comes to eyeliner, but if I HAD to pick one I'd recommend The Balm's Schwing liner (£13.50). Not the cheapest, but by far the best you can pick up in superdrug or online! It is extremly black and lasts all day long. The applicator is thin and relatively easy to create cat eyes with, once you get the hang of it. When it comes to mascara, the only drugstore brand I ever spend money on is Essence! The 'I love crazy volume mascara' (£2.80) is a firm favourite and worth at least 4x the price.

Lips

Finally I'd recommend you pick up a good lip liner and the Rimmel 1000 kisses lip liner in spice (£3.00), is one I have back ups on, just in case they stop making it! My favourite affordable lipsticks are most definitely the Wet n wild mega last lipsticks ($2.00). They're very pigmented, beautifully creamy and ridiculously cheap - you can find a bunch of reviews for them on my blog by searching wetnwild! Liquid lipstick wise, The Balm's Meet Matte Hughes Liquid Lipsticks (£13.50) are fantastic. They feel comfortable, have a good pigmentation and aren't too drying. At the moment there is a cute little gift set available to purchase for the holidays, which contains 6 of the shades and is sold out everywhere, but keep an eye out, its a good one!

Final Touches...

How could I type up a makeup starter kit without my all time favourite Mario Badescu Facial spray (£7.50). It is definitely my go-to spray for before and after makeup, it hydrates the skin, diminishes any powderyness left on the face and just leaves me with a subtle glow. Although I am loving a more expensive version a little more, I'll always have a bottle of this in my collection!


I really hope this was helpful for you all! It was so nice to sit down and blog without worrying about my huge to-do list, I kind of despair when I see the lack of posts I've managed to get up this year :( But thankyou SO much for continuing to read and support my blog, I hugely appreciate it!

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Makeup Starter Kit | Affordable Edition

Hello everyone, I thought I'd type up a makeup starter kit filled with ethical recommendations from yours truly. As 2016 draws to a close, you and I will be bombarded with fantastic deals and sales, so I hope this post is helpful for all, but especially for those of you who may not be too much into makeup, but just want to add a couple of bits to your collection. These items are all affordable and most of them you can purchase from the highstreet, however some I would recommend picking up online, because there are always great deals on them. These are also the items that I would repurchase if all my makeup disappeared, so I hope if you purchase any of them, you enjoy them as much as I do.  Apologies for the lack of photos, teacher training AND short days = no time!

October Favourites 2015

Hello lovely readers, I hope you’re all doing well. Before I get into my October favourites I’d just like to apologise for the quality of these photos, I’ve had no time to retake them and with poor lighting and darkness at 4:00pm I’ve just had to work with what I can! Anyhoo lets get started ^_^

The past few weeks I’ve been sticking to one eyeshadow palette, really getting to know the formula and the longevity and I have to say I am very very impressed. I received the Soap and Glory Tricks of the shade palette a year and a half ago for my birthday, it was an X-mas collection palette and a combination of 3 of their quads in their permanent line. The shadows I have been using pretty much every single day can be found in the Soap and Glory Lid Stuff in Whats Nude (£10) and the quality of these is brilliant. Easy to apply, not too powdery, highly blendable and very comparable to high-end shadows because they last flawlessly for over 8 hours. When I hit pan on this palette, I’ll be adding the Quad on my to buy list, because it really is so perfect for an everyday look.

As you will probably know by now the LOTW series is in full fling and the E.L.F Mineral Lipstick in Beautiful Berry completely stole my heart this month! It is such a gorgeous colour which I shant go on about, because you can read all about it in the post which I’ll link tonight. The lipliner that is a match made in heaven for the lipstick is the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Epic which I never reached for before because I thought it was too dark. However as per usual Rimmel have hit the nail on the head with the delightful formula and basically you NEED to pick this shade up if you’re venturing into deeper shades this season then thank me later ;D.

I’ve kind of been trying a few of the newer foundations in my stash, that I bought towards the end of the summer time so nothing is a firm favourite at the moment. However I did rediscover the drugstore gem that is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer in Warm Beige which is such a wonderful under-eye concealer for me! On the days that I want that whole ‘no makeup makeup look’ I’ll use this alone under the eyes and it provides decent coverage over my dark circles. However it also works well as a decent corrector under concealer too, which is so fantastic considering the price. I have actually reviewed this in full, so I’ll link that at the end of this post too! If you’re on the market for a decent corrector/concealer and don’t want to spent a lot of cash, do check this one out.

The Mini Beauty Blender Dupe is a wonderful little addition to my makeup routine, it is basically the key to flawless concealer. Of course I don’t use it every single day, but its one of those things that you don’t think you need, yet when you try them you wonder how on earth you got by before (so dramatic but I think you know what I mean!).

The blush that I have not been able to put down is NARS Amour which is a stunning autumnal shade...if I had to try and describe the colour I’d say its a mash up of deep pink, mauve and a tinge of purple? The full review is somewhere in the works, but fellow olive skinned ladies take it from me, this is a winner. Matte in formula, highly pigmented and it has a sculpting effect too. love love love!

Yet another hair product in a monthly favourites is the Palmer’s Strengthening Leave-In Conditioner which has ticked so many boxes for me and I’m thrilled that I picked it up! It has a coconut oil formula, with Vitamin E, Keratins and Silk Proteins and it really works at detangling and hydrating my hair. I have to be honest I’m not a conditioner kind of person, I just do not have the time. So to find a leave in spray conditioner which tames frizz, feels lightweight and adds a beautiful shine for just a fiver..is awesome! Also the fact that its in a spray format means no stickiness (yay) and it literally takes 30 seconds to apply and spritz through!

My final favourite of the month is the Makeup Revolution Pro Hygiene Anti Bacterial Brush Cleaner, which again I have reviewed already on the blog. I have to be VERY honest with you all, I’ve been so busy this month that I’ve only washed my brushes once D: Which doesn’t mean that I have been using dirty brushes all month, I have pretty much been using my beautyblenders as much as I can and also my fingers. However it’s very hard to do any eyeshadow look with just your fingers, so this brush cleaner has been used a fair amount and I am continuously amazed by how well this cleans the brushes, whilst not drying them out. Highly recommend!

Mentioned Posts:

LOTW: E.L.F Beautiful Berry

Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer Review

Mini Beauty Blender Dupe Review

MUR Pro Hygiene Anti Bacterial Brush Cleaner Review

What have you been loving throughout October? Leave me a comment and link your favourites post if you have one ^_^

Thank-you for reading ♥

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October Favourites 2015

Hello lovely readers, I hope you’re all doing well. Before I get into my October favourites I’d just like to apologise for the quality of these photos, I’ve had no time to retake them and with poor lighting and darkness at 4:00pm I’ve just had to work with what I can! Anyhoo lets get started ^_^

LOTW | E.L.F Mineral Lipstick in Beautiful Berry

So week two of my new ;lipstick of the week’ series is a colour I have never reached for before, but much to my utter surprise I loved wearing - who would have thought?! I do apologise that this is late, I had a VERY busy sunday, but more of that in this month’s update post!

Price: £6.00

Colour: It is a maroon/burgundy colour with a hint of brown. Absolutely perfect for the colder months as it has a hint of vampyness, but it’s not too dark for a newbie to lipsticks which fall into the not-nude category. It actually really reminded me of a colour my mum used to wear all the time, around 10 years ago and it bought back fond memories. Beautiful berry is pigmented in one swipe but you can apply two layers to get a deeper shade.

Formula and Lasting time: The mineral line lipsticks have a slightly creamy formula with a hint of shine. Not glossy by any means, but certainly not matte, they’re equally in-between. Whilst it is labeled a moisturizing lipstick, I don’t feel like it does moisturise the lips and it can catch on dry bits (though not as intensely as matte lipsticks) Under a lipliner this lasted a decent 5 hours when I didn’t eat anything greasy. However after my KFC trip the middle part had totally disappeared..which is pretty normal so I can’t complain. Without a lipliner underneath it lasted round 3.5/4 hours before fading evenly. I was really pleased that I wasn’t left with a horrible line around the edge of my lips! I would recommend using a lipliner with this lipstick in particular though because it can bleed and look a bit uneven when worn alone.

Favourite Way To Wear It: I loved pairing this with Rimmel’s lipliner in Epic (far right) which is a lipliner that is several shades darker than my natural lip colour and it has no hint of burgundy or red in it. Instead it’s pretty much an awesome brown. The creamy formula of the lipliner meant that it was easy to put it all over the lips and then layer Beautiful Berry on top, which not only extended the longevity, but it also made the lipstick look even darker which I liked. However, having said that I do love thr colour of the lipstck alone and for work I work it as more of a stain, dabbed on and it looked equally as nice. So its a very versatile shade!

Overall: Beautiful Berry took me by surprise, I really enjoyed going for a deeper colour and found it pulled my whole face together effortlessly. After using this for a week I will definitely be reaching for this more often in the future and when I go back to buying makeup here and there I will probably be looking for a similar colour in more of a matte formula too. The mineral line from E.L.F are all formulated without parabens, preservatives or chemical dyes which is awesome. I’m so glad this brand have reopened up in the U.K again! Although the prices have risen a little, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll still have generous sales from time to time - I do love me a bargain!

Rating: 9/10

Available from: E.L.F UK

Repurchase? Yes I 100% would!

Have you tried any lipsticks from the E.L.F Mineral Line?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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LOTW | E.L.F Mineral Lipstick in Beautiful Berry

So week two of my new ;lipstick of the week’ series is a colour I have never reached for before, but much to my utter surprise I loved wearing - who would have thought?! I do apologise that this is late, I had a VERY busy sunday, but more of that in this month’s update post!

Price: £6.00

Colour: It is a maroon/burgundy colour with a hint of brown. Absolutely perfect for the colder months as it has a hint of vampyness, but it’s not too dark for a newbie to lipsticks which fall into the not-nude category. It actually really reminded me of a colour my mum used to wear all the time, around 10 years ago and it bought back fond memories. Beautiful berry is pigmented in one swipe but you can apply two layers to get a deeper shade.

June Favourites 2015

It’s JUNE FAVOURITES TIME! No skincare bits this month, I’ve been loving the same as I did last month and basically everything mentioned in my Skincare Routine. As you know I’d been doing a lot of shopping in May and now is the time I get to try out all the beautiful things! Lets get started shall we..

The base I have been slightly obsessed with is the Make Up For Ever Face & Body in 32. If you read my MUFE haul you’ll know I was hoping this would be a good alternative to MAC’s version. Well a few weeks after using this stuff I can confirm that to me at least - it’s even better. I love the consistency of this, once you’ve shaken it up it’s kinda gel like and blends into the skin beautifully. This is most definitely a light coverage, though it can be built up to a medium coverage and I’ve enjoyed applying this with my fingers as well as a buffing brush. The result is a long lasting, slightly dewy, skin-like finish which has really evened out discolouration and redness. It lasts so well in humid conditions and doesn’t fade in weird places or catch on dry patches. I will be reviewing it fully soon with the cons too, so keep an eye out for that but so far so good!

The second base product that has been floating my boat is the NARS Soft Velvet Loose Powder in the shade beach. This has a yellow tone and it is so beautifully soft, the name does not lie! The powder is really finely milled yet does a great job at setting makeup and removing any excess dew. I’ve actually been using this more than my trusty Ben Nye banana powder because its a little less intense in pigment and looks less thick and powdery under the eye. The yellow tones match my stromboli skintone perfectly and a little goes a long way - I’m super happy that I picked this up! My favourite brushe to use this with is the Sigma Tapered Highlight - F35 reviewed here which I previously only used to actually highlight, but it is seriously one of the best setting brushes ever. The top is so precise (though it looks a little ruffled above but that's only because it was freshly washed) and it gets right into the corners of the face. I don’t normally set my whole face, just under my eyes, around my mouth and my nose and this brush makes it easy to put the powder where I need it.

As the warmer weather has started in the UK I’ve been loving using lightweight cream products, especially the Bourjois Bronzing Primer which is very similar to the Chanel tan de soleil in my opinion. Though it has a much more mousey texture, it warms up the skin so beautifully and the texture means it blends on top of foundation, CC cream, even just moisturiser so well! It adds warmth and though it is an orange tone when blended in with a stippling brush it does a great job at adding real warmth like you've been sunkissed. I sometimes put this on before my base and it looks even more natural. The brush I’ve been using with this is the E.L.F Small Stipple Brush which is perfect for blending out bronzer and cream contour! It is also great for applying cream highlight precisely where you want it and of course for blusher - the size of this is perfect and I’m hoping E.L.F open up again quickly in the U.K because I need at least two or three of these!

Keeping along the kinda cream theme, I have been loving the Colour Pop Blush in ‘Between The Sheets’ which is a GORGEOUS matte dusty pink which just looks so complimentary to any look, be it no makeup makeup or a smoky eye! I was watching the beautiful Heidi Hamoud’s video here and she said she loved the colour and it looked like such a beautiful 'pulled together' shade for medium skintones. Side note - how flawless is her eyemakeup in this video?? Really want to try this look for the next special occasion..perhaps Eid? ^_^ The texture of the blush is odd - the word squishy comes to mind, it is nowhere near a powder but not a cream either and I’ve been applying it with either fingers or the E.L.F brush mentioned above. The shade of the blush isn’t similar to anything I already own and it reminds me a little of NARS Madly, just that kinda nudish effortless cheek colour. Plus the fact that it’s matte means you can go extra cray with the highlight y’know?

I don’t like to keep going on and on about products but when they work well, I just have to share it more than a few times..one of those is the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Medium-Deep! It is my go to bronzer for contouring and adding warmth too, if I have five minutes to get ready, a quick sweep of this bronzer on my cheekbones and it makes the biggest difference. Also I can’t express how lovely the smell is! Especially when one is fasting tehehe.  I use with the RT contour brush or the new Real Techniques Sculpting brush which I shared with you guys in this post here. It’s perfect for getting a quick sculpted look without much effort and actually it’s awesome for blending out cream products too as well as liquid.  I recommend everyone picks one of these up if they’re after a good quality sturdy contouring brush.

The blush I have been loving aside from ‘between the sheets’ is NARS Torrid. It is one of the most perfect shades for medium skin-tones - the best peachy pink with light flecks of shimmer which transfer on the skin as a stunning healthy glow. It’s not as crazy shimmery as their most iconic O blush, nor is it as sheeny as my favourite D.T - it could be almost matte but for the small speckles of golden glimmer. An olive skin tone must have shade and another product I need to give you a full review of for sure!

Those are all my favourites of June! What have you been loving recently? ^_^

Thank-you for reading ♥

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June Favourites 2015

It’s JUNE FAVOURITES TIME! No skincare bits this month, I’ve been loving the same as I did last month and basically everything mentioned in my Skincare Routine. As you know I’d been doing a lot of shopping in May and now is the time I get to try out all the beautiful things! Lets get started shall we..

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 ♥

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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.

Requested | Spring Makeup Essentials

A lovely reader on IG asked if I could do a post on my current makeup bag essentials and I’m a little embarrassed  to say I have QUITE A LOT to run through. As I went through muji drawers and my heart shaped dishes which house my most used makeup items, I couldn’t help but notice the amount building up, but I couldn’t put them down either! I guess these all have their place in my personal Spring makeup faves as well as my current ‘essentials’ and hopefully it can give you some inspiration on how to switch up your routine now the weather is a little warmer and the days are longer!



Oddly my current faves are all from the drugstore, and I’ll start with my concealer (not pictured) but mentioned in my recent favourites which you can read here. I am still in absolute love with the Bourjois CC Cream (33), medium coverage but looks and feels like skin. I actually misplaced this for a few months and really missed it - honestly the BEST drugstore base I have ever used. Reviewed in full here. For spring time when there is heat, there is need for base to be set in place, which is where the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder (53) comes in with a light coverage and no cake. I have also been LOVING using this for the technique described by Wayne Goss Makeup artist (video here) which he got from a beauty workshop run by Fyza. It merges everything together on the face and looks marvellous, I don’t do this every single day but this powder works very well when doing so! I have also been loving cream highlighters over liquid and powders, they merge into the skin effortlessly and look soft yet stunning when they catch the light. I have reviewed Topshop’s Glow in gleam here and another which has a slightly silver sheen is the Kroylan for Glossybox highlighter in Cashmere. I really recommend picking a cream highlighter up, it makes such a difference over powder and in the springtime I like the almost no-makeup makeup look and for everything to be subtle and look effortless - that is exactly what I can achieve with these core base products!


Now don’t get overwhelmed by the amount of cheek products on here, I promise I don’t wear them all at once! Starting off with the PERFECT spring blusher palette, again the all cream one by Sleek - Californ.i.a which has a range of shades and can be applied with the fingers very easily, built up or sheered out and even mixed together! Reviewed HERE.

Another essential for me are the Essence silky touch blusher in 50 sweetheart which is more of a pinky peach and looks ever so subtle but still adds just the right amount of colour to the cheeks. I’ve been ditching the contour (aside from trying out a few new bits from Barry M and Seventeen)  and focusing on warming up my face in a three motion. The Bourjois bronzing primer which is pretty similar to Chanel tan de soleil works beautifully and again as it’s a cream product it looks much more natural and doesn’t leave any streaks. If you find it too orange toned, pop it on under your base and watch the warmth show through. A slightly more glowy alternative is the E.L.F Warm Bronzer which is just wonderful, I’m so sad that the UK E.L.F are closing down because now I’m gonna have to order it again through a US site.

My current eyeshadow palette favourite is the Stila In The Light which has gorgeous natural shades and a great matte brown which can be used as a liner or just to add some definition with a pencil brush. I’ve spoken about this numerous times and whilst I know better quality shadows are available, this palette just ticks a lot of boxes for me. Another recent mention is the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Bulletproof Beige - a must have for light, bright spring makeup as it instantly refreshes the whole makeup look and glides on beautifully not tugging at the eyes at all.

I also switch black liners for brown, a few of my favourites are the Collection fast stroke, Rimmel Scandaleyes Khol liner in brown (and nude) and Stila smudge stick which came with the palette. Brown liners add definition without looking too harsh and I think at least one brown liner should be in everyone’s makeup collection! Finally for the brows, I love using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in brunette to achieve quite shape and definition without it looking bold and, again like I’ve put a lot of effort in!

Those are my current and spring makeup essentials, a lot I know but I love them all and really couldn’t narrow it down D:

P.S It’s worth mentioning Boots, Feel Unique and Look Fantastic have all got some great makeup offers on right now!

What are your spring makeup essentials??

Thank-you for reading ♥
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Requested | Spring Makeup Essentials

A lovely reader on IG asked if I could do a post on my current makeup bag essentials and I’m a little embarrassed  to say I have QUITE A LOT to run through. As I went through muji drawers and my heart shaped dishes which house my most used makeup items, I couldn’t help but notice the amount building up, but I couldn’t put them down either! I guess these all have their place in my personal Spring makeup faves as well as my current ‘essentials’ and hopefully it can give you some inspiration on how to switch up your routine now the weather is a little warmer and the days are longer!

Bronzing on a Budget | E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream

Hey everybody, I hope you’re all well! I’m finally adding another post to one of my favourite series and today its focused on a cream bronzer and blusher duo. If you were to ask me to recommend you 5 products to pick up from E.L.F, this would be one of them. In the range there are at least two powder versions available, however both the bronzers contain shimmer and because of this I just wasn’t the biggest fan. This cream version however is in a whole new league of drugstore bronzers!

It is packaged in the standard, can get a little grubby, black plastic casing with a decent mirror inside. In my opinion its sturdy and super convenient for travelling. You get about 4g of blush and 4g of bronzer which is a really decent amount for the £3.95 price.

I find the shade of the bronzer so versatile, it would look great from fair to medium skintones as it can be applied very lightly or built up. It has a light orange undertone, but leans more on the neutral side which makes it great for really warming up the face.  A little bit goes a long way and it blends beautifully into the skin without looking blotchy or streaky. At the moment I’m trying out the Dior NudeSkin foundation which is a smidge too light for me. This and the bourjois bronzing primer both work equally well for warming up the face and the fact that it adds a really gorgeous natural warmth makes it so amazing.

I find the words ‘contouring’ a little bit deceptive, you can achieve a very light type of contour if you layer this up bit by bit, but too much and it may end up looking too orange.  Before I bought the L.A Girl Pro Concealers  this is what I used under powder contour, for a long lasting structured contour. However the LA girl concealers in beautiful bronze and toast are deeper and work better for contouring (read my review with swatches here). This bronze and blush duo could probably make a decent contour shade for light skin-tones, but mainly its wonderful for warming up the face without much effort at all!

The best way to apply this duo is using fingers in my opinion, its the easiest way to apply a small amount and not go overboard. By drawing small lines under the cheekbones, around the perimeters or the face and a little on the side of the nose and then blending out the bronzer with the E.L.F Small Duo-Fibre Brush the product is perfectly blended out. The colour of the blusher is perfect with the shade of bronzer, it is a medium coral tone, not too pink and not too orange which matches the bronzer beautifully. I love applying and blending the blush with the warmth of my fingers because that’s how it looks to most natural, and I can add a little more if I need too.

 

Bronzer Roundup!

Orange or Red?

Neutral to slightly orange.

Pigmented?

Yes very pigmented, but also super blendable as it is a cream product, so don’t worry if it comes on too strong at first!

Matte or Shimmer?

Matte, but again due to its consistency it isn’t flat looking. It doesn't dry down to a powder finish in my opinion, more of a satin finish which looks super natural and is one of the main reasons why I adore it.

Buy Again?

Yes I would buy it again! This bronzer is just wonderful, and works great for me to warm up my face with a light base. Definitely one to add to your list next time you’re having a E.L.F shop!

 

Other bronzers in the series;

E.L.F Warm Bronzer

Rimmel Natural Bronzer  021 sunlight

 

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Bronzing on a Budget | E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream

Hey everybody, I hope you’re all well! I’m finally adding another post to one of my favourite series and today its focused on a cream bronzer and blusher duo. If you were to ask me to recommend you 5 products to pick up from E.L.F, this would be one of them. In the range there are at least two powder versions available, however both the bronzers contain shimmer and because of this I just wasn’t the biggest fan. This cream version however is in a whole new league of drugstore bronzers!

Contouring 3 Ways |Sculpting-out-ya-cheekbones Contouring

Hello! I hope you are all well! I have started my second year at uni, and aside from some extra transport issues, its been a fantastic day, quite glad to be back to a having a routing and just getting educated y’know? Anyway todays post is the final part of my contouring series. I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far!

Sculpting-out-ya-cheekbones Contouring (AKA: Heavy/I’ve made a effort/KIM K)

This is your full on contour, chiselled cheekbones to perfection type of contour. My favourite way to do this for a special occasion is to actually layer up with creams and powders. So I start a liquid contour and then set it with a darker powder.

HOW:

1. Starting with either the E.L.F Cream contour duo or the L.A Girl PRO Conceal concealer in beautiful bronze. I carefully apply my contour in the areas shown on your standard face chart. Of course every face shape is different, so it could take a little experimenting and trial and error to find the right ‘place’ to add the bronzer onto your face. Generally I feel for the bone area and apply the cream contour JUST under. I always add some cream contour to the jawline to disguise that double chin!
2. Then I take my e.l.f small stipple duo brush and gently buff and blend the contour out a little. At this point it will still look a little crazy but it’s alright, it’s all part of the process ^_^
3. Next taking a larger fluffy brush (95% of the time the trusty RT contour brush!) I gently tap it into a powder which isn’t a warm orange tone and go directly over the contour. Because the powder I use for a stronger contour is darker and more cool toned I never go heavy handed with this, again being gentle and taking your time add the powder. I always start at the top of the cheekbone and concentrate the most amount of contour powder at that point, blending downwards.
4. I then proceed to add blusher just over that contour line and blend the blush out upwards slightly. This adds colour to the cheeks, makes your face look more alive and slightly lessens the intensity of the contour. To me this makes the most flawless cheek and really gives the illusions that I don’t have chubby cheeks, instead I have cheekbones that could potentially slay. (am I getting carried away? ok I'm sorry but strong cheekbones change a girl!)

Nose Contouring?

With the nose its a tough one, honestly do not ever nose contour le nose in a hurry unless you’ve been doing it with plenty of practise, because nose contouring when gone wrong looks a lot worse than bad cheek contouring._. The best advice I can give it to literally youtube nose contouring and spend a decent amount of time observing how people do contour their noses because lets be honest, whilst there are probably 5 ‘face-shapes’ out there there are probably 10x the amount of different nose shapes and sizes.

I use and recommend:

The Balm Bahama Mama | £13.50: An amazing matte shade which is a cross between a dark brown and grey. It’s the first bronzer that I bought which has a real sculpting effect. It can look a little dark but applied precisely and blended out well and you can really achieve a fantastic shadow effect.

E.L.F Brow Kit in Medium | £3.95: You must be pretty confused if you haven’t read THIS post, but I’m sure you get the idea! This cool toned brown is literally the most wonderful sculpting contour I have ever discovered. It’s a tad lighter than Bahama Mama and so gives a shaped appearance with a little less effort.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer | £23.50: This is raved by beauty lovers all the time,  and there’s a great reason for it. It suits fair to medium skintones and can be built up with ease. I find that a little bit sculpts but I can also achieve a warmth from this matte shade too.

All three of these are wonderful sculpting powders and I love having them in my collection for when I want a stronger contour.

Which products do you turn to when you want a strong contour? I’d love to know!

Thanks for reading!

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Contouring 3 Ways |Sculpting-out-ya-cheekbones Contouring

Hello! I hope you are all well! I have started my second year at uni, and aside from some extra transport issues, its been a fantastic day, quite glad to be back to a having a routing and just getting educated y’know? Anyway todays post is the final part of my contouring series. I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far!

Contouring 3 ways | 2. The Light/Natural Contour

Hello ladies! Today I am going to be sharing the second part of 3 in my little contouring series. Please remember I am not an MUA, Pro or specially training. I’m simply a makeup lover who has trialled and error-ed her way through YouTube tutorials and a bunch of bronzers, and now I want to share my tips and methods.

2. Light and Natural Contouring

When I first started writing this up I thought about how I lightly contour and I was sure I would only be writing about cream products, but I have two methods, one that should perhaps have been in the first post (quick contouring) but anyhoo.

I like to lightly contour is when I’m going for a minimal makeup look or I just want to bronze up my skin and achieve a very natural look. I’m always amazed by how realist contouring with creams can appear and I enjoy that effortless makeup look too. I was always a little unsure about cream products, perhaps because I didn’t know the best way to apply them but I’m pleased to say I love me some cream bronzer!

How:

• I like using my fingers, the E.L.F angled contour brush or the E.L.F small stippling brush 
• I dab on the cream bronzer along my cheekbones, the temples of my forehead and a little along my jawline. Don’t be worried if it looks too harsh against your skintone because cream products blend in a lot easier than powder and with the right brush or sponge you can blend it to the exact intensity you’d prefer.
• I then take a larger stippling brush (the e.l.f one) and blend out the cream bronzer to my hearts content! Sometime I will blend the cream bronzer in a wider area around my cheek giving it that sunkissed look and then go in again with a second layer of the cream product, concentrating it on where a shadow would fall (the hollows of the cheekbones) and adding a bit more of a sculpt to this still very natural looking contour.

The best thing about using a cream rather than a powder is how natural the warmth on the face looks. Powders can look very harsh and obvious, but a cream product blended in well with a duo-fibre brush or a damp sponge gives a stunning warmth to the face, and if you use a darker shade that leans to the cooler spectrum, it can add definition perfectly.

 

I USE AND RECOMMEND:

• Bourjois Bronzing Primer (£9.99): Firstly I should comment on the texture of this, it’s like a moose and quite funny to swatch because when you put your finger in the pot all the product wobbles haha. Colour wise one layer is a little too light for me, but two layers is the perfect soft contour as it dries to a medium subtle warm brown tone. Like I stated earlier I like to apply this with my fingers first in my cheekbone area and then go over my cheekbones with the E.L.F Angled Contour Brush which is the PERFECT size to trace out and define cheekbones!

The texture of this and the beautiful colour still makes the whole effect look very natural but it does make a lot of difference. I especially love using this product when I’m using a lighter base like my bourjois CC cream. This would be great for fair to light/medium skintones . I’d recommend google image searching this as you’ll be able to see how people use it add that natural warmth.

 

• E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing Cream - St. Lucia (£3.95) : I ADORE this cream duo! The contour shade is quite dark when first applied but it dries to a slightly darker shade than the Bourjois bronzing primer. This one would be great for NC35+ but as I said it really can be blended in duo to its consistency. I love how it adds a wonderfully healthy warmth to the face as well as subtly contouring, and again I always use this with the E.L.F Angled Contour Bronzer to apply this as it is darker then the above and so needs a little more precision. I also love the blush with this, they compliment each other perfectly and I’d highly recommend anyone with a medium/olive skintone to pick this up next time they have an awesome sale, for less than £2 this is a total steal ^_^

The Second Way:

So the above is the main way I achieve a natural contour, however sometimes when I’m feeling very lazy or I’m in a rush but I want a little bit of definition I grab my Real Techniques Powder Brush and apply the Calvin Klein Bronzer in Sun Bathe  (available HERE) which does have some shimmer but remember dusted lightly or the Rimmel Bronzing Compact Powder Medium Matte. Both of these are darker bronzers and I firstly dust one layer all over the cheekbones, jawline, forehead and a little on my nose. This gives that warmth and healthy appearance. I then concentrate the second sweep directly along the cheekbones which adds a little definition without a precise line along the cheek.

Those are my way to create a ‘natural contour’ if those two words can even be in a sentence at the same time! These ways are perfect for girls who want a very subtle but still pulled together look, who dislike that Kim K obvious structure and would rather have some warmth but not completely lose the definition! The cream method isn’t the quickest at first but once you get used to it, the process becomes effortless and the darker bronzer is a lazy girl’s best-friend! Tip: Stay far AWAY from orange-toned bronzers when using this method, ain’t nobody wanting to look like a cheese puff ._.

 

Stay tuned for my final contouring post - the full on contour coming soon! And if you missed my guide to how I contour quickly/day-to-day have a read right here. I hope this was somewhat helpful!

Thanks for reading!

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