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January 2017 Favourites

Hello! Welcome back to za blushing giraffe, with a slightly late favourites post. So if you read my Jan chatty post you'll know this last month has been the busiest start to the year I have ever had. PGCE year ain't a walk in the park, thats for sure haha. So this post I'm gonna be sharing, as usual, the products that have been making me that little bit happier as the month flew by, leggggggo!



Starting with the base, I have been loving the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in shade 7 (£32.00), which is a gorgeous light/medium coverage very glowy foundation. It's super quick to apply because I literally blend in a little with my fingers and I'm done in 20 seconds flat. I LOVE IT. You get 40ml and the coverage is pretty buildable, which I do appreciate a lot for the days I may need a bit more coverage (and on the days I actually have the time to add some more too haha!). I didn't love the concealer, but this foundation is a firm favourite.


Similarly I've been loving the NARS Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in St Moritz (£29.50), which I am now almost coming to the end of sadly! It has a little less glow than light wonder, however it does provide a smidgen more coverage and again due to its consistency I have been obsessed over how quickly I can apply this with just my fingers when I'm really in a rush. On days where I've hardly had enough sleep (which is pretty much 5/7 days!), I need a base that'll last decently well, but provide me with a generous glow and both these products deliver. The NARS alternative does get you 10ml more AND has SPF 30, which is worth noting, but they're both fabulous in their own way.

I have also still been obsessed with my Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX07 (£38.00), the BEST concealer ever if you're looking for high coverage! I have spoken about it a lot on IG lately and just want to point you 👉🏽 in the direction of this post, where I share the three shades I have as well as the best way to use it in my humble opinion. Expensive? Initially yes, but one pot will last you minimum 2 years, which is a heck of a lot longer than a typical tube concealer that is around £20 - so if you really think about it, its amazing value for money. It has been my go to, because like mentioned a few words ago, when one is running on a tiny amount of sleep the dark circles are bound to be dark!
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And finally, a product I have talked about SO much not just on my blog, but on every single social media platform I am a part of!! The embryolisse lait concentrate (£12.95-£20.00) is the best base ever, I have repurchased it sooo many times and although I am trying samples of moisturisers inbetween and trying to switch it up, nothing really compares. One of the key steps to a flawless makeup application is the skincare and the other step is the base you apply underneath. No other product gives me the same plump glowing skin as this does, and it takes foundation and powder really well!



Speaking of powders, there are two new ones in my collection and I have been enjoying them for different reasons. First of all we have the Revolution luxury banana powder (£5.00) which is their blatant rip off from Ben Nye! Literally down to the back of the bottle, they have copied everything and although I do think this is pretty naughty, this brand is a lot easier to get my hands on than that famous Ben Nye powder. I did used to own the B.N version, but I chucked it out a year ago as it was getting a bit too old, and I've not felt the need to order it since as the original is not expensive, but pricer than I would like to spend on a powder. Now this dupe is a gorgeous shade, not too yellow to the point where it verges on green like the E.L.F version, but also not too much of a rich shade either. This is the perfect powder for medium skintone/olive complexions and also deeper skintones for baking. I have heard SOO much about the Laura Mercier one and maybe one day I'll pick it up, but typically I do prefer a slightly yellow toned powder and this stuff sets the face really well, doesn't cake up or crease and lasts well! Whether you're using it for an all over the face powder, or for baking if you're a WOC this could be the best fiver you spend on a powder!

The second powder is one I never hear people talking about, its the Kiko soft light powder. Now I just popped over to their site and sadly I cannot find it anywhere :( which is very upsetting because it makes me think they've discontinued it! However if you do spot it in a store near you, it's worth picking up as its a lovely baked mineral face powder and its very comparable to the MAC mineral skin finishes. The main use I have found for it, is the soniaXfyza buffing technique, which Wayne Goss explains in detail here. This technique does work beautifully and the other powder I love to use it with, is the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless powder in medium. However the Kiko one is a great cheaper alternative, so I'm hoping that its a accidental slip up that its not one the website ☹️.



And finally moving on to the eyes, my go-to palette has been the gorgeous Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (£41.00), which seemed to be in everyone and their grandma's yearly favourites! If you don't have it yet and you're thinking about whether you should pick it up or not, YOU SHOULD. Gorgeously buttery pigmented shades, that blend like an absolute dream! I have gotten so much use out of this palette and one of the best things about it is the vast amount of youtube tutorials out there using just this alone! I definitely get stuck in a rut when it comes to my eyeshadow looks, so to see so many DIFFERENT yet totally stunning looks on the tubes makes me very happy.

I have also really been loving playing with glitter and the Certifeye glitter pots (£5.00) are my all time favourites! They just add so much to a simple look and now I know how easy it is to apply, I almost can't stop haha. Again there is a whole bunch of fantastic inspiration out on instagram and youtube when it comes to glitter, so a major fan! I have the mini bottles which are a fiver and they'll last me a decent amount of time, however Ayesha (the brand owner) also have an amazing range of brushes and lashes and bundles too, so check out her awesome business ^_^

And my final favourite of January has been the Illamasqua precision ink liner in wisdom (£20.50) which I have swatched in my lastest haul post, so check that out if you're interested. This liner has been a beautiful alternative to my regular black and brown liner, as its a stunning olive/khaki shade and to be honest without I didn't think I COULD love liner more, but this has changed the game for me...obsessed!




What were your favourites from the month of January?




Thank-you for reading



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January 2017 Favourites

Hello! Welcome back to za blushing giraffe, with a slightly late favourites post. So if you read my Jan chatty post you'll know this last month has been the busiest start to the year I have ever had. PGCE year ain't a walk in the park, thats for sure haha. So this post I'm gonna be sharing, as usual, the products that have been making me that little bit happier as the month flew by, leggggggo!



Starting with the base, I have been loving the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in shade 7 (£32.00), which is a gorgeous light/medium coverage very glowy foundation. It's super quick to apply because I literally blend in a little with my fingers and I'm done in 20 seconds flat. I LOVE IT. You get 40ml and the coverage is pretty buildable, which I do appreciate a lot for the days I may need a bit more coverage (and on the days I actually have the time to add some more too haha!). I didn't love the concealer, but this foundation is a firm favourite.

Collective Haul | Typo, Colourpop and Illamasqua



Hello hello, welcome back to the blog! Today I'm sharing the stuff I've purchased over the last few weeks. I've been a bit too spendy because theres yet another haul coming up after this tsk._.  Also I just wanna say I HATE the way these photos came out, hate hate hate them cause the lighting was so awful and although they looked alright on screen, on the laptop....a different story!


Right starting with the only non-beauty items, that marble mug that you see camouflaging was something I couldn't say no to when stepping into the store Typo, for the very first time. When you work in a school, usually you aren't allowed to carry cups of tea around for obvious reasons. However my DIY caramel lattes are usually what gets me through the morning, so not being able to have them was a problem and a half! Luckily this mug is now in my life and I L  OVE IT. Its a really huge size, you could fit two mugs of tea in there no problem, but also it has a secure lid which stops any liquid from getting out and is easy to remove and clean too. Plus you don't get the tiniest amount to sip from, its a large enough size - love it! I also couldn't help but pick up this set of tiny pegs and try and make my own lil polaroid wall. BTW TYPO have a random flash sale for TODAY only, srsly check it out if you want the quirkiest and cutest stationary/items/gifts.

essence mascara in forbidden volume and essence make me brow in shade 3 benefit gimme brow dupe


It had been a while since I had shopped from the essence range, because its not the most easy brand available. However you can find essence at your local Wilko store if you're from the U.K (I tend to order them online though!). I picked up a couple of mascaras, which I have now given as part of gifts because they're the BEST mascaras from the highstreet! Nothing compares. I especially love this one, but I wanted to try some others from their range, so I purchased a topcoat mascara this time called forbidden volume (£2.80). It has lash fibres in it and I'm so excited to try it out and see if its as good as my favourite! I also repurchased one of their matte lip things, no idea why they call them lip glosses because they clearly aren't...but this is the shade 3 and its stunning! One of my favourite everyday shades, very comfortable more of a cream that dries down a little matte and it's just super effortless.

This haul post photography wise is such a fail, but I also picked up the make me brow (£2.50) in shade 3, which is an exact dupe for the Benefit one...honestly idk why anyone would actually pay a silly amount for a brow mascara - BUY THIS ONE. It's great, my brows stay in place all day and the colour helps to tone them down, which really is always a good thing haha.

illamasqua cream shadow in bibelot and illamsqua precision liner in wisdom


Moving on to slightly more high end makeup, Illamasqua were one of the only stores this year to have a decent sale on (thankyou Illamasqua for understanding the word sale!). I didn't want to splurge on too much but honestly I could have easily spent £80+ because I know that what I'm getting is really fantastic quality makeup. I have a post coming up on my fave blushers from the brand, because they don't get as much love as they deserve! The first thing I picked up in the sale, was the Illamasqua precision liner in Wisdom (£20.50), which I got for less than half price! I purchased it because its a KHAKI eyeliner, and y'all may know that khaki is my all time favourite colour. Recently I've been wearing it instead of black and I LOVE how it looks! Still a sharp wing, but a lot less intense which is perfection for a normal school day. I also couldn't resist picking up their vintage cream shadow in bibelot, which is out of stock from their site but I've linked it from the selfridges site. This isn't quite as dark as it appears when first applied, but you can build it up and I love the soft golden shimmers too. Its been a while since I've purchased new Illamasqua products, so I'm really glad to have these two beauties to play with!

primark mini blender sponge review, collection 24 hour extreme liner, l.a girl pro primer, wet n wild come correct concealer


I did a lil shopping on beautyjoint.com, which is my go to site for U.S beauty items! I purchased two shades of the Wet n Wild come correct celebrity concealer ($4.99), because I heard its a dupe for the IT cosmetics one. I've not used it much so far, but of course I'll be sharing it with you all when I come to a verdict. I also picked up the L.A Girl Pro Primer ($2.00) which is skin coloured and is basically a matte pencil. So far so good with this, especially for that bargain of a price! A product that looks a lot nicer than it is, that glitter thing from wet'n'wild...awful. Don't bother purchasing this because its pretty much useless, I feel like they got vaseline and dunked a bunch of glitter in it and then pressed it down...nah certifeye glitter is a LOT better!

The eyeliner I've really been enjoying lately is one from boots, the collection extreme 24 hour liner (£3), which is super black and lasts really well throughout the day. I don't remember liking it this much last time I picked it up, which makes me wonder if they changed the formula? Either way, I'm a big fan. Ohhh and how could I not mention these primark NON-LATEX mini blender sponges?! They are fantastic, you get FOUR for only £2.50 and nothing blends in concealer better, ditch those brushes for the under eye cause this is what you need for flawless application. I love how easily they double in size and how super soft they feel on the skin - definitely giving the original beauty blender a run for their money haha.


colourpop just peachy colourpop super shock in game face


And I also placed a cheeky colourpop order in the holidays - they always get me with their free shipping over $50! When they released their peachy collection, I was instantly drawn in (although I do think it was an odd time of the year to be doing so!). I was unsure about which ones to purchase, but then I saw this had put together a trio called Just Peachy ($15.00) which includes two mattes and a satin. You don't save a tonne, but its a lovely little kit and I have been obsessed with the shades, fingers crossed the review and swatches will be up tomorrow! I picked up a few bits for friends, and so I just had enough for one more eyeshadow...game face! It's a gorgeous metallic copper shade which is so easy to apply and beautifully pigmented. Game face all over the lid, blended out with warm mattes is going to look stunning. Finally they gave me a free liquid lip, in the shade wild nothing, which is a deeper mauvy rose colour and I LOVE the frosted packaging of this one! Not had too long to try the shade out, but I will be reporting back soon.

essence matte 3 illamsqua vintage shadow and precision liner in wisdom


And here are some of the swatches! I'm so glad I've finally been able to publish this blog post, its literally been a draft for about 6 weeks ._. I hope you can take advantage of the Typo sale - if not today don't worry, if you sign up to their newsletter you get 20% off! And no this post isn't sponsored by them loool, I wish!! I just really enjoy the store and the quirky range of products they have, so I wanna share it with you all.

P.S I'm really sorry I didn't get this up in time for you to also take advantage of the sale, but please do follow me on social media for the best deals - especially twitter (@blushinggiraffe), because I can share things MUCH quicker on there!


Have you tried anything in my haul? What have you been buying recently? 



Thank-you for reading




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Collective Haul | Typo, Colourpop and Illamasqua



Hello hello, welcome back to the blog! Today I'm sharing the stuff I've purchased over the last few weeks. I've been a bit too spendy because theres yet another haul coming up after this tsk._.  Also I just wanna say I HATE the way these photos came out, hate hate hate them cause the lighting was so awful and although they looked alright on screen, on the laptop....a different story!

May 2016 Favourites


Hello everyone, it feels so great to be writing a monthly favourites again ^_^ This month the majority of my favourites have been new purchases and there is nothing like new makeup to make me feel excited!

freedom pro studio priming water dupe smashbox priming water, blistex relief cream liquid lipstick prep


I'm going to start off with the least swoon-worthy items, but these are the products that have been helping my makeup game stay relatively strong, so they're just as important! The Freedom Priming Water (£6.00) is supposedly an exact dupe for the smashbox version, which is an unethical brand so I never had any intention of picking it up. Anyway, the freedom brand in general are known for creating cheeky dupes, I know there are mixed opinions on this but personally I think it’s great to have a brand that creates budget alternatives. I DIGRESS. This water contains a high amount of glycerin, which is also a concentrated ingredient in the much talked about Nivea post shave balm. It is the glycerin which helps the makeup stick to the skin and I find this priming water works well. I spray some on just after moisturising, let it set into the skin for 30 seconds and continue with my makeup. When I’ve finished my makeup, I spritz this over the top and my makeup lasts well.  I also love this for further dampening my beauty blender before I start blending out my concealer - it actually makes a difference to the amount of creasing under the eyes!

As I’ve mentioned now that I’m back to buying makeup, liquid lipsticks are my new best friends. However they do dry out the lips no matter how light the formula, so using the Blistex Relief Cream (£2.65) at night as a lip mask has been making all the difference. I wake up with soft plump lips and without this gem of a product, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the Liquid Lipsticks I own! It’s also one of the first products I spoke about on my blog back in 2013, which shows it has stood the test of time.

Gerard Cosmetics Hydra Matte Lipstick in Everything Nice the balm liquid lipstick in committed


Talking about Liquid Lipsticks, the two that have been floating my boat in May are offerings from Gerard Cosmetics and The Balm. I reviewed the Gerard Cosmetics Hydra Matte Lipstick in Everything Nice (£9.50) here, which is a beautiful muted orange toned nude colour. When I say orange, I mean it in the most flattering way and there is just a tiny hint. It’s also one of the only shades I like to wear alone, as most ‘nude’ shades just look a little off on me.  I won't waffle on too much as I have a whole review up already, but great shade and an awesome formula!

The most recent addition to my LL stash is The Balm’s Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long-Lasting liquid lipstick in Committed (£13.50) which I first saw on Katy's snap months ago. This is another everyday kind of shade, although its more pink than I usually go for. It's probably the only sort of colour that I think is appropriate for work from my collection of LLs so far...and the formula is AMAZING. It has an odd cooling effect on the lips and a vanilla scent, dries down fairly quickly and lasts well throughout the day. It does fade in the inner part of the lips after eating oily food, but the fact that this formula doesn't dry my lips out much at all means it's landed a spot in my favourites.

coty airspun loose powder, kat von d shade and light palette, la girl pro conceal HD concealer in pure beige



The Coty airspun powder loose powder in translucent ($8.99) has been a firm favourite this month, as has the technique known as 'baking'. Only I don't like to leave the powder on for too long, or else it just looks a little too matte and feels a lot drier than it needs to be. I own the NARS loose powder too, however I much prefer the Coty one for baking, its affordable and does the job well. Plus it really is translucent, at first it looks a little too light but it ends up almost undetectable. There is a LOT less creasing under the eyes and the oily areas are kept under control too! Couldn't ask for a whole lot more really ^_^

The L.A Girl Pro HD Concealer in Pure Beige (£5.00) is my perfect match and I have been using it a tonne this month thanks to those pesky blemishes on my face. The formula of this concealer, as well as the extensive shade range, is what has me coming back to it time and time again!

And finally on the powder front, back to an oldie but an absolute goodie the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette ($46.00) has been popping up all over my social media accounts because I can't stop adoring it, the love for this runs DEEP. I use every single shade, although the yellow shade is clearly the most frequently tapped into. If I only have 5 minutes to do my makeup, this palette is one of the only things I reach for because I can set, bronze, contour and eyeshadow my face in a matter of minutes.

becca champagne pop highlighter UK Topshop mohawk bronzer


YES THAT IS CHAMPAGNE POP *squeals* one of the best birthday presents I have ever received in my whole entire life (thank-you Ayesha🙊). I finally have the most coveted highlighter on this planet and it is absolutely stunning, no other highlight has been on my face since I received this beauty. The only thing I want to note is, if you have texture on your face, this does highlight them, so either go in with a light hand or wait for the 'poured'/ cream version to be released in the UK. I'm definitely planning on getting my hands on the liquid version and I'm thrilled that its permanent.

The bronzer that I have not been able to put down this month is Topshop's Mohawk (£9.00). I've had it for a while, but always opted for highend bronzers and totally overlooked this gem in my stash! It's a couple of shades deeper then my skintone, so not too red nor grey toned. Just the perfect bronzer shade which warms my complexion up beautifully! I typically do the '3' bronzer motion on the sides of my face and dust some on my nose, which gives me a lovely warmth to my face. It also blends really nicely, resulting in an actually natural look - I am smitten!

morphe M330, morphe M139, Illamasqua Ore pigment


As you may know, I've picked up quite a few Morphe eyeshadow brushes lately, however the two that have been most used are the M330 and the M139. The first M330 Blending Crease brush (£4.95) is a brilliant blending brush, for that transition shade, for merging colours together and for everything in between. Its basic but very much an essential and priced at less than a fiver, I need a couple more! The M139 Tapered Crease Blender Brush (£2.50)  is just as amazing, especially if you have a smaller lid space. This brush is like the little sister to the M330 and I love how its half the price too ^_^ another brush that I need to restock on, it's wonderful for the crease too!

A product I've had in my stash for a couple of years now, which I always whip out for every special occasion is the Illamasqua pigment in 'Ore' (£17.00). It is very hard to describe but I'll have a go...a bronzy/gold with flecks of silver and a tiny hint of khaki. Google the shade and you'll hopefully see what I mean from the swatches available online. Anyway I adore this pigment, it's very versatile depending on what colour base you apply underneath and how you apply it too. For my 21st birthday I did a smokey eye, with this packed all over the lid and I was obsessed with how it turned out. It's a pricy little investment, but so worth it for how it adds a gorgeous touch to my eye makeup.






Those are all my favourites of May! Have you tried any of these products?


Thank-you for reading





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May 2016 Favourites


Hello everyone, it feels so great to be writing a monthly favourites again ^_^ This month the majority of my favourites have been new purchases and there is nothing like new makeup to make me feel excited!

The Starting Over Tag!

The starting over tag base products



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 ♥
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The Starting Over Tag!

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Review | Illamasqua Cream Blush in Seduce

illamasqua cream blush in seduce review and swatch

Hello everyone, today I’m going to be reviewing an Illamasqua cream blush which is pretty scary looking in the pan, and it goes by the name of ‘Seduce’. If you’re a regular reader of my blog you will know that I swear by Illamasqua blushers, they are just WONDERFUL at doing them right... I own 6 of them and have no regrets, because I just love them! You can purchase this blush here for £21.50 (although I’d keep an eye out for their amazing sales).

illamasqua cream blush in seduce review and swatch

Illamasqua blushers are all packaged the same, and most people will agree with the term ‘bulky’ to describe them. I can easily fit six of them in half a muji drawer as they stack neatly, but I do think the design is just a little over the top, especially when travelling. I’m much more likely to put a NARS blusher in my travel makeup bag over this. Also is has no mirror - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but with packaging that big, I would have liked to see one.

illamasqua cream blush in seduce review and swatch

Clunky packaging aside, this cream blush when first opened had a layer of liquid over the top. I think the reason was because the consistency of Illamasqua’s cream blushers are much more on the liquid side than the cream/moosey type. These cream blushers are meant to be useable for the lips too, and when I swatched it for the first time on my hand, it looked a little bit like a lip stain. I will say that on the lips its pretty and like a berry shade but not too harsh. On the cheeks it’s dewy looking and a finish I really really enjoy.

illamasqua cream blush in seduce review and swatch

Seduce is a mix between magenta and berry, leaning more on the pink side. In the pan - yikes this blush does not look friendly. But on the skin, it transfers beautifully as a healthy and vibrant pink flush with a dewy finish. You can change the intensity to a muted medium pink or a super strong one which means it really looks stunning on every skintone.  For fair skins I recommend tapping off the majority onto the back of your hand first and then applying it, but for medium to dark skins tap the blush just over the contour line and blend upwards and this’ll give the most gorgeous sculpted look.

illamasqua cream blush in seduce review and swatch
Swatched unblended and blended out - see how sheer it becomes!

My favourite and only way I apply this is with my fingers because I get to control the intensity and the warmth of my fingers help it melt into the skin without any streaky blush marks. This is a stunning ‘I’ve been walking out in the cold’ kinda shade. The only  qualm I have with it is the lasting power. I’m used to Illamasqua blushers lasting at least 9/10 hours on my skin and this one fades by 7 hours. A faint stain is left so it doesn’t totally disappear, but I wish it would last long enough for me to wear on a typical uni day when I need my makeup to last all day - oh and I have normal/dry skin so I imagine it would last a lot less than on oily skin.

Overall Rating
Rating: 7
Pros: The intensity is easy to control, you can go for a bold look or a muted blush. The shade is really unique in my collection its a strong magenta with a hint of purple and it suits my skintone whether its pale or bronzed up.
Cons: If not blended in, it can look patchy on the skin. It can look a little intense if over applied. The lasting power isn’t on par to the full price.
Repurchase? Yes I would if I bought it on sale again as the shade is stunning, but not for the full RRP.
 
Thank-you for reading ♥
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Review | Illamasqua Cream Blush in Seduce

illamasqua cream blush in seduce review and swatch

Hello everyone, today I’m going to be reviewing an Illamasqua cream blush which is pretty scary looking in the pan, and it goes by the name of ‘Seduce’. If you’re a regular reader of my blog you will know that I swear by Illamasqua blushers, they are just WONDERFUL at doing them right... I own 6 of them and have no regrets, because I just love them! You can purchase this blush here for £21.50 (although I’d keep an eye out for their amazing sales).

14 Favourites of 2014!

14favouritesof2014

Hello beautiful people, I hope you’re all doing well! Today I’m going to share my 14 favourites from 2014. There are not necessarily the bestest products out there ever - but my personal favourites,  and I’m going to try my hardest to keep this relatively brief as I could probably write a novel on my favourite things! so we had best get going ^_^
bourjois cc cream 33 benefit erase paste 3

This year I have fallen in love with Benefit’s Erase Paste in 3. I have stubborn, hereditary dark circles and I don’t make my life easier with my sleeping routine! The erase paste is super pigmented and very very creamy so I apply a little at a time, or using the RT detailer brush to put the corrector exactly where I need it. It’s the product in my stash  that I can rely on to transform the dark shades under my eyes into relatively normal under-eye skin and with little effort! My favourite base of the year has without a doubt been the Bourjois CC Cream. I reviewed it here and in one sentence; it feels like nothing on the skin, yet the coverage is phenomenal for a ‘CC cream’ type of product, quick and easy to apply, doesn't accentuate dry patches, evens out the skintone perfectly and it has a super natural finish! The BEST base in the whole drugstore and perfect for every day.

bareminerals bareskin foundation 10 bare buffBourjois bronzing primer

Another base I have LOVED in 2014 has been the bareMineral bare skin serum foundation (review). Its light weight, medium coverage, free from a tonne of nasties and has half the number of ingredients a standard foundation has. To be fair - it can be difficult to work with at first. However the glowing finish I can achieve with this and the perfect colour match had me singing its praises! Another product I haven't been able to get enough of is the Bourjois bronzing primer. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! It warms up the face beautifully, sorts out any foundation or base that is too light and I can even achieve a decent contour when I use my E.L.F small stippling brush! Basically if you’re of NC30 you neeeed to try this beauty, I would pay twice the price for this, I laaaave it that much!

ABH Brow Wiz ABH Dip Brow

Brows this year have been dominated by the one and only Anastasia Beverly Hills. I mentioned the Brow Wiz in Brunette in my December favourites a thin pencil, twists up with the perfect spoolie on the end. It mimics brow hairs like no other, and is phenomenal for filling in sparseness and creating the brows you always dreamed of - or as close to as possible.  The Brow Pomade has also gotten a lot of love throughout 2014, and not without good reason. It’s long lasting, sculpting and as long as you have a spoolie and a light touch you can transform your eyebrows. Pricy? Yes. Worth every penny? Double yes. (Plus the pomade will last you ages!)

makeup revolution i heart chocolate palette

The eyeshadow palette of the year for me is the I heart Chocolate palette by makeup revolution. Reviewed here so I won’t go on too much about it, but its the perfect neutral palette from the drugstore. A dupe for the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette, with a huge nude/base shade and a gorgeous crease shade too. Oh and just marvel at that packaging!

NARS torrid NARS deep throat

Cheeks in 2014 have been dominated by two brands - NARS (Deep Throat - the perfect pink laced with gold reviewed and Torrid - the must have coral, with a little gold running through it, for medium skintones) and Illamasqua  (Hussy - matte peachy pink perfect for medium skintones too reviewed here ). Illamasqua produce the softest and most pigmented blushers EVER, and NARS have their formulation nailed - long lasting and buildable - love love love!

beauty blender, sweet almond oil, rt duo fibre contour brush

The Real Techniques duo-fibre contour brush - reviewed has been the BEST brush discovery of the whole 365 days. I have been able to use every single sleek blush in my vast collection, because of it’s bristles. It distributes colour lightly and allows you to spread the pigmentation over the cheeks perfectly. I also fell head over heals with the Beauty Blender (PLEASE EXCUSE HOW STAINED MINE IS). If you’re looking for a flawless finish with thicker foundations and want to blend concealer in seamlessly this is a MUST have. The only skincare favourite I have of this whole year is the Sweet Almond Oil. I adore this stuff and it’s become a daily part of my routine. I apply a little under each eyes and everywhere else I have uneven skintone and my under-eyes have slowly become a little less dark, and brighter! It’s not an over night miracle, but it’s made a big difference to my skin and even helped me to embrace those pesky circles somewhat.

rimmel lip liner spice
And finally, my favourite lip product of the whole year has been Rimmel’s lip liners and more specifically the one in Spice - reviewed here. They’re affordable, a huge colour range and of course they’re wonderfully long lasting. Sure they’re a little bit drying, but that’s totally worth the colour pay off and no fuss.


There are my 14 favourites of the past year! What were yours?

Thank-you for reading ♥

14 Favourites of 2014!

14favouritesof2014

Hello beautiful people, I hope you’re all doing well! Today I’m going to share my 14 favourites from 2014. There are not necessarily the bestest products out there ever - but my personal favourites,  and I’m going to try my hardest to keep this relatively brief as I could probably write a novel on my favourite things! so we had best get going ^_^

My Autumn Essentials

my autumn essentials the blushing giraffe

Hello everybody ^_^ I hope you’re all well. Uni has really started to take it’s toll on me, hence the lack of posts. I think more than anything it’s the lack of light and less time for photography which is adding to this dilemma! Anyway’s the clocks are turning this weekend so hopefully that extra hour will help us bloggers out a little ^_^ I wanted to make a little post about the things I think are Autumn Essentials, on we go;

lipsssedited
A lip balm that actually works
There are tonnes of lip balms on the market, but for autumn everyone needs one that actually does what it is supposed to do. I’m currently using up a pot of carmex which I got with a glossy box, and it works pretty well. My ultimate favourite, however is the blistex one (reviewed here).


Berry/Brown hues for the lips
Everytime autumn rolls around people dig out their favourite berry shades, and I’m usually not an exception to this - albeit picking sheerer tones. This year I’ve leaned more heavily towards the 90’s inspired brown tones and mauvey shades. Two of my favourites are Essence’s XXXL longlasting Lip Gloss in MATT effect - 06. This is a beautiful dusty rose/mauve shade and I would describe the finish as more of a velvet kind than matt. It feels pretty moisturising and suits most looks, so it’s a total winner for me!

The second one I’ve been loving is a new release from Rimmel London, their new Provocalips in the shade Make your move. I will be reviewing this real soon hence the lack of swatch, but it is the most PERFECT longlasting lip product I have ever come across. Ever. Oh and it’s not drying! I also adore their lip liner in the shade Spice. It’s extremely flattering for women of colour, and mix between the Kylie G and 90s lip, well worth picking up!

Zoya Polish in ‘Aubrey’

I was kindly gifted this Zoya polish in Aubrey* and quickly fell in love with the shade. I don’t think they could have picked a more ME shade actually! My favourite colour of all time to wear on my nails is purple, and this is such a complimentary shade for olive skintones. The formula is just what I would expect from a quality brand like Zoya (which is toxin free) and it lasted a decent 4 days before I had any chips which I was very pleased with ^_^

Also when writing this post it just hit me that Drake’s first name is Aubrey so every time I apply this now I’ll probably be humming a Drizzy tune haha.

Illamasqua blush in Allure


What is it about this time of the year that makes skin look a little dull? The lack of sunlight, the cold weather or maybe the business of Uni having started. Whatever it is, picking a blusher that has a satin finish, or even a tiny bit of shimmer is a really easy way to bring some life into your face again! People tend to shy away from anything shimmer, and that’s how I felt about the Illamasqua blush in Allure for the longest time, however once blended in with the RT duo-fibre contour brush, it really gives a gorgeous glow to the skin and you can barely see the shimmer unless you’re like 5cm away from my face. Plus the shade is PERFECT for autumn, a stunning dusty rose/mauve which looks like meh in the pan, but amazing on the skin! 

L’Occitane rose hand cream the blushing giraffe


I have a large bottle of the Soap& Glory hand food on my desk so whenever I sit down to do some work I give my hands a bit of TLC. I’ve had this since last December and it’s still going strong, so do check it out this year when they have their amazing 3for2 sales on! I also love having a tube of hand-cream in my bag. At the moment I have the L’Occitane one which I got free with a mag a while back, (and I believe there’s another magazine out right now that’s offering a similar bottle!) and not only is the packaging pretty, but it smells delightful and is non-greasy too.



These have been the best shoe investment this year. They’re super comfy and make commuting a breeze. Especially when waiting around for the bus to come, sometimes I’m standing for half an hour and so I need to have shoes that give my feet the VIP treatment every time ;D plus they’re so classic and go with the whole old-school vibe of brown lips rather well. I’m a comfort over style person 99% of the time, and if you’re on the market for comfy versatile trainers I’d really recommend picking these up.

due to not possessing the swaggy skills of fblogger I have no decent photo, sorreh

Those are the things that I have been using time and time again this autumn, and each of them I think you should would like too.

Have you got any Autumn Essentials? I’d love to read what they are ^_^

P.S Due to the rubbish lighting I thought I’d snazz these photos up with some filters and whatnot from picmonkey. Turns out the snazzing got a little outta control, I hope this doesn’t become a habit._.


Thanks for reading!

My Autumn Essentials

my autumn essentials the blushing giraffe

Hello everybody ^_^ I hope you’re all well. Uni has really started to take it’s toll on me, hence the lack of posts. I think more than anything it’s the lack of light and less time for photography which is adding to this dilemma! Anyway’s the clocks are turning this weekend so hopefully that extra hour will help us bloggers out a little ^_^ I wanted to make a little post about the things I think are Autumn Essentials, on we go;

Spring Picks | Cheeks

the blushing giraffe's spring picks cheeks blushers
Hello! Another post in my little spring picks series, this time focusing on the cheeks! Now you may know that I have a rather large collection of check products (not quite catching up to the wonderful Vanessa, but i’m getting there!) and so I thought I’d share the ones that I’ll be reaching for most during the spring season!

For me spring makeup is all about keeping it fresh, light and as natural as possible. There are not many rules in make, so of course wear whatever shade you like whenever you like! But if you’re on the hunt for a pretty blush that has more of a spring time vibe, keep on reading..

sleek blush by 3 pink lemonade
Sleek Blush-by-3 in Pink Lemonade | £9.99

A rather recent purchase, this little blush palette has completely taken me by surprise. When I first saw the shades I was sure they would be too light for my NC30 skin tone, but I have once again judged a blush by its pan shade and been mistake, tsk. Containing two powder blushers and one cream, Pink Lemonade is your perfect spring time companion. The lightest pink shade is quite shimmery so I do skip the highlight. It is probably my least worn shade from the trio so far, but surprising I have enjoyed popping this onto the cheeks as the warmer months have approached. The silver shimmer could be a bit intense, so a light hand is best.

The darker powder colour is the most stunning cross between a hot pink and a peachy pink, with a little golden shimmer running through it as well, but more subtle than the lighter shade. I also quite like the cream blush, which is just as pigmented as it’s powdered neighbours and transfers onto the skin as a true medium pink. I know my descriptions aren’t fantastic but google is your best friend when it comes to swatches, so go search what I mean ^_^

nars blush in deep throat
NARS Deep Throat | £21.50

My first ever NARS blush, and what a beauty it is! In my humble opinion D.T should have got the fame and love that the famous Orgasm blusher received, because this is the most stunning pink shade I have ever come across. It is a lighter shade of pink, with the tiniest amount of peach mixed in, so looks gorgeous on us olive skinned ladies! Although it does have a slight shimmer running through it, it’s nothing over the top or chunky. In fact it is just enough to give you that glowing and healthy appearance, and for spring time this is a no brainer! Another thing that I love about this, is how it’s pigmentation is spot on. It’s one of those fool proof options which you can pop onto your cheeks, without worrying about being light handed and know it’ll look good, which is ALWAYS a good thing!

rimmel blush in pink rose
Rimmel Pink Rose | £3.99

Another favourite of mine, this was actually one of the first blushers I purchased some 4/5 years ago when the interest in makeup first began! Pink Rose is quite a cool toned pink, which is quite rare in my collection. The reason why I love it so much is actually because of how subtle it is. Yes we all love a good pigmented blush but sometimes those can be tough to work with! That’s why when I’m in a rush and want a nice subtle glow pink rose is the shade I reach for. No highlighter required again. This is probably the sheerest of the bunch with a strong shimmer when swatched with your hand, but on my that shimmer translates as more of a healthy sheen.

illamasqua blush in lover peach matte
Illamasqua blush in Lover | £21.50

Again another shade which I was less that impressed with upon first glace, but it took me by complete surprise when I first tried. If you’re looking for a gorgeous matte peach blusher, lover is the one for you! I love wearing this most when I am having a fairly neutral day in terms of makeup, as it adds a little bit of life but looks so subtle and elegant. It is quite a muted shade. Another plus point is you can highlight to your hearts content, due to this being matte.  A under-rated beauty in my eyes! Oh and just in case you didn’t know, Illamasqua blushers are the softest around - j’adore!

illamasqua blush in lover peach matte and rimmel blush in coral
rimmel coral powder blush 111
Rimmel Coral Powder Blush (111) | £1.50 (Fragrance Direct)

I picked this up from Fragrance direct for a few pounds, its not currently in stock but keep an eye out! I wasn’t expecting much but wanted to try a different shade of blush. Side by side I thought this could be a dupe for lover, but actually this has a warmer undertone, and hints of pink with and slight shimmer within it. Not disco-ball shimmer but very flattering tiny specks that can barely be detected once on the skin. I wear this as more of a bronzer and blusher in one, as it does have that orange/warmth of a tone. I think this would look stunning on skin tones lighter than mine, and also darker, however it can like a little muddy when applied with a heavy hand (though when I swatch it, it looks so much prettier on my hand :c ) I still really like the shade, and will try it with a stippling brush in the future, but wanted to recommend this for anyone looking for a peachy/warmer brush with a decent price ^_^

illamasqua blush in tremble
Illamasqua blush in Tremble | £21.50

A cool toned baby doll pink, which makes the most refreshing change from my usual coral or darker pink tones. I love how this shade really freshens up the makeup look, with its cooler tones surprisingly flattering my skintone (as long as I haven’t bronzed too much). Tremble is beautiful, and my perfect spring time shade. It has it all - great pigmentation, a matte finish, and a fresh look. I can highlight as much as I want, but still have pretty pink cheeks and with this shade I favour a cooler, silver toned highlight too, rather than my typical champagne tone. Although this looks scary in the pan, it looks quite the contrary on the cheeks. I have to say, if this post has taught me one thing, it is that I have judged far too many blushers by how they appear in the pan, and been shocked by how beautiful they look on the skin!

sleek illamasqua rimmel nars

And that is all! Quite a long list right there, and I will be posting swatches on the face, on my instagram  so if you’re interested in how any of these look head on over to there! I hope you enjoyed reading about the shades that are in my blush drawer - what ones will you be using this season? ^_^

Thanks for reading!
 
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