Everyday makeup routine // current favourites

It's been a while since I've had a proper chat about my current makeup routine and my favourites, so I decided to combine the two and discuss what I've been loving so much, that I've been using them all on the regular. It is officially the summer holidays!! So I've spent the last couple of days either shopping for my first ever classroom, or just lounging about and relaxing at long last. So this makeup routine is more what I was doing in the final weeks of term, whist I was supply teaching (more on that in an update post!).

Starting with the base, I have been LOVING using the Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow (£38.50) after applying my favourite moisturiser. As I have been so exhausted since way Easter time - really there has been SO much going on, I feel like my skin really has suffered the consequences 😪. Late nights, stress, dehydration, you all know the drill and my skin will need a good amount of pampering this summer to get back on track. As a little cheat, I've been using the wonder glow to add some glow and not only does my foundation look better over the top, but it just adds a gorgeous sheen to the skin. On no makeup days I like mixing a little in with my moisturiser too. I think there are better liquid lighters out there in terms of intensity, but this is a beautiful before foundation step. The base of choice, has been the Wet'n'wild photo foundation in golden beige ($5.99) . I've linked the site where I purchased mine from, and if you don't spend over £15 you won't be charged customs. Anyways this foundation is gorgeous, I love it and I can't believe it's so incredibly affordable! I definitely will be repurchasing it - the shade match is amaaaazing, the coverage is medium and the finish is pretty natural. Let me know if you'd like a full review.

Also it's not often that I talk about foundation brushes, because I am a HUGE beauty blender fan...but I have just gone about 3 months without using one. I really couldn't justify picking another one up whilst I was training and not earning a penny, so I decided to use face brushes and fingers. Don't get me wrong, beauty blenders are still the one and only tool for me if I HAD to pick, but actually the Morphe E6 brush (£15.00) is brilliant. I felt like I was using less product with this brush and with a stippling motion, the size of the brush meant my face was blended in next to no time - perfect for anyone with a busy morning routine. I used to adore the RT buffing brush, but I've literally chucked those out since I've had this in my collection, cause they just do not compare!

Moving on to concealer, old habits die hard here! Well, actually in the last couple of months I did try this phase of going for a lighter coverage undereye, but nothing would work as well as my beloved Kevyn Aucoin Sensual skin enhancer in SX07 (£38.00) reviewed here.  And what I love most about this pot of goodness is that you can actually adjust the coverage if need be. It's my tried and tested and has definitely earned the title of H.G. And to set it, as you can tell from the photo I have been loving yet another U.S drugtore product - the wet'n'wild contouring powder in caramel toffee ($5.99). Majorly hit pan and I will be ordering another one soon, because I love it, the yellow powder is so brightening and its really comparable to more high end powders. I also still do my 'light bake' with whatever loose powder I am using, I don't have a particular favourite at the moment, but just search loose powder in the side bar if you want to know my thoughts on the ones I've used.

Brows...really not much has changed here either! I am still smitten with the ABH dip brow in chocolate (£15.00) and in total shock that it has lasted this long. I have often added a couple of drops of the kiko mixing solution (not on the website for some strange reason!) which works really well at reviving it. The brush I've been obsessed with for the last few months is actually the primark brow brush (£2.50), it honestly rivals brushes that are 4-5X the price, I highly recommend you picking it up.

The eyeshadow palette of choice has been the Zoeva Cocoa blend (£18.00), which is genuinely one of the best palette out there right now. The mattes are creamy enough and have good pigment and the shimmer shades are beautiful on the lid. Colourwise, it is just perfection - with all the shades I need for a basic look. Don't get me wrong, my single shadows palette is still my all time favourite because of the amazing variety and formula - but I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a daily palette with the basics you need if you're a warm toned lover! The mascara of choice has been the Essence rock n doll (£2.80) because it adds a lovely amount of volume - not the most length, but its a goodie!

Moving on to the face powders, it has been a bit of a Narssist party! The laguna-orgasm duo (which you can get an adorable mini version of for just £15!!), is something I kept with my throughout my time in Pakistan, partly for the mirror but also because laguna is a must have for me. As for that iconic blush shade, I certainly don't mind it, but its not something I would purchase the full size of. That mini size is literally perfection, I mean I've not had the chance to see it in person yet, but what an affordable and great way to try some NARS iconics! The second NARS product is the One shocking moment palette (limited edition). I have loved using the various shades in this and I'm so pleased I picked it up, because again it was a very affordable way to try several of their products in one go! To be honest it was tucked away, for far too long, so I've ensured I'm using it on a regular basis and I've got a really good feel for those, so keep an eye out. And finally a non-nars product! The Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in that glow (£40) reviewed here is just my favourite for everyday, its beautiful and if you don't own a glow kit yet....YA NEED ONE OKAY.

And finally on to the lips, I have been obsessed with my oldschool jordana lip liner in tawny ($),which I saw years ago on Carli Bybel's channel. It is perfect, the ideal MLBB shade and great for slightly over lining. The formula is fantastic too, so much so that I had to pick up a back up last month. The Huda Beauty Liquid Lipstick in bombshell (£18.00) and The Balm Meet Matte Hughes in committed (£15.00) reviewed here are the two liquid lippies that have been used the most recently. They're both beautiful pink shades, with fairly similar formulas actually - neither are too thick or heavy and to be honest they don't have the best longevity, but they're lovely! That colourpop lippie is actually their ultra glossy lip in weho (I think!), because I've been loving to switch it up with a different finish. YES, colourpop is a pain in the butt to ship over, but I am soooo impressed with weho, because it's such a comfortable creamy, non-sticky gloss - big big fan.


And that is just about it everybody! Those are my current favourites and go-to products, a mix of high end and low, U.S and UK.

What have you been loving recently? 

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Everyday makeup routine // current favourites

I.G Tut #1 | Glitter Wing Details

Hello hello, I hope you're all having a great Sunday. I know I only just introduced a brand new series yesterday, but brace yourselves for a new one, because I had another brain wave and I'm really excited to share it with you all (again). I'm not 100% sure what I will be calling this, so atm I've left it as 'I.G Tut', but watch this space haha. Now I have always enjoyed making little makeup clips for the gram, even when the video length was just 15 seconds! I would diligently sit and cut down, speed up, find music and create mini clips, which I personally loved doing and I got a great response from my followers. The chances of me ever starting my own YouTube channel are slim to none, but that doesn't mean I can't utilise one of my favourite platforms and take advantage of their newer 1 minute allowance for videos. At the same time I don't think the videos alone are very useful, so I wanted to combine my main platform (my blog),  with my second largest base I.G and write posts to go along with it. I hope my IG followers find this useful ^_^ I'll be linking products, reviews, talking about techniques and giving you mini reviews of each of the products too.

Video one - base

1. Moisturiser: Embryollise creme concentrate, is the absolute BEST. I very rarely apply anything else before I put on makeup, because it sinks into the skin so well and any foundation applied on top applies beautifully. Especially if its a heavier kind of base. I once tried to use mehron HD over a nivea moisturiser and it just took longer to blend and didn't sit as well. Embryollise does have mineral oil in it, so if your skin doesn't react well with that, perhaps avoid! Otherwise though it's well worth trying out, the best moisturiser for it's price without a doubt.

2. Corrector for under the eyes and around the mouth: I have created my own custom corrector and it was a bit of a spur of the moment thing, but it works SO well! I reviewed the L.A Girl correctors here, and in that post I said how the orange shade just does not work for me because its too strong of an orange. So I decided to try mixing the orange and yellow on the back of my hand and it worked so well! I've not cleaned out a little benefit eyecream pot, and mixed them together which'll save me a lot of time in the morning.

3. Foundation: NARS Sheer Glow in Stromboli (reviewed here) is one of the best bases EVER. I love this and because I've reviewed it already in detail, I won't into too much detail, but basically its the best medium coverage base ever, I adore it! I blended it in with a damp beauty blender, my favourite method of application, the sponge is worth the price I promise.

4. Concealer: I used the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX07 for under the eyes and to highlight of course! I've reviewed this base in full here, and this post also explains the best way to use it and to set it too. I then used the same concealer in the shade SX08 to conceal that horrid spot on my forehead - it can conceal EVERYTHING. I blended it with the same damp beauty blender of course.

5. Set and lightly bake: The Kat Von D Shade and Light palette, which I reviewed here, is my all time favourite and you can see that by how much I have hit pan! 4 shades down, just two to go haha. The shades lyric and levitation mixed together work really well under the eyes. The brush I used is the Real Techniques Setting brush, its fantastic and I need one more in my collection for sure. I then used the orange shade to set over that pesky spot, and it really helped to hide the spot. You wouldn't want to apply the yellow powder over the spot, because it would highlight it and bring it to the surface. The to 'semi-bake' I used the Kat Von D Lock It Setting Powder, which is very lightweight and doesn't appear ashy on the skin. I've not had a chance to talk about this on the blog yet, but I have to say I really like it. For the price you get a lot of product and it does look better than the Coty powder. I use the primark mini sponge for the semi-baking, it is BRILLIANT! Just make sure it's well and truly damp first.

Video two: The Rest Of The Base

1. Brows: I've been using the Colourpop brow pencil in bangin brunette, which is very very similar to the ABH Brow Wiz! I usually wear my pomade, but when I'm in a rush this pencil does an excellent job at drawing out a shape. Plus the spoolie on the other end is perfect for blending the product through - you can't go wrong for the $5 price tag. The next step is to use the essence make me brow in 3 - a total benefit dupe for less than £3! I love this for toning the brows down a little bit, but also for setting them in place and the fibres create a more realistic look too. A real must have. Also for those asking, I always order my essence products online because theres a lot more variety vs. my local store (which also isn't that local by the way).

2. Bronzer: Topshop mohawk, is my all time favourite affordable bronzer', it is the perfect colour for my skintone! I've reviewed it more here. I love using the Real Techniques multi task brush, it is a great size, and ever so slightly tapered so you can apply it at an angle if you want some definition. I use the multi task brush almost every single day, its a must have in my collection, but as far as I remember its only available as part of their sets - they need to sell some of their brushes individually I'd be picking up a lot more!

3. Contour: ABH Refil Shade in Ash Brown, which I bought on sale from beautybay for an unbelievable price of less than a fiver! Although its not one of their more popular shades, I LOVE it so much. It's not quite as grey as a typical contour shade, but it is deep enough to really add definition. For the cheeks I used the Real Techniques Contour Brush and for the nose I used the Real Techniques Flat Foundation Brush, which was actually a first but it works really well! Both of these brushes are available in this kit, which is also on sale atm.

4. Blush: NARS Torrid is one of my favourites, I have reviewed it here. The brush I used is actually an ebay Jessup one. I love it because the bristles aren't very dense and it blends products out in a more natural way - which is useful for highly pigmented products! I can't seem to find the exact brush kit I purchased, but a quick ebay search shows they've improved their kits a lot and I think its the same blush brush in this kit.

5. Highlighter: Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Sundipped, a full review for this is coming up in the next week or two - I love it! The shades are beautifully pigmented and a little stronger than the previous glow kits (although not as intense as the newest one, as far as I can tell!). The brush I used is the Morphe M501, which is AMAZING! Its a shame they've increased the price, but I have to say it's still worth it and double, because it applies highlighter better than any other I own.

6. Facial Spritz: Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe Herbs And Rosewater, reviewed here. BEST EVER. Can't speak highly enough!

Video Three: Eyes and Lips

1. Crease: MUG Dessert Sands is a gorgeous mustard shade which I LOVE for the crease! As my favourite colours to wear on the eyes are deep reds and browns, this shade of yellow blends so beautifully with them and it is one of my all time favourites. I used the Morphe M504 brush, which is fantastic for blending in any crease shade quickly and efficiently, a real go-to.

2. Lid: ABH Blazing was then blended all UNDER the crease area, mainly on the outer part of the eyelid. I adore the shade and I'm not sure why it's not more popular to be honest! The brush I used was the Morphe M507, again another MUST have brush in my collection! It is perfect for smaller detail work and its a very unique brush in my collection, I love it for the crease and inner corner too. I then blended out the crease again with the same M504, to make it all look seamless - blending is KEY for any eyeshadow look!

3. Main Lid: ABH Henna, all over the lid with a double ended ecotools brush (reviewed here!). Tbh I wish I had applied this with my finger instead as the pigmentation would have been stronger.

4. Lower Lash Line: Using the Zoeva 238 Luxe Precise Shader reviewed here, I ran Blazing under the lower lash line.

5. Inner Corner: Taking that same brush, I popped some of MUG's Vanilla bean reviewed here, in the inner corner and slightly further into the lid. This reduced the pigmentation and opened the eyes up a little too.

6. Back to the crease: Using the other end of the ecotools brush (the shader side), I roughly applied some of MUG's Wild West, which is a beautiful deep dusty purple which I LOVE for adding some depth to any look. I then blended it out with the same M504. 

7. Lower Lash Line again: Going back in with MUG's Dessert Sands, I blended it all over the lower lashline, because it looks gorgeous with the red hue of blazing, they're a match made in heaven😍. I then went over the lower lashline again with Wild West, because I felt like it needed some definition and depth!

8. Winged Liner: The Balm's Schwing Liner is a gorgeous, very pigmented, long lasting eyeliner which I have really enjoyed. I don't like the fact that the tip is fraying now, but hopefully with a pair of scissors it'll be as good as new! 

9. Glitter! Horaaaaay, the glitz part. Using the paintglow glitter me up fix gel, I applied a little on the edge of the Zoeva Winged Liner Brush, then I carefully used the brush to apply a line of it just above the wing I had created. I could have been a little more precise with this part, but once the lashes were applied it didn't look too intense! The using a double ended primark brush, I dipped my brush into the certifeye rose gold glitter and carefully patted the glitter over where I had just placed the gel. 

10. Lashes: I've not included these in my video, because I plan to write a post about it and create another mini video for IG. But the lashes I'm using are from Anaqa lashes (IG here) in the style Nour. They're VERY dramatic but really made the look appear glamorous. Also the lovely owner Doua, kindly gave my readers a discount code, so use 'Iqra10' for 10% off your order!

11. Lips: And the final step 😅, I used the Rimmel liner in tiramisu, which is a firm favourite. It's excellent for natural lip shades, as well as anything orange toned because it does lean on that side of the colour spectrum. I also really like the formula of these pencils. I then used the Huda Beauty liquid lipstick in trendsetter - another favourite of mine! Whilst it appears more orange, once it's dried down it looks deeper and very sophisticated. 

And that is finally the end haha! I hope you guys found this beneficial, I really enjoyed creating it for you, even though it took ages haha. Thanks for all the good feedback I've already had 😄

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Follow

I.G Tut #1 | Glitter Wing Details

Hello hello, I hope you're all having a great Sunday. I know I only just introduced a brand new series yesterday, but brace yourselves for a new one, because I had another brain wave and I'm really excited to share it with you all (again). I'm not 100% sure what I will be calling this, so atm I've left it as 'I.G Tut', but watch this space haha. Now I have always enjoyed making little makeup clips for the gram, even when the video length was just 15 seconds! I would diligently sit and cut down, speed up, find music and create mini clips, which I personally loved doing and I got a great response from my followers. The chances of me ever starting my own YouTube channel are slim to none, but that doesn't mean I can't utilise one of my favourite platforms and take advantage of their newer 1 minute allowance for videos. At the same time I don't think the videos alone are very useful, so I wanted to combine my main platform (my blog),  with my second largest base I.G and write posts to go along with it. I hope my IG followers find this useful ^_^ I'll be linking products, reviews, talking about techniques and giving you mini reviews of each of the products too.

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!
\

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 ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Follow

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.

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX06, SX07 AND SX08

As regular readers of my blog, you may now know that I seem to really like the number 3. I have my 'Top 3' series and coincidentally I have managed to 'collect' three of the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancers over the past year and a half. These little pots are quite an investment and they're definitely from the luxury side of makeup, but as you can tell simply by the fact that I have more than one, I love love love the sensual skin enhancer! I wanted to write this post as an attachment to my original review of the shade SX08, which you can read here.

The sensual skin enhancer costs £38 for one pot and you get 0.63oz = 17.86g of product. It is expensive but when they say a little goes a long way, they really aren't kidding at with this stuff. I've been using SX08 since the end of 2014 frequently (maybe 2-3 times a week) and I've still not reached half way down the pot. So in terms of price, the initial cost is a bit of a splurge but actually you'll only have to repurchase every 2-4 years, provided it doesn't go off completely and so I think it's worth the money. Also each of my shades I purchased on some sort of sale, the first two I got when beautybay had a 20% off sale so they only cost me £30.40 which is a total bargain considering how much you get. Definitely recommend waiting for the end of year/black friday sales!

The main reason why I wanted to do another dedicated post to these was because a lot of people have trouble with this product when they first purchase it and I hope this post will provide you some insight in how I make these work for me on a regular basis. The K.A Sensual skin enhancer is the most full coverage concealer product that I own - it is incredible and can hide a LOT. I have very dark circles, so I have to colour correct with a peachy tone and having a bright under-eye area is key for me. Maybe not for every single day, but whenever I'm going out for lunch or dinner, for a special occasion or if I want my makeup to look a little better that day, bright under-eye area makes the world of difference! Before I discovered this product it would take a lot of effort to achieve that bright under eye look and at least 4 different products. The beauty of the sensual skin enhancer means I only need to use a corrector on the darkest parts of my under-eye and then a layer of this blended out over the corrector and all over the area I want to be brightened is enough to achieve a flawless look!

Sensual skin enhancer has such high coverage that you can use it for multiple purposes, although I tend to just conceal and highlight with it. The best way I have found to use it is:

1. Firstly to ensure my whole face is well moisturised, because the better prepared your skin is, the greater it will adhere to the makeup. 
2. Take a little of the product on your ring finger and warm it up, so what I mean by that is pat the concealer between both your ring fingers. As the formula is so super duper creamy, I find it applies and blends so much quicker and easier when you warm it up first, versus applying it with a brush or straight from the pot. 
3. Gently pat the concealer in the inner-corner and downwards, then take the remaining product under the eye - BUT not directly under the lower lashline. If you over-load it in this area and have fine lines like I do, you are sure to get a lot of creasing straight away because the formula is extremly creamy. So leaving a little gap is the only way you'll avoid this. 
4. If I have more time on that day I'll start blending out the product with my ring finger, as the warmth of my finger does a really good job. If not I'll go straight in with a beauty blender and pat away until its all blended INTO the skin and looks beautifully flawless. 
5. I then straight away set under the eyes with a yellow powder, previously it was only the Kat Von D contour kit one (reviewed here), but these days I've been obsessed with a fantastic cheaper alternative here. 
6. and recently the step which has been making the whole look appear airbrushed, is the good ol' baking technique! Except I will never keep the powder on for too long, 30 seconds is enough. I tent to re-spritz my beauty blender before dipping it in a loose powder and then carefully press the sponge all over the under-eye area. This provides a layer of powder which literally works as a barrier against creasing. But remember 30 seconds, because I find that if I leave it on for longer, my under-eyes look very cakey and overly dry and awful.
7. FINALLY this is a step I'll only do if I need my makeup to last for longer than 14 hours, I'll spritz my beauty blender with a makeup setting spray (currently loving the pixi beauty one) and then i'll push the sponge all over the area I've just baked. This acts as another layer of protection and in the heat/looooong makeup days it will ensure your concealer will stay put!

So yes there are quite a few steps, some that I don't do on a daily basis, but it is well worth it for the finished result. Plus the fact that I only have to use two cream products (corrector and concealer), V several concealers means I actually save time and hassle! 

Moving on to the three shades, swatches and why I even have three! In short, internet swatches are quite confusing and I didn't and still don't have a Kevyn Aucoin counter near-by. My nearest is either London or Birmingham, so I kind of just guessed using other blog posts to help. I'll describe each shade in as much detail as I can below:

SX06: This was the second shade I purchased because I needed one for brightening and as far as the internet had told me, 07 was far too pink for my olive skin. 06 is VERY brightening and yellow in tone, so if your skin pulls more on the neutral side, this may be too intense for you. I rarely use this alone, the only time I would is if I'm going for the SUPER bright intense highlight look, which I have done for some special occasions. However if you're planning to use this on a regular basis, I think 06 would be the ideal concealing and brightening shade for you if you're Punjab in NARS or 21 in Dior. For quite a while I had been mixing this with 08 to create the perfect everyday brightening shade, which does work well don't get me wrong - but for the mornings when I don't have time to be sitting there creating my perfect blend (which is every morning now I'm in teacher training!), it was too time consuming. 

SX07: Is the newest as you can see from the second photo, there is a tonne of product still which makes me really really happy! As I explained above, I didn't NEED a shade inbetween, but it would definitely be handy so when I saw another deal for 15% off I grabbed my chance and picked it up. Whilst online swatches and descriptions had led me to believe that this colour would be too pink, I did see someone on youtube, who has a slightly warmer complexion than I have use it - and it looked great on her. You can see in the swatch above that its not as yellow as 06, however for me this works perfectly for everyday as I don't always need to have such a bright shade for a daily basis. In fact I KNOW I shouldn't be going into school with a fully highlighted and chiseled face loool, so I definitely avoid 06 and I'm pleased to report 07 works really well! If you're stromboli in NARS or 31 in Dior this is the ideal brightening shade for you, which can be used as a concealer under the eye, or a cream highlighter on all areas you want to look brighter. 

SX08: Was the first shade I purchased and this is the shade that actually works to conceal redness, spots, blemishes, anything skin-coloured I used a tiny bit of this and the Lisa Eldridge spot concealer technique. Of course I'll only do this for a special occasion, ain't nobody got time for spot concealing on a daily basis! I will from time to time use this for a normal day, because like I said I don't need to have that over the top brightened look going on for an average day. However since purchasing 07, I haven't used this much. I will use 08 on my mum who is one shade deeper than me, and it works beautifully at concealing her under-eyes and providing a slight brightening effect too. So purchase this if you're Barcelona or the shade deeper in NARS - but I would recommend you to try and get to a counter first!

I know it's not easy, but try to source out a counter because it IS an investment and I would hate for anyone to spend a lot of money on a shade they aren't happy with. Anyway this is the end of my review of one of my most favourite products of all time. If you don't go for full coverage products normally, or you already have a concealer you're happy with for the under-eyes you don't need to pick this up. If however you're a fan of the super flawless under-eye and highlighting in general, I think you'll love this as much as I do! I genuinely cannot imagine my makeup routine without at least one of these and it is well worth the money because it lasts for a very long time. I don't envisage myself getting to the end of these pots for months and months to come.

Do you have a HG product you love so much that you need more than one shade in?

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Follow

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX06, SX07 AND SX08

As regular readers of my blog, you may now know that I seem to really like the number 3. I have my 'Top 3' series and coincidentally I have managed to 'collect' three of the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancers over the past year and a half. These little pots are quite an investment and they're definitely from the luxury side of makeup, but as you can tell simply by the fact that I have more than one, I love love love the sensual skin enhancer! I wanted to write this post as an attachment to my original review of the shade SX08, which you can read here.

My go-to / 'everyday' makeup routine

Hello everyone, it has been over a week since I have had the chance to sit down and blog because I have started my teacher training journey and all I can say thus-far is that I'm VERY TIRED. It'll inevitably get a little easier once I get out of the erratic and super relaxed university lifestyle (i.e no real routine and plenty of late nights followed by lie-ins). I thought I'd ease back into blogging with my go-to makeup as of late. This was kind of my everyday summer makeup, because I had a lot more time of course and this is kind of like my favourites post of August too, because these are the products I reached for again and again.

My base of choice has been the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation in 7 (£32.00), I wore this throughout my London trip and pretty much every-time I wore makeup in August. It is so beautiful when applied, whether my skin was in a good state or more on the dry/rough side, some how light wonder foundation manages to not accentuate any flaw whilst still providing enough coverage to get me that 'my skin but lets face it, way better'. My skin glows like no tomorrow, without looking sweaty or disco-balling. In fact it looks VERY similar to that famous tutorial Charlotte T did on her youtube channel, recreating Amal Clooney's wedding makeup. I've probably watched it about 20 times, if you don't know what I'm on about this is what I'm talking about! Just to give you an idea of how much I love this, I'm thinking about purchasing the shade 6 for the winter time, as 7 will be far too light. Now I own a silly amount of bases, so to even consider picking up another shade of one I already have really speaks volumes.

Application: I've liked applying this with the Real Techniques Buffing brush, I find it doesn't alter the coverage unlike when I tried it with a damp beauty blender. 

Concealer wise I have been OBSESSED with the Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer in medium (£10.00) and I really cannot believe I have skipped over this time and time again in the highstreet! This is probably the most perfect corrector shade I have ever tried for my dark circles, I've recently been using the Benefit erase paste again, which I used to swear by and it has nothing on this at all - plus its double the price! As for concealer, I've been using the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX07 (£38.00) which is true HG status for me and I adore it. The coverage is fantastic, a little goes a long way and when set correctly. I have a detailed post of the SSEs coming up in the near future because they're rather expensive and not the easiest to work with, but I can't imagine my makeup routine without it now, so it must be pretty fantastic.

Application: The corrector I always apply with my ring finger in the darkest areas under my eyes. One layer is more than enough to actually correct the darkness and it doesn't cake up at all - so great! I've recently been doing most of the concealer application with the same finger too, getting the majority of it blended in and then finishing off with the beauty blender before setting. 

Setting wise, theres nothing better than the Kat Von D Shade + Light palette ($45.00) coming to the UK really soon 🎉 which is definitely HG status for me. I love mixing the lightest colour with the yellow shade and it both sets and highlights the face perfectly. When I don't use this palette, I massively notice a difference in my makeup so it is another staple. If I have time I'll lightly bake under the eyes with the Coty Airspun loose powder ($8.99), which works really well to set down such a creamy formula like the KA SSE!

Application: Real Techniques Setting brush (£4.89) for the yellow powder and a damp beauty blender for the bake!

Moving on to the cheeks, this summer I have been using my usual blusher of choice: NARS Deep Throat (£23.00) which is basically the most beautiful blush for everyday that was ever invented. I tent to stick to the same KVD palette for bronzing up the face, using the middle shade in a 3 shape for adding warmth and the shade on the left to sculpt out the cheeks. For highlight, Laura Geller's Gilded Honey (£21.00) has been my go-to. When I first got this, I didn't love the baked formula but if you use more of a stiffer brush it picks up the product better.

Application: for blusher I use pretty much any synthetic round brush, my favourite of late has been one from an ebay set I reviewed here. I've been using the large fluffy powder brush in the same set for bronzer and for highlight it's been all about the Morphe M501 (£6.25). Like I said the bristles are a little more firm as a natural haired brush, which makes it excellent for picking up powder formulas. 

Finally moving on to the eye makeup (as I change up the lips all the time), I have really loved wearing a warm eyemakeup look whenever I've had the time. When I went to London, I decided to use my lovely ABH palette to create a quad of shades I could use everyday. Since then I've not actually switched them out because I've been enjoying them so much. The red shade is ABH Sienna - basically the most perfect terracotta brown there ever was in all the lands, a little bit of this in the crease and along the lower lashline is all I need to add some depth and warmth. The shade to the right of Sienna is ABH Peach Sorbet - a lovely all over the lid colour for brightening up any look and it is perfect for everyday too. Going clockwise, I had to pick MUG's Mirage - my all time fave brow bone highlight. It is a beautiful satin formula which is slightly off-white and again works fantastically as an inner corner highlight too for everyday. Finally the most wonderful crease shade to ever exist: MUG Creme Brulee SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS EYESHADOW! You can already see I've made a bit of a dent in it and it is by far a game changer. Yes it looks like nothing much in the pan, but trust me it makes a world of difference.

My eyeliner of choice has been The Balm's Schwing Liquid Liner (£13.50) which is SUPER pigmented. It's actually the darkest liner I have ever used in my life and the best part is the colour lasts all day. Sadly it is not without its issues however, if you happen to get water on your face it transfers instantly and runs down the cheeks very dramatically. Still it works well for the most part and I can create a dramatic sharp line with little to no effort. Finally, last but not least, my mascara of choice in the Tarte Gifted Mascara (£21.52) which has knocked benefit's They're Real out of the water for me. It separates and adds volume like no other mascara, it layers up well and the best part is that it's really easy to remove, major dealbreaker! 


So that is my go-to makeup routine, especially for the summer time. Of course I switched things up now and again, however I did largely stick to these products and I wanted to share them all with you. I do however want to reduce these kinds of posts in which I talk about loads of products, they're getting really uninspiring for me to type and I feel like they're kind of repetitive too. Just to let you know, I am currently deep into my teacher training course and I am REALLY busy. However I do want to continue blogging and reading other blogs and commenting whenever I can, just bear with me! The next two posts are going to be quite specific as they have been requested and on my to-do list for quite a long while. After those posts I'm not really sure, but I imagine I'll be trying to switch up my content a little and do more focused reviews as they're the most 'useful' posts I feel like I share!

What are some of your staple makeup products that you reach for without even thinking about?

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Follow

My go-to / 'everyday' makeup routine

Hello everyone, it has been over a week since I have had the chance to sit down and blog because I have started my teacher training journey and all I can say thus-far is that I'm VERY TIRED. It'll inevitably get a little easier once I get out of the erratic and super relaxed university lifestyle (i.e no real routine and plenty of late nights followed by lie-ins). I thought I'd ease back into blogging with my go-to makeup as of late. This was kind of my everyday summer makeup, because I had a lot more time of course and this is kind of like my favourites post of August too, because these are the products I reached for again and again.

My Luxury Beauty Essentials & FarFetch Beauty Wishlist

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I am going to be sharing my absolute must have luxury beauty items. Each of these are a little bit more pricey than say a mid-range/high end brand and quite the splurge, but they’ve all landed a spot in this post and will most definitely be repurchased! I will also be sharing a little wishlist I have put together from an online store called Far Fetch. There are 400 boutiques under one online address (www.farfetch.com) and they have recently launched their brand new beauty section which is very exciting! The whole website oozes with luxury and the beauty department is not lacking either, from Kevyn Aucoin to Hourglass they have ALL the beauty lovers favourites! (This post is also a competition entry for bloggers to win a beauty bundle – very exciting!).

So starting with the base, my must have luxury choice is the Diorskin Star Foundation (£33.00) which leaves a beautifully radiant, brightening finish on the skin, medium and buildable coverage and it also looks wonderful in photos. If you have a yellow skintone, you must try this range out! Concealer and highlight, of course we have the wonderful Kevyn Aucoin sensual skin enhancer (£38) - highly pigmented, super creamy and very versatile too, my makeup collection wouldn’t be complete without at least one tub of this (although I have two, that’s how much I love it!). To complete the base I adore the Charlotte Tilbury Air-brush flawless finish skin-perfecting micro-powder (£33.00) which blurs pores, smoothes skin and holds my base in place. I especially love it for retouching my makeup halfway through a busy day, one sweep of this powder and it looks fresh and beautiful again.

NARS Blushers (£21.50) are hands down my favourite from all the blushes I own (and I have two muji drawers stuffed with blush!). The formula, pigmentation and lasting time on the cheeks all make them well worth the little splurge, I have been using D.T for almost two years now and I still haven’t hit pan! Plus the shade range is wonderful, with options for the lightest to the richest in skintone, everyone should own at least one NARS blush! My favourite luxury highlighter is unfortunately a limited edition one from Dior hence I rarely share it on the blog, it feels too mean! However it is one I seriously wish I had bought a back-up for because it is STUNNING. Every time Dior comes out with a collection, it is well worth checking out their highlighters because they’re fantastic at creating them! The second highlighter, is more of an multi-purpose illuminator, the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal (£33). This product is perfect for mixing in with your favourite base to lift your complexion, or even just on the cheekbones and bridge of the nose as it catches the light so beautifully. It’s the product I turn to when I want effortlessly bright and illuminated skin, without looking like I’ve rolled around in highlighter and glitter!

Far Fetch Beauty Wishlist

There are honestly so many wonderful brands to choose from when it comes to Far Fetch Beauty that I could make two of these with ease! Each of these brands are luxurious and extremely high-quality. I have included makeup and skincare, so let us begin! Hourglass Cosmetics have been on the top of my wishlist for the longest time because the powders in particular receive rave reviews! The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (£56.00) was a cult favourite and I think each of the shades would work well for my medium skintone. I also think the size of the pans are very reasonable for the price! Hourglass Mood Exposure Blush (£28.00) has been on my wishlist for the longest time, since I’ve seen so many other medium skintoned bloggers rave about the shade – isn’t it the most stunning mauve?! Finally from Hourglass, the Mineral Veil Primer (£20.00) has caught my eye recently, it seems like a beautiful base for makeup!  I would love to get my hands on the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder (£35) because once again it has been raved about from ladies with fair skin to medium – I have plenty of bronzers and contour shades in my collection already, but one day I would love to pick this up.

I’m thrilled to see that Far Fetch stock the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops (£36.00) and once I know my shade I’m definitely going to give them a go. The versatility of these is incredible, you can use them with oils, moisturisers, tinted moisturiser and even to make a current base suit your skintone better! Genius idea. From Becca of course I would love to pick up a Shimmering skin Perfector (£30.00) or two! Opal and Moonstone are both on my wishlist, with the latter being more of a cool toned gold. I’m also really interested in the Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector (£19.00), the peachy tone looks perfect for correcting my horrendously dark circles.

Moving on to skincare, I want to try the REN Wake Wonderful Night-Time Facial (£32.00) which is an overnight treatment, promising to leave the skin brighter, more luminous and even-toned. I love the brand and have high expectations! I saw Kaushal on YouTube raving about about the This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up (£30.00) and was intrigued enough to add it to my wishlist! It’s a product which promises to erase the signs of fatigue, boost hydration and prepare the skin for makeup. It sounds like one of those bases you reach for when your skin is having a tired day, or you have a special event coming up. The final item in my wishlist is something I don’t envisage owning at any point in the next two years, but the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil (£85.00!) is raved about for it’s ability to improve the appearance of damaged skin and also help fight wrinkles. The pricetag is shocking, so I feel like it’ll be one of those items I purchase when I get my first real salary after I’ve finished training.

So there you have it everyone, my luxury beauty essentials and all the items on my wishlist from Far Fetch Beauty! Have you checked out their beauty section here? What’s on your wishlist?

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook


Follow