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.

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.

Huge 2016 Beauty Wishlist | Halfway Through My 8 Month Ban!

Hello everyone, I hope you’re doing very well! Today marks 126 days since I started my ‘no buying makeup challenge’ and I am kind of in shock myself! To read about this challenge if you are new to my blog, click HERE. To get this far makes me so proud and honestly I am not exaggerating when I say this challenge has been life changing for me. Saving money properly for the first time ever and then being able to pay for my car insurance independenly and even putting in a good amount of cash for a new sparkly laptop (more on that in the update post tomorrow) felt SO good! I don’t earn a tonne of money as I only work around 8-12 hours a week and running a car is pretty bank-balance draining as it is. However by stopping spontaneously buying makeup left, right and centre I have managed to save a decent amount AND really use up all the stuff I already own which is wondefully satisfying. 

So as it has been exactly four months since I have not purchased any makeup, we are at the half way point now! My challenge ends on the 25th of May (my 21st birthday) and if I make it that far without buying makeup I’m treating myself to a Sephora haul yaaaaay! There are always makeup items that I really want to check out, partly because I’m always reading blogs and partly thanks to YouTube, so I thought it would be fun to write up a wishlist post. I managed to miss out a couple of things in my picture down below, but never mind I’ll mention everything that I can think of (with links too of course). 

By the way, these are all things I would LIKE to get in the next year but I probably won’t be adding it all to my stash. We’ll see how much makeup I use up too ^_^

Sephora

So starting off with Sephora, I really want to get my hands on Becca’s Champagne pop which I have a feeling will still be in-stock, as its making them so much money! The gorgeous highlighter created by Jacqueline Hill looks stunning on so many different skin tones and I would love to add a Becca highlight to my stash. Before I pick that up from Sephora though I will be checking Cult beauty who sometimes have it in stock.  I have wanted to get the Tarte Blush in Exposed it looks like a beautiful everyday shade and I cannot wait to try the amazonian clay formula! Sticking with Tarte I’m excited to pick up their CC Corrector which looks ideal for banishing the dark tones under my eyes. I love my Rimmel one (reviewed here) but to find more of a peachy tone would be awesome! Finally from Tarte, my heart is set on the Tartlet in Bloom eyeshadow palette, the colours look stunning and I have enjoyed the formula of Tarte shadows in the past so I am excited to pick that up! I totally forgot to add this brand, but I definitely want to pick up the Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation it looks right up my alley for more of a special event, as its light weight on the skin but provides a solid full coverage according to reviews. AND of course the Sephora beauty insider birthday gift this year is a mini Marc Jacobs makeup item, so I am super excited for that! Finally I definitely want to pick up some of Kat Von D's liquid lipsticks, I just haven't quite decided which shades yet. 

Debenhams

I want some much from this department store, oh so much. Starting off with the MUFE Pro Bronze Fusion this was in SO many YouTuber’s 2015 beauty favourites and the unique texture and how beautifully natural it looks has landed it on this list! I also love the look of the MUFE Ultra HD concealers which come as both concealers and correctors - exciting stuff! I want to be able to swatch these in person first, so in the summer at some point I’ll be making a trip to Oxford street and figuring out my shades. I love how you can purchase Too Faced from Debenhams now, so on my list is the shadow insurance eye primer, hangover face primer and the love flush long-lasting blushers..I actually kind of want the palette which is available on the TooFaced website so if that’s available in the summer time I’ll be picking that up! The smaller sized pans and the wide range of colours are really appealing. 

Selfridges/ Hourglass

Starting off with Charlotte Tilbury, I have wanted to pick up the Light Wonder foundation for the longest time and looking back, I regret purchasing the concealer over that base back in the summer! Light wonder ticks so many of my boxes, its light weight, dewy on the skin and the colour match is great from the swatch. Plus it contains 40ml over the standard 30 so I think it’s worth the money! I can’t wait to purchase the lip cheat in Iconic nude as it’s a shade I envision myself wearing on a daily basis. The one area of makeup that I’m pretty stingy with are lipsticks, I own hardly any that cost over £10 but this year I’d love to add one of the matte revolution lipsticks to my stash. Moving on to my all time favourite brand, NARS, I have quite a few things on my wishlist! Starting with the NARS All day luminous weightless foundation which has intrigued me for quite some time, but since I was (and still am) so obsessed with Sheer Glow I didn’t feel like picking it up in 2015. This year however I really want to try it out, along with the brand new NARS Velvet matte Skin Tint which isn’t even out yet, but it sounds DEVINE! I own the tinted moisturiser and I only really like using it during the summer time because it is SUPER dewy. This new tint has more coverage as is apparently between a dewy and matte finish, it sounds like absolute perfection! This year I will also hopefully be picking up the NARS Audacious Lipstick in Barbara, it is the shade that has always caught my eye and I have heard so many wonderful things about this line! The Velvet Matte Lip Pencils are a line I would like more of, the formula is so comfortable yet long-lasting on the lips, in particular I want Dolce Vita. Finally in this catergory, I only really want ONE thing from Hourglass and that is their Mood Exposure Blush, the lovely Jasmine (blog here) raves about it all the time and she has the perfect taste in blush tones, so I am sold! 

U.K Drugstore + U.S Drugstore

As you can see the majority of things I want to try are higher end, as i’ll be saving money before purchasing I like to reward myself with higher-end items because the quality 9/10 times speak for itself. However there are a couple of things that I would like to try this year from boots, with the Soap&Glory Kick Ass powder at the top of my list. The yellow tone looks great for brightening the under-eyes and although i adore my Kat Von D shade, I only use that on special occasions because I’m so afraid of running out! I also want to try the Soap and Glory Once Heck Of A Blot primer since my skin has definitely become more normal/combo and I would like to have a bit of oil control around the nose (this is all so new to me!). I also really want to see if the Seventeen stay time concealer comes in my shade as I’ve heard so many good things about it. I will also be doing another beauty joint haul because I love me some U.S drugstore makeup. I need to stock up on a few wet’n’wild lipsticks and I also want to purchase one of the beautiful Milani rose blushers. The L.A Girl Endless lipliners are also on my wishlist because I have heard so many good things! And finally I’ll be stocking up on the L.A Girl Pro Concealer in Creamy Beige because it is soo good for under the eyes and really brightening too. It’s a staple in my cream highlight and contour routine!

OTHER

So I’m going to group the other things into my last category because I have written a LOT already! I really want to add a Morphe eyeshadow palette to my stash this year, of course i’ll be after the 35O but as it’s usually out of stock (i'm on the waitlist but knowing my luck it'll be in and out of stock before May). I don’t mind really, I just want to try one of their palettes as I’ve heard a lot of good things! I also want to pick up the Zoeva cocoa blends eyeshadow palette because it is STUNNING, the shade selection is right up my street and getting this over the 35O would kind of satisfy my cravings y’know? I will definitely be replacing at least one of my beauty blenders  this year and I’ve heard the black one is better than the others, so i’m going for that. I know I have a bunch of eyeshadows as it is, but I simply HAVE to get some Makeup Geek Shadows from beautybay for my Z palette, because there are so many I have wanted for the longest time. I also want to pick up some liquid lipsticks from the brands Stila, Dose of Colours, Girlactik, Anastasia Beverly Hills and Colourpop. Half of those are U.S brands so I’m planning on using a courier service again which’ll package a bunch of them together and calculate taxes and shipping there and then. I have a few YouTubers who I’m going to turn to when I go through this process and of course I will be blogging about it when the time comes! and FINALLY last but not least, I would love to get a Zoeva brush set this year, mainly one of the eye ones. I have lusted over these for the longest time, and I am seriously lacking in the decent eye brushes which is a shame since I have so many eyeshadow palettes.  

THATS A LOOOONG WISHLIST RIGHT THERE! See if I had not been on this ban at least half of these products would be in my stash and my bank balance would hate me. Lets be honest, none of this is stuff I NEED so it would be awesome if I could try out some of these in 2016 but I don't aspire to get every single thing here! I think I'm over the whole 'blowing most of your wage on makeup and then not being able to buy much else' phase and I find it much more rewarding thinking about a purchase for a while, before splashing out. 

I also want to have a one-in-one-out system with my bases after my challenge is over because I hate hoarding so many foundations/TMs when I only have one face AND they all have expiration date! This'll mean that there will be more base reviews on my blog because I really want to try some new stuff in May. YAAAY for making the halfway point, and heres to the remaining 4 *chinks glass filled with your favourite beverage* Also if you have been thinking of going on a makeup ban for a while, I hope this post gave you the inspiration to do so! (although I totally understand if it had the opposite effect D:)

Are any of these items on your wishlist? 

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Huge 2016 Beauty Wishlist | Halfway Through My 8 Month Ban!

Hello everyone, I hope you’re doing very well! Today marks 126 days since I started my ‘no buying makeup challenge’ and I am kind of in shock myself! To read about this challenge if you are new to my blog, click HERE. To get this far makes me so proud and honestly I am not exaggerating when I say this challenge has been life changing for me. Saving money properly for the first time ever and then being able to pay for my car insurance independenly and even putting in a good amount of cash for a new sparkly laptop (more on that in the update post tomorrow) felt SO good! I don’t earn a tonne of money as I only work around 8-12 hours a week and running a car is pretty bank-balance draining as it is. However by stopping spontaneously buying makeup left, right and centre I have managed to save a decent amount AND really use up all the stuff I already own which is wondefully satisfying. 

So as it has been exactly four months since I have not purchased any makeup, we are at the half way point now! My challenge ends on the 25th of May (my 21st birthday) and if I make it that far without buying makeup I’m treating myself to a Sephora haul yaaaaay! There are always makeup items that I really want to check out, partly because I’m always reading blogs and partly thanks to YouTube, so I thought it would be fun to write up a wishlist post. I managed to miss out a couple of things in my picture down below, but never mind I’ll mention everything that I can think of (with links too of course). 

By the way, these are all things I would LIKE to get in the next year but I probably won’t be adding it all to my stash. We’ll see how much makeup I use up too ^_^

October Favourites 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mentioned Posts:

LOTW: E.L.F Beautiful Berry

Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer Review

Mini Beauty Blender Dupe Review

MUR Pro Hygiene Anti Bacterial Brush Cleaner Review

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

Thank-you for reading ♥

Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

October Favourites 2015

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

Review | Mini Beauty Blender

 Hello everyone! When born pretty store contacted me and asked if I wanted to review a few products, I was SO excited because this is an online store which is kind of like an ebay...just for beauty. They sell very affordable makeup and tools, with a good few dupes too. I ordered a couple of things and I am very pleased to report that when the package arrived, around two and a half weeks later, I was chuffed with what I picked. Today I’ll be reviewing the ‘mini beauty blender*’ which is clearly a dupe for the beauty blender micro minis. Now the micro minis come in a set of two and cost £13.50...I’m all for paying the £16 for the original beauty blender, but no way am I spending that much on two mini sponges! So to see this on the born pretty store for a mere £1.30 was an absolute no brainer!

 The mini beauty blender arrived in a little plastic bag and upon first squish I knew it would be good because it felt very similar to the original beautyblender. I’ve tried other sponges and hardly any of them get close to the same texture as the £16 version because that sponge is made with some sort of ‘secret’ material. It was a little more firm but promising. Then I ran it under warm water and it expanded to double it’s size and became softer and bouncy too...result!

 Before I tell you if it works well, let me answer a question I’m sure a lot of you have right now.. why bother with these little sponges you may be asking? Well, though you can blend out your concealer with a regular beautyblender, there are areas of the face that may require a bit of extra attention. Not everyone has this problem, but my under-eyes are always the biggest issue for me. Dark circles, fine lines you name it...so if I’m not careful the area can look cakey or creased up. To be honest taking a couple of extra minutes with the beauty blender does a pretty good job, but I’ve always wanted to try a mini sponge and see if it makes a significant difference.

 It is wonderful, the pointy tip fits perfectly right under the lower lashline and blends out concealer like a dream. With a normal sponge or your fingers it’s impossible to get the same precision as you can achieve with the sponge and of course it blends out creases effortlessly. The softness of the sponge makes it comfortable for such a delicate area and the bouncy texture means it takes very little time to blend out the concealer. My favourite thing about using a damp sponge is that it removes excess product, which means the chances of concealer creasing are very little. It’s such a flexible sponge that its easy to squeeze and fit into the smallest areas of the face, so not only is it good for undereye concealer, but also for blending out cream contour and spot concealing.

Overall Rating:

Rating: 10

Pros: It is the closest sponge texture to the original beauty blender and it works so well at blending out concealer under the eyes in particular! Introducing this into my makeup routine has minimised creasing, reduced cakiness and left me with a much more flawless finsih than I could ever achieve using other tools. Though it’s small size seems over the top, it actual means great precision where you need it, the tip gets RIGHT under the lashline. The damp sponge removes excess product and to be honest it totally exceeded my expectations. The price is one of the best things about this, you could literally buy 10 of these sponges for the price of two beauty blender micro sponges - stock up on these instead and get the same result. Plus due to the size these will probably last a shorter amount of time than a bigger sponge, meaning it’s very affordable to stock up on them and always have one handy.

Cons: I really can’t think of many...if you’re not into sponges you probably wouldn’t want one of these???  but if you have issues with your undereye concealer in particular, go for this budget friendly option. Its cheap but the quality is almost as good as the beautyblender..and you can’t say that about a lot of sponges!

Repurchase? Yes!

You can purchase the mini beauty blender from this link and it only costs £1.30 with free worldwide shipping - I’ll be ordering backups very soon (they don’t technically count as makeup do they? D:) Also you can help yourself to 10% off using the code IQAH10.

Related Posts:

Dior Backstage Blender Review

BeautyBlender VS Real Techniques Sponge

*This post contains press samples or products gifted to me. All opinions are my own. For more info check my Disclaimer

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

Review | Mini Beauty Blender

 Hello everyone! When born pretty store contacted me and asked if I wanted to review a few products, I was SO excited because this is an online store which is kind of like an ebay...just for beauty. They sell very affordable makeup and tools, with a good few dupes too. I ordered a couple of things and I am very pleased to report that when the package arrived, around two and a half weeks later, I was chuffed with what I picked. Today I’ll be reviewing the ‘mini beauty blender*’ which is clearly a dupe for the beauty blender micro minis. Now the micro minis come in a set of two and cost £13.50...I’m all for paying the £16 for the original beauty blender, but no way am I spending that much on two mini sponges! So to see this on the born pretty store for a mere £1.30 was an absolute no brainer!

This or That | Beauty blender Vs. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Hello everyone! It’s time for another ‘this or that’ post, with today’s one featuring two well known sponges in the beauty world. Both of these have rave reviews and both of them on the whole work well so I don’t regret picking either up. Before I get into it, I’ll try to give you a quick run down on just why sponges are so popular.

When you apply your base with a damp sponge you are much more likely to get a more flawless finish than when using a brush. This is because sponges push the product into the skin, whereas brushes brush it on and so of course you're going to get less of an even result. Sponges not only give you a flawless and streakless finish but they’re generally very quick to use and multipurpose too. They’re a must have for blending out any type of cream product, be that concealer, highlight or contour and they can be used to set makeup with powder too. Sponges are also essential finishing tools. When your whole base, concealer and contour is on it’s a good idea to bounce one around the face a couple of times which’ll result in excess product being soaked up and any harsh lines blended out. Useful tools right!

For the purpose of this post the beauty blender will be shortened to BB and the real techniques one will be RT. Capisce?  ^_^ Okay lets go!

Price
This is one of the biggest differences between the two sponges. The beauty blender costs around £16 for a single or £24 for a for a double pack. I got my first sponge free with a offer from birchbox and then I bought a second one a couple of months later when it was on special offer.

The R.T costs £5.99 which is cheaper, however if you only want to pick up one of the sponges it’s important to think about the durability of the sponge and how often you’ll be replacing it, as well as which one is more useful overall!

Shape and Texture
The BB is basically an elongated egg shape and when soaked under water, the sponge expands considerably. I’m not sure what material this sponge is made out of but apparently its a ‘secret’ one - whatever it is, the texture is lovely. The sponge feels bouncy against the skin and very soft, some of the dupes for this sponge are totally hard against the skin and almost painful to use. The BB however feels lightweight and very comfortable.  I like to use the base of the sponge to blend all my foundation in and around the nose and the perimeters of the face I squeeze the sponge a little so it fits that area and I get maximum use out of it. The unique texture of the sponge means that it is not only soft against the skin but durable too and even if used every day, it’ll last a good amount of time. The tip of the sponge is perfect for blending product in the nooks and crannies of the face, under the eye, around the nose etc. As well as being wonderful for blending out product in a concentrated area, for example when blending out cream contour you don’t want to get it all over the place.

The RT sponge is half an egg, with a point that is pretty similar to the BB but not quite as precise. The flat end of this sponge is the best part in my opinion as it has a somewhat more squishy texture and is great for setting the face with powder. If any of you have tried ‘baking’ your concealer, this end of the sponge works much better for me than the BB because it picks up and presses in powder better, much like those triangular shaped sponges a lot of MUAs use. I tried setting one under eye with the BB and the other with the RT and the orange one came out on top, the powder under that eye really merged with the concealer and almost melted into the skin. With the BB however it kind of just sat on top and looked patchy - perhaps it wasn't wet enough for setting, but regardless it wasn’t a good look! In terms of blending out cream highlight and contour you can still do so with the RT but it will take longer and require a bit more effort as it’s much softer and not as bouncy as the BB. Due to how soft the sponge is, I have found that it is less durable that the BB within a few weeks of owning it and treating it pretty well, I managed to get a tear in it which was irritating. If I was to use this on a daily basis I would probably have to replace this quicker than the BB which leads to question...is it so much cheaper after all?

Now I’ve listed out a couple of tasks you could use a sponge for and the blender than came out on top:

Best sponge for applying and blending out foundation:
BB - quicker due to the texture and also I find I get a slighter fuller coverage too.


Best sponge for blending out concealer under the eyes:
BB - the tip is ever so slightly more precise meaning you can get right up under the eye with the sponge.


Best sponge for blending product into nooks and crannies:
BB + RT It’s fair to say that both these sponges can be squeezed into the various corners of the face easily enough.


Best Sponge for blending in cream contour and highlight:
BB - again because of it’s bouncy texture it blends in contour quickly and with ease. There are no streaks on the face at all.


Best sponge for setting/baking:
RT - has the perfect soft texture for it as well as the flat edge, meaning you can sharpen up your contour by going in with a yellow powder under the contour line, on the flat surface of the sponge. It manages to hold onto powder very well.


So the beautyblender ends with 3.5 points and the real techniques one has 1.5...I think you can see which sponge comes out on top for me! I honestly do think that the beauty blender is worth the investment, if you’re applying your makeup in layers using liquid and cream products, or even if you just want your daily base to look as flawless as possible, the beauty blender is your answer.

I don’t use any type of sponge with tinted moisturisers or BB/CC creams due to the consistency of the product being too thin, however with the majority of foundations the beauty blender works a charm. I also always go in with the BB just before I’m about to set my under-eye area and I’ve found that this greatly reduces creasing which is always a goal for me!

Whilst the RT sponge is a good budget alternative to the BB I won’t be repurchasing it as I don’t use it for as many things in comparison. Plus the fact that it’s not as strong and durable as the BB puts me off too. So all in all I would recommend saving up or waiting for an offer on the beauty blender, I always say this because I know a lot of students read my blog and I really do think it’s worth every penny.

Have you tried either or both these sponges? Which one comes out on top for you?

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook

This or That | Beauty blender Vs. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Hello everyone! It’s time for another ‘this or that’ post, with today’s one featuring two well known sponges in the beauty world. Both of these have rave reviews and both of them on the whole work well so I don’t regret picking either up. Before I get into it, I’ll try to give you a quick run down on just why sponges are so popular.

Eid Gift Guide Part 1 | Beauty Edition

Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing fantastically. As it will be Eid in approximately two weeks I thought it was an appropriate time to post a little gift guide or two for you all! Although these are titled with Eid they are great ideas for any occasion, be it birthdays or anniversarys, so I hope they're useful to all my readers. Gift giving is a Sunnah therefore is highly encouraged, plus we all like getting gifts so why not shade the love? ^_^ Life is too short not to spread a bit of happiness. This guide will be for the ladies, so your sisters, mothers, aunties, cousins and friends. I have linked everything I'm mentioning so have a click and check it out for yourself, also I've tried to get the best prices and any special offers on too.

The fist category is of course beauty (high-end)  so lets begin...

The Ultimate Eid gift you could give a sister this month has to be the Blame it on NARS cheeks palette! (£45) It’s a little bit pricey but if you have the budget for it, or wish to combine it for their Eid and birthday present, believe me any woman would be thrilled to own it. The first cheek palette
which does not contain any of their iconic shades, including Laguna - because I’m sure we all have at least one of those! It has Casino which is the ideal bronzer for medium/dark skintones a deeper highlight shade (satalite of love) as well as two limited edition blusher shades AND A MINI ITA BRUSH! Yes I do blame it on the NARS, cause mine arrived in the post today and I am overall very impressed. Whether for yourself or a loved one this is seriously one of the best gift anyone could give that's make-up related.


I would always recommend Too Faced for their eyeshadow palettes, they are creamy and pigmented, plus the colours work together really well. I love both the Chocolate Bar (£39 normally £45) and the Natural Eyes (£32) palettes. Similarly I think anything from The Balm cosmetics always makes for a wonderful gift, the packaging is adorable and the products are well worth the price, with exceptional quality. The California driver licence palette (£16.50) is one of my favourites, it’s about the size of a debit card so it's super travel friendly and it contains brilliant shades - I treated myself to this when I passed my driving test and it’s like a little keepsake from that milestone, so if any of your loved ones are planning on doing their test this could be the perfect little encouragement hehe.


I think makeup brushes always make for wonderful gifts because anyone who wears makeup needs brushes, especially those who think they don't. Brushes can change a girl's life for real. The  Zoeva Rose Gold Brush Kits (£56.95) are so beautiful and the quality is on par with all the top brush brands. I don’t personally own it but I know it would be an amazing gift which would last a long time too! Also each brush technically costs £7 each which is generally cheaper than buying it individually plus you get a study clutch to keep them safe in.  If Zoeva isn’t in your budget I really recommend picking up one or two of the Real Techniques brush kits which are great value for money. My personal favourite is Real Techniques Sam’s picks (£29.99)- reviewed here which contains 90% of brushes anyone could need. Also the iconic Beautyblender (£13.95 normally £16.00) - to those who have not tried this, you may think it is just a sponge, but no, no no no no it’s not. This is the queen of tools for makeup application, you’ll find it hard to get a more flawless application with any other brush and I truly believe every woman needs at least one in her collection.

Anything Charlotte Tilbury looks swoonworthy, but it’s quite a high end brand, so I recommend picking up some of her Lip Cheats (£16) to give as gifts because they're somewhat affordable, at least in comparison to other high-end gifts. Pillow talk and Iconic Nude are the two that catch my eye.

Okay now on to the drugstore/highstreet and more budget alternatives because I know some of you are thinking...errr Iqra, the above is great and all but I'm a student and I do not have the budget for giving those out at gifts! Don't worry guys... I did try to spread out the cost from around £16+ but fear not, the below are cheaper yet still good quality makeup gifts that would make awesome presents!

I love the Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Kit (£6.49) which I reviewed here and I think its perfect for anyone starting out in contouring, or anyone who's looking for an affordable kit! It truly is a gem from the drugstore and affordable enough to buy a couple and spread the chiselled love tehe. Eyeshadow palettes always make great gifts and from the high-street I think Sleek Palettes (£7.99) and Makeup Revolution (£4-£8) have the absolute BEST quality that you could get for a budget price. Especially the I heart chocolate palette reviewed here which  is a great dupe to the chocolate bar one mentioned above! Barry M also make awesome Nail polishes (£3-£4) with so many shades and formulas to choose from and buying a trio with perhaps a neutral shade, bright shade and a dark shade would make a really nice gift. Sleek are also fantastic for blushers, have a browse of their blush-by-3s and single ones too! Very affordable compared to high-end, but without compromising on the quality so I'm certain Sleek items would be highly appreciated!

I wouldn't recommend buying anyone foundations and concealers, because they're very easy to get  wrong due to the different undertones and finishes, but I think lip products make great gifts. Some of the best you can get are the Rimmel Lipliners (£3-£4), Rimmel Lipsticks (£5-6) and Sleek Matte Me's (£5) they're affordable, generally comfortable to wear and come in a decent range of colours. Also with each of these brands, boots has little special offers such as free gifts when you spend over £10 or buy one get one half price making it the idea time to stock up for yourself and for gifts!

I always have a browse of the ASOS Beauty section because they normally have sales on and they also sell great little gift sets too. A good example is of this REN Glow and Go (£12) which has the 1 minute facial mask mask and the Glycolactic Radiance Mask, both of which work well with all skintypes and are from a brand that contains no parabens and are made from as natural ingredients as possible.

Another good idea is picking up a makeup bag and then filling it with a couple of things mentioned above. I think this is one of the best gifts you can give a girl - it's somewhat personalised gift and so useful too!

That is part 1 of my gift guide - all the beauty bits that I think your female family members and friends would love to receive! Keep an eye out for part 2 and 3 coming up later today!

Thank-you for reading ♥

 Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Instagram | Facebook