NOTD | A Classy Ciate Duo

Hello ladies! I recently painted my nails in a completely different style to what I usually go for. OK..not COMPLETLY because yes that is glitter you see on my ring finger -  but hey I did try to refrain ._.

As soon as I opened up my fragrance direct package and saw how beautiful the shade Golden Sands was I needed to pop it on. Its a beautiful ‘dusty pink’ nude shade, but not just any old nude...a 90s nude, and we all know how classy that shade is! I’ve gotta admit, despite being someone who is not usually compelled to follow the trend, I am digging this whole 90s vibe ^_^

The colour ‘Antique Brooch’ which was a mini from one of the various gift sets from FD again, is SO beautiful! I wore this to my uncles wedding, three layers and I wish I had taken a clearer photo because those looks fabulous. To remove them was an experience I wouldn’t like to relive, so instead of layering it up, I just added one coat of Antique brooch onto my ring finger and voila! That little sparkle that I just can’t seem to get enough of was there!

I adore these two shades together, and I’m thinking of picking up the full size of Antique brooch which is gold glitter with flecks of pink. Ciate is a highend nail brand, with paint pots (full size) costing you £9 a bottle. However I only paid £2 for Golden Sands and although I adore the shade and the mini paint pots from previous gifts, I don’t understand why they charge double that of a highstreet polish. There was nothing special about the formula, after two and a half days (with a top coat on of course) the polish chipped....so I think its 100% worth the two quid, but I would hesitate to spent £9 on a basic bottle of the stuff when Barry M and Rimmel do just as good a job, if not better.

P.S The Gorgeous necklace is from the Instagram account: @LUSH_BOWTIQUE or find them on facebook here

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NOTD | A Classy Ciate Duo

Review | NARS Blush in Deep Throat

Everyone has a guilty pleasure, chocolates, shoes, netflix...and for me its NARS blushers. The first one I purchased was a limited edition, and since then I have picked up 3 more shades, which is excessive for one year ._. but once you’ve tried a NARS blush you will understand why I just can’t get enough of them! They are the blush masters, their shade range is stunning and the formula is long lasting too.

Deep Throat is my current favourite shade from my whole high-end blush drawer (yes Hussy has taken a back seat.) In fact, if a crazy blush thief stole all I the blushers I own (I’m almost sobbing at the thought of this), but anyways if this crazy person did come and allow me to keep ONE blush only, then THIS would be it. It is a beautiful pinky peach tone which looks gorgeous in the summer, but not too warm for the winter either. It has a subtle yet oh-so-stunning gold running through it, which makes it a lot more wearable than a more sparkly one such as their most well known blush orgasm. I’ve heard a lot of people recommend this blush to those who didn’t get on with that shade, and also I’ve read reviews from people who have a cooler skintone really enjoy this shade too. NARS you made a real winner!

You can apply it sheer or build it up for a stronger block of colour without any blotchiness and unevenness to the skin. What I love the most is that it compliments EVERY makeup look I’m going for, natural look? Dust a little on the apple of the cheeks. Tanned and bronzed up look? Sweep two layers just above the contour line and you’re good to go. Smoky eye? No problem! Because this shade will not distract from a bold lip or defined eyes, instead it will add a beautiful healthy glow and the golden undertone stops it from looking flat on the skin (as some matte powder blushers can appear).

It is such a universal shade, it’ll suit pale skin and more olive toned complexions. It’s become my go-to blush when I’m in a hurry and I want some colour to my cheeks but I don’t want to be messing around with crazy pigmentation from the likes of Sleek. Also I really enjoy the fact that when I get home from a 9 hour day I can still see the blush shade on my cheeks, which is more than what can be said of a lot of drugstore brands. So although NARS blushers are not cheap, coming in at £21 on average, they are so worth the investment. 

This is definitely one of NARS’ less pigmented blushers, you don’t need to fearfully touch your brush to the pan and expect a streak of colour like you would for perhaps their Exhibit A (bright red blush). However you can achieve the colour you see in the pan, just layer it up a little!

Deep Throat is a fantastic shade for all year round, and its hard to get wrong in my opinion!  I always pick up my NARS blushers in the ASOS 20% off sales that they sometimes have. Keep them in your saved items and treat yourself next time they do have a flash sale ^_^

Final Verdict:

Pros:  The most beautiful shade for any occasion. Pink is perfect for many skin-tones, golden tone running through it, can easily be sheer or layered up, no fall out, long-lasting formula, smooth application. Also not limited edition! ^_^

 Cons: the price perhaps? Aside from that I honestly don’t have a bad word to say about this blush.

Repurchase: Yes 100%!

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Review | NARS Blush in Deep Throat

Everyone has a guilty pleasure, chocolates, shoes, netflix...and for me its NARS blushers. The first one I purchased was a limited edition, and since then I have picked up 3 more shades, which is excessive for one year ._. but once you’ve tried a NARS blush you will understand why I just can’t get enough of them! They are the blush masters, their shade range is stunning and the formula is long lasting too.

Drugstore Makeup Starter Kit

Hello ladies, I’ve watched quite a few of these makeup starter kits on YouTube and when I was asked to recommend some products for a beginner in makeup I thought I would put together a post (thanks Rebekah!). Today I am going to share with you the items I would tell myself to buy a couple of years back when I first got into makeup. 

Base Products

First things first I wouldn’t recommend buying a foundation if you’re new to makeup. Makeup is supposed to enhance your natural beauty and it’s very easy to become dependant on it everyday. It’s not great to mask your skin, so yes do pick up a foundation, but save it for night outs and weddings rather than every single day. Instead I would recommend the Bourjois 123 CC cream - £9.99. ‘CC’ stands for Colour Correction and its amazing at evening out the skin-tone whilst leaving a natural finish. If you’d like to read the full review click right here.

If you have good skin, stick with using concealers rather then a base. The Collection Lasting Perfection - £4.19 is the most well known, talked about drugstore concealer on the blogosphere, and I swear by it. Personally the high coverage works great for my dark circles, but I know some people find it too thick for under-eye. It is phenomenal for all blemishes, spots and dark marks too. I would also recommend buying a lighter and illuminating concealer if you don’t have dark circles - my favourite at the moment is Essence Stay Natural - £2.00 which has a brush applicator and not only can I use this under the eyes but on the bridge of my nose, cheekbones and forehead to add a natural highlight! Be warned though this doesn’t have a whole lot of coverage - best for illuminating! Essence is available from Wilko.

Face Powders

First things first, if you’re a dry skinned girl, stay away from the powder it’ll do you no favours. Also if you do pick up the CC Cream the finish on that is very much normal, not dewy and so there’s not much to set. However if you find yourself getting hot often, or you have oily skin the I would recommend the Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder - £8.99. This isn’t the cheapest compact you can find in boots but it is the best one. When you scrimp on powder you can easily get a cakey crusty look at worst, and normally just makes your face appear flat. This is the powder that keeps shininess away whilst still adding a slight glow which is pretty awesome - I’ve also heard its a dupe for the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Powder AND the Chanel le beige powder (thank-you Amelia again!).

As far as bronzers go I highly recommend the Rimmel Natural Bronzer - £2.99 (I’d recommend you getting this from this link rather than boots as its half the price!). I’ve reviewed it here already so I won’t say much, but its certainly my starter bronzer of choice as its light, not shimmery and buildable ^_^ Bronzers are amazing for warming up the face, just take a fluffy brush and apply to the cheekbones, jawline and forehead.

Blushers

The world of blush is vast and can be overwhelming for a newbie to makeup. So stick to light buildable shades, that add a flush of colour onto the cheeks and are hard to get that clown effect. Some of my favourites are Rimmel Lasting Finish Powder Blush in Pink Rose - £3.99, Sleek blush in Rose Gold - £4.50 and Essence Silky Touch Blush in 10 - £2.50. Both the Rimmel and Essence blushes are easy to apply without looking OTT and really do add a beautiful natural glow to the skin. Sleek have every shade of blush imaginable under the sun, and Rose Gold is their most famous and can be a little shimmery, so do use a light hand if you pick up this beautiful shade.

Lips

Again like the cheeks, go for a light option for the lips. When I got into makeup I didn’t buy any lipsticks only glosses and even now it takes a lot of effort to remember to top up the lipstick after a few hours. I’m not a fan of faffing about with reapplying products, nor do I like lipsticks that cling to dry patches. Therefore my top picks would the old Rimmel Moisture Renew line - £6.50 which I reviewed here. Also E.L.F have some fantastic options in their mineral line so I would 100% recommend subscribing to their newsletter and waiting for their huge sales! To see which products are my hits and misses from E.L.F click here.

Eyes and Brows

Brows can be intimidating, but its surprising how little bit of filling in and...whaaam your face instantly looks groomed and put together! I am loving this Makeup Revolution Focus & Fix Eyebrow Shaping Kit - £2.50. You can find this in some superdrug stores, but I usually order online because you get free delivery on orders over £30 and they have some amazing high quality makeup for some ridiculous prices. This kit is fantastic because there are 3 separate shades of powder and an applicator with tweezer (what more could you ask for?!). The one pencil liner I would highly recommend is the Rimmel Scandal eyes waterproof kohl liner in Nude - £3.99 I have raved about this one my blog many times, as its a brilliant eye brightener, makes your eyes look larger and more wide awake and essentially its a life saver for when you’ve had a lack of sleep!

Winged liner is my must, its truly amazing how much of a difference two lines can make to a face! 

To be honest I don’t have one true favourite liquid liner but I have been loving the Collection Fast Stroke in Brown AND Black - £2.50 The brush is perfect for thick and thin, its easy to control and the brown liner is just excellent for school or work situations because it still defines the eyes but isn’t as full on as black can appear to be.

As for eyeshadow, make sure you pick up the MUA undressed palette - £4. Its supposedly a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked palette and its the main palette I used throughout 2013. It has all the shades you could need for basic day-to-day looks and also for night looks. If you’re looking to spend a couple more pounds go for the I heart chocolate makeup palette (available here). But the MUA one is available from any Superdrug store and perfect for starters in makeup.

I hope this post was beneficial for you all ^_^ what products would you fellow makeup lovers recommend to any newbies?

Thanks for reading!

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Drugstore Makeup Starter Kit

Hello ladies, I’ve watched quite a few of these makeup starter kits on YouTube and when I was asked to recommend some products for a beginner in makeup I thought I would put together a post (thanks Rebekah!). Today I am going to share with you the items I would tell myself to buy a couple of years back when I first got into makeup.