Showing posts with label Sleek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sleek. Show all posts

SLEEK MAKEUP // DISTORTED DREAMS HIGHLIGHTING PALETTE AND MATTE ME METALLICS

DISTORTED DREAMS HIGHLIGHTING PALETTE AND MATTE ME METALLICS SWATCHES DARK SKIN BLACK SKIN SLEEK MAKEUP DOS BLOG
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YOUTUBE // NATURAL AND AFFORDABLE SUMMER GLOW FOR BROWN GIRLS

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FOUNDATION // 3 HIGH STREET FOUNDATIONS FOR DEEP/DARK SKIN TONES

high street affordable drugstore foundation for dark skin deep skin woc UK h&m beauty the body shop max factor discoveries of self blog
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HAUL // BUDGET BUYS

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LIPSTICK // Liquid Lipstick Love!

liquid lipstick beauty blogger review occ anastasia beverly hills discoveriesofself woc
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YOUTUBE // Fresh Faced Spring Ready Makeup

Fresh Face Spring Ready Makeup Woman of Colour Dark Skin NC50 discoveriesofself nataliekayo  natural makeup beauty blogger
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Favourite Beauty Products Of 2014 Pt 1 || Eyes, Palettes & Face

Although I have loved cosmetics for a while, 2014 seemed to be the year where I REALLY put time and effort into trialing and testing out new products for my makeup regime.

 Last year I published my Favourite Beauty Products of 2013, it'll be interesting to see who made the cut to 2014.

Just a word of warning, this is gonna be a long one (especially when it comes to face/base products) so brace yourself!

Once again I've broken this down into Eyes, Face, Lips with a few new additions to this year which are Palettes, Skin Care and Ones To Watch in 2015.

If you're a makeup lover like myself I'm sure you'll enjoy this post, so without further ado, let's get right to it!
     

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Contour // My Go To Contour Powders

I use quite a few contour powders and over time I've grown to create a collection that works well for me and my skin tone and by request I'd be happy to share them with you guys!
contour powder ben nye anastasia beverly hills sleek wet n wild inglot nc50 discoveriesofself woc black beauty blogger brown beauty

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Winter/Fall Lipstick Suggestions

I did it!
I swatched all my Winter/Fall lipsticks.
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Sleek Face Form in Dark

sleek face form dark discoveries of self nc50
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Tutorial // Summer Date Night Collab

summer date night tutorial woman of colour discoveries of self blog
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The Lip Product Addict Tag


   
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Sleek Bronze Block

Sleek Bronze Block Dark Discoveries Of Self Blog NC50 Dark Skin
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Three x Strawberries & Cream


I have been on the hunt for a new phone cover for a loooooong time, the one I currently have whilst nice, is a lil busted and rough around the edges, but here's the thing with me, when it comes to choosing phone covers I AM A NIGHTMARE!
I'm sorry if I'm overreacting but you need to find the right one, it has to look great, match your personality as well as be durable and fit comfortably into bag pockets.

So many requirements!!


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Petrol Black



My experimenting bug is back in full force meaning I'll be bringing more looks to the blog, I'm so excited to be sharing these with you guys! These looks will serve as good practice for me in the long run as I'm not so great with eye shadows.

Last night I decided to Shop My Stash once again and see what I could come up with.
I came across my Barry M Dazzle Dust in Petrol Black that I had fallen in love with on first sight but had failed to use.
It is such a gorgeous shade I had to create a look with it!
Petrol Black is a stunning duo-chrome black pigment with green iridescence; similar to the effect of spilt petrol I guess!
It's so hard to describe as a colour so feel free to check out some swatches HERE

For a full list of product be see below:

Face

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX12 (to mute out discolouration) 
Illamasqua Skin Base in SB15
LA Girl Pro Conceal Concealer in Fawn (under eye/t-zone highlight)
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC50 (to set concealer)
Inglot AMC Pressed Powder in #60 (to set remainder of face)
Sleek Contour Kit in Dark (for highlight and contour)
ELF Bronzer in Turks and Caicos 
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure (applied lightly)
Urban Decay Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder in Naked Dark (applied to perimeter of face)


Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
UD Naked Palette - Virgin (brow bone highlight)
UD Naked Palette - Buck (transitional colour)
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
Barry M Dazzle Dust in Petrol Black
Wet N Wild Comfort Zone Palette - Silver (inner eye highlight)
Maybelline Master Drama Khol Liner in Ultra Black (lower lash line and tight line)
MUA Smokin' Palette Chaos (lower lash line)
MUA Waterproof Every Lash Mascara

Lips

Generic Brown Pencil 
Sleek Pout Paint in Mink
MAC Cosmetics Freckletone lipstick
NYX Megashine Lipgloss in Miami Babe


I also tried out a new hairstyle with my twists, not sure I love it just yet but it's cool to be trying out new styles with braids!
If you want to try it out yourself click HERE for the tut!

Hope you enjoyed this look and stay tuned for much more!

:)


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Recommended Blushers For Dark Skin Tones

Blushes For Women Of Colour NC50 Discoveries Of Self Blog Dark Skin Tones
Hey gorgeous readers!

I'm very excited about this post!

I want DOS to be the place where WoC can go to get an insight into beauty products that they may want to add to their collection.

So I've decided to make a post for my blusher recommendations of WoC or women of deep skin tones. Now this may not appeal to all and these recommendations are certainly not the be all end all of blushers, but they are blushers that I own and love to wear regularly.

I'll be separating this collection of blushers into manageable sections by colour so feel free to scroll to the colour you are most attracted to!


Deep Purples

Blushes For Women Of Colour NC50 Discoveries Of Self Blog

This blush is so hard to describe colour wise but if I had to put it into words I would say its a rich matte deep magenta with pink undertones.
It is super (and I mean SUPER) pigmented and ultra soft. 63 is particularly amazing for deep, rich chocolate tones to bring a flush of magenta to the cheeks.
A little really does go a long way with this blush but it is definitely a winner.

ELF's HD blush in Showstopper is a deep matte aubergine purple once again fabulous for rich, deep skin tones.
This blush is perhaps the most pigmented blush I own, it took me a good few tries to work out how to use this successfully.
A pinpoint amount of product is all you need for both cheeks. 
Amazing value and long lasting, this is a great blush all round!


Bronze

Blushes For Women Of Colour NC50 Discoveries Of Self Blog

Sleek Blush By 3 Palette -  Muscovado (middle blush)
A deep bronze blush with gold shimmer, this is the perfect blush for a night out, it brings warmth to the cheeks as well as a glow without overpowering with pigment. 
This is also a similar dupe to MAC's Format blush.



MAC Powder Blush in Format
One of the WoC go to MAC blushes, Format is my favourite blush to use on a night out, it has a dark rose undertone bringing warmth to the cheeks without making you look like a clown. 
The bronzey tones really help to give a sun kissed glow to the skin. Format really does compliment deeper skin tones, it's also beautifully pigmented and easy to apply and blend!

Sleek Blush in Honour (LE) Similar to Muscovado and/or Sunrise
Honour is a LE blush from the Sleek 2012 Collection (sorry guys) but wanted to show you guys how it looks, if you do not have Honour, you can find a similar dupe with Sleek's Sunrise and/or Muscovado.
Honour is a deep bronze/rose gold blush which goes on sooo smoothly to create a natural glow for the cheeks. Many say Sunrise is an exact dupe but I find Sunrise slightly more on the pinkish side. 
If this blush is a bit too dark for your skin tone you can use it as a mild bronzer instead.

Oranges

Blushes For Women Of Colour NC50 Discoveries Of Self Blog

One of my most affordable orange blushes. NYX Cinnamon is a matte bright orange blush, perfect for everyday wear.
Some may be afraid when I say orange on the cheeks but this is the PERFECT colour for creating a really subtle, healthy pop of colour to the cheeks for deeper skin tones.
I tend to wear Cinnamon in the day, I layer it over a slightly warmer blush, this way Cinnamon acts like a pop of colour to the center of my cheeks. The instant warmth it brings is fab!

Probably one of my favourite blushes of all time!
Taj Mahal is an investment blush for me. NARS blushes do not come cheap but I knew I had to get Taj Mahal the first day I saw it swatched! 
Taj Mahal is a warm toned shimmery orange which works ever so amazingly well on deep and deep dark skin tones.
I normally use Taj Mahal when I'm going out due to the shimmer, my favourite way to apply it is over MAC's Format to give that pop of colour I was telling you about above, however this is also a fantastic blush to wear on it's own, perfect for that summer glow look!
Taj Mahal is amazingly pigmented and a little goes a long way, I absolutely love it, you can see me wearing Taj Mahal HERE.  
I cannot wait to add more NARS blushes to my collection...I'm already eyeing up Exhibit A

Another matte orange blush, Excite is more cooled toned compared to Taj Mahal but it has red undertones. This adds to it's pigmentation making it super bright which can be a bit frightening in the pan but fear not! Once applied to deeper skin tones, this blush blends out to the warmest of oranges, giving the skin a healthy flush of colour. Excite is soft and buttery on the skin and a little goes a long way, the picture above unfortunately does not do it justice, however for swatches you can see my review HERE.


Pinks, Peaches & Terracotta's

Blushes For Women Of Colour NC50 Discoveries Of Self Blog

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blushers in Dare and Glamour
Two very different pink based blushes but both easy to apply and amazingly long lasting. 
Dare is warm and deep on the skin, perfect for deeper skin tones as it eliminates any ashy-ness that cooler toned pink blushes can bring to deeper skin tones. The tiny flecks of shimmer make this a perfect blush to wear everyday for that subtle healthy glow.
If you would like to see how this looks on my skin tone click HERE

Glamour on the other hand looks like a WoC's nightmare and if I'm being honest I was gutted when I saw how pale it was in the bottle but this lil blush deceived me! Glamour is a matte warm terracotta pink (almost apricot) liquid blush perfect for everyday wear. As this is warm, it blends out to lend the perfect flush of pink to the cheeks on deep skin tones, however, if you are of a dark deep skin tone you may want to reach of Dare instead.

Milani Baked Blush in Terra Sole
I'm not sure whether this blush is discontinued, I hope not! I picked Terra Sole up from Beauty Joint last year and have not looked back since then. Not only are Milani blushes fantastic in price they are also really pigmented. Terra Sole is my "bronzing blush" and the blush I reserve for summer.
This matte terracotta blush has a slightly peachy undertone which is great for adding warmth without overdoing colour.
This is another great blush to use as a bronzer if you are of a lighter complexion. If you are a dark deep complexion you may want to avoid this blush, as it is matte, it may not provide any obvious pigmentation to the skin.
You can see how Terra Sole looks on my skin tone HERE

My favourite everyday blush, this matte warm terracotta blush is perfect for WoC. It gives me a healthy natural looking flush of colour which sits well with my NC50 skin. This blush is very pigmented and soft and easy to blend. I find I do not need a lot of product on the brush when using this.

Sleek Blush in Sahara
The blush that all WoC need in their life! Affordable and super pigmented!
Now, I think the shade of Sahara may have changed over time and unfortunately it's not as orange as it used to be, it's now more of an orange terracotta but nevertheless I still love it!
Perfect for all WoC from olive skinned beauties to the richest cocoa of beauties, Sahara is essentially about layering until you get the effect you desire.
Applied lightly and you get the warmth you're looking for, for deeper skin tones feel free to go in with a heavy hand for a pop of colour on the cheeks, this is demonstrated fantastically by the ever so stunning Erica of Glamorous Gleam HERE.

ELF Mineral Blush in Peachy
One of my more affordable blushes.
When I first viewed it I was scared that it might be too ashy but blushes can be deceiving especially pink blushes. On applying this blush I was very impressed.
This is a warm peach toned pink blush with shimmer, perfect for the healthy glow look. This blush is super easy to blend and goes on smoothly, not as pigmented as some of the other blushes in this post but for £5.00 you can't really complain! 
This would be a fabulous blush for my olive skinned beauties!


NYX HD Studio Photogenic Grinding Blusher in Apricot
Last but not least the NYX HD Studio Blusher in Apricot.
I was initially sent this blush to review by the loves at NYX, this was a new product so I wasn't too sure of what to expect but when I did apply it I fell in love.
Apricot is a heavily pigmented matte peachy pink that creates that signature pink cheek that lighter skin tones ladies may achieve with other pink blushes on the market.
Apricot is also a warm pink meaning it works well as an everyday blush eliminating the frosty cheek look.
You can read my review of the Apricot HERE you can also see it in action via my YouTube tutorial HERE

Further blusher recommendations for deep skin tones:
NYX Cocoa Powder Blush
NYX Copper Powder Blush
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure
Sleek Flushed Blush
Sleek Blush by 3 in Pumpkin
MAC's Sweet As Cocoa Blush
MAC's Raizin Blush
Graftobian HD Blush in Autumn Breeze
Graftobian HD Blush in Cherry Glaze
La Femme Blushes
NARS Exhibit A Blush
NARS Dolce Vita Blush
Jordana Cinnamon Spice Powder Blush
Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blushers in Trip & Acid


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Liquid Lipsticks: Kissable Reds

red lipstick nc50 beauy blogger UK woc
With Valentines Day just around the corner it was only right for me to bring out this post!
Whilst many people no longer feel the constraint to wear red lipstick on Valentines Day I love the idea behind it, red not only being the colour of love but also the colour of seduction (wink, wink, nudge, nudge!)

I wanted to bring you guys my top recommendations for long lasting red lipsticks for Valentines Day.

Now, why liquid instead of the good ol' fashion lipsticks we know a love? 

Well, because I find liquid lipstick last a hell of a lot longer, they also have great pigmentation and most of them are transfer/kiss proof meaning you can wear these beauties to your dinner date without numerous retouches throughout the night.

Here are a selection of my favourite recommended reds:

Sleek's Matte Me in Rioja Red:
A slightly orange based red, this gorgeous and affordable lip cream applies as a liquid and dries to a soft matte texture.
This stuff is gold as it really DOES NOT BUDGE!
I wore this whilst chomping down on some good ol' Ghanaian rice and stew, afterwards I looked in the mirror to find Rioja Red still in full force on my lips, this was the true test of a winner and it passed!
Rioja Red is perfect for you beauties who love your true reds, this is slightly a bit too light for my liking (I like blue toned reds) but that is neither here nor there, for the £4.99 you can't really go wrong!

Ellis Faas Milky Lips in Dark Blood L202:
Not the most settling of names but damn, is this a nice product.
If you're a regular to the blog you already know how much I love Ellis Faas lip products, if you are not, feel free to read about it HERE
Not only do these products look amazing they feel so lightweight and comfortable on the lips.
Dark Blood is fantastic for those of you who love a vampy red lip but do not like the heaviness of lipstick. You can even layer this on top of other lipstick you have but to be honest the pigmentation is superb so layering on top of another product is not really needed.
This product does not dry to a matte finish so some transfer is expected but that's something I can live with, besides you'll look super stylish pulling out the lipstick bullet from your clutch!
You can see me wearing Dark Blood HERE.

MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Reckless:
What can I say about Reckless? Firstly it's the perfect red for me! 
The colour is spot on, a dark blue toned red, this works ever so well with my skin tone.
When I first picked this up I had so many problems with it's texture, it was sticky and gloopy, it was only until I received some advice from a YouTuber detailing how to use it that I realised I was applying this wrong.
The key to Reckless's staying power is letting it dry, I expected this to dry fast but it took around 3/4 mins for it to dry to a completely matte finish.
Once it dries, it aint budging! 
Reckless is comfortable to wear and very lightweight and for £3.00 it's an absolute bargain!

Sleek Pout Paint in Pin Up:
Another affordable and great product from Sleek that is overlooked!
Pout paints are liquid lip stains that can be mixed with other Pout Paints to create a new colour or used on their own.
I tend to use Pin Up on it's own as it is a gorgeous colour.
Super pigmented, all you need a small pin head amount to apply to your lips, yeah you need a lip brush to apply but doesn't everyone nowadays, Pin Up applies every so easily without any streaks which is what makes it winner for me!
Pin Up is another blue toned red, meaning it is slightly deeper in colour compared to true red.
Pin Up does not have a matte finish but is very long lasting meaning that it may not survive a meal but a few kisses here and there, sure!
You can see me wearing Pin Up HERE.

Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet:
My FAVOURITE of the bunch, I've been in love with Red Velvet ever since I got it into my stumpy lil hands.
The most vivid blue toned red, Red Velvet is a dream!
If you love Ruby Woo, you'll love Red Velvet.
Another liquid lipstick that dries to a soft matte texture, what made it a winner over the above is it's drying time, Red Velvet practically takes a minute or two to dry. You are then left with the most vivid of reds with a soft comfortable texture on the lips.
Totally kiss proof (tried and tested, big obvious wink) this is the perfect lip product for a romantic dinner date.
You can see my review of Red Velvet HERE.

Ellis Faas Creamy Lips in Deep Plum Wine in L102
Last but not least, another Ellis Faas product.
Deep Plum Wine is great for those of you who love an alternative red lip. Deep Plum Wine is a deep burgundy red with a slightly purple undertone giving off a deliciously seductive vampy lip!
Creamy Lips is just as described with a thicker texture in comparison to Milky Lips but this does not affect comfortability. Deep Plum Wine feels ever so light weight on the lips, you'll forget you're wearing it!
Packing a punch with pigmentation this is n amazing product where a little really does go a long way.
DPW does not dry matte however it does make your lips look gorgeous, therefore we'll let it off! ;)
You can see me wearing DPW HERE.

Now that we've found our shortlist for Valentine's Day, let's work on maximising the impact of our red lip, the following points are what I use to ensure that my red lip really catches the right attention!


Tips to wearing a red lip

They always say it but preparation is KEY!
Make sure your lips are smooth and exfoliated to ensure no dead skin gets in the way of your application. 
I normally do this by taking a new toothbrush, wetting my lips, wetting the brush and running this across my lips, gently, until I am satisfied. This really helps to remove any dead skin and is pretty inexpensive.

Next - moisturise.
You want to use your favourite moisturising lip balm here, my current go to is Lanolips 101 Ointment as it really does moisturise my lips, I tend to find a lot of other products only moisturise for a few minutes by Lanolips lasts!
Most times I go overboard allow the product to sit on the lips to allow maximum moisturisation, then when I'm ready to apply my lipstick I wipe the excess off.

Now let me just say, a lot of people like to go in with a lip liner before hand but I'm not too fussed about lip liners when it comes to liquid lipsticks. If this is something you are prone to doing, feel free to apply that pencil gurl!

Applying the lipstick of choice - now for the fun part!
I find pulling off a red lip has a lot to do with how it is applied - in this case, neatly.
A lip brush is your best friend when it comes to liquid lipsticks, it allows for precision around tricky areas such as the cupids bow as well the corner of the mouth.
As I have quite full lips I like to use a lip brush for the edges and to fill I simply use my finger as it covers a larger surface area.

Finishing touches - concealer
Lastly, a neat red lip is a winning red lip.
Clean up any misplaced lipstick with a concealer of your choice, this really allows for a neat and attractive red lip! All you need for this is your go to concealer and a small make up brush that you can use to run along the outline of your lips.
Once done...viola!
The perfect red lip to knock your dates socks off!!


Are you going to be wearing a red lip this Valentines Day?
What's your favourite red lipstick?



4

Sleek's Red Vs Nude - The Battle!

I've always been a red lips girl, I've been hooked since the day I bought Ruby Woo 3 years ago!
Red lips just make me feel fierce, however whilst shopping my stash I came across some of my Sleek lip products.

Sleek have several pretty amazing lip products that I always seem to over look for some reason.
So I decided to give some of my Sleek products the attention they ever so rightly deserve!
But I believe this may be a battle to the end because I love both these products!
So let's put them to battle ladies and gentlefolk, to see who wins!

In the Red corner, not surprisingly we have Red lips - Here I am donning Sleek's Pout Paint in Pin Up.
If you haven't tried Sleek's Pout Paints I'm not sure what you're waiting on chile!! A more affordable version of, let's say, the OCC Lip Tars (minus the matte finish), these highly pigmented, lightweight liquids can be used to customise your own unique lip colour or worn on their own as I have done above with Pin Up.
Pin Up is a bold blue toned red (my favourite sort of red) that flatters my skin tone perfectly! I do not need lip liner when applying this shade as it is so pigmented, I just apply with a lip brush and clean up the surrounding areas with concealer.
I love the consistency and texture of the Pout Paints, the fact that they do not dry matte works favourably especially when it comes to mixing shades.

And in the blue corner we have the Nude lip - Firstly, I started off with a good lining of NYX's Cocoa Lipliner around the border of my lips, I then filled in the center of my lips using Sleek's Lip4 Palette in Havana using the glossy shade Frappucino. 
Frappucino is a nude brown toned beige, slightly similar to MAC's Freckletone (Freckletone being slightly cooler and lighter in colour)
As Frappucino is super glossy and soft it works fantastically well at blending out the lip liner, which is the thing I have the most trouble with when it comes to nude lips.
I then went in with my fav lipgloss, you guys know, NYX Miami Babe and then topped the lip off with Hard Candy's Plexi Glass for that delightful shine. 
You can see the entire look in full HERE

I can honestly say I can't choose a winner, I love red lips but when you find a nude lip combo that works for you, you fall in love!

Which one do you prefer?
Are you a red lip lover or a nude lip lover?
Let me know! 


2

Red She Said Challenge

Whilst having my daily Tumblr browse I came across the most stunning picture of the model Eugena Washington looking absolutely breathtaking.
Now, Eugena is gorgeous regardless but what made her stand out more was her make up.
Just took my breathe away!
The make up in my opinion is just gorgeous.
The highlighting and contouring is evident but not stark which is something that really helps to accentuate Eugena's gorgeous facial features.
I also love how natural this looks, with a gorgeous berry red lip. There's nothing I do not like about this look. 
The MUA Eloy Guerra did a fantastic job here!

After posting this picture literally everywhere Jessica of Look What I Got suggested that we do our own version of this look, so away I went to see if I could recreate this gorgeous work of art.

Now, unsurprisingly, this task was harder than I thought it would be, highlighting and contouring is something that takes a lot practice, especially when you need to make it look natural.

At first I tried to recreate the exact same thing in the picture above but this didn't work out too well, my highlighting looked BEYOND ashy and I just couldn't get my contour to work, so I removed most of the under eye highlight and opted for something a bit more subtle.
In the end it came out ok, I was a bit bummed that I couldn't incorporate the highlighting more but practice makes perfect!
The thing I loved most about this look was the eyes, subtle and shimmery with soft brown liner to create a subtle cat eye.
The lip was also super fun to recreate, it took a lot of different reds to come up with this look as I didn't have a colour deep enough to match the original.

All in all this was a fun challenge and may be one I'll bring to the blog more often!

You wanna know what I used?
Look below! ;)

FACE

Graftobian Hi-Def Colour Palette in Warm 3 (Ginger for Base, Femme Fatale for highlight, Sienna for Contour)
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC45
MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NC50
MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter in Peach Lustre 
Wet N Wild Vanity Palette (Matte Brown for contour)
ELF High Definition Powder in Corrective Yellow
Daniel Sandler On The Loose Powder in 15

EYES

Inglot Eyeshadow in 406
Generic Brown Pencil
Wet N Wild Vanity Palette (Matte Brown)
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

LIPS

Barry M Lip Liner in Plum No.11
All the reds lipsticks I own basically (I used several including MAC R.E.D, Wet N Wild's Spotlight Red and Paris from the Sleek Lip 4 Tease palette)
NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Absolute Red
Sleek Pout Paint in Mink
Bellepierre Shimmer Powder in Celebration
Hard Candy Plexi Gloss


8

Shopping My Stash: Festive Bronze

As a beauty blogger and makeup collector (I think 'addict' is too strong of a word) I find myself in constant battle regarding the need for more makeup or not.
The dialogue goes a bit like so...

"Oh my gossssh, that gold eyeshadow is a-ma-zing, look at how beautiful it is, but...I already have a gold eyeshadow, in fact I have like 4...yeah but I don't really have one that's this beautiful...actually yeah, I probably do...but it is so beautiful...I MUST HAVE IT!"
And thus another item is added to my never ending collection.

Now this may not be such a bad series of events if you're an MUA or aspiring to become one, but I am neither of these things, I just like make up!

So in the spirit of all things thrifty I decided to shop my stash to avoid spending frivolous money on more make up (cough cough, I am still coming for you Heroine lipstick.)

I have A LOT of products that I fell truly, madly, deeply in love with but placed to the side when new products caught my eye which is not only a shame but also sometimes a waste of money.

So last night whilst I was having a play with some of the products that I had bought during summer and placed to the side, I decided to use them to create a super easy festive look with glitter.
uk black beauty bloggers nude lips
Click To Enlarge
For this look I grabbed several products that were literally collecting dust in my collection.

Firstly for my base I used my Touche Eclat Foundation in B70 from YSL. I had heard so many great things about this foundation so I had to pick it up. The finish of this foundation is DIVINE! So fresh and flawless, it instantly gives your skin a glow, the only negative I have to say about this is that it's too light for me as a base and this is the main reason why I do not reach for it as frequently as I would like to. I've had to warm up my face with my bronzer for these pictures which is a shame because I really do love this foundation.

Next for the eyes which were SUPER simple!
I simply placed some of NYX's Jumbo Pencil in Bronze on my lid, blended it out and then applied one of the most gorgeous glitters around on top of that.

Now, let me start off by saying I'm not actually that fond of glitter at all, to be honest I'm indifferent to it, a majority, if not all looks work just as well with a shimmery shade, however I decided to pick up what I thought was a pigment at IMATS but when I got home I realised pigments were actually called 'pigments' at MAC and not 'Reflects,' alas I worked with what I had.

I placed MAC's Reflects Bronze on top of the jumbo pencil using a damp synthetic brush. Until now I had never really realised how beautiful this glitter was, it's not as chunky as normal glitter but it has texture unlike pigments which gives you the perfect amount of subtle sparkle as you can see above. 

Then lips!
You guys know about my love of red lips but most times when you go heavy on the eyes it's best to keep the lips simple so I decided to change it up and reach for one of my Sleek Lip4 palettes.

I had bought 4 of these palettes during the summer but I had sadly never really used them.
I reached for the Havana palette which holds some beautiful brown tones and nudes. 

I firstly lined a majority my lips with NYX's Cocoa lip liner, I then applied the shade Frappucino to the center of the lips and blended well. Afterwards I added my favourite lip gloss NYX's lip gloss in Miami Babe to warm up the colour a little and then some of Hard Candy's Plexi Gloss on top of that for a subtle shine.

And voila!

The result, the above super simple festive look!
I hope you like!
Just goes to show what gems you can create by looking around at what you already have!

What do you think of this look?
Do you shop your stash?
If not, do you think you will do now?

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