Tonigh’ts blue smokey eyes...

UD Naked Skin - Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer

Price: £17.50 (urbandecay.co.uk)

Rating: ****

Web Description: “Hide even your most scandalous flaws. Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer gives you buildable, even coverage with a luminous, demi-matte finish. Ultra lightweight, this high-tech formula melds like a second skin to give you full coverage in an instant. Hide even your most scandalous flaws. Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer gives you buildable, even coverage with a luminous, demi-matte finish. Ultra lightweight, this high-tech formula melds like a second skin effect and gives you full coverage in an instant.”

Review: This is a concealer that I’m sure you’ve all heard about. It’s everywhere! I’ve heard numerous bloggers talk about it and hundreds of reviews. I’ve not been experimenting much with concealers recently as I find that when I discover something that works, I am reluctant to change it. However, I felt that with all the hype surrounding this, it was a must.

First impressions mean a lot. When I first took this concealer out of this packaging I was amazed at how expensive it looked. I love having well-packaged makeup and this definitely made the cut. The next thing I saw was the applicator. Now, I knew when I bought this that I wasn’t the biggest fan of the applicator. I prefer pumps/tubes purely because there is no applicator to pick up grease/oil off your skin and contaminate the rest of the product inside. For those with spot-prone skin it becomes a viscous cycle of putting the bacteria back on your face. That said, I’m lucky to have skin that isn’t too temperamental, so hopefully the applicator wand won’t lead me to a break-out.

The first time I tried this concealer was on a night out. Unfortunately I was in a rush that night and completely forgot to set the concealer. I was so paranoid that I would end up with them awful creases underneath my eyes that are my total pet hate. I was SO surprised when I got home at the end of the night and it had not budged an inch, furthermore there were ZERO creases. I have NEVER tried a concealer that would resist creasing without powder. That’s what makes this product a winner for me. It really is a full coverage concealer, but it is not cakey on the skin. I purchased the product in the shade ‘Light Warm’ and it is the perfect highlight for yellow undertones.

Honestly, this makes me want to go try the whole Naked Skin range right now. I am still in awe of its anti-crease abilities and the amazing coverage formula.

To whom would I recommend: Everyone who’s looking for a full coverage concealer and those prone to under eye creasing.

Sultry Brown Smokey Eye Look

So, today I didn’t have anything major planned unfortunately. BUT... who needs plans to put on some kick-ass makeup right?

So, I decided to go for a brown smokey eye look. Here’s a pic..

So I’m just gonna walk you through this makeup look including what products I used and how...

First things first - Base makeup. Strangely enough I hardly ever use a primer in my day-to-day makeup, so the first thing I applied was my HD Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation. Using a flat-topped buffing brush I applied it all over my face. Next, I used Maybelline’s age-rewind concealer in ‘light’ underneath my eyes, on my chin, the bridge of my nose and my forehead. To blend this in, I used the real techniques setting brush. For the final part of my base I used another buffing brush to apply the Laura Mercier translucent setting powder to all the concealed areas. 

Second step, for me, is always brows. Lately I’ve been going back to an old favourite which is the Smashbox brow powders. I use a light brown shade near the front of my brows and a darker brown around the arch. To apply the powder I used a Smashbox angled brow brush.

Third step - contour. Using my real techniques duo fibre powder brush, I used my Smashbox powder contour set to contour my cheeks, temples, jawline and nose. Recently I’ve moved away from using a small headed brush to contour with as I find the finish is much more natural using a bigger/thicker brush.

For my eyes I used my La Roc Natural Tones palette. I started with a very light shimmer champagne like colour all over my lid for the base colour. I then added a dark orangey-brown to the inner corner and centre of my lid. Next I added a matte black in the outer corner and blended it out using a blending eye brush. To merge the two colours together I added a mid-tone brown where the two colours met. I also used the orangey-brown shade for underneath my lower lash line and also the black to add a smokey effect. The eyeliner used here is the fabulous Supercat liner by Soap and Glory to create a wing. On my upper lashes I applied Benefit’s Roller Lash and on the bottom I used Revlon’s waterproof mascara.

Fifth step - highlight. My favourite highlighter at the minute is my Smashbox highlighter in the #Shapematters palette. I apply it using a flat-topped brush above my cheek bones, my chin, the bridge of my nose, forehead and cupids bow. 

Last, but certainly not least, I applied MAC’s Matte Lipstick in ‘Taupe’. 

I hope you all like this makeup look as much as I do!

Ben NYE Banana Powder

Price: £10.00 (eBay.co.uk)

Rating: *

Web Description: “Ben Nye's Bella Luxury Powders give you more than enough reason to go bananas for these silky-fine, mattifying translucent setting powders! With just a hint of color, you won't miss the white cast in your photos that often comes with other finishing powders. Gracing your kit in 4 luxurious tints, there's a Bella beautiful shade for everyone! See what all the buzz is about in just a light dusting of Banana. The versatile Banana shade suits a range of skin tones as it softly and subtly color corrects surface redness and pink undertones, as well as neutralizes blue under eye circles. You'll be hard-pressed to find a client these powders won't look flawless on!”

Review: I first heard of this product online when a picture of Kim K showed her using this as a setting powder in her contour routine. I read multiple amazing reviews, but wasn’t willing to pay the hefty price tag, so headed off to eBay. I ended up paying £10 for a full BNIB product. So… here’s where I need to add that I can’t be 100% sure that the product I have is authentic. However, it did come completely unopened with a seal around the packaging. In addition, the packaging looks identical to all the pictures of authentic ones I’ve seen. But, like I said, I cannot 100% say that it is real. For the purposes of this review I will assume the product is authentic as I do actually believe it is.

I was so disappointed with this product for so many reasons. Some of them do not apply to everyone however. Firstly, the powder is VERY yellow. In hindsight, this powder is definitely aimed at those with darker skin tones and doesn’t match my skin tone at all. The first time I tried ‘baking’ with this powder, I was left with very obvious yellow patches everywhere that it had been applied. It was very difficult to buff off any excess also.

After my first try I thought I’d give it a second chance, but instead of using it to ‘bake’ my concealer, I would simply dust it over these areas as a finishing powder. Although the result was much better than the first try, it was definitely not great. The powder still appeared VERY cakey and visible on the skin. The finish was very blotchy and still too yellow. Most importantly, this product did not stop my concealer from setting into the creases underneath my eyes.

I’ve tried approximately 4 more times to make this product work for me, but it just isn’t for me at all. It’s the wrong colour, looks wrong on my skin and doesn’t set my concealer like I wished it would. Not to mention the packaging is AWFUL. The only way to get the product out is to tap it out of the sieve style container. This leads to a huge waste of product and a whole lot of yellow powder everywhere… not fun.

Let’s just say I won’t be buying again.

To whom would I recommend: Possibly those with darker/more olive skin tones.

Yesterdays Make-Up! A bit more dramatic than my everyday look, but I was going for a meal and then for drinks up town. <3

NYX Brow Gel

Price: £5.50 (boots.com)

Rating: ****

Web Description: “Keep your misbehaving brows in place with our discreet and easy-to-use brow gel! The lightweight waterproof formula creates thicker fuller natural-looking brows and comes in five versatile shades.”

Review: When me and my best friend first found out that Boots were launching NYX instore we (literally) jumped around my living room screaming. We took a special trip to boots dedicated solely to buying NYX… it was SO exciting! Obviously we were like kids in a candy shop and spent the best part of an hour swatching everything they had to offer.

I’ve always been a firm believer in ABH Brow Pomade, but lately I haven’t been reaching for it as much as previously. So, when I saw this brow gel for such an amazing price I thought I just have to give it a try.

The most amazing thing about this product is how little product you need. I completely underestimated how far it went when I first tried it, resulting in me wasting a huge blob *cries*. It’s gonna be at least 6 months (probably more like a year) before I have to repurchase.

Second great thing, it makes my eyebrows look AMAZING. The gel is so pigmented and so easy to apply; it just glides on. Not to mention that this stuff is seriously waterproof… trust me nothing is getting it off without a good scrub.

What I would say is that the finish it gives to the brows is definitely not what I would call natural. It makes your brows look freshly prepared and HD, but if you’re wanting people to think your brows are your own then you might want to stay away.  

Lastly, it does only come in 5 shades, which compared to ABH brow pomade which has 11 shades is slightly disappointing.

All-in-all I think this stuff is fab and it’s my go to eyebrow product for more formal occasions.

To whom would I recommend: Those with sparse brows or those looking to define their brow shape.

My new makeup brushes arrived today! 😍 Can you believe I paid less than £5 for all these? 👌🏼 Can't wait to use them and write a review for you guys! 💋⭐️💄👄💅🏼✨

Today's makeup 💋 Base - ABH Cream Contour, Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, Collection Loose Powder Brows - Smashbox brow powder Eyes - Gwen Steffani Urban Decay Palette, Roller Lash, Super Cat liner Highlighter - MAC Mineralize skinfinish in Lightscapade Lips - Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in "Nude Thrill" 💄👄😁❤️

How beautiful are these lashes? <3

@mua_nina

My eye shadow palette and lipstick collection! (Yes... I’m obsessed)

This is the video which taught me all I know about colour correcting! If you’re a newbie then have a watch. <3

MUA ProBase Prime + Conceal Correcting Cream

Price: £2.00 each (Superdrug)

Rating: ****

Web Description: “Add radiance to areas that need it most with this creamy peach tone.” “Apply this soft and blendable green tone to areas that are susceptible to redness to neutralise and reduce the appearance.”

Review: I never really knew how colour correctors worked until watching a YouTube video a few weeks back now. After watching it I knew I wanted to give it go, but without spending too much. I went into Superdrug and was surprised to find that most of the brands didn't do colour correctors on their own. There were products boasting ‘colour correcting’ elements intertwined into BB creams and primers, but I wanted something much simpler than that. That’s when I found these colour correctors by Collection.

For £2 each I was slightly worried at what the product would actually be like, but I was pleasantly surprised. The formula is really creamy which I thought wouldn’t be the case. They’re actually much easier to apply than the ABH cream contour which I find to be slightly stiff. In addition, they’re super blendable and have just the right pigmentation so that it colour corrects without being visible under your foundation. I’ve been using the peach corrector for my dark under-eyes and the green corrector in red areas. I can’t wait to get the other two colours!

To whom would I recommend: Anyone who has dark under-eyes or red areas on their skin that they want to correct.

Collection Sheer Loose Powder

Price: £2.99 (Superdrug)

Rating: **

Web Description: “COLLECTION Sheer Loose Powder is an essential part of your makeup COLLECTION. The powder reduces shine to give a natural finish to your skin. The handy applictor sponge that comes inside the pack can be dipped into the fine, loose powder that comes through the sieve. Apply over your favourite COLLECTION foundation to set for an even complexion.”

Review: *Sigh*…I had such high hopes for this product. All the time I see beauty bloggers on YouTube using powder to ‘bake’ their concealer. More often than not, they use the Laura Mercier translucent powder, but for me it just seemed way too pricey. I’d heard that this powder was an excellent dupe/alternative for just a fraction of the price. At £2.99 I was willing to give it a try.

The first thing that irritates me about this product is the packaging. It has a ‘sieve’ which I think is meant to make it easier to get the product out, but it definitely doesn’t. The sponge which comes with it feels like polystyrene and I pretty much immediately threw it in the bin. The only way I can use this product is by shaking it out into the lid and using it from there. As you can imagine, pouring out an extremely light, fine powder is extremely messy and very inconvenient. It wouldn’t be all that bad if you could simply remove the lid and dip in your brush, but I’ve tried… it ain’t coming off. Almost every time I’ve used this I have gotten powder EVERYWHERE.

So, we’re off to bad start… but what about the actual product itself?

It’s OK.

That’s me being nice. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never left the house with this on my face, because I’d be lying. However, it’s definitely not anything like the Laura Mercier powder. For a start it is NOT translucent AT ALL. It’s actually a very yellow ivory. The yellow tones in it make it incompatible with the baking technique… unless you want very obvious, thick layers of yellow powder under your eyes. It’s also very cakey – once again, no good for baking. The only use I can find for this powder is to mattify my face if I have any unwanted shiny areas. Even then, I have to be careful that the amount of product I use is minimal to avoid caking.

For this product, you get what you pay for. I guess it’s unrealistic to ask a £2.99 powder to even slightly compare to the Laura Mercier alternative. I won’t be throwing it away, but I definitely won’t be repurchasing after it’s gone.

To whom would I recommend: No-one?

Garnier PureActive Micellar Cleansing Water

Price: £4.99 (Boots.com)

Rating: *****

Web Description: “Micellar Cleansing Water is an easy way to remove make-up, cleanse and purify the skin, eye area and lips in 1 step without rinsing. For combination to oily and sensitive skin.”

Review: I heard of this stuff quite a while ago from beauty bloggers on YouTube. However, I never really understood what it was… I've been using this product for a few weeks now –as you can probably tell from the usage – and it has honestly replaced my make-up wipes.

I started getting super bad spot breakouts around a month ago, which is really abnormal for me. I always (give or take a few days a year) take my make-up off before going to bed with a make-up wipe. However, I started to think that maybe my make-up wipes weren't really cleansing my face. That’s when I ended up buying the micellar cleansing water.

This stuff may seem pricey at first, but honestly it is worth every penny. I can guarantee that even if you used 3 makeup wipes to remove your makeup, this product would remove makeup you didn’t even think was there. A lot of us may not realise that we’re wearing makeup that is oil-based; especially when it comes to long-wear makeup. Most of the premium brand, and high-street, foundations contain oil. This means that it needs more than just a makeup wipe to be removed. A lot of the time, when you think your makeup is all gone, there’s still oily residue left on your skin which contributes to clogged pores = breakouts. The micellar cleansing water removes all makeup, even waterproof, whilst being soft and gentle on the skin. There are many different variations, but I chose the pure active one as I have combination skin.

Instead of using makeup wipes to remove my makeup, I now simply use large cotton wool pads and the cleansing water. Firstly, It comes off much easier than with wipes. Secondly, It actually removes ALL of my makeup. My skin has been so much better since using this and I’ll definitely be making sure I never run out!

To whom would I recommend: Those who use oil-based foundations/concealers and those who are prone to breakouts.

HD Makeup Forever - Ultra HD Foundation

Price: £29.00 (Debehams)

Rating: *****

Web Description:  “ Created for the very latest high-definition technologies of the film and TV industry, Ultra HD advanced formulas look invisible on 4K camera and to the naked eye. Perfect for the makeup pros and for you. Ultra HD foundation feels like a second skin, but still provides medium coverage, and the light-diffusing formula looks natural and makes skin look flawless and feel moisturized. Exclusive 4K complex guarantees invisible, natural and comfortable makeup. The fluid texture blends in seamlessly and conceals imperfections to unify the skin s texture.”

Review: MY FAVOURITE FOUNDATION EVER… and no, I’m not kidding. So, I’d heard of this brand before I purchased this foundation, but never in my wildest dreams did I realise what I was missing! I bought this whilst I was over in the states (for around $40) and I was super excited to try it after I saw it had been given an award by allure.

What I love about this foundation is the fact that it is so thin, lightweight and blendable, but its amazing coverage. I did a show recently and I got asked quite a few times what foundation I used.

Although it’s rather pricey, a little goes a long way. In my opinion it really is worth every single penny. Every time I put on my makeup I can’t believe how great it looks on my skin. They have so many shades too, so I guarantee there is a shade for everyone.

So, go buy it…NOW.

To whom would I recommend: EVERYONE ON THE PLANET.

Maybelline - Vivid Matte Liquid

Price: £6.99 (Superdrug)

Rating: ****

Web Description: “Vivid matte pigments give high-impact colour for a velvety matte finish, in a comfortable, creamy formula. Our flexible, slanted tip applicator with ultra-soft bristles makes it easy to contour and shape your lips.”

Review: Right, let me start off by saying I’m so sorry for not reviewing for such a long time! Life has been so hectic and busy it’s unreal. Anyway when I first walked into Superdrug and saw these I was like… OMG!! I am obsessed with liquid lipsticks, and even more so if they’re matte! I think everyone else must have had the same reaction too as they were pretty much sold old apart from a couple. I quickly grabbed them, before someone else could, without much regard to the colours. When I purchased them there was a 2 for £10 offer on across Maybelline; making them £5 each which was an offer I could not miss out on.

After buying the couple of shades which were left, I went back to where the testers were and knew I had to get my hands on some more at the next possible opportunity… I bought two more the next day at a different Superdrug store :D

Now I have four shades: Nude Flush, Possessed Plum, Nude Thrill & Rebel Red.(Swatches Above)

The thing I love most about these lipsticks is how creamy and moisturizing they are on the lips, which is a very rare find when it comes to matte formulas. They’re VERY pigmented meaning you don’t have to keep reapplying to get the desired colour; they’ll definitely last me a long time. My favourite shade that I have purchased has to be Nude Thrill. It’s a lovely natural nude colour; somewhere between MAC’s Honey Love and Velvet teddy. However, I also love the Rebel Red – It reminds me a lot of MAC’s Ruby Woo, but a LOT less drying on the lips.

What’s wrong with them I hear you say?... Well, the only thing that let’s this product down, and only very slightly, is the fact that the finish is not exactly pure matte. As you can see on the swatch pictures, I’d describe it more as a velvet finish. There is still a slight shine left, even when dry. For me, this really isn’t a problem because I’d rather have a lipstick that doesn’t dry out my lips. However, if you’re looking for an intense matte liquid lipstick then you might want to think twice before purchasing.

Overall I absolutely love these liquid lipsticks and I’ll definitely be investing in the rest of the shades.

To whom would I recommend: Those looking for a matte liquid lipstick which is creamy, moisturising and with great staying power. I’d also recommend to those who love the matte hype, but don’t want to break the bank.