Monday Mani | 'Obsidian' by Models Own

Hi guys!

So, first things first, I'M BACK TO STUBS /wipes tear while violin plays in the background/ but honestly like it was time to start over, I'd gotten a bit bored n I actually always restart growing my nails in time for the new year. Cutting my nails to stubs really signifies something new to me. It makes me feel really fresh n cleansed, like beginning a new chapter. I don't know, it sounds dumb but it's true. 

I decided to do something special this week because it's the new year so I went with 'Obsidian' by Models Own from their Goth collection. 

Honestly, prior to using this polish, I had no idea this brand was vegan but hey it is! This shade is a gorgeous grey colour with specks of different sized silver glitter. 

I was a bit wary at first cos I didn't know if the formula would be thick enough for me to get away without a base colour but after two layers I'm happy to report that it dries completely opaque. I would say it's a matte shimmer finish which I was okay with but as much as I love matte nails on other people, I don't think they suit me much so I put a topcoat on them n I love the result! 

I got this shade in my monthly Birchbox but it retails for £5, which I think is a pretty fair price. 

All in all, it's a gorgeous, unique colour but I'm definitely not looking forward to the removal part...

I hope you guys enjoyed this review! 

x o x o

N

Weekend Reads

So after the chaos of Christmas and family shenanigans, we're back! 

I submitted my last assignment of the semester the other day so I'm free to blog again!...(and to do my dissertation?...clearly my priorities are on point)

To be honest, my fiction reads have all been from memory so far - the last time I read a fiction book was in the summer cos uni just takes up most of my reading material so I'm gonna do a generic fictional read this week and it's /drum roll/....Agatha Christie!
I absolutely LOVE her. I've read about 10-15 of her books so far and I'm slowly working through the collection. What I love about her work is that I can read a book once then go back to it in a couple of months and it feels like I'm reading a new book, like for some reason I always manage to forget the plot as soon as I finish the book so like an idiot every time I read a story for the second time I'm like getting shockers and plot twists as if it was my first time reading it.
Her writing is super simple and easy to follow but the plots are so complex that you (well, me anyway) can never guess 'whodunnit'. I think out of Marple and Poirot, Miss Marple is my favourite, just cos the poor woman is underestimated every time cos she's an old lady from a village but she manages to roast the police officers every time.

Fiction of the week is surprisingly, actually not a history book. It's The Bond by Wayne Pacelle. I was given this as a birthday gift a couple of years ago and it was such a great read because I was still new to veganism and I learnt a lot about the conditions of animals outside the food industry, like zoos, science labs and pet breeders. Let me just say, that I didn't go vegan because I hated the taste of meat/animal by-products. Honestly, the smell of barbecue and roasts still reels me in and I miss it a lot. I went vegan cos I realised that I can't love animals n contribute to their exploitation at the same time. Saying that, I can't recall Pacelle mentioning veganism once. He does well in informing the reader on the condition of animals but in terms of taking steps and making changes to your footprint...not a word. I'm not especially shocked, as it had a lot of popularity and people tend to like books that seem 'revolutionary' but aren't really, just so they can feel like they're doing something to fight injustice. It's okay. In terms of facts, it's great, if that's what you're looking for. If I could (I wish) I'd use it to write an essay but yeah it's not very helpful in giving advice on your next steps once you've internalised the point of the book.

I hope you guys found this helpful, merry christmas and a happy new year!

x o x o

N

Friday First Impressions | B. Cosmetics Lip/Cheek Colour in 'Goji'

You know when you walk into a shop, knowing that you need to grab something essential n leave...but then you end up not finding what you need n leaving the shop with something you don't need...that's me. Every time.

This time I happened to be browsing B.'s range cos I've been contemplating buying a BB cream or tinted moisturiser or something just to even out my skin a bit, but something that isn't as heavy as foundation (suggestions anyone?) Anyway, their range is half price at the moment so I picked up this gem. I don't like any of their lipsticks cos they're far too shimmery for me so I had a look at the lip colours n this one caught my eye. It's in the shade 'Goji' n it's such a beautiful brown-toned red. It's like a lip crayon which is perfect for me because I prefer to just use a lip liner to colour my lips as opposed to lipstick.

Usually it's retail price is £7.99 (too expensive for high street makeup in my opinion) but with the offer I got it for half price at £3.99 (acceptable). 

Now, it is a shimmer (boo) but it's nothing some translucent powder can't sort out. I wouldn't say the colour is anything special. I was kinda expecting it to be more of a mauve/brown toned shade but it's literally just an ordinary pink-toned red. I put this on my cheeks too n honestly, it isn't that amazing. I wouldn't have bought it without the offer and in hindsight, I don't think I should have bought it at all. Oh well, I'm sure I'll use it at some point. 

Have a lovely weekend guys, happy holidays!

x o x o

N

Mid-Week Hype | Daniel Sandler Watercolour Creme Bronzer Fiji + Riviera

L to R Riviera, Fiji

These past few months I've been on the hunt for a perfect bronzer. Now for my NC43 skin (I'll write my foundation shades in the about me page) its hard to find the right depth and tone for my skin. A bronzer to me works as a way to give me a sun kissed glow. Not really a way to contour (though I wouldn't mind if I did found a tone that'd work for that purpose too)

I purchased the Daniel Sandler Creme Bronzer in Fiji first. Which has a red, copperish undertone to it. Its such a beautiful product. Theres a subtle shimmery sheen. Not at allll obvious (and I know when bloggers + youtubers may say not obvious but really 'I can see shimmer' but this is undetectable) it just gives off a beautiful glow.

Fiji on fair skin - Pixiwoo

Now naturally, when you go under the sun you do get flushed. No one tans 'orange'. (I really don't get why people find being stark orange beautiful but each to their own, theres no rules in makeup!) you may turn a warm brown. But when you just get out of the sun, theres that reddish flush which I find soo beautiful. Like you've just been to a tropical country, this healthy glow...no pastiness in sight

I really really like these bronzers. The consistency, pigmentation, tone and depth are just perfect. And I can see these being quite universal (really deep skin tones can use this as a blush or highlighter maybe?) I've yet to try his watercolour blushes but thats for sure on my list. I really get that Daniel Sandler makes an effort with his cosmetic line not just rebranding already done products.

These go for £15.50 each on ASOS, FeelUnique, LookFantastic - They tend to have a sale or discount, so keep yours wide open!

Whats your go to bronzer? I know Nuria likes a Milani one...I might try that

X  O  X  O

Z

Mid-week Hype: Dewy Cheeks | 'Rose Gold' Sleek Blush x Makeup Revolution Ultra Bronze

So you guys know I'm not one for experimenting with makeup - once I find something I like, I literally won't try anything else until I hit the pan with the others. But, one type of product I do like to experiment with is blush n bronzer.

When I'm on the go, I stick to my Milani duo, because it's small, compact and contains both blush and bronzer. But when I have spare time or I wanna make an effort this is one of the looks I go for.


Blush n bronzer are really important to me in terms of makeup cos I don't wear foundation, so I rely on them to brighten up my face and take the focus away from any blemishes. Plus, I'm a huge fan of contouring and I basically do the whole temple/cheek/jawline routine. Only thing I miss is my nose because it's skinny enough and if anything, I wish it was a lil wider.

I use Makeup Revolution's 'Ultra Bronze' (...bronzer?) (RRP £4.49) to contour n hollow out my cheeks a bit and above that Sleek's blush in 'Rose Gold', (RRP £3) using E.L.F's studio stipple brush to blend everything together.

This blush is one of my favourites because the gold specs in it act as a highlighter too giving you a really dewy, glowing look. 
Before, when I did wear foundation, my face used to get suuuuper oily, especially my T-Zone, but it's pretty in check now, so I don't really had to worry about looking greasy. Saying that, I tried a new rosehip oil last night that came in my monthly Birchbox so that may be one of the reasons I stayed matte for so long today.

Also I thought I should add that I have Pixi's tinted shea butter lip balm on my lips in 'Ripe Raspberry'. It's superrr pigmented, n a lil goes a long way. I can't even swipe it on my lips, I have to dab cos the colour payoff is so strong and bright.

The blush and bronzer you can buy online or in store in  Superdrug. The lip balm I got in my October Birchbox, it's the full size and you can buy it on their site too, here.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, Merry Christmas!

x o x o

N

Alexa Chung for Eyeko | Me and My Shadow in Chocolate and Taupe Review

A while back, I watched Lisa Eldrige's (makeup artist) YouTube video of a makeup tutorial on Alexa Chung. It was the look that was created for the campaign of Alexa's Eyeko range. I picked up 2 out of 3 of the Eyeko Me and My Shadow pencils(?) in Chocolate and Taupe, third shade being Charcoal. 

I'm always on the look for a fuss free eyeshadow pencil that I can smudge on to my eyelid and walk out of the house. And theres plenty of these pencils on the market. I'm also on the hunt for a perfect taupe shade that DOESN'T turn silver/grey on me.

These twist up pencils come with a flat brush on one side to smudge the product. Its a great concept and it actually works. At first I thought this would be gimmicky, I mean would it actually smudge the product well? And it actually does. And as it's flat, I can build the product on the back of my hand, and dab the brush on to it and line my bottom lash line. However on my lid, I much prefer a rounder eyeshadow brush. 

I really like the formula, they blend so easily and they work well on the waterline. So they are quite a soft formula, but not as soft say...like the Rimmel or the Maybelline ones. So you have quite a bit of control to it. 

Eyeko Me and My Shadow in Chocolate 

On the downside, I'm not that hyped about the actual colour of these. I hoped the brown would be a lot warmer. I bought them based on swatches online. But, on me, it has a greyish tinge. This probably won't happen if I applied it to Nuria, or anyone paler than me. Same with Taupe, it turned very silvery on me. Which is such a shame as I find the formula perfect.

Eyeko Me and My Shadow in Taupe

I bought these on Asos and there's a sale at the moment, so you can pick these up for £10.50 each (RRP £15)

Do you have any eyeshadow pencils I can try?

X  O  X O

Z

Monday Mani | 'Teal' x 'Aqua Glitter' by Barry M

IT'S CHRIIIIIISTMAS

(I wanna sing the Slade song but I won't)

This combo screams 'christmas tree' at me n tbh christmas is the only time I use 'Aqua Glitter'. It's layered on top of 'Teal' n it's the prettiest!!!!! 

One thing I love about Barry M glitters is the size of the particles, plus many of the glitters match the ordinary shades so you're able to match your glitter to your base! They're super super sparkley n they're so easy to layer up. 

This is two coats of each polish, and both dry super quick. It's actually so weird how some colours from the same brand take way longer to dry but idk! 

As far as I'm aware they both retail at £2.99 each n in my opinion they're absolutely worth the money, cos who wouldn't want christmas/mermaid nails?

I hope you guys found this review helpful AND MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Yes I will be sending seasons greetings every time you guys read a post of mine)

x o x o 

N

Weekend Reads

I'm sorry we've been pretty inactive guys, but we're feeling soooo uninspired! :( But hopefully that will change once we get rid of all our stressors and get into the festive mood! We're gonna have loads of products to review and makeup looks to try so bare with us n__n


Okay so this week for fiction I'm opening your eyes to Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It's the first classic I ever read (...and honestly like the first book like 3 years of not reading). A friend recommended this to me n it's super cheap to buy from Amazon if you buy the Wordsworth Classic edition for £1.99 with free postage.

It's set in late 19th century Russia n follows the lives of Anna Karenina n her friends n family. It's a tragic tale of love, obsession, family n social standards. Depending on how you view Anna's actions, you'll either love her or hate her. Personally I completely adored her n sympathised.
The 2012 adaptation with Keira Knightley (...you know how I feel about her) n Jude Law is absolutely horrific. It's awful. It's a complete disgrace to the novel. Avoid it at all costs. The 1985 adaptation on the other hand is beautiful. The cast is perfectly suited to the characters n it's just a lovely tribute to the novel. The BBC TV mini series is a great one too but saying that, nothing beats the original Russian versions.

Non-fiction of the week is She-Wolves by Helen Castor about 'the women who ruled England before Elizabeth. Now, when I took A-level history, Elizabeth I's reign was my absolute favourite subject. I rarely buy non-fiction books but I have about three books on her reign, which is a lot for me. I saw a girl I follow on Tumblr mention this book n I just had to get it, plus medieval history interests me in general so I was like 'yes, buying that' (of course I have the cheapest link for you here)
It explores the lives of Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Isabella of France n Margaret of Anjou. None of them were official queens of England but they had a massive impact on it through their connection as a mother, sister, daughter of important men, managing to rule England from the back seat. We all know the perspectives men had on women in the medieval era. Hell, little has changed now. So that's why this book is so important I think, cos it shows that men were not the only ones who molded this world.

I hope you guys enjoyed my weekend reads!

x o x o

N

Advice for Starting Uni

So you guys know I'm halfway through my third year of uni so I thought I'd share some tips to graduating your x amount of years n not looking back on them with regret.

I didn't apply to uni with a specific career in mind, to be honest I only applied because my parents wanted me to go. I didn't have a job or anything so I didn't really have any argument to not go, apart from 'I don't want to'. I picked History because I enjoyed it at A-level. That's literally the only reason. I've never been interested in one specific area. I've loved animals since forever so initially I wanted to base my studies around them. I love geography/landscape etc so I was playing with the idea of environmental studies, geology, whatever. Nah. Ended up picking English Literature only to change my mind last minute to History because I realised that studying literature would make me hate reading forever more.

So, my first advice is think carefully about what subject to study. 
As much as History interests me, I don't have any plans to really use my degree. My options are pretty limited - teacher? No thank you. Historian? No I think uni has made me hate analysing history enough. Archive/museum work? Maybe but I need to do my postgrad for that n honestly I can't bare to be without a full time job any longer, no matter how comfortable I am in education.

Don't move out if you don't feel comfortable with it.
I was still wanting to rebel at 16 so I considered moving into halls for uni. In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't. I'm a complete introvert n 95% of people annoy me. Plus you have no idea who you'll end up with, so the chance of ending up with someone who doesn't wash their dishes/clean up after themselves in the bathroom terrified me. Plus I'm just really domestic. I spend a lot of time with my family and at 16 I think I would have made some really stupid choices if I had been given free reign to do as I pleased. Don't worry, you can still have fun n form connections without living with other students.

If you want to party, socialise, actually live the 'uni life', do it in your first year.
Your grades in your first year don't count towards your total so feel free to go wild as long as you're passing your assignments (though even then you can retake them most of the time in the summer). Saying that, I'm not a party animal n I didn't spend the nights of my first year out on the town. I did, however, spend it either in bed watching TV shows or out stuffing my face, when I should have been getting to grips with the jump from A-level style essay writing to undergrad. I was getting 40-50% just out of laziness n not caring what grade I got as long as I passed.

Make use of what your uni offers.
Take time to browse through your libraries. Join societies. Turn up to functions. The last two I honestly regret not doing. I'm really anti-social n can't approach people so I'm actually lucky to have made any friends at all. I never turned up to seminars either, occasionally went to lectures so most of what I learnt came from the books in the library. I just found everything so unhelpful n I realised I learn better when I teach myself n do my own reading.

Start your assignments as soon as you know about them.
Even if an essay is a month away from the due date, get started. You'll be thankful later. Even if you only do some research or write a couple hundred words, getting started is the hardest part so the sooner you do it, the better. If you're having trouble, approach your tutors.That's what they're there for. I'm really proud so asking for help is difficult for me but on the few occasions I did ask, I got the help I needed. At the end of the day, they're on your side. They're not out to fail you. This is probably something I should have realised earlier.

I hope this helped some of you. Everything I've said is from experience and it's something I wish someone had explained to me.

x o x o

N

Monday Mani | 'Peach Melba' x 'Crystal Glaze' by Barry M

So I was really itching to show you guys another one of my Zoya polishes but then I thought 'NO!' Seeing as I have so many Barry Ms, I'll end up only swatching them cos I'll have run out of other brands to review. 

Christmas is right round the corner n idk I felt wayyyy more Christmassy a month ago than now...idk I think I just got excited too early n now it's wearing off! But I am keeping up with festivities (listening to pop songs n pigging out in front of the tv...right..?) so to carry on with that I decided to add some sparkle for this mani.

 This is 'Crystal Glaze' under 'Peach Melba', both by Barry M. I've only ever worn 'Crystal Glaze' with this polish, never on it's own or with a different colour just cos I feel like it really accentuates this colour like they match so well! It adds a nice sparkle n turns 'Peach Melba' from a summer polish to a Christmas one! 

PM is part of the basic collection n retails at £2.99 while CG is at £3.99

Personally for me the consistency is a bit gooey - though this polish is about 2.5 yrs old which may account for the formula - it's a really great colour that goes well with most skin tones, though personally I'm only ever really drawn towards it when I'm tanned. 

Also, the CG is pretty unreliable, you can't always get enough speckles on your brush n you end up applying unnecessary layers!

I hope you guys found this helpful! 

x o x o

N

Weekend Reads

Okay so anyone who knows me in real life knows what a complete bookworm I am. I used to stick to fiction and only read non-fiction when my degree needed it, but this summer I read my first non-fiction book cover to cover n it really changed a lot of things for me. 

SO, on weekends, I'll be posting two books of the week - fiction and non-fiction. (WARNING: all the non-fictions will be history books so if that's a complete yawn for you then just scroll down!)

Let's get started!  

My fiction of the week is Atonement by Ian McEwan. It's about how one young girl's lie affects the life of her sister and her sister's lover. Set in 1930-40s Britain it's a story of romance, heartbreak, deceit, war n family. 

Honestly, I don't want to give too much away (if you've already seen the film with Keira Knightley - ew - then boo you! Pretend you haven't n read the book), though I'd actually say that the film runs a pretty accurate parallel to the book. 

This copy was published by Vintage n it's one of my treasured books just cos it's soooo pretty n unique. I bought it on a whim from The National Gallery for £5.99 but you can get yours for cheaper on Ebay for roughly £3. 

Non-fiction of the week is Return of a King by William Dalrymple. If you guys didn't know, I am half Afghan and it was my uncle who recommended this book to me after finding out that I was taking a British Imperialism module at uni. It wasn't until about 8 months later that I actually read this book n honestly, it changed A LOT for me.

So it's basically about the Anglo-Afghan Wars throughout the first half of the 19th century. It explores British-Afghan-Russian dynamics and also dynamics between the different tribes and noble families in Afghanistan. 

I spent years hiding my Afghan background from people, I was ashamed of it because I was so ignorant. I thought we were backward and not liberal enough n too oppressive. But reading this book made me so so proud to be Afghan - I started to bond with my dad way more and I saw the world from his perspective for once. 

Most importantly, it made me curious about Islam. After having it shoved down my throat throughout school, I was so repulsed by the idea of religion for a long time. But now I'm really opening up to it, and I think it's making me become n feel like a better person. 

Anyways, I was given this as a present - it was so hard to keep my copy in good condition, it travelled with me to n from Russia so it's a bit raggedy :( but it's pretty cheap on Ebay for around £4 if you don't mind not having a crisp new copy. 

I hope I made you guys curious enough to read these books!

x o x o

N

Saturday Spotlight | Makeup, YouTuber, Blogger, Inspiration...

So in this feature, we thought we'd write about what/who inspired us the most this week. 

1) For a while now, I've really been enjoying watching Sonjdradeluxe on YouTube. Although she may be a bit MAC heavy, I can't deny her artistic skills. She's really comfortable in her own look and I loved how she worked on her friend on her recent tutorials.

2) I've also been enjoying reading LipstickWithSomeSunshine. She really makes an effort with her editing and photography. I absolutely adore her consistent theme, so chic and minamilistic.

3) Rose Siard on Instagram @roseandben on Instagram. Uhhh shes just gorgeous and she has her own collection of turbans which are sooo pretty.

4) Zhang Jingna photography is absolutely stunning. Theres something dark and ghostly about her images. The colours are chosen beautifully....aaahh her work never ceases to amaze me.

Comment below on who/what inspires you!

X  O  X  O

Z

Friday First Impressions | Braun Face 831

Sorry, my post is quite late for Friday. 

Anyways, lets talk about facial hair. Yes we all have it. Whether its those unruly hairs under your brows or your upper lip, it really is a pain to get rid of it.

As an Asian, my hair is really dark (no peach fuzz for me) and removing hair so often is such a pain. I really wanted a quick fix for a very long time. So my eyes have always been on the no-no or laser treatment etc But one day, I was watching HudaBeauty (video linked) on YouTube and she totally recommended the Braun Face and as it was on sale on boots.com, I had to snatch it up. Now the one she use was had a silver cap. I found a rose gold capped one with a light-up mirror and a lil bag to carry it all in! (a tenner more though) 

So it arrived yesterday morning and I tried it for the first time before I had a shower. It comes with a epilator head and a face brush (so perhaps a cheaper alternative to the Clarasonic?) 

When I turned it on, to be truthful, I was very intimidated...that brrrrrr sound sounded like a barber's machine or something. But it really didn't hurt at all. Perhaps a few light pricks...but that's all. 100 times better than threading...and so sooo much more faster. I'm seriously delighted at my purchase

I tried the face brush in the shower (it says you can use it in the shower!). I haven't exfoliated my skin for a long time as I have been on the search for a good exfoliator, but then when this arrived it seems my search is done. Now from what I've read from Clarisonic users, there's a 'purge' moment, when your skin goes into breakouts after the first use. I haven't had any breakouts as such, but I'll use it a few more times and tell you guys how I get along. But after my first use, I must say my skin looked less dull! And from someone who suffers from lack of sleep, that is a very big plus!

So I will do an update in a month's time to see how my skin is getting along, but at the moment I sure am loving it :)

X  O  X O

Z

Review | E.L.F. Lipsticks

L-R Classy, Flirtatious, Gypsy, Posh n Seductive

So E.L.F is probably one of my favourite companies - cheap (who cares if you don't like the product, barely anything on the site costs more than a tenner) n vegan (yay for protecting bunnies n avoiding icky ingredients)

These are the plain (I call them plain cos the packaging isn't very attractive) lipsticks that are on the site for £1.95 - though for that price you can't really critique packaging.

I've got 5 colours here - 'Classy', 'Flirtatious', 'Gypsy' (rethink this name pls E.L.F), 'Posh' n 'Seductive':

'Gypsy' n 'Posh' are probably my favourite as I think they go the most with my skin tone. 'Classy' is a very 'dusty rose' colour but I have worn it far more than 'Flirtatious' n 'Seductive' (I even bought a new one when my old snapped - which is rare for me. Once a product dies, it's destiny for me to try something new)

I wouldn't say these last very long on your lips - eat something or take a sip from a takeaway cup n it's printed on the food/lid. BUT at the end of the day they are only £2 n for people like me, who use lipstick rarely n only for a few hours, these are great to have handy. You can even buy more than one as they're so cheap n keep one for emergencies in your bag, one at home etc. 

As you can see, none of them are matte so when I do want a matte finish I just pat some translucent powder on top!

Personally I prefer their studio crayons cos I love lip liner so it saves time hunting for a one to match.

P.S. Word of warning - the colours shown online look only vaguely like the shade in real life - shop carefully!

Hope you enjoyed this review!

x o x o

N

Need it or Leave it? | Nars Virtual Domination Review

The whole blogsphere and YouTube world have been raving about the NARS Virtual Domination Palette and I really had high hopes. The palette includes:

Miss Liberty - a peachy beige highlighter, this has loads of shimmer and sparkles. In photography it can give this sort of wet look, in person - this is deffo not a subtle highlight.

Deep Throat - a warm pink peach. This has some gold shimmer in it.

Sex Fantasy - A pale matte, lavender pink

Final Cut - A matte coral

Laguna - A warm, yellow under-toned bronzer with a sheen.

L to R Miss Liberty, Sex Fantasy, Final Cut and Deep Throat

The palette itself is really beautiful and it feels heavy so it has that luxury touch. Thats where all the good stuff ends. I've been trying to make this palette work for 2 weeks and I'm still not in love. To me, Miss Liberty and Sex Appeal does not suit me whatsoever. And the pigmentation to these blushes and bronzer come no where near to the singles. As you can see above^ they do swatch quite patchy. I think on paler skin tones this palette can work. But for deeper skin tones, just too much work to build on colour etc. I'm truly disappointed as it would've been great to travel with (well...its heavy as well so perhaps not)

If you are fairer than me (NC40 lighter) this can work for you if you don't mind working with it. Its also a great gift for a makeup lover!

You can buy the palette at Space NK for £45

X  O  X  O

Z

My Go-To Look

So this is basically my every day, nothing special look with an addition of eyeshadow (which I use not very often) but when I do use it, these are the colours I mix.

I haven't worn foundation about 2 yrs so the only face products I use are bronzer n blusher (not even concealer - I know, SHOCKER!)

Usually I start of with eyebrows, I use Sleek's Brow Kit in Dark n a small studio smudge brush by E.L.F. Cosmetics n start filling in my brows about a quarter way in, pressing the brush quite firmly in n filling in any sparse areas, as my eyebrow hairs are thick individually but there aren't many of them. I go back to the beginning of my brow n try gradient in the rest by applying the paint very softly n building it up to my liking, blending as I go along. 

Then I move onto eyeshadow n eyeliner. The only palette I own is E.L.F.'s 'Bright' palette, and even then, it's only two colours in it that I ever go to. I use E.L.F.'s eyeshadow primer to prep my lids (it's actually amazing, my eyeshadow goes creaseless for 6-8 hours) then I place the lightest brown shade in the middle of the first row all over my eyelid n a little into my crease then I go back in using the plum/aubergine shade at the end of the third row and intensify it a little by placing it in the outer corner of my eye. I take the same colour n run it underneath my lower lashes. Moving on to liquid eyeliner, I draw a fairly small (by my standards) wing using Sleek's Dip-It Eyeliner. Then I curl my lashes for about 10 seconds each, pressing down with the clamps (...?) every other second. I apply two coats of E.L.F's Defining Mascara to the tops n bottoms n that's the eyes done!

Moving on to bronzer n blush, this compact duo is definitely my favourite - it's Milani's Sunset Duo in 'Sunset Beach'. I apply the bronzer with So Eco's blush brush to the hollows of my cheekbones, my temples and my jawline/under my chin. Lastly I swipe some blusher on and blend with E.L.F.'s studio stipple brush n voila!

I usually add a lip balm before leaving the house n that's it!

Mid-Week Mani | 'Bite Me' by Wet n Wild Review

Hey guys, I'm back with another swatch (because I may or may not have slept on my Zoya nails n got duvet prints on them...)

This is 'Bite Me' by Wet n Wild from the Spoiled collection. I got mine from a stall in Portobello Market for a quid each (I bought three) but they are available online on Ebay just for an extra quid with free UK postage.

I'm really a huge fan of dark colours, especially in the winter when I'm a pale potato. 'Bite Me' is a lovely brown-toned deep red with tiny glittery red specks in it. It's very vampy but the hints of red make it a great Christmas season colour too.

The application is really easy, the formula isn't gooey but not too thin either so it dries relatively quickly and two coats is more than enough. I didn't apply a base or topcoat here because the shimmer of the polish means it covers nail ridges really well n has a really glossy finish.

In terms of the quality when considering the price - 10 out of 10. For such a bargain it's definitely a purchase I don't regret n I'll absolutely be purchasing more from the collection.

Dupe for: Midnight in Moscow + Black Cherry Chutney by OPI, though I'd say it's more closer to the first as Black Cherry Chutney has more purple-y undertones.

Hope you guys found this review helpful!

x o x o

N

Mid-week Hype | Makeup Forever Artist Shadows Review

When Makeup Forever released over 200 reformulated eyeshadows (and blushes) obviously they are going to get hyped about. Now, from what I've heard from missbeautyadikt these shadows contain 80% pigment! 

I was at Guru Makeup Emporium (on Kensington Church street) last week and originally I had a list of what shades I wanted (I'm always making lists) however a few of the shades I wanted was out of stock. However, I got 4 shadows to try out and I'm truly in love! 

Although these shadows are SO pigmented and has a buttery texture, there is zero fallout! I was so shocked, usually with darker shades theres always some amount of fallout plus I don't tend to wear a primer. The blending capabilities of these shadows are amazingg...I never imagined shadows so easy to blend. No effort needed! And the shadows I got were all matte, but no patchiness whatsoever.

L to R M-860, M-928, M-656, M-322

M-860 Powdery Pink - a matte warm toned pink

M-928 Eggplant - a matte, deep, neutral purple shade

M-656 Chestnut - a matte warm toned brown

M-332 Khaki - the name really describes it, a matte warm khaki

I also purchased their new magnetic empty palettes as well. They come in 4 sizes; small, medium, large and extra large. I picked up medium for myself and large for my kit. They have a really strong magnetic base, so you can pop in anything. They also cost less than a z-palette! Although they don't have a transparent cover, I prefer the knowing that my shadows won't shatter while traveling.

Size Comparison - MUFE Medium v Large palette

You can pick these products at Gurumakeupemporium.com or at PAM in the UK

Each shadow costs £12.50 and the palettes are priced at £3.95-6.95. I'm sure to pick some more shadows and palettes soon!

X  O  X  O

Z