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.

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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Inexpensive Products: Festive Look

I am a firm fan of affordable makeup, yes I know with luxury you get what you pay for but I don't always want to shell out an arm and a leg when I want a new foundation or blush.

I like to shop around and test out super affordable products to see if you can produce great looks with them!

As expected, around Christmas everyone gets Festive, some in the form of jumpers, some in the form of food, but I, I get festive with make up!

I created the following look with super affordable products.

Any item listed with a º was on promotion at the time for half price. 

Face

ELF Studio Eyebrow Lifter and Filler in Ivory/Dark - £1.86 º

NYX Above and Beyond Full Coverage Concealer in Orange - £6.00

ELF Personal Blend Foundation in Dark - £4.00 º 

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal Concealer in Fawn -  £1.95

ELF High Definition Powder in Yellow - £3.00 º 

B. Sunkissed Bronzing Powder in Dark - £8.99

Fashionista Blusher in Crimson - £1.65

I was really impressed with the products used above for my base in terms of pigmentation and quality, especially in relation to ELF's Personal Blend Foundation and the Fashionista blusher, both provided me with excellent cover and pigmentation.

The only product I was not overly keen on was the B. Sunkissed bronzer but this was only due to it's pigmentation, it's not dark enough for me to use as an all over bronzer however I did use it to contour my nose.

Eyes

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer - £1.50 

Maybelline 24 Hour Tattoo in On and On Bronze - £4.99

ELF Little Black Beauty Book in Festive Everyday - £4.00 º

Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Pencil in Nude 5 - £3.99

Barry M Bold Waterproof Eyeliner in Bold Black - £3.99

MUA Everylash Waterproof Mascara - £3.00

Once again I was super impressed with the above!
The ELF Little Black Beauty Book is a fab lil thing that holds 48 shadows. I expected them to be very chalky but they were surprisingly soft! 

In terms of pigmentation, the golden bronze shade I used on my lids was ok, it wasn't lucious, it didn't exactly pop but it covered well, I blended the the shade out with a matte brown which is hindsight wasn't the best decision, I think the look would have worked better with a black shadow but I wanted to keep the look soft.

When it comes to inexpensive/drugstore makeup I aim to pick up waterproof products to ensure longevity, the pencils and mascara I used were fab, they did not budge and were very easy to apply! 

Lips

Sheer Berry Lip - Fashionista Maxi Moisture Lipstick in Style Transformation - £1.50

Red Lip - MUA Lipstick in Shade 1 - £1.00

Last but not least, lips.

I went with two looks, the first look was with a berry sheen lipstick from Fashionista (MUA.)
I don't know what I was expecting when I bought this but I was pleasantly surprised when I applied it. On impact it was nourishing, more like a heavily tinted lip balm than a lipstick. It's a very comfortable lipstick to wear and great for those of you who do not like a lot of colour on your lips.

For those of you who do like colour MUA is the way to go!
If you don't know about MUA's £1.00 lipsticks then please get to know!
They do not come in a huge array of colours but their selection should satisfy any red or pink lipstick lovers. 
Easy to apply and heavily pigmented for a £1.00 you cannot go wrong, also the bottom pops off to allow you to apply the product with a brush which is always handy!



What do you guys think of my inexpensive makeup look?
Do you own any of these products?
Are you an inexpensive makeup lover?

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Vamptress

Hi guys!

I wanted to share with you this quick FOTD that I posted on my Instagram the other night.

I love experimenting with make up and this is what I was doing when I came out with this look.

Below is the product list:

Face: 

ELF Eyebrow Lifter and Filler in Ivory/Dark
Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC50
NYX Concealer Jar in Orange
ELF Mineral Personal Blend Foundation in Dark (mixed with Ben Nye Topaz Powder) 
LA Girl Pro Concealer in Fawn
ELF High Definition in Yellow
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC50
ELF Mineral Blush in Peachy
MAC Blush in Format
Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer in Ebony 08

Eyes:

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC50
Makeup Geek Gel Eyeliner in Immortal
Benefit's They're Real Mascara
Maybelline The Falsies Mascara

Lips:

MAC Nightmoth Lip Liner
Coloured Raine Lipstick in Plum Fairy

Contacts:

Freshlook Colourblends in Grey


I really love everything about this look especially the lips, Nightmoth and Plum Fairy are near identical in colour giving you the perfect vampy lip!

I also used a few new products which have swiftly become some of my favouties including the ELF Mineral Personal Blend Foundation which is FANTASTIC and the gorgeous Guerlain bronzer that I have been lusting over for months now!

Reviews will be up shortly for both!

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Instagram Living Pt 12

First Ever Football Match/ NYX Smokey Palette/ NYX September Blogger Of The Month/ Wig and New Look Dress/
A Visit To Burger And Lobster/ Ellis Faas Lip Products (review coming soon)/ My Fresh Hair Cut/ My Furball :)/
60s Inspired Makeup Look/ Bitstrips Fun/ Joni Jeans/ LimeCrime Styletto Lipstick/
Autumn Makeup Tutorial Look/ Rainbow Cake From Hummingbirds Bakery/ NYX Blush and Lip Gloss/ Coloured Raine Lipstick in Boudoir

@NatalieKayO

Bunper edition of my Instagram Living feature as I've realised that I haven't made one since August! Shock!

Just a lil catch up with what I've been doing which is mainly applying make up by the looks of it! Haha!

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Let's Catch Right Up!

*inhales*

Well hello there!

It has been a WHILE! 

Just under a month since I last blogged but it feels like YEARS!

I decided to take some time out as I felt myself losing my 'blogging mojo', I find it's always better to give yourself time to get back to blogging naturally instead of forcing it.

So what have I been up to?

To be honest, not much. 

I find when Summer ends I go back into my shell to hibernate, stocking up on woolly clothing, coffee and most importantly food.

Talking about food I've meaning to shift these last few pounds, my weight loss over the past few years has been great but it's getting tiring, I've been dragging out the last stone and a bit which I want to be rid of before the end of this year, let's hope I make it! I'll let you guys know how I get on, I've been meaning to create a post on my weight loss journey which I'll be doing soonish.

In other news, my make up ban lasted all of a month...I don't even know what to say really!

A month is a long time for me, a reaaaaallly long time.

I've been trying to make more use of the products I currently own so I've been shopping my stash more often, discovering new products and testing out more advance (for myself anyway) looks, I've even been applying lashes which is something I have the most trouble with, yeah I'm still glueing my eyelids to my face, but hey, at least the lashes are on!

If you follow me on Instagram you would've seen me upload a few looks during my hiatus which include the following below:

Look 1. 

Iridescent eyeshadow look using Makeup Geek eyeshadows and a bold red lip using Limecrime's gorgeous Velvetine in Red Velvet.

Look 2. 

Same eyeshadow look as before. Lip colour is Coloured Raine's Dragenista lipstick.

Look 3. 

Nude and Neutral look with Barry M's Dazzle Dust in No.53 on the lid, Sleek Pout Paint in Mink on the lips with NYX's lipgloss in Miami Babe (my favvv lipgloss ever) over that.

Look 4. 

Wearing Ellis Faas Milky Lips in L202 (review coming soon) and an Inglot blush in No.41

Which one is your favourite?

If you would like to see a post/review or video on any of the products used or mentioned above feel free to let me know in the comments below. I'm working on getting more videos out on my YouTube channel which you can subscribe to for make up looks and hauls.

You guys have probably already noticed by now but I have also cut my hurrrr again. I didn't really think about it, I just went in and told the lovely Andree Marie to cut it all orfffff! 
It has taken me a LOOOONG while to get used to it but I think I'm finally almost there, definitely saves fixing a closure in the morning!

If you look to your right you'll also see that I recently hit 300 subscribers! AMAZING or what?!

Thank you to all of you who have subbed, who comment and interact with me, I know I say this ALLL the time but I really am grateful! 
Blogging has brought so many positives into my life I can't even begin to know where to start to let you guys know how much it has helped me... but anyway...let's save all that good stuff for another post.

New milestones mean new giveaways so I will be launching my 300 subscriber giveaway in the next few weeks including loadsa fab beauty goods so stay tuned, you may be winning some make up goodies for Christmas! ;)

*exhales*

Well, this was a long one but I've never been one to keep things short and sweet and to be honest I just felt like typing and catching up with you guys!

Hope your all well and stay tuned for more posts coming up in the next few weeks 
(for a sneak peek of what click HERE)

Hugs and Kisses! 

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Inexpensive Beauty Haul

   
Hi guys! 

I've uploaded another video onto my Youtube channel! Win!

Click on the video for more information on the products I talk about.
All of them a really inexpensive and great quality.

MUA Smokin Palette http://bit.ly/18EPxjZ

MUA L1 Lip Brush http://bit.ly/12h5t7c

Fashionista Maxi Moisture Lipstick in Style Transformationhttp://bit.ly/18GknD0

Sleek Matte Me in Rioja Red and Fandango Purplehttp://bit.ly/1gGjDCQ

Barry M Bold Waterproof Eyeliner in Bold Bluehttp://bit.ly/10PcvPq

Barry M Dazzle Dusts in 53, 66, 27, 98 http://bit.ly/SzKS9c

MAC Blot Powder in Dark http://bit.ly/RY5okm

MAC Smoked Purple Lipstick (Pro)

NYX HD Grinding Blush in Apricot http://bit.ly/1eXaied

Coloured Raine Lipsticks http://bit.ly/1d2sTn7

Victoria Secret Fragrance Mists http://ebay.eu/18GlqTo

I hope you enjoy!

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NYX The Smokey Shadow Palette and NYX Girls Polish

September is here.

This means the summer is over people!!

No more heat until next July so what can we do?

Embrace the winter months, that's what!

I like to do this by changing up my make up look, I stick to the vampy, dark colours because let's face it, winter is slightly depressing.

So how do I reflect winter in my make up?

With the help of NYX of course.

(All you summer lovers don't fret, click HERE for my last NYX review on how to achieve an easy summer look)

First let's talk about how to do this via eyeshadow.

The Smokey Shadow Palette - £8.00*

Another one of NYX newest products.

The Smokey Shadow Palette contains 6 complimentary eyeshadows for the easiest of smokey eyes.

Funnily enough, although I'm a makeup lover, I really am more about my lipsticks then my eyeshadows, if I do use eyeshadows I stick to bronzes and golds, so this palette was something very new to me.

I tend to shy away from smokey palettes due to an inherent fear that I will end up looking more like a sad panda then a smouldering vixen but when I received this palette I gave myself a pep talk and began experimenting.

I was actually surprised at how easy it was to create a smokey eye with this palette, as all the colours are complimentary you can't go wrong with any two or three of the six shadows you choose.

I started off by applying the matte black shade all over my lid, then I layered the metallic purple over it and then the glitter slate colours for some sparkle, I then added the white shade on my brow bone, the smallest bit of the beige gold on my inner tear duct and the dark blue on my lower line.

The result...

I think this gave me a great beginners smokey eye! 

For the more intermediate of eyeshadow wearers this may be a bit basic for you, but for those of us who wouldn't know where to start with smokey eyes, this palette is PERFECT!

All the work is done for you, all you need to do is blend which is super easy because of the soft formula of the eyeshadows!

What I would say is definitely use a primer with these shadows to get the best bang for your buck but I have to admit, I'm quite pleased with the result!

Don't forget to add lashes for more oomph!

So now we have the face down, what next?

Let's move onto nails!

NYX Girls Polish in Fig - £3.00*

Now I have to admit, I normally only wear two types of nail colours either nudes or darks, so Fig was right up my street.

A deep blue purple with the subtlest of silver flecks.

You get 12ml of product with these nail varnish (10ml with Barry M and 7ml with Maybelline Color Show) which is quite a lot for £3.00.

The brush is skinny which I thought would initially be a problem but this allowed for a less messier (than normal) application for me.

I only needed to apply two coats of this for opaque colour which is also impressive!

These varnishes come in a staggering array of shades so for those of you who aren't too down with dark nails in the winter, do not fret, NYX hold a shade for you!

All in all I have loved using these products that NYX sent me, for such an inexpensive brand their products are really something to sing about, from their bronzers and lipsticks to their eyeshadows and eye pencils!

I have several products from NYX including lipglosses, lipsticks, correctors and blushes and I can say that I adore them all!

If you haven't ever tried any of NYX products I definitely hope I've given you something to think about and if you have then you already know why I feel so privileged to have won the opportunity to be NYX Cosmetics UK Blogger of The Month!

Thanks NYX Cosmetics!

7

NYX Butter Gloss and HD Grinding Blush

I cannot tell you how excited I was when NYX got back to me about being their Blogger of The Month!

Not only am I a huge fan of their products I love the fact that they are so accessible for all, a lot of my favourite Youtubers use NYX and it's fantastic that I have the ability to buy the exact same products!

NYX kindly sent me some products to review which I was super super excited about so ladies and gentlefolk let me introduce you to the following:

NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Pie - £5.00*

The Butter Glosses are one of NYX's newest products.

Now let me be honest here, I have never really been a lip gloss fan, most of the lip glosses I have tried out have been sticky, gloopy and uncooperative, however I have always found a friend in NYX lipglosses (they are the only lip glosses I own) so I very excited about the new Butter glosses.

I was sent the colour Cherry Pie which is fantastic for my skin tone, it's warm enough to use on it's own as a stain or applied on top of your favourite lippie.

This colour is buildable when used on its own but as I don't like to overdo gloss I decided to apply this like a stain.

One thing I absolutely love about this product is its texture, as it's name indicates, it is like butter! It feels like lip balm on the lips which is always a thumbs up from me!

This is a great product for those of you who want to introduce colour into your everyday makeup routine without going overly bold.

The glosses come in 12 gorgeous shades ranging from warm pinks to very subtle reds.

If you are anything like me and you're not a fan of sticky lipglosses I would definitely recommend this product to you!

Next up:

NYX HD Studio Photogenic Grinding Blusher in Apricot - £14.00*

You guys know how much I LURRVE blush. I cannot get enough of the stuff so when I heard about NYX's HD blush I was overly excited! (Lol! Makeup loser!)

This blush is not only tailored for easy application (finely milled,) it is paraben free and made to photograph fantastically, as an Instagram lover and blogger this is a bonus!

At first I was a little bit sceptical as I always am with most pink toned blushes as they can show up ashy on my skin tone but I went ahead an applied and I was glad I did.

This colour is GORGEOUS!

It's a soft pinky orange toned blush which gives me an effortless natural healthy glow.

This matte blush is heavily pigmented and a little goes a very long way!

I also love the packaging of this blush, the sleek tub with snazzy grinder makes application more exciting - it's all about the little things!

If I had one con it would be that it is sometimes easy to waste product with the grinding blush but this can be remedied by only turning the grinder gently.

This blush is available in 8 natural shades from pinks to subtle browns making it suitable for all skin tones, winner!

I wasted no time swatching and applying these two.

As you can see the two worn together give the most effortless natural look. Sunkissed and healthy!

I am absolutely loving these products which are fantastic for those of us who love the natural flushed look.

Don't forget to check out NYX Cosmetics website 
to shop and find out more information on their products. I would honestly recommend them for the price and quality! 

I've already had a cheeky shop on there, watch out for my post regarding their bronzer and orange concealer coming soon!

I am so chuffed to be able to receive these fantastic products and to be chosen as NYX's Blogger Of The Month!

2

50 Shades Of Orange

Click To Enlarge
L-R:
Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti/ NYX Lipstick in Femme with NYX Lip Gloss in Natural/ NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Fick with Maybelline Popstick in Citrus Slice

Welllllll...not really 50 shades...as you can clearly see it's more like 3.

With Spring on the way I have been preparing looks like a maniac, I have never been so excited for warmth. It feels as though every year winter gets colder (if that makes sense,) I cannot deal with it.

As well as sorting out my Spring wardrobe (looks coming up in a post soon) I've also been sorting out Spring/Summer make up.

I've realised that I own several orange lipsticks, however I haven't really paid much attention to them, but orange is a great colour to rock for Spring!

Here you can see the varying shades that you can go for!

Tutti Frutti Lip Butter by Revlon is gorgeous, nourishing and very subtle in colour but still does the job. Fabulous and easy to wear. I had to add brown lip liner to ensure that this did not look too ashy on my skin tone. I think this look may be my go to look for Spring. Easy but effective!

NYX Round Lipstick in Femme is much creamier in colour and texture, however once again it goes on fab. To make this more wearable for my skin tone I once again had to add a brown lipliner and NYX's Round Lip Gloss in Natural to add warmth to it. I wouldn't recommend darker skin tones wearing this lippie on it's own but if you have a neutral warm toned lip gloss it would definitely work!

For the more daring NYX Matte Lipstick in Indie Flick is amaze!
A bright warm toned orange that will definitely get you noticed.
As this is so bright you do have work to do to make it wearable.
Firstly, make sure your lips are prepped; one thing this lipstick does not deal with is unprepared non moisturised lips, remove all excess skin with a lip scrub or brush and moisturise however remember to remove the product/lip balm, we don't want it to sit on the lips, we only want it to soften them.
Once you have done this apply the lipstick, it goes on nice and bright!
Add your lip liner and blend, you will need either a brush or a finger for this, smacking lips wont do the trick.
To help the lipstick to blend with my lip liner I added the Maybelline Popstick in Citrus Slice (please DO NOT buy this, it was a waste of money and I am running out of ways to make it useful.)
Blend until you are happy and voila!
A gorgeous bright orange lip, perfecto for Spring and festival season!

I hope you can take something from this if you're not used to wearing colour on your lips!

Do you think you will try out orange?
Which lipstick is your favourite?

22

Shocking Pink

I can't lie!

I have been caught up in the hype over the return of MAC's Candy Yum Yum however I still could not bring myself to drop £14 on a lipstick, so I went on a mission which just consisted of watching Candy Yum Yum dupe videos on Youtube. 

It was a long and exhausting road (exaggerating much?) but at last I found a dupe!

NYX's Matte Lipstick in Shocking Pink.

I had previously picked up this shade when I shopped at Beauty Joint as I wanted to broaden my lipstick colour collection, however being such a bold bright pink I was too scared to wear it out...until now.

I also knew I needed a good deep purple/plum liner to make this colour wearable on my skin tone. I had also been craving MAC's Night Moth lip liner but I set myself the task of finding a cheaper alternative.

Say hello to Barry M's lip liner in Number 11 Plum.

Combine the two together and viola!

A gorgeous statement neon pink lip for less than a tenner!!!

Perfect for dress down days to add something special to your outfit!

Hoorah for dupes!!

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