POWDERS // BATTLE OF THE BANANA POWDERS

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BLUSH // Everyday WoC Friendly Blushes

Blush is by far one of my favourite parts of makeup. 

The way it brings warmth to the face has always astounded me, I don't know what is it about them but I do love me some blush!

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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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Collective Beauty Haul // YSL, Ben Nye, Coastal Scents, NYX and more!

My long overdue collective haul video! Obviously I had a tonne more products I wanted to add (makeup junkie much?) but I didn't want to bore the life out of you guys! I hope you enjoy and stay tuned to the blog for posts about the items featured in this video! Much love! Natalie x

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Summer Lush List

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La Femme Blushes

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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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Summer Lush List

The sun is FINALLY making an appearance and I couldn't be happier!
I love preparing for this season, I change up everything, my clothes, my hair and even my make up!
My latest list contains some of the beauty items I've been luring after for summer.

Melt Cosmetics - The matte lipstick brand created by Instagram star now turned Riri's MUA Lora. Her and her partner in crime Dana have created a small but eye catching range of matte lipstick that I have been lusting over for some time now. 
I have my eye on DGAF, Blow and Shady Lady right now. The only thing putting me off is the shipping, but for these gorgeous lippies I'll just have to bite the bullet!

NARS Contour Blush in Geniah -  This is a product that NARS is due to release very soon! A contour duo with a lighter and darker shade to provide a more natural contour. I think it's a fab idea and Geniah really looks like a great shade for WoC. As it yet to be released feel free to grab some info regarding this duo from Temptalia

A La Carte London  Bespoke Foundation -  There is something about having your own bespoke foundation that fills me with  unexplained glee!

A La Carte offer bespoke make up for products such as lip glosses, lipstick and eye shadows but my eye is on the foundation.

A perfect match?! Yes please! 

Sugarpill Burning Heart Palette - After seeing this post I realised I needed a this palette in my life. I think matte yellows look amazing on darker skin tones and would really love to experiment with all the colours including the ever famous Poison Plum.

MAC Eye Shadow Palette - For the first time, a few weeks ago I went into MAC and swatched some of their eye shadows...this was a bad idea as I fell in love immediately! Initially I wanted to pick up the Warm Neutral palette when it landed but it wouldn't contain all the shades I wanted so I guess this summer I'll start creating my own MAC palette. 

Very excited...bank account is not!

Charlotte Tilbury The Perfect Vamp Kiss -  You guys already know about my lust over Charlotte's make up range. This kit looks perfect for me, the focus is on creating the perfect vamp lip, but wow, is this pricey! 

Alas, the heart wants what it wants!

Make Up Geek Pigments - I already have a few MUG products that I have found outstanding so I know these pigments will fit the bill.

These pigments come in a gorgeous array of shades and are heavenly pigmented. You can tell the MUG team put a lot of work into their products which is something I really love in a brand!

La Femme Blush Palette -  I'm not sure why I do not have a La Femme blush palette in my possession yet! From what I've seen La Femme blushers are pigmented, long wearing and fantastic in price with many shades that suit WoC. This is a must have, that I MUST HAVE!

MAC Lip Mix in Crimson - You can blame NikkieTutorials for this one, check out the AMAZING red lip she created with Crimson and Riri Woo. I've been obsessed with adding Crimson to my collection ever since. A MAC Pro product but worth the extra effort in my opinion!

What's on your summer make up wish list?

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Camera Ready Cosmetics Haul and Swatches

I've been hauling like a makeup fiend lately, don't ask me why!

I have a few more hauls coming up as well as a video but wanted to share these new buys as I'm really impressed with them.

A lot of these items are new buys; products I have never tried before so wanted to share my initial reviews of some of these hauls.

If you follow me on Instagram you would have already seen this small, relatively modest haul from a company called Camera Ready Cosmetics.

I came across Camera Ready Cosmetics after reading a comment left by a follower of another Instagram user stating that CRC hold samples of the infamous Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer.

I was happy to see that CRC actually sell samples to several different brands so I picked up a few samples as well as two full size products:

Sample of Ben Nye's Matte Foundation in Espresso Bean

Simply picked this up for contouring purposes, Espresso Bean is a very deep matte brown, suitable for very dark skin tones as a foundation and also perfect for contouring. 

If this was to be used as a foundation I imagine it would be amazing!

It's very pigmented and smooth, I really want to pick up some more samples in my skin tone. 

The fantastic thing about these foundations is the colour range, perfect for pale skin tones as well as women of colour. 

Fantastic in my opinion!

Ben Nye MediaPRO Poudre Refill in Mojave - Americano

I really want to pick up the Ben Nye MediaPRO Poudre Palette in Mojave, it looks like a great alternative to the Anastasia Contour Kit but for women of colour but I'm waiting until IMATS to do so, so before then I wanted to test out the palette so I picked up a full size refill of the darkest colour in the palette - Americano.

Americano is perfect for contouring on my skin tone.

It is a cool toned deep matte brown that applies very smoothly, I am in absolute love with this refill. 

The pigmentation is impressive!

I definitely want to get the full Mojave palette now.

La Femme Sparkle Dust in Antique Gold

I've been getting into pigments lately so I decided to pick up this La Femme pigment, mostly because it was so affordable. I picked Antique Gold which is really just a gold with deep brown bronze undertone. Not as finely milled as some of the other pigments I have tried but still a gorgeous colour. 

You can see me wearing this pigment HERE

Samples of Graftobian Hi-Def Glamour Creme Blush in Autumn Breeze and Cherry Glaze

I already own Graftobian's Hi-Def foundation palette which I really love so I decided to try another product from their palettes. 

The odd thing about these blushers is that although they come from the same palette they are both different in texture and appearance.

Autumn Breeze is a matte warm creamy peach blush which gives off a natural flush which isn't too overpowering whilst Cherry Glaze is as stated, a very, very sheer berry colour, slightly disappointing in pigmentation.

L-R Espresso, Americano, Antique Gold, Cherry Glaze, Autumn Breeze

I also picked up 3 samples of the 

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer.

I decided to purchase SX11, SX12 ans SX13.

The samples are fantastic to use not just to test out the product but also because the Sensual Skin Enhancer is naturally ultra pigmented, these samples will last you a while! 

Each sample costs $4.99 (£2.98) which isn't too unreasonable at all in my opinion.

I've tested out all three and I can see why there is so much hype around this product, the pigmentation is outstanding!

 I've used SX13 on several occasions and I still have a considerable amount left.

The Sensual Skin Enhancer can be used as foundation however I have bought these shades for highlighting purposes only. 

SX11 being for obvious highlighting and SX12 and SX13 being for more subtle highlighting.

I will be working more with these products so that you can see the full effect on my skin tone but for now I've swatched all shades so you can get an idea of consistency and undertone.

L-R: SX11, SX12, SX13

All in all my order came up to $58.68 or £35 and some change, shipping included.

I am really impressed with Camera Ready Cosmetics, I didn't need to pay customs and the package was delivered within 4 working days.

They hold a huge range of PRO make up brands including Kett, MAQ pro and Mehron as well as more commercial brands such as OCC, Stila and Sugarpill.

If you want to try out new make up or even the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, I would definitely recommend checking out this site.

Camera Ready Cosmetics

Have you shopped from Camera Ready Cosmetics?

Have your tried the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer? What do you think of it?

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Valentines Day Look: Bronzed Glow

With Valentine's Day almost upon us I thought it would be good to create a few looks that you could wear on a date or a night out with your girls for all the single ladies up in hurr!

This is the second look I came up with (you can see the first HERE) this is a really subtle but effective look, here, instead of a bold red lip we're making the focus your natural glow.

Now, a natural glow can be hard to create especially if you're not an angel but fear not! 

With the right products it can be achieved!

Click To Enlarge

Brows 

I started off by filling in my brows with a generic soft dark brown pencil, I then set my brows with Maybelline's Brow Drama in Dark Brown. To clean up my brows I applied MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC50 at the top, NC45 at the bottom for a natural highlight.

Face

Start off with your favourite flawless finish foundation, mine is MAC's Studio Fix Fluid in NC50.  
Once buffed into the skin well, start highlighting. 
We want our highlight to be noticeable but in a good way, I would recommend going in with a full coverage concealer no more than 3 shades lighter than your skin tone. Here I am using the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX11, this concealer is great and really effective in creating a glow/highlight to the desired areas. I applied the SSE to my t-zone including my philtrum and my chin. I blended this in with a fluffly brush and then set it all with a light beige eyeshadow from my JC Paris 28 Neutral Palette.
I've found the key to a natural highlight in blending out harsh lines, I used my 

Inglot AMC Pressed Powder in 60 to blend out concealer as well as to set my face.

I also used my Ben Nye MediaPRO Poudre Refill in Mojave Americano to contour (my new favourite contour powder!)

I then went in with my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure, this a great neutral plum toned blush with not too much shimmer, really subtle but gorgeous.

Afterwards for warmth and more of a glow I used my Inglot AMC Pressed Powder in 68 for bronzing around the perimeter of my face and my neck. For more highlighting I used Illamasqua's Powdered Metal in Ether along the same areas in which I used SSE.

Eyes

I started with MAC's Studio Finish Concealer in NC45 for a base. I then applied La Femme's Sparkle Dust in Antique Gold all over the lid (applied with a damp brush)

I used fluffy brushes to apply the Dark Brown and Black e/s from the JC Paris 28 Neutral Palette to smoke out the edges.

I always use Inglot 335 e/s  as a transitional shade, it's the perfect warm terracotta colour for my skin tone.

For a bit more shimmer I placed Inglot 406 e/s on the exact center of my eyelid lid using my finger for precision. This gives a 3-Dimensional effect when your eyes close, a little something extra that can help a lot with simple eyeshadow looks.

I wanted to keep this look soft so instead of a black liner I used a soft brown pencil in my waterline, I smudged this out with the brown e/s from the JC Paris 28 Neutral Palette paying more attention to the outer third of my eye for definition.

Next I applied several coats of my favourite mascara Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof Mascara in Black.

Lips

Lips are very simple!

I firstly started out with NYX Lip Pencil in Brown to outline my lips.

I then went in with the beautiful nude Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Dulce Caramelo, however this didn't really provide enough coverage for me so I went in on top of that with my Kiko Lip Gloss Pencil in 11.

I then applied my favourite lipgloss NYX's Miami Babe to warm up my nude lip.

Last but not least, I finished with my setting spray, the NYX Makeup Setting Spray in the matte finish.

And viola!

Done!

A wearable and relatively easy glowing skin look for Val's Day!

Your date is sure to be impressed!

MWAH...don't forget to send me one back, I don't have the lurgies...I promise!

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