Battle of the rouge lip!

So finding the perfect red lip can be a bit of a mission, with all the different shades and undertones out there. It has taken me a while to do so but I have found my perfect red... Well almost. I've found two. I've decided to bring the internal ongoing debate I have as to which one is my favourite to my blog.

Candidate number 1 is the infamous Ruby Woo by MAC. I love this red, it is the perfect balance between a deep and bright red. Super long lasting and super matte! It doesn't budge and there is 0 bleeding with this. My only criticism with this is almost not a criticism... I feel like sometimes (mostly in the winter) it becomes too matte and drying, It actually becomes hard to apply, which isn't entirely pleasant. In the summer I have no complaints but with the weather in the UK it's not very avoidable.

Candidate number 2 is the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture The Mat in colour 203, I love love love this, it is pretty similar to Ruby Woo but slightly brighter. You can achieve that deep luxurious look with a bit of dark lip liner blended into it. This also doesn't bleed and lasts longer than most lipsticks although I don't believe the longevity quite matches upto Ruby Woo.

So not much difference between the two but from reading my own argument I think I prefer Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture The Mat - 203 simply due to the way it looks and feels lovely on the lips. Your lips are delicate so anything you put on it shouldn't be dragging it or drying it out. For quick intensity for a photo shoot maybe I would definitely go for Mac but for everyday, throw in the handbag type of use,any time of the year YSL wins for me.

I think.
I'll probably change my mind next week, but for now :)

P.s They both smell ahmmaazing!

Mwah xo

217 baby!

You've probably heard makeup fanatics rave about the infamous 217 brush from MAC. As a makeup freak myself I've really wanted to try the brush and experience its magical powers. That day finally came and I can safely say I'm not disappointed. It's like working with a magical blending wand. The real hair brush which is feather light on the skin is perfect for blending concealer into the skin, dusting powder into corners and blending out eye shadows. I also find it works well if you're going for a more concentrated strong contour line. It's definitely worth buying more that one of these brushes considering its multi purpose use or you'll have a lot of cleaning to do during one makeup application which won't be great for the brush itself. Make sure you treat your brushes with TLC because a good quality well treated brush should last a lifetime :) (making it definitely worth the £18) ...my advice = go and enlighten your life with a 217 brush!

Mwah xo

Top 5! (Current)

Okay so if you ask me my favourite make-up products every month it would be different eveytime as I love to switch it up and try new things. There a few things though that would come up every time but on the whole I always tend to find new things that become my favourite till the next best thing comes along :D

Ill start with Studio Fix from MAC as that is a recurring favourite. Ever since I started using this about 4 years ago, its been a staple in my make-up bag. The thing I love about this particular product is that you have full control over the coverage. MAC on the whole is quite full coverage but because this is essentially a powder foundation, if you apply it with a brush you can create the most subtle coverage or really build it up to its full potential with flawless results every time. I also love it when products have SPF in them because its just extra protection and that never a bad thing! All MAC products have SPF 15 in them! I literally can't fault this product, it never makes me feel to made up either, as its not thick and there are sooo many shades to choose form that everyone can get a perfect match.

THIS! is amazing! I was introduced to this a while back and feel like I really need to share the greatness off this product. Porefessional is a Primer from Benefit, it is the UK's number 1 best selling primer and this is why... Most primers I feel either give your skin a slightly ashy look, or a rubbery feel. I am yet to find a primer that compares with this. As your applying it you can see the visible difference as it reduces the size of pores, and smooths over any lines preparing your face for a layer of foundation or powder, ALTHOUGH you can use this product on its own for daily use as I do, the product applies in a very silky way and doesn't dry out your skin, so for a more evened out complexion without looking made up I use this and that's why I love it! its like a two in one. Amazing primer that also acts like a toner. and I just loove the feel of it on my skin :)

Helen E Blemish concealers are awesome! I find that they are a perfect texture to really brighten up under your eyes without looking cakey and they cover up well without adding too much layering to your face. They are light but effective in other words. I use the darkest shade, but can get away with the medium shade because of how well they blend. When I'm doing a dramatic eye make-up look and really want to highlight my brow bone I tend to use the medium one. The yellowish coloured one is for white skin and works just as well giving a healthy illuminated look. I love this, and the price makes it soo much more appealing at only £10 (pop into a store and you can grab one for £5!)

E.l.f really surprised me with their false lashes. I bought them as an experiment. I wasn't expecting too much from them but was extremely pleasantly surprised. I genuinely have converted to these. I don't buy my falsies from anywhere else now. They have three different types from natural to dramatic and they come with a half lash on top of the full one to add extra definition if need. I couldn't fin a picture of the exact one I have but its basically the same but in black packaging with an extra half piece. The glue is really good as well, it is quick to set and clear, the spine of the lashes are also very flexible so its really to apply and get right into the corners. It also come with tweezers! Love them :)

Urban Decays Naked 2 Palette is just simple amazing. Every time I open it up I feel like a kid in a candy store with the colours. They are most definitely the best pigmented eye shadows I own. A bonus to this is also that it comes with a double sided brush, (I'm not talking like some crappy plastic bush) you get a professional eye-shadow/contouring brush that comes in really handy. My favourite colours are Half baked, Busted, Verve and Blackout. I find those colours combined also create a very sexy smoky eye for a night look (my fave kinda eye make-up). The eye-shadows don't crease and are incredibly long lasting, especially if your using primer underneath. They don't fall all over your face when your applying it either. I'm in love with Urban Decay eye shadows and I just love all the colours, all so feminine and pretty, and also very much worth the price.

So they are my top 5 for now! Ill be doing one of these every few weeks so keep and eye out! I highly recommended all these, I'm sure you wont be disappointed :D

Mwah xo

Beach partaaay

Here is my beautiful client! 

She had a beach themed party to attend and wanted me to make her up. Obviously the beach theme meant nothing too heavy so I went for smokey eyes, clean face and peachy lips. She loved it and i loved doing it!  She is such a stunner, here are her eyes which she loooved!

 At the moment I don't charge for my makeovers as the aim for now is to get my name out there!  I will literally do anyone's makeup for free with the faith that they will love it and recommend it to others. When I have a more regular client base ill sure be charging. I forever wish to remain on that learvning curve, always improving and becoming more experienced.  

Mwah xo

Natural Vs Made up

 So i got bored and made up half my face. Creativity meets boredom i guess lol. I started off doing my eye then thought id just do exactly half my face and compare the difference. I was glad to see the difference wasn't crazy dramatic as this is a look i could do for the day and was very simple. Firstly i used the prep and prime balm that i mentioned in my previous post as a primer on my eyes to really bring out the colour of the shadow. I used this eye shadow palette to create a smoky effect using the dark green as the crease colour, the black at the outer corners, the pale pink in the corner and the light green under my eyes. I then lined under my eye with a green eyeliner from Helen E lined my waterline with the elf kohl pencil.

 I used Mac studio finish concealer under my eyes and on my brow bone, which i then highlighted with bronzer (Helen E - Diva). I used a tiny amount of no 7 liquid foundation around the rest or my face. I used a dark powder lightly under my cheekbones and a lighter powder under my eyes to set the concealer. i then dusted Mac studio fix all around my face and added a brush of Mac's raisin blush under my cheekbones and around the sides of my face. A thick application of eyeliner and lashings of mascara and the look was complete!

Underneath i have shown where i have highlighted (Orange lines) and where i have contoured (Blue lines).

Hope this helps

Mwah xo

Bronzer love

So I did a mini shoot yesterday with my fave girlies! By the end of it we were all exhausted but i got some lovely shots. I did the makeup and styled them both. Here are some of the pictures, hope you guys like it! P.s. I went crazy with bronzer. I think its perfect for sunny weather as it really illuminates your face and creates structure and a nice sun kissed look. The bronzer I used was Healthy glow bronzing powder by e.l.f (I highly recommend).

Mwah xo

In my element

So yesterday I decided to start building a proper portfolio of my makeup looks. I've been thinking about it for a while but really just never started. I managed to corner my sister and after an hour of being in my element this is what I created. 

Eyes - I wanted statement eyes but nothing too harsh and dramatic. I used elf matte brown eyeshadow as a base then created a light smoky look with dark green shades from the maybeline mini eyeshadow pallete,  I used a mac concealer for the brow bone.

Skin - I went all out with coverage.  I started with maybaline concealer around the face and no7 foundation,  using a stipple brush I blended this all in THEN I brushed baby powder all over the face. I then applied the mac conceal under the eyes and down the nose and the no7 foundation again and used a foundation brush to blend it all in. I then used a translucent powder for around the eyes to set the concealer and then mac studio fix around tp set the rest of the face. I used sleek contour kit to contour her cheek bones and straighten the nose.

Lips - I lined the lips with a light brown pencil (drug store brand) and dabbed a shimmer eyeshadow all over then coated in Helen E lip gloss in colour 'Red Currant'.

Eyebrows - I used a waxy eyeliner pencil (I find them easier) and followed the shape of the brow adding a slight arch and concealing around to neaten up

Hope this helped and hope you liked the look! :) Any questions,  feel free to comment! 
Mwah! xo

P.s. Eid mubarak to all you Muslims ♥