What I use to bronze, contour and highlight

Hi Beauts.

Only recently have I started to bronze and contour on a daily basis. I dipped in and out of it for a while but didn't really add it into my every day make up routine, because I felt I wasn't that good at it. 

However, for the past few weeks I've bronzed and contoured each morning, and have had a few comments on my make up from people I work with. 

So today, I figured I'd share which products and brushes I use as I thought it might help some of my fellow pale chicks out there. 

After applying my foundation and powder, I go in with my FashionistA bronzer in the shade 'LA' and use my Real Techniques blush brush. I never use this as a blush brush as I feel it's too big for what I want. This bronzer is pretty neutral with a small warmth to it which is perfect for my skin tone

Next for contour. I recently bought myself the NYX blush in 'Taupe' after hearing how great it is for a contour shade. It is definitely cool toned and doesn't look muddy. I apply this with a very light hand on my Barbra Daily angled blush brush. I can see where the product needs to be now, but found it very helpful to do the fish face when I was first starting out.

Third but not last is blush. I think everyone wears blush right? Again I apply this with an angled blush brush, and apply it on top and just above where I contoured. I'm currently using and loving the Make Up Revolution blush palette in 'Sugar and Spice. I love each shade, in particular then third from the left on the bottom

And last in my little routine is highlight. I've been loving The Balm Mary-Loumaniser lately and apply this to the very tops of my cheek bones with the elf blush brush, as it's quite a small brush and applies just enough product

Well, that's my easy peasy routine. As I say this has now become part of my every day make up and I really enjoy wearing it. On a day to day basis I do contour quite lightly and tend to deepen the colour for an evening.

What do you use for bronzing and contouring?

Stacey x

Products I've been loving

Hi Beauts.

As I haven't posted a favourites in a while, I thought I'd share some products that I've been loving these past few months. Some are new things I've recently been trying out and loving and some are rediscoveries.

* FashionistA bronzer in 'LA' - I've never really been one for bronzer, if I'm honest because I could never find one that suited my skin tone. However I dug deep into my make up collection and pulled out this little bronzer. Bronzing and contouring has now become and every day essential for me

* NYX blush in 'Taupe' - Because I'm so pale, I find it hard to get a decent contour powder that doesn't look muddy on my skin. This blush is perfect for all of us pale skin ladies. It's a cool toned, light taupe shade that blends easily, and lasts on my skin all day

* Make Up Revolution blush palette 'Sugar and Spice'- This is a new palette to my collection, and one that will be a favourite for a very long time. It comes with 8 different pink toned blushes, that will suit everyone. The pigmentation I'd intense, the shades are gorgeous and the staying powder is amazing

* Make Up Revolution eyeshadow palettes - I couldn't pick one palette from the three that I have. Each one has outstanding pigmention, a beautiful shade range, they all blend like a dream and each contain mattes and shimmers

* Eyeko Skinny liquid eyeliner 'Black' - I'm a huge fan of eyeliner pens, and this one impressed me big time. It's so easy to control, it glides on effortlessly, it's super black and it stays put literally all day long 

* The Bodyshop Amazonian wild lily fragrance mist - This smells AMAZING!! I kid you not, this could possibly be the nicest smelling thing I've ever sprayed on me. I won't even begin to try and describe it, but I will say that it smells so fresh and clean and I adore it!

What products have you been enjoying lately? 

Stacey x

Fab Five Favourites part 3: Lips

Hi Beauts.

Today I wanted to share with you little beauts my Fab Five lip Favourites. I have part one and two linked at the end of the post too if you fancy a peek. 

1 - Nuxe rêve de miel - If you suffer from dry and cracked lips, then this is a product that you absolutely need in your make up bag. It is rather thick so I tend to use it as a lip treatment overnight, and when I wake up in the morning I have a super smooth pout

2 - elf lipstick in Classy -  This is my go to lipstick. If I'm in a hurry or can't decide on a lip colour, I pick this up. If I have a dark eye look going on then I'll just dab this on for a 'my lips but better' hint of colour, or if I have simple make up I'll add a regular coat of it. It's a gorgeous mauve shade, long lasting and super affordable

3 - MUA Intense kisses in Sealed with a kiss - The thing I love about this, is that it's a lipstick and lipgloss in one. It has the pigmentation and staying power of a lipstick but the consistency of a gloss. It's also the perfect nude for me too.

4 - NYX Megashine lipgloss - I'd choose these glosses over any other if I'm honest. They're the best consistency in my opinion, they are slightly sticky but not too much, the shades are amazing and they're the longest lasting I've tried

5 - Prestige lip liner in Silk - I used this none stop when I first bought it but then changed my make up storage around and forgot about it. However since moving everything back, I've been wearing it every day again. It is the perfect 'my lips but better' colour and it makes a great lip colour and/or base for any other lipstick

Fab favourites part One

Fab favourites part Two

What are your favourite lip products?

Stacey x

Recent purchases

Hi Beauts.

It feels like forever since I actually bought any make up. In all honesty, t probably wasn't even that long ago! I popped into town yesterday to pick a few bits I've had my eye on for a while, so thought I'd share them with you.

Superdrug

* MUA Ever after matte palette - £4.00. 

* MUA Intenses kisses in 'Sealed with a kiss - £2.00. 

* 2True Be clear 4 in 1 powder - £1.99

* Beauty UK simply define brow pencil in 'Dark brown' - £1.99

Tesco

* Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in 'Sugar apple' (2 for £6.00)

* Barry M matte nail paint in 'Espresso' (2 for £6.00)

Primark

* P.S Love 8 shade day eye shadow palette - £2.50

* P.S Love this eyeshadow and concealer brush - £1.00

NYX

* Matte finish setting spray - £8.00

Have a great Sunday Beauts

Stacey x

Happy St Patricks day!

Hi Beauts.

Today I wanted to do something a little bit different as it is indeed st Patricks day. So instead of a product review or haul, I wanted to share a make up look I created using some sleek and MUA products.

Here's the look I came up with:

Here's what I used:

MUA 'Undressed'

Sleek 'Vintage Romance'

Sleek 'Garden of Eden'

Step one: Apply a base of your choice. I used NYX jumbo eye pencil in Horse Raddish in the outer half of my lid

Step two: Appy a mid toned brown to the crease. I used Shade 3 from MUA's Undressed palette. Applying this shade helped blend the other shadows and created a transition colour

Step  three: Apply a light shimmery green straight on top of the green NYX pencil, I used Evergreen from the Sleek Garden of Eden palette. Then apply a gold to the inner half of your lid, I used Meet in Madrid from the Sleek Vintage Romane palette. And lastly, a dark matte green shade to the outer third and blend into the crease. For this I used Tree of Life from the Garden of a Eden palette 

Step Four: Along the lower lash line, match the shadows to the ones used on the lid - gold in the inner third, light green in the centre and dark green in the outer third

Step five: To complete the look I applied P.S Love felt liner pen from Primark, and two coats of MUA's Lash Boom mascara

And that's it, look complete and ready to celebrate St Patricks day

Have a great day whatever you're up too

Stacey x

NYX matte setting spray

Hi Beauts.

I'm a huge NYX fan if you didn't already know and was so excited when Next started selling their products. One thing in particular caught ny eye and that was the matte setting spray. However none of the Next stores had it in stock whenever I went in, which made me need to get my hands on it even more. Thankfully a few weeks ago I spotted it sitting there on the shelf begging to be purchased, so I did just that. 

I've tried two other setting sprays in the past and really liked them, if you're an oily gal like me then I absolutely recommend trying one out.

As with all NYX products, the packaging is sleek and (in my opinion) pretty professional looking. The spray comes in a spray bottle and for £8.00 you get 60 mls of product. I've used this every day since I bought it and definitely noticed a difference in the longevity of my make up. I never usually have a problem with my foundation/concealer/powder caking up but it's something I always look out for when I'm trying out new face products. And this was no disappointment, I noticed no change in the appearance of my foundation etc after applying or throughout the day. 

Before I bought and tried this, I'd read a few reviews from other beauty bloggers saying that their skin was left wet and tacky for a few minutes after applying, but I didn't notice this at all. I held the bottle about 30cm away from my face, sprayed 5-6 times and it literally dried within around 30 seconds, maybe less. There was no waiting around for it to soak into my skin at all. I apply my make up at6:30 am each morning and (usually) remove it at between 6 & 7 pm that night, my foundation was still intact and my face was shine free.

If you're on the lookout for a good setting spray to keep your make up in place, I'd absolutely recommend giving this a go. I've used the Urban Decay De slick and I find this to be just as good, and for a fraction of the price.

Have you tried any of NYX setting sprays? What did you think? 

Stacey x

January favourites 2014

Hi Beauts.

Time for my very first favourites for 2014! How weird is that? Let's just hope this year doesn't go quite so fast, I have lots of fun planned and I don't want it to fly by!

Most of these products are new to me, but are things I've been using and loving literally the whole month.

Skincare:

* Nspa hot cloth cleanser - I use this as my second cleanse and just find that it leaves my skin feeling so soft, looking fresh and the biggy it doesn't break me out

* Lush Grease Lightning - This is, in my opinion, the best spot treatment on the market. Literally hours after applying this to a spot, the size had reduced and the redness had pretty much disappeared  

* Nspa Deep hydrating facial oil - I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to use an oil as I have oily skin, but a lot of you lovelies told me to give one a try. This has no become my nighttime 'moisturiser' and I love using it. Each morning, my skin feels SO soft and looks pretty damn flawless, I've also noticed that my scaring on my chin is starting to fade too

Make up:

NYX matte finishing spray - I've tried a couple of setting sprays before and loved using them, so knew if had to try this one too. It's fab!! It definitely keeps my make up on all day and keeps my face looking 100% matte

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer - This was a Christmas present from my sister and something that I've had my eye on forever. It's the perfect neutral champagne highlighter

Along came Betty Starlight shine highlighter in 'Glow' - Yup another highlighter! This is a cream one and it is stunning. Again it's a neutral champagne shade, and I think it gives the perfect glow

Along came Betty All concealed concealer kit in Light/Medium - I absolutely love this concealer, and now don't think I could be without it. It's full coverage, lasts all day and doesn't cake up at all. I tend to mix the light and medium shades to match my skin for any scars or blemishes I want to hide

Along came Betty Double whammy in 'Poochy' - Another product from the Along came Betty range. This is a lipstick and lipgloss duo, and the shade is right up my street. It's a pinky mauve kind of colour and looks absolutely gorgeous.

(Lots of reviews on the above products coming soon)

Which products have made it to your favourites this month? 

Stacey x

My Favourite.......eye and lip products

Hi Beauts.

I've previously written post about my favourite skincare and hair , and face products, and wanted to sure the final post with you all - My favourite eye and lip products:

Eyeshadow: Soap and Glory quad in 'What's nude' and Urban Decay naked 2 and naked basics palettes. I couldn't choose just one, whoops. I love me some nude eyeshadows, and these are the palettes that I always reach for. All three have great pigmentation and. Blend like a dream.

Pencil liner: Urban Decay 24/7 liners. I can't narrow it down to just one shade, but these are the best liners in general. They're soft to apply, last all day/night and don't smudge (unless you want them to)

Liquid liner: elf waterproof liner pen and MUA extreme felt liner. Again I couldn't narrow it down, these are both super long lasting and smudge/budge proof, not to mention extremely black.

Eyebrows: MUA eyebrow kit. This is a great product for everyone, it contains three eyebrow shades and a wax to keep your blows in place.

Lip liner: Prestige in Silk. I actuall have 4 or 5 of these bad boys floating around. This shade is a nudey pink and looks amazing on its own as well as under other lipsticks.

Lipstick: MUA Shade 2 and elf 'Classy'. Both of these lipsticks are highly pigmented, last for hours and aren't in the least bit drying.

Lipgloss: NYX mega shine lipgloss in Tea Rose. These are the best glosses I've tried. They're super pigmented, super glossy, last for ages and aren't sticky at all.

Well that's them all listed. I just thought that these little posts might be helping for those of you that also use cruelty free products, as it's quite difficult to find brands that are against animal testing.

Previous post listing brands that are against animal testing Here

Stacey x

My favourite.......Face products

Hi Beauts.

A couple of posts back, I shared all of my current skin and hair care products with you all. Today I wanted to do a little post on all of my current favourite face products, please bare in mind I have oily skin so these won't be loved by everyone. Using all of these products together seems to really work well, and I've been loving the staying power and finish a lot.

Foundation: Barry M flawless matte foundation. I usually go for a full coverage foundation or a buildable medium at the least, but I'd say this was a light to medium coverage. However I love using it none the less. I wouldn't say it was a matte finish, but it does keep me shine free

Concealer: Along came Betty all concealed in Light/Medium and Gosh Click 'N conceal in Light. I mix the light and medium shades together in the Along Came Betty concealer kit to hide any scars or blemishes and use the Gosh concealer as an under eye concealer. Full reviews on both coming soon, but I will say they last all day, conceal great and don't cake up or crease at all

Setting Spray: NYX matte finish. I absolutely LOVE this setting spray (Again full review to follow) I've used the Urban Decay De slick and I have to say, this is just as good in my opinion. It helps my make up last all day, and definitely keeps me matte

Blush: Along with highlights, blush is one of my favourite things, and I have so many I love. Flushed by Sleek is one that I probably love using the most. I also love MUA cream blushes too, they work surprisingly well with my skin type

Bronzer: Bourjois chocolate bronzer. I never used to bronze up on a daily basis, just on nights out, but had this sitting in my drawer feeling unloved so decided to start using it. I use it every day now, and love the nice glow it gives to my cheeks

Highlight: The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer. I'm a complete highlight junkie, I just can't get enough of them. This one from The Balm has been my favourite since the day I got it and for a cream highlight, I've been loving Along Came Betty's starlight shine highlighter in glow. It gives such a beautiful glowy sheen to my cheekbones

I'm still on the hunt for a cruelty free setting powder if anyone has any recommendations?

What are your favourite face products? 

Stacey x

NYX blush in Pinched

Hi Beauts.

There are so many brands talked about on YouTube that us UK beauty fiends can't get our mitts on. One brand being NYX. However they created a UK website and......started selling their products in some Next stores. How exciting?!

 I'm not really a fan of buying online as I like to have a good old swatch of things, so as soon as I found out Next stocked NYX (woah mouthful) I knew I had to go have a spy. 

One thing that was top of my wishlist was a blush. Everyone loves them so I knew that would be the first thing I bought (I already own a round lipstick and 2 mega shine glosses) I picked out 'Pinched' to try out first, you can never go wrong with a pink. And a pink it is.

 This shade is a bright neutral toned pink with a hint of sparkle. However the sparkle doesn't transfer to the cheeks - no looking like a glitter fairy threw up on your face (nice visual for you) I absolutely love this shade, it's the perfect pink in my opinion and it would definitely suit everyone

 I now see why there is so much hype surrounding these blushes. They are unbelievably pigmented, I literally placed my brush on top and had enough product to apply! They're easily blended too so if you are a bit heavy handed or apply too much, fear not! The majority of blushes I use last all day on my cheeks and this was no exception. The pigmentation didn't fade at all and I had quite a few complements about my 'rosy cheeks' I've read a few reviews of this shade and people seem to compare it to Nars Orgasm blush. However I don't have it to do a comparison but if you do, let me know your thoughts. I was a big fan of NYX before, but I'm an even bigger fan now! 

What are your favourite products? I really want to try the butter glosses SO bad!!!

Previous NYX reviews:

Round lipstick in TeaRose - Here

Mega shine lipglosses - Here 

Stacey x