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

May Favourites 2014

Hi Beauts.

I have to say, even though it's only May, I've had an amazing year so far and the fun is just beginning! Anyway, once again it's time to share with you all my monthly favourites:

* Superdrug uplifting red cherry and fig shampoo and conditioner - These are so inexpensive, but so amazing. They both leave my hair feeling ridiculously sort and smell gorgeous!!

* MUA matte perfect primer - I ran out of my Along came Betty 'fix me' mattifying stick, and have finally found something to rival it. This stuff is amaze balls. The smallest amount is all that you need, it keeps me looking matte and helps my make up stay put pretty much all day

* Elf Peachy Keen blush - This is a rediscovery, and it's pretty much the only blush I've used for the past 3 weeks. It gives a gorgeous glow to the face, and is perfect for the days I didn't want to wear a berry/pink shade

* Beauty UK Snob lipstick - I love this shade! I have a full review here if you want to read my full thoughts. But in a nutshell, this is a gorgeous dusky pink, it's in between a matte and satin finish and lasts reasonably well

* Make up revolution iconic 3 palette - I never thought I'd wear anything pink on my eyes as I'm cool toned and usually warm shadows make me look ill. However, I haven't been able to stop usong this palette the whole month of May. It has a great range of shadows, every one of them is pigmented and they're so smooth and easy to blend out

I also have to add a couple of songs that I've had on constant repeat, because they're just too amazing not to share with you all: 

* Anastasia - Stupid little things

* Jason Derulo - Karma Sutra

* Jason Derulo - Fire

* Paloma Faith - Only love can hurt like this

What have you been loving Beauts? 

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

April favourites 2014

Hi Beauts.

Time for a little round up of the products I loved throughout April. Grab a cuppa ladies, this could take a while.

* B. Sheer finish pressed powder - I think I've discovered my new favourite face powder. I got the lightest shade, I resemble Casper pretty much all year round, and it's a yellow toned which I love. I'm cool toned too which means anything remotely pink or warm toned looks ridiculous on me. It doesn't add a whole lot of coverage, but just enough and it keeps me matte pretty much all day

* elf blush in 'Blushing Rose' - This has been in my collection for months, and it's the only blush I've used all of April. It's the perfect berry shade (which is my favourite) and I've had so many compliments on my make up and always get asked what I have on my cheeks

* Make Up Revolution iconic 3 palette - This had to make it to my favourites. I hauled this recently and literally can't put it down. It's SO pigmented, the colour range is fantastic, none of the shadows crease and I just love it!

* MUA ever after matte eyeshadow palette - Another palette made it to my favourites, this time all matte shades. I reviewed this not too long ago and I've just loved using it. I use it alone for all matte looks, or use it in conjunction with my Iconic 3 palette to add a little depth. Again the pigmentation is great and I love the range of shades

* Make Up Revolution baked mono eyeshadow in 'Celestial' - Another goodie from Make Up Revolution, this time a single baked eyeshadow. One of my favourite shades to wear is green, so I couldn't resist buying this. It's a dark shimmery, olive toned green and looks absolutley stunning in the outer corner and V

* Beauty UK eyebrow pencil - My new favourite eyebrow product to use alongside my MUA eyebrow kit. I just find my eyebrows look more defined and put together when I use a pencil and then a powder. This one matches my brows and hair great, it's not too hard or soft so there's no tugging and it doesn't smudge like others I've tried in the past. Full review here

My most recent 'Fab Five Favourites' post

What are your most recent favourites?

Stacey x

Fab Five Favourites

Hi Beauts.

 I wanted to do something a little different today, and share with you all my Fab Five Favourites. I'll still be posting my monthly favourites every month, but thought this might be a good way to share what I've been loving during the week. This week, I'm going to rave about my five favourite face products...There's a lot of F's flying about this post isn't there?!

1 - B. Flawless complete coverage Foundation in 'linen' I'd ran out of my foundation so was on the hunt for a new one to try out. I'd loved the lip crayons from the brand B. so figured I'd try out one of their foundations. The coverage of this is pretty good and it works well with my oily skin, however even the lightest shade is a little too dark. Which brings me to item number 2.

2 - NYC all day long foundation in 'classic ivory' I've tried this before amd loved the finish and staying power however the lightest shade is too light for me. Mixed with the foundation from B. and the two combined give the best cover, finish, staying power and the shade matches me perfectly.      

3 - B. Sheer finish Pressed powder in 'light' - Again, I'd ran out of my powder so needed to pick up a new one and this one was on offer in Superdrug so I thought, why not? It's a pretty yellow based foundation which I love as I wanted to tone down some of the warmth from the B.foundation. It doesn't add too much coverage but it does leave me matte and keeps my foundation on throughout the day. I love that it comes with a mirror too, very handy

4 - elf blush in 'blushing rose' - I've been trying to use more of my blushes because I've tended to stick to one or two the past few weeks. I'm not sure why I stopped using this little gem, it's the perfect berry shade which is my favourite shade to wear (no matter what the season is) it's highly pigmented too and stays put all day long.

5 - The Balm Mary-Lou Maniser - This is probably my all time favourite highlighter if I'm honest. It's         shimmery but not over the top and it gives the most gorgeous highlight to cheekbones. It's neutral toned too which is a must for me. This little beauty can also be used as an eyeshadow, browbone highlight and inner tear duct highlight too!

What are your current favourite face products? 

Stacey x

Empties #1

Hi Beauts.

Time (eventually) for me to post my pretty loooooong and first empties post of 2014. Grab your cuppa, this may take a while......

* Tesco Deodorant - I first picked this up because it's the only deodorant I could find that was cruelty free. After using this once I'd found a favourite (weird to have a fave deodorant I know) it smella amazing and does the job. REPURCHASE? Already have, I'm now onto my third RECOMMEND? Yes

* S&G Body spray - I'm a massive fan of S&G, mainly the scent of their products, so when I spotted this on the shelf I couldn't resist. However, I was disappointed. It doesn't smell like the sweet candy scent that most of their other products smell of, it has more of a vanilla scent to it. REPURCHASE? No. RECOMMEND? Yes if you like vanilla scented products, No if you want the sweet S&G scent

* Nspa body spray in Raspberry -A while back I won an nspa gift set on twitter and this body spray was part of that set. I loved this because it was so easy to chuck in my bag and spritz whenever I felt the need. I loved the smell too, so refreshing and it'd be perfect for summer. I do prefer the liquid type body sprays to the aerosols too as I feel you get more bang for your buck. REPURCHASE? Yes. RECOMMEND? Yes

* Superdrug shampoo & Conditioner - Again, these were the first products I found which are against animal testing. And to be honest, I'm not one for fancy hair products anyway, as long as they clean my hair, I'm good to go. Theae did just that. They didn't leave my hair extra shiny or smooth, but they left it clean. REPURCHASE? Yes, however I've just picked up some from Tesco which I want to try out. RECOMMEND? Yes

* Batiste tropical dry shampoo - Always an essential and always a repurchase. This is something I use if I haven't had time to wash my hair, and it smells amazing. REPURCHASE? Absolutely RECOMMEND? Absolutely

* Nspa shower gel - Another product in the Nspa gift set I won, and another body spray I love coco butter so knew I'd like this. The formula was like that of gelly, the scent was amazing, lathered brilliantly and left my skin so soft. It made a great bubble bath too! REPURCHASE? Yes RECOMMEND? Yes

* Nspa scrub - Last goodie from nspa, this time their shower scrub. I very rarely use scrubs if I'm honest, but when I do I like them to do three things: Smell nice, have enough but not too much, particles and leave my skin feeling soft. This one did all three. REPURCHASE? Yes RECOMMEND? Yes

* MUA extreme felt liner - I've used this pretty much since the first day it was released and I still love it. It's very black, opaque and waterproof. It's also really easy to use because the tip is quite flexible. REPURCHASE? Yes RECOMMEND? Absolutely

* e.l.f waterproof eyeliner pen - I'd ran out of my MUA liner whilst in NYC so picked this up to see if I'd like it. And like it I did. Like the MUA liner, this was highly pigmented, waterproof and easy to use. This on had a slightly finer and firmer tip which I found made it easier to create a thinner line and wing. REPURCHASE? Definitely RECOMMEND? Yes

* Barry M flawless matte finish foundation - I bought this when I decided to stop using products that were tested on animals, and this was the only foundation I could find that was matte. I usually go for full coverage to hide my freckles and scarring on my chin, however this one was more of a light to medium but could be built up to full. I actually really enjoyed using it and found it to feel quite lightweight on my skin which I like. (Full review to follow soon) REPURCHASE? Yes. RECOMMEND? Yes 

* Along came Betty Fix Me - My new all time favourite product ever. This was a god send! It was basically a mattifying primer in stick form. I'd apply this to my T-zone and blend in with my fingers. It kept my skin matte throughout the day, my make up didn't budge all day and I just can't rave about it enough. REPURCHASE? I already have 2 back ups. RECOMMEND? ABSOLUTELY!!

Phew that was a lot of empties!! Let's see what I can use up next.

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

e.l.f Wish list

Hi Beauts.

Time for another wishlist, and today it is the wonderful elf's turn! Roll on Payday.........

Face:

Pressed powder in Porclain - £3.75

Blush in Gotta Glow - £3.75

HD blush in Headliner - £3.75

All over colour stick in Spotlight - £1.50

Eyes:

Glitter primer in Sheer - £2.50

Single eyeshadow in Amethyst - £3.75

Eyebrow lift and filler in Medium - £3.75

Mineral eye brighter - £3.75

Lips:

Lip exfoliator - £3.75

Long wear lip liners in Natural Blush and Mauve Luxe £1.50 each

Lip balm tint in Berry - £2.50

What's on your wishlist?

You can also find me on Tumblr :)

Stacey x

Review - e.l.f matte color in Tea Rose

Hi Beauts.

A few months ago I placed an order with elf and only recently remembered that I bought one of their matte lip colors in 'Tea Rose' I honestly have the memory of a 90 year old!! (I put my glasses down and spend the next 20 minutes trying to remember where I put them.......woooo I have bad eye sight too, what a catch ;p)

Anyway, since 'finding' this product I've worn it ever since and have to say, I'm a loving it quite a lot.

The shade is right up my street, it's pretty much a muted rose mauve kinda colour which is what I seem to buy all of the time. 

I've mentioned before that I've always been a little wary of wearing matte lip products as some I've used in the past have been drying. However this one chose to prove me wrong.....again.

I found the application of this smooth and creamy and it didn't pull on my lips as I thought it would (Yey for no premature wrinkles) and it felt pretty moisturising too which surprised me because it's a matte product.

(Please excuse the paleness.....hello Dracula :p) 

I'd say I got a good 2 and a half hours great pigmentation out of this before it started to fade. However the faded colour just looked like a 'my lips but better' shade which I actually really liked just as much as  the mauve when I first applied. 

Again, as the hours ticked by it didn't dry out in the slightest bit and actually left my lips moisturised as when I first applied. I'm really impressed with this and definitely think I'll be buying more shades when I place another elf order.

Quick round up:

Super matte, moisturising and extremely pigmented. It does wear off slightly after around 2 to 2 and a half hours, but still leaves a decent amount of product behind. Not at all drying and a gorgeous neutral shade to suit all.

* Price - £3.75

* Product - 1.8g

* Shades - 6

Have you tried any of these yet? What's your favourite shade? 

Stacey x

e.l.f jumbo lip gloss stick in Movie Star

Hi Beauts.

Hands up, who else is a big fan of elf? I've bought quite a few products from them and I don't think I've been disappointed yet.

A new product to me is their Jumbo lipgloss stick and I bought mine in the shade 'Movie star' which is a gorgeous red.

This is pretty much the same as any other jumbo pencil lip product in that you twist the bottom of the pencil to get more product out of the top. The packaging is simple - usual white elf packaging, with a clear lid - but I really like it. I think it's simple and sleek, and the colour on the bottom of the pencil is pretty much what you get.

On applying this i noticed it had a medicinal scent, which to be honest I'm not 100% keen on. It smells similar to the Revlon just bitten kissable balm stains. The application itself was smooth to apply, and pretty opaque. I did apply 2 coats of this so it's definitely buildable if you want a more intense colour.

Lets talk lasting power:

(Please excuse the last picture, it was getting dark outside so I had to use a lamp, and my make up had eventually worn off)

As you can see from the above photos I got a pretty good run with this. From 3pm to 5pm the colour only faded slightly and the reason for it fading completely at 6:25pm is due to the fact I'd just eaten. 

This doesn't claim to be a stain, so I'm not going to complain about it wearing off. I'm pretty impressed with how long it lasted. I'd say the finish was a little glossy but not over the top and it reminded me more of a lipstick than a lipgloss. This didn't dry out my lips in the slightest bit, even when it had completely worn off my lips still felt moisturised.

Other than the smell, I really enjoyed this and shall be looking to add more shades to my collection. One can never have too many lip products right?

Have you tried these yet? What did you think? 

More elf reviews:

My top elf products - here

Waterproof eyliner review - here

All over color stick in Pink lemonade - here

Where to buy elf:

elf website - here

Stacey x

Highlighter overview

Hi Beauts.

So, for some oddball reason I have a current obsession with highlighters. Not the pen but the cheek variety. And I seem to have accumulated probably more than I need if I'm honest, but I can't seem to stop buying them

Today I thought I'd do a little overview of the ones I have in my collection, and maybe you can recommend more to me? *flutters eyelashes*

Lets get on with the show:

* Milani Glimmer stripes all over colour in 'Honey Glimmer' £1.00 - I found this little gem in Poundland and I wish I'd bought a back up. This is a great multipurpose product, each colour can be used as an eyeshadow, the darker shades can be used as a shimmery bronzer, or the lighter colours (which I use) can be used as a highlighter. It gives a very pretty pearlescent sheen to the cheekbones

* MUA Undress your skin £3.00 - This is a product that I knew I had to have as soon as it was released. Again this is a pearlescent shade and it just gives a gorgeous glow. I've also used this as an all over lid shadow before and it looks so pretty. This is very similar to MAC's pigment in 'Pink Opal' too ;)

* e.l.f  Baked blush in 'Pinktastic' £3.75 - I bought this in NYC after watching MsBudgetBeauty rave about it, and I'm so glad I got it. Although this is labelled a blush, I'd definitely say it's a highlight. It just gives off a healthy glow to the face without looking too much. I've also just discovered that this is verrrrrry similar to MAC's Soft and Gentle

* Collection Shimmer & shade in 'Just peachy' (Discontinued? Can be found on eBay) - This is probably my favourite out of the bunch and very clearly my most used. This is another product I picked up in Poundland and luckily I bought a back up. This highlighter is a matte white shade which looks amazing on paler skins.

* Sleek Contour kit in 'Light' £6.49 - This one is the newest in my collection, and one that I haven't stopped using since I bought it. I have no idea why it took me so long to buy this contour kit but I'm SO happy that I got it. This is a nice sheeny highlighter but not as dark as the elf or MAC, definitely for those looking for a natural glow

* MAC Mineralize skin finish in 'Soft and Gentle' £22.00 - Last but not least a cult favourite. I'd been eyeing this up forever and my sister very kindly bought it for me for Christmas! Like I mentioned above, this is VERY similar to the elf baked blush. It has the same texture and finish, but I'd say the elf one is a little more pink toned. This is also probably the only warm toned highlighter out of all the ones I own

Products mentioned in previous posts:

MUA Vs MAC pink opal - here

What are your favourite highlighters? One that is in the very top of my list is The Balm 'May Lou Manizer' I know what I'll be asking Santa for ;) 

Stacey x

e.l.f all over color stick in pink lemonade

Hi Beauts. 

Time for another e.l.f review for y'all - the all over color stick in 'Pink lemonade' Now if I'm honest, I had no idea what the all over color sticks were when I first saw them on the website. I figured they must be a kind of concealer/foundation stick, but alas I was wrong. 

I bought mine in the e.l.f studios in NYC and as soon as I saw this one, I knew it wasn't for all over your face. I mean you could blend it all over....if you want to look like a tomato, not a look I think I'd suit though ;)

Contrary to my original thoughts, the all over color sticks are actually multi use cream sticks that can be used on your eyes, lips or face. Ahhhh see, it all makes sense now doesn't it?

I first tried this one on my cheeks as a blush and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not usually one for cream face products as I'm not a fan of the dewy look. However I applied this after my foundation, then applied my powder on top and it worked out great. It gave such a pretty 'just been out in the cold' kinda glow which I loved and thought looked so natural and pretty. Another thing that surprised me was the staying power. I applied this at 6:30 am and it was still as I had applied it when I checked at 6 pm that same night. I usually find that whenever I have tried cream or liquid face products, they either wear off or go blotchy but not this time.

Now as a lipstick.

I applied this on my lips using my finger and again the pigmentation was amazing. The only thing I didn't love so much was tat it had a pearly sheen to it, which I didn't notice when I used it as a blush. Other than that I was again, pretty impressed. I didn't find this to be drying at all and it stayed put for around 2 hours.

I got this one in the shade Pink lemonade and love it. I shall definitely be buying more :)

NYC stole my heart - Here
NYC haul - Here

Get these from the e.l.f website 

Have you tried any of these yet?

Stacey x