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

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

The Balm: Mary-Lou Manizer

Hi Beauts.

I hadn't heard too much about The Balm until I started watching YouTube and reading blog posts about their products. I think the thing that caught my eye first was the packaging - It's 50's inspired and I love it. I think the make up industry needs something a little different.

My sister bought me the Mary-Lou Manizer for Christmas and I have to say, it's definitely made me want more of their products. I have a slight addiction to highlighters for some reason and knew that I had to try this little beauty out.

Packaging:

As I mentioned earlier, I love the 50's themed packaging. It's definitely an eye catcher. On the front of the box (and the front of the compact) we have a blonde lady who has been arrested for being 'too pretty and too popular' The picture is actually really cool, it looks like a police mugshot - again full points for different packaging The Balm! On the back of the box we have the pretty blondes rap sheet and finger prints.

The compact itself is made from a pretty sturdy silver plastic and has a decent sized mirror, which makes it great for travelling or popping in your handbag.

Product:

Now onto the product itself. It is a stunning, highly pigmented, shimmery, neutral toned champagne kind of shade. When blended onto the cheekbones it gives a gorgeous glow. This is also a multi purpose product as it can be used as a highlight, shimmer or an eyeshadow - it makes for a very pretty brow bone highlight too.

You get 8.5g (0.3oz) of product in this little beauty for £15.00 ($24.00) which I think is a pretty great bargain. And another great thing (in my opinion) The Balm don't test their products or ingredients on animals! 

Overall thoughts:

In a nutshell, if like me you love highlighters, this is a must for your collection. It will work great on all skin tones, it's super pigmented, it's a stunning shade and it has more than one use. Lets not forget the amazing packaging too!

Are you a fan of the balm? Which other products should I add to my 'must have' list?

Don't forget to check out my Tumblr too ;)

Stacey x