Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator 💫💫

Hello makeup junkies, 

Roughly around two weeks ago I managed to get my hands on one of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators in 'so hollywood' (the best selling shade)!!! For those in the USA this may seem very delayed however in the UK it has been almost impossible to find a retailer that has them in stock .. Besides eBay which some are selling for £45+!!!! So, when I stumbled amongst them in stock on cult beauty I felt like it would be unforgivable not too.. 

                             

                                                         (Shade: So Hollywood) 

I'd read a lot of reviews and YouTube videos of this product online, mostly claiming how gorgeous it was, so when I received this little package at my door I was more than exstatic to open and try it out. It arrived in the usual packaging expected, it landed on my door step only two days after purchasing and totaled to around £31 with shipping (a lot cheaper than eBay!!!). For those wishing to purchase any Anastasia Beverly Hills products I would recommend cult beauty as they are one of the only retailers in the UK with reasonable prices and shipping is almost always immediate. The product itself is 9g, which is normal for a highlighting powder. 

                       

                            

I am in love. It is as, if not more, beautiful in person as I saw in photos online. It is a true gold champagne colour and truly is stunning. I didn't even want to swatch it to begin with as the actual pan is so delicately designed, I feared ruining it. I find it very handy that it comes with a little mirror so if you ever need a mirror on the go or are in a rush it can be whipped from your handbag, not many compacts do have this feature anymore. 

                                

                                

                                               (Swatch: one light application) 

  

This photo shows one light application using my finger, as you can see the colour pay off is immaculate , I didn't find it too powdery or patchy to swatch. It felt very smooth and light on my hand. I think this shade is truly universal for all, I have light - medium skin, I didn't find it too gold on the skin and I think it would work for those with darker or lighter undertones. It is very pigmented to say the least, when applied to my cheek bones, bridge of my nose and upper lip I didn't find it 'glittery' the way some highlights really do have that full glitter effect. Although I must note, it isn't the most subtle highlight I've tried so if you didn't want an obvious glow I wouldn't recommend this product. Being a highlight obesessive I found this the perfect combination of glowly without the disco ball effect. 

                               

                                    (Brush: Zoeva 129 luxe fan brush - beauty bay)

I think application is very particular to the finish with this product, I use my Zoeva 129 fan brush (£9) to lightly dust to the high points of my face. I did try with my Zoeva face brush however I found it too dense and applied it too harshly to my skin. With this brush it evenly dispersed it onto my skin without over powdering, for those using any powder highlight I would deeply recommend this brush, it really is amazing at creating that natural gorgeous glow. There are cheaper and more luxury versions out there of the fan brush however I am a die hard Zoeva fan so this suits my kit perfectly. 

Overall, I truly love this product, it has soon become my makeup must have for everyday use, I can't imagine not wearing it too finish my look. It is slightly on the higher price range however I honestly believe it is worth it if you have that amount in your budget. It is a true investment and will last months and months. I am excited to try out another shade hopefully when they are back in stock!! 

Thanks for reading.

Lyd X 

    

          

Strobing 💫✨

Hello again ladies,

This week I will be discussing the most talked about beauty trend at the minute known as strobing, it essentially is about highlighting your features. Lately I have seen floods of YouTube videos surrounding strobing, I must admit I've always been a fan of dewy/glowy skin, I've tried several highlighting products so I thought I'd mention a few I hold close to my heart for that perfect glow! 

These are my fave glowy wonders at the minute I use daily as part of my makeup routine, all unique in their own right. I have a habit of buying highlighters it is just something I love for a makeup look, as I have dry combination skin I aim to stay away from matte products and have always been drawn to products that produce a glow to help combat my dry areas. Some of these products are slightly at the pricier end of the scale but are totally worth the steep tag. 

(Dior glow maximizer light boosting primer, £28)

Ok. So I'll start with my base. This primer is more than worth the price, it offers a lovely dewy glow whilst holding your makeup in place all day long. I am aware Dior do other primers but this one particularly aims to give you a subtle glow without looking like a disco ball. And that it does. It reminds me of Mac strobe cream, which unfornately I have ran out of (sobs), it is similar although I'd say this is less powerful and acts as more of a primer whereas I don't feel the strobe cream does. I bought this in March, I use it everyday and it is still going!!! So it is definitely a must have both for primer and for strobing. Aside from your base you could apply a dot to the finger and dab it onto the high points of the cheek too. 

(Mac mineralise skin finish in global glow, £22)

This is my second mineralise skin finish powder, but definitely my favourite. I bought this from the airport, it is a lovely bronzey highlight, I did intentionally buy this for my holidays but it is such a lovely product I will be using this for nights out also. The only downside to this product is if you are heavy handed it can be a complete mess (disco ball), so I would suggest with a product like this to use a light stippling brush or fan brush. On my first use I used a dense powder brush and i just looked like a golden glitter queen and not in a good way. 

(Benefit high beam, £18) 

This product is one I would use the least out of all my strobing products, however it is does not mean that I do not love it!! This colour I would say holds more pink undertones and sometimes against my skin tone can bring out the pink in my skin, for those with neutral or yellow undertones I don't think this would be an issue. I tend to use this product very lightly on a beauty blender on the tip of my nose or on my cupid's bow. 

(Benefit watts up, £24) 

This is my holy grail of quick easy highlighting, it is so easy to use, it does come with an applicator at the other end though I don't actually use it and find it easier to blend with a finger or beauty blender. It is a stick formula which at first I didn't think I would like, but I actually love it! It is a true champagne colour and looks great on my paler days or if I have a tan. It is so universal I even use it under neath my brow to create a glow, I have been using this product for several years now and is a must have in my makeup bag. 

 

(Bobbi brown shimmer brick in beige, £34)

This is my all time favourite product for highlighting!! I got mine in the shade beige for just a soft glow without any pink or orange undertones. It is very pigmented, a little goes a long way, again similar to the Mac skin finish I have to be careful with application because it is very easy to go too far and end just literally just shimmering in the dark. Having said this, when used correctly it can give a subtle glow without that big glitter residue that some highlighters have, I would say the skin finish is slightly glittery. It is just your skin with a lovely glow. Heartbreakingly I dropped my shimmer brick, I swear I did almost shed a tear, it is quite easy to crack it so be very careful! Definitely my must have for strobing. 

(L to R: benefit watts up, dior maximizer primer, benefit high beam, Mac skin finish and Bobbi brown shimmer brick) 

 

As the picture shows all the products carry a strong pigmentation. I would recommend all these products for those aiming to get that glowy complexion, it must be noted I do have dry combination skin so some products have have different effects on different skin types. I am always on the hunt for new highlighting products so if anyone has any leave your suggestions in the comment section below :)

Thanks for reading! 

Autumn lip liner musts!!

Hey girls and boys, 

After the huge Kylie Jenner lip craze, liners have become ever increasingly popular, I thought I'd show you my current autumn lip faves and must haves!! I will admit that before the overally drawn Jenner lip I wasn't a user of lip liners, they were just a thing I'd never thought to invest in, but I thought I'd bite the bullet and see what the hype was all about so I ordered my first liner. I am now addicted. I just find them so easy to use on their own and paired with a lipstick. So my recent purchases won't come as a shock for those of you who like me keeping buying them. 

(Mac stripdown, Mac autumn and Mac subculture) (£12.50 per one)

Subculture and Stripdown have been on my wish list for several weeks now and once I received a email from debenhams saying 10% off all beauty how could I say no?? Being honest Autumn was an impulse buy, I think I got a bit carried away! Mac lip liners are among my fave liners I have tried, they are super long lasting and even though they are matte they're not too drying on the lips. These new additions are among my fave for the autumn trend that were transitioning into, I am not particularly one for bold lips but I am trying to get out of comfort zone more this season and be more experimental. 

 

(L to R: Autumn, Subculture, Stripdown)

As you can see all 3 shades are very pigmented. Both Stripdown and Subculture are from the nude family and Autumn among the red catergory. I don't usually wear red lips often it isn't something I love on myself but I have been searching for a dark red toned shade and thought this one would be perfect and I honestly LOVE it. I am going to be making a concious effort to gather the confidence to wear it. 

Apologies for the not perfect photography, but you can see the effect on the lips. I find the sharper the pencil the easy it is to draw the perfect shape, I don't actually over draw my lips but these pencils are ideal if you wanted to do it. I'd say this shade is definitely more blue under toned and is leaning towards red than purple, I love this shade so much it's so versatile and I think it would look beautiful on anyone. If I was to pick one bold colour for my kit it would be this, it's the perfect berry shade!!! 

Subculture is a strange one, it's your own lip colour just a little more pinky nude, the photo doesn't actually do the pencil justice, I'd say it is much more pink toned in person!! I only applied a light layer but it can be built up to create a strong nude colour. This liner would be perfect with honey love from Mac. This is known to be one of kylie Jenners actual faves and I can see why.

I absolutely adore Stripdown!!! It is a deep nude brown, it's literally everywhere at the min to go with the whole 70's vibe, it kind of reminds me of the lipstick Taupe from Mac, I think this would go perfect with that. It is very pigmented and I think quite unique I haven't seen many drug stores selling a colour similar to this. Brown can be tricky to wear sometimes but I think this one still holds a nude under tone so it makes it more wearable. This is another known by kylie, this one was actually the last one online, I've heard it can be hard to get hold of, so if you see it online grab it whilst you can!!! 

It should be noted to get true colour from the liners I'd slightly dull the lip colour before application to cancel out your own lip pigment.

 Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments below your fave lip liners at the minute :) 

Morphe brushes 35n eyeshadow palette review and swatches!!

Hey girls and guys,

So after a recent student loan splurge (oops) I found myself on the hunt for a new eye shadow palette, I am an avid Mac shadow user and have the warm neutrals palette as well as my own build able one. When it comes to my eye look it seems to be the same old and I fancied a change to create some new autumnal looks.

3 hours of YouTube videos later and I came across the morphe brushes palette in '35n' and it's amazing range of 35 colours per palette, however all those who I had watched review it were from outside the UK so just a little tip for those who may want to buy this palette or one from their other collection I'd beware that it can be challenging to find in stock at the moment!! 

I ordered this little beauty for £22 with postage from beauty chamber, I originally wasn't going to purchase this palette as I was actually chasing the '35o' palette however that is out of stock everywhere at the minute but after looking at the fab colours of this palette and it's ridiculous cheap price tag I thought why not! And I am super glad.. 

The packaging is just a simple hard plastic casing similar to the old Mac palettes, it is basic but when I opened it and saw the beautiful contents it didn't really seem to matter! 35 matte shades, ranging from basic creamy beige to a deep black, the colours I didn't expect to be so vibrant but I was truly surprised and impressed. There are some really truly lovely shades in this palette, my favourite being the orangey/rusty colours which are very in and on trend currently. 

So here are some swatches done row by row:

I aplogise now for the poor lighting within this post it is difficult trying to photograph yourself in the middle of the day no where seemed to be perfect lighting. None the less this is the first row, I'd say the least pigmented and lightest row of the palette, these types of colours would make excellent base colours or just soft casual eye looks. 

I honestly love the 4th, 6th and 7th shade on this row, the orangey tones I found to be very pigmented and truly look lovely on blue eyes, they really make them pop. I plan to use this row as crease colours and the orange tones for all over my lid and under my eye. The one colour I find pretty irreverent to my palette is the pink, I don't see myself personally getting much use from this as an eye shadow though it could be used as a soft blush colour. 

This row seemed to be a lot more pigmented that the first two rows, I definitely felt as the rows got darker the pigmentation got a lot stronger. The first few colours seem to be very pink based, I do like these colours though I think they will be used as crease colours. Another colour I didn't love or think I will get much use from is the blue shade. 

This row is by far my fave! I think this will be the most used out of the whole palette, I was in real need of some neutral brown shades to create a more dramatic eye but also that can be used as an all over colour. I would add though that the brown shades do carry a slightly orange under tone to them, but I think I prefer slightly warmer shades on my eyes anyway so this wasn't a major problem for myself. The last two shades are part of the purple/pink family but I see myself using them for a real deep purple smoky eye look. 

And finally the last row of the palette. I do love some of these shades particularly the first 3, they are lovely warm brown shades, again perfect for crease colours. The last and darkest shades in the palette I'd say are the chalkest shades, it was harder to get a strong colour pay off and had to press my finger harder to get the swatch to show.

I truly have fallen in love with this palette it is a steal at only around £18 (without shipping) for 35 shades!!! I'd say I do love some colours more than others but I think this is the case in most of my palettes, I can definitely see myself reaching for this many times and mixing it with other shades I have. The pigmentation is great and the colour pay off for most is good, for its price I am imsensely impressed and hoping I can get my hands on the '35o'. This palette I personally think would suit those with blue/green eyes or who prefer warm shades to cool. This palette certainly resembles other good quality brands though I wouldn't class them as quality as my Mac shades but they are certainly up there. There are plenty of palettes to chose from and I believe beauty bay has started stocking them so I'd keeping checking til they are back in stock!!! 

Thanks for reading :) 

What's in my makeup bag

After many recent purchases, I thought I'd post what's in my everyday makeup bag! Usually what I'd wear on most occasions (obviously apart from going out) and post little mini reviews on each item! 

 

Laura mercier silk creme foundation - This foundation is my all time fave foundation. It gives medium coverage but buildable, It avoids the whole cakes face look and gives slightly dewy glow to skin, it really is a lovely foundation.

Urban Decay naked 2 palette - My fave of all urban decay palettes, I definitely prefer this one to naked 3 as I find that too pink for my complexion. It has lovely cool shades perfect for my day time look. Will do a full review soon. 

Mac strobe cream - I use this underneath my makeup as a primer, it gives me a glowing base making my foundation look that extra bit glowy. 

Soiel tan de Chanel - I use this product as my bronzer and to create a contour on my face. My holy grail bronzer! See previous post for full review. 

Benefit they're real - I truly love this mascara, it is my all time favourite, I repurchase this every time it runs out. I use this on both top and bottom lashes. 

 

Mac mineralise skin finish in medium tan - I use this in my most oily parts as a powder to lock my foundation into place. 

Mac mineralise skin finish (soft and gentle) - I love this product, I usually brush it slightly over the apples of my cheeks for a slight extra glow to my makeup.

Mac creme blend blush (something special) - I definitely prefer creme blushes to powder, this is my summer fave, it gives a real nice pinky colour and not too over powering.

Benefit watts up - This highlighter is amazing, I put it on the contours of my cheeks and slightly over my brows and on my upper lip to create a more defined look. 

These are my everyday makeup products that I love, what's in your make up bag, leave your comments below :)

Chanel soleil tan de - swatches and first impressions

The holy grail of bronzers..

So after many hum and aring, I finally caved and bought this chanel bronzer which retails at £34. I picked mine up online from Debenehams. I've tried many bronzers including Benefit Hula, YSL and more high street bronzers but always found them to be good until I used this product. Wow.

(RRP £34)

Like all Chanel products the packaging is amazing, soon as it arrived I knew it was going to be something special. Sorry for the over excitement, this is my first Chanel Item!! Despite the picture, it is actually quite big in person, there is a lot of the product. 

When I first opened the lid, I didn't really know what to expect, I had read that it was a dark shade but i was surprised it is actually not that dark. The biggest pro from this product is that it can be worn by most skin types, for instance worn under foundation for paler skin shades or over foundation for more tanned skin. I personally have been wearing it over my foundation because I have come back from holiday recently and have more colour than usual although in the winter I will most likely wear it underneath. 

I apply this product using my real techniques buffing brush into the hollow of my cheek bones and up the side of my face towards the side of my brow. I find using this type of brush allows me to blend it in easier and creates a more natural look. I have read also that some people use there fingers however this method didn't work for me. On the skin it gives a real natural bronzed look, sun kissed without being too orange or dark. Some bronzers can be glittery or shimmery which i actually try too avoid and I think this bronzer isn't shimmery but it does give a slight glow to the skin. 

Pros:

Gorgeous finish

Sunkissed natural look

Smells amazing

Suitable for many skin shades

Cons:

Slighty pricey

If not applied right it can look too overpowering

So far I am loving this product, it truly is luxury, it is more of a special splurge but it's most definitely worth it, I recommend this to all! I will be posting a make-up look soon featuring this product so look out for it to see a finished look:)