EVERYDAY MAKEUP ROUTINE FEB 2016

When i first made my blog, one of my first posts was an everyday makeup routine so i thought that it's finally time to update it since basically all of the products have changed.

First i start my base with the Mac Studio Fix Foundation using the Original Beauty Blender sponge and blending it in. This foundation is a medium to full coverage foundation, it blends easily and it is demi-matte but not flat looking. Then i use my new favourite trusty concealer, the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and can i just say this is the best concealer I've come across so far. Since it's such a light shade, i use this under my eyes and then use whatever is left on the sponge to blend on my chin and a bit on my forehead to highlight. 

Then i use the Real Techniques Setting Brush to apply the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil Loose Powder to set my under eye concealer. This prevents the concealer from creasing and keeps it looking as if the concealer was freshly applied all day. I also find that if i don't use this powder under my eyes, I find that my mascara smudges under my eyes so it also prevents that! Next i use the Mac Studio Fix Powder with the same Real Techniques Setting Brush everywhere else on my face. I love this powder for adding more coverage and it doesn't make your foundation look as textured. I would prefer it if it had more properties that prevent and take away shine.

Then for the contour and highlight, I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit. I use the middle shade ('Fawn') from the bronzers to contour my cheekbones and also bring it up to my temples. To do this I use the Real Techniques Contour Brush. I also sometimes use the 'Banana' Powder to highlight more under my eyes and I like this because It's very light so it doesn't build up texture under the eyes. Then I use the shade 'Sand' to highlight on top of my cheeks and dust a little bit on my brow bone too.

I don't do much eye shadow on a daily basis but i use this Mac Paint Pot in 'Painterly' to prevent creasing. I just put this on my eye lid.

I use this Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics Palette to fill in my eyebrows and also define my eyes. I alternate between the shades 'Frisk' or 'Cover' and i only use this lightly through my crease to define my eyes using the Sigma E25 Blending Brush. Then i use the shade 'Primal' to fill in my eyebrows using an angled brush. Then to finish off my brows i use the Benefit Gimme Brow in the shade 'Medium/Deep' to set them in place.

I only do this step if i remember which isn't everyday, I use the Sephora Long Lasting Kohl Liner in '07 Infinite Beige' on my water line to open up my eyes a bit.

And lastly there's mascara. First i curl my lashes using the Champney's Eyelash Curler - which is the best one that I've tried yet (you can see a eyelash curler review HERE). Then I use the Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara and apply about two coats on my top lashes and one on my bottom lashes. Then a new re-discovery was using the Maybelline Big Eyes Mascara but only the Lower Lash brush on my lower lashes. I love doing this because it has such a small wand and I find that it really lengthens and blackens my lashes. However, I wish I had bought this in waterproof the first time round because then I have to go over that coat again with the other maybelline waterproof mascara so it doesn't end up under my eyes at the end of the day.

What are your 3 absolute favourite makeup products form your makeup collection?

natalia 

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PHOTOGRAPHY IX: LONDON

Yet another collection of photos taken in London. This time these are from around Soho.

n

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NARS ALL DAY LUMINOUS WEIGHTLESS FOUNDATION & RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER

This blog post is aka the longest title ever.

Sadly the foundation is my mums purchase but i thought that i would test these out together and write about them. I actually really really love this concealer so it will be a definite repurchase for me, carry on reading to find out why..



Besides the fact that this foundation is way to dark for me (it's in the shade Barcelona) it has a really nice finish. As for the texture it is quite watery but has light to medium finish. When i was trying this on i did two layers of it on the other side of my face and it had a lot more coverage yet still looked exactly the same as the one layer. So far this foundation is the closest one that looks like skin because it doesn't build up as much texture as a thicker and fuller coverage foundation. It also blends in seamlessly with this concealer. When buying online, if you choose the shade of foundation, it shows you what shade of concealer will help you achieve a good highlight and that shade is Chantily for this foundation shade. I almost thought i had the Kim Kardashian countour and highlight - no kidding.

If you love the Collection Concealer then you will love this Radiant Creamy Concealer. I like to use this under my eyes and if i want to highlight anywhere else. A lot goes a long way as to how much you reply but if you layer up, it still doesnt look as cakey as the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer would look. This concealer already has a lot of coverage so there's no need to layer up too much, but if you're trying to contour a lot then get yourself a really light powder to not build up as much texture. I find that it blends well when using a beauty blender under the eyes but a brush works just as well - i just figure that it works better for me with a beauty blender (both damp or not damp is good). I also thought i'd mention that this concealer doesn't have any shine to it or shimmer.

As you see, the shade difference is very different. On the left is the Foundation in the shade 'Barcelona' and on the right is the Concealer in 'Chantilly'. When they blend together on the face it looks amazing!

N x



URBAN DECAY NAKED 2 PALETTE REVIEW

This Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette is my new favourite, and a step up from my Naked 2 Basics Palette. I use the Naked 2 Basics palette daily and religiously - It's by far the best eyeshadow quality i have come across yet. However, there are 5 fully matte shades and 1 demi matte highlight shade so you can't do a lot of eye looks.





 

The Naked 2 is a very versatile palette because it has the first 6 shades that are quite lighter and can be worn as an everyday eye look. My favourite shades are 'Half Baked', 'Booty Call' and 'Tease' from the first 6. As for the quality of these eyeshadows, they're really buttery and smooth to apply. But, i do find that the matte shade 'Tease' is less pigmented than the others which is really inconvenient since it's the only suitable matte crease shade.

 

 

The only negative i have about this Naked 2 palette is that it has 9 shimmery shades and 3 matte shades, otherwise i'm really happy with this product and i'll definitely be checking out more Urban Decay products. As for the 6 rather darker shades, my favourites are "Suspect" and "YDK".

 



 

I did swatches of all the shades in order and due to my poor focusing skills one handedly, you can't really seee the first 4 shades clearly. But you do see the shimmer and the colour so it's all good. Anway, as you see the first shade on the left (it's the one before the gold), which is almost invisible, is more of shade you would use after appying primer to sort of set it while making it matte, and only using a light brown shade in the crease. The fifth shade 'Tease' comes out quite sheer as i said before but overall it is a very pretty colour.

 

 Also, i didn't mention that this palette had four samples of all of their primer potions which i loved. The samples included are:

 

- Sin: Which is like a purple toned champage shade (nice explaining i know), this looks quite metallic when on however it doesnt stay as metallic by the end of the day. I like to use this alone or with other eyeshadows too. (Sin has now been reworked into Minor Sin and reviews say it is much thinner and not as opaque so try it before you buy it)

 

- Original: Which is my favourite, it's like a creaseless concealer because it manages to cover any veins visible but also prevents your eyeshadow from creasing.

 

- Eden: This is just your usual clear primer so it won't be like the original one.

 

- Anti Aging: Similar to Eden but has anti-aging properties apparently.

 

n

PHOTOGRAPHY VIII: LONDON AT NIGHT

London at night is truly a great experience - it is just as beautiful as it is in daylight.