Kat Von D Shade + Light Rust Palette ♡

Hope you're all having an amazing start to 2017, I started off with a huge splurge on current cult beauty favourites. If you follow me on Instagram you would know i've just come back from Dubai, and what does Dubai have that the UK doesn't? Other than the obvious sun, sand and unreal food- SEPHORA. 

My favourite place on earth without a doubt would have to be Sephora, I could easily spend hours in there and not even thinking about how much i'm spending.

I picked up the Kat Von D Shade + Light Rust Palette in the line to pay, you know the queue where they surround you by all the mini's and you end up picking one of everything up, yeah that one.

 

I don't even know where to start with this, I have never been more obsessed with a palette like this one, even though it only has 4 colours in it. I use this during the day to work and in the evening by intensifying the rusty colour.

The powders are very fine and so high pigmented so make sure to tap off excess or you'll look like you've got a bruised eye. The key to this palette is blending, like you do with all palettes but here blend like your life depends on it. Once the brown and rust colour have been blended well you get the most amazing finish.

I cant recommend this enough such a staple in your makeup collection, i'm going to oder sage when I get the chance, I really regret not getting more!

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Sponge wars! Beauty Blender VS Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge ♡

Its the war of the best beauty sponge on the market! I have been a religious user of my Beauty Blender since I got my first one.
Recently Real Techniques have released a new Miracle Complexion Sponge and after hearing a lot of positive things about it on blogs and Youtube, I thought why not give it a go.

This is my first Miracle Complexion Sponge, I haven't tried the older version of it so I cant really comment on which I prefer or any of the differences. Im going to start by comparing the sponges in price, the Beauty Blender is more than double the price of the Miracle Complexion Sponge. I can buy 4 Miracle Complexion Sponge's for the price of one Beauty Blender so you can't really go wrong there.

I already have a review up on the Beauty Blender so i'm not going to get too into it, you can read it here. But in terms of application and the way product looks on the skin their is hardly any difference. I love both and cant actually pick a favourite due to how similar they are.
Although, what I can say is after my original Beauty Blender wears out I don't see myself repurchasing it as the Miracle Complexion Sponge is so much cheaper and gives me the same results.

Any other makeup sponges you think are worth me trying out? Let me know what your favourite ones are and i'll give them a go!

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Benefit Dew The Hoola ♡

Benefits 'Hoola' bronzer has been one of my favourite bronzers for years now, having religiously used it nearly everyday since it came out. I have a review up for it here if you are considering purchasing it (shameless plug).
So hearing that they had now also created a liquid Hoola bronzer had me very excited to say the least. I picked it up at my local Benefit counter for £22.50.

The product comes in the cutest metallic 'bamboo' packaging, and as you all probably know by now im a sucker for nice packaging. I love how the product comes with a pump rather than an applicator stick like most liquid bronzers, this is so much more hygienic and practical.

The product is a smooth lightweight consistency which is perfect for the face, its also very dewey if thats the look you like to go for then this is a star product. When I purchased it I thought this was used for contouring, which is what I originally wanted. As you can see in the photos above the product is too light for anything like contouring. If you have very fair skin I think it could work but as i'm naturally quite tanned this doesn't do much for me in that sense.

I read up and saw this was actually meant for your base makeup, which is something I haven't tried before. I mixed two pumps in my foundation and did my normal base routine and loved the way it turned out. Like I said I am naturally quite tanned, but adding this product to my foundation gave me that 'sun kissed' glow you don't usually get with foundation or other bronzers.

Lastly I thought I would give it a go by using it as a BB cream and just putting it all over. This is a great replacement for BB cream and I use this most days for that purpose rather than using foundation. The product applies really well with your hands but I would suggest patting it down with a Beauty Blender after for a more flawless application. 

Overall i'm obsessed with this product and would recommend anyone to buy it if they're after a bronzer like this one. I noticed that they also are selling a Hoola instant tan, if any of you have tried it let me know what its like in the comments.

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Huda Beauty- Bombshell ♡

Two weeks ago on my way to work I noticed a huge line going all the way around Harrods, this isn't unusual as tourists just wait around for it to open. But as the day went on and it was time for lunch, the line hadn't got any shorter. I asked around to see what the reason was for hundreds of teenage girls to be outside Harrods for this long was, I was thinking a celebrity appearance if anything. Little did I know, Huda Beauty had opened up a counter in the store. So of course, I had to go have a look.

Because of how many people were trying to get ahold of them, we had to be really quick at the counter. In and out as soon as possible. I didn't get a chance to actually try any of the colours on and see what they looked like before I purchased, but seeing as I work so close I thought it would be best to play it safe with a nude and come back on a less busy day. The lipsticks retail for £18.

To use the word 'obsessed' is an understatement. The colour is a perfect 'your lips but better' colour which is what I go for in a lipstick. Since i've got it i've worn it everyday during the day and even on nights out. 

In terms of formula, this is the only matte lipstick i've applied without having had to put lip balm before hand, which says enough. Its not at all drying and doesn't crack at all, which never happens with a matte lipstick. 

Theres been a huge debate going over whats better, the Kylie Lip Kits or these liquid lipsticks. I personally think that these are so much better. Im going to explain further in another blog post as theres too much to say about them both. By then i'll hopefully have a few more Huda Beauty lipsticks so I can make a much fairer judgement, 

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NARS Laguna ♡

Ive never been a fan of powdered bronzers, I always find they end up looking too ashy and tend to move about on the skin throughout the day. As you all probably know, I love nothing more than a good cream contour and the full Kim Kardashian contour routine. As great as it is, it can be so time consuming on days I need to be out of the door in 10 minutes or for the mornings of school. 

I thought it was about time I invested in a good powder contour that I can use in the morning for school that wont be so difficult to work with. I cant even begin to tell you how much I hate how overly orange and pigmented most powder bronzers on the market are.

I picked up the NARS Laguna bronzer as its probably the most hyped about high end bronzer at the moment. It cost £27 which is pretty standard for any high end bronzer, plus it will easily last me about a year so I wasn't too fussed about how much it would cost. 

I've been wearing this bronzer everyday for school the last week and I love it, which I didn't expect at all. I find that it stays on all day in the exact place I put it in the morning without moving around on my face. The bronzer is buildable, its not so harsh that you have to be very careful when you put it on at first, I go right in and have no problems and then just work on darkening it to my preference. 

The best thing about it though I would say, unlike other bronzers, this is a true brown colour. It has no orange undertones, stopping you from looking like you've applied a fake tan gone wrong in pictures.

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MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot ♡

Ive been really getting into paint pots recently, they're so easy for everyday wear as they're so quick to apply. My everyday makeup routine has shortened drastically since I started using them. I had a look online to see what some of the cult paitpots on the market are just so I can have a little paintpot 'starter kit.' The most common name that kept appearing was MAC's Soft Ochre paintpot.

The formulation is great and they dry very quickly so theres no need to worry about smudging. The colour itself however is not really for me, Its quite light and pasty looking when worn alone on the eyes which is what I had originally intended on doing. This colour works great as a base to neutralise and prime your eyelids before applying your actual eyeshadow. If thats the sort of thing you are looking for then this is great for that, but worn alone I found it really washed me out and was quite unflattering on the lids. 

Will I be using it again? Yes. Would I repurchase or recommend it? No. 

I don't know what it is with me and cult beauty products but I never seem to get along with them like most people.

If you have any paint pot recommendations I would love for you all to share them with me as I am still collecting!

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MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot ♡

Im so sorry about how poor the content on m blog has been recently, I hate how much Ive neglected my blog the last two weeks. Now I feel a lot better and have so much content I cant wait to share with you all! The reason why I took such a long break from blogging was because it was my A level results day last week and sadly I didn't do as well I hoped. If you got your GCSE results today or A Levels last week I hope you all did well and if not, its not the end of the world which is what has taken me so long to realise. 

Anyway, back to the point of this blog post, I thought what would cheer my up more than anything after my bad results- MAKEUP! 

I have had my eye on this gorgeous paint pot for the longest time. I am a huge fan of paint pots, they are so quick and easy and speed up the eyeshadow process up so much. Invest in paint pots because they last forever on your eyelids and give a much better looking finish than eyeshadow in my opinion.

This is a pink/gold/orange mix of colours, I don't know how to describe it other than the fact its the most beautiful colour ever. Having no glitter in it  makes a huge difference, most paint pots have glitter in them making it look so clumpy on the eyes. Heres a swatch I got of it but sadly the photo doesn't do it any justice at all! This is a paint pot that you all need to go in stores and swatch and one I would put in my makeup 'must haves.'

 My go to look at the moment has been to do a golden smokey eye. I put this all over my lid, usually about 3 layers and then add 'mugshot' from the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. I will try and do a picture tutorial at some point for you all to see what it looks like on the eye lids. 

I leave and go to Santorini on Sunday so all my beauty posts are going to have to be put on hold as i have decided i'm going to start travel blogging! I cant wait to share my trip with you all.

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Jessup Flat Kabuki Brushes ♡

Im not sure how long these brushes have been around but I recently noticed them in a Youtube makeup tutorial, I loved the way they were applying makeup so I did some further research and read loads of reviews on the brushes. I heard really good things about these Ebay brushes and ordered them. I personally would never get cosmetic brushes on Ebay just because chances are they would probably shed hair and not very good quality etc.

I got the white flat top kabuki brushes here on their online sale for $15 which is about £10, insanely cheap for 10 good quality brushes. I got the white and silver colour which i'm regretting now because they're getting so dirty, but they have a wide range of colours for you to select from. The brushes came from China (I think) and took about two weeks to come which was sooner than the estimated delivery time they gave me, I was supposed to be waiting till the middle of August! 

I tried them out as soon as I got them and it didn't take more than one use for me to love them. My favourite brush is the slanted Kabuki brush which I have been using to apply my foundation, which it does flawlessly! I love the finish on my foundation with this brush over my beauty blender and thats saying something! I haven't used the eyeshadow brushes yet just because I don't wear eye shadow on a day to day basis but I have very high hopes for them. 

I will definitely be purchasing more Jessup brushes in the future when i'm in need of some but right now I have so many I don't know where to keep them! These brushes are so cheap and worth the buy!

If any of you have tried any Jessup brushes please let me know which ones you like so I can get them in my next order!

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MAC Velvet Teddy ♡

I wanted to wait till I had bought a few more MAC products as I don't really like to do reviews on one lipstick, but I had to for this one! If you have been reading my blog for a while or follow me on Twitter you would know I have been looking for this lipstick since December and have had no luck at all. I was on the verge of giving up the hunt until 3 days ago the best day of my beauty blogger life came, I found the famous Velvet Teddy.

This is the lipstick that Kylie Jenner is rumoured to wear, and it looks great on her! Sadly though, my lips look nothing like hers with this on but they still look good. I think this is a perfect nude colour for any skin colour. I have still not found a MAC lipliner to go under it so if you have a recommendation let me know! MAC lipsticks are great in general but I think they are so good with matte colours, I don't find them drying at all and they last all day without needing to touch up. I have always said they should call their matte lipsticks a lip stain because they do not budge all day!

As you can all see I am very happy about this purchase, and if you are lucky enough to have this in stock at your nearest MAC counter then you need to go and try it, I guarantee you will love it.

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Maybelline Face Master Sculpt ♡

Im not too sure how long this product has been around but I am only just hearing about it. I've mentioned before i'm a big fan of youtube and watching Youtube videos, and recently all my favourite Youtubers have been using this product in their tutorials. 

Im very quick to buy drugstore products because they are usually very affordable, so if I don't really like it I don't feel like its as big of a waste. Whereas with higher end products I feel like regardless if I don't like it I will use every bit of it as it cost so much.

I would recommend this palette to any contour beginner. The powder is very easy to build up which I really like, most drugstore contours are really highly pigmented and I just end up with a brown blob on my cheeks. Its a very true brown colour so you don't need to fear the dreaded orange looking contour, a shade I would say would suit most skin tones. It has a slightly chalky feel to the skin if you use it without a foundation underneath, which I expect from a drugstore contour but this is easily avoided by 1) wearing a foundation or 2) moisturising beforehand if you want to have a no foundation day. 

The highlighter is so much better than I thought it would be. It gives a really natural glow on the skin, I would say its a good dupe for the MAC soft and gentle which I adore minus the specs of shimmer.

I would really recommend this product, great value for money and also really handy when it comes to travelling as you get a 2 in 1.

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MAC Haul ♡

The other day I went summer shopping to celebrate the end of my AS exams, i'm so relieved they're finally over! I was going for fashion bits and bobs rather than beauty but if you have been reading my blog for a while now you would know I have no self control when it comes to makeup. I avoided boots all day which was such an achievement for me but whilst I was in Selfridges I got sucked into the MAC counter.

I have a list on my phone where I write down makeup that I want to buy and have been trying to get rid of most of the MAC on there, as compared to the other things on that list, MAC is the most affordable.

I finally got the cult 'Soft & Gentle' highlighter and I don't even know how to explain how beautiful this is, the photo doesn't do it any justice! Its the most beautiful highlighter I have ever owned, i'm so obsessed with it. I usually just apply this on the top of my cheekbones, chin, cupids bow, forehead and down the bridge of my nose. This highlighter is anything but subtle, it is very pigmented so you have to apply with care or you might end up looking like the moon.

I re-purchased MAC 'Brave' lipstick as mine ran out. This is my go to lipstick and would say its my signature colour as I am always wearing it. I really love the way it looks on my skin tone, its really hard for me to actually find lipsticks that match with my skin as I am a very odd colour. Plus I have been doomed with very small lips making it even harder for lipstick to suit me.
You can never really go wrong with a MAC lipstick, plus I am also trying to get my collection to grow bigger so soon I can do a post on my MAC lipstick collection.

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MAC False Lashes Extreme Black Mascara ♡

I was gifted a sample with purchase of this mascara a few months ago and my sample just ran out, so I had to go buy the full size.

I have never tried a MAC mascara before as I haven't really heard much of them, people usually talk about all the other products they have and never mention mascaras. I took that as an indication that maybe their mascaras weren't so good, boy was a wrong.

Im so grateful I was given a small sample of this because it has changed my life!
I would really recommend trying out some of MACs mascaras next time you're in there, especially this one. It gives you really full and dramatic eyelashes, that would look amazing on a night out as it looks like you're wearing falsies. I wear this as an everyday mascara because I love to add that extra emphasis to my eyes, but I know this is a little much for everyday so that might not be for everyone.
Generally, i'm not too keen on mascara wands if they aren't plastic as I find that clumpyness can really be an issue, for me anyway. All the little bristles go everywhere and it just ends up as one big mess which I have to remove, which this one doesn't do so i'm so happy about that.
All in all I would highly recommend this mascara if you're on the hunt for a new one.

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Beauty Blender Review ♡

So, I have been using this sponge for quite some time now but I didn't think a review was necessary as the blogging community is full of them. I picked mine up at SpaceNK for £18 which is pretty ridiculous for a sponge which I can get from Boots for no more than £3. But I definitely think that it is worth the money.

How have I gone this long without this sponge! It makes my foundation/concealer look flawless and I even use it on my cream contour too. It applies makeup so evenly leaving it with the most natural finish. I haven't used face brushes since I got this as I don't feel the need to. The sponge is made out of latex which saves you makeup as it doesn't absorb it. It absorbs the water if you wet it and then the makeup is like a layer on top. If you every try a knock off you will instantly tell the difference.

 I use it damp but I have used it dry and still looks fine but I personally like that 'wet' look foundation so it helps with that. If you like a more matte look I would advise you use it dry. I have read that it is designed to be used wet , so you will get much better results with it wet. I know they make smaller Beauty Blenders for under eye concealer but I think this works fine for under eyes. I will probably pick up the smaller ones as they are so cute and would be good to have when this one is messy and I haven't got round to cleaning it.
Cleaning it is very easy, it comes with a small cute bar of soap that smells amazing! I have done a lot of reading on it and I have read that you do need to clean it everyday after you use it. People have experienced mould on their Beauty Blender if they haven't washed it as bacteria grows on the makeup. Ever since then I have washed it after use in fear it will happen to mine.

I have heard that Real Techniques do a very good dupe to this, I haven't tried it but I will at some point and so I can post a comparison. But if you don't want to spend £18 on a sponge which is completely understandable, then I would recommend you try it out.

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MAC Mineralize Concealer ♡

I haven't done a product review in so long, I have missed it as these really are my favourite type of posts to write. As my exams are a matter of weeks away I haven't had the time to try out many products. I went into MAC as I was looking for a natural looking, lighter concealer as summer is coming up and I want my face to breathe as much as possible and feel like its got as little makeup on.

The woman at MAC advised this one so I went with it as I haven't tried many concealers by MAC as my pro-long wear is my holy grail concealer and I swear by it. I cant be happier with the pro-long wear but its quite drying on the skin which is manageable in the winter but feels too dry in the summer so I needed a change.

I picked up the shade NC20 which is the shade I usually get and the match was perfect which I expected. I really recommend MAC if you have difficulty matching your skin colour, you're 100% going to find it at MAC they offer so many colours for all types of skin. 

To start of with, the coverage on this concealer is medium which isn't the look I usually go for. I personally go for the high coverage look when it comes to concealer as I have very dark under eyes and want to make sure no one can see them. At first I could deal with the coverage and throughout the day it felt light and very nice on the skin. Sadly, as the day goes on the concealer starts to crease and looks disgusting on the skin. If you take it around with you and are bothered to top up your concealer every hour then I would recommend it. But I personally don't check my makeup often whilst i'm out, so walking around with severely creased under eyes is not for me.

The brush applicator is different I didn't know MAC offered anything like this. The brush doesn't pick up much product which can get a little annoying. I don't generally like brushes for my concealer application but I have only ever used drugstore brush concealers so I thought that MAC as a high end brand would offer a better brush. I was very wrong.

All in all, I don't think this concealer is worth its price, I wouldn't repurchase it even if it only cost a couple pounds due to how disgusting it looks when it creases under the eyes. Im still on the hunt for a high coverage concealer which is reasonably priced for the summer so if you have any recommendations please let me know.

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Crest 3D Whitening Strips Professional Effects ♡

I have wanted to try out this product for the longest time after reading lots of reviews and watching lots of Youtube videos. Sadly, they don't sell this product in the UK so I had to wait till one of my friends flew to the states and bought me the 3D Crest Whitening Strips back with her. I have never had really stained or really yellow teeth, they just weren't as bright as I liked them to be.

I used it instantly after I got it. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth with the Colgate whitening toothpaste, which is just what i've always used. Then applied the bottom and top strips to my teeth. 

On the packet it says to keep on for 30 minutes but I  keep mine on for hours and sometimes sleep with the strips on. I haven't noticed any damage to my teeth by doing this. I have always had sensitive teeth and they haven't gotten any worse even after keeping the product on over night so I would recommend doing that to get the best results. 

Like most at home whitening kits the results aren't drastic but noticeable. Ive had so many friends and family compliment me on my teeth and asking if I have had them professionally whitened.

Im so happy with this product and have had really positive results using it and would highly recommend it. 

Update- Im now currently on Bloglovin and would love if you all followed me. Link is here

Elf HD Mattifying Cream Foundation ♡

I recently found myself on the Elf website just to browse at first, but thats how it always starts off. I did make quite a big purchase so expect a lot of blogposts this week whilst i try them all out. 

The product i was most excited to try out was the cream foundation. I personally don't wear foundation on a day to day basis, just on big occasions where i want a full face look. I thought that these would be good foundations for cream contouring rather than for coverage.

Sorry about the photo quality, i'm currently not home and didn't have my camera with me so i just had to use my phone. I also forgot to take the pictures before i used the products.

Both of these were £5.57 on sale (still on sale you can get them here.) I got the lightest colour for highlighting in 'Porcelain' and the lightest dark colour in 'Buff' as my contour shade.

swatches of both

These foundations are very high in coverage which i really love and do the job so amazingly. The consistency is very light and turns into almost a liquid rather than a cream when applied. 
This is such a good product which i will be repurchasing for sure and would highly recommend it.
I would love to post a heavy contour tutorial KimK inspired so if any of you do want to see that let me know.

Update: Ive recently joined Bloglovin' and would love if you guys followed me, the link is here or you can press the pink button on my blog. Thank you all 

Benefit Roller Lash ♡

Its official, this is the last time i ever purchase another mascara from Benefit. I don't know why i even thought to buy this after finding my 'They're Real' mascara to be the worst makeup product i have ever used.
I know majority of people probably don't have the same opinion but this is yet another disappointing product for me.

The only good thing i have to say about this would probably be the packaging, its so cute ,but packaging is nothing if the actual product is rubbish. This mascara clumps my lashes together even after one coat making them look like i have about three eyelashes on my eyelid. At first I thought this might have been my fault and I had just applied it wrong. I gave it another shot, and i didn't even think it could be possible but my lashes looked worse.
This is the last Benefit mascara i ever purchase as i'm not looking to spend double digits on disappointment.