Contouring Tips & Products

Hi guys

I know most of you probably have heard of the term contouring by now. Anyone who knows Kim K will concur with that fact!

Anyway I wanted to share with you an item I have been extensively using to contour. I’ve recently realised that my actual foundation doesn’t match my skintone *covered monkey face*. What a rookie mistake. I am so in love with the foundation formula itself I forgot to check it actually matched my neck colour etc etc.

Anyway that’s a blog for another time. I have used many items to contour in my time. I mainly concentrate the contour underneath my cheekbones, but on YouTube you’ll see girls (and guys) contouring to the extreme. Unless it’s a special occasion or you just love sculpted, chiselled cheekbones; a natural contour can still be achieved without looking streaky or caked.

I’ve gone through cream formulations and powder and to be honest I use both. When in I’m a rush I reach for my Bourjois Bronzing powder to set my Becca Radiant Skin Satin Foundation in the Colour Mink. This is more of a liquid formula but I cheat and use a foundation instead of a normal creamy contour.

But whatever you use it’s important you use the correct technique regardless of the colour. As long as the colour is a few shades darker than your own skintone you’re good to go.

I use the Becca foundation because it just blends seamlessly into the skin, doesn’t leave streaks and it’s so easy to work with. A little goes a long way. I bought it in the Space NK sale; it must have been a colour people weren’t buying often so it was mega reduced to like £3.00 or something ridiculous. I understand normally it’s around the £20.00 – £25.00 mark.

I am not a great at advising how to contour, so I suggest you watch beauty bloggers on YouTube as it’s become almost a part of nearly everyone’s routine as part of a regular tutorial.

There are so many contouring products out there, when I first started out, I had to get my head round the idea that most makeup companies don’t actually product special contour products, its mostly bronzers and mattified powders. However here is a list of some common ones:

Laura Mercier Contour Kit - £34.00
Mac Mineralise Skinfinish Natural - £24.00
Anastasia Beverley Hills Cream and Powder Contour Kit - £39.00
Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate, Cream – I have a blog about this.

The Bourjois setting bronzing powder I use is under £10 from Boots and I think it’s just one universal colour as oppose to different shades. It is also available in different variations; it can come with a highlighting powder or with two blocks of bronzer and its packaging is pretty neat too.

And remember, if you ‘over contour’ you can always just go over it all with a little bit of your regular foundation and start again. Also if you have amazing contoured cheeks already why are you bothering??!!

Hehe we all love a bit of contour!

Ciao for now

*NARS* Narsissist Palette - Review

Hello all

Happy new year to you and a warm welcome to today's blog!!!!!

I have absolutely adored Nars Cosmetics since I first discovered its philosophy and obviously the quality of the makeup is just out of this world.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on this palette early 2014 when it was released limited edition.

It retailed at £50.00 and I thought as a regular user of Nars eyeshadows that this was a bargain buy!!! Tonnes of colours all in one palette. I believe this is the first time Nars released such a large selection of colours in one palette, So you can imagine my excitement!!!

The palette itself consists of 15 shades of colour, a mixture of mattes and shimmers and is ideal to create any eye look, from day to night!

As you can see this palette has seen a lot of use. It has an amazing range of highlights, warm browns and darker shades to create the ideal smoky eye look! 

Another amazing thing about this palette is that the shades are not exclusive to this palette, they are available as either singles or duos, but there is one colour exclusive to the palette -

Top row, from right to left - All about Eve, Madrague #2, Fez, Bali & Coconut Grove

Middle row, from right to left - Madrague #1, Nepal, Ashes to Ashes, Brousse #2 & Mekong

Bottom row, from right to left - Belissima #1, Lhasa, Bad Behaviour, Dogon & Pandora #2

Dogon is the exclusive colour, all the rest are readily available.

I love this palette and have rarely used any other palette since, it's a great all rounder and if in some miraculous way you can still get your hands on this, or you have it closeted away for a special occasion - USE IT!!!! Don't be a closet makeup hoarder!!!!

As I say to my friends - YOLO!!!! And makeup has a shelf life!!!

Have you used this, what do you think?

Sam

X

*MAC* Makeup Review – Gingerly Blush

Hey pals

I don’t have a great collection of blushers as I do lipsticks, as it’s so easy to get it wrong and the wrong blusher colour on your cheek is unforgivable and tragic – so I have a couple which I love and wear on more or less a daily basis.

One such blush is Macs Gingerly blush, it’s a orangey brown nude shade, and comes priced at an economic £18.00 – this stuff lasts ages. I have yet to hit pan and I have had it ages…the pigment is true to colour and compliments my NC42 skin tone greatly.

So glad I found it! I came across it whilst purchasing a nude lipstick at Mac – Freckletone, if you’re interested in knowing – apparently its Kim K’s signature colour – but who cares?

I sometimes use it to contour when I have a lazy day and can’t be bothered to reach for my Tom Ford contour kit. It lasts all day and it doesn’t feel like you have an obvious blusher on which is always great!

Applied using a powder brush (see my review on my favourite brush to powder with here - http://animassays.blogspot.com/2014/12/chanel-make-up-brush-love.html ) it is just effortless to apply and doesn't come with a cheapo blusher brush as you find with some other brands…

After using this though, I will try and be more adventurous and purchase other blushers from Mac and see how I go…

Have you tried this?? If not give it a whirl – you won’t regret it x

*Review* Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Espresso

Hi guys

Believe it or not, up until a year ago I never touched my brows, they were just a pair of furry stamps on my forehead awaiting rescue. Then I suddenly decided to throw caution to the wind and have them threaded.

OMG that was the worst pain ever. Maybe because it was the first time and the hairs were long. Who knows.

Anyway I was a little paranoid as to what product to use to fill them in as my eyebrows are quite fine and I couldn't

afford buying some random branded makeup which would result in shedding! I have read some horror stories *shudders*.

A visit to a Tom Ford counter a few months ago lead me to buy the Brow Sculptor in Espresso (£34.00) and much like the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil (£26.00) it is amazing. The Hourglass one is slightly cheaper but for me they do the same job however the Tom Ford is more readily accessible to me.

The Tom Ford Brow Sculptor comes in a range of colours and the pen is really quirky, it comes with some extra features including a brow brush (always handy!) and a sharpener. The pencil inside is not a pencil so to speak more like the lead found in a pencil and easily sharpenable (if that’s even a word).

The product stays in place after use and all day, so I find no need to buy a brow gel to further lock it in place, another product I’m a little skeptical to use…however you never know, may be open to it in the future…I know a few people use eye shadows, however my skills with an arched makeup brush are abysmal – therefore I steer clear, because this sculptor is shaped in a sort of arch, I feel it gives me more control than a brush.

Since purchasing this I have repurchased and probably will do again, however I have my eye on the Anastasia Brow Whiz, but since that’s only available online I’m a little vary about ordering and then finding I've bought the wrong colour….always annoys me! Who has time to faff around with returns? K

Let me know your thoughts guys and what products you use to get the perfect brow…

See you soon

Animas x

Hunt for my Holy Grail Foundation - Part Two…

Hi again everyone

To continue my journey, I was once again lured by heavy brand marketing and ended up getting the YSL Youth Liberator Foundation (£32.40) as a birthday gift. Firstly, this doesn't come in many shades unless this has changed since I bought earlier this year and secondly, it’s fragranced!!! For someone with sensitive skin buying this was probably not the wisest of moves…Naturally I broke out in spots *ergh* and the coverage was light to medium and not quite the dewy finish I look for in foundations. Sometimes fashion houses should probably stick to what they know best really…

So this foundation has been filed away in the foundation archives to be pulled out in desperate times. This means I was once again on the hunt. A visit to the Chanel counter at House of Fraser lead me to buy Chanel’s Vitalumiere Foundation (£29.70).

Although I like this, I find the colour to be a little too dark for me and the lighter colour was too light!!! I also find it doesn't blend well, as even after buffing in for a few minutes it just sits on the skin and can literally be wiped off….grhhh I also find it transfers quite a bit but only when you've touched your face and you’ll see it all over pieces of paper/clothes etc…

Another horror on the transfer front was Nars Sheer Glow Foundation (£35.00 with pump) in Tahoe/Syracuse/Barcelona -  yes I tried nearly every shade in my colour range and still didn't get anywhere near! Also I am totally against having to buy a powder to set my foundation, why should you? Perhaps it shouldn't transfer to the extent where you have to?! This is what I found with this foundation a lot…

Another major downer with this is you have buy the pump separately or risk spilling liquid foundation all over your furniture, hate that! Money making exercise or what!

So to conclude I probably will go back to my Mac foundation when the Chanel one finishes, but happy to hear any recommendations….

See you soon

Animas x

My thoughts on the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Duo

Hi guys

Today I will be reviewing the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate cream  duo. 

The fact that I have dry skin and this is a cream based product is absolutely fantastic for me as it sits well on my face doesn't move, doesn't dry out. The product applies really easily and blends well. 

I also bought the TF Shade and Illuminate makeup brush that is used with this duo however I found that for my little face it was perhaps a little too wide and it just made me look like I had a huge splodge of product under my cheekbones when contouring (awkward times) so I use my Real Techniques foundation brush to apply and buff it in with an RT Buffing Brush. 

So yes people, unlike me please don't get wooed by the brand and buy the brushes to go with the makeup!!!

I use a whole host of brushes but at the moment RT are quite simply amazing. Easy to clean, no fall out hairs and make application so easy! Oh and did I mention they are a drugstore brand so very very affordable.

Anyway back to the Duo - as I said the philosophy in using the duo is that you use the same TF brush to contour, you then wipe on tissue and use same brush in the highlight shade and highlight your upper cheekbones. I was shown this in store and didn't realise that when done at home you simply don't have the time to faff (working woman!) around cleaning brushes and so I have a not so clean highlighter now which I don't use too often.

As contradictory as this will sound, I'm not a big fan of the highlighter, I prefer powder highlighters they just feel like you haven't got an extra layer on around that part of your skin and this highlight makes me feel that way, matter of opinion I guess folks.

The contour part of the duo is however amazing. I bought the lighter shade as I wanted to use it as a daily contour as oppose to 'night out' full on contour. However it is buildable so you can do that also. I would repurchase this product simply for this part of the duo as it gives me a lovely shadow under my cheekbones and it stays in place all day! Even on top of my liquid foundation.

So all in all, the product is hit and miss and for the price point (£56.00) you really do want to be very sure you want to buy it. Unless you get someone to buy it for Christmas haha. 

It is a luxury product and that is clear from the beautiful packaging which makes the TF brand stand out especially. I am always drawn to this counter as it just screams quality and class! Oh and did I mention it comes with a fairly decent sized mirror too so you can touch up on the go!

Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below and whether you feel the same or otherwise...

See you soon

Animas x