August Faves: 10 Best Loved Beauty Products!

Hey Beauties! I always feel a little sad at the end of August, because it means that summer is over. It was such a lovely summer during which I devoured a humongous amount of Italian ice-cream! But at the same time you also start looking forward to lots of cosy evenings spent home with a big mug of hot chocolate and melting mini marshmallows. And of course I also get excited about the coming AW13 beauty trends and new shades of the season. 

So it's time to let go of summer and embrace autumn. I decided to share with you the beauty products that I have really enjoyed and used consistently this month, trying to keep them within ten items: 

1. Favourite Eyeshadow: Too Faced Summer Eyes Palette, shades: Cocoa Beach and Toasted Coconut - to see the eyeshadows on click here!

2. Favourite Eyeshadow Highlighter: MAC Eye Shadow in Grain - technically it's three eyeshadows this month that got most love, Grain looks super sexy on the brow-bone.

3. Favourite Mascara: Cosmetics a la Carte Divine Lash in Black, I use it daily, love the brush and the volumising but non clumping consistency. Gives you full but natural looking lashes.

4. Favourite Face Primer: Stila Skincare Light Source, this spot correcting and brightening serum is great as a base, makes foundation go on beautifully, and it has a clean lavender scent. For the full review click here!

5. Favourite Foundation: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Light6 Ceylan. For a review and to see it on click here!

6. Favourite Lip Base: Cosmetics a la Carte Plump & Prime, makes any lipstick look even more beautiful. For a full review click here!

7. Favourite Lipstick: bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free, super creamy!

8. Favourite Lipliner: bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipliner in Liberated, just the most perfect nude lipliner, favourite nude lip combo right now is this lipliner as a base and the Be Free lipstick over the top! To see the lip combo on click here!

9. Favourite Nailpolish: BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine in Greenberry, such a pretty teal, perfect summer shade! To see it on click here!

10. Favourite Fragrance: Atelier Cologne Gold Leather, just stunning, incredibly unique, deep sensual scent! For the full fragrance review click here!

LOVE

New Astalift Light Analyzing Moisture Foundation!

Astalift Light Analyzing Moisture Foundation

It will be available on the counters in September 2013: 

Selfridges, Fenwicks, Debenhams selected Boots nationwide, and www.astalift.co.uk

 The wonderful Astalift skincare range three step system: Purify, Renew, Regenerate

The amazing best-selling and award winning Astalift Jelly Aquarysta

Hey Beauties! I was invited to the launch event of the new Astalift Light Analyzing Moisture Foundation, it was a privilege to be introduced to this amazing product! First of all Astalift is a Japanese skincare brand, which already means a lot to me, Japanese skincare seem to be incredibly scientific and revolutionary when it comes to the ingredients they choose for their products. When I think of Astalift instantly Jelly Aquarysta is the product that comes to mind, it's a wonderful moisturising and anti-ageing concentrate serum, which has won Bazaar Beauty Award and it is one of their best selling products. 

The Astalift Light Analyzing Moisture Foundation is Astalift's first step into the foundation/make-up market. Reflecting the wonderful technologies used in their skincare they have now created a ground-braking foundation that is not only infused with one of the highest concentrations of collagen and anti-ageing skincare benefits helping to repair and protect skin - but in addition it's revolutionary new formula comprises of two 'light controlling' technologies: Light Absorbing & Light Reflecting.

What that means is that Astalift Light Analyzing Moisture Foundation can be worn from day to night, while the foundation adjusts to different lights and makes the skin look flawless and natural without looking like you are wearing foundation. Natural early day light in the morning is white-blue light, which can make you look pale but this foundation absorbs it and reflects the light in such a way that it makes your complexion look flawlessly clear. During the midday high intensity harsh light is yellow light, which can make your skin look tiered and dull but the foundation absorbs it and reflects it as white light giving you a brighter complexion. And finally in the evening the red light is absorbed and reflected as purple-red hue, which gives you a warm and elegant glow.

I'm incredibly excited to try this foundation, it sounds absolutely fantastic! Astalift Light Analyzing Moisture Foundation comes in six shades: Ivory, Sand, Sunny Beige, Rose Beige, Honey Beige, and Caramel. I was colour matched with the shade: Sand, so I am looking forward to try it. Blogpost with pictures wearing it are coming soon! Also it has an SPF25, which is always great! And did I mention the beautiful scent lingering through the entire skincare line as well as this foundation, it's a really decadent [Rosa Damascena Flower Oil] rose scent!

LOVE

Smokey Eye with YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette!

 YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette from Summer 2013 Collection

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free and Lipliner in Liberated

Hey Beauties! I have recently featured the stunning YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette, if you haven't seen the review yet click here! So as promised here is the look I have created wearing some of the eyeshadows from this palette. Firstly I applied MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork as a base, then I took the brown shade in the palette and applied it all over the lid blending it through into the socket and also taking it under the lower lash line for the smokey effect. Next I applied the middle highlight shade on the brow bone to highlight the area, this helps to visually lift and arch the brow. 

Then I took a black kohl, my favourite still is the Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl [I think it only comes in black], applying it as a liner with a light flick to elongate the eye, on the waterline, as well as under the lower lash line. I like to take a pencil brush and smudge the kohl before it sets to create extra smokiness, which I then went over with a touch of the brown eyeshadow. The final eyeshadow step was to take the golden shade and apply it just in the middle of the lid, this is something I saw Charlotte Tilbury do in her 10 Iconic Looks to transform a day look to a night look. It just adds extra bit of glamour and sparkle. 

And finally with this look I love a nude lip, my favourite nude lip combo of the moment is the new bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipliner in Liberated as a base [filling in the entire lip] + Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free over the top, and then blotting it, always makes a better lip!
 

LOVE

Essie Head Mistress and Skin Art!

Available at Boots for £4.99

Hey Beauties! I'm sure I have featured Essie Head Mistress before, but it is one of my best loved reds, it's a deep sexy red that speaks for itself. Also I get often asked about my fake tattoos, everyone keeps thinking they are real, so I decided to feature these Skin Art tattoos again! I don't have a real tattoo yet, kind of scared to commit to one full-time. But with these temporary tattoos I literally can do whatever I want because they will get off! They last a couple of days depending how careful you are and where you apply them, hands and fingers tend to last just for the occasion as washing hands makes them go off quicker. But on the neck or somewhere like that they will definitely last longer. 

Skin Art tattoos come in different themes like the I'm a Dreamer, which has more images like feathers and birds which is what I'm wearing [one of the small birds], and In Your Own Words, which has letters and words you can create sentences with or names, or unique words and be creative with it. I think fake tattoos are a great concept, if you want to get a real tattoo and want to get a preview of what it would look like or feel like to avoid regrets. Or generally if you are a creative soul and love the look of tattoos but don't want to commit - they are pretty awesome!

LOVE

Nude Lip with bareMinerals New Marvelous Moxie Lipstick and Lipliner!

Hey Beauties! This is my current favourite nude lip combo, there's just something about the textures and the shades that gives you that perfect luscious sexy nude lip. These are the new bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free and Marvelous Moxie Lipliner in Liberated. In the first picture you can see me with just the Liberated Lipliner, which I used to fill in the entire lip as a base. And in the next picture I have applied the Be Free Lipstick on top, blotting excess off. As you can see the Be Free Lipstick is a slightly lighter shade than the Liberated Liner, so by applying just the lipstick it maybe too nude but over the Liberated Liner it looks perfect. 

The texture of the Marvelous Moxie Lipstick is very-very creamy so applying it over the lipliner base makes it last a lot longer. Also the packaging is quite fun, you need to push that silver knob down to slide the lipstick out, when pushing it back in make sure it clicks into place. The Liberated lipliner has become my all time favourite nude lipliner, the shade is perfect for my complexion. I find it is very difficult to find the perfect nude lipliner, they end up looking either too brown or too pink on me, but this one is just perfection!!

LOVE

YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette from Summer 2013 Collection!

Hey Beauties! As I have already mentioned on Instagram I have purchased this beautiful YSL Marrakesh Sunset Palette from the Summer 2013 Collection back in June as an early B-Day present to myself. But because it's so stunning I almost was scared to mess it up by using it, it's silly but you know what I mean. This palette, as are all YSL 5 Colour Eye Shadow palettes, is pretty expensive but they are so stunning that I can't help myself and break the bank on occasion when the palette is extraordinarily stunning as is this Summer's Marrakesh Sunset palette! The Limited Edition palettes always have a different and opulent design, which makes them a real beauty collector's item! 

The palette has five colours, all are very shimmery to replicate the Moroccan decadence and glamour. There is a brown shade with multi coloured shimmers, underneath it there is a peach with pink and silver shimmers, across it there is the gold with pink and gold shimmers, and above it there is the purple with blue and purple shimmers, and finally in the middle the highlighter is a cream with gold, silver and pink shimmers. It is really hard to pick up the exact shimmers with a naked eye as they are super finely milled, but the purple shade seems to be the most sparkling and glitter packed! A beauty look wearing the eyeshadows from this palette is coming soon.

LOVE

Nail Art: Van Gogh Inspired Sunflower Nail Look!

 BarryM Gelly in Greenberry [L] + Guava [R]

 China Glaze Sun-Kissed, Essie Fear or Desire, Essie The More The Merrier

Hey Beauties and Nail Art Lovers! The summer is almost over and I decided to create a slightly crazy in terms of colours nail look. It started of as just alternated colour polkadots, but I thought it wasn't adventurous enough, so I decided to cover the polkadots and add some neon yellow flowers. The result is slightly messy and so it kind of reminds me of that legendary Sunflower painting by Van Gogh...

So here is how I created it: Firstly I always protect my nails by applying one coat of OPI Nail Envy [the original] as a base, then I applied two coats of BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine in Greenberry and Guava alternating the nails. After rectifying the polkadot situation I then dotted [using my Cheeky dotting tools] a neon yellow flower shape using China Glaze in Sun-Kissed, which is a shimmery acid yellow. Next I applied one offsetting dot into the centre of the flower, choosing Essie Fear or Desire, which is a cream bright orange. And finally to add some foliage I applied double green leave detail to each flower, using Essie The More The Merrier, which is a cream pea green. To tone it slightly down you can just do the sunflowers on one accent nail, that would safe you a lot of time!

If you'd like to see my Cheeky dotting tools click here for the blogpost! Also let me know below in the comment box if there is a specific nail art design you'd like to see and I'll try to create it for you!

LOVE

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Petal Shimmer + Candy Shimmer!

Hey Beauties! Here are two new additions to my Clarins collection. Couple of summers ago I was totally obsessed with the Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in 03 Nude Shimmer and it was the only lip product I have used for a month non stop. It's just such an easy and effortless lip product that instantly makes your lips look beautiful. I love the texture it's not sticky, wears beautifully, you can reapply it while on the go [literally] don't even need a mirror! Although they all have 'shimmer' attached to their shade names it is not about crazy sparkles or anything like that, it's super natural but it does have a beautifying sheen to it, which ultimately makes the lips look natural yet plump and delicious. Speaking of which, the scent reminds me of sweets, like toffee or something. 04 Petal Shimmer is a super cute baby pink and 05 Candy Shimmer is like an English rose pink.

LOVE

Cosmetics a la Carte Bare Blush in Moonbeam and Lipstick in Ballerina!

 Cosmetics a la Carte Bare Blush Cream Blush in Moonbeam

 Cosmetics a la Carte Plump & Prime [lip base] and Lustre Lipstick in Ballerina

There is something about this base, it makes all lipsticks look even better and I find it prevents them from running, quite often I like to wear it on its own just as a nude lip!

Cosmetics a la Carte Lustre Lipstick in Ballerina

Hey Beauties! As featured before here is a look I created wearing the beautiful Cosmetics a la Carte Moonbeam highlighter and the pretty Lustre Lipstick in Ballerina. It's a really natural and fresh looking beauty look, which is emphasised by the glowing complexion and a pretty light pink lip with a sheen. If you haven't seen my previous blogpost with in depth review on these products, all the shades info and swatches click here! 

Although it's called a Cream Blush it really is a highlighter, but you can use it all over your face including cheeks and eyes just avoiding the centre of the face except for the bridge of the nose. The way I like to use it for that super glowing complexion is by applying it on top of my foundation and using it just like I would a highlighter but I also apply it where I'd apply blusher. Then on the cheeks on top of Moonbeam I layer my powder blush of choice, what that creates is a beautiful subtle sheen from underneath which means it doesn't look greasy, it just lifts the blush. Moonbeam  is a warm peach/rose gold shade, very beautiful. You can apply it with fingers, but I prefer to use the realTechniques Contour Brush with it, it applies it like a dream creating that airbrushed finish!

I have become a huge Cosmetics a la Carte lover this year, there are just so many great products I keep discovering! I particularly love their lipsticks, the textures are beautiful, the different finishes, they wear nicely, and somehow every lipstick I have tried looks effortlessly beautiful! Ballerina is such a pretty casual pink with a sheen. Although it's a Lustre finish it doesn't have a frosty shimmer, it just has a flattering sheen, which I find adds freshness to the face just like a glowing complexion does!

LOVE

Too Faced No Makeup Makeup Palette!

 I have done a full review and created a look wearing the Too Faced Bronzed & Poreless Pore Perfecting Bronzer and the Too Faced 3 Way Lash Lining Tool, to see the blogpost just click here!

Hey beauties! As you probably gathered by now I'm the type of girl that loves make-up. Not only do I enjoy wearing make-up but I actually love the whole process of applying make-up, and find it incredibly therapeutic! And this is why I wanted to share this palette, I have used it so many times this summer purely to make myself put together and not leave the house looking like I just got out of bed. This palette is great for someone who either doesn't like wearing much make-up or for those of us who need at least something in situations like hanging out by the pool, going to the beach and maybe groceries shopping on the way back. 

So if you don't want to wear the full make-up yet want to look representable you can quickly beautify your complexion. And if you also don't have a mascara close by the Too Faced 3 Way Lash Lining Tool is also a great idea, you can quickly dot it on along the lash line and that visually makes the lashes look thicker as well as subtly defining the eye.

I absolutely adore the Crème Blush and the Luminize highlighter. It's such a cute palette, you literally get everything you need in one place: concealer, highlighter, brightener, blushes, and a bronzer. And what's convenient about it, even if you don't have a brush close at hand you can quickly do your face just with fingers as the concealer, highlighter, brightener and one of the blushes are all crème texture! I adore the packaging, reminds me of the vintage tin palettes, and you also get a guide to three looks you can create with this palette: Wake Up Makeup; Nude Radiance; Red Carpet Contour. Very neat!

LOVE

Burberry Lip Glow Pink Sweet Pea No.20 Natural Lip Gloss!

 Shade: Pink Sweet Pea No.20

This is the first Burberry Lip Glow lipgloss I have ever tried, and I love how pigmented it is. You can either build it up or just apply a thin coat for a sheer hint of colour. Pink Sweet Pea is such a pretty name and so is the actual shade, it's a hot pink with a blue shimmer which makes the lip appear plump and luscious! I also like the non-sticky texture of the Lip Glow. And of course the ever so luxurious Burberry packaging is rather pleasing to the eye!

LOVE

Nait Trend: Neon Tribal Nailart!

Cheeky Dotting Tools in Medium

 H&M Nail Polish in Why Not?

 Rococo Nail Apparel in Funboy Matte

 BarryM Nail Paint in BLE 2013 B 330 [not sure what that name is but it's Limited Edition]

BeYu [bi:ju:] in 318

Here is a bit of a fun summery tribal nailart look I came up with using the dotting tools and neons. I particularly like the white and black contrast up against the super bright neon pink and the tropical yellow! Here is how I did it: firstly, I always forget to mention but I start any manicure by applying one coat of OPI Nail Envy [the original] as a base, then I applied two coats of H&M Why Not?, I really like this white, it's milky and on a sheer side but has enough pigment and the application is great. 

Then I started to add colours, dotting a triangle shape right at the base of the nailplate with Rococo Funboy Matte, it's a crazy bright neon. To divide colours I dotted a pattern with black [BeYu in 318] every time after adding a colour, you can be as creative as you want with it that's the beauty of nailart. And with tribal look it doesn't matter if you make a mistake, I prefer it when it doesn't look perfect, imperfection adds a character to this look! Next I dotted this beautiful BarryM tropical juicy yellow which is a Limited Edition and I have no idea what the name is, all it says on the bottom is BLE 2013 B 330, go figure... And finally the tribal nail look is completed with this funky uneven black edge. This look is not hard to recreate, but it does take time. 

LOVE