Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit - Review

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit is a palette of sculpting powders, perfect for setting highlight and contouring the face. There are a range of different colours and tones meaning this product is going to be great for a wide range of people.         

On the side of the packaging it tells you all of the colours that are inside: Sand, Vanilla, Banana, Java, Fawn and Havana. However each individual pan can be taken out of the palette and on the back of each pan is the name (which is handy if ever you need to take a colour out of the palette). 

I believe you can actually buy the pans individually which means you can refill your colours without buying the whole palette again, which is awesome! 

I absolutely love the formula of these powders, they are silky smooth and set the face beautifully. They don't cake up and look chalky which I also love. All of the powders are matte except from Sand, which is slightly shimmery and so this colour is a perfect cheekbone, browbone and inner corner highlight! I would have to say my favourite colour BY FAR is Banana. I just love that they have included this yellow shade, I haven't known any other brand to have such a good shade for highlighting under the eyes. It reminds me a lot of a pressed version of Ben Nye Banana powder, which I also adore! 

L-R: Vanilla, Banana, Sand, Java, Fawn and Havana.

The palette retails at £45 and you can order it online on the Cult Beauty website. I know £45 sounds like a lot, but these powders will last you a really long time and they are super good quality! So I think it's really worth it, I wouldn't recommend it to you if I didn't think it was worth the money. 

As a makeup artist, this palette is so ideal as it has a variety of different colours that you can do so many different things with, all in a handy palette. So if you are a makeup artist I would strongly recommend getting this palette! And if you're not, then I would still strongly recommend it haha. EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET IT. I'm kidding, but it is so, so good.

I hope that this short review has helped you out if you were debating whether to purchase this palette or not!

Speak to you soon! 

Love H ♥

10 tips on how to make your eyes look bigger

My friend recently asked me "Holly, how can I make my eyes appear bigger?!" and thinking about it, there are so many little things you can do to make your eyes look bigger and "wider awake". My friend and I both have hooded eyes, where not much of our eyelid shows when we have our eyes open, so I'm going to talk about how to apply eyeshadow to hooded eyes and I'm going to share with you a few tips on how you can easily make your eyes appear bigger. You'll be amazed at how much of a difference these simple steps can make. 

The picture below shows my eye completely bare. 

As you can see I do have quite hooded eyes, which can be a nuisance when doing eye makeup. First and foremost for my fellow hooded eye pals, the most important thing when applying eyeshadow is to ensure that you are blending UP and OUT. When hooded eyes are open, very little of the eyelid shows, so in order for your eyeshadow to show when you have your eyes open, it needs to be blended up to the crease and out towards to tail of the brow. Don't be afraid to blend too high, chances are you're not. It needs to be blended further than the norm otherwise you won't be able to see it when you open your eyes. Obviously make sure you are BLENDINGGGG, it's so important. If you were to go up that high and not blend the eye shadow it would look awful. Blending is key!!! 

2. Using a light shimmery colour all over the lid will make your eyelids appear bigger. However for more mature skin I would recommend a light matte colour, as shimmery colours tend to show up fine lines and don't flatter more mature skin as much as they do younger skin. 

3. Use a darker colour on the outer half of the eye. This is where the UP and OUT steps are key! These steps basically mimic what a winged liner would do. However for hooded eyes, winged liner can sometimes be to harsh. Having a thick black line across the lash line can close up the eye lid and make the lid appear smaller, so by just using a darker shadow on the outer half of the eye, we can still wing out but it won't be as harsh.

4. Use a darker colour underneath the lower lashline on the OUTER half. If you blend this colour all the way in to the inner corner you're eyes will be closed off completely making them look smaller. If you keep the darker colour on the outer half and put a light shimmery highlight colour in the inner corner, you are opening up the eye.

5. Shape and sculpt the brows so that you have an arch. This will make the eyes appear bigger and will create the illusion that you have more space on the eyelid. It really helps!

6. Add a brow bone highlight. A shimmery colour will refelct light and make the brow appear even more arched but a matte light colour would work too.

7. If you're not wearing too much eyeshadow, just add a soft warm toned brown in the crease. 

This doesn't have to be a harsh cut crease, just a soft wash of colour will make the eyes appear more deep set and will create the illusion of a larger eyelid area. You could use a darker colour to create a cut crease higher than your natural one to make the lid appear bigger, but this can sometimes look unnatural.

8. CURL THOSE LASHES GURL. 

Curling the lashes is so important! Just look at how much of a difference it makes! It really opens up the eyes and instantly makes you look more awake. I would say it's really important to invest in a good pair of eyelash curlers. My favourite are the Shu Uemura eyelash curlers, I haven't found a pair that I like more as of yet. At £20 they really are quite pricey, but sooo worth it. 

9. Mascara!

Mascara makes a real difference. A lengthening mascara will make your eyes appear a lot bigger. You don't want to add too much mascara as if the lashes get too clumpy it can easily start to close the eye area up and that's not what we're looking to do here. An ideal mascara for this would be Benefit They're Real as it's a really nice wet mascara. For a cheaper alternative, L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes will do the same thing! Feel free not to add mascara on the bottom lashes if you don't like doing that, but it will again make your eyes appear bigger.

10. As seen in the above picture... Nude eyeliner in the waterline! This will do amazing things for your eyes. Be sure to sharpen the eyeliner everytime you use it, there's nothing worse than a blunt nude eyeliner getting all over the roots of your bottom lashes!!! Some people like to apply a white eyeliner in the waterline, but personally I think that looks too harsh and unnatural. It's perfect to use for character makeup when exaggerating eye sizes, but for a natural everyday look I would recommend using a nude rather than a white.

Obviously you don't have to have hooded eyes to use these tips, some of them will make any eye shape appear bigger. But hooded eyes will really benefit from all of these tips!

I really hope that this helped you!!! (FERN) ;)

If you have any other questions be sure to leave them in the comments section. I'd be more than happy to answer them for you. 

Speak to you soon! 

Love H ♥

A subtle pink and grey smokey eye

     

Face: 

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in No56 Light Bronze mixed with L'Oreal True Match foundation in Golden Beige. 

Dermacolor Camouflage mini concealer palette NR.3 in colours D10 and D5 to correct.

Origins Plantscription Concealer in Light.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique in Light.

Anastasia Beverley Hills contour powders in Banana, Fawn, Java and Sand. Banana to highlight under the eyes, Fawn to contour, Java to bronze and Sand to highlight the cheekbones.

MAC blush in Pink Swoon.

Eyes: 

Sleek brow kit in Light.

Avon eyelid primer in Light Beige.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. Strange all over the lid and to highlight the brow bone, Dust used wet as a pigment all over the lid, Darkside in the crease and outer corners, and L'Oreal Glam Bronze Bronzer in Golden Bronze as transition shade.

Shu Uemura gold eyelash curlers. 

L'Oreal Volume Million Lash in Extra Black. 

Rimmel London Scandal Eyes eyeliner in Nude in the waterline. 

Lips:

L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in 235 Nude. 

Tanya Burr Cosmetics lipgloss in Chic. 

Thanks for reading!

Love H ♥

A few of my skincare essentials

Okay so I wanted to share with you some skin care products that I am really, really happy with. I've probably mentioned before that I have oily blemish-prone skin, which is an absolute nightmare (for me), when trying to find skin care products that actually work. I don't have particularly sensitive skin, however I don't like to use anything too harsh just incase it starts to break me out. After years and years of trial and error, at this particular moment in time, I am super happy with my skin care routine. So in this post I will be sharing with you a few of my favs! (These are not ALL of the products I use in my routine, just a selection). I would truly recommend any of these products to you if you have a similar skin type to me; and some of them would be ideal for those of you with dry or combination skin too, but I'll mention all of that when I get to the individual products. So let's get started!!! 

1. Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream (Fragrance Free)

I have had this product for a long time now, and still haven't found anything I like more for moisturising my lips! It really can make the most chapped of lips look smooth and moisturised if used everyday. Honestly, if you suffer from dry or chapped lips it will quite literally change your life. This product has found a permanent place in my professional makeup kit; my clients absolutely love it! You can find this product in Boots if they have an Elizabeth Arden counter, or you can buy online from several different stores. I've linked Feel Unique up above.

2. E45 Moisturising Lotion

This product is another tried and tested one of mine. I absolutely love using this on my clients because it's so good for every skin type. It moisturises dry skin really nicely, leaving it feeling smooth and looking hydrated, however it is non-greasy and so isn't too much for oily skin (I would know!) Another reason I love this product is because it's fragrance free and hypoallergenic meaning it's really great for sensitive skin too. It really is an all rounder. And sooooo cheap too! It's around £5.50 for 500 ML. AMAZING. LOVE. OK. MOVING ON. 

3. Bioderma Sensibo H2O Micelle Solution

Now I think everyone and their mother has raved about Bioderma for YEARS now, but with really good reason. It is an amazing product for getting off makeup or just pre-cleansing the face before applying any makeup. It's sooo gentle on the skin and is fragrance free so good for sensitive skin types. I can't recommend this product enough, if you can get your hands on it, do it! It is quite hard to get hold of, I believe there are only a few small chemists and pharmacies that hold it in the U.K. I found mine in a chemist called Zest in Soho, London. But you can find it easier online. This is another product that I cannot live without in my makeup kit.

4. Avène Thermal Spring Water

This product isn't really everyday "skincare" as such, it's kind of just a glorified water spray, but it is a really nice product. I love using this to refresh my face throughout the day or even on a hot day it's great to spray all over to cool you down. I tend to use this on clients before I start the makeup to refresh the skin and prepare it for the makeup. It is around the £10.00 mark so quite expensive for what it is, but if you're willing to pay that much then I would totally recommend it. 

5. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-free Cleanser

Now this is a product that is really particular to your skin type, I would NOT recommend this at all if you have normal to dry skin. This really is a product for oily skin types. This product is sooo good at cleansing oily skin, it really gets rid of excess oils and impurities. However, even if you have super oily skin, I wouldn't recommend using this as your daily cleanser, just because it is so strong. I personally love the feeling it gives the skin once you've used it, it's just like the feeling you get when you wash your body with a bar of soap, like squeaky! But one of my close friends also has oily skin and she really doesn't like the feeling of this cleanser. So it really is a personal thing. I would suggest going to your nearest Kiehl's store if you can, and seeing what they have to say. They're really helpful in there!

6. Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Moisturising Balm

This is a new found love of mine. This moisturising balm is so rich and creamy, it makes the skin feel so smooth. It has ingredients in it that help to boost natural collagen production and help to keep the skins moisture locked in. I use this before bed, as it is quite rich for me during the day as I have oily skin. But for those of you with dry skin this would be amazing for you during the day and at night. This is a really expensive product at around £60.00, and I haven't purchased it just yet, (the pot in the picture is just a tester). However, I am absolutely going to purchase it when I run out, no doubt about it, and I will  be buying a tub for my kit too!!! 

7. GlamGlow Supermud ClearingTreatment

Okay. So this product is one of my absolute all time favourites. If out of this whole list of products you fancy buying one but don't know which, make it this one! This will not disappoint you. So this product is an intense clearing treatment in the form of a charcoal mud mask. It quite literally PULLS out the impurities in your skin, you can see it happening. There are similar things on the market, I believe Origins make a really good clay mud mask. But this one has been soo talked about and hyped up that I really think it's worth the investment. Yes, investment. It's not cheap. It retails at about £40.00 for a 34g tub. But oh my it's so worth it! If you click on the link above it will take you to the webpage, where you can read the list of things that this does for your skin. Amazing stuff.

8. No7 Protect and Perfect Eye Cream & No7 Beautiful Skin Overnight Eye Balm

Last but not least, these babies! I love No7 skin care products I think they are such good quality for the price. I use the eye cream in the morning and the overnight eye balm in the evening (obviously). I really love they P&P eye cream for making my under eyes appear more radiant and smoothing out those little fine lines, and the overnight balm for improving my dark circles and reducing puffiness.

And so that's it!

I really hope that you enjoyed reading this post and maybe learnt about some new products! 

If you want to see a more in depth review or demo about any of the products I've mentioned, then just be sure to leave a comment below and I will do that for you :-)
Also leave a comment telling me what your favourites are, I would love to know, I'm all about trying new products!

Thanks for reading guys, I'll speak to you in my next post.

Love H ♥