MAC Strobe cream review

Hello peeps!

I have decided to do a review on the well known and popular Strobe cream by MAC. 

If you are unaware of this product, let me assure you that this particular cream is no ordinary cream - MAC clarifies this statement below: 

I wholeheartedly agree with the above and have realised that I can no longer just wear my foundation alone, it needs to be mixed in with the strobe cream. As a person who has mild acne with extremely dry and dull skin, this miracle cream has enabled me to feign what i thought i could never achieve - healthy looking, bright and fresh skin! 

Wearing foundation alone had never let me achieve this unfortunately, so to my amazement and joy, it has allowed me to temporarily wear fresh and glowy looking skin. 

I first received this as a free sample with one of my delivery purchases from MAC. I was always intrigued by this cream, knowing that a lot of people, MUA's and bloggers had rated it highly. Now I'm not surprised why lol. 

I usually apply this by squirting out a pea sized amount and then mixing it with my foundation (Clinique Anti blemish) and then using my index finger, dotting it all across my face and then gently rubbing it into my skin in a downward motion. This gives my skin great coverage as well leaving it dewy, light and fresh :-) 

It can even be used as a highlighter, detailinh the bridge of the nose, your cupids bow and above your cheekbones to enhance your features.

Even though I mix it with my foundation, it can be applied to the skin before or after you put on foundation. And it can even be worn alone.

Strobe cream swatched on my wrist (with flash)

(Without flash)

Blended into the skin (can you notice the lovely yet light iredescent shimmer?) 

Here is a recent picture of me wearing the strobe cream under my makeup. 

And another one...lol

I don't really have any complaints or issues against this cream, however I do know that most people would be scared to buy it due to its price tag (£22.50 - 50ml) But remember it is no ordinary cream, it is packed with loads of vitamins and green tea to help your skin, albeit temporarily, become radiant and alive. 

No other cream has ever had the damn decency to do this for my long suffering skin, so purchasing this can be justified for me :P 

Anyway, let me know what you think of it and if it has worked for you.xx

Quick and easy smokey eyes

Hello everyone!

So last week, when I was getting ready to attend a birthday party, I decided to try out the smokey eye look. Reason one - I couldnt be bothered to apply any eyeshadow that day and reason two - I was getting a little bored of the usual liquid eye liner routine. 

Anyways, this was the look -

*If you're not keen on using a black kohl pencil or want a day time smokey look, you can switch it for a brown one instead*

To achieve this look all I used was:

-Collection lasting perfection concealer in 'fair'

- Soap and glory smoulder kohl (in black) (which comes with a sharpener at the end of the pencil, cool or what??)

- Clinique High Impact mascara

- Elf smudge eye sponge brush (which only costs £1.50!) 

In the beginning, I applied a very small amount of concealer around my eyes using my index finger, to even out the skin tone and to make them appear more bright and fresh.

To accentuate the eyes I outlined them using the smoulder pencil (don't worry if it appears messy, this will change after you blend it with the sponge brush)

Then using the sponge brush, I blended out the liner repeatedly until it looked perfectly smokey and soft. I did it in the top liner and the below the bottom lash and at the ends of my eyes I did a teeny flick to make them look feminine and cat like. 

Finally, I applied loads of coats of mascara to add more drama and volume to the eyes. 

To keep the attention on the eyes only, i kept the rest of the makeup minimal by not applying blusher and wearing a nudish pink lipstick. I think I used MAC's Creme in your coffee. 

Hope you all have a great evening/day! 

X

Haifa Wehbe inspired eye makeup step by step guide:

Hello everyone! So I wanted to live up to my promise and have finally decided to write a step by step post on how I achieved a Haifa Wehbe inspired eye makeup look -

This is my interpretation of the eye makeup - i have been eager to do this look for a long time as it is such a sultry, bold and colourful look.

I absolutely love arabic inspired eye makeup and this is one of my first attempts at trying it. Do let me know your thoughts and views of this look!

Sooo..

Step one: I applied Urban Decay's Primer Potion onto my eyelids to keep the eyeshadows long lasting and vibrant.

Step two: Using my fingers, I applied a creamy textured champaigne/gold eyeshadow by Avon all over my lids to act as a base.

Step three: Using a MAC 239 brush, I patted Half baked eyeshadow (Naked palette) all over the lids.

Step four: Using a MAC 217 brush, I blended Buck eyeshadow (Naked palette) above the crease and kept blending until it was soft and fully blended (patience is key - lol)

Step five: On the outer v, I applied Darkhorse eyeshadow (Naked palette) using the same 239 brush and then blending it out with MAC 217.

Step six: Below the bottom lash line, I first used a bright blue eyeshadow from Sleek's Sunset i Divine palette usiing Elf's flat liner brush. Then towards the end of the eyes I applied a navy blue eyeshadow from Sleek's Original i Divine palette using the same brush, blending the two colours together to give it a smooth looking finish.

Step six: I applied the Barry M liquid eyeliner thinly, doing a cat flick to make the eyes stand out even more.

Step seven: On the waterline, I used Soap and Glory's smoulder kohl pencil, which is long lasting as well as very, very black, perfect for an Arabic eye makeup look. I then applied Clinique's High Impact mascara.

Step eight: And finally, the concealer I used was Collection's Lasting perfection concealer in fair.

Hope you all like this post :) 

Peace! x

The 90's Tag!

90's Kid Tag!

Hey everyone, so I noticed this cool tag on another blogger's page (her blog is called Veil and Swagger: http://www.veilandswagger.com/ ) and decided to tag myself after reminiscing about my joyful 90's days which i would like to share with you all <3 :o)

*I was born in the year 1990, so a lot of the information provided below was mainly during the mid/late 90's period as I cannot exactly remember what occurred during the early 90's lol.*

Anywhooo here it goeess:

1. Favourite Disney channel original movie?

I didn't have The Disney channel during the 90's

2. Favourite music artist?

I mainly listened to Britney Spears, The Spice Girls, S Club 7, The Backstreet Boys(!!!!fan girling still!!!!), Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, TLC, Westlife.... 

3. Favourite nickelodeon show?

Rugrats FTW <3 I must have been THE biggest Rugrats fanatic there was...I would literally cry and yell if my mum or brother changed the channel if Rugrats was on. :/ I also loved watching Hey Arnold, CatDog, Sabrina the teenage Witch, Kenan and Kel, Sister Sister, Saved by the Bell, Are you afraid of the dark?, Three friends and Jerry, Cousin Skeeter, The Amanda Show, the list goes on and on... :S

4. Favourite candy?

Haribos (before I realised they were haraam :s), Roses, Drumstick lollies, Wispa, Toffee Crisp, KP Choc Dips...

5. Favourite game?

Me and my younger cousins sisters used to play mum and children (no one was willing to play dad for some reason lol) and i remember we once used a toy doll as a newborn baby girl - giving it a name, changing it, feeding it...even singing lullabies to it :/ We used to also play with our much loved and cared for Barbies <3 I remember taking mine to Toy Day in school once and it was a Bead Blast Barbie which came with numerous beads -  it was a huge hit with the other kids, especially the boys :S who very much enjoyed applying the beads to their own hair lol

6. Favourite McDonalds toy?

Never ever had a McDonald's toy sadly :s lol

7. Favourite book?

In primary school I remember mainly reading the Biff and Chip books, Elmer (The multicoloured Elephant), The Hungry Caterpillar, can't remember what else :s

8. Favourite clothing store?

Didn't really have one because my mum chose ALL of my outfits. ¬__¬ 

9. What would you watch when you got home from school?

Wizadora, Art Attack, Blue Peter sometimes, Brum, The Queen's Nose, Sooty and Co.(!!!!Hey Ho it's Sooty and Co. Everybody say HELLO!!!! ahh <3) 

10. Favourite TV show?

Had so manyy...these would be in my Top Five: Rugrats, Cow and Chicken, Dexter's Lab, The Simpsons anddd Kenan and Kel

11. Favourite Toy?

Probably my Bead Blast Barbie doll. Along with my Polly Pocket treasure chest/beach house thingy lol.

12. Favourite commercials?

I despise all commercials/TV advertisements -__-

13. Nsync or Backstreet Boys?

The Backsteet Boys all day errry'day!!!!!

15. Weirdest fashion trend?

Platform sneakers..brown lipstick in tow with ultra pale complexions :/...

16. Favourite beanie baby?

Didn't own any

17. How Tamagotchi's did you go through?

urm 0 lol 

18. What was you favourite gaming system and game?

My older brother had a Sega Mega Drive and Nintendo 64 when we were kids and I remember playing The Lion King, Sonic and Knuckles, Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat and lastly my all time fave: Street Fighters!! (Chun Li ruled!) 
And there we go....you now have a small yet significant insight into my childhood ;-) 

Take care and peace x

MAC Girl about Town lipstick review

MAC Girl About Town lipstick review:

Hi everyone, the latest MAC lipstick which i have purchased is MAC's Girl About Town. I wanted a lipstick that was vibrant, rich and suitable for party wear, which is why I was drawn to this lovely shade! I think I first noticed this lipstick on one of Tanya Burr's YouTube video last year and fell in love with it instantly. 

It's a very bright, fuchsia pink and comes under the Amplified Creme formula, making it highly pigmented, creamy and non drying. 

When I first tried it on, I was a little concerned that it was very similar to MAC's Rebel lipstick. I would say that if  you lightly apply Rebel it does resemble Girl About Town but without the creamy texture as Rebel is a Matte formula. Having said that, Girl About Town is more of a hot pink and doesn't have any purple/berry undertones like Rebel. 

Personally, I wouldn't wear this on a regular basis (to work etc..) instead I'd wear it to parties/occasions/day outs, this is mainly due to the bold colour and I am still not really used to wearing strong pinks. 

However, I still really like this lipstick, and have received compliments on how it suits my complexion. I also love how it's long lasting and doesn't require much touch ups, great for people like me who hate having to reapply constantly.

Given that its a very feminine, girly and eye catching shade, it would be suitable for those who are on the lookout for a striking lippie that demands attention ;-)

Here are a few images of me wearing Girl About Town - 

Hope you all liked reading this post :)

P.S. Below is a sneak peak of my Haifa Wehbe look which will be featured on my next post ;-)

Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask Review

Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask Review

Clinique has introduced the Moisture Surge Overnight Mask which promises dewy, plump and hydrated skin.
I purchased this a month ago after I finally had enough of my extremely dry and dull skin. I had read good reviews on this product and knew that I could trust a brand like Clinique to help me overcome this issue.

Background info on my skin: I suffer from mild Acne and very dry skin and unfortunately can only wear oil free moisturisers that do not clog my pores. Although these moisturisers help prevent the spots and blemishes, they sadly do not moisturise my skin well enough and are not good bases for my foundation to sit on. It would look very obvious that I had foundation on and flakiness would appear and worsen throughout the day.

I applied this to my face before I went to sleep, after washing my face with the St. Ives Blemish and Blackheads Control Apricot Scrub. The mask felt incredibly moisturising and wasn't too heavy or gloopy. I thought I would have to be extra careful to not get into contact with the pillows/cover but luckily the mask instantly absorbed into my skin. It literally drank it all up and did not leave any residue like I thought it would.

I woke up the next day with plump, smooth, soft and flake free skin. I was amazed. My skin had never achieved this look or texture before. I was over the moon :)
I then washed my face using the Clean and Clear Exfoliating Daily Wash and applied Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturiser. After it settled in to the skin, I applied my foundation (Clinique Anti Blemish) and to my amazement, there were no dry flakes and my skin still looked supple and hydrated. For once, it did not look at all obvious that I had foundation on.

I have since used this 3/4 times a week and have noticed clear improvements. It has balanced my skin's moisture level as well as keeping it supple and plump. My skin no longer looks dull and it is all thanks to this mask :)

Although it can be used on all skin types, I would recommend this product more to those who have dry/very dry skin. At £28.00 for 100ml it is on the pricier end but I believe it would make a significant difference to those who have dry/very dry skin as opposed to those with other skin types. I'm not sure whether it would make any difference or changes, but it could still be used occasionally when your skin is looking dull and needs a pick me up.

I guess the only con would be the hefty price, but I am willing to overlook this as it has achieved everything it claimed it would. Overall, I rate this a 9/10 :-)

Below is an image of me after using this Mask. Let me know what you think. x

Beauty tip #Numero uno

Tinted Vaseline

I rely on lip balms and Vaseline on the basis that my lips are insaaanely dry. This could most possibly be due to the fact that I don't drink much water :/ (slap on the wrist). Anyway, one day I decided to experiment and applied a teeny, tiny amount of red lip liner onto my lips, after I had put on Vaseline. I then rubbed it all over my lips with my finger. The result was sheeny, with a natural looking rose stain hue on my lips. The best bit was how natural it looked. It was like 'my lips, but better'. When my best friend saw me, she couldn't tell I had anything on my lips and assumed it was just my natural lip colour but just oddly more rosy than usual (lol). 

I tend to use this method when I'm going for the no makeup look, and it's great, because it enhances my natural lip colour and adds moisture without the use of gloss/lipstick. 

You can try it with any lip liner of your choice, but to achieve the 'natural' effect, I would suggest a lip shade close to own. 

Do try this technique if you haven't already, and let me know what you think. :)