MAKEUP REVIEW: My Current Top Ten Beauty Products...April 2016

I thought I'd do a quick post about my current top ten makeup favourites, especially as I do get some readers asking for recommendations. Below are a mix of higher-end and drugstore products I use a lot - I wasn't able to post swatches but if you would like to see some, comment below!

1. Too Faced Cocoa Contour Palette
The contouring trend has hit the makeup world hard, so it's natural to want some chiseled cheeks as well! This Too Faced palette is my go-to contouring palette - it's easy to use, and it's perfect for beginners. I'm one of those people where the saying 'less is more' definitely applies, so a light touch of contour is just what I look for. This palette is simple, easy to use and blends beautifully - not to mention smells like yummy chocolate which is always a plus in my books!

2. Inglot Gel Liner
I've been using this gel liner for a few years, the previous gel liner I used was Mac Blacktrack, but I actually prefer this. When I'm not reaching for a liquid eyeliner pen, I reach for this, especially to wear on top of eyeshadows. Not only is it smoother and looks a little blacker, it doesn't dry out as quickly as the Mac gelpot, and is seriously easy to apply. I also bought the Inglot 30T brush with this pot, which is also perfect for precise lines, and is something I would recommend for beginners.

3. Kiko Soft Blush - Shade 100
I bought this on a whim from Kiko, and have been using it for a few years now - it's the perfect glowy  honey gold shade for my skin without looking cakey, and blends really well. I'm a big fan of Kiko Milano products and really think they are great value for money. I've since bought a few more shades in this range and have not been disappointed - perfect for everyday wear or dressier occasions!

4. Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow Pomade
I'll admit, I wasn't sure about this product when it was released because of all of the hype that came with it. But I decided to give it a try and bought shade dark brown, and was pleasantly surprised - it really is that good. I use this pretty sparingly because I'm always a little conscious of having blocky eyebrows - but when applied with a gentle hand, this can really make a difference to your eye makeup.

5. Makeup Revolution Blush in Shade Now
One of my all-time favourite pink blushers - and it only cost £1! I have no idea if this is a dupe for a higher end blush, but it's a really pretty, flattering shade of plummy pink which gets me compliments every time I wear it. I've got a lot of other pink blushers but I still reach for this one for a nice girl look.

6. Mac Face and Body Foundation

I've worn Mac foundation for years, from Studio Fix and Pro-Longwear to the Matchmaster and Sheer Powders, but in the last few years I've used less of these because they either feel too heavy on me or oxidise a little. A big exception is the Face and Body foundation - it's lightweight, thin and easy to blend, and looks very natural on. I always recommend this for people looking for an alternative to tinted moisterisers, the coverage is decent without being heavy and feels natural on.

7. Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Creams
I've posted about these before, and my opinion hasn't changed - these are amazing for drugstore liquid lipsticks, and the colour range are lovely - a lot of liquid lipsticks come in bright colours but these are softer and girlier. These are my go-to lipsticks for works, and last me pretty much the whole day - and better still, there have been more colours released recently too!

8. Mac Iridiscent Loose Powder
Quite possibly one of the best-kept secrets by Mac - multi-functioning loose powder which is very fine and beautifully pigmented, in golden bronze and a silvery pink. You can use it alone, mix with foundation or wear on top as a highlighter. I don't know many people who use this but I highly recommend it - a tiny bit goes a long way and really makes your face glow - perfect for strobing too!

9. Nyx Soft Matte lip creams
Another lip product I've blogged about before, these Nyx lip creams are amazing value for money. I had to buy these from a seller in America, but they have since been released in Boots and Selfridges in a big range of colours, which I love. I have most of the colours, and use these pretty much all the time - the nude shades are my favourites!

10. Kat von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks

I know, another liquid lipstick product, but these ones are slightly more higher end and it really shows in the quality of these. I bought these recently via a friend who go them from Sephora, and they are one of my favourites in my lipstick collection. They are beautifully creamy, very pigmented and look great on. If you have a bit more money to spend, I highly recommend these - the shades below are Bahau5 ( a beautiful magenta purple) and Lolita (a rich pink-brown).

I'm pretty sure you can tell I love my lipsticks, especially liquid lipsticks! This isn't really an encompassing list of all of my favourite products, and I'm sure in a few months time it will change, but for now these are my favourites!

Do you own any of these? Which are your favourites?

Chand Raat / Eid Night

My family and I have developed a tradition of usually going to my eldest sister's house for iftar dinner the night before Eid, being a good way to start Eid celebrations. We tend to get together to eat, put mehndi on and watch toddlers be naughty - it's also a great opportunity for us to get dressed up!

This is what I wore, a peach kameez with apple green accents and deep red dupatta - I had bought a separate pair of trousers in pearl pink jamawar material to glam out the outfit but didn't end up wearing it because it didn't really match. I stuck to the original plain peach trousers, but I'll wear the jamawar one with another outfit soon!

The other thing which was new was my shoes - my sisters found them a little too loud but I loved them, and they added a little rainbow sparkle to the outfit!

This is me wearing the outfit (I took the opportunity to pose before we left the house because I knew I'd forget to take proper pictures later!)

I also wanted to include a quick shot of how I did my eye makeup - I used a new loose pigment eyeshadow I'd been meaning to try called Old Gold by Mac Cosmetics. It was a pretty colour, and looked two tone but also had a slightly lime-ish tone to it as well so I'm not sure how well it went with my outfit!

The dinner at my sister's house was fabulous - there were a variety of dishes which we stuffed ourselves with, although our appetites were a little shrunken so we didn't fit a lot into our stomachs!

My sisters, mum and my niece had gotten their mehndi done by a friend who did an amazing job - here's a few pictures of the designs on their hands.

I also loved my nieces outfits too (I did try to get pics of my nephews but neither of them would stand still long enough!) - my eldest niece wore a beautiful teal maxi dress and the two little ones wore pretty lace dresses with leggings. My sister and I thought the dresses with the legging gave a very pretty Lucknow-style 50s look!

My husband and I wanted to head out to local streets after dinner so I could browse the shops and perhaps get some mehndi done - unfortunately it was pretty late and the roads were packed. I wasn't willing to wait around in the blocked traffic to get mehndi done so ended up going home and doing it myself - luckily my sister had a spare cone to give me!

Did you do anything on Chand Raat? Did you get any mehndi done?

Curly Fry's Shopping Therapy! My Nyx Lip Creams and Makeup Revolution Haul

I've been shopping less these days, but I still somehow managed to end up with a bunch of stuff this weekend to make my purse lighter!

I bought some new scarves this weekend from a stall in my local area, whic sells beautiful wool-mix scarves for a bargain. I'm always looking to update my wardrobe and thought these scarves were lovely - all probably will be worn to work this week!

I also received some Nyx matte lip creams which I ordered online, and which I'm looking forward to trying, as well as some Kiko lipliners, and a lip primer. I've been hearing about a new drugstore brand as well, called Make Up Revolution, which has beautiful colours for very cheap prices, and wanted to try this out so bought an eyeshadow palette, bronzer and lipstick from this brand, which I've used and quite liked. I've also put some print trousers (on the right) that I bought recently, which I loved because it can be worn with my Western clothes, but I can also imagine wearing it with a plain white kurta.

Have you tried any of these lately? Any new purchases?

Curly Fry's Shopping Therapy! My Inglot Haul

I went shopping in Westfield Stratford, and was delighted to see that a new Inglot store has opened up. I've heard a lot about this European brand and haven't had the chance to use much of their products, and have read a lot of positive reviews - so naturally I bought a few things from there to try out.

As you can see below, a "few things" turned out to be a little more, but I was quite pleased with the fact that prices for a lot of Inglot's product were quite reasonable, and there were a huge range of colours in lipsticks, eyeshadows and pencils to pick from. I've read more praise for Inglot's eye-makeup range so bought a few gel and liquid liners, pencil liners and eyeshadows to try, although they also have a wide range of lipstick, eyeshadow and concealer pans which can be mixed and matched in palettes, which I may try next time!

I'm most excited about this product below, which was a very pretty illuminator that I thought would look very glowy on my skin - it's liquid but doesn't feel heavy, and has a pretty rose tint to it. There were also a few other shades that I loved, but I thought I would try one first before coming back for more.

The second product I'm excited to try is this, which is called Duraline - a clear liquid that can be mixed with any make-up powder to make a waterproof eyeliner, which I think would be useful for trying out unusual colours!

I was also lucky enough to get a free liquid eyeliner from Inglot as I was leaving, to celebrate the opening of the store, I'm not sure if they're still giving away free stuff but have a look!

Have you tried Inglot before? What is your favourite product of theirs?

Curly Fry's Shopping Therapy! Lipsticks and Blushers Galore

So it's that time of the year when I stock up on various make-up that I've been reading reviews about, which means I get a bit make-up happy in the shopping department (both online and in actual shops!).

Here's the things I bought last week, some of which I've been really pleased with (some were just stock-ups on things I'd run out of!) which you can see are mostly lip stuff and blushers.  I'll be posting a few reviews on some of these products soon, after I've spent a few days wearing them all!

Curly Fry's Shopping Therapy! My Make-up Haul

Every now and then I go a little make-up crazy (after I've read reviews of make-up recommendations and beauty blogger's views) and buy a bunch of products to update my make-up bag. These are a few products which I bought recently (including some winter essentials like creams, lip-balms and skin serum!), plus a colourful scarf for my hijab collection (in the right-bottom corner).

Since I've bought these things I've used most of them, my favourites so far are the the Mac Beet lipliner (which is a lovely deep shade of raspberry red) and the Sleek blushes, which are beautifully pigmented and amazing value for what they cost. There's a few more products that I love here but I'll review them properly later!

Have you bought any new make-up items lately? What do you recommend?

MAKE-UP REVIEW: The Top 6 High Street Liquid Eye Liner Pens

I use a lot of different types of make-up (depending on my mood), and out of all of the different make-up tools I use and test out, my staple in make-up is eyeliner, which I use practically every day. The easiest (and quickest) type for me to use are liquid eye-liner pens, which are quick, easy to use and dries quickly. I've decided to look at the top 6 high street/drugstore brands which have liquid eyeliners, and review the ones which work best for me.

Here's a quick look at the various eyeliner pens I have - the brands are Bourjois, Max Factor, L'Oreal, Revlon, Rimmel and Maybelline. These are the main brands which most people will find in any drugstore, they should be easy to find and are pretty affordable.

1. L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim

 

Pros: Very light and easy to hold, the thin-ness of the pen makes it easy to apply and the liquid dries pretty quickly.
Cons: This didn't feel black enough to me, and it also felt slightly watery.
Pen tip: Quite thin and precise, which makes it easy to play with thin and thick lines and easy to create curves. I also like the fact that it doesn't run out quickly like some of the other eyeliners I have used.
Transfer: Probably the worst in all the eyeliner pens I used, I have fairly oily eyelids so the liquid eyeliner always rubs off on my eye lids every time I wear this. It may be different for those with less oily skin, or it may also work well with a base underneath to prevent transfer.
Overall: I like how easy it is to use this pen, and I don't really mind the shade of black because it's still fairly black, but the real downside for me is the transfer.

2. Bourjois Liner Feutre (Ultra Black)

 

Pros: Dries very quickly and doesn't need much more than a few swipes to draw a line. Also comes out very black in colour and is probably the easiest to remove out of all of these eyeliners.
Cons: Has a tendency to dry up after usage, and needs to be left for a few days before the tip fills with ink again and it can be used. Also, the tip softens slightly after a lot usage, so it may make the lines less clean.
Pen tip: This pen probably has the thick tip out of all of the eyliners, which made it harder to draw thin lines. On the other hand,
Transfer: There's not much transfer, but I have had incidents of it smudging a little after wearing it the whole day. I've also found that it can wear off after a few hours, particularly if my skin is a little oily.
Overall: I've reviewed this eyeliner pen before, and my opinion of it hasn't really changed much. I've used the waterproof ultrablack version and the normal black version, and they're both about the same, except the waterproof one lasts a little longer.

3. Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

 

Pros: Applies very easily, creates some very precise lines and feels fairly black in colour.
Cons: The tip may go slightly soft after it has been used for some time,which may make it dry out a little as well, but by this point the pen is probably in need of replacement anyway. I also find that this may not always work well over layers of eyeshadow, as it may not be black enough, but I do like to use this before I use my gel eyeliner when I go for a heavier look.
Pen tip: I love the tip of this pen, it's exactly what it says it is, precise, thin and allows you to be creative. It's great for subtle eyeliner looks or for building up on for a more dramatic look, and is great for eyeliner flicks.
Transfer: There may be slight transfer, again, depending on your skin type. I've worn this over eyeshadow and base and have not had any transfer issues, although there has been some when I wear it alone.
Overall: This is my current go-to eyeliner, it is easy and quick to use, and always gives me a precise look. I've used a lot of eye-liners and this is one of the ones I've always recommended to others, particularly if they don't want thick lines and messy eyes.

4. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Precision Micro Liner

 

Pros: This is another eyeliner which is quite precise, which dries quickly and is fairly black in colour.This is also pretty good for thinner lines which means the lines are quite neat, and also reaches into corners easily too.
Cons: The version I got is a waterproof version, but I haven't seen a non-waterproof version, which means this is more effort to remove. I also am undecided about the length of the pen tip, which is shorter than other liquid eyeliner pens, so it has to be held different to get the best advantage of it.
Pen tip: I like the fact that the tip of this pen is a bit harder than the others, which means it won't go soft easily, and will apply evenly.
Transfer: I don't think I have had any transfer from this pen, which is probably due to the fact that it is waterproof. I tend to wear my eyeliners all day for work, and this one hasn't smudged much either.
Overall:  I haven't been using this pen as long as the others, but it has given pretty good results. I am a bit surprised about this as I don't tend to go for Rimmel products, but this eyeliner shows that some of their stuff has improved since my teen years!

5. Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen

 

Pros: This is fairly easy to use and is quite fuss-free, so it's quite ideal as an everyday eyeliner. It's
Cons: I found that the liquid for this pen didn't flow as easily as the other pens, which meant I had to go over the lines to make it blacker.
Pen tip: I found this pen tip a bit thicker than the other pens, but it's quite sturdy and gives even lines.
Transfer: I haven't noticed much transfer when I have used this pen, and it doesn't really seem to smudge either.
Overall: I like Revlon products, but I wasn't too impressed with this pen, it doesn't feel as precise as some of the other pens, and it feels pretty average. Having said that, it does the job and seems to last all day, so it's not something to complain about either.

6. Max Factor Glide and Define Liquid Eyeliner

 

Pros: The blackness of this pen is quite excellent, I love how dark the colour comes out and it isn't messy at all. I also like the fact that the lid screws on, which feels a bit more air-tight for me and reduces the chances of the pen drying out.
Cons: I really didn't like the size of this pen, it's meant to be a travel sized/handbag size pen, but I found it a bit hard to hold because it's quite short. I think this is just a case of adapting the way you hold the pen to get best results.
Pen tip: I quite like the pen tip of this pen, although I prefer pen tips to be a bit longer, this one is still quite precise and thin, and handles easily.
Transfer: I haven't noticed any transfer with this eyeliner, and I suspect this would work well over heavy eye make-up too although I haven't tried this yet.
Overall: I tried to find a full-length liquid liner from Max Factor, but this is the only one I found, and I was surprised that there wasn't a bigger range (although there may be some more and I just didn't see them in other shops). I like how well this eyeliner works, but I think the size lets it down - I know it's meant to be travel-sized but I find normal pens quite easy to travel with and put in a handbag, so I think this isn't really that necessary.

There's pros and cons about all of these eyeliner pens, and while some are better than others, these all pretty much work well as liquid liners. These days I tend to reach for the Maybelline pen for a quick and easy flick as my everyday eyeliner, but I do like to vary as well so that I can try different techniques and lines. I'm not overly creative with my eyeliner, but I think it's important to have a decent eyeliner pen which works well, although having said that, what works for me may be different for others!

Which eyeliner do you prefer? What do you normally use?