Where the hell have I been!

Over 1 year off the blogging scene…

Over 1 year where not a moment went by that I didn’t want to pick up my laptop and write…

A lot can happen in such a short space of time. My lack of blogging began as I entered exam season for my A Levels, I just about manged to push myself to study and thinking about blogging felt more like a chore, my heart was in the blog but I just couldn’t get my head in there too. My health deteriorating didn’t really help and to later find out I have a B12 deficiency explained a lot, I was drained, tired and unmotivated.

If you follow me on twitter you will see I am very active on there and I have published the odd Instagram post since I stopped blogging but I want to get back into the swing of things. My passion and desire are right there; Sometimes life gets in the way but hey ho, you can never let it keep you down.

I am back! I don’t want to throw myself into the deep end so I guess I will begin with occasional uploads that develop into regular uploads as I strengthen my blogging game again!

I love blogging, it was my place to put my whole passion into. My overwhelming love for makeup. I love writing, always have done. From the age of 7 I dreamt of becoming an author. There is something about writing I have loved since a very young age. Along the way I picked up a passion for makeup and photography. Put it all together and you have my blog!

So before I waffle on, I am back and I will be trying to upload once a week or at least once a fortnight. I have picked the perfect time of the year considering the clocks have gone back, my favourite season is here and there is tons to blog about! I now  work 9-5 which I have never done with blogging so that will be an experience, one I am kind of looking forward to, i think… haha!

Lets see how well I go, fingers crossed. Hopefully you reading this can help me out, pop some ideas in the comments of what posts you would like to see and I will take the ideas and turn them into a post.

Life always gets in the way of what you want most but if you want it enough you always find a way back to it.

Until next time…

Desire4Beauty

 

Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Foundation Review

If you’ve been following my blog since the start you will know that my most trusted foundation never to have failed me, my holy grail, my makeup bag is essential is the Rimmel London Lasting Finish foundation. However, being a makeup junkie it is my aim to try as many foundations as I can possibly afford (currently not much #studentlife)

I previously did a review on the Nyx Cosmetics Stay matte not flat foundation which you can find here and over the past few months I have been trying out the Avon Extra Lasting Liquid Foundation. It comes in a 30ml bottle that is quite compact and easy to travel with which is a plus for me. It has a squirty pump, again ticking a box of an essential for a good foundation, nothing is worse than having to pour it out of the bottle and loosing half of the foundation because you’ve poured out too much. It comes in a glass bottle and actually feels quite luxurious considering it is from Avon. I purchased the shade medium beige and it matched my skin tone perfectly, to give a rough idea, I am 303 true nude in Rimmel London foundations so that gives an idea of my skin tone if you are familiar with that shade.

One issue I had with this foundation at first was the amount of pumps needed to get the product out. One pump did not get out a lot of foundation, I probably get 4 times the amount out of one pump of the Rimmel foundation than I do with this one. At first it was an issue because when applying foundations I would put the product on the back of my hand, dot it around my face and blend it in with a sponge or brush. It took much longer trying to get the product out of the bottle to have enough on the back of my hand to spread around my face. I did however find a solution to this problem! Rather than pumping the foundation onto the back of my hand I would pump it directly onto my face, 3 pumps across the forehead, 4 on each cheek and 2 on the chin, this gave the same effect of my dotting the foundation round my face from the back of my hand and prevented slowing down my makeup routine so little amounts in one pump of foundation was no longer an issue for me.

Now the formula itself; It has what I think is the perfect consistency for a foundation. Not too thin and not too thick, it blends like a dream and gives a medium-full coverage depending on how much you apply. It covers all blemishes and evens out my skin tone so well with no patchiness or cakey appearance at all leaving a smooth coverage. The longevity is what you would expect as a reflection of the price, it does last me all day but in the evening I notice it begin to fade around my under eye area and around my nose. This can be patched up with powder or more foundation if needed but it is not really an issue for me.

Overall this foundation is definitely Desire4Beauty approved! I rate it a 7.5/10 and would certainly repurchase it as I have now ran out. I highly recommend this foundation, ordering from Avon made me a bit wary but I am so glad I did and would advise not to let this put you off at all.

What foundations do you recommend I try next?

Desire4Beauty

THE Ultimate drugstore eyebrow kit!

I cannot believe there was actually a time where I didn’t fill my brows in… My eye brows have definitely become a bit of a high maintenance situation, my makeup doesn’t look right without them filled in, well to me it doesn’t. Eye brows have become a very important factor in the makeup world, it is a lot of beauty junkie’s priority to ensure their brows are ‘on fleek’

The Collection Eyebrow Kit in the shade Brunette has definitely been a game changer for me, It definitely gets my brows on fleek! I now do my eyebrows everyday, my makeup doesn’t feel right unless I do! The perfectly pigmented brow powder in this kit glide on like a dream providing sleek precision to my eye brow shape and tidying them up!

I begin by using a spooly brush to tidy my brows and keep all hairs intact, Then I use either the Makeup Revolution E104 brush or my six plus cosmetics eyebrow E04 brush and apply a small amount of product to the brush followed my swiping each flat side of the brush on the back my hand to remove any excess product making the application more precise. Next, as seen in most tutorials, I create a smooth, straight line along the bottom of my eyebrow following it along the end of my brow, I then create a line from the beginning of the end corner of the top of my brow down to the end of the below line to create a fleeky brow ending and then I apply more product to the brush using the same method as before and drawing a line half a centimeter in from to top of my brow all the way round to the end. Now that the outline is created I fill the inside of it but not too much as I do have black eyebrows so if I fill it in too much my brows look far too dark!

To complete the fleeky look I gently create a faint line from the inside top corner of my brow on the half centimeter I didn’t fill in previously. You don’t want to heavily fill in the start of your brows otherwise they look too thick and bold, definitely not what you want. To ensure my brows stay fleeky all day I apply the clear brow mascara that comes in the kit which holds everything together and sets the brows. After my brows are done I apply concealer around both sides to make them even more precise followed by a small amount of white eye shadow or highlighter on my brow bone to complete the look and that is my high maintenance brow routine with my trust little eyebrow kit!

I highly recommend this brow kit, whether you’re just starting out with your brows or if you’re on a low budget this is perfect for you, it is so affordable and such good quality, I have been using it for almost a year now and never switched to anything else, it is certainly my holy grail brow kit!

What do you use to do your brows? Let me know in the comments!

Desire4Beauty

THE Setting Powder Of All Setting Powders!

Throughout the many years of being a makeup junkie, collecting various products, trying new ones. Mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, foundation, setting powder. I have been through so many brands and different versions of these products, I have had my fair share of patchy foundations and not so smudge proof liners and mascaras but I think I have formed a pretty good opinion and view on what works well and what doesn’t.

One product I think is essential to get right that most people might not think is so important is a setting powder. If you want your foundation to last all day and avoid any patchiness you need to have the right setting powder. Look at it this way; if I didn’t use a setting powder the amount of transfer onto  my knuckles would be unreal! The amount of times I rest my face on my hand when I am sat down, I would end up with knuckle imprints in my foundation! Setting powder acts like a barrier between the actual foundation base and my hand, when it applies it melts into my foundation, mattifies it, setting it into place making it more difficult for the foundation to budge. You may not notice it but it makes the world of a difference. It makes me feel slightly uncomfortable when I come across people that never set their foundation, how do you cope?! Not using setting powder will significantly effect the longevity of your foundation. Surely there can’t be anything worse than spending a full day out at school, college or work then coming home to look in the mirror and discover obvious patches in your foundation and suddenly wonder, how long have they been there? how many people noticed?

I believe I am the lucky owner of THE setting powder of all setting powders and now you can be to! The Collection Pressed Powder in the shade translucent. No word of a lie, I have been through at least 8 of these so far, I won’t use anything else. I used to be a Rimmel stay matte kinda girl but I wanted a change and after the hype around the Collection lasting perfection concealer I had to try another one of their products so I opted for the powder and to this day I would bet my life on it.

I always apply this after my concealer and foundation to set everything in place. It gives an even, flawless, matte coverage. It melts into my foundation perfectly setting it. For someone with dry skin a matte finish may not be ideal but I have never had an issue with the matte finish this powder gives me. It isn’t a dry and crumbly matte finish, the powder itself contains moisturisers so it helps hydrate the skin further after the application of foundation. My skin feels so silky after applying it!

It definitely makes a huge difference in terms of longevity. With the odd top up needed around my nose and t-zone mid day, my foundation does not go patchy at all which is amazing for such an affordable power! It retails at just £1.99 in superdrug which after using it for so long I can’t get over. I didn’t think it’d be so good when I first purchased it due to how low the price was but my god was I wrong! The formula is perfect, it applies effortlessly and I’m not sure what else to say about it other than you NEED it!

My 100% honest opinion right here, I honestly recommend it!

Let me know in the comments below if you will be trying this out or what your opinions are on it if you’ve already tried it.

Desire4Beauty

Makeup removal tips for dry skin!

For as long as I remember I have had eczema. This a very severe state of dry skin, it can become inflamed, red, itchy and even bleed if not taken care of with the right medication. As I have grown older my eczema has become a lot more mild, nowhere near as severe as it was when I was younger. I must ensure I keep my dry skin hydrated in order to prevent it reaching the severe end of eczema. One difficulty is wearing makeup as if not removed properly it can have a very bad effect on my skin and leave me with redness around my eyes giving me a not so easy base to deal with when applying makeup. I have regularly used 3 different products for a while now to remove my makeup whilst taking into account my sensitive, dry skin. These 3 products are THE skincare trio for anyone who has dry skin. Even if you don’t have eczema these products will definitely benefit your skin and add so much more hydration to your face!

First of all is the makeup remover itself. Many of you may recall the hype around the Garnier micellar water right? Well not long after the release of the original micellar water they released a micellar oil-infused cleansing water. Oil is amazing for dry skin, it takes longer for the skin to soak up compared to an average moisturizer so it provides so much more hydration and nutrients to the skin. With the original micellar water I did feel it dried my skin out after use whereas with the oil infused one this is not the case, it is so hydrating and so much more gentle for sensitive skin! It does say on the bottle that it is aimed at “dry and sensitive skin” and claims to “Remove even waterproof make-up + cleanses + Nourishes” well let me tell you, it certainly does what it says on the bottle! It breaks down my waterproof makeup whilst cleansing and nourishing my skin. I am so glad Garnier released this as I had a love hate relationship with the original micellar water but the oil infused one is definitely a holy grail now and it has lasted me 2 months so far, you get so much use out of one bottle, 100% worth every penny, it is so affordable!

Number 2, moisturizer! Although the oil-infused micellar water hydrates my skin I still need to moisturise to maintain the hydration with a moisturizer. For the past 4 years I have used no other than that Aveeno moisturizer. I cannot stress enough how perfect this moisturizer is! It is formulated with Colloidal Oatmeal to actively moisturise dry and sensitive skin. It has a nice thick consistency, not the average thin and runny moisturizer, I am not a fan of those! It feels cool and refreshing on the face, instantly calming any irritation. This moisturizer also contains Glycerin, an essential ingredient in makeup primers to ensure longevity. This means moisturising with this cream before applying makeup will contribute to your makeup lasting all day! Running out of primer isn’t a worry when using this moisturizer and when you do have primer it just strengthens the base of your makeup. I could go on forever about how amazing this primer is but just trust me when I say you need it!!!

Last but not least, the final product to keep your skin hydrated after removing your makeup! I always do this before I go to bed, well when I can remember to… After removing the makeup with micellar water and moisturising my face I pour a fair amount or Argan oil into my hand, Moroccan Argan oil is my favourite.I picked this one up when I went on holiday there but it’s not too difficult to get hold of in the UK. I rub both palms together slowly so the oil doesn’t go everywhere and the massage it into my face leaving a thin, oily layer on my face. It may leave you looking greasy af but you’ll have the skin of a new born baby when you wake up! Whenever I do this I wake up with fresh, soft, rejuvenated skin ready for a new application of makeup! If I maintain this for at least 3 days I notice a huge difference in the condition of my skin, it’s healthier, softer and glowing! This last step is essential if you want to maintain hydrated skin.

And there we have it! My 3 top tips for removing makeup when you have dry skin and how to maintain the hydration in your skin. I hope these tips help you out if you have been struggling with ways to deal with dry skin.

Let me know in the comments if you try any of these products and how they work for you!

Desire4Beauty

2 years a blogger!

On January the 28th 2015 I published my very first blog post, little did I know 2 years later I would be sat here writing up my 2 year bloggiversary post with the 4k+ following I have gained throughout my time as a blogger. I am extremely lost for words if I’m honest, I don’t know where to begin I am just so grateful for everything I have achieved from brand deals to making many new friends in the blogging community.

I began blogging as a creative outlet for my passion for beauty, fashion and lifestyle topics. Over the past year this has narrowed down to more specifically beauty as not only my makeup collection but my makeup addiction has grown significantly! Blogging is my safety net, my own little space on the internet away from the troubles and calamities of daily life. It takes me away from the world for a short while whilst I dedicate time to writing up posts, taking photographs and editing them. Blogging is more than a hobby, it’s a part of me now and if it wasn’t for blogging I still would be unsure of what I want to do when I leave college.

My dream career is to be a makeup artist however whilst working towards that slowly I want to do something else first, not just to financially support me but I want it to be something I love. Like they say, if you find a job you love you’ll never have to work a day in your life. I am a firm believer of this saying and want to be in a job I love and have a passion for! University was definitely crossed off my list, I’m barely making it through college so I want out of solid education as soon as possible. I looked towards apprenticeships where you earn whilst you learn, sounded perfect to me! I discovered that social media and digital marketing apprenticeships are a thing! It links in very well with blogging and managing social media accounts professionally which is similar to what I do with my blog, I finally knew what I wanted to do when I leave college and all thanks to blogging, had I never blogged I probably wouldn’t have even looked in that direction.

In my first year of blogging I began a YouTube channel which after beginning college I took down due to the practicality of managing blogging, a YouTube channel and A levels. Deleting my channel is something I very much regret and I do hope to start it back up once I leave college so keep your eyes peeled for that! I stuck to blogging, I try my best to blog once a week or at times of demanding college work at least once a fortnight. Throughout my 2 years of blogging I have successfully completed blogmas not once but twice which is an achievement I am very proud of. Despite it being a very challenging commitment to take on whilst at college I managed to complete it twice!

I have had the honour of continuing to work with many brands in my second year of blogging, 2 of my favourites being Kokoa an amazing skincare brand and Six plus cosmetics who sent me some luxury must have brushes! My Instagram audience has rocketed which I am very proud of as I started and Instagram account for my blog quite a while after I began blogging. Overall I am just grateful for every single thing I have achieved throughout blogging, I have met some wonderful people and worked with some amazing brands, I can’t wait to see what my third year of blogging holds for me and many more years after that!

Here are a few questions I have been asked in terms of my first 2 years of blogging:

Rebecca Ellis asks: What have you gained most from blogging? And would you change anything about your blogging experience?

I have mostly gained confidence in my own writing, I have always been a bit of a creative writer, when I was younger I aspired to become an author! Growing up I lost confidence in my writing and didn’t think my style of writing was very engaging but blogging completely changed that! The response from my audience and friends after reading my blog really helped me grow confidence in my own writing! And I would not change a thing about my blogging experience, it is the exact experience I have had that has allowed me to grow as a blogger and a person there is not a single thing I would change!

Abby Louisa Rose Ellis asks: What is your greatest blogging achievement? What do you hope to achieve in the next 2 years? Which posts are you most proud of?

Firstly, my greatest blogging achievement has to be gaining the 4,000+ followers across all my social media platforms in the 2 years of blogging. I know it isn’t all about the followers but for me it shows me that people enjoy my content and actually like it enough to hit follow, it makes me feel more confident in publishing my work on the internet and makes me feel as though it is being appreciated so a huge thank you to all my wonderful followers making me believe in myself more by the day!

In the next 2 years I hope to achieve more with my blog layout. I want to go self hosted, purchase a layout (had my eye on one for a while now!) as I want my blog to look more professional and to be honest just better, there is always room for improvement and improving the appearance of my blog is one thing I want to work on. Not only will I feel better about my blog but it is more likely to draw in more traffic meaning the content I create to help or advise others reaches more and more people which is what I want.

The posts that I am most proud of? hmmm… This is a tough one! I will list my top 3:

1. A new scent for the new year – This is because it is different to any other post I have written, it is about a perfume rather than makeup and I am very happy with the photograph quality and written content in the post. Good photography is very important to me!

2. Am I dreaming too big? – This is a very personal post where I just put into it exactly how I felt at the time and I really like it for that one reason, how honest I am in it. I am always honest in my blog posts but I showed a lot more emotion in this one.

3. My makeup story tag – I had a lot of fun creating this blog post and reminiscing on my introduction to makeup and how I got into it. I feel as though this post is really just me and as a makeup junkie I loved sharing my thoughts on makeup, favourite brands and views on products.

I am proud of all my blog posts but specifically these 3 as they aren’t just typical blog posts, I put a lot of thought and effort into them!

Thank you so much specifically to my audience for being so engaging and supportive! To keep updated on my blog posts, progress and opportunities follow me on all of my social media platforms!

Instagram, Twitter, Bloglovin, Pinterest and Envicase

Here’s to another year of blogging!

Desire4Beauty

After Dark Elegant Touch Limited Edition False Nails Review

I am back with another beauty review but this time it is not makeup! For someone like me who has an awful case of the nail biting habit wearing falsies makes me feeling a million times more feminine, I hope I’m not the only one who feels like that… Even those I know who don’t bite their actual nails love a fresh set of falsies every now and then. I have never had my nails done at a salon, I always pick up some pretty false nails in store and stick them on myself. It’s so much more affordable and easier! Despite the struggle of 99% of average daily tasks requiring more effort and patience it’s worth it but it does depend on the nails… They aren’t always worth putting up with struggles for and that’s why I am bringing this review today!

I browsed the false nails section in Superdrug for a while before falling in love with the After Dark Elegant Touch Limited Edition False Nails however I must admit, they were very disappointing…

Appearance wise, these nails are gorgeous! I love the design on them, it is so me however when in the packet I was unaware that the background of the nail was not a pale grey, it is in fact darkly tinted transparent which was a down side for me as I  bite my nails so through the nails if you looked close enough it didn’t look very nice being able to see my very short nails through the false ones. It pretty much defeated the purpose of why I wear them.

Despite this disappointment I decided to keep them on as the transparency wasn’t too obvious from a distance, I thought I would see how the nails lasted. Unfortunately they barely lasted 2 days… They pinged off multiple times resulting in me having to constantly keep sticking them back on, this is something that happens often with false nails but these nailed pinged off far more frequently than false nails normally do. They chipped and snapped with little force whilst doing everyday regular tasks I have managed with nails on before. On the third day I gave up and removed them all which also was not very easy, I ended up with small bits of each nails as they were terrible to get off! I was really disappointed as these cost me £7.95 and in all honesty I don’t think they’re even worth £1. I have purchased false nails from Primark for £1 that have lasted a week if not more and remained in great condition with little effort to maintain.

I definitely do not recommend nails from the brand Elegant Touch however they do have some that seem more sturdy than these so perhaps staying away from transparent nails is a good idea and stick to the plain coloured ones. I, myself, will not be purchasing from this brand again, I think I will stick to my £1 Primark nails! As harsh as this review may sound it is 100% my own opinion as I like to keep it real with my readers and if it saves anybody wasting almost £8 then it is worth posting!

I hope this review has been informing and you have enjoyed reading it! Any questions? feel free to ask below in the comments or tweet me!

Desire4Beauty

Morphe 35O Eye Shadow Palette Review

it’s 2017 and I am back with the first of this years blog posts, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year, I hope 2017 is the best year for you all! 2016 was full of many trending brands of cosmetics. From the launch of Kylie Cosmetics to the expanding collection of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, it was definitely the year of success for these makeup brands and many more. One product that stayed in the spotlight through 2016 and still shines bright is the one and only, Morphe 35O eye shadow palette. Restock after restock this palette rapidly sold out. Cult beauty, beautybay and cocktail cosmetics are a few of the websites I tried many times to get hold of the palette from but by the time I got online it was completely sold out! It was every makeup addicts most prized possession. Over the year it did become easier to get hold of, it still sold out quickly but in a few days rather than few hours. I finally managed to get hold of it at the start of November from Cult Beauty and I had never been more excited for a parcel to arrive at my door!

A Youtube sensation, an essential in every makeup artists kit. The Morphe 35O was finally mine! My first Morphe eye shadow palette, and most certainly not my last…

I have used this for a good 2 months now so here I am on beauty blogger duty to report back with a review! Is it worth it? Continue reading to find out!

This palette consists of both matte and shimmer shades. Morphe did release the 350S which is all the 35O shades in shimmer and 35OM which has all the shades in matte if you have a preference but with the 35O you get the best of both worlds! Firstly, the packaging is sleek and simple but classy. There isn’t too much going on and to be honest the packaging does reflect the affordability of the palette as it does seem as though it might loose its sturdiness after a while but the quality of the eye shadows most certainly make up for this. It is as if the majority of the money goes into the eye shadow formula and not on the packaging which I really can’t complain with. I might be a sucker for cute packaging but I would much rather the quality of the actual product be of high standard with standard packaging.

The palette consists of 35 stunning shades, 24 matte shades and 11 shimmer shades. In my opinion this is perfect, I prefer to have more matte shades in a palette as it makes it perfect for everyday wear with various intensities of shimmer eye shadows if you want to take your look up to the next level! The matte shades range from light whites perfect for the base of the lid or to highlight the brow bone, various browns including reddy brown shades, literally every shade of brown you could dream of owning, you won’t need to reach for a brown shade in another palette when you have the selection that the Morphe 35O does. There are also a few orange and red shades which are trending in the makeup world at the moment and they can create a really popping eye look, in my opinion if I see any of these shades in a palette it is sold to me, to have them all in one palette is a dream!

The shimmer shades in this palette are similar to the mattes. There are subtle white/champagne toned shades, again perfect to highlight the brow bone or to make the inner corner of your eye pop! There are some gorgeous brown shimmers, some more intense than others. A gorgeous gold shimmer and 2 red shimmer shades which are my absolute favourite especially the last shade in the palette, it is so intense, pigmented and stunning I have never come across a shade like it, it is definitely my favourite shade in the palette!

Overall the shades themselves are so pigmented and I can’t believe how affordable the palette is considering how amazing the quality is. It is an all round perfect palette, if I don’t like a product or a part of a product I’ll say it but this palette is honestly amazing! It isn’t one of those palette that consists of shades I won’t use, I will use every single shade in the palette and that for me is the make it or break it of a palette. If an eye shadow palette only has a few shades I will use it is very disappointing but the Morphe 35O contains a variety of shades but I know I will definitely use them all.

One of my favourite things about this palette is the variety of brown shades gives an eye shadow hack! They range all the way from light up to dark brown which makes it perfect for building up eye shadows. Starting with the lightest shade of brown and building up using a slightly darker brown each time until it is as dark as you like it. This make it much easier to blend rather than going in straight with a dark brown or using a light then straight into dark, building up the colour intensity gives a smooth transfer and makes the overall look simply slay harder!

Is this palette worth the hype? Definitely! I am so glad I finally got hold of this palette and I recommend that you do to, sign up to the waiting list on Cult Beauty to be notified when it is stock. Both Cult Beauty and Glam Saidey restock regularly for anyone wondering where to get the Morphe 35O palette from, especially if you’re from the UK! I will certainly be keeping an eye out for the 350S and 35OM after how amazing the original 35O is and I am definitely going to be purchasing more Morphe palettes especially for my MUA kit which I am going to start building this year.

Hope you enjoyed reading this review, what is your favourite eye shadow palette? Let me know in the comments below!

Make 2017 a great year!

Desire4Beauty

Blogmas Day 24 – Concealer of the Year!

Wow. This is it. The very last day of Blogmas! I have loved blogging every single day since the start of December as I counted down towards Christmas. I must admit, creating new content every single day has been very challenging but I love a good challenge! 2 years in a row now I have completed Blogmas! It’s crazy! It does take a lot of commitment and dedication but I have thoroughly enjoyed doing Blogmas. I hope you guys have enjoyed reading the content just as much as I have enjoyed creating it. For my final post I am going to do the final ‘of the year’ posts. Since the 20th day of Blogmas I have done a ‘of the year’ blog post for a product category. So far I have Done:

Highlighter of the Year

Foundation of the Year

Eye shadow palette of the Year

Contour palette of the Year

So if you haven’t checked them out make sure you do for some great ideas on what you could spend your Christmas money on! I much prefer to break down my favourites into separate blog posts so I can add more detail without feeling like the post is becoming far too long! Today I am going to be sharing my concealer of the year which is…

The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer!

I have been using this for a few months now and absolutely love it! As you can tell from the photograph it has been a very loved product and I have almost ran out! The formula is the perfect consistency it is not too thin but not too thick. It is the right thickness to conceal dark under eye circles. I apply it in a triangular shape beneath both eyes and on any other areas of discolouration then blend it in using the pointed end of my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge which blends it perfectly and the pointed end makes it easier to get in all corners especially under the eyes.

It is a full coverage concealer and I can honestly say it is a dupe of the Urban Decay naked skin concealer. I ran out of the naked skin concealer but haven’t yet repurchased it, I plan to but not urgently as the Fit me concealer works very similarly! My Fit me concealer is beginning to run out so I will definitely be repurchasing it. I never thought any drugstore concealer would take my preference over the Collection lasting perfection concealer but Maybelline Fit me most definitely has, I love it and highly recommend it!

So I guess this is my final blog post of 2016. I am going to take a break from blogging over the next week and I shall be back in the new year! Thank you to all my loyal readers, followers and blogging friends for all the support through 2016. Hopefully 2017 is a rocketing year of progress and success for Desire4Beauty, I hope to go self hosted and purchase a blog design as well as improve my content and continue to engage with my followers!

Have a very merry Christmas and a Happy new year!

Desire4Beauty

Blogmas Day 23 – Contour Palette of the Year!

Oh my gosh… It is Christmas Eve Eve!!! Only 2 days left of blogmas, I have blogged everyday for 23 days so far. It is so crazy to think about, I usually manage to get one blog post up a week, 2 on the rare occasion due to my busy student life so I am very proud of myself for almost completing Blogmas. I have enjoyed doing it so much, I wish I could blog everyday of the year! Blogging is my safety net, my little space on the internet fully controlled by me and I get to create new content in each post for my loyal and much appreciated audience. Thank you very much to everyone who has been reading my posts this Blogmas, I hope you have enjoyed reading them just as much as I have enjoyed creating them!

Today is another one for my ‘of the year’ series. Instead of doing the usual 2016 favourites I am picking one product from each category that I have loved the most. So far I have done Highlighter, Foundation and eye shadow palette of the year so today I am sharing my Contour palette of the year!

The Nyx Cosmetics Contour Palette has been my absolute favourite for adding definition to my face this year. I am sure I purchased this around 8 months ago and used it almost everyday. I tend to reach for this palette more than I do my Hoola bronzer by Benefit. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Hoola but prefer it for when I am going all out. The contour shades in the Nyx Cosmetics contour palette are very subtle but buildable and so easy to blend. Considering how affordable I would have expected them to be quite harsh to blend and look muddy but that isn’t the case, they are far from muddy and of high end quality.

Nyx Cosmetics are known for their low prices and high quality and that is most certainly the case with this palette, I swear by it! I am even going to purchase one for my MUA kit which I am beginning to build, I would love to use this palette on clients. The shades in it are very versatile. The yellow/banana shade powder is one I am hitting pan on, it reminds me of the banana powder in the Anastasia Beverley Hills contour palette (which I am excited to receive from my besties for Christmas, eeeekkk!!) so I can then compare both banana powders but the Nyx one is perfect for setting concealer and brightening the under eye area, I also apply it in the centre of my forehead when I am full on going all out with my contour. There are various shades of the dark contour powders so the palette is great for any skin tone. The highlighters in this palette are very pigmented but I do tend to reach for other highlighters which I own a lot more if I am honest.

This palette is my contour palette of the year just because of how impressed I am with the quality of it. My favourite thing is although I have hit pan on my favourite shades they are removable from the palette and Nyx Cosmetics sell the shades on their own so I can just replace the single shade rather than buying a whole new palette for one shade! Pigmentation is ace, longevity is ace and quality of the product is ace! I definitely recommend you introduce yourself to this product in the new year if you haven’t already. It is certainly one product I would recommend more than anything, if someone were to ask me to recommend just one product this would be it. I love it so much!

How do you get your contour on fleek?

Stay tuned for tomorrows ‘of the year’ post!

Desire4beauty