April Beauty Haul...Woops

So I got paid on Thursday and I was pretty misbehaved today, and although my bank account isn't very happy, I am!





NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Vallauris


I have wanted this foundation for SO long, and now I have it. Yay. Ever since I started reading blogs and watching YouTube, it was apparent that this was pretty much the holy grail of foundations and seeing I am obsessed with foundation this was a must for me, and I think now's the perfect time to have gotten it because I feel that in the spring/summer time a 'glow' finish is favourable over matte. It seems really light and buildable as well which I love!

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Apricot



I saw this shimmer brick on one of Jaclyn Hill's Hauls and I just thought it was gorgeous! I don't own any shimmer bricks yet, and love the ombre colours of them and the different beautiful effects that can be created by them, not to mention how versatile they are! I thought the colours of the Apricot one were just so gorgeous, being appropriate for day and night. I wasn't actually gonna buy it this month, but when I found out it was limited edition I couldn't risk not getting it, so here we are. As you can (kinda) see from my oh so clear swotch picture, the colour it creates with that Apricot undertone is to die for.

MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom


A classic MAC shadow that I think every makeup obsess and their mothers must own, so I had to have it too. Again, this is another that I've seen on multiple tutorials so I thought having it in my collection was a necessity. It's a beige colour with a bit of shimmer, which makes it perfect for highlighting the brow bone and inner-corner of the eye. It's also really nicely pigmented so therefore would make a great all over lid colour with a nice matte shade blended into the crease.

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Something Special


I've never owned or tried a cream blush, and thought now would be the time to get one. I'm finding that with the warmer weather, my powder ones aren't lasting as long as they should and maybe a cream would help with this issue. This colour is a nice coral colour and very pigmented (I know you can't really tell in the photo, sorry!) which I thought would be lovely for the summer as I prefer a brighter cheek at this time of the year.

Real Techniques Core Collection, Expert Face Brush and Blush Brush




The Core Collection consists of the Buffing Brush; a fluffy but firm multi-functional brush, the Detailer Brush; a tiny concealer brush-like brush (do I wanna say 'brush' anymore?), the Pointed Foundation Brush; slightly smaller than your average 'paintbrush' style brush and a lot softer, and finally the Contour Brush; a domed shape brush perfect for getting right into the hollows of your cheeks.


The Blush Brush is super fluffy and slightly tapered, unlike your usual blush brush, and I'm excited to see what sort of effect it creates! I also think it would be quite good for setting under eye concealer! The Expert Face Brush is similar to the Buffing Brush but a bit more dense which I think I'm gonna use to apply my Sheer Glow Foundation!
All Real Techniques Brushes are really soft and can be used for multiple different purposes, liquid and powder, and I'm really excited to give them a try! (Let me add that Boots were doing 3-for-2 so I did get one of my brushes free :))

Benefit POREfessional and Big Easy BB Cream Sample
If you read my blogs you'll know how much I love POREfessional and how much I use it. It's a great primer and does really minimize the look of my massive pores, so if you are struggling with big pores, GET THIS. I have repurchased it numerous amounts of times. They gave me a sample of their BB cream, and I'm in the market to find a BB cream so I can stop wearing so much foundation in the summer, so we will see how this one goes.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed :)
Have you purchased anything new this month or do yo have any recommendations for me??

Dani Alexandra
Xoxo

Daytime Simple and Awakening Makeup Look

The past few weeks I've been doing some super early 7am shifts at work (which means waking up at half 5 WAA), so I've really been enjoying wearing this look. It's really really easy to do and doesn't take long at all. I just feel like it makes me look a bit more awake and glowing when in actual fact under it all, I am pretty much asleep..



If you like this look, then keep reading :)


I start by, as always, priming my T-Zone with Benefit's Porefessional. I just use my fingers to blend it into my skin. I then use the Garnier Caffeine Anti-Dark Circles 2-in-1 Roll-On, I think in the shade either Medium or Dark, I cant quite remember (and it's not on the bottle)! I use this under my foundation because I feel that the caffeine and anti-dark circle stuff probably works better directly on the skin, but that's just me! I also just dab that in with my finger. I then buff my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Soft Beige all over my face using my Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki Brush. I used about a pump and a half today.


I conceal/highlight my eyes, sides of nose, chin and forehead with the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch in 1 (I probably need a slightly darker one to be honest, but I also feel the lighter colour wakes my face up a bit more!) and then set that and the rest of my face with the Rimmel Stay Matte Transparent Powder. Yes, there is no lid and yes, I lost it on a night out. I do not know how...



I put some colour back in my face by contouring my cheekbones and forehead with NARS Laguna Bronzer and then join that contouring together via my temples. It just gives my face so much more definition and nice sun kissed glow, especially after sweeping some NARS Gina Blusher up that contour line. I then fill my eyebrows in like I always do with the Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Black Brown, then clean up any mistakes or eyebrow fallout with the Touche Eclat.



I then take my Sigma E25 Blending Brush with my Laguna and just blend that into my crease. It just gives the eyes more definition and wakes them up that little bit more. I'm loving eyeliner flicks at the mo and I think gel liner is great at making them look professional and sleek, as well as it being a lot easier to control. So saying that, I did a flick and a medium-ish line of Topshop Gel Liner Ink using a Sigma E56 Small Angle Brush. I then lined my waterline with the MAC Coffee Eye Pencil, which I think is great for the daytime because it adds nice definition to the eyes, while not looking too harsh because of the colour. I finally finished the eyes off with a couple coats of Yves Saint Laurent Baby Doll Mascara on my top and bottom lashes.



I finish off the look with Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Lipstick in 13 Peach Passion. This lipstick is so so creamy, which unfortunately means every little crack and piece of dry skin on your lips is so visible (so excuse the picture), but I do actually really like it for the daytime because it's a little softer and subtle, and again adds to the whole sort of 'awakening' attempt. I also think this colour is absolutely GORGEOUS.

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this look, have a great week :)












Dani Alexandra
Xoxo

End Of March Beauty Wishlist

My wishlist is pretty extensive and expensive for the end of this month, and I for sure won't be getting it all (unless I want to not leave the house for the rest of the month). But here is my March 2014 wishlist!

MAC Eyeshadows in 'Orange' and 'Ricepaper'


MAC Pigment in 'Rose'


Two Face Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue


LOreal Paris True Match Foundation


Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer


Tanya Burr Lip Gloss in 'Afternoon Tea'


Clinique Ginger Pop Blusher


Real Techniques Core Collection Brushes


NARS Sheer Glow Foundation


Smashbox Bronzer in Sun Tan Matte


Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in 'Mischievious'


Dani Alexandra
Xoxo