BLACK & BLANC: Bronze and Glow

Beauty Favourites | 2016

Am I sad that 2016 is over? To be quite frank I'm not! I'm glad it's over because it means that there's bigger & better things coming and not just with my blog but in general. I did one of these last year and it went down pretty well, so here's another beauty favourites 2016 edition where I've picked the products I've been loving all year round.

+ Bronze & Glow from W7 cosmetics

This has been a key staple in my makeup collection, I use it literally everyday and if not then I'm using my Sleek Contour Kit in 'light'. I only use the bronzer from here I'm not a huge fan of the highlight because for me it just blends in with my face and doesn't really work as a highlighter. I've already hit pan and I can't wait to repurchase it, this is definitely a cooler bronzer than your average tan/ orange one making it great for contour. I've mentioned it in a ton of blog posts like here, here and here!

+ Vitamin E overnight Serum

I know I didn't exactly start using this at the start of 2016 but after kindly receiving the Vitamin E skincare range from The BodyShop I haven't stopped using it! The Serum in particular, it's great for an overnight treatment that really hydrates your skin but I also use it alongside my makeup as a base for my moisturiser and it works wonders! I've talked about it before & it's one of my skincare essentials.

+ Contour & Highlight brushes

These two brushes have been my go-to, despite them both being incredibly large they're great for contour and highlight. The large bronzer brush really allows you to build up your bronzer and blends it out too so it doesn't looked like a huge orange streak across your face. The same goes for the fan brush which is unbelievably soft despite washing it over 100 times, both of which have been mentioned in previous posts.

+ Rose Water Facial Spray

I think deep down we all knew this was going to make it into my beauty favourites for 2016 I mean I use this every single day even when I'm not wearing makeup. I use it on my face before makeup, I use it to set my makeup and I also use it to make my products more pigmented. The list is endless for it's purposes you can use it to thin your foundation or make it more dewy, its just great!

+ Collection Clear Brow Gel

I didn't realise how much I needed this product until after purchasing it and incorporating it into my everyday makeup. Now the one in the photo is a Technic clear brow gel because my Collection one just ran out but this is just as good. It's great for the messy brow look or the really tamed look for when I actually want to make an effort with my brows. It's great, hence it being featured in a load of blog posts.

+ MAC Taupe

This has been my go-to for my lips this past year it just works! Although it is a matte lipstick unlike other matte formulas, this one doesn't dry out your lips or accentuate the dry patches it glides right over. The colour is gorgeous just to begin with but it can also be built up or paired with a lip liner to darken or lighten the overall colour.

+ The BodyShop 'White Musk' Eau De Toilette

At first I didn't quite like the scent of this but after a while it grew on me. It's a really rosy yet musky fragrance that's incredibly refreshing. As it is such a light fragrance you can get away with spraying more than you usually would with an Eau de Parfum. The bottle is also really gorgeous with a pink frosted front for that matte effect.

+ Sleek Contour Kit in 'Light'

The only reason I've mentioned this trio is because of the blush, not only is this blush beyond beautiful but also it creates a wonderful glow because of the flecks of gold in the blusher. Since trying out the Mai Couture blushes which are super dewy I found this one to be a great powder alternative. You can pop a little on for a rosy look or build it up to create a really flushed pink look.

+ Topshop Cream Gold eye stick

I love using this for a quick look just pack it on to the eyelid directly and blend it out for an effortless look. It's super gold and metallic making it great for all year round if I'm honest as it's perfect for the summer season when you want to experiment a little with cream products or even the winter season for when metallics are all the rage.

+ Focallure Glitter eyeshadow Palette

This has been my favourite palette for this year despite only getting it halfway through this year. You can create a wide range of looks from something dusty pink and matte to something electric red and metallic. I adore the size of this palette because it's so small you can just throw it in your bag with a ton of other makeup. My favourite shades have to be the bright oranges and reds along with the matte dusty pinks.

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, by Sana Ahmad

Back to School

College Everyday Makeup Routine

Now I know I've been a little inconsistent with blogging this month but in all honesty the past 2 weeks of college has drained the life out of me. Nevertheless here's a long awaited blog post of my everyday makeup for college, I did one of these last year but have switched up the products I use along with a few different brushes.

+ Nivea Creme Moisturiser

I'm pretty sure you get the jist of moisturiser it's pretty basic if I'm honest, the key to a good base is well moisturised skin! I've been pretty brand loyal when it comes to moisturiser simply because it just works wonders for my skin.

+ ReCover Cosmetics Concealer & MUA Pro Concealer

If you like a light to medium coverage like me then stick to just concealer I use the ReCover Cosmetics concealer in ...? all over my face and then the MUA Pro Concealer under my eyes to make them super bright oh and to cover my bags from all the late night essay writing.

+ Natural Collection Powder

I then set my base with this powder I mentioned in my last makeup routine I'm quite surprised at how well it has lasted despite the widening hole in the middle of the pan.

+ W7 Bronze & Glow or Sleek Contour Kit

It's finally bronzing time!!! I like switching between this Bronze & Glow palette from W7 or this Sleek Contour Kit in 'light'. Personally I've been reaching more for the W7 one but for the bronzer only and I love using this huge fluffy brush I mentioned here.

+ Collection Glow Bricks or Mai Couture Highlighter

I think my love of highlighter has died down just a little I mean don't get me wrong I still love looking like a glazed donut but I prefer a more subtle highlight. I've been really reaching for my Collection highlighter more than any other especially the darker more golden shades. This Mai Couture highlight is perfect for that 'natural glow' and the brush I've been using to apply them with is this extremely large fan brush.

+ Collection Clear Brow Gel

For my brows I really don't tend to do much apart from just brush them out with a clear brow gel. I've been really liking the super messy brow for a long time now, it's just effortless but still bold.

+ Eyelash Curler

I like my eyes super simple for college and that's because they are susceptible to rubbing and so I do nothing to them. That's right no mascara, no eyeliner just a little lift with the help of these trusty eyelash curlers.

+ Rimmel lipliner in 'Cafe au Lait' or MAC Taupe

These two shades have been my go to whether they're worn separately or combined together they look great either way. I love my nudes and browns they look good with any makeup look and they're less maintenance than a red lip.

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, by Sana Ahmad

Brightening

Tips For Dewy Looking Skin

Highlighting has been quite a 'CRAZE' recently, you & me both know that's a bit of an understatement I mean it's practically taken over my Instagram Explore page. We all want 'dewy looking skin' that glows with or without make-up, I'm going to show you how to achieve just that. If you guys have any tips for dewy looking skin then leave them in the comments below, I'd love to know!

My first tip is to use a brightening concealer, trust me it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE in your make-up. Recently I've been gravitating more and more towards this concealer by ReCover Cosmetics because it's actually one shade lighter than my skin tone making it perfect for brightening & concealing.

My next tip is to powder your under eye area & T-zone ONLY! The reason being is because obviously by applying a powder you're mattifying your face. As a result when it comes to highlighting it can often look 'cakey' especially if you're using a powder highlight. So my tip to you is only use powder to set your concealer or foundation in the places you need to!

My third tip is to use an 'illuminating powder', it adds a great glow to your skin without looking unnatural and too over the top. This one is from Mai Couture and it's actually a foundation papier with finely milled shimmers which work perfect for this look.

My last tip is obviously to use HIGHLIGHTERS, highlighting is probably my favourite part of my make-up routine. You guys have heard me go on and on about this highlight 'Gorgeous Glow' from Collection, I've used it so much to the point it almost looks damaged oh well! The other highlight and bronze duo I've been reaching for is by War-paint Cosmetics in 'Bronze & Glow' it gives a really natural highlight making it ideal for everyday wear.