October 30, 2011

What's in my bag

I was tagged by the super gorgeous Tali on her fashion blog, Glossy's Wardrobe, to spill the contents of my bag. Since I'm nosey and love finding out what kind of things people carry in their bags, i.e. whether there really is a kitchen sink in there or not, I thought I would do it, although I must say that I had "cleaned" out the contents of my bag a few days ago so it's much lighter than it usually is!

The bag
I bought this a few months ago from Colette Accessories for around $50. It's my favourite tan handbag that goes with a lot of clothes that I wear. The fact that it's very lightweight means that I can pack it with my junk and not have it kill my shoulder with its weight.

The contents
  • Jag wallet: the stitching is actually starting to come undone, I will surely need a new wallet soon. I carry money, credit cards and other random cards in there. 
  • Animal print makeup bag: I bought this from a little Korean knick knack store and it's the perfect size to fit all the makeup in that I carry with me on a daily basis. 
  • Painkillers: I always have Nurofen on me as I get migraines sometimes and Zavance is the only thing that cures it quickly. 
  • Earrings: No, I don't usually carry earrings with me. I must have removed them at the end of the day and just shoved them in my bag, forgetting about them.
  • Phone and Keys: Essentials, can't leave home without them.

The makeup & beauty stash
  • Five lipsticks! Clearly I don't need all 5 at once, but for some reason they've accumulated in my makeup bag. They are Chi Chi Hollywood Heiress, Heavy Rotation #3, Inglot #104, MAC Costa Chic, Rimmel Pink Blush. 
  • Two lipliners: I hardly ever use lipliners, so I don't even know why they're here! They are NYX Dolly Pink and Styli Style Monte Carlo.
  • MAC lipglass in Viva Glam V: This is constantly in my bag for emergencies, i.e. in case I forget to take a lipstick with me that day so I can quickly apply it to look "put together". But clearly that's not going to happen.
  • The Body Shop Moroccan Rose Hand Cream: I love love love this cream, and I don't know whether it's the smell, the way it makes my hands feel, or the fact it has Moroccan in the name (I have a slight obsession with all things Moroccan).
  • The Body Shop Perfume in Dreams Unlimited: This is a gorgeous summery floral perfume that I carry around with me for freshening up during the day.
  • Shabaya Compact Foundation: I don't really use this anymore, but I mainly carry it around for the mirror. 
  • Burts Bees lemon cuticle butter: I had good intentions of smoothing this on my cuticles throughout the day. Intentions do not often translate to actions.
  • No, I don't know why I have 8 x elastic bands and 10 x bobby pins in here, especially since I hardly wear my hair up. Well at least I know where to find them in case I ever need hair bands!
  • Kerastase Ultime Elixir - this was a little sample in one of my Lust Have It boxes. I carry it around with me in case the frizzies catch up with my hair.

Well, that's the contents of my bag. No kitchen sink in there, but definitely way more than I should be carrying around. Seriously Lilit, 5 lipsticks? 8 hair bands? Tsk tsk tsk.

How much of your life do you carry around with you?

October 29, 2011

Weekend FOTD with green eyeshadow

With the weather so lovely here in Sydney today I felt like doing a bright but simple look with my makeup. I'd bought a new cheapie green eyeshadow from the brand Nabi, which I thought was perfect for a fun look.

No flash

Products Used

Face
Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in #8
Illamasqua Powder in PF 150 (not pictured)
Benefit Hoola to contour
Illamasqua Lover blush
Emani highlight powder in Lime Light

Lips
MAC Shy girl

Eyes
Nabi eyeshadow in Baby Green - lid and bottom lashline
Illamasqua eyeshadow in Jules - crease and also on brows
MAC Moleskin - to blend
MAC Phloof - inner corner and browbone
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara - Black
Jordana Color Extend black eyeliner - inner rims

The finished look
With flash

What's your favourite green eyeshadow?

October 28, 2011

Do you need an eyeshadow primer? You be the judge

I've never been one for using primers of any kind. I feel that they just add extra minutes to my makeup routine, minutes that the time poor me of the weekday mornings does not have.
Eyeshadow primer by Australis $12.95RRP

However, I will admit they are effective at not only making your eyeshadow last longer, crease less, but also making the colours look more vibrant.  See for yourself... here are swatches of some eyeshadows with and without primer.

With Flash

Eyeshadow primer really does make such a difference to certain shades, for example look at the NARS and the Too Faced colours, there is definitely a huge difference.

No flash

It's not something that I will use everyday, or with every eyeshadow, however for some of the less pigmented or powder-ier shades an eyeshadow primer is a godsend.

Do you use an eyeshadow primer?

Disclaimer: I received the Australis Eyeshadow Primer as part of my ABBW goody bag. Everything else is bought with my own money.

October 26, 2011

Battle of the Eyeliners - Pencil vs Liquid vs Gel Vs Powder

There are so many different types of eyeliners out there, so how do you know which one to use for what look? What's good to create a cat eye with? Or to give you that rock chic look? How about something for an easy smokey eye? Read on to find out.
 

Pencil Eyeliners
This is a cosmetic bag staple, and is especially good for beginners or people like me who are crap at doing straight lines. I mainly use them to line my waterline, or do a smudged lived-in look. They are generally not as dark as your liquids or gels, however they are the easiest of liners to use. Mila Kunis is known to define her gorgeous eyes by lining her waterline, and soft pencils are perfect for it. My favourite pencil is Jordana Color Extend Waterproof in Black.
Image of Mila Kunis from Google Images, collage my own.

Liquid Eyeliners
These are great for giving a sharp cat eye look. They are good for drawing clean crisp lines along the upper lashlines, and look fantastic when doing the flick. This is probably the most difficult type to use and requires a steady hand, however the sharp wing that you can create with this is worth the effort. Angelina Jolie is well known for her sharp cat eye looks, which you can recreate with a liquid liner. Face of Australia Liquid Eyeliner* in Black is perfect, as it has a super thin brush perfect for a precise application.
Image of Angelina from Google Images, collage my own.

Gel Eyeliners
This is my favorite type of eyeliner. It gives a super dramatic dark line, doesn't tug at the delicate eye area, and you can also use them as a base for dark smokey eyes. With a good stiff angled brush these are almost as easy to use as pencil liners... I say almost, because they are not as practical for carrying around with you as pencils are. And if you find gel eyeliners dry up to quickly, here is a previous post I had done on how to fix dried up gel eyeliner. Beyonce does super dramatic black lined eye makeup, which you can achieve with gel eyeliners. My favourite is the Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black.
Image of Beyonce from Google Images, collage my own.

Powder Eyeliners
These are a new breed of liners, giving you the convenience of a pencil (they are easy to use!), with the smudged lived in look of a black eyeshadow. These are perfect for lazy day smokey eyes, as you get a smudgy effect without even trying. My favourite way to wear them is by drawing with a normal pencil first, then softening the line with the powder eyeshadow. I love the smudged eye looks that Alexa Chung rocks sometimes, and eyeshadow pencils are great for it. The Models Prefer Powder Black Eyeliner* is one of the easiest to use I have come across.


Swatches
Here are the swatches of the liners I mentioned above.

Jordana Color Extend Waterproof Eyeliner in Black - This is my favourite pencil liner of all time. It is so soft and easy to smudge, and best of all it stays put in my waterline all day. They are around $3 at Cherry Culture.

Face of Australia Liquid Eyeliner in Black* - These are great value at $8.95AUD, with a thin brush gives you a super fine and sharp line. I'm really bad at using liquid eyeliners, but I'm more than happy to practice with this one because if I make a mistake with this, I can wipe it off quickly before it sets with a cotton bud and start again.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black - this is one of my favourite liners to use when I want a more defined look. It stays put all day, but at the end of the day washes off easily.

Models Prefer Powder Black Eyeliner* - this is a limited edition product from the Smouldering Eyes collection and costs $9.99. There is a hint of pearly sparkle in this which makes the line less flat and boring than a matte black might make it. It's very long lasting, and so easy to blend for an fast smokey look.

What type of eyeliners do you prefer using?



Disclaimer: items marked with * were sent for review. I don't get paid to blog, my views are as always honest and all opinions expressed here are my own.

October 25, 2011

Top 5 Tuesday - peach blushes

I go through phases with blushes, some days I love my pinks, some days I prefer something warmer. Now that the weather is warming up here in Australia peach blushes will be in high rotation again, especially since I now wear them instead of eyeshadow (see this post).

Please note - coral, apricot and orange are all included under the banner of "peach".

Here are my 5 favourites.


MAC blush in Melba: This is a matte colour which is more of a muted dusty pink with a hint of peach. It's neutral enough to suit all complexions and it doesn't overpower eye makeup, no matter how smokey you make it.

Illamasqua blush in Lover: This is possibly my most favourite blush ever. Like all Illamasqua products this is highly pigmented, and light hand is needed for fairer skinned girls out there. For those with darker skin you can get away with a heavier swatch. It's more of a warm apricot colour, and if I could only use one blush for the rest of my life I would choose this.

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Tipsy: Another absolute favourite, it's a warmer, more reddish peach than Illamasqua Lover. The gorgeous matte shade seriously lasts a long time and looks fantastic with a tan. 

Sleek blush in Pan Tao: This looks scary in the pan, a bright orange, however with a light touch this adds a gorgeous warm glow to the cheeks. It's definitely a summer shade, as when I tried wearing it on my pale winter skin it looked too garish.

BYS shimmer blush in Coral: Another summer shade. It's one of my favourite budget buys, it cost less than $5AUD, and it lasts and lasts. The colour is a more pigmented version of the famous NARS Orgasm, and here is a post where I compared the two in the past.

Swatches

No flash

With flash

What are some of your favourite peachy shades?

October 23, 2011

Wearing Blush As An Eyeshadow

Feeling very bored with my usual browns, taupes and greys I decided I needed a brighter eyeshadow. I decided I needed peach! But not wanting to spend money on a peach shadow and then throwing it aside if it didn't suit me, I thought the best way to experiment is by using a peach blush... on my eyes!


Hello peach blush by Arcancil!
This blush is from a French brand Arcancil, in colour Mlle Friponne. I bought it last year when we were traveling in Europe, and never really wore it. I don't know why really, I mean look at how gorgeous it is!

At first I found it incredibly bright, but after a couple of hours the shock of having bright peach lids wore off and I really really liked it. Even my husband noticed that my eye makeup was different and commented on how nice it looked. Huh, who knew men noticed such things.

Also, because I have hooded lids when my eyes are open you can't see the colour that much, it's only when I look down that the brightness is obvious. 


How I wore it
Eyeshadow primer - Australis
Lid - Arcancils peach blush in Mlle Friponne
Crease - Too Faced Erotica from Natural Eye Palette
Highlight - UD Virgin
Liner - Maybelline Gel Liner in Blackest Black
Mascara - L'Oreal 4D Lash Architect in Black

Rest of the face
Illamasqua SkinBase foundation - #8
MAC MSF Powder - Light Medium
Arcancil Blush - Mlle Friponne
Inglot lipstick - #104
Nails - Barry M Pink Flamingo


Have you ever worn blush as an eyeshadow?

October 22, 2011

MeMeMe Cosmetics coming soon to Australia

I'm so excited. In case it's not obvious from the title of this post, the affordable boutique UK cosmetics brand MeMeMe will be launching in Australia soon. Their products will be available from their Australian website from late October with prices ranging from $11.95 - $34.95 AUD.

I was recently sent some of their products to try out, and having heard about this brand before from UK blogs I was very happy to accept. Please note that I don't have the exact prices of these items yet, when I get them I will update this post.

Fat Cat Waterproof Mascara
This is a good basic mascara for every day wear. It gave a nice coating to the lashes, didn't flake all day, and most importantly didn't go crunchy on my lashes. I was expecting bigger, fatter lashes, I don't know why because it's not like the tube claimed it's volumizing. Maybe the name Fat Cat. This isn't something I'd wear when I want va va voom lashes, but I can see myself wearing this to the gym where I want to look like I have naturally defined lashes, plus because it's waterproof I won't have mascara smudges sweating down my face.


Correct and Perfect Concealer Kit in Nude
This is a 2 part product in a cute packaging with a mirror under the lid. The top part is a creamy concealer for hiding any unwanted dark circles, and in the bottom is a translucent setting powder to mattify the area and make the concealer last longer. I think the creamy concealer does a great job of covering my under eye dark circles. While the setting powder made no difference to the colour itself, it did make sure the concealer didn't crease all day. I did find the powder part a bit messy to use, and to be quite honest I prefer using my own powder on top, however I have been using the creamy bit almost everyday as my daily go-to concealer. 

Nailpolish in Vivacious
This is a gorgeous bright fuchsia pink colour, and because I have so many other similar colours I gave it to a friend to try. This photo of her hand was taken on day 4. As you can see the polish has lasted very well, no chipping at all although there is slight wear around the edges. 

And below are the colour swatches of the rest of the nail polishes in the collection. I've got my eye on Tenacious, Generous, and Virtuous so when the website launches that's what I'll be getting first!

Have you heard about this brand yet? Or if you have tried it, what is your favorite item from them?

Disclaimer: provided for review. I am not paid to review these products and all opinions expressed here are purely my own. 

October 20, 2011

Dear MAC Shy Girl, I love you... but...

You are such a pretty shade, a perfect creamy colour that is great worn during the day, and also at night with a super dark smokey eye look. I love you MAC Shy Girl, but...

Why are you so hard to work with? Why do you melt in the tube at the slightest rise in temperature? In fact I remember even in the cold of winter you were still a melting mess! Why? Even after I tried to "fix' you using my "how to fix a broken lipstick" post you still didn't get fixed.

I love wearing you on my lips, I really do, but why must I always have to put you in the freezer first for 10 minutes before I can actually apply you on my lips. And I've seen photos of you on other blogs, even for those other bloggers you seem to be showing tendencies to melt.


Of all the MAC lipsticks I've tried none have melted on me, ever. Are you maybe... gasp... not formulated right?

Anyone else own or have the same experience with their MAC Shy Girl melting in the tube?

October 19, 2011

Illamasqua Freak - not for the faint hearted

Does Illamasqua do anything by halves? If you've bought anything from the brand previously you'll know that their products can polarize opinion. You either love them or... no, I can't bear the thought that some people might hate them. No prizes for guessing which camp I'm in!

Their new fragrance releases tomorrow, 20th October, and is not for the faint hearted. Everything is unique about it: the campaign images feature a purple lady, with a purple octopus on her shoulder; the bottle will freak you out because it looks like it's about to topple over; and the scent...?
Image courtesy of Illamasqua

"Freak is concoction of dangerously exotic unconventional flowers which Illamasqua has unashamedly blended to celebrate the night".

Top notes 
Black Davana, Opium Flower and Belladonna bewitch the senses into uncontrollable lust and passion.
Heart notes
Poison Hemlock, Datura and Queen of the Night blossom, caress and kiss.
Base notes
Aromas of Frankincense, Oud and Myrrh, addictively mesmerizes and captures the senses.


The art deco inspired bottle is tilted to the side, with a smokey purple hue. And how adorable is the little snail on top?
Image courtesy of Illamasqua

What I think...
I was sent a very generous sample to try out. My first impression upon opening the bottle was "whoa, it's strong!". Then random words popped into my head - exotic, mysterious, dark, moody, sexy, provocative. Then over time my thoughts managed to form themselves a bit better so here is what I think.
  • It's not a daytime fragrance. No, don't even try to make it work during daylight. You'll just confuse everyone. 
  • At first spray the heavy woody scent is the most obvious, and it remains rich and strong for the first hour after you apply it. 
  • Over time it mellows a bit, and it starts to smell more floral, and even a little bit smokey. This is when I start to really like the fragrance.
  • It lasts a long time. After spraying this in the evening I could still smell it in the morning on my hair (I'd sprayed behind my ears).
  • It reminds me of the strong perfumes my mum used to wear in the 80s, in fact I can see us fighting over possession of this perfume as soon as she spots it on my dressing room table. Note to self, don't let mum take a sniff of this beauty. 
My PR sample of Illamasqua Freak
Bottom line...
If you like pretty floral fragrances, this is not for you. If you like intoxicating scents, if you like to come across as dangerous and provocative, and a little bit femme fatale, then this is for you.

And because I can be silly...
The promo images are so stunning, it led me to think how freaky I would look if I had purple skin. Seeing as I didn't have a purple foundation just laying about, I turned to Picnik to make me purple. I even got myself a pet purple octopus. Yeah. Silly.

Are you looking forward to trying this perfume?

Disclaimer: provided for review. I am not paid to review this product and all opinions expressed here are purely my own.  

    October 18, 2011

    Top 5 Tuesday - Taupe eyeshadows

    I love a good taupe eyeshadow, and over the years I have tried quite a few of them.  And here are my 5 favourite taupe shades.

    For me the perfect taupe should have a little bit of shimmer, but not glitter, should have a perfect mix of grey, brown, beige and purple (but not be muddy), and above all should look good worn alone on the lid or as a crease colour.

    With flash

    Swatches 


    MAC Satin Taupe
    As if this wouldn't be in the top 5. It's a cult classic that lives in most people's makeup bags. It's probably the taupe that started it all, there are many imitations, but only one Satin Taupe.

    Stila Grand
    This is from the Stila Pro Artist Palette #1 which I originally reviewed HERE. It leans more icy brown than Satin Taupe, and has a little bit of fallout, but because I love the colour I forgive it. 

    Wet n Wild Silent Treatment - bottom shade in the palette
    This is such a gorgeous little palette with the perfect mix of taupe, pale peach and dark brown. The taupe shade is my favourite. It leans on the purple side, and looks amazing worn alone or as part of a purple smokey eye.

    POPbeauty Eye Pop Trio in Park Lane - middle shade in the palette
    This is another easy to use palette, perfect for a daytime smokey eye. I bought this one quite a while back from Kit Cosmetics but they are still available at Kit and online. It has less shimmer than all the others, and is a more greyish taupe. Because it's fairly matte, it's good as a crease colour. 

    NARS Rajasthan Duo - lighter shade
    This colour is absolutely stunning and very hard to capture in photos. It's multi-dimensional and looks different in different lights. It looks fantastic worn alone, all over the lid.

    Do you love taupe eyeshadows? Which one is your favourite?

    October 16, 2011

    These YSL Rouge Voluptes satisfy my pink lipstick craving

    Long time readers will know of my obsession with lipstick. Newer readers (hi!) will soon get to know how much I love lipstick, especially bold, bright colours.

    My addiction to YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks is new, even though these lipsticks have been around forever. There is something very luxurious about them, the gold packing, the way the lid clicks into place, the ultra glam way they make me feel when I'm freshening my lippy in public (yes, I do that).  

    YSL Rouge Volupte #8 Fetish Pink
    This is the brighter of the two, almost a barbie pink but it's very wearable. It's one of those colours that even with little else makeup, this will make you look polished and put together.
    YSL Rouge Volupte #8 Fetish Pink


    YSL Rouge Volupte #19 Frivolous Pink
    This is a paler, bubblegum pink colour and I know that if I get a bit of a tan in summer this will probably look horrible on me. But in the meantime I'm happy to wear this colour as much as I can.
    YSL Rouge Volupte #19 Frivolous Pink

    If there is one thing I don't like about them, they don't last very long. As they are super creamy they come off at the first sign of food, or 3 hours if no eating/or drinking. But since they are perfect in every other way I don't mind too much.

    I bought my YSLs from Cosmo Cosmetics in Wynyard for around $25 each. At the AU department stores they sell for $55each, however places like Strawberry Net and All Cosmetics Wholesale usually have them in stock for the $20 - $25 mark as well.

    Have you tried YSL Rouge Voluptes?


    October 14, 2011

    Follow me and I'll follow you - or how NOT to get readers

    This is an open letter to those people who keep posting comments on our blogs, or sending emails insisting that we follow them. I am no expert when it comes to blogging, but while speaking with other bloggers I know that comments such as “Follow me” have the opposite effect on us. Some people may have unwittingly become blog spammers, so I hope this helps them realise that these types of comments are not appreciated and do not work. 

    Image Source. Captions my own.
    Hello,

    So you’ve started a blog and want to gain more followers. You think the best way is to ask other bloggers straight out to come and follow you. So you go to various blogs, and post comments such as:

    “Great blog, I'd love it you followed me!”
    “I’m following you, now follow me back!”
    “If you follow me, I’ll follow you back”

    Some of you even send out emails asking to follow you.

    You may not realise this, but we don’t appreciate receiving such messages. Especially not when we see your very same comment posted on numerous other blogs. Or when it’s obvious that the only reason you’re following us is because you want us to follow you back, especially since after 2 days if we don’t follow you back, you un-follow us. Or when you send us an email telling us how much you love our site, insisting it would mean the world to you if we were to follow you… but… you’ve addressed it to another blogger.

    See, when you leave messages saying “Follow me!”, it makes us feel trapped. Held hostage to your comment. It puts us in a dilemma. Do we just ignore? Oh but we don’t want to come across as rude. Do we follow? Oh but your site isn’t really the type of blog we read. Oh the dilemma.

    Some of us will follow your blog, but never actually read your posts. Some of us will ignore the comment and just delete it. Some will really like your blog, but be put off by your approach and not follow. And some of us will mark your comment as spam. The problem with marking it as spam is that if enough people do it, the Google-gods will think that all your comments are spam.

    Do you really want followers that are only there because they feel that they have to be? Or do you want readers who absolutely genuinely love reading what you write?

    I know how hard it is to get started as a blogger and grow your readership numbers. If I could give you 4 simple tips for getting more followers it would be these:

    1. Write good content
    Nothing beats having good content. If I come across a well written blog while googling for something, I will hit that follow button.

    2. Comment on other blogs
    I’m talking about genuine comments, none of these “Oh wow, that’s great! Follow me!”. Well thought out comments will make us, and other readers, go and check out your blog. It’s not necessary to leave your URL there because by clicking on your name in the comments field we will be taken to your blog. In fact some bloggers don’t allow any links to be published in the comments so you’re better off not leaving a link at all.

    3. Interact on Social Media
    Get yourself a Twitter account and start interacting with other bloggers. I know it’s time consuming, but how much are you willing to do for your blog? My follower numbers grew as soon as I joined Twitter, and so did the number of other blogs that I found and followed.

    4. Time and Perseverance
    Rome was not built in a day. It takes time and perseverance to build a readership. If you love blogging, then keep at it, and the readers will come.

    There are lots of other ways to gain readership and followers. If you just Google it there is a wealth of information out there.

    So please, no more of these "Follow Me" comments. 

    Love,

    Lilit
    xoxo

                                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I would love to know what you all think of this issue. Does it bother you or do you just ignore it? 
    How do you respond to “Follow Me” messages?

    October 12, 2011

    FOTD with L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadows - they can't get any easier to apply

    When I posted about my L'Oreal Color Infallible eyeshadows a few weeks ago HERE, I had some questions about whether they are easy to apply, whether they crease or not, and how long they last.
    L'Oreal Color Infallible in Permanent Khaki

    Creasing: I'm happy to report that they don't crease for me at all, which is a big deal considering I have hooded eyelids and any eyeshadow that's remotely creamy creases in no time.

    Lasting power: These claim to last 24 hours, but not willing to go to sleep with my make up on I can't tell you whether they last the full 24 hours. What I can tell you is that when I apply this in the morning from around 7 am, they still look fresh when I'm taking them off at night just before bed. 

    Ease of application: Here is a mini tutorial to show you how easy they are to use. I used one of my favourite shades from the range, Permanent Khaki, with only one other eyeshadow to soften any harsh lines.


    Step 1: using a dense medium sized brush apply Permanent Khaki all over the lid a bit past the crease
    Step 2: apply a little bit of the same eyeshadow under the eyes close to the lashline
    Step 3: using a fluffy brush apply a shimmery white shadow (I used MAC Phloof) on the browbone, taking care to blend into the khaki shade to soften any lines.
    Step 4: apply a black eyeliner liner on top lashline (I used Jordana waterproof pencil in Black)
    Step 5: finish with 2 coats of black mascara (I used Covergirl Lash Blast in Black)


    Have you used the L'Oreal Color Infallibles yet?


    October 11, 2011

    Top 5 Tuesday - Contour Products

    I'm a huge fan of contouring the face. With the right products you can reduce the size of your features (e.g. nose) and create the illusion of depth (e.g cheekbones) or even change the shape of your face entirely.

    Where to contour
    Before I start showing you my favourite contour products, first lets look at where you're supposed to contour. Using Jennifer Lopez as an example, I've highlighted where I think her face has been contoured - cheeks, under the chin, nose, temples, eye socket.
    Original image Source. Collage and markings my own.

    The key to good contouring is to use matte products, as matte shades make the area recede which is exactly what you want to achieve with contouring. You can use bronzers, blushes or eyeshadows to contour with, as long as they are matte and about 2 shades darker than your skin tone.

    Contour products
    I contour my face every single day, it's become a habit with me, and here are my 5 favourite products.


    Illamasqua Cream Colour Pigment - Hollow
    This is the only cream contour product I own. I use it mainly in summer when I go for more of a dewy skin and matte powders look too harsh. With cream contour products, you need to put them on after your foundation but before any powder or blush.
    (I'd received this one as a gift from Illamasqua a while back).


    Urban Decay Naked e/s and MAC Moleskin e/s
    I use these two to contour my eye area to give my hooded eyelids more depth. They are also great for blending out darker shadows in a smokey eye. Moleskin is a LE colour, but MAC Wedge is pretty similar if you can't find Moleskin. These colours are also good to contour the sides of the nose with, to slim it down.

    Illamasqua Disobey and Benefit Hoola
    I've owned Hoola since the beginning of the year and have been using it on an almost daily basis, that is, if I haven't been using the other products mentioned here. Disobey is a recent addition to my collection, but it's fast become a favourite. It is slightly warmer in tone than Hoola, which makes it look more natural with a bit of a tan. Hoola is marketed as a bronzer, whereas Disobey is a blush.

    Swatches
    The picture below is with flash. Without flash it was really hard to see the shades on my skintone, as they blended almost seamlessly into my skin. And that's what you want with your contour product, you want them to look so natural that they are invisible to an untrained eye.

    I am yet to find a budget bronzer that's good to contour with, as most drugstore bronzers have too much shimmer in them. Contouring with a shimmer bronzer will just make your face look dirty and muddy.

    A good cheaper alternative I've found is W7 Matte Bronzer in Honolulu, which I've reviewed and compared to Hoola HERE,  but it didn't make it into my top 5 as the colour is a bit dark for me currently. If you can't find a good matte bronzer to contour with, you can always just use a normal face powder 2 shades darker than your skintone.

    Perfectly contoured
    So what does a perfectly contoured face look like? In my opinion J Lo is one of those celebrities that always gets it right. In this photo of her below from the video clip On The Floor, she looks stunning and with clever contouring her features all just stand out that little bit more.
    Image Source


    Do you contour your face? What are some of your favourite products to contour with?


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