NARS Vs. Sleek

Shown above: Sleek Blush in Rose Gold and NARS Blush in Super Orgasm.

I currently have a new-found love for the brand NARS, I bought my first item from them a few weeks ago and fell in love. Of course, this meant I had to also check out Sleek, a British brand that sells good quality products at drugstore prices. I heard that Sleek sold a blush in the shade Rose Gold which is a dupe for the NARS Super Orgasm blush and decided to put the two to the test. 

Blushes Open Together.

My initial reaction on seeing the two blushes together was that they didn't really look very similar at all. The Sleek blush has a very smooth looking finish, a warm pink base tone and very small gold micro-glitters whereas the NARS blush is a lot more 'choppy' looking, a dusty pink base colour with rather large gold glitters. Both look absolutely gorgeous, however in the pan they don't look like dupes of each other.  

Swatches in daylight; Top - NARS, Bottom- Sleek.

Once I swatched the two next to each other on my arm I could clearly see that they are in fact good dupes. You can still see the differences I mentioned above, but the overall look you receive is very similar and one could easily pass for the other. 

Swatches in Indoor Lighting; Top- NARS, Bottom- Sleek.

I personally love both the blushes, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative then Sleek is definitely the way to go. The Sleek blush was a mere £4.99 compared to the £23 NARS blush. I've worn the sleek blush out a few times now and it really is the perfect colour for me, it's easy to build up for a bolder look, but most importantly it seems to stay put for a very long time. I love the gold glitters, as I really enjoy a strong highlight on my cheek bones and a dewy look to my skin overall, and the glitters really are the perfect touch to the look. I'm planning on trying out a load more products from Sleek and am very happy overall!

My Makeup Brush Collection.

Link to the photo of my brushes: HERE

I've only recently (within the last 6 months or so) gotten into makeup, so my brush collection isn't huge. I only actually have 14 brushes, 3 of them being double ended brushes. 

Real Techniques Brushes.

Disclaimer: This is not my photo.

I have both the original real techniques sets, which I believe are absolutely perfect for beginners. You can buy both sets for a lot less that in store on Amazon, which is where I got mine. I paid around £25 for both the sets, which I think is an absolute bargain! I don't use the foundation brush, and I find it a bit too flimsy for my liking, but the rest of the brushes are so soft and versatile, the sets really do provide you with everything you need as a beginner. 

Urban Decay Brushes.

I have all 3 of the Naked palettes, and each palette comes with its own brush- which I have removed and store with my other brushes. The original Naked palette comes with a flat rigid eyeshadow brush, which works really well to pack on eyeshadow, Naked 2 had a two sided brush, one side is a smaller version of the original brush, the other is a big fluffy crease brush, which I use nearly every time I wear eyeshadow. Naked 3 also has a double sided brush, however unfortunately, both the Naked 3 and the Naked 2 brushes have duplicate flat eyeshadow brushes, which is a shame considering how much the sets cost. However, the naked 3 does have a flat fluffy brush which is amazing at blending. 

Estee Lauder Brushes.

I did use to have the whole set of gold Estee Lauder brushes, however I lost the smaller lip brush and the bigger powder brushes were way to flimsy for me to use. I do like the smaller eyeshadow brush, though I wouldn't buy it again. The fact that its shorter than the powder brushes gives it more stability, however it is still very flimsy and can be hard to work with. Fortunately for this brush, its mobility makes it a good blending brush. 

Wilko Brushes.

I would never have considered buying Wilko brushes if I had just walked into the store, however, after they first launched, everywhere I looked there was nothing but great reviews! I decided to head in and pick some up- considering the most expensive brush is only £4, you can't really go wrong. I chose the concealer brush and the smokey eye brush (which is double ended), and they have really lived up to the reviews. Although they are only cheap, they have held their shape very well, which is impressive considering I use the angled brush all the time. I already have a concealer brush from the real techniques collection, and so I use the concealer brush as a lip brush, which works surprisingly well!

I'm hoping to buy more brushes soon, as there are a lot of brands I've heard about and want to try, plus my collection seriously needs expanding! Let me know what brushes you use down below!

Building Confidence Without Makeup

Living without makeup can be hard, but having a bare face shouldn't stop you from walking out of the house. Makeup used to act like a mask for me, I had very bad skin and didn't feel comfortable leaving the house without wearing a full face. Now I have built up my confidence to the point where make up is something fun and exciting, instead of a chore.

I really believe that everyone should be able to feel comfortable in their own skin, personally, I went down the 'cold turkey' route. I gave up makeup almost completely for a good 4 years. I believe that doing so helped me build confidence in my own skin, and makes me a happier person. So, I'm going to share a few of my tips and tricks to ease yourself into wearing less makeup.

I am not, in any way, saying that everyone should stop wearing makeup. Makeup is an amazing thing. I just believe that everyone should be allowed to feel comfortable in how they look, and being confident without makeup is a huge step in building confidence in yourself!


1. Remember, Makeup Should Be Fun!

The most important thing to remind yourself is that makeup is something that should be fun, you should be able to be creative and wear crazy makeup looks, or spend hours applying it and having fun. However, it shouldn't be something that takes over your life, unless you count spending all your money on new makeup goodies.

2. Try A More Natural Approach.

It's obviously a lot easier to ease into it rather than just jump in, that's how I approached the task. You could simply try wearing a more natural 'no makeup' look, and work from there. Try toning down the level of coverage, for example, wearing a BB cream or powder foundation occasionally instead of full coverage foundations. I also started dying my eyelashes in place of mascara for a long time, I found that dying and curling them provided enough length and darkness that I was comfortable with how I looked. Another benefit of this is that the health of my skin and eyelashes improved drastically when I cut down on my makeup wearing. 

3. Invest in Skincare.

It's a whole lot easier to feel comfortable with the way you look if your skin is looking healthy, when I first gave up makeup I invested a lot of my money into my skincare routine. I think this made the transition a whole lot easier, and as my skin became healthier my confidence rose. This will also give you a chance to get to know your skin a little bit better.

4. Try Limiting You Products.

Tell yourself you're only going to use 5 makeup products, then stick to it. You'll find you'll choose product that cover the areas you're most insecure about. Then, start cutting down the product slowly. My everyday routine tends to be under eye concealer and a setting powder, as this is the area I'm most insecure about. Once I was able to fully pinpoint my insecurities, it was a lot easier to overcome.

5. Go Out Without Makeup.

You don't necessarily have to spend the whole day without makeup, but if you're going out to the shops or somewhere similar, consider leaving without any makeup. Making small trips without any makeup on really helps build up your confidence, and it will be such a good feeling when you're finally brave enough to spend a day in college or at work without any makeup on!

I hope this helped someone, if you have any suggestions or tips please leave them in the comments!

'Directions' Hair Dye Review

I've been using the directions hair dyes for a while now, I love dying my hair all kinds of crazy colours, and I find these to be the best for me. I currently am using the colours 'Violet' and 'Cerise'. I find that violet is the perfect colour for toning my hair, but also makes for a very pretty purple alone and cerise is very pretty when lightened up with conditioner for a pretty pink.

I personally like to mix the two together with conditioner to create a toned down pinky purple colour like above. Considering these dyes are only £5 each, they're really good quality. Not only are they easy to use, but they mix well together and with conditioner, unlike other hair dyes I've tried, meaning you can create an endless amount of colours- not that they don't have a good selection, with 34 colours to choose from. 

They also last a really long time. I only need a small amount of the product to make the colour strong enough for my liking, so I'm only half way through my pot despite using them a lot of times. 

The colour lasts a really long time in your hair. I do find that the pink washes out a lot faster than the purple, but that's normal as red tones tend to fade faster than blue tones, but even the pink will last me around 2 weeks. 

Directions make vegan friendly dyes, so they won't dry out if you leave them on too long, as they're made from vegetable fats. I find the dyes are really conditioning for your hair, and I have before left the dye on my hair over night (under a plastic bag to reduce mess), which left my hair looking silky, the colour was really intense and it lasted a lot longer than normal. I really like to add a little bit of coconut oil in with the dyes and use them almost like a hair mask, they're so moisturising.

Overall, I love these dyes, and will definitely be buying more soon. I'm looking to try Rubine and Alpine Green next! So, for £5 these are a 10/10 from me.

Please remember to check the side bar for updates on what's coming next!

99p Bargain

I recently ordered one of this scary looking contraptions off eBay for just 99p including shipping. It's used to remove blackheads and spots, and I've been rejoicing since I ordered it. I use it in the bath around once a week to really clean out my pores, and I think my skin is thanking me. I've noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of breakouts I'm getting since I started using it, and my skin has been looking a lot smoother .So I recommend you go pick one of these up if you haven't already.

Please remember to check the side bar for updates on what's coming next!

My Eyebrow Routine

Okay, so this is my natural eyebrow shape. They're pretty thin and bare around the edges, with a few bald patches, but they're not too bad. Still, I choose to fill them in most days, and I like to opt for a natural look. In this photo I have already used a spoolie to brush my eyebrows out.

First, I use my M.A.C eyebrow pencil in Lingering (which was featured in my recent haul) to draw a basic outline for my brows. I draw a full line along the bottom, attempting to create a slight arch as my brows are pretty damn straight. I also draw a line along the top of my brow, but I tend to follow my natural shape here, and I leave the front little hairs unlined.

I use a spoolie to Blend out the product into my eyebrow hairs, and then use my Anastasia Dipbrow pomade in medium brown (also featured in my haul) to fill in any remaining bare patches. I then blend again, just to make sure everything looks smooth and natural.

Next, I use the colour 'naked' from my Urban Decay naked palette to set my brows before applying a translucent powder over my whole brow as my natural hair colour is very ashy, and I always feel as though my brows look to warm if I skip this step. 

Finally, to finish everything off, I conceal the area around my brows using benefits boi-ing concealer in shade 1, before highlighting my brow bone. I feel as though this step really helps create the illusion of an arch in my brow. 

Please ignore the silly faces I'm pulling in the photos, this isn't my forte! :)

Please remember to check the side bar for updates on what's coming next!

My Favourite Lush Products

I am a big fan of Lush product, I truly believe that everything they sell is worth the money they charge, so here are my favourites from their store so far.

1. The Charity Pot.

Not only does it serve as a killer moisturiser, but also 100% of the profits go to charity! (Except taxes, they go to the government).

2. Rising Phoenix Bath Bomb.

I've tried nearly every bath bomb lush sells, but this is one of my favourites. The scent is described as cinnamon on the website, which is one of my favourite all time scents. The bath bomb itself is layered full of different colours and golden glitter, which turns the bath an amazing colour!

3. So White Bath Bomb.

This was one of the first bath bombs I ever bought from lush, and I've been re-buying it every time since. The bath bomb itself looks pretty boring, however once dropped into the bath it reveals a pink centre. The scent is clean and fresh, which I love.

4. D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap.

I was very sceptical about this at first, but it was recommended to me so I decided to try it out. I was blessed with almost white, very thin and slow growing leg and arm hair, so rarely have to shave. This means that products like this don't normally do much for me, as I don't shave often enough to develop dry or flaky skin, but this product surprised me- it leaves me with the softest feeling legs you could possibly imagine, and you only need the tiniest bit! Plus, I love strawberries, which is a bonus.

5. Jason and the Argan Oil Shampoo Bar.

I will warn you guys, this thing smells super strong. It's a great scent but you can smell it from miles away. Nonetheless, it gives my super thin hair life and body, which is what I want from a shampoo, and it's super long lasting!

6. Mask of Magnaminty.

I wouldn't usually go for this product, as I absolutely hate the smell of mint. However, it claims to reduce redness and blemishes, and I've found that all lush products so far have done exactly what they say on the tin. My skin has been playing up the last couple months, and I have no idea why- so I needed something to help calm it down. This isn't a miracle fix for blemishes, but it will reduce them and help calm you skin over time, which is what I'm looking for. I use this once a week and I find that it really helps keep my skin in control!

How I Bleach My Hair White

My hair has been bleached white fairly frequently for the last few years:
Photo
Photo
And over this time I have learned a few things about keeping my hair healthy looking whilst still achieving the lightest colour possible. So, I decided to share a few tips and tricks that I have learned along the way. 

1. Coconut oil.

Everybody knows that you shouldn't bleach clean hair, but why? Well, when our hair gets greasy, the oil forms a protective barrier against the bleach, stopping it from drying out or getting damaged. As I don't like to leave my hair get too greasy before bleaching it, I tend to use coconut oil on second day hair instead. Coconut oil is solid, but has a very low melting temperature, so I scoop out a small amount- warm it in my hands and then apply a thick coat all over my hair. I tend to leave this on for around half hour before bleaching, as coconut oil is really good at adding moisture to your hair. 

Don't bother buying special coconut oil branded for use on hair, as organic coconut oil will be cheaper and does the exact same job. You can find this is your local grocery store or organic health food shop. 

2. Generic Bleach.

Rather than use a coloured bleach, such as a cool ash tone or a honey blonde tone- I choose to use a bleach which does not contain a toner and tone my hair myself afterwards. The bleach I use is Jerome Russell's Bblonde bleach in medium lift, as I have a pretty light hair colour naturally.

I choose to use this bleach as you get the bleach sachets and developer separately so there is little to no waste, and I've found that using this bleach allows me to get the lightest colour my hair is capable of achieving.

4. Bleaching Technique.

There's nothing complicated about my bleaching technique, but I thought I should share it with you regardless. Basically, I split my bleaching sessions into two parts. First, I will apply bleach to my roots and the darkest parts of my hair, such as sections which didn't lighten as much last time. I will leave this on for around half an hour (or half the time noted on the bleach box). Then, I will go back and apply more bleach to the rest of my hair, concentrating again on the darkest spots. 

I don't always bleach my whole head, only if a lot of my hair isn't the colour I want it to be yet- as I do frequently change between my natural hair colour and white blonde.

3. Fudge Clean Blonde Toner Shampoo.

Toning is a really important part of achieving the right colour, personally I prefer an icy white colour, and so I use a purple toner. My favourite way of toning my hair day to day is to use a toning shampoo, which is just what it sounds like- a shampoo containing purple dye to counteract the yellow tones in your hair. My favourite one so fair is the Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo. I apply this like regular shampoo, lathering it all over my hair, and then leave it on for five minutes or so, depending on how yellow my hair is looking at the time. It's a really easy way of keeping your colour up to check.

4. D.I.Y Toner.

If this option doesn't really appeal to you, you can save a lot of money by making your own toner or toning shampoo. All you need to do is buy a dark purple hair dye, my favourite is the directions violet hair dye.

You can either add a small amount of this to your shampoo and use it like above, or alternatively you can mix it with conditioner to achieve a pale purple colour and then apply it to your hair, leaving it on for around half an hour. Though it does take a little bit of trail and error to learn what shampoo to dye ratio works for you, it's a very good way of saving money!

If you have any more questions regarding my bleaching technique, please feel free to comment.

Recent Haul and Review.

Link to the related instagram photo

My birthday was just over a week ago, and so I chose to treat myself to a few products I've been looking at for a while. I've had the chance to put the products to the test, and decided to review them for you all!

1. E.L.F Daily Brush Cleanser. 

£3.95 / $3.00

I bought this product in an attempt to force myself to clean my brushes more often, and I have to say it has worked. I simply spray the cleanser over the brush, then rub the product off on a towel. Although it does do a reasonable job at cleaning brushes, I can still easily see left over pigment, especially from darker coloured shadows. On a basis of price to product ratio, I feel as though this is very expensive in the UK for the small amount you get- at an equivalent of just over $6! It also has a very strong smell, which lingers on the brushes- and I have found slight damage to my brushes since I started using this. 

WARNING: This product is designed to be used on synthetic brushes and not natural brushes.

Personally, I will not be re-buying this product, however it is something worth trying out if you can find it on offer. 

2. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Siberia.

£31.00 / $45.00

As someone who hasn't worn foundation in 5 years, I was hesitant to spend this much money on one. However, I asked for a sample at the NARS counter out of curiosity and instantly fell in love, less than a week later I bought the full sized version. I gave up wearing foundation when I was younger as I found that my sensitive skin would become irritated and break out from even wearing it for a few hours! However, this foundation has impressed me so much! Not only can I not even feel it on my face, but the foundation itself makes my skin look so clear and radiant. I do find that I break out if I wear this every day for a few days, however it a vast improvement on my previous experiences with foundation. If you have the spare money, I cannot recommend this enough!

3. M.A.C Self-Sharpening Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering.

£13.50 / $16.00

Having only ever filled in my eyebrows with my Urban Decay eyeshadow in Naked, I decided I wanted to step up my eyebrow game and delve into the world of eyebrow pencils. I knew I wanted something very thin, light and precise- and this M.A.C pencil gives me just that. It's so quick and easy to use, and lets my subtly build on the patchy areas of my brows without making them look unnatural. I cannot recommend this enough to someone who (like me) is just entering the world of drawing on eyebrows!

4. Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown.

£15.00 / $18.00

I stumbled across this on sale, and after all the wonderful things I had heard about it, decided to bite the bullet and pick it up. Choosing the right colour was the main issue for me, as I had no option but to order it online. I ended up choosing medium brown over dark brown as my eyebrows are a light ashy brown, and it matches very well (as long as I apply it with a light hand). It took a couple of tries to get it right, but now I find it easy to use- Plus it will last through absolutely anything!

5. NARS Copacabana Multipule.

£29.00 / $39.00

I honestly cannot put into words how much I love this product. Every time I have gone up to the NARS counter without fail, I would swatch this on my hand and gaze at awe in how pretty it is. So I decided that it was time to finally commit and I couldn't be happier, I want them all! I'm currently using this as my highlighter, though I am debating putting it all over my face under my foundation as an illuminator as it makes my skin look so dewy and radiant. 

6. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold.

£4.49 / $6.99

I am constantly hearing good things about the brand sleek, and decided to put them to the test with one of their famous blushes. The rose gold one is probably the most famous and is often referred to as a dupe for NARS Super Orgasm. I have to say I am very impressed by the quality of this blush- I tend to stray away from drugstore brands, as I don't wear makeup everyday and so enjoy the quality of mid/high end makeup when I do wear it. However I do really love this blush, and am considering buying more of their products in the near future. The rose gold micro glitter almost serves as a highlight, so I like to apply this blush a little higher along my cheek bones that I normally would.

NOTE: I apologise if any of the American pricing is wrong, I used google to search for the American pricing of each product- However there may be some mistakes.

D.I.Y Brush Cleaning

How I Clean My Makeup Brushes

Personally, I spend a lot of money on my makeup brushes- I find them to be one of the most important parts of makeup application. I feel as though you can achieve a flawless look with cheap makeup, as long as you have high quality brushes. So, I like to keep them clean and healthy, not only to protect my skin, but also to lengthen the life of the brushes. 

So, how do I do it?

Well, brush cleaners/cleansers can be very expensive, so I personally choose to use organic soap. The soaps from Lush are always amazing, and don't contain any harmful chemicals that could ruin the shape or texture of the brush. The one I'm personally using at the moment is called Baked Alaska, and looks like this:

Disclaimer: Not my image.

I run the sink full of warm water (Don't use boiling water as you could melt the glue inside the brush), then soak my brush, before swirling it over the soap, and rubbing it in my hand. I keep doing this until the water from the brush runs cleaner, then gently towel dry the brush, and lay it to air dry. You should always allow your brushes to air dry in a way that the bristles of the brush are below the bellow, so that water runs out of the brush as it dries.

I repeat this process once a week, and use E.L.F's spot cleanser each time I use the brush. WARNING: This brush cleanser should only be used on synthetic brushes!

D.I.Y Nail Sponge.

You Will Need:

-An old pair of tweezers.
-A sponge.
-Two bobby pins.
-A pair of scissors.

The Steps:

-Cut a small triangle of sponge from an old makeup sponge of cleaning sponge.
-Place the triangle of sponge between the tweezers so that one edge points outwards and the other two are held by the tweezers.
-Take a bobby pin and use it to hold the tweezers closed (I used two for added strength.)

TIP: With this nail sponge you can also get neater results on your weaker hand by using the bobby pins to keep the sponge steady.

D.I.Y Cream Blush.

Why use cream blush?

Cream blush is much easier to apply and gives you a more natural look upon application. Check out my 3 easy ways to create your own cream blush from various makeup/household items.

Method 1.

Ingredients:

-Moisturizer (or some kind or cream to substitute.)

-Lipstick in the desired colour (Blood red works best.)

Instructions:

-Apply a small amount of the lipstick and the moisturizer to the back of your hand and blend them well with your fingers.

-Pat the resulting substance onto your face, applying more layers for a more dramatic look.

Methods 2 and 3:

Methods 2 and 3 follow the same principles as method 1, except using different 'pigments'. The alternatives being eyeshadow/powder blush crushed into the moisturizer, or food coloring. 

Be warned, the colours can be very pigmented so apply cautiously. Please leave me a comment and tell me what I can do to improve :)