A High End Beauty Haul
As we move into A/W, our fashion changes, along with our makeup. Throughout summer I was using light glosses, creamy peachy cheek stains, cream highlights, nude nails, champagne eyes but as the weather gets colder and I start feeling a little more Autumnal, I mix my makeup up completely. Before I came back to uni I had a big makeup clear out and chucked away a lot of old stuff that was out of date or just gloopy and not worth keeping, with a tonne of stuff out the way, I had plenty of space to introduce some new products to my collection and re stocked on what was gone. I was feeling a little spendy and with Birmingham Selfridges around the corner from my flat, I find it hard to leave that beauty hall. A/W makeup for me is a base with a slightly more coverage but still something healthy, a stronger contour and a beautiful powder highlight, a light splash of colour on the cheeks and a muted nail so let's go into my Selfridges and SpaceNK bag and see what I picked up...
SpaceNK was where the real damage happened, being my favourite online and beauty shop to shop in, I always spend far too much money in there but this time, I had £15 worth of points to spend which made everything a little more justifiable. Starting off my haul, I finally picked up an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Dim Infusion, something I've been lusting after since they first came out. This beautiful marbled effect blush comes in a swirl of light peach and creamy white strips that have been swirled together to create a soft focus, subtle highlighting blush that creates an airy effect. With a highlight and blush in one, you get the best of both worlds here and have pigmented peach cheeks with radiance that glows. Lightly dused over foundation these apply really easily and keep your face looking healthy and young throughout the day. To keep my lips fully hydrated and soft throughout the cold, I need something that was rich and intense so added the Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm to my basket which turns out to be a new favourite balm. The thick, buttery lip balm is incredibly hydrating and protects, repairs and soothes dry lips, bringing them back to normal. With honey and nourishing oils this doubles up as the ultimate lip mask, apply a thick layer over night and wake up to exfoliated and nourished lips.
As you all know, I'm an avid user of Kevyn Aucoin makeup and it's my favourite beauty brand to use and purchase so after spending a day with the wonderful KA girls in SpaceNK last week, I wanted to stop up on some goodies they used on my skin. First up, we have the Sensual Skin Enhancer, a product that needs a place in all girls makeup bags. This multi tasking formula creates the ideal flawless complexion when buffed all over the skin. What is so great about this stuff is that you need the tiniest amount to cover your entire face and if you want something a little lighter and more dewy then simply mix some Kevyn Aucoin Radiance Primer or any other primer / oil / moisturiser. Not only can you use this as an all over foundation, I use it to cancel my dark circles and highlight my cupids bow, there are so many ways of using this. With honey and joboba beads, this gives the dewiest of finishes and leaves skin feeling like silk. To add structure into my face and to define my cheek bones, I got Kevyn's famous Sculpting Powder which adds a soft shadow to enhance my bone structure and to create a more dramatic look. This has blown my Anastasia Contour Kit off the shelf and is standing as an all time favourite contour powder. As I'd picked up the sculpture, I needed the highlighter to finish off the look completely and Kevyn Aucoin's Celestial Powder in Candlelight is a beautifully sophisitacted shimmering powder that creates the glow you need. With shimmer, not glitter this completes any makeup look and can be used on the cheek bones, cupids bow, brow bone, nose, anywhere you want that delicate glow.
With my Charlotte Tilbury collection being pretty non existence, I wanted to add some more products to my Muji Storage and picked up the Light Wonder Foundation. I wear this in the shade Fair 3, which is a perfect match for my skin tone. This is a super light weight, liquid foundation that boosts youthfulness and brings radiance to the complexion with it's light particles. With a coverage that evens out my complexion and covers any blemishes and redness, this is a great every day foundation that lasts on the skin and takes seconds to buff in. I'm having a bit of a concealer moment right now and added another to my drawer, the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer which is an under eye corrector that is incredibly moisturising which is what brings so much light and dewiness to the area and it really does cover those circles. I pat it in with my fingers to press it into the skin, ensuring everything is concealed and looking light wight. Despite being a cream, this doesn't sit in fine lines or crease under the eye. Although I love a bronze, champagne eye, I like to branch out in A/W and go for something a little more smokey and dark and fell in love with the NARS Velvet Shadow Stick in Aigle Noir the moment I saw it. These sticks are easy to use, bendable, build able and seriously long lasting, they lock in place and do not budge all day. The twist up stylo makes it easy to apply where ever you are and the creamy formula has a metallic / matte finish. Angle Noir is a grey / black infused shade with gold shimmer, a perfect shade for the Christmas season.
I've been slowly trying to update my entire nail varnish collection and the most recent edition is Essie Cocktail Bling, a pale greyish blue that goes with everything and looks slick on the nail.
What new beauty products have you picked up recently?