My Holy Grail Contour Kit!!

Contouring and highlighting is probably my favorite step when I'm putting my face on. I love going from having a flat, pale face, to having actual cheekbones!!! It's probably the most enjoyable part of my make-up routine for that very reason. So here are my steps and favorite contouring and highlighting bits and pieces. Here we go!!

I opt for a powder contour in my make-up routine, I just find it works better for me than cream products. I know plenty of gorgeous ladies who cream contour, but I just like powder products better. I generally move between two different contour palettes, but my routine and my tools are always the same.

My absolute favorite contour and highlight duo of all time, ever is the Sleek Face Contour Kit in Light. It seems to be never ending because I use this all the time and I've yet to hit pan on either the highlight or the contour shades. Cray cray!!

To contour, I first like to carve out my cheekbones with the contour color and my Blank Canvas Cosmetics F30 flat contour brush. This brushes bristles are really short, dense and narrowly packed. If you're familiar with the Nars Ita brush, it's very similar. I lightly press the brush into the contour shade and tap off the excess, and then it's time to carve out the general shape and angle of my contour. From here I can build up the pigment if I need to, though I tend to leave that for the second step.

The second step for me is to take my Real Techniques Contour Brush and blend, blend, blend!!! This is the point where I start to-ing and fro-ing from my F30 to my RT brush to build up the colour and blend for a nice diffused finish.

I'm going to blow your mind with my highlight tool... I take my middle finger, swipe it in the pan and then dab and blend onto the top of my cheekbones. Yep. Sometimes I will use a small fan brush, but mostly I'm lazy and my fingers do the job.

So there you have it, my contour routine!

Have you any recommedations for contour products? Highlighters? 

Drop me a line below! 

XO 

Amy

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First Impressions of Naked On The Run

I can avoid most temptations, but the Urban Decay counter is not one of them. I'm weak, I'm so weak!! 

The Naked On The Run is the latest in the Naked range, boasting a large palette with everything you need to get ready on the go, besides foundation and powder. What more could you want? 

How beautiful is that casing???

This palette contains - 

5 all new eye shadows, 1 blush, 1 light bronzer, and one highlight shade, as well as liner, mascara and lipgloss. Oh, and a ginormous mirror!!

Shadow Swatches. 

The shadows, as pictured above, starting from the bottom, are:

Dive- a light gold/champagne shimmer with a rosy undertone

Fix- a very light brown toned matte

Resist- a mid toned neutral brown shimmer with gold micro shimmer

Dare- A deep brown matte 

Stun- a bronze brown with bronze micro shimmers

As always, each shadow is buttery soft, blendable, pigmented and long lasting. If I was to be reincarnated as a palette, I wouldn't care once I was Urban Decay! The beautiful neutral tones in the On The Run palette make it perfect for any season, because shimmery neutrals never go out of style! 

Inside the palette...

There is also a large pan house light bronzer and blush, as well as another pan with a cream highlight shade. Just like the shadows, each of these offerings are buttery soft. The bronzer is matte, however the blush has a satin sheen, which when applied to the skin, gives the face a beautiful healthy glow. The highlight shade really draws the light and yet never looks overpowering. Win!!

I haven't added a photo of the mascara wand or applied to my lashes, because really, the wand is the standard bristly kind, not like the plastic spiky ones that are in nowadays. It also doesn't offer much by way of volume, but rather darkening and lengthening the lashes, for a very natural finish. I do really like it though, because it's lengthening and not volumising, it doesn't clump!! Woohoo!

Stag Eyeliner  (Stag) and Naked Lipgloss (Sesso) swatches

I've never owned an eyeliner like Stag, ever. It's a deep black-brown shade, which I find really makes the blue in my eyes stand out, and is less harsh than black. I think I'll have to pick up more liners from the 24/7 Glide On range. They're wonderful. 

Finally, to finish your look, you'll be needing a lip colour. This is where the Naked lipgloss in Sesso comes in. a neutral pink with nude undertones and a moisturising glossy finish. I've never been a fan of nude eyes with a nude lip, but this has me well on the way to conversion. 

I would have no issue travelling for a week away with this palette, and just bring some extra lip colours, to change up each look. It's got everything you need to pack a very light makeup kit. If, like me, you tote a duffle around in preference to a suitcase, this is the palette for you!! 

Keep an eye out in the next while for a look using this palette! 

Amy

xoxo

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Seventeen Define and Conquer Palette

Contouring has become one of those things that every girl wants to be the master of! When you look at Kim Kardashian, all you see are those amazing cheekbones and her slim lovely nose.

Oustide

She truly has conquering down to a fine art, and a lust worthy one at that! 

I picked this compact contour and highlight kit up in Boots and I'm very impressed. Seventeen has always been hit and miss for me, but this is a hit. 

Inside

The casing is a Nars-esque, very neat and tidy black compact with clear labelling and a big mirror in the lid (tastefully hidden behind the guide sheet in the photo). It clicks closed really nicely and it houses two large pans, one a matte, or very slightly sheen-y highlight, and a warm-toned contour. The contour powder is less pigmented and has more fallout than my Sleek compact, which makes it perfect for more subtle and natural looks, because you can really tap away the excess and blend it out to a lovely finish!

The powders themselves are so soft and silky, blending really well for a flawless look. The shades are spot-on for us paler girls, Now if you're alabaster or totally see-through I might be inclined to lean you away from this but for someone who has a freckle-ridden face, it's just fine! 

Inside the kit you will find a short 4-step contouring guide and a picture to help you along. This makes this kit absolutely perfect for anyone out there who may be a bit unsure of the steps involved in order to contour. 

Two very enthusiastic thumbs up from this blogger, thats for sure!!! And for €7.49, you cannot fault this in the slightest! I'm delighted with this purchase and by the looks of things will be re-purchasing in the future! 

Have you tried this palette? 

Let me know what you thought!

Amy 

xx

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