Topshop | Beauty Haul

Lip & Cheek Smudge: Sonic

Left: Rio Rio | Right: Beguiled

Rio Rio

Beguiled

We all know Topshop* for their amazing on-trend clothes and of course their Leigh jeans which I purchase way too many times a month because I am obsessed! However did you know Topshop's beauty range has been around for 5 years?! Nope neither did I, I remember talking about one of their lipsticks in the shade Whimsical over 3 years ago when I started getting into blogging so I was really interested to see how their makeup and lipsticks in particular have developed over the years.

My instant 'add to basket' was their Contour in Swerve which is actually my first ever cream/powder contour product (usually I'll just use a darker foundation/powder) and holy mother of contour, it's pretty obvious why every beauty blogger I follow on Twitter has been talking about this! This is a cream to powder contour it applies and feels like cream however it sets like powder. It's blendable and literally don't let the dark brown colour fool you as it's the perfect colour for most skin tones however it does come in a lighter shade for my pale skin readers. It's currently sold out online but if you pop in-store and manage to find one, I highly recommend you get it especially as it's only around £8.

I also picked up their fairly new Lip and Cheek Smudge in Sonic which is what I was wearing in one of my last Instagram posts. Now I frickin' love this product and wish they had a wider selection of colours. So it's not a lipstick, nor a chubby stick but whatever the technical name is, I LOVE THIS. It's a long lasting lip stain which dries to a matte finish but not a horrible one. One side consists of the colour and the other has a brush which allows you to apply it as a blush. I love the pop of colour on the lips however I'm a little unsure about using this on the cheeks.

I'm a sucker for eye pencils, so I just had to try Topshop's Waterproof Eyeliner in Ebony which is a fairly good eyeliner overall. I'm yet to test the longevity on this one!

Back to the lips! Love a good lipstick, I do. As it's Topshops 5th Birthday this year, I purchased two from the 5 Years of Beauty range which is basically their best-selling hero lip shades; Rio Rio (bright red with orange undertones) & Beguiled (dark red/wine). I've been a huge fan of matte lips this year and these lipsticks are perfect as they are pigmented matte lipsticks but offer a soft matte finish so they're not super drying. I wore these each for a couple of hours and my lips were comfortable and the colour didn't really wear off straight away which is always a plus. I think it's one of those things, there's no lipstick out there that will last forever. I love how vibrant and pigmented the colours are, definitely rocking Rio Rio this summer and keeping Beguiled for the A/W 15.

I also picked up some EyeLure Lashes and a StarGazer sharpener as mine broke the other day wahh. Overall I think Topshop's beauty range is a hidden gem that doesn't get enough attention in the world of beauty. I think the price is pretty affordable as it's similar to drug store brands. I'm off to contour my face now with Swerve...stay tuned for a post on this bad boy.

Sabi x

MAC | Repurchases

It's safe to say, I've gone a little MAC crazy this month. But who doesn't love a good old MAC haul?! I repurchased a few things this month especially my Velvet Teddy lipstick as I've literally been wearing it everyday. It definitely is my holy grail and go-to lip colour! If you want to see more on Velvet Teddy click here. So I repurchased 3 things; Velvet Teddy (obvs), Studio Fix Foundation in NC35 and the Skin Base Visage Primer. I pretty much have talked about all three of these products on my blog, so all MAC posts can be found here!

I've actually not bought the  Fix + Spray for around a year now, and noticed the packaging has slightly changed and the price of course, but I can't stress how much I love this product. A lot of people have asked me is this a primer or a setting spray? Well, it's basically both but I like to use it more as a setting spray as well as something to refresh my makeup if I'm going out after work and I won't have time to re-do my face. A lot of people also use this as a primer but a cream form primer is always needed after as well as it's not strong enough alone.

While I was getting my Velvet Teddy on, I also purchased the Whirl Lip Pencil as it matches so perfectly and let's face it, it's one of those products the whole beauty world has been talking about. I've only used this twice so far, the colour is perfect and the formula is so creamy yet matte and is just so easy to apply. The wear is also great and I feel if you fill all of your lips and apply Velvet Teddy on top, it lasts so much longer without drying your lips out and getting those horrible matte lines. I'm actually going to do a separate post on Whirl as it's just that special!

What are your fave MAC products?

Sabi x

OOTD | The New Craze: Ripped Jeans

Jeans: Topshop

Top: Boohoo

Shoes: Topshop

Sabi x

Anastasia Beverly Hills | Contout Kit

This product may be old but is one of the holy grails of beauty. It's none other than the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette. I got mine from Net-a-Porter for £39 which is a bargain if you think about it as you get 3 highlighters and 3 contour shades. Ok maybe I'm just trying to justify it to myself, it is expensive however it's worth every single penny although I do wish they sold the powders separately so you could create your own palette. If you're reading Anastasia - that's an idea for ya!

The palette consists of 3 powder highlighters and 3 powder contours. There's pretty much a shade for every skin tone which is the most important factor. The formula is matte when applied but have a satin feel when I used my finger to swatch them. I've had this for around 2/3 months now and have been using this everyday as I cannot go a day without contouring! I've pretty much used the same three shades everyday; vanilla for highlighting and a mix of Fawn & Havana for my contour. I like to mix the both for everyday to give me a natural contour but if I'm going out in the evening I like to use Havana on it's own.

I think the palette is great if you know how to contour and you're really into it, but I don't find it great for beginners as it can be quite overwhelming. I've also noticed less is more with this, as it's not super pigmented so you can build your contour up. I hate when you apply too much product and then you're trying to blend the shit out of it lol, it ain't happening girl! I also like to use this sometimes on my lower lash line when I'm going for a smoky eye look as gives you a nice smokey yet subtle look.

P.s - the shade banana is a great dupe for the Ben NYE Banana Powder which Kimmy K uses to 'bake' her face. Wondering what Bake means? Check out Huda Beauty's post here.

Hope you've enjoyed this 'short' and quick post!
Let me know if you've purchased this or if it's on your list as I'll be happy to advise you!

Sabi x

Rimmel | Kate Moss Nudes Collection

Say hello to Kate's new nude lip collection from Rimmel London. Just when you thought it couldn't get no better with Kate's Summer Brights collection (see swatches here) Rimmel has just launched Kate's first ever Nude Lip & Nail collection. I haven't tried the nail polishes yet, but I just had to share the lipsticks as they are stunning!

Every girl knows the struggle of trying to find the perfect nude lipstick to compliment your skin tone, especially my fellow Asian girls out there. Well, look no further as there are 5 new nudes in town each to match a cool, neutral and warm skin tone. So if you're quite pale, you can go for shade 40 whereas if you're dark you can go for shade 48 which is quite brown. I don't think all the shades suit my skin tone for example shade 40 looks like white chalk on my lips! However I think I can pull of 43 and 45 which complement my skin tone. 48 also works however, I wouldn't consider it to be a nude shade on me but I could pull it off as a general browny plum shade for the winter months. 

I love the long lasting, creamy formula. The Lasting Finish by Kate lipsticks have always reminded me of the creamsheen MAC lipsticks as they are super moisturising and comfortable to wear.

I'm off to find my perfect nude nail now...

The Kate Nude collection hits stores nationwide tomorrow in Boots!

#DareToGoBare

Sabi x