Current Obsessions

For the past 10 days I have been rocking the same look EVERYDAY! It's been quick and easy and I love it! :)

HAIR: I have been wearing my hair with no parting. I have been blasting the blow dryer to dry my hair whilst my hair is damp and my head is upside down. I just run a big paddle brush through the whole of my hair which creates volume and some precision.

This is what I have been using on my hair;

Shampoo: Lush Big
Conditioner: Charles Worthington Full Volume conditioner
Serum: L'Occitane essential oils repairing serum for dry and damaged hair.

MAKE UP: I have been keeping it neutral but still polished. It looks subtle enough for daytime and sultry enough for night time too.

Foundation: Revlon colorstay mixed with Bobbi Browns tinted moisturiser.
Under eye concealer: YSL touche eclat
Contour & bronzing: Benefit some kinda gorgeous foundation faker in deep.
Highlight: Benefit Moon Beam.
Blush: Nars Cactus flower cream blush

Cactus Flower is the first ever product that I purchased from Nars. It's a coral colour with tiny flecks of gold shimmer. It'ts a smooth cream blush that feels like velvet that isn't greasy at all. It's highly pigmented and one tap, not one swirl but a tap is enough to get amazing colour payoff.

Here's a swatch... Yes, amazing I know. :)

Onto the rest of the makeup...

Eye shadows: Mac "Naked lunch" all over the lid and brow bone, "Romp" in the crease with a little bit of "Brun" on the outer V to deepen.
Inner corners of the eye: Benefit eye bright
Winged Eyeliner: Urban Decay Zero on upper lash line only
Waterline: Benefit eye bright
Mascara: Chanel exceptionnel
Brows: Mac clear brow gel

Lip liner: Any nude

Lipstick: Any pinky nude

Lip gloss: Mac dazzle glass in baby sparks or Benefit fresh squeeze.

JEWELLERY: Well, I have been rocking big hoop earrings. I have really random phases with jewellery, one week it will be dainty earrings, next it will be big necklaces etc. But, that's the fun thing, always changing it up and keeping it spontaneous.

Hoop earrings is something that I generally steer away from but, for whatever reason, with my big hair and no parting it just looks perfect. I mainly wear bronze ones for daytime, and gold if I am wearing dark clothes.

What phases are you going through?

Bangle Storage

First of all I want to say Eid Mubarak!

Moving along.... I was at my friends house and I couldn't help but be starstruck when I saw her bangle rack as I am rather obsessed with organising. I immediately took some photographs and wanted to share them with you.

It was given to her as a gift from India.

The whole thing is made out of wood with detachable bars. This one fits 4 rows of bangles, 2 on each side.

I have found some bangle racks on google but they seem to be rather expensive. There are various colours, shapes and sizes available. Do you know where I can get something similar to this? I have been advised to go to Green St.... If you have seen anything similar, (pretty) please let me know!

Kitty on Etsy!

My cousin from Turkey has a shop on Etsy and I wanted to share it with you since it's the season for gifts. She sells handmade jewellery, delicate crochet winter accessories, traditional Turkish crochet edging for hand towels and even head scarves. Click HERE to visit her shop! She also does free worldwide shipping which is always a plus! :)

Below is a selection I have chosen which are some of my favourites!

Crochet earrings $8.90 = £5.37

Soft pink handmade crochet angora shawl $58 = £35

Multi colour handmade crochet shawl $59 = £35.50

If you have any requests, comment below and I will forward them onto her. x X x

3 Brushes I love for my eye make up!

I own a variety of eye brushes but would be happy just to own and use these three. In my opinion they are all you would need to create and complete a beautiful blended look.




1) The Mac 242 is a shader brush, it has firm fibres shaped to form a rounded edge. It's great for applying concealer and packing on eyeshadow. I use it to apply my eyeshadow as it packs on an intense layer of colour without any fallout as it's flat. I use one side for one colour, and the other side for another colour. I use the tip of the brush to apply colour to the inner corners, and line my upper and lower lash line.
Price: £17



2) The Jemma Kidd "Deepen" brush is great for getting into the eye socket and applying colour into to the crease. It's made from natural hair, quite small yet firm with a slight tapered tip. It's therefore great for precise application and also fluffy enough to blend. (This particular brush is no longer available as I purchased it as part of a set last year. But, her double ended eye define brush includes it. Price: £14.99

3) The Smashbox #10 crease brush is a large fluffy flimsy blending brush. It's made from squirrel sub and is incredibly soft. I use it to blend blend blend. It completes the look with no visible harsh lines.
Price: $28 (I purchased mine as part of a set from QVC last year.)

I really recommend you check out the shapes of the brushes, every brand has their own range with great dupes. I have SO many eye brushes that I use on rotation but, I just happen to favour these from my collection. If you have 3 brushes similar to these, you should be able to apply eyeshadow to a professional standard once you get the hang of blending.

Happy blending! :)

BeneFit You Rebel Review

What Benefit says:

Our defiantly different tinted moisturizer gives your complexion coverage, moisture and SPF 15 protection all in one.



What do I think?

This tinted moisturiser gives a very light coverage, and when I say light I mean almost invisible. it just adds a wash of colour. The texture of it is quite thick but blends out very easily creating a dewy glow. I actually really like the finish it gives to my skin. However, I have come to the realisation that this product isn't suitable for my skin type. My skin is oily and this just seemed to make my skin break out as it had too much moisture in it. It would however, be great for dry skin types.

Overall I would only recommend this if you have dry skin which doesn't need much coverage for a dewy finish. If not, then stay away.

What is your favourite tinted moisturiser? Next on my list is the Laura Mercier oil free version... I have never tried it, however I need to use up other things in my collection before I go out splurging.

I did my mums make up!

I did my mums hair and make up the other day and wanted to share it with you. I opted for a smokey eye as she tends to avoid it.



I used the Sleek "Storm" palette to achieve the eye make up. I mainly used the neutral colours with the matte dark brown and black blended into the crease. I lined her waterline and upper lash line and added lots of mascara.

On her face I used Bourjous 10 hour sleep effect foundation and Mac "Lillicent" as blush which I set with a pink / peach Bourjois blush. On her lips I applied Rimmel "Nude Delight" and L'oreal's Cappuccino lip liner.

Humid....

Last night I wore "Humid" which is my favourite green Mac eyeshadow. I teamed it with "Brun" e/s which is becoming my favourite crease colour and "Vellum" e/s which is a white with a blue/purple duo chrome finish which completed the look for a more blended exotic look.



Step By Step....

1) Apply Urban Decay Primer Potion.
2) Apply Mac "Humid" e/s on 3/4 of lid.
3) Apply Mac "Brun" e/s on the outer corner of lid and blend into the crease.
4) Apply Mac "Humid" e/s on the lower lash line.
5) Apply Mac "Vellum" e/s on the inner corner of the eye and the brow bone to highlight.
6) Dab Mac "Vellum" e/s onto the centre of the lid for added dimension.
7) Blend everything together with a fluffy blending brush.
8) Apply Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in "Zero" on the upper lash line and smudge with "Humid".
9) Apply Chanel "Exceptionnel" mascara in Smoky Noir to the upper and lower lashes.
PS: I forgot to line my waterline, you can line it with anything you like for a more striking look!

Here's how the look came together.....

On my face I used Revlon Colorstay mixed with Bobbi Browns tinted moisturiser applied with a flat top kabuki brush. I contoured my cheeks with Benefit's foundation faker in deep. I used Illamasqua "Synth" (lilac) e/s on the apples of my cheeks which was a very bad idea as I was in a rush and didn't stop to think. The glitter was way too much to use as blusher, Next time I will try Mac's "Beautiful Iris" which is a matt lilac.

On my lips I am wearing Illamasqua sheer lip gloss from the Dystopia collection, which deserves a post of its own, it's a gorgeous pink / lilac gloss which is very pigmented with a duo chrome finish! I'm also wearing a nude lip liner from the brand "Pastel" which I am also loving!

Click images for scary close ups! :)

Daytime Smokey Eye with Romp and Brun!

Yesterday I created a daytime smokey eye and wanted to share it with you, it's a toned down version of what Tempting and Carbon would be.

Step By Step....

Eyes:
1) Apply Urban Decay Primer Potion.

2) Apply Mac "Romp" e/s on 3/4 of lid.

3) Apply Mac "Brun" e/s on the outer corner of lid and blend into the crease.

4) Apply Mac "Brun" e/s on the lower lash line.

5) Apply Mac "Ricepaper" e/s on the inner corner of the eye and the brow bone to highlight.

6) Dab Urban Decay "Baked" e/s onto the centre of the lid for added dimension.

7) Blend everything together with a fluffy blending brush.

8) Apply Benefit "Eyebright" pencil on waterline.

9) Apply Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in "Zero" on the upper lashline.

10) Apply Chanel "Exceptionnel" mascara in Smoky Noir to the upper and lower lashes.

Eyebrows:

1) Apply Mac clear brow gel brushing upwards and outwards to groom eyebrows.

2) Use an angled brush with "Brun" e/s to fill in any gaps or define the arch.

Mac E/S Haul

Yesterday I purchased Trax, Brun and Romp eye shadows. See below for swatches.



Trax is a plum infused with tiny flecks of gold glitter.
Brun is a dirty matte ash brown.
Romp is a chocolate brown with a gold sheen.

Reorganised Make up Storage

Yesterday I sorted through a lot of unloved make up and minimised my collection. I decided I needed a change from my current make up storage system and reverted back to my old style instead. I used acrylic boxes from Muji, which come in various styles and sizes. I used the 2 drawer system and stacked them on top of each other.



I also put my Nails Inc nail polishes within this section as I have so many yet neglect them, this way I get to see them everyday and actually use them.

To clarify, there is a mirror behind it, so it looks like I have double the amount but I don't!

I put my brushes inside one of the drawers, this way it protects them from dust. The pictures speak for themselves. I'm forever changing the way I store things as I am obsessed with organising. Check my "Storage" label for more posts on storage and organisation.

How do you store your make up?

My new aim in life is to minimise my make up collection even more! :)

Recent Purchases

Victoria’s Secret: Beauty Rush Lip Gloss – Strawberry Fizz
Victoria’s Secret: Refreshing Body Mist – Secret Garden
Mac: Oil Control Lotion
Flormar: Nail Enamel 379 (Turkey)
Flormar: Nail Enamel 209 (Turkey)
Pastel: Lip Liner No14 (Turkey)

J Lo: Eau De Toilette - Miami Glow

Hair and Outfit of the day!

Hello!! :) Today I blowdried my hair and put massive rollers in them for volume. I love how it turned out, I always used to style my hair like this and thankfully rediscovered my love for it again. Whilst in Turkey I got some light brown / blonde subtle highlights all over my hair and a trim.

Makeup: Eyes - BS Shimmer Cubes, Chanel exceptionnel mascara & UD Bourbon pencil on lower lashline. Face - Revlon Colorstay applied with mac 182 Kabuki brush. Cheeks - Nars Casino & Sin. Lips - Maybelline Ambre Rose and Rose lipliner.

I used the Tresmme thermal recovery shampoo & conditioner range and a random hair serum to finish. There was some backcombing involved in the crown of my head!

I had to run some errands, buy a few things and visit my mum, this is what I wore.... Casual with an edge I would say?

Jeans: Levi's

Top: H&M

Leather Jacket: Miss Selfridge

Boots: New Look

Necklace: Topshop

Bag: Topshop (Personalised handles)

I hope you had a wonderful day and it's nice to get back to blogging again! :)

TOPKAPI PALACE (SARAYI) - ISTANBUL

Here's where I was today, it seems I have a huge obsession with photography!

Bursa - Old Bazaar

Here are some photographs I took yesterday outside the old bazaar in Bursa. It's situated on the side road of the "Yesil Mosue" in Yesil. You can find some real gems here, they sell mainly antiques with the odd new item. I visit it almost every year and end up buying the most bizarre and beautiful things.

Here's the owner of one of the shops, in his hand he is holding a Ottoman coffee roaster.