Stila Eyes Are The Window Eyeshadow Palette

Stila "Eyes Are The Window" Eyeshadow palette is everything you need to create a day-night look. Not that I needed another neutral eyeshadow palette (I have Urban Decay Naked 1 + 2 palette), I wasn't picking them up to use as much as I should have. I had my eye on the Stila "Kitten" eyeshadow but at £12, and this palette being £30 - I thought I'd get the palette instead. 

March Beauty Wish List

Beauty Wish List | March 2016

Another month, another round of beauty goodies to lust over. I'm really into liquid lipsticks at the moment and currently own a few from a different brands including Limecrime, Inglot, Sleek, and NYX. I want to try out Gerrard Cosmetics because the colours are quite unique. Stila is a brand that I have never tried before, and I like to texture and colours of their eyeshadows but I certainly do not need another neutral eyeshadow palette. The colours of there liquid lipsticks are so vibrant and bright - something that I want to get more into - wearing brighter lip colours. Makeup Geek Cosmetics is another brand  haven't tried and I'm desperate to try some of their eyeshadows since they've been known to be amazing quality for a very reasonable price. Their foiled eye shadows are the products I want to try the most as the swatches I've seen are unbelievably pigmented. Not that I need another highlighter since I just bought 3 Becca shimmering skin perfectos and a Dior illuminator, but I quite fancy the very golden look and packaging of the Charlotte Tilbury "Bar of Gold" highlighter which is Limited Edition, and that makes me want it more. Lately, i've in getting a bad breakout of spots before my time of the month and I'm currently using Clearasil spot treatment to clear them up, and while it does an okay job, I feel like I want to try something else. I have never used Mario Badescu skincare before, but is supposedly a really good product for bad spots or acne. Now, I am a hoarder of makeup brushes and I love having multiple brushes for the same purpose, mostly because I find that some brushes work better for some precepts than others. I enjoy the MAC brushes because  look after them by cleaning them at least one a week and I know they will last me for a long time to come. this angled foundation brush would be ideal to get into the harder contours of the face like the nose and would even work for creamy contouring because the brush is so dense. 

So that is my wish list for March, and I'm most likely to go ahead with purchasing the Mario Badescu drying lotion since I know that is something I'll definitely need for future breakouts. You can purchase directly from Beauty Bay for only £12.50. 

My Highlight and Contour Routine feat. Smashbox, MAC and Kevyn Aucoin

Contouring and highlighting is a must in my everyday makeup routine. Powder for everyday but if I'm going out or have a special occasion, I double the effort with both cream and powder contouring products. I wanted to share my favourite contouring and highlighting products, my application tools and my best tips to achieve a flawless base.

By all means, I am not an expert or a professional and I am still learning to perfect my featured contour look. I know my face shape, and I know the best ways to contour and highlight the dimensions of my face. Of course everyone has different preferences and different face shapes, so what I like to use and what works for me might not work for everyone. It's just my personal preferences and my time in testing products that best work for me and my face shape

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer [Light] | MAC Prep + Prime Highlighter [Light Boost] | Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Sticks [Contour + Bronze]

Highlight the high panes of the face (bridge of the nose, centre of the forehead, chin, cupids bow and cheekbones/under the eyes). I use maybelline concealer first then brush the MAC pen on top, being especially generous on the under eye section and nose. Using the contour shade (cool brown) from the Smashbox pencils, I line the outer forehead, underneath the cheekbones, jawline and the sides of my nose (optional). Then use the bronze shade (slightly warmer brown) top of the contour lines of the cheek and forehead. 

Beauty Blender | NARS Ita Brush | MAC 137 Sculpted Pointed Brush | MAC 167SE Brush

I first use the beauty blender to blend out the highlighter and then the natural fibres of the NARS Ita brush effortlessly blends the contour, bronze and highlight colours together. Using the MAC 137 brush and Kevyn Aucoin sculpting powder, I go over the cream contour and chisel the colour into the hollows of my cheekbones and the temples of my forehead. I then go in with the MAC 167SE brush with the Smashbox Suntan Matte bronzer and warm up the rest of my face. To set and 'bake' the highlighted sections, I use my damp beauty blender to generously apply MAC set powder and keep this on until I have finished the rest of my face/eye makeup.

Smashbox Bronze Lights Bronzer [Suntan Matte] | Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder [Medium] | MAC Set Powder [Invisible] 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid [NC25] | Soap & Glory Archery Pencil [Hot Chocolate] | MAC Pressed Pigments [Deeply Dashing + Blonde Streak] | Urban Decay Eyeshadows [Riff + Beware] | Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner [Waterproof Black] | MAC Zoom Fast Lash Mascara | MAC Chromographic Pencil [NW25/NC30] | Ardell Demi Wispies | Sleek Blusher [Rose Gold] | Topshop Glow Pot [Gleam] | Kiko Lip Liner [712] | MAC Lip Liner [Cork] MAC Lipstick [Velvet Teddy]

This is not an everyday look for me - this is a look I only do for special occasions and on the weekends. I do contour everyday but I skip the cream contouring and 'baking' method, and use the powders only. I love having a full-face of makeup and experimenting with contouring and highlighting. It's definitely something that is a personal preference and not everyone is a fan, but I do enjoy the process of this method.

My other personal favourite contouring and highlighting products are:

Contour Powders

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Anasazis Beverly Hills Contour Kit 

Contour Creams

MAC Pro Sculptung Cream - Pure Sculpture

Highlighting Powders

MAC Soft and Gentle

MAC Accentutate shaping powder

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (also for contour)

Highlighting Creams

Topshop Glow Polished

MAC Cream Colour Base - Hush

What are your favourite contouring and highlighting products?

Beauty Wish List | May 2015

Beauty Wish List | May 2015 (click to view)

MAC Fix+ | MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil (Morning Coffee) | MAC Lightful C Tinted Cream SPF30 | Laura Mercier Loose Transluscent Powder | Stila Smudge Pot (Kitten) | Stila Eyeshadow (Kitten) | Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Kit | Smashbox 24-hour CC Spot Concealer | Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation | Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer | theBalm Betty-Lou Loumanizer  | theBalm Mary-Lou Loumanizer | theBalm Cindy-Loumanizer | Tom Ford Lipstick (Blush Nude) | Nails Inc (Alexa Chasmere) | Yves Saint Laurent Gloss Volupte (20)

Of course there's always something I want in the beauty world. And these are some of the few I've had my eyes on this month. 
Have you tried any of these? Let me know what's good!