An eyeshadow experiment that got side tracked: THE KEY TO DEWY SKIN

After watching 101 makeup tutorials by all my fav youtubers for like 3 hours this morning because I was too lazy to get out of bed and convinced myself today is a "do-nothing" day because it's a bank holiday... and it's Monday, I surprisingly felt inspired.

Having purchased the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bon's palettes yesterday because Debenhams had 10% off, I was excited to try out my new cocoa palette, I'm an absolute sucker for browns- I probably have all the shades in my Morphe 35OM palette anyway but like mama says, "Amina, you are an absolute junkie [for makeup and skincare of course]".

So anyway, came out the shower at around midday (like I said, today is my "do absolutely- nothing" day), and I applied my usual skin care products as I do everyday, (for those of you who are interested I prep my skin with the Elemis pro collagen collection and a few Kiehls products, if you're interested please let me know), contemplating whether or not I should put makeup on seeing as it is my "Do-not-do-anything" day. But I couldn't help myself, I didn't want to wait yet another day to not use my new eyeshadow palette. So there I was smoking out all these beautiful browns in the crease of my eyes, applying a bit of shimmer to my inner corner and brow bone, because eye makeup should always be done before applying foundation, in my opinion.

Then it began. So if you want a really dewy base then you should START PAYING ATTENTION FROM HERE. WARNING: I RECOMMEND THIS AS A NIGHT TIME LOOK OR IF YOU HAVE A SPECIAL EVENT TO GO TO, THIS IS A BIT MUCH FOR EVERYDAY BUT IF YOU DON'T CARE THEN YOLO AND JUST DO IT. 

Applying my Illamasqua Hydra Veil primer as I always do because to get a dewy look you need a primer that is wet and that will get a little tacky as you wait for it to dry for about 40 seconds. It also helps if you slap your cheeks while you're waiting for it to dry because for some reason I find that helps with the tackiness and you can judge best when the best time is to decide when to put foundation on (this is a tip I learned from SoniaxFyza when they replied to my makeup woes about crappy foundation application- so big thanks to them for saving my life lol). Anyway whilst slapping your cheeks, decide which foundation you want to wear. Now I wanted to wear my everyday foundation because I wasn't going anywhere (although now I wish I was because my makeup looks so amazing MashAllah if I do say so myself). I use the Milani Conceal + Perfect foundation in the shade 05- Warm Beige- which is a little on the dark side but I mix it with my Nars Sheerglow in the shade Stromboli because not only does it make the foundation a little more yellow, but it also ensure my skin doesn't dry out. My problem with the Milani foundation is that it's so matte that because I already have such dry skin (except my nose which is so bloody oily) it cracks if I don't mix it with a more runny liquid foundation.

I use 3 pumps of the Milani foundation and one pump of the Nars and that cover my entire face. For me, it is full coverage because I have such a small face, and also I don't like LOADS of foundation because I know I'll touch my face in the day and mess it up and then I'll get really aggy. Ensure everything is pumped and mixed well on the back of your hand and then dot randomly all over your face, ensure there is some around the corners of your mouth because I find these parts are very dark in comparison to cheeks.

Once that is done, take a real techniques buffing brush and dip it into the highlighter colour of the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Cream Contour kit- I use the shade 2. I use quite a lot of this to achieve the dewiness (although I must say I used a bit too much)- you want to ensure that the brush is clean before you do this, and dip into the highlight colour and swipe it so the bristles are covered in glittery goodness. The brush should look white at the top. Then spray the brush with a DEWY spray, whether this be the fix plus, NYX Dewy spray or LA girl setting spray and start blending and buffing into your face with your foundation which should already be dotted on all over.

 


This process of blending should take you around 5 minutes. The blendier the better. The thing I love most about the Tom Ford creme palette is that it gives you this sun kissed glow which a powder highlight can never give you, it's a natural glow which makes you feel like your skin is flawless. It is my favourite Tom Ford product, so I really recommend it! Now if this is too much dew for you and it;s too glowy that you look oily then you can counter this with a transluscent powder, I recommend the Laura Mercier one because its so light and airy. But be careful if you are going to do this, you don't want to get rid of too much glow and make sure before applying powder you tap off any excess. The last thing you want is to get rid of all your hardwork!

I hope you get to try this out and give it a go! I promise you, this works.

Love A x

Not a dressing gown.

I'm back. Well sort of, my posts are going to be a little erratic because time is not my friend and I am still mastering the art of managing time alongside a full time job, looking after my cat and various other dramas going on in my very boring life. The adult world is totally over-rated, but c'est la vie, it takes time to adjust.

But, I won't ramble on about life, after all this is a no negative zone and a fabulous things only platform. Haha.

Ok, so I've been meaning to post this for quite some time and I realise it is now October and maybe this won't be so relevant now seeing as this is more of a summer look, but it can totally be applied to any indoor situation over the winter! In a bid to be a more modest dresser as being a Muslim and juggling the wonders of "western" fashion can be rather challenging, I have discovered there is no need to spend lots of money on the Celeb Boutique duster jackets, nor is there any need to fork out more than you need on the Carli Bybel ones (I think that's how you spell her name?)... The Misguided ones  are equally beautiful to wear and only £35 a pop so you can't go wrong! I have them in both Black and Nude, they are silky smooth, you can stick them on top of anything and they will transform your outfit to not only look a little more modest but also way more classy, elegant and obvs sophisticated. And I know this is going to sound a little bizarre but I find that wearing a matching highlighter, whether it's Kiko, ABH, Mac or the new Vanity Femme ones, really glams them up.

I'm happy, my camera's happy and most importantly a certain parental is happy because she isn't nagging me to cover my rear end any longer. #Struggles

A x

Flawless skin

So after recently experimenting with coconut oil as a primer (which is really good at making your skin look super dewy and avoiding any spots), I began to wonder what would happen if I used an illuminator under my foundation as a primer. This look I went for is definitely not everyday and was for a ball. I used the Soap&Glory Hocus Focus Instant Visual Flaw Softening illuminator. It's a beautiful bronzey- gold colour and looks amazing as a highlighter however it made my skin look wonderful as a primer too!

After patting that on my skin, I used the Nars All Day Luminous foundation in the shade Stromboli and I kid you not, this foundation is a must have. Any redness I had- gone. My deeply embedded dark circles and eye bags from the lack of sleep the night before- gone. 

It was magic. 

Completed with a golden bronze smokey eye using the Urban Decay Naked 2 Pallette (shades: half baked, foxy, chopper and snakebite) and a liquid contour using the Giorgio Armani Maestro liquid bronzer in the shade 90, I felt like molten. I've added some pictures of my makeup look for you to see for yourself how flawless this makeup really looked. These images have not been retouched, only filtered slightly (as the flash already made the pictures look edited!!) I hope you enjoy and recreate! Email me if you have any queries (aminaenquiries@gmail.com) or alternatively message me on Instagram (@amina.blogs) for any other tips or questions you might have!

Lots of love, 

A x

Finding the Perfect Blazer

Finding the perfect blazer can be so difficult. The length, the fit, the style, the colour, not to mention the price. I wonder how many of you are guilty of wondering into a sale finding a blazer for £15 and thinking you've won for a.) finding one so cheap, b.) finding your size. Sometimes it's good to make an investment if you find one that fits, it'll make you more grateful for it and you'll probably take more care of it and wear it more too. Although I'm guilty of finding mine in the Zara sale, the white blazer was £25 and the black one was £40. They are the same style just in opposite colours. However Zara belted blazer's in general all fit the same from my experience, and so whatever blazer you see, I suggest you snatch and buy because it'll be your friend for life. Great for interviews, even better for dinner's out. 

A x

Black Belted Blazer- Zara 

White Belted Blazer- Zara

Glam by day

I recently purchased the Anastasia Beverly Hills cream contour kit in medium, and I have to say it lives up to its reputation of being amazingly blendable and simple to use! So using this contour kit I thought why not show you how I contour my face for a day look. This look is a lot more subtle than how I would usually contour for an evening occasion, as I feel heavy make up in the day can look really wrong. But sometimes you'll find that you have to make an effort for a day event and so rather than look over the top, the products I've used for this look allow for a fresh yet glamorous feel.

(I debated with myself about uploading a photo of my contour unblended but eventually thought why not?! If you have a teeny face like me and no forehead then this is the way to go! Highlighting is going to be your priority.)

The power of blending...

AND VOILA! After curling your hair and perfecting your pout...

I've tried to use the same light for each photo to show you a true outcome, so these photos haven't been filtered. 

Products used: 

BEAUTY BLENDER (it's your best friend) 

....

Nivea daily essentials light moisturising day cream for normal to combination skin

Foundation: Tom Ford Traceless, in 'Natural' 

Highlight: Shade Banana from the Medium ABH cream contour kit and MAC pigment in 'Kitchmas' 

Contour: Shades Cinnamon (as a transition shade) and Chocolate from the ABH kit. To deepen my contour I used the Diorskin Nude Tan Sun Powder in 006- Sienna 

Eyebrows: ABH dipbrow pomade in Chocolate

Eyeliner: Rimmel London glam eyes liquid liner in black 

Eyeshadow: I used the lightest shade in the bobbi brown bronze highlighting palette to add a little shimmer to the eyes

Lips: liner- No.7 lipliner in nude and MAC kinda sexy lipstick 

If you have and questions or anything then please feel free to contact me or comment below! 

A x

Trousers tell it all

Girls often think to dress up or make it look like they've made an effort they need to turn to dresses or skirts. But I think trousers show that someone has taken a lot more time in coordinating their outfit. It's not easy pairing three garments (top, trousers and shoes) together without clashing them. Trousers are underestimated; as the correct kind can make a real statement. It's hard to find a decent pair of trousers these days, everyone is so obsessed with the midi craze! But sometimes when you're feeling a little bloated or when you simply can't be bothered to shave your legs- trousers are your best friend. These are just some ideas for you to use and apply to your wardrobe!
A x



Topshop




Zara




H&M (Velvet trousers)

Yet another black jumpsuit

I wasn't joking when I said you can never have too many jumpsuits. This one is perfect for work as well as a dinner date. It's smart, sophisticated, perfectly fitted and structured all at a cheap as chips price of £10. I got mine from Primark, however there are so many high street shops that sell similar ones for a similar price! It's worth checking out online retailers like ASOS and OMG Fashion! While this is a smart jumpsuit, I have a very similar one from ASOS that cost me about £30 because it has a silk trim as a v-neck. However I have to say I definitely prefer this one because it's easier to style due to its fitted trouser half and the fact it is so simple makes it easy to pair it with simply a ring or bracelet. While the jumpsuit is a v-neck I personally wouldn't recommend any sort of necklace only because my personal preference tends not to draw attention to the neck as it can look tacky. However this is entirely up to you! Hope you find something similar that's versatile enough for summer and winter!

A x