Makeup Video With HQHair Lust List

Makeup Video With HQHair Lust List

Videos Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, March 01, 2017

I did a dusky-neutral eye makeup look with a mauvey-pink lip, using the products on my HQHair Lust List, which I showed you yesterday here. This time, I have actually shared the step-by-step look on video as well.

Scroll down for a full-face makeup look featuring theBalm Appetit Eyeshadow Palette and Laura Geller Spackle Primer.

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My HQHair Lust List and February 2017 Favourites

My HQHair Lust List and February 2017 Favourites

TheBalm Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, February 26, 2017

Two products have featured in my lust-list through 2017, and I finally managed to get my hands on both, from HQHair. They have promptly set themselves up as my February 2017 beauty favourites.
One is an eyeshadow palette - you can never have too many - from an old friend; a favourite, collectible brand. Incidentally, I have not missed even one of their eye palettes.
The second is a dual-purpose product I have been eyeing for a while - it certainly makes life much easier in the mornings. I wish more brands would come up with effective products that make things simpler, instead of a bazillion highlighters and colour correctors.
Did you guess either product without looking at the photographs? Stay tuned for a makeup look with these.

Scroll down for my February 2017 Beauty Favourites, and why you need them.

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LookFantastic Beauty Box December 2016 Review

LookFantastic Beauty Box December 2016 Review

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, December 16, 2016

After my November LookFantastic Beauty Box arrived a mere five days post-despatch, the December one crawled its way around the globe, arriving mid-month. Still, a late package is better than a LOST package, I say.
This month's LF Beauty Box is themed #LFXmas, of course. The packaging is rose gold - to match with the gorgeous LookFantastic Advent Calendar 2016, which I had unboxed here.
The Elle UK magazine for December 2016 is also included with the box. I hope they continue this well into 2017.

Scroll down for the unboxing and contents of the LookFantastic #LFXmas Beauty Box for December 2016.

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Holiday 2016: HQHair Beauty Bauble Contains 5 Makeup Products

Holiday 2016: HQHair Beauty Bauble Contains 5 Makeup Products

Primer Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Worth £89, but priced at £25, containing four full-sized makeup products and one mini, the HQHair Beauty Bauble for Holiday 2016 makes the perfect stocking filler - or you can even hang it on the Christmas tree. It is one of the most fabulous, value-for-money Christmas gift sets I've seen this year.
For those wondering what "HQhair" is, they are a beauty retailer - they ship worldwide and sell makeup, skincare and more; not just hair care.
Their exclusive, limited edition bauble launched on 7 November 2016, nicely in time for Crimbo, and is available on pre-order - it will ship out on 11 November. It contains solid, well-coveted brands such as Illamasqua, OCC, and Nudestix.
The HQhair bauble is themed "Party in the Nude", and contains a universal bronze eyeshadow, a neutral lip and cheek pencil, a highlighter, a mascara, and a primer to bring it all together - everything you need to rock the Holiday season.
There is a strict limit of 1,000 of these, so you want to hurry before they are all gone. More below.

Scroll down for the deets on the HQHair Beauty Bauble makeup gift set for Holiday 2016.

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Beauty Empties June 2016 + Linkup

Beauty Empties June 2016 + Linkup

St Ives Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, June 27, 2016

The first half of 2016 has galloped past. At this rate, Christmas is right around the corner.
I spent the first couple of months of this year grappling with a bad infection. Things are looking up and I only have scars to heal now. I've finally chugged my way to a 10-step skincare routine. Will post about it soon, including steps and products. First, I have to show you this month's trash - I've actually managed to use up a couple of makeup products!

Scroll down to check out the beauty products I used up in June 2016, and my thoughts on each. And do join in the Beauty Empties Link-up.

Beauty Products Emptied in December 2015 + Link-up

Beauty Products Emptied in December 2015 + Link-up

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, December 28, 2015

Four more days for the year to end. It has been a decent year for me - I hope 2016 is a happy and memorable year for all of us.
One of my beauty resolutions for 2016 is to be diligent about using up more makeup, and also to moisturise every day. I tend to skive off on "those" days, and a course of tetracycline (for acne) has left my elbows feeling dry. Another one is to work on getting rid of my acne and - this is the most important one - to arrive at a face care routine that does not break me out. You can see a bunch of anti-acne products among my empties here. Did they work? Find out.

Scroll down for the beauty products I used up in December 2015 and my thoughts on each. 

2014 Beauty Favourites

2014 Beauty Favourites

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Year 2014 marked the first time I stepped outside my Chanel Rouge Double Intensite (reviewed here) comfort zone and tried out other lipsticks. Some were good, some not so good. It was also the year I moved from brighter eyeshadows to neutrals and began paying attention to skin care. I discovered my Holy Grail concealer, eye primer, serum and face mask. Not all of my 2014 favourites are products that launched in 2014; some of them came out a year or two ago.

Read all about my favourite beauty products for 2014.

Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer review

Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer review

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Being an oily- and uneven-skinned person, a primer is a must for me whenever I put on makeup (Read: venture outside). I am always looking for new primers to try out, though I will admit to having my favourites. You can read reviews of some of the primers I have tried here.
My friend Shivani got me the Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer a few months ago. I have been on the lookout for a good budget primer for sometime now. While Benefit Porefessional is the best I have used, I tend to forgo it sometimes, in order to "save" it for special occasions or long hauls, despite hoarding three full-sized tubes and two minis - and counting. So each time I come across a new primer, I tend to wonder if it can replace Porefessional.

Here is my review of the Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer.

Kat von D High Voltage Eye Primer review

Kat von D High Voltage Eye Primer review

Reviews Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, May 04, 2014

I have four beauty boxes on my desk right now, waiting to be reviewed. But I will not budge until I take a breather from subscription boxes for a couple of days. There is such a thing as overkill, and while we are all agreed that my blog has its fair share of unboxing posts, it is a beauty blog and I like to include other posts once in a while! Nor do I care at all for the "I-want-to-unbox-first" race. I know you're tired of them as well - comments have dwindled to nothing. So you will not see more than one or two unboxing posts per week, at the most (unless I run out of other posts lol).
I knew Kat von D had amazing eyeshadows and lipsticks - and zealously guard the samples of my Lock-It foundation even from my own fingers. But I had not heard of the Kat von D High Voltage Eye Primer until my friend Shivani told me about it. "You won't need a separate concealer," she had said. "And, you will like it better than Too Faced Shadow Insurance." Now that sounded too good to resist and, after finding it was Muse-Approved, I decided to give it a try.

Here is my review of the Kat von D High Voltage Eye Primer.

Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer review, swatch, photos

Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer review, swatch, photos

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, March 05, 2014

After I used up the Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer (reviewed here) in December, I went to the Bourjois counter to repurchase it and noticed the Happy Light Base Serum Matte primer. I can never resist trying a new primer, particularly if it includes the word "matte", so I picked it up, along with a couple of pots of Flower Perfection - one of those pots is in my giveaway here!
I am a fan of Bourjois and think it is the best drugstore brand here. That said, I found this primer great if worked in a certain way, and not-so-great if worked with in another way. But, as usual, I get ahead of myself.

Here is the review of the Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer and how to make it work.

My basic makeup products for daytime wear

My basic makeup products for daytime wear

Primer Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, February 04, 2014

I'm leaving out the skin care; this is makeup alone - else we'll be here all day.
The photograph includes tools and multiple palettes and eyeliners for options, but I only use seven or eight makeup products in my everyday routine:

• Face primer
• Powder foundation
• Sutble eyeshadow
• Eye primer-cum-concealer
• Eyeliner
• Mascara 
• Lipstick

I may tack on a blush and brow gel if I can spare the time. I do go in for a more detailed routine, including highlighter, lip liner and so on, for special occasions.

Here are the makeup products I use in my daytime routine.

Beauty products used up in December 2013

Beauty products used up in December 2013

Skin care Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a blast last evening. May 2014 be far better than 2013, each day bringing more happiness than the previous one.
Since I travelled in December, I have two sets of empties - products used up during my trip, and a second set that I used at home. I also managed to finish up a primer for the first time.

Here are the makeup and skin/hair care products used up last month.

Accessorize Flawlessly Smooth Primer review, swatch, photos

Accessorize Flawlessly Smooth Primer review, swatch, photos

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, December 10, 2013

I went in for the Accessorize Flawlessly Smooth Primer because I love Accessorize. Their eyeshadow palettes are really good - I compare them to Sleek in terms of quality, and you get 32 colours per palette for a lower price. You can see reviews and swatches of Accessorize Exposed and other palettes here.
Being a drugstore brand, the Accessorize Flawlessly Smooth Primer costs less than Benefit Porefessional, Make Up For Ever All Mat, theBalm's Time Balm and even Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer (click on each link for reviews). For me, the main purposes of a primer are oil control or mattifying and smoothing out the skin. There are primers out there that hydrate, even out skin tone and so on, but my reasons for using primer are as above.

Primer facie: Clarins Instant Smooth review

Primer facie: Clarins Instant Smooth review

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, September 14, 2013

It has been a while since I did a primer review. Here is the Clarins Instant Smooth primer. I had received a sample of this primer in the Clarins travel essentials kit, liked it well enough, and went in for the full size.

July 2013 empties

July 2013 empties

Primer Cosmetopia Digest   Sunday, August 04, 2013

I haven't used up many products in July, though I need to finish three Lush pots in August so I have five to return at the shop when I go on my quarterly Lush haul.

The only full-size product I used up in July was the Palmer's Moisturising Body Oil. For people who have been skiving off full-body moisturising like me, I recommend this body oil. It is incredibly non-greasy and you only need a few drops just after your shower and all those reptilian fish scales will soon be gone. It is great value for money as a full-body moisturiser. I'm on my second bottle now.
I finished up the Kava Kava 60 second mask for dry, damaged hair from my July Glam Guru Box. There was plenty of product for one use and it helped reduce frizz post-wash.

TheBalm's Time Balm Primer review, results and photos

TheBalm's Time Balm Primer review, results and photos

Tribute Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, July 17, 2013

I've been gutted since yesterday, after hearing the news about Talia Joy, whose YouTube tutorials taught me how to blend eyeshadows. If you haven't seen them, you should - here they are. This is my all-time favourite tutorial from her (click here). I shall remember her every time I blend my eyeshadows. I hope she is happy and pain-free now. This heartbreaking video was her last. Her story makes me contemplate on how we can possibly indulge in strife over trivialities, when her family has just lived through the greatest nightmare ever - the loss of a child.
But Talia would not want us to grieve; she would want us to wear makeup and talk about makeup. I have a couple of manis planned for her. Anyway, here is a review of the Time Balm primer.

Yes, I am obsessed with TheBalm, especially after their new website launch and 50% off sale in early April. Quality product meets whimsical packaging is a winner for me. Plus, no parabens! Ever. I bought the Time Balm after reading that The Muse loved it.

Make Up For Ever: MUFE All Mat primer review, use, results, photos

Make Up For Ever: MUFE All Mat primer review, use, results, photos

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Make Up Forever's All Mat was the second foundation primer I ever used, the first being Porefessional. I bought it because I was attracted by the name "All Mat". I know I keep repeating this, but my facial pores produce more oil than most Middle Eastern countries.

Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer review

Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer review

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, May 31, 2013

Sometimes you read a blog review of a product and you have to buy it immediately, not just add it to your "would like to try sometime" list. I read about the Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer on Adele's blog, Strictly High Street. Bourjois is my favourite drugstore brand, so I went to my nearest Bourjois counter on Monday and there it was! It cost me just £6.60. Thank you, Adele!

Read on for my review of the Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer.