Blush dupes + swatches

What's better than buying a new blush? Buying a new blush dupe for much less than the high-end alternative!
In the pan these blushes all look very different, but they all look similar on the cheeks with the exception of one or two.

1: NYX Mauve 
2: Benefit Rockateur
3: Bourjois cream blush 04
4: Tarte Exposed 
5: Milani Luminoso
6: Korres Philia Rose

I've heard a lot of people compare Rockateur (2) with Luminoso (5), but as you can see in the picture these two blushes have little in common. Sure they both give that sheen to your cheeks, but Rockateur is more browny peach and Luminoso is more of an orangey peach.

Now Bourjois cream blush in 04 (3) and Korres Philia Rose (6) are pretty much dead on dupes in terms of color. They are both cream blushes, but Bourjois' blush is a cream to powder finish which sets matte, and Korres' Blush is super creamy and leaves that sheen that typical cream blushes do.

Initially I thought that NYX Mauve and Tarte Exposed would be great dupes. They both look pretty dull in the pan and they both have a matte natural finish. However Tarte Exposed is a lot more pigmented and it comes of as more pink than NYX Mauve. 
Nyx Mauve actually looks more similar to Benefit Rockateur except that NYX Mauve has a matte finish and Benefit Rockateur has a satin to shimmery finish.

I hope this was helpful!

~Kira

Peachy cheeks + swatches

I'm a sucker for blush, peach blush to be exact. So here are some high-end and drugstore blushes side by side.

(from bottom to top)

Benefit: Georgia - very little pigment, but gives a slight sheen to the cheeks. For fair skin girls it can be used lightly as an all over powder or build it up for a neutral peachy sheen on the cheeks.

Forever 21: Love & beauty blush - this blush is more pinky peach when the two colors are swirled together. It has a slight shimmery look on the cheeks.

Hard Candy: skinny dipping - super pigmented! very much on the orange side, but when swirled together with the brown it makes it more wearable. This will look amazing on tan skin tones.

Illamasqua: Lover - king of pigmented blushes! very orange but blends like a dream, will look good on most skin tones when you use a light hand.

Bourjois: cream blush 01 - cream to powder finish, easy to blend. Probably my most used cream blush. Stays on all day and doesn't feel sticky. 

Jouer: honeysuckle - very creamy and easy to work with. Because it is a cream blush it leaves that "dewy" sheen on the cheeks, perfect for a fresh spring cheek look.

Most of the drugstore blushes are just as good as the high-end ones, in fact i probably use the drugstore blushes more often. 

Which one is your favorite?

~Hugs from Kira

OOTD

I went to a lovely dinner at my friends house, (and I ended up cooking it by myself) and this is what I wore!

Makeup: usual look (see last post)
Necklace: Accessorize
Watch: Michael Kors rose gold Blair watch (MK5263)
Clutch: Accessorize
Perfume: Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh 

Earrings: Ted Baker rose gold jigsaw stud earrings
Ring: Hm 
Sweater: Topshop
Jeggings: Pieces 

The lighting was a bit off, but jewellery and the bag are all rose gold and my sweater is lilac. 

~Hugs from Kira

FOTD

Time for another face of the day! This is pretty much what I look like everyday I use makeup.

Base:

Chanel - vitalumiere aqua (B10)

Bobbi Brown - corrector (porcelain bisque) 

L'Oreal - lumi magique (1 light)

Maybelline - perfect & cover concealer (light)

Hourglass - ambient lighting powder (diffused light)

Cheeks:

Bourjois - cream blush (01)

Lips:

Nars - lip lacquer (Chelsea girls)

Tony Moly - Tiny tint (cherry)

The Body Shop - honey bronze shimmer lip balm

Brows:

Hourglass - arch brow sculpting pencil (blonde)

Eyes:

Maybelline - the rocket (waterproof)

L'Oreal - miss manga (black)

Tools:

Elf - small stipple brush

Real techniques - setting brush

This is pretty much how I do my makeup on most days. However I do change products from time to time, especially foundation, blush and lip products. 

Today I focused on correcting my skin tone since I have a lot of redness and scars. I also tried to do a "bitten lip" and it worked ok, even though it doesn't really show on the pictures.

~Hugs from Kira

  

Yum for your tum!

Craving something sweet and easy to make? Look no further! These "Doughnut French Toasts" are sinfully delicious and can be enjoyed alone or with ice cream and fruit like I did.

Ingredients:

    2 large eggs

    4 teaspoons vanilla extract

    60 ml full fat milk

    4 slices white bread (from small loaf or 2 slices from large loaf) each slice cut in half

    25 grams butter

    1 drop vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

    50 grams sugar

Method:

    Beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla in a wide, shallow bowl.

    Soak the bread halves in the eggy mixture for 5 minutes a side. (less will also do)

    Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan, and fry the egg-soaked bread until golden.

    Put the sugar on a plate and then dip the cooked bread in it until coated like a sugared doughnut.

This will give about 2 servings - Enjoy!

~Hugs from Kira

Brows, brows, brows!

It took me a long time to get into brows. But now I cant imagine not doing them! As you can see in the picture above I only have 3 brow products and I love all of them. The first brow pencil I ever bought was the Rimmel brow pencil in 002 Hazel (pencil at the bottom of the picture) This pencil is a good drugstore product and I've used it for years and I'm still on my first pencil of this, which is why all the writing has rubbed off and it looks well loved. Next is the Naked Basics palette. From this palette I use the color Faint and an angled eyeliner brush. I love This palette for both eyes and brows because you can mix your perfect shade! Lastly is the Hourglass brow sculpting pen in Blonde (right pencil in picture). The pencil is harder and more waxy which makes it almost fool proof and very quick and easy to do your brows.

From L to R - Hourglass Blonde, Rimmel Hazel, Naked Basics Faint

The swatches look very different in color, but I find that once applied to the brows they all look pretty natural and quite similar. However if I have to mention any differences the hourglass leaves a much more natural look because the product is so hard and waxy that it's difficult to be too heavy handed with it. The Rimmel leaves a warmer more red tone color, if you are heavy handed like me. The Naked Basics color leaves the brows looking full and dark, but since it is a powder product it's very easy to brush through the brows and make them look natural.

Hope this was helpful!

~Hugs from Kira

Tarte - First impression

I recently ordered a few items from Tarte and I was very eager to try the brand for the first time!

 

Maracuja oil: I ordered the "super size" version of this oil, because i heard so many good reviews about it. I haven't used it long enough to say if it makes a difference in my routine or not. Compared to the other oils I've tried, this is a greasier formula and it does leave a shine on your face even if you keep massaging it in. It has a slight smell of clay but it doesn't linger on your face. This oil is supposed to be suitable for oil/ combination skin types.

Amazonian clay blush (exposed): This blush is beautiful! It might look dull in the pan but on the cheeks its absolutely stunning! At first glance this blush looks brown, but on the cheeks its a very nice rosy color. The blush is super pigmented and last all day on my cheeks (and my makeup usually slides off within a couple hours!)

Amazonian clay full coverage airbrush foundation: Powder foundations have always interested me, but since I have oily and acne prone skin they never gave me enough coverage or keep me matte for long. Despite the name I don't see this as a full coverage foundation. It does even out my skin tone but I can't get more than a medium coverage with this. The first time I used this I had to take it off right away. I clung to every dry patch I had, even places I never imagined I had dry skin. After removing it, gently exfoliating my skin with a damp wash cloth I tried again. The results were a lot better. I think this foundation is best suited for normal skin types that doesn't need too much coverage. (I will do a separate review later)

Airbuki brush: When I unpacked this I was very surprised at how small it was and I had to look at several other reviews to be sure that I didn't buy the mini version (even though there is no such thing). The brush is very dense and soft, not to mention it looks cute. The brush is a very good buffing brush, however if you have any dry skin stay clear of any buffing. I found that this brush started "exfoliating" my skin while I applied the powder foundation, and I ended up looking like a cakey mess! But this brush is very good for tapping or stippling on the powder foundation, which also gives more coverage. I don't think this brush is a must-have, because there's a lot of cheaper brushes that can do the same job.

Hope this was helpful!

 ~Hugs from Kira