Review: Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector

With the Summer months (slowly) approaching I always look forward to switching up my make up routine with brighter colours and lighter textures. So when the new Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector was sent to me for review I was immediately excited to try it out.

One & Done is a new base in the Urban Decay range that fits within it's Naked line up. It's an oil-free, hybrid complexion cream that aims to instantly and completely blur imperfections and even out skintone for a natural result. The innovative, lightweight formula provides coverage, hydration, and optical blurring. It aims to transform the look of your skin with light-diffusing spheres so that flaws seem to disappear. Over time it also aims to help pores appear smaller and skin to look noticeably firmer and more radiant. The formula is infused with nourishing ingredients (including peptides, vitamins and moisturizers).

(One pump in shade Light)

 

This product has very light coverage so rather than foundation I would compare it to a tinted moisturiser, BB or CC cream. While it adds a hint of colour it's blurring properties also help to hide imperfections and pores leaving the skin with a soft glow. It melts into the skin beautifully, feels very lightweight and looks extremely natural, almost as if you are not wearing makeup at all. I think it would work well on all skin types as it feels hydrating, but sinks into the skin quickly so it doesn't look too shiny or dry too matte.

(Blended)

With an SPF of 20 it's perfect for use in the sunnier months to protect your skin and give it a tint. I have been wearing it alone on casual/ no makeup days just to even out my skin tone and add SPF, but on work days I personally prefer a more polished look with more coverage so I have enjoyed using it as a primer before my foundation. It works equally well as a primer and makes my foundation last longer, while blurring pores and dehydration lines. It will definitely be a must for my makeup bag when I travel as it's super versatile and effortless!

Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Perfector retails at £25 for 40ml here and comes in 6 shades.
 

Review: The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter and NUDE'tude Nude eyeshadow palette

One of the best things about moving house is having the opportunity to reorganise! I took full advantage of this, especially in de-cluttering my makeup. It has been so much fun being able to try new things from my stash!

One of the products I have really enjoyed recently is the Mory-Lou Manizer from The Balm. I have no idea how long it was hiding in the hack of a drawer, as it is by no means a new product, but I thought I would give it a chance when I cleared out some of my older highlighters.

This highlighting powder comes in a round mirrored compact. It is super soft and smooth and applies absolutely effortlessly. I would describe it as a warm champagne colour that is very reflective, but with no glitter or sparkles, just a satin sheen.

A little definitely goes a long way as the pigmentation is very good.

I use it as a highlight on my cheekbones, with a thin fan brush and a very light touch. It's also great as an eyeshadow - either an all over base lid colour, a brow or inner corner highlight.

It just adds the most amazing glow to the face and goes with most blush colours I have tried as it is neither too warm/ gold toned or silver/ cool toned. Sometimes highlighters can look a little off on very light skin like mine, but I find this one to add the perfect amount of radiance, without adding too much colour.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer is available from Superdrug here for £17.49.

I am also currently trying out The Balm NUDE'tude Nude eyeshadow palette (£29.99), which has a great selection of neutral, wearable eyeshadows. The texture is super smooth and they have great pigmentation. My favourite eye shadow is stand-offish - a nude, pinky toned shimmery colour that is perfect as an effortless all over lid colour!

Magdalene May Ball 2015

Last week the hubby and I attended the Magdalene College White Tie May Ball in Cambridge. If you have been reading my blog for a while you will see these posts pop up every two years. I love sharing these experiences with you all, especially when there is an opportunity to dress up! It’s funny to think that this year will be 10 years since we matriculated and here we are back again still feeling (and behaving) like teenagers.

Rather than going for a traditional ball gown (I wore a pretty big MaxMara number to the last one) I decided to switch it up with something a little more sleek and form fitting.

The India dress from Forever Unique was on sale in two different colours (purple version from ASOS here). However, as I wore a purple one shouldered gown (from Coast) four years ago I decided to try the emerald green. I absolutely loved the heavy embellishment on the sleeve of this dress and its overall shape.

Of course the material of these types of dresses is always quite thin so you can see every contour, making a tactical choice of underwear a must!

For makeup I did a very simple smokey eye using the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay. I made sure that the look lasted all night by using a really long lasting foundation (Mac Studio Fix) and setting it all carefully with powder (I used a combination of MAC MSF natural and ELF Mineral Glow powder). I finished the look off with false lashes from Eyelure (Cheryl Girls Night style).

 

For hair I used the Babyliss wide barrel tong (Glamour Waves) to create large curls. I then clipped the bottom sections while getting ready to ensure they had more texture and gently curled the top section at the end so it looked smooth and sleek.

It was a wonderful night of champagne, street food, music and dancing with the Fratellis performing.

We bumped into so many alumni from our university days and it was really fun catching up with them all!

I made it from sunset to sunrise! Hopefully we will be back in 2017!!

Review: Nuxe Reve de Miel Creme Visage Ultra-Reconfortante Ultra Comfortable Face Cream

After falling sick three times last month my skin was definitely showing its displeasure. It had become super sensitive, dry in patches and my nose actually started peeling, which was a sure sign of how dehydrated and unhappy my body was. I therefore stepped away from my usual skin care routine to give my skin some intense TLC and purchased Nuxe’s Reve de Miel Creme Visage Ultra-Reconfortante Ultra Comfortable Face Cream.

This Nuxe day cream is super soothing as it has a balm like texture that works hard to hydrate, calm and repair sensitive skin. It doesn’t sink in quickly, but plumps the skin leaving behind a protective barrier. Though I normally prefer a lighter moisturiser this has been working really well in the mornings for me and is a great base for makeup. Foundation applies really quickly and smoothly over it, though I have found that it doesn’t last quite as long as usual. However, if I have an event in the evening or want my makeup to last for a special occasion I often use the Urban Decay setting spray that works really well!

The Nuxe Reve de Miel range would also be wonderful for use in the winter as it really hydrates and protects the skin. It replenishes lipids with Sunflower Oil Derivative, Safflower Ceramides and Precious Plant Oils, soothes with Barley, Argan Oil and Shea Butter, repairs with Honey and protects against external aggression with Vitamin E and Sunflower Derivative.

If your skin is feeling aggravated or you just want to give it some extra pampering I would definitely recommend Nuxe Reve De Miel - Ultra Comfortable Face Cream For Dry And Sensitive Skin! My skin feels so much smoother, more hydrated and much less sensitive since I started using it a few weeks ago! I purchased mine from lookfantastic for £24.

Review: Clarins Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base

I was recently sent the new Clarins Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base*, which is part of the Clarins Aquatic Treasures Summer Make-up collection. I am not usually a huge fan of primers as I like a medium coverage foundation and use full coverage concealers to hide blemishes, or too many late nights, so often find adding a primer can be a little too much product on my skin. However, this one promised to be lightweight so I was excited to try it out.

This base is designed to give you a perfect complexion everyday by naturally illuminating and correcting your skin tone for a flawless finish. It also offers hydrating and soothing skin care benefits due to katafray bark extract. It is available in three shades - rose (brightens all complexions), champagne (corrects redness) and peach (restores lustre to medium and matte skin) - leaving a veil of light radiance that evens skin tone, boosts luminosity and restores skin's vitality. As part of the Summer collection two new shades have been added - 04 Apricot (which is what I tried) and 05 Golden Bronze.

Being super pale this shade was too dark for me, but it was great when mixed with my moisturiser to add a little extra colour, especially after I had used some gradual tanner on my body. Used alone on the skin it gave a lovely, luminescent finish. Even though it has a slight glow it sinks into the skin quickly and sets/ dries so it doesn't feel at all sticky. It definitely made my skin look smoother and more even toned while covering minor imperfections. For me this is perfect for the Summer months used alone instead of foundation or mixed in with moisturiser or sunscreen to give a little coverage and a healthy boost of glow!

The Clarins Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base is £26.50 here. Have you tried it? What are your thoughts on the formulation and how do you wear it?

Review: Clarins Aquatic Treasures Summer Bronzing Compact

Since the first rays of sunshine in 2015 have made London bloom I have started to add a little extra colour to my every day makeup routine. Being naturally super pale I have been having a love affair with the stunning Clarins Aquatic Treasures Summer Bronzing Compact*.

With 4 colour quadrants ranging from light to deep this bronzer is absolutely perfect for this transitional period as I can pick and choose the intensity I need every time I use it! I use the darker shades when I have applied self tanner and stick to the lightest on days when I want to keep it more natural.

While being super pigmented this powder blends beautifully. As it is cool toned and on the matte side it works perfectly for both contouring and bronzing!

The Clarins Aquatic Treasures Summer Bronzing Compact is currently retailing (at 10% off) for £27 here.

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water

For many years I have been using Bideorma's Sensibio Micellar water to remove my makeup before cleansing my face. I have always preferred micellar waters to traditional makeup removers as they are incredibly gentle and feel just like water! However, Bioderma was never readily available in the UK so I would always have to bulk buy when I was abroad (especially in France). I am so happy that micellar waters are finally taking the UK by storm and that I can now find a fabulous alternative in my local pharmacy!

The Simple Micellar Cleansing Water* is a perfect blend of multi-vitamins, skin loving ingredients and gentle cleansers to cleanse the skin while removing make-up. I normally use a generous amount on a cotton pad and wipe it across my skin and eyes to remove all makeup before cleansing my face.

The key ingredients of the Simple Micellar Water is triple purified water, vitamin B3 to restore, soften and smooth the skin, Vitamin C antioxidant and Hexylene Glycol to help dissolve makeup and condition the skin.

The Simple Micellar Cleansing Water is £4.49 at Boots. 

Review: NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation

I have been in a little bit of a foundation rut over the last few months. My skin was not cooperating and to gain some sense of control I went back to some old favourites. However, I had heard so many great things about NARS' new foundation I decided that it was worth giving it a try and I am very happy that I did!

The new NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation* has been designed to give full, yet natural looking coverage, which feels weightless and lasts for 16 hours. The special Even Tone Technology is designed to instantly neutralize redness and dullness, while working long-term to reduce the appearance of discoloration for more even, uniform skin. Gold and green pigments optically manipulate how light reflects off skin's surface, evening the complexion for instant luminosity. Green pigments negate redness on contact, while gold combats dullness.

This foundation works really well for my combination oily skin. It provides medium to full buildable coverage, while not looking or feeling heavy. The formulation does feel quite 'dry' and reminds me a little of the YSL Teint Radiance, giving a matte finish. A little definitely goes a long way! It wears well throughout the day and though it didn't keep my oil at bay for 16 hours after applying it at 7am it still looked good at 8pm, although a lot more dewy.

Have you tried the new NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation?

Review: Narsissist Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow and Blush, Contour and Lip Palettes

This week I have been having a little bit of a narcissistic love affair with the new Narsissist products!

 (flash)

 

 (no flash)

The Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow Palette* is absolutely stunning. The colours are rich, pigmented and so easy to work with as they can be used both wet and dry. I have played around with them using both methods and have particularly liked using them wet over the lid for a foiled effect and then blending them out dry through the crease and under the eye to create a really intense smokey eye.

 (swatched wet and dry)

The shades include: Europa, Himalia, Ursa Major, Subra, Andromeda, Lysithea, Giove and Sycorax.

 (with flash and without flash)

The Blush, Contour and Lip Palette is the perfect compact travel companion. It has everything you need for the lips and cheeks including 3 blushes (Enrapture, Enthralled and Roman Holiday), Albatross Highlighter, Laguna Bronzer and even a mini Istria Lip Gloss.

The Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow Palette is £45 and the Blush, Contour and Lip Palette is £35. You can find both the palettes on the Nars website here.

Have you tried the new Narsissist Palettes?

OOTD: A little Alexander McQueen...

Many of you have messaged me to request a few more OOTD posts in addition to the myriad of stream of consciousness photos I upload on my Instagram (@NatalyaFGM). So, I thought I would start with this fun one from last year on my Birthday! Since I'm not getting any younger I thought I would put together something a little more different to celebrate turning 25... again ;p.

It all started with the dress! I spotted this Alexander McQueen envelope dress in an outlet mall near Florence of all places. Despite it being heavily discounted I needed some convincing as I didn't think it was particularly flattering (there are about 600 folds of fabric at the waist, enough to make a tent), but in the end I decided that it was a piece of art worth investing in!

A few months later I still hadn't found an occasion to wear my first Alexander McQueen purchase. It was a little too short and eye catching for a wedding and the UK was getting colder by the second!

In the meantime I had come across these fabulous Carvela Kurt Geiger Gylda lace ups that I like to think of as a grown up gladiator. With their sharp high heel and cut outs the hubby instantly got excited and offered to purchase them for my Birthday. He rarely has any opinion on shoes, other than ranting that I have far too many (which is true), but given his enthusiasm I knew these must be pretty special.

So when my Birthday finally came around at the end of October I decided that it was time to try out the two most adventurous items in my wardrobe... despite the cold and rain! As Miley so wisely put it... it's our party and we can do what we want!

Browgraphy at Browhaus

Like many a teenager I was guilty of over plucking in my school days, but since realising that my natural shape suits me best I have kept my brows pretty low maintenance. Other than occasionally removing strays ‘outside the lines’ and filling in sparse areas with a brow powder I rarely give my eye brows much attention. Though having found my shape I am also hesitant to take any unnecessary chances in the hands of those who think less is more. With eyebrows… more is always more!

Before: filled in with brow powder, but not as neat as I would like!

 

However, when I was offered the chance to try out one of Browhaus’ signature Browgraphy eyebrow treatments I was really excited to have the full works! Having visited Browhaus before for a little tint and eyelash extensions I knew they were very professional, well trained and above all experienced. When I saw the perfectly groomed and full brows of the lovely therapist coming towards me I knew I would be in safe hands and had no fears.

After assessing my eyebrows we decided to make them a little neater, enhance their shape and add a bit of colour. My brows are naturally much lighter than my natural hair colour and because I dye my hair I usually powder them to add depth. My therapist therefore mixed a rich brown colour that was a little darker than my brow hairs, but still soft enough so as not to look harsh against my pale skin. She then set about threading the brows. I haven’t had a huge amount of experience with threading and while I absolutely loved the clean looking result I did find the experience painful, though fortunately it was over quickly. I would definitely do it again, but I would struggle to be in public as my eyes were watering so much. I always see people in shops/ shopping centres having their brows done and I am a little envious of their pain threshold. I can barely pluck one brow hair without bringing on the full water works. Does anyone else have this reflex?

 After: No makeup on brow area, about 3 hours after treatment.

Following the threading my therapist used tweezers for ultimate precision to remove any remaining stray hairs. She then also trimmed a few hairs that were not quite standing to attention. My brows were then dyed, which took just minutes. As I have many very light and fine hairs around my brows I absolutely loved the results after the dye was wiped off. The blonde hairs at the top of my brow now became visible as part of my eyebrow and gave the arch an extra little lift. The result was very subtle, but really helped with the symmetry of my brows and enhanced their shape.

As my skin is very sensitive I have to be honest and admit that it did look quite red for about 3 hours after and there were a few sore areas, but this was completely expected. As with all hair removal treatments I have learned to do them in the evening as my skin always reacts so I was not at all surprised. The following morning the area was absolutely fine and I was very happy to be able to save a few precious seconds getting ready by skipping brow products as my eyebrows no longer needed any maintenance.

 After: the following day with no brow makeup

Overall I was very happy with the results. My brows looked clean, polished and very neat without being overdone or too striking. I would definitely recommend the Browgraphy service at Browhaus for anyone looking to groom their brows – whether you are confused about what shape would suit you best or are suffering from patchy areas the combination of threading, tweezing and dye makes sure that the hairs that need to be seen are enhanced and those that need to be hidden are quickly and efficiently removed. I will definitely be going back in the future!

Our Wedding Video

Our wedding on the 5th of July now seems a million light-years away, but watching this little trailer brings back so many happy memories! I just wanted to share it with you all and I do hope you enjoy it!



We are still waiting for our official photographs (I'm counting down the seconds) so my series of detailed wedding posts about suppliers, venues etc. is a little delayed. I am sure they will be worth the wait though! In the meantime if any of you have any questions please do get in touch! xxx

OOTD: Rehearsal Dinner

Today's post is a little outfit of the day from my rehearsal dinner. I had about 15 mins to get ready after our church rehearsal so I quickly tonged my hair with the Babyliss conical wand and refreshed my makeup using the Urban Decay Naked palette and a slick of The Body Shop gloss over MAC's Costa Chic lipstick.

 

I picked up this bright mint gradient/ dip dye maxi dress in the Ted Baker sale and think it works perfectly with my tan by James Harknett.

 The secret is out... I have a twin!

Apologies for the deer in headlights expression... but I was unashamedly nervous/ exhausted/ excited/ apprehensive/ happy!