The one with the eyeshadow dupes

I have some good news... for those of you that already own a "NAKED" and "NAKED 2" palette by Urban Decay, may not find this post as useful as those who don't. Nonetheless this post is still informative!! 

So the Naked palettes by Urban Decay are very popular in the makeup world, and are said to be essentials in a girls makeup bag. I can certainly see why, as the eyeshadows are great to work with, blend very well and look very pretty. But at £36 per palette, it certainly does break the bank for some. You can look at it this way, each eyeshadow is costing £3 and is of very good quality. Plus mine came with a "shadow karma brush" and the infamous urban decay primer potion. Although I do feel that they are an investment, I managed to stumble across an alternative. 

Here in the UK, we have a drugstore brand known as Make Up Academy or "MUA". MUA is delivers great quality products at a very low cost price. They have created many eyeshadow palettes, each with their own theme. I couldn't help but notice how similar two of their palettes were to the Naked palettes. 

The MUA palette is called "undressed" and is a dupe of the NAKED pallete. Undressed...Naked... Co-incidence? 

The second palette by MUA is the Heaven and Earth Palette, which is a dupe of the NAKED 2 palette.

At only £4.00 per palette, I think its the best dupe and best value for money. You do not need to justify buying these palette. Although there is a significant difference in price, I certainly think MUA have done well to imitate the NAKED palettes. 

Overall I think both palettes are brilliant. The NAKED palettes are definitely your "splurge" eyeshadows but you are definitely getting the quality you pay for as they are super pigmented and very silky when applying. The MUA palettes are not that far off, I would say around an 85% match, with some shades varying slightly and do not contain some glitters like the NAKED palette. 

Let me know your thoughts on both brands. 

Stay blessed. Peace!

The one with the haul

Good evening folks!! Hope you are all well. Today I have decided to do a haul. For those of you who don't know what that means, a haul just talks about things that I have purchased. Today was my shopping day, and I bought a whole bunch of stuff which I will share with you. It might sound a little materialistic, talking about what I have bought, but the reason I want to share my buys with you is so that you may benefit from my good or bad choices!! So let's begin. 

My recent purchases

So the first thing I bought, was a flat ended bronzing brush by QVS. QVS is not a well known brand here in the UK, but I absolutely love their brushes. They are very good quality at bargain prices. I also use their concealer brush, and swear by it as its the best concealer brush I have ever used. The concealer brush is soft yet firm and holds my concealer well. Anyway back to the bronzing brush!! It is flat ended, which is great for contouring those cheeks, and I would also use it to highlight my cheekbones. The good thing about this brush is that it is soft enough to use as a fan brush, to blend everything together. I definitely recommend this brush. 

The second item I bought was the compact powder puff by elegant touch. Its nothing special, but what I like about these powder puffs is that they come with satin bands, making the application of powder much easier. I would use these powder puffs when using powder to set foundation. If you want to mattify your face with powder then you can go ahead and use a powder brush. 

Keeping with the makeup application tools, I searched a lot for a good quality yet value for money stippling brush. I finally came across Samantha Chapman's "Real Techniques" stippling brush. I have heard raving reviews about the Real Techniques brushes, so I thought I would give the stippling brush a try. Let me tell you, it certainly is not overrated. The brush is so soft and dense, making it very easy to buff in the foundation. I certainly would look into buying more Real Techniques brushes as they are a good investment.

One of the most understated drugstore brands, in my opinion is Collection 2000. Today I purchased the concealer and sheer loose powder. I won't talk too much about them as I want to talk about all my Collection 2000 products in another post.

Last but not least, I needed a new moisturiser. Until now I had been using Clinique's "dramatically different moisturising gel" for oily skin. My skin used to be very oil, but within the past 2 years it has become combination-normal, and so my cheeks are much drier. My current moisturiser was not doing anything for my skin, as this oil free gel was not strong enough. I decided to turn to The Body Shop for my moisturising needs. I was recommended to use the "seaweed mattifying day cream" for combination skin. This cream claims to mattify the oily areas while moisturising the dry areas of my face. The scent is not overpowering, and when I applied the cream to my face it certainly did feel much softer. I will let you all know how I got on in 2 weeks.

 

I hope this haul was helpful. Stay posted for more of my best buys. 

Stay blessed. Peace!

Back to basics - Skin care routine

So hopefully you now know what your skin type is. If not, have a look at my previous post "back to basics- know your skin type" to determine your skin type. You may hear a lot about the 3 step "cleanse, tone and moisturise" routine, but to be honest skincare is not that simple, and the 3 step process may not be suitable for everyone.

Normal - Combination Skin

The most common skin type, that has a slightly oily t-zone but with normal (non oily) cheek areas. This exhibits good circulation and healthy colour. You may find that some products may be more effective in different areas of your face, so I would suggest treating your t-zone differently to the rest of your face. I recommend using an astringent agent on your t-zone, especially if you are prone to breaking out in those areas. Tea tree products work great for me. I would also recommend using a heavier moisturiser on your cheeks, as those areas are lacking moisture. Overall, exfoliating your skin once a week will also prevent your skin from looking dull. I regularly steam my face and it works wonders.

Oily Skin

The skin in general is quite shiny, especially in the t-zone area. The great thing about oily skin is that the excess sebum that is produced helps the skin to age better, helping fewer wrinkles to form as the oils keep the skin plump (its like natures own anti ageing moisturiser). However, the skin may be prone to spots, as the excess sebum may trap dust and bacteria from the environment, which may clog your pores. The oil itself does not cause acne. Try using a facial cleanser (or face wash) that is designed for oily skin. You are looking for ingredients such as salicylic acid, tea tree or witch hazel.

Do not make the mistake of avoid moisturising your skin because it is oily. Use an oil free moisturiser as this will hydrate the skin but without the oil. I also recommend exfoliating the skin, to unclog pores and get rid of dead skin cells.

Dry Skin

The can get quite flaky, red and patchy as well as prone to fine wrinkles. Dry skin is more common with older women, as fluctuating hormones bring about this change. In women of colour, the skin may appear ashy and dull.

Dry skin can be tricky and requires extra special care. Use heavy moisturisers during the day and topical aqueous creams before you sleep. You do not need to worry about heavy moisturisers giving you breakouts. I would still recommend exfoliating, but with a much gentler exfoliator (micro beads). Avoid astringent agents as that will make the skin worse. 

For those who have sensitive skin, I would say to avoid products that are heavily scented and use products that are specially designed for sensitive skin. 10 years ago, there weren't many products on the market that could be used on sensitive skin but nowadays even drugstore products have their own sensitive skin range. 

Other tips

Avoid sun damage. Try and always wear spf, even if you live in sunny england!! You might not see the effects of sun damage now, but it will definitely catch up with you when you get older. Preserve your youth. 

Even if you do not wear much makeup, do not go to bed without cleansing your face. All the dirt and product buildup from the day will sit on your face overnight. If you don't have the energy to cleanse with a face wash then use some gentle wipes.

As well as looking after your skin from the outside, I cannot stress how important it is for your to stay hydrated from the inside!! Drink as much water as you can to flush out toxins through your system. Some gentle exercise also contributes to glowing skin. Trust me I am talking from experience!!

I hope this post helped. Feel free to leave comments asking any particular questions you may have. Good luck. 

Stay blessed. Peace!

Back to basics - knowing your skin type

Good morning! I'm not sure why, but I feel to blog my thoughts in the early hours of the morning. So here I am, relaxing in my bed, talking to you about your skincare routine. 

I can publish many posts talking about making techniques, how to make your makeup look flawless, how to apply eyeliner but when all is said and done, the main priority for great makeup is the foundation, and I don't mean the cosmetic kind. I am talking about your skin. Makeup is there to enhance one's features and beauty, not to mask one's face completely. Looking after your skin is a great start to looking healthy and well. 

Now I am not one to say you must all have good skin... what is "good" skin? But I do believe that looking after your skin is a must, especially with the colder months drawing near, the weather and climate can significantly alter your skin. 

Let's start off with getting to know your skin type before we jump into skincare routines. 

There are 3 main types of skin:-

1. Normal skin
2. Dry skin
3. Oily skin 

These can be further categorised into the following:-

1. Dry skin - You have a tendency towards flaking, fine wrinkles and red patches. Smaller pores.
2. Normal -  Not oily or dry. Skin is supple.
3. Normal to Oily combination - tends have a slightly oily t-zone and normal skin on cheeks
4. Oily - Shiny, tends to be quite thick. Usually prone to acne and larger pores.

Knowing your skin type plays an important factor in choosing skincare routines. I will post further details about that in the next blog. 

If you are still unsure, here is a skin test you can carry out to determine your type. 

The Skin Test

Begin by washing your face and then pat it dry. Wait a few minutes, and then take a few pieces of rice paper or tissue paper and press them on different areas of the face. If you have oily skin, the paper will stick, become translucent because of the oil. If you have dry skin, the paper will not stick or contain any oily spots. If you have normal to combination skin, then the paper will stick to your t-zone. The t-zone is your forehead, nose and chin area.

Everyone has different skin, there is no fool proof method for great skin. Don't worry about your skin type, there is always something that can be done to tackle your problem areas. 

Stay blessed. Peace! 

The one with the studio shoot

Bonjour!! Hope you are all well. I went a bit cray with the nail tutorials so I am going to keep this post short and sweet. I had a studio shoot a few days ago. Did not anticipate the time and effort that goes into producing professional shots like the ones you see in magazines. I want to say a big thank you to my photographer Jamil and my model Jakia for giving me their valuable time and efforts on the day. 

Work in progress

I am very pleased with the end results and all the shots I will post have not even been edited yet. I really wanted to portray my creative side, so I went for a really crazy carnival look, inspired by Rihanna's "who's that chick" look. I had a lot of fun using feather lashes. It really added drama to the look.

Carnival makeup

The next look was inspired by the MAC barbie campaign. I am absolutely in love with the barbie look, and so I gave my model a barbie look but with a twist. I gave her ombre lips!! You know me, I can't get enough of ombre. 

Barbie with a twist

Ombre lips close up

The last look was by far my favourite. Understated glamour with a vampire feel. The makeup was much softer and very sultry. I would definitely wear this look in the evening. 

Evening glamour

Take a closer look 

I am uber excited about being part of upcoming photo shoots. I hope you liked the pictures, and remember they are unedited! To see more shots and to check out more of my work please visit my page on Facebook. 

https://www.facebook.com/CestLaBeauteMakeup 

Stay blessed. Peace!

The one with the french

Im getting a great response to the nail tutorial I posted previously, so here I go again, but this time I'm going to show you how to do a classic french manicure, but with a modern twist. 

A picture has been circulating on the internet, showing a silver on silver french manicure using Chanel nail paints. 

This luxurious look has inspired the fashion world to produce the "new french" where two colours are used to produce a french manicure, rather than the conventional white tip. 

First pain the nails the desired colour, light or dark, it doesn't matter. Thats the beauty of the look, you have a lot of creative license. Then carefully trace along the tip of your nail. If you find that difficult, you can purchase manicure stencil stickers or you can even use hole punch reenforcement stickers.

I have tried a few colour combinations myself. My absolute favourite is nude colours with a black tip, it looks absolutely great!!

   I also tried a nude beige with hot pink.

The possible types of combinations are numerous. Try them out and let me know how they go. Good luck 

Stay blessed. Peace !


"A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears."  Anne Riophe

The one with the ombré nails part II

For those who don't like the idea of a gradient on each nail, how about a gradient across the nails. I achieved an ombre look, by painting my thumbnail the darkest colour, and then successively adding white nail varnish to the colour the same way as before (on the plastic) and painting each nail a lighter colour. Here is the finished look. 

Good Luck 

Stay blessed. Peace!

The one with the ombré nails

Ombré or dip dyeing was a booming trend over the summer. You name it, it was ombré, ombré coloured hair, ombré coloured lips, ombré clothing and ombré nails. Now autumn is fast approaching, but who says ombré is out? Brighten up the dull autumn weather with some bright ombré effect nails. 

How to recreate ombré nails

You will need:- 

- 2 different colour nail varnishes. Preferably one dark and one light. I used two KIKO nail varnishes

- A top coat (clear nail varnish) 

- A plastic wallet or some flat plastic that will not absorb the nail varnish 

- A sponge (makeup sponge, bathroom sponge)

- A cocktail or manicure stick

- Nail varnish remover and some cotton buds (Q-tips) 

Take the lighter nail varnish and paint your nails. Depending on the formulation, I would say 2 coats will suffice. Paint your nails evenly and thinly, so that the layers dry quickly and don't leave an imprint. 

Take the light nail varnish and add a few drops on the plastic. Then do the same with the dark nail varnish, but place it a few millimetres away from the light colour. Using the cocktail stick, make the light and dark colours touch, and depending on your preference, blend the colours a little. 

Take a sponge and pat it onto the colour, then print your sponge onto the nails, with the darker colour at the tip and the lighter colour at the bottom. You will see the dark fade into the lighter colour. Let the nails dry. To get rid of the texture the sponge has created, paint your nails with two layers of top coat. This will smooth out the texture and give a great finish. 

If you have made a mess on the skin, don't worry, take your cotton bud, dip it in some nail varnish remover and neaten up the skin surrounding the edge of the nail.

ombré nails

I decided to go for pink and orange. I think the colour combination works really well. Feel free to try any colour you want. But to ensure that you get the best ombré effect, use a dark and light nail varnish. Good luck 

Stay blessed. Peace!

“Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” 
 Edgar Allan Poe

The one with the graduation ceremony

Hey folks! Its been a busy week for me, which explains why I am posting this today, rather than a few days ago. Like I mentioned earlier, I have just graduated from university. Usually the graduation ceremony is held in July, but because of the olympics, the ceremony was held in September, as some members of team GB were training on campus.

The big day had arrived, and let me tell you, it was not a stress free morning. Getting there, registering for tickets, trying to figure out how the gown is put on, tackling the weather. However having those 10 seconds of glory made it all worthwhile. Nervous students would walk up to the stage, fixing themselves and making sure they looked their best as proud parents looked on. Cheering, clapping, whooping, as names were being called. The atmosphere was amazing!!

So getting to the main point, what look did I decide to go for. Well graduation is a classy affair, so what better than a classic red lip with a nice slim cat eye. I tried not to go for a bold red, rather a red with blue undertones, so that my teeth can look pearly white without looking too "va va voom." 

My Graduation Day Look

How to recreate the look:- 

Step 1:- Start of by moisturising your face with your favourite moisturiser. The weather is getting colder so I would definitely recommend moisturising, as it creates an even surface for your foundation, and helps avoid the weird patchy skin look. Primer is also optional, but you can skip that if your skin doesn't have prominent pores. 

Step 2:- I personally like to start of with foundation then concealer, as that avoids the concealer creasing in the under eye area. On the day I used my favourite Chanel perfection lumeire in beige (50) on my cheeks, nose and eyelids, as I feel I don't need foundation on the rest of my face. Then I used my YSL touche eclat in shade 5 as a concealer and highlight, working it down to the top of my cheekbones. Then Blend Blend Blend!!!

Step 3:- My face gets quite shiny, as I have combination skin, so I powdered my skin lightly. I used MUA pressed powder in shade 3. If you have normal to dry skin you can avoid this step. I then bronzed the hollows of my cheeks and my temples, using victoria jackson bronzer. I also contoured my face and jawline with the same bronzer. 

Step 4:- I drew a simple cat eyeline with some liquid liner. You can also use gel liner, but I prefer liquid liner as it gives a crisp neat line. Then I coated my lashes with mascara, using Maybelline XXL mascara.

Step 5:- For ultimate staying power and a clean finish, I applied concealer to the lips and then applied my red lipstick by Bourjois with a lip brush.

I also went out for a meal in the evening with some friends, I decided to go for a more playful look, and substituted my red lip with a hot pink and added a bit of pink blush to my cheeks. 

See how different the look is, just by changing the colour of your lips and adding a bit of colour to the cheeks. Don't be afraid to play around with looks, yes sometimes you want to do what you feel suits you best, but try to get out of your comfort zone once in a while. You will be surprised as to what you can achieve. 

Hope these steps helped. Good luck. 

Stay blessed. Peace!

"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy"  Winston Churchill

The other one with the home remedy (teeth whitening)

Bonjour my fellow Beautés!! 

Teeth. They are very important to me. I do not know why. I try my best to take very good care of them. I even have re-occurring nightmares of losing my teeth. That is one of the main reasons I don't want to get older.
Anyways, I don't drink tea, coffee, wine. I do not smoke. Yet my teeth are not as white as I would naturally like them to be. A nice off white ivory would be great. But they are a little on the yellow side. I  also have very sensitive teeth, and getting professional dental whitening treatment wouldn't go down well (plus I can't really afford it at the moment)
So, being my cheap and cheerful self,  I have been trying out a home made teeth whitening remedy, and its working well. Let me share it with you. 

                                                  .......................

It is basically hydrogen peroxide and bicarb of soda!! I know hydrogen peroxide sounds scary, it can be in its raw form. Taking a trip to the chemist, I found it quite daunting, seeing the peroxide bottles on the shelf with different dilutions, I didn't know which one to go for!! 

I would advise using a hydrogen peroxide based mouthwash, that has been diluted down to use orally for dental hygiene (usually 1.5% w/v). Just take a few drops of the peroxide mouthwash (10ml), add half a teaspoon on bicarb. You will see the bicarb foam up. Take your mixture onto your brush, and gently brush your teeth for about a minute. You will feel a slight tingle in your mouth but that is ok.
The baking soda is a coarse powder, enough to scrub away discolourations on your teeth, while the peroxide bleaches your teeth. I would advise you to do this once a week, but you will see the results instantly!! 

The baking soda is a coarse powder, enough to scrub away discolourations on your teeth, while the peroxide bleaches your teeth. I would advise you to do this once a week, but you will see the results instantly!! 

You can also use baking powder, because that also contains bicarb, along with other agents, but let's not get into that. 

Hope it goes well for you, and good luck :) 

Stay blessed, Peace!!

The one with the home remedies (sugar exfoliant)

Hi there!! For those of you who do follow me on Facebook, will know that I have home beauty remedies that I regularly share. For those of you that haven't had the chance to see my posts or don't have Facebook, I will outline some of my best and tried out home remedies on this page. 

Skin exfoliator

Do you have sensitive skin and find skincare exfoliaters too abrasive? 

Try using organic brown sugar. It exfoliates skin so well and can be used anywhere, including the lips to get rid of chapped lips. My suggested mixing medium would be vaseline (if used for the lips) or honey with olive oil. 

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of olive oil 

a tablespoon of honey

Vitamin E oil (or a broken vitamin e capsule (optional))

Gently exfoliate then rinse with warm water. Be prepared for silky smooth skin. 

For those of you that maybe be a fan of the Soap and Glory exfoliators "sugar crush" and "flake away" (I am a huge fan) but are on a tight budget, this is a good alternative. You can also add a few drops of essential oils to make it smell nice. 

If you are happy with the results, leave a comment to let others know how it worked out for you. Which essential oils worked for you? 

Visit my page for more home remedies https://www.facebook.com/CestLaBeauteMakeup

Stay blessed, Peace!! x

"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul."  Samuel Ullman

The one with the bridal shoot

Good evening folks. Or should I say good morning. Its just gone past midnight, but I am so excited about blogging, that I just want to keep posting. 

A few days ago, My fellow blogger just-jakia and I decided to do an impromptu beauty shoot that would showcase my makeup skills, while she gets to have a makeover and prance around in front of the camera!! 

We decided to go for 3 looks. Asian bridal looks are my most popular looks, as that is what a lot of my clients ask for. We did one bridal look, one wedding ceremonial look and one party look.

I used the urban decay naked and naked 2 palettes for these looks. They were so easy to work with and super awesome when blending. I would definitely advise using both skin and eyelid primers as they made the makeup last long and help give a smooth appearance. 

Here are some of the shots from the shoot. 

 Green and gold "mehndhi" look

                                              

Rock chick party look

                                                     

Royal Bride look 

                                                         

 The Aftermath!! hehe

                                                           

The shoot was great fun, and Jakia was a wonderful model!! We are planning to do another shoot, this time in a studio. So watch this space!! 

To have a look at the rest of the photos we took and for more of my work, please visit my page. 

http://www.facebook.com/CestLaBeauteMakeup 

“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.” –Coco Chanel

Stay blessed, Peace!

N.B All the pics are unedited and have not been retouched. Just brightened a little. I thought there is no point showing you airbrushed pictures, as you would not get a true view of what the makeup actually looks like. 

C'est La Beauté

It's beauty. It's as simple as that. A bit about me...

They named me Tanveer (supposedly a boy's name in my culture), however that is not the case, as I can fully confirm that I am in fact a femme!! 

                                                                          Exhibit A 

I have a Masters degree in Chemistry. Didn't see that coming did you? 

I love both science and beauty, and would really see myself in the cosmetics industry, as a formulation chemist or maybe in research and development. For the time being, I am trying to go down the beauty route, with my own business as a Make up Artist (MUA). 

It brings me so much joy, transforming women to make them look and feel fabulous. For me, makeup is a way for me to stimulate my artistic side (you know the ol' right side of my brain). Its not just about adding a bit of mascara and a bit of lippy. A lot of thought and effort goes into a simple look. Colour combinations, adapting the makeup to a persons features, sculpting the face as well as precision and intricate detailing. 

I don't think beauty defines me, but its definitely a big part of my life. Hopefully this blog will give me an outlet to ramble on about my favourite products, beauty tips and my general life. If that sounds like something you might be interested in then there are plenty more posts where that came from!

Stay blessed, peace!

“Your face encompasses the beauty of the whole earth. Your lips, as red a ripening fruit, gently part as if in pain.” Edvard Munch

Why hello there...

Hello, Bonjour, Hola, Ciao, Ahlan, Ni hao, Namaste and a very warm welcome to my blog page. As much as I love to read, I am not much of a writer. However, a fellow blogger suggested that I start blogging, as a way to get my love for health and beauty out there. So here it goes...