After debating for a really long time with myself, I finally decided to join in with the hype, and purchase the Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kit! The thing that forced me to do it, was that my beloved Hoola bronzer had hit the pan, and I knew for sure that I was going to run out, and then after looking for a new contour shade to test out, my research prooved to me that the ABH contour palette was the way to go.

About the brand!
Obviously ABH is an American brand, and isn't very readily available in the UK, although a small selection of the brand is available on a website called beauty bay. I have ordered many things previously on beauty bay, including my Zoeva brushes and my Zoeva eye shadow palette, so I knew that the website was safe, and the delivery is fast AND free. Beauty bay sells a huge range of makeup, haircare and skincare, with a lot of American brands that can't be easily purchased over here. Also, they always have new promotions and deals and stuff so you definitely get more than what you pay for!

On a side note, I would like to fully apologise for my terrible nails because as you can see, its pretty obvious that I could not be bothered to do them before taking all these photos. So I would love for you to excuse the awfulness of them, and I'll make sure they are better next time!

The palette...
On to the actual palette now. This contour kit comes with six different contour/highlight shades, with 5 being matte shades, and 1 being a slightly shimmery highlight shade. When I ordered it, I wasn't aware that the shade was shimmery, but it was more than a pleasant surprise when I opened it up and swatched them all out!





Description & Swatches!
Going from left to right on the top row, I'll take you through what I use each shade for. Also, the lighting was a bit funny outside, so I'm sorry that the first three shades don't show up too well!


Top row
Vanilla - This pink undertoned powder is a perfect shade for setting under eye concealer IF you have pink-toned skin, so not me. However, I think this colour can be used for a setting powder for my eyelids, as it cancels out any discolouration, and makes my lids one solid colour, making applying shadow 10000X easier. This is also good to highlight the brow bone or really define your brows, because it is nice and light and has incredible staying power.



Banana - Banana was the only shade from this palette that I had heard hundreds of people talking about before I really searched in detail about this kit. This is the perfect setting powder for my highlight concealer, because it is yellow-toned and matches my skin really well. Again, I am constantly using this for setting my eye primer as well to make any patchiness, redness or discolouration disappear instantly. I am probably the billionth person that has ever said this, but it really is amazing.



Sand - This shade is such a gorgeous highlight shade! As I said, I wasn't expecting it, which made this buy an even more successful one. It isn't too shimmery so doesn't make you look like  disco ball, but has just the right amount of shine to give you a perfect highlight on the top of the cheekbones, cupids bow and tip of the nose. It is really pigmented, as are all the shades, so a little bit goes a long way!




Now going from left to right on the bottom row.

Bottom row
Java - This is a gorgeous warm-toned bronzing shade that is great for warming up the face, and adding a bit of definition to the shadows on you face. I love to use this with a big fluffy brush to dust under the cheekbones and around my hairline because it makes any makeup look with warm colours in it, 10X more interesting. I also enjoy using this shade as a sculpting shade, so I will use a small amount on a pointed brush to really carve out the cheekbone and define my jawline to make it more prominent.



Fawn - This is probably my favourite colour in the palette for many different reasons. The first one being, that it is fairly similar to the Hoola shade, if not better and more pigmented. I also love this for really defining and sculpting my face. With my Zoeva 127 brush, this works effortlessly to give me much more prominent cheekbones and a much more defined jawline, which tends to be the look I go for. As this is more of a cool shade, with a slight grey under-tone to it, it works well to define the face and really shape it how you want.



Havana - This is the last shade in the palette, and also a much-loved one. I only really use this as a bronzing shade with a big fluffy brush, as it is quite similar to Java, just slightly lighter and easier to wear. This works really well on its own, although also pairs up nicely with fawn for a more full on contour, which is what we like!



As you can see in some of the pictures, the pans are removable which is unbelievably handy, because when you run out of one, you can just remove it and then buy the pan separately and put it straight in the palette!

Brushes
I thought it would be a good idea to tell you all the various brushes I use when doing my contour/highlight, as I vary which ones I use, depending on the mood I am in.

Firstly is the Zoeva 127 brush which I use mainly to apply fawn, and to sculpt out my face. I like how its angled, but not too thin so you can still really add definition and shadow to the cheekbone. This also works well for applying bronzer around the hairline and along the jawline.

Next is my one and only ecoTools brush, and this is the tapered blush brush which is a new addition to my collection. As this is tapered and quite thin, it pretty much works for everything. I mainly use it to apply banana under my eyes, use the tip and side to add my highlight (sand) and then the fluffy side is amazing for adding warmth to the face with havana or java. So as you can see, this is a very multi-purpose brush and I love it.

The next one is one I don't use as much, but still really like, and this is just as small fluffy brush by beauty stylist (I got it on a beauty corse so I don't think they are available to buy) and this is perfect for bronzer and the warmer shades, because it just warms up the face lightly, as the bristles aren't to dense.

The last ACTUAL contour brush is the ACTUAL 'contour brush' (wow) from the core collection by real techniques. This is great for defining the face and carving out those cheekbones! As it is small and sort of pointed, it just fits under the cheekbone really nicely and can be blended out to a gorgeous contour!

Now for another Zoeva brush, and this is the 102. This is actually a foundation brush, but as you probably well know, I only apply foundation with my miracle complexion sponge as I LOVE IT, so this works well for me as a blending brush, to blend out my contour when I go a bit full-on or over the top (which happens quite a lot). Its very dense so blends out amazingly with very little effort needed.

Last up is a brush that can't be purchased separately, because it is the small brush that comes with the Hoola bronzer. You know the one, you never think you will use it, but it actually turns out to be good? yes that one. I recently discovered that it works insanely well as a highlight brush! It's just the right shape for the top of you cheekbones and the bridge of your nose, so its really just perfect.


If you want to order this palette now, head over to beauty bay and check out the different shades, or click here for my one!

Sorry for the long wait, but schools back again and the work has taken over! I will still however try and upload as frequently as possible! See you next time!

Yes I know, another haul, BUT this isn't just makeup, its a whole range of things and I cannot wait to share them with you!

Recently, my friend Sophie and I headed up to London for a cheeky little shopping trip, which actually ended up being not so little. As you may know, I have just started sixth form, which means no school uniform, which means more clothes. As the trends are always changing, buying new winter/autumn clothes is a must for me, because I just love wearing all the autumnal colours. I would probably have to say that 'fall' and winter are my favourite times of the year, one of the main reasons being the makeup styles, and also the clothes. I am a huge lover of knitted jumpers and long-sleeved tops, and especially as I get to wear whatever I want every single day, autumn this year is even better.

Being the 16 year olds that we are, we thought what better place to go shopping, than Oxford Street. If you live near London, you will most likely know that Oxford Street is one of the busiest shopping streets in London, as it has about every single shop you could need. Well actually about three of every shop. I know, ridiculous right? Anyway, we headed up on separate trains and met at London Victoria, and then two tube stops later, as if by magic, we were at Oxford Circus. We figured that by starting at the top, and then working our way down the road, we would be able to cover all the shops, so thats precisely what we did.

We started off in Zara, one of my favourite shops, where I already knew exactly what I was getting. I had been looking searching the internet high and low for a new BIG bag for the new school year, because having a reasonably large bag is very helpful when you're like me and carry just about everything possible around with you. When I spotted the bag I had found online, I immediately ran over to it and knew instantly that it was the right one. I thought that I would be daring and go for something other than black, so I though red was a great alternative, as my wardrobe is mainly black, white and grey, so red will go with all of it. It is very large and has one pocket on the inside which I easily fit my phone and keys in. I has one magnetic popper to keep it closed, meaning it is very easy to get into when you need it, but the magnet is very strong so it's not constantly coming undone. They also sell this in black, but as I said, I wanted to spice things up a bit this year!


We then headed on off to Urban outfitters, and after trying a few things on, I decided to go with this gorgeous black poncho/cardigan. Its safe to say I have nothing like this in my wardrobe, and thought it would be a nice edition to it. As you can probably see, it goes with just about anything, and is super warm, again, perfect for winter. The did have this in a few other colours, but you can't really go wrong with black, so I opted for it in the end. It is a really soft material and also amazingly comfortable. For me, it almost doubles up as a blanket, so great for those cold winter nights!


Next was Topshop. To be honest though, I had higher hopes for it, as I had a voucher I wanted to spend. However, after trying some different things on, I wasn't really feeling it, and we moved on to the next shop, H&M.

H&M is one of my all-time f a v o u r i t e shops, as it is really reasonably priced, and I think that the quality of the products is amazing. I think there are 3 separate H&Ms on Oxford Street, and the one we went to was absolutely bloody massive. It must've had 4? 5? floors!? Anyway, after trying a lot of stuff on, I ended up with a a top and a jumper. I am obsessed with this jumper! First off, its grey, so before even trying it on, I knew I would love it. Then second of all, its not tight at the bottom of it, which is something I find really unflattering on myself. Anyway, it is quite a light weight jumper, so I can still wear a long sleeved top underneath without getting too hot. Its sort of a knitted, speckled mix of white, light and dark grey and black, which I really love. Its lovely and comfortable and goes with just about everything! Love love love it!


The other thing I got from H&M was this three quarter length striped top. Sophie spotted this, and I really liked the look of it, and could automatically picture myself wearing it as a baggy top with leggings or a pair of jeans. So I picked it up in a  large because I thought, hey, I want a baggy top. The material is really soft and comfortable, and I really like the buttons at the front. After wearing it once so far, I also like how it looks with the sleeves rolled up slightly!


Our next stop was somewhere I had been seriously excited about going to, and that was Brandy Melville. I have a whole post dedicated to Brandy Melville here, but after having searched through their entire website, I was probably the most excited I'd ever been to go into a shop. If you have ever been into a Brandy, you will know that Brandy soft, is unlike any other soft out there. I really don't know how they do it, but they honestly have THE softest clothes in the world. I ended up walking out of Brandy with quite a few things, that the lady at the counter even went 'wow' when I went up to pay.

The first thing I got was this long-sleeved striped top with a hood and pocket, and I just love it. It is quite thin so you could easily wear a tank top underneath, but I like to just wear it as a top. It is incredibly soft and super comfy to wear. This pairs up well with jeans and leggings, and is very versatile due to its simplicity.

If you saw one of my most recent posts, which was a huge Kiko Milano haul (click here for full blog post) I mentioned that if I was really loving any of the products I bought, I would dedicate a whole post to a certain product, and talk about it in more detail. So today, that is exactly what I am going to do! Some of the products I knew I would be purchasing even before I went into the shop, were the Velvet Mat lipsticks. I had read so many reviews on these specific lipsticks because I am a matte girl and am looking to build up my collection. These lipsticks are insane. I knew that they would be good, but not nearly as good as they actually are. I picked up the shades 601 and 602 which I think are the lightest shades in this finish, and I am obsessed with them. The texture, the staying power, how they look is all amazing, and the beauty of the packaging only adds to the magnificence of this lipstick. The only lipsticks I really wear are the lip bullets by Mac, as I think the formulation and colour choices are amazing, but honestly Mac, I think you have some competition. Even though the quality of the lipstick may not be quite up to the same standard as those from Mac, but for the price of these lipsticks, you seriously can't go wrong.


The shade 601 is your standard nude lipstick, with a brown undertone to it. This is just PERFECT for everyday use, like school and work, as its not to bold, but just looks very natural on the lips. I think this colour would be best matched to someone with a slight olive tone to their skin as it is fairly pale and compliments a darker skin colour really well. I normally match this lipstick with the Kiko precision lip liner, as it is slightly darker than the lipstick its self, therefore making your lips look slightly ombréd if blended in together properly. Out of the two I actually picked up, I think I have to say that I prefer this one ever so slightly, because it is just more natural, and can be worn with hundreds of different makeup looks.


The other shade I bought, 602, is a darker, more pink undertoned nude, although still natural enough to wear from day-to-day. I would say that this mauvey shade of lipstick goes really well with gold eyes, because I feel as if the two colours compliment each other really nicely. As opposed to the lighter shade, 602 would match many different skin tones, so from olive toned, to much fairer skin, I think that this colour would still look amazing. I like to compliment this lipstick with a darker lipliner, like Mac 'dervish' because when blended, it creates a really nice effect, and the lipstick has instantly turned from being a day-time colour, to a more full on night-out shade. As you can probably tell from my description, it is a very versatile lip colour, and I think that that is why I love it so much!



Onto the texture. When applying these, they feel super creamy and hydrating, but have a much more satin finish, and don't look too shiny. I wouldn't go as far as saying they are matte, but I think that semi-matte would be a better description. Also, especially as I have a bad habit of rubbing my lips together throughout the day, a re-application can sometimes be needed, certainly after eating, because the colour can fade. However, if you are like me, you will just carry around this lipstick in your bag and it should be no problem at all!


I have already suggested these gorgeous little products to lots of my friends as I really think they are worth the fuss! However, if matte isn't quite your style, they have hundreds of finishes to choose from, so I am sure you will find it no trouble at all to find your perfect lipstick from Kiko's huge range!

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed a short review on these lovely lipsticks! Another 'lipstick' themed post should be up soon! Leave any comments or suggestions below!

If you are anything like me, you will absolutely LOVE having a nosey little peak into other peoples lives, and I though that telling you all about my recent trip away with my family might be quite fun, as it is very different to anything I've ever done before. And you never know, you may love posts like this, and I will have to do more!

So, on the 12th August, my mum, dad, sister (Lilly) and I headed off to gatwick airport with my Grandpa (our chauffeur for the afternoon) to catch our flight a couple of hours later at about 5 o'clock. Getting through customs and security and everything else you have to do to FINALLY get through to departures, was pretty easy and fuss free, and before I knew it, I was in duty free at the Mac counter. As you don't have to pay text at duty free (YAAASSSSS) I decided to splash out on a Mac lipstick in the shade 'Ruby Woo' a  g o r g e o u s bright red matte lip. I LOVE it. Anyway, we carried on, had a quick costa, realised we were late for the flight and ran down to our gate, where we found out we weren't late. Great. I ran for no reason. And then boarded the flight half an hour later. The flight wasn't too long, and in no time at all, we had landed in Olbia airport, and were collecting out luggage  from the baggage claim. We then had to find our rental car, and then we were off on the one hour long journey to the apartment. Two years before this, so 2013, we visited the exact same place, so everything was reasonably familiar, and getting into the aprtment was easy because we already knew all we needed to know about it.

We stayed in a lovely little village called Santa Maria Coghinas, which is a small town, and about a fifteen minute drive from Badesi beach. On the first day, we basically did everything we were planning to do in the whole two weeks. We went to the pool. Check. We went to the beach. Check. And we went out for dinner. Check. As you can maybe tell, my family aren't exactly adventurous, and we all much prefer a relaxing holiday, with the majority of the time spent by the pool or at the beach. I mean, yes, there are some lovely places in Sardinia that we maybe should have gone and explored, but you know, the pool and the beach was just too hard to leave.

The pool we used is shared by some other apartments, although most of the time, everyone seemed to go to the beach, so my family had the pool to ourselves nearly every morning for the fifteen days we were there. The place we stayed, is set the the most gorgeous area, surrounded my mountains, with very little else around. The views are incredible, probably some of the best I have ever seen.

We found this beach the last time we went, and decided that we didn't want to venture out to other beaches, but just stick to the one we already knew and loved. Badesi beach is the most lovely beach I think I've ever been too. For starters it is HUGE and there are lots of little snack bars all along the way, so perfect for lunch, ice creams and snacks. The sand is golden and super soft, not the horrid stoney sand you get in some places in England. Also the water is the perfect temperature, and crystal clear. We went to Badesi nearly ever day we were away, and I still love it just as much. Every time we ended up going to the beach, there was one thing that always changed, and that was the calmness of the sea. The first day we went, it was completely and utterly still, no waves, nothing. But then on the second and third day we went, the sea was SO rough, with the biggest waves. Personally I love both types of 'sea' as, yes, its nice to relax in the sea and not get bashed around. But on the other hand, the waves are amazingly fun as they are just so massive! Another thing me and Lilly love doing, is collecting the shells from the sand and also in the sea. Together we found absolutely tonnes of shells, which we continued to make into gorgeous handmade bracelets.

If you have never been to Sardinia or Italy, you are missing out. On the Pizza's. Obviously Italy are known for their pizza's, but seriously? They are incredible. We went out to different restaurants five times whilst away, and each time I had a Margherita pizza, boring I know, but they taste so INCREDIBLE! I really don't know what it is about them but uhhhhhhh they are so nice, you just have to try one to believe me.

So overall I had an insanely amazing, relaxed and fun holiday with my family, and not going to lie, I picked up a pretty good tan along the way! I'm sorry that the photos may not be the best quality because they were all taken on my phone, but I'm sure you get the idea!