High Beam Liquid Highlighter Review

I know friends- this post is long overdue. I sincerely apologize for the delay. Life happens, I'm sure you awesome folks understand and so, I will get right to the point!

O High Beam highlighter, how I love thee.

Swatches

I am absolutely loving this. The more I use it, the more I love it.

The packaging is designed like a nail polish. The one you see in the picture above is a sample size from a set I purchased by Benefit. It still is the same nail polish application concept but just smaller than the original.

As for the product itself, the application is easier than you'd expect from a liquid product. I like to apply this by drawing lines along the tops of my cheekbones, down the middle of my nose, and dot it under my eyebrow. Then, with a clean finger I blend until it's all nice and highlighted! It dries from a liquid to an ever-so-slight powder finish. You can definitely go without setting it with another powder highlighter.

The result of the highlighter by itself- softly glowy highlighted cheeks. Can definitely be worn with minimal makeup!

The fact that I can use this product, by itself, without needing a setting agent is what makes it such a favourite. It has taken a place in my to-go makeup routine for when I need to look just put together enough in a rush! Alhamdullilah :D

I'm positive you've already heard a lot about this from YouTube as well. However, it is also one of those products which makes you think- "Ok, so this works for her. But- will it work for me?".

I've made a quick review card for you to decide yourself! Is it worth it for your beauty (and wallet)? You decide! :)

I also mentioned in my previous post that there is very little difference between this and the NYX highlighter. The only difference is that NYX has a stronger highlight with larger glitter particles that makes it more suitable for nighttime wear whereas High Beam has a 'soft glow' effect to it with dispersed sparkles. NYX's highlighter also dries quicker and so it's trickier to blend compared to High Beam.

I personally enjoy using both according to the demand of the occasion. High Beam is my choice for the daytime/lighter looks whereas NYX is what I reach out for nighttime occasions/weddings!

What do you think? If you already own high beam- please share your thoughts. If not, would you consider purchasing it after this review? I love conversation :D

Until the next post, have an awesome day!

♥ Soul food for the day ♥

"And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth, 

"You owe me."

Look what happens with love like that.

It lights up the sky."

- Hafez

NYX Born To Glow Liquid Iluminator (01 Sunbeam) Review

A review after so long! I missed writing here to begin with, but writing reviews-- even more. It's fun to test products, see the different angles it could work (or not), think about who it will be best for, if it's worth the money etc.

In this post I review a liquid highlighter by NYX. It is called "Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator".

 

 Here is what the product blurb says:

Capture that sexy glow with our lightweight, multi-functional illuminator. Use as a foundation base or over cheekbones, décolletage, or cupids bow for that refreshing luminosity that'll have everyone talking.

More tips from NYX on the highlighter:

• What it is: Lightweight multifunctional face moisturizer that provides a luminous glow.
• What it does: Enhances your complexion by adding a touch of shimmer illuminating your skin.
• Why we love it: It provides a glorious, luminous healthy glow instantly!

Artist tips / Suggested use:

• How to use: Apply all over your face to illuminate your features under and over foundation. It can also be blended with your foundation for an additional touch of glow.

WHERE TO BUY: You can buy NYX from Centerpoint! I bought mine from the Centerpoint in Andalus Mall, Jeddah.

Swatches

 

Thoughts . . .

What it is: A face highlighter, yes. A face moisturizer or something to apply all over the face- I wouldn't recommend!

This liquid highlighter by NYX is a beautiful highlight no doubt. But it can cling onto dry areas on the skin. When it does like that, it doesn't look too terrifying but the product is a tad bit difficult to blend on the dry areas so I'd suggest being quick with the application.

Because of the high pigmentation and extreme highlight quality, I would not recommend applying this product all over the face alone (unlike Girl Meets Pearl or That Gal from Benefit- both have a more luminescent quality rather than intense shimmer like this highlighter from NYX).

Perhaps this highlighter can be used all over when mixed with a foundation or moisturizer, but I haven't personally tried this so I cannot recommend with full trust on the result (if you have tried this, then let me know how it turned out!).

What it does: Adds a beautiful highlight! The pigmentation is on spot like I mentioned. The shimmer particles are not as large in size as I'd expected! It's actually quite small and looks like fairy dust on the cheeks, while also giving a wet look (I love!).

I was pretty impressed with this highlighter and it quickly became a favourite (something I did not expect!) I actually thought the shimmer was going to be larger but that was not the case. The product dries from a liquid to a powder finish- so you can get away without a powder highlighter on top and it still looks and stays beautiful and glowy. This highlighter is perfect for big events such as weddings and evening parties. Definitely recommend it to the brides.

P.S- I compared this to Benefit's High Beam liquid highlighter (another personal favourite) and I have good news to share- It's a 90% dupe for sure. I will go in detail on the 10% difference in my High Beam review coming very soon!

OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 

Over to you- what do you think? Love it or Leave it?

Minimalist Beauty: Duochrome Eyeshadows (Part 2)

Assalamu alaykum!

This post is part of the Minimalist Beauty series. To know more about this series, click here.

As promised in the previous post, here are a couple ways in which I love to use duochrome eyeshadows:

1- Applying a matte colour to the crease with a duochrome eyeshadow on the lid makes for a beautiful eye look giving it incredible depth and dimension. (I personally love to do this!)

Here is a beautiful example of application of this technique:

Source: http://makeupbox.tumblr.com/post/4673016507/day-look-sea-foam-eyes-you-can-wear-colors

2- Manipulate the eyeshadow. You can get different results from one duochrome eyshadow by applying it on different coloured bases. Pretty understandable! Here is an example picture:

To see more examples, head over to Zoffe's makeup for more swatches like above:
http://zoffe.blogspot.com/2009/05/quick-tip-duochrome-eyeshadows.html

I love duochrome eyeshadows. Especially if you have a smaller eyelid space (like me!) compared to most people. I highly recommend getting some duochrome's in your collection. They take the eye look to another level by adding depth and sparkle. It's a fun and easy way to make your eyes the focus of your look.

Some of my favourite duochromes from my makeup collection are:

1) NYX Single Eyeshadow in Morocco
2) NYX Chrome Eyeshadow in Princess.
3) Mikyajy Sabaya Starlights in 01
4) MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque
5) MAC Eyeshadow in Expensive Pink

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Morocco

NYX Chrome Eyeshadow in Princess Pink

Mikyajy Sabaya Starlights in 01

MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque

Temptalia has the best swatches. For a swatch of Expensive Pink Eyeshadow by MAC, follow the link below:
http://www.temptalia.com/mac-eyeshadow-swatches-reds-pinks-oranges

Below are some of our own swatch pictures, please bear with us while we learn to operate the new camera. :)

NYX Morocco- The swatch doesn't do it justice :( It looks amazing on the eyes! 

L-R: Mikyajy Starlights in 01, NYX Princess Pink, MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot

L-R: Mikyajy Starlights in 01, NYX Princess Pink, MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot

That's all for this post, hope you enjoyed!

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Until then, tc!

BEST OF MAKEUP 2012 (Part 2)

Assalamualaikum everyone!


This will be the second post under the title BEST OF MAKEUP 2012. I really hope you liked and enjoyed my last post! Do check it out if you haven't already (I talked about my fave face products like primers, foundation, concealers and all that good stuff :) ) Heres the link to it
http://vicinitymakeup.blogspot.com/2013/01/best-of-makeup-2012-part-1.html

Okay. SO! Firstly I'd like to apologize for posting this so late! I was busy with school, then I wasn't in town for a while and we have our final exams coming up really soon too.
P.S, please pray for me guys!

Anyhowww, this post will feature my favorite lip and cheek makeup products from last year.

Without further ado, lets jump right into it :D


BENEFIT's Watts Up
This is a cream to powder finish, beautiful champagne highlighter that gives a dewy look to the face. Its MY ULTIMATE FAVORITE HIGHLIGHTER EVER! I'd recommend this to those of you who love the dewy effect. I know this is more on the pricey side but, I've been very unsuccessful at finding a cream highlighter at the drugstore :( [If you have any recommendations, please leave them below :D] However, I'd say this is definitely worth your money because the amount of product it comes with is ginormous!

NYX's Rouge Cream Blush 
I have this in the shade "Glow" and I love it! Its a pretty natural pink blush. It makes your cheeks look very glowy and healthy. I love the formulation of this product. It stays on really well throughout the day. I'll definitely be trying more of these in different shades.

E.L.F's Blush 
I have this in the shade Pink Passion. Its a nice hot pink color that instantly brightens up your face once you put it on! I already have a post with swatches and stuff where I talk about this product (and lots of others too!) - so if you want to know more about this product, follow the link below-
http://vicinitymakeup.blogspot.com/2012/10/shop-and-tell-2-elf-cosmetics-in-jeddah.html

BENEFIT's Hoola Bronzer
Its a matte bronzer. I love this for precise contouring. I'd say this is awesome for people who are in the light to medium shade range and are looking for a good matte bronzer. I know, its again on the pricey side, but it comes with a lot of product and I definitely look at things like these as makeup investments as they last for years!
I've also heard great things about the BOURJOUIS bronzer. If you ever tried it, do let me know in the comments below as I'd love to check it out too!

And yes, I'm in love with this brand! :P

NARS Bronzer Trio Limited Edition Cheek Palette 
This trio literally has all my favorite go to cheek products, especially times when I'm in a hurry or times when I have to get ready at a friend's place, or school, or even the car :P  I just think its really convenient to have the blush, bronzer AND the highlighter all in one palette. I love it's packaging as I've probably dropped it a ga-zillion times and it hasn't shattered one bit! I'm a bronzer maniac and I love how they put the bronzer in the biggest slot :D its also very nice how NARS put their best selling blush and bronzer in this palette :)

MAKE UP FOR EVER's lipstick 
I have this in no. 32. This was a gift from my loveliest sis @GirlNextDoor.
Its a really nice and pigmented cool toned bright pink lipstick. Its a matte and isn't drying at all. I loved wearing this by lightly dabbing it on my lips for a natural pink color and sometimes I'd just apply it heavily for that night time party look.

MAC's Lipstick
I have this in the color "Impassioned". Its from their "Amplified" line of lipstick so its a crazily pigmented matte color. I saw MakeupWithJeniffer on YouTube use this in one of her tutorials and went crazy about it. Although, this looks a little different on my lips than it did on her's but I still love it. Once again, this isn't drying at all. I'd say its a bright fuchsia with slight coral undertones to it. I think this an awesome lip shade to wear to a party.

RIMMEL's Kate Moss Lipstick
I know what you're thinking...
 "What? Another lipstick?!"
Well, yes, another lipstick :P I actually went crazy once I entered lipstick-land last year!
Anyways, I have this in the shade 08. Its a really nice mauvy pink shade which looks superbly natural on the lips. Its creamy and richly pigmented. We gifted it to one of the participants of a giveaway we held last September (I think) and she told us that she loved it too! If you're looking for a lipstick in this shade range, give this a try as its really affordable. Trust me, you CANNOT go wrong with this!

NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream
I have this in "San Paulo". Its a really pretty mid tone-ish dark pink color (It looks like a burnt pink in the picture but trust me its not! I was taking the pics right before sunset so it didn't come out so true to color). Its formulation is not that of a lipstick, neither of a gloss. Its the perfect blend! Its finish is exactly as the name of the product- a soft matte! It looks so beautiful on the lips, I cannot explain how much I love this product overall! I'd definitely recommend you all to try this :)

URBAN DECAY's Lip Junkie 
Lastly I'd like to show ya'll my favorite lip gloss of the year. I have this in the color "Naked". Its a sample size version that actually comes with their Naked 2 Palette (which I love! Stay tuned for the last post where I rave about the Naked palettes :P and other stuff too) Its a really tiny lip gloss that's almost the size of my pinky. Its has a plumping effect on the lips, and it smells and tastes like mint. It gives a sheer color to the lips. Looks very natural, and feels highly refreshing on the lips!

If you don't know where to find these brands, below are the places where I usually purchase them

BENEFIT products from Sephora at Andalus Mall, Red Sea Mall, or Mall of Arabia
NYX and RIMMEL products from Centrepoint at Andalus Mall
NARS products from Selfridges.com 
Urban Decay products from Debanhams.com 
MAC products from the MAC store at Red Sea Mall or Mall of Arabia
E.L.F products from a stall at Shallal Theme Park


That's all for part two :) I hope this post proves helpful to you. Stay tuned for the final part where I'll feature my fave eye and brow products from 2012.

Comment below to let us know your feedback on this post.
And also let us know what you're favorites are from the categories I talked about above :D We'd LOVE to know :)

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Minimalist Beauty: Duochrome Eyeshadows (Part 1)

Hello everyone!

This is the second installment in the Minimalist Beauty series. To check out the first post, click here.

Today, I want to share my love of duochrome eyeshadows with you all! 

What are duochrome eyeshadows you ask? Well, in simple words- it's that colour in your eyeshadow collection that has two tones of colour mixed in it. The colours change according to the way light hits them. Sometimes it can have more than two colours mixed in. For the most part, duochrome eyeshadows are highly iridescent, but also come in satin or shimmer finishes. Personally, my favourite ones are the highly iridescent ones. 

Temptalia's definition of duochrome:

"A product with a duochrome finish or color will look like one color when you look at it straight on, and then when you angle it, it can look like an entirely different color (or nearly so)."

Duochrome eyeshadows play a 'minimalist' role in a makeup routine in the sense that if you were to apply it as a lid colour, it gives a lot more depth and dimension to the look rather than applying the usual one-tone eyeshadow. It makes the lid "pop" and makes them stand out effortlessly. 

Duochrome eyeshadows not only work as great lid shades, but when you bring them up to the crease, they play out with the light and the shadow in such a way that it seems one has applied a different, deeper colour in the crease without the effort of using another eyeshadow. A famous example is MAC's Satin Taupe eyeshadow. This is especially helpful for on-the-go and helps keep the steps in a makeup routine to a minimum. 

Ever since I realised the amazing look duochrome eyeshadows give and the way they take the makeup look to another level, I've become duochrome crazy! Lol! This especially struck me while watching divamakeupqueen's videos on YouTube. 

Fun duochrome looks from around the web:

Source: Cannot remember! If anyone knows, please let us know so we give the credit due to the person.

Source: http://makeupbox.tumblr.com/post/21377170080/duo-tone-liner-with-a-duo-chrome-eye-shadow-how

Source: http://kissmysparkle.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-most-amazing-duochrome-eyeshadow.html

In part 2 of this post, I will share some ways in which duochromes can be used :D 

Hope you all enjoyed this post! Please share your thoughts and ideas with us! 

♥

Do you also love duochromes as much as we do? 

Do you have any duochrome eyeshadows in your collection? If yes, please share in the comments! :D 

♥

Until then, take care and enjoy your weekend! 

Minimalist Beauty: Everyday "Fresh Face" Makeup routine

Hi there!

We are delighted to introduce: "Minimalist Beauty"- a new series starting on this blog in efforts to share tips, tricks and ideas that will hopefully assist you in creating effortless looks and ease your beauty routine without compromising on the results! *inshaAllah* :)

For the first post in this series, I want to share my everyday "fresh face" makeup routine with you :D

I divide this routine into 3 levels.

Level 1 (Super basic): Where I just want to look good enough to run out the door and work with the least amount of products.

Here are the products (used in the order mentioned):

Moisturizer: I use the Dove Intensive Cream. My favourite moisturizer I've found so far, works wonderful on dry to super dry skin.


Concealer: Concealer is a crucial step in a makeup routine especially if you don't want the full face to have coverage and only require to go over a few areas. The concealer I use is the Lancome Long Lasting softening concealer, which- I can safely say, is my favourite concealer of all-time. It's even better for on-the-go as it not only provides wonderful coverage but is also excellent at brightening as well (2-in-1!).

I use the concealer on my under-eyes to conceal darkness, and eye-lids (up till the brow) to cover discolouration. I also go over above the eyebrows and between them a little (helps in lifting and highlighting due to the brightening quality of concealer), around my nose to cancel redness, on the bridge of my nose (again, the brightening quality of the concealer helps in highlighting it), around my mouth to cover discolouration, and finally wherever else I may need coverage like on breakouts or anything like that.

Multi- purpose products are amazing at reducing the time one spends in getting ready, which is especially helpful in the mornings. In the case of this concealer, the fact that it conceals well and also brightens reduces the need to use another brightening product to bring glow to the face.

Setting Powder: Next, I set my face with the Milani Even-Tone Powder Foundation. Again, one of my favourite products. To see a full review of this product, click here.

White/Cream eyeliner on the water line: For me, this helps wonderfully- making the eyes look more awake and refreshed. Most days, I use the Max Factor Kohl Pencil in "White". If I get a bit tanner during the summer, I use their Kohl Pencil in "Natural Glaze".

White eyeliner may be too stark for tanner and deeper beauties, hence you will find more makeup enthusiasts recommending to use a cream/nude/beige/skin-tone coloured liner like Max Factor's "Natural Glaze", so as to make it look more natural. Play around and discover which one works better for you personally. You can also change it up completely and use a black kohl pencil you love instead. Many girls love using black liner on an everyday basis to make their eyes stand out, with rest of the face being neutral/natural.

Lip balm: Finishing off this level I use a lip balm- a must for dry lips like mine. I use TBS's Vitamin E Lip Balm, again, a favourite. Click here to read a full review.

Level 2 (Pump it up): This is where I "Pump it ("it" referring to Level 1) up" a bit- in case I have a few more minutes to spare.

Fill in brows: I fill in my brows using a brow pencil. The specific one I use is from MAC in the shade "Stud".

Filling the brows work wonders in framing the face, something I realized much later after I got into makeup. The difference it makes is just amazing.

Eye lash curler: Next, I curl my eyelashes. The eye-lash curler I use is from Mikyajy.

Transparent mascara: After curling, I coat the eye-lashes with a transparent/clear mascara. The one I use is from Essence (I got it from Shallal for around SR 35, if I remember correctly). I personally prefer clear mascara over using a black/regular mascara for daily basis. It just reduces the hassle of removing the mascara when I return home lol! Of course, you can definitely use regular mascara if that's more to your liking.

Level 3 (Full throttle): Usually only happens when I'm in a super mood lol! Most likely when I've gotten up way ahead of time and basically just feel  like it- going all the way.

Blush: I love how a blush that is perfect for your skin-tone totally transforms your look and makes you look fresh so effortlessly. Again, this is something I learned the importance of only much later from when I got into makeup. My favourite all-time blush is the NYX powder blush in "Peach" which is what I use for this step.

Highlighter: I love face highlighters! And it is definitely a must-use product in any of my makeup routines. It  may or may not be a necessity for everyone so I definitely recommend playing around with a few highlighters to see what difference it makes in your makeup look.
The highlighter I use is from Shiseido in the shade "WT905".

All done!

Some tips:

-Dividing the routine into levels helps quite a bit since I've already prioritized- I already know what products I truly need to look just presentable and don't have to fiddle with so many products especially when I'm running out of time and am in a hurry.

-As mentioned earlier, using multi-purpose products works effectively in handling lesser products and saving time.

-Another useful tip is a no-brainer: use your favourite products and/or products that work amazingly with little to no effort. Saves time again, and using products you trust will hopefully help you start your morning with less of a hassle.

-Replace and/or switch out products that you may find in this routine. Again, a no-brainer. What works for me may or may not work for you and vice versa. Someone may prefer using a foundation over using only a concealer because it attends to their needs better and they may not want a highlighter but prefer using a bronzer instead. See what works best for you and go with it! :) 

Hope that helps some of you!

Some of the products mentioned in the post

♥ Please share YOUR everyday makeup routines and "minimal beauty" tips in the comments. If you have a blog- write a post sharing your routine on your blog! We'd love to read! ♥

Until then, tc! :) 

NYX Candy Glitter Liner- Swatches and Review (Blue, Disco Queen, Jade, Red)

Hey everyone!!
I'm so sorry for the long wait. I was quite busy for the past few months but now I'm back and will hopefully update on a more regular basis :D I've planned a ton of stuff coming up which I can't wait to share with you all that will make this blog more interesting and fun!
Anyways, without further ado, I've got a review for you guys! Before I start off, I want you all to know that I absolutely LOVE NYX! It's probably the best drugstore line out there which offers great quality with reasonable prices.
The product I'm reviewing today from them is the Candy Glitter Liner. I got to know about this through Makeup Geek... and quickly fell in love with it. I am a glitter lover so this was among those things which come in my must-have list.
NYX describes this as "Perfect for drawing precise lines of glitter for a dazzling effect, NYX's Candy Glitter Liners are infused with moisturizing ingredients to not only offer sparkle but condition as well"
What I think about it- The pigmentation is just A-MAZING! These glitter liners are just perfect to make any look fun and colourful and are available in a wide range of colours. They wear for a pretty long time too.
I have used the glitter liners from Mikyajy too, and in my opinion NYX beats them easily- both in pigmentation and application. I have the Silver (01) and Blue (06) from Mikyajy and 4 colours from NYX. These are in Red, Blue, Jade and Disco Queen.
Although these liners apply bright on their own, for a bolder effect, first apply a black liquid liner, wait for it to dry and then apply the glitter liner on top. This really pops up the color!

NYX products are available at Centerpoint in Andalus Mall, Jeddah.
I assume it should be available at other Centerpoint locations here too but I can confirm it only after I've visited them. If any of you guys know if NYX is available at others too, just let me know in the comments :)

These Candy Glitter Liners retail for SAR 21.

Here are some swatches and photos comparing both the Mikyajy and NYX liners :)

NYX Liners and swatches-


You can see I've used Disco Queen quite a lot.

1- Jade
2- Disco Queen
3- Red
4- Blue



Mikyajy Liners and swatches-


1- Silver
2- Blue


I really recommend the NYX glitter liners for all glitter lovers out there.
If you are not much of a glitter lover when it comes to makeup, this may not be your cup of tea. Try the Mikyajy ones instead.

Hope this review was helpful for you guys and just let me know if you guys want to see more NYX product reviews. :)

Feedback-
Are you a fan of glitter liners?
Would you buy this product? If you already have it, how has been your experience with it?