Anastasia Beverly Hills - The Brow Wiz

Hello and welcome to my Realm of Beauty.

Today's post is going to be about one of the holy grails of beauty industry, and possibly the most loved brow product (from what I gather).
I am sure that many of you have heard of the incredible Brow Wiz. Even those of us who don't live in the US have, thanks to Instagram and beauty bloggers and vloggers.

I had my eye on this one for almost a year. I knew where I could buy it from (Cult Beauty), but I hesitated for a long time just because my Rimmel brow pencil was doing the job nicely.
However, when I decided to dye my hair red brown again, I thought I might as well go for it, I had waited long enough.

It took me a long time to decide which shade I wanted to go for. But from the reviews I read, it sounded like Chocolate (warm tone) would suit me more than Dark Brown (more ashy). So I purchased it in Chocolate for £15.50 from Cult Beauty.
First impression was a little scary. The shade was warmer and more red toned than what I would usually go for, but that was what I wanted. I also swatched it on my hand and found that it was a little hard to get any colour from it.
But thankfully, that was only the start. As soon as I started applying it in my brows it transformed them like nothing else. It's just so incredible how easy it is to use and how natural it makes your brows look. And yes, the pencil has a hard consistency, but brow pencils need be hard to give the best result.

This product is not for the girl who wishes to fill in all of her brows and achieve that very solid coloured, almost tattooed like brows we all see on instagram. If you are that girl, then I would recommend the gel version and not the Brow Wiz.
The Brow Wiz is a product that should only be used to fill in gaps in the brows. It should not even be used to draw the brows, although you can draw guide lines with it and then go in with the gel to fill inside the lines. The product is designed for small stroke motions, making it perfect to fill in the gaps, as you can see in the comparison picture below.

Top: with Brow Wiz in Chocolate. Bottom: my natural brows with visible gaps.

In addition to the great pencil, there's also a fantastic brush at the other end. I use it to brush down my brows, making the gaps visible. Then I go in with the pencil and when I'm done I brush them back in place.

All in all, there is a reason why the Brow Wiz is so loved. It truly is a holy grail of beauty and brows. And if like me, you have been hesitating to buy it, you can end it now and purchase it right away.

Thank you for reading this blogpost lovelies.
Make sure to check in next week for a new post. And follow me on social media for updates.

See you soon x

The Matte Lipstick Post

Hello and welcome to my Realm of Beauty. 

Today's post is going to be all about matte lipsticks.
I know in the past on my blog I have mentioned how I much prefer moisturising lipsticks to matte ones, but winter has made me want to try darker lipsticks whose colour pay offs are amazing. Moisturising and sheer lipsticks are known for not having much of a pigment or staying power. And I really like my dark berry and plum shades when it comes to winter time.

So I decided to experiment with combination of matte lipstick and lip balm or lip gloss (I will write a post on Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfecter soon). And I gotta say, I barely reach for my moisturising lipsticks anymore.

Of course Clinique Pop Lipsticks still remain my favourites. And they are both creamy and matte, which is just the best combination for me.
But I wanted to try more brands and different matte formulae.

Swatches from left to right: NARS Audacious Lipsticks - Audrey. Max Factor - Burnt Caramel. Maybelline Matte Lipstick - Devine Wine.

You may also have read that I am not a huge fan of nude lips. But after watching Lisa Eldridge's guide to nude lips, I decided to go for it and try one. So when I was at Boots I came across a gorgeous caramel shade at the Max Factor counter. The shade is called Burn Caramel, and it's a beautiful warm nude that compliments my slight olive complexion very well. What makes it even more wearable is the creamy texture of it, and the fact that it doesn't belong to a specific season. It's gorgeous all year round.
I am not a big fan of the packaging. The gold looks a little cheap and the material itself isn't impressive either. But who cares when the inside of it is so good, am I right?
Price is obviously affordable (£7.99), given that it's a Max Factor product.

Next lipstick to try on my list was slightly (!) more expensive. I had heard so much about the NARS Audacious Lipsticks that I knew I could not go wrong with it. So I visited the NARS counter at Selfridges and picked up a glorious dark pinky shade called Audrey. I have fallen in love with this shade every time I put it on. It is beyond beautiful. And the formula of the lipstick is to-die-for. It's slightly less creamy than the Max Factor one, but since I save it for special occasions it doesn't really bother me.
The packaging just screams luxury. It's all in black with the signature NARS writing on it in shiny black. As if that wasn't enough to entice you, the lid is magnetic!
The price is on the high end (duh! it's NARS) at £24. But I think it's totally worth it. I am definitely going to pick up a more day time shade soon.

Last on the list was definitely hard to get. It is Maybelline Matte Lipstick in Devine Wine. This shade is so popular that everytime I went to a Boots or Superdrugs they had sold out. I finally managed to get my hands on one though. Out of the three lipsticks this one is my least favourite. The pigment will blow your mind but it is too drying for my taste. The other two go on with a creamy texture and then stay on the lips. This one goes on dry and stays dry. Not even my Burt's Bees can tackle the dryness of it. It also leaves a stain on my lips that's just not flattering.
The packaging isn't that impressive either. But I guess you can't expect luxury packaging from a product that's priced at £6.99.

My final verdict is if you are looking for a good drugstore matte lipstick, pick up the Max Factor one over Maybelline. Unless you value colour payoff more than texture.
And if you want to splurge and treat yourself, the NARS Audacious lipstick is definitely the way to go.

I'll leave you with a picture of me wearing Max Factor Burnt Caramel and NARS Audrey :)

We have come to the end of the post now my lovelies. Thank you for reading my blog. If you enjoyed it make sure you follow me on social media, all the links are on the right hand side column.

See you soon x

Charlotte Tilbury: The Vintage Vamp

Hello and welcome to my realm of beauty. 

I have been away for a long time. I think overestimated my ability to regularly update my blog and continue my teacher training at the same time. My job is very very demanding, in fact I'd go so far to say I've had the most difficult (academic) year so far.

I hope to have a better handle on my life though, starting with regular blog posts.

And I thought I would dedicate my first post after a while to one of the most expensive beauty purchases I've made in my life. I'm of course talking about Charlotte Tilbury's Eye Shadow Quad in Vintage Vamp. I was after this dreamy eyeshadow quad for a very long time, but wasn't really ready to pay £38 for it. However, when Christmas shopping time arrived I thought I would treat myself and go for it.

Beautiful packaging. 

What I like about Charlotte Tilbury is that she has different designs that comes in different makeup looks that one would like to achieve. Her Golden Goddess look for example is the most iconic of all. I personally love the Vintage Vamp face the most, just because it matches my personality and what makeup look I want to ultimately achieve.

The eyeshadows are very beautiful and luxury. The light pink shade goes over the lid, the lighter red shade is a beautiful cream colour and the dark red shade is to create a vampy smokey eyes by colouring the outer corner. I also use this for lower eyelashes to make the eyes look more dramatic. The gold shade is literally just gold shimmer that goes in the inner corners to catch the light. It's very subtle, which is what I like, but work wonderfully to complete the look.

Swatches and close up of Charlotte Tilbury's Eye Shadow Quad in Vintage Vamp.

The quality of the shadows are of course amazing. The crease shade blends like a dream and the darker red shade is very easy to work with. You can create a very dramatic smokey eyes look, or you can be more subtle with it and use it only slightly in the outer corner.

I always use my shadows on top of NARS pro eye primer. I have oily eyelids and no matter how good the eyeshadow is, it ends up creasing after an hour or two. So I'm not the best judge of how good an eyeshadow lasts. What I can tell you is that this palette stays on very well, it stays in place, the crease colour doesn't bleed on the lid, and it doesn't transfer to the brow bone either. I've worn it for 5-6 hours and in the end it still looks as good as when I applied it.

Finally, is it worth the money? If you wanted to treat yourself to something luxury that you've probably saved money for, I would say yes, go for it. This eyeshadow quad is the definition of luxury.

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost beautiful people. Make sure you follow me on the social media for updates, links are on the right hand side of the screen.

See you soon x