Hey guys,

This week I am bringing to you some of my recent favourites as I haven't done a post like this in a while. I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce you to some new brands on the blog and also some old favourites.

First up we have this gorgeous liquid highlighter by Nip and Fab in Rose Gold (£8.63, currently 25% off from Superdrug.). I got this as a Christmas present from my lovely sister in law and have been using it a lot over the past couple of months to give me a healthy glow in this dreadful weather. I love how versatile it is, in that you can apply it quite heavily to give a strong strobed look, or you can blend it in, or even mix with your foundation to give a more natural glowing effect. I really love the product however am not so keen on the dropper style packaging as I feel the gel like consistency is too thick for it. However I am no packaging expert so can't really suggest a better option. All I know is I never have to squeeze the dropper, instead I dot the product onto my face using the dropper as an applicator.

Something else I have also been using literally every time I have a shower is the *HEMPZ Vanilla Plum Relaxing Herbal Body Wash  (£16.99). It is packed with goodness for your skin with one of the main ingredients being Hemp seed oil, as well as Vitamin A, C and E and also Shea butter. The ingredients match the price tag and confirm you are buying a good quality product.  Hemp seed oil is quickly becoming very popular in skin care as it has a lot of benefits for the skin as an antioxidant, as well as being able to suit many skin types. A quick mention that Hemp seed oil does come from the same plant Cannabis comes from (as you may have found the icon on the tube familiar), however Cannabis is derived from the plants flower and leaves, whereas Hemp seed oil comes directly from the seed where there is no THC, which is responsible for the psychoactive effects.  So there is no need to worry! When I leave the shower, my skin is smooth, nourished and plump. I am really intrigued with hemp seed oil and can't wait to grow my collection. An added bonus is it is a vegan product and paragon, gluten and THC free.

Another product I seem to be using a lot after I have had a shower is the OUAI Rose Hair & Body Oil (£25), OUAI is a brand headed by the very famous hairstylist to many celebrities, including Kim K herself, Jen Atkin. I knew this was going to be a brand I would like to try as the products seemed so high end but also in an affordable range for me. The fact the oil is a multi - use products stands out to me because let's face it - I don't have much shelf space! I apply this all over my body and actually skip the step of moisturising my body, using this instead. I then apply a small squirt to my hands and apply through the ends of my hair. I have very dry skin and hair and the oil is absorbed well. The smell is heavenly, as you would imagine being Rose scented. But there are also hints of Bergamot and White Musk so it smells a dream. I think I would still class this as a luxury product because of the price tag, but it's nice to treat myself once in a while!

Next up is a brand I have already spoken about on the blog and it is *CND Vinylux Weekly Nail polishes (£6.95)! Read my post here for the in depth details of why I like these so much. The reason they have appeared again is because their new range of nudes have been released, and I am besotted. I love nudes, but it is like these were made for my skin tone. There are four colours in total, Uncovered, Unlocked, Unearthed and Unmasked and I am wearing the colours, Unearthed and Unlocked below. I can see these becoming my go to nail polishes. A quick round up of why these are some of my fave is that they are enriched with keratin, jojoba oil and Vitamin E, and its the weekly top coat you can expect your nail polish to last seven days. Need I say more.

The final product to end my recent faves post is these beautiful lashes by *Doll Beauty in Brandy  (£10). I have been looking for some really fluttery lashes for ages that are not extortionately priced and I have found them. They feel so nice and wispy when on and are not too much. The band is so nice and flexible, which I love as it means it can be applied tightly to the lash line. I love to wear these without any liner for that total natural wispy look. They have also recently launched in some Topshop stores and I can say they are definitely comparable to the likes of Huda Beauty, but for almost half the price. With the likes of PLouise (British Makeup academy & brand based in Manchester) using them, if they are good enough for her they are good enough for me! So look out for some make-up looks using these in the future!

I hope you liked my recent favourites. Are there any products you are loving at the moment? Let me know in the comments below.

Amina xx

*PR samples. All opinions are my own.

Hey Guys,

Recently I received the most unexpected gift I think I have ever received. You may have seen how much I wanted this palette as I mentioned it in my Beauty Wishlist Post, and here I am, the owner of the beautiful Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit (£69).

Let me start from the beginning. My best friends and I had met up to have a browse at the new Fenty collection at Harvey Nicks and to grab some food at The Mailbox. While we were browsing, the Hourglass palette caught my attention and I started telling my friend how amazing it was and how I had wanted it since it launched. I explained how I might put this on my Christmas wish list. Then out of nowhere my friend said she was going to buy it for herself! She said that she trusted my opinion and that it looked really pretty. This didn't strike me as unusual as my friend loves make-up just as much as me, so I shrieked with excitement. To be honest, I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little bit envious of her, but I couldn't justify the £69 price tag, as I was waiting for my mortgage application to go through at the time!

Anyway, we headed off to dinner and then towards the end of our little date we decided to get it out and have a closer look. While we were staring at it with wonder, my friend said ' I bought it for you, you know '. I was so confused, I must have mumbled 'Huh?' or something like that, and then my friend repeated that she bought it for me, as a way to say thank you for all my help over the past few months with her new business she is launching. I was, and still am baffled. I couldn't accept and wouldn't accept until she was ready to leave it lying there at which point... I accepted. I think this is probably the nicest real surprise I have ever had, I was so shocked, I think I wanted to cry. I was confused at how generous and lovely she could be to me for doing something that any friend in my eyes would have done. So this is the story that goes with this review and makes this palette that little bit more special for me. Thank You Sonia.

Now for the review. This palette has lived up to all the expectations I had placed on it. I hadn't read any reviews, I knew from the first time I saw it, I wanted it and had placed expectations on it myself.  Firstly with the price, it might seem expensive, however it is quite good value considering purchasing a power individually costs £40. In the palette you get 6 for £69, even though they are slightly smaller, it is still very much worth it. 

What I love about this palette is that it has every powder you need to get a complete look on your face.nFrom top to bottom, left to right, you have Diffused Light, which is a finishing powder. I use this under my eyes and on the T-Zone section, the areas that need an extra bit of setting and highlight, but it can be used all over the face. Then we have the Hypnotic Strobe Light, which can be used as a highlighter. I use this on the cheekbones, brow bone, down my nose and on my cupid's bow. The last shade on the top row is Dim Light, again meant to be used as a finishing power, however because it is slightly darker I use it more in the contours of my face like the hollow of my cheek. 

On the bottom row we have Luminous Bronze Light, a stunning bronzer which I use around the top of and across my forehead, over my nose and around the jawline. It can be used as a blush too. The final two colours are the Surreal Halo and Pure Effect. Both are intended to use as blushers, Surreal Halo a deeper plum colour and Pure Effect being a pretty pink. I tend to use Surreal Halo on the outside of the cheek and then dab Pure effect right on the apple of my cheeks. What I am left with is a radiant skin, emanating vibrance. The effect is stunning.

I love how versatile the palette is, you can layer colours together or wear on their own and still notice a difference in your makeup and skin. The palette can be worn from day to night with more or less colours being used to suit the occasion. The powders are long lasting and compliment one another so well. Honestly, it is my FAVOURITE beauty product of 2017. Have you tried any Hourglass products? What do you recommend I try next?

Amina xx

Hi Guys,

The moment Huda hinted at this I knew I needed to have it. If you don't know Huda Kattan from HudaBeauty.com then first of all where have you been? And second, she is one of the most famous beauty bloggers/vloggers around and has turned her blog into a beauty empire with the help of her two sisters Mona and Alya. They sell amazing lashes, a stunning eyeshadow palette, gorgeous liquid lipsticks and now this 3D highlight set is the newest edition to the make-up range.

Two editions of this set have been released - Pink Sands and Golden Sands. I went for Golden Sands as I felt like it would suit my skin tone more. The packaging is quite sturdy with plastic inside and a hardened cardboard on the outside. I like the fact that when you tilt the package into the light, Huda's eyelids and cheek bone are metallic and reflect the light. If you are intrigued by the '3D' in the title, let me explain. The idea behind the 3D aspect of the palette is that all four pans can be used together to sculpt the face and give more shape to the cheekbones. 

Fiji is a golden cream finish product and the idea is to apply this to the cheekbone and then set it with Seychelles to really bring out the highlight. Tahiti can then be used as the contour underneath the cheekbone and Zanzibar on the cheek for a flush. Using all four together therefore creates a 3D look. That said, I don't particularly like to use metallic colours as a contour, so personally wouldn't use Tahiti to sculpt. I do love it as a bronzer however, and think the colour is perfect for my skin tone. I am more likely to use the pans individually rather than all together, although I might for a special occasion.

Something I really liked about the palette was that it was not as pigmented as I thought it would be. Yes you heard right. I thought the product would be really pigmented, but as you can see from the swatches, it actually gives a lovely skin finish effect, and is not too over bearing. It's also really build -able, so for more pigment I could apply Fiji and then Seychelles over the top or use a little fixing spray before applying the highlighter.

The colour that steals the show for me has to be Fiji. The texture of the cream is so smooth, and understandably so, as it has pearls within the formula which help reflect the light. It can really be rubbed into the skin to give a radiance and glow. I can definitely see myself using this frequently as the colours are so wearable. Even the powders have a smoothness to them which help them to sit and blend into the skin that much better. The palette doesn't come cheap though, and at £40 (Cult Beauty) it is £10 per highlighter, but its the perfect all rounder as it has a good range of colours.

While I was shopping I couldn't help but buy a few other treats to make the most of the free shipping offer. So I ended up buying Huda Beauty Special Effects Liquid Matte in Showgirl (£18) and Lime Crime Diamond Crusher in Lit (£15). The swatches speak for themselves. Showgirl is a beautiful red metallic matte and Lit also dries matte which leaves the glitter on top just sparkling even more. 

So that was my little (big) Cult Beauty haul that made my week, but I am definitely on a spending ban from now on! What do you think of my purchases? Will you be buying the Huda Beauty Palette or do you have it already?

Amina xx