Hi Guys,

Autumn is upon us and I'm loving it! My summer wardrobe is well and truly at the back of the closet and my autumn essentials are at the forefront. I'm enjoying the fact I can start to get cosy, and have even pulled the blanket out on a couple of occasions. What I am not enjoying though are the dark mornings! Is it just me or is it 100 times harder to get up in the morning?! This week I have decided to do an autumn make-up look for you using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (£41), which was kindly bought for me as birthday gift (lucky me!).

The Modern Renaissance palette has become a cult favourite for make-up lovers and beauty bloggers everywhere. And it's easy to see why. The colours are just gorgeous and perfect for autumn. What's more, after using the eyeshadows, which are my first ABH purchases, I can well and truly say the quality and pigment in these are some of the best I have used! 

To get this eye look I lightly dabbed the ABH brush that is given with the palette, into 'Realgar' and blended through the crease of my eye and slightly higher moving towards the brow. When I say lightly, I mean very lightly. When going for the blended look it is really important to not add too much product to the brush. In fact, the less the better. Slowly building up the colour gives a more flawless finish. I then built on the colour by adding 'Venetian Red' over the top but not as high as Realgar. Then to add depth in the crease I blended through with 'Red Ochre'. Finally I added 'Cyprus Umber' directly on the crease. These are all applied one on top of the other gradually using a finer brush so the colours build up.

To the lid I then applied the colour 'Warm Taupe' and then layered 'Burnt Orange' over the top. For the lower lash line I blended through with 'Realgar' and 'love letter' to add a bit of colour. I finally added 'Primavera' to the inner corner and brow bone. All colours used were a matte with the exception of Primavera, which is a shimmer. I love using matte colours over the autumn and winter months and a dab of shine just makes the colours pop. I finally applied my liquid liner and Nouveau strip Lashes in 'Natural Style 2' (£4.95). On the cheeks I added Barry M 'Chisel Cheeks Contour' in the medium colour as I wanted the focus on the eye. The lip colour is MAC 'Spice' lip liner as I find the lipstick too dark. Add a bit of highlight and you are ready to go!

And that's all for this week folks. I hope you liked the make-up look and would love to hear your thoughts on it. Do you think you will be trying it? Do you have the ABH palette? 

Amina xx

Last week I attended an event at Organique in Birmingham's North Western Arcade. As I walked through the Great Western and North Western Arcades I was reminded of some great independent shops that are hidden within it and made a promise to visit more often.

Organique was founded in Poland and this is the only store in the whole of the UK (lucky us). As I walked through the door I was greeted by fantastic smells and warm smiles. In the centre of the store was a table full of multicoloured bath salts and bath bombs enticing you in.

A few of the products really caught my eye, including the vast range of shea butter body balms. There is a variety of scents that smell good enough to eat! My personal favourites were Strawberry & Guava (£7.95) and Orange & Chilli (£7.95). As I tested out some of the products on my hand I was drawn to the 'Eternal Gold' range, mainly because it contains real gold and fine particles of glitter that left a beautiful shimmer on my skin. In particular, the Gold Corundum Peeling Cream (£18.50) that can be used as a facial scrub, left my hand sparkling. Yes it is pricey, but it does contains gold and is designed to be used as a real treat, rather than every day.

Another product that caught my attention and I actually purchased was the Aleppo Soap (£9.95), which contains laurel and olive oil. I was told that this was particularly good for dry skin which is prone to Eczema. I thought I would give it a go as my daughter suffers from Eczema and this may help her, so fingers crossed! Another interesting fact is that this soap is made in Syria and, due to the escalating conflict, production has stopped, so purchase it while you can.

Attending this event really educated me on organic products in general. Some of the items we buy off the high street can contain so many additional and unnecessary ingredients that can cause reactions to our skin. It has definitely made me think twice about what I apply to mine and my children's skin. If there are products out there that are 100% natural and affordable, then why not use these instead?

Justyna giving a demonstration. This lady knows her stuff!

Have you gone organic? Have you noticed the change in your skin? Do you have children with Eczema? I would love any tips! Leave a comment below!

Amina xx

Now, I know all of us are rushed for time in some way, whether it's because the alarm hasn't gone off, or because you have two babies holding on to each leg (like me). But, that doesn’t mean there’s no time for a fast make up fix before you run out the door. So, I thought I would post my quickest make up look, which is mainly thanks to the fact that it uses just two key products: mascara, and a cream blush, also used as a lipstick. ;o)

This look can be done literally within five minutes or less. The star product and what makes this look so quick (and portable) is MAC Cremeblend Blush in 'Britwit'. MAC has five colours to choose from in this range, so take your pick. The reason I love ‘Britwit’ is because it gives such a natural-looking flush, especially on my skin tone.

It is creamy in texture, but blends so easily into the skin. I literally applied my foundation (MAC Face & Body C5 - 50ml, £22.50), which is optional, then mascara (L’Oréal False lash Telescopic mascara in black, £10.99)  and used my fingers to apply the MAC Cremeblend blush (£18.50) to my cheeks. You could use a stippling brush if you prefer, but I just find it easier to blend with my finger for this particular product. I then finish the look by applying the blush to my lips. And that's it! 

What I love is that I can carry the MAC Cremeblend around in my purse and re-apply throughout the day. Because it is cream-based, it gives such a fresh and dewy look which, by now, you probably know I am obsessed with. Below are some pictures of the completed look.

If you have even less time, scrap the foundation and you are left with such a simple, yet effective look, with just two products! I love quick and easy looks. The less products the better, I say. Have you got any quick make up tip ideas? I would love to hear, if you do. Comment below. Thanks.

Amina xx