Hi everyone, I hope you are all having a great week?

 This week I thought I would review the Makeup revolution 'The ONE' highlight contour and sculpt contour sticks. Firstly, can I just say how much I love Makeup Revolution! I own a lot of their products as they are such good value for money. I could not live without their eyeshadow palettes! I have had these sticks for a while and have used them now and again. I bought them direct from the Makeup Revolution London website and at the time they were on offer so I got them both for £6! However they are back to full price now which is £5 each (still not bad).

Highlight and Sculpt

Starting with the Sculpt contour, I have to admit that I have only used it once. That's because I find the colour too orangey brown. I like to use more of a dirty brown when I contour, as it gives the effect of a natural shadow. However when orangey brown colours are used, the contour can look quite obvious, which is not a good look as far as I'm concerned. Aside from the colour, the pigment and consistency is quite nice. It is designed to use straight from stick to face however when contouring smaller areas, like the nose, you may need to use a brush, as the stick is quite wide.

When I was learning how to apply make-up, my biggest anxiety was colour matching the foundation correctly to skin colour. The biggest faux pas has to be having a face covered with foundation that doesn't match the rest of your body! However, I was soon put at ease when I learned a few tricks to master the technique. So, I thought I would share these with you to make your lives easier!

Starting with the basics, there are two types of skin tone. Those who have a pink undertone (warm) and those who have a yellow undertone (cool). One way of working out if you have a cool or warm undertone is by (believe it or not) looking at the veins in your wrist. If they are blue, then this signifies cool, but if they are green, this signifies a warm undertone. However, if like me, you have some veins that are blue and some that are green, the best thing to do is simply look in a mirror. Look at your face and if there is an underlying redness you are probably warm. If you look quite yellowy at times, then you are cool.

Foundations also also come in these tones. MAC make it easy for us by categorising their make up into NC, C (cool) or NW, N (warm). However, not all make up companies have made it this easy, so a good way of testing foundation is to swatch the ones you think match closest onto the hand or jawline. It is important to give the foundation time to react and settle into the skin. Before you make any decisions, wait at least two minutes. The correct shade should fade into the skin and match the neck. Now, if you fake tan, I would swatch a bit lower down the neck too, as you want the foundation to match your tan rather than your skin colour!

From left to right: MAC Pro longwear NC15, NC25, NC35

The one that matches the skin and neck best for me is NC25.

When selecting a foundation you should also take into account your skin type.  Foundations are categorised into dewy, matte and semi matte. If you have greasy skin, a matte foundation will suit you better, but if you have dry skin, I would try a dewy foundation. For combination skin, a semi matte foundation is best. Usually the bottle will say if it is matte or dewy, but the best way to tell is to test it out on your hand.

One final tip is to make sure you look at your skin in actual daylight. Indoor lighting can make your foundation look a totally different colour to what it actually is. So when you are picking a foundation colour, I would always step out of the shop and make sure the colour matches in daylight. To make things even more complicated, it's best to use different foundation shades in the summer and winter as due to sun exposure you are obviously more tanned in the summer.

A great website I have come across recently is www.findation.com . You simply input some of your current foundation colours and it comes up with a list of other foundations by various brands that may match your skin. It's great for if you are looking to try something new or strapped for time.

I hope this brief explanation of foundation matching helps you. I would love to know if you have any others that could help. Which foundations do you like most? Which could you not live without?

Amina xx

As Valentine's Day is fast approaching, I thought it would be nice to do a look for the special day. I thought doing a red lip might be predictable, so have opted for a soft pink look instead. However, I have teamed it with a little bit of black to add a bit of sass!

Sneak peek of my valentines look. Will be on the blog next week. #pinkandblackaffair #pinkandblack #valentinesmakeup #valentinesmakeuplook #beautyblogger #beautybloggers #makeup #makeupbyme #makeupartist #makeupartistbirmingham #bblogger #bbloggers #bbloggersuk #beauty #macpigments #barrympigments #alternativelook #eyeshadow #eyes #makeupideas #mua #muabirmingham

A photo posted by Amina Ali (@aminaali_mua) on Feb 2, 2016 at 12:19pm PST

For the base I used MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC25 (£25.50) which I warmed up with a contour using the L.A. Girl Pro HD concealers. (For a review and tutorial on these click here.) On the brows I used Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Brown (£5.50).

Now for the eyes. I used Barry M Dazzle Dust in Athena (£4.59) over the lid and MAC Black Black pigment (£16) on the outer corner. I mixed these with Kiko Mixing Solution (which is on offer at £1.90 at the moment!) to get the most out of the colour. I used the mixing solution to make the pigment into a paste which makes it easier to apply and longer lasting. I blended in the crease with a dark brown matte eyeshadow. To get the shape of the flick I used liquid liner and blended this into the shadow. I highlighted the inner corner and under the brow with Kiko Colour Sphere Eyeshadow in Golden White (£5.90). I then applied my falsies!




On the cheeks, I am wearing Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Pink Explosion (£31.00)  and lips are Kiko Smart lipstick in Intense Rose (£3.90).




I have used a mix of high end, high street and drug store products here to show you don't always need to spend a fortune to get a gorgeous look! I think the look is perfect for Valentines day, subtle but sexy at the same time!

What do you think of the look? What colours are you going for? I would love to hear from you. Happy Valentine's Day!

Amina xx

If you are looking for 'ombre brows' or 'Insta brows', you are reading the wrong blog! Each to their own and everything, but, personally I like a natural looking brow. Brows frame the eyes and can make such a difference to the overall makeup look, but remember: 'Eyebrows are sisters, not twins!'.

I am quite lucky, in that my hair growth on my eyebrows is quite good. I don't really have any bald patches, but the hair is fine, so always falls downwards. I maintain my eyebrows by threading them myself. I am not an expert threader, but I have a good go, and if there are any hairs left, I simply tweeze them out.

I came across Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil and Gel (Dark brown, £7.99) when shopping in Boots and liked the idea of having a pencil and a gel, all in one product, so I thought I would give it a go. I wanted a product for everyday use and so didn't want anything too expensive.



I applied the pencil first and created a slightly thicker shape. Then, to set the hairs in place, I used the gel. You could even apply the pencil in the day, and for a fuller coverage, apply the gel for an evening look. I am really impressed with the overall finish. I think the brows look fuller, more shapely, smooth and my eyes look lifted and less tired! It has become a staple in my make-up bag.

Before                                        After

Do you like the look? Are you a fan of fuller brows? Have you tried any other amazing eyebrow products? I would love to know!

Amina xx

Happy New Year everyone!

A couple of months ago I posted that Kiko was opening in Birmingham and I have been there more than once let's just say! So for New Year's this year I rocked a smokey eye using Kiko's Double Dare eyeshadow and liner duo (£7.90) from their newest collection, 'Campus Idol'. I thought I would do a quick review and detail the look.

My New Year's eve look! Using @kikocosmeticsofficial Double dare eyeshadow stick! Happy new year everyone! #happynewyear #makeup #kiko #kikotrendsetters #mua #makeupartist #smokeyeyes #smokeyeye #bblogger #bbloggers #bbloggersuk #beauty #beautyblogger #beautybloggers #nudelips

A photo posted by Amina Ali (@aminaali_mua) on Dec 31, 2015 at 10:19am PST

Firstly, I loved the packaging. It has an old school 'Preppy' feel to it. The duo itself is 2 in 1 making it ideal and compact. The more items you get into one product the better! I purchased it in two colours, '02 - Copper and Chocolate' and '06 - Steel and anthracite' which I am wearing. The eyeshadow stick applies quite smoothly and is creamy in texture and the eyeliner is similar. Because of its creamy texture, I expected it to crease on the eyelid or wear off on the crease during the night, however I was pleasantly surprised when it stayed put!

Campus Idol Packaging with Steel/Anthracite duo.

From top to bottom: Chocolate/copper duo and Steel/Anthracite.

For the price, you are essentially getting two products, an eyeshadow and a liner which I think is fab! I would definitely recommend! I opted for a smokey look for New Year's and thought the Steel and Anthracite duo would do this perfectly as it has a slight sparkle to it.

I applied a black kohl liner over the lid firstly and blended out slightly with a blending brush. I then applied the Anthracite eyeshadow over the kohl straight from the duo. Next I blended a matte brown eyeshadow through the crease to bring out the colour on the lid. I used 'paper bag' from the Sleek i-Divine Ultra Mattes V2 palette (£7.99). I then used the Steel liner over the lash line and blended this up with a detailer brush. Finally, I applied my falsies! And my eyes were done.

Using my Manizer sisters Luminizing palette by The Balm cosmetics (£21.60), I added 'Mary-Lou Manizer' highlight on my cheekbone and 'Cindy-Lou Manizer' on the cheek. My nude lip was also Kiko. It was the Temptress lip set in '01 - misty rose' (£7.60) . It's quite an easy look as the double dare duo does all the hard work. Below is the finished look.



What do you think? Do you like the look? Are you tempted to buy the duo? I would love to hear your comments.

Amina xx