Illamasqua Beyond Powder Review

There is ALWAYS room for a new highlight in my make up collection and I've had my eye on this beauty for a few months now. With ASOS having a 20% off everything code, it would be rude not to right?

This luxurious baked highlighting powder from Illamasqua looks like a soft pillow in it's pan. It's silky smooth to touch and glides onto the skin with ease. It's not the most pigmented in my collection, but sometime's it's good to have something a little more build-able. When I've been using this, I've been applying all of my other make up first, then MAC fix+'ing my face before sweeping the highlight just before my face is dry. It gives a gorgeous warm glow that lasts all day.

Swatched dry from the pan - use MAC's Fix+ on your brush to add depth (great for the inner corners of the eyes!) You could also pop a little cream highlight underneath for more impact. This is also available in a warmer, bronzey shade 'Epic'', gorgeous for deeper skin tones.

Illamasqua Beyond Highlighting Powder in 'OMG Champagne Shimmer' - £32

Today's Face - 15/05/16

I had a quick five minute test shoot this afternoon with Neil Mason. I wanted my make up to be comfortable and more natural on the skin and lips with more definition on the eyes. I don't wear lashes casually day to day, but they really help to open eyes on camera and are a must have for any special occasion. I can't get enough of these Makeup Geek eyeshadows at the moment, they blend like a dream and have amazing colour pay off. Let me know if you would like to see my favourite shades.

Products used (all linked):

Primer – NIOD Photography Fluid / Smashbox Primer Water

Foundation – Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation (3.5 Warm Beige)

Setting powder – Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Dim Light)

Concealer – Urban Decay Naked Skin (Light Warm)

Blusher – Max Factor Crème Puff Blush (Nude Mauve)
Bronzer - Nars (Laguna)

Contour – NYX Contour & Highlight Palette (07)

Highlight – Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (Champagne Pop)

Brows – Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow Pomade (Blonde) / Eyeko Brow Gel

Eye primer – MAC Paint Pot (Soft Ocre)

Eyeshadows – MakeUp Geek (Lid - Magic Act, Crease – Mocha and a bronzer to blend)

Eye Liner – Stila Stay All Day Waterproof (Black)

Mascara – Clinique High Impact (Black)

Lashes – No7

Lip Liner – Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat (Pillow Talk)

Lipstick – Clinique Lip Pop (Beige Pop)

Lipgloss – Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector (05)

Setting spray – MAC Fix+

2016 © Neil Mason/N Anthony Mason Ltd - All Rights Reserved. Web: [www.nanthonymason.co]. Social: [@nanthonymason #nanthonymason/nanthonymason].

"A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting" - Christian Dior

I don’t feel ready to leave the house until I’ve got my perfume on. Even before bed, I have a quick spritz of one of my Victoria Secret’s body sprays. The great thing about fragrance is that it's unique to everyone and the smell can even link back to a special memory or person.

On this tray (H&M Home) I keep my go-to fragrances. My taste does vary depending on the occasion, but I do seem to gravitate towards the stronger scents. I always spritz the inside of my wrists (don’t rub them together!) and just below my ears. Good quality perfumes don't require bathing in them. If you find that the scent isn't lasting long enough, try popping a little Vaseline on these points before you spray.

My current favourite day time scent has to be either 'See By' Chloe (left) or 'La Vie Est Belle' by Lancome (right). 'See By' Chloe is ‘the little sister’ of the original Chloe. It’s floral, pretty and playful. Think bergamot, sandalwood with a hint of vanilla. Sad news is, I think this has now been discontinued. Luckily I have a back up! While Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle’s (meaning ‘life is beautiful’) has a top note of iris, a heart of patchouli and a base of gourmand. Both gorgeous and girly.

 As for an evening scent, for me it’s all about Dior. Dior 'Addict' (left) is a sophisticated, floral and oriental fragrance. 'Hypnotic Poison' (right) includes notes of bitter almond, caraway, jasmine sambac, moss, jacaranda wood, vanilla, and musk. These are both strong, warm and mature scents. You don’t need much of it to make a statement! Think stiletto heels, red lippy, you'll smell me before you'll see me kinda vibe. 

When testing out a fragrance in a shop, I’d recommend trying it on your skin rather than those little bits of card. Let the scent settle into your skin for a while and come back to it. See how it lasts, how it smells on you. Sometimes the counters even have samples to take home and try out.

I also love these little Zara scents, perfect size for your handbag as a top up and don’t cost much more than a fiver. These are just the two I currently have, but I've tried most of them and they're all pretty good.

I’ve got my eye on the Jo Malone (Amber & Patchouli Cologne) and Marc Jacobs (Decadence) for my next purchases. What are your favourite fragrances? Do you have a signature scent or switch it up?

Jaclyn Hill x Becca - Champagne Pop Review

When Jacklyn announced her collab with Becca cosmetics, I just KNEW we were in for a highlighter of dreams. Her Shimmering Skin Perfector in ‘Champagne Pop’ certainly did not disappoint. 

However, this little darling has been a buggar to get hold of! It completely sold out on release and I’ve had it saved on my bookmarks for daily refreshing ever since. You can just imagine how delighted I was opening it as a birthday present from my bestie, what a babe!

Sigma 129 Luxe Fan Brush

First impression was that compared to my usual gold toned highlighters, this looked very warm and peachy. Even though I'm using it sparingly at the thought of it being limited edition, it's quickly become my go-to highlight. This is NOT a highlighter for a natural make up look, this packs some serious shimmer and glow. The pigmentation is incredible, with an almost creamy formulation considering it’s a pressed powder product. A quick, light sweep across cheekbones will take your make up from flat to fabulous in seconds.

‘Champagne Pop’ is quickly becoming one of my all time favourite highlighters and I’ve already got my eye on the other Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors.
£32 – Cult Beauty.