After the popularity of my Fenty Beauty Pro Filtr and Matchstix Trio posts, you guys wanted me to swatch and review the Stunna Lip Paint; usually I wouldn't just review one shade alone, so you know a lipstick has to be pretty special to have a blog post all of its own these days on my blog!
Of course when the Stunna Lip Paint was released I was dyinggg to get my hands on it to review but wanted to check it in person at Harvey Nichols first as not every red lipstick suits me despite it being described as a "universal red" and I wasn't willing to wait in a queue in this cold. So when it turned up in the post from their PR I was over the moon and knew I wanted to get it on my lips ASAP.
Now I don't generally wear red lipstick these days but seeing as it's a more wearable colour in this festive season, I thought I'd wear red a bit more to test it out; read on to see what I think of "Uncensored"...

FF: Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes Quarter Cut Crease

After attending the FIRST Too Faced store launch in Carnaby Street London and receiving an epic goodie bag, I knew I had to create a look with the Just Peachy Mattes palette which is currently only exclusively available at the store in the UK (Debenhams dates tbc).
Read on to see the (mostly Too Faced) products used!

Tuesday Takeover: Sultana Says

Today's guest post is from a recently discovered blogger Sultana (of Sultana Says), who I started talking to on Instagram without even realising she blogged too!
Once I read her writing style over on her blog I knew I had to have her guest post on mine and when I received these Sleek goodies I thought she would be a fab choice to review them for me (the palette looked so gorgeous and golden, I had to resist from swatching!)

Read on to see what she thinks of some of the new Sleek products out these holidays!

Sunday Swatches: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks - Holiday 2017

Another year, another load of Holiday collections to talk about on the blog, but every year it gets harder to choose which I love the most as there are soooo many amazing gift sets from every brand!
If you remember my Stila Holiday Liquid Lipstick post last year, I bought two liquid lipstick sets and this year I've kindly been sent two of the four sets available to swatch, so I thought I would swatch the bigger set and hold a giveaway at the end of this post for the "Warm & Fuzzy" trio, so read on for more info!

FF: Black Friday with Illamasqua

So for Black Friday I created a smokey look thanks to you guys who suggested I create it with the new Illamasqua Delirious palette I received. I used a bit of the matte mauvey tones in the crease and the black glittery shade to create the smokey eye effect, read on to see exact products used!

Sunday Swatches: Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighters

After my last highlighter post by NYX, I've been pretty obsessed with liquid highlighters and when I saw these ones by Makeup Revolution I was instantly reminded of the Cover FX liquid highlighters I've seen online (that I'm still yet to try)! Read on to see what I think of them and of course swatches ;)

Tuesday Takeover: Tanzina Makeup A To Z

It's been an age since I've had Tanzina (Makeup A to Z) guest posting on my blog, 4 years to be exact! 

You can check her last guest post here, where she recreated one of my client party makeup looks.

This time around she'll be reviewing a few red lipsticks that I was sent as red lipsticks are her thanggg and I knew she'd be the best person to review them, especially in this festive month when red is more likely to be worn. Read on to see how stunning she looks in them!

Sunday Swatches: Huda Beauty Obsessions Palette Review

Hello my lovelies! So today I'm reviewing the Huda Beauty Obsession palette in Warm Brown, although I did buy both Warm Brown and Mauve to compare to the original Textured Rose Gold palette, I ended up only swatching and reviewing the Warm Brown and am still undecided on whether to keep the Mauve or not!
Read on to see my full review and what I think as well as a few comparisons to the Textured Rose Gold (TRG) palette which you can read my review of here.

Tuesday Takeover: Yazmiinaktar

With Christmas/Holiday season finally here, I'm hoping to get some Holiday gift ideas and inspo up on the blog, so keep an eye out for these, but today I have a new guest poster - Yasmin of Yazmiinaktar - a blogger who has been following me since my Frooti days and is super cute and also a new mum now!

I absolutely love her blog and she's ever so kindly reviewed a couple things from a package I received recently from Pur Cosmetics.

Read on to see what she thinks of these Pur Cosmetics Quick Pro products!

Sunday Swatches: Anastasia Beverly Hills Holiday 2017 Liquid Lipstick Set Review

I recently came across this ABH Liquid Lipstick set whilst browsing on Cult Beauty and up until now, I actually haven't properly tried an ABH liquid lipstick, because it was always hard to get hold of.
Thanks to my lovely followers on IG, I was reminded of the recent UK ABH site so it's worth checking that for future reference, but when I saw this set I knew I had to get it not only because I've not tried any, but also because sets alwaysss work out better value for money for me as I rarely get through a whole full size liquid lipstick.
Read on to see my swatches and full review of these!

Sunday Swatches: MAC Snow Ball Holiday Collection

As you may or may not know, MAC have released their holiday collection this week entitled the Snow Ball Collection (available here!) and I have to say it has literally been years since I was last super excited about their Holiday collection. The last time I was this excited about MAC's holiday collection was the Glitter and Ice Collection here in 2011 and I guess I really am a magpie because yet again, the packaging this year had my eyes all heart eyed, and after I saw the limited edition Whisper Of Gilt highlighter back again, I was sold.
Before I start, this isn't going to be a full review post as usual, I just thought I'd share my trip to MAC on the launch day, my picks, thoughts and a couple swatches I took whilst visiting the store as well as what I purchased from the collection 😍
Read on to see more!

Sunday Swatches: Foundation Files - Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation Review

After my last Foundations Files post on Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r foundations, I've been inundated with requests of swatches and a review of the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter foundation and of course I had to oblige!
As with the Fenty Pro Filt'r, I tested this foundation in various ways to find which way worked best for me, read on to see what I think..

Sunday Swatches: L'Oreal Matte Addiction Lipsticks

So after my #MatteAddiction campaign at the beginning of this year, I was sent the full 16 Matte Addiction lipsticks in an unexpected lush package that I knew I needed to swatch for my YouTube channel asap!
As you guys may know already if you read my personal blog post about the campaign earlier this year, my shade in the campaign is 633 Moka Chic which is a perfect nude pink for my skintone and pigmented lips (watch it in action on my YouTube here and here).
So many of you lovely followers sent me pictures on instagram/twitter/facebook of your Moka Chic purchases, which really meant a lot to me 💗
The support has been unreal, I'm glad you guys loved my shade and after receiving this package a lot of you requested a swatch post and video, so after months of editing the video on and off, here it is!

Affordable Beauty: Eyelashes - All Under £5

There's some makeup things in life that you can't afford to scrimp on, but when it comes to eyelashes, I've never really been too comfortable spending anything over £15 for.. and even then I question whether I can get them cheaper because even though they're reuseable, I tend to have to cut off a fair bit to fit the short width of my eyes, which really does hurt sometimes!

Alas, I have scoured a few places to put together an affordable list of eyelashes, most of which suit small eyes like mine and all under £5 🙌🏽

Read on to see what I've found so far..

Tuesday Takeover: Amina - Aliandher

I've got another Tuesday Takeover from one of my blogger faves, Amina!

The last time Amina guest posted for me, she reviewed the Too Faced x Kat Von D Ultimate Eye collection (here) and today she's reviewing the NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Creams!

Read on for her thoughts and swatches <3

Sunday Swatches: Foundation Files - Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation

Fenty Beauty is all the rage right now and of course after my last post about the Match Stix Trio, I needed to follow up with this much requested Pro Filt'r foundation review!
I have to say this blog post's planning, execution, testing, write up and everything has felt more like a final year degree project/dissertation, I have even tested this foundation under different conditions (explained below) like a true scientist to give it a fair test.. guess my BSc Human Nutrition taught me that much at least 😂
The Store Visit It may not be that deep for anyone that isn't this fazed by foundation or this product in general but the response I've had on my instagram from many girls like me has been phenomenal and because many of you can't visit Harvey Nichols easily (especially in tourist central Knightsbridge here in London!) AND a two hour wait, it's not the most convenient thing to check out in person, especially if you work full time or have kids.
So when I visited the store second time around on Tuesday (the second weekday after the launch weekend), I still had just under an hour's wait to get in at midday and unfortunately I didn't get to swatch the full foundation ranges but you can see below mostly medium to tan shades from the 40 available foundations (which was no easy feat during launch madness - I even tweeted tips for anyone planning to visit here!)
I have to say the waiting process at the Knightsbridge store is pretty civilised and controlled, the security and counter staff were also nice enough to let me go back and forth from the counter to the corner near the doors for daylight so thanks Harvey Nix staff!
A lot of the messages I received on IG were of course asking what shade I think they would be based on MAC, NARS, L'Oreal etc so I decided to trek to a MAC store to get samples of their best selling/universally popular foundation - Studio Fix Fluid - to compare a few Fenty shades to.. in the hope this helps.
So make sure you have a cuppa ready and without further ado, here is my full in depth review, starting with swatches:

Review & Swatches: Fenty Beauty - Match Stix Trio

I'm sure you already know that Rihanna has launched her own makeup line called Fenty Beauty "so that women everywhere could be included" and initially I was dubious seeing as celebrity makeup launches tend to be a bit gimmicky, but as the launch approached I became more and more intrigued especially because of my quest for finding the perfect match foundation, so I decided to sit up and research this new brand.

In case you didn't know, Rihanna's full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty which is where her "Fenty" brand comes from and she's focused her line on "hard to match skin tones" as well as products that should work for all skin types.

I'm here to test out a few of these products and give my opinion based on my experience as a makeup artist and of course years of blogging; I already held an instagram live the day I visited Fenty Beauty, so if you're not following me, make sure you do (@safiyahtasneem) for more current opinions!

In this Fenty Beauty blog post I'll be reviewing the Match Stix Trio that I purchased on the first day I visited Fenty Beauty at Harvey Nichols (I waited an hour and a half!) 

Read on to see why I bought this and for the full review with swatches <3

Saturday Skincare: The Body Shop Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask

If you're not following me on Instagram, you may have missed just how excited I was for the release of this new Body Shop Expert Facial Mask: The Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask.
As soon as I saw the preview pictures, I knew I had to have it; I've never been this excited for a skincare product launch, but I was for this one because anyone who knows me knows I'm pretty matcha obsessed and have been for years ever since discovering it.
I feel quite proud when followers tag me in matcha related posts on social media as I I feel like everyone should know about it and at least try this superfood once in their life! You can read about it's health benefits in my matcha chiller/frappe blog post.. considering it's the only food related post I've written on the blog, you know the love is real lol.
I was super thrilled to have received the mask from The Body Shop before it's release date and even held a first impressions demo on Instagram Live, also using one of the two new facial toners (Chinese Ginseng & Rice) which was pretty fun to do with my followers.
Read on to see my thoughts on the mask and your chance to win a mask for yourself!

Naked Heat Makeup Look 3 - He Devil Halo

Last in this Naked Heat series trio of makeup looks is this fiery halo eye that I've called He Devil Halo (antithesis much?!)

I decided to use the reds in the palette to create a "halo" (or 3D) eye effect which is basically a technique using darker/matte shadows on the inner and outer corner eye and shimmer on middle of lid.

This technique suits more rounded eye shapes than mine but is one of my fave styles recently so I hope you guys are inspired by it <3

Naked Heat Makeup Look 2 - Smoked Ashes

Second in my 3 part series of Naked Heat looks is this smoky matte look using shimmer shadows on the bottom lashline and a slight change of colour on the lips as I mixed 1993 Vice liquid lipstick with my fave nude pink shade Backtalk (yes it's personalised!) for this look. Read on to see all products used and more pictures 💗

Friday FOTD: Naked Heat Makeup Looks - Look 1 - Baked Ember

After my Naked Heat review + swatches (here), I wanted to create a couple looks with it so you guys can get some inspo seeing as many of you either already have this palette or wanted to see certain shades used (like Ashes and He Devil!)
I was going to just create two smoky looks (second smoky look here) as that was most requested but really wanted to add a reddish one (here) seeing as this palette is about bringing the HEAT:

Instead of putting them all in one post and making it super picture heavy, I've decided to split them up into three posts so keep an eye out for the other two makeup posts 👀 I pretty much used the same face/lip products for each look, with just a different eyeshadow technique, so I hope you enjoy this quick makeup series!
Read on for the first look and products used!

Tuesday Takeover: Truly Madly Beauty

I received a cute Model's Own x Sophy Robson package a while back and because I felt I wouldn't do the collection much justice (I can just about paint my nails one colour these days without smudging!) I looked for someone to guest post for me and chose Aysha who's guest posted for me before (click here).
Read on to see what she's created with these fab Models Own polishes!
Hello there lovely readers!
I'm so delighted to be collaborating with the beautiful Safiyah again, I've alotta love for this lady, not only have I been a follower of hers for donkeys years (oh gods that makes us sound ancient doesn't it?) but she also taught this dunce how to contour correctly, me & my defined cheekbones are forever grateful for your tutelage my dear! She's now played the role of fairy blogmother & very kindly offered to send over to moi some of the new Models Own polishes to play with. On par with cake & cats my passion is nails so I was more than happy to step in & swatch these beautiful polishes for her as well as rustle up some quickie nail art looks for you with them.

Sunday Swatches: Urban Decay Naked Heat Full Review

Over the years of being into makeup and blogging, I find it amazing how trends change and would never have guessed even 5 years ago that red toned makeup palettes would be a thing as most people were scared to wear it around the eye area for fear of looking like you had some sort of eye irritation/infection!
Back when I worked for Urban Decay, there were probably maximum two pink/red shades that were rarely sold because of the fear of red and I remember telling customers to explore by adding depth to a look - by using a red or pink lightly above the crease if they wanted to try something new.
Fast forward to 2016/17 and warm/red toned palettes are so hot right now we can't seem to get enough as it's wearable all year round but especially for Summer and Autumn/Fall.
I missed the flash preview sale of the UK Urban Decay website of this Naked Heat palette and vowed to make a beeline to the store as soon as it was released to add it to my Naked palette collection. Then Urban Decay ever so kindly sent me this palette before the release date this week and I was positively grinning from ear to ear and knew I needed to swatch, wear and review it asap and I've literally been wearing different looks every day with this palette to test it out since receiving it.
Read on to see my thoughts on this new addition to the Naked palettes..

 

Friday FOTD: Ariana Grande Beauty and the Beast Makeup Tutorial

For monthsss I've been meaning to upload this tutorial; I filmed it straight after watching Beauty and the Beast at the cinema, but didn't get round to editing it fast enough and then when the Manchester tragedy occurred it felt too wrong to post.. RIP all those innocent lives lost </3

I've always lowkey been an Ariana fan, but after watching Ariana's benefit concert in Manchester it was set in stone that she was awesome!

With the UK DVD release of Beauty and the Beast being this weekend, I thought I'd upload it in time for that, but do check out my video tutorial below as it's quite a wearable look using none other than the ever popular Modern Renaissance palette (yet again!).

The palette is definitely my favourite and most wearable pink-red hued palette so far (read my full review here), and seeing as most people (should) have it, I thought it would fit this "Ari-inspired" look best.

Sunday Swatches: Foundation Files - Marc Jacobs Re(Marc)able Foundation Concentrate

After my last blog post featuring my Eid (Ul Fitr) 2017 makeup look where I used the Marc Jacobs Re(Marc)able foundation the whole day, I thought I'd give my review next as it was also the second most popular voted foundation to review after NYX Total Control!

Friday FOTD: Eid Make Up Look 2017

So it's a bit delayed but here's my Eid FOTD this year that I posted on Instagram already, thought it would be better off logged (and more easily searchable) here.
I ran an IG giveaway just before Eid this year and asked you guys/my IG followers what kind of makeup you usually wear on Eid/will be wearing this year (here) and felt so inspired!
I knew I wanted to wear something pastelly pink but ended up getting something pastelly peach-pink to wear instead, so the makeup I chose was a soft peachy pink look with glitter and a a heavier than usual winged liner.

Read on to see full list of products used and my OOTD!

Tuesday Takeover: Cydney Helsdown

I've got another Tuesday Takeover guest post for you this week and its from the naturally gorgeous Cydney Helsdown who I first discovered on Twitter!
Cydney is another fellow mummy blogger, who blogs about not only beauty but lifestyle, mummy posts, food and travel.. so it's definitely worth checking her blog here.

She's going to be reviewing some Tarte products today which I've not actually had the chance to access much so I'm glad she's guest posted this for me.

Read on to see her thoughts on the Tarte Kit which includes the Amazonian Clay foundation, Maneater mascara and more!

Eid Gift Ideas - Beauty

By now, if you haven't got your Eid gifts sorted you may be desperate for some inspo, so if stationary isn't their thing, then here are my beauty picks for Eid. I've started with two brands that have Eid-specific products which I think is amazing and would love to see more brands cater to gifting for Eid time if possible as it does make gift searching a lot more easier!
After these, I've included my favourite beauty products released so far this year (whilst they're still available!), which can also come in handy for some birthday present inspiration.
Usually if I don't know what the person wants for Eid/birthdays, I tend to scour the internet for gift sets which are better value for money as you tend to get more products for the price you pay.. which is always a win.
Read on to see my personal favourites and recommendations this Eid...

Eid Gift Ideas - Stationary

Sooo, as we get closer to Eid, I thought I'd put up a post of gift ideas, first starting with stationary as it's something that can be gifted to males and females.

Whilst browsing Etsy for Eid related ideas (they're the best place to shop for personalised/niche products btw!) I found a few small businesses online that offer Eid related stationary/gift ideas, but also included my current favourite non-islamic related stationary shop I'm obsessed with too at the end of this post.
I personally love stationary and think it makes a great gift as most people will use it at work or if a student or at least use it as a prop for their pictures if they're a blogger like me haha.  I adore monochrome or geometric patterns and when they have hints of metallic shades in them (particularly rose gold) I'm sold! 
I've both purchased and been sent some of the stationary from small businesses in this post, I do love supporting smaller businesses in general as it takes a lot of initiative and commitment to start business in the first place, so do check them out for some more fab ideas 💞

Sunday Swatches: Foundation Files - NYX Total Control Drop Foundation Review

[picture heavy post!] Whenever I get a NYX package, whatever is on my blogging to do list gets forgotten and I bump it right up the list because I'm over excited and know that everyone in the world will be too.
So when I received this mahoosive delivery of ALL 24 shades of Total Control Drop foundations.. I was in awe and made sure to get it on my face asap so I could get reviewing.
Months after the US had it and paraded it over our Instagrams, the long awaited NYX Total Control Drop Foundations have finally reached the UK and here's what I think about them.. 

Halal Nail Polish? Nova Nails

I recently discovered Nova Nails nail polish online after searching for a real "halal" nail polish.. something I've been looking for the last couple years actually, so I thought it would be perfect to try in Ramadan.
I have a couple Inglot O2M "breathable" nail polishes which are supposedly also halal but I've there's always a slight niggle that makes me worry that it's not fully halal so when I stumbled across these Nova washable nail polishes, I was over the moon!
Admittedly it comes with pros and cons, read on to see what these are and a demo video of how it works!

 

Saturday Skincare: Thirsty Skin

Since my last skincare post, my routine has changed considerably; mainly because it was very basic (you'll know if you caught my Instagram Live a couple months ago!) and also because I've received a fair few new skincare products through PR packages, so I've been giving them a whirl and thought I'd share my new routine/suggested products for this month of fasting when our skin is most likely lacking in hydration!
I try to wear even more minimal makeup in Ramadan than I usually do because I like to use it as a detox monthand focus my saved time elsewhere either spiritually or at least focussing more on skincare.
I've followed the Spend/Save theme as before where I could below, suggesting both affordable and high end options for you to check out if you're feeling spendy.
Read on to see what steps I'd recommend for parched skin; some of these are suitable for combination to oily skin types too of course 💗

Ramadan 2017 - The Body Shop Eid Treats Beauty Calendar!

So Ramadan is upon us once again and despite recent incidences in the news I'm hoping this month teaches us the true meaning of peace and patience as well as general reflection on ourselves.
This year will be another hard year as the hours of fasting are 18+ here in the UK and like last year, ironically the weather has decided to finally become hot again in time for Ramadan. If you missed my matcha milkshake recipe last year on the blog, be sure to check it out here if you'd like some extra health benefits when breaking your fast and an alternative refreshing drink with a quick caffeine fix if you're a tea/coffee drinker.
Despite this and the 24 hour job of being a mother to a boisterous 3 year old (and toilet training atm!), I have a couple blog posts planned that I hope to get up this month, including an Eid gift guide and hopefully some more foundation reviews to add to my Foundation Files database! 
Be sure to also check out my Instagram too as I will be opening this calendar every day and plan to do a few giveaways as well as a special Instagram takeover too 👀
I thought I'd start this month by sharing this absolutely stunning and well made "Eid Treats" Beauty Advent Calendar especially made for Ramadan/Eid ever so kindly sent from The Body Shop.
Read on to see more!