*this post is sponsored by BECCA (eek!)
Up until now, BECCA have been known mostly for face/base products that give their signature "BECCA Glow" and most people will know about their their amazingly buttery Shimmering Skin Perfectors (if not, then where have you been?!). Opal is my ultimate fave in both the liquid and powder form, but I also had time to play around with their foundations, concealers and other glowy goodness at the BECCA trip (blog post here), where I discovered they only had lip glosses in their lip arsenal. I remember commenting saying that I can't wait for BECCA to expand on their lip ranges as I'm not much of a gloss girl and lo and behold the day has come.. and BECCA have not failed to disappoint!
In true BECCA "glow" style, this new lipstick range gives a healthy sheen to the lips that is thankfully not not overly shiny or sticky. The shade range is so on point as it covers the two most popular lipstick choices- nude and red, but with the idea that not one shade of red or nude lipstick will look good on everyone... so BECCA have created 30 shades so that everyone can find their perfect colour!
Now if you're not a usual reader of my blog then you won't know that this is exactly why I've been focusing on lip swatches for the past couple years, as my own lips are pigmented/darker than other people's, so I like to show people who have similar lip and skin tones what shades could look like, to help them decide which may suit them too. Of course everyone is free to wear what they like but if you have darker pigmented lips like me then certain nudes just end up looking ashy/pastel, which I'm personally not a fan of on myself.
So I couldn't have been more over the moon to have been approached for my first ever sponsored blog post (after 8+ years!), to be for this range.. it's so in line with what I already do! 🙌 Read on to see swatches of the Ultimate Lipstick Loves and more info...

Tuesday Takeover: Yazmiinaktar - L'Oreal x Isabel Marant

It's been a while since I've posted but now that I'm back from a little break with my son, I plan on posting more regularly iA <3

I enlisted help from fellow mummy blogger Yazmiinaktar who expressed her interest in these L'Oreal x Isabel Marant collab lipsticks and she did an amazing job of reviewing them.. read on for more!

#BeccaScape - My First Ever Influencer Trip!

I started writing my Clinique campaign post but then got caught up in preparation for another huge milestone in my blogging career - my first ever "influencer" trip with none other than BECCA Cosmetics who were one of the first brands I ever received a product from back in 2012 (see blog post here).
Since then I've been a huge fan of their Shimmering Skin Perfectors which cater to pretty much every skintone (my fave shade being Opal), and I love how the powders are super soft and creamy as they're made with pearls and pigments mixed in a liquid formula and pressed into a creamy powder (unlike other highlighters!).
So many of you took time to message and congratulate me saying you felt proud to see a hijabi on a brand/influencer trip, so I felt inspired to write about it and include my experience as a hijabi for anyone who may be wondering what it could be like; ideally I hope this inspires others and gives an insight <3

Sunday Swatches: L'Oreal Paris Les Chocolats Liquid Lipsticks

So apparently yesterday was World Chocolate Day but today is my Sunday Swatches day so I decided to post this Chocolate swatches related blog post today obvs!
Ever since I saw the preview of these Les Chocolats liquid lipsticks on L'Oreal's instagram (here), I knew I had to find out when they would be releasing here in the UK and thankfully was invited to the launch event at none other than Saint Aymes (which has been on my "to-hit up" list for a while now!).
It was a lovely intimate event with tons of chocolate and despite the heatwave we're having, the chocolates didn't actually melt (just like L'Oreal say their lipsticks don't) and I managed to enjoy an iced version of their unicorn latte which wasn't too sweet and perfect.
Anyway the actual lipsticks smell absolutely divine - especially if you're a chocoholic like me! I was blown away at how strong it smelled of chocolate that I actually expected it to taste like it if I licked my lips but alas, the chocolateyness stops there. 
FYI I have however (unintentionally) tasted chocolate when applying Too Faced Chocolate Soleil as it contains real cocoa powder.. some of the powder somehow flew into my mouth once when applying with a brush and I was pleasantly surprised lol.
The lipsticks have a great selection of "chocolatey" nudes which personally I think is great for WOC/those with pigmented lips, however some are a bit light which would be better suited to fairer skintones/lip tones.
I've had ample time testing these out since the event and even filmed a swatch video so read on to see what I think and to check out the video!

Tuesday Takeover: Sabah - MarbleRoseBlogs

Soo, this week's Tuesday Takeover is by a lovely follower of mine - Sabah of Marble Rose Blogs - who is of similar complexion to myself but just a tad bit fairer (NARS Punjab/Custard).
She's ever so kindly written an in depth review of the Makeup Revolution Conceal & Correct correctors, complete with swatches and face pics!

Read on to see what she thinks <3

Tuesday Takeover: Amina - Aliandher

Hi my lovelies!!
Today I have another takeover from one of my fave up north blogger babes - Amina. She's ever so kindly swatched and reviewed a few Revolution Pro lipsticks I was sent, which are of course one of the Revolution Beauty brands (click here to watch my tutorial and thoughts on Makeup Revolution!).
Amina is a fellow mummy beauty blogger, I absolutely love her honest reviews, be sure to check her out on IG and Twitter too; read on for her thoughts on the Lipstick Collection <3

Midweek Makeup: Nip and Fab Makeup SS18 with MakeupByMario

Life as a blogger these days can be pretty amazing. Everyday I wake up and after the nursery run, I check my emails which is actually my favourite thing to do as you never know what could land in your inbox; info on new products, events, sponsored posts, offers etc, to name a few.

When I received an email for an event with Nip + Fab x Mario Dedivanovic (Kim Kardashian's makeup artist/artist to the stars "makeupbymario") I felt a familiar buzz of excitement in my stomach knowing full well this would be an exclusive event I had to attend.
Mario's makeup literally sets trends in the makeup world; he recently released a palette with Kim Kardashian's makeup line KKW and did a blue eyeshadow look on Kim which sparked a whole load of blue eyed looks on social media/the internet, so to say he's an iconic makeup artist is an understatement.
I've been lucky enough now to see Mario twice through blogging events, the first one being with L'Oreal (in this blog post) and now with Nip + Fab for their first year makeup anniversary/birthday, where we saw a demonstration by Mario using the new SS18 products.
Read on to see how he used the products and of course my take on it too!

Sunday Swatches: Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipsticks Review - New (Nude) Shades

So today's Sunday Swatch post is a bit of a special preview of a couple lipsticks launching this Wednesday 10th January.. and I'm holding my very first little meet and greet in light of it, so I couldn't be more excited!
Smashbox are releasing 24 more shades to their Always On Liquid Lipstick range (already available in the US), 12 of which are metallic, 6 of which are nude and 6 that are bold.
I was most interested in reviewing the "nude" shades as we all know the struggle is real when it comes to my dark lips and finding a nude/brown that suits me; and at first glance I really did think they were identical as all 6 shades are different shades of brown!
I already have BAWSE and Driver's Seat in my collection that I got at an event I attended last year and have only really worn BAWSE once but I also was interested in a new "bold" shade "Spoiler Alert" as it looked like the usual kind of mauve shade I wear, read on for my full review and if I finally found my perfect nude brown or not!

Sunday Swatches: Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint - Uncensored

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"...

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!

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 ;)

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!

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