Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder 'Luminous Light'

Being that I am a HUGE fan of my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in the shade 'Luminous Light' (full review here) I decided I needed to grow my collection as they are just perfect.

Here is a quick run down of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders; They come in a range of six shades that all mimic universally flattering light sources, from morning light to candlelight. With technologically advanced soft-focus particles that diffuse & soften the way light is reflected onto the skin allowing harsh lights to be manipulated and filtered, so the powder can  conceal skin imperfections, pores and wrinkles. The finishing powders enhance skin in any type of light, including flash photography.

The shade I'm sharing my thoughts on with your today is 'Ethereal Light' which is described as 'an opalescent sheer, cool white powder that mimics a moonlit glow—even in broad daylight'.

'Ethereal Light' doesn't have half as much shimmer & luminosity as 'Luminous Light'. It has more of a opalescent satin finish which I find works really well under my eyes to help make the duller looking skin look a lot more healthy & brighter. Also a light dusting on the high points of the face give a healthy look to the skin.

It works wonders on more mature skin, giving it back that youthful healthy glow without settling into fine lines. Like all Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders the colour payoff is extremely subtle but the finish of the powder totally packs a punch & that why I & so many others love them.

The packaging is nice & weighty like you would expect from a higher end product but is a total magnet for finger prints, although that can quickly be forgiven because of the truly amazing product inside.

£38 from spacenk.com , liberty.co.uk & net-a-porter.com

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Mac Pro Conceal & Correct Palette 'Light'

If like me you love a good concealer, then the 'Mac Pro Conceal & Correct Palette' is heaven in a palette. The 'Pro Conceal and Correct Palette's' are available in 4 variations – Light, Medium, Medium Deep and Dark. Each palette consists of 4 shades of Studio Finish Concealers and 2 shades of Studio Finish Correctors. 

I own the Light palette which has NC15, W10, NC20 and NW20 concealers & two Studio Finish Corrector shades in Pale Yellow and Pale Pink.

My skin tone is a NC25 so in the colder months when My skin is looking paler the NC20 & NW20 work well for concealing blemishes, but for the most part I use this palette for highlighting. So if you're the same skin tone as me & are looking to purchase a The 'Pro Conceal and Correct Palette' to use solely for concealing I would suggest going up a shade & buying Medium.

The Studio Finish concealers are a medium to full cream concealer. That are quite thick but are very easily blended into the skin & then feel weightless. All shades in the palette are enriched with antioxidants and suited for all skin types. They work perfectly at covering blemishes but also work well with the eye area to conceal dark circles. I've heard complaints from others that it settles into their fine lines around the eye, but I find that if it's buffed into my skin well & set with a good powder I get little to no creasing. The pigmentation of all the shade is fantastic & they last well on the skin.

£35 from maccosmetics.co.uk

Have you tried out any of the Mac Pro Palettes? What are your thought?

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L'Oreal Lumi Magique Pearl Powder

On a Recent Boots shopping trip I picked up a powder I hadn't heard or seen anything about; the 'L'Oreal Lumi Magique Pearl Powder'- it looked too pretty to leave in the store!

On first inspection the powder looked to me like a highlighter & that's what I though I was purchasing - a highlighter! When I got home & had a play around with my new buys, I read the back of the product & it said 'Our first illuminating powder which mattifies, highlights and gives a radiant healthy glow'. I was dumbfounded, how could this intensely shimmery powder give my skin a matt finish?! You can clearly see the shimmer on the product from my pictures I took when I first bought the powder.  

So I continued to use the powder as a highlighter placing it on the high points of my face, cheek bones, nose etc. I though I had found an amazing high street highlighter for a great price. After two weeks of use the shimmer started to fade, leaving behind a light iridescent powder.  
So now L'oreals description started to make sense. The shimmer was just a thin over spray & infact this product is an illuminating powder. Bad descriptive work from L'oreal there.

After initially being slightly disappointed I continued to use the powder & realised that it is a very close dupe to the finish that Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder gives the skin. It's just dryer & thinner in consistency, giving the face a less intense glow but none the less a very similar idea. The powder has a very light pink hue that doesn't show up on my skin. It also doesn't contain sparkle or shimmer it's more of subtle glow, so looks very natural. I love using it for setting my under eyes.

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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder 'Luminous Light'

I've had my Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder in 'Luminous Light' since December & been putting off writing my review, for fear I just can't do this powder justice. I'm worried that words just can not describe how AMAZING this powder truly is. 

Let me just ask you, would you like to look air brush/filter perfect everyday? Yes......well then I think you need to invite an Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder into your life, pronto.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders come in a range of six shades. From the sheer off white 'Etherial Glow' that gives the face a subtle opalescent finish to the sheer lavender 'Mood Light' that brights the complexion.

Each powder has a unique colour. All six are created with technologically advanced soft-focus particles that diffuse & soften the way light is reflected onto the skin so help the skin appear younger, even toned & radiant.

 I own 'Luminous Light', a champagne pearl shade that creates a soft incandescent glow on the face. When dusted all over the face It gives the effect that your 'glowing from within'. Rather than the strategically placed obvious highlighters that you dust on the cheek bone etc, this powder is so natural & flattering it is breathtakingly gorgeous. 

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders can be used lightly all over the face as a finishing powder or alone on the high points of the face where you normally highlight. Either way this powder gives a flawless finish that I just can't get enough of. It works wonders on more mature skin, giving it back that youthful healthy glow without settling into fine line. 

The packaging too is lovely, although I must say it is a magnet for finger prints. That can be quickly forgiven though, as it is what's on the inside that counts.

So ladies have I stressed enough how amazing this powder truly is? I highly highly HIGHLY recommend it & you can thank me later.

£38 each available from SpaceNK (click here) John Lewis (click here) Liberty (click here)

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e.l.f Small Tapered Brush

Whilst having a look at my favourite site for purchasing American brand makeup 'beautyjoint.com' I stumbled across the e.l.f 'Small Tapered Brush'. I have never seen this brush on the U.K e.l.f website so decide to pop the brush into my basket to give it a try.

All e.l.f studio line brushes on beautyjoint.com cost just $3.99 which translates into sterling at £2.40....total bargain!

The 'small tapered brush' is made of very soft but densely packed synthetic hairs, that tapper to a soft round point. It's hard to find a perfectly sized small brush, especially with a tapered head, so for the price this brush is amazing.

The simplest way for me to describe this brush is to say that it is a hybrid of Real Techniques 'contour brush' with the same sized brush head but with the tapered end of the Real Techniques 'setting brush'. So with the e.l.f brush your getting the best of both.

I found three uses for this brush.
 First contouring; the tapered tip fits perfectly into the hollows of the cheek & when titling the brush to the side & applied with more pressure it works well at blending the contour.

Highlighting; Apply your powder highlight on the side of the tapered point & it applies highlight seamlessly on the high point of the cheeks, use the tip of the brush for down the nose & Cupid's bow.

Lastly the brush also works fantastically well for setting under eye powder. For those that find the Real Technique 'setting brush' a tad to time consuming with its tiny little head, this e.l.f brush does the job in just a few swipes.

After washing the brush it retains its shape very well & has not shed at all.

This is another fabulous brush by e.l.f's studio line. It's just a shame it's not available here on the UK e.l.f website. If you are interested in trying this brush or any other e.l.f brush I would suggest you check out beautyjoint.com. Even with the shipping (which is well priced) it often works out cheaper than buying for the e.l.f UK site.

Have you tried any of the e.l.f Studio Line brushes?

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M.A.C Vanilla Pigment

Mac vanilla pigment has been on my wish list for years & I mean yeeeeaarrrsss but I just never got round to buying it. But for my birthday back in June I received it as a prezzi & boy was I excited!!

Mac Vanilla Pigment is described as a Soft ivory white frost finish. 

All mac pigment can be used for multiple purposes such as mixing with nail varnish, adding to lipgloss etc. Vanilla has to be one of the most versatile mac pigments as it can be used as a face highlight too, and it looks stunning placed along the cheek bone. It has a champagne element to it so a more obvious highlight on my skin tone than say 'soft & gentle' MSF.


On a small fluffy brush Vanilla blends seamlessly into the skin for a beautiful highlight, but I just can't seem to get the pigment to work on the eye when using a brush. I have tried packing on the pigment wet & dry (my usual method of application of pigments) on the Mac 242 numerous times, but it always looks clumpy & uneven. So for eye application I choose to use my ring finger & gently press the pigment onto the lid that way.



On the MAC Cosmetics website, Pigments are described as:

"Pigment is a highly concentrated loose colour powder that contains ingredients to help it adhere to the skin. Create a subtle wash of colour or an intense effect. Does not streak or cake. Easy to blend and long-lasting"



MAC Pigments used to be sold in different packaging, which contained WAY more product. For whatever reason, pigments are now in a smaller bottle containing 4.5 g / 0.15 oz of product & yet still this bottle will last you a life time.



Here are some of my favourite uses for Vanilla Pigment:


Mix in with your body lotion or facial moisturiser for luminous looking skin. 


You can also mix this in with your liquid foundation, to give your face a dewy, luminous glow.


Highlight your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and cupid's bow.


Mix Vanilla Pigment in with your lipgloss to add a golden sheen.


After applying your lipstick, add a tiny bit of Vanilla Pigment to the centre of your lips to highlight, gives the appearance of a fuller pout.


Apply to the inner tear duct area of the eye to give a more bright eyed, awake look.
I have also heard that you can mix with nail polish to add a golden sheen to any colour polish! 





See Vanilla is SO versatile, if your going to own just one pigment I strongly suggest Vanilla.

Vanilla Pigment on the eye & highlight areas.

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Mac 'Soft N Gentle' Mineralized Skinfinish & Dupe

Mac soft and gentle has to be most well know highlighter out there, A gorgeous peachy champagne highlighter, that gives a natural glowing effect to the face.

The texture is beautifully smooth & is easily applied, when swirling my brush in the powder there is a lot of fall out & it seems quite powdery but when applied to the face it is anything but.

For application I favour using a fan brush & apply on my cheek bones, brow bone, Cupid's bow, centre of my forehead & sometimes down my nose & centre of the chin. 

The lasting power is brilliant & lasts me all day, obviously more intense when first applied but lasts amazingly well on me especially when set with my skindinavia setting spray.

Mac 'Soft N Gentle' Mineralized Skinfinish

Soft n Gentle contains 10grams of product. I have been using this nearly everyday since I bought it back in June & there is not even the slightest dent into the dome shaped powder. Unless your a MUA using this multiple times a day, this highlighter will last you years so you definitely get your money's worth from £22.

Mac 'Soft N Gentle' Mineralized Skinfinish

This is a gorgeous higher end highlight & I'm so glade I own it but if your not really wanting to spend £22 on a highlighter then I suggest elf 'pinktastic' blush (which is most definitely not a blush but an amazing highlight) it's pretty much the same shade as 'soft n gentle' for less than half the price. Yes the elf highlight may not have as much staying power or be as smooth textured as the mac one but it still applies smoothly & does pretty much the same job.

Have you tried a Mac MSF? Whats your go to highlighter?

Thanks for reading guy, hope your all having a great week :)

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NYX HD Photogenic Concealer In Yellow

Oh what's this another NYX product review!?! Yes it's safe to say I am loving NYX at the moment.

I love highlighting & contouring , using a light toned concealer under my eyes is a must for giving me a bright-eyed awake look. I had heard that a yellow toned concealer enhances this look even more! So ever since I have been on the hunt for a yellow concealer; but with no luck.

So I took to the Internet & stumbled across the NYX. HD Photogenic Concealer in Yellow, Sold!

The formula is soft, creamy & easily blendable without being cakey, although  I will try and avoid or use sparingly just under my eyes where the fine lines are as it can sit in them.

  I would say it gives a medium to full coverage & is easily buildable. Bonus point - it's HD light diffusing effect is perfect when posing for pics #selfie.

I apply this just under my eye using the doe foot applicator in a triangular shape, centre of my forehead, down my nose, across my Cupid's bow & blend in using my beauty blender and it does in fact give me the very bright highlighted effect that I was looking for, move over Kim Kardashian!

After with a bit of blush & bronzer

I had my eye on the mac prep & prime in light boost which is essentially a yellow based concealer & honestly I am more than happy with using the NYX. HD Photogenic Concealer now, it ticks all the boxes for me.

Top - Blended
Bottom - swatched

The NYX HD Photogenic Concealer is available in 12 shades, ranging from pale porcelain to dark nutmeg. Also a lavender shade for sallow skin & green to neutralise redness.

Over all I am so happy with this concealer is does exactly what I wanted , I will definitely repurchase.

Net wt. 5ml//0.17fl.oz

£6 NYX is only available online in the UK.

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