BarryM Illuminating Strobe Cream

If there's one thing that took the beauty industry by storm, in the last year, it's STROBING. As we waved ta-ra to our matte finish products and stocked up on any highlighter we could get our hands on, it's clear to see this is very much still trending. From cream, powder and liquid highlighters, the list goes on and it can seem pretty overwhelming... which one should I use? Which brand is the best? What do I do with it?! Thankfully our beauty gurus are here to save the day with endless tutorials and social media posts. 

As the high end brands launched such items they've now trickled down into our more affordable high-street brands and I'm in love with BarryM Illuminating Strobe Cream! It's most comparable to my usual go-to Benefit Watts Up Highlighter however,surprisingly, I find it has a softer application and is more easily blend-able. It's light, velvety texture glides with ease and it's almost impossible to apply too much. Where as, I find, the Benefit Watts Up is too thick to apply directly from the stick; I always have to apply it with my fingers or a sponge. What I love most about this product is it's light enough to wear on a daily yet it's easily build-able, so you can achieve those Angelina cheek bones when hitting the town. 

The strobing cream comes in two shades, 'Frosty Pink, which is a cool toned pearly pink, perfect for my fellow pale faces and 'Iced Bronze' which is a champagne shade, for a golden glow and tan enhancer. If you're new to the strobing scene and looking to venture in, I'd definitely recommend this and did i mention? It's under a fiver!

Neeks ☯

L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusive Nudes- JLo & Doutzen

Aloha!

I've never really been a nude person (hehe) I have always gone for vibrant pinks/ corals and reds along with deep shades of plum when choosing my lipstick. Out of the over fourty lipsticks I own I actually only have one or two nude lipsticks; one of which I've had for about two years (eew I should probably throw that out) I know what a lot of you are thinking but I've always found it near on impossible to find a nude lipstick that suits me and I am sucker when it comes to bright shades! However, on a mission to overcome this cycle, I discovered that L'Oreal have released an exclusive range of six limited edition nude lipsticks that have been 'tailor made' to suit 'every skin tone' and they're so cute! Each one has a celeb signature on them and after umming and arring for fifteen minutes I decided to go with JLo and Doutzen. 

L'Oreal Color Riche lipsticks are, with no hesitation, one of my favorite lipstick collections and never fail to deliver long lasting, high pigmented colour. So when these were realsed I was overwhelmed with excitement. However, if this is the look you're after these aren't the lipsticks for you. These nudes are very sheer and lean more towards a gloss, as opposed to a lip stick (without the sticky-ness). They're perfect for everyday and versatile as you can apply them over the top of a higher pigmented, or matte lipstick, and even where them on a night out with a dark and sultry smokey eye. What's more, they're long wearing and leave my lips lusciously moisturised. 

The first lipstick I went for is Barley Pink by Doutzen Kroe's and you can see where the Victoria Secret model got her inspiration from. It's fresh, feminine and soft yet a little frosty so can still be worn throughout the cold seasons. I adore the frostiness of this as usually I find frosty lipsticks can look cheap but this one actually deliver's poise and elegance. I must admit I was a little disappointed that it was so sheer but after wearing it a few times I've grown fond of it and it's perfect for those 'I can't be bothered' days!

The second lipstick I chose was Greige by JLo. I partly chose it because I love JLo! But also because this one seemed a little more sophisticated. It's very warm and ever so slightly darker than my natural lips. Although it reflects JLo's super glossy pout it's not nearly as iridescent as Doutzen's so this is my favorite out of the 2. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that, for some reason, my lips seemed to appear fuller and more plump with this one. It particularly works well with the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, due to the rose tones and warmth; make-up look which I will be uploading soon (spoiler alert!) 

Bright or nude lipstick? What are your thoughts?

Neeks x