Tutorial | Cream + Powder Contouring

Every girl in 2015 has become obsessed with achieving the perfect Kim K inspired chiselled cheekbones and contoured jawline. Today, I have a video for you all sharing my own two cent on the whole contouring controversy. In less dramatic terms, here's a video of me drawing lines all over my face in a bid to trick the world into thinking my face is slimmer and my cheekbones are more pronounced than they really are. If this sounds like something you want to see then click on the link below and we can all be crazy, contour obsessed together!

CLICK HERE

I would love to know what you guys think! Leave comments down bellow or you can message me on Twitter @DevonMartinMUA.

Devon

xoxo

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Makeup Haul | Cult Beauty + Boots

A guilty online shop and in-store spree has led to a building collection of newly purchased beauty products that I've decided to throw together into this one haul. I am excited to share with you all the new makeup that I haven't been able to resist parting with my cash for. 

The first purchase I made was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Pro Series Cream Contour Kit; the cream version of the highly coveted palette of professional sculpting powders. This has only recently been made available over here in the UK thanks to the online, high-end beauty seller Cult Beauty. When I saw that the palette had landed online, I eagerly hopped over to the site to place my order and I am excited to finally add this to my collection. 

An innocent trip to Boots led to several unexpected purchases as I am always powerless to resist new products when they are right in front of my eyes. 

Starting at the Smashbox counter, I picked up the Photo Finish Primer Water; a product I had been desperate to get my hands on yet had constantly found to be out of stock both online and in store. This water claims to hydrate and refresh your skin, create a sheer canvas for makeup and leave you with a vibrant complexion.

The newly released Step-By-Step Contour Stick Trio also caught my attention and, although a seemingly futile purchase considering the recent addition of the ABH palette to my collection, I easily convinced myself that this was a necessity. 

These pencils are in universal contour, bronze and highlight shades for defining and sculpting all face shapes. They are easy to apply, blend seamlessly and are perfect for a quick contour when in a rush.

Lastly I stopped by the Sleek MakeUp display, which I am rarely able to indulge in as my local store doesn't stock their products. I picked up the Face Form palette in ‘Light’, which contains a matte, ashy-toned contouring powder, an illuminating highlighter and a blush. The blush in this palette stands out the most as it is a pigmented rosy pink with flecks of gorgeous gold shimmer. 

I also bought the Blush By 3 Palette in the shade 'Californ.I.A', a trio of peach-toned cream blushers. I love using cream blushes to add a natural, dewy flush and I know that I will use this palette endlessly throughout the summer. Inside are the shades Newport Peach, The Surf and OC; all of which are amazingly pigmented, buildable and easy to blend. 

That’s all for this mix and match makeup haul and I hope that you enjoyed hearing about the most recent additions to my collection. I would love to hear all about your recent purchases as well as your current go-to products.

Devon

xoxo

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How I Fill In My Brows | Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow

In today's beauty world there are two makeup rituals that everyone is obsessing over; eyebrows and contour. Today I'm going to add my own two cent into this current beauty obsession by sharing my routine for achieving my very own pair of pristine brows. 

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Before and After

This tutorial is in the form of an easy to watch video and features my favourite products for outlining, filling in, setting and defining my brows. These include the cult Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and DipBrow Pomade as well as my current drugstore tinted brow gel. I feel as though I am always in a constant battle with my brows trying to achieve the perfect arch and I hope that this helps you get one step closer to your very own power brows.

I hope you enjoy this routine and I would love to hear your thoughts as well as your favourite brow defining products! Leave comments down below or keep the conversation going over on Twitter and Instagram.

Devon

xoxo

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High End Haul | Cult Beauty and MAC

Ever since I first stumbled across the amazing Cult Beauty site, browsing the online array of high end, high performing makeup has become my new favourite past time. Although I wish my bank balance stretched to cover my entire wish list, in reality I have to restrict my spending to only a handful of luxury indulgences a month. Today I have my latest Cult Beauty splurges as well as a new MAC goodie wrapped up in one high end haul to share with you all. 

1.  Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

After reading the endless reviews raving about the contouring powers of this palette, I was dying to get a hold of my very own. I bought the colour 'light' and encased inside are three warming shades and three highlighters. There is a matte yellow-toned and pink-toned highlighter as well as 'Sand' which has a shimmer finish. 

All three contouring powders are matte; two have a warm tone  whereas the colour ‘Fawn’ is the perfect ashy shade for adding a natural contour to a pale complexion. With an initial swatch all the shades appear smooth and blendable with a great colour pay off. This palette has definitely captured my attention and I can’t wait to see its contouring effects.

(Left to Right: Vanilla, Banana, Sand, Java, Fawn, Havana)

2. The Original Beautyblender

As a girl on a quest to find the foundation applicator for the ultimate flawless finish; I am excited to now possess my own Beauty Blender. I have always preferred the finish created by using a sponge over a brush, as it blends my foundation in seamlessly for a natural looking coverage. If you were ever to invest in only one high end item for improving the appearance and application of your makeup, I would suggest placing this at the top of your priorities.

3. MAC Pro Conceal and Correct Palette

My final high end makeup indulgence was bought on a whim. I had heard little about this palette before, however after eyeing it in the MAC store I immediately had to add it to my collection. I have the shade 'light' and inside are four concealers and two colour correctors. 

The shade ‘pale pink’ works amazingly well for correcting darkness under the eyes and ‘pale yellow’ is perfect for fading the redness of my acne scarring. I have loved testing out the shades in this palette and I now reach for it every time I apply my makeup. To see this palette in action, then have a look at my recent video dedicated to sharing my current Full Coverage Foundation Routine. 

I hope you enjoyed this mini haul and I would love to hear about your recent beauty purchases, whether they be high end or high street.

Devon

xoxo

Previous Hauls: 

Drugstore

Cult Beauty

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Makeup Hack #1 : The Perfect Brows

I am sure I'm not alone in my constant love-hate relationship with my brows. From first discovery and serious over plucking when I was 14, to heavily colouring them in with an obviously unnatural reddish-toned pencil. Neither were good looks or times that I wish to revisit as I finally have my brow situation under control. I am excited to share my basic tips to hopefully save anyone else from their own eyebrow nightmare.

1. Leave it to the Professionals

My first tip is to book an appointment at your nearest salon. My eyebrows have been drastically saved by having a professional handle the situation. I now have monthly HD Brow appointments; a half hour session that involves a mixture of tinting, waxing and threading.  

Although, at £25 a session, I understand that this may be a little too pricy for everyone to think a worthwhile investment. I would suggest at least getting it done once as you will have the basic shape that suits your face, which you can then maintain yourself.

If you do not want to commit to a full on HD Brows appointment then I would recommend regular threading sessions. This will keep your eyebrows neat and tidy and will create a situation that is ten times better than self-plucking. 

(Brows after HD session)

I have loved handing the responsibility over to a professional and out of my own hands. I look forward to my monthly sessions and, whichever option you choose, I promise that letting the professionals do what they do best will be the best brow decision you can make.

2. Filling ‘em In

When I first entered the baffling world of eyebrow makeup, I picked up the first pencil I spotted that claimed to be the fit for dark brows. I then scribbled over the top of my natural hairs and thought that the job was done. Wrong. 

For starters, like most ‘brown’ claiming pencils, this was an odd red shade that was an entirely unnatural fit for my hair colour. The pencil itself was too thick and meant that it was plainly obvious that my eyebrows had been coloured in. 

(Brows filled in with Anastasia Brow Wiz)

It’s important to find the right shade for you and to figure out whether you prefer a pencil, shadow or gel. I now use the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Brunette; the perfect matte brown shade. The pencil is retractable and thin so that you can easily recreate the appearance of fine hairs. If I want a more dramatic finish then I also add the DipBrow Pomade in dark brown, a gel which creates natural finish and is entirely waterproof. With this duo, I can rely on my eyebrows to look flawless all day. 

I hope this handful of tips helps you in your quest for the perfect brows. I would love to hear all your thoughts in the comments below! 

Devon

xoxo

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Monthly Favourites : February

As February draws to a close, its time to look back over this short but sweet month and round up my favourites. This month has mainly been one of happy discoveries, with new skincare products entering my holy grail list and a few too many guilty makeup purchases. I am excited to share with you all the gems I have stumbled across as well as my TV, music and blogger favourite of the month.

1.  Makeup 

After constantly reading about the coveted Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and suffering from one too many brow mishaps, I finally invested in my very own eyebrow saving pencil. I can happily report that this is one product that is definitely worth the hype. It is a retractable pencil in a perfect matte brown shade and is thin enough to mimic the appearance of fine hairs. Whilst I’m not quite rocking the power brows of Cara D just yet, I am definitely now on the right track with this little Wiz.

In my recent Cult Beauty Haul, I became the very proud (if slightly broke) owner of the Stila In The Light Palette. I am a true eyeshadow addict, and I can never resist the temptation of yet another palette of mesmerising shades to add to my collection. I have loved playing around with the array of looks this one allows you to create. It is ideal for anyone looking to invest in one palette that they can rely on for any occasion. This will seamlessly transition your look from day to night with neutral browns and light shimmers as well as a few cooler dark shades.

My final makeup favourite this month has been the Tropic Contour Palettes, which have become a permeant fixture of my daily makeup routine. I have both the Bronze and Blush shades and you can read a whole review on them here. Each palette has a contour shade, one for adding colour and a highlighter. They are of an amazing quality, blend seamlessly into your skin and are made from 100% natural plant extracts.

2.  Skincare

Moving swiftly onto skincare, this month I discovered the Tropic Brand and have fallen head over heals for their entire line. I wrote a post dedicated to their basic ABC cleansing routine, but two specific products that my skin has been loving is the Tamanu Healing Balm and Face Smooth. The Balm is intensely moisturising and is perfect for hydrating your skin and healing any active breakouts or acne scarring. I have been applying a thick layer every evening before bed and wake up with a glowing complexion.

I also adore the Face Smooth, which is the best exfoliating product that I have ever tried. It perfectly polishes your complexion whilst also providing a layer of moisture. Once I wash this off, my skin is left glowing, nourished and baby soft.

3.  T.V.  and  Music

I know I am massively late on the bandwagon with this one, but I finally clicked on the Pretty Little Liars icon on my Netflix home screen. This has become a serious addiction of mine and I embarrassed to admit that I have managed to make it onto the third season in little over two weeks. 

The two albums that I have been addicted to this month are Taylor Swift 1989 and George Ezra Wanted on Voyage, both of which I have had playing on repeat throughout February.

4.  Blogger

My blogger/YouTuber favourite this month has without a doubt been FleurDeForce. Fleur was my first glimpse into this amazing world of online beauty gurus; three years later and I am still entirely hooked. Whilst I love her beauty videos, it is her FebVlog series that I have been addicted to this month. For me, Fleur has the perfect vlogging techniques, she is so natural on camera that it feels like I am sitting chatting and catching up with a best friend. I only wish she daily vlogged every month!

That’s officially it for this months favourites, I hope you enjoyed this post and I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. What has been your beauty and non-beauty February Favourites?

Devon

xoxo

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Cult Beauty Haul

I recently stumbled across the Cult Beauty website during a moment of weakness and an urge for new additions to my makeup collection. Whilst I promised myself a one purchase maximum followed by a quick beeline to the checkout, those sneaky sidebars caught my attention one too many times. My intention to buy one desperately required eyebrow pencil turned into a mini shopping spree and I am excited to share my impulse buys with you all. You can also hear about the guilty purchases I made on the high street in my recent Drugstore Haul.

This Cult Beauty shopping splurge featured two particular brands; the stunning Stila Cosmetics and the queen of all things brows, Anastasia Beverly Hills.

My initial reason for souring the Cult Beauty site was to source out the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. Since a pair of a good brows is increasingly becoming THE most important makeup ritual for any beauty addict in 2015; I felt obliged to finally purchase the product that has every beauty blogger recreating the coveted power brows of Cara Delevingne for themselves.

I hope that I am not alone in my love hate relationship and never ending battle to perfect my eyebrows. Although the situation has definitely improved since I decided to invest in monthly HD sessions, when left to my own devices things quickly go downhill. 

This double ended gadget has a spooly on one end for perfectly brushing out those unruly hairs and a retractable pencil on the other. I have the shade dark brown which matches my natural hair colour perfectly and the pencil itself is impeccably thin allowing for you to easily recreate the appearance of fine hairs.

After adding the Brow Wiz to my basket, I couldn’t resist clicking on the equally infamous DipBrow Pomade that was calling out to me in the sidebar. 

I also picked this up in the shade dark brown and this gel-like product works amazingly well with an angled brush to create waterproof, long-lasting and natural looking brows. I am confident that this dynamic duo will help my eyebrow nightmares become a thing of the past. 

(Left to right: Brow Wiz, DipBrow)

On a recent attempt to recreate a feline flick, I sadly discovered that all of my liquid liners had dried up. Is it just me, or does anyone else find themselves questioning whether their makeup conspires against them to all run out at the same time? 

I decided that whilst online to add the Stila Waterproof Liquid Liner in the shade 'intense black' to my basket. I had been desperately waiting to purchase this for a while as liner displaces so easily on my small, oily eyelids and I am eager to see whether this lives up to its ‘stay all day’ claim.

Before I could proceed to the checkout, the side bar caught my attention one last time and, as a self-confessed eyeshadow addict, I was powerless to resist clicking on the mini Stila In The Light icon. It took embarrassingly little convincing on my part to add this palette of ten dreamy nude shades to my basket. 

This gorgeous rose gold palette is filled with a selection of six shimmer and four nude shades as well as a handy smudge proof eyeliner in the shade 'chocolate'. The palette also has a large mirror inside and an inspirational quote that will put a smile on your face whilst you deliberate which stunning shades to adorn your eyes with that day. 

From an initial swatch of the shadows they look creamy, highly pigmented and my imagination is already running wild with the array of looks I can create. It looks like the perfect palette to transition you from day to night with light, warm-toned nudes as well as a couple darker cooler shades for a more dramatic finish. 

After this final addition, I made a swift exit to the checkout before any other gorgeous products could test my limited restraint and deplete my entire bank account. Although, I loved my first experience shopping on Cult Beauty and I will definitely be heading back there soon!

I hope you all enjoyed this mini high-end haul and I would love to hear what you think in the comments below or you can get in touch on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I read and appreciate all of your messages!

Devon 

xoxo

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