Tuesday 20 October 2015

Swatch + Review: Fall Lips

Swatch and Review of Lipsticks beauty Kat Von D Buxom Rimmel and Covergirl
If you know anything about me, you'll know how much I whine about finding it hard to get good lipsticks and nudes for Women of Colour. While this isn't a list of just nude lipsticks, these are some colours I've been loving for fall - nude and berry.

Let's start with my current favourite: Kat Von D Studded Lipstick in Lolita. I raved about this just last week - a matte dusty rose with a great formula. It's creamy and non-drying, lasts really well and is such a beautiful pink for darker skin tones.

Next is my favourite dark nude from Buxom, the True Nude Lip Foundation in Revealed. It was in my nude lipsticks lists and I still love it. Creamy formula, beautiful colour and lasts for a good while without smudging, drying your lips or rubbing off. It's a brown colour with a slightly pink undertone and I love wearing it on it's own.

Rimmel's Kate Moss 107 is a cult favourite - a reddish berry that's appropriate for any occasion. It has great pigmentation, a creamy formula and is super affordable. It's been a favourite of mine for years especially for this time of the year.

Lastly it's my favourite purple colour for the season by Covergirl in the shade Euphoria. It's slightly shiny compared to the other lipsticks I've mentioned but I don't mind it so much. The formula isn't as great as the others; it rubs off a little easier and can smudge so I do pair it with a lip liner. It's not drying (so important for this time of the year!) and I love the dark purple colour.

What are your favourite lipsticks and colours for this season? Comment below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe!

Swatches and Reviews of Kat Von D, Buxom, Rimmel London and Covergirl lipsticks
From L to R: Kat Von D - Lolita / Buxom - Revealed / Rimmel London - 107 / Covergirl - Euphoria

Thursday 15 October 2015

Review: My Moment with Kat

Review of Kat Von D makeup and beauty - foundation, lipstick and eyeliner
I'm having such a moment with Kat Von D. I've raved about her liquid lipstick before but I've picked up a few bits from her make up like and I just can't. Everything I've tried has been so fantastic so I thought I'd do a little review (cough, rave, cough) about Kat Von D.

Starting with the face, her Lock-It Tattoo Foundation (Medium 57) is my new favourite. The shade range is really great, she has a variety of colours and undertones to pick from. This is probably the most full coverage foundation I've ever used as three quarters of a pump goes a long way. It manages to hide my scars and hyper-pigmentation and makes my skin look air brushed. It is a matte foundation though I've noticed it gets slightly greasy after four or five hours - nothing a little powder can't fix. Though it is a little bulky, I do like the pump and packaging. It came with a plastic piece to fit over the opening and I've held onto it as it'll make sure your foundation is spill proof when you travel. I can't say enough good things about this bad boy.

Next I've really been enjoying her Tattoo Liner in Trooper. This is the black liner and it really is quite black (nothing more annoying that grey "black" liners). At first I hated the fine brush, preferring a more stiff tip applicator but I've grown to love it. The brush is very fine, perfect for drawing thin lines though I build mine up and out as I love a strong cat-eye. If you're used to a stiff applicator, this takes a while to get used to but I now prefer the brush to the stiff tip. It isn't impossible to get off while still lasting ages. It does smudge if you rub your eyes so, you know, don't. Easily my current favourite liner.

Lastly I've been loving the Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lolita. This is a matte dusty rose and it is the prettiest pink for those with darker skin tones. It isn't drying, it lasts well through meals and it's just so pretty. I wear this without a lip liner as I love the colour on its own and it lasts a good 7 to 8 hours without touch ups and while eating spaghetti bolognese.  I'll have a swatch up on the blog soon so stay tuned!

I still want to try out her powder foundation, concealer and the liquid lipstick version of Lolita (seriously, why is it so hard to find?!) and I'll definitely post a review when I do!

Have you tried anything by Kat Von D? What was your impression? Would you try anything else? Comment below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe!

Sunday 11 October 2015

My Lens Lately

Food: Halal Gummies/Gummy Candy!
Halal Gummy Candies - Gelatin is made from animals and so, as a Muslim, I'm always on the hunt to find gummies made from beef or fish gelatin rather than pork!
These past few weeks have been absolutely overwhelming; aside from a full time job and tutoring on weekends, I've been taking a night course at University and working on applying for post-grad jobs. I've hardly had a moment to sit and blog and it's been driving me crazy. Blogging is something very important to me: it's a way to relieve stress, to discuss things I'm interested in and to have a voice. The blogging community is a loving, beautiful family and there's a real sense of community here. While I love writing about beauty products and social issues, a love for photography is something I've discovered from blogging. Though I'm still a novice, I've started noticing everyday things in a new light and, thankfully, my iPhone does a pretty good job of capturing them. Hope you like what I've seen through my lens lately!

Nature and Woods in Mississauga, Ontario
The woods behind my house
Krispy Kreme Donuts
What is it about Krispy Kreme that just makes me so darn happy?
Miniature Cactus from Ikea
Finally got my hands on a miniature Cactus from Ikea!

Muji Gel Pen Drawing Designs
For me, drawing and doodling are some of the best stress relievers!

Thursday 8 October 2015

Favourite WOC Youtubers!

Favourite Women of Colour (WOC) YouTubers
I spend quite a lot of time watching YouTube videos. Hauls, tutorials, vlogs - I'm a fan of it all. I love watching tutorials especially to see which makeup bits to buy and which are worth my money. I've realized recently that a lot of the YouTubers I watch are white; and while there's nothing wrong with me, a non-white, watching a white YouTuber, I realize that a lot of the products they use and recommend or the looks they create can't be translated on me at all. The foundations they use don't always have my shade, the highlighters that look stunning on them look chalky on me and even their lipsticks look washed out on my darker skin. Despite all this, I still watch their videos because I genuinely enjoy them but I know now that I can't always use the recommendations they make.

I've decided to list a few of my favourite WOC YouTubers for many reasons: to celebrate them, because I love their videos and because I hope their recommendations will help others the way they helped me. It took me a while to find these women despite watching YouTube daily for the past few years. I watch YouTubers like Lily Pebbles, Vivianna Does Make Up and Zoella so all those recommended to me (on the sidebar) are other white YouTubers whose fabulous make up looks look pretty bad on me. By the way, if you guys haven't seen the above mentioned YouTubers, you should: Lily's reviews are always so honest, Anna makes me want to clean my room and organize my life and Zoella's vlogs are so fun!

Jackie Aina: I haven't been watching Jackie for too long but I do love the makeup looks she does. Each of her looks are different but wear-able and not too over the top. She's so funny and honest and I just want to hang out with her and have her teach me her makeup tricks!

Its My Raye Raye: I discovered her fairly recently and I've been loving her make up looks. She's about a shade lighter than me so watching her videos make it easy for me to see which shades and brands of makeup I should go for. I also love that she doesn't just stick to neutral looks (I'm completely guilty of this) and so watching her bold looks make me feel like I can pull off something a little more dramatic too.

Nabela Noor: Aside from her lovely make up looks, I haven't seen anyone so positive and bubbly as her. I genuinely want to be her friend! Her videos are fun and I just feel happier and more positive watching them!

Kathleen Lights: I know that her skin tone is way, way different from mine but she is so entertaining. She's also very, very honest with her reviews and so I do trust the brands that she raves about. I also love her lip swatches videos - it gives me a more realistic sense of the colours on a person versus in the tube.

Who are your favourite YouTubers? Leave recommendations for all types of YouTube channels, I'm always on the hunt for something informative or entertaining :) Comment below or tweet me @SundayWardrobe