Mac's Vanilla Pigment

Pigments don't get enough attention, it's all about pressed powders and creams at the moment but I cant help but love loose pigment. Mac's Vanilla Pigment is no exception to this love affair, this comes in as my no.1 favourite and in the summer is undoubtedly on my face everyday.

I tend to use this as a highlighter and trust me you DO NOT need a lot! A tiny spot of this on your cheek bone with a highlighter brush to blend and you are set to blind people all day long with the glow you'll be sporting. This is also absolutely unbeatable for highlighting on the cupids bow on your lip and tip of your nose, listen to me when I say you only need a TINY bit - this is a pigment and therefore clearly very pigmented, it goes a long way and this tiny tub will last you yonks!

Another use for this pigment is the inside corners of your eyes to brighten up any make up look. I especially love using this on a smokey darker look as this tiny pop in the corner opens up your eye so much. Alternatively, for festivals, concerts etc. you could really go to town with this pigment using it boldly on your eyes as well as a highlight to fully open up and brighten your face.

To apply this pigment I use the mac 228 brush. I actually have two of these brushes as I use one for the eyes and another to apply the highlight to make sure I don't get a random smokey contour transfer from my eye! Obviously I then blend with bigger brushes and add more when necessary but like I said with this pigment less is definitely more!

Do you use pigment? What do you use it for? What's your all time favourite one?

Until next time, Toni. xo

Smashbox Contour Sticks Trio

These have been at the top of my must have list for a while now and since opening the box I haven't put the Contour Sticks Trio back! It's clear to say I'm loving these products. They have a smooth and silky, cream texture making them so easy to apply and blend.

 

The box also comes with a sharpener to fit the pencil sticks so worrying about ever being left with an unusable product is not necessary! I had heard some great things about these sticks and wanted to try them as soon as I got my hands on them.

 

I find that the contour stick works best for me with the bronze stick as a touch up for the top of my head. However, the highlight is surprisingly too dark for me but it will be perfect for if I get a tan or want just a tiny touch of highlight on a basic make up day.

 

As well as the sharpener, the trio comes with an instruction sheet including guides on where to apply the different colours and how to use the sticks depending on your face shape and how you want to look. I found this very useful as I was able to see exactly what shapes to draw, where and with which sticks.

 



 

 

A lot of people I know and those that use the sticks, blend the product with a flat, buffing brush but I prefer to use a beauty blender purely because I feel like I have more control over the product on my face and the finish is a lot more flawless. Since using the product I've really got into getting a good contour on a night out or even just a bronzed touch on a day-to-day basis for a slightly more defined shape.

 

The product is £35 which I personally think is very reasonable for the quality of product. I've had this product nearly two months now and have used the contour stick every day, I am yet to need to sharpen it more than once! You don't need a lot of product per application as it is so well pigmented and blends so well, therefore the trio will last a long time and probably save you money in the long run in comparison to your usual product that may run down quickly, due to you needing to use a lot of it per day.

 

I would recommend the trio to people who are already into make up and want to explore and venture further into face sculpting as this is quite a complex, heavy product for someone just beginning to get into make up. Alternatively, I would recommend a simple bronzing powder not to irritate or harm the skin and gradually build to using heavier products such as this one. The staying power is fantastic so they can be used day and night, any weather, any occasion to give you the extra pop to your face structure! The hype is totally worth it and I'm so grateful I can finally say I own a set of these heavenly products. You can find the sticks trio here.

 

 

Until next time, Toni. xo