Sunday 2 June 2013

Gifty's Daughter now in Lagos!

Hi dolls!
At the first edition of the Lagos Makeup Fair last year, I discovered an amazingg makeup store, Gifty's daughter. What drew my attention to their stand was their beautiful and stacked up display of NYX products. It was like a makeup coven, however, I was displeased to hear they were based in Port Harcourt.  Over time, I kept tabs on them and heard they were launching another branch here in Lagos  and as usual I just had to see for myself! The interior is very simple and nice with mostly white walls and purple and white wallpaper on other walls. Take a look:






They even carry the Sam Fine collection for Fashion Fair!





I treated myself to a few things *wink*:



1. Red Cherry Lashes #503
    Cost: N1500
Red Cherry Lashes #503
2. Eyebrow comb/brush
    Cost: N500
    Purpose: To brush out eyebrows and blend harsh lines when filling in brows

Eyebrow comb/brush

4. NYX eyebrow pencil
     Cost: N1800
     Purpose: To fill in eyebrows

NYX eyebrow pencil in light brown
5. Ben Nye Banana Powder
    Cost: N6,500
    Purpose: Mostly used as an under eye highlight

5. NYX palette -Petal pusher
    Cost: N2800
    Purpose: Eye shadow palette
Wet 'n' Wild

Petal Pusher palette

Swatches taken in natural light




To be honest, their prices seem a little steep but good thing is, it's very convenient because you can actually find a lot in one place
Gifty's daughter is located at 45, Toyin street, Ikeja
Open hours 9am - 5pm

Check them out!

Thursday 25 April 2013

FroYo by Sweet Kiwi!

Hi dolls!

Today's post is a slight shift from the regular makeup talk or anything beauty for that matter. Have you guys heard of SweetKiwi? I had heard about them but never tried them out till two sundays ago and my was I in love!
They make natural frozen yoghurt that is fat FREE! How cool is that? It contains active live cultures and a range of sweet, dry and healthy fruit toppings that help. So you see, even with my diet I can still have some froyo (frozen yoghurt)

I had a mix of Peanut butter and Rasberry flavours with no toppings. Here's what it looked like:




I particularly LOVED the spoon and did keep the spoon Haha!


They have a WIDE range of  dry toppings- Chocolate chips, chocolate pretzels, yoghurt chips, mini m&m's, crushed waffers, gummy bears, Chopped Peanuts, Granola, Chopped Cashew Nuts, Kelloggs Crunchy Nut, Roasted almonds, Fruity Dyno-­bites, Fruity loops

and Fruit toppings: Maraschino Cherries, Papaya, Watermelon, Grapes,Banana, Kiwi, Blueberries, Raspberries,  Strawberries & Pineapples.







 SweetKiwi is upstairs to your left, at the Palms Shopping mall, Lekki. Here's what their corner looks like








They also have syrup toppings i.e caramel, strawberry, honey, chocolate, etc

I had the small cup which costs N750, but they have bigger cups and waffle cones that cost about N900 or more

PROS:
1. Packaging- Very cute cup and spoon
2. Good source of protein
3. dried fruits aid digestion and bio availability of nutrients
4. Lowers cholesterol and lowers risk of heart disease
5. it is FAT FREE (I can't stress this enough!)

CONS
Still trying to figure what could possibly be wrong with SweetKiwi

The Pros outweigh the Cons so I'll definitely be going back! Who else has tried SweetKiwi, Yaay or Nay?




***For more information on their products and bookings events, their email is info@sweetkiwi.om


Friday 19 April 2013

Yaay or Nay? - NYX 'Perfect Red'


Hi dolls!

Remember when I used to do the ‘Yay or Nay’ posts? Well, they’re back and this time for good! Today, I’ll be reviewing NYX True Red Matte lipstick.
Here’s what it looks like:



And a swatch:



I bought this lipstick from Jennifer of Macquillage by Lisa for N2,000 at a beauty workshop sometime last month.

I’ve used it a couple of times and even on clients and it’s amazingggg! In my opinion, it’s the perfect dupe for MAC’s Ruby Woo. I know a lot of you are probably rolling your eyes and going ‘yeah right’. Trust me dolls, it’s that good. See some pictures of when I used it on myself and a client too:
Now tell me I’m wrong
The good thing about this product is that unlike the Ruby Woo which a lot of people find really dry, this isn’t as dry and cakey as the Ruby woo tends to feel on the lips














PROs 

1. Packaging - Very good 
2. The Pay-off is excellent! what you see is what you get. You know those lipsticks you buy and then try on and you’re like, “but this isn’t what the colour looks like”. Exactly, this isn’t the case with this lipstick. 
3. Long wear- I had this on for more than 5hourrs, ate and dint need to retouch once! 
4. Price- Very affordable when compared to the likes of MAC, Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, etc
5. Texture-  Majority of matte products tend to dry up the lips even after using a balm prior to lipstick application. This however isn’t the case with this product. Be sure to apply a balm first and you’ll be fine.


CONs
1    1.  Availability- For those of us who live  in Lagos, buying makeup here can be a struggle. I only recently found a store that stocks NYX in Lagos, still I can’t guarantee how often they’ll have this particular product.
  
     2. Although it does have staying power, the Ruby woo still beats this product in this area hands.
     3.  Odour- Smells decent nothing extraordinary.

    The Pros outweigh the Cons so it’s a YAY! Who else agrees with me?


 If you're looking to buy this lipstick, the following vendors carry this product:

    1.  Macquillage by Lisa.
         Email to: Maquillagebylisa@gmail.com
 
   2. Gifty’s Daughter
       Address: 45, Toyin street, Ikeja, Lagos
3
   3. My Makeup
       Website: beautyrevolutionng.com














Monday 15 April 2013

10 Must Have Make Up Brushes!

Hi dolls!

I wrote a beauty article for TW Magazine, March edition on makeup brushes. I was super excited when I was approached and I hope you dolls grabbed a copy. If you didn't, not to worry; here's the entire article below. Share your thoughts!

"It is very satisfying to see that a lot of women are becoming more aware of the importance of makeup brushes and are not just leaving it to the professionals to acquire. However, majority do not know what to buy and with the gazillion different shapes, sizes and materials for brushes, the process of buying the right ones becomes pain staking.
Just like your powders eye shadows and foundations, makeup brushes are very essential in every makeup kit; and guess what? With only 10 brushes you can easily achieve a flawless look. Some come with natural hair bristles while others with synthetic. Depending on their function, natural bristles are easier to work with, and help the skin readily absorb makeup.

These 10 brush types are must haves!"








1.       Powder brush:   A powder brush should be full but moderately light with rounded edges so that it can be easily squeezed to work on areas such as underneath the eyes, corners of the nose, etc The fuller does not necessarily equate being better.

Sigma F30 Powder Brush




2. Foundation Brush: For a flawless finish, pick one that is round fluffy, and flat-tipped with synthetic hairs to help buff foundation into the skin.



Real Techniques Stippling brush


3.  Concealer Brush: Just like all other brushes, the concealer brush varies in size, shape and texture. It is appropriate to get one with firm fibres that are closely packed together. Always works well whether with a liquid or cream concealer.


Sephora blending brush

4.     Contour Brush: Depending on how big you are on contouring, your safest bet will be to buy a brush very similar to the blush brush but smaller, well tapered and angled. This way, it can also be squeezed when contouring the sides of the nose.


Mac 168 Contour Blush



5.  Blush Brush:  Your blush brush should have a well-rounded head with soft fibres to give that instant pop to the cheeks. Pick one with natural hairs for easy application.


Bobbi Brown blush brush

6.    Eye shadow Brush: Used in applying eye shadow colours to the eyelids, pick one that is flat and not so fluffy with natural hairs. Flat eye shadow brushes always guarantee a more pigmented outcome.




7. Blending Brush: This has to be one of my favourite brushes! It is so versatile that it can be used as a crease brush, concealer brush, blending brush and even for contouring the nose. Its sole purpose however is for blending out eye shadow colours and highlighting the brow bone.

MAC 286 Duo Fibre brush


8.  Eyeliner Brush: Select one that’s flat, slightly thin and angled. Good thing about this is that it can also be used to fill the eyebrows. Double action for the same price!

MAC 208 Angled brush




9.  Eyebrow Brush: There is absolutely nothing like well-groomed eyebrows! The instant transformation it gives to one’s face is unbelievable! The eyebrow brush serves two purposes: to help brush brows before filling it with a pencil or powder; and to help blend out harsh lines after using a pencil or powder. In this instance, synthetic brushes especially those made from nylon are best.


ELF brow and Comb





10.Lip Brush: I know some of you are wondering, “Why do I need a lip brush”? Truth is, it is more hygienic to use a lip brush when applying lipsticks and lip-glosses. It also helps to blend out with strong lines made whilst lining the lips.

Estee Lauder F35 Lip Brush

Culled from TW Magazine, March 2013.









Wednesday 3 April 2013

NYX Mini haul!


Hi dolls!

I was going through my timeline on twitter and saw a tweet from a  makeup site saying they had new stuff. Of course I immediately clicked on the link to see things for myself  *hehe*
They have lots of goodies, from Revlon Color Stay, Ben Nye, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Utban Decay, Clinique and even Real techniques brushes! How cool are they??!

Here's what I got for myself: Oh and they were kind enough to include a pink Sephora lip gloss as a birthday present (will do a separate post on it)


THANK YOU My MakeUp!











I was too in a hurry to try out the NYX honey, but here's a swatch anyway

ITEM: NYX Lipstick- Honey
COST: N1,800
DESCRIPTION: Nude-like colour with a caramel tint. It has a satin finish
SWATCH: NYX matte lipstick - Honey

ITEM: NYX Jumbo Pencils- Milk and Black Bean
COST: N1,700 each
DESCRIPTION: used as an eyeshadow to increase pigmentation and longer wear







SWATCHES: NYX Jumbo pencils in Milk and Black Bean



ITEM: NYX lipstick- Merlot
COST: N2,200
DESCRIPTION: Matte pink lipstick


NYX Lipstick: Merlot

SWATCH:  NYX Merlot Lipstick




Which of these are your favourites? I'm loving Merlot and Honey Lipstick!

All products were purchased from My Makeup
LINK:  http://www.beautyrevolutionng.com/shop/

Monday 1 April 2013

Party Girl!

Hi dolls!

I was going through my pictures and thought to share this really nice makeup look I rocked to an event sometime in February. I had just gotten my BH cosmetics Party Girl palette and sooo wanted to try it out. Here's what I came up with on a night out!









EYES
NYX white eyeshadow base, also used on the water line
BH Cosmetics Party Girl Palette
Foxy and Booty Call from Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 used to highlight the brow bone
Milani Eye Tech felt pen eye liner
LA Girl white eyeliner
Ardel Lashes- Pixies

FACE
Bobbi Brown Foundation stick Golden 6
MAC Studio Fix- NC 43
Black Opal Oil Blocking  powder as under eye highlighter

CHEEKS

Black Radiance quad for contouring
Mars Blush- Cocoa
Bobbi Brown highlight palette


LIPS
LA Girl Endless Semi permanent lip liner - Natural
MAC lipstick - Viva Glam A82
MAC lipstick - You're Perfect Already
NYX lipgloss- Natural


Leave a comment if you would like to see a review on my BH Cosmetics Party Girl Palette

Sunday 31 March 2013

Mrs Ajari!

Happy Easterrrrrrr!

What's everyone getting up to?

I got a bridal job in Ondo state two weekends ago. It was my first job outside Lagos and I was pretty excited! Here are some pictures of her makeover from her engagement. I'll put up pictures from the white wedding as soon as I get them. Don't forget to leave a comment *muah*


BEFORE

AFTER