All About Primers + Mini Review of MUFE Step 1 Primers

Hey all! Let’s talk about primers. What is a primer and why do you need one? Basically a primer is a base for foundation or face makeup. It acts as a barrier between your skin and your makeup. Depending on your skin’s concerns, a primer can be used to address those problems. Primers can be used to address texture, large pores, redness, you name it, there’s a primer for it. Primers can be layered, and I will address that later in the post. 

My main concern is my large pores and oily skin so I like to go for primers that will help to fill in my pores and help to control my oils and currently I have 4 primers in my stash. 

Unfortunately all of the primers are on the higher end but I know there are a lot of drugstore primers that work just as well so I will try to provide dupes to all of these primers. 

First primer I’m going to talk about is the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer ($54) this is the most expensive primer I have ever bought. It costs a lot more than almost all of my foundations! This primer is supposed to help to smooth texture, control oil, create a smooth base for makeup application and extend the wear of your makeup. It does all it claims except for the pores filling bit, which it doesn’t really excel at. I also don’t find that it controls my oils but in its defense, I’m very oily 😂 it has a lotion-y consistency and is easy to apply. It’s a good enough primer, but I definitely won’t be repurchasing when I run out. My bottle has lasted me over a year so it does end up a pretty good value for money. 

Drugstore dupe: NYX Angel Veil primer. 

Next on this list is the Becca Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector. If you’ve been reading my blog you know this is HG status for me. I love love love this primer. It claims to be pore filling, mattifying and help to extend the wear of your makeup and it does all of it and more. It’s a little tricky to apply but once you get the hang of it, it’s an amazing product. When I wear this I’m like oily skin who? 😂😂 of course I do get oily after a while but definitely helps to keep me matte for a really long time and whenever I  don’t wear this, I definitely notice that my oils come through more quickly. A lot of people used to compare this primer to the Kiko Mat Base Corrector primer but that has since been discontinued so if I find a drugstore dupe to this primer I will update this post.

Now on to the review of the MUFE Step one primers. Makeup Forever released 10 primers to target every skin concern you could possibly have, and I knew immediately that I would have to pick two of them up. Reviews were favourable so finally I picked up two of the Step One primers; Mattifying and Smoothing. 

I picked these up in the travel size because it seemed like the smarter thing to do. 15ml/0.5g of product = $17 30ml/1 oz of product = $37; two travel size: $17+$17 = $34. Get it? Lol the cheapie in me had to pick up the travel size because two of it would still be cheaper than one full size primer. I’m getting off topic here. Let’s get back on track. The mattifying primer comes in a dark grey tube and the the smoothing primer comes in a lighter grey tube. They both have a very precise tip applicator (which I forgot to photograph, sorry!) which dispenses very little product at a time, which is good, because it helps to prevent waste. 

The consistency of the smoothing primer is very similar to the Benefit Porefessional which I used to have but have since sold because I thought wasn’t worth the money. It even smells similar to the Porefessional. It’s tinted; but it doesn’t leave me looking ashy, thankfully. The brand describes this as a satiny, non – oily formula that evens out skin texture by minimizing pores, wrinkles and fine lines. Skin looks resurfaced and perfectly smooth for a flawless makeup all day long. I don’t have any wrinkles or a lot of fine lines so I can’t say how it works on them but I do have rather large pores on the sides of my nose. I wouldn’t say it makes my pores look resurfaced but it doesn’t give them a soft focused effect which makes them look like they’re barely even there. And as an added bonus, it helps to keep my oils in check to an extent in the areas in which I apply it. 

The mattifying primer is clear, and is of a slightly thick consistency, just like the Becca Ever Matte. This primer is described as the answer to unwanted shine, fighting against excess oil to ensure a matter makeup result. I do find that it does help to keep my oils in check. It’s not as fussy to apply as the Becca primer and it works just as well. I do think the Becca primer works controls oil a smidge bit longer but it’s not a significant differences. 

Remember I said earlier that primers could be layered? Let’s talk a lot more about that. I use a lot of my primers together. For instance I apply my Hourglass primer to my entire face and apply my Becca primer to my tzone where I’m the most oily (which also has the added benefit of pore minimizing), or I use my Step one mattifying to my tzone to control oil and the smoothing primer to my pores to help minimise the appearance of them.  

A lot of primers rely on silicones to give them a smooth texture; a lot of primers that apply smoothly or claim to be pore filling contain a lot of silicones. However two out of my four primers do not contain silicones and that’s amazing to find, especially for people who either are allergic to silicone or do not like silicone – laden primers. Becca Ever Matte primer and the Makeup Forever Step one madoes not contain silicones: the primary oil controlling ingredient is Enantia Chlorantha bark extract, while the mattifying Step One primers contains a specific Sebustop Vegetal Complex. 

While a lot of silicone primers have some slip to it, my two primers that contain silicones do not have the same consistency. The Hourglass primer is lotion – y while the Step one smoothing is of a thicker consistency. 

I will definitely repurchase the two Step One primers and might even pick up the full size next time. The Becca Ever Matte is love. I will definitely be repurchasing and as for Hourglass, it’s a no for me bruh! 

Ultimately it’s up to you to decide the best primer for your skin concerns and for your preference. I suggest that you do a lot of research and go for what best suits you. 

Thank you for reading xx 

what is your favourite primer? Have you tried any of these? Share your thoughts with me. 

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NYX Micro Brow Pencil: Revolutionary or Just Meh?

Hey guys! Can you believe the month is almost over?  

The Micro Brow Pencil is one of the NYX’s most popular products and of course I had to try it out to see what the fuss is all about. It’s said to be a dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz but of course I haven’t tried the Brow Wiz because it is insanely expensive for a brow product. The product is double ended with the pencil on side and a spoolie on the other which is pretty convenient because you don’t have to get a separate spoolie and you can continue to use it when the product has run out. This is what the brand has to say about their product: 

Build full, beautiful brows with our ultra-thin Micro Brow Pencil. So precise it coats even the finest hairs with color for a natural-looking finish

It comes in 8 shades and I picked it up in Espresso, which is the darkest shade. Lately brows are all the rage and I can definitely see why because brows can make or break your look. I have pretty full eyebrows naturally and I don’t really need to fill them in but I like the look of a chiseled brow so I fill them in every time I wear makeup and it definitely makes my look more put together. The small tip makes for precise application and the small size makes it easy to grip. I fill in my brows with hair like strokes.Here I compared the micro brow in Espresso to a regular dark brown pencil that I’ve been using for a while. On top is the regular pencil and on the bottom is the micro brow pencil. The shades are pretty identical but I feel like the micro brow pencil is a little more cool – toned than the pencil I’ve been using but you don’t really notice that when I use them. The pencil is hard. I kind of expected it to be creamier, but it works. I do feel like it doesn’t show up much so I have to keep building up on it to get it to show up on my darker brows. Bare brows, no product.After filling it in with the NYX micro brow pencil. (I cleaned it up a little with concealer) my eyebrows look natural, but you can still build up til you have a more chiseled brow, if that’s what you want. Here my eyebrows look more chiseled, and I used the same pencil to achieve this look. 

I really like the spoolie on the micro brow. It’s soft but very firm. Now that I’ve started to use the spoolie on the micro brow I find my regular spoolie to be a lot more abrasive and harsh. 

My one gripe is the teeny amount of product you get. It’ll probably run out after about a month of daily use. 

I would recommend this if you have sparse brow hairs because the outcome is always natural, and you can still carve out “instagram brows” if you wish. It’s pretty expensive, but I would definitely repurchase. In conclusion I would say the NYX micro brow pencil is revolutionary!! 

Get it here: Rouge Cosmetics

Thanks for reading! 

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Lena Cosmetics More Matte than Matte Review, Comparison

Hi guys! Liquid to matte lipsticks are all the rage lately, and I’ve certainly amassed my fair share of them. I came across this indie brand that is owned by a YouTuber, Marlene Aymone. The lipsticks looked so good and I just had to have some. 

Typically the lipsticks are $17 but they were marked down to $5 for the longest time for the brand to reformulate their lipsticks. I copped two in the old formula a while ago that I never got round to reviewing and now I have 3 more in the new formula so I thought I’d pit the two different formulations against each other(I’ve had the older batch for a while hence the state of the box, sorry!) Aside from the formula, they also updated their packaging. The previous packaging was white with gold stripes on the side while the new packaging is blue with gold stripes, both with Lena Cosmetics and More Matte than Matte printed on the side. The packaging of the lipstick itself was updated too. The older ones came in a clear tube with a gold cap, the new ones in a frosted tube with a navy cover. The older ones have Lena Cosmetics written on the bottom in gold while the new packaging has LL on the cap. I’m torn between which of the two I like better. I do like the gold cap but on the other hand I like the contrast between the gold, navy blue and the frosted tube. All the tubes have the shade name printed on a flimsy piece of plastic stuck to the bottom. 

Now let’s get to the reason why we’re here- the formula. The older formula was patchy, and wasn’t exactly the lightest feeling. You definitely know it’s there when you’re wearing it. This new one, however, is very lightweight and is full coverage in one swipe. The older formula crumbles after about 3 hours even without eating or drinking, and starts to feel very heavy. To reapply you’ll have to take off the old one completely then apply a new layer. If you apply a new layer over the old one, it looks gross and feels very uncomfortable. The new one lasts much longer and can even survive a small meal without fading. However after 6 hours or so, it starts to wear off which is pretty impressive. 

The first batch of colours I picked up were Jason: a dark red, almost scarlet and Tom: a deep blue – red. 

The second batch I picked up were Dante: a dark red; Rob: a grey purple, everything I imagine ColourPop Kapow would look like and Lucious: a dark pinky purple -y red, pretty similar to Jason when swatched but different when applied. Both formulas apply opaque in one swipe, but Jason is a little patchy. However I wouldn’t recommend you layer it because it starts to feel heavy and flakes. It’s best to apply one part of your lip with one swipe and other lip with a fresh coat. 

Both formulas dry down quick but I find that the old formula transfers even after its dried down, while the new formula does not. I also like that they are named after males. It’s a pretty refreshing change. Both tubes come with flat applicators. I always felt like the applicator on the old formula was too long and it was as if they heard my complaints because the newer applicator is a tad bit shorter which I definitely appreciate. The newer applicator is also bendy, making it easier to adhere to the contours of your lips. 

My one pet peeve is that the shade names are not printed on the box. You’d have to open it up to look for the name on the bottom of the product itself which is pretty annoying, if you have more than one shade, like me. 

My absolute favourite is Rob. I’ve been wearing it everyday since I got, and Lucious is a close second. I also really like Jason. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this review. Share your thoughts with me and let me know if you’ve tried anything from this brand. 

Thanks for reading xx 

Introduction to Coloured Raine: One Lip Lacquer, One Lip Paint

Happy new month everyone! Wow can you believe just how fast the year is moving? Very soon it’ll be Christmas then 2016 will be much less gone 😱 

Today I have a review of two Coloured Raine lip products that I mentioned in my haul post Left: Coloured Raine lip lacquer in the shade mysterious; Coloured Raine matte lip paint in the shade Brick house. 

I’ve been wanting to try Coloured Raine for a while but for an indie brand, it’s pretty expensive at $17. Til my friend dangled a deal in front of my I could not refuse. My two products come in two different packaging but I think it’s pretty cute. It’s a transparent tube with a pink cap. Coloured Raine is embossed on the lip lacquer in black and on the lip paint in red, and also on the cap. 

Brick house is described on the Coloured Raine site as: a red based brown liquid lip paint that dries matte leaving your lips vibrant for hours. Won’t budge a bit unless oil based product is used for removal. 

Mysterious is described as: a fragrance – free, non sticky, opaque lip gloss that envelopes your lips with luxury. 

First of all I do not agree with the description of brick house. This is how it’s supposed to look according to the model used on the site: 

However it looks nothing like this.I absolutely love mysterious. It’s such a beautiful colour and for a gloss, it’s pretty pigmented. It’s kind of like a cross between a lipstick and a lip gloss. It’s not completely opaque in one swipe, but I add a second layer and it works out fine. It’s a beautiful dark purple that would look nice on every skin tone. My one gripe about this is that it refuses to stick to the center of my lip. No matter  how many or how little I apply, it just doesn’t stick. This is always how it ends up looking like. But I still love the colour nonetheless because it’s so beautiful and for a gloss it lasts so long. I love that it’s not sticky but if you press your lips together, the colour will lift from one lip to the other, but I’m guessing that’s to be expected from a lip gloss. 

Top: mysterious; bottom: brick house. 

Now you see what I said about brick house? This looks nothing like the picture or the description on the site. It’s more of a burnt orangey, terracotta than a red based brown and as you can see it looks nothing like it does on the model. It’s still a beautiful colour but it’s not a colour that I would typically wear. I’ve worn it once and I found that I needed to use a lip liner with it to make it more toned down and wearable for me. It lasts pretty long and is lightweight. I noticed fading around the 6 hour mark which is pretty impressive wear time. Mysterious however is not as fussy. I throw it on and go about my way and several hours later there’s still a bit of colour left. I reapply if needed but I usually don’t see the need to. 

In conclusion I will say that I am impressed with both of these. I will not get much use out of brick house but it’s still a very beautiful colour, if that’s your cup of tea but it’s pretty obvious that mu absolutely favourite is mysterious. O definitely recommend that you get this and I will definitely be checking out more Coloured Raine products. 

I got this from my friend Zuzu’s web on Instagram for 50 cedis each. 

Have you tried any of these colours or any Coloured Raine products? Share your thoughts with me!

Testing Out the BECCA Ever Matte Foundation

So after trying out the BECCA Ever Matte Poreless Priming Perfector and loving it, I was eager to try the Ever Matte foundation because everyone on YouTube was speaking so highly of it and all I saw were good reviews. First of all trying to match myself was incredibly hard because based off the swatches, all the shades seemed pretty similar, except for Cacao, and there were no shade descriptions on the site either. So I used the foundation finder, and they really need to do something about it because in my opinion, it’s so inaccurate 

It requires you to choose the shade closest to your skin tone and I chose Dark Golden. Then from there you are required to choose if your skin tone is lighter, the same or slightly darker than the model used. I think it would have been very helpful if BECCA had stated exactly what foundation the model was wearing. So I chose lighter than the model used, because I’m not as deep as she is, and the foundation finder matches me to Amber which I know would be so light for me because based off swatches and reviews I’d seen, it looks to be an NC45 ish shade. So I go back and select the same (meaning the same skin tone as the model) and I’m matched to Tobacco, which also looks like it’ll be too light. I go back for the third time and select slightly darker, and get matched to Sienna. So then I order Sienna. I email them using the Speak to a Stylist function and upload a picture and am once again matched to Tobacco. Yes that’s how bad i wanted a good match. But then I watch the Socialite Life’s review and she used this in the shade Sandalwood, which was a little too dark for her, so I think okay Sandalwood should be good for me since I’m a little darker than Sande. So I go and change my order from Sienna. I think I should have stuck with Sienna.

The foundation comes in a squeeze tube not unlike the Ever Matte primer, which s clear panel to show the foundation colour. However it’s frosted so it doesn’t give an exact representation of the colour inside so don’t let that fool you. There’s also a sticker on it with the foundation shade printed on it. 

What it is: This exceptional, creamy medium coverage foundation controls excess oil and shine, while perfecting the skin and creating a smooth, natural finish. Unlike most mattifying foundations, which leave the skin flat and dull, this unique formula features micro fine powder particles that absorbs excess oil so your complexion remains shine-free all day long. Created for combination to oily skin, this foundation minimized the appearance of pores and fine lines, creating a beautiful soft-focused effect. Shake before use  

Let me tell you, it’s incredibly difficult to shake a tube. I don’t know how BECCA expected us to do but it’s practically impossible. So like I mentioned, the shade that I got is Sandalwood. I think they added a few new shades to their line of foundations and Sandalwood was one of them. First time I tried it, I was so impressed with how much it matched my skin. It was so accurate I couldn’t even tell where I had applied the foundation and where I hadn’t. So I did a full face and went about my way. You know all the noise that is made about undertones and how important they are? Well that’s very true because this foundation would have been absolutely perfect for me if it had a more yellow/golden base. I find that it leans more neutral to cool, so it looks grey on me. It’s very subtle and you won’t notice until I point it out, but I can see it. And someone who knows their makeup can, too, so I have to find a way to bring back life into my face because the ashiness of the foundation can cause me to look a little flat. 

I really wanted to love this foundation. I really really really wanted it to work. I tried using it with different primers, including the brand’s own, but nothing worked. In fact, this foundation pretty much sucks major balls, and it pains me to say that about it because the ever matte primer is a holy grail product for me. I expected this foundation to keep me matte all day long and some, especially when Jackie Aina said she sometimes found it too matte for her and girls who lived in humid conditions would love it. I do not like this at all. First because it does not keep me matte. Yes it dries to a matte finish. But when I do the slightest activity, I start to perspire like crazy. The foundation stays intact and I’m just sweating buckets. I’m not oily, I’m just sweating like there’s no tomorrow. It is transfer resistant to an extent, but when you start to get oily, it’ll definitely transfer. I should also mention that it dries really fast so it’s best to work in sections. 

I find that coverage is light – medium, and not medium like is claimed. You can only build up quickly after you apply the first layer, and only to areas where you need more coverage, else it’ll get cakey real quick. It does control oil to an extent. It’s definitely not as impressive as I thought it would be. But if I’m sitting still and not doing much, I don’t get oily til after probably 4 hours. BUTTT once I start to walk about or go out in the sun for even 10 minutes, here come the waterworks. Perspiration literally pours out of my face like an open tap. And I really don’t know why. 

Here the undertones are more apparent and they are definitely not as golden as I would like 

I did a comparison of the foundation with other shades I wear 

Left to right: NARS all day luminous weightless foundation New Orleans, Maybelline superstay Cocoa, BECCA ever matte foundation Sandalwood. You can tell that the other two are more orangey than the BECCA foundation. 

I don’t find that the foundation oxidizes, and it is definitely a lightweight feeling foundation. I am so disappointed that it did not do what it claimed. I did not see the need to set my face with a powder since it dries to a matte finish, but occasionally I use my Urban Decay De-slick Mattifying powder and it doesn’t make a difference in keeping me matte. I did try setting my face with my Skindinavia Finishing Spray, no difference either. 

For how much this cost, it did not impress me at all, and I have no good things to say about it. I will continue to use it of course, because it is expensive and the colour match is not half bad when I finish applying my full face, but I would definitely not repurchase. 

So would I recommend this foundation? I would say yes and no. Yes because I found very few reviews where it didn’t work for people. Mostly everyone was raving about how amazing it was and how it kept them matte for several hours without needing to blot. And just because something didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. And I would say no because it is expensive!! And I bet you could find a cheaper product that would work the same or even better than this. In fact, I definitely prefer my SuperStay over this. 

I’m sorry this is such a long post and if you made it to the end of this post, thanks for reading! 

Have you tried this foundation? Share your experiences with me. 

Quick Review: Urban Decay De-slick Mattifying Powder

Happy new month guys! It’s amazing how fast this year has been! One more year then we say goodbye to 2016, whoa 😱 I also remember that sometime last year, I started my blog. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year already. So anyway I’m coming at you with another review, and this time it’s on the Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder. 

It comes in a beautiful purple compact and i have to admit that that was one of the main things that attracted me to the product. You have to admit that it’s absolutely beautiful. It is decorated with a flower motif. I’m glad Urban Decay changed the packaging cos previously it also included skulls on the packaging. 

What it is: This lightweight pressed powder blots oil and stops shine without messing up your makeup. Shiny can be really good (when it comes to expensive jewelry, for example) or really bad (when it comes to your T-zone). To curb shiny skin and keep the attention on you for all the RIGHT reasons, use De-Slick, our cult-favorite, shine-stopping pressed powder.

Urban Decay describes it as a pale lavender but it looks stark white in the pan. When you open it up, there’s a sizable mirror and powder push with a pleather back that sticks to the mirror a lot. There’s also a plastic film that separates the powder puff from the powder. What it essentially is is rice paper compressed into a pan. Rice paper is known for its absorbent and mattifying qualities and that’s what this is supposed to do, take away shine and keep your face matte. 

From my arm swatch, you can see just how white it is. However it blends into my skin so well. Best of all is that it doesn’t leave a white cast, which is great. I use it to set my face using a large fluffy brush. I swirl my brush into the compact, tap of the excess and set my whole face, concentrating on my t-zone which is the oiliest part of my face. It can also be used for touch – ups on the go. Initially I hated to use the powder puff it came with but I do now. I blot the shine on my face then take a bit of product with the powder puff then gently press it into my face. However I find that the powder puff is extremely flimsy and I really don’t see it lasting that long. 

I do notice that when I first apply it, my face does look a little light but after a few minutes, it does settle then that goes away. You get 11 grams of product which isn’t too shabby. The compact is sturdy so you don’t have to worry about it breaking when you throw it into your bag. I’ve dropped this a few times 😥 and it doesn’t snap shut as tightly as it used to anymore. In the beginning it closed a little too tightly and I had a bit of trouble opening it up. 

This does mattify my face but I find that the effect isn’t long lasting. Honestly from reviews I had read, I was expecting to be matte for hours and hours but the most the matte effect lasts is about 2 hours, which is pretty disappointing to me, because I had such high hopes in this, especially considering how much it is ($32). 

So no, I do not recommend this product because I’m sure there are a lot of others that would work as well or even better for a cheaper price. Yes it is beautiful to look at and whenever I whip it out of my bag to touch up my face, people admire it but it’s really not worth the money so when it finishes I will NOT be repurchasing it. I don’t find myself reaching for it much and will definitely be on the lookout for a cheaper alternative. 

xx 

Makeup Products Under 50 Cedis

I was inspired to write this post after seeing it on amakeupjunkiesblog. Makeup is expensive in Ghana lately, especially due to the depreciation of the cedi. Even drugstore products are considerably more expensive here. So as kind hearted as I am, I’m here to give you tips on how to buy makeup for 50 cedis and under, and how to buy makeup at an affordable price, because you don’t have to spend a million dollars to look like a million dollars. 

Let’s get right into this post! My first tip for buying makeup is to hunt around the interwebs and compare prices. I do this all the time. I’m not about to buy something for one price when there’s a chance I can get it for considerably lower. 

Tip 2: take advantage of sales. A lot of sales take place in Ghana. Stalk makeup pages on Instagram (because that’s primarily where most of them advertise their wares) and you’re bound to come across a sale pretty soon. 

Now for the makeup products under 50 cedis. I’ll link the ones that I’ve personally tried and reviewed so you can check them out if you’re interested. 

Primer: LA Girl Pro Prep Primer 

photo credits: lagirlusa.com        Personally I’ve never tried this primer, but reviews are pretty favorable, so it’s worth getting. It ranges between 30-45 cedis, and there’s a sale on it right now for 35 cedis. 

Where to get it: Everything Beauty GH

Foundation: Maybelline SuperStay 24hr foundation

This foundation is great for a drugstore product. It’s long lasting and has such beautiful coverage. The only thing that sucks about it is that it comes in a limited number of shades for dark skin (2 shades. Not cool, Maybelline). But if you can find your shade, this is definitely the foundation to get because for the price it is pretty freaking amazing. I got mine early this year for 45 cedis. It was 40 cedis previously so it should be about 50 cedis now. 

 Where to get it: The Johnson Brand

Concealer: LA Girl Pro Conceal

These come in a variety of shades for spot correcting, highlighting, contouring, even colour correcting. Best part of it is it’s highly affordable. I’ve bought one for as low as 15 cedis (at a sale) but it can be as expensive as 35 cedis. I have a love – hate relationship with these concealers. They are pretty hard to work with sometimes because they dry so fast, but they’re cheap so I’m not complaining

Where to get it: The Twins Store

Eyeliner: LA Girl gel eyeliner

This was the first gel eyeliner I tried and I absolutely loved it. I’ve had it for ages and I notice now that’s it’s starting to dry up, but I’ve almost hit pan (pot?) on it so I don’t mind so much. It can also double up as a brow pomade if you wish. I got mine for 20 cedis. Yup, only! For the price this is pretty freaking amazing. Right now I’m not too sure how much it costs but it definitely shouldn’t be more than 30 cedis. 

Where to get it: Shormies Beauty Supply

Brow Pomade: Kleancolor Brow Pomade

I reviewed these fairly recently and I wasn’t at all impressed with it. But if you’re able to get a shade that best matches your brows and isn’t dried up in the tub like mine was, I could see it becoming a staple for you. I got thid for 10 cedis on sale. Resellers are shooting for 20-25 cedis. 

Where to get it: The Twins Store

Blush: Sleek Flushed Blush

This is great for a pop of colour. It’s beautifully pigmented and can also double up as an eyeshadow. Use a light hand and build up as preferred. Sleek products and made for women of colour and come in such cute packaging. I got this for the unbelievably low price of 15 cedis from an authorized Sleek retailer but when I went back to get Sahara blush from the Sleek store, it had gone up to 20 cedis, so it should be about the same price or 25 cedis now. Definitely a great way to start using blush if it’s unfamiliar territory to you. 

Where to get it: Sleek Shop, Makola Shopping Mall 

Eyeshadow: W7 The Naughty Nines PalettePhoto credits: ladylipbalm.nl

These are supposed to be a dupe for the Mac Times 9 palettes. I don’t know if they are as pigmented because I haven’t tried them but they’re affordable enough. Even if they suck, well they only cost 50 cedis. 

Where to get it: The Beauty Box GH

Setting Powder: LA Girl Pro HD setting powder

Personally I wasn’t wowed by this product. But when you spend 30 cedis only on a setting powder, don’t be too surprised if it doesn’t perform as well as a 100 cedi product. But for the price, it works okay enough. It has horrible flashback so stay away from flash photography when you use this. However you can use a light hand and dust onto where you need oil control and it won’t be as bad. 

Where to get it: Shormies

Liquid Lipsticks and Highlighters: ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip and Highlighters

ColourPop is undoubtedly one of, if not the most popular, brands in the world right now. They are known for their very beautiful but affordable makeup. Their highlighters are beautiful on dark skin, and their liquid lipstick come in a wide range on colours to depending on what your preference is. I got mine for a good deal and snatched up 5 but I have to resign myself to the fact that I’m not going to get them as affordable anymore. These go for 40-55 cedis but this is supposed to be a post to help you find affordable makeup so 55 cedis is definitely off the table. 

 Where to get it: Urban 101

Lipstick: LA Girl Flat Velvet Matte Lipstick

These LA Girl lipsticks are affordable and good value for the price. I initially wanted 4 but I only got 3 colours. I’ve bought it for as low as 10 cedis and as “high” as 20 cedis. Or was it 15 cedis? I love the colours, I hate that they are scented, but it goes away pretty quick. The darker shades leave behind a slight stain. 

Where to get it: Klassic City

It’s pretty obvious from this post that I have and love a lot of products from LA Girl. They’re readily available and you can’t beat the price. Try to catch them on sale and they might be even cheaper than the estimated prices quoted here. I hope this post helps you when it comes to buying makeup, especially as a beginner. If there’s anything I left out, please let me know! 

xx 

ColourPop x KaePop Super Shock Cheek: Glo’ing Up!

Hi guys! Long time no blog. It’s been a rough few days for me and my family. We had to say goodbye to my aunt over the weekend and we’re still trying to get over the loss.

So this is the final installment of my ColourPop haul, and the one I’m most excited to bring to you — the ColourPop Super Shock Cheek in Glo Up.

Glo Up is described by ColourPop as a rich gold with flashes of golden copper in a Pearlized Finish. It is a beautiful, beautiful shade with tiny shimmery flecks that are not too OTT for daytime use.

The packaging of the highlighter is chic, although it could potentially be a fingerprint magnet and retain every stain that gets on it. The highlighter is of a squishy, bouncy consistency. I love love love how it feels! I would play with it all day long if I could. That’s not the case cos ColourPop advises that you keep it tightly closed, and not leave the lid off for too long or it loses some of its “magic”

It’s very pigmented, so it’s best to apply with a light hand and build up as you go. I apply with my fingertips as recommended by the brand, but you can also use synthetic brushes. Make sure your fingers are clean! First time I used this, I applied to my cupid’s bow, bridge of my nose, tops of my cheekbones, inner corner of my eyes and under my brow bone, when I was stepping out and lawd you shudda seen how I was glowing! I got beat by the rain (the weather has been PMS-ing majorly lately smh), running up and down running errands and 6 hours later, I get home and what do you know,  highlight still on fleek! I was definitely impressed by this. And most importantly, it was not at all ashy, there was no fallout and it stayed where it was put. I like how you can build up to a more dramatic highlight, if that’s your cup of tea. If you’re dark like me, or even darker, I definitely recommend this highlighter. And you get a lot of product too, (1.5oz) so I don’t see it running out anytime soon.

ColourPop products in general aren’t exactly accessible in Ghana, unless you’re willing to pay top dollar for them, which of course I wasn’t (yes I’m cheap okay?😂) but I got lucky and got this for 30 cedis from Nalex Cosmetics on Instagram, which is a very good deal, because it usually goes for around 45 – 70 cedis. Unfortunately it’s not 30 cedis anymore, but you can hook up with her, she’s got really great prices!

I am definitely looking forward to trying other ColourPop highlighters!

If you have tried this or any ColourPop highlighter, do tell your experience with them!

Beverly xx

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip Part 1

ColourPop came out of nowhere and suddenly they have exploded and taken over the whole internet. So naturally as a product junkie, I have been coveting literally everything they carry, but prices are so high here that I wasn’t really motivated to buy anything. Until I discovered a little secret which I’ll share later. But yes! Finally I have in my possession, a few Colourpop products!

ColourPop ultra matte lip Be-Dazzled, LAX, Guess, More Better, Rooch; ColourPop x KaePop Super Shock Cheek Glo Up

To make it a not so long review, I’m going to divide it into 3 parts, I’ll talk about three Ultra Mattes in this post, and the next two and a summary and tell you my favourites in another post, then review the highlighter in a separate post. Got it? Let’s go!

These were my first foray into the world of liquid lipsticks. I’ve tried one Chinese brand that’s readily available here and super cheap though but I found that so dry I could literally feel my lips cracking and begging for moisture after about 5 minutes so I tossed it.

Today I’m gonna be talking about Guess, More Better and Rooch.

Because Rooch is a collaboration between ColourPop and Karrueche Tran, it has gold accents while the others have silver accents. I think the packaging is pretty cute and I really love the holographic lettering. 

According to ColourPop: This thin and lightweight formula glides onto the lips smoothly and leaves SUPER intense pigment-rich colour with a bold, ultra matte look. It’s very long wearing and completely kiss proof! We suggest storing these babies upright and shaking before application!

They dry fairly quickly but with enough time to make adjustments.

It comes with a standard doe foot applicator. It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done. The formula is pretty runny, but not so runny that it drips all over the place.

Guess is described as a dark blackened violet and that’s exactly what it is. It’s a beautiful vampy colour which looks amazing on dark skin. It is pigmented enough for only one swipe but I prefer two swipes to make the colour pop a lot more.

More Better is described as a deep violet wine. This is definitely not violet or wine. On me it pulls more fuchsia than wine. They’re supposed to be kiss and transfer proof but More Better definitely transfers, which I find surprising because it dries down completely matte. Pigmented in one swipe.

Rooch is described as a deepened russet wine. Honestly I don’t see the russet or wine when I wear this. It pulls more brown with wine undertones on me, which a vinyl-like finish. It is opaque in one swipe. It’s the only one that I noticed has a tendency to settle into lip lines.

I love a matte lip as much as the next person but not traipsing – through – the – Sahara dry, and from reading reviews, I was expecting these to be very dry but they are surprisingly lightweight and extremely comfortable to wear. I kid you not. However they are impossible to get off, and I feel like I’m taking off one layer of my lips when I try to scrub these off haha. Exfoliation is key before application. They are intensely pigmented and glide on with ease.

Part two of my ColourPop haul coming pretty soon. Have you tried any of the ultra mattes? What was your experience with them?

Beverly xx

I’m Loving This Elf Matte Lip Color

Right off the bat, I should say that if you’re expecting this to be your typical matte, it isn’t. It’s not at all drying, but it’s not hydrating either. It’s a right balance.

It comes in a slim black box? If I can call it that. The packaging is chic and I quite like it.

I got this in the shade Rich Red. It’s a chubby lipstick that is smaller than a “regular” chubby lipstick but bigger than a lip liner. For a colour called rich red, I was initially skeptical about just how rich it was going to be.

Like a lot of lipsticks, it’s shade – coded at the bottom, which comes off to reveal a tiny sharpener. Ingenious right? Now y’all know I love me some red lipsticks, and this one certainly did not disappoint! It’s a beautiful blue – toned red, so it makes my gnashers look super white! It goes on easily and lasts for hours. Like a lot of matte lipsticks, it starts to get drying as the day goes on, but nothing too unbearable. The first time I wore it, I was surprised to see this lipstick transfer onto every single thing that touched my lips. Then I go to the mirror and it’s still there looking like I had just applied it freshly! It does stain the lips a bit so be sure to use an oil based removed when taking it off, but does not bleed or feather, thankfully.

You get 1.4g/0.05 oz of product which is certainly smaller than other chubby lipsticks in my collection but is not a problem, really. I like how the tip is slightly pointy so can be used to easily define the cupid’s bow.

Lightly swatched/heavily swatched.

All in all, I absolutely love this. It’s a beautiful colour that should work on every skin tone. A little bird told me it’s a dupe for Ruby Woo so if you’ve been lusting after that but can’t justify spending 90 – 100 cedis on a lipstick, Rich Red is for you! However these are not readily available. I’ve seen a few vendors online where it’s typically between 20 – 25 cedis but I picked this up at the Makeup Ghana Connects exhibition for 15 cedis! Hurrah to saving! I definitely recommend this, if you can get your hands on it and I’m definitely looking forward to trying other shades in this range. I’ve got my eye on Tea Rose and Berry Sorbet.

All Elf products are cruelty free.

Beverly xx