Hey Beauties!
Here is another part of my gift guide. Today we'll be taking a closer look to some of contouring, highlighting and blush products. I'll also be talking about products great for those that are beginners at makeup and my favorite nail polishes and tools.
SHADE, LIGHT AND COLOR
This category has it all components of a sculpted face. It's something for everyone. You may have a relative obsessed with highlighting (like me) or they might love to contour and sculpt their face or you have someone that just loves a nice flush to their cheeks. Either way, I have a few products that will surely be their new product. It's not only highlighters, contours and blushes, but also brushes with which to apply all these products.
As with my lipstick category, I also have to point out MAC blushes. Again a huge range of shades and finishes. I choose Sheertone finish in the shade Pinch Me. I think those are some great quality basic matte blushes.
One of those brushes that can work great as a highlight brush or as a contour brush. I love to use it as a contour, because it fits perfectly under the cheek bone. It's pointed so it blends the product nicely and it's fairly soft.
I think no one will say no to this. It's one of very popular and in my eyes a must have for all of those that love highlighters. The shade is champagne gold and it's super shiny. My favorite highlighter and definitely worth the price. You get a lot of product for that price.
4 E.l.f. Small Tapered Brush
Perfect brush size for highlighter. It's also so cheap and the brush has very soft bristles. You can't go wrong with this purchase.
Makeup Revolution tends to copy brands and sometimes they do an amazing product for a much more affordable price. That's how I feel about their sculpt and contour kits. I have it in Ultra Fair, which really is fair. Sometimes names don't really live up to the actual shades. This has one of really pretty light warm bronzers. Highlighter is super shiny as well as the blush. All three products will give you sculpt and serious glow.
I've mentioned this in my NYX post as an amazing contour shade for all of those with light skin tones. It's just enough cool toned and less pigmented, which means you can build it up, without looking to heavy. I think it's an amazing shade and the product is also big enough to use as a contour shade.
It's meant to be used for blush, but I think it's a bit too big for that. I use it for my bronzer and it works perfectly. It's a huge soft brush, which is cut in a way that it blend the product on the skin and applies it softly enough. It's amazing for bronzer and it can easily be used also for powder or blush as well - if you use the very tip of it.
Here we have another amazing contour shade for fair skin tones. It's a bit more warmer then Essence eyeshadow, but still fairly contour like. The highlighter is subtle, so good for those that want just a tad of definition. It's worth having for the contour shade and it's also a great travel set.
This beauty was found on Ebay. I'm thinking it's a dupe for Real Techniques' Bold Metals brushes. By far one of the most perfect contour brushes you'll ever use. All you have to do is place it under the cheek bone and tap it forward and back. Or you can brush it up. The brush does the job for you. It's also ridiculously cheap.
10 Deborah Milano Hi-Tech Blush
I have this for probably too long already. Since I bought it's been in my favorites. I think they've changed it recently. I saw different shades and the formula might be different. Mine is baked and shimmery. It's one of those really flattering slightly shimmery glowy blushes and it will literally last you ages.
Another super affordable E.l.f. brush. Size is perfect for applying blush or even to use as a powder brush for spot powdering. Very soft and it picks up products nicely.
Another one of amazing baked blushes. They have a nice range of shades. Most are very shimmery, almost a bit too much for my taste, but Luminoso does it all. It's a perfect healthy looking peach shade with very small shimmer. It will give you a very healthy looking glow. It's again baked, so you'll probably have it for a really long time.
This one is meant for blush and it's actually very similar shade as E.l.f. blush brush. It's a bit denser, so you'd choose this if your want blush to be picked up in one swipe. This could also be used for powder or even for contouring. It's also very pretty looking and very cheap.
14 H&M Blush
As much as I think their beauty line is over priced, I really like this blush. I like that it's light and it's matte. The staying powder is amazing and you can choose among different shades. I will say it's pricey for the amount you get. But still, if you know someone that has all the blushes in their collection, but hasn't tried H&M's new beauty line, go for it.
MAKEUP BEGINNER
If you have someone that's just starting to use makeup and it might even be someone older, here are some of the basic products that are affordable, but still good quality. Sometimes all of this makeup can be too much, so providing them with basics that you know work good, are well worth and I'm sure they'll love your expertly chosen gifts.
1 Essence I Heart Extreme Volume Mascara Waterproof
If you're just starting with your makeup, you probably want it to be as long lasting as possible. Using waterproof mascara will prevent your from looking like a panda, when you forget that you have something on your eyes and start rubbing them. With this Essence mascara you also get a nice volume and it will keep your lashes curled, if you're already at that stage.
I've mentioned these in my eye category, but I'll also mention them here. Each palette has fairly neutral shades that go together, so you don't have to think much about it. Quality is good for the price and the shades are not too intense, so your mistakes won't be highlighted.
3 Ebay Eye Brushes
I think a brand Jessup does these, but you can also get ones without the brand name. There are four basic eye brushes for basic eye looks. Most are fluffy and soft enough. Some are even great for smudging and creating smoky eyes. Affordable starting out eye brushes.
Another fool proof eye shadow palette. It contains four shades, a mix of matte and shimmery ones. All the shades in the palette go with each other, so there's no wrong doing. Their quality is very good and they have a wide range of shade combinations. What I like about these palettes, even the colored ones are still very wearable.
5 Ebelin Makeup Sponge
My opinion on foundation for beginner is that there's nothing a makeup sponge can't fix. If you apply your foundation with makeup sponge it guarantees you to look nice and well blended. The sponges does the work for you, so you really don't have to think much about it. Ebelin's sponges are cheap and soft enough.
E.l.f. has one of the softest and most affordable brushes. Blush brush is small enough and soft that it makes for a great application for a beginner. You just have to use it lightly.
Metallic brushes from Ebay are not only very pretty and shiny, but they are also very soft and cheap. No one will know how cheap these are, because they look really expensive. With these three brushes you can make up your entire face.
This is a perfect blend of comforting lip balm and lightly colored lip gloss. It's super comforting product, but it also gives you just a tad of color. I think this is a better version of those tradition lip glosses. It also acts as a nourishing product. There are three shades available.
It looks like a lipstick. It has a lipstick luxurious packaging, but it in fact lip balm. It gives you color, but also nourishes as a lip balm. Again one of those soft lip products for someone who's just starting out in the makeup world. I think there are four shades available, pretty classic shades.
10 Bynanda BB Cushion Magic
I haven't reviewed this. It's a BB cushion from Born Pretty Store and it's lovely. It's my first BB cushion and it couldn't be more practical. The texture is very smooth and very glow. It's a light coverage, but can be build up. The system makes it super easy to use. You have a sponge that you dip into another sponge, which transfers product onto your sponge with which you apply it on your face. Perfect for traveling and for someone who wants just a tad of color.
11 Catrice Absolute Eyeshadow
I have the matte version, which to be honest I don't care much for it. It's because I'm not huge on matte eye shadows. This is still a pretty good product for those that are looking for matte palette. The texture is a bit drier and not as pigmented, but you do get a nice range of shades and they apply nicely. It's actually a good starter palette. You can also choose among other shades, which also contain some shimmery shades.
A bit of a more luxurious base for someone that's looking for a light amount of coverage and a very nice slightly glowy finish. I never thought I would love CC and BB cream, but this one is amazing. Its white, but it becomes skin line once you massage it into the skin. It gives you a very natural semi-matte finish, but with a nice glow. It's definitely undetectable and great nourishing product.
NAILS FOR DAYS
Last category, dear to my heart, is nail polishes. I love a good nail polish. Every year I'm sparkling them up in this time of year, so I also decided to feature some pretty sparkly nail polishes, which will be perfect as a gift for all nail polish lovers.
1 Avon Magic Effects Liquid Sequin Nail Polishes
Those are the latest edition of Avon's Magic Effects nail polishes. I actually got all the shades and am creating a post about them. I can already tell you those are some serious bling blings for your nails. They give a sequin effect, because they have different sizes of dots. They are all multi colored and very sparkly. This is statement nail polish that won't need any additional sparkly wrapping paper.
One of those must have tools for every nail polish lover. You just stick your finger in the whole and the sponge cleans off nail polish for you. You just need to twist it. It's so easy to use and will make your nail routine a lot quicker.
3 Revlon Nail Polishes
I love Revlon nail polishes. Their look is still very classic, but the shades and the formula is nice. Not my favorite kind of brush, because it is a bit long and thin, but a good formula does it. You also get a lot of product in the packaging. They also have a classic range of shades in my opinion.
This is again one of my favorite nail polish brands. They literally have every shade imaginable and the price is affordable. When they're on sale, I want to buy them all. The formula is super creamy and pigmented. They also last longer on me than most other nail polishes.
If you want it to be sparkly, but not over the top, then these nail polishes are for you. My relative also loves them and she doesn't like most of glittery nail polishes. This is a subdued sophisticated shimmery nail polish with a bit of a texture. It will compliment any manicure.
My favorite and best top coat ever. If you like doing nail art and drawing over your nails, you'll need this. It's one of the fastest drying top coats. It never smears design and it gives you a pretty shiny finish. It only has one fault, it starts to thicken when your about a half through the bottle and sometimes it can shrink your nail design. But that doesn't really bother me.
Amazing matte top coat that you can put over any nail polish and make it matte. I love this one. It does smear the designs a little, so wait for it to dry, before you apply it. Matte nails look so chic, because they're not as common as shiny finishes. If you want something different, this is it.
8 Avon Nail Experts 5 in 1 Nail Treatment
It's one of those nail treatments that can be used in multiple ways. It is supposed to strengthen your nails and make them less brittled. I love to use this as my base coat, because I feel like it does strengthen my nails a bit and it makes my manicure stay on. I also like that it dries down to almost nothing. It doesn't have a shiny finish, it's actually matte and looks like nothing on your nails.
9 L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream
Recently, I accumulated quit a few L'Occitane hand creams.My favorite is this one with 20% of Shea Butter. It's greasy enough, but it soaks into the skin. On the skin it leaves a slightly nourishing layer, which also stays on after you've washed your hands. I wash my hands often so I hate creams that soak into the skin too fast and don't feel moisturizing after a while. This one is great and also small enough to throw it into the bag.
Maybelline is my favorite drugstore brand for nail polishes. I wish they had bigger shade selection in our country. I do think they have some great basic shades and I like that these last on me well. It's definitely a more thinner formula with Colorama and a regular brush, while Colorshow has a bit more creamy and pigmented formulas. It really depends from shade to shade.
These are like a super luxurious very shimmery nail polishes. This is for all of those that really like it to sparkle a lot, but still look sophisticated. The shade range has some classic shades with some a bit more colorful ones. A must have for a party season.
12 Margaret Debbs Crystal Nail File
I finally invested in a crystal file and I couldn't be more happy. This has changed my nail routine and I think it helps my nails to look better. Regular nail files can damage your nails, while crystal files file so finely that it's actually a lot better for your nails. I also like that it's effective. I can shorten my nails in no time. Crsytal files are also one of those products that should last you life time, if you take good care of it.
14 Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
This is a very greasy butter like cream, which can soften your cuticles and will give your dry skin some healthy looking glow. I like to apply this when I finish my manicure and when I'm taking photos of my nails, because it covers my very dry skin. It's one of those instant effect creams.
15 Golden Rose Nail Polishes
I fist saw this brand up close a few weeks ago. They have a huge range of finishes and colors. I was like a kid in a candy store. The prices are super affordable and I think the formulas are also not bad. I haven't tried all of them yet, but the ones I did, I like. They have the little ones for 1€ and something, so these are great additions to any gifts.
If you're still searching for perfect gifts and can't decided what to get, I hope I made your decision a bit easier. I only mentioned the products that I believe in and really like the quality. What would you add to my categories?
