Video - My Current Make-Up Essentials

stila aqua glow watercolor blush in water blossom

stila aqua glow watercolor blush in water blossom, £20

I'm so not usually fussed about blush, I'm normally much more of a highlighter and bronzer lover. Give me a fan brush and I'll go to town highlighting the hell outta my cheekbones so by the time I've finished, blush would just be absolute overkill.

But lately I've been embracing a more pared back look and this blush is the perfect accompaniment. Where I like my base to be more velvety matte the texture of this blush adds a hint of life back into my cheeks. It's literally the less painful, more expensive version of someone pinching your cheeks with the result obviously lasting a hell of a lot longer. To use, I simply give it a little shake and then use my ring finger to dab it onto the apple of each cheek, blending up towards my temple. While the shade looks a bit 'in your face' in the pot, on the cheeks it just a pretty flush of colour. 

I'm definitely going to try the other shades too!

ghd azores collection

ghd V Marine Allure Styler, £130

ghd's are giving us all kinds of beachy feels this year with their limited edition summer stylers. The collection, which has just launched, includes two aquatic shades of the ghd V styler (marine allure, pictured, and atlantic jade) and gorgeous iridescent shade of the ghd platinum. The range is inspired by the tropicalAzores Islands and everything about the collection and the advertising makes you feel like you ought to be jetting off to a luxury island. Nothing about the stylers themselves have changed besides the colours, so if you have relatively new straighteners, then there's no need to chuck them BUT if your electricals game needs an update then these are for you!

I must say the regular ghd stylers like these aren't the best for straightening thick Afro hair, the v gold max styler and the eclipse are the best ghds for this in my experience. But what I think these are amazing for are creating form-free waves and curls. 

Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Hair Care Collection

Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Collection, Shampoo and Conditioner, £18 each, Oil, £36

Before I started working at Blackhair I thought I knew a lot about hair but I didn't. I knew how to kind of maintain my own hair but that was about it, so when I was opened up to the world of hair products on offer, I wanted to try absolutely everything! 

Fast-forward three years and I'm extremely set in my ways - while I'll give new things a try I tend to always go back to the same products that I know work perfectly for my hair. So when I received this new collection from Charlotte Mensah I knew I'd love them but would inevitably use them once and then go back to my usuals. But that has not been the case. 

If you don't know already Charlotte Mensah is an Afro hairdressing heavy-hitter. She has two British Hairdressing Awards under her belt as well as three Hair Magazine Awards. She is awesome, so of course her range was going to be. Shunning the 'in' oils to enrich her products, Charlotte chose the relatively unknown Manketti oil for her range which is full of Vitamin E and high in polyunsaturated fatty acid that acts as a barrier to help prevent moisture from escaping from the hair for longer. Six years went into creating these products and you can really tell, not only with the products themselves, but with the bottle and the design. 

My hero product of the range is the Manketti Oil, (£36). It's very hydrating so you only need a very small amount, say 2-3 drops, which is easy to measure out with the pipet. So while it is definitely a luxury product with a higher price tag, the size of the bottle means that I literally cannot see myself running out of this within a year! 

I'm always dubious recommending products I love to people with natural Afro hair as mine still has relaxed ends - but my colleague Joy (who does indeed have a head full of coils) is raving about the range too so you can believe that it's suitable for all Afro hair types! 

Available at charlottemensah.com

Topshop Beauty

I don't think Topshop Beauty gets enough credit. The range is great. It's affordable with an unreal selection of products with fab colours and the formula is always on point too! 

I dipped my toe in the Topshop Beauty pool when the range first came out years back with a lipstick and nail polish - that's all and to be honest,  the nail polish was a bit pants - it was streaky and chipped within a day. The lipstick on the other hand was the thing that had be coming back. The pigment, the staying power, everything! So I bought a few lippies (which have since become staples in my collection) but didn't really explore the rest of the range - until now. They are killing it y'all, here are a few of my fave Topshop Beauty buys.

Lipsticks in All About Me and Inhibition, £8 each  - All About Me was the aforementioned first lippy I got from Topshop and Inhibition (pictured above) is the smoky purple of dreams. The Topshop lipsticks are matte but so creamy and not at all drying.

Cream Blush in Dalliance, £7 - I love the muted colour of this blush. On my skintone it gives me a subtle healthy glow and is perfect for lazy weekend not-much-makeup kinda days.  

The Concealer Palette, £12 - This palette comes with three different shades so you can mix and match for custom colour it also comes with a translucent powder to set it.

Contour Cream in Swerve, £10 - The Contour Cream comes in two colours now, Swerve being the darker one. and when I say dark I mean real dark, and therefore actually wearable for us brown girls. I love the consistency - it's highly-pigmented and creamy therefore easy to blend out. Because ain't nobody wanting contour stripes. 

Smokey Eye Palette in Subversive, £12 - Twelve pounds for four awesome colours that create a bangin' smokey eye. Nuff said. 

Bobbi Brown Nude on Nude Eye Palette

If there's two things I love most when it comes to eye make-up, it's matte shades and a nude colour palette. Sure I like to experiment with colour every once in a while but as I'm more of a statement lip lover (way easier to perfect) for the eyes I prefer a simple colour and a precise eyeliner flick. So when this Bobbi Brown beauty dropped onto my desk I basically resembled the heart-eye emoji. 

The Nude on Nude Eye Palette, £36, hits shelves in March and is limited edition as a part of their Malibu Nudes Collection. The five shades come with a dual-ended brush so while it's on the higher end of the price scale you do get a range of shades and a quality brush to apply them with. 

All the lighter shades work well as a base and to even out the skin tone on the eyelid. The first shade is also great as a matte brow-bone highlight. However the darkest shade (Espresso) is my favourite, not only is it fab for a smokey eye, it's fab for filling in your brows too if you have dark brown hair like myself, which is great if you're travelling.

The formula of the shadows are pretty buttery soft with just the right amount of pigment.

Get yours at bobbibrown.co.uk from March 

Kiss USA Blooming Lash

Lashes, they are amazing for making make-up look complete. I, however just can't seem to get on with them. They are irritating to wear and a faff to put on and I always feel like they are going to fall off when I'm out. 

These lashes, however, have changed the game (well for me anyway). After attending a Kiss USA event last week guests were given some samples of the lashes and nails to try and I thought, hey, why not give them a whirl.

Above I have on the Kiss Blooming Lash in Lily and it's love. The Blooming Lashes are supposedly super spesh as they are created with 'multi-angle technology' which basically is a fancy way of saying that they are layered. Said technology does though give them a lovely fluttery look so I decided not to apply mascara to my actual lashes so the look was fresh and natural. The band is so thin I found them easy to apply onto my lashline and they are super light too so after a while I genuinely forgot they were on. 

They are also 100% natural hair, and you can get your hands on them at boots.com 

N.B Shout out to the Zoeva Warm Spectrum Eyeshadow Palette which I used to create this look. 

THE FRIDAY FIVE #5

I'll bring you flowers

After a serious case of blogger block the Friday five is BACK! I was feeling a bit meh the last couple of weeks so I decided to buy myself some flowers from my favourite flower shop, Scarlet and Violet in Kilburn. While my favourites aren't in season (the biggest blogger cliche, peonies) I got a gorgeous bouquet of stocks. IT's amazing what a bunch of fleurs can do for your mood. 

La Roche launches

On Tuesday I headed into town for the launch of La Roche Posay's latest suncare products. They are all factor 50 but don't leave that ashy look that a lot high factor sun protection products leave in black skin (I've learnt the hard way). I'll be popping a blog post up nearer their launch date but for now above is an attractive photobooth picture of me and Zoe from the launch.

Bowlin' babes

So my friend Nads has this thing where, despite me still living at home, so likes to give me kitchenware for my birthday. It all started on my 21st when she gave me a Le Creuset oven dish and so for this birthday present (which came this week despite my bday being in December because as a group we aren't the best with this stuff) she stuck with the trend bad I received a gorgeous mug and this cracking bowl from anthropologie. It's just been making breakfast that much more special.

Formation

Bey came back with a bang at the weekend with Formation and as a Bey fan I naturally was all over it. However, as much as I love the video and most of the song ("I got hot sauce in my bag" YAAS qweeeen) I've found the debate it's sparked even more interesting. While I think that the black women's experience is different in the USA compared to the UK I've read some articles from black women both sides of the pond that have extremely interesting, valid points on black culture. Have a read for yourself here and here.

Back to the 20s!

My mum loves a good party, she is the hostess with the mostest always and so when she randomly said she wanted to throw a murder mystery none of us batted an eyelid. It was so fun and all our family and friends got all dressed up for some jazz-era fun. Our team didn't win but it's the taking part that counts. Duh.

Current Skincare Essentials

My skin has been hating on me recently. God only knows why, I mean, ok do drink a lot of coffee and snack on a bit of crap when I'm bored but that's always been the case. Anyhow, I decided it was time to take my skin care more seriously again as I'd realised my routine had completely slacked! And while it hasn't been able to stop those hormonal chin outbreaks (mmm sexy) it has made my skin feel a lot fresher, less clogged and look more glowy and healthy. 

Colbert MD Tone Control Facial Discs - Seen as I don't use manual exfoliators this is the closest thing I do to buff away dead skin. I love that the box comes with 20 individually packaged facial discs as they are handy for travelling. While the packet says you can use twice a day I only use one once a week. Firstly, because I think that for my slightly sensitive skin that would be way to harsh and secondly because at £65 a box I don't have that kind of money to throw around. I simply rub the disc on my face in a circular motion for about a minute and then look at it in disgust. Even when I've double cleansed it never fails to surprise me how much dirt comes of on it. I'm about half way through the box and have definitely noticed that my hyper-pigmentation and spot scarring has lessened.

REN Wake Up Wonderful Night-Time Facial -  After my beloved Origins Drink Up Intensive overnight mask finished a while back I didn't rush to try a new one but when this bad boy landed on my desk I was so excited to try it - I love REN. This is more like a leave on mask/serum so it's nice and light and you can pop it on by itself or under your night cream.

bliss fabulous drench 'n' quench cream to water lock in moisturiser - I have been on the look out for a good day moisturiser for so long. I was using a Simple one but it took too long to sink in. This bliss offering literally sinks in immediately and leaves your skin feeling super smooth before applying make-up.

Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins - Origins is probably my all-round favourite skincare brand. I love how there is a product for every skin type and every skin concern and this night cream is the perfect dry skin quencher.

* ALSO * Shout out to my cleanser... Clinique Take the Day Off

Amazing for removing make-up but isn't harsh and leaves the skin feeling so soft afterwards!

Bobbi Bobbi Instant Detox Mask - Review

Huge fans of clay face mask rejoice, there is a new one to add to the mix and I'm telling you from the get go - it's a good'un.

Let me start by letting you know my skin type, which I don't think I've stated on here before. It's combination (oily congested t-zone normal, if a little sensitive, everywhere else) and I get hormonal outbreaks on my chin and temples. Sexy. This is why I'm such a fan of clay masks as their sole purpose is to draw out imperfections and deep cleanse the skin.

When I heard Bobbi Brown was launching three new masks the Instant Detox Mask was the one I was the most excited about as it's the type of mask I know I need for my skin type.

The packaging - It comes in a metal tube - enough said.

The formula - It's a lovely consistency, and is ease to apply, I applied mine with my Bobbi Brown foundation brush for accuracy and it's less messy but with your finger is fine too! The way it sets is great because it does dry down like all clay masks but not so hard that when you laugh and talk it's not like you've lost feeling in your face! I also LOVE the smell, it's not heavily-scented but gives of a subtle spa-like scent which is very calming and relaxing.

The result - After I removed the mask easily with a warm, wet flannel, my skin felt so baby soft and not stripped at all. I cannot recommend this mask enough especially for an oily t-zone. 

Now I just need to buy the other two...

The Bobbi Brown Masks are available now from bobbibrown.co.uk

TANGLE TEEZER NEW THICK AND CURLY BRUSH

When the original Tangle Teezer launched it changed the post-hair-wash detangling game. Every girl and her mum had the handy lil' gem in their shower ready to tackle any knot that came its way. However, as much it was great for smaller sections of my hair, anything larger and it wouldn't make a dent in a tangle and if I had any natural hair regrowth it wouldn't make it from root to tip. 

So when I heard about the new release of the Thick and Curly brush I was excited to see how much mane it can tackle. The design is exactly the same and fits into the palm super-snug. The main difference is the length of the the teeth, which are 4mm longer than the original. In this picture below you can see the extra length compared to the shorter teeth (which are the length of the original brush) 

The teeth are also now made of firm-flex technology so no matter how much they bend they always return to shape. 

I gave it a try after washing my hair and I definitely felt the difference as it detangled from the root more easily than with the original. Considering that I have about 1/4 natural hair now, the brush glided through my transitioning mane without many snags at all - definitely an improvement from the originally if you have thick Afro hair.

They are also releasing Couple's Compact brush duos ready for Valentine's Day! 

The new Tangle Teezer Thick and Curly is available from tangleteezer.com and Topshop.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY MAGIC FOUNDATION REVIEW

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation, £29.50

I don't think a foundation has ever been more aptly named than this bad boy! When I saw this floating around the blogosphere from July I was more than intrigued. I'm not usually one for full coverage foundation as I don't have that much hyper-pigmentation and only get the odd spot, so I tend to stick to light coverage or sometimes branch out to medium. However, a recurrent problem I face with my current crop of foundations is that by lunchtime, without doubt, my t-zone is shining like a beacon! I get so so oily it is literally sebum central. So when I saw this was the new foundation on the block that claimed to leave a demi-matte finish - well, I just had to try it.

(left - bare-faced//right - with the foundation)

The Good

Despite being so full coverage and flawless when applied, it doesn't feel heavy at all. I like to use my Real Techniques Buffing Brush to work it into my skin and once it's set down it it literally leaves your skin looking airbrushed. The finish is definitely matte (but not drying) so you don't need to use a powder to set it. The great thing is that despite the matte finish your skin still looks glowing! I usually find that mattifying products can leave the face looking quite flat but this foundation leaves the skin radiant without using any glitter or shimmer. I'd say, in terms of endurance, it lasts well - say about 8/9 hours - without needing to powder.

The Bad

One thing I would say is the colour range is definitely lacking. While I'm happy that they DO cater to dark skin (which should just totally be the norm in this day and age) I found it crazy that there is only one shade darker than mine (11) and it's still not even that dark - I mean, what would Lupita do? The only other thing that I don't like is something that I also love about the foundation the fact that it doesn't need powder. It's great because it's one less step you have to do BUT I found that when it gets to the time that a little shine starts sneaking through at the end of the day and you want to touch up with powder, if you're going out after work for instance, I found that it just doesn't powder well. I've tried a few different ones and it just ends up looking hella cakey.

Overall this is the perfect foundation if you're looking for flawless coverage with staying power. Just don't try and powder it, OK?

Antipodes Joyful Hand Cream

Antipodes Joyful Hand & Body Cream, £25.99

Never did I ever think I would dedicate a blawg post to a HAND CREAM, but boy oh boy does it deserve it. I suffer with really really dry hands all year round (probably due to my chronic use of hand santizer) but it does get especially dry around this time of year so I always have to have some kind of hand cream with me.

On the go I tend to carry a tube of Palmer's or L'Occitane but whilst at my desk, this bad boy is never too far away! It contains pure avacado oil, wild blackcurrant brry and hibicus flower all of which combine to make it deeply-nourishing. While it leaves your hands super moisturised it sinks in so so quickly so you aren't left with that tacky, clammy feeling ages after applying it.

The packaging is also a fave, I love metal tubes (weird thing to love, I'm aware) they look chic and are so good for getting all the product out!

Joyful, joyful, hand cream, I adore thee.

Essie Saltwater Happy

Introducing the most summery autumn purchase ever. I picked this gorgeous shade up in Duane Reade when I was over in New York and pop it on as soon as my previous paint job started chipping, I don’t care that it’s October and this is very clearly a summer shade. IT’S GORGEOUS.

The colour needed two coated to be completely opaque and fill in the streaks but lasts pretty well once on – I wore mine for a week with miner chipping.

If you can get your hands on this shade before it’s off shelves completely! If you think about it, it’s a great winter shade – an ice cool blue!

Essie Saltwater Happy

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

I really really don't need anymore palettes. But I just couldn't say no to this one - I mean, it's smoky eye heaven!

While I definitely am more of a statement lip girl, there really isn't anything sexier than a sultry smoky eye. It's the thing that every make-up fan wants to master and this palette just made it a whole load easier. There are 12 gorgeous shades, nine of which are shimmery or glittery and the other three at matte shades.  The product also comes with a double-ended brush and a few tutorials that actually are quite easy to follow. The shadows are buttery soft and easy to blend (the brush is actually useful unlike a lot of compact counterparts). Super sparkly shades such as Armor do have a bit of fallout when applied but also give a great colour pay off. 

In the above image I applied Combust all over the lid as a base and then filled in my mobile lid with a black kohl liner. I then blended that before applying Smoulder on top and finished by blending Password into my crease as a transition shade.

If you're on the hunt for the comprehensive must-have to nail the smoky eye once and for all, look not further. 

Ok, now I really don't need any more palettes... 

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette, £38

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream

Ok, I’m going to put this out there – I’m not a fan of tinted moisturisers. I like to either wear a base or not. I normally tend to stick with a light base for everyday/working days then build it up to medium for night time vibes. When I’m chilling at home/ going to Sainsbury’s I don’t wear anything but mascara usually.

But when there’s a new product launch *insert heart eye emojis* I HAVE to try it. So when the latest drop from bareMinerals hit my desk, I had to give it a go. I was sent the shade Chesnut (the second darkest shade) to feature in the mag and luckily enough it was the perfect match for me.

The formula is lightweight with a soothing gel-like texture and does really well at evening out skintone leaving a natural finish. I used my fingers to blend it and it sunk in really quickly without leaving any tackiness on the surface - because of this, it is possible to use it and then pop foundation on top (I tried it and it didn’t feel heavy at all). This is me, facially naked bar this cream and a few swipes of mascara. It adds such a lovely glow to my skin with such little coverage – it reminds me of when you’ve just had a face massage and your face just gleams naturally.

If you’re on the look out for an über-hydrating (but not rich), super-light base, give this beauty a whirl.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream is available from April in 10 shades.

www.bareminerals.co.uk

The NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation

The NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, £33

The claim - The oil-free formula delivers natural looking coverage with a weightless, 16 hour wear. The foundation is ideal for all skin types and tones and is available in 20 global shades. The even tone technology immediately neutralises redness, dullness and discolouration to improve skin's appearance over time. The new packaging features an advanced pump that dispenses the exact amount of product needed for the entire face. 

Reality – Ok so you probably saw me waffle on about this is in my January Favourites video – but I friggin’ love this foundation. When I first tried it I was definitely slightly dubious, when I applied a pump of it with my buffing brush, it took a while to settle on my face and just didn’t sit right. But that’s because I was applying way too much. While a pump is the perfect amount for most foundations, this beauty, which had a pretty runny consistency, needs less than that to create a flawless finish. For me just over half a pump does my whole face; I dot it on in five places (forehead, both cheeks, nose and chin) and then buff it in. When used correctly, you are left with a beautiful glowy complexion that's not too dewy at all, but not matte. I'm so obsessed. 

Love Keeks xo 

Bobbi Brown CC Cream - Review

Bobbi Brown CC Cream in Rich Nude

When the whole BB and CC cream train came along I stayed with my feet firmly on the platform of the station, for two reasons. One, I didn’t really believe the whole one-billion-benefits-in-one-product shbang and two (mainly) I couldn’t find a bloody colour to match my skin tone. Seriously, maybe I didn’t look hard enough, I don’t know, but it seemed that every single one I swatched on the back of my hand dried with a slight ashy tinge. No bueno.

Enter Bobbi Brown. When I heard they were bringing out a new dark colour in their CC Cream, I was finally swayed to trying the whole alphabet cream phenomena out. Rich nude is a deep cocoa – I’d probably say slightly darker than my skin tone but a small blob blended out properly works well colour-wise. And overall, I have to say I’m impressed. It definitely has quite full coverage for a cream/non-foundation and does well in blurring imperfections as well as having the added benefit of UVA/UVB protection at a SPF of 35. While this level of protection seems a bit futile now – I mean, my little toes are close to frostbite – I literally know this is going to be the first thing I pack in my makeup bag for my summer holiday (come soon please?).

The Bobbi Brown CC Cream is £29 and available from bobbibrown.co.uk

Love Keeks xo

The ghd creative curl wand - Review and Video Tutorial

ghd curve creative curl wand - £110

ghd. Until I started working at Hair and Blackhair I pretty much didn’t know any other straightener, ghd were the only loves. So when I first heard about the ghd curve range earlier in the year I was so excited – I loved waving my hair with my ghds so to have an actual ghd curler to do this with was going to be fun.

I was lucky enough to receive the creative curl wand last week - I chose this out of the range as I prefer a more fuss-free non-uniformed look, which is what this wand aims to deliver. The wand is tapered to a point and slightly flattened to create beachy waves as opposed to neat curls. It’s super lightweight tool too, which is really handy when it comes to how long you have to hold it up. The set I received came with a lovely limited edition case/heat mat with rose gold hardware. Rose Gold – I die.

Of course as it’s ghd, this thing ain’t gonna come cheap and sure there are plenty of other great wands on the market for much less, but if you’re looking for a wand the same quality as your beloved ghds with the same sleek design and little snazzy on/off sounds to match – look no further.

The ghd curve collection starts at £110 and is available at ghdhair.com

Watch my below video for a first impressions tutorial! 

Love Keeks xo

Culling Crayons...

I used to love drawing with chunky crayons when I was little. Nothing got a three year old Keeks more excited than a big blank page and a packet of fresh Crayola’s (except maybe my Barbie dream house), so of course when beauty haulin’ I naturally gravitate towards these bad boys.

For me lip crayons are the ideal hybrid of a lipstick and a lip pencil - easy and foolproof for even the biggest makeup novice. I’ve tried many over the years but these four have stuck in my collection, all serving different purposes...

My initial foray in the lip crayon game was with the Clinique Chubby Stick, which was probably many people’s first. This crayon is the balmiest I own and what I slick on for a tint of colour and a hint of moisture. The original formulation comes in 18 shades, the Intense range, which offers a stronger colour pay off, comes in 10 and they’ve recently brought out the Baby Tint, which is less colour and more moisture. They aren’t cheap at £17 but they are kind of the crème de la crème of the lip crayon word and, if you have the dollar, they are worth the splurge.

For a statement matte lip (but seriously matte) I reach for my Topshop lip crayon. A more precise hand is required for this one but once you have the application down, it’s a great matte blue-toned red – I think the one I have has been discontinued but the lip bullet in wine gum is a pretty good match . My other matte crayon is from Bite and I picked it up from Sephora in Miami. I hadn’t heard about the brand because it’ not available in the UK (unless, of course you order it from Sephora) but it was the packaging that had me. I wanted everything. No joke. For me this is a fab semi-matte and the colour (rhubarb) works great as a nude lip for me.

Me final crayon is a real good’un. The Soap & Glory sexy motherpucker gloss stick is unlike any other, because, well, it’s glossy. The colour I have is Raplumsel and is a deep plummy raspberry. It possesses the ability to make a face look ‘done’ with a swipe on the lips. The formula is creamy rather than sticky and so avoids the whole lipgloss in hair sitch. J’adore.

Love Keeks xo