Hi Guys,

This post is all about my favourite types of mask and which ones I use in my skin care routine.  I really enjoy masks as I find them the perfect way to pamper yourself while still being able to get on with my daily chores! I have tried to include a range of different types, so let's get stuck in.

1. The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask - (£16)

This is my holy grail mask. With a lot of masks, you need to continue to use them to see an effect, but not with this one. The effects are immediate. As the name suggests, this mask is actually a clay paste which can be applied to the face with a brush or fingers (I prefer a brush as it can get a bit messy). It contains charcoal, green tea leaves and tea tree oil and as it dries you can actually see it drawing out the impurities in your skin as they dry a darker colour. If you have oily skin this mask is perfect for you, as it absorbs all the excess oil and literally leaves your skin glowing. I love it so much I can't wait to try the other masks in this range. This mask is not for the light-hearted though, as it is very tingly!

2. *Jamela 24K Gold Crystal Facial Collagen Masks & Mineral Collagen Facial Masks - (£49.50, 5 pack)

3. *Exuviance Rejuvenating Masque Treatment - (from £23.75)

This mask is actually a peel off mask and one of the best parts is the peeling process! It's so satisfying. Like peeling PVA glue off my hand (tell me you used to do that at school too?!). You simply apply a thin layer over the face, leave to dry and then peel off. What I love about this mask is that it leaves my skin feeling hydrated and smooth. It is the type of mask that needs to be used consistently as it encourages cell turnover and therefore is anti-ageing. I absolutely love the smell of this mask, it is so refreshing. If you're into you anti-ageing then this one is definitely for you.

4. Skin & Tonic London Gentle Scrub - (£18)

Now I hear you saying this isn't a mask. No, you're right it's a scrub. However as suggested on the bottle, if mixed with honey and yoghurt this can me made into a mask! I love the idea of home made masks and this makes it feel even more organic. The bottle contains a clay powder which can be mixed with water for a daily scrub too. It contains things like rose hip powder, geranium leaf oil, and probiotic yoghurt powder which are full of vitamin C and great for evening out your complexion. If you don't mind getting your fingers dirty then get stuck in and have go.

Hi Guys,

The moment Huda hinted at this I knew I needed to have it. If you don't know Huda Kattan from HudaBeauty.com then first of all where have you been? And second, she is one of the most famous beauty bloggers/vloggers around and has turned her blog into a beauty empire with the help of her two sisters Mona and Alya. They sell amazing lashes, a stunning eyeshadow palette, gorgeous liquid lipsticks and now this 3D highlight set is the newest edition to the make-up range.

Two editions of this set have been released - Pink Sands and Golden Sands. I went for Golden Sands as I felt like it would suit my skin tone more. The packaging is quite sturdy with plastic inside and a hardened cardboard on the outside. I like the fact that when you tilt the package into the light, Huda's eyelids and cheek bone are metallic and reflect the light. If you are intrigued by the '3D' in the title, let me explain. The idea behind the 3D aspect of the palette is that all four pans can be used together to sculpt the face and give more shape to the cheekbones. 

Fiji is a golden cream finish product and the idea is to apply this to the cheekbone and then set it with Seychelles to really bring out the highlight. Tahiti can then be used as the contour underneath the cheekbone and Zanzibar on the cheek for a flush. Using all four together therefore creates a 3D look. That said, I don't particularly like to use metallic colours as a contour, so personally wouldn't use Tahiti to sculpt. I do love it as a bronzer however, and think the colour is perfect for my skin tone. I am more likely to use the pans individually rather than all together, although I might for a special occasion.

Something I really liked about the palette was that it was not as pigmented as I thought it would be. Yes you heard right. I thought the product would be really pigmented, but as you can see from the swatches, it actually gives a lovely skin finish effect, and is not too over bearing. It's also really build -able, so for more pigment I could apply Fiji and then Seychelles over the top or use a little fixing spray before applying the highlighter.

The colour that steals the show for me has to be Fiji. The texture of the cream is so smooth, and understandably so, as it has pearls within the formula which help reflect the light. It can really be rubbed into the skin to give a radiance and glow. I can definitely see myself using this frequently as the colours are so wearable. Even the powders have a smoothness to them which help them to sit and blend into the skin that much better. The palette doesn't come cheap though, and at £40 (Cult Beauty) it is £10 per highlighter, but its the perfect all rounder as it has a good range of colours.

While I was shopping I couldn't help but buy a few other treats to make the most of the free shipping offer. So I ended up buying Huda Beauty Special Effects Liquid Matte in Showgirl (£18) and Lime Crime Diamond Crusher in Lit (£15). The swatches speak for themselves. Showgirl is a beautiful red metallic matte and Lit also dries matte which leaves the glitter on top just sparkling even more. 

So that was my little (big) Cult Beauty haul that made my week, but I am definitely on a spending ban from now on! What do you think of my purchases? Will you be buying the Huda Beauty Palette or do you have it already?

Amina xx

Hi Guys,

A few weeks ago the lovely blogger Safiyah from SafiyahTasneem.com gave me an opportunity I couldn't miss out on! She asked if I would like to collaborate on a post and of course I said yes! So first things first, thank you to Safiyah for giving me the opportunity to do this post and sending me these goodies! If you haven't checked out her website be sure to head over and have a look. Her make-up looks are everything and as a fellow make-up artist she is very knowledgeable! You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @SafiyahTasneem. 

When I received this package I was so excited as I had seen this release all over social media and wanted it! For whatever reason I didn't end up purchasing it, probably because of finances. I'm an addict you know. A make-up addict that is and need to keep myself in check sometimes. Anyway, I was so over the moon I practically squealed. You get the gist.

I have been a fan of Kat Von D from her LA Ink days, but don't actually own anything from her make-up range, so couldn't wait to see if it was worth the hype! I own a few Too Faced liquid mattes, but have never used their eyeshadow, so was equally intrigued to try. 

Let's start with the palettes. The combined palette is based around the idea of love and how we are 'better together'. Each side of the heart is beautifully decorated, but in contrasting colours to make distinction between the two sides. They connect magnetically down the middle, thus making it easy to detach when travelling, for example. 

The stand out colour for me in the Kat Von D palette has to be 'Swoon' - it's so vibrant and not something you see everyday. All the eyeshadows in this side of the palette are very pigmented and quite creamy in texture which makes them super bendable. It surprised me that the eyeshadows in each palette were actually quite different in quality. I expected them to be the same, probably because it's one palette, but let me tell you, they were not!

The colours in the Too Faced palette are very pretty and my favourite is 'Heart of Gold', a beautiful green metallic gold. However I found the eyeshadows themselves slightly more powdery, with less colour pay off. I'm not sure if this is because it's a different brand and formula or if it's the colours that are harder to work with. Either way I was definitely more drawn to the consistency of the Kat Von D shadows.

The great thing about this set is that you get two fabulous palettes and some cult favourites thrown in for good measure. I'm talking about the The Too Faced 'Better than Sex' Mascara and the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I found the mascara to be good for lengthening, but not so much for volume, which is a shame, as I had heard such good things about it. I wanted it to lift my lashes more. One thing I did really like about it, was the weight of the tube, as it felt so comfortable to hold and the shape of the wand is curved to fit your lashes perfectly. 

What blew me away was the waterproof Tattoo Liner. The liner itself is actually a brush - fine hairs that have been tapered to a point, meaning you can get the finest or thickest of lines. It gives you so much control, I was even able to sign my name with it! 

I couldn't finish without trying a quick make-up look and I ended up mostly using the Kat Von D side. I applied 'Yours' over the lid with 'Darling' over the top of it, in the centre of the eyelid. On top of 'Darling', I added a bit of glitter for extra sparkle. On the lower lash line I used 'Swoon' and added a black kohl to the waterline. I then applied the Tattoo Liner over my lid and Too Faced 'Better than Sex' Mascara on the lashes. I would definitely recommend this palette and what's great is you can get it on sale from Debenhams right now for £46.50, which is pretty good going as the mascara and liner are £19 and £14 on their own!

I hope you like the look! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Amina xx