All The Flare

Did a lil' shoot with Free People last week, in the centre of London madness. 

Photography: @wildbindi

Flares - Free People (denim version, here)

Tee - Free People

Jacket - Free People (in love with this one)

Sunglasses - Gucci

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My New Foundation - Sonia

Long over due blog post guys! I'm currently in Istanbul, it's a nice evening and I'm just relaxing on the sofa on a Friday night and thought I better get this post done. I'm such a procrastinator and literally got a text from Fyza saying "do a blog post!" 

I recently started using a new foundation and concealer, I'm always searching for the ONE...foundation that is. I may have found the one but there's a drug store one and a high end one. I have oily skin so primer is a must, I'm using Maybelline baby skin Primer at the moment.

For every day makeup I go between L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation in W6 (I use a darker shade because of my tanning mousse) and Makeup Forever Ultra HD foundation in Y335.
I blend my foundation in with a Beauty Blender and use Tarte Creasless Concealer in Medium Tan for under eyes. 

To set my makeup I prefer to use a loose translucent powder, MUFE HD loose powder is great to buff everything together but make sure to blend this powder a lot to get the flawless finish that is awesome for photographs to.

I keep Yves Saint Laurent Touhe Eclat Blur Perfecter in my bag to control the shine on my face. This product is like an oily skin person's saviour in a little case! It oil control's the areas you want without removing or budging your makeup at all! It's weightless and the pretty packaging is most definitely a bonus.

If you have oily skin and have an olive undertone be sure to give these a try. Foundation has always been so difficult to find, especially for my skin tone so I had to share my current favourites :)

Sonia X

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Carli Bybel Make-up by @soniaxfyza

It's been a while guys! I've been sooo busy travelling that I've barely had time to actually sit down, I finally have the chance to sit in my bedroom and write this blog post for you guys as I know so many of you are interested...

I recently met the beautiful Carli Bybel and had the opportunity to do her makeup! We have been following each other for a long time and I have been a fan of hers for as long as I can remember, so to me this was a huge deal to be getting the chance to glam her. She has the most stunning features to work with! I wanted to play it safe because it was my first time doing her makeup I didn't want to load her with layers of makeup, a smokey eye or matte powdery face.

I decided to go for something that Carli was already familiar with, a gold two toned eye, dark smoked liner, bringing her blue eyes out and making the main focus on her skin. radiant and fresh!

Skin

I prepped Carli's skin with Charlotte Tilbury's magic cream - Carli was new to CT makeup products and I love introducing her range to people because it's one of my faves!

I then used Wonder Glow by Charlotte Tilbury, giving the skin a pretty glow.

Coverage

For her base I applied Dior Skin Nude foundation in the shade 040, keeping the glow by blending with a Beauty Blender. 

For under eye concealer I used Laura Mercier Secret Camouflauge concealer in the shade SC4

I contoured her cheekbones and nose with Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate intensity two using the 16 brush by Wayne Goss and again blended with a Beauty Blender.

Eyes

The base is done and blended, I take A LOT of time on blending! I primed her eyes with Nars eye primer, first lid colour - L'oreal Infallible eyeshadow in 021 Sahara Treasure, Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow quad in Golden Goddess: crease colour bottom right of palette, inner corner colour is the top left. I blended the colours with the base shadow colour using 03 Brush by Wayne Goss, Using Charlote Tilbury's eyeliner in bedroom black I lined the top lid creating a wing with the pencil (this pencil glides on so it's easy to create the shape, it goes on like a gel and dries like a tattoo!)

For her waterline I used a nude eyeliner from MAC in NC30, smoking her bottom lash line with Golden goddess palette by CT with two of the colours on the right mixed smudging it with 07 brush by Wayne Goss. I applied a few coats of full fat lashes mascara by Charlotte Tilbury.

Brows

Anastasia Bevery Hills brow powder in soft brown, 08 Brush by Wayne Goss I did a stroke technique that mimics natural hair growth making the brow appear fuller - think more Cara D than IG fade brow!

Setting the brows with Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow in Medium (tinted brow gel) - it gets rid of the grey grow look when you apply foundation over them by mistake.

Contour and Setting Powders 

Chanel loose powder

Smashbox Bronzer in medium to bronze forehead and add warmth to the skin with The holiday brush by Wayne Goss

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow to set Contour with 14 Brush by Wayne Goss

MAC blush in Style

Laura Mercier Candle light loose highlight powder for extra glow.

Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder in medium to buff everything together using Brush 11 by Wayne Goss.

Lips

04 Rose lip liner by Estee Lauder - Lining slightly over

filling lips with Hourglass Cosmetics Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in the shade Canvas.

Finishing off with my fave setting spray - Fix+ by MAC

That's every detail of the products I used,  Sorry if there is a lot of high end products, that wasn't my intension it happened without me realising. None of these images have been retouched or enhanced in any way! Hoping to do a dupe post on my fave products. I really hope you enjoyed reading this detailed post on the look I created for the beautiful Carli Bybel, she is such a sweetheart and I'm so happy I got to meet her and Brett <3

XOXO Fyza

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BANISHING OILY SKIN!

What's worse than looking like you could fry an egg on your face after 4 hours of applying your makeup? I say nothing! I always see posts and products for people who suffer from dry skin but barely come across anything for oily skin. My sister Sonia suffers from terrible oily skin which is why I have gone through a lot of products to get the perfect looking base.

There's a difference from "Dewy" and "Greasy" we all want the JLO glow but how can we achieve that without looking like a hot mess?! keep reading ;)
I find that greasy skin makes the face appear larger, if you have an oily forehead it looks bigger, same with a shiny nose and chin. You don't want to pack on the powder because it will start to look cakey and oxidise which is awful for your pores - poor pores.

A great skin regime is the first step to fighting oily skin so go over to my post about skin prep if you want to know more about that. Using a good moisturiser (remember every skin needs moisture no matter what skin type you are) is key!

BEST moisturiser for oily skin

Origins - Zero Oil Moisturiser 

This moisturiser is light weight - I'm sure we all hate the feeling of a heavy moisturiser. This sinks into the skin beautifully, one of the key ingredients is mint which has so many benefits for the skin. It hydrates, controls oiliness as it contains vitamin A, Soothes, Rejuvenates and refreshes the skin making it bright and soft. It contains Salicylic Acid which stimulates exfoliation at skins surface helping to minimise and unclog pores.



What's the best foundation for oily skin?
probably the question millions of the people working at make-up counters get daily! From doing my own research and buying the products myself I have a few good choices that I think are great for oily skin.

Full to sheer coverage

Estee Lauder Double Wear

If you want full coverage this is a great choice. So many of us love this foundation, the finish is lovely, great consistency, doesn't transfer.



Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

This foundation is COMPLETELY MATTE! If you love a matte finish then this is the one for you. You have to be careful when you match this one though as it dries a different tone from when it is first applied. Full coverage, givers a powder matte finish.



Lancome - Teint Idole Ultra 24H

Gorgeous liquid foundation that has a nice consistency, completely matte coverage without the powdery look, long lasting, velvet feeling and a shine-free finish!



L'oreal - Magic Nude Liquid Powder

Yes, it's a drugstore foundation! L'oreal is one of my fave beauty brands! So the Magic Nude Liquid Powder foundation is more of a medium coverage, dries matte, transforms from a liquid to powder, looks like skin, great for no makeup makeup look but only if you have decent skin to begin with. If you have blemishes i suggest you conceal them first before applying this. Best used with fingers as a brush or sponge would absorb too much product and it would be a waste. very "every day" foundation. This product is very watery! reminds me so much of Giorgio Armani maestro...*FUN FACT L'oreal and Giorgio Armani makeup are made in the same factory!


Remember to apply your foundation to well moisturised skin.

WE ARE LOVING...
YSL TOUCHÉ ECLAT BLUR PERFECTOR

Walking through Selfridges (as you do..) I see something from the corner of my eye at the YSL counter... what is this pink thing? the packaging is divine! I dip my finger into the tester and I am instantly amazed at this product as I am applying it at the back of my hand. It's a balm? It can't be a primer...could it be? So i ask the kind lady working there to explain what this is, I needed to know! Apparently you apply this OVER your foundation!? first thing that popped into my head was.. cakey!? but she had already answered my thoughts. It's an invisible foundation, you use it during the day for touch ups when you are oily. I wanted to try this so she scraped some out and put some at the back of my hand, I started to apply it on my super oily chin, WOW! was my first thought, it was so light weight, no sign of cakeyness and it made it look like I had fresh foundation applied. It's great for minimising the look of large pores, comes in the cutest packaging! I had to let you all know about this. It is around £30 which isn't what i had expected it to be. (thought it would be more pricey!) BEST thing for oily skin that I have tried so far.


TATCHA TATCHA BLOTTING SHEETS

Our fave blotting sheets! They don't budge your makeup at all and keep you looking pretty and matte during the day. Apparently a beauty secret kept by Japanese Geishas for centuries. Gold-infused papers remove excess oil and sweat without disturbing makeup or stealing moisture from the skin.




We hope this post helps you control your oily skin!

Fyza & Sonia xoxo

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Possibly the best brushes you could own!

Hey guys, hope you're all well. I've been trying a bunch of beauty related products lately and usually wait about two months max depending on the product before I review it. As a beauty lover and Make-up Artist we have to have the right tools, I have been raving about Wayne Goss brushes for 3 weeks now, I even took them with me to fashion week (had to mark each one, ha!) I'm going to tell you guys why these brushes are worth every penny (I'm not just saying this because I'm a huge fan of his and have been for as long as I can remember)

If you follow me on Instagram and take a look at the most recent photos I have posted of my work you will realise a difference in my application of Make-up and that's because of these brushes. On Instagram people are always asking "what foundation, what concealer?!" or "what contour?" it's not always about the products it's more about how you choose to use them and what tools you use with the products.

Amazing quality and they look pretty too!

My favourite have been the eyeshadow brushes, you can tell how much effort has been put into designing each brush, so precise, the hairs are soft and they blend your shadows together beautifully. My favourite one from the smaller brushes is the brush 08 - it's tiny and it's SO good for precision, I use it to get eyeshadow closest to the bottom lash line, to tight line and to fill in eyebrows and create those natural looking "hairs" with brow powder. 

Taped and marked the brushes so they don't get mixed with others!

Everyone asks me about contour! I have started to use a powder only and the most light-weight brush for this is brush 14, it's so light, feathery, gives the most natural contour hollow without the harsh obvious line, fits right into the hollows of the cheeks, it doesn't make the foundation or concealer move at all because of the way it has been created - the shape and length of the brush hairs.

I love the simplicity of these brushes, the way they are not only for make-up artists. They make applying make-up so much easier and I did my own research on these to find they are 100% cruelty free, natural hair bristles (this is why they are SO soft and feel like heaven on the skin) and hand crafted! I love how he just didn't get any old brushes made and stuck his name on them, you can tell that there was a lot of thought gone in to this, he is an artist and you can tell from using his brushes. I've always used a mixture of brushes and recently I have found myself picking at them only. They look so good on your vanity, in your brush belt and I LOVE taking them out on shoots. 

I use brush 20 to smoke out colours on the lash line, brush 15 to apply powder highlight, the white holiday brush to dust face powder and bronzer lightly. The brushes pick up the right amount of product, especially when you are lightly dusting some loose powder to set your makeup.

Here are some of the looks I created using only Wayne Goss brushes - They are available to purchase on www.beautylish.com 

This blog post is my own opinion.

Fyza xxx

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OUR TOP 7 CONCEALER PICKS

The last few months have been really hectic so we're really sorry for not updating. My sister and I have been meaning to post about concealers for a while. We were actually going to post on our instagram but thought it would be way better on the blog since we can post more pictures and explain a lot more in detail.

Under eye concealer took me years to master and I'm still trying new ways till this day!

As most of you may know by now that I (Fyza) am the makeup artist and my sister (Sonia) is my model/muse. I test all my techniques on her so we both can review the product together. Sonia has probably been through more concealers than I have as a makeup artist, We are both beauty junkies so we hope both our opinions will benefit a lot of you out there!

Sonia tries concealers that are more for everyday whereas I test them out for photographs since all my clients are going to be photographed at shoots or events. So here are our picks, let us know your faves  too and why :)

1. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer.
This concealer is probably my most used. It has two tones in one which allows you to mix both colors depending on how you want your under eye concealer to look. It is amazing for redness and it blends beautifully. I love how long wearing this product is and it is suitable for all skin types (yay)
I like to use this product with my fingers because the warmth of my skin helps melt the concealer and makes it easier to apply (i love using my ring finger because it doesn't tug the under eye like a brush would.)

2. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer.
A drugstore concealer! yes! The price isn't the only good thing about this because the product itself does wonders! It already has a soft applicator attached which is perfect for the sensitive eye area. This product works great as a correcter for dark circles, puffiness and fine lines! I love the light weight feel of it and it's for all skin types. Everyone should try this at least once (perfect for everyday)

3. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer.
Probably one of the best concealers out there. The name of this product basically speaks for itself. It's creamy, light weight, blends so well AND is creaseproof! I love a concealer that will work well with all skin tones/types and this is one of those concealers that is great for the kit and one for your own makeup bag. The coverage is buildable and it creates a soft, glowy under eye that almost looks like a blur effect of an app - so it's great for your selfies!

4. Benefit Cosmetics Boi-ing Concealer.
This concealer has a love-hate relationship with some people but i really like this product. I like the consistancy and a little goes a long way, again this is one of those products that works best when using your fingers. It works really well for under eye discoloration and the coverage is perfect. The shade range is good because of the undertones of the concealers, they work great as correctors because of the salmon undertone.

5. Tarte Cosmetics Colored Clay CC undereye corrector.
Tarte is one of those brands that has so many great products that have benefits for the skin too. I came across this concealer randomly, It's more of a corrector actually. It is available in two shades which is the only downside to it. Th coverage and texture is just right and works SO well for discoloration and dark circles (it even improves the appearance of skin after you use it for a while) I would usually use this under foundation.

6. MAC Select Cover Up
I like using this concealer after a correcter because it is so light in texture and it worked perfectly as a under eye highlight. I blend this concealer with a beauty blender and it melts in with the corrector. Radiant and has the 'no makeup makeup' look to it. If your afraid of the whole contour and highlight I suggest using this as a subtle highlight. I love the fact it comes in a tube :)

7. Clinique Airbrush Concealer 
Best for those girls who never have enough time to apply their makeup in the morning! It is a concealer twisting pen/ brush applicator. This concealer works best for when you want the under eye bright look if you look tired. I did notice how good it is for fine lines. The coverage is ok, it's a light weight concealer that is perfect for everyday work/school makeup.

We have chosen these concealers as our faves because we have tried and tested them. I hope you guys find the right under eye concealer because we all have different preferences and that's one of the things that was the toughest to perfect. If you have tried any of these let us know how they worked for you :)


Fyza and Sonia x

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A tan really completes a make-up look

We have been obsessed with tanning since we were around 13/14 because we live in England and there is barely any sun here and we look so washed out! For years I have been trying to find a decent fake tanning product that didn't make me look like an oompa lumpa or something that wasn't expensive. I've tried every tanning product you can think of and Fake Bake was my fave but it was really pricey. Thank god we discovered this tanning brand called Million Dollar tan, it smells amazing and leaves the most beautiful natural glow! On Sonia we used the tanning lotion that builds up gradually, I applied it with a tanning mitt. There's a face tan and a body one, we saw results the next day. I loved the tan so much I decided to do a glow make-up look because I knew the make-up would look so effortless against the tan.

http://www.milliondollartan.com/

First we prepped Sonia's skin and used a Karuna face mask (Karuna skin care is amazing) The clarifying one. After I used Nivea moisturiser and let that sink in and then used Benefit porefessional primer. To conceal and highlight I used the Motives Cosmetics color perfection quad in medium dark to highlight under the eyes and the dark to contour the hollows of the cheeks, jaw, sides of the nose and sides of forehead I then applied foundation using my fingers I literally just 'Dot' Laura Mercier Moisture supreme foundation (Vanilla beige) all over her face and them using a damp Beauty Blender I blended the foundation out with the contour and highlight, I choose to do it this way because it gives a subtle finish and doesn't look took harsh.

To set the base I used Laura Mercier loose powder with a powder brush, I left some under the eyes so it could catch any fall out from when I do the eye-shadow. I primed the eyes with Too Faced Shadow Insurance. The first color I used on the lid was Pearl by motives, the inner tear duct color I used was Blizzard by Motives and using a pencil brush I did a subtle sort of cut crease using the color cappuccino blending it out. I then used a Bobbi Brown Eye Liner Brush to apply Little Black Dress Gel liner by Motives Cosmetics extending out only a little to create a slight wing. In the water line I used NYX jumbo pencil in Milk with a flat square eye brush to create more detail because I extended the white out to join with the black wing. I then swept off the under eye loose powder with a MAC #224 brush and with another flat square brush I got some black shadow and lightly pressed it on the bottom lash line. I curled her lashes and gave them a few coats of Tarte Cosmetics Mascara on top and bottom, finishing the lashes off with Huda Beauty lashes in Giselle on top and Alyssa on the bottom lash line.

These lashes are currently available at Sephora in the Middle East

        

I filled her brows with an angled brush using Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder in soft brown. I set the Contour on her nose and cheek bones with Java contour powder by Anastasia Beverly Hills, dusted very lightly. Using Kiko Cosmetics eyeshadow in Light Gold I highlighted the cheekbones and brow bone (this product gives a beautiful glow!) On the apples of her cheeks using circular and stroke motion to apply Blush Baby Blusher by MAC blending it with the highlight.

I lined the lips with Urban Decay Wallflower lip liner and also filled the whole lip with this liner adding MAC creme d nude lipstick blending it together with the lip-liner using a lip brush. Lastly I sprayed some FIX + by MAC - this feels refreshing as well as taking away the cakey powdery look on your make-up and sets it!

I hope you enjoyed this post! I tried my best to remember every detail and product I used as well as linking you guys to each product so it's easier to find rather than searching for it. Majority of the links are for UK people :) xxx

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Chantel Jeffries Makeup

As a lot of you know I was the make-up artist for Chantel Jeffries while she was in London. I had a great time working with her and she is such a sweet girl. Her face is a dream to work on and made my job a lot easier (haha!) I did a few looks on her and I thought I'd give product break downs of what I used for each look since I got so many questions.

This was the first look I did on Chantel "fresh off the jet" as she said xD
Because she was on such a long flight and had some puffiness around her eyes I prep'd her skin first. Skin is so important, even if I'm working with models I take care of their skin because they have to wear a lot for shoots. I used Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion by Liz Earle, it instantly calms itchy, puffy eyes. For all over the face I used Embryolisse moisturiser and Too faced pore primer. I let all that sink into the skin before applying foundation.

Foundation - Makeup forever HD foundation in 153 Golden honey blended with a Beauty Blender. Using a beauty blender gives it more of the flawless airbrush finish and no brush strokes! For under eyes I used the Motives color perfection quad in light - reason I used a foundation because I feel as if concealers and highlight sticks oxidise under the eyes and end up looking cakey and gray after a while, so using the motives quad is much for blend-able. I used the darker quad for a cream contour and blended it all together with a beauty blender and setting it with Anastasia Beverly hills contour kit. I usually set the under eyes with a colorless loose powder.

The base is prepped for eye make-up and brows. Priming the eye area with too faced shadow insurance, starting with smoking out smoulder by mac on the lash line and BLENDING  it with cork by MAC not going past the brow bone. I did the same on the lower lash line using a Kiko mascara and added two pairs of Huda Beauty Giselle lashes for that extra drama. Cheek bone highlight is Laura Mercier Candle light and this blush is soo pretty I got it at Sephora in Madrid (pictures) For the lips I used 1C MUFE lip liner and I mixed Yash lipstick by MAC. (Setting your make-up with powder and a powder brush gives you the real life Photoshop finish)

SUNKISSED BRONZE NO3


The Summer Glow

This was my fave look to create 

I prepped the skin the same way except I didn't use the too faced primer, I used the MUFE HD primer (white)

I used MAC face and body foundation in C4 (Chantel's foundation and concealer colors are the exact same as Sonia's for all the people who ask about Sonia) I used Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer in SC4. Even though this is a dewy look we still have to set it with powder ALWAYS. without powder your make-up will be running and melting the first hour. I have to make sure every one's skin is set and prepared for all those flashes and lights. I powdered the skin the same way and added the glow later using Laura Mercier Candle light (I love loose powders to highlight when going for a dewy look) I contoured with Charlotte Tilbury Kit very lightly & used a cream blush by NARS called Enchanted.

Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz pencil in Brunette and brow powder in soft brown.

Eyes I lightly dusted gold and bronze colors from Urban Decay Naked palette (1), I curled Chantel's lashes with Kevyn Aucoin lash curler to prep them for individual Lashes by Huda Beauty in Alyssa coating them with L'Oreal carbon black mascara on top and bottom lashes.

Lip liner is Nutmeg by NYX with NUDE BALLET  Liquid Lipstick gloss  L'Oreal.

Vampy Lip

MUFE HD foundation, MAC pro Longwear concealer (it's not as thick has a cream or stick concealer)

I blended the concealer with a MAC 217 brush. Lashes are Huda Beauty Monique and I used Motives eye shadows to create a subtle cut crease and smoked out Onyx on lash line. NARS Orgasm Blush, Anastasia Beverly Hills to contour. Lip products were amazing and are not expensive at all

SEPHORA 09 PLEASANT PLUM

KIKO 12

I hope this answered your questions, I'm still trying to get the hang of blogging so be patient :)

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