How to be Stylish on a budget

I would love to have a closet full of YSL and Chanel, but the truth is I don't . For us girls in their 20's starting our Careers and trying to make ends meet, we sometimes fall under the impression that we can't afford to look stylish. I am a 22 years old girl living on her salary and here is how I keep looking stylish.  

Great Hair 

You can't look cheap if you have a good hair cut and color. Get yourself a good hair cut to frame your face and add layers for thickness. Ombre and glamor roots are great options for a good hair color.

Invest 

Invest in the closet stables that you know will stay with you for a long time. Your shoes and hand bags, a trench coat or watch. I am not saying your should go all Dior on these things, brands such as Micheal Kors, Steve Madden, Karen Millen and All Saints are kind of the best of both worlds.

Tailor

Getting an affordable piece tailored to your body shape will make it look expensive and 10 times more stylish. You can also go to a tailor and get something custom made to yourself, it will be a unique piece and will look more expensive than it looks. 

Maintenance

Taking care of your clothes and accessories will keep them look neat when you wear them and will longer their life. Get a fabric shaver or a lint roller to use on your clothes, always clean and hang your clothes. Even if your heels or bag is cheap keep them in boxes and change the caps on your heels.

Sale

This one is kind of obvious when it comes to being stylish on a budget. There are a lot of deals in the Sale racks, especially with some of the expensive high street brands such as Zara or Top Shop.

Dupes

I depend on many dupes in Makeup and fragrances personally. There are a lot of dupes to clothing, bags and shoes and some knock offs also look great.

Nails 

Just like hair, your nails with a good shape and good manicure will make you look chic. I like to take care of your natural nails and always keep them short, also whenever I paint them I make sure there is a clear layer to protect them. I would go for fake nails from now and then, and I have to say they look fantastic and not that expensive.

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Summer Glow!

For the summer I love a sun kissed kind of flushed look, even If I spend all my mornings in the office. I find that after putting on my foundation or BB cream and concealer, I always reach for 3 products to get that summer glow. This works on any eye look and it never fails to make me radiant.

Bronzer

I sculpt my face with Oriflame Terracotta bronzing powder. I use the benefit brush that comes with its blushes to draw my cheek bones, temples and jaw line, then I blend with my Cartice blush brush. The bronzer retails for 80 something EGP. 

Blush

I use my H&M double ended blush & foundation brush to apply my blush to the apples of my cheeks. The blush I am loving the summer, is the silky blush from essence in the shade sweetheart.  The shade is a gorgeous coral tone with some pink undertones. I make sure I use my brush with a light hand because this blush is very pigmented. The blush retails to 38 EGP.  

Highlighter

I use my clean fingers to dab a little bit of highlighter on the areas I like to bring out on my face are above my cheek bones, my cupid's bow and the bridge of my bone. I love the highlighter from the Victoria's secret studio palette, also the Flormar terracotta powder in shade 21 is perfect; and it retails at 40 something EGP.

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How to look good in Photos with makeup - Part 2 (Eyes & Lips)

Last time we discussed everything on how to adjust your face makeup to look good in photos. Click Here to check out everything from primer to blush. The crazy thing for makeup on camera, eyes mostly look frosty, brows look like they are fading and lips mostly look either over done or washed out. The reason why I split this, is that I felt like it would have been the longest post in the world and we don't want that.

Eye Shadow

I have tried a lot of shadows and I have tried to take various pictures with them. The more shimmer there is in the shadow, the more frosty and undefined my eyes would look on camera. I would have a great smokey eye going on in real life and them BAM shimmery frost going on. I would recommend using matte shadows and one or two shimmery colors for the center of your lid and brow bone. Most of the eyeshadow palettes would have one or two matte shadows, L'Oreal hip has matte duos where you can have the smokey color and transition color completely matte.

Liner 

In real life you can get away with a messed up eyeliner flick or thin line on one eye and a thick line on the other eye or maybe even a little print of the eyeliner on the lid. Get your eyeliner together, if you aren't sure of your flick ; then go for a smaller flick or no flick at all. The best eyeliner I used was elf cream eyeliner, it's super creamy and it stays on forever.

Lashes

  

I know loading on mascara can make lashes look great, but whenever you are taking a photo in a big event that flash will make you look like you have half the lashes you actually have. Faux lashes can be scary, but they are not for every day use so they might be fun and interesting. The single lashes are great for a natural look, but if you are a beginner like me I recommend the strip band. The ARDELL Demi wispies look natural and great.

Brows

I have thick brows and seriously on camera it looks like I have thinner brows, if they are not filled in. I tried felling them with henna and the looked good on camera, but it was kind of high maintenance having to go to the salon weekly. I fill them in with an angled brush and a brown shadow, there are brow kits like the elf one that has the gel and everything.


Lips

 make sure to have your lips lined and get a a glossy lip color. A shimmery gloss will appear very frosty on camera, matte lips might look dry on camera. I find the Lippies from butter London is the right product on camera, it's highly pigmented and it has a slight gloss in it.

So that's how you look good in pictures using only makeup, don't forget to pose! xx

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How to look good in Photos with Makeup - Part 1 (Face)

Have you ever left your house looking like this?

And when it was time to take a picture you ended up looking like this?

 

That's because real life and camera have very different lighting and dimensions. Since I have suffered myself from looking really white on camera, I have discovered tricks that will make your makeup photo friendly so you can get that picture perfect look especially if you are going to a special occasion like a wedding or your graduation and you know these pictures are going to last for a life time of memories. I decided I am going to mention the face products first and then I will have another post for eyes and lips.

Primer

When you are going to get your photo taken, a primer is a really good base to build your makeup on. What a primer does is blur your pores so they won't appear on camera and protect your face makeup from seeping into them. Some primers also give your face a matte finish so you can glide any type of foundation on it and still look perfect. I have used up ELF and Bourjois and I also heard wonders about the Maybelline baby skin, some even said it's a dupe for the Porefessional by Benefit. 

Concealer

 

Apply your concealer before foundation so you can have a one color canvas to work with. Using a concealer lighter than your skin color to hide dark circles, redness and blemishes is a myth. Once the flash hits your face, these areas are going to appear ashy and highlighted. You can either dab a little bit on a concealer same color as your foundation or you can use colorful concealers. The green is to hide any redness, like the areas around the nose or any red blemishes. The pink or peachy color is great to hide dark circles under the eyes and dark blemishes. It is a little bit hard to find an affordable colorful concealer, but I have found one in Oriflame and one in Essence that works perfectly.

Foundation

One of the deadliest mistakes we commit when taking pictures is using a foundation that has SPF. The SPF creates a fair layer that might be invisible at regular light but is very reflective on camera flash. This layer reflects the light to protect your skin from the sun, also making you look very pasty on camera. Use a foundation with little or no SPF in it. The second thing you need is to use a foundation that is one shade deeper than your skin tone. The camera takes around 20% off your color, so you can bring out your color by using that deeper color. Make sure to use it covering your ears, neck and decollete so you won't have two different colors. Finally you need to find a matte finish foundation, because a shiney face appears like a sweaty face on camera. I really like the Rimmel 25 hours foundation, because it doesn't have SPF. Revlon colorstay is brilliant and even though it has SPF 6, it still looks matte and stays for a long time in photos. Surprisingly the Garnier BB cream looks good on camera with matefying powder. Click Here to see a full review on it.

Powder

I love loose powder, I really do but they seriously look awful on camera if not blended really well. You are still at risk even after blending them perfectly to look like a clown on camera. If you need a extra matte armor you need a pressed matte powder, you can get it in a translucent color if you don't need extra coverage. Everybody swears by the Rimmel stay matte, and I have tried it myself once and it worked fine. I also have the Georgia face powder  from benefit and it does have a peachy color that is so sheer and it doesn't appear on my skin shade.

Bronzer & Blush 

 

In pictures, our faces tend to seem flat with no depth or dimension. Make sure to contour your face and nose with a matte bronzer 2 to 3 shades deeper than your  skin shade, I love the Oriflame bronzer, it does appear to be shimmery in here; but don't worry it's just a covering layer.

Use a a matte blush or one that has very little shimmer, because you don't want to look like you have sparkles on your face. If you are going simple on your eye makeup, your blush should be a brighter color. Please don't use a bright crazy color with a smokey eye, because you will look over done.

Next post will be featuring the tips and tricks I use to make my eye makeup and lips look better in Photos , Stay tuned! xx

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What to do on your first trip to the beauty store

So you decided to take the leap and buy yourself some makeup. You're tired of borrowing from your mom, older sister or even friends. Don't be afraid, it's not as terrifying as it looks. Congratulations! this is a great step in your life and you just decided to go through with it. As a beauty junkie, I have developed some tips and tricks that could help anybody with their first beauty store trip and make it easier. I would recommend going to someone more experienced, if they know more about makeup. Personally I love shopping beauty alone.

Plan
You must have have a plan of what you need and an estimated budget. You can get this budget estimate from stores online that sells make-up such as agzakhana.com and jumia.com. You are not going to buy the MAC brushes right away, so you have to know the basic products you will buy in order not to be distracted. Click Here to see how to start your own makeup kit as a beginner.

Choose
The store choice is very important. First of all avoid buying makeup online as a starter, because you probably aren't experienced to recognize your skin tone and needs via the mere screen of your computer. Second, don't be intimidated by the look of these stores like Mazaya or Sephora or Faces ... people might look a little snobbish in there, but they are there to help you.   The brands that they carry is really important because you might want to shop a certain brand that is not in the store you visit. I would recommend going to La Beaute in Egypt or a shopping mall like city stars or carrefour so you would find different stores carrying different brand in one place.

Focus
Don't get distracted by the beautiful stands or colors, I know they look so beautiful and probably calling your name. Focus on the items you need to buy, or you will ends up with 5 different lip product and out of budget to buy the foundation you went in to buy at first place *speaking from personal experience*. When you ask about products, the sales girl or guy will try to guide you to probably a more expensive one *sad truth*; that's why you have to focus on the product brand.

Know
By reading blogs and watching YouTube -plus my experience-, I got to know how to choose the best shade and type for my skin from all makeup types. You can know that too, so you can choose the most suitable products for you. The sales person is not a beauty expert and probably thinks women like to look fair and flushes. I have had sales people recommend "lighter" shades and "illuminating" products for me forever, when all I bought was matte warm tones that suits my oily olive skin.

Enjoy your trip to the store. xx

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I won The Vanity giveaway

They say some people are lucky in love and some are lucky in games, I think I am lucky in beauty. The lovely blogger behind The Vanity ran a very generous Valentine's Giveaway  and I was one of the winners. Check out my exclusive interview with Ayat for more about the fabulous blog. I am so excited about the giveaway and I want to thank Ayat so much for her amazing taste and generosity in her giveaway. It was so sweet of Ayat to wrap everything in a nice purple wrap. I wanted to share with you guys what I got. 

Here is everything I got from Ayat. I won 2 sets out of original 4, Lips & cheeks set and skin set.

Bourjois BB gloss 5 in 1 in 2 shades, 01 & 02. It applicator is a brush not a sponge and I already love it for that. It says in gives fresh glow, protection, hydration, smoothing and crystal shine. 

Amazing lippy butter London in the shade Alcopop. It's a bright pink liquid lipstick, very barbie like. 

This liquid lip color rom The Body Shop in the shade 02. It is a gloss fluid, the shade is this shimmery nudish color and the sponge tilted applicator. 

Benefiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!! Georgia face powder, it's a limited edition peach powder that radiates sunshine. It's in this packaging made from card board packaging and the brush Handel is wooden. 

Bourjois paris fabulous bronzing mousse, it's an instant fake tanner in mousse form for face & body. I am so excited about this because I have never tried fake tanners and this is my chance. It says that it achieves a sun kissed look for all day wear. 

Spa Sister butter foot with sugar and olive oil, it's this pink cream in a very thick consistency. It says that you apply it on your foot after bathing for soft and smooth skin. 

The Vitamin E moisture serum from The Body Shop, it's a pre-moisturizer treatment to protect from environmental elements. It has Tara bush seed and community trade honey. 

The Vitamin E illuminating moisture cream for all skin type from The Body Shop. It gives luminous moisture. It gives a healthy-looking glow with a soft smooth skin. 

The Body Shop Vitamin E eye cream, it helps reduces fine lines, puffiness and black circles. I am so excited to try this, after I had a not too good experience with the under eye roller from Garneir. 

That's everything I got, it feel like a haul for me and I am so excited to try everything. xx

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Feb Beauty Haul

With all the Sale happening I went shopping obviously, and as usual my leg have been pulled into the beauty section. These things weren’t on sale or anything, I just popped into beauty stores and got my hands on these babies.

As you can see …I got quite a number of stuff and I am excited to share it with you <3...

Batiste Dry Shampoo for dark hair

Since I cut my bangs I always have my hair straight which makes it oily superfast. I was so happy to find batiste in Egypt and in Carrefour very easily. I got it for 45 EGP.

Nivea antiperspirant deodorant invisible for black & white

In the quest of the perfect deodorant I said to try my luck with Nivea. This was like 18 EGP.

Bourjois Paris Happy Light Matte Serum Primer

I have always wanted to try a serum on my face, because I have always heard it’s better than lotion for oily skin. Also I needed a primer desperately. I loved how I found both in product and it was matte, basically it was calling my name. I got it for 124 EGP.

Essence I <3 stage eye shadow base

  I have heard people on YouTube comparing it to the urban decay primer potion so I had to try it out. It was 35 EGP.

Labello Vitamin shake lip balm

 Labello has been on top of my lip balm list since I have in 5^th grade or something. When my lip smacker failed to impress me, I had to go back to this baby. I got this for 15 EGP.

Maybelline The colossal kajal

There is a lot of rave about this product and since it is waaaaaay cheaper and much easier to find than my lord & berry eye pencil, I decided to give it a try in the shade black. It’s just for 35 EGP.

Essence maximum definition volume mascara

The wand on this one is so similar to a cover girl mascara that gives tones of volume. Since we don’t have cover girl in Egypt, I was happy to find this one. It’s for 39 EGP.

Essence XXXL shine lip gloss

The color range was nice at essence, however I wanted to play it a little bit safe. I got this gorgeous shade called “Nude Candy”. It’s for 28 EGP.

Essence Cover stick

I got the natural concealer before and I liked it so I decided to get the stick one and give it a try, I got mine in the shade “Honey Matt” which is the darkest shade I think. It was for 30 EGP.

Essence eyeliner pen

It’s getting hard to perfect the eyeliner with a brush when I am in a rush –I didn’t mean to rhyme I swear-, so I decided to give the fill tip a try. It was for 39 EGP.

Essence All about Matt loose powder

I have tried a lot of translucent and compact powders to control shine, my main problem was the color they leave. I wanted to give the loose setting powder a try. This was for 45 EGP.

Essence Stay All Day long lasting eye shadow

This one is like a pot of creamy eye shadow, I got mine in the shade “steel the show” which is a dark silver. This one was for 44 EGP.

Essence smoky eye brush

I just needed a good blending brush and the price on this one was irresistible. I got it for 17 EGP, yup you heard it right.

Essence eye shadow brush

This one is like a C shaped thick brush, I think will be a great help to tap eye shadow on my lids. This one is also for 17 EGP.

I also got some clothes, shoes and accessories in the sale and I thought of doing a haul, however I already have worn like most of the stuff so stay tuned to some street style stuff :D 

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