April Favorites!

Hello Beautiful!

Oh my! Karachi needs to calm down! The temperature is rising with every passing day and hence the need to keep my face matte and shine free because I have given up on the idea of "sweat-proof/free" considering the humid and hot weather here where I live. My April Favorites consist of the products that didn't fail me in this weather and I didn't need to touch them up frequently, well not even once in some cases. Let's start with what my favorites were.

1. Bourjois - 123 Perfect Foundation - Light Beige 53.

          This has to be my best friend for the hot and humid weather. It is everything EVERYTHING I want from a foundation in this weather. It blends so smoothly with both my Real Technique Buffing Brush and Miracle Sponge, doesn't sit on top of skin, in fact blends in looking very natural. Sets completely matte and is shine free without looking Sahara Dessert dry or cakey. I absolutely love it and will be sticking to this all through Summers.

2. Makeup Revolution - Powder Blush - Treat.
          This is literally the only Blusher I used all through April! The formula is so soft and it blends seamlessly. It has a satin finish and gives the most beautiful peachy color to your cheeks. Also, it stays put for a good amount of time.I loved it enough to even travel with it.

3. e.l.f Cosmetics - Baked Highlighter - Moonlight Pearls.
          This is a re-discovered product from my stash and I fell in love with it all over again. I love to highlight the top of my cheeks, brow-bone and inner corners of my eyes with this. Read the full review here.

4. Morphe Brushes - Individual Eyeshadow - Caramelized.
          This is for my eyes what bronzer is for the face. All of you know by now how much I like to keep my makeup minimal and fresh and when I just a want a little extra for my eyes (apart from Mascara) I just blend this in my crease to warm up the eyes and for a natural contoured look. This buffed into my crease, inner corners and brow-bone highlighted with Moonlight Pearls and two coats of Mascara -and my eye look is complete.
Read the full review here.

5. Jordana - Best Lash Extreme Mascara.
          This Mascara is loveeeee the formula is neither too thin or too thick, just the right consistency and it gets better with each use. I love how just one swipe of this provides both length and volume. I have used this Mascara here.

6. Rimmel - Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer - In The Nude.

          I love to use this in my University days to eliminate the redness and for the well-rested eye look. I hardly get any sleep these days thanks to my studies and this helps me brighten up my eyes. The pencil glides smoothly on the waterline and stays put for a long time without any smudging.

7. Wet n Wild - Megalast Lipstick - Bare It All.
          The first time I got it I wasn't really impressed because I was use to Maybelline Coffee Craze which is a neutral toned brown where as Bare It All is a warm toned brown but with time it grew on me and I gravitated towards it the most all through April, so much so that with the beginning of May I had to remind myself to put this down and use something else. It is a beautiful warm nude shade nonetheless.

I make it a point to switch up and change the products I use every month so that I can share my favorites with you. April was all about keeping my makeup fresh, shine free and long lasting in this humid weather.

What were your favorite products to use in April? How do you keep your makeup shine-free and long lasting? I plan to do my makeup routine for

April with April Favorites, would you like that? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time. Good Luck and Ciao!

Discount / Promo Codes:

GULZEN75 : Get free shipping on your order above Rs. 7500 from Zensky

ASHOOG12 : Get 12% discount on the whole Bag collection at Ashootabby. (Valid until 31st March 2016)

VIOLETTEG10 : Avail 10% discount on your total at Violette - Online Clothing Brand

GULLOVESCHIC : Avail a 10% discount on each item at Urban Chic.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the website link(s) and discount codes provided in this post and do not earn or get anything, in return, in anyway if you click on or use the links -except Urban Chic & Violette -that I own.

The Halo Eye Makeup | Navy and Rose Gold|

Hello Beautiful,

I finally tried the halo eye makeup after being inspired by Kathleen Lights and Jaclyn Hill! Although it looked very hard to do at first but I have to say I really enjoyed doing it. 
This would look beautiful for a night out, weddings and even prom or graduation party! You can totally switch up the colors, sticking to the same technique used here of course. Dark colors in the corners and a light bright color in the middle, you can even go all matte or all shimmer but make sure to use the shimmer in the center if you wanna work with mattes and shimmers. 

Okay so let's get started with this tutorial. 

Products Used:

• L.A. Girl Pro Concealer - Creamy Beige.
• e.l.f Mineral Eye Primer.
• LORAC Pro 2 Palette (Buff, Lt. Brown, Nectar, Snow, Navy and Rose) 
• Color Studio Professional Hypno Black Eye Marker.
• Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara.
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - Milk.
• Artmatic Lashes

Tools Used:

• Morphe Brushes Blending Brush MB23.
• e.l.f Blending Brush.
• e.l.f Shader Brush.
• A pencil Brush.

Steps:

1. After applying a thin layer of concealer and blending it, I primed my lids with the eye primer and set the whole area with Buff from the palette to get rid of the tackiness.
2. Taking Nectar on MB23, I blended it in the crease keeping it below the brow-bone, from the outer corner to the inner corner. I went in with the shade a few times to build up the intensity.
3. With a small shader brush I patted on Navy on the inner and outer corners and blended it in the crease with Lt. Brown with an e.l.f blending brush. 
4. I patted on the Navy shade again to intensify the color.
5. With a little bit of Nectar on MB23 I blended around the edges to get rid of any harsh lines and for a more blended and diffused look.
6. With a flat shader brush I patted on Rose in the center and blended the edges into the Navy shade.
7. With a pencil brush I smoked the lower lash line with Navy and patted Rose in the center.
8. I decided to apply a winged liner and used Color Studio Eye Marker for that.
9. After highlighting my brow-bone and inner corners with Snow and Buff, I lined my water line with NYX Milk and coated my lashes with two coats of mascara.
10. I decided to put on fake lashes and that really made the whole look more glamorous.

I really like the pop of Rose Gold on Navy. You can definitely skip the winged eye liner but remember to tight-line your upper lash line to make your lashes look fuller. If you use fake lashes with this look, I'll suggest you to go over the band and upper lash liner with a thin eye-liner so that the band of the lashes blends in with the eye-liner.

Also I'm in love with the amazing pigmentation of LORAC 2! I now need to get more LORAC palettes *_*

I also did this makeup look on Snapchat too so if you want to see more makeup looks, swatches and short reviews, follow me at Snapchat (gulexehra).

Do try this and don't forget to share the pictures of your work with me using the hash-tag #gulezehrasblog, I'd love to check out and share your looks. 

Until next time, Good Luck and Ciao!

Discount / Promo Codes:

GULZEN75 : Get free shipping on your order above Rs. 7500 from Zensky

ASHOOG12 : Get 12% discount on the whole Bag collection at Ashootabby. (Valid until 31st March 2016)

VIOLETTEG10 : Avail 10% discount on your total at Violette - Online Clothing Brand

GULLOVESCHIC : Avail a 10% discount on each item at Urban Chic.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the website link(s) and discount codes provided in this post and do not earn or get anything, in return, in anyway if you click on or use the links -except Urban Chic & Violette -that I own.

New Year's Glam !! (2016)

Hello Beautiful!

Did 2015 not go so fast?! Don't we say that for almost every year? Haha but no seriously 2015 really went by so quick, at least for me. So here's a Makeup Look For New Year or New Year's Eve! As it's all about Glitter and Sparkle for New Year, I did glittery eyes where as kept my lips Pinky Nude, You can definitely pair this look with a bold Red Lipstick to make it look more festive!

Also in the tutorial, I'll tell you how to make your makeup last all night so that you can party and welcome 2016 without a worry!


Products Used:

Face:

• L'oreal Paris Hydra-Total 5 Ultra Hydrating Gel-Cream.
• e.l.f Poreless Face Primer.
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Vanilla-52.
• Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Peach Glow.
• Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso.
• Wet n Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette in Hollywood Boulevard.
•  Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray - Oil Control

Tools Used:

• Real Techniques Buffing Brush.
• Real Techniques Blush Brush.
• e.l.f Studio Blush Brush.
• e.l.f. Kabuki Brush.

Eyes:

• e.l.f Mineral Eye Primer.
• Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Peach Glow.
• Too Faced Chocolate Bar - Salted Caramel, Triple Fudge and Champagne Truffle.
• Morphe Brushes Individual Eye Shadow in Caramelized and Creme Brule.
• Inglot AMC Pure Pigment Eyeshadow - 14.
• Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner - Midnight Cowboy.
• Color Studio Professional Hypno Black Eye Marker.
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - Milk.
• L'oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara - Carbon Black.
• Maybelline Rocket Volum'Express Mascara.

Tools Used:

• Morphe Brushes Blending Brush MB23.
• e.l.f. Blending Brush.
• Color Studio Professional Blending Brush.
• e.l.f Shader Brush.
• A pencil Brush
• An Angled Blending Brush

Lips

• Luscious Cosmetics Ultra Smooth Lip Liner in Chai Latte.
• Luscious Cosmetics Super Moisturizing Lipstick in Daisy Pink.

Steps:

Eyes:

1. After priming my eyes I set them with Stay Matte Pressed Powder so that rest of the eyeshadows can blend easily.
2. With Morphe MB23 I blended Salted Caramel as my transition color, on and above my crease.
3. With e.l.f blending brush which is smaller than the Morphe one, I blended Caramelized into my crease. With MB23 I blended the two colors together.
4.  I blended Creme Brule on the outer corners of my eyes, with an angled blending brush, and took it into my crease and blended everything again with MB23.
5. On Color Studio Blending Brush I packed and blended Triple Fudge on the outer part of my eyes.
6. I blended my crease again with a little Salted Caramel on MB23.
7. I used Champagne Truffle with a little Fix Plus to highlight the brow-bone area.
8. With the shader brush I packed the Inglot Pigment on to my lids and blended it into the Triple Fudge. To make the pigment adhere to my lid I used it with Fix plus.
9. On my lower lash line, I blended Caramelized with a pencil brush and lined my water-line with Milk.
10. After creating a winged-eyeliner I coated my lashes, first with Telescopic and then with The Rocket Mascara.
11. I finished the eye makeup with the Glitter Liner on the inner part of my lid and a little on my inner corners (be careful with that though, it irritated my eyes as I put it too close to my inner rim and so I had to clean it therefore it looks a little untidy).

Face:

1. After moisturizing my face I primed it with the Poreless Primer concentrating and patting it near my nose and on nose and spreading the rest all over my face.
2. I buffed in my foundation with the Buffing Brush.and set it with Rimmel Stay matte Powder.
3. For my blush I used Milani's Luminoso with Real Technique's Blush Brush. It's such a gorgeous shade! I used it for the first time!!
4. Highlighted my cheekbones with Hollywood Boulevard and applied a little on the bridge of my nose (but not the tip of the nose).
5. At the very end I sprayed the Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray!

Lips:

1. I lined my Lips with Chai Latte and filled them in a little.
2. For Lipstick I used Daisy Pink by Luscious Cosmetics. It's such a beautiful muted pink.

 To make the makeup last all night I used the e.l.f's Poreless Primer at the beginning and finished th whole look with a spray of Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray. This combination has made my makeup last through all the weddings this month!

So here's the final look! I really love how it turned out with the sparkly eyes and the muted pink lips. You can definitely use more glitter on the lower lash line, I didn't because for some reason my eyes were very sensitive that day also I did a look recently where I lined my lower lash line with glitter. You can check that here. That is even perfect for New Year, if you don't want a lot of Glitter. Definitely check my Quick Holiday Look!

Anyway, I hope you like this look. I definitely loved it! The eyes were so sparkly!! Let me know what you plan to do on the New Year's eve and don't forget to share your Makeup Looks with me using #gulezehrasblog.

I hope you all have a very happy New Year and a blessed 2016. Thank you for all the love and support you have showed me here, on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! It all means a lot to me. As a token of gratitude I am having Giveaways on my blog (Facebook and Instagram) with the first being 'Guess The Product to Win The Product". Make sure you all take part in that!

May you all have an amazing, joyous, successful 2016 full of love and blessings!

Until next time, Good Luck and Ciao!

Make sure you are following me here (through GFC) to take part in the GiveAways.

Also follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to participate in the Giveaways.

A Quick Holiday'15 Look !

Hello Beautiful!

Here's a last minute quick Holiday Look with a little sparkle and a bright Red pout. Aren't Reds all the rage this Holiday season? I feel you can never go wrong with a Red Lipstick (given you choose the right one with the right undertone for you). A Red Lipstick makes one look put together and classy instantly and it doesn't really require a lot of eye makeup too!
I know I'm late for a Holiday look but not too late yeah? That's why this is a last - minute makeup look that you can totally rock this Holiday!
Now for me anyhting quick or last minute doesn't involve foundation and contouring, therefore I haven't used foundation or contour but you can totally use a BB Cream or even a foundation if you like, you do you boo! 

If you do recreate this look, don't forget to share it with me using the hashtag #gulezehrasblog

Products Used:

Face:

• L'oreal Paris Hydra-Total 5 Ultra Hydrating Gel-Cream.
• Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 15. 
• Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Peach Glow.
• Makeup Revolution Powder Blusher in Sugar.
• Wet n Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette in Hollywood Boulevard.

Tools Used:

• Real Techniques Blush Brush.
• e.l.f Studio Blush Brush.
• e.l.f. Kabuki Brush.

Eyes:

• L. A. Girl Pro Concealer in Creamy Beige.
• Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Peach Glow.
• Morphe Brushes Individual Eye Shadow in Caramelized and Creme Brule.
• Wet n Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette in Hollywood Boulevard.
• Maybelline Colossal Kajal in Black.
• Maybelline Rocket Volum'Express Mascara.
• L'oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara - Carbon Black.
• Sweet Face Sparkling Eye Liner in 10. (You can use ANY glitter eyeliner. I used this because it was locally available).

Tools Used:

• Morphe Brushes Blending Brush MB23.
• e.l.f. Blending Brush.
• A pencil Brush
• An Angled Blending Brush
• e.l.f Angled Eye Liner Brush

Lips:

• Luscious Cosmetics Ultra Smooth Lip Liner - Ruby
• Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick - Lady Red

Steps:

Eyes:

• After priming my eyes with the Creamy Beige concealer (up to my brows and near the lower lash-line), I set it with Stay Matte Powder so that rest of the eyeshadows can blend easily.
• With Caramelized, as a transition color, on the MB23 brush I blended it well in my crease and took it a little higher. Blended it well from the outer corner to the inner corners of my eyes.
• With Creme Brule on an Angled Blending Brush I patted it in the outer corners of my eyes and took it into my crease blending it well.
• Again with a little Caramelized on MB23 I blended the two colors together so there are no harsh lines.
• I highlighted my brow-bone and inner corners with Holly Wood Boulevard.
• After lining my upper lids with Colossal Kajal, I smudged it with an Angled Eyeliner Brush and created a soft wing.
• For the Holiday sparkle I lined my lower lash line with two coats of Glitter Eyeliner.
• At the end applied a coat of Rocket Mascara and topped it with Telescopic Mascara.

Face:

• After moisturizing my face I applied the concealer under my eyes and blended it in with my ring finger with a tapping motion.
• I set the concealer with Stay Matte Powder and dust it lightly all over my face.
• For blush I used Sugar and highlighted my cheek bones with Holly Wood Boulevard.

Lips:

• I lined and filled in my lips with the Lip Liner in Ruby.
• Finished the whole look with two swipes of Lady Red on my lips.

I have no idea why my neck looks so different in tone than my face although it matched fine. Maybe because of the lighting because I had nothing but a light dust of Stay Matte Pressed Powder on my face and neck. Well, that's the Holiday Look. The steps for eyes might seem long but they don't take long when you're actually doing the eye makeup. The smudged eyeliner can be skipped altogether and you can also use just one mascara that provides both length and volume. 

I hope you like this quick, last minute makeup look. Let me know how you plan to spend your Holidays and don't forget to share your makeup looks with me by using the hashtag #gulezehrasblog. I'll be doing Winter looks very soon too!

Until next time, Good Luck and Ciao!

__________________________________________________

Please follow for more Makeup Looks <3

Morphe Brushes Individual Eyeshadows - Caramelized, Creme Brule, B.A.M & I Got The Blues

Hello Beautiful!

Morphe Brushes are all the hype these days! From their individual eye shadow pans to the eyeshadow palettes and makeup tools! Their 35O Palette is all the rage now that gets out of stock as soon as it comes and that only makes people want it more!  Also Jaclyn Hill collaborated with Morphe recently for a Limited Edition Palette consisting of her favorites. So to try this brand I got their Individual Eyeshadow Pans and Makeup Brushes (which you can see here). I had enough time to put the eyeshadows to test and use them and finally I'm ready to present a thorough review. I'll review the brushes in a separate post.

The Individual Eyeshadows have 80 colors that range from neutrals to bold and vibrant colors and from mattes to satin and shimmers. A Z-palette can be bought separately to make a custom palette. Out of all the colors I got two nude brown shades and two vibrant colors.

The Packaging:
Each pan is enclosed in a black card envelope with a little cushion ring inside to provide more grip and safety to the eyeshadow pan. I have yet to buy a Z-Palette but the pans are safe in the envelope. I have traveled with them too. It is a hassle of course, without the Z-Palette where you just open the lid and all the eyeshadows are displayed, ready to be used but in terms of its envelope packaging, it's pretty safe.

Caramelized ES15: (Matte)

Caramelized is a pretty warm brown color. It is my Holy Grail Crease/Transition color! I have been looking for a warm brown that'll pair up with almost all warm eye looks and this is what I'm in love with. It's definitely my most used eyeshadow.
The formula is smooth, blends like a dream and has incredible pigmentation. Also, the color is buildable. I have used this as a crease color in all these makeup looks : EOTD, MOTD, MOTD1

Creme Brule ES63: (Matte)

Creme Brule is a cool-toned brown, almost a grey brown color. It pairs up beautifully with Caramelized. I mostly use it on the outer corners of my eyes but it also looks great all over the lid blended with Caramelized in the crease for the subtle brown smokey eye. The eyeshadow itself is soft and buttery and blends beautifully. The pigmentation is great and it's buildable. It also is great for smoking out the lower lash line. You can see it used here and here. 

B.A.M ES41: (Matte)

Described as a Teal, it is a pretty vibrant sea green color which looks beautiful layered over a white, blue and green base. The formula is soft, not at all chalky or patchy and it blends beautifully. Also the pigmentation is ah-mazing and the color is buildable. I have mostly used it layered over a sea green eyeliner for a pop of color as you can see here.

I Got The Blues ES44: (Matte)

A deep royal blue with a matte finish. This shade looks beautiful and deeper on a black base. The swatch here looks a tad brighter than the actual color. It's a beautiful color for a blue smokey eye or a pop of color on a more neutral eye look specially smudged on the lower lash line. The pigmentation is great although this color needs some building up to reach that full opaqueness and intensity, otherwise the formula is buttery and blends smoothly.

You should read my Morphe Brushes Haul post (here) for how I got it because Morphe Brushes do not ship to Pakistan unfortunately. These are priced at $2.29 a pop which is a steal for the smooth pigmented blend-able formula! I love love the quality of these and would definitely be getting more! I'm keen on trying the satin and shimmery shades now because I'm impressed with the mattes and I'm so tempted to get the bright colorful eyeshadow palette that they just came out with! It's the 12P Picasso Palette and it's so vibrant; oh and not to forget the 35O Palette! It's hyped for a reason, a treat for warm tone lovers! Well, here are more swatches for Caramelized, Creme brule, B.A.M and I Got The Blues.

I have nothing bad to say about these, right from the packaging, the pricing to the quality and pigmentation -it's amazing! Just that I wish they shipped worldwide! So, it's definitely a 5 on a 5 for these from me.

So have you tried any of the Morphe Eyeshadows either these pans or the palettes? Let me know if you like them and if you have any recommendations for me, i'd love to know your thoughts on them. Also if you want me to review anything from my hauls (which you can see here) please let me know and I'd love to oblige (:

Until next time, Good Luck and Ciao!

_______________________________________________________

Previous Reviews and Swatches:

a) E.L.F Baked Highlighters

b) Maybelline Color Sensational Stripped Nudes - Coffee Craze

c) Masarrat Misbah Makeup

Please follow me for more reviews <3