KS - Henna

Hi beauties,

I haven't been in the blogging world for a while, however I am now back and will try to keep my blogging consistent for you lovely ladies!

Today's post will be on KS Henna products! Kirti Sharma kindly sent me some of her mendhi cones to try and test out. I am super excited to share my feedback with all my fellow henna artists out there .. Really do hope this post if helpful! 

KS Glitter Cones - Gold KS3

The first product which I sampled was of course the glitter cone.

This glitter cone is absolutely gorgeous. The colour and the pigment of the fine glitter is phenomenal! I mean what more could you ask for from a glitter henna product right? Alongside the winning points of pigment & colour pay off - the longevity of the product also won me over. I was at the bathroom sick scrubbing with force to get this off, another sign of an outstanding henna product!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

KS Henna - Cajeput mini cones

Firstly I must say that, the name of the products really do not do justice. The Cajeput mini cones are really not mini, if anything they are pretty amazing workable size! I was expecting them to be smaller than what the product actually was so hey, this was a win for me! Perfect sized henna cones! 

Secondly, I decided to put these henna products to the test in a different way. Usually when receiving henna products in the post people put them to use straight away test the stain and voila! Amazing results. But I really felt like I had to challenge these products in a unique way so here is what I did! 

After receiving the henna cones, I put one aside in my room. The rest I kept stored away, the henna come which I put the the side was left at room temperature for around 4 weeks. YES! I left the henna come out of the fridge for 4 weeks, if you are a henna fanatic you will know that this is a total no no and this will destroy the stain power. 

After 4 weeks of room temperature, the cones consistency was still pretty decent especially the flow. Now this, really impressed me! Despite the cone had fluids which were probably the oils separated the henna itself still was intact and easily flowing. Not only this, but I had only kept the henna on for around 20-25 minutes & below is the stain under 24 hours.

Although this isn't the deepest of stains, I think this is excellent for a product that was left out in room temperature for 4 weeks, yes a month. If this is the stain after storing the cone in the worst way possible then surely if the cones are well looked after and store the stain will be phenomenal! 

KS henna - you have passed my test with flying colours! Literally!!

I really am impressed with these products and will surely be ordering my brides henna cones from KS henna! 

I hope this post was a good read and helped you in picking the right henna products for your clients! 

Love,

Taran x

5 PRO artist make-up kit essentials

Hi beauts,

As a make-up artist with 5 years plus experience, I would like to share what I think are the most vital make-up kit essentials. Especially if you are a new up coming artist, this post will aim to help all levels of make-up artists out there! If you would like to know what my 5 pro artist make-up kit essentials are then keep on reading ...

1. Gosh 'Velvet Touch' primer 

The Gosh 'Velvet Touch' primer, is an affordable primer which you can pick up from your local Super-drug store. This primer is amazing, for creating a smooth velvet base, your foundation application will seem effortless once this primer has been applied and absorbed into the skin. 

Quick tip: Be aware that this is a silicone based product, so if you are allergic to this then do check the ingredients to avoid any allergic reactions! 

2. NARS multi-purpose highlight stick

Nars products never fail to impress me and this also includes the multi-purpose highlighting sticks. The shade which I keep in my kit is 'Orgasm'. The product itself is as exciting as the product name! The texture of the cream stick is beautiful, and easily blend-able; the fact that this highlight is useful for pretty much anything on the face is a bonus!!  

Quick tip: I used this highlight stick on the brow bone, the tip of the nose, cupids bow, cheek bones and in the centre of the bottom lip! LUSH!

3. MAC w/c neutral eye-shadow palette/s

MAC cosmetics have two ready set eye-shadow palette's (warm/cool neutral). These palettes are a great buy for a pro artist kit; all of the neutral shades you could possibly require are condensed into two ready set palettes! I mean, what more could you possibly ask for? 

Quick tip: If I cannot find my brow gel in my kit, I use the shade 'Brun' from the MAC cool neutral palette as a brow powder! 

4. Urban Decay 'All Nighter' spray

The Urban Decay 'All Nighter' spray is possibly the most amazing make-up setting spray I have ever come across! YES, I totally swear by this setting spray because I know it does the job perfectly. Your make-up will last ALL night without budge. This is a definite MUST!

Quick tip: After the bottle has finished it's totally reusable, use the empty bottle for something else! I put mine to use as my brush cleaning spray! 

5. Urban Decay eye-shadow primer potion

Again, another Urban Decay product I totally swear by, the primer potion. I have all the UD primer potions including the face primer potions simply due to the great finish they leave behind. However, the eye-shadows primer potion is brilliant. I have always, recommended this to everyone! Once the base is on and the eye make-up is complete, there will NOT be any creasing AT ALL!

Quick tip: Try using a 'bullet point' amount to avoid excess product wastage. A little goes a long way!

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you have tried these products, let me know what you make of them!

Love,
Taran x

Tutorial: Afghan/Arabic inspired

Hi beauts!

Firstly I would like to apologise for not being a consistent blogger recently, as you all know being a student really does take up most of your time. Especially while you are a final year student with a dissertation! I finally managed to get this tutorial edited and uploaded for you beauties! 

Secondly, let's get straight into what today's post is about - as the title explains, it is a make-up tutorial! It isn't just any old tutorial it is an actual video tutorial that I would like to share with you all! This is my second video, so please do bare with me as the lightening isn't so great. 

Without further delay, here is the link to the make-up tutorial:
https://youtu.be/ITe3u9mzSIg

Hope you enjoy this tutorial!

♥ MAKE-UP USED ♥

Kryolan TV paint stick - FS36

Illamasqua SB 03

MAC pro concealer palette - Medium/dark

Illamasqua cream pigment - Hollow

Illamasqua brow gel - Strike 

MAC prep + prime pressed powder

Sleek contour palette - Medium/dark

MAC blush - Style

MAC mineralize skin finish - Global Glow

Urban Decay Ltd Vice Palette - Perversion

Urban Decay Ltd ed. glitter - Irridescent

Rimmel lip liner - Spice

Sleek lip palette - Ballet

Urban Decay lashes - Trap

Headband - Claire's accessories

♥ LINKS PROMISED ♥

Brushes - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jessup-New-Makeup-Brush-Set-Cosmetic-Foundation-blending-pencil-brushes-Kabuki-/221526812660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item339406e7f4

Love,
Taran x

BTS and shooting with Flare Brand - UK

Hi beauts,

As you all know I have been participating in a whole lot of photo-shoots recently. Some being with campaigns for my recent portfolio work and some being with other businesses and brands such as Amarah Jewels and Flare Brand.

I usually post all things beauty related and thought it would be a great idea to write about something that can be aimed at both genders so why not post about this upcoming high street designer Flare Brand! It is a simplistic, contemporary brand which is based within the UK and manufactured here in the UK too.

And of course no photo-shoot with me is complete without a team selfie!

I really did like the simplicity of the brand logo, and just the entire concept of the brand. Rather than it conforming to contemporary designs, the brand itself has been inspired by hand painted advertisement designs from the past. I think that is such a great concept for an upcoming brand as it is vintage and retro! It is retailed at very reasonable prices which you cannot go wrong with and the tee's are also great quality material.

These t-shirts can be classed as unisex, so do check them out! You may find something you might like to rock ..

Click here to find Flare Brand on facebook and for more information on any items available!

Hope this post was enjoyable to read!

Love,
Taran x

Review: Lisser Moi cosmetics

Hi beauts,

Soft skin is a definite must, especially for us women who work hard! Our hands most definitely deserve a little TLC sometimes .. That one essential if not you but all women carry with them in their bags is a travel sized hand & body cream! 

Lisser Moi decided to get in touch with me, so we could bring forward the products this company has to offer for you lovely ladies. How exciting?! 

Lisser Moi products use a range of nourishing ingredients which are key to maintaining soft supple skin. Ingredients such as Argan and various other mineral oils which help sooth and refresh the skin! Sounds great right? So I have tried and tested these moisturisers for over a week now and REALLY do feel as though the quality of the product does speak for itself.

The packaging is sleek and simple, with black and gold as the colour theme. The fragrance which is left behind by the creams are very light and airy or sweet and delicious! Most definitely different from what you would find out there. I must say, I now always carry a Lisser Moi hand cream around with me when I am on the go for sure!

Click here to check out their website with the full range of products available at reasonable prices!

Since Lisser Moi had contacted me with these products to try and test out, we have also decided to work together and host a give-away for my Instagram followers!! So one of you lucky ladies will have the chance to win a full sized Lisser Moi hand and body cream with a travel sized product along with a few little goodies! 

To join the give-away all you need to do is follow me on instagram: @tarankaurmua and keep an eye out for the announcement for the giveaway! 

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love,
Taran x

Aria Collection - Alexia in pink!

Hi beauts,

As you all know statement necklaces have been on trend for a while and with my love for statement necklaces, I decided to work with a UK based company to bring you gorgeous ladies this blog post!

Aria Collection statement necklace in Alexia (colour: pink)

Aria Collection have the most beautiful pieces in their collection of rhinestone and boho statement necklaces. In this particular post the, stunning piece 'Alexia' is featured in the colour pink! It is also available in the following colours: white, black and great!

The colours on this piece are absolutely stunning! I mean look at this beauty, isn't it lovely? Aria Collection have great pieces especially with the summer coming soon, I would definitely recommend their statement pieces! 

Click here to purchase your own statement piece from Aria Collection, and use the discount code: TARAN15 to recieve 15% off your total order!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love,

Taran x

Contour products - powder vs cream

Hi beauts,

Contouring has been in trend since Kim K released her selfie showing her highlighting and contouring on social media. Ever since then, contouring has become a craze! 

Not a lot of people know that contouring has been around for many years as part of corrective make-up. This make-up technique has been mastered by professionals over the years, to find that different styles of corrective make-up suit each individual face shape differently!! But we will not go into much detail about that in this post, if you would like me to do a detailed post on how to contour different face shapes then leave a comment below!

This post will be about the different types of contouring products out there in the market, as the title states: powder vs cream contour! 

So I have put together my most used cream and powder products that are my holy grail for contouring. 

Product list:

Tom Ford shade and illuminate palette (01 intensity one)

Mac cosmetics pro concealer palette (medium/dark) 

Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palette (not sure which shade) 

Sleek cosmetics contour palette (medium/dark) 

Tom Ford shade and illuminate 

This is my favourite contour product out of the products listed! I am more of a cream contour person, just because I feel as though cream contouring gives a more subtle and natural shadow where applied. This product blends in so seamlessly, it really looks great once applied, the highlight is quite something in itself too! It has no shimmer but is still a natural looking highlight - seriously cannot go wrong with this product! 

Mac cosmetics pro concealer palette

I have not always been a fan on mac concealer - especially if it is studio fix! But this palette really did change my mind, I use the darkest concealer in the palette to shade in the hollows of my cheekbones, I also use this to contour my nose and it works a treat (usually I am never happy with contouring on my nose!). Not only that, the corrector in the palette mixed with the lightest concealer makes a great highlight too! 

Anastasia Beverly Hills contour palette

I am pretty obsessed with this powder palette, the shade fawn is actually my favourite colour to contour with! It is a lovely soft brown colour, which gives the illusion of a natural contour! Great for someone who wishes for a light subtle definition on the cheekbone area, the shade banana is a great pressed powder to set your under eye concealer with too as it uplifts the colour enhancing the highlight! 

Sleek cosmetics contour palette CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE!

Sleek's contour palette is the most affordable product mentioned in the list as it is a cheap dupe for all these high end make-up products. This has got to be the drug store God send for contouring because the pigment pay from this palette is superb! If I am travelling this is most definitely my go to palette as it had the highlight which is a lovely dupe for soft and gentle by Mac! And a beautiful bronze blush to give you that sun kissed glow! You really cannot go wrong with this beauty buy! 

Now, with my personal experience using these products, I must say I prefer neither over each other as both powder and cream products work well for contouring but I actually prefer cream contouring, then setting it with powder contouring to emphasise the definition on my contour. What is your preferred contouring technique? 

Hope you enjoyed this post! 

Love,

Taran x