10 Signs You're A Make-Up Addict

1. You're a proud owner of some Muji storage, or any acrylic storage for that matter.
2. 50 shades of grey? More like 50 shades of 'the same but totally different' nude lipstick.
3. Boots has a 3 for 2 offer on make-up? Well you're practically making money!
4. You have just about every eyeshadow palette under the sun, but you still need the latest in your collection!
5. Swatches make your heart flutter. The minute your eyes catch the twinkle in that shadow swatch, you fall in love.
6. You're regularly found refreshing the Kylie Cosmetics website during new launches..
7. You have a set of Alex drawers dedicated entirely to beauty products.
8. The perfect Friday night consists of watching beauty hauls, make-up tutorials and a sweep of Beauty Bay!
9. Despite those nasty customs fees, you can't resist a bit of international online shopping. Hello Sephora!
10. Your vocabulary consists of, 'buttery' and 'so pigmented'.


I know these ring true with me, can any of you relate?!

USA Beauty Brands You Didn't Know The UK Sold

Alright, maybe you did know about these beauty brands in the UK, but that wouldn't make a very good title would it?! 

Anyway, I'm sure most of us are huge fans of USA beauty brands, some of us being lucky enough to purchase whilst visiting the states, and some of us mad enough to order internationally, (me). Either way, the words on the tip of our tongue is always, 'why can't they sell this in the UK?!'. Our prayers are slowly but surely being answered, with US brands creeping over to this side of the pond. I decided to share three of the most current brands with you all, and show you a couple of bits I've purchased too!

Kat Von D Shade and Light Quad in Rust

First up is a biggie, Kat Von D! When they announced they were coming to the UK, I freaked out. This was one of those brands that I was willing to fly to the US for just to grab everything I possibly could! Since September 13th, the brand became available to us UK folk on Debenhams online, (soon to be coming into stores). I made quite a hefty order, so I'll share the things I purchased!

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks in Bow & Arrow and Lovesick Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Cathedral

In the image at the top of this post, you can see I picked up my staple tattoo liners in Trooper and Mad Max Brown. This is my all time favourite liquid eyeliner, and I strongly suggest you grab them asap!

I also picked up one of the Shade and Light Eyeshadow Quads in 'Rust', purely because I just wanted one of the quads! I already have the original Shade and Light Eyeshadow Palette, so this was just a little add on. Okay, so I've just remembered I forgot to photograph the individual eyeshadow I purchased.. well, to sum up, I'm not a fan of single shadows, and this one was very high quality, but I doubt I'd purchase any more! (I have the Metal Crush Eyeshadow in 'Thunderstruck').

Lastly I picked up a couple of lip products, I was well restrained in my opinion! The Everlasting Liquid Lipstick formula isn't my all time favourite, (check my post on my all-time favourite here), however the colours in her range are so gorgeous that I had to grab a couple! I have Bow & Arrow and Lovesick to accompany my existing collection of Lolita and Jeffree! (I wonder if she'll change the name of that one?!). I also have the Studded Kiss Lipstick in 'Cathedral' which is the most beautiful shade of lipstick I have ever seen. The formula of these are perfect, and I will be expanding my collection very soon!

Next up is a brand that's fast circulating the web, and jumping straight into our wish-lists. Jouer Cosmetics! Who else wishes they were on the Paris trip rubbing shoulders with Manny, Patrick & Nikkie?!

Jouer has been on Cult Beauty for quite some time now, but it's only since the launch of the lip toppers and highlighters that the brand has really blown up. I have a selection of lip products which I've swatched below, and I also have the highly sought after 'Citrine' highlighter, although mine has smashed!! Devastating. I can certainly vouch for its greatness though, (despite its demise). 

From L to R, Skinny Dip, Filigree, Tan Lines, Tawny Rose, Snapdragon & Noisette

The lip products are so well priced for a higher end brand, ranging from £13.50 - £15. I'd sooner invest in one of these than a MAC lipstick! I really want to try more products from Jouer, now to decide where to start!

Ahhh, Tarte Cosmetics! A brand I've always wondered as to why it was never front and centre in UK department stores. I love Tarte, every item I own from them has been incredible, and I'm yet to be disappointed. While you can order Tarte directly from their US website, you can also purchase it from QVC! No customs, no nasty extortionate shipping fees, it's right on our doorstep! (Kind of).

I thought I'd use this opportunity to talk about the Shape Tape concealer, and how it's taken pride of place in my makeup routine. My best friend actually got me this for my birthday, (how well does she know me?!), and I haven't stopped using it since! It comes in the biggest tube I've seen, (in regards to concealer), and the applicator is like a doe-foot on crack. I'm provided with flawless coverage, and 0 creasing/caking.. yes, that does exist!

There's plenty of brands I want to talk about, but I thought by narrowing it down to three, your bank balances can take just a minor hit!

Please share other US brands us UK folk can get a hold of in the comments below! (Any opportunity to spend..).

Beauty Trends: Duochrome Highlighters

Moonchild Glow Kit

 Beauty Trends posts are always exciting for me, as it means there's something new for me to get acquainted with and stuck in to!

Today's topic is 'Duochrome Highlighters'. As we all know, highlighting, strobing, and general glowing of the skin is something that's bang on trend, so of course, brands are looking for new ways to stand out from the (huge) crowd. That means we're seeing highlighters brought out in unusual shades, (I'm looking at you, Jeffree Star!), and now highlighters with a duochrome finish! Now that's something I can get on board with. I'm a huge fan of duochrome eyeshadows, and I'm known for grabbing anything and everything with a duochrome finish.

I have a couple of these types of highlighters swimming around in my collection, but in particular I wanted to talk about the Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Glow Kit as this is the ultimate duochrome highlighting palette!

From L to R - Blue Ice, Star, Purple Horseshoe, Pink Heart, Lucky Clover & Blue Moon

Moonchild Glow Kit

Firstly, look how beautiful the swatches are? That was one swipe. The formula of Anastasias glow kits just gets better and better!

I ummed and ahhed over this palette for some time, wondering where I could fit duochrome into my base routine without looking a little bit crazy! I've seen this palette on a huge range of skin tones, and after seeing how gorgeous it looked, I decided I needed to up my highlighting game, and fast. I'll list a brief description of each shade below, taken straight from the ABH website!

Blue Ice - Diamond white with an icy blue reflect.

Star - A moonstone fusion of mint, platinum and silver reflect.
Purple Horseshoe - A glittering lavender with an arctic blue reflect.
Pink Heart - Pearl white with a pink opal reflect.
Lucky Clover - A shamrock-infused gold with canary yellow diamond reflect .
Blue Moon - Frozen blue with a silver reflect.

I'm spotting brands bringing out their own duochrome highlighters, and I can see this being the start of a new collection in my beauty stash. I will link a few existing duochrome highlighters that I have in my collection already! 

Urban Decay Afterglow Highlighter in Fireball

Topshop Chameleon Highlighter in 'Mother of Pearl'

I'm very excited to see what's coming out in terms of these duochrome gems, let us all have an intergalactic glow!

Have you tried a duochrome highlighter yet?

The Liquid Lip We All Need

Huda Beauty Liquid Mattes

Yes, a very popular topic amongst the beauty community, but as long as brands keep throwing out new, incredible variations on this trend, it's not going to leave our mouths! (Or lips, more precisely). 

Today I want to talk to you about the Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipsticks, simply because in my opinion, they've totally set a new standard for a liquid lip. I've been using so many different brands of liquid lipsticks, but never have I found one that's truly faultless. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kylie Lip Kits, Jeffree Star Liquid Lipsticks & plenty others, but these standout. 

I first discovered Huda Beauty, or the Kattan family in general some time last year, (I know, where was I?!), and I've totally fallen in love with not only the brand, but the family too. Seriously, when does the show 'Keeping up with the Kattans' begin?!

I went to Dubai last September, and I picked up my first pair of Huda Beauty lashes, (which by the way I refuse to use as they're very sentimental to me!). I should probably purchase a couple of pairs that'll dare to use.. 

When Huda announced the Lip Contours, I was so excited to get my hands on a couple which I was lucky enough to receive for my birthday! I was immediately on the Cult Beauty website, and purchased three of the new liquid mattes.

Huda Beauty Liquid Mattes

Based on online swatches, I selected three shades, and waited eagerly for them to arrive. I'd heard a lot of things about the formula, most notably that it 'goes on like water', and 'feels like nothing' on the lips, sounds like a dream to me! 

Huda Beauty Liquid Mattes

I went for 'Spice Girl', a true 90's brown, and one of my go-to shades. 'Trophy Wife', quite an unusual purchase for me, but a customer in work was wearing it and it looked gorgeous! It's a slightly bright pink shade, but super wearable. 'Muse', my most worn! This is one of those shades, y'know, the Instagram shade. Mauve, brown, nude, pink.. hard to describe, but another go-to!

From L to R - Muse, Trophy Wife & Spice Girl

Huda Beauty Liquid Mattes

I can happily confirm, it's true what they say, these literally feel like nothing on the lips. I don't notice them break down in colour throughout the day, and I certainly don't experience any dryness. Possibly one of my favourite things about this product is the scent. It smells like holiday, sunscreen, coconut, you know the scent. 

I'm 100% picking up a bunch more shades when I decide which ones I'm after! (Oh, and when I'm not looking under vending machines for spare change). 

Have any of you tried the Huda Beauty Liquid Matte? 

Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection

I'm sure you're all fully aware of the collection thats taken the beauty world by storm, of course it's the Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection!

Like most people, I was introduced to this with the release of the 'Champagne Pop' pressed shimmering skin perfector. I received this as a birthday gift, and I've been hooked on the shade since, so when Becca & Jaclyn announced the Champagne Collection Face Palette, I was desperate to get it! It was so difficult to get a hold of with it being in such high demand, not to mention the price of it being over in the US! Luckily, on one of my frequent browses on Space NK, I spotted it! It was one of those 'add to bag, pay, done' situations.

The packaging is super luxurious. You can tell love and effort has gone into creating this palette. While having a couple of products in one place can be handy, it is quite heavy, so I'm not sure I'd use it as a travel palette! I travel a lot, and it's hard enough trying to narrow down my 'on-the-go' beauty products without carrying a paperweight!

However, that doesn't mean it doesn't make a beautiful addition to my vanity.. white and gold? Very 'instagramable'. (When is that word going to be added to the Oxford dictionary I wonder?).

Shades from L to R - Rose Spritz, Amaretto, Pamplemousse, Champagne Pop & Prosecco Pop

The selection of blushers are beautiful, although I would probably switch Pamplemousse for a peachy shade, however I think Pamplemousse would be beautiful on deeper complexions. All shades are super pigmented and blend beautifully. A light hand is required! My favourite of the trio is 'Amaretto', the perfect brown toned pink. I loved this so much that I went on the purchase the Champagne split in 'Amaretto & Prosecco Pop'. 

You get a pan of Champagne Pop, (of course!), and the new creation, Prosecco Pop. Champagne Pop is slightly peachier in tone, whereas Prosecco Pop is a lot more gold. I actually prefer Champagne Pop to Prosecco Pop, I find it to look a lot softer and it almost melts into my skin. Unfortunately I don't think is in stock anywhere at the moment, but you can purchase these items individually!

Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector - Champagne Pop

Now here's a product I definitely didn't see myself being enamoured by, but one that's totally taken front seat in my make-up routine. The rest of the products in this post were received as a birthday present from my parents, and I wanted this purely because I'm a huge Jaclyn fan, and I love the Champagne Pop line, not because it was something I necessarily needed. I saw myself occasionally using it as a cream highlighter, or as a base for my powder highlighter, but oh no! I decided to mix it with my foundation, and sweet Lord it was the most beautiful creation known to man. Bare in mind I'm an oily gal, so adding dew to my base isn't my priority, but this added the most beautiful 'lit from within' glow to my skin, bringing out gorgeous golden tones. If you're looking for some glow, (who isn't these days?!), definitely pick up one of these babies, it'll change the game completely. 

Champagne Collection Shimmering Skin Perfector Slimlight - Champagne Pop

Here we have another variation on the Champagne Pop highlighter, and this is aimed at more precise highlighting, you know, the cupids bow, nose & brow bone, that type of thing! Unfortunately, this just doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, the colour is beautiful, but the way it applies is just far too dry for my liking. I like products of this nature to be creamy and bendable, but this requires a little more attention than it should. I love the idea of it, but it's a miss in my opinion!

Champagne Collection Angled Highlight Brush

Who other than Jaclyn Hill to create the most deluxe brush? I couldn't even bare to throw away the gold box it came in!

If you're in the market for a highlighter brush, definitely check this one out, it's super soft and distributes the products beautifully. I'd even consider using this for blusher as it does seem to cover quite a lot of surface. 

I didn't pick up the poured version of Champagne Pop as I can't see myself using it, but if you like a cream highlighter, it's one worth picking up!

Have you tried anything from the Champagne Pop range? Comment below, I'd love to know!

Update: Where Have I Been & New Blog!

Plants - New Look 

Well it's been quite some time since I've shown my face around here! I thought I'd create a little update post, (for those who are interested), rather than shooting out new beauty posts without warning.  I haven't posted on any of my social channels for around a month, the longest I've ever gone since the beginning of the world wide web! This certainly wasn't a planned 'hiatus', but I can truthfully say it's over and I'm back! 
For quite some time I've wanted to 're-brand' myself. Let's be honest, a blog that near enough writes solely about beauty shouldn't be called 'fashion by nicole'. I wanted the name to be perfect, and I guess this really is 'my beauty space'! However I would like to delve into other topics too, throw a little bit of lifestyle in the mix, I'm sure you won't mind. I also changed my Instagram name to 'nicolecourchee', simple enough! If you're not already following, please go ahead! Also, please excuse the basic layout of my blog, my lovely boyfriend will be helping me out with all of the things I definitely couldn't do by myself!

Huda Beauty Liquid Mattes - Cult Beauty
As you may know, I'd been working on a beauty counter for seven months, and it rapidly became apparent that it wasn't the right brand for me. This led to me feeling consistently uninspired and I lacked so much motivation in many aspects of my life. It dragged away my creativity and eagerness to succeed, something I've always been very proud of about myself. I'm an incredibly hard worker, and whenI get the chance to sink my teeth into something, nothing will stop me. I'm now working for another brand which I'm so excited about, just one day with the company and I can feel the positive energy, it fills me with the energy to push the boundaries!
My head is swimming with ideas for blog posts, and I've been collecting so many new things and trying out lots of new products, plenty of reviews to come! I'm excited to embark on my new journey, and share my passion of beauty, (and various other topics), with you all!

Christian Louboutin Lipstick - Selfridges