Black Beauty Reviews and Life Style Stuff

Sunday 24 January 2016

Hi again!

So the other day this product popped up on Beauty Bay and I had one of those no brain filter moments and I ordered it instantly. I currently use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip brow pomade in ebony. But I'm lazy and anything that looks like it will cut down time spent getting ready - I am here for. With the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip brow, I have find a spooly to brush my brows, then pick an angled brush for the gel brow and the spot clean the brush. And if you get that dip dip brow on something, the stains are killer. Anyway this Brow Definer is very similar to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz however it doesn't have a pencil-like head. I purchased the Brow Definer for £16.00.


So as you can see there is a spoolie on one end and a the retractable brow-stick? on the other end. I don't quite know what the logic is behind the shape of the stick. Its like a strange triangle and a bit confusing. But besides that the packaging and the overall design of the product is lovely. 


So here is what it looks like on. I apologise for the quality of the photo,  you know those days where you just can't get the right lighting for your selfie game. Anyway - as you can see it looks ok, its not that harsh looking and It wasn't as hard to apply at all. However, if you have thin eyebrows I wouldn't recommend this, I'd probably would recommend the brow wiz because its harder with the brow definer to be more precise. If you have quite thick brows or don't have a huge amount of time in the morning this is a good product because you don't have to press to hard or spend to long to get the job done! I'm really impressed with product and I'm looking forward to putting it to daily use!
Currently listening to: Style - (THIRDSTORY Cover) 

Take care 

Susuana xx
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Saturday 23 January 2016

I've been through my fair share of face primers since I discovered they where a thing. From Maybelline baby skin (please never buy this waste of money product) to Smashbox photo finish primer (not something I wear every day and it's expensive). Also I've discovered the importance of working out what you want from a primer and also matching it to your skin type. For me it's important that my primer enables my liquid foundation to go on smoothly and does not dry out my skin. If it creates a super pore-less base that's great but I'm conscious of stuff that potentially blocks my pores. When I'm not wearing any make up but maybe going to the gym or running some errands I might just wear a primer on it's own to prevent my t-zone getting oily and keep my skin looking so fresh and so clean :) 
This has to be my favourite primer. With only a small amount it makes my skin feel like it's had a drink and goes along way. It feels like moisturiser in terms of texture and you only need a couple of small squirts from the tube. I usually add it to my most problem areas which is my t-zone and my cheeks and then I don't have to worry about them for the rest of the day. The only not cool thing is that it is it's quite pricey for a small tube. However, it is a high quality product that can last a long time. Makeup forever also does a huge range of primers for different needs so go check it out. 

This is my most recent purchase. I had been looking for smoking similar to the makeup forever product but cheaper. This product has a more gel like texture and it is super hydrating and leaves my skin feeling baby soft and ready for the world. This is my current go to primer and I find that I apply it like a moisturiser all over my face because a little goes a super long way. I think the price is amazing and it's also something you should be able to find in your local drugstore in the UK. Also it comes in a (normal skin) version.

This is an affordable everyday wear primer for those on the go. It's something that I'd wear to the gym or pop in my travel bag because it works ok but isn't my favourite primer. It also smells a bit strange when you first apply it which is what I think puts me off personally. (I'm just really funny about those things). It also has vitamin A, C, E which is great. I would recommend as a product for anyone with dry to normal skin but not for oil skin because of the consistency of the product. For some reason I can't seem to find this primer on the UK e.l.f site but it is available on amazon and eBay.

Take care 

Susuana xx 


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Tuesday 19 January 2016


So when I fist started wearing foundations as an adult I went to the higher brands because they had the shades for darker skinned people. Most brands leave me looking red. I don't really have red undertones (I'm more of a warm gold) so looking red just annoys me off because it makes my face look like I've got a rash or something. 
This experience isn't uncommon if you have dark skin. Normal stores just do not stock for our skin type and we end up wearing stuff that wither makes up look really ashy or like we've got sun burn.Anyway I started off with MAC match master in 9. Realised it was too dark then go the 8.5 and realised it made me look read when it oxidised. Then I got number 8 and it was just right. (Goldilocks life). 




However since then I've also realised that MAC isn't the most ethical of brands for multiple reasons and I don't really to be paying over £20 for one foundation even if it lasts me a year. I also noticed that I go dry patches that showed up through the foundation and whilst that's mostly to do with my skin type - which is dry. I think that mattifying liquid foundations is something I need to leave for hitting the clubs. The make up artist in the MAC store said just wear a primer. I'm not sure this was the best advice tbh, I think the look and my skin would have been improved if I had moisturised my skin better or just not used such a drying product but anyway. Disclaimer: All of these swatched look identical fyi / I have dry/normal skin / This is what I look like with natural looking foundation). With all that said and done - Here are my top 4 tried and tested drugstore foundations!!! 

This is my go to foundation for everyday wear, it's medium coverage but buildable and not overly drying at all. It's top quality is how it leaves your skin feeling hydrated and is light weight. It blends well to match my skin colour and ticks all the boxes for what a good foundation should be like. I do think that this is the darkest shade available that I've seen though, 

This is usually the darkest version that boots/superdrug has in stock. I do like this foundation and it works well it's just not that wow for me personally. But it is affordable and does the job and offers a look that's not exactly matte but not cakey or dry looking. I think this might be the original FIT me formula. I know when I see people use it online they different looking bottles but the ones in UK shops are plain looking so who knows? 

Ok the body shop isn't quite a drug store but this is still quite affordable. I was really excited about this foundation when I first got it because I thought I was a great dupe for my mac match master liquid foundation. However, after a few wears I realised that even though the colour is identical, the body shop foundation is very dewy, it's supposed to be semi dewy but even on my dry skin I'm on that thin line between dewy and oily looking when I wear this. It does give me a natural fresh skin look though and us highly moisturising. This is the second to last darkest colour in their range.

4. L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation (8.N Cappuccino) - £9.99
This foundation has really good coverage. The only bad bits is that it is very watery and has a bit of an orange tint when you first put it on. My friends did confirm that I didn't look orange and my foundation looked fine when I got outside. I think that I would wear this more in the summer though, because it's more of a warmer toned foundation and I tend to go for cool tones only in colder months. I've also seen this come in different packaging, I'm pretty sure they are all the same product though? This is the darkest shade I've seen in the shops. 

So there you go, decent foundation that won't break the bank.

Take care 

Susuana Amoah
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Friday 15 January 2016

Good Morning beauties,
I just wanted to share a new addition to my vanity desk that some of you may like too! So the back story is that I got sick of digging through my large make up travel case pull-out shelves to find what I wanted to wear so I asked my makeup pals how they stored their make up. Acrylic draws seemed to be the number one shout. They are cute and stylish and you can see what you need. Filling mines up I was able to see what I actually have. I am guilty of buying multiple things because I just couldn't find the one that had before. I know you can get these draws (well the bottom half anyway) from MUJI and i do love MUJI but I got my set off eBay for £14.99 :) 



Take Care

Susuana xx
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Thursday 14 January 2016


So I randomly picked up this lip product in a boots in Scotland when I was over for New Years. It's the Maybelline super stay lip colour. I was looking for a browny pink colour and it looked ok and lasted long - but I need to find the right lipliner. So when I got back to London I saw this lip-colour (the don't call it a lip gloss) in this colour (575 Always Crimson) and I've been looking for a brown that would make me look like I stepped out of a 80s Rnb video. And surprisingly this did the trick. The formula dries (very quickly) matte, you need about 2 layers. Then when it dries you put the lip balm on and there go all day lips tick. You can even eat and drink, it won't transfer at all. You just have to make sure your lips are well exfoliated before you put it on. 





Also, this product stains to be careful! Use a baby wipe/ something oil based to remove. However, I don't know who need a lip product to stay on for 24 hours tbh. 

Take care


Susuana xx 
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Tuesday 12 January 2016


So for the past couple of months I've been trying to identify a skin care routine. Mainly because of over work, stress and mental heath reasons I've seem to had let my skin go and not been taking care of it at all. You know those "I'll take my make up off in the morning" levels of neglect. So anyway - now I make sure that I have a daily routine that makes my dry and sensitive skin, 
moisturised and clean. I'm also working towards getting rid of dark circles and hyper pigmentation. Below is my everyday skin care routine if I was was wearing make up.                             



Morning 
  • Dodu-osun black soap - an all natural soap bar from my homeland that helps tackle dark marks 
  • Sonic face cleaner - The sonic face cleaner thing is really useful. I know some you tubers advertise really expensive ones but I got mine for under £10 from eBay. It has 4 attachments and it works fine. 
  • Body Shop Vitamin e Hydrating toner - This gets of any left over dirt, restores PH levels and gives me vitamin e wooooo
  • Trilogy Rose hip oil - I have super dry skin so this does wonders and helps with dark marks :) 

Evening 
  • Baby wipe wipe - I get the ones that are for sensitive skin and fragrance free, i try to get most of my make up with this, before the deep clean 
  • The body shop camomile cleansing oil - this is THE shit, and leaves my face feeling great
  • Dodu-osun black soap 
  • Sonic face cleaner
  • The body shop Vitamin e toner
  • Rose hip oil 



So that's me! If you have any hood drugstore eye creams let me know because I am the hunt for one! 

Take care 

Susuana xx 
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Sunday 10 January 2016

Hi World, 

So the other day I tried out a couple of items from my Sleek Christmas Haul. I have quite dark and large lips so Iip colours often look different on me and I need to take a bit of time getting the exact look I want. So I wanted to try out a Vamp look since I haven't had a go with that look since I lost my MAC night moth lipliner at a party. >:( . And I then remembered what I didn't like about sleek lip products. 

Problem: For some reason Sleek lipstick doesn't give me full coverage on the inner part of my lip so I had to do some mixing. (I now see why lip brushes exist and why I should probably invest in one.)

Solution: I wore MAC Diva lipstick as a base. Diva is pretty dark lipstick that I have sort of stopped wearing on it's own so I was pretty happy to put it to some use. Then I put the Sleek Mulberry lipstick over it which made ipt a browny plummy sort of colour. 

Not going to lie, although it looks pretty hot goth glam I probably couldn't eat or drink at all with this on and you can actually feel the product on your lips which is kind of unconfortable. Below is the final look in the most realistic light I could manage. 




What are your experiences with Sleek lipsticks? Let me know in the comments. And also let me know if you want me to try out any other looks and I'll see what I have in my collection.

Take Care

Susuana xx
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Hello from the other siddeeeee - of the screen. 

Welcome to my new blog! My name is Susuana, Im a 23 year old from London with a black and white young cat called Cosmo. I had a blog a few years ago but I got side tracked, now I'm back with this one! This blog is going to be about lifestyle, black bueaty, travel and arty things. I'm going to be doing some reviews on stuff and sharing bits of my life through out the year. 




New Years resolutions 

I don't usually do New Years resolutions but I feel like it's good to grab any opportunity to motivate yourself to be better. So I've set out 8 New Years resolutions My overall aim is to be the best version of myself and take all the oppertunities i can to make my life feel worth while make the world a more liberated place.

1. Get onto the masters degree course I want 
2. Move to Brighton 
3. Make time to read books and write blogs/articles/letters more
4. Treat my body better - this includes health care, skin & hair care, fitness, sleeping and eating habits  
5. Make sure the person that takes over from my job when I leave is the best woman ever.
6. To stay alive - avoid self-destructive thoughts and do something self-loving every time I feel like crap
7. Spend time on my real friends and family rather than people who make sad.
8. Go to two counties I've never been before.

Songs I'm currently jamming to


Take care 

Susuana xx 



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