Valentines Day Makeup Tutorial

So I'm not the biggest fan of Valentines day. To me, it seems like a commercial bid to sell more cards and chocolate. Why does there have to be one designated day to 'share the love'? The chocolate-boom, however, I do agree with. I also love any opportunity for a themed makeup tutorial. Of which this is. Whether it is on a special date with the person of your dreams or spent watching soppy movies and listing off all the hilarious reasons you are single with your bestfriends, your Valentine's day should be spent looking and feeling lovely.

 I won't go into face makeup for this tutorial, as I am not really great in that field and I know many people are particular about how they do it. So once your face is how you like it, start with 'all that glitters' Mac eyeshadow (or an equivalent) all over your lid and up to the outer corner of the eye. This is a really gorgeous peachy, gold colour which I think is perfect for the occasion.

Now with a fluffy eyeshadow brush, I applied both 'chopper' from the Naked 2 pallet and the pretty, amber, central colour in this rimmel quad to the crease of my eye. I also took 'Bootycall' from the Naked 2 pallet and blended it in to the inner corner of the eye, just to lighten up the look a bit.

To soften up the makeup whilst still giving it definition, I applied 'busted' (again from Naked 2 by urban decay) with a small angled, eyeliner brush, to my upper and half way along my lower lash lines. Curl the lashes, and apply a coat of your favourite mascara to top and bottom lashes.

For the lips, I think this pink 'baby lips' balm by Maybelline is perfect. It is light on and creates a natural, flushed look to the lips.

Et voilà! The final look. I hope you liked it. Let me know if makeup tutorials are something you would like to see more of :).

xo

Looking after curly hair

'You're so lucky', 'I love your hair' 'omg is that it natural?'. Really? It just feels like a sheep on my head to me. It's a pain to look after, constantly gets tangled and the second it comes into contact with humidity... BOOM! You have an afro. But we're stuck with it, and may as well make the most of it. So to all you curly haired ladies (and men?) out there, you are most certainly not alone. I have scoured boots the country for products that not only tame, but make the most of natural curls. I have also picked up a few handy tips to, and plan on revealing my secrets to you.

                                                     Leave-in Conditioner

It goes without saying that a wash-out conditioner is an essential for those with curly, or even just dry hair. But leave-in conditioners are often over looked. I find that nothing keeps my hair soft and keeps my curls relaxed like they do. Specifically 'it's a 10'. This product took the beauty world by a storm last year and when I was in the states this year I had to pick it up. Never have I looked back. I think they now stock these in some chemists here, but if not then they are surely available online.

Curl Cream

Whenever I go to the hairdressers, they always straighten my hair. Nice as it is, it would also be nice to see how a professional dealt with my curly mop. On the odd occasion that one did, he put me on to this product. Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream is an intense moisturiser for you curls. It hydrates them within an inch of there life leaving your curls bouncy and shiny. This product means I can wear my hair natural a lot of the time. Thumbs up.

Hair Oil

This is a good must have for all hair types. Hair oil, keeps hair looking shiny and prevents dreaded fluffiness. I like it in curly hair as it adds shine to the curls making them stand out. I also find that my hair is quite dry, so oil keeps it looking healthy too. Definitely avoid this if you are prone to greasy hair though, it will only accentuate natural oils.

Tips

1. Don't brush! Use your fingers to comb through your hair instead. Brushing + curls = FRIZZ.

2. Use an old t-shirt to dry your hair rather than a towel. Using a towel will damage hair ends.

3. Stop straightening. Be proud of your natural curls. Straighteners only make your hair naturally more curly and frizzy anyway.

xo

A Festive Makeup Tutorial

So I realise that posting about Christmas on the first of December is a bit eager, but i can't help myself. The excitement is just too much. During the festive period, I love experimenting more with my makeup. It's a great excuse to go crazy with glitter and Christmassy colours:) I thought that posting a Christmas makeup tutorial early on, may be a good idea as it isn't just on the 25th of December people like to dress up. Christmas parties come in abundance, and it is nice to have a go to makeup look. All the products I use in this tutorial are inter-changeable with similar ones.

Start by applying whatever face makeup you use daily and prime your eyelids with either a primer potion or a foundation. I am now using a light gold colour from a Clinique palate to start with an even base.

Now with the same brush, I applied 'Ego' by Mac on the outer-third of my eyelid all the way up to the crease. It is a gorgeous green shade and look great on all eye colours.

 With a fluffy eyeshadow brush, I used a gorgeous deep green pigment by Mac in a wind-screen wiper motion across my crease. This adds depth to the eye and helps give the look a 'smokey' effect. Then apply some of your favourite kohl eyeliner to the upper lashline. Don't worry if it is a rough line as you should smudge it out towards the end of your eye.

Using the same fluffy brush, take a shimmery silver colour (I'm using Bourjois eyeshadow in '25 Argent'), and use it to blend out the harsh line near the crease and also as a highlight for the corner of your eye. Curl your lashes before applying your favourite mascara. Mine of the moment is Max Factors False Lash Effect.

For the lips, I like to use a burgundy Yves Rocher lipstick and buff it into my lips to create a stain. On top of that I apply a Butter London Lipgloss from the Christmas collection called West End Wonderland. This Lipgloss collection is easily my favourite.

The finished look! Thankyou for reading. I hope you all have a lovely time at any festive events you and your makeup go to.

xo

Skincare products I love

I should probably start off first by saying that nobody has completely perfect skin. Unless you are Beyonce` or Taylor Swift, it won't happen. But there are a lot of things you can do to greatly improve the skin you have. I should also warn you that I am in no way a skin expert and the products that I love and that work for my skin may not be good for yours. It just depends on the 'type' of skin you have. I have mainly dry combination skin, prone to redness, so if that sounds like yours then these products will be sure to help out (unless you have allergies, research the ingredients if you have bad allergies). If you have oily or spot prone skin then some of these products will work on you too. It's just about testing and trying to find out what works for you.

 Elizabeth Arden- Eight Hour Cream                                                    Dermalogica- Daily Microfoliant

                                 

Leave on skin overnight and wake up with radiant, new skin.                                       Removes dry skin, leaves skin soft.

 

Lush- Sacred Truth Facemask                                                                  Dr Renaud- Rasberry Soft Cream

                                                                                                                                     
A great facemask for those prone to redness.                                            The richest cream I have ever tried. Apply generously

 

Clinque- Instant Facial Masque                                                              Primae Skincare-  Smoothie Serum

Good for all skin types. Leaves skin looking fresh.                                               Very soothing on skin. Hydrates and brightens         


 xo  

Favourite Fragrances

Perfume (of if your being fancy 'fragrances') has never been a huge obsession of mine. Unlike nail polish, for example, I have over 90 single bottles and counting. Whenever I buy or am given a perfume, I tend to use it up fairly quickly. And if I'm buying it, rest assured months of research and testing have gone in to make sure it's really something I'd wear. So all these perfumes are very me. 

I tend to favor sweeter (more childish?) scents. I'd love to be able to tell you that 'rose' and 'white saffron' were the fragrances I love but I'm sorry, I'm just not that sophisticated. Anything smelling of berries or candy has me at hello. And the bottles too. They have to be fun and girly. So before you read on be warned, this is not a serious scent review of the most 'current' and 'fresh' perfumes currently on the market. It is simply the favorite perfumes list of a girl with the perfume preferences of a four year old.

Beyonce - Heat                                               Jo Malone - White Jasmine and Mint                     The Body Shop - Moroccan Rose

Pink - Sweet & Flirty                                        The Body Shop - Love Etc...                                Taylor Swift - Wonderstruck

xo

How to Wear Ribbons in your Hair

I have seriously been loving ribbons lately. The type you would tie in your hair, not the kind you would twirl around on the end of a stick. I am not a fairy. They just add a girly, fun twist to any outfit and make me smile every time. Everyone has them lying around the house someone. Mine are courtesy of Glossybox (If you are not aware of this small work of genius, then here is a link to a post I did praising them earlier on this year), so its safe to say I have a pretty steady train of them coming in each month. I have come up with a few pretty hairstyles involving said ribbons over the past months and thought it would be nice to share them with you (I would like to point out that i am wearing no makeup in these photographs, so the ones where you can see my faces look like mug shots. I do apologies).
                               
                                                                    
1.
         























This one is fairly straight forward. Simply pull your hair back into a ponytail and secure it with a regular hair tie. Now wrap the ribbon around the hair tie so it is no longer visible, and tie it in a bow. it helps if you loop the ribbon through the tie first so it stays better. Now finish by spraying the ribbon with hairspray to keep it in place for the day.


2.

For this one, start by just scraping your hair back into a messy type bun, or really just whatever sort of bun you like. Now tie the ribbon around your head, securing it with a little bow just below your bun. Tease your hair a bit before spraying some more hairspray.


3.

Again this one is rather simple. Just tie back your front section of hair, following a line from the tops of your ears to the back, center of your head. Secure this with a hair tie and follow the same steps to keep the ribbon in place as you did in the first tutorial. I like to tease the shorter front sections of hair I have out a little bit so the over all look isn't too precise.


4.

I think this look is probably my favourite. Start by parting your hair either down the center or the side. Now sweep your hair to one side and split it into three even parts. Tie a ribbon to the top of one of the parts and start braiding, making sure the ribbon is visible throughout . Once the braid is done, wrap the leftover ribbon around the bottom of your hair and tie it in a knot. Spray with hairspray, tease, just play around with it a bit :)


xo

(5) Lips For Summer

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I love experimenting with Lip colours during Summer. This year bright and bold stole the lip scene during the S/S '13 catwalks. And while it looks great, it isn't wearable on a day to day basis for most. However these 5 treasures, I have found to be (on a particular brave day) completely fun and wearable. Some are more natural than the others, I think still look gorgeous. Anyway, without further ado, I give you my (5) Lips For Summer (oh and excuse the pun in the title, for those of you movie geeks who got it).

1. Sleek Pout Paint - 'Pinkini'                                                                                      2. Sleek Pout Paint - 'Lava'

3. Benefit - 'Benetint'                                                                                            4. Maybelline Baby Lips - 'Strike A Rose'

 

                               

                                            

5. Barry M Lip Paint - 'Light Pink'

xo

My top 10 Summer Nail Polishes

If I had to be diagnosed with a clinical addiction, it would be nail polish. I am obsessed, to say the least. If you ever see me without nail polish on, then you know something is wrong, very wrong. I cannot walk past Boots without 'just popping in for a look' and coming back out with an armful of the latest colours and brands. It's bad how much money and time I spend on my nails. But it doesn't stop me.
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For Summer, I definitely gravitate towards brighter, lighter colours, that will forge the appearance of my non-existent tan. Pastels are definitely a staple, as are florescents. I have been braving whites lately too, something I've seen a lot of people pulling off. Summer is a fantastic time to experiment with wacky nail ideas. So get your Boots card at the ready, here are my Summer Nail Polish Picks.

          Mac- 'Mischievous Mint'                        Essie- 'Cute as a Button'                                  Barry M- 'Berry'

Topshop- 'Hyperreal'                                O.P.I- 'Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection'                           Leighton Denny-  Holo Skye'

           Essie- 'Fiji'                                             Barry M- 'Brit Red'                                      Beauty Style- 'Glasgow Grape'

                                                                                Nails inc.- 'Portobello'