MAKING UP

After my Nails Inc disaster I was reluctant to try another nail varnish because I thought I was just going to get even more pissed off. But I had seen a couple of good reviews about this particular nail polish, so I thought I’d give it a try and oh my god….

Amazing. Just amazing. Everything I could ask for in a nail polish, it passes all my tests. It’s called Make Up Academy (MUA) and it’s from Superdrug.

  1)      After two coats it is completely opaque

2)      It dries super fast

3)      It dries without getting those annoying imprints on the top of the              nail

4)      And most importantly, it passes the 2-3 day chip.

  I applied this nail polish on Thursday afternoon, and by Sunday I still have absolutely no chips.

But if that wasn’t enough, let me just let you know how much this amazing nail polish cost… £1!! Yes… ONE POUND.

  I’m really surprised as to how long this lasted and how professional looking it stayed for days so I would 100% recommend this! It was so hard to photograph the nails and get the true colour. Although the colour is called.. I see it as a baby pink with a lilac undertone, but definitely more pink than lilac despite what these photos look like.

First of all I would just like to apologise deeply about the bad pun in the title ..... *tumbleweed* I thought of it and couldn't resist putting it as the title, even though I'm sure most people didn't get it or mainly, didn't find it funny at all......... haha.. anyway...

It always angers me when I buy an expensive product that has had rave reviews and it turns out to be shit.. It happened with a MAC brush I bought a couple of years ago, (yes I'm still annoyed 2 years on...) Aussie shampoo and conditioner and now a Nail Inc nail polish.

I should have learnt my lesson the first time really – I bought a Nails Inc polish a few years back and wasn’t impressed about how long it stayed on for but I thought I’d give it a second go.  I’ve had this nail polish for quite a while now, I just haven’t properly used it, it’s called Saville Row and it’s a lovely deep purple colour with an underlining red tone. So I guess an easier way of saying that would be a 'plum shade'...

I put it on and the immediately I didn’t like it the way it went. The coverage is really uneven and if you get a fraction of more product on one section of your nail, you can really tell, as it does not spread easily at all. However… I put another layer on and it appeared to even out, so I got over that one quickly.

Buuut! After a double application AND a top coat, after just one day it had chipped! ONE DAY! I have a limit of a minimum two – three days (depending on how expensive the product is) before I think it is acceptable for a nail polish to chip. However again… I just painted over it and let it slide, hoping that I had just badly caught or hit my nail on something.

(after 2 days it looks like i've been wearing it for 7) also as you can see, the surface is very scratchy.. even though I did not go out/ do anything drastic for at least three hours after I painted it. I expect a smooth, glossy finish for the price.

I feel like I was really generous with this nail polish, but it just tipped me over the edge when I looked down and saw two nails on my other hand seriously chipped at the top. For a nail polish, which average price is £11, I think it is really disappointing… I know that I’ll be sticking with Essie nail polish, which very rarely lets me down.

It just shows that paying more for a product doesn't always mean you are getting higher quality..

Have you ever been really disappointed by a product you paid a lot of money for!? Share it so we can all be warned!

photo credits: (1) http://blog-mademoisellec.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Nails-inc-savile-row13.jpg

When it comes to hair, I’m not the best person! As far as it goes in terms of experimenting, it’s either really between up….. or down… I never really do anything different other than a low or high ponytail, a bun, or just down and straight. I rarely curl and I have never dyed it!!

But one thing I’m dying to try because I just think it’s so adorable is the Minnie Mouse style of hair.

It may seem like such a leap between simple.. or some will probably call it boring hair, to this style but since moving to London I have seen it on quite a number of girls and I love it!

It’s also fairly easy to do too..

1)      Part just part your hair in the middle and separate it all the way                down

2)      Put each side in a high pony tail

3)      Backcomb slightly to make the buns big and bouncy

4)      Put the two ponytails into buns and secure with hair grips or a hair          band

Katy Perry most recently wore this look to the iHeartRadio festival… The Daily Mail called it ‘bizarre’ but the minute I start listening to what that newspaper prints will be a sad day.

  Here is also a picture of one of my new favourite bloggers who goes by the name of Lulutrixabelle. She completely pulls off this look, making it look, in my opinion effortlessly stylish..

  I hope you are more daring with your hair than I am with mine, definitely give this look a try too!

photo credits: picture 1: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2427836/Katy-Perry-pays-homage-iconic-Disney-character-bizarre-hairstyle-star-studded-iHeartRadio-music-festival.html

The Kardashian/Jenner family… Now, you either love them or you hate them. And I’m not ashamed to say, I love them. (That probably excludes their clothing range which I can't even talk about.......) My favourite is, and has always been, the star Kim. I just find her so funny and intriguing to watch.. which I know a lot of people won’t agree with.

  Buuuuuut.. this post is not about the 'star' of the family Kim, it is in fact about my new emerging favourite, Kylie! After watching the most recent KUWTK episode, it shows Kim talking about how cool she thinks Kylie is and it dawned on me…….. she is actually really cool. Her blog, http://kalifornia-klasss.tumblr.com/ is filled with iconic images and as Kim said, it really is an insight ‘into her soul.’

  As this is a beauty blog.. Obviously I am going to talk about Kylie’s make-up ways as well as her style, and the thing I am most drawn to about Kylie is the way she emphasises, or at least does not try to cover up, how pale she is.. And being surrounded by olive skinned Armenian sisters, I applaud her for not being sucked into the tanning world (*applause*)

  I think her skin colour in this picture is more of a statement than her outfit. Her porcelain, flawless legs really caught my eye and if anything, I think it only adds to the outfit.. It’s sad how a girl may feel self-conscious or embarrassed if they wore a short skirt without tanning.

  The second thing I’ve noticed about Kylie is always her flawless eye-makeup, and the way that she has developed, even by the age of 16 a classic look that really suits her. This look is a slightly brown smoky eye with heavy eyeliner. In this pic you can see really clearly her statement eyeliner:

I’m more than slightly obsessed with eyebrows, it’s the first thing I look at when I meet someone and I’m not ashamed to say that I do judge people on their brows…… I can’t help it…… if you have tadpole shaped eyebrows (see pic) I’m not sure we can be friends.

  I think my obsession began when the eyebrow pencil became popular, and filling in your eyebrows became an everyday thing; part of your routine. I noticed how much of a difference a good set of eyebrows can make to your face.

  My favourite type of brows are defined and strong – I like to have them as a feature rather than something which you can barely see. OBVS this has been taken too far and walking round with heavy slugs on your face is not the most attractive look.. but when done well I think they’re really striking and can change the whole shape of your face.

Here are some pictures of the eyebrows I like, but you should see a beautician or someone who knows a lot about eyebrows and can shape it for you properly to suit your face shape.

These are by beauty blogger… who also gives a detailed eyebrow tutorial which you can find here: http://whatsknottolove.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/eyebrows-tutorial.html

  (via http://mydecember-as.tumblr.com/post/57259290317)

I use Rimmell’s Brow Pencil in Hazel everyday but really interested in trying out powder..

As part of being a make-up fanatic, I don’t just like playing with beauty products and writing about them, but I also love reading about them, and I can honestly say I could spend hours trawling through beauty blogs, youtube make-up tutorials and reviews. So, I thought I should show off some of my favourite bloggers that I look up too and hopefully show you some people that you may not have come across before.

  I watch a lot of youtube videos, and there are tons of great people but the ones I always go back too are: LaurenBeautyy, http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXbQzhqSvgVZTUyi1T4AU3w

   ChloeMorello, http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLFW3EKD2My9swWH4eTLaYw

  PixiWoo, http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEPwaev8_zrpafISAPhruA

  BeautyCrush, http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCooQN8b9yPeNQgUFa9S5xew

  Tanya Burr, http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrIIH7yHQugaUuoTZDoEUuQ

  These are all pretty classic and very popular youtube vloggers, that I’m quite sure you’ve already probably watched. But if you haven’t, definitely check them out and subscribe, they’re all down to earth girls that are easy to relate too and watch.

  In terms of writers, my favourite bloggers are,

  Zoella, http://www.zoella.co.uk/

  Georgia, http://whatsknottolove.blogspot.co.uk/

  Linda Hallberg, http://stureplan.se/bloggar/linda

Despite a lot of Linda’s blog being in a different language, her images and make-up creations are captivating, I wish she did a youtube vlog so I could watch her do her makeup.

I often just scroll through Linda’s instagram which is: lindahallbergs

  I really want to make showcasing other beauty lovers work a habit as I get so much inspiration from their work and it’s only right to give them credit..

I got told by a benefit representative earlier this week that they’ve discontinued ‘10’ (the bronzing and highlighting face powder duo)

This is one of the best, if not, the best, highlighting and contouring powders I’ve ever used and I know so many others agree, so I have no idea why they have taken such drastic action to ruin my life.

Is there some sort of political campaign for this issue to be raised in the House of Commons??? Because there should be. Dave Cam needs to be notified asap if he hasn’t been already.

  Although I have found a cheaper alternative, (blog post on that soon), I’ve always gone back to this product, which actually shows a lot because I rarely consistently use expensive products as I’ve always found such good dupes, and mainly because I’m tight (haha)

It can’t be just me that feels like winter has gone on for too long. I am not one of those people who hate winter as soon as it begins, but even I'm beginning to get fed up of the harsh icy wind hitting my face every morning.. And it's also beginning to have an effect on my hands! I wouldn't say I am prone to dry hands, however recently it was so cold and my skin was so dry that they began to crack and bleed. Instead of suffering through, I invested in some hand cream..

It’s a product from the french brand L’occitane and it is called ‘Crème Mains Peaux Seches / Dry skin Hand Cream’ and has a blue circle as the logo. I have always resisted using hand cream as I always felt my hands were greasy afterwards and that I had to go and wash and dry them, which probably defeated the purpose, right? Yet with this – I feel it dries quickly, and does not make your hands feel greasy or oily for too long afterwards like others I have tried.

After using it, it definitely had an immediate relief as my skin didn't hurt when I clenched my hand and it did heal afterwards, however if I'm being honest (which I always am) – I’m not sure whether the healing was solely down to the hand cream, I would rather say that it cleared up on its own.  In the future, I would definitely use this product again for immediate relief, however I doubt I will be using it consistently every day as I didn’t find the smell all to pleasant either.. You can however get variations of smells, and ‘flavours’ so maybe I just picked the wrong one! 

  I hope the winter season is over soon and spring emerges quickly though as I am tired of this cold weather and cracking hands!!

Tired of suffering through your new year diets and other resolutions? Or simply don’t have a resolution yet? I have a new years resolution for you here that does not take much effort at all but will improve your make up application dramatically… CLEANING YOUR BRUSHES ON A REGULAR BASIS!

Admit it.. It’s something we’re all guilty of, pushing aside our foundation and powder brushes and using the same one for weeks or even months on end, without it seeing even a drop of soap and water! I am guilty of it too, but when I do wash my brushes I definitely see a difference to the way my makeup lays. But, it is not just appearance wise. The more you use your unclean brushes you are bound to spread unwanted bacteria from blemishes and spots you had weeks ago, and most probably cause even more of them. This is why it is crucial to do it at least once a week and I have found a routine that you can begin this new year.. 

1)Buy a special product that is for cleaning make-up brushes, although you may seem like it is an unwanted expense, it kills off all bacteria lurking on your brushes that may cause an out break on your face.  I use the MAC makeup brush cleanser which claims to ‘clean, disinfect and condition the brush fibres’ (http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/135/307/Brush-Cleanser/index.tmpl) by doing this, your brush will definitely last longer and it will maintain the quality of your brush too. 

These are my two bottles, a small amount in one and a new one I got for christmas! Only the best. Pretty, simple packaging with a pink formula/ liquid inside, which suits my room perfectly.

2)Simply get one brush over the sink and pour a little bit of it directly onto the brush. Now using the base of your hand and tips of your fingers, wriggle the bristles around until you see the residue running away. Repeat this step for as long as you think it needs to be done (until the residue is relatively clear.)

  3)Don’t worry if the residue is not completely clear, this is where our secret tip comes in. I always use some shampoo to finish it off, I feel it leaves the bristles fresher and just takes away any extra make up dirt trapped in the root of the brush.

4)Thoroughly rinse your brush of all product, and leave out to dry naturally. It should be clean and dry, ready for use the next morning!

Happy New Year!