Day to day contour without foundation

KSo everyone always asks what foundation I use, when infact I haven't touched foundation for over 2 months after this new beauty regimen! So I won't be using foundation in this post but you still can if you feel uncomfortable. 

First things first, your skin care regime is vitally important in keeping a youthful glow that you will be grateful for in the future!  Daily gentle cleansing and moisturising is vital in this process.   

Here are my favourite daily facial products I use to keep a clear flawless skin and they are very cost effective. 

I've used loads of different washes but the soap and glory one is by far the best! It smells great and leaves your skin feeling so fresh and smooth!! No BS!  

 The Nivea express hydration primer is literally gold, it's Muilti purpose so recommend it for both sexes. I use this every time I wash my face whether I'm doing makeup or not as it's a moisturiser and you need to put the oils back into your skin after washing, and it's a brilliant primer aswell. Very silky smooth. 

The products used first are a beauty blender which blends flawlessly and the illuminating touch concealer that I mentioned in a previous post! 

First up take your concealer under your eye area, down the bridge of your nose and middle of forehead. Blend this by using a blotting motion! Do not drag the concealer. 

Next you will need a TRANSLUCENT loose powder - NEVER use a coloured one as this will make you orange and cakey, you only need this to set the concealer and stop shine. 

The sleek contour kit is also awesome it's powder which I love so it doesn't clog up your pores and comes in 3 different shades but mine is medium as I have fairly darker skin than pasty.   

So set your face all over with the powder going in circular motions all over your face but focusing where the concealer is. 

Taking the contour colour in the kit, start just under your cheekbones and blend up towards the hair line. You can do this either side of the nose and jawline to but this is just a day to day look we want. 

This Bourjois bronzer has literally lasted me longer than any product I've ever bought I can't even remember when I bought it. And I LOVE IT!! The smell, the colour! 

The best pigmented blusher that lasts the whole day without fading is this MAC blusher in pink swoon. 

Take the bronzer and dust it around the forehead/hairline area, and back over where you had contour to, this makes such a big difference!! Don't skip!! 

With the blusher you only want to go from the apples of your cheeks and blend down into the contour. Don't go to high or you'll cover your highlighted area. 

 

So last but not least, the most important part. The highlighter. 

I used the highlighter in the sleek kit along with soft and gentle mineralize skin finish by MAC. 

With the highlighters you want it to go onto the highest parts of your face where the sun would hit, if that makes sense?  

So above cheekbones, cupids bow(upper lip), bridge of nose, outer sides of your brow.   

So that's my daily facial routine, and added together with the brow tutorial and a subtle eye makeup tutorial to be posted soon,  this is the difference: 

Eyebrow stencil review

Hello everyone and welcome back! 

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days but I'm back and with an awesome product review! 

So on the weekend i went to the Royal bath and west show in shepton mallet  - a great show for us West Country folk! 

And I came across this amazing product, I had purchased something similar a few years back that lasted for years but this is by far better! And what's great is they stock online for around £29. 

The product is Cresty semi-permanent eyebrow powder and stencils, which is brill for those who can't match they're brows.  This eyebrow make up is a high quality powder that is semi-permanent! – water resistant, sweat proof and smudge proof! (Big bonus points on the no smudge situation!) 

In the kit comes the powder (they have a massive range of colours to choose from)  3 stencils, brow brush and instruction leaflet. 

 

The 3 stencils are reusable and come in three sizes ; thin - normal - thick. 

And here's the steps you need to follow. 

• Choose the stencil according to the width and length of your brow, Thin, Natural or Thick.
• Place the stencil over your eyebrow and line the stencil up to the beginning and the middle of your brow (the inner and outer part of the stencil may be moved to match your brow shape).
• Firmly hold the stencil at the edges with your index and middle finger in a V shape over your eye.
• Lightly dab the powder on your brow for a light effect or brush the powder on, in both directions for a denser effect between the spaces of the stencil for an even coverage.
• Remove the stencil and with a cotton bud remove any excess from around the brow. You may also want to repeat this action to alter the length to your desired look.
• Once happy firmly press the make up with a cotton pad or piece of tissue to set the powder.
• Repeat onto the other eyebrow. For best results apply in the morning with your make up to clean, oil free skin.

Let me know how you get on if you do make a purchase! I would deffo recommend it completely fills in the brow area for a full and sleek look. 

D.I.Y psychedelic dry marble nails!

Being a nail technician I thought I had better hurry up and get some nail work up on here, So these believe it or not are  are FAR less messy than the water marbling method, which can be very fiddly. 

First things first, here's what you need: 

- 3 colours of your choice; I used prickly pear, sugar apple and bright pink all by Barry M. 

- A clear topcoat

- A cocktail stick or sharp pencil.

 

First apply your chosen base colour - I alternated the colours for each nail. 

When you apply this colour make sure it goes on thick enough to not need a second coat. 

DO NOT WAIT FOR THIS TO DRY BEFORE MOVING ONTO THE NEXT STEP!! - so I done the whole process nail by nail to stop this from happening! 

 

Take your other two colours and drop random blobs onto the nail -again don't wait for this to dry! 

Now using the cocktail stick or pencil. Gently swirl the blobs into a funky pattern of your choice - here's where you can go cray and make your nails into works of art! 

Then finally once a little dry, apply topcoat and wait to dry before moving onto your next hand. 

Iknow! Simple but pure genius :) 

Let me know what you think of this tutorial, did it work for you? Or anything else you wish to see.. Post your comments below... 

How to use tea bags to relieve tired, puffy eyes!

I am thrilled to share that I have finally come across an unbelievably affordable and natural “beauty product” that quickly and visibly reduces dark circles and diminishes puffiness: tea bags!

Yes, you read that correctly. Read on to learn how you can use tea bags to relieve tired, puffy eyes!

What you’ll need:

• Two tea bags (I find green and black tea bags containing caffeine to be the most effective)
• A mug of hot water
• A plate, container, or plastic sandwich bag

How to:

Step One

Take the two tea bags and steep them in hot water for 3-5 minutes.

Step Two

Take the tea bags out and put them in your container of choice (I used a plate). Leave them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or until cold. While the tea bags are cooling down, you can relax by drinking the mug of delicious tea you just made – yum!

Step Three

Take the tea bags out. Gently squeeze out any excess liquid until the bags are damp and not dripping wet.

Step Four

Lay down and put the tea bags over your eyes. Leave them on for 15-30 minutes. Remove and carefully rinse off any tea stains on your face.

You can use this tea bag eye treatment every single day, once a week, twice a week, once a month, or whatever you prefer! For optimal results though, it is best to use this treatment at least once a week.

How It Works:

You probably have noticed that many eye treatments contain caffeine. This is because caffeine can help shrink blood vessels around your eye, thusreducing puffiness and dark circles.

The tea bags used in this DIY eye treatment not only contain caffeine and beneficial antioxidants, but they also contain tannins. Tannins are responsible for the tea’s color and flavor; most importantly, tannins can also stimulate healthy blood circulation and help tighten and soothe skin.

 What Do You Think?

Do you like this super easy DIY? Are you going to try it out? Let me know in the comments below; I’d love to hear what you think!

Brow tutorial - step by step!

I've had soo many comments on how I do my eyebrows, if they are tattooed or what?! So I had to add my brows to the blog to help you out! 

So first up il talk about the products that I swear by.... 

Gosh brow marker in mahogany; this stuff is crazy at staying on it literally stains the skin and doesn't come off or smudge unless you wash it off. (Superdrug)

MUA Pro brow pallet;  hands down one of the best prow pallets I've used so far. Comes with 3 different colours which is great for blending and a gel to hold down those stubborn hairs. 

Collection illuminating touch concealer; no joke this is my makeup bag staple! I don't wear foundation so this is my best friend, unlike every other concealer I've used from high end to drugstore this is by far the best I've come across. It blends beautifully and doesn't crack or leave any lines under the eyes. And the applicator is pretty handy to! 

So let's begin..... 

1. Using the brow marker underline the brow underneath and in the far corner, as this is the problem areas for smudging. 

2. Using the angled brush use the darkest colour with the gel over the area marked with the marker. Blend out following the brow line with the lighter powders. 

3. With the concealer outline the brow but NOT in the middle of you brow area. Blend outwards using a small concealer brush. This gives the illusion of a perfectly defined beautiful brow. Suitable for long wear day and night. 

Self eyebrow threading step by step.

Good day to you all!!

One of my biggest requests is threading eyebrows, so I've come up with how to do a simple quick fix self thread which can also be used on other areas such as your upper lip. 

So first up you need some cotton thread, you can get this for 79p at places like wilkos!  

Then to prep take a brow brush and brush all hairs in one direction in way of growth to neaten before the thread, after this take a sharp pair of small scissors and trim the top of the brow for any sticking out hairs. Now we begin... 

  

1. Take the thread and cut off and tie a loop large enough that you can move freely! 

2. Twist the loop into a bow shape, twist around about 8 times. Keep your hands in the loop as pictured about as this is the technique needed to move the thread. 

3. Now pull the thread taught and align the thread in the direction of hair removal needed. Then swiftly open one hand in the thread, while closing the other which will move the thread along, removing any hairs in it's path. 

4. Remove any stubborn hairs with tweezers. And remember NEVER go over board with hair removal. If you find this hard, draw the shape you desire and thread around it.
Threading takes allot of trial and error- practise does indeed make perfect. 

Poetic justice

Before anyone panics from the title, just slow down.  I'm not about to get all sentimental and mother of the earth on you! 

Here's my hair progress so far:

I finally decided how I'm going to overcome the struggle of going from short to long without messing up my hair and I am soo excited!!  So I've opted (when 3inches long) I will be switching it up and going for box braids, poetic justice style! - for those who don't know what they are...

 

But... 

Obviously me being me I still gotta keep things funky and not 'ye old traditional', so il be keeping the sides and back shaved, I can't turn my back on the bald - me and my clippers are tight homies after 6 years of it! But to mix it up even more I've opted to go for a black to pastel pink transitional style of jumbo braid, I've never seen it done before so It's already calling my name!! I will post pictures in September when the deed is done, But here's the hair that arrived the other day-