Leopard Print Nails

Hello! I have created a really really quick and easy tutorial on how to get leopard print nails.

This took me about 10mins to do (including drying time) 

Enjoy!

Would love to know if any of you try this out!

Lots of love

The Pros of Hiring a Pro!

All you beautiful brides to be, this one is for you!

You have spent so time planning every last detail of your big day, not to mention the money spent on your dress, shoes, jewellery, venue. So why wouldn't you invest a little in to what is going to be in every photograph to remind you of your big day.. Your face? 

So, why is hiring a Makeup Artist on your wedding day so important?

You, the bride are the focus for the entire day,  you will never be photographed as you are this day for the rest of your life. These photographs which you will look back on forever.
A professional makeup artist can create a beautiful look, tailored to you, that will last you through the whole day and well in to the evening.

Most women know how to apply their makeup very well. Which is great for everyday life.
But your wedding day is not just another day at work or a night out with your friends, it's the biggest day of your life, and you want to look more radiant and beautiful than you ever have before. 

It is important to remember that a makeup artist will have many more up to date products and colours to work with than an average person. These products will be specifically chosen for you, taking in to consideration what suits you, what will work best with your skin type and tone, and importantly which products will work best with photography so you will look just as beautiful in your photos as you do in real life!

You will no doubt have lots on your mind on the day, and hiring a makeup artist will allow you to just sit back, relax, drink champagne and enjoy being pampered.

So once you have decided that it may be a good idea to hire a professional to take care of your makeup on the day, the next step is deciding who to trust with such a big job on the day.

Here are a few things to consider when choosing a makeup artist for your wedding day;
It's always good to try and find a makeup artist through a recommendation. Ask married friends, photographers, hairdressers if they could recommend anyone to you.
Once you have found 2 or 3 with a promising portfolio, contact them and check their fee and availability.
You must always book a makeup trial. If your makeup artist is willing to do your wedding day makeup with out one, then this should sound some alarm bells.
A trial is recommended for a number of reasons; you can get to know the artist who will be part of the most important day of your life, discuss your requirements, try out different looks and colours with the advice from a professional. You can then breathe a sigh of relief knowing you're in safe hands.
Be sure to express exactly what you want on the day, don't be shy. It is all about you after all!

Here are some key points to bear in mind;

•  A makeup artist has the skills and products to create a flawless makeup that will last you all day.
• They understand how flash photography affects the appearance of makeup and will therefore be able to select the appropriate products.
• Will save you time and money in the long run not having to find and buy your own cosmetics for the day. 
•  You will gain peace of mind that you are in safe hands, if you are someone who lacks confidence in your appearance they will put you at ease that you will look exactly how you would like to on your wedding day.

Another option to consider is booking in for a makeup lesson. This will help you gain confidence in applying your makeup and you will learn lots of tips and tricks for the big day. They can guide you through which products to purchase, how to use them and why they are perfect for you on your wedding day. This is ideal for and brides getting married abroad, you can get great results with the help of a professional!

I hope I have managed to convince some of you the importance of hiring a professional. 

Happy wedding planning! 

Summer Makeup Bag

As much as I love the summer, one thing I do not love is the big sweaty mess that my face becomes after a few hours at work or in the heat. That's a hell of a lot of time wasted in  the morning doing my makeup for it to all have dripped off a couple of hours later! A lot of people would suggest just not wearing makeup, but for cosmetic lovers like you & me, why should we have to sacrifice wearing makeup just because its hot? So I have discovered a few solutions and miracle products to keep us looking fresh and made up all day long, whatever the weather.  So here goes...

Face

Always use a primer! There are some great primers out there. Try and use one that has SPF in it too for some extra sun protection. 
A good primer will:
Smooth skins surface and even skintone
Make your foundation last longer
Reduce shine 
Help disguise blemishes and help your foundation/concealer blend more easily.

Nars Cosmetics Multi Protect Primer SPF 30 £25

Dermalogica Age Smart Skin Perfect Primer SPF 30 £37.50

MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 £23

Swap heavy oil based foundations for  light weight, water resistant foundations which will stay on much longer for you. Try MAC Face & Body. (£27 120ml) It is a water-based, water-resistant foundation that provides natural coverage for the face and/or body. It is ideal for all skin types.  .

Other options are

Makeup Forever Face and Body Fluid £30.25 50ml

MAC Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15 £21.50 40ml 

If you feel like you may need more coverage (under eyes, blemishes etc) invest in a good quality water resistant concealer. I recommend Makeup forever Fullcover Concealer (£23.15) It is waterproof and extremely long lasting, even in the most extreme conditions. 

Remember less is more, a tiny dab of this under eyes and on any blemishes or uneven skin tone will be more than enough. 

Translucent blot powder or blotting films are a great way to keep shine at bay throughout the day. 

Stay away from any heavy foundation powders. A light weight oil absorbing powder is all you will need for a grease-free face. Blotting films are another great alternative as they allow you to banish shine from your t-zone without adding any extra makeup to your skin. These are a permanent fixture in my makeup bag in the summer months! 

MAC Blot Film £11

MAC Prep + Prime Translucent Finishing Powder £20 (Available in pressed or Loose)

MAC Blot Powder £20

Bronzer is a must have for me in the summer months. Try using Too Faced 16 Hour Long-Wear Bronzer (£25) on cheekbones, temples and jaw line. This with give you a natural sun kissed glow! 

Eyes 

 Mac Paintpots 

These are a must have all year round, but in the summer I couldn't live without them. They are a smudge and crease proof creamy formula that can be used on their own or as a primer under a powder eyeshadow. 

They come in a whole range of colours and are so simple to apply. I use MAC 217 blending brush and sweep across the lid. 

My favorite shade to use on their own are

Vintage Selection

Indianwood 

Construcavist 

Bare study

These are all gorgeous shimmery colours and make your eyes pop in a matter of seconds. 

If you are a fan of powder eyeshadows I would recommend using either Soft ochre, Painterly or Groundwork (depending on your skin tone) before you apply your powder eyeshadow. These with keep it put and stop it from creasing. 

Water proof eyeliner and mascara are an absolute staple for hot weather. 

I always opt for waterproof eye products as you know they will stay put all day with out smudging or running down your face! 

I recommend 

MAC Liquid Last Liquid Eye Liner £15

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner £13

Bourjois Waterproof Contour Clubbing Eye Pencil £4.99

MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil £14

MAC False Lash Waterproof Mascara £18

Estée Lauder Sumptuous Waterproof Mascara £20.50

Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara £10.99

Lips

Wearing lipgloss in the sun can be your worst nightmare. Burnt lips are not a good look! So always wear a lipgloss with a SPF in it! 

Here are some examples:

Clinique long last glosswear SPF 15 £16 

Yves Saint Laurent Shiny Gloss Lip Plumper SPF 10 £29

Hawaiian Tropic Island Berry Lip Gloss SPF 25 £3.74

Carmex strawberry lip balm SPF 15 £2.69

Thanks for reading, would love to know what you guys think 

See you again soon,

Strobe Lotion Golden Elixir

Okay, so as a fan of strobe cream and lotion anyway, you can imagine my excitement when I saw this little beauty hit the shelves! 

For any of you that haven't ever heard of strobe cream or lotion it is basically an amazing miracle moisturizer that freshens and boots tired or dull looking skin. It contains iridescent particles and soft focus diffusers which make your skin look smoother and reduce the appearance of imperfections. Magic aye?

The ways to use this product are endless!

This version is so perfect for summer.  Here are just a few of the ways you could use it:

You can...

Mix a little in to your foundation to give a gorgeous warm golden glow. If you use a full coverage foundation this is also a good way to get a slightly lighter coverage for the warmer summer months! 

Use as a highligher on your cheek bones and other areas on your face.

You could also use it to highlight parts of your body, anywhere that you want to enhance and reflect the light. (ie. Collar bones, down the middle of your Shin bone, Shoulders)

Use on legs and arms to give you that bronzed summer shimmer.  Think how amazing this would look on your legs on the beach on holiday?!

Use on its own on your face. It will diffuse any imperfections,  reduce the look of pores, Moisturise and brighten your skin AND give you a gorgeous golden glow. What more could you really want?

...

Here is a before and after of the Strobe Liquid Golden Elixir on my arm. The photo doesn't really do the product much justice but you can see that it gives you a lovely bronzed glow! 

This costs £22.50 and you can purchase it from here

The original Strobe Cream is also £22.50 from here

Or you can get the Original Strobe Liquid Lotion from here also for £22.50

I would love to hear what you guys think of this product? Have you used strobe liquid before?

Pinks & Purples Eyeshadow Palette

I thought I would share with you guys bit by bit how I organize and store my makeup.

So I am going to share with you one of the most loved parts of my kit, my eyeshadow palettes! I'm going to start with my pink/purple palette 'cause it's my favorite and it contains some of my 'go to' colours. Having brown eyes I always feel that purples in particular do flatter my eye colour and make my eyes stand out. 

My eyeshadow palette is the new style MAC one. It comes in 2 parts, the outer case and the insert. The outer case can hold a few different inserts (for example the lipstick insert featured in my previous post)  but the eyeshadow one holds 15 pro palette eye shadows. 

I think having the eyeshadows in a palette rather than individually is soo much easier. Everything's in the same place and it makes organizing your make up a lot quicker and simpler! 

You can de-pot your individual eyeshadows to go in to the palette, which I can show you in a later tutorial if this is something you would like to see! 

So anyway, heres my Pink / Purple eyesadow palette. These are a selection of my favourite and most used shades. 

My Top 5

Pink Freeze

This is one of my favorite colours to use as a highlight in the inner corner of the eye when creating a smokey eye.  

Naked lunch

One of my 'go to' colours. Looks great on pretty much anyone. Nice as a highlight on the brow bone, or inner eye or a base colour all over the lid. 

Stars & Rockets 

 I don't use  this one as much as I would like to. Its a lovely lilac shade with blue tones. Its a great colour to really make your eyes stand out. 

Vibrant Grape

This is my must have colour for a purple eye makeup. The colour is so pigmented and vibrant.

Sketch 

This is a must have for the ultimate purple smokey eye. Its a deep burgundy purple with a slight glitter .i use this all the time in to outer corner and the crease of the eye. 

I would love to hear your thoughts, or if you have any links to posts you have done on eyeshadow palettes or makeup organizing I would love to see!

Until next time, 

Mac Lipstick Palette

As much as I love my MAC lipsticks, one thing I find very frustrating is that the packaging all looks the same! The more my lipstick collection grew, it became increasingly difficult to find the lipstick I wanted when on a makeup job or doing my own makeup. I have been waiting for this palette for so long. I attempted this with a Muji palette a couple of years ago but gave up after things got a little messy!

So basically, this palette holds 24 lipstick colours all in the same place. How convenient! This is great for any of you makeup artists out there, it makes everything so much quicker. Not to mention lightening the load of your kit! Or even if you aren't a makeup artist but just have a huge collection of lipsticks that you would like to see all in one place for easy access. 

My own personal favorites that I use all the time I haven't melted down as I like to have the lipstick I'm wearing in my bag for top ups during the day. And obviously you cant lug this massive pallet around can you!

What you need: An empty lipstick palette, A spoon, A Candle, Lipsticks, Lots of tissues!

Before you do anything, make sure you clean and sanitize all your lipsticks before melting them in to the palette! This is so important to kill all the germs or bugs that may be lurking on your lipsticks.

Each section of the palette holds just over half of your lipstick. Cut a little off at a time just to be sure not to over fill.

Place it on to the spoon and hold over the candle. Be aware that the different textures melt differently. For instance Creme D'nude (Creamsheen) melted within a few seconds where as Ruby Woo (Retro Matte) took over a minute.

Be careful not to let the lipstick bubble as this can change the colour/texture of the lipstick.

Once the lipstick is completely melted, gently pour in the the palette.  It only takes a couple of minutes to set so make sure not to move the palette till its set so it doesn't spill out.

And its as simple as that.

Make sure you write down all the names of the lipsticks and the textures and label it so you don't forget the names!

My Palette

Colours from left to right

Row 1: Up the amp, girl about town, Quick Sizzle (Limited Ed), Impasioned, Candy Yum Yum, Pink Plaid, Budding Love, Angel

Row 2: Rebel, Diva, Ruby Woo, Pink Nouveau, Twig, Faux, A Perfect Day (Limited Ed), Creme D'Nude

Row 3: Lady Danger, Morange, Fanfare, Watch me simmer (Limited Ed), Vegas Volt, Costa Chic, Coral Bliss, Cut a caper (Limited Ed)

 Thanks for reading, 

May Glossybox

Hello!

I was very excited when I received my Glossybox this month. I knew it was their 2nd birthday so had high hopes that it would be a good'un. And I wasn't disappointed!

So here's what I received:

.....

Bellepierre Super lipgloss in Rasberry by Bellapierre Cosmetics (Full Size)

Full size RRP £12.99

If I am honest I have never heard or tried this brand before, so was curious to try this one! 

I received a lovely purple/berry colour which I love. It has a gorgeous fruity smell and feels soft and moisturising on the lips and not sticky at all. It has a pretty low colour pay off but is great if you just want a hint of colour on your lips. 

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Divine Oil by Caudalie (Full Size)

Full size RRP £4.05

This is an oil for your hair, body or face. I have fairly oily skin so am a bit apprehensive about putting this on my face, that scares me a little bit. I tried some of this on the ends of my hair as they tend to get a bit dry and split (from endless dying and straightening, oops) and I have to say it worked a treat. It noticeably improved the appearance of my split ends and it smells amazing! It is a light weight dry oil and doesn't feel greasy at all. It is a lovely product and I am looking forward to experimenting a little more with this! 

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Fairy Lashes Mascara by Jelly Pong Pong (Full Size)

Full Size RRP £15

I am always on the hunt for the perfect mascara so was pleased to see this in my Glossybox. 

I have heard about this product before and have been keen to try it out. It has a pretty decent size brush, I'm not a fan of huge clumpy brushes 1. because they are messy and 2. the clump your lashes together and look awful. After one coat of mascara I couldn't really see a noticeable difference in length and volume. After 2 coats my lashes looked slightly longer and more volumised but not dramatically. I don't think this mascara beats some of my current favorites but it's okay for an every day defining mascara. This mascara claims to be water-resistant, it didn't flake or smudge during the day but I haven't yet properly put it to the test for its water-proof ability, hopefully it won't disappoint. 

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Angelica Hydration Cream by L'Occitane En Provence (15ml Sample Size)

Full Size RRP £30 for 50ml

I haven't yet tried this product. To be honest I have some great moisturisers that I swear by but I will definitely give this a go to see how it compares. 

This product claims to "moisturize and revitalize  leaving skin looking plumped, smoothed and absolutely radiant."

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Prime & Create Mixing Medium by Beautiful Movements Cosmetics (Sample Size)

Full Size RRP £20 for 20g

I haven't heard of this brand before and wasn't sure what this was for when I first saw it. I have some mixing mediums from MAC which change the texture of a product in to something else, and it seems this it a pretty similar to that. It says that this can be used as a primer, mixed with foundation for an air brushed finish, or with powder blush to make a cream tint, or eyeshadow pigment to create an eyeliner. I am looking forward to trying to trying this to see how it compares to MACs mixing medium.

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