You gotta' love a bargain

Last weekend, me and the BF decided to head to York to get all Christmassy.  It turned out the be the worst shopping day ever, but I did manage to spend one english pound on a GOSH high shine top coat (courtesy of the pound shop), you know I think it might be a pound well spent.  I decided I would paint my nails with Nails Inc Monmouth Street, a colour I have had for ages over the top of OPI's nail envy, and then the GOSH top coat.  This was on Sunday evening and its still doing really well, see for yourself.....

There is slight wearage, but I think my nails look pretty good.  Here is a picture of the tools.......

So get running down to that pound shop before I grab them all.

Merry Pinkmas

Here is the other Christmas look, using my Shue Uemura hot pink as the main focus. 

*I applied Barry M Dazzle Dust in number 9 and then buffed it in with Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream. 

*Using Benefits Bad Girl black eyeliner I drew a line close to my upper lash line, and then smudged with the brush I used to apply my dazzle dust.  I did this about three times, and then applied the eyeliner to my waterline.

*I curled my eyelashes and applied about 2-3 layers of mascara (Maybelline Collossol).

*I then babywiped my face to get rid of any glitter that might have emigrated south and applied a little My Face foundation and a little concealer.  I applied a little loose powder (Chanel).

*I applied a pink Daniel Sandler watercolour blusher, mentioned in an earlier post to the apples of my cheeks. 

*Using the Shu Uemra lipstick in (vivid hot pink) I applied it straight from the bullet and then topped it off with Yves Saint Laurent lip gloss, (the name has been rubbed off!!)

That is it, a very quick easy party look, if you wanted it even more PARTY apply some false eyelashes.

Sloth eye

Hi everyone, I have had an allergic reaction to one of the eyeshadows I have used in my Christmas look videos, ow!!  I think its some shimmer I used, see my body rejects any form of glitter, here is a picture I took the day after.

awww poor Sloth.



Ginger nut

Here is a pic of the new hair....

I love it, I just hope I don't hate the regrowth.

wish me luck

I have been going steadily grey since I was about 16.  Just about the time, I started to appreciate having red hair.  I have only dyed my hair once in that whole time and that was by accident, yes I am that rubbish when it comes to hair, I won't embarass myself with the details. It did end up looking really nice but that was about four years ago.  I have always been scared by the permanance of hair dye and the fact I am a complete control freak, and don't know the exact colour that my hair will be.  However, this Saturday I have decided to take the plunge and get dyed.  I have always wanted Karen Elson's hair colour.

However, I have been informed that it will make me look washed out *sad face* so I am thinking of going a Joan from Mad Men, slightly  more orangey...

heres hoping my hair will go the colour I want it too.  I have decided to take the plunge because I am thinking about growing my hair back in the new year, so if I don't like it, I can cut it out!!  So fingers crossed it turns out alright, otherwise you may not see me for a while.  I hope I don't chicken out cluck cluck xx

Red and green should never be seen..... unless its CHRISTMAS!

I was just browsing through vogue online when I came across a photograph of the Christian Dior Spring summer 2010 collection and was immediately drawn to this photo..

and thought do you know what that would make a great Christmas look, if I added a more christmassy green with a slight bit of shimmer (please note, NOT GLITTER) these are the products I used:

*I started by applying Elizabeth Arden eyelid primer (I have the condition of greasy eyelids), if you don't have one just apply loose face powder. 

*Then I applied the BB Navajo all over my eyelid right up to my eyebrow, make sure its all blended in.

*Using Mac Humid Frost I applied this to my eyelid until you could see the colour just above my eyesocket.  To check this I stared straight into the mirror (sounds obvious but don't look up (like myspace) or down (double chin effect).

*Make sure that the green is very round and soft around the eyes, no eighties winged look here.  I don't know if I am just a mucky pup but I had a baby wipe to clean up underneath my eyes.

*I then used the BB gel liner and with a really thin brush applied a very delicate flicked line.  You need to keep the eye really clean underneath so no shadow or liner there.

*Then curl your lashes and apply a few layers of a volumising mascara (not to the bottom) I used Maybelline colossal (I hated it at first but after loads of compliments on my eyelashes I have grown to love it, I think it gets better the longer it is open)

*Now apply your chosen foundation, mine was the myface (which I love) nice and light and conceal.

*I then shaded my eyebrows in using Hot Stone, I was quite heavy handed here.

*Using a nice red, using your finger press the colour on to your lips, I didn't want it to look too perfect.  With the remainder of the lipstick on my finger I applied this to my cheeks, to stop myself looking washed out.

*A tiny covering of pressed powder and its done. 

Cue dramatic shadowed potrait



Sneaky peak

This evening I have been mostly painting my face with Christmas looks.  As you can see one more dramatic than the other.  I will be posting the looks, and how to do them over the next couple of days, if you have any requests please let me know people x

Dear Santa...

please could I have the Jemma Kidd pro pointed foundation brush, Shu Uemura cleansing oil, Mac 187 brush and.....

a beautiful Tom Ford lipstick please.

 

Thanks x

P.S. if I fancy anything else I'll let you know

Likeminded

I can always while away the hours with the many fashion blogs I follow, but I am yet to find another beauty blog, or more specifically a cosmetics blog that I love.  The ones I do find that aren't by "professionals", are just full of glitter and loads of false eyelashes, completely not my style, although there are occasions for both.  You can probably tell by the few photos I have posted on here, I like to be natural.  Does anyone know any decent beauty blogs, that are not all about the glamour?? 

get me nails did

I really love Sophy Robson's blog, I found it after reading about her in the Times Style mag.  She does a lot of amazing advertising work and catwalk shows.  I know I seem to post a lot of links on here, but I just love how creative her work is, on such a small space.  I have always dibbed in out out of nail polish, but never really got overly excited about it. Recently I have tried to invest a bit more time in caring for my hands and painting my nails too, I have even dabbled in a bit of nail art, thanks to a friend who bought me some jewels from the pound shop, hah!  Needless to say but the BF is not impressed with my bejewelling.

Sophy Robsons has videos online and they are actually quite simple, and I think they look pretty darn good.  Then I saw this kapowww! how cool is that?? Or does everyone else thinking it looks a bit rubbish?? I can't get the stuff anywhere.  When I couldn't find it, I decided to buy a lovely festive green colour by Barry M instead called "Racing Green" slightly dissapointed with the unchristmassy name though.  Here is a collection of my nail polishes.  Quite a lot really, for someone who isn't that bothered.

Should I be ashamed to say that some of them are years old, especially the Chanel ones, back from when I worked the counter.  Amazingly they haven't dried out or gone gloopy, unlike the Nails Inc shades that seemed to be gloopy on the first use, not impressed.  Here are my favourites....

The OPI purple didn't have a name, but I have been using the OPI Rapid Dry Topcoat, which seems to make even the Tesco (cough) ones stay on longer.  If I do any more bedazzling I will take some pics, for your bedazzlement. 

as the title suggests

I love SEPHORA, wish we had one over here.  Happened upon one in Paris after I parted with one euro to nip to the poshest loo ever.  Thank god for my weak bladder in this instance.  This Sephora was jam packed though.  I have heard a lot of good things about Make Up Forever, but living in the North East of England sometimes means you are on the other side of the world when it comes to good make up shops.  I think the closest supplier of Make up Forever is London, I know I know we live in the 21st century and there is this wonderful thing called the internet, but I have never played with the textures or colours before.  So in Paris here was my chance.  I found this highly pigmented liquid/cream blusher called HD Blush Microfinish cream blush in Light Peach. 

I went for a kind of peachy colour for a change, as I seem to go for the pinks all the time.  You know what I love it, you need a tiny tiny bit and it goes miles, I have started applying it with the Daniel Sandler Water Colour brush, normally I would just apply it with my fingers but it with the blush it blends super quick which you need before it dries. 

You wouldn't believe but in real life I had piled the blusher on, sorry the pic doesn't do the blush justice.  This is what I really love about the blusher, totally natural, just what I like.



I first picked up on this brand with the blog inmykit.com.  I was really tempted to buy a foundation, but went for the blusher (hmmmm theres a suprise).  This is certainly won't be my last purchase from Make up Forever.

I am a massive fan of Lisa Eldridge and her tutorials, when I got back from France there was a video on how to apply some of my favourie blushers including my newest blusher!!! I love the colour she has gone for, so vibrant and it really does pop!!!

Gay Paris

In October I made my first ever trip to Paris, yes at the grand old age of 27 I had never been.  It was only for a couple of nights at the end of five days in the french countryside.  I have always wanted to go to Paris, and looking at the street photography blogs just made me want to go all the more.  However when I got there after an hour long train journey on a double decker train (sad, but so clever I loved it) the weather was just so miserable, and it just got worse and worse.  There was even thunder and lightning, I was completely underwhelmed.  To top it off I even kicked some dog poo, which to be fair did make me laugh and my friend too.   I just didn't get it.  I don't know whether I am a bit bias towards Spain, because of how much I love Barcelona, or whether it was the weather or the fact that the french were striking (which really didn't affect us at all) I just felt really dissapointed by the whole place.  Here is a pic of my sad sad face, note the stylish any size gloves I had to buy because my fingers were soooo cold.

However dissapointed I was feeling I did find time to do a spot of make up shopping in Sephora and Galeries Lafayette.  The whole time I was in there I could not stop thinking about Lafayette from True Blood (don't get me started, love it).....anyhow I decided that I needed to buy a bright pink lipstick, easy huh??? Nope not at all, after visiting nearly all the counters in the "gallery" I was starting to feel a bit dissapointed.  The pinks were either too light, not enough pigment when they were applied or full of glitter, not for me.  I meandered past the Christian Dior counter where the most beautiful sales assistant tried to help, I liked her even more when I explained that I sometimes have trouble with some colours making my teeth look yellow, which she completely understood and "agreed" that she had that problem too,hah!!!  I don't care if she was trying to make a sale!! (it didn't work in the end a man rudely interupted us and took her for himself) so I then moved off to Shu Uemera where I found this....

I don't really class myself as a girly girl, but I love this.  When I took photos of this colour on my lips it didn't do it justice, but you can see how pink it is on the tissue.  It feels so soft when you apply the colour straight from the bullet, much nicer than other lipsticks I have used.  I haven't really timed how long it stays on but I don't care about reapplying when it feels so nice, there is no dried out feeling at all.  Will probably wearing this colour to the many many Christmas parties I have in my social calender, along with a Barry M dazzle dust in an irridescent silver, and loads of black mascara.  If I decide to leave the house I will post some pics. 

getting my finger out

So its been pretty close to seven months since my fingers tinkered across the keyboard and created a post.  I won't bore you with what I haven't been doing in the past months, because even thinking about it stifles a yawn on my side.  To be honest I had almost forgot that I actually had a blog until I read a really interesting article by Jennine Jacob of the coveted here I really enjoying reading articles that Jennine puts together.

I originally started blogging because I was jobless and wanted a bit of routine to my day.  I think I am definitely one of life's procrastinators, because an hour can sometimes pass and I still have not moved from the comfort of my sofa, and so the weeks have now become seven months.  Plus one comment from the BF "done any blogs on your day off recently" made me leap in to action and immediately think what can I write about. So if you can stay with me a little longer a make up related with be making its way to you in a a fast and furious way. 

Vote for me

Its seems everywhere I look, there is a make up competition.  I have entered one that is being ran by http://www.londonmuse.co.uk/ via their facebook page.  You have to base a look on a fashion icon and I chose Anna Karina.  My BF brought her to my attention a few months ago in some crazy french films, one by Serge Gainsbourg.

I was the first entry, which I thought was rather brave.  Looking at the other entries, I look like I have no make up on at all.  :(

If you would like to vote for me please leave a lovely comment here I need fifty comments to qualify, so I need all the help I can get. 

Comp

Sorry about the lack of posts, I have finally got myself a job albeit temporary but I can't bear to look at a computer when I get home.  However, I did find the time to make my first ever make up tutorial.  It was for a competition being held by the Jemma Kidd Make Up School you can view it (if you feel you must) here. 

Please let me know what you think, I was quite proud of my editing skills!!!

Here is the finished look, as you can see its quite similar to the Little Edie post I did a while back.  A certain friend of mine didn't realise it was me, which I found strangely flattering.  Apparently she has never seen me pull this expression, ha!  I do it all the time on my own.  

I really enjoyed talking to myself in my bedroom late last night, of course this was while I was filming the comp entry, so I was thinking I might do my very own tutorial.  So consider the bandwagon jumped!

*dAyDrEaM*****

Long hair where art tho?

*apologies for the teeny pic x

and I thought I loved make up

Just enjoy.........

This is John Prescotts wife, Pauline and I just love that mascara.  I want to know what mascara she uses, because thickness and volume isn't in it.

Tonight Matthew....

Just a quickie, I often like to look at magazines for inspiration and I came across this style.com/beauty/beautysearch/ you can search for models or celebrities.

Sorry ladies but there are no Cheryl Cole looks.

time flies by

Today I am in a pretty reflective mood, this time last year I was attempting to live in Barcelona with my BF how different my life would have been if it had all worked out, and do you know what  made me remember it?  My moisturiser - Dr Nick Lowe Super-Charged SPF15 Day Cream I first bought it when I was moving to Barcelona, making sure it had an spf in it to protect my face against the sun, even though it was going to be February when I arrived.  Now I know whenever I apply that cream it will remind me of standing in our flat and being full of excitement and nerves. 

I had been using a superdrug moisturiser because I was skint, this also had an spf but because it was my birthday the other week my parents bought me Dr Nick Lowe's cream, and you can just feel the difference in quality between the two, but its what you should expect when there is a price difference of about £12!!! 

Whats sad about my time in Barca is I have very few photographs of  me there NOT sporting a moustache......

Hot or what?  I think if you look past the fact I haven't waxed in a while my skin looks in pretty good shape.  Already I am noticing a difference and its only been about two weeks, plus using the Jolene you can hardly notice the tash. 

My friend was saying to me the other day how strange I looked with long hair and at the mo, because I change my mind constantly I really dont like it.  I think I am going to blame the rubbish hair on Barca water, my bonce is used to the perfumed atmosphere of teesside!

Keeping a theme going look at these hairy ladies stylebubble.co.uk I kinda like it!

I like make up....but only a lil' bit honest

I was bored the other night and I decided to go through my make up and see what needed throwing out and what I needed to buy.........when I say needed I really mean WANT!

I was surprised by the results so I thought I would tell you what I have in my make up bag.

*29 single eye shadows

*8 eye shadow palettes

*9 mascaras (including some itty bitty ones)

*6 lipsalves (my favourite ever lip balm is a Bolivian Vaseline called "Vaselina" I can't bring myself to use it)

*25 blushers (I was sooooo shocked when I counted these and my fav is defo that illamasqua cream one I have talked about on here)

*12 eye liner pencils

*10 lipsticks (I think I really need more lipsticks I love them so much more than gloss at the moment)

*5 lipliners

*17 lipglosses (see if I love lipstick why have I got more lipglosses)

*1 lipstick/gloss palette

*2 primers

*8 concealers (I went through a lot of these babies and I have defo settled for Laura Mercia for blemishes and Bobbi Brown for under eye)

*5 foundations (I seem to always go back to Lily Lilo mineral foundation, sometimes I can be such a grease monster this stuff works well for me  and its so easy to apply on a morning)

*3 powders

excessive what do you think?

a little discovery....

Just a lovely little blog that I have come across, totally un make-up related but I think her collages are beautiful.........spokesndaggers.blogspot.com

hobbycraft for the eyelashes

Browsing through www.vogue.co.uk I realised they had vogue tv, so I headed to the beauty section.  I came across a two part video called "Beauty by Chanel".  My biggest dream is to be a make up artist for the fashion shows, but after I watched this I think I am way too much of a wuss, I may end up crying if I can't use the cotton pads like he shows you in the video. 

Look at the beautiful embroided eyelashes that were used for one of the shows, check them out in these videos www.vogue.co.uk/video and vogue.co.uk/beauty/video.

The art that went into them.  I don't know if I was drawn to them because I now have the sudden urge to craft all day everyday, but embroidery is something I have yet to try.  On Sunday my Grandma was good enough to give me an old embroidery transfer from the fifties, which I am going to have a go at, eventually.   But don't worry you  will not see me walking down Stockton High Street with it daggling from my eyes. 

Copy cat

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had a serious make up crush on little edie, played by Drew Barrymore. 

Awww poor little edie!

God I look sickly. 

To start off I used a mineral foundation to get a good coverage, matt but not too much.  I then concealed under my eyes. 

Using a eyebrow pencil in a light brown I defined my brows a bit more.  If you have a matt brown and cream eyeshadow use those, mine had a slight shimmer, which was more noticable in real life. I applied a lot of the cream eyeshadow all over my lid, I was quite heavy handed with this, I wanted to create a good contrast against the brown.  Next I applied the brown into the eye socket, I used the underneath of my brow bone as a guide and created a frown, which was pretty much extended into the inner corner of my eye, and then just below the outer corner of my eye. Keep checking in the mirror when you look up, you want it to be quite obvious.  I applied only a touch of mascara for my own vanity, but Drew looks like she has a brown mascara on at the most.

I chose a lipstick as close as Drew's and lined them first with a natural liner and then filled in with the actual lipstick, no brush. 

To finish off I used a peachy blush, just a touch. 

What do you think? I really like it. 

On Thursday I introduced my BF to the thrills of Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face. I hadn't noticed but Richard Avedon was a consultant on the film, as well as designing the opening sequence, I really love his photography.  The women look so elegant and glamourous, and I'm not talking Cheryl Cole "glamourous" at the opening of the live X Factor show!

I'd love a print of one of his photos.

Have a look at his photos at www.richardavedon.com

The lady in the photograph is called Dovima, who I have just found out played a cameo in Funny Face as a and I quote "an empty headed fashion model" she can pull the most amazing poses though!

Hair

This morning I watched a film called Grey Gardens which is about Edith Bouvier Beale (little Edie) and Edith Ewing Bouvier starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, a true story it focuses on their lives, eventually they end up living in squalor in the Hamptons, a sad story, (but the make up little Edie wears in the early years is gorgeous, I may end up having to replicate it) as little Edie gets stressed her hair starts to fall out, eventually she wears beautiful headscarves with ornate brooches to hide her hair loss.

After the film I decided to take a lovely walk in the snow to go and buy a magazine, my cornershop hardly stocks anything other than the latest issues of Now and Take a break so I was lucky enough to spot the current issue of Elle.  Upon flicking through it I came across an article on hair loss written by Ellie O'Mahoney, isn't it weird how this sort of thing happens? I don't know whether its because when something affects you, you are suddenly so super sensitive to it that you have that said subject on radar, or whether you just put it all down to coincidence. 

 

Anyway 2009 was a pretty challenging year for me, and one of the reasons was because my hair started to fall out.  I still don't really know why, but all I can say is that it was devastating and it really took over my life.  My hair has always been really thick and wavy, I'm proud to say that I loved my hair, it was my favourite feature.  I don't remember the day that is started, but I do remember the days I would stand in the shower and tearfully unravel the hair that had entwined itself around my fingers.  The thought of showering every other day filled me with dread.  I decided to ask my bf if he had noticed, and he had, I had been leaving hair calling cards all over his bed after I had stayed over.  No one could tell me why it was happening, not even my GP who said that there was nothing they could do.  So I decided that the best thing I could do was cut it off, make the most of what I had left.  I decided to cut it to just above shoulder length,  eventually the hair loss caught up again so I went even shorter.  I kept being told the more you think about it the worst it will probably get, but it was all I could think of, of course it was.  Everywhere I looked people had glossy, long flowing hair and mine was just hanging there getting thinner by the minute. 

Just after Christmas my hair had grown into a short bob, and it still didn't feel like my hair, so I decided to get it cut even shorter and I will keep getting it cut until it feels like my hair.  I don't know how long it will take but I am now lucky enough that it is no longer falling out, so I am not thinking about it 24/7.  My hair loss was probably at the lower end of the spectrum, and also not permanent but it affected me enough that I think it will always be in the back of mind, just in case it happens again.  I hope you don't think that I have gone all cry baby on you, but according to the article in Elle it's actually quite a common problem, just no one talks about it, so I thought I would.  

Rubishy

HAPPY NEW YEAR (said in dodgy brooklyn accent)  how are you two readers doing?  I'm doing pretty good after receiving some mint Christmas prwessies.  Including a lovely Elizabeth Arden gift set courtesy of my lil' bro Bobski!  Love it! Especially a pink lip gloss which I will have to show you some time, when I eventually relocate my camera charger.  This is offically the shortest blog from the blusher, so apologies to you two lovely ladies, I will be back soon mucho love xx