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Saturday, 11 April 2015

Lee Stafford Chopstick Styler

I recently posted a picture over on my Instagram of me rocking some serious curls and a lot of you were asking how I achieved this look.



The secret is a fabulous hair tool by Lee Stafford that I picked up for an absolute bargain at only £20! I bought this little beauty at Argos having read one of my favourite blogger, Beautyandtheblog's, post on how she created this look. I didn't believe it was going to work as well as it did due to the price but I was very pleasantly surprised! The name of this is the 'chopstick styler'; it gets it's name from the thin wand thats not much thicker than an actual chopstick which allows you to have super tight curls that almost look as though they come natural!

 

I'll be honest girls, it is rather time consuming but it does depend on your hair type. Mine is long and relatively thick so this takes me around 40 minutes. I have however, recently scrunch dried the underneath section of hair (my hair naturally goes curly once scrunch dried) and focused the styler on the top section only which only takes around 20 minutes but the results aren't as good. 

The method I use is to curl 1/2cm wide peices of hair at a time and I wrap the hair around the wand and hold in place for around 10 seconds and then I unwrap my hair. Once all of my hair is curled I use a wide toothed detangling comb to break up the curls and prevent them from looking so uniform. 

Product wise I find that I need to use a fair amount of oil to prevent my hair from looking frizzy and flyaway. I also use a small amount of hairspray to keep the curls in place. l only apply oil to my mid- length and ends and only spray with a fine hairspray something like Loreal Elnette; try not to use anything too heavy or too much hairspray to avoid 'crispy' looking curls (you all know what I mean!).
 
This look can last me up to 3 days with the occasional touch up or recurl of small sections after sleeping.

Let me know what you think and whether this is something you would try too!  




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Friday, 3 April 2015

March Favourites

Happy Easter! I thought as many of you will be heading out to the shops this weekend I'd share some of the products I have been loving during the month of March and you may want to try them too! 

I am trying to grow my nails at the moment and have been using the Barry M 'Base-coat and Top-coat and Nail Hardener'. I love Barry M nail products they're so affordable but brilliant quality and have a great range of shades and styles! Like most of the other products of theirs I have tried this product did not disappoint! My nails are much stronger and my polish hardly chips at all when I wear this and my nails have grown immensely! Definitely recommend- LOVE!! 



My second favourite is my 'Make Up Eraser' which my mum kindly gave me to try as it is a new product her company are selling. I was dubious because it claims to remove make up with water alone..hmm. If watched all the YouTube videos but wasn't sold on the hype however I was very pleasantly suprised as this really does work!! I use this before my cleanser to remove all of my makeup including my mascara in a few swipes and it's takes seconds! When I'm finished I rinse the cloth, use again the following day and then throw it in the wash and it's perfect again!! The cloth in itself is the softest thing I have ever felt- no lie! Every girl needs one of these in their life!! 



The third product I have been using religiously is the new 'Avon Super Extend Winged Out Mascara'. I rarely ever love a mascara as I wear false lashes however this mascara actually makes me feel confident without lashes! The mascara is great for separating and lengthening lashes however if you like volumous, clumpier lashes then this probably isn't for you! I personally love it! 



Non beauty related I have been loving watching the American Horror Story series! I literally binge watched the first series in a weekend! Now the Walking Dead has finished I have nothing else to watch so please feel free to recommend some new series' you think I'd enjoy :)!! 

I am late on the bandwagon but my friend kindly gave me her copy of 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne and I started reading last month. I am going away in a few weeks so am saving the rest for then but I really am enjoying reading it! I am looking for holiday reads so again pleaseee recommend some books you've enjoyed! 


Many of you will know I'm obsessed with candles and have been burning this spring/ summer scent by Yankee Candle named 'Black Coconut'. I don't believe this is new however I've never had this before which is shocking given how much I love anything coconut! This has really got me into the holiday spirit!!



Have a great Easter everyone! xxx



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Sunday, 22 March 2015

Spring Corals

It may still be chilly but spring is most definitely around the corner. I've been sticking to nudes of late so thought I would spice things up by adding a bit of colour today. 

The main focus of this look is coral lips and cheeks which are the easiest way to add colour to your look. I achieved this with Benefits Coralista Blush which is a beautiful, slightly shimmering coral- pink colour which is great for warming up the skin. I used Vegas Volt by MAC on my lips which is an amplified cream so very pigmented and a little goes a long way whilst not drying. In terms of colour it is a gorgeous coral with a hint of orange. 



Face

MAC Studio Scupt Foundation- NC40
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer- NC30
MAC Studio Fix Powder- NC35
Avon Magix Multibenfit Illuminator- Light
Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess- Deep
Benefit Coralista Blush 
MAC Soft and Gentle Skinfinish 

Lips

MAC Vegas Volt Lipstick 

Brows

HD brows powder- Vamp 

Eyes

Avon Glimmerstick- Blackest Black
Avon Superextend Winged Out Mascara
House of Lashes- Pixie Luxe False Lashes
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Sunday, 8 March 2015

My Nighttime Routine

I pay so much attention to the makeup I use and getting ready that I forget the most important part of having good makeup is having good skin! And that why I thought I would talk about what I do to get un-ready and my nighttime routine. 

Step 1- Remove make up. To remove my makeup I either use Micellar water or a Tea Tree and Witch Hazel face wipe (I really love Primarks version!) if I'm feeling lazy. I love wipes as you can take them anywhere with you and you can even remove your make up in front of the TV! When I have more time I use 'Garnier Pure Micellar Water' and a cotton pad and hold for a few seconds on each area of my face. The water melts away and attracts any product so no need to rub! 



Step 2- Cleanse. I alternate my face washes- I really love my Boots 'Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash' which I have raved about in a previous post! I alternate between the Boots wash and the 'Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Visibly Clear Facial Wash' which It makes my skin feel so fresh and it smells delicious! I find that by alternating my skin doesn't get used to the same products and it really seems to work for my skin. 


Step 3- Tone. After cleaning my skin I use Boots 'Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Cleansing and Toning Lotion' on a cotton pad and gently go over my skin. This product doesn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry like other toners I've used in the past. Boots claim that this fights bacteria that causes spots and unblocks pores! 


Step 3- Exfoliate. Every 2-3 days I exfoliate my skin using 'Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Exfoliating Scrub' and give my face a really good scrub. My face never feels fresher than when I use this! 


Step 4- Moisturise. I use either my 'Night Treatment Gel' again from Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel (yes I'm obsessed with this range but when something works, it works!) or my Simple 'Hydrating Light Moisturiser'. I stay away from anything too heavy as I hate waking up feeling oily!



Step 5- Spots and Blemishes. For those pesky spots I target with them with the Tea Tree and Witch Hazel 'Spot Wand' from Boots again and if I notice an area breaking out I use the 'Blemish Stick'. 



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Sunday, 1 March 2015

Follow me around London and a shopping haul

Christmas seems a distant memory now and we decided we deserved a few days off to just chill and spend some quality time together as the last time was probably Amsterdam.

On the Friday we wanted to go out for just the day and London only being 50 minutes on the train seemed the obvious choice. I go to London qwite frequently to see friends and family etc so couldn't believe that neither or us had been to the Natural History Museum before! It was great feeling like a tourist for the day taking in all the displays at the museum. It was a massive maze and there was so much to see that we felt like we didn't even scratch the surface! I'd say you would need a whole day there (and some comfortable shoes) to feel like you have seen almost everything! 



Across the road from the nearest tube station to the museum in South Kensington was this cute little cafe called Muriel's. We had tea and little brioch buns filled with barbecued pulled pork- safe to say Slimming World was non existent for the day! We just sat and enjoyed looking at all the fancy cars passing by and people watched. 


Whilst we were in London we decided to do some shopping and headed to Shoreditch and looked at the vendors displaying in Boxpark. Alex picked up a few things but nothing for me. I looked in some of the vintage shops in the area in the hope of finding a designer bargain but nothing caught my eye! I looked around Spitalfields market and of corse the MAC store but surprisingly bought nothing!

We then took the tube to the West End and did some shopping on Oxford Street. I picked up a few things. Starting in Topshop I saw this cute crop as soon as walked in and thought it would be perfect in the summer for the holidays I have planned to Vietnam and Ibiza. I love the 90s style cut and straps! This was just £8  and I'm sure they will release more colours so keep your eyes peeled! 

My favourite part of the flagship Topshop store on Oxford Street is the concession ranges they offer. Some of the brands I already know and love but some are new and it's great to see new brands that you wouldn't necessarily have heard of if you didn't see them in Topshop. I saw a dress by the brand 'Absence of Colour' (right up my street I hear you say!) but didn't have time to try in on and knew if I didn't like it I wouldn't be able to take it back so didn't buy it. I've since looked online but can't find a website :(. I did however pick up this khaki plunge dress by Rare London who I've liked for some years now.. I love anything khaki at the moment! Can't wait to wear this! 

On the ground floor Topshop offer a great range of jewelery and accessories both Topshop brand but also other names! I bought this diamonte ear cuff as I thought it was really unusual and pretty. I also got some flash tattoos which I've been lusting over for a while now! The sheet I picked had a few Hamsa designs- love them! 

In H&M I saw these lovely dungarees displayed in the window and headed in to buy them. They are off-white and have rose gold detailing. I think they will look fab in the summer with a tan and some pointed nude heels! They were only £14.99 too!! Side note- I will iron them before I wear them!




We don't have a Berska local to Northampton so checked out what they had to offer. I saw this mesh body and thought it would be great for a night out! It is slightly risqué and I havn't tried it on yet so tbc if I will be keeping it! I also bought this midi dress with a slit detail on the side. I thought it would be great for transitioning into Spring! 

Feeling all shopped out we walked to Soho and tried to get into Honest burger but the que was out of the door so we went to Byron instead. The food was great as usual and we tried some of the local beers they had on offer (again definitely not Slimming World!). 

On the way back to catch the tube home we stopped off at The Hummingbird Bakery and bought some cakes to take home. I have to admit the packaging was nicer than what was inside. My salted caramel cupcake was lovely however the other half chose the red velvet brownie although you wouldn't know it as it had no taste whatsoever- disappointing! 



 
I had to share that on arrival home I had a delivery waiting for me of lower false lashes. Believe it or not I have never tried them! My lower lashes are actually long and full naturally so never felt the need but can't wait to try them! I got them from a lovely seller on eBay who I get my Red Cherry lashes from. I'll keep you updated as to what I think! 



I'm in London again next week so feel free to offer suggestions for other places to eat, visit or shop :) xx




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Sunday, 22 February 2015

Gothic Glam

I recently posted a picture on my Instagram of me wearing dark wine coloured lips and I thought it would be great to do a blog post on how I achieved this look and how you can get it too. 

I love playing around with dark colours in the autumn/ winter months and I have been reaching for anything dark plum or burgundy of late. I am really trying to make the most of them before spring arrives when I will be going for bronzed skin and coral and peach lips. 

I often hear people say that they don't think something so bold or dark would suit them however I think that dark lips look great on both fair and dark skin and I don't think you need to be a brunette either! I would recommend this look to anyone who wants spice things up in the make-up department! 

I've put some pictures together of some of the looks that inspired me. 


I love that some of them have chosen just to focus on the lips but some have gone for matching smouldering eyes.


I think Sam shows that you don't need to be tanned to rock this look in fact I think she has purposefully made her skin lighter for a full on gothic-glam look. 


Rihanna shows that, paired with a glowing tan, dark lips can be worn all year round!

I've picked some of my favourite products for getting this look. 

For my look I chose Avon's lip liner in 'deep wine' paired with 'matte grape' lipstick again from Avon. Later on I added 'plum pretty' gloss to add a shine.

I think the lips alone are statement enough however I chose to go all the way and used Avon's 'deep wine' palette using the lighter shade as a base and the darker in my crease and took it all the way to the centre of my eye. To intensify further I used the number 4 from 'vibrant spice' palette which is from Avon's 'Glow' range. 

Other favourites of mine for achieving this look are 'Cyber', 'Darkside' and 'Rebel' from Mac. 


Rimmel offer a good range of dark shades. My friend Sasha looked great sporting 'Starry eyed- 128' the other evening for drinks! Shade '04' by Rimmel is also a fabulous rich purple shade. 

Alternatives at Avon are 'Bold Bordaux' and 'Deep Orchid'. 

For eyes I love this Topshop eyeshadow in 'Explorer' which is a deep bronzed wine colour.  


Below are some of my other favourite bold looks I have worn recently. 












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