Simple Contouring

Although I'm not exactly a pro at it, I love contouring! I call this simple because it literally takes me about 5 minutes to do this. I love having control of my face and deciding whether today I will have a smaller nose or maybe tomorrow I will define my cheek bones more. There is no correct way to contour, it all depends of what you want your face to look like. I have watched endless tutorials and studied many many guides on how to contour and after alot of experimenting I have finally found a perfect go-to contouring routine for me.

It is very important to prime your face before contouring as it involves the use of alot of make-up product. I use my Smash Box Photo finish primer which is absolutely fantastic and leaves my contour looking perfect all day. 

For the contour itself I use Make-Up Revolution Cover and Conceal palettes in the colour Light and Medium-Dark. For the highlight I use the lightest shade in the light palette and for the bronze and contour I use the shade next to the darkest brown. These are creams which I find alot easier to apply and blend rather than the more commonly used powders. 

To apply the creams I used 2 flat concealer brushes, one for the highlight and one for the contour/bronze and finally my Nanshy 4 in 1 blending sponge to blend the creams. 

I got my Nanshy blending sponge in my goody bag from the Shropshire Blogger Meet I attended last month and it is absolutely fantastic! It has different shaped sides to help you with sculpting and blending the products in any way you want and it doesn't absorb much product which means hardly any is wasted. My previous beauty blender sponge would end up with more product on it than there was on my face so I'm mega impressed with this one! 

So here I am barefaced, fresh as a daisy, absolutely 0 make-up. I naturally have fuller cheeks and a large nose so I like to use contouring to try and define my cheek bones and make my nose appear smaller in particular as well as defining my personal favouring feature.. my eyebrows!
 (Anybody who knows me knows that I adore doing my eyebrows and am extremely proud of the fact I have naturally thick and dark brows)

So it's time to begin. I found a guide on the internet which I used to inspire this type of contouring for me and helped me with where to highlight and contour. 

I always start by applying my highlighter with a flat concealer brush by using the lightest shade of my Make-Up Revolution creams. I apply this to my cupids bow, on my forehead, above my cheek bones/under my eye's and down the centre of my nose, as you can see in the photo. Then, using my slightly damp Nanshy blending sponge, blend my highlighter until it looks smooth and flawless. 



Although most tutorials I've watched shows the mua applying all of the contour, highlighter and bronze then blending it all together in one I find that by doing it all separately and in stages you have more control over it and it's alot easier and less messy. 


With a different flat concealer brush I apply the darker shade cream along the edge of my forehead, below my cheek bones, down the side of my nose and also across my chin. Be careful not to apply a shade too dark or apply too much product as you could end up looking as if you have mud strokes across your face which is never a fab look.  The key with blending the darker shade is to ensure you blend it fully into your hair line otherwise you could end up with very obvious make-up lines which is a big no-no. 

So here is my finished blended contour! Easy! Two creams, two brushes and 1 blending sponge is all you need. 

After blending

Complete make-up look

                     
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Silky smooth summer legs!

It's coming up to the summer season where it's all about skirts, shorts, dresses and cute playsuits so it's super important to get those legs silky smooth and summer ready.

It's dead easy to achieve beautifully smooth legs. It's best to shave your legs when you're in a warm shower or bath to soften the skin, First it's all about exfoliating. I use Lush Ocean Salt face and body scrub on my wet legs with exfoliating gloves to remove as much dead and dry skin as I can before shaving and wash off the scrub with warm water.
It's then time to prep your skin for shaving by using either a shaving foam or a personal favourite of mine is to use a hair conditioner! Now it's time to start shaving. It's best to use a really good quality razor, not a disposable one as they're less damaging to the skin and provide a better, closer shave. I use Venus razors with Olay Moisture Bar heads as these leave my skin irresistibly smooth and cut the hairs very close.
Start shaving from the bottom of you ankle gliding the razor all the way to the top of you knee and continue all the way around until you calf and shin is complete, then repeat for the thighs ensureing you don't miss any hairs. Remember to rinse the shaver head every stroke or two to try and avoid the razor head getting clogged up and ensure a closer shave. 

Once you've shaved your legs and are happy with the result its very important to moisturise afterwards to hydrate the skin and repair and damage to the skin. I prefer to use a thick body butter for this as I feel it really feeds the skin. This will also help reduce shaving rash!

So there we go ladies, the perfect guide to perfect summer legs!

Make-up Essentials for a Mini-Break

Anybody who knows me knows I adore city breaks and long weekend trips, but I never quite know what to pack.. make-up wise! I own near enough 100 beauty products (potentially even more as I just keep buying them..) and I use every single one of them on a weekly basis so you can only imagine the huge dilemma I face when it comes to packing light.

So if you, like myself, struggle with choosing which of your products you can not simply leave at home then you're reading the right post!

1: Foundation

Choose the foundation that you use when you want to feel your best; for me it's the No7 Beautifully Matte foundation in the colour Calico. By using you best foundation every day whilst you're away you will be looking your best every day, which is an instant mood booster.

2: Primer

I can't stress how important it is to wear primer anyway but when you're away it is an essential! I can't be bothered with returning to the hotel to top up my make-up before going out for a lovely dinner. I wear my Smashbox Photo Finish primer every single day, it is fantastic and I can not be without it. It keeps my make-up looking fresh and perfect all day. Perfect for busy days out with no time to top-up.

3: Powders

I own loads of different face powders from bronzers to blushes to highligters and contour kits. This is probably my hardest decision when it comes to deciding on make-up so I decided to break it down and work out which ones I actually use daily. The 3 main powders that I actually use daily are a matte bronzer, pinky blusher and a shimmering highlighter. Simple!

4: Eyeshadows

Ouch.. this one is also a toughy! I own quite a few eyeshadow palettes and tend to use more than one at once. I decided to break it down and figure out what colours I cant live without. I tend to stick to subtle nudes for day time looks and add shimmers and colours for my evening wear. I use my Naked Basics palette every single day for my basic day-to-day look. It has every single colour you NEED for a simple look. I also like to take my Make-Up Revolution Iconic 3 palette (which is a dupe for the Naked 3 palette) as it has a fantastic range of shimmer and matte nudes and pinks that are perfect for both everyday and evening wear.

 

I also like to take with me an eyeshadow pencil stick in a pale, shimmery colour. This is my Collection eyeshadow pencil in the colour vanilla sky and it is perfect for quick make-up. Its easy to apply by simple colouring your eyelids in however it makes a huge difference by opening your eyes up and adding a hint of shimmer

5: Mascara, Eyebrow and Eyeliner

This one, in my opinion, is easy. Just choose your favourite mascara, your go-to eyeliner and an eyebrow pencil (preferably one with a built in eyebrow brush).
My absolute favourite mascara has to be Dior IT Mascara. It does wonders to my short and stumpy lashes and makes falsies redundant.

I use liquid eyeliner pretty much everyday to create my classic winged look so I simply cannot be without it. I use Rimmle Exaggerate eyeliner as it just slicks onto your lids creating an effortlessly smooth wing. It's ideal for a weekend away as it's small and compact with its own built in applicator.

For my brows I use a lot of products as I love trying out all the different gels, kits, waxes and pencils! However my go-to life saver eyebrow pencil has to be the Rimmle eyebrow pencil with a built in eye brow brush on the lid. Perfect for light packing

6: Lipsticks 

I love lipsticks! The just complete your face and set the desired tone for you make-up whether its pretty in pink or a sassy red. I like to take 2 lipsticks away with me, one for day wear and one for evening wear.. simple!
I wear a matte nude for day wear as its simple, natural and goes perfectly with any outfit. My favourite matte nude has to be Soap and Glory's Matte Super Nude lipstick.
For the evening it's time to go bold and choose your favourite statement lipstick, mine being the No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in Deep Rust.

7: Skin Care

Now this is an area that I don't skimp on as skin care is too important. I will always pack my No 7 Beautiful skin cleansing lotion and my No 7 Early Defence day and night cream despite how bulky it may be.

8: Make-up Brushes

I own probably about 60-80 make-up brushes and yes I do use all of them.. just not all at once. I have to narrow it down to about 5 when it comes to light packing. It's all about essentials.

- flat foundation brush
- large powder brush
- two double ended eye shadow brushes
- stippling brush
- eyebrow brush

So there it is ladies, my mini-break make-up essentials! I hope this helps with any light-packing or weekend trips. I decided on these buy truly taking note of what I really really need and what I use the most.

Fullips Review

I received a full set of the Fullips Lip Enhancers in my goody bag from the Shropshire Blogger Meet last weekend and I can honestly say that it was my favourite gift! I had been umming and arring for sometime as to whether to buy them or not as I was after my dream Kylie Jenner pout; so when I was graced with this very kind donation from the Fullips team I knew it was fate!

The most recent craze that has taken over the internet seems to be the 'Kylie Jenner Challenge' which involved people using a shot glass or bottle to suck so that they get bigger lips .. like Kylie Jenner. However instead of getting their perfect pout they ended up with severely swollen and bruised lips which is never a good look.

Fullips works in a similar way however is much much safer! It is a pain-free, simple way to fuller lips without the need for fillers or injections! What isn't to love about that..? Fullips works by encourage the blood flow towards your lips by sucking gently into the suction cups to give the appearance of being larger. They're small enough to carry around in your handbag or makeup bag and so easy to use!

The full set is advertised for $49.99 on the Fullips website : http://fullips.com/

The Fullips enhances come with a little sheet packed full of very useful information, I can not stress how important it is to read this little card before using them! It goes through all the safety precautions, how to safely use the Fullip enhancers, how not to use the Fullip enhancers and what cups to use to achieve certain desired results!





Although I have naturally plump lips anyway I still found there to be quite a noticeable difference after using them. My lips did appear plumper and larger and I didn't have much redness around the area thanks to the curved rim of the cups.

Here you can see my natural lips before using the large circle enhancer.

 I then applied the large circle enhancer and sucked gently into the cups for abut 30-50 seconds. I could really feel them working! It says in the leaflet that if it begins you hurt to risk bruising your lips, however I sucked hard enough that I could feel the blood flow in my lips without it hurting.

After about 45 seconds I removed the suction cup carefully to reveal my new pout! As you can see there is some slight redness where the cup has been which is expected however this only lasts about a minute or so before returning to normal. My lips definitely appear fuller and plumper!

#

I then applied my lipstick and lip liner to try and achieve my Kylie Jenner pout and I am very impressed! The effect lasted for around 1-2 hours for me, however they're easy enough to just slip into your handbag for easy top ups when you start to feel the effect wearing off. 

I would most definitely recommend the Fullips enhancers to anybody who longs for a fuller pout!They've quickly become a part of my daily make-up routine and are the safest way to quickly achieving the lips of your dreams. 

No 7 Colour Match Experience!

So I have been through A-L-O-T of foundations to try and find the perfect one for me. I'm naturally very pale skinned however have found that most brands palest foundations are still too orangy for my skin tone! So I decided to get colour-matched!

It was so easy, I have no idea why I've never thought about doing it before! I went up to my local Boots with a bare, make-up free face and sat straight down in the No 7 counter to be matched. The lady, who I regret not catching her name as I would definitely recommend her, whipped out a little device that she scanned over my face and within seconds had detected my skin colour; Calico! This happens to be their lightest shade of foundation. I was then asked what type of foundation I would like as No 7 do a range of different types of foundation, I explained to the lady that I was after a liquid, medium coverage foundation that didn't completely cover my summer freckles but that did cover my blemished and uneven skin tone. I was recommended either the Beautifully Matte or the Stay Perfect foundation so I asked to try both.

 Photo Credit :
Boots Website

The lady then applied both foundations to my cheeks (one on each) but didn't tell me which was which; she then asked me to look in the mirror and decide which I liked better. I was really impressed with this technique as it's a very honest way of selling somebody a foundation that they genuinely want to buy! Because I didn't know which was which i could make a decision based solely on what the foundation looked like on my skin without being influenced by the packaging, price or name. I so happened to pick the side that had Beautifully Matte which was surprising for me as I don't normally like matte foundations as they normally make my skin look flat and lifeless, however the No 7 Beautifully matte makes the skin look healthy and flawless without looking too dull or too shiny.

I was then given a little card with my colour match name and  little chart with the lipstick shades that No 7 sell that are matched to Calico which is awesome! I struggle with lipstick colours as I never ever know what colours suit me besides the neutral nudes so this was a real confidence boost for me to actually pick a new lippy colour to wear.

I couldn't resist but to buy a new lippy to wear with my new foundation so after alot of swatching I finally settled on the colour 'Deep Rust' from the Moisture Drench range and I love it! It's my new go-to lippy as the colour flawlessly matches my skin tone. I was very surprised that it actually suited me as normally orangy lipsticks don't tend to suit me, however this is more of a blood-orange rather than the coral shades I had been attempting to wear so this was way more suited for my pale complexion.

If you're unsure of what lipstick shade to get (as there is a huge choice) Boots have created an online colour matcher that breaks down the decision into easy steps to help you find your perfect shade you're looking for! Visit http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Match-Made-lipstick-tool_1534715/ !

Boots Online Lipstick Colour Match!!

The foundation itself is fantastic and is so easy to apply! I only have to use two small pumps worth which amount to the side of a large pea to cover the whole of my face and I apply this using a flat foundation brush. 

Amount needed to cover full face

My No 7 foundation

I highly recommend getting matched by No 7 and purchasing one of their foundations, I honestly don't think I would ever go back to any of my previous foundations and it's very reasonably priced. The Beautifully Matte cost me only £13.50 and with only having to use a pea sized amount every day, it will last for ages. The lippy was £9.95, slightly expensive for a lipstick in my opinion but totally worth it for the fantastic colour and the fact that it stays put for hours with absolute minimal wearing!

Hope this helps anybody who was wondering what this colour match business was about, I can't recommend this service enough. Big thank you to Boots No 7!

Shropshire Blogger Meet May 2015

I'm not going to lie but I was very nervous as I drove for the first time down the M54 on my own for the first time to my very first blogger meet, especially as I had only just started my blog just days before and hardly knew a thing about blogging! However, as soon as I arrived at The Two Henry's Pub in Shrewsbury my nerves were no longer necessary! I was welcomed by a room of lovely bloggers all eager to get to know eachother and we all introduced ourselves and quickly started exchanging our Twitter and Instagram names to follow each other.

The Blogger Meet started off with a talk from Charlotte from Smashbox  who talked through the history of Smashbox and handed round samples of some of their products for us to test and try, my favourite being the trio of contour sticks which are amazing and am definitely going to purchase! Charlotte also gave us all a mini sample of the Smash Box Photo Finish primer.

Smashbox Contour Sticks Trio - £35

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Sample 

We then had a fantatsic talk from blogger Sarah from Everything You Don't Need To Know About Sarah who spoke to us about her new business selling Stella&Dot products and demonstrating their fascinating range of multi-purpose uses (My personal favourite being the necklaces that can be altered to suit any style you fancy!) Well done Sarah, you were fab!

We took a break for lunch and had a fantastic buffet provided with a lovely selection of sandwiches, wedges, sausage rolls and my personal favourites, mozzarella sticks! Many bags of my absolute favourite popcorn was donated by PROPERCORN and we all had a little individual cupcake provided for our pudding in a cute little polka dot box! It was so lovely chatting to all the bloggers over lunch and as a very new blogger I was overwhelmed with how many of the girls were so keen to help me and offer me advice.

After the buffet we had a little talk from a professional blogger called called Chelsea from Loving Life In Wellies who revealed to us her top 5 tips of how to be a successful blogger which, as a new blogger, was very helpful!

Our event hostess, Kirsty, had arranged a fantastic raffle where the money raised from the tickets was donated to a lovely charity called Scope. I was lucky enough to win 2 amazing raffle prizes which were a set of Strip Teas Teatox tea bags and a full sized bottle of Smashbox Photo Finish Primer.

We were also provided with the most amazing goody bag that was made up by Kirsty from Just A Little Bit Ginger  which had so many amazing products that were kindly donated! My ultimate favourites from the goody bag include the full set of Fullips Lip Enhancer cups to try and get my perfect Kylie Jenner pout, as well as the Nanshy 4 in 1 Blending Sponge. I was also super excited to see that Lush had donated my ultimate favourite Honey I Washed The Kids soap bar!! We each got given our very own set of Prairie Charms Bumpless Bobbles which are just what I need especially as I have to tie my hair up for work

I had an absolutely amazing time at the Blogger Meet and can't wait to go to the next one in September. I would like to say a huge thank you to Kirsty for organising such a lovely event! 

10 Ways to Healthier Skin

My 10 easy steps to beautiful, healthy and clearer skin!

1- Stay hydrated

Drinking at least 2 litres of water a day is key. When your body starts dehydrating the first place it will take water from is your skin so keeping hydrating by drinking regular glasses of water will make sure your skin wont suffer. 

2- Sun cream 

I apply a factor 30 5* UVA sun protection cream twice every single day whether it's rain or shine, snow or heat wave. Sun damaging is one of the worst things your skin can go though. It increases the ageing process of your skin making it look more wrinkly, dark spots, texture changes (usually makes skin scaly) and most importantly it vastly increases your chance of developing skin cancer. If you take one tip away from this post I urge you to take this one.

3- Moisturiser

Moisturising twice daily with a decent day and night cream suitable to your skin type is a crucial part of keeping skin clear, smooth and plump. I use Boots No 7 Early Defence creams (review in my previous post) as they're specifically designed for protecting younger skin against the ageing effects of modern day environment. 

4- Simple skin care routine

Keep your skin care routine short and sweet means you're more likely to stick to it. I use 3 products on my skin which are a cleanser, day/night creams and sun cream for my body. This routine takes me 5 minutes to complete. It also means your skin is not exposed to too many products. You only have to spend 2 minutes in Boots to discover that you can buy every lotion and potion under the sun that all claim to produce different miracles. All your skin really needs is a cleanser and a moisturiser. Toners, eye creams, neck creams etc.. are all just unnecessary fancy add ons in my opinion. Kep it simple and your face will love you forever.

5-Beauty sleep


Unless you want to go for the grubby face look, sleeping with make-up on is a big no no. Night time is the only time during your make-up faced day that it has to breath and recuperate. Make-up clogs up your pours and 99% of the time you will wake up with a face full of spots and black heads which is never a good look.  

6- Au Natural 

Once a week have a make-up free day: it will be like a field trip for your skin! Let it breathe and have a break from the make-up. Apply moisturised throughout the day as naked skin and weather aren't the best of friends so it's best to keep it protected against the wind, rain or sunshine. If you really can't ditch the foundation and falsies for the day then calm your make up down for a day; perhaps use a tinted moisturiser instead of foundation and switch the lippy for a tinted lip balm. 

7- No touchy touchy!

Touching your face constantly throughout the day is a hard habit to kick, especially when you're unaware that half the time you're doing it; I am guilty of this! Imagine what your hands touch every day.. all those dirty door handles, money, keys, pens.. all those germs lingering on your hands get transferred onto your face every time you rub your eyes, hold your cheek or cup your chin, Pretty gross? Yep. Try to kick it if you can but I will sympathise with you that it is a hard one to kick.

8- Get your sweat on

Yes it may seem odd that I'm encouraging you to sweat but sweating is natures way of elimination toxic chemical that can build up under skin as well as allowing pours to drain. It also maintains healthy blood flow and circulation which will improve your skin.

9-Feed your face

Try and cut back on the fried foods and sugars as these are food that can cause huge breakouts and greasy skin. Things like strawberries, fruity smoothies, olive oil, green tea and blueberries are excellent at keeping your skin clear.

10- Showers

If you're a lover of long hot showers I'm afraid you're most likely dying your skin out. and stripping it of its natural oils. Try switching your regular hot showers for cooler, shorter ones and save the long hot ones for luxury! 

I hope this helps you out my lovelies!