Real Fake Lashes

I love having thick long lashes, and sometimes for special occasions my usual 'day time' mascara doesn't quite give the desired high impact look I'm after, and I don't always want to go to the extra effort of applying fake lashes.

Earlier this year I came across this mascara - YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils 'Shocking'. I hadn't researched this product or read any reviews, but it was purely the name that drew me in. To me, its name did everything that I wanted in a special mascara.

It was a bit of a risk for £23, but I'm very pleased with it! It has a thick consistency, but doesn't clump on your lashes. It coats each lash to become dense and thick in all the right ways. My technique is to apply one thin coat first, let then dry 50%, then apply a second thick coat. This helps my lashes hold their curl and really makes my lashes flutter!

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Spring Skin - Blusher

Spring is officially here now, and its time to start adapting and changing our makeup to suit the weather and our skin tone. I'm already noticing freckles appearing on my skin, and want to complement them with a peachier shade of blusher, rather than the plum/pink colour I go for in the winter months when I have paler skin.

This week Boots launched their 3 for 2 offer on all their makeup, so decided to take advantage of this and get Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher in 03 Brun Cuivre, along with some other goodies. Its a peachy tan colour that boosts my complection, giving a healthy glow ready for summer. I'm really pleased with my choice, as I do think its tricky buying the right blusher for your skin, whether that be what shade to go for or what texture (cream or powder).

These blushers have been out for years now; I always try other brands for blushers but end up coming back to these for their reliable colour pay off and consistency at a decent price (£7.49). Its great for popping in your handbag too as there's a little brush that applies really well considering its size.

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How To - Smokey Eyes

Smokey eye make up is one of the easiest looks to create, but gives the most impact.

You don't have to be precise with how you apply, in fact the more smudged the better. My most useful tool is a smokey eye brush. These have short round bristles that blend your eyeliner to you eyeshadow.

To create my smokey eye's below I used the following eye shadows from Urban Decays 'Naked' palette, first blogged about here.

• 'Virgin' on the inner corner and brow bone. This is the lightest shade and great for creating highlights to contrast with the dark shades.
• 'Sidecar' applied across the eyelid, giving a mid colour base with some subtle sparkle.
• 'Gunmetal' on the out corner of the eyelid and blended into the socket and up to the brow line. A big soft eye shadow brushes helps blend this dark shade in the socket.
• 'Creep' on the socket crease and blended on the lower lash line with a smokey eye brush. This is the darkest shade in the palette and gives great depth to the eye. I used No 7's. I repeated this after apply a line of thick black eyeliner. The eyeliner gives definition but blending eyeshadow back over the eyeliner blurs creates the smokey tone.

I then applied a line of Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black, here is my post giving a bit more information on the product. As the gel was drying I used the smokey eye brush again and blended the line into the eye shadow, especially on the out corners. This was to leave some defintion of the eyeliner but blurring where the eyeliner finsihes and the eyeshadow starts.

To finish the look you need some high impact lashes, so I applied a coat of YSL's Luxurious Mascara Shocking Volume.

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New Nails - Black Magic

This weeks new nails is a combination of a very dark blue and a black glittery nail varnish layered on top. The result is a 3D glitter effect, subtle on first glance but when you look closer the specs of glitter add depth to such a dark colour.

I used one coat of No 7's 'Betty Blues', then two coats of Models Own 'Thunder & Lightening'.

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DIY Jewellery

Creating your own jewellery is the best way to ensure that you won’t see anyone else wearing the same, and you will create unique pieces that you can tailor make to go with any outfit or occasion.

I had a go at making my own bracelets from some gorgeous unusually shaped green and blue beads. I used some thin clear elastic and just threaded the beads through with a needle. It was really quick to do. The bracelets would go well with a plain t-shirt and a matching green or blue scarf.

For the more substantial beads, I decided to make a key ring. Using some thick black thread, I threaded the beads through and secure into a loop. I tied them onto a small metal ring that could then be attached to a key ring. Here I’ve put my bead key ring with an old flower key ring as I thought they complemented each other well!

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Give it some Ooomph!

www.boots.com

Back-combing isn’t good for your hair as it creates split ends and makes your hair weak. So when I discovered this little bottle, Tresemme's 24 hour Body Plumping Powder, I thought it was worth a try.

It claims to give your hair long lasting volume.. however I’m not too sure. I use it on the roots on my crown, and I’ve tried it using varying amounts, and I just can’t seem to get the desired effect. It leaves my hair feeling strangely sticky (which I understand is the texture needed to create the volume).However it makes my hair greasy extremely quickly. I would only recommend using this for a night out, as it creates a bit of a grungy rock chick hair style. It is £5.50 from Boots, and at the moment they've got a deal two Tresemme products for £6, so you're effectively getting the second item for 50p!

Although the powder does 'plump' my hair slightly, it certainly hasn’t stopped me reaching for my comb to create that extra volume I want.

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New Nails - Champagne Sparkles

This weekend I went to a white themed party. As the only white item in my winter wardrobe is long plain shirt, I decided to jazz my outfit up with a bit of sparkle on my nails.

I painted two coats of the No 7's Pearly Pink, then one coat of Models Own Juicy Jules.

I was quite pleased with the final result. The colours complement each other and create a 3D effect.
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Caring for your eyes

As I get older I am noticing more and more how my skin is changing and I want to be able to stall the signs of aging for as long as I can. The skin around your eyes is very delicate and when wrinkles start to appear there it can add years on.

I wanted to start using an eye cream that is aimed at caring for your skin now, rather than reducing wrinkles. I use Roc’s Complete Lift Anti-Dark Circle Eye Cream. After using for 6 months I think it has strengthened the skin round my eye, but I wouldn’t say it’s a miracle cream, nor affected the dark circles. It can make your eye area sting slightly, especially when you apply just after removing eye makeup. I like to leave it 5 minutes, to give my eye are time to rest.

At £22.99, it isn’t cheap. I would rather try and find another cream that showed better results didn’t sting.

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Vintage Beauty

I love looking for unique finds at Antique fairs and charity shops, so was delighted to find this in the loft at home. It is an old manicure set, with nail and cuticle scissors, a nail buffer and a cuticle stick. I love how its presented in a box, with silk padded lining. It is all about the presentation and to show off how elegant, perfectly designed and well maintained each piece is. It contrasts greatly from the manicure kit I use – a tiny Cath Kidson wallet, with each utensil crammed in.

I don’t intend on using this old set as I think it should be preserved for many more years to come.

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Recycling Jeans

After wearing a pair of worn out jeans for far too long now, I finally got round to buying a new pair. I find so jeans so hard to buy, each brand creating various cuts and designs its difficult to find a pair that really suits your body shape and are reasonably priced. I bought this pair from Banana Republic, and am so far very pleased with them.
I couldn't bare to throw my old jeans out, so decided to make them into a pair of shorts instead!

Before



After

The dark denim works well with tights for winter and I'll go for bare (fake-tanned) legs in the summer. I feel like I've saved myself about £25 by not throwing these out, and sitting down for a couple of hours with some pins, and a needle and thread.

Its very satisfying knowing it was your handywork thats created a new item of clothing.

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Buff up!

A nail buffer is a great investment to recreate salon perfect talons, and this one won't break the bank at £2 from Boots. This nail buffer gives you a step by step guide, with each side helpfully numbered.

Buffing really helps your nail varnish go on evenly, giving a glossier finish. It also smooths out any ridges and split nails.

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