Reviews on Real Techniques, Estee Lauder, CND, Corn Silk powder

Hi Beautiful ladies!

I have tried and tested some new products recently...here is how I got on!



CND Vinylux in Wildfire


I have been using this brand for a while now and I absolutely LOVE their nail colours.  The properties in the nail polish means you dont require a basecoat, the colour lasts for ages (especially on the toes) and the topcoat is super shiny. They have a range of colours and this red shade is a new favourite of mine. 

£9.95 available in most salons. Try Luminis in Chiswick. 











Corn Silk Translucent Powder

As always I love looking for new products to add to my makeup collection and this is now a permanent fixture. It can look heavy if applied incorrectly, but the best way is to apply a small amount first, work it into your skin and then add more if you feel you need it. You get the most flawless and matte finish with this. The best part...it is £8.29 for a pretty decent size. 

http://www.boots.com/en/Corn-Silk-Loose-Face-Powder-Original-Satin-12g_984053/

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint and Rimmel London Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Aqua

I saw these in Boots and thought I would give them a try. The tube looks like a lipgloss which makes it quite handy to travel with as you can just dab some on and blend with your finger. The colours came out beautifully but I did find, when I was doing makeup trials for some clients, they are not for everyone. Reason being is that, because they have quite a metallic finish it can make any lines or wrinkles on the eyelid very obvious. Now as a makeup artist I obviously know not to use metallic eyeshadows on older clients but my client was in her 20's and it looked like she had no wrinkles at all! This product would be better as a highlighter on the eyes especially on the inner corners. It wouldnt be my holy grail product but it does add a lovely shimmer :-)

The eyeliner however is absolutely gorgeous! Only need a small amount to make your eyes really pop. This is £3.99 and you also get a smudge brush on the other end which is very handy for a more subtle finish.

Estee Lauder Double Wear BB cream

I so wanted to love this...I know its a bb cream and not a foundation but I wouldve preferred it if it had more pigment in it. Its very light once its applied and feels nice on the skin but I found I had to apply lots of concealer for my scars and then powder to set. This is probably a great product for someone with perfect skin with no scars or blemishes (deffo not me! If you buy this you only need a small amount and its best applied with a blending brush. This is £29 on feelunique.com 




Real Techniques powder brush, foundation brush and Bare Minerals correcting SPF 20 concealer. 

These brushes are the BEST brushes EVER! Foundation brush blends any type of foundation and the powder brush is so soft and applies powder perfectly! They will change the way you apply your makeup forever! Just make sure you clean them at least once a month :-)

The concealer gave me ok coverage on my dark circles,it is one of those products that you need to layer on which I dont have time for in the morning when i'm getting ready for work but I also found it quite oily and throughout the day I found that it looked quite creased...not a good look! Wouldn't buy again. 

The concealer is £21 on feelunique.com

The Foundation brush is £9.99 from Boots

The Powder brush is £8.99 from allbeauty.com

I hope you enjoyed reading :-)

Xx

My Dukan Diet Journey so far...

Hi beautiful ladies!

I am sure some of you can relate to me when I say I have never been happy with my weight. It goes up then down then up then down. I am 5'2 so any weight I gain shows quite quickly! I was very slim before I got married 2 years ago and now am a dress size bigger and 1 stone and half heavier :-(

I have tried every diet under the sun since I was about 16 (terrible isn't it?) I am one of those people who will try and buy anything if it promises weight loss....Bootea (total waste of time), Slimfast (nice milkshakes but boring as hell), Weight Watchers (confusing!) Maple Syrup diet (vile!) Soup diet (repetitive, left me feeling faint) well you get the jist...

The Dukan Diet has been around for a while now. It is a high protein, no fat, no sugar and no carbs diet. My first thoughts were what the hell am I going to eat?

After a few days of research I gave it a shot. There are 4 phases but I only managed 2 :-( 

The first phase is called Attack. You can do this for 3-10 days depending on how much weight you want to lose. I went to Tesco and bought everything that I needed for phase 1. There are other meats you can eat obviously but this is what I chose-

-Turkey rashers

-Skinless chicken

-Fat free greek yoghurt

-Fat free no added sugar strawberry jelly

-Goji berries

-Oat bran

-Quork (fat free cream cheese)

-Eggs

This is basically what I lived on for 3 days. It wasn't the worst diet I've ever done but I could feel myself getting bored on day 3 and was looking forward to phase 2, the Cruise phase where you add in vegetables every other day until you reach your desired weight and you alternate your days. So one day is pure protein (like the attack phase) the next day is protein and veg.

I was living off the same food as the Attack phase but this time I included some of the below

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Aubergine
• Broccoli
• Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel sprouts
• Celery
• Chicory
• Courgette
• Cucumber
• Fennel
• French beans
• Leeks
• Mushrooms
• Onion
• Peppers
• Pumpkin
• Radish
• Salad leaves
• Sorrel
• Soya beans
• Spinach
• Swede
• Swiss chard
• Tomatoes
• Turnip

I lasted 6 days on this diet, it is extremely difficult to stick to it but I did lose 5lbs. I have now decided to stick to protein and veg every day...so you could say I am "kind of" still on the diet but as a human and someone who loves food I find it difficult to stick to something so strict! I don't eat carbs anymore and I try my absolute hardest not to give into sweet treats, but now if I have the odd slice of cake I wont make myself feel so guilty because I know that I am eating right the rest of the time. 

Tips for this diet-

-Drink PLENTY of water

-Diet coke really fills you up

-Make sure you eat oat bran everyday to avoid getting constipated which is very common with this diet

-You can chew sugar free gum, you can use sweetener and have any drink that is sugar free and fat free. 

-You can use any spices, onions and seasoning to flavour your meat

If you have tried the Dukan Diet let me know how you got on!

Xx

5 tips to make you look and feel good this Summer!

These are my top tips for looking and feeling great this summer whether you are staying in the UK or are topping up your tan on a gorgeous beach abroad. I have also included a makeup tutorial for the perfect day to night makeup look. Enjoy!

1. Protect Protect Protect!

I cannot stress enough how important is it to protect your skin not just in the summer but all year round! The rays of the sun in general are extremely strong (even if you can’t see it, it is still there!) Many people choose to use a sun lotion underneath their makeup up but my skin is combination and therefore I do get oily throughout the day so I use Jane Iredale Glow Time BB Cream. Hands down one of the best BB creams I have ever used. The coverage is amazing and the SPF is 25 which is perfect for the face! This BB cream isn’t available in stores, only salons. To find your nearest stockist go to https://janeiredale.com/uk/en/where-to-buy.htm type in your postcode and it will find your closest salon. For the rest of your body any sunscreen which an SPF of 15+ is perfect.

2. Perfect beach waves

• Wash hair and pat dry
• Spray Schwarzkopf beach matt textured spray on the middle section of your hair and the ends. Use your hands to scrunch your hair as you do this.
• Sleep on it
• Using GHD’S or a curling iron, curl random sections of your hair to give it some volume
• Lightly apply hairspray all over and you are good to go

3. Summer nails

In the summer most people like to go for pinks, corals and reds. Nothing wrong with that of course but these are the “safe” colours for the summer. I like to go for mint, nudes, yellow and pastels. Here are my favourite ones…try something different!

•  Maybelline in Mint for Life 
•  Barry M in Lychee
•  CND Vinylux in Bicycle Yellow
• CND Vinylux in Salmon Run

   

 

4. Hydrate

Im sure you all know this but hydration is key to looking and feeling healthy. The average person should be drinking 1.5 litres of water every day. Water gives an amazing glow to the skin, releases toxins and is the easiest way to make a difference to your general wellbeing.

5. Tantastic

For those of you who want a healthy glow for an event or just for the summer in general, look no further than St Tropez. A lot of fake tans are exactly that-fake looking, but St Tropez works with your natural skin tone and will NOT make you go orange. You can choose between original (for the 1^st timers!) or dark which to be honest is not as dark as one would think! The spray tan needs at least 8 hours to develop, you then wash it off and you will have a gorgeous all over colour. St Tropez spray tans are available in most salons. 

Let me know how you get on with these tips and look out for my blog on how to achieve the perfect day to night holiday makeup look.

Xx