The Brows

Hello you lovely lot! :) 

Today I'm coming at you with a different kind of post to what I normally do. I never  talk about work or my experiences within the beauty world. But I've wanted to share my thoughts on the eyebrow for a while so I'll jump right in. 

Whilst working for Benefit the brows become such a large focus that it literally makes you look at every persons, whether they be perfect, caterpillars or the tiniest pencil lines. 

I wanted to share with you all my eyebrow history (haha doesn't it sound funny!) whilst at university many moons ago now, I decided to get my eyebrows threaded for the first time. Prier to this I'd only ever tweezed them myself. My initial reaction was I liked the shape but oh my god it was so painful. I continued this very painful beauty regime for near enough twelve months. Then one evening I stumbled across the Benefit brow bar and that is literally where everything changed. Not only did it open up a whole career path for me but it changed my whole opinion about threading, my eyebrows and how paying a trained consultant made such a dramatic difference. 

I had a wax and tint and was amazed my brows looked so much fuller. At Benefit they measure 3 point A,B and C start arch and end. This is exactly how to judge where to apply your brow product. Benefit have established this to be the most universally flattering shape for females.  

Over time my brows have improved with leaps and bounds, but having hair removed over and over has caused some  parts not to grow back. So I thought I'd talk with you about how I apply my brow product considering I have quite a difficult brow shape. As not only do I have sparse areas I have dimples at the highest point of my arch making them naturally pointy. 

My natural brows. 

The brow products I use are a MAC 266 angled brush. Benefit Browzings in the shade Dark. A brow comb and setting gel. I have tried many hard angled brushes and the MAC 266 I have found to be the very best! 

Firstly i start by brushing the brow hairs down, then starting from the underneath I draw a strait line from a to b. As my length is way off I then continue b to c and extend the line to where it naturally should end. You can work this out by taking a strait line from the edge of your nose up through your lashes. I then start to lightly fill in the front of my brow making it look as natural as possible, continuing through the thickest part of my brow. Then I join b to c making sure to keep it as strait as possible. 

Moving on to my left brow (the better brow) I repeat the same look but don't have to use as much product as this brow is a lot fuller. 

And that's pretty much the finished look of the brow!! What brow products do you love to use?? xoxo 

MAC Stroke of Midnight Brush Kit/Smoky Eye

Hello you wonderful lot :) 

I'm squeezing in a very special post today as it actually my 23rd birthday!! 

I love birthdays as they always make you realise how lucky you are and how many amazing people you have around you :) 

One of the beautiful pressies I've received today is this MAC Stroke of Midnight brush set and I just had to share it with you. There are five brushes in the collection a 219se 211se 214se 266se and a 227se. All used to create a fantastic smoky eye look! I haven't tried and tested them all as of yet but I love Mac brushes and know they won't disappoint! :) 

The main reason I wanted to share the kit with you (apart from it being so pretty) Is the price the collection is £42 for five brushes which is a fab saving compared to if you purchase the brushes separately. I believe it was part of their Christmas collection but if you can still find some online or in store I'd highly recommend grabbing one :) 

xxx

Super Facialist

Today I am coming at you with a product which has basically been saving me at the moment. Whether its down to stress, change in the weather or the fact I work in a heated department store my skin has really suffered the last few weeks. Mini break outs and congestion, generally just looking a bit dull. 

With that being said I thought I'd try the Super Facialist by Una Brennan - Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask (mouthful) and I'm so happy I did. 

Rich in Avocado oil and vitamins A,D and E. Acacia Honey as well as tea flower all help to rebalance the skin and clear it of excessive oils and toxins which lead to break outs. 

Recently I've been using this about two times a week, once daily before getting ready an then I tried it before bed to. Once used before bed I found I woke up with skin that had noticeably improved! My pores appeared smaller and the break outs on my chin had decreased in size two. 

So far this gets a big thumbs up from me, have any of you tried it?? :) xx

November Favourites

Time for November Favourites :) which means we are finally getting into December!! Yay!! I love this time of year :D

Rose Jam shower gel from Lush. This has been an all time favourite this month! It smells just like Turkish delight! When I've been feeling groggy and tired in a morning it's so uplifting to use this it generally puts me in a better mood!! ( I know it's a shower gel haha) but the nice thing about it is when used in the evening it's very calming!!! Great all rounder :) 

Lanolips original lip balm and rose hand cream. These two products have generally been my saviours this month. The original lip balm is fantastic it's so rich and nourishing!! I've been using it morning and evening and noticed such a difference when I've had chapped lips!! The hand cream is for very dry hands, but still sinks in beautifully considering the consistency!! It hasn't left my hand bag! 

Elemis Lavender and Herbal repair face mask. I haven't really tried anything from Elemis before but after using this mask through out the month I may be asking for a few more things from Santa for Christmas! This goes on as a thin clay like consitancy, when left for ten to fifteen minutes it leaves the skin looking smooth, soft and bright! Plus it smells lovely :) 

My make up items of the month are, the massive Collection bronzer! Which I've been applying with the Elizabeth Arden bronzing brush, which goes well as it's so huge haha! I've been using this all over in a three shape to bronze the perrimitters of the face. It's been adding desired warmth to the winter paleness of my skin tone this month. Cheap and cheerful :) 

And the Kate Moss lipstick for Rimmel in 110. This is the most beautiful coral/red colour! It stays on the lips all day as its a matte finish so you only have to reapply after eating and drinking! I've been wearing the colour pretty much all month as it sets off any outfit making it festive :) 

So that's it for my November favourites what have you guys been loving?? Xx

Autumn Nails

Today I thought I would show you what I'm wearing on my nails as I'm absolutely loving it!! 

Sally Hansen complete Salon Manicure - 620 Wine Not. This is the most perfect colour for this time of year an leading up to the festive season! Although it did take about three coats for a complete opaque finish it is beautiful with such full shine! Pairing it with the Dior GelCoat is a match made in heaven! This leaves nails looking as if you've had a gel manicure and keeps polish on much longer! Plus talk about the shine! 

I am officially in love!! :) 

What nail colours have you been sporting this autumn!? xxx

YSL's Youth Liberator Serum Foundation

It's very rare that I use products that blow me away on first try. But when I first used YSL's new Youth Liberator Serum Foundation £37 I was truly impressed!! 

This foundation has started taking the beauty world by storm and I completely understand why! 

The main things I look for in a foundation are radiance and warmth, normally I opt for a lighter coverage but recently I'd decided I wanted something that gave slightly more for the winter but still left me looking natural! 

This truly is beautiful, it gives fuller coverage but it's so glowy and feels so smooth when applied! I went for the colour Beige Rose 50! Which is a pink tone that gives my skin that little bit of warmth!! For £37 it's slightly more pricey than what I'd normally spend on my foundation but I am hooked!!! It is amazing :) 

Have you tried this foundation? If you are looking for a new one I'd highly recommend!! xx

Autumn Skincare Routine

Hello you lovely lot today I thought I would talk to you a little about my skin care routine, as I have updated it slightly now it has got that bit colder. I'll start by saying that I have a sensitive to dry skin type with the occasional tendency to break out normally around my chin area. The main things I struggle with are blemish scarring and open pores. But as soon as It gets colder and the heating goes on my already dry skin needs and adding helping of moisture! 

I have finally tried the holy grail Emma Hardy Moringa Cleansing Balm, as its quite pricey I hadn't ever made the plunge and brought the full size. But whilst in duty free I picked up a travel size to try and I'm so glad that I did. The full size will definitely be added to my Christmas list as I am absolutely obsessed! It takes make up off beautifully and leaves the skin soft, smooth and feeling so luxurious! It definitely lives up to the crazy hype surrounding it! 

I picked up a new toner to try during October Lush's Breath of Fresh Air Toner Water. ' The sea breeze captured in a bottle. A refreshing spray to tide you over.' Ingredients such as Organic Aloe Vera Gel, Rose Absolute, Rosemary Oil and Seaweed Absolute help to rehydrate the skin and remove any excess grime! I really have seen a noticeable difference since adding this into my routine especially with the blemishes on my chin. It contains ingredients that occur naturally in essential oils so its a very pampering product that feels so relaxing to use. 

Origins Eye Doctor Eye Cream I have done a full review of this eye cream previously, and expressed how much I am truly loving using this! It's so hydrating that it sorted any dryness I had around the eye area within just three uses. 

Hydraluron, another hugely hyped product that I just had to try haha. I have been using this serum in conjunction with another to really seal moisture into the skin. 'It increases skin hydration from below the surface with an ultra-high-quality hyaluronic acid that holds up to 1,000 times it's weight in water.' I must admit when originally using this alone as a serum before moisturiser I hadn't seen too much difference, however using it with an oil is incredible! 

I mentioned in my October favourites the NUDE ProGenius treatment oil! I have been using this pretty much all through October and I love it! It contains omega 3, 6, 7 & 9 which naturally help to relieve skin conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis and eczema because of their anti-inflammatory properties. So my dry skin is lapping this stuff up like a dream. I have used it morning and evenings and it applies beautifully under make up giving a radiant finish. 

Lastly in my routine recently I've returned to an old favourite, Benefits Total Moisture Facial Cream. This  moisturiser has a thicker consistency and with their try radiance complex it's captures the skins hydration, maintains it and develops it over time as well. It's fantastic for dryer skin types like my own as its full if mango butter which acts as a natural emollient for the skin! 

So there we have it that's what I've been loving to use on my skin to keep it hydrated now its got cooler! What skin care items have you been loving? Have you tried anything I've tried?